DIWALI GREETINGS!

Wishing You and your loved ones a Beautiful and Bright Diwali !
May the Goddess shower upon you the choicest of wishes!
Praying for the best of Health, Happiness, Wealth and Wisdom !
Let the Goodness within you illuminate as the thousands of lamps lit on this auspicious day!

Whole Wheat Dosa, Coconut - Jaggery Laddoo

A Big Happy Hello! Great to be back to blogging after a long and fulfilling break. The days that went by kept me occupied by yet another relocation. Shifting has always petrified me and will continue to ... :P
Now that we are settled in our new home and life has come to normalcy, I decided to get back to what I missed the most.
In the last couple of days there were invitees over for lunches, dinners and tea. I used my best known culinary skills to impress the aunts, uncles and cousins, hopefully succeded to a good extend. I'd rather not discuss the menu in this post as my camera was not put to use for what it was meant for :)
Today's post would include two simple recipes that I make more than often, one is a breafast quickie and the other a sweet meat. Read on...

Whole wheat dosa:

Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat flour
2 cups water
1 sprig curry leaves, chopped
1/2 a handful, chopped coriander leaves
1-2 green chillies, finely chopped
1" ginger grated
sugar 1/4 tsp
salt to tasted
oil/ghee for cooking


Method:
1. Mix the whole wheat flour and water in a wide mouthed vessel and stir/whisk it well to make it lump free.
2. To this dough add curry leaves, coriander leaves, green chillies, ginger, salt, sugar and mix well to combine all the ingredients evenly. The batter is runny compared to the regular dosa batter.
3. Heat a tava on medium flame and pour a ladel of dosa batter on it and spread it in circular motion.
4. Sprinkle a little ghee/oil on the dosa and on the edges as well. close and allow to cook till done and flip the dosa on to the other side and cook till some brown spots and seen here and there.
5. Continue the same process with the remaining dosa batter.
6. Serve the dosas hot with chutney or sauce.

Coconut-Jaggery Laddoo:


Ingredients:
2 cups freshly grated coconut
2 cups grated jaggery
1 tsp and a little more ghee ( clarified butter)
1/2 tsp cardamom powder

Method:
1. In a wide mouthed vessel mix the grated coconut and jaggery using a ladel
2. Put this mixture in a kadhai and place in on a medium flame and keep stirring.
3. The coconut and jaggery will give out some amount of oil and water respectively. Keep stirring.
4. Gradually the mixture begins to tighten as the water evaporates, add a teaspoon of ghee and the cardamom powder and mix well and take it off the flame. Let it cool a bit.
5. When the laddoo mixture is hand managable, apply ghee on ur palms, take enough mixture and make them into perfect rounds.
6. Place the ready to serve laddoos on a greased plate.
7. If u prefer it harder than the regular consistency chill it in the refrigerator.


Thanks for having me in your thoughts, and leaving words of concern in my blog.
wishing you wellness and joy!
TC

Bhenda Ghashi / Okra tempered with garlic

Bhenda Ghashi / Okra tempered with Garlic

okra gravy and mix well. Simmer for a couple of seconds and turn off the flame.
Serves: 2
Refrigerated: stays up to 2 days

Ingredients:

10 Small okras / lady’s finger
3 Dry red chillies
A fist full fresh coconut pieces/ grated coconut
½ tbsp Tamarind paste
¼ tsp Turmeric powder
4-5 Fenugreek seeds
½ tsp Coriander seeds
Salt to taste
1 tsp oil

Tempering:

2 tsp oil
7-8 Garlic cloves, unpeeled

Method:

In a small skillet put a few drops of oil and roast the red chillies, fenugreek seeds, coriander seeds for a few seconds, do not let it burn. Once roasted let it cool.

Meanwhile, slice the wash the okras, wipe them dry, trims the ends and cut them into one inch pieces.

In a Kadhai/vessel heat 1 tsp oil and fry the okra pieces till they are slightly blackened and there is no trace of stickiness. In the same vessel pour water enough to dunk the okra pieces adding a little salt cook them till fork tender. Once done drain the water and the pieces aside.

Next grind the roasted spices along with coconut, tamarind paste, haldi add a little water and make it into a fine paste.

Transfer the ground mixture into the cooking vessel add salt to taste, water to get the gravy as per the consistency you require (don’t make it too watery). Add the cooked okra slices in it and simmer to a boil and then immediately lower the flame.

Prepare the tempering:

In a tempering pan heat about 2 tsps of oil and throw in the garlic cloves and keep frying it till it turns brownish black ( do not over burn them) once this is done pour it over the simmering
Serve the Okra gravy/ghashi with steaming hot rice.

Raw Mango chutney - meal side dish

QUICK RAW MANGO CHUTNEY

This recipe is a quick creation of S. There are times when u just feel like having a truly simple meal with just dal, rice and pickle, but S just cant have a meal without a dry sabzi or somekind of a side dish. Here's the story how the raw mango chutney was put together in a jiffy by S :)

The last weekend was hectic as we did our provision shopping and came home late, exhausted and famished. The best sought food at such times are dal- chaawal. I was all set to prepare it and hog like a hippo ;) S wanted some side dish with dal and rice, but I wouldnt agree to make anything more than dal-rice( really cruel na?) so he told me he'd make some interesting dish for meal accompaniment..... and within minutes he prepared an amazing chutney which we polished off with so much devotion during and after the meal ...lol

here's the recipe for the CHATAKDAR RAW MANGO CHUTNEY:

Ingredients:

1 medium sized Raw Mango, washed, peeled, cut into small pieces

1- 2 tsp Mustard oil

1-2 Green chillies

salt and sugar to taste

Method:

Grind to a coarse paste the Raw mango pieces along with green chillies with very little water,

(DO NOT GRIND IT INTO A SMOOTH PASTE)

Once it's ground, empty the coarse mango-chilli paste into a container, add mustard oil, salt, sugar to it and mix well.

The chutney is ready to be served.

My take on S's preparation:

This chutney tastes brilliant with plain white rice, I feel this would be the best combination to get the individual taste of each ingredient of the chutney :)

That's all for this week,

Have a great weekend!

Be Good , Be Happy

TC

A Generous Shower of Awards....

Indrani of APPYAYAN and Sashi of Sashi's tasty bites have shared this bunch of awards as an encouranging gesture, Thanks a lot dearies :)

THE SUNSHINE AWARD..............

Ammu of Nature Kitchen

Indrani of APPYAYAN have shared the "Sunshine" award and made my blog a lot more brighter :)

Thanks a lot friends...

I would like to pass on these awards to all of you for being so encouraging, generous and spreading happiness through your visits, comments and sharing your wonderful recipes...

Thanks for accepting :)

Be Good, Be Happy.

Have a Happy Week ahead!

Penne with Creamy Peas and Tomato

Recipe adapted from Tarla Dalal's book - Pizzas & Pasta

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked penne

2 tsp chopped garlic

3/4 cup cooked green peas

1 large tomato, finely chopped

1/2 cup fresh cream

1 cup milk

2 tbsp maida ( plain flour), make a dilute paste of maida by mixing it in few tsps of milk.

2-3 tbsp butter

salt and pepper to taste

Method:

STEP 1 :

How to cook Pasta: Source Tarla Dalal's book : Pizzas & Pasta

1. Use ample water. Always cook pasta in a large pan of boiling water with 1 tbsp of oil.

2. Add the pasta to the boiling water by adding a few at a time.

3. Cook uncovered , stirring occassionlly and gently until the pasta is tender.

4. Cooked pasta should be 'al dente' or firm to bite.

5. Once cooked, immediately drain it in a sieve or a colander. Transfer to a bowl of cold water to

refresh it. Drain again and keep it aside.

6. If the pasta is not used immediately, add 1 tbsp of oil to it and toss it and set it aside.

NOTE: 2 cups of dried pasta will yield 3 cups of cooked pasta. The quantity is suffient for 4 persons.

Step 2:

1.Heat the butter in a large sauce pan, add garlic and stir fry for sometime.

2. Add the tomato and stir further more till the tomatoes become soft, now add the diluted maida and keep stirring so that lumps are not formed.

3. Add milk gradually and mix well, bring to a boil.

4. Add the fresh cream, salt, pepper mix well. Keep it aside.

Step 3.

1. Just before serving , heat the sauce , adding a little milk /water if required ...as the sauce tends to thicken. Toss the pasta in it, garnish it with oregano and serve immediately.

Mascarpone Magic!

Vanilla sponge cakes dressed in pinaeapple mascarpone icing and coffee mascarpone icing

Hello foodies :) the long awaited home- made mascarpone cheese is atlast histroy in my kitchen :) yes!! this was the one thing I'd been eyeing for a very long time...but was'nt sure "to make or not to make" Then Parita's post came as a tempter which I couldnt resist ;) and I had to be done with it ..so made it the very next day.

The crazy bug that I am...I started jumping with joy at the last stage of the cheese making process...lol, and after refrigerating it ...I used to peep into the container every 30mts .. that says it all isnt it!!! The final product was kinda thrilling...lol(Coz I was reeeeeeeeeeeeally ealted, thrilled and what not!)

When in Chennai, I had to shell a bombarding price for a tin of mascarpone ...which I had bought to make Tiramisu :) The experience of making mascarpone cheese at home is simply superb and super easy..and all thanks to Parita !!! Thanks sweetie :) for that little encouraging push! :)

here's the recipe for mascarpone cheese from her blog

I was in an experimentation mode so made 2 eggless vanilla sponge cakes :), not the same day though ;) baked one cake in a round tin and another in a loaf tin...

The recipe for the cake is as follows:

Eggless Vanilla Sponge Cake:

Recipe adapted from: one of the bakes from collaborative curry , Thanks dearies :)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flour

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/3 cup oil

1 & 1/2 tsp vanilla essence

1 cup cold water

How to get started:

1. pre-heat the oven to 180*C , grease a baking tin and set it aside

2. Sieve the flour, sugar , baking powder and salt a couple of times and ensure it's lump free

3. Add the vanilla essence, oil and gently stir once, then slowly add water and keep stirring gently till the cake batter consistency is reached.

4. Pour the batter in the greased tin and bake for 25-30 mts, or till a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.

5. Remove from the oven and cool completely before decorating/icing.

* Note: Both the icing called for Whipping cream, I omitted it...the final result was still mmmmmmmmmmmmm :)

Coffee Mascarpone Icing:

Ingredients:

4 &1/2 tsp instant coffee powder

1 tbsp hot water

1 cup chilled whipping cream ( I didnt use it )

1/2 cup mascarpone cheese

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla essence

1/4 tsp cinnamon powder

pinch of salt

How to proceed:

• Stir coffee powder and water in a bowl till disolved set it aside.
• sieve sugar and make it lump free, set it aside.
• Add mascarpone, (whipped cream), vanilla essence, salt, coffee mixture in a wide mouthed vessel and beat until thick and smooth, to form firm peaks * dont over beat for it may curdle.
• The coffee mascaropne icing is ready to adorn ur cake :)

Pineapple Mascarpone Icing:

Ingredients:

1 cup mascarpone cheese

3/4th cup powdered sugar

1&1/2 tsp pineapple essence

1-2 tsp cold milk

How to proceed:

• sieve the powdered sugar to make it lump free
• In a wide mouthed bowl add the mascarpone cheese, powdered sugar, pineapple essence and beat till thick and smooth, you may add a spoon or tow of cold milk to get the desired consistency. dont over beat as it may tend to curdle
• The Pineapple mascarpone icing is ready to dress the cake :)
  

Have a great week ahead!

Take care! Be Good ! Be Happy!!

Whole Green Moong Stir Fry

Hi dearies!! It's been a long week and the group of words"THANK GOD IT'S FRIDAY" seems to be the line for me :) This week was busy as I had to complete all the pending work that I had piled for 'later'( am sure many of us do that) It's not only the work but my new interest in Warli painting that has kept me busy...believe me it's addictive and interesting.

Here take a look :)

After all that ranting let's get to business :) Whole Moong green is one of my favourites not only for health reasons but also it's pleasure to work with...it easily takes in any kind of experiment that one would want to try...and the combination of spices and vegetables that one can use with it is infinite :) Today's recipe is whole moong stir fry..... simple and delicious...here's the recipe:

Whole Green Moong Stir Fry:

Ingredients:
1 and 1/2 cups: Whole green moong, pre-cooked
1 onion: finely chopped
1 tomato: finely chopped
1 tsp: cumin seeds
1 tsp: mustard seeds
1 sprig: curry leaves
2 -3 tsp: oil
1/2 tsp: saunf
1 tsp: haldi powder
1 tsp: jeera powder
1 tsp:coriander powder
1 tsp: aamchur powder
1 tsp: kitchen king masala/sambar powder (optional)
1 tsp: ginger garlic paste
salt to taste
coriander leaves: finely chopped for garnishing

Method:

• Heat oil in a kadhai, add cumin seeds, saunf, mustard seeds, curry leaves once it splutters throw in the onions and ladel it till it becomes slightly golden brown
• Add tomatoes, ginger garlic paste , haldi powder, coriander powder, jeera powder, kitchen king masala, aamchur powder, salt and fry till the oil is seen around the edges of this mixture, if necessary add/sprinkle some water if it is too dry.
• Once the masala is done add the pre-cooked whole green moong and mix well so as to coat the moong with the masala .
• cover and cook for some time and take it off the flame .
• Garnish with coriander and serve hot.

Happy Weekend!

Cauliflower Kofta Curry

India is famous for it's spiced curries, the list of curries is just endless ..the diversity of the nation plays a major role in this I guess :) The vegetarians here dont have to miss out on the taste and flavours as much as the non-vegetarians relish their meat dishes...koftas are a fine example for this. There are umpteen number of vegetables to choose from, for koftas , these vegetables are minced and mixed with spices and deep fried and dunked in rich gravies...These dishes have a Mughlai richness to them. It's said that Punjabi's rule the roost in this case:) Their love for rich food spices have given the world some great dishes to savour and treasure. Cauliflower kofta curry is one such recipe that is relished world over..here's the recipe ...

Ingredients:

For the koftas:

• 1/2 kilo cauliflower, grated
• 4 tbsps. gramflour (besan)
• 1/2. tsp cumin seeds,
• 1/2. tsp ginger garlic paste
• 1.tbsp crushed mint leaves
• Handful of chopped coriander leaves
• 2-3 green chillies, minced
• salt to taste
  

For the Curry:

• 250 gms grated tomates
• 250 gms green peas, boiled
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp ginger strips
• 1 tbsp dhania-jeera powder
• 4 green chillies, slit
• 4 tblspns. milk/yogurt
• 1/4 tsp. turmeric powder
• salt and red chilli powder to taste

Preparation:

Mix all the kofta ingredients together.Form the mixture into small balls and deep fry them to a golden colour. Heat 4 thlspns. of ghee/oil, add cumin seeds, when they start popping, add tomatoes, ginger, spices, salt and chillies. Cook the contents till the oil starts to be seen at the edges. Now stir in the peas and 2 cups of water. Boil for 10 minutes.Mix in milk/yogurt and gently stir bring the gravy to a little thicker consistency, *if desired u may mix 1-2 tsp cornflour with a little water and add this to thicken the gravy*, pour this mixture over the koftas. Decorate with coriander leaves.

Recipe adapted from "101 ways to prepare Curries", author : Aroona Reejhsinghani

Brownies

Hi all !! :) Belated Holi greetings to all of you! It's been a great week with the festival of colours as it's yet another reason to visit friends, family eat drink and make merry :)!

Let's talk about brownies today...Ever since I've tasted these yummy brown beauties, I just cant have enough of it :) the combinations with it like vanilla ice-cream, chocolate sauce, nuts or just caramel syrup drizzled brownies are so irresistible!

Everyone has their own recipe for brownies...so when I thought of baking them tried quite a few recipes from blogs, books, magazines. Though I was happy with the result of recipes, I stick to the one recipe which got me the maximum praize from S ;) so here's my favourite recipe!!!

If you have already posted brownie recipe in ur blog feel free to leave the link in the comment column :) I'll def.visit and try ur version too!

One last question before the recipe...would u like to share ur fav. combo with the brownies...I'd love to read about it!

Brownie Recipe:

Ingredients:

3/4th cup Unsalted Butter

1 cup Sugar

2 tsp vanilla essence

3 eggs

1 cup Maida

1/2 cup Cocoa powder

1 tsp Baking Powder

Salt- a pinch

100gms- Nuts, chopped roughly

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180* C.

2. Grease the tin with butter.

3. Beat eggs with Sugar, beat till he sugar melts.

4. To the eggs-sugar mixture add vanilla essence.

5. Sift the maida, baking powder and cocoa.

6. Add the dry ingredients to the egg-sugar mixture, melted butter and salt.

7. Finally add the chopped nuts (set some aside) and mix all the ingredients to make it a smooth

lump free batter.

8. Pour the batter in the greased tin and sprinkle the top layer with nuts.

9. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 20-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean in the

centre.

10. Cool it on the wire rack, slice/cut and serve.

Strawberry Bread

Baking breads is an absolute pleasure :)I enjoy it thoroughly, so after baking a whole lot of banana breads and also trying out some combinations in banana breads... thought it's time I give some other add ons to the famous quick breakfast breads.

Strawberries are getting noticed just about everywhere, so zeroed in on strawberry bread... Here's a keeper recipe from Joy of baking

Some changes I made to the original recipe:
1. Replaced all- purpose flour with whole wheat flour.

2. Used 2 large eggs instead of 3 eggs as mentioned in the recipe.

3. Added a few spoons of cold milk to the batter to get the required consistency.

4. As the recipe had an option between sour cream and plain yogurt, I chose the later.

5. My oven took an extra 20 minutes to bake the cake to perfection.

How We liked the bread:

The bread was super moist. Cinnamon combined with strawberry takes the taste altogether to another plane :) just heavenly!

It could be a great dessert if had with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream drizzled with chocolate sauce or even better as a filling breakfast with a tall glass of milk :)

I would definitely add this recipe to my list of favourites :)

Spring Onions stir fry

Spring onion stir fry:

Ingredients:

Spring onions - 1 bunch

Saunf -1 tsp

Jeera- 1 tsp

Mustard- 1 tsp

Amchoor powder- 1/2 tsp

Sambar powder- 1 and 1/2 tsp

Curry leaves- 1 sprig

oil- 1 and 1/2 tsp

Salt to taste

Method:
1. Wash the spring onions, finely chop(I pressure cooked them before hand) and set it aside.

2. In a kadhai/wok heat oil and splutter jeera, saunf, mustard and curry leaves.

3. Add the chopped spring onions, sambar powder, amchoor powder, salt and gently mix all the ingredients together.

4. cover and cook for a few minutes and turn off the flame.

5. Spring onion stir fry is ready to serve and tastes good with rice/roti/bread :)

Awards Shower!

Over a couple of months and till the recent times many of my lovely blogger friends Asha, Sushma Mallya , Babli, Indrani, Aruna Manikandan have showered me with beautiful inspiring awards. Thanks dearies and sorry I'd not been able to post it from a very very long time for some reason or the other. Now ends the wait ") and ya as it feels great to share and double the happiness ...please feel free to grab these beauties.

Bye and Take Good Care of yourselves :)

TC