Flavor up with Spices #1 - A Monthly Event

Spices are the ingredients used to flavor our food. They are mostly the dried parts of root, seed, vegetable or a fruit which have a strong flavor & used in very small quantities for cooking. Some spices are also known for their good healing properties & used widely all around the world. 

Black Pepper's are the star of this month. They are widely used in Indian cooking & believed to help health problems like cold, digestion & are also widely used in Ayurvedic medicine.Black Pepper's are hot & empowering when they are added in a dish. So for the first month make a dish using Black Pepper's and share it here. 

Rules to follow:

1. Vegetarian & egg dishes are welcome. No non-vegetarian pls.
2. Post it in your blog and link back the recipe to my event.
3. Can send in multiple entries. Archives are ok too.
4. Event starts from 1st of February 2014 & ends on 1st of March 2014.
5. For any queries you can just leave a comment on my facebook page Ammaji Kitchen or mail me to Valli.sunil@gmail.com.
6. I will be posting the round up on my Facebook page. If you want to be tagged in the round then do mail your Facebook page url or just leave a comment below & I will add you.

Apple Milkshake with Almond Milk

Prep Time-5mins | Yields-1 Serving 

Ingredients

1Cup apple juice 

1Cup almond milk

4Dates (Soaked in water overnight)

1/2Tsp cinnamon powder

Directions

In a blender mix applejuice, almond milk , dates & cinnamon powder. Blend it on high speed once. Transfer the milkshake in to a glass and enjoy.

Note: 

- I used almond milk as it is less in calories rather than normal milk. 

- Check kitchen basics section to get almond milk recipe. (Coming soon)

- I soaked dates in just enough water & not more.

Follow me on "Facebook", "Google+", "Pinterest" for daily updates. Leave me a comment on any queries regarding this recipe & I will be able to answer it for you as soon as possible.

Check this too..

Banana Nutella Milkshake 

Besan Ka Halwa

Halwa is basically a thick sweet dish & can be made with different flours & ingredients. I'm sharing a recipe for Besan ka halwa & it's is very famous in indian households. This dish contains lots of ghee & that is what flavors of this dish. To the ingredients below you can add grated coconut for twist to the recipe.

Cook Time-30mins | Yields-2 servings

Ingredients
1Cup besan
1Cup ghee / butter

1Cup milk

3/4Cup sugar (Adjust accordingly)

1/2Tsp elachi powder

6 Cashew's

- Heat a pan with butter. Add cashew & stir fry them till they change to light brown. Remove cashews from pan & keep aside.
- To the pan add besan. Stir fry it carefully. You should fry it till it changes slight color.

- Immediately add milk & sugar to the besan and mix it well with out forming lumps. 
- Keep stirring until halwa becomes thick. Switch off heat. 
- Add elachi powder and fried cashews to it. Mix them well.

- Serve it warm & enjoy.

Note:

- Reduce the ghee content to 1/2 Cup if are concerned about the fat.

Follow me on "Facebook", "Google+", "Pinterest" for daily updates. Leave me a comment on any queries regarding this recipe & I will be able to answer it for you as soon as possible.

Menthi Avakaya | Mango Pickle

Pickles & chutneys are my favorite side dishes. A south indian meal is never complete without them. It is also believed that having a spicy chutney as a course of your meal will help in good digestion.

The menthi avakaya I'm sharing is a temporary pickle & also has less oil compared to the traditional avakaya pickle.

Prep Time-40mins | Cook Time-5mins | Yields-4 servings
Ingredients

2Cups grated mango

5Tbs red chili powder (Adjust according to taste)
2Tbs methi powder 
Salt 
Seasoning
2Tbs oil 
1Tsp mustard seeds
3 red chili's cut equally
Few curry leaves
1Tsp hing (Asafoetida)
Directions
- In a bowl mix mango,chili powder, methi powder & salt. 
- Leave it for 30mins on your counter with closed lid. - After 30mins adjust chili powder & salt if needed. 
- Heat a pan with oil & to that add mustard seeds & red chili'. 
- Once the mustard starts jumping add hing & curry leaves to pan. 
- Switch off heat & add it immediately to the mango mix. 
- Mix it well & store it in refrigerator. 
- Serve it with rice & a dollop of ghee.
Note:
- Leaving the mango mix for 30mins will allow the flavors to mingle.
- This pickle will stay good for months when refrigerated.

Follow me on "Facebook", "Google+", "Pinterest" for daily updates. Leave me a comment on any queries regarding this recipe & I will be able to answer it for you as soon as possible.

  

Pulihora | Puliyodhara | Chitranna | Tamarind Rice

Pulihora, a tangy flavored dish is a very well known dish in south indian states. Though it has different names based on a state, but the preparation remains almost same with little changes.The main ingredient of this dish is tamarind pulp & the seasoning we add enhances the flavor of it. This is a festive dish & is offered to god as prasad. It is also believed that offering this dish to lord vishnu is very auspicious.

Ingredients

4Cups cooked rice

Pulihora mix 
2/3Cup thick tamarind pulp

2Green chili's
1Tbs methi powder

1Tsp turmeric

Salt for taste 

1Tsp sugar

1/4Cup of oil

2Tbs mustard

4Tbs chana dal

4Tbs urad dal

5Red chili's cut equally

3Tbs peanuts or cashew nuts

1Tsp hing(Asafoetida)
Cilantro for garnish

Directions

- Heat a pan with oil & to that add mustard, chana dal & urad dal, green chili's, peanuts or cashews & red chili's. 
- Stir fry them till the dal & cooked to light brown color.Now add tamarind, turmeric, salt, sugar & hing to pan. Stir till the tamarind pulp becomes thick & switch off heat. Last add the methi powder to the mix. 
- Add the pulihora mix to rice & adjust salt if needed.
- Garnish with cilantro & serve.

Note: 

- I used a thick tamarind pulp & it took less cooking time for the mix. 

Follow me on "Facebook", "Google+", "Pinterest" for daily updates. Leave me a comment on any queries regarding this recipe & I will be able to answer it for you as soon as possible.

  

Sablé | Eggless French Butter Cookies

Sable are french short bread cookies. The word Sable means "sand" in french & represents how these cookies are soft & have a grainy outside.will melt in your mouth.These are travel friendly & are perfect to go snack. I made them eggless & they were buttery soft & you can never make a difference.

Prep Time-30mins | Cook Time-20mins| Yields 13 Cookies

Ingredients

1Cup all-purpose flour

1/4Cup icing sugar

4Tbs butter (@Room temperature)

1/2Tsp baking powder

1/2Tsp vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

1Tbs+1Tsp milk 

Directions

- Preheat oven @ 350 degrees. 

- In a bowl sift flour. To that add baking powder & salt. Keep the bowl aside.

- Take another bowl to that add sugar & butter. Beat them to smooth & creamy consistency. To that add vanilla extract & milk. Beat it for few minutes. 

- Now add the dry ingredients to wet ingredients & form a dough. 

- Using a rolling pin & roll the dough in to a flat layer. Using a cookie cutter cut them in a desired shape. Repeat the with all the dough.

- Arrange them on a baking tray & refrigerate them for 15mins - 20mins.

- Now bake them for 17mins - 20mins @350 degrees.

- Remove them and allow them to cool on the counter & store them in a air tight container.

Enjoy these buttery soft cookies as you like. I loved serving them along with tea & coffee as a dipping biscuits.

Follow me on "Facebook", "Google+", "Pinterest" for daily updates. Leave me a comment on any queries regarding this recipe & I will be able to answer it for you as soon as possible.

Dhuska | Dal Crepes

Dhuska is a Bhojpuri dish & made for festive preparations. This is actually a  deep fired dish but I made it a pan fried to make it healthy & got this idea from vaishali sabani's blog. I enjoyed them with no guilt & felt awesome. Here I have added both methods of making them.

Prep Time-8hrs (Soaking & grinding) | Cooking Time-5mins | Yields-3servings

Ingredients

1Cup rice 

1/2Cup chana dal

1/4Cup urad dal

1/2Cup onions finely chopped 

3Green chili's minced 

2Tsp cumin

Oil

Salt

Directions

- Soak the rice, chana dal & urad dal overnight. Grind them to a smooth batter by adding little water at a time. Batter should be thick & not watery.

- Mix salt, cumin, onions & green chili to batter. 

Method 1:

- Heat a pan with oil for deep frying. Once the oil is hot enough add a full ladle of batter to oil. 

- Deep fry it till it cooks well. 

- Remove on to a tissue paper to drain the excess oil. 

- Repeat the same with rest of the batter

Method 2:

- Heat a pan with 1 Tsp oil. Add a full ladle of batter to pan & allow it to cook. Now flip to other side & allow it to cook on both sides. 

- Repeat the same with rest of the batter.

- Serve them with Ghugni or along with a chutney & enjoy. 

Follow me on "Facebook", "Google+", "Pinterest" for daily updates. Leave me a comment on any queries regarding this recipe & I will be able to answer it for you as soon as possible.

Ghugni

Ghugni is an East Indian dish, which is also enjoyed as an evening snack. I used yellow peas in this curry but you can replace them with white peas or black gram. Ghugni can also be served as a side dish with roti or pulka's. I served it along with Dhuska & the combo tasted very delicious.

PrepTime-20mins | Cook Time-20mins | Soak Time-6hrs-8hrs | Yields-2servings

Ingredients

1Cup yellow peas 

2Cups water

2Green chili's

1Medium onion chopped

2Tomatoes finely chopped 

1Tbs ginger garlic paste 

2Tsp coriander cumin powder

1Tsp garam masala powder

2Tsp chilli powder (Adjust the spiciness as needed)

1Tsp turmeric

1Tbs tamarind pulp

2Tsp cumin

1Tbs oil

Cilantro / Coriander for garnish

Salt 

Directions

- Soak chickpeas overnight & pressure cook with 2cups of water & pinch of salt for 1 whistle. Check if they are cooked perfectly. If not cook them for one more whistle. 

- Heat a pan with oil. To that add cumin seeds & allow to splutter. Now add onions & fry them till they are translucent. 

- Add ginger garlic paste to pan & fry till the raw smell goes off. Add tomatoes to pan.

- Add tamarind pulp, coriander cumin powder, chili powder, garam masala & turmeric to pan.

- Mix them to the gravy. Next add chick peas & salt to pan. Close with a lid & allow them to cook for 5min on low heat.  

- Adjust salt & chili powder if needed & garnish gravy with coriander leaves. 

- Ghugni is ready to serve. 

Note: 

- You can replace tamarind juice with lemon juice. 

- Allow the curry to cool down before mixing the lemon juice.

Follow me on "Facebook", "Google+", "Pinterest" for daily updates. Leave me a comment on any queries regarding this recipe & I will be able to answer it for you as soon as possible.

Aloo Fry | Potato Fry | Bangaladumpa Vepudu

Potatoes fry or aloo fry is a very much enjoyed dish in indian household. There are different ways of making this dish but I'm sharing a recipe which is little healthier & lighter on our stomach's.

Cook time-30mins | Prep Time-10mins | Yields-4servings

Ingredients 

3 Potatoes peeled & cubed 

1Tbs + 1Tsp besan 

1Tbs red chili powder

Salt

3Tbs oil 

1Tsp mustard 

1/2Tsp turmeric

Few curry leaves 

Directions

- Heat a vessel with full of water. Bring water to boil. To that add cubed potatoes. 

- Boil them for 5 mins & check if they done. You can use a tooth pick to check if the potatoes are cooked or not. Strain water & keep them aside. 

- Heat a pan with 1Tbs oil. To that add mustard & curry leaves. Allow mustard to jump & then add potatoes to pan. 

- Now fry the potatoes on medium heat for 5mins by stirring them once in a while.

- Add besan & 1Tbs oil to pan. Fry them for 5mins while stirring in between @ medium heat. 

- Next add chili powder, salt & turmeric along with 1Tbs oil. Stir fry the potatoes while mixing the ingredients.

- Fry them for another 5mins @ medium heat while stir frying once in a while. Once the potatoes look crisp switch off heat. 

Note: 

- You can replace besan with rice flour. 

- Reheat the curry for 2 mins before serving to have a crisp texture.

Follow me on "Facebook", "Google+", "Pinterest" for daily updates. Leave me a comment on any queries regarding this recipe & I will be able to answer it for you as soon as possible.

Masala Majjiga Pulusu | Mor Kuzhambu | Kadhi

Majjiga pulusu,a south indian style kadhi is made of buttermilk / curd along with different spices that add a rich flavor to the recipe. I'm sharing a different variation of majjiga pulusu in which you add a little bit off masala to give a kick to the comforting dish. 

Serves 2 people

Ingredients

1 Cup thick yogurt

3/4 Cup water

1 Cup onion chopped 

1 Cup tomato thinly sliced

2 Tsp ginger garlic 

1 Tbs oil

Salt

Masala (Grind it) 

1 Tbs poppy seeds

1 Tbs coriander seeds 

1 Tbs fennel seeds 

1/2 Tsp turmeric

5 Red chili's ( adjust acc. to your spice level)

Seasoning  

1 Tbs oil

1 Tsp mustards 

1 Tsp jeera

2 Red chili's cut equally

Few curry leaves

1/2 Tsp Hing 

- Grind all the masala ingredients to smooth paste by adding little by little water. 

- Heat pan with oil. To that add onion & fry them till they are transparent.

- Add ginger garlic paste to pan & stir fry it for 1min.

- Now add tomatoes to the pan & stir fry for 1min.Then add masala paste & salt to the pan.

- Close it with a lid. Allow the ingredients to steam cook for 5mins or till tomatoes are cooked well. 

- Mix yogurt & water well. It looks like a thick butter milk.

- Add the butter milk to pan & allow it to cook in low heat for 3mins & not more than that.Switch off heat & majjiga pulusu is almost done. 

- Heat another pan with oil. To that add mustard, jeera, red chili's & curry leaves. When the mustard starts jumping add hing & switch off heat. 

- Mix the seasoning with pulusu & adjust salt if needed.

Note:

- Don't allow the curd to boil or it will be curdled.

- Instead of thick yogurt & water, you can use 2 cups of butter milk. 

- Spice level of red chili's vary with the variety you use. So adjust accordingly.