Peanut, Coconut & Onion Chutney

Making dosa for breakfast is nowadays out of question.

 I am invariably late so the dosa have to be made by hubs, maid also is in a hurry and they get on each other’s nerves. So to avoid the associated problems I have started making dosas in the evening for dinner. They are eaten hot and the kids also are around plus I can take care of their thin and thick dosa orders.

Low fat Dahi Vada

When Nupur announced her challenge this month it was to make either spring rolls or dahi vada.

 So what is new you will ask my dear the challenge that Nupur poses is different. She chooses a deep fried dish and expects you to make it not fried but search for different options other than fried. Interesting? Well do check it out. I am sure she will add newer members.

Now I have made baked spring rolls. Dahivada with a difference here has been made by my SIL so I did not know how else to make it. In no mood to trudge to the mall to search for the spring roll wrappers which I am sure will not be there, I decided to make dahi vada.How ??? was the question that worried me.

Bridal Shower~Water Melon Granita

There are few moments in life that you cherish like the baby’s first smile, first love, when you marry the person you love and respect!  

Every girl dreams of marrying her hero and hand in hand you embark on a new unknown path with dreams in heart and sparkle in the eyes, where nothing else matters but the love for each other.

From the title you all must be aware that I am talking of someone getting married yes. Who is the lovely bride ….but Aarthi of Yummy Tummy; she is marrying the Man of her dreams in the month of the17th of May,2012.

For any celebration friends and relatives gather more so for a wedding. Where there are celebrations, both before and after the wedding there is food.

 Since we cannot be all present for the wedding what do we Foodies do? We cook up a virtual Bridal Shower!!

 Cook what? From where? From Yummy Tummy of course!!

So here is our treat, blessings and good wishes to the Bridal Couple.

Hope you enjoy the party Aarthi.


Here is what we have all cooked up.

So here with Cheers to Aarthi and the Bridal Shower group.

Wish you both a Very Happy Married Life!!

Soothing Dalia Soup

I had then chosen to make Godi Kuttid Payasa for Blog Hop. Yummy and creamy and in short delicious! Living in a family of sweet haters or rather choosy sweet eaters (for there are few sweets that are eaten) I have forgotten about payasa or kheer.

In my mother’s place breakfast menu was fixed jowar roti and bhaji, chutney and curds or chapatti, bhaji and payasa. Amma used to make many kinds of payasa moong daal, seviya, carrots, bottle gourd, sweet potato she was not as adventurous to make out of peas but I am sure that will taste good too. They will have to be boiled and then crushed so that the kheer looks lovely green and yummy. Hmmm...! I will make some for myself tomorrow and let you know.

Egg less Apple sauce Chocolate Cake

What is left of the cake

There were 2 things that came into play when I baked this cake.

When my friend Vidya told me there was a sponge cake competition in the local mall.  I was eager to join it for I would meet a lot of other better bakers.

There were apples that were about to say bye bye to this world if not attended too. So I made apple sauce from here.

 The problem was I did not have the Cameo apples as needed and I had just discovered that the apples lying around are gala apples. But I made the sauce anyway using the apples I had and the sauce was delicious. 

The yield was 1 ½ cup.

The cake just out of the oven the night before

Boiled Vegetables

This is my husband's favourite. I love it for it is no hassle at all.
Just toss in any fresh vegetable and steam them.
Here I have used a little butter flavoured with garlic, pepper and kala namak or rock salt along with cauliflower, broccoli, baby corn. peas, french beans  and carrots. The red is red capsicum which I added for a little colour.
You could use any vegetables of your choice.

Healthy Salad

When Pia announced her event of Innovative salads with Strawberries, Pineapple and apples I was sure I will not be participating here at all.


What salad will I put together? the only salad I could think off was fruit salad. And  I have strict instructions from my daughters not to mix fruits with ice-cream or custard and spoil both. Please give them separate.

Chivda

Chivda

I was supposed to make chivda for Diwali, but Pappa sent some, so I kept aside the Pohe I had brought.  I had purchased the Pohe/beaten rice called Bhajke Pohe as for one the Rain God is still making his presence felt and secondly as I am not confident about the way the Patal pohe (the thin one) have to be roasted to get the beautiful crunch that chivda has.

So for 850 grms of bhajke pohe I used

½ cup oil

2 tsp of mustard

250 grms of ground nuts

150 grms of puthne

3 springs of curry leaves

7 green chillies cut fine

½ tsp I/turmeric

4 tsp of red chilli powder

2 tsp hing

As I had no lime I used a 1/8 tsp of citric acid crystals in ¼ cup of water but you could use juice of one lime

Salt

Method:

1.       In a kadhai heat oil to check if it is heated enough add 2-3 grains of mustard. If they start spluttering immediately add the rest.

2.       I added  the groundnuts next and stirred occasionally till they stated popping a little. Next the Puthne again stir till you get a lovely fragrance of the roasted/fried nuts. (You can add cashew nuts and dry coconut/chobra pieces also).

3.       In go the green chillies and curry leaves. After about ½ a minute add the haldi/turmeric, chilli powder and hing/asafoetida. Stir well.

4.       Add the lime juice. Be careful as the oil will splutter a lot. Once the spluttering stops switch off the gas and add the pohe, salt and sugar.

P.S. This is totally mild chivda. If you want it spicy add more green chillies,chilli powder.

Also use more sugar and lime juice to your taste

Almond Biscotti

Ingredients:
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
2 cups plain flour (260 grams)
150 gms sugar
1 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
150 gms almonds

Method:
Roast the whole almonds (blanched or otherwise) & let them cool.
Preheat oven at 300 F (150 degree C)
Mix all the dry ingredients (excluding almonds) with an electric mixer (or a hand mixer) or sieve them together a couple of times.
Mix eggs with the extracts & beat a little.
Slowly add the egg mixture to the flour & continue mixing with an electric mixer (or a hand mixer) When the dough forms add the roasted almonds.
On a lightly floured surface form a log of the mixture & then place it on a baking tray.
Bake for 30-40 mins in the oven.
After taking out let it cool for 10 mins & then cut it with a sharp knife into thin slices.
Bake the slices on one side for 10 mins again then turn on the other side for baking another 10 mins.
Cool & Store. (Lasts for a good few days in an airtight container.)

I have this recipe shared by one of the members of this forum.

The only changes I have made is that since I did not have almond extract I used vanilla essence.

Also I could not knead the dough as the recipe needed as my dough was a sticky mess I just transferred it to the baking tray I had greased and lined with flour.

I will post the pictures when I next make it as Akanksha has finished the last slice.

Instant Appe/Gundpangala

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2 cups buttermilk

2 cups Bombay rava

2 -3 onions chopped fine

Green chiliies

Coriander

Salt to taste

1. Mix the buttermilk and rava and keep aside for 30 minutes.
2. The mixture should resemble idli batter in which you add the rest of the ingredients.
3. Prepare appe in the appe mould,as you normally (in case of doubt click here).
4. Serve hot with chutney and sambhar or as Smita has suggested as dahi wada.

Dahi vada with a difference!!!

Had a packet of instant appe. Had read on one of the food blogs, sorry don't remember which, that they can be used to make low cal dahi vadas. So decided to do just that!!



1 instant appe packet
chopped onion
chopped coriander
ginger, green chillies paste
appe mould
sweetened yogurt
chaat masala
red chilly powder
jeera powder

Add chopped onion, coriander, ginger chillies paste to the appe batter and make appe in the appe mould. Once done top it with sweetened dahi, and sprinkle red chilly powder, alt, chaat masala, jeera powder.
Delicious yet low cal dahivada with a difference is ready to serve.

Patoli/Modak

Today is" Nag Panchmi" the day snakes are worshiped.

Mythology has many stories about this day; the most recent one that I read was that a woman was tilling her field and she accidentally killed the cobra's babies. The mother cobra cursed the woman. So you do not use sharp objects on this day.

So no chopping, no tava/ griddle is used.

But, I do believe that all these stories had a scientific background and were put forth by our ancient sages, in this form to stop people from hurting the snakes. After all snakes have an important role to play in ecology.

Also the food that you eat on this day is steamed. Good for your tummy.

Our ancients were indeed wise!

Today I made patoli. It's a Goan Delicacy that is made from coconut Goa's staple food. The only difference between steamed modak and patoli is the shape and that patoli is steamed in fresh green turmeric leaves. The end result is a fragrant and healthy low fat completely satisfying experience.

I have already said that the ingredients for both modak and patoli. Make the filling first so that it cools down for you to use your hands if necessary.

For the filling:

1 ½ cups coconut grated

1 ½ cups jaggery

5-6 cardamom/ elichi powdered

1. Mix all these together and fry till the mixture forms a uniform mixture and is almost dry.
2. Cool.

For the covering:

2 ½ cups water

1 tsp oil

A little salt

2 cups rice flour

1. Boil the water with salt and oil.
2. Lower the flame and add the rice flour mix well so that no lumps are formed.
3. Cover with a tight lid and keep aside.

To put together:

1. Clean and dry the turmeric leaves.
2. Smear the leaves with a little oil.
3. While it is still warm rub some ghee on your palms and take a small portion of the rice flour. Make a ball out of it.
4. With your fingers spread on the turmeric leaf into a thin layer. (You could also roll it with a rolling pin but it's very messy).
5. With a spoon spread the jaggery mixture along the length of the leaf on one side.
6. Close the other section of the leaf and press gently but firmly.
7. Place them in a colander.
8. Place the colander in a steamer and steam the patoli for 10 minutes.
9. Serve hot drizzled with ghee.

Variations:

This is the regular patoli to make modak replace point 4 as with your thumb shape the ball into a cup. Put two teaspoons of the filling and close the ends in a manner to get the shape of a fresh fig. only use a greased colander for steaming and don't let the modak touch one another.

If you are still interested dear reader you know that there has to be something different in my recipe, so here goes.

1 ½ cup coconut, freshly grated

¼ cup fresh coriander leaves

2 green chillies (Adjust as per taste)

½ tsp asafoetida

2 tsp red chilli powder (Adjust as per taste)

A pinch of sugar

Salt to taste

1.Grind all the ingredients except the coconut.

2. Mix with coconut.

Use this mixture in place of the sweet filling.