I camp in my kitchen

Thengai Podi/Coconut Podi

2020-01-22T22:28:00.001+04:00

Every year, when i return after my vacation, from chennai, there is a standard list of things you will find in my luggage. Top in the list is navarathri return gifts and new dolls for navarathri . Apart from these, 2 set of podi's are a must, one is thengai podi and other is paruppu podi.

Thengai podi is my mothers specialty. She usually makes it during the last week of my travel, so it stays fresh when i return back to sharjah. The day i land here, i throw the podi's in the freezer, so it stays fresh for me longer.

i love such dry podi's, they come handy on days you don't feel like cooking but yearn for comforting meal, a pot of steaming hot rice with some gingely oil and thengai podi mixed, makes your meal sorted.

This year when she was making it for me, i made a video of the recipe, so it will be handy for my channel too. So, here is the recipe of thengai podi, my amma style.

Ingredients

Coconut meat from 1 coconut, freshly grated

1 cup chana dal/gram dal

1.5 cups Urad dal

15 nos red chilies,adjust according to taste

a marble-sized tamarind

handful of curry leaves
1/2 tsp asafoetida powder/hing

2-3 tsp salt or as needed

Recipe Video here

Method

Keep all the ingredients ready on the table. First dry roast both the dals individually. Dry roast the chilies in the heat of the pan, or else they might burn. So, take care while roasting chilies. Transfer all the roasted ingredients to another clean plate.
In the same pan, add 1 tsp of oil and add the freshly grated coconut and roast it until the moisture evaporates and the coconut becomes a bit dry. Finally roast the curry leaves until dry.
Transfer the roasted coconut and the curry leaves to the same plate as rest of the ingredients to this now add asafoetida/hing, salt and tamarind.

Let these roasted ingredients cool down well. Now in a mixer jar , take all the contents except the coconut and grind it to a coarse powder.
Transfer this coarse powder to a flat plate. Now take equal amounts of coconut and ground coarse dal mix in the mixer and grind again for the dal and coconut to mix well. Take care not to grind continuously. Grind it in pulse motion, 4-5 pulses, remember the dal is already ground coarsely.
Do this in batches, for the above said amount we did it 3 batches in the medium mixer jar of preeti mixie.

Once done, transfer the podi to another clean vessel and give it a good mix.Let it sit and cool well. Transfer the thengai podi to air-tight container and enjoy it with steaming hot rice.

My Meal plan for January 20th - January 25th 2020

2020-01-20T00:00:00.000+04:00

hiya people,how are you all doing? Meal plan day it is, i usually do it on Saturday, but this week got busy and it is been almost 3 weeks since i posted my meal plan, i wasn't sure whether it is helping out anybody? If you think my meal plans help you in someway, please do leave your comments in this post and that way i will be motivated and post it here.

Coming to this week's meal plan, I have again kept it simple with breakfast with the usual Dosa, Kuzhipaniyaram, Masala idly, paratha etc,

For Lunch this whole week my younger one has cricket practice and will be coming only at 4;00pm and so i have to pack him both breakfast and lunch. He prefers roti as lunch and so it is going to be Roti and subzi for all the week for my hubby's lunch dabba too.

It is only me and my elder one for lunch at home, he loves dal, so i have kept mostly dal and subzi for us with rice/quinoa. You can find the varieties of dal i have in my blog here.

Dinner is the one meal we are trying to eat together as a family, and my kids decide Wednesday and Thursday menu at home, so Wednesday dinner is their favorite poha, and Thursday night is pizza night. Check the varieties of poha you can make. I have a fool-proof recipe for pizzas, will post it in the blog soon. If you follow me in instagram, i have saved it in my highlights there and it is a pretty popular recipe.

Here is the simple meal plan which i will be following this week for my family. Take look and try to make your own plan with this as a sample.

See you all next week, have a great week ahead.

Bittergourd Masala/Bittergourd curry with onion and tomatoes, Karela Subzi, Side-dish for Rice/roti

2020-01-19T17:28:00.001+04:00

Bittergourd is one vegetable which is hated by many for its taste, but there are many who like this vegetable's natural taste. I love bittergourd, when cooked perfectly it tastes amazing, pavakai pitalai being my absolute favorite, i also love a simple pavakai/bitter-gourd curry with coconut and chilies, paired with rasam rice it tastes delish.

Though my elder one doesn't mind the bitterness of this vegetable, he cannot eat it more than a spoon or two of this, whereas my younger one, cannot even see it.

Sometime back, i tried making bittergourd this way, i dont remember where i read about this, must be in some cookbook, resting it with salt and then cooking it somewhat makes the bitter-gourd more palatable. This bittergourd masala was a super hit at home and i have made it quite a few times after that, even my little one enjoyed it with his roti.

Once i made this bitter-gourd masala for my hubby's dabba, just to make sure whether it is possible to do all these in the morning rush, yes it takes around 45 minutes, including the 20 minutes resting of the veggie. The only step that's a bit tedious is the shallow-frying, but once it is done, the subzi gets ready in 10 minutes.

You can pair this bittergourd masala with roti or serve it along with rice and rasam.

Let us see what all you need to make this subzi,
Bitter-Gourd, i have used 2 long bitter-gourds, which weighs 250 grams when the pith is removed and chopped into roundels.
Onion & Tomatoes, This subzi can also be made sathvik by avoiding onions, Tomatoes gives the subzi the semi-gravy consistency, if tomatoes are avoided it will be like a dry roast.
Spice, i have used sambhar powder as the spice in the subzi, as it is one of the easily available spice mix in most of the kitchen, and also can be used to make quick and easy everyday subzi's. If you dont have sambhar powder, you can use equal quantities of red chili and coriander ground together and use that powder to spice the subzi.
Curry leaves and Coriander leaves, do not miss these flavor imparting greens. Curry leaves in tadka and coriander as garnish takes the subzi to another level.

Let us go to the recipe now
Ingredients

2 long bitter-gourds, around 250 grams
1 large onion
2 medium tomatoes
1 tsp sambhar powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp salt or to taste

Tempering
2-3 tbsp oil
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
2 pinches of asafoetida

Method

Wash the bittergourd and cut them horizontally into two and then again vertically into two, remove the pith inside. slice them into roundels.
Once cut, sprinkle salt on them and let it rest for a minimum of 20 minutes. While the bittergourd is resting, let us prep the onions and tomatoes.
Chop onions and tomatoes fine. Once the bittergourd has rested for 20 minutes, strain it and give it a quick wash in running water and let it drain completely.

In a wide pan, Add 2-3 tbsp oil, add the bittergourd in batches and shallow fry. i did it 2 batches, do not crowd the pan, you can also deep fry it, but i preferred to shallow fry.
Let the bittergourd, sizzle and shrink a bit and get a golden brown on them, once done, remove it with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel.

In the same pan, add mustard seeds, asafoetida and curry leaves, when the mustard splutter, add the chopped onions and saute until translucent.

Next add the tomatoes now to this add turmeric powder, salt and sambhar powder and mix well. Add 1/4 cup of water, cover and cook for 5 minutes, for the tomatoes to cook well and turn mushy.
Remove the cover and if the tomatoes are done, add the fried bittergourd to this and mix well.

Let it sit on the stove for another 3-5 minutes for the flavors to mingle. The consistency should be of a semi-gravy. You can also make this complete dry curry, just let it sit on the stove until the liquid is absorbed.
Take it off the stove, garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve along with rice/roti.

I served it part of this delicious thali meal for a weekday lunch. The thali has Rice with ghee, Chana dal, Tomato-garlic rasam and karela.

My Meal Plan for December 15 - December 19th

2019-12-14T20:36:00.004+04:00

Hello everyone, a new post after sometime, i usually update my old meal plan post, with every week new plan, but this week onward i thought why not make it a new post, so i can also give links to the recipes i have in my blog.

Coming to this week meal plan, i have made a simple breakfast menu, since most of the kids will sleep atleast till 8/9 am and will not be ready to wake up anytime sooner, atleast my elder one will not up before 8:30 am. So i have the kept the breakfast really simple.

Breakfast menu :Poori, Semiya upma, Chutney cheese sandwich, Masala idly, Peas corn kuzhipaniyaram. More Breakfast options here

This week in lunch meal plan, i have included some mixed rice recipes,which are quick to make, considering the fact the kids will be home for winter break, and mommies will be already busy thinking what to feed them for their frequent hunger pangs.

Mixed rices : Dhaniya podi rice, Sesame seeds rice, chutney dal rice, masala paratha, sambar saadam, More one-pot meals here

Dry curries : Potato baby corn subzi, Corn capsicum paneer subzi, karunai kizhangu curry/yam fry, Potato capsicum curry,

Snack menu

Snacks, is what kids will be asking for more, so i have tried to include some filling snack options this week, like banana crumble, carrot vadai etc.

Chocolate cake, carrot vadai, banana crumble, banana chocolate milkshake

Dinner again i have kept it simple in the meal plan, since after a long day of run and play, TV and games and also some indulgent snack, they wont be voraciously hungry but still need something to fill them up, so here is what i have done

Dinner menu: Curd rice, Pepper poha, Adai aviyal, oats dosai, Paneer subzi

If you are interested to know my previous meal plans, please click the link here

If you like my meal plans, do give a thumbs up and share this post on your social media and tag my page I Camp in my Kitchen. You can find me in instagram #icampinmykitchen, #icampinmykitchenmealplans

See you next week with a different meal plan, till then, Eat healthy and Enjoy Food.

Navrathri Golu Festival, How i celebrate my Navrathri & Neivedhiyams

2019-09-23T12:57:00.000+04:00

Navrathri is next week,how many of you are excited! One of the festivals I look forward with so much excitement is navrathri! The 9 days of pooja, meeting friends and foods excites me even more. I plan and visualize it months before, what decoration to do? What theme shall we add this year, and I go for my navrathri shopping when I m in India both for new dolls and also for the thamboolam.

I love to pick gifts for thamboolam, for my lady friends and also to all the kanya ponnu/girls who tag along their mommas. I take extra care and loads of love when I buy something for them, it might not be big or lavish but the love and thought behind it counts a lot.

A small packet of pottu/bindi or a pair of hair bands make them squeal with joy. I gift even the boys who come, i keep a stash of stationery(2 pencils, a scale, eraser and sharpeners) for them.

While buying gifts, please keep in mind the utility of it, try avoiding plastic, my manni/co-sister once gave a good agarbathi/incense stick in thamboolam, something that is useful and will be gone in 10 days.
I don’t gift blouse pieces with my thamboolam, all of us know it gets circulated, instead I give small face towels which can be carried by kids with their lunch box or by adults for gym/workouts/walks.

Once I got some magnetic holders that can be stuck to fridge or doors and can hold utilities like scissors, knives in kitchen or pencil/pen in living room. For the past 3 years I m getting SS utensils from Chennai.

Coming to poojai, I m sharing what i do in my home, hoping a few would find it useful.

First and foremost, don’t get tensed or overly worked up, you are celebrating Ambal, a supreme power, a lady who knows everything and also you. The shradhai with which you do the pooja matters more than how many hours you do it or what you offer for neivedhiyam.

I chant Ashtothrams(Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswathi) and do the pooja, usually around 9:30 -10 in the morning.
I do neivedhiyam both morning and evening. Mornings I usually offer freshly cooked rice, paruppu and payasam, as it is made everyday during navrathri, even otherise rice and paruppu are staple at home.
If you dont have time to make the above, a glass of fresh milk in the morning is good as neivedhiyam. If offering boiled milk, add a tsp of sugar and offer. Evenings are mostly Sundal, that too, just a cup of any lentil/legume .

God’s grace till date I have one or the other coming for thamboolam all days so I offer the neivedhiyam done in the evening to them and coffee/tea and there will be snacks if I m expecting lot of people. Usually vadai/salad/poha etc along with the Sundal and coffee.

Many people club one or two places together for their evening golu visit, so don’t expect them to be eating a big bowl of sundal or a big cup of coffee at every place. Serve less, so they also don’t feel guilty about wasting food and you too don’t feel bad about them not finishing what you offered.

While there might be days where I have to goto another pooja in the evenings , those days I offer fruits and a mix of nuts with rock candy or milk with sugar.
If expecting a big crowd any of the days, I keep their thamboolam ready a day ahead, make a big batch of sarkaraipongal/payasam and sundal. So I don’t spend much time in the kitchen, and enjoy the golu with my friends.
Golu/navrathri is all about enjoying the goddess at home, do pooja and chant naamas everyday, be positive all days, do poojai/neivedhiyam with shraddhai and loads of love, for that is what will be measured by her not, what you offer and in what you offer !! Have fun ladies, for it is your 9 days!!

Here is the Kalasam Jodanai/How to decorate the kalasam for navarthri pooja

Here is the list of Neivedhiyams

Sundal Varieties

Mixed Rice Varieties

Puttu Varieties

Kheer/Payasam varieties

Sweet Pongal varieties

Poha/Aval Varieties

Kesari Varieties

My Meal plans, 2019

2019-09-15T12:51:00.001+04:00

Meal planning, something i have been doing from last year. I feel less tensed when i have a plan chartered to sail through the busy mornings. Also at the same time, meal planning saves a lot in grocery shopping. You will not buy anything unnecessary. I usualy buy the grocery and then plan the meals, so it is easy for me to work with whatever i have at home.

I mostly cook Indian food at home with occassional treats of pizza/noodles for the kids. So my meal plan will be mostly rice/dal/sambar/rasam with roti/dal/paneer and legumes.

I try to make a balanced meal at home, but that doesn't mean it is boring. Sandwich/burgers with cheese and veggies at home is lot more healthier than the store-bought. Homemade pizzas tastes equally better than the store ones. It is about the choice you make, we made a choice of less processed, less take-aways or eatouts, though we still eat out, but it has redued drastically.

Here is the simple meal plan i have chartered for ourselves this week, hope you find it useful.

September 22-28, 2019

October 13-19, 2019

Meal Plan for November 17-21

November 4 week (24th-28th)

December 8th - December 12th

Varagu Arisi Adai/Kodomillet and lentils dosa/pancake, Dinner ideas with Millets

2019-09-03T14:00:00.000+04:00

Adai, thick pancake, dosai made in many southindian households. Adai-Aviyal is a famous combo, you can find it in many restaurants during weekends or any specific weekday. Traditionally made with rice and lentils, now we have adai with every grain we find, quinoa, oats, millets, red rice, black rice, this rice and that rice.
So, me too bringing you this millet adai, using kodo millet. I already have a mixed millets adai in the blog, i love adai for many reasons, it is easy to make, no fermentation required,a grind and pour kind of dosa/pancake, less soaking time and make it thin, serve for breakfast, a little thick for lunch/dinner.
This varagu arisi/Kodo millet adai is easiest way to feed millets to your people, incase they dont like the taste or texture of it and also, it is lighter on tummy. The recipe is relatively simple, just soak all the ingredients for the varagu arisi adai together. Let is sit for 3-4 hours minimum, then grind and pour immediately. i usually soak them overnight, so the breakfast tension is sorted for me during busy days.

Any leftover Varagu arisi adai batter can be stored in the fridge and used for a day. The below ingredients will result only batter that will be enough for a 4 member family.

Ingredients

1 cup varagu/kodomillet

1/4 cup chana dal

1/4 cup toor dal

1/4 moong dal

1/4 masoor dal

4-5 nos red chilies

handful of curry leaves & coriander leaves

1/2 tsp shredded ginger

1/2 tsp salt or to taste

Method

Wash and soak the millet and the lentils together for 4 hours minimum. I usually soak them around lunch 2 pm for 8pm dinnner. I grind it around 7 pm and rest it for 30 minutes before making it for dinner.
After the minimum 4 hours of soaking time, drain the excess water, take the contents into a mixer jar along with red chilies, curry and coriander leves, ginger and grind it to a batter. It usually needs around 1/2 - 3/4 cup of water to grind well.

Remove the batter to another vessel, add salt and mix well. Check the consistency, it should ne little thick like idly batter. Some might prefer the adai batter to dosa batter consistency. If yes, then add aother 1/4 cup of water to it and mix well.
Let the batter rest for 30 minutes for the spices to mingle well. Heat a dosa pan, i use my cast iron tava for my dosa/adai.
Keep the flame medium, add a tsp of gingely oil to the tava, spread it well and wipe it off with a tissue or a cloth.
Pour a ladleful of batter in the center of the tava and spread it using the back of the ladle in circular motion. I usually prefer my adai thin that its usual thickness.

Make a hole in the center of the adai, this ensures even cooking of the adai, dot the edges with gingely oil, once the edges turn brown, flip the adai to the other side and cook for another minute.
Serve hot with jaggery/aviyal, i served mine with jaggery and coriander thokku.

Malabar vellari Araichuvita kootu/Indian cucumber dal with freshly ground masala

2019-05-17T16:53:00.000+04:00

Today' post is special, yes it is the 100th edition of our Blogging Marathon family. What started as a casual blogging activity to keep ourselves regular with our blog has now become a part of us. For many like me, without BM, we might not be posting regular with varied and interesting themes. Thanks to Valli for keeping us together with so many challenging and fabulous themes which made us move from our comfort zone and tryout many different cuisines and dishes, which otherwise would still be sleeping in our Bookmarked folders.
Coming to today's post, for the next 3 days i will be blogging under the theme: pick a alphabet and make 3 dishes. I chose 'M', nothing special, as i had a post ready already. Today's post is a simple day to dish that happens in my house almost once a week.

A simple kootu, with freshly made masala. I usually make kootu with my kootu powder, but there are times i run out of kootu podi or we want a different taste for our kootu. This is my go to recipe. Simple spices and some fresh coconut, you have a finger-licking side for your rice. I serve this kootu, with roti also, both my kiddos like the fresh taste the ground masala brings to this dish. Do try this recipe and let me know how you like it.

Ingredients

180 grams of malabar vellari, chopped into cubes, approximately 1 cup

1 medium sized tomato, chopped

1/4 cup of masoor dal

1/4 cup moong dal

1-2 tsp coconut oil/any cooking oil

2 red chilies

1/4 tsp mustard seeds

1/4 tsp tumeric powder

3/4 tsp salt or to taste

To grind to a paste

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp black peppercorns

2 tsp coriander seeds

1 green chilli

1/3 cup fresly grated coconut

Tempering

1 tsp oil

1/4 tsp mustard seeds

1/4 tsp cumin seeds

1 red chili (optional)

1 tsp urad dal

Method

Prepare your vegetables first. I usually use a medium sized malabar vellari for 2-3 days, i divided it into 3 and use it for 3 times/days. The above measurement will get you roughly a cup of chopped vellari cubes. Wash and chop the tomatoes. Wash the lentils in water, drain and keep aside. Take the ingredients given under grind to paste in a mixer jar and add 2-3 tbsp of water and grind it to a fine paste.
In a pressure cooker, heat oil,when it is hot, splutter mustard seeds, add the red chilies, immediately add the chopped vellari cubes and tomatoes to this and saute for a minute.

Next add the drained dal to this and saute for a minute. Next add the ground paste to this, i add 1/4 cup of water to the mixer jar and add that water too to the pressure cooker. Mix it all together well.
Add 1&1/4 cup of water to this and mix. Add salt and turmeric powder. Mix well.
When this mixture begins to boil, close the lid of the pressure cooker and let this cook fo 4-5 whistles. Once done, take it off the stove and let the pressure drop on its own.
Open the pressure cooker and mix all the contents together. The usual consistency of the kootu is thick, if you prefer a thinner consistency add 1/4 cup of water but not more than that. When served on a plate, the kootu should remain in its place and not run.

In a small tadka pan, heat oil, splutter mustard seeds, crackle cumin, add curry leaves and urad dal to this, let the dal turn golden brown, pour this sizzling tadka over the kootu and serve it warm with rice.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing this BM

Eggless whole wheat carrot pineapple cake - Sunflower patch

2019-04-20T15:10:00.002+04:00

The recent Vegan Orange pineapple cake was a super hit home, all my boys loved it, never knew they would like pineapple in their cakes. So, last month while grocery shopping when i found an offer on Delmonte tinned pineapples, i immediately picked a can. I knew i m going to make a cake, i thought why not add the carrots too, we had an occassion to celebrate in the first week of April, so i made this cake that day. Initially i wanted to leave it simple, but then i love the Sunflower song from the Spiderverse movie, took that as an inspiration and i tried my best to make it look like a sunflower patch. I love the final look and my boys loved it too.

Here it is, a carrot pineapple cake, beautifully spiced with cardamom, cloves and cinnamon. The cake tastes delicious with this wonderful buttercream. A beautiful centerpiece to your party and a lovely cake for any celebration.

Design Inspired from here
Ingredients
2.5 cups of whole wheat flour

2tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 heaped cup sugar

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1 cup butter milk

2 tbsp flaxseed meal mixed with 1/4 cup warm water

350 grams pineapple (drained from 570 grams tin, reserve the liquid)

1 tsp cinnamon

2-3 nos cloves

4 nos cardamom pods,seeds removed

Method

Drain the pineapple from the can and let it be in the colander until use.
Preheat the oven to 170C. Grease the pans with oil and lay it with parchment. I have used 2, 6 inch round pans and 1, 5 inch pan.
Prepare the flax eggs, in a bowl, mix the flax-meal with water and keep aside to coagulate.
Pound the cardamom seeds and cloves together. Grate the carrots and keep it ready. Make sure all the ingredients are at room temperature.
In a large bowl, take together flour, baking powder and baking soda. Whisk well to combine.
To this add chopped walnuts, shredded carrots and the spice powders, whisk again to get a uniform mixture. To this add the drained pineapple bits. If the pineapple pieces are bit chunky, chop them into manageable pieces and add it to the dry flour mix and whisk again to get a uniform mix.
In another bowl, take milk, tip in the oil, flax eggs. Using a electric hand mixer , whisk it all together into one smooth liquid.
To this wet mix now add the dry flour mix in 3 batches and using the electric mixer/spatula, mix in all the flour into the liquid.
If you feel the batter is too thick add 1/4 cup warm water to this and make it to a pourable batter.Divide the batter into 3 prepared pans. Tap the pans twice to release any air trapped, pop it into oven.
Bake it in the preheated oven for 45-50 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.
Once done, remove the cake out of the oven, let it sit in the pan for 5-10 minutes to cool a bit, then carefully remove the cake onto a wired cooling rack.Once it is down to room temperature, you can slice and enjoy it.
Since I planned to frost it, I cling wrapped it and popped it into the fridge until I m ready to frost it.

Butter cream frosting

200 grams butter, i used amul unsalted @ room temperature

4 cups of icing sugar

1 tbsp milk

Colors as needed, i have used yellow for the sunflower and green for the leaves.

oreo crumble for the sunflower center

Take butter and whisk it with an electric beater, until light and fluffy. Now add sugar 1 cup at a time and whisk well.

The buttercream must be smooth and spreadable, if it is too thick add another tsp of milk to it and whisk.

Once done, if storing, cling wrap it well and refrigerate. I normally make the cream just before i frost my cakes.

To Frost & Fill the cake

Mix 3 tbsp of icing sugar with 1/4 cup of warm water and keep ready.

Take a round cake board, add a blob of buttercream to the center and place one round cake in the middle. This blob makes sure, that the cake stays put on the board without sliding.

Spread half of the sugar solution on top of the sponge, this keeps the cake soft. Add a thick layer of frosting on top. Spread it to cover the entire cake surface, do not forget the edges.

Now stack the second cake on top of this with its bottom facing the top. Spread the sugar solution on top of the cake.

Now add a thick layer of yellow buttercream on top and crumb coat the sides with buttercream. Place the cake in the refrigerator for 10 minutes for the crumb coat to set.

Once set, add thick layers of buttercream on top and using a offset spatuala smoothen it to set.

Again refrigerate the cake for 10 minutes before adding any extra details. I took the remaining buttercream and took out 4 tbsp and colored it green for the leaves and the rest with yellow and orange to that sunflower yellow.

For piping the sunflower, i have used the leave nozzle, fit it in a disposable piping bag, fill the bag with yellow buttercream. I used a small shot glass as my lead, touched the top of the glass on the chilled cake, and piped around that circle to get my sunflower.
I used oreo crumble to fill the center for the cake. I have used the small leaf nozzle for the leaves. Didn't follow a particular pattern for the leaves, tried piping 3 for each flower to accentuate the yellow flower. Please check this video for further assitance.
Once done, refrigerate the cake for atleast 10-15 minutes for the design to set. The slice and enjoy.
If refrigerating the cake for long, make sure that the cake is out atleast 2 hours before you slice it.

Almond & Coconut Oreo balls

2019-04-15T22:26:00.001+04:00

We as a family love to watch lot of cooking shows, our favorite channel is Foxlife, though right now with IPL, sports channel is placed above everything, or else we are glued to FoxLife. Masterchef Australia being our favorite show, followed by jamie olivers. My lil one loves watching Jamie's food fight club and the way jamie animates while cooking his food. For me watching these food shows with my boys, is bonding with them and make them understand that food is universal and cooking is fun and even boys can cook and sweat in the kitchen and most importantly enjoy that process.

Few days back , they were airing, Family food fight, in FoxLife, a competition where 4 members from a family compete as a team with many other families with various themes every week and ofcourse elimination every week.

One of the episodes, the theme was kids party, loved each and every recipe in that episode, so colorful and vibrant, attracting kids in every way possible. Shows like these make me more enthusiastic to try new recipes for my family.

One of the recipes showcased in that episode was these oreo balls. A simple 2-ingredient recipe, the original recipe used only dessicated coconut, in this recipe i have added some almond flakes and cinnamon for flavor.

These oreo balls are great hit amongst kids, this is the second time i m making them at home. I made a huge batch when they were at home during spring break, it never dissappoints. You can add few more flavors to this to make it more interesting, i have some variations too which i will post later some time.

Here is the video on How to make these cute oreo balls

Ingredients
12 nos oreo biscuits, original flavor
1/4 cup condensed milk
1/3 cup of dessicated coconut , 2 tbsp extra for rolling
1/4 cup of almond flakes, 1 tbsp extra for rolling
1/4 tsp cinnamon powder

Method

Take the oreo biscuits in a food processor, pulse it to coarse powder. To this add condensed milk, dessciated coconut, cinnamon and almond flakes. Pulse again to form a uniform mixture.

Transfer this to a bowl or a flat plate. Roll them into small lemon sized balls. I got around 10 balls for the above measurement, it depends on the size you roll them.
Roll the balls on a mix of coconut and almond flakes. Store them in an air-tight container.

Carrot stir-fry/South-Indian style carrot curry/Carrot poriyal with coconut

2019-04-02T23:15:00.000+04:00

Carrots, you love them or hate them. I have a lover and hater at home. My elder one actually runs a mile and crys a bucket when i give him carrots, whereas my lil one loves to munch on a carrot like a little bunny. Though i mask the carrots into many things and feed my both kids, this is one veggie that should be enjoyed raw. I love carrots, even my hubby does, i dont know how my elder son doesn't like this veggie. God's own design i believe!!

Okies, coming to today's recipe, this is a simple stir-fry, freshest way possible next to eating it raw. I make this stir-fry regularly at home, eventually my elder one loves this, when served, hot straight from the pan, with some hot rasam rice. I love to eat this stir-fry as such, mix little curd or just add 2-3 tablespoons of rice to this and have a warm carrot rice. This is such a versatile stir-fry that can be transformed into various other things.

The recipe uses just some red chilies and regular tempering elements of a south-indian household. Some like to add some urad dal(split blackgram) and chana dal(split chickpeas) also to the tempering, my mom used to do that, but i don't. If you like a little crunch, go ahead and add both to the tempering.

On world carrot day on April 4, 2019, let us enjoy this colorful vegetable in the tastiest form.

Do let me know how you liked this recipe, if you try this , dont forget to take a picture and tag me #icampinmykitchen in your social media share.

Do Check the video on How to make Carrot Stir-fry

Ingredients

2 big carrots,(207 grams when peeled)
4-5 nos curry leaves
1/2 tsp salt or to taste
2 tbsp freshly grated coconut

Tempering
1 tsp oil
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp hing/asafoetida
3 nos red chilies
1/2 tsp urad dal (optional, i didn't use)
1/2 tsp chana dal (optional, i didn't use)

Method

Wash and peel the carrots. I have weighed the carrots after i peeled them, they weighed 207 grams. Grate the carrots. I use the big hole grater.
Heat oil in a heavy-bottom pan, splutter mustard seeds, add red chilies, next add curry leaves and hing. saute quickly. If adding the dals to the tempering, add it now and saute until they turn golden brown.

Now add the grated carrots to this and mix well. Sprinkle little water and reduce the flame to medium, cover and cook for 5- 8 minutes. The carrots must be almost cooked by this time.
Remove the cover, add salt and sprinkle little more water, mix well. Cover and cook for another 2- 3 minutes.

Remove the cover, add the grated coconut, mix well and take it off the heat. Serve this curry as an accompaniment with rice.

Here is a list of 12 recipes from my fellow bloggers using carrots as the hero, do check them out

Gajar Methi Subzi from My Spicy Kitchen
Lasniya Methi Gajar - Sautéed carrots and Garlic with Fenugreek seeds from Jagruti's Cooking Odyssey
Punjabi Gajar Matar from Homemade Recipes
Eggless Carrot Ranch Dressing from Mrishtanna
Carrot Raita from Lathi's Kitchen
Gajar halwa mousse from Yummy tales of tummy
Carrot cake parafait from Curry and Vanilla
Quick Carrot Biriyani from Cooking with Sapana
Paneer Gajar Halwa from Batter up with sujata
Carrot halwa with condensed milk from Evergreen dishes
Spicy Carrot dip from Flavors treat
Carrot-Coconut Kheer from Mayuri's Jikoni

Almond cashews and peanut Laddu/Energy balls, no sugar, Vegan, Gluten-free Treats

2019-04-01T20:57:00.003+04:00

I wanted to name the post ABCD Ladoo, but couldn't include peanuts in that so the big title. Ladoos are my favorite, anybody who follows my blog regularly knows that well. I have a good collection of ladoos which can be found here.

Ladoos are sphere shaped treats from the Indian sub-continent, we actually make ladoos with everything, seeds, nuts, flour, you name it we might have ladoo recipe with that ingredient.

Ladoos are basically a versatile dessert or snack that can be made in minutes. We have ghee laden ladoos made during winter to give that warmth, and ladoos which can be made vegan for the health-conscious.

Today's ladoos are made with 3 kinds of nuts and sweetened with dates and figs. A combination of almonds, cashews and peanuts, provide the right amount of nutrients and energy required and instead of sugar i have sweetened with figs and dates. Though both figs and dates are high in natural sugar and high calorific value, i feel they are way better than processed sugar.

These ladoos can be a great post-workout meal or a delicious after-school snack for your kids. These ladoos make a perfect offering for chaitra/vasanta navratri(choti navratri) happening this month. Do try this simple and delicious ladoo, whatever maybe the occassion, these quick bites would definitely be satisfying your palate.

Ingredients

1/4 cup almonds

1/4 cup cashews

1/4 cup peanuts

5 nos dried figs

5 nos dates

4 pods of cardamom, seeds removed

2 nos cloves

Method

Take all the nuts in a pan and dry roast then until crunchy. This can be done in the oven too.
Spread the nuts in an oven-proof tray, preheat the oven to 200c and roast the nuts for 12 minutes. Once done, remove the tray and let it cool completely.

If the figs are too dry, soak them in hot water for 15 minutes, drain then completely. Wipe well and chop them into small pieces. Pit the dates and chop them roughly. Pound the cardamom and clove to fine powder.
Take your food processor or your mixer out. I used my Bosch mini chopper.

Take the roasted and completely cooled nuts in the processor and pulse them into a coarse powder. Remove this nuts grits into a separate plate.
Take the chopped figs and dates in your food processor and blend to smooth.
Now to this add the nuts grits, clove and cardamom powder and process. The nuts and dates -figs paste will come together into a clumpy mix, which when pressed together forms a ball. Remove it on to a plate and shape them into small balls.

I got around 13 ladoos out of this measurement, again this depends on the size you shape them.
You can also roll the ladoos with dessicated coconut, but i have just sprinkled some on top a garnish.
Store these ladoos in an air-tight container and enjoy them as you like.

If you like this recipe, do share it with your friends and family. If you make these ladoos, dont forget to click a picture and share it with me, do tag me in your social media post #icampinmykitchen. Let us spread some joy by sharing, sharing is caring!

This recipe is created for event #faralatdesibloggersconnect, a Facebook group Desi Bloggers Connect. Have a look at other members recipes below.

Mixed Nuts and seeds candy

2019-03-21T18:31:00.000+04:00

When i decided to make 3 different candies for this week Blogging marathon, i wanted to make something similar to the gozinaki, which i made in 2014 for one of our Mega BM. During that year i have made that candy many a times,taking them with me to all my friends parties and get togethers. It was such a hit. This time around, i wanted something that is chewy and the caramel getting stuck in your teeth kind of candy.

This mixed nuts and seeds candy recipes nails on that dot. My lil one was the first one to taste this and he loved that texture the pull the caramel gives when you bite a chunk of this nutty goodness. I have added all the nuts and seeds, i had in my pantry, tipped in some dried candies too, when my lil one can enjoy this, i bet any kid in the world would give this a try, he is such a tough master to please or cheat.
These mixed nuts and seeds candies make a great edible gift for parties and festivals. Very healthy for kids and adults to snack on, they fill you up pretty easily, so go easy on the snacking part. Do try and let me know how you liked it.

Ingredients

250 grams of mixed nuts and seeds
- I have used almonds, cashewnuts, pistachios, pumpkin seeds, melon seeds, flax seeds
1 ring of dried pineapple, chopped roughly
2 slices of dried mango, chopped roughly
2 tbsp candied ginger
2 tbsp chia seeds
2 tbsp of raisins
2 tbsp of cranberries
2 tbsp of honey
1 tbsp butter
2 pinches of cinnamon powder
2 pinches of dry ginger powder

Method

First get you nuts and seeds measured, chop them roughly. In an over-proof tray, tip in all the nuts, drizzle a tsp of oil on top and mix it with your hands. Preheat the oven to 180C and roast the nuts for 8-10 minutes. Temperature and timing vary from oven to oven, so keep an eye on the nuts from 8th minute. Once they are done, remove from the oven, let them cool completely before you use them in the recipe.

To make the candy

To the roasted nuts, add chopped pineapple, chopped mango, candied ginger, chia seeds, raisins and cranberries. Mix them well.
Keep a small tray greased with butter, to shape the nut candy.
Heat a heavy bottom pan, that would fit all the nuts, add honey and butter, keeping the flame simmer. When the honey and butter melts, add the cinnamon and ginger powder to it and whisk well.
When it starts to bubble, take it off the stove, add the nuts and seeds to it, and give it a brisk stir. Pour this honey and nut mix to the buttered tray, smoothen the top with spatuala.

Let this sit for 15-20 minutes to set. I actually left in the fridge for it to set fast, as i had to click pictures before the light fades off.
After the said time, loosen the edges of the candy and invert it onto a chopping board and cut them into squares. Store it in an air-tight container. Mine got over the same day as both my kiddos loved it.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing this BM

Chocolate Nut clusters, Vegan, Gluten-Free, Keto-Friendly Candy

2019-03-20T00:30:00.000+04:00

When valli announced candy theme for the Blogging marathon, i had quite a lot of recipes to try. When you have lot of options to chose from, it is always confusing, you keep jumping from one recipe to another, unable to decide. That is what happened to me, i had 6 recipes decided from which i have to chose 3, all are easy recipes, loved by my kids, so had to literally do inky, pinky, ponky.

This chocolate nut clusters is quickie recipe, all you need is roasted nuts and good quality chocolate. I always have lindt dark chocolate at home. Recently there was a discount sale in the nearby grocery shop, the usual price of these are 11dhs each, they were selling at 3.95 dhs each. So i grabbed 6 of them.

In matter of 10 minutes, including the time for toasting the nuts, these delicious and uber tempting nut clusters gets done. I had hard time, keeping my kiddos away from these until i finished clicking the candies.

These make a wonderful gift for any festive occassion. They are healthy, guilt-free treats , they make a great grab & go kind of snacks. Do try and let me know how you liked it.

Check out the youtube video on how to make chocolate nut clusters

Ingredients
100 grams dark chocolate, i have used Lindt 70% dark chocolate
75 grams roasted almonds, chopped
75 grams roasted cashewnuts, chopped
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder

Method
To roast the nuts

I have used the oven for toasting the oven. Take the chopped nuts in a oven-proof tray, add a tsp of oil and using your hands, mix it into the nuts well.
Preheat the oven to 180 C and toast the nuts 8-10 minutes. The temperature and timings vary from oven to oven, so keep an eye from 8th minute. Once done, remove the nuts and let it cool completely, before using it in the recipe.

To make the chocolate nut clusters

In a microwave safe bowl, add roughly chopped chocolate, microwave it for 60 seconds first. Remove it and give it a stir, check if all the chocolate is melted, if you have huge chunks of chocolate, then microwave it for another 15-20 seconds and mix it again.
Remove the chocolate from the microwave, stir it until smooth. Let it sit for 10-15 seconds, now add the chopped, roasted and well cooled nuts to this chooclate, add the cinnamon and mix it well.
Keep a parchment lined tray ready by your side. Place spoonful of chocoalte nuts on the tray, giving some gap inbetween each lump you put on the tray.

Refrigerate the tray until the chocolate is set. It would be ready in 10 minutes. Remove the clusters and refrigerate them. If the chocolate is well tempered it would stay good in room temperature also, if not it might start melting.
Enjoy these nutty chocolate clusters, they make a great snack, healthy too.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing this BM

Cashewnut Nokkal/Cashew Candy, Sugar glazed cashewnuts, Traditional southindian candy

2019-03-19T20:00:00.001+04:00

Cashewnut nokkal, i love this name, this is what attracted me first when i saw this post at Sandhya's space. She made this traditional south indian candy for one of our mega BM's. This recipe is from Meenakshi ammal's Cookbook Samaithu paar (Cook & See). This book is a regular gift to every girl who is getting married, particularly to those who are settling abroad, away from home. My mom is an exception, she didnt give me, instead she gave me written notes of certain recipes.

Ok, let us talk about this nokkal, you got to read, me writing this name, because i like saying it!

We make so many candies in our tradition, mainly using jaggery as the base, the manoharam, made with jaggery and broken manoharam muruku, peanut candy, puffed rice candy. Apart from the burfi which we make with sugar, like mysorepak, Badam Burfi, 7-layer cake, coconut burfi, this is the first candy i m making just with nuts and sugar. I totally loved the process of it, it is pretty simple if you have roasted cashewnuts ready.

You can buy readymade roasted cashewnuts, or you can toast them in the oven or use the stove top and roast them in ghee until golden brown.

Check out the video on how to make Cashewnut-Nokkal

Ingredients

1 cup roasted cashewnuts, unsalted.

1 cup sugar

4 pods of cardamom

2 nos cloves

Method

To roast cashewnuts

I used the oven to roast the cashewnuts. Take the cashews in an oven-proof bowl, add a tsp of oil to it and using your hands coat the cashews well.
Preheat the oven to 200C, toast the cashews in the preheat oven for 8-10 minutes. Temperature and timings vary from oven to oven, so keep an eye on the cashews after 8 minutes. Once done, remove them from the oven, let it cool well.
It is important to cool the nuts well before making the nokkal. Crunchy nuts makes perfect nokkal or else you will end up with soggy and sad nokkal.

To make the Sugar glaze.

Before proceeding, pound the cardamom seeds and cloves together to a fine powder and keep it ready and also keep the roasted and well cooled cashewnuts by your side.
Heat a heavy bottom pan, add sugar and 1/4 cup of water to it. I have used powdered sugar, you can use granulated sugar too.
Mix the sugar and water together and let the sugar dissolve completely in the water. Let it boil and reach one string consistency. This happens around the 6th minute from the time the sugar starts to boil.
When you touch a drop sugar syrup and stretch it between your thumb and index finger, you will get a single string, this is the consistency we are looking for.

Once you reach this consistency, add the cardamom and clove powder to this, and also the roasted cashewnuts to it. Switch off the heat and keep mixing it gently and breaking the lumps that forms.
Again, this step is important to coat the nuts evenly with the sugar, so keep stirring the nuts with the sugar, at one stage, all the nuts would be coated with the sugar and well separated and you will end up little powdered sugar in the pan. Its is fine to have one or two small lumps of nuts.
Let this cool well, store them in an air-tight container on the kitchen counter.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing this BM

Easy Cheesy Pull-apart rolls - #BreadBakers

2019-03-12T10:48:00.002+04:00

Say Cheese, a phrase used by many photographers to make their subject smile, laugh, make them look happy in the photo. I wonder, how they made up this phrase. May be universally cheese brings a huge smile on everyone's face. What not to love about cheese, gooey, melty, richy, silky, smooth, i can go on listing all adjectives here, i love a good cheese sandwich anyday, infact i can eat cheese slice as such when i m hungry and looking for a healthy snack. Cheese is considered a good source of protein and fat for many calorie conscious eaters, including myself. I cannot stand protein powders, so i include atleast 4 slices of cheddar in my daily meals.

So, when Sue Lau of Palatable pastime asked us to make a cheesy bread, i immediately joined the list to bake this cheesy pullapart rolls. This is a simple roll, i have added grated cheddar to the flour and stuffed the rolls with mozarella. A perfect dinner time recipe, serve this rolls with some warm soup, i bet you will be baking more.
I have kept the spices simple, just garlic and mixed herbs, you can add your own spices, make it indian with some cumin and ajwain or add some kasuri methi/dried fenugreek leaves to make it more aromatic.

Since both my kiddos are at home, enjoying their spring break and constantly hungry for something new to eat, I made these rolls for their evening snack. The rolls vanished in minutes and i was happy, that i clicked some pictures before i served them.
Do try and let me know how you like these and don't forget to tag #icampinmykitchen to share your feedback.

Ingredients

146 grams(approximately 1 cup) of whole wheat flour

1 tbsp vital wheat gluten/1/4 cup mashed potato (see notes)

10 grams of butter

1/2 tsp instant yeast

1/2 tsp salt

125ml water

2 cloves of garlic, grated fine

1/4 tsp mixed herbs

50 grams cheddar cheese

50 grams of mozarella cheese,cut into small cubes

2 tbsp milk mixed with 1 tbsp oil

Notes:
If using mashed potato in place of vital wheat gluten, you might have to reduce the liquid quantity. Check this Savory buns recipe for better idea

Method

Take flour, yeast, gluten and salt together in a bowl and whisk well to combine. To this flour mix add mixed herbs and grated garlic and mix well into the flour.
Grate the cheddar cheese block using a fine grater and and add it to the flour and mix roughly. To this flour-cheese mix .
In a microwave safe mug, take water and microwave it for 30-40 seconds. The water should be hot, but not scalding hot. To this hot water add the butter and give it a stir. Add this water to the flour mix in batches and mix to form a wet dough.
Do not add all the water at one time, i was left with 2 tbsp of water, so depending upon the flour you are using you might need all of it or just the same as mine.

Once you got a wet dough, take the dough on to your work surface/kneading surface and knead to form a soft dough. Sprinkle little flour if needed, do not add more flour. Once you get a smooth dough, grease a bowl with oil and let the dough rest for 40 minutes or until it doubles in size.
Once it doubles up, punch down the air, knead the dough couple of times. At this stage, i weighed the dough and got around 327grams of dough.

I divided the dough into 8 portions. Knead each portion of the dough once, flatten it in your palms, insert a cube of mozarella cheese, pull the dough to the cover the cheese and form a ball. Repeat the same with the rest of the dough pieces.
Arrange the dough balls in a greased baking sheet and the let them rest for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 180C,brush the rolls with milk-oil mix and bake them in the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes or until the top turns golden brown.

Once done, remove the tray from the oven, let it sit in the tray for few minutes. Then slowly remove it on to a cooling rack to cool off completely.
While serving, microwave them for 10-20 seconds for the cheese to turn gooey. Serve the rolls along with some soup for dinner or just with some ketchup as a snack.

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send Stacy an email with your blog URL to foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com.

Here is the list of Cheese Breads for this month (March 2019)

Brazilian Cheese Bread by All That's Left Are The Crumbs
Buttermilk Cheddar Quick Bread by Food Above Gold
Caramelized Onion and Cheese Bread by Ambrosia
Cheddar Beer Bread Rolls by Karen's Kitchen Stories
Cheese Babka by Passion Kneaded
Easy Cheesy Pull Apart Rolls by I Camp In My Kitchen
Irish Cheddar Scone with Scallions by Baking Sense
Mexican Cornbread Waffles by Food Lust People Love
Mini Chilli Cheese Parathas by Sizzling Tastebuds
Pancakes Huancaina by The Schizo Chef
Spicy Cheese Bread by Gayathri's Cook Spot
Stuffed Mini Cheese Chicken Burger Buns by Sneha's Recipe
Wholemeal Cheese Bombs by Cook with Renu
Vanilla-Mascarpone Popovers by Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Kesar Phirni - Rich and Creamy Rice pudding with saffron

2019-03-11T16:20:00.001+04:00

Phirni, one of those desserts my lil one is crazy about. We usually don't eat out much. If at all we go, we got to Kamat, a restaurant nearby. It is the only restaurant we visit for lunch or sometimes for dinner. My lil ones menu there is constant, he will order manchow soup with poori, he loves to dip his poori in the soup and enjoy. This combination is so famous amongst our gang, that when we are all together all the kids order poori and manchow.

After mopping his soup and poori, he orders matkha phirni. It is his favorite dessert, next to mango lassi, which we order during the mango season. He never shares his phirni with anyone, his dad would wantedly fights with him for a spoonful. Seeing his love for phirni, i decided to make it for him at home.
The day i made phirni, he asked me whether i have made 'Matkha', he thought the name of the dessert is matkha/earthern pots😆. I tried to explain him that matkha is that bowl and actual name is phirni, but even then he likes to call it matka and i have stopped correcting him now. Afterall, what is in a name?

What is this Phirni?
Phirni is dessert made with milk and coarsely ground rice, sweetened wtih sugar, flavored with cardamon and saffron. The origin of this rich dessert is believed to be from the mughals rule in India. The dessert can be made in numerous flavors, kesar phirni, gulab phirni, makhana phirni and the list is endless and your imagination is the limit for the flavors in this versatile dessert.

Phirni Vs Kheer
Though it sounds similar to kheer, but kheer is made with whole rice, whereas phirni is made with coarsely ground rice. Kheer can be served warm, whereas phirni is mostly served chilled. Phirni thickens as it cools and the texture of it closely resembles that of a jelly, which attracted my lil one more.

This is an easy make-ahead dessert for parties and festivities. When made fresh you can keep it refrigerated for good 2-3 days. I usually make it towards the weekend and all the boys enjoy it for the next 2 days. I wouldn't recommend storing it for more than 3 days, that too if the climate at your place is more hot and humid, it is not advisable.
The below quantity serves 7-8 people, depending on the amount served. The earthen pots i have used here holds 2-3 ladles of phirni each.
Do try this luscious and rich kheer for this holi and enjoy it with your family. Do not forget to tag me #icampinmykitchen and let me know how you liked it

Ingredients

1 litre full fat milk

2 generous pinches of saffron

1/4 cup basmati rice.

2-3 cardamom pods

2 nos cloves

1/3 cup - 1/2 cup sugar or (1/2 a tin condensed milk)

2-3 tbsp of chopped nuts ( i have used almonds and pistachios)

few watermelon seeds and pumpkin seeds

Method

Soak basmati rice in water for 2-3 hours. Towards the end of the soaking time, in a heavy-bottomed vessel boil the milk, remove 2-3tbsp of milk from the vessel and soak the saffron in it and set aside until use.
While the milk is boiling, drain the water from the rice, take it in a mixer along with cardamom and clove pods and grind it to a coarsely. I usually add 2-3 tbsp of water to ensure smooth running of the mixie. Once done, add this coarsely ground rice to the boiling milk and mix well.
Keep a whisk ready and whisk the mixture as you add the rice mixture to the milk. This will help in breaking any lumps that might form.

Reduce the flame to medium or even simmer and let the rice cook well in the milk. Stir often to ensure the bottom doesnt get burned. Usually it takes around 8-10 minutes for the rice too cook.
Once the rice is cooked,add the sugar to it and mix well. Once you add sugar, the phirni might liquify, but do not worry, it will thicken soon.
Let it for another 8-10 minutes, keep stirring, add the saffron soaked milk to this and mix well. Once the milk mixture is reasonably thick, take it off the stove and let it cool. Remember it will thicken more as it cools. I usually add some roughly chopped almonds and cashews to the phirni, we love the bite while enjoying the smooth phirni.

Once it comes out to room temperature, pour it to individual matkhas/earthen pots and refrigerate. While serving, garnish with chopped nuts and rose petals and enjoy it chilled.

This post is part of #holikerang DESI BLOGGERS CONNECT facebook group. We have more delicious HOLI recipes by other members below

Moong Dal Ladoo
Thandai Gujiya/ Ghujiya
Methi Mathri
Thandai Recipe
How To Make Gujiya
Moong Dal Dahi Bhallas
Mawa Kachoris
Thandai And Dry Fruits Barfi
Rose Lassi (Flavoured Yogurt Drink Recipe)
Papaya Halwa
Thandai Chia Pudding
Instant Malpua Recipe With Condensed Milk
Thandai Powder

100% Whole Wheat Bread - Vegan Whole Wheat loaf bread

2019-02-27T23:30:00.000+04:00

A simple, no fuss bread recipe. A bread which i usually bake at home. When i shared this bake 2 weeks before in my insta stories, it was much welcomed and i got so many messages asking for the recipe. For the first time ever, i too remembered to measure and note it down too.
And sorry all the pictures are from my mobile and i dont have time to click the loaf again, though i made one today. Will update with new set of pictures once i click.

As i said in my Cookie butter muffins post, i love to carry a bake along with me whenever we plan a trip a little away from home. This bread is something which i take to such trips. A pack of labneh or nutella spread is all we need to compliment this soft bread. If you are camping and have a barbeque then you can also enjoy a crispy sandwich with all your favorite stuffing inside. All i can imagine is a some cheesy sandwich with it. My hubby makes a perfect sandwich, he actually is the official toast master at home. Kids prefer their daddo's toast more than mine. So, i m the baker and he is the toaster, what a perfect match!!!

I bet once you try this bread and home, you would never go back to the store-bought bread again.
I m packing them for the Kids delight - Travel food happening @ Cooking with Renu, an event by Srivalli

Ingredients

3 cups/450 grams of whole wheat flour

300 ml warm water

1.5 tsp instant yeast

2.5 tbsp - 3 tbsp vital wheat gluten

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp oil

Method

In a large bowl, take together flour, yeast, gluten, and salt. Whisk well to combine. Make a well in the center and add warm water to this. Mix it roughly with a wooden ladle. When all the flour is wet, dump the entire flour mix on your kitchen counter or worktop, add oil to this and knead to a smooth and soft dough. Do not add extra flour. The dough will come together well. Knead around 4-5 minutes.

Once kneaded to smooth dough, grease a bowl with oil and rest the dough for an hour or until it doubles up size.
Once it doubles, punch out the extra air, and knead for a couple of minutes and shape it into a loaf.
I usually measure the length of my loaf pan (20cm x 10 cm)and shape my loaf length to the pan length. Then i roughly stretch it to a rectangle and fold it like an envelope and shift it into the loaf pan. Let it rest in the loaf pan for another 45 - 60 minutes.

Towards the last 10 minutes of the rising, preheat the oven to 200C and brush the top of the loaf with oil or mix of oil and milk bake for 45-50 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

Once done, take it off the oven, let it sit in the pan for 5 minutes and remove the bread to a wire rack and let it cool completely. The bread should be well rested before you try to slice it.

Use a long sharp serrated knife to make slices. This bread makes a delicous sandwich, hearty and crusty!

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing this BM

Vegan Banana and Cookie Butter Muffins/Vegan Banana and Biscoff muffins

2019-02-27T16:19:00.002+04:00

For people here in UAE, the best climate for us to venture out is from November-March. The climate is too good to miss. You can see almost all parks brimming with people, kids and adults playing, barbeques, and lot of activities.So,this is the time we too plan outing with our friends to some open parks or areas where children can run and play.
Though we prefer to eat out while returning from such trips, but usually by the time we get to a restaurant, most of our kids would be asleep bcoz of all that running and playing and not in a mood to eat. So i always pack some filling snack so even if they miss dinner it won't be bothering. Cakes and muffins always come handy while planning such eatables. I usually carry either a chocolate cake or a banana bread.
Ever since i saw rafeeda's post on cookie butter, i was on a hunt to get it. I couldnt find it in my local grocery stores, last week when we went for our monthly groceries to carrefour, i found them and immediately bought 2 small bottles.

The same day, i made some sandwiches with it and kids loved the taste. But the original purpose was to use them in bakes. So, here is my vegan banana muffins inspired by rafeeda. I have used my usual banana muffins recipe and replaced the oil/fat with cookie butter.

The spread is already sweet, and since i m also using banana in the recipe, i have reduced the sugar to 1/2 cup. We don't prefer sweeeet bakes. Incase you have a sweeeet tooth, do increase the sugar to 3/4 cup. The texture of the bake is amazing, soft and fluffy, enjoy it warm, i bet you would love the taste.

I m packing them for the Kids delight - Travel food happening @ Cooking with Renu, an event by Srivalli

Ingredients

1.5 cups of whole wheat flour ( i used aashirwadh brand)

1 large ripened banana (weighed 206 grams)

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
1 tsp vanilla extract

6 tbsp biscoff cookie butter

1/4 cup warm water.

Method

Preheat the oven to 170C, Lay a 12 hole muffin pan with liners. I used my 6-hole pan and 3 big ramekins to make around 8 muffins. The
In a wide bowl, add chopped bananas, cookie butter, sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon powder and water. Using a stick blender blend the contents together. If you dont have a stick blender, then first mash the banana with a fork,add the rest of the ingredients mentioned, then whisk it well.
To the same bowl, add flour, baking powder and baking soda. Using a whisk, whisk the contents on top and then using a spatuala fold in together. Do not mix vigorously, be gentle and mix in one direction.
Spoon the batter into the muffin pan, fill 3/4 of each hole. Bake in the preheated oven for about 35-40 minutes or until done. If baking in a bigger ramekin it might take another 5-8 minutes extra. My heart shaped ramekin took another 8 minutes to get done.
Remove the muffins from the oven, let it

sit in the pan for 2-3 minutes, then remove them on to a wire rack. Serve them warm as snack. Cold muffins can be reheated for 10-15 seconds, i usually prefer them warm.

While packing for trips, i bake them the previous night or the morning and pack them in airtight containers.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing this BM

Roasted Phool Makhana, Roasted Foxnuts, A Vegan, Gluten-free Snack

2019-02-25T21:34:00.001+04:00

Foxnuts aka Phool makhana aka lotus seeds, i came across this wonderful ingredient maybe 2 years ago. Yes, you call me a being living under the rock. Though i have seen this in all the indian stores, but i was never curious to know about it.

Then one day i came across this crunchy roasted foxnuts in one of my friends house and we all loved it. It became my lil ones favorite snack. I never expected him to like it. So, from that time i always keep a pack of makhana for him.

I usually roast a small amount just for him with minimal spices just pepper and salt. Last navrathri, i tried making a bigger batch for my friends who were fasting, i tried using the microwave and found it much more easier and quicker than stove-top. This is just a personal opinion, i m lazy, i can't stand there and keep stirring the makhanas as they try to pop, enjoying the warmth of hot stove.

It took me just 10 minutes to make this delicious makhanas in the microwave, i divided the 100 grams foxnuts into 3 batches while roasting in the microwave and 1 minute for the tadka to mix in all the spices.

This makes a wonderful travel food, as they are very easy to make and pack. Just take some paper cups or muffin cups with you, to serve them while you are on the go. I m packing them for the Kids delight - Travel food happening @ Cooking with Renu, an event by Srivalli

Ingredients

100 grams fox nuts, phool makhana

1-2 tbsp of oil

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp - 1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp freshly pounded pepper

Method

I used my microwave to roast the foxnuts. It took just 2 minutes for roasting and since i did it in 3 batches because of the quantity, it took 6 minutes exactly and 1 minute for tadka. So this dish gets done in flat 7-8 minutes.
Take all of the foxnuts in a large bowl or plate, whichever is comfortable to mix in the oil. Take 1-2 tsp of oil and pour it over the foxnuts, mix it well with your hands.

Divide the foxnuts into 3 batches. Spread one batch on to a baking tray, do not overcrowd. Microwave at high for 2 minutes. Stop at 1 minute, shake the tray once, spreading the foxnuts and again microwave it for another 1 minute.
Remove the tray, spread it on a flat plate and continue with the rest of the batches. Once all are done, heat a pan with another 1-2 tsp of oil, once it is hot, take it off the stove, add cayenne pepper, freshly pounded black pepper, turmeric powder and salt to it. immediately add the roasted foxnuts and mix it well.

Let it sit in the hot pan for 2 minutes. Take it off, let it cool. Store it in an air-tight container.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing this BM

Vegan Orange and Pineapple Cake with (non-diary) Cream frosting

2019-02-19T23:13:00.000+04:00

The final post under the theme Vegan/Gluten-free/Paleo genre is this pretty pineapple and orange cake. This cake was originally made for the Bake-a-thon, the baking marathon we did in December 2018. But unfortunately i couldnt do the last day post and it was this cake. Though i baked the cake 2 days earlier, i couldn't take proper pictures of the cake that time. Thankfully, since i had them in the drafts, i m posting it today. Actually all of my posts this week are from my drafts.

Today's cake is full of flavors, every bite bursting with pineapples and sweet oranges. This was one of most appreciated flavors at home. My hubby always love my bakes, so, it is my kids feedback, i take seriously. My elder one loved the flavor combination, the younger one as usual didnt want pineapple pieces in his cake. So he left them all out and enjoyed the sponge and the cream. I wanted to frosting to look like a tropical themed cake with yellow and spots of green here and there, I tried my best to present that theme.

Ingredients

1.5 cups of whole wheat flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
300 ml orange juice
1 tinned pineapple chunks (i used libby's 570grams tin)
1/2 cup oil
1 tsp orange zest

Method

Preheat the oven to 170C. Grease two 5 inch pans and lay them with parchment.
In a wide bowl, sift together whole wheat flour, baking powder and baking soda. Add sugar to this and whisk well.
Drain the pineapple chunks and reserve the sugar syrup, we can use it to soak the sponge if you are frosting this cake.
Add 3/4 of the pineapple chunks into the flour-sugar mix and mix well. By adding the chunks to flour mix, we evenly distribute the fruit in the cake.
In another large bowl, take orange juice, add oil and zest to this and whisk well into a smooth liquid. I used to my electric whisk to do this.
To this liquid add the flour-mix in three batches and mix using a spatuala. Take care not mix vigorouosly. See to that you don't leave any white flour traces.
Divide the batter amongst the two cake pans. Tap the cake pans twice or thrice on the counter to release air bubbles. Bake the cake in the preheated oven for 45-50 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center of the cake, comes out clean.
Remove the cake from the oven, let it sit for 5 minutes, then slowly remove the cake from pan and let it sit on the wire rack and cool completely.
Now if you are not planning to frost the cake, slice when it is warm and serve. Since i was planning to frost the cake, i let it cool completely on the wire rack, wrapped in plastic wrap and returned it to the refrigerator.

For the Frosting200ml non-diary whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup icing sugar
2-3 drops of Gel food colors Forest green and lemon yellow

Method

Take the whipping cream in a large bowl, add icing sugar and anilla extract and using a electric beater, beat for 6-8 minutes until stiff peaks forms. I usually make my cream at the last minute, just before frosting my cake.
Once done, keep the whipped cream in the refrigerator until you get your cakes ready on the table for frosting.

Filling and Frosting the cake

Remove the cake from the refrigerator. If the top is uneven or crusty, torte the top. Remember we reserved the syrup from the pineapple tin, keep it ready by the side.
In a cake board or a flat plate, put a blob of cream in the center, this will hold the cake in place while we fill and frost them.
Spread half of the sugar solution on top of the sponge, this keeps the cake soft. Add a thick layer of frosting on top. Spread it to cover the entire cake surface, do not forget the edges.
Now stack the second cake on top of this with its bottom facing the top. Spread the sugar solution on top of the cake.
Now add a thick layer of frosting on top and crumb coat the sides. Place the cake in the refrigerator for 10 minutes for the crumb coat to set.
Now divide the rest of the cream into two portions, add green color to one and yellow to another. Fill the cream in two separate piping bags and keep in the fridge until you use them.
After 10 minutes remove the cake and the piping bags from the fridge, Snipe the end of the piping bag, pipe the yellow first, then pipe the green here and there around the cake. Once you finish the sides, smoothen it with a offset spatula dipped in warm water. Once you are done with the sides, Pipe the cream on the top, alternating green and yellow and smoothen using the offset spatuala.

Let the cake sit in the refrigerator for atleast 10 minutes for the frosting to set. If the cake is refrigerated for more time, remember to take it out atleast an hour or two before you slice and enjoy.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing this BM

Capsicum and potato Cashew masala

2019-02-18T21:44:00.001+04:00

The beets paratha which i posted yesterday where paired with this yumm capsicum and potato cashew masala. We at home love potatoes, i bet most of the human kind love potatoes, the rest who hate them should be classified as aliens living amongst us.

Seriously, if you hate potatoes then you must have never tasted anything delicious with them, that is why the hate. At home, we eat potatoes in every form, as curry, as bread, in breads, boiled, fried, smashed, smeared, with chili, with pepper, with jeera, as jhol, as a dry curry, with ras, without ras but crisp and crunch, this list can go endless.

This curry with capsicum and cashewnut is another delicious way we enjoy our potatoes. The midly spiced, semi gravy with tender potatoes, and perfectly sauteed capsicums tastes out of the world. Pair it with rotis or with rice, you are going to make them again and again in your kitchen.

Ingredients

1 Large Potato or 2 medium sized potatoes, peeled, chopped into cubes and parboiled

2 now capsicums, medium sized, cut into cubes

1/2 tsp red chili powder

1/2 tsp freshly pouded coriander powder

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1/4 tsp garam masala powder

1/2 tsp salt

To be Sauteed and Ground to a paste

1 tsp oil (These days i use coconut oil to my cooking, feel free to use any oil of your choice)

1 large onion, roughly chopped

2 tomatoes ( medium sized tomatoes), roughly chopped

1 green chili

2 cloves of garlic

5-8 nos cashews ( i added 6)

1/4-1/2 cup of water

Method

Prepare all the veggies, wash them and chop accordigly. Wash, peel and cube the potatoes and parboil them. This step is absolutely optional, i have tried both ways of parboiling prior and cooking directly in the liquid. The former might reduce the time a bit, but taste-wise it is the same.Go ahead and use the method that suits you best.
In a pan, add oil, when it is hot add roughly chopped onions, garlic and green chili. Saute until onions are translucent. Next add chopped tomates and saute. Let the tomtoes lose their shape, it might take around 2-3 minutes, add the cashewnuts to this, add 1/4 cup of water, cover and cook for 2-3 minutes. Take it off the stove and let it cool for 5 minutes.

I usually use my stick blender for blending masala paste for my curries. So i dont mind when it is hot. If you are using your normal blender, kindly let the ingredients cool well or else you might end splattering hot liquid all over you.
Add 1/4 cup of water to the onion-tomato mix and blend it to soupy consistency. Once done, keep aside.
Now in the same pan, add another tsp of oil, add cumin and chopped capsicums to it and saute for 2-3 minutes. Next add the parboiled/raw potatoes to this and saute for a minute. Add turmeric to this and mix well.
Now add the blended onion & tomato cashew liquid to this. Add red chili powder, coriander powder and salt. Mix well.

If potatoes are parboiled :let the curry cook without covering for 8-10 minutes. Once done, finally add the garam masala and let it sit for 2 more minutes in heat.
If the potatoes are not parboiled : Cover and cook for 8 minutes and let the potatoes cook well, then uncover and cook for another 5-8 minutes.
I served them with beets paratha for my kids lunch.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing this BM

Beetroot Paratha/Beets Chapathi/Beets Roti

2019-02-17T23:19:00.000+04:00

After a break i m back with our Blogging marathon group and i chose to post Vegan/GF/Paleo recipes for this week. In this genre, i m posting a vegan recipe today, a simple paratha made with colorful beets. Beets is our vegetable. Beets rasam and beets chutney being our favorite.

Now this beets paratha too joined that favorite list. I was a little skeptical whether my little one would like it, but to my surprise he loved the mildly spiced paratha, his favorite side for this is plain curd, whereas my elder one enjoys with a spicy side too.

Ingredients

1&1/4 cup - 1&1/2 cup Whole Wheat flour

salt to taste

1 tbsp of oil

1/3 cup - 1/2 cup warm water

To grind to a coarse paste

80 grams of beets. peeled and cooked until soft.

1/2 a green chili

1/4 tsp cumin seeds

1 or 2 tbsp of water to ease grinding

Method

In a food processor or a chopped, take cooked beets,add green chili and cumin seeds to it and blitz away. I prefer almost smooth mix.
If you are doing in a food processor then you can add wheat flour to the processor and continue kneading the dough.
If not, remove the ground beets to a bowl, add flour and salt to it and mix. To this slowly add 1/4 cup of water first and knead and add extra water when you need.

When the dough is almost done, add oil to it and knead to a smooth dough and let it rest for 10 minutes.
Once rested, divide the dough to 4-6 portions, depending on the size you roll. Dust each dough ball with flour, roll out into thin discs, cook on a hot tava on both sides until done. I usually smear ghee once the roti is cooked.
Keep the roti covered in a kitchen cloth until served. I packed these colorful roti's for my kids breakfast box along with Potato and capsicum masala.

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Gulkand Coconut Ladoos - Quick bites made with Coconut,Condensed milk and Gulkand/Rose petal jam

2019-02-09T20:41:00.002+04:00

Hello dearies, long time no see! yeah, i took relaxed break from my blogging, but i was active in insta and FB. More on insta actually. I read somewhere in FB that goes

"I have decided to start my 2019 from February 1st, January is my trial month!"

With regard to blogging, i followed the above quote. Anyways, can't keep the place silent too long, isn't? Thank you for all those who visited, even though there was not much happening in this space. Now, let us go today's recipe.

With Valentine's day around the corner, i thought why not posts some simple dishes that can be made in a jiffy to impress your loved ones. This coconut ladoos, flavored with gulkand and roohafza syrup is a hit amongst my friends. I made around 2-3 dozen of this and the Mango Ladoos for Diwali. The mango ladoos were quite famous with kids and the gulkand with the adults.

I made these again for our Christmas get together along with the fruit cake. These Gulkand ladoos are quite a treat for ourselves and a great edible gift. If you are someone like me, who always feel that edible gifts hold that personal touch, then this ladoo should definitely be in your list. It hardly takes anytime, quick to make, a treat to look and as well as taste. Do try and let me know how you liked it.

Check out the video on how to make Gulkand Ladoos

Ingredients
2 cups dessicated coconut + 2 tbsp for rolling the ladoos
1 tin condensed milk
3 tbsp gulkand/Rose petal jam
1-2 tsp roofafza syrup
2-3 pod of cardaom, crushed

Method

Heat a wide pan, measure 1 tbsp ghee, add the coconut to it and roast until the raw smell dissappears. You dont have to roast it until golden brown. Toast it for 2-3 minutes in a medium flame.
To this now condensed milk and pounded cardamom. Keep the flame medium and stir the mixture frequently.

Once the mixture comes together as a mass, add gulkand and roohafza syrup and stir well. Take it off the stove and let it cool. Once it comes down and is warm to touch, divide the mixture into small balls and roll it in your palms.
Roll the ladoos, on dessicated coconut and set aside. Rolling in dessicated coconut is optional, but gives a nice look to the ladoos.

Store them in an air-tight box in the refrigerator, i didnt want to keep them outside as it is made of coconut.

Eggless Strawberry chocolate chip muffins

2018-12-29T22:08:00.000+04:00

How come i not make a strawberry cake when it is in season! Every week when we go for vegetable shopping, these fresh berries, scream at us, asking us to pick few boxes home. My lil one loves the fresh jam i make with these berries. For that matter, this jam is very popular amongst our friends, last year i remember gifting them to many of them.

This year the first batch i made, i gave it to my non-strawberry loving friend, who loved the jam, she took some lolo buns too with them, and she messaged me saying that she loved the combination. This is the second batch of jam i made and used it all up in this cake.

The recipe is adapted from my Mango cake recipe, I just replaced the mango puree with strawberry jam. One can also use fresh strawberry puree in the recipe, if using fresh puree, kindly increase the sugar to 3/4 cup. Since the jam contains enough sugar, i have added only 1/4 cup of sugar to the muffins.

This recipe can be baked as a cake too, i baked a little batter in a bigger heart-shaped ramekin, the texture was pretty good, except it takes a lil longer time than the muffins.

Enjoy these muffins bursting with fresh seasonal flavors for your breakfast or snack, these are great finger food for travels. If you love strawberry cakes, do check my Vegan strawberry mocha cake, Strawberry white chocolate cake, Strawberry cake with fresh strawberries

Ingredients

1.5 cups whole wheat flour

1/4 cup sugar (see notes)

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 cup homemade strawberry jam/fresh strawberry puree (See notes)

1 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C. Line 12-hole muffin pan with liners. I got around 12 usual muffins and baked one in a slightly bigger heart-shaped ramekin. if you want to bake it all muffinss then you might get 14 normal ones.
Take the strawberry jam in a wide bowl, add milk to it and whisk it smooth. Pass this mixture through a sieve, to remove the seeds of the strawberries. If you and your people at home, don't mind that crunchy texture of seeds in the muffins, then you can skip straining. My kids have micro sensors in their mouth, which can go 'beeeeeeppp" when they sense something unusual in their bakes. So i strained the liquid.
Now to this strawberry milk, add oil and whisk smooth. In another bowl, sieve together, flour, baking powder and baking soda. To this flour mix add chocolate chips and mix.

Now slowly add the dry mix in to the wet mix in 3 batches. Using a spatuala mix it in. Take care not to mix vigourously, mix in single direction.
Now using an ice-cream scoop, fill each hole of the muffin pan with the prepared batter. I used my small ladle.
Bake the muffins in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Once done, remove the muffin pan from the oven, remove the muffins onto a wire rack, let it cool completely. Enjoy the muffins warm along with your evening coffee or tea.

Notes

I have used my homemade strawberry jam, which already has enough sugar, so i have used only 1/4 cup sugar in this recipe.
If you are going to use fresh strawberry puree, kindly use 3/4 cup of sugar for the muffins.

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