Siri Unburned

Mann mein (Besan) Laddu phoota

noreply@blogger.com (Siri) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 00:46:00 +0000

Happy New Year 2012!

The first day of the new year is always very ambitious. I like to ensure that I do all the things that I love to do since I have a superstition that what I d

o on the first day of the year is what I will do most for the rest.

(So, as you can guess, I dont clean much.)

I woke up today with a craving for sweet and like a typical housewife in the US I have not much choice but to make what I feel like eating.

Besan Laddu is not something that I would normally pick in a sweet store and thats the reason I decided to make it.

What you need to make Besan Laddu (To make 12)

Channa dal powder / Besan / Kadle hittu - 3 cups (cup you would serve curry in a thali)
Fine Semolina / Sooji / Sanna Rave - 1/2 cup
Ghee - 1 cup
Milk - 1/2 cup
Powdered Sugar - 2 cups
Cardamom/Elaichi/Yellakki - 2 pods, powdered (1/2 tsp)
Cashews - 1 for each Laddu

Preparation to make Besan Laddu (Time : 2 min)

Mix the besan and rava together
Powder sugar and elaichi in a mixie and keep aside

Method to make Besan Laddu (Time : 45 mins)

Place a heavy bottomed vessel or kadai on a stove on simmer(low heat)
Heat the ghee in a kadai
Once ghee is warm, fold in the besan rava mixture
The besan rava ghee mixture will cook in low heat for around 30-40 mins till raw smell of besan is gone
Keep the heat low else it may prematurely burn the mixture
Keep stirring it once in a while so that it gets evenly cooked
Let the dough cool for 5 mins once cooked
Grind together the mixture, sugar, milk for a couple of seconds till well mixed
You could also mix manually with a spatula if you do not want extra mixie cleaning chore
Let the dough cool
Grease hand lightly with ghee and form balls from the dough
Stick a cashew into each laddu and voila besan laddu is ready!

My fundas

Replace cashews with pistachio or almond pieces
You could break cashews into small pieces and fold it into the dough. Makes the laddu crunchy.

K square for Ganesha

noreply@blogger.com (Siri) — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 20:22:00 +0000

Ganesha banda

Kayi kadabu thinda

Chikka kereli bidda

Dodda kereli yedda

Ganesha is such a cute God! Nobody thinks twice about teasing Ganesha or about using funny Ganesha similies in daily life. He seems to exude a certain tolerance for mere mortals :). V actually loves to make a small Ganesha vigraha her play mate at times.

I couldnt pass up on an opportunity to appease his biiig tummy with some of my khara kadabu and Kosambri. So here's how I made them

What you need to make Khara Kadabu

Split Yellow Chickpeas (Channa Dal /Kadlebele) - 2 cups (normal thali type cup)
Water - 4 cups
Green Chillies - 6-8 depeding on how spicy you would like it
Coriander - a handful of leaves
Ginger - 1 inch piece
Salt
Idli stand (or whatever mechanism you steam idlis in)

Preparation to make Khara Kadabu (Time : 4 hrs)

Soak the Channa Dal in water for 4 hours (ensure water level is atleast an inch above the channa dal level)

Method to make Khara Kadabu (Time : 20 mins)

Drain the water from the soaked channa dal
Grind the soaked channa dal, green chillies, coriander, ginger and salt together

Ensure that you do not add any extra water while grinding
Grind slow and repeatedly to get a smoother paste (it does not have to be a fine paste)

Lightly grease each idli cup in the idli stand with a drop of oil
Take a small ball of this ground mixture in your palm, make your hand into a fist and press lightly to get a longish, chubby shape
Place this on the idli stand in one of the cups
You could even place two of these in one idli cup to save on time
Repeat the previous three steps till the idli stand is full or your ground mixture is finished
Place the idli stand in a pressure cooker. Remove the weight from the cooker
Pressure cook it for 10 minutes. (The time is the same as Idli would take to steam in your cooker)

My fundas

The actual Ganesha habba kadabu comes with the ground mixture filling inside of a rice flour wrap. I did not make the wrap because the kadabu is what my family loves :)
Onion is also a good addition to this kind of kadabu. Chop onion into tiny pieces and add it to the ground mixture and continue as above
Coriander could also be added chopped instead of grinding it.

What you need to make Kosambri

Moong dal (Hesarbele) - 1 cup
Water - 2 cups
Cucumber - 1
Lemon juice - 2 tsp
Coconut flakes - 1/2 cup
Green chillies - 2
Mustard - 1 tsp
Oil - 2 tsps
Salt

Preparation to make Kosambri (Time : 2 hrs)

Soak the moong dal in water for 2 hours

Method to make Kosambri (Time : 15 mins)

Drain the water from the soaked moong dal.
Cut the cucumber lengthwise in the middle and remove the seeds and the rest of the gooey stuff.
Cut the hard part of the cucumber into very small pieces.
Mix the cucumber pieces, soaked moong dal, lemon juice, coriander, salt and coconut.
For seasoning, fry the mustard and green chillies in oil till the mustard splutters out
Add the seasoning to the Kosambri mixture.

My fundas

You could replace cucumber with grated carrot and it would give you an entirely new salad

Bread ka Meetha

noreply@blogger.com (Siri) — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 21:48:00 +0000

Hurricane Irene left in its wake a humongous food collection in my kitchen. One major contender was the humble bread. Today happened to be Gowri festival (one part of the Gowri-Ganesha habba) so I decided to take the opportunity to reduce the inventory a little by making the prasadam using bread. I am christening it Bread ka Meetha :)

Its a sweeet dish but you can look forward to a lesser sweet variant in my fundas at the end of the recipe. Try it out and let me know how it goes!

What you need to make Bread ka Meetha

Bread - 6 slices (Brown/White)
Milk - 1/2 litre
Sugar - 8 heaped tsps
Ghee - 6 tsps
Almonds (Badam)- few
Cashewnuts (Kaju, Godambi)- few
Dry Raisins (Kishmish, Vona Drakshi) - few
Cardomon (Elaichi, Yelakki) - 1 pod (optional, I did not use it)

Preparation to make Bread ka Meetha (Time : 2 mins)

Remove the crust from around the bread

Method to make Bread ka Meetha (Time : 20 mins)

Boil milk in a heavy bottomed kadhai. After one boil add the sugar to it and continue simmering it till it reduces to half.
In the meantime, deep fry the cashewnuts and almonds in ghee and keep aside
Shallow fry the bread pieces in ghee till golden brown (in case of brown bread it would be more of a reddish hue)

Shallow frying bread with ghee was a revelation. The bread pieces soak in ghee extremely fast. So I suggest you pour a tsp of ghee around the bread after placing it on a tawa or pan. This way you would use less ghee and actually make it less caloried!

Break each fried bread slice into 4 pieces
Once the milk is condensed to half the quantity, add the fried bread pieces and fried nuts to it.
Continue to simmer till the bread softens.
Bread ka meetha is ready :)

My fundas

Toasting bread pieces and adding them to milk is a lower caloried way of making this dish. It would still be very tasty to eat. You could add 1-2 tsp of ghee to the boiling milk to get an equivalent rich impact.

Kodbale (Kodubale)

noreply@blogger.com (Siri) — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 01:07:00 +0000

Gokulashtmi is round the corner and I decided to celebrate it the Iyengar way this year since I am celebrating it for the first time on my own. And that can only mean one thing - lots of things to eat. However I have to limit my Thindis to those that dont need "Varalu" plus the fast consumed ones.

Kodbale is an all time favourite since its spicy and

savoury.

What you need to make Kodbale

Rice flour (Akki hittu, Arsi maav) - 1 measure (small cup, tall cup whatever)
All purpose flour (Maida) - 1/4 measure
Puffed Chickpeas (Dahlia/Hurigadle) - 1/4 measure
Butter - 1/4 bar or 3 heaped scoops in a regular spoon you use to eat (optional, you could also use ghee)
Coconut- 1 heaped tablespoon
Red Chillies - 4 long ones (assuming 2 inches in length)
Asafoetida -a speck
Jeera - 1/4 tsp
Salt
Oil for deep frying

Preparation to make Kodbale (Time : 20 mins)

Dry roast the maida in a heavy bottomed kadai or pan till its warm
Dry grind the Hurigadle in a mixie to a fine powder
Fine Grind Coconut, Red chillies, As
afoetida and Jeera together in a mixie (Do not add water)
Mix Rice flour, warm Maida, Hurigadle powder, the other ground mixture and salt
Now is the time to taste if the salt is ok, fix it and proceed to next step
Add the butter which should be at room temperature so that it can be mixed easily
Make a dough akin to a chapati dough
Keep aside for a few minutes (5 maybe)

Method to make Kodbale (Time : 40 mins, rolling takes practice!)

Take a small portion of the mixture the size of a small lemon
Knead it again after dipping your fingers in water
Keeping the dough ball on a non-sticky surface (like the chapati board) and roll lightly using your fingers
Make sure you dont press hard while you roll.
Make a long thin roll, bend the roll to make a circle and seal the overlapping ends together by pressing on it
(Refer to the Pictures)

By the time the first batch is ready to be fried, heat the oil in a heavy bottomed kadai
Put the dough circles into the hot oil, fry till brown and your kodbale is ready

My fundas

Rolling is the toughest part of making kodbales. Keep water handy where you can dip your fingers and roll.

A change of hearth

noreply@blogger.com (Siri) — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 15:37:00 +0000

I have come a long way from the hectic life in Bangalore (I still refuse to call it Bengaluru for some silly adamant reason). A life full of work and kiddo balance to kitchen and kiddo balance. Gone are the days when the occasional chance to cook was pounced upon like an oasis in the desert. Now it is time to think about the next meal menu all the time. So far I have repeated a lot of my "been there done that" recipes which I had carefully blogged here (thank God!) and the family has been loving it. I am still miles away from knowing what my husband and daughter love to eat. Raw baby carrots work very well for my daughter right now and one glass of coffee for my husband keeps him in a saintly mood.
I will be posting new try-outs and recipes. Sit back, enjoy and then go cook :)

Get the Indian curry basics right

noreply@blogger.com (Siri) — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 09:43:00 +0000

Having been through many recipe books as a cooking newbie I realised that there is enough in there to confuse the novice. That has been the motivation to post powder recipes in my cookery blog. Today I tackle the curry, in a generic way. Essentially most curries have the same base to which a multitude of vegetables and after-thought ingredients are added to pamper different palettes.
There are two forms of curry that is made in India - dry and gravy.

Dry Curry

What you need to make Dry curry

Seasoning

Mustard seeds (rai) - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds (jeera) - 1 tsp
Turmeric for its antiseptic properties as much as the colour - 1/4 tsp
Kadlebele (Split Yellow Chick peas/Channa dal) - 2 tsp
Uddinbele(Urad dal) - 2 tsp
Red chilly powder - 1 tsp / 2 red chillies broken into pieces / 2 green chillies cut into small rings

Optional Ingredients for Seasoning

Coriander leaves - 2 strands, finely chopped
Curry leaves - 10, finely chopped or as is

Preparation to make Dry Curry

Wash curry leaves and dry thoroughly in the sun. It should not have any moisture in it
Wash coriander leaves thoroughly.

Method to make Dry Curry

Heat oil in a pan or kadai (heavy bottomed vessel).
To the oil add all the seasoning ingredients.
Wait for the mustard seeds and cumin seeds to splutter, kadlebele and
uddinbele to turn golden brown and chillies to be fried well.
Add any vegetable of your choice. The vegetable could either have been steamed earlier or be raw(which means it will have to cook in the pan).
Add salt to taste.
Optional for Dry Curry - Yennegai Powder could be added at this juncture to get a different taste.

Gravy Curry
What you need to make Gravy Curry
Same as Dry Curry plus

Onions - 1, blended or cut into small pieces according to convenience
Tomatoes -2, blended into a puree

Optional ingredients

Garlic - 4 pods, mashed or cut into tiny pieces
Ginger - 1/2 inch piece, mashed or grated

Preparation to make Gravy Curry

Same as for Dry curry

Method to make Gravy Curry

Same as for Dry Curry

Nalagri/Yennegai/Vegetable "bath" Powder

noreply@blogger.com (Siri) — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 09:40:00 +0000

The way my mom makes "Nalagripudi" distinguishes it from the Sambhar powder of many homes. This is a versatile multipurpose powder. One could use this powder to makeIyengar style Nalagri which is like thicker form of rasam, eaten with rice. This powder could also be mixed with Yennegai, a side dish eaten with rice or chapati. It could also be mixed into vegetable "bath" rendering it a nice classy touch when compared to the regular "Chitranna".
Here I will post the recipe for making 400 gms of Nalagripudi, enough to last for some months.

What you need to make Nalagripudi

Kadlebele (Split yellow chickpeas) - 100gms
Uddinbele (Black gram)- 100 gms
Dhania - 100 gms
Curry leaves - 1/2 cup
Copra (Dry Coconut) - 1 cup
Cinammon - 2 sticks of 2 inches length
Gasgase (Khus-khus / poppy seeds) - 3 tsp
Red Chillies - 15 - 20 depending on how spicy one prefers it
Asafoetida - 1/2 tsp

Preparation to make Nalagripudi

Wash curry leaves and dry thoroughly in the sun. It should not have any moisture in it.
Place a heavy bottomed vessel on the stove with the flame low. Do all the roasting in this vessel.
Roast curry leaves, cinnamon sticks, asafoetida and gasgase together. Take care not to burn it. Keep aside in a container to cool.
Roast kadlebele till light brown. Pour it into the same container to cool.
Roast uddinbele till light brown. Pour it into the same container to cool.
Roast dhania till light brown. Pour it into the same to cool.
Grate the dry coconut.
Roast the dry coconut till light brown. Take care not to burn it. Pour it into the same container to cool.

Method to make Nalagripudi

Once all the ingredients are cooled, dry grind all of them to a fine powder.
Spread out the powder into a large plate and allow to cool.

My fundas

Keep the Nalagri powder in an air tight container at all times.
I had posted a recipe for making Nalagri. This recipe was about making instantaneous Nalagri powder. The variation to this recipe inorder to use this powder would be to just do the same as one would do for Rasam plus add 2-4 tsps of Nalagri powder.
I will post a recipe for Yenagai soon and update this post on how to use this powder for that.
I will also post a recipe for Vegetable "bath" and update this post on how to use this powder for that.

Chutney Powder

noreply@blogger.com (Siri) — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 08:53:00 +0000

I am languishing away at my parents' home currently with all the time and laziness in the world. Today I decided to thwart the laid-backedness and post some recipes for basic everyday use powders. Basically my mom is the chef and I am the "helper" while she makes these delights to pack off to my brother's home. But since its my mom, who is anyway behind most of my recipes, I take the liberty to blog about it as if mine :)

"Chutneypudi" as it is called in our homes is a tasty side dish in South India for many snacks like Idli, Dosa, Rotti or even Uppit. It adds to the taste of whatever is eaten along with it. Its lip smacking for its khatta-meetha flavour.

Here I will post the recipe for making 250 gms of Chutneypudi, enough to last for atleast a couple of months.

What you need to make Chutneypudi

Kadlebele (Split yellow chickpeas) - 100gms
Uddinbele (Black gram) - 100 gms
Red Chillies - 10
Tamarind - small ball of 1/2 inch diameter
Copra (Dry Coconut) - 75 gms
Curry Leaves - 1/4 cup
Jaggery - small ball of 1 inch diameter
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida - a pinch
Oil - 1 tsp
Salt - 1 and 1/2 tsp or to taste

Preparation to make Chutneypudi

Wash curry leaves and dry thoroughly in the sun. It should not have any moisture in it.
Place a heavy bottomed vessel on the stove with the flame low. Do all the roasting in this vessel.
Roast curry leaves till dry and crackling. Take care not to burn it. Keep aside in a plate to cool.
Roast kadlebele along with half the red chillies till light brown. Pour it in a separate container to cool.
Roast uddinbele along with half the red chillies till light brown. Pour it into the same container as kadlebele to cool.
Grate the dry coconut.
Roast the dry coconut till light brown. Take care not to burn it. Keep aside in the same plate as curry leaves to cool.
Heat oil in the heavy bottomed vessel with the flame still low. To this add turmeric, mustard seeds, asafoetida and tamarind (stranded) and fry till the mustard seeds splutter.
Switch off the stove.
Now add the roasted dry coconut and curry leaves to the fried ingredients and mix well. Keep aside the entire mixture to cool.

Method to make Chutneypudi

Once the kadlebele, uddinbele and red chillies are cooled, dry grind all the three to a coarse powder.
Add the fried and cooled mixture to this and grind some more.
Add salt and grind.
Spread out the powder into a large plate and allow to cool.

My fundas

Do not make the powder too smooth. Its nice to eat when a little coarse.
Keep the chutney powder in an air tight container at all times.
I love mixing this powder with sugar and eating it with dosa. You could try it too!
Another great way to eat this would be to slice an Idli like a burger, apply ghee inside and sprinkle chutney powder. Idli burger :)
T even eats this with rice with a little ghee to mix well. Loves it.

Majjige Huli (Morkolamb in Tamil)

noreply@blogger.com (Siri) — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 09:17:00 +0000

I havent posted here in a very very long time and believe me I really havent done any much cooking in the past 4 months. Yes, you heard it right. I have been taking my time to adjust to a newcomer in my life who is currently rolling around in me!
Today though necessity overwhelmed lethargy and I got down to the brass knacks and turned up a dish dear to T.
Majjige Huli is a great mix of the tangy, spicy and sweet. Its a curd based dish in which curd is the last ingredient to be added :)

What you need to make Majjige Huli

Many choice of Veggies including Pumpkin, Cucumber, Brinjal, Ladies Finger, Chayote(Seeme badnekayi in kannada), Ivy Gourd (Thondekayi in kannada), Beans etc
Kadlebele (Split yellow chickpeas) - 1 cup
Cumin seeds - 2 tsp
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Coconut - 1/2 cup
Green/Red Chilly -3-4
Salt to taste
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Oil - 1 tsp
Curd - 2 tbsp

Preparation to make Majjige Huli

Soak the kadlebele for atleast half an hour or till it becomes soft to the touch and breaks easily.
Grate the coconut
Grind soaked kadlebele, cumin seeds, turmeric, coconut and chilly to a paste with a little bit of water.

Method to make Majjige Huli

In case you are using Pumpkin or cucumber then cook in a vessel with water till soft. Add 1/2 tsp of salt while it cooks.
In case you are using Ladies Finger then fry it till the stickyness is gone. You could put a spoon of curd to fasten the process.
In case you are using Brinjal then fry it till cooked.
In case of other vegetables like you could pressure cook them
Once the vegetables are cooked, add the ground paste and allow it to boil. Add water as necessary to make it a thick gravy.
Add salt as required.
Allow it to cook till all the ingredients blend well.
Remove from flame.
To season, heat oil and add mustard seeds to it. Once it splutters remove from flame and add it into the gravy. Mix well.
Allow the gravy to cool completely and then add 2 tbsps of curd and mix thoroughly.

My fundas

Majjige Huli tastes best with Pumpkin. Ladies finger also is very good in it.
Makes for a soothing side dish with rice on a hot summer's day

Jihva for Ingredients (JFI) - Toor dal

noreply@blogger.com (Siri) — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 03:15:00 +0000

This was like the simplest event I could take part in. Which humble south Indian would not use toor dal in everyday life to make that humble yet scintillating rasam or sambar. But I remembered an earlier post about a gori kayi (cluster beans) curry that I had in north Karnataka style and felt it was the recipe that I would submit. You can view the recipe post here

Puri Pal (Puris in milk)

noreply@blogger.com (Siri) — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 23:44:00 +0000

I came across WYF-Dessert/Sweet on SnackORama so decided that this would be my contribution to it.

Diwali Day 3
This is another favourite of mine. Sigh I love all sweets! This particular dish is also a favourite with my grandma. She loves it when my mom makes this at home. I dedicate this post to my grandma who we all fondly call Manni.

What you need to make Puri Pal
For the dough

Maida - 1 cup
Wheat flour - 1 cup
Ghee/Butter - 2 tbsp
Water - 1 cup

For the sweet gravy

Milk - 6 cups
Sugar - 1-2 cups depending on how sweet you want it, can add as you progress with dish
Cardamom - 2
Saffron - 4-5 strands
Cashewnuts - 10
Raisins - 10

Preparation to make Puri

Mix the maida and the wheat flour together in a bowl.
Add the ghee/butter to this (a little at a time) and knead well.
Add water if required, and little by little, we dont want a flood in the bowl.
At the end of the process you must have well kneaded dough ball (non sticky). Keep aside for ten minutes

Method to make Puri
There are two ways of doing this :

First (Shankarpoli)

Flatten the dough till its a thin base. You could do this with hand (like you do pizza base, I did this for lack of a rolling pin) or with a rolling pin.
Use a pizza cutter to cut this thin base into 1/2'*1/2' pieces.
Get the pieces put and layout on a tray.
Heat some oil in a heavy bottomed vessel.
Deep fry the pieces till its golden brown. Do not make it too brown or crisp.
Remove when fried and put it in the tray layered with the tissue paper.

Second

Make regular palm sized puris
When cool tear the puris into small pieces and keep aside.
Heat some oil in a heavy bottomed vessel.
Deep fry the puris till its golden brown. Do not make it too brown or crisp.
Remove when fried and put it in the tray layered with the tissue paper.

Method to make Puri Pal

Heat the milk in a heavy bottomed vessel.
This is one of those "patience" dishes.
You need to allow the milk to boil on simmer till it condenses to 3/4 its quantity and starts thickening.
Add required amount of sugar to it.
Add the puri pieces to this milk and allow it to boil for some time till the puris soften (you should be able to break the piece with least effort).
Add the cardamom, saffron, cashewnuts and raisins and get it to a final boil.

My fundas

In case the milk does not thicken add a handful of Rava (Semolina / cream of wheat).

Shankarpoli

noreply@blogger.com (Siri) — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 23:01:00 +0000

Diwali Day 2
ROTFL. I spent the whole of the previous day, ok am lying, 2 hours the previous day googling for the word- Shankarpoli and I must admit I found it even if only in one food blog. I used to laugh everytime I heard that name and I somehow felt that my mom might be getting it wrong. What could a God's name be doing alongside the rhyme for "koli" (chicken in kannada)? :) As it turns out what you get down from generations is never usually wrong, I found out that many people in the party I went to actually knew the sweet ! Inspite of my wisecracks this was something I have loved as a kid. A bowl full of Shankarpoli, tv and a cloudy day...heaven!

What you need to make Shankarpoli

Maida (all purpose flour) - 1 cup
Wheat flour - 1 cup
Ghee/Butter - 2 tbsp
Water - 1 cup
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Oil

Preparation to make Shankarpoli

Mix the maida and the wheat flour together in a bowl.
Add the ghee/butter to this (a little at a time) and knead well.
Add water if required, and little by little, we dont want a flood in the bowl.
At the end of the process you must have well kneaded dough ball (non sticky). Keep aside for ten minutes
Powder the sugar in a mixer

Method to make Shankarpoli

Flatten the dough till its a thin base. You could do this with hand (like u do pizza base, I did this for lack of a rolling pin) or with a rolling pin.
Use a pizza cutter to cut this thin base into 1/2'*1/2' pieces.
Get the pieces put and layout on a tray.

Heat some oil in a heavy bottomed vessel.
Deep fry the pieces till its golden brown. Do not make it too brown or crisp.
Remove when fried and put it in the tray layered with the tissue paper.
Immediately sprinkle some powdered sugar on the fried pieces. This way the sugar sticks to the pieces. (If you wait for it to cool down, the sugar does not stick.)
Your Shankarpoli is ready to be eaten. And this one is not too sweet either so spice lovers will also like the crunchy semi sweet taste.

My fundas

Incase the sugar did not stick to the fried pieces, no need to fret, there is another way to make the sweet stick - Mix sugar in water and boil in a heavy bottomed vessel till syrup like consistency is reached. Spread the syrup on a bowl of the Shankarpoli pieces and eat.
This could also be made into a "Puris in milk" sweet which I will outline in my next post.

Carrot Halwa

noreply@blogger.com (Siri) — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 22:27:00 +0000

Diwali Day 1
Diwali dawned this year with a flutter of excitement for me. I had spent the previous two days planning the sweets that I would make for the festival (with help from my mom ofcourse). I had come up with the final three. The first of the distinguished line up was carrot halwa. Carrot is naturally sweet which makes it a good choice, even as a vegetable, to be used in making a sweet dish be it a halwa, payasam or cake. Due to the lack of grater I had to use some innovation - used the peeler and blender combination to get thin, small flakes of carrot. Lack of some dressy ingredients dint put a dent in the taste of my halwa (but I am going to give you a complete list of what should go in). Go ahead and try this dish, you will be left with sweet satisfaction.

What you need to make Carrot Halwa

Carrots - 4 big ones
Milk - 2 cups, the size u would serve in a thali
Sugar - 1 cup, more depending on the sweetness you can take
Cardamom - 2
Saffron - 4-5 strands
Cashewnuts - 10, broken into small pieces
Raisins - 10
Ghee/Butter - 1 tbsp

Preparation to make Carrot Halwa

Peel the skin off the carrots, cut off the edges and then Grate the carrots.
Break the cardamom pods and get the innards out
Break cashewnuts into small pieces. Fry till golden brown in ghee/butter.

Method to make Carrot Halwa

Place a heavy bottomed vessel on a lighted stove. Put the ghee/butter into it and heat a little till it melts.
Add the grated carrots to this and sautee for some time, say 5 minutes. Mix such that ghee is spread over all of the carrot.
Add the milk to this and allow this to boil on simmer. Keep the mixture boiling till carrots become real soft.
Now add the sugar and mix well. Continue to boil this till the sugar is well blended.
At this point of time you must not have any milky liquid in te vessel. (If you do, my trick is to pour it out into a glass, its a tasty drink).
Put in the cardamom, saffron, cashewnuts and raisins.
Keep boiling (all the time keeping the stove on simmer) till all is blended well.

(This is the work-in-progress photograph of Halwa)

My fundas

You can add condensed milk or even khoya when most of the milk has evaporated. This gives an excellent rich taste to the halwa.
You could add roasted almonds and pistachio also the halwa for that special something.

Get to know the Ingredients I use

noreply@blogger.com (Siri) — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 14:24:00 +0000

English Name : Bay Leaf

Hindi Name : Tej Patta

Kannada Name : Masala Yele

English Name : Beaten Rice

Hindi Name : Poha

Kannada Name : Avalakki

English Name : Black Pepper

Hindi Name : Kali Mirch

Kannada Name : Menasu

English Name : Red Chilly, Green Chilly, Red Chilly Powder

Hindi Name : Lal Mirch, Hari Mirch, Mirchi Powder :p

Kannada Name : Vona Menasinakayi, Hasi Menasinakayi, Menasinakayi Pudi

English Name : Cinnamon

Hindi Name : Dalchini

Kannada Name : Chakke

English Name : Clove

Hindi Name : Laung

Kannada Name : Lavanga

English Name : Dry Coconut

Hindi Name : Copra

Kannada Name : Vona Cobri

English Name : Fresh Coriander with some Coriander seeds

Hindi Name : Dhania Patta with Dhania

Kannada Name : Kothumbari Soppu with Kothumbari Beeja

English Name : Coriander seeds

Hindi Name : Dhania

Kannada Name : Kothumbari Beeja

English Name : Cumin Seeds

Hindi Name : Jeera

Kannada Name : Jeerige

English Name : Garlic

Hindi Name : Lahsun

Kannada Name : Bellulli

English Name : Green Gram

Hindi Name : Moong

Kannada Name : HesaraKalu

English Name : Groundnut

Hindi Name : Moongphali

Kannada Name : Kadlekayi

English Name : Jaggery

Hindi Name : Gud

Kannada Name : Bella

English Name : Split yellow Chickpeas

Hindi Name : Chana Dal

Kannada Name : Kadle Bele

English Name : Mace

Hindi Name : Javithri

Kannada Name :

English Name : Black Cardammom

Hindi Name : Kala Elaichi

Kannada Name : Dodda Yelakki

English Name : Fenugreek leaves with Fenugreek seeds

Hindi Name : Methi with Methi Dana

Kannada Name : Menthyada soppu with Menthya

English Name : Mustard Seeds

Hindi Name : Rai

Kannada Name : Sasive

English Name : Yellow Moong Beans

Hindi Name : Moong Dal

Kannada Name : Hesarbele

English Name : Puffed Chickpeas

Hindi Name : Dalia

Kannada Name : Hurugadle

English Name : Puffed Rice

Hindi Name : Kurmura/Murmura

Kannada Name : Kadlepuri

English Name : Rice

Hindi Name : Chawal

Kannada Name : Akki

English Name : Semolina/Cream of Wheat

Hindi Name : Rava

Kannada Name : Rave

English Name : Fennel Seeds

Hindi Name : Somph

Kannada Name : Dodda Jeera

English Name : Star Anise

Hindi Name : Badal Phool/Anasphal

Kannada Name : Hoovu

English Name : Tamarind

Hindi Name : Imli

Kannada Name : Hunsehannu

English Name : Yellow Lentils

Hindi Name : Toor Dal

Kannada Name : Thogari Bele

English Name : Turmeric Powder

Hindi Name : Haldi

Kannada Name : Arasina Pudi

This blog has a new URL

noreply@blogger.com (Siri) — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 02:10:00 +0000

As you may have noticed if you are reading this post the URL to my food blog has changed.
For reasons of global understanding

(I had to explain to many people what Bendekayi = Lady's finger and Karimb = curry meant, that doesnt say a lot about clarity)

I have changed the url of this blog to http://thebravecook.blogspot.com
I request you to update all your favourite links and blogrolls to this new url (Yeah right, like I have that many visitors)
But Pleeeeze do update your links gang!

Hurrah it's Maggi Maggi day

noreply@blogger.com (Siri) — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 22:39:00 +0000

No, you got it wrong. I am not going to dispense gyaan about how to make Maggi. As is evident on the back of the cover it's a simple three step process. What I am doing with this post is showing off. Yes. I finally got Maggi noodles looking exactly like the advertisement and not like Shavige Payasa gone wrong. So Yay to me!!

Here's the evidence

Vegetable Burger with a Vegetable Cutlet

noreply@blogger.com (Siri) — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 01:05:00 +0000

I get the feeling that my blog is getting to be all about simple foods. Take the vegetable burger for example. The main reason for wanting to make one was the feeling of home-made plus the fact that I dont happen to get vegetable burgers in many McD or BK outlets. I experimented and found a rather simple way of making a veggie burger. Make a cutlet and place it between burger buns and voila! Try it if you would want to do the same

What you need to make Vegetable Burger

For the cutlet

Maida (All purpose Flour) - 1 cup
Peas - 1/2 cup
Carrot - 1/4 cup
Beans - 1/4 cup
Potato - 1/2 cup
Sweet Corn - 1/4 cup
Onion - 1 cup
Coriander - 4 strands
Ginger - 1 inch piece
Garlic - 5 pods
Red chilli powder - 4 tsps
Salt

For the burger

Burger buns (sliced in half)
Butter / Cheese
Tomatoes
Cucumber
Lettuce

Preparation to make Vegetable Burger

Cook the potato with the peel in either pressure cooker or by boiling in water. Once cooked peel the skin and mash the potatoes
Cook the carrot, beans, peas and sweet corn either pressure cooker or by boiling in water. Allow it to cool.
Cut the onions into small pieces.
Chop the coriander finely.
Grind the ginger and garlic to a fine paste
Slice the tomatoes and cucumbers into round slices.

Method to make Vegetable Burger

Heat some oil in a pan and add onions to it and fry till golden. Add the mashed potatoes to it and mix. Add the ginger garlic paste and cook all together for a minute. Remove from flame.
Allow it to cool and then add the rest of the cooked vegetables and coriander to this and mix.
Now add the flour, red chilli powder and salt to it to get the mixture to a dry texture.
Make balls of this mixture and keep.
Heat a tsp of oil in a pan, flatten the ball in hand in shape of a cutlet and place it on the pan to shallow fry.
Shallow fry it on both sides.
Once it turns a little browner and crisp its done.
Butter the insides of the burger bun halves or place a cheese slice.
Place two slices each of the cucumber and tomatoes and some lettuce.
Place the burger on top of it and close with the other half of the bun.
Burger is ready!

Bhelpuri

noreply@blogger.com (Siri) — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 21:11:00 +0000

This is the quintessential time pass snack in India these days. Anytime one goes out and gets the urge for a quick bite one doesnt walk into a swank restaurant but rushes to the nearest road side Chaat vendor with a drooling request for "One plate bhel".

Its the simplest and fastest snack to make for that perfect tea time mazaa. Here's how you can make it at home :

What you need to make Bhelpuri

Puri (Puffed rice/Murmura)
Carrots
Onions
Potato
Tomato
Coriander
Lemon/ Lemon juice
Salt
Red chilli powder
Cucumber (optional)
Sev
Chaat masala (optional) - 1/4 tsp per plate

For the spicy chutney
Green Chillies - 6
Garlic - 8 pods
Ginger - 2 inch piece
For the sweet chutney
Tamarind - one small ball
Jaggery - 2 inch cube

The beauty of this snack is that the quantity of vegetables you put into each plate is really upto one's taste. The amount of puri (puffed rice) that is put in is equivalent to the vegetables.

Preparation for making Bhelpuri

Grate the carrots and keep in a bowl
Cut onions into very small pieces and keep in a bowl
Cut tomatoes into very small pieces and keep in a bowl
Cut potatoes into half and cook them (along with skins) by using either the pressure cooker or boiling them in water.
Once potatoes are cooked, allow it to cool a little and then remove the skins. Then mash the potatoes and keep them in a bowl
Chop the coriander finely and keep
Sweet Chutney - Grind tamarind and jaggery together with some water
Spicy Chutney - Grind the green chillies, some coriander, ginger and garlic to a fine paste along with some water

Method to make Bhelpuri

Making a bhel is very easy. All you have to do is mix the ingredients.
In a large bowl take all the cut and grated vegetables and salt. Mix well.
Now add the Puri and chaat masala (if needed) and mix well.
Add a little lime juice, spicy chutney and sweet chutney and mix.
Serve with coriander, a pinch or red chilli powder and sev for garnishing

My fundas

Adding cucumber pieces adds a dash of freshness to the ensemble.
Some people also garnish it with grated coconut.
One could also add some small puris (or nipattus) crushed to the bhel to make it extra tasty
Pomogranate seeds also adds a lot of flavour
Substitute lemon juice for raw mango pieces during the season and it tastes yummier

Simple Eggless Chocolate Sponge Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Siri) — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 20:10:00 +0000

Yesterday I tried out the queen of all baking - A Cake. I call it a queen because there is something majestic, sweet, luscious and curvy about it ;). And you put on some dressing and it oozes oomph!

P.S:- I need your help :- Anyone who knows how to make simple yet delicious ICING to decorate the cake, PLEASE TEACH ME HOW

What you need to make an Eggless Chocolate Sponge Cake

Plain flour (Maida) - 1 cup
Condensed milk (Nestle or Milkmaid tin) - 4/5ths of a cup
Cocoa - 1/4 cup
Icing Sugar - 3 tsp
Baking Powder - 1 tsp
Baking Soda- 1/2 tsp
Butter - 1/4 cup
Milk - 2/5ths of a cup
Soda - 2/5ths of a cup (You could use Coke/Pepsi if doing a chocolate sponge cake)
Vanilla essence (optional) - 1 tsp (I do not use this)

Preparation for making Eggless Chocolate Sponge Cake

Mix together all the dry ingredients - flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda. Mix them well in a dry bowl. You could sieve them before mixing to get rid of lumps if any.
Keep the butter outside the fridge for some time till it softens.
Preheat the oven to 570 deg Farenheit (300 deg Celcius).

Preheating usually requires 15 minutes. (I don't have a beeper which goes beep when the oven reaches that temperature so I had to google and figure out for how long I need to keep it for the oven to get pre heated. Thought it would help others like me.)

Method to make Eggless Chocolate Sponge Cake

Put the condensed milk into a large bowl. To this add the butter. Beat the mixture well till the butter blends with the condensed milk. This will need some patience since there should be no lumps and it should be a smooth paste.
To this add the dry ingredients mixture spoon by spoon. Stir it into the condensed milk mixture constantly.
As and when the mixture becomes too tight add some milk to ease it.

Point to be noted - Stir in one direction only. This will make the cake light and fluffy with a lot of air in it.

Beat the entire mixture for a good five minutes.
Now add the soda into this mixture and mix well lightly.
Pour into the greased baking tin. Just jiggle the tin around for the mixture to evenly spread around. Do not use spoon or knife to even it out.
Place tin inside oven and bake at 350 deg Farenheit (200 deg celcius) for 7 minutes.
Then reduce the temperature of oven to 300 deg Farenheit (150 deg Celcius) and allow it to bake for around 40 minutes.
Do check in once in a while to see if the cake is fluffing up.
You can also be sure its baked when, if you stick a skewer or knife edge into the cake it comes out clean and no cake stuff sticks to it.

My fundas

It is important to cool the cake on both the top and bottom sides. For the air to reach all over evenly you could cool the cake on a wire rack or any stand which has holes in it.

Dress makes personality in food?

noreply@blogger.com (Siri) — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 14:56:00 +0000

I have been watching a reality show called Top Chef and it led to a realisation that in the western world Presentation takes the center stage. Whether it comes to one's own dressing or their food's. Whatever the taste maybe first impression wows (pun intended)! I was trying to figure out the same about our Indian food. Do we Indians look for visual appeal in Indian food? When was the last time you took a good look at the Bisibelebath served in a bowl before spooning some on to your plate and gobbling it up? When was the last time you dint toss aside the measly coriander leaf which looked wasted on a bowl of vegetable pulav? In Bangalore where the hotels which make maximum profit are the fast food kinds, who even cares for presentation? Neither the cook nor the customer has the time for it. Somehow the casually put together subway sandwich also looks appealing here! I wonder how many different ways one can present a masala dosa without losing authenticity. Where am I going with this post? Well, for starters I take a look at the wonderful people out there blogging about Indian food. The first thing that strikes me are the photos of the finished product, presented and photographed beautifully. I have gone to many restaurants where the food looks great but tastes average or below whereas in a "Sagar" (I dont know why but it has become a norm in Bangalore to end the name of any hotel with that word if a fast food joint, almost like xerox) there is no time for presentation but the taste is just perfect. Which would we pick if there is no place with an ideal marriage between presentation and taste? Presentation is important but is it more important than the taste? Taste is important but would you eat something if it looks crazy?

Kadlekayi Mithai (Groundnut Sweet)

noreply@blogger.com (Siri) — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 23:06:00 +0000

Kadlekayi Mithai always reminds me of Gokulashtami at home. The smells in my mom's kitchen are fantabulous in those days. Many kinds of sweets and savouries are made to keep as Prasad for Lord Krishna. As kids we used to eye the Prasad plate greedily and hungrily, till my dad finished his elaborate Puja in the evening, making underhand deals about who was going to eat what out of the plate (even though there was much more in the huge boxes). Gokulashtami was always fun and tested our creativity in terms of decorating the Mandap where Krishna Idols would be placed. We have a huge age old Mandap at home and it used to be like a comedy trying to tie fruits and decorating it with flowers. Lot of family time and a lot of teasing, laughter and ofcourse huffs. I am getting nostalgic and before I start dreaming let me give you the recipe to the Mithai.

What you need to make Kadlekayi Mithai

Kadlekayi (Groundnuts) - 1 cup
Jaggery - 1 cup
Dry coconut - 1/2 cup
Water - 1/2 cup
Elaichi (Cardamom) - 1/2 tsp

(Please use the same measure, when I say cup, for all the ingredients)

Preparation for making Kadlekayi Mithai

Dry roast the groundnuts in a heavy bottomed vessel till a little browner.
Spread it out on a large plate to cool down.
Once cool, run a roller pin lightly over the groundnuts to separate the skin from the nut and also to slice the nut in half. Alternatively you could just mash them very lightly in your hands.
Grease a plate with ghee and keep aside.

Method to make Kadlekayi Mithai

Put water in a heavy bottomed vessel and add the jaggery to it. Keep the flame at medium low.
Allow the jaggery to dissolve in the water.
As it boils it reaches the consistency of a syrup (chocolate syrup).
The way to check if its done is to take a small drop of the syrup and drop it into a cup filled with water. If the syrup doesnt spread and sticks then its done! Further, you should be able to scoop the syrup from the water as a lump.

Once the right consistency is reached add the dry coconut and groundnuts to it.
Allow it to boil together on a lower flame for some time.
You know its done when the syrup becomes frothy.
Pour the contents into the greased plate and spread it quickly before it thickens.
After around two minutes of thickening run a knife through it to cut into squares.
Keep it to cool.
Once it cools you can just get the pieces of kadlekayi mithai out of the plate (use a little reverse plate banging against a spread out paper)

Pudina Pulav (Mint Pulav)

noreply@blogger.com (Siri) — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 00:15:00 +0000

Dinner is ready! This was up for grabs yesterday night and everyone of my folks enjoyed it.

What you need to make Pudina Pulav

Spices to be used

Refer to the same named section under Vegetable Pulav under the category Rice Dishes on my blog

Rest of the ingredients

Rice - 250 gms
Onion - 1 big
Pudina leaves - 200 gms
Peas (optional) - a few maybe 25 gms - 50 gms
Coriander - 5-6 strands
Salt to taste
Oil - 3 tsp
Water - double the measure of rice

Preparation for making Pudina Pulav

Wash the rice (I do it 3 times).
Cut onion into big slices. You want to be able to get the onion in your mouth and experience its taste when you eat the pulav
Wash and chop the coriander into very small confetti.
Wash and coarsely chop the pudina leaves (not too small)
Grind all the spices together.

Method to make Pudina Pulav

Heat a pressure cooker and put the oil into it.
Add the onion to the oil and allow it to fry till soft.
Now add the coriander in and allow it to fry a little. Gives it a nice taste. You could optionally put it in just before closing the lid of the cooker.
Add the pudina leaves and fry it a little.
Now drop in the peas.
Put the rice in and the ground spices and stir everything together and allow it all to shallow fry.
After around 5 minutes add the water.
Add salt as much as required (yeah you got to taste if you cant do it just by seeing).
As soon as it starts boiling close the lid of the cooker and let it all steam up.
Your Pudina Pulav will be ready :)

My fundas

Well there are no fundas except I somehow like chips with this Pulav rather than a Raita. Wonder why?

Matar Paneer Aluwale

noreply@blogger.com (Siri) — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 23:39:00 +0000

There is nothing like catering to a hungry stomach. So when I got a message from T saying "I'm very hungry" I sprung into action and made him a meal he would love. This is my own recipe and it isnt exactly rocket science but was very yummy!

What you need to make Matar Paneer Aluwale

Paneer (Cottage Cheese) - 50 gms
Alu (Potato) - 2 small
Matar (Peas) - 50 gms
Onions - 2 small
Tomatoes - 2 small
Coriander - 5-6 strands
Jeera (Cumin seeds) - 2 tsp
Mustard - 2 tsp
Ginger - 1 inch piece
Garlic - 5 - 6 pods
Red Chillies / Green Chillies - 3 big
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Oil - 2 tsp

Preparation for making Matar Paneer Aluwale

Cut all the onions and potatoes into small pieces.
Cut the paneer into cubes (I like smaller pieces because they absorb the taste of the gravy faster).
Puree the tomatoes.
Chop the coriander into very small confetti.
Cook the potatoes in boiling water with a little salt added to it.
Cook the peas in boiling water with a little salt added to it.
Grate the ginger. Mash the garlic pods and make a paste out of these two.

Method to make Matar Paneer Aluwale

Heat a heavy bottomed vessel and add the oil to it.
Add mustard and cumin seeds to the heated oil.
When the mustard starts to splutter add the red chillies to it and also the turmeric.
Add the onions to this and allow it to cook till it becomes soft.
Now add the ginger garlic paste and so also the tomato puree. Mix well.
When it comes to a boil, add the cooked potatoes and peas to it.
Mix well.
Now add the paneer to this whole mixture.
The key to making a dish with paneer is to really allow it to blend with the gravy so its important to keep it cooking for sometime. Ofcourse simmer the flame and allow the whole mixture to cook together.
Garnish with coriander and serve hot.

My fundas

Eat hot with chapati like we did and you will appreciate it a lot.

I havent mastered the art of making round chapatis as you can see :)

Ambode

noreply@blogger.com (Siri) — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 23:26:00 +0000

What you need to make Ambode

Kadlebele (Channa Dal)- 1 cup
Onion - 1/2 cup - 3/4 cup
Coriander - 3 strands (optional)
Green chillies / Red Chillies - 3 (more if you like it spicier)
Salt
Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp

Preparation for making Ambode

Soak Kadlebele for 5-6 hours to make it soft
Coarse grind the kadlebele along with coriander and chillies. Do not make it a very fine paste.
Cut the onions into really small pieces. You could grind it along with the bele but I like it when I encounter onion pieces in my mouth :)

Method to make Ambode

Take the ground mixture and add salt as required and also add asafoetida. Mix well like you would dough.
Adding water to the dough is optional because the soaked lentils itself gives out some water when ground.
The consistency should be good enough to make loose balls in our hand. (Do not imagine it will be smooth or solid like jamun balls)
Heat oil in a frying pan.
Roll the dough into a ball and lightly flatten the top of the ball. Do not press too hard. (It should be saucer shaped). Put this into the oil and deep fry.

You know its done when it turns to a darker brown just like in the picture below :

My fundas

Its great to eat Ambode with coconut chutney but its good just by itself.

A variation to Ambode is to put Pudina (Mint) leaves while grinding it. Gives it a fresh tangy flavour.

Eat hot :)

Benne (Butter) Biscuit

noreply@blogger.com (Siri) — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 20:40:00 +0000

I did use the Oven and it did manage to scare me!
I was very excited when I found a Benne Biscuit recipe on Asha's Foodie's Hope and today I took the plunge to try it out.
I went as per the recipe and everything was working to order. The trouble started when I switched on the great american oven for some pre heating. It immediately began to smell like something was burning inside. Dint concern me very much till a lot of smoke started accumalating above the stove and to my horror the fire alarm started blaring. There was also an electronic anti septic voice which kept saying "Fire fire" as if announcing the weather forecast on Doordarshan. Deadpan. I panicked. I started hallucinating that everyone would rush out of their houses and rush to see what happened in our house. That there would be a fire engine squealing its way to our front door. That I would get a good scolding from all at home. But what really happened was that T who was on a call with the boss calmly opened the front door, switched on the exhaust fan and joked with his boss about fire alarms and Indians cooking chapatis. I, in the meanwhile, totally unaware of what I am required to do next waited behind T following him like a poodle as he walked to and fro while continuing to talk on the phone. When he finally got off, I learnt from him that its very common for the smoke alarm to go off with Indian cooking which generated a lot of smoke. I did not understand however what was Indian about the oven. And that too on a pre-heat! I went ahead with his assurance that nothing was going to blow up and baked my biscuits and they came out in a beautiful golden brown hue. The greatest compliment that I got for it was when my m-i-l who is an arch enemy of sweets ate two of my biscuits voluntarily!

If you are lazy to visit Asha's blog whose link I have given above then the recipe is here for you :

1. Sift 1 cup plain/all purpose/Maida flour, 1/4 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp baking powder,1/4 tsp of salt.2. Cream 1/2 cup softened Butter or margarine (my friend uses a mix of butter and Dalda,a Indian product which probably make a lot of difference in the texture) and 1/3 cup white Sugar until creamy and fluffy. (Adding 1 tsp of Vanilla essence is optional,she never used it, I don't use it either)3. Add in the flour mix little by little to make a soft dough, not sticky. Turn on the oven to 350F.4. Make about 12-14 balls lightly rolling on your palm,flatten a bit on top. Do not press too hard.Place them on a non-stick baking sheet 2" apart,sprinkle little flour on top for a thin coating,not too much (to get that floury coating bakeries have). Keep in the fridge at least for 5 mins until the oven is preheated.5. Place the sheet in the oven and bake for 10-15mins or until very slightly golden but they must remain almost white when done.6. Cool on a rack, and enjoy with a hot cup of Mysore coffee!Savory Biscuits: Instead of Sugar, you add very finely chopped green chillies,curry leaves,Cilantro and crushed Cumin seeds.Adjust the salt, make and bake as above. YUM!

P.S :- Asha, I havent altered any word :)

This is how mine turned out