Chocolate walnut brownies

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Suddenly, I recognised its been long time I baked cakes. Immediately, I started searching for the available ingredients & finally I decided to make this soft & crunchy topped chocolate walnut brownies. Chocolate chips would be the best substitute for walnuts.

For the first time bakers, this would be the best recipe to make. It never goes wrong & need no professional equipment or techniques to follow. It is just combining all the ingredients together in any order using the ordinary wooden spoon. Very simple to make yet never fails. I like to serve this with vanilla icecream.

Ingredients :

1. Butter - 2/3 cup
2. Sugar - 2 cups
3. 4 oz Unsweetened chocolate
4. 11/2 cups flour
5. Vanilla essence - 1 tsp
6. Eggs - 4 nos
7. Salt - 1/8 tsp
8. Baking powder - 2 tsp
9. Walnuts - 1/2 cup

Directions to bake :

# Melt the chocolate over the medium warm water or in microwave.

# Mix sugar & stir till well combined. Add butter, vanilla essence, salt & eggs one at a time. Keep whisking continously.

# Add baking powder and the sifted flour to the chocolate mixture & whisk constantly to avoid any lumps.

# Finally, add the walnuts & combine.

# Grease the baking pan with butter and flour. Pour the chocolate mixture to the greased pan & bake at 350 degree for 35 to 40 min or until done.

Serve with vanilla icecream.

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Lemon & chili shrimp spaghetti

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Simple & tasty Italian spaghetti with shrimp & lemon is our dinner menu yesterday. Taste of shrimp with lemon & scallions will make this dish unique.

Ingredients :

1. 12 oz dried spaghetti
2. Butter - 1 tbsp
3. Olive oil -1 tbsp
4. Garlic clove (Finely chopped) - 1
5. 2 Scallions, thinly sliced
6. 2 fresh red chillies, seeded and finely chopped
7. 14 oz large raw shrimps
8. Lemon juice - 2 tbsp
9. Cilantro leaves (finely chopped) - 2 tbsp
10. Salt and black pepper to taste

Directions to cook :

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

# Meanwhile, melt the butter with the oil in a large skillet over a medium heat, add the garlic, scallions and chillies . Cook & stir for 2-3 mins.

# Increase the heat to high, add the shrimp and cook, stirring for 3-4 mins, or until they turn pink and are just cooked through.

# Stir in the lemon juice and cilantro, then remove from the heat.

# Drain the pasta throughly and add to the shrimp mixture. Season well with salt and peeper and toss.

Serve immediately.

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Vegetable kuruma

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During the weekends, I always find some vegetables left over in my fridge. I either make vegetable curry or spicy vegetable kuruma. This is one of my comfort dish, which taste great with coconut rice and dosas as well. Addition of lotz of vegetables & coconut makes this dish rich and healthy. And this is one among of few dishes where any kind of vegetables can be added in any proportions. Great dish for the lazy weekends :)

Ingredients :

1. Vegetables ( carrot, beans, cauliflower, capsicum, green peas, turnip, potato & ur favourite) - 1 cup
2. Onion - 1 large sized
3. Tomato - 1 large sized
4. Chilly powder - 2 tsp
5. Mint leaves - 1 tbsp
6. Cinnamom stick - 1 no
7. Cloves - 3 nos
8. Cardamom - 1 no
9. Bay leaf - 1 no
10. Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp
11. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
12. Coconut paste - 2 tbsp
13. Water - 1 cup
14. Salt to taste
15. Oil - 1 tbsp
16. Corriander leaves for garnishing

Directions to cook :

# Cut the vegetables evenly & keep aside.

# Heat oil in the pan, add cinnamon stick, cloves, cardamom, bay leaves & finely chopped onions. Saute till golden brown color.

# Add ginger garlic paste & mint leaves. Saute it for 3 mins.

# Add finely chopped tomatoes, chilly powder, turmeric powder & salt to taste. Saute it for 4 mins.

# Add the vegetables & water. Cover and cook till tender.

# Add coconut paste & cook for 5 min on low-medium flame.

Garnish with corriander leaves & serve with rice or rotis too.

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Capsicum rice

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Last weekend I bought lotz of capsicum without knowing what to do with all. I know my hubby will run off if I cook capsicum dishes continously. Few days back, when I was talking to my friend renuka she told me about her newly tried capsicum rice dish. I immediately called her to get this recipe & it was a super duper hit. And this is Malika badrinath recipe. Nowdays, when it comes to capsicum rice I simply follow this recipe. Any colored bell peppers can be used for this dish.

Ingredients :

1. Capsicum - 500 gms
2. Basmati Rice - 1 cup
3. Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
4. Urad dal - 1 tsp
5. Channa dal - 1 tsp
6. Curry leaves - 1 tbsp
7. Red chilly - 2 nos
8. Cashew nuts - 1 tsp
9. Dessicated coconut (Copra) - 1 tbsp
10. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
11. Salt to taste
12. Lime juice - 1 tsp
13. Oil -1 tbsp

For Masala powder :

1. Red chilly - 6 nos
2. Cinnamon stick -1 no
3. Corriander seeds - 1/2 tsp
4. Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
5. Urad dal - 1 1/2 tsp
6. Channa dal - 1 1/2 tsp

Direction to cook :

# Dry roast & grind the ingredients listed under "For Masala powder" & keep aside.

# Cook the basmati rice & keep aside.

# Roast the cashewnuts in the oil and keep aside.

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

# Add finely chopped capsicum, turmeric powder & salt. Saute for 5 mins.

# Add dessicated coconut, grinded spice powder and saute for 4 mins.

# Finally add, the roasted cashewnuts & lime juice. Switch off the flame.

Serve warm.

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Idli sambar

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Sambar is the traditional & authentic south Indian dish served with almost breakfast menus like idlies, pongal, dosa, vada, upma & so on. We make different varieties of sambar to match the menu. There will be little variations in the consistency & ingredients as well.

I make this variety of sambar especially to serve with Idlies. The consistency will be little thin & would be perfect when served along with the chutneys.

Ingredients :

1. Toor dal - 1/2 cup
2. Onion - 1 no
3. Tomato - 1 no
4. Green chilly - 2 nos
5. Ginger - 1 inch
6. Curry leaves - 1 tbsp
7. Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
8. Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
9. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
10. Chilly powder - 1 tsp
11. Corrainder powder - 1 tsp
12. Sambar powder - 1 tsp
13. Oil - 2 tsp
14. Water
15. Salt to taste
16. Corriander leaves for garnishing

Directions to cook :

# Pressure cook the toor dal (1 cup water) & keep aside.

# Heat oil in the kadai, add mustard seeds and cumin seeds.

# Add finely chopped onions, green chillies, curry leaves & ginger. Saute till golden brown in color.

# Add finely chopped tomatoes, chilly powder, turmeric powder & salt to taste. Saute it for 5 min.

# Add the cooked toor dal, sambar powder & water (sambar should be little thin in consistency). Cook for 3 more mins or until done.

# Garnish with corriander leaves.

Serve with idlies.

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Rava Laddu

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Rava laddu is my comfort & simple Indian sweet. I prefer making this during the festival season. More the nuts & ghee we add, it taste great & best for kids.

Ingredients :

1. Rava / Semolina - 1 cup
2. Sugar - 3/4 cup
3. Ghee - 1/4 cup
4. Dessicated coconut - 2 tbsp
5. Milk - 2 tbsp
6. Nuts - 1/4 cup (Cashewnuts, Raisins, Almonds, ur preference)
7. Nut meg powder - 1/4 tsp
8. Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp

Directions to cook :

# Heat 1 tbsp of ghee in the pan, roast the nuts. Keep aside.

# Roast the rava till light brown in the balance ghee. Add sugar & dessicated coconut. Stir for 2 more min.

# Add the nuts, nutmeg powder, cardamom powder & finally the milk. Stir & switch off the flame immediately.

# Allow the mixture to cool little bit. Grease the palm with ghee & make small balls off it. (Little milk can be added if necessary)

# The balls becomes firm after 15 min.


Store it in air tight container.

It's Award time :)

I have been TAGGED :)

Renu of Renuskitchen has tagged me with the following questions.....Thank you Renu for remembering me :)

The Rules:

1. Link the person who tagged you.

2. Post the rules on your blog.

3. Share the ABCs of you.

4. Tag 4 people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.

5. Let the 4 tagged people know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website.

6. Do not tag the same person repeatedly but try to tag different people, so that there is a big network of bloggers doing this tag.

The Tag:

1. A – Available/Single? Married

2. B – Best friend? My son

3. C – Cake or Pie? Cake

4. D – Drink of choice? Cardamom tea

5. E – Essential item you use every day? Laptop

6. F – Favorite color? Red

7. G – Gummy Bears Or Worms? Gummy Bears

8. H – Hometown - Chennai

9. I – Indulgence? Cooking & Craft

10. J – January or February? January

11. K – Kids & their names? Son named Visi

12. L – Life is incomplete without? My Career

13. M – Marriage date? Jan 23rd.

14. N – Number of siblings? One younger brother

15. O – Oranges or Apples? Orange

16. P – Phobias/Fears? Phobias

17. Q – Quote for today? Life is pain and the enjoyment of love is an anesthetic.
18. R – Reason to smile? My college days

19. S – Season? Spring

20. T – Tag 4 People? Ann, Suparna, Ranjani, Sireesha

21. U – Unknown fact about me? Let it be the secret :)

22. V – Vegetable you don't like? Nothing as such

23. W – Worst habit? Dreaming about the past

24. X – X-rays you've had? Not much

25. Y – Your favorite food? Fried rice & sea food

26.Z – Zodiac sign? Cancer

I have tagged 4 blogger friends:

Ann, Suparna, Ranjani, Sireesha

Thanks Sarah Naveen of Vazhayila & Priya of Priyas recipes for remembering me & passing these awards to me. You fulfilled my day. I would like to pass these awards to :

Pavani, Sangeeth, Pari, Rekhas, Suma,

Thanks Lavi of Home cooks recipes for passing me this Kreativ blogger award. I am honoured.

The Kreativ Blogger award comes with some rules:-

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 : Please click this.

I would like to pass this award to :

Lata Raja, Sandhya, Usha, Deesha, Smitha, Purva Desai, Hema

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Corn salad

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Corn salad would be either a side dish or a relish, depending on your menu. Either fresh corn or frozen can be used for this dish (sometimes I even use 'can' stuff) . Addition of bellpepper with some Indian seasonings makes this salad unique & tasty.

Ingredients :

1. Corn - 1 cup (Fresh / frozen)
2. Green chillies - 2 nos
3. Onion - 1 no (Small sized)
4. Capsicum - 1 tbsp (any color)
5. Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
6. Urad dal - 1/2 tsp
7. A pinch of hing
8. Lime juice - 1 tsp
9. Salt to taste
10. Black pepper to taste
11. Corriander leaves - 1 tsp
12. Olive oil - 1 tsp

Directions to cook :

# If you are using frozen corn, thaw before using. If you are using fresh corn, boil for 8 minutes in lightly salted water, cool with cold water and cut corn kernels from cob.

# Heat oil in the pan, add mustard seeds, urad dal, onion, capsicum & green chillies. Saute for 2 mins.

# Place corn, sauted seasonings, hing, corriander leaves & lime juice in bowl. Toss until completely combined.

# Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve immediately.

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Cauliflower Manchorian

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When I see the fresh cauliflower in the market, the first dish which strikes my mind is this delicious cauliflower manchorian. This recipe is the combination of Indian & chinese cuisine. Especially, when I make fried rice, coconut rice or jeera rice predominately this would be the side dish I serve. Taste of soyasauce with minced garlic and ginger give unique flavour to this dish. It taste yum :)

Ingredients :

1. Cauliflower - 1 medium sized
2. Besan - 2 tbsp
3. Corn flour - 2 tbsp
4. Salt to taste
5. Soya sauce - 1 tsp
6. Chilly powder - 2 tsp
7. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
8. Salt to taste
9. Water
10. Onion - 2 nos
11. A pinch of ajinomoto
12. Garlic - 4 pods
13. Ginger - 1 inch size
14. Green chillies - 3 nos
15. Oil

Directions to cook :

# Add turmeric powder & salt to the boiling water. Switch off. Meanwhile cut the cauliflower florets & put them in the boiled water for 10 min. (helps in removing the inserts if any)

# Strain the cauliflower & add besan, cornflour, 1/2 tsp soyasauce, salt, chilly powder & turmeric powder. Do not add water.

# Heat the oil in the frying pan, deep fry the cauliflower mixture till crispy. Keep aside.

# Heat 1/2 tsp of oil in the another pan, add ajinomoto, finely chopped garlic & ginger. Saute for 2 min.

# Add finely chopped onions & green chillies. Saute it for 5 mins.

# Add 1/2 tsp of soyasauce & finely add the fried cauliflower. Cover and cook.

Serve warm.

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Masala vadai

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I like to make this spicy & crispy masala vadai very often. Its my favourite snacks & like to have it with tomato ketchup.

Ingredients :

1. Channa dal - 1 cup
2. Finely chopped onion - 1 no
3. Curry leaves - 1 tbsp
4. Corriander leaves - 1 tbsp
5. Saunf (Fennel seeds) - 1 tsp
6. Mint leaves - 1 tbsp
7. Chilly powder - 1 - 2 tsp
8. Salt to taste
9. Oil for frying

Directions to cook :

£ Soak the channa dal for 2 hrs. Preferably overnight.

£ Drain the water & retain 1 tbsp of soaked channa dal seperatly. Grind the balance dal without adding water.

£ Add & mix the other ingredients (except oil) to the grinded dal. Also add the retained dal to the mixture.

£ Meanwhile heat the oil in the pan. Take a tbsp of dal mixture & make a flat disc and deep fry them till golden brown in either side.

Serve warm with tomato ketchup.

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