Masala Box

Chola Batura - Punjabi Fried bread with Garbanzo beans

2007-12-28T11:46:00.000-05:00

The deafening sirens warned the residents to run to bunkers below, the fighter planes were hovering in the dark skies , and there was fear in the face of people . There she was holding on to her husband and a year old baby in the faraway land hoping that the Pakistani bombs would miss the target of the major railway network near her house in Sharanpur, in outskirts of Delhi. It was the India Pakistan war of 1971.It was here, during one most difficult times of her life that she leaned Mrs Gupta and other elderly woman and took solace in learning cooking in North Indian home cooked meals and learning to crochet and knit.

My mom. She came from a small town in Kerala. After marriage she left with her husband to settle in North India. I really wonder what would it have been for her to be so far away from the family with no knowledge of Hindi . Imagine the technology back then . Forget emails and web came was there even proper phone lines.

Her cuisine even now,37 years later , is based on foundations she learned then . On my visits to India one of favorite past times is to rummage to torn recipes books reading her favorite recipes. She doesn't have any measurements written down so it interesting to read recipes .
She is known for her Chola batura she learned from one of her neighbours in Sharanpur. After a 0lot of coaxing she wrote this for me with real measurements and not a pinch of this and pinch of that. This is one of my favorite recipes. My moms chola batura.

Batura:

1 kg Maida(All purpose flour)

Baking soda- 1/2 tsp

Sugar - 1 tsp

salt - a pinch

curd - 1/2 cup

Milk as needed for kneading

Oil to deep fry

Mix all ingredients and knead for 10 minutes. Cover it with a wet cloth and leave it for 4 hours. After 4 hours divide the dough into small balls. Now roll the dough in circles of about 8" in diameter. Heat oil in pan. When oil is hot fry batura till both sides are cooked(approx 3 mins each side). If you use the laddle and try to keep batura submerged in oil, the batura will puff up. Paper towel is useful in absorbing oil. 6 cup of Maida will approximately make 40 baturas.

Chola:

1 cup of Garbanzo beans soaked and cooked(1 1/2 of can beans)

2 tsp Jeera(Cumin seeds)

1 small onion chopped

1 tsp Pepper

1" ginger

1-2 green chillies( depending on how hot you want)

1/2 tsp chilly powder

2 tsp tamarind pulp

1 tsp sugar

salt as need

handful of chopped coriander leaf

Grind 1tsp jeera, pepper, ginger , green chillies and chilly powder. Heat oil in a pan. Add a tsp of jeera. Saute onion till golden brown. Add the ground masala and fry it for minute. Now add the garbanzo beans , tamarind pulp , sugar and enough water to cover the beans. Simmer and cook till gravy thickens. Add salt and mix in coriander leaves and serve it. This masala is real home cooked type. My mom didn't give me exact measurements. It is after 10 years of various permutations and combination I came up with this proportion. I firmly suggest cooks to modify as per their taste buds.

Christmas tradition..................Fruit Cake Kerala Style

2007-12-17T13:21:00.001-05:00

The Christmas tree has been decorated,
The cookies have been baked,
The gifts have been wrapped,
The sounds of Santa’s sleigh is still far away,
But there is still one thing left to be done before the end of day .

The New year is almost here and like most of you I have many things that has to done. One is to thank all of you for your support and encouragement at each turn in life of my blog. Thank you all.

I was recently going through recipes of fruit cake and something that Archana of Spicyana had written caught my attention. "A mere mention of the word “fruitcake” during holiday season evokes strong sentiments among people, they love it or hate it, at least on this matter we all seem to have a decision made ."

Growing in Kerala I used to hate this cake. It stood no chance with the cream filled pastries . But during Christmas time my house was flooded with plum cakes with and without icing. I hated each and every version. Why did I hate it? I have no idea , I never even would have tasted it it just because I thought I wont like it. I didn't want to try it.

About four years ago , I ate this cake at my friends(SJ & NP) house for Christmas. I don't know whether it was nostalgia about my darling home, or the fact I was pregnant and my taste had changed or whether it was served in company of my good friends the cake tasted delicious. I have ever since been craving for this cake. But I never make it at home only because I feel this is time consuming cake and I really hate recipes with to many ingredients and to much work. But Shn's post really inspired me to try it. I usually give cookies to my neighbors for Christmas and this year I decided to make this instead .

Thank you Mishmash, for sharing the recipe. Honestly I was scared I would screw up this recipe as it was out of my league all together. (too much work for me)

For the second round I used spicyana's recipe because I didn't have any wine left and was running short of rum and she suggested using orange juice.

I am also sending this cake (via Internet, imagination required) to my old classmate Seema.
We always tend take for granted the things around us. Growing up I was crazy student in college. I was the loud mouth crazy girl and I never got to know many of my classmates well as i should have (I thought I knew everyone ).Recently after 10 years I was reacquainted with her(we weren't the best buddies )and more I began to talk to her I realised that she was way different than what I had perceived. She was powerhouse of creativity . She was everything that I loved. So Seema if you ever get a chance to read this blog I am sending you this Fruitcake as Holiday gift to you and wishing you all good things in life.

So sending this cake to Mishmash & Archana for recipe , SJ & NP for reintroducing me to Fruit cake and to Seema.

Happy Holidays to all of my readers too.

Back with a vengeance-Sardines in Tomato, chilly sauce on a bed of cassava mash

2007-12-16T09:04:00.001-05:00

Ha, Ha I got your attention. For those of you from Kerala ,yes this is nothing more than our favorite old time buddy Kappa* & Meen**(Cassava mash & Sardines cooked in red chilly sauce). Just tried to jazz up the old buddy.

Before I start, I like to thank all my buddies who came in during the past one month , left comments on my blog. I saw those but I was caught in a whirlwind of things happening in life. Curious what was happening? Just click this link.

My house was swamped with people on thanks giving day and life has never been same. On T day I made the whole deal . Turkey with Balsamic vinegar marinade, corn bread(my 3yr old and 5 yr old made) , Sweet potato casserole, Potato casserole, Mashed potato, cranberry salad, corn with garlic and parmesaen cheese, vegetable pie, Green bean casserole, Dinner roll, Tandoori chicken full baked, dinner rolls, cornbread stuffing , pecan pie andp each pie .The Thanksgiving leftovers lasted me for 3 weeks. First time in my life the whole 14 ponder turkey was over. On day after Thanksgiving I made turkey barbecue sandwiches for a picnic at the beach. Sweet potato casserole was the dessert. Mashed potatoes become topping on turkey pie on day two. The next week I made a Turkey Pasta hot soup and on third week turkey took the form of Turkey paratha and said goodbye to me for another year.

Turkey Pictures

Picnic at the Beach( this years christmas pictures were taken here. hence Xmas ornaments on the sand)

Now back to Kappa and meen. This dish has now attained the popularity which was un thought of 15 years ago. Kappa and meen originally was a poor mans food. In my father in laws place kappa is still an unappreciated food as it was what all the workers were fed in the good old times after a day of hard work in the paddy fields. My husband aunt still doesn't eat Kappa, and Fish curry made of sardines is looked down upon. I always tell her she doesn't know what she is missing.

There are many versions to Kappa & Meen . In the blog world these are some versions of Mighty Kappa & Mean Meen Curry

So why is that my Kappa & Meen different from these seasoned cooks?Because this lazy cook used frozen yucca and sardines in can to make her version.

Why ? Because I live in a place where I don't get fresh Yucca all the time and the only fish, I have access to without paying through the nose is Tilapia & Salmon from Costco(a warehouse shop).

In the coastal town, I live either you go out in the sea and catch fish or else pay the white fisherman the hefty price they ask or it is Costco to rescue. After having the same fish for quite a while now, I decided to buy canned sardines and make curry. This was a first for me or than canned tuna which I love. After looking thoroughly to get fish in oil or water, I accidentally grabbed fish in tomato sauce.(oooooooooopsey)

But I was determined not to quit and my experiment turned out to be good.

Ingredients for Kappa

3LBS Frozen yucca root
1/2 tsp cumin seed
1/3 cup of coconut(grated frozen used)
1 green chilly
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 sprig curry leaf
salt as per taste
1 tsp Coconut oil

Method

Cover kappa with water and microwave in a microwave safe bowl for 20-30 minutes. Meanwhile in a blender grind coconut, chilly, turmeric and cumin seeds to coarse paste. Once yucca is done drain and mash yucca. Add the coconut paste , curry leaf to this and microwave for 5 more minutes. Now drizzle the oil in hot kappa and serve. Your fast track Kappa is done.

Verdict.

Being sceptic I am, I wasn't sure about this method. But this came very close to real kappa.I microwaved for 30 minutes and next time I reduce the time to 25 as I like Kappa not to be mushy. I have not tried microwaving fresh kappa, so don't know how long It is going to takes. Recommended when you have other stuff to do and cant stand in kitchen and check Kappa.

Mathi Curry:

1 can sardines in Tomato Sauce
3 tsp chilly powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp fenugreek powder
1 tsp fish curry masala
1 small onion
1" ginger peeled and chopped
1 green chilly
2 kodum puli
salt as recq
1tb oil

Method

Heat a pan. Add oil and saute onion, ginger and chilly. Before it turns the color add chilly powder, coriander powder , salt , and saute till you get rich color. Now add 1/2-1 cup of water, fenugreek powder and kodum puli.Bring it to boil. Now add the sardines in can and fish curry powder. You can omit fish curry powder is you want homemade taste. Simmer till gravy thickens and remove from fire

Verdict.

The gravy was thick and coated fish very well. I think it is tomato sauce. The fish had absorbed all the spices and it was yummy. Usually I don't add tomatoes to my fish curry so this was a bit different(i mean in good way). It tasted like i prepared in meen chatti and kept it for couple of days.

So my friends you can take Keralite away from kappa and meen but you can never take meen & kappa from a Keralite heart.

Few facts about Kappa from wikipedia

The leaves are used to treat hypertension, headache, and pain.
Cubans commonly use cassava to treat irritable bowel syndrome, the paste is eaten in excess during treatment.

*Kappa: Yucca

**Meen : Fish

I am a Selfish lover- Red prawns in Malai

2007-11-21T07:42:00.000-05:00

I am a ~~selfish~~ shellfish lover. I have a love for crustaceans. Even though crab tops the list , prawn comes in a close second. If you have read couple of my previous blogs you would have realised i love recipes that is easy(less pounding, grinding mixing), fast, less ingredients and last but not the least tasty. Red prawns in malai as my previous post Kerala Fish Bake , and Karimpumkala Toddy Shop Prawns Fry is simple and taste great.

Ingredients
Prawns - 2 cups
Sliced Potato - 1 cup
Vinegar - 2dsp
Ginger - 1"
Garlic 1dsp
Sliced onions - 1 cup
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Tomato pieces 1/2 Cup
Dry chillies - 10
Sugar - A pinch
Salt as you req
Cream - 2 tbspoon
Oil - 4 Dsp

Cook prawns in vinegar , salted water and minced ginger till dry.
Grind the skin of chillies with garlic. If you want it spicy leave 3 chillies with seeds on.
Cut the potato slices into thin matchstick pieces and keep in water. Dry them and fry them crisp over low fire. Next fry onions till golden brown and remove. Now add the ground masala and saute well and add prawns. Fry for 3 minutes. Add the fried potato, sauteed onions , tomatoes, a pinch of sugar and salt. Let it cook for 5 minutes or till the tomato is completely cooked. Now simmers and add the cream . Let it cook for a minute or two in low fire and remove it. Your dish is done . SAVOUR IT WITH RICE OR CHAPATHI.

Suggestion: I have tried this with the matchstick french fries we get in freezer section instead of potatoes. Works well too

“Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper- Stawberry, banana , Date Breakfast Parfaits

2007-11-20T12:28:00.000-05:00

Look who is talking? I am Queen of missing breakfast. One reason or other I forget it. So for people like me here is yummy Yogurt Parfait( Don't be fooled by word yogurt. It taste like ice cream. Kinda. Its good . )

1/2 cup yogurt (any flavour, vanilla used here)

1 banana

6 strawberrys

1/4 cup cornflakes

1/4 cup dates

1 tsp honey to drizzle on top.

Layer the ingredients with strawberry as first layer. Top the parfait with cornflakes, dates and drizzle honey. I use raisin bran usually. But in order to squeeze in two events, I used dates and cornflakes. For those of you who prefer plain yogurt make sure you the yogurt is not sour. Fruits can be substituted.

Whenever I hear about any events I feel urge to participate. This months events AFAM - Date By Chandrika of Akshayapatra and WBB # 17 Cornflakes by Nags of For the cook in me

Mamma Mia- Noodle Mania....................

2007-11-15T09:29:00.000-05:00

Sometimes you can be too cocky in life, and that's when disaster strikes. The dish the that you have made zillions of times and each time turned out to be perfect becomes a flop. What do you? Lasagna is one those recipes that I had mastered and it was perfect for my crazy venture of making recipes from seven Continents. I had been following Sara Moutlton recipe for ages and it was hit every time I made. My DH l on our grocery shopping trip last week asked me to gather stuff ,so I could make Lasagna . It had been a long time since i made it. I gathered the pasta, sausage, cheeses and came home. But when I searched for the recipe I couldn't find it. So what the heck ? My dear friend ,the Internet can help me.I googled and guess what I couldnt find the recipe. So from memory I tried making it. It didn't become exactly the way it should be or rather i should say I prepared little less Sphagetti sauce. My poor DH felt disappointed but gobbled it up . Now four days later I still cant find the exact recipe. Sofor you folks out there this is a recipe that is similar to the lost recipe -Lasagna

Since my lasagna was unsuccessful, I decide to make Pasta with carbonara sauce the next day (Dh likes this also). When i started cooking with Italian, ,the sauces I knew was only Marinara & Alfredo. Thanks to Tom Cruise appearance on Oprah I learned about Carbonara Sauce . Click here for TC Carbonara sauce. When I am short of time, I end up making carbonara sauce with pasta .The sauce contain proteins and if you serve it with salad on the side you have your proteins, greens and carbs right there. It isnt a very figure friendly recipe though.

4 eggs
1/4 c. butter
1/4 c. milk
1/4 lb. bacon, cut up (I used a table spoon of Bacon bits instead)
1 c. grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
1/4 c. snipped parsley or 1 tbs dried parsley
Pepper & salt as reqd
1 tsp red chilly flakes
1 cloves of garlic.
1 Lb Pasta (your choice though Fettuccine recommended)

Beat the egg , milk and cheese in a bowl. Boil pasta as per direction in box and drain it. Meanwhile in a pan heat butter .Saute bacon and garlic. Add red chili flakes and stir for a minute. Now add the boiled pasta.When the pasta is heat add the egg mixture and switch the heat off. Mix thoroughly. The pasta's heat cooks the eggs and coats it. Now serve with a garnish of Basil.

I am not a good photographer , but I like to participate in the Click Events by the funny JB. Why? Only because I feel that events challenges my brain to come up with something. This was stolen idea from my sons project. He came home with turkey cut out and he had to dress up a turkey. I bought the colored pasta and did the project. With the left over pasta I created my entry for Click event. My sons turkey had to be here tooooooooooooooooooo.

Camera used is the humble Canon Powershot A630

Thai Chicken with Basil- Gkai Pad Gkaprow

2007-11-11T19:01:00.000-05:00

In Novemeber, I decided that I would try and post recipes from the seven continents. We have gone to South America(Arroz Con Pollo), North America (Chili with Turkey ) and now its time for Asia. One of my favorite cuisine Thai. A dear friend of mine AA loves Thai food a lot. So this is special gift to you from me . Enjoy.........................................................

Thai cuisine is characterised by five fundamentals flavours hot (spicy), sour, sweet, salty and bitter (optional). Gkai Pad Gkaprow or Basil Chicken is classic example of using this fundamentals. Brown sugar gives the sweetness, Thai chillies provide the heat, soy sauce the salt, fish sauce the bitter , lemon grass the sour.

"This recipe is for one of the favorite dishes of the Thai people. They will make Basil Anything – substitute the chicken with pork, beef, squid, shrimp, seafood, . . . anything you like. This dish is often served at breakfast with a deep-fried egg, sunnyside up, on top. One of our particular favorites is to make it with ground pork and lots of Thai chillies. For pork, make sure you use holy basil (Bai Gkaprow), as it goes especially well with pork. " *

This is a recipe adapted from Good house Keeping Reciepe book. I added lemon grass to the recipe.

Ingredients
1 lb boneless chicken
3 tbs Asian Fish Sauce
1 tbs Soy sauce
1 tbs brown sugar
2 tsp vegetable Oil
1 Large onion cut into 1/4 inch thick slices
3 Thai chilli pepers or 2 serrano peppers cut matchstick strips
2 tsp minced ginger
2 crushed garlic
1 1/2 cup Basil leaves
1/2 cup lemon grass

Preparing the chicken :

Cut chicken into strip holding the knife in slanting position. In a medium bowl , combine fish sauce , brown sugar, soy sauce . Add chicken and marinate it for 30 minutes or maximum up to 1 day. In a nonstick pan heat oil in medium high till oil is hot. Add the marinade and chicken and cook stirring frequently until chicken loses its pink color. (approx 3 -4 minutes). With a slotted spoon remove the chicken and keep aside. Now add the onion and stir fry for 4 minutes. Stir in chilies , ginger, and garlic cook for a minute. Return the chicken to skillet, heat through. Stir in basil and lemon grass and serve.

This recipe was even more tasty as I used Basil and lemon grass from my garden and Thai chillies from my neighbors plant. I wish my neighbour had a chicken farm too,then it would have been easy. The dish I served it in is my own creation too. Yes I made the serving dish . Not a masterpiece though but I did it.

Basil
Thai Chilies

Lemon Grass

This is my contribution to the event GYO hosted by Andrea.

Serving suggestion - Rice as I did or mix in some greens as a Salad.

Facts about Lemongrass

Usually the tender white part of the lemongrass stalk is used for adding to dishes, but the remainder can be used for stocks or infusions or even dried to use in potpourri and tea. So, don't waste any part of it! Some cooks will grind the stalks and use this for seasoning. Or you can treat it more like bay leaf and leave it in larger pieces that can be removed before serving. Try tying several blades together with cooking string and place them on top of fish as you are grilling, baking or broiling. Another neat thing to do is to take a few of the blades, tie them together and pound them with a meat tenderizer to bruise them, then use them as a brush to baste meat or seafood as you grill. Lemongrass is a great herb to use with chicken. **

Alternatives are: Lemon zest with small amounts of fresh ginger. Approximately 1/2 Tbsp. combination total for 1 lemon grass stalk. A few leaves of lemon balm or lemon leaves. Approximately 2 leaves for 1 lemon grass stalk.Sometimes zest of lemons in place of lemon grass - 1/2 tsp for each 3” of lemon grass stalk base.

There is no perfect substitution for fish sauce. However, if you do not have fish sauce available you can substitute with soy sauce; although the flavor will not be as robust.If you cannot locate this, you can substitute a light soy sauce or rice vinegar with a little extra salt added.

* courtesy http://www.thaifoodandtravel.com/recipes/baschi.html
** courtesy http://www.seedsofknowledge.com/lemongrass2.html

Chili with turkey-I am addicted to OPM

2007-11-06T12:22:00.000-05:00

"Autumn, the year's last, loveliest smile"
Lost in woods

I love Autumn. The nature at its best. I remember reading in one of blogs that “Autumn is a second spring where every leaf is a flower” and I truly believe it is . It has been three long years since I have seen the fall colors. I live in Florida where leaves don't change colors. The pictures above are from personal collection taken 4 years ago. It was beginning of fall and colors had just begun change. Didn't want to steal pictures from other sites.

As I have said before I love making OPM(Oh Oh I meant One Pot Meals). The cool temperatures always make crave soups , stews and chilis (the mother of all OPM's). My love for chili began when I sampled a cactus chili on Cowboy festival in Stockyards ,Fort Worth Texas eight years ago. Chili being served by a Cowboy on a chuck wagon added more spice to it.

On Halloween night my neighbor LJO gave me some South Western chili to taste. They tasted so good that I had to make more. So on Sunday I made big pot of chili.

Chili is a spicy stew with basic ingredients beef, beans , tomatoes. It is believed to have its origins in Mexico. There are various variation of chili most recognised being Texas chili, Cincinati chili , vegeterian chili .

I modified the recipe given by LJO by

1. Substituting ground turkey instead of beef.

2.Adding fresh garlic instead of Garlic powder

3.Adding red kidney beans instead of the black bean .

4. Added Frozen corn in place of canned corn

Southwestern chili

1 Can of Black beans or red kidney beans

I bottle of Salsa or Picante sauce

1 can of rotel tomatoes

1 can of corn

1 lb ground turkey

1 packet taco seasoning mixed in 1/2 cup of water

1 tsp of Garlic powder or 2 medium cloves of garlic chopped.

1 small onion diced.

1 tsp of Tabasco or chili sauce.

Garnish

Fat free sour cream, Cheese, green onions, Tortilla chips.

Combine all ingredients in a large pot and let it simmer for one hour to one and half hours. Garnish it with sour cream., grated cheeses and green onions. Serve with side of cornbread .

How to make Rotel tomatoes from Scratch

How to make Taco seasoning from scratch

More Chili recipes

Other OPM in my blog

Easy Lazy Chicken

Blogging Addiction - Cherry Pineapple cobbler

Arroz con pollo

This is my event entry to Blog or Bust event . My comfy chili will warm up any cold day.

Arroz con Pollo - Chicken with Rice Latin Style

2007-11-03T14:25:00.000-04:00

What do call a pantry where you don't find anything when you need to?

Mocha's Pantry

Since I decided to be full MOM Shuttle Service(shuttling my son and daughter to various activities and school and mind you they are just 5 & 2.5) my kitchen is a mess. I never find anything I have to ,when I want to . I had some guest over two weeks back and I wanted to make some easy snacks, so vegetable pakoras came to my mind. I rummage my pantry and couldn't find besan, so decided to make Corn fritters using Gulab jamun Mix which turned out to be good according my hubby but disaster according to me.

When Sunita announced Safforn as theme , I wanted to post an entry because I have had some saffron in my pantry for long time and I thought this was a good excuse to use it. Did I find it?No

Yesterday I said "Enough, I need to get my kitchen in order" and rearranged everything and guess what saffron and Besan was right there.

Just a slight detour................................................. Will be back on this track

Weekends Meals:

I prefer to make one pot dishes for lunch on Saturday. This is only because less dishes to wash and as soon as lunch is done we can be out doing something more worthwhile. This weekend since I found Saffron ,I decide to make Arroz Con pollo . This is a distant cousin to Paella which needs a lot more ingredients mainly seafood . If you search the web you will be able to find zillions of versions of this particular dish. The way I make it a combinations of three recipes found on the net and seen on Food TV.

Ingredients

Chicken - 1 Large cut into 8 pieces (if you prefer breast that's fine too)
Olive oil -3 tbs

Rice - 1.5 cups

Chicken stock- 3 Cups

Tomato paste- 1 Tbs

Onion - 1 Medium chopped

Tomato -1 small chopped

Green pepper - 1chopped

Garlic -1 Tbs diced

Paprika - 2 tsp

Dried parsley - 1tbs

saffron threads 1/4 tsp

Peas 1/2 cup

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Method:

Heat oil in rice cooker, cooker or a large pan . Brown the chicken pieces in the oil. Keep it aside.

Add the onion, bell pepper and garlic to the oil in the same vessel cook over medium heat heat until soft but do not brown, about 1 or 2 minutes. Add the tomato and cook for one Combine Broth, tomato paste, parsley, saffron threads, paprika, salt and pepper. Add it to the onion, bell pepper, garlic .Return the chicken pieces to the cooker. When it starts to boil add the rice. Simmer till rice is tender. Usual about 20 minutes. If it starts to dry out and rice is still al dente, add more liquid. If it gets too soupy, uncover during the last 10 or 15 minutes of cooking.Now add the peas and switch the stove off.

As Ricky Ricardo would say" You have splained* my favorite dish enough."

Verdict:
When I took it out of rice cooker to serve it my first reaction was "Its thakali Sadam or tomato Rice with Chicken, Oh No". But the first spoon of Arroz con pollo was enough to convince me this was different. I liked flavors a lot. The saffron gave a wonderful aroma , the tomato slight sweetness and tartness and the chicken stock flavored the rice. I liked a lot. It is a good meal. It taste like yellow rice you get in Cuban restaurants. Definitely will come back to my table for a meal.

Variations: Some recipes call for oregano, bay leaf. The rice for this dish is short-grained Valencia-style rice If you cannot find it in your area, the Italian Arborio rice will be a good substitute.I have read recipes where they use beer and broth combination. Some people leave out the peas .

Splained: Instead of explained Ricky of I Love Lucy used to say Splained. For those of you who haven't watch I love Lucy you need to watch it.

Mocha's Omletto y Caliente Sauce

2007-10-31T10:48:00.000-04:00

Humble Beginnings

According to legend, when Napoleon Bonaparte and his army were traveling through southern France, they decided to rest for the night near the town of Bessieres. Napoleon feasted on an omelet prepared by a local innkeeper that was such a culinary delight that he ordered the townspeople to gather all the eggs in the village and to prepare a huge omelet for his army the next day.

From this beginning, the omelette's became a tradition to feed the poor of the village at Easter. It has also become the symbol of a world-wide fraternity, rich in friendship, tradition and cultural exchange, known as the Confrerie

Source http://www.giantomelette.org/celebration_info-history.php

What does omlette mean to you?

Omlette for me is the plain canvas where I can add anything I dream off. It is simple yet mind blowing. I started making this Omlette when I was on South Beach diet a year ago. Got bored of eating eggs so had to vary it everyday. Now a day I scramble the omlette recipe and stuff it in a tortilla and grill the burrito for those lazy after noons. Chorizo or Mexican sausage is something I use in this recipe. But I couldn't get it this time so left it out. The tomatoes make the texture kind of watery. So add towards the end .
Mocha's Southwestern Omlette

Crack up four eggs, more if you want

Beat up the eggs as fast as you can

Now chop up an onion as small you want

Mince up a jalapeno as pretty as you can

All that is left is to dice up some cilantro and one tiny tomato

And take a quarter cup of shredded cheese

And mix everything with the egg.

Now comes the fun part of seasoning it right

A pinch of salt and pinch of pepper.

But the secret lies in the a teaspoon of Taco seasoning.

Now that you made the Omlette ,

You can garnish it with tortilla strips

and serve it with a Hot sauce.

The hot sauce in this photo is a home made Caribbean hot sauce gifted to my husband by his colleague. Cynthia of Taste like home was courteous enough to send me the recipe and hence I am putting the recipe below.Yummy. Don't dare to eat if you cant handle hot stuff.

Hot sauce

Wash the harbenaro peppers and remove the stems (use gloves), In a food processor or blender, add vinegar and salt to taste along with the peppers and pulse/blend to the consistency you want, some people like it to have a little texture and others like it smooth.
In terms of how much vinegar to add, I always average, I prefer to put a little and then add as I go along so that I get the right consistency. That's it, it's that simple. What makes it great is the amount of time it sits and cures but it can certainly be used right away.

We also add different things to the sauce once is it make like sliced bitter gourd, a pieces of cucumber, cut limes or lemons but generally we like to have it as is so that we can taste the flavour of the pepper and the heat.

Source - Cynthia

Nanditha & Kanchana here is Omlette toast for you for hosting Weekend breakfast blogging Event - Omlette

Ten symptoms of Blog Addiction - Cherry Pineapple Cobbler

2007-10-26T13:04:00.003-04:00

No, it is not a David letterman segment.

Are you addicted to something? You might have heard about food, drugs and alcohol addictions. But I am not speaking about these addictions for sure. The 21-st century has come with new sets of addiction. Addictions for which no treatment has been found. Something that is spreading like an epidemic. Something that does not care for age, gender, nationality. Something called BLOG ADDICTION. Are you one of among millions affected by it? Watch out for the ten symptoms below

1.You brain is working overtime in order to find the suitable topic for next blog.
2.You have to take photos of everything you make even if it PBJ. You look an egg and it seems like the supermodel. Do I put it in a carton or leave it in a nest? Do I make it my sunshine or moonlight? (Not pointing at event esp. CLICK by Jugal bandi)
3.Your menu revolves around the events in the month. Saffron, Peaches and Omlettes crawl into your menu.
4.You check your mail to see who has commented and what they have religiously every 10 minutes.
5.You feel proud seeing the counter for number of visitor going up. Even though you were the one who loaded the pages most of the time.
6.You frequent other blogs to draw inspirations.
7.You wait for Sunday editions of particular blogger. Certain veteran blogger uses that tatics.

8.You breathe food, you dream food and eat it too.

9.90% of time you family gets to eat burned food & remaining 10% food out of this world. You are in front of computer searching or blogging and cooking simultaneously.
10.Last but not the least you look at blog and feel proud as you see your little baby growing every day.

I have Blog addiction do you?
See the picture above, it is not most beautiful picture that I have posted. However, it is surely a yummy tasty dessert. Over the weekend, I had few guest and I made this cobbler for dessert. I forgot to the take a picture of this dessert for my blog before I served the food. The next day when I was serving the leftover dessert, I felt an urge that I had to write a blog about this cobbler. What if it did not look that appealing as a left over it at least it one of my favorite desserts.

How I got this recipe:
When I was attending a public speaking class, we had to do a demonstration speech. One of my classmates demonstrated this dessert. She made us taste it first and it tasted really good. Then when I knew the recipe, I was so excited because it was easy semi home recipe. This dessert has a perfect blend of taste ,tickling all the taste buds.

CHERRY - PINEAPPLE COBBLER
1 can (30 oz.) pie filling
1 can (20 oz.) crushed pineapple, drained
Yellow or white cake mix
1/2 Cup of coconut flakes
Stick of butter

Grease a 9 x 13 inch pan. Spread cherry pie filling over bottom of pan. Layer pineapple on top of pie filling. Sprinkle dry cake mix over all. Add coconut flakes. Melt butter and drizzle over top. Bake for 30 minutes in a 350-degree oven. This is so easy and so delicious!

For those of you who prefer the original way:

Instead of Cake mix
1-cup flour
1-cup sugar
Pinch salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup milk

Melt one stick of butter in pan, pour batter into butter, and pour in Cherry & pineapple. Top it with coconut and bake.

Serve the warm cobbler with ice cream, preferably Vanilla.

Disclaimer:
My recipes are modified to suit my taste and in case any of you feel not up to your standard go modify and make it your recipe.

Cauliflower in Hot garlic sauce -TGRWT #7

2007-10-23T08:23:00.000-04:00

Cauliflower called a cauliflower because
A. Looks like flower
B. Is a flower
C. Sounds good
D. All of the above

Cauliflower is high in
A. B6
B. Vitamin C
C. Folic acid
D. All of the above

Cauliflower prevents
A. Cancer
B. Hyper tension
C. Cholesterol

Answers at the end of post

Cauliflower is one those vegetables that hardly enters my kitchen. Why you ask? My DH does not like soggy veggies and usually cauliflower can become soggy fast . But this recipe is very dear to me as this is one of the ways I can sneak in cauliflower in my family.

Recently I came across a blog, Flavor alchemy, that said caramelised cauliflower and cocoa would pair very well because molecular structure was similar. So the Curious Mocha decided to do an experiment of her own. A old recipe with face lift if you may call it was the result of this experiment. I modified the original recipe in two ways when I prepared it this time.
1. Instead of frying it, I baked the cauliflower.
2. I added cocoa.
So any one wanting to make the original just skip cocoa and fry cauliflower.

Ingredients
Cauliflower - 1 head
Oil - 2tbsp
Salt - A pinch
Pepper -1/2 tsp

Garlic Sauce
Oil - 3tbsp
Garlic - 20 flakes roughly minced
Red chilly bits -1/2 tsp
Tomato ketchup -4 tbsp
Red chilly sauce -2 tsp
Soy Sauce 2tsp
Pepper- 1/2 tsp
Salt - 1 tsp
Sugar - a pinch
Vinegar -2 tsp
Bell pepper - 1 Cut into tiny cubes.
Water 1 1/2 cups
2 tbsp of corn flour mixed with 1/2 cup of water.
Cocoa -1 tsp

Preparing cauliflower Method I[ Face lift way]
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash and dry the cauliflower well. Cut the florets and coat it with oil and a generous dash of salt. Spread the cauliflower in a single layer on a heavy sheet and roast it until golden to brown and caramelized, turning the bits and slices once or twice, about 20-25minutes. Taste, and add salt and pepper.

Preparing cauliflower Method II[Original Way]
Heat oil in wok . Add cauliflower and stir fry on medium till the color golden to brown . Approx 4 minutes on each side. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and keep aside.

Garlic Sauce
Grind garlic to a rough paste. Heat oil. Remove from fire and add garlic and red chilly bits. Stir till garlic changes colors. Add tomato ketchup, red chilly sauce, soy sauce, pepper and salt. Return it to fire. Cook for a minute and add sugar and vinegar. Then add capsicum(used green chillies as I didn't have capsicum). Stir fry for two minutes. Add water and give it a boil. Add cauliflower an slowly add in cornflour and cocoa mixed in water(I use broth to give more flavor). Cook in low for till sauce thickens. minutes . Garnish with spring onions.
This sauce can be used with most of vegetables or meat. Comparable to Hot Garlic sauce you get in Chinese restaurants.

Verdict: I did not feel that cocoa had enhanced the flavor of this particular dish . But it did give it some color. Caramelizing the cauliflower was healthier than frying the florets as the original recipe had asked me to do.
I liked eating the caramelized cauliflower on its own too. A good south beach diet snack I guess

So here is my entry for TGRWT event Caramelized cauliflower & Cocoa Event.

Answers
Cauliflower called a cauliflower because is a flower
Cauliflower is high in all B6, C and floic acid
Cauliflower prevents cancer

Muy Delicioso Peach Orange Salsa

2007-10-20T21:14:00.000-04:00

You should not go to a supermarket when you are hungry. The wise people have told us.
You should not go to a supermarket when you are eating a lot of junk. I add.

Even though I have been big most of my life, I used to work out every single day. However, after my long vacation I never got back into routine.And last week I was feeling too guilty that I decided to at least watch what I eat. I went to the store and bought more fruits & vegetables than I could handle.
So a week later what do I find in my fridge?
Lot of fruits and vegetables crying for help. Please use us. I adorn the chef hat and my brain goes to work. Fruit smoothie, fruit pie, & then it dawns on me let me make Peach Pineapple Mango Salsa that I had sampled in one of the gourmet stores recently. But I do not have mango or pineapple. So I think of substituting fruits and Peach Orange Tomato Salsa was born.

Ingredients

1 chopped, peeled fresh peaches

1/4 chopped sweet onion
1/2 Chopped Orange
1 Chopped Tomato

3 Tablespoon lime juice

2 to 3 Tablespoon finely chopped, seeded fresh jalapeno pepper

1 Tablespoon snipped fresh cilantro

1/2 tsp. sugar
Salt

In a medium mixing bowl, stir together peaches, onion, lime juice, peppers, garlic, cilantro, and sugar. Cover and chill for 1 to 2 hours. Make 1 Cup. I did not mince the fruits as I wanted to use it as topping for crackers and didn't want crackers to get soggy.

This salsa has the sweetness of peach, the tartness of oranges, heat of chilies. After letting it sit for 2 hours, the flavors blend perfectly. I guess the only thing I would do differently is I would take 1/4 salsa and make it a puree and add to rest. I used it as topping on some crackers.I used this salsa as a dip for my chips, I grilled some fish my neighbor had caught and served it with it.

Variations
Peach Mango Salsa
Tropical Fruit and Black Bean Salsa Recipe.
Melon Salsa Recipe.
Mango Salsa Recipe

Fun facts about Peach
The peach is a member of the rose family. It was first cultivated in China and revered as a symbol of longevity.

How to Select Peaches
When selecting fresh peaches, look for ones that are soft to the touch, blemish free, and have a fragrant smell. Peaches that are mildly fragrant ripen into sweet and delicious flavors. Choose fruit that has a background color of yellow or cream and has a fresh looking appearance. Peaches may have some red "blush" depending on the variety, but this isn’t a sign of how the fruit will taste after it’s ripened. At home peaches can be ripened at room temperature in a brown paper bag in 2 to 3 days. Peaches are highly perishable, so don't buy more than you plan to use. When selecting can peaches, choose those labeled "packed in it's own juice" and "no added sugar"; these are the healthier choices.

How to Store
The best time to eat peaches is when they are ripe. If they need to be stored they should be stored out of the sun in a cool area or stored in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days. Peaches that need to be ripened can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, then ripened in a bag as stated above. Ripe peaches taste best when they're eaten at room temperature. So remember to take them out of the refrigerator one hour before eating. That way you'll really enjoy their sweet and juicy flavor

Uses
Wash peaches carefully in cool soapy water, then rinse well before eating or using. If used in cooking they peel really fast if blanched in boiling water for a minute then plunged into ice water to cool. In fruit salads or platters, sprinkle cut peaches with lemon juice to help them keep their great color.

The above information was gathered from Foodreference.Com

I am sending this recipe for the event AFAM - Peach by Mansi Of Fun and Food Blog.

Tale of a little fish who made Kerala Fish Bake

2007-10-18T11:55:00.000-04:00

Let me tell you story of a little fish that went into mighty ocean without knowing how to swim and turned to the best swimmer she could be. There were better swimmers than her but she did not mind as long as she did her best.....................................................

Epilogue
Pre Blogging Era/ Pre Frozen Indian Foods Era

A long long time ago in a far a way land(10 years and India to be exact ) there was a little fish who gathered all her dreams and hopes and came to the land of unknown (USA). Little did she know how to cook, clean or manage a house but there she in JFK, a newly married woman. She was welcomed by two weird looking people AM & AR, her hubby's best friend and his cousin respectively. One was short, had a baseball cap and a weird untamed beard and the other was tall and had a long straight ponytail in back. The famished looking people in their late 20's were all excited to see her. The thought finally they could eat some good home cooked Kerala meals.
They did not suspect even for a minute that this little fish had not even boiled a cup of water before. They took her to AR apartment in NY where he had prepared Rice & Kheema with chicken pea. She was too tired and hungry that food tasted very good. Ok, AR u made good food.
Now it was her turn to call the famished young men and give them some good homely food. After week of deciding the menu, she was ready. Idiappam, Egg curry, Cabbage thoran and fried rice . "Enough" she said to herself. "I haven't cooked a single thing in my life and here I am planning to make everything in the recipe book my mom gave me". " But what the heck. I can do it" her alter ego said .

Chapter 1 - Idiappam - Steamed Rice Noodles

Boil water, add salt and rice flour. Then using a noodle press make noodles. Steam and eat. Great . What can be easier. But for some reason something happened and noodles became gooey and sticky in the process of steaming . So ~~Idiappam~~ .

Chapter 2 Egg curry

She put aside the disaster and started the new recipe. She followed the recipe to the dot. But the curry did not pass the taste test. Later in a conversation with her mom, she found that the coriander powder and masalas had to be sautéed well to get the raw taste out. Disaster again . But this curry was still served.

Chapter 3 Rice

She did not know how to make rice in a pressure cooker and rice turned out to be overdone but edible.

Chapter 4 Cabbage Thoran

Her mom had written beside the recipe for Cabbage thoran do not add lot of water as cabbage has water in it. She became too cautious did not add any water. What do you know the cabbage was burnt . Disaster strikes again.

Chapter 5 - Uncontrollable tears

In half a day, her ego had been crushed. She realized cooking was indeed an art. The great Mocha was defeated. Now what would she feed her guests. She felt that she failed as woman(woman knows to make good food). Her first party was a flop. What will DH cousin think about her .And what if FIL & MIL hear about the disaster. BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Chapter 6 DH to the rescue

When her DH returned from work he shocked to find here in tears. After hearing about the whole saga, he decided to make his sambhar( A debate is still going on about this . He calls it Sambhar whereas the rest of us feels it is Dhal curry).Her guests arrived . They were served the over cooked rice, burnt cabbage , sambhar & Egg. They said nothing.
After that, she was invited to their bachelor pads and given 101 cooking lesson. She vowed herself that day that she would never quit cooking or be a failure. She will be the best cook she can be . Each day she used to prepare new dishes and with passing of time, she really became a good one. Her confidence was boosted when my MIL told her mom "I never thought Mocha was such a good cook. Her food is delicious". That made my day. All my hard work had paid off. It is tough to get compliments from MILs. Today when AM visits her with his family he still says, "I will never forget your first meal and you have come so far. You food taste good. "
So if the little fish can make it all of you can. Try and never quit whether it is a lesson in cooking or in life.

The End

During the early years of experimenting in cooking I used Mrs.. BF Varghese recipe book Recipes for all occasions a lot. I had lost interest in cooking after I moved to Naples, Florida 3 years ago. Simply because I have no friends to cook for and my DH was never interested in tasting new food. Blogging has given me the second wind to cook. Now a days I flip through the pages of cookbooks and go through the recipes I have tried and liked . Kerala Fish bake is one among them . I have given the recipe 5 stars and Easy and Tasty stamp. I have made it on several occasions just because this recipe did not need much effort and it tasted good .

Ingredients
Fish - 1 Kg (2.2 Lb) (your choice. I used Tilapaia)
Turmeric powder *-1 tsp
Chilly Powder - 2 tsp
Salt - 1tsp

Minced Onions - 1.5 Cups
Coconut Milk- 1 cup
Minced Tomato - 1 Cup
Minced Green Chilly - 6 dsp
Oil for frying

Method
Marinate the fish with salt , turmeric and chilly powder for 30 minutes. Shallow fry the fish.
Sauté the onions and chilies in oil.( I use the left over oil of fried fish). Before it changes color, add tomatoes. Sauté for about 10 minutes until the gravy is thick. Add the fried fish . Add in the coconut milk to evenly coat the fish masala and bake the fish at 375F for 30 minutes or till the gravy is thick.

Turmeric Powder

– Available in Indian stores
Kerala – Southern Coastal state of India

This is my entry to Teach a man to fish Event.

I have been noticing a trend of writing a lot of non veg recipes. Sorry vegeterians, I am bad in cooking vegeterian food. But will post some soon.

I have been Booed

2007-10-14T20:27:00.000-04:00

Goody Bag I got

Boo Sign on my door

I don't know who booed me , but today I got these goodies. Thank you Ghostie. For those of who thinking that I have lost it, it is an update on my previous post. The Banana bread I got was good. It had nutmeg added . So I am out booing again tomorrow.

Egg is best when in a nest

2007-10-14T15:21:00.001-04:00

"Avo Sikha do tumbhe ande ka Funda
Yeh Nahi Pyare koyi mamuli Banda" *********

What egg recipe will be full without my all time favorite song!!!!!! Watch it before you begin cooking

This Saturday afternoon ,after painting a room since morning, I was in no mood to cook. My DH was hungry for a snack. I raided my pantry. There is nothing but lot sugar laden kiddie stuff. My husband need something more substantial .

What do I do? Make the egg fry he likes. I never had eaten egg fry till I got married. After my marriage I discovered that there were a lot things my husband loved to that I hadn't heard about all my life.. He liked his Appam with thenga chammanthy(No not the one you eat with dosa, but it is something like thenga thoran.That's right. Thoran mix thoran. Got u confused right? I don't know a better way of explaining this. I think they have this in Kollam side).

Now for his Kozhikatta.He liked to eat kozhikatta. or Modak ,which for me was Steamed rice ball with jaggery and coconut filling. I made it the way I know. He took a bite and then almost spit it out. This was not the Kozhikatta he wanted, but it seems there is a Kozhikatta without any filling. The Nadan kozhikkata, you eat this kind by dipping in sugar. Who knew that Kozhikatta was like that too.

And then the famous Egg Fry. Sunny side you mean. Nope. A all together different thing.

Since egg was the theme of Click event by Jugalbandi. I decided to post the Egg fry as my entry .

Ingredients

Boiled eggs- 4
Chilly Powder -3TBS
Turmeric - 1tsp
Peeper - 1tsp
Salt as required.
Oil to shallow fry

Method: Make cuts on the boiled eggs. Marinate with the rub. Shallow fry it till all sides are crusty. The egg made like this has a different texture. For those familiar with Kerala fish fry, it is same way. It can be had as snack, as a side dish . I have even added Egg fry to curry masala.

P.S: I have been talking about my mom a lot. This recipe is from my MIL. I wish she was here with me now to make it because hers egg fry looks way prettier. She was known to be a good cook back in days. Making food 24/7 for husband & 2 sons & every other visiting family members. People say they could smell fried chicken even at midnight. After my FIL demise she retired from cooking. She got fed up of it. Now she hardly cooks anything , but when she came to stay with me she made few of her signature dishes this was one of them . MIL if you ever see this blog thanks for sharing this recipe.

********* For those of you unfamiliar of couplet above
The lyrics is from movie JODI NO.1 { a slapstick, crazy hindi comedy}.A whole song dedicated to eggs if you believe it. Meaning of the lines given above :
Com on let me teach you the fundamentals of Egg
My love he is not ordinary fellow.

I hope it is not Lost in translation.

Dont Play with your Food Series -II

2007-10-12T15:07:00.000-04:00

Since I saw that so many of you liked it ,I thought I would post the rest too. Have fun!!!!!!!!!!! The captions are mine. if any of you come up with a more funny caption send it. I can change it.

Mr SweetP would you mind brushing your teeth before you pose

Wheels on Bus go round & round

Mushrooms on the ...........................

Finding Nemo??? ( My favorite)

Don't be green with envy.
My Handsome Tomato(My 5yr old told me to write this). I am turning red.
When life gives you lemon make lemonade. Even if they r so cute???????
Peas in a pod(What a creative thing to say. Took 5 hrs to come up with that)

Actually they came to audition for See no evil, Hear no evil and speak no evil part. But they were too goofy

Dancing in the Rain

Happy feet

The pig named Papaya
Hot Dog
Last but not the last Bananpus
Hey what about me. I am here tooo.

Don't play with your food series - I

2007-10-10T16:05:00.000-04:00

If only your mama knew what playing with your food meant .
I got this forwarded mail and I thought it would be nice of me to share these with all you food junkies out there. This is the first installment. A stand up ovation to the artist behind these creations.

Oops . He going to be mushed !!!!!!!!!!!!.

The happy dozen of GRAPES

Oops ,I did it Again.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Baby

Banana Dog

I scream for Ice cream

Sweethog Potato?

With a quack quack here and quack there

Looks like me screaming at my kids. Just two though.

Baa Baa Cauli sheep.........

Ribbit Ribbit Green pepper froggies..............

Komidiche Xacuti - Chicken Curry - Goan style

2007-10-10T09:00:00.000-04:00

The east is the east, the west the west, but the twain do meet in Goa

Vegeterians look at end of the post.

Year: 198* or rather the year Fauji aired.

Almost two decades ago, my family went on week long vacation to Goa. The trip was not long but the picture that was painted in my mind was enough to last a life time. The beautiful sand, swaying coconut palms and smell of fresh sea food. A beautiful picture indeed.

A sixth grader who had no clue about the place. All I knew was that we were driving to Goa to spent 10 days with my aunt. Goa, the land of old architecture, beautiful beaches-nude beaches too, hippies, lots of fisherman(like old Hindi movie Bobby) and lots of water activities. The typical stereotype description.

But the trip was an eye opener. More than anything it was the friendly ,happy go lucky spirit of the people in Goa that won my heart. They enjoyed every bit, life had to offer. I guess the sun, Fenny( their local toddy), the fresh sea food and their beaches had to do something with it.

We visited a lot small shacks and tasted authentic Goan food. Goan cuisine, like the land itself, has many flavours and tastes with its vast treasure trove of culinary delicacies. Long period of Portuguese rule, besides that of the Muslim and Hindu kingdoms, has left an indelible influence on the original style of cooking and this has led to an exotic mix of truly tasty and spicy cuisine. Most people who sample Goan cuisine, enjoy this different and unique style of food which has a distinct and unique combination of spicy flavours.

My dad and mom went to Goa this year again with my sister's family and I guess that is what brought back memories of our trip. Apart from the Vindaloos and Spicy fish curries, one dish that screams for attention is Komiche Xacuti (Chicken Curry ). So from my trusted Hawkins Cookbook, here is recipe for curry(this is one of my family favorite dish). The time saving tips I used are stated in the Notes below.

Komidiche Xacuti - Chicken Curry - Goan style

Serve 8

Coconut grated - 3 3/4 cups

Water - 3 Cups

Vegetable Oil -3/4 Cup *

Aniseed - 1 Tbsp

Peppercorns - 12

Nutmeg Powder -1/4 tsp

Fenugreek Seeds - 1 tsp

Poppy Seeds - 3 tbsp

Coriander Seeds - 1 tbsp*

Cumin Seeds - 1 1/2 seeds

Whole dry red Kashimiri chillies - 12

Onion - 3 medium

Garlic - 9 flakes

Onions - 4 medium

Chicken - 1 1/2 kgs

Tamarind - 25 gms soaks in 1/2 cup of hot water and the pulp extracted.

Vinegar - 3 tbsp

Salt - 5 tsp

Extract 1 cup thick milk from 2.5 cups coconut using 1 cup of water. Add 3/4 cup of water to the same coconut and extract 3/4 c thin milk.*
In a pan, heat 1 tbsp oil for about 1/2 minute. Roast aniseed, nutmeg, fenugreek, poppy, coriander and cumin seeds. Remove and keep aside. Roast red chillies in the oil left in the pan. Remove and keep aside.
In the same pan, heat remaining oil (3/4 cup)for about 2 minutes. Add sliced onion and garlic. Fry till onions are golden brown. Remove and keep aside.
To the oil in pan, add remaining coconut (1 1/4 c). Stir fry till light brown and remove. Strain oil and put in cooker.
Grind together fried and roasted ingredients into paste, adding a little water (remaining 1 1/4 cups) from time to time.
Place cooker on high heat. Add chopped onions and fry till golden brown. Add ground paste. Stir for about 2 minutes. Add chicken . Mix. Add tamarind pulp, vinegar, salt and thin coconut milk. Stir.
Close cooker. Bring to full pressure on high heat. Reduce heat and cook for 7 minutes.
Remove cooker from heat. Allow to cool naturally.
Open cooker. Add thick coconut milk. Stir.
Place cooker on high heat and bring boil, stirring constantly. Serve hot.

Hope you enjoy this dish as much as my family does.

Notes:

I did not use pressure cooker instead cooked it in a pan as the chicken in US cooks fast.I used 1 tbsp of coriander powder instead of coriander seeds.I reduced the oil to 1/2 Cup [ I try to cut fat fat if possible] .I used coconut milk powder instead of extracting coconut milk. I reduced the onions to two large instead of seven mediums.

Vegeterians: Check out these fellow blogger for vegeterian version of Xacuti

Nupurs One Hot stove

Update on You have been Booed

2007-10-08T12:36:00.001-04:00

I got caught . My neighbor came to me the next day and said I know it was you who booed us. I couldn't lie . But the Boo spirit has caught on. I see new boo posters springing up every day. I haven't been booed though.

You have been Boo'ed - Toffee Chocolate Bars

2007-10-05T09:45:00.000-04:00

What comes to your mind when I say October ?
Fall, Apples, Pumpkin, witches , Goblins and of course Halloween.

Maybe it is because I am still a child in my heart, I love Halloween a lot. I must admit though it is becoming more and more gross each year. Till last year Halloween to me meant buying bags of candy for trick or treaters , decorating the house , and of course getting costumes for little ones.
But when I moved into my new house last year, I was introduced to a new tradition . 'YOU HAVE BEEN BOO'ED'. Translated as someone leaves a bag of goodies and note at your doorstep, rings the bell and vanishes . Now it is upon you to continue the chain and do the same so that all the kids in neighbourhood gets a gift from the Halloween Ghost.
Last year my neighbor TW started it and you won't believe the fun adults had dropping the gifts at neighbours door step and vanishing into thin air . TW just delivered a baby last week and I am sure she will be too tired to begin the chain ,so I thought I will surprise her by beginning the fun. Hope I don't get caught. The treat I have decide to make for her is Toffee Chocolate Bars .

Ingredients
Crust
White cake Mix - 1packet ****
Packed brown sugar - 2 tbsp
Butter melted - 1/2 Cup

Filling
Sweet condensed milk - 1 Can
Butter - 2tbsp

Topping
Semi chocolate Chip - 1 2/3 Cups
Crunchy Toffee bits - 1Cups

Method

Preheat the oven to 350F or 180C.

Crust:Combine cake mix, brown sugar and melted butter. Mix until soft dough forms. Press the dough firmly into a 13x9 inch greased pan. Bake for 15 minutes or until light brown . Cool slightly on a wire rack.

Filling:Heat condensed milk & butter in a saucepan, stirring constantly over low heat until thickened. It is about 5-10 minutes. Spread over crust and bake it for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Topping :In a sauce pan , over low heat (or in a microwave on medium for 2 seconds), melt chocolate chips, stirring until smooth. Spread evenly over the filling. Sprinkle toffee bits on top. Cool completely. If necessary chill briefly to set chocolate. Cut the bars.

Note:
1.In case you don't want to use cake mix or don't have access to buying it I found a substitute for cake mix on the net.

Ingredients below for the packaged cake mix:

2 1/4 cup (530 ml) flour, sifted

1/4 tsp. (1.2 ml) salt

2 1/2 tsp. (12 ml) baking powder

1 1/3 cup (210 ml) sugar.

Whisk ingredients together in medium bowl. Substitute for packaged cake mix.{From Christian Chefs}

2.Don't leave the filling unattended even for a minute. It can get burned fast.

3. Dont bake or chill for long. The bars can very tough.

My Letter
It all started with a little BOO

A knock upon the door and off they flew!

Halloween is almost here, the leaves are flying by

The pumpkins are ripe; there is a witch in the sky!

Wee Ghostie came by the light of the moon

Put a BOO sign up your door

So that the Wee Ghostie comes no more.
If you do not wish a curse to fall,

Continue this greeting, this Ghositie’s call.

First, post this BOO where it can be seen,

And leave it there until Halloween.

This will scare other Ghostie who may visit.

Be sure to participate, you don't want to miss it!
Second, make a treat & a copies of this letter with a grin

Deliver them to a neighbor where this Ghost hasn't been

Don't let them see you, be sneaky, no doubt …And make sure they put their Boo Sign out!

Next, you have only one day to act, so be quick!L

eave it at doors where the Ghost hasn't hit.

Deliver at dark when there isn't much light...

Ring the doorbell and run, and stay out of sight!!
And last, but not least, come join in the season.

Don't worry, be happy, you need no good reason.

This is all in good fun and we are just trying to say...

HAPPY HALLOWEEN AND HAVE A GREAT DAY

Now these are the things you will need to do:
1. Make three copies of this letter and a phantom ghost for each.
2. Post the phantom on your door or in your window until Halloween. This will ward
off the phantom from returning to haunt you and yours.
3. Then take a letter, a phantom and treat and deliver them to three house that do not
have a phantom posted.

My Goodie Bag
I filled the bags with Candies, stickers,Halloween toys and of course the Toffee Chocolate bars.

I had photocopy of this recipes in an old recipe book. I don't know the source but I am sure it from some Cake Mix recipe books.

A Perfect Cup of Tea for an Imperfect Day

2007-10-03T17:45:00.000-04:00

It not raining outside. Its not tea time yet . It's not that I am addicted to tea. It's not that I have guest who drinks tea. But an imperfect day always makes me crave for aperfect cup of Tea.

Today was one those lousy days. I have to admit though I don't have many of these days.

School lunch, Dr appointment, Soccer practice, Trip to library for story time, Microwave not working, loose connection in the fan,job interview, cranky kid and a sick husband . This is the essence of my not so beautiful day.

[Oh how I wished I could run away from everything and unwind in the sugary white sands, with soothing sounds of pelicans , smell of salty air and cool waves breaking in my feet. ]
It is days like this that make me crave for chai ,that too with ginger in it. I was all set to unwind and went to kitchen to make tea to lift me up.

How I like my tea
I feel that there is no right way to make it. You make it the way you want as long as tea and water is there .

Boil 1/2 cup of milk and 1/2 cup water in a container. Add 1/2 tsp of crushed ginger. When it starts to boil, add 1tsp of tea powder or tea leaves . Simmer for a minute. Strain the tea in to the cups. Add sugar according to your taste. My taste 1tsp.

Just as I finished making tea, found a corner to sit and read a book without anyone troubling me(kids are out with dad getting mail), I hear my two year old ask me 'Entha athu?'(What are you having?).I reply "Tea". "Hooray, lets have a tea party. A princess one " and she runs to get her tea set.

Notes:
As per Manish Chhatralia,spices that are generally added

A. 1 one 1.5 inch cinnamon stick.
B. 3-4 cardamoms (with shell).
C. 2-3 peppercorns.
D. 2-3 cloves
E. 1/2 teaspoon of ginger powder

Useful sites for making perfect cup of Tea
How to make perfect tea I
How to make perfect tea II
Dwipal's Blog

Note: No filter was used to take the photo, not even any softwares to alter it. It is just that I accidently covered the flash and it is my bloods color diffusing in picture. Talk about putting flesh and blood into the blog.

Chilly Kappa [Tapioca]

2007-09-30T18:03:00.000-04:00

Chilly Kappa by Mocha

The day was chilly and the night was silent. Cold winds were blowing through the howling trees. (Wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh)(Sound of winds howling)
And there she was, Chilly Kappa. Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr(its her shivering)

Cut .

Oops. Story time over and lets come back to reality.

How was chilly Kappa born? Few years ago, I very badly wanted to have Chutta Kappa(Tapioca)* and chutta mulakku udachathu**. But who could grill tapioca we get in US that was coated with wax. And to think about roasting red chillies with neighbours nearby, a distant dream. But I was all set to at least make the mulakku udachathu. Forget the neighbours. What is the most they could do? Sue me? I gathered the ingredients I thought I needed and went rummaging through my moms famous recipe book to find the recipe.

Screeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeech(sound of brakes applied to my ambitious plan)

The recipe wasn't there. How in world do I make chutta mulaku udachathu. It almost 2.00 am in India, bad time to call Amma.I really didn't want kill recipe by guessing what to do.

So, plan B. Make something else utilizing all the ingredients I had taken out sans tamarind.

So Chilly Kappa was born.

Ingredients

Kappa -1lb

Small Onion - 5-6 chopped

Red chilly Flakes -1 Tbs (Its spicy dish ) or as per your taste

Mustard seeds - 1tsp

Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Oil -1tbs

salt as reqd

Method

Boil tapioca in water . Drain the Tapioca and keep it aside. Now take a kadai and add oil. When oil is hot, add mustard seeds, small onions , and curry leaves. When the onion is slightly translucent add the crushed chilly flakes. Now mix in the mashed tapoica and mix thoroughly. Add salt. Your Chilly Kappa is done.

This is very good side dish . It can be served with Inji Thairu(Ginger Yogurt) and rice.

*Tapioca roasted in open flame.
**It is chutney made by roasting red chillies, mixed in with tamarind juice , small onions and drizzle of coconut oil. the charred flavor of red chillies give it a unique taste.

THE END

I am going Nuts for Bananas

2007-09-30T10:53:00.001-04:00

I have suddenly been bitten by the blogging bug. I want to participate in every event out there . I suddenly find myself thinking of what to blog, how to blog, when to blog .

So when JFI of the month - Banana was announced By Ahaar I pounced on it. This is ablog that I have published before . I chose this blog not only because it is one of my favorite banana recipe, but alsobecause I didn't have time to think about a new recipe.. So here is ......................................................................

Banana Nut Cake

Yellow cake Mix - 1 Packet

Eggs 2

Brown Sugar -1/4 cup

Water - 2/3 Cup

Baking Soda -1 teaspoon

Vanilla - 1 1/2 teaspoon

Chopped Walnuts -1/2 cup

Mashed Bananas -1 Cup

Start with a Yellow Cake Mix. Add rest of the ingredients to to cake mix . Beat together for 3 minutes. Grease and flour pan. 9x13 Bake for 35-40 minutes at 350 degrees. (325 in glass pan) Top with Sour Cream Icing or Cream Cheese Icing. It is better the second day.

Notes.

The cake is moist and melt in your mouth kind. This is a good recipes for people who enjoy making semi home made goodies. Hope you like it.

Show me you cookbook.

2007-09-28T12:31:00.001-04:00

Me and My Cookbooks, My Cookbooks and Me

Me and my cookbooks,

My cookbooks and me.

Right in Kitchen ,Right by me,

My cookbooks are very dear to me.

We fill the air with fragrance of clove

And make food that is filled with love.

Me and my cookbooks,
My cookbooks and me.

I flip the pages of these magical books

And create some yummy dishes that's worth all the looks.

Indian , Chinese, Continental whatever it be

Yummy tummy tickling food can be made by me.

Me and my cookbooks,
My cookbooks and me.

This is my entry to Nags "Show me the cook book event". When I started cooking a decade ago, all the help I had was from these books. Even though I rely on Internet for recipes nowadays , I can not let go of my cook books. My favorite one is the Hawkins Recipe book(surprise) that came with the Hawkins pressure cooker I bought. It was by accident that I even opened this book as I thought the recipes in a book like this would be not that good.

But today I know looks can be deceptive.

So now, My all time favorite recipe book goes tooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo...

(Drum roll , please)

HAWKINS FUTURA COOK BOOKS