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Madhus' recipe: Chocolate burfi

2010-11-06T14:57:00.003Z

I thought of making some sweet for diwali.. I tried making this Chocolate burfi and turned out to be sooo tasty. Hence im posting its recipe.. Its quick and easy to make..Here goes the recipe.

Ingredients

1.condensed milk (carnation or milkmaid) -1 tin
2. powder
3. 1/2 cup
4. butter – 1 stick or 50 gms
5. chopped & roasted nuts 100 gms
6. sugar 3/4 cup

Method:

1. Pour the condensed milk into a thick pan, add butter, sugar, cocoa powder and nuts to
the pan.
2. Stir constantly on low to medium heat till the mixture leaves the sides of the pan (say 15
mins)
3. Pour evenly into a buttered dish.
4. Allow to cool and set. Cut to pieces and serve.
5. Refrigerate if you like.

Madhu's Recipe: Vegetable kuruma

2010-11-06T14:44:00.003Z

Ingredients:

1.Carrot - 1 (chopped)
2.Beans - 100 grms ( Chopped)
3.Potatoes (small) - 3 (Chopped)
4.peas 1/4th cup, cauliflower, brocoli 1/4th cup
(Cut the veggies in chunks if cooking in pressure cooker.Or else veggies will be mashed.)
5.Garlic - 1 pod
6.whole black Pepper - 1 tspn
7.Ginger - small piece
8.Big Onions - 2 (Chopped)
9.Tomatoes - 2 (chopped)
10.Chilly powder - 1 tsp
11.Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
12.Coriander powder - 2 tsp
13.Salt - To taste
14.Coriander leaves - 1 hand full
15.Garam Masala - 1/2 tspn
16.Oil 2 tblspn

Masala Items
Sombu - 1/2 tsp
Cinnamon sticks - 2 small peices
Green Cardamons - 3
Cloves - 2
Bay leaves - 1

Procedure:

1.Take a heavy bottomed vessel or pan, add oil, add the whole pepper and fry it.

2.Now add the onions , fry till golden brown, then add the chopped tomatoes.

3.Now add ginger and garlic. Can use paste also.keep it aside and let it cool.

4.Now grind the above fried items with a handfull of coriander leaves by adding little bit of water.

5.Now take another pan, add all the masala items.i.e. Sombu - 1/2 tsp,Cinnamon sticks - 2 small peices,Green Cardamons - 3,Cloves - 2,Bay leaves - 1.

6.Now add the grinded masala and fry it for 5 min.

7.Then add water as required for gravy also add turmeric powder, chilly powder, coriander powder and salt and mix well.

8.Then add the chopped vegetables.

9.Cook till the veggies are cooked. If using pressure cooker, cook it till 2 whistles.

10.Finally garnish with coriander leaves.

My Diwali sweets & savouries

2010-11-04T18:46:00.002Z

This 2010diwali is special to me as I tried some sweets & snacks myself without my elders help and it turned out sooooooooooooo well.

This diwali I tried two savouries i.e. Ribbon pakoda and mullu murruku & one sweet - Boondi ladoo. The main highlight for this diwali is Ladoo. It came out in a nice shape and very tasty.

Please do try out all these bakshanams & give your valid comments.

WISH U ALL A HAPPY DIWALI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hema's recipe: "Ribbon pakoda"

2010-11-04T16:43:00.003Z

Ingredients:

1) Rice flour - 2 cups

2) Moong dal - 1 cup

3) Channa dal - 1 cup

4) Asafoetida - a pinch

5)Chilli powder - 2 tbsp(adjust according to spice)

6) Salt - as required

Acessories:

1) Mullu thenkuzhal press

2) Mould

Method:

1)Dry roast the moong dal and channa dal in a kadai.

2)Take them in a plate and let it cool.

3)Now add them to a blender and grind it to a fine powder.

4)Now sieve this to a very fine powder once.

5)Take this very fine powder 1 cup and rice flour 2 cups in a bowl.

6)To this add 2 spoons ghee, asafoetida, chilli powder and salt and mix them well.

7)Meanwhile, heat oil in a kadai to deep fry.

8)After a minute or two, when the oil is just heating add 1 spoonful of this hot oil in that

that flour and mix them well once again.

9)Take a small portion from this flour separately in a bowl and make a soft dough.

10)Now when the oil is hot enough, put this dough in the "mullu thenkuzhal" mould and press it firmly in a circular motion into the oil.

11)Fry them in the low flame till crisp & golden brown.

12)Take it out in an oil strainer to remove excess oil and let it cool.

13)Repeat the same process with the remaining flour mixture.

14)Store it in an air tight container.

Hema's recipe: "Boondi ladoo"

2010-11-04T13:51:00.003Z

Ingredients:

1) Gram flour - 1 cup
2) Sugar - 1.5 cups
3) Water - 1 cup
4) Cloves - 3 nos.
5) Cashews - a few
6) Oil to deep fry

Acessories:

skillet/strainer that has small holes.

Method:

1)Put the water, cloves and the sugar in pan and bring it to a boil and comes to a single thread consistency. This is the sugar syrup.

2)In a bowl, mix gram flour with water to make a smooth batter slightly thicker than dosa batter.

3)Heat oil in a kadai. Hold the skillet/strainer in one hand and the batter on the other hand.

4)Pour some of this batter onto the skillet so that the batter falls through the holes into the oil like small peppercorns.

5)Fry them till they are light golden colour.

6) Take the boondi out in a paper towel to remove excess oil and in a minute or two put them in the warm sugar syrup and mix gently.

7) Repeat the same process for the remaining batter and soak the boondi in the sugar syrup.

8)Let it be there for 10 mins so that it gets soaked well.

9)Now drain excess sugar syrup.

10)Please see that the boondi is warm and and do not let them cool.

11)Add the cashews fried in ghee to this boondi.

12)Now make small balls with ur palms from these boondi.

13)AS you finish a ladoo, put it on a plate one by one. As it cools, it will get firm.

14)Ladoos are ready to serve.

15)Store the ladoos in an air-tight container.

Hema's recipe: "Mullu thenkuzhal/Mullu murukku"

2010-11-03T23:48:00.004Z

Ingredients:

1) Rice flour - 2 cups
2) Moong dal - 1 cup
3) Channa dal - 1 cup
4) Asafoetida - a pinch
5) Jeera - a few
6)Butter - 2 tbsp
7) Salt - as required

Acessories:

1) Mullu thenkuzhal press
2) Mould

Method:

1)Dry roast the moong dal and channa dal in a kadai.

2)Take them in a plate and let it cool.

3)Now add them to a blender and grind it to a fine powder.

4)Now sieve this to a very fine powder once.

5)Take this very fine powder 1 cup and rice flour 2 cups in a bowl.

6)To this add 2 spoons butter, asafoetida, jeera and salt and mix them well.

7)Meanwhile, heat oil in a kadai to deep fry.

8)After a minute or two, when the oil is just heating add 1 spoonful of this hot oil in that
that flour and mix them well once again.

9)Take a small portion from this flour separately in a bowl and make a soft dough.

10)Now when the oil is hot enough, put this dough in the "mullu thenkuzhal" mould and press it firmly in a circular motion into the oil.

11)Fry them in the low flame till crisp & golden brown. Ensure medium-low heat.

12)Take it out in an oil strainer to remove excess oil and let it cool.

13)Repeat the same process with the remaining flour mixture.

14)Store it in an air tight container.

Tips & cautions for a perfect & crispy murukku:

1)Instead of adding direct gram flour, if u follow this method the murukku will be crisp & soft.
2)The dough should not be neither very soft nor very hard.
3)The hot oil is added to make the murukku very taste & crisp.
4)After making each murukku, try to make the dough i.e. mixing the flour with water as this avoids turning murukku brown.

Hema's recipe: Chakka Pradhaman/jackfruit payasam

2010-10-19T00:31:00.003+01:00

Chakka pradhaman is a traditional keralite recipe. It is usually done by keralites on Vishu.

The main highlight of this recipe is jaggery and coconut milk. It tastes so delicious and the aroma from these 3 ingredients i.e. jackfruit, jaggery and coconut milk is just great.

I learnt this recipe from my mother-in-law. Coming from a kerala origin, she does it so well that I grabbed it from her.

INGREDIENTS:

1) Jackfruit pieces - 10
2) Jaggery - 1/2 cup (add according to the jackfruit paste)
3) Coconut milk - 1/4 cup
4) Cardamom powder - 1 tbsp
5) Cashews - a few
6) Raisins - a few
7) Ghee - 1 tbsp

METHOD:

1) Take the Jackfruit pieces, cut each of them into small pieces and grind them into a fine paste.

2) In a thick bottomed vessel, add required amount of water and when it comes to a boil, put the grated jaggery and let it melt.

3) Now add the grounded jackfruit paste and let it cook till the raw smell goes off.

4) When it starts to bubble, add the coconut milk.

5) Cook for couple of minutes and switch off the flame.

6) Meanwhile, heat the pan with 1 tbsp ghee and fry cashews and raisins & keep it aside.

7) Add cardamom powder, cashews and raisins.

8) Serve hot.

Madhu's Recipe: Molten lava cake

2010-09-15T21:06:00.006+01:00

Ingredients:

1. Butter 1 stick

2. Eggs 2

3. sugar 1/4 cup

4. Dark chocolate (70% cocoa) 100 gms

5. Plain flour 1/4 cup

6 Butter for grasing the ramkins.

Method:

1. In a double boiler, melt chocolate and butter. Double boiler is just a pan with simmering water, on its top holds another vessel, in which the chocolate and butter would melt gradually from the steam. the vessel on top should not touch the water that is simmering.

2. In a medium mixing bowl, beat Eggs and Sugar until light and fluffy

3. Once chocolate is melted, remove pan from heat and add in butter. Mix until the butter melts fully.

4. Add chocolate/butter mixture into the eggs, add all-purpose flour and mix until well incorporated.

5. Butter bottom and sides of ramekins (small glass/porcelain bowls) and pour in mixture about 3/4 way full.

6. Place ramekins on a baking tray and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 C) for 10 – 15 minutes. Shorter for gooey (molten) inside, longer for stiff inside.
7. Serve hot with vanilla ice cream.

Madhu's recipe: Paneer tikka masala

2010-08-05T18:41:00.002+01:00

Ingredients:

1.Paneer 200 gms Cut into cubes

2.Onion 1

3.Tomatoes 4 or 5 (pureed)

4. Chilli powder 1tspn, Coriander powder 2 tspn, Turmeric a pinch

5. Salt to taste

6. ginger garlic paste

For Paneer tikka:

1.Take the above mentioned 200 gms of paneer, to it add 1 tspn chilli powder, 1 tspn coriander powder, Salt to taste , 1/2 tspn garam masala powder and mix well.

2.Marinate for 30 min. After that, Shallow fry these paneer till they turn light brown in colour. And soak it in warm water for 5 min. This will soften the paneer.

Method:

1. In a pan heat oil, then add finely chopped onions, saute well. Then add ginger & garlic paste. Fry for few seconds.

2. Now add tomato puree, and all the above mentioned powders (as in step 4). Mix well, cover and cook for 10 min till raw smell disappears.

3.Now add the above fried paneer to this and let it cook for 3 or 5 more minutes.

4. Finally garnish with coriander leaves and serve it with roti/parathas/ any kind of pulao rice.

Madhu's recipe: Vaazhaipoo Vadai

2010-08-05T18:23:00.004+01:00

Ingredients:

1.Gram dal/chana dal (kadalai paruppu) 1 cup

2. Banana flower/ Vaazhai poo (1/2 or 2/3 rd cup)

3. Onion 1

4. Green chillies 3

5. Fennel seeds 1 tspn

6. Hing a pinch

7. Salt to taste

8.Oil for deep frying

9. Coriander leaves

10. Curry leaves

Method:

1. Soak chana dal for atleast 1 hour. Then grind together chana dal and green chillies coarsley. Add very little water. Consistency should be like a solid coarse dough. Pictured above.

2. Now to the above grinded stuff add chopped onions, vaazhai poo, pinch of hing, salt, chopped coriander leaves and curry leaves. Mix well. I chopped and steamed the vaazhaipoo for 5 min. Its optional.

3.Now take a pan, heat oil, once its hot, take lemon size piece of the above Vadai mixture and make patty shapes/Vadai shape and fry it in oil until golden brown.

4. Place the fried vadais in a paper towel to drain excess oil. Serve hot as a snack along with Tea.

Hema's recipe: Eggless Carrot Cake and frosting -- 5Oth POST

2010-08-02T00:43:00.006+01:00

I wanted to try out frosting the cake. So when I was searching the net, I came across this recipe in showmethecurry.

This carrot cake is very easy and simple and no one would tell that it is eggless.

So I tried out this cake along with frosting on my husband's birthday. He was so surprised to see the cake and we enjoyed the cake so much that not even a piece was left by that evening.

And one of my neighbour Mrs.Helen, helped me out in decorating the cake. Thank you helen.

This happens to be my 50th post. Celebrating it with a sweet cake!!!!!!!!!!!!!

INGREDIENTS:

BOWL 1:

1) All purpose flour - 2 cups
2) Baking soda - 1 tbsp
3) Baking powder - 1 tbsp
4) Cinnamon powder - 1 tbsp(optional)

BOWL 2:

1) Yoghurt - 1 cup
2) Sugar - 1 cup
3) Brown sugar - 1/2 cup
4) Vanilla essence - 1 tbsp
5) Flax seeds - 2 tbsp

OTHER INGREDIENTS:

1) Grated Carrots - 2 cups
2) Chopped walnuts - 1/2 cup
3) Melted butter - 1/4 cup

FOR FROSTING:

1) Whipped frosting cream - 12 0z(I used betty crocker frosting cream)

METHOD:

1)Mix 2 tbsp flax seeds in 6 tbsp of water and allow it to sit for 10 mins.
This flax seeds is an egg substitute. After 10 mins this becomes like a gluey like thing.

2)Take a bowl and mix bowl 1 ingredients.

3)In the same way, take another large bowl and mix bowl 2 ingredients. Mix well until the sugar dissolves.

4)Add the flax seeds mixture to it and mix well.

5)Now add the bowl 1 ingredients to the bowl 2 and mix well to form a smooth batter.

6)Add in grated carrots, chopped walnuts and melted butter and mix them well.

7)Preheat the oven to 350 F.

8)Grease the baking tray and pour in the batter and bake for about 30 mins.

9)After 30 mins, insert a knife/fork to the cake and it should come out clean. This means the cake is ready.

10)Remove them and let them cool completely.

11)Run a knife around the edges of the cake to loosen and place a flat plate over the tray and turn it over to transfer the cake on to the plate.

12)If you are not doing frosting, you can have the cake immediately.

13)But if you are going to do frosting, allow them to cool completely.

FROSTING:

1)Take the whipped frosting cream and fill them in a ziplock cover.
2)Make a small hole at one end down and press them on the cake.
3)Using a butter spreader, spread them over the cake and see that the sides of the cake are also covered.
4)Now decorate the cake as you desire and enjoy it as we did.

Hema's recipe: Paruppu vadai

2010-07-31T22:13:00.007+01:00

Paruppu vadai is one of my favourite of all vadas. My mom does it on all special occasions for me.

I did it as per my mom's recipe and it was so tasty and delicious.

INGREDIENTS:

1) Gram dhal(kadala paruppu) - 1 cup
2) Toor dhal - 1/2 cup3) Urad dal - 1 fistful
4) Red chilli - 6 nos.
5) Hing - a pinch
6) Curry leaves - a few
7) Salt to taste
8) Oil - for deep frying

METHOD:

1)Soak all the 3 dals and redchilli in water for 2 hours.
2)Soak 3 tbsp of gram dhal separately.
3)After 2 hrs, drain the water completly and grind the dhals(3 dals+redchilli) to a coarse paste without adding water.
4)Now add that 3 tbsp of gram dhal to this coarse paste and mix them well.

5)To this, add hing, curry leaves and salt as required.
6)Heat oil in a pan for frying the vadas.
7)Take a small ball from the paste and flatten them with your palm and drop them in the oil.
8)Once they become golden brown take them and dry it in paper towel.
9)Serve hot.

Hema's recipe: Methi Chapathi

2010-07-28T13:14:00.007+01:00

INGREDIENTS:

1) Wheat flour - 2 cups
2) Methi leaves - 1 bunch(washed & finely chopped)
3) Red chilli powder - 1/2 tbsp
4) Turmeric powder - a pinch
5) Garam masala - 1/2 tbsp
6) Oil - 1 tbsp
7) Salt to taste

METHOD:

1)In a bowl add wheat flour, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder, salt & finely chopped methi leaves.
2)Mix it well and make a soft dough by adding water.
3)Add oil and knead the dough.
4)Cover the dough and let it rest for an hour.
5)Now make small balls and roll it like chapathis.
6)Heat the tawa and put this methi chapathi on the tawa.
7)Flip it on the other side and add 1/2 tsp oil.
8)when done transfer the chapathi to a plate.
9)Serve chapathis with any gravies of your choice.

Madhu's recipe: Vegetable pulao - another method

2010-07-22T14:58:00.005+01:00

Ingredients:

1. Onion 1

2. Mixed veggies together 1 cup (carrot, peas, potato, capsicum)

3. Cloves 2 , cumin seeds 1 tspn, bay leaf 1, cinnamon stick 1/2 inch.

4. Basmati rice 1 cup (soak in water for 10 min)

5. Salt to taste

To grind in to a paste:

1. Coconut 2 tblspn

2. Fennel seeds 1 tspn

3. Coriander leaves 1 tblspn

4. Green chillies 3

5. ginger garlic paste 1 tspn

Grind the above to a fine paste adding little water.

Method:

1. In a pan heat oil , add cloves, Cinnamon, bay leaf, cumin seeds. Fry for few seconds.

2. Now add chopped onions, fry till translucent.

3. Now add the ground paste mentioned above and also add mixed veggies. Cook till raw smell of paste disappears. May be for 5 or 7 min.

4. Now add 1 cup basmati rice , salt, mix it well and add 1.5 cups of water. If pressure cooker is used, cook till 3 whistles. If rice cooker is used once rice is added and mixed well, transfer it to rice cooker and add water as mentioned and switch on the rice cooker.

5. Finally once rice is cooked serve it with any raita of your choice.

Madhu's recipe: Potato & Capsicum Gravy

2010-07-21T16:44:00.002+01:00

Ingredients:

1. onion 1

2. Tomatoes 3

3. Fennel seeds 1/2 tspn

4. Cumin seeds 1/2 tspn

5. Cloves 3

6. gree chillies 2

7. Coriander powder 2 tspn, chilli powder 1 tspn, turmeric a pinch, garam masala 1/2 tspn.

8. Ginger garlic paste 1 tspn

9. potatoes 1/2 kg (Boiled and chopped in cubes or medium bite size chunks)

10. Capsicum 1 medium

11. Salt to taste

Method:

1. In a pan heat oil, add cloves, cumin seeds, fennel seeds. fry for few seconds.

2. Now add green chillis, onion and fry till onion is translucent. Now add capsicum. Cook for 3 min.

3. Now add tomatoes. You can puree it if you want. I pureed them. since it gets cooked faster. add water according to your required consistency.

4. Now add ginger garlic paste and all the powders and cook for 10 or 15 min till the raw smell disappears.

5. Finally add the boiled potatoes, cook for further 1 or 2 min till it gets well mixed and garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot with paratha or roti.

Madhu's recipe: Tomato rice

2010-07-21T16:22:00.004+01:00

Ingredients:

1. Onion 1

2. Tomatoes 3

3. Whole garam masala ( cardamom 2, cloves 3, Cinnamon sticks 1/2 inch)

4. Fennel seeds 1 tspn

5. Green chillies 2

6. Turmeric a pinch, Coriander powder, 2 tspn, chilli powder 1 tspn,

7. Salt to taste

8. Basmati rice cooked 1 cup

9. Peas 1/2 cup

10. Ginger garlice paste

Method:

1. In a pan heat oil, add fennel seeds , green chilli and all the whole garam masala mentioned above.

2. Now add chopped onions, fry till translucent.

3. Now add chopped tomatoes, fry for few seconds. Then also add ginger garlic paste.

4. Then add all the powders (coriander, chilli, turmeric)

5. Fry till tomatoes are cooked and the raw smell of powders disappear. Cook for about 10 min on a medium flame.keep stirring occasionaly , so that spices doesn't get burnt.

6. Now add salt, peas and add the cooked basmati rice to the above mixture and mix well till it gets coated well. Cook for 1 or 2 min. Switch off the flame and serve with any raita of your choice.

Note: I used frozen peas, so it can be added finally. If using fresh peas, it has to be pressure cooked first and then has to be added to the above.

Madhu's recipe: Methi dal

2010-07-21T16:16:00.003+01:00

Ingredients

1. moong dal and toor dal together 1/2 cup

2. cumin seeds 1 tspn

3. onion 1

4. methi leaves 1 cup

5. pinch of turmeric

6. peas 1/2 cup

7. mustard seeds 1/2 tspn

8. Green chilli 1

9. Chilli powder 1tspn, coriander powder 2tspn

10.Salt to taste

Method:

1.In a pan, heat oil, add mustard seeds, once it splutter add cumin seeds,

2.Now add green chillies and onion. Cook till onions are translucent.

3.Now add all powders (chilli, coriander, turmeric)

4.Next add the cooked dal. Cover and cook for 10 min till raw smell of powders are gone.

5. Once the raw smell disappears, add the methi leaves and peas and salt. I used frozen peas. It cooks faster so can be added finally also.

6. let it cook for 3 min. Switch off the flame and serve.

Hema's recipe: Poha(maharashtrian style)

2010-07-20T17:52:00.006+01:00

This is my another variety of poha. I learnt this recipe from my neighbour when I was in bombay.

This poha is of maharashtrian style and quite different from my previous milagu aval recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

1) Poha - 1 cup
2) Onions - 1(finely chopped)
3) Jeera - 1/2 tbsp
4) Green chillies - 4
5) Roasted peanuts - 1 tbsp
6) Hing - a pinch
7) Turmeric - a pinch
8) Salt - to taste
9) Coriander leaves - a few

METHOD:

1)Wash the poha nicely and soak for about 5 mins in water. Do not add too much water as it will become too mushy.
2)Heat oil in a pan. Add jeera, hing, turmeric, roasted peanuts and green chiilies.
3)Add onions and fry till they become translucent.
4)Now add the poha after straining it from the water.
5)Add salt and mix them well.
6)Cover it and cook for about 10 mins.
7)Garnish with coriander leaves.
8)Serve hot with any chutney.

Variations:

1)Generally, potato is added. But I don't add it.
2)you can also add carrot, peas, beans but I like to do it only with onions.
3)you can also add ginger garlic paste to this poha.
4)Adjust green chillies according to your spice.

Hema's recipe: Kurma for Idiyappam

2010-07-19T00:32:00.005+01:00

As for as weekends comes, I like to prepare different and variety dishes which are quite heavy.
This is because of two reasons. one, I can prepare it leisurely and two, my husband can eat it leisurely. This applies both to breakfast and lunch.

This week I had bought frozen idiyappam from Indian stores. So just thought why don't we do kurma for this idiyappam and keep it for breakfast.

I had once seen this kurma recipe in a tv show and as per that I had prepared this recipe.

The coconut and poppy seeds as a paste gives a nice flavour to this dish.

Both myself and my husband enjoyed the breakfast with Idiyappam and kurma.

INGREDIENTS:

1) Onions - 2
2) Tomatoes -2
3) Carrot - 1
4) Beans - 10 to 15
5) Potato - 1 (small)
6) Peas - handfull
7) Cardamom - 1 pod
8) Cloves - 3
9) Green chillies - 2
10) Coconut - 2 tbsp
11) Poppy seeds - 1 tbsp (khuskhus)
12) Chilli powder - 1 tbsp
13) Coriander powder - 2 tbsp
14) Turmeric - a pinch
15) Curd - 1/2 cup
16) Milk - 1 cup
17) Oil - 2 tbsp
18) Salt - to taste
19) Coriander leaves - a few

METHOD:

1)Finely chop onions and tomatoes.
2)Chop the vegetables and steam them.
3)Grind together coconut and poppy seeds to a fine paste.
4)Heat oil in a pan. Add cardamom, cloves and green chillies.
5)Add onions and fry till they are golden brown. Add tomatoes and cook them till they are pulpy.
6)Add chiili powder, coriander powder, turmeric and salt. Mix them well.
7)Now add grounded paste and cook till it becomes thick.
9)Add 1/2 cup curd and boil for a minute.
10)Now switch off the flame and add 1/2 cup milk.
11)Garnish with coriander leaves.
12)Serve hot with idiyappam.

Hema's recipe: Vegetable pulao(with coconut milk)

2010-07-16T00:25:00.006+01:00

I always prepare veg pulao or biryani. But this time I wanted to try it out with coconut milk.

It came out really well. The coconut milk and the whole spices gives a nice flavour and tastes really nice.

INGREDIENTS:

1) Rice - 1 cup(preferably basmati)
2) Jeera - 1/2 tbsp
3) Cloves - 3 nos.
4) Cinnamon - 1 inch
5) Cardamom - 1 pod
6) star anise - 1
7) Bay leaves - 2
8) Green chilli - 3
9) Coconut milk - 1 cup
10) Assorted veggies - 2 cups(beans, peas, carrot)
11) Water - 1 cup
12) Ghee - 2 tbsp
13) Coriander leaves - a few
14) Salt to taste

METHOD:

1)Soak rice in water for 1/2 an hour.
2)Heat ghee in a pan. Add cloves, cinnamom, cardamom, jeera, star anise and bay leaves.
3)you will get a nice aroma. Now add green chillies and roast till white spots appear.
4)Add the veggies and roast till they turn crisp.
5)Now drain the water and add rice. Mix them well.
6)Add 1 cup coconut milk & 1 cup water and pressure cook them for 2 whistles.
7)Garnish with coriander leaves.
8)Serve it with any raita or any gravy of your choice.
9)I served it with aloo gobi.

VARIATIONS:

1)If possible you can add 2 cups coconut milk instead of that 1 cup water.
2)Adjust green chillies according to your spice.

Hema's recipe: Aloo Gobi

2010-07-14T17:20:00.005+01:00

I wanted to try this aloo gobi for long time. But I wanted to do it along with any pulao.

So I did this with vegetable pulao and it was just great. The potato and cauliflower with the gravy was so aromatic.

And this recipe is little different from my previous gobi mutter

INGREDIENTS:

1) Potatoes - 2
2) Cauliflower - 2 cup (florets)
3) Onion - 1(finely chopped)
4) Tomatoes - 1
5) Ginger - 1/2 inch piece
6) Garlic - 2 pods
7) Green chilli - 2 nos.
8) Chilli powder - 1/2 tbsp
9) Coriander powder - 1 tbsp
10) Garam masala - 1/2 tbsp
11) Turmeric - a pinch
12) Oil - 2 tbsp
13) Salt - to taste
14) Coriander leaves - a few

METHOD:

1)Wash the potatoes, peel them , cut into cubes and boil them.
I microwaved them for 4 mins. Keep it aside.
2)Cut the cauliflower into florets and boil them. keep it aside.
3)Please see that these both are not overcooked.
4)Heat oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds.
5)When they sizzle, add finely chopped onions and fry till they are golden brown.
6)Put tomatoes, ginger, garlic, greenchillies to a blender and blend it.
7)Now when onions are done, add this tomato paste and fry till the raw smell goes.
8)Add chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric and salt and mix them well.
9)Keep stirring it well so that it does not stick to bottom. A nice aroma will come from the gravy.
10)Now add the boiled potatoes and cauliflower. Add water if needed.
11)Cover and cook in the medium flame for about 10 minutes.
12)Switch off the flame and garnish with coriander leaves.
13)It goes well with chapathi, poori or any pulao.

TIPS:

1) Mushroom lovers can add mushroom to this gravy.
2)Adjust spice according to your taste.

Hema's recipe: 2 Minute appala podi

2010-07-11T23:02:00.004+01:00

I read this recipe as a tip in a tamil magazine and tried it. It was so tasty and delicious. This is very simple and takes just a minute or two to make this podi.

If you have just rice and in a hurry, just try this podi. All you got to have is appalam and red chillies. You can also have it idly or dosa.

INGREDIENTS:

1) Appalam - 4

2) Red chillies - 2(adjust according to spice)

3) Hing - a pinch

4) Salt to taste.

METHOD:

1)Roast the appalam. I microwaved them for 1 minute.

2)Dry roast the red chillies.

3)Now put these roasted appalam, red chillies, hing and required amount of salt to a blender and grind them to a nice powder.

4)Remove them from the blender and store it in an air-tight container.

5)You can have it with idly,dosa or mix it with rice by adding gingely oil.

Hema's recipe: Shahi Paneer

2010-07-09T22:19:00.004+01:00

When I made paneer myself, I wanted to do paneer butter masala. when I was searching the net, I came across this recipe in Sanjeev kapoor's collection.

I found it quite interesting & wanted to try it out. The dish came so nice and it was so aromatic that it filled all my rooms.

The cashews when soaked in milk & added as a paste gives a nice flavour.

Actually I did this dish with naan for dinner. But the gravy was left over and I did not want to waste it. So the next morning I made chapathi and ate with this gravy. It was even more tastier.

INGREDIENTS:

1) Onions - 1(medium size)
2) Tomatoes - 3
3) Paneer - 15-20 cubes
4) Cashews - 10 nos.
5) cloves - 2 nos.
6) green chillies - 2 nos.
7) Ginger - 1 inch piece
8) Red chilli powder - 1/2 tbsp
9) Coriander powder - 3/4 tbsp
10) Garam masala powder - 3/4 tbsp
11) Turmeric - a pinch
12) Curd - 1/4 cup
13) Milk - 1/2 cup
14) Cardamom seeds - 1 pod
15) Salt to taste
16) Tomato sauce - 1 tbsp

Method:

1)Cut onions and tomatoes and keep it a side.
2)Soak cashews in milk.
3)Heat oil in a pan. When the oil is hot, add cloves, onions, green chillies, ginger and cardamom.
4)Saute till onions become translucent. Now add toamtoes and saute them for few seconds.
5)Add the curd now to this mixture and let it cook for 3-5 mins.
6)Let the mixture cool and blend it in a blender to a fine paste.
7)Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a pan.
8)Add this blended paste to the pan.
9)Add chilli powder, turmeric, coriander powder , garam masala, salt and 1 tbsp tomato sauce.
10)Boil till it becomes thick.
11)Now add 1/2 cup milk and the paneer cubes. Let it boil for 5 mins and switch off the flame.
12)Garnish with coriander leaves.
13)Serve it with chapathi, naan or phulka.

Hema's recipe: How to make paneer at home

2010-07-09T02:56:00.007+01:00

I always use store bought paneer only. Then I thought why don't we try it ourselves.

So I made these paneer cubes and it came out really well.

INGREDIENTS:

1) Milk - 6 cups
2) Lemon - 1(big size)

METHOD:

1)Boil 6 cups of milk in a wide steel pan.
2)when it comes to a boil, add lime juice.
3)Now you can see the milk curdling. At this point keep stirring the milk.
4)when stirring, you will see paneer floating on top and milk becoming transparent with water kind of thing.
5)Take a muslin cloth or a hanky. Place it on top of a bowl and strain this liquid.
6)Now the liquid will be in the bowl and the paneer will be in the cloth.
7)If needed, you can wash this paneer under cold water. otherwise leave it.
8)Now twist the hanky and make a round.
9)Place a heavy weight on this for about 1 hour.
10)Now take out the paneer from the hanky and cut into small cubes.
11)The paneer should be very soft.
12)This paneer is used for making curries and gravies.
13)I made this paneer to make Shahi Paneer.
13)You can use this paneer immediately or store it in an air-tight container and keep it in the freezer for future use.

Hema's recipe: Tindora/Kovakkai thuvaran

2010-07-07T15:14:00.003+01:00

I always stir fry the kovakkai when I make curry, which consumes lot of oil. One of my friend, gave me this recipe of kovakkai thuvaran where kovakkai is boiled in water instead of stir fry.

I tried it as told by her. It was really so tasty that I stopped making koavakkai stir fry and started doing this thuvaran nowadays.

INGREDIENTS:

1) Tindora/Kovakkai - 1/2 KG
2) Grated coconut - 2 tbsp
3) Red chilli - 2
4) Mustard seeds - 1/2 tbsp
5) urad dal - 1/2 tbsp
6) Cumin seeds - 1/2 tbsp
7) Turmeric - a pinch
8) salt to taste
9) Curry leaves - a few
10) oil - 1 tbsp

METHOD:

1) Finely chop kovakkai(round shape) and boil them in water. Cook them till they are tender.
2) Grind the grated coconut, red chilli, cumin seeds in a blender without adding water.
3) Heat the oil in the pan, add mustard seeds, urad dal and curry leaves.
4) Now add the cooked kovakkai and add turmeric and salt
5) To this add the grounded coconut mixture and mix it well.
6) Cook it in the low flame for about 10 mins or till done.
7) Serve it as a sidedish for any rice.

Hema's recipe: Steamed Dumplings

2010-07-06T17:31:00.007+01:00

when I was was just wondering what to do for the evening snacks, I came across this recipe in manjulaskitchen. I immediately tried it and wow........... it was too good.

These dumplings are made with gram flour and cabbage as main ingredient. Since it is steamed it is very good for health. It is a spicy snack perfect for tea time.

INGREDIENTS:

1) Gram flour/Besan - 1 cup
2) Whole wheat flour - 2 tbsp
3) Grated Cabbage - 2 cups
4) Cumin seeds - 1 tbsp
5) Turmeric - a pinch
6) Green chillies - 2 (finely chopped)
7) Coriander leaves - a few
8) Salt to taste
9) Oil - 2 tbsp

FOR SEASONING

1) Mustard - 1/2 tbsp
2) Ajwain seeds(omam) 1/2 tbsp
3) Whole red chilli - 4
4) Curry leaves - a few
5) Oil - 2 tbsp
6) Coriander leaves - a few

METHOD:

1)In a bowl add gram flour, wheat flour, cumin seeds, turmeric, green chillies, coriander leaves, and salt.
2)Add cabbage to this flour mixture and mix them well.
3)It should be like a soft dough. If the mixture is sticky add oil.
4)Now grease your fingers with oil and make small dumplings with your fists and steam them for about 20 minutes.
5)After these are ready, let them cool for sometime.
6)Now cut each of these dumplings into two.
7)Heat oil in a kadai, add mustard, ajwain seeds, whole red chilli, curry leaves and fry for few seconds.
8)Add these dumplings and fry them till they are light brown (for about 5 mins)
9)Finally take them out in a plate and serve hot.

Sending these yummy dumplings to Steamy Kitchen Event

Madhu's recipe: Italian Taglatelle pasta

2010-07-01T19:15:00.003+01:00

I'm not used to any kind of international food. But my hubby loves to try difft types of food.. Am very very choosy about what i eat..

My hubby wanted me to change my food habits and get used to other types of food.. So i thought of starting with some simple Italian dish, and get used to it slowly.. I made this Tagliatelle pasta.

I had bought a ready made pasta sauce called Artichoke with garlic sauce. Measurements are for 2 people..My hubby liked it a lot and i thought of posting it in my blog.

You can use any kind of pasta. I've mentioned the name of the pasta i used.

Here goes the simple pasta recipe:

Ingredients:
1. Pasta 200 gms
2. Artichoke sauce 130 gms
3. Cooked / steamed Brocolli flowerts 2/3 cups
4. Cream 1/2 cup
5. Mozzarella cheese / Parmesan cheese grated 1/2 cup
6. Fresh Parsley leaves finely chopped 2 tblspn
7. Salt to taste

Method.

1. In a sauce pan boil water with little salt and 1 tspn oil, once it starts boiling, add pasta to it and cover it. Let it cook for 15 min. Drain and keep aside.
2. In another pan add olive oil, add the pasta sauce, then add cream , also add 1/4th cup water,use the water in which pasta is cooked, cover and cook for 2 or 3 min. Then add the cooked pasta, cooked/steamed broccoli flowerts, parsley leaves, salt, and cook for 2 min till all gets well mixed.
3. Now add Mozzarella / Parmesan cheese on top mix everything once again.. cook for few seconds and turn off the stove and serve it.

Hema's recipe: Sambhar Powder

2010-06-30T17:21:00.004+01:00

This is my mom's version of sambhar podi. This is her unique way of doing this podi which is quite different. She does it once in 3 months and stores it.

It hardly takes 10 minutes to do this powder if you have all ingredients with you.

Ingredients:

1) Toor dal - 200 gms
2) Channa dal - 150 gms
3) Pepper - 50 gms
4) Mustard - 50 gms
5) Fenugreek seeds - 50 gms
6) Chilli powder - 400 gms
7) Coriander powder - 200 gms
8) Turmeric powder - 100 gms

Method:

1)Heat a kadai and dry roast the ingredients 1-5.
2)Each one should be added separately and roasted separately until a nice aroma comes.
3)Be careful with mustard & pepper as it will sputter.
4)Take all the roasted items in a plate and let it cool for sometime.
5)Grind these items in a blender to a nice powder.
6)Now take a large bowl. Add chilli powder, coriander powder and turmeric powder and add these grinded powder to this bowl.
7)Now take a big spoon and mix them well.
8)Store it in an airtight container.
9)This will remain fresh for 3 months.

Hema's recipe: Banana-walnut muffins

2010-06-30T17:14:00.003+01:00

I have never eaten muffins untill I came to US. Here, in my hotel they keep muffins and I just love them. Just thought why don't I give a try baking these cupcakes by myself.

So I just tried it with banana and to make it crunchy I just added walnuts. It came out really well and the plates in which I had kept muffins were empty in a minute.

Ingredients:

1) Allpurpose flour - 1 cup
2) Medium bananas - 2
3) Baking powder - 1 tsp
4) Baking soda - 1tsp
5) Salt - 1/8 tsp
6) Light brown sugar - 1/3 cup
7) Melted butter - 1/3 cup
8) chopped walnuts - 1/2 cup(Reserve a few for sprinkling on top)

Method:

1)Preheat the oven to 350 F.
2)Sift together allpurpose flour,baking powder,baking soda and salt.
3)Mash bananas and add the brown sugar and melted butter.
4)Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and slightly mix till they incorporate well.
5)Fold in the chopped walnuts.
6)Pour the batter into the muffin tray till three-fourths. Sprinkle a few walnuts on top of each muffin.
7)Bake them for 20-25 minutes. Check with a fork or tooth-pick and it should come out clean.
8)Remove the muffin tray from the oven and let it cool off for few minutes.
9)Serve the delicious muffins.

Madhu's recipe: Methi Malai Mutter

2010-06-24T15:21:00.003+01:00

Ingredients:

1) 1 bunch of methi leaves
2) 1/2 cup mutter/peas
3) 1 onion (finely chopped)
4) 1 tomato (finely chopped)
5) 1.5 tspn coriander powder
6) 1 tspn chilli powder
7) 1 tspn cumin seeds
8) 1/4th tspn turmeric powder
9) 1/2 tspn ginger gralic paste
10) fresh cream 1 tblspn
11) 1 tspn garam masala
12) Salt to taste

Method:

1. Clean methi leaves , soak them in water with little salt for 10 min. This will take out the bitterness from the leaves.
2. In a pan add oil, once its hot, add cumin seeds, fry for few seconds, then add chopped onions. fry till onions are translucent.
3. Now add ginger garlic paste, fry for few seconds, then add tomatoes. Cook till tomatoes are cooked.
4. Now add coriander powder, chilli powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder, fry for few seconds. Add enough water and cover it and cook it for 10 min.
5. Now once the raw smell disappears, add peas, methi leaves, enough salt, cook it for further 3-5 min.
6. Finally garnish with fresh cream on top. Serve hot with roti/paratha.

Please note: If Frozen peas is used, it can be directly added to the gravy as mentioned above.
If fresh peas is used, it has to be pressure cooked first, then add it to the gravy as mentioned.

Hema's recipe: Kondakadalai/chickpeas sambhar

2010-06-23T04:17:00.003+01:00

Chickpeas/kondakadalai is rich in proteins and are considered more nutritious. It forms a healthy food for diabetic patients.

I frequently soak channa overnight and in the morning I put it in an airtight container and keep it in the freezer and it remains fresh for more than 15 days.

When I told this to my neighbour, Chitra, she gave me the idea of doing Kondakadalai sambhar. I heard it for the first time and tried her recipe. It came out so well that I thought of posting it in the blog.

when there is shortage of any vegetables this sambhar comes handy.

Thank you chitra for giving me this recipe and here goes the recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

1) Chickpeas/kondakadalai - 1/2 cup
2) Onion - 1
3) Tomato - 1
4) Musatrd - 1/2 tsp
5) jeera - 1 tsp
6) Green chilli - 3 nos.
7) Sambhar powder - 1 tsp.
8) Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
9) Coconut - 3 tsp
10) Salt to taste
11) Curry leaves - a few
12) Water - as required
13) Coriander leaves - a few

METHOD:

1) Soak chickpeas in water overnight and pressure cook it.
2) Grind coconut, jeera, greenchilli to a fine paste and keep it aside.
3) Heat oil in a kadai, add mustard & jeera and when it sputters add onion and fry them till translucent.
4) Now add tomatoes and fry them for sometime.
5) Add sambhar powder and salt and mix them well.
6) Now add water and when it comes to a boil add chickpeas. Let it boil until the raw smell goes off.
7) Finally add that grounded coconut paste and keep for 2 minutes and switch off the flame.
8) Garnish with coriander leaves and serve the delicious sambhar with rice.

Hema's recipe: Papdi chaat

2010-06-20T23:42:00.008+01:00

Chaat is one of the most popular snacks and generally sold by street vendors all over India.

Papdi chaat is a crispy snack garnished & served with spices and tangy chutney along with yoghurt which makes you crave for more and more papdis.

A unique feature of papdi is that you can store the papdis in airtight container for a month.

Me and my husband enjoys eating papdis and I often make it for evening snacks.

INGREDIENTS:

For Papdi:

1) Maida - 1 cup
2) Rava/sooji - 1/4 cup
3) Salt - 1/2 tsp4) Oil - for frying
5) Water to knead the dough

For garnishing the papdi:

1) Potato – 1 medium(boiled, peeled & diced)
2) Chickpeas/kondakadalai - 1/4 cup
3) Yoghurt - 3/4 cup (beaten)
4) Chaat masala - to garnish
5) Red chilli powder - to taste
6) Tamarind chutney - to taste
7) Salt - as required
8) Thin sev - 1/2 cup

METHOD:
How to make papdi:

1)In a bowl add the maida, rava, salt and oil(2 tsp) and make it like a chapathi dough by gradually adding water.
2)Cover the dough and it should rest aside for few minutes.
3)Now take one lemon sized ball from the dough and roll it like chapathi.
4)Make 3-4 long strips from the rolled dough and cut into square shaped pieces with the help of a knife.
5)Prick square shaped papdi pieces with fork so that it does not gets puffed up.
6)Heat oil in a pan and fry these papdis. Fry till they are golden brown on both sides.
7)Now the papdi is ready.

How to serve with garnishing:

1)Arrange the papdis in a plate.
2)Mash the chickpeas and add salt to the beaten yoghurt.
3)Place a slice of potato on each papdi and chickpeas on top of these potatoes.
4)Add yoghurt over them.
5)srinkle chaat masala powder, red chilli powder on them.
6)Add Tamarind chutney on top of it.
7)Finally sprinkle sev and serve immediately.

Variations:

1)Papdis can be cut into your desired shapes round, diamonds etc.
2)Cilantro chutney can also be added to papdis.
3)Roasted cumin powder can also be added.

Hema's recipe: Coriander Rice/Kothamali saadam

2010-06-14T13:37:00.007+01:00

I just love to eat variety rice. I always like to try different variety of rice. As I made Carrot rice I was searching in the net for some other rice.

I came across this coriander rice from sailusfood. I liked it and gave it a try. It was awesome!!!!!! The grated coconut added when grinding gives a nice flavour and taste.
I just loved it. But I changed the recipe a little according to my taste.

Here goes the recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

1) Rice - 1 cup(preferably basmati rice)
2) Coriander leaves - 1 big bunch
3) Grated coconut - 3 tbsp
4) Green chillis - 3 nos.
5) Cloves - 3 nos.
6) Cinnamon - 1" piece
7) Cardamom - 2 nos.
8) Bay leaf - 1 no.
9) Ginger - 1" piece
10) Jeera - 1/2 tbsp
11) Ghee - 2 tbsp

METHOD:

1) Wash and soak the rice in water for half an hour.
2) Wash the coriander leaves and chop them.
3) Grind the coconut, ginger, jeera, greenchilli along with chopped coriander into a fine paste.
4) Heat ghee in a pressure cooker, add cloves,cinnamon,cardamom,bay leaf and fry for few seconds.
5) Add the grounded coriander paste and fry for few minutes.
6) Then add rice and mix well. Now add salt.
7) Add 2 cups water, srinkle lime juice and pressure cook it for 2 whistles.
8) Serve it with any raita.

Variations:

1)According to your spice, adjust the green chillies.
2)you can also add tomatoes or peas in this rice. But I like to eat it as plain green rice & did not add anything.
3)Lime juice is added so that the rice grains remain separate and fluffy.

Hema's recipe: Semiya Payasam

2010-06-04T19:40:00.005+01:00

Semiya payasam is a traditional south Indian dessert made on all special occasions. It is very easy and simple to make. It is prepared with milk and vermicilli.

This is my most favourite payasam.

INGREDIENTS:

1) Semiya/vermicilli - 1 cup
2) Milk - 1 cup
3) sugar - 1 cup
4) Cashews - few nos.
5) Raisins - 1 tbsp
6) Cardamom powder - 1 tsp.
6) Ghee for frying

METHOD:

1)Take a pan heat ghee and fry cashews & raisins until golden brown and keep it aside.
2)In the same pan add semiya and fry until golden brown.
3)Take a vessel and boil little water and add this fried semiya. Let it boil for sometime. Stir well with spoon. To know whether it is boiled or not take 1 piece and see. If it breaks into two then it is cooked.
4)Add sugar and stir well. Adjust sugar according to your taste.
4)Now add milk and keep for 5 mins.
5)Finally add cashews, raisins & cardamom powder and serve.

Hema's Recipe: Jeera rasam with aloo jeera subji

2010-05-27T13:19:00.005+01:00

JEERA RASAMJeera rasam is very simple and easy to make. The main ingredient, pepper & jeera gives nice aroma. I just love this rasam when i have potato as a sidedish. This is my way of preparing jeera rasam. The recipe is as follows:

INGREDIENTS:

1) Tamarind - 1 small lemon size

2) Rasam Powder - 2 tsp

3) Tomato - 1

4) Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

5) Ghee - 1 tsp

6)Salt to taste

For Grinding:

1) Coriander Seeds - 3 tablespoon

2) Toordhal - 1 teaspoon

3) Cumin Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon

4) Red Chilli - 3

5) Pepper - 1 teaspoon

6) Curry Leaves - few

7) coriander leaves - few

METHOD:

1)Soak the tamarind in hot water for 30 mins.

2)Dry roast the grinding ingredients and grind these in a blender to a coarse powder.

3)Take a vessel, add tamarind extract, rasam powder, salt and chopped tomatoes. Let it boil till the raw smell goes off.

4)Now add that coarsly ground powder to this rasam and keep the flame low. Let it boil for sometime then switch off the flame.

5)In a pan, heat ghee, add mustard seeds and when it sputters add it to rasam.

6)Garnish with coriander leaves.

7)Serve it with hot rice and aloo jeera sabji.

ALOO JEERA SUBJI

Aloo jeera is a delicious dish of aloo (potatoes) cooked with jeera (cumin seeds). It has a nice aroma of cumin seeds.The potato along with cumin seeds gives a nice flavour and just tastes great. It goes well with rice, poori or chapathi.

I served it with jeera rasam and the combo was really good. My husband liked it so much.

Here goes the recipe:

INGREDIENTS:

1) Potatoes - 2

2) Onion - 1 (finely chopped)

3) Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

4) Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

5) Ginger - a piece

6) Green chilli - 2-3

7) Coriander powder - 1 tsp

8) Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp

9) Turmeric - a pinch

10) Curry leaves - a few

11) Hing - a pinch

12) Salt to taste

METHOD:

1)Peel the potatoes, cut them into 1" cubes and boil them.

2)In a pan, heat 2 tsp oil, add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. when they splutter, add onion and saute till golden brown.

3)Then add turmeric,hing, ginger and chopped green chillies. Now take a bowl, add coriander powder, chilli powder, add little water and add this mixture to the pan. I do this process so that it does not get burned up.

4)Add salt according to your taste.

5)Now add the potatoes. Mix them well. Let it cook for 5 mins.

6)Serve as a sidedish to any rice, chapati or poori.

Sending this to the CWS - Cumin Seeds Event ....

Hema's Recipe: Jeera Podi

2010-05-27T12:30:00.005+01:00

Whenever you have headache or cold and you wont feel like having anything. So in that case, try this jeera podi. My mom makes this podi when I have cold or headache.

So having this podi with hot rice and a good sleep, will take away your cold and you will feel fresh once you wake up.

INGREDIENTS:

1) Jeera - 4 tsp

2) Pepper - 1 tsp

3) Toor dal - 1/4 tsp

4) Salt as required.

1)Dry roast all the ingredients in a kadai till a nice aroma comes. Toor dal is added since it gives nice flavour.

2)Transfer this to a plate and let it cool. Dry grind in blender to a fine powder

3)Mix this podi with hot rice and ghee and serve.

Sending this to the CWS - Cumin Seeds Event ....

Madhu's Recipe: Chikpea / Konda kadalai Sundal

2010-05-25T21:52:00.006+01:00

Chickpeas are a helpful source of zinc folate and protein. They are also very high in dietary fibre.Chickpeas are low in fat and most of this is polyunsaturated.Chik peas can be used in a variety of dishes. This is my mom's recipe.. she makes wonderful varieties of sundal.

The recipe for chik pea sundal is as follows:

Ingredients:

Coriander seeds - 2 tspn

Chana dal - 1 tspn

Dried red chilli - 2 large

Urud dal - 1/2 tspn

Grated coconut - 2 table spoon

Oil - 1 tspn

Chikpea/Chole - 1/2 cup

Salt to taste

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tspn

Serving: 2

Method:

1. Soak chana dal /chik pea over night and pressure cook it with some salt for 4 or 5 whistles.

2. Heat oil in a pan.

3. Once its hot, add coriander seeds, chana dal, dried red chilli, urud dhal, fry till the colour of dal changes and switch off the stove. let it cool for sometime.

4.Now in a blender, add grated coconut and also add all these roasted items, and powder them finely.

5. Take another pan, heat oil, once hot, add mustard seeds, then add this cooked chole /chik pea, and also add the above grinded powder , then add salt and saute for 3 min and switch it off. Then transfer it to a bowl and serve.

Madhu's Recipe: Vegetable Biriyani

2010-05-25T21:37:00.003+01:00

Ingredients

Cardamom - 3

Cinamon stick - 1

Bay leaf - 1

Star anees - 1

Cloves -3

Onions- 1 Big (thinly sliced)

Green chillies - 2

Ginger garlic paste - 1 tspn

Chilli powder - 1 tspn

Coriander powder - 2 tspn

Yogurt -1/4th cup

Pudina leaves - handfull

Coriander leaves - handfull

Mixed vegetables(1-carrot, 2 small potatoes, beans 150 gms,peas 1/4 cup,capsicum 1/2)

(cut veggies into medium size cubes.)

Method:

1.Heat oil in a pressure pan.

2.Add, cinamon sticks, bay leaf, cloves, cardamom, star anees. Fry for few seconds.

3.Now add pudina leaves, coriander leaves, fry for a minute.

4.Then add sliced onions, fry till onions are translucent.

5.Now add ginger garlic paste.fry for few seconds.

6.Now add chopped tomatoes and green chillies. Cook till tomatoes are mushy.

7.Now add chilli powder, coriander powder, fry till raw smell goes.

8.Now add yogurt. Mix well.

9.Then add all mixed vegetables.mix well.

10.Now add 1 cup basmati rice mix everything well.

11. Pour in 1.5 cups of water. Add salt as per taste. Cover and cook for 3 whistles and keep in medium flame/sim , for 5 minutes then switch off the stove.

If using Electric rice cooker, transfer these to the cooker, and switch it on.Once done, vegetable biriyani will be ready to be served.Can serve it with any raita.

Madhu's Recipe: Carrot Cutlet

2010-05-24T22:04:00.004+01:00

This is my own version of Cutlet made by using only carrots.

Here is the Recipe:

Carrots full big size - 3

Chilli powder - 2 tspn

Garam masala - 1/2 tspn

Salt as needed

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tspn

Bread crumbs - 1 cup

Rice flour - 3 tblspn

Oil - For frying

Method:

1. Grate carrot and steam them ,for 5 min by adding salt .It can also be boiled in microwave by adding water.

2. Mean while, take rice flour , add some salt to this also, and mix enough water to form a thick batter.

3. Now take the steamed carrot, squeeze well and drain water if any. To this add, chilli powder, garam masala powder, turmeric powder. Once all items are added,Check the salt and add if needed.

4. Make round balls and form a cutlet/patty shape.This shape can be small or medium as desired. Now dip this in to the rice flour batter, and then coat well with bread crumbs.

5. Heat oil in pan. Once oil becomes hot, fry these cutlets.

6. serve hot,with tomato ketchup.

Variation:

1. Can use finely chopped green chillies for spicyness,

2. Can also use chaat masala instead of garam masala.

3. Peas can also be mashed and added.

Hema's recipe: Carrot Rice

2010-05-24T20:42:00.015+01:00

Once I had gone for lunch to my friend's house. She had prepared so many dishes and carrot rice was one of them. It was so tasty,
spicy and aromatic. I just loved it and she told me the recipe.

when I read about the contest in manjulaskitchen, I just remembered that rice. So I tried it and it came out well. But I did some variations according to my taste. My husband
who is the first tester and taster of all my recipes just loved it.

Carrot rice is a very delicious and nutritious recipe. It is a perfect lunch box recipe for kids. It can be prepared very quick and the whole spices added in this
rice gives a nice flavour that makes you crave for the food. This absolute whole meal dish would be loved by Kids.

Sending it to 1)Manjulaskitchen.com

2)Think Spice - Think Garam Masala hosted by Sara, an event by Sunitha

INGREDIENTS:

1) Basmati Rice - 1 cup
2) Grated Carrot - 2 cup
3) Onion - 1 no.
4) Green Chilly - 3 nos.
5) Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 tsp
6) Jeera - 1 tsp
6) Bay leaf - 1 no.
7) Cloves - 2 nos.
8) Cinnamon - 1 no
9) Cardamom - 2 nos
10) Cashews - 5 nos.
11) Salt to taste
12) Ghee - 2 tbps
13) Lime juice - 1/4 tbsp
14) coriander leaves - a few
15) Water - 1.5 cups

METHOD:

1)Wash and soak rice in water for 1/2 an hour.

2)Heat ghee in a pressure cooker, add jerra,cloves,cinnamon,cardamom,bay leaf,cashews.

3)Add onions sliced lengthwise and saute till they are translucent.

4)Add ginger garlic paste,green chilly, salt and saute well untill the raw smell goes off.

5)Add the grated carrot and sprinkle little water and allow it to cook.

6)Once the carrot is half cooked, add rice and mix it well.

7)Now add 1.5 cups water, sprinkle lime juice and pressure cook for 2 whistles.

8)Garnish with coriander leaves.

9)Serve hot with any raita.

VARIATION:

1)According to your spice, adjust the green chillies. you can add chilli powder if you want more spicy. But the green chillies and whole spices are enough.
2)you can also add mint leaves before you add the carrot.
3)Do not grate the carrot very finely since it gets smashed. I like carrot to be seen so grate it little big.
4)Lime juice is added so that the rice grains remain separate and fluffy.

Hema's recipe: Tindora/Kovakka Chutney

2010-05-22T15:27:00.003+01:00

Kovakkai is good for making curry. It has good medicinal properties. It is rich in minerals, low in calories and more good for diabetics. I learnt to make kovakka curry from my mother-in-law.

oneday when I was cleaning the fridge I saw some leftover pieces of kovakka which was not enough for curry. Did not know what to do with these left over pieces.Then I remembered one of my friend had told me about kovakka chutney. I did it for the dosa and it was so nice. so whenever I buy kovakka I keep some of them separately for this chutney.

INGREDIENTS:

1) Kovakka - 7-8 Nos.
2) Jeera - 1 tsp
3) Tamarind - small piece
4) Green chilli - 3-4
5) Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
6) Curry leaves - a few
7) salt to taste
8) Oil - 2 tsp

METHOD:

1)Wash kovakka and cut them into round pieces.
2)In a pan, heat oil, add jeera, greenchilli, tamarind, kovakka and salt. Let it cook for sometime.
3)Once done, take them in a plate and let it cool. Then grind them in a blender as you grind for chutney.
4)Now in a pan, heat oil, add mustard seeds and curry leaves. Once it sputters, add it to the chutney and mix well.
5)Serve it with idly or dosa.

Hema's recipe: Tomato Pulao

2010-05-19T21:02:00.003+01:00

INGREDIENTS:

1) Rice - 1 cup(prefrably basmati)
2) Onion - 1
3) Tomato - 4
4) Bay leaves - 2
5) turmeric - 1/4 tsp
6) Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
7) coriander powder - 2 tsp
8) cumin seeds - 1 tsp
9) salt to taste
10) Ghee - 2 tsp

Grind the following to a paste:

1) Onion - 1/2
2) Green chiili - 2-3
3) cloves - 2
4) cinnamon - 1 stick
5) cashews - 4-5
6) Ginger - a piece
7) Garlic - 2

METHOD:

1)Soak rice for 1/2 an hour. Cut onion length wise and chop tomatoes, keep aside.
2)Grind the masala to paste and keep it aside.
3)Heat ghee in a pan, add cumin seeds and crushed bay leaves.
4)Add onions and fry till they are translucent. Now add that grounded masala paste and cook till the raw smell goes and oil comes out.
5)Now add chopped tomatoes, salt, turmeric, chilli powder, coriander powder. Mix everything nicely and cook for 2 mins.
6)Finally add rice and stir it well for a minute. Add 1.5 cups water and cook for 2 whistles.
7)Serve it with cucumber/onion raita.

Hema's recipe - Poha with Pepper and Coconut/ Milagu Aval

2010-05-17T14:34:00.006+01:00

Poha/aval is an easy to cook nutritious snack. It is easily digestable and can be had for breakfast. Poha can be done in many ways.

Mostly in south, poha is done this way and here goes the recipe. Sending this to CWS-Pepper guest hosted by Padma, event by Priya.

INGREDIENTS:

1) Poha/aval - 1 cup
2) Mustard - 1/2 tsp
3) Urad dal - 1/2 tsp
4) Red chilli - 2
5) Pepper powder - 1 tsp
6) Coconut - 2 tsp
7) Curry leaves - a few
8) Salt to taste
9) Oil - 2 tsp

METHOD:

1) Wash the poha and soak it in water. Do not add too much water as it will get mushy. Keep aside for 10 mins until the water is absorbed.
2) Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, urad dal, chilli, curry leaves and poha. Mix everything well. Add salt & mix it again. Let it cook for sometime.
3) Finally add pepper powder and coconut. keep for 2 mins and switch off the flame.
4) Serve hot with any chutney.

Hema's recipe: Spicy Diamond Cuts

2010-05-15T17:35:00.005+01:00

DIAMOND CUTS makes a great snack. It is very spicy and crispy and can be served with tea in the evening. My mom usually does it with maida. But I tried with wheat flour which has fibre content and is good for health.

INGREDIENTS:

1) Whole wheat flour - 1 Cup
2) Red Chilli powder - 2 tbsp
3) Hing - 1/4 tbsp
4) Butter - 2 tbsp
5) Ajwain seeds(omam) - 1 tbsp
6) Oil for frying

METHOD:

1)Mix the Wheat flour, chilli powder, butter, ajwain and hing with water and make this into a tight dough like chapati dough.
2)Make lemon size balls from the dough and roll it like chapati. Roll it little thick & not too thin.
3)Using a knife cut these rolled chapatis into small diamond pieces.
4)Place the diamond shaped pieces in a paper and allow it to dry.
5)Take a kadai, heat the oil on medium heat and when the oil is hot, add handful of dried diamond pieces and fry it until it becomes crisp.
6)Take the crisp diamond cuts and keep it in a bowl with a paper tissue to dry the excess oil.
7)Diamond cuts can be stored in air tight container for one month.

Hema's recipes - Tomato Dosa

2010-05-14T19:39:00.004+01:00

As the name suggests, this dosa is made of tomatoes. My mom prepares this dosa frequently. A unique speciality in this dosa is that it requires no fermentation. As soon the batter is made, we can start preparing dosas.

INGREDIENTS:

1) Tomatoes - 3
2) Raw Rice - 1 Cup
3) Urad Dal - 2 tbps
4) Fenugreek Seeds - ¼ tbsp
5) Shredded Coconut - 2 tbsp (optional)
6) Dry Red Chilies - 3 (De-seeded)
7) Salt to taste
8) Oil as required

METHOD:

1) Clean and soak raw-rice, urad dal & fenugreek seeds in water for 3-4 hours.

2) Drain the water. Now in a blender add the rice, urad dal, feugreek seeds, tomatoes, redchilli, coconut and grind it to a smooth batter by adding required salt.

3) Add water as required and it should be like a normal dosa consistency.

4) Now make dosas and serve hot with chutney or sambhar.

Hema's recipes - Tamarind chutney

2010-05-13T20:38:00.004+01:00

Tamarind chutney also called as 'sweet chutney' can be served with any chaat like samosa, french fries, papdi chaat or any other chaat. The jaggery gives a tangy flavour to this chutney which is sweet & sour and just tastes great. It can be stored in refrigerator for 1-2 months.

INGREDIENTS:

1) Tamarind - 2 lemon size
2) Jaggery - 1/4 cup
3) Salt - 1 tsp
4) Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
5) Black pepper - 1/2 tsp
6) Cumin powder - 1 tsp
7) Water - 1 tumbler

METHOD:

1) Soak the tamarind in hot water for 30 mins and take out the pulp from it.
2) Take a vessel, pour this pulp and add water. Bring it to a boil.
3) Add the powered jaggery and lower the flame to medium. The jaggery should mix well in that tamarind water and the water should reduce to half.
4) Add salt, cumin powder, black pepper & red chilli powder. Stir it well. keep it for 2 mins and then remove from flame.
5) Serve it with samosa or any chaat.

Hema's recipes - Eggless sponge cake

2010-05-13T20:10:00.008+01:00

The cake(after baking)

The cake batter

As we come from a brahmin family we are pure vegetarians and we don't eat eggs. When I came across the eggless sponge cake in vahrehvah i just tried it and it was so delicious and no one can tell it is without eggs.
It is very easy to make and here goes the recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

1) Maida - 2 cups
2) Powdered sugar - 1 cup
3) Butter - 1 cup(melted)
4) Baking soda - 1/2 tbsp
5) Baking powder - 1 tbsp
6) Condensed milk - 1 cup
7) Carbonated water - 1 can(coke, pepsi, fanta)

METHOD:

1) In a bowl, take 1 cup milk, add powdered sugar and mix it.
2) Melt the butter & add it to the sugar mixture & beat until its mixed well.
3) Take the dry ingredients - maida, baking powder and baking soda and mix it well.
4) Pour the mixture of butter, milk and sugar in this maida and just mix it.
5) Now add the carbonated water and mix everything well. Mix it up slowly. It should be like dosa batter consistency.
6) Grease the baking tray with butter or ghee and pour in the cake batter.
7) Pre-heat the oven for 400 F and bake it for 15 minutes. Switch off immediately and let it be in the oven
for next 15 mins. Do not remove them. Let them cook in switched off oven.
8) Insert a knife at the centre of the cake and it should come out clean.
9) Remove them and let them cool completely.
10) Run a knife around the edges of the cake to loosen and place a flat plate over the tray and turn it over to transfer the cake on to the plate.
11) Cut them into slices and serve.

Hema's recipe - Gobi Mutter

2010-05-10T20:02:00.005+01:00

GOBI MUTTER is a north Indian dish consisting of cauliflower and peas in a spicy sauce.

Most of them would put onion & tomato finely chopped. But i like to blend it and add like a sauce that doubles the flavour of the dish and smells great. It goes well with roti, chapathi, phulka etc. It can also be had with variety rice like pulao or veg briyani.

INGREDIENTS:

1) Cauliflower florets - 1 cup

2) Green peas - 1/2 cup

3) Onion - 1(medium)

4) Tomato - 1(big)

5) Greenchilli - 2 to 3

6) Ginger - a small piece

7) Garlic - 2 pods

8) Jeera - 1 tsp

9) Turmeric - 1/2 tsp

10) Chilli powder - 1 tsp

11) Dhaniya powder - 1.5 tsp

12) Garam masala - 1 tsp

13) Coriander leaves - a few

14) Salt to taste

15) Oil - 2 tsp

METHOD:

1)Wash the cauliflower florets and green peas and boil it in water. See that it is not overcooked.

2)Now in a blender, put onion, toamto, greenchilli, ginger, garlic and grind it into a fine paste.

3)Heat oil in a pan, add cumin seeds. when they splutter add this blended paste & cook untill the raw smell goes off.

4)Add salt, chillipowder, dhaniya powder, turmeric powder & mix well. Add the chilli powder according to your spice level, since we have already added green chilli in the grounded paste.

5)Add water as required for gravy.

6)Now add the cooked cauliflower & the peas & mix everything well, so that the gravy gets coated in them and cook for about 5 minutes.

7)Finally garnish with coriander leaves.

Hema's recipes - Dal Tadka

2010-05-10T19:53:00.006+01:00

"DAL" is a preparation of pulses/lentils. "TADKA" means seasoning with spices. Dal can be prepared with toordal, masoordal (red colour dal), moong dal (yellow dal) chana dal etc. It goes well with rice and chapati. Here is the simple recipe of 'yellow moong dal'.

INGREDIENTS:

1) Yellow moong dal - 1 cup

2) Onion - 1

3) Tomato - 1

4) Greenchilli - 3-4

5) Mustard - 1/2 tbsp

6) Urad dal - 1/2 tbsp

7) Curry leaves - a few

8) Coriander leaves - a few

9) Oil - 2 tbsp

10) Salt to taste

METHOD:

1)chop tomatoes, slice onions into long pieces.

2)Take a veseel, add the moong dal, sliced onions, chopped tomatoes, turmeric, salt. Add required amount of water. Pressure cook it for 4-5 whistles.

3)Now heat oil in a pan. Add mustard, urad dal, curry leaves & green chillies. when they splutter add it to the cooked dal.

4)This dal can be had for sidedish to chapati, phulka, paratha.

Hema's recipes - Keerai Kootu

2010-05-10T19:44:00.004+01:00

Keerai/spinach is a rich source of iron. It is very good especially for ladies. Daily intake of spinach in your diet increases iron and calcium content which is a must especially for ladies.

It can be any type of spinach. Spinach has a volatile acid which will leave when cooked. So it has to be cooked without being covered with a lid. This recipe can be done in many ways. But my mom does it this way which I too follow and here goes the recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

1) Spinach - 1 bunch

2) Toor dal - 2 tbsp

3) Jeera - 1 tbsp

4) Red chilli - 3

5) Mustard - 1/2 tbsp

6) Urad dal- 1/2 tbsp

7) Channa dal - 1/2 tbsp

8) Coconut - 2 tbsp

9) Salt to taste.

10) Oil - 2 tbsp.

METHOD:

1)Wash the spinach and chop it finely.

2)Soak toordal, jeera, red chilli in water for 5-10 mins. grind this along with coconut into a fine paste.

3)Take a kadai, add required amount of water and bring to boil. now add the chopped spinach and let it cook.

4)Now add the grounded paste. let it cook on a medium flame for about 5 mins or untill the raw smell goes off.

5)For seasoning , heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, urad dal, channa dal and pour this in that kadai.

6)This keerai can be had with rice or can be served as a side dish.

Hema's recipes - Gobi Manchurian Dry

2010-05-10T19:29:00.004+01:00

Gobi manchurian is a Indian chinese dish. It is made of cauliflower. It is one of the famous starters served in many Indian restaurants which is dry, spicy and tasty. I usually make it as evening snacks during weekends which can be had with tea.

INGREDIENTS:

1) Cauliflower florets - 1 cup

2) Gram flour - 1/4 cup

3) Rice flour - 2 tbsp

4) Corn flour - 3 tbsp

5) Red chilli powder - 1 tbsp

6) Soya sauce - 2 tbsp

7) Red chilli sauce - 1 tbsp

8) Tomato sauce - 1 tbsp

9) Salt to taste

10) Oil to fry

11) Finely chopped coriander leaves - a few

METHOD:

1) Cut the cauliflower into big florets, wash nicely and boil it in water for 5 minutes.

2) Mix gram flour, rice flour, cornflour, 1 tsp soya sauce, salt, red chilli powder with water to get a thick batter. Dip the cauliflower pieces and

fry them in hot oil till golden brown.

3) Take a seperate vessel, heat little oil, add spring onions, add the red chilli sauce, tomato sauce, 1 tsp soya sauce, coriander leaves and a pinch of salt and cook for 1 min.

4) Put the fried cauliflower pieces in the above sauce, let it get mixed well and cook for further 1 or 2 mins.

5) Finally serve hot.

Hema's recipes - Green Peas Rice

2010-05-06T09:15:00.007+01:00

I have a friend who taught me peas pulao in north indian style. so just thought why don't we do it in south Indian style by adding coconut. believe me after preparing it, the aroma of the dish was spread in my house. coconut, the main ingredient of the dish makes it so delicious. My husband just loved it and appreciated me.

Recipe is as follows:

INGREDIENTS:

Green Peas - 1 /2 cup
Rice - 1 cup (preferably basmathi rice)
Onion - 1
Grated coconut - 1 teaspoon
Ginger - 1 small piece
Garlic - 2-3 pods(optional)
Cumin seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Green chilli - 2-3
Red chilli - 1
Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Urad dhal - 1/2 teaspoon
Curry leaves - few
Salt - to taste
Cooking oil - 2 teaspoon

METHOD:

1) Wash & soak the rice in water for about 1/2 an hour.
2)Wash the green peas nicely & keep it aside.
3) Finely chop the onion and keep it aside
4) Put the red chilli, greenchilli, cumin seeds, grated coconut, garlic and ginger in the mixer and grind it to a fine paste.
5) Heat some oil in the cooker, once the oil gets hot add the mustard seeds.When the mustard seeds start to
crackle add urad dhal and curry leaves and fry them till the color of the dhal change to golden brown.
6) Add the chopped onion and fry them till the onion becomes transparent. Then add the green peas and salt and cook them for about 5 minutes in the medium flame.
7) Add the grinded paste into the pan and cook it till the raw smell of the masala goes off (you can fry them in the pan for about 5 -10 minutes in the low flame).
8) Now add the rice. stir it well for a minute so that it gets mixed up with peas & masala.
9) Add 1 and 1/2 cup water(depends on quantity of rice). Cover the cooker lid and put it on for 1 whistle.
10) The yummy green peas rice is ready to serve. You can serve it with cucumber/onion raita.

Hema's recipes - Broccoli Soup

2010-05-06T08:57:00.005+01:00

Broccoli evolved from a wild cabbage plant on the continent of Europe.

It contains vitamins and minerals, notably vitamin C, folate (folic acid), and potassium.In addition, broccoli contains a good amount of beta-carotene and is low in calories and virtually fat free.

The recipe is as follows:

1) Broccoli - 1 cup of florets
2) Onion - 1 (medium)
3) Garlic - 2 cloves
4) Carrot - 1 (small)
5) 2-3 cups water
6) Milk - 1/2 cup
7) Salt to taste
8) Pepper powder to taste
9) Butter/ghee - 1tsp

METHOD:

1) Cut broccoli into small florets and wash well. soak in salted water for ten to fifteen minutes and drain.
2)Peel and roughly chop onion, garlic and carrot.

3)Take a pan. Heat butter/ghee. add chopped onion, garlic, carrot one by one & saute it.
4)Add broccoli florets and saute for few mins. mix it well with the veggies.
5)Now add water as required and continue to cook without covering the pan. cook for five to seven minutes or till broccoli is tender.
6)Remove from fire, cool and puree it in a blender.
7)Add milk to pureed broccoli. mix well. bring to a boil again..
8)Add salt and pepper powder to taste and finally serve.

Hema's recipes - Green Moong Dal Gravy

2010-05-06T08:40:00.005+01:00

Normally, dal for chapatis are made with toor dal or yellow moong dal but whole green moong dal also makes a great side dish.Whole green moong dal is the most popular sprout worldwide. It is a protein rich diet.

The recipes is as follows:

INGREDIENTS:

1) Whole Green Moong dal - 1 cup
2) Onions - 1

3) Tomato - 1
4) Green chilies - 4
5) Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
6) Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
7) Ginger - a small piece finely shredded
8) Garlic - 1-2 pods finely shredded
9) Curry leaves - 3 to 4
10) Milk - 1 cup
11) Oil - 1

METHOD:

1) Soak the whole moong dal for over night or if you are in hurry soak it in hot water for 1-2 hrs.
2) Then pressure cook the soaked moong dal with 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 cup water.
3) Heat oil in a pan. add cumin seeds and curry leaves. when they splutter add green chilli.
4) Now add the shredded ginger & garlic and fry them till the raw smells goes.
5) Then add Onion and fry them till it becomes golden brown .
6) Now add the cooked whole moong dal in to it with little turmeric powder and salt.
7) Mix it well and add 1 cup of water and 1/2 cup of milk.
8) At this stage add tomatoes now .
9) And close the lid let it boil for 10 minutes in medium flame
10) After that remove from heat and garnish with coriander leaves

Hema's recipes - Rava Idli

2010-05-06T08:16:00.003+01:00

Idli is one breakfast that is light in the morning & also easy to prepare. But it takes hours to ferment the batter .

Rava idli is unlike the normal idli. It doesn't consume so much time to make.

The recipe is as follows:

1) Rava - 1 cup
2) Curd - 1 cup
3) Musatrd seeds - 1/2 tbsp
4) Urad dal - 1/2 tbsp
5) Channa dal - 1/2 tbsp
6) Ginger - small piece chopped finely
7) Greenchillies - 3 chopped finely
8) Curry leaves - a few
9) Coriander leaves - a few
10) Salt to taste

METHOD:

1) Heat oil in a pan. add all items from mustard seeds to coriander leaves one by one.
2) Add rava to it and fry it on medium heat till u get nice aroma.
3) Transfer this to a plate and let it cool.
4) Now take a bowl, add this rava. beat the curd well and add it to this rava.
5) Add salt to taste and leave this batter for about 30-45 mins.
6) You can add little milk if it is too thick.
7) Now grease the idli plates and pour in the batter. Steam them for 10 mins.
8) Serve hot with chutney or sambhar.

Spaghetti with minced quorn

2009-06-09T10:56:00.005+01:00

Quorn is a (frozen)veggie meal with high quality protein and it is low in saturated fat.It can be served with pasta or baked potatoes.

Quorn ingredients and meals tend to be lower in saturated fats and calories than similar foods made with meat .

My hubby loves, to taste different types of food..(Unlike me,as am very choosy when it comes to food especially). So ,i tried making Spaghetti with minced quorn. It turned out to be so well, and has driven me to the extent of posting it in my blog..

Here goes the recipe.

Spaghetti:

In a wok, or sause pan, boil the water, add some little salt and oil, so that the spaghetti does'nt stick. Once the water comes to boil, lower the heat,add the spaghetti and cook for 10 or 12 mins till they are tender.Then drain the excess water adn keep it aside.

Minced quorn

1 packet frozen minced quorn
2 onions finely chopped
1/2 tin chopped tomatoes
2 tbspn tomato puree
3 cloves of garclic finely chopped
2 teaspoon cumin powder1 teaspoon coriander powder(optional)
salt as per taste
chilli powder 1 tspn
mixed veggies 1 cup ( i used, capsicum, beans,carrot, can also add spring onions.)

In a pan heat oil, add chopped garlic, onions, saute till onions are cooked.

Then add frozen minced quorn.cook for few minutes, now add , veggies, and cook till they are tender.(or you can cook the veggies seperately and add them finally.Thats how i made. Its more easier and veggies will be cooked well.)

Then add 1/2 tin chopped tomatoes, and also add cumin powder,chilli powder and salt. let them cook for sometime, till the raw smell disappears.

Then finally add 2 tblspn tomato puree and cook for 3 or 4 minutes.

Can add more water if you want to have more gravy.

Serve it with spaghetti and some grated cheese on top.

Capsicum chutney

2009-06-05T17:02:00.002+01:00

My MIL gave me the recipe for this chutney.I tried this chutney, as a side dish for dosa, and it turned out to be very tasty and had a different taste. Its, quite different from the usual, coconut or tomato chutney. Can certainly, give it a try.

The recipe is as follows:

Ingredients:

Capsicum 2

(Fry the below items in little bit of oil)

1 spoon mustard
hing
2 tspn urud dhal
2 green chillies ( can add more if you want it to be more spicy)
3 dried red chillies

Also finally ,add capsicum and saute till its half cooked.. switch off the stove. Let it cool for 5 mins.
Add salt as per taste and grind the above , like chutney.
finally add 1 or 2 tspn of curd and mix well.garnish and serve.

It goes well with Dosa, Idli, Adai..

Cheers,
Vima

Corn Salad

2009-06-04T09:58:00.003+01:00

This my own version of Corn salad. Im reminded of beaches in chennai when i see this corn. I like Corn (otherwise called as makka cholam in tamil) and bell peppers a lot. Especially Red Bell peppers have 3 times of vitamin C than that of an Orange.

One fine day i came up with the idea of making this salad by mixing all my fav ones and my hubby liked it a lot.
Also, kids can also have a nutritional intake.

Ingredients:
Sweet Corn 1
Onion 1 medium size (finely chopped)
Very finely chopped bellpeppers (green ,red,yellow)
Grated carrot 1/2 cup
Salt (as per taste)
Pepper 1/4 tspn

Cook the corn in stove directly. It is my (indian) version of Grilled corn. Once its done, coat the cooked corn with little bit of salt and chilli powder along with few drops of lemon. This is done,so that the corn is spiced up evenly. Then slice the corn vertically with a knife and the kernels will come out easily. This is how i normally make this salad.

Now mix the bell peppers, onions,grated carrot, little bit salt and pepper. Combine all. Then serve, with a bit of lemon on top. Enjoy!!

Beans-potato Masala

2009-06-04T09:34:00.004+01:00

This simple and easy recipe was given to me by my SIL. She is a great cook. I tried this recipe and was very pleased with the outcome..So i thought i will post it in my blog.

The recipe is as follows:

1) Boil 1/2kg green beans (cut them into size of finger chips) and 2 medium sized potatoes(cut as cubes) with salt and turmeric powder

2) Grind the following ingredients raw into a masala paste: 1tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp Black pepper, 2tbsp shredded coconut, 2 green chilies, 2 cloves, 1 pod cardamom, 1/2 a bunch coriander leaves

3) In a kadai, add 1tsp oil, saute 1 medium sized chopped onion and 2 tomatoes,till tomatoes are mushy, and now add the boiled veggies(beans and potatoes) and then add the ground masala.

4) Let it cook till the raw smell disappears.
You can remove from fire either dry or if you want it to be a gravy, you can add 1/2 cup water and let it boil for for few minutes and then garnish and serve with roti.

your comments/suggestions are most welcome.

Honey -Date-Walnut Cake

2009-06-04T08:07:00.004+01:00

We had a Farewell party , in my house and I tried this Cake for the very first time, and it turned out to be an instant hit .

The recipe is as follows:

Recipe:

1 cup dates
½ cup honey (or 1 full medium size bottle of honey can be used for sweet lovers!!! I used 1/2 cup.)
1 cup walnuts
2 eggs - at room temperature
¼ cup each - milk and butter at room temperature
2 cups - all-purpose flour (maida)
½ cup brown sugar or white cane sugar
½ tsp each - baking powder, baking soda and cardamom powder

Honey, Walnuts and Dates

Dates and Honey: Finely chop dates . Take them in a cup and add honey. Keep the dates soaked in honey for about 30 minutes. This is done to soften and further sweeten the dates. (Extremely sweet and soft Medjool type does not need the honey/soaking part.)

Walnuts: Finely chop walnuts to small pieces

Eggs: Break eggs into a cup and beat with a spoon. For those who do not prefer egg, mashed, ripe banana can be added instead of eggs.

Sift and add flour to a big vessel. Add in sugar, baking powder, soda and cardamom powder. Mix well.Add butter, milk and eggs. Also add walnuts and dates along with the honey as they are soaked in. Combine all thoroughly. If the batter is too thick, adjust the consistency by adding little bit more milk. Pour the mixture into a cake pan. level it evenly.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Place the cake pan in the bottom rack for the first 15 minutes, and then move the pan to the top rack. Bake for about a total 30 minutes, until a knife inserted into the cake comes out clean.

Remove the cake from oven. Let it cool. Then serve!!