Sunset

Here is another thirst quencher for this scorching summer..... The colour of orange and pomegranate when mixed gives a wonderful shade and hence I gave the name "Sunset"....  And the mild ginger flavour give an awesome twist to the mocktail...

Ingredients:

Orange - 1 fruit
Pomegranate - 2 tbsp
Ginger (chopped) - 1/2 tsp
Sugar - 2 tsp
Cold Water - 1 Cup

How to make:

1. In a mixer grind all the ingredients together for 1-2 mins.

2. Strain it and serve it short glass or tall glass....
 

Tomato Masala Mini Uthappam

Bored with the regular dosa... Then this a must try variation.... you can make it like regular dosa or uthappam.. I made it small ones because we had it for evening snacks along with coffee/tea.  Since this uthappam has a different taste, you don't even need an accompaniment with this.. You can just eat it plain as it is...

Ingredients:

Dosa Batter - 2 Cup
Grated carrot - 1/2 cup
Corriander leaves (finely chopped) - 1/4 cup

For Masala:

Tomato (Chopped) - 1 Cup
Corriander seeds (Dhaniya) - 2 tbsp
Pepper corn - 1 tsp
Jeera - 1 tsp
Red chili - 3-4 nos.
Oil - 1 tbsp

How to Make:

1. Roast all the masala ingredients for 4-5 mins and grind it to paste by adding required salt for the masala.

2. Add this paste to the dosa batter and mix well.

3. Make small uthappam with the batter and top it with some carrot and corriander leaves. Cook well both the sides and serve it hot...

Melon Splash

A tangy spicy mocktail which you will relish for this summer. Lemon gives the tangy taste, pepper gives the spicy taste and honey gives the sweety taste... ooopppsss.... sweet taste... A perfect drink for the summer which cools down the body heat and gives a refreshing feel....!

 

Ingredients:

 

Water Melon (without seeds) - 1 Cup

Lemon Juice - 1 tsp

Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp

Honey - 1 tbsp

 

How to make:

 

1. Put all the ingredients in mixer and grind for 2 mins. Incase the watermelon is not chilled you can add some ice cubes, otherwise no need to add ice cubes.

 

2. Don't strain it. Serve it chilled.

 

 

P.S. Water melon has so much water content in it, hence don't add any water to this.

 



 

Parangika Aval Pakoda

Very little pumpkin was left in my fridge which won't e enough for kootu... So I was wondering how to use it.. I could have used it for sambhar. But then I wanted to do something different. So came up with this. My husband doesn't like pumpkin. But when I gave this, he ate and didn't even know that there was pumpkin in this.. Since the pumpkin was little only, I also added aval(rice flakes) to give a different twist. The taste was just awesome. I gave it to my neighbours also and asked them to guess the ingredient. None of them were able to guess the pumpkin or aval.

Ingredients:

 

Pumpkin (grated) - 1/2 Cup

Aval (Rice flakes) - 1/2 cup

Besan flour - 2 tbsp

Maida - 1 tbsp

Salt - 1/2 tsp

Chilli powder - 3/4 tsp

Sesame seeds (Till seeds) - 1 tbsp

Curry leaves (finely chopped) - 1 tbsp

Oil - for frying

 

How to make:

 

1. Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl without adding water, since pumpkin has little moisture. Just sprinkle little water and mix well. Leave it aside for 5 mins. The rice flakes will become soft.

 

2. Heat oil in a kadai, and drop small small pakoda inside the hot oil. Fry and take it out once it turns golden brown.

Carrot Kheer

I have been posting only snacks, main course and sweet... Summer is on... S thought I should post some interesting chilled beverage/juice, drinks also..... Here comes the first chilled healthy drink for the summer.....  Carrot Kheer.... Its got Carrot, Almonds, Cashew, which is very healthy for kids and they will love it.... Try it...

Ingredients:

Carrot - 3-4 nos.
Sugar - 1/2 Cup
Cashewnut - 8-10 nos
Almonds - 12-15 nos.
Milk - 750 ml

How to make:

1. Soak Cashew nut and almonds in warm water for atleast 1 hr.

2. Roughly chop carrot and pressure cook it without adding water. Grind the nuts and carrot to smooth paste.

3. In a thick bottom pan, add milk and bring it boil. Add the ground paste to it and boil in simmer for 8-10 mins. Keep stirring in between.

4. Add sugar and keep in simmer for another 2-3 mins. Switch off the flame. Cool it and refrigerate and serve it chilled.

Capsicum Cheese Paratha

Another variety of stuffed paratha. A very tasty paratha....

 

 

 

Ingredients:

 

Atta dough - enough for 4 paratha
Capsicum (Finely chopped) - 1/4 Cup
Cheese (grated) - 1/4 Cup
Paneer (grated) - 1 tbsp
Corriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Salt - 1 pinch

 

How to make:

 

1. Mix the cheese, panner, capsicum, chilli powder, corriander powder, salt together and make 4 equal balls.

 

2. Divide the dough into 4 parts and stuff each balls inside the dough. Roll it over to make paratha.

 

3. Make paratha with 1 tbsp of ghee/oil. Let it cook on simmer for 2 mins on both the sides so that cheese melts inside the paratha.

 

Aloo Capsicum (in Microwave)

Last week I decided to cook some thing from start to end in microwave. And I was planning to make chappathi for main. So what to make for side dish in microwave. We can make many things, but I wanted to make some thing with potato.. And I had Capsicum also with me.. So started with aloo capsicum...

Ingredients:

Potato (cut inot cubes) - 1 Cup
Capsicum( Cut into small pieces) - 1/2 Cup
Onion (finely chopped) - 2 tbsp
Tomato (finely chopped) - 1 tbsp
Corriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Jeera - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 1 tbsp
Ghee - 1 tsp

How to make:

1. Heat the oil in microwaveable bowl for 2 mins in high.

2. Add jeera and keep for 30 secs. Now add the onion and keep in microwave for 1 min. Now add the tomato, corriander poder, chilli powder, salt, turmeric powder and mix well. Keep again for a min.

3. Now add the potato and mix well and keep in microwave for 5 mins. Now add the capsicum and ghee and keep in microwave for 2 mins.

4. Serve it hot with roti or Jeera rice...

Aval Uppma

Aval/Poha / Rice flakes is very commonly used in western India... In south also its used, but not that extensively. I had bought a packet of aval almost 2 months back. So decided to make some dish with this. But what to make ? Then I remembered, my mom use to make uppma with aval. These are very tasty to have for change...

 

 

Ingredients:

 

Aval - 1 Cup

Salt - 1/4 tsp

Asafoedita - 1 pinch

Red Chilli - 2-3 nos.

Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Mustard - 1/2 tsp

Urad Dhal - 1/2 tsp

Oil - 1 tbsp

 

How to make:

 

1. Wash the aval thoroughly underwater, drain and keep aside for 5 mins. This will make the aval soft.

 

2. In a pan heat oil, add mustard, urad dhal. Once mustard crackles, add red chilli, curry leaves, asafoedita and finally the aval.

 

3. Saute for 2 mins. Add the salt and saute for 3-5 mins. Serve it hot...

 

Baingan Bartha

The smoky flavour of the brinjal is the highlight in the baingan bartha. And I just love that. But sometimes our neighbours will think tht we have burnt some food. If they ask you, you can say that you are making the tasty baingan bartha and share some with them as well....

Ingredients:

Big Brinjal - 1 no.
Onion (Finely chopped) - 1/2 Cup
Tomato (Finely chopped) - 1/2 Cup
Ginger garlic paste - 1/2 tsp (Optional)
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Green chilli (Slit)- 2 nos.
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Corriander leaves  - 1 tbsp
Oil - 2 tbsp

 

 

How to make:

 

1. Roast the brinjal on direct fire for 8-10 mins. Keep turning the brinjal so that its cooked well. The water will start oozing out once its well cooked.

2. Once it cools down, remove the burned skin and take the pulp and keep aside.

3. Heat oil in a pan, add chopped onion and saute till it turns transparent. Now add the ginger garlic paste, green chilli and curry leaves, saute for 2 mins.

4. Now add the tomato, saute for 2 mins and add salt, chilli powder and mix well. Saute for 2 mins. Add the brinjal pulp and blend well. This will take about 5-8 mins. Garnish with corriander leaves.



Pizza Cutlet

While I was making this I didn't know what to name it. But then since it tasted more like a pizza, my hubby named it pizza cutlets. So i kept the same. A very different snack which kids will love it....

Ingredients:

Bread crumbs - 1 Cup
Onion (Finely chopped) - 1/4 Cup
Capsicum(Finely Chopped) - 1/4 Cup
Mozeralla Cheese - 1/2 Cup
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Oregano - 1 tsp
Chilli flakes - 1 tbsp
Oil - for frying

 

How to make:

 

1. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl by sprinkling little water. Leave it for 5 mins aside.

 

2. Make your desired shape and fry in medium heat oil till it turns golen brown.

 

3. Serve it hot, so that you can feel the melting mozeralla inside...

Cabbage Pulav

I was bored of making the normal pulav every time. So this time decided no usual vegetables and specially no onion. While i was thinking what vegetable to add, cabbage came to my mind. During festivals my mom won't use onion for making any dish. So while making medhu vada, she uses cabbage instead on onion which give more or less the same taste. So i decided to make cabbage pulav by replacing onion with it.

Basmati Rice - 2 Cups
Cabbage (shredded) - 2 Cup
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Green Chilli - 2 nos. (slit)
Corriander Leaves - 2 tbsp
Mint leaves - 1 tbsp
Bay leaf - 2 nos.
Cloves - 2-3 nos.
Cinnamon - 1 inch bark
Cardamom - 2 nos.
Salt - 1 tsp
Garam Masala Powder - 1/2 tsp
Water - 4 Cups
Oil - 2 tbsp
Ghee - 2 tbsp

How to make:

 

1. Wash and soak the rice for 15-20 mins in 2 cups of water.

 

2. In a deep pan, heat oil & add bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon and cardamom. Add the ginger garlic paste, green chilli, corriander leaves, mint leaves. Saute for a min.

3.  Now add the cabbage, salt and garam masala and saute for 5 mins.

 

4. Add the ghee & rice and blend well. After a min, add the water which was used for soaking the rice.

 

5. Add balance water and stir well and close with lid. Let the rice cook fully. Usually takes about 8-10 mins.

 

Egg Curry

Its been quite a long since I made egg. Last week I had made egg curry which is very simple to cook. It goes very well with rice or roti.

Ingredients:

Boiled Eggs -  4 nos.
Onion (Sliced) - 1/2 Cup
Tomato (finely chopped) - 1/2 Cup
Ginger garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
Green Chilli - 2 nos. (slit)
Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Corriander leaves - for garnish
Water 1/2 Cup
Oil - 2 tbsp

 

How to make:

 

1. Heat oil, add onion and saute for 2 mins. Add ginger garlic paste & green chilli and saute for another 2 mins.

 

2. Now add tomato and saute for 2 mins. Add chilli powder, turmeric powder, salt and garam masala. Mix well. Add water. Let till boil and cook the raw flavour of the masala disapper.

 

3. Slit over the boiled egg on top with knife, so that the masala gets inside the egg. Drop the egg into the boiling masala and cover it for 2-3 mins.

 

4. Granish with corriander leaves and serve it hot with rice / roti.

 

Lemon Sevai

Morning for breakfast I had made Idiyappam(Readymade). Some were left...  So what to do with it ? I decided to make lemon sevai for evening. I made this only bcos some were left. But we all like it so much that, next time i will sevai just for making lemon sevai....

Ingredients:

Rice Sevai (Cooked)- 2 Cup
Lemon Juice - 1 tbsp
Turmeric power - 1/4 tsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Mustard - 1/2 tsp
Red chilli - 2-3 nos.
Urad dhal - 1 tsp
Cashewnut  - 2 tbsp
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Asafoedita - 1/4 tsp
Oil - 1 tbsp

How to make:

 

1. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard, urad dhal. Once the mustard crackles, add red chilli, curry leaves, turmeric powder, salt, cashewnut and asafoedita.

 

2. Saute for a min and switch off the flame. Now add the lemon juice to it. Add the sevai and blend well.