Hurrah First Awards!!

Thanks a lot Sathya for passing me prestigious "Loving Blogger" and "Honest scrap" award. Overwhelmed!!!
Hurrah!!!

I would like to pass it on to blogger friends:
? from Tiffin Carrier Antic/que's!
Pedhakka from Recipes by Pedhakka
Aruna Manikandan from Veggie Paradise
Nandini from Nandini's Food page

Navil Kosu Idli / German Turnip steam cakes

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup coarse semolina
1 cup mix of sour yogurt and buttermilk
1 German turnip/ Navil kos grated
salt to taste
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp bengal gram
2-3 green chilies
few currry leaves chopped
cilantro chopped

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and bengal gram. when mustard seeds starts splutters add semolina and fry for 2-3 mins on medium flame. Keep aside for cooling.
Now, add grated turnip, chopped green chilies,curry leaves, cilantro, salt and yogurt. Mix well and keep aise for 10 -15 mins.
Add baking soda, if batter is too thick add buttermilk as required.mix well.
Heat the steamer, grease the idli plates and pour the batter to the plate moulds and steam in high for 10 mins. Let it cool and serve with  any chutney.

Green bean curry/ Moong dal curry

Ingredients:
2 cups Green garm lentils soaked overnight
1 big onion chopped
2 tomatoes chopped
2-3 green chilies chopped
1 inch of ginger paste
1 garlic clove paste
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp sugar
salt to taste
Cilantro for garnish
2-3 cloves
small inch of cinnamon
3-4 peppercorns
1 cardamom
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
1/2 coriender-cumin powder
1/4 red chili powder
Oil

Wash the soaked green gram and pressure cook with weight on it for one whistle.Let it cool and drain the excess water. Keep that water to add it in mixture.
In a large sauce pan, heat  2 tbsp of oil add cumin seeds, cardamom,cloves,peppercorns and cinnamon.when cumin seeds starts splutters add onions,green chilies and ginger-garlic paste saute until onion turns light golden.
Now, add turmeric, red chili, coriender-cumin and garam masala powders and saute it until the powders are mixed well. Add tomatoes, salt and sugar mix well and cover it. Let it cook for 4-5 mins or until the tomatoes are smashed. Now, add tomato paste and drained water(as per your requirement) mix well.
Add the cooked green gram lentils mix altogether and cook for 3-4 mins.Lastly, garnish it with chopped cilantro.
Serve with hot chapathi, rotis or rice.

Mango Shake

Here is everyone's favourite fruit Mango and everyone's favourite drink or say never ignored drink Mango shake. To make it rich I added a scoop of vanilla icecream.

 

Ingredients:
2 cup Mango pulp
2 tbsp Sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 scoop vanilla ice cream
1 cardamom
4 strings of safforn for garnish(optional)

Peel the cardamom and make a powder.
Blend all the ingredients for about 2-3 mins.
Refridgerate the mango shake and  before serving garnish it with safforn string and enjoy the sunny weather!

Have a great weekend!

Herb Bread/Masala Bread

I have been looking for the recipe Bread with herbs since long time.Most of the herb bread made here in US  consists of rosemary which I personally don't like.It has a very strong aroma. Finally, I found Indian version - Sanjeev's Kapoor Masala Bread.

Ingredients:
4 Cups All pupose flour
1 tbsp Yeast
4 tsp Salt
1 1/2 tbsp Sugar
2 tbsp Butter
1 tsp Black pepper powder
Few fresh coriander chopped
Few fresh mint leaves chopped
3-4 Green chillies chopped
1 inch Ginger finely chopped
4-5 cloves Garlic finely chopped
2 Eggs
3 tbsp Oil
2 tbsp Sesame seeds

In a Large bowl,mix  flour, yeast, salt, sugar, butter and pepper powder.
Add ginger, half of the coriander leaves, mint leaves garlic  and egg to the mixture and knead to a soft dough using water as required and knead well. Add 2 tbsp of oil and continue to knead.
Spread some flour on a flat surface, place the dough on it and knead till the dough is absolutely soft.
Put dough back into a bowl, grease some oil and cover with a damp cloth and leave it to rise for at least 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 400 F. Divide the dough into smaller portions depending on the shapes required.  Spread some sesame seeds on a flat surface and roll one portion over it so that the entire portion is covered with the seeds. Beat an egg yolk with a little water and brush the dough balls.
Lastly,add the remaining chopped coriander leaves,mint leaves and chopped garlic.
Leave it covered for another 15-20 minutes to rise more.
Bake in the preheated oven at 400 F for 20-30 minutes.
Let it cool before you serve or cut into pieces.

Palak Chutney/ Spinach dip

Ingredients:
2 bunches of Spinach/Palak Chopped
2 tbsp Tamarind pulp
2 tsp Sesame seeds
1 tbsp Balck gram Split
2 tsp Mustard seeds
1/4 tsp Fenugreek seeda
4-5 Red chilies
2-3 Green Chilies
Few Curry Leaves
1/4 tsp Asafortida powder
Oil
Salt to taste
Tempering
1tsp Mustard seeds
1 tsp Black gram seeds

Heat a 1 tsp oil in medium sauce pan, add the Spinach and saute it and cover the lid. Let it cook until leaves are soft.
Meanwhile, heat a pan and dry roast the black gram until it turns light golden add mustard seeds, and then fenugreek seeds. Switch off the heat and add red chilies, curry leaves and asafoetida powder and saute it.Let it cool.
Now, Dry roast the sesame seeds on low heat until golden and grind to coarse powder.
Grind all along with tamarind pulp and salt to taste.(Add water only if required. The chutney should be thick in consistency).
Lastly temper it. heat oil in a small pan, add mustard seeds and black gram when it splutters mix it with the ground paste.
Serve with white rice, Dosas/crepes, Idlis.

This is off to "Healing Foods Event-Spinach" (hosted by Divya).

Brinjal Raita / Eggplant in Yogurt

Hope all had a wonderful new year/ugadi. Hoping this year bring the world peace. Well, here is my entry with smoky brinjalin yogurt. Normally, In mangalore brinjals are burnt on fire, peel the brunt skin and innerpart is mix with yogurt.I made variation by just stir frying it.  

Ingredients:
2-3 Small Eggplants/brinjals
1 Small Onion
1 cup yogurt
Salt to taste
2-3 Green chilies
Cilantro for garnish
Tempering:
1tsp mustard seeds
1 red chili
Oil

Heat 3 tsp oil in a medium pan, add mustard seeds when it splutters, add red chilies and eggplants saute in low -medium heat until golden and soft. Let it cool
In a medium bowl mix yogurt,chopped onion,green chilies and salt.
Once the fried eggplants cool down, mix it with yogurt and lastly garnish it with cilantro.

Holige/Obbattu/Puranpoli

Wishing all  Ma recipes readers  Happy Ugadi and Gudi Padwa.   

Ingredients:
1 cup Maida\All purpose flour
2 tbsp Wheat Flour
1 tsp Turmeric Powder
1 pinch Salt
Water to make dough
6 tbsp Oil
Oil
Inner Filling
1  cup Jaggery
1 cup Bengal Gram Dal
1/2 cup Toor Dal
1/4 tsp Cardamom Powder

In a bowl, mix flour,turmeric,salt with water and a dough. knead well and apply oil and keep aside for 2 hours.
Pressure cook the dal and starin excess water and grind to fine paste.
Heat a pan melt the jaggery and add dal paste and mix well until it's one ball like.
Make small balls of the filling. Divide the dough into small balls and flatten them. Place one ball of filling on the dough and cover and seal up the filling.
On a plastic sheet apply oil and place the dough filled on the sheet and gently roll out.
Heat a griddle/tawa grease oil and place the dough.Cook on both sides until golden.
Holige/Obbattu/Puran Poli is ready to be served.

Pineapple Cake

I am one of those people who likes to bake especially saturday afternoon. We love the plain flavour moist cake.

2 sticks unsalted butter
2 cups granulated sugar
4 extra-large eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 tsp pineapple extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour pan.
Cream the butter and granulated sugar in the bowl by an electric mixer for about 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy. With the mixer on medium speed, beat in the eggs.
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, pineapple and vanilla extracts.
Combine flour,butter,eggs and buttermilk mixtures and mix well with help of electric mixer for a min.
Pour the batter evenly between the pans, smooth the tops, and bake for 35-45minutes, until a cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let it cool for 10 minutes. Take them out of the pans, place them on a baking rack and allow them to cool completely.

Winter Melon Dosa/Crepe

Ingredients:
2 cups Winter melon(peeled, deseeded & chopped )
2 cups RawIdli  rice
1/3 cup Black gram (urad dal)
1 tsp Methi seeds

Soak the rice,methi seeds and lentils separately for 4-5 hours.
Wash and grind the lentils by adding little water to smooth first and transfer it to mixing bowl.
Now, grind the rice,methi seeds and wintermelon together with little water(melon contains water in it)
mix altogether add salt and keep aside for frementation for 8-10 hours or till the batter is double.
Heat the griddle and grease 1/2 tsp of oil and pour the batter,spread the batter in round and cook both sides.
Serve with coconut chutney.

Carrot Shake

Today's morning dose of Vitamins:

  

Ingredients
1/2 cup baby carrots chopped
2 cups milk
2 tbsp sugar

 

 Cook the chopped carrots in the milk on a medium heat for 30 mins. Let it cool and blend the milk and carrots. Add Sugar and mix well. Cool it in the refrigerator for 6 hours and serve cold.

Blueberry Pancakes

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 1/4 tsp white sugar
1 egg
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tbsp butter, melted
1/2 cup fresh blueberries

 

In a large bowl, sift together flour, salt, baking powder and sugar.
In medium bowl, beat together egg and milk. Add this beaten eggs and milk to flour mixture. Mix in the butter and fold in the blueberries. Let it set for 45-60 mins.
Heat griddle or frying pan over medium heat and grease oil. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot with butter and maple syrup.

 

Sending these Pancakes to Priya's Pancakes Event

Palak Paneer - Spinach and Indian Cheese with Indian Spices

Hope you all had a good weekend.. I got some fresh palak from one of international market and made this famous north indian recipe. The smooth and creamy paneer cubes and the greens gives delicious and sweet flavour.

Ingredients:
1 Large bunch Spinach
1/2 pack Paneer Cut into cubes
1 Small Onion finely chopped
2 small tomatoes
2-3 Green chilies
2 Garlic Cloves(make a paste)
Small piece of Ginger (make a paste)
1 tsp roasted coriender and cumin powder
1/4 tsp garam masala powder
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
Salt to taste
 Oil
1 tbsp Heavy cream(optional)

Heat a 1 tsp in medium sauce pan, add green chilies and spinach and saute it until leaves are soft and wilted. Let it cool and grind it to fine paste.
Boil the tomatoes and remove the skin and smashed it.
Heat 3 tbsp oil in a heavy sauce pan, add cumin seeds and onions saute it until onions are light golden.
Add ginger-garlic paste and saute for a min. Now, add Coriander and cumin powder, Garam masala mix well and add tomato puree,salt to tatse saute for 2-3 mins.
Add spinach paste and heavy cream (water if required) mix well  cover it and cook for 5-10 mins in medium heat. Just before turning off the heat add the paneer cubes and mix.
Serve it with hot chapathis or rotis.

Peach Smoothie

As summer is around the corner or may be started off :).It's the time to fill fresh water to ice cubes and having chilled drinks and here comes one.

Ingredients:
2 large fresh peach, skinned and sliced
1/2 cup of  yogurt or peach flavour yogurt(to get more flavour)
1/2 cup of whole milk
6 ice cubes

Blend the peach slices with the ice cubes and milk slurry misxture.
Now,add the yogurt and blend for another minute and serve chill.

Masala Baath - A Maharashtrian rice

Masala baath is similar to Vangi baath made but little variation without adding tamarind.

Ingredients:
1 and 1/2 cups Basmati rice
2-3  Long purple Brinjals
Salt to taste
5-6 Whole dry red chillies
2 tsp Coriander seeds
1/2 cup grated Dry coconut
1 tsp Cumin seeds
4 tbsp Oil
5-6 Cloves 
2-3 Green cardamoms
2 Bay leaves 
1 tsp Turmeric powder
10-12 roasted Cashewnuts

Wash and soak rice in water for 30 mins. Drain and keep aside.
Soak the brinjal cubes in water with which a pinch of salt and piece of tamarind pulp has been added.
Roast whole red chillies, coriander seeds, grated dry coconut and cumin seeds and then grind into a fine paste by adding little water.
Heat oil in a Sauce pan. Add cloves, cardamom, bay leaves and stir-fry for a few seconds. Add ground masala, cook for 2-3 mins on medium heat, stirring continuously.
Add Chopped brinjal and turmeric powder, cook further for 4-5mins.
 Add rice and mix gently. Add 3 cups of boiling water and add salt.
Cook on high heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low flame and cover the lid and cook until rice is done and all the water is absorbed. Remove from heat and serve hot with any raita.

Tri-lentils Khichdi with Bell Pepper Raita

Khichdi
Ingredients:
2 cups rice (Basmati or sona masuri)
1/3 cup bengal gram
1/3 cup split green gram
1/3 cup split pigeon peas
2-3 cardamoms
4 cloves
5-6 peppercorns
1 small onion finely chopped
1"  ginger finely chopped

3-4 green chilies slit
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
cilantro for garnish
Tempering:
Oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
Few curry leaves

 

Soak the rice and lentils in water for 15 mins and wash and strain the water and keep aside.Crush the cardamoms, peppercorns and cloves and keep aside.
Heat 4 tbsp oil in a pressure cooker.Add mustard seeds when it splutter add cumin seeds and curry leaves. add chopped onion and saute for a min. add green chilies and ginger saute until the onion turn to light golden.
Now, add the crushed spices and turmeric powder and saute it for a min.
Add rice and 6-7 cups of water (depending upon how mashy and soft you want) and season with salt.
Cover the pressure cooker lid and put its weight and cook in medium flame for 10-12 mins or until its done.

Bell Pepper Raita
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups yogurt beaten
2 small green bell pepper finely chopped
salt to taste
Cilantro for garnish
Tempering:
2 tsp Oil
1/2 tsp mustard
1 red chilies
1/4 tsp asafoetida powder

 

In a bowl beat the yogurt add salt and temper it and keep aside.
Heat a oil in a small sauce pan and fry the bell pepper until light golden and soft. Let it cool before adding to yogurt mix. lastly garnish with finely chopped cilantro.

Black gram dal rice

One more recipe from the cookbook Dakshin.Normally, Black gram is used for tempering or making idlis when I read this sounded unique but it is easy,simple and tasty recipe. This rice recipe goes well with Mango Raita

Ingredients:
2 cup Soan masoori rice
2 tbsp cashewnuts
2 green chilies
salt to taste
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp black gram
1 tsp bengal gram
2 red chilies
few curry leaves
1/2 tsp asafoetida powder
Masala
2 tbsp Black gram
1 1/2 tspblack peppercorns
2 tbsp white sesame seeds
2 tbsp copra grated

 

In a pan roast all the ingredients from masala list and grind to fine powder. keep aside
Now, heat a oil in saucepan add mustard seeds,when it splutters add black gram, bengal gram,cashewnuts, green chilies, red chilies, curry leaves and saute for a min. Add rice, salt and ground masala powder. Mix well and serve hot.

Besi Bele Bath

One of the famous dish that every South Indian will have. Besibelebath is mix of rice and lentils with hot spices. Poha/Thick rice flakes can be added instead of rice.

Ingredients:
2 cup Sona Masoori rice
1 cup Toor dal
Lemon sized piece of Tamarind pulp
1 small Onion chopped
1 Red/Green pepper chopped
1 cup mixed Beans and Carrot chopped
3 baby pototoes or 1big regular potato chopped
1/2 cup green peas(optional)
1/2 tsp turmeric
Salt to taste
Oil
Paste:
3 tbsp Coriender seeds
3 tsp Bengal gram
1'' inch long Cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp Poppy seeds
4 Cloves
1/2 tsp Fenugreek seeds
1/3 cup Coconut grated
7-8 Red chilies
1/2 tsp Asafoetida powder
Masala:
3 tbsp Fried gram dal
3 tsp uncooked rice
1 1/2 tsp Poppy seeds
Tempering:
4 tbsp Oil
1 tsp Mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 1/2 tsp Bengal gram
1 1/2 tsp Balck gram
2 Red chilies
Few Curry leaves

Pressure cook toor dal and rice with water.soak the tamarind pulp in water for 20 mins and starin the juice.
In a sauce pan roast all the Paste ingredients except coconut and grind to fine paste
In a heavy sauce pan, dry roast the ingredients from masala and grind to powder. keep aside
Heat the oil in a hevay sauce pan. add mustard seeds when it splutters add cumin,begal gram, black gram, red chilies, and curry leaves and saute for a min. Add onions and saute until it is light golden. Now add chopped bell pepper,beans, carrots, potato and green peas and saute it. when vegetables are partly cooked add tamarind juice, salt to taste and turmeric, mix well and cover the lid and cook in a medium flame for 4 mins.
Once vegetables are soft add ground paste and cook for few mins. Now simmer on a low heat add cooked rice-dal mix well make sure no lumps form. Cook until well blended. Lastly, add the dry masala mix well remove from heat. Serve with Bhondi or Chips.