Rasam Powder

Home made powders are always much more flavorful an tasty when compared to the packed ones. Last time while i posted Sambhar powder i wanted to post Rasam powder. But some how got dealyed... and now time has come to post it.... Here is my version of Rasam powder....

Corriander Seeds (Dhaniya) - 1 Cup
Red Chili - 1/4 Cup
Toor Dhal - 2 tbs
Channa Dhal - 2 tbsp
Pepper Corns - 1/4 Cup
Jeera / Cumin - 1/4 Cup
Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Asafoedita - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1 tbsp

How to Make:

1. Dry roast all the ingredients in  simmer for about 5-6 mins except asafoedita and turmeric powder. Allow it to cool.

2. Grind to fine powder along with asafoedita and turmeric powder.

Tomato Soup

Wanted to post soups for a long time... But some how it got skipped...  Better late than never... So posting first soup recipe now... Starting with favorite of all, Tomato soup.....Lot more to come........

Ingredients:

Ripe Tomato - 3-4 nos

Onion (roughly chopped) - 1/2 cup

Garlic clove - 2-3 nos.

Bay leaf - 1 no. (optional)

Water - 3 Cups

Salt - 1/2 tsp

Pepper Powder - 1/2 tsp

Cream - for garnish

Oil - 2 tsp

How to make it:

1. In a pan, add oil and saute garlic and onion till it becomes transparent. Remove it keep aside. Saute tomato for 2-3 mins. Allow it to cool.

2. In a mixer add onion garlic, tomato and 3 cups of water and grind it smoothly.

3. Strain it and add it back to pan. Add bay leaf and and allow it to boil for 4-5  mins.

4. Now remove the bay leaf and add salt & pepper powder.

5. Serve in soup with cream garnish...!!

Cashew Cookies

Cookies are great accompaniment snack for evening tea/coffee... Home made cookies are especially too good. Now here is one more version of cookies with cashew nut. You can substitute with almonds or walnuts as well.  These cookies were just melting in mouth and everyone loved it. By the way I had made this quite long back, but some how it got missed. So here it is...

Ingredients:

All purpose flour (Maida) - 1 1/4 Cup

Sugar - 1/2 Cup

Salt - 1 Pinch

Butter/Ghee - 3/4 Cup

Chopped Nuts - 1/2 Cup

How to make:

1. Mix the flour, salt and sugar well. Melt the butter/ghee and add to the flour. 

2. Using cookie cutter make different shapes. If you don't have cookies cutter, make small balls of the dough and flatten with center of your palm.

3. Place in greased baking tray. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 mins.

Berry Blast

Last weekend when we went to buy vegetables, we bought all kind of berries.... So I was all geared up to make drink out of it.  And there comes the berry blast with black berry and blue berry... A thick shake which is heavy and fills so much. Needless to say, very tasty too...

Ingredients:

Black Berry - 5-6 no.s
Blue Berry - 10-12 nos.
Vanilla Ice cream - 2 scoops
Milk - 250 ml
Sugar - 2 tbsp
Ice cubes - 3-4 nos.

How to make it:

1. Put all the ingredients in blender and blend it for 2-3 mins.

2. Serve it chilled.

Mixture

Diwali is coming up....   Here is one snack to make for Diwali... Making mixture is little tedious/long process, since we have to make quite a few items separately and  mix everything... And that's why its called mixture... Don't get afraid with the process, because its easy though.....

For making mixture we need, oma podi, bhoondi also...  You can refer to Boondi recipe in blog.

For making Oma Podi...

Ingredients:

Besan flour - 1 Cup
Rice Flour - 1 tbsp
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Chilli powder - 1/4 tsp
Omam / Ajwain - 1 tbsp
Water - 1/4 cup
Butter - 2 tbsp
Oil - for frying

How to make:

1. Sieve the gram flour, rice flour, salt and chilli powder for even mixing.

2. Dry roast the omam in a pan and soak this for 15 minutes in 1/4 cup of water. Grind this in a mixer using the soaked water. Even if it is slight coarse also ok. Using the remaining soaked water extract the omam water by mashing the ground omam with your hands, filter it using a tea strainer.

3.Use this water to mix the flour. Make a sticky dough by adding 2 tblsp of soft butter or hot oil .

4. Use the small dotted hole kuzhal, for making omapodi and keep a portion of dough inside the kuzhal/presser and start pressing it into the hot oil by making circles.  Keep the oil in medium heat otherwise it will get burnt.

5. Fry both the sides for 2-3 mins and take out in a tissue so that excess oil is absorbed in tissue.


For making Mixture...

Ingredients:

Boondi - 2  Cups
Oma podi - 2 Cups
Pressed Rice (Aval) - 1 Cup
Peanut - 1/2 Cup
Fried Bengal gram (Pottu Kadalai) - 1/2 Cup
Almonds - 1/2 Cup
Cashewnut - 1/2 Cup
Curry leaves  - 1/2 Cup
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Chili Powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Sugar - 1 tbsp (Optional)
Oil - 2 tbsp

How to make:

1. Dry roast the pressed rice(aval) in simmer for 5 mins and take in a big bowl. Add the boondi and oma podi to it.

2. In a kadai, add oil, add peanut, cashewnut, almonds, fried bengal gram curry leaves and roast in simmer for 4-5 mins. Now add the turmeric powder, salt, chili powder. Roast for another min and switch off. Add sugar and mix well.

3. Mix all these together and the mixture is ready...!!

Raspberry Cupcake (Eggless & Microwaved)

 Now its time for baking some fresh cup  cakes... Tried egg less raspberry cake... Believe me it came out so soft and fluffy.... I used silicon moulds which is so easy to use and clean.  In case you didn't get raspberry, replace it with strawberry . The seeds of raspberry gave nice crunchy taste to the cup cake.

 

Ingredients:

All purpose flour (Maida) - 1 Cup

Sugar - 1 Cup

Milk - 1/2 Cup

Melted butter - 3/4 Cup

Raspberry(crushed & pulped) - 3/4 Cup

Baking powder - 1/4 tsp

Baking soda - 1/4 tsp
Almond / Cashew flakes - 1/2 Cup (Optional)

 

How to make:

 

1. Mix the melted butter and sugar until the sugar dissolves. Now mix all other ingredients 1 by 1.

 

2. Pour the mixture in the mould to half of it, so that there is enough space to raise. In case you don't have silicon moulds, you can any ceramic or microwaveable bowls also...

 

3. Microwave it for 2 mins. Generally it will be done in 2 mins. But each microwave is different. So check if it is cooked. If not microwave it for another 30 seconds. Allow it to cool for 5-10 mins and demould it....

Orange Cake (Microwave)

Wanted to try some different cake other than vanila or chocolate and ended up with orange cake. It was different and tasty.... Came out so soft and nice... Tea time cake is ready in few mins......

Ingredients:

All purpose flour (Maida) - 1 1/2 Cup
Orange juice(fresh juice) - 1/2 Cup
Orange rind / zest - 1 tbsp
Salt - 1 pinch
Sugar - 1 Cup
Baking soda - 1/4 tsp
Baking Powder - 1/4 tsp
Egg - 1 no. (optional)

Milk - 1/4 cup

Butter / Ghee - 1/2 Cup

 

 

How to make:

 

1. Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl and orange zest, egg and milk.

 

2. Mix well and add the melted butter/ghee. Mix faster with spatula for 2-3 mins.

 

3. Greese the microwavable bowl and pour the cake batter in the bowl and microwave it at high for 3 mins.

 

4. Cool it and turn it over, cut into slices and serve.....

 

P.S. If you don't want to use egg, add 1/4 tsp of baking powder and soda more and 20 ml of milk more. And if you wannt you can add some orange colour too.......

 

Pasta Augratin

Oh here again one of my favorite dish..... I love anything that's made with bechamel sauce / white sauce.... Many don't like as its blunt in taste... But I just love the creamy cheesy taste.... The same dish when prepared with just vegetables, its Veg au gratin.... Since I added pasta to it, i named it pasta au gratin.... You can use any type of pasta... I have used Corni pasta...

Ingredients:

Pasta - 1 Cup

Carrot and Capsicum (cut into thin strips) - 1 Cup

Onion (Sliced) - 1/2 Cup

Sweet Corn - 1/2 Cup

Cheese Spread - 1 tbsp (optional, it gives more cheesy taste)

Mozeralla Cheese - 1/2 Cup

Chili flakes - 1 tsp (you can adjust according to your taste)

For Bechamel Sauce

All purpose flour (Maida) - 1 tbsp

Butter - 1 tbsp

Milk (boiled and warm) - 500 ml

Garlic cloves (crushed) - 2-3 nos.

Salt - 1/4 tsp

Oregano - 1 tsp

Bay leaves - 1-2 no.s

How to make:

1. Boil 800 ml of water with 1/2 tsp of salt and add the pasta to it. Allow it to boil for 8-10 mins so that the paste is cooked well. Drain the water and keep the pasta aside.

2. In the mean time we can make the bechamel/white sauce. In a pan melt the butter and add the flour to it. In simmer keep roasting the flour in the butter.  Make sure the colour is not changed.This is our thickening agent and its called "Roux" in french.

3. After 2-3 mins nice biscuit flavour aroma comes out from  the roux. Now add the milk little by little. make sure no lumps are formed.

4. Add crushed garlic, bay leaves, salt and oregano now. Keep in simmer for 5-6 mins stirring often. Finally add the chili flakes & cheese spread and off the stove.

5. Half cook the vegetables and mix with the pasta. and arrange in baking tray. Pour the white sauce on top and give it a blend. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese on top.

6. Bake this in pre-heated oven at 180` C for about 15-20 mins. Or keep in microwave for 5-6 mins in half temp.

Sambhar Powder

Sambhar powder is the main ingredient in Sambhar.... The flavour adds to the taste.... Here is a recipe of home made sambhar powder which i use. I have used curry leaves also, which give a nice aroma to the sambhar.

Ingredients:

Corriander Seeds (Dhaniya) - 1 Cup
Red Chili - 1 Cup
Toor Dhal - 1/2 Cup
Urad Dhal - 1 tbsp
Channa Dhal - 1/4 cup
Pepper Corns - 1 tbsp
Fenugreek seeds - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 2 sprigs
Asafoedita - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1 tbsp

How to Make:

1. Dry roast all the ingredients in  simmer for about 8-10 mins except asafoedita and turmeric powder. Allow it to cool

2. Grind to fine powder along with asafoedita and turmeric powder.

P.S. I have used long red chili, hence i used 1 Cup. If you are using the round chili, it will be more spicy. So lessen the chili quantity accordingly. Also if you get whole turneric you can use that after drying under sun for 2-3 hours instead of turmeric powder.

Beetroot Kheer

Beetroot is one vegetable even most of adults don't prefer. But this is one easy way to make people go gaga over beetroot. This kheer is similar to Carrot Kheer, but the twist is the rose syrup and flavour and colour of this syrup makes you forget that it is beetroot.

Ingredients:

Beetroot - 3-4 nos.

Sugar - 1/2 Cup (Little Lesser)

Cashewnut - 8-10 nos

Almonds - 12-15 nos.

Milk - 750 ml

Rose Syrup - 5 tbsp (adjust your sugar accordingly as rose syrup has sugar)

How to make:

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

2. Peel the skin and roughly chop beetroot 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.

5. Now add the rose syrup and mix well. Cool it and refrigerate and serve it chilled.

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.

 

Ranch Salad

We has been to Lulu last Friday to get our provisions. There was promotion going on for Delicio products. They gave me a salad for tasting. I just loved it.... Very simple salad to make at home. All we needed is buy that dressing sauce. I bought a set of three (Italian, French and Ranch) from there. I'm not a salad lover, but this sauce made it happen in me... Try this and check out. You can buy and brand ranch sauce for this.

Ingredients:

Cucumber (Finely chopped)- 1/2 Cup
Carrot (Finely chopped) - 1/2 Cup
Capsicum((Finely chopped) - 1/4 Cup
Sweet Corn - 1/2 Cup
Ranch dressing (Sauce) - 2 tbsp

How to make:


1. Mix all the vegs and ranch dressing sauce together, keep it refrigerated for 10 mins and serve it.

Pizza Uthappam

Yday night I didn't feel like eating rice. So was checking in fridge what is left over. Little dosa batter was left. Then i made up my mind to have onion uthappam and took that out. Also saw half tomato in the fridge. So took that as well. While I was chopping the onion, came with a thought as why not make a pizza uthappam as i had cheese also. Then i included little capsicum, carrot and also some sweet corn. And to get that Pizza flavour, little oregano and chiili flakes also...This is such an easy way to make kids eat healthy vegetables with their lovable pizza flavour.  So here is the Pizza Uthappam.....

Ingredients:

Dosa Batter - 1 Cup
Finely chopped vegetables - 1/2 Cup
Oregano - 1 tsp
Chilli flakes - As per your taste
Mozzarella Cheese (grated) - 1/2 Cup

How to make:

1. heat the Dosa Pan and add 2 ladle of batter to make thick uthappam. Add all the vegetables on top of it. Keep the flame in simmer only.

2. After a min, just turn over the uthappam so that the other side with vegetables also cooks well. After a min, turn it over again and add the oregano, chilli flakes and mozzarella cheese and cover with a lid for a min. Remember to keep the flame in simmer only.

3. The Mozzarella cheese will melt soon and the pizza uthappam is ready to serve.....

P.S. Salt is not required for this as dosa batter will have salt and also cheese will be salty.

Aapam

Just posted the Chicken stew... Now posting the Aapam recipe. I tried various different recipe and this one turned out superb. Some batter stick to the pan. This one came out so well.... Try it out...

 

Ingredients:

Raw rice - 2 Cups
Cooked Rice - 1 Cup
Coconut (grated) - 3/4 Cup
Sugar - 1 tbsp
Instant Yeast - 1/2 tsp
Warm water - 1/4 cup
Salt - 1/2 tsp

How to make :

1. Soak the rice for 3-4 hrs. Grind the soaked rice, cooked rice, coconut together smoothly to a thick batter.

2. To the warm water add the sugar and yeast. The sugar will help the yeast to ferment. Keep it aside for 10 mins.

3. Add this to the batter and leave it for 5-6 hrs for fermentation.

4. Now make hot aapam with this batter and serve it with hot stew...

Apple Fritters

Fritters are good for evening snack...  With a very few ingredients, its a quick snack to make if you have some sudden guest at home.... Its such simple one to make, crunchy outside & soft inside... Kids will love this...

Ingredients:

Apple - 1 no.
All purpose flour/Maida - 1/2 cup
Sugar - 1 tsp
Water 1/4 cup
Oil - for frying
Honey - for garnish

How to make:

1. De-seed the apple and  cut into thin slices.

2. Make a thick batter (similar to bajji batter) with flour, sugar and water.

3. Heat oil, dip the apple slices in the batter and fry till the top crust turns crunchy.

4. Arrange the fritters in the serving plate and garnish with honey.
 

Butter Cookies

Long time since I baked something.... So wanted to try cookies and it turned out so good.... Cookies without egg and baking powder.. I used gas oven and baked till the colour changed to golden brown. I never thought making cookies is so easy... Now I'm going to try many more variations in cookies...

 

 

Ingredients:

 

All purpose flour (Maida) - 1 Cup



Sugar - 3/4 Cup (If you like it little salty, lessen the sugar)

Salt - 1/4 tsp

Butter / Margarine - 1/2 Cup

 

 

How to make:

 

1. Mix the flour, salt and sugar well. Melt the butter and add to the flour to make a dough.

 

2. Roll the dough into thick sheet and with help of cookies cutter make your desired shapes.

 

3. Grease the baking tray and place the cookies. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 mins.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Masala Paneer Paratha

From a routine chappathi/ side dish wanted to have something different So made paneer stuffed paratha. It was awesome with pickle and boondhi raita. After this decided that every week we should have some stuffed paratha...

 

Ingredients:

For Stuffing

Grated Paneer - 1 Cup
Onion (Finely chopped) - 1/2 cup
Carrot (grated) - 1/2 cup
Tomato (Finely chopped) - 2 tbsp
Ginger garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
Green Chilli (Finely chopped) - 1 tbsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Chilli Powder - 1/2 tsp
Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp
Corriander leaves (chopped) - 2 tbsp
Oil - 1 tbsp

For the dough

Whole wheat flour - 2 cups
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Water - 3/4 cup
Oil - 2 tbsp

 

How to make :

 

1. Heat the oil in a pan and add the onion and ginger garlic paste. Saute for 5 mins.

 

2. Add carrot, tomato, green chilli and saute for 2 mins. Add salt, chilli powder and garam masala.

 

3. Add the grated paneer and corriander leaves and mix well and remove from stove. The stuffing will be like this.

 

How to make the paratha:

 

1. Make a dough with flour, salt and water. Then add oil to make it soft. Knead it for atleast 10-12 mins to get a soft dough. Leave it for 15-20 mins (If you make the dough first and prepare the stuffing, it will be enough).

 

2. Make small dumplings of the stuffing and stuff in the dough and make round paratha.

 

3. Make paratha with 2 tsp of oil/butter/ghee. Cook the paratha for 4 mins (2 mins on each side).

 

4. Serve it hot with pickle and raita.

 

Tomato Garlic Thokku

This is multi purpose thokku which goes very well with Dosa/ Idli / Chappathi or you can even mix with rice.... Takes a little time to cook but worth the time....  If you store it in dry air tight container, it will stay upto a week in room temperature and upto a month while refrigerated.

 

 

 

Ingredients:

Ripe Tomato - 4 nos
Garlic pods - 2 nos (if pod is not available, atleast 20 cloves)
Curry leaves - 2 sprigs
Salt - 1 tsp
Chilli powder - 3 tsp (adjust according to your taste)
Oil - 4-5 tbsp
Mustard - 1 tsp
Fenugreek - 1/2 tsp
Asafoedita - 1/2 tsp

How to make it:

 

1. Chop each tomato into 12-14 pieces. Crush the garlic cloves and keep aside.

 

2. In a thick pan heat oil, add the crushed garlic and saute. After 2 mins add the mustard and fenugreek seeds.

 

3. Once the mustard crackles, add the curry leaves and tomato. After 5 mins, add salt and chilli powder and mix well.

 

4. This has to cook for 20 mins atleast. Keep stirring it occasionally so that it doesn't stick to the pan.

 

5. Just before removing it from stove, add the asafoedita.