My First Event Anouncement - "MEC - Festive Dishes"

Its that time of the year again!! Beautiful weather (here in New England, its fall time, beautiful colors), lovely breeze, days getting shorter, nights getting longer reminding us that winter is around the corner. Its time of festivities too. Starting from August, all thru January, there are numerous festivals celebrated in India and around the world. Starting with Vara Lakshmi Pooja, Ramadan, EID and Vinayaka Chathurthi, carrying on with NavRatri,...

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Mutton / Lamb 'Dum' Biryani

REQUEST: For all those new comers, friends and readers of my blog...I have been having some trouble with the Followers and Follow button (TOP RIGHT HAND CORNER). If you can see it please click on it and become a follower. I would really appreciate it!!! And subscribe to the RSS feed with the button on the top and please do leave a comment...I really love and enjoy reading comments, its very encouraging to me!!....THANX a lot!!!! It's all about...

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Mirchi ka Salan / Long green peppers in a tangy gravy

Mirchi ka salan is a traditionaly nawabi dish made to along with biryanis, especially with any meat biryani. Flavors like peanut, sesame seeds along with whole garam masala plays a interesting combination. I made this on Sunday to go along with the Mutton Dum Biryani. Tho its more enjoyable with biryani, I like it with hot rice or even with rotis. Tho I make biryani spicy usually , these I am having to make it less spicy for my kids. Since...

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Spicy Mango - Trinidadian style

Yummy Spicy Mango...I can still taste the spice in that thing....Got this at the Carribean festival I went to a few days back...bought back childhood memories.... While in Trinidad, on weekends when we had nothing much, all we did was make this spicy mango and devour it!! Back then we made it with crisp raw mango, only now I know that it can even be made like this. The raw mango gave it that katta spicy soury flavor, this had a sweet spicy flavor....

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Mirchi Bajjis / Stuffed green pepper fritters

One of the most common street food found in every corner of hyderabad. Its one of the must have food for me whenever I go to India. There are a few spots around my place which we regularly go to to get yummy mirchi bajjis! Its more like a craving for me and I have to have my Mirchi bajji fix. But its so easy to get them in India, here I have to make them.....which means making the stuffing too... There are different types of stuffing but the most...

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Mini Apple muffins in Microwave

I was in the mood of trying something new today. I also had to make something for MEC. So I decided to combine both of the ideas and here came microwave mini apple muffins. I wouldn't call this recipe a total hit or also a total flop. The muffins did come out tasty and yummy, but since they were made in the microwave, they didn't have the lovely brown color which we get from the conventional oven. Other thing I would change would be cutting the apples...

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Sun dried treats 2 - Perugu Mirapakayalau, Dahi Mirchi, Dried yogurt chillies

Here in New England, Fall is already set in. Though mornings are still warm, the nights have become cold. A chilly breeze always blowing telling us that winter is almost near. So this is not the right time to make any sun dried treats for us, but for people living in tropical countries, where you can find sun year round, you can make these any time. And if you are privy to a dehydrator, use it. I have seen some in shops though I don't have one. Here...

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Pav Bhaji - Indian street food

Pav Bhaji is one of the common Indian street food found at every nook and corner of all major cities. Most of the places which sell Pav bhaji also sell golgappas, aloo tikkis chat, samosa chat, vada pav too. These experienced cartwallahs make it so yummy with fresh butter, ghee and frying it to the yummiest! When we make at home, we usually don't get the same taste as we try to keep it lighter and healthier....or do we!!! Well try I try to do both....and...

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Nimmakaya pulihora / Lemon rice

The bright vibrant yellow color of of lemon rice, gives it a beautiful look and the lemons give the yummy soury taste. Like Tamarind rice, lemon rice has its own place in the Andhra cuisine. Its also offered as naivedhyam and offered as prasadam in many South Indian Temples. I have always loved the taste of the prasadams given in temples, they seriously have a unique taste. I can never get the exact taste at home. But still its close.... As tamarind...

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Belam Taalikalu / Rice Noodles in jaggery

Taalikalu are made in 2 different ways - with Belam (jaggery) and with Paalu (milk) called Paalu taalikalu. We make this especially for Lord Vinayaka on Ganesh Chathurthi! I learnt how to make both as Belam Taalikalu are made at my Mom's and Paalu Taalikalu are made at my MIL's. Belam Taalikalu have always been my favorite as I have been eating them from my childhood. Paalu Taalikalu do also taste good, They taste more like Payasam only with a longer...

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Manoharam - ICC August

This is the first time I ever heard about manoharam and first time tasting it too. As I have not been in India for a long time during my childhood years, I am not privy to traditional sweets like this. So I am happy to learn new items and that too traditional dishes are soo enjoyable. As I started making this, my Mom started telling me how this resembles Bandar Ladoo. Though Bandar Ladoo has a longer process as the murukus are again ground into powder...

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Sundal / Karam chanagalu / Spicy Chick peas

Another easy dish to make during festival times. This is also considered as a favorite to Lord Ganesha and so during Ganesh Chathurthi, Sundal is also offered as a prasadam along with the rest of the prasadams. This is a easy snack item, which can be made for kids too...It surely is a protien filled dish! I even like it like afternoon or tea time snack! Both canned or fresh soaked chick peas can be used for this dish. With the canned, the chick...

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Modakamlu / Modak / Steamed Coconut jaggery Rice dumplings

Another favorite of Lord Ganesha and mine - Modakamlu or Modaks.Filled with coconut and jaggery, spiced with cardamom powder, this is another easy prasadam to make for Lord Ganesha.The only difficult part is the making of the rice flour, but you can surely go ahead and try it with store bought rice flour. I only feel that it comes out little dry. The filling is the easiest part since its only grated fresh coconut with crumbled jaggery or powdered...

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Uppu Undrallu / Savory Rice balls with channa daal

Undrallu or rice balls can be sweet or savory kind. I have already posted the sweet version, here is the savory version. This is also made with rice flour but the coarser rice flour is used. You can either grind the rice coarsely or if you are making the softer, thin rice flour from my type of recipe, then you can use the leftover coarse rice flour. Ingredients are simple and a simple dish to make for Lord Ganesha. I haven't added any cumin or jeera...

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Teepi Undrallu or Sweet Balls for Lord Ganesha!

Lord Ganesha like undrallu and modakamlu is what scriptures say This is one of the easiest prasadams we make for Lord Ganesha...Teepi undrallu or Sweet Balls made of rice flour. Home made rice flour is used with jaggery and some fresh grated coconut to make these. There are probably many different ways to make these. In our home too we make it in 2 differents ways. One being make balls of cooked rice flour dough and put it into melted jaggery....

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Making of home made rice flour

Store brought rice flour is conveniently available to us in the Indian grocery stores. But for our Indian style dishes which require major portion of rice flour, this store bought rice isn't very useful. The dishes usually turn out harder and don't stay in shape too. For this reason, I tend to make home made rice flour when its required to make Indian sweets or pindi vantalu. Its not a very difficult process but surely its a time taking process....

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!! Happy Vinayaka Chavithi !!

Lord Vinayaka is the first and foremost God, who is prayed to before all Gods. The cute elephant headed god, son of Godess Parvathi and Lord Shiva is widely worshipped as the God of wisdom, prosperity and good fortune. Today being Vinayaka Chavithi/ Ganesh Chathurthi, Here is a small prayer to Lord Ganesha.... Pranamya sirasa devam, Gauri putram, Vinayakam, Bhakthya vyasa smaren nithya, Mayu kama artha sidhaye. The learned one, who wishes,For...

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