Lobia gravy

This lobia is called Karamani in tamil and black eyed pea in English.This is one simple and easy to make recipe.You can just make it in max 20 mins.More importantly ,Black-eyed peas are an excellent source of calcium (211 mg in a 1 cup serving), folate (209mcg), and vitamin A (1,305 IU), among other nutrients.[2](source wikipedia).Yummy too !!!
Ingredients
Lobia - 1 cup
Tomato - 2 nos.
Onion 2 nos.
Ginger - 1"
Garlic - 3 pods
Green chilly - 2 nos.
Chilly powder - 1tsp
Coriander Powder - 2tsp
Butter/ oil - 2tsp

Method
1. Boil lobia in pressure cooker upto 3 whistles with enough water.
2. Meanwhile, In another pan , add oil or butter .
3. Once the oil is heated add chopped onions and saute till onion turns light brown colour.
4. Then add crushed ginger and garlic into the pan and saute for 10 secs.Now add salt,chopped tomatoes,chilli powder, coriander powder.Fry this for a minute.
5. Pour this sauted mixture into the cooker,add green chilly at this point, stir it twice,close the cooker and give a whistle.
6. Once the pressure comes down , open the lid , stir it and add some butter(optional).

Happy cooking !!

Rasmalai - Perfect for the first time

I have always thought making rasmalai is a very tough, tedious job to do.I have heard people saying oh Rasmalai it is so tough to make at home.But my opinion changed after seeing this guy's simple video.
So you guys please check out his video for this recipe . Hee Hee ;) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqLzqg662vs

Sweet Corn Pulao

Sweet Corn is everybody's favourite.When there is a party and you really want to make something rich, fast and delicious,without a second thought go for this pulao.Be it for dinner or lunch it suits well.I just had really not thought about it nutritional facts until I wanted to post this recipe. But then I learnt that Cooked sweet corn has significant antioxidant activity, which has been suggested to reduce the chance of heart disease and cancer. It has been proven that antioxidants can help prevent aging and increase your lifespan.Happy News isnt it. Here is the recipe .
Ingredients
Sweet Corn - 3/4 cup
Basmathi Rice - 1 cup
Water - 1 and 3/4 cups
Onion - 1 no.
Ginger - 1 "
Garlic- 6 pods
Green chilly - 3 nos.
Coriander leaves - small bunch
Bay leaf - 1
Cinnamon - small stick
Cardamom - 3 nos.
Butter or oil - 2 tsp.
Salt to Taste.

Method
1. Heat pressure cooker and add butter or oil.
2. Once the oil is heated, add baf leaf, cinnamon, cardamom.after a few seconds add chopped onions and fry until the onion turns into pink colour.
3. Now add ginger and garlic paste and fry for a minute.
4. Then add green chilly and chopped coriander leaves and saute for a few seconds.
5. Add sweet corn and just saute it and add water.once the water starts boiling add rice and pressure cook it for 2 whistles.Sweet corn pulav done.

Soya Pulao

You have already got up late and got only 30 - 45 mins to get ready with lunch box packed?. Dont you worry ... a very simple yet healthy, tasty and quick soya pulav is there.You dont have to spend time on cutting vegetables.No need to think if it is fresh.By the way, we all know Soya is rich in proteins and no cholestral but do you know it is very rich in iron also.Yes, It Is.
Ingredients
Soya nuggets - 1 cup
Onion - 2 nos.
Tomatoes - 2 nos.
Garam masala/chicken masala/subji masala - 2 spoon
Curd - 2 tbsp.(optional)
Green chilly - 3 nos.
Ginger and garlic paste - 1 spoon
Cinnamon - small stick
cardamom - 3 nos.
Bay leaf - 1 no.
Basmathi Rice - 1 cup
Water - 2 cups
Butter or oil - 2 tsp
Salt to taste

Method
1.Soak Soya in hot water for 15 mins.Then drain it out and run it with cold water.Squeeze soya to remove excess water.
2.Mix salt, ginger and garlic paste,little curd to the soya and leave it for sometime.
3. Meanwhile take a pressure cooker and add oil.Once the Oil is heated add cinnamon, bayleaf and cardamom.Then add onion and saute until onion turns into golden brown colour but it should not be burnt.
4. Then add tomoatoes and green chilly and saute for a minute.
5. Now add soya nuggets into the pressure cooker and cook it until almost sll tomatoes are cooked.
6. Add 2 cups of water,enought salt.Once the water starts boiling add rice.
7. Close the lid and cook for 2 whistles.Once the pressure comes down , remove from the gas.

Serve it with Papad and raita.

Egg Aapam

Egg Appam is a big success at the dinner party.It is same as making regular appam but that after swirling the batter across the pan , crack the egg into the pan on the appam and sprinkle salt and pepper on it. Close the lid and coook it in the medium flame. Cook till the white is cooked . Egg Aapam is ready.

Aapam with stew

Aapam has been my favourite from my childhood.But I wanted to try it without adding yeast or baking soda as I read somewhere that baking soda and yeast are not good for health.Believe me this tastes as good as made with yeast.I went through lots of aapam recipes over the net but dint get anything right. Finally I thought let me try this simple recipe like how we make dosas.Here is the recipe

Ingredients

Raw Rcie - 1 cup
Idli Rice - 1 cup
Urad Dhal - 1/2 cup
Fenugreek - 1 tsp
Cocunut - 1/2 cup
Salt to taste

Method

For Batter :

Soak Raw Rice and Idli Rice together over night. Soak Urad Dhal with Fenugreek seeds and keep it in the fridge over night.Keeping it in the fridge makes aapam very soft.

First grind Urad Dhal with Fenugreek seeds smooth until you see bubbles in the batter.Then add coconut and grind until cocnut is crushed.Add finally the soaked rice
and grind it coarse. Remember rice should not be ground very smooth.
Ferment it for one day. Batter should be thinner than idli batter so that when poured over the skillet it spreads acroos the skillet well.

Making Aapam :

Heat the appam pan. Once the pan is hot enough,Pour about 2 scoops of the batter and swirl the aapam pan in a clockwise manner so the batter spreads to the edges of the pan. If the pan is hot enough, the batter will coat and hug the sides of the pan. The middle of the aapam is usually thicker and spongy while the edges are thin and crispy.Close the pan with the lid and leave it for few minutes . aapam is done.

Recipe for stew :

Ingredients :

Thin coconut milk - 1 cup
Thick coconut milk - 1 cup
Potato - 2 nos.
Oil - 1 tsp.
Onion - 1 no.
Green chilly - 3 nos.
Ginger - 1 inch
Salt to taste

Method :

Heat the pan and add oil. when the oil is hot enough add green chilly and fry for a minute then add ginger and saute for a couple of minutes.Now add onion and fry till it turns light pink colour. Then add potato , saute for a minute. Put all these into a cooker with thin coconut milk and pressure cook it for 2 sounds from the whistle.

Once the pressure comes down add the thick milk. No need to heat it after adding thick coconut milk.Add salt to taste and stir it. Stew is ready.

Aapam can also be served with sweet coconut milk.

Pittu

This recipe is inspired from fellow blogger Nithya. Oh man her blog looks just awesome and yes she is my inspiration.The way she had presented this recipe infact made me to try this out.Actually it turned out really well . Yummy it was !! I dint make any modifications to her recipe . Just followed what she had given.link to the recipe is http://4thsensesamayal.blogspot.com/2009/07/pittu.html

Chinese Vegetable Soup

Being my first post, wanted to start off with my favourite - Sweet Corn.Not sure how this soup has become my favourite either it is so easy to make or it tastes yummy!!. Whatever here the recipe goes ...

Ingregients

Sweet Corn kernels- 1/2 cup
Carrot - 1 no.
Beans - 4 nos.
capsicum - 1 no.
Butter - 1 tsp
Sugar - 1 tsp
Water - 2 cups
Corn flour - 2 tbsp
Salt and pepper to Taste

Method

Dice carrots, beans and capsicum.

Take a pan and add butter. once the butter is melted,add the diced vegetables along with the sugar and saute them for 3 minutes.Meanwhile,mix corn flour in little water to form a paste and dissolve this into the rest of the water so that no lumps are formed.Now add this mixture to the pan and keep stirring for a minute and close it with a lid and leave it until the vegetables are done.Vegetables should not be over cooked.It should remain crunchy.Turn off the stove once the vegetables are cooked.Add salt and pepper to taste.Soup ie ready !!!

Serve it with Toasted bread.Happy Eating!!!