Nature Kitchen

Eggplant curry - Andhra style

2012-02-13T17:38:00.000+05:30

Ingredients :

Eggplant - 1 no
Oil - 1 tsp & for frying
Red chillies - 3 nos
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds -1 tsp
Onion - 2 no
Curry leaves - 1 tbsp
Green chillies - 2 nos
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Tomatoes - 3 nos
Corriander powder - 1 tsp
Chilly powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Peanuts, roasted - 1 tsp
Sesame seeds, roasted - 1 tbsp

Direction to cook :

1. Heat oil in the frying pan & deep fry the cubed eggplants till golden brown in color. Drain the excess oil in the kitchen tissue.

2. Heat 1 tsp of oil, add red chillies, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves, ginger garlic paste, finely chopped onions & salt to taste. Saute till tender.

3. Add turmeric powder, chilly powder, finely chopped green chillies, corriander powder and finely chopped tomatoes. Saute for 5 mins.

4. Add fried eggplant & stir fry it.

5. Meanwhile, grind the roasted peanuts and sesame seeds to fine powder. And add them to the eggplant mixture & fry them till done.

Serve it with rice.

Simple vegetable sandwich

2012-01-31T21:28:00.000+05:30

Quick & simple sandwich which taste delicious & perfect breakfast menu.

Ingredients :

Bread slices - 6 slices
Tomato ketchup
Mayonnaise
Mint chutney
Onion slices
Tomato slices
Capsicum slices
Cucumber slices

Method :

1. Spread the tomato ketchup, mint chutney in two slices of bread.

2. Now fill the onion, tomato, capsicum, cucumber slices & mayonnaise between the bread slices & toast it in the sandwich maker till done.

Serve immediately.

Black forest cake

2012-01-25T00:21:00.000+05:30

Ingredients :

All purpose flour - 1 cup
Unsweetened cocoa powder - 1/3 cup
Baking powder - 1/2 tsp
Baking soda - 1 tsp
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Sugar - 1 cup
Milk - 1/2 cup
Vinegar - 1/2 tbsp
Egg - 1 no
Vegetable oil - 1/4 cup
Strong coffee - 1/2 cup
Vanilla extract - 1/2 tsp
Cherries - 1 can ( drain the cherries & retain the syrup)
Whipping cream - 1 cup
Vanilla essence - 1/2 tsp
Powdered sugar (Icing sugar) - 1 tbsp
Chocolate flakes & glaced cherries for decoration

Method :

1. Preheat the oven at 180 C. Grease & line up the baking pan with the parchment paper.

2. Mix together the milk & vinegar & set aside.

3. Sieve together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda & salt.

4. In a another bowl, whisk together the egg, oil, coffee & vanilla essence.

5. Stir in the milk mixture & then the flour mixture gently. Pour the batter in the prepared pan & bake it for 30 mins or until done. Allow it to cool completely.

6. Cut the cake horizantally & brush the first half with the syrup preserved.

For the whipping cream :

7. Beat together the whipping cream, vanilla essence & powdered sugar until soft peaks.

8. Now spread the cream between the layer, sides & over the cake.

9. Finally, decorate the cake with the chocolate flakes & glaced cherries.

10. Refrigerate the cake for atleast one hour before serving.

Enjoy..

Aval / Poha payasam

2011-12-17T00:25:00.000+05:30

Easy & delicious payasam best for any seasons.

Ingredients :

Aval - 1/4 cup
Sugar - 1/2 cup or to taste
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Milk - 1 cup (or little more)
Powdered cardamom - 1/4 tsp
Nuts (Cashewnuts, almonds ) - 1 tbsp (Ground to fine paste)
Condensed milk - 2 tbsp
Saffron strands - 2 nos (optional)

Direction to cook :

1. Roast the aval / poha in the ghee. Add sugar & milk. Bring it to boil & cook till done.

2. Now add the cardamom powder, condensed milk, nuts paste & saffron strands.

Serve warm or cold.

Eggless chocolate cake with chocolate cream icing

2011-12-12T17:37:00.000+05:30

This is a perfect moist eggless chocolate cake with rich and creamy chocolate icing, for the chocolate lovers.

Ingredients :

All purpose flour - 1 cup
Baking powder - 1/2 tsp
Baking soda - 1 tsp
Unsweetened cocoa powder - 6 tbsp
Granulated sugar - 3/4 cup
Vegetable oil - 1/2 cup
Hot coffee - 1/4 cup ( 1 tsp of coffee in 1/4 cup hot water)
Milk - 1/4 cup
Yogurt - 1/4 cup
Vanilla extract - 1 tsp

For Icing :

Whipping cream - 500 ml
Powdered sugar to taste (I used arround 5 tbsp)
Cocoa powder - 3 tbsp (Sieved)
Vanilla essence - 1 tsp
Glazed cherries for decoration

Direction to bake :

1. Preheat the oven at 170 C and line up the baking pan with parchment paper.

2. Sieve together the flour, baking powder, baking soda & cocoa powder.

3. Mix together the vegetable oil, hotcoffee, milk, yoghurt, vanilla extract & granulated sugar.

4. Combine both dry and wet ingredients on low speed. Bake it for 30 mins or until done. Cool the cake completely.

For Icing :

5. Whisk the whipping cream along with powdered sugar until spreadable consistency and slowly mix the cocoa powder & vanilla essence.

6. Now sandwich the icing between the cake & over the cake. Decorate it with the glazed cherries.

Happy baking.

Aloo jeera

2011-12-07T00:53:00.000+05:30

Very easy to make & taste perfect with rice. I like to serve this with curd rice in my busy days. It taste really great and awesome traditional Indian dish.

Ingredients :

Potatoes - 4 medium sized
Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 tbsp
Red chillies - 2 nos
Ginger garlic paste -1 tsp
Onion - 1 no
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Red chilly powder to taste
Corriander powder - 1 tsp
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste

Direction to cook :

1. Boil the potatoes & dice them. Heat oil in the pan, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, red chillies, curry leaves and chopped onions. Saute till tender.

2. Add turmeric powder, ginger garlic paste and salt. Saute.

3. Add red chilly powder, corriander powder, cumin powder & little water. Saute till cooked.

4. Add the potatoes & saute. If needed, garnish it with finely chopped corriander leaves.

Ready to serve.

Toor Dal Chapathi / Roti

2011-12-03T00:42:00.000+05:30

My plan was to make a plain rotis for the dinner yesterday. But, I had some leftover boiled dal & finally made this delicious dal rotis which taste great with spicy and hot tomato chutney. Very healthy & protein rich rotis perfect for everyone.

Ingredients :

Whole wheat flour - 1 1/2 cup
Boiled toor dal - 1/4 cup
Chilly powder - 1 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Dry mango powder - 1/2 tsp
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste

Direction to cook :

1. Mix all the ingredients together and knead the dough with water. Keep aside for 1/2 hr.

2. Divide the dough into equal balls & roll them like disc shape. Cook them on preheated pan on either side until done.

Serve it with hot tomato chutney.

Spinach medhu vadai

2011-11-21T23:09:00.000+05:30

Medhu vadai is the most popular snack prepared especially during festival seasons. We can serve it with sambar and chutney or else with yoghurt. By adding spinach to this dish, it makes little healthy.

Ingredients :

Chopped spinach - 1 cup
Urad dal - 1 cup
Onion - 1 no
Green chillies - 2 nos
Black peppercorns - 1/2 tsp
Coconut pcs - 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Corriander leaves - 1 tsp
Ginger paste - 1/2 tsp
A pinch of hing
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying

Direction to cook :

1. Soak the urad dal for one hour & grind them without adding water.

2. To the batter add finely chopped onions, spinach, green chillies, peppercorns, cumin seeds, hing, corriander leaves, ginger paste, coconut pieces & salt to taste.

3. Heat the oil in the frying pan, apply some water in your palm and take a small ball of batter and shape it like dougnut and make a hole in the middle & deep fry them till crispy and done.

Serve warm with sambar and chutney.

Melting Moments

2011-11-05T17:47:00.000+05:30

Very interesting & easy to bake and taste just delicious with a cup of tea. And I tired this recipe from Joy of Baking & was just perfect for kids party.

Ingredients :

All purpose flour - 1 1/2 cups
Cornflour - 1/2 cup
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Icing sugar - 1/4 cup
Unsalted butter - 1 cup
Vanilla extract - 1 tsp
Icing sugar for topping

Direction to bake :

1. Preheat the oven at 180 C. Line the baking pan with the parchment paper.

2. Sieve together flour, cornflour & salt.

3. Beat the butter and sugar until smooth and creamy. Beat in vanilla extract.

4. Add the flour mixture & beat until well combined.

5. Cover & refrigerate the dough for one hr until firm.

6. Divide the dough & form them into balls and place them in the prepared baking sheets. Bake it for 15 mins or until done.

7. Allow it to cool for 5 mins & sprinkle the icing sugar over the cookies. Store it in the air tight container for longer use.

Serve with tea.

Savoury biscuits - Diamond cuts

2011-11-01T12:21:00.000+05:30

One of my favourite snack from my childhood days. I love to have it either sweet or savoury kind. And this time I made savoury which serves as a perfect snack for the kids. It's crunchy & tasty :)

Ingredients :

All purpose flour (Maida) - 1 cup
Salt to taste
Sesame seeds (optional) - 1 tsp
Oil - 1 tbsp plus for frying
Red chilly powder - 2 tsp
Water for kneading

Direction to cook :

1. Mix together the flour, salt, sesame seeds, red chilly powder & hot 1 tbsp oil. Knead the dough & keep aside.

2. Meanwhile heat the oil in the deep frying pan. Divide the dough into equal balls.

3. Roll the dough like chapathi (or like CD) & cut them like a diamond shape using the sharp knife or pizza cutter.

4. Fry the diamond cuts in the oil till crispy and light golden brown in color.

5. Store it in the air tight container for longer use.

Enjoy the snacks:)

Rava Ladoo - Easy version

2011-10-22T18:29:00.001+05:30

This is my favourite sweet from my childhood. And this is one of my sweet dish which I often make during the festival season. This is healthy & good for kids, as it contains semolina, nuts, ghee & milk. Good way of starting the festival celebration with this delicious sweets :)

Ingredients :

Semolina / Rava - 1 cup
Milk - 1/4 cup
Water - 1/4 cup
Sugar - 3/4 cup
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
Cashewnuts, raisins, others - 1/4 cup
Ghee - 2 tbsp

Direction to make :

1. Heat 1 tbsp of ghee in the pan and roast the semolina till light brown in color.

2. Add sugar & mix it well over the low flame.

3. Add roasted nuts, cardamom powder & mix well.

4. Slowly add the milk and water, mix well & switch off the flame. Allow the rava mixture to cool slightly.

5. Apply some ghee in your hands and make ladoos.

6. Store it in air tight container and will stay for a week.

Happy Diwali :)

Rajma masala

2011-10-17T23:44:00.000+05:30

Rajma most popular north indian dish served with plain rice or with rotis & parathas. This is spicy, flavourful, aromatic & nutricious signature dish made by pressure cooking the kidney beans and mixed with masala. It taste simply out of the world :)

Ingredients :

Red kidney beans - 1 cup
Oil - 1 tbsp
Butter - 1 tbsp
Onion - 1 no
Tomato puree - 1 cup
Garam masala - 1 tsp
Corriander powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Green chillies - 2 nos
Chilly powder to taste
Kasturi methi - 1 tbsp
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Corriander leaves for garnishing

Direction to cook :

1. Soak the red kidney beans overnight and pressure cook it in the salted water.

2. Heat oil in the pan, add finely chopped onions and saute.

3. Add turmeric powder, ginger garlic paste, green chillies & tomato puree.

4. Add chilly powder, corriander powder, garam masala, kasturi methi & cooked kidney beans. Add enough water to adjust the thickness of the gravy. Add salt & garnish it with corriander leaves.

Serve warm.

Sprouted Moong dal salad

2011-10-11T11:58:00.000+05:30

Simple, healthy, nutricious & easy way of adding good food in our daily routine. If you dont have time to make the moong dal sprouts, just soak it & mix with other ingredients and serve. It taste good too:)

Ingredients :

Sprouted moong dal - 1 cup
Grated carrot - 1/2 cup
Chopped cucumber - 1/4 cup
Salt to taste
Lime juice - 1 tbsp
Black pepper powder to spice
Dry mango powder - 1/2 tsp
Chaat masala - 1/4 tsp (optional)

Direction to mix :

1. Soak the moong dal for a day & drain the water and cover it. Next day we can see sprouted dal.

2. Mix together all the ingredients. Adjust the salt & spice taste accordingly.

Serve immediately or chill.

Rice Payasam

2011-10-07T11:34:00.000+05:30

Happy Dasera to the viewers. Rice payasam most popular Indian sweet pudding can be served either warm or cold. I make it more rich by reducing the milk to half the quantity and adding nuts to taste. If you want the lighter version you can skip the process of reducing the milk to half and just boil it along with the rice and cook till done. Even condensed milk can be added to the payasam for more taste. Wonderful & delicious sweet perfect for this season.

Ingredients :

Basmati rice - 1/4 cup
Milk - 4 cups
Sugar to taste
Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp
Saffron strands - few
Roasted cashew nuts - 1 tbsp
Ghee - 1 tbsp

Direction to cook :

1. Heat ghee in the pan, add rice & fry till light golden brown in color. Allow to cool.

2. Coarsely grind the rice & keep aside.

3. Boil the 4 cups of milk till it becomes 2 1/2 cup. Add the rice & cook.

4. Add the sugar, cardamom powder, roasted nuts & saffron strands.

Serve warm or cold.

Nut Balls - Very Healthy

2011-10-03T19:54:00.000+05:30

"Nuts ball a day keeps the doctors away"

There is no specific ingredient list for making this healthy and nutricious nut balls. All kind of nuts like cashewnuts, almonds, pista, wallnuts, hazelnuts, etc., and dry fruits like raisins, dates, prunes, etc., can be used for this preparation. Every time I try to add some seasonal nuts and fruits to this mixture. Honey helps in binding all the nuts together and add more flavour to the mixture. This needs to be stored in the air tight container & a tsp of nuts mixture is good to be served in everyday mornings.

Ingredients :

Nuts ( Any kind)
Dry fruits (Any kind)
Dates
Honey

Direction to Mix :

1. Chop the nuts, dry fruits and dates to tiny pieces.

2. Mix together the chopped nuts and honey. Store in the air tight container.

Serve a spoon of nuts mixture everyday morning.

Kothamalli Thokku (Corriander leaf paste)

2011-09-29T17:08:00.000+05:30

I'm back with most comfort and excited dish which plays more prominant role in my kitchen every lazy days. Fresh corriander leaves are used for this preparation and grinded along with the spices. This can be refrigerated for a week or more. Add a proportionate measure of kothamalli thokku to the rice and mix well- It taste simply delicious. Can serve with dosai and idly too.

Ingredients :

Corriander leaves - 1 bunch
Tamarind - lime sized
Black gram (urad dal) - 1 tbsp
Jaggery - 1 tsp
Chilly powder to spice
Salt to taste
Gingilli oil

Direction to cook :

1. Dry roast the urad dal. Keep aside.

2. Heat oil in the pan, add corriander leaves and salt to taste. Allow to cool.

3. Grind together the corriander leaves and urad dal together to smooth paste.

4. Heat oil in the pan, add the grounded paste, tamarind juice, red chilly powder, filtered jaggery water & cook over the low heat till oil seperates.

Serve it with rice, idly and dosai.

Shaku Shaku Chicken Curry

2011-07-28T22:57:00.000+05:30

Easy and very fast to make this delicious chicken curry. Perfect side dish for both rice and rotis.

Ingredients :

Chicken - 1 Kg
Oil - 1 tbsp
Cinnamon stick - 1 no
Cloves - 2 nos
Cardamom - 1 no
Onion - 2 nos
Tomaotes - 2 nos
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Chilly powder to taste
Corriander powder - 1 tbsp
Corriander leaves for garnishing
Salt to taste

Direction to cook :

1. Heat oil in the pressure cooker, add cinnamon stick, cloves and cardamom.

2. Add finely chopped onions and then turmeric powder, ginger garlic paste.

3. Add finely chopped tomatoes and salt to taste.

4. Add chilly powder and corriander powder and finally the chicken pieces.

5. Pressure cook the chicken curry till done. Garnish it with corriander leaves.

Serve it with rice or rotis.

Eggless Pineapple upside down cake

2011-07-19T22:41:00.001+05:30

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Perfect cake for kids party :)
Ingredients :

All purpose flour - 2 cups
Butter - 100 gms
Pineapple slices - canned
Baking powder - 1 tsp
Baking soda - 1 tsp
Sweetened condensed milk - 1 tin (400 gms)
Sugar for caramalizing - 5 to 6 tbsp
Cherries for garnishing

Method :

1. Preheat the oven to 180 C. Grease the baking pan and keep aside.

2. Heat sugar in the pan till it melts and becomes brown. Pour hot caramel in the prepared baking pan. Now arrange the pineapple slices & cherries over the caramel. Keep aside.

3. Sieve the flour, baking powder and baking soda.

4. Cream the butter and add the milkmaid. Mix well.

5. Slowly incorporate the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Pour the batter over the arranged pineapples and bake it for 35 / 40 mins or until done.

Serve with tea.

Corriander leaf Podi - Perfect with rice

2011-07-01T19:22:00.000+05:30

Every weekend lunch always starts with this delicious podi mixed in rice with a tsp of ghee. Sometimes, I use this for dosa & idlies too. Very easy to make & comfort dish too :)

Ingredients :

Urad dal - 1 cup
Channa dal - 1/2 cup
Red chillies - 11 nos
Poppy seed - 1 tbsp
Dessicated coconut - 2 tbsp
Corriander leaves - 1 large bunch
Tamarind - 1 inch round shape
Salt to taste

Method :

1. Dry roast all the ingredients seperately (Do not use oil).

2. Mix all the roasted ingredients together & cool.

3. Grind them along with the salt to the fine powder.

Serve with rice & ghee.

Tomato Curry - Perfect side dish for rotis

2011-06-25T01:39:00.001+05:30

Simple, easy, delicious & my comfort side dish which taste absolutely perfect with rotis.

Ingredients :

Tomatoes - 5 nos
Salt to taste
Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Green chillies - 3 to 4 nos (to spice)
A pinch of hing
Salt to taste
Corriander leaves for garnishing

Direction to Cook :

1. Cube the tomatoes & keep aside.

2. Heat oil in the pan, add mustard seeds, urad dal, hing & green chillies.

3. Add the chopped tomatoes & salt to taste. Cook until done.

4. Garnish it with corriander leaves.

Serve it with rotis.

Malai Chicken - Pakistani style

2011-06-19T23:01:00.000+05:30

Rich & creamy malai chicken curry perfect to serve with rotis or rice :)

Ingredients :

Chicken - 1 kg
Onion - 1 no
Red chilly to taste
Cloves - 3 nos
Cardomom pods - 2 nos
Cinnamon stick - 1 pc
Bay leaf - 1 no
A bunch of cilantro leaves
Corrainder powder - 1 tsp
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
Red chilli powder to taste
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Tomato puree - 1/4 cup
Whipping cream (or milk ) - 1 cup
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil as needed

Direction to cook :

Heat oil in a pot on medium heat. Add the red chilli, cloves, cardamom pods, cinnamon stick, and bay leaf. Fry until the bay leaf turns golden brown.

Add chopped onion, fry for a few minutes. Add ginger paste and garlic paste & fry.

Add chicken pieces and fry for another 5 minutes or so. Sprinkle on top the salt, red chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, and turmeric powder, mix

Add 1 glass of water, mix and cover on low heat, cook for about 20 minutes or until chicken is almost done.

Add tomato puree, mix and continue cooking on low heat until chicken is well done.

Finally add the whipping cream and cook for another few minutes. Add garam masala and coriander leaves, cook for another couple minutes and remove from heat.

Serve with roti or rice.

Hot & spicy raita - A perfect Dip

2011-05-27T00:13:00.000+05:30

Raita the most popular south Indian dip can be made in different variations. This is simple & easy way of making raita just with onion & tomato as the main ingredients. Addition of grounded coconut spicy paste adds the flavour & taste simply delicious. Perfect side dish for biryani & I served it with chicken biryani this weekend.

Ingredients :

Curd - 1 cup
Onion - 1 no (Finely chopped)
Tomato - 1/2 no (chopped)
Mint leaves - 1/4 cup ( Finely chopped)
Corriander leaves - 1 tbsp (Finely chopped)
Grated Coconut - 2 tbsp
Green chillies to spice
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Chaat masala to sprinkle
Salt to taste

Direction to cook :

1. Grind together the coconut, cumin seeds & green chillies.

2. Combine all the ingredients together along with the grounded masala. Adjust the salt to taste.

Sprinkle the chaat masala & serve it with biryani.

Kuzhi Paniyaram

2011-05-22T23:47:00.000+05:30

Kuzhi paniyaram is the most popular chettinad food served with hot and spicy chutneys. I make this dish very rarely as it consumes more oil in the preparation. Adding more vegetables, greens & lentils makes this dish little nutricious to the kids. "Best dish for those who wants to gain weight" but it taste simply superb.

Ingredients :

Dosa / Idly batter - 2 cups
Finely chopped onion - 1 no
Green chillies -2 to 3 nos
Finely grated carrot - 1 small sized
Curry leaves - 1 tbsp
Coconut pieces - 1 tsp
Oil - 1 tsp and for greasing the paniyaram mould
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Corrainder leaves - 1tsp
Salt to taste

Direction to cook :

1. Heat a tsp of oil in the pan, add mustard seeds, urad dal & curry leaves. Add finely chopped onion & green chillies. Saute till tender.

2. To the dosa / idly batter, add the above seasonings. And add the grated carrot, coconut pices, corriander leaves & salt to taste.

3. Heat the paniyaram mould & grease it with oil. Pour the batter in the each mould & cook on either side till golden brown in color.

Serve warm with spicy chutney.

Naan - Pan made

2011-04-04T11:19:00.000+05:30

Naan is the India flat bread traditionally cooked in the oven. But this variation is made directly in the tawa/pan which taste really delicious & soft. Perfect way to serve this naan is with spicy curry. Very tasty :)

Ingredients :

All purpose flour - 4 cups
Salt to taste
Sugar - 1 tbsp
Milk - 1/2 cup
Egg - 1 no
Baking powder - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 5 tbsp
Onion seeds - 1 tsp (optional)
Butter for brushing

Direction to cook :

1. Sift together flour, baking powder, salt & onion seeds. Make a well in the middle.

2. In a another bowl, mix and whisk together milk, egg, oil & sugar. Pour it into the flour mixure & knead the dough softly. Add water if necessary. Apply some oil arround the dough.

3. Cover the dough with damp cloth for half an hour. Now knead the dough again & cover and leave for one hour.

4. Divide the dough to equal sized balls and roll them to circles. Meanwhile heat the pan, now cook the naan on either side till golden brown spots appears randomly.

5. Before serving brush some melted butter over the naan.

Serve with hot curry.

Bunny Napkin Folding

2011-03-29T17:17:00.000+05:30

Funny Bunny Napkin Folding

Perfect napkin folding for Kid's party.

Step : 1

Step 2 :

Step : 3

Step : 4

Step : 5

Step : 6

Step : 7

Step : 8

Step : 9

Step : 10

Step : 11

Step : 12

Step : 13

Happy Folding :)