tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85824176589869351982024-02-24T07:33:24.771+05:30Effortless cooking. Easy baking.Delicious Food. Cooked or Baked. All Style. No Sweat.Karishma VPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945136139407912234noreply@blogger.comBlogger111125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8582417658986935198.post-64871217341658053712014-07-04T15:30:00.001+05:302014-07-04T15:50:40.549+05:30Baked Eggs ‘n' Mushrooms<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Baked eggs or eggs en cocotte is a rustic French preparation that is very versatile. Your imagination is the limit here. If you, like me, can't resist butter, cheese, eggs (among other goodies in life!) then this recipe is for you! I used my favorite <a href="http://cookwithkary.blogspot.in/2010/10/creamy-mushrooms-on-toast.html">mushrooms-on-toast</a> recipe for this.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This is usually made in individual servings, baked in ramekins. You can use any other single-serve baking bowl too. I am providing the quantities required for a single ramekin here, which you can then increase according to the number you want to bake.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This is ideal for breakfast, even if you have a large group to feed, as preparation takes just a couple of minutes and then 10 minutes for baking.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Ingredients</span></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2 teaspoons butter (or use a spray)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 clove garlic</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 large button mushroom</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">4 tablespoons milk</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2 tablespoons shredded cheese</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 egg</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Pepper, to taste</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Salt, to taste</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Dried oregano/thyme/mixed herbs</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Method</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1. Preheat oven to 180 C.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2. Heat up a skillet and let 1 teaspoon butter melt in it.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">3. Immediately add the garlic and mushrooms.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">4. After a minute of sauteing, add the milk, salt and pepper. Simmer for 1 minute.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">5. Remove from heat.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">6. Spread 1 teaspoon butter around the inside of the ramekin.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">7. Pour the mushroom into it.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">8. Sprinkle the cheese on top.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">9. Crack the egg carefully into another bowl.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">10. Tip the egg into the ramekin, on top of the mushroom.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">11. Sprinkle with herbs, salt and pepper.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">12. Sprinkle more cheese on top, if you like.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">13. Take a baking tray, pour water in it, and place the ramekin in the tray. The water should reach half-way on the outside of the ramekin.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">13. Bake for 10 minutes. The yolk should look runny but the whites should look set</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">14. Serve with toast or garlic bread.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Options</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1. You can use anything as a base for the eggs-from spinach (saute first) to tomatoes (sundried too, maybe?) bacon, corn, leeks, etc.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2. You could use cream instead of milk.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">3. Add chilli flakes for an added punch!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">4. Vary the herbs you use-how about some coriander leaves as a garnish?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Would love to hear from you about the variations you tried!</span></div>
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Karishma VPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945136139407912234noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8582417658986935198.post-21702529882337148752014-05-03T18:03:00.001+05:302016-09-16T11:47:57.560+05:30Idiyappam/String Hoppers with Eggs<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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String hoppers or idiyappam is a noodle-like delicacy that is made in the South Indian state of Kerala as well as in Sri Lanka. Its usually served for breakfast, but it is so versatile that you can even make a biryani out of it! It is made using powdered rice which is then mixed into a soft dough with hot boiling water. This is then pushed through a mould that has a plate with tiny holes in it. It comes out as strings which is then steamed. This is usually served hot with coconut milk and sugar or as an accompaniment with stew.<br />
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Nowadays, what with a fast-paced lifestyle, someone had the smart idea of making "instant" idiyappam. No more mixing and pushing and steaming like our mothers and grandmothers did. Oh no! All we have to do is buy a packet of the instant stuff (Double Horse is a reliable brand) and immerse it in hot boiled water for just a minute or two, strain, and serve! Whew! So of course this is one of the things I brought with me from India when I came to Bangkok.</div>
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I used it recently in quite a different way, using a recipe I found on <a href="http://www.archanaskitchen.com/recipes/indian/breakfast-tiffins/1054-egg-idiyappam">Archana's Kitchen</a></div>
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You can substitute this with any kind of thin rice noodle or vermicelli. Its pretty to look at as well as quite healthy too. Serve it as a breakfast or snack.<br />
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Ingredients:</div>
<ul>
<li>200 gram cooked or readymade string hoppers/idiyappam or vermicelli</li>
<li>2 eggs</li>
<li>1 tablespoon milk</li>
<li>2 tablespoons oil</li>
<li>1 teaspoon cumin seeds</li>
<li>5 curry leaves</li>
<li>1 small onion, minced</li>
<li>2 green chillies, minced</li>
<li>1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder</li>
<li>2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves</li>
<li>Salt, to taste</li>
</ul>
Method<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
1. Break the eggs into a bowl, pour in the milk, season with salt, and beat. Keep aside.<br />
2. Heat up a pan with the oil.<br />
3. Throw in the cumin seeds and curry leaves and wait for them to crackle.<br />
4. Now tip in the onions and green chillies. Fry till translucent. Shift these to one side of the pan.<br />
5. Pour in the egg mixture, sprinkle the turmeric powder on top, and wait for a minute until it coagulates a bit. Now break it up into large pieces.<br />
6. Mix in the idiyappam at this stage. Try to mix everything together without breaking up the eggs or the idiyappam.</div>
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7. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.</div>
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Signature</div>
Karishma VPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945136139407912234noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8582417658986935198.post-53943356292099426272014-04-23T19:28:00.001+05:302016-09-16T11:56:48.161+05:30Bombay Toast<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Bombay toast is everyone's favorite snack. It holds a spot in our childhood memories, having filled innumerable tiffin boxes and our tummies. There must be a hundred different ways of making it, in each family. This is just the way my family likes it with a few of my add-ons! This recipe is for 2-4 people.</div>
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Ingredients</div>
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<ul>
<li>Bread-4 slices, cut diagonally into triangles (day-old bread is better).</li>
<li>Egg-1</li>
<li>Milk-1 tablespoon</li>
<li>Onions-1 small one, chopped really fine</li>
<li>Green chilles-1, chopped fine. You can deseed if you want less heat or increase the number if you like it hot!</li>
<li>Cilantro-2 tablespoons, chopped fine</li>
<li>Pepper-To taste</li>
<li>Salt-To taste</li>
<li>Turmeric powder-A pinch, optional</li>
<li>Garam masala powder-A pinch, optional</li>
<li>Butter/vegetable oil-4 tablespoons or enough to shallow fry (but as Julia Child said, “With enough butter, anything is good.")</li>
</ul>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
Method<br />
Crack the egg into a bowl.<br />
Beat it with a fork.<br />
Add the rest of the ingredients, except bread and butter/oil.<br />
Heat butter/oil in a frying pan.<br />
When it is hot, but not smoking, dip one bread slice in the egg mixture, making sure to turn both sides and get it well coated with the onions, cilantro, etc.<br />
Place the slice in the pan.<br />
Quickly repeat for the next slice.<br />
Flip the slices over and fry till golden.<br />
Remove.<br />
Serve hot with ketchup.</div>
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Karishma VPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945136139407912234noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8582417658986935198.post-32071729477449242722014-04-10T19:48:00.001+05:302016-09-16T12:00:36.688+05:30Quick Kheema (Meat mince)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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When you get back home from work with a tired and famished child in tow, who could fall asleep at any moment, you have only an hour or so to get dinner on the table. So you hunt down recipes that are nutritious, tasty, and quick. I got this one from the book Fat Free Indian by Shehzad Husain and Manisha Kanani.</div>
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<ul>
<li>Minced meat-350 grams</li>
<li>Ginger-garlic paste-2 teaspoons</li>
<li>Turmeric-1/2 teaspoon</li>
<li>Chilli powder-1 or 2 teaspoons</li>
<li>Onions-1 large, chopped fine</li>
<li>Green chillies-3</li>
<li>Curry leaves - 10</li>
<li>Tomato-1 large, cubed</li>
<li>Coriander leaves-A handful, chopped</li>
<li>Oil-2 teaspoons</li>
<li>Salt to taste</li>
</ul>
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In a bowl, combine the mince, ginger garlic paste, turmeric, chilli powder, salt.<br />
Heat the oil in a frying pan.<br />
Tip in the onions with the curry leaves and whole green chillies.<br />
When it changes to light pink, tip in the mince and saute for 5 minutes till the water comes out.<br />
Add the tomatoes and coriander leaves.<br />
Leave to simmer until cooked dry.<br />
Serve hot with accompaniments of your choice.</div>
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Karishma VPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945136139407912234noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8582417658986935198.post-67692978869712781292014-02-02T12:13:00.000+05:302014-02-02T13:07:54.705+05:30Thai Cooking Series#2-Pad See Ew--Step by Step<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In my second installment of the Thai Cooking Series, I'm going to show you how to make delicious Pad See Ew. This basically means "stir fried (pad) with soy sauce (see ew)". This is a very popular dish in Thai restaurants, both here and abroad. It is made with flat rice noodles, veggies, egg, and meat of your choice. It is by far my favorite Thai dish. There could be differences in the way it is made, though. The version I am sharing here are the step by step pictures and recipe as cooked in the kitchen of Paa Oot, a very gracious Thai lady who runs a popular restaurant here. One difference I find in her recipes (compared to others) is that she adds a lot of veggies (good thing, right?)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Ideally, to get this recipe right in your home, just remember these:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It is <b>very important </b>to get everything prepped and ready <i>before you start cooking-</i>don't go chopping the veggies while the garlic is frying! Trust the French to come up with a name for this-mis en place :-)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It's nice to do this in a big wok which you can cook on medium-to-high heat.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Flat, broad rice noodles are available either fresh or dry. Obviously, using the fresh ones are easier, but if only dry noodles are available, cook according to instructions on the pack and follow the recipe.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Dark/black sweet soy sauce</b> is used for coating the noodle. This is more viscous and made from palm sugar molasses. Do not use light soy sauce for coating it!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Chinese kale or Chinese broccoli (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kai-lan">Kai-lan</a>) is what is usually used. I have seen recipes where broccoli florets have been substituted for this.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It is always better to make smaller portions of this, maybe for two people at a time, and repeat if you have more people to feed...this is because these noodles are quite complicated at first to get right in large quantities!</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Here we go....</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">To serve one person:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Ingredients:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Flat, broad, rice noodles (called Sen yai), fresh, or cooked and drained-200 gm (or just take 2 big handfuls!)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Garlic-5 fat cloves</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Chinese kale/broccoli-2 stalks with leaves</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Carrot-1/4 cup</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Cabbage-1/4 cup</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Snow peas-5-6</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Egg-1</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Chicken (boneless or fillet)-100 gm (or pork or prawns)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Sweet dark/black soy sauce-2 tablespoons</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Oyster sauce-1-2 tablespoons</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Cooking sauce-1-2 tablespoons (Maggi or Golden Mountain, etc)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Fermented soybean paste (Tao-jiao)-1 tablespoon (this can be optional-see <a href="http://importfood.com/sakh2103.html">Healthy Boy brand</a>)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Black pepper powder-1 tablespoon or to your taste</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Sugar-1 tablespoon</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Vegetable oil-4-6 tablespoons (usually palm oil is used in Thai cooking)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Prep:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Chop up the garlic.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For the Chinese kale: First separate stalk from leaves. Peel off the skin of the stem using a peeler. Then cut the stalks into diagonal strips. Chop the leaves roughly into large pieces (they will wilt away, don't worry!).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For the carrot, cut into diagonal strips. For the cabbage, chop up roughly into large pieces. Leave the snow peas whole. Put the kale, carrot, cabbage, and snow peas in a bowl and sprinkle sugar on top (presumably it keeps them crisp).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Break the egg into a bowl. Do not beat.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Cut the chicken into strips.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBZqm0NaZbEOAOCNr1vH4ow5EIdE19VOeL2UEEEz-Tnmwt_tr0oJBV0hoRDt-KiSmya2uMEqyjeVe7FznzcS8DusqNq78iJrl3ztzDmJMAwsQ_1OdbXRhPAZbFHq4qnvtAe6CqRdDnIale/s1600/DSC00918.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBZqm0NaZbEOAOCNr1vH4ow5EIdE19VOeL2UEEEz-Tnmwt_tr0oJBV0hoRDt-KiSmya2uMEqyjeVe7FznzcS8DusqNq78iJrl3ztzDmJMAwsQ_1OdbXRhPAZbFHq4qnvtAe6CqRdDnIale/s1600/DSC00918.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Spread the flat noodles on a plate. Its okay if some are clumped together. Mix the dark soy sauce on them nicely with your hands.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEj42wH7_L3GHe3Co9STdP00aDvbKzWL6LBF1OIbUlzxB5TjzNFiEaoFGN0Kk3cLfwjPxvCuBd9KxC9PXEKI90afSHBxMN7rVRpBn_kX3yKf9CNgc58auTieNsDVgViaHtBN_K4qT1b44U/s1600/PadSeeEu2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEj42wH7_L3GHe3Co9STdP00aDvbKzWL6LBF1OIbUlzxB5TjzNFiEaoFGN0Kk3cLfwjPxvCuBd9KxC9PXEKI90afSHBxMN7rVRpBn_kX3yKf9CNgc58auTieNsDVgViaHtBN_K4qT1b44U/s1600/PadSeeEu2.jpg" height="187" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Everything 'mis en place'!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Method:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1. Heat up your wok and pour in the oil.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2. When it is hot, put in the garlic and let it sizzle.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">3. Put in 1 tablespoon of pepper.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">4. Add the chicken strips and fry for 5 minutes. Then put in the fermented soy bean paste.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">5. Move the chicken to the sides and pour in the egg. Scramble it up a bit.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh20mYPveeNGqrvWtzUHfPVvy99S3p9VIqVhLxHuMxsD3-gVVUes9Y9rf0jFe2SZtXJYuGnLFI0ZrhfIAGuwK2MNv0MWFoeLxsAe0GhFBfs_pudW2vdG1nMUWAFd6lPnD3TFo12cVPAdpn/s1600/DSC00930.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh20mYPveeNGqrvWtzUHfPVvy99S3p9VIqVhLxHuMxsD3-gVVUes9Y9rf0jFe2SZtXJYuGnLFI0ZrhfIAGuwK2MNv0MWFoeLxsAe0GhFBfs_pudW2vdG1nMUWAFd6lPnD3TFo12cVPAdpn/s1600/DSC00930.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">6. Now add in the noodles.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">7. Pour the oyster sauce and cooking sauce.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">8. Stir around gently for 5 minutes or until it changes color like this. This must be on medium-to-high flame.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">9. Now add all the veggies.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Keep stirring for 5 or more minutes, on high heat, till the leaves are wilted and the veggies and meat are cooked to your liking (the snow peas must still be crisp!). <b>Do not add any water at any stage. </b>It is more delicious if you actually burn it a bit, turning the egg brown and crispy. If you have to scrape it off the pan, you know you've done a good job!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Transfer to a plate and serve and eat hot!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For Thai stir fried vegetables with prawns, see <a href="http://cookwithkary.blogspot.com/2014/01/thai-cooking-series1-pad-pak-luam-stir.html">Pad Pak Luam</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Do let me know if you tried and liked this and any other suggestions for other recipes you would like to see!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Until next time, Sawadeeka!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/300/7F8ADC72AD21F43886C0A01071270EA7.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Signature</span><br />
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Karishma VPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945136139407912234noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8582417658986935198.post-82342520773388332372014-01-26T16:37:00.000+05:302014-02-01T09:18:58.163+05:30Thai Cooking Series#1-Pad Pak Luam-Stir Fried Vegetables (but with prawns!)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In this new series on my blog, I hope to share with you all recipes, notes, photographs, and vignettes from my study of Thai cuisine. This is rustic, simple, authentic Thai cooking straight from the kitchen of a Thai lady called Paa (aunt) Oot. These recipes and cooking methods are so interesting to me because, apart from looking so appetizing and tasting so aroy (Thai for delicious!) and being perfectly balanced nutrition wise, they take such a short time to cook and get ready on the table! Perfect for a blog named 'effortless cooking', don't you think?</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-XiJYcXxM8p6Z3wA-HO_ZW1IbtWAYE0ZLUDjf2CmPJBjERwqVU9XG1w6jRWTQMbaD-8E1scFw-jjj57ISVI5sGXzalkZp-kUaT3Gv-QnVW2iFbSguPC0KqqTWflZJee0lNjCZxpdLvzdm/s1600/DSC00898.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-XiJYcXxM8p6Z3wA-HO_ZW1IbtWAYE0ZLUDjf2CmPJBjERwqVU9XG1w6jRWTQMbaD-8E1scFw-jjj57ISVI5sGXzalkZp-kUaT3Gv-QnVW2iFbSguPC0KqqTWflZJee0lNjCZxpdLvzdm/s1600/DSC00898.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This is my first post since I moved to Bangkok six months ago. Admittedly, settling down and getting used to the new place and language and food and people took time. We have taken to the food here like fish to water. There are a lot of elements that are common to the cuisine from our home state in South India, Kerala. These are true especially with the desserts which make use of coconut milk, bananas, etc. Bangkok is a place where it seems there is food at every nook and corner, so much so that I wonder if anybody even cooks at home when there is delicious, hygienically made food so easily available everywhere!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Of the many little places we have enjoyed eating, there is one place that stands out. This little eatery, run by an elderly lady at the side of her home, is remarkable for its food that is as tasty as it is a delight to the eyes. From the first time I ate there, I noticed that she took a lot of care in cooking and presenting the dishes, making sure there was a good balance of colors. She also made sure to balance out all the meat with a good dose of vegetables. Her vegetables are always cooked to just the right amount and retain their crisp freshness. Sometimes the medley of oranges, greens, yellows, reds is so pretty that I just have to stop and look before digging in! That she takes all this effort is all the more remarkable because it is a one-woman show. This invariably causes food to be slow in reaching your table sometimes, but I noticed that everybody waits patiently and she never does anything in a hurry, no matter how many people are waiting!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Over the last six months, I have been able to strike a rapport with her, beyond the language barriers that exist between us. Whenever I have time while waiting for my meal, I used to ask her permission to watch her cooking (since she has an open kitchen cum dining area). She was always gracious with her answers to my various questions and showed real interest in sharing her knowledge with me. I think anyone who is passionate about what they do will be only too happy to share their knowledge with others. Even when we met by chance at the local farmer's market, she took it upon herself to show me the different herbs and leafy vegetables and tell me their Thai names and uses.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So when I asked her (through a common friend) if she would teach me Thai cooking, I was delighted that she accepted. I was also surprised and touched when she refused to accept a single penny (or satang!) from me for this. In fact, she said I could come and observe her in her kitchen every Saturday afternoon, watch her cook, take photographs, write down recipes, ask her questions, the whole deal! Of course, I felt I had to make her time worth while somehow, so I decided every week to buy one dish that she makes to take home. When she said, looking at my son, that she would like to give him something "as a grandmother", it was a moment where I felt that we made a bond that went beyond all the differences in our language, culture, names, food, etc.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I am thankful to her for sharing her experience, passion, and knowledge with me and I hope I will do justice to her cooking through these photographs that were taken in her kitchen. She is the kind of cook that does not go by measurements, just cooks "andaaza se" (a little bit of this, a little bit of that) and that makes for the best cooks, don't you think? So I am not in a position to give exact measurements for these recipes, but have tried to approximate the ones she used. Hope you can wing it and learn, just like me!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This recipe, Pad Pak Luam means Stir Fried Mixed Vegetables. But you can add chicken, pork, shrimp to it if you wish. This was made with shrimp and served with rice.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Ingredients:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1. Vegetable oil-2 tablespoons (usually palm oil is used for Thai cooking)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2. Garlic-3 fat cloves, chopped fine</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">3. Prawns-A handful, cleaned and whole</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">4. Cooking/Seasoning Sauce-1-2 tablespoons*(see Notes)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">5. Mixed vegetables of your choice-1 cup (carrot sliced, broccoli florets, baby corn sliced, snow peas whole, etc). These should be soaked in just enough water to cover them, sprinkled with sugar on top, and left for a few minutes.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">6. Oyster sauce-1 tablespoon* (see Notes)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">7. Water-1/4 cup</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Method:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1. In a wok, pour the oil and wait till it heats up.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2. Add the chopped garlic. Let is sizzle and the aroma waft through.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">3. Add the prawns and stir till it turns a pinkish red.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">4. Now add all the veggies along with the sugary water they were soaked in.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">5. Tip in the oyster sauce and Maggi cooking sauce. Stir. Add 1/4 cup of water.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">6. Wait (or if you can't wait, stir!) for 5 minutes or as long as you think the prawns and veggies are to be cooked for your liking.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">7. Remove and serve on top of a bed of cooked rice.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Notes:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You can, of course, use only mixed veggies or substitute the prawns for boneless chicken or pork mince.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">*Cooking/Seasoning Sauce-This is a staple in most of the Thai kitchens I have seen. It is made of soybean sauce, vinegar, sugar, but has a flavor enhancer that gives it a savory taste. You may be able to substitute it with light soy sauce+vinegar+sugar. The brand used in this recipe is Nestle Maggi. Another popular brand here is Golden Mountain.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfh-7XzsgZDkZpqni43IkWIYeVI1lj5qolb-PfO4BBeRmLRDrfj4hLNEhJB7AK7U9jHt-pmrrT_R5Cf0VFZH8DnqCR9FpVtq8wUrNVM-8j0KGI_Tk3lCVA5eqhTAIK7iEooLnjeDm4UOeM/s1600/DSC00893.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfh-7XzsgZDkZpqni43IkWIYeVI1lj5qolb-PfO4BBeRmLRDrfj4hLNEhJB7AK7U9jHt-pmrrT_R5Cf0VFZH8DnqCR9FpVtq8wUrNVM-8j0KGI_Tk3lCVA5eqhTAIK7iEooLnjeDm4UOeM/s1600/DSC00893.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">To buy or order, <a href="http://www.nestle.co.th/en/brands/culinary/maggi">Nestle Maggi</a> or <a href="http://www.royalthaisupermarket.co.uk/maggi-cooking-sauce-700ml.html">Royal Thai Supermarket</a> (and no, I don't get paid for this!)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">*Oyster sauce-There are different brands, but if you are in Thailand and are interested, this seems to be the most popular one and used by Paa Oot too (again, I'm not getting paid for this publicity!)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So what are you waiting for? T</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">ry this out and give me your feedback and suggestions. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Would love to hear from you about what you think about my new series. ..until the next recipe, Sawadeeka!</span><br />
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Karishma VPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945136139407912234noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8582417658986935198.post-91972630537125436082013-06-28T16:03:00.000+05:302013-06-28T16:30:22.692+05:30For Emreen<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This is a post that has come in just too late...I don't think the saying "better late than never" even makes sense in this context. For the procrastinator in me, there cannot be a bigger lesson from Life-never put off until tomorrow what you must do today. Never think there will be enough time later to show or tell someone what they mean to you. Posting this today will not make a difference to my dear friend Emreen, about whom I am writing this, unless I believe that she is up there reading this and smiling the way she usually does...but I have to do it, for myself, if not for anybody else, before I can even begin to think about blogging again. There are just too many memories, so much joy, and yet too much pain even now for me to record everything about what Emreen means to me, so I am not going to even try. But this is a post that I had intended to do long before, so I am going to go ahead and do it anyway.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This is dedicated to my best friend, my confidante, my co-conspirator, my soul sister, my blogger pal, my 3 a.m. friend...Emreen Xavier. She passed away on May 18, 2013. She was a person of many talents, but above all, she knew how to be a true friend, a friend who was always there for me, no matter what. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Emreen and I met 10 years ago, when I was working in an IT park in Trivandrum and she came there to do her project for her bachelors in engineering. We shared the same room in hostel. She went on to do her masters in engineering, being a star student through her academic life. Even though she settled in a different state and city from mine, she kept in touch with me through email, chats, phone calls, sms, cards, thoughtful little gifts, throughout the 10 years since. We saw each other through getting married, me having a baby, us changing jobs, changing cities, changing friends, changing houses, all of it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Emreen and I started our blogging journeys almost at the same time, she a few months after I started my blog. She had a passion for all things beautiful in life. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">She had a knack for bringing beauty into everyday spaces. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">She loved interior decor. Even when working as an engineer and lead in a tech company, she took the time and made the effort to study for a course in interior design, another course in ikebana, a course in baking....She used to make lovely jewellery just for her friends. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">She loved flowers. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">She always had beautiful flower arrangements in her home. Her dining table would have interesting centerpieces made by her almost all the time. She was artistic and created many crafty things with her hands and heart. Her Pinterest boards are full of collections of beautiful things that show her passion for interior decor. Each collection has been neatly organized according to spaces in a house-dining, kitchen, bedroom, outdoor garden, indoor garden, etc. Her last blog post was just less than 24 hours before she passed away and it was full of beautiful photographs that she had taken herself. This is her blog-</span><a href="http://liventhingsup.blogspot.com/" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Liven Things Up</a><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">. Just before she passed away, she also became a featured writer on the well-known website Magic Bricks. Her articles were all about home improvement and interior decor and you can read them here-<a href="http://decor.magicbricks.com/?s=emreen%20xavier&c=">Decor Posts by Emreen Xavier</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Emreen was a huge inspiration for me not just in life, but also specifically for this blog of mine, so that is what I want to talk about here. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">She loved giving me suggestions and advice on different aspects of my blog.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> The "Timesavers/Tips" section on the tab above is her idea, for example. She used to search the net and find me classes to go to to further my interests in baking. She used to share pics and links of beautiful things that she found when browsing the net and I could expect at least one email a day from her on this-from fashion to recipes to kitchen gadgets to children's toys, everything of interest to me. We used to share with each other the latest blogging trends, widgets, sites, tips and tricks, etc. When I accidentally deleted all my blog comments a few months ago, she was the first one I called and cried! Her last email to me was that she wanted me to start a new section on my blog. These are her words, </span><br />
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"<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Hi kary,</span><br />
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I really want you to start a series about cooking utensils ( say ‘ I heart’) that you would like to have at your kitchen… That way you need not even try it out or write a review about it…<u></u><u></u></div>
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I am sure it will be a big hit….<u>'</u></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So yes, Emreen, wherever you are, you will have your wish...I will be starting it soon!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Emreen used to send me numerous recipe books and recipe magazines that she felt I would like. Knowing that I like Italian cuisine, she sent me two books on that. She also sent me beautiful white porcelain serving platters, specifically to present and photograph food items for my blog because "a white background will make the food look more beautiful!". That was how thoughtful she was...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I had always intended this post as a kind of surprise for Emreen, with recipes and pictures of foods cooked from the books and photographed on the dishes she sent me. I had wanted her to see this, knowing that it would make her very happy. All along, I kept postponing it to after I completed the course I was studying for, as I would get more time on my hands after all the coursework and exams got over. Emreen passed away barely a week after my course got over and the results were announced. I never ever imagined that this post would come too late, that I would be talking about her in the past tense, that she would never see all the recipes, all the photographs I had taken with her gifts. All this while, I was keeping it as a surprise for her and now, it really wouldn't matter whether I post this or not, but still I have to, for her memory sake at least....</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-itIPwKl5vhxJ1EZ3IfO6L2qnAhx4s9Gu_N9mA1W15HAiGhlzr2Fz1-g1uz5r74iXOYTznlUOo2c5Pi7xUVvTG6IHGo71SUZrRiHiO1Te81hLyoq_kzel9MHglEeuC-G2Xat3Y8fkC5FW/s1600/DSC05772.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-itIPwKl5vhxJ1EZ3IfO6L2qnAhx4s9Gu_N9mA1W15HAiGhlzr2Fz1-g1uz5r74iXOYTznlUOo2c5Pi7xUVvTG6IHGo71SUZrRiHiO1Te81hLyoq_kzel9MHglEeuC-G2Xat3Y8fkC5FW/s320/DSC05772.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the books Emreen sent me.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">She would also enthusiastically cook recipes from this blog, plate and prop them up stylistically, photograph them and send them to my blog's Facebook page...These were so much more beautiful than the ones I took and showed her artistic flair...She was the only one who used to take the effort to do all this and it meant the world to me...These are some of her pictures...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And these are the pictures taken by me using the dishes she sent me, specially for this blog..</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9G_B7W9nEAK1A14Fr2S2Y8zOPdid1KiK4dTkVl7EhslzrkYqPjYOLqnBwDcQG_OP6Dql0Kt2BgRSi_sK22rtuSPy9XWrsHhKWRR8BibXqN_ia9EtRKPNxd40KppAJckKKj2ZOk5QDyWkH/s1600/ToBlog1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9G_B7W9nEAK1A14Fr2S2Y8zOPdid1KiK4dTkVl7EhslzrkYqPjYOLqnBwDcQG_OP6Dql0Kt2BgRSi_sK22rtuSPy9XWrsHhKWRR8BibXqN_ia9EtRKPNxd40KppAJckKKj2ZOk5QDyWkH/s400/ToBlog1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The only thing I can now do now in Emreen's memory is to do as she always wanted me to do-follow my heart and my passions...and I will try to be the kind of friend Emreen was to me, to others I may meet as life goes by...always there and always smiling!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTJ-tEBtTRxqr9QH42tvbv_ubcaFOajCTkbEA9yS5t-wQ_-6uVEs9kNSmWxfLxOQ3fiET_P-zJp41JbNRizJ8neyY4RxPywPrG_NX_lQmsFPun_HwXe2rtxlnKMYOeh4BaYDPscNLzK_12/s512/Emreen+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTJ-tEBtTRxqr9QH42tvbv_ubcaFOajCTkbEA9yS5t-wQ_-6uVEs9kNSmWxfLxOQ3fiET_P-zJp41JbNRizJ8neyY4RxPywPrG_NX_lQmsFPun_HwXe2rtxlnKMYOeh4BaYDPscNLzK_12/s320/Emreen+(2).jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Emreen surrounded by her favorite flowers.</td></tr>
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Karishma VPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945136139407912234noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8582417658986935198.post-86792646608590620582013-05-15T17:42:00.001+05:302013-05-15T17:55:00.238+05:305-Ingredient Mango Crumble<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I have been missing my blog as much as it has been missing me...I don't have any illusions that anyone out there has been missing my blog though! Anyway, I'm back with something sweet, to celebrate a very sweet achievement in my life.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>I baked this delicious mango crumble for my dad and mom because of whom I have been able to follow my passion and interest in the Montessori educational philosophy. They supported me to study, with a 3-year-old in tow, having to travel 60 kms daily over 1 year (ensuring that we were comfortably chauffeur driven!!). They looked after both my son and me while I gritted my teeth and worked my way illustrating, writing, studying, re-writing, re-drawing 5 folders, each about 200 pages....some nights I have not even slept (especially the day before folder submission!). </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Because of them, I am now the proud holder of a diploma in early childhood education, from the AMI in Netherlands. Because of this, I now have a renewed interest, passion, and direction in my life. So, even though both my parents are (borderline) diabetics (!) I baked and dedicated this mango crumble to them!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This is also for my (sweet!) husband who has never stopping me from following my heart and dreams!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Mangoes are in season now, especially in a state like Kerala which has a tropical climate. I love having mangoes in any form but in desserts have only made them in the form of a mousse. A mango crumble was news to me when I saw this recipe in the latest issue of "Vanitha", a Malayalam magazine. I put this together in no time, just 10 minutes needed to have this going in the oven. So this is perfect for the general theme of this blog-effortless cooking easy baking! Hope you too will try this out and enjoy it like we did!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Ingredients:</span></div>
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<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 cup mango, cut up into thick slices (midway between ripe and raw)</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/4 teaspoon nutmeg powder</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Sugar-to taste, depending on the sweetness of the mangoes</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">3/4 cup all purpose flour</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">50 grams butter + 1 tablespoon extra</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 tablespoon sugar (for sprinkling on top)</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Method</span></div>
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Preheat oven to 180 C.</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Combine the mango slices, nutmeg powder and sugar (to taste) in a saucepan.</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Cook it on a low flame until the sugar is just dissolved.</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Transfer the mango mix to a baking dish.</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Cut up the butter into small pieces and mix it into the flour with your fingers until it becomes like breadcrumbs.</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Spread this on top of the mango mix, flattening it with your fingers or the back of a spoon.</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Dot the top with the extra 1 tablespoon butter, randomly.</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar.</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the top becomes light brown.</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Serve plain or with a dollop of cream or vanilla icecream.</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Enjoy the summer!</span></li>
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/300/7F8ADC72AD21F43886C0A01071270EA7.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Linking this to two events:</span><br />
<a href="http://kausers-kitchen.blogspot.in/">Mango Delights</a><br />
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<a href="http://spicingyourlife.blogspot.in/2010/01/announcing-kids-delight-wholesome.html">SriValli's Kid's Delights</a> co-hosted by <a href="http://cooks-hideout.blogspot.in/2013/04/kids-delight-event-announcement-5.html">Cook's Hideout</a><br />
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Karishma VPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945136139407912234noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8582417658986935198.post-88967358380072688802013-02-14T15:37:00.001+05:302013-02-14T16:43:53.335+05:30Puddina-Chocolate Bread Pudding<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This is originally a recipe from Malta and I'm guessing it was their take on the classic English bread pudding! It is</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> a very useful recipe to have in hand when you get unexpected guests or even when you're suddenly hit with a craving for dessert...Any self-respecting cook will have all these ingredients in their pantry/fridge already, so there's no special shopping involved. </span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This caught my attention one Sunday while idly watching the Fox Traveller channel, on the Italian Food Safari. It seemed so easy and the name was intriguing enough that not only did I google it immediately but also sprinted to my kitchen and had it all ready to go into the oven in barely 15 minutes! It turned out tasting chocolatey, dense on the inside and crusty outside, with all the crunch of the nuts and sweetness of the dried fruits adding to an overall satisfactory dessert, considering how easy it was to put together! </span></div>
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</span> <span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I didn't get time to write down the measurements so this is something I'm just approximating, which means you too just have to wing it and see.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Ingredients</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Bread-1 loaf or 10-12 slices (preferably a day old)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Eggs-2, beaten</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Sugar-6 to 8 tablespoons</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Custard powder-2 tablespoons (vanilla flavour)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Cocoa powder-2 to 4 tablespoons</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Cornflour-2 tablespoons</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Vanilla essence-1 tablespoon</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Dried fruits-1/4 cup (I used dates)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Almonds-1/4 cup, slivers or flakes</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Rum or brandy-1 tablespoon (optional)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Cherries-A few, cut into half</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> Procedure</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Preheat oven to 180 C.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Crumble the bread slices in a bowl and pour water over it enough to submerge everything. Keep aside for 15 to 30 minutes.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Transfer to a sieve/colander and drain out the liquid.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Transfer to a shallow baking pan and just add in all the other ingredients one by one and mix it all well.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Place the cherries on top, alternating with some of the almond slivers or flakes.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Cool and serve.</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">TIPS:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Personally, I think it would go really well with a dollop of ice cream or fresh cream :-)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If you dig bread puddings, then you mightalso like these that I've blogged about before:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://cookwithkary.blogspot.in/2012/08/marmalade-bread-pudding.html">Marmalade Bread Pudding</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://cookwithkary.blogspot.in/2011/09/shahi-tukra-royal-bread-pudding-easy.html">Shahi Tukra-Baked and Royal As Ever!</a></span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I am sending this over to the Tea Time Treats event hosted by Kate at <a href="http://www.whatkatebaked.com/">What Kate Baked</a> for this month's theme which is "The Perfect Pudding"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Until next time, ciao!</span><br />
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Karishma VPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945136139407912234noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8582417658986935198.post-23829553688788993652012-11-08T12:51:00.001+05:302012-11-08T19:13:07.161+05:30Lasagna with homemade pasta-in the oven in one hour!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My love for anything Italian obviously had to include the quintessential lasagna. Although I used to order it at any given opportunity, I never thought of making it at home, thinking it was a hassle (even with storebought lasagna sheets!). Traditional recipes require the sauce to be thickened for hours to get the full-bodied flavor. Also, if making fresh pasta sheets, they need to be first cooked for a bit in boiling water, drained and used.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Then I chanced upon a recipe that while having to make the pasta sheets fresh at home, still made me want to take the plunge and make it. This recipe, from the blog <a href="http://www.vegbowl.in/2009/05/lasagna.html">Veg Bowl</a> is what inspired me to try it out and I have to thank the blogger Mallika for that! Seeing my family, and especially my 3 year old son enjoying it and asking for seconds, and my dad preferring this over many other choices for his birthday dinner, inspires me to make it many more times in the future.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The first time I made it, I followed Mallika's recipe to the T for the dough but made some additions like chicken to her vegetarian filling recipe. The second time, I modified it with a recipe from the <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2012/02/lasagna-bolognese">Smitten Kitchen</a> and one given by my friend Renisha, also adding my own spur-of-the-moment touches. Yes, a mishmash of recipes this is, but it can hold its own with the best of them. Even though I was initially intimidated by the classic version, this experience has taught me that once you've got the basics right, you can just follow your heart and add, subtract, multiply, whatnot, and still come up with a winner of a dish. It is deliciously comforting and satisfying, both for the body and soul!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I absolutely love this recipe because it takes only one hour from the time you start kneading the dough till you finally put the dish into the oven (with a bit of multitasking, of course!). The filling is entirely up to you, depending on if you are a vegetarian or nonvegetarian. Vegetarians can use carrots, mushrooms, bell peppers, tomatoes, spinach, etc. Nonvegetarians can use chicken, lamb, pork (I made this once with luncheon meat). I use a combination of both veggies and meat. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Serves 4 (generously)</span></div>
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<b><u><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For the pasta</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1-1/2 cups all purpose flour</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2 eggs</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1/2 teaspoon salt</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 to 2 tablespoons water (only if needed)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For vegetarians:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Substitute eggs with 4 tbsp oil and increase the amount of water to 1/4 or 1/2 cup, like Mallika does).</span></div>
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<b><u><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For the Bechamel sauce</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">4 tablespoons butter</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">4 tablespoons all purpose flour</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">500 mL milk</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Salt, to taste</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Freshly ground pepper, to taste</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><u>For the Bolognese sauce filling</u></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 large onion, finely chopped</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">4 cloves garlic, finely chopped</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 medium size carrot, finely chopped</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 medium bell pepper, finely chopped (or a mixture of different colored peppers)</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 cup button mushrooms, finely chopped</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 cup tomato puree</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 tablespoon dried mixed herbs (or just thyme)</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Salt to taste</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Freshly ground black pepper, to taste</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2 tablespoons olive oil (or other neutral tasting vegetable oil)</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Red wine (if no children are involved! and as much as you like!)</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b><u>Nonvegetarian filling</u></b></span>:</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">To the ingredients above, add 250 grams minced chicken or minced mutton or minced pork or a tin of luncheon meat</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><u>To layer:</u></b></span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 cup (plus a bit more if required) Parmesan or Mozzarella cheese, grated</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><u><b>Procedure:</b></u></span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Start off with making the dough first:</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1. Beat the eggs with a fork.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2. Combine the flour and salt well.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2. Put the flour either into a large bowl or on a clean surface and make a well in the middle.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">3. Slowly pour the eggs or oil into the well and mix with fingers, bringing it all together into a ball.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">4. Knead, adding more flour or water if needed, until you get a smooth but stiff ball.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">5. Let it rest, covered with a cloth or plastic wrap, for about 15 to 20 minutes (this is the time to start off on the sauce)</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">6. After 20 minutes (by this time, the sauce should be at step #5-see below), divide into 4 balls.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">7. Dust your work surface with flour and roll out each ball into a sheet that is as thin as you can get. Either cut each sheet into smaller rectangular sheets to overlap and line your pan or roll it out as 4 large sheets. Keep aside.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><u><b>Now start making the Bolognese sauce:</b></u></span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1. Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed pan (or nonstick).</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2. Add the garlic and when the garlicky flavor wafts out, add the onions and fry till it turns pink.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">3. Add all the veggies at the same time and cook for 5 minutes.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">4. Add the minced meat (if using), salt and pepper.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">5. Cook on high heat for 5 minutes, then cover with a lid and simmer for 20 minutes or until the meat is cooked through (now is the time to start making the Bechamel sauce and grating the cheese and rolling out the pastry sheets!).</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">6. Add the tomato puree and mixed herbs. Simmer again for 5 minutes.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">7. If required, add some water (or red wine) and simmer again for 5 minutes.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">8. Take off the heat.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>And the Bechamel sauce:</b></span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1. Heat the butter in a saucepan.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2. Before it starts smoking, add in the flour and stir until it turns a light brown..</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">3. Add in the milk, a little at first to mix it with the flour, and then add the rest gradually, whisking it well until it becomes thicker.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">4. Add salt and pepper.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">5. Simmer and stir for 5 minutes.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">6. Take off heat.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><u>To assemble:</u></b></span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1. Preheat oven to 180 C or 200 C.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2. In a rectangular baking dish, first spread the Bechamel sauce</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">3. Carefully place the first lasagna sheet over this (or overlap and place 3-4 sheets).</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">4. Pour enough of the Bolognese sauce to cover the sheet.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">5. Top with the Bechamel sauce.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">5. Sprinkle with the grated cheese.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">6. Repeat this twice: the pasta sheet-Bolognese sauce-Bechamel sauce-grated cheese.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">7. Lastly, cover with the last pasta sheet, pour some Bechamel sauce, and top with grated cheese (you can finish off with a pasta sheet and cheese alone to get a crunchier top).</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">8. Bake until the top becomes brown and the cheese has melted and bubbles over, about 25 to 25 minutes, depending on your oven.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">PS: Try your best to wait for at least 10 minutes before plunging in!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> <span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I am linking this to <a href="http://cooksjoy.com/blog/bake-fest-hosting-schedule">Bake Fest</a> which this month is being hosted at <a href="http://anuzhealthykitchen.blogspot.in/2012/10/bake-fest-13-guest-host-event-nov-1st.html">Anu's Kitchen</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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Karishma VPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945136139407912234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8582417658986935198.post-49766098304029643382012-09-30T16:21:00.002+05:302013-02-14T18:47:36.081+05:30Butter Chicken 'Chak Le India' Style and book review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Aditya Bal's show on NDTV Good Time's, called Chak Le India, was a "don't-miss" one for me back when I was in Hyderabad. But here in Kerala, it's not part of the local cable network so it's been a while since I watched it. So obviously I jumped at BlogAdda's book review program to review his first cookbook. I was thrilled when I was one of the 10 bloggers to get copies of the book. So far, I've cooked one of the dishes-butter chicken. This is one dish that is my favorite (but which self-respecting Indian doesn't like butter chicken?!). Surprisingly, I haven't attempted to make it even once in my kitchen because most of the recipes required elaborate grilling or tandoorifying the chicken and I wasn't up to it. This recipe, though, charmingly lures you into trying it out, making the process seem simple. No need to grill the chicken, just sear it on high fire and make the different bases for the curry and combine them and you're done! The flavor was restaurant-style (if I may humbly say so myself!). Even though I was in a hurry and didn't give any time for marination, this dish got done in about 45 minutes and still the taste was spot-on. Do try this out! I'm going to review the book now. The recipe is given at the end.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If you buy this book, you have to read the introduction section at leisure. I have read many an introduction to many cookbooks, but I felt this was the one that was written from the heart and because of that, really struck a chord with me. It has been written in a heartfelt, genuine way that makes you feel you know Aditya on a first-name basis! He also gives detailed notes in "The Indian Pantry" section, that touches on everything from aromatics to dairy, herbs, spices, oils, and everything in between. Coming from a guy who has not professionally studied the culinary arts, this knowledge base struck me as really indicative of his passion and interest in all things food related. After all, I've been cooking for almost a decade and a half now but I never thought of researching stuff in such depth! The main sections are divided into the usual suspects-meat, chicken, seafood, vegetarian, snack, and sweets.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Thumbs up:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Aditya Bal's television program showcased a lot of traveling and food from different parts of India, so it follows that this cookbook has diverse recipes from a variety of states, from Kashmir to Kerala. Every recipe has a small note introducing the dish, with a little bit of its history. The photographs are mouthwatering. Aditya gives thorough instructions in every step. The unique thing about his descriptions, which I think is missing from most cookbooks, is how at the end he describes how the dish should look and taste once its cooked. Super like!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Thumbs down:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This is something very subjective. I'm a person who likes to spend minimal time in the kitchen, even though I'm a foodie and enjoy cooking and baking (yes, I'm contradictory that way). After all, that's why my blog is called <i>effortless</i> cooking <i>easy</i> baking. So for a person like me, this book seemed to be full of recipes that required a lot of time and effort. This could also be an illusion stemming from the fact that most of the recipes had about 15 steps on an average. While this could be the other side of the coin (since I praised his thorough instructions in the previous paragraph!) I feel it could have done with some tighter editing, leaving only the really essential details in the recipe so as not to put off people like me who are lazy gooses! And for the photographs, I really would have liked to see less of close-ups and more of some elegant food styling with great props that gave off a whiff of the dish's ambience (for amateur food photographers like me, this is something that I still can't achieve, so I expect it from the best blogs and cookbooks!)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">One more thing, especially since I'm from Kerala-his recipe for Kerala Chicken Stew on page 52, was frankly, something that I had never come across in all my years of making stew in Kerala. This is not the way I've seen my mother, grandmother, aunts, or anyone I know make stew! Basically, its a very complicated version of a recipe that's essentially so simple that it should not take more than 20 minutes to make and not more than 5 to 6 steps! Here is the Kerala chicken stew which is the way we make it in our family:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://cookwithkary.blogspot.in/2010/09/swift-stew.html">Swift Chicken Stew</a></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I wish Aditya all success in life....would love to see him come up with even better cookery shows and cookbooks for us as the years go by!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Enjoy the butter chicken recipe, which is a keeper, and note Aditya's description in the end, which I have highlighted.</span><br />
<b><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><u><br />
</u></span></b> <b><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><u>Butter Chicken Chak Le India Style (as in the book)</u></span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><u><br />
</u></span></b> <b><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Ingredients</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">500 gms boneless chicken</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 tsp salt</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A few drops of refined oil</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">50 gms butter</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1/2 tsp sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Juice of half a lime</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>The marinade</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">3 tsp ginger-garlic paste</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1/2 an onion, pureed</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">4 tbsp whisked curd</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 tsp coriander powder</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 tsp cumin powder</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1/2 tsp turmeric </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 tsp hot red chilli powder</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Juice of 1 lime</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>The rich tomato gravy</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">7-8 ripe red tomatoes</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A few drops of refined oil</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">50 gms butter</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1/2 inch ginger, chopped fine</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2 green chillies, chopped fine</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1/2 tsp turmeric powder</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 tsp hot red chilli powder</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1/2 tsp cumin powder</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 tsp coriander powder</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1/4 tsp salt</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1/2 tsp sugar, to balance the acidity of the tomatoes</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">4-5 tbsp full cream</span><br />
<b style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
</span></b> <b style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The garnish</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2-3 tsp chopped fresh coriander leaves</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A knob of butter</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b> Method</b></span><br />
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Wash the chicken and trim it. Cut it into tikka-sized chunks.</span></li>
</ol>
<b style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> The Marinade</b><br />
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Combine all the marinade ingredients in a small bowl. Put the chicken into a large glass or plastic bowl. Add the marinade and mix it well into the chicken with your hands. Cover and leave to marinate in the refrigerator for a couple of hours.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">While the chicken is marinating, prepare the rich tomato gravy.</span></li>
</ol>
<div>
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b> The Rich Tomato Gravy</b></span></div>
<div>
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Blanch the tomatoes, peel them and puree the flesh.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Heat a medium-sized saute pan and add the oil and butter. Keep the pan on medium heat, till the butter is foaming. The oil prevents the butter from burning as it has a much higher smoking point.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Once the foam subsides somewhat, add the chopped ginger and green chillies and saute for a couple of minutes on medium heat.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Add the spice powders and saute till they are aromatic and richly coloured.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Now add the fresh tomato puree and stir to mix with the spices. Simmer on low heat, till the tomato gravy is thick and has a rich, deep red colour and the oil rises to the surface.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Season well with salt and add the sugar. Stir through and simmer for a few minutes longer. Turn off the heat and set the gravy aside to mature.</span></li>
</ol>
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b> To Cook The Chicken</b></span></div>
</div>
<div>
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Remove the marinated chicken from the refrigerator and bring to room temperature. Season with salt and mix well.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Heat a heavy nonstick frying pan and add a few drops of refined oil and the butter.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Once the butter is hot, add a few chicken pieces at a time and sear them on high heat, till they develop a rich caramelized crust and are slightly charred around the edges. Remove to a plate and repeat with the remaining pieces.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Now, return all the seared chicken pieces to the pan and fry them all together. Add the sugar, lime juice, and any remaining marinade. Continue to fry the chicken, till it is almost fully cooked and turns a lovely, charred, golden brown.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Add the thick, spicy tomato gravy to the chicken and deglaze the pan to lift up those intense pan deposits. Cook on medium heat, stirring well to make sure the chicken is fully submerged and coated in the delicious gravy.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Simmer uncovered to reduce the gravy.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Turn the heat down to a simmer and add the thick cream. Stir through to combine and cook for about 5 minutes to blend well.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Check for a balance of flavours; the gravy should be rich and buttery, bursting with the spices and concentrated tomatoes; the chicken, perfectly tender and packed with the rich flavours of the creamy tomato gravy.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Sprinkle some coriander leaves, add a knob of butter and enjoy this home-style butter chicken with naan or tandoori roti.</span></li>
</ol>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This review is a part of the </span><a href="http://blog.blogadda.com/2011/05/04/indian-bloggers-book-reviews" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;" target="_blank">Book Reviews Program</a><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> at </span><a href="http://www.blogadda.com/" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">BlogAdda.com</a><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">. Participate now to get free books!</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Until next time, ciao!</span><br />
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Karishma VPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945136139407912234noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8582417658986935198.post-54625916818389129072012-08-14T21:35:00.004+05:302012-08-14T21:35:41.319+05:30Marmalade Bread Pudding<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Bread pudding is a comforting childhood dessert for most of us, no matter which part of the world you may be from...Very easy to put together, with minimal ingredients that are there in any home. More often than not, I find myself putting together a bread pudding when there are loads of leftover bread in the fridge. This recipe, however, has a nice twist to the traditional one, with the marmalade used as a topping for the bread. Try it out and you won't be disappointed! Having tried this, a little voice in my head was whispering about getting more creative next time and using even Nutella or other types of jams...do try it and let me know! Please note that after making this a couple of times, now I just eyeball the measurements but whatever I threw into the mix, the end result was always delectable!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Adapted from the Delia Smith website</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> The What</span><br />
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<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">4 tablespoons orange marmalade</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">6 to 8 slices white bread, with crusts left on (number of slices will depend on your baking pan)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 cup (or more) milk</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Half cup (more or less) fresh cream (I used Amul fresh cream)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">50 g softened butter</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2 to 3 eggs</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">5 tablespoons sugar (but adjust to taste)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 to 2 tablespoons demerara sugar</span></li>
</ol>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> The How</span><br />
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Preheat the oven to 180 C.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Butter the base of your pan.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Make a bread and butter sandwich first:</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Spread the butter on all the bread slices.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Spread the marmalade on top of the buttered side of half the slices (if you have 6, then spread marmalade on 3 of them).</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Place the marmalade-sided slices on top of the buttered-sided slices.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Spread butter on the top side of the sandwich.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Cut each into a triangle shape (or square).</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Arrange these slices, butter side up, overlapping each other and slightly erect.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Combine the milk, cream, sugar, eggs, in a bowl and pour this all over the slices.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Let it rest for about 10 minutes.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Sprinkle the demarara sugar on top.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Bake in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes (it will puff up really golden and crisp).</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Serve warm with fresh cream or just as it is.</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">TIPS</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Adding some vanilla extract to the milk mixture is an option.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Also adding some orange zest or candied peel is mentioned in the recipe, but I didn't.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Linking this to the event Kid's Delight, hosted this month by Pradnya at her blog <a href="http://pumpkinfarmfood.blogspot.in/2012/07/kids-delight-warm-foods-to-beat-rain.html">The Pumpkin Farm</a>, originally hosted by Srivalli at <a href="http://spicingyourlife.blogspot.in/p/kids-delight-host-list.html">Spice Your Life</a>.</span><br />
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Until next time, ciao!<br />
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Karishma VPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945136139407912234noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8582417658986935198.post-74326622837826237352012-02-10T21:49:00.002+05:302012-02-11T00:50:27.186+05:30Book Review-Southern Flavours by Chandra Padmanabhan<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;">I’m excited to be writing my very first book review on this blog. Blog Adda sent me this book last week and I’m proud to be one of the 20 bloggers that have been selected in India to review this book, Southern Flavours, by the award winning Chandra Padmanabhan. I love this initiative of Blog Adda. Along with the book, there was also a note from the founder, Nirav Sanghavi, as well as a bookmark, which I thought was a nice personal touch. I love reading and collecting cookbooks-almost 98% of them being gifts from my dad and the one book which is my touchstone being the one handwritten by my mom. Still, I’m sure this will be a book I refer to quite often in the years to come!</span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Before you go into the review, let me first answer the most basic question that should be answered in any book review-Should you buy the book? Well, I would wholeheartedly recommend this to all of you, vegetarian foodies as well as nonvegetarians (because as we nonvegetarians know only too well, “you gotta eat your veggies!!!!)”. Anyone from any part of India, not just South India, but anyone with a curiosity and love for good food would love this book. It is reasonably priced at Rs. 599 and comes in a sturdy hardbound edition from Westland Publishers.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Now onto the book: What first caught my eye, of course, was the cover. If you see the picture I've taken above, you’ll notice there’s a beautiful necklace, of the “temple jewellery” style, framing the dish. I thought that was an unusual prop for a food pic. The combination of colors was aesthetically appealing, so full marks for cover design!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Next, onto the table of contents: This is a book of South Indian vegetarian recipes and it opened my eyes to the rich variety that we have. There are also recipes from different communities within each state, like the Iyengars, Saraswaths, Sanketi, Palakkad Iyers, etc. I learnt that even the humble sambar has so many different varieties! The introduction section was informative, giving measurements and conversions and a photograph of utensils which you would find in a South Indian Kitchen. I feel this section would have been better if it included even more utensils, which would have been helpful for those just beginning to equip their kitchens.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">One thing that confuses many beginner cooks, much to the amusement of more seasoned ones, is how to go about cooking rice. The author has included this in the Basic Recipes section, with 3 methods of cooking rice. The words “1 cup rice” was intriguing though, as the type of rice was not mentioned. Considering that there are so many different varieties of rice available, all of which have their own eccentric cooking timings, it isn’t easy to give a generalized cooking time for all. Still, this could be a useful rule-of-thumb if you’re just starting out cooking and find yourself in an emergency where you can’t call your mother/mother-in-law/wife/husband/father (or whoever your cooking guru is) to ask how to get the rice cooked! This section also has recipes for common spice powders such as sambar, rasam, and poriyal (another useful thing if you don’t like to buy the commercial ones or haven’t got your yearly stock of these powders from your mom/grandmom!).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The next section, on “sambars and kuzhambu”, which are the curries you normally have with rice in South India, had nearly 40 recipes. I guess this would be enough to break the monotony of lunchtimes-you can have a different sambar/kuzhambu every day of the month! The “rasam” section had about 12 recipes-again, a lifesaver if you have a repertoire of only 2-3 rasam recipes or are the type who just has to have a rasam every day! </span></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The “poriyals and kootu” section had more than 20 recipes and some of the best photographs in the book-mouthwatering! The author has also given variations for each recipe, with suggestions for combinations with curries or rasams, and also tips for the health conscious among you. The “rice” section is next, with 16 recipes, ranging from the everyday to the festive (and appetizing photographs as well!). The section on “snacks” actually includes breakfast foods too, from the world famous dosa to the lesser known Kancheepuram idli. The snacks range in variety from different types of “vadai” to “bonda”. Again, something to rustle up your everyday breakfast routine and bring in some variety!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The section on sweets had everything from payasam to burfi and ladu. I was happy to see one of my favourite Kerala snacks “ethekka appam” included in this, although the author’s note that this variety of plaintain is available only in Kerala has to be contested-I know from reliable sources that they are even available in the UAE now (maybe because of the large Malayalee diaspora there). Even when we were in Hyderabad, these plaintains were easily available from the local “Kerala Store” which I bet are common in almost every state outside Kerala now...<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photograph of Carrot Payasam from Andhra Pradhesh</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;">The last section, “accompaniments” covers a wide variety of chutneys and sauces and relishes. I’m particularly interested in making the “malli thokku” from Chettinad, so stay tuned to that on this blog sometime!</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">What I liked the most about this book: The menus suggested by the author-both for every day lunches/dinners (6 of them) and for festive buffet spreads (two). This would be great if your head is reeling with the numerous recipes in the book and don’t know which to match with what...so this was a nice touch! There is also a glossary of ingredient names in English, translated to Hindi and Tamil (a Malayalam, Telugu, and Kannada list could also have been included, but I guess Tamil could be called a base for all the South Indian languages so the terms might be common between them and that's why it was omitted?).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The only gripe I have with the book: I am from Kerala and while I do not necessarily need any more Kerala recipes (I’ve got enough from well-meaning family and friends, you see!), I found that the representation of recipes from Kerala were quite miniscule, compared to the rest of the states. Even the ones that were from Kerala, were mostly from the Palakkad district. Even among communities from different parts of Kerala, there are so many recipes. I was surprised, for example, that in the snacks section there was no mention of the famous “puttu” or even “appam”. There are so many lovely breakfast dishes among the Malabar Muslim communities of Kerala, like aripathiri, neypathal, etc., that even Malayalees in other parts of Kerala do not know about, so it would have been great if those were included in this book. Also, in the section on “poriyals”, which are basically dry vegetable dishes, there were just 3 recipes out of 26 recipes. Anyone who has attended a typical Malayalee “sadya” lunch would know the delicious and wide variety of dishes we have-just one look at the sadya leaf is enough!</span></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I understand that it would be difficult to include all these in this book as it covers all the 4 South Indian states, and since Kerala is a smaller state compared to the others, maybe the author felt this was a fair representation. I’m hoping, however, that she includes some more recipes from Kerala in her next book, just so that people from other states would get to know and enjoy more of our fantastic recipes!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Note on the author:</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> Chandra Padmanabhan, a graduate from Calcutta University, did her post-graduation education at Delhi University. She has long been associated with the publishing industry. But it is cooking that has been the author s forte for nearly four decades. She is the author of the three best- selling titles, Dakshin (Harper Collins), Southern Spice (Penguin) and Simply South (Westland). She last won the international GOURMAND award for the second- best vegetarian cookbook in 2009.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This review is a part of the <a href="http://blog.blogadda.com/2011/05/04/indian-bloggers-book-reviews" target="_blank">Book Reviews Program</a> at <a href="http://www.blogadda.com/">BlogAdda.com</a>. Participate now to get free books!</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/300/7F8ADC72AD21F43886C0A01071270EA7.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a></div>Karishma VPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945136139407912234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8582417658986935198.post-31308466932229504202011-12-24T13:48:00.001+05:302011-12-24T17:36:45.820+05:30Christmas Jam Drops and Stars<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-bCur9tB422aNsfQR_3eKeWqtXpuXnTk7gB-1uIYQISqHEQSUv92NDU5o_IH3xCujiRlKw2extY3Z6Mu7HrDytmwSkx3Q5FesNvBTp-8pUsqJ3rzZ1W9BtoXgckTxz8-KQSxtdeTqdGuR/s1600/DSC07752.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-bCur9tB422aNsfQR_3eKeWqtXpuXnTk7gB-1uIYQISqHEQSUv92NDU5o_IH3xCujiRlKw2extY3Z6Mu7HrDytmwSkx3Q5FesNvBTp-8pUsqJ3rzZ1W9BtoXgckTxz8-KQSxtdeTqdGuR/s400/DSC07752.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;"><b><i>Wishing all my dear friends and readers and bloggers a merry Christmas! May the joy and warmth of the season fill your hearts and homes!</i></b></span><br />
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During this time of the year, the blogosphere abounds with recipes for rich plum cakes and wines and other home-made delicacies, with bloggers generously sharing family recipes and secrets that have brought much joy to them over the years. My family always believed in celebrating festivals irrespective of religion. I received a beautiful Hamlyn illustrated children's bible from my parents for my 6th birthday, so I grew up knowing and loving Christmas for everything it stood for.My childhood Christmas memories involved decorating the manger, the Christmas tree, and my mom roasting a turkey or chicken and of course, the mandatory wine and cake! There's this lovely rice wine that my mom makes, which I have personally never made, but hopefully will feature on this blog some day...I decided to feature for Christmas these simple and easy-to-make jam drops, which children absolutely love. I baked these for the Christmas potluck party at the school I work at and it was a hit not just with the kids, but my colleagues too! This recipe is from a book called "Grandmas's Quick and Thrifty Cookbook" published by Reader's Digest, gifted to me by my dad and mom. My dad has this lovely habit of buying books, cookbooks as well as general knowledge and novels "abridged-version" books, from the Reader's Digest catalogues, from as long as I can remember! As a result of this, I have an enviable collection of recipe books, all of which are real treasuretroves. I will be sharing more of these recipes as and when I cook/bake from them...</div>
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Ingredients (see notes below for substitutions)</div>
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125 g butter</div>
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1/3 cup caster sugar (I powdered 1/3 cup granulated sugar)</div>
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1 egg</div>
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1 cup (150 g) self-raising flour</div>
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1/2 cup (75 g) plain flour</div>
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1/4 cup (30 g) cornflour</div>
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2-4 tablespoons jam, any flavor (I used strawberry and pineapple)</div>
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Method</div>
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Preheat oven to 180 C.</div>
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Line two baking trays with parchment paper or just butter the trays like I did (or use nonstick ones).</div>
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Beat the sugar and butter in a bowl until creamy (best to use electric beaters-you can lick them clean later!).</div>
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Add the egg and beat until well combined.</div>
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Sift the flours and cornflour over this and stir them in using a wooden spoon until well combined.</div>
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You will get a dough that is a bit sticky-don't worry, just add in a little more flour to get a more workable dough.</div>
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Now you have two options-roll out teaspoons of the dough using your fingers and flatten them in discs. Place them onto the baking trays. Using your thumb, make small indentations in the center of each disc and spoon about 1/4 teaspoon of the jam into the cavity.</div>
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Or, you can roll out the whole ball of dough into a thin, large disc, like a chapati or tortilla, then cut out any shape you want using your cookie cutters. Then make indentations in the center using your thumb and place the jam in the cavities.</div>
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Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown at the edges.</div>
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Transfer to a wire rack to cool and store in airtight containers.</div>
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TIPS:</div>
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I could not find self-raising flour, so to substitute used the tips in the Joy of Baking website, which said, for every 1 cup of self-raising flour, use a substitute of 1 cup all purpose flour (maida) + 1-1/2 teaspoon baking powder + 1/4 teaspoon salt. This link is great for referring to when you need to substitute anything while baking-<a href="http://www.joyofbaking.com/IngredientSubstitution.html">Baking Ingredient Substitutes</a>.</div>
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It is best to use unsalted butter for this.</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I am linking this to the following events:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Khushi's <a href="http://yummyfood-khusi.blogspot.com/2011/11/bake-with-your-heart.html">Bake with your Heart</a></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Julie's <a href="http://erivumpuliyumm.blogspot.com/2011/11/announcing-my-first-blog-event.html">Christmas Delicacy</a></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgthsMqr3eodFgp4HZjnqlYlw5xxyWFHFalnHwpXYBx51LpIiyKCrWDHSmjneaehESUSQq0KR5rloG_JbU3b_e9qPcIskxZ7K29nbcWgvMTX1mqRKx2xKEOwN75UEFF2ojtuKaDb9MZKLDG/s1600/julie+event.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgthsMqr3eodFgp4HZjnqlYlw5xxyWFHFalnHwpXYBx51LpIiyKCrWDHSmjneaehESUSQq0KR5rloG_JbU3b_e9qPcIskxZ7K29nbcWgvMTX1mqRKx2xKEOwN75UEFF2ojtuKaDb9MZKLDG/s200/julie+event.jpg" width="150" /></a><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Adios till next time!</span><br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/300/7F8ADC72AD21F43886C0A01071270EA7.png" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px !important; border-color: initial !important; border-left-width: 0px !important; border-right-width: 0px !important; border-style: initial !important; border-top-width: 0px !important;" /></a><br />
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</div>Karishma VPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945136139407912234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8582417658986935198.post-50204947545055187652011-12-05T11:50:00.001+05:302011-12-05T18:50:27.141+05:30Baked Falafel (Chickpea Cutlets)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This recipe hits a double jackpot-one, its baked rather than fried and two, chickpeas kick up the protein quotient, especially if you're a vegetarian or have kids who you want to get some protein into, the tasty way!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Falafel is a very popular Mediterranean snack, usually deep fried. It is so popular that in Egypt, McDonalds has even introduced a McFalafel! I got this recipe from Prabha aunty, who is a gifted homemaker, having a warm, lovely house with a very inviting ambience to it. She obviously has a green thumb as there is a beautiful garden full of non-flowering plants (cacti, mostly). She is also a culinary expert, going by the taste of these cutlets that she made (and also the pineapple cookies that she had baked the morning that we visited her). I immediately mentally filed this away as the perfect savory snack for my son to take to school. I may have made some modifications in it from what she said. So far, I've made it twice or thrice already, freezing it in batches. I just happened to bake it one day and it came out perfectly browned and crisp, with just a drop of oil on both sides! Here's the recipe now-</span></div>
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<a name='more'></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">To make 10-12 medium-sized cutlets</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> <u>Ingredients:</u></span></div>
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<ol>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 cup chickpeas, soaked overnight or for 6-8 hours (I used white chickpeas-Kabuli chana)</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 big onion, chopped fine</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2 green chillies, chopped fine (increase or decrease to taste)</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 teaspoon chopped ginger</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">A couple of curry leaves, chopped fine</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/2 to 1 teaspoon garam masala powder</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Salt to taste</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">A pinch of soda bicarbonate (baking soda)</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/2 cup fresh or dried breadcrumbs</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">A teaspoon of oil for each cutlet you bake (if you're deep frying or shallow frying, about 1/4 cup oil)</span></li>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> <u>Method:</u></span></div>
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<ul>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Drain the water in which the chickpeas have been soaked.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Put the chickpeas in a pressurecooker, with enough water to cover, a pinch of soda bicarb and a teaspoon of salt.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Close the cooker and after the first whistle, simmer for 8 to 10 minutes.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">When cool, remove the chickpeas, drain the water completely, remove the skin (if needed), and mash with fingertips until you get a smooth paste. Make sure it's not watery.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Now just add the rest of the ingredients, from nos. 2 through 8, into the chickpeas and combine everything well with fingertips.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Shape into lemon-sized balls, flatten, and roll around in the breadcrumbs.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Preheat oven to 180 C.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Place a drop of oil under each cutlet and on top.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Bake for 20 to 30 minutes until brown and crisp (turning over after 10 to 15 minutes).</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">If you are deep frying, just heat 1/4 to 1/2 cup oil and drop the cutlets in, turning over when they turn golden brown. Drain on paper towels and serve hot.</span></li>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> TIPS:</span></div>
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<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">If you make these in large quantities, you can store it conveniently in the freezer and use as required. Make them on weekends and store for a week or two ahead. After you roll them in breadcrumbs, place them in flat freezer-safe containers with a little space in between them, so that it makes it easier to remove when needed. Now you can store them in the freezerware itself, or after they get frozen, remove them and just drop into a Ziplock bag and place them back in the freezer. Ziplock bags score over others for me because they take up less space.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">If you find it difficult to shape these cutlets, adding some of the breadcrumbs into the chickpea mixture itself helps to bind them a little better.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The traditional falafel recipes include the use of flour as a binding agent. These are then directly deep fried. Bread crumbs are not used.</span></li>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I am linking this to the following events:</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Khushi's <a href="http://yummyfood-khusi.blogspot.com/2011/11/bake-with-your-heart.html">Bake With Your Heart</a></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Julie's <a href="http://erivumpuliyumm.blogspot.com/2011/11/announcing-my-first-blog-event.html">Christmas Delicacy</a></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRTUNyMtXDmsW_ON6990_pM8Tv7O26plMD4hvLgEViS2oByTT3NwsHqtvfZZuiMYddLXGHsQisxAkYsv1jE-hEizbwARgUtqoQFqpBaaoSOr5cYUIAW7ueK1YMSDtPG5XuPFjBUoTXoiyq/s1600/julie+event.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRTUNyMtXDmsW_ON6990_pM8Tv7O26plMD4hvLgEViS2oByTT3NwsHqtvfZZuiMYddLXGHsQisxAkYsv1jE-hEizbwARgUtqoQFqpBaaoSOr5cYUIAW7ueK1YMSDtPG5XuPFjBUoTXoiyq/s200/julie+event.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/300/7F8ADC72AD21F43886C0A01071270EA7.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a></div>Karishma VPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945136139407912234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8582417658986935198.post-80991376148844107472011-11-27T15:23:00.001+05:302011-11-27T18:54:54.877+05:30Banana Nutella Mini Muffins<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Anyone who has been reading my blog over the last few posts must be now nodding their heads and thinking, "this lady really has gone bonkers over Nutella". Oh well, not that I can defend myself against that! I've been reading so many recipes for Nutella cupcakes, most involving only 3 ingredients-Nutella, flour, and an egg. I was wondering how they will rise up without the mandatory baking powder or baking soda and while I do admit that it is a problem with these recipes (at least for me), it does not in any way detract from the taste of these mini-beauties. I have adapted this from <a href="http://www.momtastic.com/cooking-recipes/dessert/167297-nutella-banana-mini-cupcakes">here.</a> </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">For this, I just whipped up all the ingredients in the Nutella jar itself! Of course, it had just the right amount of Nutella remaining-so I thought why mix it up in another bowl when I can make sure every drop of Nutella is utilized this way-scraping it off would have left some precious chocolate back in the jar anyway. These were baked for my son to take to school this week-as I mentioned before, I usually bake a batch of cookies, cupcakes or freeze a dozen cutlets/nuggets on Sundays, to be used during the following week. So I am filing this away in my </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://cookwithkary.blogspot.com/p/recipe-index-toddler-treats.html">Toddler Treats Section</a>, although now I know it byheart as I've baked these twice already :-).</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Before I go into the recipe, I'm happy to say I've been presented with the Leibster Blog Award-that too by the only novelist in my family-Dan Smith. In German, "Leibster" means "sweet, kind, nice, beloved, endearing"...you get the drift! And the award is given to encourage new and upcoming blogs that have a following of less than 200. Thanks, Dan!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">A word about Dan- he has already written many books, of which Dry Season, was shortlisted for the Author's Club Best First Novel and the Brit Writers Award. Here's to more books from him-you can read his blog <a href="http://dansmithsbooks.wordpress.com/">here.</a> I'm passing on this award to one of my best friends Emreen who blogs at <a href="http://www.liventhingsup.blogspot.com/">Liven Things Up</a> and also to the very talented Panjami Anand who writes the most thoughtful and lovely poetry over at <a href="http://ruminationamidstsolitude.blogspot.com/">Rumination Amidst Solitude</a>. She has recently brought out an ebook of her poetry (which you can buy at her site).</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">These are the rules of the award:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1. Thank the giver and link back to the blogger who gave it to you. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2. Copy and paste the award on your blog.</span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">3. Award it to your five favorite bloggers and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Doesn't this call for a celebration with a sweet treat? Here's the recipe now!</span></div>
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<a name='more'></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Ingredients:</span><br />
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<ol>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/2 cup Nutella</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1egg</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2 tablespoons all purpose flour (maida)</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/4 cup mashed banana (see tips below)</span></li>
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<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl with a spoon or whisk until well combined.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Preheat oven to 180 C.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Grease the mini-muffin or cupcake pan cavities with butter or line them with cupcake liners.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Pour the batter until the cavities are half full.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Bake at 180 C for 10 to 15 minutes or until a knife/toothpick comes out clean.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Take out of the oven and leave to cool.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Remove from the pan and have them plain or with a spread of more Nutella on top!</span></li>
</ul>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">TIPS:</span></div>
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<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">These can be refrigerated for up to a week.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Over-ripe bananas are best for this as it will be more moist.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">You can omit the bananas and just stick to the first three ingredients.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">You could also include any of your favorite cupcake add-ons, like chocolate chips, fruit pieces, candied fruit, etc.</span></li>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I'm linking this to the following events:</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Bake With Your Heart at Khushi's <a href="http://yummyfood-khusi.blogspot.com/2011/11/bake-with-your-heart.html">A Girl's Diary</a></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Bake Fest at Vardhini's <a href="http://vardhiniskitchen.blogspot.com/2011/10/bake-fest-1-new-event-announcement.html">Zesty Palette</a>.</span></div>
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</div>Karishma VPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945136139407912234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8582417658986935198.post-40135012552204723862011-11-11T19:33:00.001+05:302011-11-12T13:31:46.405+05:30Nutella Butter Cookies-Pinwheel and Stuffed Paradise!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This is one of the few times when I really really wish a photograph could bring you the real taste, aroma, and texture of the food I blog about. These cookies are the absolute best of any cookie I've baked so far, and I've tried quite a few recipes over the years-everything from magazines, blogs, to the cookie recipe on the back of the Wilton cookie cutter set-but this one beats them all hands down! Its from one of my favorite bloggers, Shaheen of The Purple Foodie (see original recipe <a href="http://purplefoodie.com/nutella-pinwheel-cookies/">here</a>). I also used some tips from another blogger I like, Magpie, who had baked these and blogged about it <a href="http://magpiesrecipes.blogspot.com/2011/04/nutella-stuffed-butter-cookies-and.html">here</a>. After a long weekend break, getting back to work also required making a fresh batch of sweet and savory snacks for my son to take to school and this was something I knew would be just right for him. But don't fool yourself into thinking this is just for kids (even though I'm adding it to my <a href="http://cookwithkary.blogspot.com/p/recipe-index-toddler-treats.html">Toddler Treats section</a>). Everybody who loves butter and Nutella will find this irresistible! You'll find the original recipe below, with my modifications in brackets, and further tips below that.</span><br />
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<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">125 g butter, softened (I used only 100 g-personally, I like it unsalted)</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/2 cup sugar</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 egg yolk</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 teaspoon vanilla essence</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 heaped cup all purpose flour (maida), sifted once</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/4 cup Nutella (I did not measure-used it generously to spread on the cookies-just make sure its not too much or it will ooze out)</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2-3 tablespoons toasted and chopped hazelnuts (I omitted this).</span></li>
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<ul>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Preheat oven to 175 C.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">With an electric beater, combine the butter and sugar until creamy.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Add the vanilla essence and egg yolk and beat again until well combined.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Now stir in the flour with a spoon, just enough to bring everything together into a loose dough.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Refrigerate for half an hour.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Take out and place the dough on a rolling board and roll it out into a rectangle shape, about 1/4 inch thick.</span></li>
</ul>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><u><i>To make pinwheel shaped cookies:</i></u></b></span></div>
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<ul>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Now this is where Magpie comes in-this dough is very very buttery and soft, which is what makes it so easy to gobble down but also so difficult to roll! So Magpie's tip was to store the dough in a Ziplock bag in the fridge, then take it out and cut out the sides of the bag, and roll out the dough when it is inside the bag itself. Lift up the top cover and spread the Nutella on top of the flattened dough. Make sure there is some empty space on all 4 sides or else the Nutella will ooze out when baking. Holding the edge of the bottom Ziplock sheet, lift up and roll the dough sheet back on itself, like a Swiss roll.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Keep the roll covered in the Ziplock bag and refrigerate for another 15 minutes.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Now cut the roll into slices, either with a knife or if you want a more neater cut, use a firm wire (Shaheen's tip) or a toothpick(Magpie's tip).</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Place the slices on a nonstick baking sheet (or line a baking tray with butter paper or grease it with some butter).</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown at the edges (this depends on your oven-mine got to this point within 10 minutes, maybe because the temperature was too high in my oven).</span></li>
</ul>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><i><u>To make stuffed cookies (like Magpie's)</u></i></b></span></div>
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<ul>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Reserve a little bit of the dough, pinch out lemon-sized balls and divide each into two parts. Flatten a small ball on your palm, place a dollop of Nutella on it, then flatten another small ball and place it on top of that.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Pinch the sides to seal, then just flatten both together to make a disc shape.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Place on baking tray and bake 10 to 15 minutes.</span></li>
</ul>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I strongly urge you to try this recipe out-it's just tooo goood, so good in fact that I'm adding it to my recipe file as my "Go-To Recipe For Basic Cookies"!. I think with a dough like this, your imagination is really the limit-you can use different types of spreads and fillings, garnish and sprinkle it with your favorite toppings, or just have it plain-it's that delicious!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">On another note, I'm happy to say that my recipe for <a href="http://cookwithkary.blogspot.com/2011/11/citrusy-fresh-orange-cake.html">Citrusy Fresh Orange Cake</a> was featured and selected as the Sweet Recipe of the Week at Haley's popular blog event <a href="http://athomewithhaley.blogspot.com/2011/11/recipes-i-cant-wait-to-try-53.html">Recipes I Can't Wait To Try #53</a>. Do you need any other excuses to bake it now?!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Linking this to:</span></div>
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</div>Karishma VPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945136139407912234noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8582417658986935198.post-50214545301203240932011-11-07T14:07:00.001+05:302011-11-12T13:32:00.997+05:30Citrusy Fresh Orange Cake<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Update: This recipe was chosen on Haley's popular blog as the "Sweet Recipe I Can't Wait To Try" for the event <a href="http://athomewithhaley.blogspot.com/2011/11/recipes-i-cant-wait-to-try-53.html">#53</a>, first week of November 2011. Thanks Haley for the sweet thumbsup!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This is a cake that I had first baked for my husband's birthday a few years ago (since he's not a fan of chocolate, I obviously couldn't bake any of <i>my</i> favorite chocolate cakes!). This recipe has been a keeper ever since! I baked it again a few days ago, this time adding some Nutella as an extra topping. Whether you choose to have this cake on its own (without any topping or glaze) or use the orange glaze or add an extra topping like chocolate syrup, Nutella, vanilla icecream, whipped cream, etc., you can be sure you'll get a perfect blend of flavors with the soft and moist citrusy orange cake. Its perfect for any occasion or just as a treat to make your everyday teatime special. Sadly, I have not noted down the original source of the recipe, so can't attribute any here, but if any of you know, please let me know and I'll be happy to update with it!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> <u>Cake Ingredients:</u></span><br />
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<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span lang="en-IN">2 cups</span><span lang="en-US"> all purpose </span><span lang="en-US">flour (maida)</span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span lang="en-IN">1 cup</span><span lang="en-US"> </span><span lang="en-US">powdered sugar</span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span lang="en-IN">1- cup unsalted</span><span lang="en-US"> </span><span lang="en-US">butter</span><span lang="en-IN">, softened (can reduce this amount to half or 3/4th)</span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span lang="en-IN">2</span><span lang="en-US"> </span><span lang="en-US">eggs</span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span lang="en-IN">1/2 tsp</span><span lang="en-US"> </span><span lang="en-US">salt</span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span lang="en-IN">2 tsps</span><span lang="en-US"> </span><span lang="en-US">baking powder</span><span lang="en-IN">,</span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span lang="en-IN">Zest</span><span lang="en-US"> </span><span lang="en-IN">from one</span><span lang="en-US"> </span><span lang="en-US">orange</span><span lang="en-US"> </span><span lang="en-IN">(I had omitted this)</span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span lang="en-IN">1/2 cup</span><span lang="en-US"> </span><span lang="en-US">orange juice, </span><span lang="en-IN">if using canned juice. If using fresh juice, use 1 cup (I used fresh).</span></span></li>
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<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees for 10 mins.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Sift the flour, salt, and baking powder thrice and set aside.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In a bowl, beat the eggs until smooth.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Add the sugar and butter and beat until creamy.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">With a spoon, stir in the zest and the juice of the orange at this point.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Fold the flour mixture gently. Do not over-mix but make sure everything is well incorporated.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Pour the mixture into a greased pan.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Bake for 30 mins or until skewer inserted comes out clean.</span></li>
</ul>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> <u>Orange Glaze Ingredients:</u></span><br />
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<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span lang="en-IN">Juice</span><span lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal;"> </span><span lang="en-IN" style="font-style: normal;">from one</span><span lang="en-US" style="font-style: normal;"> orange</span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span lang="en-IN">1/4 cup</span><span lang="en-US"> sugar</span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span lang="en-IN">2-3 drops of</span><span lang="en-US"> orange color </span><span lang="en-IN">(optional-I omitted this),</span></span></li>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Mix the sugar and the orange juice and place it in a small pan.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">On low heat, keep stirring the mixture until the sugar is dissolved. If using color, add at this point.</span><br />
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<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Once the cake is done, try to remove it from the tin immediately and transfer onto a plate or turntable.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">If the cake has puffed up in the middle, turn it over so that you have a smooth surface.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Pour the glaze over the cake immediately. Allow it to cool down completely and then cut into pieces.</span></li>
</ul>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> TIPS: </span><br />
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<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">If you can't find unsalted butter, then just use salted butter and omit the extra salt.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">For tips on how to zest an orange, read </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://www.ehow.com/how_4869620_zest-an-orange.html">this.</a></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">If you find it difficult to remove the cake from the tin when it is still hot, then just pour the glaze over the cake in the tin itself. Remove when cool.</span></li>
</ul>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Linking this to the following:</span><br />
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<a href="http://alli-n-son.com/sweet-tooth-friday/" mce_href="http://alli-n-son.com/sweet-tooth-friday/" target="_blank"><img border="0" mce_src="http://alli-n-son.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/SweetToothFriday.jpg" src="http://alli-n-son.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/SweetToothFriday.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.aroundmyfamilytable.com/" target="_blank" title="Around My Family Table"><img alt="Around My Family Table" src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y100/waoneal/buttonthree.gif" /></a><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://www.ekatskitchen.com/">Friday Potluck at Ekat's Kitchen</a></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">That's it for now! Ciao friends...see you around soon!</span></div>
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/300/7F8ADC72AD21F43886C0A01071270EA7.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a></div>Karishma VPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945136139407912234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8582417658986935198.post-42682725250907122692011-11-04T23:44:00.000+05:302011-11-12T13:32:18.691+05:30Caramel Cake with Butterscotch Icing<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This is the cake I baked for my dad's birthday a few days ago. We had an amazing time at home with my aunts and uncles and cousins, having a blast! Everyone loved this cake, especially my mom's sister, Geetha aunty, a culinary expert herself who still whips up mouthwatering dishes that are part of my fond childhood memories. Nowadays, when anyone asks me for recipes, I always refer them to this blog and airily say "check my blog/I'll post it on my blog"! So when she asked for this recipe, I promised to put it up here in no time-and so here it is-a surefire way to bake a decadently delicious, rich and moist buttery caramelly cake that will take your heart away!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This may not be the best looking cake I ever baked, thanks to baking it hurriedly on the morning of my dad's birthday, just before an outing, plus no natural light on account of the rainstorms here, and the brown sugar that just didn't melt as it should have and various other factors that just go to show that the baker is not at fault here...ha ha ha! Anyway, I hope to make it look better the next time I bake it, but basically my cooking funda is that if it tastes great, then looks don't matter...what do you say?</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This is a hodgepodge from different places on the web and from TV shows (notably Jagee's Cookbook and <a href="http://fajishotpot.blogspot.com/2010/07/caramel-cake-with-butterscotch-icing.html">Faji's Hot Pot</a>). You can mix and match and experiment with it.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">For the cake:</span></div>
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/2 cup sugar + 1/2 cup water for the caramel syrup</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/2 cup powdered sugar</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">100 g butter</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">5 eggs</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/4 cup condensed milk</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 cup all purpose flour (maida)</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 teaspoon baking powder</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 teaspoon soda bicarbonate</span></li>
</ol>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">For the icing:</span><br />
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 cup brown sugar (demerrara sugar)</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 cup icing sugar</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">3 tablespoon butter</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">3 tablespoon milk</span></li>
</ol>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">For the caramel syrup:</span><br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Heat a nonstick pan and put in the half cup sugar. Leave it to simmer on a very low flame. Do not stir.</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">When it becomes syrupy brown, add half a cup of boiling water into it (while still simmering on a very low flame). Now stir it or twirl the pan around and take it off the flame. Keep aside.</span></li>
</ul>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">For the cake:</span><br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Sieve the all purpose flour with the baking powder and baking soda and keep aside.</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In a mixing bowl, break the 5 eggs and beat with the electric beater until it forms soft peaks.</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Take another mixing bowl and tip in the powdered sugar and butter. Beat with an electric beater until it becomes soft and fluffy.</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">To this, add the condensed milk and beat again (1 more minute).</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Now add half the egg mixture and beat again (1 more minute).</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Add the flour to this and mix with a wooden spoon (do not use the electric beater after you've added the flour).</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Add the remaining half of the egg mixture and the prepared caramel syrup and mix everything until well combined.</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Preheat your oven to 180 C.</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Prepare your cake tin, either by brushing with butter, dusting with flour, or lining with butter/parchment paper.</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Pour the batter into the tin and bake in the oven at 180 C for 30 minutes (please note that this depends on your oven-check the cake 5 minutes sooner or later).</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Test with a tester/toothpick to see if the cake is done. If it comes out clean, with no crumbs attached, time to take the cake out!</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">When the tin is cool, remove the cake and transfer to a plate.</span></li>
</ul>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">For the icing:</span><br />
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Heat a nonstick pan, add the butter.</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">When it melts, add the brown sugar. Make sure it melts fully.</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Now add the milk and mix well. Take off the flame.</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Then add the icing sugar and mix again.</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">When the cake is cool and the icing is cool, you could either spread this on top of the cake and sides (or just let it drizzle down the sides like I did). You could also cut the cake into two halves horizontally and spread the icing like a sandwich spread on one half of the cake, putting the other half on top, and using the remaining icing to decorate the top and sides of the cake.</span></li>
</ul>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Psst....if you are the artistic type, go ahead and decorate the cake with icing flowers and whatnot!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Enjoy with family and friends!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Linking this to:</span></div>
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<a href="http://alli-n-son.com/sweet-tooth-friday/" mce_href="http://alli-n-son.com/sweet-tooth-friday/" target="_blank"><img border="0" mce_src="http://alli-n-son.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/SweetToothFriday.jpg" src="http://alli-n-son.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/SweetToothFriday.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/300/7F8ADC72AD21F43886C0A01071270EA7.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a></div>Karishma VPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945136139407912234noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8582417658986935198.post-20561121819801280012011-10-26T12:05:00.001+05:302011-11-12T13:32:33.923+05:30Happy Diwali-with a deliciously rich Carrot-Dates-Cashew Kheer!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSg8sSrou-btVAeGvROyxaRnHJ5h1HJUW9PoRaUv8GPUusPbnv5osV8-NESFSEGkfdfn8YuTlpAiHpLN0t3KM_q-SKjtPy6zJWSRw0pV59IInuiB5a-Y4CrjPdZwp52caWfI7gITwa63j4/s1600/DSC07287.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSg8sSrou-btVAeGvROyxaRnHJ5h1HJUW9PoRaUv8GPUusPbnv5osV8-NESFSEGkfdfn8YuTlpAiHpLN0t3KM_q-SKjtPy6zJWSRw0pV59IInuiB5a-Y4CrjPdZwp52caWfI7gITwa63j4/s400/DSC07287.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><b>Wishing all my readers a very happy Diwali-May "the festival of lights" light up your life and bring much needed joy and positive energy to the whole world!</b></i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">There are so many different sweets that are traditionally made for Diwali. One of the more commonplace ingredients is carrots-this is made into halwa and and burfi and kheer and whatnot....My recipe here is one my mom gave me a few years ago and which is always slurped up and finished in no time whenever I make it...Here's the recipe, which can be made in no time!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 14px;">Ingredients:</span><br />
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<li>Carrots-2 cups, grated</li>
<li>Dates-8 nos., seedless</li>
<li>Cashewnuts-100 g</li>
<li>Milk-4 cups</li>
<li>Sugar-1/2 cup</li>
<li>Condensed milk-400 g (1 tin)</li>
<li>Cardamom powder-1 teaspoon</li>
<li>Ghee-2 tablespoons</li>
<li>Cashewnuts and raisins-1 tablespoon each, fried in ghee, for garnishing.</li>
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<li>Soak the cashewnuts in 1 cup milk.</li>
<li>In a heavy bottomed pan, pour the ghee and when it heats up, add the carrots.</li>
<li>Stir, on low heat, until the carrot changes color and becomes soft (about 5 minutes).</li>
<li>Transfer to a plate to let it cool.</li>
<li>Transfer the carrots to a blender, adding the cashewnuts (with the milk) and the dates. Add 1 more cup of milk and blend till it becomes a smooth paste.</li>
<li>In the heavy bottomed pan, pour the remaining 2 cups of milk and add the sugar. Let it come to a boil.</li>
<li>Now add the ground paste and bring to the boil again.</li>
<li>When it thickens, add the cardamom powder and condensed milk.</li>
<li>Simmer for 1 more minute and remove from heat.</li>
<li>Decorate with fried nuts.</li>
<li>Best served chilled.</li>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Linking this special dish to the following wonderful Diwali events at some lovely yummy blogs:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> <a href="http://yummyfood-khusi.blogspot.com/2011/09/my-diwali-my-way.html">Khushi's A Girl's Diary</a></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5fpPeGBYfmCd1BoXrd7z3xrGoPxuql_69286SvuJls8qijgiR1Jd5nMFscCkbXiuaceBkVGV0HfbzeyY0WmOmj14XZYCqGQtchUIVBoZxn1F612VCCeg-HubOztRAChQOYQeYT07Z79Qm/s1600/my+diwali.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;"><img border="0" height="147" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5fpPeGBYfmCd1BoXrd7z3xrGoPxuql_69286SvuJls8qijgiR1Jd5nMFscCkbXiuaceBkVGV0HfbzeyY0WmOmj14XZYCqGQtchUIVBoZxn1F612VCCeg-HubOztRAChQOYQeYT07Z79Qm/s200/my+diwali.JPG" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> <a href="http://anuzhealthykitchen.blogspot.com/2011/08/diwali-festival-of-lights-event-aug.html">Anu's Healthy Kitchen</a></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><i>For other sweets that you could make for Diwali, see this post-<a href="http://cookwithkary.blogspot.com/2011/10/super-delicious-entries-to-100-yummy.html">Diwali Sweets Roundup</a></i></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><i>To download a FREE Diwali Sweets E-book compiled by Indus Ladies featuring recipes from bloggers all over (including yours truly), go here-<a href="http://www.indusladies.com/forums/announcements/148569-free-download-100-yummy-diwali.html">Free Diwali Sweets E-Book</a></i></b></span><br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><i><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/300/7F8ADC72AD21F43886C0A01071270EA7.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></i></b></span></a></div>
</div>Karishma VPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945136139407912234noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8582417658986935198.post-85500116889972603012011-10-17T23:18:00.000+05:302011-11-12T13:32:46.431+05:30Snow Pea (Avara) Stir-fry Kerala Style<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This is one vegetable that has so many different names! In Kerala, it is commonly called "avara", in Tamil Nadu its called "amarakkai", in English it is known as snow pea/mangetout/broad beans. I'm not even sure if this is 100% accurate, but based on my superficial Internet research, I have to leave it at that. It is one of my favorite vegetables, while also having the dubious honor of being the one I very rarely get right! You know there are some dishes that only your mom can get right and no matter how hard you try, you can never match up to how she makes it? Know what I'm talking about, right? For this, I find it quite tricky knowing just when to take it off the flame, since it cooks quickly, but it's also very delicious, healthy and elegant in its simplicity. Just a few basic ingredients thrown together give this simple vegetable a lovely flavor...So here's how my mom makes it!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Ingredients (to serve 4)</span></div>
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<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Avara (Snow Peas)-250 g</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Pearl onions (cheriya-ulli or kunjulli)-10</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Dried red chillies-4</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Curry leaves-1 sprig or 10 leaves</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Turmeric powder-1/2 teaspoon</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Salt to taste</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Oil-2 to 4 teaspoons</span></li>
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<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">First, wash the snow peas. Then snip off both ends in a way that lets you peel off the string on the side of the snow pea. If they are larger, cut each into 2, horizontally. If smaller, leave them whole.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Peel the pearl onions, but do not cut or slice. Leave them whole.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Snap each of the dried red chillies into 2 halves.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Now heat up a pan and pour the oil into it.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Tip in the curry leaves, chillies, and onions. Saute for 1 minute till the onions turn pinkish.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Add the snow peas into this.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Sprinkle the turmeric and salt and mix well.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Sprinkle some water on top, cover with a lid, and let it cook till done (about 5 to 10 minutes).</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Serve immediately.</span></li>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Goes well with rice and dal.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Linking this to The Kerala Kitchen October Event hosted by Khushi at her lovely blog <a href="http://yummyfood-khusi.blogspot.com/2011/09/kerala-kitchen-event.html">A Girl's Diary</a> and also to the <a href="http://thekeralakitchen.blogspot.com/p/about.html">Kerala Kitchen blog</a>.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbu74roHESdQj1p-hQ1Gj94sJtUnmcVJ1fs7RJPQpAAPTtf_iZuUOEMBB5LjFf031Na4TyhXrng7L6DKMultsJLJwKZulgf03KlgD-Yz6V9ZUehV14fKKVCRoylu46g539eRCHa9IPTM2Y/s1600/KK.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbu74roHESdQj1p-hQ1Gj94sJtUnmcVJ1fs7RJPQpAAPTtf_iZuUOEMBB5LjFf031Na4TyhXrng7L6DKMultsJLJwKZulgf03KlgD-Yz6V9ZUehV14fKKVCRoylu46g539eRCHa9IPTM2Y/s200/KK.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Also linking it to the very creative event called Food Palette Series started by Akheela. Obviously, the color for this entry will be green!</span><br />
<a href="http://torviewtoronto.blogspot.com/2011/09/food-palette-series-finale-rainbow.html"><img height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pmKxpPg6-IY/TmVJPe42wlI/AAAAAAAADLE/hutNxK-DyGM/s200/foodpalettefinale.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/300/7F8ADC72AD21F43886C0A01071270EA7.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a></div>
</div>Karishma VPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945136139407912234noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8582417658986935198.post-47414620687172294502011-10-15T18:50:00.000+05:302011-11-12T13:33:04.935+05:30Free Download-100 Yummy Diwali Sweet Recipes E-book from Indus Ladies!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I'm so thrilled to announce that one of my recipes has been selected to be included in the Indus Ladies Diwali sweets ebook. If you read my <a href="http://cookwithkary.blogspot.com/2011/10/super-delicious-entries-to-100-yummy.html">previous post</a>, you'll know that I had submitted 6 recipes to the contest. Now I'm even more happy to say that the ebook is now available for free download on Indus Ladies website, so now all of you have a ready reckoner for all your Diwali sweets. Just refer this one book which are tried and tested and trusted recipes from food bloggers around the world! I'm so proud to have my name and my blog included along with the best. This is surely a milestone in my blogging journey that I will remember fondly in the years to come...</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Psst...the recipe from my blog that got selected is on page 187...Choconut Swirls-my son's favorite!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Just click <a href="http://www.indusladies.com/forums/announcements/148569-free-download-100-yummy-diwali.html">here</a> for the free download, which will take you the Indus Ladies forum page. Scroll down a little and you will find the link for the ebook. Just in case, here's the link again:</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://www.indusladies.com/forums/announcements/148569-free-download-100-yummy-diwali.html">http://www.indusladies.com/forums/announcements/148569-free-download-100-yummy-diwali.html</a></span></div>
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</div>Karishma VPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945136139407912234noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8582417658986935198.post-52359132216625192342011-10-08T13:02:00.002+05:302011-11-12T13:33:29.661+05:30Super-delicious entries to the "100 Yummy Diwali Sweet Recipes E-book"-Free from Indus Ladies!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Indus Ladies is one of the most popular forums for Indian women across the globe. This Diwali, stay tuned to this space for an announcement to download an e-book that they are compiling of 100 delicious recipes for Diwali treats, all from bloggers around the world! If you are a blogger, you can submit your entries to partners@indusladies.com (today is the last date, by the way! Trust me to do everything at the last minute!!). For more details, check out the announcement here at <a href="http://www.indusladies.com/forums/announcements/147072-100-yummy-diwali-sweet-recipes.html">the Indus Ladies forum</a>. But here are the details anyway:</span><br />
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<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 24px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">"For the upcoming Diwali on October 26th, 2011, we at Indusladies are compiling an E-Book called “100 Yummy Diwali SweetRecipes”. We are collecting sweet/dessert recipes from various bloggers to be featured in this E-Book.</em></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></em></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">This E-book will be made available as a free download to our community’s 1.3 Lakh+ members. In addition, we will also be making this E-Book available to our 9000+ Facebook fans and Twitter followers. It’s LOTS and LOTS of exposure to those food blogs entering the E-Book!! We believe this would be a nice way to get the word out about a wonderful blog to the entire membership of IndusLadies!!</em></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></em></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Those bloggers interested in submitting a recipe for this E-Book…all you need to do is as follows:</em></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">1. Send a link from your blog for a sweet /dessert recipe. It should also include the picture of the sweet/dessert. Your recipe, food picture, recipe URL as well as the entire blog URL will get featured in the E-Book.</em></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">2. In return, we need you to do two things: -</em></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">- Now make a blog post in your blog announcing the E-Book compilation by IndusLadies and the recipe you are sending for this E-Book. That way inviting your co-bloggers interested to send in their contribution by Oct 10th,2011.</em></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">- Between Oct 11 and Oct 26, make a blog post featuring the E-Book and announcing it is available for FREE download in IndusLadies. We will be providing you sooner with the picture of the E-Book’s cover page that you will use to include in this blog post.</em></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Any blogger interested can send their entry to <strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">partners@indusladies.com</strong></em><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> by October 8th."</em></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 24px;">These are my entries to the event. I am sure these will be loved by both kids and grownups alike!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 24px;"><a href="http://cookwithkary.blogspot.com/2010/09/stewed-apricots_24.html">Khubani-Ka-Meetha (Stewed Apricots)</a></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwEgbUN_ZaptdOgCKd4P4SxFqF7qyEn3EQR0n8CRUtQhfcW0XRfqopkvECS7afLBYsxJxa5wmVA9JxhSAWxXNAyQaZi2A3tX_Wlj74DzYVT_Bjz9UdrPpHIwDrI5YE049ZqXcI5omz9Axb/s1600/DSC05031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwEgbUN_ZaptdOgCKd4P4SxFqF7qyEn3EQR0n8CRUtQhfcW0XRfqopkvECS7afLBYsxJxa5wmVA9JxhSAWxXNAyQaZi2A3tX_Wlj74DzYVT_Bjz9UdrPpHIwDrI5YE049ZqXcI5omz9Axb/s320/DSC05031.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 24px;"><a href="http://cookwithkary.blogspot.com/2011/09/shahi-tukra-royal-bread-pudding-easy.html">Shahi Tukra-The Royal Indian Bread Pudding</a></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLSbQmUuhitKnSS1BQ8mcoM_idLJiuxsjtG5pJyMp65oJlZj3l5IUXQTkrYk_N6fwd9EVorfDcPT7eKruN82ecRgL3Qgr57wTgTZPVd1hOCnKpRrzdhyphenhyphenfyfc4_snw9HCDGJUa9R5Q5B78G/s1600/DSC07130.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLSbQmUuhitKnSS1BQ8mcoM_idLJiuxsjtG5pJyMp65oJlZj3l5IUXQTkrYk_N6fwd9EVorfDcPT7eKruN82ecRgL3Qgr57wTgTZPVd1hOCnKpRrzdhyphenhyphenfyfc4_snw9HCDGJUa9R5Q5B78G/s320/DSC07130.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://cookwithkary.blogspot.com/2011/08/peanut-ladoosweet-balls.html">Peanut Ladoo</a></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi70yCmenhSOAzlxY41ZkL7Qu2oX4h3q_YqbLkw13ggCJNvXyqpjA_sQo9ryX8X1OD2CEL3CdxwDTSySKvzyeEZT4c-CvKEtK4DRa1TMgKtm-CpS_Lv2cT-gEH-QAChlgNJHaLALQU8ox-u/s1600/DSC06855.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi70yCmenhSOAzlxY41ZkL7Qu2oX4h3q_YqbLkw13ggCJNvXyqpjA_sQo9ryX8X1OD2CEL3CdxwDTSySKvzyeEZT4c-CvKEtK4DRa1TMgKtm-CpS_Lv2cT-gEH-QAChlgNJHaLALQU8ox-u/s320/DSC06855.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://cookwithkary.blogspot.com/2011/09/choco-nut-swirls-and-diamonds-and.html">Choco-Nut Swirls</a></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi47BOX6uPCEGlhBca0kDfbMLalJh2FZjdaE82TN2UvpQVh87nZsv9k-L2ULppAXwNVndpsyzYn6Ohhz7A7lmLq3RCzG04fGaDMTJjEwTN0RvTvsyGSODX2T3sRe-UkBnGQx3lJST_IG9R-/s1600/DSC07144.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi47BOX6uPCEGlhBca0kDfbMLalJh2FZjdaE82TN2UvpQVh87nZsv9k-L2ULppAXwNVndpsyzYn6Ohhz7A7lmLq3RCzG04fGaDMTJjEwTN0RvTvsyGSODX2T3sRe-UkBnGQx3lJST_IG9R-/s320/DSC07144.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://cookwithkary.blogspot.com/2011/06/easy-peasy-chocolate-fudge.html">Chocolate Fudge</a></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOdWR8IriPu7XCVctBKPkaMh6eNjJ41KZl6qpo4882cdjYvchgvlipkkOWFOXklKhT72vqRsjaLdkdDhjPD8l38aqsJZ4XfVlvjIAQstCJeaDuIL0LN0NvTbjtFnqfuKACTkbDTagdbRBe/s1600/DSC04762.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOdWR8IriPu7XCVctBKPkaMh6eNjJ41KZl6qpo4882cdjYvchgvlipkkOWFOXklKhT72vqRsjaLdkdDhjPD8l38aqsJZ4XfVlvjIAQstCJeaDuIL0LN0NvTbjtFnqfuKACTkbDTagdbRBe/s320/DSC04762.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://cookwithkary.blogspot.com/2011/09/biscuit-brownies.html">Biscuit Brownies</a></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ve_98ek2GkNeBzbG0IbhGCcTsTTqGvDGt_HIS7hv3u8czSHgEXpIbPj6VgcPE1-i4UgPP00rKCSVCaAFrYTJMOJKfsh-qV_Htjk92ifhql4cp-QetdQf-IHgZ_5N4dK7O2EJoFNTRZ-J/s1600/DSC06935.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ve_98ek2GkNeBzbG0IbhGCcTsTTqGvDGt_HIS7hv3u8czSHgEXpIbPj6VgcPE1-i4UgPP00rKCSVCaAFrYTJMOJKfsh-qV_Htjk92ifhql4cp-QetdQf-IHgZ_5N4dK7O2EJoFNTRZ-J/s320/DSC06935.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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</div>Karishma VPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945136139407912234noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8582417658986935198.post-49283590082912333922011-09-30T21:17:00.000+05:302011-11-12T13:33:37.780+05:30Pan-Fried Fish Surprise!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFjNKwhP_79gEn63vBACWWRBLhL7Z2iGLB7fJ1PoKbdR4zNv4Halx87omnwnsJXURW9tXKfU2UdDFgtYbm66uI0dIqxpZm7Zrhf_oX-HF1GsHsMhqSQVSpgnwYGkF_LNzRSIaQ-ffae9CG/s1600/DSC06330.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFjNKwhP_79gEn63vBACWWRBLhL7Z2iGLB7fJ1PoKbdR4zNv4Halx87omnwnsJXURW9tXKfU2UdDFgtYbm66uI0dIqxpZm7Zrhf_oX-HF1GsHsMhqSQVSpgnwYGkF_LNzRSIaQ-ffae9CG/s320/DSC06330.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I was thinking of recipes to submit to this month's The Kerala Kitchen event, which is one of the most popular events of the blogosphere, with recipes collected and showcased every month from different bloggers at <a href="http://www.thekeralakitchen.blogspot.com/">The Kerala Kitchen blog</a>. A few months ago, I had won the "Best Dish" award for my <a href="http://cookwithkary.blogspot.com/2011/02/fish-preserve-cannanorekannur-style.html">Pressure Cooker Fish Preserve</a>. Going through the Kerala Kitchen blog now, I was pleased as punch to see that I had been included in the hallowed list of members of the blog! So I get to flaunt a special badge showing off my <a href="http://thekeralakitchen.blogspot.com/p/members.html">membership</a> (see right side panel here). Of course, I had to celebrate and participate this month for sure! Browsing through my folder of photographs of dishes yet to be blogged, I came across this fish fry recipe which is a family favorite. This is something my mom makes frequently for dinner and goes perfectly with rice, bread, or chapathi. Why is it a "surprise", you might ask? Because it is remarkably simple to make and is perfect for those nights when you want to rustle up something tasty and healthy and satisfying really quickly (in about 30 minutes). Here's how to do it!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">To serve 4 people</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">4 or 8 half-inch slices of any fleshy fish (Sear fish ("neymeen/aikkoora" is best for this)</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> <u>For the marinade:</u></span></div>
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 teaspoon turmeric powder</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2 teaspoons chilli powder (adjust according to your taste level)</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Salt to taste</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste (optional)</span></li>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> <u>For the sauce:</u></span></div>
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2 large onions, sliced long and thin</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2 large tomatoes, sliced long and thin</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2-3 green chillies, slit lengthwise</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 small capsicum, sliced long and thin (optional)</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil (I use sunflower oil)</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Salt to taste.</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Pepper to taste.</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">A handful of coriander leaves, chopped fine.</span></li>
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<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Combine all the ingredients for the marinade with enough water to make a thick paste. Spread this on the fish slices and let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Now take a wide frying pan (one with a rim, which can accommodate all the fish pieces at the same time)</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Pour the oil into the pan and wait for it to heat up.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Now reduce the heat and place the fish slices in the pan.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">After 10 minutes, gently flip the fish over. It should be a golden color by now.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Sprinkle all the ingredients from the "Sauce" list on top of the fish. <u>Do not mix it now.</u></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Sprinkle salt and pepper also on top.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Cover with a lid and let it simmer. </span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Every 5 to 10 minutes of cooking, open the lid and give the onion-tomato mixture a stir, <u>without stirring the fish</u>. Sprinkle some water also on top.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">After about 15 minutes, it will be done. You will know when a </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">lovely smell of mouthwatering fish wafts through the lid!</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Open the lid, garnish with chopped coriander leaves, and serve immediately!</span></li>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I am submitting this to the <a href="http://divyascookbook.blogspot.com/2011/09/announcing-kerala-kitchen.html">Kerala Kitchen Event for October</a>, hosted by Divya at her lovely blog this month and also to the <a href="http://thekeralakitchen.blogspot.com/">Kerala Kitchen blog</a>, which is a treasuretrove of all recipes from past events as well as a collection of the most mouthwatering blogs from talented Malayalee ladies from around the world! Check it out!</span></div>
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</div>Karishma VPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945136139407912234noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8582417658986935198.post-14522468603866953632011-09-27T21:52:00.000+05:302011-09-28T00:08:56.931+05:30Choco-Nut Swirls (and diamonds and hearts and stars!)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">One of the advantages of having a one-hour commute from home to my place of work (looking at the brighter side of things) is that I get time to either read my backlog of books or browse a whole lot of blogs and sites...In this, a book, my phone, and Google Reader are my best friends! Towards the end of the week, I'm usually trawling the net for recipes to make for my son to take to school the following week, for his evening snack time. I bookmark them on the spot and then make them during the weekend, my trusted phone by my side...Those that my son loves, I blog about and those that he doesn't, get deleted :-)...</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Obviously, he enjoyed these and even my parents and friends found it delicious.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I was looking for ways to include more nuts into his diet as he doesn't like them raw (normally I sneak almond powder into his dosa batter or make sweet dishes incorporating nuts). This recipe is wonderful for including them in your toddler's diet. Of course, I'm filing it under my <a href="http://cookwithkary.blogspot.com/p/recipe-index-toddler-treats.html">Toddler Treats</a> collection and I have Archana Vivek to thank for this, from whose blog I found it. Check out the recipe at <a href="http://archguru.blogspot.com/2011/06/chocolate-rollsmini-bitesbm6.html">My Culinary Endeavours</a>. I have modified it a little by:</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1. Using a mixture of cashew nuts and almonds, while Archana used cashew nuts (she, in turn, had modified it from the original by using cashew nuts instead of coconut powder!).</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2. I also made it into different shapes using cookie cutters, just to make it more attractive for my son (while the original is shaped like a roll, which I also tried).</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So this recipe seems to be evolving and now its your turn to work your magic and make it your own! On to the recipe now!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Ingredients</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><u>For the chocolate layer:</u></span></div>
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<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">10-15 biscuits (digestive or plain biscuits-I used Marie)</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 tablespoon cocoa powder</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/4 to 1/2 cup cold milk</span></li>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><u>For the nut layer:</u></span><br />
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<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 cup powdered nuts (I used cashew nuts and almonds--you can use a mixture of nuts or just one kind)</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">3/4 cup sugar, powdered</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2 tablespoons melted butter</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 teaspoon cardamom powder</span></li>
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<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Powder the biscuits finely, in your blender.Transfer to a mixing bowl.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Add the cocoa powder and mix well.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Stir in the milk gradually, mixing it with your fingers to make a nice, firm dough (like for chapathi/poori, etc.) Keep this aside.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In another mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients mentioned above for the nut layer. Let it become a sticky dough.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Now spread a little butter on a clean surface or an inverted plate or your chapathi-rolling board.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Place the ball of chocolate dough on the surface and spread it out with either your palms or your rolling pin. It's okay if it breaks around the edges. Let it be about 1-inch thick.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Now take the nut dough and spread it, with your fingers, on top of the chocolate layer.</span></li>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><u>To make swirls or a roll shape:</u></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">After spreading the nut mixture on top of the flattened chocolate dough, roll this dough over into a cylindrical shape. Wrap it in aluminium foil or clingfilm and freeze it for 30 minutes. Take it out and cut into half-inch thick discs. It is ready to serve after a few minutes.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><u>To make other shapes:</u></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Once you have spread the nut mixture on the chocolate dough, take out your cookie cutters and cut out the desired shapes. Serve.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Make sure to store these in the refrigerator.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I'm linking this to the event Bookmarked Recipes at Aipi's yummy blog <a href="http://usmasala.blogspot.com/">US Masala</a></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeyvGAm5cpgUsDYrJ7IBZRA-swVc90PpUYnhzCaAGFPK3ZlVm8VjvH9ehP25Gn4JldVL40xKF0rmumuC8LtHe50za_6Ez7tvRp4bAoI2iTmgZvDIPbSh5sfjiFmJ_ONHyFISws1JYRkn4W/s1600/BookmarkRecipesEveryTuesday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeyvGAm5cpgUsDYrJ7IBZRA-swVc90PpUYnhzCaAGFPK3ZlVm8VjvH9ehP25Gn4JldVL40xKF0rmumuC8LtHe50za_6Ez7tvRp4bAoI2iTmgZvDIPbSh5sfjiFmJ_ONHyFISws1JYRkn4W/s1600/BookmarkRecipesEveryTuesday.jpg" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Also linking it to:</span><br />
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Karishma VPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945136139407912234noreply@blogger.com0