Vada Pav

Vada Pav, a bombay roadside delicacy that is the most favourite snack of my mum's. There are several variants of the vada itself and this recipe is of course what my mom makes. Pair a hot vada with a well toasted pav, mint and tamarind chutney and the chilli-garlic powder and trust me it can beat any pizza or pasta. To me the chilli-garlic chutney (kandya lasnachi chutney) is an essential ingredient and my folks got it for me from India. Vada pav isn't the same without this:D:D

Ingredients:

For chilli chutney that goes in the vada filling

1. Green chillies - 10
2. Corriander leaves - 1 bunch
3. Ginger - 1 inch
4. Garlic - 3/4 pods
5. Salt

For filling

1. Potatoes - 3/4 big, boiled and mashed
2. Onions - 1, finely chopped
3. Chilli chutney - 3 tbsps
4. Salt
   

For batter

1. Besan - 1 1/2 cup
2. Chilli powder - 1 tbsp
3. Salt
4. Water

For frying

1. A frying pan full of vegetable oil

For final assembly

1. Pav - slit into half and toasted with a little butter
2. Mint chutney
3. Tamarind chutney
4. Chilli-garlic powder

Directions:

1. Grind all the ingredients for the green chilli chutney together

2. Mix the ingredients for the filling together and make into small balls

3. Mix the ingredients for the batter together and dip the potato ball in it and then deep fry until golden brown

4. Put the fried vada in between the slit pav along with the chutneys and eat hot!!

Masala Macaroni

I call this the desi version of mac and cheese. Typical to desi food it has a lot of spices and just a little cheese to retain the Italian effect. The cheese again is Amul cheese which is as desi as cheese can get:). I used to make this a lot when I was in India and I think the origin was something similar that my friend used to bring for lunch. My mom likes this much better than the authentic versions and I love making this for her:) This is also an easy way to feed veggies to kids as they have an inexplicable bond with mac'n'cheese.



Ingredients:

1. Elbow macaroni - 1 packet
2. Carrots - 2 chopped into small pieces
3. Beans - ~25 chopped into small pieces
4. Onion - 1 big sliced
   
5. Peas - 1 cup
6. Ginger - 1 inch piece chopped fine
7. Garlic - 3 pods chopped fine
8. Amul cheese slices - 3 or 4 chopped into small pieces
   
9. Garam masala - 1/4th tsp
10. Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
11. Dried red chillies - 2
12. Curry leaves - 8
13. Lemon
    
14. Oil - 1 tsp
    
15. Salt

Directions:

1. Boil the elbow macaroni in hot water until it is a little underdone. Drain and keep aside.
   
2. Heat oil and add the curry leaves, dried chillies, ginger and garlic and let it cook for 1 min.
   
3. Add the sliced onion and cook until golden brown.
4. Add the rest of the veggies and cook until a little soft.
5. Add the garam masala, salt and chilli powder and the cooked macaroni. Mix well and place a lid and let it cook for 2 mins.
6. Turn off the gas and add half the cheese and mix in. Squeeze some lemon juice and mix in. Use the rest as a garnish before serving and enjoy hot!

Note: If you want this dish healthier, you can skip the cheese altogether and this dish would still taste yummy. You can also use a whole wheat version of the macaroni.

Paneer Capsicum

The inspiration for this dish came from a paneer tikka recipe that I have used previously. It is pretty simple to make if you have the mint chutney. I usually buy it frozen and use and it comes out really well. Good to ear with hot rotis.

Ingredients:

1. Slab of paneer cut into cubes
2. Mint chutney - 1 cup
   
3. Yogurt - 1cup
4. Ginger paste - 1 tsp
5. Garlic paste - 1tsp
   
6. Tandoori Masala - 1 tsp
7. Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
8. Salt
9. Capsicum - 2/3 chopped
10. Oil - 1tbsp
11. Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
12. Jeera - 1tsp
13. Haldi - 1/4th tsp
14. Curry leaves - 8
15. Green Chillies - 4 slit lengthwise

Directions:

1. Mix the yogurt, mint chutney, tandoori masala, ginger paste, garlic paste, chilli powder and salt and marinate the paneer cubes in it for a couple of hours in the refrigerator. Overnight is even better.
2. Heat oil in a pan and add murtard seeds, jeera, turmeric and let it sputter.
3. Add the green chillies and curry leaves and sautee for some time.
4. Add the marinated paneer cubes after draining away the liquid and stir fry until they brown around the edges. Save the marinade.
5. Add the capsicum and stir until they are a little cook. They do not need to be soft and fully cooked so that there is some crunch to the dish.
6. Add the left over marinade and cook on high heat for 2 mins and turn off the gas. Enjoy with rotis or just by itself. Trust me its yummy!
   

Avial

I have extremely fond memories of Avial from childhood. Every year I would get invited twice to my friend Vimi's home for Onam and Vishu. They would have elaborate n course meals on banana leaf and I would eat until I could eat no more. The dishes I remember the most are the Avial, Kootu Curry, Payasam and Sambhar. We would eat the entire meal and then take a break of a couple of hours before her mom gave us piping hot payasam or pradhavan to fill the very small gap created in our tummies from an hour of activity. Those days of high metabolism were sheer bliss when I could eat without bothering about the weight I would put on ;). Sigh....:)...The credit for this recipe goes to my MIL and FIL who sent me elaborate emails on the process of this dish. Part of the credit also goes to my friend's mom who explained the recipe to me several times when I was a kid:D:D

Ingredients:

1. White pumpkin - 8 inch piece
   
2. Yellow pumpkin - 8 inch piece
3. Raw banana - 3
4. Beans - 15-20
5. Carrot - 2 medium sized ones
6. Peas - 1 cup
7. Drum sticks - 2/3
8. Potato - 1 big
9. Brinjal
10. Fresh grated coconut - 1.5 cup
11. Coconut milk - 1 cup
    
12. Jeera - 4 tbsps
13. Green chillies - 7/8 (or as spicy as you like)
14. Curry leaves - 7/8
15. Coconut oil - 1 tbsp
16. Yogurt - 2 cups
17. Salt
    

Directions:

1. Cut each of the veggies the length of a matchstick and width of ~ .3 inch (hehe)
2. Boil them in water until they are a little under done. The veggies that have similar cooking times can be cooked together but I just cooked each of them separately.
3. Grind the green chillies, jeera and cucunot together into a fine paste.
4. Heat the coconut oil and add the curry leaves to it.
5. Add the cooked veggies, salt and the paste and mix together well. Once it is all blended together take it off the gas.
6. Add the beaten yogurt (as much as required) and mix everything together. Enjoy with hot rice!!!
   

Navarathri Golu 2008 - My 3rd year:)

This is my 3rd Navarathri Golu, as I have already gushed about before, and I am so in love with it. Since I had more time this year to focus on peripheral development I did a lot of stuff besides the main padis. We reused the padis from last year and my in-laws brought me a lot of more dolls. I also discovered this amazing Japanese store in Mountain View where everything sells for $1.50 and bought loads of dolls and stuff for gifts. Here are the pics -


This is the mail golu with the kalash and marapachi on the 5th step. Priya mentioned that the traditional dolls, kalash and marapachi can also be kept on the second step and we will probably do that next year. This year my second and third step had the international dolls and the 5th step had the new wedding set and chettiar set. The 4th step was dedicated to Astalakshmi and Dasavathar sets.


This is the national park I made with a felt bloth for the base and fake grass that my in-laws got from India. The animals were from Michaels and for the fun of it I called it "Jim Corbett National Park".


This is Rampur village with a pen containing pigs, geese and hens, a bullock cart, a well and few huts.

This "piece of art" is called pebble beach - the logic being that pebble beach is surrounded by golf courses and that explains the grass:D:D. The sea is simulated by using blue times at the bottom of a plastic box and water and there is some frogs dressed for a day at the beach.


This is my bedroom set with a lady looking into the miniature dresser and a guy sleeping on the bed with a pillow and comforter which I made out of paper napkin and gift wrapping paper.


I am already thinking of ideas for my next one and excited about it. Cannot wait until then:) I also made truck loads of food the last two days for all the families that came home for the haldi-kumkum. The menu was curd rice, puliodarai, sundal and kesari. I think I missed taking pictures of all of these. But it was yummy and I am bored of it already:D. Anyways, thats until next Navarathri. Looking forward to all the Diwali goodies now.

Happy Navarathri

Wish you all a very Happy Navarathri! I am very excited about my third Navarathri golu and I have put in a lot of effort into doing things differently this year. :) I will post all the pictures of my golu after Navarathri.

Traditionally we are supposed to make one variety of sundal every day and I try and do a different one everyday but by far my most favourite is the Kabuli Chana sundal and the Kala Chana sundal. These two will be repeated atleast once during these nine days. Sundal is very healthy (if made the right way) dish high in protein. So I enjoy it immensely and even make it regularly on other ocassions.

I will be updating this blog with pictures of all the sundals I made over the span of 9 days.

Kabuli Chana/Konda Kadalai Sundal


Kala Chana / Karuppu Konda Kadalai Sundal


Moong Dal / Payatham Paruppu Sundal


Lobiya Sundal / Karamani Sundal



The rest of the days I ended up repeating some. My mom also made Soybean sundal but I forgot to take the pic. I soaked the soybean assuming it is yellow peas but when I looked at it the next day, it had grown oblong:D But this was a good one too.

General ingredients and directions for any type of sundal are -

Ingredients:

1. Pulses or beans - 2 cups soaked and cooked until a little soft but still retain a little bite
2. Grated coconut - 3 tbsps
3. Dried red chillies - 8
4. Curry Leaves - 10
5. Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
6. Urad dal - 2 tsps
7. Hing - 1/2 tsp
8. Gingelly oil or any vegetable oil - 1 tbsp
9. Salt
   

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. Once they have popped add the urad dal and stir until golden brown.
2. Add the red chillies and curry leaves and sautee until you can smell the aroma.
3. Add the hing, salt and beans and coconut and mix well.
4. Place a lid and steam until done and enjoy hot!
   

Vegetable Cheese Toast

This recipe was inspired by Nupur's (of One Hot Stove) Cheese Toast Recipe. I came home after an evening of shopping and had to think of something quick to finish the bread that was going to expire in two days and without too many ingredients and I thought of this. I changed the way the veggies were made although the basic idea is the same as Nupur's recipe. It is a really quick and easy snack or meal when you have bread on your hand and some frozen veggies.


Ingredients:

1. Potatoes - 2 small cut into small cubes
2. Frozen or fresh mixed vegetables
3. Kitchen king masala - 1 tsp
4. Garam masala - 1/2 tsps
5. Chilli powder - 1/4 tsp
6. Curry leaves - 5
7. Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
8. Jeera - 1/2 tsp
9. Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
10. Salt
11. Oil - 1 tsp
12. Whole wheat bread slices - 8
13. Mozzarella or any low fat cheese - 1 cup grated
14. Red chilli flakes
15. Dried oregano
    
16. Tomato ketchup
    

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a pan and add jeera, mustard, turmeric, curry leaves and let the mustard seeds sputter.
2. Add the potato cubes and let them turn a little brown at the edges.
3. Now add the frozen vegetables, kitchen king masala, chilliw powder, garam masala, salt and about a half cup of water and steam it all until it is well blended and well done.
4. Toast slices of bread until well done. Apply a layer of ketchup and then a layer of the cooked veggies.
   
5. Top with some cheese and red chilli flakes and oregano and broil it until the cheese melts. Serve hot with ketchup or any chutney and enjoy!

Spicy & Healthy Palak Pulao

I came up with this recipe based on several that I read online and also used part of my mom's recipe for cauliflower pulao. I was also inspired by Sindhu's methi pulao to try and make something different with palak. The trick is to add as much palak as you can and make people eat it without knowing that it is healthy:)

Ingredients:

1. Red Onion - 1 large chopped finely


2. Garlic - 4-5 pods


3. Ginger - 2 inch piece


4. Green chillies - 7/8


5. Palak - 2 packs of fresh of 1 pack frozen (thawed)


6. Potato - 1 cubed


7. Carrots - 2 big roughly chopped


8. Beans - 1 cup chopped
   


9. Peas - 1 cup


10. Olive oil - 2tsps


11. Cardomom whole - 5/6


12. Cloves - 5/6


13. Bay Leaf - 1


14. Jeera Dhania powder - 1 tsp
    


15. Red chilli powder - 1 tsp


16. Curd - 1/2 cup beaten'


17. Basmati rice - 2 cups


18. Water - 4 cups
    


19. Salt
    

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil and add the bay leaf, cardomom and cloves and let them turn a little brown


2. Add the onions and sautee until they turn brown


3. Make a paste out of the ginger, garlic, green chillies and salt


4. Add this paste to the onions and sautee until the raw smell goes away


5. Add the potatoes, carrot and beans and sautee until the edges brown


6. Add the peas and palak and let the palak wilt down


7. Add the rice and mix it up well with the veggies


8. Add the jeera dhania powder, red chilli powder and curd and mix it well with the veggies and rice


9. Add the water and let the whole thing cook until rice is soft. Or just dump it all in a rice cooker and let it cook. Enjoy hot with raita!
   

Cabbage Kootu

This is a very healthy version of cabbage kootu as I do not use any coconut and very little oil for the tempering. Its a yummy dish of its own to be had with hot steaming rice and a simple way of making the boring cabbage exciting. Again, I don't have a picture yet but will try to click one soon. The proportions here make a big potful.

Ingredients:

1. Cabbage - 1 small or 3/4th medium sized
2. Moong dal - 2 cups
3. Curry Leaves - 8
4. Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
5. Red chillies - 3
6. Oil - 1tbsp
7. Salt
   

For the masala:

1. Chana dal - 3 tbsp
2. Black pepper - 3 tbsp
3. Red chillies - 8
4. Urad Dal - 3 tbsp
5. Grated coconut - 1 tbsp

Directions:

1. Heat the oil and temper the mustard seeds
2. Add roughly chopped cabbage and saute for 10 mins
3. Add the moong dal and roast for 10 mins
4. Add enough water to soak the moong dal and cabbage, salt to taste and let it cook until soft.
5. Dry roast all the ingredients for the masala until the aroma comes out and grind in a mixer to a fine powder.
6. Once the cabbage and dal is cooked, turn off the heat and add enough masala to make it spicy and stir it in. Enjoy hot with rice:)
   

Peerkangai Thogayal

This is a really simply and yummy tamilian recipe for ridge gourd chutney. I do not have a picture at the moment but will update once I have it. It should be eaten with hot rice and ghee to really understand the full extent of its taste:).

Ingredients:

1. Ridge Gourd or Peerkangai(Tamil) or Beerakai9Telugu) or Dodka(Marathi) - 5, medium sized
2. Tamarind - 1.5 inch piece
3. Black pepper - 1 tbsp
4. Dried red chillies -10
5. Salt 1/2tsp
6. Urad dal - 3 tbsps
7. Hing - 1/2 tsp
8. Sesame seed oil or any vegetable oil - 1.5 tbsp
9. Curry Leaves - 8
10. Mustard seeds - 1tbsp
    

Directions:

1. In a pan heat 1/2 tbsp of oil and saute the black pepper, red chillies(7) and urad dal(only 2 tbsps) separately until well roasted and keep aside.
2. Peel the ridge gourd a little to remove some rough edges but not all the peel and chop into small pieces. The smaller you chop, the faster this will get done.
3. Saute the ridge gourd in the same pan until it is soft and cooked.
4. In a mixer grind together the roasted spices, ridge gourd (after cooling), salt, hing and tamarind until it is a smooth paste.
5. Heat the rest of the oil and temper mustard seeds, remaining red chillies and urad dal and curry leaves.
6. Garnish the chutney with the tempered mixture and enjoy!
   

Mexican Veggie Burrito/Fajita

This is my own (healthier) version of the mexican veggie burrito/fajita. I have tips to make the unhealthier version as well at the bottom. The key ingredient to bring the taste together for this one is, believe it or not, Sriracha sauce (Vietnamese/Thai hot sauce). I know it sounds a little weird but trust me on this one:). This dish was inspired by all the burritos and fajitas I ate and wished they were done a little differently. The spiciness thats comes out of the recommend ingredients might be a little too much for some of you. But you can always tone that down by using less of the peppers. This is really easy to make for a crowd as you can just make all the ingredients in advance and place it out in front of them and let them assemble it as they like it. I do not have pictures for this one yet but promise to post one soon. Here goes -


Ingredients:

1. Black beans - 2 cans
2. Onion - 1 medium size cut into thin slices
3. Bell peppers - 1 each of red/yellow/green thinly sliced
4. Tomato - 1 big finely chopped
5. Cilantro - 1 bunch finely chopped
6. Avocado - 1 cut and smashed with lemon juice
7. Chopped lettuce
8. Chopped spring onions
   
9. Cumin powder - 1 tsp
10. Cayenne pepper - 1/2 tsp
11. Paprika - 1 tsp
12. Dried oregano - 2 pinches
13. Dried thyme - 2 pinches
14. Dried parsley - 2 pinches
15. Dried rosemary - 1 pinch
16. Dried sage - 1 pinch
17. Freshly ground pepper - 2 pinches
18. Spinach or sun-dried tomato tortillas
19. Sriracha sauce
    
20. Crushed red pepper - 1 tsp
21. Olive oil - 1 tbsp
22. Salt
    

Directions:

Beans:

1. Drain the water from the beans and wash them thoroughly in water. This is to drain all the salt that comes with it.
2. Heat in a pan and add cumin powder, half the cayenne, paprika, black pepper and salt to taste.
   
3. Boil until the beans are thoroughly cooked and spices are blended and keep aside.

Sauteed Veggies:

1. Heat 1 tsp of olive oil and add the sliced onions, bell pepper, oregano, thyme, rosemary, sage, parsley, paprika, cayenne pepper, crushed red pepper, black pepper and salt.
   
2. Saute on high heat until the onion is a little cooked but do not overcook the bell peppers. They need to retains some crunch. Alternatively you can cook the onions first and then add the bell peppers.

Tortilla:

1. Heat a pancake pan or any flat pan.
2. Brush the tortilla on both sides with very little olive oil and toast it on the pan until it browns a little on both sides.
   
3. Do not roast too much if you want to eat a wrap as it will become stiff. I personally like it well done and toast ti really well and it tastes awesome.

Assembly:

1. Place the tortilla on a cutting board
2. Spread the cooked beans evenly.
3. Top with the sauteed veggies, avocado, tomato, lettuce, spring onions, cilantro
   
4. Garnish with Sriracha sauce and wrap it up.
5. You could also just service all the above as sides with the well done tortilla.
   

Tips to make it unhealthy:

1. While toasting the tortilla, do one side first and then flip. Sprinkle cheddar cheese and cover with a lid and toast until the cheese melts and then follow the assembly process.
2. Add a dollop of sour cream on top to make it yummier and unhealthier:)

Other Substitutions:

1. You can use a whole wheat tortilla instead of the spinach and sun-dried ones
2. The black beans can be substituted with pinto beans
3. You can also add rice cooked with tomato paste and vegetable broth and stuff that in this wrap to make it authentic mexican
4. You can replace the Sriracha sauce with salsa to make it less spicier
5. You can add grilled or sauteed marinated paneer to make this taste meatier.
   

Black Forest Cake

I made this black forest cake for my hubby's birthday . I use Nupur's recipes as posted here . Nupur thank you so much for this awesome recipe. It worked wonderfully and brought back memories of the cakes in India.






I must say this cake tasted mind blowing two days after it was baked. So the next time I will make this way in advance of the event. I did not make any modifications to the recipe except using a little less sugar and a little less of the instant espresso powder. I did feel like my cake layers came out a little hard and that is probably because I did not drizzle enough syrup. But after two days of soaking who cares!!! The taste is just out of this world!!!

In case you are wondering why the cake has the chocolate shavings only on the side, the origical plan was to ice "Happy Birthday" but the brilliant person that I am, I bought the red icing tube but not the front piping attachment for it!! So hubby had to make do with colorful candles on the top!!:)

Coconut cake with coconut cream cheese icing

This was my second attempt at a "real" cake with icing and I chose my dear friend Vindhya's birthday for this because my first attempt was a simple cake with whipped cream icing for her birthday last year. That was when I first got my stand mixer and I am in love with it ever since. I chose a coconut cake with coconut cream cheese icing because she is not a big fan of chocolate. A lot of things wen wrong with this one - the cakes had an uneven surface that I did not bother sawing off, the icing technique left much to be desired which meant that I had to cover it up with coconut flakes and that did not leave me any open space to ice "Happy Birthday" :( but the cake did taste ok and I hope she liked it:). Thankfully the candles made it look a little festive and the end product was passable.




I used this recipe for the cake and this one for the icing. The modification I made were -

1. I added coconut milk to the cake instead of regular milk to give it a coconut flavor and did not blend in the fresh coconut.
2. I also added 1tsp of coconut extract to the cake batter.
3. I added only one cup of sugar to the cake batter and and two cups of powdered sugar to the icing instead of the amounts prescribed.
4. The icing was made with low fat cream cheese instead of regular cream cheeses.
   

My next attempt will be the black forest cake using Nupur's (One Hot Stove) recipe for my hubby's birthday this weekend. I have my fingers crossed and I hope it turns out well.

Vegetarian Chili

Being a spice lover I have always been unhappy about not being able to eat "Chili" and this inspired a vegetarian version of the same. I would say that this is a hipper cousin of Indian Rajma with jazzier stuff thrown in and gets better tasting the longer you keep it although when I made the chili, it only lasted one evening. Needless to say it was a hit! I have drawn this recipe from several different versions online but was especially inspired by the Emeril Lagassa version here . I used 4 kinds of beans instead of just one and did not use as much tomato in the recipe otherwise it over powers other flavors.




Ingredients:

1. Can of black beans - 1
2. Can of kidney beans - 1
   
3. Can of pinto beans - 1
4. Can of white beans - 1
5. Zucchini - 1, chopped finely
6. Yellow onion - 1, chopped finely
7. Red/green/yellow bell peppers 1/2 each
   
8. Crushed Tomatoes - 1 can
   
9. Jalapenos - 1, finely chopped
10. Serrano peppers - 2 finely chopped
    
11. Mushrooms - 10-15 or 3 portabello mushrooms
    
12. Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tsp
13. Vegetable stock - 1 cup
14. Cayenne pepper - 1 tsp
15. Cumin powder - 2 tsps
16. Paprika - 1 tsp
    
17. Cilantro - 3 tbsps finely chopped
18. Sour cream - 3-4 spoons for garnish
19. Lemon - 1

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a pan and saute the onions until golden brown.
2. Add the finger garlic paste and stir for 1 min. Add in the tomatoes, zucchini, mushrooms, bell peppers and let them cook for 15 mins or so.
3. When the veggies are cooked well add the chopped chillies, cayenne pepper, paprika and cumin powder and mix well.
4. Add in the cans of beans and vegetable stock and let it all cook evenly and come to a boil.
5. Garnish with cilantro, lemon juice, paprika and sour cream (not shown in pic) and serve hot with some garlic bread or brown rice.
   

Pudina Sandwich

My love for this sandwich goes back to the days when we had "Sandwich Dinner Days" at home when mom and dad would make this Pudina Chutney and we would gorge on them like we hadn't eaten for days! The fun part of me was that I would get to make my own sandwich as a kid.:) Then there came a time when they started making these sandwiches at the chat thelas all over in Hyderabad which was pretty similar to what we had at home but also had a "chat" element to it with onions, sev and chat masala. I love both versions immensely and they make very good tea time snacks as well as full fledged meals when you don't have much time. It gets even easier if you make the pudina chutney recipe in advance and store it in the refrigerator. A friend of mine asked me to post some more quick and different dinner recipes like the Paneer pizza and this definitely falls in the category:)


Pudina Chutney

Ingredients:

1. Mint leaves - 2 bunches
2. Green chillies - 4/5 (depending on your spice tolerance)
3. Cilantro - 1 bunch
   
4. Ginger - 1 inch long piece
5. Lemon - 1
   
6. Salt
   
7. Yogurt (optional)

Directions:

1. Grind all the ingredients together except lemon/yogurt.
2. If using yogurt, beat some and mix with the ground chutney.
3. If not using yogurt, squeeze fresh lemon juice into the ground chutney.

Toasted Pudina Sandwich




Ingredients:

1. Bread slices ( Any white bread is fine. I use buttermilk bread) - toasted
2. Butter (I use "I can't believe its not butter")
3. Ketchup (I use Maggie hot and sweet tomato sauce)
4. Tomatoes - 2 sliced
5. Cucumber - 1, peeled and sliced
6. Carrot - 1, thinly sliced
   
7. Pudina Chutney
8. Salt
9. Crushed black pepper
   

Directions:

1. On one slice, apply some butter and ketchup and on the other slice apply the pudina chutney.
2. Layer one slice with the tomato, cucumber and carrot slices.
3. Garnish with salt and black pepper. Top it with the other slice
4. Cut into triangles and serve with kethcup.

Pudina Sandwich Chat Style:



Ingredients:

1. White bread - With edges trimmed off
   
2. Tomatoes - 2, sliced
3. Cucumber - 1, sliced
4. Pudina chutney
5. Amul Butter
6. Maggie hot and sweet tomato chilli sauce
7. Onion - 1, finely chopped
8. Sev - 1 cup
9. Corriander leaves - 1/2 bunch finely chopped
10. Salt
11. Crushed black pepper
12. Chaat Masala

Directions:

1. One one slice apply the butter and sauce and on the other spread the pudina chutney.
2. Layer one slice with cucumber and tomato slices. Sprinkle some salt, black pepper and chaat masala.
3. Top it up with the other slice and cut into 4 square pieces.
4. Place on a palce and garnish with onions, sev and cilantro and enjoy!

Note: If you plan on serving this sandwich after some time, do not garnish with sev before hand. It gets soggy. So add the garnish right before serving.

Gatte Ki Kadhi and Guvar Sabji - RCI Rajasthan

Gatte Ki Kadhi Recipe:

This is my first entry ever to any RCI event:)...This entry is for the RCI Rajasthan event. Unfortunately, I don't have any Rajasthani/Marwadi friends and the only influence of Rajasthani food I have had is from eating at those thali places in Hyd (kothi area and Dhola Ri Dhani) but I have enjoyed it immensely everytime I have had it.......This recipe was a mish mash of several recipes that I looked up online and personalized according to my taste. The kadhi was yummy and I would have loved to serve it with Bajra roti but did not have the time for it.



Ingredients:

For Gatte -

1. 2 cups besan
2. 1 tsp chilli powder
3. 1/2 tsp salt
4. 1/2 tsp turmeric
5. Jeera-Dhania powder - 1 tsp
   
6. Ajwain 1 tsp - crushed slightly
7. Curry leaves - 4/5 chopped finely
8. Handful of corriander leaves - finely chopped
9. Fresh ginger paste- 1tsp
10. Fresh garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
11. Baking powder - 2 pinches
12. Oil - 2 tbsps

For Kadhi

1. 4 cups of non fat yogurt
2. Turmeric 1/2 tsp
3. Red chilli powder 1 tsp
4. Jeera Dhania Powder 1 tsp
5. Salt
6. Walter
7. Curry Leaves - 4/5
8. Ajwain - 1/2 tsp finely crushed
9. Oil - 1 tbsp
10. Ginger paste - 1tsp
11. Besan - 2tbsps
    

Directions:

1. For the gatte, mix together together all the ingredients and then add enough water to get it into the consistency of dough. Do not knead it too much.
   



2. Make 1/2 inch wide and 5 inch long cylinders out of the dough.
   



3. Boil enough water in a pot and once it is bubbling drop in the cylinders and cook until the cylinders float up and look fully cooked.



4. Cut the cylinders in to 1/2 inch pieces.



5. Heat oil in a pan and saute the pieces until they brown a bit. Usually these are deep fried but I only saute-ed them and it works well. Must healthier too.



6. For the Kadhi, make a paste of besan and water and beat it into the yogurt with some water.



7. Mix in the turmeric, jeera-dhania powder, red chilli powder, ajwain and salt to taste
   



8. Heat oil and add cumin/jeera, curry leaves, ginger paste and saute for 1 minute.
   



9. Now add in the yogurt and the gatte and simmer on low heat until it is evenly heated.



10. Serve hot with rotis!

My variations: The changes I made was to add the ginger paste, garlic paste, ajwain, jeera powder, corriander, curry leaves and to saute the gatte instead of deep fry and it made a world of difference

Guvar Sabji :

This is a recipe that is very simple and I have often seen it served this way in Rajasthani thalis. I arrived at the recipe only from tasting it and hopefully it is how ti is made by Rajasthan:)

Ingredients:

1. Guvar - 3 cups, cut into inch long pieces



2. Oil - 2 tsps



3. Mustard seeds - 1 tsp



4. Jeera - 1tsp



5. Salt



6. Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
   



7. Jeera-dhania powder - 1 tsp



8. Jeera powder - 1 tsp



9. Yogurt - 1 cup



10. Water 1/4 cup
    

Directions:

1. Heat oil and add jeera and mustard seeds and let them pop.



2. Add the guvar and let is cook until a little soft.



3. Add the spices and water and steam until raw smell of spices goes away.



4. Once cooked, beat the yogurt and add it in. Take the dish off the stove and serve with rotis!
   

Roasted Butternut Squash with Penne

This is a yummy dish inspired by Nupur's (of One Hot Stove) lovely recipe of Roasted Squash-Onion Lasagna




I made the following modifications -

1. Instead of lasagna sheets I used a whole wheat penne. This is purely because I did not have lasagna sheets on hand when I made it but the whole wheat penne went really well with the butternut squash and the bechamel and gave it an earthy flavour and good bite.
   
2. I rubbed some dry italian herbs like thyme, rosemary, sage, oregano on the butternut squash and onion before roasting.
3. Before baking I topped the whole thing with a mixture of grated Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs instead of just the Parmesan cheese.
4. While making the bechamel sauce, I added some chopped garlic to the butter before the flour to give a garlicky flavor to the sauce.
5. I also shallow fried some sage leaves in olive oil and added it to the mixture before baking.

Thanks Nupur for this lovely recipe! i really enjoyed making it and eating it:)

Bhel Puri Chowpati Style

I can't really remember the taste of bhel puri I ate at the Chowpati beach but I do remember detesting the beach because it was so filthy. Yet, I always associate bhel puri with Chowpati. This is a very simple "semi-homemade" (as in Sandra Lee's show) version. Its a deliciously healthy snack for a weekend evening with chai:)

The other place I associate with bhel is this really famous bhel stall in Kolhapur called "Rajabhau Bhel". The bhel here is simply mind blowing and you really get spicy when you ask for spicy. I am drooling even as I write about this place.

Again, credit goes to my mommy dearest for the excellent bhel puri she always made for us customized according to individual likes and dislikes. :D:D Also another crazy fan of this dish is my sis Rashmi, ensuring that this is regularly made no matter where she is. There is nothing great about this recipe here except putting the right things together. So it is really easy to make.


To start off with I use an instant bhel puri mix which contains puffed rice, papdi, sev and some other yummy stuff. This is a shortcut to the way my mom used to make it with bhadang from scratch and other stuff bought individually from the Gujarati store.

The above pic shows the chutneys I use for the bhel. The one on the left is a sweet/sour tamarind chutney. Now this can be bought in the store and it is called tamarind-date chutney. The homemade version I make is slightly different and its recipe is below. The one on the right is a mint, green chillies and cilantro chutney. You get this in store too but I made this one at home and recipe is below.


The above picture shows the rest of the ingredients.


Ingredients:

1. 1 packet bhel puri mix
2. Cucumber - 2, chopped finely
3. Red onion - 1, finely chopped
4. Tomate - 1 large, finely chopped
5. Raw Mango - 1/2, finely chopped and a few long slices for garnishing
6. Cilantro - 1 bunch, finely chopped
7. Tamarind chutney - 1 cup
8. Mint/Cilantro Chutney - 1 cup
9. Salt
10. Red chilli powder
11. Sev for garnish
    

Directions:

1. The bhel can be mixed in batches of 2- cups each. In one large bowls, take 2 cups of bhel mix.
2. Add in as much of the cilantro, onions, tomatoes, cucumber and mango as desired (according to taste, I usually take less of onions and more of everything else).
3. Add in salt, red chilli powder (I add lots of this to make it spicy), tamarind chutney (1-2 tsps), mint/cilantro chutney (1-2 tbsps) and mix everything thoroughly.
4. Serve in smaller bowls and garnish with cilantro, mango slices, sev and green chillies:).

Tamarind Chutney Recipe:

Ingredients:

1. Tamarind - 2 inch ball
2. 1 1/2 cup water
   
3. Jaggery - 2 tbsps
4. Salt
5. Red chilli powder - 1/1 tsp
6. Jeera - 1tsp, roughly powdered
   

Directions:

1. Soak tamarind in the water and extract all the pulp.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients to the pulp and boil until it thickens into desired consistency.

Mint/Cilantro Chutney Recipe:

Ingredients:

1. Mint - 1 bunch
2. Cilantro - 1 bunch
3. Green chillies - 2,3
4. Salt
5. Ginger - 1 inch

Directions:

1. Grind the above into a soft paste with enough water to make the chutney into a runny consistency
   

Alu Poha / Pohe

This is a very typical Maharashtrian snack/breakfast that is healthy and yummy. It is made from poha which is essentially flattened rice. Health freaks can also make this with brown poha which is high in fiber and olive oil and can skip the potato. This can also be relished with roasted peanuts and a raw green chilli for those who enjoy spice. I sometimes add ginger in the tadka but that is optional too. I do not have a pic for this yet simply because I never thought of posting this recipe assuming that it is something everyone would already know. This recipe is in response to a request from a special friend who remembers my mom making it and would love to have the recipe...;)...Good luck Vinitha!

Ingredients:

1. Thick poha - 2 cups
2. Potato - 1 big or 2 small ones - Diced into thin slices about 1 inch long
   
3. Onion - 1 small one - finely diced into slices - not chopped
4. Ginger - 1 tsp chopped (optional)
   
5. Tomato - 1 - chopped
   
6. Vegetable oil - 1 tbsp
7. Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
8. Jeera - 1 tsp
9. Green chillies - 2/3 finely chopped
10. Curry leaves - 5/6
11. Lemon - 1
12. Salt
13. Turmeric - 1/4th tsp
14. Cilantro - 2 tbsps finely chopped
    

Directions:

1. Wash the poha in water and keep aside. Make sure you drain the excess water
   
2. Heat oil and to it add the mustard seeds, jeera, turmeric, green chillies and curry leaves and let the mustard seeds sputter.
3. Add the oinions and saute until golden brown.
4. Saute the potato until soft and cooked.
5. Add in the tomato and saute until cooked.
6. Now add in the poha, which should be soft by now and salt and mix well.
   
7. Let this steam until the smell of raw poha goes away.
   
8. Sprinkle lemon juice, garnish with cilantro and enjoy hot!
   

Vepam Poo Pachadi

A belated happy tamil new year to all of you. I had fun this tamil new year because my in-laws were around and it was a proper family affair. I also had to cook less because we split up the dishes. I got Pushnika Sambhar, Vepampoo Pachchadi and Aama Vadai. The recipe of Aama Vadai I have already posted here. The pic above is from last year -


Vepam Poo Pachadi: This is a traditional tamilian dish made on new years day. It has all the tastes possible - bitter/sweet/sour/spicy and I guess the idea is to start your year with all these tastes including bitter which is a result of the neem flowers or vepam poo.

Ingredients:

1. Tamarind - 1 hand full
   
2. Jaggery - 2 tsps
3. Salt
4. Dried red chillies - 2 or 3
5. Gingelly oil - 1 tsp
6. Rice flour - 1 1/2 tsp
7. Neem flowers - 2 tsps
8. Curry leaves - 4 or 5
   

Directions:

1. Soak tamarind in 1 1/2 cup of water and extract the pulp.
2. Roast the neem flowers in a little spray of oil until brown. Let it cool and grind it roughly into a powder in a pestle and mortar or just using a spoon
   
3. Heat gingelly oil and to it add mustard seeds, red chillies, curry leaves. Let the mustard seeds sputter and to it add the tamarind pulp and boil until the smell of raw tamarind goes away.
   
4. Add the salt and jaggery to the boiling pulp and bring to a simmer.
5. Mix the rice flour in 2 tbsps of water and add to the mixture above. Boil until the it reaches a thicker consistency and bring it off the stove.
6. Mix in the crushed neem flowers and enjoy hot!

Gudi Padwa Recipes - Neem Chutney, Amti, Cauliflower-Peas Sabji and Mango Rice

Gudi Padwa is coming up and this will my first one in the new house. I am looking forward to celebrating it grandly. There are some very typical recipes associated with the festival and will be posting there here soon:)


---- Follow up ( Pics will get added once I locate my camera charger)---------

Recipe 1 - Neem chutney

Ingredients:

1. Chana dal - 1 cup
2. Green chillies
3. Curry leaves - 4 or 5
4. Dried red chillies - 2 or 3
5. Tender neem leaves or neem flowers - 2 teaspoons
6. Asafoetida - 2 pinches
7. Salt
8. Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
9. Oil - 1 teaspoon
10. Corriander leaves - handful
    

Directions:

1. Soak the chana dal overnight
2. Grind the dal with green chillies, salt, corriander leaves
3. Heat oil and put in mustard seeds, curry leaves and red chillies. Garnish chutney with this.
4. I usually separate out a little chutney and add the tender neem leaves or fried neem flowers to it. The rest can be enjoyed without the bitterness.

Recipe 2 - Amti : Amti is a traditional maharashtrian dal which is a staple part of every meal.

Ingredients:

1. Toor dal - 2 cups
2. Turmeric - 1 pinch
3. Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
4. Jeera - 1 teaspoon
5. Oil - 1 tablespoon
6. Amsol or Kokam - 3-4 (This is a very typical ingredients used in some Maharashtrian and Konkani dishes )
7. Corriander leaves - handful, chopped
8. Red chilli powder - 1/2 teaspoon
9. Kala Masala - 1 teaspoon (This is again a very typical Marathi masala. I use the Joshi brand )
10. Salt
11. Asafoetida - 1 pinch
    

Directions:

1. Pressure cook the toor dal and keep aside.
2. Heat oil in and add mustard seeds, jeera, turmeric, asafoetida and wait until the mustard sputters.
3. Add the cooked toor dal, kokum, salt, chilli powder, kala masala and let the dal boil for 15 mins.
4. Garnish with corriander and serve with hot rice!

Tips: Variations of this amti are yummy too - I love the addition of brinjal, drumsticks and my favourtie is the one with pressure cooked jackfruit seeds.

Recipe 3 - Cauliflower/Peas sabji : This is a very simple sabji that I make on a regular basis.

Ingredients:

1. Medium sized cauliflower - cut into small chunks
2. Green chillies - 2 finely chopped
   
3. Frozen peas - 1 cup
4. Salt
   
5. Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
6. Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
7. Jeera - 1 tsp
8. Turmeric powder - 1 pinch
   
9. Vegetable oil - 1 tsp

Directions:

1. Heat oil and add mustard seeds, jeera, turmeric, green chillies and let the mustard seeds sputter.
2. Add the cauliflower and salt and saute until soft.
3. Add peas and chilli powder and let it cook for 5 more mins.
4. Garnish with lemon and corriander leaves.

Recipe 4 - Mango Rice (Chitranna): This is basically "lemon rice meets raw mango". A very simple yet delightful way of enjoying summer's arrival.

Ingredients:

1. Basmati rice - 1 cup (any rice is ok)
2. Raw mango - 1, grated
3. Lemons - 1 or 2
4. Salt
5. Green chillies - 2
6. Red dried chillies - 2
7. Curry leaves - 7 or 8
   
8. Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
9. Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
10. Urad Dal - 1 tsp
11. Chana Dal - 1 tsp
12. Oil - 1 1/2 tsp
    

Directions:

1. Cook rice and keep aside. Make sure it is not over cooked and grains are separate.
2. Heat oil and add mustard seeds, turmeric, green chillies, red chillies, curry leaves, urad dal and chana dal and stir fry until the urad dal turns golden brown.
3. Add the cooked rice, grated mango and salt and let it steam.
4. Take the rice off the stove and sprinkle lemon juice. Enjoy with raita!
   

Cinnamon Sticks

Oh yum!!! That is all I can say after having just munched on these delectable cinnamon sticks. They can beat any cinnabon chain at their own game. A very easy and crowd pleasing recipe:) I cannot remember what I read recently that inspired this recipe but I do remember looking up several blogs. Sadly I do not remember which ones and I cannot give credit to a single one. But thanks to whosoever's blog inspired this!!!:)

Ingredients:

1. Puff pastry sheets
2. Sugar 3-4 teaspoons
3. 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
4. A dollop of butter - melted

Directions:

1. Cut the pastry sheet into 3 inch X 1 inch strips. Pull each strip a bit and twist along the length of it.
2. Mix the sugar and cinnamon powder
   
3. Brush with melted butter on both sides and sprinkle generously with the cinnamon sugar on both sides.
4. Pre-heat oven to 350 F and bake the sticks for about 25 mins until they are well done. Allow it to cool just a but and enjoy them warm!
   

Pesarettu with Peanut Chutney

In hyderabad, near my home, there is this little shack that my dad brings the breakfast from very often. This grub has become our favorite for every time we visit and we always look forward to the idly, vada and most of all the pesarettu from this place. This was an attempt to capture that taste although it incomplete without the green ginger chutney that we get. Will try that next time but now here is what I have.

I am really glad I bought this non stick pancake pan. It allows me to make rotis and dosas without a single drop of oil. :)

Pesarettu Recipe: This recipe makes a lot but can be altered by just keeping the proportions same.

Ingredients:

1. Whole moong dal - 4 cups
2. Rice - 1 cup
3. Red chillies 5-6
4. Curry leaves 10-12
5. Ginger 5-6 stalks about an inch long
6. salt to taste
7. Asafoetida - 2 pinches
8. One medium size onion - finely chopped
   
9. 2 green chillies
   

Directions:

1. Soak the moong dal and rice overnight.
2. Grind the above with the red chillies, half the ginger, salt, curry leaves with enough water to make a dosa batter consistency
3. Finely chop remaining ginger, onion and green chillies
   
4. Spread on heated pan like a dosa and sprikle some onions, ginger and green chillies
5. When the pesarettu seems done on one side, pressing in the onions so that they don't fall off when it is overturned. Roast on other side too thoroughly.
6. Serve hot with the chutney.

Peanut-Coconut Chutney Recipe:

Ingredients:

1. One cup roasted peanuts
2. One cup fresh/frozen grated coconut
3. 1/2 onion chopped
4. 2 pods garlic
   
5. One inch piece of seedless tamarind
6. 4-5 dried red chillies
7. Salt to taste
8. 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
9. 1/2 teaspoon urad dal
10. 4-5 curry leaves
11. One tablespoon gingelly oil
12. One pinch asafoetida

Directions:

1. In a little bit of oil, saute the onion and garlic
   
2. Grind the peanuts, coconut, onion, garlic, tamarind, 2 red chillies, curry leaves into a fine paste
3. In a small pan, heat the gingelly oil and make a tadka with the mustard seeds, urad dal, asafoetida, red chillies and curry leaves. Pour this over the ground paste. Enjoy with hot dosas or pesarettus!!
   

Jeera Rice

Jeera rice is a perfect end to an Indian meal when you do not have the patience to make a pulao or biryani. I have had it in several dhabas in India and I must say that it tastes the best in the roadside dhabas than in any plush restaurant.

Ingredients:

1. 2 cups basmati rice
2. 3 1/2 cups of water
3. 1 cup frozen peas
4. 2-3 cloves
5. 2 green cardomom pods
6. 4-5 whole black peppers
7. 2-3 bay leaves
8. 1 inch small cinnamon stick
9. Any other dry masalas that you add for pulao
10. Jeera dhania powder - 1 teaspoon
11. 3 tablespoon jeera
12. 1 teaspoon ghee
13. 1 teaspoon oil
14. 2-3 long green chillies split in the middle
15. 7-8 curry leaves
16. Salt to taste

Directions:

1. Cook the rice in water just enough so that it is cooked but does not stick together much.
2. In a pan heat the oil and ghee.
3. Add the cinnamon, bay leaves, cloves, cardamom, jeera, black pepper and other pulao spices and roast until you can smell the spices.
4. Add the green chillies and curry leaves and fry until well done.
5. Add the green peas and jeera dhania powder. Once done., add the rice and stir s that all the spices and peas are blended well with the rice. Add salt to taste and steam the rice a bit. Once done, serve with raita.

Palak Paneer

Ooh palak paneer! There are very few restaurants that can get this right and make it taste as yummy as red gravy based paneer dish. I simply love it because it is healthy (if made right) and goes well with rotis or rice. THis is a very simple recipe that I came up with in grad school and was very happy with. My friend Vindhya makes a variation of this by adding some pudina/mint leaves along with palak which gives this a great flavor. I haven't tried this yet but I can imagine that it would be awesome. I use frozen palak for this because it is much easier but you could use fresh palak too. Although, fresh palak reduces a lot in quantity when boiled and you would need to use tonnes of it to make a decent quantity. The ghee can be substituted with oil but making the garlic-ginger tadka with ghee makes a world of difference in flavor. As an alternative, use a tiny hint of ghee mixed in oil. So here goes -

Ingredients:

1. Frozen palak (About two boxes)
2. Paneer - about 15-20 cubes
3. Ginger - 1 inch
4. Garlic - 2-3 pods
5. Green chillies - 4-5
6. Jeera - 1 teaspoon
7. Cream - 1 teaspoon
8. Ghee - 1 tablespoon
9. Vegetable oil - 1 tablespoon
10. Salt to taste

Directions:

1. Boil the palak in water with a little bit water with some salt and puree it with a hand blender.
2. In one tablespoon of oil, saute the paneer cubes until they are well browned and form a nice rust on the sides.
3. Make a paste of ginger, garlic, green chillies and jeera.
4. In a pan heat ghee and add the paste once it melts
5. When the ginger garlic paste is golden brown, add the palak puree and boil until the flavor of the ginger and garlic has seeped into the palak and you cannot taste raw palak anymore.
6. Add the fried paneer cubes and heat until the cubes soften in the palak.
7. Once it is done, take it off the heat and garnish with cream. Enjoy with hot rotis or biryani/pulav.

Bagara Baingan - Hyderabad Isshhtyle

Bagara Baingan is this amazing dish that will turn you into an eggplant lover. This is a very typical hyderabadi dish often served with Biryani or just plan white rice. With a rich gravy made of peanuts and sesame seeds, it gets tastier the day after it is made. So here goes -

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup peanuts
2. 1/4th cup sesame seeds
3. 2 spoons poppy seeds
4. 3-4 cloves
5. 1/2 inch long piece of cinnamon (This is optional and won't make much difference)
6. 2 inch piece of ginger
7. 2-3 garlic pods
8. half cup fresh grated or frozen coconut
9. 1 spoon chilli powder
10. 2 pinches of turmeric
11. 10-12 small eggplants
12. a small ball of tamarind soaked and pulped
13. mustard and jeera seeds for the tadka
14. 4-5 long green chillies
15. 5-6 curry leaves
16. 2 large onions - finely chopped
17. salt to taste
18. corriander
19. vegetable oil - 2 tablespoons
    

Directions:

1. Roast the peanuts, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, cloves and cinnamon separately.
2. Grind them along with the coconut, chilli powder, haldi, salt, ginger and garlic to a fine paste
3. Cut slits in the eggplants, making a cross on the top. Stuff them with the paste. Make sure you have 2-3 tablespoons of paste left over after stuffing
4. Heat oil and add mustard seeds, jeera, green chillies (cut lengthwise), curry leaves. Once the mustard seeds start sputtering, add onions and saute until golden brown
5. Add the stuffed eggplants and saute until the skin of the eggplants changes color a little
6. Add the remaining paste, a little water, the tamarind pulp and mix well
7. Cook for 20-25mins with the lid covered until you no longer can smell/taste raw peanuts, the eggplants are cooked thoroughly and the you have a good consistency gravy.
8. Top off with chopped corriander and enjoy!!!

Tila Chi Vadi

"Tilgul ghya ani god god bola"....Happy Sankranti to all of you!!! This is a special sweet made for Sankranti and the recipe is of course my mums. My sis and hubby loved it and hogged on it though it didn't come out to be perfect.



Ingredients:

1. 1 cup peanuts


2. 1 cup sesame seeds


3. 1 cup dry coconut


4. 1 cup jaggery


5. Green cardamom powder - 1 teaspoon

Directions:

1. Roast the peanuts, sesame seeds and dry coconut separately until golden brown.


2. Grind the peanuts to a fine powder and the sesame seeds to a coarse powder.
   


3. Heat the jaggery with couple of tablespoons of water until you get a thick syrup.


4. Grease a shallow plate to set the vadi in.
   


5. Mix in the peanut powder, coarsely ground sesame seeds and coconut into the syrup. Add cardamom powder and mix thoroughly.


6. Spread mixture evenly onto the place and cut diamond shapes before it cools down.


7. Allow it to cool and set and enjoy.

Note: The way this turns out depends a lot on what kind of jaggery you use. If you use less sticky one, it comes out better. The one I used wasn't the right one and it didnt really set well but who cares!!! :D:D Also, make sure your syrup is really thick before you add in the mixture otherwise it will stay moist and not harden enough.

Basic Vanilla and Nut Cake

This Christmas, I decided to bring out my stand mixer and bake a simple cake like my mom used to for all our birthdays. I must say the result was very yummy and we all loved it but it still couldn't beat my mother's cake:). This post goes to all moms who take the effort to make their kid's bdays special by baking for them.....


Ingredients:

1. 1 stick of butter
2. 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
3. 1 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
4. 2 spoons vanilla essence
5. 2 large eggs
6. 1/2 cup milk
7. 3/4th cup sugar - you can use 1 cup if you like it sweeter
8. nuts of your choice - I use cashews and almonds
   

Directions:

1. Beat the butter and sugar together until creamy.
2. Add eggs one by one and continue beating until you form a smooth fluffy mixture
3. Beat the milk into the mixture along with the vanilla essence
4. Sift the flour and baking powder together. This step is very important to keep the cake mixture free of lumps.
5. Slowly beat the flour into the eggs, butter and milk mixture until the batter is smooth and well mixed. Add nuts and fold in. Save some to top off the cake.
   
6. Grease and flour an 8 inch round pan and fill it up with the batter. Top with remaining nuts.
   
7. Pre-heat oven to 350 and bake for 20-30mins or until the cake is well browned on the sides. Allow it to cool and enjoy!!! :)
   

Happy New Year!

Happy new year to everyone who bothers to visit this blog. This year's resolution is to blog every new recipe I try out - with or without pics:) Have a great year ahead!