Mathri

Today the weather is so peculiar that it is changing colors for every one  hour. When I was getting ready for my daughter's swimming class it was so hot that I closed all the windows.By that time I was at swimming center it has started raining.When we were returning from swimming class again, the sun has started playing peek-a-boo. After one hour there was a heavy rain with hail stones. My daughter had fun playing with them.Now the weather is lovely with cool breeze which made me to crave for something spicy and crunchy with my after noon tea.As I got bored of pakoda, bajji I want to try something different and finally decided to prepare mathri. It is a rajasthani snack traditionally served with pickle.It is easy to make and will serve as great accompaniment with tea.

Ingredients:
Plain flour-2cups
Semolina-1/2cup
Water-1/2 cup
Salt-1tsp
Red chilly powder-1tsp
Kalonji seeds-1tsp(Optional)
Cumin seeds-1tsp
Oil-2tbsp+for deep frying


Method:

1. Mix flour,semolina  with 2tbsp of oil and form  a crumble.
2. Now add salt,chilly powder,kalonji seeds, cumin seeds to the flour.
3. Add water little by little and make soft dough.
4. Now roll the dough into 1" chapathi and with the help of cookie cutter or biscuit cutter make round mathris.
5.  or you can make the dough into small balls and roll each ball into small disc.
6. Prick each mathri with fork at 4-5 places.
7. Heat oil in frying pan. When the oil is medium hot fry these mathris until they turn pale yellow

Notes:
Forming crumble with flour and oil before adding rest of the ingredients will give very good texture to mathris.
Pricking mathris with fork is very much important because when you fry them they may pop up like puri .To prevent this, prick them with fork at 4-5 places. Mathris which pop up in oil will be soft and chewy.

Karappodi/Idli podi

I love this podi very much. I would like to eat my dosa or idli with this podi rather than with peanut chutney.Again this is amma's recipe and it goes very well even with hot rice and ghee. There are many variations in preparation of this podi and you can substitute garlic with big pinch of hing if you wish.I have used pea nuts and moong dal in its preparation, which gives very good taste to this powder.

Ingredients:
Chana dal-1/2 cup
Urad dal-1/2 cup
Coriander seeds-1/2cup
Red chillies-12-13(Adjust to your taste)
Pea nuts-2tbsp
Moong dal-2tbsp
Tamarind-1small lemon sized ball
Garlic cloves-8
Oil-11/2tbsp

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pan add chana dal,urad dal,peanuts,moong dal.When they start changing color add coriander seeds and red chillies.
2. Fry them till they turn brow and emit nice aroma and switch off the flame
3. Now add garlic and tamarind and cool them completely.
4. Grind them to powder and serve over hot rice or idli and dosa

Thai Green Curry

Being a vegetarian I have very few options while trying different cuisines, but one cuisine which boasts of many vegetarian dishes is "Thai". "Green curry", "Red curry" and "Pad Thai" are very famous Thai dishes.Though "Pad Thai" is my favorite Thai dish,Green curry and  red curry are  equally delicious.Once we had Green curry at a take away,but to my palate it appeared very mild.So I decided to prepare it at home as per our taste and spice levels.In fact this green curry paste makes use of many spices and herbs which we use in our(Indian) cooking such as coriander seeds,cumin,coriander leaves and garlic.Believe me!this is fail proof recipe and you will simply love it.

Recipe source:here
Serves:2
Ingredients:
Carrot chopped length wise into strips-1/2cup
Beans or snow peas chopped-1/2cup
Basil leaves-1/2cup
Sweet potato-1/2cup cubed
Red bell pepper-1small
Good quality coconut milk-1/2 can
Firm tofu-1/2pack made  into bite size pieces
Salt to taste
Oil-2tbsp

For green curry paste:
Coriander seeds-1tsp(Grind them to fine powder)
Cumin seeds-1/2tsp(Grind them to fine powder)
Soy sauce-11/2tbsp
Brown sugar-1/2tsp
Green chillies-2-3(Adjust to your taste)
Onion-1small
Garlic-1clove
Ginger-1/2 inch piece
Fresh coriander leaves-1/2cup(I used stems also)
Kaffir  Lime Leaves-2-3

Method:

1. Par boil sweet potato, carrot,bell pepper and capsicum on stove top for 10 minutes.
2. To make green curry paste,grind all the ingredients listed  in green curry paste.
3. Heat oil in a pan and add green curry paste and fry for nearly 2 minutes..
4. Now add coconut milk and tofu and stir until they are mixed well.
5. Reduce flame to medium and simmer it for nearly 10 minutes with covered lid.
6. Now add all the vegetables and cook for another 10 minutes.
7. Add salt and mix well.(Do taste taste and add salt because soy sauce also contains salt.)
8. Sprinkle with fresh basil leaves and serve over basmati rice or Thai jasmine rice.

Easy easy Doodh Peda/Pala kova

I have a sweet tooth and anything with milk, first to grab.Needless to say Doodh peda is my most favorite sweet but I feel it is hard to prepare.Mom used to make it with gallons of milk continuously stirring for hours together.To be honest I don't have that patience and want something easy and quick to prepare without compromising in taste.This is one of such recipe and taste is very much close to traditionally made palakova

Ingredients:
Sweetened Condensed Milk-1can(Preferably Nestle brand)
Ghee 2tsp
Curd-2tsp(You can substitute with yogurt)
Cardamom powder-1tsp
Pistachios or almonds for garnishing

Method:

1. Mix all the ingredients and microwave it on high power for 6-7 minutes(Always use the bowl which is double the size of contents as contents may over flow the vessel.Keep an eye on it and never go away from the microwave.I suggest you to take out bowl for every 1 minute. Be careful, the bowl will be very hot and take the help of oven mitt to handle it.)
2. After 6 minutes,transfer the mixture into a pan and cook it on medium flame(On stove top) for  15-20 minutes by frequently stirring it.
3. Now add the cardamom powder and switch off the flame.
4. Transfer it to a plate greased with ghee and garnish with almonds or pistachios
5. Let it cool and cut into desired shapes.

Butter Muruku

This is one of my favorite snack. For the first time I am trying this at home and the result is very good. Muruku are crunchy and tasty and with same dough I prepared some jantikalu and they too tasted divine.Use of roasted  chana dal powder has given very good smell and taste to these murukus.

Ingredients:
Roasted chana da(Putnala pappu):3/4 cup
Rice flour-3cups
Butter-2tbsp
Sesame seeds-2tbsp
Cumin seeds-1tbsp
Salt to taste
Red chilly powder-2tsp
Oil for frying

Process:

1. Grind roasted chana dal to a fine powder.
2. Mix rice flour and chana dal powder and to this add butter. Mix well till the mixture gives crumble appearence.
3. Now add all the remaining ingredients and water and form a nice dough.(The dough should be softer than roti dough).Cover it with wet cloth to prevent from drying.
4. Using the muruku mould (singe star attachment) fill the muruku press with dough.
5. Take an aluminium foil or plastic sheet, start rotating muruku press for forming medium sized spirals on to aluminium foil.In this way make nearly 8-10 spirals or murukus.
6. Heat oil in a wide bottomed pan and when the oil is hot slide these murukus into oil gently(Be careful not to splash oil.As soon as you slide murukus in hot oil bubbles will froth up and will start to disappear once the muruku turns golden brown.So heat oil properly and always fry on medium heat).
7. Fry them till they reach light golden brown and remove them to an absorbent paper.Repeat the same process with the remaining dough.
8. Cool them completely before storing in an air tight container.

Rasam

Rasam is comforting food at any time.When you are sick or when your mouth is not tasting good or when you completely lost your appetite or when you are bored of curry and dal and want something light and comforting it acts like a miracle.When ever I think of rasam it brings back the memories of my child  hood.When I was a child, our daily dinner  used to comprise of potato fry,mudda pappu and rasam and we are not bored of it on a single day.Even now my daughter loves it very much.There are many variations in preparation of rasam.Today's recipe is andhra version of rasam or what we call it as charu. It can be taken as soup or it tastes excellent with rice and mudda pappu(dal).

Ingredients:
Tamarind-1big lemon size ball(Soak it in warm water for 15 minutes and extract juice)
Tomato-1small(Chopped roughly)
Turmeric-1tsp
Rasam powder-2tbsp
Salt to atste
Red chilly powder-2tsp(Adjust to your taste)
Coriander leaves.

For tempering:
Mustard seeds-1tsp
Cumin seeds-1tsp
Curry leaves-few
Hing-big pinch
Ghee-1tbsp(You can replace it with oil)

Method:

1. Extract the juice from tamarind and add 2 cups of water to it.
2. Add tomatoes, salt, turmeric powder and rasam powder to it.
3. Cook it on medium flame for nearly 15 minutes taking care that it will not over flow the vessel.
4. Now add red chilly powder, coriander leaves and cook for another 10 minutes.
5. In a small pan heat ghee add mustard seeds, cumin seeds.When they start crackling add curry leaves and hing.
6. Pour this tempering into rasam and mix well. 

Rasam powder:
Tur dal-1/2cup
Urad dal-2tsp
Chana dal-2tsp
Coriander seeds-1/4cup
Pepper corns-2tbsp
Red chillies-2-3
Salt -1tsp
Turmeric powder-1tsp

Method:
Dry roast tur dal, urad dal and chana dal. When they emit nice aroma and turn light brown add coriander seeds, pepper corns and red chillies and fry for a while.(Take care not to burn coriander seeds). Cool them completely and grind them to fine powder along with salt and turmeric powder(Coffee powder works best for this)
This stays fresh for up to a month in an air tight container.

Bagara Baingan

This is a famous Hyderabad delicacy that goes very well with biryani or any flavored rice.In this recipe I have cooked brinjals in microwave till they are 70% done. Alternatively you can deep fry them for crispier outer and soft inner.

Ingredients:
Round and purple brinjals:6
Peanuts-3tbsp
Sesame seeds-3tbsp
Dry coconut powder-2tbsp
Onion-1medium (chopped lengthwise)
Ginger garlic paste-1tsp
Coriander powder:1tsp
Red chilly powder-2-3tsp(Adjust to your taste)
Salt to taste
Chopped curry leaves-few
Mustard seeds-1tsp
Green chillies chopped-1-2
Oil-1tbsp

Method:

1. Dry roast peanuts, sesame seeds on medium flame. Then add dry coconut powder and fry for a while and switch off the flame.
2. Grind them to coarse paste by adding some water after cooling completely
3. Cook the brinjals till they are 70%done.(You can microwave them or deep fry them)
4. Now in a pan heat 1tbsp oil. Add mustard seeds. When they crackle add curry leaves and green chillies.
5. Now add onions and fry till it becomes transparent. Add ginger garlic paste and fry till it loses raw smell
6. Now add peanut paste and add 2 cups of water and cook it on medium flame for 10 minutes with covered lid
7. Add coriander powder, salt, turmeric and red chilly powder and mix well.
8. Now add brinjals and cook on medium flame till oil floats on top(When oil floats on top, it indicates that gravy is perfectly cooked and tastes best)

Home Made Pav and Dabeli

I have got this great craving for chaat and wish to eat it every day .On the other day when I was looking for some chaat recipes I found this one interesting-Dabeli,The name itself sound interesting.Is it not?It's a gujarati snack that is similar to batata vada but with different kind of stuffing.As the recipe called for  use of pav I decided to prepare them at home as I am running out of any bread or buns. Really I enjoyed this dish a lot and believe me it tickles all your taste buds there by  relishes all  your  senses.

Ingredients for pav:
Plain flour-11/2cup
Water-3/4cup
Sugar-11/2tbsp
Dry yeast-7gms
Salt-11/2tsp

Method:

1. First dissolve yeast in warm water for 5 minutes and then add sugar to it.
2. In a separate bowl mix flour and salt.
3. Now add yeast solution to flour and mix it thoroughly.
4. Transfer the dough to clean working surface and knead the dough for 10-15 minutes(If you want, take the help of dear hubby who will be simultaneously browsing the net and watching t.v all the time.Really, my husband has done a great job on this)
5. Now allow the dough to rest for one hour in warm environment by covering it with wet cloth or cling wrapping it.
6. After one hour (By this time the dough will double in size)just punch the dough with hands to remove air and divide the dough into similar sized balls.
7. Make the pav by just cupping the dough under your hands(rolling it in circular motion).
8. Arrange them in an oven tray and brush  them with butter or milk and rest them for another 1 hour
9. After one hour these balls will double in size.
10. Bake them for nearly 20-25 in a preheated oven at 180 degree centigrade.

Dabeli recipe:
Potato stuffing
Garlic chutney-3tbsp
Sweet chutney-3tbsp
Coriander for garnishing
Onion slices

For potato stuffing:
Potatoes-4boiled and mashed
Salt to taste
Cumin seeds-1tsp
Dabeli masala

Dabeli Masala:

Coriander seeds-11/2tsp

Cumin seeds-1tsp+1tsp(For tempering)

Cinnamon-1small piece

Cloves-2

Red chillies-3-4

Dry roast all the spices and grind them to fine powder.

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pan add cumin seeds ,when they crackle add hing,.
2. Now add potato mash, dabeli masala and salt . Mix well and cool it completely

Garlic chutney

Oil-1tbsp

Garlic cloves-8

Dry coconut powder-1tbsp

Salt to taste

Red chilli powder-1tsp

Method:

1. Heat  oil in pan. Add garlic cloves. When they turn brown add coconut and fry for few seconds
2. Grind this after cooling by adding salt and red chilly powder

Arranging and serving dabeli:

1. Slice the pav in the middle. Spread butter on one side and toast them on a pan.
2. Now apply garlic chutney and sweet chutney on both pavs .
3. Place onion slices and potato stuffing in between two pavs and garnish with coriander leaves.

Note:
The original recipe also called for the use of sev and roasted peanuts for garnishing and serving dabeli. As I don't have them handy I did not use them


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Tomato Pickle

This is one of my  favorite pickle.Generally I always keep a bottle of it in my refrigerator because it comes to my rescue in many ways,when I am lazy to make pea nut chutney along with dosa or when I want something tangy and spicy with mild dal and rice or even  with roti it, tastes divine.This is easy to prepare and addition of methi and mustard powder is purely optional, it tastes equally good even without them.Oh... I forgot to tell you ,it can also used as spread on toasted bread.

Ingredients:
Tomatoes(Big)-6
Fenugreek or methi seeds-1/2tsp
Mustard seeds-1/2tsp
Salt -2tsp(Adjust to your taste)
Red chilli powder-2tsp(Adjust to your taste)
Tamarind-Lemon size ball
Oil-1tbsp

For tempering:
Mustard seeds-1/2tsp
Red chillies-4-5
Hing-One big pinch
Oil-1/2tbsp

Method:

1. Roughly chop the tomatoes.Heat oil in a pan and add the tomatoes.
2. Cook these tomatoes on medium flame(Without covering lid)for 1-11/2 hour till they become like dry mass and switch off the flame(Moisture should not be there,any moisture left in tomatoes will effect shelf life of pickle)
3. In the last 5 minutes of cooking  add tamarind to tomatoes, because of the heat tamarind becomes soft.
4. Dry roast methi and mustard seeds till they emit nice aroma. Cool them and grind to fine powder.
5. Now add this powder to tomatoes .
6. Add salt and red chilly powder and cool completely.
7. Now grind this mixture for 40-50 seconds in a mixie or food processor.
8. For tempering heat oil in a small pan, add mustard seeds.When they start to splutter add red chillies and hing and switch off the flame.Add this tempering to pickle.
9. Allow tomato pickle to rest in open container for 1 hour before storing it  in air tight container. This can be stored in refrigerator for up to 2 months.

Egg less Carrot Cake with Dreamy Creamy white Frosting

This is a classic carrot cake recipe .The cake is well balanced in terms of  sugar and spice.I have made few changes to original recipe. I have replaced eggs with milk ,flour and water and the original recipe is two layered cake with frosting in between the layers and on the top.So the recipe called for making of two 9/2 inch round cakes but I have reduced the every ingredient to half and made one cake with frosting only on top .

Recipe Source:Rose's Heavenly Cakes

Ingredients:
Unbleached all purpose flour-11/3cup
Baking powder-3/4tsp
Baking soda-1/2tsp
Salt-1/2tsp
Cocoa powder(unsweetened)1tsp
Cinnamon powder-1tsp
Granulated sugar-1cup
Oil-1/2cup
Vanilla essence-1tsp
Coarsely shredded carrots-1cup
Milk-150ml
Mix 2tbsp flour,1/2tbsp butter ,2tsp water,1/2tsp baking powder and make a paste
(You can replace last two ingredients (milk and flour paste) with two eggs)

Method:

1. Twenty minutes or more before baking preheat the oven to 175 degree centigrade.
2. Coat the cake pan with any shortening, line with parchment paper and then coat with baking spray and flour
3. In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder ,baking soda ,salt, cocoa powder and cinnamon. Sift the flour mixture.
4. In a bowl beat sugar,oil,milk and vanilla on medium speed  for 1minute.
5. Now add the flour paste and beat well for 2 minutes.
6. Now add the sifted flour mixture and mix gently and thoroughly.
7. Finally add grated carrots and mix well.
8. Transfer the batter into cake pan and bake for 45-55 minutes or until cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
9. Let the cake cool in the pan on wire rack for 10 minutes and then carefully invert the cake by loosening the sides of cake . Re invert the cake gently and cool it completely.

Dreamy creamy white frosting:
Cream cheese-170gms
Icing sugar-1/2cup
Unsalted butter-3tbsp 0r 42gms

In a food processor, process all until smooth and creamy.Spread frosting evenly on top and sides of the cake and refrigerate for 1 hour to set.

Note:
You can replace icing sugar with milk chocolate(125gms)if you wish.Melt the chocolate and cool it completely before processing with cream cheese and butter

Mirror work Lehenga

I have done mirror work on  a lehenga(Pavada) for my daughter's first birthday. I  got the design traced on it in India. Everything is done in chain stitch (Mirrors, stems and leaves outlines)I have filled  leaves and flowers with satin stich. This is very easy work but you need patience(Particularly for mirrors).It took nearly 2 months for me to finish it. Really ,the effort is worth because for me my daughter looked beautiful in this dress

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Dum Aloo

This is the recipe I wanted to try from many days and yesterday I made it. Baby potatoes  are boiled and cooked in spicy gravy to make the dish delicious and flavorsome. I have made many changes to the original recipe to suit our taste buds.

Ingredients:
Baby potatoes-6
Onion-1small sliced
Yogurt-1cup
Salt to taste

Oil-4tbsp

For masala paste:
Onion-1small
Ginger grated-1tsp
Garlic-1clove
Coriander seeds-2tsp
Poppy seeds-2tsp
Cumin seeds-1tsp
Cloves-2
Cardamom-2
Red chilli powder-2-3tsp(Adjust to your taste)
Turmeric powder-1tsp

For seasoning:
Mustard seeds-1/4tsp
Cumin seeds-1/4tsp
Bay leaves-3-4
Kalonji seeds-1/4tsp

Method:

1. Boil the potatoes and peel them.
2. Heat 4tbsp of oil in a wide bottomed pan and shallow fry the potatoes till they become crisp on outer side.Reserve the remaining oil for seasoning
3. Now dry roast poppy seeds, coriander seeds and cumin seeds
4. Make a smooth paste with all the ingredients listed in masala paste along with roasted poppy seeds,cumin seeds and coriander seeds.
5. In a  separate pan heat the reserved oil  and all the seasoning ingredients and fry well
6. Now add sliced onion and fry till it becomes transparent.
7. Now add the masala paste and fry well till it looses raw smell.
8. Now add  1 cup of water and cook on medium flame for 10 minutes with covered lid.
9. Now add yogurt and stir well.
10. Now prick boiled potatoes with fork on all sides and add them to gravy and cook on slow flame for another 5-10 minutes.
11. Switch off the flame and garnish with coriander leaves. 

Kala jamun

This is one of my favorite sweet but never tried to make it at home. My first attempt had given very good result and we finished off everything with in two days. It is very easy to prepare and I can vouch you for it's taste.

Ingredients:

Sweetened condensed milk-100gms

Paneer-125gms at room temperature(Preferably home made)

Cardamom powder-1tsp

Baking powder-1/4tsp

Plain flour-4tbsp

Sugar-11/2 cup

Water-11/2cup

Oil for frying

Preparation:

1. Grind paneer,plain flour,ghee,baking powder and condensed milk to a smooth paste and set it aside for 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile prepare sugar syrup by adding sugar and water and cook it on medium  flame for 15-20 minutes( one thread consistency). Add cardamom powder to it and keep it aside.
3. Now take the paneer mixture. Apply oil or ghee to your hands and prepare round or oval balls.
4. Now heat oil in a pan and when the oil is medium hot(It should not be very hot) add the jamuns(4-5 at a time) and fry on medium flame.Don't turn them immediately.Otherwise they will stick to ladle.Once they attain dark brown or black color on one side  turn them to other side.All frying should be done on medium flame. Switch off the flame.
5. Now add second batch and repeat the process.In this way fry all the jamuns.
6. When jamuns are warm(Not hot) add jamuns to sugar syrup. It will take at least 2 hours for jamuns to absorb sugar syrup.

Notes:

To prevent sugar syrup solidifying you can add lime juice.

Kobbari Kova Kajjikayalu

This is traditional sweet. Amma used to make it with dry stuffing (Mix of powdered roasted chana dal, coconut, sugar and cardamom) more frequently than with this (Kobbari,kova)filling.Kobbari means coconut  and kova means mava or khoya. I simply love this sweet. Outer layer is soft and flaky and inner stuffing is sweet and delicious. This is easy to prepare but I found it hard to wash the dishes.

Ingredients:
Plain flour-2cups
Water-1cup
Sweetened  condensed milk-250gms(I used low fat one)
Fresh grated coconut-250gms
Sugar-150gms
Water-75gms
Cardamom powder-1tsp
Ghee-1tbsp
Butter-1/2 stick(At room temperature).You can replace it with oil but first form crumble with flour and oil and then add water)

Method:

1. Prepare the dough by mixing flour, water and butter well  and let it rest for 1 hour. The dough should be soft and pilable.
2. Meanwhile prepare sugar syrup by adding water to sugar and cook it till it reaches thread consistency(It nearly takes 15 minutes on medium heat) .
3. Switch off the flame and add lime juice to it to prevent solidifying(If your kitchen is warm I think you need not add lime juice)
4. In a separate pan add condensed milk, coconut and cardamom powder and fry it till all the moisture evaporates. Keep on stirring other wise coconut will get burnt.After cooling make it into balls(You will get nearly 15-16 balls)
5. Now divide the dough into same number of balls as of the stuffing(15-16)
6. Roll the dough into small disc. Place the stuffing at the center and seal the edges.In this way make all kajji kayalu.
7. Heat oil in a pan. When the oil is hot fry these on medium heat till they attain golden brown color. In this way fry all the kajjikayalu.Fry 3-4 kajjikayalu at a time.
8. Now dip each one in sugar syrup for one minute and take off them immediately. Continue the same process with remaining kajjikayalu.
9. 
   

Notes:
To give nice shape to kajjikayalu start folding from one end. Just fold small amount and you will find a pointed edge. Then start folding using the pointed edge. In this way continue till you reach the other end. Otherwise you can also use  mould(I hope it is available in many Indian grocery stores)  to get a nice shape

Hot and Sweet

Last week when my husband brought snacks from our regular grocery store they smelled stale and tasted bad. So this time I tried to prepare those snacks at home. They tasted very good and to my surprise it took very less time to prepare these.(Just above an hour).Actually I wanted to prepare these for Diwali but as my husband is running behind me for some home made snacks I prepared a little earlier..

Recipes:
Mixture:
Boondi:
Besan-2cups
Salt to taste
Rice flour-3tbsp
Water-11/2cup and you need two perforated ladles and one normal ladle to prepare this.

Method:

1. Mix all the above ingredients by adding little by little water.
2. Now heat oil in heavy bottomed pan. When the oil is hot, hold a perforated ladle few inches above the oil.Pour boondi into oil with the help of normal ladle.Just take batter into ladle and you rotate it in concentric circles on the perforated ladle(In circular motion).Use little batter every time.
3. Fry boondi till it attains golden yellow color and drain on an absorbent paper.

Note:
I found my perforated ladle clogged after every turn making hard to pour boondi in hot oil.I just washed it in  running water and wiped with clean, dry cloth.

Omapodi or Karapusa:
Ingredients:
Besan-1cup
Rice flour-2Cups
Ajwain-1teaspoon
Sal to taste

Method:
Mix all the above ingredients with water to make dough(Softer than chapathi dough).
Fill muruku press with dough to half and rotate in hot oil.
When they attain golden yellow color remove them to an absorbent paper.

Fry 1/2 cup of peanuts and few curry leaves in hot oil.
For mixture mix boondi, karapusa,peanuts and curry leaves along with salt and chilly powder ,1tsp of oil thoroughly and store it in air tight container.(With this you can make nearly 1kg of mixture)


Kaju Burfi:
Cashew nuts-2cups
Sugar-11/2cup
Water-1/2cup

Method:

1. Grind cashew nuts to a fine powder.
2. In a heavy bottomed sauce pan mix sugar and water and stir it on low flame for 10 minutes,till all the sugar melts and syrup thickens.
3. Now add cashew powder and mix well and stir on low flame for nearly 10 minutes.
4. Switch off the flame and let it cool, until it is warm enough to handle.
5. Now transfer it to clean bench top and work on it for nearly 2-3 minutes.
6. Grease the rolling pin and roll the dough into 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into diamond shapes.

Mava Cake

Baking is really fun and these days I am enjoying it a lot.Mava cake is an Indian cake  and in this cake mava (Khoya) and cardamom plays an important roles along with butter which gives beautiful texture and pleasant smell to the cake.

Ingredients:
Plain flour-11/4 cup
Cardamom powder-1/2tsp
Baking powder-1/2tsp
Mava(Khoya)1/2cup
Butter-6tbsp
Milk-4tbsp
Sugar-1cup
Eggs-2

Method:

1. Mix plain flour, cardamom powder and baking powder and keep it aside.
2. Beat together mava,sugar and butter at medium speed until light and fluffy.
3. Now add eggs one at a time and beat at medium speed.
4. Now add flour mixture and milk and mix thoroughly and gently with the help of a spatula.
5. Preheat oven to 180 degree centigrade(Nearly for 15 minutes)
6. Grease the cup cake moulds and pour the batter evenly into the moulds.
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Notes:

To prepare khoya boil 1 liter milk in heavy bottomed sauce pan. Reduce the heat and simmer it. Keep stirring frequently so that the milk does not stick to the pan.

As the milk gets thicker stir more vigorously till you get thick,dry lump.

Remove from the pan and cool it completely before use.

This whole process takes 11/2 to 2 hours and one liter milk yields nearly 1/2 cup of khoya.

Ridge gourd curry

Some times simple things make me very happy. Seeing innocent, beautiful smile on my daughter's face, he artful talk with close friend, having simple delicious curry in a meal will enlighten my mood and make my day happy.This is one such curry which is simple yet tasty and flavorful. Again this is Amma's recipe who uses sambar powder in most of her dishes to make the dish more flavorsome.

 
Ingredients:
Ridge gourd-1medium sized(Peeled and made into cube sized pieces)
Onion-1medium sized(Roughly chopped)
Carrot-1small(Made into bite sized pieces)
Potato-1medium sized(Made into cubes)
Tomato-1medium(Chopped)Sambar powder-2tsp
Turmeric-1tsp
Salt to taste
Red chilli powder-2tsp(Adjust to your taste)
Cumin seeds-1tsp

Method:

1. Heat 1tbsp oil in a pan and add cumin seeds.
2. When they start spluttering add onion and fry till it become transparent.
3. Add sambar powder and fry till it releases nice aroma.
4. Now add carrot and potato and fry for 3-5 minutes
5. Now  add ridge gourd and tomato and add turmeric and salt
6. Reduce flame to medium and cook with covered lid for nearly 10-15 minutes.
7. Add red chilly powder and mix well
8. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with hot rice or roti. 

Short Bread Cookies

It has been many days since I posted the recipe as I was busy with moving to a new house.Yesterday afternoon I baked some short bread cookies which tasted divine and these little koalas made me very happy with their beautiful shape and melt in mouth taste.

Ingredients:
Plain flour-11/2cups
Butter-112gms stick at room temperature
Large egg yolk-1
Salt to taste(Pinch)
Powdered sugar or icing sugar-3/4 cup
Vanilla essence-1/2tsp
Milk-2tbsp.

Method:

1. Beat butter and egg yolk at medium speed till the mixture is light and smooth(Takes 2-3 minutes)
2. Now add  powdered sugar and again beat at medium speed for another 3-4 minutes.
3. Add the remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly and gently with the help of spatula.
4. Form a ball with the mixture and make it into soft dough.
5. Flatten into disc shape and cover it with  a plastic wrap and let it sit in the refrigerator for an hour.
6. After one hour take it out from refrigerator and roll it in between two plastic sheets to 1/4" thick .
7. Cut into desired shapes with the help of cookie cutter.
8. Preheat the oven to 180 degree centigrade and bake nearly for 15-20 minutes.
9. Repeat the same with the remaining dough.

Chai Coffee Cake

Recently Tartelette bug bit me and I was going through a phase of baking.She was such a wonderful pastry chef and we can spend whole day going through her blog and she is as beautiful as her pictures.Today's recipe is from her blog.This is simple yet one of the most delicious cakes I have ever tasted.

Ingredients:
For Topping:
Sugar-1/3 cup
Brown sugar-1/3cup
Ground cinnamon-1tsp
Ground Cardamom-1tsp
Salt-1/4tsp
Plain flour-1cup
Butter-1/2cup melted and cooled slightly.

Method:
In a bowl mix together all the ingredients except butter.
Gradually add the butter and mix with a spatula till the mixture gets sand like texture.

Cake:
Ingredients:
Plain flour-13/4cup
Baking powder-3/4tsp
Baking soda-1/2tsp
Salt-1/4tsp
Butter-2/3cup at room temperature
Sugar-1cup
Vanilla extract-11/2tsp
Sour Cream-2/3cup

Method:

1. In a bowl mix all the dry ingredients(Flour,Baking powder,Baking soda and salt) well.
2. Cream butter and sugar until light and beat in eggs one at a time for 3minutes.
3. Now gently add flour and sour cream in alternate additions by mixing thoroughly after each addition.
4. Pour half of the cake mixture into 9 inch square pan and then top with topping and then pour remaining batter and left over topping.
5. Bake at 180 degree centigrade for 1 hour or till sewer inserted at center of the cake comes out clean.

Note:

I don't have sour cream.So I added 2tsp lemon juice to normal cream and it worked well.

Patoli

This is a traditional andhra dish and mom used to make it for my lunch when I was in school.It is easy to prepare and goes very well with steamed rice and ghee.The main ingredient is chana dal and you can also use vegetables such as French beans in its preparation.

Ingredients:

Chana Dal -1cup(Soak in water)

Red chillies-8-10(Adjust to your taste)

Cumin seeds-1tsp

Onion-1medium chopped

Curry leaves-few

Salt to taste

Oil-3tbsp.

Method:

1. Grind chana dal, red chillies,salt and cumin seeds to a coarse paste(Add some water if needed)
2. Now heat 1tbsp oil in a pan and fry the onion till it becomes transparent.
3. Now add curry leaves and fry for a while.
4. Now add chana dal paste, cover it and cook stirring once in while.(Be careful.You have to stir it frequently other wise patoli will get burnt.To prevent the mixture from drying add 2tbsp of oil while stirring.It will take nearly 20-25 minutes to get fry powder like texture)
5. Serve with hot rice and ghee.

Notes:

If you want to add French beans, add cooked beans just 5 minutes before switching off the flame amd stir it well.

Strawberry Cake

For us strawberries are in season and they are very juicy and tasty. When I went to market last week I bought 3 punnets. So I decided to bake strawberry cake. This is the first time I am attempting this cake and I was very happy with the result.Though the process is tedious and time taking it is worth.I simply loved the cake and even my husband who is not fond of cakes too liked it

Ingredients:
Sifted Cake Flour-2cups
Baking powder-2tsp
Salt-1/2tsp
Unsalted Butter-3/4cup
Sugar-11/2 cups
Large eggs separated-3
Coconut milk-1cup

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit
2. Line cake tin with parchment paper, grease it and dust with all purpose flour
3. Sift together cake flour, baking powder and salt.
4. With electric beater beat butter at medium speed until soft and light.
5. Add sugar and continue to mix about 5 minutes or until light and fluffy
6. Add egg yolks one at a time, beating after each addition.
7. On low speed alternately add flour mixture in 3 additions and  coconut milk in 2 additions.
8. In a clean bowl, beat egg white at high speed to soft peaks.
9. Gently fold one third of egg whites into batter, fold in remaining gently but thoroughly.
10. Bake for about 35 minutes or till the skewer inserted in the middle of cake comes out clean. 

For the icing:
Sugar-1/2 cup
Egg white of 1egg
Strawberries chopped-1cup
Grated dry coconut-1/2cup

Method:
Beat egg white till it is soft and fluffy and then add sugar and strawberries  stirring constantly.
Flavor with vanilla and rose water.
Cool cake completely and just insert skewer at many places in the cake to allow the absorption of icing and pour icing over it and refrigerate it for one hour.
Finally dust it with grated coconut


Notes
Never beat at high speed when you are adding flour to the batter. It will disturb the aeration in the batter and cake will become hard.Mix it gently and thoroughly.
Cake flour can be made with plain flour and corn flour. See here. Sift it nearly 4-5 times to get the best result.

Vinayaka Chathurthi

Today is Vinayaka Chaturthi. I wish you a happy Vinayaka Chathurthi.This is celebration of Lord Vinayaka's birthday.  Lord Vinayaka is very much fond of food and so many people offer different varieties of food as naivedyam to lord after pooja.I made undrallu , Plantain bajji and chekra pongali as naivedyam and for lunch we had brinjal curry, sambar and ginger chutney , puliogare along with these.Today I am blogging puliogare recipe.

Puliogare:



Ingredients:
Rice -1cup
Tamarind-1lemon sized ball(Soak in warm water and extract juice)
Red chillies-2-3
Green chillies-1(Slit lengthwise)
Asfoetida-Big pinch
Turmeric-1tsp
Ground nuts-1tbsp
Bengal gram-11/2tsp
Black gram-1tsp
Mustard seeds-1tsp
Cumin seeds-1tsp
Salt to taste
Puliogare powder-11/2tbsp

Method:

1. Cook rice by adding 2cups of water and cool it.
2. Now in a pan add 1tbsp of oil and add mustard seeds.
3. When they start to splutter add cumin seeds, black gram, Bengal gram and pea nuts. When they turn  nice brown add red chillies ,asfoetida and fry for a while..
4. Now add this tempering to cooked rice.
5. In the same pan add tamarind juice and boil for 5 minutes.
6. Now add turmeric, green chillies, puliogare powder,salt and boil for another more 5 minutes.
7. Now pour this on rice and mix well.(Preferably with hands)

Puliogare powder:
Dry coconut(Shredded)1/2cup
Coriander seeds-2tsp
Pepper corns-1tsp
Mustard seeds-1tsp
Sesame seeds-11/2tsp
Curry leaves-few
Black gram-1tsp
Bengal gram-1tsp
Peanuts-11/2tsp
Red chillies-6-7
Asfoetida-Pinch

Method:
Roast all the above except coconut and sesame, till they emit nice aroma.
Then add sesame,coconut and fry till they brown.
Now grind it to fine powder.(This can be prepared a head and can be stored up to 15 days)

Notes:
You can prepare this with even without puliogare powder.
Add tamarind juice according to your taste.I have added a little less to suit to our taste buds.
As soon as you add puliogare powder to tamarind juice keep on stirring to prevent the formation of lumps

Idli

Idli, one of the  most favorite breakfasts(At least for me)on this earth is easy to make and healthy because it don't need  oil and rich in proteins.What more you need to describe it as best breakfast?. Spring has started here and we are having warm days and cold nights. I am very happy for two reasons as I am sick of winter  and  in this warm weather the batter can be fermented quickly unlike in  winter where I have to wait for 2 days for batter to ferment and rise.

Ingredients:
Urad dal(whole)-1cup
Idli rava-11/2cup
Salt to taste

Process:

1. Soak urad dal and idli rava in water  seperately for 5-6 hours
2. Now grind urad dal to fine paste by adding water.
3. Wash idly rava 3-4 times and mix it with urad dal paste.
4. Let the batter to ferment.(An indication that batter is well fermented is batter will rise and there will be lot of aeration in batter)ans add salt to batter
5. Grease Idli trays with ghee and  pour the batter into trays in equal proportions and cook them in pressure cooker(Without whistle)o idli stand for 10-15 minutes.
6. Serve with chutney or sambar

Notes:

1. Wash idli rava thoroughly.
2. For softer idlis the batter should be fermented well.Batter will take less time to ferment in warm environment than in cold environment. In winter generally I keep the batter in oven(Switched off).
3. Adding salt to batter before fermentation will effect fermentation

Bok Choy Noodle Soup

My husband has brought two bok choy bunches as he want to try these leafy vegetable from many days.This Bok choy also known as Chinese cabbage is a good source of vitamin A and C. On go-ogling  for its recipes I found this recipe interesting and has made soup with it.It is not only comforting soup in cold weather but also acts as good natural remedy against cold flu or bug.

Ingredients:
Vegetable stock-2cups
Rice noodles-120gm
Ginger grated-1tsp
Soft tofu-Nearly 1/4 package  made into medium sized cubes
Bok choy-1bunch chopped into bite sized pieces and vegetables of your choice(I have used red capsicum and snow peas)
Soy sauce-2tbsp
Coconut milk-1/2 cup
Fresh Basil-1/4 cup
Chilly sauce-2tbsp
Salt to taste

Method:

1. Cook noodles according to instructions and keep them aside
2. Place stock in soup pan together with bok choy, ginger and all the vegetables.
3. Brig it to boil and simmer it till all the vegetables are cooked.
4. Now add coconut  milk and stir it well 
5. Add  the tofu.gently stirring so that tofu does not fall apart.
6. Now add chilly sauce.
7. Finally add salt and do the taste test.
8. For serving pour several ladles of soup over each bowl of noodles.Sprinkle fresh basil leaves over each bowl.

Notes:
Be careful while adding salt because soy sauce also contains salt. If the soup has become salty add some lime juice.
Pad thai noodles are the best noodles for this soup.

Vangi Bhath

Vangi Bhath with Cucumber Raita

Vangi bhath is a  maharashtrian food that is also popular in Banglore and Andhra Pradesh. There are variations in preparing Vangi Bhath spice mix but I stick to the following masala most of the times.This dish is very easy to prepare.When my friend tasted this dish at our home she said it was one of the most delicious dishes she has ever tasted.So I am very happy to share this recipe.


Ingredients:
Onion -1medium chopped
Cashew nuts-2tbsp(Broken into pieces)
Brinjal-1medium size(Cubed into 1 inch pieces. Cook the brinjal in microwave on high for 4 minutes or till they become soft )
Salt to taste
Vangi bhath spice mix
Rice -2cups
Oil-2tbsp

Method:

1. Cook the rice with 3 cups of water.
2. In a pan add 1tbsp oil and fry the cashews till they turn nice brown. Remove them and keep  aside.
3. Now in the same add 1tbsp oil and fry the onion till it becomes transparent.
4. Now add the brinjal and fry for awhile.
5. Add the vangi Bhath spice mix and cook for 1 minute.
6. Now add salt and cooked rice and mix it well.
7. Garnish with fried cashews and serve with raita of your choice.

For spice mix:
Bengal gram-2tbsp
Urad dal-11/2tbsp
Coriander Seeds-11/2tbsp
Red Chillies-7-8(Adjust to your taste)
Sesame seeds-1tsp
Ground nuts-1tbsp
Dry coconut-1tbsp
Turmeric-Big pinch
Asafoetida-Pinch

Method:
Dry roast all the ingredients(Except turmeric and Asafoetida) till they turn brown and emit nice aroma. Then add turmeric and asafoetida and grind it to fine powder.


Notes:

1. If you don't want to cook brinjal in microwave add cubed brinjals in pan  after frying onions and cook till they are done.
2. Be careful not to burn any spice while dry roasting them(Initially roast Bengal gram, urad dal,groundnut,Sesame seeds. When they turn golden brown then add dry coconut,coriander seeds and red chillies)

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