Sumi's Kitchen

Chocolate Cupcakes

noreply@blogger.com (Sumi) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 15:47:00 +0000

I baked these cupcakes two months back and has been lying in my drafts since then. These cupcakes turned out so soft and moist that my four year old just adored them as much as we did.

Here you go for the recipe.

Ingredients:
11/3 cup all purpose flour
1 cup hot boiling water
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
2 tsps vanilla extract

Method:
Preheat the oven to 350F / 180C

Mix in the cocoa powder and the boiling water in a seperate bowl. Let it cool to room temperature
Stir the dry ingredients in a bowl (flour, baking powder)
Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl till frothy and creamy.
Add in the eggs one by one and beat till thick and pale.
Add the vanilla essence and beat till completely mixed.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Now add the dry ingredients little by little and mix well.
Gently fold in the cocoa mixture and mix till incorporated.
Fill in each muffin cups about 3/4th full. Bake for 15 -18 mins.

Linking these cute cupcakes to Srivalli's "Chocolate Mela" .

Broccoli Clear Soup with Whole Black Peppers

noreply@blogger.com (Sumi) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 17:08:00 +0000

While the folks in the northwest took the brunt of the severe snowstorm we got our stash this past weekend, the first of the season. It settled down for about 3 - 4 inches, quite low for this time of the year was what I heard. Anyways here's another super healthy soup to keep you all warm through this winter weather.
I learned this recipe from the Chef Jacob's morning cooking show in the TV. My MIL who does'nt know how to cook broccoli and was always wondering how to cook it according to our taste , now makes this soup regularly at home. The whole peppers are the star ingredients in this recipe rather than broccoli as it gives the otherwise bland vegetable a spicy makeover. I have used carrots in this recipe to make it more interesting for my son but its optional, it adds a nice color to the soup though.

Ingredients.
2 cups broccoli cut into florets.
1 cup of diced Carrots(optional)
2 tsp whole pepper
3 tsp whole jeera
4 large cloves of garlic sliced thin
1 medium onion sliced thin

Method
In a sauce pan, add about a tsp of olive oil.
Add the whole pepper and jeera. When the jeera splutters add the garlic and onion.
Saute fora minute and add the broccoli florets and carrots, saute for 2 mins. Now add the required amount of water and salt close with a lid.
Allow it to boil for 15 mins in medium heat. Take care not to over cook the broccoli .
Serve hot with dash of crushed pepper.

Don't keep aside the whole peppers in the soup, thats what brings out the flavors in this soup. Try to take it along with the broccoli and you will not regret it.

Notes.
Always cook the Broccoli to a correct consistency, a little but on the crunchy side. Otherwise the taste becomes very bland. So make note of the time, when you make the soup for the first time. I cook it for for about 15 - 20 mins on low heat.

I bet this soup makes you hungry after 20mins. Make a perfect appetizer.

You can also use the same recipe to make a cauliflower and carrot clear soup too.

Linking this to Priya's Healthy diet - Warm Soups Event. Have Fun.

Carrot Celery Soup

noreply@blogger.com (Sumi) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 17:26:00 +0000

Though I make a variety of soup's during winter I just realized that I have never posted one in my Blog.
Onions and celery forms the base for many of the soup recipes, but here is a simple and comforting soup that uses this basic veggies, just right for the cold winter evenings.
Also stay tuned for some more of these soup recipes throughout this month.

Carrot Celery Soup

Ingredients:
2 medium carrots peeled and chopped.
1 medium onion chopped
2 large celery stalk chopped
2 cloves of garlic
salt and coarse pepper powder as needed.

Method.
Add about a tblsp of olive oil in a sauce pan.
Saute the garlic and onions till translucent (do not brown)
Now add the chopped garlic and celery, give it a stir.
Add some salt to taste and 2 cups of water. Close with a lid and simmer for about 30 mins.

Let it sit for about 15 mins and then blend it using a hand held blender or transfer it a blender.
Add coarsely ground pepper before serving. Coarse pepper gives a better taste and flavor than powdered pepper.

Sending this soup to Priya's own event 'Healthy Diet - Warm Soups'

Pongal Kuz(l)hambhu/ Lentil Stew With Mixed Vegetables

noreply@blogger.com (Sumi) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 19:57:00 +0000

Traditionally during Pongal festival two types of pongal are made as offering to the Sun God. One is the ever famous 'Sarkarai pongal' and the other one is the plain and simple 'Pal Pongal' - rice cooked in simmering milk.

This Pongal kuzhambhu is made to be served as a side dish to the delicious 'Pal Pongal'. Its basically made with lentils and all the seasonal and locally available vegetables like pumpkin, sweet potato, drumstick, green mochai, avarakkai, brinjal , vazhaikai (green plantain ) etc., It looks more like a sambhar but the consistency is more thick and taste is quite different.

I make this kuzhambhu every year, but this time made it a couple of days earlier to post it in the blog.

Recipe for 'Pal Pongal'

Soak 1 cup of raw rice for ½ hour. Boil 2 cups of water and 2 cups of full cream milk in a cooking vessel. When it starts simmering, add the rice to it and cook on a medium flame until the rice is almost cooked. Add 1 cup of shredded coconut and a little salt. Mix well and cook until it is done.

Recipe for 'Pongal Kuzhambhu'

Ingredients:

Lentils-1/2 cup

Tamarind- a small orange size

Chopped tomatoes-1 cup

Avaraikkai- a handful [cut into halves]

Red pumpkin- a handful [cut into 1” pieces]

Sweet potato- 2 handfuls [cut into cubes]

Brinjal- 1 handful [cut into medium pieces]

Raw banana-1 [cut into cubes]

Green mochaikkai-1 cup

Turmeric powder-1sp

Chilli powder-1tbsp

Coriander powder-2 tbsp

Shredded coconut- 1/2 cup

Curry leaves- a handful

Chopped coriander leaves-a handful

To make the powder:

Boiled rice- 2 tblsp

Raw rice-1 tbsp

Peppercorns-1/2 tsp

Cumin seeds- 1 tsp

Fennel seeds-1 tsp

Method:

Cook the lentils in a cooker.

Soak the tamarind in warm water and then extract the juice after ½ hour.

Dry roast the boiled rice, raw rice, cumin seeds, peppercorns and fennel seeds to a nice brown colour and powder them finely.

Add the chopped tomatoes, avaraikkai, red pumpkin pieces, sweet potatoes pieces, brinjal pieces, raw banana cubes and the mochaikkai in a cooking vessel and add enough water to cover it. Cook them with enough salt the turmeric powder.

When the vegetables are half done, add the tamarind juice, the chilli powder and the coriander powder or use equal proportion of sambhar powder.

After cooking them for some minutes add the dhal and again cook for a few minutes.

Now add the powder, the coriander leaves , curry leaves and the shredded coconut.

Cook under low heat for 5 minutes.

Let it sit atleast 30 mins before serving, for the flavors to mature.

Serve with pal pongal or hot steaming rice

Notes:

I have mentioned the ideal vegetables traditionally used in the recipe, but except the pumpkin the choice is all yours.

The original recipe does not call for seasoning(so its a fat free recipe too), but I did some tempering with mustard to give an extra flavour

Wish you all a very Happy Pongal !

Family Favorites: Vadai Pota Mor Kuzhambhu / Buttermilk Curry with Urad Dhal Vadai

noreply@blogger.com (Sumi) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 05:12:00 +0000

Everyone have their own way of making mor kuzhambhu. My Mom makes it just plain, without adding any veggies to it. Some make it with veggies like okra, pumpkin etc., But my MIL's method is totally different. While my mother opts to make mor kuzhambhu when she ran out of veggies or has excessive sour curd, my MIL makes excess curd just to make this one.This is the most popular kuzhambhu in my in-laws place. My MIL makes this with great patience and utmost care.
The vadai's are not made in the traditional shape but just dropped in oil like bonda's. Serve this curry with white rice and any spicy side dish(dry).

Ingredients:
For Vadai:
1/2 cup Urad dhal soaked for atleast 4 hours
1/2 inch Ginger
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp jeera
1/2 tsp salt
oil for frying
For Kuzhambhu/Gravy
3 cups buttermilk
1tblsp thoor dhal
2 tblsp rice
1/2 tsp pepper corns
1/2 tsp jeera seeds
1 tsp turmeric powder
1tsp chilli powder
1 tsp coriander powder
for tempering
1tsp mustard seeds
1tsp jeera
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 tblsp chopped ginger
few curry leaves
Method
Soak the urad dhal for 2 hours and grind to a smooth paste along with ginger, pepper, jeera and salt. Keep aside.
Soak the raw rice in water for about 30 mins.
Dry roast the toor dhal in a pan until fragrant.
Grind the toor dhal, soaked rice, pepper and jeera to a fine paste.
Mix the ground paste to the buttermilk. To this add salt, turmeric powder, chill powder and coriander powder. Mix well with a whisk.
In a sauce pan add a tsp of oil .When the oil is hot add mustard ,jeera seeds, when it pops add chopped ginger, onion, and curry leaves. Fry till translucent.
Add the buttermilk mixture and reduce the flame.
Just when the gravy foams up (like we do for rasam) and ready to boil switch off the stove and mix well.

Heat up the oil in a kadai. Gently drop small balls of the dough in the oil. Fry in medium flame till golden brown. Once done, drop them in a bowl of water, squeeze and then drop the vadai in the gravy.
Repeat for the remaining dough.
Allow the kuzhambhu to rest for atleast 30 mins for the vadai to get soaked well.

Notes:

Take care not to over boil the gravy, there is a high chance of curdling.
You can also dilute 1 cup thick yoghurt with 2 cups of water to make this gravy.
The vadai should be fried in low to medium flame and should be slightly brown, so that it can soak up the gravy.
Dipping the fried vadai's in water is a must as it removes excess oil and also makes the vadai's soft.
If the Buttermilk is not sour enough, add 1 cup chopped tomatoes along with onion and fry well.

Sending this to "Walk through the memory lane" event held at Gayathri's Cook Spot

China Grass / Agar Agar Pudding with Pineapple and almonds

noreply@blogger.com (Sumi) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 19:28:00 +0000

Here is a simple and easy to make to dessert to kick start your New Year. The one thing I like the most about this dessert is that you can make it ahead of time and refrigerate. Kids will love to have their portions in individual moulds. China grass is a vegetarian friendly version of gelatin. It is obtained from see weeds, available in the form of strands or as powder. I used the strands in both the recipes. More about china grass here

I make this dessert two ways one using condensed milk and the other one using Almond meal(powder). Both have different flavour although the method is the same.

I am sharing both the recipes here. This is a very versatile recipe and easily adaptable to your taste.You can add Pistachios and cardomom instead of almond or Mangoes instead of pineapple.

Agar Agar pudding with Almonds.

Ingredients:

3 cups of whole milk

1/4 cup ground almond

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 tsp of cardomom

1 tsp almond essence/vanilla essencce

2tsp agar agar powder / 10gms of strands

some slivered almonds for garnishing.

Method:

Add the china grass in a seperate bowl and cover it with hot water. Let it rest for 15 mins or until it is completly dissolved.

Boil 3 cups of milk in a sauce pan.

Now add the dissolved china grass, sugar and the almond meal to the boiling milk. Lower the heat and boil for 10mins.
Add the essence and simmer for another 2 mins.

Strain the contents to another bowl and pour the mixture to preferred moulds(individual or large).

Sprinkle slivered almonds on top.

Let it sit in the counter for about 20 mins or until it comes to room temperature and then refrigerate the bowls for a minimum of 3 hours or overnight.

China Grass/ Agar Agar Pudding with Pineapple

Ingredients:

3 cups milk

1 can (14oz condensed milk)

4 - 5 tblsp Sugar

2tsp Agar Agar powder/ 10gms of Agar Agar strands

1/2 tsp vanilla essence

1/4 tsp cardamom powder

1 tin chopped pineapple

sliced almonds for garnishing

Method

Soak the strands /powder in 1/2 cup of hot water for about 15 mins or until it dissolves completely.

Bring the milk to a roaring boil. Reduce the heat and add the sugar, china grass stands along with soaked water and keep stiring and simmer for another 10-15 mins.

Now add the condensed milk and the essence, stir for another 5 mins on low heat.

Switch off the stove and strain the milk mixture to another large bowl.

Drain the liquid out from the pineapple tin. Add the chopped pineapple pieces to the base of the moulds and then pour the liquid mixture over the pineapple.

Garnish with sliced up almonds. Let it rest till it comes to room temperature and then refrigerate for a minimum of 3 hours or overnight.

Notes:

If using China grass powder go ahead and add it directly to the boiling milk, but it is a must to soak the strands if using those.
Some brands do not dissolve completely in the hot water. So always strain the mixture before pouring into the moulds.
Adjust the sugar content as per your taste.

Wish you all a very Happy New Year :)

Almond Biscotti

noreply@blogger.com (Sumi) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 05:13:00 +0000

Biscotti was in my 'to bake' list for a long time and finally I made it yesterday for my kid's teachers. Biscotti's are traditional Italian cookie which are long curve shaped, baked with only eggs and sugar as the main ingredients. No fat is added to these cookies. It has a crisp and crunchy texture, great with a cup of tea and it stores well for several days.

Ingredients:
1 cup blanched whole almonds
3 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/8th tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
1 tsp almond essence

Method:
Blanching the almonds:
Boil the water in a sauce pan and add the whole almonds. Leave them in the boiling water for exactly 1 min.
Then drain the water and remove the skin. The nut just easily pops out of the skin.
Cool the nuts

Toasting the almonds
Heat the oven to 350F
Spread the cooled almonds on a baking sheet
Bake for 10 mins or until the nuts are slightly brown and fragrant

Baking of the Biscotti is done in two parts.

Baking the Biscotti - Part 1
Preheat the oven to 300F.Line the baking sheet with parchment paper or wax paper
Stir the flour and salt in a bowl.
Roughly chop the toasted almonds
Beat the eggs and sugar till pale and creamy. If you lift the beater the mixture should fall into ribbons
Now add the vanilla and almond essence, and beat for 2 mins .
Now add the dry ingredients slowly and beat till incorporated.
The dough is very sticky at this point.
Dust the working surface and your palms with flour.
Transfer the dough to the floured surface and shape it to a log of about 12 inch in length and 3 - 4 inch in width.
Transfer the log to the prepared baking sheet. Bake for about 30-40 mins or until firm to touch.
Cool on a wire rack for 15 mins

Part 2:
Cut the log into thin slices of about 1/2 inch thickness. Arrange the slices , cut side down on baking sheet and bake for 10 mins. Turn the slices over and bake for another 10 mins or until brown and crispy.
Remove from oven and let cool. Store in airtight container.
This measure yields about 15-16 slices, depends on how thin you slice it.

Wish you all Happy Holidays :)

Sugar Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Sumi) — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 15:26:00 +0000

Baked my first batch of cookies for the season. It all started when my son came home from school whinning about how they made cookies at school and how he wanted to do the same at home. It was funny to watch him explaining the whole act of making the cookies as if trying to teach me how to do it. He was like "Don't make round balls amma, roll out like chapati and I will cut into shapes". Nowadays kids are very clear about what they want and how they want it.

Ingredients:
1 and 1/2 cup cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup unsalted butter , room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

Method:
Sift the flour, salt and baking soda in a bowl
Beat the butter and sugar till light and fluffy (2 -3 mins)
Add the egg abd beat for another 2 mins until pale and creamy
Now add the Vanilla extract and beat for another minute.
Add the flour mixture and beat till combined.
Take out the dough and shape it to a disc, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour.
Roll out the dough and cut into shapes.
Place the cut out dough on tray covered with wax paper or parchment paper.
Sprinkle some coloured sugar or sprinklers or plain white sugar. (optional)
Bake for 8 - 10 mins. The edges should be slightly brown.
Cool on a wire rack. This measurement yields about 18-20 medium sized cookies

These cookies turned out not as sugary as I thought it would be.It was buttery and mildly sweet.
Note:
Always keep the unused dough covered with plastic wrap.
You can also freeze the remaining dough and used it later

My first attempt in decorating Sugar Cookies.
I attempted to decorate some of the cookies after being inspired by this post from Aparna
I used the same recipe she gave there for icing. The icing was little bit thin .
for me so I added a tsp of corn starch and some more sugar to thicken it up. At first it was very difficult to get hold of the process, after a few cookies or rather mishaps, some of them came out better.
It takes a lot of patience and time to decorate the cookies, may be it will ease up with practice. My son likes it, so that's all it takes for me to try it again :)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup icing sugar
2 tsp corn starch
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp milk/water
a drop of required colour.

Mix everything well except the colour. Increase the water /milk by a tsp at a time if want to thin the Icing.
Increase the sugar and cornstarch by 1/2 tsp each to thicken the icing.
Seperate into small bowls and add the required colour. I used cocoa powder to get the brown colour.
I used little ziplog bags for the piping.Make sure to cut a tiny hole to get a smooth line.

Have a nice weekend :)

Sending these cookies to the 'Sinful delights ' events at "Zesty Pallete"

Aval Payasam / Rice Flakes Kheer

noreply@blogger.com (Sumi) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 05:04:00 +0000

Today is Karthigai Deepam - The festival of lights and I did my best for my son to feel what it actually means through food and some candle lights. Though it's not even 10% close to what we celebrate in TamilNadu, it was nice and subtle in our own way. For those of you who wants to know more about what is 'Karthigai Deepam' and the legend behind the festival head over to Cham's place and check out her detailed post about this wonderful day of lights.

Now coming back to food, I prepared Aval Payasam and Ulunthu/Urad dhal vadai .

The recipe for the Urad dhal is the same as I mentioned in this post. But today I followed an interesting tip given by my aunt.To make the vadai's more crispy on the outside soak 2 tblsps of Thoor dhal along with the urad dhal and the rest of the procedure is the same as given here.

Aval Payasam:

This is a fairly simple recipe just like any other payasam, it takes hardly 30 mins to prepare. I used Cashews and Almonds, you can also use any other nuts of your choice. An additional 1/4 cup of shredded coconut also brings out an extra richness to this payasam,but its purely optional and I didnt use it for today.

Ingredients:

1 cup Rice flakes/Poha

6 cups milk

1 cup sugar

handful of cashews( about 1/4 cup)

handful of Almonds (1/4 cup)

2 elaichi/cardamom / 1/4 tsp of cardomom powder

2 tblsp of ghee

Method:

Boil the milk in saucepan

Paralley roast the riceflakes in about 1/2 tsp of ghee until you get a nice aroma

Add this roasted riceflakes, sugar and elaichi to the boiling milk

Cook in medium flame with constant stirring until the rice flakes are cooked and soft to the touch.

It takes about 15 - 20 mins.

In a seperate pan roast the cashews and almond to golden brown in about a tblsp of ghee.

Add this to the reduced payasam and switch off the stove.

The payasam/gheer will thicken as it cools down.
Serves about 5-6 people.

Have a nice weekend !

Spinach Masala Vadai

noreply@blogger.com (Sumi) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 05:17:00 +0000

A crispy snack for the upcoming cold evenings and also a great way to use up the left over spinach:)

Ingredients :

1 cup Channa dhal

1/4 cup Thoor dhal

1/4 cup Urad dhal

2 cloves garlic (optional)

1 inch piece Ginger

1tblsp Fennel seeds

5-6 red chillies

Handful of currry leaves chopped finely

2 cups Spinach, chopped finely

1 cup of onion chopped finely

3 green chillies finely chopped

Method:

Soak all the dhals together for about 2 hours.

Grind them coarsely without adding water along with the fennel and red chillies.Sprinkle some water if needed.

Take the mixture in a wide bowl.Add chopped ginger, garlic onions,green chillies, curry leaves ,spinach and required amont of salt.

Mix well and make small balls out of the dough.

Heat up the oil in a deep pot, flatten the ball and slide it to the oil.

Fry till crispy and golden brown.

You can fry 4-5 vadai at a time.

Note:

The onion must be chopped finely for the vadais to be intact, otherwise it will break up in the oil.

Take care while adding salt as spinach already has some natural saltness

Do not use frozen spinach for this recipe.

If the dough is loose add couple of tsp's of besan flour to thicken it.

Radish/Mulangi Curry With Prawns

noreply@blogger.com (Sumi) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 04:49:00 +0000

I don't make prawns at home often but when I cook them its always in combination with some vegetable.

I bet most of you might not have heard about this dish, but it is a favourite in the areas around Cuddalore and Pondicherry in TamilNadu. Whenever Prawn is in the menu for the sunday lunch, my mom always keeps aside a handful of them in the freezer to make this delicious thokku/curry the next day.

Other vegetables that can be used in combination with Prawns are Ridgeguard, Bottleguard, Drumsticks and Raw Plantain.

Ingredients:

1 medium white daikon raddish

8 - 10 large Prawns, cleaned (if small use about 1/2 cup)

1 large onion

6 cloves of garlic

1 tsp of fennel seeds

1 1/2 tsp chilli powder

1/2 tsp turmeric

curry leaves

salt as required

Method:

Take 1 tblsp of oil in a pan

Add the fennel seeds and curry leaves when the oil is hot

When the fennel changes colour add the chopped garlic and onions, fry well till translucent

Now add the cleaned Prawns, chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt

Saute till the prawns turns pink for about 2 mins.

Now add the chopped up radish and mix well to coat the masala.

Add about 1/2 cup of water , close with a lid and let it cook for about 10 mins.

Add some chopped coriander and switch of the stove.

The consistency of the curry should be semi dry

Serve with plain hot rice.

Potato Mushroom Croquettes

noreply@blogger.com (Sumi) — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 00:02:00 +0000

This post is after a very long break, say about 6 months. Well, this past 6 months has kept us very busy with moving from one place to another. First we packed our things and moved back to Chennai from Brussels and then after couple of months moved to a new house in Chennai. When we were just getting settled comfortably in our new home my husband got an offer at work to move to United States. So here we are now, back in the US trying to adjust to the weather from very hot to cold. But I must say that the weather is pretty nice and warm for the past few weeks in the New England area except for the surprise early snowfall in the mid-October.
While my son is slowly getting settled with his school routine, I thought its high time I write a post in the blog before life gets busy again..you never know :)
When I was clearing out some not so good pictures from my blogged and non-blogged folders (Thanks to Cham for that neat idea, it really helps a lot), I came across this picture of the potato and mushroom croquettes that I made way back on one cold evening in Brussels.
Here goes the recipe...

Potato and Mushroom Croquettes
Ingredients:
2 large potatoes
1 medium onion , finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 inch piece of ginger, finely chopped
1 green chilli finely chopped
2 cups of finely chopped mushrooms.
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp chat masala powder
1/2 tsp jeera powder
1 tsp lemon juice
3 tblsp finely chopped coriander leaves
oil and salt as required
2 cups of bread crumbs for rolling

Method
Boil the Mash the potatoes
Wash the mushrooms in running water and wipe with a clean kitchen towel.
Finely chop the mushrooms, onion, garlic, ginger, and green chilles.
Add 2 tblsp of oil in a pan. Add the chopped onions, garlic, ginger and chilies, stir well till the onions are translucent. Now add the chopped mushrooms and saute on medium flame.
To this add chilli powder, cumin powder, chat masala powder, and the salt.
Stir well to combine for about 2 mins. Just when the mushrooms are wilted, add the mashed potatoes, coriander, lemon juice and stir well to combine.
Switch of the stove and allow it to cool completely.

Make small balls or roll it into logs .Take the bread crumbs in a plate.
Heat the oil in a deep pan. Roll the balls in the bread crumbs and fry them 4 at a time in the medium heat oil .
Slightly turn the balls using a slotted spoon for even browning on all sides.
Enjoy with a cup of tea :)

Notes:

Do not immerse the mushrooms in a pot of water for washing as it will soak up the water and release it while cooking.Always wash with minimum running water from the tap, or wipe with a damp kitchen towel
If the potato mixture is mushy add about a 1/4 cup of bread crumbs to the mixture. Keeping it in the fridge for 30 mins also helps tighten the potato mixture.
If you are out of Chat masala, add about 1/4 tsp of garam masala and 1/2 tsp of amchoor powder.

A ride through the country side

noreply@blogger.com (Sumi) — Tue, 10 May 2011 09:21:00 +0000

Village of Torgny, one of the most beautiful village of Belgium. Placed on the French side of the country, each house was unique in its own way. It was a delight to see the cute French houses, the vineyards and the yellow meadows at this time of the year.

A Peek into the Local Bakery in Dinant

noreply@blogger.com (Sumi) — Sun, 08 May 2011 23:20:00 +0000

Happen to come across this bakery when we were roaming around in Dinant.Their speciality is biscuits using large moulds

Take a look :)

Kids food - Sweet Potato Muffins

noreply@blogger.com (Sumi) — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 22:39:00 +0000

Most of us do not use sweet potato as much as we use potatoes. This wonderful root is a rich source of several vitamins, antioxidants as well as fibre. In one of the recent articles that I read , was quite surprised to see that this humble vegetable being one of the seven food that kids should have on a regular basis, among the other foods like yogurt, salmon(or any other food rich in omega 3 fatty acid) , spinach, walnuts and almonds, berries and avacado.

While making oven roasted fries is an option, baking muffins with them is another easiest way to include this vegetable in the kids diet.

Here is a simple and easy recipe to impress the kids with sweet potato.

Ingredients:
1 cup Whole wheat flour
1 cup All purpose flour/Maida
11/2 tsp baking powder
11/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup brown sugar or regular granulated sugar
3/4 cup sweet potato , cooked and mashed
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup oil
1 egg

Method:
Preheat oven to 350F / 180 C
Cook the sweet potatoes till soft , peel and mash them
Beat the egg seperatly in a small bowl
Combine all the dry ingredients - flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and sugar in a large bowl .Mix well using a whisk
Add the milk, oil and egg to the dry ingredients and mix gently.
Stir in the sweet potatoes, combine until smooth

Fill in the muffin cups and bake for 18 - 20 mins

Sending these healthy muffins to the "Show me your muffins " event by Divya at Dil-se

Spring At its Most Beautiful ! - The Blue Bells of Halle

noreply@blogger.com (Sumi) — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 14:28:00 +0000

Blue Bells in full bloom at the Halle forest (HallBros) Belgium. We spent a good 4 hours of trekking through the forest. It was a magical experience to see the forest covered in a blue carpet. A visual treat to the eyes.
Missed my SLR though :( (Well I lost it during my trip in Barcelona). Have to live with the Sony cybershot for some time :)

Here are some pictures for you all to enjoy :) Have a nice weekend.

Kadalaimaavu Paniyaram / Besan Kasuri Methi Paniyaram

noreply@blogger.com (Sumi) — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 18:40:00 +0000

Here's a quick and easy snack that can be made in about 20 mins. Since the non-stick paniyaram kal is used very little amount of oil goes into this, making it a healthy low fat snack.

Ingredients:
1 cup Kadalai maavu /Besan
1/4 cup Rice flour
1/2 tsp Baking powder
1/4 tsp Baking soda (optional)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp Chilli powder/ chopped green chilllies
1 tblsp Kasuri Methi
1 cup thinly sliced Onions
1/2 tsp hing/Asoefotida
11/2 cup water

Method:
Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl and mix well using a whisk for about 2 mins.
Then add the onions and mix well with about a cup and half of water.
The consistency should be slightly thicker than Idly batter.
Allow the batter to rest for atleast 10 mins
Heat up the paniyaram pan or the appe pan add 1/4 tsp of oil in each mould.
Add a tblsp full of the batter in each of the mould and cook covered for a minute in medium heat.
Remove the lid and flip the paniyarams gently to the other side.
Cook till golden brown.
Serve with any chutney or sauce.

Notes:
Resting the batter for atleast 10 mins results in soft and fluffy paniyarams.
You can increase or decrease the spice level as per your taste.
Baking soda is absolutely optional, the result is good even without using it.
If you don't have a paniyaram kal, use the same ingredients(except the baking powder) to make soft pakoda's deep fried in oil, comes out really good.

Bakes from other blogs - Posts from the archives

noreply@blogger.com (Sumi) — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 09:42:00 +0000

Today I was sincerely organizing and clearing up my folders with pictures, it turned turned out to be a humongous task..really.
How do u all keep track of your 'blogged' and 'to be blogged' posts and pictures. Any tips on that would be greatly appreciated.
Anyways I came across some delicious cakes that I baked when my kid was a year old. Can you believe, it was about two years back. Better late than never - is what I say to myself :). The recipes were from Sunita's world. Her blog inspired me to venture out into the world of baking, until then it was just banana bread for me :)

Lemon Coconut Cake

Absolutely delicious cake. I followed the recipe with minor changes such as only 4 eggs and no cashew nuts.

Banana Chocolate Almond Cake

Have a Great Weekend :)

Semiya Kichadi - In the memory of my Brother

noreply@blogger.com (Sumi) — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 00:11:00 +0000

I made and pictured this dish long back but never get to post it, as I thought that the picture was not so good. But today somehow I felt like blogging about this dish as this was my Brother's favorite breakfast item. As a matter of fact he would have this any time of the day. He had asked me couple of times about why I have not blogged this recipe for which I answered that 'there's nobody out there who would be interested in this one other than you'....

Much to the irony, he left home having Semiya Kichadi (Amma made this on his request) as breakfast on the day fate took him away from us.

I did'nt even name the picture properly while storing, so had to spent almost an hour digging through all the folder in my archives and was so happy to have found it atlast.

So here goes the recipe...in the memory of my dear brother....

Ingredients:

1 cup Semiya/Vermicelli

1 large onion

4 pods of garlic

1inch ginger

2 green chillies

handful of mint (optional)

1 cup mixed vegetables (carrots, peas, beans, potatoes)

oil and salt to taste.

Method.

Dice the vegetables to small cubes

Crush the garlic and ginger.

Slit the green chillies and thinly slice the onions

Roast the semiya/vermicelli in about a tblsp of oil under medium flame, till slightly brown.Keep aside

In the same pan add 2 tblsp of oil. Add the crushed garlic and ginger, sliced onions, green chillies,mint and curry leaves. Saute till the onions wilt and turn translucent.

Add the chopped veggies and salt. Stir well for about 3 mins.

Now add 1 1/2 (one and half) cup of water and close with a lid.

When the water starts to boil add the roasted vermicelli and cook till all the water is absorbed.

Taking a break...

noreply@blogger.com (Sumi) — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 10:18:00 +0000

Many of you might have noticed that that this space has been silent for a while now.
It will be so for some more time, not sure for how long, until I get back myself from the things that happened around my family for the past one month. I just returned back from Chennai, after attending to the terrible tragedy that struck my family like an axe, which took away my brother from us. Yes, I lost my younger brother and a cousin sister to a terrible accident on Feb 2nd. I am still trying to come out from this incident, but finding it very hard to do.
I feel that time is the only solution for this. Until then have decided to take a break from blogging, but I will visit all your blogs regularly and also planning to work on some blog related technical stuff to keep myself occupied and busy.

Pictures from Barcelona

noreply@blogger.com (Sumi) — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 15:13:00 +0000

We spent our 10th Anniversary last week in Barcelona, Spain. Here are some pictures.

Automatic (unmanned) tram going up hill towards Mt.Tibidabo

A Sacred Catholic Church on top of Mt.Tibidabo.

A Palace converted to a Present day Museum.

Olympic Stadium and Monument.

Antonia Gaudi's "Guell Park"

La Sagrada Familia - Gaudi's Architectural Masterpiece.. Gaudi died in 1926 before completing the structure, but the work is still in progress

La Pedrara - Another Master piece of Gaudi..

Have a great week. Cheers :)

Gobi Manchurian Dry - My version

noreply@blogger.com (Sumi) — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 00:09:00 +0000

Here's my version of gobi manchurian, that I tend to make often during these cold and chilly evenings. What else can beat this cold winter other than hot and spicy food :)
Gobi Manchurian has always been a nightmare to me and I have failed miserably many times in the past. But the following measurements, took out from a local magazine works well for me and nowadays I make it in a jiffy.
This is a easy to make dish if you have all the sauces ready at home. Try to use the light soy sauce and a hot variety of chilli sauce. I used the malaysian hot sauce - sambal olek, really spicy. Spring onion is a must as it adds a nice flavour to the dish.

Ingredients:
For frying:
1 medium cauliflower cut into florets.
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp chilli sauce
salt as per need
1/ 2 cup All Purpose/Maida flour
1/2 cup Corn flour
One handful of Riceflour

For the sauce:
1/2 cup of onion thinly sliced
1/4 cup of capsicum thinly sliced (optional)
1 green chilly, chopped
1/2 cup chopped spring onions
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon chopped ginger

1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tsp Chilli sauce
1 tablespoon tomato ketchup ( or ) 1 tablespoon tomato paste +1/2 tsp sugar
a pinch of red colour (optional)

Method:
Wash and cook the florets in microwave for about 4 mins. Drain and cool in a colander.
The above step helps to reduce the cooking time in oil. But its optional, you can also fry them directly.
Marinate the cauliflower with soysauce, chillisauce and salt for about 10 mins.
Heat oil in a frying pan.
Just when you are ready to fry, toss all the flour into the marinated florets. Mix well to coat.
Drop the florets in the oil and fry till crisp. Drain on a paper towel and keep aside.

Heat a pan with 2 tablespoon of oil.
Add the ginger, garlic, onion , green chilli and saute on high heat.
Now add the soy sauce, chilli sauce, salt, tomato ketchup and the red food colour and mix well .
Now toss in the fried cauliflower and the chopped spring onions, stir well to coat.
Serve hot .

Note:
Do not mix the flours well before frying, as it tends to get soggy by the time you finish frying. Just add them when you are all set for frying.
Make sure there's no water in the cauliflower mixture before adding the flours.
Add some more corn flour if gets soggy.
Since the soy sauce has it own salt, make sure to add very little salt while sauting the veggies.

We are going on a short vacation to Spain middle of this week, So this space is going to be silent for another week, See you all after that :)

Semiya/Vermicelli Pongal

noreply@blogger.com (Sumi) — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 23:53:00 +0000

Today afternoon I started doing some cleaning up for the Pongal festival. As I was working all the memories related to the Pongal holidays like cleaning the house, the house entrance being decorated with tender mango and palm leaves, the colourful Pongal kolams, markets flooded with fresh turmeric, claypots, and sugarcane etc., came flooding to my mind.

By the time I finished my work I had a sudden craving for something pongalish ;) ....With the festival being just 4 days ahead, I did not want to make sweet pongal or payasam and thus ended up making this vermicelli pongal.

Since I have made Semiya kesari before, I knew that it pairs up well sugar, but with jaggery its an experiment I did for the first time and it turned out delicious.

When the sweet aroma of melted jaggery and cardamom filled the house, my son came to me and asked "Amma sammi kumpidalama?" meaning 'Shall we go and pray?'. I was taken by surprise at the same time felt happy that he was able to relate the sweet aroma to something religious and festive :)

I would say that this is a super quick substitute for regular sweet pongal , takes maximum 20 mins.

Ingredients:

1 cup Semiya/Vermicelli

1/4 cup moong dhal

3/4 cup shredded jaggery

2 pods of elaichi/cardamom

1/4 cup of sliced almonds/ handful of cashews

handful of raisins

3 tablespoon of shredded coconut (optional)

2 tablespoon ghee

Method:

Boil the jaggery in 1/2 cup of water and filter through a mesh, just to avoid any impurities.

Take 1/4 cup of moong dhal in a microwave safe dish , add 1/2 cup of water and cook for 5-6 mins.

The dhal should be in a 3/4 th cooked state, need not be mushy.

Heat 1 tablespoon of ghee in a pan and fry the raisins and almonds till golden. Keep aside.

In the same pan roast the vermicelli till slightly golden

Boil 2 cups of water in a pan and add the roasted vermicelli and cook till all te water is absorbed.

Now add the melted jaggery, crushed cardamom, cooked moong dhal and stir well,

Cook in medium heat until all the water is absorbed.

Stir in the roasted almonds/cashews, raisins, coconut and another tablespoon of ghee.

Mix well and serve warm

Iam sending this yummy pongal to the Pongal Feast event at 'Kurinji Kadhambam'

Short Bread Cookies with Chocolate Dipping.

noreply@blogger.com (Sumi) — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 00:31:00 +0000

This is one of the cookies that I baked during the holidays.I had a list of cookies planned out for the holidays, but this one sneaked into the list at the last minute. I usually avoid short bread cookies for their high butter content but the cute picture in Joy of Baking attracted me very much. I had all the ingredients on hand including the chocolate, so decided to make these in the last minute. One more reason to make these was to put my cookie cutter to use as the other ones did'nt need them.

Source : Joy of Baking
Ingredients :
2 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup butter at room temperature
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract.

For the dipping:
180 gms of cooking chocolate

Method:
Sift the flour and salt in a bowl.
In an other bowl beat the butter with a hand mixer until fluffy.
To this add the sugar and beat until creamy.Add the vanilla essence and beat for another minute.
Tip in the flour mixture and mix gently. Take the dough out on a lightly floured surface and brig it together with your hands. Flatten it to disc shape , cover with the plastic wrap and refrigerate for atleast one hour

Preheat the Oven to 180C
Roll out the dough to a quarter inch thickness and cut into desired shapes.
Place the cut out cookies on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the edges are slightly brown.

Note:
I did everything as per the recipe and refrigerated the dough for about 2 hrs. When I was ready to roll the dough it became so hard that it cracked and crumbled. After few minutes of trying I decided to add a tablespoon of water and microwave for 30 sec. Then I was able to roll it out easily between parchment paper and cut into shapes. I dont have a clue about why this happened , but it worked out very well in the end. So if you face the same problem, just go ahead and do the same :)

For the chocolate dipping:
Place 90 gms of chopped chocolate on a heat proof bowl place over a pot of simmering water.
Once the chocolate has melted remove from heat and add the remaining chocolate.
Mix with a wooden sppon until completly melted and glossy.
Dip the cookies one by one and place it on tray lined with parchment paper.Refrigerate for atleast 20 mins or until the chocolate is hardenned.

Sending these to Srivalli's Kids Delight - Chocolate event.

Instant Idli Milagai podi / Chutney powder.

noreply@blogger.com (Sumi) — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 10:17:00 +0000

It started raining here today, but a little warmer than usual.Weather prediction says it even more warmer in the weekend 8C or 9C quite unuusal for this time of the year. But its really good to go shopping as January is the official sale month over here at Brussels :)

I was little bit down this morning partly because of the dark , no sunshine weather and also because of my new 'trying to peek out ' wisdom tooth. Have been having a hard time with that and on antibiotics and pain killer for the past few days. Since Iam taking all these medicines I wanted to have good breakfast not the usual bread and stuff. I had a few laddles of left ove Idlibatter ,but was too lazy and tired to make a chutney, and ironically I ran out of Idli podi. Then this method of making simple Idli podi , that Amma makes often whenever she faces the same situation came to my mind. During schooldays I used to just make this for mysellf even if there is sambhar or chutney on the table.

Its a tip rather than a recipe. Even my husband who does'nt like the regular Idli podi (can you beleive it !!) loves this version.

Here you go.

Ingredients:

Sambhar powder 2 tblsp

3 pods of Garlic

salt

Gingelly/sesame oil

Home made Sambhar powder like the one here at Cilantro's works best. I think almost all South Indian home will have a jar of this. I get a big bag of this from Amma whenever I travel abroad.

Take 2 tblsp of sambhar powder in a small bowl.

To this add 2 -3 pods of Smashed Garlic.

Add 1/2 tsp of salt. Add 2 table spoon of Gingelly oil (must).

Mix well, Let it sit for about 5 mins.

Note:

Do not chop or grind the garlic, it gives a bitter taste.

Do not dip the Idli /Dosai into it, unless you like it very very hot. Just a touch of it is enough to enjoy the goodness.

Let me know what you think .