Samaithu paarkalaam

Thakkali Sadham (Tomato Rice)

2008-05-06T15:43:00.004-04:00

Aaah... Thakkali sadham... Just thinking of it brings a huge smile to my face! Amma used to make it a lot when we were younger as it was one of her and my brother's favorite things to eat. The thing is, I never used to be very fond of it as a child. Now, I simply adore it! Funny how tastes change with age, huh?

This version that I'm showing you here is a very simple one and pretty much sticks to Amma's original recipe. I called my mom the other day because I suddenly realized that I had a bunch of tomatoes and wanted to make her special (to me) thakkali sadham. She gave me the recipe over the phone and I made it that very night. Can I tell you the amazing things I felt while cooking it?

Gosh! The fragrances that were emanating from the pot took me right back to my childhood! I almost had tears in my eyes from being so happy! And the taste... Oh, the taste... That first bite and I knew I had done it. Amma's thakkali sadham was recreated in my own kitchen and now I'm sharing the simple, but special recipe with you!

Thakkali sadham putting on airs!

Ingredients:

Cooked rice - 1 cup
Tomatoes - 2 vine-ripe or 3 medium plum tomatoes, chopped
Green bell pepper - 1/2 medium, chopped
Onion - 1 medium, chopped
Garlic - 2 cloves, finely chopped
Peas - 1/4 cup cooked or defrosted frozen peas
Green chillies - 4, or to taste
Chilli powder - 2 tsp, or to taste
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil
Lime juice - 2 tsp, or to taste

For seasoning:

Oil
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Urad dal - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - 6-8, torn

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds, urad dal and curry leaves. When they splutter, add the cut onions and green chillies. Fry until the onions soften a bit.

2. Now, add the bell peppers and fry until crisp-tender.

3. At this point, add the chopped garlic, peas, tomatoes, salt, and masala powders. Fry until the raw smell disappears and the tomatoes have softened. This is the time to add the cooked rice and stir well. Check for seasoning. Turn off the heat and add lime juice. Mix once more and serve hot with raita, chips, appalam, or all by itself! Simple, right?

A bite for you!

Sevai Upma

2008-05-05T17:52:00.002-04:00

This dish is a really simple, somewhat different version of upma. What I had wanted to do was make semiya upma (i.e., using vermicelli). However, I had no semiya in the house and saw this packet of instant sevai (instant idiyaapam) that Amma had bought when we went to the Indian store once. I figured, why not use this and turn it into upma?

Well, it turned out to be a brilliant idea, if I may say so myself. Wait a minute, it's my blog so I can claim to be brilliant, right? Hee hee. Sorry, I digress...

Anyway, I added some veggies to it to turn it into a quick and light meal. Feel free to make alterations as you like! You can easily do the same thing with semiya and have awesome results, too.

Ingredients:

Instant sevai - 3 cups raw, place in hot water and soften per package directions
Onion - 2 medium, sliced
Tomato - 1, chopped
Carrot - 2 medium, chopped
Green bell peppers - 2 medium, chopped finely
Green chillies - 8-10, or to taste, slit
Ginger - 2 inch piece, finely chopped
Cashews - 10-15, broken in half, fried in oil or ghee and kept aside

For seasoning:

Oil
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Method:

1. Soften sevai per package directions. Mine said to pour boiled water over it and leave it for 10 minutes, then drain.

2. Heat oil in a pan and season with mustard seeds, urad dal, and curry leaves. Then, add the sliced onions, green chillies, and ginger. Saute until softened. At this point, add all of the veggies along with salt. Fry until the veggies are as tender as you like. Now, put the softened sevai into the veggie mixture and mix well. Check for seasoning and turn off the heat. Garnish with fried cashews and serve hot. Enjoy with chutney, pickle, sugar, or nothing at all! Stands on its own really well, too. :)

A closer look:

Now, that's finger lickin' good!

Mexican Pizza

2008-05-01T16:08:00.009-04:00

This is a very simple recipe for those lazy evenings when you don't feel like making anything elaborate for dinner or don't have time. Plus, it just tastes awesome!

I used store bought whole wheat tortillas and topped them with quick sauteed onions, garlic, red bell peppers, olives and salsa. Let's not forget the cheese. It was habanero jack cheese! Overall, the pizzas were filling, yet light. Adding a little bit of homemade guacamole put them over the top. California pizza kitchen ain't got nothing on these babies!!

Ingredients:

Red onion - 1 medium, sliced
Red bell pepper - 1 medium, cut in half and sliced into strips
Garlic - 2 cloves, chopped
Chipotle in adobo - 2, chopped finely
Cumin powder - 1 tsp
Black olives without pits - 15-20, coarsely chopped
Salsa (I used store bought) - about 4 tbsp (enough to just coat each tortilla)
Whole wheat or flour tortillas - 4
Guacamole - optional
Pepper jack or habanero jack cheese - about 1/2 -1 cup, depending on your preference
Salt to taste
Oil

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.

2. Drizzle a little bit of oil in a skillet. When hot, add the onions, bell peppers and garlic. Saute until the veggies are just barely crisp-tender. Add the chipotle, cumin powder, and salt and toss for another few seconds. Remove from the heat.

3. Spray a sheet pan with cooking spray or lightly coat it with oil. Place the tortillas on the pan and bake for 2 minutes (makes a crispier crust). Then, coat the tortillas with salsa, cheese, sauteed veggies, and olives. Bake again for about 7-10 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

4. Serve hot garnished with guacamole and scallions, if desired. Enjoy!

Hot and Spicy!

We loved these so much that I'm sending them to sweet Dhivi for her AWED event with the theme of Mexican food!

Craving more Mexican??
Take a look at my Veggie Enchiladas and Veggie Quesadillas.

Doubly Surprised and Grateful!

2008-04-30T16:12:00.004-04:00

You can imagine my surprise and excitement when I saw an award waiting for me on not one, but 2 blogs!! Both Dhivya of Dhivya's Cuisine and Jayasree of Experiments in Kailas Kitchen awarded me with the Yummy Blog Award:

"Yummy blog award is the award given to the blog with most yummy recipes/photos”

Thank you both so much for deeming my blog deserving of such a wonderful award!

First of all, I'm told that I should tell you all about the yummiest desserts that I have prepared or tasted. This is a tough one since I really love to bake...

Rasmalai

Black Forest Cake (my fave cake!!)

Tiramisu

Kaju Katli

Payasam

They're not in any particular order and this is just the tip of the iceberg!

Now comes the challenge of passing this award on to only 4 yummy blogs. I had many blogs to consider, but a lot of people have already received this award. Of the people who are left, I tried my best to narrow it down to 4 awesome blogs.

1. Mallugirl of Malabar Spices - Am constantly wiping drool off my face on visits to her blog.

2. Deeba of Passionate about Baking - She's stolen my heart with her delectable goodies and style of presentation!

3. Pravs of Simply Spicy - Need I say more? One visit will leave you craving for more!

4. Dhivi of Culinary Bazaar - Not only are her recipes mouthwatering, she actually takes the time to show you each one with step by step instructions and
details!

Congratulations, ladies, on the extremely well deserved awards! Hope you enjoy them and wear it with pride. :) Will be back later today or tomorrow with a recipe.

I feel like there should be an announcer with a funny voice saying this part:

Rules for the ‘Yummy Blog’ award Reciver:

The person who receives the award should display the "Yummy Blog !" logo on their blog and also the meaning of the award which is "Yummy blog award is the award given to the blog with most yummy recipes/photos".

The receiver should also quote their favorite yummy-licious :) dessert(s) that they have ever prepared/eaten. Don’t restrict yourself to any dessert, chocolate bars also welcome.

Also the receiver should pass on the award to four other bloggers whose blog they find "yummy" and let them know about the rules.

Toasted Orzo Salad

2008-04-25T17:29:00.005-04:00

Orzo is one of my favorite things to eat! If you don't know what it is, it's a pasta that's shaped like rice. My favorite way to eat orzo is in salads (pasta salad type dishes). I guess that's why I tend to think of eating it more in the warmer weather months.

This particular dish involves toasting the orzo in oil to add a slightly nutty background flavor to the dish which is really delightful. I used basically whatever vegetables I happened to have on hand on that day, so feel free to substitute whatever you like in this dish! I went with a very simple springtime flavor mix of asparagus, roasted red peppers, and peas accented with garlic and lemon.

This salad is perfect for entertaining, too because it can be served cold or at room temperature. For the same reason, it's perfect for road trips or picnics! Hence, I'm sending this straight over to Easycrafts' Fun in the Sun event.

FYI, leftovers make a great cold lunch the next day!

Ingredients:

Orzo - 3/4 cup
Red onion - 1 small, rough chopped
Garlic - 2 cloves, chopped finely
Red bell pepper - 1 medium, roasted, peeled and rough chopped
Frozen peas - 1/2 cup, defrosted
Asparagus - 1 cup, cut into large pieces (about 1 inch long)
Lemon juice - 1 tsp, or to taste
Water - 1 1/4 cups to 1 1/2 cups
Chili garlic sauce - 1 tbsp, or to taste
Salt to taste
Oil

Method:

Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the orzo and let it toast to a pale golden color. Then, add the onion, garlic, and asparagus. Saute until the veggies are crisp-tender. Now, add the water, peas, and salt to the same pan. Reduce the heat to simmer and cover the pot. Allow the water to absorb into the orzo. (Note: You may need a little more water depending on the heat level you're using. Be careful not to use too much water or else the pasta will get mushy on you.) At this point, transfer the orzo to a bowl and add chili garlic sauce to taste along with lemon juice and roasted peppers. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until ready to serve. Enjoy chilled or at room temperature!

I was so excited to find out that I'd won best presentation for VOTW bittergourd. In fact, I was jumping up and down like a little kid when I was telling my husband about it! Thanks so much to each and every one of you that voted for me. I cannot put into words how good it feels! It seems like just yesterday that I started my little blog. I really appreciate everyone's support and encouragement as well as your brilliant ideas (cooking and otherwise). I find myself learning something new from you all each day!

Vegetable Enchiladas

2008-04-23T18:50:00.007-04:00

I don't know about you, but I love enchiladas. All types just make me plain happy! I made these on a night where I didn't feel like eating meat. Ok, ok. I know that totally contradicts with everything I said in my last post, but so what? Believe it or not, there really are days when I don't feel like eating meat. There, I admitted it. Hey, even carnivores need their veggies sometimes, right? :)

I had a bunch of random vegetables in the fridge and thought, "Why not make enchiladas with these?" The result was definitely a home run! Even my husband didn't mind eating his veggies that night. He's going to kill me for that one, but oh, well!

Back to actual food talk... You can really use just about any veggie you want here. I used bell peppers, eggplant, zucchini, and tomatoes. For flavor, I used Mexican chili powder, cumin powder and oregano as well as chipotle peppers. Chipotles are smoked jalapeno peppers. I buy them canned in adobo sauce, which is a red, somewhat tangy sauce. They keep in the fridge for months with no problem. If you've never tried them, they give your food a spicy (duh!), smoky bite which is really addictive.

I chose to make my own red sauce, but feel free to buy your own or use green sauce (made from tomatillos). You can even use store bought salsa (green or red) or enchilada sauce as your topping sauce. The recipe might look a little long, but it's really not complicated. I promise!

Ingredients:

Filling:

Bell pepper, any color - 2 medium, chopped
Eggplants - 4-5 small, chopped
Zucchini - 1 large, chopped
Onions - 1 medium, diced
Tomatoes - 2 medium, chopped
Garlic - 4 cloves, ground to paste
Mexican chili powder - 1 tbsp
Cumin powder - 2 tsp
Dried oregano - 1 tsp, crushed
Chipotle in adobo - 3, chopped - increase if you want it more spicy
Salt to taste

Scallions - 1 small bunch, chopped
Pepper jack cheese - 2 cups, shredded
Tortillas - 10-12 flour or corn, softened per package directions

For sauce:

Garlic - 1 clove, grated or finely chopped
Chili powder - 1 tsp
Chipotle in adobo - 1, chopped (optional)
Tomato sauce - 1 28 oz can
Sugar - 1/2 tsp (optional)
Salt to taste

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pan. Fry onions until softened. Then add the chopped veggies (tomatoes, bell peppers, eggplants, zucchini) and garlic. Saute until the vegetables are cooked. Add chili powder, cumin powder, oregano, salt, and chipotle. Toss for a minute until the raw smell is gone and everything has come together. Turn the heat off and let this cool.

2. In a small saucepan, combine the sauce ingredients and allow to simmer until thickened and the flavors have melded. Takes about 10 minutes. Keep aside.

3. Preheat oven to 375 F. Prepare a 9x13 pan by sprinkling a few drops of oil and a spoonful of the sauce on top.

4. When ready to assemble, keep the filling, sauce, cheese and tortillas ready. Take a tortilla and place some cheese in the middle (say 1-2 tbsp). Then, put some of the filling on top of the cheese, being sure not to overfill. Fold the sides in (like you would for a wrap) and place in prepared pan, seam side down. Repeat for the rest of the tortillas. Note: You might not be able to fit all of the enchiladas in one pan. If so, just prepare another pan in the same manner and continue.

5. Once all of the enchiladas have been placed in the pan, pour the remaining sauce on top. Then sprinkle the rest of the cheese as well as the scallions. Sometimes, I do green chillies on top as well!

6. Now, bake the whole thing covered (use some aluminum foil to cover the pan) for about 15 minutes at 375 F. Then, broil the top, if desired for 1-2 minutes until bubbly and slightly browned. Let it rest for 5 minutes and serve with sour cream, jalapenos, etc.

I'm sending this in to sweet Dhivi for her AWED - Mexican food event. Hope you all enjoyed this one! :)

Kheema with Vegetables

2008-04-22T20:41:00.005-04:00

This post is dedicated to all of you carnivores out there. Have you ever found yourself with a die hard meat craving?? I mean, you feel like you need meat NOW and nothing but mutton will do...? I get into these fixes every so often and start acting like a crazy woman until I've actually eaten the mutton.

So, one day, I found myself in the aforementioned state but didn't really feel like making 10 different things. I thought about Amma making kheema sometimes and remembered having ground mutton on hand. Then, I thought adding a bunch of vegetables would make it into a complete dish to eat with leftover chappathis.

This dish turned out to be a winner in more ways than one. First of all, it was meaty enough to handle my meat craving. Plus, it was loaded with vegetables, making it a complete dish paired with rotis or rice. I used whatever veggies I had on hand that day, but you can use anything from beans, cabbage, mushrooms, eggplants, bell peppers, cauliflower (maybe), carrots, etc. Also, you can change the masala to suit your tastes, too. Go crazy!!

Ingredients:

Ground mutton - 1 1/2 lb
Baby eggplants - 3-4, chopped
Green bell peppers - 2 large, chopped
Frozen peas, defrosted - 1/2 cup
Potatoes - 2 small, chopped
Tomatoes - 3 medium, chopped
Onions - 2 medium, chopped
Garlic - 5 pods, chopped or crushed
Ginger - 2 inch piece, chopped or crushed
Green chillies - 8-10, chopped
Fennel (sombu) powder - 1 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 2 tsp
Chilly powder - 3 tsp, or to taste
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Yogurt 2 tbsp
Pepper powder - 2 tsp
Salt to taste
Lime juice - 1 tbsp
Oil

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pan. Add the ground meat and brown.

2. Now, add the onions and green chillies. Saute until the onions have softened.

3. At this point, ginger and garlic are added and fried until the raw smell disappears. Then, add yogurt, fennel powder, coriander powder, chilly powder, and turmeric powder.

4. Fry until the mixture thickens and the masala smells roasted. Now, add the vegetables (eggplant, potatoes, tomatoes, peas, bell peppers) and salt. Cover and cook until the veggies are done.

5. Finally, open and check for seasoning. Add the pepper powder and lime juice and serve this spicy, rich kheema hot with rice, pulav rice, or rotis. Enjoy!!

Bittergourd Two Times

2008-04-15T15:32:00.002-04:00

Growing up, bittergourd was one of my favorite vegetables. Hey, I never claimed to be normal in any respect! I think my mother was shocked that I would relish it, but she could never bring herself to eat it. I still adore this gourd that gets so little respect, so when Pooja announced bittergourd for this month's VOTW, I was totally excited!!

I'm sharing two recipes here. One is my Amma's recipe for bittergourd fry that she used to make all the time at home and I just adore it. It's a very simple one that even Amma will eat! The other recipe is one that sort of came about in Amma telling me about something that my Anni (brother's wife) made recently with green bananas. I tweaked things around and a new dish was born. It's a beautiful baby, if I may say so myself!

Amma's Bittergourd Fry:

One thing to keep in mind is that the bittergourd amount will reduce dramatically in cooking them. 2 medium bittergourds will feed about 2-3 people as a side dish.

This particular dish is meant to be fairly spicy with the heat coming from green chillies and black pepper. It sounds so simple, but is absolutely delightful! You can soak the bittergourd in salt and squeeze it out, if you want, but we never do.

Ingredients:

Bittergourd - 2 medium, chopped finely
Green chillies - 5-6
Black pepper powder - 1 tbsp
Salt to taste

For seasoning:

Oil
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves - 4-5 leaves

Method:

Heat oil in a pan. Season with mustard seeds and curry leaves. Add the green chillies and fry for a few seconds. Now, add the bittergourd pieces and salt to taste. Fry on medium heat until the bittergourd is cooked and crispy. Turn off and serve as a side dish. It goes really well with sambar, rasam, even non-veg dishes and curd rice. Enjoy!

Bittergourd Tamarind Masala:

This one involves cooking of the bittergourd with tamarind and then seasoning it with masala. Onions, tamarind, and a little sugar are used to compensate for the bitterness. Like I said, it's the first time I made this and I will definitely be making this again!!

The taste was out of this world! I adored the combination of the sourness with the spice and slightly bitter taste of the gourds. Simply fabulous!!

Ingredients:

Bittergourd - 1 medium, chopped into large dice
Onion - 1 medium, chopped
Tamarind - 1 gooseberry size, soaked in water and pulp extracted
Jaggery - 1 tsp, or to taste (optional, to balance the sourness)
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Chilly powder - 2 tsp, or to taste
Fennel powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste

For seasoning:

Oil
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves - 4-5, torn

Method:

1. Place bittergourd in a pan with tamarind pulp, jaggery, a pinch of salt, and just enough water to cook the gourds. Cook until done and keep aside.

2. In another pan, heat oil until hot. Season with mustard seeds and curry leaves.

3. Add onions and fry until golden brown. Then, add the masala powders (turmeric, chilly, fennel powders) and fry for a few seconds until you smell their aroma.

4. Now, add the cooked bittergourd and salt to taste. Saute on high heat until the masala has coated the bittergourds well and the flavors have come together. If it looks too dry, add a touch of water. Turn off and serve.

You can serve this as a side dish or a main dish. It is just too good mixed with rice!!

Also, vary the consistency to your liking. You can certainly make it thinner for more of a gravy consistency as well. Enjoy!!

I am sending both of these delicious dishes to dear Pooja. I hope she enjoys these as much as I do!

Happy New Year!

2008-04-14T12:16:00.002-04:00

Wishing each and every one a very happy Tamil New Year! A fresh start, a new beginning that coincides beautifully with spring. Hope those of you who celebrate the festival had a great one!

Green Sprouts Adai

2008-04-09T16:55:00.004-04:00

Amma was visiting last week, so we were having a bit of fun planning meals. One day, we were thinking what to make for dinner on a day later in the week. I remembered that I had some kollu (horsegram dal) and thought we could make something with that. Somehow, the idea of adai came up. Usually adai is made sort of similar to uthappam in thickness, but the batter consists of a combination of lentils/dals. Suddenly, inspiration struck and I thought, we could use whole moong dal in combination with the horsegram dal and sprout both dals before using them.

To make sprouts, take the required amounts of the dals and soak them in water for about 12 hours. Then, drain off the liquid and place the dals in a moist cloth towel for 24-48 hours. You will see the dals sprouting by that point. Just make sure that the cloth stays damp and you'll have no problems.

For the adai, we didn't stray much from the usual adai ingredients. We added ginger, green chillies, and chopped onion. But, we also decided to add a bunch of spinach to give it even more nutrients. So, this is one power packed meal that Popeye would be proud of!

nutritious and delicious!

Ingredients:

Whole moong dal - 1 cup, measured before sprouting
Horsegram dal - 1 cup, measured before sprouting
Red onions - 2 medium, chopped
Ginger - 2 inch piece, rough chopped
Green chillies - 15, or to taste
Spinach - 1 medium bunch, rough chopped
Salt - to taste

Method:

1. Sprout the dals first. Soak them in water for about 12 hours. Then, drain off the liquid and place the dals in a moist cloth towel for 24-48 hours. You will see the dals sprouting by that point. Just make sure that the cloth stays damp and you'll have no problems with this step!

2. Now, take the sprouts, ginger, and green chillies in a mixie or blender and grind to a coarse, fairly thick paste.

3. Add the spinach to the above mixture and pulse until combined. Add salt to taste and onions.

4. Heat a tava or griddle on medium heat. Place a small amount of batter on the tava and slowly spread it using a spoon until it's thicker than dosa, but a little thinner than uthappam. Drizzle a few drops of oil around and cover.

5. Flip over and cook until done (about 3-4 minutes per side). Be careful that the pan is not too hot or else the adai won't be cooked through by the time it browns!

Serve warm with coconut chutney or any other desired chutney. Enjoy!

This power packed adai is off to dear Srivalli for her awesome dosa mela!

Coconut-Onion Chutney (Thengai Vengayam Chutney)

2008-04-07T16:28:00.004-04:00

This chutney is one that my cousin's wife made on her first visit to our place. I will admit that I'm not the biggest fan of coconut chutney, but this conconction totally won me over!

Coconut is combined with tamarind, red chillies, and seasoned with the special addition of fried onions. Absolutely a gorgeous mix of flavors and a very versatile chutney. Try it and see what you think!

Ingredients:

Coconut, grated - 1 cup
Fried gram dal (pottu kadalai) - 2 tbsp
Tamarind - small gooseberry size
Red chillies - 10, or to taste
Salt to taste

For seasoning:

Oil
Curry leaves - 8-10 leaves
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Red onion - 1/2 small, chopped or 1 shallot chopped
Asafoetida (perungayam) - pinch
Red chillies - 2, broken

Method:

Grind together coconut, red chillies, salt, tamarind, fried gram dal to a smooth paste. Heat oil in a pan. Add red chillies, mustard seeds, urad dal, curry leaves. Once everything is roasted and the seeds have spluttered, add the onion. Fry until softened. Add the asafoetida and turn off the heat. Pour the seasoning over the ground chutney and serve with any tiffin items (idli, dosa, uthappam, etc). Enjoy!

Garlic-Pepper Rice (Poondu Milagu Saadham)

2008-04-02T15:29:00.002-04:00

By now, I'm sure that most of you know that I am a self-professed garlic addict! Needless to say, I was pretty psyched about this month's JFI hosted by Mathy with the theme of garlic.

I chose to make a variety rice dish that is really easy to throw together. The flavors of garlic and black pepper are complemented by green chillies, cumin, and curry leaves. You can have this rice done with only a few minutes of prep work.

The results?? Huge hit with us! It makes a perfect foil to most curries or dry items. Perfect for when you don't feel like bothering to make a huge, elaborate rice dish!

Ingredients:

Basmati rice - 2 cups, washed, soaked in water for 20 minutes and drained
Freshly ground black pepper - 2 tsp
Cumin powder - 1 tsp
Frozen peas - 1/2 cup
Salt to taste

To grind to paste:

Garlic - 10 cloves
Green chillies - 10, or to taste

For seasoning:

Oil
Curry leaves - 6-8 leaves, chopped
Black peppercorns - 1 tsp

Method:

Heat oil in a pan. Add the peppercorns and let them sizzle. Now, add the curry leaves. When they've finished spluttering, add the ground paste. Fry until the raw smell is gone. Then, add the rice, cumin powder, pepper powder, and fry for a few seconds. To this, add 3 cups of water, peas, and required salt. Bring to a boil. Then, reduce the heat to low and let cook until the rice is cooked and water is absorbed (about 15 minutes). Turn off the heat and let stand for another 10 minutes. Then, fluff with a fork and serve with side dish of your choice!

Gaaaarlicky goodness!!

We had this with pepper chicken and spinach. Enjoy!

Yes, I really used 10 cloves of garlic and it was awesome! Feel free to decrease per your taste, though.

Want more garlic? Check out my garlic avocado rotis!

Cocoa Brownies

2008-04-01T12:58:00.003-04:00

I know I've been missing for a little while. Unfortunately, I've been sick for the a few days and have not had any energy to bother with anything! Am doing a little better now and have been wanting to post this brownie recipe (modified from an Alton Brown recipe found here) for a while now.

These brownies are truly a decadent delight! They use cocoa powder and have a texture that's similar to flourless chocolate cake. So, if you're looking for chewy, fudgy brownies, this is not your recipe. The end product here will be cake-like with an intense chocolate flavor. Try them and you'll be in love!

Mansi, this is the recipe for the brownies I sent you, if you were wondering! :)

Ingredients:

Butter and flour - to prepare baking pan
Eggs - 4 large
Sugar - 1 cup
Brown sugar - 1 cup
Melted butter - 8 ounces (2 sticks)
Cocoa powder - 1 cup
Vanilla extract - 2 tsp
Instant coffee powder - 1 tsp
All purpose flour - 1/2 cup
Salt - 1/2 tsp

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 300 F. Butter and flour 8 inch square baking pan, line with parchment paper (if desired) and keep aside.

2. Attach the whisk attachment in a stand mixer. Beat the eggs at medium speed until light yellow and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). Don't overbeat the eggs or you could wind up with a mess!

3. Add the sugars and whisk to combine. Once combined, add all of the other ingredients and whisk again for about 2-3 minutes until well combined.

4. Pour batter into prepared 8 inch square baking pan and bake at 300 F for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

5. Cool on a cooling rack for about 15 minutes, then turn out of the pan and cool completely. Cut into squares and enjoy!

Yield: about 16 brownies.

Note: Wait until the brownies have cooled to cut them, or else the cut edges won't be as sharp. I know it's hard, but try to have some patience... Or just stand next to them and start eating pieces from a corner like I did!

Filter Coffee

2008-03-22T13:23:00.003-04:00

I recently saw a recipe for filter coffee on Viji's blog and it really piqued my curiosity. I mean, I'd been playing around with filter coffee for a while, but never grew up around it, so it's really been trial and error for me. I have to tell you that Viji's method is right on! The only thing I changed was decreasing the amount of coffee powder because we don't take it quite as strong. Just follow her recipe to the tee and you'll have yourself a really awesome cup!

This is my entry to Sig's MBP for mixed drinks. If you've had too much of some of the other drinks one night, you'll definitely need a good cup of coffee in the morning! :) MBP was started by Coffee of the Spice Cafe. Enjoy!

Just for kicks, I've decided to send this in to Jugalbandi's Click Metal for this month.

Update: Sorry all! I've just been reminded that Viji's blog is restricted, so I'm including the recipe I used here as well.

Visit this page at Wikipedia for a pic of the Indian coffee filter.

Assemble the top part of the filter onto the bottom part. Put about 1-2 tbsp coffee powder (for 2 people) and press it down with the plunger shaped sieve press. Remove the sieve press. Boil water and pour about 1/2 cup of water evenly over the coffee powder. Cover the filter and allow decoction to drip down.

Once the decoction has finished dripping, boil milk (we used 1/4 decoction to 3/4 lowfat milk but you could go stronger, if you like), about 1 1/2 cups to make a full 2 cups of coffee. Once the milk has boiled, add the decoction to the milk. Now, pour into cups. Add sugar and froth it by pouring it back and forth between the cup and a bowl.

For a real homey touch, use the traditional tumbler and dabarah as I have in the photo!

Spring Vegetable Frittata and Whole Wheat Biscuits

2008-03-20T15:40:00.006-04:00

It's been ages since I made a frittata. If you're not familiar with them, frittatas are like crustless quiches. Basically, they're composed of eggs and whatever you want to add to flavor them. They're started in a pan and baked in the oven to finish. The end result is an egg dish that looks like a pie and can be served hot, warm, or room temperature.

This time, I decided to load up my frittata with veggies. I used a combination of onions, asparagus, zucchini, spinach, and roasted red peppers. It turned out to be very light on the eggs, which was fine with me. I used only 4 eggs to make this dish, but if you'd prefer to have more eggs to balance the veggies, you could go up to even 6 eggs.

Frittata: (Serves 6-8)

Ingredients:

Eggs - 4
Onion - 1 medium, chopped
Garlic - 3 cloves, grated
Asparagus - 5-6 spears, cut into 1 inch long pieces
Zucchini - 1 medium, cut into medium dice
Frozen spinach - 1 10 oz package, defrosted and squeezed dry (You could use fresh, if you have it)
Roasted red pepper - 1, coarsely chopped
Salt - to taste
Parmesan cheese - 2 tbsp
Milk - 2 tbsp
Crushed red pepper flakes - to taste
Olive oil

Method:

1. Beat the eggs with milk, Parmesan cheese, salt to taste, and black pepper. Keep aside. Preheat the oven to 425 F

2. Heat oil in a 10 inch skillet. When hot, add the onions and crushed red pepper flakes. Fry until the onions turn translucent.

3. Now, add the asparagus, zucchini, garlic, and a little salt. Fry until the veggies are crisp-tender.

4. Add the frozen spinach and roasted red peppers. Toss for a few seconds.

5. At this stage, add the egg mixture. Stir gently to combine. Allow the whole thing to start to firm up a little around the edges.

6. Now, place the pan in the oven and bake for 15 minutes, or until the eggs are fully cooked and the frittata is solid. You can check for doneness with a toothpick, if you're not sure. The toothpick will come out dry (i.e., no uncooked egg) when it's done.

7. Remove from the oven. Carefully run a spatula around the edges and the bottom of the frittata, being careful not to break it. Gently slide it out onto a serving dish. You could just serve it out of the pan, if you want.

I garnished it with just a little bit of shredded Parmesan, but that's totally optional. Cut into wedges and serve!

Frittata slice!

I served these with whole wheat biscuits, since my husband loves biscuits. The recipe is my modification from one I originally saw on Lisa's blog here. I used garlic and Parmesan to flavor these and boy, were they a hit!!

I love these because they're wheat and they use olive oil instead of butter and/or shortening. You wind up with biscuits that are soft and fluffy as clouds. Truly wonderful!!

Whole Wheat Biscuits:

Ingredients:
All purpose flour - 1 cup
Whole wheat flour - 3/4 cup
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Baking powder - 1 tbsp
Olive oil - 5 tbsp
Milk - 1 cup
Parmesan Cheese - 2 tbsp
Garlic - 2 cloves, grated
Black pepper powder - 2 tsp, optional

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 450 F

2. In a medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients (flours, salt, baking powder).

3. Now, add the olive oil, milk, cheese, and garlic.

4. Stir until just combined. Do not over-stir or the biscuits will be tough!

5. Drop onto a greased baking sheet in 1/4 cup amounts. Sprinkle black pepper on top, if desired.

6. Bake at 450 F for 10-12 minutes until light golden.

Makes about 12 biscuits.

The final resulting breakfast:

Breakfast of Champions!

I am sending these over to my dear girl Mansi, over at Fun and Food. She's hosting this month's WBB, with the theme of balanced breakfasts. I hope she is satisfied with the balance of protein, veggies, and whole grain in this breakfast! :)

Asian Chicken Soup

2008-03-19T15:23:00.003-04:00

So, I was rummaging through the fridge one day and really had nothing on hand to eat for lunch. To top it off, I was already hungry and was thinking of something quick cooking that I could make. Suddenly, I remembered this soup I used to make quite a bit when it's cold. I had ingredients that would work, so I figured, why not? It was excellent!!

This soup is basically an Asian inspired spin on chicken noodle soup. I combined boneless chicken with carrots, celery, bell peppers, and rice noodles. You could really use any veggies you want, including snap peas, mushrooms, cabbage, bok choy, bean sprouts, etc. You could also use tofu instead of chicken, and make this a vegetarian soup. It's warm, spicy, and comforting. If you're sick (as I was on said day), it really hits the spot!!

I'm giving the recipe for the mix of stuff I used, but you're only limited by your imagination! Of note, this soup is very light on the chicken and heavier on the veggies, but that's personal preference.

(This recipe serves 3-4)

Ingredients:

Boneless chicken tenders - 1 piece, chopped
Onion - 1 medium, chopped
Carrots - 1 large, coarsely chopped
Celery - 2 stalks, coarsely chopped
Bell peppers (any color) - 2 medium, coarsely chopped
Rice noodles - 1/2 cup
Chicken stock - 4 cups, plus more, if needed
Soy sauce - to taste
Salt - to taste, optional
Green chillies - 5-6, or to taste
Garlic - 5 cloves, chopped finely
Ginger - 2 inch piece, chopped finely
Oil

For garnishing:

Coriander leaves - a handful, chopped
Scallions/green onions - 2, sliced
Lime wedges to squeeze on soup
Chili garlic sauce - optional
Green chillies soaked in vinegar - optional

Method:

1. Heat oil in a soup pot. When hot, add the onions, green chillies and saute until the onions soften.

2. Then, add the vegetables (carrots, celery, and bell pepper), garlic, and ginger and cook for 2-3 minutes.

3. Add chicken stock, soy sauce, and a little salt, if desired. Allow to simmer until the vegetables are mostly cooked.

4. Now, add the chicken and the noodles. Simmer until everything has gotten cooked. Check for seasoning. If the soup has gotten too thick while cooking, add a little more chicken stock or water.

Pour into soup bowls and garnish with coriander leaves, scallions, lime wedges. If you want more of a kick, use some sriracha sauce, chili-garlic sauce, or chillies soaked in vinegar. The flavor punch is really amazing!!

my lunch!

This is really a complete meal in and of itself, but feel free to eat it with spring rolls, dumplings, wontons, or anything else your heart desires! Enjoy! :)

Pumpkin and Eggplant Curry

2008-03-18T13:06:00.004-04:00

A while ago, I saw a recipe for eggplant and pumpkin/butternut squash curry on Suganya's blog and have been wanting to make it since. Well, I finally got around to making it with my own modifications. In my frantic rush on the night I made this, I totally forgot to add mustard seeds and urad dal to season it. I had originally thought to do this, but it was great even without these! Thanks, Suganya, for the inspiration!

I chose to use some of the curry powder that Cham sent to me as the main flavoring to this dish. The end creation was a vegetarian dish that gives you the same satisfaction as eating a non-veg dish. (I think carnivores understand what I mean, right?)

I will qualify this by saying that if you're not a fan of pumpkin to begin with, this dish might not convert you to being a pumpkin lover. However, combining it with another vegetable, and adding spices definitely cuts the sweetness and makes it taste great. So, I'd still urge you to try this out. If you really hate pumpkin, you could try using potatoes or other types of squash instead for a different flavor.

Ingredients:

Yellow pumpkin - 1 cup, diced
Baby eggplant - 1 cup, diced
Onion - 1 medium, chopped
Green chillies - 5, chopped (or to taste)
Tomato - 2 medium, chopped
Cham's curry powder - 1 tbsp (you can use your favorite curry powder or sambar pwdr)
Black pepper powder - 1/2 - 1 tsp, per your taste
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Salt to taste
Oil

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pan until it's extremely hot.

2. Add the eggplant and saute it on very high heat so that the edges char a bit and the eggplant softens slightly. Remove from the pan and cook the pumpkin in the same way (char it slightly on very high heat and remove from the pan).

3. In the same pan, heat a little more oil. Add the onions, green chillies, and curry leaves. Fry until the onions brown a bit.

4. Now, add the tomato and curry powder. Fry until the tomatoes soften and the raw smell of the masala goes away.

5. Add the cooked vegetables, salt, half a cup of water and cook on medium low until the vegetables are fully cooked and have absorbed the flavor of the masala.

6. Turn off the heat, add pepper powder, check seasoning. If desired, you can add a squeeze of lime juice to heighten the flavors. Suganya used coriander leaves at the end, but I had none on hand that day. Feel free to use them if you like!

Tastes great with any roti, chappathi, etc.

Dinner anyone?

Curried Chicken Burgers and Spiced Oven Fries

2008-03-14T11:06:00.008-04:00

As I mentioned in my last post, I received my surprise ingredient from Cham, of Spice Club. She sent me her homemade curry powder which smells out of this world!!

Ok, so you might be wondering what I made with Cham's curry powder. Well, my twisted brain was at work again and I came up with this idea to use it in a burger... My initial thought was to use ground lamb, but I didn't have any on hand and just couldn't get to the store. So, I thought it would still work with ground chicken. Boy, did it ever work!! Paired with oven fries, also using the same curry powder, this made one spectacular meal!

Cham, you are such a dear to send me your curry powder. I am so glad to have received it and to have used it to make such a delicious burger! I do have a more "normal" use also in store for it, but will post that later.

Curried Chicken Burgers:

Ingredients:

Ground chicken - 1lb
Onion - 1 medium, chopped
Garlic - 5 cloves, grated
Green chillies - 10, or to taste, chopped
Coriander leaves - 3 tbsp, chopped
Cham's curry powder - 1 tbsp
Pepper jack cheese - 8 small slices (1 slice per burger)
Salt to taste
Oil
Small buns - 8 (figure 1-2 per person, depending on appetite)

Method:

1. Mix all ingredients together and let soak for about 1/2 hr.

2. Form into small patties (I was able to make 8 small patties) and place into skillet on medium heat. Cook on both sides until browned and cooked through.

3. Place cheese on top of the burgers, cover loosely with foil, and allow to melt while keeping the pan on low heat.

4. Toast buns.

Place burgers and desired toppings (lettuce, tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, etc.) on buns and enjoy hot! You can use any desired dressing or sauce on these as well (ketchup, chutney, etc.) We used a green olive spread (crushed green olives, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, and crushed red pepper) as our dressing, but ketchup or chutney would be equally delicious!

If you have leftovers, don't worry... They taste even better! I just had the last of them for lunch and it was awesome!! :)

Spiced Oven Fries:

Ingredients:

Potato (russet) - 1 medium, chopped into sticks
Sweet potato - 1 medium, chopped into sticks
Cham's curry powder - 1 tbsp, or to taste
Salt - to taste
Olive oil

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 425 F.

2. Toss potatoes and sweet potatoes lightly in oil and spread on lightly greased cookie sheet or sheet pan.

3. Bake at 425 F for 25-30 minutes. Lower the heat to 400 F and cook for another 15-20 minutes.

4. Once cooked, remove from oven, toss with salt and curry powder. Serve with burgers and enjoy!

I will be passing on the love to Revathi of En Ulagam, and Mansi of Fun and Food. Get your creative juices flowing, ladies! Am looking forward to seeing your dishes!

Mystery Ingredient!

2008-03-14T10:59:00.005-04:00

What is Arusuvai? It is the brainchild of Latha and Lakshmi of the The Yum Blog – the Arusuvai Friendship chain is, in Latha 's own words,

"about sending along a surprise ingredient as a gift to your friends for them to prepare something tasty with it, share the recipe, and pass on other surprise ingredients to more people. Arusuvai means six tastes (aruu = six, suvai=taste) in Tamizh and is used to refer for Tasty preparation with six tastes - inippu/ thithippu (sweet), orappu/ karam (hot), kassappu (bitter) , pulippu (sour), uppu(salt), tuvarpu (tastes that one gets in raw leaves).”

Latha, of Masala Magic, has started the arusuvai chain here in the US. I am just so happy that I've been able to participate in the fun!

I was so excited when Cham, of Spice Club, contacted me to ask if I'd like to receive a surprise ingredient from her! Would I like to receive something?? Was that really a question? Of course I'd love to get something!! :)

When Cham told me that she'd sent the package, my eager, impatient side set in. I couldn't wait to see what she had in store for me. When I opened the package, she had enclosed a sweet card that said, "Good Luck" in huge letters on the cover... Was she trying to tell me something? *laugh* Inside was a pair of cute earrings and a packet with the secret podi (spice powder).

The smell was just divine... I could smell fennel, black pepper, and cardamom for sure. Maybe some cloves, too, I thought. So, I consulted with her and found out what it really is.

Mystery Powder!

Turns out, this is Cham's own curry powder blend. She actually went through my blog, saw that I had a lot of non-veg dishes, and thought I might like this particular podi! I can't thank you enough, Cham!

So, what did I make with this wonderful podi? Stay tuned for my next post!