Baked Semolina/ Sooji Cakes

This dish goes very well as a appetizer or a evening snack. 

The actual recipe I came across was made of " Polenta" though I have replaced  Polenta with Semolina for my convenience. I tried transforming this to a pure Indian dish with some Italian touches. 

Ingredients 

1 1/2 cup Semolina

2 Tbs Corn flour 

1/2 Cup Peas  

1/2 cup milk

3 Tbs Olive Oil 

2 Tbs Butter 

3 Garlic Cloves (Crushed)

1 Tbs Mustard 

For Stock

3 Red chillis 

Small bunch of Basil leaves 

2 Tomatoes 

Salt

Baking 

1/2 cup All purpose flour

Oil

Bread Crumbs 

1/2 cup of cheese 

1. Heat a pan with oil and add mustard. Once they splutter add crushed garlic and allow it to fry for few seconds. 

2. Grind the stock ingredients. Add 1 1/2 cup of stock to the pan along with milk & peas.Bring to boil. 

3. Add Semolina to the pan slowly whisking the stock.

4. Here I added the corn flour directly to the stock and kept whisking it till it semolina becomes thick. 

( Till here it's same as we make upma)

5. Once it's thick switch off the pan and transfer your ingredients to a pan. 

6. Refrigerate them for 5 hrs and cut them to square pieces.

7. Roll each piece in Flour and pan fry them with little oil on 2 sides till they turn brown. 

8. Take a baking pan arrange them in the pan and sprinkle with Bread Crumbs and Cheese on top. 

9. Bake them at 370 degrees for 15 mins. 

* Serve hot they are crunchy out side and smooth inside.

Egg & Green Bean Curry

 Ingredients

2 Unboiled Eggs 

1 cup Chopped Beans

1/2 Cup Chopped Onions 

1 Cup sliced Tomatoes 

Chilli Powder 

Salt 

Seasoning  

2 Tbs Oil 

1 Tbs Mustard 

1 Tbs Jeera 

2 Red Chili's

Curry leaves 

1. Heat a pan with Oil. Add mustard, Jeera & Red Chili's to it.

2. When the mustard starts jumping add onions & Curry leaves to the pan and fry them for few seconds. 

3. Now add tomatoes and beans to the pan. Sprinkle a little salt and close it with a lid ( Salt makes veggies soft). 

4. Meanwhile break both the eggs in a bowls and beat them to a nice mixture.

5. The veggies will be cooked by now. Move the curry to the pan edges making a space in the middle. 

6. Now pour the beaten egg in the pan and allow to cook for few mins. 

7. Once the egg mixture is cooked mix curry to the eggs. 

8. Add salt and chili powder to the curry and cook it for few mins. 

* Serve with Rice or Roti. It tastes yummy.

Kanda Poha

Poha is a simple & easy to make snack for evenings.Though I don't like to limit myself just for eve's I prefer having it for lunch and dinner too.

Ingredients 

2 Cups Beaten Rice / Poha

1 Cup Chopped Onion

4 Green Chili's sliced nicely

1/2 Cup Grated Coconut

2 Tbs lemon Juice

Seasoning 

2 Tbs Oil

2 Tbs Mustard 

2 Tbs Peanuts 

Curry Leaves 

Salt

Directions:

1. Take poha in a bowl wet it with some water and keep it aside. 

2. Heat a pan with oil add mustard's to it. Once the mustard starts jumping add peanuts and fry them till they are done. Now add onions to the pan & a little later add green chili's and fry them. 

3. Add turmeric and curry leaves to the pan and switch off the heat.

4. Mix poha,lemon juice, Salt & coconut in the pan.

*** It's ready to serve.

Rasgulla (Low Fat Version)

There is a first time for everything isn't it. So here is one of those recipes I tried in my kitchen for this Diwali and came out yummy.

Ingredients 

1 litre Milk (Used 2% fat milk)

11/2 cups Sugar

31/2 Cups Water

1 Lemon 

2 Elachi pods 

Walnut to Garnish 

Paneer 

1. Heat milk in a pan.Once it starts boiling add lemon juice to it. 

2. Mix well. Let it be on heat till the milk & water separates.

3. Allow it to cool a bit and drain the milk in to a cloth. ( I used a cotton towel ).

4. Wrap the cloth and keep it under water for few seconds. ( This helps to remove the lemony taste) 

5. Now take a heavy pan and squeeze the cloth with it. Leave it for 1hr to removes the excess water. (I used my mortar to squeeze all the water).

Making of Rasgulla's

1. Take the paneer and kneed it well & make a soft ball out of it. 

2. Now make some small balls with the paneer and keep them aside. 

3. Meanwhile take water & sugar in a pressure cooker and boil it.

4. Now add the paneer balls to the cooker and close it with a lid. Cook it till you listen the first whistle and switch off heat. 

5. Open the cooker lid once the pressure is reduced and you can see the balls floating on top.

Garnish according to your taste. 

 

Eggless Chocolate Bread Pudding

Ingredients

6 Bread Slices 

1 Tbs Corn Strach 

4 Cocoa Powder 

2 Cups of milk 

Melted Butter

1/4 Cup Sugar  (Varies according to your taste)

Almonds for Garnish 

1. I have a Home made Bread so used it for the pudding.Your can use French or Italian bread. 

2. Remove the brown edges of bread and cut them in to cubes.Place them in oven safe bowels.

 

3. Prepare the mix for the pudding by adding Corn starch , Milk, Butter,Choco powder & Sugar. Mix them well till the sugar dissolves. 

     

4. Now whisk the syrup for 4-5 mins.Add it to the bread bowls.

5. Dip almonds in butter and garnish them on the bowls.

6. Bake them at 350 degrees F for 20min. Mine took 20mins so it should be the same for you too.  

7. Dip a tooth pick if it comes out clean then your pudding is ready.

* Serve warm or cold as you wish. 

Kanda Bachali Kura | Suran/Yam Malabar Spinach Curry

Ingredients

1 Cup chopped yam / kanda 

2 Cups malabar spinach / bachali koora

2Tbs tamarind pulp

1Tbs mustard powder 

1Tbs sugar 

2Tbs oil 

Salt

Seasoning 

1Tbs mustard seeds 

1Tbs jeera

1Tbs channa dal 

1Tbs urad dal 

4Red chilis cut equally

1Tsp hing / asafoetida 

1. Heat pan with oil and add seasoning to it. Once they are done now add greens to the pan and fry it well. 

2. Mean while pressure cook Yam for 1 whistle or cook them in a microwave. Smash yam with a spoon to a rough paste. 

3. Now add pasted Yam to pan and mix it with tamarind juice salt and sugar.

4. Cook it for 10mins and remove from heat. 

5. Add mustard powder to pan and mix well. 

* Serve with Rice.

Note: Yam will have a Slight itchy feel when you touch it and even after cooking. To avoid that you have to add a pinch of tamarind juice while pressure cooking it. ( Tip from MOM)

Vermicelli Payasam (Microwave Version)

It's a very common sweet made in most of the Indian houses as a festive dish.For me it's one quenches my sweet cravings at night. I wonder whether it's just me or any one else also feels the same???

A Simple, Easy & Yummy recipe.

 

Ingredients

1/2 Cup vermicelli 

1 Cup milk

2 Tbs coconut powder

1/2 Cup sugar (Varies according to your taste)

1 Tsp butter 

Few Cashew

1/2 Tsp elachi 

1. Take butter in a glass bowl ( Microwavable ) with cashews and microwave them for 1mins. Repeat it once again with mixing the cashews for 1min. Check if they are nicely done.Remove nuts and keep them aside. 

2. Now in the same bowl take vermicelli and  roast it for 1min. 

3. Now add milk to the bowl and cook vermicelli and cook for 5mins & repeat it again adding Coconut powder till it is done.

4. Mix sugar well.

5. Add nuts and elachi powder to the payasam. 

* Serve hot.

Gorichikkudu Kura | Cluster Beans Curry | Guar Ki Sabji

Ingredients

1 1/2 Cup Cluster Beans 

1 Cup Chopped Onion

1/2 Cup Grated Coconut powder 

2 Tbs Poppy seeds 

2 Tbs Oil

1 Tbs Chili powder 

1 Tbs Mustard 

1 Tbs Jeera 

2 Red chili

Pinch of Turmeric 
Salt 

Curry leaves 

1. Heat pan with oil and add mustard, jeera and red chilli to  it. Once mustard starts spluttering add onion to the pan. 

2.  Fry them till they are cooked and add beans to the pan. Add turmeric, Salt to pan & close it with a lid. Allow it to beans to to cook.

3. Mean while grind coconut and poppy seeds to a smooth paste. (Don't add to much of water)

4. Add paste to the pan and allow it to cook on low heat for 10mins. 

5. Add chili powder to the curry and  allow to cook for 2mins. 

6. Now garnish with curry leaves. 

* Serve with Rice.

  

Chamadumpa Vepudu | Taro Root Fry | Arbi Fry | Seppankizhangu Fry

When I was a little girl we use to grow Taro root in our back yard. To my knowledge we never brought this veggie from market for many years.

Though this fry consumes more oil than any others still it's worth having once in a while.

Ingredients

1/2 lb Taro Root

Oil (Enough to deep fry)

Salt 

Chili powder  

1. Boil Taro root in a vessel or you can just pressure cook them for 1 whistle. Let them cool down for a while.

2. Remove the skin or upper layer and cut them as thinas shown in the figure. 

3. Heat pan with oil filled till half of the pan. Once the oil is hot add the sliced veggie and deep fry them .

4. Once they start turning to brown color take them in to a vessel.

5.Add salt and chili powder to the fried root and mix them well.

* Serve with Rice and a spoon of ghee.

 

Badusha

Festivals are always filled with Spirituality,fun & tasty food. For the food part I tried making some Badusha & Muruku's for Darsara/Navratri. 

I have to mention that this is one of my hubby's favorite.

Ingredients 

For Badusha

2 Cups maida ( All Purpose flour)

1/2 Tsp baking Soda 

1/2 cup yogurt (Curd)

Salt 

1/2 Cup melted butter/dalda 

Oil (Enough for deep frying )

Sugar Syrup 

2 Cups Sugar 

1 Cup Water 

Elachi 

1. Take a bowl and mix the Badusha ingredients except the oil. Mix it to a nice ball. ( In process of making dough add more curd rather than water.). Allow it to rest for 30mins. 

2. Now place a vessel on stove and add sugar and water to the vessel. Allow the sugar to melt. Now reduce heat and allow the syrup to boil till it comes to a string consistency. Add elachi to it and keep it aside.

3. Take the dough and divide it to small balls. Make a ball and press with your thump in the middle as shown in the above picture. 

4. Heat a pan with oil (for frying the dough). Fry the balls in batches till they turn nice brown color. Remove them and place them on a tissue paper to remove excessive oil.

5. Add the fried balls to sugar syrup and let them soak for 3-4 mins. 

6. Remove them and place them in a container. 

Muruku 

I have already posted the recipe for "  Jantikalu or Muruku ". Sharing a pic for the recipe which I made this year. As I have mentioned I didn't have the muruku maker so used plastic bag to make it. 

 

Curries

South IndianCurry

- Bean Carrot Palya 

- Aloo Fry | Potato Fry | Bangaladumpa Vepudu

- Panasa Kaaya Koora | Jackfruit Curry | Chakka Curry

- Vankaya Kura | Eggplant/Brinjal Curry

- Chamadumpa Vepudu | Seppankizhangu Fry | Taro Root Fry | Arbi Sabji

- Scrambled Tofu Curry

- Carrot Cabbage Poriyal | Carrot Cabbage Stir Fry

- Donkaya Karam Pettina Kura | Stuffed Tindora Curry | Tindora Sabji

- Gutti Vankaya Koora kaaram Petti | Stuffed Brinjal Curry | Baingan sabji

- Bangaladumpa Gasagasala Kura | Potato in Poppy seed gravy | Aloo ki Sabji

- Bangaladumpa Kura | Simple Potato Curry

- Egg & Green Bean Curry

- Pala Pindimiriyam | Mixed Veggie Curry with Milk

- Kanda Bachali Kura | Suran/Yam Malabar Spinach Curry

- Gorichikkudu Kura | Cluster Beans Curry | Guar Ki Sabji

- Chamadumpa Vepudu | Taro Root Fry | Arbi Fry | Seppankizhangu Fry

- Panasa Pottu Koora / Jackfruit Curry | Chakka Curry

- Fried Brussels Sprouts Curry

- Aviyal/Avial

- Dondakaya Koora | Tindora Curry

North Indian Curries

- Bhindi Sorsori

- Shorshe Dharosh

- Goan Egg Drop Curry

- Soya Chunk Curry | Meal Maker Curry | Soya Bean Subzi

- Aloo Tamatar ka Jhol

- Chana Madra - A Himachal Pradesh Special

- Soya Thongba - A Manipuri Dish

- Rajma Masala Curry | Rajma ki Sabzi

- Paneer Masala Curry

- Ghugni

- Baingan Bharta

- Nawabi Paneer

- Soya Kheema Muttur Curry

- Vegetarian Nadan Chicken Curry

- Paneer Mutter Sabji | Paneer Peas Curry

- Poached Egg Curry | Shakshouka | Anda Curry

- Kodigudda Kura | Anda Sabji | Egg in Tomato Coconut Gravy

- Gobi Carrot Kurma

- Bendakaya Masala Kura | Bhindi Masala | Okra Masala

- Red Kidney Beans & Black-Eyed Peas | Rajma Sabji

- Soya Chunks Curry | Meal Maker Curry

- Creamy Tofu Curry

- Bangaladumpa Masala Kura | Aloo Masala Sabji

Eggless Strawberry Walnut Cupcakes (A berry nut affair)

Now a days I'm very much obsessed with baking.Believe me watching too many food channels will effect a lot :-). So with all those inspiration I came up with this cupcakes.

I need to say that those strawberries & walnuts were never my favorite.But the combo came out very tempting. 

Ingredients

1 1/2 Cup Self Rising Flour

1 Cup Whole Milk

1/2 Cup melted Butter

1 Cup Sugar

1 Tbs Baking Powder 

1/2 Tbs Salt 

1 Cup Diced Strawberries

1/2 cup Walnuts 

Preparation

1. Preheat oven at 350 degrees for 10mins  to 15mins. 

2. Grind strawberries to a paste and set aside.

3. Take a bowl add flour, sugar, baking powder, salt , milk , strawberry puree, walnuts and butter. Mix well with a whisker.

3.Take cupcake sheets and set them in the pan. Divide batter evenly and add extra walnuts on top of the batter.

4. Now transfer the pan to oven and set at 350 degrees. Bake them for 30 mins. 

5. Once done take cupcakes out and cool them.( You can refrigerate for 10mins if you are in a hurry).  

It was a yummy bite.

Bendakaya Masala Kura | Bhindi Masala | Okra Masala

" A lazy lady was googling  for a side dish with no interest in cooking for dinner.Suddenly she came across a yummy dish in one of the blogs that inspired her to cook."

I have to agree that the picture was the inspiration to think about this dish and ended up cooking it. 

Ingredients

2 cups Bhindi / Okra (cut in equal size)

1 cup chopped onion

1 tbs Ginger Garlic Paste 

2 tbs oil 

Masala

1 tbs Garam Masala Powder 

1/2 cup Onions 

1/2 cup Tomatoes 

2 tbs Peanuts

1 tbs coriander cumin powder

1/2 tbs Chili powder

Salt 

1. Heat pan with oil add onions and fry them till they are soft. Then add Ginger Garlic paste to it and fry for 2 mins.Then add bhindi and fry them well.

2. Mean while grind all masala ingredients to a smooth and keep them aside. 

3. Now add masala paste to pan and allow it to cook with a closed lid for 15 mins. Garnish with cilantro. 

* Serve with Chapati, Roti & Naan.