My Home Cooking

Kale Stir fry/ Upperi

2012-01-25T11:42:00.000-08:00

This is one of the ,healthiest yet delicious stir fry that I made with Kale..Kale has a lot of health benefits.You can read more about the Kale benefits here I have been experimenting dishes with Kale lately.I tried to make a dish Indian way for some of my friends who enjoy Indian cooking and are looking for simple recipes they can make.It came out pretty good.I am sure you all will enjoy it too.Here is the recipe

Ingredients:

Kale-3 cups roughly chopped
Coconut freshly grated -1/4 cup
Salt-to taste
Turmeric powder-1/4 tsp

For seasoning:

Mustard seed-1/2 tsp
Urad Dhal-1/2 tsp
Coconut oil-2 tsp
Curry leaves-a few

Method:

Wash the Kale ,remove the stem and roughly chop them.Keep aside.
In a pan add the oil,mustard seeds,urad dhal and curry leaves.When the mustard seed splutters add the Chopped Kale,Salt and turmeric powder.Cover it with lid and cook under low flame for 5 -10 minutes .
Make sure to stir once or twice so the Kale won't burn.Remove from the flame and stir in the coconut.Stir well.Enjoy with rice...

Note: If fresh grated coconut is not available use dessicated Coconut..

Eggless,Gluten Free Cake

2012-01-07T18:58:00.001-08:00

Hi All,

Wish you all a happy and prosperous 2012.Since I am a Cake decorater I get a lot of e-mails asking to share some of my Cake recipes.I will add some of my favourite recipes. This Cake is delicious,healthy[less calories] ,gluten free,easy to make and tastes Awesome.The recipe is adapted from a weigh watchers site[given by a friend of mine] ,I did some adjustments to this recipe to make it gluten free.

Ingredients:

Oat Flour-1 Cup
Brown Sugar-1/2 cup Packed
Baking powder-1/2 tsp
Baking powder-1/4 tsp
Canola Oil- 3 oz + 1 Tbs
Egg replacer- 1 1/2 tsp + 2 tbs hot water
Orange Juice-1/2 Cup
Orange peel-1 tsp
Roasted chopped Pistachios-1/2 cup
Dried Cranberries-1/2 cup

Powdered Sugar

Method:

Preheat Oven to 350 F.Grease an 8 inch Cake pan with cooking spray.
In a Stand mixer add the egg replacer and water, let it whip until combined ,add the Oil and whip for 30 seconds[it may look curdled] .In a bowl mix together Oat Flour,brown sugar,baking powder ,baking soda,Orange peel.Add the dry Ingredients to the oil mixture alternating Orange juice and Flour.Stir in chopped Pistachios and Cranberries.
Pour the batter to the greased pan and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the centre comes out clean.Let the cake cool completely .Sift powdered Sugar on top of the Cake.Enjoy..

Date Rolls

2011-11-29T11:30:00.000-08:00

One of the easiest guilt free,gluten free recipe for the holidays...

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Dates pitted
2 tbs Pecan chopped
Desiccated Coconut[dry]- enough to roll
Almonds -6-7

Method:

In a microwave safe ball add the dates and Microwave on high for 30 seconds or until the dates are soft.Remove from the Microwave and mash the dates with a fork.Add chopped Pecans and mix well to form a dough.This mix will be sticky .Take a tablespoon of dough and make a log shape.Add the Almond in the centre ,roll them in Dry coconut.Enjoy....

Handwa

2011-10-19T19:44:00.000-07:00

This is one of my fav Gujarati recipe so far.I learned this recipe from one of my Gujarati friend who made and and brought it to our temple.It was so yummy and crispy,it was like love at first bite ...lol....I am sure you all will love this recipe,it is so easy to make and tastes delicious.This recipe is adapted from Showmethecurry.com.

Even though the recipe says to Broil for 10 minutes do check the oven after 5 minutes.You don;t want it to burn :)..

Recipe from Showmethecurry

Long Grain Rice – 1 cup (200 gms)
Channa Daal – 1/4 cup (50 gms)
Toor Daal – 1/4 cup (50 gms)
Urad Daal – 1 heaping Tbsp
Yogurt – 1/2 cup (150 gms)
Green Chilies – 2 – 3 or to taste, finely chopped or ground
Ginger Paste – 2 tsp
Garlic Paste- 2 tsp (approx 3 large cloves)
Opo/Bottlegourd/Doodhi/Lauki – 1.5 cup, shredded and packed ( approx 12 oz)
Salt – 2 tsp or to taste
Ajwain – 1/2 tsp
Sugar – 2 tsp
Turmeric Powder – 1/2 tsp
Eno Fruit Salt – 1 tsp
Sesame Seeds – 2 Tbsp
Oil – 3 Tbsp (divided)
Mustard Seeds – 1 tsp
Asafoetida (Hing) – 1/4 tsp
Red Chili Powder – 1/2 tsp
Curry Leaves – few

Method:

1. Wash Rice and all Daals and soak them for at least 4-6 hours.
2. Drain water from Rice/Daal and coarsely grind them with Yogurt (if possible, do not add any additional water while grinding). Food processor or blender may be used.
3. In a medium size mixing bowl, add batter from above and mix in the following: Ginger, Garlic, Green Chilies, Salt, Sugar, Ajwain, Turmeric Powder and Doodhi/Lauki. Mix well.
4. In a small skillet, heat 1 Tbsp of Oil slightly. Add Curry Leaves and Red Chili Powder. Add this Oil mixture to the above batter and mix well.
5. Cover and let this batter rest for 6-7 hours or overnight (no need to refrigerate).
6. Add Eno Fruit Salt and mix well to make the batter foamy.
7. Divide batter into greased muffin pan or pour int a greased cake pan.
8. Sprinkle Sesame Seeds over the top of the batter.
9. In a small skillet, heat remaining 2 Tbsp Oil.
10. Add Mustard Seeds and let them pop. Switch off stove.
11. Add Asafoetida to the oil.
12. Drizzle this oil seasoning over the top of the sesame seeds.
13. Cover pan with aluminum foil and bake at 350F (180C) for 40 minutes.
14. Remove foil and broil on High for approx 10 minutes until a light golden crust forms.
15. Let the handvo rest for 10-15 minutes before eating.

Eggless Mango Ice cream

2011-05-26T13:30:00.000-07:00

Hi friends,
Hope you all are doing good.It is been a long time since I have posted some recipes in my homecooking blog.I been pretty busy with my Cake orders :).I tried this ice cream recipe from Show me the curry yesterday ,this is so easy to make and tastes delicious .This ice cream is so good I couldn't resist posting it :).Here is a link for more egg free ice creams egg free ice creams .

Ingredients:

Mango Pulp – 30 oz can
Sweetened Condensed Milk – 14 oz can
Whipped Topping[Cool Whip] – 8 oz container

With a drizzle of Caramel sauce yumm....

Method:

1.Pour Mango Pulp, Condensed Milk and the Whipped Topping in a bowl.
2. Fold them in very well with a wire whisk gently.
3. Pour into a glass dish with a tight fitting lid.
4. Cover and chill 5 hours to overnight.

Taking a long break from Myhomecooking blog world.

2010-03-01T10:43:00.000-08:00

Thai Red Curry with Cashew Nuts

2010-01-20T17:40:00.000-08:00

This is one of my Fav Thai curry.It is easy to make and goes very well with Fried Rice. The red curry paste can be refrigerated for up to 3 weeks.If you don't have time to make the Red Curry paste use ready made one's.
Ingredients:

Coconut milk-14 fl oz
kaffir lime leaf-1
Light Soy sauce-1/4 tsp
Baby corn-4-6[I use the canned ones]
Broccoli Florets-1/2 cup
French beans- 1/2 cup cut into 2 " pieces
Carrots-1/2 cup chopped
zucchini-1/2 cup chopped
Mushrooms- 5 thinly sliced
Firm Tofu-Cubed 1 cup

Cashew Nuts-1/4 cup
Basil leaves-15 [Use Thai basil]
Coriander leaves-1 tbs
Chopped roasted Peanut-1 tbs

Red Curry Paste

Red Chillies-7
Cumin seeds-2 tsp
Coriander seeds-2 tsp
Galangal-1 " piece peeled and chopped
Lemon Grass-1/2 stalk chopped
Salt-1 tsp
grated Lime rind of -1 lime
Garlic cloves-4 chopped
Shallots-3 chopped
Kaffir lime leaves-2 mid-rib removed and shredded
Oil- 1 tbs to blend

Method:

To make the red curry paste ,grind together chillies,cumin,coriander,galangal,lime leaves,salt,lime,garlic,shallots and lemon grass in a blender with 1 tbs oil.

Preheat a wok or a large pan,add 3 tbs of the red curry paste and cook over high heat,stirring ,until fragrant.
Reduce the heat and add the coconut milk,lime leaf,soy sauce,corn cobs,broccoli,Carrots,mushrooms and beans.Bring to boil and simmer for about 10 minutes until vegetables are cooked,but still firm ,now add the Cubed tofu and let it to boil for 5 more minutes. Remove from the flame.
Remove the lime leaf and stir in the basil leaves and coriander leaves. Garnish with peanuts and cashews.
Serve hot with Fried Rice.

Trial Mix

2009-12-31T17:51:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to all my friends.

This is one of the easiest and healthy snack that won't make your feel guilty.

Ingredients:

UnSalted:
pecan-1 cup
Almonds- 1 cup
Cashews - 1/2 cup
Roasted Pistachios-1/2 cup

Raisins-1/2 cup

Gooji berry-1/2[you can get it from any Chinese stores]

Dries mangoes-1/4 chopped
Dried ginger-1/4 cup

M&M -1/4 cup[optional]

Method:

Preheat oven 350 F.Line 2 cookies sheets with parchment paper .

Spread Almonds and Pecan,Cashews separately in the cookie sheets. Dry roast then 5-8 minutes. [Do check after 5 minutes].Remove the roasted nuts from the oven and let it cool completely.

In a large bowl add the raisins,M&M candies,Gooji berries, Chopped Dried Ginger and mangoes,Roasted Pistachios.Add the cooled nuts and mix well.
Keep this mix in a airtight container.

Variations:
Add banana chips,dried pineapple slices,cranberries,sunflower seeds....

Maladu

2009-12-16T14:03:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:

Pottu kadalai/Split gram dal Roasted- 1 cup
Sugar-1 cup
Ghee- 1 cup
cardamom -5 pods
Cashews chopped-3 -4 tbs

Method:

Dry roast the Pottu kadalai until they are light golden and the raw smell of the pottukadala disappears.Let it cool. Powder the sugar,cardamom and the pottu kadalai separately.
Roast the cashews in 3 tbs of ghee until they are golden brown. Add this to the powdered,pottu kadalai,sugar and cardamom . Mix well with a spoon.
Add the ghee one ladle at a time to the powdered mix and make lemon size balls.
Store in an air tight container for 10 days.

Sauteed Bell pepper in Pitla powder

2009-11-29T20:28:00.001-08:00

One more yummy way to use the Pitla powder.This curry goes very well with Rice.

Ingredients:

Bell pepper-2 cups[Green,yellow and red]

Pitla powder-1 tbs

Turmeric-1/2 tsp

Green chillies split-2

For seasoning:

Mustard seeds-1 tsp
Red chillies-3
Curry leaves-a few
Coconut Oil-1 tbs

Fried fresh coconut-3 tbs

Salt-to taste

Method:

Remove the seed from the Bell pepper and cut them into strips[like for french fries].

In a pan add the mustard seeds,red chillies,curry leaves and oil.When the mustard splutters add the cut bell pepper and green chillies.Saute for 5 minutes in medium flame until the bell pepper is soft and cooked ,but not mushy.Add the turmeric powder,pittla powder and salt.Saute for 2 minutes. Remove from the flame and add the fried coconut.Serve hot with rice.

To fry the coconut-In a pan add a tsp of coconut oil and 3 tbs grated fresh coconut. Roast them until the coconut is light brown.

Pavakkai Kichadi/Bitter guard Kichadi

2009-11-29T20:19:00.000-08:00

If you are a bitter guard fan like me ,you will love this kichadi. It is easy to make and tastes delicious.This kichadi goes very well with rice.

Ingredients:

Pavakkai/Bitter guard-1

To make a paste:

Grated fresh Coconut-1 cup
Green chillies-2-4 nos
Yogurt-6 tbs

For seasoning:

Mustard seeds-1 tsp
Red chillies-3
Curry Leaves-a few
Coconut oil-3 tsp

Oil-to fry the bitter guard

Method:

Cut the bitter guard into thin round slices.Deep fry them in oil until they are light brown.Drain and set aside.

Grind the coconut,green chillies and yogurt into a smooth thick paste.

In a pan add the mustard seeds,red chillies,curry leaves and oil.When mustard seed sputters add it to the coconut paste along with the fried bitter guard .Mix well .

If the coconut paste is too thick add some more yogurt .

Rose's Hearth Bread

2009-11-17T15:54:00.000-08:00

This recipe is adapted from "Rose Levy Beranbaum's "the Bread Bible".The bread was so yummy and Delicious and the whole house was filled with the aroma of fresh baked bread.

Ingredients:

Bread Flour- 3 1/3 Cup
Whole wheat Flour-1/4 Cup
Sea salt-1 1/2 tsp
Bread Machine yeast - 1 1/4 tsp
Water-1 1/3 Cups
Honey-1tsp

Method:

In a bowl ,stir together flour,salt and yeast.Stir in water and honey.Place dough on a lightly floured surface.Knead until smooth and springy,but still sticky.Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and let in rise in a warm place for an hour or until dough is double the size .

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a pizza stone lightly sprinkled with cornmeal.Gently push fist into the dough to deflate.Shape the dough into a round ball shape.Place on a cookie sheet.Cover with oiled plastic wrap and let it rise for 45 minutes more or until double the size.

Baking:

Heat Oven 475F and carefully cut an "X" shaped slash on top of dough,spray with cool water.Place cookie sheet /pizza stone in oven ,place 1 cup water in a shallow pan on other oven rack.Bake 10 minutes,reduce temperature to 425 F. Bake 20 minutes or until bread is golden brown and skewer inserted comes out clean. Cool completely in a cooling rack.

Finished product:)

Besan Ladoos

2009-11-10T15:37:00.000-08:00

These are one of the easiest and yummiest sweets ever.I tried these goodies yesterday and it came out perfect.This recipe is from Manjulas kitchen.

Recipe will make approximately 16 ladoos.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups gram flour (besan)
2 tablespoons semolina flour (fine sooji)
1/2 cup unsalted melted butter (ghee)
3/4 cups sugar
4 tablespoons sliced almonds (badam)
1/4 teaspoons coarsely grounded cardamom seeds (ilaichi)

For Garnish:

1 tablespoon melted butter or ghee
1 tablespoons sliced pistachios (pista)

Method

Put the gram flour, sooji, and melted butter in a large frying pan and mix.
Turn the stove on to medium heat and begin to roast the gram flour mixture until mixture becomes light golden brown in color. Stir the mixture continuously with a spatula to prevent burning. Cooking on high heat will not allow the mixture to fully cook.

When the color has changed you will also start to smell the sweetness of roasted gram flour. This should take about 7 to 10 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat and let the gram flour cool to a warm temperature. don’t let it become to room temperature.

While the mixture is warm add and mix cardamom seeds, almonds, and sugar.
To make the ladoos, take about 2 tablespoons of warm gram flour mixture into your palm. Gently press the mixture between your palms to form a smooth, round ball. The ladoos are usually about the size of a ping-pong ball, but you can adjust the as you prefer.

When you have finished making all of the ladoos, take one ladoo at a time and dip the ladoo a quarter inch into melted butter or ghee. Then lightly touch the part of the ladoo with the butter into the sliced pistachios just enough so some pistachios stick to the ladoo.

Put ladoos back on the plate with the pistachio side facing the top.
Leave the ladoos on a plate to cool to room temperature before putting into a covered container. The ladoos can be stored in an airtight container for 2 to 3 weeks.

Eggless Dinner rolls/Pav Bhaji Bread

2009-10-27T14:08:00.000-07:00

This is one of the easiest dinner rolls which does not have any eggs. I got this recipe from here.
I did modify the recipe buy adding 1 cup of bread flour instead of using all Maida. It gives the bread more texture>

Ingredients:

All purpose flour-2 cup
Bread flour-1 cup
Sugar-2tsp
Salt-1 tsp
Oil-4 tbs
Warm Water -1 1/2 Cup
Milk-2 tbs

Method:

Tale 1/2 cup warm water in a bowl and mix 2 tsp sugar and dry yeast. Mix well. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes.

In a bowl add the flour,bread flour,salt,water and yeast mixture.Knead till dough is elastic.[I use my kitchen aid stand mixture with dough hook attachment,so less hand work for me :)].Add the oil and make a nice ball. Place the dough in a bowl and cover it with plastic wrap and let it sit for 2 hours in a warm place until the dough is double the size.using little oil punch down the dough and divide it in to 10equal parts.Grease a square baking pan or Pyrex pie pan .Arrange the balls in to the pan and cover with a damp cloth and let it sit 10-15 more minutes.Dough will rise a little bit more.

Preheat Oven 370 F. Brush the rolls with some milk and bake for 20-22 minutes.Remove from the oven and let it sit in the pan for 5-10 minutes. Remove the rolls from the pan and cool it on a wire rack.

Serve the rolls with Bhaji

Gulab Jamuns & Awards

2009-10-14T13:58:00.001-07:00

This is one of my favourite desserts. Once I tried making the jamun's from scratch. Actually it was a recipe which had sweet potato filling and all,it looked super delicious .So I thought I will try it. Well it took me a long time to make and the end result was not that good.[let's say disaster hehe...] So I gave up making jamun's from scratch and stick with the ready made mixes. Once I saw a from scratch recipe at Deepa's blog which recipe seemed so simple and easy to follow. So I though will give it a second chance. The jamun's came out delicious and was way better than the mix one's. Try it and see it for yourself.

Also I am so honored to get these lovely awards from our blogger friend Raje. Thank you so much for passing me this awards dear:).Shanti has also passed me this sScrumptious Blog award. Thank you so much dear.

Ingredients:

1 cup milk powder
2 Tbs all purpose flour (maida)
1 Tbs semolina (rava, sooji)
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 Tbs ghee or unsalted butter (at room temp.)
Milk (to knead the dough)
Oil for deep frying

For the Syrup:

2 cups sugar
2 cups water
1/8 tsp cardamom powder
1/8 tsp rose water or rose essence
Saffron (few strands) optional

Method:

Combine the sugar, water, cardamom powder, rose water and saffron in a large pan. Stir it until the sugar dissolves and set it aside.
Soak the semolina in warm water for 10 minutes and drain the water.

In a bowl combine milk powder, flour, butter, semolina and baking soda. Mix well. Add milk little by little and knead to form a soft dough. Cover it with a damp cloth and let it sit for 10 minutes.

Knead the dough and divide it into 25-30 equal portions and roll them gently between your palms to make a smooth ball. Apply ghee or butter in your palms before rolling the dough. Cover it with a damp cloth.

Heat oil and fry the balls in small batches until it is dark brown[4-5 each]. It takes about 8-10 mins. Roll them around to fry them evenly.
Drain the excess oil. Transfer it to the warm sugar syrup and soak for about 30-45 minutes until they are almost double in size, soft and spongy. It can be served hot or cold.

<

I would luv to pass these awards to Karen,Vrinda,Babli,Home cooked,Homecooked Oriya food,Parita and Shanthi.

Red and Green Bell pepper USli

2009-10-12T10:29:00.000-07:00

This is one if the colorful Usli's. I luv the combinations of red and green peppers.

Ingredients:

Red &Green Bell pepper-2 nos

For Usli:

Toor Dal-3/4 cup
Chana Dal-a handful
Red chillies-2-3
Curry leaves - a few
Hing- 1/4tsp

Salt-to taste

Turmeric-1/2tsp

For Seasoning-

Mustard seeds- 1tsp
Red chillies-2
Curry leaves-a few
Coconut oil-2 tbs

Method:

Soak the Toor dal and Chana dal in hot water for 45 minutes.

Thinly chop the bell pepper's and Steam them in a steamer until soft but not mushy. Set aside.

Coarsely blend the Toor dal ,chanadal,red chillies,curry leaves and hing in a blender.
Transfer Usli mix to a greased microwave bowl . Microwave on high for 2-3 minutes.[You can also steam traditional way,but this is much easier].Let it cool and blend in a blender or food processor using the pulse option.

In a pan add the seasoning and when the mustard seeds splutters add the Usli mix and stir for 3-4 minutes. Add the turmeric,salt,Cooked bell pepper,curry leaves and stir for another 3-4 minutes in medium flame.
Serve with cooked rice.

Melt-in-your-Mouth Pancakes with Strwaberry Syrup

2009-10-11T09:18:00.000-07:00

I have tried different recipes for pancakes and this one is the best. It is so easy to make and is fluffy and delicious. You can serve these pancakes with Maple syrup or any kind of fruit syrups. I tried with some strawberries.The combination of strawberry syrup and pancakes goes really well.

Ingredients:

Original Bisquick mix-2 cups[I go it from Costco]
Milk-1 cup
Sugar-1 table spoon
Lemon juice-2 tbs
Baking powder-2 tsp
Eggs-2 large[I used egg replacer equivalent to 2 eggs]
Butter for frying

Method:

Combine Bisquick,milk,sugar,lemon juice,baking powder and egg/egg replacer in a bowl and stir until blended.
Drop batter by scant 1/4 cupful onto a hot greased griddle.
Cook until edges are dry.Turn and cook until golden.
Serve warm with a small slice of butter and Maple syrup or Strawberry syrup.

Strawberry Syrup

For the Syrup:

Chopped fresh Strawberries-1 cup
Sugar-1/4 cup
Water -1/4 cup
Corn starch-2 tsp

In a pan add water and sugar ,bring it to a boil.Add the chopped strawberries .Cook until they are soft.Add cornstarch and boil for couple more minutes stirring constantly or until the syrup starts to thicken..Remove from the flame and serve warm with pancakes.

Note-You can adjust the amount of sugar for the syrup.

"J" for Jelly Jam[Apple Jelly]

2009-10-05T13:31:00.000-07:00

One of the easiest and no fuzz apple jam which does not require peeling,cutting and mashing. Wonder why? because the Jelly is made from store bought Apple juice.I got this recipe from the pouch in which the pectin came in.

Apple Jelly:

Bottled Organic Apple juice-3 cups
fresh squeezed lemon juice-2 tbs
Organic sugar-5 cups
Sure Jell Fruit Pectin-1 pouch[1.75 oz]

Method:

Measure the exact amount of juice.Pour the juice in a 6-8 quart sauce pot.Stir in lemon juice.Add the fruit pectin to the juice with 1/2 tsp butter to reduce foaming[optional].
Bring the mixture to a full rolling boil.[a boil doesn't stop bubbling when stirred] on high heat,stirring constantly.
Stir in sugar quickly and return to full rolling boil and boil exactly 1 minute,stirring constantly. Remove from heat.Skim off any foam.Pour in to the prepared jars . Cover with the lids and do the canning process.Let it cool completely and refrigerate if necessary.

Note: Pls don't try to reduce the sugar because it may effect the consistency of the Jelly.
Here is step by step instructions on "How to do the canning "

Eggplant Pulikozhambhu and Eggplant in Coconut Gravy

2009-07-29T14:27:00.000-07:00

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Eggplant in Coconut Gravy

I always end up with a little bit of coconut
milk after making Olan or stew which I save in
the refrigerator and most of the time forget
about it. After couple of days when I open it
is not the same coconut milk any more :(

I enjoy making Thai food. So one day I thought
of making eggplant coconut milk curry - Indian
style. First I tried with rasam powder instead
of garam masala. That tastes like south Indian
food and goes well with dosa or upma. Then I
tried making it with garam masala and it tasted
like north Indian which goes well with rotis.
It is cool huh? Hmm.. isn't that better than
forgetting about the coconut milk and throwing
it away.

Ingredients:

Eggplant-4 chopped[Use Chinese or Indian

Eggplants]

Onion-1/2 cup chopped

Tomatoes-1 chopped

garam masala powder-1/2 tsp[for north Indian

version]

OR

Rasam powder-1 tsp[South version]

For seasoning:

Mustard seeds-1 tsp
Curry leaves- a few
Red chillies-3

Oil-1 tbs

Coconut milk/cream-1 cup

Salt-to taste

Kasoormethi[dries fenugreek leaves]-3 pinches

Method:

In a pan add the oil,mustard seeds ,red

chillies and curry leaves,when mustard seeds

splutters add the chopped onion and saute until

onion is translucent.

Add the tomatoes and saute 3-4 minutes or until

tomatoes are soft. Now add the chopped egg

plants,garam masala powder,salt and saute a few

more minutes until they are cooked and soft but

not mushy.

Add the coconut milk/coconut cream and stir

well. Bring to a boil .Remove from the flame

and garnish with fenugreek leaves.Serve hot

with Roti,Rice...

Eggplant Pulikozhambhu

Pulikozhambhu can be made in different varieties like with vettals[chuddakkai,marthankali etc...]
or with vegetables like eggplant,okra,karela and onion.

Ingredients:

Eggplant - 4 medium chopped in to small cubes

Onion-1 medium chopped into small chunk

tamarind water - 2 1/4 cups

turmeric powder-1/2tsp

pulikozhambhu powder /sambar powder - 3/4 tbs

Seasoning:

mustard seeds-1tsp
chana Dal-1/2tbs
red chillies-4
sesame oil -1tbs

salt-to taste

hing-little

curry leaves -7-8

Method

Soak a golf ball size tamarind in 2 1/4 cups warm water an squeeze the juice out.Strain it and keep it aside.

In a pan add the seasoning,curry leaves and oil ,when it splutters add the onion and eggplant .Saute until the raw smell of onion disappears.
Add the tamarind juice,turmeric powder and salt and cook in medium flame until eggplant is soft.

Mix kozhambhu powder with 2 tbs water and make a paste. Add this to the eggplant kozhambhu and bring it to boil. Add the hing and remove from the flame.
Serve hot with rice.

These recipes goes to Sanghi's FIL-Eggplant event:)
a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dkvHleFtyPg/SnDAB6x3lzI/AAAAAAAABZo/wn3VoxYPG5c/s1600-h/FIL_-_Brinjal.JPG">

Rasagulla

2009-07-28T13:58:00.000-07:00

This recipe is from my friend homecooked. I tried it couple of months back and it came out very delicious. If you are wondering why the sugar syrup has a bronish tint to it,I used organic unbleached cane sugar.That is why:).

Ingredients:

2 and half cups of water
1 cup sugar
Paneer
A few strands of saffron.

Method:

Divide the paneer into small balls. These will double in size once cooked, so make the balls accordingly.

Heat water and sugar in a pressure cooker to make syrup. Once the sugar is dissolved and the water is boiling, add the saffron.

Then add the paneer balls. Remember that they will expand so add as many as will comfortably fit in the cooker even after the expansion.

Cook for 1 whistle and keep aside. Bring to room temperature and then refridgerate.

Serve chilled with the syrup.

If you dont have a pressure cooker, you can make the rasgullas in a normal vessel with a tight lid. Just cook the rasgullas on medium-high flame for 25-30 minutes. You may have to add more water, so adjust the propotion of water and sugar accordingly.

Almond,Cashew Burfi and An Award

2009-07-16T17:10:00.000-07:00

One more cool recipe from Manjula's kitchen. I made this burfi for "guru poornima "event at our temple. Everybody enjoyed this burfi. They were easy to make and tasted delicious:).
Ingredients:

1/2 cup almonds
1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 cup cashew nuts
1 1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder
1 tablespoon sliced almonds to garnish

Method

Dry grind the walnuts, cashews and almonds in a food processor.

Dry roast the groundnuts in a frying pan on low medium heat.

Roast them just enough so that the nuts start to give off an aroma. It will take about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Put the sugar and water together in a saucepan on medium heat. Bring to a boil to make the 1 thread syrup or on the candy thermometer it should reach 230 degrees F.
Turn off the heat and stir in the cardamom powder.

Add the nuts to the syrup and mix, and then spread over a greased 8-inch plate. Note: don’t let the syrup cool off. It must be spread while still hot.
Wait a few minutes until burfi is set but still soft.

Then cut the burfi into any shape you like (such as square, diamond, triangle).
Garnish each piece of burfi with sliced almonds while the burfi is still soft.
Allow the burfi to cool for about an hour to dry and hold its shape. Now you can remove the burfi from the plate.

Burfi can be stored for a month.

Variations

Proportion of nuts can be changed to your choice.
You may also add pistachios and coconut powder.

This sweet award is from Nithya. for the guessing game. Thanks a ton dear:).

Jalebi

2009-07-06T10:13:00.000-07:00

This is one of the easiest jalebi's which doesn't need long hours of fermentation. I got this recipe from Manjula's kitchen. You can also watch how she makes the jalebi's in you tube. I made it yesterday and came out well.They were crispy and yum.Well some of my jalebi's looked like space ship,planets and butterflies coz I din't know the techniques how to squeeze traditional way, but it came out very delicious.

Ingredients;

All purpose flour- 1/2 cup
Gram Flour-1 tsp
Sugar-1/2 tsp
Oil-1/2 tsp
Yeast-1/2 tsp
Luke warm water-1/2 cup

For syrup:

Sugar-1 cup
Water-1/2 cup
Lemon juice-1tsp
Cardamom-a pinch
saffron-a pinch

Method:

Dissolve yeast in 1 tsp water.Mix well. Add the flour,gram flour,sugar,oil along with 1/2 cup of Luke warm water and Mix well. make sure there is no lumps . Batter must be of pancake batter consistency.
Let it sit for 1 hour in a warn place.
Mean while make the syrup
In a saucepan add the sugar,water,cardamom,lemon juice and saffron. Stir on medium heat until sugar is dissolved.

To make the jalebi's

Pour the batter in a pastry bag with tip 5 and squeeze the batter in to the oil in circular motion.Deep fry both side until lightly brown. drain the oil from the jalebi's and dip it in hot sugar syrup for a few seconds.Take it out of sugar syrup and keep it aside for few minutes. Jalebi is ready to be served.

Note:
If you don't have pastry bags use a ziploc bags or a ketchup bottle.

Jeera Rice & Poori with Lotus Root Korma

2009-06-27T12:53:00.000-07:00

I enjoy trying new dishes from different blogs. Last week I tried the Poori and Lotus root korma from Preety's and Ann's blog. They were super delicious.The lotus Root Korma was Awesome. It had a lot of spices in it ,every bite I could feel the flavours exploding in my mouth,and poori very crispy and yum.

Jeera Rice with a twist

Ingredients:

Basmati Rice - 1 cup
Water - 2 cups
Salt - to taste.

Jeera (Cumin) - 1-1/2 tbs
Red Chillies - 2 to 4
Butter - 2 tbs

Corainder leaves (Cilantro) - 2 tbs [finely chopped]
Mint leaves - 2 tbs [finely chopped]

Shallots - 3 or 4 [thinly chopped -optional]

Method:

Cook the rice with water and salt. In a steel/cast iron pan, add butter ,jeera, red chillies and shallots. Saute until shallot pieces become crispy. Add the chopped mint and coriander leaves and saute until the the leaves are cooked. Mix it with the cooked rice. Serve hot.

Lotus Root Korma from Ann's Blog

Ingredients:

Lotus Root - 1 cup
Onion chopped - 1/2 cup
Tomato chopped- 1/4 cup
Ginger Garlic paste - 1tbsp
Coconut Milk - 1 cup
Cashew paste - 1tbsp (optional)
Green Chillies - 4
Turmeric - 1tsp
Cinnamon - 1/2 stick or 1tsp powder
Star Anise - 1
Cloves -1
Cumin - 1tsp
Mustard seeds - 1tsp
Fennel Seeds - 1tsp
Bay Leaf - 1
Cardamom pod- 1
Garam masala powder - 1tbsp

Preparation:

Heat oil, add Mustard, cumin, fennel and green chillies, bay leaf, Cardamom, Cinnamon,Star Anise,Cloves (all together)
Add the chopped onions and fry till its soft, mix the chopped tomato, ginger garlic paste and fry for 2 mins.
Add salt, turmeric, garam masala, add 1/2 cup water let it cook for 2 mins.
Mix the Lotus roots and allow to cook for 5 mins, mix the coconut milk and cashew paste.
Cook in medium heat for 15-20 mins.

Poori from Preety's blog

Ingredients:-

Whole wheat Flour:- 2 cups
Sooji/ Semolina:- 1/8 cup
Salt a pinch
Oil:- 2- 3 tbsp
Ajwan:- 1/2 tsp ( optional)
Warm Water:- 3 /4 cup ( approximately)

Method:

Mix everything in a bowl except water, add water little by little to make a stiff dough ( dough should not be very soft)

Cover the dough with a damp cloth or paper towel and let it sit for 10-15 minutes

Heat a oil in a deep frying pan on high heat.

Now make a lime size ball from the dough and roll each into a small circles with rolling pin .

Deep fry poori's in hot oil for a minute, turn side & fry until puffed and golden in color

Serve hot or at room temperature with any sabji or curry you like..Enjoy:)

This goes to Sri's "EFM-June Breakfast Series"

Microwave Mango Halwa

2009-06-23T10:17:00.000-07:00

This mango halwa is so easy to make and taste delicious. I got the recipe from Mythree's Blog..

Ingredients:

Sweetened mango pulp - 1 can (850 gms) I used Shamiana kasar mango pulp sweetened

Sugar - 1 cup

Ghee / clarified butter - half cup

Cardamom powder - half teaspoon

Saffron - few strands ( a pinch )

Method:

In a wide bottomed microwave safe ( pyrex glass ware preferably) container add one can of mango pulp.

Microwave on high for 5 minutes. Add sugar and stir well ,microwave high for 5 minutes.

Add the cardamom powder and saffron . Cook for 20 minutes, stirring once every 5 minutes.

Add ghee and stir in until even distribution. Adding more ghee is optional.

Microwave on high for 8 to 10 minutes and do not forget to give it a stir every 4 or 5 minutes.

After the halwa consistency is reached, give a quick stir and let it sit for 5 minutes. If the halwa consistency is not reached, microwave again for 4 to 5 minutes.
Garnish with Cashew.

Kudamilagai Carrot Saadham & an Award

2009-06-16T22:01:00.000-07:00

This recipe is from a book named " Vegetarian Samayal of South India".Author of this book is Viji Varadarajan. It is a pretty cool book with a lot of interesting recipe.Yesterday I tried this rice and it came out pretty good. Even my son, who is not a huge fan of Rice gave me a green flag for this.:). Pitla powder can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container for a longer time and also can be used for different other rices and dishes.

Also Ammu has passed me this wonderful award.Thank you so much dear.I would luv to pass this to all my friends:)

Ingredients:

Rice-2 cups
Carrot-2 grated
Capsicum-2 chopped julienne
Pitla powder-1 1/2 tsp
Lime Juice-1 tns
Coriander leaf-1/2 bunch

For the tempering:
Mustard seeds-1/4tsp
Cumin seeds-1/2 tsp
Curry leaf-a few
Turmeric powder-a pinch
Oil-3 tbs

Method:

Cook the rice in 5 cups of water.Each grain of the cooked rice should be separated.Set aside and cool.
Heat oil and pop the mustard,add the other ingredients for tempering and stir for 5 seconds.Add the Capsicum and Carrots and stir over a medium flame for a couple of minutes until crunchy.Add the pitla powder and salt. Stir in the Rice gently adding the lime juice. Remove from the flame and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.Serve hot with Raita or Pachadi.

Pitla Powder

Coriander seeds-3cups
Bengal gram-1 cup
Red chilly-3/4 cup
Asafoetida/hing-2 tsp
Coconut-2 cups,grated
Oil-2 tsp

Heat a teaspoon of oil over a medium heat and roast the coriander seeds,bengal gram and redchillies until ram turns golden add the asafoetida powder.Heat remainin oil and roast the coconut until golden in color.Blend all the ingredients into a coarse powder.Store in an airtight bottle. This powder has a longer shelf life.