Recipes

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

Old fashioned Ginger Orange Beer Juice ( Non Alcoholic )

October 5, 2013 By

Today as this is the first edition of cooking from Cookbook challenge. I love to hunt for cook books with some traditional and unknown recipes but try them so rarely so this event will help me to try more recipes from the cook books I own . Thanks to +Srivalli Jetti who is the brain child of this lovely thought of making use of our offline sources this way effectively . So am here with first post for this event .

As halloween is nearing here I found the ” Best halloween treats ” Cook Book and wanted make a refreshing juice for halloween . You might be wondering what??? Did i make beer ???.. Certainly Not It was a beer recipe But we drank it as an juice but I have given how to turn them Beer too. As the pics in the cook book attracted me to make this Beer which i turned to an Non alcoholic drink . I have tweaked the recipe and made this as a delicious juice.This is a perfect halloween juice /Beer .Lets Move on to the recipe ..

Recipe Source : Best halloween Treats cook book

Ingredients

Juice from 4 -5 orange
1 lemon
Ginger- 2 pieces finger size (chopped)
3 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp honey
1/2 cup hot water
1 orange ( to grate the zest)
1 cup Sprinkling water (chilled)
Ice cubes (if needed)

Method

Grate the zest from lemon and orange and keep it aside .
Squeeze the lemon juice from the lemon and keep it aside.
In a blender put the chopped ginger, sugar, honey and give it a pulse.
Add orange juice, orange zest, lemon zest, hot water and blend them till well combined.
Refrigerator this for 2-3 hours /If you refrigerate for more than 24 hours or up to 5 days you can taste a real beer But we drank them as a juice though.

In a glass fill this juice 3/4 and then top the sprinkling water to it.
If needed add crushed ice and serve them chilled.

CC Challenge of the month

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#33

Nukti / Sweet Boondhi / Eenipu Boondhi

October 4, 2013 By

As all know diwali is nearing I wanted to try this sweet boondhi which is one of my fav snack to munch, which can be made at home a very simple one . The only thing you need is a perforated spoon/ boondhi ladle to make them . Boondhi /Nukti is an rajasthani sweet snack which is prepared for any festive occasions . When i was small we used to travel rajasthan for our holidays these sweet snacks were made in plenty amount to feed the whole village . In anyone’s Home if there is an happy occasion then they shared this Nukti to all the homes in that village .This succulent snack where a great pass time muches for me. As the ingredients are very simple the trick is to make them round which i have some what got I hope.

As they are called as sweet Boodhi or Eenipu boondhi in southern India parts they are called Nukuti in marwadi. In rajasthan they usually serve these Nukti with spicy sev and the combo seriously is so yummy. These are the first step to make boondhi ladoo but the quantity may differ. So for my second day for BM I have chosen this rajasthani Nukti / sweet boodhi for festive theme.Lets move on to this delicious Nukti or sweet boondhi recipe ..

Ingredients

Gram flour / Besan – 2 cups
Color – Red , yellow , green (Totally optional)
Water to make a not too watery not too thick batter
Oil for deep frying + 2 tsp Hot oil to be added to batter

Sugar syrup

Sugar – 3 cups
Water – 1 1/2 cups
Lemon juice – 1 tsp
saffron strands few
Cardamom pd a pinch

Method

In a bowl sieve besan add water and make a (Not too thick Nor too watery even ) batter of it with out any lumps and keep it aside for 15 mins . To make in different colors divide the batter into three parts and add the color red , green , yellow to the divided batter respectively.

In the mean while take sugar and water in a sauce pan and boil them till you attain one string consistency. So prepare a clear syrup and test the string by dropping a drop of sugar syrup on a plate and sticking them on your forefinger and thumb , if you see one thread then it has attain one string consistency .
Add lemon juice to the sugar syrup to avoid crystallization , then add cardamom, saffron strands to it and keep it aside .
Now heat oil in a kadai check the oil by adding a small quantity of batter if they rise instantly then your oil is ready.
Before frying add 2 tsp of hot oil in the batter and mix well.
Using the Boondhi ladle or perforated spoon pour little batter on it . The batter will drop in the oil in drops forming a circular shape.
You can either tap the edge of the ladle or use the spoon to press the boondhi’s batter out of the perforated spoon / ladle.
Add the batter little by little and fry them in batches.
Fry them till they turn very light brown and crispy.
Once fried remove the boondhi’s with the help of another perforated spoon and transfer them to sugar syrup.
Repeat the same till all the batter is over and transfer the fried boondhi to sugar syrup. Give the boondhi’s in sugar syrup a mix so that all the boondi gets coated with syrup.

Now leave them for at least 1 -2 hour in open air so that they soak in sugar syrup well and dry off.
Sweet Boondi is ready to eat. Serve them warm with sev
You can store it in an air-tight container for atleast 15 days and serve it in every meal of the day.

Tips

If you want the perfect round shaped boondi take a spoon deip the end of the spoon with batter and drop it in hot oil if you see the drops falling form roundels then it is correct consistency batter if it forms tails then you knead to this the batter by add little don’ add to much water even as that may not puff your boondhi’s up.
Clean the perforated spoon each time you add the batter this even is a great time to make the boondhi’s round .

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Sending To priya’s versatile recipes and Spicy Treat

Sending to cooks joy

Thengai Mangai Soya bean Sundal

October 3, 2013 By

As navratri is nearing and only few days left I wanted make this sundal for this festive occasion . Navratri in India is celebrated in a very grand manner where Bengali’s have durga pooja. Hindu’s have Golu, And some perform fast the 9 days in this festival. We have pooja for our goddess make sweets and offer her the 9 days but some simple have made it two first and last day and other days they offer gudd or jaggery to goddess.In our home my mom used to make some sweets all 9 days before .

When I was small I always awaited for this navratri arrival as My friends used to call me for visiting their Home to see Golu. Golu is a toy festival celebrated during the festival of Navratri in Southern India.This is an exhibition of various dolls .I always used to get a handful of sundal for one visit to see this Toy exhibition. So here is my fav healthy sundal. So for my first day of BM under festival them I am sharing this delicious sundal navratri spl 🙂 Lets Move on to the recipe.

Ingredients

Soya bean – 1 cup ( soaked for 2 -3 hours in Hot water )
Dried Red chillies – 2 Nos
Urad dal – 1 tsp
Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
Grated Coconut – 3-4 tbsp
Raw Mango – chopped 1/4 cup
Grated carrot – 1/4 cup
Curry leaves – 1 sprig
Oil – 1 tbsp
Coriander leave to garnish
Salt to taste

Method

I soaked the soya beans on the same day for 3-4 hours in hot water but if you are prepared prior to make them you can soak them overnight.
Pressure cook soya beans with little water and small amt of salt and pressure cook for 3 whistles ( It shd not turn mushy). strain the water and keep it aside
In a pan heat oil , add mustard seeds after they splutter add urad dal and curry leaves .
Saute till the urad dal turns golden brown , then add red chilles , cooked soya beans and mix them well.
Now add grated carrots , chopped raw mango and saute for while , add grated coconut in the end .

Add salt as per you taste (remember you have already added salt for soya bean while cooking so add it as needed) ,mix well, garnish with coriander leaves and serve them warm.

Tips

Soya beans can be soaked over nite but if you forgot to do so just soak then in hot water for 2-3 hours and then pressure cook this works as well for me .
I like to keep the raw Mango in chunks . If you want you can grate them even

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#33

Linking it to “Vegan Thursday “. You can check the other members in this new group “Vegan Thrusday” Here.

Sending To priya’s versatile recipes and Spicy Treat

Zafrani Sevaiya Malai Kulfi

October 1, 2013 By

So here comes the final recipe for A-Z theme in Blogging marathon. Seriously am going to miss this theme It was so much fun cooking A-Z recipe and I also enjoyed the recipes shared by our BM members . I have learned so many new recipes with in these few days and virtually enjoyed this A-Z feast a lot . The BM group members have been so much encouraging throughout the series and have been leaving such motivating comments . Thank you so much dearies.

Now coming to today’s final letter from me is a delicious and creamy , chilled delight. This an yummy kulfi which I tried and they came out really yummy . When i was small i used to carve for road side kulfi’s a lot especially that semiya ice which had semiya peeping out of the kulfi or Kutchi ice 🙂 So remembering that Nostalgic memories I wanted to end My A-Z series with this creamy seviyan kulfi with zafaran or saffron flavor . This is a creamy malai kulfi an Indian ice cream to which I added vermicelli and they tasted yummy !! Lets quickly move on to the recipe.

Ingredients

Whole Milk – 3 cups
Custard pd – 1 tbsp ( I used vanilla flavor)
Condensed Milk – 1 tin or less depending upon your taste.
Colored /plainVermicelli – 4 tbsp
Pistachios – 3 tbsp ( chopped)
Saffron strands few.

Method

Boil the milk in a pan at low flame Till it thicken’s a bit .
Then add the vermicelli and cooked them till done.
In another bowl add custard powder 3 tbsp water / milk and mix them slowly without forming any lumps and keep it aside.
While the vermicelli is done add the condensed milk and boil for some more time stirring them continuously.

Now add the custard pd liquid to the milk and stir them . After a while the milk will thicken and coat the spoon .
Add pistachios and Switch off the flame , let the milk cool for a while.
After they cool down a bit transfer the milk in to the popsicle or kulfi moulds.

Refrigerate till the kulfi is set about 4-5 hours.
After they are set take of the moulds and keep them on warm water for 5 mins (No water shd go in to the moulds).
Then carefully unmold the kulfi’s by pulling them out.
Serve them immediately.

Tips :

Keep on stirring the milk else it may burn in the bottom .
Cool down the milk mixture before transferring to molds.
Carefully un mould the kulfi’s else with help of a knife remove edges of the kulfi and un mold it. Kulfi can also be cut in to rounds and serve .
If you want you add rose water for extra flavor but i didn’t as this zafarni kulfi i wanted it to be saffron flavored.
Keep the molds in freezer till the kulfi’s are well set.

Completing My A-Z themed dishes successfully 🙂 Thanks to all my readers and bloggers for been so supportive 🙂

Logo courtesy : Preeti

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 32

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Awadhi Kathal Ki Dum Biryani (Jackfruit Biryani)

October 1, 2013 By

I had tried this Biryani for the first time but have heard about this delicious biryani from a family friend and they used to make this awadhi spl biryani . This is an delicious and flavorful veg biryani without using vegetable but using a fruit as the main ingredient. As lucknow was invaded by the Mughals the Cuisine there is influenced by Mughal cuisine and this Biryani is On such among them . My H just loved this biryani a lot and we enjoyed this delicious Biryani with another fruity raita – Pomegranate Raita they merry well and gud combo.

Some days Back I received a comment from ingredientmatcher.com as they where launching a new ebook so they announced a competition to cook a dish which represents our country . The winner will be receiving a mini i pad and our recipe being included in Ingredients Matcher app. So I was really excited to make a dish which represents Indian and so chose Indian veg Biryani as my dish. Instead of usual veg Biryani I made this fruit veggie biryani . Now keeping my fingers crossed and waiting for the results . Lets Move on to the recipe ..

Ingredients

Kathal ( Raw jackfruit ),( cut them in to pieces after removing the skin part and deep fry) 1 halve small
Basmati rice soaked for 15 minutes 1 1/2 cups
Bay leave- 2 No
Cardamoms – 3-4 No
Cloves – 2 No
A few strands of saffron
Milk – 2 tbsp
Onion – 1 No medium size (chopped)
Tomatoes – 1 No medium size ( chopped)
Red chilli powder-1 tsp
Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp
Sambhar pd – 1/2 tsp
Cumin pd – 1/2 tsp
Coriander pd – 1/2 tsp
Green chillies slit -3-4 No
Garam masala powder – to sprinkle
Mint leaves (Chopped) – 1/2 cup
Coriander leaves (Chopped) – 1/2 cup

To marinate

Yogurt -1 1/2 cup
Ginger garlic paste – 1 tbsp
Red chilli pd – 1/4 tsp
Turmeric pd – 1/4 tsp
Cumin pd – 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste ( a small amt)

Method

To peel and cut the jackfruit first apply oil to you hands , cutting board and Knife . Start peeling the skin first and the cut them in to half . Remove the center part , now cut the remaining to chunks. If you have very big seeds like i had you can remove the seeds even .
In pan heat Oil deep fry these cut jackfruit till nice and golden brown.
I cooked the rice in rice cooker adding 2 cups of water but you cook it a vessel with ample amount of water till the rice is half done.
In a bowl Put fried jackfruit, yogurt, red chilli pd, turmeric pd, ginger garlic paste, cumin pd, salt (small amt ) marinate them and keep them aside for 15 mins ( Use the quantity given under To marinate).

Heat another pan heat oil add bay leaves, clove , cardamom , chopped onion and saute till they turn translucent. After which add Tomatoes and cook them till mushy.
Now start adding the red chilli pd , turmeric pd, cumin pd, coriander pd, sambhar pd, salt and saute for a while.
Now switch of the flame and mix the marinated jackfruit and yogurt mixture and mix well till combine. Keep the gravy a side.

Warm the milk and add saffron strands to it keep a side for 5 mins.

To assemble for Dum

Now take large steel Bowl or a vessel First add a layer of rice , on which spread a little amt of jackfruit curry , then again a layer of rice on which add some saffron milk all over.
Now top them with rice again then curry and then rice do it till all the rice and curry are used.
For top layer add the rice and top them with mint leaves , coriander leaves and sprinkle garam masala.

Take a pan in which the rice vessel can fit. Add water to the pan and keep the rice vessel Covered on top of the pan.
Now in a medium flame let the rice cook nicely and enhance all the flavors for about 15- 20 mins . If the water in the pan evaporates you can add some more .

After 15 – 20 min your delicious biryani is ready to serve with any raita. I serve with pomegranate raita.

“Y”- Brahmin style Rice Platter (Yelumicham pazham sadham , Yellu saadham, Yeeruvalli Kozhambu, Yelumicham pazham Rasam, Yenna Vazhakai, Yelumicham Pazha Urugai, Yogurt sweetened (Mango flavor))

September 30, 2013 By

I was thinking of the letter Y and randomly came this idea of making a Y letter platter to me . I enjoyed a lot making this delicious Rice platter for Y . As we are only one letter away and this series of A-Z theme is coming to an end I will be missing all the fun we had from past few days cooking with letters . So for the fulfillment I wanted to make a platter with a letter and so did I make them yesterday. Me and my H thoroughly enjoyed this Months Blogging Marathon as i was able to cook some un known dishes for my H and he was really happy to explore :). Thanks to Blogging marathon members and +Srivalli Jetti for this lovely theme . I will surely be missing this theme a lot .

Now coming to letter Y . I wanted it to be simple and a healthy platter with no onion or garlic so totally brahmin style rice platter. As you all know traditionally Brahims eat No garlic No onion so This is a perfect Brahim style platter as I have used No garlic No onion in these recipe If you notice. To start with I wanted lemon rice included on the Menu as this is an authentic south Indian recipe made for all occasion. Then comes the sesame rice which is a flavorful and healthy rice , some what like a normal podi rice but taste entirely different. So next to go with plain rice I decided to make a Rasam and a Kozhambu . For Rasam i chose a Simple and quick lemon rasam and For Kozhambu I wanted to make this brahim yeruvalli kozhambhu from my a cook book that i own so made this tangy kozhambu . To accompany the rice i made Yenna vazhaikai ( Plantain Fry) I made this with plantain but you can also make it with raw banana and also made an instant lime pickle .At last I found that I missed a dessert So occupy the desserts place I made sweetened Yogurt (mango flavored). So this is how i Planned the Menu Hope you all Like it.

Menu For Letter “Y” – Brahmin Style Rice Platter

Rice varities

Yelumicha pazha saadham (Lemon Rice)
Yellu Saadham (Sesame rice)

For Plain Rice

Yelumicha pazham Rasam (Lemon rasam)
Yervalli Kozhambu (Veg Brahmin style Kozhambu)

Accompaniment

Yenna Vazhakkai ( Plantain/ raw banana fry)
Yelumizha pazha Urgai (Instant Lemon pickle)
Yennail Poricha appalam ( Deep fried papadam)

Dessert

Yogurt sweetened (mango flavor)

Yelumicha Pazha Saadham (Lemon Rice)

Ingredients

Rice 1 cup
Lemon juice 2 tbsp
Salt to taste
Mustard seeds – 1/4 tsp
Bengal gram / channa dal – 1 tsp
Urad dal – 1 tsp
Green chillies (chopped) – 3 Nos
Turmeric pd – 1/4 tsp
Oil – 2 tsp
Curry leaves – 1 sprig
Asafoetida a pinch

Method

Cook the rice with salt in a rice cooker with 2 cups of water or a vessel with water as needed till it is done. Leave the rice a bit grain and not very mushy so that every grain of rice is separate .
In a pan heat oil add Mustard seed after they splutter add urad dal and channa dal and saute them till they turn light brown.
Then add curry leaves, Turmeric pd, Green chillies , asafoetida and saute them for few sec.
Mix in the cooked rice, add extra salt if needed and stir well till well combined.
Remove the pan from flame and mix in the lemon juice.

Stir well and serve.

Yellu Saadham (Sesame Rice)

Ingredients

Rice 1 cup
Salt to taste

To roast and grind
White sesame / Til/ yellu – 1/2 cup
Coconut (grated) – 1/2 cup
Red chilli dried – 5 Nos
Roasted Peanuts – 2 tbsp

For tempering
Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
Cumin seed – 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves – 1-2 sprigs
Ghee – 2 tbsp ( can be added if you need more)

Method

Cook the rice with water and salt . I cooked my rice in rice cooker if you cook them in loose water ensure that you rice remains grain and separated.
Heat an non stick pan and start roasting all the ingredients one by one under ” To roast and grind” after you finish roasting transfer it to a mixer and blend them nice and coarse pd without adding water to it.
Still you can see the ground mixture might have some moisture in it but thats ok.
Now heat ghee in a pan splutter some mustard seeds, cumin seeds,curry leaves and then add the ground mixture and saute them for a while till you loose some moisture from it . Switch of the flame and mix in the cooked rice to it .

If needed you can drizzle some more ghee on it and enjoy them warm .

Yelumicha pazham Rasam (Lemon Rasam)

Ingredients

Tomato -1 no medium ( Blanch and remove the skin )

Lemon juice – 2 tbsp

Cumin pd – 1 tsp

Rasam pd – 2 tsp ( Adjust to your taste)

Pepper pd – 1/4 tsp

Turmeric pd – 1/4 tsp

Curry leaves – 1 sprig

Mustard Seeds – 1/4 tsp

Cumin seed – 1/4 tsp

Water as needed

salt to taste

Ghee – 1 tsp

Method

Blanch the tomato and remove the skin . Squeeze the tomato in the blanched water .
After you squeeze all the juice from tomato add cumin pd , turmeric pd , pepper pd, salt, rasam pd and mix them well.
Now in a pan heat ghee splutter cumin seeds, mustard seed then add the tomato water + extra water if needed to make the rasam thin about 1 cup or more and let it get a single boil and then turn of the heat add the lemon juice and stir .
Serve lemon rasam warm with steamed rice .

Yeruvalli Kozhambu ( Traditional Brahmin Kozhambu)

(Adapted from Samyal cook book by Viji varadarajan )

Ingredients

Potato – 1 No (chopped )

Okra – 8 No (chopped)

Carrot – 1 ( cut them in to rounds)

Drumstick – 1 (cut)

Thick Tamarind Pulp -1 1/2 tsp

Sambhar pd – 1/4 tsp

Curry leaves – 1 sprig

To Roast and Grind

Coconut (grated) – 1 cup

Red chilli dried – 5 No

Fenugreek – 1 tsp

salt to taste

To temper

Oil – 2 tsp

Mustard seeds – 1/4 tsp

Method

Boil potato, carrot , drumstick in water and keep a side.
In a non stick pan dry roast the fenugreek first till light brown then add red chillies and roast them .
Now turn of the flame and add the coconut and mix them in the Hot pan.
Transfer this to a mixer jar , after the cool a bit add water and blend the to coarse pd.

Now heat a pan with oil add mustard seeds, curry leaves after they splutter add the okra and saute for a while .
Then add other cooked veggies and Mix in the tamarind pulp to it.
Add 1/2 – 1 cup of water to it after they boil add the ground pd, sambhar pd , salt and cook them till they become a homogeneous mixture.

Serve them Warm with steamed rice.

Accompaniments

Yenna Vazhakai ( Plantain/ Raw Banana fry)

Ingredients

Plantain / raw Banana – 1 large

Red chilli pd – 1/4 tsp

Turmeric pd – 1/4 tsp

Sambhar pd – 1 tsp (adjust to your taste)

Salt to taste

Oil 1 tbsp

Method

Peel the Plantain and cut them in to thin circles.
In a bowl put the cut plantain, red chilli pd, turmeric ps, sambhar pd, salt and coat the plaintai well.
Keep the marinated mixture a side for at least 15 mins .
Heat oil in a non stick pan add the marinated palintain and roast them in a medium flame till they are nice and crispy stiring them occasionally .
Serve them Hot as a side for any rice variety.

Yellumicha pazha urugai (Instant Lime pickle)

Ingredients

Lime / Lemon – 2 No ( medium sized) – I used Lime

Red chilli pd – 1/4 tsp (adjust to your taste)

Turmeric pd – 1/4 tsp

Mustard seed – 1/4 tsp

salt to taste

Asafeotida a pinch

Sugar – 1 tsp ( optional)

Oil – 2 tsp

Method

Chop each Lime in to 4 – 6 pieces.
In a pan heat oil add Asafoetida and mustard seed after they splutter addthe chopped lime and saute for few seconds about 2 sec.
Add turmeric pd , red chilli pd and salt to it.
If you lime is too sour you can add sugar to it balance the sourness else just skip it . The lime i used were sour so i added sugar to it.
Just cook for 10 sec and the switch of the flame . You instant Lime pickle is ready.

Yogurt Sweetened (Mango Flavor)

Ingredients

Yogurt – 1/2 cup

Mango pulp – 1/4 cup

Sugar as needed ( depend on the sweetness of mango)

Cardamom pd ( optional)

Method

In a blender blend the mango pulp, yogurt and sugar till nice and smooth.
Your fresh mango flavored yogurt is ready to serve.
Tastes best if chilled and served.

Finishing Y with this Brahim style Y platter 🙂 See you tomorrow with Letter Z 🙂

Logo courtesy : Preeti

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 32

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Arachuvitta Vendaikai Kokum curry (Okra in Kokum curry)

September 29, 2013 By

I have never tried Kokum and this was my first trial with it But have tasted many kokum dish, I never thought of trying it though . Thanks to my partner in this months Potluck party +Nivedita Thadani of Nivedita’s Kitchen who bought this yummy and tangy arachuvitta vendaikai kokum curry I made them today and loved this aromatic curry a lot. This is an flavorful curry made with some ground spice added to it and the main part is kokum which gives the extra taste and tanginess to the curry .We had this curry with Hot roti’s but they go well with steamed rice even. I made only few changes depending on our taste buds thanks to Nivedita for sharing this recipe .

Recipe Source : Nivedita’s Kitchen

Ingredients

Okra or Lady’s finger – (cut into 1″inch length) 10 – 15 Nos
Oil – 1 tbsp to fry
Lime juice – 1 tsp
Kokum – 2-3 (I used wet variety black kokum) soaked in warm water for 15 min

Salt to taste
Red chilly powder – 2 tsp (Adjust to your taste)
Turmeric – 1/4 tsp
Jaggery – 1 tbsp
Oil – 2 tbsp
Ginger – 1/4″ inch

To Roast

Coriander seeds – 1 tbsp
Urad dal – 2 tsp
Chana dal – 1 tsp
Jeera – 1 tsp
Dry Red chilli – 1, chopped
Curry leaves – 1 sprig
Fresh coconut – 2 tbsp, grated

Method

Wash, dry and cut the okra about 1″ inch long.

Fry in a pan with 1 tbsp oil till light brown adding the lemon juice.
Dry roast all the ingredients under ” to roast ” in a pan one by one and after they cool down, Add the kokum extract , ginger and grind into fine paste.

Heat remaining oil in a kadai.
Add the ground paste and fry till it leaves the sides. Add salt, jaggery , Redchilli pd and turmeric pd. Mix well and cook for few minutes.
Add 1 cup or more of water to make it a thin and cook for a minute. Adjust the spices and salt according to your taste
Add fried Okra and let them boil for a while.

Turn of the heat once the masala is well cooked and some masala is stick well to okra. Let the okra soaked in the gravy for 15 – 20 mins warm it again and serve them.
Serve with Chapati or hot steamed rice and Papad.

Xigua Niu Nai (Taiwanese Watermelon Milk juice)

September 28, 2013 By

Am so immensely happy that all have been enjoying My A-Z theme and leaving so many lovely comments thank you all BM members and my dear readers . My exploring journey seems like a never ending journey as i have so much to learn and Cook. Today’s letter is X and after so much googling i found a delicious drink which fitted perfect.

Today my blog is landing in Taiwan , East Asian state which is popular for its enormous supply of fruit. You can find all types of fruits over there . Thinking for X letter I wanted to make an delicious drink as I wanted a Drink in my A-Z list so comes this addictive milk juice which perfectly fitted the letter and my themes.
So X for Xigua nui nai under International theme , Xigua which means Watermelon , Niu Means Milk, Nai is juice so a perfect refreshment to have any time in a day. I was so addicted to this made them twice and drank them all alone 😛 . Taiwan is famous for it flavored milk which can be found carters in every store But nothing is more better than home made this is super simple to make and an addictive flavored milk which is so smooth and delicious . So with out further ado we will move on to the recipe.
Recipe source : Here

Ingredients

1/4 part of a medium sized seedless watermelon (about 3 lb about 6 cups seedless watermelon chunks)
2 cup milk
1-2 Tsp sugar (optional – if needed adjust to your taste)

Method

Take a seedless watermelon cut of the rind part and chopped the fruit in to dice’s .
Put the watermelon chunks and the milk into the blender. If the watermelon is very sweet, omit the sugar. If your watermelon is not sweet enough, you can add the sugar .
Blend the watermelon mixture for until they are well pureed with out any bits.
Strain the mixture through a sieve. Store the juice in the refrigerator and serve chilled over ice.

Tips

In Taiwan they make this milk even with papaya so can make this Milk juice with papaya even . You can also try and experiment with other such as pomegranate, orange, honey dew melon etc .

Logo courtesy : Preeti

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 32

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Wali Na Maharage (Rice and beans) – Tanzanian Red Beans Gravy

September 27, 2013 By

For today’s letter W we are traveling straight to Tanzania , Africa. In Tanzanian cuisine spicy foods are common and they make lots of coconut milk base curries. the cuisine is similar to Indian cuisine like chapathi, korma, kebab , samosa are even made there. I was really happy to know that most of the recipes are common in Tanzania because of the huge Indian migration there.

As there is a large Indian population living in Tanzania this recipe is said to be influenced from the Indian curries and as you know in south India we make coconut based gravy this is similar to what we make But am sharing this under International theme and this curry is a famous Tanzanian dish. Wali Na maharage simply means “Rice and Beans”, in Tanzania every recipe served is flavored with spices and even the plain rice is flavored with spices. The rice is cooked with cardamom cinnamon, clove, anise and bay leaves so the flavors are highlighted . I made the popular street food which is qamdi Which was a Somalian dish from africa , serve this delicious aromatic curry and a flavorful rice with it an very filling meal is ready to go.
Lets move on to the recipe of this delicious curry !!

Ingredients

1 cup Red kidney beans (soaked over night and pressure cooked
2 cups coconut cream/ Coconut Milk (fresh / store bought)
1/4 tsp Turmeric pd
1 onion ( medium sized chopped)
2 tomatoes (medium sized chopped)
Salt to taste
1 tbsp oil
2 Slit Green chillies ( adjust to your taste)

Method

Cook the beans in pressure cooker if using fresh (I used tinned ).
Heat a pan add oil add onions and saute them till translucent then add green chilli and saute.
Now add tomatoes and cook them till mushy , after which add the red beans and milk them well.
Add coconut milk and cook them till they boil for few minutes .

Remove from stove serve hot with flavored rice or quamdi /mahamri.

Tips

For flavored rice just cook the rice with all the dry spices like cinnamon, clove, cardamom, bay leaves .
This curry even goes well with our Indian breads too.
If using Coconut cream you can add required amount of water.

Logo courtesy : Preeti

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 32

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Veechu parotta, Virudhunagar Parotta with Vegetable Chalna

September 26, 2013 By

Am so happy today as my blog turns 1 today . This same day i created a blog with out knowing any technical Details how to even post and today its been one year :).. Its all bcoz of my dear readers and blogger’s who keep on motivating me and am immensely happy take a moment to thank such kind hearted people surrounding me . Thank you so much dearies for visiting , commenting and encouraging me Now n then . Thanks to all who sent me personal wishes and making my day so blissful ! Now for Today’s Post I have made My fav parotta’s for my Blogosvery !!

As a child I used to love watching the parotta masters flipping the parotta’s with hand and making it very thin , while doing so the clap sound made while lifting and dropping the dough on a greased platform was so entertaining for me 🙂 . Then when I tried the first time I knew y they are called as “parotta master” , we really need to practice a lot to master the technique its not so easy . Even though i am not a pro in this technique i love to make them at home and they come out very well . The flaky layers is a very important key factor for a perfect parotta . So for V I have taken my fav south indian dish Veechu parotta, Virudhunagar parotta and Vegetable chalna under regional theme for Blogging Marathon .

A flaky , layered parotta is a popular dish in TamilNadu and also southern parts of India. Its a nice sight seeing to watch the parotta master flipping the parottas in the evening time when you pass the road corner . There are different versions to make parotta in which veechu parotta is an madurai, tamil nadu spl version . The dough is the same but this parotta is made thinner using hand by just lifting and dropping the disc on the platform till it becomes thin and folding the corners like an envelop where as Virudhunagar parottas are fried in oil. The very delicious side dish which goes well with this parotta’s are vegetable chalna. Vegetable chalna is nothing but a stew made with mixed vegetable which goes well with paratha, parotta , and some plain rice too. Now lets Move to the recipes :).

Veechu parotta

Ingredients

For Dough

All purpose flour/ maida – 2 cups
Oil – 1 tbsp
sugar – 1/2 tsp
salt to taste

For making Parotta’s

Oil – 1/2 cup + (if needed )while kneading and frying the parottas

Method

In a bowl put the flour sugar, salt , 1 tbsp oil and knead them to a very soft dough apply 2 tbsp of oil after kneading all over the dough and rest it for about 1 hour .

After one hour again knead them nicely till it is nice an smooth if the dough is a bit sticky add extra oil to you palm and knead them very well.
Now divide the dough by taking a small portion and pressing them between you index finger and thumb so that you get tight balls.

Now arrange the bowls in bowl or tray and add 1/4 cup of oil to it nicely spread all over each balls .
Rest this for about 1/2 an hour.
After 1/2 an hour press the balls with your fingers and form a disc shape in a greased platform .
Now in this stage either u can act like a pro by using you hands lifting and dropping the dough till very thin or just use a rolling pin and roll the dough in a greased platform as thin as possible.

After rolling spread some oil on the rolled dough and fold the corner’s ( first the opposite sides and then the remaining corners like an envelop) and form a square or rectangle.
Heat a tawa and drop these parotta’s on it , cook at one side and flip them to cook at the other side drizzle oil to fry the parottas.

After both sides turn golden brown with spots remove them from tawa and serve Hot with chalna .

Coin method

Coin parotta are round layered shaped given to the parotta.

For making coin parotta take a ball (dough) and rool them same way as you did for veechu parotta . Now start from one corner and fold them zig zag till the end.
Now swirl the dough as shown and pinch the corner in the bottom .
Flatten this disc with hand or rolling pin and roast them in tawa till both sides get cooked.

Virudhunagar Parotta

Virudhunagar parotta is generally fry in lots of and are crispier when compared . They are generally shaped in to coin shape and fried in oil . I don’t prefer this parotta as it is loaded with oil but they taste yummy too 🙂

Method

The dough is the same and they are shaped in coin shape but to fry these parotta i took a pan and added about 1 cup of oil .

After the oil gets heated slide in the rolled parotta and fry them till light brown both the sides .

Vegetable Chalna

Ingredients

Mixed Vegetable – 2 cups ( Potato, carrot, beans, peas- Boiled , Reserve the vegetable stock even)
Oil – 1 tbsp
Onion – 1 medium size chopped
Tomato – 1 large size chopped
Red chilli pd – 1 tsp ( adjust according to your taste)
Turmeric pd – 1/4 tsp
Coriander pd – 2 tsp
Bay leaves – 2 No small
Cloves – 2 No
Cardamom – 2 No
Ginger garlic paste – 1 tbsp
salt to taste

To grind
Coconut (grated ) – 1/4 cup
Sounf/ Fennel seeds – 2 tbsp
Green chillies – 3 small

Method

Grind the ingredients under “To grind” and keep them a side.

In a pan heat oil add bay leaves, clove , cardamom pods , chopped onion and saute till they turn translucent also add ginger garlic paste and saute.

Now add tomato and cook till mushy.
Then add red chilli pd, turmeric pd, coriander pd and mix well.
Add the Boiled veggies and mix them well till the masala gets well coated.
Add the vegetable stock ( water in which the veggies where boiled ) and if not enough add extra water to the chalna to make it a bit thinner.
Now boil this for few minutes till the masala is well combined and then add the ground coconut paste to it mix well and cook them again for few minutes.