Rasoi

Strawberry Milkshake

noreply@blogger.com (Reshmi) — Sat, 21 Jul 2012 00:29:00 +0000

Thank God It's Friday.. Time to relax, shopping, watching movies..... Ah! so much pending stuffs. Right now I am writing this post taking sip of delicious strawberry milkshake. Well, it's so hot here. I was about to grab soda when I saw these cute looking strawberries. Tadaaa.. here we have healthy, creamy, pale-pink strawberry milkshake.

Sometimes, I do use frozen strawberries. But, this one is made with fresh strawberries. You know what guys, I never liked strawberries. But, then I started having Yoplait (strawberry flavored) and now I am actually loving it.. Also, my doctor said "Honey, you got to have strawberries, they are rich in protein.." I love home-made milkshakes, mind it, I don't want them to be loaded with ice-cream.

So now, let's move on to this simple yet delicious recipe of strawberry milkshake!!

Ingredients:

5-6 strawberries
1 cup milk
1.5 tbsp sugar
2 icecubes
1 strawberry - to garnish

Method:

Blend all the ingredients (except the one for garnishing) until smooth. Adjust sugar, if required.

Serve chilled. Garnish with strawberry slice.

Ready to slurp!!!

Note: The thick consistency depends on how many strawberries are used for preparing this milkshake.

Also, there is an on-going cooking event "Around the World - Thailand" on my blog. Click here for more details. Friends, do participate and make it a huge success.

Have you enjoyed this recipe or photos? Do follow this blog, share it with your friends and help this blog grow. This will motivate me to carry on with my passion. Hope you've enjoyed your time here and thank you for visiting me!!!

Vegetable Cutlet

noreply@blogger.com (Reshmi) — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 06:14:00 +0000

A sip of hot masala chai and a bite of vegetable cutlet reminds me of Indian Coffee House. I was craving for this for a long time. Finally got a chance to prepare them.

When I was a kid, I used to admire those who prepared cutlets. For me, cutlets were quite a unique thing to have. I thought, it takes lot of effort to prepare cutlets. And thats the reason I have never tried making cutlets. But, finally I did it. It was super easy and I enjoyed making those cute cutlets.

Ingredients:

Potato – 2,medium,cooked and mashed
Other Vegetables - 1 cup ( I have used carrots, peas, beetroot, and cauliflower)
Onion – 1,finechopped
Green chilli – 1,chopped
Ginger-garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Garam masala – 1/2 tsp
Bread slices – 2,dipped in water and squeezed to a pulp
Bread crumbs – 100 gms
Maida (all-purpose flour) – 2 tbsp
Oil – for deep frying

Method:

Pressure cook the vegetables until soft. Add mashed potatoes to it.

Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan. Add ginger-garlic paste. Saute for few mins. Add chopped onion and green chilli.Add salt. Saute until onion turns transparent. Add the vegetable mixture. Mix well.

Add garam masala. Mix well. Cook until the mixture becomes dry.

Mix the bread pulp. Adjust salt. Let the mixture to cool down.

Make small balls and roll them into any shape. Make a thick paste of maida and 1/2 cup water. Dip the cutlets in maida paste and then roll them in the bread crumbs. Set aside for sometime (10-15 mins). Deep fry the cutlets until crispy.

Serve it with tomato ketchup.

Note: You can prepare cutlets before-hand and refrigerate them. Deep fry before serving. Do not refrigerate them for long time. Usually 1-2 days may work.

Let's Party: Desserts Round-Up

noreply@blogger.com (Reshmi) — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 05:14:00 +0000

First of all, I would like to thank Surabhi for giving me this opportunity to host this event. Thank you fellow bloggers for sending 70 entries to this event. As per the rules of this event, I have to pick the best recipe. Believe me, it is kinda hard.. So, I finalized with 4 best recipes.. This itself was so hard for me to pick the Final Four!! Also, we have top contributor and participation awards.

Before I declare the winner, let's move on to the virtual tour of 70 yummilicious desserts...

1. Rainbow Fruit Cake - Archana

2. Lychee in chocolate basket - Deepa
3. Chocolate Shortbread - Divya
4. Gulab Jamun - Jagruti

Jillu sent 14 entries

5. Moong Dal Banana Delight
6. Rose Halwa
7. Simple Falooda
8. Rose Kheer
9. Strawberry Souffle
10. Kiwi Custard
11. Coconut Payasam

12. Chocolate Jamun
13. Badam Halwa
14. Kiwi Logan Triffle
15. Choco Cake Triffle
16. Apple Choco Triffle
17. Kiwi Kesari
18. Lychee Rose Triffle

19. Red Velvet Cupcake - Manju

20. Graduation Cupcake - Manju

Renuka sent 3 entries

21. Kit Kat Cake

22. Five Star Cupcake

23. Marble Cake

Sanika sent 10 entries

24. Grilled Pineapple

25. Chocolate Panna Cotta

26. Carrot Halwa Pie

27. Vermicelli Kheer

28. Chocolate Shortbread

29. Angoor Rabadi

30. Gajar Burfi

31. Banana Sheera

32. Malpua with Rabdi

33. Sago Pudding

34. Mango Burfee - Sharanya

35. Mango Kesari - Sharanya

36. Chocolate Bread Pudding - Shweta
37. Microwave Kalakand - Sadaf

Surabhi sent 3 entries

37. Chocolate Shortbread

38. Rosie Ice Cream

39. Plum Cake

Finally, Nithu sent huge lot of 30 entries

40. Rice Payasam

41. Paneer & Apple Kheer

42. Mixed Fruit Custard

43. Poori Payasam

44. Nuts & Fruit Dessert

45. Poha Payasam

46. Mango Dessert

47. Moong Dhal Payasam

48. Beetroot Kheer

49. Carrot Kheer

50. Vermicelli Kheer

51. Mango Popsicle

52. Mango & Nungu Kheer

53. Elaneer & Nungu Payasam

54. Microwave Peda

55. Sweet Potato Poli

56. Rasgulla

57. Palkova

58. Potato Peanut Butter Candy Roll

59. Coconut Burfi

60. Carrot and Bread Halwa

62. Rice Halwa

63. Asoka Halwa

64. Mixed Fruit and bread halwa

65. Tapioca Halwa

66. Almond and Cashew Halwa

67. Almond and Orange Kesari

68. Aval Kesari

69. Beetroot Halwa

70. Mixed Veg, Fruit & Nuts Icecream

Obviously, the top contributor award goes to Nithu from Nithu's Kitchen.

The four best recipes are:

Lychee in chocolate basket by Deepa

Chocolate Bread Pudding by Shweta
Malpua with Rabdi by Sanika
Chocolate Jamun by Jillu

I must say, all of the recipes are delicious and all deserved to be called "Best". Unfortunately, I cannot give this award to all the entries. So, here I have an award for all the participants.

I thank you all for your contribution. Thank you so much for sending those 70 delicious entries. Please collect your awards.

Also, there is an ongoing event in my blog, "Around the World - Thailand." Do participate in it. Also, if you are interested to host for "Around the World" cooking event, please comment here or email me at reshrite@gmail.com with country of your choice and preffered month of hosting.

Have you enjoyed this recipe or photos? Do follow this blog, share it with your friends and help this blog grow. This will motivate me to carry on with my passion. Hope you've enjoyed your time here and thank you for visiting me!!!

"Around the World - Thailand" cooking event

noreply@blogger.com (Reshmi) — Wed, 04 Jul 2012 20:24:00 +0000

Happy Independence day to all US residents. It is going to be a great evening; fireworks, carnivals, fairs.. Fireworks are my favorite!!! Hope you guys are going to have a great celebration...

Also, in this post I'm going to introduce a new cooking event. Though this post was supposed to be published on July 1st, but silly old me I forgot to schedule it. Today, when I logged in to post on Independence Day, I found this post still in draft.. Sometimes (or most of the times), I'm unbelievable!!

"Around the World" is a monthly cooking event where the host come up with a country of their choice and the whole month is loaded with recipes dedicated to that country. I've chosen "Thailand" as the star country of this event. From today onwards, for another 30 days we are going to see variety of Thai recipes.

Let's have a virtual tour of the Kingdom of Thailand. According to Wikipedia, Thailand, formerly known as Siam, is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the west by the Andaman Sea and the southern extremity of Burma. Its maritime boundaries include Vietnam in the Gulf of Thailand to the southeast, and Indonesia and India in the Andaman Sea to the southwest.

Thai culture has been shaped by many influences, including Indian, Lao, Burmese, Cambodian, and Chinese.

Thai cuisine blends five fundamental tastes: sweet, spicy, sour, bitter and salty. Some common ingredients used in Thai cuisine include garlic, chillies, lime juice, lemon grass, and fish sauce. The staple food in Thailand is rice, particularly jasmine variety rice (also known as Hom Mali rice) which is included in almost every meal.

According to a Thai expert: "Thai food ain't about simplicity. It's about the juggling of disparate elements to create a harmonious finish. Like a complex musical chord it's got to have a smooth surface but it doesn't matter what's happening underneath. Simplicity isn't the dictum here, at all".

Thai meals typically consist of a single dish if eating alone, or rice (khao in Thai) with many complementary dishes served concurrently and shared by all. It is customary to serve more dishes than there are guests at a table. Wow I'm loving it!! Yum Yum...

Guys, isn't it interesting.. When I read about Thailand, their culture, their cuisines, I got super excited and here we have "Thailand" the star country of this event. What you guys say??

Before, I move on to the rules for this event, I would like to thank all of those fellow bloggers who showed their interest in hosting this event on their blog. You can find the list of bloggers here. I still need you guys, come up and volunteer to guest host this event. If you are interested, leave a comment or email me at reshrite@gmail.com. Do mention country of your choice in the email.

To participate in this event, all you need to do is:

1) Prepare any Thai cusisine post them on your blog and link here. The linky tool will be open till Aug 1st, 2012. Non-Bloggers can send their recipes with the details to the my email id reshrite@gmail.com.

2) Please link back your recipes to this event announcement. Do include the logo in your post (mandatory requirement).

3) You can link as many links as you want.

4) Archived posts are accepted. Repost them and you are good to go.

So, now you can pull out your aprons, put on your thinking caps, and get ready to explore Thai cuisines!!

Have you enjoyed this recipe or photos? Do follow this blog, share it with your friends and help this blog grow. This will motivate me to carry on with my passion. Hope you've enjoyed your time here and thank you for visiting me!!!

Around the World - A Cooking Event

noreply@blogger.com (Reshmi) — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 09:28:00 +0000

Howdy bloggers?? Well, a treat for you all. I am going to host an event, a brainchild of mine, named “Around the World.” This event will be a monthly event, with each month dedicated to a country.

If I am not wrong, there are 196 independent countries in the world. Whao!! I am pretty sure each country has its own collection of fantastic recipes. Being a foodie, I want to explore those recipes. I believe this would be a great opportunity for us to learn and share those recipes via this event. Isn’t so??

Honestly, being an Indian, I find myself confined to Indian recipes. Mostly, what I cook every day, revolves around India. Occasionally, I dare to cook Italian, Chinese or Mediterranean recipes. But mind it, occasionally. And I have seen this happens everywhere.

Let’s start a mission to try, taste and share those unheard, untouched recipes. Each month, explore a country’s traditional, unique, and iconic recipes. Let our kitchen fill with the aroma never felt before. I know this would be challenging, and to make it more flexible, bloggers can try anything (vegetarian, beef, chicken, egg, fish, etc.) So, you cook what you like to cook. ;)

Before I begin this event, which is scheduled to begin next month, July 1^st, I would like to know your views, comments, and suggestions. Do you want to add something to this idea, you are always welcome!!

Are you guys ready to take this ride????? BTW, the first event will be hosted on my blog, from July 1^st to July 31^st and the country would be “Thailand”. Yeah, yeah.. I can hear.. “Thai” recipes.. Well, this is an unofficial event announcement. But, you can pull out your aprons, put on your thinking caps, and get ready to explore!!

Also, I need you guys. I need bloggers to host this event. Come, join me in this cooking trip “Around the World”. If you are interested in hosting the event, leave a comment or email me at reshrite@gmail.com along with the country of your choice.

Current Hosts:

Month   Blog   Theme
July Reshmi - Rasoi Thailand
August Renuka - Pinch of Salt Italy
September Pragyan - Sorisha Sri Lanka
October Supriya - Supriya's Rasoi                      Kuwait
November   Chef Mireille's Global Creations Senegal
December Ez CookBook Mexico
Jan '13                      Pragyan - Sorisha                                Switzerland
Feb '13
Mar '13

Reposting for Exhibit every bite #1: Simple recipes

noreply@blogger.com (Reshmi) — Sat, 09 Jun 2012 03:33:00 +0000

Masala Peanuts

This recipe goes to the "Exhibit every bite #1: Simple recipes" event hosted at Jiya's Delicacy.

Have you enjoyed this recipe or photos? Do follow this blog, share it with your friends and help this blog grow. This will motivate me to carry on with my passion. Hope you've enjoyed your time here and thank you for visiting me!!!

Kerala Style Aviyal

noreply@blogger.com (Reshmi) — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 03:21:00 +0000

Today, I'm going to share a very popular dish in Kerala, Aviyal. This authentic kerala dish is made with variety of vegetables cooked in coconut gravy. Moreover, Aviyal is a must item in Onam Sadya. This recipe is super easy yet delicious and healthy.

What I like about this recipe is adding coconut oil right before serving. This gives a unique aroma to the dish. I just love that.

It is said that you can add any vegetables to it. But, in our family, we don't add potatoes. Instead, we prefer adding yam. I have seen recipes where potato is considered as one of the vegetables added in aviyal, and I'm sure they might taste good. If you guys prefer potatoes, do add them. Overall, whatever veggies you add blends well with the rich coconut gravy, yogurt and few teaspoons of coconut oil poured over them once cooked. I'm sure you will like this traditional kerala recipe.

Ingredients:

Mixed vegetables (yam, cucumber, beans, carrot, drumsticks, raw mango) - 2-3 cups
Yogurt - 1 tbsp
Turmeric Pwd - 1/4 tsp
Coconut (grated) - 2 tbsp
Salt to taste

For Grinding:
Coconut (grated) - 1 cup
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Green Chilies - 2-3

For Seasoning:
Coconut oil - 3 tsp
Curry leaves - 2 sprigs

Method:
Cut all the vegetables slices (approx 2-inch long). Now, boil them with sufficient water and add turmeric powder to it. Each vegetable has a different cooking time. So, I started with adding vegetables like carrot, beans, drumstick, as they take more time to cook. When they are half done, add yam and cucumber. Finally add raw mango pieces. Boil it for couple of minutes and remove from flame.

Meanwhile, using grinding ingredients, prepare the coconut paste. Add it to the cooked vegetables. Mix well. Bring it to boil for another few minutes at low flame.

Remove from heat. Add yogurt and mix well. This is optional. If you are adding raw mangoes, you can skip adding yogurt. Now add the grated coconut, that was kept separately, over the mixture. I love the crunchiness coconut gives to the dish. Again, it is optional.

Finally before serving, add coconut oil and mix well. Do not miss this step. It is a must. Adding coconut oil gives a nice flavor to the recipe.

Garnish with curry leaves. Serve with hot rice.

Sending this as an entry to "The Kerala Kitchen" event hosted at Erivum Puliyum.

Reminder:"Let's Party: Desserts" event

noreply@blogger.com (Reshmi) — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 04:48:00 +0000

Bloggers, 9 more days to go. Till now, I have received 32 delicious recipes and I know there are many more to come. So, come on.. link your recipes. Those who haven't had a chance to link their entries yet, Click Here, and make this event a huge hit. I am waiting to see your entries.

Also, there is an ongoing Pearl Earrings giveaway on Lavanya's blog. My Freshwater Pearls are giving away pearl earrings to two lucky winners. So, all you need to do is visit the link below, follow the mandatory entry requirements, and you are in for the giveaway. Good luck!!

http://lavanyasrecipes.blogspot.in/2012/05/pearl-earrings-giveaway-announcement.html

Announcing "Let's Party: Desserts" event

noreply@blogger.com (Reshmi) — Mon, 14 May 2012 19:10:00 +0000

Hello friends! Tadaaaa.. here I come with this month's event, "Let's Party: Desserts". This event is a brainchild of Surabhi from My CookBook and will be hosted on my blog from May 15th till June 15th. Thank you so much Surabhi for letting me host this event. So bloggers, what are you waiting for? ~~Start linking your recipes~~ Email me your recipes and make this event a huge hit.. I'm so much eager to see your entries.

Rules for the Event:

The theme for this event would be "Desserts".
Vegetarian & Non-Vegetarian dishes are allowed.(No Beef/Pork)
Please post your link below and usage of the logo is mandatory.
Must be a follower at the Blog or at Facebook.
Archives are welcome only if re-posted and linked back to this announcement page and to Surabhi's page(only 1).
As many entries are allowed.
There are three awards to be given Top Contributor Award, Best Recipe Award, Participation Award.

~~If you are having any problems linking up,~~just send me an email at reshrite@gmail.com.
- Sub: Let's Party - Desserts
- Your Name:
- Recipe Name:
- Recipe URL:
- Recipe Photo:
Non-Bloggers can also send me an email at reshrite@gmail.com with the details as below:
- Sub: Let's Party - Desserts
- Your Name:
- Recipe Name:
- Email Address:
- Recipe Photo:
- Recipe in .doc format or .pdf format

Guys, due to some reason the linky tool is not working here. Don't worry, I have access to 34 recipes linked so far. We have 3 more days to go, so email me your recipes at reshrite@gmail.com.

I will post the roundup and the name of the winners by June 24th. Come on bloggers, we have 3 days and I am pretty sure we have still more recipes to be sent for this event. Waiting for you all.

Have you enjoyed this recipe or photos? Do follow this blog, share it with your friends and help this blog grow. This will motivate me to carry on with my passion. Hope you've enjoyed your time here and thank you for visiting me!!!

Parippu Pradhaman / Moong Dal ki kheer

noreply@blogger.com (Reshmi) — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 20:21:00 +0000

My mom prepares pradhaman during Onam, Vishu, and other special occasions. She prepares variety of pradhaman like parippu pradhaman, palada pradhaman, aval pradhaman, and chakka pradhaman. I've never prepared aval and chakka pradhaman. You can find the recipe for Ada Pradhaman here.

Today I'm going to share Parippu Pradhaman. I've prepared it for this Vishu. Usually, parippu pradhaman is made using moong dal or combination of moong dal and rice. But, my mom prepares using a combination of moong dal and chana dal. So, I'm going to share my mom's recipe in this post.

Ingredients:

Split Moong Dal - 1/4 cup
Chana Dal - 1/4 cup
Jaggery - 1 - 1 1/2 cup
Coconut Milk (store bought) - 1 can
Dry ginger powder - 1/4 tsp
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
Cashew nuts - 10-15
Raisins - 15-20
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Coconut bits - 1 tbsp

Method:

Heat ghee in a pressure cooker. Fry cashew nuts and raisins for few seconds. Keep aside. Throw in coconut bits into the same pressure cooker and fry for few minutes. Keep aside. Add moong dal and roast till nice aroma rises.

Now add chana dal and 2 cups of water. Pressure cook it until the dal turns soft. Mash the dal with back of spoon. Meanwhile, melt jaggery with 1 cup of water in a pan. Remove from heat and strain the jaggery syrup to remove the impurities.

Add mashed dal into the jaggery syrup. Bring the mixture to a boil. Add coconut milk. Mix well and cook at medium heat. Stir continuously. Do not let the mixture to boil after adding coconut milk.

Once a desired consistency is reached, reduce the flame to low. Add ginger powder and cardamom powder. Mix well. Turn off the heat.

Add cashewnuts, raisins, and coconut bits to the mixture. Mix well.

Serve it and enjoy!!

Red Rice Flour Puttu ( Kerala Rice Flour Puttu / Chemba Puttu)

noreply@blogger.com (Reshmi) — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 20:18:00 +0000

Today's treat is Puttu made with store-bought red rice flour. A very healthy and delicious breakfast. I usually prepare it on weekends. This dish is quite popular in South-India. I love to have it with coconut, little sugar sprinkled, and banana. DH loves to accompany it with kadala curry. You can find the recipe for kadala curry here.

Ingredients:

Red Rice Flour - 1 cup
Shredded coconut - 1/2 cup
Salt - as per taste
Lukewarm water - 1/4 cup

Method:

Take red rice flour in a wide plate, mix it with salt. Now, using your hand, sprinkle water little by little on red rice flour and mix well. When it has reached the texture of crumbs, stop adding water. But make sure that the flour is wet, otherwise it will not cook properly.

Take "puttu kutti, the utensil used to prepare puttu. Fill the pot with water and put it on flame. Now, take the top portion, and start filling it with a handful of wet flour and 2 tbsp of shredded coconut alternatively till it is full. I like to end with shredded coconut layer. Close the lid.

When water in the pot starts to boil, place the top portion over it. Reduce the flame to medium. Let it cook for 15 minutes.

Serve it with sugar and banana; or with kadala curry. Enjoy!!

Reposting for Divya's event: Showcase

noreply@blogger.com (Reshmi) — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 21:51:00 +0000

Mooli ke Parathe

This recipe goes to event "Showcase" hosted by Divya. Do visit her blog and participate in this event.

Semolina Kheer ( Sooji ki kheer)

noreply@blogger.com (Reshmi) — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 00:56:00 +0000

Today I was craving for something sweet.. I was missing my mom's sooji ki kheer.. When I was a teenager I was bit conscious about my weight, and I used to scold my mom for preparing kheer or anything sweet. But, when you get married, you miss all those special days.. Infact, now I feel everyday in those 22 years were very special..

Today's post is dedicated to my Mom. I miss you so much dear!! Here we go with the recipe..

This is another super quick dessert.. If you have any unexpected guest(s) for dinner, this will definitely steal the show..

Ingredients:

Semolina (Sooji) - 1tbsp
Sugar - 1 tbsp
Milk - 2 cups
Cashewnuts - 4-5
Raisins - 9-10
Ghee - 1tsp
Coconut Powder - 1 tsp

Method:

Dry roast sooji in a wide pan on low flame. Turn off heat when sooji turns light brown.
Add milk, and sugar. Cook till it becomes thick.
In another pan, heat ghee and fry cashews till it turns golden brown. Before turning off the heat, add raisins and fry for couple of seconds.
Pour the cashews and raisins over the cooked mixture. Mix well. Adjust the sweetness.
Sprinkle coconut powder. Serve it and enjoy!!

Sending this entry to Sara's event "Cooking with love - Mom" hosted by Nithu's Kitchen.

Masala Peanuts

noreply@blogger.com (Reshmi) — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 20:57:00 +0000

Blogging after a long time.. I mean serious blogging. Was busy with my studies and I'm still busy.. There is an ongoing event in my blog "Cooking with Whole Foods - Peanut" and I wanted to contribute to this event. But, my busy schedule was holding me back. Last weekend, I got a chance to prepare this super-duper quick snack. Ready in minutes, spicy, and a perfect snack. Just toss all the ingredients and you are good to go.. A great appetizer for parties!!

Ingredients

2 cups raw peanuts, I prefer them with skin
1 small onion, chopped
1 small tomato, chopped
3 green chillies, finely chopped
1 tbsp salt
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp chaat masala
1/4 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp ground roasted cumin
2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

Method

Take a wok, dry roast the raw peanuts until they turn golden brown. Once done, toss in the other ingredients. Mix well and adjust salt.

This goes as an entry to the event "CWF - Peanut" hosted on my blog and started by Kiran.

"MAITRI - Season 2" coming soon.......

noreply@blogger.com (Reshmi) — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 03:20:00 +0000

Foodies,

I hope you remember the cute logo of "MAITRI" - a friendship chain started last year by Priya Yallapantula and me. In this chain, we had fun with food and made lots of friends..

You can find more details and roundup here:

http://rasoithekitchen.blogspot.com/2011/03/maitri-friendship-chain.html
http://mharorajasthanrecipes.blogspot.com/2011/03/maitri-friendship-chain.html
http://mharorajasthanrecipes.blogspot.com/p/maitri-friendship-chain.html

It's been a year now and we are planning to begin with Season - 2.

But, before that we would like to do a small survey about how many bloggers are interested in re-starting this chain.

Also, "MAITRI - Season 1" was for bloggers and non-bloggers from US & Canada only. How about extending it to bloggers and non-bloggers from India? Please leave your comment stating whether you agree and not agree with it.

Lastly, do mention any period of time when you will not be available for this event. This will help us to estimate the participation.

This is not an official declaration of "MAITRI - Season 2". We are just announcing our idea and trying to estimate the number of participants. If everything goes fine and we receive sufficient participation, we may begin this event by May/June 2012.

Thanks,
Priya and Reshmi

Reminder: "Cooking with Whole Foods - Peanut"

noreply@blogger.com (Reshmi) — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 02:24:00 +0000

Bloggers, 15 more days to go... CWF-Peanut is hosted on my blog and I'm waiting to see lots n lots of entries.. On one of my fellow bloggers' suggestion I have included the linky tool as well.

Now gals, just link ur entry and we are all set to go..

Thank you so much for participating in this event!! And those who haven't had a chance to link their entries yet, please do paticipate and make this event a big hit..
Have you enjoyed this recipe or photos? Do follow this blog, share it with your friends and help this blog grow. This will motivate me to carry on with my passion. Hope you've enjoyed your time here and thank you for visiting me!!!

Announcing Cooking with Whole Foods - Peanut

noreply@blogger.com (Reshmi) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:35:00 +0000

I think it has become quite common on my blog to make false promises (by me). I apologize for the same. But, the circumstances are so that I'm unable to blog often. Yesterday I received an email from Kiran of Sumadhura that I'm supposed to host Cooking with Whole Foods Event for Feb 2012 - Apr 2012. Honestly speaking, thanks to you, Kiran, for reminding me coz I've compeletely forgotten that I've taken this responsibility. Well, it happens if you are away from blogosphere and fellow friends. This is the first time I'm logging into my blog in this new year 2012 ( though it's no more new!!). Anyways, I wish you all a very happy and prosperous new year 2012.

So, here I announce the first event of this year on my blog "Cooking with Whole Foods - Peanut". This event will hosted on Rasoi from today (Feb 10, 2012) till April 10, 2012.

Well, if I recall "Why have I chosen Peanut as the main ingredient?" then the reason is I had done shopping the same day and bought Peanuts. When I was going through Kiran's blog looking for available slot to host this event, I saw that it was occupied for the whole year and that too with amazing ingredients. Finally I found an empty slot during Feb 2012 and decided that I'm going to host this event. But, I had no idea about the ingredient and suddenly I saw the pack of peanuts.. Voila!! Peanuts became the star ingredient for this event. I shot an email to Kiran, she said "Yes" and almost after 1 year she sent me another email reminding me "Hey! It's time for your peanuts..." (Just kidding..)

According to Wikipedia, peanuts have many uses (Well I agree to this as well.) They can be eaten raw, used in recipes, made into solvents and oils, used in make-up ( I didn't know this), medicines, textile materials, peanut butter, as well as many other uses. Peanuts are used to help fight malnutrition. High protein, high energy and high nutrient peanut-based pastes that were developed to be used as a therapeutic food to aid in famine relief (sounds interesting.) Peanuts are rich in nutrients, providing over 30 essential nutrients and phytonutrients. Peanuts are a good source of niacin, folate, fiber, magnesium, vitamin E, manganese and phosphorus. They also are naturally free of trans-fats and sodium, and contain about 25% protein (a higher proportion than in any true nut). Isn't that amazing..

So guys, come up with mouthwatering, healthy and innovative dishes using peanuts. Share them with us. I'm looking forward to loads n loads of delicious recipes.

All you need to do is:

1) Prepare any dish using Peanut or having Peanut as a main ingredient and post them on your blog. send them to me between Feb 10, 2012 and Apr 10, 2012. Non-Bloggers can send their recipes with the details to the my email id.

2) Please link back your recipes to this event announcement and Kiran's event page. Do include the logo in your post.

3) You can link as many links as you want.

4) Archived posts are accepted. Repost them and you are good to go.

I'll try to post some entries for this event. Also, I've some pending posts that I'll post soon in my blog. I really want to keep in touch with you all, my dear friends. Please do support me. Send as many entries as possible and make this event a huge hit. I thank Kiran for giving me this opportunity to host this event.

Reshmi

Have you enjoyed this recipe or photos? Do follow this blog, share it with your friends and help this blog grow. This will motivate me to carry on with my passion. Hope you've enjoyed your time here and thank you for visiting me!!!

Baingan Ka Bharta

noreply@blogger.com (Reshmi) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 00:16:00 +0000

Baingan ka bharta.. a very popular punjabi cuisine.. As the main source of my cooking is my mommy, I've never heard about the recipe for baingan ka bharta from her.. She used to say "I'll prepare this one day," but she has not tried this so far.. And I was dying to prepare this authentic punjabi cuisine. One day, I was browsing through food blogs and came across Deesha's Vegetable Platter. She had a simple recipe for Baingan ka bharta.. Voila! there it is "Bookmarked".. And this recipe was served the same night for dinner...

The recipe is adapted from Vegetable Platter.

Ingredients:
1 large eggplant
2 red onions - finely chopped
2 tomatoes - chopped
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 chopped green chilli
1 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp kitchen king masala
1 tsp lemon juice
Salt as per taste
2 tbsp mustard oil
A handful of chopped cilantro

Method:

Make tiny slits around the eggplant, coat with mustard oil & roast the eggplant on the stove top, until the eggplant gets charred on all the sides.

Once the eggplant is roasted, allow it to cool. Later, peel off the skin & mash the eggplant with the back of a spatula. Add salt & lime juice, mix well & set it aside.

Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan, Add cumin seeds, once the seeds pop & splutter, add green chillies & ginger garlic paste & saute

Add chopped onions & saute until they turn transparent. Add chopped tomatoes, add red chilli powder & saute till the tomatoes are cooked & oil separates

To this, add mashed eggplant. Mix well & cook for a while on low heat.

Add salt as per taste. Add garam masala & kitchen king masala, mix well. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

Serve hot with roti or rice.

This recipe goes to Priya's Bookmarked Recipes Every Tuesday event.

Fried Noodles with Purple Cabbage and Tofu Manchurian

noreply@blogger.com (Reshmi) — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 22:40:00 +0000

Hello my dear fellow bloggers... Its been long time... I'm so sorry guys I was busy with my studies.. I missed u all so much.. But, now I'm back................ Yippie!! I will try to post regularly..
So I'm going to resume blogging with one of my new experiments, "Fried Noodles with Purple Cabbage and Tofu Manchurian."

Whenever it comes to noodles, it means I'm running out of time and I'm looking for easy, quick to make and delicious as well.. And "Fried Noodles" top the list.. Also, I've never tried with manchurian because I had an impression that it's time-taking and requires lots of patience, and I was ignoring it for a long time...

But, now I'm into it.. Noodles in any shape or form are my weakness. Stir-fried noodles are one of my favorite dishes because it's delicious and a cinch to make. Just throw some ingredients together, and it comes out so good every time that I can almost eat the whole pan myself.

This dish can be made with wheat or egg noodles. I have used egg noodles because they have a chewier texture and have a pleasant yellow color. This dish is very flexible, you can add whatever protein and veggies you wish to include. I would love to add carrots, cabbage, snow pea pods, celery, red bell pepper, sprouts, bamboo shoots, and mushrooms..

Ingredients (Fried Noodles with Purple Cabbage):

A package of egg noodles / wheat noodles
1 cup of purple cabbage, finely sliced
Large handful fresh cilantro
½ onion, finely sliced
3 - 4 Tbsp vegetable oil
3 slices ginger
3 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 Tbsp soy sauce
4 green onions, chopped

Method:

Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the noodles according to package instructions. Stop cooking the noodles when there's still a good chew. Drain, rinse in cold water, drain again, and set aside.

Heat a tablespoon of oil over high heat in a wok or skillet. First add the ginger slices and then garlic slices, stir fry until raw smell is gone. Now add onions and saute until onion turns translucent. Add purple cabbage, season with a little salt, and stir fry until the cabbage is cooked but still crisp/crunchy and definitely not mushy. Remove to a bowl and set aside.

In another skillet heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium high heat and add your noodles. Toss them around, get them well coated in the oil, and break up any clumps. If it's too sticky and clumpy, go ahead and add more oil.

Pan fry the noodles, stirring and flipping them frequently until some of the noodles get a nice a crunchy golden brown exterior. Season with soya sauce, toss the noodles freuqntly and make sure everything is evenly coated with the sauce. Taste and see if it needs additional seasoning.

Add fried cabbage into the noodles and toss well until everything is mixed well.

Ingredients (Tofu Manchurian):

1 package low-fat Tofu, cubed

1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup corn flour/corn starch
salt to taste
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 tbsp red chilli powder
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup tomato paste or ketchup
1.5 inch fresh young ginger, peeled and very finely grated
1 tablespoon garlic paste
water to make a thick batter
green onions, chopped, to garnish
oil to deep fry + 3 tbsp oil for making sauce

Method:
In a bowl, combine all purpose, cornflour, salt, ginger, garlic, red chilli powder, soy sauce and just enough water to make a thick paste. Add tofu cubes into the paste and mix well so that tofu is evenly coated with the paste. Keep it aside for an hour.

Heat oil in a wok to deep fry tofu. Add tofu pieces into the oil and deep fry them. Remove and drain them on tissue paper and keep aside.

In a bowl, combine the tomato paste/ketchup, soy sauce, and salt with about 1 cup of water and set aside.

Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a wide base pan. Add the minced garlic and the grated ginger and stir fry on high heat for about 4 minutes. Add the chopped onions and green chili peppers.

Saute everything together for about 3-5 minutes till the onions turn clear. Add the paste/ketchup, soy sauce that you combined in a bowl earlier. Simmer for about 3 minutes.

Mix the corn flour with 2 tablespoons of water add it to the pan and simmer for another minute.

Now add the fried tofu in the sauce and cook them at high heat while tossing them frequently till all the sauce coats all the tofu pieces. Switch off the heat a minute after you start hearing a sizzle.

Garnish with the chopped green onions. Serve immediately with fried noodles.. Utterly delicious!!!

Palak Pakora / Spinach Fritters

noreply@blogger.com (Reshmi) — Mon, 30 May 2011 09:04:00 +0000

Ah!! should I say "I'm back from a long break.." Well I say this everytime I blog with a hope that it's true... As you guys know I'm doing my Masters and for past two months I was held up with projects, reports and exams.. I believe I'm going to blog regularly... Yippie!!
I'm having an ongoing event in my blog.. Lemme tell you, I've received lots n lots of delicious and healthy entries.. I thank everyone for this active participation.. Love u all..

So, here is my entry for this event.. Palak pakora, one of our favourite tea-time snacks!!!

Ingredients:

Spinach (Palak), finely chopped - 2 cups
Onion, finely chopped - 1
Green Chillies, finely chopped - 2
Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tsp
Gram flour (Besan) - 1/2 cup
Turmeric Pwd - 1 tsp
Red Chilli Pwd - 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
Salt - as per taste

For deep frying
Oil

Method:

Mix all the ingredients. If required add few tsps of water. Avoid adding excess water as the batter should be thick.

Heat oil in a deep pan. Take small amount of batter and drop them in oil in the form of small fritters.

Deep fry the pakoras until golden brown and crispy. Drain out excess oil and place them on a tissue paper.

Serve hot with ketchup or green chutney.

Enjoy!!

Sending this as an entry to Veggie / Fruit A Month - Spinach event hosted by me and started by Priya.

Announcement : Guest Hosting Veggie/Fruit A Month - Spinach

noreply@blogger.com (Reshmi) — Sun, 01 May 2011 05:58:00 +0000

Hello Everyone,

After a long break, I'm back with a wonderful event - a brainchild of my dear friend Priya Mitharwal. I would like to thank her for giving me this oppurtunity to host this event for the Month of May. She is such an enthusiastic blogger with all those creative thoughts..

When I saw this event hosted by couple of fellow bloggers, I felt that I should be a part of this monthly event; and then I jumped on to Priya's event page and found she has an available slot for May.. Yippie!! there I go.. Well I didn't get much time to think about the veggie for this event, but I remember Spinach - "My Mom's Favourite" and now Spinach has to be the star ingredient when I'm going to host this event. :D

Spinach is among the world's healthiest vegetables. The bright and vibrant color of the spinach leaves is not only pleasing to our eyes but very nourishing as well. Rich in vitamins and minerals, it is also concentrated in health-promoting phytonutrients such as carotenoids (beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin) and flavonoids to provide you with powerful antioxidant protection. This leafy vegetable is a shield against inflammatory problems, oxidative stress-related problems, cardiovascular problems, bone problems, and cancers at the same time.

So guys, start working with our star ingredient for the month - "Spinach" and share your creative ideas with rest of the blogsphere..

Few Simple Rules:

1) Make recipes with Spinach as the main ingredient.It can be used in Salads, Soups, Stews, Curries, Gravies etc.

2) Recipe has to be vegetarian. (Eggs are allowed)

3) Link to this Announcement Page and Priya's Event Page.

4) You must make new recipes and post them in your blog.No archived entries please.

Please send in your entries with the subject of "Vegetable A Month – Spinach” , before/by May 31st, 2011 to reshrite@gmail.com with the following details:

Your Name :

Blog Name :
Recipe Name :
Recipe URL :
Recipe Photo :

Non bloggers can email me your name, recipe and picture at reshrite@gmail.com with the subject of "Vegetable A Month - Spinach" before/by May 31st, 2011.

Hope to see loads of creative and delicious recipes............ I'm Waiting!!!!!!!

Have you enjoyed this recipe or photos? Do follow this blog, share it with your friends and help this blog grow. This will motivate me to carry on with my passion. Hope you've enjoyed your time here and thank you for visiting me!!!

Guest Post for "Celebrate Sweets: Ice Cream" : Chocolate Chip Ice Cream by Diksha

noreply@blogger.com (Reshmi) — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 01:37:00 +0000

Hello everyone,

Couple of days back, I got an email by this cute girl Diksha.. It was so fun to read her thoughts.. She is from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and an Accounting major student. She loves to cook and often, helps her mother in kitchen. She likes Thai and Continental food; and likes Indian spicy food too..

So, this was a brief introduction about Diksha and now I'll leave this post to her...

Diksha - In her own words..

I'm not a blogger but I love to blog.. Blogging is my main source of knowledge about cooking.. I'm not good with cookbooks but I enjoy reading blogs where bloggers include their personal thoughts along with those wonderful recipes... I remeber, my first recipe was Thai Fried Rice and the rice got overcooked.. But thanks to my family, they still enjoyed the dish.. love u mama!! I believe may be not now but by the time I reach my mid 20s I'll be a good cook.. Just like my mama...

While I was blogging, I came across this event and its main theme is "Ice Cream".. How can I resist from participating when the star is my favourite ice cream.. I saw lots of amazing recipes linked to this event and thought giving my contribution too.. This is my third attempt of preparing ice cream.. The first attempt was "plain vanilla ice cream". I prepared it last summer and it was big flop.. I cried a lot but my mama said "Even though it doesn't look like an ice cream but it tastes great".. I love that comment and this gave me the courage not lose the battle.. Few months back, mama bought a new ice cream maker and now my job got very easy.. Last month, I've prepared chocolate ice cream and it was good.. my BF liked it!! And now I've chocolate chip ice cream and I loved the texture.. My mama liked it.. :D

Recipe:

Heavy Cream - 2 cups
2 cups half and half cream
1 cup sugar
Pinch salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup good quality dark chocolate chips or shavings

Procedure:

Whisk the cream, half and half, sugar and salt in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Heat until it reaches 170F to 175F. Stir in the vanilla. Pour into the bowl and refrigerate overnight. This procedure is to kill the bacteria.

Next day, pour the mixture into the ice cream maker and do according to manufacturer's direction, adding the chocolate chips or shaving about halfway through.

Transfer ice cream to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap such that it touches the surface of ice cream. Freeze for 4-5 hours.

Serve with chocolate sauce drizzled over it and few strawberries..

I hope you liked my recipe and as I'm not good at taking pictures so please!!!!!!!! :D

Sending this to Reshmi's "Celebrate Sweets: Ice Cream" event which was started by Nivedita.

Guest PostMurrukkutri: "Reminder: Celebrate Sweets - Ice Cream"e Cream""

noreply@blogger.com (Reshmi) — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 19:38:00 +0000

Hello everyone,

Hope you all had a great weekend and why not, this weekend was too special.. "Our Indian cricket team won the World Cup!!" Few minutes before framing this post, I was watching the final shot by Mahendra Singh Dhoni that created the history... Believe me guys, when the camera focused Dhoni's expression I got goosebumps.. What a moment!!! Terrific... WOWOOWOW!!

And in my previous post "World Cup is Ours", my blogger friend, Sojo has asked to prepare some yummy sweets to celebrate this occassion.. Done sweetie!! This is due and I'll make it soon... Well I had prepared almond pudding on Saturday but before I can take pics, it was all over.. No.. not me... Sree is the culprit.. :D So for Sojo and for Team India, I'll prepare something sweet and post it at the earliest.. ;)

Okay!! So now moving on to the post of the day... Here we have Murrukku and it is prepared by Raji, our non-blogger friend. Raji was introduced to me by Priya Mitharwal. I was matched with Raji, along with Priya, for Maitri. At first, I was planning to send her the same ingredient that I've sent to Priya but then I thought as Priya is a friend of Raji, I mustn't send the same ingredient to both of them... But anyways, Raji was smart enough to identify the mystery ingredient sent by me...

So, girls please welcome Raji..!!

Raji, in her own words...............

Well, it all started when my good friend Priya told me about "Maitri"and also asked whether I will be interested .ofcourse, I said YES!

Then, I got matched with Reshmi who sent me an email asking about my address in order to send me the mystery ingredient.I was very excited and curious to know what it could be? I got the package on monday and when i opened to see what was inside it, guess what i found? I could immediately tell it was" ajwain" by the smell of it. Conicidentally, i was going to make murukku for my daughter who loves it so much. So, i used the ajwain(mystery ingredient) to the make murrukku.Thats abt the mystery ingredient.Wait a minute! let me tell u abt the best and sweetest part remaining in the package, which is this beautiful plate and lovely greeting card awaiting just for me sent by Reshmi as a token of friendship.I was immensely overwhlemed by her guesture.Thanks! Reshmi for this wonderful gift. What a great thought..I will always remember you.Thank you for being my friend.

Now for the recipe for Murukku:

Ingredients:
rice flour- 4 cups

urad flour -1 cup

butter softened 2-3 tbsps

ajwain(mystery ingredient) powdered- 1 tbsp

red chili pwd- 1 tbsp

salt -as per taste.

Procedure:

Mix all the above ingredients in a mixing bowl by adding water little by little.Knead the dough until it becomes soft( it shouldn't stick to the hand).

Now with the help of murukku press make the desired shaped on a plate and keep them ready.

Once the oil gets hot, gently slide these murukkus in the oil and fry them until it turns golden yellow.

Crispy golden yellow murrukkus are ready to eat.

Guest PostMurrukkutri: "Reminder: Celebrate Sweets - Ice Cream"e Cream""

noreply@blogger.com (Reshmi) — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 01:13:00 +0000

Three more days to go... Come on friends!! I know in this era of "Weight Watchers", everyone is quite concerned about their diet.. But I believe "Summer is incomplete without Ice-creams" And I'm pretty sure that each one of us has their favourite delicious and yummilicious recipe that has ice cream in it.. So guys, make it a go... share your favourite recipe and make it a hit in every blogger's kitchen for this summer..

We have had some excellent entries from both blogger and non-blogger friends. Thank you all so much for your participation. But I'll encourage to participate more and make this event a big success.

This post is just a reminder that this event will end on April 6th, 2011. Also, there is an ongoing $25 CSN giveaway along with this event. So, if you haven't had a chance to link your entries yet, please do participate. For more information, visit "Celebrate Sweets - Ice Cream" event page.

Have you enjoyed this recipe or photos? Do follow this blog, share it with your friends and help this blog grow. This will motivate me to carry on with my passion. Hope you've enjoyed your time here and thank you for visiting me!!!

World Cup is Ours!!

noreply@blogger.com (Reshmi) — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 20:22:00 +0000

After 28 years, India won the Cricket World Cup beating Sri Lanka in the Grand Finale by 6 wickets with 10 balls remaining.. What a wonderful match? Even though I didn't sleep last night because of this most awaited match but I'm still feeling energetic thinking of the fact that "World Cup is Ours!!".. The Champions are back........ We are the Champions!!

When India lost Sehwag on the very 2nd ball and Tendulkar in the 6th over at a score of 31-2, I told Sree "Honey!! What u say?? Are we going to win??" and he said "Just wait n watch!!" And then Gambhir and Kohli brought India back in the match.. Although there was pressure rebuilding when Kohli was out but then the Captain of Indian team, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, played the captain's innings and what we've now is "Winning World Cup" playing on our home ground.. What a fabulous inning!!!!

New World Cup Champions, "Team Blue, Team India"

A Tribute to Master Blaster "Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar"..

[Image Source: Cricket.WorldCup-live]