Foodelicious

4th Anniversary, 400th Post, Winner Announcement & Quick Farfalle-Basil Pasta to celebrate

2013-05-21T12:27:00.001+05:30

Hi All!!

It seems ages that I posted something here, I have been too busy lately..travelling, guests, health issues and many more things but today no reason, no excuse could keep me away from my blog baby. Yes!! My blog turns 4today and it also happens to be my 400th post here. Yippee, Hurray!!!

I must thank my family, friends, readers and blogger friends for being so supportive, for being there to see me grow, to praise me for my creativity and critically analyze me to improve further. Nothing of this was possible without YOU so a big THANK YOU!!! I hope to see your continued support here. I love reading your feedback so please keep giving me that.

I wanted to post an elaborate and a more creative dish here but pardon me friends, I’m just not able to bear the heat and I simply dread long hours in the kitchen. I’m more into one pot or quick meals and my one BIG savior these days is Pasta which can be cooked in few minutes and you have ample choice to work on the flavors and play around with the veggies. The only thing I ensure is that I use Durum Wheat or Wheat Pasta, so that’s it’s good for my health too.

The pasta I’m posting today has no big recipe and has simple basic flavors and can be cooked on any lazy day without thinking too much..It’s a complete stress free recipe and that’s how I cook these days, which is no tension cooking . Also, I’m hoping that my face book fan page reaches 2000likes today so please head there and join me where I post kitchen tips everyday.

Farfalle With Basil

Preparation Time:15mins

Cooking Time:5mins

Serves:2

Difficulty Level:Easy

Ingredients

2cups Farfalle pasta ( cooked al dente)

1medium onion, cubed

6-7garlic pods, chopped finely

1/4 of green and red bell pepper, cubed

1small tomato cubed

1tsp oregano

9-10basil leaves

1tsp crushed black pepper/ paprika/ cayenne pepper

salt to taste

olive oil + butter mix, about 3tbsp

Method

Boil about a cup of pasta in about 8-10cups of water with a teaspoon oil and a table spoon salt.

Simultaneously, chop the veggies while the pasta gets cooked.

In a pan take butter and olive oil and once hot add the garlic and let it brown lightly.

Add the onions and sauté. Add the seasonings.

Tip in the pasta and toss on high flame for a few seconds. Add the remaining veggies and cook for 1-2minutes on medium before serving.

Add the basil leaves just before the final tossing on flame.

Serve hot garnished with more basil leaves.

Tips:

Add sufficient salt to the boiling pasta and always add the pasta once the water starts boiling, never add pasta to cold water.

Try to boil the pasta while the veggies/ sauce gets cooked. Always add hot pasta to the sauce. If the pasta is already cooked before adding it to the sauce, dip it in boiling water for 5secs and then add to the sauce.

Now comes the winner of last month’s ‘Only’ Cooking With Legumes event which was hosted by Nalini. Out of the 24 entries sent in Indian category

The random picker has chosen 11, which is Anu’s Masoor Patli Dal. Congrats Anu, please mail me within 48hrs to cookingoodfood@gmail.com to claim your win.

‘ONLY’ EVENT OF MAY + GIVEAWAY

2013-05-02T14:37:00.000+05:30

Hi All!
I hope my readers and friends are enjoying their summer vacation. Vacation means travelling, fun and frolic. Relatives visiting us or we visiting them. Travelling to hill stations to beat the heat..Yes, in all the fun and frolic we need to beat the heat as the temperatures are soaring high and to keep the body cool we tend to indulge in cold water, cool drinks and ice creams and that’s the reason I decided that this month’s theme will be..

This month is my blog’s 4th birthday and so the giveaway sponsored by www.tarladalal.com is a big cookbook Ice Creams & Frozen Desserts. It’s a perfect book for this climate to treat family and friends. The giveaway is shipped only in India and is open only for the followers of this blog.

Rules for the event:

Any number of entries can be sent but only two recipes from archives will be accepted.
Eggless and egg desserts both will be accepted.
New and old posts should be linked with the event announcement. The entry will not be accepted in the case of failure of following this rule.
Link your entries using the Inlinkz tools. Those participating in giveaway (anyone who can provide an address in India) enter under ‘Indian entries’ category else link under ‘Other Countries’.
Use of logo is not compulsory but will be appreciated if used as it helps spread the word.
In case you have a difficulty in using Inlinkz tool, mail me to cookingoodfood@gmail.com.

If you like my blog and enjoy reading my posts and recipes, would appreciate that you like my FB page here. Also, participate in COOK LIKE MOM, hosted here and Win Raghavan Iyer’s 660 Curries which will be shipped across borders.

Event Announcement- ‘Cook Like Mom’ & an International Giveaway

2013-05-02T01:55:00.000+05:30

Hello all!
I’m back after a vacation and ready to host two events here at Foodelicious. The month of May is a special month for Foodelicious as my blog baby celebrates it’s fourth birthday coming 21st. This month is also special as many countries will celebrate Mother’s day on the 12th i.e the second Sunday of May.
Mother is the most special person in every one’s life. She is the anchor of a family and to celebrate motherhood, the contribution of a mother and the bond she shares with her children, Mother’s day is celebrated.

Since it’s a special month, I thought of making it super special by hosting an event which will provide us a reason to try recipes that our mother cooked and our family loved but at the same time providing us a platform to share it with the world. To make this event big, I’m thankful to Raghavan Iyer and Workman Publishing, for sponsoring this giveaway which will get shipped Internationally.

Raghavan Iyer, needs no introduction. The author of 660Curries, Betty Crocker’s Indian Home Cooking and Memories from an Indian Childhood. He is an IACP ( International Association of Culinary Professionals) award winning teacher of the year 2004. His cookbook ‘660 Curries’ was amongst the top cookbooks of 2008. This book is very close to my heart and I’ve personally tried many recipes from it and that’s the reason I chose it to be given as a giveaway to the winner of this event.

To participate in the event

Cook and post a recipe that you have learnt from your mother and mention in your post, why you like it.
Link your post to the inlinkz tool provided below and link it to my event announcement in your post.
Only fresh posts/recipes will be accepted, no posts from archives will be accepted.
Use of logo is compulsory, as it helps spread the word.
The recipe can be vegetarian or non vegetarian (although my blog is a vegetarian blog).
The giveaway will be shipped to the winner internationally but he/she needs to be a follower of this blog either through google/google+/ networked blogs.
If you think that my recipes are worth trying, would truly appreciate that you like my Facebook page here.
At the end of the event the winner will be chosen by a random method.
In case you have a problem in linking your post in the inlinkz tool, mail me your link at cookingoodfood@gmail.com.
Non bloggers can mail me their recipe with a picture.

I’m also happy to inform you that Raghavan Iyer’s new cookbook Indian Cooking Unfolded is getting released in July and one can preorder the book and the details can be checked here. This book has 100 recipes with step by step lessons. I’m personally eyeing the book and hoping to see in my book shelf soon.

Akka Panaji’s Thalipeeth For Fasting Version I, Step Wise/ Upavasache Thalipeeth

2013-04-22T12:15:00.001+05:30

Nine days of fasting, the ‘Navaratra’ have recently got over. Many people fasted through all the nine days and a few on selected days. I wanted to post fasting recipes that time but things at home kept me away from active blogging. But this week again has few fasting days which also includes Hanuman Jayanti falling on the 25th, so thought of posting this fasting food, which I loved and now my family likes it too..

I’m posting today a recipe I grew up with, this is my great grand mother’s recipe. Whenever she used to fast, she would make thalipeeths of various kinds and we would eye her as we used to get a bite to taste. I must confess, I’ve never eaten a better thalipeeth than what she made.

Telling you more about her and her fond memories….She was an excellent cook but at the same time well educated too. By education, I do not mean that she went to college and all but she had the urge and desire to learn new, she was hungry for knowledge. My great grand father was a freedom fighter, while he was in Vellore Jail my great grand mother who was a follower of Vinoba Bhave would lead the rally of ‘Prabhat Pheri’ every morning.

I still remember in my childhood, during our visits to our hometown, my day would start hearing shlokas and bhajans which my great grand mother would sing early in the morning while she worked on the stone mill (jaata). She was very hard working and at the same time a strict disciplinarian. At the age of 82 too, whenever we would have guests at home, she would sit on the floor to make ‘ghadi chi poli’ which was her specialty. Till she was alive, she had a strong influence on the kitchen and all the three generations after her were benefitted by her skill.

This thalipeeth not only makes a tasty fasting food but it is great as breakfast item, for lunch box and even for snacking.

Upavasache Thalipeeth

Soaking Time:4hrs

Preparation Time: 30mins

Cooking Time: 5mins per Thalipeeth

Makes: 8

Serves: 3-4

Difficulty Level: Moderately Easy

Ingredients

3medium sized potatoes boiled and peeled

2-1/2cups soaked sabudana/sago

4-5 green chilies, finely chopped

2-3tbsp sour yogurt

2tsp cumin seeds

3/4cup coarsely pounded roasted peanuts

6-7tbsp rajgira flour/ amaranth grain flour

sendha namak/ rock salt

1/2tsp sugar

2-3tbsp chopped coriander

water for mixing

ghee/oil for cooking

Method

Wash and remove all water from the Sago and let it soak for 4-5hrs. Separate the grains of sago using finger tips.

To the sago add grated, boiled potato, finely chopped green chilies, pounded peanuts, cumin seeds, sugar.

Now add the sendha namak/rock salt.

Add yogurt and chopped coriander.

Finally add the rajira flour and mix thoroughly. Use some water and bring it to a consistency that can spread easily on patting (soft dough consistency).

Smear the griddle with ghee or oil (I used ghee for an authentic taste) and then pat a large lemon size thalipeeth dough to an 8inch circle using hand, if required, wet the hand while spreading. Make a hole in the center for oil to spread evenly. Cook on medium flame covered till one side is nicely cooked and roasted. Flip to the other side, smear some more ghee and cook open till done. Cool the griddle and repeat the process for the entire dough. If one wants to cook on hot griddle continuously, one can spread the thalipeeth on a greased banana leaf and then transfer it on to the griddle. Usually one thalipeeth needs about 2tsp oil or ghee but one can make it in very low oil or oil free too, if using a non stick pan.

This thalipeeth has a large portion of peanuts which are leguminous plants, hence sending it to my event ‘Only’ Cooking With Legumes hosted by Nalini.

Tip:

This thalipeeth needs gentle handling especially while flipping. Flip only when one side is cooked and roasted thoroughly.

Thalipeeth tastes better if the green chilies are spicy and have good flavor.

Shahi Dosa, Step By Step Filling & The Winner of March Month’s ‘Only’ Event

2013-04-15T22:51:00.001+05:30

Hello Friends!!

Firstly apologies for disappearing suddenly, I was just held up with too many things..

Today I’m posting a Dosa recipe very close to my heart. This brings in many childhood memories..Almost once in a month after the Sunday meditation, I and my brother would accompany my parents and visit a vegetarian restaurant called Naivedyam, where I and my dad would religiously order the Shahi dosa and savor that. While my brother ordered spring rolls and my Mom would order a paav bhaaji or chhole bhature. This happened for several years till the restaurant shut down. My dad also loved their Kashmiri pulao and after the restaurant shut down I tried the preparation

at home for him and fortunately in my first attempt I made it exactly like the restaurant and then whenever we had guests coming over my mom would ask me to make the pulao. After the success of the pulao, I tried my hand on the dosa, I did not have any recipe in hand what I remembered were the ingredients, flavor and taste. Keeping all that in mind I attempted making the filling and I got it right the first time .

I had almost forgotten about this dosa preparation and recently while remembering old memories I was reminded of it and I was too eager to try it again and when DH asked me to make masala dosa on a Sunday, I also made the filling for Shahi dosa and treated myself with age old memories and relived those moments..

The word ‘Shahi’ means ‘royal’, and the word royal is related to the richness of the filling. It is cooked in ghee with nuts, raisins and cottage cheese all of which make the preparation rich looking and obviously high on calories. But once in a while indulgence is okay, isn’t it?

I felt like a kid after eating the dosa and wished that I could go 20yrs back and visit the place again. Me and my dreams..nevertheless, I know whenever I want to be a kid again, I’m going to make this Dosa.

Shahi Masala Dosa

Preparation Time For Filling: 15mins

Preparation Time For Dosa Batter: 8-10hrs

Cooking Time For Filling: 10mins

Cooking Time For Each Dosa: 2-3mins

Makes: 8-10 dosas with the filling

Serves: 3-4

Ingredients

For Dosa Batter

3cups parmal rice

1cup boiled rice

1cup thick beaten rice

1cup urad dal

1tbsp methi seeds

1cup mix of chana, tuvar and yellow moong daal

For Filling

10-15 cashew nuts

1tbsp raisins

2-3tbsp ghee/clarified butter or oil

an inch of ginger, grated

1green chili, chopped

2medium tomatoes chopped

1 onion chopped

250gms cottage cheese/paneer grated

a pinch of garam masala

1/4tsp turmeric

1-1-1/2tsp red chili powder

1tbsp coriander powder

salt to taste

1tsp cumin powder

salt to taste

1 green capsicum, finely chopped

Method

For Dosa Batter

Soak all ingredients separately for 4-5hrs and grind them into a smooth paste, mix and leave aside for 5-6hrs to ferment. Add salt and mix again. Adjust the consistency of the batter, it should not be very thick nor too thin. It should have a consistency thinner than a cake batter. The addition of three yellow lentils adds more nutrition as well as color to the dosa. For another version of Dosa batter check here. Sending this dosa rich in legumes to my event ‘Only’ Cooking With Legumes hosted by Nalini.

Heat a griddle or non stick pan and grease it. Pour a ladle full of dosa batter in the center and spread it using the base of ladle in circular movements. This process has to be done really fast else the batter gets cooked and does not spread.

Cook on one side till it develops a golden color and then turn and cook on other side.

Turn again and put the filling in center and fold the dosa or turn the edges lightly on three sides (I did it).

For Filling

Heat the ghee and add the cashew nuts and fry them.

Tip in the onions and ginger, sauté.

Add the green chili, tomato and dry spices, raisins along with salt, mix and cook.

Finally add cottage cheese and capsicum and cook for a minute. Do not overcook, the capsicum needs to be crunchy. This filling is multi purpose, it is great as a side dish with paratha and a good stuffing for sandwiches too.

Coming to the winner of last month’s event. Out of the 25entries sent under Indian Category posted here, the winner is number 18 picked by random selector.

The recipe at number 17 is Shell Pasta in Spianch Pesto Sauce, posted by Sharanya of Sara’s Tasty Buds. Congrats Sharanya, you win ‘Baked Dishes’ cookbook by Tarla Dalal. Please mail me your address in India, with landmark, pin code and phone number to cookingoodfood@gmail.com within two days to claim the win. If you are unable to claim within two days, I will pick a new winner.

‘Only’ Event Announcement & Giveaway For April

2013-03-31T07:00:00.000+05:30

Hi All!
The April month’s event is guest hosted by Nalini of Nalini’s Kitchen and the theme is ‘ONLY’ Cooking with Legumes. Thanks Nalini for hosting the event.

The details and rules of the event can be checked at be checked at her blog later today.
The giveaway cookbook for this event is sponsored by www.tarladalal.com. The giveaway book for this month is

The giveaway book gets shipped only in India. Anyone in the world who is a follower of this blog and can provide an address in India can be a part of the giveaway.

Okra-Fenugreek Leaves Dry Curry

2013-03-22T16:30:00.001+05:30

Hi!!

Bhindi and Methi, yes! You heard right. I know it’s an unusual combination but believe me it’s absolutely worth it. Okra is abundantly available these days and Methi/fenugreek is slowly eloping from the market, so when I got hold of a bunch of fresh looking Methi, I could not resist myself. We all love methi and I love Okra too and I look forward trying new recipes with both the vegetables.

Recently, a reader asked me if I could post a recipe with Okra, though I sent her links of the recipes I have posted earlier yet it set me thinking that I should attempt something new and interesting.. I realized it was quite sometime that I posted anything with the two vegetables..The last recipe I posted using Bhidi was Smoked Cottage Cheese Okra which was about two years back and using Methi was stuffed Potato-Fenugreek Paratha which was about 3yrs back..hmmm, so many years passed by and I never realized..never mind.. this post will take care of that.

I must tell you that this particular curry is simple to make with no extravagant spices. It’s perfect for everyday cooking which can make you feel longing for more bites..and isn’t that what we want for our regular meals, simple ‘ghar ka khana’/ simple home cooked food with a twist and turn here and there, which is good for health and light on the stomach. This curry falls absolutely in the comfort food category which you can cook regularly and will not harm you, as a matter of fact both Fenugreek and Okra are extremely good for digestion..

If you are looking out for more Okra recipes to try then you can also check out Crispy Okra with Caramelized onions, Okra In Poppy and Sesame, Dahi Wali Bhindi, Bendekaayi Gojju and in Methi preparations amongst the many recipes that I’ve posted earlier, I insist on trying Methi-Baingan Bharta and Maatvaadi Palya, which are again every day curries.

Okra-Fenugreek Leaves Curry

Preparation Time:20mins

Cooking Time:15mins

Serves:2-3

Difficulty Level: Moderately Easy

Ingredients

400-450gms Okra (washed and patted dry)

1onion, finely chopped

1cup Fenugreek leaves, finely chopped

1/2 tomato, finely chopped

3-4tbsp oil

1/2tsp cumin seeds

1/2tsp mustard seeds

a pinch of asafetida

1/2tsp turmeric

1tsp red chili pwd

1tbsp coriander pwd

1tsp cumin pwd

1/2-3/4tsp amchoor/ dry mango pwd

salt to taste

Method

Heat oil and splutter the mustard seeds, reduce the flame and splutter the cumin seeds. Add asafetida.

Tip in the onions and sauté. Once the onions are cooked, tip in the fenugreek leaves, salt to taste and cook. The leaves wilt and start cooking.

Add half the turmeric powder and Okra and sauté. Cook the Okra uncovered initially on high flame and then on low flame. The trick is to cook the Okra perfectly without letting it’s color change.

When the Okra is half cooked, add the tomatoes and cook.

Cook the Okra till it’s almost done, now add all the dry spices and remaining turmeric powder. Cook for 2more minutes and then turn off the flame.

Serve with hot chapati or phulka.

Eggless Carrot-Orange Muffins

2013-03-18T17:00:00.000+05:30

Hello All!!

Finally I feel energized and good spirited. It’s been a few days that it is just the two of us at home since S is out of the country. We are spending a lot of time with each other talking, watching TV and movies, going to mall and cooking.. I’m into one pot meals which are wholesome, nutritious and saves my time too..

Since it’s holiday time, the kid is more hungry than usual, I guess free times makes you feel like nibbling something every now and then. But this is where being a mom I need to monitor and keep a control as my kid is naturally inclined towards junk, he is more than happy eating wafers, namkeen mixture and more..But, the control freak mother that I’m, everything is given in small portions and then to add to his pampering I’m indulging more into baking.

It’s a recipe that I’ve come up with and I was very skeptical about the outcome but since it turned out super moist, it has already been made two times in this week. This is such a hassle free muffin and is ready in 30mins flat with all the preparation and cooking time. And the best part is it’s loaded with carrots which are a good source of Vitamin A, that’s very important for healthy eyes and has the flavor of orange too to make it more delicious. To add a bite and crunch I’ve added the nuts and since orange and chocolate gel well, I’ve topped the muffins with some Choco chips, making these muffins more desirable any day.. The muffins turn out very light, I’ve reiterated many times that Cake made with oil is always very light( Check out the Vegan Choco Banana Cake too)..light on the tummy and weight too!

Sending this to my event ‘Only’ Continental Cooking hosted by Raksha’s Kitchen.

Eggless Carrot-Orange Muffin

Preparation Time: 15mins

Baking Time: 15-20mins

Makes: 6-7Muffins

Difficulty Level: Easy

Ingredients

1cup APF

1/4 fortune rice bran oil

3/4cup milk

a pinch of cinnamon pwd

1/4 cup sugar

2tsp brown sugar

1/2cup grated carrot

1/2tsp vanilla essence

1tbsp desiccated coconut

1tsp baking powder

1/2tsp baking soda

zest of one orange

1tbsp chopped almonds/walnuts

1tbsp Choco chips

Method

Mix all the dry ingredients together (APF, Sugars, cinnamon powder, baking powder and baking soda).

Mix all the wet ingredients together (oil, milk and vanilla essence).

Mix the wet ingredients into the dry by cut and fold method. Do not over mix else the muffins will not rise and turn dense.

Add the carrots and nuts and give a final mix.

Pour the batter into greased muffin molds ( I used silicon cups). Place a few Choco chips into each cup.

Bake in a preheated oven at 180C for 15-20mins or till the toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Unmold and cool on cooling rack.

This post is a part of Healthy & Tasty Recipe Contest with Fortune Rice Bran Health Oil & BlogAdda.com .

Avarekaalu BissiBele Bhaath..a nice twist to the regular Bissi Bele Bhaath, Step Wise

2013-03-17T19:39:00.001+05:30

Hi All!

I’ve already mentioned my husband’s love for the Avarekaalu/Hyacinth beans. Whenever I get hold of these beautiful beans, they definitely make it to my kitchen. Earlier I would always buy them in bulk at Bangalore and stock then it in the freezer. But now, since it’s available here, I buy the fresh pods and peel them and over the period I’ve mastered quick peeling too..

This time when I got the beans I decided again to experiment it with the regular bissi bele bhaath, where instead of adding all the veggies I added the beans and I must tell you, it was very tasty. The beans with it’s prominent flavor made the bhaath delicious and worth the try. Earlier too I’ve experimented with these beans and made Ambode using Oats and an Upma using Barley. Other than these two experiments, the akki rotti , uppittu and saaru using these beans are the commonly made dishes at my place.

If you have the Avarekaalu/ beans peeled, this preparation is a breezer, gets ready in 30mins. It’s a perfect meal for lunchtime and even for giving in lunch box as it can be made easily in the morning…

Avarekaalu Bissi Bele Bhaath

Preparation Time: 10mins

Cooking Time:15mins

Serves:3-4

Difficulty Level: Easy

Ingredients

1cup rice (soaked for 10mins)

3/4cup pigeon peas/tuvar daal (soaked for 10mins)

2cups avarekaalu/hyacinth beans

1tsp turmeric

2tbsp homemade sambhar masala

15-20 curry leaves

6-7tbsp oil ( I used Fortune rice bran oil)

1 to 1-1/2tbsp tamarind paste

2tsp mustard seeds

about 8cups of water

Method

Heat oil and add mustard seeds, splutter them.

Add the curry leaves followed by the washed beans/avarekaalu, mix.

Add the soaked rice and lentils and mix.

Add tamarind paste, turmeric powder, sambhar masala and salt to taste and give a thorough mix.

Add the water and chopped coriander.

Put the lid and once the pressure comes, reduce the flame and cook for 6-7mins.

Let the pressure drop, serve hot with curd/raita and potato chips/pappadams/fryums. A dollop of ghee on top adds more taste to this preparation, so do not hesitate to add but that’s completely optional.

This post is a part of Healthy & Tasty Recipe Contest with Fortune Rice Bran Health Oil & BlogAdda.com .

TOFU MUTHIA & THE WINNER OF ‘ONLY’ EVENT OF FEBRUARY

2013-03-13T16:25:00.000+05:30

Hi All!!

Finally I’m back again with a new post, it seems like ages that I sat in front of my laptop and typed some thing..I must confess, I’m still recuperating…don’t worry I was not unwell, it is just that my kid was writing his final exam papers and I felt that it was my exam..so basically I’m recuperating from an exam fever..

Today’s post was something I have been wanting to try and post since a long time. Last month too I had decided to try this but somehow it never happened and I just kept postponing it till today. I woke up in the morning with the aim that I have to make this and share it with all my readers.

Muthia, originally is a Gujarati preparation made originally using Methi and chickpea flour but today a number of versions of Muthia are made. The word Muthia is derived from the way it is made, from the 'gripping' action of the hand and the small dumplings/fritters have clear imprints of the fingers over them. It can be steamed as well as fried but I decided to make a fried version to treat my kid, post his exams.. My readers would know that fried item itself is a treat for my kid as I do not indulge that easily in frying..

I’ve been trying to incorporate Tofu in our diet in many ways, some of the recipes which I’ve posted here are the Rizala which is a rich curry, Pink Beet Fit Paratha & a Masala Tofu Pizza. Since my last month’s theme was Vegan Cooking I wanted to post something innovative and interesting that time and one fine day, I had this vague thought of making Muthia using the Tofu. The thought was so strong and it had made such a strong impression on my mind, that I was not able to come up with anything interesting after that. It was as if the Tofu Muthia had enchanted me, and the spell finally broke today..

I’ve already posted in my review of the rice bran oil that the oil is light and the food absorbs less of this oil, so I used the rice bran oil to fry the Muthia and the end product was crispy, crunchy and also got fried consuming very less oil. The Muthia was very tasty and I had a hard time to keep my kid away from it while I clicked the pictures. In fact he finished almost the entire batch in a go and I was mighty happy with myself and grinning as the experiment turned out a hit and not only that, I fed my kid a fiber and protein rich preparation!!

Preparation Time:10mins

Cooking Time:3-4mins Of Frying /batch

Makes: 14-15pieces

Serves:4

Ingredients

200gms Tofu/ Soya Paneer

4-5tbsp Chopped Coriander

1tbsp grated & squeezed bottle gourd/ lauki

1-1/2tsp white sesame seeds

1tsp poppy seeds

salt to taste

3green chilies

an inch piece ginger

4-5cloves of garlic

2tsp rice flour

6-8tsp roasted chickpea flour/besan

a pinch of baking soda (optional)

Rice Bran Oil for deep frying

Method

Wash the tofu and pat it dry using a clean kitchen towel or tissue paper. Grate it finely.

Mix all the ingredients except both the flours, sesame and poppy seeds, leave aside for 5mins. This step is important as the salt causes the water to ooze out from the veggies making it moist.

Now add the rice flour, the flour makes the Muthia crispy.

Add just enough chickpea flour that it binds all the ingredients, to confirm this just press the mix in your fist and see that it forms a rough shape. Adding excessive flour will make the Muthia dense.

Add sesame and poppy seeds, mix.

Divide the mix into 14-15 parts and take each portion on the palm and close the four fingers over it. Squeeze the fist lightly to shape the Muthia with the impressions of four fingers over it.

Deep fry on a medium flame till golden in color. Remove on a kitchen towel.

Serve hot with Tomato sauce.

These Muthia’s can make a great tea time snack or can also served as a starter.

This post is a part of Healthy & Tasty Recipe Contest with Fortune Rice Bran Health Oil & BlogAdda.com .

Tips To Making Good Muthia
Do not add excessive flours else it makes the preparation dense.
Do not squeeze the Muthia tightly, it should be pressed lightly.
Adding soda is optional but it makes the Muthia light.
Tofu is quite bland, so keep the spice level high to balance the flavors.
Different vegetables can be added, just ensure that the veggies are devoid of excessive water/moisture, squeeze out the water before adding.

Coming to the winner announcement. based on PJ’s roundup where she has grouped recipes sent by the each participant. There are a total of 15 participants, so using the random.org I’ve picked the winner. Please remember, the giveaway is only for the Followers of Foodelicious.

The entry at no.5 in PJ’s roundup is of Sharanya of Sara’s tasty buds. Congrats Sharanya, you win the cookbook by Tarla Dalal, please confirm to me that in which way you follow my blog publically and once you have confirmed that, mail me your address in India with proper landmark, pin code and phone/cell number to cookingoodfood@gmail.com within two days else I will pick a new winner.

Winner Of CupoNation Giveaway eVoucher

2013-03-02T18:35:00.000+05:30

Hi all!!

Finally I’m able to post the winner of the giveaway sponsored by cupoNation. There were a total of 44 entries from 16bloggers. I had mentioned in the announcement page that every recipe posted will be accepted as one entry plus for both FB likes will be accepted as 2entries and subscription to Foodelicious, as one more entry. Based on the comments that you have left in the announcement page and the recipes linked, I’ve created an excel sheet and counted the number of entries per blogger. I’ve posted two recipes but I’m going to exclude myself while using random.org to pick the winner, so there will a total of 68 entries instead of 70 to be picked as a winner. All the recipes can be checked here.

Raksha from Raksha’s Kitchen
Raksha
Raksha
Raksha
Raksha
Sharanya From Sara’s Tasty Buds
Sharanya
Sharanya
Sharanya
Sharanya
Sharanya
Sharanya
Sharanya
Sharanya
Sharanya
Sharanya
Sharanya
Sharanya
Sharanya
Sharanya
Sharanya
Sharanya
Sanoli Ghosh from Sanoli’s Recipes
Sanoli Ghosh
Sanoli Ghosh
Sanoli Ghosh
Sanoli Ghosh
Sanoli Ghosh
Sanoli Ghosh
Nabanita Das from Esho Bosho Aahare
Nabanita Das
Nabanita Das
Nabanita Das
Nabanita Das
Nabanita Das
Naaz from Ammi Rasoi
Naaz
Naaz
Naaz
Naaz
Chaitra from Aathidyam
Chaitra
Chaitra
Chaitra
Chaitra
Jyothi Chhabria from This N That Of Food & Life
Jyothi Chhabria
Jyothi Chhabria
Jyothi Chhabria
Pramitha from Pramitha Loves Cooking
Pramitha
Pramitha
Pramitha
Shruti Dhingra from Shruti Rasoi
Shruti Dhingra
Shruti Dhingra
Lubna Karim from Yummy Food
Ramya Krishna Murthy from Lemon Kurry
Kauser From Kausers Kitchen
Kauser
Kauser
Kauser
Being Fab from Shocks & Shoes
Being Fab
Being Fab
Deepa From Hamaree Rasoi
Deepa
Anshu From My Mom’s Recipes
Pari from Foodelicious
Pari

As I’ve mentioned above that I ‘m using random.org to pick the winner. So, out of the 68 entries the winner is

No.34 which is of Nabanita Das from Esho Bosho Aahare. Congrats dear, you get the Rs.1000 voucher from Flipkart sponsored by cupoNation. Please mail me at cookingoodfood@gmail.com within two days, so that I can send you the voucher details.

‘Only’ Event Announcement Of March and Giveaway Announcement

2013-02-28T07:00:00.000+05:30

Hi All!

Days are just tight packed since it’s exam time at home and it feels like I’m the one who is going to write papers..nevertheless the blog has to keep going and the new event has to begin with the new month.

I’m so thankful to Raksha Kamat of Raksha’s Kitchen, who on a short notice has taken the initiative to host the event as the blogger who had agreed to host had some personal constraints..please hop to her blog for event details and rules.

This month we head towards Europe or the Western countries and their recipes commonly called Continental cooking.

The giveaway for the event is sponsored by www.tarladalal.com and is a cookbook called..

This giveaway is only for the followers of Foodelicious.

SOS Pancakes, Stuffed Paneer N Spinach Paratha for The Review Of Fortune Rice Bran Health Oil

2013-02-25T17:38:00.001+05:30

Hi All!

Last few days have been chaotic and messy, too many things happening and loads to finish with deadlines, the biggest of all the deadlines was finishing revision for the Final exams. The kid appears for his grade 7 exam and had a humongous syllabi to finish and every now and then was seeking my help. I’m taken for granted to clear his doubts and be around when he is studying as he hates being alone.

Besides this I had a carpenter and a plumber along with a mason working fulltime in my house past 4 days. My ears were deafened with all the knock knock and I was tired cleaning the house every now and then. And since all this was not enough my laptop started troubling and I was some how managing with the internet on my cell phone. I’ve a tough time when I’ve to do elaborate things using the cell phone.. Amongst all this mess the good thing that happened was that I received a 2litre can of Fortune Rice Bran Health Oil from BlogAdda with a smiley card along with it, that made my day. I am reviewing healthy heart oil as a part of the BlogAdda's Product Review Program for Indian Bloggers.

We read so much about health food and how to change our eating habits and indulge into healthy eating and lifestyle. All nutritionists and doctors recommend these days to use an oil low in cholesterol and which can prevent heart disease. My doctor always recommends to change oil and not stick to one kind of oil, he also suggests to use a mix of oils in cooking. I use the peanut oil, sunflower oil, soybean oil and alternate them. Till now I had never used rice bran oil… Preferably, I use the low absorption oil to keep the consumption of oil low.

Rice bran oil (also known as rice bran extract) is the oil extracted from the germ and inner husk of rice. It is notable for its high smoke point of 213°C (415°F) and its mild flavor, making it suitable for high-temperature cooking methods like stir fry and frying. A medically significant component of rice bran oil is the antioxidant γ-oryzanol, at around 2% of crude oil content.

I’ve used other Fortune oils earlier, so when I received this pack of Fortune Rice bran health oil, I was elated. I had heard about the oil through advertisements and articles in paper but now was the time to taste and test the oil.

Before opening the oil I always read the can carefully. The can said 100% veg, free from Argemone oil. Argemone oil is obtained from Argemone seeds, is used as an adulterant in oil and is not good for heart, so the Adani Wilmar Limited, who are the manufacturers of the oil assures of no adulteration, which is done by all good oil manufacturing companies as a sign of quality assurance. I then read the nutritional information and was pleased to read that as 100mg of oil had 0mg cholesterol, 0g trans fatty acids, 0g proteins and 0g carbohydrates. It has 24g saturated fatty acids, 42g mono unsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), 34g poly unsaturated fatty acids(PUFA), 50mg Vitamin E, 100g fat, 1000mg Oryzanol and gives 900KCal of energy. The 2litre can costs Rs.230/- which is a price any middle class man can afford easily towards health.

For people who are not aware of the importance of MUFA, PUFA, Oryzanol, I’m going to describe that in brief here, which will help you understand the benefits of using this oil. MUFAs are considered a healthy type of fat. If your diet includes unsaturated fats such as MUFAs & PUFAs instead of saturated fats and trans fats, you may gain certain health benefits. Consuming monounsaturated fatty acids may help lower your risk of heart disease by improving risk factors. For instance, MUFAs may lower your total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels but maintain or increase high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. MUFAs may also help normalize blood clotting. Also, some research shows that MUFAs may also benefit insulin levels and blood sugar control, which can be especially helpful if you have type 2 diabetes. (courtesy www.mayoclinic.com)

Oryzanol is an anti oxidant compound and is associated with reducing plasma cholesterol, lowering serum cholesterol, decreasing absorption of cholesterol and decreasing platelets aggregation. It has also been used to reduce hyperlipidimia, disorders of menopause and to increase the muscle mass. Another study has shown gamma-Oryzanol to reduce the risk of gastric ulcers caused by stress while at the same time maintaining gastrointestinal motility.
Vitamin E present in oil is good for skin and prevents ageing. More on the 10/10 benefits of the oil one can read here

Since, I’ve already mentioned what is present in the oil and it’s advantages, I must also inform my readers what is absent in the oil and it’s consequences or advantages too.. Both Trans fatty acids and Cholesterol are absent in the oil.

Trans fatty acids, also known as trans fat, is an artery-clogging fat that is formed when vegetable oils are hardened into margarine or shortening.Trans fat is known to increase blood levels of low density lipoprotein (LDL), or "bad" cholesterol, while lowering levels of high density lipoprotein (HDL), known as "good" cholesterol. It can also cause major clogging of arteries, type 2 diabetes and other serious health problems, and is found to increase the risk of heart disease.

Cholesterol is a type of fat (lipid) in your blood. Your cells need cholesterol, and your body makes all it needs. But you also get it from the food you eat. If you have too much cholesterol, it starts to build up in your arteries . This is called hardening of the arteries, or atherosclerosis . It is usually a slow process that gets worse as you get older. Absence of cholesterol in the oil adds to it’s health benefits

Coming back to the Fortune Rice Bran Oil after I have read the can , my first observation about any oil is the clarity and the smell and this oil passed in both the physical observations, there was no smell and the oil was clear with very light yellow color, soothing to eyes and light to touch. Any oil is best checked when you start using it for your day to day cooking and that’s what I did. I used the oil every possible way, for stir fry, tempering, shallow frying and deep frying too. What I realized was that it does not contribute to the flavor of a dish and stays neutral, which is what I prefer and so that was the first advantage I noticed in terms of cooking, secondly it gets absorbed less while deep frying and hence does not cling to the food item, so less oil goes into your body. The other big advantage which I would also get on a longer run is the advantage coming from the chemical ingredients present as well as absent in it which I have mentioned above!

I have passed this oil with flying colors for it’s physical qualities and health benefits and I would recommend it highly to my readers and friends. I cooked many dishes with this oil but I’m sharing two of the recipes here, both the recipes makes use of ingredients good for health and can be cooked for breakfast or as lunch box items.

Stuffed Paneer In Spinach Paratha

Preparation Time:15mins

Cooking Time:2-3mins per Paratha

Makes:9-10parathas

Serves:3

Ingredients

For Cover:

2cups whole wheat flour

1/2tsp salt

20-25 spinach leaves

1green chili

For stuffing

200gms paneer (cottage Cheese) grated

salt to taste

1inch ginger grated

2green chilies, finely chopped

1tbsp chopped coriander

1tbsp coriander pwd

1tsp cumin pwd

also

Fortune Rice Bran Health Oil for smearing

Method

For Cover

Using minimum water grind the spinach and green chili to a paste.

Add salt to the flour and mix the spinach paste and make a medium soft dough. If required use water else avoid it.

For stuffing

Mix all the ingredients under the heading stuffing. Avoid adding extra salt as the cover also has salt added to it.

Take dough to make a ball slightly larger than a lemon. Roll it to make a 2inch disc (or spread using fingers).

Fill about 2tbsp stuffing into the rolled disc and close all ends to make a ball and flatten it. Roll the disc gently using flour to make a 6-7inch broad paratha.

Heat a griddle and roast the paratha on either side. Smear some Fortune Rice Bran Health Oil on either side and roast again till golden in colour.

Serve hot with chutney/pickle, butter, curds or butter milk.

SOS Pancakes/ Savory Oats Semolina Pancakes

Preparation Time:10mins

Standing Time:15mins

Cooking Time:2mins per pancake

Makes:about 8

Serves: 2-3

Ingredients

1cup rolled oats

4-5tbsp semolina

1cup warm milk/ soya milk ( I used plain soya milk)

1/2-1cup warm water

1-2 green chilies, finely chopped

6-7 curry leaves, finely chopped

10-12 spinach leaves finely chopped

1/2 onion, finely chopped

salt to taste

Fortune Rice Bran Health Oil for smearing

Method

Mix all ingredients and let it stand for 15mins. This allows the semolina and oats to soak the moisture and bloom.

Adjust the consistency of the batter by adding more water if required. This batter is thinner than the regular Dosa batter.

Smear oil on a non stick pan and heat on medium flame, spread a ladle full of batter on the pan of 3-4mm thickness.

Cover with a lid and cook. Flip to the other side and cook without the lid till golden. If required apply more oil.

The pancakes have crunchy crust and soft inside.

Serve with butter, sauce/chutney/pickle.

Sending it to my event ‘Only’ Vegan Cooking hosted by PJ.

Do give me a feedback whether you found the review informative and also whether you liked the recipes.

Vegan Nan Khatai

2013-02-20T17:48:00.001+05:30

Hi All!!

I’m happy typing this post as I feel in some way that I have started reaching easily to my readers which for some reason was not happening earlier. It is not that I’ve not replied to mails or queries but somehow the demand of a recipe had never happened that easily earlier on this blog. I’m glad that I’ve been able to keep my promise and hopefully will continue doing that..

The recipe of Nan Khatai was asked by a reader Rubina Quddusi, from Lahore, Pakistan and I had told her that I will post the recipe for her which is also very close to my heart as it was shared with me by my dear MIL. The Nan Khatai made by my MIL is very famous in the Vasisht family and undoubtedly post marriage even I became a fan of the preparation especially since she did not use butter but preferred oil. The original recipe needs 6ingredients and involves egg too, but MIL’s recipe needs just four ingredients and absolutely no egg!!! So, this biscuit is perfect for weight watchers too, who do not want to indulge in butter. My MIL makes small sized biscuits so that there are plenty to eat and you don’t feel guilty eating more of them, I must say that’s smart thinking!!!

Now, I’ve been eating this Nan Khatai for years made by MIL and she parted with her recipe ages back with me but some how I never tried it, the reason being that my MIL always said that this recipe is perfect for the age old ovens but whenever she has tried it in an oven of new make, it did not turn out well. Now, I do not have the old round oven and I do most of my baking in my microwave in the convection mode, so I did quiver with the thought of making it..but Rubina’s request made me try it in my oven and I was surprised to see almost the same result as my MIL. Thanks Rubina, your request made me move out of my comfort zone and try a preparation. And while I tagged my post, I realized that till date I’d not posted any biscuit in my blog..so, it’s the best way to start a new label with an old recipe which has an Indian origin and is famous in the world, for that.

Another good thing about blogging is that while I research on recipes and food, I learn so much and I read a lot, especially the history behind preparations and while I read about Nan Khatai a few interesting facts came before me which I’m sure many might be knowing and for those who do not know here they are..

The name Nan Khatai has been attributed to the Persian for “Bread of Cathay” (Nan, which means bread in Persian, Khatai which means from Cathay or China) as well as Persian for “Bread made with six ingredients” (Nan – Bread, Khat/Shat – Six – flour, eggs, sugar, butter or ghee, leaven produced from toddy or grain, and almonds).

Near the end of 16th century, the Dutch colonists set up a bakery for making bread for their consumption in Surat (a port city in the state of Gujarat in India). When the Dutch left, they entrusted the bakery to a trusted employee called Dotivala. Enterprising Dotivala changed the shape of the bread, and dried the slices in the oven. This oven dried bread is called 'Irani Biscuit'.

He also experimented with a number of recipes and came up with a recipe for a puff pastry biscuit called “Khara Biscuit”, “Nan Khatai” and “Farmasu” or “Surti Batasa”. All of these recipes exist in some form or another to this day. That is saying something considering we are talking about a period in history about 300 years back. To read more check here.

I’ve made no changes to the recipe I was provided with but the next time I will add my variations, try some cardamom flavor and also press almonds or nuts on the biscuit.. Also, ensure when you try this recipe that the biscuit does not turn brown as Nan Khatai is white in color.

Vegan Nan Khatai

Preparation Time: 10mins

Baking Time: 8-10mins per batch

Makes: about 16

Ingredients

1cup Maida (APF)

1cup ground sugar

a pinch of soda bicarbonate

and about 1/2 cup oil or about 40ml oil

Method

Mix all the dry ingredients and add 1/4cup oil at first and mix it with the flour. After that add oil gradually to make a soft dough which retains its shape (like the chapati dough). You might not need the entire oil but then that depends on the quality of flour you are using..

Make equal sized small balls and flatten them lightly. Place them on a greased baking dish and bake in a preheated oven at 180C for 8-10mins.

One will observe light cracks on the biscuit while baking, once you see the cracks, bake for another two minutes and remove on a cooling rack. Once cooled store in an air tight container. This biscuit stays good for about 2weeks.

Note: I would like to reduce the sugar next time to may be 3/4th cup instead of 1. If you have a sweet tooth, stick to a cup of powdered sugar.

Vegan Choco Banana Cake

2013-02-15T20:27:00.001+05:30

Hi! Yesterday was Valentine’s Day and husband offered to take me out for dinner. I was not up to it but still went ahead. But before going out, I quickly baked this cake in the evening. This is a hassle free cake and takes a few minutes of mixing and then a quarter hour of baking and it’s ready to serve. My kid had it as an evening snack and also took it in his snack box to the school today and guess what? He did not even get a bite of it..but my kid was not unhappy as he knew there was more cake at home and also that he was also offered Maggi and Kraft’s Macaroni in exchange.The greedy fellow happily exchanged his cake for those items...

Being a vegan preparation it does not use any butter in it, instead oil is used. I have used Hershey’s chocolate powder and I loved the bitterness it added to the cake. One can also add Choco chips to the cake but since I wanted to keep it vegan, I’ve avoided it. The cake turns out moist. The next time I make this I would love to add some strawberries and raisins for that extra flavor instead of the banana…

The batter made for this cake is quite liquid ‘y’ so do not worry, the cake turns out well and you might observe a few cracks on top. One has to be just careful with the fruit and oil ratio as these add to the moistness of the cake. The cake gets ready anytime between 40-55mins. Mine was ready in 43mins, so one needs to be careful after 35mins. Do not open the oven till 35mins after that if the skewer inserted comes out clean, the cake is ready. I used a 12”Bundt pan to bake this cake, one can use any tin of their choice of this size.

Sending this cake to my event ‘ONLY’ Vegan Cooking hosted by PJ.

Preparation Time: 5mins

Mixing Time:5mins

Baking Time: 40-55mins

Serves: 6-8people

Ingredients

2cups APF

1-1/2cups granular sugar

1-1/2tsp baking soda

1tsp vanilla essence

2/3cups Cocoa Powder (one can use less too)

5-1/20z banana Puree (one can add more too)

about 110ml oil

about 1–1/2cups hot water

Method

Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl ( APF, cocoa, soda, sugar) thoroughly.

Add the essence, oil and water and mix. Finally add the banana puree and give a final mix. Do not over mix. The batter has a very runny texture, do not worry.

Bake it in a greased pan at 180C, preheated for 15mins for 40-55mins.

Remove it gently on a cooling stand and cool.

Cut and serve.

*In case you want to add more banana, reduce the amount of oil in that proportion.

Gobhi Keema..Minced Spicy Cauliflower, Step Wise & The Winner of January’s ‘ONLY’ Event Giveaway

2013-02-07T19:59:00.001+05:30

Hi!

Here I’m with an interesting and tasty post today which is just apt for people who would like to enjoy the non-veg specialties the veggie way. This is a fuss free curry which I personally feel tastes best with paav or even naan.

I use this curry to make stuffed buns too. The buns are filling and amazingly tasty.

Ingredients

3 cups minced Cauliflower

2 onions finely chopped

2tbsp ginger-garlic paste

5tbsp tomato puree

2tsp red chili pwd

1/4tsp turmeric pwd

salt to taste

2tbsp coriander pwd

2-3 kitchen king masala

a pinch of garam masala

a cup of milk

1/2 cup chopped coriander

a mix of clarified butter and oil for cooking

whole spices-

2-3 bay leaves

1 small piece cinnamon

1 black cardamom

Method

Heat the oil-ghee combination and add the whole spices and sauté.

Add the g-g paste and sauté followed by chopped onions, cook till light brown in colour.

Mix the tomato puree, salt to taste, red chilli, turmeric and coriander powders and cook till oil separates. Add the kitchen king and garam masala.

Add the cauliflower and mix thoroughly.

Pour the milk and mix again, cover and cook till done.

Mix the coriander and serve hot.The coriander adds an amazing flavour to the curry, so do not miss on that.

The Gobhi keema can also be used to make sandwich which can make a very filling and healthy breakfast.

Coming to the winner of the giveaway of ‘Only’ Street Foods of the World hosted by Archana. Out of the 28 entries in the round up under the Indian category, I’ve used random.org to pick the winner. I had to count in the sequence of round up as there was no numbering, so please others verify too…

No.5 is of Paneer Pav Bhaji, posted by Shruti Rasoi. Shruti Rasoi, as you must be aware that the giveaway is for bloggers Publically Following Foodelicious. Please inform me in which way are you publically following my blog. Once you have confirmed me your following, mail me your address with landmark and pin code, phone number to cookingoodfood@gmail.com. In case the current winner fails to respond in two days or she is not a follower of my blog, I will pick another winner.

Garlic Oil..Home Made

2013-02-05T18:24:00.001+05:30

Hi!

My family loves Garlic Bread. Whenever we visit a Pizzeria or an Italian restaurant, the first order has to be garlic bread. The garlic bread available in restaurants makes use of butter, which makes the calorie count go high. So to make the garlic bread healthier and still tasty I make this garlic oil at home.Using this oil, the garlic bread can be made in a jiffy and what’s better is that it’s low in calories too.

This garlic oil can be used in making other salad dressings too and is quite multi purpose. It stays well for a month in refrigerator provided it doesn’t get over before that. It’s a no effort garlic oil which comes out very handy in cooking and is quite economical as compared to the garlic oil available in market.

Ingredients
7-8 thick cloves of garlic
1/2cup EVOO
Method
Crush the garlic in a clean pestle and mortar.
Push the garlic into a bottle and pour the oil too. Close and shake lightly.
Leave it over night and the garlic oil is ready to use the next day. The flavor of the oil gets better as the garlic gets completely absorbed in the oil in the days to come .
Store in air tight bottle/ jar in refrigerator and outside for a week.

Jeerige Kattu- Version I ( Traditional Karnataka Style Jeera Daal)

2013-02-04T11:46:00.001+05:30

Hi!

Today I’m posting a traditional Kannadiga preparation which is very popular at my place. It is an excellent accompaniment with spicy curries and is S’s and my elder son’s favorite. In recent days now that the elder son was around, I made this several times for him.

It’s an easy lentil preparation has a strong aroma and flavor of Jeerige (cumin seeds/ Jeera). The word kattu in Kannada means daal from which all the excess water has not been removed, basically it is the excess water in which the daal has been cooked. Ideally it should be a thin lentil preparation which resembles a lot to the rasam but my family likes it a little thick. I made it along with Alasande Palya and Aloo Gadde Hurda Uperi which are again family favorites and I’ve posted them earlier. This daal can be just had in a bowl in the winter as a soup too.

Ingredients

2 katori cooked tuvar daal

1/2-3/4tsp turmeric

2tsp cumin seeds

3-4 green chillies finely chopped

1tsp ginger chopped

1tbsp coriander leaves chopped

1tsp cumin pwd

salt to taste

oil for cooking

Method

Cook tuvar daal in a pressure cooker with a pinch of turmeric and a drop of oil. Both turmeric an.d oil help cook daal faster.

Let the pressure drop, remove the daal and mash it.

Heat about 2tbsp oil in a pan and once it is hot, lower the flame and add cumin seeds. This prevents the cumin from burning and turning black in color.

Once the cumin has spluttered add chopped green chilies, chopped ginger, coriander and saute for a few seconds.

Now add the cumin pwd, cooked daal and mix properly. Season the daal with salt and add about 1-1/2cups water.

Bring the lentil/daal to a boil and simmer.

Let it boil for 7-8mins.

Serve hot garnished with ginger juliennes.

I personally love this daal with a dash of lime.

Sending this to my event ‘Only’ Vegan Cooking hosted by PJ at Seduce Your Tastebuds and to Home Maker’s Diary e Giveaway sponsored by Cuponation.

Event ‘Cooking For My Valentine’ and A Giveaway By CupoNation

2013-01-31T18:42:00.000+05:30

Hi All!

This month of February is the month of spreading love as we celebrate St. Valentine’s Birthday on the 14^th Feb. We as food bloggers are always trying to spread love through the food that we cook and share it with the world. So, I thought of providing a platform to all the food bloggers to share the recipes that they are cooking for their love and loved ones here in this event called “Cooking For My Valentine”. And to make the event more interesting and inviting, is that the winner of the event gets Flipkart gift voucher worth Rs.1000/- from CupoNation.

I’m so overwhelmed that CupoNation is sponsoring the giveaway. I’ve been using the discount coupons of CupoNation for a while and I do recommend it to my friends and bloggers. These coupons are valid for online shopping in India.

This event is open for all bloggers and non bloggers, whether you live in India or any other country but the giveaway is open only to the Followers of Foodelicious. As I have mentioned that this event is open for all, even if you do not reside in India, you can gift the voucher to your friends and family living in India.

Rules For The EVENT & Giveaways

You have to mention about Foodelicious and CupoNation in your post before the recipe. This is an important rule, so do follow it.
You have to like the Facebook fan pages of Foodelicious and CupoNation.
Subscribe to Foodelicious.
Link your post to the event announcement page.
Only new recipes are accepted, archives not allowed.
Use the inlinkz tool provided below to link your recipes.
Use of logo is mandatory as it helps spread the word.

Calculation Of Entries

For every recipe that you link you get one entry. For liking both the FB fan pages you get two more entries. For subscribing to Foodelicious you get one more entry. So, you can get minimum of 4entries at any time. For every additional recipe the entry will increase by +1. Once you have linked the recipe, leave a comment mentioning what all rules you have followed and hence valid for how many number of entries.

Non bloggers can send me their entries to cookingoodfood@gmail.com. In case rule no. 1, 4 and 7 is not followed, the entries will be moderated.

The winners will be picked randomly at the end of the event.

So good luck and let the cooking begin!!!

‘ONLY’ Series Event Announcement For February and The Giveaway

2013-01-31T07:00:00.000+05:30

Hi All!
The ‘Only’ Event for February is hosted by PJ of Seduce Your Tastebuds and the theme is ‘Only’ Vegan Cooking. The details of the event and understanding Veganism can be checked from her blog.

The giveaway book for this event is sponsored by www.tarladalal.com. The book is ..

The giveaway is open for the followers and fans of Foodelicious. Others rules for the event and giveaway can be checked at PJ’s blog. The winner will be picked randomly by me at the end of the event.

Street Food Of Indore- Bhutte Ka Kees/ Bhutyacha Kees, Step Wise

2013-01-28T18:05:00.000+05:30

I’ve made it very evident several times earlier, my profound love for the vibrant and lovely city of Indore and the variety of food available there. Having lived there for several years, I know most of the local food and have tasted that too… especially the street food! As students, me and my friends would hog in the streets of Sarafa and since my family was also a foodie the hogging continued with them too..

I’ve posted the famous Indori Kanda Poha earlier in my blog and in the same post I’ve given food details about Indore too. Indore is the business capital of Madhya Pradesh and the majority of people living in this city are Maharashtrians as the Indore was ruled by the Holkars. Apart from the dominance of the Maharashtrians the other regions whose prominence is seen in the city are Marwaris, Sindhi, Punjabi, Bohri and Jains. All these regions contribute to the food culture of Indore.

One such food item which is popularly made by the Marwaris as well as the Maharashtrians is the Bhutte ka Kees and is abundantly available is the streets of Indore especially in the season of corn. It is served warm with a garnish of coconut and coriander and lemon squeezed over it. This preparation can be called as an Upma using freshly ground corn except that it is not as wet as Upma. The strong flavor of heeng makes it a very inviting dish. This preparation is quite filling and makes an ideal evening snack..

I had made this preparation ages back and was not extremely sure about it, so just to confirm the procedure I made phone calls to my Mom and my Mavshi, and after confirmation, I proceeded!!

This preparation makes use of coarsely ground or grated corn, so either one can grate the corn else if you have a corn peeler, remove the corn from the cob and then grind coarsely. The process after that is small and not tough either but just needs a little patience..

INDORI BHUTTE KA KEES

Preparation Time:15mins

Cooking Time:15mins

Serves:2

Ingredients

3sweet corn or regular tender corn grated or the con removed from cob

1-2green chilies

2-3tbsp coriander stems

an inch piece ginger

1tsp cumin seeds

salt to taste

2-1/2tbsp oil

1tsp mustard seeds

a large pinch heeng/asafetida

1/4tsp turmeric pwd

a pinch of sugar (optional)

For garnishing

lemon wedge

chopped coriander

grated coconut

Method

Grind together coarsely the corn, ginger, cumin and green chilies.

Heat oil and splutter mustard seeds. Reduce the flame and add heeng and turmeric pwd.

Immediately add the coarsely ground corn and mix. Add salt to taste and if using regular corn add the sugar. Avoid sugar is using sweet corn.

Cook covered for 5-8mins. Mix again and cook open for some time till all the excess moisture evaporates and the kees starts drying and the grains separating from each other. If your kees appears moist and the grains clogging with each other, let the kees cool down and then separate the grains using your fingers and then serve.

Before serving squeeze some lemon juice and garnish with coriander and freshly grated coconut.

Sending it to my event ‘Only’ Street Foods of The World hosted by Archana of Mad Scientist’s Kitchen

Tips:

Use a non stick or a heavy base utensil as corn sticks easily at the base. Avoid scathing as it spoils the taste as well as the texture of the dish.
Add heeng of good quality as it adds great flavor and also helps in digesting the corn too.

Mezze Platter & PitaWraps..Step By Step

2013-01-25T21:30:00.001+05:30

Hi All!

Looks like I’m springing back to a decent blog posting. The last few days I’ve posted quite regularly and I hope to maintain this habit for some time now.

I had wanted to post a lot of International street food this month but some how one thing or the other kept me busy and away from blogging rather from cooking new.. somehow I’m trying desperately now to post some interesting street food.

To start off I’m going straight to the Middle East and indulging myself into a Mezze Platter.. It so happened, that for my birthday we all ventured into the world of Greek food and we did order a part of the mezze. I must confess here that the food was good and tasty but I missed the WOW factor there. I must tell you that this restaurant is extremely popular and has also won the Times Food Guide Award too but still I missed the X factor and found it bland for my palate. It was then only that I decided to cook the platter for my family at home, in my style and with my touch..

The ‘Mezze’ or Meze as suggested is one of the more malleable snack trays, varying slightly depending on where it's being served. It's a popular way to start a meal in Turkey, Israel, Greece, Lebanon — spanning cultures across the Middle East and beyond. In Levantine and Caucasus regions it is served at the beginning of the meals. However, you serve it or say it, the most important thing about mezze is what it means: it's Arabic Food for sharing!!

The common dishes in a mezze are:

Baba ganoush/ Muttabal

Falafel

Hummus

Pita Bread

Fatoush

Tabbouleh

Kofte

Tahini

Kibbeh

Sarma

yoghurt

Pastirma

Cut salad and olives and more..

My Mezze platter includes Hummus, Tahini, Baba Ghanoush, Pita Bread, Falafel and cut salad. I cooked the entire platter in one day and realized later that I should have split the cooking it into two days, by the end of the day I was exhausted to the core and the only relieving factor was the smile on family’s faces after they savored the meal. Apart from discussing which ingredient goes into what, the family also discussed the cost of the entire meal cooked at home versus what we paid at the restaurant. The kids said Mom you have beaten Willi as your food is far better than his and plus we saved a lot of money!!!

Since it’s an elaborate platter, this post is going to be long, so those interested in learning and picking up recipes, will need patience..

To start off with the recipes, I ‘m picking the simplest one, the Tahini. Tahini is nothing but a paste of hulled sesame seeds and olive oil which is used as a dip and is an important ingredient for making Baba Ghanoush and Hummus. It is very quick to make and is done in almost 15mins.

For making Tahini roast a cup of white sesame seeds, tossing continuously on low flame without browning them. Cool and grind with a quarter cup of olive oil ( I used EVOO) and salt to taste, to make a paste. Store in an air tight container in refrigerator. This can stay for as long as three months. While using add more olive oil based on the consistency you need.

Hummus, is one of the most popular cold dip/ spread from the middle east made using chickpeas. Served with fresh or toasted pita bread, hummus makes for a great snack or appetizer.Tahini is an important part of the hummus recipe and cannot be substituted. However, it can be omitted.

For making Hummus take 1cup of cooked chickpeas (soak 1/2cup chickpeas overnight and then pressure cook them) and grind it to a smooth paste along with 2-3 finely chopped garlic cloves, 2 teaspoons of tahini, salt to taste, 1tbsp lemon juice and half cup olive oil.

Hummus is always served in a wide plate so that it’s easy to lift. Garnish it with some chili powder and cumin powder and sufficient olive oil to coat the chickpeas as they dry very fast. This quantity of Hummus made using the above proportions is sufficient for 5-6 people.

Baba Ghanoush can be called as Arabic Baingan Ka Bharta. It is a version of baingan bharta using raw ingredients. It is sometimes called Muttabal too but let me tell you Muttaba is a much spicier version of Baba Ghanoush. It’s a cold dip used with pita triangles. In Syria and Lebanon, baba ghanoush is a starter or appetizer; in Egypt it is mostly served as a side dish or salad.In the traditional method, the eggplant is first roasted in an oven for approximately 30 to 90 minutes (depending on the size of the eggplant) until the skin appears almost burnt and the eggplant begins to collapse. The softened flesh is scooped out, squeezed or salted to remove excess water, and is then pureed with the tahini. There are many variants of the recipe, especially the seasoning. Seasonings include garlic, lemon juice, ground cumin, salt, mint, and flat parsley or cilantro. When served on a plate or bowl, it is traditional to drizzle the top with olive oil. It is often garnished with pomegranate seeds too.

I made my version of Baba Ghanoush using one roasted eggplant, roasting it directly on the flame. After peeling the skin and scooping out the flesh add 1tsp tahini, 1finely chopped onion, 1finely chopped tomato, 4cloves of garlic finely chopped, 4-5tsp hung curds, salt to taste and 2tbsp olive oil. Mix properly and while mixing keep pressing to get a smooth finish. Finally add some chopped parsley or cilantro and before serving drizzle some more olive oil.

This dip serves 5-6 people.

Pita/ Pitta is a slightly leavened wheat pocket bread which is flat, round or oval.The pita dough is a soft dough like that of the Naan. The water in the dough steams up and rises forming the ‘pocket’, hence it is called the Pita bread. This bread is very popular in the middle eastern, Mediterranean or Baklan cuisines. Pita is used to scoop sauces or dips such as Hummus and to wrap Kebabs, Gyros or Falafel in the manner of sandwiches. Most pita are baked at high temperatures (450 °For 232 °C), causing the flattened rounds of dough to puff up dramatically. When removed from the oven, the layers of baked dough remain separated inside the deflated pita, which allows the bread to be opened into pockets, creating a space for use in various dishes.

The Pita is made using refined flour but I have replaced some portion with whole wheat flour. To make about 10 Pita breads of 5-6inch diameter and 1/4inch thickness you will need about 600gms flour (I replaced 100gms with whole wheat flour), to this add proofed yeast (dissolve 1tbsp dry active yeast in 3tbsp warm water with a pinch of sugar), 1tsp sugar, salt to taste and about 300-350ml warm water to knead a soft dough. Knead the dough well till it does not stick on the palm. Apply 1tsp olive oil and let it rest for 30mins or till it doubles in volume. Divide it into 10-12 equal portions and roll using minimum flour (excess flour dries the Pita). Bake it for 4mins on 250C till the Pita puffs and then turn and bake it for a minute more. Do not brown the Pita bread it should be just about cooked.

I also make the Pita on the griddle and find that a much simpler method to make. In fact it’s easier to puff the Pita on the griddle. The pita which did not puff were cut and baked to make chips to go with baba ghanoush and hummus.

Falafel are popular Arabic fritters made either with chickpeas or fava beans or both. These normally find there place in wraps along with salad and dips. They make excellent street food and at the same time can also be served as starters for parties. I made my version with chickpeas only…

To make the Falafel take 2cups cooked chickpeas, 1/2cup flat parsley or cilantro, 4-5garlic cloves, 1tbsp tahini, salt to taste, 1tsp each of cumin, coriander and chili powder, 1onion finely chopped and 3-4tbsp corn starch or plain flour. In a food processor blend together coarsely all the ingredients except onion and cornstarch. To the coarse mix add onions and corn starch. Make small flat patty and deep fry till golden in color. Remove on kitchen towel.

Finally I used the Pita to make the wraps which was our meal. To make the wraps, cut the Pita bread into halves to show the pocket. Apply tahini on the wall. Insert the lettuce, falafel, sliced onions, tomatoes and cucumber and some hummus. The wraps are ready to eat. The Pita wraps have become a popular street food and hence sending it to my event ‘Only’ Street Foods of The World hosted by Archana of Mad Scientist’s Kitchen. I’m also reposting Ram Laddoo and Dakor Na Methi Gota for the same event.

Multi Purpose Daal Palak ..Dry Version

2013-01-23T19:40:00.000+05:30

Hi all!

Go Green is the slogan for winter with so many greens available abundantly. Today I’m posting a healthy version of daal/curry. I’m using both names, daal and curry as it is made using lentils and greens. The version that I have made is a dry one but the same after adding more water can be made as a daal too and can be had with rice. The dry version tastes best with bread, paav, phulka or can be used as a filling to make sandwich too which I did, and one can check the post here.

It is very tasty as has no extravagantly used spices. It has natural flavours of the spinach, lentils and the other added veggies. The version I’ve made has more of a Noth Indian touch but the same curry can be given a South Indian touch by adding Curry leaves and Asafoetida (heeng) during tempering.

Daal Palak-

Serves-3

Preparation Time:30mins

Cooking Time:15mins

Ingredients

6oz Pigeon Peas/ Tuvar Daal

2big handfuls Spinach (finely chopped)

1big onion (finely chopped)

1large tomato (finely chopped)

1 piece ginger

2cloves garlic

3-4tsp refined oil

1tsp mustard seeds

a large pinch of kasuri methi

Spices

1-1/2tsp coriander powder

1tsp cumin powder

1-1/2tsp red chili powder

1/2tsp +1/4tsp turmeric powder

1/2tsp Amchoor (dry Mango) powder

Method

Wash the lentils and soak it in water for half an hour.

Add a drop of oil and 1/4tsp turmeric pwd. Cook it in pressure cook till the grains are cooked but not mushy.

Heat oil and add mustard.

Once the mustard splutters, add crushed ginger and garlic . Fry them till the aroma is produced and it turns golden in color.

Add the chopped onions and sauté.

Tip in the tomatoes sauté. Add salt and the spices. Cook till the tomatoes are mushy. Add the kasuri methi.

Remove the excess water from the cooked lentils and add it to the onion-tomato mix.

Also add the spinach. Mix properly and cook till done. Do not cover the pan at any point of time and cook on high flame.

Serve hot with pav.

How To Make Restaurant Style Makhani Gravy For Curries, Step by Step

2013-01-21T19:27:00.001+05:30

Makhani sauce, as the name suggests is a sauce made in makkhan (butter). It is a delicately flavoured sauce which has a taste of tomatoes, aromatic spices, butter and cream.

It’s a rich gravy, loaded with calories but extremely flavourful and very popular. One can find it dominating the menu cards of any Indian Restaurant serving North Indian Food. As a child it was my favourite and now it is my kid’s. I make both the low and high calorie version of it but here I’m sharing the high calorie version. If you want to try a low calorie version, check here.

This sauce is popularly used to make paneer (paneer makhani), dal (dal makhani), vegetables (veg makhani). One can check out my innovation with this sauce here.

Ingredients For Sauce ( serves 2-3)

2tomatoes

1onion

1green chili

7-8 cashew nuts

a small piece stone flower

2 bay leaves

2 cloves

2 green cardamom

1 black cardamom

a small piece of mace (javitri)

1tbsp butter

1tbsp oil

a pinch of sugar

1/4 cup fresh cream

a pinch of roasted kasoori methi (powdered)

Method

Soak the cashew nuts in warm water for half an hour and grind to make a smooth paste.

Boil onion, tomatoes and green chilli together. Cool and grind to a smooth paste.

Mix butter and oil together in a pan and heat them. Add all the whole spices and sauté on low flame. This allows the spices to release their oils in the oil.

Add the cooked onion-tomato-chilli paste.

Sauté till oil separates.

Add the coriander, red chilli, turmeric powders and mix.

Add the cashew nut paste, mix and cook.

Pass the cooked gravy through a mesh to remove the whole spices and to get a smooth textured gravy.

Add half cup water to the gravy and bring it to a boil.

Switch off flame and mix the cream (leave half a spoon for garnishing).

The makhani gravy is ready. Sprinkle the kasoori methi and use.

How To Make Frozen Peas At Home

2013-01-18T21:01:00.001+05:30

Hi Friends.

Today I share another important technique used in the kitchen for storage, that's freezing. In this fast moving, hasty world we tend to use many frozen products as they come out handy. Freezing helps us store seasonal vegetables for a longer time and one of the most commonly used frozen vegetable is Peas. The peas made in this way can be stored in the freezer for an year. My mom used to make frozen peas and now I follow the same trend and make them in winter when one gets peas at a cheaper rate (helps me save a few hundreds in the year).

The procedure is very simple..

Ingredients

Peas shelled

water for cooking

a large pan

Thick towel

zip lock bags

slotted ladle

Method

Take a pan and take enough water in that. Once the water starts boiling add the shelled peas (do this in batches, I made about 8kgs).

Once the peas are blanched you will see them moving to the top surface and floating there, remove them.

Once the entire batch is done, spread it on a thick clean towel and allow them to cool.

Once cooled, fill them in washed and dried zip lock bags and place them in the freezer.

Once frozen they can be thawed and used.