Nature Kitchen

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 :)

Mint Pulav

2011-03-20T22:16:00.000+05:30

Most of us face the problem of deciding what to pack for the lunch today. Sometimes, I decide it little earlier but most of the time I cook the dish which flashes in my mind in that second. So, my collections of lunch box menu is growing in size & this mint pulav is perfect. Fresh mint leaves should be used for this dish for real taste & flavour. I like to add corriander leaves, sometimes equal proportion to mint leaves for taste difference. This can be served with raita, pakoda or with papads.

Ingredients :

Raw rice /Basmati rice - 1 cup
Mint leaves - 1/4 cup (small bunch)
Corriander leaves - 1 tbsp
Green peas - 2 tbsp
Potato - 1 medium sized
Onion - 1 1/2 no
Grated coconut - 5 tbsp
Green chillies - 2 nos
A small piece of ginger
Tamarind pulp - 1/2 tsp (concentrate)
Oil - 1 tbsp (or ghee) plus 1 tsp
Cloves - 2 nos
Cinnamon stick - 1 no
Bay leaf - 1 no
Cardamom - 1 no
Salt to taste

Direction to Cook :

1. Heat 1 tsp of oil, add green chillies, ginger, 1/2 onion, mint leaves, corriander leaves & salt to taste. Allow it to cool.

2. Grind the cooked mint leaves mixture with the grated coconut & tamarind pulp to smooth paste.

3. Heat oil / ghee in the pressure cooker, add cinnamon stick, cloves, cardamom, bay leaf & finely chopped onion. Saute till tender.

4. Add grounded paste, green peas, diced potato & rice. Add enough water (For 1 cup raw rice = 2 cups of water ; 1 cup basmati rice = 1 cup of water) & salt to taste.

Serve with raita.

Paruppu Urundai Kuzhambu / Fried dal in spiced coconut gravy

2011-03-12T00:07:00.000+05:30

Fried dal cubes cooked in the spicy and tangy coconut sauce, perfect with rice and rotis as well.

Ingredients :

For Paruppu Urundai :

Toor dal - 1/2 cup
Urad dal - 2 tbsp
Green chillies - 3 nos
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying
Finely chopped onions - 1/4 cup
Finely chopped corriander leaves

For the Gravy :

Oil - 1 tbsp
Cinnamon stick - 1 small size
Cloves - 2 nos
Onion - 1 medium sized
Tomato - 1 no
Coconut - 1/2 (grounded to smooth paste)
Chilly powder - 1 to 2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Finely chopped corriander leaves

Direction to cook :

1. Soak the toor dal & urad for atleast one hour. Grind together with green chillies adding little water. Add salt to taste, finely chopped onions & corriander leaves. Steam cook the batter for atleast 15 mins over medium heat.

2. Once cooked & cooled, cut them into small pieces and deep fry them in the oil till light golden brown in color. Keep aside.

3. Heat oil in the pan, add cinnamon stick, cloves & finely chopped onion. Saute till tender.

4. Add ginger garlic paste, turmeric powder, chilly powder & grounded coconut paste. Add enough water & bring it to boil.

5. Once the gravy is cooked, add the fried dal cubes to the gravy & bring it to boil for 10 mins over low heat.

6. Garnish it with finely chopped corriander leaves.

Serve with rice or rotis.

Chickpeas Pulav

2011-03-06T23:48:00.000+05:30

Most of the days, I will be running out of time in the mornings. Rice being the stable food at home, has its different ways to serve. To make it more healthy, we try to add vegetables & present it more nutritious. Addition of chick peas & potato makes the dish really tasty & quick to make. I like to serve it with onion raita or with pakoda. Its optional to use pulav masala for this dish. Fried bread pieces can be used for garnishing. It taste yum !!!

Ingredients :

Basmati Rice - 1 cup
Water - 1 cup
Chick peas - 1/2 cup (Soaked in water overnight)
Oil - 1 tbsp
Cinnamon stick - 1 no
Cloves - 3 nos
Cardamom - 1 no
Bay leaf - 1 no
Onion (sliced lengthwise) - 1/4 cup
Potato - 1 large sized
Chilly powder - 1 tsp (to spice)
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Lemon juice - 1/4 tsp
Pulav masala - 1/4 tsp (optional)
Corriander leaves & roasted cashewnuts for garnishing

Direction to Cook :

1. Heat oil in the pressure cooker, add cinnamon stick, cloves, cardamom, bay leaf & sliced onions. Saute till tender.

2. Add cubed potatoes, turmeric powder, chilly powder, salt to taste & basmati rice. Saute it well until aromatic and the rice becomes translucent.

3. Drain & add the chick peas, lemon juice, pulav masala, water & little corriander leaves. Pressure cook it till done.

4. Garnish it with corriander leaves & roasted cashew nuts.

Serve it warm.

Vangibath (Brinjal Rice)

2011-02-14T00:56:00.000+05:30

Happy valentines day to all my viewers. This is my most comfort & tasty rice variety, which I cook very often for my DH lunch box. I always prepare the vangibath powder & store it in the freezer for a week or more. It makes my cooking very simple & easy. Best way to serve this rice is with papads or with raitas as well.

Ingredients :

Green / purple Brinjal - 100 gms (or eggplant - 1 medium sized)
Basmati rice - 1 cup
Oil - 1 tbsp
Channa dal - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Tamarind pulp -1/2 tsp
A pinch of jaggery
Onion - 1 no
Potato - 1 small sized
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Vangibhath powder
Dry coconut powder - 1 tsp
Roasted cashewnuts for garnishing
Salt to taste

For vangibhath powder :

Red chillis - 2 nos (or black pepper corns)
Corriander seeds - 1 tsp
Poppy seeds - 1/4 tsp
Urad Dal - 1 tsp
Channa Dal - 1 tsp
Dry coconut powder - 1/2 tsp
Cinnamon stick - 1 no
Clove - 2 nos
Sesame seeds - 1/4 tsp
1/4 tsp hing

Dry roast the above ingredients & grind it to smooth powder.

Direction to cook :

1. Cook the rice & allow it to cool.

2. Meanwhile, heat oil in the pan. Add channa dal, mustard seeds, finely chopped onions & then cut potato slices. Cook till tender.

3. Slice the brinjals in lengthwise & add them to the above mixture. Add turmeric powder & salt to taste.

4. Add tamarind pulp & coconut powder. Cook till brinjals are done.

5. Now add grounded vangibath powder & a pinch of jaggery. Add cooked rice & mix them throughly till nicely combined.

6. Add roasted cashewnuts.

Serve with papads or raita.

Sweet Jaggery balls (using wheat flour)

2011-01-29T00:09:00.000+05:30

I m back after a long uninformed break with sweet wheat flour balls, perfect for weekend breakfast. When it comes to weekend cooking, I will be bit slow in cooking & finally, it will arround 3 when we have our lunch. So, I prefer to cook something very heavy for the breakfast.

Very healthy & heavy perfect for kids. Addition of cardamom powder & nuts are totally optional but I would recommend it for ultimate taste. This dish needs to be served immediately otherwise it will become hard & difficult to eat.

Ingredients :

Wheat flour - 1 cup
Jaggery - 3/4 to 1 cup (Depending on ur sweet)
Water - 1 cup
Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp
Cashew nuts (Roasted) - 1 tbsp
Ghee - 1 tbsp

Direction to Cook :

1. Dry roast the wheat flour till light brown in color.

2. Melt the jaggery in water over low flame & filter it.

3. Bring the dissolved jaggery water to boil & add the roasted wheat flour in the middle of the pan. Do not stir it.

4. Over a low flame, allow the wheat flour to cook & finally mix it together till u get the required consistency.

5. Add the cardamom powder & roasted nuts. Switch off the flame.

6. Apply some ghee in the palm & make little balls.

Serve immediately.

Pineapple topped Cake

2010-12-13T00:35:00.000+05:30

Delicate, soft, fluffy & delicious cake made with fresh pineapple and a dash of cardamom powder for additional flavour. Perfect with tea & occasionally for parties.

Ingredients :

Softened butter - 125 gms
Sugar - 1 cup
Pineapple essence - 1/2 tsp
cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
A pinch of salt
Eggs (medium) - 3 nos
All purpose flour - 2 cups
Baking powder - 2 tsp
Milk -2 tbsp
Crushed pineapple - 1/2 cup
Pineapple pieces for topping
Melted butter - 2 tbsp

Direction to bake :

1. Grease the baking pan with butter & preheat the oven at 180 C.

2. Sieve the flour, baking powder & salt together.

3. Whisk the butter till creamy, add pineapple essence, cardamom powder, sugar & egg one at a time.

4. Fold the sifted flour & crushed pineapple alternating with milk. Pour the mixture in the greased baking pan & arrange the sliced pineapple pieces on the top and finally pour the melted butter on the top. Bake it for 45 mins or until done.

Enjoy baking :)

Red rice Roti - Very healthy

2010-11-30T12:19:00.000+05:30

Most comfort & involves less time to make this simple and delicious red rice roti. Very healthy & heavy good for kids. It taste extremly awesome when served with spicy tomato chutney. Good way to make use of red rice flour apart from making puttu. My entire family is the great fan for this simple dish.

Ingredients :

Red Rice Flour - 1 cup
Grated vegetables (Carrot, cucumber) - 1 cup
Chopped onion - 1 no
Green chillies - 2 nos
Coarsely grounded peanut - 1 tbsp
Curry leaves - 1 tbsp
Corriander leaves - 1 tbsp
Channa dal - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Direction to cook :

1. Combine together rice flour, grated vegetables, onion, green chillies, curry leaves, corriander leaves, peanut powder, channa dal & salt to taste.

2. Knead the dough without using water.

3. Divide the dough into equal parts & roll them into circle. (I use my palm).

4. Meanwhile heat the pan, apply oil and cook the roti on either side till done.

Serve with tomato chutney.

Indian style Pasta in spicy tomato sauce

2010-11-22T14:14:00.000+05:30

Most favourite dish for kids & for my DH too. Good way of adding vegetables & most comfort dish to satisfy everyone with tasty dinner. Flavour of capsicum & tomatoes may this dish taste great. If needed sprinkle some parmesan cheese or serve just like that. We like to have this little different with potato chips.

Ingredients :

Vegetables (Carrot, beans & capsicum) - 1/2 cup
Pasta (Any kind) - 1 cup
Olive oil - 1 tsp + 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Cinnamon stick - 1 no
Cloves - 2 nos
Onion - 1 no
Green chillies - 1 no
Tomato - 1 no
Chilly powder - 1 tsp
Lime juice - 1 tsp
Corriander leaves

Direction to cook :

1. Boil the water & add salt, a tsp of oil and pasta. Cook till done. Filter the water & keep aside.

2. Meanwhile, heat oil in the pan. Add cinnamon stick & cloves. Add sliced onions & saute.

3. Add finely chopped tomatoes & green chillies. Add chilly powder & vegetables. Cover & cook till done.

4. Once the vegetables are cooked, add the pasta & adjust the salt.

5. Finally, squeeze the lime juice & garnish with corriander leaves.

Serve with parmesan cheese.

Avial

2010-11-16T12:42:00.000+05:30

Avial is the most popular kerala dish prepared with lotz of vegetables & coconut oil which adds flavour to the dish. Healthy way of adding vegetables in the daily routine. Tangy & creamy taste perfect with vathakuzhambu & adai.

Ingredients :

Coconut oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 tbsp
Grated coconut - 1/4 cup
Green chillies - 3 to 4 nos
Sour curd - 1/4 cup
Vegetables (Carrot, beans, yam, brinjal, cucumber, peas, pumpkin, drumstick, elephants foot, raw banana) - 1 cup
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste

Direction to cook :

1. Cook the vegetables & keep aside.

2. Grind the grated coconut with green chillies & cumin seeds. Keep aside.

3. Heat oil in the pan, add mustard seeds & curry leaves. Add the boiled vegetables & saute.

4. Add the grounded paste, turmeric powder & sour curd. Cover & cook over low flame.

Serve with rice or adai.

Moong Dal Halwa for Diwali special

2010-11-07T20:27:00.000+05:30

Wish you all Happy Diwali !!!

One of the popular North Indian Sweet served in most of their marriages & its my diwali sweet as well. Rich & heavy sweet prepared with lotz of ghee & nuts, which are perfect for celebrating the special occasion & festival.

Ingredients :

Moong dal - 1/2 cup
Ghee - 1/2 cup
Nuts (cashewnuts, almonds, raisins) - 1/4 cup
Sugar - 3/4 cup
Water - little more than 1/4 cup
Milk - 1/2 cup
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
Few strands of saffron

Direction to cook :

1. Soak the moong dal in the water for 3 to 4 hrs (preferably overnight).

2. Drain the water & grind them coarsely.

3. Heat ghee in the pan, add the grounded dal paste. Over the low flame, cook them till light brown & leaves a aroma.

4. Meanwhile, prepare the one string sugar syrup using sugar & water. Keep aside.

5. Once, the dal is cooked add the sugar syrup & then milk. keep stirring continuously.

6. Finally, add the roasted nuts & saffron strands.

Serve warm.

Ajwain Chicken curry

2010-10-26T11:37:00.000+05:30

South Indian dishes is something hot & spicy. Ajwain chicken curry is most exotic dish taste good with rice , rotis & naans as well. When I want to try out some new chicken dishes, I blindly follow the sanjeev kapoor's recipe. Flavour of ajwain brings unique taste to this dish & we just loved it with rice :)

Ingredients :

Chicken - 800 gms
Oil - 4 tbsp
Coconut, scrapped - 1 cup
Garlic - 4 to 6 pods
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Onion - 2 nos
Salt to taste
Tamarind pulp - 1 tbsp
Nutmeg grated - 1/4 tsp
Corriander leaves for garnishing

Dry Roast the below ingredients :

Red chillies - 4 nos
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Corriander seeds - 1 1/2 tbsp
Black peppercorns - 10 nos
Fennel seeds - 1 tsp
Ajwain - 1 tsp
Poppy seeds - 2 tbsp
Cloves - 6 nos
Cinnamon - 2 stick
Star anise - 4 nos

Direction to cook :

1. Lightly brown the scrapped coconut & grind it along with the garlic pods and the roasted ingredients.

2. Heat oil in the frying pan, add onions & saute till tender. Add chicken pieces & saute.

3. Add the grounded coconut paste, turmeric powder, tamarind pulp & cook till done.

4. Finally, add nutmeg powder & finely chopped corriander leaves.

Serve warm with rice or rotis.

Sweet & sour mango chutney with cinnamon flavour

2010-10-14T13:50:00.000+05:30

I bought some raw mangoes last week. This time, I wanna to try something new but sweet. And, finally found some recipes with little modification my dish turned out really superb. Sweet jaggery, sour mango with a pinch of cinnamon tasted delicious. I had this with curd rice, rotis & with bread as well.

Ingredients :

Sour raw mango - 1 no
Jaggery to taste ( I used little more than 1/2 cup)
Water to cook the mango
Cinnamon powder - 1/4 tsp

Direction to cook :

1. Peel the skin of mango & cut them into cubes.

2. Cover & boil the mango in the water till done.

3. Add jaggery powder & cook for 5 more mins on medium flame.

4. Finally, add cinnamon powder (or cardamom powder / cloves) & cook till the sauce is thick.

Serve it warm or cold.

Potato Fry

2010-10-02T01:02:00.000+05:30

Simple, quick & delicious side dish taste great with plain dal, tamarind rice, lemon rice or curd rice.

Ingredients :

Potatoes - 3 nos
Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 tbsp
Red chillies - 2 nos
Onion - 1 no
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Chilly powder to spice
Salt to taste

Direction to cook :

1. Heat oil in the pan, add mustard seeds, urad dal, red chillies, curry leaves & onion. Saute till tender.

2. Add sliced potatoes (lengthwise), turmeric powder, chilly powder & salt to taste. Cover & cook till done.

3. Add water if necessary.

Serve with rice.

Art in Almond flavoured marzipan

2010-09-28T00:42:00.000+05:30

Most of my special occasions never pass without baking a cake. Some frostings with small decorations is enough to make the cake very unique.

Ingredients :

Powdered almonds - 1/4 cup
Milk powder - 1/4 cup
Icing sugar - 1/2 cup
Almond essence - 2 drops
A little egg white or condensed milk to mix

Direction to mix :

Combine the first 4 ingredients and add enough condensed milk (or egg white) to make a soft dough.

Have Fun !!

Eggplant fritters

2010-09-20T23:24:00.000+05:30

Best dish to prepare when ur mind is totally blank as "what to cook for the day?". Very easy to make but taste simply delicious with simple dal curry too. I tried both shallow & deep fried version, but it taste best when deep fried. Very heavy & 100% no for those in diet.

Ingredients :

Eggplant (thinly sliced) - 1 no
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Chilly powder - 1 tsp (to taste)
Salt to taste
Beaten egg - 1 no
Bread crumbs - 1 cup
Oil for deep frying

Method :

1. Marinate the eggplant pieces in gingergarlic paste, turmeric powder, chilly powder & salt for 1 hr.

2. Heat oil in the frying pan, dip the marinated eggplant pieces in the beaten egg first & then in the bread crumbs. Deep fry them in the oil till crispy & golden brown in either sides.

Serve warm.

More Kuzhambu

2010-09-14T00:30:00.000+05:30

Most comfortable dish & easy to make best served with rice. It taste simply delicious. I serve this curry with potato methi fry & pickle. This can be prepared with or without vegetables. Ladies finger & yam is most commonly used vegetables for this preparation. Thick & creamy in hot spicy powder garnished with Indian seasonings makes this curry a signature dish in my house.

Ingredients :

Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tsp
A pinch of hing
Curry leaves - 1 tbsp
Red chillies - 2 nos
Curd (preferably buttermilk) - 2 cup
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Vegetables (ladies finger / yam) - 1/4 cup
Salt to taste
Corriander leaves for garnishing

To grind :

Green chillies - 2 nos
Grated coconut - 2 tbsp
Corriander seeds - 1 tbsp
Roasted gram dal (potukadalai) - 1tsp
Toor dal - 2 tbsp (soaked in water for atleast 1 hr)
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste

Directions to Cook :

1. Mix the grounded paste to the curd. Keep aside.

2. Heat oil in the pan, add mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, hing, curry leaves, red chillies, turmeric powder & vegetables. Saute till vegetables are cooked.

3. Pour the curd mixture & stir continuously. Add salt to taste.

4. Cook till the kuzhambu is thick in consistency. Garnish it with corriander leaves.

Serve with rice.

Chickpeas Sundal

2010-09-05T01:07:00.000+05:30

Different varieties of sundals are normally prepared during navarathiri season. Any kind of bean seeds can be used though chickpeas is most commonly preferred. Very rich in protein, fiber & perfect for hungry kids returning from school. I like to add some cut raw mangos during the season. It taste simply delicious!!!

Ingredients :

Chick peas - 1 cup
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Ghee - 1 tbsp (or oil)
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Urad dal - 1/2 tsp
A pinch of hing
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 tbsp
Red chillies - 4 to 5 nos
Onion - 1/2 no
Chilly powder - 1/4 tsp (optional)
Coconut (cut into tiny pieces) - 1/4 cup
Salt to taste

Direction to Cook :

1. Wash & soak the chick peas, overnight. Pressure cook the soaked chick peas in the salted water till done.

2. Heat ghee/oil in the pan, add mustard seeds, urad dal, hing, cumin seeds, curry leaves, red chillies and finely chopped onion. Saute till tender.

3. Add turmeric powder & chilly powder. Saute for 2 more mins.

4. Drain the water from the cooked chick peas & add it to the onion mixture.

5. Finally, add the coconut pieces. Stir for 3 more mins on medium flame. Adjust the salt.

Ready to serve.

Vanilla mousse

2010-08-31T15:16:00.000+05:30

Perfect dessert for any kind of parties. Very simple to make & delicious to eat. Vanilla mousse can be prepared overnight & served next day, needs no last minute touch. Rich & creamy texture normally served with custard sauce. Kids will enjoy this !!!!

Ingredients :

Eggs - 3 nos
Unsalted butter (melted) - 2 tbsp
Vanilla essence - 2 tsp
Heavy whipping cream - 1 cup
Sugar - 1/2 cup

Direction to cook :

1. Separate the egg yolk & whites. Whisk the egg yolks, sugar & the melted butter. Add vanilla essence & whisk.

2. Whisk the heavy whipping cream till soft peaks adding 2 tbsp of sugar. Keep aside.

3. Whisk the egg whites till soft peaks adding 1 tbsp of sugar. Keep aside.

4. Now gently fold the whipped cream to the egg mixture.

5. Finally, fold the beaten egg whites to the above mixture. Pour the mousse in the serving bowl & refrigerate it.

Serve cool.

Crispy Murukku

2010-08-20T15:16:00.001+05:30

Murukku is the most popular Indian savoury snacks. Amma makes this along with other snacks & sweets for Deepavali. Making murukku seemed to be very hard to me but once I made it along with my friends vidya, renuka & kirthiga I couldn't believe how simple it is :)

Vidya (the day's chief chef) who started the idea of making the murrukku kneaded the dough while renuka dry roasted the rice flour. Now, its the turn of kirthiga (yup! an expert in piping the pattern) made perfect rounds & finally renuka (really exemplary - blush even after frying 50 murukkus ) deep fried them. Wondering !!! wht am I doing behind? S, now the toughest part tasting it first, draining the excess oil & storing it in the airtight container. Our first attempt, was super duper hit & the most importantly we had fun to the core. It's amazing !!!

Kirthiga - Vidya - Renuka (left to right)

Ingredients :

Rice flour - 4 cups
Urad dal flour (unroasted) - 1 cup
Butter - 100 gms
Asafoetida (Hing) - 1/2 tsp
Sesame seeds - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tbsp
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying
Water for kneading

Direction to cook :

1. Lightly roast the Urad flour & keep aside.

2. Combine all the ingredients roasted Urad dal flour, hing, rice flour, butter, sesame seeds, cumin seeds & salt together. Sprinkle some water little at a time & knead the dough. Standing time - 10 mins.

3. Meanwhile heat the oil on the medium flame. Choose the pattern plate ( I used star pattern) & then fill the murukku mould with the dough. Pipe out the patterns forming circle on a greased plastic sheet.

4. Fry the murukku in the oil till golden brown in color & place them on a kitchen towel to drain the excess oil.

5. Allow them to cool. Store it in the air tight container.

Serve.

Channa Masala (Chole masala)

2010-08-16T13:36:00.000+05:30

Channa masala is most popular street Indian food. Each of us have our own version of cooking this spicy & hot curry. I learnt this from my amma & I am sure it will taste simply delicious. Chickpeas are pressure cooked first & then mixed with spicy masala. This can be served with rotis, dosa & puris. Any leftovers can be used for making chat with samosas or papadis. Best way to serve the evening snacks little rich & protein.

Ingredients :

Chickpeas - 1/2 cup (Soaked in water overnight)
Oil - 1 tbsp
Fennel seeds (saunf) - 1 tsp
Onion - 1 large sized
Potato - 1 no
Tomatoes - 2 small sized
Grated ginger - 1 tsp
Green chillies - 2 nos
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Chilly powder - 1 tsp
Corriander powder - 1 tsp
Channa masala (I used MTR) - 2 tsp (to taste)
A pinch of hing
Dried Kasturi methi - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Corriander leaves for garnishing

Direction to cook :

1. Pressure cook the soaked chickpeas in the salted water. Keep aside.

2. Heat oil in the pan, add fennel seeds & finely chopped onions. Saute till tender.

3. Add green chillies, cut potato, grated ginger, salt to taste & finely chopped riped tomatoes. Saute it.

4. Add a pinch of hing, turmeric powder, chilly powder, corriander powder & channa masala powder. Cook till done.

5. Add boiled chick peas & kasturi methi leaves. Adjust the salt.

6. Garnish it with corriander leaves.

Serve with puris.

Cucumber Raita

2010-08-11T01:49:00.000+05:30

This cool yoghurt salad is the perfect for hot & spicy food. Especially, it taste delicious with biryanis. Addition of raisins makes this raita more tasty from the regular method. Amma makes this very often during the peak summer days. Even now I try to add this in my regular menu during summer. Very cool & refreshing salad perfect partner for hot Indian dishes.

Ingredients :

Cucumber - 1 medium sized
Curd / yoghurt - 1 cup
Salt to taste
Raisins - 1 tbsp

Direction to cook :

1. Peel the skin & grate the cucumber. Press the cucumber through a strainer to remove some of the water.

2. Combine the other ingredients & refrigerate it.

Serve cool.

Vegetable pulav

2010-08-03T14:28:00.000+05:30

My comfort dish & the best way of adding the vegetable intake in the daily routine. Very quick & simple to make. I use store bought coconut milk for this preparation, so I diluted the thick milk to thin consistency by adding little water to it. Green chillies brings the spicy taste to the dish. I like to serve it with raita & kuruma. Any kind of seasonal vegetables can be used for this dish. It taste yum :)

Ingredients :

Basmati Rice - 1 cup
Oil - 1 tbsp
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Cinnamon stick - 1 no
Cloves - 3 nos
Cardamom - 2 no
Bay leaf - 1 no
Onion - 2 nos
Green chillies - 4 to 5 nos
Mint leaves - 1/4 cup
Corriander leaves - 1/4 cup
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Vegetables (Carrot, beans, cauliflower, potato, green peas) - 1/2 cup
Salt to taste
Coconut milk - 11/2 cup
Lemon juice - 1 tbsp
Cashewnuts (roasted) for garnishing

Direction to cook :

1. Heat 1 tbsp of ghee & roast the basmati rice slightly. Keep aside.

2. Heat oil in the heavy bottomed pan, add cinnamon stick, cloves, cardamom, bay leaf, green chillies & chopped onions. Saute till tender.

3. Add ginger garlic paste, mint leaves & corriander leaves.

4. Add chopped vegetables & salt to taste. Cook till tender.

5. Add coconut milk, lemon juice & the basmati rice. Cook till done.

6. Garnish with roasted cashewnuts.

Serve with raita.

Potato Masala (poori masala)

2010-07-29T15:26:00.000+05:30

Simple & spicy curry made with smashed potatoes often served with dosa, chapathi or poori. Any leftovers can be used as a stuffing inside the samosa or as the breakfast sandwiches. Potato masala occupies the most prominent role in the south indian breakfast menus at home, hotel & in celebrations. Its been little long time wish for my DH to serve him complete breakfast like dosa, potato masala, chutneys, sambar & vada for any weekends. Hope I bring his dreams true shortly :)

Ingredients :

Potato - 2 large sized
Oil - 1 tbsp
Channa dal - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Finely chopped ginger - 1 tsp
Green chillies - 3 to 4 nos
Curry leaves - 1 tbsp
Onion - 2 nos
Tomato - 1/2
Green peas (or) carrot - little less than 1/4 cup (optional)
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Chilly powder - 1/2 tsp (optional)
Cashewnuts (roasted) - 1 tbsp
Salt to taste
Corriander leaves for garnishing

Direction to cook :

1. Boil, peel & smash the potatoes. Add salt & chilly powder (optional) and keep aside.

2. Heat oil in the pan, add channa dal, mustard seeds, curry leaves, green chillies, chopped ginger & onions. Saute till tender.

3. Add green peas (or) carrot & turmeric powder. Cook till done.

4. Add tomato & smashed potatoes. Adjust the salt. Cook for 5 mins on low-medium flame.

5. Garnish with corriander leaves & roasted cashewnuts.

Serve warm.

Jelly with homemade vanilla custard

2010-07-23T14:11:00.000+05:30

Simple & easy dessert perfect for kids. I made strawberry flavoured jelly & microwave vanilla custard. Taste & texture is perfect. Even fruits can be served along with the jelly custard or just fruits & custard. To me jelly custard is the comfort dessert & can eat anytime of the day. Quick & contains protein & calcium.

Ingredients :

Egg yolks - 2
Cornflour - 1 heaped tbsp
Milk - 2 cups
Castor sugar - 3 tbsp
Vanilla essence - 1 tsp
Instant jelly mix - 1 packet

Direction to cook :

1. Follow the instruction as given & prepare the jelly. Refrigerate it.

2. Whisk the egg yolks & cornflour to a smooth paste with little milk.

3. Place the remaining milk & sugar in a separate microwave bowl. Heat the milk until it boils.

4. Remove from microwave & add egg yolk mixture to the milk.

5. Whisk until thick & add vanilla essence to taste. Refrigerate it.

Serve the jelly with the homemade custard.

Baby corn fritters

2010-07-20T00:12:00.000+05:30

Everytime, I buy baby corn I wish to try new recipe. This time I made it. After browsing for a while, I finally dropped into this crispy variation which tasted really yum. Can be served with jeera rice, fried rice, sambar rice, coconut rice or a perfect snack with tomato ketchup. Next time, I am planning to make it in indo-chinese style. Thinly slice the baby corn & mix all other ingredients together. Deep fry them in oil & tasty appetizer is ready to serve.

Ingredients :

Baby corn - 500 gms
Salt to taste
Gram flour (besan) - 1/4 cup
Rice flour - 1/4 cup
Curry leaves - 1 tbsp
Chilly powder - 2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Garam masala - 1/4 tsp
Water
Oil for deep frying

Direction to cook :

1. Thinly slice the baby corn in lengthwise. Keep aside.

2. Mix gram flour, rice flour, chilly powder, turmeric powder, ginger garlic paste, curry leaves, salt, garam masala to baby corn. Add water little by little (until well combined). Dont make it thin.

3. Meanwhile heat the oil in the deep frying pan, fry the baby corn until crispy & golden brown on medium flame.

Serve warm with tomato ketchup.

Almond Kulfi

2010-07-14T19:29:00.000+05:30

Almond kulfi is not truly an ice cream, but simply a frozen dessert made in molds or even ice cube trays. It is normally served in the earthenware pots. Very easy to make at home without ice cream maker. Any kind of nuts can be used for this preparation. Perfect dessert for the party & everybody will love this.

Ingredients :

Milk - 4 cups + 2 tbsp
Sugar - 3/4 to 1 cup
Almond flakes - 1/2 cup (coarsely grind them with 1 tbsp of milk)
Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp
Cornflour - 2 tsp
Bread slice - 1 no (remove the brown crust part)
A pinch of saffron

Direction to cook :

1. Heat the heavy bottomed pan on the medium flame. Add milk & reduce it to half approx. 2 cups. Add sugar while reducing milk. Stir continuously, to avoid milk sticking in the bottom.

2. Take 2 tbsp cold milk in the bowl, add 2 tsp corn flour & bread pieces. Grind them to smooth paste. Mix well & add it in the boiling milk. Milk will start thickening.

3. Once milk become thick, add cardamom powder, & almond paste. Boil it on low flame. Finally, add saffron & allow it to cool.

Freeze it & serve.

Chocolate chip Muffins

2010-06-30T22:17:00.000+05:30

It's been long time since I posted. I'm back with delicious & perfect breakfast menu chocolate chip muffins. Even blueberries can be used instead of chocolate chips. A cup of tea/coffee are good accomplishment & kids will enjoy having this at any time.

Ingredients :

All purpose flour - 2 cups
Unsalted butter - 1/2 cup
Sugar - 1 1/4 cups
Baking powder - 1 1/4 tsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp
2 large eggs
Milk - 1/2 cup
Vanilla extract - 2 tsp
Chocolate chips - 1 cup

Direction to bake :

1. Preheat the oven at 375 C. Prepare the muffin cups & set aside.

2. Sieve the flour, baking powder & salt.

3. Beat the butter & sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg, one at a time, beating until combined. Mix in vanilla extract.

4. Add the flour & milk alternatively to the above mixture, beating until well combined. Fold in the chocolate chips in the batter.

5. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups & bake it for 30 mins or until golden brown.

Serve.

Bisibilebath

2010-06-07T02:58:00.000+05:30

One of my favourite & comfort dish, taste great with pappads. Healthy way of adding vegetables & simple to make. This dish will be served in most of the south indian functions & celebrations. I use store bought bisibilebath powder, yet taste delicious.

Ingredients :

Raw rice - 3/4 cup
Toor dal - 1/4 cup
A pinch of hing
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 2 tbsp
Ghee - 2 tbsp
Fenugreek seeds - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Red chillies - 2 nos
Curry leaves - 2 tbsp
Vegetables (Carrot, beans, drumstick, green peas, potato) - 3/4 cup
Bisibilebath powder - 2 tsp
Tamarind extract - 1 tsp
Onion - 1 no
Tomato - 1 no
Dessicated coconut - 1 tbsp
Cashewnuts - 1 tbsp
Salt to taste

Direction to cook :

1. Combine & pressure cook the rice, toor dal, hing & turmeric powder together.

2. Heat oil in the heavy bottomed pan, add mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds & curry leaves.

3. Add finely chopped onions & saute. Add tomatoes, salt & vegetables. Cover & cook till tender.

4. Add tamarind pulp, bisibilebath powder & dessicated coconut. Cook for 2 more mins.

5. Add the cooked rice & dal mixture & enough water for the desired consistency. Adjust the salt.

6. In a separate pan, heat the ghee add 1 tbsp of curry leaves, red chillies & broken cashewnuts. Pour it in the rice & switch off the flame.

Serve warm with pappads.

Basundi

2010-05-30T04:05:00.001+05:30

Basundi is my DH favourite sweet. He likes to have this as a dessert after his meal. Sometimes, I like to serve it in earthenware pots. Any kind of nuts can be used & it taste simply delicious. This needs to be cooked on low flame & it takes little longer time. Perfect dessert to host the prepared guest.

Ingredients :

Milk - 1 litre
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp
Saffron (optional) - a pinch
Nuts (almonds / cashewnuts / pista) - 1/4 cup

Direction to cook :

1. Bring the milk to boil in a non-stick pan & simmer it till it get reduced to half.

2. Add sugar & cook for some more time till it gets thickened.

3. Add cardamom powder, saffron & switch off the flame.

4. Allow it to cool. Garnish it with the chopped nuts.

Serve chilled.

Sending this post to the event "Sizzling Summer contest" hosted by Spicy tasty.

MY AWARD TIME

Maya & lakshmi of Yummy o Yummy tagged me this award where in I need to post my favourite pic. Thanks a lot, U made my day :)

My little prince

Thank you again & I would like to share this with Priya, PranisKitchen, Nitha, Sushma Mallya & Suja Sugathan.

Kaju Katli

2010-05-25T19:09:00.000+05:30

This is my first attempt of making this delicious kaju katli. It was 100% perfect & just tasted like store bought sweet. Even cardamom powder instead of saffron for unique flavour. Very simple & quick indian sweet yet delicious.

Ingredients :

Cashewnuts - 1 cup
Sugar - 3/4 cups
A pinch of saffron (optional)
Water - 1/4 cup
Ghee - 1 tsp
Silver leaves (optional) - for decorating

Direction to cook :

1. Grind the cashewnuts to powder form.

2. In a heavy bottomed pan, combine the sugar & water. Allow it to boil till you get one-string consistency. Add saffron at this time (optional).

3. At this point, add the cashew powder, ghee & keep stirring until you get the soft dough.

4. Grease the plate & spread the dough. Spread the dough using rolling pin to the desired thickness.

5. Finally, spread the silver leaves & cut them in the desired shape.

Serve.

Taro root fry

2010-05-19T21:51:00.000+05:30

This tiny giant vegetable taste good when it is stir fried. Whenever, I make moor kuzhambu this kind of side dishes will make the entire menu more tasty & yummy. Addition of tamarind pulp is optional. Very simple & easy to make yet taste superb.

Ingredients :

Tara Root - 6 medium sized
Oil - 1 tbsp
Red chillies - 4 nos
Curry leaves - 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Chilly powder - 3/4 tsp
Corriander powder - 1 tsp
Dry mango powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste

Direction to cook :

1. Heat oil in the pan, add red chillies & curry leaves. Add chopped taro root & stir fry them on medium flame.

2. Add salt & cook till tender.

3. Add corriander powder, turmeric powder, chilly powder & dry mango powder. Stir fry them till golden brown & crunchy.

Serve with rice.

Pineapple kesari

2010-05-17T15:04:00.000+05:30

Pineapple kesari is most popular & easy to make indian sweets. Perfect dessert for kids & hosting surprise guests. Addition of pineapple & essence gives more flavour & taste to the sweet. Its my all time favourite. Sometimes i make this even without the pineapple chunks, yet it taste great.

Ingredients :

Rava / sooji / semolina - 1/2 cup
Sugar - 3/4 cup (or 1/2 cup)
Ghee - 2 tbsp
Nuts (Cashewnuts, raisins, almonds) - 1/4 cup
Pineapple essence - 1/2 tsp
Chopped pineapple (either fresh or canned) - 2 tbsp
Cardamom powder - a pinch (optional)
Water - 1 1/2 cups

Direction to cook :

1. Heat ghee in the frying pan, add the nuts & roast the rava till light golden brown in color.

2. Add sugar & continue roasting for 2 more mins.

3. Meanwhile, warm the water & add it to the roasted rava. Add pineapple essence & chopped pineapples. Cover & cook till done.

4. Finally, add cardamon powder. Sprinkle some nuts & serve.

Enjoy :)

Fried fish in hot & spicy masala

2010-05-13T23:02:00.001+05:30

Fish fry is my all time favourite side dish with sambar rice. Sometimes, it becomes my main course as well. I cant resist myself from tasting it immediately once cooked. Any kind of fish can be used for this preparation. Proportion of black peppercorns & chilly powder is adjusted according to the taste. I like hot & spicy dishes. And this is the perfect dish during my stressed weekdays. Trust me it taste simply superb :)
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Ingredients :

Sankara meen (Red snapper fish) - 6 slices
Onion - 4 nos
Curry leaves - hanful
Black peppercorns - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Red chilly powder - 1 tsp (as per ur taste)
Tamarind pulp (thick) - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil for frying
Finely chopped corriander leaves for garnishing

Direction to cook :

1. Grind the onions, curry leaves, black peppercorns & salt together to smooth paste.

2. Add tamarind pulp, red chilly powder & turmeric powder to the ground onion paste.

3. Clean & marinate the sliced fishes in the onion mixture for atleast one hour.

4. Heat the pan & shallow fry the fishes on low flame on all sides.

5. Sprinkle some corriander leaves before serving.

Serve with rice.

Carrot Cake

2010-05-03T18:46:00.000+05:30

Carrot cake is healthy & perfect for kids. Best way to eat the vegetables !!! It even has walnuts which is the good source of calcium. I like to have this with a cup of tea. It is incredibly dense, moist & flavourful. Perfect for birthday parties too. It taste awesome.

Ingredients :

Grated carrot - 3 cups
All purpose flour - 2 cups
Refined oil - 1 cup
Sugar - 1 1/2 cups
Cashewnut (or) Walnut - 1 cup (toss in flour)
Baking powder - 1 tsp
Baking soda - 1 tsp
Cinnamon powder - 1 tsp
Vanilla essence - 1 tsp
Eggs - 3 nos

Direction to bake :

1. Sift flour, cinnamon powder, baking powder & baking soda together.

2. Beat eggs well. Add all other ingredients one by one and beat thoroughly.

3. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Pour into a greased tin and bake for 1 hour at 180 C till brown on top.

Serve with custard or cream.

Bombay toast

2010-04-27T01:25:00.000+05:30

This is my favourite evening snack, which my amma makes it regularly those days. Combination of sugar & pepper brings unique flavour to the dish. Little heavy dish which best fits under kids menu. This is one among the dish which I feel satisfied all the time I cook. It taste simply delicious. This can be served with tomato ketchup if desired.

Ingredients :

Bread slices - 4 nos
Egg - 1 no
Milk - 1/4 cup
Sugar
Black pepper powder - 1/2 tsp (or more)
Oil

Direction to cook :

1. Combine all the ingredients except bread slices & oil together. Whisk it till combined.

2. Meanwhile, heat the pan. Dip the bread slice (one at a time) in the egg batter & cook them. Apply oil around the bread slices.

3. Cook on either side till golden brown.

Serve warm.

Dried Sundakkai Vathakuzhambu

2010-04-20T21:31:00.001+05:30

Vathakuzhambu is most frequently made south indian dish either with fresh / dried sundakkai or with vegetables. Tangy dish best served with appalam (papad). Sometimes, I like to have it with curd rice. Amma makes it with fresh sundakkai & freshly ground vathakuzhambu powder. Rarely, I make this dish & prefer to use sambar powder for this preparation. It taste awesome with homemade vathakuzhambu powder.

Ingredients :

Dried sundakkai - handful
Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Fenugreek seeds - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 tbsp
Jeera - 1/4 tsp
Onion (finely chopped) - 1/4 cup
Garlic - 3 pods (optional)
Tomato - 1 no (finely chopped)
Tamarind (soaked in water) - golf sized ball
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Chilly powder - 1 tsp (to taste)
Sambar powder - 1 tbsp (or vathakuzhambu powder)
Salt to taste
Jaggery - a pinch

Direction to cook :

1. Heat oil in the pan, add mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, jeera (cumin seeds) & curry leaves. Add finely chopped onion & saute till tender. Add garlic (optional).

2. Add finely chopped tomato, turmeric powder, chilly powder & salt to taste.

3. Add tamarind pulp & water (approx 1/2 cup). Cook till done.

4. Finally, add sambar powder, dried sundakkai & jaggery. Cook for 5 more mins.

Serve with rice.

1-yr blog anniversary and Fruit Cake

2010-04-16T01:46:00.000+05:30

It's hard to believe one year ago I posted my first entry on this blog. So much has happened since then. I've met many amazing foodies and improved my baking and cooking skills. As well I've found a new love: photography. I want to thank all of you who read and comment and support my passion for food. It's been a blast!

To mark this occasion, I made a fruit cake.

Ingredients :

Dried cherries - 1/8 cup
Dried berries - 1/2 cup
Raisins - 1/4 cup
Sultanas - 1/4 cup
Currants - 1/4 cup
Chopped candied citron - 1 tbsp
Dark rum - 1/4 cup
Butter - 1/2 cup
Brown sugar - 1/4 cup
Egg - 1 no
All purpose flour - 1/2 cup
Baking soda - 1/8 tsp
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Ground mixed spice - 1/2 tsp
Milk - 2 tbsp
Dark rum - 1/4 cup

Direction to bake :

1. Soak cherries, Sultanas, raisins, berries, currants & citron in 1/4 cup rum for one day. Cover tightly & store at room temperature.

2. Cream the butter & brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in egg.

3. Sieve together flour, baking soda, salt & spice powder. Mix into butter & sugar, alternating with milk. Stir in the soaked fruits.

4. Bake in preheated oven at 325 F for 45 mins or until done. Cool in the pan for 15 min & sprinkle the 2 tbsp of rum on the top & sides of cake.

Store it in the airtight container.

Aval Upma

2010-04-13T17:38:00.002+05:30

Aval upma is my hubby's favourite breakfast menu. Very simple to make & taste great. I like to serve this dish with coconut chutney. Only during weekends, I like to cook exclusive south indian dishes from day beginning to end. Every time, I plan to wake little early to make really perfect breakfast varieties. But I finally end up in the simple & easy dishes... !!! it will be almost the lunch time :)

Ingredients :

Aval - 1 cup
Onion - 1 no
Green chillies - 4 nos
Curry leaves - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Dessicated coconut / freshly grated coconut - 1 tbsp
Salt to taste
Oil - 1 tbsp

Direction to cook :

1. Soak aval in the water for 3 mins. Drain & keep aside.

2. Heat oil in the pan, add mustard seeds, urad dal. Once crackle, add finely chopped onions, green chillies & curry leaves. Saute till tender.

3. Add the drained aval & salt to taste. Cover & cook on low flame till done.

4. Add the grated / dessicated coconut & stir for 2 more mins.

Serve warm.

Mutton kheema vadai & an award

2010-04-06T19:32:00.001+05:30

Amma cooks chicken & sea food varieties. Very rarely, I had mutton dishes before marriage. My husband likes to taste all kinds of non-veg dishes & I gradually started cooking these dishes. This is one among his favourite dishes. It will taste great with sambar rice & perfect for heavy snacks. Very crispy & soft inside. I make it often nowdays, bcoz its now my favourite too :)

Ingredients :

Mutton kheema (Minced meat) - 250 gms
Green chillies - 4 nos
Ginger piece - 1 inch
Garlic pods - 3 nos
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Fennel seeds - 1/4 tsp
Pottukadalai (split roasted gram dal) - 1/4 cup
Onion - 1 no
Egg - 1 no
Corriander leaves - 1 tbsp
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying

Direction to cook :

1. Pressure cook the mutton kheema, green chillies, ginger piece, garlic & turmeric.

2. Once cooled, coarsely grind them along with the pottukadalai & fennel seeds.

3. Now mix the chopped onions, salt, egg & chopped corriander leaves to the mixture.

4. Heat oil in the deep frying pan, take a dollop of batter & shape them like a disc. Deep fry them on medium flame till golden brown & crispy on either sides.

Serve immediately with ketchup.

AWARD TIME

Thanks yummy team for passing me the bunches of awards. I am honoured to receive this from you.

I would like to pass these awards to Raje, Priya prashanth, Aysha Dileen, Vineela siva and Aruna.

Mango lassi & an award

2010-03-29T00:12:00.000+05:30

Mango lassi is the perfect cooler for hot summer. Last weekend, I bought a tin of mango pulp to make some this delicious mango lassi. Even fresh riped mangoes can be used. Really tasty & easy to make. Even bananas can be substituted with mangos. During mango season, I make this very often. This lassi is equally good served before, during or after a meal and can be easily doubled to serve more.

Ingredients :

1 ripe mango, peeled & chopped (or ) Mango pulp - 3/4 cup
Plain Yogurt - 1 cup
Milk - 3/4 cup
Sugar - 3 tsp
Nuts for garnishing

Blend all the ingredients (except the nuts) together in a blender to get a smooth mixture. Garnish it with nuts & refrigerate.

Serve chill.

AWARD TIME :)

Thanks to Ganga & AdukalaVishesham for gifting me this lovely award. I am honoured :)

I would like to share this award with :

Tina, Chitchat, Suparna, Sarah Naveen, Soma Pradhan, NS, Kothiyavanu, Aparna, Cool Lassi, Sathya Sridhar, Nithu bala, Yummy O Yummy

To the award winners, please pass this on to your favorite bloggers! Here are the Rules:

1. Put the logo on your blog or within your post

2. Pass the award on to 12 bloggers!

3. Link the nominees within your post

4. Let the nominees know they have received this award by commenting on their blog

5. Share the love and link to the person from whom you received this award.

Simple dal pakoda

2010-03-19T12:53:00.000+05:30

Simple & easy dal pakoda perfect for bisibilebath & for evening snacks. Healthy & rich with dal and kids will just love this :)

Ingredients :

Toor dal - 1/2 cup
Onion - 1 no (finely chopped)
Green chillies - 2 nos
Chilly powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Direction to cook :

1. Soak the toor dal for atleast one hour & grind them coarsely.

2. Add finely chopped onion, green chillies, chilly powder & salt to taste.

3. Take a small dollop of batter & deep fry them in the oil till crispy & golden brown in either sides.

Serve warm.

Butterscotch Bread pudding

2010-03-16T12:40:00.000+05:30

Simple, quick & easy bread pudding taste great with vanilla icecream. Butterscotch flavour makes this dessert very unique & exotic. Addition of custard powder is optional. Perfect for special occasion & get-together parties.

Ingredients :

Warm milk - 1 1/2 cups
Butter - 50 gms
Eggs - 2 nos
Cinnamon powder - 1/4 tsp
Vanilla essence - 1 tsp
Brown sugar - 3/4 cup
Raisins - 1/4 cup
Bread slices - 4 nos

Direction to cook :

1. Dissolve warm milk, butter & eggs. (keep whisking continously)

2. Add cinnamon powder, vanilla essence & brown sugar to the liquid mixture.

3. Remove the side parts of the bread & roughly chop them & layer them in the greased baking pan.

4. Sprinkle the raisins over the bread pieces & pour the prepared syrup.

5. Bake at 180 C for 30 mins.

Serve warm with vanilla icecream.

Vanilla crumb muffins

2010-03-10T02:44:00.001+05:30

Last weekend we had small get-together ladies party at one of my friends house. Party was decided & executed within 2 hours time. Immediately, I decided to bake these vanilla crumb muffins & that was done within one hour time. The crumb topping is what makes these Vanilla muffins stand apart from the ordinary. They're scrumptious!"

Ingredients :

All purpose flour - 2 cups
Sugar - 3/4 cup
Egg - 1 no
Baking powder - 2 tsp
Baking soda - 1/2 tsp
Milk - 1 cup
Vanilla essence - 2 tsp
Vegetable oil - 1/3 cup
Nuts (almonds, raisins, walnuts) - 1/2 cup
Brown sugar - 2 tbsp
Cinnamon powder - 1/2 tsp

Direction to bake :

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease the muffin cups, or line with muffin papers.

2. In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking soda & baking powder. In another bowl, beat together sugar, egg, milk vanilla essence and vegetable oil. Stir the liquid mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.

3. In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar & cinnamon powder. Sprinkle topping over muffins.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.

Happy baking :)

Ghee (Clarified butter)

2010-03-07T23:26:00.004+05:30

South Indian meals are normally served with ghee. Certain dishes like paruppu podi, puran poli, ghee rice & many other dishes needs to be served with ghee. The process of 'clarifying butter to produce ghee, makes it an excellent cooking medium able to withstand high temperatures & constant reheating. It also prevents it from going rancid, an important consideration in a hot country such as India. Ghee has a unique rich, nutty taste. Ghee can be stored for several years if kept in a tin or glass container in a cool & dark place.

Ingredients :

Unsalted butter - 250 gms
Curry leaves ( or drumstick leaves) - 3 leaves (optional)

Direction to cook :

1. Place the butter in a heavy saucepan to heat. As the butter melts, let it come to a gentle boil.

2. Simmer the melted butter for 20 - 30 mins to evaporate all the water. Skim off the froth that appears on the surface & discard. Add curry leaves (or drumstick leaves ) at this stage.

3. The butter will separate into cooked milk solids, which will settle to the bottom of the pan, and clear, golden ghee at the top. Carefully pour off the ghee into a bowl.

4. Allow the liquid ghee to cool. It will solidify, but will have a creamy consistency.
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Onion pakoda

2010-03-04T12:28:00.000+05:30

Quick & easy snack & best side dish for variety rices. Need to store it in the air-tight container for longer use. Very crispy & yummy snack. Sp just loves this with paruppu sadham.

Ingredients :

Onion (sliced lengthwise) - 3 nos
Hot oil - 1 tsp
Bengal gram flour (besan, chickpea flour) - 1 cup
Rice flour - 1/4 cup
Curry leaves - 1 tbsp
Chilly powder - 1 tsp
Green chillies - 2 nos (finely chopped)
Shredded ginger - 1/4 tsp
Water, as required
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying

Direction to cook :

Combine all the ingredients using sufficient water to make a thick batter. Heat oil in the fying pan & drop spoonful of batter in the oil. Deep fry the pakodas till crispy & golden brown. Drain the excess oil in the paper towel.

Serve immediately.

Kovakkai (Ivy gourd) poriyal

2010-02-28T23:06:00.000+05:30

I rarely cook this tiny little kovakkai poriyal. SP & I like to have this with sambar rice & rasam sadham. I make it very simple with just few ingredients yet it taste delicious. Addition of tomato is optional & this time I just added 1/2 smashed tomato at the end. It taste simply awesome !!

Ingredients :

Kovakkai (Ivy gourd) - 300 gms
Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 tbsp
Vadagam - 1 tsp
Onion - 1 no
Tomato - 1/2 no (optional)
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Chilly powder - 1 tsp
Corriander powder - 1 tsp
Salt to taste

Direction to cook :

1. Cut the kovakkai & keep aside.

2. Heat oil in the pan, temper the mustard seeds, urad dal, curry leaves & vadagam.

3. Add the finely chopped onion & saute till golden brown in color.

4. Add turmeric powder, salt, chilly powder & kovakkai. Cover & cook till tender.

5. Finally, smash the tomato & add it to the poriyal. Cook for further 4 more mins.

Serve with rice.

Instant Bread bonda

2010-02-25T12:12:00.000+05:30

Simple, quick & easy snack preapared in just 15 mins. Perfect snack to host the surprise guest & hungry kids. Taste of ginger will adds more taste to this snack. Give this snack a try & u will just love this :)

Ingredients :

Bread slices - 5 nos
Rava (semolina) - 1/4 cup
Onion - 1 no
Green chillies - 3 no
Chilly powder - 1/2 tsp (optional)
Curry leaves - 1 tsp
Shredded ginger - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Direction to cook :

1. Remove the edges of bread & grind them coarsely.

2. Mix finely chopped onion, green chillies, chilly powder, curry leaves, shredded ginger, rava & salt to the grounded bread.

3. Make small balls (if necessary add water) & deep fry them in the oil on medium flame till golden color & crispy.

Serve warm with tomato ketchup.

Chicken 65

2010-02-22T12:14:00.000+05:30

Amma is my best cook & this dish is one among her best. We dont like to accompany this dish with any other main course. Guess !! fried rice would be the better combination to serve. I enjoy having this little warm with onion slices & lemon aside.

Ingredients :

Chicken - 500 gms
Cornflour - 1/2 tbsp
Gram flour - 1 tbsp
Ginger paste - 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Egg - 1 no
Rice flour - 1 tsp
Chicken 65 powder - 25 gms (or chilly powder - 2 tsp)
Oil for deep frying

Direction to cook :

1. Clean & cut the chicken. Combine all the ingredients together & mix it with chicken pieces.

2. Marinate the chicken for atleast one hour.

3. Heat the oil in the frying pan & deep fry the chicken till golden brown on either side.

Serve immediately.

Layered Parathas

2010-02-19T12:56:00.002+05:30

Parathas with some spicy curries are most popular street food in chennai. I make this layered parathas occasionally. For getting more layers, parathas should never stay dry. It should be coated with oil after rolling & while frying. Serving with hot & spicy curries makes it yum !!!

Ingredients :

All purpose flour (Maida) - 2 cups
Baking powder - 1/2 tsp
Oil
Salt to taste
Water to make dough

Direction to cook :

1. Combine flour, baking powder, salt, water & 1 tbsp of oil. Make a dough. Pour 1 more tbsp of oil over the dough & cover it with wet cloth for one hour in warm place.

2. Divide the dough into equal sized balls & roll into a round shape like a flat bread. Make the frills as shown below :

3. Then roll the entire stack from one end to other, lengthwise. Flatten between the palms of your hands, grease with some oil, then dip in some raw flour and roll it out again. Finish the paratha by rolling it into desired shape.

4. Heat a pan, then cook the parathas till crispy & golden brown in either side. Sprinkle oil when flipping it over which helps in puffing up.

Serve with hot & spicy curries.

Twisted pastry stick

2010-02-16T12:02:00.000+05:30

Recently, I bought puff pastry sheet to make pineapple pastry for this valentine day special. But, we spent our whole day outside & finally I decided to make this twisted pastry roll with little creative idea & turned out to be the best side dish for my soup next day. Perfect munching snack for evening time as well.

Ingredients :

Puff pastry sheet
Salt to taste
Dry oregano
Chilly powder - 1/4 tsp

Direction to bake :

1. Cut the pastry sheet into equal rectangle size. Roll them like a soup stick & twist them holding both the ends.

2. Arrange them on the baking sheet & sprinkle some salt, chilly powder & finally the oregano over the twisted pastry rolls.

3. Bake them as per the instructions given ( I baked it at 200 C for 15 mins).

Serve immediately.

Adai

2010-02-12T12:43:00.001+05:30

Very healthy & nutricious dish made by soaking & grinding the lentils of all varieties. Perfect for kids. I like to serve with this hot & spicy tomato chutney. It taste sinful !!!

Ingredients :

Channa dal - 1 cup
Toor dal - 1/2 cup
Urad dal - 1/2 cup
Idli rice - 1 cup
Raw rice - 1/2 cup
Red chillies - 6 nos
A pinch of hinch
Finely chopped onions - 1/4 cup
Curry leaves - handful
Green chillies - 2 nos
Corriander leaves - 1 tbsp
Salt to taste

Direction to cook :

1. Soak together the channa dal, toor dal, urad dal, idli rice, raw rice & red chillies overnight. Grind them coarsely.

2. Add the remaining ingredients & combine well.

3. Heat a heavy dosa griddle, smear oil and spread one ladle full of this batter to a thick circular shape. Pour oil on the sides and in the center, cover and cook over low heat. Turn over and pour the oil and let it cook till it is crisp all around and golden brown in color.

Serve hot with the chutney of your choice.

Vegetable pizza from scratch

2010-02-09T16:19:00.000+05:30

Yesterday, was bit slow & totally bored. Felt like having something hot & crunchy. My last packet of yeast was leaving for almost one month & finally I used it yesterday by making this spicy yet simple vegetable pizza for my late evening snack. Finally that was my dinner too. Also made some garlic bread with a cup of cola. Finally, it was a wonderful ending yesterday. Next time I am planning to add the leftover chicken curry to make little non-vegetarian. Yeah!!!! it tasted awesome :)

Ingredients :

For pizza dough :

All purpose flour - 1 1/2 cup
Yeast - 1 tsp
Luke warm water - 1/2 cup
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Sugar - 1 tsp
Oil - 1 tbsp plus 2 tbsp

For tomato sauce :

Riped tomatoes - 4 nos
Tomato ketchup - 1 tbsp
Oil - 1 tsp (preferably olive oil)
Minced garlic - 1/2 tsp
Dried basil - 1 tsp
Dried oregano - 1 tsp
Shredded capsicum - 1 tbsp (optional)
Pepper powder to taste
Salt to taste

For toppings :

Onion (sliced lengthwise) - 1 cup
Olives - 1/2 cup
Lengthwise sliced capsicum - 1/2 cup
Jalapeno pepper ( I used finely chopped green chillies)
Mozarella cheese (Be generous)

Directions to bake :

For pizza dough :

1. Dissolve the yeast in the luke warm water. Set aside for 10 mins.

2. Meanwhile combine the flour, salt, 1 tbsp oil & sugar. Once the yeast dissolved completely combine it with the flour & make the dough (little sticky & add water if necessary)

3. Coat the dough with the 2 tbsp of oil & cover it with the wet cloth. Set aside for atleast 2 hrs in the warm place. After 1 hr, knead the dough & allow it to rest for the balance hr.

For tomato sauce :

4. Heat oil in the pan, add the minced garlic & capsicum.

5. Add the finely chopped tomatoes & ketchup. Cover & cook till done.

6. Add the salt & other ingredients. Keep aside.

Baking the pizza :

7. Preheat the oven at 220 C.

8. Spread the pizza dough using ur palm in the prepared baking pan. Spread the tomato sauce throughout the dough leaving 1 inch space arround the corners

9. Spread the onions, capsicum, jalapeno, olives & finally with cheese.

10. Bake it for 20 mins or untill golden brown on top.

Serve warm.

Nutty chocolate toffee

2010-02-06T01:12:00.000+05:30

Quick & easy snack little richer with nuts & chocolate. My son enjoyed having this throughout. Prefect for kids !!
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Ingredients :

Graham cracker
Butter - 3/4 cup
Brown sugar - 1/2 cup
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Chocolate chips - 1 1/2 cup
1 cup nuts (powdered) ( I used almonds & hazelnuts)

Directions to bake :

# Preaheat the oven to 375 degree. Line the baking pan with parchment paper.

# Line the tray with the graham crackers.

# Melt the butter in the sauce pan on medium flame, then add brown sugar. Combine well & cook for 1 mins. Pour over the graham crackers & spread evenly. Bake for 10 mins or until golden brown on top.

# Spread the chocolate chips on the top & return to the oven for a minute or until the chocolate melts.

# Remove the pan from oven & evenly spread the melted chocolate. Sprinkle the nuts (powdered) over the chocolate & allow it cool for 30 mins. Cut them.

Have fun :)

Bread Uthappam

2010-02-02T19:55:00.000+05:30

Quick & simple breakfast perfect for kids. Little spicy & heavy yet nutritious menu taste great with tomato ketchup. This recipe I adopted from neha which made my busy mornings little pressure free.

Ingredients :

Semolina - 1/2 cup
Curd -1/2 cup
Onion - 1 no
Grated carrot -1/4 cup
Grated capsicum - 1/4 cup
Oil or butter -
A pinch of hing
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Red chilly powder - 1/2 tsp
Water - 1/4 cup
Salt to taste
Bread slices - 4 nos

Direction to cook :

# Mix semolina, yoghurt, chopped onions, grated carrot, capsicum, cumin seeds, red chilly powder, hing & salt to taste. Add water & make a smooth batter.

# Heat the pan on medium flame, apply oil. Spread the semolina batter over the bread on one side & cook them on the hot pan.

# Turn the bread slice & cook for further 2 min or until done.

Serve warm.

Note :

Spread the semolina batter only one side of the bread.

Fluffy muffins with chocolate chips topping

2010-01-29T19:48:00.007+05:30

Anytime I bake muffins, it will turn out to be the best. When I was searching for the vegetables for preparing my breakfast, I saw the tiny little chocolate chips hidding behind the shelf. Muffins with a cup of tea is my favourite breakfast & evening snack. I dont want to mix the chocolate chips in the muffin batter rather I used it as my topping for this fluffy & spongy muffins yesterday. It's lovely :)

Ingredients :

All purpose flour -2 cups
Baking powder - 1 tsp
Salt -1/2 tsp
Butter (unsalted) - 1/2 cup Melted & cooled
Eggs - 2 large
Milk - 1 cup
Vanilla extract - 2 tsp
Sugar - 2/3 cup
Chocolate chips (milk or semi-sweet) - 1 cup

Direction to bake :

# Preheat the oven to 400 F & grease your muffin pan.

# Sieve together the flour, baking powder & salt.

# In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, milk & vanilla extract.

# Using the rubber spatula, fold the wet ingredients along with the melted butter into the dry ingredients.

# Pour the batter into the muffin pan, filling each cup 2/3 rd full.

# Bake for 25 mins or until muffins turns golden brown. Sprinkle the semi melted chocolate chips on the top & allow it to cool.

Enjoy with tea.

Kheema potato fry

2010-01-26T13:22:00.000+05:30

Mutton kheema can be cooked with all the vegetables. Especially with potatoes are the best. This can be served either dry or semi dry. Perfect for rice and rotis.

Ingredients :

Mutton kheema - 500 gms
Minced onion - 1 cup
Potato - 1 no
Cinnamon stick - 1 no
Cloves - 3 nos
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Chilly powder - 1 tsp
Oil - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Corriander leaves for garnishing

Direction to cook :

£ Heat oil in the pan, add cinnamon stick, cloves & finely chopped onions. Saute till golden brown.

£ Add ginger garlic paste & turmeric powder. Add potatoes, chilly powder & salt to taste.

£ Add the kheema. Cover & cook till done (or pressure cook them).

Garnish with corriander leaves & serve hot.

Aloo tikki

2010-01-20T19:38:00.000+05:30

Perfect starter & this can be used as a patty for burger.

Ingredients :

Boiled potatoes - 2 nos
Green chillies - 2 nos
Corriander leaves - 2 tbsp
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
Kastoori methi leaves - 1 tbsp
Chaat masala - 1 tsp
Dry mango powder - 1/4 tsp
Chilly powder - 1/2 tsp
Onions - 1 no
Minced ginger - 1/8 tsp
Salt to taste
Bread crumbs - 1/2 cup
Oil for shallow frying

Direction to cook :

# Grate the boiled potatoes & mix the other ingredients except the bread crumbs.

# Divide the potato mixture into equal portions & make balls. Flatten each balls between the palms into disc.

# Roll the patties in the bread crumbs & shallow fry them in the oil on medium heat till golden brown & crispy on either sides.

Serve hot with tomato ketchup.

Mint methi chicken

2010-01-18T19:19:00.000+05:30

Weekends are my adventure day. I try new dishes which sometimes turns good or the other way round. Recently, I made this spicy & greenish chicken masala with lotz of fresh herbs and it absolutely taste delicious. Flavour of mint leaves, corriander leaves & methi leaves made this dish exotic. Perfect with rice & rotis as well.

Ingredients :

Chicken - 250 gms
Green chilly - 1 no
Ginger - 1 inch
Garlic - 3 pods
Mint leaves - 1/4 cup
Corriander leaves - 1/4 cup
Curd - 1 tbsp
Chilly powder - 1 tsp
Onion - 1 large sized
Fresh methi leaves (finely chopped) - handful
Coconut grated - 1 tbsp
Cinnamon stick - 1 no
Cloves - 3 nos
Cardomom - 2 nos
Lemon juice - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil - 1 tbsp

Direction to cook :

# Grind the green chilly, garlic, ginger, mint leaves & corriander leaves to a smooth paste.

# Clean & cut the chicken. Marinate the chicken in the grounded paste & salt for atleast one hour.

# Dry roast the coconut, cinnamon stick, cloves & cardomon. Grind them to a fine powder. Keep aside.

# Heat oil in the frying pan, add oil & finely chopped onion. Saute till golden brown in color.

# Add the finely chopped methi leaves, chilly powder, curd & the marinated chicken. Cover & cook till tender.

# Once the chicken is cooked, add the spice powder & finally the lemon juice. Add water (if necessary).

Serve with rice or rotis.

Medhu Vada

2010-01-16T21:02:00.001+05:30

Medhu vada is south indian fried donuts. It is spicy & best served with chutneys & sambar. This is my menu on pongal. Made yummy sambar & dahi vadi with the leftover stuff.

Wish you all happy pongal !!!

Ingredients :

Urad dal - 1/2 cup
Salt to taste
Finely chopped onion - 1 no
Curry leaves - 1 tbsp
Black peppercorns - 1 tsp
Green chillies - 3 nos
Corriander leaves (finely chopped) - 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
A pinch of hing
Oil for deep frying

Directions to cook :

£ Soak the urad dal in water for atleast two hours. Drain the water thoroughly & grind them to smooth paste (without adding water). Add salt to taste.

£ Add the remaining ingredients to the batter.

£ Heat the oil in the frying pan. Keep a bowl of water in side to dip the hands before making the vada.

£ Wet your hands & take a dollop of batter & make a hole in the middle. Deep fry them in the oil till golden brown in either side & crispy.

Serve hot with chutney & sambar.