Wednesday, March 31, 2010

My second set of awards

I am so excited to receive my next set of awards. I am so thankful to Rupali of  Recipegrabbag for sharing this award with me.She is as new as me to this blog world and has a great collection of recipes. Keep up the good work dear.






I would like to share these awards with the following 12 fellow blogger buddies .


GitaAnu,Menaga,Hari chandana,treat n trick ,Aparna s. Mallya,Pavithra,malar,Krishnaveni,Sathya Sridhar,sushma s. Mallya


Your comments and encourage only make my day.


These Award Winners have to do the following : 
1) Use the logo within your post .
2) Pass on to atleast 12 other bloggers .
3) Add a link to the nominees in your post.
4) Let the nominees know of their award
5) Share the love and link to the friend, who has passed this award to you.



I have received another award from Menaga of Sashiga , A very big thanks to her  Her recipes are very quick, straight forward and innovative . She is a very inspiring lady and am really proud for having received this award from her.



I would like to share this one with 2 special persons for me in this blog world.One is Gita who used to be the first to comment on most of my recipes and I received the first comment from her.That is unforgettable. Second one is Anu who gave me my  first award . If they were not there  I dunno if I would have been blogging here now. Thanks a ton to both of them.

Monday, March 22, 2010

Grilled Cutlet

As I am in diet phase , completely avoiding deep fried stuffs. So this is one such attempt to avoid oily food and guess what this turned out to be a brilliant snack.This can be fixed in few minutes . I dont know if the crispness would have lasted for long as we have finished everything in seconds. I am very happy that its a big hit at my house.So here the recipe goes...



Ingredients :

Boiled Potatoes - 5 nos.
Boiled peas - 1/4 cup
Boiled Carrot - 1 no.
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Garam masala - 1/2 tsp.
Salt to taste.

Method :

Mash the potaoes along with carrot and peas and add chilli powder, garam masala, salt and make it like a soft dough.Make small balls and flatten it .Then dip them in cornflour mix and rub it nicely with bread crumbs.Place it inside the oven and grill it for 10 mins on one side and flip it then grill for  4 mins on the other sides.Crispy Cutlet is ready.

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Baingan Bharta

I really hate to be in kitchen when friends are at home. I prefer finish cooking before they arrive or I feel its better to order something outside. This specially after getting into blog, friends call me and say " Pavi we are going to test your cooking skill today in real, be prepared. The moment I hear them say something like this , my legs and hands will never stop trembling until they come.You cannot make the usual idli chutney or roti subzi . At the same time you cannot spare more time specially when it is a short notice. Under circumstances like this , this recipe comes in handy. This is one of the richest gravies atleast among my friends circle. Trust me , you will get wowowoooooo for this recipe.One of my favourites.

Best part is , it goes well with roti, dosa, rice rawa upma , idli . u name it , it will go with anything after all.




Ingredients :

Egg plant - 2 nos.
Onion - 2 nos.
Tomato - nos.
Chilli Powder - 1 tsp.
Coriander Powder - 1 1/2 tsp.
Ginger and garlic paste - 1 tsp.
Coriander leaves - few
Oil - 3 tsp.
Salt to taste.


Method:
1. Smear oil on egg plant and roast it directly in gas medium flame.
2. Remove from flame and run it in cold water and remove the outer skin.
3. Cut it into pieces and check for any worms. then mash it thoroughly.
4. Take a pan, add oil and once it is hot add chopped onions and fry until it turns color.
5. Add ginger garlic paste and saute until raw smell goes off.
6. Add tomato and fry until it is all smashed completely.
7. Now put the mashed baingan , stir well and cook for 3 mins.
8. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Lip smacking baingan bharta is ready.

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Capsicum chutney

People around me are getting excited when I tell them I have started blogging.One of my friends had visited me yesterday and he was thrilled after seeing my blog.He immediately said , we are going to cook something yummilicious . Then we forgot the purpose for what he came home and we got into making gobi manchurian . I need not mention that it all flied in seconds that we couldnt even take pictures to post it.

Then another friend of mine came in the morning and as far as I know she has not even see the kitchen before in her life.I asked what she wants for breakfast. She said , we will try making capsicum chutney which her friend invariably used to make for her when they both were sharing a house. I without having a second thought put my hands on it.

This is how my capsicum chutney born. She just loved it.



Here the recipe

Ingrdients :

Capsicum - 3 nos.
Onion - 2 nos.
Green chilly - 1 no.
Channa dhal - 1 tsp.
Oil - 2 tsp.
Tamarind - small pinch ( if you want the chutney to ba tangy)
Salt to taste.



Method:

1. Heat a pan and add oil. Once oil is hot add channa dhal and fry for few seconds.
2. Then add green chilly and onion .Fry till onion turns into pink color.
3. Now add diced capsicums and fry until it changes color .At this time nice aroma comes out.
4. Add enough salt and let the mixture to cool for a while and grind it coarsely.

Yummy chutney is ready. If you want to make colorful chutney, you can use red or yellow pepper. This goes well with idli or dosa.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Dahi / Thayir Vada

Off late , I have become extremely health conscious.I myself dunno how long this concisousness is going to run along. But this time , I am making little extra efforts to see that I dont get bored with eating low calorie foods.
So, have been replacing deep frying with shallow frying, including lots of carrots in place of coconut are some of the things I am trying out. So far it has really worked good and H is enjoing too.
Today wanted to make something healthy, filling,low calorie and no compromise on taste as well.I found this recipe here  and I just couldn't resist myself from trying it. Guess what, H couldnt even make out it was made in Paniyaram skillet.Ofcourse, if he had had it without curd, then he would have asked me 'whats this' sarcastically.
Nothing can get perfect than this on a hot summer day.

Ingredients :
For Vada
Urad dhal - 1 cup
Green chillies - 3 nos.
ginger - 1/2 inch
Salt to taste
Oil - 2 tbsp.
For Dahi/Tayir
beaten -  1 1/2 cups
Milk - 1 cup
Salt to taste
For seasoning curd
Oil - 1 tsp.
Mustard, urad dhal,channa dhal - all together 1 tsp.
Red chillies - 2 nos.
Curry leaves - few
For serving
Grated carrot
Chopped coriander leaves


Method:

1. Soak urad dhal in water for 3 hours and grind smoothly along with green chillies,ginger and salt.
2.  Then heat paniyaram skillet and add a drop( as mine is non stick) of oil into each of the grove . Once the oil is hot enough , pour the batter to half the grove and when it leaves it sides flip it to the other side and once it is done remove from the grove.
3. Soak it immediately in milk when it is hot so that milk will be absorbed by vadas.
4. Before half an hour of serving , add seasond curd into the above milk soaked vadas and serve it with grated carrots and coriander leaves.

Yummy thayir vada is done.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

can u guys recommend on a good Vegetable chopper

I was watching this nicer dicer on tele shopping show. After seeing it, now I am tempted to get one for me.I was going through nicer dicer's review and it seems not good . I can also get a chopper from US as somebody will be travelling now and then from here.

I am totally confused now as which one to get .I absolutely have no knowledge about this and I havent even seen anybody using it here in India.

So, friends I need your help on should I get one and if at all it will be useful ,then which one to get.

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Egg kurma - Thirunelveli style

Ingredients :

Small onion - 7 nos.
Country tomatoes - 2 nos.
Coconut - 1 cup
Chilli powder - 1 tsp.
Coriander powder - 1 tsp.
Egg - 3 nos.
Oil - 2 tsp.
Salt to taste




Salt to taste

Method :

1. Take a pan, add oil and once it is hot add onion and fry it till it turns into brown color.
2. Add tomatoes , salt , chilli powder, coriander powder and cook until tomatoes are mashed completely.
3. Grind the coconut smoothly and add into the above pan. Add enough water and bring it to boil.
4. Once the gravy starts boiling , break the egg and add it into the gravy one by one. It should not be stirred. Close the lid and leave it for 10 mins in medium heat.

Serve it with idli, dosa or aapam.


Thursday, March 11, 2010

buttermilk Rice upma

Happy Women's day !!!!

I wanted to post about a couple of girls who have touched my life during my visit to my native town.Will post it in detail later.I would like to dedicate this post to them .

Padma and Deepa , this is to u.

Let me come to the post. I have never heard about broken rice upma until Padma spoke of her fav dish. She said rice upma is her favourite and she dint stop with that next day she made for me and brought home . I truly savored this dish.She also said it can be made with buttermilk or tamarind extract .

I tried with buttermilk and it wasss coooooool. Perfect breakfast . 

Ingredients :

Rice - 1 cup
Channa dal - 1/2 cup
Coconut - 3/4 cup
Butter milk - 2 cups
Small onion - 7 nos.
Green chillies - 3 nos.
Curry leaves - few
oil- 3 tsp
Mustard,split urad dhal, chaan dal - 1 tsp.
Salt to taste

Method

1. Wash the rice and dal separately and drain the water completely.Put it in mixie and grind it coarsely like rawa.
2. Take a pressure cooker and add oil .Once it is hot, add mustard and let it pop . Then add channa dal, split urad dhal, green chilly, curry leaves and saute for few seconds.
3. Then add onion and fry until it turns into pink color.
4. Now add butter milk and let it boil.
5. Add broken rice and dhal , stir once.
6. Add enough salt and coconut and close the lid .
7. Give one sound in high and reduce the flame to simmer mode for 6 minutes.

It goes well with Baingan gothsu.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Paal Khova

Things have been blooming well at my end.When unexpected happens , there is no bound to that joy.If one such thing is happened, well ok we will think ok some luck has turned its face this time towards me.When you encounter so many such events in a couple of days , is it not that luck is dancing and singing with you? Alright it is.

 But actually the other way of looking at it is , never expect anything to happen as per your wish.Believe in Whatever has to happen it has to happen.Whatever has happened is happened for good ( too much I know but am sure thats the truth).So me from now on  never gonna be anticipating .Do my part well at my end and let the things to fall in its place.

To enjoy this happiest moment , me made this my all time favourite Paal khova for the first time.

Some how, I dont like shaped proper ones as it is little dry. I never get this semi liquid paal khova anywhere in bangalore.Bangaloreans out here , If you have any idea about where I will get this please let me know.I am just dying to have this .

Then, mustered up all my courage to try this on my own. Well, it dint come out as I wanted but it was yummilicious.

Link to this Recipe http://www.nandyala.org/mahanandi/archives/2005/10/31/pala-kova-doodh-peda/

I found this one was my paal khova but I think I should have turned off the stove a little while ago to have got my desired semi liquid consistency.
But it took a lot of time . At the end of it , nothing matters.



Vinnaithaandi Varuvayaa

Definitely not going to give any story or plot.Watch this movie with very open mind . I am sure you will like it as much as I enjoyed.

Vinnaithaandi varuvaaya - the much awaited movie is got released today and asusual what may come watched it on the first day. I wanted to watch it as it is gautham menon's movie thinking he would have given a totally different flick from Vaaranam Aiyiram.But it reminds me of VA , alaipayuthey in lots of places.Immediately after the release of 'Tamil Padam ' , Director must not have wanted anybody else to spoof any of his scenes.So he himself has criticised it in the movie.He never wanted it to be cinematic that he shows even hero is a boxer to fight with gundas.

Somewhere felt director lacks creativity.Even the song sequences are standardized ones.Nothing new. First time was fine , but how many times to watch the same.

Needless to say , first half was very romantic,but nowhere near alaipayuthae.Dialogue deliveries were awesome.Only the music and the dialogues have given the feel, soul, emotions, etc. to the movie.Those who dint like ARR's music of vinnaithaandi Varuvaya songs , just listen it with visuals it will keep ringing in ur ears.It doesn't mean picturisations were too good .Its just that ARR has done music to sync with the movie.One more person needs a mention here is costume designer for Trisha.Be it western, Saris,,etc, she has done a gr8 job.

Second half was too much of narration, too much of twists.Bit lengthier one .Surprisingly,Simbhu has done a decent job.I wonder how he managed it without finger styles, punch dialogues etc.kudos to him. Hope he maintains it.More importantly he looked good.Trisha was ok.Cinematographer Ganesh's timing dialogue was too good.

If you want to watch a sensible, no masala stuff and you are still in your 20's and 20's by heart , then this one is for you.

Monday, March 1, 2010

Me and My first Awards

Yippeeee !!!! I got my first award .Its just so amazing to receive an award.Thanks a ton Anu for remembering me and sharing this with me. It really means a lot me . Sorry for collecting it too late.I dunno how to post an award.So it there is anything wrong , I request you guys to educate me on that.Thanks once again Anu. 


I would like to pass on these awards to a couple of people

* Rohini of curries and spices
* Neetz of neetz kitchen