SPICY POTATO GRAVY

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

How are you? Life is busy. We need to be very quick like the chefs in big restaurants. When we have kids, we should cook like a robot as we don't know when they get hungry and ask for something to eat. As mother's universal rule, we always want to feed them good home made healthy food and we should be prepared for the same. Why am I giving so much introduction to this post? Because I made this gravy on my younger daughter's demand which was surprising for me. She is a fussy eater, she likes very few food and suddenly she felt like eating chicken curry. When ever I make chicken curry, she eats only the curry as she does not like chicken. As the Shravan month is going on, this was the first time I stopped making non veg at home. I did not wanted to break this rule. So I convinced her that I will give the curry and went to kitchen to prepare something which tastes nearer to the chicken curry. Then I saw the potatoes. 

Here is the next story of my potato gravy. Its quick and very tasty. You will forget the chicken taste if you are a non vegetarian. 

Ingredients:

Potato : 3 big

Green chilly - 1, finely chopped

Salt to taste

Haldi - 1/2 tsp

Coriander powder - 1 tsp

Oil - 2 tbsp

Oil - 1 tsp

Red chilly powder  

Curds or yogurt - 1 tbsp

 to make paste

Onion - 1 medium 

Tomato - 2 medium(check the sourness)

Ginger and garlic paste - 1 tsp(fresh)

Fresh coriander - 1/2 bunch

Cinnamon - 1/4" 

Clove -2

Cardamom - 3 seeds

Pepper - 4 to 6

Method:

Boil the potatoes either on a gas stove with little water for 10 minutes or use Microwave for 5 minutes to boil the potatoes.(I used the microwave).

Once cold, peel and cut into small cubes. Keep it aside.

Mean while, take all the ingredients under"to make paste" label, grind into a smooth paste.

Heat oil in a pan or kadai, add the green chilly and ground paste and fry till it starts leaving its sides. Add salt, haldi, red chilly powder and curd. Mix well. Add the cubed potatoes and fry for some time. Add 1 cup of water and boil for few minutes. Add that extra tsp of oil and cook for two more minutes. Adjust the seasoning and remove from heat. 

Garnish with fresh coriander and serve it with hot rotla or chapati or roti or naan or hot rice. We all loved it with chapati.It goes well with Puri also.

Keep Smiling, 

O(pen)ATS SESAME, GINGER BARFI for PPCS

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

So how are you all?Girls from POTLUCK PARTY CYBER STYLE ! Are you all ready with the recipe from your partner's blog?

I am here with Nayana's recipe. Actually, she has posted Coffee n White Chocolate Panna Cotta  for the party . But,  sorry dear, my family is allergic to Gelatin and agar agar. I did not wanted to take a chance by preparing your dish. But I will make it some other day when I will be having guests at home.
And to get agar agar is a big problem in my city. I need to search a lot. China grass is available. I have used to many times in making custard but it has not set properly and don't want to spoil the dish. 

I checked her recipe index and most of her Western desserts are with Agar agar.  Then I thought of making some Indian sweets. At first I chose mysore-paak, but when I saw this recipe, I was happy because it has til and ginger which are my elder daughter's favorite and it has oats which makes it healthy. 

Please do visit her page for wonderful recipes.

The link for this recipe in her blog is HERE. 

Coming to MY recipe,

I have reduced the quantity as I had only 1/3 cup(80ml) of til. Still I got 10 medium size barfi.

And my barfi turned out white as the jaggery I used is white one. 

Ingredients :

Sesame Seeds - 1/3 cup

Oats - 1/3 cup 

Jaggery - 1/3 cup

Fresh Ginger grated - 1 1/2" or 2"

Ghee - 1 tbsp(I thought of pampering my barfis little bit)

Method 

Dry roast the sesame seeds till they splutter 

and oats separately for 10 minutes.

Allow to cool.

Grind the ginger for few seconds in a mixi. Add both the sesame seeds and oats. Churn to make course paste.

Grease a small plate with ghee and keep it ready.

Heat ghee in a thick bottomed kadai. 

Add the jaggery and bring it to a boil. 

Check the consistency  by taking a drop and putting it in a cold water bowl. If it hardens immediately then the syrup is done. 

Add the ready paste(or mixture). Mix well. 

Spread it on a greased plate. 

Allow it to cool. Cut into desired shapes.

Your healthy sesame seeds, oats and ginger barfi is ready to serve. 

My daughter and my hubby both enjoyed these barfis,

Thanks Nayana for such an easy and wonderful sweet recipe.

Sending this to Jagruti's event 

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

Keep Smiling, 

LADY FINGER OR OKRA CHUTNEY FOR PPCS

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

How are you? Festival time ladies. More work for us, more fun for family members, specially kids. All are waiting for the sweets, snacks and special main course.

Wait, I am not posting any special food for the party. Today I am here with a very simple side dish. Chutney is the basic item in a thali in any Indian food.

If you have not tried it before, you will really like it. Its different.

And can you guess with what we had this spicy chutney?? We had it with PAAPDIS. :-)
I got this recipe from my closest, dearest friend Renu, thanks dear :-) 

Jagruti has named me "CHUTNEY QUEEN" Trying to keep the title :-)

Coming to the recipe,

We need very few ingredients to make this chutney.

Ingredients:

Lady finger(Okra) - 150 gm(big ones, you can see in the photo, I took 12)

Oil -1 tbsp

Green chilly - 6 to 8(depends on the chilly, I took more because I wanted it spicy)

Fresh Coriander - 1 small bunch

Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp

Crystal Salt to taste(optional, you can use the normal table salt)

Garlic - 1 small bulb(6-8 cloves)

Lime juice -1 tsp+ 1 tsp

Method :

• Wash and dry wipe the lady fingers and keep it aside.
• When dry, cut into round pieces.
• Heat oil in a thick bottomed kadai.
• Fry the cut lady finger pieces for some time.
• Add 1 tsp of lime juice to remove the stickiness.
• Add Green chilly and peeled garlic.
• Fry all till brown.
• Let it be cool.
• Separate the chilly and garlic.
• Take the cleaned fresh coriander, cumin seeds, chilly and garlic in a mixi.
• Grind into a coarse paste.
• Add the fried lady finger and just turn the mixi for few seconds. 
• Transfer into a bowl, add a tsp of lime juice. Adjust the seasoning. 

Enjoy it with chapati, hot rice and ghee or even a curd rice.

My husband brought the Paapadis in the evening when I made this chutney. My elder daughter and him both enjoyed the Paapadis with this spiciest chutney. 

This is my entry to 

Jagruti's  event:

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

Keep Smiling,

EGG LESS SUPER MOIST CINNAMON AND COFFEE CAKE(Food Remake)

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

bAKE, bAKE, bAKE AND bAKE....

BAKE THE CAKE,

CAKE BAKE

Are you all thinking something is wrong with me!! This is what has happened to me now a days.. Yeh BAKING ka BHOOTH  sar pe chad gaya hai, sarr pe kya pure dimaag me chaagaya hai, its controlling my mind and brain.

I had tried this cake almost a year back and those were my initial days of baking, It was not a flop but not good also. It was not baked properly. And I left the hope of baking it again. But, the other day when I was going through the recipe book, I got this one and this time I was very sure that it will come out good. Yes! and it came out like a ...??? no words.. I never thought I can bake an Egg Less cake with this much soft, moist and perfect. I am sorry, I am going on and on..... 

Coming to the recipe,

I adapted this from Sanchita of http://litebite.in/

Check out her space.. if you are a baking bhooth and eating bhooth She got N numbers of baking recipes. Here is the link for today's recipe Cinnamon Tea Cake

This time, I have substituted few ingredients to suit the taste of my kids. My younger one likes chocolate in everything. So thought of adding some cocoa powder and to make it  healthier for kids, I added some nuts to it.

Coming to the recipe,

I have altered her recipe as per my taste.

Ingredients :

Dry Ingredients:

All Purpose flour - 1/2 cup

Whole wheat flour(I have used Aashirvaad brand) -  3/4 cup

Cocoa powder - 1/4 cup 

Powdered sugar - 1 cup or less

Cinnamon powder - 1 tsp

Instant coffee powder - 1/2 tsp(I have used Nescafe, Rs.2 sachet)

Baking soda - 1 tsp

Salt - 1/2 tsp

Liquid Ingredients:

Vegetable oil - 6 tbsp

Vinegar - 1 tbsp

Yogurt or curds - 1/2 cup

Strong coffee decoction - 1/2 cup

Vanilla Essence - 1 tsp

Method:

• Preheat the oven at 180°C.
• Spread the aluminium foil in a rectangular tin for baking the cake and keep it aside.
• Take all the dry ingredients and sift at least 3 times in a wide vessel. This is very important step.
• In another vessel take powdered sugar and oil and beat it till it is soft, for about 8 to 10 minutes. I used a normal egg beater. ( not electric one)
• Add the curd, coffee decoction, vinegar and vanilla essence in the sugar and oil mixture and mix thoroughly. 
• Slowly add the liquid mix in the dry mix and beat lightly till it blends well and get the normal cake mix. Don't over do it. 
• Pour this ready mix into baking tin and bake it for 15 min at 180°C and 10 min at 150°C or till done. The power of your oven plays an important role here. My OTG is more powerful. I always bake at lower temperature than given in the recipe. 
• Check with a clean knife or thin rod to check whether its baked properly.
• Take it out from the oven and let it cool on a wire rack. Your Cinnamon and Coffee Cake is ready to serve. 

Sanchita says you can keep it for a week, but mine gets over in a day or two. 

• 
  

CUSTARD POWDER COOKIES (FOOD REMAKE)

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

How are you? How is the weather there in your place? Here its very cold. Past 3 days its raining cats and dogs. Rainy season! enjoy the rain. I am enjoying it. Snacks are must in this rainy season to munch any time  with hot cuppa coffee or chai or milk. Some time sweet snacks, sometime savory.

According to me,(and my kids of course) cookies are the best sweet snacks to munch any time.

Today I am here with a different cookies. Different because its having Custard Powder in it. I have used custard powder in baking cakes and breads, but had never used it in cookies.

This time Jagruti's event Potluck party, Cyber style! - Fun and the Challeng... chose Ramya of LemonKurry  as my partner for this month and she has prepared these lovely cookies. The recipe link is HERE .

Hey Ramya, my kids enjoyed these. Thanks dear for sharing this recipe with all of us and bringing it to the party.

I am here with her recipe prepared by me. There was a mistake in something 

I think, because my cookies got skinny. I did not get the fat ones. But taste was good and all got over within half a day. My kids loved it. And I too liked the custard flavor in the mouth.

Ingredients:

All Purpose flour - 3/4 cup +1/8 cup or  200 gm

Custard powder -  3/4 cup or 150 gm

Butter - 3/4 cup or 150 gm

Sugar - 3/4 cup or 150 gm

Baking Sod - 1/2 tbspa

Salt a pinch

Vanilla essence - 3 drops

I added

Cocoa powder - 2 tbsp to half of the dough done

Method :

Take APF, salt and baking soda in a bowl. Sieve it and keep it aside.

Pre heat oven.

Mix the custard powder with APF mix and mix well.

Whisk sugar and butter in a bowl till soft. Add vanilla essence and stir well.

Add the dry flour to this mix to make soft dough. 

Ramya says NOT TO FREEZE THE DOUGH.

Roll the dough in to your desired thickness.  

Cut with a cookie cutter or knife to make shapes.

Arrange these in a baking tray and bake it for 10 minutes or less. Keep an eye to check. Mine got burnt as I kept it for long time because my first batch was very soft.

AND 

I DIVIDED THE DOUGH IN TWO. IN ONE I ADDED 2 TBSP OF COCOA POWDER AS MY YOUNGER ONE WON'T EAT COOKIES IF THERE IS NO CHOCOLATE IN IT.

I got 15 big cookies. 

Sending it to the party.

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

Keep Smiling,

RICE AND JAGGERY PAYASAM

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

A quick and very easy dessert. Healthy for people who are sick(suffering with normal fever or cold). The day doctor suggests that you can give jaggery to your baby, this is the best food(minus the coconut milk). No need to buy anything extra for it. You will usually have all these at home. Its quick dessert for unexpected guests. Believe me, it looks bland but the taste is really very good.

Coming to the recipe,

Ingredients:

Rice flour  - 1/2 cup

Jaggery - 1/2 cup or less (grated or powdered)

Water - 1 cup

Milk - 1/2 cup

Coconut milk powder - 2 tbsp or freshly  coconut milk - 1/4 cup

Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp

Almonds and cashew nuts - 1 or 2 tbsp, crushed or cut into small bits

Ghee to fry the dry nuts

Method:

Keep water to boil in thick bottomed pan.

Take half the milk in a bowl and mix the rice flour in it to remove lumps. 

In other half milk add the coconut milk powder and mix well to avoid lumps. (skip this step if you are using fresh coconut milk) 

Once the water start boiling add the jaggery and allow to melt. If you see any dirt in it please sieve and keep again to boil. 

Now add the rice flour and milk. Mix well to avoid lumps. Boil on a medium flame for few minutes. Add the coconut milk cardamom powder. Boil till the rice flour is cooked. The color will change and you will get the nice aroma of the cooked rice flour. Remove and keep it aside. Heat ghee in another small pan, fry the nuts.

Add it to the ready payasam.

Isn't it easy? And its really delicious, the coconut flavour is really a blessing in this dessert.

Keep Smiling,

KUZHALAPPAM for ICC JUNE

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

Fried food again!! I am not that fond of these oily things, I am not 100% health concious and I don't like diet. Still these fried foods are always at the last in my "to eat wish list". This month Valli announced the recipe for  Indian Cooking Challenge, and it is this. A delicious treat from the God's own country, Kerala. She has suggested 3 recipes and given us the choice to follow either one of those. I have followed KUZHZLAPPAM from Julie of www.erivumpuliyumm.com. 

This is a very simply dish but tasty and the interesting part is the shape. My kids loved these. I served these with spicy green tomato chutney. It was really delicious. 

Please visit Valli Kuzhalappam ~ Kerala Special or Julie(www.erivumpuliyumm.com)for the detailed recipe. 

I am happy that I finished my challenge and enjoyed it too. Waiting for more challenges and hoping that I will be part of it on regular basis.

Keep Smiling,

CHINESE SAMOSAS FOR PPCS

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

Its Party time again ladies. I can not wait to see your entries. I am here with a starter this month. The best way to avoid making more quantity of main course!! Starters!! If starters are tasty, then the main course remains behind, Just joking :-)))))

Starters are the main attraction of any party in any season. We Indians are more attached with fried food for starters. Baked or steamed or raw food starters are still not popular in India. I prefer even any salad bar as a starter but I don't want my guests to scold me for giving a raw food. So I am here with a fried starter which is famous in India... Samosas. Who does not like Samosas?? I!! I really don't like those regular big and hard covered samosas. This one food is always last in my menu. But I love the Mini Samosas . And here today I am with Chinese Samosas. Wondering what is this Chinese? I have stuffed the samosas with Chinese style stir fried vegetables. 

Actually to confess, I started making spring rolls, but could not get proper rolls. I was upset, this was second time it went wrong while preparing for the party. Last time also I had prepared Veg Sheekh kabab but went wrong with the clicks. 

This time I thought I will make use of the same ingredients and make something special then got this idea of converting Spring rolls into Samosas 

:-) 

All is well that ends well... Here is my story of Spring rolls to Samosas. 

Ingredients:

For the Cover:

All purpose flour - 1 cup

Corn flour - 1/8 cup

Salt to taste 

Warm water - required to make soft dough.

For the filling:

Cabbage - 1 small or 2 cups, finely chopped into very thin strips(very imp)

Carrot - 1 big, again finely chopped into thing strips

Beans - 12-15, finely cut in to cubes

Sprouted moong - 1/2 cup

Corn - 1/4 cup,(fresh or canned one)

Oil - 2 tbsp

Green Chilly or small bell pepper - 1 finely chopped

Garlic - 3 cloves, finely chopped

Ginger - 1/4", finely chopped

Soy sauce - 2 tbsp

Vinegar - 1 tbsp

Corn flour - 1 tbsp

Salt to taste

Sugar - 1 tsp

Pepper - 1 tsp(if not giving for kids, add some more)

Oil to fry.

Method:

Take all the ingredients for cover except warm water. Slowly add the water to make a very soft dough. (I used my darling Food Processor.) Keep the dough covered with a damp cloth for half an hour at least.

Till then,

Take oil in a pan, when its very hot, 

Add ginger and garlic, fry for few seconds, add beans and sprouts, cook for a minute. Add the carrot, corn and cabbage. Mix well and fry for 2 minutes on high flame. Turn in slow flame.

Add  all the other ingredients slowly one by one, mixing it well after each ingredient.Cook it for few more minutes till the vegetables are cooked but till little crispy.

Keep it aside.

I had kept both in the fridge for two hours(waiting for my kids and hubby to come home)

Take the dough, make small lemon size balls. Roll into small size puri 

(please follow this LINK to give the samosa shape) 

Fill the ready stuff with a small spoon.

Cover it nicely. Repeat with other stuff.

Keep the ready samosas in the fridge for 10 minutes before frying (optional)

Heat oil in a frying kadai.

Fry the samosas in batches. Serve hot with Ketchup. 

Green chutney won't go well with this as the stuffing is having Chinese flavor.

Its lovely and very different. Till you get a first bite in your mouth, your mind will be expecting the potato taste and you are fooled!! 

my spring rolls :-(

This is my entry to 

Jagruti's  event:

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

Keep Smiling, 

EGGLESS TUTTI FRUTTI SHORTBREAD(Food Remake)

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

Its two years now, BAKING has become a passion for me. Before,it was a nightmare for me. My kids loved cakes, pastries, brownies, cookies, all the possible baked sweets! Only and Only because of them I pushed my self to baking. If you remember, my first baking was My first bake - Chocolate Cookies which was a success then I did not turned back from baking. I faced may failures, I have thrown the whole unbaked cake into dustbin, I burnt the cookies, I forgot to add sugar while mixing... I took an oath not to bake again... But my Baking Saga continued. Now every one in my family, my friend circle their kids love my brownies, biscuits and cookies. Every one tells me that I should start a home bakery :-) Thanks every one for supporting me and encouraging me.

There are few things which are MUST in  the kitchen. We women are attached emotionally with our utensils(some times, feel bad to throw the burnt vessel or even a broken glass) and we are more careful with many gadgets like FOOD PROCESSOR, BLENDER, MICROWAVE, MIXER, OTG.. For me I can not stay without FOOD PROCESSOR AND OTG. Those were the years where it was difficult to search for such KITCHEN APPLIANCES in the market. We did not had any option other  than getting the best available (which ever) in the local market.

Now the time is changed. Its an ELECTRONIC ERA, This is an age of ONLINE SHOPPING.  We get many things sitting at home with just few keys pressed on the computer. I have a good experience with ONLINE SHOPPING. I enjoy it as its easy to search, compare and get it. I have ordered books from FLIPKART, I have ordered shoes from JABONG. But I was not knowing about the website CupoNation till few days back.

This website is connected with most of the ONLINE STORES with the DISCOUNT COUPONS on every product. The categories include Fashion, Books,Movies and Music, Electronic Items, Home and Living Appliances, Restaurant coupons, Travel coupons. They are connected with JABONG, FLIPKART, MAKE MY TRIP, SNAP DEAL, MYNTRA AND SO ON.. THE LIST IS ENDLESS. YOU GET THE DISCOUNT COUPONS FOR EVERYTHING.  Isn't it great? Visit them to get the full details and take the maximum advantage. Its really good,Try this link http://www.cuponation.in/homeshop18-coupons and you will get many kitchen appliances with the description, rate and the discount code. I am planning to buy Magik Gola/Slush Maker soon, as my kids love gola :-) "

They are on Face Book also. Follow them to know their regular promotions.

Isn't it a big introduction before my recipe starts? Yes, but without having OTG how can you bake the short breads I sharing with you all? So visit the site or share with others about it to buy all magical things.

Coming to the recipe,

Its not my own recipe, I have followed it from Priya of Enveetu Kitchen and she followed from  Sharmi's Passions, The chain continues like this if someone follows my recipe here. There is little bit change in my method, only because of my carelessness. But the result was good. 
I got around 20 cookies

Ingredients:

All purpose flour - 1 cup

Butter,unsalted - 1/3 cup, at room temperature

Sugar - 1/2 cup 

Milk - 2 tbsp

The easiest baking with tastiest results.

Method : 

In Actual recipe, you need to cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. But because of my carelessness I skipped this step and directly added all the ingredients except milk. Then I realized my mistake but it was late to take the butter and sugar out from the flour. So without any option I mixed everything for more time and added the milk at the end(after 5 minutes) and turned it into soft dough. I divided the dough in to two small balls, rolled it into 1/4" thick circle. Covered it with plastic wrap(I used) or parchment paper).You can roll into log also(Priya has done this) Refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes. 

Preheat the oven at 170C.

Grease a Baking tray and line it with parchment or just grease the tray(I did it)

Remove and cut into cookie shape(if you have cookie cutter) or any other shape with a sharp knife.

If you have the dough log, slice them into thick circle.

Transfer these in to tray.

Bake them 10-12 minutes, depending on YOUR OTG or oven capacity. Keep an eye after 8 minutes. 

Once the edges are brown, they are done. They will be soft when hot and turn crispy once cold. 

Allow then to cool :-)

Enjoy these sweet short bread with a hot cup of tea or a glassful of milk or just like that. Perfect for kid's in the evening.

Sending this to  Amrita's 

Event Announcement-Bake Fest# 21 

she is a host of this month's Bake Fest

Keep Smiling,