Carrot and Orange Halwa

Tried and tasted by Nivedita 

Hi All,

I think today we can celebrate "Halwa Day"!!! There are 5 recipes in FB from my blogger friends in one day!!! Here is mine too!!

Actually, I was thinking to do something different with carrot as I wanted to participate in PJ's on going event. Even though I have few recipes in my draft, they are usual ones and are spicy foods.I thought of making some sweet with Carrot and could not think anything else other than this Halwa. But Carrot halwa is a very common sweet. There are many methods to make a simple carrot halwa. And I thought of giving it a twist by adding Orange to it. 

First, I was not sure how it will come out!!! As I never cooked orange directly on heat! I started with little hesitation.

I thought of the ingredients : the normal things which we use for other halwas.

And here it is :

Carrot - 1 big

Washed, peeled, cubed and put into a blender to take the juice. Seive the juice and keep the pulp aside.My juicer is under repair, so these many steps I followed. You can make the juice using juicer.

Carrot pulp - which remained after the juice is sieved.

Orange - 1 big, Take out the juice.

Now measure the juices.

I got half cup juice from both.

Sugar - 1/4 cup or little more if Orange is sour. 

Ghee - 1 tsp

Crushed Almonds and cashew nuts - 1 tbsp

Cornflour - 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp as per the texture of halwa

Salt a pinch

Cinnamon powder - 1 tsp

ACTUALLY I WANTED TO USE ONLY JUICE AND MORE CORNFLOUR. BUT THEN I THOUGHT WHY TO WASTE THE CARROT PULP OR EXTRACT. May be next time I will try only with juice and cornflour and check.

Now, Mix both the juices and pour in a thick bottomed kadai on a heat. When it starts boiling add sugar and carrot extract. Stir and allow it to boil till it thickens. It may take 15 minutes. Now add cornflour and salt. Add cinnamon powder and Crushed dry fruits. Cook till it starts leaving its sides. Transfer it in to a greased plate and allow it set. 

                               

Carrot and Orange Halwa it ready to eat! Have it hot or chilled!!

Sending this to PJ's ongoing event "Vegetable Marathon"

                                                  

Sending it to 

Food palette series event giveaway

                                                     

Keep Smiling,

Tomato and carrot soup

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

A simple soup for the soul suffering from cold and cough!!!

This is my elder daughter's favorite!

Tomatoes - 3 big or 8 to 10 small(as in photo)

Carrot - 1 big

Onion - 1 small

Ginger - 1/2" 

Bay leaf - 1

Keep all the above ingredients in a cooker and give 3 whistles. When cool, open the lid. discard the ginger and bay leaf. 

Put the boiled tomato and carrot in a blender for 30 seconds and sieve it to remove the tomato seeds. Keep it aside.

For soup powder,

Dry ginger powder -1/2 tsp

Roasted jeera powder - 1tsp

White pepper powder - 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Sugar - 1 tbsp

Butter - 2 tsp 

Butter - 1 tsp to garnish

Heat butter in a kadai, add the tomato and carrot puree. Boil it. When the first boil starts, add all the powders. Boil for 3 more minutes. Garnish with butter and serve hot!

This is going participate in Event Announcement held by Usha of Veg Inspirations.

Keep Smiling,

Salad parade!!!

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

Salads!!! I love the colors of salad! I feel salad is like India!!! Many raw vegetables mixed in a bowl still brings the best taste, Unity in diversity!!! same like many states, cultures, languages and people make turn India in to a great place to live in!!(forget about dirty politics and few bad things!, They are just like bitter cucumber or spoiled green leaf in a salad!!) Am I writing something wrong!! 

I have already posted these salads before also (Click here for the older post). But the introduction for that was different and it was for another event. And I have added one more salad to this parade.

Hope you all will enjoy the beautiful salad parade.

(The best recipes for raw food diet!)

Simple Raw Vegetable Salad :

Take vegetables of your choice(which you can eat raw)

Cucumber, Carrot, Onion, Tomato, Onion, Chilli, Ginger, Lettuce leaves. Cut in to desired size and shapes. We love to cut in to long peices as it is easy for my kids to hold in the hand.

Salt to taste

Lime Juice as per taste

Vinegar - 1/2 tsp
Green and black olives - 1/2 cup
(Not in this photo)
Olive Oil - 1 tsp
Oregano or mixed herb - 1 tbsp crushed

Mix all in a Salad bowl and enjoy the crispy taste.

Tomato and Onion Salad,

Tomato - 2 big Chopped 

Onion - 1 Medium chopped lengthwise

Fresh Coconut - 4 to 6 tbsp

Dalia powder(dry chana or puthani) - 1 tbsp Crushed

Salt to taste

Fresh Coriander - little

Mix all in a bowl and eat it with crispy Papad.

Veg and Curds Salad

Cucumber - 1 big chopped

Tomato - 1 big chopped

Curds(Fresh) - 1/2 cup

Salt to taste

Green Chilly - 1 small chopped(optional)

Fresh Coriander - little

Mix all in a bowl and eat chilled.

Beat and bean salad

Sprouted moong - 1 cup, wash two times to remove the smell

(Green moong, moth, chana, which ever you like to eat raw and sprouted)

Beet root - 1 medium, washed, peeled and grated

Cucumber - 1 big, washed and cut into very small, thin and long pieces.

Salt to taste

Fresh coriander - handful

Lime juice - 1 tbsp

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and serve.

Radish Salad

This is a very common salad in my house, as my mom loves  to it with jowar rotti. 

Radish - 1 big, washed and cut into small cubes

Radish leaves(fresh) - 1 bowl, washed and chopped finely

Onion - 1 medium, washed, peeled and cut into cubes

Oil - 1 tbsp

Lime juice - 1 tbsp

Salt to taste

Niger seeds powder - 2 tsp(Click here for the recipe), (Optional, but gives an unique taste to the salad)

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and serve. Goes well with Jowar rotti.

These all salads are marching into Sudeshna's 

• Carnival of Salads

                                       

AND 

PJ's The 'no cook' event!

Keep Smiling,

C.C? K.P? S.C OR C.C again!? What's there in A name?

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

Call it Chilli Chapati, Chilli paratha, kuttu paratha, spicy Chapati!!! What's there in a name! The taste is the same! Delicious!!! 

Last week when Nithu posted Chilli Paratha, I was tempted to make it the same time! I went in the kitchen knowing that I do not have frozen parathas in the fridge. But I knew Ajjiri is going to make chapatis. I told her to make thick chapatis and keep ready.  I promised Nithu that I will come back with the review.(Sorry for the delay, Neetu!)

I have read many blogs who posted same recipe. 

One, I remember is PJ's  CHILLI CHAPTHI, where she added soya sauce. And my sis-in-law tried this recipe and was so happy with the taste.

Now, coming to my recipe,

I tasted this first in UAE. My co-sister brought chicken Kuttu paratha  from "Deira Dubai Appa Kadai restaurant" and told me to taste it. And it was just superb. I did not share it with anyone! Selfish no! but the taste was like that. She told me that we get the vegetarian kuttu paratha in Sharavana bhavan in Abu shagarah in Sharjah. Very next evening I went there and ordered one plate of same! And I just loved it.

Thinking why writing all  the area names? I am missing Sharjah, Abu dhabi and Dubai(the whole UAE) for food!

Coming back to the story,

When I went to the kitchen .....

I got cabbage, capsicum and carrots in the fridge. I thought of using all these.

So here goes the recipe,

Ready chapatis - 10 to 12, cut into pieces.

Oil 1 tbsp

Heat oil in a kadai, Fry the chapatis till they are just crispy and keep it aside.

Oil - 2 tbsp

Jeera or cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Curry leaves - few

Cabbage - 1/2 cup, shredded

Carrot - 1 big, julienned,

Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp

Capsicum - 1 big or 2 small, cut into length

Green chilly - 2 cut into long 

Tomato puree - made of 2 tomatoes(I do not get ready paste, so I boiled the tomatoes in a microwave for 2 minutes and blend it into puree

Salt to taste

Turmeric powder - 1 tsp

Red chilly  powder - 1 tsp

Madras curry powder - 1 tbsp(it gives unique taste to this chilli paratha, if you do not have, use the normal curry powder or skip it)

Heat oil in a thick bottomed kadai, Add jeera and curry leaves with onion. Let onion fry till it changes its color, add ginger garlic paste. Fry for a minute and add cabbage, carrot and capsicum. Fry for two minutes. Transfer this in to a bowl or plate. Add tomato puree in the same kadai. When it starts boiling add all the dry powders and green chilly. Fry for a minute. Return back the fried vegetables into kadai. Mix it properly. Now goes the chapati pieces. Again mix properly so that the masala gets mix with chapati pieces. Cook for a minute. Garnish with fresh coriander. 

My chilli chapati or call it any name! is ready to eat!! 

Keep smiling,

Mini Samosas

Tried and tasted by Nivedita
Hi all,

Samosas were never in my kitchen as I never liked the big sized samosas!! But in UAE, I started eating only those we get frozen. They were very tasty, but I used to have rarely because of the frying and frozen factor. Then these mini samosas were available in Keralite Restaurant during Ramdan Fasting. I used to wait to have in the evenings.

        

(keep the straight line on your left)                                                          

  

(Fold like how it is shown in a photo. Apply milk to bind it)

 

After coming from UAE, I totally forgot about these mini darlings.

Last week, my daughter reminded me and ordered me to make samosas. 

A very simple fast food which can be made anytime, as all the ingredients are available at home. This is first time I have made samosas at home!!!!

For filling,

Potato - 3 to 4 medium, boiled and smashed

Peas - 1/4 cup, boiled in a micro wave for a minute

Carrot - 1 small, boiled(optional)

Salt to taste

Garam masala - 1/2 tsp

Chat masala - 1/2 tsp

Lime juice - 1 tsp

Red chilly powder - 1 tsp

Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp, roasted

Oil - 2 tbsp

Oil to fry samosas

For dough

Maida or all purpose flour - 1 cup

or you can use even wheat flour if your are weight conscious.

Salt - 1 tsp

Hot oil - 1 tbsp

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Water to prepare dough
Prepare the soft dough with above ingredients and keep aside for at least 15 minutes.

Keep the potatoes and peas in a oven to boil for 5 minutes.  Till it is boiled, prepare the dough and keep it aside and start making filling masala ready.

Heat oil in kadai, Add cumin seeds and all other dry masalas. You should be quick as it will get burnt. Add the vegetables. Salt and lime juice. Mix properly. The masala is ready.

Make small balls(Garlic bulb size) out of dough. Take one ball, roll in to small puri size. Cut in to half. Then comes the trick. Always keep the straight line on your left. It will be easy to make cone. (follow the photos.)

Take smaller size ball to make mini samosas.

Fill the masala. Cover the cone by applying milk. Make other samosas also ready. Fry all the samosas  in a hot oil.

It takes long time to make mini samosas, but tastes great.
Serve with green chutney, sauce or ketchup.
Want to have plain? No problems. 
AND WITH A TWIST, THIS PLATE OF DANCING SAMOSAS ARE GOING TO 

RADHIKA'S 

Event Announcement: Food for 7 Stages of Life - Healthy Fast FoodAs per the rule I am linking it to Sudeshna’s Cook like a bong page also.

The twist is, as there is a time limit in her event, you can prepare this healthy fast food, if and only if you have boiled potatoes  in the fridge.And if you are making it only for one or two persons( as it takes long time to prepare for many)
I hope I am not violating any rule of the event.


Keep Smiling,

Veg. Juice Pulao

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

My last minute entry to Chaitra's event! The reason is, as I stay little far from the city, it is difficult to get all the vegetables when I need. We depend on weekly markets, which are small and will have very little options to buy varieties. Even though I wanted to make this rice before only, I did not get spinach all these days. But today when I went to market I saw fresh Spinach and thought of making the rice and send this entry to Chaitra's event.

As I told before, I am trying new rice preparations, this is one of them. One month before, I watched this recipe in the TV, but could not write down. So depending on my memory, I tried the pulao, it came out good. But for sure, it is very healthy for kids, as they do not eat palak and beetroot directly.

Here is the recipe,

Long grain rice - 2 cups

Beet root - 1 small

Palak(Spinach) - 1 bunch small

Carrot - 1 big

Onion - 1 small, chopped into long pieces

Cauliflower - cut in to 12 to 15 pieces

Paneer - 8 to 10 cubes(optional, but tastes good)

Soya nuggets - 8 to 10(Soaked in the water for sometime)

Tomato -1 medium

Tej patta - 1

Cinnamon stick - 1/2 inch

Clove - 3

Cardamom - 1

Oil - 1 tbsp

Butter - 1 tbsp(optional)

Salt to taste

Chilly powder - 2 tbsp

Soak the rice in water for 2 minutes. Drain the water and keep aside.

Clean and wash palak leaves. Boil for few minutes. Peel the beet root, carrot. Cut into pieces. Boil and keep it to cool.

Prepare palak, carrot and beetroot juice separately.(you can mix all together and make the paste at a time also.)

Wash, cut the tomato and prepare the paste.

Squeeze the water from nuggets.

Heat oil and butter in a cooker. When hot, add all dry masalas(crush it once or they will pop out). Add onion. saute for a minute. Add soya nuggets, paneer. Saute for 2 minutes, keep on stirring.

Now goes palak,carrot and beetroot juice and tomato paste. Let it boil for 3 minutes. Now add rice, salt, chilly powder and cauliflower. Mix properly. Add hot water till the rice is covered. Give 2 whistles. Wait till the cooker is cool.

The pulao is ready to serve.

Sending this recipe to

Rice Feast @ Aathidhyamfrom Chaitra

Keep smiling,

Haryanvi Thali

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi all,

When I came to know about the event Tried and tasted hosted by Ahwini of (ashwini-spicycuisine.blogspot.com) and which is a brain child of Zlamuska's spicy kitchen, I was excited to know whom we have to follow this time.

And I entered Asha's Foodie's Hope blog. Asha is really talented, creative and deserves so many awards she got on her blog. I was confused what to cook as there are many dishes. Then I went through her RCI event. I was fascinated by all the yummy pictures. I was feeling as if I am in a place where thali's of all the states are available to eat now.

Planning to cook all the dishes very soon, I thought let me start with Haryanvi food. So here is the Thali ready for you all. And I was 100% true to her original recipe. I did not prepare Besan pinni, as I was short of pista.

Check her blog for the recipe to make the Haryanvi thali ready. Here is the link;

http://foodieshope.blogspot.com/2009/02/haryanvi-cuisine-pakodi-di-kadhi-jeera.html

I prepared, Mooli paratha, carrot-ginger pickle, Besan kadhi with pakodi, Aloo Raita and Jeera rice.

I hope you will like it! the way I prepared and arranged in a thali.

And this is going to

Ashwini's Announcing Tried and Tasted event!!!!

Keep smiling,

Carrot burfi

Tried and tasted by Nivedita
Hi all,

Today I thought of posting the recipe for Carrot burfi.My hubby and me got sweet tooth. Especially for me, after food, I must eat something at least one spoon.So sometimes what I do is, can you guess!!! I go to kitchen take Boost and eat one spoon. He he!!! or if I have condensed milk in the fridge I eat one spoon. One spoon is also enough for me but I must have sweet after food. So sinful for weight watchers!! So I am labelling it in "A sinful D(W)ish".
This is one sweet you can make anytime, and its quick also.
Here is the recipe
Carrot- 2cups grated
Sugar - 1 1/2 cup(If you are using condensed milk, add 1 cup sugar and 1/2 cup condensed milk) Milk - 1 cup
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
Almonds - 8 to 10 crushed
Ghee 2 tbsp
Churn the grated carrot in the grinder just one round.
Heat 1 tbsp ghee in thick bottomed pan. Add carrot and fry it for sometime, till the raw smell goes.
Take it in a plate, and in the same pan add milk and let it boil. When it starts boiling add sugar and carrot.
Let it cook for sometime. Now add Cardamom powder. When It starts becoming little solid add condensed milk and crushed almonds.
Keep on stirring or it will get burnt.
When the carrot starts leaving the pan, add one more tbsp ghee and transfer it to greased plate.
Spread it evenly on the plate. Cut with the knife in desired shape.
Once it is cold you can cut and serve.
Or enjoy it hot.

As I have just come back to India, still not reached to my place. But I am in Pune, at my brother's place, enjoying my vacation. Even though, not getting much time to sit in front of computer, I always make it sure to visit all my favourite blogs.

Today I had time, as my both daughters went down to park with my sister in law, I thought I will re post this sweet and send it to Srivalli's event,(I had kept in my mind, as soon as I get time, I will do this!!).

So here goes the recipe to Srivalli's Announcing Mithai Mela ~ Celebrating 2 years!

Keep smiling