Award and Cabbage Kofta Gravy

Wow! “Yummy Blog” award for my blog!!!!! My dear friend, Roopa has sent me this beautiful award. This came as a real but very pleasant surprise to me. I am truly overwhelmed on getting another award!Thank you so much Roopa.You made me feel so special.

"Yummy blog award is the award given to the blog with most yummy recipes/photos”

As per the rules I should also quote my favorite yummy-licious dessert(s) that I have ever prepared/eaten.Here we go with my favorite yummy-licious dessert(s):

Bhadusha-My all time favorite
Cheesecake
Krispy Kreme Doughnuts(Original Glazed)

I would actually like to pass this on to every single blogger who regularly visit my blog and patiently comment on almost every post of mine. But I was restricted to choose only four blogs.OMG it’s so hard for me to pick and pass the award to few yummy blogs when you have lot here.

I am choosing a four here and I let them to give this award to our remaining friends.

Cham of Spice-club
Uma of Essence Of Andhra
Pooja of My Creative Ideas
Kalai of Samaithu Parakalam

Congrats girls on your well deserved awards :-)

Rules for the ‘Yummy Blog’ award Reciver:

· The person who receives the award should display the "Yummy Blog !" logo on their blog and also the meaning of the award which is "Yummy blog award is the award given to the blog with most yummy recipes/photos".

· The receiver should also quote their favorite yummy-licious :) dessert(s) that they have ever prepared/eaten. Don’t restrict yourself to any dessert, chocolate bars also welcome.

· Also the receiver should pass on the award to four other bloggers whose blog they find "yummy" and let them know about the rules.

Cabbage Kofta Gravy:

INGREDIENTS:

(For Koftas)

Finely chopped cabbage - 3/4cup
Boiled channa dal - 1/4cup
Chopped green chili - 2
Cumin seeds - 1tsp
Besan flour - 2tsp
Salt

(For Gravy)

Finely chopped onion - 1
Ginger,garlic paste - 1tsp
Turmeric powder - 1tsp
Chili,cumin,corrainder powder - 1tsp(each)
Yogurt - 1/2cup
Cashew nuts - 5Corriander leaves(for garnishing)

METHOD:

Boil the cabbage till it became soft.Add boiled channa dal and just cook for 5 mins.Remove from the flame and drain water in a muslin cloth.After drained add cumin seeds,chili,salt,besan flour and mix well.Form a wet dough and make small balls.Heat oil in the pan,fry the koftas and drain them.

For gravy heat little bit of oil in the pan add cumin seeds,onions and fry till onions turn into brown.Now add turmeric powder and ginger,garlic paste and mix well.Pour some drained water form cabbage,channa dal mix.Now add all the masala and cook for 5 more mins.Let it cook till the oil comes out , add curd and cook for 2-5 mins.

Fry the cashew in a separate pan and grind into a fine powder.Now add this powder to the gravy for thickening it.Once it starts thick add the fried koftas and garnish with corriander.Serve hot with rice/roti...Enjoy.

Dinner Rolls

I love soft, squishy, slightly sweet dinner rolls.These beautiful homemade dinner rolls are perfect for both first-time bakers and well seasoned cooks.The rolls go with anything and at any meal, be it breakfast or dinner.I love to have them at my mornings.Making your own dinner rolls is surprisingly easy, and when you taste these buttery, pillow-light rolls, you'll agree they are superior to any store-bought variety.

INGREDIENTS:

Active Dry Yeast - 1pocket
All Purpose flour (sifted) - 3cup
Sugar - 1/4tsp(as per ur taste)
Milk - 1/2cup
Egg - 1
Butter - 3tsp
Salt - 3tsp(as per ur taste)

METHOD:

Dissolve I pocket of dry yeast in a warm water. The water should be warm enough otherwise it will kill the yeast. After it dissolved add one beaten egg, sugar and salt into the yeast and mix well. Now add 1 cup of flour into the mixture and beat well. In the mean time add the butter in the milk and microwave for 3 mins just to warm the milk. Pour the melted butter and milk and mix well. Add the remaining flour and form very sticky wet dough. Place this on a floured cutting board and start the kneading process. Sprinkle some flour and knead for about 8-9 minutes. You have to knead this until it has a very nice, elastic consistency. If necessary sprinkle some flour and knead well.

Now place the dough in a mixing bowl and coat well with 2 tsp of vegetable oil. Cover the bowl using the towel and let it double in size for 1-11/2 hours. After raised, place the dough again on the cutting board and sprinkle some flour for not sticking. Form the dough in a square shape with hands and cut it in to the 8 equal pieces. Now take one of the pieces and place it in palm and form a nice round shape. Do the same for other pieces.For shaping the dinner rolls see here.

Place the balls into the greased pan with an inch or inch and half distance. Let the balls to rise for 30-40 minutes or let it raise them until they touch each other and give a dinner rolls look. Bake it for 350f for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Done.

Palak Rice For MBP

When I was searching one-pot dishes for this month's MBP,I came across this delicious and healthy spinach/palak rice on Archy of 'Archi's Recipe Book'.Spinach is a nutrition superstar, even a fairly good source of iron. It's loaded with vitamins and minerals, some of which are hard to find in other foods.We all know that Popeye made himself super strong by eating spinach, but you may be surprised to learn that he may also have been protecting himself against heart disease, colon cancer, arthritis, and other diseases at the same time.

You can find the recipe here.

I am sure all spinach lover's will love this...Haven't made any changes to the recipe except that I added some cashews for my hubby who is a cashew lover. I served the palak rice with curd as archy mentioned.He liked it a lot and it was gone in no time.....

This is my entry to this month's MBP.Monthly Blog Patrol is started by Coffee of The Spice Cafe and now being hosted by Pavani Of Cook's Hideout With the theme of "One Pot Wonders".It was really fun touring and patrolling around all the blogs.Thanks Pavani for choosing a wonderful theme.

My Cute Rossy And Lassi

Cute Rossy From My Balcony

This Picture is my entry for the photo event Au Naturel hosted by Bee and Jai of Jugalbandi .

Rose Used In Cooking:

1. Dried rose petals(Roja mokku) are used in Indian biryani/pulav.

2. Rose is chiefly known as a decorative and fragrant ornamental, but it also has culinary importance.


3. Rose water is used to flavour marzipan and is occasionally found in drinks.


4. An Indian drink popular with Western tourists is lassi. In its simplest case, lassi is just a mixture of water, yogurt and sugar drunk cold, preferably iced. A common type of this drink, gulabi lassi, is flavoured by the addition of some rose water.


5. Rose and rose oil are important flavourings in Western and Central Asia, where they are used in many sweets. Turks dissolve locoum, a very sweet confectionery with strong rose fragrance, in their coffee. In Iran, honey and jams are made more fragrant with rose flowers and rose ice cream is known in many Middle Eastern countries.(4&5 courtesy from here)

Banana Apple Lassi

I've been searching some cool and refreshing drink for EC-Sun&Fun Event.Finally hubby dear gave me the idea of making apple lassi.Once we had a apple lassi in the restaurant and we liked very much.I mixed apple,banana and used greek yogurt for this recipe. Greek yogurt gives a creamy texture to the lassi. Although you could use home made yogurt or store bought yogurt as well, you will need to add less milk to get a creamy texture.Recipe is quite simple yet so delicious!

INGREDIENTS:

Banana - 1
Apple - 1
Sugar - 2tsp
Greek Yogurt - 1/2cup
Crushed ice - 1/2cup
Rose water - 1/2tsp(optional)
Cardamom Powder - 1pinch
Mint spring (for garnishing)
Salt - 1pinch(salt brings out the taste)

Method:

Blend apple,banana,yogurt, cardamom powder, salt, Ice cube & water in a blender till smooth. Give it a taste and adjust sugar if you prefer.

Pour into glasses. Garnish with mint and serve.

Sending this gorgeous dessert to EC's Fun n Sun Event.

Strawberry Jam

Rosie from "Rosie Bakes 'A Peace Of Cake'" is hosting a preserves blogging event called "Putting Up" originated by Pixie at You Say Tomahto, I Say Tomayto. I decided to make small batch of strawberry jam because they are in peek of season right now,I bought 5lbs of fresh berries on Sunday for just 3$.After searched long and hard I found this recipe for making jam without using a pectin. I’ve never made jam before and it turned out pretty good. Very simple to make with few ingredients yet so wonderful.

INGREDIENTS:

Fresh Sliced strawberry - 3cups
Sugar - 1cup
Lemon juice - 1/4cup
Butter - 2tsp

METHOD:

In a medium bowl add the strawberries, sprinkle over all of the sugar and place it in the fridge overnight. Remove from the fridge, bring this mixture to boil in thick pan and allow the sugar to dissolve. Turn down the heat to keep the mixture boiling but watch it carefully as it will bubble up and, if the heat is too high, boil over. If that happens it will become sticky consistency.

Cook for 8-10 mins.Now add the butter,lemon juice and the mixture needs to be cooked till it reaches the jam consistency.

Testing for 'jam consistency' is very important in jam making process. Keep a metal tablespoon sitting in a glass of ice water, then take a half spoonful of the mix and let it cool to room temperature on the spoon. If it starts flowing then the jam is not ready yet. If it doesn’t move, then it is ready, remove from heat immediately.

Now pour the jam into the airtight jar (I bought from IKEA) and close tightly. Another important step is 'process the jars in the boiling water bath'. Putting the jars in the boiling water bath REALLY helps to reduce spoilage. Keep the jars covered with at least 1 inch of water and boil them for 10 mins.

Lift the jars out of the water and let them cool without touching or bumping them in a dry place.Once cooled, they're ready to store. Will store in a cool dry place for almost a year.

For video: see here.

Microwave Ginger Carrot Cake

Ginger carrot cake is a sweet spice cake with grated carrot and ginger mixed into the batter. The carrot softens in the cooking process, and the cake usually has a soft, dense texture. The carrots themselves enhance the flavor, texture and appearance of the cake. The combination of ginger and carrot provides a light, moist and flavorful cake. I tried out this delicious cake in microwave and it turned out so soft and fluffy which is quite a pleasant surprise to me.When I make a cake in the microwave I use Tupperware's Heat N Serve containers.There are other microwave containers out there, but I have only tried Tupperware's. But I do know that microwave cakes tend to come out hard when cooked in glass or corningware.

INGREDIENTS:

Sugar - 1 cup
Brown sugar- 1/2 cup
Butter - 1/4cup
Eggs - 2
Salt - 1/2tsp
All purpose flour - 2cups
Baking soda - 2tsp
Vanilla extract - 1tsp
Ground cinnamon - 1/2tsp
Raw finely grated carrots - 1cup
Crushed ginger - 1tsp
Walnuts pieces- 1/4cup

(For butter cream frosting)

Pure cane powdered sugar - 1/2cup
Milk - 1/4cup
Vanilla extract - 1tsp
Sliced Butter (softened) - 1stick

METHOD:

Lightly grease the tupperware with butter. In a mixing bowl, mix sugar, butter, and eggs. In another bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Mix dry ingredients into wet mixture and blend well. Finally add walnuts, carrot and ginger into the batter. Pour in the greased tupperware and place it on a trivet in microwave oven. Cook for 10 minutes, giving the dish a quarter turn every 3 minutes. Keep rotating the pan 1/4 turn three times until a skewer inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan. Invert on rack and let cool.

For butter cream frosting beat butter, vanilla and sugar together. For thinner consistency add milk a little at a time. Pour over cake.

Sending these yummy microwave cake to Srivalli who is hosting MEC-Cakes.

Check dear Meera's blog for a different version of Microwave cake.

Lemon Clove Cookies

I came across this cookie recipe in Nick Malgieri’s “Cookies Unlimited” book which I found in public library. Last weekend I was at the library looking for some new DVD’s to entertain me during my lazy afternoons, as usual hubby dear was searching some IT books for him. So l happened to go through the nonfiction section and look for books about cooking.OMG it is the motherland of cookbooks! There was a whole aisle full of them. It took me 1 hour to select out 3 books (Cookies Unlimited, 150 Cake Recipes and Sweet Indulgences) from their excellent collections.I’ve always loved going to the library and now that I've discovered their cookbooks, I have no doubt that I will love it even more.Hurry!!!!!go and check it out immediately.

Ok coming to cloves they are actually the dried buds of the clove tree. Used in China for more than 2000 years, cloves are believed to be an aphrodisiac. We do know that clove oil is a time-honored remedy for toothache, and that clove oil is highly antiseptic. The cloves are also used to stop vomiting. My hubby likes clove tea and frequently asks me to prepare for him.These cookies are another way to use the clove in our kitchen.

INGREDIENTS:

All purpose flour – 2cups
Sugar – 1cup
Egg – 1
Ground cloves –1tsp
Lemon extract – 1/2tsp
Butter (melted) – 1/4cup
Baking Soda - 1tsp
Salt

(For Lemon Glaze)

Confectioner’s sugar – 1/2cup
Lemon extract – 1tsp
Water – 3tsp

METHOD:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

In a mixing bowl mix flour, ground cloves and salt together. Beat butter and granulated sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add egg and lemon extract; beat until well blended. Gradually add the flour, baking soda and beat until well mixed. Divide the dough in half. Roll each half into about 2 inches wide and 7 inches long. Wrap in wax paper. Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm. Unwrap the cookie dough and cut into desired sizes about 1/4-inch thick using cookie cutter. Sprinkle slices lightly with remaining sugar and place on a baking sheet. Bake until lightly browned around the edges, about 12 minutes. Transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the Lemon Glaze, mix confectioners' sugar, water and lemon extract in small bowl until well blended. Drizzle over cooled cookies (I used a knife). Let stand until glaze is set.

This is my entry for Think Spice : Think Cloves Event hosted by Gretchen and LiveSTRONG Day 2008 event hosted by Barbara.

Thattai(Rice Fritters)

As its name says this snack is flat and looks round in shape.I don’t know what they call in other parts of India.This is my hubby's favourite dish and a very popular snack in tamilnadu.Enjoy this with a cup of tea or coffee , great evening snack or we can store it for a week..Here is a simple method to make crispy thattai.

INGREDIENTS:

Rice flour -2 cups
Channa dal (Kadalai paruppu) - 1/2 cup
Cumin seeds- 2 tsps
Green chili - 3
Urad dhal flour - 1/2cup
White sesame seeds - 1 tsp
Curry Leaves- few
Soda salt - 1pinch(optional)
Melted butter - 2 tsps
Salt

METHOD:

Soak channa dal for atleast 1 hour/10 mins in hot water.Drain the water and keep aside.Grind urad dhal in a blender, sieve it to get the finest powder.Blend green chili and curry leaves into fine paste.Mix rice flour, cumin seeds, sesame seeds, curry leaves and green chilli paste and salt. Add the soaked channa dal to the mixture .

Add water little by little and make the dough as murukku dough.Make small lime size balls and when pressed the edges should crack.That's the consistency for crispy thattai.Cut two opposite closed edges of Ziploc bag and place the dough on one side and cover it with other side and roll it into a thin layer or press each balls as thin as possible with your hands.Apply little oil so that it won’t stick.

Fry the thattais on medium heat, turning them over occasionally, until they are golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon on to absorbent paper.Serve as a snack with tea or coffee. Store in an airtight tin.

Let's Celebrate Our Friend's Birthday With American Cheesecake

UPDATE:

Today Divya Vikram of Dilse is celebrating her " " birthday(he he he secret,,)....So let's celebarate her birthday with this cheesecake.Dedicating this one to birthday baby!!!!!!!!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DIVYA,,,,ENJOY UR SPECIAL DAY....

RECIPE:

Cheesecake is my favorite dessert. When Priya of 365 vegetarian posted her instant strawberry cheesecake recipe, I was pretty much tempted to try it out. I tried out this American Cheesecake recipe with my own modifications. Since I don’t have the spring form pan I used the normal baking pan and I covered the entire pan with foil. And also left some extra outside so that I can lift the cake with the foil once it chills.

INGREDIENTS:

Butter - 1cup
Butter biscuits(crushed) - 11/4 cup
Sugar - 11/4cup
Cream cheese, softened-1/2cup
Heavy whipping cream - 1/2cup
Sweetened Condensed Milk -1cup
Eggs-3
Lemon juice1-2tsp
Sour cream - 1cup
Knox unflavored gelatin - 2tsp
White Jello - 1packet

METHOD:

To prepare the biscuit base mix butter and crushed biscuits (I crushed it in food processor) thoroughly. Place the mix into the pan and press it all down evenly using hands. Place it in a fridge for 15 mins to stiffen.

To make the cheese mixer, in a mixing bowl beat cream cheese until fluffy. Gradually beat in sweetened condensed milk, sour cream and whipping cream until smooth. Dissolve gelatin in a 1/4 cup of boiling water stir it well allow it to cool slightly then add to the mixture. Add eggs then lemon juice and mix well. At last add sugar and beat it.

Now pour the cheese mixture into the pan slowly and evenly.Place it into the lower part of the oven and bake them for 45 mins. When the cheesecake is ready it should be cooked but have wobble consistency.Let it cool down and place it in fridge to set for minimum of 4hours.

For the top prepare the white jello according to the package instructions and pour it slowly on to the cheesecake. Refrigerate until the jelly is set.

Garnish with strawberry.

P.S:I missed the step of adding vanilla essence.And I tried little decorations using whipped cream....Didn't come out well,so removed those:(((((

Garlic Tamarind Gravy(Poondu Kara-Kuzhambu)

Kara-kuzhambu roughly translates into sour and spicy gravy, and a famous dish in Karaikudi, a village that belongs to Chettinad region in Tamilnadu.The three elements that describes Tamil cuisine are uppu (salt), puli (tamarind) and milagai (chilli) and kara kuzhambu is the best example that brings out all the 3 individual flavours.Coming to garlic , it has lot of medicinal values.It helps lower cholesterol too.See here for herbal remedies of garlic.

INGREDIENTS:

Garlic large(peeled) - 4 whole heads
Tamarind Juice – 1/2cup
Chopped red onion – 1cup
Garlic cloves(grated) - 6
Chopped tomato - 1
Jaggery or brown sugar -1tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Chili powder - 1tsp
Sesame oil -1 cup
Mustard seeds –1tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tsp
Channa dal - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal - 1/2 tsp
Dry red chilies 3-5
Curry leaves – 1spring
Hing

To grind:

Red chili – 2
Grated Coconut – 2tsp
Cumin seeds – 1/2tsp
Pepper corns – 1tsp
Dhania seeds – 1/2tsp

METHOD:

In a pan heat oil and fry the garlic (whole cloves) for few minutes till oil coats on them and keep aside. In a deep pan, heat few spoons of oil. Add garlic (grated), fry till its raw smell goes off. Add onions and fry till they turn to golden brown color. Now add tomatoes, fry them till they loose their water content.

Now add turmeric, chili powder, sugar and saute well.Grind all the ingredients above into fine paste. Mix the paste and chili powder with tamarind juice. Add salt and adjust for your taste.Add the tamarind juice and 2 cups of water into the pan. Cover and cook over medium flame.

Once the gravy started boiling add the fried garlic cloves.Allow it to boil till the gravy consolidated.In a separate pan, heat oil. Add mustard, cumin,hing, fenugreek, channa dal, urad dal, dry red chilies and curry leaves. Let them pop and splutter well. Pour this seasoning over the gravy.Serve this along with plain steamed rice and pappad.

This spicy gravy goes to this month's JFI hosted by Mathy with the theme of garlic.

Bitter Gourd With Egg

This is one kind of bitter gourd dishes made by my mom. This dish is for bitter gourd lovers and those who doesn't like this vegetable can also try this recipe to start liking it. We(me and my sister) eat this atleast for the egg bits.Bitter gourd also tastes good stir fried with turmeric. Normally, I like to add an egg or two to the vegetable because the eggs counter the tartness of the bitter gourd. Though its extremely bitter, it has tons of nutritional values to it. It stimulates digestion and is also very good for diabetes people.Easy to make yet so delicious,can be had as it is or goes well with sambhar and rasam rice.

INGREDIENTS:

Egg (beaten) – 3
Pavakkai (bitter melon or bitter gourd) – 2
Green Chilli - 2(optional)
Scallion – 1bunch
Medium-sized onions - 1
Minced garlic – 4 cloves
Chopped tomatoes – 2

METHOD:

Trim away the two pointed ends of the pavakkai and cut them in half lengthwise. Remove the pale, seeded section with a spoon and discard it. Cut the darker green outer shells into wide strips.

Prepare a solution of 2 cups water and 1 tbsp salt in a bowl. Put the pavakkai strips into this bowl and set aside for 10 mins.Drain the pavakkai and rinse the strips under running water. Drain again and pat dry. Cut the scallion,onions and green chilli.

Heat the oil in a pan over a medium flame. When hot, put in the garlic and fry until garlic is light brown. Add the green chilli,onions and fry for 2 minutes. Then add tomatoes and fry 2 minutes. Now add pavakkai and turn down the heat. Stir occasionally and fry around 10 minutes or until it is tender. Add beaten eggs and the salt.

Stir and cook until eggs have reached a consistency you like. Remove from heat, add scallion strips and serve.

Sending this to pooja who is hosting Vegetable Of the Week - "Bitter Gourd".