Murg Keema Pulao / Ground Chicken Pulao

10 more days to go for the event to end on my blog....so please send in your entries....I haven't got many as yet and I am eagerly looking forward to seeing your entries and who will win the awesome book by Raghavan Iyer.
So pleasee  send in your entries...time is running out fast.....
For details check out the side bar 'ON GOING EVENT'

So atlast my light box has been made. Thanks to my hubby in helping me. I am very happy how the pics are coming out. So since I was busy making my light box, I needed something easy to make and I decided on this pulao, so that I wouldn't have to spend much time on my cooking that night!

If you would ask me which Keema I like most?? I would say ground Mutton or Lamb keema.
Chicken keema is just a substitute as my kids prefer that better over Lamb.
Well that surely makes it easy and cooking chicken keema is very easy.

Anything cooked with chicken keema can be done in very less time, like this chicken Pulao. It came out yummy and was very easy to make.
I made this last week night for dinner. An wholesome one pot meal, quick to make and was enjoyed by all of us.

I made this by mixing the soaked rice with the chicken keema, the spices and letting them cook together.
This can also me made the same way with ground lamb or mutton keema.
Since ground keema is chopped so tiny, it doesn't take much time to cook completely.

Ingredients:

3 cups basmati rice (soaked for 30 min)
4 1/2 cups water

1 lb chicken keema or ground chicken
1/4 cups broken cashews
1 large onion, chopped lengthwise
5 green chillies
3 small tomatoes
2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste

Whole garam masala:

6-8 cloves
3 1in pieces of cinamon stick
4-5 bay leaves
6 elaichi or cardamom pods
1 anise star
1/2 tbsp jeera, cumin seeds
1 tsp shahi jeera or kala jeera

Powders:

1-2 tsp coriander powder
1-2 tsp jeera powder
1-2 tsp garam masala powder
1-2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 cup chopped coriander and mint, pudina leaves
salt to taste
2 tbsp oil
1 tbsp butter

Method:

Wash rice and keep aside soaking in water for atleast 30 min.
Heat oil in a big pot. (I used the biggest pot in the utensil set you get...I think its 5 quart pot with a tight lid)
Add all the whole garam masala and saute for a minute.
Add the onions and green chillies and saute for a minute.
Add the ginger-garlic paste and saute for few seconds and add the ground chicken.
While the chicken cooks, try breaking it up into small pieces.
Add the tomatoes and let them cook with the chicken for 5 minutes.
Add all the powders to the chicken and incorporate well into the chicken. Add Salt accordingly.
Drain the water from the rice and add the rice to the chicken. Saute it for couple of minutes by folding in slowly and try not breaking the rice.
Add the 4 1/2 cups of water and let this come to a boil.
When it starts boiling, slowly all the water gets absorbed by the rice, till then leave it uncovered.
When most of the water is gone, add the butter chopped in small pieces on the top along with chopped coriander and mint leaves, mix a little and cover it to cook on low heat.
It will take atleast 15 -20 minutes for it to be fully cooked after this point.
Serve hot with raita or any curry. A hearty one pot meal is ready.
Enjoy!!!

Quinoa Katte Pongali / Quinoa Pongal

I have started experimenting with 'quinoa' only very recently. I tried it at a friend's place and I found very interesting, versatile, not to forget healthy and  simply cute.
Cute?? ya the grains are so tiny and so cute...:))

It is so versatile because it can take on any added flavors just like rice.
Its full of protein and a good substitute for non-meat eaters, to get their daily protein.
I have been seeing so many quinoa related recipes and I was very eager to try it out.
Quinoa being a so healthy, I am determined to make it a part of my diet. Even if not every day, maybe once a week is a good thing isn't it?...:)

The way you know that quinoa is cooked, is when a tiny twisted tail grows out of the grain and the grain becomes translucent! For Pongal I wanted it to be much softer, so I cooked it a little longer. If you don't want it soft, add less water and cover cook on low heat when all the water is absorbed, just like rice.

Makes about 2 - 3servings

Ingredients:

3/4 cup quinoa
1/4 cup pesar pappu, moong daal

3 1/2 cup water
pinch of turmeric
salt to taste

1/2 onion, chopped
3-4 green chillies, chopped
1 tbsp cashew nuts

tempering:

1 tsp ginger grated
1/2 tsp black peppercorns
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp jeera, cumin seeds
pinch of hing, inguva, asfoetida
1 dry red chilly, broken
few curry leaves
1/2 tbsp oil

Method:

Dry roast pesar pappu until light brown. Wash when cold.
Wash Quinoa atleast 3-4 times.

Mix the roasted moong daal with quinoa,add salt and turmeric, add 3 1/2 cup water and cook until all the water is absorbed. Cover and let cook on low heat till soft and fluffy. Add the onions and green chillies. Keep cooking till soft. Add some more water if required.

Prepare for tempering by heating 1/2 tbsp oil. Roast the cashew nuts till brown.
Add the mustard seeds, jeera, black peppercorns, ginger, red chilly, hing and curry leaves. When everything splutters, add to the cooked quinoa. Mix well.

Serve hot with chutney or plain.
Enjoy!!!

Quinoa

Atukula cutlet / vada , Poha vada / tikki, Beaten Flat rice cutlet / tikki

As I was thinking of how to incorporate atukulu into an easy dish, I thought about Poha vada. I just wanted to make it as simple as possible but it has to taste great too...
Usually in making poha upma, people add peanut powder right? and I think Poha and peanuts go very well together.

All I have to say about this tikki is  'YUM'.
Tho I have eaten variations of this type of cutlets before, the addition of peanut powder is key. If you like the peanutty taste, you should surely try this out.

I didn't want to add egg for binding, so added slightly wet bread for this reason and it did an amazing job!!... S no eggs, all vegetarian poha cutlet, vada or tikki what ever you want to call it.

Its very easy to make and I was done in less than an hour. With the amounts given below you can make about 15 medium sized ones.
It surely make for good appetizer at parties or to be eaten in place of aloo tikkis, or taste just as yum with some spicy tomato sauce.

Ingredients:

1 cup Poha, atululu, beaten flat rice, wash and soak in little water till absorbed (10-20 min) (I used thick poha)
1 large potato, baked or boiled, peeled
2 slices of bread, slightly wet
1/2 carrots, grated
1/4 cup peas
1/4 cup peanut, dry roasted and coarsely ground to powder (optional but surely gives a yummy touch)
1 small onion, chopped
2 green chillies, chopped
coriander leaves, chopped
1 cup bread crumbs for coating

salt to taste
1 tsp chilli powder
pinch of turmeric

Oil for deep frying or shallow fry

Method:

Wash and soak the poha in some water for 10-20 min.
Boil or bake potato, cool and peel the skin off. (I baked mine in the Microwave)

Add all the rest of the ingredients together, except the bread crumbs and oil.
Mash and mix them.

Roll and Flatten tightly with your hands and roll in the bread crumbs and fry in oil.
I deep fried mine, but you can surely shallow fry them. Just remember that the oil should be hot enough or they cutlets will break up.

Serve hot with chutney or eat plain. They surely tasted good!!
Enjoy!!!

Srivalli's Kid's Delight 'Street Food'

Kurinji's Healthy Recipe Hunt 'Poha'

Sending  this and  'Madatha Kaja'

to Tickling Palates 'Deep fried snacks' event

'Spicy' Egg Dosa

In our house, dosa is a favorite breakfast, be it any kind of Dosa. Plain and 'baby' dosa as my baby son calls it are his favorite!... He can eat those anytime. Tho I make idlis also very frequently, we like crispy dosas...:))

For this reason, I keep trying to make different types of dosa and am trying to make them healthier. I am trying out oats dosas and also brown rice instead of white rice. I know it doesn't make it totally healthy but surely some kind of healthy!

Egg dosa I came to know from my husband after my marriage. He used to eat it while he was studying in Tirupati. So from time to time he requests 'EGG DOSA' for breakfast. Well he got EGG DOSA as breakfast all last week. He says that they used to serve it with spicy tomato chutney.

This might not be the traditional way how they used to make it, but this is how we make it at home. I used spicy dhaniyala podi on top, but you can surely use any other podi you have. You can add the onions, green chillies, coriander into the egg mix if you wish but if you like crunchy onion, try it like this. You can surely go ahead and try any other veggies and cheese too it you wish!
This makes for a good healthy breakfast or even mid-day tiffin. I love it for light lunch or dinner too.


Basic Dosa Batter: (the way I make it)

1 cup urad daal
4 cups rice
1 tbsp methi seeds, menthulu, fenugreek seeds (optional)
some salt

Soak 6-8 hours or overnight. Grind into smooth batter and let it ferment for about 8-10 hours or overnight.
If you stay in a cold place like me, it might take even longer. I keep mine in the oven with the oven light on for warmth. Even if this doesn't work, pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees and turn it off. Place the batter in the oven for fermenting.
TAKE care as to which kind of utensil you put the batter in for fermenting in the hot oven, So that it doesn't melt in the oven!!! Always remember to turn it off.

After fermenting, Mix with water to bring to dosa batter consistency, not too thick or thin. Add required salt. Make dosas on hot tava or pan with some oil or ghee.



Ingredients:

1 to 1 1/2 laddle of basic dosa batter
1 egg, beaten with salt, turmeric and chilli powder (a pinch of all)
few drops of oil
few chopped onion pieces
1 green chilli chopped
few coriander leaves chopped

1 tsp of idli karam podi, You can use any podi you wish and have...I use dhaniyala karam podi, Coriander seeds powder which I also use with plain idlis or dosas.

Method:

Beat the egg with a pinch of salt, turmeric and chilli powder.
Add the dosa batter to the hot tawa with a laddle. Spread it out thin like a dosa.
Add a few drops of oil to the dosa.
Spread the beaten egg to the dosa like in the picture. Add a few more drops of oil to the egg.
When the dosa is brown on one side, flip over only for a 10-20 seconds.
Flip over again. Sprinkle the dhaniyala karam podi all over the dosa.
Sprinkle the onions, green chillies and coriander leaves over the dosa.
Slowly slide the dosa into a plate.
Serve hot with any spicy chutney like tomato chutney or red bell pepper chutney.
Enjoy!!!

Sending this to Akila's DNSW 'E' event

Celebrating 1st Blog Anniversary with 201st post ~ Custard Fruit Parfait, an Event with Giveaway

It's been a year already!!!
Never thought I would make it so long, didn't think I would have so many recipes to post or blog about and so many other things to do around here.
Never knew that I would make so many friends who had the same interests as me, and would learn many new things!!!
Well the realization has set...it's been one year of wonderful food blogging, taking part in events...having an event here at my blog and again...making new friends!

I am writing my 201st blog post...wow!! 200 posts done...yes 200 posts...gosh! I myself don't know how I reached this milestone!...I did reach 100 posts very soon but coming to 200 posts took me a little while, because of lots of breaks in between. But I did make it! YAYYYYYYYYY!!!:))

It wouldn't be possible without you readers and you guys who leave wonderful comments....I am always excited to see your comments and keep looking forward to your comments...that's what keeps me going along with the inspiration and excitement to learn new dishes and read about dishes from your blog. Your support has helped me get this far!! Thanks a lot!!!

For this celebration, I made a Custard Fruit Parfait...very simple and easy to make.
Its a fun dish with lots of fruit and custard on the top. Top it off with some granola for the crunchy texture. Mix and match any fruit and it will be delish.
Since regular is made by mixing the fruit in the the custard, the feel of this parfait is different. Top it off with whip cream if you wish or more fruit.
It's a fun way to make kids help you with this. They can add what ever fruit they like!
This also makes for a perfect fruit salad.

I used Mango flavored custard, which diminished the fact that I had no mango to add in it!...So use plain or flavored custard, your choice!

Ingredients: (I used)

small orange with pulp taken out or cut into small pieces
chopped watermelon pieces
chopped pineapple pieces
strawberries and Pom seeds
some crunchy granola

Mango flavored custard

Method:

Prepare the custard according to the directions on the box.

Chop all fruit into small bite sized pieces.

Add some of the custard to the bottom of the glass. Add the fruit, not in any particular order. Mix them up!

Add some more custard on the top.
Top it with granola and Pom seeds. Add a cherry or strawberry on the top!
Served chilled!
Enjoy!!!

Coming to EVENT....This will be the second event hosted by me, first being Srivalli's MEC-FESTIVE DISHES....You can check that out on the MEC-Festive Dishes blog page (up on the top corner).
This will be the second event here but my FIRST very own Smitha's Spicy Flavors Event!!!

I hope all of you will participate and make this a success for me. Come ON Friends, come and celebrate with me! I will be giving away a wonderful cookbook to the winner! A cookbook every cook wishes to have or cook from ~~ Raghavan Iyer's "660 curries" along with another small surprise book!

This event and giveaway is open to all my readers all over the world!!....I shall ship it to where ever you live...unless and only if the postal service doesn't deliver there, then I am out of luck!!

I want to give all entries an equal opportunity. This is going to be a month long event: -- first 20 days for sending in entries
-- next 10 days for voting

So the readers of my blog, your blog and your friends are going to decide the winner. So blog about it in your blog, ask your friends to come and vote for your entries from the 11th FEB to 20th FEB. SPREAD THE WORD AROUND!!

Follow my blog here and 'like' on FACEBOOK to keep track of the giveaway!

THE WINNER will be declared on the 21st FEB.

Theme: Best Food I have Eaten or Blogged About! Bye Bye 2010, Welcome 2011

- Choose any food or dish and take a picture of it.

- Food has to be something you cooked, cooked by a friend (at a potluck), or from a restaurant (take-out, eat-in, buffet). (PLEASE INCLUDE WHERE THE PICTURE WAS TAKEN)

- You can use a cell phone, camera or any other image capturing device, BUT MUST BE AN ORIGINAL PICTURE TAKEN BY YOU (MUST BE CLEAR)

- WRITE A CAPTION ON WHY YOU THINK IT'S THE BEST FOOD AND DESCRIBE IT AS MUCH AS TO TEMPT US (recipe not required)


RULES FOR BLOGGERS:

- POST ON YOUR BLOG BETWEEN NOW AND 10TH FEBRUARY, LINK TO MY BLOG WITH LOGO

- 3 ENTRIES PER BLOG, ONLY 1 ARCHIVED POST ALLOWED, repost with link and logo

- PICTURE MUST BE AN ORIGINAL TAKEN BY YOU

- BLOG ABOUT IT ON YOUR BLOG WITH THE TEMPTING CAPTION, SEND ME THE PICTURE AND CAPTION ONLY (WHICH I WILL PUT ON MY BLOG ON THE 11TH FEB) 

- VOTING STARTS 11TH FEB TO 20TH FEB

-  THE NUMBER OF VOTES EACH PICTURE GETS WILL DETERMINE THE WINNER

- VOTING WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE ON ANY SOCIAL NETWORKS, ONLY ON MY BLOG.

RULES FOR NON-BLOGGERS WHO WISH TO PARTICIPATE:

- SEND ME THE ORIGINAL PICTURE WITH CAPTION
- 3 PER PERSON
- REST OF THE RULES ARE SAME


Send in your entries to Smitha.joga@gmail.com with:

Name:
Blog's name:
Recipe URL:
Caption: (try to keep it under 10 sentences):

I will send a confirmation that I rec'd your entry immediately!
All the entries will be posted online on 11th Feb 2011.

I hope you all will help make this event a success by participating....
Looking forward to seeing your beautiful pictures and captions......

Thanks Guys and start sending in the entries!!! REMEMBER to spread the word around!




Sending this and Apple Waldorf salad to Pari's "ONLY EVENT" hosted by Pratibha of "THE CHEF and HER KITCHEN"

Yard long Beans stir fry with coconut / Barbati kobari koora

If you live in New England, you know what kind of veggies we get here during the winter or for that matter all year round! Same old veggies and nothing new :)
Yard long beans are one which we can see almost all the time in the Indian grocery store.
I am not complaining cos I happen to like this vegetable or this type of beans better than the other beans...but I think I like 'Goruchikkudu' more and my hubby like Broad beans more...
Yard long beans are good to use in any Indo-chinese dishes too beacause of this thin structure.
I like them cut up tiny and stir fried plain or with coconut. But cutting them small or tiny is the better part, cos they tend to become kind of crispy when cooked.
This is a simple stir fry made with coconut and goes good with rice or chapathis / rotis.
Doesn't take much time to make, only time taken is cutting the barbati up!!

Image courtesy: kochconnect.com

Ingredients:

a bunch of barbati / yard long beans, chopped up tiny
1 onion, chopped
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
2 tbsp coconut
1 tbsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
salt to taste

1/2 tsp urad daal
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp jeera, cumin seeds
2 dry red chillies, broken
bunch of curry leaves
chopped coriander leaves for garnish

1-2 tbsp oil

Method:

Heat oil in pan. Add Urad daal and let it brown. Add mustard seeds and jeera, let them splutter.
Add the red chillies and curry leaves.
Add the onions and saute till translucent. Add the ginger-garlic paste and saute for a minute for adding the chopped barbati. Add salt and let cook until the barbati gets cooked. Add the chilli powder and fry it.
In the end add the coconut and mix it well into the barbati.
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
Serve with roti, chapati or with hot rice.
Enjoy!!!

Quick and Instant Dosa with different flours

If your kids are like my kids and prefer dosa to idlis...and will eat any type of dosa you make, then here is one quick and easy Dosa to make, with ingredients from your pantry.

There are few different ways you can make this dosa...one by using leftover batter of idli or dosa, if you know what I mean. Sometimes only so much batter is left that its now enough of anybody, use it up in making this dosa...or just mix up some ravva, besan, maida, rice flour with yogurt, sour one if you have some or add lemon juice or amchoor powder and whip up some fast instant dosas....
Be sure to add some onions, green chillies and curry leaves for some taste and crunch in the dosas...

My kids love it and is a hit in our family....try and I am sure you will like it!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup yogurt, sour if possible or add lemon juice or amchoor powder for the soury taste.
1/4 cup besan, chick pea flour
1/4 cup rice flour
1/4 cup maida
1/4 cup sooji

enough water to make it into a dosa type batter
1/2 tsp chilli powder
some chopped onions
chopped green chillies (omit for kids)
chopped curry leaves

Oil for making the dosa

Method:

Mix all the ingredients together with a whisk as to no lumps remain.
Add the onions, green chillies, curry leaves and chilli powder along with salt.
Heat the tava for making the dosa. Spread oil in a thin layer.
Make the dosa using the laddle to a round shape. Sprinkle oil all over the dosa.
When one side is brown, flip over to other side.
Serve hot with chutney, pachadi or podi.
Enjoy!!!

Cabbage Pesar Pappu koora / Cabbage Moong Daal curry

When you are tired of regular daal, sambars or pulusu...here is a variation you can try.
I would put this curry somewhere between the daals and sambars. Its more like a curry with whole daal in it!...you can enjoy it as a daal or as a curry.

The other good thing about this is that you can add vegetable in it and you get your vegetable serving. This curry also tastes good with rotis as well as rice.
My kids enjoy this because of the whole daal in it. I guess its fun to chew on the whole daal...:)
Here in this curry the daal is left whole, if it is mushy...then you get what we call as kootu!...

Its also a perfect comfort food...when served with hot rice. Eat it with a drop of ghee and its amazing!...Have a side of papad of dahi mirchi and its yummy!

Ingredients:

1 cup split pesar pappu, moong daal
3/4 cup cabbage, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
4 green chillies, chopped
salt to taste
1/4 tsp turmeric
Chopped coriander leaves for garnish

1 tbsp of oil
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 tsp urad daal
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp jeera
pinch of hing, inguva, asfoetida
2 dry red chillies, broken
5-6 curry leaves

Method:

Dry roast the moong daal to light brown. Let cool and wash
Add some water and start cooking on medium.
When its about half-cooked, add the chopped cabbage and let cook till the cabbage it cooked. By this time the moong daal also will get cooked. It shouldn't be mushy.
Add the onions and green chillies and let it cook for another 5 minutes. Add salt and turmeric.
If in any point of time the curry starts getting dry or sticking to the bottom, add small amount of water, just not too much, as this will make the moong become mushy. Towards the end the curry shouldn't have any water...it should be dry.
Prepare for tempering by heating 1 tbsp of oil. Add the urad daal and garlic and saute till brown. Add mustard seeds and jeera, let them splutter.
Add the dry red chillies and curry leaves. Add the hing to the tempering and mix it with the curry. Add the chopped coriander leaves.

Serve with rice, chapathi or roti. Enjoy!!!

Simple Vegetable Rice cooker Pulao

For all those who use a electric rice cooker, don't you think its a neat gadget to have in your kitchen?...Put the rice in there are leave it to do its thing...no worries and you have perfectly cooked rice ready in time you finish your rest of the cooking!

I do appreciate my rice cooker and I have gone through quite a few of them to really appreciate them. The rice cooker I have now, even has a delay timer on it and it vows to cook perfect rice each time, even if its soaked for long. Well it does, so if something goes wrong, its our fault or  the rice cookers fault...:)

Anyways, I have often used to make pulao, even non-veg pulao, and they have come out beautifully. Only good thing is put it on and forget about it till its done.
So here is a simple Vegetable pulao made in the rice cooker with only whole garam masala and veggies.
Use frozen veggies for an easier option.

Ingredients:

2 cups Basmati rice, soaked for atleast 30 min.
(when using a rice cooker for basmati rice, I put less water. So for 2 cups of Basmati rice, I use 3 1/4 cups water)

1 - 1 1/2 cup of various veggies like cauliflower, beans, carrots, peas, potato (chop into small pieces, so that they cook easily)
1 onion, chopped
4-5 green chillies, slit
1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste

3-4 black peppercorns
4 cloves
2 pieces of cinamon stick
3 bay leaves
1 anise star
1 tsp jeera
1 tsp shahi jeera or kala jeera

2 tbsp oil
salt to taste
2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves and mint / pudina leaves
1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves for garnish

Method:

Heat oil in a kadai. Add the whole garam masala and let them brown for few seconds.
Add the onions and green chillies and saute for a minute. 
Add the ginger-garlic paste and saute for few seconds. Add the veggies and saute for only a couple of minutes till they start cooking. Add this mixture to the soaked rice which is in water.
Add enough salt, so that the water should taste slightly salty. This way the pulao will have enough salt when cooked.
Add the chopped coriander and mint leaves to the water.
Cook in the rice cooker till cooked.
Add the fresh chopped coriander leaves before serving.

(ANOTHER OPTION: Drain water from soaked rice and Fry the soaked rice in 1 tbsp butter on stove top. THen return it to the cooking water.)

Serve this with any side dish, veg or non-veg.
Enjoy!!!

Cabbage Carrot paratha

I saw Cabbage and Carrot Paratha on Jagruti's blog recently and I knew I will be making it soon! Only thing was when I was ready to make it, I didn't have my computer handy to see how to make, so I went ahead in my own way...
Sorry Jagruti, next time I will try to keep my computer handy!

I am a very big fan to stuffed or regular parathas, the reason being my kids will eat up their veggies without being fussy! yayyyy!!...isn't this what every Mom want or prefer...
With my fussy kids...I am always trying to get them eat up their veggies! This is a perfect way if your kids love parathas.
We all enjoyed them with Tomato Choka and it tasted great!

This is not a stuffed paratha, but what I call a regular paratha. Here the veggies are mixed directly into the roti dough along with any spices and rolled out as paratha.
Any veggie can be used and any spice can be added to bring out yummy flavors.
I used Cabbage and carrot this time after being reminded that I had them in my refrigerator. :)

Ingredients:

1 cup grated or chopped Cabbage
1 cup grated carrot
salt ot taste
1 tbsp oil
pinch of turmeric
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp jeera powder
enought chapathi flour, atta, whole wheat flour to knead into a soft dough

Method:

Add salt to the grated cabbage and keep aside for 10 minutes.
You will see that water will come out of the cabbage.
Add the carrot, oil, turmeric, coriander powder, jeera powder.
Add some more salt if required.
Add enough atta to knead into a soft dough. Keep aside to 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, if you think the dough has become too soft, add some more atta and knead well.
Make into small balls and roll out the paratha. Heat a tava / tawa, and slowly fry the paratha. Should be on medium heat so as to allow the carrot and cabbage to cook.
Flip over after browning on one side. Lightly oil both sides before removing from the tava.
Serve hot with any curry or even plain yogurt. Enjoy!!!

Another TAG and an award

I was tagged by Nivedita of Nivedita's Kitchen way back in December while I was away from home and away from my computer for a little while.
Please visit her site for some lovely and yummy recipes which are fun and easy to make. Thanks Nivedita!!


It took me this long to actually put my answers in order and answering them really means to sit and think for a while about each question. These are question which we just skip in our day to day life and so it was rethinking them over :))

1. Are you a vegetarian, or have you thought about being one?

Not a vegetarian, I eat all (except beef and pork)....never thought of being one, cos I love to try new foods veg or non-veg

2. Who inspired you to cook or bake?

Learned to cook from my Mom...probably she is also the one who inspired me as I learned to cook. Now my inspiration comes from my friends, other beautiful blogs, the Food Network and my kids and hubby since they are my guinea pigs....:))

3. How do you celebrate Christmas?...or a favorite holiday of your choice?

Love to celebrate with family and friends! Do lot of cooking, eat a lot of yummy goodies and then take a long siesta!

4. Do you prefer to celebrate New Year's Eve with friends and/or family, or prefer to ring in the New Year quietly, and privately, at home?

I am not a stay home alone kind of person... like to party with family and friends at home or go out enjoy and have fun type of person! (its just too cold to do it tho!)

5. If someone were to ask you to bring dessert to a party, what would you bring? Store bought, or homemade, and if you were to make homemade, what would you make?

It has to be homemade except if I was sick or something, well then I wouldn't go to the party ;)

What would I make would depend on the party menu, something sweet since it a dessert...haha funny!!

6. How will you celebrate your next birthday?

Not much planning goes into my birthday...I only plan my hubby's or my kids... I wish they would start planning a party for me...
coming to celebrate part...usually go out for dinner if possible, nothing more! so nothing special!

7. Do you have a New Year's resolution-and will you be sticking to it?

New Year resolutions are meant to be broken...come on who really sticks to them?? like my never ending resolution to loose weight!...never could stick to it!

8. Do you time your breakfast, lunch & dinner or eat when you are hungry ?

On weekdays they are mostly at regular times....weekends everthing is laid back and hapazard!!

9. What inspired you to write a food blog ?

To write or not to write a food blog was a long thought in process...it took me nearly 3 months to figure my thoughts out! My friends encouraged me and then it started as a hobby to keep a collection of all the recipes I learned (from my Mom) and would learn in the due process of keeping this blog alive....I have been cooking for almost 12 years now for everyday and the joy to blog it up inspires me to keep up with my food blog. There were times in the beginning when I even thought of giving it up as I was not sure whether it was worth it....but now as I near my 200th blog post, I cherish each and every comment I recieve and am always eager to read and see if I got comments on my post! :)) So its the comments and encouraging words I recive which inspire me and help me get going! Thanx guys!!!

10. You try a new recipe and it does not turn out good,what will you do ?

I get disappointed and throw it in the trash!!....well then try it out again with a few tweaks here and there, until it comes out like I want it to be!!

11. Name three ingredients you consciously avoid or eliminate even when the recipe calls for it ?

Starch, carbohydrates and sweet...If you understand what I mean...
I try to follow the recipe as close as possible, only when and if the ingredients are not available, I eliminate the ingredients.

12. Name three things you have to use in most recipes ?

Garlic, turmeric and chilli powder

13. How important is eating meals together as a family to you?

Its quite important and I wish I could make that happen!
Since I cook for the family, I wish it would be eaten together....but that doesn't happen in our house as the kids eat before we do because of my hubby's work timings....eating together only happen when we go to India or to restuarants :) That's why we love going to restuarants (DON'T WE???...hahahaha)

I was presented by this award by Aipi of US Masala...
She has some amazing posts and pictures....If you are like me, and get bored of cooking but love to oogle at food pictures....go to her blog and you shall be rewarded with stunning pictures!!

Khandvi ~ for ICC

I am so glad to be doing ICC for December....which is hosted by Srivalli.
I missing doing it last month, as I was travelling and was kind of bz....but after seeing the challenge for December, I was very much interested in doing, but as always didn't find the right time to do it.
Last wednesday, when it was snowing heavily, everyone were at home and I was in the moos to eat something spicy, I made Khandvi and enjoyed it totally.....it came out yummy to the core and I think something so simple and melt in the mouth kind of dish was totally worth it!!
First looking at the pics and reading the recipe, I was scared that it would be difficult to make and also may be it won't come out as it looks. And Lataji mentioned in her post that it might take couple of tries to get it right....but I think if we follow the recipe properly, it isn't that hard to make and it will come out nice if not perfect!!
So mine did come out nice and I loved them.
There is one change I made...since I didn't have sour curd on hand, I added lemon juice to get the soury taste.

This recipe is from Lata ji of Flavours and Tastes

Ingredients:

1/3 heaped cup of gram flour / besan / chick pea flour
1/3 cup sour yogurt (I added a tbsp of lemon juice to make it sour)
1 cup water
salt to taste
1 tsp sugar (adding sugar is optional but adding it gives a balance between salt, sour and sweet)
2 tsp of ginger-green chilli paste (I added like 4 tsp...cos I like it spicy)
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp asfoetida, hing, inguva
3 tbsp any cooking oil

For tempering and garnishing:

2 tsp cooking oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
2 tsp sesame seeds
2 tbsp grated coconut
2 tbsp chopped fresh corainder leaves

Method:

Grease a back of a thali, a plate or any flat surface. I use the back of a baking tray.

Mix the Besan, water, yogurt and ginger-green chilli paste together with a wisk, so as that no lumps remain.
Add sugar, salt, hing, turmeric and wisk again.
Heat oil in a kadai, and pour this mixture in and stir continously. For this I thought using a wisk (one which is suitable for a non-stick kadai, if using one) is better , so it mixes properly and does not allow any lumps to form.
Wish or keep stirring for atleast 8-10 minutes on medium heat. You will see that the mixture immediatly will thicken and then keep its form for sometime while stirring. But will change its color to a darker shade. It will also keep thickening.

((To check if its of the right consistency to roll, I took a small amount to the mix, flattened it and rolled it. If it didn't flatten smoothly, it has to be cooked more. Be careful of not over cooking it like into a dough form, cos it will not flatten out easily.))

When you think its of the right consistency, pour it onto the greased back of the plate and flatten it with a laddle like a dosa. It doesn't have to be smooth, but try to keep the same thickness throughout.
Once it is rolled out, wait to couple of minutes to cool down and then cut into strips of desired length.
Roll them into tubes.

Heat oil in a pan for tempering.
Add the mustard seeds and sesame seeds, let them splutter.
Pour this onto the rolled Khandvi.
Sprinkle the grated coconut and chopped coriander leaves.
Serve as is or warm as a snack at tea or any other time. Enjoy!!!

Happy Pongal and Kite Flying with some old festival recipes posts

I hope everyone is having fun Kite flying. I do miss it a  lot from my childhood days...
We, friends from our apartments used to get on the terrace tops of our building and fly kites way into the night...flying even light kites...It used to be fun!!
Its so sad that my kids don't know much about kites, let alone how to fly kites...I will also have to explain to them if I start talking about light kites or night kites....I am sure you know what I mean.

Happy Pongal to everyone too along with Happy Sankranthi!....I was supposed to put that into my post yesterday, but I has in a hurry and just did the post!..
This Sankranthi, I didn't do much except for regular food, as I have a cold and shivers from yesterdays' ski trip....staying out so long in the cold in not my cup of tea!! But anyways I am glad my older son is having fun and I am able to do this for him.

Last year, my first few blog posts started with Sankranthi recipes...here is a flashback to their posts....these are recipes which I generally make during Sankranthi...So Happy Festival and Happy Eating everybody!

Chintapandu Pulihora
Ravva Kesari (halwa)
Masala chanaga vada / vadai
Halwa Poli (Stuffed Chapathis with Halwa)
Sweet pongal or Paramaannam