FoodNewbie

Happy Sankranthi- Ariselu

2007-01-14T10:31:00.000-05:00

Sankranthi Subhakankshalu

Sankranthi Special: Ariselu

Ariselu is a popular Andhra sweet for Sankranthi(a harvest festival celebrated mainly in South India) prepared with newly harvested rice and jaggery. Ariselu is also one of the many things i miss during Sankranthi, but now not anymore. Even though i didn't get new and fresh ingredients i managed to get the flavour. I said i made ariselu to couple of friends and they all said 'Hey aren't they tough'??Actually i also questioned myself several times before. But really i didn't find any difficulty and also took very less time compared with other sweets. The one thing we have to be careful with is the jaggery syrup cosistency.
Also another doubt is that we need some special instrument to squeeze the oil after the ariselu is deep fried , and believe me just two flat laddles will do the work.
so why late??

Ingredients

2 cups rice
approx 3 cups water
2 cups jaggery
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup shredded coconut
oil for deep frying
also keep rice flour handy.

Preparation

Soak the rice in water overnight or for 7-8 hrs. Drain the rice and dry the rice on a cotton cloth for about 1/2 hr-1 hr, so that the cloth will absorb any remaining water. Grind the rice into a fine powder by swifting the flour. Prepare jaggery syrup. The syrup should be thick and if you place a drop of syrup in water it should not dissolve immediately and you should see thread forming. Then slowly add flour, coconut and 1/4 cup sesame seeds. Keep stirring to avoid lumps. The texture should come somewhat like a chapati dough. If you think the mixture is semi-solid, add some rice flour. Now Cool the mixture for sometime. Make small balls from the mixture. Apply oil to your hand and to the surface( i prefer plastic wrap or parchment cooking paper). Place sesame seeds on the surface and flatten the balls. Fry them in oil over medium heat. After the discs turn golden color remove the discs and press hardly between two laddles to squeeze extra oil(ariselu normally absorb oil when fried).
Store the cool fried ariselu in a container and can enjoy for long time if not finished.

This time i prepared ariselu in hurry so can't able to click more photos. Check kodali's version for more photos and for some more info.

Corn and Coconut

2007-01-09T16:45:00.000-05:00

This month's jihva ingredient hosted by ashwini made me think so much as i want to try something new for myself and in that process i got late( as usual).

In India, Coconut is given so much importance in everyday life. It is someting considered as 'Holy' and is offered to God. One of the reasons is that the water in the coconut is untouched and so it is pure. But in US it is hard to find good and tender coconut. Also another thing concerned about coconut is its nutritional values. Keeping those stories beside i very much enjoy the taste of coconut in any form..in curries,chutney,burfi or eating raw.

I came across this curry at a friend's party and i liked the combination of corn and coconut. The sweetness of corn and crunchiness of coconut gives a unique taste. Also it is simple to prepare.

Ingredients:

Corn kernels(cooked)
Shredded Coconut
Light Fried Okra(optional)
One small onion chopped
Curry leaves and tadka/sesaoning ingredients
Chillies
Salt and chilli powder

Preparation:

Take oil in a pan and do the tadka/seasoning. Saute the onions and chillies. Add corn,fried okra,coconut and saute for sometime until the water is evaporated. Add salt and chilli powder. Serve hot with rotis. Also we can enjoy as a salad or as a evening snack by adding lime juice.

Happy New Year

2007-01-01T02:46:00.000-05:00

To all Friends and visitors....

Wishing you and your family a New Year filled with new hope, new joy and new beginnings.

Happy holidays

2006-11-02T09:38:00.000-05:00

Thanks sra and many other friends for inquiring about my absence these days. My son's school,birthday party ,LasVegas trip and many more reasons for not paying attention to this favourite hobby of mine. Anyway iam back to rejuvenate my blogging.

And I start with fun filled cookies perfect for this holiday season. Actually I prepared this cookies for halloween celebrations but somehow i got lazy and didn't posted at that time.
This recipe is adapted from a book called 'Mrs Field's 101 cookies". I am really inspired by this woman who takes time to cook and formulate new varieties apart from taking care of her big family. It is indeed a very tough task. Kudos to you Mrs.Fields.
Her cookies are simple to make yet very rich in flavour and Jam filled cookies is one such example.

Jam Filled Cookies.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup softened butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 and 1/2 cup all purpose flour
Any jam (i used strawberry jam)

Preparation:

In a bowl mix butter and sugar. Then add egg yolks and vanilla. Beat with electric mixer until the mixture becomes light and fluffy. Add the flour and mix thoroughly.
Wrap the dough tightly in a plastic bag and refigerate for 1 hr. Using a rolling pin flatten the dough to 1/4 inch thickness.

Cut circles with a cookie cutter and place 1/2 of them on a baking sheet. Now drop approx 1/2 tsp of jam in the center of each cookie disk. Top with another cookie disk. Seal the edges of two cookies with a fork.

Bake in a oven of 325 F for 15 min or until the edges begin to brown. Very easy..isn't it? and the end result is very satisfying cookies perfect for holidays esp kids like them a lot. Happy cooking.

Jam filled cookies

Top 5 foods i like in my life

2006-10-17T15:43:00.000-04:00

Thanks sra for tagging me for this meme(actual name is Top 5 things to eat before you die). Iam excited to sort out top 5 things but makes me difficult to think about life. It is not easy to pick only 5 from numerous favourites, anyhow i tried and here they are

1. Payasam made by my Mother: No calorie counting and no diet. Made with fresh and fat milk, with exact amounts of rice and sweetner(jaggery) my mother prepares this on birthdays and festivals. Eventhough i prepare this at home the taste is of no match. I even have emotional bonding to this sweet that my mother prepared this on my final coming out from my paternal home and i bursted into tears while eating. I laugh sometimes thinking about that but still payasam remains my top favourite.

2. Mango: Even now i crave for this fruit. Summers are sweet for me with this fruit. Not only ripe mangoes i like eating raw mangoes topped with salt and chilli powder shared with my sister and brother. There are even days that i ate only mangoes for breakfast and lunch.

3. Fish Curry: Fish cooked in tamarind sauce eating with hot rice on rainy day..ah what a joy.

4. Fruit of Palmyra Palm: The palmyra palm trees are most important trees in India and is widely grown in our grandmothers region in EastGodavari District. Just like coconut, this fruit also has thick juice in it usually in three compartments in the fruit and we have to slurp with the help of fingers. It is fun to eat and enjoy.

5. Poori/Batura: It is my favourite restaurant breakfast esp in India. I don't know how they puff so perfectly, seeing them from distance itself makes me hungry.

and so on...

Dasara Celebrations- Kajjikayalu and Boorelu

2006-10-03T15:30:00.000-04:00

Being in Vijayawada famous for Durga temple, the Festive season for me starts from Dasara to Deepavali(diwali). Vijayawada city will become more colorful with bright lights and with devotees coming from various parts of the country.
When i am at college i used to go daily passing by the hill, seeing the Goddess in the temple below and the Krishna river. In a way Dasara brings all those memories back.
Holding all those memories i also did a little participation in celebrating the festival here by preparing Poornam boorelu and Kajjikayalu. Also this year Dasara is special for me as it was anish's first day of school.

I prepared kajjikayalu for first time seeing the post by sailaja. May be i added more ghee than specified in the dough, i didn't get that crispy texture. But i liked it and surely will prepare again.

Another sweet my husband likes a lot is Poornam Boorelu.

Regarding boorelu i always had this misconception that it is difficult to prepare and only experienced people can do, but actually it is easy.

Ingredients:
1 cup urad dal soaked for 5 hrs
1 and 1/2 cups rice flour
1 cup chana dal soaked
Jaggery
1/4 cup shredded fresh coconut
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cardamom powder

Preparation:
Pressure cook chanadal with 1/4 cup water. Add enough jaggery, coconut and cardamom powder to the cooked chanal dal and mix. Make small balls with this mixture and keep aside. Grind urad dal into fine paste and add rice flour, salt to it. The batter should be like pancake batter but little bit thick. Dip each chanadal ball into the batter and with spoon carefully dip the ball coated with urad dal batter into the hot oil and fry until the ball becomes golden color. Can stay fresh for a week if not finished.

Cabbage curry with peas

2006-09-20T14:37:00.000-04:00

I don't like cabbage but sometimes i left with no option but to cook and eat with a grim face. I ate this version of cabbage and peas in my friend's house and i like it. Now the way i look at cabbage has changed.

Cabbage with baby peas

Ingredients:
1/2 of medium cabbage, chopped
1 cup frozen baby peas or boiled peas.
3,4 green chillies slit lenghtwise.
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
Salt and redchilli powder
For seasoning/tadka:
1 tsp mustard seeds,cumin seeds,chana dal,urad dal and 2 red chillies

Preparation:
In a botton sauce pan..add 2 tsp of oil and chopped cabbage, place the lid on and cook on medium heat until the cabbage becomes trasparent and tender. In another pan,add oil and fry all the seasoning ingredients. Add green chillies, peas and cabbage. Add salt and red chilli powder. Cook for sometime. Cabbage peas curry is done. Goes well with rice and rotis.

A little about me - meme

2006-09-20T14:11:00.000-04:00

Thanks Madhu for tagging me. It is really exciting to dig myself, also a good opportunity to explore other bloggers.

I am Thinking about: How to write this meme...
I said: Hey Anish(My son)Play with toys, let me see the computer
I Want to : be recognised.
I wish: my dreams come true.
I regret: that iam thinking too much.
I hear: my neighbour's A/C sound.
I am: complex human being .
I dance : when no one is around.
I sing: to good tune.
I cry: when i hurt deeply
I am not: good at organising and memorize things unlike my husband.
I am with my hands: household work, cooking, eating and typing on keyboard.
I write: random designs on my son's doodle pad.
I confuse: dondakaya(tindora, Ivy gourd) to bendakaya(Okra) and many more.
I need : Real Magic wand.
I Tag : vineela,menutoday

Lamb curry

2006-09-12T10:21:00.000-04:00

Somehow i stick to same method in cooking non-veg curries but this time i did little bit variation by adding yogurt and the result is a thick gravy curry perfect to go with biriyani(pulav rice).

Lamb curry

Ingredients:
2 pounds lamb with or without bone cut into pieces
1/3 cup unsweetened yogurt
1 big onion finely chopped
2 tbsp garam masala
2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
4 tbsp tomato paste or 1 medium tomato puree
2 cups water
4 chillies
salt and red chilli powder according to your taste
finely chopped coriander leaves

Preparation:

In a bowl mix yogurt,garam masala,ginger garlic paste,salt and chilli powder. Heat oil in a cooker pan and fry the onions till golden brown. Add the meat and yogurt mixture and fry for sometime. Add chillies and tomato paste. Now add water,close the lid and pressure cook for about 4 whistles. Remove the lid and cook until the sauce thickens. Add coriander(i didn't added here). Goes well with rice or roti.

Note. Can also add 3 tbsp almond paste if you want more gravy.

Lamb curry and pulav rice...a tasty meal

Junnu

2006-09-01T14:42:00.000-04:00

Junnu is a telugu word for a sweet which is prepared from first day milk of cattle usually cow or buffalo (Pl. Let me know what is the word for junnu in english and hindi). This is my favourite sweet which i think iam missing here, but a good friend of mine prepared this and to my surprise it is not from lactating milk. The taste and texture looks exactly the same as junnu that it almost satisfies our craving. I thought to share this with my entry to JFI-milk hosted by Vineela.

Junnu

Ingredients:
2 eggs
2 and 1/2 cups whole milk
1 small can condensed milk
2 tsp blackpepper powder
1 tsp cardamom powder

Preparation:
Beat eggs thoroughly. Take a bowl and add egg mixture,condensed milk,whole milk and mix well. Add pepper powder and cardamom powder. Place the bowl in a pressure cooker and cook without whistle on meduim heat for about 45 minutes. Cool for sometime in the refrigerator and serve.

Note: See another version of junnu by KrishnaArjuna.

Bottlegourd in Tamarind Sauce(Sorakaya pulusu)

2006-08-29T15:01:00.000-04:00

Summer days are coming to end. It is raining on and off in our area from last 3 days. I like rainy season bcz it brings new life to the nature. I want to eat something hot and tangy and so prepared this bottlegourd gravy.

Sorakaya pulusu

Ingredients:
1/4 Bottlegourd peeled and cut into cubes
1 meduim onion, chopped
1 large tomato, chopped
2 tbsp tamarind paste
Chunk of jaggery or 2 tbsp of sugar
2 chilies
salt and redchilli powder

Ingredients for tadka/seasoning:
1 tbsp each cumin seeds, mustard seeds, chanadal and urad dal.

Sorakaya pulusu with rice

Preparation:
In a pan take 2 tbsp oil and fry all the seasoning ingredients. Add the onions and fry for sometime. Add green chillies and tomato. If you have tomato paste add 3 tbsp of tomato paste. Add bottlegourd pieces,salt,redchilli powder and combine everything. Add tamarind paste and some water and cook until sauce thickens. Before turning off stove add jaggery. Enjoy it hot with rice.
You can also see another version of this curry by vindu.

Sandwich

2006-08-25T10:42:00.000-04:00

No cooking,No dishes.. yet tasty and satisfying meal is vegetable sandwich. I always wonder how they come with the idea of putting all raw vegatables in between two breads. Its true that we indians who are used to cooking all vegetables thoroughly before eating are apprehensive about eating sandwich,even i was no exception initially. But once used to the unique taste of combining all vegetables with cheese and other ingredients i became a lover of this sandwich. Above all it is easy and healthy.

Eat fast

There are many versions of sandwiches but this one i like most.

Ingredients:
Club rolls or sandwich breads
Lettuce
Capsicum
Tomato
Onion
Pickles(dill or cucumber)
Jalapenos
Sandwich toppers(includes red and yellow bell peppers)
Cream Cheese
Mayonnaise(or sour cream)
Salt and pepper.

Preparation:
First split the club roll slightly and spread cheese inside and keep in the oven of 350F for about 2-3 minutes. Cut lettuce,tomato,onion and capsicum. Now Layer the inside with lettuce and then with all other vegetables and pickles. Top with mayonnaise,salt and pepper. That's it. Sandwich is ready.

Blueberry Muffins

2006-08-21T10:55:00.000-04:00

hBerries are Summer time treat and blueberries are small of all berries. As a fruit i don't like much to eat but its blue color adds unique color to foods. Also this tiny fruit plays a big role as healthy fruit. I brought blueberries from a local market which opens only in summer and stalls are held by local farmers. The rates are pretty high compared to other shops, the reason they say are all fruits and vegetables are organic. I want to use these precious blueberries and here it is blueberry muffins.

blueberry muffins

Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1/2 cup melted butter
3/4 cup milk
1 cup sugar
1 egg
pinch of salt

ready to go into the oven

Preparation:
In a bowl mix sugar,butter,milk and egg. In a large bowl sift flour,baking soda,baking powder and salt. To this add the egg mixture. Coat blueberries with 1 tbsp of flour and add these blueberries to the flour. Combine everything gently. Don't over mix. Line muffin pan with paper liners. Now place this batter into muffin cups and bake in the oven of 450F for 20-25 minutes.
Note: If the batter is thick you can add some more milk. Also can substitue milk with yogurt and butter with vegetable oil.

Thiranga(tri-color) puri

2006-08-14T16:24:00.000-04:00

Thiranga puri

One of my favourite moments of Independence day is flag hoisting. Singing the national anthem and seeing the flag dangling freely and proudly in air brings some kind of patriotic feeling. Also its time to sweeten our taste buds with the candies and biscuits.

Lining up the dough like a flag with a blueberry in middle.

National Flag symbolises a country. There are three colors in a flag with blue wheel in the middle. In the national flag of India the top band is of Saffron colour, indicating the strength and courage of the country. The white middle band, indicates peace and truth with Dharma Chakra. The last band is green in colour shows the fertility , growth and auspiciousness of the land.

I made this puri to represent the Flag. This idea is from my friend who once prepared this puri and told that her mother used to prepare this on Independence day.

Ingredients:

Wheat flour
Beet Root
Spinach

Puree beet root and spinach. If the beetroot is hard, boil first and then puree. Prepare 3 doughs with chapathi flour. One with beetroot puree, other with spinach puree and third dough is plain one.

Roll each dough into a long threads and arrange them closely in the order. Cut into small pieces and make small balls. Flatten each ball and fry in oil. Serve with curry. A healthy and easy way to Celebrate our Independence Day.

Our patriotic meal

My Contibution to Indira's Independence day food parade.

Tribute to India

2006-08-10T10:39:00.000-04:00

"India is the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, grandmother of legend, and great grand mother of tradition. Our most valuable and most instructive materials in the history of man are treasured up in India only." - MarkTwain

My motherland India is celebrating its 60th year of freedom on August 15. On this eve, I would like to share some videos depicting the culture and diversity of India.

National song of India- Vandemataram, sung by Lata Mangeshkar.

Congratulations and Thankyou.

2006-08-07T16:23:00.000-04:00

After seeing the articles about foodblogs by talented Sravanthi and Vijayashree, i want to express some thoughts after being part of this world for 3 months.

Like many people, iam also looking for a opportunity to kill my boring time. Before having kid i used to watch movies, chatting with friends and sleeping. Now with kid comes the change. i want to utilize my sparing time properly and effectively.

Thanks to the globalisation i got aquainted to many food habits in and out of my country. Having friends from different cultures also probed me to learn more about their cuisines. Whenever i want some recipe i used to google and try them but after a while i forgot that procedure and so again go searching. Then i came across blogs and to my wonder it is like stepping into a different world the more i see the more i get. With photos, the food blogs makes us to crave for them before trying and it is defintely a plus point for the food blogs to gain popularity. I used to think that some kinds of foods (like cakes, cookies, naan etc) can be done by professional chefs and be eaten outside. But iam amazed to see that many like me are preparing them and so why can't i learn and try. This change of attitude is possible only with blogs where we know about the person who prepares it and feel close to them. Another thing is writing skills..after spending 3-4 years at home without doing much i feel like losing grip on my literature and blogging increased my will to improvise and learn. Now, if everyone asks what is that you are gaining sitting before the computer.. i simply smile. Thankyou Blog.

Congratulations to Sailusfood, Mahanandi, Vineelascooking, Green Jackfruit, Chaipani, Gluttony is no sin, SpiceQueen, Onehotstove for leaving your prints in this blog world.

String Beans Fry with Coconut

2006-08-07T15:20:00.000-04:00

I was introduced to frozen french cut beans by my husband and i too for 2 years stick to them inspite of getting fresh beans outside, may be because iam reluctant to change or lazy to cut them and cook. Once my friend made this curry and i feel like i lost something in my version of beans and yeah that is taste..the taste of freshness. Now, Frequently i will be seen digging up fresh beans at my local farm market.

Ingredients:
Fresh StringBeans - 1/4 kg
Freshly grated coconut- 1/2 cup
Curry leaves, Red chillies, Mustard seeds, cumin,urad dal and chana dal for tempering.
Dhaniya powder- 1/2 tbsp

Preparation:
Clean and cut the beans into small pieces(requires patience but can cut 5,6 beans to save time). Now boil the cut beans till they are cooked. In a pan take 3,4 tbsp of oil and fry all the tempering ingredients. I would like to add 1 tbsp more urad dal and chana dal than normal bcz they will give nice look. Add the cooked cut beans and fry for sometime. Add salt, chillipowder and turmeric. Add grated coconut and fry for 2 min in meduim heat. Sprinkle dhaniya powder just before finishing. Goes well with rice and rotis.

(beans fry with coconut)

Pineapple pie

2006-08-01T14:51:00.001-04:00

Pies are integral part of american cooking and there is also famous saying "As American as apple pie". Even Pie making lessons are there in kids classes and programs. Initially i was little skeptical about making pie bcz i have an inner feeling that its difficult but iam wrong... pie making is easy and less laborious.

Of all pies i like pineapple pie the most. The crunchy and sweet pinepple filling is a delight to my senses.

Fresh baked pineapple pie

Ingredients:
For crust:
3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 stick chilled unsalted butter
1/4 tsp salt
ice water

For pineapple filling:
4 cups pineapple cubes (you can use canned pineapple chunks)
1 cup sugar
1 tbsp cinammon powder
1/4 cup cornstartch
1 tbsp chilled butter cut into small pieces

1 egg.

Preparation:

Mix flour and salt in a bowl and with hands or fork cut chilled butter with flour. Add ice water and blend the dough into a ball. Divide into 2 balls, wrap the balls in a plastic wrap or in ziploc and refigerate for 1 hour to become firm.

Meanwhile prepare filling by combining pineapple cubes,cornstarch,butter and sugar.

Now roll the balls into a 2 circles of approx 11 inches diameter. Layer the bottom of the pie plate with 1 rolled circle and place the filling on it. Cover the filling with another layer and press the edges of both layers. Trim extra dough on the edges of pie plate. Make slits in the top layer and brush with beaten egg.

Bake in center rack of 400F oven for 15 min and then reduce to 350F and bake for another 20-25 minute or until crust is golden brown in color.

Remove from oven and cool to room temperature before tasting.

Slice of Pineapple pie for this month's JFI event 'Flour'

Plantain Yogurt Chutney

2006-07-30T09:27:00.000-04:00

When i say plantain many of you (esp keralites) have plantian chips in mind. But for me i think about how much yogurt is at home to prepare chutney.
This is one of many recipes i learned from my mother-in-law. Since then its my favourite dish. An irresistible combination of thick plantain texture, hot chilles and cool yogurt. Very easy and the end result is equally satisfying.

Plantain Yogurt chutney

Ingredients:
1 large plantain
6-7 green chilles
Yogurt as needed - approx 1 cup

For tempering:
Curry leaves
2 Red chilles
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds

Preparation:

Cut the plantain crosswise to 3 pieces and boil. After the plantain is cooked remove the outer skin and cut into cubes. Grind plantain cubes and chillies with yogurt till you get the required consistency of chutney. Add salt. In a pan take 2 tbsp of oil and fry all the tempering ingredients and add that to the chutney. Goes well with rice.

You can also see this recipe at KrishnaArjuna's blog.

Mint leaves

2006-07-25T23:20:00.000-04:00

Bringing flavour to my kitchen.

Entry for greenblog project by LG

Birthday Cake - My first attempt.

2006-07-22T19:50:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was my husband's(Mohan) birthday. Every year i prepare cake with cake mix but this time with the knowledge and inspiration gained from fellowbloggers, i made an attempt. I know that storebrought cake mix gives better taste but this trail gave me immense satisfaction and somewhat proud feeling. Decorating the cake looks easy but it requires experience and patience. I may not be very good compare to others but gave me gut feeling that i will improve in consecutive endeavors.

(happy birthday)

The base for this cake is carrot as my husband many times looks out for carrot cake in the stores. And also it is healthy and can be done with minimal ingredients i have.

Preparation:

For base:

3 cups grated carrots
2 and 1/2 cups All purpose flour
1 and 1/2 tbsp baking soda
1/3 tbsp salt
2 tbsp cinnamon powder
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
3 large eggs
2 tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup crushed pineapple
1 cup raisins

I used store brought icing and used food color brought from indian stores and mixed that color with part of the icing. Next time I will prepare Icing.

Preparation:

In a bowl stir flour,baking soda, salt, cinnamon powder and sugars. Add vanilla extract and eggs. Blend well. Add crushed pineapple, grated carrots, raisins and mix well. Por the mixture in two seperate 7" or 9" round pans. Bake in the oven of 350 F for about 30 to 40 minutes or until done. Cool the cakes. Place one cake inverted with bottom side up and spread icing over it. Place another cake(with round bulged side up) on top of icing and press softly. Now with wide spoon i decorated the cake.

(carrot cake)

Recipe courtesy: Mrs.Fields Book.

Tapioca(sabudana)kheer - summer drink

2006-07-18T15:47:00.000-04:00

Its summer time. Sun God is showing his power and temperatures are rising leaving us sweating and thirsty. Though its hot, i like summer because all sweet things comes in summer like mangoes, berries, sweet corn, icecreams and milkshakes. One such summer drink i like is with tapioca.

tapioca or pearls??

Tapioca resembles of white pearls round, smooth and shiny. Made of root it is a starchy ingredient used mainly in desserts. If you are tea lovers, another popular drink with tapioca pearls is bubble tea of taiwan.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup tapioca pearls
3 cups milk
sweetend coconut(shredded)
sugar (accordingly)
1/4 tbsp cardamom powder

Preparation:

Boil about 4 cups of water and add tapoica pearls to it. Tapoica expands when boiled so make sure there is enough water otherwise the liquid become sticky. When tapoica pearls are boiled they become transparent. Now run under cold water. In a bowl boil milk and add sugar to it. Add shredded coconut and cardamom powder. Transfer boiled tapioca pearls and cook for some time. Chill and serve with fruits on top.
Note: You can also add coconut milk in place of shredded coconut.

Cool off your summer with this drink.

Learning series: 2

2006-07-14T15:33:00.000-04:00

Ok..what i learned new?? Recipes made from mango. Yummy isn't it. Probably the only fruit every indian craves more for. When i came to know i was coming to US, i felt so bad for mangoes that i ate so many that year thinking i never gonna taste them but thanks to the globalisation we are not missing mangoes(atleast flavour) here. In India i don't know about pulp being sold in tins and can be used year long, may be there is no need. Here i always have a tin at home. I usually do mango lassi with that. Then i tasted something different in a friend's house prepared from this and gelatin and it is mango pie. I wanted to do at home and and i found it in indira's jihva event thanks to vee for letting me know the method. I made this pie gathering information from my friend and vee. Here is this:

Mango pie

Also i prepared vaishali's methamba-sweet and savoury mango relish. In her blog she mentioned this will go with meals,parathas and dosas and believe me i like so much the sweet,sour and hot taste i ate only methamba and finished it before going to meals.

Mango relish

Boondhi laddu

2006-07-10T04:44:00.000-04:00

No occasion or celebration needed for me to make sweets. I prefer to do experimenting on sweets because whether it is hit or not the end dish is always sweet.

This time my favourite: Boondhi laddu. Despite of paintaking process we forget all that once we take a bite of this laddu. It always reminds me of indian marriages where you get this type of popular sweets. The laddu also got a famous accoladation as it is served as a prasadam in famous south indian temple Tirupathi.

Ingredients:
3 cups besan flour
2 cups sugar
Handful of raisins and cashews tossed in hot ghee.
Cardamom powder-1 tbsp

(different types of strainers) for India Kitchen

Equipment: Special Boondhi ladle(generously borrowed from my friend) or a strainer having small round holes like the top one in picture.

Preparation:

Mix besan flour with enough water and prepare batter without lumps. The consistency of the batter should be like pancake batter not too watery nor thick. Heat oil in a pan. Be sure that oil reaches enough temperature and is hot. Hold the strainer on top of the oil and pour small bowl of batter on the strainer. Shake the strainer slowly with intermediate touchups with glass. Now you can see the drops of batter turning like pearls in oil. Fry just until the drops of batter turns golden yellow not too crisp.

Meanwhile on another stove prepare sugar syrup by adding 2 cups of sugar and 2 cups of water. Add cardamom powder to it. Preparing syrup for me is the tricky part sometimes the consistency is too thin or too thick. Syrup should get 1-1/2 thread consistency. The best way is to place a drop of syrup on bowl of cold water if it dissolves immediately then we need to wait for some more time.

Add the boondhi,cashews and raisins(In my laddu i forgot to add cashews and raisins while iam on phone talking to a friend) to the syrup and cool for some time. When boondhi is still warm make into small balls with hand.

Delicious boondhi laddu

Marigold Blossom

2006-06-29T14:21:00.000-04:00

Bringing color to my Balcony.

Oatmeal-Applesauce cookies

2006-06-28T15:50:00.000-04:00

Now a days there is lot of focus on oatmeal. Even all the top cereal racks of grocery stores are occupying by foods highlighting the usage of oats. I remember that oats are once considered as 'horse food', but now because of growing health awareness in people, oats are termed as best healthy food. Studies shows that daily eating of oatmeal lowers the blood cholestrol. It is difficult to eat raw oats, but with the addition of other flavours we can enjoy oatmeal. One such favourite food using oats is cookies. Soft,chewy and healthy. Lots of variations can be done like adding nuts,chocolates,apples and dried fruits.

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cup quick oats
1 and 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tbsp Baking soda
1 tbsp Baking powder
1/3 tbsp salt
1 tbsp cinammon
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup softened butter
1 large egg
3/4 cup apple sauce
Handful of raisins,nuts,dried fruits

Preparation:

Cookies ready to bake

Preheat oven to 375 F. In a bowl combine oats,flour,baking powder,soda,salt and cinnamon powder. Take a large bowl and add sugars and butter. Blend well to form a paste. Add applesauce and mix thoroughly. Now add the flour mixture, chocolate chips, raisins, nuts(i added only raisins bcz my kid don't like nuts) and blend. Do not overmix. Drop a tablespoon of dough onto a baking sheet and bake for 10-14 minutes or until cookies turn brown color. Applesauce oatmeal cookies are done.

Applesauce-Oatmeal cookies

Note: Adding applesauce to the flour mixture gives the chewy texture and taste. You can omit applesauce but requires additional butter.

First Non-Veg Post: Chilli Chicken

2006-06-22T08:09:00.000-04:00

Chicken is the most common non-vegeterain dish. If a person is non-veg means we take it for granted that he/she eats chicken..thats the popularity. There are numerous varieties that can be done with chicken. Even chicken curry can be done in many ways esp in india and depends on where you live like kerala chicken curry,mughalai chicken,chicken masala,butter chicken etc.. Sometimes i confuse seeing the masalas available at grocery stores for chicken. No matter how you prepare the chicken itself is delicious.

Chilli Chicken: Great Appetizer

Chilli chicken

Ingredients:
Boneless Chicken-250 gms
Egg -1
Cornstarch-3 tbsp
Ginger Garlic paste-2 tbsp
Salt and chilli powder(according to your taste)
Soy sauce- 2 tbsp
Chilli Garlic sauce- 2 tbsp
Masala ppowder-1 tbsp
Stir fry vegetables- Onions,Chillies,Capsicums,Brocolli,Red Bell pepper and so on

Preparation:

1. Clean and cut the chicken into meduim size peices(about 2 inches long).
2. Beat egg thoroughly.
3. Add ginger garlic paste,salt,chilli powder, 1 tbsp soysauce,2 tbsp cornstarch and egg mixture to the chicken pieces and marinate for 1 hour.
4. Heat up the kadai(Wok) and add enough oil. For non-veg dishes oil usage should be liberal( i learnt from my mil and sister).
Now add marinated chicken pieces and fry until the chicken pieces becomes crisp and turn into nice golden color.
5.Add remaining cornstarch,soysauce,chilli garlic sauce and fry for some more time.
6.Adjust the salt and chilli powder.
7. Take out the chicken pieces and in the same wok add onions,chillies and vegetables and stir fry them.
8. Now transfer the chicken pieces into the wok and mix with vegetables.
9. Serve hot the chilli chicken.

Note: Here you can substitue cornstarch with cornflour.

Learning Series: 1

2006-06-19T16:48:00.000-04:00

This session is an attempt to try the recipes of my fellow bloggers. This weekend i learned how to prepare tomato chutney and moongdal payasam. We are great fans of dosas,Thanks to sailaja for letting me know tomato chutney which i have tasted long ago in india. Moongdal payasam heard from my friend before but never tried thanks to indira for step by step explaination. Needless to say that i spent most of my time in kitchen this weekend.

Dosa:

Dosa with tomato chutney,peanutcoconut chutney and pudina karam

Moongdal Payasam:

Moongdal payasam

Bread Pakora

2006-06-19T09:45:00.000-04:00

There are very few foods which are inseperable from us.. like rice,dal,milk etc. For me this list also contains bread probably because its our daily breakfast,weekend snack and outside sandwich. I wonder how many different types of breads are there..Sliced white bread,loaf bread,italian bread,french bread,bread rolls,hamburgers and so on. Another main thing is..bread is instant, just take out from the refigerator and use. Ok. Our recipe today is bread pakora. Pakora means dipping anything like onions,chillies,eggplant,fish in batter usually in besan flour and deep frying in oil. Its somewhat similar to bajji in andhra cuisine and most popular fast food in india(the smell itself draws the crowds). It has its crispiness when eaten hot and normally served as snacks.

(BreadSlices,Potatoes,Mintleaves,Batter and lemon)

Ingredients:
2 cups Besan flour(can be substituted with corn flour)
Bread Slices-8 (crustless)
Potatoes-2(boiled and de-skin)
chopped Mint leaves
chopped Coriander leaves
chillies -4(thinly sliced)
Lemon-1
salt and chilli powder(accordint to your taste)

(Bread slices ready to go into oil)

Preparation:
Mix the batter by adding water,salt and chilli powder to the besan flour. The batter should not be too watery. Mash the potatoes add green chillies,salt,mint and coriander leaves, juice the lemon into it. Mix everything and form into 8 balls. Cut the bread slice diagonally giving two triangular shapes. Place the potato ball in a traingular bread slice, spread the ball to cover the bread evenly and cover with another traingular shape bread. Do the same with all the bread. Meanwhile heat the oil in the skillet. Dip each stuffed bread in the batter and deep fry in the oil. Serve hot the bread pakoras with tomato ketchup. Perfect summer evening snack.

Hot bread Pakoras

Note: Should be very quick in dipping the bread and placing in oil otherwise the bread will absorb water in the batter, becomes very soft and is difficult to hold to place in oil.

Strawberry Pie

2006-06-15T15:57:00.000-04:00

Eventhough i couldn't able to partcipate in 'jihva for mango' event, iam happy that i making it to Strawberry event being hosted by bakingfairy. Back in india, seeing pictures of strawberries, i used to think 'oh!! its very beautiful..how it tastes like??where can i eat this fruit?? '. Finally God listened to me, I with my family went to North-East India tour and there i saw this fruit same like my book strawberries and i coudn't wait but taste..then immediate reaction was 'Is this the same fruit??' because it is having nut in it and having citrus taste. I was mistaken..its lychee (litchi)fruit not strawberries. Again in US, i saw the same type of fruit but this time i know for sure iam seeing strawberries only(no more confusion :-)).

Lychee(Litchi)fruit and Strawberries(courtesy"wikipedia)

Strawberry Pie
1 pound of strawberries sliced(eqauls 4 cups)
1 Strawberry flavoured No-sugar jello packet
2 tsp cornstartch(cornstarch and cornflour are different)
1and1/2 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 graham cracker pie crust
Whipping cream

Strawberry pie dessert

Preparation: In a bowl mix water and cornstarch,bring it to boil add sugar and jello powder mix well so that there will be no lumps. Take out from the stove and add strawberry slices. Cool for some time and pour the mixture into the crust. Refrigerate overnight or until set. Before serving top with whipped cream. Very easy..isn't it. Delicious strawberry pie is ready.

Poppy seeds

2006-06-12T17:36:00.000-04:00

Yesterday i went through indira's mahanandi and i came to know about mythili's event 'mistress of spices'. I know i was late but can't restrain myself to showcase my favourite spice-'Poppy seeds'. It is a must spice in southindian cooking and i still remember i used to eat them while my mother was preparing paste in her very own mortar and pestle to use in non-veg dishes. An anonymous count claims 900,000 that’s how many poppy seeds are said to be in one pound. Interesting... isn't it. Below is a breif description about this nutty flavoured spice.

Poppy seeds (regular gray and Indian white types)(courtesy: spice pages)

Origin: Poppy seeds(popularly known as khus-khus in india) are tiny nutty-tasting, blue-gray seeds inside capsules on Papaver somniferum, a yellowish-brown opium plant. You may wonder what poppyseeds came from opium plant? Yes, indeed the drug opium is produced from the unripe seed pods and poppy seeds are from ripen seed pods. A perfect example that good and bad lies very close to each other.

They are native to Mediterranean regions, India, China, Turkey, and Iran. Today, Holland and Canada are the main producers of poppy seeds.

opium plant (courtesy: wikipedia)

Kitchen Uses: Poppy Seeds are used to flavor breads, cakes, rolls, and cookies in European and Middle Eastern cooking. They are often ground and used in desserts. In India, the seeds are ground and used to thicken sauces. They also add nutty flavor and texture to pastry crusts, pancake and waffle batters.

Medical Use: Grandma's tip for initial stomach viral-diarrhea is to take 2-3 tbsp of poppy seeds. Poppy seeds is rich in unsaturated fatty acids which is essential for nutrition. It is also used in ayurvedic medicine as a natural sleep aid.

Other Use:Poppy seeds are also the source of a drying-oil, used for manufacture of paints, varnishes, and soaps, and in foods and salad dressing.

Poppy Seeds(Khus-Khus) Biscuits

After the above writeup i wanted to prepare something having and highlighting poppy seeds in it. Making is simple and adding poppy seeds gives the nutty flavour,perfect with cup of tea.

Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup poppy seeds
2-3 tbsp milk

Preparation:

In a bowl mix all the dry ingredients then add vanilla,milk and butter. I prefer to mix everything with hand because hands are best tools. Make into a ball. Take a gallon size ziploc, place the ball in it,close the ziploc leaving a little gap at the corner to let the air pass through it. Roll the dough ball evenly (about 1/4th inch thick) using the rolling pin and put in the freezer for 20-30 minutes,so that the butter gets hardened and is easy to cut. Take out the ziploc cut the sides of the cover and open the top carefully. Then with cookie cutter( i did it with glass having sharp edges) cut into desired shapes and transfer on to a nongreased cookie sheet. Do with the remaining scrapes in the same manner. Preheat oven to 375F and bake for 12-15 minutes and checking inbetween until the biscuits turn golden in color. Even a minute of extra baking these biscuits will result in 'oops! what happend??' because the khus-khus will turn black. Crunchy,nutty and buttery biscuits are ready.

(poppy seeds biscuits)

Carrot Cake for veggies

2006-06-12T16:11:00.000-04:00

We invited our indian neighbours for dinner,they are vegeterians and won't even eat eggs and dishes having eggs in it. I always wonders seeing her how she is controlling herself, that too here in U.S where 90% are non-veg and egg plays a vital role in baking, hats off to her. So, i want to prepare cake for them without having eggs but still retain the texture and came up with eggless carrot cake. The main ingredient is carrot. Carrot has an excellent source of vitamins and is a popular versatile root. It has lot of uses in everyday kitchen so don't forget to buy carrots when you went for grocery shopping.

(yummy carrot cake)

Ingredients:
Flour - 2 cups
Curd - 1 cup
Sugar - 2 cups
Grated carrots - 3 cups
Baking powder - 1 tsp
Baking soda - 2 tsp
Melted butter - 1 cup
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Chopped Cashew nuts - 1 cup (optional)
Handful of Raisins
Cinnamon powder - 1tsp

Preparation:
First beat curd and sugar. Take a bowl and mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon powder and salt together. Add curd mix. Add the nuts, grated carrots and finally the melted butter. Pour into a greased tin and bake at 375°F for 30 minutes or until done. Take out the cake,cool it and cut into desired shapes. Very easy and healthy.

Bhel for Beach

2006-06-03T06:33:00.000-04:00

Iam looking for something that can be eat outside and is easy to prepare like chaats. I have a north indian friend who is very good at cooking so i asked her is there anything that i can make and i have plenty of mamra(puffed rice) then she told me to prepare bhel. I prepared and my husband liked it a lot. The next day i prepared again and took to the beach enjoyed it after soaked in sun and water. For good and fresh taste pack the ingredients in seperate ziplock bags and mix everything just before serving, otherwise the mamra will become soggy. It is great for outdoor eating having the aroma and crunchy taste and above it we are hungry :-)

( Mamra(puffed rice),Sev,chopped onions,tomatoes, green chutney,salt,dhaniya powder and lemon)

Ingredients: The quantities depend on how much you are going to prepare and how spicy you want)
Mamra(puffed rice)
Thin Sev
Chopped onions,tomatoes,cucumbers
Salt
Dhaniya powder
Green chutney
one lemon

(spicy bhel)

Preparation:
1. Take puffed rice onto a baking pan, sprinkle 2,3 drops of oil and put in the oven for 5 minutes until the puffed rice is crispy (careful it should not get blackened)
2. Prepare green chutney ahead
For preparing green chutney:
Bunch of corainder leaves
Mint leaves(if you don't have mint leaves add mint powder available in indian stores)
lots of chilles
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
Jeera
Salt
Sugar(optional)
Grind everything and season it. Store in the refirgerator. Stays for 2-3 weeks.
3. Mix mamra,sev,chopped onions,tomatoes,cucumbers. Add green chutney,salt and dhaniya powder. Mix well. serve immediately.

Cornmeal Cake

2006-05-31T16:11:00.000-04:00

I made this for my son who loves cakes. I want to satisfy him at the same time want to sure what he takes should be good for health. I heard that cornflour is nutritious and the result is cornmeal cake.. simple, delicious and healthy. Corn meal is rich in vitamin B. There are different types of cornmeal available. Corn meal and corn flour (which we get in indian stores) are same only difference cornmeal is little course in texture and cornflour is finely grounded. I prefer stone grounded yellow cornmeal for this recipe.

(cornflour cake)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup olive oil, plus more for the pan
2 large eggs
1 cup sugar, plus 1/4 cup for the topping
1/2 cup orange juice
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Brush bottom and sides of an 6-inch loaf pan with oil. You can use a round pan.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together oil, egg, 1/2 cup sugar, and orange juice until smooth. Add flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt; whisk gently to combine.
3. Pour batter into prepared pan; sprinkle top evenly with remaining 1/4 cup sugar (topping will be thick). Bake until cake begins to pull away from sides of pan and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 35-40 minutes.
4. Cornmeal cake is ready to taste.

Arvi fry(chema dumpala vepudu)

2006-05-24T16:09:00.000-04:00

When i was kid i never liked it. My mother used to prepare as a curry with tamarind paste and i always says no..i don't like it, i won't eat. After marriage and eating routine foods like dal,caulilower,capsicum etc for over a year, i happened to see arvi at indian stores in newjersey and immediately i bought them forgetting my childhood days. I tried the same recipe my mother used to make and to my surprise i liked it. What a change time will bring.. right. Now whenever i see fresh arvi i always buy them. Even in american stores we can find them as taro, scientific name is Colocasia but i found a slight difference, the indians ones are thick in texture i mean when you cut you can see some milky liquid on your knife as opposite to the ones we find in american stores which are dry. Though i like the indian ones you can try with both. Be careful to select the arvi because some are kept for so many days that they have hard lumps and you lose the taste.

Ingredients:
Chema Dumpalu(Arvi)-4
about 2-3 green chillies
1 tbsp daniya powder

(Traditional andhra lunch today: Rice,TomaoPickle, Mango dal and arvi fry)

Preparation: For fry i prefer to select long arvi roots because its easy to make slices. Cut arvi into half and boil till it becomes soft enought to remove the outer skin. If its too much soft its difficult to cut properly. The tip is if you have time put the boiled arvi pieces in the refirigerator for sometime then cut into small slices. Remove the skin and cut into thin slices. Now a days we almost stopped fried items as it is not a healthy food. But here because the root is already cooked you need not do much frying just toss in oil for 2-3 minutes on moderate flame until all the pieces are firm and light golden color in color. Now add Green chillies,Curry leaves,Salt and redchilli powder. Let it stay for a minute for somemore time and finally add 1 tbsp dhaniya powder. Goes as side dish for dal.

Lets start with sweet

2006-05-23T15:27:00.000-04:00

When the thought of blogging came to my mind, immediate question is where to start. I decided to go with food blog the reason being is that cooking is a creative art where immediate results can be seen and there is a lot of scope to learn. When i started cooking after marriage i depended a lot on internet for recipies usually in text format not having any idea of how it looks like after completed. But thanks to food blogs where our mouths are watered seeing the photos of recipies and i also want to contribute my share.

Bread Pudding:
Iam very fond of sweets be it khova, laddu anything i will be there first to eat. Now a days I got bored with eating traditional sweets so want to try new and this is the result. There are many different types of bread puddings like bread and butter pudding,bread and apple pudding etc, but this the traditional one. For good results use french loaf bread because it is not smooth as traditional white bread. Here i used white bread because i want to get rid of bread in my refrigerator.

(bread pudding with vanilla icecream)

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
3 tbsp melted unsalted butter
1/2 tbsp ground cinammon
1/4 tbsp salt
8 slices of crustless white bread cut into pieces
Handful of raisins

Preparation: I like baking because the only thing we have to concern is about measurements then everything is taken care by oven. Preheat oven to 350°F. Whisk first 6 ingredients, then add bread pieces and raisins and gently mix. Don't overmix. Butter any approriate baking dish here i used 9 inch round cake pan and pour the batter into the dish. Sprinkle the top with additional ground cinammon. Bake for 30 minutes or longer until top is in golden yellow color and is set in the center. Bread pudding can be eat hot otherwise chilled it to use as dessert accompanied with icecream.

Hello to the Cooking World

2006-05-22T16:07:00.000-04:00

After seeing numerous food blogs, thinking whether can i do it or not, Finally iam in. I can say iam not a great cook. I also falls into the category of many people who thinks that "anyway i have to do after marriage why hurry now" kind of attitude. But now iam married, blessed with a son i came to know why many enjoys cooking. Here in US having plenty of time, meeting people with different cultures makes me to try out new recipies. Although some are disasters they all add up to my experience. I like cooking having less ingredients and especially those found in everyday kitchen with minimal time and effort. So lets see how this goes. :-)