Creative saga...

Oats Rava Idli- Instant idli again..

2009-11-25T15:10:00.006+08:00

I have seen this particular variety of idli in several blogs and always wanted to try the addition of oats, though I was apprehensive about how it would taste. Well, I tried it this weekend. This is an ideal recipe if you are really hungry and too lazy to cook something. Yes, it was something like that for me last weekend!!!It hardly takes a couple of minutes and then you dont have to be in the kitchen throughout. What you have to do is make the batter and just relax and watch tv or read a book and then pour the batter in the moulds to steam them and relax again. Doesn't it sound simple,fun and interesting!!!Thats what I did!! If you are up to it, make a chutney. If not , just serve with some pickle. Believe me, it tastes just delicious!!
Ingredients-
Instant oats- 1cup
Rava/sooji/semolina- 1cup
Yogurt/curd- 1 cup
Baking soda- a pinch
Salt to taste
Oil-1tsp
Mustard-1tsp
Asafoetida/hing- A pinch
Curry leaves-few leaves
Green Chillies- 2 chopped
Coriander leaves- a very small bunch chopped fine

Method-
Roast the rava till you get a nice aroma of it. Add the oats and saute for few more minutes. Be careful not to burn the oats. Now add the yogurt. Mix well. Leave this for 30 minutes.
Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard, asafoetida ,green chillies and curry leaves. Add the seasoning to the batter followed by soda, salt and coriander leaves.Add more curd or water if the batter is too thick. Consistency should be that of a normal idli batter.
Pour the batter in idli moulds and steam them for around 15-20 minutes.
Then remove from moulds after it cools down a bit.
Serve with chutney.

Tofu Masala

2009-11-23T15:17:00.004+08:00

I am not too fond of tofu/bean curd , but I try to include it in my diet as it is considered to be a healthy soya product. I once made a spicy curry with it and it was just ok. Then I found out that it could be used a substitute for paneer. So I made Palak tofu once and that tasted really good. Then recently I came across paneer butter masala recipe in Edible garden where Nags had substituted paneer with tofu and I thought it was an excellent idea. I tried her recipe with some really minor changes and it tasted awesome. Thanks for the recipe Nags!!

Ingredients-
Firm Tofu- 200g
Oil- 1tbsp
Oil/butter- 1tsp(I used oil)
Onion- 1 finely chopped
Ginger garlic green chilly paste- 1tsp
Tomato puree- I used 2 large tomatoes. Blanched and then blended.
Turmeric powder- 1tsp
Red chilly powder- 1tsp
Salt to taste
Coriander powder- 1tsp
Garam masala- 1tsp
Kasuri methi-1tsp
Milk /cream- 1cup( I used milk)

Method-
Cut the block of tofu into small cubes. Shallow fry them in oil till they turn a golden brown. Keep them aside
Heat oil or butter in a pan. Add the ginger garlic or green chilly paste followed by onions. Saute till they turn translucent. Add the turmeric powder, red chilly powder, coriander powder, garam masala and kasuri methi. Mix well and then add the tomato puree. Keep stirring in between and cook for around 10 minutes till the tomato appears nicely cooked and blends with the spices. Add milk or cream. Mix well. Last add the fried tofu and cook for 5 more minutes.
Serve with chapatis.

Rajma masala- chawal(rice)- The ultimate combo

2009-11-18T17:24:00.000+08:00

I got familiar with this rajma chawal when I stayed in Delhi some 15 years back. This was meant to be the absolute comfort food in every household and used to be everyone's favourite sunday lunch. Somehow after leaving Delhi, I had forgotten all about this rajma chawal affair, though there were some rare occasions when I did have this. But it was almost some couple of years and suddenly one day, I was craving for some rajma chawal. So I bought some rajma/Kidney beans and made it for lunch last week. It was delicious and will always remain one of my favourites.

Ingredients-
Rajma/kidney beans- 1 cup
Onion- 1 big - chopped
Tomato- 2 chopped
Garlic- 3cloves
Ginger- 1"
Green chillies- 2
Turmeric powder-1tsp
Red chilly powder- 1tsp
Coriander powder- 1tsp
Garam masala - 1tsp
Kasuri methi- 1tsp
Salt- to tase
Oil- 2tsp

Method-
Soak the beans for atleast 12 hours. Pressure cook till it becomes very soft(About 8 to 10 whistles).
Grind together onion, tomato, garlic, ginger and green chillies. Heat oil in a pan. Add the ground paste. Saute for sometime. Add all the spices and saute till the raw flavour disappears. Add the cooked beans along with the water and cook for around 10 to 15 minutes till the beans mixes really well with the gravy.
Serve rajma masala with hot rice.

Notes- Rajma is slightly on the heavier side as it contains lot of proteins. It causes gas and bloating. So its better to avoid them for dinner.
Rinse and soak the rajma for a long time as it reduces the gas causing properties to some extent.

All about Rasams!!

2009-11-11T19:35:00.000+08:00

Rasam can be defined as a South Indian soup which is taken along with rice basically. Its made with tamarind water mixed with a variety of spices and lentils. It is known by different names in the different southern states. Its Rasam in Tamil nadu,saaru in karnataka, chaaru in Andhrapradesh. The Aiyengars call it as "saathamudu". Many restaurants serve mulagatwany soup which is also a kind of rasam. There are so many varieties of rasam though the basic recipe remains the same. As I had a few requests from some friends and readers for the rasam recipe , I thought of compiling into a single post. Find more about rasam here.
First of all , let me provide the recipe of rasam powder which can be prepared in a large quantity and stored for a sufficiently long time and used during any rasam preperation.

Rasam Powder
Ingredients-
Coriander seeds/dhania seeds- 100g
Tuvar dal- 50g
Cumin seeds/jeera seeds- 25g
black pepper- 2tsps
Red chillies- 8 to 9 ( more if you can take the heat)
Curry leaves- few leaves(optional)

Method-
Dry roast all the ingredients together. Let it cool and grind the ingredients to a coarse powder.

Readymade packets of rasam powder are commercially available. They are available in a lot of brandnames. I have used MTR rasam powder and I really love the taste, flavour and colour it imparts. Sometimes, even sambar powder can be used for making rasam. That tastes good too!!
There is a special utensil called "eeya chembu" - a lead vessel for preparing rasam and when made in this, the flavour gets enhanced. It does tastes great for sure!!!

As I mentioned above, there are a number of rasam varieties, so I will compile a few basic ones.

1. Pepper rasam-

Ingredients-
Tamarind- lime sized lump
Rasam powder- 2-3tsp
Whole pepper- Crushed- 1tsp
cumin seeds powder- 1/2tsp
Cooked tuvar dal/masoor dal- 1/4th cup
Salt to taste
Curry leaves- few leaves
Coriander leaves for garnishing
Mustard seeds- 1tsp
Asafoetida- a pinch
Ghee- 1/2tsp

Method-
Squeeze out the pulp from the tamarind. Add the rasam powder, pepper and cumin seeds powder,salt and curry leaves. Allow it to boil till the smell of rasam powder goes. Now mash the cooked dal, add it to the boiling mixture and boil further for 2-3 minutes. Dilute with around 2-3 cups of water /dal water. Boil till it bubbles up(takes around 10-15 minutes. Remove from flame.
Heat ghee for tempering. Crackle the mustard seeds and asafoetida. Add to the rasam. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Optional- You can also add chopped tomatoes in this. But accordingly reduce the quantity of tamarind.

2.Pineapple Rasam- This is a kind of festive rasam , the method is almost the same.

Tamarind- A very small lump(because pineapple is going to be tart)
Cooked tuvar dal/masoor dal- 1/2 cup
Pepper powder- 1/2tsp
Rasam powder- 2-3 tsp
Pineapple pieces-1/2 can crushed( Use along with the syrup )
jaggery- a small lump-(optional)
Salt to taste
Asafoetida- small pinch
Oil/ghee- 1tsp
Mustard seeds- 1tsp
Coriander for garnising

Method-
Squeeze out the juice from the tamarind. Add rasam powder, pepper powder ,salt and the crushed pineapple pieces and allow it to boil till the rasam powder smell goes. Then add the cooked dal and boil for 2 minutes. Dilute with dal water. Boil for another 10 minutes. Add jaggery if using.
Heat oil or ghee. Crackle mustard seeds and asafoetida and add it to the rasam.

You can also make this without adding tamarind water using just dal. Dilute it accordingly.

3. Mysore rasam- In this, fresh rasam powder is made and used for the rasam.

Ingredients-
Tamarind- Size of a lime
Cooked masoor/tuvar dal-1/2 cup
Coriander seeds- 1 1/2tbsp
Channa dal/bengal gram dal- 2tsp
Dried red chillies- 8
Oil- 2tsp
Whole pepper- 5 -6
Curry leaves- few leaves
Oil for tempering
Mustard seeds-1tsp
Asafoetida- a pinch
Salt to taste
coriander leaves for garnishing.

Method-
Heat oil in a pan and roast the coriander seeds,channa dal and the red chillies. Grind this to a paste along with a few pepper corns.
Squeeze out the juice from the tamarind. Add the salt ,asafoetida and curry leaves. Allow it to boil for 10 minutes. Then add the cooked dal and boil for sometime. Dilute with water or dal water and boil till it froths. Then add the prepared powder and mix well.
Heat oil in a pan and crackle mustard, curry leaves and red chillies. Add to the rasam and garnish with coriander.

You can add tomatoes in the tamarind water and boil along with it, but reduce the amount of tamarind accordingly.

4.Lemon rasam or elumachampazham rasam or limbu rasam
Ingredients-
Cooked Mung dal- 1 cup
Green chillies- 2 chopped
Tomato- 1 chopped
Oil- 1tsp
mustard Seeds- 1tsp
Cumin seeds- 1tsp
Asafoetida - a pinch
Salt to taste
Turmeric powder- 1tsp
Lemon juice- of 1 lemon

Method-
Heat oil in a pan.Crackle mustard , cumin seeds and green chillies. Add the tomatoes. Cook for sometime. Add the cooked dal along with salt, turmeric powder and asafoetida. Dilute with 2-3 cups of water . Allow to boil till it froths. Remove from flame. Add the lemon juice. Mix well.

I add a tsp of rasam powder in this. But its totally optional.

5. Tomato Rasam- I always make this when I have a bad cold. The ingredients does tha magic.
Ingredients-
Tomatoes- 2 big
Cooked dal- half cup oir little less
Garlic -2 cloves
Ginger- 1"
Peppercorns- 5
Cumin seeds- 1tsp
Rasam powder-3 tsp
Salt to taste
Asafoetida - a pinch
Oil- 1tsp
Mustard- 1tsp

Method-
Grind chopped tomatoes, Ginger ,garlic, peppercorns and cumin seeds in a blender. Heat oil in a pan. Crackle mustard seeds. Add the ground liquid followed by salt, asafoetida and rasam powder. Boil for 10 minutes. Add the dal and cook for 2 more minutes.Dilute with 2 -3 cups of water or dal water and boil till it froths.

Mushroom masala

2009-11-05T14:15:00.005+08:00

I dont buy mushrooms regularly as I am not sure how to use them. The first time I bought them, I used them in a soup. And the second time, it was a simple curry which tasted quite good. Though I was not getting used to the idea of having them so frequently. But when I made it this time, I just fell in love with the mushrooms. I felt it was something just like paneer which I am so fond of. Infact it blended so well with the spices and tasted great with capsicum and peas.
This recipe is inspired from the Mushroom makhani recipe by vaishali of Holy cow who has a lovely collection of vegan recipes. Thanks for the recipe vaishalli.

Ingredients-
White button mushrooms- 200gms(chopped)
Capsicums- 2 (chopped)
Peas- 1/2 cup
Onion- 1 big chopped fine
Ginger- 1" crushed
Garlic- 2 cloves crushed
Tomato- 1 big pureed
Turmeric powder- 1tsp
Red chilly powder-1tsp
Garam masala- 1tsp
kasuri methi- 1tsp
Cashew bits- about 8 soaked and grinded to fine paste
Salt to taste
Oil- 2-3 tsp
Cumin seeds- 1tsp
Fennel seeds- 1tsp

Method-
Heat oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds and fennel seeds followed by the onions, ginger and garlic and saute them till onion turns translucent. Then add the chopped mushrooms , capsicum and peas and saute for sometime. Add the turmeric powder, red chilly powder ,garam masala , kasuri methi and salt. Mix well . Now add the tomato puree and the cashew paste. Mix well and cook till the vegetables are tender and are coated well with the spices.
Serve hot along with rotis.

Kancheepuram/ kanchipuram idli

2009-11-03T09:31:00.006+08:00

The popular Indian food, Idlis always makes up a simple and filling breakfast. But eating the same old plain idlis frequently is quite boring for some people . But making them involves very less time as compared to the other breakfasts. So , I have been trying various versions of idlis . I always keep my dosa and idli batter ready, so that I can just whip up some interesting and yummy breakfast in no time like this one which I posted few days back and now this Kancheepuram idlis, which can be made in a jiffy with the usual idli batter along with some interesting additions. I got the recipe from Jaya shenoy's book.Ingredients-
Black gram dal/udid dal- 1 cup
Idli rice - 2 cups
Bengal gram dal/chana dal-1tbsp
Gingelly oil- 2tbsp
Cashewnuts - 8
Green chillies- 4 chopped
Baking soda- 2 pinches
Ginger- 1"
pepper powder- 1tsp
Sour Curds- 3/4 cup
Salt- 2tsp or more
Curry leaves - Chopped

Method-
Soak the rice and udid dal together for a couple of hours.(4 to 5)
Grind this to a fine consistency, adding a little water. Allow the batter to ferment for 8 to 10 hours. Soak the chana dal in water for half an hour and then add this to the batter. Mix well. Fry chillies, pepper, cumin,cashewnut bits and ginger in a frying pan using the gingelly oil. Put this in the batter. Add curry leaves,baking soda , salt and curds. Mix well.
Now pour this in the idli moulds and steam for 15 to 20 minutes till cooked.
Serve hot with coconut chutney.

Cabbage rice- easy and quick

2009-10-30T21:52:00.004+08:00

I make varieties of rice almost with anything and everything, but am surprised that only a few have found their way to the blog. I hope to post more of them in future. This one is so simple and takes only a few minutes to make and goes well with curds or raitha.

Ingredients-
Rice-2 cups
Cabbage-250gms (shredded)
Onion- 1 sliced
Ginger-1' crushed
Garlic- 2 to 3 cloves crushed
Green chillies- 2 chopped fine
Turmeric powder- 1tsp
Coriander powder-2tsp
Garam masala- 1tsp
Mustard-1tsp
Cumin seeds/jeera-1tsp
Salt to taste
Oil - 2-3tsp

Method-
Cook the rice and ensure that each grain is seperate.
Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard and cumin seeds. Add the green chillies, ginger and garlic and then the onions and saute till onions turn translucent. Then mix in the cabbage along with the spices and salt. Saute till the cabbage is cooked. Now mix this well with the cooked rice till the rice is coated well with the spices.
Serve with plain curd or raitha.

Pineapple upside down Cake

2009-10-28T15:16:00.005+08:00

Making this kind of cake was in my mind for a long time. After a long gap, I set to bake a cake since I had all the ingredients and suddenly when I spotted a tray of freshly cut pineapple in my refrigerator, I decided it was going to be a Pineapple upside down cake. It came out great and tasted delicious too. I used the usual cake recipe I use for most of my cakes and it really works. The cake was just perfect and spongy and now I am more confident of the basic recipe.

Ingredients-
Plain flour- 2 cups
Baking powder- 4tsps
Baking soda - 1tsp
Eggs- 2
Oil- 1/2cup
Milk-1/4 cup
Pineapple essence-1tsp(I used vanilla)
Sugar- 1 cup+1tbsp(I used fine white sugar, but you can use soft brown sugar instead)
Pineapple slices or rings- I used halved slices.

Method-
Grease your cake tin with butter or oil. Sprinkle a layer of sugar on the tin. Arrange the pineapple slices to fill up the tin.
Now beat the eggs till frothy. Add the oil and milk. Mix well. Now combine the sugar and essence and mix well.
Combine the dry ingredients together and then mix it with wet ingredients mixture gradually. Now pour this batter gently into the cake tin containing the pineapple slices .
Bake this in a preheated oven at 180c for about 35 minutes.
Cool the cake for 5 minutes and loosen the edges and invert it on a wire rack.

Vegetable Uthapam

2009-10-26T17:06:00.001+08:00

Its more often nowadays, that I make idli /dosa batter , sounds tedious, but then you can be completely relaxed when you have the batter in hand. There are so many things which you can make with it without having to spend much of your precious time in the kitchen. So apart from the usual dosas and idlis , one of these days, I tried making the vegetable uttapam for breakfast. And the colourful beauties were enjoyed by all. You can use your choice of vegetables like cabbage or just sliced onions and green chillies. You can make this for your kids too with their favourite vegetables!!!
Ingredients-
Idli rice- 1cup
Raw rice- 2 cups
whole udid dal(white)- 1cup
Salt to taste
Your choice of vegetables- I used capsicum, carrots coriander and fresh red chillies- cut into long pieces
Gingelly oil- As required

Method-
Soak the rice and udid dal seperately. First grind the udid dal to a smooth paste. Then grind the rice to a smooth paste.Combine them together. Add salt and mix well. Keep it overnight (8 hours) preferably and allow it it ferment. Your batter is ready.
Now heat oil in the pan. Add the chopped vegetables, add salt and stir fry them till they become tender.
Heat a dosa pan. Pour a ladleful of batter onto the pan and spread by rolling them into a circle with base of the ladle.Add little oil on the edges. Add the vegetables on the top and gently press it into the batter. When the base is cooked and is golden brown, turn and flip with a spatula and cook on the other side too. Serve hot with sambar and chutney.

Pal payasam - An exclusive Indian dessert

2009-10-23T09:17:00.006+08:00

Pal payasam/Kheer/rice pudding is an exclusive Indian dessert mostly prepared during festive occasions. As I had mentioned in my previous mail that vadai and payasam is certainly made during any Tamil festival. I had made this payasam for Deepavali lunch.
There are various ways people prepare this dessert. Some use precooked rice and then add it to the milk. Some use soaked rice and then cook it along with the milk. I prepared it in a slightly different manner, something like phirni(north indian dessert) and it tasted great. Pal payasam is always the yummiest dessert no matter how you prepare it!!!
So here's how I prepared it.

Ingredients-

Rice- 1/2 cup
Milk- 500 ml
Sugar- 1 cup
Cashews- 5
Almonds- 5
Ghee-1tsp
MTR badam feast- 1tbsp(optional)

Method-

Soak the rice for an hour and then grind it to a coarse paste. Soak the almonds and cashews seperately. Deskin the almonds. Now grind the nuts also to a coarse paste, maybe you could leave some bits of nuts as it is. Heat a pan and add ghee. Fry the nuts till they turn golden brown and then add rice paste and stir for a minute.
Boil the milk and then add the rice paste along with the nuts and sugar. Keep stirring till the rice gets cooked and the volume of milk slightly reduces and the whole mixture thickens. Add Mtr badam feast if you are adding and stir for a minute. Remove from flame.
Serve hot or chilled.

Parappu vadai or dal vada

2009-10-22T09:03:00.006+08:00

No festive lunch in Tamilnadu is said to be complete without Vadai (vada) and payasam (kheer). Though I never cook an elaborate lunch, I was quite eager to do so for this Diwali. So the lunch menu was of course parappu vadai and pal payasam along with drumstick sambar, tomato rasam, podalangai(snakegourd) kootu, beans poriyal, fried appalams and rice. I was really busy to take a picture of the whole thali this time. But for those who are interested can see a post on Tamil festive lunch here.

Ingredients-

Tuvar dal- 1/2cup
Channa dal- 1cup
Udid dal- 1tbsp
Dried red chillies- 6-7
Curry leaves- 1 sprig
Salt- to taste
Hing/asafoetida- a pinch
Oil for deep frying

Method-
Soak the dals for atleast 3 hours. Then add the red chillies and grind the soaked dal to a coarse paste without adding water.
Now add the hing, curry leaves and salt and mix well. Heat the oil for deep frying.
On a thick plastic sheet, put a drop of oil. Take a small portion of batter on the platic sheet and flatten it to form a small thick disc. Deep fry them in hot oil till they turn a golden brown.
Serve hot.

Mixed fruit pancakes- a fruity indulgence!!

2009-10-20T14:30:00.001+08:00

Who doesn't like to start a day with a yummy and healthy breakfast. Breakfasts are supposed to be nutritious ,filling and balanced. And pancakes is indeed a filling one and could be made healthy with the proper ingredients, full of goodness. Though I would love to have them with just honey or maple syrup, this time I used a mixture of fruits for that extra indulgence and it tasted just wonderful !!

Ingredients

For Pancakes-
Whole wheat flour- 1 1/2cup
Oats- 1/2 cup
Milk- 1 cup+a little more if the batter is too thick.
Egg- 1
Baking powder- 1tsp
Baking soda-1/2tsp
Sugar- 2tbsp

For fruits
Mixed fruits of your choice-I used apple, banana, plums,orange- Cut into small pieces
Sugar- 1tbsp

Method-

For the Pancakes-
Combine the dry ingredients together. Beat the egg and mix with milk. Mix the dry and wet ingredients together to form a uniform batter. Keep aside for half an hour. Now heat a non stick pan. Pour a ladle full of batter on the pan. After it gets cooked on one side, flip and allow to cook on the other side.

For the fruits-
Heat a pan. Add the cut fruits and sugar. Mix well and allow to cook till they turn a little soft.
Serve the pancakes stacked on each other with the fruit sauce in between them.

I am sending them to Cooking for kids- wheat event hosted by Sireesha , an event started by Sharmi of neivedyam.

Besan ladoo made differently- step by step pictures

2009-10-15T17:00:00.001+08:00

Besan ladoo is usually made by roasting the gram flour or besan for sometime and then mixing with sugar syrup. But this method of preparation is totally different and I learned to make this from a Maharashtrian friend of mine. I am not usually too fond of besan ladoo, but when made this way , it tastes really good and different and I have noticed that even people who hate sweets in general simply fall in love with this one.
I made this for diwali. I was not too keen in making lot of sweets this year,thanks to the increasing waist lines. But after making this one and discussions with friends(like what they made and sharing recipes), the diwali fervour has set in and now I am in a mood to try some more sweets and savouries. Why not? After all, Diwali just comes once a year. Isn't it?
Hope you enjoy making this one and I am sure the step by step pictures will be quite useful.

Ingredients-

Besan/gram flour- 1 1/2 cup
Sugar- 1 1/2 cup
Cashew- 8 broken to pieces
Cardamom powder- 1/2tsp
Ghee or oil for deep frying

Method-

Make a dough with the gram flour adding some water and some oil.
Make small balls of the dough and then roll each ball into a circle. Appy some oil on the surface before rolling them, this will prevent them from tearing.
Now deep fry the circles or puris in oil or ghee till they are golden brown.
Tear the puris to small pieces.
Use a blender to grind the pieces to a coarse powder.
Now make the sugar syrup. Add the sugar along with 3/4the cup water and keep stirring in medium flame. Stir till it turns sticky and then till you get a one string consistency.(I forgot to take pictures while making the sugar syrup)
Roast some cashews in ghee and add to the ground powder. Add the sugar syrup as required. Combine everything together and keep mixing with you fingers till it absorbs the syrup. See if you able to make it into a ball , if not add some more syrup. The ground flour at this point should be little moist , but not sticky.

Now roll them into small balls or ladoos.

Want one??
I am sending them to the following events-
1.Diwali contest 2009' by Priya of Priya'feast
2. Festive food -Diwali dhamaka by purva
3. Sanghi FIL- ghee event
4. Sireesha's sweet series event
Have a safe and wonderful Diwali. Enjoy!!!

Vathal kuzhumbu- Tamilian's comfort food

2009-10-12T15:06:00.006+08:00

Yes indeed!! Ask a Tamilian and he would say vathal kuzhumbu and "chutta appalam"(roasted papads) is the most comfort food for him!!!!
Basically this is a gravy with a blend of spices along with some vathals (dried vegetables) or sometimes even fresh vegetables. It is believed to have medicinals values.
Dried vegetables like sundakkai (turkey berry) or manathakali (sunberry)are used. Even shallots and drumsticks are sometimes added in this gravy. There are many other varieties too.
Vathal kuzhumbu is usually prepared in large quantities because you can store this for a long time. Infact the taste gets even better the next day.
It has been a long time since I posted a tamil recipe. There are lot of new recipes to be explored into. So till then, do try making this gravy. A perfect comfort food!!

Ingredients-

Tuvar dal/tuvaram parappu- 2tsp
Channa dal/kadala parappu- 2tsp
Udid dal- 1tsp
Dried red chillies- 5 to 8 nos.
Whole pepper- 1/2tsp
Curry leaves- 1 sprig
Tomato - 1 small (optional)
Garlic- 3-4 cloves(optional)
Tamarind-1 lime sized lump
Turkey berry/sundakkai(1/2 cup) or shallots(1 cup) or drumsticks(1 chopped into 2"pieces) or onions(1 chopped long) or brinjals(2-3 chopped in cubes)- According to your choice
Gingelly oil-1/2tbsp
Mustard- 1tsp
Salt to taste
Asafoetida- a pinch

Method-
Heat some oil in a pan. Add the dals/parappu/lentils , dried red chillies and pepper. Roast till the dal turn golden brown. Then add the curry leaves and tomatoes/garlic if using and roast for few more seconds. Cool and grind it to a fine paste along with tamarind.
Heat some more oil. Add the mustard along with your choice of dried or fresh vegetables. Add salt and asafoetida. Cook and add 2 to 3 cups of water. Add the ground paste. Mix well and cook till the gravy thickens.
Serve with hot rice and roasted appalams/papads.

I found some interesting vathal kuzhumbu (other than those which I have already listed above) in the blogosphere. So thought of sharing it with you all if you havent already seen.

1. Orange peel vathal kuzhumbu
2. Sweet pumpkin vathal kuzhumbu
3. Thamarai thandu vathal kuzhumbu
4. Appalam vathalkuzhumbu

Adhraki dum aloo- simple yet delicious

2009-10-08T23:17:00.004+08:00

Being in India was so much fun. I enjoyed meeting and visiting friends. I got to learn new dishes from them which I promptly noted down to be put in my blog. One was baafle which I have already shared with you all and has been the most viewed recipe in Creative saga. There are many more recipes to tried and tasted yet.This particular recipe, which I was quite eager to try out is adhraki dum aloo. I had this at a friend's place for dinner. I was quite amazed by the simplicity of the dish. The recipe involves only a few ingredients and is so simple to make and the outcome is too good. I especially loved the taste of ginger which is the key ingredient of the recipe.

Ingredients

Potatoes- 4-6 big ones deskinned and cut in half or use baby potatoes
Ginger- 2 finger sized pieces grated /or ground to paste in a blender.(about 1/2 a cup)
Curd- 1cup
Turmeric powder- 1tsp
red chilly powder- 1tsp
coriander powder- 1tsp
garam masala- 1tsp
Salt to taste
Oil-1tbsp+1tsp
Cumin seeds- 1tsp
fennel seeds- 1tsp

Method-
Pressure cook the potatoes till soft. Heat 1tbsp of oil in a pan. Add the boiled potatoes. Let the oil coat well on them and fry till golden brown. Keep aside.
Heat 1tsp of oil in a pan. Add the cumin and fennel seeds and then then the ginger. Saute for a minute. Add rest of the spices along with the curd. Cook in low flame till the spices combines with the curd and thickens and then add the processed potatoes. Mix well so that the potatoes combines with the gravy properly. Cook for few more minutes and remove from flame.
Serve with rotis.

How did I have my maggi one day?

2009-10-06T17:17:00.004+08:00

With broccoli .... Another post which has been in my draft for sometime. Broccoli is something which is really healthy and should be an essential part of your diet. I buy them almost every week and use it in a soup or mixed veg . curry or pulao etc etc, though am not really too fond of its taste.
I thought of experimenting with it this time instead of usual thing. And combining it with maggi came to my mind. Maggi noodles is always a favourite and saviour during those days when you dont feel like cooking anything great. Of course, maggi will make you eat the broccoli too!!!

Ingredients-
Broccoli- 200gms chopped
maggi noodles- 1 packet
Onion-1 finely chopped
Ginger garlic green chilly paste- 1tsp
Salt to taste
Vegetable stock cube- 1
Oil- 1tsp
maggi taste maker/the spice which comes along with the maggi noodles

Method-
Heat some oil and add the ginger green chilly garlic paste. Saute and add the onions.Fry till they appear translucent. Add the broccoli with salt and the stock. Cook till broccoli turns soft. Cool and blend the mixture in a blender.Add this mixture in a pan. Add around 4 cups of water. Add the maggi along with the tastemaker in this and allow the noodles to cook and mix well with the broccoli soup(for around 5 minutes). Serve hot.

I am back with some delicious naans!!!

2009-10-05T16:37:00.004+08:00

Yes , its almost a fortnight that there has been some silence from my side. Well, the thing is I am back to Singapore after a long trip to India. I had a lovely break, just relaxing and having a great time travelling and meeting with friends and family. Indeed , it was a much needed vacation. I feel so good and refreshed. And now I am all set to try out some new recipes and continue with some serious blogging too. Though I havent cooked anything worth blogging in this last few days, I had some naans waiting in my drafts to be posted. I remember making this some couple of months back for a weekend lunch. They had tasted so good and am dying to try them once again. I had referred here for the recipe though I modified it a bit for my convinience.
Ingredients-

Whole wheat flour- 1cup
Maida/plain flour/all purpose flour- 1cup
Dry yeast- 1tsp
Salt-1tsp
Sugar-1tsp
Baking soda-A linch
Oil-2tbsp
Curd-2 1/2 tbsp
Lukewarm water-3/4cup
Butter/ghee-1tsp
Flour for dusting

Method

Dissolve yeast in lukewarm water and leave aside for 10 minutes till it becomes frothy. Add sugar ,salt and baking soda to the flour and mix well. Mix oil and yogurt and add it to the flour. Add the yeast mixture to it and knead it to a soft dough. Cover the dough and keep in a warm place for 2 to 3 hours. Dough should double in volume.
Heat oven to 200c. Knead the dough for 2-3 minutes and divide it into 2 equal parts. Roll into 8'' oval shape , not too thin or too thick. Lightly wet your palms and place them in to the oven. You can also sprinkle some sesame seeds on them before baking. ( I simply placed the naans on a shallow baking dish, you can use a pizza stone if you have it.)
Cook for around 5 minutes till they appear a little brown on top. Remove from oven and apply some ghee or butter on it.
Serve hot with some subji or dal. I served mine with palak paneer.

Aloo Palak Parathas /spinach bread with potato stuffing

2009-09-18T01:29:00.008+08:00

Stuffed Parathas have always been our favourite …As I have already mentioned in my aloo paratha recipe, we were first introduced to the wonderful authentic parathas when we were in Gurgaon. We used to go to Haridwar for bath in the holy ganges. We would never miss the chance of accompanying our friends and relatives to Haridwar or any of the other places which fell in that route. The purpose of going everytime to the same place again and again was a secret… hehe.. We simply adored the parathas for which we used to halt at some highway dhaba for breakfast. The big, tasty aloo parathas with pure desi ghee /clarified butter almost dripping….Ah we were kids that time so the calories didn’t count ,but now one cannot afford to eat such rich parathas. Though I still continue to make and eat them too but I don’t include much of the fats and make them the healthy way. So I think this next recipe which I am posting, will tell you that parathas can be healthy as well as lip smacking.
I had seen this recipe in a Sanjeev kapoor recipe book long ago when I was browsing in the local library. It was something different and more creative than the usual stuffed parathas. The stuffing used in the recipe was actually paneer. I once made them using potatoes, carrots and peas for the stuffing. This time , I used potatoes as my sis loves anything with potatoes. Whatever may be the stuffing, the unique thing in this is about the dough. So find it out from the recipe given below.

Ingredients-
For stuffing
Potatoes-4
Kasoori methi-1tsp
Turmeric powder-A pinch
Red chilly powder-1tsp
coriander powder-1tsp
Salt to taste

For the Dough
Wheat flour- 2cups
Palak/spinach- A small bunch
Ginger garlic green chilly paste- 1tsp
Salt- 1/2tsp
oil-1-2tsp

Ghee/clarified butter- to apply on the parathas

Method-
For the stuffing
Pressure cook the potatoes till they are soft enough to mash them completely(without any lumps). Add the remailing spices and mix well together. The stuffing should be dry. If you feel there is some moisture, add a tsp of besan/gram powder and mix well. Make small balls of the stuffing.

For the dough
Blanch the spinach. Blend it together with the garlic green chillies and ginger paste. Mix this
with the wheat flour along with salt and knead it onto a dough. Add oil to make a smooth non sticky dough. Make balls out of the dough. The size of the ball should be slightly bigger than the balls you made with the stuffing.

Assembling them-
Roll a ball of dough into a small circle. Place a ball of stuffing in the centre. Seal it. Roll them into a thick large circle.
Heat a pan /girdle. When hot, place the paratha on it. Apply little ghee on the top. Cook on both the sides till small brown spots appear on them.
Serve immediately with some thick curd or pickle. It goes well with some tomato ketchup too. I served them with cucumber raitha and tomato pickle.

Hot and spicy onion soup

2009-09-16T22:20:00.003+08:00

Feeling Sick, dieting or just hungry and looking out to snack???Just go ahead and have a bowl of soup. A nice hot cup of any variety of soup with the right spices down the pot , pepper, chillies ,ginger, garlic and vegetable stock…which leaves you feeling relaxed and full at the same time. The spices make the soup spicy and peppery to the right level which makes you feel great and soothes you up. Today I bring to you a new(new to me,atleast!) soup recipe.This is simple yet delicious and is ready in a matter of minutes and requires no blending. My sister came across this recipe in some magazine and then it has been regular for her. Catch up the recipe of this gingery, peppery Onion Soup.

Ingredients-
Onions- 2 big sliced
Bread- 2 slices
Ginger garlic paste- 2tsp
Green chillies- 2chopped fine
Vegetable stock or water- 4cups
cornflour-1tsp dissolved in a little water
Salt to taste
pepper- 1tsp
Butter-1tsp
Coriander- small bunch finely chopped

Method
Toast the bread using butter. Cut them into small squares. Heat some butter in a pan. Add the ginger garlic paste. Add the sliced onions and saute till the onions turn golden brown. Now add the vegetable stock or water and allow it to boil along with salt, pepper and the bread slices. Then add the dissolved cornflour and keep stirring till it thickens. Add the green chillies and coriander. Serve hot.

This soup is on its way to Sireesha of mom's recipes who is hosting soup and juices event in her blog.

One more from the garden of lentils- Dal Makhani

2009-09-08T11:19:00.006+08:00

Food sustains life, food is so much more than food, and food brings people together. To eat something you like, it has to taste good; to taste good it has to have ingredients and the perfect 'X' factor added to make it taste good….
Dal is a dish which is a part of every typical Indian meal …the typical thali (Round plate) which has roti, subzi dal and rice with salad and other such mouth watering dishes. Ask any of the celebrity what his or her favorite food is …pat comes the answer Dal…chawaal…!!!
Everyone has a taking for dal and I am no less, hence I decided to make dal makhani this time.Dal makhani is a popular dal variety made out of whole udid dal cooked with onions, tomatoes and other masalas which is savored with naan, chapatti and rice. It is a dish from the northern garden of lentils –Punjab. Though this dal is similar to the other dals due the similar ingredients that go into its making, but the only thing which adds to its richness and taste is the blobs of rich cream that is added to it for thickening and taste. Look down to find more about this recipe…don’t worry …its ok to indulge in such rich things once in a while!!!

Ingredients-
Black udid dal(whole)- 1cup
Rajma/kidney beans- 1/4cup
Onions- 1big chopped fine
Tomato- 2big chopped
Ginger- 1"
Garlic- 5 pearls
Green chillies- 2 chopped
kasoori methi- 1tsp
Turmeric powder- 1tsp
Red chilly powder- 1tsp
Coriander powder- 1tsp
Punjabi garam masala- 1tsp
Salt to taste
Cream- 1/2cup or milk- 200ml
Oil - 2tsp or butter-1tsp

Method-
Wash and soak the udid dal and rajma overnight till they swell . Pressure cook this dal till it becomes soft and you are able to mash it.
Heat oil /butter in a pan. Make a paste of ginger , garlic and green chillies and add it to the oil. Then add onions and saute for sometime. Add the tomatoes and then turmeric powder, red chilly powder , coriander powder , garam masala and salt. Mix well. Add half a cup of water and let the tomatoes cook completely. Then add the cooked dal. Add another cup of water if needed and let this cook for around 10 minutes till all the spices mix well with the dal. Then add cream or milk and cook for another 2-3 minutes till it thickens.
Have this with hot rice. Tastes fantastic. A perfect comfort food.
A good side dish for Chapatis too!! So am sending this to Viki's kitchen who is hosting an event called " Side dish for chapatis".

It felt so good this year to be a part of the ganeshotsav celebrations in India after almost a gap of four years. I am sharing some photos of Ganesh visarjan(immersion of the ganesh idols in water) which is celebrated with the same joy as welcoming The God!!

Godhumai halwa- A popular Tirunelveli delicacy(step by step pics)

2009-09-03T17:49:00.014+08:00

Godhumai (transliterated as wheat berry) halwa is a very popular sweet in Tirunelveli district in Tamilnadu.
An introduction- Courtesy Wikipedia
Tirunelveli city is noted for the sweet halwa (pronounced locally as alwa) which is made from wheat and sugar. Halwa is a golden brown, semi-solid in texture and contains a lot of ghee/vanaspati which gives it the oily look. It tastes better when served fresh and hot. Tirunelveli halwa is said to owe its uniquely rich taste to a special recipe of this region, blended with the renowned sweetness of the Thamarabarani river. The Halwa was made famous by a Marwari family settled here more than 300 years ago. The original shop started by them is the Lakshmi Vilas. Slowly, others borrowed the formula and now the halwa has become synonymous with this city. The Tamarabarani water is the major constituent of the original Tirunelveli Halwa which keeps up the quality.
There are many hot spots to buy halwa around the Nellayappar temple and near the main railway station.Two of the most famous halwa stores are Irutu Kadai halwa (Transliterated as the dark halwa store with no lights), situated near the Nellayappar temple Tirunelveli Town, and the other being Shanthi Sweets. The name Irutu Kadai of the former store derives from the fact that the looks of the store has been kept unchanged from the date it was started. Till date, there is no bright electrical lamp or even a board to display the shop's brand. They don't have any other branches. The iruttu kadai halwa is prepared in amman sannadhi street. There are other good sweet stalls in Tirunelveli town namely Visaakam sweets, Guru sweets. There are a lot of halwa shops near the old and new bus stands, but the noted shops are worth visiting.
My family is a native of Tirunelveli and the place is extremely beautiful with lovely temples, waterfalls and scenery. We use to visit Tirunelveli during our school vacations. I rememeber having hot and fresh halwa on banana leaves. It use to taste divine.
My grandmom makes lovely Tirunelvali halwa. Being a native to Tirunelvali, this one had to occupy a special position in my blog. My grandmother was very enthusiastic when I asked her to make this for me. The recipe is simple , but the process is bit time consuming and involves lot of labour and patience. I am not very sure whether I will be doing this again, but definitely something worth trying and interesting!!!

Ingredients-
Wheat berries- 2cups
Sugar- 4cups
Cashews- 1/2 cup
Ghee- 11/2cup(150gm-200gm approx)
cardamom- 1tsp
Yellow food colour- a pinch dissloved in milk.

Method-The step by step pictures will be useful for people who are willing to try this!
1. Extraction of milk from wheat berries- Clean and soak the wheat berries for around 36-48hours.
2. After it becomes tender, grind it in a blender adding water. Filter this on the sieve.Squeeze out the milk from the berries and filter the liquid. Repeat the extraction process by blending the wheat berries adding some more water. Discard the ground berries after extracting the milk thoroughly.

3. Leave the milk to stand for another 24 hours so that it turns a little sour. The thicker portion of the milk will settle down.If there is too much of thin liquid on the top, slightly tilt the vessel to discard it.

4. The actual process- Make sugar syrup by mixing sugar and a cup of water. Keep stirring in medium flame till you obtain a thick, sticky syrup( one string consistency).
5. Add the wheat milk and stir it . It will start to turn thick.

6. Add the food colour and ground cardamom and keep stirring.
7. Roast some cashews in ghee till golden brown and add it to the halwa. Boil a cup of water and pour it in the halwa. Keep stirring. Hot water is added to enable more cooking of the halwa by delay the thickening process.

8. Melt the ghee and add to the halwa , few tablespoons at a time and keep stirring.The stirring process may take about 45 minutes to an hour. Stir till the halwa absorbs the ghee completely and does not stick to the vessel anymore and becomes a thick mass of ball.

Your Tirunelveli halwa is ready.
Notes- Use a heavy bottomed pan. Take care of not burning the halwa. Reaching the exact consistency is very important. Repeated stirring is what you have to do which involves lot of labour and patience. Make sure you have some help before making this( according to me!!)

Kozhakattai for Ganesh Chaturthi with lots of pictures

2009-08-23T18:15:00.012+08:00

Creative Saga wishes all its readers a Happy Ganesh Chaturthi!!!

Lord Ganesha has always been a favourite God equally among the children as well as the grown ups. Ganesh chatuturthi is celeberated in a grand manner in India . As children, we used to eagerly feast on the different types of modaks or kozhakattai on this day. My mom used to make the sweet and savoury fillings stuffed in rice flour shells as well as the in the maida/all purpose flour.

Pooja of Lord Ganesha at my place today morning- See picture below

Offerings to The Lord- picture below

I always thought this variety involves a very elaborate and labourious procedure and never attempted to make them. But this year, I was determined to learn it from my grand mom. I realized that it was not that difficult if you do not go wrong right from the beginning. So , I decided to post step by step pictures and procedure so that is easier for the beginners as well for my reference when I make them again. You can also try the easier version which I made last year.

Ingredients-

For the outer shell

Rice flour- 3- 4 cups

Oil- 1tbsp

Filling-

Sweet version/purnam

Chana dal- 1cup

Udid dal - 1 cup

Jaggery- 1 1/2 cup

Cardamom powder- 1tsp

Coconut grated- 1tbsp(optional)

( Refer recipe for coconut poornam here.)

Savoury version-

Udid dal- 1cup

Coconut gratings- 1/2 cup

Mustard seeds- 1tsp

Green chillies- 2-3

Curry leaves- 1 sprig

Salt- to taste

Oil- 1bsp

Method-

For the outer shell-

Heat 1/2 a cup of water in a heavy bottomed pan. Add a tablespoon of oil in it. In another bowl containing another half cup of water along with oil, add the rice flour in it and mix well into a thin consistency. Pour this in the pan.

Keep stirring this mixture till it forms a thick paste. Add a tablesppon of maida in this and mix well. Maida will prevent formation of cracks when steamed.

Allow this to cool a little.

For the stuffing/poornam-

You can make this the previous day itself and store it in the refrigerator.

Sweet /poornam

Roast chana dal and udid dal till they turn golden brown. Soak them in water till they turn soft. Grind this in a blender. Now melt the jaggery adding few drops of water. Add the dal paste along with cardamom powder and coconut gratings and keep stirring to a thick paste.( you should be able to make them into balls.
Sweet poornam- picture below

Savoury version-

Soak udid dal for 2-3 hours. Blend this along with green chillies and salt to form a coarse mixture.(like that of the dal vadas)

Heat oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds and curry leaves and add the ground mixture along with coconut gratings. Stir for sometime. Shape them into oval pieces as shown in the picture below. Assembling them-

Make thick discs with processed rice flour. Wet your palms with water/oil mixture so that the floour doesn't stick too much. Place the filling on the disc and seal them well.

Steam the modaks/kozhakattais for around 15 minutes. I recieved the below picture in a forwarded mail , so I thought of sharing it with you. Click on the picture to see and enlarged image.

I am sending this to Purva who is hosting the indian festive food event.

Spinach soya cutlets and some photos..

2009-08-21T17:28:00.004+08:00

Yes, I am still in India, and so the absence from blogging for sometime now, but I have been bloghopping whenever I can. Actually, partly laziness and of course,have not been really cooking anything worthblogging lately, though I am having good yummy food.
We had guests for dinner yesterday, and thats when I made this cutlets which was liked by everyone and so I thought of sharing it with you all. Hope you like it too. They were easy and quick to make as well as healthy too.

Ingredients- (Aroung 15 medium sized pieces)
Potatoes- 4 large
Nutrella Soya granules- 1 cup
Spinach- a small bunch
Salt to taste
Turmeric powder- 2tsp
Red chilly powder- 1tsp
Ginger garlic green chilly paste- (made with 1'ginger+3-4 green chillies+4-5cloves of garlic)
Semolina or bread crumbs- to coat on the cutlets
Coriander leaves- chopped fine
Oil for shallow frying

Method-
Cook the potatoes in pressure cooker or microwave till it is soft enough to mash into a smooth paste. Soak the soya granules in hot water for 15 minutes till soft and mash it. Blanch the spinach and make a puree with it. Now mix together the mashed potatoes,soya granules and the spinach puree along with the spices,coriander and corn flour.
Now divide them into small equal portions and shape each of the portion into small thick discs. Coat these discs with bread crumbs or rava. Shallow fry them till they turn brown on both the sides.
Serve hot with tomato ketchup.

I though of sharing some Janmashtami and Varalakshmi viratham photos with you all. Though it has been almost weeks when we celebrated them, but never found time to post. So here I sign off leaving you to see the pictures. Have a good time and enjoy yourselves.

Baafle..or daal bhaati or what??

2009-08-11T17:50:00.000+08:00

Yes..Thats the name of the recipe I am posting today. Atleast that is what my friend told me, she is the one who made this. A popular dish in the Khandesh region of Maharashtra especially , but made in various other regions too was the lip smacking lunch made for me by a Maharashtrian friend when I visited her the other day. I have had daal bhaati a couple of times before at her place and I love those beautiful baked wheat dumplings with dal/lentil. And I asked her to make them for me this time too. But she made the same dish slightly differently and told me that its called "baafle" or you could call them "steamed and fried wheat dumplings":))
A lovely and tasty dish that it was, I couldn't help myself taking pictures and subsequently post the recipe (my friend gladly provided) here. I was quite eager to share it with you all. Thanks a lot"V" for the lunch as well as the recipe.
The flour used here is coarsely ground wheat flour, specially ground for this dish. But as we use ready made wheat flour available in packets, you can mix rava/semolina to the wheat flour.

Ingredients-
Coarsely ground wheat flour- 3 cups
or
Wheat flour(used for chapati)- 2 cups+ Rava/semolina-1 cup
Ajwain/carom seeds- 1tsp
Salt to taste
Ghee- 2tsps
Oil for deep frying

Method-
Add the salt and ajwain to the flour`along with ghee and knead it into a firm dough adding some water(as done for puris). Roll them into lemon sized balls and steam them for 15 to 20 minutes( till they appear cooked like idlis).

Cool them and then cut them into desired shape.
Then deep fry them till they appear golden brown.
They are then served with Plain dal and subji.
How to serve or rather how are they consumed?-
These fried dumplings are torn to small pieces(crumbled) and mixed with daal and then eaten with some spicy subji (especially brinjal tastes great!) as side dish.

Daal Or lentil- A cup of tuvar dal is pressured cooked till soft. Then add some boiling water along with some turmeric powder, salt and about 2-3 tsps of ghee. It is then stirred over flame till it becomes uniform and thick. You can also add some chilly powder and a seasoning of mustard and cumin seeds if you wish to.

Spicy brinjal subji- You can make it hot and spicy as you like. This is how my friend made it.
Heat a tsp of oil in a pan and then add a tsp of mustard and cumin seeds. Add some ginger garlic and green chilly paste and then stir in some finely chopped onions and stir till they turn pink. Add the chopped brinjal along with some salt, turmeric powder, garam masala,coriander powder.Sprinkle some water and cook well. Add a tbsp of peanut powder in the end and mix well.
The most important part is to eat them hot. They turn a bit hard if kept for a very long time.

I am having a good time with my folks in India. Will keep posting some interesting recipes.
Meanwhile have a look at my craft blog for some nice paintings.
Thanks to all the people who have showered me with awards . I will try to put them up in my next post. Till then take care and enjoy yourselves!!!

Sorry for the unannounced break!!

2009-07-29T20:17:00.004+08:00

Hi all,
I am really sorry for the unannounced break at Creative saga. I had infact given a faint idea in my previous post that I will be taking a break after a few more posts, but couldn't manage doing so because of the tight schedule before taking a trip to India. Yes, now , I am in India after almost a year. We had been doing a lot of travelling during the past two weeks and now I am relaxing and am just too lazy to do anything right now. But I promise , I will come back with some new and yummy recipes soon. I will also be updating my craft blog with so many other exciting crafts which I had done a couple of years back.
So see you soon. I will be visiting your blogs soon , am eager to see what I have missed so far!!!Till then, Take care!!