Eclectic Dishes

Buttery Garlic Bread Sticks

2013-03-25T22:49:00.002-07:00

This is my first post under Baking and I am delighted to present the most sought after Garlic bread sticks at my home.

Statutory Warning : This recipe is strictly not for the Diet conscious people !

Ingredients

For the Bread Dough:

Water - 1/2 cup
Instant Dry Yeast - 1/2 tsp + 1/8 tsp
Sugar - 1/2 tsp + 1/4 tsp
Flour - 1 1/2 cups
Olive oil - 2 tbsp
Salt to taste

Milk - 2 Tsp

Water - 1 tsp

For the seasoning

4 tablespoon - unsalted butter - softened

4 tablespoon - cheddar cheese grated

1/2 tablespoon - combine mixed herbs and italian oregano (i used the collected oregano from pizza delivery's)

2 garlic cloves - grated finely

2 tablespoon - mozzarella cheese grated

Buttery Garlic Bread sticks

Method :

Take a large mixing bowl, add flour, yeast, sugar,salt and stir well completely.

Add water little by little kneading the dough. I don't have a dough kneading machine, did the kneading by age old traditional method - with hand.

The water is sufficient for the flour mentioned.

After adding all the water to the flour you will end up with a sticky dough. Don't worry and don't add any extra flour, just keep kneading the dough longer till you get a elastic consistency of the dough. It took 10 minutes for me to get this. And i did not stop after that, i kept kneading and punching for another 10 -15 minutes.

Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the same bowl and smear it nicely around the bowl and also on the dough and rest it in a warm place for 2 hours. I covered the bowl with a cling wrap, you can also cover with a wet kitchen towel. I heated up my microwave for 30 seconds and kept the bowl with the dough covered by a cling wrap. Don't place the bowl immediately after heating the microwave, give it another 30 - 45 seconds after opening the microwave door.

After an hour, I took the dough out, punched and kneaded it again for 10 minutes.

Covered it again and kept it inside the microwave.

Meanwhile while the dough is rising, take another bowl add the butter,cheddar cheese, herbs mixture,cloves and combine well. Keep the mozzarella cheese for topping it later.

After about 45 minutes - preheat the oven to 200 C

Roll out the dough on a neat and clean floured surface. You can roll out in a rectangle shape or a round one. I did mine round. The rolled out dough should be 1/4 to 1/2 inch thickness. Now spread the butter mixture generously on the dough.Fold the dough to form a semi circle. Cut this into strips using a pizza cutter or plain old knife, which ever you have and prefer. Place the strips on a baking sheet lined with the remaining olive oil greased parchment paper. Again spread the butter mixture generously on top too. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese later. Your bread dough is ready to be baked. Bake the bread in the center rack for 12-15 minutes. Mine took 15 minutes.

After this take out the baking sheet carefully from the oven, apply little butter and do the milk wash and place the baking sheet on the top rack and grill/broil for 5-7 minutes.

Cool the bread for 10 minutes before taking it out from the baking sheet. Ready to indulge in the soft and buttery garlic bread sticks along with your favorite accomplaint!

My Finding :

* 1/2 cup water is enough for the flour quantity mentioned.

* Kneading and punch the dough several times makes the dough airy and when baked puffs up nicely.

Happy Baking !

Divya

Recipe adapted from : Divya's easycooking and Laurie's Simply Scratch

Latest Addiction

2013-02-20T03:01:00.001-08:00

My Latest addiction is Baking !!! Will be sharing few recipes which I have tried and tested....

Wait for them..

Toum - Lebanese Garlic paste

2013-02-03T02:47:00.002-08:00

A nearby hotel Zaitoon is our one stop place, if we have to order home, as we all love their grilled chicken and the white sauce it accompanies along with the pita bread!! It was all along called as white sauce but from now on it shall be called as "Toum". I just happened to go through their home delivery menu card and came across this word Toum and hummus. I knew what was hummus but to confirm Toum got on the net to search the image and the recipe. The first recipe i read was from the blogger Fouad who happened to use a food processor to prepare toum. I don't have one but had an electric hand mixer/blender so started to refine my search and came again on Fouad's blog. Over there i was reading the comment section and stumbled upon Vibey from yumbomcgillicutty.blogspot.com.au. She had given a more easier version which i wanted to try first. I got up at 00:05 (yes you read it right when India sleeps i was up like a vampire !! )and tried it out, surprisingly with my hubby (didn't wake him up, as he has always been a vampire!! ) also giving a helping hand (sometimes unexpected things happen and one must enjoy the moment cos you never know when that moment will occur again, i mean hubby helping :-)).

Ingredients:

(Recipe source : Vibey @ yumbomcgillicutty.blogspot.com.au)

Garlic - 5-6 Cloves

Egg white - 1

Vegetable oil - 1 cup (saffola, canola, i used gold winner sunflower oil)

salt - 1 tsp

water - 2 tbsp

lemon juice - 1 tbsp

Method:

Peel the garlic cloves. Smash it well using a mortar and pestle or cut it using electric hand mixer. Remove the white of the egg from the yolk using an egg yolk separator or the method i followed (given below). In a deep bowl place the garlic, egg white, oil, salt, water, and lemon juice. With the hand mixer (electric) resting at the bottom of the bowl, switch on at low speed. Mine does not have speed adjustments, so switched it on for a second (You will see the egg white becoming frothy). Then with mixer resting at the bottom, press the button for the mixture to emulsify. When it is nice and fluffy,raise the hand mixer and blend for 2 minutes for the mixture to emulsify well and your toum is ready. Transfer it to an air tight container, give it a good whisk and enjoy !

To separate the egg white and yolk:

Break the egg on to a flat plate or a flat bottomed bowl. When you break the egg, just ensure that the egg white is not runny. Mine was runny i mean it did not stick around the yolk and was not gelatinous (So used it for my hubby's dinner on dosa). Next I broke another egg and the white was sticking around the yolk,this confirms that the egg is fresh. Now take a plastic water bottle/ coke pet bottle, place it on top of the yolk, give a little squeeze to the bottle, this will act like a suction and the yolk will be sucked up, immediately turn the bottle and squeeze out the yolk out on another bowl or plate. So quick and easy. If you are finding it a problem to follow the steps, just follow this link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4E_9iAU3RI

Do try it out and let me know how it came out !!

Happy Blending!

Divya

Microwave Mushroom Masala / Khumb Masala

2012-12-12T07:13:00.002-08:00

After a long time, I got hold of Nita Mehta's Microwave cookbook and the sudden urge to cook in a microwave dawned upon me!! Trust me, my microwave was in use for all the other purposes (thawing, roasting papads, heating, as a stand for fruits and any other thing that for which I don't find a place in the kitchen!! ) except for cooking. I had all the ingredients except for green peas (matar). Actually this recipe is Khumb Matar Miloni in her Cookbook, since I didn't have peas I tried only with mushrooms and believe me this was an instant hit. I have tried in my aunt's place too and all liked it. First time I tried with country tomatoes, the gravy had that tickling tangy taste. Next I tried with indian hybrid tomatoes (bangalore tomatoes) and it turned out bland. So the next time i tried with the hybrid tomatoes and added amchoor powder to get that tangy taste. (Recipe Source : Nita Mehta's Microwave Cook Book)

Ingredients :

Mushrooms (khumb) - 1 packet (200gm)
Olive oil / cooking oil - 2 Tbsp
Ginger Garlic paste - 1 Tsp
Kasoori Methi (dried fenugreek leaves) - 1 Tbsp

Paste - 1
Onions - 2
Cloves (laung) - 2
Green Cardamoms - 2
Fennel seeds (saunf) - 1 Tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 Tsp
Olive oil / Cooking oil - 3 Tbsp

Paste - 2
Tomatoes - 3 (cut into 4 pieces)
Yogurt (dahi) - 1/2 cup
Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp
Red Chilli Powder - 1/2 Tsp
Salt - 1 & 1/4 Tsp

Preparation :

Cut the mushrooms in 4 pieces

Put 2 Tbsp oil, ginger garlic paste and mushrooms in a microproof dish. Mix well and spread them in the dish. Microwave for 3 minutes. Remove the mushrooms from the dish and keep aside.

Grind all the ingredients of paste - 1 in a mixer to a smooth paste.

Grind all the ingredients of paste - 2 in a mixer to a smooth paste.

Put the paste 1 of onions in the same microproof dish and microwave for 7 minutes.

Add the paste 2 of tomatoes & Kasoori Methi, mix and microwave for 7 minutes.

Add 1 cup of water and microwave for 4 minutes.

Add the mushrooms and microwave for 2 minutes and serve hot with Puris / bathura's.

Note - Adding country tomatoes (usual ones that are round and have a tangy taste) to the paste 2 gives the gravy tangy taste of tomatoes.

In case you are adding the Indian hybrid or Bangalore tomatoes (the elongated ones)

add 1/2 Tsp of Amchoor powder (dry mango powder) to paste 2 while grinding. The tangy taste to the gravy adds the edge to the recipe!

Sora (shark) Puttu

2012-12-12T06:33:00.000-08:00

Had been wanting to post a recipe with fish and found this one! Easy to prepare and tastes soo good, can be had with steaming hot rice with ghee !!

Ingredients:
Sora (shark) - 500 gms
Green Chillies - 4 - roughly chopped
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
Garlic pods - 5 finely chopped and crushed
Ginger Garlic paste - 2 tbsp
Onion - 1 big - Finely chopped
Oil - 5 tbsp
Curry Leaves - 1 string
Corriander leaves - 2 tbsp
Salt to taste

Preparation:

Boil the sora (shark) in a deep dish with a half closed lid for 10 minutes in medium flame.
Remove from the boiling water and peel the skin off the flesh when the heat is bearable.
Crumble the shark finely.
Heat oil in kadai or wok, once the oil is hot drop in the green chillies,chopped garlic, ginger garlic paste,little curry leaves, saute for a minute.
Then add the onions. Add turmeric powder and fry the onions till they turn translucent.
Add the crumbled shark into the kadai and stir nicely.
Stir every now and then so that the shark does not stick to the kadai till the wetness goes away.
The Sora puttu is done when it does not stick together.
Garnish with Curry leaves and Corriander leaves.

Paal Payasam - Milk Kheer (Rice Kheer)

2012-12-12T05:16:00.000-08:00

This Payasam is a hit at my house, as whenever any festival comes, our full votes (mine, my brother's, my dad's and even my mom's as it is an easy one for her to make!! ) goes to this Payasam. This payasam will be served usually on the vazhai ellai (plaintain leaf) right after we have Rasam and before curd rice. Now, don't ask me why the order, I have questioned this so many times to the elders at home and the answer was always "Don't ask the reason, but this has to be served liked this !", so that's my answer too without knowing the reason. Off late I have been making this quite often and literally forcing my husband to have it as there is excess milk at home.. hahahaaaa LOL :-) Jokes apart, he prefers to have payasam with lots of cashews, raisins and badam in it, but i am totally allergic to these items. This Payasam is best without these ingredients. But if you wish you can add powdered Elachi roasted in ghee to give you a flavoured payasam. Just try this sans the regular garnishing ingredients once, i mean even the elachi powder has to be omitted, and you will see the taste of just condensed milk, condensed milk and nothing else. You can prepare this in less than 30 minutes depending on the quantity used. Mine took that much time for the quantity given below.

Ingredients :
Rice - 2 and a half tbsp
Milk - 700 ML
Sugar - 150 gms

Preparation:
Wash the rice well with water and soak for 10 mins.
In a pressure cooker pour the milk and rice after straining out the water.
Pressure cook for 2 sounds and switch off the stove.
After the steam subsides, remove the weight, open the cooker lid.
Switch on the stove and keep the flame in medium.
Add the sugar and give a good a stir.
Keep stirring the liquid every now and then so that it does not stcik to the bottom.
The payasam is done when the milk thickens and turns creamish in colour.

Note : You can garnish with raisins / chopped badam/ pistas/ cashews/ Elachi fried in ghee. But this payasam tastes best without these!!

Vattayappam / Sweet Rice bread

2012-03-28T03:12:00.000-07:00

Hey folks ! meeting you all after a long time with a sweet recipe !

I had first tasted this dish at one of my keralite friends home way back in school days!! Her mother used to have this hot and ready when we visited her home during sports day, carnivals or just in the evening for a chit chat. I was having a chat with one of my very close mallu friend who helped me with the recipe by sharing Jisha's link. I first tried this at my mom's place and it was warmly welcomed.I was informed that my granny used to prepare a similar dish like this when I was a toddler!! But I don't remember eating them at all as a toddler.... Then again, I tried this out within a week at my home and my folks (in-laws) knew this recipe! They hail from Tirunelveli and call it as Viveka. But again they have some more ingredients to be added to the one i have listed out here.

Ingredients :

Pachaarusi / Raw rice - 2 cups
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Grated Coconut - 1 cup
Cooked rice - 1 cup
Yeast - 1/2 tsp or 10 granules
Salt - a pinch
Cardamom powder - a pinch

Method:

Wash the raw rice well and soak in water for 5-6 hrs.
Add the grated coconut, cooked rice and sugar to the grinder first and let it grind well.
Add the rice after draining the water.
Add the cardamom powder next.
Sprinkle water little by little. Take caution not to pour water as we have added sugar already.
The batter should not be watery. The consistency of the batter should be between Idli batter and Dosa batter.
Before grinding the above, soak the yeast in lukewarm water.

Once the batter is ready, add the dissolved yeast, salt and mix well.
Keep the batter to ferment for 8-10 hrs.
Mix the fermented batter well and pour it on to a greased dish. You can also pour it on greased idli plates. Use ghee to grease.
Steam it for 15 minutes. The more the batter poured the longer time it will take to cook. So insert a knife greased with ghee to check if the appam is cooked well.
You can sprinkle some roasted cashews, raisins on the batter before steaming. Personally i am not in favor of nuts so didn't do it in my version. You can also add cut or smashed bananas to the batter before steaming.

You can also check out Vattayappam at Annita's :http://deepann.wordpress.com/2008/07/15/vattayappam/

Chick-peas-soya chunks-veggie tikkis/ patties

2012-01-24T06:12:00.001-08:00

I had the soya chunks staring back at me whenever I entered the kitchen. None in my house are fond of soya chunks including my son but except me. By chance, I came across this lip smacking snack in a magazine and gave it a try by adding few more ingredients to the original recipe. Try this protein rich evening snack for your hungry kids and they will surely love it.

Ingredients:

Chick-peas / Kabuli channa/ Vellai kadala : 1/2 cup
Soya chunks : 1/2 cup
Carrot grated : 1/2 cup
Potato : 1 big
Green chillies - 2
Mint leaves/pudhina - 1 tbsp finely chopped
Coriander leaves - 1 tsp finely chopped
Ginger - 1 and 1/2 inch - finley grated
Salt - as desired
Cooking oil - 1 cup

Soak the soya chunks in hot water for 10 - 15 minutes. Drain and squeeze out all the water. Wash the soya chunks thrice or more with clean water to get rid off the smell. Boil the chick peas and potato well with water. Blend together the boiled chick peas, soya chunks and mint leaves in a blender to get a smooth paste. Add grated carrot, green chillies, salt, ginger to the paste and mix well. The mixture is ready. Make round shapes and flatten to get tikkis. They can be cooked on non-stick pan using little oil on both sides. Remove when they turn golden brown.

Serve with tomato ketchup or green chutney.

Prawns Masala / Thokku

2011-12-14T03:18:00.000-08:00

I learnt this recipe from my mom-in-law....Simple and delicious, you will love to eat this with just hot rasam & rice on a rainy day....

Ingredients:
Prawns - cleaned - 250 gms
Onion, finely chopped - 1 big
Tomatoes, finely chopped - 2 big
Ginger - 2 inch size
Garlic pods - 15 if small, 8 if big
Non veg / magic masala powder or Regular Chilli Corriander powder- 2 tbsps
Curry Leaves - 1 string

Coriander leaves - as desired
Salt - as desired
Cooking oil - as desired

Preparation:

Clean the prawns well and soak them in water. Grind together ginger and garlic to a smooth paste, if need be little water can be added to grind them together. Heat oil in a thick bottomed kadai.Just place your palm on top of the middle portion of the kadai, if you feel the heat, add the ginger garlic paste. When adding this keep the flame low. Stir the ginger garlic paste immediately after adding so that it does not stick to the bottom of the kadai. Once the aroma of the paste subsides, add curry leaves, onions, little salt and fry till the smell of onions disappear. Add tomatoes and close the kadai to let the tomatoes soften. Keep the flame in medium. Open the lid in 3 minutes to add the masala powder.

Stir nicely and wait till the oil separates from the sides by stirring occasionaly. Once the oil separates, add the prawns and give it a nice stir once again. Close the kadai with the lid and keep the flame in low for 7 minutes. The prawns will leaves out water and will get cooked. Remove the lid and keep the flame in medium. Stir occasionaly so that the masala does not stick to the bottom of the kadai. Once the water evaporates, garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves. Close the kadai with lid. You can use a non stick kadai for this recipe.

Non Veg Masala powder / Magic Masala Powder

2011-12-09T11:11:00.000-08:00

This masala powder is copyrighted to my mom-in-law. Its a trademarked masala with spices added to it. There will be a subtle difference in the aroma and taste when compared to the ordinary chilli-corriander masala. We use this masala for cooking all the dishes in our house. My husband has coined a term for this masala as the "Magic Masala".He happened to carry this masala for his onsite trips and we had told him to add this to any of his culinary experiments.Thus our cooking secret was exposed to my husband who now claims that cooking is not a big thing as long as this magic masala is there !! We add this to our sambar's too. From now on my posts will have this magic masala in all its ingredients list. For those who feel this is not feasible, use the regular chilli-corriander powder with Garam masala, tough the dish may not turn out like the one you see in the pictures or in taste.

Ingredients:
Dry Chilli - 500 gms
Dhaniya / Corriander Seeds - 500 gms
Cumin seeds - 50 gms
Fenugeek / vendayam - 50 gms
Mustard Seeds - 50 gms
Pepper - 50 gms
Saunf / Sombu - 25 gms
Turmeric stick - 50 gms

Preparation:

Heat a kadai or thick bottom pan, add ingredients one by one except dry chilli and corriander seeds. Dry fry till you get the aroma of each spice. Don't add all of them together as it may not fry uniformly.Keep stirring when frying. Cool and ground all the ingredients together from a mill shop. You can keep the dry chilli and corriander seeds in the sun to dry up. Now the masala for non veg dishes is ready. Once grinded, stack it up in air tight containers and use it as you please!

Bread Bajji

2011-12-04T10:45:00.000-08:00

This one is my son's and hubby's favorite tea time snack. Your kids will crave for more because it is not a spicy bajji but a sweet one! Easy and quick to prepare, this is sure to be a hit among the kids.

Ingredients:

Bread Slices - 6
Gram flour - 6 tbsp
Rice flour - 2 tbsp
Asafoetida - a pinch
Regular Chilli corriander powder - 2 tsp
Sugar - 5-4 tsp
Salt to taste
Water as required
Cooking oil - as required

Preparation :

Warm up a tawa and just toast the bread slices up a little bit. Cut the bread slices diagonally to make halves. Mix together flours, asafoetida, chilli corriander powder, salt and sugar. Since we have added sugar pour water little by little and stir continuously. The batter should not be watery, it must be a little thick. Heat oil in a thick bottom kadai. Dip the bread slices in the bajji batter and immerse in the hot oil. Take care to keep the flame in medium. Since we have added sugar the bajji will turn dark red/burn very soon if the flame is in high. This can be served with or without coconut chutney.

Enjoy with your kids!!!

Healthy Honey Dates Oatmeal Porridge

2011-12-04T06:33:00.000-08:00

Burrppp!! Burrpp!! If you've had dinner like a King, considering this recipe is a good option for your next day's breakfast.

Ingredients:

Oats(any brand) - 1 cup

Water - 2 cups

Dates - 4 pieces - finely chopped

Honey - 2-3 tbsp

Milk - 5-6 tbsp

Preparation:

Cook the dates in water for 3-5 minutes, then add the oats. Once the oats is cooked, remove from stove. Add milk and let cool. Before serving add honey and stir well. You can add finely sliced apples/ almonds / raisins. I have suggested honey to sugar for the self conscious people.

Children can be given this healthy breakfast as it is high in fiber content. For elderly people you can add veggies and salt instead of honey / sugar.

For the diet conscious people or those who want to shed their excess fat, drop the dates, milk, honey. Cook the oats in water. Add salt, butter milk, or beaten up curd.This will be like congee. Initially it may be hard to push it down, but daily consumption, you will get used to it. Give it a try!!

Idly Upma

2011-11-22T01:48:00.000-08:00

Every south indian house will have this as a definite breakfast atleast twice in a week, but not in my house!! I am not very fond of this King of South Indian breakfast as it involves some kind of art or magic to prepare them soft & like 'mallipoo' (jasmine flower) which I have not mastered till now. Hope atleast within the next 5 years (5 year plan!) I will be ready to prepare them right like how my sister-in-law Femila prepares... Her Idly's are so very soft, I have not had anything like that before anywhere!!! I kept her Idly's for my next day's breakfast too and had it without re-heating them and they felt the same way how it was the day before!! Here in my post you will not find the method to prepare idly’s but a makeover to the leftover Idly’s that is, Idly upma. This one was my favorite snack as a kid and I never used to make any fuss or faces at my mom when she used to prepare this. So, if you have any left over idly's that doesn't find a place in someone's tummy, this recipe surely does...

Ingredients:
Leftover Idly's - 3
Onion - 1 medium - finely chopped
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Green Chillies - 2 - chopped finely
Lime - 1 - juice squeezed out
Mustard - 1 tsp
Urad Dhal - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - 5
Corriander leaves / Cilantro
Cooking oil - 1 tbsp
Preparation:
Re-heat the leftover idly's in microwave. Scramble them up like an egg with your hands. Heat a thick bottomed wok or kadai with cooking oil. Add mustard seeds and let it splutter, add urad dhal and wait for it to turn light brown in color, add green chillies, add finely chopped onions and curry leaves. Add salt and stir fry nicely till onions turns color. Add turmeric powder and fry for 2 more miuntes. Now add the crumbled idly to the kadai, pour the lime juice over the scrambled idly. Just stir it once well and switch off the stove. Now mix well till the idly becomes yellow in color. Take care to switch off the stove immediately after a stir as leaving it on will make the lime juice cook. Garnish with corriander leaves / cilantro.

I hope this recipe is liked by all at your home especially the kids !!

Spicy Pepper Mushroom Masala

2011-11-18T10:36:00.000-08:00

You can try this recipe when a member of your family is down with cold or soar throat, when it is raining, when you want to eat something really piping hot!! I happened to cook this dish last night as i had all the above mentioned taking place at the same time. My hubby is not very fond of mushrooms, but he seemed to liked it with lots of pepper (noticed from his plate as it was wiped cleanly, hahaahhaaaa)!! I am happy he liked it and my tummy said, yum, yum, yum... It would have been great, if i was served the dish with me lazying on the couch with a cuppa of hot coffee and enjoying the weather in front of TV, but you guess not, I happened to cook the dish and my wish will always be a wish !!!!! Ok,Ok.. enough of me cribbing about my situation and let me take you to the recipe directly .......

Ingredients: (Serves 2)
Mushroom - 200 gms
Onion - 1 big - half coarsely cut, half finely chopped
Tomato - 1 medium - finely chopped
Peppercorns - 1 tsp
Cinnamon - 1/2 inch
Cardamom - 1
Cloves - 1
Ginger - 1/2 inch
Cumin / Jeera - 2 tsp
Saunf / Aniseed/ Sombu - 1 tsp
Chilli-corriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Pepper powder - finely grounded (homemade or Catch) - 1 tbsp
Cooking oil - 2 tbsp
Curry leaves - 1 string
Salt to taste
Corriander Leaves / cilantro

Preparation:

In a saucepan, heat 1 tbsp of cooking oil, add cumin, wait for it to splutter then add cardamom, cinnamon, clove,once they let out their aroma, add saunf, ginger, half an onion coarsely cut, fry the onion well till it turns translucent (to quicken frying of onions, add little salt) half of the finely chopped tomatoes, curry leaves. Let the tomatoes become soft and blend well. Turn off the stove and keep aside to cool. Meanwhile, wash the mushrooms well in running water and soak them in luke warm water for 5 minutes. With a clean towel wipe the mushroom dry. Trim the stem of the mushroom and cut them.

Now grind the fried ingredients in a blender adding water if required to a fine paste. Heat 1 tbsp of cooking oil in a wok or kadai, once the oil if hot add the other half of the chopped onions till they turn translucent in color. Add tomatoes next, once they are cooked add chilli-corriander powder. Let it cook for 2 minutes, then add the grounded paste along with the cleaned and cut mushrooms. Cover with a lid and cook for 5 minutes. Mushrooms will generally leave water so if need be add water. Open the lid and stir well. Now add the pepper powder, take care to see that the pepper powder is finely grounded if homemade. Since the masala has to be thick, don't add too much water. Add salt to taste and leave it cook for 7 minutes. Garnish with corriander leaves/cilantro. Best served along with Puri, chapathi, phulka.

A little variation to the above recipe is, instead of mushrooms you can add mutton without bones. Thinking of this makes my mouth watering !!!!

Tip: Be cautious while adding salt as even a little more will spoil the dish 'cause mushrooms don't blend well with any masala, they just want to stand out !!

Try this out over the weekend and let me know how it turned out to be!!!

Tomato Pachadi / Tomato Coconut Raita

2011-11-17T02:52:00.000-08:00

This pachadi / raita goes well with my previous post Arachivitta Sambar. Don't forget to prepare this as an accompaniment with the sambar.

Ingredients for 2 :
Tomatoes - 2 (medium) or 1 Big
Cocount (grated) - 1/2 cup
Thick Curd (not sour) - 1 cup
Green Chilies - 2-3
Mustard - 2 tsp
Cooking oil - 1 tsp
Corriander leaves / Cilantro - as desired
Salt as per taste

Preparation:

Grind together grated coconut, green chillies and mustard to a fine paste. Finely chop up the tomatoes. Add the grounded paste, salt to the tomatoes and set aside. Just before serving, add the thick curd. Heat oil in a saucepan, add little mustard, wait for it to splutter and pour it on the curd. Garnish with finely chopped corriander leaves or cilantro.

Tip: If the green chillies are long then they may be little hot so you can decide how much to add. I used 1 long green chilli and 1 small one.

You can vary the same recipe with Cucumber. Grate a cucumber after peeling the skin. Add little salt to it and set aside for half an hour. Later squeeze out the water from the grated cucumber. The rest of the recipe is same as the tomato pachadi / raita.

Happy Cooking!!

Sambar with coconut and grounded spices / Aratchivitta Sambar

2011-11-16T05:03:00.000-08:00

The method of cooking will be the same as the normal sambar except for few spices to be grounded together. This type of sambar is my husband's and brother's favorite one and my mother is an expert in cooking this kind.This type of sambar will by default be on my mother's list during all the festival's where we as family come dining together. An accomplaint to this is tomato pachidi or cucumber pachadi.

Ingredients for 2 persons:

Tuvar Dhal : 3/4 cup

Drumstick : 1 big (other choices of vegetables may be white / red pumpkin, broad beans/Hyacinth/Avarrakai , Ladies finger / okra)

Tomato : 1 big

Onion : 1/2 if big

Chilli-corriander powder or sambar powder - 1 - 1&1/2 tsp

Tamarind - the size of a lemon

salt to taste

Grind together :

Channa Dhal/split chick peas/Kadaalai Paruppu : 1 tsp

Corriander seeds : 2 tsp

Peppercorns : 6-7

Dry Red Chillies : 3-4 with the seeds or 6-7 without the seeds

Cumin Seeds : little

Urad Dhal : 1/4 tsp

Fenugreek : 1/4 tsp

Asafoetida / Hing : a pinch

Cocount slices : as desired (its optional)

Cooking Oil : 1 tbsp

For tempering:

Mutard : 1/2 tsp

Fenugreek : 1/4 tsp

Asafoetida / Hing : a pinch

Long Dry red chilli : 1

Curry Leaves, Corriander - as desired

Cooking Oil : 1 tbsp

Preparation :

Cook the dhal and keep aside. Cut the onions and tomatoes finely. Cut the drumstick as per the length desired. Grind together all the ingredients under the header Grind together along with water.In a cooker add drumstick, onion, tomatoes, water as desired with the chilli and corriander powder. Bring it to boil and pressure cook for one whistle and remove from heat. Keep the cooker under running water to open up quickly. Make tamarind to a fine paste by adding water. Open the cooker, add the tamarind paste and let it boil for 5 minutes. Now add the cooked and mashed dhal with as much as water desired. Once the sambar starts boiling add the grounded paste and stir for few seconds. Add Salt as desired.

Leave it to boil well. Once the sambar thickens switch off the stove. For the tempering or tadka, add cooking oil and once its hot, add mustard, once it splutters add fenugreek, asafoetida, long dry red chilli, curry leaves. Now pour this on the sambar along with finely chopped corriander leaves. Cover it with lid immediately. Before serving stir the sambar well.

Note: You can also grind the spices dry without the cocount and store in a air tigth container. When you want to prepare this sambar just add the coconut and grind to a paste.

Just try it and let me know how it turned out!!!