Nivedita's Kitchen: 10/3/10

Friday, October 8, 2010

Red Chilly Pickle

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

When you are tired and hungry, pickles comes as a blessing. At least for me, I love to have Chapati and pickle rolls or curd rice with pickle.

This red chilli pickle is very spicy and not everyone can eat. Its just like my other post "Red chilly chutney".

(This photo is taken immidiately afer I mixed the chilly with masala)

Ingredients:

Red chilly - 15 to 20

Wash the chilly, pat dry to remove the water. Cut into 4 pieces and keep it aside.

For Dry Masala:
Dry coriander seeds - 2 tbsp
Fennel seeds- 1 tbsp
Methi seeds - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Hing - a pinch
Lime juice - Juice of 2 to 3 lemons
Sugar - 1/8 cup

Put dry coriander seeds, Methi seeds and Cumin seeds in a blender or mixi to make slightly coarsed powder.

Transfer the powder into a bowl. Add all the other ingredients in Dry Masala. Mix well. Add red chilly into it and mix well again.

Transfer it into storing jar.

For tempering :
Oil - 1/8 cup
Mustard seeds - 1 tbsp

Heat oil in a kadai. Add Mustard seeds. When splutter, remove from the heat.

Allow the oil to cool.

Add this oil with mustard seeds to the pickle jar. Shake well.

Keep for few hours before use.

Store in a refrigerator always for using it more days.

Sending it to my event Event Announcement ~ "Complete My Thali(CMT)-Pickle...

Keep Smiling,

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Raw Tamarind Chutney(ಹುಣಸೆ ತೊಕ್ಕು)

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

My very last minute last entry to Jagruti's ongoing event.

Raw tamarind! Do any one have the sweet memories of these tangy and mouthwatering green raw tamarind?

I am sure! You have at least one memory with this fruit!

I have plenty of memories. Among them is the one, where we used to wait for the Tamarind tree owners to sleep in the afternoon so that it will be easy for us to throw the stones to the trees and take the tamarind falling on the ground! If some one wakes up we used to run as if there is dog chasing us. Then we used to have it with rock stone.

Now coming to the recipe,

This is actually known as Tokku here. Very tasty chutney to eat with rice.

This chutney or tokku is prepared when tamarind is still green or raw. You can prepare it and store for a year.

Very easy to make it. Come lets see the ingredients :

Raw tamarind : 15 to 20

Green chilly - 10

Salt to taste

Methi seeds - 1 tsp

Hing - a pinch

Method:

Wash the tamarind properly. Dry them fully. Wipe the tamarind pieces with cloth to remove the water. Cut in to pieces.

Add green chilly, salt, methi seeds and hing. Put in a mixer or blender to get the coarse texture. Adjust the seasoning.

Chutney is ready to eat or store.

This will make almost 150 gm of chutney.

Sending it to

Jagruti's event Complete My Thali - Event Anouncement !

and

Priya's Bookmarked Recipes - Every Tuesday Event - 5th Oct... Event.

Keep Smiling,

Event Announcement ~ "Complete My Thali(CMT)-Pickle"

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

Hey!! One more feather in my cap for event hosting! I love Events! That makes me more responsible person! It makes me alert. It encourages me to try new dishes.

This time, it is from Jagruti's Joy of Cooking. Her event Complete My Thali - Event Anouncement ! which started last month and is continued for 6 months, with each theme holding for 2 weeks.

And there is a genuine cause behind this event :

Read in her words:

"After each and every round up the host will choose winner and will make winners dish....I will make that dish too, and in the end (about 6 months) I'll have my complete thali...
Every event comes with a prize, so when my thali is complete I will give the value of that one thali to someone else in the world who doesn't have the blessing of even a small amount of the food on the thali...The money will go to UNICEF...."

Now, coming to my theme, I have taken the most interesting and everyone's favorite : PICKLE!! Yes! The thali in not complete without a pickle. Pickle is a side dish and is a must in Indian food. From a kid to an old person, pickle is loved by everyone. I have many sweet memories with this!(stealing from kitchen, sharing with my friends...)

My Theme is

"Complete My Thali( CMT ) - PICKLE"

In India, it is popular as Achaar and can be prepared with many vegetables like mango, lime, garlic, ginger, tomato, cucumber, carrot, gooseberry, Chilli.... You name it and with few specific masala the pickle is ready. Usually the oil and the salt are the main ingredients while making pickle, and either green chilly or red chilly powder to make it spicy.

In some regions pickles prepared with meat or fish are very famous.

Home made pickles are very common and very tasty too.

Monday, October 4, 2010

Event Round Up : MEC - FRUITS

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

Yes, one more event round up! I am getting expert in handling Events. Am I?!!
I do enjoy hosting the events and now I am used for expecting more entries for my events and every day getting up to check my mails for the entries!! And I have become strong person also to face the situation where I do not get any entry or a single entry. But thats fair here. Many times I too do not get the time to participate in many events(I try hard to send at least one entry for most of the events) I feel I get encouraged to try new food if I take participation in any event.

Sorry guys! I am going on..... with my dry philosophy.

I am very happy with this event! The way it went, the way I took time to try something new with fruits.

Fruits, usually is consumed directly or in the form of juice. I was very happy to try some new dishes with fruits and that too in MICROWAVE!! It was a great fun.

I want to thank Srivalli for giving me this chance to host her event MEC-series.

Now, coming to the entries, I am really happy to know that my blogger friends
are so much creative and dare to try new things.

I am posting the entries the way I got them!

Priya Srinivasan of Enveetu kitchen has sent
this healthy peda

Vidhya of My Recipes has sent

these Choco Dates Nuts Balls

Next comes Priya of Priya's Easy N Tasty Recipes with 4 entries

MW Watermelon Kheer

MW Plum Jam

MW Apple Halwa

MW Spiced Apple Chutney

Next is Lata of Flavours and Tastes has sent this jiffy

Apple jam

AND

Khajoor Imli Ki Chutney

Supriya of Celebrating Little Things In Life has sent

Microwaved Pear with Dryfruits

Smitha of Smitha's Spicy Flavors, cooking my way... has sent

Simple Pineapple Kaju burfi

AND

Mini Apple muffins in Microwave

Then Comes, Varshini's of If not, wat next? !! :) 2 entries with Apple

Apple Sheera

And Mixed Fruit Halwa

Lalitha of Indian spice Magic is here with

Watermelon Curry

Aparna of Apy Cooking! has sent

Eggless Microwave Apple Walnut Cake

Srivalli of Cooking4allseasons has sent

Microwave Mixed Fruit Halwa.

Jagruti of Joy of Cooking has come with two recipes

Strawberry and apple crumble !

AND

Tamarind And Dates Chutney

Last before my entries is Jayasri Ravi of Samayal Arai has sent

Mango - Quinoa Halwa in Microwave

Last but not least is ME!!!

I have

Bread and Fruit bars(M/W grilled)

AND

Apple Jam

With

Pineapple Chutney in M/W

And the last one

Mixed Fruit Curry

I would like to thank everyone who has participated in this wonderful event and has supported me.

Please leave a comment here if I have missed anyone's entry. I will update my post.

Hoping to get the same and more support for all my upcoming events.

Next series is continued with Smitha of Smitha's Spicy Flavors, cooking my way...,

"My First Event Anouncement - "MEC - Festive Dishes..."

Visit her for more information and support her with your entries.

Keep Smiling,

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Antina Undi(Dry fruits laadu), Reposting

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

Sweets always make you feel guilty after you finish eating the last bite. But here comes the healthy sweet, which is good for everyone.(except weight watchers)

A funny thing about this is the name of the dish, even though it is called antina undi(edible gum laddu), the quantity of gum we add is very less compared with dry dates, total quantity of dry fruits and jaggery!!! I do not know why this name has come!!

This laddu is given to new mother after one month of delivery. It gives them strength and good for back.

Nursing mothers get more benefit from this. But always try to have with one glass of milk.(not only nursing mothers, but any body who wants to eat it regularly).

I had more laddus for my second delivery. And one more same type is prepared only being the difference is adding sugar powder instead of jaggery. And it is called as Kobhari Khara. These both are very common in North Karnataka during delivery.

AND THESE THINGS MUST BE TAKEN ONLY AFTER ONE MONTH OF DELIVERY AS THESE ARE VERY HEAT TO THE BODY FOR PREGNANT LADIES.

Coming to the recipe,

(I did not get English words for Ker beeja and Aalvi, so if any one knows please let me know)

(Dry dates) Uttatti - 1/2 kg

Dry coconut - 1/4 kg, desiccated

Jaggery - 1 kg, powdered

Khuskhus (poppy seeds) - 100 gm

Cashew nuts - 100 gm, cut in to pieces

Raisins - 100 gm

Edible gum - 100 gm

after frying the gum in ghee
Almonds - 150 gm, cut in to pieces

Ghee to fry dry fruits and gum

Gher(Ker) bija - 100 gm

This is Ker beeja, It is very heat to the body. So it should be taken in a small quantity, but is must for this laddu.

Elaichi (cardamom) - 8 to 10, powdered

Jaaji kaai (Nut meg) - 1/2, tsp powdered

30 to 35 laddus can be prepared with this quantity.

Step by step, I will give the recipe :

1. Remove the seeds from uttatti, crush in to 4 pieces. Fry in thick bottomed pan for 3 minutes. Keep aside to cool. Put in a mixie and churn to coarse powder. Keep it aside.

2. Separately, dry fry each ingredient 30 seconds on medium hot tawa : dry coconut, khuskhus, ker bija. Keep aside.

3. Fry the gum in one tablespoon of ghee and keep it aside.

4. Keep other dry fruits also in a plate.

5. Except Jaggery. mix all the ingredients in a large plate( in North Karnataka, in the houses there will be a big plate to make Jowar rottis which is called as Parath)

6. Add little water to the jaggery and bring to boil to make it one layer syrup(pak). (you can see in the photo).

7. When it is done, Add it to the dry fruits mix. Keep it for 10 to 15 minutes so that all the ingredients will bind with the jaggery syrup.

8. Take little quantity and form the laddus with the help of both the palm.

When you are planning to give this to new mother, you should add aalvi with other ingredients.

Alavi is good for new mothers and especially nursing mothers. She should have alavi payasa twice a week.

Aalvi : Dry fry just for 30 seconds on medium fire.