Desi Fiesta

Blogging Marathon

Sauteed Red Cabbage – European Style

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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

Healthy salads

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 .
European cuisine

Irish Bannock (European cuisine )

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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

European cuisines
European Cuisines

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.

Chettinadu Kaikari Biryani

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Biryani’s are always my fav as they are packed with so much nutrients and I prefer them spicy.  India is famous for is N num of varieties in biryani and am sharing a very famous biryani which I make often at home . This Biryani I first learned in my Home science and this was the recipe which saved me while board practical as this was Tasted by Chef Mr. Damodaran sir and he liked it :). I always love the coconut milk flavor in biryani and always use them instead of water. As you all might be knowing chettinadu foods mostly are prepared with ground masalas and they normally contain coconut in them . 

Chettinadu Kaikari biryani is my family fav and it tastes better when you use fresh coconut milk for this recipe. Some People also make them by grinding a masala paste which normally include shallots and all the spice which I have used here as whole like cloves, bay leaves etc. This is a simple way I generally make this biryani and this taste so yummy . You can add any veggie  of your choice and make them as spicy as you like .

 Ingredients

Mixed vegetables- 1 cup ( chopped) – ( I used Beans, carrot, Potato here)
Basmati Rice – 2 cups
Onions – 1 No (Chopped)
Tomato – 1 medium sized ( chopped)
Ginger garlic paste – 2 tsp
Red chilli pd – 1 tsp
Sambhar pd – 1 tbsp
Coriander pd – 2 tsp
Cumin pd – 1 tsp
Turmeric pd – 1/4 tsp
coriander leaves – 1/4 cup chopped
Salt to taste
coconut milk – 3 1/2 cups
Yogurt/curd – 3 tbsp
Bay leaves -2 nos
Cinnamon stick – 1 ” piece
Cardamom – 2 nos
cloves – 2 nos
Oil – 2 tbsp

Method

  • In wok / kadai heat oil add bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon and cardamon .
  • After they pop add chopped onions, ginger garlic paste and saute till  onion translucent.
  • Add tomatoes and saute till they are cooked and mashed well .
  • Now add Red chilli pd, coriander pd , sambhar pd, turmeric pd , salt ( remember to add salt including the rice) and  cumin pd . Mix well.
  • Add all the chopped vegetables saute them for a while until well combined.
  • Add curd / yogurt and mix them well and cook for a while then turn off the flame.
  • In a rice cooker put washed rice , coconut milk and vegetable mixture and cook them .
  • If you are making in pressure cooker cook the for 2 -3  whistles.

Kalkandu vadai ( Chettinadu spl)

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As you all might be knowing for this weeks BM i have choosen chettinadu cuisine and will be bring chettinadu recipes for three days . The first one was Kuzhi paniyaram for breakfast or snack , and today am here with a sweet appetizer this is a very very delicious and yummy sweet vada which can be served as a appetizer or as a sweet too.  This sweet vadai is a very famous chettinadu spl dish which is prepared on auspicious occasion and festivals . 

This recipe I have seen many times in TV shows and also some of our blogger friends have shared it when I was blog hopping I was thinking to make it soon and today I made these yummy vada after a long postponement  . This yummy sweet vada can be served hot or cold . Check Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 35 .. Lets move on to the recipe..

Ingredients


Urad dal / Black gram dal – 1 cup 
Raw rice – 2 tbsp
Sugar / Kalkandu ( sugar candy/ Misiri) powdered – 3/4 cup or 
Oil for frying 

Method 

  • Wash and soak urad dal and rice mixture for 30 mins. 
  • Drain the water completely, add sugar/ powdered Kalkandu/ sugar candy pd and blend them in a blender/ Mixture till fine Batter.
  • Add water while grinding if needed only in drops .
  • Transfer the batter in a bowl and heat the oil for frying the vada’s.
  • Wet your hands with water and take a small portion of the batter slightly press and make a hole using your thumb.
  • Slide the edge of the shaped vada using your thumb till and allow it to drop in hot oil.This needs a little practice to get perfect shaped vadas.
  • These vada will puff up well fry them in very low heat as they tend to darken faster becoz of sugar in it.
  • Turn and fry them both sides till light brown in color.

Tips 

  • If using kalkandu / sugar candy just grind it in mixer to fine powder and use them.
  • Instead of Raw rice you might also add channa dal or bengal gram dal.

Chettinadu Kuzhi Paniyaram ( With Idli Batter)

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I love chettinadu foods a lot and mainly the kara paniyaram which i use to enjoy in  the restaurants back in chennai 🙂 I always love to hear the sizzling sound the paniyarams make when the are poured in to the paniyaram pan . I make them most often at home and we enjoy them a tea time snack  warm with tomato chutney. Panitarams are one among the array of delicious food from chettinadu cuisine and this is an super simple way i make them at home. 

This is the most loved by my H and he keeps on telling me make them again n again .He gives me a lot of compliments for this one especially This recipe I experiment first for French dosa  toast  when my H told me that it tastes just like paniyaram I thought of making them as a paniyaram and here am with this crispy and delicious paniyaram . We usually like the over part of paniyaram little crispy and spongy inner part so i fried them to light golden brown but if you like the outer part to be soft too then you can fry them lighter .For serving you can serve them with any chutney but we love to have them dipped in sambhar like sambhar idli we like sambhar paniyaram too..so lets move on to the recipe . Check Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 35 

  

Ingredients 

Idli Batter – 2 cups
Onion – 1  medium size ( Chopped)
Green chilles – 2- 3 No ( chopped)
Curry leaves – 1 sprig
Urad dal / black gram dal – 1 tbsp
Channa dal / bengal gram dal – 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds – 1/4 tsp
Oil – 2 tsp
Salt to taste

Method 

  • In a pan heat oil, add mustard seeds after they splutter add curry leaves.
  • Add urad dal and channa dal saute them til they turn light brown in color.
  • Then add onion , green chilles and saute the till translucent.
  • Switch of the flame and transfer the mixture on to the batter add required amount of salt and mix them well.
  • Now add one tsp of oil in each hollow of the paniyaram pan and heat them .
  • After the oil in hot simmer the flame and add a tsp or so of batter in each kuzhi / Hollow.
  • Cook the paniyarams both the sides till  light  brown. Use a skewer to turn them.
  • Enjoy hot paniyarams an a snack or breakfast with any chutney :).

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

Nutella Fruit Pizza

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I always wanted to try a fruit pizza and here I am today wish a very delicious easy to make fruit pizza 🙂 . They are so quick to make and very simple to assemble . No need of any sauce preparation for this delicious pizza as we use Nutella spread which so delicious by itself when topped with some fruits makes it more interesting .  Fruit pizza are not so common but kids might love to have this different and  colorful pizza. For my 3rd day for Pizza marathon here am ending with a sweet note with this sweet pizza . Check Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 35 



Ingredients 

For pizza dough 
(Refer  my veggie pizza post to make pizza dough
I used one quarter part of the dough for this recipe)
Nutella Spread – 1/4 cup
Assortment of fruits – You can top them with any fruit i used strawberry, cheery and kiwi ( sliced)
Hazelnut- 5-6 No ( chopped )

Method

  • Roll the dough , prick it with fork and bake them for 10 – 15 min at 350 F till light brown .
  • On the hot pizza base apply  Nutella spread sprinkle some chopped halzenut .
  • Arrange the fruits as you wish and enjoy this fruit pizza .

Guacamole Jalepeno pizza – Mexcian Style Pizza

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Here I am with yet another pizza which I experimented without a tomato base sauce . This is much heathier and delicious to taste we liked it a lot :). Giving an Mexican twist to the pizza , when i say mexico the first thing comes in our mind is our very own guacamole right ? so here i have given the pizza an mexican twist by using guacamole instead of  sauce :). Guacamole is a great dip with Doritos and tortilla chips but they tasted yummy on top of a pizza too . This is another way to make a pizza with a different sauce instead of tomato sauce always you can try something different and healthier this way . 

You can add any topping on this pizza but I had added only jalapeno here .  This was an wonderful experiment for me Don’t use store bought guacamole for this make it fresh at home so that you can make adjustments to the taste you want them to be . Here my second pizza for my  week 3 BM ..Check Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 35 

 

Ingredients

For pizza dough 

Refer  my veggie pizza post to make pizza dough
I used one half part of the dough for this recipe

Guacamole

2 ripe Avocados
1/2 cup red onion  (chopped)
1/2 ripe tomato, seeds and pulp removed, chopped
1-2 No green chillies (finely chopped)
salt to taste
Black pepper (as needed)
2 tbsp cilantro  finely chopped
1 tbsp lemon juice

Topping 


Jalapenos’s – 2-3 (cut into roundels)
Mozzarella cheese – Shredded  ( as required)

Method

For Guacomole

  •  Cut avocados in half. Remove seed. Scoop out avocado from the peel, put in a mixing bowl.
  •  Using a fork, roughly mash the avocado.  Add the chopped onion, cilantro,chillies, lime or lemon, salt and pepper and mash some more. .
  •  Cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface of the guacamole to prevent oxidation from the air reaching it. Refrigerate until ready.

Assembling and Baking Pizza

  • Pre heat the oven at 350 F for 15 mins .
  • Roll the pizza dough prick it with fork place on a tray and bake it for 10 mins.
  • Then remove the pizza base spread guacamole, top them with jalepeno and cheese.
  • Bake  them on the rack till all the cheese is melted and  corner turn light brown in color.
  • Enjoy them warm .

Chutney Pizza – Indian style Pizza

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I love to make pizza at home fresh from scratch and have been experimenting with different sauces and topping . We have a very good indian pizza shop in our neighborhood , we visit them many times and after tasting their chutney pizza i was so inspired to try them at home . They tasted so yummy and delicious  and a unique taste makes it so wanting . If you are bored with the same old tomato sauce based pizza then this green chutney pizza might attractive you visually and also taste wise it is so yummier . 

I chose this week’s theme as pizza for BM and am so happy to share this very appealing and delicious pizza with chutney it in it totally desi style you may say. My H loves green chutney’s a lot and so this pizza is like a heaven to him . I had fun making pizza from scratch at home. So here is my first pizza for this week . .Check Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 35 

Ingredients

For pizza dough 

Refer  my veggie pizza post to make pizza dough
I used one half part of the dough for this recipe

For Green Chutney 

Coriander Leaves -1 bunch 
Mint leaves – 1 cup
Tamarind – 1 small marble size / 1 tsp 
salt to taste
Green chillies- 3-4 No ( adjust according to your taste)

For Toppings


Paneer – 1/2 cup ( cubed)
Capsicum – 1/4 cup ( I took  3 different colors) 

Other Ingredients 


Mozzarella cheese  – 1/2 cup ( grated)

Method


Green chutney 


In a blender blend all the ingredients together till a smooth paste and keep it aside. 

For Pizza 

  •  Pre heat the oven at 350 F – 400 F
  •  Roll the dough on a work surface keep dough slightly thick around the edges.  Prick the rolled dough so that they don’t puff up.
  • Bake the base on a pizza tray for 10 mins .
  • Remove it from the oven , then spread chutney add the topping, sprinkle some mozzarella cheese and bake them on the rack for 15 – 20 mins or till the corners turn golden brown and if you wish a crispy crust the bake a little longer.
  •  Using a pizza cutter cut the pizza into four and enjoy them warm .

Tips

  • You can add any veggie topping of your choice but paneer  and capsicum taste good .
  • Adjust the green chillies for chutney as per your spice level .

Ananda Bhavan Rava Kesari| Rava Kesari Recipe

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Kesari is our family fav and my mom never forgets to make this delicious sweet for our b’day’s as this sweet is our all time fav . When I saw Priya Ranjit of Cook Like priya sharing an Adyar Anadha Bhavan style kesari which was  very similar to what my mom used to make I bookmarked it and here am with this delicious Anadha Bhavan style Rava kesari . Adyar Andha bhavan was my most fav place for south indian savories and sweets. In which Rava Kesari is one such popular one , Thanks to priya for this yummy recipe which was close to Ananda Bhavan one and was so yummy to enjoy .

Rava kesari is an south Indian fav occasional sweet which is prepared in every home in south india for festive occasions. This is generally made of coarse semolina which is roasted in ghee and then cooked in water to form soft texture then sweetened with sugar and topped with roasted nuts . This is indeed a blissful sweet to enjoy any time of a day and so loved by kids too. Let move on to the recipe.Check Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 35 

Anandha Bhavan Rava Kesari

Kesari Recipe

Recipe Source : Cook Like Priya

Ingredients 

Rava / Semolina – 1 cup
Ghee / Clarified Butter -5 tbsp
Sugar – 3/4 Cup
Boiling water – 2 cups
Lemon yellow color – few drops
Cashew nuts –  6-8 chopped
Raisins – 5 Nos
Kesar Essence – 1-2 drops ( Not more than this)

Method

  • In a kadai / pan heat 2 tbsp of ghee.
  • Put chopped cashews , raisins and saute till they are light brown .
  • Add Rava , roast them in a medium flame till they  are light brown .
  • Now slowly add the boiling water simultaneously mix them with other hand.
  • Cook them in slow flame stiring continuously till the water evaporates .
  • After the rava cooks and water evaporates add sugar and mix well.
  • Add rest of the ghee in between will it is cooking.
  • Add yellow color, kesar essence and go on stiring till they form a mass and leaves the corners of the pan.
  •  Serve warm and enjoy .
Anandha Bhavan Rava Kesari
Tips
  • Stir continuously while pouring water to avoid lumps.
  • Use generous amount of ghee for the perfect texture. 

Banana Chocolate Halwa

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I always used to love the panchamitradam that was made as a parashad for hindu god my neighbors back in chennai used to share the parshad and i used to lick them all . I love banana desserts and so I made this delicious halwa with it giving it a twist by adding chocolate / cocoa pd to it . You will not believe but it tasted some what similar to panchamitradam and so delicious . If you want to use of the over riped bananas lying then this might be a wonderful way to make it in to sweet. So for the 2nd day of BM I made this yummy delightful sweet. They where super yummy and gooey and remember not to over cook them else the sugar will harden . Lets move to the recipe of this yummy halwa .Check Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 35 

Indian Halwa Varities

Ingredients

Banana ( Mashed ) – 1 cup
Cocoa pd – 1 tbsp
Sugar – 3/4 cup
Cashew chopped – 8-10 Nos

Method

  • Peel and mash the bananas .
  • Take the mashed bananas and sugar in a thick bottomed pan and heat it on medium high. Add the ghee. Make sure to stir  constantly. The mixture may stick to bottom.
  • Add cocoa pd once the sugar is totally melted .
  • Add ghee in between regular intervals while mixing constantly.
  • Let it cook down till the mixture starts leaving the sides of the pan and ghee starts separating on the side.  Add cashews, take off the heat. Mix everything well.
  • Serve them warm and enjoy !!
Tips 
  • Do not over cook them else they will turn hard like a rock .
  • You can flavor it with cardamom.
Halwa with banana