Extending the last date for my event!

Tried and tasted by Nivedita
Hi All,

I AM GOING TO EXTEND LAST DATE FOR MY EVENT. LAST DATE IS 10TH APRIL.
TWO REASONS FOR THIS
I AM GOING ON SHORT VACATION FOR A WEEK AND
I HAVE RECEIVED ONLY ONE ENTRY!! 
RUSH YOUR ENTRIES.
http://niveditaskitchen.blogspot.com/2010/02/forgotten-indian-games-edited-and-re.html




Keep smiling,

Instant Vermicelli Idly

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

A wonderful, healthy, tasty and easiest breakfast for the whole family. Even you can feed this to 9 months infant, who has started to eat just now. I always love to try Idly s in different size bowls, as kids will enjoy it.

But, my both daughters won't like it at all!! I don't know the reason, but they both have it either two or one idly. So I do not make this more for them. Ask me?? I love to have it any time. 

Ingredients :

Very thin vermicelli - 1 cup

Bombay rawa or semolina - 1 cup

Fresh curds - 1 cup

Salt to taste

Eating soda or Bi carb soda - 1/8 tsp

Carrot or potato - 1 medium, cleaned and grated (not in the photo, but usually I add it)

Ghee - 1 tbsp to roast

Oil to apply to the mould

Roast the semolina and vermicelli (Seperately) till you get a very good aroma. Allow it to cool. When it is cold, add all other ingredients and mix it properly to make it into nice batter. While doing this, Keep the cooker with 1 cup water on heat. 

Apply oil to the mould and pour the batter in to the moulds(Each mould will hold 2 tbsp batter). Keep it in the cooker and steam it without wait on the cooker for 12 to 15 minutes.

Once done, serve hot with ghee, chutney powder, coconut chutney or sauce. 

Sending this to Suma's  on going event, JIHVA - Breakfast which is linked to Indira's Main announcement-JIHVA

Keep Smiling,

Chigali (Tamarind lolly pop) for Forgotten Indian Games

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

Summer is in. All the children are waiting for the vacation. During our childhood, the whole year we used to wait for this long holidays which lasted for more than 2 months. Every year, the postman used to bring the result on April 10. We all used to roam the whole area to search the postman! And once we spot him, we used to attack him!! Poor man!!! But he always gave our result without scolding us! He knew our tension!

We used to play lot of games and have lot of things to eat! In those, this Chigali or Tamarind lolly pop was very popular. We all used to enjoy the tangy, spicy taste of this lolly pop. We all children used to bring each ingredient from our house. Then a elder one in our group used to prepare it.If you don't have mortar and pestle, you can try in a blender or grinder. But it tastes good if you use mortar and pestle.

Ingredients are very simple and easily available at home.

Fresh Tamarind - 1 bowl, clean, remove seeds.

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Curry leaves - 2 lines

Salt to taste

Red chilly powder - 1 to 2 tbsp

Jaggery - 2 tbsp

Lemon leaves - few(Optional, if you have lime tree near by!)

First make the tamarind little soft then add all other ingredients. Crush is till the tamarind becomes full soft and other ingredients blend with it nicely. 

Tamarind lolly pop or CHIGALI is ready to eat. We used to stick the balls to neem sticks or match stick or small spoon. We used to enjoy it for very long time, some times more than two hours!!! 

This is going  to my event  Forgotten Indian games!! (Edited and re written), ...

I am still waiting for your participation for my event!! Rush in your entries!!

I am sending this to  PJ's (Seduce Your Tastebuds)  ongoing event Think Spice - Tamarind, which is a brain child of   Sunitha  of Sunita's World.

 So I am linking this post to Sunita's Think spice page. I hope every one will enjoy these lolly pops!!

Keep Smiling,

Water melon Juice(edited and reposted)

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

My way of having watermelon!!!!

scrape it inside and add little salt! have it directly. no need of glass or cup!! or straw. You will definitely enjoy the crunchy melon and juicy water.

In summer, when you come home after long sunny day, if you see a glass of red color juice topped with ice cubes!!! How will you feel???

That is the wonder of Watermelon. A crunchy and tasty fruit, you will enjoy in any season, either as a bite or a sip.

From the source, it is said that, watermelons were being cultivated in China, which is today the world's single largest watermelon producer.

Water Melon is an excellent source of vitamin C and a good source of vitamin A (here).

It is also in debate that whether watermelon is a fruit or vegetable?? For me it is both, that too after checking the recipe(Taste of NorthIndia) by Sangi of simplydelicious. Click WaterMelon Watermelon!!!!!!! for older post.

I love to have it in any form, crunchy bites removed from the fridge, a whole big glass of juice topped with ice cubes and seasoned with salt and pepper, in salad or dosa prepared with its skin. Yes!! dosas prepared using the skin of the watermelon tastes very good. Give it a try. Just add the peeled skin with soaked rice which you make for normal dosas.
Do this need any recipe???
Watermelon - 1 cup, remove the seeds
Salt to taste
Ice cubes
Blend all together to get a glass of watermelon juice.

Sending this to Madhuri's event  Serve me Some...  

Keep smiling,

Eggless Chocolate Pudding on my Birthday!!

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

Today is my birthday and I turned 37 years! Nothing more to say about me!!

Today, I thought I will try some baking in the microwave oven, which I never did before. I have prepared rice, sambhar, vegetable and sweets, but I am always scared to try baking a cake, pie or pudding or jelly!! I remember once, I tried dates cake from shilpa of Aayi's Recipes. It came out good, but I was not happy with that.

 I was searching for some quick and easy recipe, and I got THIS one. This site does not have photo. So I thought of taking pictures. 

I have kept all the ingredients in the photo, except GHEE. 

It came out very good!

But, what I thought was If we keep the ready mix for some time before adding cocoa powder it will be good, as I felt, the semolina is still not cooked full.

Mom prepared PURI, POTATO DRY SABJI AND SEVIYAN PAYASAM. 

Planning to celebrate my birthday with my elder daughter's which falls on March 30.

Keep Smiling,

Musk Melon, Choice is yours!!! Juice or Milk shake!

All of you might be wondering that why am I  posting the juice recipes. My interest on trying juices is increasing everyday as the Summer is in here!!! I do not like any fizzy drinks or soft drinks, ready drinks or cold drinks. I avoid giving these to my kids too. All these years, I was happy with cold water during the Summer season.

But, when I entered Madhuri's event, I went on thinking about the juices we can make easily at home! Many juices in the mind!! Let me see how much  my internet, the time, my kids will allow me to make juices and shakes before the event reaches the last date, and how much I can post the recipes. But, for sure, I will keep on trying juices from everything and make you people drink it too!!! 

Today is the Musk Melon day!

In my house, during our childhood, Musk Melon was the regular fruit. It was a must fruit on Shivrathri. Even though I know the juice will be tastier, I never tried it before.

Musk Melon is widely known as 'Cantaloupe'.  It is a summer fruit. Being rich in Vitamin C, an antioxidant, muskmelons have been believed to be good for preventing heart diseases and cancer. ... Read more here to know about more health benefits from this fruit.

There are two types of Musk Melon. One is bigger size and the other one is small. This time, I got the small ones in local market. I did not time or patience to wait for the bigger one and try the juices. So I took two small musk melons and came home.

Taking mom's version,  Instead of eating it, I tried these juices and within no time, my both daughters finished it. And they both enjoyed it having it in the same bowl made with the skin of the fruit.

That side is Musk melon milk shake, and this side is musk melon juice. The middle bowl is the seeds which you can sun dry and have it! Tastes great! 

First, giving you the recipe for MUSK MELON MILK SHAKE,

Musk Melon - 1 small,  washed, peeled and cubed

Sugar - 3 to 4 tbsp or check the sweetness of the fruit and add the sugar

Milk - 1/2 cup

Cardamom  powder - a pinch

Almond and Pista powder - 1 tbsp 

(I always keep this powder ready at home. I add it to bread jam, chapati and dosa when giving to my kids)

Salt - 1/8 tsp

Add cubed melon, sugar, milk in a juicer and turn to juice. Strain in a glass. Mix the powders and keep in the fridge for some time before you serve. 

Makes one glass only (as the melon is small).

Second, giving you the recipe for MUSK MELON JUICE,

Musk Melon - 1 small,  washed, peeled and cubed

Jaggery - 1/4 cup, (again, check the sweetness of the fruit before adding the jaggery)

Salt - 1/8 tsp

Almond and Pista powder - 1 tbsp (optional)

Mix everything in a juicer and churn it to juice. 

It is better to have it immediately. It will turn black and will not taste good, if you keep it for a longer time.

Makes one glass only (as the melon is small).

Sending this to Madhuri's event  Serve me Some...  

Sending it to  Dr.Sameena's  event

Juice recipes...

Keep Smiling, 

Raw Mango Chutney

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

On Ugadi day, we got the first batch of lovely raw mangoes from our trees. And, now mango is in every food we make. Mango is added in UPMA,SABMHAR, DAL, THALIPEETH, RICE, COCONUT CHUTNEY.

But here I am giving pure raw mango chutney.

Tastes great with rice, chapati, bread, Idly, Dosa, Paddhu...... list goes on.

As usual, I liked to  have it just like that!!!

I have tried to keep all the ingredients to make a chutney in one plate.

Raw mango -1 cup, cleaned and cubed in to small pieces

Methi seeds - 1 tsp

Chana dal - 2 tbsp

Jaggery - 1 tbsp

Red chilly powder - 1 tsp

Dry coconut - 1/2 cup

Curry leaves - few

Hing - pinch

Salt to taste

Dry roast Chana dal, dry coconut. Mix all the ingredients with it and blend in to a coarse chutney. Mango chutney is ready to serve. You can store it in a fridge for 2 to 3 days. 

Keep Smiling,