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Friday, December 31, 2010

NEW YEAR WISHES

WISHING YOU ALL
12 Months of Happiness,
52 Weeks of Fun,
365 Days of Success,
8760 Hours of Good Health,
525600 Minutes of Good Luck,
31536000 Seconds of Joy..
Have a great year ahead!
HAPPY NEW YEAR 2011!!!

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

CREAM OF CARROT AND ALMOND SOUP


INGREDIENTS:

Carrots (diced) - 2 cups
Almonds - 6
Butter - 1 tablespoon
Onion - 1 ( medium- sized)
Fresh cream - 1/4 cup
Boiled milk - 1/2 cup
Salt - as per taste
Black pepper powder - 1/4 teaspoon

To garnish:
Grated almond - few
Chopped parsley or Coriander leaves - few

METHOD:

Wash the carrots well, peel the skin and dice to cubes. Chop the onions. Whip the cream and keep aside.

Melt butter in a pressure pan over medium heat. Add onions, carrots and almonds. Saute for a minute. Add two cups of water and cook for two whistles. When slightly cool, grind in a mixer, alongwith milk . Strain through a soup strainer. Add salt and pepper. Reheat in simmer for five minutes. Mix in the whipped cream and serve piping hot. Garnish with almond slices, parsley or coriander leaves.

Monday, December 20, 2010

MYSORE RASAM

The taste and aroma of this rasam is exotic, aromatic and unbeatable. I prefer to drink this hot rasam in a glass, as it is, like a soup.

NOTE: Some add coconut while frying & grinding the ingredients. But I don't as it will get rotten soon.

INGREDIENTS:


Toor dhal - 1 tablespoon
Tamarind - a small ball half the size of a lemon
Tomato - 1 big
Hing
Salt

To be fried in oil and ground to a coarse powder or paste:

Toor dhal - 1 tablespoon
Pepper - 1/2 tsp.
Dry red chillies - 1 or 2
Corinder seeds - 2 tablespoons
Cumin seeds - 2 tsps.
Oil - 1 tsp.

To temper:

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp.
Dry red chilliy - 1 (whole)
Curry leaves - a sprig
Ghee - 1/2 tsp.

To garnish:

Coriander leaves - few

METHOD:

Pressure cook toor dhal, mash it and keep aside. Extract pulp from tamarind. Fry the ingredients given in "To fry in oil" and grind it to a paste or coarsely powder it. Keep it ready.

Puree a tomato. In a utensil, add pureed tomato, tamarind pulp (you can also add tamarind as it is), salt and hing. Add half a cup of water and bring it to a boil till the raw smell of the tamarind is diffused. Now add mashed dhal, ground paste, and mix well. Boil for just two minutes. Add three more cups of water and boil till frothy. Turn off the stove.

In a kadai, heat ghee, temper with the given ingredients. Pour it over the rasam and garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Your spicy, tangy mysore rasam is ready.

Friday, December 17, 2010

CAULIFLOWER STIR FRY

INGREDIENTS:

Cauliflower florets (medium-sized) - 3 cups
Onion - 1
Chilli powder - 1/4 tsp.
Kashmiri chilli powder - 1/2 tsp.
Sambhar powder - 1 tsp.
Kesari powder - 1/8 tsp.
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Oil - 3 tsp.
Salt - as per taste

FOR TEMPERING:

Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp.
Urad dhal - 1/4 tsp.
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp.

METHOD:

Parboil the cauliflower florets with turmeric and salt. Dissolve kesari powder in 3 teaspoons of water. Keep aside.

Heat oil, temper with the given ingredients, add chopped onions and saute till translucent. Now, add all the powders, give a quick stir and add the parboiled cauliflowers. Stir well, sprinkle the kesari powder solution and cook covered in low flame for 5 minutes. Do not overcook. This should be slightly crunchy. Goes well with phulkas and also as a side dish with South Indian meals.

Monday, December 13, 2010

MINI IDLI SAMBAR (RESTAURANT STYLE) / HOTEL SAMBAR

How to make hotel sambar, How to make mini idli sambar

An easy to make, healthy breakfast with mini idlies dunked in hotel sambar. Mini idli and hotel sambar? Its just a different way of presenting things. A small variation alongwith the usual things gives the unique taste like hotel sambar. Read further on making hotel sambar. It took more time for me to type this recipe than to make this. Haha..
FOR THE MINI IDLIES:

Pour idli batter (click here for the idli batter) into the mini idli mould using a spoon and steam cook for 8 minutes. Take out from the mould and keep aside.

How to make hotel sambar, How to make mini idli sambarHow to make hotel sambar, How to make mini idli sambarSAMBAR RESTAURANT STYLE (HOTEL SAMBAR):

INGREDIENTS:
Toor dhal - 1/2 cup
Tamarind - half the lemon-sized ball
Pearl onions - 1/2 cup
Tomato - 2
Salt - as per taste
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp.
Sambar powder - 1 tablespoon
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp.
Hing
Oil
Curry leaves - few
Coriander leaves - few

To fry in oil and grind to a paste:
Coriander seeds - 2 tablespoons
Methi seeds - 1/4 tsp.
Chenna dal( to be fried) or Pottukadalai( need not be fried) - 1 tsp.
Poppy seeds - 1/4 tsp.
Dry red chillies / green chillies - 2
Pearl onions - 6(raw) (Grinding the pearl onions raw alongwith the given ingredients gives the hotel flavour).
Scraped coconut - 2 tablespoons

METHOD:

Pressure toor dhal with turmeric powder, mash well and keep aside.

Soak tamarind in lukewarm water and extract juice.
In a kadai, heat a spoon of oil and fry the items given in "To fry in oil and grind to a paste" (except pearl onions and scraped coconut) until golden brown. Add scraped coconut and raw pearl onions to it and grind to a thick paste using little water.

In the same kadai, heat oil, add mustard seeds, when they splutter, add curry leaves and pearl onions alongwith a pinch of salt and hing. Saute till translucent. Now add the chopped tomatoes, sambar powder, required amount of salt, and tamarind extract. Allow it to boil. Now, add the mashed toor dhal and ground paste. Let it boil unil the raw smell is diffused and semi - thick. Transfer it to a bowl. Hotel sambar is ready at home.

How to make hotel sambar, How to make mini idli sambar
HOW TO SERVE MINI IDLI SAMBHR (RESTAURANT STYLE):
INGREDIENTS:

Mini idlis - 10
Hotel Sambar - 1 cup
Carrot grated - 1 tablespoon
Coriander leaves finely chopped - 1 tablespoon

FOR TEMPERING :
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp.
Ghee - 1 tsp.

METHOD:

Arrange mini idlies in an oval plate, pour hot hotel restaurant style sambar over the idlies. The sambar should neither be too thick nor too watery. Add the tempering. Garnish with grated carrots and coriander leaves. Add little melted ghee on top. Serve hot.


Variation: Finely chopped onions for topping.

Friday, December 10, 2010

ONION CURRY


This is a very quick curry, yet tasty and can be done in less than 5 minutes, especially when you are running short of time and the vegetables are out of stock.


INGREDIENTS:

Onion - 1/2 kg.
Sambhar powder - 1 tsp.
Salt - as per taste
Oil - 3 tsp.

For tempering:

Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp.
White urad dhal - 1 tsp.
Turmeric powder - a pinch

METHOD:

Chop onions into thin, long pieces.

In a kadai, heat oil and temper with the given ingredients. Add chopped onions, salt & sambhar powder. Saute till done. Serve hot. Using sambhar powder gives a good aroma. This can also be had as a dry curry with chappatis. Best with south Indian thali.

Monday, December 6, 2010

VEGETABLE POHA / AVAL UPMA / ALOO POHA / KANDE POHA


This poha is best when done with thicker variety.

INGREDIENTS:

Thick poha / Getti aval - 2 cups
Carrot - 1
Potato - 1
Shelled peas - 1/4 cup
Chopped onions - 1/4 cup (optional)
Salt - as per taste
Chopped coriander leaves - 1 tablespoon
Scraped coconut - 1 tablespoon (optional)

For tempering:

Oil - 2 tablespoons
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp.
Urad dhal - 1/2 tsp.
Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp.
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp.
Peanuts - 1 tablespoon
Green chillies - 2
Hing
Curry leaves - a sprig

METHOD:

Wash the poha gently, drain the water completely and keep aside for 10 - 15 minutes. (By doing like this, the texture of the poha will be maintained instead of soaking in water for some time. However, if elders prefer the poha to be soft, soak in water for 10 minutes, squeeze out the water completely and use).

Heat oil in a kadai and temper with the given ingredients, add the chopped onions( I haven't used) and when translucent add the shelled peas, diced potatoes and chopped carrot. Loosen the poha gently with your hands and then add the poha. Add salt, mix it gently, sprinkle some water and cook it covered till soft. Add the grated coconut and mix gently again. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve with any chutney of your choice or tomato ketchup. Tastes fantastic when served hot.

NOTE: You can also squeeze the juice of a lemon at the end. If done with potatoes it is aloo poha and if done with onions it is kande poha.