Seppankizhangu/Colocacia/Taro root Roast

Ingredients

Seppankizhangu/Colocacia- 8 to 10

chilli powder- 1 to 1 1/2 tsp or acc to taste

turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp

Garam masala powder- 1/2 tsp

salt to taste

oil for deep frying

Method

Pressure cook Seppankizhangu/Colocacia until one whistle, or u can boil the vegetable in water. Be careful not to overcook the colocacia as it will turn mushy.

When cooled peel the skin and cut into round slices(not very thick or thin).

Heat oil in a pan and deep fry the slices. When the slices start to turn golden brown at sides drain it in a paper towel.

Heat 4 to 5 tsp of oil in another pan(You can use the same pan after transferring the oil to some other bowl) and add all the powders and salt. Keep the flame low and add the fried colocacia pieces to it. Mix well ,stir in between and let it be in a slow flame till the oil bubbles and the pieces turn crispy .

Pesarattu with upma

Pesarattu is a key item in Andhra cuisine, it is more similar to Dosa but the batter is made of green mung beans, the taste is unique and fantastic. It is usually thin and crispy, with onions, green chillies and coriander chopped and filled. It is accompanied by Allam Chutney mainly made of ginger. MLA Pesarattu is more popular variety of pesarattus which has Upma as filling.
Source:wiki

You wouldn't believe that I had never tasted pesarattu until last year. I have heard abt pesarattu thru my Andhra friends and the pesarattu which I saw in sailu's blog really attracted me. I made pesarattu the first time seeing the recipe from her blog and it came out very well. Now it is a regular menu in our house.This is my entry for this month's RCI event(Andhra cuisine) which was started by LakshmiK of veggie cuisine and hosted by Latha of Masalamagic .As pesarattu starts with the letter 'P', this is also an entry for the Nupur's A-Z of indian vegetables for this week.

Ingredients

Whole moong dal- 1 cup
Raw rice- 1 tbsp
cumin seeds-1 tsp
green chillies-3
ginger- 1" piece
salt to tsate

oil
For topping
onions- 2 finely chopped
green chillies-2 small finely chopped
ginger- a small piece finely chopped

For upma

Rava- 1 cup
water- 2 cups
mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp
channa dal- 1/4 tsp
curry leaves- a few
green chillies- 3 slited
ginger- a small piece chopped finely
oil/butter- 4 tsp
turmeric powder(optional)

salt to taste

Method

Soak the moong dal, cumin seeds, green chillies, rice and ginger in a bowl overnight or for 8 hrs.
Grind all this with salt and water into a fine batter.
For preparing upma , heat oil/butter in a pan and add mustard seeds,channa dal,curry leaves,onions,ginger and green chillies. Saute till the onions become transparent, then add water and salt. when the water boils simmer the flame add the rava slowly little by little stirring continuously , so that there are no lumps. Close it with a lid for 2 to 3 minutes or till the rava is cooked.

For making Pesarattus , heat a tawa and spread the batter in a circular way, like how u do for dosa. Spread chopped onions, chillies and ginger on top and sprinkle oil to the sides. When it turns brown underneath flip it over and abt a tsp of oil on the sides .

Pesarattus are ready... keep some upma in the center of the pesarattu, fold it and serve hot with ginger chutney.

Adhirasam

Adhirasam is a traditional south Indian sweet which is made in almost every house in tamilnadu during diwali. The most important part in making adhirasam is the the 'paagu'(syrup) part. If u get the correct consistency of the paagu the adhirasam will taste really delicious. This is my 3rd entry to the RCI event hosted by Lakshmi.

Ingredients

Raw rice- 1 kg
Jaggery- 1/2 kg
sugar- 3/4 thcup
My mother uses sugar in making adhirasam. But many people do not use it.It is optional to use sugar. u can use jaggery alone too. if so use 3/4 kg of jaggery.
Cardamom powder- 1 tsp
khus khus- 3 tsp
Dry ginger(sukku)- 1/2 tsp powdered
Oil for deep frying

Method

Soak the rice in water for 2 hours. Drain the rice and spread it in a clean cloth in a shady area. when it is 3/4 th dried powder it. In india they machinegrind it in a mill. U can also grind it in a mixie and sieve it to get a fine rice powder.
Add 1/4 cup of water in a thick bottom pan and add the jaggery and sugar to it. When the jaggery melts completely filter it in a strainer to get rid of the dirt. keep stirring the filtered jaggery in low heat. When it is thick, check the consistency by pouring a drop of syrup in a cup of water. The syrup should not melt in water and when touched by finger it should roll into a soft ball. It should not be hard. This is the right consistency.
Remove from fire and add cardomom powder ,dry ginger powder and khus khus. Stir well and add the rice flour to it . Mix well so that no lumps are formed and till u get a chappathi dough like consistency.Leave it outside overnight.

Heat oil in a pan and make small balls of the dough . Place the balls in a pastic sheet and using little oil shape it to form small patties. Deep fry in hot oil only one at a time until golden brown on both sides and press well with a flat ladle.
Note

Making Adhirasams is a tough job and the most IMPORTANT part in making the adirasams is the SOFT BALL CONSISTENCY. If the syrup reaches more than soft ball consistency, the adhirasams will become hard. If the syrup is taken before the soft ball consistency, the adhirasams will break while frying in oil.

You can use readymade rice flour too to make Adhirasam.If so slightly roast it. (I have never tried this ....so Iam not sure if the adhirasams would turn out good using storebought riceflour,but my mom said u can do it)
You can store the dough in the refrigerator for 3 to 6 months. My mom prepared this dough for me, during my trip to India in January. I had stored it since then and whenever I want I make delicious Adhirasams.

Veggie Wrap Supreme

Ingredients

8"Tortillas-6 heated according to package directions

Soy granules- 1/2 cup

onions- 1 chopped

mushrooms- 1 pack sliced

red /greenbell pepper-1 chopped into thin slices

lettuce- 4 leaves chopped

cheddar/mozarello cheese- 1 cup grated

tomatoes-1 chopped into thin slits

zucchini- 1/2 chopped

Jalapenos- 1 chopped

garlic- 1 clove chopped finely

olive oil- 3 tbsps

Taco seasoning/paprika- 1/2 tsp

salt to taste

Method

Boil 2 cups of water and add the soy granules to it. Remove from flame, cover with a lid and keep aside for 10 minutes.

Heat oil in a pan and add garlic,onions, tomatoes, bellpepper, mushrooms,zucchini, and jalapenos one by one and stir fry for 2 to 3 minutes until soft crisp. Drain the soy granules and add to the veggies. Add salt and paprika/seasoning mix , cook for 3 to 4 mins till the veggies are soft but not mushy.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F

Arrange tortillas on a cookie sheet. place lettuce leaves onthe centre of each tortilla , then spoon the prepared veggie mix and top it up with cheese.

cook for 3 mins or until the cheese melts.

Wrap it up and serve.

Note

You can add beans instead of soy granules and u can add vegetables like spinach,carrot, and corns too.

U can apply sour cream or cream cheese on tortillas too before placing the lettuce leaves.

Channa rice/ Sundal saadham

I learnt this recipe from my Aunt , who is a wonderful cook and this is one of my favourite among many of her delicious recipes. We call it 'sundal Saadam' in tamil and I remember the days of having it with my cousins in her house. It is a very simple dish, easy to make(very easy if use canned channa), and has a very good taste if u have it hot with chips and raita.Try this out and u will all love it.

Ingredients

Rice( basmathi or raw)- 2 cups
soaked overnight and cooked channa- 3/4 to 1 cup

if using canned one use 1 can . I use the canned channa.
Coriander seeds- 3 tsp
Coconut-4 tsp
Jeera- 1 ½ tsp
Red chillies-2 (the chillies I have is very hot and so I use less) or acc to taste
Coriander leaves- 3 tsp chopped finely
Salt to taste
For seasoning
Mustard seeds- ¼ tsp
Broken urad dal- ¼ tsp
Curry leaves- a few

Method

Wash , cook the rice and keep aside. Pressure cook the channa.
Grind coconut, coriander seeds, red chillies, and jeera to a coarse powder without adding water.
Heat oil in a pan add the seasonings one by one and then add the ground powder. Fry for a minute and add channa to it. Keep in a slow flame for 5 minutes. Add salt and coriander leaves. Remove from fire and add the cooked rice to it. Mix it well and serve hot.

Mor kuzhambu

Morkuzhambu,A dish from Tamil nadu is sure a comfort food when u have plenty of curds.Easy to prepare and one of our favourite foods. Try this recipe and u will surely love it. This is my another entry to "RCI - Tamil cuisine event" hosted by Lakshmik and "A- Z of indian vegetables" hosted by Nupur .

Ingredients

Thick buttermilk/curd- 4 cups
rice- 1tsp

channa dal- 1 tsp
toor dal- 1 tsp
turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
green chillies- 4
ginger- a small piece
garlic- 2 to 3 cloves
coconut grated-3 - 4tsp
salt to taste
Any veggies (like pumpkin, okra, ashgourd, cucumber,carrot, beans, potato)U can add any one or two vegetables of ur choice.)chopped- 1/2 cup
For Tempering
coconut oil/cooking oil- 1 tbsp
mustard seeds- 1/4 tsp
red chillies- 1
curry leaves- a few
pearl onions- 3 chopped finely
Asafoetida- a pinch

Method

Soak rice, and the dals together for 15 to 20 minutes.
Whisk/beat the buttermilk/curd with turmeric powder and keep aside.
Grind green chillies, ginger, garlic, coconut with the soaked rice and dal to a fine paste.
In a pan add 1/2 cup of water and the veggies and cook the for some time. When they are half cooked add the ground paste and salt to it . simmer the flame and add little water to it so that the veggies are cooked fully and the raw smell of the paste disappears. Add the buttermilk/ curd to it.
Heat coconut oil/cooking oil in a frying pan and add the ingredients for tempering one by one and fry for a minute. finally pour that to the curd mixture. Morkuzhambu is ready to be served with rice.

Note

U can do a simple morkuzhambu without the veggies too.
Beat the buttermilk/curd well to avoid the curdling.

Palak Paneer

Palak paneer is a very common North Indian dish made with spinach and Paneer(Indian cheese).Spinach , needlees to say is a very healthy and nutritious food. Learn more about the nutrient content of spinach here. This recipe is one of my restaurant favourite. I make this at home too in a very simple way. This is a recipe adapted from sanjeev Kapoor's website. It is easy to make with lots of spinach and less spices so that the u get the flavour of the spinach very well.This is my entry to JFI- WBB event: greens hosted by Indira of Mahanandi this month.

Ingredients

Spinach- 1 large bunch

paneer- 3/4 pack chopped into cubes

cumin seeds- 1/2 tsp

garlic- 3 cloves chopped fine

milk- 1/2 cup

salt to taste

oil/butter- 2 tbsp

heavy cream(optional)- 1tbsp

green chillies-3- 4 green chillies

bayleaves- 2

kasoori methi- 1/4 tsp

Method

Heat 2 tsp of oil/ butter in a pan and add cumin seeds,chopped garlic and green chillies. when it turns golden brown add washed and chopped spinach. saute for 2 mins .Grind this into a fine paste when cool.

Heat the remaining oil/butter in the same pan and add bay leaves and the ground paste. Add the milk to it. Let it boil and add salt , kasoori methi and chopped paneer cubes. Simmer the flame and cook for 6 to 8 minutes. Garnish with cream.

Note

U can replace paneer with Tofu

U can fry the the paneer in butter/oil and soak in hot water too. finally squeeze the water and add to the gravy.

U can add onions , tomatoes, chilli powder and coriander powder to get more gravy.

Check for the recipe of Palak rice here.

Murukku

Murukku is believed to have originated from Tamilnadu.(source wiki)Murukku will sure be one of the treats people make during diwali in Tamilnadu and I couldn't remember one person who doesn't love this crunchy murukkus.

My husband is a great fan of murukkus and my MIL makes wonderful murukkus. She made this when we went to india last year.This is my entry for lakshmik's RCI event for April which happens to be Tamil cuisine.

Ingredients

Parboiled Rice- 4 cups

Urad dal- 1 cup

jeera- 1- 2 tsp

sesame seeds white- 2 tsp

salt to taste

Asafoetida- little

oil for deep frying

butter- 100 grams

Method

Soak the rice for 2 to 3 hours. Dryroast the urad dal until golden brown and grind it to a fine powder. sieve it and keep aside.

Grind the rice in the wetgrinder to a very fine paste by adding water little by little. Add salt and asafoetida to the batter at the final stage. U should be able to get a thick,fine paste ( much thicker than dosa batter) at the end. If u get a bit watery paste u can keep the paste closed in a clean muslin cloth so that the cloth will absorb the extra water. Grinding the rice and making murukku is a bit time consuming work, but you really get white and crispy murukkus by this method.

Add the urad dal powder, jeera, butter,sesame seeds to the rice batter and knead well. u will be able to get a dough like consistency.

Heat oil in a pan and put the required amt of dough in the murukku maker with one hole disc or 3 hole disc. squeeze into the hot oil directly. U can make the murukku in a plastic sheet too and then add to the hot oil too.Turn it and cook the other side too.

Note

My MIL grinds the rice in a wet grinder. But I make this with rice and urad flour. Making murukkus with the flours is very easy than the grinder made one.The measurements are just the same . Slightly dry roast the urad flour for just one minute in a pan. the flour should just be warm after roasting. Add the other ingredients and water to make it into a dough. U get good murrukkus by this method too.

Check out Radhi's , Maheshwari's, Priya's ,Jyothsna's. Murukku too.

Minestrone soup

Minestone is one of my favourite soups. It is a very thick and filling soup with lots of vegetables and pasta.... Thought I will give it a try this week, it came out very well and appreciated by everyone in my family. This is my entry to RP's JFI Event 'Tomato'. Soup was the one which came to my mind on thinking of tomatoes and I used a lot of tomatoes in this soup.

Ingredients

Olive oil- 2 tbsp

Garlic- 3 cloves chopped finely

Red onion- 1 chopped finely

Tomato-2 cups chopped finely

Tomato paste- 1 tbsp

carrot/Zuchini- 1/4 cup chopped finely

cabbage- 1/4 cup chopped finely

potato- 1/4 cup chopped finely

celery- less than 1/4 cup chopped finely

Kidney/Garbanzo or any beans- 1/4 cup cooked

Any pasta of ur choice- 1/4 cup

Vegetable broth- 1 can

Parmesan cheese- for topping

pepper powder- little

Dried basil- 1/2 tsp

bay leaves- 2 (optional)

Method

Heat olive oil in a pan and add garlic and onions. Saute and add tomatoes and all the vegetables. Fry for some time and add the tomato paste and the vegetable broth. Bring to boil and then add the bay leaves, pasta and the beans.( u can cook the pasta seperately and add too) cover and cook till the vegetables and pasta are cooked .Add pepper powder, dried basil and salt to taste. simmer for 3 - 5 minutes . Sprinkle grated cheese on top and serve hot.

Naans

I wanted to try naans for a long time and when I came across Archana's ( spicyana) 'Pan grilled Naans', I was very much attracted by it. It looked so perfect.. I followed exactly her method, but I did not pan grill it. I just baked them and they turned out good. This is my entry to this month's MBP hosted by Coffee. check out for the recipe here. Thanks Archana for this wonderful recipe.

Vatral Kuzhambu

Vatral kuzhambu is a famous dish in Tamilnadu. The word 'Vatral' means sun dried vegetable. Some veggies like brinjal, sundakkai,manathakkali and clusterbeans can be sundried.U can make this kuzhambu with any one of these vatrals .Vatral kuzhambu with rice , papad and keerai is a wonderful combination. I have tried vatral kuzhambu in different methods, many of them turned out watery, without much gravy.... this one was very good and so I thought I would share it with u all.

Ingredients

Sundakkai vatral or any type of vatral-1/4 cup
Tamarind - golf ball sized
Sambar powder/Vatral kuzhambu powder- 1- 1½ tsp(I used sakthi sambar powder)
Onion- 1 small cut tinto strips
Shallots /pearl onions- 6
Garlic- 6-8 cloves
Oil - 4 to 5 tsp
Coconut grated-little, approx 2 tsp
Curry leaves- 1 sprig
Methi powder-1/4 tsp
Salt to taste

Method

Peal and cut the pearl onions to chunks. Soak the tamarind in water and get the juice. Keep aside.
Heat 1 tsp of oil in a pan and add the pearl onions and fry till it turns transparent. Remove from fire. When cooled grind this with sambar powder and coconut into a fine paste.
Heat the remaining oil in the same pan and when it is hot add the vatrals and fry till it turns brown. Then add the onions , curryleaves and garlic. Fry for sometime and then add the tamarind juice. When it boils add the ground paste. Add ½ cup of water,methi powder and salt , simmer the flame and partly close it with a lid. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes till the oil separates on top.
Serve hot with rice and papad.

Paal Kozhukattai

This is another of my Mother in law's recipe which is a big hit in our family. She made this for 'Sangadahara Chaturthi' which comes once in a month. She used to fast on this day and make kozhukattai and sundal and offer to lord Ganesha. She is here with us now and this time I helped her too in making it. I thought this would be a good choice for 'Winter food swing Event- Family and friends in the kitchen' hosted by Trupti of 'The spice who loved me'.

Icon credits- Trupti

Ingredients

Rice flour- 1 cup
Coconut milk - 1 cup if using from the can or milk taken from 1 medium coconut
Sugar- 1/2 cup
Salt- a pinch
Ghee- 1tsp
Milk- 1/2 cup
Oil- 4 tsp
Cardomom powder- 1/4 tsp

Method

Mix ½ cup of milk , 1 ½ cups of water to the rice flour, ghee and a pinch of salt together. Heat the batter in a pan (preferably non stick) and keep stirring without any lumps, till it forms a dough consistency.When it is cooled add 4 tsp oil to that and knead it into a soft dough.Make small balls (like u do for seedai) out of this.

Take milk from the coconut ....Check out here how to do it.First time when u extract milk from the coconut u will get thick milk.Keep this as your 1st extract. Again add water and extract milk.This time u will get a thinner milk. Repeat it again the third time too where u will get a very thin extract. Do not mix the coconut milks together. keep aside.

If u are using tinned coconut milk add 1/2 cup of water to 1/2 cup of the coconut milk cream to get the first thick extract. Take 1/4 cup of coconut cream and add 1/2 cup of water to make the 2nd extract and repeat this step again for the 3 rd extract with the remaining 1/4 cup of coconut milk cream.

In a non stick pan add the 3rd extract and the rice balls. When it boils and when the balls float on top add the 2nd extract . Add the 1st extract and the sugar after 3 minutes. Let it thicken and then add the cardomom powder. Kozhukattais are ready to serve.

Masala Oat Pancakes

When I went to India last time, I got this book named'Oats Breakfast Cookbook' by Nita mehta. The book had very good healthy recipes of oats. I tried this masala oat pancakes and it turned out great. Iam giving u the recipes as it is in the book.

Ingredients

Oats- 1 cup ground to a powder in a mixer

Onion- 1 chopped finely

Tomato - 1 chopped finely

green chilli- 1 deseeded and chopped finely

Kasoori methi- 1 tsp

coriander leaves- 1 tbsp chopped

red chiili powder- 1/2 tsp

turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp

garam masala- 1/4 tsp

Salt to taste

water- 1 1/2 cups approx

Method

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and beat well adding enough water to make a batter of pouring consistency.

Heat a tawa or a non stick pan and add 1/2 tsp of oil in the center. spread the batter to make a thin pancake.add oil to the sides of the pancake. when the top is cooked turn over and cook.

Serve hot with tomato or mint chutney

Protest against Plagiarism

Inji manga , has called out to all the food bloggers to protest against Plagiarism on March 5th. I would like to join hands with them against this shameful act of plagiarism. Stealing the contents and pictures from the blogs without their approval is illegal and should be protested.

STOP PLAGIARISM!!!

Those who are not aware of the reason for this protest, check out for the details here

Icon credits: Sandeepa

Malai Kofta Curry

Malai Kofta is a rich curry and is my restaurant favourite.This is the way I make malai kofta..Though it takes a bit of time, it tastes wonderful.This is my entry for the JFI 'potato' hosted by Vaishali of Happyburp

Ingredients for koftas

Potatoes- 4 medium
peas- 1/4 cup
paneer(grated)-1/2 cup
chilli powder- 3/4 tsp
garam masala- 1/4 tsp
gram flour- 2 tsp
maida/all purpose flour- 1 tsp
cornstarch- 1/2 tsp
coriander leaves- a few chopped finely
salt to taste
oil for deep frying
For the gravy
Onions- 2 medium chopped into cubes
Tomatoes- 2 or 3 medium chopped into cubes
ginger- 1" piece chopped roughly
garlic - 4 cloves
cinnamon-small piece,cloves- 2, saunf-1/4 tsp
poppy seeds- 1/4 tsp
cashews- 6 to 8
coconut -2 tsp
chilli powder- 1 tsp
coriander powder- 2 tsp
jeera powder- 1/4 tsp
kasoori methi - a few
garam masala/kitchen king masala- 1/4 tsp
Fresh cream- 2 tsp
milk- 1/2 cup
Oil + ghee/butter- 6 tsp
salt to taste

Method

Boil the peas and potatoes together. Remove the skin of the potatoes , add all the other ingredients except oil and mash it . Do not add water. Make small balls and deep fry it in hot oil.
keep it aside.
Heat 2 tsp of oil in a pressure pan and add cinnamon, cloves and saunf. Then add onions, ginger and garlic pieces. When the onions become transparent add the tomatoes, cashews and poppy seeds. Fry till the tomatoes are mushy.
Now add the chilli powder, coriander powder,jeera powder and garam masala powder. Add little water to this and pressure cook this for 5 mins or till one whistle.
When cooled grind it to a fine paste. Heat a pan and add the remaining oil+ghee. Pour the masala paste , kasoori methi and milk.When it boils add the koftas and remove from heat. Garnish with coriander leaves and fresh cream on top. Serve hot with chappathis /rotis/phulkas.

Note

U can add chopped cashews to the gravy too.
U can check out Vineela's version of Malai kofta here and Asha's Version here

Vegetable Cutlets

Blogger Friends Recipe(BFR#3)
This is my 2nd entry for coffee's MBP Finger foods and starters. Cutlets and Samosas are my favourite and I made this from Priya's kitchen, for my Inlaws who have come to visit us. Vegetable cutlets turned out pretty well and we all loved it. Check out the recipe here

Dosa, Sambar and Strawberry Cheese Cups

These are my entries for this month's AFAM(strawberry cheese cups) by Maheshwari and Pooja's valentine's special. You may wonder what Dosa and Sambar has to do with Strawberry cheese cups...Yes this is what I made specially for my husband. Dosa and sambar is my husband's all time favourite. He can have it without any complaints for breakfast,dinner and even lunch. He doesn't like many desserts... doesn't eat icecream ,almost all sweets ... I had made these strawberry cheese cups before and he liked it . As I wanted to make a really nice dessert for him, I chose this one. Though the menu sounds extreme, I wanted to make only this because this is SPECIALLY FOR HIM!!!!!

Dosa

Ingredients
Idly rice- 4 cups
Urad dal- 1 cup
Methi seeds- 1/2 tsp
salt to taste
Method
Wash and soak rice and Dal+methi seeds seperately. soak for atleast 4 hours. Grind dal in to a fine past by adding water little by little . Then grind rice into a fine paste and mix it with dal .Add salt to taste and ferment it for abt 8 hours or overnight.(It may take a longer time in winter)
Sambar


Ingredients
For sambar powder
Red chillies- 2 to 2 1/2 cups
Coriander seeds- 2 cups
Bengal gram dal- 1/4 cup
Thoor dal- 1/4 cup
Pepper- 3 tsp
Fenugreek- 2 tsp
Jeera- 3 tsp
Curry leaves- a few
Dry roast all these seperately and powder.
Thoor dal- 1 cup
green chillies- 5 sliced
garlic- 5 cloves
tomato- 1 chopped
pearl onions- a few( u can use one chopped big onion too)
methi seeds- 1/4 tsp
turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
Hing- little
Tamarind juice- from small lime sized ball
Veggies of ur choice- (carrots, brinjal, drumsticks... etc)1/2 cup
For Seasoning
Mustard seeds- 1/4 tsp
red chillies-1
hing- little
jeera-1/4 tsp
pepper- 4 to 5
methi seeds- less than 1/4 tsp
curry leaves- a few
coriander leaves- a few
Oil - 3 tsp
salt to taste
Method
Wash 1 cup of dal and add greenchillies, garlic,turmeric powder, hing, methi seeds, tomatoes in one bowl and the veggies in another bowl and pressure cook this .
Heat oil in a pan add mustard seeds , when it splutters add the other ingredients for seasoning and then the onions . Saute till the onions are transparent . Add the tamarind juice and 1 to 2 tsp of sambar powder. now add the cooked dal (mash it well with a ladle) and the cooked vegetables. Add enough water and salt to it.simmer it and close it with a lid for 10 mins. garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Sambar is ready. Serve hot with dosa,idly or rice.

note

Sometimes when I grind sambar powder I was not able to get good colour cos of the red chillies. so I reduced the amt of chillies (10 ) and prepare powder. Then when making sambar I add 1 tsp of readymade sambar powder(i use shakti masala) and 1 tsp of the sambar powder which I made.By this way I get good colour for sambar.

Strawberry cheese cups

Actually I found this recipe for the cups, in the Pepperidgefarm puff,pastry sheet packet . They had printed a recipe for choc peanut butter cups and I replaced it with creamcheese filling.. Crispy puff and creamcheese was real Yumm!!
Ingredients
pepperidge farm's puff pastry sheets
cream cheese-1/2 cup
powdered sugar-1/4 cup or to taste
heavy cream- 2 tbsp
strawberries- a few(slitted half)
Method
Thaw the pastry sheet at room temperature 40 min. Preheat the oven to 400F.Unfold the pastry on the lightly floured surface , roll it and cut into 4" squares approx.Press the squares in the muffin pans. Bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown.
Mix sugar, creamcheese and cream together and beat well till u get a smooth texture.
Place the cream in the puff cups and then a piece of strawberry on top.

About Valentines day... Though we knew what is valentine's day in our schooldays we didn't celebrate it or bother about it much.There was an 'Archie's gallery' opposite to my college and it used to sell wonderful valentine cards. That's how I got a better picture of valentine's day . Me and my husband had exchanged valentine cards only in the first year of marriage as feb 14 was only one week after our wedding. After that we don't care much for V'day because I feel that if u want to epress ur love to someone u can do it anytime, not only on v' day.

And now about my Husband.. His Name is Sundar.. He is a person who doesn't talk much while on the other hand I talk a lot...(I think in these 7 yrs it has reduced a bit ). He is a very patient guy while Iam not.Though we are chalk and cheese in some aspects there are a lot of other aspects where we have similar tastes too, and all these makes life interesting... He has stood beside me during some of the hard times in my life and I can never forget that. In short, He is a real gem of a person(My Husband who sitting near me ,reading this gave a big,broad smile )Happy Valentine's day!!!

Pedas

Today is our 7th Wedding Aniversary and I thought I would begin the day with sweets. So yesterday I made these lovely pedas. They are very easy and quick to make.My 5 year old little daughter helped me and we had fun making this..

This is my entry for Trupti's ' Little Chefs in the kitchen' Event and Meeta's 'Monthly Mingle- Sweet love'. Though it may be a bit late for the Sweet love event,but I thought will be nice to post this on my Wedding day which would surely be the best day to show the love I have for my Better half. Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Ingredients

Sweetened condensed milk(whole milk)- 1 tin

milk powder- 2 cups

butter-4 tbsp(room temp)

crushed pistas and almonds- a few

food colour(optional)- any colour u like

saffron-(optional)- a few

silver warq- optional

cardomom powder- a pinch

Method

In a microwave bowl add the butter and heat it for 2 mins or till it is melted.

Add the milk powder and condensed milk, mix it well and microwave it for 2 minutes.

Add the cardomom powder,saffron and food colour at this stage and microwave for 4 minutes , taking out and stirring after 2 minutes.

Cool it completely and make pedas of ur desired shape.

Add crushed nuts on the top of the pedas and press it. Apply the silver warq.

note

For shaping the pedas take a lid from a small bottle, keep a few nuts inside and place a ball of pedas on it. press well and invert it. U will get lovely round pedas.

Cheese sticks

I made these cheese sticks while we were watching superbowl last sunday. My Daughter loves these cheese sticks and I always buy it from the frozen section. She was asking for cheese sticks last weekend and I didn't have it in the freezer.... So I thought 'Let me check out for the ingredients and if I have them at home I can do it '. I googled for cheese sticks and got many recipes for that.. I will give u the method by which I made. This is my entry for coffee's MBP.

Ingredients

mozarella cheese- 1 pk
Pancake mix-1/2 cup
cornstarch- 1 tsp
paprika- 1/2 tsp
bread crumbs/ flavoured bread crumbs- 1cup
salt to taste
oil for deep frying

Method

Slice the cheese to thick fingers(if u slice it thin it will melt fast)
Mix pancake mix, cornstarch, paprika and salt together in a bowl and add milk/water to form a thick paste.
Dip the cheese in the pancake batter , roll in the breadcrumbs and then again in the batter and finally in the crumbs again and deep fry in hot oil.(u have to do it twice so that the coating is strong)
Fry for one or two mins till both sides turn golden brown and serve hot with tomato sauce.

Note
The original recipe had eggs in it ..I did not use it but I strongly feel that if u dip the cheese in eggs , the coating will be more strong.If using eggs beat an egg or two in a seperate bowl, dip first in the batter, then egg and finally the bread crumbs.
The recipe said to use flavoured breadcrumbs.. I had some flavoured croutons and I just grinded it and used.. It was good.
U can substitute the pancakemix with flour and cornmeal.