Ever feel like being in the shoes of an old time cowboy? I mean like back in the days of Clint Eastwood. What on earth am I talking about, you ask? As usual, I'm being a little random, but with some relevance. I always have a vision of cowboys sitting around a campfire with a pot of beans and eating hearty food. So, what would be a fitting cowboy breakfast? Well, hash and eggs, of course!
Ok, enough of my flashback to cowboy days. Hash is a very easy dish to whip up. It combines the heartiness of potatoes with the flavors of onions and bell peppers. From there, it's really up to you whether you want to use mushrooms or not and how you want to flavor it up.
For this one, I went with my basic hash recipe which uses potatoes, bell peppers, and onions. It's flavored simply with garlic, black pepper and green chillies. Throw yourself an egg (any style you please) on top and you've got yourself a hearty and delicious breakfast. For a real treat, make some of my whole wheat biscuits to have on the side!
Ingredients:
Baby potatoes - 5-6, cut into bite sized chunks
Red onion - 1, chopped into large chunks
Bell pepper - 1/2 green, 1/2 red chopped into chunks
Green chillies - 5-6, or to taste, chopped
Garlic - 3 cloves, finely chopped
Black pepper - 1 tsp, or as desired
Pepper jack cheese, grated - 1/3-1/2 cup, optional (depending on your preference)
Eggs - 4, cooked any style
Oil
Salt to taste
Method:
Heat oil in a pan. Add potatoes to the pan, cover, and cook on medium heat until the potatoes are mostly cooked. Toss in the onions, bell peppers, green chillies, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook on medium-high until the veggies are a bit caramelized and are crisp-tender. Sprinkle the cheese over the top, if desired and cover to melt. Meanwhile, heat another skillet and cook the eggs any style you like. To serve, place a bit of the hash on your plate and top with the cooked egg. Serve with salsa, if desired. Enjoy!
This plate is off to Pooja for her VOW/JFI event themed bell peppers!
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Friday, May 30, 2008
Rockin' with Mango Scones and Okra Corn Cakes!
Are you someone who likes a sweet breakfast? Something light, flaky, and warm that doesn't take up lots of time to make? If so, you'd probably like this recipe. I was in my kitchen the other day and had a ripe mango that needed to be used up badly. After a bit of deliberation and perusal through some baking books, I settled on making scones using mango and coconut.
Let me tell you that these scones are definitely a treat for the taste buds. Be sure to use the ripest, most flavorful mangoes you can find. The flavor of mango is accented by bits of sweetened shredded coconut and perfumed with the ethereal fragrance of cardamom. Need I say more? If you don't want them for breakfast, they'd make a fabulous snack with tea!
Ingredients:
Mangoes, diced - 1 cup
Shredded sweetened coconut - 1/2 cup
All purpose flour - 1 cup
White whole wheat flour - 1 cup (you can use AP flour instead if you want)
Sugar - 1/4 cup
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Baking powder - 3 tsp
Cardamom powder - 1 tsp
Yogurt - 1/3 cup
Eggs - 2, beaten
Cold butter - 6 tbsp, cut into pieces
For the top:
Melted butter - 2 tbsp
Granulated sugar - 1-2 tbsp
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. In a large bowl, combine the flours, sugar, salt, cardamom, and baking powder together. Whisk lightly or sift. Add the butter pieces and break them up using a fork or your fingertips. You want to get to a consistency where you have some pieces of butter that are the size of peas and some that are like grains of sand. Don't overwork it or else your scones won't be light and flaky.
3. Mix the eggs and yogurt together in another bowl. Add to the dry ingredients along with the mangoes and coconut. Stir until it's just barely mixed together. The dough will be very sticky, but that's ok. The end result will be worth it!
4. Turn out the dough onto a very well floured surface. Sprinkle the top with flour and knead it 2-3 times to just pull the dough together. Pat it out into a rectangle about 1 inch thick. Cut the dough into triangles using a sharp knife. I was able to get about 12 triangles out of this batch.
5. Place the cut scones on a baking sheet/cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush the tops of the scones with melted butter and sprinkle with granulated sugar.
6. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes or until golden on top. Enjoy warm from the oven with tea!
Off these go to Arundati of Escapades who's hosting this month's WBB with the theme of mango madness. Hope she likes them as much as we did!
Not in the mood for something sweet, you say? How about something savory?
Dhivi and Siri had started dining hall and I was intrigued by their International Food League event. So, I cracked open my account to receive the following riddle:
I have a crown yet I am not the king
You cut my crown and feet off with a fling
I carry lots of eggs, yet I nothing but a veggie
Even with all that I am thin and long not pudgy
I am green and I am gooey
If u don't pay attention, I will make your dish go mushy and chewy
I do good to your health and to you brain
Which is what your elders told you without refrain
Now its up to you to think and guess
To who I am ...Cos I am good too and no less
Luckily, I managed to guess okra correctly on the first guess! My next task was to come up with a dish using okra. What have I cooked up this time, you ask with bated breath? Yes, that was my idea of a lame joke. Haa haa.
The dish is Okra Corn Cakes. I was browsing recipes on the net and saw a lot of Southern style recipes using okra, mostly fried. Eventually, I saw a few that were more along the lines of corn cakes using okra. After a lot of serious Indianization and modifications, this is what I came up with:
Without any further ado, let me get to the recipe... :)
Ingredients:
Okra - 1 cup, sliced finely
Onion, chopped - 1 small
Green chillies - 6-8, chopped, or to taste
Cumin powder - 1 tsp
Chilli powder - 2 tsp, or to taste
Salt - to taste
Egg - 1, slightly beaten
Water - as needed
Cornmeal - 1/2 cup
All purpose flour - 1/2 cup
Salt - to taste
Baking powder - 1 tsp
Method:
1. Heat oil in a pan for shallow frying on medium-high heat.
2. In a large bowl, mix okra, onion, chillies, salt, chilli powder, cumin powder, and egg. Add the flour, cornmeal, and baking powder. Stir together. Now, slowly add water and mix until you get the consistency of a pancake batter to bhaji batter thickness.
3. Drop the batter by spoonfuls (I used a small ice cream scoop) into the hot oil and shallow fry until golden brown. It takes about 2 minutes per side or so. Drain on paper towels and serve warm with ketchup, chutney, or a sauce of your choice. Enjoy!
These delicious bites of brain food are on their way to Open Sesame at International Food League.
I'm also sending them in to Mansi who's hosting this month's monthly mingle themed appetizers. Monthly mingle was started by Meeta of What's for Lunch, Honey?
Just to make my day perfect, Madhavi of Vegetarian Medley passed on the rocking girl blogger award to me! Thank you so so so so much, Madhavi!!! I am totally thrilled and ecstatic to have received this from you, dear! I know that a lot of you have already received this award, but would like to extend it to Cham, Uma, Sagari, Pravs, Namratha, Dhivi,and Siri. Congrats and enjoy it! :)
Have a wonderful weekend, all!
Let me tell you that these scones are definitely a treat for the taste buds. Be sure to use the ripest, most flavorful mangoes you can find. The flavor of mango is accented by bits of sweetened shredded coconut and perfumed with the ethereal fragrance of cardamom. Need I say more? If you don't want them for breakfast, they'd make a fabulous snack with tea!
Ingredients:
Mangoes, diced - 1 cup
Shredded sweetened coconut - 1/2 cup
All purpose flour - 1 cup
White whole wheat flour - 1 cup (you can use AP flour instead if you want)
Sugar - 1/4 cup
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Baking powder - 3 tsp
Cardamom powder - 1 tsp
Yogurt - 1/3 cup
Eggs - 2, beaten
Cold butter - 6 tbsp, cut into pieces
For the top:
Melted butter - 2 tbsp
Granulated sugar - 1-2 tbsp
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. In a large bowl, combine the flours, sugar, salt, cardamom, and baking powder together. Whisk lightly or sift. Add the butter pieces and break them up using a fork or your fingertips. You want to get to a consistency where you have some pieces of butter that are the size of peas and some that are like grains of sand. Don't overwork it or else your scones won't be light and flaky.
3. Mix the eggs and yogurt together in another bowl. Add to the dry ingredients along with the mangoes and coconut. Stir until it's just barely mixed together. The dough will be very sticky, but that's ok. The end result will be worth it!
4. Turn out the dough onto a very well floured surface. Sprinkle the top with flour and knead it 2-3 times to just pull the dough together. Pat it out into a rectangle about 1 inch thick. Cut the dough into triangles using a sharp knife. I was able to get about 12 triangles out of this batch.
5. Place the cut scones on a baking sheet/cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush the tops of the scones with melted butter and sprinkle with granulated sugar.
6. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes or until golden on top. Enjoy warm from the oven with tea!
Off these go to Arundati of Escapades who's hosting this month's WBB with the theme of mango madness. Hope she likes them as much as we did!
Not in the mood for something sweet, you say? How about something savory?
Dhivi and Siri had started dining hall and I was intrigued by their International Food League event. So, I cracked open my account to receive the following riddle:
I have a crown yet I am not the king
You cut my crown and feet off with a fling
I carry lots of eggs, yet I nothing but a veggie
Even with all that I am thin and long not pudgy
I am green and I am gooey
If u don't pay attention, I will make your dish go mushy and chewy
I do good to your health and to you brain
Which is what your elders told you without refrain
Now its up to you to think and guess
To who I am ...Cos I am good too and no less
Luckily, I managed to guess okra correctly on the first guess! My next task was to come up with a dish using okra. What have I cooked up this time, you ask with bated breath? Yes, that was my idea of a lame joke. Haa haa.
The dish is Okra Corn Cakes. I was browsing recipes on the net and saw a lot of Southern style recipes using okra, mostly fried. Eventually, I saw a few that were more along the lines of corn cakes using okra. After a lot of serious Indianization and modifications, this is what I came up with:
Without any further ado, let me get to the recipe... :)
Ingredients:
Okra - 1 cup, sliced finely
Onion, chopped - 1 small
Green chillies - 6-8, chopped, or to taste
Cumin powder - 1 tsp
Chilli powder - 2 tsp, or to taste
Salt - to taste
Egg - 1, slightly beaten
Water - as needed
Cornmeal - 1/2 cup
All purpose flour - 1/2 cup
Salt - to taste
Baking powder - 1 tsp
Method:
1. Heat oil in a pan for shallow frying on medium-high heat.
2. In a large bowl, mix okra, onion, chillies, salt, chilli powder, cumin powder, and egg. Add the flour, cornmeal, and baking powder. Stir together. Now, slowly add water and mix until you get the consistency of a pancake batter to bhaji batter thickness.
3. Drop the batter by spoonfuls (I used a small ice cream scoop) into the hot oil and shallow fry until golden brown. It takes about 2 minutes per side or so. Drain on paper towels and serve warm with ketchup, chutney, or a sauce of your choice. Enjoy!
These delicious bites of brain food are on their way to Open Sesame at International Food League.
I'm also sending them in to Mansi who's hosting this month's monthly mingle themed appetizers. Monthly mingle was started by Meeta of What's for Lunch, Honey?
Just to make my day perfect, Madhavi of Vegetarian Medley passed on the rocking girl blogger award to me! Thank you so so so so much, Madhavi!!! I am totally thrilled and ecstatic to have received this from you, dear! I know that a lot of you have already received this award, but would like to extend it to Cham, Uma, Sagari, Pravs, Namratha, Dhivi,and Siri. Congrats and enjoy it! :)
Have a wonderful weekend, all!
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Cardamom Cranberry Tea Bread
Alright, so this is really last minute even for me!! This is my entry for think spice - cardamom, hosted by Easycrafts. I actually had this in my drafts and hadn't been able to get around to posting it until now.
This bread is a yeast bread that I would say is similar in texture to challah, but not as rich. I added dried cranberries for a sweet-tangy bite to the bread. We actually loved the taste of the cranberries augmented by the tantalizing aroma of cardamom! This is great with tea, buttered or not. Tastes wonderful warm and leftovers make killer french toast!!
If you're one of the people who's intimidated to use yeast, you really shouldn't be at all! Just be a little careful and soon you'll be confident. I'm still working on it and was pleasantly surprised at how good this came out! This recipe might seem like it has a lot of steps, but the only thing required is a bit of patience. It's truly not that complicated.
I used 3/4 cup of dried cranberries and we found ourselves wanting a bit more, so if you're like us, you'll probably want to increase the amount to 1 cup. I wrote the recipe as I made it, but will probably increase the amount of cranberries next time! :)
Ingredients:
Yeast - 1 package (2 1/4 tsp)
Warm water - 3/4 c (120-130 F)
Warm milk - 3/4 cup (120-130 F)
Sugar - 3/4 cup
Butter - 1/4 cup, softened
Egg - 1 (optional, but adds richness)
Cardamom powder - 1 1/2 tsp, freshly ground preferred
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Dried cranberries - 3/4 cup
White whole wheat flour (or bread flour) - 2 cups
Bread flour - 2 to 2 1/2 cups
Granulated sugar to sprinkle over the top - 1 tbsp, optional
Egg wash - 1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp of water, optional
Method:
1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the white whole wheat flour and 1 1/2 cups of bread flour, salt, sugar, cardamom and yeast. Use paddle attachment to mix well.
2. Now, add the warm milk, warm water, and egg. Beat until smooth. Switch to a dough hook and let the mixer knead the dough, adding 1/2 to 1 cup of bread flour as needed until the dough is smooth and elastic. Don't worry if it's a little sticky. Just make sure not to add to much flour and make the dough too dry which would result in a coarsely textured loaf!!
3. Oil a bowl and place the kneaded dough in the bowl. Alternatively, you can leave the dough in the bowl of the mixer itself, but just oil the bowl. Cover with a damp cloth and/or plastic wrap and leave it in a warm place until it's doubled in bulk, about 1 1/4 hrs. I find that my oven which has a pilot light on works best for this.
4. Now, remove the dough from the bowl and place on a floured work surface. Fold the dough gently over itself a few times to deflate it. Pour the cranberries on the work surface and knead them into the dough by hand. Cover the dough and allow it to rest for 10-15 minutes before shaping. Preheat the oven to 375 F.
5. At this point, I chose to make a braided loaf the easy way. You could just as well shape it into a loaf and bake it if you don't feel like braiding! For the braid, I divided the dough into 3 roughly equal pieces and braided the pieces like you braid your hair. Pinch the ends to seal them and tuck them underneath the surface.
6. Again, cover the dough and allow it to rise in a warm place until doubled in size. This takes about 45 minutes. I find that my kitchen counter works pretty well at this point.
7. Once the dough has risen sufficiently, remove the cover. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with granulated sugar, if desired. Bake at 375 F for 40-45 minutes, or until an internal read thermometer reads 190 F. Cover loosely with aluminum foil after 25 minutes if the top seems to brown too quickly.
Enjoy with tea and use leftovers for French toast or bread pudding!
This bread is a yeast bread that I would say is similar in texture to challah, but not as rich. I added dried cranberries for a sweet-tangy bite to the bread. We actually loved the taste of the cranberries augmented by the tantalizing aroma of cardamom! This is great with tea, buttered or not. Tastes wonderful warm and leftovers make killer french toast!!
If you're one of the people who's intimidated to use yeast, you really shouldn't be at all! Just be a little careful and soon you'll be confident. I'm still working on it and was pleasantly surprised at how good this came out! This recipe might seem like it has a lot of steps, but the only thing required is a bit of patience. It's truly not that complicated.
I used 3/4 cup of dried cranberries and we found ourselves wanting a bit more, so if you're like us, you'll probably want to increase the amount to 1 cup. I wrote the recipe as I made it, but will probably increase the amount of cranberries next time! :)
Ingredients:
Yeast - 1 package (2 1/4 tsp)
Warm water - 3/4 c (120-130 F)
Warm milk - 3/4 cup (120-130 F)
Sugar - 3/4 cup
Butter - 1/4 cup, softened
Egg - 1 (optional, but adds richness)
Cardamom powder - 1 1/2 tsp, freshly ground preferred
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Dried cranberries - 3/4 cup
White whole wheat flour (or bread flour) - 2 cups
Bread flour - 2 to 2 1/2 cups
Granulated sugar to sprinkle over the top - 1 tbsp, optional
Egg wash - 1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp of water, optional
Method:
1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the white whole wheat flour and 1 1/2 cups of bread flour, salt, sugar, cardamom and yeast. Use paddle attachment to mix well.
2. Now, add the warm milk, warm water, and egg. Beat until smooth. Switch to a dough hook and let the mixer knead the dough, adding 1/2 to 1 cup of bread flour as needed until the dough is smooth and elastic. Don't worry if it's a little sticky. Just make sure not to add to much flour and make the dough too dry which would result in a coarsely textured loaf!!
3. Oil a bowl and place the kneaded dough in the bowl. Alternatively, you can leave the dough in the bowl of the mixer itself, but just oil the bowl. Cover with a damp cloth and/or plastic wrap and leave it in a warm place until it's doubled in bulk, about 1 1/4 hrs. I find that my oven which has a pilot light on works best for this.
4. Now, remove the dough from the bowl and place on a floured work surface. Fold the dough gently over itself a few times to deflate it. Pour the cranberries on the work surface and knead them into the dough by hand. Cover the dough and allow it to rest for 10-15 minutes before shaping. Preheat the oven to 375 F.
5. At this point, I chose to make a braided loaf the easy way. You could just as well shape it into a loaf and bake it if you don't feel like braiding! For the braid, I divided the dough into 3 roughly equal pieces and braided the pieces like you braid your hair. Pinch the ends to seal them and tuck them underneath the surface.
6. Again, cover the dough and allow it to rise in a warm place until doubled in size. This takes about 45 minutes. I find that my kitchen counter works pretty well at this point.
7. Once the dough has risen sufficiently, remove the cover. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with granulated sugar, if desired. Bake at 375 F for 40-45 minutes, or until an internal read thermometer reads 190 F. Cover loosely with aluminum foil after 25 minutes if the top seems to brown too quickly.
Enjoy with tea and use leftovers for French toast or bread pudding!
Thursday, May 15, 2008
You make my day, Muffin!
You can imagine my pleasant surprise when I logged on to see this award waiting for me at Uma's blog! Thank you so much for feeling that I am worthy of receiving this award, Uma. You definitely make my day with your sweet comments on my blog, dear. Now comes the difficult task of deciding on who to pass it on to!
After much soul searching, I've finally decided to pass the award on to:
Pravs of Simply Spicy
Cham of Spice Club
Revathi of En Ulagam
Dhivya of Dhivya's Cuisine (best of luck with the pregnancy!)
Lavi of Home Cook's Recipes
Indosungod of Daily Musings
Sra of When My Soup Came Alive
Congratulations to you ladies and thanks to you and every one else who takes the time to read on comment on my recipes. It means so much to hear your feedback!
So, you want to celebrate?? I think something sweet would be appropriate. AFAM is coming up, you say? I've got just the thing... Raspberry Almond Muffins!
These muffins came about pretty much on a whim. I've never been the biggest fan of raspberries simply because the seeds annoy me. But, I was in the grocery store and saw these gorgeous, ruby red berries that seemed to call to me and couldn't resist buying them. Once I came home, I pondered what to do with them. I finally decided on muffins.
I used a combo of AP flour and oats in this muffin. It's actually fairly healthy considering the addition of 2 cups of raspberries and the minimal sugar used. I used 1/2 cup of brown sugar which resulted in very mildly sweet muffins. This was totally fine with me, but I can see people with a moderate sweet tooth needing more along the lines of 3/4 to 1 cup (very sweet bakery type taste) of brown sugar. My husband has a pronounced sweet tooth and these were not sweet enough for him, so just keep that in mind. Hey, it just meant more for me! :)
Enough dilly-dally, right? Off to the recipe!
Ingredients:
All purpose flour - 1 1/3 cup
Oats - 1 cup
Brown sugar, packed - 1/2 cup for very mild sweetness (increase to 3/4 cup or so for sweeter)
Baking powder - 1 tbsp
Nutmeg - 3/4 tsp
Lemon zest - 2 tsp
Almond extract - 1/2 tsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Egg, beaten - 1
Milk - 1 cup
Vegetable oil - 1/4 cup
Raspberries - 2 cups (2 4.4 oz packs), coated with 2 tbsp of AP flour
Optional:
Slivered almonds - 2 tbsp
Granulated sugar - 1-2 tbsp
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 425 F. Line muffin tin with paper liners or grease them.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, oats, sugar, salt, baking powder, lemon zest, and nutmeg. In another bowl, whisk the egg, milk, extract and oil together. Pour into the dry ingredients. Fold the mixture together gently so as not to overwork the batter. Then, fold in the berries coated with flour. Note: Coating with flour prevents the berries from sinking to the bottom of the muffins. Gently folding the berries in will prevent them from breaking up. This batter might seem a bit runny, but everything turns out fine once they're baked!
3. Divide batter evenly between muffin cups. Sprinkle some almond slivers on top and granulated sugar, if desired.
4. Bake at 425 for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean. Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to finish cooling. Serve warm with or without butter!
These delicious beauties are off to Ammalu's Kitchen for AFAM. AFAM was originated by Maheshwari of Beyond the Usual.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Chow Chow Chutney and a Meme
This chutney came to life when I was rummaging through my fridge one day and found a chayote (chow chow). I was thinking of what to do with it when the idea of chutney popped into my head. It was the first time that I'd made chutney using this vegetable and it was fabulous!!
I made it similarly to the ridgegourd peel chutney I'd previously posted. I fried the chow chow, added coriander seeds to give it a special flavor, and a good amount of urad dal for body. The slight sweetness of the chow chow balanced by the tart tamarind, the spicy chillies, and the earthy coriander was truly a winning combination! All in all, I will definitely be making this one again and again!!
Ingredients:
Chayote/Chow Chow - 1 medium, coarsely chopped
Red chillies - 15-20, or to taste
Coriander seeds - 1 tbsp
Urad dal - 2 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Grated coconut - 3 tbsp
Curry leaves - 5-6 (optional)
Tamarind - key lime size
Salt to taste
For seasoning:
Oil
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves - 6-8
Method:
1. Heat oil. Add the mustard seeds, urad dal, red chillies and curry leaves. Fry until the dal turns golden brown and the red chillies have darkened. Remove to a mixer jar.
2. In the same pan, add a little more oil, if required, and fry the chayote along with coconut until the vegetable is cooked. The coconut shouldn't develop color during this step, so don't put the heat under the pan too high. Or, just add the coconut to the mixer jar (without frying).
3. Once the chayote has cooked, turn the heat off and allow to cool. Add to the contents in the mixer jar along with salt and tamarind and grind to a slightly coarse paste.
4. Season with mustard seeds and curry leaves. Add the seasoning, stir and serve with any tiffin item. Enjoy!
Sorry, sorry! I was tagged to do a meme by Dhivya of Dhivya's Cuisine, Divya Vikram of Dil Se, and Namratha of Finger Licking Food. Lazy me had not gotten around to doing it until now! Ok, here goes:
1) LAST MOVIE U SAW IN A THEATRE?
English - Iron Man (awesome!)
Tamil - Santosh Subramaniam (nice family film)
2) WHAT BOOK ARE U READING??
Do cookbooks count? Sad to say, I'm not reading a real book at the moment!
3) FAVOURITE BOARD GAME?
Life, Monopoly, Checkers
4) FAVOURITE MAGAZINE?
I love reading the covers of cheesy gossip mags while at the check-out counter of the grocery store. Sad, but true.
5) FAVOURITE SMELLS?
Roses, jasmine flowers (I miss them so!), garlic-ginger sauteeing, biryani, anything cooking in mom's kitchen!
6) FAVOURITE SOUNDS?
Gentle waterfalls, tamil folk music (dappanguthu rules!), tabla, mrindangam, sound of salangai when dancing (the heavy Indian ankle straps loaded with bells) bharatha natyam
7) WORST FEELING IN THE WORLD?
Loneliness
8) WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU THINK OF WHEN U WAKE?
Do I have to get up already??
9) FAVOURITE FASTFOOD PLACE?
I'm really not into the usual fast food stuff. It's true. I guess I had my fill of all of that stuff a long time ago! If you put a gun to my head, I'd have to say my local pizza place.
10) FUTURE CHILDS NAME?
Maybe Shanthi for a girl. Still haven't given it lots of thought!
11) FINISH THIS STATEMENT—’IF I HAD A LOT OF MONEY I’D’
work on charitable causes to try and make this world a better place, starting with worldwide vaccination against common diseases.
12) DO U DRIVE FAST?
Faster than my husband... Does that count?
13) DO U SLEEP WITH A STUFFED ANIMAL?
Yes. My husband is my teddy bear. Got a problem with that? *laugh*
14) STORMS–COOL OR SCARY?
Scary..
15) WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CAR?
Nissan Sentra
16) FAVOURITE DRINK?
Cosmopolitan, mango lassi, rose falooda
17) FINISH THIS STATEMENT-IF I HAD THE TIME I WOULD…
I do have time, but if I had the stamina, I'd love to read more and do volunteerism.
18) DO YOU EAT THE STEMS ON BROCCOLI?
Yes, why not?
19) IF YOU COULD DYE YOUR HAIR ANY OTHER COLOUR, WHAT WOULD BE YOUR CHOICE?
No thanks! I don't want my hair any color other than my own natural black! :)
20) NAME ALL THE DIFFERENT CITIES/TOWNS U HAVE LIVED IN?
NJ, Long Island, back to NJ
21) FAVOURITE SPORTS TO WATCH?
Figure skating, gymnastics. What? I'm girly! Ok, I am willing to watch basketball or baseball occasionally!
22) ONE NICE THING ABOUT THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU?
Dhivya - expecting a baby and is a sweetheart.
Divya Vikram - nice homey recipes that are delicious.
Namratha - makes such beautiful cakes and doesn't share. Kidding!!
23) WHATS UNDER YOUR BED?
Probably some dust
24) WOULD U LIKE TO BE BORN AS YOURSELF AGAIN??
Yes if I were born to the same set of parents!
25) MORNING PERSON OR NIGHT OWL?
Night owl all the way. My husband's a morning person. I don't get it!
26) OVER EASY OR SUNNY SIDE UP?
Sunny side up!
27) FAVOURITE PLACE TO RELAX?
The beach... Any state, any country. :)
28) FAVOURITE PIE?
Cherry, apple, peach
29) FAVOURITE ICE CREAM FLAVOUR? chocolate, strawberry, mango
30) OF ALL THE PEOPLE U HAVE TAGGED, WHO IS THE MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND FIRST? No idea and no pressure!
I know that lots of you have already done this meme, so if you feel like taking it up, please feel free!
I made it similarly to the ridgegourd peel chutney I'd previously posted. I fried the chow chow, added coriander seeds to give it a special flavor, and a good amount of urad dal for body. The slight sweetness of the chow chow balanced by the tart tamarind, the spicy chillies, and the earthy coriander was truly a winning combination! All in all, I will definitely be making this one again and again!!
Ingredients:
Chayote/Chow Chow - 1 medium, coarsely chopped
Red chillies - 15-20, or to taste
Coriander seeds - 1 tbsp
Urad dal - 2 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Grated coconut - 3 tbsp
Curry leaves - 5-6 (optional)
Tamarind - key lime size
Salt to taste
For seasoning:
Oil
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves - 6-8
Method:
1. Heat oil. Add the mustard seeds, urad dal, red chillies and curry leaves. Fry until the dal turns golden brown and the red chillies have darkened. Remove to a mixer jar.
2. In the same pan, add a little more oil, if required, and fry the chayote along with coconut until the vegetable is cooked. The coconut shouldn't develop color during this step, so don't put the heat under the pan too high. Or, just add the coconut to the mixer jar (without frying).
3. Once the chayote has cooked, turn the heat off and allow to cool. Add to the contents in the mixer jar along with salt and tamarind and grind to a slightly coarse paste.
4. Season with mustard seeds and curry leaves. Add the seasoning, stir and serve with any tiffin item. Enjoy!
Sorry, sorry! I was tagged to do a meme by Dhivya of Dhivya's Cuisine, Divya Vikram of Dil Se, and Namratha of Finger Licking Food. Lazy me had not gotten around to doing it until now! Ok, here goes:
1) LAST MOVIE U SAW IN A THEATRE?
English - Iron Man (awesome!)
Tamil - Santosh Subramaniam (nice family film)
2) WHAT BOOK ARE U READING??
Do cookbooks count? Sad to say, I'm not reading a real book at the moment!
3) FAVOURITE BOARD GAME?
Life, Monopoly, Checkers
4) FAVOURITE MAGAZINE?
I love reading the covers of cheesy gossip mags while at the check-out counter of the grocery store. Sad, but true.
5) FAVOURITE SMELLS?
Roses, jasmine flowers (I miss them so!), garlic-ginger sauteeing, biryani, anything cooking in mom's kitchen!
6) FAVOURITE SOUNDS?
Gentle waterfalls, tamil folk music (dappanguthu rules!), tabla, mrindangam, sound of salangai when dancing (the heavy Indian ankle straps loaded with bells) bharatha natyam
7) WORST FEELING IN THE WORLD?
Loneliness
8) WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU THINK OF WHEN U WAKE?
Do I have to get up already??
9) FAVOURITE FASTFOOD PLACE?
I'm really not into the usual fast food stuff. It's true. I guess I had my fill of all of that stuff a long time ago! If you put a gun to my head, I'd have to say my local pizza place.
10) FUTURE CHILDS NAME?
Maybe Shanthi for a girl. Still haven't given it lots of thought!
11) FINISH THIS STATEMENT—’IF I HAD A LOT OF MONEY I’D’
work on charitable causes to try and make this world a better place, starting with worldwide vaccination against common diseases.
12) DO U DRIVE FAST?
Faster than my husband... Does that count?
13) DO U SLEEP WITH A STUFFED ANIMAL?
Yes. My husband is my teddy bear. Got a problem with that? *laugh*
14) STORMS–COOL OR SCARY?
Scary..
15) WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CAR?
Nissan Sentra
16) FAVOURITE DRINK?
Cosmopolitan, mango lassi, rose falooda
17) FINISH THIS STATEMENT-IF I HAD THE TIME I WOULD…
I do have time, but if I had the stamina, I'd love to read more and do volunteerism.
18) DO YOU EAT THE STEMS ON BROCCOLI?
Yes, why not?
19) IF YOU COULD DYE YOUR HAIR ANY OTHER COLOUR, WHAT WOULD BE YOUR CHOICE?
No thanks! I don't want my hair any color other than my own natural black! :)
20) NAME ALL THE DIFFERENT CITIES/TOWNS U HAVE LIVED IN?
NJ, Long Island, back to NJ
21) FAVOURITE SPORTS TO WATCH?
Figure skating, gymnastics. What? I'm girly! Ok, I am willing to watch basketball or baseball occasionally!
22) ONE NICE THING ABOUT THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU?
Dhivya - expecting a baby and is a sweetheart.
Divya Vikram - nice homey recipes that are delicious.
Namratha - makes such beautiful cakes and doesn't share. Kidding!!
23) WHATS UNDER YOUR BED?
Probably some dust
24) WOULD U LIKE TO BE BORN AS YOURSELF AGAIN??
Yes if I were born to the same set of parents!
25) MORNING PERSON OR NIGHT OWL?
Night owl all the way. My husband's a morning person. I don't get it!
26) OVER EASY OR SUNNY SIDE UP?
Sunny side up!
27) FAVOURITE PLACE TO RELAX?
The beach... Any state, any country. :)
28) FAVOURITE PIE?
Cherry, apple, peach
29) FAVOURITE ICE CREAM FLAVOUR? chocolate, strawberry, mango
30) OF ALL THE PEOPLE U HAVE TAGGED, WHO IS THE MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND FIRST? No idea and no pressure!
I know that lots of you have already done this meme, so if you feel like taking it up, please feel free!
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Thakkali Sadham (Tomato Rice)
Aaah... Thakkali sadham... Just thinking of it brings a huge smile to my face! Amma used to make it a lot when we were younger as it was one of her and my brother's favorite things to eat. The thing is, I never used to be very fond of it as a child. Now, I simply adore it! Funny how tastes change with age, huh?
This version that I'm showing you here is a very simple one and pretty much sticks to Amma's original recipe. I called my mom the other day because I suddenly realized that I had a bunch of tomatoes and wanted to make her special (to me) thakkali sadham. She gave me the recipe over the phone and I made it that very night. Can I tell you the amazing things I felt while cooking it?
Gosh! The fragrances that were emanating from the pot took me right back to my childhood! I almost had tears in my eyes from being so happy! And the taste... Oh, the taste... That first bite and I knew I had done it. Amma's thakkali sadham was recreated in my own kitchen and now I'm sharing the simple, but special recipe with you!
This version that I'm showing you here is a very simple one and pretty much sticks to Amma's original recipe. I called my mom the other day because I suddenly realized that I had a bunch of tomatoes and wanted to make her special (to me) thakkali sadham. She gave me the recipe over the phone and I made it that very night. Can I tell you the amazing things I felt while cooking it?
Gosh! The fragrances that were emanating from the pot took me right back to my childhood! I almost had tears in my eyes from being so happy! And the taste... Oh, the taste... That first bite and I knew I had done it. Amma's thakkali sadham was recreated in my own kitchen and now I'm sharing the simple, but special recipe with you!
Thakkali sadham putting on airs!
Ingredients:
Cooked rice - 1 cup
Tomatoes - 2 vine-ripe or 3 medium plum tomatoes, chopped
Green bell pepper - 1/2 medium, chopped
Onion - 1 medium, chopped
Garlic - 2 cloves, finely chopped
Peas - 1/4 cup cooked or defrosted frozen peas
Green chillies - 4, or to taste
Chilli powder - 2 tsp, or to taste
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil
Lime juice - 2 tsp, or to taste
For seasoning:
Oil
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Urad dal - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - 6-8, torn
Method:
1. Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds, urad dal and curry leaves. When they splutter, add the cut onions and green chillies. Fry until the onions soften a bit.
2. Now, add the bell peppers and fry until crisp-tender.
3. At this point, add the chopped garlic, peas, tomatoes, salt, and masala powders. Fry until the raw smell disappears and the tomatoes have softened. This is the time to add the cooked rice and stir well. Check for seasoning. Turn off the heat and add lime juice. Mix once more and serve hot with raita, chips, appalam, or all by itself! Simple, right?
Ingredients:
Cooked rice - 1 cup
Tomatoes - 2 vine-ripe or 3 medium plum tomatoes, chopped
Green bell pepper - 1/2 medium, chopped
Onion - 1 medium, chopped
Garlic - 2 cloves, finely chopped
Peas - 1/4 cup cooked or defrosted frozen peas
Green chillies - 4, or to taste
Chilli powder - 2 tsp, or to taste
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil
Lime juice - 2 tsp, or to taste
For seasoning:
Oil
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Urad dal - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - 6-8, torn
Method:
1. Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds, urad dal and curry leaves. When they splutter, add the cut onions and green chillies. Fry until the onions soften a bit.
2. Now, add the bell peppers and fry until crisp-tender.
3. At this point, add the chopped garlic, peas, tomatoes, salt, and masala powders. Fry until the raw smell disappears and the tomatoes have softened. This is the time to add the cooked rice and stir well. Check for seasoning. Turn off the heat and add lime juice. Mix once more and serve hot with raita, chips, appalam, or all by itself! Simple, right?
Monday, May 5, 2008
Sevai Upma
This dish is a really simple, somewhat different version of upma. What I had wanted to do was make semiya upma (i.e., using vermicelli). However, I had no semiya in the house and saw this packet of instant sevai (instant idiyaapam) that Amma had bought when we went to the Indian store once. I figured, why not use this and turn it into upma?
Well, it turned out to be a brilliant idea, if I may say so myself. Wait a minute, it's my blog so I can claim to be brilliant, right? Hee hee. Sorry, I digress...
Anyway, I added some veggies to it to turn it into a quick and light meal. Feel free to make alterations as you like! You can easily do the same thing with semiya and have awesome results, too.
Ingredients:
Instant sevai - 3 cups raw, place in hot water and soften per package directions
Onion - 2 medium, sliced
Tomato - 1, chopped
Carrot - 2 medium, chopped
Green bell peppers - 2 medium, chopped finely
Green chillies - 8-10, or to taste, slit
Ginger - 2 inch piece, finely chopped
Cashews - 10-15, broken in half, fried in oil or ghee and kept aside
For seasoning:
Oil
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Method:
1. Soften sevai per package directions. Mine said to pour boiled water over it and leave it for 10 minutes, then drain.
2. Heat oil in a pan and season with mustard seeds, urad dal, and curry leaves. Then, add the sliced onions, green chillies, and ginger. Saute until softened. At this point, add all of the veggies along with salt. Fry until the veggies are as tender as you like. Now, put the softened sevai into the veggie mixture and mix well. Check for seasoning and turn off the heat. Garnish with fried cashews and serve hot. Enjoy with chutney, pickle, sugar, or nothing at all! Stands on its own really well, too. :)
A closer look:
Well, it turned out to be a brilliant idea, if I may say so myself. Wait a minute, it's my blog so I can claim to be brilliant, right? Hee hee. Sorry, I digress...
Anyway, I added some veggies to it to turn it into a quick and light meal. Feel free to make alterations as you like! You can easily do the same thing with semiya and have awesome results, too.
Ingredients:
Instant sevai - 3 cups raw, place in hot water and soften per package directions
Onion - 2 medium, sliced
Tomato - 1, chopped
Carrot - 2 medium, chopped
Green bell peppers - 2 medium, chopped finely
Green chillies - 8-10, or to taste, slit
Ginger - 2 inch piece, finely chopped
Cashews - 10-15, broken in half, fried in oil or ghee and kept aside
For seasoning:
Oil
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Method:
1. Soften sevai per package directions. Mine said to pour boiled water over it and leave it for 10 minutes, then drain.
2. Heat oil in a pan and season with mustard seeds, urad dal, and curry leaves. Then, add the sliced onions, green chillies, and ginger. Saute until softened. At this point, add all of the veggies along with salt. Fry until the veggies are as tender as you like. Now, put the softened sevai into the veggie mixture and mix well. Check for seasoning and turn off the heat. Garnish with fried cashews and serve hot. Enjoy with chutney, pickle, sugar, or nothing at all! Stands on its own really well, too. :)
A closer look:
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Mexican Pizza
This is a very simple recipe for those lazy evenings when you don't feel like making anything elaborate for dinner or don't have time. Plus, it just tastes awesome!
I used store bought whole wheat tortillas and topped them with quick sauteed onions, garlic, red bell peppers, olives and salsa. Let's not forget the cheese. It was habanero jack cheese! Overall, the pizzas were filling, yet light. Adding a little bit of homemade guacamole put them over the top. California pizza kitchen ain't got nothing on these babies!!
Ingredients:
Red onion - 1 medium, sliced
Red bell pepper - 1 medium, cut in half and sliced into strips
Garlic - 2 cloves, chopped
Chipotle in adobo - 2, chopped finely
Cumin powder - 1 tsp
Black olives without pits - 15-20, coarsely chopped
Salsa (I used store bought) - about 4 tbsp (enough to just coat each tortilla)
Whole wheat or flour tortillas - 4
Guacamole - optional
Pepper jack or habanero jack cheese - about 1/2 -1 cup, depending on your preference
Salt to taste
Oil
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 400 F.
2. Drizzle a little bit of oil in a skillet. When hot, add the onions, bell peppers and garlic. Saute until the veggies are just barely crisp-tender. Add the chipotle, cumin powder, and salt and toss for another few seconds. Remove from the heat.
3. Spray a sheet pan with cooking spray or lightly coat it with oil. Place the tortillas on the pan and bake for 2 minutes (makes a crispier crust). Then, coat the tortillas with salsa, cheese, sauteed veggies, and olives. Bake again for about 7-10 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
4. Serve hot garnished with guacamole and scallions, if desired. Enjoy!
We loved these so much that I'm sending them to sweet Dhivi for her AWED event with the theme of Mexican food!
Craving more Mexican??
Take a look at my Veggie Enchiladas and Veggie Quesadillas.
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