Cauliflower Cheese

To day is the 6th day of Blogging Marathon. I am really enjoying this event which is started By Srivalli.Srivalli is one of my good friends in blogging world.I take part in almost every event which she conducts at her site.I just loved her Mela event and ICC and now this blogging Marathon.this Marathon gave me some more good friends and more knowledge about blogging.About valli I don't met her personally but through bloging only I know her,Such a nice lady and good friend,I am very glad to have a fellow blogger friend like her.Thank you so much Valli for all these events as I am enjoying this Marathon too.Let's check what our fellow bloggers are cooking to day
Srivalli,
Azeema, Bhagi, Champa, Gayathri Anand, Gayathri Kumar, Harini, Jay, Kamalika, Meena, Mina, Padma, PJ, Priya Mahadevan, Priya Suresh, Priya Vasu, Rujuta, Santosh, Saraswathi, Savitha, Shanavi, Smitha, Sowmya, Suma, Usha, Veena
And to day I finished 500 recipes in my blog I am very happy for that . This is all because of my readers,blogger friends. thanks to all of you for encouraging me to reach this mile stone.A big thanks to my husbend who gave me a fantastic support and tasted my food.

Cauliflower cheese is a traditional British recipe which is served as a main dish, but also can served as a side dish some times.small cauliflower pices in a creamy sauce top with crispy cheese and bread crumb topping it tastes amazing right from the oven.Now a days it is served with pasta and other ingredients as a main dish but traditionaly cauliflower cheese is served as a side dish with roasted meat for lunch or dinner.I served it with Yorkshire Pudding let's check how I made this creamy cauliflower cheese...

INGREDIENTS:--
Cauliflower --- 1 big cut in to small florets
Milk ---- 300 ml
Cheddar cheese --- 110 g
Plain flour -- 3 tab sp
Butter -- 50 g
Fresh bread crumbs -- 25 g
English Mustard -- 1/2 tea sp
Nutmeg -- a pinch
Salt --- 1/2 tea sp or according to your taste(becarefull there will be salt in cheese so keep in mind that and add salt.)
Pepper powder --- 1 tea sp freshly ground.

METHOD:--
1.Add cauliflower florets to boiling water with little salt and boil for 10 minutes or thill tender,make sure that cauliflower shouln't become mashey. Drain water and leave a side.
2.Heat butter in a sauce pan add flour and fry till nice aroma comes out, make sure your flour shoud'nt change the color that should be in white color only.
3. Add milk to the flour and butter mixture,stirr continuously till the sauce thickens.
4. Keep the heat very low and add 1/4 of the cheese, mustard,nutmeg,salt and pepper stirr well ans cook for another one more minute.
5.Spread cauliflower florets in a baking dish and pour the white sauce over the cauliflower.
6. Mix the remaining cheese and bread crumbs,Here I want to tell some thing I didn't add cheese in bread crumbs because already there is lot of cheese in the sauce so I just sprinkle a tab sp of cheese on the top of bread crumbs.But if you like a perfect cauliflour chees then mix bread and cheese as per the recipe.
7.Place the cauliflour cheese pan under a hot grill till it turns in to golde brown.
8.Remove from the oven and serve immediately.It taste great when it is hot only.
This is my one more entry for A.W.E.D - BRITISH at Reva s Kaarasaaram event by DK

YORKSHIRE PUDDING

Yorkshire pudding is a staple of the British sunday lunch.This pudding is originated from Yorkshire a place in North England.Yorkshire pudding generally a savoury muffin like dish traditionaly served with Roasted meat and gravy as a sunday lunch,some times this will continue with vegetables and white sauce. This is a traditional meathod of eating this pudding in Yorkshire and it is still common in some parts if Yorkshire.This pudding is known as pockets because of there shape may be. Yorkshire pudding is made with milk,eggs,flour, this pudding is not difficult to make if you have a right recipe and the right oven temperature.Here how I made it..

Before that this is my 5th post for blogging marathon, let's check what our frends are doing...
Srivalli,
Azeema, Bhagi, Champa, Gayathri Anand, Gayathri Kumar, Harini, Jay, Kamalika, Meena, Mina, Padma, PJ, Priya Mahadevan, Priya Suresh, Priya Vasu, Rujuta, Santosh, Saraswathi, Savitha, Shanavi, Smitha, Sowmya, Suma, Usha, Veena

INGREDIENTS:--
Eggs --- 3

Milk --- 1 cup
All- purpose flour --- 1 cup
butter --- 2 tab sp


1. Preheat oven at 375 degrees F or (190 degrees C).
2. In a mixing bowl beat eggs with milk and add flour mix well to combine every thing. This batter should be a very thin batter in a pouring consistency (like rava dosa batter)
3.divide 2 tab sp butter in to twelve muffin cups about 1/4 tea sp in each cup,place this muffin cupe in oven to melt butter for 2 minutes.
4.Remove the muffin try from the oven and pour the batter evenly among buttery cups.
5. Bake in preheated oven 5 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degreesF(175degreesC)and bake for 25 minutes more or till puffed and golden.

This is my one more entry for A.W.E.D-BRITISH AT Reva s Kaarasaaram event by DK

CUCUMBER TEA TIME SANDWICH

Drinking tea is a custom in England,They didn't finish there tea time with just a cuppa. There has to be something with tea like biscuts, crumpets, scones, sandwiches, buns. Afternoon tea is a light meal generaly eaten in between 3-5pm and traditionaly tea is served with sugar and milk.Afternoon tea is first served with sandwiches then cake and scone or buns.cucumber sandwiches are most often served for afternoon tea in Britan as a finger food.So the simple cucumber sandwiches are originated from British. To days my recipe for British is Cucumber tea time sandwich.

Before I start my recipe let's check what our friend are doing in the blogging marathon.To day is the 4th day of blogging marathon let's check...
Srivalli,
Azeema, Bhagi, Champa, Gayathri Anand, Gayathri Kumar, Harini, Jay, Kamalika, Meena, Mina, Padma, PJ, Priya Mahadevan, Priya Suresh, Priya Vasu, Rujuta, Santosh, Saraswathi, Savitha, Shanavi, Smitha, Sowmya, Suma, Usha, Veena
INGREDIENTS:--
Dil leaves -- 1/4 cup fresh,finely chopped
Unsalted butter -- 2 tab sp
Cream cheese --- 2 tab sp
Cucumber --- 1 medium very thinly sliced
Bread --- 6 slices
Salt --- a pinch
Pepper powder ---- a pinch optional

METHOD:---
1.Take butter,cream cheese,chopped dil leaves,salt and pepper powder in a bowl and mix well to combine every thing.
2.Cut the crust from the sides of the bread slices and apply the butter and cream cheese mixture.
3. Now place the thinly sliced cucumber pieces and cover with the other slice cut the sandwich in to rectangles or triangles and serve with tea..
I used dil leaves you can use ant other herbs u like.

CRUMPET - NOT PAN CAKE

Crumpet s are pan fried English muffin like tea time bread. These crumpets look like pan cakes but recipe is different and the texture too. Crumpets have a little chewy and spongy texture with many holes on top and a flat top.Crumpets are generally eaten hot with butter, marmalade,peanut butter or with cheese melted on top.There is difference between English muffins and crumpets.English muffins are baked and eaten as a break fast,Crumpets are pan fried and served at tea time.There is a difference between pan cake and crumpet, pan cakes are made with flour, eggs, baking powder and crumpets are made with flour,milk and yeast

To day is 3 rd day of blogging marathon and I am little late to post to days post for marathon.to day is friday the only day I get for shoping for vegetables so I went for my week end shopping. Brought some butter beans,mushrooms orange and red capsicum... any way let's see what our friends are doing to day......
Srivalli,
Azeema, Bhagi, Champa, Gayathri Anand, Gayathri Kumar, Harini, Jay, Kamalika, Meena, Mina, Padma, PJ, Priya Mahadevan, Priya Suresh, Priya Vasu, Rujuta, Santosh, Saraswathi, Savitha, Shanavi, Smitha, Sowmya, Suma, Usha, Veena
For this crumpets you need 1 inch deep.3 &1/2 inch round crumpet rings if you don't have this rings can use scone or pastry cutters. I don't have both of them so i didn't get the shape, but the texture and taste of my crumpets are same I think:)

INGREDIENTS:---
Flour --- 3 cups
Active dry yeast --- 2 tea sp
Warm water -- 2&3/4 cup
Sugar ----- 1 tea sp
Salt --- 1&1/2 tea sp
Milk powder --- 2 tab sp
Bicarbonate of soda --- 1 tea sp
Warm water --- 2 tab sp
METHOD:---
1.Combine yeast, sugar and one cup warm water in a mixing bowl mix well,cover with aplastic wrap and leave it in a warm place for 10 minutes.
2. Shift flour, milk powder,salt in to a mixing bowl, make a well in the center add yeast water,remaining warm water and mix in to a thick batter again cover, leave it in a warm place till risen and bubbly this will take 1 hour.
3.Mix soda and 2 tab sp of water, add this soda mixture to dough mix wll to combine every thing cover and leave in a warm place for 15 minutes.
4.Heat a heavy bottom pan in a low flame,spray little oil coat the crumpet rings and place then on the pan.

5. Pour the batter in to the rings till 3/4 of the ring cook in a very low heat for 5 minutes by the time you can see the holes on top of the crumpets and the dough appears dry.
6. Remove the ring slowely, turn the crumpet over and cook for few seconds to drown the top and remove from heat and cool on a rack.
Make sure thet your heat should be very slow other wise the bottom of the crumpet will turn in to dark
Generally crumpets are soft and nice golden brown color base and characteristic holes all over the surface.
So be care full with the heat.
Enjoy the crumpets with tea...
This is my one more entry for A.W.E.D-BRITISH at Reva s Kaarasaaram event by DK

BREAD AND BUTTER PUDDING

Bread and butter pudding is a traditional and popular dessert in British cuisine. Which is brought to India by British people. this pudding is famous as a winter pudding in British cuisine,because they serve this warm,you can enjoy this cold too,but it tastes great when it is warm.Making the egg and milk, cream mixture and pouring it on the bread is very importent in this recipe. Make sure that your egg mixture reached the last layer.And soaking the bread in the egg mixture atleast for 30 minutes(if possible you can soak it for 1 hour)is very importent.The treditional recipe contains only nutmeg and cinnamon for flavoring, adding vanilla is a new version.One day old bread will give a better texture to the pudding,I don't like this pudding with fresh bread.This Bread and butter pudding is my all time favorite,I can have it for any time like dinner,lunch,even for break fast.Check it out how I made...

OOhhh yes to day is the 2nd day for blogging Marathon Let's check what our friend's are doing:
Srivalli
Azeema, Bhagi, Champa, Gayathri Anand, Gayathri Kumar, Harini, Jay, Kamalika, Meena, Mina, Padma, PJ, Priya Mahadevan, Priya Suresh, Priya Vasu, Rujuta, Santosh, Saraswathi, Savitha, Shanavi, Smitha, Sowmya, Suma, Usha, Veena

INGREDIENTS:---
Bread --- 10 slices
Butter --- 50 g
Sugar ---- 25 g
Milk ---- 350ml
Eggs ---- 2
Double cream -- 50ml
Raisins ---- 50 g
Cinnamon powder --- 1/4 tea sp
Nutmeg ---- 1/4 tea sp grated
Vanilla extract -- 1 tea sp

METHOD:---
1. Heat the oven at 350degreeF or 180degreeC or gas mark 4 for 10 minutes.
2. Grease a 1 liter pie dish ( I used the foil tin that also worked well) With little butter.
3. Trim the crust of the bread and cut in to triangles or what ever shape you like and spread butter bothe sides and keep a side.
4.Now place the buttered bread slices in the pie tin like a layer,sprinkle half of the raisins evenly over the bread,Sprinkle little nutmeg,cinnamon.
5.Repeat the next layer with bread do the layers till the bread finished and top layer should be raisins.
6.In a pan mix milk and cream and heat till warm (no need to boil)
7.In a bowl beat eggs with 3/4 sugar and the vanilla extract till light and airy.
8.Pour the milk in to beaten eggs beat well to combine milk and eggs evenly.
9.Pour this egg and milk mixture over the layered bread slowly and evenly.Gently press the surface to push the bread in to the liquied .
10.Sprinkle the remaining sugar over the surface and leave it a side for 30 minutes.
11.Bake the pudding in a pre-heated oven for 40 to 45 minutes or till the top of the pudding turns in to goled brown and pudding well risen and the egg is set
12.Serve hot. I didn't serve any sauce or custard with this we enjoyed it hot with beautiful cinnamon flavour.
This is my entry for A.W.E.D - BRITISH at reva s Kaarasaaram event by DK

CORNISH PASTY

7day marathon hummm good Idia for me.Now a days I am becoming very lazy to post my recipes my be because of weather here or I am becoming old:) i don't know any way. When I saw Srivalli s post about 7 day marathon I thought let's worm up my self and joined the marathon. This is a 7 day bloging marathon means we have to post each day a recipe for 7 days. Valli gave us some 7 themes to choose in those themes I have choosen regional and from to day I am here with 7 British recipe. So for these 7 days my theme is REGIONAL CUISINE BRITISH..
Cornish Pasty is a filled pastry commonly associated with cornwall in South West England in the United Kingdom.I have seen this recipe in Travel&living channel and noted the recipe .But that time I missed some ingredients so googled and got the recipe here.I changed the recipe to vegetarian but used eggs.The traditional Cornish Pasty is filled with meat and vegetables, The filling ingredients must never be cooked before they are wrapped in the pastry.I turned it in to my vege style with carrot,potato,cauliflower and cabbage,onion.Actually this is a complete meal itself which miners,farmers use to have for there lunch.In one way this is a packed meal for the workers at there work place.For cornish tin miners who were unable to go for lunch and they are covered with dirt from head to foot so this pastry is made for there convenience. They hold the folded crust and eat the rest with out touching it. This pastries are popular with farmers and labourers particularly in the North East England also . It turned out fantastic for me, check out the recipe how I made it..

INGREDIENTS:---
For pastry dough:
All purpose flour --- 2 cups
Salt 1/4 tea sp
Baking powder -- 1 tea sp
Butter -- 1/2 cip diced
Water -- 1/4 cup
Shift flour,salt,baking powder in to a bowl, add butter mix with your hands to combine butter and flour.
Rub well to make this flour and butter mixture in to a breadcrumbs consistency.
Add water and make a stif dough, sprinkle little by little water and mix the dough make sure that dough should not be sticky and don't stretch the dough.Cover and leave it a side.
FOR FILLING:--
Onion -- 1 chopped
Potato -- 1 mediun peeled and diced
Carrot -- 1 big diced
Cauliflour --- 1 cup chopped
Cabbage -- 1/2 cup finely chopped
Mushroom -- 1cup chopped
butter or olive oil -- 1tab sp
Salt -- 1/4 tea sp
Pepper powder -- 1 tea sp
Cheddar cheese --- 1 cup shredded
Egg --1 for brushing the pastry

1.Heat oil or butter in a pan add chopped onions and fry till they turn in to translucent.
2. Add chopped potato and carrot sprinkle half salt mix well cover and cook for 3 minutes.
3.Then add chopped cauliflour,mushrooms,cabbage,remaining salt, pepper powder and sprinkle 1 tab sp water cover and cook in low heat for 10 minutes.
Here you can add 1 beaten egg and 1/4 cup milk to this vegetable mixture to enhance the taste of the filling.
4. Stir occasionaly and cook till mixture become dry,If you make sure there is no moisture in the vegetable mixture, add cheese mix well and remove from heat and let it cool.
5. Divide pastry dough in to equal portions and roll each portion in to 1/4 inch thick and 5 inches round, don't stretch the dough.
6. Place vegetable mixture on one side of the pastry circle,wet the pastry edges with beaten egg and flod the pastry over filling.
7. Press the edges with a fork ( this pastry should be in a half moon shape.)
8.Transfer the pasties to a baking sheet, brush with beaten egg or milk.
9.Preheat the oven at 450 degrees F(230 degrees C) for 10 minutes. Turn oven down to 350 degrees F(175 degrees C) and bake for 35 minutes.
Serve hot with tomato sauce.


This is my entry for A.W.E.D BRITISH at reva s Kaarasaaram event by DK
Come let us see what our fellow runners were doing.......
Azeema Bhagi , Sowmya Gayathri Anand Harini Jay, Minu PriyaMahadevan , PriyaSuresh, PriyaVaasu, PJ, Rujuta, Saraswathi , Santosh, Smitha, Srivalli , Suma Usha Veena Padma, Shanavi, Savithri, Champa ,Gayathri Kumar, Mina, Pavani

SPINACH AND CORN SANDWICH

A scrumptious of spinach tossed with corn and cheese served in crispy toast pieces,Sounds mouth watering ? me too. This is my favorite grilled sandwich.Since I am a pure vegetarian some times it's a problem to choose pure vegetarian meal for me in the menu. This happends with me most of the times in out side India.This sandwich I have tasted first time in Bangalore at a Cafeday and I just enjoyed it's creamy and crunchy filling and crip slices of bread. Best choice with this sandwich cold coffee or green tea or lemon tea.I don't know the recipe how they made in cafeday, but I made it like this......

INGREDIENTS:----
Spinach (palak) --- 2 cups roughly chopped
Green chillies -- 2 chopped(optional)
Garlic --- 4 cloves
Sweet corn kernels -- 1/4 cup boiled
Chedder cheese -- 1 tab sp grated optional
Parsley or coriander leaves --- 1 tab sp finely chopped
Bread ---- 4 slices (brown or white)
Salt --- 1/4 tea sp or according to yuor taste
Olive oil or butter --- 1 tab sp

METHOD:--
1. Remove the hard stems of the spinach,wash the leaves under running water and chop roughly.
2. Add chopped green chillies,garlic cloves to spinach and run in a food processor till it become like a finely chopped.
3.Heat 1/2 tab sp olive oil in a pan add spinach mixture, sweet corn kernels,finely chopped parsley or coriander leaves, salt, saute for awhile then add cheese mix well and switch off the heat.
4.Spread this spinach mixture on two bread slices and cover with the other slices sprinkle olive oil and toast on a grill or a fry pan or you can do this process in a sandwich toaster.
5.Grill till nice golden color remove and serve with tomato sauce and coffee or tea. you can add 1/4 cup fresh cream to make this sandwich filling more creamy but if you are in dite please skip creame and cheese.

BORLOTTI BEANS AND CAULIFLOWER KURMA

Stil winter is going on here with chilled pinching breezes and light showers a typical Mediterranean climate.We are geting fresh winter vegetables like turnips, carrots,spinach,cauliflower and beans,green peas.We get 3-4 varieties of beans here. This is one variety among them.I have seen this beans after a long time,when I was in Ooty I cam to know about this beans. I like this beans because of there mild nutty flavour and they just melt in the mouth like butter after they are cooked. As pretty as cranberry beans are when fresh or dried they don't keep there color when cooked.They tend to turn light brown after cooking. Because of those marks they called as cranberry beans? I am not sure!.. Cranberry beans or pinto beans may be known by several other names but here they are calling them as Borlotti beans.

borlotti beans can be a great choice for many soups and salads many more other recipes.Like many other beans borlotti beans provide excellent nutrition,high in fiber,also low in calories.They are fat free food,when combine with whole grains like brown rice, borlotti beans provide virtually fat-free, high protein meal.Borlotti beans helps in lowering cholesterol because of it's hifiber content and prevents of rising sugar levels so good for diabetes too.

INGREDIENTS:---

Borlotti beans --- 1 cup(I used fresh beans, can use dry beans also)

Cauliflower -- 1 medium

Onion -- 1 big

Tomato -- 2 big

Garlic -- 5 cloves

Ginger -- 2 inches piece

Oil -- 2 tab sp

Cloves -- 4

Cardamom -- 3

Cinnamon -- 1 inch piece broken in to 2 pieces

Salt --- 1 &1/2 tea sp or according to your taste

Turmeric powder -- 1/2 tea sp

Red chilli powder --- 1 tea sp

FOR PASTE --

Grated fresh coconut --- 2 tab sp

Fennel seeds -- 1 tea sp

Poppy seeds or melon seeds -- 1 tab sp

METHOD:---

1.Cut onion and tomato in to cubes,peal and cut ginger and garlic in to small peaces.

2. Grind onion,ginger and garlic in to a coares paste.

3. Grind coconut,fennel seeds, poppy or melon seeds,and tomato in to a fine paste.

4.Cut cailiflower in to small florets.

5. If you are using dry beans then soak them in water for over night and cook till they become soft. Or cook in a pressure cooker for 2 whistles,No need to cook the fresh beans before you add to the curry.

6.Heat oil in a pan add cloves,cardamom,cinnamon fry for a while then add onion,ginger,garlic paste,fry till the paste turn in to pink in color and leaves the oil from sides.

7.Then add coconut,tomato,poppy seeds,fennel seed paste and beans fry for 2 minutes add a 1/2 cup water cook till the masala leaves the raw flavour and give a nice aroma.

8.Now add salt,red chilli powder,turmeric powder and pour 1 more cup water cover and cook in alow flame till beans become soft it will take 15 to 20 minutes.

9.Add cauliflower pieces mix well, if required add 1/2 cup more water cover and cook in a low flame till cauliflower pieces become tender.

10.Remove from heat and serve hot with roti or rice.

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 .

HAPPY NEW YEAR

WISH ALL MY READERS, BLOGER FRIENDS A VERY HAPPY AND PROSPOEROUS NEW YEAR.

COCONUT MURUKU- KOBBARI CHAKRALU

Muruku,chakralu or chakli what ever name it was, a popular savoury snack in South India.Muruku's are typically made with rice flour and urad dal powder,salt, chillipowder, asafoetida,ajwain or cumin seeds.Murukus are made with various combinations of flours and flavours. Let's try some coconut flavoured muruku s for this festival season....

INGREDIENTS:--
Rice flour --- 4 cups
Roasted urad dal flour -- 1 cup
Salt -- 2 tea sp
Butter --- 1 tab sp
Coconut extract -- To mix the dough
Oil for deep frying (if you like can fry in coconut oil )
Coarsely crushed cumin and pepper powder -- 1 tea sp.
METHOD:--
1.Sieve both flours and take in to a broad bowl.
2.Add salt,cumin,pepper powder and mix well to combine.
3. Now add butter and mix well with your hand to bring a bread crumbs stage.
4. Divide the flour in to 5-6 portions. Sprinkle coconut extract to each portion to make a thick dough (separately) just before you make murukus.
5. Make a thick dough, Keep the three eyed star disc in to the muruku maker,grease the muruku maker with little oil and place the dough in to the muruku press.
6. Make small murukus on a wet cloth or a polythene sheet.
7. Heat oil in deep frying pan to fry the muruku's
8. Take murukus carefully from wet cloth or sheet and slowly drop them in to hot oil.
9. fry the murukus in a medium heat till they turn in to nice golden color, remove from oil and place them on a absorbent paper for few minutes to remove if any excess oil.
10. When they cool to roomtemperature, store them in a ari-tight container.
Enjoy the coconut flavour murukus in this festival season..
For coconut extract grind coconut scrapings with little water and strain through a fine sieve to get a thick extract.
For fried urad dal flour dry roast urad dal in a pan and grind in to a fine powder in a coffee grinder or in a mixee.
after making the dough make murukus immediately other wise they may become hard.
take care when u add butter to make dough don't add more just fallow the measure what I have given.
Murukus retain it's color when u mix the powder with water or any other liquid just before u start frying if you mix all the dough at a time last portion of the muruku will become dark in color when you fry them in the hot oil.

DONDAKAYA NUVVU PODI KURA (IVY GOURD STIR FRY WITH SEASAME SEED POWDER)

Dondakaya -- Ivy gourd or Gherkins in English, this is a popular vegetable in India. It is eaten as a side dish by stir frying or stuffed it with masala and sauted or as a chutney (dipping). this small green colored vegetable is rich in beta-carotene.we make some delicious stir fry dishes with different flavours.This Ivy gourd stir fries are good combination for rice and dal.In this array of Ivy gourd stir fry s this recipe is with delicious nutty flavour and very well go with sambar or dal thadka so let's check it out ...

INGREDIENTS:--
Ivy gourd -- 1/2 kg(500 gms)
Oil --- 1 tab sp
Garlic cloves --- 5 crushed
Mustard seeds -- 1/2 tea sp
Urad dal --- 1 tea sp
Cumin seeds -- 1/2 teasp
Curry leaves -- 1 spring
Salt -- 1 teasp
Turmeric powder --1/4 tea sp

FOR MASALA POWDER:--
Seasame seeds -- 1 tad sp
Coriander seeds -- 1 tea sp
Dry coconut -- 1 tab sp (grated)
Cumin seeds -- 1 1/2 tea sp
Dry red chillies -- 5 or you can reduce according ti your taste.
1. Heat a pan and add cumin and coriander seeds, seasame seeds then add red chillies and fry till they turns in to nice golden color,now add grated dry coconut stir for a second switch off the heat and leave a side to cool.
2. Make a fine powder with above fried ingredients and leave a side.
3.Wash and wipe Ivy gourd cut the gourds in to small chunks.
4. Now heat oil in a deep frying pan add mustard seeds let them popup then add urad dal, cumin seeds, crushed garlic, curry leaves fry for a while.
5.Add Ivy gourd pieces,salt,turmeric powder give a good stir cover with a lid,reduce the flame and cook for 15 minutes,stir in between.
6.Check if the gourd pieces are cooked if not cooked again leave it in a low flame for 5 more minutes.
7.Remove the lid and add ground powder stir fry for 5 minutes to get a crisp Ivy gourd stir fry.(if you dont like crisp or deep fried then after adding the powder stir for 2 seconds and switch off the heat)
Serve hot with Rice and Sambar or tomato pappu,dosakaya pappu or any other dall you like.
Cuting the gourd is up to your choice you can cut them in to small chunks, round disc s or long pieces.
This same recipe you can make with Bitter gourd-Kakara kaya also.