Tickling Palates

Green Goddess Mocktail Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Radhika's Kitchen) — Sat, 23 Aug 2014 13:30:00 +0000

A shimmering Emerald Green Non Alcholic Mocktail that consists of ingredients that are a natural body coolant. And after looking at the color aptly named the drink as "The Green Goddess Mocktail". I adapted this recipe from Shatbhi Basu’s Blue Breeze as a part of the contest hosted by Indian Food Bloggers meet that I attended previously this month. I’m so glad that I was a able to get hold of a bottle of this awesome natural syrup as its very difficult to get here. And I’m so glad that I was able to mix it with another ingredient that was an impulse purchase once again by the Hubby.

I have used Khus syrup here and for South Indian people who may wonder about what that is, its nothing but “Vetiver” syrup. “Vetiver” is a grass that is widely grown across India. It is available in many “Naatu Marundhu Kadai”, shops that sell traditional country medicines.

During the older times, the Vetiver is soaked in water overnight and that water is used for taking bath in the early morning especially in Summer. It is believed to cool down the body and also prevent from prickly pears on your body. Even drinking water is prepared that way and was drank all through the day.

It gives the water a woody taste and is used for making sherbets. My grandfather did exactly that during summer. You can take the syrup mixed with either warm or cold milk before going to bed and is believed to give you peaceful sleep.

Green Goddess Mocktail Recipe

Prep time: 5 mins | Cook time: Nil | Serves: 1
Recipe Cuisine: Continental | Recipe Category: Drinks / Beverages

Ingredients:

Khus Syrup – 30 ml
Lime juice Cordial – 3 tsp
Sparkling Himalayan – As required
Lemon wedges – to serve
Thai Basil leaves – 3 (optional)
Ice Cubes – to serve

Instructions:

Take a tall glass and fill it to the brim with ice cubes.

Slightly crush the Thai basil leaves and a lemon wedge and add it to the glass.
Add the lime juice cordial, sparkling Himalayan water.
Add the lime juice cordial, sparkling Himalayan water.
Using a stirrer, mix gently and serve immediately.

Notes:

Instead of khus syrup, you can use any fruit crush that’s readily available in the market.
Please avoid adding club soda.
You can also add the syrup to cold milk and serve as you would do for Rose milk.

Is it Emerald Green or Jade Green? Do help me decide…. but whatever the color may be, you gotta agree that its a beauty in a glass.

Strawberry Mojito Recipe | Non Alcoholic Mocktail Recipes

noreply@blogger.com (Radhika's Kitchen) — Fri, 22 Aug 2014 15:10:00 +0000

A dazzling and refreshing non alcoholic virgin strawberry and mint virgin mojito that just screams summer from the roof tops. It is so apt to serve for small gatherings or for large pool parties when the sun is beating down unscrupulously. I have whipped up this Mojito as a part of a contest hosted by Indian Food Bloggers meet that I attended previously this month.

Being a Tata Product, I loved using their Sparkling Himalayan with their tag line “Live Natural” and sparkle everyday, I hope to do exactly that. I have adapted this recipe from Shatbhi Basu’s Peach Mojito and instead of using peach and apricot crush in the recipe I used my homemade strawberry crush which was waiting to be emptied.

I always make this crush whenever I get my hands on fresh strawberries as I can make it last longer as the fruits deteriorate much sooner. The concept of using a deep freezer to preserve food sounds alien to me and is yet to catch in a tropical country like India where everything is available fresh, well almost… all around the year.

After my previous refrigerator conked, I bought a new one and while I was shifting all the bottles from the old to the new, found this bottle of crush pushed behind and made a note of it to use sooner. Just a few tablespoons were remaining and it was just perfect for making this rich ruby red mojito.

Strawberry Virgin Mojito Recipe

Prep time: 5 mins | Cook time: Nil | Serves: 1 Glass
Recipe Cuisine: Contnental | Recipe Category: Drinks / Beverages

Ingredients:

Strawberry Crush – 4 tbsp
lemon wedges – 4
Mint Leaves – 10
Sparkling Himalayan- As needed
Ice cubes – to serve

Instructions:

Take a tall glass and add the lemon wedges. Muddle lightly to release the flavor and essential oils from the lemon.

Crush the mint leaves between your palm and add it to the glass. Muddle once again.
Fill the glass to the top with ice cubes and top with strawberry crush.
Top it with sparkling Himalayan water and mix using a stirrer.
Serve immediately after garnishing the glass with a lemon ring and a mint sprig.

Notes:

Instead of Sparkling Himalayan Water, you can also use club soda.
The quantity of crush and water or soda needed will depend on the size of the glass you choose to serve.
Instead of strawberry, you can use any other fruit crush also.

Use the Stirrer to prod and bruise the lemon wedges along with the mint leaves and sip away to refresh and rejuvenate yourself.

oh my!!! all I can think of is lying on a beach under a shaded umbrella and sipping away this mojito while reading a book. Now, does that sound super cool and exotic enough for you.

When I was at IFBM 2014

noreply@blogger.com (Radhika's Kitchen) — Tue, 19 Aug 2014 18:26:00 +0000

Indian Food Bloggers Meet – A meet by the bloggers, for the bloggers and to the bloggers that I had the fortune to attend. Without any second thoughts, I can say that Indian Food Bloggers Meet is the best thing that could have happened in life to me as a blogger. The blogs that I admired all along stopped being just blogs and took the form of person.

Its not a small feat to bring together 40+ bloggers under one roof, scheduling the sessions, managing the sponsors, taking care of food and the organizers, Aparna, Arundati, Revathi and Nanditha did it with simplistic style and confidence. Hats off for their sustained effort that the meet was recognized in the media.

Pic Courtesy: IFBM

And this where the venue for the meet, Aloft Bangaluru Cessna Business Park became the shining star for the whole meet. Can you see the glass wall from ground to ceiling? ya its every food bloggers dream come true, with so much of natural sunlight streaming in, we the bloggers went all clicky….. How I wish I had this setup at home as well?

And did you see the Cessna in the first picture that was stuck to the ceiling which took some 5 months it seems for the whole installation. The hotel has been designed in such a way keeping in mind the 5 elements of earth helped with the renowned art director, Thotta Tharani.

Usually I skip using elevators, but here I felt like a kid riding the elevator for the conference room that was on the first floor. The elevator was so beautiful filled with electric blue light with the floor so unique that I have never seen anywhere. It was like you are stepping on a big kaleidoscope of sorts only here the color was blue with beautiful artistic designs.

The first day of the meet kick started amidst introductions all around, hugs, smiles and laughs. The tea time and lunch was theme oriented and the people at the Aloft pulled out all stops to make it a hit. The Honey themed tea time on the first day of the meet was something I would remember for a long time. And for lunch we were served authentic Mumbai Street food that was replete with the whole set up. Anyone could see the amount of thought process that went into it.

We all were dessert-ed if there’s such a word. Brilliantly made and artistically presented that we the food bloggers could learn a lot from them about food styling.

Tea was followed by Aparna’s session on better food photography, “From your kitchen to your blog” during which we all picked up a lot of tips and tricks. I really wish that we had a some extra question hour which followed the session, but our time keeper, “Arundhati” made sure that we proceeded to the next session.

And that was followed by KitchenAid Master class by ‘Chef Surjan Singh Jolly’ from JW Marriot which was very much interactive and the Chef with his outgoing vibrant personality kept us all engrossed.

And the best moment of the meet came when my name was called out as a winning entry for the KitchenAid chopper for my entry Eggless Plums Oatmeal Crumble Bar. I still could not believe it. Thank you for the Anjali for the Photo.

We also had sessions on harnessing the social media by Nanditha and I got to taste my first sip of wine during the wine appreciation demo by Aneesh Bhasin followed tea and Cookbook launch by Husna Rahaman and that was the wrap of the first day of the meet.

The second day was kick started by Ashish verma sharing his secrets of SEO, followed by good food writing session with Rushina. We also learned how to publish our cook books which was very well explained by Aparna Jain of Partridge Publishing and to round it all up there was a panel discussion discussing about going beyond blogging with bloggers Sanjeeta, Harini, Rushina, Ruchira and Ranjini sharing their experiences.

The food during the 2 days of the meet was carefully crafted and served by Chef Sameer and his team. He also taught us a Masterclass on Day 2 during which he demonstrated us how to make Potato Rosti and Fish En Papillote.

On Day 2, the food was served in the restaurant on the ground floor aptly named “The Nook” which was luxurious yet relaxed with comfy chairs and trust me, more than the food what attracted me about the resto was the cutlery and serve ware. Gosh! it is a food bloggers haven with such delightful props and the food was simply outstanding served beautifully that one would not have the heart to eat it. I’m so in love with their Watermelon Juice, darn I’m still unable to get it out of my head.

The goodie bag consisted of paper boat drinks, chips and sauces from Cremica, ready to eat assorted packs from Vegit, scrumptious cupcakes from Biteme, brownies from Cookieman India, spiced honey from Foodtribe, a lovely box of assorted spice powders, a well put together goodie bag from Tupperware, ready made breakfast mix from soulfull, coffee from Blue Tokai Coffee Roasters, gourmet assorted tea from Sublime, New concise Larousse Gastronomiqe by Jamie Oliver sponsored by India Food Network that is a must for all the persons who love to cook and much more that I have not put here.

A lovely group photo to mark the gathering of food bloggers of the first meet in front of the Aloft Hotel which I shall cherish forever. We all parted with the promise that we shall all meet together for the next year as well and thank you Aloft for giving us such wonderful memories for years to come that will stay evergreen in my mind forever.

Corn Quiche Recipe | Crustless Cheesy Corn Quiche Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Radhika's Kitchen) — Wed, 30 Jul 2014 06:37:00 +0000

Crustless Sweet Corn Quiche, a complete wholesome meal with step by Step pictures.

Quiche is an open faced pastry made either with a crust or without it, that has a savory filling with a custard which is mostly egg based. You can make either a meat based or vegetable filling depending on you choice. When you do not have the time or watching your calorie intake, you can go for a crust less quiche like this one. I wanted to make a tart or pie but did not want to end up eating a butter rich pastry after the Plum Crumble Bars, so opted for a crust less Quiche that’s filed with veggies and cheese that are loved by the kids.

As its filled with veggies, cheese, eggs and milk, it makes a complete meal in itself. Quiche can either be served hot or cold. I packed a quarter of a slice along with some ketchup for my kids Snacks break at school and the remaining half was served with some piping hot soup for Dinner.

A quiche is basically very easy to put together especially if you are going for a crust less one. Prepare the veggie mixture the day before and store it in the fridge. The next morning whip up the custard while the veggie mixture is thawing and shove the pan in the oven and you can an easy meal to pack that’s mess free and one that won’t spill as well.

One of the sponsors of the IFBmeet, Freedom Tree have challenged the bloggers to come with a savory bake featuring Corn as the main ingredient and this is my entry for the contest. Corn is most loved by both kids and adults alike and what better way to enjoy the monsoon season that munching on a spicy corn cob.

Corn Quiche Recipe

Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: 45 mins | Serves: 2-3
Recipe Cuisine: French | Recipe Category: Breakfast / Dinner

Ingredients:

Sweet Corn Kernels – 1 cup
Mushroom – 5
Spinach – 1 handful
Onion – 1
Garlic – 4 cloves
Green chili – 2
Eggs – 2
All purpose flour – 1/2 cup
Baking powder – 1/2 tsp
Milk – 1 cup
Cheddar Cheese – 50 gms
Mixed dry herbs – 1 tsp
Bread slice – 1 (optional)
Salt – to taste
Pepper – to taste
Oil – 2 tsp

Instructions:

Preheat the oven @ 180 C. Grease an 8 inch round tart pan and keep aside. I used by 7 inch casserole dish.

Wash and spread the spinach leaves on a clean cloth and dry it out completely. Roughly chop them and keep aside. Dust some flour on mushrooms and lightly brush the surface to remove any dirt and slice them.

Sieve together flour and baking powder and keep aside.

Place the corn kernels in a microwave safe bowl and cook at high for 1-1/2 min and keep aside. Chop the onion finely. Slit the green chilies into 2 and remove the seeds and mince them finely. Crush the garlic and mince them too.

Remove the sides of the bread and tear into pieces roughly. Run it in a mixer till it becomes fine crumbs. Using bread is optional and you can skip this step.

Heat oil in a pan and once hot add minced garlic and fry till starts to brown. Add chopped onions and green chilies and cook till the onions turn translucent over medium flame.

Add mushrooms and spinach and cook for 2-3 minutes over high flame till they both soften and wilt. Add corn kernels and mix well. Remove from fire and let the mixture cool completely.

Mean while, prepare the wet ingredients by cracking open the eggs in a mixing bowl and beat well. Add milk, flour mixture, salt, pepper and beat well with a balloon whisk till the mixture is smooth and lump free.

Add salt, pepper and mixed dry herbs to the cooled vegetable mixture and mix well.

Transfer the corn mixture to the greased pan and pat with a spatula for an even surface. Grate the cheddar evenly al over the corn mixture.

Pour the liquid egg and milk mixture gently all over the grated cheese, tap the bowl on the counter gently for the liquid mix to settle. Sprinkle the bread crumbs evenly all over on top.

Transfer the quiche into the pre heated oven and bake for 35 to 40 mins or till set. Mine got done in 30 mins but the center was wobbly, so I kept it for another 5 mins and switched off the oven and then let the pan in the oven for another 5 mins before taking it out.

Cool completely before cutting for neat slices. Enjoy with some ketchup or with a bowl of steaming hot soup.

Notes:

Do Not, I repeat, Do Not add salt to the corn mixture while it is cooking or while it is still hot, Add it only after the mixture has cooled completely and just before you transfer it to the baking pan. If you do so, the mushroom and spinach will start to leave out water making you quiche mushy and it will take longer time to bake as well.
Instead of topping the quiche with bread crumbs, you can add grated cheese as well but I wanted to cut out all extra fat.
Make sure that eggs and milk are at room temperature else the mixture may curdle after seasoning with pepper.
Baking timings may differ with each oven.

Herb Mocktail Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Radhika's Kitchen) — Sun, 27 Jul 2014 15:57:00 +0000

This Herb Mocktail has all the goodness of the locally available herbs around your home and is perfect for the Monsoon or rainy season. This drink will take care of any digestive problems that you may have and also any feeling of flatulence that you may feel after a heavy meal. It acts as a natural body cleanser and nourishes your body from within. So it is also better to have it at least once a week.

As, one of the sponsors for the IFB Meet, Urban Dazzle are hosting a contest for cocktails and mocktails and I’m sending this as a second entry for the same. I would love to serve this mocktail in this Kombo hole highball tumbler as it will look prettier while giving this to kids especially.

I have used all edible leaves that we normally eat to treat cold at home. The betel nut leaf that is known as Pan leaf in North India and as Vetrillai in South India, Oregano that is also called as “Karpooravalli” and the Indian holy basil leaves aka Tulsi. All these leaves are natural mouth fresheners and can be easily grown in your own backyard.

Usually during my childhood as we had a terrace garden at home, mom used to make a kashayam featuring all these leaves i have mentioned above and I really hated it so much to drink that as it was very much pungent and bitter. This mocktail is just an adaptation of the kashayam, to make it more fun for the kids to drink as well.

Herb Mocktail Recipe

Prep time: 2 mins | Cook time: 5 mins | Serves: 2
Recipe Cuisine: Indian | Recipe Category: Drinks/Beverages

Ingredients:

Betelnut leaf (Pan leaf or Vetrilai) – 1
Oregano leaves – 2
Indian Holy Basil leaves (Tulsi) – 10 to 15 leaves
Powdered Sugar – 2 tsp (optional)
Lemon juice – 1/2 tsp
Black pepper corn – 2 to 3
Cumin seeds – 1/8 tsp
Dry ginger powder / Ground Ginger – 2 pinch
Honey – 2 tsp
Black salt – 2 pinch
Water – 1/4 cup
Club soda – 3/4 cup
Ice cubes – to serve

Instructions:

Wash and tear all the leaves roughly. Place them in a pressure cooker along with 1/4 cup water and black pepper corn and cumin seeds.

Pressure cook for 1 whistle and switch off stove. You can also microwave it. I let it steep in the cooker itself for 1/2 hour before opening the lid. Steeping the leaves is of course optional.

Transfer the leaves along with water to a mixie jar, add powdered sugar and grind to a smooth paste.

Transfer the contents into a strainer and squeeze well to extract all the juice. Discard the solid particles in the strainer.

Wet the serving glass rim in water and dip into salt to coat the rim. Add the extracted herb juice to the glass, lemon juice, honey, dry ginger powder, black salt and fill half the glass with ice cubes.

Top with club soda and serve immediately.

Notes:

You can leave out any leaf according to availability.
You can also add chaat masala powder before serving.

Lemon Basil Mojito Recipe | Mocktail Recipes

noreply@blogger.com (Radhika's Kitchen) — Sat, 26 Jul 2014 17:51:00 +0000

Classic & Elegant Lemon Basil Virgin Mojito Mocktail Recipe to beat the heat during Summer.

This perfect thirst quencher is Non Alcoholic, that both the adults and kids can enjoy during hot summer. This virgin mojito is so simple to make and it feeds a crowd easily. 2 months ago during peak summer I wanted to make a mojito and even attempted it but ended up only to break my favorite glass in the name of muddling. That recipe never got published as I was so depressed over the glass. But I consoled myself that I needed more practice and kept practicing without giving up and it finally paid off as I made this drink which tasted just perfect.

By now you all must that I’m going to the first Indian Food Blogger’s Meet that is being held in Bangalore. One of the sponsors Urban Dazzle are hosting a contest for cocktails and mocktails and I so excited to be sending my first entry. I feel that this drink would look great in this footed schooner. Don’t you?

I’m done using mint leaves for drinks and when I was wondering what to pair with lemon to make this drink, I saw the pungent Tulsi leaves that I had bought for Friday Pooja and it was just perfect for my purpose. Tulsi (Indian holy basil) has a lot of medicinal properties and apart from the pungent smell it has also got a very sharp taste that balanced the tartness in the lemon in this drink very well.

Lemon Basil Mojito Recipe

Prep time: 5 mins | Cook time: Nil | Serves: 1
Recipe Cuisine: Continental | Recipe Category: Drinks/Beverages

Ingredients:

Lemon juice – from half lemon
Tulsi Leaves (Indian Holy Basil) – 3 leaves
Sugar – 2 tbsp
Salt – 2 pinch
Club soda – 1/2 bottle
Ice cubes – to serve
Lemon wedges – to garnish

Instructions:

Wet the rim of the glass that you are going to serve the drink.

Spread the sugar and salt in a plate and dip the glass rim in it so that the rim gets coated with sugar granules.

Place the lemon juice, tulsi leaves, the remaining sugar and salt mix in the plate in the serving glass and muddle gently to release the flavors from the lemon and tulsi leaves. I used my pestle for this purpose.

Fill half the glass with ice cubes. Top with club soda.

Garnish with lemon slices or wedges and serve immediately.

Notes:

In place of tulsi leaves, you can use Thai or Italian sweet basil.
If you do not happen to have any type of basil, then replace it with mint leaves.

Plums Oatmeal Crumble Bars Recipe | Eggless Dessert Recipes

noreply@blogger.com (Radhika's Kitchen) — Fri, 25 Jul 2014 13:51:00 +0000

Eggless Plums Oatmeal Crumble Bars that serves as a Dessert or a quick snack or as a healthy breakfast.

These Plum Crumble Bars are loaded with oatmeal and so buttery in taste. The sweet and tart plum filling gives a rich tangy taste to the bars. Moreover these are Eggless. And did i tell you that the Refrigerator that I had with me for the past 14 years, that saw 3 home shifting and still carried on so much with zest, finally decided to take rest and gave up totally. For the past 1 week I’m without a refrigerator at home and oh boy it made me realize how much I depend on my sturdy little fridge and how much I miss it already. Finally went shopping yesterday and booked a huge one for me when compared to the single door one that I had till date. Now to the recipe….

As the plums I had on hand were so tart I had to use a little bit of sugar to the topping to reduce the tartness and as I’m chasing time to post this recipe as today is the last day for the contest, I was so worried whether I would be able to slice them properly with the little resting time I gave in my non functional, almost dead fridge, but the Gods must indeed have been listening to me from heavens as I was able to cut them in perfect slices.

The kids loved these bars so much after they came from school along with a glass of milk. As these bars are so rich in butter, it was quite filling to them. Keep these bars refrigerated and enjoy a slice as and when you wish for a quick bite.

Plum Oatmeal Crumble Bars Recipe

Prep time: 15 mins | Cook time: 35 mins | Serves: 4
Recipe Cuisine: Continental | Recipe Category: Dessert/Snacks

Ingredients:

All Purpose Flour – 1 cup
Powdered Quick Cooking Oats – 3/4 cup
White granulated Sugar – 1/4 cup
Brown sugar – 1/4 cup
Baking powder – 1/2 tsp
Cinnamon powder – 1/4 tsp
Salt – 2 pinch
Nutmeg, grated – 2 pinch
Unsalted Cold butter – 100 gms
Plums – 5
Sugar – 2 tsp

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 190 Degrees C (375 F). Grease a 8x8 square tin and keep aside. I don’t have a square tin, so used by 8” round springform tin.

Prepare the dry ingredients by whisking together flour, powdered oats, both the sugars, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a mixing bowl. Keep aside.

Stone the plums and slice them thinly. I just sliced them all around the stone and discarded it at last. I did not remove the skin as well.

Cube the cold butter and using a pastry cutter work it into the dry ingredients. I just used my finger tips to work the butter into the flour. You can also use the hand mixer.

The mixture will look like bread crumbs. Divide it 1:3 by eyeballing the mixture and transfer 3/4 of the mixture into the prepared tin.

Press the mixture firmly to the bottom either with your finger tips or by using a small flat bottomed bowl.

Arrange the plum slices all around the base and at the end give it a pat down but do not press.

Now sprinkle 2 tsp sugar evenly over the arranged plum slices and then sprinkle 1/4 of the dough mixture kept aside, covering the plum slices completely. Do not press now.

Place the tin in the Pre heated oven and bake for 35 – 40 mins.

Cool it completely in the tin itself. If you want neat slices, let it cool in the refrigerator overnight or for 8 to 10 hours.

Cut into bars or triangles as per your choice.

Serve it as a breakfast along with a glass of milk or as a dessert.

Notes:

Instead of oatmeal flour, you can use whole wheat flour as well but the bars will be a bit dense.
As the plums I had were very tart, I sprinkled sugar over the plum slices to reduce the tartness of the bars after its baked. You can skip the sugar, if the plums are sweet.
You can use white sugar itself if you do not have brown sugar.

This is off to the contest going on exclusively for the participants of IFBM featuring “Plums” hosted by KitchenAid.

Eggless Plums Mug Cake And Brownie in Microwave

noreply@blogger.com (Radhika's Kitchen) — Thu, 24 Jul 2014 12:00:00 +0000

1 minute Eggless Plum Mug Cake and 2 mins Plum Mug Brownie made in Microwave.

Mug cakes and brownies are so easy and versatile to make especially when you have a microwave. They get ready in a jiffy and can satisfy your dessert craving any time as it takes just a minute or 2 to make without any elaborate mixing and prep work. I made both a mug cake that’s so soft, moist and airy and chewy brownie with slight modifications to the base recipe that I use to make mug cakes. When I made the Spiced Plum Relish, little did I know that I will be using that to make a mug cake and brownie and when the thought started shaping, I thought why not, the relish was out of the world, so a mug cake could hardly fail, right and the cook time is much lesser than that of the prep time itself.

I first made the mug cake but I was really craving for some chewy delectable brownie, so tweaked the base recipe and made the brownie as well. If you do not have the plum relish at hand to make these mug cakes, do not let it stop you, just check the notes and go ahead and make it as its really yummmmmm……..

Eggless Plum Mug Cake Recipe

Prep time: 5 mins | Cook time: 1 to 2 mins | Makes: 1 Mug
Recipe Cuisine: Continental | Recipe Category: Desserts

Ingredients:

All purpose flour – 4 tbsp
Baking powder – 1/2 tsp
Baking Soda – 2 pinch
Salt – 1 pinch
Castor Sugar / powdered sugar – 4 tbsp
Spiced Plum Relish – 2 tbsp
Milk – 4 tbsp
Oil – 1+1/2 tbsp
White Vinegar – 2 tsp

Instructions:

In a mug, add the liquid ingredients like spiced plum relish, milk, oil, vinegar and whisk well with a fork. As the relish is thick and pulpy, you need the whisk to distribute it evenly.

In a small bowl, mix together the dry ingredients like flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and castor sugar.

Add the dry ingredients mix to the mug and mix well with spoon till you do not see any dry ingredients.

Place the mug in a microwave and cook at high for 1 minute. I distributed the batter into 3 small tea cups and microwave-d all at the same time for 1 minute and they turned out well.

Take the mug out and let it cool completely and enjoy.

For the Brownie: Instead of castor sugar, use granulated sugar and do not add white vinegar in the liquid ingredients.

Microwave the brownie for 2 mins and give it a standing time of 1 more minute in the microwave, before taking out.

Let it cool completely. Enjoy as such or serve with a scoop of ice cream.

Notes:

If you do not happen to have plum relish at hand, just grind a 3-4 stoned plums with 1/2 tsp sugar and use that pulp.
You can also use any fruit jam in the place of the plum relish.
As the plum relish itself had spices in them, I did not add any flavoring agent separately but if you are going to use either pulp of jam, use 1/2 tsp vanilla extract.

This is off to the contest going on exclusively for the participants of IFBM featuring “Plums” hosted by KitchenAid.

Spiced Plum Relish or Chutney Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Radhika's Kitchen) — Wed, 23 Jul 2014 11:30:00 +0000

Spiced Plum Relish/Chutney that’s ready in 10 min and free of preservatives with step wise pictures.

This spiced Plum Relish/Chutney is a blend of all tastes. Its tart, mildly spicy, sweet and a bit sour, all at the same time. You can serve it for dessert along with gourmet cheese or as an appetizer as I have shown in the pictures with salted biscuits and a cheese sheet. It works both ways.

You can also marinate any meat of your choice and cook it as your recipe calls for and in this case it acts as a condiment. Isn't that really cool to have an all in one recipe? And it took me just 10 mins to cook up this yummy relish. If you are making this for a party, I would suggest you to make it a day ahead as this one tastes even better the next day as the flavors and spices marry well with time.

I got introduced to a relish for the first time when I first attended my younger one’s best friend’s birthday party a few year ago. Oh boy I was sold to the taste of it. It was an Apple relish and my friend J had beautifully arranged this dip along with cheese cubes for the all the kids and with crackers, apple slices and salt biscuits for all the adults in the party and we all enjoyed it without a shade of guilt.

I used Ooty plums here and I knew exactly how I wanted by relish to smell and taste like. I did not remove the skin of the plums as they were thin and I was sure that it would give the relish a rich ruby red color. The skin will get dissolved automatically while cooking. I have used sugar here as I did not want the relish to change to a darker color, but if color is not the issue, you can also use jaggery or palm sugar.

Spiced Plum Relish Recipe

Prep time: 10 mins | Rest time: 1 hour | Cook time: 15 mins | Makes: 1/2 cup
Recipe Cuisine: Continental | Recipe Category: Dessert / Dips

Ingredients:

Plums – 8
Sugar – 3/4 cup
Dates, seeded - 5
Ground Ginger or Dry Ginger powder – 1/4 tsp
Cinnamon powder – 1/8 tsp
Red chili powder – 1/8 tsp
Thin Tamarind extract – 1/2 tbsp (optional)
Salt – 2 pinch

Instructions:

Cut both the Plums and Dates and remove the seeds. Slice the plums thinly and chop the dates finely and keep both aside separately.

First step is to macerate the plums and for that, place the plums in a bowl, add sugar, mix with a spoon and let it rest for an hour.

After an hour, the plums would have started to leave its juice.

Add dry ginger powder, cinnamon powder, red chilli powder, tamarind extract, chopped dates, salt and mix well.

Cook for 15 mins over low flame while mashing the entire contents with the back of a spoon or wooden spatula.

The relish would have to coat the back of a spoon and also it would look shiny and the consistency would be that of a jam. Remove the bowl from fire while the relish is still loose as it will thicken further upon cooling down to room temperature.

Store in a clean, dry bottle. This plum relish will keep well for 2 weeks when refrigerated.

Serve the relish as a dip with cheese, fruit slices, crackers, salt biscuits, veggie sticks, chaats or with bread.

Notes:

You can also add raisins along with the dates but I did not have it on hand, so skipped it.
The tamarind extract is optional. Instead of that you can add 2 tsp lemon juice or apple cider vinegar if you have it or you can totally skip add it all. But it gives a tangy taste and acts as a preservative too.
I always use seeded dates in all the recipes because they are soft and pulpy and will get mashed well while cooking itself. Seedless dates tend to be rubbery, hard and chewy.
If you want it to be more on the sweeter side, increase the sugar level to 1 cup.
You can also cook this in microwave.

As there is a contest going on exclusively for the participants of IFBM featuring “Plums” hosted by KitchenAid, this plum relish is off to it. Keeping fingers crossed.

Ragi Koozh Recipe – Keppai Koozh or Aadi Koozh Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Radhika's Kitchen) — Tue, 22 Jul 2014 05:46:00 +0000

Ragi Koozh or Aadi Koozhu Recipe using Ragi maavu (Finger millet flour) and Varagu Arisi (Kodo Millet) with step wise Pictures using Pressure Cooker method.

Ragi koozhu is a gluten free, diabetic friendly and a healthy breakfast porridge especially during Summer. Its a perfect body coolant and not only that Keppai koozh is still a staple breakfast of many people in the villages across Tamil Nadu. It is also made and served as a prasadham in many Mariamman temples during the Aadi month of the Tamil calendar which falls from mid July to mid August. I always make this koozhu along with sarkarai pongal on the first and last Sunday of the Aadi month every year.

In our home town, Aadi Koozh is served as a prasadham during Sundays in Amman temples. Fridays are usually allotted for doing “thiruvillaku poojas” or “thirumaangalya pooja”. On all Sundays of the Aadi month, people who have “venduthal” (a private commitment to God), demonstrate it by making this koozhu and giving it to all the people who visit the temple on that day and also we have “paal kudam” rally that begins during mid day and ends in the evening and after which we have “thee midhi” also. All Sundays will be like a “Thiru Vizha” during this Aadi month in my home town and I miss it really very much.

Usually this porridge is made using rice grits (arisi rava) and both the arisi rava and ragi are cooked separately and then mixed together. But in my home while making for breakfast, they also use either soaked sago (javvarisi) or cooked, mashed rice as a variant to break the monotony of arisi rava. But while making it as a prasadam during the month of Aadi, we use only rice.

Here I have used kodo millet (varagu arisi) as it is already in the form of arisi rava and also I have used the pressure cooker as both the ingredients gets cooked together thereby saving time and in case if you are a beginner, it eliminates any doubts regarding finding out whether the ragi or the rice have cooked to perfection.

Ragi Koozh Recipe

Prep time: 10 mins | Rest time: 12 hours | Cook time: 15 mins | Serves: 4
Recipe Cuisine: South Indian | Recipe Category: Breakfast

Ingredients:

Ragi Flour – 1 cup
Varagu Arisi (Kodo Millet) – 1/4 cup
Yogurt (Curd / thayir) – 1/2 cup (approx.,)
Salt – to taste
Water – 5 1/2 cups

Instructions:

Mix Ragi flour in 3 cups water without any lumps in a vessel and let it rest over night.

The next morning the ragi batter would have turned sour. Transfer the ragi batter mixture along with the water to a pressure cooker. Add kodo millet (Varagu arisi), salt and 2 cups of water and mix well once again.

Pressure cook for 3 whistles over medium flame. Take off the stove and let the pressure release. Open the cooker and using a masher (Maththu) mash all the contents well. Meanwhile, in another bowl, take the curd, add 1/2 cup water and whisk till its smooth.

Let it cool down completely. Now, add the whisked curd to the koozh (porridge) and mix well without lumps either with your hand or using a whisk.

If its too thick, adjust the consistency by adding more buttermilk or water.

Serve in tumblers with an assortment of side dishes like shallots (sambar onion), green chilies and mango pickle.

Notes:

You can also mix the flour and make it right away in the morning and skip resting it over night in case you forgot to do so. But since the sourness which gives the flavor will be missing, make sure that the curd is sour to balance the flavors and taste.

Bread Channa Recipe | Healthy Snacks Recipes

noreply@blogger.com (Radhika's Kitchen) — Wed, 16 Jul 2014 08:10:00 +0000

Bread Channa is an easy and healthy snack for both kids and adults alike. This can be easily converted into a Bread Channa Chaat should the craving hit you all of sudden. Whenever I make Channa Masala, this is the snack that my kids insist that I pack for them in their snacks box to school. Making this Bread channa is also an awesome and healthy way of using up any leftovers of both the bread and the Channa Masala.

I have 2 methods of making Channa Masala, one the North Indian version which does not have any coconut and one the South Indian, Kerala style Channa Masala with a ground coconut paste base in the blog. Both will go very well in this Bread Channa Chaat recipe.

It makes a wholesome meal in itself that’s tastes awesome. You can send both the bread, channa and the chopped veggies all separately while sending it to school as its very easy to assemble even for the kids. I prefer using thick slices of bread as it does not get soaked up. I have used white bread slices here, but you can also use brown bread or multigrain bread slices for a healthier option. I have also used oil for toasting, but you can also use butter if you do mind the calories.

Bread Channa Recipe

Prep time: 5 mins | Cook time: 10 mins | Serves: 2
Recipe Cuisine: Indian | Recipe Category: Snacks

Ingredients:

Bread slices – 4
Channa Masala Recipe – 1/2 cup
Onion, finely chopped – 4 tbsp
Coriander leaves, finely chopped – 2 tsp
Lemon juice – 1 tsp
Chaat masala powder – 2 tsp
Oil – 1 tsp

Instructions:

Heat a tawa or a skillet and toast the bread slices till browned and a bit crunchy on both the sides. Drizzle oil around or you can apply butter on both the sides before toasting as well.

Keep a toasted bread slice on a plate and top it up with channa masala.

Drizzle lemon juice on top of the Channa masala. Sprinkle chopped onion on top and further top it up with chaat masala powder.

Garnish with coriander leaves and serve it immediately.

Technorati Tags: bread channa,bread channa chaat recipe,healthy snacks,easy bread recipes,vegan recipes,recipes using bread

Guacamole Recipe | Avocado Recipes

noreply@blogger.com (Radhika's Kitchen) — Mon, 14 Jul 2014 10:04:00 +0000

Guacamole is an avocado based dip that originated from Mexico. It is used around the World across many Cuisines as a dip, salad and as a condiment that’s used for stuffing various meats as well. Guacamole is a dish that can be adapted and done in many ways with various seasonings of your choice based on your liking. Basically the Guacamole is very simple and easy to make and makes a great snack while watching T.V or reading books and you can be guilt free even if you binge on it.

After trying out many recipes with Avocado, this is the first time I’m making Guacamole and I loved it a lot. I served it with Desi Punjabi Masala Papads and I must say it was one of the best snacks that I totally enjoyed having eaten in a long time that’s clean and healthy. Instead of frying the papads, I micro waved them for a minute. I still had some leftover Guacamole, so mixed it with my regular millet and enjoyed it as a salad for my lunch. The options of using Guacamole are plenty and once you start eating Guacamole, I’m sure you will be whipping it up once a week.

Guacamole Recipe

Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: Nil | Serves: 2
Recipe Cuisine: Mexican | Recipe Category: Dips/Salad

Ingredients:

Avocado, large – 1
Onion, medium – 1
Green chilies – 2
Lemon juice – 1 tbsp
Garlic - 1 clove
Coriander leaves – few sprigs
Salt – to taste

Instructions:

Finely chop the onion, garlic and coriander leaves and keep aside. Slit the green chili into 2 length wise and remove the seeds. Mince the chilies finely.

Cut the Avocado into two, remove the seed and scoop the flesh using a spoon into a mixing bowl.

Add lemon juice to the pulp and gently mash the avocado using a fork.

Add chopped onion, garlic, coriander leaves, chilies, salt to taste and mix well with a spoon.

Serve immediately with a platter of Chips or Nachos.

If serving later, cover the bowl tightly with a cling film and keep it refrigerated till serving.

Notes:

You can also add a tomato. Make sure that you remove the seeds before chopping it and adding to Guacamole.
Adjust the seasoning according to your taste buds.
Do not skip the lemon juice, it is not only for adding taste but it also prevents the avocados from blackening due to oxidization.

Technorati Tags: mexican guacamole recipe,easy,healthy guacamole recipe,quick dips using avocado,avocado recipes,zero oil snacks,healthy eating,quick salad recipes,vegan recipes,gluten free recipes

Indian Food Bloggers Meet - 2014

noreply@blogger.com (Radhika's Kitchen) — Sat, 12 Jul 2014 16:13:00 +0000

When I used to read about the Blog conferences that were held in U.S, I used to go so green with envy. I wished there was one that I could attend, if a conference like that was conducted in India as well, especially for Food Bloggers and I think my prayers got answered finally. I’m so excited to be going to the Indian Food Bloggers Meet that is going to be held in Bangalore on August 1st and 2nd, 2014 which is a first of its kind in the country organized collectively by a group of bloggers.

I’m also excited to be meeting the bloggers,whose blogs I love reading. Isn't it great to put a face to the blogs you love and meet the very blogger in person? Some of the topics that will be covered in the meet by noted bloggers who are expert in the fields are:

Food Styling
Food Photography
Food Writing
Cookbook Publishing
SEO & Social Media Marketing
Wine Appreciation

oh wait and an Exclusive Book Launch — Harper Collins, launching their new cookbook Spice Sorcery, by Husna Rahman, with a chance to talk to the author and grab your very own copy!

And a session with Chef Jolly giving a live demonstration of the KitchenAid Stand Mixer, Cordless Pro Line Hand Blender and Food Chopper at work, while he whips up some of his favorite recipes.

And a lot more in store for all the bloggers who will be joining the meet. Care to join the fun, get yourself registered here as only a few days and seats are left.

Meet you all there and hopefully soon, I shall also be writing another post about my experience at the meet.

Palakottai Vadai Recipe – Jackfruit Seed Fritters | Palakottai Recipes

noreply@blogger.com (Radhika's Kitchen) — Thu, 10 Jul 2014 07:52:00 +0000

These palakottai masala vadai or Jackfruit seed fritters are so aromatic,crisp and makes a perfect tea time snack. Right from childhood, I’ve always loved palakottai and try to use it a lot during the jack fruit season. I always keep a watch for palakottai seeds packet whenever I go for veggie shopping. Other than this Palakottai poriyal and Palakottai Poricha Kootu, we at home love eating it in the form of vadai (fritters) as well. It tastes very much like the masala vadai but slightly differs texture wise and I’m sure you will love the nutty taste of this vadai as well.

This vadai was first introduced to us in Trichy by our Muslim friends, As my Grandparents lived in an integrated community comprising both Christians and Muslims, we got to taste the best of all the worlds. This is made by the Muslims there who came and settled from Panrutti which is known for cashew nuts and Jackfruit trees. They mostly made this for Iftar to break the routine of serving medhu vada during Ramzan period and on other days as a side dish to go with rice.

Palakottai Masala Vadai Recipe

Prep time: 15 mins | Cook time: 30 mins | Makes: 12 to 15
Recipe Cuisine: South Indian | Recipe Category: Snacks

Ingredients:

Chana dal (Bengal gram dal / kadalai paruppu) – 1 cup
Palakottai (Jack fruit Seeds) – 20
Onion – 1
Green chili – 2
Whole dry red chilies – 3
Fennel or Aniseeds – 1 tsp
Ginger – 1/2 inch piece
Curry leaf – 1 sprig
Salt – to taste
Oil – to deep fry

Instructions:

Wash and soak channa dal in water for one hour.

Cut the palakottai into 2. Peel the outer thin white skin. Pressure cook palakottai in enough water with 2 pinch salt till soft. I cooked for 3 whistles. Drain water completely and transfer to mixer jar or food processor.

To this, add ginger piece and grind it to a smooth paste without adding any water and transfer to a mixing bowl.

Drain and grind the channa dal to a smooth paste without adding any water and transfer to the mixing bowl. You can first grind the palakottai and then grind the chana dal in the same jar.

Chop the onions, green chili, curry leaves finely and add it to the ground pastes.

Add fennel seeds, salt, mix well and make small lemon sized balls and keep it ready.

Heat oil in a deep frying pan and when it is hot enough, take each ball, flatten slightly between both your palms and gently drop into the hot oil. Cook 3-4 vadais at a time and do not fill the whole pan with the fritters.

Cook till golden brown and drain on a kitchen paper.

Serve hot with tea or coffee.

Notes:

Do not grind the both palakottai and chana dal together. The palakottai’s texture is a bit sticky and the texture too will vary. So grind both separately.
You can also add garlic while grinding if you want.
Make sure that you cook the vadais over evenly hot oil as it will darken quickly and get burnt when cooked in very hot oil.

Technorati Tags: palakottai recipes,palakottai masala vadai,jackfruit seeds recipes,jackfruit seeds fritters,iftar recipes,ramzan nombu recipes,gluten free recipes,vegan recipes,tea time snacks

Mango Kesari Recipe – Mango Rava Kesari or Mango Sheera Recipe | Mango Recipes

noreply@blogger.com (Radhika's Kitchen) — Tue, 08 Jul 2014 08:47:00 +0000

Mango Rava Kesari or Mango Sheera recipe, a quick to make sweet dish when you start craving for a sweet to enjoy or when unexpected guests land on your door step and you want to make something sweet for them. A better way to enjoy the king of fruits, Mango in its many other forms. I just loved the mango flavored kesari very much. So when DH bought some organic, juicy mangoes right from the farm itself last week, I found that some were a bit bruised due to transit because they were overripe and when I cut them it was so pulpy and the juice started coming out and I could have had it as such as the taste was simply awesome.

But instead of eating as such, I pulp-ed those mangoes and stored it in the fridge for later use. I wanted to put the pulp to good use than make regular milkshakes. So when the kids asked for something sweet to eat, I decided to make this mango kesari and it turned out yummy.

As a beginner in cooking, several years back, the one dish that I struggled to get it right was Kesari. Though after all these years I have managed to perfect the art of making kesari on stove top by cooking it in an open pan, I prefer making it in a pressure cooker as it does not need constant supervision and you don’t want any surprises thrown at you when the guests are at home especially. I followed the same method of making Rava kesari in Pressure cooker as it comes out perfect with amazing texture every time.

Mango Rava Kesari Recipe

Prep time: 5 mins | Cook time: 20 mins | Serves: 4
Recipe Cuisine: South Indian | Recipe Category: Desserts / Sweets

Ingredients:

Mango pulp – 1 cup
Rava (Sooji/Semolina) – 1 cup
Sugar – 1 cup
Water – 2 cups
Ghee (clarified butter) – 1/4 cup
Cashew nuts, broken – 1 tbsp
Cardamom, crushed - 1

Instructions:

Heat the ghee in a pressure cooker. Add broken cashew nuts and roast for few minutes till it starts to change color over low flame.

Add rava (sooji) and keep roasting it over low flame. Meanwhile bring 2 cups water to a boil in a saucepan in another stove. Keep it simmering.

Roast the sooji till you get the aroma and it changes color slightly.

Slowly add the boiling water from the sides into the pressure cooker. Add sugar, mango pulp, crushed cardamom and mix well with a balloon whisk.

Close the pressure cooker with the lid, place the weight and cook for 1 whistle over high flame.

After the pressure is released, open the lid and mix well. You can add 2-3 tsp ghee before mixing if you want.

Serve hot or warm.

Notes:

You can increase the sugar level by another 1/4 to 1/2 cup if you want it more sweet. It also depends on the sweetness of the mangoes.
I used 1 large alphonso mango to get 1 cup pulp. You can use any variety of mango that does not have any fibre.
Instead of cardamom, you can also use vanilla or mango extract. But make sure you add the extract after opening the cooker.
I did not add any artificial food coloring, but if you want, you can add 2 pinch of yellow food color. Add this in step-4.
If you are using double roasted rava or sooji, you can skip roasting it in ghee till it changes color.

Technorati Tags: mango kesari recipe,mango rava kesari recipe,mango sooji sheera,mango recipes,easy indian sweets,quick sheera recipes,indian desserts

Ramzan Nombu Kanji Recipe - Vegetarian Nombu Kanji | Iftar Recipes

noreply@blogger.com (Radhika's Kitchen) — Sun, 06 Jul 2014 18:22:00 +0000

This Nombu Kanji or Gruel is the vegetarian version of the famous South Indian Ramzan Nombu Kanji Recipe that is made for Iftar and distributed in all Mosques across Tamilnadu during the holy month of Ramzan or Ramadan. Traditionally this porridge is made with either mutton or chicken and is supposed to be more flavorful and aromatic and takes a long time to cook for all the flavors to emerge and mingle. This vegetarian version is also nothing less in terms of flavor but it gets cooked in no time. This gruel is vegan, 100% fat free, gluten free and makes a wholesome meal in itself.

In Trichy where I grew up, the muslims friends also add drumstick stick leaves as its available in plenty in all the households and not only that its a rich source of iron and helps in treating mouth and stomach ulcers which some may suffer especially as they are fasting for such long hours everyday.

This gruel is not only good to be made by the Muslims during Ramzan but it also makes a sumptuous, filling breakfast for physically hard working people and apt for all the people who keep fast (vrat). For Iftar, the muslims serve it with either urad dal vadas or samosas along with pudina thogayal or chutney and dates.

Ramzan Nombu Kanji Recipe

Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: 25 mins | Serves: 4
Recipe Cuisine: South Indian | Recipe Category: Breakfast

Ingredients:

Rice – 1/2 cup

Yellow Moong Dal – 3 tsp

Water – 4 cups

Coconut milk – 1/2 cup

Tomato, small – 1

Ginger – 1/2 inch piece

Garlic – 2 pods

Green chili – 1

Carrot, small – 1 (See Notes)

Drumstick Leaves (Murunga Ilai) – 1 sprig (optional)

Mint leaves – 1 handful

Fennel seeds – 1/4 tsp

Cinnamon – 1/2 inch stick (optional)

Salt – to taste

Instructions:

Chop the tomatoes, garlic, green chili, mint leaves finely. Grate the ginger and carrot. With a mortar and pestle crush the fennel seeds coarsely and keep aside.

Wash rice and moong dal well.

In a wide, thick bottomed, deep pan, bring the water to a boil.

When you see the bubbles appearing, add washed rice, moong dal, chopped tomato, garlic, chili, mint leaves, grated carrots, ginger, drumstick leaves, cinnamon stick, crushed fennel seeds and mix well.

Close the pan partly with a lid and cook for 10 mins over medium flame, stirring in between.

Now add salt, mix well and cook over low flame till the rice is cooked to a soft, mashable consistency. Mix in between. Switch off flame.

Immediately add coconut milk, mix well and close the pan tightly with a lid for the flavors to merge well.

Serve piping hot with pudina thogayal.

Notes:

You can do this in the pressure cooker but making it in the open vessel helps all the ingredients and the flavor to merge well.
Other than carrots, you can also add mixed vegetables like beans, cabbage and peas. Adding mixed vegetables and drumstick leaves are optional.
Use raw rice (Pachcharisi), especially the one used for making pongal and not the boiled rice (Puzhungal arisi) for this recipe. The new (Pudhu arisi) the rice is the better as it gets cooked fast and becomes mushy quickly.
Do not cook after adding coconut milk else the gruel will curdle. Add it only after you switch off stove and heat of the gruel is enough for it to release its flavor.
If you find the porridge or gruel becoming thick, a while after cooking, add hot water to dilute and to adjust the consistency.

Technorati Tags: ramzan recipes,iftar recipes,ramzan 2014,vegetarian ramzan nombu kanji,veg nombu kanji,south indian nombu kanji,vegan recipes,gluten free recipes

Pasta Upma Recipe | Easy Breakfast Recipes

noreply@blogger.com (Radhika's Kitchen) — Thu, 03 Jul 2014 09:07:00 +0000

This pasta upma is the South Indian version of the Popular Italian Pasta. Its quick to cook and makes a filling breakfast or an evening tiffin when the kids return home from school. Pasta is the new found love of my kids and I’m slowly trying out new recipes using pasta that are not only easy but also quite filling. Basically I’m the upma lover at home and the others do not like it very much. Though they do not complain when I make upma, you can see the lack of enthusiasm while they are eating.

This is a fusion-ised take on the regular upma. Now it has become the most favorite breakfast recipes of my kids and I also pack this for their snack box for break on their request. Though the tomato sauce is usually not added to the upma, somehow pasta and tomato are inseparable in my books, so I added tomato sauce to make it a bit tangier and the pasta alone will taste quite bland if eaten after sometime.

Pasta Upma Recipe

Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: 20 mins | Serves: 2
Recipe Cuisine: South Indian | Recipe Category: Breakfast

Ingredients:

Macaroni Pasta – 1 cup
Onion – 1
Tomato sauce – 1 tbsp
Ginger – 1/ inch piece
Green chilies – 2
Dry Whole Red chilies -2
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Urad dal – 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves – 1 sprig
Salt – to taste
Oil – 1 tsp

Instructions:

Heat a large,wide saucepan with 6 cups water. Add 2 pinch salt, 3 drops oil and bring it to a boil. Add the macaroni pasta and cook till Al dente or or till soft according to your preference. Drain the cooked pasta into a colander and pour cold water on it to stop the pasta from cooking further. Keep aside for the excess water to drain completely.

Chop the onion, ginger and green chili finely and keep aside.

Heat a pan with oil. Add mustard seeds and let it splutter. Add urad dal, broken dry red chilies and roast till golden brown for a few seconds.

Add chopped onion, ginger, green chili and curry leaves and cook for 2-3 mins over low flame till the onions become translucent.

Add tomato sauce, salt and cook for 1 more minute.

Add cooked pasta and cook for 1-2 minutes by tossing well so that the pasta gets coated well.

Serve piping hot.

Notes:

You can also skip the tomato sauce and instead add 1 tsp lemon juice after switching off the stove, toss well and serve.
You can use any variety of pasta.
Adjust the quantity of chilies according to your spice level.

Technorati Tags: easy pasta recipes,easy breakfast reccipes,recipes using macaroni pasta,kid friendly breakfast recipes,quick south indian breakfast recipes,pasta upma,how to make pasta upma

Mango Lemonade Recipe – Easy Mango Recipes

noreply@blogger.com (Radhika's Kitchen) — Tue, 01 Jul 2014 14:36:00 +0000

Mango Lemonade makes a perfect thirst quencher apart from allowing us to enjoy the seasonal King of fruits, the mangoes at their best. Though there are so many you can make this mango lemonade, I find this method the easiest and hassle free as you can make it prior and store it in the fridge and rustle up the lemonade at a moment’s notice. The yellow hue of the drink is a delight to set your eyes upon and so refreshing to drink as well.

I had been missing in action due to my arm pain and decided to take it slow during the past few days as I did not want the arm to get strained and now its a pleasure to get back to blogging with one of my absolute favorite drink that’s a delight to enjoy especially on a hot and humid day.

Mango Lemonade Recipe

Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: Nil | Serves: 2
Recipe Cuisine: Continental | Recipe Category: Beverages / Drinks

Ingredients:

Mango, ripe – 1
Lemon – 1
Sugar – 4 tbsp
Club soda – 200 ml
Ice cubes – to serve
Mint sprigs – for garnish

Instructions:

Cut the mango into 2, remove the pulp and transfer to a blender jar. Add sugar, lemon juice and grind to a smooth puree.

Transfer the ground puree into a pitcher, pour club soda and mix well.

Pour into glasses over ice cubes, garnish with mint sprigs.

Serve immediately.

Notes:

Store the ground mango pulp from step – 1 in the refrigerator and make the lemonade whenever you want.
Instead of club soda, you can also use chilled water.

Avocado Chocolate Grilled Sandwich Recipe | Easy Sandwich Recipes For Kids

noreply@blogger.com (Radhika's Kitchen) — Tue, 17 Jun 2014 09:59:00 +0000

A Grilled Sandwich with fruits and chocolate especially for the kids that they will love it to the core. Not only that they will also have tons of fun assembling the sandwich all by themselves. As I’m totally taken in by the Avocado also known as Butter Fruit, I’ve been trying out various recipes with it and one such thing is this Avocado Butter Chocolate Sandwich and oh boy the kids had lot of fun both making it and eating it.

This is a totally a vegan sandwich and does not pile up on unwanted fat at all. No cheese, No butter but this sandwich only has the goodness of fruits and sinful chocolate. You can either serve this for your kids morning breakfast or as a quick fix snack in the evening when they come from school. Either way they will love it. Feel free to use any type of bread as long as its fresh.

Avocado Chocolate Grilled Sandwich Recipe

Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: 10 mins | Serves: 2
Recipe Cuisine: Continental | Recipe Category: Breakfast / Snacks

Ingredients:

Bread slices - 4
Avocado – 1
Banana – 1
Chocolate Chips – 1/3 cup
Butter / oil – 1 tbsp

Instructions:

Cut the Avocado into 2, remove the seed and scoop out the pulp of the fruit and place it in a bowl. Mash well with a fork. You can also make it a pulp in a mixer grinder.

Slice the bananas into thin roundels and keep aside.

Apply the mashed avocado on one side of all the bread slices. Arrange the banana slices on top of the avocado mash. Sprinkle the chocolate chips on the banana slices and close with the other bread slice with the avocado butter facing down and press slightly together but firm.

Place the sandwich on a hot pan and drizzle either butter or oil around the sandwich and cook till golden brown and crisp. Place an object that’s heavy on top of the sandwich so that that they could stick together. I placed my rolling board on it.

Very gently flip to the other side and let it cook for a few seconds till it becomes golden brown and crisp too. You can also grill the sandwich in the sandwich maker.

Using a pizza cutter or a sharp knife cut the sandwich into 2 either diagonally or vertically.

Serve piping hot immediately.

Notes:

Make sure that the Avocado and banana are not over ripe and mushy.
The fruits need to be ripe and also firm.
As the chocolate itself will give the sweetness needed for the kids, you can serve it as such else, just drizzle either honey or maple syrup or chocolate sauce.

Technorati Tags: easy sandwich recipes,vegan sandwich recipes,vegetarian sandwich recipes,fruit sandwich recipes,sandwich recipes with fruits and chocolate,avocado recipes,vegan recipes,sandwich recipes for kids,indian sandwich recipes,breakfast recipes,recipes with bread slices,easy bread recipes,quick sandwich recipes,healthy breakfast sandwich recipes,kid friendly sandwich recipes

Mango Oatmeal Breakfast Smoothie Recipe – Easy Mango Recipes

noreply@blogger.com (Radhika's Kitchen) — Tue, 10 Jun 2014 09:00:00 +0000

My home is taken over by ripe mangoes and it smells so heavenly. Apart from eating the fruit as such I’m following quite a lot of ways to use the fruit and enjoying it to the hilt and this breakfast smoothie using mangoes and oatmeal has become my favorite. I’m a not a breakfast person and I’m slowly but reluctantly changing myself to be a good example for my kids. I like drinking my breakfast as its easy and filling too at the same time.

When I made it the first day, the kid loved it so much and since this smoothie can be prepared by the kids itself, he has started making it all by himself. He prepares the oatmeal and rests it in the fridge for overnight so that he could blend it all by himself the next morning. An omelet along with a tall glass of this smoothie becomes his breakfast now-a-days before going to school and you get all the nutrients as well.

Mango Oatmeal Smoothie Recipe

Prep time: 5 mins | Cook time: 1 min | Serves: 2
Recipe Cuisine: Continental | Recipe Category: Beverages / Drinks

Ingredients:

Mangoes, ripe – 1
Quick Cooking Oats – 4 tsp
Milk – 1/4 cup
Almonds - 10
Yogurt / Curd – 3/4 cup
Sugar / Honey – 2 tsp

Instructions:

Peel the skin off the mangoes, and slice the fruit and keep it ready.

Heat a sauce pan with milk, add quick cooking and cook for 1 minute. Take the pan off stove and add sugar or honey and stir well. Let it cool down completely.

Place the almonds in a blender and pulse till it get ground coarsely.

Transfer the sliced mangoes, cooked oatmeal and yogurt to the blender and blend till smooth.

Pour into tall glasses and serve immediately.

Notes:

I used chilled yogurt and placed the sliced mangoes in the freezer for 10 minutes prior to blending for a super chilled smoothie.
Adding ice cubes waters down the smoothie and thins it out.
You can also cook the oatmeal day before and mix all the ingredients in a food grade container overnight in the refrigerator and blend it in the morning and need I have to tell you that it saves a lot of valuable time during the morning madness.
Choose any mango variety that’s devoid of fibre.
As I used Organic mangoes, I skip adding sugar or honey but do add them when making for the kids as they like it a bit more sweetened.

Technorati Tags: mango recipes,mango drinks,mango oatmeal smoothie recipes,healthy smoothie recipes using oats,breakfast smoothie recipes,gluten free recipes,healthy breakfast smoothies,oats recipes

Mango Pudhina Thogayal Recipe (Without Coconut) | Raw Mango and Mint Leaves Thuvayal – South Indian Lunch Recipes

noreply@blogger.com (Radhika's Kitchen) — Mon, 09 Jun 2014 07:03:00 +0000

What to do when the raw mango you buy to make mango turns out super sour? of course I could have eaten it raw along with some chili powder and salt sprinkled over it but I simply chose to make this thogayal with the mango and it turned out lip smacking good when I had with some hot rice and vathals (fryums).

As this pudhina thogayal is without coconut, the chances of it spoiling quickly in this hot weather is most unlikely to happen, so you can safely pack it in lunchboxes for schools and offices. Hubby loves pudhina thogayal very much and he loved this one with the tanginess of the mango very much.

Mango Pudhina Thogayal Recipe

Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: 5 mins | Serves: 4
Recipe Cuisine: South Indian | Recipe Category: Side Dish

Ingredients:

Raw mango, small – 1
Mint leaves (Pudina) – 1 cup, packed
Ginger – 1 inch piece
Urad dal – 3 tsp
Whole dry red chilies – 5
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Asafetida – 1 pinch
Salt – to taste
Oil – 1 tsp

Instructions:

Wash and peel the skin of the mango. You can either grate the mango using a grater or slice them into thin slices. I grated the mango and ginger.

Wash the mint leaves and place them in a colander for the water to drip completely.

Heat a pan with 1/2 tsp oil. Add urad dal and roast for a few seconds till it changes color slightly. Add the whole dry red chilies and roast for a few more seconds.

Now add the grated mango and ginger and sauté for 1 minute over low flame. Let the mango shrink in size and wilt. Take the pan off fire and place it on the counter.

Immediately add the mint leaves to the pan and sauté well. The heat of the pan itself is enough for the mint leaves to shrink and mix. Let the mixture cool.

Transfer the contents to the mixie jar, add salt and using 1 or 2 tsp water, grind to a thick paste. I did not use water at all. The moisture was enough to grind to a paste. Transfer the ground paste to a serving bowl

Heat the pan with the remaining 1/2 tsp oil and add mustard seeds and let it pop. Add asafetida, mix and pour this tempering over the thogayal and mix.

Serve with hot rice. You can mix the thogayal with rice and eat it along with a papad or fryums or serve it as a side dish to sambar rice, rasam rice or even with idlis and dosas.

Notes:

Make sure that the raw mango that you are using it sour, else you may add a marble size of tamarind and sauté it along with urad dal.
Ginger takes the thogayal to another level, so do not miss out on it.
Adjust the red chilies as per your spice level.

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Malli Kuzhambu Recipe – Coriander Seeds Kulambu | South Indian Lunch Recipes

noreply@blogger.com (Radhika's Kitchen) — Fri, 06 Jun 2014 04:00:00 +0000

This Malli kulambu or Kothamalli vidhai (coriander seeds) kuzhambu is spicy, tangy and absolutely lip smacking. Everyone must have Kulambu recipes like this one in their repertoire to save the day especially when they do not have any vegetables at home. This kulambu is perfect to take for long trips or travels as it does not spoil easily. Like Seeraga Kulambu, this kulambu also does not have any vegetables and I learnt this also from my Mom-In-Law.

I love kulambus that uses freshly ground masalas as the flavor and aroma is simply awesome. Like some kulambus, this one also tastes even better on the next day than on the day you prepare this. My MIL makes this so well and I wanted to make it pretty badly and share it with you all. So when she visited me last month, I got a chance to learn this from her and I felt quite heady while I was making this Kulambu as the aroma was increasing my appetite manifold. I’m sure you will also like it as much as I do.

Malli Kulambu Recipe

Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: 25 mins | Serves: 4
Recipe Cuisine: South Indian | Recipe Category: Main

Ingredients:

Tamarind – 2 small lemon size
Garlic pods - 15
Coriander seeds – 3 tbsp
Black pepper corns – 3 tsp
Cumin seeds – 3 tsp
Whole dry red chilies – 3
Sambar powder – 2 tsp
Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
Vengaya vadagam – 1/4 tsp
Jaggery, grated – 1 tsp
Salt – to taste
Gingelly oil – 1/4 cup + 3 tsp

Instructions:

Heat 1/4 cup water in a bowl and soak the tamarind in it.

Heat a pan with 1 tsp oil. Add coriander seed, pepper corn, cumin seeds, whole dry red chilies and roast till they change color and the aroma arises. Take the pan off fire and let it cool down completely.

Transfer to a mixie jar and powder it to a coarse consistency. Drain the tamarind and add it to the mixie jar, add garlic pods and using the water used for soaking the tamarind, grind the contents to a fine paste.

Heat 1/4 cup oil in the same pan. Add vengaya vadagam and let it crackle. Add the ground paste to the pan and mix well. Add 3/4 cup water to the mixie jar and rinse it well. Add it to the pan.

Add turmeric powder, sambar powder, salt and mix well. Close the pan with a lid and simmer the flame completely.

Let the kulambu cook for 5-7 minutes. Now add the jaggery, mix well and cook for 2 more mins over medium flame. By now the oil will be floating on top.

Take the pan off fire. Drizzle 2 tsp oil on top of the kulambu, stir well and close with a lid. Let it rest for 7-10 mins for the flavors to mix well and settle.

Serve hot with rice and papads or vadams.

Notes:

The tamarind used in this kulambu has to be a bit high. So use the quantity that will equal 2 Indian lemons.
Roast the whole dry spices over low flame taking care not to burn them.
Use gingelly oil for the traditional aromatic kulambu. If you are not comfortable with the aroma, use any unflavored vegetable oil.

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Watermelon Slushies Recipe | Easy Summer Drink Recipes

noreply@blogger.com (Radhika's Kitchen) — Wed, 04 Jun 2014 06:49:00 +0000

Watermelon can easily be your best friend for Summer. These Watermelon Slushies are the best way to enjoy the fruit too. Astonishingly refreshing and chilling at the same time. These won’t have the creamy goodness of the Cantaloupe Slushies but will definitely quench your thirst and help you beat the heat in style.

I wanted to make a granita but the repetition of freezing and poking the frozen juice slab made me think twice and this slushies can easily be called as the closest sister to Granita. It entails less work but gives you the satisfaction of having enjoyed a granita at a much lesser time without all the time and effort that goes into making one.

Watermelon Slushies Recipe

Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: Nil | Serves: 2
Recipe Cuisine: Continental | Recipe Category: Beverages

Ingredients:

Watermelon, deseeded & cubed – 3 cups
Ice cubes – 1 cup
Sugar – 1/4 cup
Lemon – 1
Mint sprigs – for garnish (optional)

Instructions:

Place sugar in the blender and powder it first.

Add watermelon, ice cubes and the juice squeezed from the lemon and blend well.

Pour into tall glasses and place the mint sprigs on top.

Serve immediately.

Notes:

Adjust the sugar according to your taste.
Do not skip the lemon as it enhances the taste.

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Egg Bhurji Recipe - Muttai Poriyal

noreply@blogger.com (Radhika's Kitchen) — Mon, 02 Jun 2014 06:13:00 +0000

Egg Bhurji or Indian style Scrambled Egg Curry is one the most quickest and commonly made recipes that is served for a Breakfast. It makes a fantastic filling for sandwiches too that makes it easy to pack for the kids snacks or lunch box. You can make it very spicy by hitching up the dry spice powders used in this Masala Muttai Poriyal and if you are a looking for a quick bite, this is the one for you. You can also simply place the bhurji in a chapathi (flat breads) and make it as Egg Chapathi Rolls as well. Quick N’ easy to make and elegant to serve is this Egg Bhurji for you.

Egg Bhurji Recipe

Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: 15 mins | Serves: 3
Recipe Cuisine: Indian | Recipe Category: Side dish

Ingredients:

Eggs – 3
Onion – 1
Tomato – 1
Green chili – 2
Milk – 2 tbsp
Black pepper powder – 1/4 tsp
Turmeric powder – 1/8 tsp
Red chili powder – 1/4 tsp
Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
Urad dal – 1 tsp
Salt – to taste
Oil – 3 tsp

Instructions:

Chop onion, tomato and green chili finely.

Break the eggs in a bowl, add milk, turmeric powder, red chili powder, black pepper powder and beat till fluffy.

Heat a pan with oil. Add mustard seeds and let it crackle, add urad dal and roast for a few seconds till golden brown.

Add onion and sauté till pink, add tomato, green chili and sauté till the tomato softens.

Add the beaten egg mixture and let it set for a minute. Make sure that the flame is in low medium.

Using a balloon whisk, just scramble the whole mixture in the pan till everything is mixed well. This should take 2-3 mins.

Serve hot with toast or with flat breads or as a side dish to rice.

Notes:

Make sure you scramble the eggs over low flame.
You can also add any vegetable of your choice to make it whole some.
Adding milk makes the eggs to retain its softness.

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Avocado Milkshake Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Radhika's Kitchen) — Wed, 28 May 2014 09:02:00 +0000

Do you have an underweight kid at home? My little kiddo is underweight and though the Doc says that its okay to be underweight and no reason to worry your head if your kid is active, I still worry a lot after all that’s the most important job of a mother and it comes with the territory. So why am I asking you this? If you are looking for solutions to magically make your kid gain weight in a healthy way, or looking for calorie rich food that is not loaded with fats, sugars and salts, Avocado is your answer and is a blessing in disguise.

An avocado has 200 calories for 100 grams. Now Isn’t that cool !! why because typically, other fruits have 60-80 calories for 100 grams (approx.,). Due to the high amount of calories, avocado is a best diet for people who want to gain weight. So this is the very reason I’ve started adding the fruit to my underweight kid’s daily diet. Instead of feeding him calorie-dense foods that may contain excess saturated fats and sugar, Avocado is a healthy option, I would say.

A glass of this thick Avocado Milkshake keeps you filled for hours without making you reach for a bag of chips and I do love the color of this shake. Don’t you?

Avocado Milkshake Recipe

Prep time: 5 mins | Cook time: Nil | Serves: 2
Recipe Cuisine: Continental | Recipe Category: Beverages

Ingredients:

Avocado, small – 1
Milk, frozen – 2 cups
Sugar – 1/4 cup
Vanilla essence – 1/2 tsp

Instructions:

Cut the avocado into two. Remove the seed and scoop out the flesh.

Place the scooped avocado in a blender, add sugar, milk, vanilla essence and blend till smooth.

Pour into glasses and serve immediately.

Notes:

Make sure that the fruit is very ripe yet firm and not squishy.
Avocado is bland, so adjust the sugar quantity according to your taste.
I always use frozen milk to make milkshake and never add ice cubes, as adding them thins out the milkshake.
I used only one half of the avocado and it served 2 glasses.

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