CORN AND CABBAGE SOUP

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

How are you all ladies? Are you ready for the party for this month. I am waiting for your entries and waiting to get my partner. :-) Thats the specialty of this event right??

This month I was in confusion about choosing the recipe and at last I am here with a very simple but very essential part of any great party. Yes, meal is not complete without soup.The original Indian food never had soup in its list. But, its long time that SOUP has become the integrated part of our cuisine.

My younger daughter loves soup. She has kept the name for all soups, like Palak soup is Green soup, Tomato soup is Red soup, cabbage soup is White soup...

I always make hot and sour soup at home, but never tried this Corn soup. The weather is also cold in the evenings now a days. So thought of making this one and bringing it to our party :-)

I have followed very basic and simple recipe:

\

Ingredients:

Fresh corn - 2 medium(or take frozen one or canned one, in that case 1 cup)

Cabbage - 1 cup grated

Butter - 2 tsp

Garlic - few cloves, chopped finely

Onion - 1 small or half, chopped finely

Green chilly - 1 chopped(avoid if serving it for kids)

Milk - 1 cup

Water - 1/2 cup(if needed)

Corainder - 1 tbsp shopped + 1 tsp to garnish

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

Lemon to taste

Method:

Clean the corn and take out the corns, you can remove the corns with sharp knife or grate it (if using fresh one),

Finely chop the cabbage. 

Take both the cabbage and the corn in a cooker, add little water(just to cover)

Give 2 whistles.

Allow to cool. Once cool, grind into fine paste.

Heat butter in a sauce pan or kadai,

add chopped garlic and onion. Saute it till brown.

Add the corn and cabbage puree.

Stir well and cook for 3 minutes.

Add the milk and cook for a minute.

Add chopped chilly and coriander.

Add water if you feel the soup is thick.

Mix well and boil it few more minutes.

Remove from the heat and add salt, pepper and lime juice.

Serve hot garnished with some more chilly(if you like raw chilly taste) and pepper.

We all loved it. 

This is my entry to 

Jagruti's  event:

Potluck party, Cyber style! - Fun and the Challeng...

Keep Smiling,

MANGO PAYASAM(Food Remake)

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

Living in a season where you are  breathing mango, I am here with one more recipe with mango. I brought it from OUR Potluck Party partner ,  Sini of Sini's Menu.....The Kitchenmagic......., MANGO PAYASAM. 

Should I say I am lucky to get this recipe? Yes, because its easy, its quick, its tasty and yummy, its available now and I would not have tried it if I was not in Potluck party.

It has gone into my favorite dessert list to prepare when more guests are in. The best thing is you can use canned mango when its out of season. 

Coming to my recipe,

if you check Sini's blog, her dish looks different, the payasam looks different color, may be because, we both used different variety of mango or may be the jaggery I used is darker and more red in color than her. And her paysam looks thick, again may be because of the thickness of the coconut milk. 

Whatever, my payasam was really very good, tasty and different. My family loved it and again, I got little to taste :-(.

Ingredients:

Mango - 3, ripe, (I used the small ones with fibre, though Sini has told to use without, but I did not had any option)

Jaggery,- I pureed the mango and checked the qty of the puree and took the jaggery 1/2 of it, because the mangoes were very sweet.

Water -little more than the qty of jaggery

Coconut milk - 3/4 cup, thick(see notes)

Coconut milk - 1/2 cup, thin (See notes)

Ghee - 1 tsp+1 tbsp

Salt a pinch

Cashew nuts - 1 tbsp,

Raisins - 1 tbsp

Dry ginger powder - a pinch

Dry coconut pieces - 1 tbsp 

Method:

Wash, peel and puree the mangoes.

check the quantity and take half of  the jaggery.

Melt the jaggery with water and cook till its dissolved . 

Strain it to remove the dirt and keep it aside.

Take a thick bottomed kadai, add mango puree and the jaggery syrup in it .Mix well and boil it for a minute.

Add 1 tsp ghee and keep on cooking on a low flame, stirring continuous.

Cook till thick consistency.

Add ginger powder and mix well. 

Add the thin coconut milk slowly and cook till it turns thick.

Now add the thick coconut milk and cardamom powder. Mix well and DO NOT allow to boil as it curdles the payasam.

Take it from the heat.

Heat 1 tbsp ghee and fry the nuts and coconut pieces separately.

Add these to the payasam.

Allow it to cool,

have it warm or chilled :-)

linking it to Potluck party, Cyber style! - Fun and the Challeng... 

Thanks Jagruti once again.

Keep Smiling, 

SANNA ~IDLIS | STEAMED RICE CAKE FROM MANGALORE FOR ICC

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

A recipe prepared with yeast always puts me in tension till it is prepared and its served on the table.

This time, when Valli announced this month's  Indian Cooking Challenge and I checked the ingredients, my first response was NO!! This month also I am not going to participate in the event. I removed it from my mind to make it. But last week, when I saw the active yeast packet in a super market, somehow I felt I should try it. Its better to try and fail than never trying and crying afterwards. I brought the packet and boiled rice. Still I took few more days to make up my mind. 

Valli has chosen the recipe from  Shireen Sequeira's Mom. 

Day before yesterday I tried these Sannas. My first batch was a flop. Sannas were hard and tasteless. May be the reason was the batter was not fully fermented.

Please visit Valli 's PAGE  for the ingredients and the method. 

Lets see how I prepared these Sannas.

I did not take the step by step pictures  but will write down the method I followed.

I took the exact measurement of all the ingredients as in the recipe.

I soaked Urad dal(1/4 cup), Boiled rice(1 1/2cup) and raw rice(1/2 cup) separately at 11.45 AM.

At 3.00PM. I prepared the yeast(1 tsp heaped) solution with sugar(1 tsp) in tepid water(3 tbsp). Kept it for 10 minutes.

Till then, I prepared the urad dal paste first and then both the rice. It took time for the rice to get into fine paste.Mixed all the three nicely and added the yeast solution. Mixed it well. Added the salt to taste and 2 tsp more sugar. Mixed well and kept it closed till 5.30 PM.

Checked the batter, it was not fully up but my daughter was hungry. Thinking that given time in the original recipe was 1 1/2 hour, I tried making first batch.

This is what I got: hard and taste less.

                         First time, my elder daughter had it with sauce.

Then I waited till 7 PM and prepared two more batches. I got them nice puffy and tasty :-)

I prepared a simple sambhar and we had it for our dinner. My both the kids enjoyed it. Hey, one sanna I made in a Thatte idly stand, a big round one. My younger one loved it with ghee and sambhar.

I enjoyed my yeastwala sannas :-)

Keep Smiling, 

POTATO AND KIDNEY BEANS SALAD WITH HUNG CURD

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

Its party time again Ladies :-), How I wish if it was really happening!!!

Potluck party is a great idea for people to come together with their dishes and share with others and enjoy and have a great time too.

Last time I brought the pickle which was the basic food for any Indian food party. For this party I have brought a Salad.  Salad comes next to pickle.

I tasted this potato and kidney beans salad in PIZZA HUT first time in UAE and everytime I got the chance to taste it. I liked it so much but never tried at home. No specific reasons, somehow I could not.

So I thought let me make this for the potluck party. Most of the recipes use Mayonnaise but I have used Hung curd and the taste was superb.

Coming to the recipe,

I prepared only for 2 persons, you can increase the quantity to make it for more people.

Ingredients:

Potato -2 big

Kidney beans - 1/2 cup

Hung curd - 1 cup

Salt to taste

Fresh Cream - 1 tbsp(Optional)

Green Chilly -  1 tsp finally chopped

 Sugar - 1/2 tsp

Method:

1. Soak the kidney beans overnight.

1. To make hung curd:
2. Take the yogurt or curd in a muslin cloth.
3. Tie it tightly and hung it with a vessel down so that the water from the curd should not spread on the floor or platform(where ever you are hanging it) Remove it after few hours(may be 3 to 4 hours), keep it in the fridge till serving time or it will become sour.

1. Boil the potatoes and the soaked beans till soft.
2. Peel the potatoes and mash it.
3. Drain the water from the kidney beans.
4. Take the hung curd, salt, chopped chilly, sugar and fresh cream in a bowl.
5. Mix it well. Add the mashed potato and beans. 
6. Mix well  keep it in the fridge for some time before serving.
7. Serve it chilled.

You can serve it on the bread slice or plain paratha slices to serve as a starter or for kids. I know kids will love it because my both the kids were happy to eat this..

Sending this  to three events:
Jagruti's  two events:

Potluck party, Cyber style! - Fun and the Challeng...

and 

Event Announcement -My Bowl of Salad !

AND 

Pavani of Cook's Hideout

Kid's Delight Event Announcement - 5 Ingredient Fix

which is started by Valli with the name Kid's Delight announcement post

Keep Smiling,

Jamoon Fruit Juice -Two ways, Re posting for the event

Tried and tasted by Nivedita
Hi All,

Summer is here, and the events are coming up to help us to beat the thrust :-),

When I went through Swathi's zestysouthindiankitchen space, I thought of re posting this juice as the season for this fruit is already started and its easily available.

Read my original post HERE.

Swathi has asked to write about any interesting story behind this recipe or if you have any memories with this. Down is my story :-

Jamoon fruit brings many sweet memories in my mind.. These fruits are seasonal and we used to wait for it. During school days, we used to run to the houses where these trees were grown. House people enjoying their afternoon nap were never disturbed till one stone fell on their roof or window glass :-). And then there were few old ladies carrying these jamoon fruits in their round baskets and selling it for 10 Paises. I always love the color of these fruits.

You can read the benefits and other details in my original post.

Coming to the recipe,

Ingredients (for making 2 glasses) for basic juice

Jamoon fruits - 20(big)

Drinking Water - 1 cup

Keep the fruits in water for some time. Clean and put it into a vessel. Add the water and allow one boil. Let it cool. Mash with the hands, remove seeds. Sieve in a serving cup. The basic juice is ready which tastes very raw and bitter. 

To make salty juice :

Add a pinch of salt, Crushed mint and white pepper powder. Mix well. Serve chilled or add few ice cubes if you want to serve immediately.

To make Sweet juice :

Add 1 to 2 tsp Sugar, half a pinch of salt. Mix well. Serve chilled. 

Sending this to Swathi's event:

Favorite Recipes Event: Drinks

Keep Smiling,

HANDVO FOR POTLUCK PARTY(Food Remake)

Tried and tasted by Nivedita                             

Hi All,

Welcome to Potluck party of this month. If you remember, I had taken pickle for the  Potluck party, Cyber style! - Fun and the Challeng... this month. And my friend Arthy brought Handvo. Now its my turn to make her recipe at home and take it to the party.

Gujrathi cuisine is my favourite!!!(which is not mine??), I have tried many recipes. And Thanks to Arthy that she prepared this one and forced me to try. Sometimes though we want to try new recipes many unwanted reasons(lazyness, not getting things ...) stops us from doing it. Actually, now also I do not have OTG  or Convection oven to make as I am in Pune, I still have tried to bake! or steam it in the cooker. Lets see how it comes out. Fingers crossed ladies...

Please visit http://savaadhjevana.blogspot.in/2013/04/handvo.html and meed Arthy Shama with her delicious recipes.

So, here is my version of making Handvo.

 

 

 

I have missed the whole wheat in it as I did not get it and forgot to add the wheat flour to the paste.

AND

I have used half the qty from the quantities given in her blog as I had to steam it and Arthy suggested me to use half.

Take

1/4 cup - Raw rice

1/8 cup - Tvar Dal

1/2 tsp -  Urad Dal

1/2 tsp -  Moong Dal

1/2 tsp -  Chana Dal

1/4 tsp Rock salt

1/4 cup Sour curd

 

soak all the above ingredients except salt and sour curd for 4 to 6 hours.

Grind into coarse paste.

Add the salt and sour curd, mix well and allow it to ferment for antoher 6 hours.



 

Take

1 green chilli finely chopped

1/2 tsp crushed ginger

1/4 cup grated bottlegourd (squeezed to liberate juice)

1/4 tsp haldi or turmeric powder

1/2 tsp chilly powder

1 tsp dhania powder

1/2 tsp Eno

 

Mix well all these ingredients except Eno

when ready to bake or steam,

 

Add the above mix in to fermented paste.

Mix well,

 

Ingredients to temper

2 tsp oil

1/4 tsp - mustard seeds

1/4 tsp - sesame seeds

1/4 tsp jeera

2-3 dry red chillies

few curry leaves

Add the above tempered mix to the ground paste. Mix well.

Keep the cooker with little water on heat.

When the water starts boiling(I have tried to make the same way as we do for Dhokla)

Add eno to your paste. Mix well, transfer it to the container that fits in the cooker.

Keep it inside the cooker.

 



 

 

 

Remove the weight of the cooker, close the lid, steam it for 45 minutes.

Check it and if its cooked remove it or continue steaming for few more minutes.

 

 

  

 I am not sure how the real Handvo tastes as I never got the chance to try it. But I am happy with my result, the handvo came out very good and tasty and of course these are healthy ones. I enjoyed it with my regular dal.

Once again thanking Jagruti for this lovely event, will wait for the next party :-)

Potluck party, Cyber style! - Fun and the Challeng...

I am out of station and scheduled this one on 28th. Hope it gets published and you will enjoy my steamed handvo for the party.

 

Keep Smiling,

EVERYDAY CHOCOLATE BROWNIE(FOOD REMAKE)

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

I know, I know, its not the time to post the recipe of Cakes and brownies... Its Diwali, I should post the recipe of some sweets and savories. But just thought of sharing a recipe with Demerara sugar and then I can share other recipes.

The brownies are very common in my house. Its almost once in 10 days , I bake the brownie. I got the recipe of Every day Chocolate Brownie from Aarthi which she had taken from one and only Nigella... I love her recipes, most of the times I have to read her recipes and be happy because I do not get many of the ingredients she has mentioned in my town :-(

Even Aarthi has got the fantastic space and the best part is all of her recipes are step by step in pictorial way which helps any one to remember and cook easily. Thanks a lot for that dear.

Coming to the recipe,

Usually I follow the regular recipe but today I thought of  giving a twist to it.. only because I wanted to use Demerara sugar instead of white or normal sugar. And I added the instant Bru Coffee powder at the end.

THE BEST SOFT AND MOIST BROWNIE I EVER MADE :-)

Ingredients:

All purpose flour - 2/3 cup

Demerara Sugar - 3/4 cup(coarse powdered)

Cocoa powder - 1/2 cup

Eggs -2 

Butter - 1/2 cup or little less

Baking soda - 1/2 tsp

Salt a pinch(skip if you are using salted butter, I always use salted Amul butter)

Vanilla essence - 2 tsp

any chocolate - 100 gm

(I like to use the cooking chocolate itself )

Instant coffee powder(Bru or Nescafe)- 1 tbsp

Method:

• First preheat the oven to 190 degree c
• Line a square tin with foil and brush it with butter on it. (Using foil is really a very good idea)
• I use Microwave for making it, you can use the normal way(as shown in Aarthi's space)
• Take a big M/W safe bowl.
• Add butter and the sugar.
• Keep in M/W on HIGH for a minute.
• Remove, mix well and add cocoa powder. Keep in the oven for 10 seconds. 
• Remove, add in the flour, baking soda and mix well to make it soft.
• ALLOW IT TO COOL WHICH IS REALLY VERY IMPORTANT OTHERWISE IF YOU PUT EGGS WHEN HOT,  IT WILL BE SPOILED.
• Now add the eggs, vanilla and mix well till you get very smooth consistency.
• Fold in the chocolate pieces and mix well.
• Now pour this mix into the ready tin.
• Sprinkle the instant powder evenly on the mix.
• Bake it in the oven for 20 minutes. 
• Allow it to cool. Cut into desired size of squares. 
• Enjoy it cold or warm or with ice cream or hot chocolate sauce.

Note :May be because I used the Demerara sugar, it was less sweet or may be it was because I used instant coffee powder. Whatever, the brownies were too good :-)

Wait for my next post with these brownies...

Brownie and Ice cream sandwich.. with hot choco sauce..

This is my first entry to my event which is a brain child of Jagruti

Keep Smiling,

Sugar Stuffed Flat Breads(ಸಕ್ಕರೆ ಚಪಾತಿ )

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

This one is nostalgic. I love these chapatis. It was very regular in my house. My mom used to make these a lot. Me and my brother were always happy to eat these rolls. 

Unfortunately, my kids don't like sweet. So this one remained only in my memories( Me too scared of having the whole sugar or powder more!) 

The other day I suddenly felt like having it and here it is :-)

What am I talking about? Sugar stuffed flat breads.. We call it "Sakre Chapati" in Kannada..

Ingredients:

Wheat flour - 1 cup

Salt a pinch

Water to make the dough ready

For Stuffing

Powdered sugar - 1 tbsp for each chapati

Ghee or Butter - 1 tsp for each chapati + 1 tsp for frying or roasting

Method:

• Prepare the wheat flour dough by adding little by little water. The dough should be soft. 
• Divide into equal lime size balls.
• First Method:
• Take one ball and roll into small circle(small puri size)
• Take one more and repeat.
• On one rolled puri, spread ghee or butter and on another spread the powdered sugar.
• Keep the buttered one on the sugar stuffed puri and close it tight.
• Slowly dust it with the flour and roll in to medium sized chapatis.
• Keep the tawa on heat.
• Roast it on both the sides and apply or drizzle ghee on it before removing it.
• Repeat with remaining dough.
• Second Method
• Roll three small size puris.
• Spread one tsp butter or ghee on first one.
• Keep the other puri on it and close it.
• Spread the sugar powder on it.
• Close it tight with other puri.
• Roll it(as shown in the photo)
• and again roll it to give round shape.
• Do it slowly.
• Roll into medium size chapati and roast it.
• Serve hot with spicy pickle or pack and take it while travelling.
• Best breakfast for kids and me:-)

Linking this to Jagruti's event

Announcing an event - I'm well Stuffed !

Keep Smiling,

ALOO PATTICE (Re posting)

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

If you really know me and follow my blog, you know that I am a person who finishes the work at the last minute. As the last date is nearing  for any contest puts me into pressure and I do the cooking or posting.

Here is a recipe which I am re posting it for my dearest Jagruti. But Promising that next two days are only for her... for her ongoing event  :I'm well stuffed.

Directly going to the recipe,( Aloo Pattice  is the original post)

Ingredients:

Potato -4 big

Haldi - 1/2 tsp

Kiraksali - 3 bunch(Washed, cleaned and finely chopped)

(In Harsha Bennur's blog (http://girmitt.wordpress.com/2008/07/25/roasted-kirkasaali-tandulsa/), he has given the name as Tandulsa for Kiraksali, I do not know which language it is.)

Green Pea(fresh or frozen) - 1/2 cup

Green chilly - 3 small chopped

Curry leaves - few chopped

Raisins - 8 to 10

Cashew nuts - 8 to 10 cut into pieces (optional)

Khus khus(poppy seeds) - 2 tbsp

Oil - 1 tbsp

Dalda or Vanaspati - 1 tbsp

Salt to taste

Lime juice - 1 tsp

Rice flour to dust the pattice

Oil to fry the pattice

Method:

Boil the potatoes. When cool, mash it. Add little salt (1 tsp) and haldi, mix it properly and keep it aside.

Heat oil and vanaspati in kadai, add curry leaves, peas (if frozen, keep it out of the fridge for 10 minutes before using it), green chilly. Saute it for a minute, now add raisins, cashew nuts and poppy seeds. After a minute add kiraksali. Add salt and haldi. Mix it and let it cook till the green leaves are cooked. Now add lime juice and mix it and keep it aside.

Next step is to make pattice and fry them in oil.

Make equal size(Big lemon size) of mashed potato. Take one, and press it on your palm to make it flat. Stuff it with ready leafy vegetable. Take care to cover full vegetable with potato. Otherwise all the masala will come out while frying. Do for all the potato balls. Dust the ready balls with rice flour.

Now, heat the oil in kadai. When hot, fry the pattice one by one till golden color.

4 to 6 pattice can be prepared with this quantity.

Linking this to Jagruti's event

Announcing an event - I'm well Stuffed !

Keep Smiling,

Rice flour and Oats Porridge

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

I am blessed with the kids who are not very fussy about the food. The little one is little choosy but always prefers the good food. Both are not much into junk food.

Everyday she should be ready by 7:20 in the morning, I should be always ready with her breakfast before 6:30. Usually I ask her what she would like to have in the morning for breakfast and will make according to that. Am I giving too much choice to her!! But, I feel the breakfast is the first food in the morning and I want her to have it full and enjoy it too. Anyways, her lunch is always my choice so I am not worried about the strict laws.

Coming to today's recipe, my younger one loves this! Porridge :-), I prepare porridge with fine semolina, oats, rice flour, ready idly batter.. She loves everything.

Today is the time to share the recipe of Rice flour and oats porridge. Its very easy and I know many of you also make it.

Here is my version,

The recipe is for one cup

Ingredients:

Rice flour - 1/4 cup

Oats or Oats powder- 3 tbsp

Water - 1/4 cup

Milk  - 1/4 cup

Salt to taste

Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp(do not add if giving for younger children)

A pinch of hing or cumin powder(optional)

Ghee - 1 tsp to serve

Method:

• Take the water and milk in a thick bottomed vessel keep to boil.
• When it starts boiling, add the rice powder and oats, keep stirring as there is a chance of getting rice flour lumps. 
• Once it is mixed well, keep on low flame and cook for few more minutes. Keep watching for the water consistency. Add some more water if you feel the porridge has become more thick or its still not cooked.
• Add hing or cumin powder and pepper powder.
• Remove from the heat, add salt. Mix well.
• Serve hot with ghee.
• Its good for those also who are not keeping well(minus the ghee)
• Serve with roasted paapad and pickle for dinner.

Sending this to three events. 
The First  one is

Nithu's ongoing event:

Event Announcement : Know Your Flour - Rice Flour

 which is started by Jagruti

The Second one is Jagruti's

Announcing JCO event - Super foods~Super Power

The third one is Srivalli's 

Announcing 30 Minutes Meal Mela

Keep Smiling,