POACHED EGGPLANT SALAD

Eggplants are considered as a low calore vegetable Eggplant is effective in the treatment of high blood cholesterol.Normally how I make eggplant salad is grild and mixed with other vegetables like capsicum.This is a different recipe which gives a great taste to the salad.Parsely gives a beautiful flavour to this salad and I enjoyed it with roti....

Recipe source -- Tobiascooks.com
INGREDIENTS:---
Eggplants --- 2 large cut in to small cubes
Garlic -- 2 cloves crushed
Vinegar -- 2 tab sp
Parsley -- 1 cup finely chopped(nearly 100 g)
Green chillies -- 2 or accor ding to your taste
Salt --- 1/2 tea sp or according to your taste
Olive oil -- 2 tab sp
METHOD:---
1.Add half salt to eggplant cubes and leave a side for half an hour
2. Heat water in a sauce pan bring to full boil then add eggplant cubes and cook for 3 minutes.
3.Remove from heat and drain all the water well and keep a side
4. Blend parsley,garlic.green chillies,remaining salt,vinegar and olive oil and blend in to a fine paste.
5.Add this parsley sesoning to eggplant cubes mix gently, cover and leave it like that for couple of hours and serve.
This salad goes to Prathibha s only salads event and event started by Pari

HRAIMEH - FISH POUCHED IN A SPICY GRAVY(LIBYAN POUCHED FISH)

Lamb and chicken dishes dominate the Libyan cuisine.Most of the Libyan recipes are made with lamb more then chicken.But being a Mediterranean region Libyan diet is also rich in sea food like Fish,Octopus and squids. Sundried Octopus cooked in a tomato herb stew flavoured with garlic and served on Couscous is a favourite delicacy in Libya.We get many varieties of fish from mediterranean sea like Pomfert,Mullet,Moonfish,Sardines(spanish Sardine),Anchovies.Libyans likes fresh fish more then dried fish.Mostely fish is cooked on a grill and served with couscous or cooked as a stew with potatoes and served with Bazin(Bazin is popular and treditional dish in Libya which is made by a dough with roasted barli and other grains and served with a stew of fish or meat. It is similar to South Indian ragimudde(ragisankati) or jonnasankati ).And the next recipe with fish in Libyan cuisine is Hraimeh- which is fish pouched in a spicey tomato gravy flavoured with garlic and caraway powder. Here I go with Hraimeh recipe from Libyan cuisune.....
                                                                 

INGRDIENTS:---
Olive oil -- 3 tab sp
Water -- 1 cup (100 ml)
Lemon juice -- 1 tab sp
Tomato puree -- 5 tab sps
Garlic cloves -- 4 finely chopped
Salt -- a pinch or according to your taste
Cumin -- 1 tea sp ground(cumin powder)
Caraway - 1/2 tea sp ground (Caraway seed powder)
Paprika -- 2 tea sp (mix hot and sweet, I used Indian red chilli powder because we like little spicy)
Tuna Steaks -- 4 (140 g) You can use any other boneless fish steaks.
METHOD:--
1.Mix oil,water,lemon juice,tomato puree,garlic,salt and spices.
2.Pour in to a sauce pan and cook in a low heat for 10 minutes.
3. Add the fish and cook, turn the fish both sides so it absorbs the sauce.
4. Cover the pan with lid and cook on a low heat for 15 minutes.
5. sprinkle with coriander and serve
This is my entry for 16th Mediterranean cooking event

SPINACH AND CORIANDER RICE

There are many ways to make Spinach rice.This is a delicious and healthy recipe with great coriander aroma.Actually I make spinach rice with only spinach.This time I wanted to give a different flavour to my spinach rice and that's realy worked out. check out the recipe here....

INGREDIENTS:--
Spinach -- 1 cup chopped
Coriander --- 1 cup chopped
Green chillies --- 3 chopped
Garlic --- 4 cloves chopped
Cumin seeds -- 1 tea sp roasted
Rice --- 1&1/2 cup (basmati or any other long grain rice)
Water --- 3 cups
Olive oil --- 1 tab sp (you can use( ghee)clarified butter or any other oil if u like.
Cinnamon --- 1 inch stick
Cardamom -- 4
Salt --- 1 &1/2 tea sp or according to your taste.

METHOD:---
1.Make a coarse paste of spinach.coriander,green chilli,garlic and cumin seeds in a food processor.
2. Cook rice with 3 cups of water and tea sp of oil and let it cool .
3.Now heat remaining olive oil in a pan and add cinnamon,cardamom let them popup then add the ground paste, salt, give a nice stir then add cooked rice immediately and cover with a lid switch off the heat, leave it like that till you serve.
4. Just before you serve remove the lid and mix well to combine the flavours well and serve with pickle,curd and salad.
You can serve with fried eggs or fried fish or chicken on top of this rice in a bowl with salad as a one bowl meal..

MIXED VEGETABLE AND OATS BALLS

Yestarday I planed to make mixed vegetable balls for lunch and I for got that I don't have corn flour in my pantry.I already chopped the vegetables and added the other ingredients then I realise that hummm what to do?. I don't want to add besan(chick pea flour to this). Then I think way didn't we make some thing interesting this recipe. That time I was thinking for a different recipe for Priyas oats event and..... way don't we add oats to veges to make a interesting recipe and here I go......

INGREDIENTS:--
Chopped cabbage --- 1 cup(finely chopped)
Finely chopped carrot -- 1/2 cup(you can used grated also)
Green peas ---1/4 cup boiled and lightly mashed
Potato --- 1 small boiled and mashed
Oats --- 1/4 cup
All purpose flour(maida) --- 1 tab sp (you can add 1 tab sp pancake mix insted of flour)
Chopped green chillies --- 1/2 tab sp
Chopped garlic ---- 1 tab sp
Choppped ginger ---- 1/2 tab sp
Chopped coriander --- 1 tab sp
Salt -- 1&1/2 tea sp
Oil for deep frying

METHOD:---
1. Mix all above ingredients in a bowl and make small ball s
2. Heat oil in a deep frying pan.
3.Slowley droop this balls in to hot oil and fry in to a golden brown color.
4. Remove from oil an dplace the on a kitchen towle to remove if any extra oil.
Serve hot with rice as a side dish or with soup or you can enjoy then as a snack...
Note :-you can use frozen vegetables also ...
Sending this vege balls to Priya s CWF event by Kiran

KHANDVI FOR ICC

This month's Indian Cookin Challenge is KHANDVI a delicious Gujarati snack.I never made Khandvi before and never tasted also. when Sri Valli choosed Khandvi for this month's challenge I am very happy to try this one. I tried it for few times still I am not happy with this ,It dosen't came out perfect.But hubby dear likes it very much, I have to try this for one more time let's see.Thank you so much valli for choosing this delicious snack and thanks Lata for the recipe,I have choosed Lata's recipe..

INGREDIENTS:---
Gram flour (besan) -- 1/3 cup
Sour curd -- 1/3 cup
Water -- 1 cup
Sugar -- 1 tea sp
Ginger garlic paste -- 1 tea sp
Green chilli paste -- 1/2 tea sp
Turmeric powder -- 1/4 tea sp
Asafoetida powder -- 1/4 tea sp
Salt -- 1/4 tea sp or according to your taste
Oil ---- 3 tab sp
FOR SEASONING:---
Oil -- 1 tea sp
Mustard seeds -- 1/2 tea sp
Sesame seeds -- 1 tab sp
Grated coconut -- 2 tab sp
Chopped coriander leaves -- 2 tab sp

METHOD:---
1. Greas a flat plate with little oil and keep a side.
2.Take gram flour,salt,ginger garlic paste,green chilli paste,curd, water in to a bowl and mix well to make a thin batter(make sure that no lumps in the batter)
3. Now add sugar, Asafoetida, turmeric powder to the batter and mix well.
4.Heat 3 tab sp oil in a thick bottomed pan and pour the batter,stir continously in a medium heat till it turns in to a semi liquid.
5. Now transfer this cooked flour to the greased plate and spread the batter in to a thin layer and leave it to cool.

6. Once it is cool cut in to strips with a knife, roll this strips in to spirals.
7.Heat 1 tea sp oil in a pan add mustard and sesame seeds let them popup then pour over this seasoning on rolled khandvi
8. Sprinkle grated coconut and chopped coriander leaves and serve.

సంక్రాంతి శుభాకాంక్షలు -- HAPPY SANKRANTI

HAPPY SANKRANTI TO ALL MY FRIENDS AND READERS

This is the Sankranti days neivedam(offering to God) plater. In this plater you can see..

Chekralu (muruku)

Garelu (deep fried urad bean duplings)(vada)

Chekkera Pongali

Ariselu

OLKOPIR DALNA - KOHLRABI IN THICK GRAVY

In Indian cuisine curry considered as a side dish. Curry is analogous to soup or stew. In Indian cuisine vegetables are meat cooked in there spices with or with out gravy.in India thousand of curries can be made by vegetables and dal, although ther are regional variations in Indian cuisine.Bengali cuisine includes a wide variety of curries.Bengali cisine is famous for there fish curries but they also excel in the cookin of vegetables. They prepare a veriety of dishes using many types of vegetables,in different ways like.. Aum-bol (A sour dish mead with vegetables or fish and tamarind pulp),Chachari(stir fry),Jhoul( a stew), Dalna - Mixed vegetables cooked in a semi gravy seasoned with garam masala. Dalna is a thick gravy based dish which reminds me iguru kura in Andhra cuisine.So here I am with a Dalna recipe which I tried and tasted from Sandeepa's Bong mom's cook book OLKOPIR DALNA and served with rice I enjoyed it with roti also. I just fallowed the recipe so that I can get the real bengali dalna flavour...
                                                                                 

INGREDIENTS:---
Olkopi/Kohlrabi/Noolkol --- 1 peeld and cut in to cubes
Potato ---- 1 cut in to cubes
Fresh or frozen green peas -- 1/2 cup
Tomatoes -- 2 blanched and pured
Ginger paste -- 1&1/2 tea sp
FOR MASALA:---
Cumin powder -- 1 tea sp
Coriander powder -- 1 tea sp
Red chilli powder -- 1 tea sp or according to your taste
Kitchen king masala or garam masala -- 2 tea sp
Yogurt -- 1 tab sp
Tomato ketchup -- 2 tea sp this gives a bright color and sweet taste if you dont like just skip it.
FOR SEASONING:--
Bay leaves -- 3
Cardamom -- 2
Clove -- 2
Cinnamon -- 1/2 inch stick
Fenugreek seeds -- 1/2 tea sp
Salt --- 1 tea sp or to taste
oil -- 1 tab sp
METHOD:--
1.peel and cut the kolrabi and potatoes in to small cubes and steam till half-done.
2. heat oil in a pan add seasoning ingredients fry for a while and add tomato pure, cook till oil separates from the tomato pure.
3. Add ginger paste and stir for a while.
4.Now add steamed vegetables, green peas and saute till the vegetables take on a little color.
5.In a small bowl mix yogurt,cuimin, coriander, red chillipowder,garam masala or kitchenking masala mix well to combine and add to the vegetables and stir till masala coats on the vegetables and fry for few minutes.
6. Add tomato ketchup, salt and 2 cups of water mix well, cover and cook till vegetables are done.
7. this is a thick gravy so adjust the water according to your like and check the salt and adjust according to your taste.
Enjoy this OLKOPIR DALNA with plain steamed rice..

PESARA CHEKRALU -- MOONG DAL MURUKU

This is one more variety of every body's favorite cruncy snack .Commonly murukus are made with rice flour but in this recipe I used maida(all purpose flour).Here we have to do little home work before we mix the dough with maida

Steam maida:Tie maida in a thin muslin cloth .. spread a clean white muslin cloth and put maida in the midle of the cloth and take all four sides of the cloth in to your hand and tie the cloth tightly like a bag.Make sure that maida should'nt come out.keep this maida bag in a vessel and place this vessel in a steamer, steam cook for 25 to 30 minutes in a meadium heat. You can do this process in a pressure cooker too with out weight. Remove from cooker and break lumps and sieve the maida now this maida is ready to mix the muruku dough..

Now let's check the other ingredients..

INGREDIENTS:--

Green gram dal(moongdal,pesarapappu) --- 1 cup

Steamed maida(allpurpose flour) ---- 2 cups

Seasame seeds -- 1 tab sp

Salt --- 1 tea sp

Butter --- 1 tab sp

Cumin and black pepper --- 2 tea sp tab sp coarsely powdered (dry roast both cumin and black pepper and grind in to coarse powder

Oil for deep frying

METHOD:--

1.Wash and cook moong dal in 2 cups of water till soft and water is absorbed completely.

2. Remove from heat and mash well, add salt, butter and cumin,pepper powder,seasame seeds mix well to combine every thing.

3. Add steamed maida little by little and mix in to a thick dough.

4.Heat oil for deep frying in a deep frying pan.

5. Set single star or small holes disc in to muruku maker and fill the muruku maker with dough, press murukus direct in to hot oil or you can make small murukus over a polythene sheet and drop them in to hot oil.

6. Deep fry murukus till crisp and nice golden color.Remove from oil and place them on a absorbent papper for few minutes to remove if any excess oil.

7.when they cool to roomtemperature, store them in a ari-tight container.
Enjoy this different murukus with a cup of tea or coffee......

LIBYAN HARISSA - LIBYAN CHILLI PASTE

Harissa is a red chilli paste which is very commonly found in North African cuisine. In Libya,Tunisia and Moroccan cuisine it is offen used as a condiment in meat dishes, stews, sauces and also in couscous. In Libyan Harissa is offen used as a marinate for meat.It is popular as a break fast spread, Harissa mixed with tuna is a favorite sandwich filling in Libya.There are many recipes for Harissa according to household and region.Variations can include the addition of cumin, garlic,mint,dry coriander and lemon juice.Comming to the chillies the main ingredient commonly used is piri piri peppers or serrano peppers or other hot chilies you can use less spice chillis also but that won't give a original flavour, olive oil is a standard ingredient.I came up with two recipes from my Libyan friends one is less spice and the other one is realy hot .The less spicer one include tomato puree that is gone very well with sandwich and salads.the other one Iam using as a marination and as a flavouring for stew s and curry's
                                                                             

INGREDIENTS:--
Red chillies --- 12 finely chopped
Cumin seeds -- 1 tea sp
Garlic -- 6 cloves
Coriander seeds -- 1 tab sp (dry roasted)
caraway seeds -- 1/4 tea sp (dry roasted)
Salt -- 1/2 tea sp
Olive oil to cover the paste
If you like can add 1 tab sp of tomato paste to make harissa less hot
                                                                           

In a pan add chopped chilli s, garlic cloves, spices and tomato paste (if using) cook in a low flame till chillies are cooked.
Add salt and bleand in to a smooth paste.
Store Harissa in a clean glass jar top with a thin layer of olive oil.
This will stay for a month in fridge.
You can make Harissa with dry red chillies also in that case ..
Soak the dry red chillies in warm water for 15 minutes or untill chillies became soft then chop and bleand with other spices and little water (which we soaked the dry chillies) and pour olive oil on top to cover the paste.
If you are using dry chillies then no need to cook them, just soak the chillies till soft and grind .