Recipes

Recipes Tested and Tried from my Kitchen.The recipes will include appetizers, sweets, main dish, side dish,vegan recipes all around the world.

Sakkarai Pongal with Jaggery ( Pongal spl )

January 14, 2014 By

Pongal / Makar sakranti is celebrated all over India but as am a Chennaite I used to enjoy those pongal holidays a lot. We used to get 4 days holidays and lots special program in TV was so much fun . Other than that our neighbors used to share all those yummy treats they made for pongal . Sugar cane is another reason why i love pongal festival ,I just love to enjoy the juicy sugar canes which i miss today. Pongal / Makar sakratri is winter harvest festival celebrated all over India by different names . As am a north indian we make sweet and savory vada’s but in Tamil nadu it is celebrated for 4 days – Bhogi, Thai pongal, Mattu pongal , Kaanam pongal each day has it own significance.

People make sweet savory pongal varieties and vadas this day , served ( bhog/ padayal) to god then they enjoy the festival with family. On the last day thats is on kaanam pongal with family they have a fun time at beach or some entertaining places like to watch movie etc . So this festival bring so many happy faces to enjoy !! So I made sakkarai pongal and masala vadai for this auspicious day 🙂 Wish you have a very happy pongal / makar sakrantri 🙂 ..Ok now over to the recipe..

Ingredients

Moong dal – 1/4 cup
Rice – 1/2 cup
Milk – 1 cup
Water – 1 1/2 cup
Ghee – 3- 4 tbsp
Cashew nut – 4-5 Nos
Raisins – 3-4 Nos
Jaggery pd – 1 cup
Cardamom pd – a pinch

Method

Wash and Soak rice and dal for 15 mins.
Drain the water from rice and dal , In a pressure put rice , dal, water ad milk.
Pressure cook them for 3- 4 whistles then turn off the flame .
After the pressure subsides open the lid and and mash them well with a ladle.
In a sauce pan take the jaggery pd and 1/2 cup water , boil them till one string consistency .
To check the one string just drop the syrup with a ladle it should form a string while flows drown.
After it attains the one string consistency add the syrup to the cooked and mashed rice and dal also add the cardamom pd .
In a low flame mix them well till well combined and add ghee .
Cook them for 2 mins while mixing them .

In a another sauce pan heat 1 tbsp ghee and saute cashews and raisins till they turn slight brown .
Transfer the roasted cashews and raisins to the pongal and mix well.
Enjoy them warm!!

Linking this to Tamizhar samayal Tuesday whose brain child is +nalini suresh .

Choco Fill Choco Cookies

January 14, 2014 By

I had Bookmarked these cookies for so long and here I got chance to try this yummy and very very addictive cookies bcoz of BM theme. As you all know this week I had chosen cookies theme and these yummy and awesome cookies I had bookmarked from the most popular chef in blogosphere viji . Only recently she had got her own domain so I dedicate this treat as an virtual appreciation to Viji of Viruthu unna vanga. Congratz on your new domain viji , keep rocking. So coming to the cookies I chose viji’s replica of Sunfeast Dark fantasy choco fill cookies which tempted me a lot I had to make it. Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 36.

Am so thankful to viji for the amazing recipe they tastes yummy . Becoz of cold weather here my choco filling got set the other day but I warmed them again in oven for a couple of mins and then enjoyed them.They are seriously very addictive do try it . It was hard for me to just stop myself by having a cookie , very tempting one. .Without any further ado I will move on to the recipe ..

Recipe Source : Viruthu Unna Vanga

Ingredients

All Purpose Flour/Maida – 11/4 Cup
Cocoa powder – 2 Tbsp
Unsalted Butter – 1/2 Cup
Powder sugar – 3/4 Cup
Vanilla Essence – 1 Tsp
Broken Chocolate Chunks (dairy milk / any cooking chocolate) – 4 Tbsp ( As required to stuff)
Egg Substitute – 2 Tbsp of water + 1 Tbsp of oil + 2 Tsp of Baking Powder = 1 egg
Add all the ingredients together in a bowl in the same order and beat it well till comes frothy.

Method

In a bowl add butter and powder sugar beat it till smooth creamy.
Now prepare the egg substitute add 2 Tbsp from the mixture to the butter and beat it well.
Add vanilla essence and mix it well.
Preheat the oven at 180 C for 10 minutes.
Sieve the maida and cocoa powder together and add to the wet ingredients and fold it well.
If the dough is sticky thats ok bcoz we are going to transfer the dough to the plastic cover and keep it in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
After 30 mins take the dough from the refrigerator and divide into small balls, you can take 1 Tbsp of dough for uniform size.
Line the cookie tray using parchment paper or lightly grease them.

Flat the cookie dough, keep the broken cooking chocolates in the center and cover it and roll the once and slightly press them in disc shape. The cookies will spread slightly so leave enough gap in between each cookie
Bake the cookies for 15-20 minutes.

Tips

I tried candy melts also for the filling but they set faster so cooking chocolate is best for this recipe.
If you have them warm they taste more yummier and the chocolate lava comes out from the cookies very well.
It is absolutely ok if you get slight cracks .

Custard Powder Cookies

January 14, 2014 By

For this week of BM I had chosen Cookies and have already shared a french short bread cookie for day one .. For day to I made a delicious custard cookies , I always wanted to try this custard pd cookies and I at last tried my own recipe and it turned out yummy. Cookies are favorites tea time or pass time snack for us. I am sure all might be having cookies with a cup of tea or coffee most of the kids love the crispy cookies and one such cookies is these custard cookies . As we know custard pd is made with corn flour in it gives these cookies a slight crunchy outer part and soft from in , they are very flavorful and yummy .Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 36.

My H enjoyed them with a glass of milk and he was so attracted by the color the custard pd gives . These are perfect to serve to your guest with a cup of tea / coffee . My friend sangee of Spicy Treats is hosting a new event named ” Love 2 bake” am so happy to be apart of it and these cookies will be my first entry for the event. Lets move to the quick and easy cookies recipe..

Ingredients

Custard pd – 3 tbsp ( I used vanilla flavor)
Sugar – 5 tbsp
All Purpose Flour – 3/4 cup
Butter – 1/2 cup or 1 stick ( softened at room temperature)
Vanilla extract – few drops

Method

Pre heat the oven at 350 F.
Mix the softened butter till smooth add sugar and mix them well to a smooth and creamy texture.
Add all purpose flour, custard pd , vanilla extract and mix them well to form a soft dough.
Divide the dough into equal parts , roll them using your palm and flatten them a little.
Place these flatten disc in a cookie tray lined with parchment paper .
For the impression press the fork flat on on the top of the cookie slightly.
Bake the cookies at 350 F for 10 – 15 mins.
Cool them on a wire rack once done baking.

Biscuit Sablés/Eggless French Shortbread Biscuits

January 11, 2014 By

For this months HBC challenge priya aks choose an delicious collection of french recipes . This is going to be the first HBC post for the new year, starting with a eggless french cookies, I made these Biscuits Sablés and they were so yummy . Like any other short bread cookies they are super quick to whip and make . This is actually a round short bread cookies but I have given a square shape though. They are super soft and yummy cookies as any other short bread cookies. These cookies normally contains egg but Priya aks gave us this yummy eggless recipe.

Thanks to priya aks for suggesting a very very delicious list of french recipes. This cookies where so yummy and we enjoyed it a lot . Let move on to the recipe quickly !! Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 36.

Recipe Source : Priya’s Versatile Recipes

Ingredients

2+1/2 cups All purpose flour
1 cup Softened Butter
1/2 cup Powdered sugar
1/2 tsp Vanilla extract
1 tsp Milk or water

Method

Beat the butter and sugar together until they turns light and fluffy.
Add in the vanilla extract, milk or water, beat for few minutes.
Now add the flour and mix well to form a smooth dough.

Roll the dough between two ungreased baking sheets and flatten slowly with a rolling pin.
Using a cookie cutter,cut the cookies from the rolled dough.
Transfer the unbaked cookies to a baking sheet lined over a baking tray.
Transfer the unbaked cookies to a baking sheet lined over a baking tray.Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Bake in medium rack for 15-18 minutes or until set.
Cool the cookies on baking sheets. Store in a air tight container.

Rajasthani Dal Dhokli

January 10, 2014 By

Dal dhokli is always been my all time fav Rajasthani dish which i love from my child hood. Mom used make them often and we enjoyed them warm with lots of flavour in it with lots of coriander leaves. My mom used made them yummy every time :). This is one of the famous rajasthani dish generally prepared and enjoyed in cold weather . Dhokli’s are also prepared by gujurati people but they prepare them in a slight different way , rajasthani dal dhokli are made a bit spicy too so they taste very different from the gujarati version. This recipe is how my mom makes and I love it a lot.

This dal dhokli is so very comforting and yummy, and perfect for the winter here . There are many versions a Dhokli can be made and I have prepared Cluster beans dhokli ,moong dal dhokli, Fansi dhokli nu shaak already. There are many other dhokli variations which I will post in future :). Dal dhokli a very traditional rajasthani dish is my fav among all , I remember once my grand mom ( mom’s mother) prepared in Sigidi chula ( the olden days stove) for us and served us hot with some papad , they tasted even more yummier . So enough of tempting talks now moving to the recipe to tempt you all more .

Ingredients

For dhoklis

1 cup Wheat flour
1 tsp Red chilly powder
1/4 tsp Turmeric pd
1/2 tsp Cumin pd
1/2 tsp Carom seeds
Salt To taste
1 tbsp oil
ver
For Dal

1/2 cup Toor dal
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
1/4 tsp Cumin seeds
1 no Tomato (chopped)
1 tsp Red chilly powder
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1/2 tsp Coriander pd
1/2 tsp Cumin pd
A pinch of Asafeotida
1 sprig Curry leaves
1 tbsp Oil
Salt To taste
water as needed

For Serving

1 tbsp Ghee
1 no Onion (chopped)
Coriander leaves (chopped)
Lemon

Method

For Dhokli

In bowl put wheat flour, red chilly powder, turmeric pd, cumin pd, carom seeds, oil . Mix them well , add sufficient amount of water to make a stiff and smooth dough.
Divide the dough in to small balls , press them like a disc , flatten the disc a little with your fingers in a circular motion to for an even shape.
With the help of your thumb make a hole in the center of the disc.
Continue making the same for rest of the dough ,and spread them in a plate .
Do not overlap the disc it may stick to each other.
After making the disc cover them with a cloth to avoid them to dry off.

For Dal

Wash and pressure cook the toor dal and chopped tomatoes together for 3 whistles. For 1/2 cup of toor dal add 2-3 cups of water.
After they are cooker mash the well .
In a sauce pan heat oil add mustard seeds , cumin seeds, curry leaves and allow them to splutter
Add red chilli pd , turmeric pd, cumin pd, coriander pd and quickly add 1/2 cup of water else the masala will burn .
After the masala water boils add the mashed dal and sufficient amount of water to make the dal thin .
Add salt to taste.
Make a thin consistency and allow the dal to boil.

For Dal dhokli

Now add the prepared dhoklis to the boiling dal, cook them in simmer for atleast 15-20 min.
Check whether the dhokli is done my pricking a fork in them.
Finally add lots of coriander leaves and turm off the stove
Enjoy them warm with some ghee drizzled , lemon juice squeezed, chopped onions and lots of coriander leaves chopped.

Tips

If you want more flavor you can add garlic to the dal while pressure cooking.
Make the dal thin as it tends to thicken after the dhokli is cooked in it.
You can also roll the dough like a roti and slit them to form squares , my mom makes it this way some time to save time .

Sending to Jagruti’s Potluck party

Kale Channe Ki Kadhi / Black Chickpea Kadhi

January 7, 2014 By

From my child hood I love kadhi a got , it is one such comforting dish which i make often. They taste so delicious and yummy that i drink them like a soup most of the time. They are traditional north Indian dish to accompany rice and roti. As am a rajasthani in every feast at home mom doesn’t forget to prepare is dish for the meal. If there is kadhi then the dessert or sweet dish would be obviously lapsi in rajasthani platter becoz they go well with platter. There are N number of variations in preparing kadhi and love to add legume in them as they add the extra taste to the dish.

My mom adds variety of legumes to kadhi and one such is this kala channa . I love chickpeas a lot may it be kabuli channa, black chickpea or green. They really tastes delicious and adds the protein to your meal. I had prepared this dish for my Rajasthani Festive platter which I challenged in IFC and most of them just loved it and they personally pinged me and told me how they enjoyed this comforting dish in this cold weather. Thanks to all of them who tried and left a encouraging feed back. so here the recipe for kale channe ki kadhi.

Ingredients

1/2 cup Kala channa ( black chickpes ) – soaked over night
1 cup Yogurt/ Curd
2 tbsp Besan / bengal gram flour
1/4 tsp Mustard seeds
1/4 tsp Cumin seeds
2 tbsp Chopped coriander leaves
1/4 tsp Turmeric pd
1/2 tsp Red chilli pd ( adjust to your taste)
2 Nos Green chillies
1 tbsp Ghee
1 sprig Curry leaves
salt to taste

Method

Cook the kale channa in pressure cooker . I cooked for 3 whistles , they should not get mushy .
In a bowl add curd 1 cup of water , salt turmeric, Besan and churn it well .Keep it aside.
In a sauce pan heat ghee after they melt add mustard , cumin seeds and wait until they crackle.
Now add the pressure cooked and drained kala channa and saute .
Add red chilli pd, curry leaves, green chilli and mix them well.
Now pour in the churned butter milk or curd mixture and simmer the flame .
Let them boil till the raw smell of the besan goes of.
Use a non stick pan so that it will avoing the curd mixture to stick to the bottom .
Keep on stiring occasionally and Boil them well.

Once the raw smell from besan goes of and the kadhi become a bit thick switch of the flame and garnish with coriander leaves.

Vegetable Tempura With Sweet Chilli Sauce

January 7, 2014 By

This Months IFC ( International food Challenge ) challenge was hosted by Shazia Wahid of Cutchi Kitchen, she has a wonderful blog and I love her baking a lot . She challenged us with an array of all yummy recipes from Hokkaido cuisine. Hokkaido cuisine is nothing but a Japanese cuisine which is famous for its sea food and also foods with dairy products because they have a popular brand around japan. So from the list of recipes shazia had shared I made two recipes and I so enjoyed them a lot . Brain child of IFC is shobana and saraswathi who did a nice job creating this wonderful group.

So for the first recipe I made this delicious and crispy snack which so simple to make . They were so delicious and enjoyed them warm as a tea time snack. .

Recipe Source : Here

Ingredients

Mixed Vegetables of your choice – Pepper, Carrot, Baby Corn
Plain Flour – 1 cup
Baking Powder – 1 tsp
Salt – 1/2 tsp
Sugar – 1/2 tsp
Ice cold water – 1 cup
Oil for deep frying

Method

Make a batter with the plain flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and ice-cold water.
Heat oil and dip the vegetables in the batter and deep fry. Serve with sweet chilli sauce or soy ginger dipping sauce.

Tips

Use cold water to get a lump free batter. Keep the batter chilled in between batches of frying.

Sweet Chilli Sauce

Ingredients

Vinegar – 1/2 cup
Sugar – 3 tablespoons
Dried Red Chillies – 1 teaspoon or more depending on how spicy you want it
Corn Flour – 1 1/2 teaspoon
Water – 1/2 cup

Method

Mix all the ingredients together and heat till the corn flour thickens the mixture to a sauce consistency.
Once cooled, pour into a clean container and store in the fridge. Serve with shrimp or vegetable tempura.

Ukrainian Apple Cake (Yabluchnyk)

January 5, 2014 By

For my last day post for this weeks BM I made a Ukrainian dish which is a delicious dessert easy to prepare . I was very doubtful about the outcome but it tasted so yummy with a spongy base and delicious apple topping next time am going to try this with green apple . You can even use puff pastry instead of the dough base . The addition flax seed made it super spongy and yummy , I just loved the cinnamon flavor if you wish you add + 1tsp in the given recipe.

This a super spongy and yummy cake different from any other cake and very flavorful one you would get addicted of. You can drizzle some orange sauce on it too it will taste more yummier. I had to reduce the amount of butter but still they tasted yummy and were spongy.So lets move to the recipe for Ukrainian apple cake – an European dessert. Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 36.

Recipe Source : All recipes

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup butter ( softened at room temp)
1 tbsp Flax seeds + 3 Tbsp water (soaked for 5 mins)
1/3 cup cream
3-4 large apple ( peeled, cored and thinly sliced )

Topping

2 tbsp Cold butter
1/2 cup brown sugar ( I used Dark brown sugar)
2 tbsp flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Method

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F . Lightly grease the baking dish.
Sift together flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Cut in 1/2 cup of butter until the mixture is crumbly.
Stir together the flax seeds solution with the cream and gently mix into the flour until a soft dough has formed. Press into prepared baking dish. Layer the apples into the dish overlapping, in neat rows.
Prepare the topping by mixing the brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon together in a small bowl. Cut in 2 tbsp butter until the mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle over apples.
Bake in preheated oven until apples have softened, and topping has browned, about 25- 30 minutes.

Sauteed Red Cabbage – European Style

January 5, 2014 By

I Love to have salads and mainly when it is red cabbage my H stresses me take it in high quantity as it is packed with nutrition. When I first saw this Sauteed red cabbage recipe by racheal ray I wanted to make them right away but went on postponing now finally I got to make this delicious and one among the favorites European style sauteed red cabbage. This is one famous German staple served with the main meal , I enjoyed them like a salad though. These are quick to make and so very nutritious .

People who are looking for a nutritious side for their meal then this is a perfect and yummy side too. I loved the attractive color it gave , its was so appealing as you might see . Lets move to this nutritious recipes.Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 36

Recipe source : food network

Ingredients

Olive oil – 2 tbsp
Onion ( sliced)- 1 small
Red cabbage ( shredded) – 1/2
Apple cider vinegar – 2 tbsp
Sugar – 2 tbsp
Pepper pd – 1/4 tsp
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Salt to taste

Method

In a pan heat oil add mustard seeds after they splutter add onion.
Saute them till they turn translucent.
Then add shredded cabbage , saute them till it wilts and cooked.
Add sugar, salt and pepper mix them well and cook for 5 more minutes.
Stir them occasionally.
Serve them warm as is or as a side for a meal .

Irish Bannock (European cuisine )

January 3, 2014 By

Starting with my first post for BM this new year valli had chosen very wonderful themes and I was so excited to cook for the themes . For the first week I chose the internal cuisines in which I will be exploring European cuisine for first week. European cuisine are versatile by themselves , I had some to do list so took this theme as a chance to finish cooking my to do recipes from European cuisine . Even though I haven’t explored most part of European cuisine its not only mine but a bloggers wish to cover all the cuisines and explore all the recipes at home am sure of it , so this year I am hoping to cover and explore as many different cuisines and those unknown Indian recipes which are more traditional here in my space. So , gud luck to be and the explorers in this blogosphere :)!! and coming to my today’s recipe it is an Irish quick to make bread which doesn’t need any proving and can be prepared in quickly when compared to other bread and main thing is this is complete yeast free.

Irish Bonnack is a bread which is similar to scone which some people call as soda bread as these are quick to make.This bread are perfect for breakfast or teatime and tastes yumm when they are warm. So here is my first bread from European cuisine .Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 36

Recipe Source : All recipes

Ingredients

2 cups All-purpose flour / Maida
2 tbsp white sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp Unsalted butter
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup buttermilk ( made with curd and water)
1/2 cup dried cranberry or any currants

Method

In a bowl mix flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
Cut butter into flour mixture with pastry cutter.
Add buttermilk until dough is soft. Stir in currants.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for 5 minutes, or until smooth. Form dough into a round cake pan.
Place it on a lightly oiled cake pan or cookie sheet.
Cut 1/2 inch deep cross side to side. slit the cross like we do for hot cross buns.
Bake in a preheated 375 F (190 degrees C) oven for 40 minutes.

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