* Treat your tongue *

Thin poha (or thin beaten rice) Chivda aka snack in english

noreply@blogger.com (Sayali) — Sat, 01 Oct 2016 21:59:00 +0000

When we say snack in India, we get the visuals of lots of different home made Chivdas (mix). There are so many different varieties of them. Corn flakes, Puffed rice flakes (chirmura, murmura), beaten rice flakes, Sago (sabudana) and the list is endless. I am sure different states would be making snacks in different styles from these very primary ingredients. I am going to share the very basic Chivda made from beaten rice thin flakes. This one is quick, there is no deep frying involved, so its a guilt free snack and I love it.

Ingredients:

Thin poha pack from Indian
grocery store

1. Thin poha 2 lbs, get this in any Indian grocery store.
2. Peanuts 1/2 cup
3. Roasted Chana daal - 1/2 cup
4. Sesame seeds - 1 tbsp
5. Dry coconut flakes
6. Green chilies 3-4, depending upon how hot they are and your liking, chopped horizontally
7. Salt and sugar as per taste
8. Oil - 3-4 tbsp.
9. Curry leaves - 10-12
10. Mustard seeds and cumin seeds each 1 tbsp\
11. Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
12. Asafoetida or "hing" - a pinch
13. Cashew-nuts - 1 tbsp (optional)

Have all the ingredients ready in a plate as you would need them quickly during making of the chivda.

Method:

1. First you have to roast the thin poha, so that they become crisp. To do this, simple put the poha a little at a time in a microwave safe bowl. Heat for 30 seconds and then mix the poha and heat again for 30 seconds. Try a little to make sure they are crisp. You will definitely feel the difference between undone and done poha flakes. If not may be you need to heat them 30 seconds more.

2. After this, heat oil in a pan and once heated add mustard seeds. When they splutter add hing, cumin seeds, curry leaves, Add peanuts, mix it well, Then add chana daal, mix and after few seconds add coconut, cashews, chilies and sesame seeds. Peanuts take more time than coconut to turn red. Make sure you are not turning any one ingredient more red or they will not taste as good.

3. Once coconut are red, add turmeric powder, salt, sugar , mix it for few seconds until l salt and sugar dissolve a bit.

4. Add the poha and mix everything properly, All the white poha flakes should get covered with the oil mixture so that it taste evenly. Mix for a while on a low flame. Adjust sugar and salt as per taste and the poha chivda is ready.

Tips:

1. You can give this as a snack for kids in school
2. This makes an excellent tea time snack, make sure you top it with chipped onion.
3. You can also make this in Diwali.

Hridhaans 2nd Birthday Cake !!!

noreply@blogger.com (Sayali) — Wed, 24 Aug 2016 18:23:00 +0000

Birthday decoration is no fun, but I am always excited to decorate the cake. I feel taking this extra effort is a way to convey your love to your kid. I am sure like me you and many other moms feel the same. :)

Here are some pictures of his 2nd birthday cake.

First one is a simple birthday cake pendant. I got some pendant free prints online. Used some threads to put them together and the barbeque skewers to tie them too. It was fun to make this one. So many things you can hand in there. Animal cut outs, photos, numbers etc.

2) Here is the cake I decorated. Simple isn't it. I got wilton's butter cream and used it to top the cake.
Then added some food colors, used the plastic bags and decorating tips to decorate the border and the dots on the cake. In the middle I used the sprinkles to make the number 2. I used a paper cutting for the number 2, placed it on top of the cake and then sprinkled to get that number. I think its super easy trick :). You can do it with dried colored coconut flakes too or different kinds of sprinkles.

This time we celebrated the birthday by going to a Zoo. What else a 2 year old need anyways ;)

Quick and Easy, Colorful Bell Pepper Mix !!!

noreply@blogger.com (Sayali) — Sun, 09 Feb 2014 00:12:00 +0000

Diets are really hard. First it restricts so many ingredients and then you come to know that there are very little food dishes that you can really eat if you want to follow this diet. :). And I really wanted to follow this diet I did last year. I guess this was my first diet program ever and I was really excited.

I was on a non-grain diet and non-grain means you cannot have rotis. So apart from salads, I usually had moong daal cheelas as a replacement to rotis. But moong daal cheela did not taste good with various sabjis and hence I used to prepare and mix, quick and dry vegetable saute, make my cheelas and then have meal. This sabji of different capsicums tasted really well with cheelas and it made my meals more satiating during that diet.

Ingredients:

Serves 2

Bell Pepper - I used 4 colored bell peppers (Red, Yellow, Orange, Green), diced, 1 and 1\2 cup
Onion - diced, 2 tbsp
Tomatoes - chopped, 2 tbsp
Potatoes - 1 medium sized, cooked in microwave for 2-3 minutes, peeled and diced
Chopped fresh Coriander\Cilantro - 1 tbsp.
Cumin and Mustard - Each 1 tsp seeds for tempering
Garam Masala - 2 tsp
Red Chili powder - 1 tsp or as per taste

Sugar - Pinch to taste (optional)

Salt to taste

Oil - 3 tsp

Method:

1. Mix and microwave chopped capsicum for 3-5 minutes, to semi-cook it.. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, When they splutter add cumin seeds. Now add chopped onions. Saute for a minute or two.

2. Now add the capsicum, potato, tomato and mix. Add salt, garam masala, red chili powder, sugar and mix again.Cook untill capsicums are soft but not soggy.

3. Adjust masalas and top with chopped coriander. Serve hot with plain Roti or plain Paratha.

Tips:

Make this sabji right before you are going to have your meal.
It will only taste better when you have at least 3 different kinds of bell peppers. The colors also add to its nutrition and presentation.

Running out of options for breakfast - try this, "Sevai Upma" (Vermicelli Mix)

noreply@blogger.com (Sayali) — Thu, 02 Jan 2014 00:08:00 +0000

Sevai is a tricky item to work with. I had about 4-5 failed attempts of Sevai upma before I could make it right. This is usually a rare dish people make, at least I have not seen people make Sevai upma as frequently they do Poha or regular Upma for breakfast. This, therefore makes, a good dish for guests too. The only tricky part is how much water you put when you cook Sevai upma and the lesson I learnt is to start with small amounts or try the microwave version of cooking it.

Ingredients:

Thin Vermicelli \ Sevai - 2 cups

Chopped Onion - 1\2 cup

Frozen Peas - 1\2 cup

Green chillies - either slit or in a paste form, as per taste

Roasted Peanuts - whole or crushed

Salt per taste

Sugar - 1 tsp

Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp

Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp

Curry leaves - 3\4

Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp

Oil - 3 tsp

Chopped Coriander

Method:

1. Put vermicelli in a microwave safe bowl. Add 1 tsp oil to it and mix it so that all sevai is greased. Microwave this for 1-2 minutes stirring every 30 seconds. Stop when you see the sevai getting red. Add 1\2 cup water to this bowl and then continue cooking. You will require 2-3 minutes for the vermicelli to be cooked. Add water if necessary. Eat a little sevai to check if its cooked.

2. Heat oil in a skillet and add mustard seeds. When they splutter add cumin seeds and curry leaved. Add chopped onion and saute till onion turns translucent. Add turmeric powder, green chilly paste\slit, peanuts (whole\crushed), salt, sugar and mix well.

3. Now add cooked vermicelli and mix again delicately, making sure everything mixes well. Adjust salt, sugar to taste. Cover for 2 minutes. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

Tips:

You can also add roasted split chana daal when sauteing onion, for that extra and different flavor.
Additional veggies of your choice will add colors and nutrition.

All I wanted to know about Antioxidants!

noreply@blogger.com (Sayali) — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 14:00:00 +0000

I been upto a lot of things lately and definitely this is not the post I want to resume my writing with.
I was reading about Green Teas (as I have started drinking it instead of regular tea) and that directed me to read about antioxidants. This topic, like many others, had always been dwelling in my mind but its just today that it surfaced and I thought this is good to write about.

I want to write down about it in the language that I can clearly remember and explain others.

What is oxidation:

What I knew - Rusting of iron or a peeled apple turning red is related to oxidation. So definitely oxidation is a chemical reaction, that is related to oxygen (as the name suggests) and could be slower or a faster process. Definitely it is not good as nobody likes a rusted iron or a peeled apple that had turned red. :)

What I learnt - Oxidation never occurs on a painted iron object or not on the Apple that has skin, which means, it occurs when some kind of cells\molecules come in contact with oxygen. As we know any burning process requires Oxygen and so does the food (glucose) in our body requires oxygen to ignite itself and generate energy that body requires for functioning. We also burn the energy resulting into heat that can damage cells. This process is nothing but oxidation.
The damaging of the cells actually occurs because of the electrons that are generated during these reactions of molecules and oxygen. These free electrons are also called as free radicals.

Prolonged damaging of cells can cause serious injuries.

Effects of Oxidation:

What I knew - Nothing

What surprised me - As the oxidation\burning can occur anywhere in the body, the effects could also been at any place or of any kind. Here is the list which is literally shocking and if we correctly know how tackle the oxidation we can at least eliminate a good chance of these disease ever happening and lead a healthy life. (source- http://www3.amherst.edu/~dmirwin/Reports/BetterHealth.htm)

Deterioration of the eyes, which contributes to blindness.
Inflammation of the joints (rheumatoid arthritis).
Damage to nerve cells in the brain.
Acceleration of the ageing process.
Increased risk of coronary heart disease, since free radicals encourage low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol to adhere to artery walls.
Certain cancers, triggered by damaged cell DNA.

What are antioxidants ("free radical scavengers"):

What I knew - I should eat antioxidants like berries to have healthy life.

What I learnt - These are the chemicals that are responsible for removing the free radicals that cause disease. Many vitamins act as antioxidants. Antioxidant supplements do not work as well as the natural sources of them found in vegetables, fruits, etc.
Antioxidants block the process of oxidation by neutralizing free radicals and themselves become oxidized. That is why there is a constant need to replenish our antioxidant resources.

Sources of antioxidants:

Type	Source
Allium sulphur compounds	Leeks, onions and garlic.
Anthocyanin	Eggplant, grapes and berries.
Catechins	Red wine and Tea.
Cryptoxanthins	Red capsicum, pumpkin and mangoes.
Flavonoids	Tea, green tea, citrus fruits, red wine, onion and apples.
Indoles	Cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower.
Isoflavonoids	Soybeans, tofu, lentils, peas and milk.
Lignans	Sesame seeds, bran, whole grains and vegetables.
Lutein	Leafy greens like spinach, and corn.
Lycopene	Tomatoes, pink grapefruit and watermelon.
Polyphenols	Thyme and oregano. Grapes, all berries
Beta carotene	Pumpkin, mangoes, apricots, carrots, spinach, parsley.
Vitamin C	Oranges, blackcurrants, kiwi fruit, mangoes, broccoli, spinach, capsicum and strawberries.
Vitamin E	Vegetable oils (such as wheat germ oil), avocados, nuts, seeds and whole grains.
Copper *	Seafood, lean meat, milk and nuts.
Selenium *	Seafood, offal, lean meat and whole grains.
Manganese *	Seafood, lean meat, milk and nuts.
Zinc *	Seafood, lean meat, milk and nuts.

* Need only in small amounts.

Know it right and do it right !

Schezwan Fried Rice

noreply@blogger.com (Sayali) — Sat, 12 May 2012 22:34:00 +0000

Finally after lots of visits to the Indian store, last week I could get a bottle of Schezwan Sauce. Ohh I thought I got lucky. Haha not really, a friend of mine told me that she got one and hence I ran the other day to grab one for me. I am not sure if this is something which is also found in China but in India its popular in making of a Chinese food. One can make this at home as well but I prefer this ready made version ;).

I wanted to make Schezwan noodles but somehow my taste buds craved for the rice.

Ingredients:

Basmati or regular Rice: 2 Cups, Cooked

Vegetables that go in Chinese food like Carrots, Capsicum (red and green), cabbage, onion, broccoli florets. The quantity can vary as per liking. Some people like more veggies some do not. Some do not like broccoli, so its optional. But carrots, capsicum and onion are the must to have).
Fresh Firm Tofu : 7-8 Cubes
Garlic : 3 cloves, finely chopped
Soy Sauce: 2-3 tsp
Schezwan Sauce : 2 tbsp
Siracha, red chili sauce: as per taste
White Vinegar: 2-3 tsp
Spring onion: Greens for garnishing, whites mix with other veggies
Salt: per taste
Oil

Method:

1. Break the Rice lumps and separate all the grains. (For this, put some oil into the rice while cooking it and do not cook it in pressure cooker. Use either microwave or cook directly on the burner. Use rice after it cools down completely).

2. Dice onion , wash broccoli florets, chop spring onion, and julienne rest of vegetables.

3. Shallow fry the tofu cubes to maintain its firmness after adding them to the rice.

4. Heat oil in a pan and add onions, garlics, Saute for few seconds and then add other vegetable. Saute for a while but make sure you main the crispness of the vegetables. The crunchiness tastes better than the softer version of the veggies.

5. Now add sauces and vinegar. Saute again.

6. Add tofu and mix delicately.

7. Now add the rice and salt and mix everything well. Adjust the sauces.

8. Cook for 2 minutes and garnish with spring onion greens.

Tips:

You can cover tofu with cornflower paste and then shallow fry, but its optional.

Wiltons Cake Decorating Class

noreply@blogger.com (Sayali) — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 17:59:00 +0000

Its time to share what I was doing for the past whole month. Since I got busy now on weekdays (due to my job, obviously) all I am left are only weekends to write new posts. And when it gets to weekend my body joints start yelling at me and ask me not to do any work. Precisely I get too lazy. But my love towards my blog gets my hands working and I get motivated to write something.

Well for the last month I did not post any thing. And that's only because I was busy even on weekend. It was Wilton's Cake Decorating Class. Oh man it was fun learning experience. And I am going to share it here.

Many of you might have already taken this class , heard about it or are right now wondering who is Wilton....!!! :) Well lets start with it then.

Wilton is a number one Cake Decorating company. They are the best in cake baking, cake decorating supplies and ideas. They conduct these classes in many of the local stores. The classes are programmed by Wilton and the instructor is trained and asked to follow the process that's is set by Wilton.

What will you learn ?

Basically Wilton cake decorating classes come in 4 levels. It goes from basics to advanced. First one being basic, here you will learn

tips to perfectly bake your cake, techniques to store cake, how to cut cake
how to make icing, what are different consistencies for icing and what to use when
make different flowers, make leaves, rose flower, using the most popular star tip and what all we can do with it, borders
decorating cupcakes
drawing pictures on your cake, writing on the cake (use of piping gel for this)

Isn't that enough for a newbie like me. The stuff you learn in basics class is not hard and can be learnt easily at home. But then who will motivate you to do this at home :) :). I know there are hand full of girls out there who can do this at home as well but it was sheer fun for me to go there, look at other's decorations, their creations and then of course the value able tips that you get from the instructor.

How can one learn at home ?

I said this can be done at home because each class comes with a kit and a plan book. Kit is where you find all the tool you need and book is where you get to read all the instructions and then its easy...

Where are these classes conducted ?

Search for these classes in any of the local craft store. Here at my place these are conducted by Joann and Michaels.

Tips for purchasing the supplies and enrolling in the class ?

All these craft stores have a huge coupon program. Some things you should do if you want to enroll in the class and also want to save some bucks :)

Subscribe for the coupons on the website of these local stores.
Go to the store and get the booklet of the classes. Here you might come across the discounts for the classes.
On some special days like "Open House" the class could be at half of its price. I was luck to grab this deal.
You always get 40 to 50% of coupons and always always use it towards your purchases of supplies. Saves a lot.
Find a partner. You can share your tools and help each other during the class.

During the class ?

Take pictures and videos for your future reference
Take pictures of the cakes decorated by others on the last day. You get to learn a lot from each of them
Try to reach to the class at least 10 minutes ahead of time. This is to good seats. :). I never made it :(
Ask questions to the instructor
Ask questions to your friends out their
And Have Fun .............. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well here are some pictures from my class....

This one is by me :)

And here are by others.......

Vegetarian Thai Basil Rice

noreply@blogger.com (Sayali) — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 22:26:00 +0000

I am a great fan of flavors. And when I discover something that is new to me I desperately want it to try on my own. I know this does not happen all the time but the desire is always there ;). But this time I could make it happen. I prepared this dish in a week just later after I tried it.

Have you ever wondered using basil in cooking? At least I never thought of it until in the last week when I ordered this aromatic dish, Thai Basil Rice. Basil is one of the key ingredients and a must present ingredient in the Thai kitchens.

I simply love Thai cooking, the flavours and the ease with which it is prepared. Its quick , required handful ingredients and no extra or tiring preparation, yet tastes so good. As many of you know all the dishes in Thai cuisine use lots of vegetables. This makes it healthy. To add to this we have Tofu (which is a protein power pack).

When I started eating this dish I decided that I am definitely going to try this. It had so less ingredients and just the aroma of basil. I knew this is simple to cook. I searched (Binged/Googled whatever :)) and found out the key of this rice. First, it required the Jasmine Rice, which is abundantly used in Thai cooking. And this sure makes a difference as this rice had a different texture and had a property to stick together but was not sticky. And of course the Basil leaves. In India we worship the basil tree but never used it in cooking. Often it is used in homemade medicines but never in cooking (at least to my knowledge, (I may be wrong)). Thai basil leaves are bigger than the Indian Basil. You can get these in any Asian store both rice and leaves.

Non vegetarian eaters can enjoy this rice with chicken and fish oil. Here is the vegetarian version :). And I am so happy with the outcome of my recipe.

Ingredients:

Jasmine Rice - 1,1/2 Cup
Fresh Basil Leaves - 20-25 (if they are full size) or three bunches
Tofu Cubes - 500 gms
Capsicum - 1 Cup, Julienned
Onion - 1 Cup, Julienned
Garlic - 4-5 cloves, minced
Green Chillies - 2, chopped finely
Salt - per taste
Soy Sauce - 1/2 tbsp
Oil - 2-3 tbsp
Cucumber for garnishing

The original recipe calls for using fish sauce but being a vegetarian I had to find something else. I searched a lot on Internet and found there are some vegetarian replacements available for the fish sauce. I remembered the taste of the rice and I decided to try out tamarind water :) And you know what, it worked very well .

Tamarind Juice - 1-2 tbsp

Method:

1. Rinse the rice before cooking. To cook Jasmine Rice add 2 Cup water to the rice. Add little salt. Bring it to boil and then reduce the heat to low, cover it with a lid and cook for another 15-20 minutes or till the rice is entirely cooked. Then turn off the heat and keep it covered for another 10 minutes. Keep it to cool.

2. Heat oil in a pan and shallow fry tofu till it turns a little brown. We need to do this so that the tofu cubes remain intact. Once done keep them aside.

3. Heat oil in a large skillet. Add garlic and saute a little. Then add onion for 1 minute and add capsicum. saute for another 3-4 minutes. Keep burner on high flame. Make sure the veggies are not overcooked.

4. Gently add tofu and basil leaves and stir.

5. Add Soy sauce, tamarind water and salt per as per taste.

6. Now add the jasmine rice and stir evenly.

7. Cover for 2-3 minutes. Garnish it with cucumber and serve.

Tips:

@Veggie lovers - Make this more healthy by adding broccoli, carrots, snap peas..whatever veggie you like. :)
@Perfectionists - In the first attempt you will not get a perfect idea for the number of basil leaves to be used, which is OK. :) . Enjoy !!!!!!!!
@Non-vegetarians - use fish sauce and chicken.

Sending this to Serve it - Stir Fried Event (Denny's page), Hot and Spicy Treats

Dal Baati (Oven Cooking)

noreply@blogger.com (Sayali) — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 22:16:00 +0000

Baati is a hard Indian Bread and is an authentic Rajasthani dish. Baati is usually cooked by deep frying and hence even being my favorite I could not enjoy it a lot ...(you know the age of calorie consciousness ;) ). Well a very dear friend of mine shared this oven version with me which tastes as good as the fried version but not better than that. (Nothing beats the fried versions after all) ....

Baati is super filling food. Highly nutritious as along with wheat, lots of "ghee" there is also intake of variety of dals. Its what we call "a complete meal". Bati is a favorite of all the Marwaris and its oftenly a wedding meal for them.

Ingredients:

To make Bati:

3 Cup Wheat Flour
1 Cup of Semolina
2 tbsp Clarified Butter, Ghee
2 Tsp Carom Seeds, Ajwain
Salt to taste
1 tsp Baking powder
Water for kneading

To make Dal:
This is where you can have any type of dals and there combinations.
Typically the Dal is made using 5 dals or else just Toor and Chana Dal. I am going to explain the 5 Dal recipe

Toor Dal: 1/2 Cup
Chana Dal: 1/2 Cup
Split Moong Dal: 1/2 Cup
Masoor Dal: 1/2 Cup
Udad Dal : 1/2 Cup
Garam Masala Powder : per taste
Red Chili powder : per taste
Salt : per taste
Lemon juice : per taste
Oil, Mustard Seeds, Cumin Seeds, Asafotida (hing), Curry leaves for seasoning
Chopped Coriander for garnishing

Some people do not like a particular Dal. You can increase / decrease the quantity used as per your liking.

Method:

Baati recipes:

1. Mix wheat flour, semolina, baking powder, Clarified butter (ghee), ajwain, and salt in a bowl.

2. Using water knead the flour to make a hard dough. The dough for Bati is different than that for Rotis. This is hard and you can see cracks in it. Once done, cover it for 1 hour.

3. After an hour knead the dough again. Preheat the oven at 350 degrees. Make small batis as shownin the picture form the dough. Place the batis on the baking sheet. Spread some Ghee
on top of each baati.

4. Bake the batis for atleast 15 minutes or till they are done from inside.

Dal Recipe:

1. Mix all dals and soak for and hour or two. Then pressure cook daals till they get cooked.

2. Heat oil in a skillet. Add mustrad seeds and once they crackle add asafoetida and cumin seeds to it. Then add curry leaves.

3. Immediately add Garam Masala and red chili powder and add the cooked dals.

4. Adjust masalas as per taste and add salt.

5. While serving you can have another round of temepring. But this is optional and I particulary avoid it as it brings extra oil in the meal.

Tips:

To enjoy this, break the baati into pieces, add dal and little Ghee and enjoy till it is hot.

Refreshing Pear-Berry Smoothie...Aha.....(and my 1st day at work)

noreply@blogger.com (Sayali) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 03:00:00 +0000

Today was my first day at work and it was the day of orientation.From tomorrow I will be starting my work and will be part of a team. It feels good to be back in the industry. I am not sure how often will I get to write a post, but I want to be consistent and continue my blogging and I will be posting at least once a week. The day of orientation was full of information about the company. What, who, where, how and everything one would like to know about the company. It was exciting, all day long presentations, videos etc etc....

Last Saturday I got a pack of Pears from Costco and you know how many of them come in a pack. :O..... Well many times the calculation of the fruits needed in a week is right but there is always a week when it goes wrong :(...And yes this was the week. Since the pears were getting little juicy I thought I should try a smoothie of it. You know...yogurt and fruits...Well then I remembered that I had some frozen berries and I thought it would be great to add some flavor and color to the pear smoothie. So I added some berries to this. No sugar is needed as both the fruits add enough sweetness. Isn't that great....:)

Well this I would say is the simplest version of the smoothie but its first of a kind for me :).

Ingredients:

To make a glass of smoothie

Take 1 whole pear and cut into cubes.
Take 4-5 berries, frozen
Take 1 tbsp of Curd

Method:

Blend in all the ingredients in a blender and enjoy :). Add ice cubes if you like. Also you can add the small pieces of pear in the smoothie.

Looks Refreshing.....Isn't it ??? :)

Coriander / Cilantro Paratha (Kothmir Ni Rotli)

noreply@blogger.com (Sayali) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 20:53:00 +0000

Its been 2 and half years to my marriage. Besides family I still miss and remember so many other things from my family and my home. There is this endless list that goes on and on when I become nostalgic and kinda emotional ...you know. But these emotions do not bring tears but bring smile on my face. After marriage you walk with a huge responsibility in your new home and before marriage it was rather a very care free wandering. It's the way the tradition is and life is and every woman sails in the same boat and with age things have to change :)..... (but why sometimes I ask my self)......Wellllll there is no answer to this.... :)

The point is I wanted to mention few of my favorite things which I remember a lot (you can call me materialistic , but yeah I have attachment to them :D ) ...

1) The big terrace which always gave a peaceful sight of the sunset

2) The most comfy Sofa ever in the living room. And the king like treatment received in front of the TV sets, lying on those sofas and mom bringing some garama garam stuff to eat. (That's really wonderful) :)

3) Our bedroom which was shared by me, my sister and my brother. The unusual thing about this room was its color (total green) and its makeover actually (from an attic to a room and a way to it).

4) A biiiig place for Rangoli.. Every diwali I missed it, drawing rangolis with my elder sister. It used to be a total tiring but full of fun experience, I swear.

5) And lastly "Mummy ke haath ka khana" :( . I miss that a lot. I have tried to copy many of her recipes here. But still I could not have that taste in some of the dishes. There are some favorite dishes which are always on the menu list whenever we visit her. DahiVada, Tomato Omelet, "chakolya" , Dudhi Kofta, Daal Bati, Simple Daal and Rotli, "Matki", Pepper rice and many more...

The Coriander Paratha recipe also belongs to the same list. Absolute simple, healthy and really yummy. I am sure everyone will like this, unless he/she doesn't like Coriander at all. If you have dough ready at you home this will be done in no time. The roti tastes great with simle "kadhi". I will be posting the recipe for this. But you can find it online.

The only steps to make the stuffing are to chop the corriander and add few ingredients to it.

Ingredients:

For Stuffing:

Fresh Corriander - Chopped
Roasted Peanuts - Crushed
Gram Flour (Besan)
Salt - per taste
Red Chili Powder - per taste

I am not giving the quantity here as its way easy to make this. Wear you thinking hats and try it out. The stuffing is also shown in the pictures which can give you a brief idea.

For Dough:

To make 5-6 parathas use 1 Cup of wheat flour

Salt - per taste
Oil 1 tsp
Water

To spread on top of roti:

Ghee (Clarified butter)
Fresh Lime Juice

Method:

1. In a bowl take the wheat flour, add salt and oil to it. With the help of water knead the dough as usual. Set aside for atleast 15 minutes.

2. Prepare stuffing my mixing all ingredients listed in another bowl.

3. Take a ball of dough and roll it to make abut3 inch diameter of roti. Place the stuffing in the middle and get the edges together and close it to make a ball again.

4. Roll this into a roti of about 6 inches diameter. Take wheat flour to prevent sticking of the roti to the surface.

5. Cook the roti on a griddle, from both sides.

6.Then place it on a direct flame or heat.

7. Cook a little till a few tiny black spots appear. Now the roti is done and place it in a plate.

8. Make a few pinches with the fingers to the roti. Spread Ghee and some lime juice over it.

Steps 5 and 6 are shown in here. The Stuffing is shown on the right side

Tips:

This roti can be most enjoyed with a kadhi.

Alepak Poha - Ginger flavored Beaten Rice Snack

noreply@blogger.com (Sayali) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 18:08:00 +0000

After you get married there is a lot of change in the food that is being made in the in-laws family. In fact you get surprised to see some of the food items which you used to have for breakfasts are eaten as main courses and some of the main courses are cooked for breakfasts. That's really funny :) and it takes time to get used to it. I am sure the girls who are married must have come across some food items which you do not like at all but still you had to prepare those. There are definitely some on my list and Alepak Poha ( Ginger flavored beaten rice ) is one from that list. It is because I am huge fan of the regular "kanda poha" and this version will never ever beat it.
But again your taste buds get used to such dishes and after a while you start liking them...Isn't it?
Yes even I started liking this version of Poha and its not that bad. It has lots of ginger in it which makes it good for digestion.

Ginger is known to be taken when there are problems related to the digestive system such as indigestion, gas pains, diarrhea and stomach cramping. People in US also drink Gingerale when there is similar problem.

Ingredients:

Serves 2-3

Beaten Rice - 3 Cups
Grated Ginger - 3 tbsp
Jaggery (gud) - 2 tbsp, grated
Grated fresh coconut - 2 tbsp
Crushed Roasted Peanuts - 2 tbsp
Green Chili paste - 2 tsp
Fresh lime juice - per taste
Curry Leaves - few
Mustard seeds, Cumin seeds and oil for seasoning
Hing or Asafoetida - pinch
Salt - per taste

Method:

1. Wash poha / beaten rice in drainer/siever, drain the excess water c completely, leave it for 10 minutes. Use minimal water as possible.

2. Heat oil in a pan, add Mustard seeds, hing, curry leaves, green chili paste and grated ginger. Mix well for 30 seconds.

3.Add poha and mix well. Now add Jaggery and mix again. Cover for 2-3 minutes.

4. Add salt, peanuts crush, coconut and lime juice. Mix everything. Cover again for 4-5 minutes.

5. Adjust the jaggery, salt.

6. Serve.

Masala Bhindi (Okra / lady finger)

noreply@blogger.com (Sayali) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 21:32:00 +0000

I just love bhindi in any form. 'Regular, Bharva, Masala, Tava, Dahi, fried'. This is the first bhindi recipe on my blog. I will eventually add all other recipes. This recipe is one of the favorites at home. The best thing about bhindi is it gets cooked in microwave within minutes. We also get rid of that stickiness if we cook it in microwave.

Ingredients:

Serves 3-4

Bhindi/Okra - 250-300 gms
Onion - 1/2 Cup , cut into slits
Punjabi Garam Masala / Kitchen King Masala or regular Garam Masala : 2-3 tsp
Cumin Coriander Powder : 1-2 tsp
Salt and Red Chili powder to taste
Pinch of sugar
Oil
Mustard Seeds, Cumin seeds for seasoning

For Puree:
Tomato - 1 Medium size
Ginger - 1/2" piece
Cloves - 2-3 Garlic
Onion - 1/4 cup

Method:

1. Wash and dry the bhindis and take off the head of all bhindis. Also cut the bhindi into 1" pieces. Place it in a bowl and put about 3 tsp oil on them. Make sure oil spreads all over the bhindi. Now microwave it for about 6-8 minutes or till it gets cooked.

2. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, cumin seeds. When they sizzle add slitted onion. Saute onion till it gets transparent.

3. Meanwhile grind all the ingredients listed under puree and make a paste. Add as little water as possible.

4. Now add this puree, all the masala powders, salt and mix well. Let the puree cook for 4-5 minutes.

5. Now check if the bhindi is cooked and if done add this to the puree. Mix well, cover and let this cook for another 10 minutes.

Tips:

Try this out with Punjabi Garam Masala or Kitchen King. These masalas are ready made masalas and you can find them in any Indian Store.

Sabudana Vada (Tapioca pearls fried tikkis)

noreply@blogger.com (Sayali) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 17:53:00 +0000

This year we, I mean the Seattle, had a record snow. Schools were closed, roads were slippery, going anywhere was just risky. But snow in Seattle is like a rainbow in a rain. It lasts only for a while but makes the green world look entirely different and beautiful.

The point is there was no chance we can go for grocery and the question was what to do. No green veggies at home and got bored potatoes. Daals and pulses do not appeal the taste buds in cold winters.
When I ran out of all the options, there was this Sabudana Vada which I know how to make and does not need any special ingredient.

Ingredients:

Serves 2 or makes 12 - 15 Vadas

Tapioca pearls (Sabudana) - 1 Cup
Peanuts - roasted and crushed - Handful
Green Chili paste - per taste
Potato - 1 Small, Boiled and Smashed - (optional)
Lime juice - per taste
Salt - per taste
Sugar - per taste
Coriander - 2 tbsp, chopped
Cumin seeds - 2 tsp
Oil - for frying
Milk - 1-2 tbsp
Coriander + Cumin seeds powder - 2 - 3 tsp

Method:

1. Soak sabudana in only enough water for 3-4 hours. There should not be any excess amount of water.

2. Now add crushed peanuts, salt, sugar, coriander + cumin seeds powder to the sabudana and mix.

3. Heat 3 tbsp oil in a large shallow skillet and then add cumin seeds to it. Once they sizzle add green chili paste and mix immediately.

4. Quickly add the sabudana mixture to this and mix for 2-3 minutes. Add 1 tbsp of milk, lime juice as per taste and mix again. Lid it and let it cook for 5-6 minutes on lower to medium flame.

5. Open the lid and mix the sabudana again. Adjust salt, sugar, and lime juice. Its hard to adjust the green chili now and hence you should be careful when you add it in the first place.

6. Add coriander and this makes the Sabudana Khichdi.

7. To make sabudana vadas we will add the boiled and smashed potatoes to this mixture. This will keep the vadas intact and help in binding.

8. Take a little mixture in hand and make tikkis of it.

9. Heat oil in a pan and then fry the tikkis. Serve with tomato ketchup, or a simple dahi (yogurt) raita.

10. To make this raita, add generous amount of sugar and little salt to plain yogurt. Mix it well to get dropping consistency. Add a seasoning of oil , mustard seeds and cumin seeds to it. Mix and serve with sabudana vadas.

Tips:

Another simple way to make vadas is to skip the khichdi step. Add green chili paste and lime

This year's Snowman :) :)

Vegetable Hakka Noodles (Sauted Spaghetti) with Schezwan Sauce

noreply@blogger.com (Sayali) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 21:43:00 +0000

This Christmas we had a potluck at our home. The special thing for this potluck was the Chinese theme :). Everyone made some kind of Chinese noodle, rice or Manchurian. The Hakka Noodles made by one of our friend was really amazing. Here is the same version oh Hakka Noodles made using not the Chinese noodles but the Spaghetti which is a Italian pasta variety. You can buy this in any American grocery store. This is a really quick snack or even a full meal.

Ingredients:

Serves 4-5

Spaghetti Pasta - 1 pack or 16 oz
Carrots - 1 Cup, Julienned
Capsicum - 1 Cup, Julienned
Cabbage - 1 Cup, Julienned
Spring Onion - 1 Bunch
Soya Sauce - 1 tbsp
Schezwan Sauce - 1 tbsp (optional)
Red Chili Sauce - per taste
Vinegar - 4 tsp
Salt - per taste
Oil - 4-5 tbsp

Method:

1. Bring 4-6 quarts of water to a boil. Add salt to taste, if desired.

2. Add the spaghetti to the boiling water. Cook for about 6 minutes of till the noodles cook.

3. Once the spaghetti cooks, drain out the excess water and rinse it again with the cold water. This prevents sticking of the noodles to each other.

4. Heat oil in a wok or in a shallow pan. Saute carrots, capsicums and cabbage in order. Keep them a little crunchy and do not overcook.

5. Add soya sauce, red chili sauce. Mix schezwan sauce with the vinegar and add this to the veggies. Add salt. Mix well.

6. Now add the noodles and quickly mix everything.

7. Adjust the sauces and salt and sprinkle the chopped green onion . Use 2 forks if you don't have proper tools. Mix and serve.

Tips:

Schezwan sauce is optional. It is not present in authentic Hakka Noodles.
Use any other noodles instead of Spaghetti.

My First Homemade Pizza

noreply@blogger.com (Sayali) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 20:14:00 +0000

Making pizza at home is a fun process. Though a little lengthy than what we are used to (order it online ;) ) its totally worth it. All the extra cheese, extra toppings and sauce are free of cost. !!! :)

Well I referred the VahReVah chefs recipe for the pizza base. This one is enough and works out well.

Pizzas made in pizza shops are prepared in very high heat and using pizza stone. Well we can heat up the home oven to its max but 350 - 400 worked for me. And that said you can always buy pizza stone if you are going to prepare it frequently. Otherwise a round large round baking sheet is good.

Ingredients:

Serves 4-6

For Pizza base:

All Purpose Flour - 7 Cup
Active Yeast - 7 gms (Small packet, you can get this in any retail grocery store)
Salt as per taste
Water - 250 ml
Olive oil - 5 tsp
Sugar - 1/2 tsp
Salt - 1 tsp

For Tomato Sauce:

Tomato - 3 Cups, Puree
Onion - 1/2 Cup, Very finely Chopped
Tomato Ketchup - 1/2 Cup
Garlic - 2 Cloves, Minced
Red Chili powder or chili flakes - per taste
Oregano Italian Spice - per taste
Dry Italian Parsley - per taste
Salt - per taste
2 tbsp Oil

For Toppings:

I am strictly vegetarian and hence I have not listed any non-vegetarian toppings which are limitless.

Capsicum slits
Onion Slits
Sliced Tomatoes
Oregano
Parsley
Mozzarella Cheese - Grated
Salt as per taste
(can add other toppings like canned jalapeno and olives)

Method:

For Pizza Dough :

1. Take warm water. Sprinkle in yeast, sugar,salt. Cover it and let it stand for 10 minutes. This process actually activates yeast. make sure water is not hot otherwise yeast may die.
2. Mix in yeast mixture into remaining flour, add Olive oil and knead it for 3-4 minutes till soft dough.

3. Place the dough in the shallow vessel and cover it with a thin wet cloth. Let it rest for 1-2 hours.

4. If you check it now you can see the dough has risen and its time to knead it again. Make it rest for another 1 or 2 hours.

For Pizza Sauce:
Heat oil in a skillet add minced garlic to it. When the garlic turns a little brown, add finely chopper onions to it. Saute for 3 minutes. Now add tomato puree and let it cook another for 2 minutes. Add tomato ketchup, red chili powder (or chili flakes), oregano, parsley, salt and little sugar to it.

(Onion and tomato ketchup give a thicker consistency to the sauce. Make sure the sauce is thick so that when you spread it over the base it wont make it soggy).

For Toppings:
When using onion and capsicum I prefer to cut them in long slits and saute then in oil a little before using them. If you decide do saute onions and capsicum, make sure to remove excess water from the sauteed veggies before using them. We can use raw veggies as well.

Other toppings are tomatoes, jalapeno, olives and many more which you know :) .

For Pizza:

I usually make two pizzas of large size from this amount of dough. Knead the risen dough again and take half the dough on a flour greased surface (or kitchen top). Roll it a little and then with hands spread it into a large size pizza base. Make use of the flour if your hands stick to the dough in this process.

Make some tiny holes all over the base with the help of fork. Add pizza sauce evenly over the base or as required, add the toppings, and generously add the grated cheese. Sprinkle fresh or dried parsley and oregano as per taste.

Bake in a hot (350C) oven. Check in between . The pizza base rises while baking. The pizza is ready when the cheese has melted and it turns brown. remove the pizza from the oven and with the help of pizza cutter, cut the pizza into desired number of pieces.

Tips:

In my first attempt I got a lot of ideas about how the pizza preparation process should go. So do not worry if the pizza does not come out as expected. It takes one or two tries and you will get to it. :).

The borders of the base taste very plain. To add some taste to it apply the garlic paste. (Garlic + Butter + little salt)
Have you tried the artisan pizza from Dominoes which is made of Spinach and feta cheese. I love this pizza and this combination is due in my to do list.
The pizza base dough can remain in t refrigerators for few days.

Hawaii !!! - Truly a Heaven on Earth

noreply@blogger.com (Sayali) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 18:45:00 +0000

Maui (Hawaii) what a place to be :)............ Pacific is at its best here...Beautiful beaches, fresh air, lush green trees, and those giant humpback whales :) ....Memorable !!!

My blogger Friends, recently I had been to Maui island in Hawaii and it was one of the most amazing trips of mine. I needed to relax after completion of my Master (which is really very hectic :)) and me and my hubby always wanted to visit Hawaii. This was the perfect time.

Maui is one of the 8 islands of Hawaii. People who want to relax in peace and want to play in grounds of Nature, this is the perfect island.

Things which are must dos in Maui are:

1. Snorkeling (at Molokini Crater) - Snorkeling was really amazing experience.Initially I was a little afraid as I am not a good swimmer.But with all the gears it becomes a lot easier What a world it is down there, once you insert your face inside you get disconnected with the outside world.... :) . Corals and fishes which I always watched in television , I was experiencing them !!!!!

2. Sunrise from Halaekela - You drive to the top of Halaekela mountain (10000 ft). Clouds are under you feet and you see the Sun rising above the clouds. :) Color formations are simply magical. The color changes on the surface of the Halaekela mountain are incredible. Be prepared for the cold here as we were not :(.

3. Road to Hana - I enjoy rainforests and wild trees. Road to Hana is around 35 miles long and has got some 600 curves (It is not straight at all). Hats off to US government for constructing such roads. On this road you will come across different villages, view of pacific ocean, water falls, locally made banana bread and coconut icecream stalls. You are covered with greenery all over.

4. Golf Courses - I don't know anything about Golf but I always love to watch the golf courses. Hawaii is world renowned for its golf courses. We got an opportunity to view some of the luxurious once. Kapalua is one of them. Imagine the view of ocean n one side, and the lush green mountains on the other. Its party for players while they are playing :)

5. Beaches, beaches, beaches- Plenty of beaches. You can just park anywhere in West Maui. The entire road is along the coastline. There are some beautiful beaches in South Maui as well like Big beach and Wailea. There are some black sand beaches. It was fun everywhere. :)

Here are some of the beautiful sights of Maui.

Sunrise At Halaekela

All Types of Tides and Waves

Breathtaking Views

The curviest and scenic Road To Hana

One of the beaches I loved - This one is called as Big Beach

Looks beautiful , right?

This one is the Kapalua Golf course. There are plenty of others.

Cheers !!!!

Back with loooottttts of excitement and Magic Squares :)

noreply@blogger.com (Sayali) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 20:16:00 +0000

Hellooooooooooooooooo Everyone... How are you all doing ? Its been a long long time for me since my last post. I was busy with my Masters and a good news is that I have finished everything and I am a graduate now :B. Another great achievement is I got a job in one of the biggest software companies and I am extremely happy to share this with you all.... :)

Well I am sure you all had a great 2011 year and I wish all of you a fantastic year ahead.
May the year of 2012 bring variety of food to you life, spice up your days and sweeten your moments.

Since this is my first post after the long gap I though I should start it with some sweet.
While I was at Kansas State University for one of my semester I got to know new people and yes new recipes. One of my friends their shared me the recipe of Magic Squares which truly are magical :). I tried these couple of days back and guess what everyone liked it a lot. I enjoy making such sweets which take little time and are different than the traditional once.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup melted Butter
2 Cup graham crackers crumps
14 oz Sweet Condensed Milk
Semisweet mini chocolate chips as per requirement
Butterscotch chips as per requirement
Shredded dry coconut as per requirement
Coarsely crushed Nuts (I used almonds) as per requirement

Method:

1) Preheat oven to 350°F.

2) Make crumps of graham crackers and melt the butter in microwave.

3) In a rectangular baking pan, mix graham wafer crumbs and melted butter. Press evenly and firmly over the bottom.

4) Pour some part of condensed milk evenly over the base.

5) Sprinkle the chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, coconut, and almonds evenly in layers on top of the base layer. Pour the remaining condensed milk on evenly on top.

6) Bake for about 15-20 minutes but keep an eye.

7) When the coconut turns brown take the pan out. Make the cuts with a knife but do not take out the pieces of it.

8) Cover it with a cloth or paper and let it cool entirely. Then cut into squares and store them in a container or you can even refrigerate.

Tips:

You can press the foil paper on the baking pan and then put the base layer so that the magic squares do not stick to the pan.

This recipe enters the
Choclate Mela event
Kid’s Delights : for this month’s theme ‘Something Sweet’

Semi-dry version of Methi Mutter Malai

noreply@blogger.com (Sayali) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 19:39:00 +0000

This is a different version of methi mutter malai which does not have gravy and is semi-dry. I learnt it from showmethecurry site. The peculiar thing about this version is the use of red dry chillies. The taste definitely differs than the traditional sweet methi mutter malai.

Ingredients:

Serves 4

2 Cups Frozen Sweet Peas
1 bunch fresh Fenugreek Leaves (or Dried Leaves aka Kasuri Methi)
Cream or Milk as per taste or enough to reach the consistency
1 tbsp Oil
1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds
2-3 Whole Dry Red Chilies
1 tbsp minced Ginger
1/3 Cup chopped Onion
1/2 Cup chopped Tomato
1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder
1 tsp Coriander Powder
1 tsp Garam Masala
Red Chili Powder as per taste
Salt as per taste

Method:

1. Wash Fenugreek Leaves well, chop finely and boil it for a while. Add 1 tsp salt to it while boiling.
Boil it for 5 minutes. This helps in removing the bitter smell from the leaves.

2. Heat oil in a medium skillet.

3. Add cumin seeds and allow them to sizzle. Immediately add dry red chillies and turmeric powder.

4. Stir and add copped onion to it. Saute till the onion turn transparent. Add ginger and mix.
While the onions are cooking microwave the frozen peas for 5 minutes.

5. Add chopped tomatoes, mix and cook for 5 minutes.

6. Now add green peas, coriander powder, garam masala, red chili powder and salt. Mix well, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in between.

7. Drain the Fenugreek Leaves and add it to the peas.

8. Cover and cook until peas and Fenugreek Leaves are cooked (3-6 minutes). Adjust masalas and salt.

9. Add in cream or milk, mix well and bring to a boil. Cook until the milk is evaporated.

Tips:

If you are using kasuri methi, make sure to break it down by rubbing in between hands and then keeping it to boil.

Til Vadi - Sesame Seeds Squares

noreply@blogger.com (Sayali) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 19:59:00 +0000

Makar Sankranti is a festival which is celebrated in many different ways in all parts of India. In Maharashtra (the state from where I come) it is celebrated by exchanging the sweets made out of Sesame seeds. "Take sweet, be sweet and talk sweet" is what people greet each other while exchanging these sweets. In Marathi it is called as "Tilgul ghya god bola".

At my home we make a "Tilvadi" which is made out of Sesame seeds and Jaggery. This year I tried my hands on this vadi which is really easy to make. The vadis can come out perfect given that you follow all the steps correctly.

Happy Makar Sankranti to all and enjoy this recipe.

Ingredients:

2 Cup Sesame Seeds (Til)
1/4 Cup coarsely crushed roasted Peanuts
1 1/2 Cup of Jaggery (Gud)
2 tbsp Clarified Butter (Ghee)
Grated Dry Unsweetened Coconut as per requirement

Method:

1. Heat a skillet and roast the Sesame seeds till they turn crisp, little brown and you get a nice aroma. Let them cool and then grind them coarsely (do not make it fine). Meanwhile prepare a shallow plate (thali) or a kitchen top surface by greasing it with some clarified butter. We will use this to spread the vadi mixture.

2. Heat the same skillet again, add the clarified butter (ghee). Once the butter melts add the jaggery (Gud) to it. When Jaggery melts and when the bubbles start to pop up, remove the skillet from above the burner and add the sesame seeds and crushed peanuts to the jaggery syrup.

3. Mix everything fast.

4. Spread the mixture evenly onto the plate and garnish it by sprinkling the dry shredded coconut. To spread everything evenly use your hands or a bowl with flat surface to apply pressure on the hot mixture.

5. Now make the vadis by cutting the mixture into diamond shapes. Let it cool before you take out the vadis.

Tips:

The color of the vadi depends on the Jaggery used. Prefer the darker jaggery. Also the Jaggery should be not too sticky and not dry at all.
Make sure the Jaggery syrup is not too liquidish before you add mixture. It should be thick enough to glue up everything in one whole piece.
Jaggery and Clarified butter, both can be found in any indian store.

Taking Off For A While

noreply@blogger.com (Sayali) — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 19:19:00 +0000

Hello dear bloggers...

I will be bit idle for sometime and will not be able to post recipes. Actually I got admitted into Kansas State University for Masters. This is my second semester and I am staying away from home. Things are different as a student but I am enjoying being in school again :). Here is the snap of one of the buildings from my beautiful campus.

I will be back soon and join you all...Till then happy blogging. :)

SwagBucks - Fun way to earn :)

noreply@blogger.com (Sayali) — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 01:16:00 +0000

About Swagbucks:

Some may have heard about Internet earning and some may not have. Well there are hundreds of sites where u can earn, get coupons, gifts, money etc. Swagbucks is a similar kind of thing. I registered some months back and in a couple of weeks I had a 5$ Amazon gift card from swagbucks. Till now, I have managed to make 100$ :) of Amazon gift cards. There is just a little you have to do. Search, play, fill some surveys, give votes, enter some swag codes etc and all this at your own pace.

I want to share this with you because I know many of you are homemakers. We bloggers are most of the time online and Swagbucks hardly takes 5-10 minutes of yours in a day. Of course this depends on how much you swag.

Register yourself and find out all the details. Click below to register:

You also get swagbucks by entering swag codes. You can find swag codes at some sites. Here is the one I get them from http://www.sc-s.com/

Some Tips:

You get 1 SB just by polling in 'Daily Polls' everyday
You get 1 SB just by clicking on the trusted Surveys
The NOSO offer : just skip all the offers in a way and complete this to get 2 SBs.
There are many small present in "Special Offers" tab under Earn.
For searching use the keywords which appear on the main page. E.g: 2 products are displayed daily on its home page, try using the words from these product's name and description, or sometimes the main words from the Swagbucks' blog's recent blog post also work. They also have twitter updates which give some hints/swag codes. Once you get something by search, stop and then try later after some hours
You can make Swagbucks as your default search engine, so everytime you search somthing from your search bar the browser will by default use swagbucks search engine.
You can make it your homepage with some search key .
Don't ever do exhaustive searching, it never works that way.

Check this link for more details:
http://swagbuckscodes.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474978923985

Its fun to earn even in your idle time.

Instant Uttappa (Semolina Crepes topped with veggies)

noreply@blogger.com (Sayali) — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 18:29:00 +0000

Uttappas are always very fulfilling. These instant Uttappas taste good and we can have as many toppings as we like. Make them look attractive for children by spreading tomato ketchup and Sev.

Ingredients:

2 Cups of Coarse Semolina (Rava)

3/4 Cup of Rice Flour

3/4 Cup of All Purpose Flour

3/4 Cup of Yogurt (Dahi)

Salt as per taste
Oil

For Topping:

Finely Chopped Onion, Capsicum, Carrot, Cabbage (whatever is liked and available in fridge :))
Garam Masala
Tomato Ketchup
Fine Sev

Method:

1. Mix all the ingredients expect the veggies. Mix 1-2 Cups of warm water. Make a thick batter the way we make it for regular uttappas.

2. Allow it to soak for 15-20 minutes.

3. Heat a nonstick pan, put some oil on its surface. Now pour some batter and spread it with the help of ladle. Put the veggies on top of it, sprinkle some Garam Masala. Put some oil along the edges. Let this side cook for a while and once done flip it over and let the other side cook.

4. Serve with tomato Ketchup or spread it over the Uttappa, Put some Sev and you will get Uttappa Pizza :).

Tips:

The rice flour makes these Uttappas a little crisp.

Birthday Cake and 'Crisp n Heavenly' Shahi Tukda

noreply@blogger.com (Sayali) — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 21:18:00 +0000

Happy new year to all the foodies and friends. I hope you all had great time on 31st evening and 1st January with everyone preparing there delicacies to start the year on a sweet note. 1st Jan is always special at my home as its my hubby's Birthday and a start of the year.

This 31st we went to see the fireworks at Space Needle. It was just heavenly. The space needle looked like a spaceship with all the smoke of the fireworks in its background. If any of you visits Seattle, do visit this attraction, you sure will love it.

This time on his birthday I decided to try icing for the cake. I was searching for various egg less recipes for icing. I got many recipes of whipping cream but in the grocery store which are near to our homeI could not find a whipping cream which is heavy in fat. They say the fat content of the cream should be 35% to 40% for the icing to become creamy and thick. So I found another recipe which uses Condensed milk. This icing is easy to make but quickly hardens as it cools. So you need to be very fast in spreading and decorating your cake. Taste wise it was really good. I spent almost 5-6 hours playing with this icing. There were many new things and I learnt a great deal about them. The end product was good and all the hard work was successful..:)

Other special and the simplest sweet dish I made for this special occasion was "Shahi Tukda". Many must be aware of this dish. Its a dessert made out of bread. Some call it shahi pudding. There are various variation of this. Everyone should sure try out this dish as its going to be liked by everyone. It looks very appealing (really Shahi) and tastes very refreshing. Good one to impress guests and family.

Icing Ingredients:

Find the recipe of egg less chocolate cake here.

For Icing/Frosting:

14 oz tin of Condensed Milk

4 tbsp unsweetened Cocoa powder

1 tbsp Butter
1/2 tsp Vanilla essence (optional)
White and Brown chocolate cubes to make curls

Icing Method:

1) Heat sauce pan on medium heat and add butter, condensed milk and sieve cocoa powder in it.

2) Continue to cook for 7 to 8 minutes stirring continuously.

3) Once it becomes thick (spreadable consistency) add vanilla essence, mix well. Frosting is ready. Quickly spread it over the cake using a spatula. If you want to decorate with the design do it real quick. If the icing hardens heat it a little again.

4) To make chocolate curls, melt the chocolate in a pan. On a flat platform spread this chocolate and cool it a little in a freeze. After a while using a cheese slicer draw a straight line down the cooled chocolate platform and get curls. If they are breaking it means the chocolate needs to be heated a little so that it molds into the curls. My curls where not perfect but with practice I will sure get them more curly :).

Shahi Tukda Ingredients:

Serves 8

4 Bread loaves
About 750 ml Milk
3-4 tbsp Custard powder
3/4 Cup Sugar (adjust as per sweet taste)
1 tsp powdered Cardamom (Elaichi)
Shvings of Pistachios and Almonds ( Badaam, Pista )

Shahi Tukda Method:

1. Make equal halves of all the bread loaves. Now to make them crisp there are two options.
Either you can deep fry them in oil or make toasts in the oven. I made toasts and they taste exactly same as the fried one. So oil conscious people should go for toasts :).

2. Heat milk in a sauce pan and add custard powder and sugar to it. (Make the custard the way we make it for fruit custard / fruit salad). Keep stirring till the milk thickens a little. Care needs to be taken as there are chances that the milk sticks to the bottom of the pan. Hence continual stirring is important. Once done adjust the sweetness and cool it in a fridge. When in fridge you should stir it every short time intervals for some time.

3. To make almond and pistachio shavings, soak them into water for a while. Take the almonds and turn them so the widest point faces parallel to the cutting implement (knife). Cut the almonds into wafer thin slices and repeat same with pistachios.

3. Keep one piece of toast in a serving dish or a bowl is preferred. Add custard milk on top of it so that the piece of toast gets covered. Now top this with almond and pistachio shavings. Sprinkle this with Cardamom (Elaichi) powder.
Shahi Tukda is ready....:)

I am sure everyone at home will like this. For people who do not like sweets but need to be specially treated this is the perfect dessert.

Tips:

Condensed milk is sweet in taste so there is no need to add sugar in icing.

You may add some water to frosting to make it easy to work on. You may also deep spatula in cold water, this will help to spread frosting easily.

The Icing Method may not be the perfect one but it was sure a nice learning experience.

Bengan Masala (Bringal / Eggplants in a spicy gravy)

noreply@blogger.com (Sayali) — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 18:25:00 +0000

Bengan is a different vegetable I feel. What I like most about it is its color.... :)) Well Bengan is also cooked in lot of different ways. Bengan bharta, Bharvan bengan , Masala Bengan , Sukhi bengan ki sabzi and so many more. Bengan is also cooked in many different gravies. I got this recipe from my paternal aunt. Thanks to her :)

Ingredients:

Serves 2

2-3 Bengans (Bringal/Eggplant)

1 1/2 tbsp dry Coconut grated

2 Cups finely chopped Onion divided
1 tbsp Sesame seeds (til)
1 tbsp Poppy seeds (khus khus)
Slits of 2 Garlic Cloves
2 tbsp roasted Peanut crush
Red Chili powder as per taste
Salt as per taste
2-3 tsp Garam Masala

1 tsp Turmeric powder

2-3 tbsp Oil

Mustard and Cumin seeds for seasoning

1-2 tsp Sugar

Method:

1. Wash the Eggplants. Take off the stems and cut into 4-6 vertical slits each.

2. Heat just a 1 tbsp oil in a pan. Add 1 Cup onion and saute for 4-5 minutes. Now add sesame seeds, poppy seeds, garlic slits and coconut and saute again. We want to get the roasted flavor of these ingredients. Mean while you can microwave the eggplant slits and half cook them.

3. Now grind all these in a grinder. Add just enough water and make a paste.

4. In a same pan heat the remaining oil, add mustard seeds and cumin seeds and when they sizzle add remaining onion to it. Saute again till it turns translucent.

5. Now add the paste from the step 2 and the masalas. Saute till the oil separates out from them. Stir occasionally.

6. Add about 2 Cups of water, salt,sugar, peanut crush and eggplant slits. Cook till everything blends and the eggplant cooks well

Tips:

If dry coconut is not available you can also use the fresh grated coconut.
I have a masala called as Kanda Lasun masala which I use instead of regular Garam Masala. This Kanda Lasun masala is unique to Maharashtra so I guess many would not be aware of it.
Try having curd in your meal along with this sabzi. Curd goes very well with this sabzi.

Sending to Dish out-Brinjal & Garlic guest hosted by Sangee,event by Vardhini..