Flashback 2007: Best of Mane Adige

When I started off in March 2007, I had no real plans for my blog. All I knew was that I wanted to post recipes......I had no idea that maintaining a blog took so much of time and effort !!!! Before starting my own blog, I was a regular at Seema's Recipe Junction and Sig's Live to Eat . I admired their pictures, but didn't realize the amount of effort that went into taking them. It was only when I started my own blog that I realized how hard it was to get ONE right picture with the right amount of zoom, right background, color combination and zillion other things!!!! Not that I have the best of pictures even after all that.... :)

Anyway, coming to the pictures that I personally think are relatively the best on my blog.... :)

1. Dahi Muttar Chaat
2. Rava Rotti
3. Mango Ice Cream
4. Spicy Potato Wedges
5. Masala Coke

The most appreciated recipes from my readers....

1. Cashew Tindora Sabzi
2. Cashew Kheer
3. Avarekai Sambhar
4. Mango Something
5. Green Onion Curry

I think that the pictures on my blog can get better.... I promise to try and take better pictures next year and also post more regularly.

Thanx to all you fellow bloggers for your supportive comments and encouraging words. It feels nice to wake up to your lovely comments every morning!!! Thanx to the rest of my readers who drop by through Google search and/or through other friends recommendations. I'd appreciate if you folks would also leave comments and let me know what you think.... Suggestions on improving my blog are always welcome!!

This one goes to Nupur of One Hot Stove for her 'Best of 2007' event.

New Year Wishes to one and all!!!!!

Tomato Bhaat

Hey folks, I hope you all had a wonderful Xmas!! I have for you today, another rice variety that's very common in Karnataka. Each region has its own recipe for Tomato bhaat and they all have their own distinct flavor. Here goes my version of the recipe..... Enjoi!

Ingredients:

1 cup Long grain rice, washed and soaked for about 30 mins

3-4 Medium sized Tomatoes, finely chopped

1 Small Onion, chopped lengthwise

1/2 tsp Ginger-Garlic paste

1/2 tsp Coriander powder

1/2 tsp Clove-Cinnamon powder

1/2 tsp Garam masala

1/2 tsp Sugar

1 Bay leaf

1/2 tsp Paprika/Chili powder

1 tsp Turmeric powder

1/2 tsp Jeera

2-3 tsp Ghee/oil

1-2 tsp Lemon juice

Salt as per taste

Method:

1. Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan and add Jeera seeds; Add the chopped onions after the jeera seeds splutter and fry till they turn golden brown.
2. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook for about 4-5 mins or until they turn mushy.
3. Add the ginger garlic paste and all the remaining dry masalas and saute for a minute.
4. Add about 1.5 cups of water and bring to boil; Add the rice and cook until done.
5. Turn off the stove; Pour lemon juice and mix well. Serve hot with any raita or chutney of your choice.

Variation: If you do not have all the dry masalas, you could just add 1/2 tsp Garam masala, 1/2 tsp Pulav masala and 1/2 tsp paprika/chili powder and you would get almost the same taste!!!

Here are the different versions of Tomato Bhaat on different other blogs....

Saffron Hut

Akshayapatra

Simply Spicy

Recipe Junction

For the Cook in Me

Eggless Moist Chocolate Cake

Here's wishing you all a Merry Christmas!!!!! May Peace, Hope and Love be with you Today and always......

The other day while blog hopping, I found this recipe for Moist Chocolate Cake on Priya's Kitchen. It was eggless and it looked delicious too!!! So, I tried it out couple of days back and it came out really good..... Moist and fluffy. I picked the frosting recipe from here : Buttercream Frosting. Hope you people like it as much as we did. Enjoi!!!

Sowthekai Hasi Gojju / Raw Cucumber in Spicy Coconut Gravy

I received a request from a couple of my readers to post a few fast and easy to make recipes for pregnant women. So, here's one such simple recipe that is really ez to make and goes well with rice.... Not too sure if it satisfies all the nutritional needs of pregnancy, but it would definitely set your taste buds tingling!!! I made this dish first, as a quick fix, when we had recently moved into our new place and I hardly had anything in my pantry.... But we liked it so much that I've started making it quite often now!!! This dish takes hardly 10 mins to make and yet tastes so delicious!!! I hope you guys like it as much as Naveen and I do....

Ingredients:

1/2 Cucumber, peeled and chopped finely

2-3 tbsp Grated Coconut, fresh/frozen

2-3 tsp Jeera/Cumin seeds

2-3 Green chillies

2-3 strands Cilantro

3-4 tbsp Curds

1 strand Curry leaves

1 tsp Oil

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

A pinch of hing

Salt as per taste

Method:

1. Gring together - coconut, jeera, green chillies, cilantro and hing to form a smooth paste. Note: Adjust the green chillies according to you spice level.
2. Add the masala paste to the chopped cucumber; Add curds, salt and mix well. Add water to get the desired consistency.
3. Temper with mustard seeds and curry leaves; Serve with hot rice and enjoi!

Variation: You could even add some tamarind (according to your taste) instead of curds. This makes it more tangy and spicy. Add water to get the desired consistency.

Some more quick fixes from my blog.....

• Shunti/Ginger Thambuli
• Coriander Jeera Rasam
• Tomato Puree Rasam
• Baalekai Paladya

Masala cookies / Khaara biscuits

On this one, I just have to say that they are my all time fav!!!! I came across a whole lot of cookie recipes while blog hopping this month, and was tempted to bake some too. So, here's my Indian version of Cookies!!! :). They make a gr8 evening snack and go really well with a hot cup of tea/coffee.

P.S : I know that the star shape of these cookies would make you think that they are sweet.... But they aren't. These are actually spicy and salty. The original cookies that you get in the Indian bakeries are circular in shape. But since I didn't have a circular cutter of the right size, I had to opt for the star.

Ingredients:

2 cups Maida/All purpose flour

1/2 cup Ghee/Clarified butter

2-3 tbsp Curds

1 tsp Chilli powder

1" Ginger, finely chopped or grated

1/2 tsp ( or , as per taste) Salt

2-3 tsp Sugar

1-2 tsp Jeera

1-2 Green chillies, finely chopped

1-2 strands Curry leaves, finely chopped

1/2 tsp Baking Soda

A generous pinch of hing

Method:

1. Mix all the ingredients together in a mixing bowl to make a pliable dough. If the dough is too dry, add some extra curds.
2. Grease an aluminium foil or plastic sheet and roll the dough into circles, like how you would roll chapatis.
3. Cut out pieces of desired shape with the help of cookie cutter and place on a greased baking tray.
4. Preheat the oven to 350F and bake for about 20 mins or until done.
5. Cool and store in airtight containers.

Shrikhand

I always thought that shrikhand was the most difficult dish to make and it needed a lot of skill, experience n all that..... So, I was hesitant to try it out all these days. But when I was talking to my friend couple of days back, she mentioned that she had made shrikhand for her guests... I immediately collected the recipe from her and realized that it was not really difficult. My only concern was that I didn't have any spare cotton cloth with which I could tie the yogurt. I googled and found here that I could even use a colander instead. So, here goes the recipe. Thanx Sangeeta, for sharing this one with me.. It turned out really tasty!! :)

Ingredients:

2-3 cups Thick curds (I used Danon All Natural Plain yogurt
3/4 - 1 cup Powdered sugar

2-3 tbsp Honey (optional)

1-2 tsp Chopped nuts (cashews/almonds/pistochios)

1/2 tsp Elaichi, powdered

5-6 strands Saffron,soaked in a little warm milk

Method:

1. Pour the curd into a colander with very thin perforations and place a vessel underneath to collect the water. Let cool in the refrigerator for about 3-4 hours. Note: You can even tie the curd in a white linen and hang it up so that the extra water drains out.
2. Transfer the curds into a bowl and beat well; Add sugar, honey, elaichi and beat further.
3. Garnish with chopped nuts and serve chilled with pooris. It can even be served separately as a sweet dish. Tip: Adding a few strands of saffron soaked in warm milk gives it a good color and flavor.

Dahi Muttar Chaat

I was going thru' the earlier posts on my blog and I realized that I have very few chaat recipes..... So, here's one of my favorite chaat recipes. This one can be made with any kind of peas (fresh/frozen/dried). I have used frozen peas here. But it tastes best with dried peas that you get at the Indian stores!!

Ingredients:

2 cups Peas, fresh/frozen

1 Small onion, finely chopped

1/2 Tomato, finely chopped

2-3 strands Cilantro, finely chopped

1 tsp Coriander powder

2-3 tsp Chaat Masala

1/2 tsp Chilli Powder

1/2 tsp Garam Masala

1/2 tsp Tamarind paste or 1/4 cup Tamarind juice

1 tsp Jaggery

1-2 tbsp Curds

Salt as per taste

Method:

1. Add about half a cup of water to the tamarind paste and bring it to boil on stove; Add jaggery, salt and all the remaining dry masalas; Boil well. Adjust ingredients according to taste.
2. Add the peas and boil further till the peas are cooked. The masala should thicken and the peas should blend well into the masala. Save some of the onions and tomatoes for garnishing and add the rest to the peas; Boil for another minute.
3. Meanwhile, beat the curds in a bowl and keep aside. You can add a few spoons of water if the curd is too thick.
4. Remove the peas from stove and transfer into separate plates. Pour a couple of spoons of curds on the peas. Sprinkle some chaat masala over it.
5. Garnish with chopped onions, tomatoes and cilantro. Serve hot and enjoi!

Update: A suggestion from one of my readers: Adding something crunchy like Sev or crushed papdi, gives a new twist to this chaat!!!

Maddur Vade

Well, I am not going to go into the details of how Maddur Vada (Vade) got its name and that its actually a place near Mysore :)..... I googled for Maddur Vada and found that there are a whole lot of blogs and websites giving the recipe and the background information! So, I'll directly head to my version of the recipe. I'd like to tell you all that I actually intended to make Nippattu.... But when I was midway through mixing the ingredients, I changed my mind and decided to make Maddur vade. So, you might see a few pieces of peanuts on my Maddur Vade ( We usually dont add peanuts to Maddur Vade)... I hope you understand :D

Ingredients:

1 cup Rice flour

1/2 cup Maida/All purpose flour

1/2 cup Fine Rava/semolina

1 Onion, medium sized- finely chopped

1 tsp Red chilli powder

1 tsp Jeera

2 tsp Hot oil

1-2 strands Curry leaves, chopped

A generous pinch of hing

Salt as per taste

Oil for deep frying

Method:

1. Mix all the ingredients together in a mixing bowl to form a dough; Add water little by little while mixing ( Lesser the water you add, crispier the vadas)....
2. Pull out lemon sized balls from the dough and make round patties with the help of your hands.
3. Heat oil in a pan and deep fry the patties until they turn golden brown in color.
4. Remove from oil and drain on paper towel; Serve hot with green/coconut chutney and enjoi!

Rava Rotti

Happy Thanxgiving to all of you out there!!!

I have for you a breakfast recipe today. Except for some of the ingredients, Rava rotti is very similar to the Masala Akki Rotti recipe that I had posted previously.... I like this recipe better, mainly because it takes very little oil and its very easy to make. So, here goes the recipe.. enjoi!

Ingredients:

1 cup Rava/Semolina

1/4 cup Curds

1/2 Onion, chopped thinly

2-3 tbsp Grated Coconut, fresh/frozen (optional)

2-3 tbsp Grated Carrots (optional)

2-3 strands Cilantro

1.5 tsp Jeera

1-2 Green chillies,chopped

Salt as per taste

1-2 tsp Oil

Method:

1. Mix all the ingredients except oil in a mixing bowl. The batter should be thicker than the usual dosa batter.
2. Take a non-stick tava and grease it with a few drops of oil.
3. Pour a handful of the batter on the pan and spread it into a circle with the help of you hands.
4. Cook on stove with medium heat. Cook on both sides.
5. Remove from tava and serve hot with coconut chutney or any other side dish of your choice.

Note: To make the next rotti, hold the backside of the tava under cold running water for a few seconds or until it cools down. Proceed with making the next rotti.

Kottambari Jeerige Saaru / Coriander Jeera Rasam and a MEME

Seema, from Everyday cooking recipes from my kitchen..... has tagged me for the Fantastic Four MEME. Thanx Seema for tagging me! :). So, here goes....


Four places i've lived:

• Mangalore, India
• Bangalore, India
• Salisbury, NC
• Chicago, IL

Four jobs i've had:

• Tried my hand at a Callcenter for about a week after college.
• Was into IT for the next couple of years.
• Been trying my hand at cooking and home making since then :)
• Still looking for the fourth job :)

Four Favourite places i've holidayed:

• Las Vegas
• Myrtle Beach
• Darjeeling
• Kerala

Four Favourite foods:

• Bisibele Bhaat with raita :)
• Gobi and Baby corn Manchurian
• Pani Puri
• Veg Pad thai

Four Places i'd rather be:

• Can't think of four places, but I love being at home among family. Home sweet home!!!! :)

The Meme brought back sweet old memories to me..... All those lovely vacations that I had in the past... The friends I made during these years..... It all made me feel really good!!! Thanx Seema :). I'd like to tag Sagari from indian recipes,indian cooking ,indian food,home cooking for the Fantastic Four MEME. Play along whenever you find time , Sagari! :)

Coming to the recipe..... A friend of mine had pinged me about 6 months back, asking for the recipe of "Coriander Rasam". I had never heard of that rasam before... I asked my mom and MIL about it and they didn't seem to know it either. So, I left it at that and I completely forgot about it. When I went to India this time, one of my aunts was talking about this rasam and it immediately caught my attention. I collected the recipe from her and tried it after I got back to my kitchen. It tasted so very good that I made it continuously for the next 2 days!!!! This now, comes right on top of our comfort foods list.... So, here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

1.5 tsp Coriander seeds

1.5 tsp Jeera seeds

2 tbsp Grated coconut, fresh/frozen

2-3 Dry red chillies, low spiced

2-3 strands Cilantro

1/4 tsp Tamarind paste

1/2 tsp Jaggery

1 tsp Ghee/Clarified butter

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

A pinch of hing

3-4 Curry leaves

Salt as per taste

Method:

1. Grind together coconut, coriander seeds, jeera, cilantro and red chillies with some water.
2. Add about 2-3 cups of water and dilute the masala.
3. Bring to boil on stove. Add tamarind paste, jaggery and boil for another 4-5 mins.
4. Temper with mustard seeds, hing and curry leaves. Note: Any veg oil can be used for tempering. However, using ghee for tempering in rasams adds to the taste and flavor.
5. Serve hot with rice and enjoi! It tastes great even as a soup.... You can try that too!
   
   
   

Kharjura Payasa / Dates Kheer

Like I said in my previous post, Diwali ws comparitively dull for us this time. We were missing home and family a lot... Naveen wasn't keeping all that well..... Inorder to get ourselves out of that mood, I decided to make something that I had never tried before. I decided to go make Kharjura payasa as both of us love dates!!! And as you all know dates have a high nutritional value. And the best part is that you need to add very little external sweetener as the dates are already sweet!! So, here goes the delicious, yet healthy diwali recipe....Couldn't have asked for more!! :). This will be my entry for AFAM-Dates event hosted by Chandrika of Akshayapatra. Thanx Chandrika for hosting!! :)

Ingredients:

1 cup Dates, deseeded and chopped into small pieces

1-2 tbsp Jaggery, powdered

1 tsp Elaichi/Cardamom, powdered

3-4 tbsp Cashews

2 cups Thin coconut milk, fresh or canned

1/2 cup Whole milk (optional)

Method:

1. Keep aside few pieces of dates for garnishing and grind the rest to a smooth paste along with half the coconut milk.
2. Empty the paste into a heavy bottemed pan and bring to boil on the stove. Add the remaining coconut milk, jaggery, elaichi and boil well. If the mixture is too thick, add milk and boil for some more time. Adjust the sweetness according to your taste.
3. Remove from stove; garnish with the remaining date pieces and serve hot.

Kodubale / Kodbale

Hey there! Hope everyone's having a dhamakedaar diwali out there!! Things have been going good at my end... But I miss being back in India among friends and family. As a kid, it was my responsibility to light up the whole house with diyas. I would then burst crackers with dad till late in the night! By then, mom would make us a fine dinner with all our favorite dishes. Kodubale was always a part of our dinner as it was both mine and my dad's favorite!

So this time, I decided to make kodubale for deepavali. My kodubale turned out really good and everyone seemed to have liked it!! But mom's are still the best!!! :)

This will go in as my entry for JFS:Diwali event hosted by Vee of Past,Present and Me

Ingredients:

1 cup Rice flour

1/2 cup Grated coconut, fresh/frozen

1/4 cup Hurigadale/Putaani/Chana Dhalia, powdered

1-2 tsp Jeera

2 tsp Chilli powder,medium spiced

2 tsp Oil

1/4 tsp Mustard seeds

A pinch of hing

Salt as per taste

Oil for deep frying

Method:

1. Grind coconut in a blender without adding water to make it a fine powder.
2. Mix all the ingredients together in a mixing bowl; Heat 2 tsp oil and add to the mixture.
3. Add very little water and make a dough out of the mixture; Knead well.
4. Pull out small balls from the dough and roll them into strands of desired size with your hands. Moist your hands and join one end to the other to form a circle.
5. Heat oil in a kadai/wok. Drop the kodubales into the oil and fry on low-medium heat. They are down when they turn golden-brown in color. It usually takes about 8-10 mins.
6. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels. Store in air-tight containers after they cool down. Enjoi!

Hurali Saaru / Horse Gram Curry

Hurali saaru has been one of my favourite dishes since I was a kid. Hurali saaru has a tinge of onion flavour in it, which makes it different from the rest of the rasams/sambhars!!!

I haven't got enough time to go shopping for veggies this week and my pantry has nothing but a couple of onions and potatoes. Thats when I got reminded of hurali saaru!! I got the recipe from my mom and made it yesterday. It turned out a little spicy, but the overall taste was very good!!! Hope you like it too!

Ingredients:

1 cup Hurali/ Horse gram, soaked overnight

2-3 tsp Coriander seeds

1/2-1 tsp Jeera

1/2 tsp Black pepper

2-3 Dry red chillies, low spiced

A pinch of hing

3-4 tbsp Grated coconut, Fresh or frozen

1 Onion,small to medium sized

1 tsp Jaggery/sugar

1/4 tsp Tamarind paste

1 tsp Mustard seeds

1-2 tsp Ghee/Clarified butter

1-2 strands Curry leaves

Salt as per taste

Method:

1. Dry roast coriander seeds, jeera, black pepper, red chillies and hing until you smell the fresh masala.
2. Powder them in a blender without adding any water. To this, add the grated coconut, onion and grind it to a smooth paste using water if required; Keep aside
3. Pressure cook the saoked 'hurali' with some water. Hurali/horse gram takes a little longer to cook.... So, you might have to cook it for a couple of whistles more than usual.
4. Add the masala from step 2, to the cooked hurali and boil well. Add water to get the required consistency.
5. Add tamarind paste, jaggery and salt;Boil further. Adjust the taste according to your wish.
6. Temper with mustard seeds and curry leaves; Serve hot with rice and enjoi!!!

Here's wishing all you fellow bloggers and readers and very Happy and Prosperous Deepavali!!!!May you be bestowed with all the happiness and health, this festive season..... The "Soft toy" junta at my home join me in wishing you all a very happy festival!!!! :)

Mysore / Mysoor Pak

Hey people!!! Hope you all are doing good..... I'm finally back from my 4 month long vacation!!!! I had a wonderful time back in India and I am back feeling very refreshed. We've moved to Chicago this time and I've been busy setting up our new house, cleaning, getting the telephone/inet connection, getting back in touch with friends and so on..... Blogging was one thing I really missed in the past few months. Will blog regularly from now on, I promise!! :)

I have for you another Karnataka speciality recipe..... Mysore Pak ((pronounced as "Mysoor Paak") .... My mother makes lovely Mysore Pak and so I asked her to make them for me this time. So, this recipe is actually her's :). Its a fast and easy recipe, but a little tricky. Taking the mixture out from fire is what you need to be careful about. If you get this right, your Mysore Pak is sure to come out soft. Here's the recipe....

Ingredients:

1 cup Kadle Hittu/Besan

2 cups Sugar

2 cups Ghee/Clarified butter

1 tsp Elaichi, powdered

Method:

1. Dry roast the besan a little (until it is warm) and keep aside.
2. Grease a plate with ghee/butter and keep aside.
3. Add about 1 cup of water to the sugar and boil well until all the sugar dissolves.
4. Add half a cup ghee to the sugar syrup and boil further for another 2-3 mins.
5. To this, add the roasted besan and saute well until all the lumps disappear.
6. Add another half cup of gheeand elaichi; Saute further for another 2-3 mins. Repeat until all the ghee is added. It is done when you see honey comb like froth on the surface of the dumpling. Note: Make sure you cook on low flame and saute continuously.
7. Remove the besan from stove and spread on the greased plate; Let it cool down.
8. Cut into desired pieces and store for as long as 2-3 weeks!

Suggested Reading and my apologies for not being regular with my posts....

Hello everybody!!!!

Hope this post finds you all in fine cheers.... I am good too and am enjoying the last few weeks of my vacation in India :).Firstly, I am really sorry that I haven't been regular with my posts and haven't even been able to reply to all your comments. Things have kept me quite bz out here....I'm sure you understand :). Will get to it as soon as possible!

Secondly... Couple of weeks back,Naveen introduced me to a site called 'zenhabits', owned by Leo Babauta. The site is all about achieving goals, productivity, motivation, happiness, success etc.I enjoyed reading the posts and felt it would be useful to many of you out there. I am even gonna add it to the 'Sites I usually visit' section of my blog. Hope you like it too. Take care n Happy reading!!!! :)

Kai / Kayi Kadubu and Ganesh Chaturthi Wishes!!

Hey folks!! Here's wishing you all a very happy Gowri/Ganesha Habba!!!! May all your wishes and dreams come true. I am in Bengalooru right now and am thoroughly enjoying the festive season out here!!!!! I am posting a few pictures of Malleshwaram Sampige rd- 8th cross, on the eve of the festival. Hope you like it... This will also be my entry for Lakshmi's Ganesh Chaturthi Event.

Also Check out - Karigadubu/Karjikayi recipe

Flower Market at Malleshwaram 15th cross....

A picture of one of the stalls selling Ganesha idols on Sampige road, Malleshwaram

Most people nowadays go in for environment friendly Ganeshas with no chemail paints!!! We got the same one at our house too :)

Last but not the least, a picture of Gowri-Ganesha at my home.....

I have for you the recipe of Kayi Kadubu this time. Kayi kadubu is a traditial sweet dish of malnad regions of Karnataka. Kayi kadubu is steam cooked and uses no ghee/oil.... Hence it is healthy and easily digestable. It is usually prepared for festivals like Nagarapanchami and Ganesh-Chouti. Here goes the recipe.... Enjoi!

PS: Please excuse the poor quality of my Kadubu picture...... I was in such a hurry that I didn't have time to even make the right settings on my camera. Will capture better pictures from the next time, I promise! :)))

Ingredients:

1 cup Rice

1/2 cup Coconut, grated

1 cup Jaggery, powdered
1 tsp Elaichi powder

Method:

1. Soak the rice overnight in enough water. Drain out the water thoroughly and powder it in a blender. The powder should be VERY fine.
2. Boil 1.5 cups of water in a kadai. To this, add the rice powder and stir continuously to form a single dumpling.
3. Remove from stove and knead well, like chapati dough.
4. Pull out small balls and roll them into chapati like circles.
5. Place about 2 tsps of filling in the centre and fold the rice chapati. Seal the ends with the help of some water.
6. Place the kadubu prepared above on a plantain leaf and steam cook for about 7-9 mins.

Filling:

1. Mix jaggery and coconut in a kadai and place on stove on low heat.
2. Stir continuously until the jaggery melts and blends well with the grated coconut. You can adjust the quantity of jaggery according to your taste.
3. Add elaichi powder and remove from stove.

Avalakki/Poha Upkari

I'm sure, all you mangloreans out there will agree with me that Avalakki Upkari is one of the most simple and tastiest snacks ever! I had it for the first time at my in-laws place after my wedding and I loved it instantly!! I tried making it myself many times since then, but never got the masala right. So this time, I got my mother- in-law to make it for me and it turned out as good as ever! Avalakki upkari makes a very good evening snack!! It also goes really well with Upppittu/ Upma for morning breakfast. Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

1.5 cups Thin poha/ paper avalakki

1 Onion, chopped finely

1 tsp Jeera seeds

3-4 Dry red chillies, low spiced

1.5-2 tsp Coriander seeds

1-2 strands Cilantro, finely chopped

1 tsp Lime juice

1 tsp Sugar

Salt as per taste

For tadka:

2 tsp Oil

3-4 Curry leaves
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

A pinch of haldi

A pinch of hing

Method:

1. Grind together red chillies, jeera and coriander seeds to form a smooth powder.
2. Mix all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl; Add the masala powder and toss well. Adjust ingredients according to taste.
3. Temper with mustard, curry leaves, hing and haldi.
4. Serve with hot tea/coffee and enjoi!

It's all about me, me and ONLY me this time!!!

Hey folks! Hope all's well at your end.... My vacation is going good. I've been off on a break from blogging since I did not have access to internet from home.... Am really sorry about that! My blogger friends Roopa of My Chow Chow Bhaat and Bhags of Crazy Curry had tagged me for the Seven Random facts MeMe about a month back, and I finally got a chance to post today. Sorry about the delay, and thanx for tagging me!! :)
Hmmm..... Didn't think that writing about myself would be this difficult!! Naveen would have been better off penning this post, than me :).... Anyway, here goes:

1. I am crazy about chocolates! I can have as many "Milk Chocolates" as one can offer.... But I hate chocolate ice cream!!!! Infact, I hate anything made out of chocolates.. like drinks, cakes, pastries, mousse.... Weird?? i know!!! :)


2. I dislike garlic! I don't use garlic in any of my dishes. Not that I dont eat garlic..... I can have dishes with garlic as long as I am not told that there's garlic in it! hehe :D


3. I am crazy about fancy ear-rings!! When in college, I had a matching ear-ring for almost every dress of mine.... Nowadays, I've stopped collecting them. But I make it a point to go to the ear-rings section everytime I go to the stores.


4. I love kids!!!! Baby girls, especially.... I love the kids section in the stores and I can spend hours looking at the different toys and clothes!! :)
5. I am crazy about soft toys! There was a time when I owned a cupboard full of soft toys! I used to be so possesive about them that I never brought them out in front of other kids thinking they would get spoilt.....
6. I love spending time with friends and family. I prefer chatting with friends, to watching a movie or reading a book.
7. I am usually a chatter box. I don't really need a topic to start a conversation. But I can get really silent at times, with no particular reason behind it!! A good night's sleep will bring everything back to normal for me :)

Well, this is all I have to say about me..... I am a pretty straight forward person and there's hardly anything that my friends and family dont know about me! Hope you enjoyed reading the post!

I'd like to tag Arts from Aarti's Corner, Jyothsna from Curry Bazaar, Vanamala Hebbar from Nalapaka for the MeMe. Folks, play along if you are interested and you have enough time in hand...

Recipe for 'Kobbari Mithai' and my caprice return to INDIA!!!!!!!

Folks, guess what??!?!!!???!? We are in India currently!!!!! Like I put up in my previous post, we were supposed to move to chicago last week... But there were a few changes in Naveen's project plans and we had to come to India all of a sudden!! It all happened so suddenly that we didn't have enough time to even inform friends before leaving. It was total chaos at my end last week. But we were so thrilled by the idea of coming to India that the last-minute running around didn't bother us at all !! :-). It feels great to be back in India among family and friends!! Thanx so much to all of you for your wishes and sweet words. It was really nice of you to wish me!

Kobbari Mithai, also known as coconut burfi is a traditional karnataka recipe. It is usually made for festivals and other special occasions. I had my mom make it for me this time and it turned out really good!! It is a very simple and easy to make recipe. Hope you like it...

Ingredients:

2 cups Fresh grated coconut

1 cup Sugar, powdered

1/2 tsp Elaichi, powdered

3-4 tbsp Raisin-Cashew-Almond mixture

1-2 tsp Ghee/Butter

2-3 tsp Milk powder (optional)

Method:

1. Mix coconut and sugar well with hands and keep aside for about 30 mins (or until the sugar dissolves).
2. Heat a kadai and pour the mixture into it.
3. Saute on low flame until the mixture forms a single dumpling (approx 15-20 mins). Add the remaining ingredients (except ghee/butter) and mix well.
4. Grease a plate with ghee/butter and pour the mixture into it. Spread evenly on the plate and let it cool for a while.
5. With a knife, cut into desired shape when it is still warm. Store in air tight containers.

Home-made Mango Ice Cream and a little update from me....

People.... I have an update from my side! Naveen's assignment here at NC is almost done are we are moving to Chicago by the end of this week. So, I've been quite caught up with all the packing and stuff like that. last week was really hectic for me.... I was on ph the entire time taking quotations from movers, calling up apartment offices at Chicago and checking for availability...... While I am excited about moving to a new place and meeting new people, I am also sad about leaving Salisbury. Thanx to all our friends out here for being so nice, helpful and supportive at all times. But for them, our stay at Salisbury wouldn't have been so pleasant..... I am posting a pic of our Infosys junta here at Salisbury. We had all been camping over the weekend and this pic was taken there. Naveen and I are right in the centre (I am wearing a red top in the pic). Cheers to all our lovely friends... You guys are the best! Will miss you all....

Coming to the Ice-cream recipe..... I had been wanting to make ice cream at home since a long time now. But Naveen was not very much for it. He says its not worth putting in effort and time into it, when you can get such good ice creams in stores for such low prices. But finally, he agreed that it was worth all the effort and time for the pleasure of having home-made ice cream!! :) The ice cream turned really creamy and soft. The flavor was even better since I used fresh mangoes.... Hope you guys like it too!!

And folks, I may not be able to blog regularly for the next couple of weeks. Will resume blogging after we settle down at our new apartment.

Ingredients:

2-3 Mangoes, medium sized

1 tin Sweetened condensed milk

1/4 gallon Milk

1/2 tsp Vanilla essence

1/2 tsp Salt

Sugar as per taste

Note: The measurement of the milk is not exact. You can adjust it according to your taste and required thickness

Method:

1. Wash and peel mangoes; Puree the pulp in a blender.
2. Add all the remaining ingredients to the mango puree and mix well. You can even microwave it for a minute so that all the sugar is dissolved.
3. Pour the mixture in a container and place it in the freezer for about 30 mins.
4. Remove from freezer and blend the mixture in a blender. Return to freezer for another 30 mins.
5. Repeat the process for about 3-4 times and then allow the mixture to freeze over night. Scoop out the ice cream and serve immediately.

Pudina Pulao ( Pulav) / Mint Rice

I know, I know..... Pudina pulao is a very common and simple dish and almost everybody knows how to make it. But this time, my pulao turned out so good that I was tempted to post it :). I picked the basic recipe from Mrs. Chandri Bhat's collection on Bawarchi and made a few modifications according to my taste. So, here goes the recipe... Enjoi!

Ingredients:

1 cup Pudina / Mint leaves

2 cups Basmati/ Long grain Rice

1 Onion, medium sized

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

1/2 tsp Jeera/Cumin seeds

2" Cinnamon stick

4-5 Cloves

1/2 Green chilli

1 Dry red chilli, low spiced

1/2 tsp Black pepper

1 tsp Lemon juice

2 tbsp Ghee/Butter

1/2 tsp Ginger-garlic paste (optional)

Salt as per taste

Method:

1. Wash and soak rice in water for about 30 mins; Cook rice such that each grain is separate and keep aside.
2. Dry roast the red chilli and black pepper; Grind it with the mint leaves and green chilli in a blender. DO NOT add water while grinding.
3. Heat ghee or butter in a wok and add mustard seeds. Add Jeera, cinnamon and cloves after the mustard seeds splutter.
4. Chop onions into thin strips and add to the tempering. Add the ginger-garlic paste to this. Add the pudina masala when the onions are almost done. Saute until the onions change color and are completely cooked.
5. Add salt, rice, lemon juice and mix well. Remove from stove and serve hot!

Tindora - Chana Sabzi / Thondekai - Kadle Palya

Hello everybody! Hope you all had a great weekend.... Weekend was good for me. Didn't do anything much apart from lazing around and wasting time :). I had big plans of trying out a lot of new dishes over the weekend, but nothing worked out, as usual :).

One of my readers had requested for this thondekai-chana palya recipe long back, and I finally got myself to make it yesterday! I am really sorry about the delay. This recipe is a Mangalore - Udupi speciality. I was making it for the first time yesterday and I completely relished it!!! Hope you like it too.....

Ingredients:

1 cup Tindora/Thondekai, chopped

1/2 cup Kabuli Chana/ Chick peas, soaked in water overnight

1/2 cup Grated coconut

2-3 Dry red chillies (low to mediumm spiced)

1/2 tsp Coriander seeds

1/2 tsp Jeera

2 -3 tsp Oil

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

4-5 Curry leaves

1 tsp Lemon juice

A pinch of haldi

A pinch of hing

Salt as per taste

Method:

1. Pressure cook tindora and chana separately until they are cooked; It took me about 2 whistles. Note: Cook chana in salt water. However, tindora can be cooked without water.
2. Powder the dry red chillies, jeera and coriander seeds in a mixie. After they are powdered, add grated coconut and churn them further without adding water. Keep aside.
3. Heat oil in a kadai. Temper with mustard seeds, haldi, hing and curry leaves.
4. Add the masala mixture prepared in step 2 to the tadka and saute for a while.
5. Add cooked tindora and chana; Add salt and mix well.
6. Remove from stove and add lemon juice; Serve hot with rice or rotis!

Maavinakayi Chitranna/ Raw Mango Rice

Before starting off with the recipe for today, I would like to say sorry to you folks for disappearing suddenly without even leaving a note. Past couple of weeks have been really busy for me and Naveen. "Busy", not in the literal sense.... It's just that our MINDS have been busy thinking and thinking about matters that aren't really in our hands! :-) So finally, I decided to get over all that and start blogging again. And I must tell you.... I am enjoying blogging today more than anytime before!!!

Anyway, I have for you the recipe for Maavinakaayi Chitranna (Raw Mango Rice). This is another traditional Karnataka recipe which is every kannadiga's favourite! It is usually made for festivals and such occasions. This dish tastes best when the mango is tangy. Maavinakayi Chitranna along with Kadle Bele Payasam is a very nice combo.... You can click on -> "Kadle Bele Payasam" for the recipe. Enjoi!

Ingredients:

1 Raw Mango

1/2 cup Coconut, grated

1-2 tsp Menthya Kaalu / Methi seeds

2-3 Dry red chillies - Low spiced

A pinch of hing

1 cup Rice

2-3 tbsp Peanuts

1 tbsp Chana - Urad Dal mixture

2-3 tsp Oil

3-4 Curry leaves

1 tsp Mustard seeds

Salt as per taste

Method:

1. Peel and grate the raw mango; Keep aside. Cook rice such that each grain is separate and keep aside.
2. Dry roast the red chillies, methi seeds, hing and powder them in a blender. Grind it along with grated coconut. DO NOT add water while grinding. Add half the quantity of grated raw mango also, while grinding.
3. Heat oil in a kadai; Temper with haldi, mustard seeds, peanuts, chana- urad dal mixture, curry leaves.
4. Add the remaining grated raw mango and cook for a while until all the water content evaporates. Add the above prepared masala and cook for about 2 mins. Add salt and mix well. Tip: This mango chutney can be preseved in the refrigerator for almost a week. So if you keep the chutney ready before-hand, all you have to do at the last minute is making rice and mixing it with the chutney!! And this chutney tastes really good with dosas and akki rottis too!!
5. Add cooked rice to the above chutney and serve hot!!

Akki Rotti with Cabbage Palya (Sabzi)

Akki Rotti is one of my most favourite breakfast dishes!! This one's another Karnataka speciality recipe. There are two ways of making akki rotti. I had posted one of the versions called Masala Akki Rotti earlier in my blog. Masala akki rotti is quite spicy by itself and can be eaten without any side dish. However, the akki rotti recipe I have for you today should be had with a spicy side dish. I made Cabbage sabzi this time. This will be my entry for WBB#12- Spice it up. Hope you like it!!!

Ingredients:

For Cabbage Palya(Sabzi)

2 cups Cabbage, very finely chopped

1 tsp Chana-Urad Dal mixture

2 tbsp Fresh grated coconut

1 tsp Mustard seeds

2 tsp Oil

1 tsp Lemon Juice

2 strands Cilantro

1 tsp Red chilli powder

3-4 Curry leaves

A pinch of hing

Salt as per taste

For Akki Rotti:

1 cup Rice flour
1 tsp Oil
1/2 tsp Salt

Method:

Cabbage Palya

1. Heat oil in a kadai; Add mustard seeds, curry leaves, chal mixture and hing.
2. Add chopped cabbage after the mustard seeds splutter. Cook covered without adding water. Add chilli powder and mix. Saute regularly.
3. Add grated coconut,salt and chopped cilantro when the cabbage is almost cooked. Remove from stove and add lime juice. Mix well.

Akki Rotti

1. Mix 1-2 tsp of rice flour, oil and salt in about 1.5 cups of water and bring the mixture to boil on stove.
2. To this, add the remaining flour and mix well. The rice flour should form a single dumpling and stick to the ladle.
3. Remove from stove and let it cool for a while. Knead it well when it is still warm.
4. Pull out small balls from the dumplings and roll them into circles using a rolling pin, like how you would do for rotis/chapatis. Note: Do not worry if cracks are formed at the edges while rolling out into circles. With rice flour, it is very difficult to get perfect circles like how you would get with atta.
5. Heat tawa on stove and cook akki rotti on both sides. Pour little ghee and serve hot with cabbage sabzi!!!

Sweet Potato Sabzi / Genasina Palya

Sweet Potatos are called 'Genasu' in Kannada. Back in India, my mom used to make a sweetish sabzi out of it which I really loved. But after coming here, Naveen never let me buy Sweet potatos saying they dont taste as good as the ones in India. But this time, I was deterimed to make it!! I got it home yesterday and tried it out myself. Naveen was right in a way.... Sweet potatos here are not as sweet as the ones in India. But since the sabzi I was making was meant to be sweetish, I adjusted it by adding a little jaggery/sugar. This sabzi goes really well with rice-rasam combo!! Also, in the traditional recipe sweet potatoes are mashed but here I preferred to keep them as pieces. Here's the recipe!! Hope you like it.....

This will also be my entry for Nupur's 'S' of A-Z of Indian Vegetables.

Ingredients:

1 Sweet potato, medium sized

2 tbsp Grated coconut

2 tsp Ghee/butter

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

1 tsp Chana - Urad dal mixture

3-4 tbsp Sugar/Jaggery

1 tsp Salt

2-3 strands Cilantro

Method:

1. Wash, peel and chop sweet potato into 1 " cubes. Cook then in a microwave with some water for about 10 mins or until they are cooked. You can even pressure cook them. Remove excess water and keep aside.


2. Heat ghee in a kadai. Add mustard seeds and the dal mixture. Add cooked sweet potatos after the dal turns golden brown. Saute regularly.


3. Add salt, sugar and mix well. Adjust the sweetness according to your taste.


4. Add grated coconut, cilantro and mix well.


5. Serve hot with rice-rasam combo or even rotis and enjoi!!!

Kadle Bele Payasa / Chana Dal Payasam

Kadle Bele (Chana Dal) payasa has been my all time favourite among all the payasams that mom used to make at home. As a kid, this was the only payasa that I ate, and so my mom used to make it quite often- for festivals, pujas. Couple of days back, we had another set of friends over for dinner at our place and I had made this payasa. It brought back my old sweet memories!!! Not too sure if my guests enjoyed it.... But I relished it completely!!!!! :). It's fast and really easy to make. Here's the recipe for it.... Enjoi!

Ingredients:

1 cup Kadle bele/ Chana Dal
1 - 1.5 cup Jaggery
2 cups Fresh grated coconut or Thick coconut milk
3/4-1 tsp Rava or Raw rice
1 tsp Ghee
1 tsp Elaichi powder
1-2 tsp Raisins
1-2 tsp Cashews

Method:

1. Pressure cook chana dal in water and keep aside.


2. Dry roast the rava until the raw smell disappears and add it to the cooked chana dal. If you are using raw rice, dry roast it and grind it to a smooth powder and then add to the dal. This gives thickness to the payasam.


3. Add thick coconut milk to the above mixture and boil. If you are using grated coconut, grind the coconut with water to a smooth paste and then boil with the mixture. Add extra water if required. Stir regularly.


4. Add jaggery and elaichi powder. Roast raisins and cashews in 1 tsp ghee and add to payasam. Mix well and let it boil for some more time. Adjust the sweetness according to your taste.


5. Serve hot or cold, as desired and enjoi!

Btw folks, check out the new Foodie Blogroll that I have added on the right side of the page. This is an initiative taken by The Leftover Queen to bring together all the food bloggers!!! So, all you fellow bloggers...... rush and send in your links to her!!!

Tomato Puree Rasam

I remember the times when I was new to cooking and I had to invite friends and family over for dinner..... I used to be so scared, and I would start planning almost a week earlier!!! :D

I've come quite a long way since then and inviting people over for dinner no more tenses me up ..... Infact, I've started taking it for granted nowadays thinking I'll definitely manage :). I did the same thing couple of weeks back when we had invited few of Naveen's colleague's families over for dinner.... I was under-planned and I did not even scan my pantry before hand to see if I had all the ingredients. Needless to say, the menu kept changing every minute!!!! Until noon, my plan was to make Pulav and Pooris. But later in the evening, I changed my mind and decided to make rice-rasam instead of Pulav. I started seaching my pantry for some toor dal and I realized I had none....... It was then, that I got a little worried and I didnt know what to do. I then got reminded of this rasam recipe which I had tasted back in India which takes only tomatoes and no dal !!!! I made it and it turned out quite good... Among all the dishes that I had made that day, our friends seemed to have liked this one the most..... Infact, they specifically asked me to put it up on "Mane Adige" !!! This ones for you, Veena.... Hope everyone likes it as much as you did ! :)

Ingredients:

3-4 Tomatoes, medium sized

1.5 - 2 tsp Rasam powder

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

1 tsp Jeera

3-4 curry leaves

1 tsp Jaggery

A pinch of hing

Salt as per taste

Method:

1. Blend the tomatoes to a smooth puree in a blender. Do not add any water while blending.
2. Boil the tomato puree on stove for about 4-5 mins. Add the rasam powder and boil further for another 4-5 mins. Add water if you feel the puree is very thick.
3. Add salt, jaggery and mix well. You can even add a couple of spoons of grated coconut and chopped cilantro. Since the tomato already has a sour taste, you need not add any tamarind.
4. Temper with mustard seeds, jeera, hing and curry leaves; Serve hot with rice and enjoi!

Ragi / Raagi Mudde (Finger Millet)

"Hittam thindam bettam kithettam".... is a kannada saying which means, the one who eats raagi mudde has the strength and power to move hills!!! Originated in the old mysore region of Karnataka, Raagi Mudde is a very popular dish in almost all the rural parts of Karnataka, especially in mysore-mandya regions.

Raagi (Finger Millet, in english), as you all know is very rich in iron content and is very low on fat and calories. Raagi mudde is very filling and thats why it is also the staple food of farmers. Moreover, its so fast and easy to make that your meal will be ready in just a few minutes!!!

I still distinctly remember the first time I tasted raagi mudde..... It was at one of our relative's place in Mysore. I was really young then and it was the first time I had heard of or seen raagi mudde. I was surprised how their entire family was relishing those ugly looking raagi lumps.... My aunt forced me to try it out and I reluctantly picked up a small piece. She instructed me to roll the raagi mudde piece in sambhar gravy and swallow it directly without chewing. I started liking it after having a few pieces and have never stopped liking it till date!!! My mom used to make it for me regularly since then and now, I've started making it myself.

Eating raagi mudde which was once considered below status, is now becoming a style symbol. You get to see raagi mudde mess opening up all over the country, including the capital city of Delhi!! Former Prime Minister Mr. H.D Deve Gowda was reputed to serve a ragi mudde that tasted as if it had been made in Mandya, the Vokkaliga belt of Karnataka. When he was in power, it is said that he even had a separate cook imported from his home town, and even a separate kitchen just outside the main kitchen, for making raagi mudde!! Thanx to our ex-PM for having made this healthy and sumptuous dish famous all over India :)

Raagi mudde-Soppina saaru (green leaf curry) is the most famous combination. However, raagi mudde can be eaten with any gravy or curry. I made green beans sambhar this time. In the rural areas, it is also eaten with crushed green chillies, salt and onions. So, you can choose any side dish of your choice. Here's the raagi mudde recipe.. Enjoi!!

This will be my entry for Nupur's 'R' of A-Z of Indian Vegetables.

Ingredients:

1 cup Ragi /Finger millet flour

2 tsp Oil

Salt as per taste

Method:

1. Mix 1 - 1.5 tsp of ragi flour in 1.5 cups of water; Add 2 tsp oil and salt to the mixture.
2. Heat the mixture in a kadai and bring it to boil. Add the remaining ragi flour, stirring continuously so that no lumps are formed. Ragi should form a single mass.
3. Close and cook on low heat for about 1-2 mins.
4. Remove from stove; Wet your hands and make ragi balls of desired size while it is still hot.
5. Serve hot with any gravy/curry of your choice and enjoi!!

Note: To eat, pull out tiny balls of ragi from the ragi mudde; roll it in the gravy and swallow without chewing.

Masala Coke / Masala Pepsi

If you've ever been to the juice centers in the metros of India, I'm sure you've noticed this drink on the menu!!! Coke or Pepsi is mixed with a few Indian masalas and is converted into a heavenly, refreshing drink which is a beautiful blend of videsi and desi flavours!!!

Suketu Mehta describes the Masala Coke in his book "Maximum city: Bombay lost and found" as follows:

"When the Coke is poured into the glass, which has a couple of teaspoons of the masala waiting to attack the liquid from the bottom up, the American drink froths up in astonished anger. The waiter stands at your booth, waiting until the froth dies down, then puts in a little more of the Coke, then waits a moment more, then pours in the rest. And, lo! it has become a Hindu Coke. The alien invader has come into the country. It has been accepted into the pantheon of local drinks but has a little spice added to it, a little more zing. The cocaine is back in the Coke."

I remember the times when my friends and I had just graduated from school and were out on the busy roads of Bangalore all day, attending job interviews and written tests....... We would stop by the juice centers atleast twice a day for this videsi drink with a desi touch :) !! Masala coke was just right for those hot summer days.

Now that the days are getting hotter, I got reminded of this drink and I tried it out over the weekend. It tasted as good as ever!!!! Hope you all like it too....

Ingredients:

500 ml Coca Cola / Pepsi

3/4 tsp Jeera / Cumin powder

1/4 tsp Ajwain/Oma powder (optional)

1/2 tsp Black pepper powder

1 tsp Lemon juice

Salt as per taste

Method:

1. Mix all ingredients together ( except the soda) in a tall glass.


2. To this, add the soda (Coke or Pepsi) little by little; The soda froths up.


3. Stir continuously with a spoon and add more soda after it stops frothing.


4. Repeat until the glass is full. Serve immediately and relish!

Eerulli Kaavu Gojju / Green Onion Curry

Green Onions or Spring Onions are called Eruli Kavu/Eerulli Kaavu in kannada. Back in India my mother used to make a kind of curry (called 'gojju' in kannada) with it ,which we all loved. Its a very traditional dish and is quite common in the Bengalooru-Mysooru parts of Karnataka. Eeruli Kavu that we get back in India are a little more crisp than the green onions you find here in the US, and they have small flowers at the bottom end. So, when I picked up green onions from the store last week I wasn't really sure if they were the same as Eruli Kavu.... So, you know what I did??!!?! I came home... Asked mom to come online on yahoo, switched on the webcam and asked her if they looked the same!! :))))) She okayed it and I went ahead and tried out this traditional recipe. It turned out really good!!!! Here's how I made it...

Ingredients:

1 bunch Green onions

1 cup Fresh/frozen grated coconut

2 tsp Ellu/Til/Sesame seeds

3-4 Dry Red chillis, low to medium spiced

2 tsp Hurigadale/Putaani/Channa Dhalia

1 tsp Mustard seeds

4-5 curry leaves

1/4 tsp tamarind paste
2-3 tsp Oil

1/2 tsp jaggery

A pinch of hing

Salt as per tatse

Method:

1. Wash, clean and chop green onions into fine pieces.


2. Heat oil in kadai and add mustard seeds; Add hing, curry leaves after the seeds splutter.


3. To this, add chopped green onions and fry until it is completely cooked.


4. Meanwhile, dry roast Ellu/Til and dry red chillies until you smell the fresh aroma of the masala.


5. Grind the roasted masala with chana dahlia,hing, coconut and mustard seeds to a smooth paste.


6. Add the masala paste to the onions after they are cooked completely. Add water to get the desired consistency and allow it to boil.


7. To this add tamarind paste, jaggery, salt and boil well.


8. Serve hot with rice or rotis and enjoi!!

Quick Watermelon Slush with Ice Cream

Now that the weather is getting hotter and hotter day by day, the quantity of water intake in very important. I make sure we drink atleast 1.5-2 lts (Its been more than a year since I came to the US, but I still haven't got used to the 'oz' measurements and I still am more comfy with 'lts' :)... ) of water daily. Apart from that, I make sure I have enough fruits like watermelons, tangerines,grapes in my pantry which are also a good source of water content.
I usually prefer having fresh fruits directly instead of making juices out of them...... Juices need extra sugar/sweetners to be added, which I usually try and avoid. But watermelon slush is my all-time favourite and it brings back my sweet ol' memories.... As a kid, I lived in Mangalore and my parents used to take me to the beach every sunday evening. On our way back we would go to Ideal's/Pabbas and have an ice-cream..... And I always ordered either Gadbad or Watermelon slush with Ice cream. Any of you Mangaloreans out there??!! You'll know what I'm talking about.... :). I missed the slush so much after moving out of Mangalore, that I started making it at home, myself !!

This drink was ready so fast that I thought its apt to be entered into Nupur's "Q for Quick" event. Here's the recipe for it. Hope you like it too!!

I just realized that WBB has a similar theme this time-"Summer Fruits". So, I am entering my Watermelon Slush into WBB#11-Summer Fruits hosted by Padmaja of Spicy Andhra.

Ingredients:

1 cup Watermelon cubes, de-seeded
1/2 cup Ice cubes
1 scoop Vanilla Ice-cream
3-4 tbsp Sugar
1/2 tsp Black pepper powder
1/2 tsp Lime juice

Method:

1. Blend the ice cubes in a blender until they are crushed into small pieces.


2. Add watermelon and blend further to make a juice. Add sugar, pepper, lime juice and mix well.


3. Pour into tall juice class until it is 3/4 full.


4. Add a scoop of Vanilla ice cream; Add remaining slush on the ice cream and serve immediately!!

Godambi-Thondekai Palya / Cashew-Tindora Sabzi

Surprised that a sabzi is made with cashews??!!?! So was I, when I heard about it for the first time a year ago. Like I said before, Naveen is a Big.... BIg....BIG lover of godambi/cashews. He had been asking me to make godambi-thondekai palya since a long time . I finally called my M-I-L , took the recipe from her and made it. The idea of making a sabzi out of cashews didn't sound so great to me, initially. But I must admit... I was wrong. The palya tasted really good!!! I loved the palya, though I am not a great lover of cashews.
Godambi-Thondekai palya is a very famous side dish in the Mangalore/Udupi parts of Karnataka. Its rich, as well as healthy. Here's the recipe for it....

Ingredients:

1 cup Thondekai/Tindora, chopped lengthwise
1 cup Whole cashews
2-3 tbsp Fresh grated coconut
3-4 Curry leaves
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
2 tsp Oil
2 Dry red Chillies
2-3 strands Cilantro
1/2 tsp Sugar
1/2 tsp Lime juice
A pinch of haldi
Salt as per taste

Method:

1. Pressure cook tindora and cashews separately until they are done. Immerse cashews in water while cooking;However, tindora can be cooked even without water.


2. Heat oil in kadai and add mustard seeds; Add curry leaves, haldi and dry red chillies after the mustard splutters.


3. To this, add cooked tindora and cashews; Mix well.


4. Add salt, sugar, grated coconut and mix well.


5. Remove from stove; Add lime juice, chopped cilantro and serve hot with rice or rotis. Enjoi!!

Mango Something!!!

Like the rest of the Indians, Kannadigas are also very fond of Mangoes!!! We use both raw and ripe mangoes in cooking. The most common Karnataka dishes with mango are : Rasaayana/Payasa, Seekarane, Maavinakai Chitranna, Uppinakai, Burfi and many more.
After my wedding, my MIL took me to one of her friends houses and there they offered us Mango Burfi. It was sooooo delicious that I gobbled up around 3-4 pieces :)....And now that its the season for Mango again, I got reminded of the dish. I made a few changes to the burfi recipe and came up with a new recipe of my own!!! I offered it to my friends and they all loved it!! But I still didnt know what to call it.... Some of my friends called it Peda, some called it laddu/ladoo and some others called it mango balls.So, I leave the name to you.... Call it whatever you think is appropriate.... Enjoi!! :)

This will be my entry for the 'AFAM-Mango' Event hosted by Deepa of Recipes N More

Ingredients:

1 tin Condensed milk
2 cups Mango puree (fresh or canned)
3-4 tbsp Cashew pieces
3-4 tbsp Raisins
4 tbsp Dry, powdered coconut
6-7 strands Saffron
2 tbsp Milk
1/4 cup Sugar (optional)

Method:

1. Empty the condensed milk and the mango puree into a heavy bottomed pan(non-stick pan, preferrably) and mix well. If you like it very sweet, you can add some sugar.... But keep in mind that the condensed milk and the mango puree are already sweet!!
   
2. Heat the mixture on medium flame until it thickens and forms a single lump (appr. 40-45 mins). Saute continuously.
   
3. Meanwhile, soak saffron in 2 tbsp warm milk and keep aside for a few minutes. Add cashews, raisins and soaked saffron to the mango mixture on stove and mix well. Continue to boil the mixture. Keep in mind not to increase the heat too much; The mixture might start getting burnt from the bottom otherwise.
   
4. Switch off the stove when the mixture thickens to form a single lump and it comes out of the pan without sticking. Let it cool for about 5 mins.
   
5. Make small balls out of the mixture and roll them in dry coconut powder; Note that the balls should be made when the mixture is still hot.


6. Cool completely and store in airtight containers. Enjoi!!

Bisi Bele Bhaat

Couple of my friends had been asking for my Bisi Bele Bhaat recipe since a looooong time..... I finally made up my mind and prepared it today!!!Anjana, Shwetha....I'm sorry about the delay.... But I'm sure you'll understand ;))

Bisibele Bhaat has been an all time favourite dish for all kannadigas... And its no different in our house. Naveen is a huuuuuuge Bisi Bele Bhaat lover. With some raita, he can have it for breakfast, lunch, dinner and even the next day's breakfast too!!! :))

Most of the people use Urad/Chana dal for the Bisi Bele Bhaat masala. But the one that I have for you here is a little different. I got this recipe from my mom and she got it from her grandmom, years ago.... So you can say, this recipe has been passing down in the family since generations!! :). Hope you like it as much we do!!!

Ingredients:

1 cup White rice
1 cup Toor dal
1 cup grated coconut
1 tsp Oil
1 Onion medium sized
1 cup Peas and carrots, chopped
1/2 cup Beans, chopped
1 Potato, medium sized
1/4 tsp Tamarind paste
1/2 tsp
1 tsp Mustard seeds
4-5 curry leaves
2 tsp Cashews
2 tbsp Ghee
A pinch of hing
Salt as per taste

For the Masala:
4-5 Dry red chillies, low to medium spiced
3 tsp Coriander seeds
4-5 Cloves
4"-5" Cinnamon/Chakke/Dalchini

Method:

1. Peel and chop onions into strips. Wash, peel and cut potatoes into 1" cubes.


2. Add oil and haldi to the dal;Pressure cook rice, dal and vegetables with lots of water (I use 6 cups of water for every cup of rice and toor dal). Make sure that the dal and rice is well cooked.


3. Meanwhile, dry roast red chillies, cinnamon, coriander seeds and cloves until you smell the fresh aroma of masalas.


4. Powder the masala in a blender without adding any water.


5. Add grated coconut and grind the masala to a smooth paste with some water.


6. Mix the masala with the cooked rice-dal-veggie mixture;Heat the mixture on medium flame and bring to boil. Stir regularly.


7. Add tamarind paste,jaggery and salt; Mix well and bring to boil again.


8. For the tadka, heat ghee; Add mustard seeds. Add hing, cashews and curry leaves after the seeds splutter. Mix well with Bisi Bele Bhaat and serve hot with raita/potato chips/mixture!

Palak-Corn/Spinach-Corn Soup

Couple of weeks back, one of our friends had invited us over for dinner and that was where I had Spinach soup for the first time. Naveen and I loved it instantly!! I decided to come home and try it myself sometime.
And I finally made it over the weekend!!! Weekend was cold and rainy ...And the weather was perfect for us to relish a hot bowl of soup. Thanx Sangeeta, for sharing tips on this lovely and healthy recipe. Hope you all like it !! This will also be my entry for Nupur's 'P' of A to Z of Indian Vegetables

Ingredients:

1 bunch Fresh Spinach

1/2 cup Sweet corn kernels
1 Tomato, small sized
1 Onion, medium sized
2 tsp Butter
3-4 Cloves
2" Cinnamon stick
1" Fresh Ginger

3-4 tbsp Whole Milk
1/2 tsp Black pepper, powdered
Salt as per taste

Method:

1. Wash and cut spinach leaves into pieces. Cut onions and tomatoes into chunks


2. Cook spinach onions and ginger in salt water until they become soft and are cooked. To this, add tomotoes, a little before the spinach and onions are done.


3. Switch off the stove after the veggies are cooked and let it cool.


4. Meanwhile, heat 1 tsp butter in a kadai and add cloves and cinnamon. Saute for a minute and keep aside.


5. Cook corn kernels in microwave for about 3 mins or until they are cooked and keep aside.


6. Blend together spinach, onions, tomatoes, ginger and cloves-cinnamon.


7. Add corn and milk to the above spinach mixture and bring to boil on stove. Add water if required.


8. Add salt and pepper and serve hot with butter!

Corn Chaat

Sometimes I wonder why chaat items are termed as Junk Food..... All it contains is some raw veggies( like carrots, cucumbers, onions, tomatoes), murmure/cooked channa/corn, little oil and some masalas.... Which are all good for health and also very low on calories!! The oil we add here is almost negligible, compared to pakoras and other fried items. So, I would prefer to call this dish as a healthy food than call it Junk Food. Am I not right, people??!!??

Both Naveen and I love chaats so much, that I make them as starters whenever I have guests over for dinner!!! Here's one such chaat recipe that has won me a lot of appreciation from all my friends...This one is sure to set your taste buds tingling!!! :)

Ingredients:

2 cups Sweet corn kernels
1/2 cup Chopped Onions (Red Onions give a good color. Since I ran short of red onions, I have used yellow onions in the picture)
1/4 cup Grated Carrots
1 tsp Chaat Masala
1/4 tsp Red Chilli powder
1 tsp Lime juice
1/2 tsp Sugar

2 tbsp Nylon Sev

1-2 strands Cilantro

2 tsp Oil
Salt as per taste

Method:

1. Cook the corn kernels in the microwave for about 3 mins, or until they are cooked.


2. In a mixing bowl add oil, cooked corn, carrots, onions, chilli powder, chaat masala, salt, sugar , lime juice and mix well. Add more masalas if required.


3. Garnish with Sev, Cilantro and serve immediately.

Kumbalakai Gojju/ Sweet Pumpkin Curry

Pumpkins are called Kumbalakai in Kannada. I learnt a kind of Kumbalakai curry from my mom that I relish a lot.This curry(called gojju in kannada) can also be made with okra, raw bananas or eggplant. But the sweet tinge of the pumpkin gives an amazing taste that you would not get with any other veggie....Heres the recipe for it.

Ingredients:

2 cups Yellow/Sweet Pumpkin chopped into 1" cubes
1 cup Fresh/frozen grated coconut
2 tsp Ellu/Til/Sesame seeds
3-4 Dry Red chillis, low to medium spiced
2 tsp Hurigadale/Putaani/Channa Dhalia
1 tsp Mustard seeds
4-5 curry leaves
1/4 tsp tamarind paste

2-3 tsp Oil
1/4 tsp jaggery
A pinch of hing
salt as per tatse

Method:

1. Heat oil in a kadai. Temper with mustard seeds, curry leaves and haldi.


2. Add chopped sweet/yellow pumpkins and cook covered until they become soft. Add very little (as little as 2-3 tsp) water while cooking.


3. Meanwhile, dry roast Ellu/Til and dry red chillies until you smell the fresh aroma of the masala.


4. Grind the roasted masala with chana dahlia,hing, coconut and mustard seeds to a smooth paste.


5. Add the masala paste to the pumpkins after they are cooked completely. Add water and allow it to boil.


6. To this add tamarind paste, jaggery, salt and boil well.


7. Serve hot with rice and enjoi!!

Indonesian Potatoes

I happened to come across this dish on the Sanjeev Kapoor show on TV few days back and it looked very delicious and colourful. I made a few modifications to the recipe to suit my taste and tried it out yesterday. It came out really good!!! Naveen and I gulped up the whole thing in just a couple of minutes!! :). Heres the recipe for it....

Ingredients:

1 Medium sized Potato
1 Small Red Bell Pepper
1 bunch Green Onions
2 tsp Soy Sauce
1/2 tsp Powdered Sugar
1/2 tsp Crushed Red Pepper
2 tsp Oil
1/4 tsp Lime juice
Salt as per taste
Oil for deep frying

Method:

1. Wash, peel and chop potatoes into wedges.


2. Heat oil in kadai and deep fry the potatoes until they turn golden brown in color.


3. Remove potatoes from oil and drain them into paper napkins so that the excess oil is absorbed;Keep aside.


4. Meanwhile, chop green onions and the red bell pepper into thin strips.


5. In another kadai, heat 2-3 tsp oil. Add chopped green onions and bell peppers and fry until they are tender.


6. To this, add fried potatoes and saute. Add soy sauce, salt,sugar, crushed red peppers and mix well.


7. Remove from stove, add lemon juice and serve hot. This dish can be eaten with rice or even separately.....