Enveetu Kitchen

Faux(False) Cherry Pannacotta/Cherry Fruit Dessert

2013-06-18T18:24:00.001+04:00

Kitchen-pantry Cleaning before vacation, uffff!!! Checking and organizing, things that can be used later and things to be finished before leaving. While doing that, this Can of Pie Filling hiding behind a stack of Flour packets, grinned!!!! Oh my, when did i buy this???? mmmmmmmm, not able to remember!! Sigh!!!
Okie, it has be finished before July end. So, think, think, No Pies,!!! Shall i make Pannacotta, Hubby Screamed, No Cream!!!!!!!
Ok,lets make Jello!!!!
Kuttu: Amma But Jello, should be a bit see through, kinda transparent!!!
Amma(to herself) : Fast, Think another name!!!! It is Faux Cherry Pannacotta!!! Howzzzat???

Ingredients

1 Can of Mother's Maid Cherry Pie Filling / 2.5 Cups of Cherry Pie Filling

1/3 Cup of Sugar (adjust according to taste)

1 tsp Vanillai Extract

1/2 Cup Agar/China Grass

Method

Soak Agar-Agar in 1 Cup Hot Water for 10 minutes. I get Agar-Agar/China grass stalks. Whenever i make Pannacotta, i break them into small pieces and Soak them in Hot Water to ease the process of melting while cooking them.
Take the Agar-Agar Soaked Water to stove, Cook it in a Very low flame, Do not allow the liquid to boil. Keep it low and Stir to combine and melt. It will start melting after 10 minutes on the low flame.

While this is cooking, Open the can of pie filling, take it in a blender add sugar and blend until smooth. Transfer the blended cherry filling to a sauce pan and start heating in a slow flame. Take care, it will be very thick, so there is a chance of it burning and it might also splutter out of the vessel, so keep the flame low.
When it is almost hot, and ready to boil, add vanilla extract and mix well. Now add the melted agar-agar using a strainer. This is to avoid any agar-agar goo getting into the finished dessert. Stir to combine well.

Take it off the stove, let it cool for 10 minutes, pour them into moulds and . Let it rest on the Kitchen Counter for 30 mins, then refrigerate atleast 4-5 hours for the Dessert to set.
While Serving, un-mould it on a plate, cut into squares and serve.
To Get more Smiles, Serve it with a blob of Fresh Cream or Whipped cream on top.

Sending this to Kids Delight - Party Ideas, happening @ Sizzling tastebuds, Event by Srivalli.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#29

Doughless, Gluten-free, Carrot n Potato Crust, Vegetable Mini Pizza

2013-06-17T00:00:00.000+04:00

When Anusha Praveen of Tomato Blues asked to make an Avante Garde pizza for Groovy Gourmets this month, i challenged myself to make a Dough-less pizza and started looking for some inspiration for the same. I came across pizza with cauliflower crusts, chickpea flour,etc. I didn't want to settle for the usual. I decided to make a Potato Crust Pizza.

Hearing the name Potato Pizza, my hubby was so much worried about the amount of calories and carbs. Naturally, we always think Potato is something Loaded with Bad stuff and anybody saying they are on a diet and eating potatoes, are insane. Before Proceeding with the recipe, i wanted to confirm whether this thinking is right or not?So, i mailed my Nutritionist Sangeeta Khanna , who blogs @ Health Food DesiVideshi, to clear my doubts.

My Question was Does Potatoes Contradicts Healthy Eating? This is what she replied

Hmm..small amounts can be had, especially with skin. Fried is bad, boiled, roasted grilled is better. Potatoes are actually a healthy starch but most abused in Indian cooking. So with dense protein meals , potatoes can be had if you are not having roti or rice..

After seeing the reply, i happily proceeded to the kitchen and made this for the entire family. When making for kids, i would recommend adding a blob of butter, while cooking the base, this surely enhances the flavor. Its a perfect Party snack, try using different moulds and experiment with the toppings.

Inspired from : Paula's Healthy Living
Ingredients

1 Large Potato

1 Medium-Size Carrot

1/4 tsp dried Oregano

1/4 tsp red chili powder

1/4 tsp dried Basil

Salt to taste

Toppings

1 Red Bell pepper, thinly sliced

Slices of Cheddar Cheese

Method

Peel Potato and Carrot, Chop into cubes. Take the veggies along with a Cup of water in a Microwave Safe bowl and Cook @ Microwave high for 6 minutes. or until the vegetables are 3/4th cooked. You can even do it on stove-top. If doing on stove-top, then switch of the gas when the water starts boiling. Keep it covered for 10 minutes for the veggies to cook al dente.

Once the veggies are done, drain the excess water and let them be in the colander until the last drop of water has drained and veggies are completely dry. At this stage i kept them in the refrigerator for 30 minutes for them to firm up and ease grating. This is purely optional, but guarantees, easy grating without the veggies turning into mash!!!
Next step is to Grate the veggies using a grater. Take the grated veggies in a bowl, add red chili powder, oregano, dried basil and salt. Combine together to form a loose dough.
Heat a Skillet. Place a Cake ring in the center or any mould that is heat-resistant or if you are good in shaping it into a thick patty, then proceed without the cake ring.

Fill the Cake-ring/mould with 2-3 spoons of Veggie filling and press it well to form a good shape inside the ring/mould. After a minute, remove the ring mould. you can see a perfectly shaped crust there!!!
Let this cook in a Slow flame. Patience is important, if you cook in a high flame, the base might burn and the top will be uncooked, spoiling the taste. So, Let this cook in a slow flame. Take about 8-10 minutes.

Add a spoon of oil to the base and place 4-5 slices of red bell pepper on it and tear a slice of cheese into 4-5 pieces and place it on top of the pizza. Sprinkle a pinch of oregano on top. Cover and Cook in a Slow flame for another 10 minutes or until the cheese melts.

Transfer it into a serving plate and Hog Hot!!!! The Leftover pizza can be refrigerated, before serving, reheat for 30 seconds and Serve Hot.

Notes

The Skillet can be either Iron or Non-stick, i have used both. If using Iron-Skillet, then first add a tsp of oil to the skillet, let it rest of 4-5 seconds and wipe it off clean in circular motion, covering the entire pan, using a kitchen-towel and then start making the pizza
i tried baking it too, but the base didn't hold well even after baking for 12 minutes @200 C. May be adding a little Chickpea flour or any other gluten-free flour might help.

Sending this to Kids Delight - Party Ideas, Happening @ Sizzling Tastebuds, Event by Srivalli, also to Only- Crazy for Potatoes, happening @ Nivedhanams, Event by Pari. What's with my Cuppa 2?, happening @ UK Rasoi.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#29

Narkol Naru/Sticky Coconut Balls with Chopped Pears - Microwave Method

2013-06-12T22:00:00.002+04:00

Today was a bit busy. In another two weeks i m leaving to india, for a two month bindaas vacation. So a bit of cleaning up started. And also, I met Nalini Suresh of Nalini's Kitchen in my home. It was such a pleasure meeting. She came home with her hubby Mr. Suresh and her two Kiddo's. The Little one was still in Jet Lag and didn't open a eye-lid!!! We had a nice chat for some time and didn't know how the time flew. I felt like we knew each other for a long time ,would love to have such pleasured company and thanks to this Blogging World, for bringing us together as family and friends.

Coming to today's recipe, these truffles i made long ago, not knowing, that they belong to Bengali Cuisine. Originally thought of posting it for Next week's theme. While Blog-hopping, looking for Bengali Recipes, i came across these truffles @ Ishita's Space. Since today i couldn't manage to do what i intended to do, i thought i will post this today!!! Sigh!!!

So, let's talk some history about these truffles Traditionally this is made using Notun Gur/Nolen Gur/Date Jaggery, Nolen/Notun Jaggery literally means New Jaggery, which is available during Winter season. But here, i get the normal jaggery, but i m not sure of Date Jaggery. But , we do get, a lot of Date Syrup, fresh, thick and tasty, aromatic Date Syrup!!! I have made this using Date syrup.

As i said, i didn't know this belongs to Bengali Cuisine, if known i wouldn't added Pear. So, if you guys want an authentic Bengali Delicacy, try without adding pears.!!!But i don't regret adding Chopped pears to these truffles, Happy that one way or the other some fruit is getting into their diet!!! :)

You can read some more about this Wonderful Cuisine @ Kolkatta's Sweetest Season

Ingredients

1 Cup Freshly Grated Coconut

3/4 Cup Date Syrup

2 Rosemary Pears, Finely Chopped (optional)

2-3 pods of Cardamom, Crushed

2 tbsp Roasted Almonds, Silvered (optional)

Method

In a Microwave Safe Pan/Bowl, Take the Almonds Silvers, add a drop of oil and Cook @ Microwave for a minute or two, for it to roast. In my Microwave, for this amount it takes a Minute to roast. Every Microwave works different, so cook accordingly.
In Another Microwave Safe Deep-Bowl, Take the Coconut and Date Syrup. Cook @ Microwave High for 6 minutes. Taking the Bowl out. after Every 1 minute and Stirring well. After the first 3 minutes, the mixture might look runny, don't worry, Keep Cooking, it will start thickening.

After the first 6 minutes, the mixture will be medium thick, now add the chopped pears to this and Mix well. Cook @ Microwave high for another 3 minutes, taking out after every 1 minute and stirring.
After this add Crushed Cardamom and chopped almonds, Cook @ Microwave high for another 2-3 minutes, for the mixture to come together.

Take it out of the oven, let it sit for 4-5 minutes and Cool. Make Golf-size balls out of it and if needed you can roll it on some fresh coconut. But i skipped that, as such they tasted Good.

Store it in an Air-tight Container in the Refrigerator. It will stay good for a week, mine got over in 2-3 days.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#29

Mishti Doi/Sweetened Curd - A Bengali Delicacy

2013-06-11T15:00:00.000+04:00

When Cooking Bengali Sweets and not making Mishti Doi, I consider it awful!!!! What is this Mishti Doi/Mitha Dahi? According to me, it is a quick to make Snack/Dessert and healthy too!!!

But, According to WIKI:

Mitha Dahi or Mishti doi is a fermented sweet dahi or sweet yogurt. It is common in the states of West Bengal and Odisha in India, and also in Bangladesh.

Earthenware is always used as the container for making Mitha Dahi because the gradual evaporation of water through its porous walls not only further thickens the yoghurt, but also produces the right temperature for the growth of the culture. Very often the yoghurt is delicately seasoned with a pinch of elaichi (cardamom) for fragrance. Baked yogurt is a similar preparation in the west. As Dahi (Curd) is also considered auspicious in Hindu religion , it is also prepared on festive occasions and celebrations like Durga Puja and Diwali.

While Looking for this recipe, i came across many methods but i went on with a Bong's Recipe, yup i followed Sudheshna's recipe from Cook like a Bong!!! She needs no introduction, she has a wonderful collection of Bengali recipes and also some great history weaved with that food. Good Food, comes with Great Memories!!!

Ingredients

1 litre Full Fat Milk

1/3 Cup of Sugar (Make it 1/2 Cup, if you prefer more sweetness)

1-2 tbsp Yogurt

handful of pistachios and almond flakes, for garnishing

2 pinches of saffron

Method

Take milk in a thick bottom vessel and start heating it over low flame. I added 2 stainless steel spoons to it, to prevent burning of milk at the bottom of the pan. A Tip given by experienced Lataji of Flavors n Taste, which i follow till date while making Milk-based desserts.
As the milk, starts boiling add 4 tablespoons of sugar and keep on simmering till the volume is reduced to little less than half. Scrap down the sides and stir well frequently.

Take the remaining sugar with 2 tablespoons of water and heat till the sugar melts and attains a golden brown color
Gradually add the molten sugar over the milk and boil for another 15 minutes over low flame.

Take it out of flame and let it become lukewarm add Yogurt and saffron, whisk well and pour the mixture into small Earthen Pot/ramekins/bowls. Garnish with almonds and Pistachios.
Keep the bowls/ramekins/Earthern pot in a cool dry place, and let the yogurt set over night. Refrigerate the set the Mishti Doi and serve as a Chilled dessert.

Sending this to Healthy Me, Healthy Us Event, happening @ sizzling tastebuds, event by Priya of Mharo Rajasthan Recipes. Also to My Bowl of Snack, happening @ Jagruti's Space.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#29

Chanar Jalebi /Paneer Jalebi

2013-06-10T13:47:00.005+04:00

For the Second Week of Blogging Marathon#29, i have chosen Course-wise Meal from any State. I Chose Bengali Sweets. So, for the next 3 days i will be posting Bong Sweets!!! I m starting with Chanar Jallebi or Paneer Jalebi. This was the Challenge given to us by Chandrani Banerjee of Cuisine Delights for SNC Challenge. What is SNC? A Monthly Fun Challenge, organised by Divya Pramil of You too Can Cook. We have two teams, the South team and the North team and every month each team member will challenge the other with an authentic recipe of their team. This month, we got an Bengali Delight, Chanar Jalebi, an authentic sweet prepared on festive occasions. The jalebi's were light and great on taste.

Making these Swirly Beauties, brought back a lot of Nostalgic Moments. I , particularly have a special attachment to this Paneer Jalebi, since it was the First Sweet me and my hubby, tasted after our engagement. The only place we used to go was Spencer Plaza @ Mount Road, and Shree Mithai there was our little haven!!Thanks to Divya and Chandrani for an Amazing Challenge

Ingredients

2 Liters of Full Fat Milk

Juice of one big lemon

1/2 tsp Cardamom Powder

1/2 tsp Baking Powder

2-3 tbsp Maida/All Purpose Flour

Oil for Deep frying

2 tbsp of Pistachios for garnishing

Sugar Syrup

1 Cup of Sugar

1/2 Cup of Water

2-3 pods of Cardamom, Crushed

2 pinches of Saffron strands

Procedure

Boil milk in a heavy bottom pan and add the lemon juice. Keep Stirring, until the milk starts to curdle and let the whey water become clear.Line a sieve with a muslin or cotton cloth. Pour the curdled milk into it. Wash the Strained Paneer under running water to remove the strains of lemon juice added.
Place the sieve on a bowl and set it aside for 30 minutes until all the water has been drained out. Remove the paneer from the cloth and transfer it to a plate. If not going to use immediately, then cling wrap it and refrigerate.

If making jalebi immediately, then add maida, baking powder and cardamom powder to the paneer and Knead to form a smooth dough. Once formed, let the dough rest on the kitchen counter.

To make the Sugar Syrup, Take Sugar, Water, saffron and cardamom pods in a Sauce pan and bring it to boil. Let it boil in a low flames until the syrup becomes little sticky.Remove from the flame and set aside.

In another pan heat oil for deep frying. Pinch small balls out of the dough and roll the ball into a long thick rope. Shape the rope into a pretzel or just a swirl. Deep fry the jalebis until nicely they are golden brown.

Remove from oil and add it to the warm syrup. Repeat the process with rest of the dough. Let the jalebi's soak in the syrup for 3-4 hours. Garnish with sliced pistas and serve.

Notes

I made the paneer the previous day night and the jalebi's next day morning. So i kept the cottage cheese in the refrigerator cling-wrapped.
Next day, After removing from the refrigerator, i kept it on the counter for 30 minutes. I didn't add Milk to make the dough, since my dough was moisten enough to get a smooth dough.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#29

Mixed Berries n Banana Smoothie

2013-06-08T21:12:00.003+04:00

Keeping the grove with Healthy Eating, i m posting a Simple, Tasty and a Power-packed Smoothie recipe. The Health benefits of Berries are pretty well known. They are rich in Anti-oxidants - Our Knight in Shiny Armour!!!

Antioxidants are important disease-fighting compounds. Scientists believe they help prevent and repair the stress that comes from oxidation, a natural process that occurs during normal cell function. Cranberries, blueberries, and blackberries ranked highest among the fruits studied.

I do get Fresh berries n currants here, but they are a bit high on the cost too. So to satiate my love for berries and to reap their health abundance, i always keep a pack of frozen berries handy. Just a cup of them and some milk blended together, i m done with my breakfast. These Smoothies are very filling and keeps you going until Lunch.

Ingredients

1/2 Cup of Frozen, Mixed Berries (Mix of Black berries, Black Currants, Red Currants and Strawberries

3/4 th of a Banana (i used Philippines Variety)

1 Cup Chilled Milk

Method

Take all the ingredients in a Blender and Blend. Pour into a Glass and Serve Immediately.

The smoothie tastes good as such without sugar/sweetener.If serving for kids, do add honey/date syrup or simple sugar to their taste.

Multi-Grain Vegetable Khichdi

2013-06-06T01:00:00.000+04:00

Healthy Eating, to my knowledge had meant to AVOID Coconut, Ghee, Full Fat Diary, No to Mango, NO NO Banana, Avoid Rice and have Chapathi, use Canola Oil, etc,etc,etc. After my second kiddo, when i wanted to lose those XXXXXTRA pounds off me, i started to do, what i thought was good. One day while blog hopping i was going through afellow blogger and a good buddy Raji Eswar's Vegetarian Tastebuds Blog, where she mentioned about Sangeeta Khanna, another Food Blogger and also a Nutrition Consultant, there is much more to add to her name, but then it would be a very long post.

Sangeeta Khanna, blogs @ Healthfood Desivideshi and she also plans personalized diet plans for you. After talking to Sangeeta, My perspective towards food and eating has changed totally. Now i never use the term Dieting,it is Healthy eating. You don't have to starve yourself to lose weight or be healthy. Just need to know what suits your body better and try to alter it according to it's needs. That's it, once you start doing this, there is no looking back.

I m on my journey to Better health and Healthy Living with Sangeeta's help. This is one such recipe which i follow as part of my eating plan from her blog. Simple and easy to make Khichdi with loads of fresh vegetables.

Ingredients

2 tbsp Whole Masoor Dal

2 tbsp Whole Moong Dal

2 tbsp Split Black gram Dal

2 tbsp Chana dal

2 tbsp Barley

2 tbsp Brown Rice

Vegetables

1 Medium-sized Potato

1 Medium-Sized Capsicum

1 Medium-Sized Carrot

2 hands-full of Spinach (i used radish leaves)

1 Cup of Cauliflower/Broccoli Florets (i didn't use in this)

2 nos green chilies, slited lengthwise

2 cloves of garlic

1 tsp shredded ginger

2 tbsp freshly grated coconut

Tempering

2 tsp oil

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

2 Red Chilies, broken

2 tsp urad dal

handful of almond silvered(optional)

Method

Wash all the grains and soak them for 30 minutes. Wash the veggies well and Chop them into cubes.
In a Pressure Cooker, Take the soaked grains, chopped veggies, add Slited Chilies, chopped garlic, ginger and coconut.

Add 2-3 cups of water. The water should be a bit more than the veggie-grains mixture. Add Salt, Mix well. Close the Pressure cooker lid and Cook for 4-5 Whistles in a medium flame.
Let the Pressure go down, open the lid. In a Small Sauce pan/Tadka pan, Heat oil given under "Tempering", splutter mustard seeds, add broken chilies, urad dal and almonds. Let the dal brown a bit, add this sizzling tempering to the Khichdi. Serve it Hot with Simple Yogurt/Curd.

The Khichdi tastes yum, as such withouth any accompanimet, since it has got all the spices needed and the veggies added, makes it so filling and yum. Sometimes i add some more water to the khichdi and have it as stew for Dinner.

Sending this to Healthy Me, Healthy Us, happening @ Sizzling Tastebuds, Event by Priya of Mharo Rajasthan Recipes And also to Dish it Out - Lentils n Vegetables, happening @ Cooks Joy.

Eggless Crispy Doughnuts with Chocolate Glaze- Deep Fried Version

2013-06-05T12:58:00.001+04:00

Who doesn't like those chocolate coated donuts, sitting cool on the Dunkin Donuts Kiosk!!! I love it and Kuttu Loves those chocolate glazed ones!!! So, when Gayathri announced this month's Baking Eggless Challenge, Kuttu was more excited than me and glad i didn't disappoint him. Jayanthi of Sizzling Veggies suggested a delicious recipe of Crispy and Creamy Doughnuts. I thought Doughnuts are baked goodies, but to my surprise this a Deep Fried Version. Enjoyed them thoroughly. This also goes well with my BM Color theme today : Brown

Recipe Source: Allrecipes

Ingredients : Original recipe makes 18 doughnuts

3 cups all-purpose flour

1.5 Cups Lukewarm Milk

1 tsp Instant Yeast

1/4 cup white sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 tbsp shortening

1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar

Vegetable oil for Deep frying

Method

In a Large Bowl, Take 2.5 Cups of flour, instant yeast, Sugar and salt and whisk well for the ingredients to mix well.
Make a small dent in the center of the flour-mix, add half of the lukewarm milk. Milk should be lukewarm, too much hot or too cold milk will kill yeast.
Using a electric beater/your hands start working the dough. I used a electric beater with the dough hook. Add Milk and remaining 1/2 Cup flour, little by little as required.

When flour comes together as dough, add the shortening and vinegar and form a smooth dough.
Oil the bowl well and place the dough inside it, i used the same bowl i used for making the dough. Cover it with a kitchen cloth and let it rest in a warm place for an hour.
After an hour, the dough would have doubled well.

Take the dough out on to the Kitchen counter, punch it out to remove the air. Sprinkle little flour and roll it out into 1/4 inch thick. using a Cookie-cutter or a round disc cut out doughnuts. I used my tupperware bowl which was around 3 inches in diameter. And using another small bottle cap cut out another small round from the center of the doughnut. For this i used my Coloring bottle cap.

Do this with rest of the dough. Let the doughnuts , rest again for another 45 minutes or until they are double in size. Keep them covered with a kitchen towel, prevent drying.

After the said time, Heat a Pan with Oil for deep frying. When the oil is hot enough, slide the doughnuts and fry them on both sides until they turn golden brown. Take out of oil using a slotted spoon and drain in a kitchen towel.

Chocolate Glaze

100gms Dark Chocolate, broken into 3-4 pieces

100gms White Chocolate, broken into 3-4 pieces

2 tbsp of butter

a Plastic bag/Ziploc pouch for the white chocolate drizzle

Take the Dark Chocolate in a Microwave Safe Bowl, add a tbsp of butter and Cook @ Microwave high for 2 minutes. Take it out after every 1 minute and check whether it is melted. I was using the chocolate straight from the freezer, so it took 2 minutes for it melt. If using chocolate @ room temperature, it might require less time. So it is better to Cook for 1 minute first and then increase if required.
Whisk the melted chocolate well to get a smooth liquid.
To Glaze the doughnuts, take them one by one and dip them into the melted chocolate and rest them on a parchment paper laid tray to dry.

For the White Chocolate Drizzle

Take the White Chocolate in a Microwave safe bowl, add a tbsp of butter and Cook @ Microwave high for 2 minutes. Follow the same instructions given for Dark Chocolates.
Whisk the melted chocolate well to get a smooth liquid. Let this cool. Take the cold white chocolate into a ziplock pouch or a plastic pouch, make a small hole using scissors at the end of the pouch for the chocolate to ooze out.
Drizzle away on the doughnuts. Let them dry, keep them refrigerated and Enjoy!!

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#29

Beetroot Curry/Stir-fry

2013-06-04T00:00:00.000+04:00

Today's Color theme : Pink, i give you a simple and delicious stir-fry of beets. Beets Stir-fry, this post is long overdue. These Pink beauties are full of health benefits, they contain fiber and potassium and is an excellent source of fol-ate.

According to Wiki : Beetroot is a rich source of potent antioxidants and nutrients, including magnesium, sodium, potassium and vitamin C., and betaine, which functions by acting with other nutrients to reduce the concentration of homocysteine, which has been suggested to be harmful to blood vessels and thus contribute to the development of heart disease, stroke, and peripheral vascular disease.

I know kids don't prefer this veggie, i normally hide this with Dal and Rasam to feed my kiddo, but with a bright color like this , it is hard to hide and with so much nutrients it is ever harder to avoid.

Ingredients

3 Medium Size Beetroots

3 tbsp Freshly grated coconut

Salt to taste

Tempering

1-2 tsp Oil

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

3 nos Red Chilies, i used long variety broken into 2

2 Sprigs of curry leaves

Hing/Asafoetida, Turmeric each a pinch

Method

Peel the Beertoots and Chop them into roundels first. Then cut each roundel into small cubes.
Heat Oil given under "Tempering" in a pan splutter mustard seeds,broken red chilies, curry leaves, hing and turmeric.
Once the leaves turn a bit crisp, add the chopped beetroots and saute for a minute or two.
Add freshly grated coconut and a Cup of water. Add salt and mix well.
Cover and Cook for 12-15 minutes or until the beetroot is cooked. It will take a bit longer for the beets to cook, so be a little patient.

Once Cooked, remove the cover and cook until all the moisture is absorbed and the curry/subzi is Dry.
Serve it Warm with Rice, goes well with a Tangy gravy and Rice.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#29

Bhindi Paneer Curry/ Dry Subzi, Okra n Paneer Dry Curry

2013-06-03T00:00:00.000+04:00

Bhindi paneer - a unique combo, slimy bhindi with spongy paneer. But when cooked properly, bhindi doesn't show that sliminess !! Only care i take is to wash the bhindi first, pat it dry and then chop it. The 29th edition of Blogging Marathon begins today. For the first week i have chosen : Cooking with Colors as my theme. So, for today i m choosing white : Paneer.

Paneer is my all time favorite and luckily even my hubby too likes it. I make it alteast once in two weeks and now since my hubby is taking Roti for lunch, it appears in our lunch menu often. Bored of trying it with usual capsicums and mixed veggies, i tried it with Bhindi/okra, though i made it with a little hesitation, but to my surprise it turned out great.

I have cooked Bhindi directly with onion and tomatoes, you can also pan-fry the bhindi's separately and add it to the curry along with paneer at the end.

Ingredients
100 gms of Bhindi/Okra
100 gms of paneer/Cottage Cheese, i used frozen paneer
1 Large Onion
1 Large Tomato
1 tbsp Tomato Puree (purely optional, for the color)
1 green chilli, slited lengthwise
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tsp of shredded ginger
1 tsp Red Chili Powder
1 tsp Coriander Powder
1/2 tsp Garam Masala
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp Cumin seeds/jeera
1 tsp Kasuri methi
Salt to taste
Shredded ginger,Coriander for garnishing

Method

Wash the bhindi, pat it dry using a kitchen towel. Chop the crown of the Okra/Bhindi, and Chop each Okra/Bhindi into 2-3 pieces depending on the size.
Chop Onion fine, Tomatoes into cubes. In case of using frozen paneer, then keep it soaked in hot water, until use.
Heat oil in a pan, crackle cumin, add Chopped onion, green chili, chopped garlic, shredded ginger and saute until onions become translucent.

Add Tomatoes and tomato puree and 1 Cup Water and add red chili powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder and turmeric powder. Let this cook until the tomatoes are soft and oil oozes out.
Add Bhindi to this a,Cover and Cook in a medium flame for 10-15 minutes. By this time the bhindi must be soft and cooked.
Open the Cover, Add Salt and Cook until the curry is almost dry. At this point, drain the paneer from hot water and Add it to the curry and Mix well. Add dried fenugreek leaves to it and mix well. Let it sit on the stove in a simmer flame for another 8-10 minutes for the flavors to infuse.

Take it off the stove, garnish with fresh coriander and shredded ginger, Serve Warm with Roti's.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#29

Quinoa with Mixed Vegetables - Masaledar Vegetable Quinoa

2013-05-30T20:43:00.006+04:00

These Days i m looking for alternate grains replacing Rice. I m not avoiding Rice completely, being a South-Indian is almost impossible, but then i try to keep it to a minimum. I had some little quinoa left-over in my pantry. So, made some lip-smacking Quinoa with Lots of Vegetables. Sending this to Mission Food - Whole Grains, happening @ Mireille's Space, Event by Pallavi and Sheelu.

Ingredients

1/2 Cup Quinoa

1 Medium Carrot

1 Large Capsicum

1 Large Onion, Chopped

1/2 tsp Red chili powder

1/2 tsp Coriander powder

Salt to taste

Fresh Coriander leaves for garnishng

Tempering

2 tsp of oil

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

1/4 tsp hing

2 green chilies, Slited lengthwise

2 Cloves of garlic, chopped

Method

Wash quinoa well under running water. Boil 1 Cup of Water in a sauce pan, add the quinoa to it and Cook in a medium flame, until the quinoa is cooked, you can see a small white tail out of the grains once it is cooked. Once done, keep it covered for 10 minutes, then drain the excess water.
While the quinoa is cooking, ready the vegetables. Wash Carrot and Capsicum. Peel the carrots and Chop them into thin slices and chop capsicums too into thin slices.

Heat oil given under "Tempering" in a pan, Splutter mustard seeds, add hing, green chilies, garlic and saute for a minute or two. Add Chopped onions and saute until translucent.
Next add Chopped Carrots and Capsicums, red chili powder, coriander powder,salt and add 1/4 Cup water. Cover and Cook for 10 minutes. Let the Flavors infuse well.

When the water is almost dry, add the drained quinoa to it and mix well. Let it Cook for 10 minutes or until dry. Take it off the stove, Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve Warm with Plain yogurt.

Vazhaithandu Mor Kootu/Banana Stem in Yogurt Sauce

2013-05-29T10:19:00.003+04:00

Keeping the mood up with the Blogging marathon Theme : Kootu, i m posting yet another Kootu recipe. Banana Stem Kootu/Vazhaithandu Kootu is unlike other Kootu which is combination of veggies and lentils, this one just the vegetable in yogurt with ground coconut and chilies paste.

Its an easy recipe to make, if you manage to prepare the Banana stem the previous day. It took me only 20 minutes to make this and pack for my hubby's lunch box as an accompaniment for Roti's.

Ingredients

1 Medium-Size Banana Stem, Cleaned and Chopped, about 3 cups

1.5 Cups Whisked Yogurt

a pinch of turmeric

Salt to taste

To Grind

1/4 Cup Freshly grated Coconut

2-3 nos Green Chillies

1 tsp Cumin seeds/Jeera

a small piece of ginger

Tempering

1-2 tsp of Oil

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1/4 tsp cumin seeds

a pinch of turmeric

1 red chili (optional)

2 sprigs of curry leaves

Method

Remove the outer layer of the Banana Stem/Vazhaithandu and Cut the Stem into roundels, while removing fibre as you cut.
Cut the roundels into small cubes and Keep the Cut cubes in Water mixed with 2 tsp of Buttermilk. This ensures that the Stems don't change color and turn black.

Take all the ingredients given under "To Grind" in a mixer and grind to a smooth paste using 1/4 Cup Water.
Heat a Pan, add Oil given under "Tempering", splutter mustard seeds, crackle cumin, red chili and curry leaves, turmeric and add the chopped banana stem/Vazhaithandu.

Add 1 Cup of Water and Cover and cook until the banana stem is 3/4th cooked. Now add the Ground paste and Salt to it and Mix well. Add 1/4 Cup of water to the mixer jar, rinse and add it to the Pan.
Keep it open and Cook for another 10 minutes, until it absorbs all the liquid and the stem is completely cooked.

Switch off the gas and add the whisked yogurt to it and mix well. Do not leave it on the stove after adding yogurt.
Serve with Rice as an Accompaniment for a Spicy Gravy or even with Roti's. I made some Yellow Pumpkin Vathakuzhambu and Amarnath leaves saute and served this along with them

Sending this to WTML - happening @ Nivedhanams, Event by Gayathri.

Carrot and Peanut Poricha Kootu

2013-05-26T20:32:00.003+04:00

Carrot in Kootu, yes!!Carrot is a Sweet Veggie and many of them Don't prefer it using it many recipes. To balance that sweetness and make it more interesting, i try to include it in a Spicy recipe, Like in a Tangy Tamarind Kuzhambu or in a Spicy Pepper Kootu. Today's Recipe is a Poricha Kootu, Where Urad dal n Peppercorns are slightly roasted in oil and ground to a fine paste using fresh coconut. So, the spice of pepper will balance the sweetness of Carrot.

I love Chana Dal/Gram Dal Kootu more than Moong Dal!!! Coz Chana Dal/Gram Dal adds a unique flavor to the dish, that too, when combined with coconut, the taste is truly mesmerizing!!! It reminds me of the Pooshnikaai/Ashgourd Kootu they serve in Marriages/Functions!!! Nostalgic-a,Longing to taste a Perfect South-Indian Marriage/Function Food Served in a Fresh Green Banana Leaf!!! :)

Ingredients
1 Large Carrot
1/2 Cup Chana Dal/Gram Dal
1/4 Cup Dhuli Moong Dal/Split Green Gram
1/4 Cup Peanuts
Salt to taste

Roast n Grind
1 tsp Urad dal
1/2 tsp Peppercorns
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
1 red chili
2 tbsp Freshly grated Coconut
1 tsp ginger

Tempering
2 tsp Oil
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds
1 tsp Urad dal
hing a pinch
2 sprigs of curry leaves

Method

Peel and Chop the carrot into cubes. Wash and Soak, both the Dals and Peanuts together in Warm Water for 20 minutes.

In a pan, add 2 drops of oil and roast Urad dal and Peppercorns separately.
Take the roasted pepper and urad dal along with rest of the ingredients given under "Roast n Grind" in a mixer and grind it to a smooth paste with 1/4 Cup of Water.

Take the Soaked Dal,Peanuts, Chopped Carrot, in a Pressure Cooker, Add the Ground paste and Salt, Mix well. Pressure Cook for 4-5 Whistles.
When the Pressure Releases, Open the Cooker, Heat the oil given under "Tempering", Splutter mustard seeds, crackle cumin, add urad dal, hing and curry leaves.

When the dal turns brown, pour the sizzling tempering over the Kootu. Garnish with Fresh Coriander Leaves, Serve Hot with Rice/Roti.

Sending this to WTML - hosted by Nivedhanams, Event by Gayathri.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#28

MulaiKeerai Kootu/Amarnath Leaves Kootu/Keerai Kootu

2013-05-26T10:09:00.000+04:00

Keerai Kootu is a regular menu in our house. I make it atleast twice in a Week, sometimes even more. Being a Vegetarian, Keerai/Spinach is more important in our diet, for its rich iron content. And with kids, if we don't make it a habit to eat spinach regularly then it is tough to make them enjoy it, in their later years.

Ingredients

3 Cups Amarnath Leaves/Mulai Keerai Chopped

1/2 Cup Moong Dal

1/4 Cup Masoor Dal

1 Tomato, Chopped

a pinch of turmeric

Fresh Corinader for garnishing

Ginger juliennes for garnishing

Salt to taste

To Grind

1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds

2 Green Chilies

2 tbsp Freshly Grated Coconut/Dessicated Coconut

1/2 tsp Grated Ginger

Tempering

2 tsp Oil

1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds

1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

1/8 tsp hing

1-2 red chilies, broken (Depending on Spice-level)

2 tsp Urad dal

2 sprigs of curry leaves

Method

Grind all the ingredients given under "To Grind" to a fine paste using 1/4 Cup Water.
Take the chopped amarnath leaves, both the dals, Chopped Tomato, turmeric, into a pressure pan/Cooker. Add the ground paste, Salt and mix well. Add 2 Cups of water. The Water should be just above the Leaves-Dal Mixture.
Pressure Cook for 3-4 Whistles. When the pressure releases, open the cooker, check the consistency of the Kootu, if it too runny, Take it to the stove and Cook it open for 10 minutes or until it reaches the desired consistency.
For the tempering, heat the oil given under "Tempering", Splutter mustard seeds, add cumin, broken red chilies, ground pepper, hing, curry leaves and urad dal.

when the dal roasts and turns brown, add the sizzling tempering to the Kootu, Garnish with Fresh corinader leaves and Ginger Juliennes.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#28

Malabar Vellari and Chickpeas Kootu

2013-05-25T01:29:00.000+04:00

Kootu in tamil literally means add, i,e adding Vegetables, lentils/legumes together and making a dish which is in a semi-solid consistency, something inbetween Sambhar/Rasam and Dry Curry. Though it essentially a part of Festive Menu, these days they are part of everyday meal in many homes, including mine.

What i like most about Kootu, you can experiment with it. Add/Subtract any Veggies, any Lentils/Legumes and Try a new masala to flavor/season it!!!

So, far the last week of Blogging Marathon, i chose to blog about Kootu Recipes. First comes a simple Malabar Vellari/Cucumber Kootu with Chickpeas and Pepper-Cumin Dry powder, which i normally use for Kootu.

Ingredients

2 Cups of Chopped Vellari/Indian Yellow Cucumber

1/2 Cup Soaked Chickpeas

1 Cup of Moong Dal
1 Medium-sized Tomato, chopped

2 nos green chilies, Slited

2 tbsp freshly grated coconut

Salt to taste

Fresh coriander for garnishing

To Grind

1/2 tbsp Coriander Seeds

1 tbsp Cumin Seeds/Jeera

1/2 tbsp Peppercorns

1 tsp Tuvar Dal

1/2 tsp Chana Dal

1/2 tsp Moong Dal

Tempering

2 tsp Oil

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds

1/4 tsp hing

1 tsp Urad dal

2 red chilies, broked into two

2 sprigs of curry leaves

Method

Grind the ingredients given under "To Grind" to a fine powder.
Take the Chopped Vellari, Chickpeas, Moong dal, Slited chillies, chopped tomatoes together in a Pressure Pan. Add the ground Pepper-Cumin powder to it.

Add 3 Cups of Water, the water should be just above the vegetable-dal mixture. Add fresh coconut and salt. Mix well.
Pressure Cook for 3-4 Whistles. When the pressure releases, open the cooker, heat oil given under "Tempering", splutter mustard seeds, cumin, add curry leaves, broken chilies, hing and urad dal.

Let the urad dal roast and turn brown, pour the sizzling tempering over the dal. Add Fresh coriander.Serve Hot with Rice/Roti.

Sending this to WTML - happening @ Nivedhanams, Event by Gayathri, MLLA#59, happening @ Sizzling Tastebuds, Event by Lisa.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#28

Thin Crust Pizza - New York Style Pizza

2013-05-22T18:08:00.001+04:00

Its a Piza-making Month!!! I have one more Pizza recipe coming this month, but its all together a different variety!!! For this month's Baking Partner's Challenge, Swathi asked me to suggest a recipe for Newyork Style Pizza with Sauce.

What is a New york Style Pizza? This is what WIKI says...

New York-style pizza originated in New York City in the early 1900s, and in 1905, the first pizza establishment in the United States was opened in New York's Little Italy. It is known for its large, wide, thin, and foldable yet crispy shape.

So, it is basically a thin-crust pizza, i chose a Simple, no fuss recipe. Loved Baking it from Scratch, Pizza making is not all that tough anymore!!! :)

Source : http://www.pizzamaking.com/newyorkstyle.php,

Ingredients

3½ cups All Purpose Flour/Multi-grain Flour

2 Cups All Purpose Flour & 1.5 Cups Wholemeal Flour

1 to 1-1/2 Cups of Warm Water (between 95F-110F)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon instant yeast

¾ teaspoon salt

Toppings

1 Capsicum, Cut into thin roundels

1 onion, chopped

1/2 Cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

1 tsp of Mixed herbs(Oregano, Rosemary)

1/2 tsp Chilli flakes

Pizza Sauce

2 Cups of Store-bought Tomato Puree

1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dried oregano flakes

Take them all together in a saucepan and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes. Take care not to boil.

Method : Pizza Dough

In a Large Bowl, take Flour, instant yeast and salt together and mix well. Add Warm water little by little and Knead to make a dough.
Do not add all the water at the same time. The Amount of water depends on the flour you are using, i tried both All Purpose Flour and Multigrain Flour. The Multi-grain flour needs more water than the All Purpose Flour.

All Purpose Flour Base

The temperature of water is more important while working with yeast. Hot water might kill the yeast and Cold water too does the same. How i determine whether it is in correct temperature? I pour a tsp of water on my wrist, it must be warm enough, but shouldn't scald the skin. The Temperature on the thermometer must read (95-110F).
The Dough has to be kneaded well for 10 minutes. After making the smooth dough, Keep the dough in a covered container in the refrigerator for 24 hours.

Multi-grain Base

When ready to make pizza, remove dough from refrigerator and allow to warm to room temperature. Preheat your oven to 220C one hour prior to making pizza.
Turn out the dough onto a floured work surface. Press the dough into a flat, round disc. Divide the dough into 3 equal portions, i used my kitchen weighing machine to weigh the dough and divide it equally.
I made 1 big Pizza with one portion and then divided the other 2 portions into half again and made 4 small pizza''s.

I used my Chapati roller and rolled the Dough into a thin Disc. Didn't get a proper disc, the edges were little rough. But didn't mind, since the sauce and toppings were great and made the pizza look appealing!!! :)
I used my Pie-pan, since i don't have a pizza stone. Grease the pie-pan with olive-oil and dust it with Cornmeal.
Transfer the Rolled out dough to the Prepared Tray, Top it with generous Pizza Sauce.
Add Some Chopped Capsicum, onions or any other veggies of your choice and Loads of Mozzarella Cheese. Sprinkle some herbs and chilli flakes on top.
Bake it in the Oven for 15-18 minutes, until the cheese on tops melts and base is Brown.

Saiyun ji kheerni - Vermicelli Kheerni - Sindhi Dessert

2013-05-19T18:37:00.002+04:00

Kheerni is a Sindhi Kheer made using Vermicelli/Seveiyan or Rice. I chose to make a Dessert for the Last day of Week 3 and was going through some blogs for a Sindhi Dessert. Guess what, i found a Copy-Cat Blog and informed Shobha Keshwani and some other bloggers whose recipes and pictures were copied, An adventurous Sunday i would say.

After all these, i thought of two sweets, kind of stuck between them. Again i checked(read troubled) Vaishaliji for some Clarification and then i thought it would be safer to make Kheerni, instead of making something else that is not Sindhi!!! :)

Ingredients
1 tbsp Thin Vermicelli,Crushed a little
2 Cups Milk
2 tbsp Sugar
2 pods of Green Cardamom, Crushed

1 tbsp Silvered Almonds

1 tbsp Silvered Pistachios
Generous pinch of Saffron

Method

Heat a Pan, add a spoon of Ghee, add the silvered nuts and roast them until brown. Drain on a Kitchen Towel, Keep Aside.
In the Same pan, add the Crushed Vermicelli and roast in a Slow Flame until golden brown. Take care not to burn it.

Once the Vermicelli Turns brown, take the pan out of the flame, add the milk and return it back to the stove. This is because, the pan will be very hot and adding milk to it might cause the milk to sizzle and spill out, Why unnecessary accident while making something sweet!!!! So, take care while adding milk to the hot pan.
Let the Milk Boil in a Medium Flame, Once it boils, reduce the flame. Allow the vermicelli to cook, it might take about 5-10 minutes depending upon the thickness of the vermicelli used.

Once the vermicelli is cooked, add Sugar, crushed cardamom, saffron to the milk. Let it Cook again for 10-12 minutes for the flavors to infuse well. Keep Stirring frequently or else the milk might burn @ the bottom and will spoil the kheerni.
When the Milk reduces to almost 1 Cup, add the roasted nuts, Stir well and take it off the stove.
Serve it Warm or Refrigerate and serve it Chill, either ways it tastes yum!!!

Sending this to Kids Delight - Sweet Treats, happening @ Nivedhanams, Event by Srivalli
Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#28

Koki - Karee Mirch Waree/Black Pepper Flavored Koki with Apple-Carrot Raita and Tri-Daali - A Sindhi Breakfast Spread

2013-05-19T09:54:00.000+04:00

The Next on the wagon is Pepper Koki. Koki is a Sindhi Style Flatbread, served as Breakfast or as a Snack. I Chose this recipe from Vaishaliji's Blog!!! Such a sweet person she is, i messaged her twice or thrice asking doubts on the 2/3 recipes, she was very kind and answered my doubts patiently. Thanks a lot vaishaliji!!!!

I saw two varieties in Vaishali's post. One is Pepper Koki aka Kari Mirch Waree Koki and another one is Masala Koki. I tried the pepper koki yesterday. Turned out great. They are Thick and Crisp, like a biscuit. So, we had some for our evening coffee yesterday with our guestand today morning packed some for my hubby's breakfast with Apple-Carrot Raita and Tri-daali Dal. These Koki's/Flat-bread stay good for 2-3 days, so apt for travel. The taste of pepper here and there in a bite, gives a nice kick to this Flat-bread!!!

Ingredients

1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour

1/2 tsp Black Pepper

1 tsp Ghee

Salt to taste

1/4 - 1/2 Cup of Water to make the dough

Method

Take the Flour in a wide bowl, add Pepper, Salt and Ghee to it.
Mix the ghee into the flour and it will start to resemble a coarse mixture, Now add water little by little to make a tight dough. Do not add all the water at the same time

Divide the dough into two balls, Roll each ball into a thick Disc, using a knife make diagonal cuts on the disc. Since these bread's are rolled thick, the criss-cross markings on them , make sure they are cooked from the inside too!!!
Heat a tava, cook the disc on the both the sides until brown spots appear on them. Smear ghee on both the sides and cook. Keep the flame in medium and cook both sides until crisp.

We had it with our evening tea. The Koki stays good for 2 days.

Apple-Carrot Raita

Ingredients

1/2 an Apple

a handful of baby carrots or 1/2 a medium normal Carrot

1/2 Cup Whisked yogurt

1/2 tsp Ginger shredded

1/2 a green chili

a pinch of red chili and cumin powder

Salt to taste

Method

Chop the apple into small pieces, Chop the baby carrots into 2/3 pieces each carrot.
Whisk the yogurt, add ginger, green chii and the chopped apples and carrots. Add Salt and Mix well.
Serve with Koki or any other Indian Flat bread.

Tri-Daali Dal

Ingredients

1 Cup Split green Moong Dal/Dhuli Moong

1/4 Cup Split Black Dal/Dhuli Urad with Chilka

1/4 Cup Gram Dal/Chana Dal

1 Large Tomato

1 tsp ginger

1-2 green chilies

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

Salt to taste

Tempering

1-2 tsp oil

1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds/Jeera

4-5 Garlic Cloves, Chopped

Handful of Fresh Coriander for Garnishing

Method

Wash and Soak the dal for 30 minutes. Take the dal in a pressure cooker, add the tomatoes, ginger, chili, turmeric powder and salt. Add about 3 cups of water and pressure cook for 4-5 whistles.
When the pressure releases, Open the cooker and mash the dal roughly with the back of a laddle.
Heat the oil given under "Tempering", add the cumin, chopped garlic cloves, wait until garlic roasts and turn brown, add this sizzling tempering to the dal, add Coriander leave, mix Well and Serve Hot with Roti/Rice.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#28

Saayi Dal/Split Green Moong Dal with Garlic Tadka

2013-05-18T17:12:00.006+04:00

The Third Week of Blogging Marathon, I chose Sindhi Cuisine, Wanted to Move out of my comfort zone and try out other cuisines too. So in the order, first comes Sindhi Saayi Dal. A Mild, Comforting Dal, Love the Garlic Tadka in it. Kuttu is a big fan of Dal-Rice, he loved this Saayi dal more than us.

Ingredients

1.5 Cups of Dhuli Moong/Split green gram dal

1 Large Tomato, Chopped

2 nos green chilies, chopped into two

1 tsp shredded ginger

1/4 tsp turmeric

Salt to taste

Fresh Coriander for garnishing

Tempering

1-2 tsp Oil

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds

4-5 cloves of garlic, chopped

2 sprigs of curry leaves

Method

Wash and soak the dal for 15 minutes in water.
To this Dal add chopped tomatoes, green chilies, ginger, turmeric and salt. Add 3 cups of water to this and pressure cook for 4-5 whistles.
When the pressure releases, mash the dal roughly with the back of a laddle.
Heat the oil given under "Tempering", Splutter mustard seeds, cumin seeds, add curry leaves and chopped garlic.

Let the garlic roast and turn brown, add this sizzling Tadka to the Dal and Serve Hot with Rice.
We Enjoyed this Dal with Hot Rice, Accompanied by Pickle and a Glass of Spiced Buttermilk, Lunch Settled

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#28

Coriander Pesto Vegetable Pizza with Multi-grain Pizza Base for Home Baker's Challenge

2013-05-15T10:57:00.000+04:00

Home Baker's Group, a group of Home Baker's having fun and learning to bake. Every month a host will give her choice of bake and bakers from this group will bake the posted recipe within a month, between 10th -12th of each month we will post our tried recipes in our respective blogs.

For the Month of April, Divya Prakash of Divya's Culinary journey, suggested baking Pizza. We were given 4 different recipes. I chose to bake the Pesto Pizza with veggie topping.

The Joy of Baking something from scratch, it is unexplainable!!! When it turns out so good and everybody @ home enjoys it with oohh and ahh!!! Then all the sweat and toil in the Kitchen, Vanishes into thin air!!!! Loved this Challenge totally. Loved Experimenting with the base and the sauce. Thanks for a lovely challenge.

I Chose to make the base with Multi-grain Atta and since i didn't have time to get basil, i made coriander pesto inspired from Sanjeeta's Lite Bite.

Ingredients

For the Base

2 Cups Multi-grain Atta/Flour

1 Cup Wholemeal Flour

1 packet Instant yeast (2.5 tsp)

1 tbsp Sugar

1 tsp Salt

1.5 Cups Warm Water

3 tbsp Olive Oil + Some more for coating the bowl

For Stuffing

1 Capsicum, thinly sliced

1 Onion, Chopped

1 Medium tomato, deseeded, Chopped

1/2 tsp Oregano

1/2 tsp Rosemary

1/2 tsp Red Chili Powder

1 Cup Shredded Mozzarella cheese

For Coriander Pesto : Recipe Inspired from Sanjeeta's Lite Bite

1 Bunch of Fresh Coriander leaves/Cilantro

handful of Walnuts

2 green chilies

4-5 Garlic Cloves

1/4 Cup Olive Oil

Method

Preparing the Dough

Take the Flours, yeast, sugar and salt in a Large Bowl. Whisk well to mix. Add Warm Water to this mixture and start kneading the dough. Add Olive Oil as and when required and make a Smooth dough.
The temperature of water is more important while working with yeast. Hot water might kill the yeast and Cold water too does the same. How i determine whether it is in correct temperature? I pour a tsp of water on my wrist, it must be warm enough, but shouldn't scald the skin. The Temperature on the thermometer must read (95-110F).

After making the smooth dough, oil it well and the bowl, cover with a kitchen towel and keep it in a warm place to proof. I kept it in my Oven, with the light on. Let it sit this way for an hour. Since i was using Multi-grain Atta, i kept it for 1.5 hours.
After the said time, it will be doubled in size. Punch down the dough, to release the air inside, and fold it inside from all the sides and keep the folded side down and let it rest in a warm place for another 30 minutes.

Making Coriander Pesto

Wash and Chop the Coriander leaves, Keep the stalks, just remove the roots, if any.
Take all the ingredients into the mixer, except the olive oil.
Grind the ingredients to a paste and at the end add olive oil and run it again for a second for it all to combine well.
Transfer it to another bowl.

Preparing the Stuffing

Wash Capsicum and Tomato. Chop them thin.
Chop the Onion thin,
Take everything in a bowl, add the oregano, Rosemary and red chili powder and Toss it well.
I did this for the flavors to infuse well with the veggies also. Keep it aside until use.
You can skip this step and add the veggies straight to the Pizza separately as topping and the herbs also can be added separately.

Making the Pizza

After the second rise, Take the dough out on a kneading platform/Kitchen Counter top.
Preheat the Oven to 220C.
Knead for 5 minutes and Weigh the dough. My dough weighed 900 gms. So i divided the dough into 3 parts each weighing 300 gms.

Take one portion of the dough out and keep other two portions covered.
I don't have a pizza stone, so used my Pyrex pan (20 cm) for baking the pizza. Grease the pan with a tsp of olive oil and sprinkle little cornmeal/Sooji.
Take the dough and spread it on the Pan using your hands. Or else you can also roll it out using a Chapati Roller.
The base will be thick, if you want a thinner base, then stretch it more. Wanted to try the Good Thick-Crust pizza first. Poke the Pizza-base with Fork allover to avoid puffing-up while baking.
Bake the pizza base for 12 minutes. Since i was using Multi-grain base, so i blind-baked the base first.
After the blind bake, take it out. Spread 2 tbsp of Pesto generously over the top. Sprinkle little red chili powder.
Next Spread 3- 4 tbsp of Veggies marinating in the spices. Top it with generous amount of Shredded Mozzarella Cheese on top of the veggies.
Preheat the oven to 200C and bake it for 15-18 minutes until the cheese melts.Let it sit in the hot oven for a minute, then take it out.
Let it cool for 2-3 minutes. Slice it up and Serve with Tomato Sauce.

Verdict/Notes

Since it was a Multi-grain base, we didn't feel like having junk food.
If you want you make it using All Purpose Flour too, then that case, you will need only one Cup of water.
The Pizza Dough can be refrigerated for 3 days maximum. If you are planning to make the pizza within that time, then Roll out the base and Freeze them in Freezer Bags.

Spiced Buttermilk/Neer Mor - Perfect Coolant for Summer

2013-05-12T10:05:00.000+04:00

The main concern during Summer is keeping ourselves hydrated. With the type of Climate here, we have Sand Storm and Dry Day many times in Summer. As Adults, we know how to manage, But Kids, even the small Water bottle you put to school everyday, comes back half-full.

Recently Kuttu got affected with Urinary Infection. The Cause being not drinking enough water/fluids. The Doctor is a Good friend of us and knows kuttu very well. So, he spoke to kuttu and advised him to drink water regularly and drink lots of fluids/juices/thin buttermilk whenever possible. After listening to him, kuttu now drinks water properly, Never say No to fruits/Fruit juices.

I tried this Spiced Buttermilk/Neer Mor for him, he loved it. If your kid prefers you can even add HALF A GREEN CHILI to this quantity and Serve it chill.

Ingredients : Makes One Glass

1/2 Cup Thick Buttermilk/Whisked Curd, CHILLED

1/2 Cup Water

handful of Fresh Coriander leaves, finely Chopped

1/4tsp ginger julienne

1/4 tsp hing

Salt to taste

Method

Take all the ingredients into a blender and blend until frothy. Serve immediately.
If your kiddo doesn't prefer floaty things in his/her drink, then first grind coriander and ginger in a Mixer, then take it to the blender along with other ingredients.
Incase serving for adults, you can add half a green chili to the above quantity of ingredients and blend.

Sending this to Kids Delight - 5 ingredient Fix, hosted by Pavani, Event by Srivalli

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#28

Vanilla Pannacotta with Raspberry Coulis

2013-05-12T09:13:00.002+04:00

We are Pannacotta fanatic. So, here is another pannacotta rcipe with aromatic Vanilla. Got some good quality vanilla extract, so decided to try Vanilla Pannacotta with Rosy Raspberry Sauce,ohho, it was a Match Made in Heaven!!!
Only Complaint from Kuttu was the Color of the Raspberries, why is it pink amma? Pink is for Girls, give me without that Pink on top!!! grrrrr, boys-na, i don't even remember when did he started this color coding?? Even for his brother, nothing should be in pink, not even his rattle!!!!

Neverthless, he enjoyed the pannacotta less sauce!!! But the sauce definitely takes it to another level. This goes to Kid's Delight - 5 ingredients Fix, hosted by Pavani, Event by Srivalli.

Ingredients

2 Cups Whipping Cream (35% Fat)

1/4 Cup Sugar

1/4 Cup Agar-Agar/China Grass

1/2 Cup Water

2 tsp Vanilla Extract

For Raspberry Coulis

1/2 Cup Raspberries (i used Frozen)

1 tsp Sugar

Method

To Make Raspberry Coulis

Take the Raspberries and Sugar together in a Saucepan, Cook it in a simmer flame. The berries will turn saucy with the sugar and water. Turn it off. Let it cool. Keep it refrigerated until use.
Since i used Frozen Raspberries, i didnt add water to it, if using fresh raspberries, add a tbsp of water.

To Make Vanilla Pannacotta

Soak Agar-Agar in 1/2 Cup Hot Water for 10 minutes. I get Agar-Agar/China grass stalks. Whenever i make Pannacotta, i break them into small pieces and Soak them in Hot Water to ease the process of melting while cooking them.
Take the Agar-Agar Soaked Water to stove, Cook it in a Very low flame, Do not allow the liquid to boil. Keep it low and Stir to combine and melt. It will start melting after 10 minutes on the low flame.
When the Agar-Agar starts melting, Heat the Whipping Cream in another sauce pan in a simmer flame, Do not allow it boil. Add Vanilla Extract to it and Stir to combine.

Now Strain the Agar-Agar liquid into the Whipping Cream and Mix well. Let it sit on the stove for 2 more minutes. Then Take it off the stove, Let it cool for 10 minutes on the Kitchen Counter.
Pour the Vanilla Cream liquid into smaller bowls and Refrigerate for 4-5 hours for it to set.
While Serving, add a tsp or 2 of Raspberry Coulis to the Pannacotta and Serve.

Dark Chocolate Peanut Fudge Using Jaggery

2013-05-10T00:00:00.000+04:00

We all have been in this situation!!! Wondering what to cook with as much as less ingredients possible, that too when your little one is pestering for a sudden snack!!! This Week, for the next 3 days i will be posting on the theme 5 Ingredients Fix, theme for this month's Kid's Delight, hosted by Pavani. Recipes that requires only 5 or less than 5 ingredients. You will be surprised to see so many delights that can be prepped with No Fuss ingredients. Today's recipe is a delight, it has less ingredients and takes less time to cook also. When you have a sudden guest or a your kiddo's Sudden Chocolate Pang or a Sugar Rush, Make this healthy Fudge and Enjoy. These Bars make a wonderful gift too!!! No Gift is better than a Box full of Chocolate treats!!!!

Recipe Source : FoodFood Channel
Ingredients

1 Cup Grated Jaggery (see notes)
1 Cup Grated Dark Chocolate
1 Cup Skinless Peanuts
1 tsp Cinnamon (optional)
2 tbsp Butter + some for greasing the tray

Method

Grease a Square tray with butter and keep it ready.
Take the Skinless Peanuts, in a Microwave Safe Pan, add half tsp of butter and Cook it @ Microwave high for 2 minutes. This is to Roast the peanuts. Take it out and let it cool.
Once Cooled, grind it coarsely. Take care not to powder it, we want it to be coarse. you can even pound it using a Pestle only.
Heat a Shallow pan with 2 Cups of Water. When the water starts boiling, reduce the flame (Double-Boiler Method)

Take the Grated jaggery and butter in a heat-proof bowl and place it over the Simmering Water and let the jaggery melt.
Keep Stirring while it melts, it will take about 8-10 minutes, depending on how fine the jaggery is grated.

Once the Jaggery melts, add the coarsely pounded peanuts and give it a good mix. When the Peanuts are completely coated with jaggery, add the grated dark chocolate and cinnamon to it and mix well to coat.
Take it off the stove, transfer the mixture into the greased pan, smoothen the top using a Spatula or a parchment paper.

Let it cool in the room temperature for 10 minutes. Using a knife make light markings on top for cutting, Refrigerate for atleast 2 hours for it to set.
While serving take it, use a sharp knife break it along the marked lines and Gobble!!!
Once taken out, the chocolate will start melting, so make sure to store in the fridge.

Sending this to 5 Ingredients Fix - Happening @ Cook's Hideout, Event by Srivalli.

Notes

If the jaggery variety you are using is bit dark and more sweet than the regular ones, then reduce the quantity to 3/4 Cup.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#28

Torcettini di Saint Vincent (Chocolate Flavored) - Sugar Crusted Twisted Cookies/Cookies with Yeast - We Knead to Bake #4

2013-05-08T17:24:00.003+04:00

We Knead to Bake#4, a Group of Baker's with an aim to learn ,to bake 12 different Breads, lead of Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen. For the Month of April, we baked Cookies!!! yup, but it was not an ordinary cookie, they are Sugar Crusted Yeast Cookies with a Twist!!! :)

Torcetti/ Torcettini are believed to have descended from Grissini (breadsticks) which were made from the leftover scraps of bread dough. According to one story, a Grissini baker had some leftover butter which he needed to use up. Inspiration struck and he decided to add the butter to the last batch of his Grissini dough for the day. To be able to differentiate this lot of “breadsticks” from his Grissini, he rolled them in sugar and shaped them into loops, and the Torcetti was born. Torcetti/ Torchettini are usually flavoured with lime/ lemon zest or anise.

Belive me, the zest gives a real kick. I made both Plain and Chocoalte and the plain cookies, vanished just like that, i couldn't even save some for the clicks. The Lime Zest and the Sugar was amazingly flavorful, they just linger in your mouth long after the cookies. Though Chocolate Flavor with Orange zest was also good, but i prefered Plain with Lime Zest!!!

Ingredients

1/2 cup warm water

1 tsp active dry yeast (or 1-1/4 tsp active dry yeast)

1 1/4 cups + 2 tbsp All-purpose flour

2 tbsp Cocoa

2 tbsp Sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp Orange Zest

2- 1/2 tbsp/40gms unsalted butter, cold and cut into small pieces

about 1/3 cup granulated sugar for rolling the cookies

Method

Take the Flour, cocoa Powder, Sugar, Instant yeast in a Large Bowl and whisk to mix.
Add the butter pieces and mix until the butter is well blended and the flour-butter mixture looks powdery.
Add the water and knead till it all comes together as a ball. Do not over process or knead.

Place the ball of dough in a oiled bowl, turning it so it is well coated with the oil. Cover the bowl, and let the dough rise quite a bit.
This dough does not really double in volume, but it should look “puffy” after about an hour or so. When you pinch off a bit from the top you can see the interior looking a bit like honeycomb. Press down the dough and deflate it, wrap it in cling warp and refrigerate it for at least one hour or up to 24 hours.

When ready to make the cookies, take the dough out and lightly roll it out into an approximately 6” square. If the dough feels sticky, scatter a little sugar on it. Using a pizza wheel cut the dough into four strips of equal width. Cut each strip into 6 equal pieces, by cutting across, making a total of 24 pieces. The measurements are not very critical in this part because this just makes it easier to have 24 equal sized bits of dough, as compared to pinching of bits of the dough.
Roll each piece into a pencil thick “rope” about 5” long. Sprinkle a little sugar on your work surface and roll the “rope” in it so the sugar crusts the dough uniformly. Form the “rope” into a loop crossing it over before the ends.

Place the Torcettini on parchment lined baking sheets, leaving 1 1/2" between them. Leave them for about 20 minutes or so till they rise/ puff up slightly. They will not “puff up” much, like bread, but the “puff” will be visible.

Bake them at 160C (325F) for about 25 minutes till they’re a nice golden brown. Cool the cookies completely, on a rack. Store them in an air-tight container at room temperature.

Some tips that might make a difference to your Torcettini

As i have mentioned, you can make them Plain also. If making plain, use 1.5 Cups of All Purpose Flour and omit the Cocoa Powder and the Sugar.
Once your Torcettini have been shaped, don’t let them rise for longer than 20 minutes. If you do, your Torcettini will more bread-like on the inside due to the extra “rise”.
To make sure the Torcettini dough does not rise for more than 20 minutes, it’s a good idea to work on shaping the 2nd batch while the first batch is in the oven.
If you do not want to use parchment paper, you can grease you cookie sheets and place the shaped Torcettini dough on them directly. Just remember to take them off the sheets while they’re still hot. You will need a spatula to the dislodge them, and do so carefully so they don’t break. Once they’re cool, the caramelised sugar on the Torcettini make them stick to cookie sheets and they become difficult to dislodge without breaking them, So better use Parchment paper.

Kitchen Basics/Spice Powders

2013-05-08T12:12:00.000+04:00

SPICE POWDER

Sambhar Powder - The Kitchen King

Mixed Dal Spice Powder
Multi-Grain Flakes & Flaxseed Spice Powder

Parrupu Podi - Mixed Lentil Powder/Daal Powder

Peanut-Sesame Powder/Verkadalai-Ellu Podi