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Friday, February 28, 2014

Crispy Onion Cashew Vada -Evening snack



When it comes to weekend evenings,you wanna eat something crispy,deep fried,tasty rite?

Its Friday evening and wanted  to make some special variety of vada for tea time and it turned out to be good.This is onion n cashew vada made with rice flour and semolina/sooji.

Ingredients

Rice Flour................................................6 Tbspn
Semolina..................................................2 Tbspn
onion chopped fine...................................1 medium
roasted cashew nut pieces.........................1.5 Tbspn
grated ginger..............................................1/2 tspn
chopped curry leaves.................................1 tspn
green chilly finely chopped.......................1
salt to taste
Oil for deep fry

Process

Lets combine everything and add very little water at a time and make a medium tight dough.The consistency of dough is like the thalipeeth dough.





Wet your palm and make a thin pattice(If its thick then it will not be cooked properly inside)

Heat oil in a deep bottom vessel/kadai and drop them when it is medium hot oil.It should not turn brown as soon as u drop them otherwise reduce the heat.

In 1 2...10 heatness scale I used 4 initially for 3 min then increased to 6

Once the vadas turn golden brown take them out and enjoy .



No one can eat just one!Its one stack

I had to remake the dough again for the second round



 

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Maha Shivratri special recipes

 
 
 
Upcoming is the Mahashivaratri festival on 27th Feb."HAPPY  MAHA SHIVARATRI".Its a A hindu festival celebrated every year in reverence of Lord Shiva.
 
Its morning and  shiva temples get really crowded as they perform special abhisheka with panchamrutha and many other auspicious and special poojas.Devotees usually keep fast . Now when I say fasting,there are a variety of it!
 
Strict fasting where people don't eat any solids,some eat just fruits,some eat fruits and no rice items but they take upma,poha,juice.People with diabetes,blood pressure and other medical problems are growing these days and not everbody can fast strictly.Sometimes rules are not required to celebrate festivals,its the ' bhakti' in mind!
 
So sticking with the last option this year and making some Upma (no onion- festival version),rasayana,kosambari and some juice .And don't forget to make some panchamrutha for Lord Shiva!
 
Devotes follow the tradition of jagarane which is staying awake for the whole night.Usually communities hosts musical nights and fun events for the whole night.You can even go to temples where they arrange some events and poojas.I usually try but end up sleeping;-(
 
 
Check out the shivaratri recipes below .
 
 
 
 
 
 


Upma - festival version

Upma,uppittu-A wholesome healthy meal option.




Very popular for breakfast in south indian homes.

Packed with nutrition and keeps u energetic for the whole day.

My mom makes varieties of upma and each tastes so very different.One of my favourite upma is the dry variety made with peas and no onion added.So this is usually made on festivals like Shivaratri.

Ingredients

semolina/rava ................... 1.5 cup
water..................................3 cup
green peas frozen/fresh......3/4 cup
grated coconut....................1.5Tbspn
green chilly.........................2
curry leaves.........................2 string
oil.+ghee.............................4 Tbpsn + 2 Tbspn
mustard seeds......................1/2 tspn
cumin seeds.........................1/4 tspn
urad dal................................1/2 tspn
chana dal..............................1/2 tspn
grated ginger........................1/2 tspn
salt to taste

Process

1)Fry the semolina in medium hot flame with 1 tspn ghee till u get nice aroma.Dont make it brown!Keep stirring it  often as it burns soon.

2)Take oil in a deep bottom pan when hot add mustard seeds,cumin seeds,when it splutters add urad dal and fry till  light golden brown,add curry leaves.Then comes the ginger,fry for few seconds and add the green peas.Lets fry it for 2 min .

3)Add water ,salt, 1 Tbspn ghee & coconut.Cover it and let it boil for 8 min or till the peas is cooked.Peas doesn't take too long.

4)Bring the flame to low minimum.Keep stirring continuously in one hand and in the other hand add semolina slowly.You should do both the work together.This is because u don't want any lumps in upma.

5)Now add 1 Tbspn ghee cover it and let it sit in low flame for about 10 min.

6) Hot upma is ready to enjoy .





 

Monday, February 24, 2014

Jaggery Mint Refreshing Drink(panaka)



South Florida is blessed with hot sunny days in winter.Its February and weather today is 86F feels like 91F.The snow states are suffering from storms and crazy weather but this paradise is shining gold ;-).

Wanted to have some indian drink.Tried this recipe for the first time and it was too very refrehing,healthy n tasty too...

Even in cold/snowy weather you need this energizing drink as the air becomes dry.

Mint leaves(pudina),ginger,jaggery provides our body with lot of health benefits.



Mint leaves,ginger are widely used in ayurvedic medicine.

This drink helps in digestion,refreshes your whole system!

Good for pregnants...as it helps in digestion and boosts your iron level which is very important.

Here is what u need

water .............................6 cups
jaggery powdered...........10 Tbspn
salt.................................1/4 tspn
pudina............................2.5 Tbspn
grated ginger...................1 tspn
amchurpwdr...................1 tspn

How to make

1)Blend pudina with 2 Tbspn jaggery and half cup of water .Run it under the sieve and keep it aside.

2)Lets  mix all the remaining ingredients with blended mint juice.Stir till jaggery completely melts.

3)Adjust extra sweetness with sugar or jaggery.

4)Serve chill....




Note:You can replace amchur powder with lemon juice.But amchur powder makes the drink very different ;)









Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Gulab Jamun Kofta Curry


One of my favourite item in the restaurant menu is Malai Kofta Curry-'Fried vegetable koftas in rich creamy gravy'

Always wanted to find some easy way to do my favourite dish.

Gulab Jamun mix is always stacked up in the pantry..a classic indian dessert!
I have always enjoyed eating the fried jamuns before dropping them in sugar syrup with some ketchup!Everybody says..oops crazy!

Thought of dropping gulab jamun in rich gravy to make some easy milky kofta curry.Also thought stuffing vegetables will be a better option.It turned out to be very easy and  very tasty.

Stuffing
1 cup boiled mashed potatoes
1/4 cup boiled frozen/fresh peas
1 Tbspn  grated carrot
1 Tbspn chopped cashews
1/4 tspn coriander powder
Salt to taste

Let's combine and mix well

Koftas








1) Add milk and make dough(little stiffer than regular jamun) and leave it  covered for 15 min.
2)Knead the dough and fill in the stuffing about 1 tspn and close.Make sure its properly closed.
3)Drop them in little less than medium hot oil and fry just like gulab jamun otherwise it will not be cooked inside.

Gravy

2 Big Onion diced
2 Tomatoes diced
2 garlic pod
2 Tbspn presoaked cashews
2 Tbspn oil

whole garam masala for gravy
1 bay leaf
4 cloves
2 inch cinnamon


1)Heat oil in a kadai(I use non stick).Add  whole garam masala fry for few seconds then comes the diced onion,garlic.Fry till 3/4th cooked then add tomatoes and fry for 2 min.

2)Grind the onion tomato mix with presoaked cashews to a very very smooth paste .


 Kofta Curry

1 Tbspn oil
1 tspn ginger garlic paste
1/4th tspn turmeric
1 tspn coriander powder
1 tspn garam masala
1 Tbspn kasuri methi(crush it in hand to enhance flavour)
2 Tbspn heavy whipping cream
1 Tbspn cashew pieces(shallow fried in ghee/butter)
1 tspn honey
salt to taste
prepared koftas and gravy


1)Heat oil in a pan add 1/4th tspn turmeric,1 tspn ginger garlic paste and fry for few seconds.

2)Add the gravy along with coriander and garam masala powders.Adjust water if too thick  and allow it boil for 5 min.Now add honey and allow 2 min to boil.

3)Lets add the koftas and cook it in medium for 4 min.

4)Add the cream and mix well,finally add the fried cashews and enjoy with some rice/poori/roti..Love the pieces of cashews in the creamy gravy!I usually make it  with poori and love the combo.





Note:I used half of the 200g  jamun mix.If you boil milk regularly and store the cream of milk(called kene in kannada) which u get on the surface of milk,you can grind & add that too.

Thursday, February 6, 2014

Stuffed Capsicum Pakoda Chaat




It was a cold  rainy evening and was tempting to have a hot and tasty snack.Sitting here in United States and remembering all the chaat centers of India:-):-) specially VV Puram(Sajjan rao circle),Bangalore which is very famous for its Food Street-Omg! Tons of varieties:-) of super yummy indian snacks,chaats,dosas and much more.

I remember having capsicum/bell pepper stuffed pakoda chaat in the food street and it tastes so delicious.Moreover I had a lot of bell peppers with various sizes sitting in my refridgerator from my recent trip to a Bell Pepper farm tour.Check out the bell pepper farm pictures below.So I went to the kitchen to give it a try.




 
This is my favourite evening snack for tea time these days.Want to prepare something special for potlucks,birthday parties or just a gathering?or want to eat something special other than regular pakoras?Try this and your guests will love it.

Common lets make this indian street chaat today.

Potato filling is stuffed inside the capsicum and dipped in chickpea flour and deep fried.Later these big delicious stuffed pakoras are cut open to add green chutney,sweet chutney,grated carrots,chopped onions...and everything goes into your tummy in no time.

Filling


Potato boiled ...................................3 medium
cooked green peas
(or frozen microwaved for 4 min) .. 1/2 cup
Cumin powder..................................1/2 tspn
Red Chilly Powder.......................... 1/2 tspn
Coriander powder............................ 1 tspn
Chat masala......................................1/2 tspn
oil......................................................1 tspn
cumin seeds.......................................1/2 tspn
asafetida(hing).................................. 2 pinch
coriander leaves chopped..................1 Tbspn
Salt to taste

Heat oil in a pan,add cumin seeds when hot then the hing.Remove the skin and add the mashed potatoes,green peas.Add all the spices along with salt and coriander leaves.Fry for 3-4 min and keep it aside for filling.


Batter/Covering


besan/chickpea flour .......1.5 cup
rice flour..........................1.5 Tbspn
red chilly powder .......... 1 tspn
hing/asafetida................. 1/4 tspn
carom seeds(ajwain)........1/4 tspn
chopped corianderleaves.1 Tbspn
Soda.................................1/4 tspn
salt to taste

Combine everything and add little water at a time make a lump free batter. The batter must be thicker than regular pakoda batter as it has to form thick covering around whole capsicum.

Making pakodas





 



Capsicum/bell pepper...........5-6 medium size
Filling
Oil to Deep Fry

1)Lets make a window opening in the side of capsicum/bell pepper.Remove the seeds and inner membranes.Keep the cut open piece aside as u need to close it once you fill it up with potato mixture.

2)Fill the potato mixture in it and close the opening with the piece.

3)Heat the oil in a deep pan/kadai for deep frying.You need to add more oil than frying regular pakoras as whole capsicum needs to immerse!

3)Dip the filled capsicum in the batter  and fry on medium heat till golden crisp!

4)Believe me you would love it:-)

You can have these yummy stuffed pakodas with ketchup or make a easy tasty chaat.

Pakora Chaat

Carrot onion mix
1 cup grated carrot
1 onion finely chopped
1 Tbspn cilantro(coriander leaves) finely chopped
1 tspn lemon juice
salt to taste

Combine all the ingredients and mix well




Run the knife over pakora and cut open.Add a spoon of  Green Chutney  and some Tamarind dates chutney and a Tbspn of carrot  and onion mixture.





                                         My DH added a little murmura kadlepuri on it!



                                                       Enjoy your evening

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

My First Blog Award- LIEBSTER AWARD


                                    Starting this post with a smile on my face.

                                                              Hey!My First Award
 
 
 Have you heard of Liebster award before?Well....I never had till I got one.Here is something about liebster award.

  • In German,Liebster means "beloved","dearest", "nicest" .
  • This is a award  is passed to bloggers from fellow bloggers.
  • Great way of inspiring new bloggers ,creating more friends to stay connected.
Now how did I come to know about this? Loads of Thanks to Sundari Nathan who passed this award to me.
 
As with any award there are a  set of rules which you need to follow:
 
  •  This award is passed on to bloggers who have less than 200 followers.
  • Thank the blogger (provide the link)who passed this award to you in your post.(Just like my 'this' post) and mention one favourite dish from the blog who passed the award with a link.
  • Enjoy answering the questions the blogger has posted for you.
  • Identify a set of bloggers to pass on this award.
  • Ask them a set of questions to answer.
 
Here are the list of questions asked by Sundari and my answers for the same.Enjoyed this step!!remembered my college days:-)
 
1.What is the reason for starting a blog?
 I spend a lot of time in kitchen experimenting new ways of cooking,making 'taste' better and
finding out simple techniques.I dreamt of having a platform where i can share 'whats  happening
in my kitchen' to people all over the world,make friends and spread the passion of cooking and
eating healthy.Now it was the time for "blog".I have pushed myself out of my comfort zone to do
things I never would have done otherwise.I am enjoying the 'jolly ride'with other fellow
bloggers.It is giving me a lot more than I thought!!

2.Which is your favourite cuisine?
    I Love North Indian and my hubby loves traditional South Indian so I end up peeking into both:-)

3.Which one do u think plays an important role in food blogging? Photographs or recipes?Why?
    Photograaphs are definately eye catching but I will stick with recipes as "tasty food"is what
    everybody loves and craves for.

4.Who is your best critic & support?
    Definately Mom

5.Has blogging changed the way u cook?How?
    Lot Lot Lot!Everyday I wake up in the morning with a smile & say,what do i make and share with
    everybody today?I go in search of better markets which sells farm fresh vegetables and fruits and
    I'm so very excited to buy and experiment a lot more  so I can blog on!!My readers,fellow
    bloggers have bought in some much inspiration and creativity into me.

6.Your favourite cookery show.
    Sanjeev kapoor- alltime.Also love to watch Rachael Ray cookery show-she makes things
    interesting.

7. What is the average time/day you spend for your blog?
     These days I think 5 hours

8.The best recipe in your blog.
  Masala Puri street chaat Bangalore
 

 Done with my turn.Now its yours.....:-)
 


Congratulations my dear fellow bloggers
 
My choice  for the "Liebster Award"  are.......
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 These are my questions to them
 
1)How young you were when u made your first dish and what was the dish(provide the recipe)?
 
2)What is your dream travel destination?
 
3)What is your favourite cookery show?
 
4)What do you prefer,money or fame?
 
5)Name a appetizer in your blog which your family loves to eat(provide the link)
 
6)Name 2 recipes in my blog which u like(provide the links)
 
7)Which is that toughest veg recipe u are hesitant to cook?
 
8)What is average time/day you spend on internet?
 
9)Name the  favourite local restaurant u visit when you are bored of cooking and what is your favourite veg dish in that restaurant.