Tamarind rice

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Tamarind rice is the south indian special & comfort food as well. Most of the southindians prefer to have this tangy & tasty dish with pickle & potato fry. Amma makes the powder specially for this dish & just mix the cooked rice and the cooked tamarind pulp. No words to say, IT TASTE AWESOME !!!

Ingredients :

1. Cooked rice - 1 cup
   
2. Red chillies - 4 nos
   
3. Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
   
4. Curry leaves - 1 tbsp
   
5. Fenugreek seeds - 1 tsp
   
6. Tamarind - lemon sized
   
7. Peanuts - 1 tbsp
   
8. Channa dal - 1 tsp
   
9. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
   
10. Hing - a pinch
    
11. Sesame seeds - 1 tbsp
    
12. Green chilly - 1 no (optional)
    
13. Red chilly powder ( as per ur taste - optional)
    
14. Corriander powder - 1 tsp
    
15. Cumin powder - 1 tsp
    

Directions to cook :

£ Dissolve the tamarind in the water & strain the pulp. Keep side.

£ Dry roast the sesame seeds & grind them to a fine powder.

£ Heat oil in the pan, add red chillies & mustard.

£ Add fenugreek seeds, peanuts, channa dal, hing & turmeric powder.

£ Then add chilly powder, corriander powder, salt, cumin powder & tamarind juice.

£ Finally add sesame powder & green chillies. Cook them until done ( when the oil starts separating)

£ Add & mix the cooked rice in the tamarind seasonings.

Serve them hot.

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Drumstick leaf paruppu kulambu

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Most of us comfort dish would be simple dal curry. And this is one among my comfort dish with little twist which is healthy and nutricious. While recollecting & renewing our ancient dishes, this reminds me first. Taste of drumstick leaves in the dal with the indian seasonings makes this curry yummy :)

Ingredients :

1. Drumstick keera (leaves) - handful
   
2. Toor dal - 1/2 cup
   
3. A pinch of hing
   
4. Garlic - 1 pod
   
5. Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
   
6. Urad dal - 1 tbsp
   
7. Fenurgreek seeds - 1 tsp
   
8. Chilly powder - 1 tsp ( as per ur spice level)
   
9. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
   
10. Sambar powder - 1 tbsp
    
11. Coconut pieces - 1 tbsp
    
12. Salt to taste
    

Directions to cook :

£ Pressure cook the toor dal, turmeric powder, garlic & hing. Once cool, smash them & keep aside.

£ Heat oil in the pan, add mustard seeds, urad dal, fenugreek seeds & drumstick leaves.

£ Add chilly powder, sambar powder & chopped coconut pieces. Cook them until done.

Serve them warm with rice.

My award time :)

Thanks preethi for thinking about me & passing this award to me. I am really honoured. U r sooo sweet :)

The rules for this award are :

1. You must thank the person who has given you the award.
2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog.
3. Link to the person who has nominated you for the award.
4. Name 7 things about yourself that people might find interesting.
5. Nominate 7 other Kreativ Bloggers.
6. Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate.
7. Leave a comment on which of the blogs to let them know they have been nominated.

7 Things about me :)

1. Simplicity
2. Be happy & make others happy - That's what I try to do :)
3. Like to browse & try lotz of new dishes to achieve this month target of increasing my hubby weight to cope up with me.
4. I try to be more creative which becomes my dream next day.
5. Like to see the giggling childs laugh.
6. Like to do window shopping even daily.
7. Like to give more surprise to my hubby - Just like that :)

I would like to pass this award to :

Divya, Shama nagarajan, Meera, Uma, Suparna, Yasmeen, Kavitha.

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Tomato chutney

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My husband & myself are not the great lover for idlies. So, I cook them occasionally along with the complete side dishes. Hot idlies with sambar & tomato chutney are the perfect combination which melts & slide inside the mouth.

Amma makes very soft & fluffy idlies for the breakfast with lotz of chutneys predominately tomato chutney would be in the menu. Those days are really memorable :)

Ingredients :

1. Riped tomatoes - 4 nos
2. Oil - 2 tsp
3. Urad dal - 2 tsp
4. Red chillies - 4 nos (as per us spice level)
5. Salt to taste
6. Ginger piece - 1 inch sized
7. Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
8. Curry leaves - 1 tbsp
9. A pinch of hing
10. Coconut - 1/2 cup

Directions to cook :

£ Heat 1 tsp of oil in the pan, add 1 tsp of urad dal, 2 red chillies, ginger, chopped tomatoes & salt.

£ Cover and cook them for 5 min or till tomatoes are soft & done.

£ Cool them to the room temperature & grind them with the coconut.

£ Meanwhile, heat 1 tsp of oil in the frying pan.

£ Add mustard seeds, 2 red chillies, 1 tsp urad dal & curry leaves.

£ Add the fried seasonings in the chutney.

Serve them with dosa or idlies.

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Almond cake

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Last weekend, we had small chitchat meeting in my house. Two of my friends with their kids made the day very funny. We all three of us decided to bake a cake & that came out simply superb :)

Ingredients :

1. 150 gms butter
2. 1 cup sugar
3. 3 eggs
4. 1 tsp almond extract
5. 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
6. 3 tsp baking powder
7. 60 gms ground almonds
8. 3/4 cup milk
9. Icing sugar for dusting (optional)

Directions to bake :

£ Preheat the oven to 160 C. Lightly grease & flour the baking pan. Keep aside.

£ Cream the butter and sugar, then beat in eggs and almond extract.

£ Sift the flour, grounded almonds and baking powder. Add them in the butter mixture alternately with milk. Mix well.

£ Pour into cake pan & bake for 50 to 60 min or until cake is done.

Dust with icing sugar. Serve them them with tea.

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Cabbage poriyal

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South Indian dishes never be complete without any side dishes. I bought a very big cabbage last week. I was wondering how to complete it & to start with I decided to make this simple poriyal partially microwaved & pan frying. Especially for the busy ladies & for the people like me - takes some time to come out from the morning drozzy, this would be best menu idea. This goes good with sambar & best for puli kuzhambu.


Ingredients :

1. Finely chopped cabbage - 500 gms
2. Oil - 1 tbsp
3. Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
4. Urad dal / Channa dal - 1 tsp
5. A pinch of hing
6. Curry leaves - 1 tbsp
7. Red chillies - 4 to 5 nos (as per ur spice level)
8. Dessicated coconut - 1 tbsp
9. Onion - 1 no (finely chopped)

Directions to cook :

£ Microwave the chopped cabbage with little water on high for 15 to 20 min or until tender.

£ Heat oil in the pan, add urad dal, mustard seeds, hing, red chillies & curry leaves.

£ Add the finely chopped onion & cook till raw smell goes.

£ Drain & add the cabbage & toss them till combined.

£ Finely add the coconut & cook for 3 more min.

Simple & delicious cabbage poriyal is ready to serve.

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Edible Zuchini shark

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Vegetable carving is really interesting & funny too. Zuchini has got its medical values & good to consume. This zuchini shark attracts the crowd especially the kids. It looks cute & can be the pretty center piece in the table.

STEP 1 :

STEP 2 :

STEP 3 :

Repeat the same in the another side too.

STEP 4 :

Repeat the same in the another side too.

STEP 5 :

STEP 6 :

STEP 7 :

Happy carving :)

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Spaghetti with oil, garlic & red chili

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My hubby is a great lover for pasta dishes. Recently, he gifted me a book on 200 pasta dishes. It's totally Italian. And this is the first dish I tried & it was a great hit. When I read the recipe, I imagined how it will taste only with the 3 ingredients. Surprising, it taste awesome with the flavour of garlic, chili & scrambled egg . Eggs can be substituted with the parley or with your favourite seasonings. Comfort & easy dinner for the busy day.

Ingredients :

1. 1/2 pound pasta
2. Garlic pods - 2 nos (Finely chopped)
3. Olive oil - 1/2 cup
4. Dried red chillies - 2 small (seeded & chopped)
5. Egg - 2 nos
6. Salt to taste
7. Freshly ground pepper
8. Water to cook the pasta

Directions to cook :

£ Cook the pasta in a large saucepan of salted boiling water according to the package instructions until done.

£ Meanwhile, heat the oil in the pan over a low heat. Add garlic and pinch of salt and cook, stirring constantly, until the garlic is golden.

£ Stir in the chilies.

£ Meanwhile, prepare the scrambled egg with salt and pepper.

£ Drain the spaghetti and add to the saucepan. Mix the egg & toss them to combine.

Serve immediately with the sprinkling of gratd parmesan.

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Tandoori chicken

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Tandoori chicken is my hubby fav & this is from his collections. Just for u :)

Ingredients :

1. Chicken legs - 4 nos (skin and fat removed)
2. Tandoori chicken powder - 2 tbsp
3. Chilly powder - 1 tsp (optional for more spice)
4. Salt to taste
5. Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp
6. 1/2 cup yogurt
7. 1 tbsp lemon juice
8. 2 tsp melted butter
9. 1/2 tsp of red color powder

Directions to bake :

# Combine all the ingredients except the chicken & make a smooth paste.

# Marinate & refrigerate the chicken in the masala for atleast 2 hrs preferably overnight.

# Preheat the oven for 250 C.

# Arrange the chicken on the tray & grill them for 25 min or until done, turning the pieces occasionally.

# Serve them with onion & lemon slices.

Spicy & tasty chicken tandoori is ready to serve.

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Donuts

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.Donuts are most popular & mostly eaten breakfast food in America. Homemade donuts taste equally good & opt for weekend breakfast & kids will love this. Chocolate topping will makes yummy & look good tooo :)

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Ingredients :

1. 1/4 cup of warm water
2. 1/4 oz of dry yeast
3. 3/4 cup warm milk
4. 1/4 stick of butter
5. 2 tbsp of sugar
6. 1/4 tsp of salt
7. 1 egg
8. 2 cups of flour plus 1 tbsp for dusting
9. Oil for frying plus 2 tbsp
10. Milk chocolate - 1 bar
11. Chocolate chips (optional)

Directions to fry :

# Mix and stir 1/4 cup of warm water, dry yeast & warm milk. Let stand for about 5 min.

# In a bowl combine flour,salt & sugar.

# Mix the flour with the milk mixture by adding 2 tbsp of oil and knead them by spreading a few tbsp of flour on a smooth surface.

# Cover the dough with a cloth for 1 hr.

# Roll the dough about 1/2 inch thick & cut out the donuts, using donut cutter or even with a cup.

# Make a hole in the middle.

# Place the donuts on a floured plate for 30 min.

# Heat the oil on a medium heat, cook the donuts till golden brown on either sides.

# Meanwhile, melt the chocolate & keep aside.

# Once the donuts are ready, dip them in the melted chocolate & sprinkle the tiny chocolate pieces on them.

Serves 14 donuts.

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Mini chicken pizza

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Pizza is the mouth watering & mostly eaten dish which is readily availabe at any time with free home delivery & in many flavours. Because of which, I don't cook them often at home. I used the store bought mini pizza dough & layered it with the homemade chicken and tomato sauce.

Ingredients :

1. Mini pizza dough base - 2 nos

For tomato sauce :

1. Oil - 1 tsp
2. Finely chopped garlic - 1 no
3. Tomato - 3 nos
4. Salt to taste
5. Tomato ketchup - 1 tbsp
6. Pepper - 1 tsp

For chicken topping :

1. Shredded chicken - 1 cup
2. Chilly powder - 2 tsp
3. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
4. Garam masala - 1/4 tsp
5. Salt to taste
6. Oil - 1 tsp
7. Thinly sliced onion - 2 nos
8. Capsicum - 1 nos (thinly sliced)
9. Zucchini - 1 (thinly sliced, optinal)
10. Pizza seasoning
11. shredded cheese for topping

Directions to cook :

For Tomato sauce :

# Heat oil in the pan, add the chopped garlic & saute them for a min.

# Add the finely chopped tomatos & salt. cook them for 5 min till tender.

# Add tomato ketchup & pepper. Saute them for 2 min. Switch off the flame.

For the chicken topping :

# Heat oil in the pan, add the shredded chicken, chilly powder, turmeric powder & salt. cook till tender.

# Finally add garam masala. Keep aside.

Assembling :

# Heat oil in the pan, toss the thinly sliced onions and capsicum for 2 mins. Keep aside.

# spread the tomato sauce over the pizza dough.

# Spread the chicken masala as the second layer.

# Sprinkle the onions, capsicum, zucchini & pizza sesonings & finally the shredded cheese.

# Bake them as per the instructions given. I baked it for 10 min at 200 C.

Serve them hot.

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Peacock napkin folding

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Napkin folding is a fun. It takes us little back to our childhood ages. I like to do window shopping, where I come across such a wonderful creation of napkin folding. This peacock napkin folding looks pretty & cute.

STEP 1 :

STEP 2 :

STEP 3 :

STEP 4 :

STEP 5 :

Have fun :)

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