Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Gasagase Payasa (Poppy seeds Milkshake)

Gasagase Payasa/Kheer is one of the traditional drink in Indian cooking especially South India.It made in different method one of the method which my mother makes is here.My MIL dry raost's the poppy seeds and then grind them.So it can be made in 2 ways.Poppy seeds is the main ingredient used to make this Payasa/kheer. Poppy seeds are used mainly as Opium so drink this at night or when you are relaxing at home as you may doze away.

Its a simple and easy to make drink.So make them on weekend and relax.

Ingredients:

2tsp Poppy seeds
1tsp Rice
15-20 Almonds
1tbsp Fresh coconut
1tbsp Jaggery
1 cup Milk
1pinch Cardamom powder
2-3 strings Saffron(optional)
Almond slices for garnishing

Method:

Soak Poppy seeds, almonds,rice for about an hour add coconut and grind it to a fine paste.Now in a pan take 1 cup milk,jaggery and the paste and get to a boil in a low flame. Once the Payasa/kheer thickens switch off the flame and garnish with almonds and serve warm or chill it in the refrigerator and serve a cool drink.

Note: Boil the payasa in low flame as the bottom burns fast.

Monday, September 21, 2009

Edible Graduation cap


I know its been quite a long time that i posted anything here as I am busy with a new blog on Fashion Jewelry.I shall attach the link to this blog. I had promised i will be posting on a graduation cap which is edible so here it is.They are so cute that it will steal the show.Its very simple if all the ingredients are available on hand. So if you want to prepare it collect all the ingredients so it makes easy and saves some time.

Ingredients:
(To make 1 graduation cap)
1 Banana
1 square sweet crackers(avoid salted ones)
1tbsp Chocolate chips/Hershey's kisses
3-4 Long string dry Coconut(sweetened/unsweetened)
1 Mini M&M
Method:
Cut the banana to 1 inch size.Important thing is cut it in the middle or where the banana is of equal size and should stand well. Now melt the chocolate chips in microwave for 1-2 Min's. When its melted mix it really well with a fork and dip the banana and place it on a plate.Now dip the cracker and cover it well with chocolate and place it on top of the chocolate covered banana.Now take 3 long string coconut and place it on the middle on top of the chocolate covered cracker and place one mini M&M on top freeze it for 30 Min's or till ready for the presentation.

Note: Melted chocolate thickens very fast so add a little butter when melting so it stays liquid for a little longer time

Baby Corn Manchurian


Manchurian is an appetizer very popular in India. Gobi Manchurian is every bodies favorite but it can be made with paneer, tofu or baby corn.Here I tired with baby corn as i had a can bought from the grocery stores and was just sitting in my pantry from quite sometime. Me and my husband love baby corn in any form but honestly loved this baby corn Manchurian.It was very tasty and crunchy.Any Manchurian is time consuming and long process but its worth all the effort.

Ingredients:

1can Baby corn(Fresh baby corn if available)
1tbsp All purpose flour
1tsp Corn starch
1drop Red food color(optional)
water
Oil for deep frying +1tsp
1/2cup Onions finely chopped
1-2 Green chillies finely chopped
1tsp Garlic paste
1tsp Ginger paste
1 green onion
1tsp soy sauce
1tsp chilly sauce
salt to taste
coriander leaves for garnish

Method:
First heat the oil in a pan.Now wash the baby corns and dry them well with a tissue.Now mix all purpose flour, corn starch a pinch of salt, food color with enough water and make a batter.Dip the baby corn individually and deep fry them till it turns brown.cool it on a tissue.

Now take a different pan and add a tsp oil and add onions and saute',add ginger garlic and green chillies and fry then well.Now add fried baby corn, soy sauce and chilly sauce and saute them on high flame for 1-2 Min's and add green onions and pour it on a serving plate and garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with soy sauce/chilly sauce.

I am sending my post to Nithya & Pavithra's First event"Garnish the Dish".

Note:Always saute the Manchurian in a high flame so it gets crispier and roasted a little.

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Masala Dosa(Crepes)


Breakfast is said to be the most important part of the day as it makes your days routine.One of the most popular Breakfast in south Inida is Masala Dosa."Masala Dosa" mentioning this Breakfast/snack makes everybody crave to eat.

I read an article online about Masala Dosa and your Personality, which i loved and wanted to share it with you all, so here you go following with the recipe to make one.

Masala Dosa and Your Personality:
There are many ways to eat a masala dosa .What ever the way one eats; there is a very good reason for doing that. It shows some traits of the person...


Case 1: People who open the masala dosa and eat it: These are the people who are very open about their life. Everyone one the persons friends would know all about him/her. I have generally seen guys do this rather than girls. Some people think that it is a gross way of eating but in truth, these people are just portraying who they are and how their life is.

Case 2: People who start from both end and approach the masala later: These are the people who like to wait for the exiting things to come to their life. Sadly when the times comes, they are not too interested or just do not know how to enjoy it to the fullest. These are the folks who just want life as either dry or exiting. They just do not know how to phase their life and enjoy it no matter what. There are two types of people within this group

Case 2.1: People who do not finish all the masala:These folks just do not care as much for the fun times as they are already brought down by the harsh reality of life. The dry periods in their life has left them with so much scars that they do not want to be really happy when the time is right... They just take only as much as they needed and end their life. A very sorry state indeed.

Case 2.2: People who finish all the masala with the little dosa they have: These are the folks who just are the extremes. They just go all out in life. No matter it is dark or bright. They may not enjoy life to the fullest but they sure make sure that they get every single good and bad thing out of life. Sometimes these folks are really hard to get along with. They are either your best friends or your worst enemies. They do not have a middle path at all.

Case 3: People who start from the middle and proceed to both ends: These are the people who like to get right to what they think is their best part of life. Usually these guys finish of the good portions in a hurry and get stuck with nothing but worst parts of their life. The thing to note among these people is that the tendency to burn out very early in their life. Like the above case, there are two kinds of people in this group too.

Case 3.1: People who do not finish the dosa: These folks are really the saddest of people. They are the ones who tend to end their life as soon as it hits the bad patch. For them, they only need and want the best things in life and nothing more. Typically, they are not prepared or tuned to life as a whole. They just want to enjoy from first till last. Sadly, no one in the world can live without even an ounce of sadness in life. Not even the richest of the richest. But to self destruct at the mere sign of distress is very bad. That is what these guys tend to do. Some learn to live life but most of them do not.

Case 3.1: People who do finish the dosa: These folks are the typical human beings. We all enjoy the greatest of times in life and push the sad parts thinking about the great times in life. Typically the plate is clean and nothing is left for fate or in life. Happiness and sadness are part of life and these guys know that and are kind of prepared for it. Life is not always happy but there are moments of happiness here and there.

Case 4: People who eat the dosa making sure that the masala lasts for the whole dosa: These people are very rare. These are the people who like to attain balance in their life. It is hard to displease these people and it is hard to make them really happy. They like their balance and are very protective of it. Sadly these are the people who tend to be lonely as anyone else may upset the balance of their system. Perfectionist to the core and are very careful. These guys do not make the best company but are needed in any group to make the group from going hay wire.

Case 5: People who do not share and eat the dosa as if it is precious: These folks are very protective about their life. They do not want anyone to come and interfere in their life. They like to hide their true nature and intensions for their benefit. Beware of such people as they are in every group for their own need and nothing else.

Case 6: People who offer their first bite to others: These guys are overly friendly. They do anything to be part of a group and make everyone feel like the group is important than the individuals. They are the glue that holds any group together. They are very friendly and bring the best of all the others in the group. They go out of their way to help other friends. Most groups should have a person like this and they are the ones who plan the group outings and other group activities. Once this person is out of the group, typically the group slowly falls apart.

Case 7: People who take one or two bites and then offer the dosa to others: These guys care about friends and friendship but they take their time to get into the group. They take their time in making friends and they typically are very committed once into the friendship. These guys like to always be in the side lines and typically do not jump into anything in life. They always take their time to analyze the situation and then make a decision. These guys take the better safe than sorry approach.

Case 8: People who wait for others to make the offer first: Typical people I must say. They are unsure about everything. Even if they wanted to offer, they will wait till the other person offers the food first. If the other person is silent, so are these people. They are the followers. They do terrific idea, they will pitch it to someone else and get their advice before proceeding. Sadly, most of the elderly world like these types of people.

Case 9: People who offer dosa only when they cannot finish it on their own: You all may be familiar with these kinds of people. People who are very generous only when all their needs are fulfilled. These folks are selfish but at the same time not misers or greedy. They just want to satisfy themselves before they give it to the world. They typically do not stuff themselves nor do they tend to starve. They are very good people who would give you the best of advices in life. They would make sure that you are not sad following their advice.

Case 10: People who offer the whole dosa and eat from others plates: These folks are other extreme. They know what they want, they get what they want but they cannot enjoy what they want. Instead they tend to settle for other things in life which satisfies the needs but does not satisfy the person completely. These guys are termed as born losers cause even when they have the thing they wanted, they can't stop others from stealing it from them.

So next time you sit with a person eating a masala dosa, look closely and see if he/she falls into one of the above categories. You maybe surprised as how much it reveals about the person.

Enjoy eating Masala Dosa !!!

Ingredients:

1 cup Dosa Batter(soak 3:1 Rice and urad dal for 4-5 hrs and soak 1tsp of methi seeds seperately for few hrs and grind it well with lot of water and add with Rice and Urad dal and grind it to a fine batter and ferment it overnight)
salt to taste

Stuffing/Palya
1cup Boiled and mashed Potaotes
1Onion
2-3 Green chillies
4 curry leaves
1tsp Fresh coconut
1tbsp oil+to fry dosa
1tsp Mustard seeds
1tsp urad dal
1tsp channa dal
1tsp Turmeric powder
Fresh coriander leaves for garnish
Method:

First prepare Palya-take a pan and put a tbsp oil and make tempering by adding mustard seeds, urad dal, channa dal, turmeric powder,curry leaves and green chillies,onions & saute well.Now add boiled and mashed potaotes and salt to taste and mix with coconut and coriander leaves and keep aside.

Now on tava put 1 big spoon dosa batter and make dosa as thin as possible by adding 1 tsp oil.Once its nicely roasted put 1 scoop of Masala palya in the middle and fold it on both sides and serve with chutney and sambar.

[Note:Dont add salt to the batter before it ferments and add salt only to the batter u r using to make dosa's, the remaining you can store in the refrigerator and use it whenever u need so they dont get sour.
Palya can be made way in advance if required.]

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Sorekai Halwa

Sorekai means Dhoodhi or Bottle gourd, is a vegetable used for many purpose. Its one of the tastiest halwa's next to Carrot. I never thought it would taste so good as the vegetable is pale and dosent have much of its own taste. By adding some flovors and sweet it turns out to be really good.

Ingredients:

1 Big Sorekai(Skin peeled and grated)
1cup sugar
1 cup Milk
a pinch of cardamom
Green food color(optional)
1tsp Ghee
1tsp Cashew nuts broken
1tsp Raisins
Few strings Saffron(optional)

Method:

First squeze all the water in the Sorekai and keep aside.In a pan add this sorekai and a little milk and boil it till the vegetable is cooked well.Now add sugar, food color(i didnt add it) and keep stirring till it reaches the halwa consistency.Fry the cashewnuts and raisins in ghee and add it to the halwa with few strings of Saffron and serve warm or chill.

[Note: If you like the halwa to be rich and oily can add more ghee but if you do it in a non-stick pan extra ghee is not at all required.]

Monday, September 7, 2009

Kuchida Kadubu (Steamed Sweet Dumplings)


Kuchida Kadubu is a steamed sweet dumplings which is a delicious and a very traditional sweet made during festivals. Its a little time consuming but really worth it when you taste it.This is a healthier alternative to the fried ones.

Ingredients:
1cup RiceFlour
11/2 cup Water
a pinch of salt

For stuffing-
1cup Fresh grated coconut
3/4cup Jaggery
1tsp Cardamom powder
1tsp Roasted kuskus

Method:
First boil 1cup water and switch off the flame and add the Rice flour and mix really well and close it with a lid and keep aside.Now take a pan add jaggery and few drop of water and make syrup, add coconut and mix well and add cardamom powder and roasted kuskus.

Once both have cooled down, take a dime size rice dough and roll it to 4' diameter and put a spoon of stuffing and fold it to the shape of kadbu and make the rest of it and place it on idli plate and steam it for 4-5 mins and serve once it cooled. Enjoy it for 1-2 days.

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Paneer-Kaju curry

Its been more than a month that i have made any post on my blog or visited my friends blog.The reason being I was busy with Parents. Its so wonderful being with them that I didn't get time to Blog. Now they are back in India I wanna get back to blogging. I am so happy to see so many new recipes and posts from all my friends.Will definitely try out some of yours.

Yesterday i tried a new curry i saw it on TV.I liked it as its rich and has very few ingredients, its called Paneer-Kaju curry.It tastes very good and nice for a party or a potluck.Kaju means Cashewnut in Hindi. Paneer is one of my favorite cheese, so I am always in for any vegetarian dish with Paneer in it.

Ingredients:
1cup Paneer cubed
10-12 Whole Cashewnuts
1 stick Cinnamon
3-4 Cloves
1tsp Jeera seeds
1tsp Coriander seeds
1tsp Kuskus
1tbsp fresh coconut
1tbsp Ginger-Garlic paste
2-3 Green chillies
1 small Onion chopped
Fresh coriander leaves
1tsp Sunflower seeds(optional)
1tsp Red chilli powder
1cup tomato puree
3tbsp Oil
salt to taste
1tsp sugar
1tbsp cream
Method:

First fry the cashewnut and paneer in oil seperately and keep aside.Now dry roast cloves, cinnamon, kuskus,jeera seeds , coriander seeds blend it with ginger garlic paste , coconut and green chillies and make a fine paste.Now take a pan and put some oil and fry onions to golden brown and add the paste and fry for few more mins. till the oil seperates then add tomato puree.Now add a tsp of red chilli powder and add 1 cup water and boil it to the desired consistency.Now add fried cashewnuts ,Paneer and mix well add salt and suagr.Finally add cream and simmer for a mintue more and serve hot with Roti/chappathi.

[Note: You can add capsicums or any other vegetable if you want.]
Foodbuzz