Everyday Exotic!!

My First Week Anniversary!!!

2011-08-27T08:59:00.002-05:00

I am like this excited child...always checking how many people liked and peeked at my blog!!!  I have officially completed 1 week in the blog world with 536 hits!!!  Love it!!! Keep it rolling you guys!  Thank you!!!

AK:-)))

Everyday Simplicity!!

2011-08-26T09:33:00.020-05:00

My lovely daughter is going to have a play date in another hour! She is so excited about it, as this is going to be her first one this whole summer...well...you see, we spent the summer in India, so we are left with couple more weeks before school starts and the routine sets in!! I can't wait for the play date either, so I can have a couple hours to myself, do my own things, just some basic stuff, enjoy some tea, watch some Indian soaps without being jolted every now and then and be summoned to referee the sibling fist fights!!! On retrospect...I am going to miss all that..... well.. I shall reserve my musings for another blog!!!

Now, my daughter's biggest concern is...if mommy dear, yours truly, is going to make something Indian for lunch and then if she will have to hide in embarrassment!! LOL!! kids!! I have assured her for the 4th time that I will make her something fun and her friend is going to loooooove it!!! I hope she does!!! So, I had to rake my mental cookbook to come up with that one item that will make the kids go ooh, should be yummy, deceptively wholesome, shouldn't be the regular sandwich or mac 'n' cheese and of course make my daughter proud!!! I think for a moment and a light bulb lights up in my head! Why not whip up Quesadillas ??!! Simple, uncomplicated, but with all the familiar taste that kids will want in a lunch! I whip up some real mean ones with fancy filling, sometimes, spicy, grilled and so on. But today, as I am set out to please my daughter and her friend, I want to keep it simple! Really simple!! So, here it is my friends... the humble tortilla gets a semi-gourmet makeover! Follow my simple steps for a yummy lunch in minutes!!

I will need ...

Some tortilla, whole wheat/whole grain/Sun dried tomato/spinach..any variety will do...I had some good old flour variety; Unsalted Butter and Mexican Cheese Blend!

Heat a flat bottomed skillet pan, smear some butter on it, lay the tortilla on it and let it crisp up for just a few seconds ...

Add a handful of the per-shredded Mexican cheese blend evenly over the tortilla. Top it with another tortilla and dot it evenly with 3/4th of a tablespoon of butter...

Let this cook up...you will see the bottom puff up a bit..I love that...that means it is crisping up and getting all yummy!!! Now, with a wide spatula, gently flip the tortilla sandwich over! The cheese should have melted at this point so you should not end up with a counter full of fly away cheese!! But, if you do...oops! Sorry! Should have waited a wee bit more!

Ok... your Quesadillias are ready!! Transfer them onto a cutting board. Run a pizza cutter or a chef's knife over to get perfect slices of 8 triangles!

Serve them immediately, lest they should get soggy on resting.... to hungry kids around or hungry self around with a dollop of sour cream and a drizzle of hot sauce (if can be stomached!). It is absolutely delish when gobbled up hot off the pan!!!

Verdict: Let me tell you the verdict later today....hold your horses will ya!!

I tiptoed into my kitchen.. did not want to intrude the kid's conversation.... when my daughter very proudly told her friend that I was an awesome cook...thanks sweetie for the vote of confidence...
I made the quesadillas, delivered while they were deeply engrossed in watching " Tangled" and waited....

Friend: Hmm... this is pretty good!! Shree...you were right!

Shree: beaming with pride...shows a thumbs up!

My son: Told Ya!!!!

Me: ooh! Survived a lunch date with picky eaters!!!! Now I can accomplish anything!!!

Krishna Janmashtami -- Celebration of the birth of the Indian God -- Krishna!!!

2011-08-23T07:45:00.007-05:00

To most of us around the world, celebrating one's own birthday is a big deal, but for us Indians, we celebrate ours, and our God's!! Today happens to be Lord Krishna's Birthday, based on the lunar calendar, falls on the 8th day after the new moon day .. ashtami! A little about Indian mythology...stories that we all grew up listening to from generations past, is an amazing web reflecting new age, modern life's tapestry!! We Indians generally draw our strength and inspirations to live from these age old mythological stories -- of which the 2 main gigantic epics being Ramayana (stories of Lord Rama) and Mahabharata (Stories of Lord Vishnu). Both being incarnations of the same form/God -- Narayana. Please do look up Dashavathar stories to learn about the 10 different incarnations, Ramayana and Mahabharata. I feel Krishna is very important in the realm of Indian spirituality.... why you may ask??!! For, he is the epitome of happiness, celebrations, love, romance, music, the list is quite exhaustive! Lord Krishna amidst all listed worldly elements asks you to renounce the world but .. to accept it as presented!!! In a nutshell..no-one's life is rosy as is but one must learn to accept it as a whole and celebrate it!! Every festival in India is centered around the characteristic foods prepared for that particular God!!! Today, we prepare, little savory pellets -- Uppu Cheedai, Sweet pellets -- Vella Cheedai both made of roasted rice flour. We also supplement the Cheedais with Murukku, thenkozhal, karachikkai and so on, if you want a very elaborate feast! I stick to the first 2 and also make a sweet and a savory dish with beaten and flattened rice crisps called Poha! I have my own selfish reasons for preparing poha today!! There is a very significant story attached to this Poha! It is said that a childhood friend of Krishna, Sudama, who would not share their share of poha during a play date and lies about the very existence of it! The consequence being, he has to endure a life of poverty while Krishna lives the life of a King!! Later on, in adulthood, when the poverty is unbearable, with the prodding of Mrs.Sudama, he visits Krishna and as a gift, gives him some poha, earned out of his his sheer hard work. And viola! he is bestowed with riches to last generations!! So, there is so much at stake and I never forget to offer Krishna his share of poha during his birthday. I shall share some simple and delectable recipes on that!

Vella Cheedai! You will need -- Dark brown sugar 3/4 cup, Roasted rice flour 1cup, sweetened coconut--2 tbsp., cardamom powder-- 1tsp, salt -- a pinch and oil to deep fry!

Mix all of the above into to dough ball with water (about 1/4 cup). Add in small increments to get a soft yet, slightly firm pliable dough. Make lime sized balls like shown below.

Deep fry them in hot oil (oil should be of a neutral flavor so I go with Canola oil), until they are slightly dark brown. they should be crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside! Try with one at a time and then increase the number of balls per batch to deep fry!

Your Perfect Vella Cheedai is ready!!!! Now, fry up the rest with Confidence!!!

Uppu Cheedai: I will need -- Roasted Rice Flour -- 1 cup, Urad Dal Flour (from the Indian Grocery store) --2 Tbsp, Cumin Seeds-- 1 tsp, Cayenne Pepper Powder -- 3/4 tsp or more (as per your liking), Hing -- a pinch, Salt -- 1/2-3/4 tsp (to taste) and oil to deep fry!

Mix all of the above to a firm, stiff dough ball. Roll the dough into smooth pellets to the size of a cocoa puff! Deep fry them in a batch of 10-15 to a golden brown color, drain them into a bowl lined with paper towels!

Your Uppu Cheedai is ready to be devoured....have to be crispy and crunchy, inside and out!

Vella Aval: Sweetened Poha: I will need -- thick poha --2/3 cup, dark brown sugar --2/3 cup+2 tbsp, Sweetened coconut -- 2 tbsp., Cardamom power -- 1 tsp., Butter 3 tbsp. Cashews about 5-6, chopped, and water as needed

Saute in a pan in this order: Add 2 tbsp butter, roast the cashews, once they darken sightly, add the cardamom powder, poha, and coconut scrapings. mix well until they are all slightly toasted.

Add Water (1/2 cup) and let the poha cook in it for about 5 minutes or until you feel the kernels soft!

Add the brown sugar (vellum) and mix well. once the mixture comes to a rolling boil, add the remaining 1 tbsp butter to bring everything together. At the end, the mixture should look glossy and thick! Enjoy!

Uppu Aval: you will need 1 tbsp of oil, Fennel seeds -- 1/2 tsp, Mustard seeds -- 1/2 tsp, Turmeric --1/2 tsp, Dried, red chillies -- 2, split, Curry leaves -- a few, Cayenne pepper powder -- 1/2 tsp, Salt to taste, Hing -- a pinch! Poha --3/4 cup

Add in this order -- Heat oil in the pan, add the fennel, and the mustard seeds, let them sizzle, add the dried chillies, curry leaves, hing and turmeric. Let them sizzle, add the poha and fry well. It will crisp-en immediately! Add the cayenne pepper powder and salt. Toss well! Your poha is ready!

Poha Chivda! A perfect snack for a picnic!!

With the above goodies down, onto make some Kaal Marks -- an old standby joke!! kaal meaning feet!

We clean our homes, make rangoli patterns (with colored rice flour powders) on our front doors to welcome his presence. In the south, we make small foot marks with rice ground to a fine paste like below.

This is a mixture of 1/4 cup rice flour (I love the rice flour we get in the US, makes for some instant kolam maavu) mixed with 1 cup of water, mixed into a thin slurry! I use a bounty towelette, dip it in the rice flour mixture, rest it on the inside of my four fingers and draw the rangoli patterns. This is an age old technique called the "Maa Kolam"!!

We did a quick puja, offered our prayers and the kids were more keen on quenching their famished appetites with the goodies!!

My Shrine!

Every festival has its own significance, stories from the Indian mythology, foods, festivities, rituals and tradition. I hope you enjoyed taking a glimpse into mine! The whole process took me about 2 hours. But was very gratifying that I was able to pass on a slice of my tradition to the next generations -- my kids!!

Quick Fixer Upper!!

2011-08-20T23:01:00.005-05:00

Saturday morning... slept in because was up till 4:00 AM trying to blog!! My latest craze!! Face book was my addiction up until last night and now blogging has taken over! Something to keep this Minnesotan housewife out of trouble!!! Hahaha! Time does fly by...by the time I sipped my coffee (for a whole leisurely hour), it was time to whip up lunch/brunch for the household! Well...I was saved by a repeat request, but since hubby was home, had to supplement it with more. Have you ever wondered, you cook more formally when the man of the house is around and get by with knick knack munchies otherwise??!! Had some cooked whole grain pasta and a lone eggplant.... decided to stick with the same family....Italian Cuisine! Came up with this lovely pasta dish with m double duty nutty crumb topping and whipped up a batch of Eggplant Parmesan Crisps served alongside with marinara sauce!

For the Crumb Topping:
I needed Olive oil, Parmesan Cheese, Italian style bread crumbs, Italian seasoning, cayenne pepper and salt.

Heat a pan, add olive oil, once it is warmed through, add the minced garlic and the double duty crumb topping (reserve half for Eggplant Parmesan!). Saute well, quickly, so as not to burn!!

Add the pasta as shown above and toss well. Add a little water if the pasta gets dry!! Your pasta is actually ready...

Serve it garnished with chopped parsley! Enjoy with spicy marinara or just as is!!

Healthy, whole grain, yummilicious pasta...ready in less than 7 minutes (provided you have the cooked pasta on hand, or add another 15!)!!!!

Now we move on to Eggplant Parmesan Crisps!!

I love, looooovvveee Eggplant Parmesan...but do not enjoy the greasiness associated with it! This is my quick take on the classic. One of my other passions is to continuously reinvent classics! It is enjoyed a eggplant chips in my household with marinara sauce, lightly breaded, drizzled with the fruitiest of olive oils and baked to golden perfection in a screaming hot oven!! How cool is that.... this is how I sneak in nutrition into my kid's diet!

Eggplant Factoid: Please take a minute to read this about eggplant... it is packed with fiber, vitamin B1, B6, and potassium along with minor doses of magnesium, iodine and manganese and -- and is a potent antioxidant! It has a low glycemic index thus being great for diabetic diets and cholesterol reducing diets!! Well... the nutritionist in me could not keep myself from rattling on its virtues...above all, it is extremely delicious. So bake away...

With the above mixture of Italian Bread crumbs, Parmesan Cheese, salt, Cayenne pepper, and Italian seasoning...dredge the eggplant pieces in the mixture evenly and place them on a well oiled baking tray like so....

Bake it in a 450F pre-heated oven for 25 minutes, until it is golden brown. (I strongly believe in multi tasking and missed out on taking it out though the oven kept beckoning with clear beeps! Thus the dark colored ones!!)

Serve the light crisps with marinara sauce!!

Ensoy my dear friends and drop in a line if you tried it.....

Simple Scrumptious Lunch -- Tomato Rosemary Quiche

2011-08-20T10:16:00.007-05:00

Lazy morning, tonnes of errands to do, just back from a trip across the globe, 2 hungry kids with adventurous palates, and a semi enthusiastic cook aka me! You basically get the picture!! I looked peeked into my refrigerator, and took out these...

A jar of milk, 2 varieties of cheeses, 1/2 a can of tomato paste, some dried rosemary, butter, salt, cayenne pepper, eggs, and good old white plain bread!

A Quiche in the making....

Heat oven to 425 F.

In a mixing bowl, add 3 eggs, tomato paste, Monterrey jack cheese, salt, cayenne pepper, dried rosemary, 1/2 cup of milk and whisk together till well blended.

To this add cubed bread pieces, about 5, lovely brown crust and all.

Prepare a baking dish, can be of any shape, square 8x8/square 9x9/round pie dish (which is what I used), by spraying non stick cooking spray.

Add the well combined mixture, pat it evenly.

Evenly dot it with bits of butter. I dotted the quiche with 2 tbsp.of unsalted butter!

Sprinkle Parmesan cheese.

Bake it in the middle rack of a 425 preheated oven for 20 minutes.

Mind it..this is extremely fool proof. By the time, you turn your oven and it gets preheated, your ingredients are mixed and ready to be tucked into the flaming oven.

End Result: you get this yummy, firm savory pudding that can be cut into neat triangles and served warm, with a sprig of parsley!

Verdict: You are the best mom in the whole world!!! And this was hungrily devoured by my 2 little chipmunks and of course me!!

And.... you my friend...be sure to try this out for your brunch this weekend!! And do give me your feedback..would love to hear from you.

My Culinary Musings....

2011-08-20T10:10:00.002-05:00

Hello....

I can't believe I have my own little space here!! I have always wanted to start a blog ever since I laid my eyes on it for the first time….. But have been very nervous about it. But, today, Saturday August 20^th, on the wee hours of the morning, when sleep completely eluded me, thought should go ahead and finally start one.

I am one of those people who belong to the “I love to cook” genres. So, I am going to show all my recipes frame by frame for all the creative cooks out there. I do not believe in precise measurements, so shall try my level best to avoid it and eyeball everything…. But if you do need measures of anything…pen me a few lines about your queries and doubts…will try my best to oblige!

Everyone seems to have a blog…the cyberspace seems to be pleasantly, thickly populated with those, so what will I bring to the table, I wonder!!! It dawns on me…hey why not start a journal and a blog both rolled into one … so here goes… you will find, mostly my recipes, ramblings, other people’s recipes, lots of pictures and I hope to provide a glimpse of irresistible food fest right here at Everyday Exotic!

love,

AK:-)