N e i v e d y a m

Neivedyam turns "1" Today!!

2008-03-01T11:15:00.005-05:00

Today Neivedyam is celebrating its first anniversary!!

It was a year ago, while looking for some recipes that I stumbled across the world of food blogging. I was mesmerized and stunned to see a huge community of food blogs. I did not know what blogging was or there was something called food blogging. A few weeks passed by, afternoons of discovering more and more blogs led to the day where I decided to start my own blog. I remember the first comment I got, the blood rush I had and still have, every time I get a comment. Each and every five minute I used to check for comments. Since then, it feels so good every time I hit the publish button to share my kitchen adventures with the world. I feel so overwhelmed when I hear that people are trying my recipes and enjoying them.

This journey about food blogging has been a wonderful experience and I feel happy for all that it has given me. I have met some very talented, wonderful and lovely friends. So many great cooks, delicious recipes from different continents. Apart from recipes it is wonderful to share so many other thoughts and information. I feel happy and privileged to be part of this loving community.

I thank my fellow bloggers for being so supportive no matter what. Your comments and suggestions mean a lot to me. I also thank the non-bloggers and silent visitors of Neivedyam.

The best part about this blog was when I moved to Chicago. So many friends who knew me through Neivedyam came forward to help me. They made me feel that I was not a stranger. I even got to meet a couple of them. Thanks to Desi momz club.

These days when I go through my blog, I don’t believe my eyes, that I put all this effort on each and every post!! This is because I feel really lazy to resume. I am not sure when I will be back, but will quietly keep trespassing all the blogs for its delicious treats.

Taking a Break!

2007-11-05T13:06:00.000-05:00

Hi Friends, We are moving to Chicago in 2 weeks so will not be blogging for I don't know how long. Will truly miss blogging and talking to you all. My Brain has constantly been thinking on Packing, cleaning, my son's new school, new place, new people, cleaning up the fridge and getting rid of frozen stuff and so much more. I am going to miss New Jersey so badly. Will miss all my friends here.

I wish you all a very Happy and prosperous Diwali! I wanted to cook and post so many different sweets for Diwali but now it is not possible. Will check all your posts once I am settled.
I will miss a lot of events too:(

Take Care and Enjoy the festivities!

Peach Tart, Sago Pudding and Navratri Neivedyam

2007-10-24T16:41:00.000-04:00

I had to make something out of peach as Mansi was sweetly threatening me to participate in her event AFAM-Peach:) I made some mini tarts with peach and other fruits.
I also made sago pudding for Durga pooja which is my entry for Think Spice-Saffron.

Peach Tarts

Ingredients

2 tbsp Custard Powder
1 cup whole milk
2-3 tsp sugar
4 Mini pie crusts (I used ready made pie crust)
1 egg white
Peach slices
cherries, grapes and pomegranate

Preparation

You can use any kind of fruits to create a tart. I also used custard for filling instead of cream cheese. Prepare a thick custard by mixing up custard powder, sugar and whole milk.
The mini pie crusts I bought are made of gram crackers so I brushed them with egg whites and baked them for 5 minutes at 375 degrees. This way the crust becomes crisp. Cool the custard by refrigerating it for 30 minutes.
Fill the custard after it gets cooled and arrange the fruits. Quick dessert is ready.

Durga Pooja

I made Sago pudding, Black channa, green gram/Moong dal and Sabudana/Sago wada for Durga pooja.
The Green gram is inspired from Viji's blog. The Sabudana wada recipe will be posted later.

Sago Pudding

Ingredients

1/2 cup Sago
2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup sugar
a pinch of Saffron Strand
1/2 tsp Crushed cardamom
1 tbsp Cashew nuts
1 tbsp raisins
2 tbsp Clarified butter/ghee

Preparation

Soak sago for 3 to 4 hours in water. Strain the water. Warm up the milk and add the sago to it. Also add crushed cardamom. In a tbsp of milk soak saffron separately.
Once the sago appears transparent that means it is cooked. Add sugar and bring to boil. Turn off the heat and add saffron soaked milk to it.
In a pan add ghee and fry the cashews and raisins till golden. Add this to the pudding. Delicious Sago pudding is ready.

This one also goes to RCI Tamil Festivals and JFS:Dassera

The recipes for green gram and black channa can be obtained from Viji's blog

Eggplant Gravy

2007-10-18T14:10:00.000-04:00

This is a delicious gravy made onions and cashew nut paste. Baby eggplants are fried and then dropped in this rich gravy.
I am not able to post regularly because my little one is suffering from cold and chest congestion. When kids fall sick the house and schedule becomes a big mess.
I am not able to keep up with the event list too. If I am not able to leave comments on your blog please do bear with me.

Here is the recipe:
Ingredients

For the paste:

2 large medium chopped red onions
1 tbsp cashew nuts
2 tbsp fresh grated coconut
3-4 Green chillies

For the gravy

10-12 baby eggplants
1 tsp Coriander/ dhaniya powder
1/3 cup of thick tomato puree
1 cup Tamarind water
1tsp turmeric powder
Salt

For tampering:

1/3 tsp Mustard seeds
5-7 curry leaves
1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
a dash of asafoetida

Preparation

Slit the eggplants in to four with out cutting them apart in to pieces. In a pan fry the eggplants by adding 2-3 tbsp oil. Fry them on medium heat till they become soft from all the sides and get cooked from inside. Handle them gently so that they don't break. Remove it from the pan and keep aside.
In the same pan add onions and a tsp oil. Fry till slightly soft. Grind the onions along with the rest of the ingredients given to make a paste.
In a pan tamper the given ingredients and add the tamarind water, turmeric, salt and coriander powder. Once it comes to boil, add tomato puree and the ground paste. Let it come to a boil. If the gravy gets too thick you can add water. Once the gravy comes to a good boil, add the eggplants. Leave it for 5 minutes and remove from fire. Rich and thick gravy goes great with hot rice, dosas or even rotis.

Feed A Hungry Child and Donate Smiles!

2007-10-14T21:50:00.000-04:00

World hunger and poverty facts:

852 million people across the world are hungry, up from 842 million a year ago.

Every day, more than 16,000 children die from hunger-related causes--one child every five seconds.

In essence, hunger is the most extreme form of poverty, where individuals or families cannot afford to meet their most basic need for food.

Hunger manifests itself in many ways other than starvation and famine. Most poor people who battle hunger deal with chronic malnutrition and vitamin or mineral deficiencies, which result in stunted growth, weakness and heightened susceptibility to illness.

The issue of global hunger is a complex one that is deeply tied in with the poverty and other economc forces as well. The problem isn't alleviated with simply supplying food.

About- Feed a Hungry Child

feedahungrychild.org is a not-for-profit charitable organization formed in a collaborative effort of the like-minded people from all around the world. It aims to replace the empty plates of the underprivileged children and replace them with ones of food. While FAHC addresses the holistic needs of each children it supports, it believes illiteracy, malnutrition, and other concerns can only be addressed when hunger is appeased.

Immediate Mission:

* Join the fight against global poverty.
* Help feed hungry children one by one.

Larger Vision: feeahungrychild.org aims to improve the lives of a good many underprivileged children in their efforts to support themselves, their families, and their communities by giving them the chance for better food, better education, better healthcare, and other welfare.

Please contribute to help Feed A Hungry Child! For more details visit http://feedahungrychild.org/
You can also click on the ChipIn widget on the right to contribute.

The Making of Ghee/ clarified Butter

2007-10-10T16:46:00.000-04:00

After many experiments, I now regularly make Ghee/clarified butter at home. It make me feel happy and tastes good too. In India my mom collects cream from milk and makes butter and then ghee out of it. It used to be a wonderful process.
This is how I make it here in US.

Preparation

Drop 2 sticks of unsalted butter in a deep bottomed pan and heat it on medium low flame. once the sticks have melted lower the flame slightly and leave it for about 10 minutes. Never increase the flame to high. The butter will be of a pale yellow color and it will start changing its color to light golden. once the color starts changing, turn off the flame, else it will burn. The heat of the pan will complete the process of making Ghee. It is a very delicate process and once you understand when to turn off the flame, you will get a very nice consistency of ghee.

Ghee / Clarified butter is a very important ingredient in Indian cooking especially in sweets. Along with Ghee I contribute all the following recipes to RCI Tamil Festival hosted by a very talented cook and lovely fellow blogger Viji of Vcuisine.

Urad dal vada/ ulundu vadai

Ingredients

3 cups urad dal
1 tsp fenugreek seeds
1tsp crushed pepper
1 tsp crushed ginger (optional)
2-3 crushed green chillies (optional)
Salt
Oil for deep frying

Preparation

Soak urad dal and fenugreek seeds in warm water for one hour. Grind the dal by adding very little water as possible. The batter should be very thick. When the batter is dropped in water it should float as a ball without getting dissolved.
Mix Salt, pepper, ginger and green chillies to the batter.
In a heavy bottomed pan heat oil. Wet your hands with little water so that the batter does not stick to the hands and make a donut shape out of the batter. Drop it in hot oil and deep fry till golden brown. Crispy vadas are ready!

Janmashtami Seedai

Dry fruit laddus

Sakkarai pongal

Murukku

Rama Navami Panakam

Rava Kesari

Paruppu vadai/ masal vadai

Tamil Festive Food

There is a new member in our family! Wanted to share with you guys pictures and pleasure of our new "Toyota Highlander".

Eggs, eggs everywhere!!

2007-10-05T15:42:00.000-04:00

Ever since Bee and Jai have announced their event named Click, my brain started thinking about how to give a special effect to the eggs. Then I got the idea of shooting the eggs at its birth place "The Nest".
The eggs seem pretty happy at their home! The nest was created by me.

My Camera is Canon power shot G7, 10 mega pixels. I used the color accent technique in my camera to give a natural feel to the picture.

I had shot about 100 pictures and went mad selecting the best one!! The eggs too had to go through a lot of torture posing differently:)

I liked this one the best!!

Amish Friendship Bread !

2007-10-02T14:39:00.000-04:00

Amish Friendship Bread is a type of bread designed to be baked and sent along in a manner similar to a chain letter. The idea is very simple: a friend gives you a cup of yeast culture (also known as "starter") and a copy of instructions. Following the instructions, you add sugar, flour and milk and it rises. Eventually, you end up with 4 cups of the starter. You use one cup to make bread (the instructions provide you with the recipe), keep one cup to start a new cycle and give two cups to your friends. Each of your friends also gets a copy of the instructions for what to do with the yeast starter. The latter part makes it somewhat like a chain letter.

The first time "Amish Friendship Bread" was discussed on Usenet was in a posting on February 5, 1990. The results yielding from a traditional Amish Friendship Bread recipe is a sweet quickbread with a taste and crumb very similar to a cake. The starter, however, may be used to make lots of different types of bread.

DAY 1 This is the day you receive the starter. It is never refrigerated, just left on the kitchen counter.

DAY 2, 3, 4, 5 Mash the bag to mix up the contents.

DAY 6 Feed the starter: Add 1 Cup all-purpose Flour, 1 Cup Sugar and 1 Cup Milk to the bag. Squeeze the bag a few times.

DAY 7-9 Mash the bag to mix up the contents.

DAY 10 Place starter in a bowl. Add 1 1/2 Cup flour, 1 1/2 Cup sugar and 1 1/2 Cup milk and mix well. Now place 1 cup starter into each plastic bags you want to send your friend, and use the remaining to make 1 loaf of bread.

The starter was sent to me by a dear friend and fellow blogger Swapna of Swad.
I made a simple coconut and walnut bread out of this starter. I don't like my bread to be too sweet, so reduced the amount of sugar.

Making of the Bread

Ingredients

1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup oil
2-3 tbsp sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes
3 tbsp chopped walnuts

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
To one cup starter add all the dry ingredients like flour, sugar, baking soda and baking powder and fold together.
To this add the wet ingredients and mix well. At last fold in the coconut flakes and walnuts.
Bake for 1 hour and insert a dry knife to see it come out clean.
Let it cool. The bread tastes great.

I passed 2 cups of starter to Susan and Sig in the blog sphere. The 3rd cup was passed to one of my friend Neitha.

Kannadiga Oota (Kannadiga meal)

2007-09-22T18:16:00.000-04:00

Kedareshwara temple in Balligavi, Karnataka, India.

Karnataka is one of the four southern states of India. With an antiquity that dates to the paleolithic, Karnataka has also been home to some of the most powerful empires of ancient India. Great philosophers and musical bards patronized by these empires launched socio-religious and literary movements whose ennobling effects have been felt far and wide. Karnataka has contributed significantly to both forms of Indian classical music, the Carnatic and Hindustani traditions.

The diverse linguistic and religious ethnicities that are native to Karnataka combined with their long histories have contributed immensely to the varied cultural heritage of the state.

I have visited some of the most beautiful temples in Karnataka. They are rich in history and architecture.

Hampi is a small village in Karnataka, famous for ancient temples and its architecture.

Amritheswara temple in Amrithapura, Chikkamagaluru district, Karnataka state, India

This is the famous Chamundi Temple at Mysore, Karnataka. This temple is located on top of a hill and the whole town of Mysore can be seen from here. This is one of my frequently visited places.

This is Nandi at Chamundi temple.

(Picture source: Wiki) click on the image to see the temples closer.

Temple at Nanjangoodu, Mysore. This is a famous Lord Shiva temple. My Father's ancestors worshiped this God. So I used to visit this temple a lot during my childhood.

Cuisine of Karnataka comprises diverse vegetarian and non-vegetarian cuisines.
Although the ingredients differ from one region to another, a typical Kannadiga Oota (Kannadiga meal) includes the following dishes in the order specified and is served on a banana leaf: Kosambari, Pickle, Palya, Gojju, Raita, Dessert (Yes, it is a tradition to start your meal with a dessert - Paaysa), Thovve, Chitranna, Rice and Ghee.

This is the first time I am trying my hands on Karnataka cuisine. When I tasted them, to my surprise I couldn't believe that the sambar and Gojju tasted like the way my grandmother used to make. I had tried all means to bring out the taste from my grandmother's kitchen till now but like magic all the secret ingredients was hiding inside Karnataka cuisine:)
It has now become a must save recipe.

Udupi Sambar

My friend and fellow blogger Padma has made this sambar famous around the blogsphere. Udupi sambar gave me a new meaning to the word sambar. It is a thicker version of sambar and the taste keeps tingling in my taste buds.

Hagalakai Gojju(Bittermelon gojju)

This is a tamarind based hot, sweet and sour curry.

Ingredients

1 cup chopped Bitter melon(Bitter gourd)
1/2 cup chopped red onions
1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
3 tbsp Grated Coconut
1 cup tamarind water
2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
2 tsp Brown Sugar or Jaggery
3 tbsp fresh chopped Cilantro
Salt

For Masala Powder

2 tsp Coriander Seeds
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
1/2 tsp Fenugreek
1 tsp Sesame Seeds
1 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
2 tsp Urad dal
2 tsp Channa Dal
2 tsp Moong dal
2 tbsp roasted chana dal (roasted gram dal)
3 tbsp Grated Coconut
4-5 dry red chillies

For seasoning

1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds
1/4 tsp Asafoetida
3 tbsp Vegetable Oil

Preparation

In a deep bottomed pan add the seasoning ingredients and let them splutter. To this add onions and fry until translucent.
Add the chopped bitter gourd, turmeric and salt and saute well on medium flame for 5 minutes. Add tamarind water and let it cook.
Meanwhile roast the masala powder ingredients until they turn slilghtly brown. Also dry roast the roasted chana dal separately along with coconut until aroma raises and grind them all together into smooth paste by adding little water.

Add this paste to the bitter gourd/tamarind mixture. Fold them all together and bring to boil on medium low heat. Add Jaggery or brown sugar and mix well. Garnish with cilantro and remove from heat. If the gojju becomes thick, add very little water.
I couldn't believe my eyes, the gojju brought back the taste of my grandmother's kitchen. The credit goes to RCI.

Polodya (Plantain-buttermilk curry)

This is a buttermilk based curry, with a blend of tamarind and coconut too.

Ingredients

1 cup Raw Banana/Plantain(peeled and chopped into medium sized chunks)
2 cups Water
1/2 tbsp Tamarind Paste
1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder
1/2 tsp Jaggery/Brown Sugar(optional, I did not use)
1 1/2 cup Buttermilk
Salt

For Masala

1 tsp Channa Dal
1/2 tsp raw uncooked Rice
2 tsp Coriander Seeds
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
1 1/2 tsp Oil
2 Green Chilli
1/2 cup Fresh Grated Coconut
1/2 cup Water

For Seasoning

1 tsp Urad Dal
1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds
1 Red Chilli
1 1/2 tsp Oil
1/8 Asafoedita

Preparation

To a medium sized pan add banana chunks and water. Also Add salt, Tamarind paste and jaggery. Cover the pan and cook on medium low flame until the plantain chunks are well cooked.

In the meantime soak channa dal and uncooked rice in water for at least 15-20 minutes. Put coriander seeds, mustard seeds and oil in a small pan and heat it until the mustard seeds start spluttering. Then grind channa dal, uncooked rice, coriander seeds, mustard seeds, green chillis, and coconut along with water.

Once the plantain chunks are cooked, add the ground masala paste and let the mixture boil once. Remove it from the heat and season it. When it cools down add buttermilk and fold together.
Note:You can use okra or raw jackfruit or cucumber instead of raw plantain.

Hesaru Bele-Akki payasa (moong bean-rice porridge)

This recipe is a famous sweet dish called as Payasa at Kannada Brahmin household.

Ingredients

1 cup Rice
1/2 cup moong dal
1/2 cup jaggery (grated)
3/4 cup grated coconut
1 tsp Cardamom powder
1/4 cup ghee (clarified butter)
1 cup whole milk or 1/2 cup condensed milk or 1 cup evaporated milk
8-10 Cashew nuts
1 tbsp raisins

Preparation

Fry the moong dal in a pan until light brown. Cook the dal in pressure cooker for 2 whistles.
wash rice and cook separately. To a sauce pan add the milk(I used evaporated milk), crushed cardamom powder, jaggery and bring to boil. I used sugar and jaggery in equal proportion.
Add the moong dal and rice to this and bring to boil. Let the mixture thicken a little. Add grated coconut and leave it on medium low flame.
Separately fry the cashewnuts and Raisins in ghee till golden brown. Garnish this on the payasa. Delicious Hesaru bele-akki payasa is ready.

This is store bought mango pickle. Pickles are a must have on plate at the south Indian household.

This is my contribution to RCI Karnataka hosted by the very talented and friendly Asha.

Chow Chow Bhath

2007-09-21T19:02:00.000-04:00

This is one of my entries for the RCI Karnataka hosted by dear Asha. Chow Chow Bhath being my favorite breakfast at Kamat, Bangalore, I couldn't stop myself from posting it. I used to enjoy it with a cup of hot filter coffee.

Chow chow bhath is basically a combination of breakfast which has sweet and savory on the same plate. One is upma or uppittu and the other is halwa or kesari. Both are made of Semolina/sooji.

Uppittu/Upma

Ingredients

2 cups semolina/sooji/rava
4 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup chopped onions
1tbsp chopped ginger
1-2 green chillies
1 cup vegetables (peas, beans, carrots, corn)
1tbsp peanuts/groundnuts
5-8 cashew nuts
1/2 tsp split urad dal
1/3 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp chana dal
curry leaves
3-4 tbsp oil
Salt

Preparation

In a deep bottomed pan, roast the semolina on medium low flame for 5 minutes.
In another pan add oil. Once it gets heated up splutter it with mustard seeds, urad dal, chana dal, peanuts,curry leaves and cashew nuts. Once they get fried well, add ginger, chillies and onions and fry well. To this add vegetables and fry for another 5 minutes. Add warm water and salt. Bring the water to boil. Slowly add the semolina and simultaneously keep stirring it. Lower the heat to medium low and stir well so that no lumps are formed. Lower the gas stove and cover it with lid and leave for 5 minutes. Delicious Upma/Uppittu is ready. Serve hot with coconut chutney.

Kesari / Halwa

Ingredients

1 cup semolina/sooji/rava
1 1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
a dash of orange food color(optional)
4-5 tbsp Ghee/clarified butter
5-8 cashew nuts
2 tbsp raisins
1/3 cup pineapple chunks (optional)

Preparation

In a deep bottomed pan roast the semolina for 5 minutes on medium low heat. In another pan add 1tbsp ghee/clarified butter. Fry the cashew nuts and raisins till golden brown. Remove it from the pan and keep aside. Add the remaining ghee to the pan. To this fold in the semolina. In a cup of warm water dissolve the food color.
Add the water to the semolina. Also pour the remaining 1/2 cup water and stir well on medium low heat. Also add Sugar. Once the water is absorbed fold in pineapple chunks, cashew nuts and raisins. Leave it on low heat of few minutes. Serve hot.

Asha, coming up is my Karnataka feast!

Banana Walnut Bread!

2007-09-19T13:46:00.000-04:00

I have no time and got to address so many events. There were some bananas getting ripe and staring at me after all the festivals in our house. Thought of making one of my favorite recipes "Banana Walnut Bread".

I always remember it coming out of the oven with a mind blowing aroma and then vanishes in minutes. This one goes to Coffee's MBP. I discovered this recipe from "Splenda". I was at a billing counter waiting for my turn, grabbed this small splenda recipe book near by and found this recipe which needed only bananas and "No Eggs". But how do I remember the measurements? Quickly noted its website and found a lot of beautiful recipes.
This also goes to JFI Banana hosted by Mandira of Ahaar.

Ingredients

1 1/3 cups All purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1tsp Baking powder
1/2tsp Baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1 tbsp oil
1 1/4 cup mashed banana (3 large )
1/3 cup buttermilk
2tsp Vanilla extract
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup sweetened coconut flakes (thats my special effect)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spray 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
Blend flour,sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.
Add oil, buttermilk and vanilla to mashed bananas and mix well. Pour banana mixture into dry ingredients and blend.
Add chopped walnuts and coconut flakes. Stir until just mixed.
Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 45 to 55 minutes or until center is set.

Happy Ganesh Chaturthi

2007-09-17T13:27:00.000-04:00

Ganesh Chaturthi-(Ganesh Festival) is a day on which Lord Ganesha, the son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati, is believed to bestow his presence on earth for all his devotees. It is also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi or Vinayaka Chavithi in Sanskrit, Kannada, Tamil and Telugu. Ganesha, the elephant-headed God, is widely worshiped as the supreme god of wisdom, prosperity and good fortune.

During the Ganesha festival, Indian household worships a statue of Shri Ganesha. The worship lasts an odd number of days from 1 to 11 days, sometimes 13.

This festival starting with the installation of beautifully engraved (sculptured) Ganesh idols in colorfully decorated homes and mantapas (small stage). The idols are worshiped with families and friends.

The main sweet dish during the festival is the modak (modagam or modakam in South India). A modak is a dumpling made from rice flour/wheat flour with a stuffing of fresh or dry-grated coconut, jaggery and some other condiments. It is either steam-cooked or fried. Another popular sweet dish is the Karanji (karjjikai in Telugu & Kannada) which is similar to the modak in composition and taste but has the shape of the 4th day moon.
(Source Wiki)

This is how we celebrated. Usually a Ganesh idol made of clay is bought home and is worshiped for 10 days. Being here in US, I made a Ganesha at home out of Turmeric. It gave us immense pleasure to worship an Idol made with my own hands.

After Pooja and Nievedyam

We worship him with different kind of leaves, flowers, fruits and Grass.
I had made Modaks (Kozukattai) and Channa (sundal/ sanegalu) for neivedyam.

Being a first timer to make modaks, I was not very perfect at it. So no recipes please:(

So how did you all like my little handmade Ganesha??

Paneer Pizza

2007-09-13T13:44:00.000-04:00

This was my first attempt to make a pizza right from scratch and it was a great success.
I have used my own imaginations from the sauces to the topping and it came out really well.

Making the pizza dough

Ingredients

Makes enough dough for two 10-12 inch pizzas

1 1/2 cups warm water (105°F-115°F)
1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) of active dry yeast
3 1/2 cups bread flour (can use all-purpose but bread flour will give you a crisper crust)
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar

Preparation

In half the cup of warm water dissolve the pack of yeast. Add a tsp sugar to feed it. let it sit for a few minutes until it foams up. Add flour, salt, water and yeast mixture to your electric mixer or a mixing bowl to make a smooth and elastic dough.
The dough should pull away from the sides of the bowl. I used my hands to knead the dough.
Place ball of dough in a bowl that has been coated lightly with olive oil. Turn the dough around in the bowl so that it gets coated with the oil. Cover with plastic wrap. Let sit in a warm place (75-85°F) until it doubles in size, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. If you don't have a warm spot in the house you can heat the oven to 150 degrees, and then turn off the oven. Place the bowl of dough in this warmed oven to rise.

This dough can be kept in the fridge for a week if you want to make it ahead. I had some dough left which I saved for the week ahead.

Pizza Topping

Ingredients

1/2 cup medium chopped oinons
1/2 cup Paneer (Indian cottage cheese)
1/2 cup medium chopped pineapple chunks (I used dole chunks)
1/2 cup meduim chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup meduium chopped capsicum
3-4 tbsp tomato puree or sauce
1 tbsp tomato ketchup
1/2 tsp ginger/garlic paste
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tbsp Bombay sandwich spread (found at the Indian store)
1 tbsp Samosa Chutney (found at the Indian store)
1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 450°F for at least 30 minutes, preferably an hour.
Once the pizza dough has raised, as seen in the picture, Remove the plastic cover from the dough and punch the dough down so it deflates a bit. Divide the dough in half. Form two round balls of dough. Place each in its own bowl, cover with plastic and let sit for 10 minutes.

Take a ball of dough and flatten it with your hands on a slightly floured work surface. Starting at the center and working outwards, use your fingertips to press the dough to 1/2-inch thick. Turn and stretch the dough until it will not stretch further. Let the dough relax 5 minutes and then continue to stretch it until it reaches the desired diameter - 10 to 12 inches. Use your palm to flatten the edge of the dough where it is thicker.
Brush the top of the dough with olive oil (to prevent it from getting soggy from the toppings). Use your finger tips to press down and make dents along the surface of the dough to prevent bubbling. Let rest another 5 minutes.

I used a normal baking tray, transfered the pizza base to the tray with very little flour on the bottom of the tray, so that the dough does not stick.
Now add the topping. Mix up the tomato puree/sauce (store brought), ketchup, ginger/garlic paste, Italian seasoning, sandwich spread, chutney in a bowl. I wanted a little Indian flavor on my pizza, so I added some different varieties of chutneys to my pizza.
You can create your own tomato base or buy a ready made one. Spread the sauce on the pizza base evenly. Now top it with onions, cottage cheese (paneer), pineapple chunks, tomatoes, capsicum and finally sprinkle it with mozzarella cheese.
Bake pizza until the crust is browned and the cheese is golden, for about 10-15 minutes.
Enjoy!!!

Janmashtami

2007-09-06T09:49:00.000-04:00

Lord Krishna with Mother Yashoda

Lord Krishna lifting Govardhana Hill

Radha & Krishna

Mother Yashoda chasing Lord Krishna

Janmashtami is the birthday of Lord Krishna. According to the Hindu lunar calendar, Lord Krishna was born on the eighth day (ashtami) of the second (dark) fortnight of the month of Shravana. Read more about it Here.

I made 2 varieties of Seedai (Tamil). It is called Paalakayalu in Telugu. Seedai are small rice flour balls deep fried in oil. One is a sweet version known as vellam(jaggery) seedai and the savory version is called the uppu (salt) seedai.
The uppu seedai is inspired from Menu Today's blog.

Uppu Seedai

Ingredients

1 cup Rice Flour
1 tbsp Urad Flour
2 tbsp Butter
dash of asafoetida
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp Sesame seeds
1 tbsp Grated Coconut
Salt
Water to knead
Oil to deep fry

Preparation

Dry roast the rice flour in a deep bottomed pan for 10 minutes on medium low heat. Keep tossing it continously so that it does not get burnt. Let it cool. Add all the other ingredients except oil and make a pliable dough.
Make small balls as shown in the picture. Deep fry them till golden brown.

If you are trying this for first time please be careful as the seedais burst out in the oil. Be away from the oil. If the dough is soft and has enough butter it will not burst.

Vellam Seedai

Ingredients

1cup rice flour
1tbsp urad flour
3-4 tbsp jaggery

1/2 tsp crushed cardamom
2 tbsp butter
1 tsp grated coconut
1tsp sesame seed
water to knead
oil for deep frying

Preparation

The procedure is same as that for uppu seedai. Except that, jaggery is melted and mixed to the rice flour. You can see the picture of both the dough. The light colored is the uppu seedai dough and dark colored is the vellam seedai.Deep fry till golden brown.

Neivedyam to Lord Krishna, Butter, Uppu and vellam seedai.

I was not able to do this post in time because of the JFI hangover:)

I have been showered with so much of love from my fellow bloggers in the form of awards. I thank you all so much for giving it to me. I am honoured.

The Rockin girl award is given to me by Kajal, Archana, Tee, Sukanya, Saju, Manasi and Seec.

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This post goes to Janmashtami event hosted by Latha of The Yum Blog.