Spring Onion & Potato Soup

A hot soup on a rainy day!! What else can you ask for? It was a perfect evening to cook some different soup.
It is a combination of potato and green onion.

Ingredients:
1 Large potato- washed, peeled and grated
Spring onion - 1 bunch
Butter - 2 tbsp
Pepper powder - 1/2 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Lemon extract - 1/2 tbsp

Method:
- Boil two cups of water.
- Heat butter and saute green onion and potato for 2 to 3 mins.
- Add the boiling water to the pan and simmer for 5 - 6 mins.
- Season with salt, pepper and lemon juice.

Eggless Fruit Cake

Festivity is in the air!!

Here is my Christmas Baking for this year. I adapted this from Aayi's Recipe. Thank you!
This is an egg-less cake with some dried fruits and nuts that would make our taste buds want more.

Ingredients:
All Purpose Flour- 1 cup
Sugar - 3/4 cup
Baking Powder - 1/2 tsp
Baking Soda - 1/4 tsp
Salt - 1/4 tbsp
Butter - 4 tsp
Vanilla Extract - 1 tsp
Milk - 1/2 cup

Fruits & Nuts - Chopped
Prunes - 1/3 cup
Dates - 1/3 cup
Raisin - 1/3 cup
Cashew - 1/4 cup
Almond - 1/4 cup

Method:
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Add the dry ingredients to a bowl and mix them.
- Melt the butter in microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute and add the dried fruits to them.
- When it cools add it to the bowl of dry ingredients and mix them.
- Heat the milk in microwave for about a minute and add it to the mixture.
- This will give a mixture of a sticky consistency.
- Grease the baking pan and transfer the contents to it.
- Bake for 30 min until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Cool it in wire rack, slice and serve!

Merry Christmas & Happy Baking!!

Curry leaves powder (Karuveppillai Podi)

This is a link to my previous post of Curry Leaves (Karuveppilai) Kozhambu. This is a way to use Curry leaves for regular day-to-day use. This is spicy, yummy and can be mixed with rice or can be a side dish to Idli, Dosa or anything you like.

Ingredients:

Curry Leaves - a bunch

Urad dhal -1/2 cup

Chenna dhal - 2 tsp

Red chilli - 2 to 3

Garlic - 1 clove

Salt - per taste

Procedure:

- Roast the curry leaves in a tava, till the raw smell goes. Be careful not to burn them.

- Remove and grind it to fine powder.

- Roast the Dhals and chilli in the tava till color changes a little to brown and remove it to cool.

- Grind this along with curry leaf powder adding salt to it. Make it into to coarse or a smooth mixture as per your choice. A coarse mixture will be easy to intake as it wont create cough.

- Cut the garlic into pieces and grind it to the mixture. 

- Curry leaves powder is ready. 

Note: As per previous request I have added garlic to this. Thank you Ramy.

The leaves of the curry plant is used in indigenous medicine as a tonic, stimulant and antiflatulent.

Hope you Like it!!

Curry Leaves (Karuveppillai) Kozhambu

I have always wanted to add curry leaves in my diet but sometimes it gets dried so easily and gets wasted. So I am going to use this recipe to use the large amount of curry leaves whenever I buy them. I came across this recipe from a supplemental book of a Tamil magazine. Here is the recipe....

Ingredients:
Curry Leaves - A bunch
Black Pepper- 2 tsp
Cumin seeds - 3/4 tsp
Red chilli - 2-3 (as per spice level)
Asefoetida - a pinch
Tamrind Paste - 1/2 tsp
Oil- 1tsp

Method:
- Fry pepper, cumin seeds, red chilli, asefoetida in oil till a pepper splutters.
- Remove it and grind it with tamarind paste and curry leaves till it is a smooth paste.
- Add a little water and boil the paste till it becomes a kozhambu.

As we all know, Curry leaf helps to keep our hair black and helps in hair fall control.

Tomato dosa II

This is a varation of tomato dosa. I was inspired from a restaurant's recipe. When i ordered for tomato dosa, it was not the red colored one, instead it was with a tomato paste or masala spread on the dosa. It was delicious. This is easy and gets ready in no time and does not need any exclusive side dish.

Ingredients:
Dosa batter
Tomatoes - 4
Garam Masala - 1/2 tablespoon
Corriander powder - 1/2 tablespoon
Salt- as per taste
Chilli powder - 1/2 tablespoon.

Method:
- Slice the tomatoes into small pieces and saute it in a tava.
- Add salt, chilli powder, garam masala, corriander powder to it and cook it in medium flame till it oils into a paste.
- Make dosa and when it turns golden color in the bottom and cooked on the top, apply the masala on to dosa, leave it for a minute, fold it into two and serve.
- There is no need to turn over the dosa here. We will have the golden color on one side and the tomato masala inside.
- Serve it hot. It is spicy, tasty an easy!!

Palak Paneer

Hi all,
This has been on a long wait, I had been planning to do this but, yesterday was its day. My first experience of making palak paneer. I found it from sailusfood.com. It looked so laborious, but the final taste was too good and worth the effort. I have made a few alterations from the source. Shall we roll...?

Ingredients: (for 2)
Palak(Spinach): one pack or a whole bunch
Paneer - 1
Ghee - 1 tsp
Onion - 1 medium sized
Tomato - 2 medium sized
Ginger - a small bit
Garlic - 4 cloves
Cumin seeds - 1 tablespoon
Green Chilli - 2 or as per taste
Garam masala - 1/2 table spoon
Corriander powder - 1/2 table spoon
Red chilli powder - 1/4 tablespoon
Salt - as per taste
Milk - 1/4 cup


Method:
- Remove the stem parts of spinach and boil it in water till it becomes soft. Mash the soft spinach to paste.
- Make puree of tomatoes by boiling them in water, peel it and crush it.
- Fry the paneer in ghee in medium flame till golden brown.
- Add cumin in the remaining ghee and splutter. Add green chilli, minced garlic and ginger.
- Chop the onion finely and fry them till soft.
- Add the tomato puree and saute till raw smell goes.
- Add chilli powder, garam masala and corriander powder and salt and leave it for 4-5 min.
- Add the smashed spinach and let it boil for 2-3 min.
- Add the fried paneer and close it with a lid as it will spill out while boiling.
- Add the milk and turn the flame in 2 minutes.
- Can be served with chapathi, naan.

Enjoy you Palak paneer!!

Capsicum Fried rice!!

Here comes a change from the usual mixed rice varieties. I found it from Food & Wine magazine last month. This can be customized to Indian cuisine by adding some green chillies, cloves, bay leaf. But i preferred to retain its Chinese touch with just pepper to spice it up. I dint expect it to come out so well. The aroma was so inviting but its taste way way beyond everything. A must try i would say! It is simple to make and takes very little time.

Ingredients: Makes for two
Rice- 1 cup
3 cloves of Garlic
A small piece of Ginger
Salt- per taste
Pepper powder- 1/2 tsp
Onion - 1 medium sized
Capsicum- 1/2 Red, 1/2 green, 1/2 Yellow.
Oil - 2 tsp

Method:
- Cook the rice separately.
- In a pan add oil and fry finely chopped ginger and garlic.
- Fry onion till glassy.
- Dice the capsicum into small pieces.
- Fry capsicum along with rest and add salt and pepper to taste.
- Saute till half cooked and remove from fire.
- Mix the cooked rice and serve hot.

Try it and give me your feedback.
See you next time!! 

Bhel Puri (Home made- 100%):

I have had bhel puris from shops nearby with the help of basic mix. Here is a perfect my version of bhel puri. It is very simple and spicy snack special for a rainy day accompanied by hot chai.

Ingredients:

Potato – 1 large

Onion – ½

Tomato – ½

Chat masala – 1/2 tsp

Chilli powder – a pinch

Pappad:

Rava – 1 cup

Maida – 1/2 cup

Salt – per taste

Water – to make dough

Green Sauce:

Pudina – 1 bunch

Corriander leaves – 1/2 bunch

Green chilli – 2

Ginger – A small piece

Salt – ½ tsp

Method:

• Dice onion and tomatoes finely
• Boil potatoes and keep the aside.

Pappad:

• Mix rava, maida, salt and water and make a dough.
• Make large roti with it and cut out smaller circles from them of desired circle size. Normally that would be a mouthful.
• Fry them in oil and keep them aside.

Green Sauce:

• Grind pudina, Corriander leaves, green chilli, salt and ginger into a fine paste.

Now comes the final makeover.

• Break the pappad into half or into pieces.
• Smash the boiled potatoes and add them.
• Add the dices onions and tomatos.
• Add salt, Chat masala and a pinch of chilli powder and mix them well.
• Add the green sauce on this and serve.
• Can also add ketchup to enhance taste.

Hostel Rasam:

 This is one of the easiest and just needs two minutes to cook. It might not be right to compare it with rasam in hostel which would be barely a chilli water. But this is definitely an awesome rasam to be done on sluggish days. Amazing taste with a very little input.

Ingredients:

Tomato-1

Garlic – 3 to 4 cloves

Curry leaves – a handful

Cumin seeds – 1 tsp

Pepper - ½ tsp

Salt – for taste

Red chilli – 2 to 3

Tamarind puree – 1 cup

Procedure:

• Grind tomato, garlic, curry leaves, cumin seeds, pepper, red chilli to a puree.
• In a vessel add tamarind water and keep it in medium fire.
• After two minutes, add the puree and wait till it rises to overflow.
• Switch it off, before it boils. Garnish with corriander leaves if needed.

Mixed Fruit Halwa:

Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 Mango(medium size)
1 Banana(medium size)
1 Apple(medium size)
4 tsp Ghee
3 tsps Milk
6 tsps of sugar
½ tsps cardamom powder
Food colour (optional)

Method:
- Wash the fruits and grind them coarsely in the mixer.
- Micro high it in a vessel for 2 minutes with intermediate stirring.
- In another vessel boil milk and sugar for 4 minutes with intermediate stirring.
- Add the fruit pulp with the sugar mixture and micro it for 6 minutes with intermediate stirring. Add colour if needed.
- Add ghee to it and micro for 3 minutes with intermediate stirring.
- Fry Kaju and badam in ½ tsp ghee in a separate vessel for 1 minute.
- Garnish it on the halwa and serve.

Sending it to,                           
                                                   
                                          Nivedita's Microwave Easy Cooking- Friuts
                                                                         and 
                                                           Srivalli MEC Event

Apple Sheera:

                       Apple is an amazing nutritive fruit to us from nature. It is a not so favourite one for kids, even some grownups. It has the following Health benefits- prevents dementia, decreases cholesterol level, decreases cancer risk, prevents overweight. Here is a sweet to include apple which will be delicious, nutritious and easy to prepare.


Serves: 4 people
Ingredients:
1 cup sooji
1 cup Sugar
½ cup Ghee
1 ½ cup Water+milk
1 Apple
1tbsp Raisins & Kaju

Method:
- In a vessel, put sugar, water/milk mixture, micro high 6 minutes, stirring in between.
- In another vessel, put 2 tsp ghee, micro high for 1 minute, add sooji, micro high for 2 minutes, stirring in between.
- Add the above sooji to milk mixture, add apple(ground), mix well, micro high for 2 minutes, stirring in between.
- Add the remaining ghee, micro high for 1 mintue, remove and keep closed for 10 minutes.
- Garnish with raisins and kaju.

Sending it to,                           
                                                   
                                              Nivedita's Microwave Easy Cooking- Friuts
                                                                         and 
                                                             Srivalli MEC Event

Beetroot Vadai :

                         This recipe is very special one from my M-I-L. This has been my hubby’s favorite one. Beetroot vadai is the best way to include beetroot in children’s diet who won’t eat it.

Ingredients: For 4
Beetroot-150gms
Toor dhal -100gms
Bengal gram- 100gms
Salt – to taste
Red chilli -3
Onion- 100 gms
Curry leaves - handfull
Oil- to fry

Procedure:
- Soak the Bengal gram and toor dhal for about 2 hours.
- Peel the skin and grate the beetroot.
- Grind the soaked dhals, grated beetroot, salt, red chilli and curry leaves to a light coarse texture.
- Add chopped onions to the mixture.
- Heat the oil in frying pan.
- Make small balls,  flatten it and fry it for a crispy snack.






Sending it to,
                       
                          
                             Priya's Healing Foods - Beetroot Event Guest Hosting
                                      (linking it to  Siri's Healing foods home page)

                                                                               
                                                                              
                                                                              AND 
                                

Akila's 

Dish Name Starts with: B

Tomato Dosa with Corriander Chutney:

Thanks to my friends who gave me the idea of tomato dosa. It is a quick recipe which will be ready to eat within 2 hours from the initial preparation or even shorter.
Dosa can be done by two methods,
1. With soaked rice
2. By using fermented dough

Ingredients: For two
Rice- 1 cup(250 ml)
Tomato- 2 or 3
Onion- half
Coriander leaves- 1 bunch
Green Chilli-1
Ginger- small clove
Tamarind- small pinch
Cumin seeds- 1 tsp
Salt- for taste
Oil

Procedure:
Dosa: Soak the rice for about an hour and grind it with salt to make dough. Or if you have a fermented dough, it can be used instead of rice.
Boil tomatoes and peel its skin.
Grind tomatoes to make a puree and mix it with rice dough.
Heat the pan and make dosa.

Chutney:

Wash the leaves and grind it with onion, Chilli, ginger, salt and cumin seeds.

This combination is one of the best I have ever tasted. Do try this and pass on your comments.
Thanks for reading,… :)

Mutter Paneer:

Ingredients: For 2 Persons

• Paneer- 8 ounce
• Fresh Peas- ½ lb.
• Large onion-1
• Large Tomato-3/4
• Bay Leaf- 1
• Cloves- 2 nos.
• Ginger-garlic paste- ½ tsp.
• Coriander powder- ½ tsp.
• Garam Masala- 1 tsp.
• Chilli Powder- ½ tsp. (depending upon spice needed)
• Turmeric powder- A pinch
• Oil – 2 tsp.
• Butter- A small cube
• Salt- To taste
• Milk- A Small cup
• Cashew- Handful
• Coriander leaves- To garnish

Procedure:
- Fry paneer cubes in butter till it becomes light brown and keep it aside in a napkin to remove excess butter.
- Soak cashew in water for half an hour and grind it into paste.
- Grind onion into paste and keep it aside.
- Grind tomato into paste and keep it aside.
- Add oil in tava, fry bay leaves & cloves,
- Add onion paste and fry till it turns a little brown.
- Add tomato paste and fry till the raw smell goes.
- Add ginger-garlic paste, coriander powder, chilli powder, turmeric powder, garam masala and fry for about three min.
- Add milk and let it boil for two min.
- Now add peas and let it boil for two min.
- Add paneer and cashew paste, stir well for a couple of minutes.
- Remove from fire, garnish with coriander leaves and serve.

Kaju Almond Katli

I made this for my Hubby's Birthday. It came out well that people commented it tastes like the one from the sweet stall. Thanks to all.. Here is the recepie.

Ingredients:

Equal amount of cashew and almond (here 1:1)
2 cups of sugar
2 cups of water
Sliced almond - to garnish


Procedure:
- Soak almond in water and peel the skin
- Grind them into fine powder (as it s wet, it will leave some pieces unground)
- grind the cashew finely (as dry)
- Mix these and roast them in medium fire till it gives out aroma and colour changes to light golden brown
- Romove it from the heat and keep it aside
- Boil water and add sugar to it for about 15 min setting haet as high (till slight kambi padham, it s one thread syrup)
- In another vessel, preferably the coated one, add the mixture and add the syrup while it s hot and stir it in medium fire.
- Continue stirring till it comes as whole (surrundu vara varaikkum)
- Put it on a greased plate and let it cool
- Once it is half way cool, u can make it into desired shape..
- Slice almonds and decorate it on each piece.


Do try this and post your experience. Thanks for reading :)