Cooking 4 all Seasons

Mutter Paneer Masala!

2009-07-07T22:34:00.009+05:30

Recently while on my way back to home, I saw a bicyclist peddling away very fast! It was a busy crowded road, yet he was riding quite confidently and dodging away very well. Seeing him, I was reminded of my own cycling and for a moment something hit me so hard. Will I ever cycle again? I used to be so fond of cycling and have been doing since I was 10 yrs old. I even rode to my collage, which was easily some 6+ kms in one. Yes I remember sharing my first experience with cycle. But I never thought I would completely give it up!

Wonder how such small things kindles so much thoughts and all while trying to wade my way through the traffic. Life has been pretty hectic off late, I guess its same with most of you! Some of my friends and colleagues tell me that they are just unable to handle the pressure. I wonder why life is become so hard. Was this period really so hard for our parents. I should remember to ask Amma about it. To what I remember it was kind of ok, we atleast had time to sit together and spend sometime.

Anyway today's dish was something I prepared couple of weeks back. Mutter Paneer Masala is one of those first few dishes that introduced me to the fancy North Indian dishes. Though I don't really like munching on the fresh peas, its always been a favorite of mine. Most times I remember this dish to be quite strong and pungent as served in restaurant here. I really don't know how authentic dish is supposed to be. I remember a Bengali version which was very tasty and mild. But I always liked whatever was served on my plate!

I enjoyed eating this after a long time and of course promptly forgot to click the pictures. That's why you can see that its taken in the smallest possible bowl I could find. And before I rattle away, do check out the Town Square, created by Roma. Kudos to her for creating such a wonderful space for the bloggers to hang around. I can imagine how much of work this would have involved!

Mutter Paneer Masala!

Ingredients Needed:

Paneer - 250 gms
Fresh Peas - 100 gms
Onions - 2 medium, pureed
Tomatoes - 1 medium pureed, 1 whole
Grated ginger - 1"
Finely chopped garlic - 2 nos
Cumin powder - 3/4 tsp
Chili powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Cashew nut powder - 2 tbsp
Cloves - 2
Cinnamon - 1"
Turmeric powder a pinch
Salt to taste
Oil - 2 tsp
Oil for frying paneer

Method to prepare:

Wash and cut paneer into cubes. Fry in oil/ghee to golden colour. Keep aside.

Heat a pan with oil, add the garlic and ginger along with cloves and cinnamon. Fry for a min, then add the onion puree. Saute well.

Next goes the tomato puree along with the fresh peas. Except cashew nut powder, add all the masalas along with salt. Simmer and cook with lid covered for 10 mins.

Remove the lid, add the roughly chopped tomatoes and mix well. Cook for 2 mins, add required water and bring to boil.

Add the cashew nut powder and simmer for 2 mins. The tomato chunks gives a good body to the gravy and chewing that gives a good taste. Finally when the gravy is thick enough, add the fried paneer. Cook in high for a min and switch off.

Serve with Roti or Naan!

Hope my Indian Cooking Challenge members are busy with this month's challenge, if you haven't had a look at the Logo, then please do!

End of the week, will be updating on my latest project which has me really excited, will update once its done! Until then have a great week ahead!

Lunch Box Series : LBS#49 ~ Potato Pulao!

2009-07-03T23:03:00.004+05:30

"You want Pokil?..a vigorous nod of the head said no and I then heard a firm aaplam" This was my conversation with Chinnu a week back. It was after knowing that Chinnu wanted to eat his friends apalam during their lunch! Till then somehow I never gave them apalams, though Friyams are an everyday dish. Konda was all excited that evening when I reached home, saying the boy's teacher asked me to send them Apalam for lunch from now. Chinnu was frivolous in demanding the apalam that was his friend's lunch box item.

Pokil, what is this you might ask. Oh that's a long story! This is the word the boys use for friyams, those golden fries made with sabudana. One fine day I remembered that Konda used to love these and got two packets, one coloured and other plain yellow ones. Both the packets were completed almost the same day. They were even fighting over which colour they want. It had green, yellow, orange, white and pink. While Konda wanted only pink, Chinnu refused to share. Peddu was content as long as he got the Pokil. Two days later, Peddu came back home asking for pokil. I didn't have a clue on what he was referring too. We had completely forgotten about the friyam episode.

None of us realized what it was but he cried a fitful for it for days. Every time he will come to the kitchen, asking for Pokil, Pokil. I open all the shelves and ask him to show me. He will have that forlorn look and pout his lips and say Pokil Amma Pokil. As if that would make me understand what he was referring too! I was feeling sad, angry and wild and lost all in one go. I know their language well but this was getting way too out of control. So whenever I thought he was going to say Pokil, I tried distracting him somehow.

Few days later, I was playing the videos I had shot of them. few weeks back Both the boys were on my lap, watching the videos. All of sudden I heard a shrill and felt Peddu becoming jubilant. He was shouting Pokil Pokil seeing the videos. I turned and saw all three of them were eating those friyams in the video! Imagine for Friyams there was so much hungama and confusion. I somehow convinced him that I would get the "Pokil" soon. Hubby dear and Athamma were laughing knowing what Pokil means.

Anyway in the end I am sending them Pokil or Aapalam on alternative days and they thoroughly enjoyed eating this Potato Puloa that I made for us last week!

Today's Lunch Box had

Potato Pulao
Tomato in coconut Milk curry
Cumin pepper Rasam
Curd Rice
Papaya

Potato Pulao!

Ingredients Needed:

Rice - 2 cups
Potatoes - 2 big
Onions - 2 medium
Tomato - 1 medium
Curds/ Yogurt - 3 tbsp
Green Chilies - 2 -3 medium
Red Chili powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder a pinch
Ginger Garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
Ghee - 2 tsp
Oil - 2 tsp
Salt to taste
Water - 3 & 1/2 cups
Mint leaves - 5 -6 springs
Coriander leaves for garnish

Whole spices

Cumin - 1/2 tsp
Bay leaf - 2 small
Star Anise - 1
Cardomon - 2
Cloves -2
Cinnamon - 2"
Mace - 1

Method to prepare:

Wash and soak rice for 15 - 20 minutes.

Chop onions as juliennes, tomatoes very finely. Slit green chilies in middle.

Heat a pressure cooker with ghee and oil. Once its hot, sauté all the wholes spices for 1 min.

Then add the julienne onions along with green chilies, mint leaves and fry till the onions starts sweating. Add in the ginger garlic paste. Fry till it turns brown.

Peel the potatoes while the onions are getting brown, cube them into 2" chunks. And add to the pan. Simmer and cover with the lid for the potatoes to get little soft.

Add in the chopped tomatoes along with chili powder and salt. Fry well till the tomatoes are well mashed. Simmer this for 2 mints. At this stage add the curds and drained rice. Sauté will so that the rice gets well coated.

Add water and adjust salt, combine everything well and cover with lid and pressure cook for 3 whistles.

Notes: If you are using Basmati rice, use 1: 1 ratio of rice & water. Cooking this rice in pan gives the best results. But when you are hurried on a weekday, pressure cooker gets done in 15 mins. Only have to keep an eye on the water added. So always soak rice for longer time and cook with exact measurement of water.

Roasting the Potatoes along with the onions will give a beautiful brown coating to potatoes.

*****Reads from my other Blogs*****
Dietary aspects in the management of diabetes
Pasta for Kids ~ Mallugirl!

July Challenge for Indian Cooking Challenge will be announced today, members please check the ICC blog!

To my readers from US, Happy July 4th! and happy weekend everybody!

Microwaved Mor Kali and Rava Laddo revisted for Indian Cooking Challenge!

2009-06-30T22:39:00.003+05:30

Inspiration at times seems very late in coming. Especially when its with cooking in Microwave. My own event, Microwave Easy Cooking was basically to help us discover the wonders of cooking in Microwave and having more time on hand to do other things. But if you know how it goes, having those glass bowls handy is such a risky thing with kids being around all the time in the kitchen. I almost think my boys will learn cooking soon. They always want to be carried to see what's getting cooked.

Like last night I was making dosas for them, while having the Idlis steamed for the rest of us. All of them wanted only dosa. In a week its almost 3 times that I give them dosa, still they only want it again. Anyway hubby dear was carrying Chinnu, he wanted to know what was on the stove. I lifted the lid and showed the pristine while idlis, he was so excited that he asked that for dinner too.

Coming back to the recipe on hand, I had planned on making the Mor Kali last night but kids refused to sleep before 10 and after that I was too tired to even think about making it. So got up early this morning and proceeded making it. Being in TN so long, I have heard and seen this eaten so often at friends place, though I have never made it myself. I even had the recipe written down, planning to make it in Microwave but never came around. What really surprised me that this never came to mind when Simran wanted to host breezy breakfast. Believe this Mor Kali is as breezy as it can get!

Cooking on stove, you got to be vigilant ensuring it doesn't get burnt. You got to keep stirring it frequently. Even for the measurement I prepared, it was supposed to take more than 15 mints. But in MW, it just took about 6 mins. Imagine having your breakfast getting ready in 10 mins. Of course you need to have all ingredients on hand.

Also these are normally tempered with Red Chilies, but I used Mor Milagai, (Sun dried chilies soaked in curds/yogurt) for added taste

Preparation time: 2 -3 mins
Cooking time in MW - 5 mins.

Ingredients Needed

Rice Flour - 1 cup
Butter Milk - 3 cups ( 2 tbsp of curds)
Salt to taste
Oil - 2 tsp

Seasoning

Red Chilies/ Sun Dried Chilies - 2 -3 medium
Mustard Seeds, Urad dal - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - 4 -5 leaves.

Method to prepare:

In a deep bottom bowl, add about a tsp of oil, drop in chilies, curry leaves along with Mustard and Urad dal. Stir well and micro for 1 min. If you think its needed, stir in between. End of the minute, my kitchen was filled with the wonderful aroma of sun dried chilies being fried along with curry leaves.

Take the curds/yogurt, add salt and beat well. Then add water to get thick butter milk.

In a bowl take rice flour and slowly add the buttermilk and mix well to get a lump less batter. The consistency can be more or less a dropping liquid .

Grease a square or rectangle microwave safe bowl with little oil. Pour the rice batter into it. Add the tempering to this batter and mix well.

Micro for 5 mins. In intervals of 2 mins, keep stirring. Once done, check if the kali is getting struck to the ladle.

Grease a bowl and transfer to it. Pat it well and unmold it for the click!

Notes: The curds/Yogurt I used wasn't sour, Athamma felt had it been a bit more sour it would have been even more tasty! So maybe increase the curds used which can also be sour.

You have your breakfast ready? Hurry up today is the last day. Sending this Mor Kali to dear Simran, who is going to have quite a few dishes to help her out busy mornings!

Finally as things would always happen, I procrastinated making Rava Laddos for the Indian Cooking Challenge till the last moment. Though I had planned to make it with powdered semolina, ended up making the same way again!

Will be back with the round up of all Rava Laddoos made by the members! So watch out!

Mutton Kura ~ Weekend Cooking with Sunday breakfast!

2009-06-29T22:11:00.006+05:30

Having a two week off from cooking on Sundays is good enough reason to indulge in elaborate cooking I should say. That's exactly what I did. The last two Sundays were either spent on visiting friends or touring around the place, that I somehow had a relaxing day. Of course the breakfast has to be Poori with Channa Masala. Even if I want something else the kids won't let me think. So I decided when I am at it, I might as well enjoy it. Not that I don't ok!

Its a race against time trying to make it on time for the kids to be ready to eat, else they get hungry and eat something junk. And because I had planned on an elaborate lunch, hubby dear took the kids for shopping. I was happy that all 3 of them came back only with 2 sets for each. But that time off came me all the time I needed to get my act together. Though nothing major got done during their absence, I had time to plan. We had invited Daddy to join us. The kids enjoyed their time with their Thatha.

Before that since I remembered that I had to send Divya something for her interesting post, I clicked my plate. Afterall whats so tough about just clicking one's plate right, you need not think much or plan for something new!..

I also made Mutton keema balls to be featured in my book. So getting them in the prefect shape was another story!

Mutton Kura:

Ingredients needed

Mutton - 500 gms
Onions - 2 medium
Clove - 2
Cinnamon - 1"
Cardamon - 1
Tomatoes - 1 medium
Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tsp
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Mint leaves - handful
Coriander Leaves - handful
Oil - 1 tbsp
Salt to taste
Coconut paste - 2 tbsp

Weekend lunch Menu: Masala Vada, Mutton Keema Balls, Mutton Kura, Plain Rice.

Method to prepare:

Clean and chop mutton to required size. Wash and let drain. Chop Onion, tomatoes to fine pieces.

Heat oil in a kadai, add the whole spices. Then add onion and sauté till its brown in colour. Add ginger garlic paste, fry well. Then add mint leaves and half of coriander leaves.

After few mins, add mutton pieces with salt and turmeric powder. Cover it with lid and let it get browned well. Water will come out at this stage, so you got to cook till its all evaporated.

Add the chopped tomatoes along with chili powder and coriander powder. Cook for another 10 mins.

Then transfer this to pressure cooker, add required quantity of water and cover with lid and pressure cook for 5 whistles or till the mutton is well cooked.

Once the pressure is off, remove add coconut paste and coriander leaves.

Notes: There is lot of difference with cooking directly in the pressure cooker and cooking it first in the kadai and transferring it .

Hope you enjoyed your weekend!

Lunch Box Series : LBS#48 ~ Dosakaya Kootu!

2009-06-25T22:43:00.004+05:30

In my venture to try all the veggies that I find in the shop, my eyes fell on this rounded one. When I asked the shopkeeper, he said its the Dosa kaya, the one that's used in curries or gravies. Having heard so much about this veggie being quite a famed one in Andhra cuisine, I have always wanted to try this out. Not being one from the actual local, I miss most of these famed ones. If you ask me something from good old Madras I may be able to voice something. My knowledge to vegetables or ingredient usage depend so much on what my Amma knows or my Athamma does. Naturally it boils down to the fact that they make only those that they liked. I have never known Amma making any dish with Dosakaya or Athamma even uttering a word.

When I finally got a Dosakaya home, Athamma said her neighbors always cooked with this, but she never tried as her family weren't so keen on vegetables. Well there went my cents more of knowledge! And Amma has been so much influenced by her tamilian neighbors that she makes kolambu or kootu with back of her hands. Maybe I can say I am glad that I could learn both the cuisines a little better from their knowledge. So my experiments started with this Dosa kaya after seeing so many bloggers raving about the wonder of this veggie and after seeing couple videos. I planned on making a dal or pappu in Andhra style, I ended up making a kootu in a tamilian way. Whatever, the lunch was most enjoyed. Me along with my colleagues licking the bowl clean and Konda calling up to tell me that she loved it and Hubby dear nodding his head in approval, this made my day and a permanent member of my monthly menu!

You know what, while I was giving Peddu his bath last night, he suddenly caught my face with both his hands, put his cherubic face near my ears and told me "Amma neeni Girl ila, neeni Boy!" (Mom, you are not a girl, but a boy!) then his singsong Nani Boy, Daddy Boy, Chinnu Boy, Nanamma Gurl, Akka Gurl! Gosh how I loved his statement, but I was laughing for a long time, thinking his expression which said as if he discovered something new, to the bran of my mom, I always wanted to be a boy! Finally it took my lil one to thrill me that I am one...:)

Before checking this, please check out the guest post on Kids food by Mallugirl!

Today's Lunch Box had

Dosakaya Kootu
Sun Dried Fries/ Vadiyalu
Cumin pepper Rasam
Curd Rice

Dosakaya Kootu

Dosakaya/ Yellow Cucumber - 1 medium
Toor Dal - 1 cup
Salt to taste
Oil - 1-2 tsp
Turmeric powder a pinch

For the paste
Coconut - 2 -3 tsp
Green Chilies - 2 long
Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp

For seasoning

Onions - 2 tsp
Mustard seeds + Urad dal - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves
Red Chilies - 2 -3

Method to prepare:

Pressure cook the toor dal till soft. Mash well if you like.

Peel the dosakaya and scoop the seeds inside. Cut into small chunks.

Grind the coconut, green chilies and Cumin seeds to a smooth paste by adding some water. Keep it aside.

Wash and heat the pressure cooker again with oil, add the mustard, red chilies, curry leaves and then onions. Sauté for a min.

Then add the ground paste, sauté well. Add the chopped cucumber. On high flame, sauté well for a min. Then simmer and cover with lid and leave it for 5 mins.

Once the paste gets cooked, add required quantity of water. Cover it with the lid and pressure cook for another whistle. The gravy you get is more of a thick but loose liquid, which goes excellent with steamed rice and vadams!

Note: This is no way an authentic way of making a kootu but then I never know one. Also I believe innovation leads to new dishes. But most important of all, Konda loved it, which should say a lot about this dish.

Adding red chilies was purely to satisfy hubby dear, you can omit it or increase the green chilies. And of course miss those onions too.

Rajma Masala!

2009-06-24T00:37:00.003+05:30

I think Rajma Masala for ever will kindle those memories back to mind. The first time I actually remembering giving this lentil some thought and enjoying it, was when I had it at my friends place. She is a Gujarati and her mom was an awesome cook. Previous to that I don't' remember Amma making this or had she even made, I may not have actually paid much attention. But after eating at my friend's place, I was so much in love with that dish. I must have asked her many times for the recipe and recreated it at home. Though it never came as good as the first time. I finally concluded that certain dishes require a touch!

Do you think so? Well I am not sure, but it sure looked that way to me. The many times I made this dish at home, everybody liked it. But I was never satisfied as it didn't' match my first impression. Anyways after getting this blog I always thought I should get in touch with my friend to get the recipe again.

Meanwhile I have only my own way of making this simple gravy!

Ingredients Needed:

For pressure cooking

Rajma - 1 cup
Clove - 1
Cardamon - 1
Garlic julienne 0 2"

For the gravy

Onions - 1 medium
Tomato - 2 medium
Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp
Chili powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder a pinch
Black cardamon - 1
Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Bay leaf - 1 small
Salt to taste
Oil - 2 tsp
Coriander leaves for garnish

Method to prepare:

Wash and soak Rajma overnight. Before cooking, wash again, add fresh water along with the clove, cardamon and ginger julienne. Add enough water to cover the rajma and pressure cook till tender. It normally takes about 5 - 6 whistles for me.

Meanwhile, heat a pan with oil and add the cumin, bay leaf and black cardamon. Saute for a min, then add the onions.

Fry till the onions start turning brown. Add the tomato puree, along with the chili powder, garam masala, salt and turmeric. Simmer for 10 mins with lid.

Remove lid, add the cooked Rajma. Bring to boil and cook till you get a thick gravy.

Serve with rotis or rice.

Note: You can remove the ginger julienne from the rajma.

If you want your gravy to be thicker, mash handful of rajma before adding to the gravy.

Sending this to Apu who is hosting the wonderful MLLA twelfth edition, MLLA is the brain child of the lovely Susan!

Bottle Gourd Curry ~ Sorakaya Kura!

2009-06-21T15:41:00.005+05:30

It feels good to be back to regular blogging! My PC got bonkers and I had all my pictures stored in there. Well that left me without any picture to talk about. And last one week was really hectic with both Mithai Mela and the Indian Cooking Challenge. The polling just got over! On top with work becoming even difficult I was wondering how I am still sane! One thing I miss most is not recording what my kids are up. The boys have started speaking a language of their own, its really so sweet to hear it. Chinnu speaks like a foreigner would speak telugu and Peddu speaks a typical marwari way! Both so sweet to hear, I have even recorded their conversations during their bed time. They both say "nanni" for "me or I". Daddy has given up trying to correct them. But we have started speaking their language.

Every other time, Peddu would come and tell me, "Deppu ooruki podam (We will go for trip tomorrow)" so last night while I was trying to make them sleep, he suddenly started telling me this line, I readily agreed that we shall. Then he said we all will go to his aunts place. "Oruu bavyuntundi," I asked how we will go, he replied "Naadichi Podam" (by walking), I again asked how?.he immediately stood up and showed walking. And said that by walking it will be best! Gosh imagine walking all the way across the border to Andhra! I guess in a child's mind, everything is so simple.

Anyway I am happy to share this simple recipe with Sorakaya / Bottle gourd, that was so common at my parents place. Dad likes this a lot and it used to frequent the table quite often. Hubby dear doesn't like it much, so you can imagine how rarely this figured on our table. But this time, he had no option out!

Soraya Kaya Kura

Ingredients Needed:

Soraya Kaya - 250 gms
Mustard seeds+ Urad dal - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves few
Onion - 1 medium
Garlic - 2 - 3 flakes
Chili powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder a pinch
Salt to taste
Oil - 1 - 2 tsp
Groundnut powder - 1 -2 tsp

Method to Prepare:

Wash and peel bottle gourd. Cut into 2" size pieces.

Heat oil in a pan, splutter mustard seeds along with curry leaves. Then saute onions till light brown.

Then add sorakaya pieces along salt and turmeric. Simmer with lid for 5 mins.

Once the veggie gets little soft, add chili powder, coriander powder. Simmer again with lid covered for 5 mins. Fry well.

Then add 1 cup of water and allow it to get cooked slowly. Simmer again for 10 mins. Finally add groundnut powder and can be removed immediately.

Serve with chapati or rice.

The Mithai Mela Round up ~ Part 3!

2009-06-14T11:30:00.015+05:30

Its surprising that so many things can happen in such a short span of time. Between the 2nd and the 3rd round up of this Mithai Mela, I have announced a new event. Its called the Indian Cooking Challenge and will be hosted in my Spice your life Blog.

Its sure going to spice my life no doubt. As if I don't have enough, I had to think about this and even went and announced it. What was even amazing was the fact that everybody loved the concept. So I am really excited about the event. I am right now working on the list and the rules, lets see how it comes out. Plus the logo, yeah I want it something to be really defining the theme! So check out for the details that will be coming out soon.

Meanwhile, lets treat ourselves to another and final part of this wonderful Mithai Mela. Yes its been one great celebration with so many sweets coming my way. Thank you everybody for your contribution. I am really so touched!

Update: Plus I have been able to fix the annoying gap below each collage!..phew all a matter of extra space that it didn't appear to me. I tell my engineers never to work after midnight, guess I should follow it myself!

Lets just jump straight into it. Believe me, its a sweet ride all along!

In the final part of the Mithai Mela, we have the Milk Sweets, Pancakes, Payasams and other wonderful sweets that I wasn't able to tag!

First we have the Milk sweets making their way. If you are fond of pedas, jamuns paal kovas, then you will be drooling over these entries!

We have one beautiful looking Modak shaped Bhugga Khoya from the Sadhana & Muskaan

Then we have delicious Ras Malai coming from Archana, Seema and Kesar flavoured from Sireesha

Gulab Jamun always invoke childhood memories and seeing these entries from Malini Basu and one made with sweet potato from Padma Balla is great!

The queen of milk sweets parades in form of lovely Kalakand from Jayashree, or this one from Malar Gandhi. Last but not the least this so beautifully crafted Microwave Carrot Kalakand from Priya Suresh!

The most concentrated form of milk sweets are always the Pedas and they are so much loved. So it is a wonder that we have so many of these. First we have Malar Gandhi sending us Makkan Peda.

From Nate and Annie comes a great looking dessert, I was drooling for a while before I realized its not our palkova but Pavlova

If you want the ease of Mw, then Microwave Kaju Peda from Priya Suresh is a must to try!

Then we have Ramya Vijaykumar sending us two treats, one the Besan ka Peda and the other Doodh Peda.

Another version of Doodh Peda comes from Sapthanaa, you must be wondering why none of hers came up right!

But if you are looking for Silky smooth melt in your mouth pedas, then Ria has them right!

Finally we have a mango flavoured peda from Shweta!

These sugar soaked gulas in the name of Rasagula comes from Kavitha.

Malpoa are those tempting pancakes deep fried, you won't find me saying no ok.

Then we N33ma sending us these Sweet Shakarapara which are always a delight!

Something very similar called the Gul Gul is sent by Padma Srinivasagam

Finally we have a Milk Delight coming from Pavithra elangovan, as the name says its one delightful picture!

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Now comes the Pancakes in different forms. I know pancakes are simple and easy to make and most kids love!

First comes a healthy Adai from Anu.

Then we have an authentic Bobbatlu from Hema. These are a real treat for any occasion!

Pooris I have always loved and these sweet ones are a treasure from childhood. I was going gaga seeing these Paala Poori from Kavya Naimish. Nor these lovely Badam Puri from Saraswathi Iyer.

I am sure Baked Strawberry Pancakes from Priya Suresh tasted as great as they look!

Then comes a treat of the season Mango Pancakes from Sharmila, ah I can imagine how yummy this must've been!

And finally few polis and puris from me!

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Payasams I tell you are something that can be done in a jiffy and yes those are there that takes real time. But whichever way you make, they simply taste out of the world. Lets check out some cool and lovely entries that came out way!

First comes a set of payasams made with fruits and dry fruits.

Sadana and Muskaan makes a Vegan payasam with Coconut, how nice!

Then we have a Special kheer coming from Chaitra Aathidhyam

A delicious Dates Kheer comes all the way from Kerala, simmering in the kitchen of Kailas!

Malar Gandhi sends in two types, Jackfruit Payasam & Nuts Kheer

Another Dates Kheer this time flavoured more with almonds comings from the lovely Mythreyee

Priya Suresh is never out of ideas, and her entries goes just to proves that! One with Apple, other with Coconut! They make such lovely treats!

Of course this lovely Carrot Almond Kheer from Vibaas is a treat to eyes!

Palada Pradaman is from Sapthanaa

This lovely rich Besan Kheer is from Sadhana & Muskaan, all topped with dry fruits and great to look.

We then feast our eyes on the lovely Moong Dhal Payasam sent by Cham!

Of course, you will stop by to check out this lovely Payatham paruppu payasam from Sanghi !

From Sapthanaa comes two different versions one a Moong Dhal Payasam and another a Rice Kheer with Kova.

Sabudana Kheer comes our way all the way from Niveditas kitchen!

along with this comes the Sabakki Payasa from Ujwala Mohan, it looks so creamy that its so inviting!

I never realized a simple semiya payasam could look so different. You will know once you check out them together. While Bird's eye view brings in her version of Shaavige Payasa, we have Semai Payesh from Malini Basu.

Another version of Semiya Payasam comes from Padma, while Sanghi joins the club with her Semiya Payasam too.

On special occasions, we do make the payasam that's called the Pal Payasam. And we have two bloggers sending them. One from Srilakshmi, the other from Vidya Venky.

We then have bloggers making us payasam with wheat, having tasted one, I know how delicious it is. First a Cracked Wheat and Fruit Kheer from Sadana and Muskaan, then a Kheer with broken wheat from Bhagyashri

Finally my own collection of payasams!

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Last but not the least, we move to check on some other types sweet dishes that I couldn't tag together. They make a lovely Other category!

Bird's eye view send in her collection of sweet dishes, a Molten Baby cakes, a Chocolate Bomb and a Cake! She was worried that her creations didn't turn to appear as she wanted, but who cares when it tasted awesome right!

Then we have Priya Suresh sending in two different fudge, one with almond and the other Carrot N Pistachio. But the highlight being these were done in microwave!

We then move on to check out some cool dishes made with Mangoes. Mango Pachadi seems to be a favorite dish among all these lovely ladies! Hemamalini, Kavitha's friend Gayathri, Ramya Vijaykumar, Sanghi and Sanghi have ensured we will have enough to choose from!

Sapthanaa shows us not to bother buying this from shop when you have Home made condensed milk

Sadana and Muskaan sends in a Granola Cereal with magic seeds along with a Sweet Potato Curry to boot!

While Bird's eye view enjoys a Banana Relish, we see Malar Gandhi enjoying a pongal made with Karumbu Chaar.

Baklava is a lovely dish that I got to know from these two lovely ladies Padma Srinivasagam and Sailaja.

Priya Narasimhan sends in a Akkaravadisal while Parita Shah makes a Shrikhand with Kesar Elaichi.

Then we have Sailaja making a Prunes with Cashew while Sanghi a Sevai with Ragi!

Next we have Sapthanaa making some rolls, Biscotti and some Biscuits!

Sweet Bondas comes from Shama Nagarajan, while Simran is bent on tempting me with her Coconut Chocolate Macaroons!

Finally we have The Cooker hissing around with over flowing Sudharas, which I never knew is this! what an idea sirji!

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With this we come to the end of the Mithal Mela! Of course its not the end of eating. Do check out and try them to enjoy!

I hope I haven't missed out any entry, but do accept my apologies and let me know! Will amend right away.

Looking forward to your participation for the Mango Mela and the Indian Cooking Challenge!

The Mithai Mela Round up ~ Part 2!

2009-06-10T22:43:00.011+05:30

Welcome to the second edition of this sweet gallery! Hope the weekend was good for everybody!. We had a good weekend too, I finally decided to take off on Saturday and caught up with my one weeks sleep. Though that was good, I again ended up being awake till late night. I am seriously becoming an owl! Sunday just flew as we drove down for a temple visit. Boys are much better now, though the cold and cough seem to be lingering. Hopefully they should get over it soon.

Back to business, getting this list proved another task. As during the process I found few cakes and bakes left out. So all those will be featured together. Sorry about it.

As part of today's edition, first comes the delicious Halwas. Halwas are those delightful sweet that you can whip within minutes. Infact at one point of time, I had this ambition of making everything into a halwa. I have blogged about 20 different halwas. But seeing the entries that came my way, I knew I still have a long way to go. What a beautiful and delicious array of halwas, take my point and get ready for a feast!

First we have the lined up Badam halwa from Archana Gurunathan. The stack makes them look so demur, when they are not!

Next we have this sinful dessert that Bird's eye view says she always had to make on any occasion that called for a celebration and its her version of Badam halwa

Not being happy with just one type, Bird's eye view goes ahead experimenting with a halwa made with Black carrots.

Chaitra makes a halwa with broken wheat.

Mangoes are in season and what a better way to enjoy than this lovely halwa made by Kamala.

Then we have a Carrot Halwa from Gayathri who is a dear friend of Kavitha.

Get ready to be feasting on the different halwas that Kavya Naimish seems to have on her blog. Right from the Carrot Halwa, Sooji Halwa, she even goes two steps ahead by making halwas with Peanut & Potato. Now that I call as a true Halwa fan!

Lena Rashmin Raj next brings us a sample of halwa made with Pumpkin.

This breathtaking Mango Halwa is from Madhuram. She proved that she can not only dish out lovely egg less bakes, she can twist her hands at many others too.

Then we have another halwa lover among us. With the number of halwas Malar Gandhi has sent in, I am sure her folks are one lucky ppl! Please check out the post by clicking on the pictures!

Another version of Sooji Halwa parades to us from Malini Basu.

Lauki ka Halwa comes in a lovely bowl from Prathibha.

Priya Suresh sends in a lovely Cornflour Halwa, am sure it was more like a cake walk for her!

I think Carrot Halwa is every body's favorite and Renuka shares the way her family loves. While we have Mandira showing us the way she loves carrot halwa. wow its too tempting not to love that picture!

Then we have two tempting halwas from Sanghi, one very healthy, infact both are. But if you want to go nuts over them, then this Nuts halwa is a must or you can settle for this dark beets in a halwa!

We have another Badam Halwa from Sapthanaa.

Dumroot halwa from Saraswathi,

only to get another Badam Halwa from Sree Vidhya.

Lets not to miss out this lovely Lauki Halwa from Usha

And finally my own collection of Halwas, individual ones can be clicked on the picture!

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Then we move to other exciting Indian sweets, you want diamonds, swirls or noodles? You get them all!

Jalebi or noodles dipped in nectar? makes no difference to me! And seeing Arunas beautiful pictures makes me want to reach out!

Then we have Kajayam from Kavitha, those sweet balls!

Malar Gandhi sends us Baasandhi,

while we have a lovely Basundi from Meera!

Then from Malini Basu comes 3 great looking sweets, they not only look interesting, they have very nice sounding names! Lobongo Lotika, Misti Singara & Peragi, are them!

This Jangri comes from Sanghi.

Of course not to mention these lovely Shankarapali from Sapthanaa.

Finally few from me, all these mostly Andhra sweets!

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Then we catch on some yummy sweet dishes prepared with jaggary.

When I saw this Hayagreeva from A&N, and I was drooling. They made it with channa dal, how tempting it looks!

The lovely lady from Palakad has two dishes to offer, one healthy laddo called theMaladoos and the other healthy Vella Payar. Thanks Jayasree!

We then have two different types of Kali. First one a Vella Kali coming from Kayal Arul.

Next is from Malar Gandhi which is Karuppu Ulundhu Kali

This one has always been a childhood sweet for me, and I was elated when Nirmala sent it along. Its the delicious Kamarkat, am sure you will love it too!

We then move on to check some lovely Arisha Pitha from Oriya food

which is Aresalu to the rest of us!. This Aresalu is from Padma Balla

Next authentic dish comes from Pooja of Sai Kitchen, which is so beautifully called as Jilledu Kayalu

All the way from Srilanka comes this Wattalappan from none other than our dear blogger Priya, who is marching towards breaking records!

Then we have Sanghi bringing us two delicious dishes, one Kadalai paruppu suliyan and the other Sweet kolukattai

Ok, I can pronounce this correctly, so you read out and check out Sapthanaas blog for knowing what a Seimbaal is all about!..:)

Sakkari pongal is a misnomer and is yummy more because of the jaggary! and Sree Vidya sends us a bowl of that!

Then finally few from me, you can click on the pictures!

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Then we move on to get treated to sweets called as the Kesari! I am sure most of you know how important kesaris are to a girl. Its one of the simplest and easiest sweet you can make. And I am amazed there are so many varieties!

Mangoes I like to eat as such but as a kesari, I am seeing it for the first time. Hemamalini sure makes it look tempting!

Then comes one lovely looking bowl from Kavya Naimish, I was left admiring it for a while!

Then we have a kesari with Beets from Lena Rashmin Raj

Though I have had aval in many forms, never as a kesari as Priya Suresh has.

I think Sanghi loves kesari and wants us to get tempted too. For she has 3 to offer and each one as pretty as the other!

Then we have the cooker dishing up a new kesari called the Dalia Oats Sheera!

Ok we have the innovative Uma bring a kesari with carrots! I almost thought she would make it with apple..:)

Finally from me 3 different kesaris pick your favorite!

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We now move on to check out some great missiles that might land on your self. But of course they are sweet and very tempting!

First we have Bhawna Gupta coming with a Pethe ke ladoo, which are beautifully lined up!

Next entry from Kalyani, comes with engery packed with Dry fruits and nuts, am sure you will go nuts over it.

Then we have the Boondhi from Malar Gandhi

I was drooling over the two lovely laddoos that Malini Basu sent. I always thought its tough to get your laddos to look so pro as shown in the picture!

Next comes Undurallu from Ramya Vijaykumar

Sanghi send in two sweet bombs!

Then we have Srilakshmi sending in two lovely laddoos, one the ever famous Rava laddoo and the other a coconut!

Finally from me, you can check out from the pictures!

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Thats all for today folks! Until the final part enjoy these sweet treats..

The Mithai Mela Round up ~ Part 1!

2009-06-05T23:15:00.022+05:30

Is there anything sweeter than sweet? Yes, the happiness of getting such wonderful friends is sweeter!

Two years ago, I never would have imagined this kind of a round up, let alone feeling so happy at the response the Melas gets. For that I am really thankful and more motivated by the support shown.

There is no other wonderful way to celebrate a milestone than celebrating with friends. And this round up is just that! I wanted to make this round up little different. Searching for a new way to present the round up, I ended up not having enough time to spend writing about each entry, as I normal do. That took me forever to come up with the idea. Grey cells refused to work and no sooner I saw days flying away to be right at the end of the event!

Finally after nearly 2 months, I was able to find the perfect solution. For that I would like to thank my colleagues who helped me in this venture. J is a web designer who showed me how to work with the software and get the result I was imagining in mind. And also thank another J, who got me the required software. Though this process was again a round about way of doing what I had in mind, I was happy with the results. I hope you are too!

Whats new with this round up? Clicking on any of the picture in the collage will take you to the participant's URL!

That's the reason for the delay though I hope I have done justice to the enthusiasm and interest shown by the bloggers! About 321 entries came, I am still counting. So I have made this into three parts.

Update! I apparently missed out Bird's eye view's multiple entries...she has sent in 7 in all, so the total becomes 328!

This time I made sure I categorized all the entries to its specific categories. That leaves me mentioning the multiple entries sent by each of them.

Anu, Archana G , Aruna, Hemamalini, Lena Rashmin Raj, Nivedita Thadani, Padma Balla, Pooja S, Prathibha, Priya, Renuka Gauthaman, Sailaja, Saraswathi Iyer, Sree Vidya, The Cooker, Vidya Venky sent couple of entries

Chaitra and Jayasree Satish sent 3 lovely entries, while we got 4 entries from Bird's eye view, Kavitha, Padma Srinivasagam and Srilakshmi.

I was really thrilled to bits when this lovely friend of mine, sent a mail asking if she can send all her entries together! wow would I mind! Imagine she posted so many sweet dishes as in 6 different sweets in a month! Simran I hope you haven't gained few inches around..:)

The came 7 entries from Ramya Vijaykumar and Kavya Naimish.

Now shall we move to talk about even more bigger numbers? Well when they talk about a2z of a vegetarian cuisine, Sadhana & Muskaan managed to send 11, while Malini Basu was happy with her 12.

If Malar Gandhi was up with her 14, is Sanghi far with her 15? I don't think so.

The fight continued and I feel these two wonderful bloggers outdone themselves! Whether Priya Suresh is set on creating a Guinness world record of posting the maximum recipes, I am not sure but for sure created a sort of records by sending in 21 new entries. I really don't know how she manages to come up with so many different dishes!

Getting to know Sapthanaa Balachander was a real pleasure. When I got on a chat with her, she was upset at sending only 35! She had planned on more than 45 but her poor camera gave up on her and she was treated her folks to many more sweet dishes which unfortunately didn't get captured forever!

I am sure I can go on and go with my banter. But lets go ahead with the entries. I am going to make 3 posts, all categorized to the best of my knowledge in the hope that when somebody gets a craving to make a burfi, they can easily land on spot!

I am sorry about the huge gap below each collage, I am not able to figure out the error right now. I think burning the midnight lamp is not good on the gray cells! Please scroll down well to check out each of the collages!

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Lets get to be overdosed with sweets!

When I announced Mithai, I didn't want to restrict to just few by saying no to cakes. Imagine missing these lovely creations!

Vegan baked goodies comes from Sadhana & Muskaan!

Anudivya is known for her vegan baking too and this creation makes it no less! No wonder she has a huge followers!

Archy was thrilled at how quickly one can make and eat a Vanilla Cake of course from a Microwave!

Asha makes a tradition State Fair Funnel Cake, which am sure marks any event!

Is it called Pound cake because its measured in pounds? I am not sure lets ask Lavanya about it.

One of the two breads that made their way to the mela is Padma Srinivasagam's Egyptian Palace Bread. Did the royal Egyptians make this and enjoyed?

Pooja S send one brownie that is cashew filled coated with honey and a much simpler Vanilla Butter Cake

When you are running short of ideas for cupcakes, be sure to check out Priya Suresh. For sure she has one too many to offer! From simple vanilla cupcake to complex Eggless creations, she has all of it!

Then comes an Almond Cake from Ramya Vijaykumar.

Let me take a breath before going further. Baking is Sapthanaa favorite I guess. That proves with the different cakes she has created! You can click on any of her pictures to land on the cake!

Next from Simran comes four different delicious treats. Be it a Cheesecake or Tarts that you are looking for, she has them all. And if you are playful or lacking any moulds to your cookies simply use your thumb and cut out lovely cookies!

Finally another cookie from Yasmeen, this time its called Mamoul cookies!

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Then we move on to drool over some awesome sweets called as the Burfis or Barfis. Well most times I think atleast I end up calling a dish Barfi when it failed to hold itself as halwas!!!..:)

Anyway I don't think these lovely ladies agree to my point, after all each of them look so lovely to be made to be created as a Burfi!

First on the list comes from Sadhana and Muskasan, a healthy barfi made with Wheat. Well I took a while to read the name, but then I knew it must have tasted awesome.

Then comes Andhra Kitchen's Sooji Sweet. This is made with Sooji of course the name says so right!

If you are intent on making a cake, though a desi one, then Anu's Kadalai maavu cake is for you!

This lady sure makes her picture most delicious, and this Besan-Coconut Burfi is no less!

For a moment there, I wasn't sure if I should admire those flowers or the tempting Mysore pak! Kidding obviously the mysore pak, for its no mean work!

Carrot anyway is good, and Nivedita packs it all in a barfi.

I always end up being confused on how to term a fudge, well now you know that I have done it under barfi Ramya Vijaykumars lovely Almond Fudge does shy away being called one!

Dieting is good and being away is even better. But I am surprised Renuka thought how Cashew barfi was any less rich by not making it with ghee! They look so sinful right!

With one not being enough we have another dose of Cashew barfi from Sanghi, now you have double the choice.

I know two is more interesting, that's why when I saw Sowjanya sending in Mysore Pak, I was so happy. Look at the honey comb look!

For Sra being disappointed by a Dil Ke Tukde, she ends up singing a different song by making these delicious burfis. From a person who doesn't store sugar, this was simply too good!

And finally this tasty Coconut Barfi is a recreation of what my mom does!

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Then we move to something that surely makes everybody go gaga over. I am talking about the chocolates! This is said to be one food that can lighten even the most worse mood swings! Lets see how each one does...

This nutty chocolate cookies from Divya is sure to be made on list!

This beautiful Molleux au chocolatis from Happy Cook, am sure her daughter was very happy enjoying this chocolate treat!

Ivy makes lovely cakes, and this Chocolate and Ginger Cakesure stands proof for it!

Malini Basu sends in two delicious treats, one pudding which is steamed and another lovely fudge cake.

I am sure these Brownies sent by Prathibha were those melt in your mouth types.

These lovely stuffed Homemade Chocolates comes from Priya where she gives a feast of many sorts!

Now I would again need to take a deep breath before rushing into the varieties of cakes that Sapthanaa made with chocolates too!

I was so delighted getting an entry from Sreelu. She said she was happy in finally sending something, and I am only glad that these Easy Breezy Chocolate dunked strawberries could make it!

Another Choco Cashew Cookies in treat are from Srilakshmi.

While I may have to ask you not to be surprised at the inviting Truffles from Sudha.

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Frozen treats are always so delightful! and these bunch of bloggers have ensured they keep you on your toes..

When Mangoes are in season, its sure a great way to indulge and Sadhana & Muskaan says they freeze them!

Another mango treat comes from Jyoti in form of a Kulfi

Malini Basu makes sure you ask for more with her lovely Caramel Pudding

I don't think I have tasted Raspberry but this combined with mango as an icecream sure makes me want to grab at Maya's entry!

Priya sends in a feast with her Kulfi

When so many Kulfis made their way, I wasn't surprised by Priya Suresh's inviting one!

Until Ramya send in her entry, I never realized you make a kulfi will be great with mangoes too, you see I always eat them as such!

And Kulfis come in different shapes too! Samahita send it in a pot!

Then we have Sapthanaa sending in some lovely ice creams. Let me count, there are about 6 of them, all so many different flavours!

Finally from Usha, this lovely Strawberry Pistachio Pudding. The picture is enough to tempt anyone!

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Finally we come to the sweet drinks. This being such a hot season in Madras, I am sure I am going to try all these listed here!

From the a2z vegetarian cuisine comes a Super duper Healthy Falooda,

This Rose milk with Vermicelli from Chaitra is so very pretty as the rose!

EC becomes very innovative with her Kulfi Falooda

And another Falooda comes from Kavya Naimish. All these faloodas sure makes me crave for one!

When I saw these cute Carrot Phirni picture from Madhumathi, I was drooling over it, am sure you will too!

PJ always does it different and so is her entry which is Japanese green tea sorbet!

Then we have some delightful entries from Priya Suresh all ranging from Lassis to Lemonade to Milkshakes! Wow the energy this lady shows is awesome, hats off to her culinary expertise! You can check out her pictures by clicking on the pictures!

And finally some from me, few Milkshakes and icy drinks!

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Will be back next week with the rest of the entries. Hopefully I will be able to complete them on time..:)

Since this is the first time I am doing this way, there might be some errors, please let me know if you find them. And you still got to check out 200+ entries, so hang in there!

Have a great weekend!

Jackfruit Seeds n Potato Kurma!

2009-06-02T12:15:00.001+05:30

Its not everyday you feel its special or remarkable in someway. Today is Amma's birthday and the school reopened for Konda. She is going to the fourth std. Its like I can still remember my first day at school on going to the fourth. Its also remarkable in a way that I am writing this without sleep for the last 24 hrs. Hubby dear has not been keeping well and Peddu got the viral infection now. He didn't sleep a wink the entire night. And I had to complete the cooking as Konda had to take her lunch before getting to office.

We shudder thinking of how even more hectic things are going to be. Though I couldn't find time to go hug Amma as I love doing, she came to see me before I could leave. She made her customary Gulab Jamun and Bellam annam. Wow, those are things from my childhood too. For all birthdays she makes sure Gulab Jamuns gets done. Its surprising that I have never done it myself. Maybe one of these days, I should. With the taste of the dusky jamuns and delicious bellam annam, I flew to office, yeah on my bike!

Today's post is going to be about my favorite nut, the Jackfruit nut. I used to simply love these during my childhood. Summers were spent chopping off big fruits and distributing to friends. Every year, we used to get about 3 or 4 big jackfruits from Dad's friends and it was task to cut them and do the honours. Over the years, the job got designated to others, of course. But its like the feeling of never forgetting the smell that sneaks from the gunny bag that covers a ripe jackfruit, once a lover of it, always marked for like! I love everything made from it.

Now we hardly prefer handling the hassle of dealing a big fruit. So Hubby dear gets the packed fruits these days. I saved up the nut inside to make the crispies or made a gravy with it. Finally ended up making this gravy, though I remember Amma adding this to Sambar. The crunchy taste you get biting into the hard nut is not something you can express!

Before that I am sure you would want to check out these beautiful Jower appeys!

Ingredients Needed:

Jackfruit Seeds - 10
Potato - 1 medium
Onion - 1 medium
Tomatoes - 2 medium
Ginger garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
Clove, Cinnamon, Cardomon powder - 1/2 tsp
Chili powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil - 2 tsp
Dry Coconut powder - 2 tsp
Coriander leaves few

Method to prepare:

Wash and peel off the outer skin from the jack fruit seeds. Peel the potatoes. Pressure cook till they are soft but not mushy.

Heat a pan with oil. Saute the chopped onions till brown. Then add the ginger garlic paste.

Once the raw smell leaves, add the tomatoes with all the spice powders and salt. Simmer for 5 mins with covered lid.

Then add in the cooked potatoes and jack fruit seeds. Mix well. Add in the dry coconut powder, combine everything well and add 1 cup of water.

Bring to boil and add the coriander leaves. Simmer for 10 mins till you get a thick gravy.

We made it little thick as it was served with the rotis, you can make thinner also.

Quick Mango Relish in Microwave ~ For Mango Mela & MEC Essential Extras!

2009-05-31T22:48:00.003+05:30

I have this wonderful table calendar on my office desk which showcases yummy dishes. My colleagues thought I would love to have this on my desk. Well they weren't wrong. But each time I look at them, I feel excited and wonder when it will be my turn to have my pictures clicked liked that. The calendar started with south Indian Tiffin dishes to elaborate thali. Each one is really mouth watering ones. And each month I look forward to the next one and think it will be quite a while to see it, but lol, its already here. May was Meddu Vada and it looks like that dreamy one!

Coming to today's post, as usual, I was procrastinating till the end to think up of a quick dish for my Microwave Easy Cooking event, hosted by Rachel this month. She choose Essential extras. When I think of them, yeah I know its quite tough to complete a meal without these. They not only perk up a meal, one can't be without these lovely extras.

Though no concrete idea came up as an entry, I was planning on Saturday to be day I would make it. But work these couple of weeks, has been too hectic and we were working the Sundays too. I had to complete the quick breakfast, something for the lunch and left for the office. So breakfast was the only option left open and when I glanced around my kitchen, my eyes fell on the lovely green mangoes lying around. I immediately thought a quick relish with it would make a great combo for the Jower appey that were getting ready on the pan!

Having my target in mind, getting to the final dish took about 5 minutes overall! It was that quick. The recipe is so simple that it doesn't require much in terms of writing down a recipe. And the taste was too good. This not only was a great combo for the appey, am sure it will make a great side for the dal rice combo.

When I think more and more of cooking in microwave, I am amazed at how quickly we can make so many different dishes. Of course I make very less quantity which might last for couple of servings. Even then its a life saver alright.

Serves - 4 spoons

Ingredients Needed:

Raw Mango - 2 medium slices.
Red chili powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Turmeric powder a pinch
Roasted Cumin powder - 3/4 tsp
Oil - 1 tsp
Water - 2 tsp

Method to prepare:

Wash and grate the mango slices. Take a microwave bowl, add 1/2 tsp of oil, add the grated mango, chili powder, salt, cumin powder and turmeric. Micro it for 1 minute.

Stir with a spoon, add the remaining oil. Mix well and micro it again for 2 minutes. Add 2 tsp of water and micro for 1 minute.

You delicious Mango Relish is readdy!

I served it with Appeys made with Jower flour, a breakfast dish for Diabetics and the other accompanying side dish was also a quick Tomato Relish. Both these are going to be featured in the Spice your Life blog. Be sure to check it out!

Sending the Quick Mango Relish to Rachel, who is hosting the MEC Essential Extras!

And yes to my Mango Mela too!

Gobi Masala ~ Cauliflower in a rich gravy!

2009-05-28T22:45:00.003+05:30

We finally went for a cinema after many months. I was never a movie buff, but do enjoy the occasional movie. It makes a change from our routine life if not anything else! For that matter I am particular that I only watch comedy or at the most thrillers of a different kind. Life with kids is never short of thrilling experience, but then you do enjoy the chance of being the observer rather than being the subject right!

There was, of course a time when I used to watch the romantic movies, the types where the lady and the lover ran around the trees, trying to see who runs faster. The current day movies have become more explicit, not exactly what I can palate. One or two decade ago, there were vamps who clothed in scanty costumes and the heroines were always prim and proper. These days I can hardly make the difference! Not that we ever go for a movie as a family, as last couple of attempts made with Konda was disaster, we decided to go on our own. Naturally going with the twins is of no option at all! Chinnu hardly likes TV, most times he goes and switches it off when the rest are watching.

My second SIL who came down for a vacation with her kids, suggested a telugu movie Kick for us to watch and she also offered to babysit the kids. So it was chance we couldn't pass. The movie was downright hilarious and I was thinking its been ages since I had a hearty laugh. Though we are not short of laughter at home, comedy was missing though mostly its comedy of errors!

Amma knowing our plans, offered to make this yummy Gobi Masala and we came home for a great looking rich gravy. Of course hubby dear not used to any other sort of gobi dish was apprehensive until he had his first bite of the roti with the masala! Rest can be understood with the empty bowl!

Gobi Masala ~ Cauliflower in a rich gravy

Serves: 6- 8 ppl

Gobi - 800 gms (big one)
Ginger Garlic Green chillies - 1 tbsp
Chili powder - 1 tsp
Coriander - 1 tsp
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
Curds/ Yogurt - 1/2 cup
Tomatoes - 2 medium
Onions - 3 medium
Poppy Seeds + Cashews nut paste - 2 tbsp
Oil - 3/4 cup
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves for garnish

Method to prepare:

Wash and clean the cauliflower into florets. This can be done by soaking it in salted warm water with closed lid.

Heat a non stick thick bottom pan with oil. Add the finely chopped onions, fry well. Then add the ginger garlic green chili paste, sauté till its brown.

Add the chopped tomatoes along with all the spice powders and salt. Simmer and cook till the oil starts coming on sides. Add the curds little by little so that it blends well and also comes out as a thick creamy gravy.

Once all the curds is done, add the drained cauliflower and add to the pan. Mix well with the spices and cover with lid and let it simmer for 5 - 7 mins, till you feel the florets are blended with the masala.

Add 1/2 cup water and either put it for whistle, remove from stove and remove the whistle immediately or the cauliflower becomes too mashy.

In another pan cook the Poppy seeds and Cashew nut paste with 1/2 cup water and bring to boil. When it starts boiling, add the gobi to it and simmer for few minutes. Finally add in the chopped coriander leaves.

Goes great with Rotis.

Note: This dish is best done in a really thick bottom pan, so that it doesn't get burnt.

So coming back to the movies, which was the recent one you all watched? Of course most names I will have to google and check out.

I am already looking forward for the weekend, though I might end up working through them!

Announcing Mango Mela!

2009-05-25T22:16:00.007+05:30

I know I know, I am still getting entries for the Mithai Mela from bloggers who decided its better late than never! I can never say no to entries, after all there is something called life right, and life out of blogging does exist. So what you forgot to send in at the right time?

Before that, I wanted to share my excitement in getting featured in The Hindu. My recipe, another version of Andhra Chicken Roast, got published this weekend and I was all too trilled getting so many calls from friends who read about it. Some from friends who didn't know about my blogs existence, so it sure was an interesting thing to discuss with them.

Coming back to the Mela, I know its hideous to think of another event, while Mithai Mela is still not done. I am hoping to post the round up by the first week of June.

I want us to bask in the glory of season and that being the Mangoes it naturally calls in for a mela. I have not really thought if I would want to accept entries of non food types, but if you feel you can't cook anything with Mango but good at Art, well I am fine with that too.

I want us to really enjoy Mangoes in all forms!

Here’s how it works:

1. From now till July 10th 2009, cook any dish with Mango as the main ingredient and post on your blog with a link back to this announcement and use the logo.

2. Please make sure you rename the picture with your Name and the dish name. I would like it in this format please if its not a tough thing eg: "Blogger Name's Dish Name"

3. Entries sent to Mango Mela can be entered to other events.

4. If you are not able to make anything in time, you may send your entries from Archives, provided they are reposted as New!

5. Once done, you can send in your entries to cooking4allseasons@gmail.com with the following details

Sub: Mango Mela
Blogger name
Post URL
Recipe name
Picture

7. Non bloggers can send their entry with the recipe details and pic, if any to my email acct.

Expecting lot of mango mania!

Lunch Box Series : LBS#47 Avial ~ Melody of assorted Vegetables in a gravy!

2009-05-22T22:47:00.002+05:30

For everybody there must always be something that reminds them of their childhood likes and wants right. In my case, I end up thinking about them in every turn and twist. I sometimes wonder if it only me or with everybody? I hardly find such thoughts hovering over hubby dear's mind. I guess its more to do the gentle genes that we women posses or so I want to think!

Coming back to my original thought process, I was pondering over the fact that I ended up reminiscing lot more over my teenage days upon seeing a dish. That actually sounds weird to me at times. But then guess I got to live that. So when Amma made this Avial sometime back, it got me remembering those lovely Saturday lunches spent drooling over a feast. She used to ensure Saturdays were vegetarian specials and used to rotate my favorite dishes. I always cherish over how our parents made us feel so special to them, infact they still do. And I try very hard trying to make my children feel so too.

Well when Amma made this Avial, she also happened to tell Athamma that I used to love this. So you can imagine what happened next. Athamma kept some for me for the dinner and even at the late hour I got back, I saw a bowl sadly waiting for me, which I couldn't taste. So she was telling me that I should attempt at it another day. One thing led to another and you find me discussing it here today! With great hopes I planned for a lunch to be paired with Pappu Chaaru, as this was the combo I used to love. It got to be either Sambar or a thinner version. I remember the most South Indian wedding feast is incomplete without this avial.

So I was only too happy recording the way Amma makes at home!

Before that, I just wanted to mention that I finally came about to have an About me page! its nearly 2 years overdue!.:)

And yes I also ended up on a random musing too. I would love to hear your thoughts on my Spice your life post too!

Today's Lunch Box had

Pappu Charu
Avial
Rasam with rice
Curd with Rice

Avial

Preparation Time : 10 mins
Cooking Time : 10 - 15 mins
Cuisine: Kerala
Serves : 3-4 medium servings

Ingredients Needed:

Vegetables to be cut in the same size.
Yam, Arbi (Colacasia), Ash Gourd/White pumpkin (Budida gummadikaya), Carrot, French Beans, Cluster Beans, Black eyed Peas (Karamani), Potato, Raw plantain - 50 gms
Drumstick - 1

Thick Curds/ Yogurt - 1/2 cup
Cooking Oil - 2 tsp
Curry leaves few

Grind the following to a smooth paste:

Coconut - 1/2
Cumin seeds- 1 tsp
Green chilli - 4 nos

Method to prepare:

Prep the vegetables and cut them into equal size. If you are using pressure cooker, add salt and water enough to cover the vegetables and put it on high flame, you should switch the flame when the first whistle is about to go. This way the vegetables are half done. Drumstick can be added in the end, so that the shape is retained.

Remove the cooker lid and bring to boil, when it starts boiling, add the coconut paste. Mix well and bring to boil again.

At this stage, add the thick curds and stir well.

In another pan, heat the oil and temper with curry leaves. Pour this hot oil into the boiling pan. It should be done within 2 minutes.

Note: When using coconut oil, it can be added without heating.

Authentic recipe calls for coconut oil, but for those who don't like it can use regular cooking oil

Update on the Mithai Mela:

Thank you everybody for the overwhelming response! I am still trying to wade the sweet assault, will try to do the round up by June 1st, please bear with me.

Have a great weekend!

Prawn Drumstick Curry!

2009-05-18T22:02:00.006+05:30

Getting back to regular work is quite tough, even after just two days break. It was nothing but lounging on beach and running around the kids for us. Yeah, even after deciding never to venture out for a trip with the kids, we did it again. Went for a weekend trip to Pondy and really had a fun time, which of course included yelling at the boys for not eating anything the whole two days, getting wild because the kids wouldn't just get off the beach. The boys lived only on chocolates, biscuits and fruit juices. Really is that all enough to sustain the energy levels they show! I was very upset and worried. They eat food only on our return home.

On returning home, Peddu kept on crying that he wants to go back to the beach. Well we promised another trip if they ate something! For which both the boys nodded their heads seriously! As if we would risk going again. I have updated my personal blog with some pictures. Just sharing the lunch pictures that I took. We had ordered Pulkas, Veg Biryani with Paneer Makhani. While we ate these for lunch, Peddu ate the Onion raitha while Chinnu ate the roasted peanuts.

I am going to share a curry made with Prawns and Drumstick that Amma made for us the day before we left for the trip. This is something she tried for the first time as we normally never cook with tamarind and normally never mix a vegetable with a non veg.

Prawn Drumstick Curry

Prawns - 500 gms
Drumstick - 1 long
Onions - 2 medium
Ginger Garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
Tomatoes - 1 medium
Tamarind - 1 medium lemon size.
Chili powder - 1 & 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves few
Salt to taste
Oil - 1 - 2 tsp

Method to Prepare:

Clean the prawns and let it drain. Soak the tamarind and extract the pulp.

Get all the prep work done and then heat a pan with oil.

Once the oil is hot, temper with curry leaves and mustard seeds. The add chopped onions. fry till it starts sweating. Then add ginger garlic paste. Fry till it becomes brown.

Add chopped tomatoes, fry well till it starts getting soft. Add the salt, turmeric chili and coriander powder. Simmer for 5 mints

Then add the drumstick and cover with lid. After 5 minutes, remove and add the prawns. Fry for 2 mints. Add the tamarind water. Cook for 2 minutes. Then add 1 cup of water and bring to boil.

When the water starts boiling, simmer and cover with lid, cook for 10 mins.

Since processed prawns are used, it doesn't require much cooking time.

Serve with Rice, Poori or Roti.

Note: Make sure its not too tangy but right enough by mixing tomatoes and tamarind pulp.

Lunch Box Series : LBS#46 Urulai Puli Curry, Lemon Rice

2009-05-13T09:27:00.003+05:30

We came back from a trip and I found myself behind my schedules! And on top we had to go exercise our franchise. Not one single worth person to choose but still didn't want it to go waste or be used by someone else.

We had an Artist Weekend at office where all employees were asked to exhibit their artistic talents. And what each of them came out was really amazing. Never knew I was working amidst such a talent lot! Have uploaded few of the most voted works by everybody. I knew I was going to recreate my own painting which I am doing after a decade. All these are framed and adorning our walls!

While I was doing this, I was also thinking of starting something on the lines of the pictures of what I have put up in my Spice Your Life blog about kids! These are some Random pictures but worth so much when you go through them later. More on that will be featured in that blog.

Coming to the post for the day, this is a very simple traditional Tamilian combo for lunch that we make so often. But for a change I made the potatoes in tamarind juice. This is different from this Potato with tamarind. And this Lemon Rice is the way Amma makes. The other lemon rice is how my Athamma makes. I always feel Lemon rice is so simple that it doesn't require a recipe. I was proved wrong when couple of friends expressed that they don't know how to make it!

Today's Lunch Box had

Lemon Rice
Urulai Puli Curry
Rasam with Rice
Curd Rice

Uruli Puli Curry

Ingredients Needed:

Potatoes - 250 gms
Onion - 1 big
Tamarind - small lemon size
Salt to taste
Chili powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder a pinch
Oil - 2 tsp

Seasonings
Curry leaves
Mustard + Urad dal - 1/2
Green Chillies

Method to prepare:

Wash and soak the tamarind in water. Once it is soft extract the pulp. The extract should be thick.

Peel the potatoes and chop into chunks. Make a marinade of tamarind, chili powder, coriander powder, salt and turmeric. Keep it aside for 10 minutes. Then pressure cook till the potatoes are soft.

Heat a pan with oil. Add the seasoning. Once they splutter, then add the onion juliennes along with the green chilies and sauté well till the onions are brown. Then stir in the cooked potatoes along with the masala. Mix well. Cook on high for 2 mins. Simmer for 5 - 10 mins till the curry is thick.

This can be made dry also by roasting it well, but little gravy makes a great combo with Lemon Rice.

Lemon Rice!

Ingredients needed:

Cooked Rice - 1 cup
Lemon - 1 medium
Green Chillies - 4
Turmeric a pinch
Oil- 1 tbsp
Salt to taste

For Seasoning

Bengal Gram - 1 tbsp
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad Dal - 1/2 tsp
Ground Nuts - Hand full
Cashew Nuts - 5 - 10
Green Chillies - 1 slit
Curry Leaves a few

Method to prepare:

Soak rice for 10 mins and pressure cook the rice with 2 cups of water. Once the rice is done, transfer to a bowl and let it cool. Sprinkle about 1/2 tsp of oil over the rice to make the grains separate.

Extract the juice from the lemon.

Heat oil in pan, add all seasoning items, fry till they are light brown in colour. Add the Lemon juice and Turmeric. Add salt and cook till the raw smell leaves.

When done, add the masala over the rice and mix well. Adjust the sourness according to your taste.

Serve with Urulai Puli and enjoy!

Tomato Archaar ~ Tomato Dip!

2009-05-08T22:19:00.002+05:30

I guess its been our fondest dream to have a decent family dinner with the kids along. We have never seen it happen, as most times either of us or both, will be chasing the kids around the restaurant or whatever place we happen to be. It was the same with Konda when she was this age, now its with the boys. Only we have grown older! Dad always used to challenge Konda to sit still for a minute, but after seeing the boys, he has reduced the span for a second or even less. They hardly understand what he says. They have that innocent look which says they hardly can do such devious things!

Hubby dear finally decided that we would risk the chance and take them to a restaurant, hoping they would sit quite in a new environment. Remember the last time we said we took them and to our surprise, the kids were so well behaved. Well it lasted just that day, the next couple of times we took them out, it was a complete disaster. Every other minute there was a catastrophe dooming over us. We hardly remembered what we eat, what was concluded was that, to never venture out again. But then you tend to go soft right. Especially when they look so innocent and downright harmless, it just melts hubby dear's heart. And this happens with hubby dear very often. Every other chance, he again hopes that the kids will atleast be manageable, if not actually be sitting in one place.

This time it was even worse, even before we started, they were so excited that we were going out and they were yelling out loud. If you are familiar with 2+ year old boys, you will know what I am saying! Anyone seeing this would think we never take them out! From the moment we got seated, one fellow ran over the sofa, while other ran over the floor. I finally decided, in between my morsels, its not worth admiring the yummy dal or the Paneer pasanda on the menu. What would happen if Chinnu gets down the entire laid out table with those delicate glass cookeries! I was imagining the worse, but with these darling devils, anything is possible. When they saw me coming, one ran in one direction, while one took the other way.

Since the other family members were still eating their dinner, I was left with myself to decide which way to run. Finally I caught one fellow and ran with him to catch the other devil on the prowl! On top of this, Peddu caught the fancy of an adorable one year old girl. She was so cute, with pinkish chubby cheeks, Peddu won't get away from her. He went on pinching her cheeks and saying so cute, so cute Amma. I told him sternly that he can stop lineaddichifying (as in tamil), I have better things to attend to. Like checking out what Chinnu was up too. Remember I was imagining he will pull the table down!

Pull he did, but luckily there was only one glass over the table and in seconds, we heard the glass breaking to million pieces and looks of shocked expression all around us. I grabbed both of them close, lest they step on a piece. After that it was a hurried show back home. Thus ended another of our adventure!

Coming to this Tomato Archaar that I prepared as the dip for the Momos, its a lovely combo of garlic and tomatoes. When I was going through the many recipes that I was referring, finally conjured this concoction combing ideas from all of them. Not sure if authentically this is how its made, but its one awesome dip for any snack. Off late, dips seems to have caught my fancy!

Tomato Dip ~ Archaar

Ripe Tomatoes - 2 big
Garlic flakes - 10 medium
Red chili long - 5 -7
Salt to taste

For Seasoning

Cumin Seeds
Oil - 1 -2 tsp

Method to prepare:

Boil the red chilies in 1 cup of water in sim. Remove after 5 -6 mins

Chop the tomatoes into chucks. Keep aside a quarter of the chopped tomatoes

Peel and dice the garlic.

When the red chillies are cooled, run it first in a mixie till you get a coarse or even a semi powder. Then take half of the garlic along with 3/4 tomatoes, grind it to a smooth paste.

Heat a pan with oil, temper with cumin seeds, then add the remaining chopped garlic. Fry well.

Then finally add the chunks, and simmer till the tomatoes are soft, then add the ground tomatoes. Cook well after seasoning with salt.

Cook till you get a good thick sauce. This can be served with Momos, and guess about chips or rotis etc!

This can be easily made in advance and stored in fridge!

Since this dip took me not more than 10 mins to get done, sending this to Mahimaa's 15 minute cooking event!

Momos, Fried Momos and a Birthday Bash!

2009-05-04T23:09:00.009+05:30

Today is very special to us as its Konda's Birthday! The birthday baby was all excited and couldn't sleep much and got up early too. She turns 8 today, and dislikes being called a baby and carries herself very mature. I was really sad when I realized she didn't ask for a treat to her school friends as she does every year. It is so hard to accept our kids being all grown up! I remember a time when I used to bake for such occasions and hope sometime in future I get back to it!

Though her cousins had planned to be staying here till her birthday they left rather early due to other reasons. So plans were very much restricted with the family. The boys were all so sweet in wishing their sister birthday greetings. And infact wanted a similar dress as hers! The boys are somehow fond of Konda's dresses. I guess they are so bored with their routine dress patterns. Amma always made my birthdays very special and used to make Gulab Jamun, which was my favorite growing up. Guess its been ages since I had one. It was pretty late when we went to bed, discussing with Konda on her plans. I was insisting her tell me what she wants as in some sweet. She never being a person to eat anything in excess, was perplexed to choose something. She finally narrowed it to Payasam, with a judgmental point to be made as how her Ammamma makes. Well that's a tough yardstick for me to be measured. Still I tried and I carried some for my colleagues who licked the last bit off the bowl. I was satisfied that it must've been good.

We had a great time but most times yes, of course it was tough managing all the kids around. I made PBM and Parotta as its Konda's favorite and the party went way down late.

Coming to the Momos, these I prepared yesterday. Ever since I knew about the Momos, they have been on my list to make. Finally hubby dear forced me to get down to business, by forwarding few links for me to refer. I finally came up with my own version of the stuffing after reading on them. Not sure if this is the traditional stuffing, but I ensured I followed what was common among all links. Though I simply loved the pictures, I was told that the wrappers were hard!

I made with Mutton Keema with home made wrappers made with All purpose flour. When I got down making the moulds, I remembered Gudumulu, but that's with Rice flour and this is wheat. Dad said he had only eaten Veg Momos and the outer wrappers were extremely soft and thin. Hubby dear said the same. So I fried some to get the fried Momos, which I guess were little better.

So I need advice from the Momos experts on getting the correct wrapper, I am sure going to make it again!

I made Momos with Mutton Keema stuffing, and Tomato Achaar as the dip!

Momos with Mutton Keema!

For the wrapper:

All purpose flour - 1 & 3/4 cup (makes about 9 medium sized momos)
Salt to taste
Water to kneading

For the stuffing:

Mutton Keema - 250 gms
Onions - 1 medium
Green Chillies - 4 long
Tomatoes - 1 medium
Ginger - 4 -5 flakes
Garlic - 3"
Fresh Coriander leaves chopped handful
Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
Chili powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric a pinch
Coarse pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 1 -2 tsp
Salt to taste

Method to prepare:

For the Momos:

Take the flour and mix with salt and enough water to get a pliable dough. Let it rest for an hour, with covered muslin cloth.

Before making the dumplings, knead again. divide into equal balls.

For the stuffing.

Wash and let the keema drain.

Heat a pan with oil. Add cumin seeds, then sauté in finely chopped ginger and garlic. I used grated ginger and garlic. Sauté well.

Then add finely chopped onions, along with green chilies, coriander leaves.Fry well till the onions start sweating. Add the chopped tomatoes along with all the spice powders except pepper. Simmer for 5 mins, till the tomatoes turn soft.

Add the drained keema, combine everything well. Simmer for 10 mins, for the meat to get cooked. When the meat is done, sprinkle the pepper and mix again.

Allow it to cool down before you start making the Momos.

For the Momos:

Dust the rolling board, take one ball, roll out a circle of 5" diameter or you can flatten in your palm as how you will make your stuffed parathas. Only difference being you don't flatten them. Observe the pattern in most Momos, you can stick to opposite layer as in pleats once you have the stuffing within.

Place the stuffing in the center and cover together. Place the Momos in a vessel and steam for 10 - 15 minutes or till done. I used my Idli vessel, guess it will work out well.
Fried Momos:

Once the Momos are steamed, you can deep fry them in oil and you have another tasty dish on hand.

These are normally served with Tomato Achaar or dip.

Will post the Achaar later. I hope to get enlighten on the making soft Momos, so let me know!

Almond Milk Cake ~ Badam Halwa in Microwave!

2009-04-30T22:00:00.001+05:30

I took a day off as the boys were due for their vaccine shot. We expected them to throw lot of tantrums and also chances of running a temperature. Luckily none of this happened except Peddu being very cranky. Now that's nothing new, these days he has got into the habit of wanting a ride the bike very often. They were happy knowing that they were due for a car ride. Poor darlings, they were crying the moment we got into the room. My first sister in laws and her daughters were at home for a week and the kids had a great time with their cousins.

I thought I should plan the menu but somehow managed on the fly! One thing I did remember to make is their favorite Rava Kesari and the impending Microwave event forced me to make this too. This wasn't a last minute dish but last minute preparation! This month my lovely event is guest hosted by dear friend Mythreyee and the moment she choose Nuts, I knew I had to make this. This has been on my mind for so long and finally I came around making it.

The whole day the kids had a field day playing around and I got around this only after they took an afternoon nap. Knowing the richness of the dish, I just wanted to make with a cup and not more than that.

The nutty feeling you get when you chew it is simply awesome. Infact to make it smooth, I soaked it in hot water for more than an hour or rather things worked out that way. I really don't think you got to soak it for so long.

Ingredients Needed:

Badam / Almond - 1 cup
Sugar - 1 - 1&1/2 cup
Milk - 1 cup 1 tbsp
Roasted Nuts for garnish.
Ghee - 2 tsp
Saffron threads - 4- 5 + Milk 2 tbsp
Hot water for blanching almonds

Method to prepare:

Micro 1 cup of water for 1 min. Soak almonds in it for 10 mins. Peel off the skin. Heat the milk for saffron for 1/2 min.

First run the almonds in the mixie, when you get the coarse powder, remove a tsp and grind the rest with milk to a smooth paste.

In a microwave safe bowl, heat the ghee and roast the nuts for 1 min on micro. Remove the nuts and transfer the almond paste, milk along with the soaked saffron and sugar to the same bowl. Add the coarse almond power to the same bowl

Micro for 10 mins, check in intervals of 2 - 4 minutes and keep stirring. You will get a good thick consistency which is more of a barfi and between a halwa.

Finally mix in the roasted nuts.

I liked the taste the coarse powder gave to the entire texture. And it was very creamy.

Sending a bowl to Mythreyee for Microwave Easy Cooking event themed on Nuts!

Lunch Box Series : LBS#45 the tale of the beerakaya continues!

2009-04-29T15:20:00.006+05:30

I am sure you must be eager to know how the tale continues. For those of you who are clueless on the story, please read the tale of the Beerakaya Kura. The second of the two beerakai, found itself taking the form of a pappu! I do think people from Andhra are fond of their pappu. Anything you give them they can make a pappu out of it. And this Beerakaya pappu is the most favorite of Amma. She says she can never get it as good as how her mom makes. I think I can never get most dishes as how Amma makes. I conclude that all Mom's cooking is unparallel. Having said that, I ardently hope my kids feel the same about my cooking too down the lane!

Coming back to the tale, Amma always tells her mom's Beerakaya pappu was the ultimate dish she loved. It was so thick that even a slash with knife would be hard to cut it neat and was so delicious. They were a family of 10, yet the dal was never runny. It will have that thick consistency of Kaati Pappu types. All you need is just this dal with steaming rice, you sure will have a ticket to heaven! Of course, I might serve this with a dash of Avakaya. Still I knew and could understand her sentiments. I always loved her dal. Its not your spicy dal mind you. But not very bland too, just right enough to elevate your taste buds. This not being a seasonal veggie, you get it round the year or so I think, as Amma used to make this quite often. She never had anybody complain on being served this.

Then entered the prodigious son-in-law, for whom 2 tsp of fiery chili powder or bright green chilies are not really spicy enough. So this not so bland dal, was a sore experience! Thus came the end of this favorite dal at home, never to be made so often, reserved for certain days during his absence. Many years passed, months ran away, when one fine morning I received a call from Amma. They were then in the city of joy and found their joy too. The flowing Ganges, the cool breeze, added to their excitement came this discovery that sublime dishes got elevated to a different level in that place. I could hear the excitement in Amma's tone when she said it almost felt like a memory from her childhood, thinking of the way it tasted as how her Mom makes. I was so happy hearing it.

Forward a couple of years ahead, and you find me with two beerakaya on hand. Not knowing what else I should contrive on it. I was itching to make that beerakaya pappu and so gingerly asked hubby dear if I can. He sure showed surprised that I should still remember that, but years have bowled it soft and he pleaded that I should make it a bit more spicy for it to be palatable!

So this found its way to our lunch box today and I was chicken enough not to ask him how it tasted. But I knew it must have been good as hubby dear was obliging enough to click these pictures as I had to leave in a hurry for the office!

Today's Lunch Box had

Beerakaya Pappu
Plain Rice
Rasam
Vadiyalu

Beerakaya Pappu ~ Ridge Gourd Dal!

Beerakaya / Ridge Gourd - 1 medium
Toor Dal - 150 gms
Tomatoes - 1 big
Green Chillies - 5 -6 long
Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
Dried Tamarind - 1"
Water, enough to pressure cook.
Turmeric powder a pinch
Salt to taste

For tempering:

Onion - 50 gms
Oil - 1 - 2 tsp
Curry leaves
Red chilies - 2
Chopped garlic - 1- 2

Method to Prepare:

Grate the outer skin of the Ridge Gourd and chop into small pieces.

Wash the dal well and take it in a pressure cooker along with chopped tomatoes, green chilies, tamarind pulp, turmeric powder, add enough water and pressure cook till the dal is tender.

Once the pressure is off, heat a pan with oil, temper with the seasoning ingredients and pour the dal into the pan and bring to boil. Cook till you get the required consistency!

Serve with Rice or Roti!

For all I have spoken about this dal, I hope you try this out and enjoy!

Tale of two Beerakaya ~ One being the Beerakaya Kura or Ridge gourd curry!

2009-04-27T22:02:00.004+05:30

It all started with hubby dear coming home with two long Ridge gourd! Now what would one do at that point you tell. Ok you may not know the background story right. Its the same old complaint that its the same old veggies at the market and nothing new to create a new dish. Rather we end up buying the same old veggies. Well hearing such complaints just before leaving, am sure offsets anybody. And hubby dear is no different, I tell you. He got fed with us complaining that he never gets anything different apart from the radiant carrots or the lean mean bean or the stout cabbages or the plum tomatoes or the pungent onions. I guess that's about makes it a whole lot right.

Anyway on this occasion, he said he will come with something different. And different it was, cos Ridge gourd is not something that I cook often. More so after he started complaining that I make it so bland. Am sure my hubby dears penchant for spicy food is well known by now. So lest I overlook at that aspect, he reminds me quite often that my Beerakaya Pappu is not what he calls his cup of dish in this case! Actually that's the second tale, infact.

Let me first tell the first one please. When we realized that hubby dear cannot digest pappu, we decided its going to be the kura! You know right, Kura gets beautified with ginger garlic paste and other assorts of spices, not to mention you either have the option of highlighting it with coconut pate or ground nut powder. True to my genes, I prefer groundnut powder anyways. It was quite surprising that this kura went into oblivion after a while. We completely stopped cooking this at home, all maybe because hubby dear had no love more hate relationship with this vegetable.

Now he finally comes home with not one but two of them. That for sure is an overdose I tell you. I have not one, but two different ways to cook those delicate darlings. Surprise surprise, both were not featured here. Is that God sent or what! So you get to see or read the first tale, second one follows a while!

Ingredients Needed:

Ridge Gourd / Beerakaya - 1 medium
Onions - 1/2 medium
Tomatoes - 1 medium
Chili powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder a pinch
Roasted Groundnut powder -1 - 2 tsp

For tempering:

Curry leaves + mustard seeds, urad dal
Oil - 1 tsp
Salt to taste

Method to prepare:

Grate the outer skin of the vegetable. The outer skin can be made into a Beerakaya pachadi

Wash and then Chop into 1' pieces.

Heat a pan with oil, add the mustard, urad dal and curry leaves. fry for 1 min.

Then add the chopped onions, sauté, then add the tomatoes along with spice powders and salt. Fry till tomatoes are little mushy.

Add the chopped ridge gourd, fry well. Add required water. Cover with lid covered and simmer for 10 - 15 mins. The ridge gourd gets cooked easily enough.

Check in between. Once done, remove lid and add the groundnut powder and bring to boil. You can remove when it reaches a thick consistency enough to be served with chapatis.

This goes well with rice too. I blogged the pachadi a year back and getting back to post this kura only now!

Enjoy this and hope you will be back to hear the tale of the two Ridge Gourd! Till then have a great week ahead.

Monthly Mingle Round up!

2009-04-25T11:38:00.016+05:30

Its really strange how our minds work! I am so used to a particular dates for my events that I completely forgot that I am yet to do the round up of the wonderful Monthly Mingle this time featured on my favorite topic Kids Lunches. Thank you Meeta for giving me this opportunity for a wonderful mingle, we have quite a feast to choose from!

We have a wide range of dishes to select to satisfy that most important person in our life! Our Kids! And what a varieties, I was simply so satisfied to see the different entry dropping in each day. I have bookmarked almost all of them, so I expect you too.

When I thought Kids lunches, I didn't really restrict to just lunches, but more of what you can make your kid to eat in terms of carrying a packed meal. But it could include snacks and other items too.
I was happy that the participant not only thought out of box but came up with some good choice to whip up when the kids get bored with the same dishes.

So lets proceed with the entries and feast ourselves!

Putting the entries into some category always makes it easy to appreciate. So that's what I have done.

Thanks all participants for sending in their lovely entries. I have ensured I have not missed any entry, but my apologies if something got missed. Do drop a line, will amend it right away!

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Lets get on to check out, First on the go comes two lovely sets of full lunch boxes.

Bhawana has outdone herself by giving us a menu that can cater to all three meals of a kiddo's day. And the items she has lined makes me want to reach out, am sure many kids would love to have these made for them too!
Next comes Jaya with some wonderful ideas to pack for a toddler's lunch. Homemade always make these snacks great and when the kiddos love them, no question about it. And we also get to peek into some fantastic lunch boxes!

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Then on the go are some yummy snacks, which I am sure no kid will say no!

When you are running out of ideas on what to make for your kids, am sure you would love to know about this delicious dip that Anjali made with curd s and herbs. This makes a great stuffing for sandwiches that you can pack your little ones for lunch!

Then we have one of the jugalbandit reminisce on her baby days. She says when she was a baby, she could've been easily fooled by her mom to eat these delicious Horse Gram Cocktail Fritters, if she was told they were “beef croquettes”. I really wonder why, they look so yummy as such! Hop on to read another interesting account of Bee's journey towards being a better kid!

Next entry is from the creator of this beautiful event Meeta. Her pictures are always breathtaking, and she gives another ace with this bowl of fish fingers coated with cornflakes to be accompanied with Veggie chips. Let alone her son, her picture tempts me to grab some right off the screen!

Then we have Nithyasri making some interesting cones /a>that would serve as a great snack for the kids. Its not only interesting but healthy too as she makes it with sprouts.

Finally we have Parita coming with some Sweet Corn Frankie, which are simple to just pack and go for a picnic! Am sure kids would love to bite in these delicious frankies! And she talks about chaat chaat, well guess everybody's mind is only of chat!

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Next we have some cool side dishes that make a great combo with either rice or bread, and most important Kid friendly!

First on the list is a cool and delicious curry from Aquadaze! Though Aquadaze is crazy about eggs, it didn't get rub off her lil one. And she doesn't eat it if its not made as this yummy looking Egg Curry. with Milk and cornflour, it sure is a different one to try!

Next we have Arch sending in a full lunch menu that she made for her lil one. Having a no fussy kid is a God's gift to mother and I am sure many will be J hearing Arch praise her adorable 3 year old, who would want Roti subzi instead of chips and burgers. So she prepares a spread that includes Palakwali Moong Dal, Paneer Burjee and Carrot Raita. Now that's a lunch I won't mind having too!

Bhagyashri brings in an amazingly simple potato stir fry that her daughter loved so much. She just couldn't believe this dish was so simple to make, yet made her go for a second and third serving when she had it in a restaurant!

Then we have Ekta trying her best to get veggies into her daughter's lunch. And she says Chana Dal with Laukiis the best way to get her daughter eat lauki. Not that she loves lauki, but she hardly finds it in the dal! Well it helps to have such clever cooking!

We then have Kayal bringing in two dishes for the mingle. Her Arai Keerai Kootu is sure an healthy one to get the kids eat. Its interesting to note that her kid loves this green leafy dish. Well if only all kids were like that, but anyways there is no harm in my trying this out I guess!

Another simple dish that her child loves is this Simple Veg Curry. She uses peas and cauliflower, which he ensures he eats from everybody! that's so cute...This curry is not only tasty but very simple to make.

Mansi comes up with this simple and easy Kadhai paneer that you can make in a jiffy to pack for your kid. Am sure this makes a great one for dinner too!

Then we have Priya talking about the most loved veggie of all, especially by the kids. She sends in a simple quick Potato dish that her niece and nephew love and it can be paired with chapati, stuff between a sandwich, the choice is yours entirely!

Sheetal shares her childhood favorite dish Gul-Amba, that her mom used to make for her. Now her child enjoys when given. She says this makes a great side dish for rotis and you won't want for anything else!

From an Andhra kitchen comes a Chili con Queso, a Mexican delight! Well our dear Uma is all set woo her kids with a protein filled plate that takes care of all the diet needs of the day!

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Next comes One pot meals which makes it all easy and of course the parathas!

Anjali shares this wonderful incident she had with her nephew and how she made him eat this delicious looking beet rice. She takes special care to make them arranged in a lovely mound that's easy for kids to scoop by themselves!

Next we have Meera sending in a wholesome packed meal with her Methi Mushroom Makai Pullao. Am sure this works out well on its own for lunch and you really don't have to worry about adding anything more!

Parathas are a great dish for lunch and am sure kids love them. I loved the fact that Parita made them look so colour with her Bell Pepper and Spring Onion Parathas!

If there is one thing I love, its chapatis. What's more if I get it colorful. But then I remember its for kids this time and say yes my kids would love to this lovely Rainbow Chapathi that Sujatha sends in!

Sweatha makes a wholesome lunch with Chickpeas and Vegetable in Rice. This mild rice makes it perfect for the kids and can be easily made. I am sure this helps when we run out of ideas!

Another interesting healthy one from Vibaas is the Tofu Parathas. Her kids loved it until they heard that the parathas were stuffed with tofu. Guess it helps to keep certain things secret!

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Now that we are done with rice and parathas, am sure you are looking forward to one plate servings that works out well with kids.

First on the list we have A&N, on the way to get their version of burgers patented by coming out with a burger version named AnBurgers. They say its not only healthy but makes it more interesting if we could get the kids do it along with us. Well if only they know! But anyways the looks of the burger is sure enough to tempt me try it out!

Then comes a redesigned idly taking a different form. Anu says when kids feel bored to eat the same old idly, change it to take a different look by making it as Upma. Imagine the surprise the kids will have opening their lunch box and peeping into a prepped up Idly!

Now Mac and cheese with Italian Sausage, sounds just the right one to interest any kid. And if it comes from Asha, it sure will be great. She says this is what her kids prefer on a weekday dinner, am sure it fills and sits well with any age group!

This Kid's lunch pack from Cham makes me want to carry one! She packs in Vegetable Noodle, with some fruit yogurt and juice. Now that I call a perfect one to feed a hungry kid!

EC comes up with a simple yet tasty version of Eggless masala toast, that can make a great snack for kids!

I know this being so common may not even come to mind, but looking at the beautiful picture sent by Food Fanatic, reminds that upma is yet another delicious option when you don't know what to feed your kid!

Mickey is for sure a kids friend and imagine a dosa in shape of Mickey! yes, Kalpana gets all innovative and makes a dosa in Mickey's shape and no wonder it was all vanished within minutes. And to accompany these are another interesting ones, the fruit kababs...

Prajusha makes this delicious and colourful looking Ribbon sandwich that will make a great lunch. The green chutney along with the other veggies, makes sure you have your fill of nature's best!

Rajee cooks up this wonderful looking Cracked Wheat with Tomato Upma, which warms up any cold day! I know it makes a good one to pack for your kid, and the things you can add to this are so many that you can never exhaust all!

Dosas I love, and Shubha makes it even more interesting by making in as Numbers! What a cool way to get your kids learn numbers. Her Dozza is another healthy way to make kids eat veggies!

Knowing how much my kids love this Puffed Rice uppma, I can say without doubt that this can be all kids favorite. And looking at sukanya's delicious plate, there leaves no doubt, am sure!

Reading Vibaas, I felt my head nodding, well I guess its most common scene that she was talking about. She says she has tough time getting the veggies taken by her kids and resorts to sneaky ways to get them done, am sure I will follow suit if they loved these Cheese Toast with Cauliflower and Peas!

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Baked Goodies!

First on the parade is one yummy looking bread from Bharti. Banana Bread or Banana Cake how different can it be. Well the pan makes the difference I see and so says Bharti too. She bakes these bread and serves for breakfast. Of course they make a great lunch box item too for kids and its healthy too!

Then we have Ivy remembering her childhood days and getting nostalgic about eating these aromatic Cypriot Cinnamon and Raisin Bread Rolls. I know they will any kid want for more. With the goodness of cinnamon and raisin, these buns make a great snacks to be packed!

For Miri, its a delicious discovery, finding this Instant Handvo that she was meaning to prepare for over a year. And making it instant made it also possible for her to pack these for her lil one! How sweet, I mean the fact that her lil one is enjoying the dish!

If you want to woo a kid, there is nothing better than a cake. Nags gets better by making these lovely Butterscotch Blondies for her young nephews. I am sure kids would love to pack these along to feast on them!

Soma makes her princesses eat these Cheese & Pasta Mini Cups by cleverly coming up with ways that she can sneak healthy stuff into cups. I am sure her kids enjoyed these treats!

Yasmeen packs in one yummy pockets. She had me drool for long with the choice she has, what with Mango jam and vegetable pockets that she makes for her kid. When you are in a rush, do read out her post to know how you can quickly get these done!

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Well we also can think of these delicious non veg dishes to give protein and other things for the kids, so check out some interesting entries!

Deeba can make your head spin with her delicious cakes and desserts and its no wonder that she can extend theme to these delicious looking Chicken Quesadillas, that her kids love. Looking at the wonderful plate that's so wholesome makes it more inviting!

I was really happy seeing Lisa's entry. Not only is this her first event entry, but first post too. And imagine dishing out such a delicious Risotto with shrimps and mushrooms, which her family enjoyed a lot!

Then we have Priya sending in couple of dishes that sure sound very interesting for a kid!. Trust her to come out with such a flavourful plate. Chicken Fried Rice with Pepper omelette is such a tempting combo that a kid will surely not say no!

Then she makes this super healthy combo meal for her kid that's not only interesting but is more on the lean mean side of the fat! French Beans n Baked Chicken Crisps are perfect for anytime!

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Cultures may be different, but I wonder at the similarity we at times have with such a different cuisine! This delicious sounding Quince Halvas Nistisimos are from Ivy and they are almost same as our yummy halwas and make a great treat to kids!

Joanne gets back to make a pizza in Greek Style and yeah its one tempting one! So its no wonder it got disappeared the moment it was made. The kid in me wants to grab a slice or two!

Supriya comes out with a beautiful looking Green Butterfly Pasta, which her daughter liked very much. I am sure it was more because of the green colour that the kid was attracted and the taste complemented the lot!

Varsha sends in some lovely Healthy Oats-Nuts bar, that can work out best when you are planning to pack some healthy snacks for the kids. Best part being it can be stored and served.

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Then we have Sree Vidya bringing in multiple choice for us to choose and each of them sound more interesting than the other. Am sure it would not be chore getting the kids eat these delicious Gobi Manchurian or the fancy Kathi roll.

Her Macaroni hot pot is something to get done in jiffy not to mention the Paneer bhurji that can save your day anytime.

But lets start it all with her Nutty n Creamy Veg Soup, it sure to make anybody crave for more. She adds in nuts along with veggies, which makes it a ideal wholesome food for kids! Even if you can't pack it regularly, am sure you will find a way to send this along if your kid gets to fancy this!

Or this yummy Coconut Milk Pulav, which am sure any kid will fancy. So that's a great idea to share with other mommies right. This pulao is mild and is quite easy to get the kids take this!

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Then we have Vidhas sending in some 9 different dishes to choose from.

Vidhas makes this nutritious pulao with broken wheat with the goodness of veggies included. Not only the kids love it, they can carry this for their lunch box!

This simple mexican rice from Vidhas is an ideal one to please a kid. Its mild, yet interesting and colourful to attract a lil one!

I guess most kids love paneer and making different dishes with it, makes things little easier for us. And Vidhas comes with her versions of bhrji and parathas which sure will get any kid finish off the plate!

Vidhas makes this poori masala which I know is everybody's favorite and esp kids, who can have this anytime of the day. So when you run ideas to make for the lil angels, think of this!

Check out her other interesting Shahi Vegetable Pulao, Roti and Rajma, Wheat Veg , Mamoos, Chickpea Paratha and Mushroom Rice

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Finally from me, Aloo Tamatar Sabzi with Kasturi Methi with Masala Rice

Hope you enjoyed the varieties!

Mutton Fry ~ Mutton Vepudu!

2009-04-21T22:27:00.002+05:30

We went out for burgers for dinner, with the hope that the kids would enjoy at the Kids corner that's there in the restaurant. And did they play? they refused to get back home. Athamma didn't join us as she is still recovering, but its much better. stitches are removed but the bone is yet to join back. So it was just us for the outing. The kids were so excited on going out, you might think we don't take them anywhere. They go on a bike ride atleast some 3 times in a day, be it morning or even as late as 10 in the night. Still we enjoyed seeing their enthu.

The Kids play space had two riders, a toy car and a house that had few kids chairs. Peddu wanted me to get into the house, I was trying to feed him and he was running around the place. Chinnu refused to eat, so my target was Peddu. He made sure I ran around to feed him. He went into the doll house saying "Jolly, the house is nice". We were quite surprised at him using the word Jolly. He wanted me to enter the house, I told him its quite small for me. He was looking surprised for that!

Thanks to her friends Mom, our little madam is busy these days trying her hand at Stitching. I must remember to thank her friends Mom for coming out with such a brilliant idea to keep the girls engaged. Her friend K, is a year older than her and they are always together during the weekends. If I remember correctly, this is the first summer they are at home. Normally she leaves to her granny's place for Summer. Konda somehow forgot to discuss her birthday. She normally takes toffees to her school friends during April. This is the first year we completely forgot about it! When I remembered, I was feeling so awful. It was almost like my lil one has grown out of her childhood. Of course not, atleast I hope so!

Coming to today's recipe this is something I made many days ago. I haven't got around making anything new, so this is from my draft and it was good that I had it all typed as I had already shared it for a reader. So guess I am now sharing with the rest!

Ingredients Needed:

Mutton - 250 gms
Onions - 1 medium
Green Chillies - 2 medium
Curry leaves 5-6
Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder a pinch
Chili powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Cashewnut powder - 1/2 tsp (opt)
Crushed peppercorns - 2 tsp
Garam Masala - 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil - 2 tsp

Method to prepare:

Wash Mutton and chop into medium sized chunks.

Pressure cook the mutton with 1/4 tsp of ginger garlic paste, a pinch of salt, turmeric powder along with 1 cup of water. Pressure cook till the mutton is well cooked and tender. Drain the stock from the mutton.

Heat a pan with oil, sauté chopped onions, green chillies, curry leaves, then add the remaining ginger garlic paste, Fry for 2 0 3 mins, till everything gets done.

Then add the cooked mutton pieces, add all the spice powder except peppercorns. Combine everything well and cook it covered under sim for 5 mins.

Remove the lid and sauté well. By now the spices are well coated. Sprinkle in freshly ground peppercorns. Mix well. It gets done in 5 mins time after adding the peppercorns.

Note: I used the stock from this cooked mutton to the rice. You can make soup with it. Peppercorns have to be freshly ground and it should be coarse, not too fine not too coarse.

The taste of the fresh pepper along with curry leaves gives a heady taste!

Hope you make this and enjoy!

Announcing Mithai Mela ~ Celebrating 2 years!

2009-04-15T22:39:00.003+05:30

Time for sure flies! While I was flying to my office, something clocked in my mind and I remembered that 16th April, marks the 2nd year completion of my blog. Though technically I posted my first post much later, for all reasons, starting point matters right. And in the same breath I remembered its been a while since I had any of my Mela Series. So this definitely calls in for an occasion to have a Mela!

For almost a year and half, I managed to post daily. But it had to exhaust at some point right. Life now seem so much more hectic, that I have convinced myself to do a two post a week. I am trying hard to squeeze in the many things that are running parallel. Since I am not a person who can sit idle for a min, this chance seem so perfect with the MM just getting completed. I have a perfect reason to host another event.

So friends, here comes the "Mithai Mela". Do indulge me by participating in this edition of Mela, which marks the 2nd year completion of this blog. I feel nostalgic remembering the fantastic Dosa Mela that got started this way. And I hope this edition will be a success too.

Here’s how it works:

1. From now till May 20th 2009, cook any sweet and post on your blog with a link back to this announcement and use the logo.

2. The entry can be any type of sweet. Only condition being it got to be sweet of course!

3. You can send in your entries from Archive, provided they are re posted specially for this event and not clubbed together.

4. Entries sent to Mithai Mela can be entered to other events.

5. Once done, you can send in your entries to cooking4allseasons@gmail.com with the following details
Sub: Mithai Mela
Blogger name
Post URL
Recipe name
Picture

7. Non bloggers can send their entry with the recipe details and pic, if any to my email acct.

I hope you won't disappointed me in over indulging me with a dose of sweets!