Lemon Rice and A Click

Rice is a staple diet of South India and there are many varieties of dishes made out of it. Lemon rice,it plays an important part of South Indian meal . Their feasts are not complete without this particular dish, its a must for all ocassions. Its so simple to cook and very yummy to eat. And one more good thing about it that, you can have it on its own.

This Refreshing lemony rice tastes great when served hot or cold.

Ingredients:

Cooked rice 1 cup
Lemon juice 2 tbsp
Salt to taste

For Tempering :

Oil/ghee 2 tbsp
Musturd seeds 1 tsp
Asafoetida 2 3 pinches
Groundnuts and cashewnuts 4 tbsp
Red chillies 4 5 nos
Green chillies (chopped) 3-4 nos
Turmeric pwd 1 tsp
Fresh curry leaves (a must)

Method:

Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a pan. Add the seeds and let them splutter.
Add asafoetida,nuts and fry till golden brown.
Add the red and green chillies. Add turmeric,saute.
Add the curry leaves and saute.
Turn off heat. Let it cool.

To the cooked rice, add the lime juice and salt to taste.
Add the tempering and mix it lightly.
Serve warm or cold ,goes well with South Indian spice dishes like chicken curry, potatoes curry.

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Click the event:

This click is for Bri.

Bri , a fellow blogger, was diagnosed with breast cancer two and half years ago. A mastectomy, chemotherapy and two years of relatively good health later, the cancer is back. It has metastasized to other parts of her body. At the age of 15, Bri lost her 41-year old mother to the disease. Now, she’s waging her own war against breast cancer.

She is going through intensive chemo and other treatments and needs to focus single-mindedly on healing and finding what treatment works best for her. Her health insurance, unfortunately, does not cover holistic alternatives which she would like to try. Bri and her husband Marc have enough on their plates right now in addition to worrying about her medical bills.

Jugalbandi has organised a fundraiser to help Bri and her family meet her out-of-pocket medical costs for ONE YEAR. CLICK is a monthly theme-based photography contest hosted by Jugalbandi. This month’s theme is: YELLOW for Bri.Yellow is the colour of hope.The entries can be viewed HERE. The fundraiser will extend until July 15, 2008. The target amount is 12,000 U.S. dollars. We appeal to our fellow bloggers and readers to help us achieve this. Bri deserves a chance to explore all options, even if her insurance company thinks otherwise.

There’s a raffle with exciting prizes on offer. After viewing the list, you may make your donation HERE or at the Chip-In button on any participating site. Your donation can be made securely through credit card or Pay Pal and goes directly to Bri’s account.

You can support this campaign by donating to the fundraiser, by participating in CLICK: the photo event, and by publicising this campaign.

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Murukku

I did wanted to make this for a long time, as i my childhood days i liked murukku's tooooo much. But now since a long time, didn't had the homecooked one, only haldiram's,or the local brand,which i don't like at all(actually they use rice as the main ingredient, and being north indian i don't like it much). This time when i went to indian, i again got the oppurtunity to eat it once at my sisters place and my temptation to make it increased more n more.So finally got her recipe, and made it...
Its easy and fast to make, n yum to eat...

Ingredients:

Wheat flour 2 cups
Yellow moong dal 1/3 cup
Oil 2 tbsp
Turmeric powdre 1 tsp
Red chilli powder 1 tsp
Sesame seeds 3 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying.

Method:

Take the flour and tie it in a muslin cloth. Steam the same in the pressure cooker .
Soak moong dal and boil it with water till soft and done.
When the pressure of cooker resides, open it , the flour would have been cooked n hardened, break it into pieces, n pass it through seive to get fine powder form again.
Mix all the ingredients and make a bit tough dough out of it.
Put it into to murukku maker and make shapes of murukku , out of it.
Deep fry in oil till golden brown.

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Coriander Chutney

'Green coriander chutney', or the multipurpose chutney(as i call it), is the one without which i can't complete my cooking. I am so fond of it, that whenever i don't have anything nice to eat, if i have this ,i can eat (almost) anything served to me .

So i thought its worth sharing this tangy sauce with all of you....

Ingredients:

1 bunch fresh Coriander leaves
1 Big ripe tomato
1 onion/1 small bunch spring onions
1 inch ginger
2 3 cloves garlic
2 3 green chillies
1 tsp cumin seeds
Juice of 1 lime
Salt to taste

Method:

Wash the Coriander leaves. Put all the ingredients, coarsely chopped(except lime) , in a blender and grind it to a thickpaste like consistency.(there no need to add water, as tomato has enough water). Finally add juice of 1 lime in it, and a chutney that goes well with anything is ready in just 5 minutes .



Tip:
This chutney can be stored in refrigerator for about 4 5 days.,but best eaten fresh.

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Spicy Chilli Paneer

'PANEER', its such an ingredient, you make anything out of it, it definately shall taste good... And if any guests are coming this is a must. You can have them as a starter or in the main course. This spicy chilli paneer i learned from one of my childhood friend, Vineeta. She loves cooking and was so fast to prepare it, and then it tasted so yumm, that henceforth i always followed her recipe to make this.

You can have it as a starter, or even make gravy for it in no time and have it in your main course.

Ingredients:

200 gm paneer (cottage cheese)
1 tbsp cornflour
2 tbsp Refined flour(maida)
oil for deep frying

For the Sauce:

Oil 2 3 tbsp
Garlic 1 tbsp,chopped coarsely
Green chillies (slit) 3 4
Onion 1 big ,sliced thinly
Soya sauce 2 3 tsp
Tomato sauce 1 tbsp
Chilli sauce 1 tbsp
Capsicum ,cut into strips(optional)
Ajinomotto a pinch(optional)
Black pepper 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Cornflour 1 tsp,dissolved in ½ cup water(without lumps)

Method:

Cut the paneer into half inch cubes.
Make a thick paste of cornflour and refined flour(so as to coat paneer properly)
Coat the paneer cubes with paste and deep fry in hot oil till golden. Keep aside.

For the Sauce:

Heat oil in a pan.
Add garlic, green chillies ,and onions.
Saute till onions are done.
Add capsicum and cook till tender.
Add all the sauces,ajinomotto or salt and pepper.
Add the paneer pieces.
Simmer for few minutes till the sauce coats the paneer pieces.
You can serve this as appetizer by putting toothpick on bunch of paneer, capsicum and onion together.


And if you wish to make Gravy one,then before adding paneer...
Add one cup water and bring it to a boil. Mix well.
Add dissolved cornflour,to the sauce, Mix well.
Simmer for few minutes till the sauce begins to boil.
Serve hot.

Tip:
As soya sauce contains salt, so add a bit less salt to the dish.

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I'm sending this spicy indo chinese appetizer to AWED:Chinese ,hosted at Culinarybazaar... whose yum roundup is here now.

And also to Paneer a delicacy hosted by vandana
And also to Sunday Snacks - Hot n Spicy at All Thingz Yummy!!

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myLot User Profile

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Khasta Daal Kachori

I always loved to try some or the other snacks at home, And now i have a good reason to do them too...., The monthly events that take place in the blog world...:) I just browsed something for UP cuisine, and found that main dishes were mostly non vegetarian, so not for me..As par my browsing , what i came to know..

Indian food, especially food from Uttar Pradesh is similar to the cooking patterns of Middle East and Central Asia. Consisting of both non-vegetarian and vegetarian dishes, the most significant influence on this cuisine is Mughali, referencing the cooking techniques used by people back in the days of the Mughal Empire.

Now , what i made was Daal kachori. Earlier too i had posted Raj kachori, but now this is a bit different version. You can have these with Green Chutney ,Tamarind Chutney or any vegetable curry .The leftovers can be soaked in yogurt as a snack,and can be served as we did for Raj kachori as well.

Ingredients:

2 Cups Whole wheat flour (Atta)
2 tbsp. Ghee
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

For the Filling :

½ Cup Moong Dhuli Daal (Split Green Gram)
1 tbsp. Ginger, finely chopped
2-3 Green chillies, finely chopped
A pinch of Asafoetida (Hing)
Salt to taste
½ tsp. Garam masala powder
1 tsp. red chilli powder
½ tsp. Amchur powder
½ tsp Coriander powder
¼ tsp Clove powder
½ tsp Cumin seeds slightly crushed
½ tsp Coriander seeds slightly crushed
½ tsp Fennel seeds, slightly crushed
2 tbsp Coriander leaves,chopped
1 tbsp. Oil

Method:

Make a not too soft dough(as for puri's) using flour, salt, ghee and water.Set aside for atleast half hour.

Wash and rinse the soaked Moong Dal.
Put moistened Dal in a blender, or a processor with minimum possible water. We want a coarse grind, not a fine paste. It should be grainy.
In a pan add oil and add asafoetida, ginger, chillies,all the seeds(cumin, coriander and fennel), salt, then add all dry powders. Saute for few seconds and add the daal. Cook on medium heat to get rid of moisture. The stuffing should be damp and not wet. It should form like a very stiff dough. Remove from heat and allow to cool.



Heat the sufficient oil in a kadai for frying kachoris.
Take the flour dough and divide it into even sized balls and roll into a small poori and put the filling in the center. Gather the edges and seal. Now again roll it like a poori. Make all kachoris in the same manner.
Now add the kachori to the heated oil and fry till golden and crisp
Drain on a paper to remove access oil and serve hot.


Tips:
Don't use oil to substitute for Ghee. This will make the cover to be oily when fried.
Use only cold water to make dough. Warm or hot water will melt the shortening or ghee pre-maturely.
Instead of moong daal , you can use Urad or any another filling ,as per your taste.
The other spices can also be altered ,as per their regional cuisines and taste.
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I'm sending this to SWC: UP Cuisine hosted by Nupur of Cinnamon hut.
And also to Sunday Snacks - Hot n Spicy at All Thingz Yummy!!

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Bhindi masala (spicy okra) and an Award

For quite some time, i wasn't posting much, as my camera was out of order :), but now finally bought a new one. So here's ladyfinger, or okra, or bindi as we call it. I came to know that it's also called okra(n its a very popular name for it), only after i started blogging....
Okra, unknown to common cooking is a surprising versatile vegetable. It also holds a high place in the nutritional charts for its fibrous content and other medicinal benefits. After blogging only ,i came to know there are a lots n lots of making this veegie(never knew could make gravy one too), 'll try them too soon one by one, but here the basic dry one which we regularly make in our kitchens....

Ingredients:

300 gms lady finger
2 onions thinly sliced
2 green chillies finely chopped
1 tbsp. coriander leaves finely chopped
2-3 flakes garlic, peeled, crushed
1 tbsp coriander powder
2-3 pinches turmeric
1 tsp amchoor(dried mango)powder
salt to taste
2 tbsp. oil

Method:

Cut lady finger into 1” long pieces.
Heat 1 tbsp. oil in a nonstick pan.
Add ladyfinger, stirfry till it is crisp.
If overdone it will turn blackish, is underdone it will be sticky.
Remove from pan, keep aside till required.
Heat remaining oil in same pan, stir fry onions till golden brown.
Add all other seasoning, stirfry for a few seconds.
Add ladyfinger, salt, stir and pour into serving dish.
Garnish with chopped coriander.
Serve hot and crisp with roti, rice or parathas.

Tip:
To clean knives, hands, etc. which are soiled with the sticky fluid of this vegetables, simply rub a used lemon peel over them. Wash off with regular detergent and scrubber.

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And here comes one more award, Nice matters award,once again by my dear blogger friend sashree, thanx a lot Sashree.


"Nice Matters Award is for those bloggers who are nice people; good blog friends and those who inspire good feelings and inspiration. Also for those who are a positive influence on our blogging world.”

I wanna pass this award to,

Medhaa of cook with love
Easycrafts of 100% microwave cooking
JZ of tasty treats
Delhi belle of cook what...

Also JZ of tasty treats, has given me the Rocking girl blogger award, Thanx JZ, u too rock girl...

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Garlic Chutney

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Mini Samosa

After i did my diet plan, for about a week(not even full week), i lost interest in eating sweet food. Actually i lost my interest in eating any kind of spicy or oily food too. Just wanted to have something plain. But noooow...:) ,again all my taste buds are back, and are even more aggressive...haha....

Few days back only i had made veggie cutlets, and then i felt like having samosas. Samosa's are the symbol of indian appetizer all over the world. They are basically fried indian vegetarian ( or non vegetarian too) potato stuffed pastry. While browsing , i saw a very nice link about samosas, can see here. Now, one reason for my temptation was, just today i saw sanjeev kapoor in Zee, making them, and also i had seen them by sanjay thumma a few days back.

One more thing ,i must tell you they came out really very very yummy, much more than my expectations......

For samosa dough:

All purpose flour 3 cups
Oil 3 tbsp
Carom seeds(ajwain) 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste

For the stuffing:

Potatoes 2 boiled and diced
Onion 1 smal, finely chopped
Ginger garlic paste 1 tbsp
Tumeric powder 1/4 tsp
Green chillies 2 3, finely chopped
Coriander leaves, chopped
Cumin powder 1 tsp
Coriander powder 1 tbsp
Red chilli powder 1 tsp
Chat masala 1 tsp (optional)
Cashew nutsand groundnuts 2 tbsp
Cumin seeds 1/2 tsp
salt to taste
Lime juice of 1/2 lime
Oil

Method:

For the dough:
Take the maida, add the ajwain seeds,salt and a bit hot ghee/oil to the maida and mix well so that each flour grain will be coated with the oil. Knead properly to make a stiff dough using lukewarm water and let it rest for 15 to 20 mins.

Potato stuffing:
Heat some oil in the pan,add the cumin seeds,ginger garlic paste,green chillies,cashews,groungnuts and turmeric mix well and let cook for few mins.
Add onions and cook untill golden brown.
Then add the red chilli powder,coriander powder and cumin powder,add little water so the masalas don't burn.
Then add the diced potates,salt and coriander leaves.sprinkle the lime juice over it.

Samosa:
Take a puri sized ball of dough, and roll it into oval shape.


Cut that oval shape into half,take that half apply water on all edge,take one end bend it in center and taking other end overlap it on the first edge making it a cone(i.e, along the diameter).
Fill the cone with the stuffing and seal the edges to get a triangular shape for the samosa and let it rest on its 2 sides. (i took a snap for this ,but it didn't came out well :( )
Now fry the samosas in the hot oil ,medium low flame (not high, else it 'll turn out oily n soggy) till they turn golden brown.(this step takes time )
Take them out in a paper towel to remove excess oil.
Enjoy the samosas with ur favourite chutney.

Tip:
You can make any stuffing of your choice with any variations. with peas, or other non veggies too, its variations are endless..
Heard that adding ghee instead of oil, while making dough, helps in eliminating the bubbles on the crust.
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Sending this to Cooking for kids :Potato, started by Sharmi of Neivedyam
And to Sunday Snacks - Hot n Spicy at All Thingz Yummy!!
Now here comes my yummy Cabbage rolls,


I'm sending these Mini Samosa's , along with the Cabbage rolls which i made earlier to Monthly Mingle, "Appetizers & Hors'Doeuvres", hosted by Mansi of funnfud, an event started by Meeta of What's For Lunch Honey?

For the recipe of cabbage rolls ,you can check the link here.

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My 50th post , two Awards and a MeMe

Hey all, so finally i too reached my 50th post.....:) , and as i think, its quite early for me, (in just 3 months)..

It feels nice, to be in this blogworld, as there's so much to learn. There were a lot of recipes whose names only i had heard, tasted sometimes at friends place, but never ever thought of making by myself. But these blog events are making us do so, and hence increasing the variety in our own kitchens....

And the best part i felt, after being in this blogworld, was that all the recipes were well tested and tried (with some having step by step pictures too), so if you like any recipe, and wanna make it, its sure it'll come same as seen in the final picture....,unlike a lot of recipes available on net.

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And now my first Award, Rocking girl blogger award. Thanx Lakshmi for giving me my first award, it really meant a lot to me...,


I wish to pass these award to,

Medhaa of cook with love
Uma of Essence of andhra
Divya of dilse
Priyanka of Asankhana

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Then came my second Award, Yummy Blog Award, given to me by Sashree of foodiefreaks, thanx alot Sashree..Iwas so happy to receive this award..


Yummy Blog award was first conceptualized by Roopa of Kitchen Treats. Yummy blog award is the award given to the blog with the most yummy recipes/photos. As per the rules,I have to pass this for 4 more persons,But i think mostly yummy blogs are already having this award. I wanna give this award to some persons who really have nice blogging and they deserve this award, though they might have already received it.

So this award goes to,

Nupur of Cinnamon hut,
Trupti of Recipecenter4all
Manasi of funnfud
Srivalli of Cooking 4 All Seasons

And now goes the list of my favourie desserts

Gujia
Gajar ka halwa
Carrot cake
Gulab jamun

Here are the rules for the award recipients

The person who receives the award should display the "Yummy Blog !" logo on their blog and also the meaning of the award which is "Yummy blog award is the award given to the blog with most yummy recipes/photos".
The receiver should also quote their favorite yummy-licious :) dessert(s) that they have ever prepared/eaten. Don't restrict yourself to any dessert, chocolate bars also welcome:).
Also the receiver should pass on the award to four other bloggers who's blog they find "yummy" and let them know about the rules:)

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And lastly , here comes a MEME. My singaporean friend Priyanka has tagged me for this meme. She tagged me a long back, but just due to laziness i did postponed it for so long , but finally here it comes.....

1) LAST MOVIE U SAW IN A THEATRE?
I really don't remember,i think it was ratatouille

2) WHAT BOOK ARE U READING?
Mindbend, by robin cook.

3) FAVOURITE BOARD GAME?
Love to play ludo, chinese chekkers

4) FAVOURITE MAGAZINE?
Nothing specific, anything that i feel interesting..

5) FAVOURITE SMELLS?
Smell of the first rain

6) FAVOURITE SOUNDS?
Sound of birds in the morning, any music soothing to ears

7) WORST FEELING IN THE WORLD?
Being left all alone nad having nothing sensible to do

8) WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU THINK OF WHEN U WAKE?
I think what to cook,and plan for the whole day. Generally I never do what I plan at that time of the day… Yet I do it..:)

9) FAVOURITE FASTFOOD PLACE?
Not exactly fastfood, but there was a chat stall in b'lore jaynagar, i really miss it a loooot....,its panipooris's were yum.. n yep subway too...

10) FUTURE CHILDS NAME?
I already have 2 kids Aryan N Anuj, n that's enough for me

11) FINISH THIS STATEMENT—’IF I HAD A LOT OF MONEY I’D’
had a world tour nad did lots n lots of shopping(though i may not use anything out of it)

12) DO U DRIVE FAST?
Not atall, as i'm still a learner...

13) DO U SLEEP WITH A STUFFED ANIMAL?
Nope

14)STORMS–COOL OR SCARY?
Very scary

15) WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CAR?
Not yet have any

16) FAVOURITE DRINK?
Apart for plain water, Anything cool..

17) FINISH THIS STATEMENT-IF I HAD THE TIME I WOULD…
I do have lot of time…. but I dont do anything worthwhile with it…… sometimes blogging, but seriously wanna do something about it..

18) DO YOU EAT THE STEMS ON BROCCOLI?
Thinking to start eating now....

19) IF YOU COULD DYE YOUR HAIR ANY OTHER COLOUR, WHAT WOULD BE YOUR CHOICE?
May be ?? strands of light golden brown

20) NAME ALL THE DIFFERENT CITIES/TOWNS U HAVE LIVED IN?
Bhilai,nagpur,bangalore, singapore

21) FAVOURITE SPORTS TO WATCH?
One day cricket match, if India is playing

22) ONE NICE THING ABOUT THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU?
I got to know Priyanka, from her blog n orkut, she is a good cook and a creative person.

23) WHATS UNDER YOUR BED?
Under my bed, ..... nothing

24) WOULD U LIKE TO BE BORN AS YOURSELF AGAIN??
Ya surely

25) MORNING PERSON OR NIGHT OWL?
Night Owl

26) OVER EASY OR SUNNY SIDE UP?
Both....;) depending on the situation

27) FAVOURITE PLACE TO RELAX?
My home sweet home.

28) FAVOURITE PIE?
Nothing in specific

29) FAVOURITE ICECREAM FLAVOUR?
Vanilla, Butter scotch

30) OF ALL THE PEOPLE U HAVE TAGGED, WHO IS THE MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND FIRST?
This is the first time I am going to tag, so lets see...
I'm tagging my few fellow bloggers for it, its upto their wish , they wanna do this MEME or not.

Hetal of isha's kitchen
Madhavi of vegetarianmedely
Nupur of Cinnamon hut,
Sashree of foodiefreaks

So, finally here comes the end to such a long post, wooooshhh.........., i think its the longest post i ever did...hehe

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Vegetable cutlets

A few days back , i saw cutlets in some blogs. So i too was tempted to make them. I used to make them quite a number of times few years back, but nowdays due to some of my instinct of not eating deep fried, and be a bit health consious; and some due to my hubby , who always say better shallow fry them, whenever i say of cooking them(though he loves them a lot n then eats tooo :)...)

But finally i did made them. Initially i did tried to shallow fried them n had 1 2 pieces, but naaaaaaaaaah, the shallow fries ones stand nowhere in front of deep fried ones. So i thought its better to eat less, than to compromise with taste..

Here goes its recipe,

Ingredients:

Potato - 300 gm
Bread slices 2 3, edges removed
Carrot - 1 cup, finely chopped
Green peas - ½ cup
Beans - ½ cup, finely chopped
Corn kernels 1/4 cup
Beet root - ½ cup, shredded
Ginger & garlic paste - 3 tsp
Green chillies 4 5
Coriander leaves 2 tbsp
Cumin powder 1 tbsp
salt to taste
oil for frying

bread crumbs to coat

Method:

Boil, peel and mash the potatoes.
Boil carrot, beans and peas,corn .
Dip bread slices in water and then squeeze all the water out, mix in potatoes
Add ginger garlic paste to mashed potatoes.
Add all the mixed vegetables,coriander and green chilli.
Add grated beetroot(it gives such a nice colour) ,cumin powder and salt to taste.
Mix well and shape into cutlets.

Coat with maida paste and bread crumbs.
Deep fry in hot oil. (or can shallow fry too )

Mine shallow fried ones, they were not that bad, good for those who are health consicous.. And the beetroot and ginger gives it such a good taste and look, you simply can't resist them too...


Tips:
Crush the mixed vegetables, specially peas,as they may burst during deep frying.
For healthier version can add more vegetables and reduce potatoes, but do take care for proper binding.
We can also use frozen mixed vegetables, for faster cooking.
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I'm sending this to Monthly Mingle, "Appetizers & Hors'Doeuvres", hosted by Mansi of funnfud, an event started by Meeta of What's For Lunch Honey?
And also to Sunday Snacks - Hot n Spicy at All Thingz Yummy!!

And to Cooking for kids :Potato, started by Sharmi of Neivedyam

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