I had a variety of veggies beginning to look distinctly droopy in the fridge. But I did not want to make the same old vegetable kurma. Thus, this recipe.
http://onehotstove.blogspot.com/2005/03/global-dinners-sri-lankan-egg-curry.html
I made the Sri Lankan curry powder pretty much according to the directions in the above link. The only variation I made was to reduce the amount of mustard to slightly less than 1/4 tsp since I am not a fan of mustard flavor. I also use chopped fresh coconut pieces instead of dried and toasted them with the rest of the spices.
This recipe for the vegetable curry, though mostly following the directions from the original post, is different enough from it to warrant its own post.
Ingredients (makes enough for 3-4)
1 tsp oil
2 sprigs curry leaves
2 medium onions sliced
1 small carrot, peeled and chopped
1 small cauliflower, de-stemmed and cut into bite-sized florets
1 medium potato, peeled and chopped
1 handful of green-beans, stringed and chopped
2 medium tomatoes
A handful of chopped coriander leaves
2 tbsp Sri Lankan curry powder (recipe in link above)
2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
1. Put the two tomatoes into a microwave-safe bowl, add water to cover and place the bowl in the microwave on high for 5 minutes.
2. Cool the boiled tomatoes, peel them, place them in a blender and grind to a fine paste. Keep aside.
3. Put the chopped vegetables other than onions (carrot, cauliflower, potato, beans) in a microwave-safe bowl. Add the turmeric and 1/2 tsp of salt, add water to cover and cook in the microwave on high for 7 minutes. Keep aside.
4. Keep a pan on the stove on medium-heat and add oil.
5. When the oil is hot, add the curry leaves and sliced onions in quick succession. Add salt and pepper. Fry the onions till golden brown.
6. Add the chilli powder and Sri Lankan curry powder and continue stir frying for a couple of minutes (do not let it burn).
7. Add the boiled veggies (along with the water it was boiled in) to the pan and increase heat to high.
8. After the mixture begins to boil, bring the heat to medium-low, cover and cook for 5 minutes.
9. Open the lid, add the tomato paste and stir it in well. Increase the heat and bring the mixture to a boil again, cover and then simmer for 10 minutes.
10. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
Let the vegetable curry sit for at least 10 minutes before serving to give the flavors a chance to sink in. Goes well with rotis.
Notes:
1. The chilli powder/Sri Lankan curry powder quantities can be varied to taste.
2. Any combo of kurma-veggies can be used - add or delete as per what is available.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Friday, November 26, 2010
Making curd / yogurt in cold climes
Most people with any cooking experience would scoff at this recipe. After all, making curd hardly requires a PhD in cooking.
If you are one of those scoffers, you, my friend, have obviously never lived in a cold place where making curd involved adding yogurt culture to warm milk in a vessel, keeping the vessel in a pre-heated oven set with the lowest temperature possible and then hoping for the best.
The above method usually resulted in either the curd turning to paneer or the curd remaining unset even after several trips to the oven and eventually attaining moksha in the kitchen sink drain. If the curd actually set right, then you knew miracles do occur.
Thus, finding this method to make curd was a God-send:
http://onehotstove.blogspot.com/2010/02/making-yogurt-at-home.html
No more praying involved and perfectly set curd each time irrespective of the weather. Yaay!
Notes:
1. I did not buy yogurt culture packs. I simply used a spoonful of yogurt bought from the store as a starter. For subsequent yogurt-making, I simply used some curd from the previous batch till the newly-made curd started getting too watery/pasty, at which point I would again buy store bought curd to use as a starter.
2. I use fat-free milk since I find curd made from any thicker milk too creamy for my liking.
3. You can imagine how frustrated I had been earlier when I tell you that I actually invested in a candy thermometer for this sole purpose.But, the totally consistent results each time, made the purchase absolutely worth it.
If you are one of those scoffers, you, my friend, have obviously never lived in a cold place where making curd involved adding yogurt culture to warm milk in a vessel, keeping the vessel in a pre-heated oven set with the lowest temperature possible and then hoping for the best.
The above method usually resulted in either the curd turning to paneer or the curd remaining unset even after several trips to the oven and eventually attaining moksha in the kitchen sink drain. If the curd actually set right, then you knew miracles do occur.
Thus, finding this method to make curd was a God-send:
http://onehotstove.blogspot.com/2010/02/making-yogurt-at-home.html
No more praying involved and perfectly set curd each time irrespective of the weather. Yaay!
Notes:
1. I did not buy yogurt culture packs. I simply used a spoonful of yogurt bought from the store as a starter. For subsequent yogurt-making, I simply used some curd from the previous batch till the newly-made curd started getting too watery/pasty, at which point I would again buy store bought curd to use as a starter.
2. I use fat-free milk since I find curd made from any thicker milk too creamy for my liking.
3. You can imagine how frustrated I had been earlier when I tell you that I actually invested in a candy thermometer for this sole purpose.But, the totally consistent results each time, made the purchase absolutely worth it.
Perfect boiled eggs
This recipe makes eggs boiled just right each time:
http://kalynskitchen.blogspot.com/2007/04/how-to-make-perfect-hard-boiled-eggs.html
A kitchen timer is handy for people like me who look at the clock to time something being cooked/baked and after some time mostly either a) forget to go check on the dish after the prescribed amount of time has elapsed or b) remember all about checking on the dish but totally forget what the start time initially observed was, thus making it difficult to calculate the elapsed time.
http://kalynskitchen.blogspot.com/2007/04/how-to-make-perfect-hard-boiled-eggs.html
A kitchen timer is handy for people like me who look at the clock to time something being cooked/baked and after some time mostly either a) forget to go check on the dish after the prescribed amount of time has elapsed or b) remember all about checking on the dish but totally forget what the start time initially observed was, thus making it difficult to calculate the elapsed time.
Mummy's yummy salad
I have often eaten this delicious salad at my parents' place but have just been too lazy to try it out on my own. Today was finally the day. After a quick phone call to mum, I set about making the salad:
Ingredients (makes enough salad for two):
1 medium sized onion, peeled
1 small carrot, peeled
1/2 of a large cucumber, peeled
1 apple (any red variety), peeled
12 almond
6 dates (de-seeded)
12 raisins
Juice of half a lemon
3/4 tablespoon honey
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Slice/chop into fairly-small pieces all the ingredients up to and including the dates. I used a mandolin slicer for slicing the onion, cucumber and apple and a knife for the rest.
2. In a bowl big enough to hold all of above, add and mix all ingredients.
Ta da, that's all! Healthy and tasty salad is ready to eat. Serve immediately.
All the ingredient quantities can be varied as per taste. Sliced mandarin oranges would make a great addition. I think jicama slices instead of apple would work too - but since I haven't spotted jicama in Chennai yet, I will have to wait to try that out.
Ingredients (makes enough salad for two):
1 medium sized onion, peeled
1 small carrot, peeled
1/2 of a large cucumber, peeled
1 apple (any red variety), peeled
12 almond
6 dates (de-seeded)
12 raisins
Juice of half a lemon
3/4 tablespoon honey
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Slice/chop into fairly-small pieces all the ingredients up to and including the dates. I used a mandolin slicer for slicing the onion, cucumber and apple and a knife for the rest.
2. In a bowl big enough to hold all of above, add and mix all ingredients.
Ta da, that's all! Healthy and tasty salad is ready to eat. Serve immediately.
All the ingredient quantities can be varied as per taste. Sliced mandarin oranges would make a great addition. I think jicama slices instead of apple would work too - but since I haven't spotted jicama in Chennai yet, I will have to wait to try that out.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Perfect steamed rice
For some strange reason, whenever I cook rice in the pressure cooker, it *always* winds up on the slightly soggy side. No matter how I much vary the water content or the cooking time or anything else. I think it is a jinx.
Anyhoo, while slightly soggy rice is okay with sambhar or rasam or kuzhambu, it is distinctly unusable if one wants to make fried rice or some variety rice.
Thus, I took to making rice on the stove after I found this recipe:
http://www.shiokfood.com/notes/archives/000022.html
The blog author was not kidding. This recipe does produce the perfect steamed rice - the grains separate yet fluffy and perfectly cooked. Follow the directions exactly (though they seem complicated, once you get the hang of it, it is just as easy as making rice in the pressure cooker) and you will know what I am talking about. Perfect steamed rice, every single time.
I have found that it is not required to have an airtight lid for the rice-cooking vessel - you can even use a plate as a lid and put something on top as a weight.Also, while the recipe calls for long-grain rice, it works fine for medium-grain rice (like sona masoori) as well.
I always make rice this way whenever the texture of the cooked rice plays a big role in the success of the end-dish.
Anyhoo, while slightly soggy rice is okay with sambhar or rasam or kuzhambu, it is distinctly unusable if one wants to make fried rice or some variety rice.
Thus, I took to making rice on the stove after I found this recipe:
http://www.shiokfood.com/notes/archives/000022.html
The blog author was not kidding. This recipe does produce the perfect steamed rice - the grains separate yet fluffy and perfectly cooked. Follow the directions exactly (though they seem complicated, once you get the hang of it, it is just as easy as making rice in the pressure cooker) and you will know what I am talking about. Perfect steamed rice, every single time.
I have found that it is not required to have an airtight lid for the rice-cooking vessel - you can even use a plate as a lid and put something on top as a weight.Also, while the recipe calls for long-grain rice, it works fine for medium-grain rice (like sona masoori) as well.
I always make rice this way whenever the texture of the cooked rice plays a big role in the success of the end-dish.
The link above is dead, so here are the instructions:
- Wash rice at least 3 times.
- Soak rice for at least 30 minutes and up to a couple hours.
- Drain rice and add to a pan.
- Add water (1.5 cups for every cup for basmati, 2 cups for every cup for medium grain rice like sona masoori).
- Bring to a rolling boil, close with a tight-fitting light and lower heat to as low as it will go. From this point on, do not remove the lid until the instructions state so.
- Cook for 15 minutes on low heat and then turn off heat.
- Let rest, covered, for at least 10 minutes.
- Open the lid, fluff up rice and serve.
Garlic (poondu) chutney
The speciality of this chutney is, in spite of all the garlic in it, there is no garlic-breath which lingers post-eating. What a nice thing for garlic lovers like me! Despite the plentiful garlic in the chutney, it does not have an overwhelmingly garlicky taste either.
http://solaiachiskitchen.blogspot.com/2010/10/poondu-chutney-side-dish-with-garlic.html
Peeling all the garlic required for the chutney is tedious. These are the times I wish I was back in the US where the garlic-heads with their gigantic (in comparison to their puny Indian cousins) pods were so easy to peel! Otherwise, this recipe is another winner from Solai's Chettinadu kitchen.
http://solaiachiskitchen.blogspot.com/2010/10/poondu-chutney-side-dish-with-garlic.html
Peeling all the garlic required for the chutney is tedious. These are the times I wish I was back in the US where the garlic-heads with their gigantic (in comparison to their puny Indian cousins) pods were so easy to peel! Otherwise, this recipe is another winner from Solai's Chettinadu kitchen.
Fat free okra (ladies finger) fries
Given that I am always on the lookout for tasty but healthy snacks, this recipe was a God-send or rather, Google-send:
http://www.egglesscooking.com/2009/03/25/fat-free-okra-fries/#axzz16AMMwfTm
The delicious taste of okra pakoda, without all the oil? So hard to resist! The only problem with this recipe is that the okra fries disappear into tummies as fast as they are made - so you will have to cut quite a lot of okras to get a decent sized portion.
Be very careful when turning the Okra slices on the plate - it tends to get really hot. And keep a sharp watch during the last stages of cooking to avoid burnt fries (and tossing the burnt stuff will be an even bigger wrench than usual considering the amount of effort that goes into cutting the okra).
http://www.egglesscooking.com/2009/03/25/fat-free-okra-fries/#axzz16AMMwfTm
The delicious taste of okra pakoda, without all the oil? So hard to resist! The only problem with this recipe is that the okra fries disappear into tummies as fast as they are made - so you will have to cut quite a lot of okras to get a decent sized portion.
Be very careful when turning the Okra slices on the plate - it tends to get really hot. And keep a sharp watch during the last stages of cooking to avoid burnt fries (and tossing the burnt stuff will be an even bigger wrench than usual considering the amount of effort that goes into cutting the okra).
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Chicken kuzhambu
Basic, easy-to-make, tasty Chettinadu chicken kuzhambu:
http://solaiachiskitchen.blogspot.com/2009/08/chettinad-chicken-kuzhambu-authentic.html
Follow the instructions exactly and it is difficult to go wrong. Just follow the instruction to not use too much coconut very diligently - extra coconut does turn the kuzhambu into kurma (believe me, I know). BTW, this kuzhambu tastes good with rice. dosas, idlis or rotis.
The blog author posts authentic Chettinadu recipes and most of the recipes on her blog sound (and look) so tempting.
http://solaiachiskitchen.blogspot.com/2009/08/chettinad-chicken-kuzhambu-authentic.html
Follow the instructions exactly and it is difficult to go wrong. Just follow the instruction to not use too much coconut very diligently - extra coconut does turn the kuzhambu into kurma (believe me, I know). BTW, this kuzhambu tastes good with rice. dosas, idlis or rotis.
The blog author posts authentic Chettinadu recipes and most of the recipes on her blog sound (and look) so tempting.
Banana bread
When Focaccia bread is here, can banana bread be far behind? This is a very forgiving recipe - so if you have more or less bananas, it still turns out yummy. But the more bananas you have, the more moist and tasty it is. Also overripe bananas (what a delicious way to not let them go to waste!) work best though ripe bananas would do too:
http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/banana_bread/
Remember not to stir the mixture too much after adding the flour. You only need to mix in the flour enough so that all of it gets moist.
I usually toss in some walnuts (broken into smaller pieces) into the batter and mix it before adding the flour. I also sprinkle a light layer of chopped walnuts over the banana bread before baking - banana and walnuts make such a yummy combo!
Don't fret if you don't have a loaf-tin. I always bake it in a cake pan and banana bread in any shape is just as delicious
http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/banana_bread/
Remember not to stir the mixture too much after adding the flour. You only need to mix in the flour enough so that all of it gets moist.
I usually toss in some walnuts (broken into smaller pieces) into the batter and mix it before adding the flour. I also sprinkle a light layer of chopped walnuts over the banana bread before baking - banana and walnuts make such a yummy combo!
Don't fret if you don't have a loaf-tin. I always bake it in a cake pan and banana bread in any shape is just as delicious
Foccacia bread
If only I knew bread making could also be this easy, I would have started bread-baking much earlier:
http://www.deliciousdays.com/archives/2006/07/11/arrested-and-kept-forever/
I followed the recipe exactly. This bread tastes best warm, right out of the oven. Dried rosemary is my favorite topping. Try to use sea salt or any kind of grainier salt - it adds a nice flavor.
Don't fret too much if the dough did not rise quite so much as the recipe said it would. It didn't on my first try but the end result was still quite tasty.
http://www.deliciousdays.com/archives/2006/07/11/arrested-and-kept-forever/
I followed the recipe exactly. This bread tastes best warm, right out of the oven. Dried rosemary is my favorite topping. Try to use sea salt or any kind of grainier salt - it adds a nice flavor.
Don't fret too much if the dough did not rise quite so much as the recipe said it would. It didn't on my first try but the end result was still quite tasty.
Guacamole
Easy to make, healthy and super tasty. What's there to not like about this recipe?
http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/perfect_guacamole/
Makes a great spread for bread or you could go the traditional route and use it on burritos or as a dip for tortilla chips.
http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/perfect_guacamole/
Makes a great spread for bread or you could go the traditional route and use it on burritos or as a dip for tortilla chips.
Spicy chicken kuzhambu
Another recent find. If you love the spicy taste of black pepper, this one is for you:
http://www.spicytasty.com/meat-and-seafood-entrees/spicy-chicken-kuzhambhu-spicy-chicken-curry/
Since the heat mostly comes from black pepper, it is good for you. Tastes great with rotis and dosas. Would taste even better with malabar parottas.
I followed the recipe exactly except for adding more curry leaves than specified because I like the flavor of curry leaves (and because I have a big bag-full of curry leaves at home, thanks to the custom of getting free-curry leaves whenever you go vegetable-shopping in Chennai :-D).
http://www.spicytasty.com/meat-and-seafood-entrees/spicy-chicken-kuzhambhu-spicy-chicken-curry/
Since the heat mostly comes from black pepper, it is good for you. Tastes great with rotis and dosas. Would taste even better with malabar parottas.
I followed the recipe exactly except for adding more curry leaves than specified because I like the flavor of curry leaves (and because I have a big bag-full of curry leaves at home, thanks to the custom of getting free-curry leaves whenever you go vegetable-shopping in Chennai :-D).
Green apple (Granny Smith) thokku
Who would have thought that the sour green apples could be used for making raw-mango-like thokku? Shyam, that's who. Or Shyam's mother, rather.
This recipe produces delectable tasting thokku:
http://srefoodblog.blogspot.com/2006/05/granny-smith-apple-thokku-chutney.html
To boot, chopping green apples is so much more easier than chopping raw mango! Win-win all around, I say.
Watch out for many more recipes from the same blog - I love the author's style of writing and presentation. And of course, the fact that most of my attempts from the blog are hits rather than failures.
This recipe produces delectable tasting thokku:
http://srefoodblog.blogspot.com/2006/05/granny-smith-apple-thokku-chutney.html
To boot, chopping green apples is so much more easier than chopping raw mango! Win-win all around, I say.
Watch out for many more recipes from the same blog - I love the author's style of writing and presentation. And of course, the fact that most of my attempts from the blog are hits rather than failures.
Masoor dal pulao
This recipe makes such a yummy pulao - quite different in taste from the usual pulaos and makes a great meal with some raitha on the side:
http://srefoodblog.blogspot.com/2007/01/dal-chawal-pulao.html
Follow the recipe exactly as is and you cannot go wrong. I have managed to get the same taste consistently every time I make it (which is quite unusual for me - I am capable of producing different tasting sambhar each time though the same ingredients go into it).
http://srefoodblog.blogspot.com/2007/01/dal-chawal-pulao.html
Follow the recipe exactly as is and you cannot go wrong. I have managed to get the same taste consistently every time I make it (which is quite unusual for me - I am capable of producing different tasting sambhar each time though the same ingredients go into it).
Hot milk sponge cake
Who would have thought making yummy-tasting sponge cake would be so easy? I used to think all along that McRennett made the best sponge cake in the world. I only now realize that this could be because I have only tasted sponge cakes from McRennet. Haha!
Not to take anything from McRennett (seriously, I really love their sponge cakes) but the following recipe made sponge cake which was pretty close in taste and texture to the McRennett stuff. I got the recipe from an old recipe book no longer available (General Foods Kitchen, All About Baking) bought at the library's used book sale. So, no online link. Instead here is the entire recipe:
Ingredients
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 eggs unbeaten
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla (or 1 tablespoon grated orange rind)
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
Method
Sift flour, baking powder and salt together. Beat eggs in a large deep bowl until very thick and light (about 5 minutes). Gradually beat in sugar. Add vanilla. add flour to egg mixture, a small amount at a time, blending by hand or at low speed of electric mixer. Bring milk and butter just to a boil. Very quickly stir into the flour mixture, blending thoroughly (batter will be thin). Pour quickly into a baking pan which has been greased and floured on the bottom only. Bake at once in a moderate oven (350 F) for 30 to 35 minutes. Serve warm.
I reduced the sugar (I like milder sweetness) plus had to bake for longer than specified - use the toothpick comes out clean when inserted through the center method of testing for done-ness. Other than that, the only other problem with this recipe is, you will have to halve or quarter it and bake. Because, once you start eating, you will not be able to stop and I don't want to be responsible for you feeling guilty about meeting the calorie requirements for a week on a single day :-D.
Not to take anything from McRennett (seriously, I really love their sponge cakes) but the following recipe made sponge cake which was pretty close in taste and texture to the McRennett stuff. I got the recipe from an old recipe book no longer available (General Foods Kitchen, All About Baking) bought at the library's used book sale. So, no online link. Instead here is the entire recipe:
 |
| Slices of sponge cake |
Ingredients
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 eggs unbeaten
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla (or 1 tablespoon grated orange rind)
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
Method
Sift flour, baking powder and salt together. Beat eggs in a large deep bowl until very thick and light (about 5 minutes). Gradually beat in sugar. Add vanilla. add flour to egg mixture, a small amount at a time, blending by hand or at low speed of electric mixer. Bring milk and butter just to a boil. Very quickly stir into the flour mixture, blending thoroughly (batter will be thin). Pour quickly into a baking pan which has been greased and floured on the bottom only. Bake at once in a moderate oven (350 F) for 30 to 35 minutes. Serve warm.
I reduced the sugar (I like milder sweetness) plus had to bake for longer than specified - use the toothpick comes out clean when inserted through the center method of testing for done-ness. Other than that, the only other problem with this recipe is, you will have to halve or quarter it and bake. Because, once you start eating, you will not be able to stop and I don't want to be responsible for you feeling guilty about meeting the calorie requirements for a week on a single day :-D.
Cabbage potato peas curry
For someone who does not like cabbage all that much, I am posting a lot of cabbage based recipes, huh? After trying so many cabbage-recipes (cabbages are usually so big - and remain big post cooking - that one cabbage does not get over with just one dish and I am invariably left with the other half wondering what to do and thus forever on the quest for new cabbage-based recipes), I have finally started tolerating and even liking most forms of cabbage.
Finding this recipe was serndipitious - I had cabbage but only a wee bit of it. So I thought of adding potatotes for volume and then also sneak in some soaked green peas. My googling for cabbage-potato curry landed me with this recipe:
http://curryinkadai.blogspot.com/2007/10/cabbage-and-potato-curry-cabbage-aloo.html
which included peas also! Yaay.
For so simple a recipe, you would not have expected the end result to taste very different from normal cabbage curry. But it did and was so yummy too. It made a great combo with rotis.
Finding this recipe was serndipitious - I had cabbage but only a wee bit of it. So I thought of adding potatotes for volume and then also sneak in some soaked green peas. My googling for cabbage-potato curry landed me with this recipe:
http://curryinkadai.blogspot.com/2007/10/cabbage-and-potato-curry-cabbage-aloo.html
which included peas also! Yaay.
For so simple a recipe, you would not have expected the end result to taste very different from normal cabbage curry. But it did and was so yummy too. It made a great combo with rotis.
Tandoori chicken / Mint sauce
This is a super-tasty, guilt-free chicken recipe. There is hardly any oil involved:
http://saffronapron.blogspot.
Though I have tried the recipe exactly as written above (including making the tandoori masala powder from scratch) you can also used store-bought tandoori powder and follow the box directions for marination. The end result is delicious either way.
Where the above recipe totally shines is the baking part - cook exactly as per the direction given and you will be looking at juicy, professional looking and tasting tandoori chicken in the end.
The following mint sauce recipe makes a great dip for the tandoori chicken:
http://www.tarladalal.com/
I followed the directions exactly - only added a wee bit more garlic (I like garlic) and half a green chilly.
http://saffronapron.blogspot.
Though I have tried the recipe exactly as written above (including making the tandoori masala powder from scratch) you can also used store-bought tandoori powder and follow the box directions for marination. The end result is delicious either way.
Where the above recipe totally shines is the baking part - cook exactly as per the direction given and you will be looking at juicy, professional looking and tasting tandoori chicken in the end.
The following mint sauce recipe makes a great dip for the tandoori chicken:
http://www.tarladalal.com/
I followed the directions exactly - only added a wee bit more garlic (I like garlic) and half a green chilly.
Cabbage curry
http://onehotstove.blogspot.com/2010/10/self-saucing-cabbage-curry.html
The title of the original blog post sounds so appealing, right?
The addition of capsicum makes a great combo with cabbage and takes mundane cabbage to a tastier level. It tasted yummy with with rotis.
The title of the original blog post sounds so appealing, right?
The addition of capsicum makes a great combo with cabbage and takes mundane cabbage to a tastier level. It tasted yummy with with rotis.
Spicy egg masala / kurma
This is a very recent find. I wanted a change from the usual egg kurma recipes with coconut et al. and found this one:
http://mydhaba.blogspot.com/2005/12/spicy-egg-masala.html
Everyone who tasted it raved about it. Totally a keeper.
http://mydhaba.blogspot.com/2005/12/spicy-egg-masala.html
Everyone who tasted it raved about it. Totally a keeper.
Fried rice
This recipe was a super find:
http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/shrimp_fried_rice/
My days of making soggy fried rice are finally past. Yaay :-D! The most important thing is to make sure the rice is cold (and was not soggy when you made it first). If you do not have day-old rice, cook rice afresh, spread it in a thin layer on a plate(s) and keep it under the fan for half an hour or so till it is cold to the touch.
Important, the spring onions are what give the fried rice its fried-ricey taste. Do not skip it.
You can skip the shrimp and egg entirely. You can use chicken instead of shrimp - I like to saute the bite-size pieces of chicken till it gets cooked completely before adding it to the rice.
http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/shrimp_fried_rice/
My days of making soggy fried rice are finally past. Yaay :-D! The most important thing is to make sure the rice is cold (and was not soggy when you made it first). If you do not have day-old rice, cook rice afresh, spread it in a thin layer on a plate(s) and keep it under the fan for half an hour or so till it is cold to the touch.
Important, the spring onions are what give the fried rice its fried-ricey taste. Do not skip it.
You can skip the shrimp and egg entirely. You can use chicken instead of shrimp - I like to saute the bite-size pieces of chicken till it gets cooked completely before adding it to the rice.
First proper post / adai recipe
Who says nepotism is good? Me, that's who :-D. Here is the link to my mom's food blog. It features all our family favorite dishes:
http://malarumninaivugal.blogspot.com/
All the recipes are great. However, if you have to pick only one recipe from the blog, adai is the one:
http://malarumninaivugal.blogspot.com/search/label/Adai
I exaggerate not - Mom makes the best adais in the entire world. Guaranteed yummy - though making it as thin as my mom makes it would take quite some bit of practice (I have not mastered it). I love eating it as is or with a bit of Amul butter on the side or grated jaggery. Coconut chutney goes well with it too.
http://malarumninaivugal.blogspot.com/
All the recipes are great. However, if you have to pick only one recipe from the blog, adai is the one:
http://malarumninaivugal.blogspot.com/search/label/Adai
I exaggerate not - Mom makes the best adais in the entire world. Guaranteed yummy - though making it as thin as my mom makes it would take quite some bit of practice (I have not mastered it). I love eating it as is or with a bit of Amul butter on the side or grated jaggery. Coconut chutney goes well with it too.
Snake gourd (podalangai) erissery
This was one of the first blog-obtained recipes I started making repeatedly because I liked it so much.
http://isouthpotpourri.blogspot.com/2006/06/padavalanga-parippu-erissery.html
More than snake-gourd though, I make the recipe often with cabbage. Also, instead of moong dal, I use tur dal or a combination of both moong and tur dals.
Absolutely yummy with rotis.
http://isouthpotpourri.blogspot.com/2006/06/padavalanga-parippu-erissery.html
More than snake-gourd though, I make the recipe often with cabbage. Also, instead of moong dal, I use tur dal or a combination of both moong and tur dals.
 |
| Erissery with tur, moong and cabbage. |
Absolutely yummy with rotis.
Why this blog?
I have always had interest in cooking. Not enough to become a full-time chef but enough to have enthusiasm to learn how to make dishes I really loved from Mom. Chai and rasam were what I learned to make first.
After I moved to the US to do my Master's, cooking lost some of its charm because cooking was inevitably followed by washing dishes - a chore I dislike very much to this day. Still, I persisted - how could I not? After all, the foodie blog world had exploded and drool-worthy pictures of dishes and the steps to make them were available for the clicking.
I no longer had to make a SOS call to mom every time I wanted to try some traditional dish. And if I was stuck with some ingredient and no ideas, I just had to Google for recipes featuring that ingredient and pick out something which sounded yummy. How cool was that! Over the years, I have tried tons of recipes from the various food blogs/web-sites. Some have turned out lip-smacking, I-will-make-it-again-for-sure yummy, some have turned out okay and some have been outright disasters. This blog is to track the recipes I tried which fell/fall into the first category.
Actually speaking, this blog is more for myself than anyone else. Many a time, I try some awesome recipe and forget to bookmark it. The next time I want to make the same dish, I am left trying to recall which exact keywords on google brought me to the recipe. Kinda gets tiring on the brain soon.
With this blog, I am simply going to keep track of links to the recipes I tried and liked very much along with any modifications I made, if any. And also favorite recipes I got off magazines or books. So next time, instead of bowing to the Google God, I just need to do a search on this blog for repeat recipe performances.
And oh, I am pro-healthy/tasty cooking. As far as possible, I try to avoid deep frying and/or using too much oil. I tend to bake or grill instead or worst case, shallow fry instead.
After I moved to the US to do my Master's, cooking lost some of its charm because cooking was inevitably followed by washing dishes - a chore I dislike very much to this day. Still, I persisted - how could I not? After all, the foodie blog world had exploded and drool-worthy pictures of dishes and the steps to make them were available for the clicking.
I no longer had to make a SOS call to mom every time I wanted to try some traditional dish. And if I was stuck with some ingredient and no ideas, I just had to Google for recipes featuring that ingredient and pick out something which sounded yummy. How cool was that! Over the years, I have tried tons of recipes from the various food blogs/web-sites. Some have turned out lip-smacking, I-will-make-it-again-for-sure yummy, some have turned out okay and some have been outright disasters. This blog is to track the recipes I tried which fell/fall into the first category.
Actually speaking, this blog is more for myself than anyone else. Many a time, I try some awesome recipe and forget to bookmark it. The next time I want to make the same dish, I am left trying to recall which exact keywords on google brought me to the recipe. Kinda gets tiring on the brain soon.
With this blog, I am simply going to keep track of links to the recipes I tried and liked very much along with any modifications I made, if any. And also favorite recipes I got off magazines or books. So next time, instead of bowing to the Google God, I just need to do a search on this blog for repeat recipe performances.
And oh, I am pro-healthy/tasty cooking. As far as possible, I try to avoid deep frying and/or using too much oil. I tend to bake or grill instead or worst case, shallow fry instead.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)