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Clicking Red
2009-01-22 09:29:00
This month's Click has been driving me crazier than it usually does. I have been obsessing about all sorts of red food and have been amazed to realise just how many of the things we put in our mouth is red or has red in it!Taking on from this shot Bee took for the citrus theme, I tried the same with a tomato.I am not that great with choosing light sources and angles and blah blah so it definitely doesn't look as good as hers but I had fun taking this shot. Yes, sometimes my idea of fun is having an almost-broken back!Number of tomatoes cut up to get a slice I liked - 4Number of shots taken - 84Number of hours spent - 1:32Number of hours my back hurt after bending over the bloody tomato - 3The best part is, I am not sending this to Click. Not until I have tried out one more idea that's eating my brain. Sadly, I need to wait till weekend for the blessed thing that all food photographers turn to - natural light source!
More About: Tomatoes

Eggless Butter-Less Chocolate Muffins (Vegan)
2009-01-21 06:42:00
One day the baking bug bit me. It bit me so bad that by the weekend, I was itching like a mad woman to bake something! I usually have all the ingredients but sadly, no eggs. Since there are tons of eggless cakes out there, I decided to do a quick search. Allrecipes had my answer. There were tons of eggless cakes and eggless chocolate cakes in there.Some had warnings that eggless cakes will not be as moist and spongy as the ones with eggs. I beg to differ as the person who tried and tested the following recipe and dare them to look into the poor, innocent faces of these muffins and say the same thing again! I adjusted the measurements slightly to suit my need and what's more, this one is also butter-less.Eggless butter-less chocolate muffins with frostingSo here is my eggless and butter-less chocolate muffin recipe. You can also bake it into a cake if you want. I used some frosting to add some buttery goodness to it but avoid that for a vegan version.If you had told me last month t...
More About: Cakes , Vegetarian Recipes , Muffins , Sweets , Chocolate

Vegetable Biryani / Biriyani
2009-01-19 07:05:00
Personally, I am not a fan of vegetable biryani. I mean, who needs it when you have a much tastier counterpart - chicken biryani! But since I am looking at cooking more and more diverse vegetarian dishes, I had to try this as well. In fact, my mom calls biryani a quick fix meal when we have guests but whenever I check for recipes online, the steps have always been long-wound and involve too much ingredients and procedures.The other day I was going through this old diary of mine that I used to write down recipes and cut out recipes from magazines, and I came across this biryani recipe. Sadly, I don't have the source but I got the feeling it would turn out well.There are two ways of cooking this biryani with the same set of ingredients. I have outlined the longer method and the quick version is at the bottom of the post. Since I was making it the first time, I was a good girl and followed the steps but next time I am just throwing everything in a pressure cooker and reading till its ...
More About: Rice , Vegetarian Recipes , Vegetable , Biryani

Chettinad Mushroom Masala
2009-01-14 05:21:00
Both TH and I are huge mushroom lovers. I make different dishes quite often but mostly over week nights when there is either no light or no energy left in me to plate and photograph the dishes. Last weekend I tried chettinad the Chettinad mushroom masala recipe that a friend's mother passed on me when she saw my interest in Chettinad dishes. Though I heard their non-veg preparations, I would easily kill for a nicely prepared Chettinad vada curry or Chettinad mushroom masala any day. This recipe is on the spicier side and though the original recipe called for 1 tbsp oil, I tried with lesser amount oil and it worked just fine.What I Used:Any mushroom variety of choice - 2 cups, chopped (I used a mix of shitake and oyster mushroom)Tamarind - a small marble-sized ball soaked and squeezed in 1/2 water to extract juiceSalt - to tasteFor Spice MixtureGaram masala - 1 tsp (crush 1 clove + 1 cardamom pod + 1/2" piece cinnamon)Chana dal / kadala parippu / split bengal gram - 1 tbspWhole blac...
More About: Mushrooms , Vegetarian Recipes , Mushroom , Vegan

Tamarind Rice / Puliogare
2009-01-12 03:55:00
I was gifted Chandra Padmanabhan's Southern Spice by a colleague in Hyderabad whose exact words when she handed it to me were 'when I saw the paniyarams on the cover, I thought of you' (Thanks Pragi!!). I am quite glad people think of me when they see delicious food, quite flattering :D Anyway, the book has many authentic South Indian recipes. I am not good with reviews and don't normally read them either. The reason being, I get very biased and it clouds my actual feelings towards something.I did read about her first book Dakshin on Jugalbandi and since they weren't too pleased with it, I was already judging the recipes before I even tried anything (Don't start judging me now!) I have already tried a few recipes from the book, and this is the first in the series.Chandra Padmanabhan has titled this recipe 'Avasara Puliogare' - meaning quick tamarind rice in tamil - and since I have an affinity towards any recipe that's quick, I decided to give it a shot and post it for Ranj...
More About: Rice , Vegetarian Recipes , Vegan

Arachuvitta Sambar
2009-01-07 07:47:00
Arachuvitta sambar literally means sambar to which ground spices are added. The name itself is so traditional and delicious to me! This is a tried and tested recipe that works like a charm. The last time I made it, I made a note of the amount of ingredients I am putting in because normally for sambar, I throw in stuff and it comes out well invariably. This is a slightly more tedious sambar than how I normally make it but well worth the effort, as always :) TH loves to have this with curd rice, since I make it slightly thicker than normal.What I Used:Toor dal / tuvar dal / thuvaram paruppu - 1/2 cupShallots / small onions - 1/2 cup, halved or quarteredTamarind paste ? 3 tbsp (or a marble sized amount soaked and squeezed in half cup water)Asafoetida / hing / kaayam / perungayam - 1/4 tspTurmeric powder - a pinchMustard seeds ? ½ tspCurry leaves - a fewSalt - to tasteOil ? 2 tspChopped fresh coriander leaves - for garnishingRoast, cool and grind for masala mixCoriander seeds / malli ? ...
More About: Vegetarian Recipes , Vegan , Daal

Kandi Podi / Gun Powder / Andhra Style Paruppu Podi
2009-01-05 05:50:00
This is my dad's favorite accompaniment to anything. So much so that each time I visited home from Hyderabad, he would request for this and only this. I try it when we go to Andhra thali restaurants but recently I started craving them and decided to make some.Andhra Paruppu PodiWhat I Used(Recipe from here)Toor dal / Tuvaram paruppu /Split gram - 1 cupMoong dal /Paasi paruppu / Cherupayar Parippu - 1/2 cupChana dal / Kadala paruppu / Bengal gram - 1/2 cupRed chilli powder - 2 tbspBlack pepper powder - 2 tspHing / Asafoetida / Perungayam - 1/2 tspJeera / Jeerakam - 1 tbspSalt - to tasteHow I Made It:1. Dry fry all the dals separately until they turn golden brown. Mix well.2. Add the jeera and hing to the dal mixture when its still hot and keep aside to cool.3. Once cool, grind to a course/fine powder depending on preference.4. Add red chilli powder, pepper and salt to the ground mixture and store in an airtight jar.Serving suggestions:- With steamed white rice and hot ghee.- Mix wi...
More About: Style , Daal

Basic White Cupcakes
2008-12-29 04:46:00
The best way to start baking after a long time - from the basics. I have always loved the simplicity of plain cakes, or tea cakes, as they are sometimes called. My mom used to make them quite regularly as a snack when we were in school. She used those manual egg-beaters that formed beautiful white peaks when the egg whites have been beaten for about 45 minutes.This recipe doesn't call for beating the egg too much cuz since I don't have an electric beater, I go for such recipes mostly.What I Used:(Makes about 16 cupcakes)Butter - 1/2 cup, at room temperatureAll purpose flour / maida - 1 3/4 cupsPowdered sugar 1 cup (measure after powdering)Egg - 1Milk - 3/4 cup, at room temperatureBaking powder - 1 tspVanilla essence - 1 tspHow I Made It:1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.2. Cream butter and sugar together until nicely mixed.3. Use a fork and whisk the egg for about 10-15 minutes. The more you beat, the softer the cupcakes turn out. I lose patience at the end of 15 mins or so.4. Sift...
More About: White , Cakes , Basic

Quick and Easy Rasmalai Recipe
2008-12-22 08:49:00
Here is a recipe I have been dying to post. Its from my mother-in-law and its the most easy and quick rasmalai recipe ever! Promise!But wait, what is rasmalai? Its sweetened, flattened or round balls of paneer (Indian cottage cheese) soaked in milk cream. Sounds yummy? That's 'cuz it is!So in case you want to celebrate the holidays with some Indian dessert, whose sweetness level you can control, then this one is for you. Did I mention its super easy?The recipe does use eggs, which would probably make the inventors of rasmalai turn in their graves, but the taste is not compromised one bit and there is no 'eggy' smell at all.What I Used:For the piecesMilk Powder - 1.5 cupsEgg - 1For the liquid baseWhole cream milk - 4 cupsSweetened condensed milk - 1/2 tin (adjusting according to the size of your sweet tooth)Crushed cardamom - 3You can use other flavoring of choice like rosewater, pistachios, almonds, saffron, etc.How I Made It:1. Mix the egg and the milk powder together to form a...
More About: Recipe , Sweets , Cheese , Quick

Baked Sweet Potato Fries
2008-12-18 02:59:00
One of my friends had this picture of baked sweet potatoes in her Facebook album and of course I immediately wanted the recipe. Not that I hadn't come across the dish online but to see someone you know had tried it and with success, made me want to try it too. She passed me the link and I tried it the next day! I am nothing if not a sucker for "immediate" action when it comes to trying out simple recipes ;)Oven-baked sweet potato 'fries'The potatoes came out quite well and though TH would have preferred it with normal potatoes, I enjoyed the subtle sweet flavour and contrasting heat form the chillies. I also loved the fact that it requires very little time to prepare and most of the work is done by the oven anyway! We had it as a quick snack at about 6 in the evening but next time I want to try this with russet potatoes and serve with dinner.Oven-Baked Sweet Potato Fries RecipeFrom Country LivingWhat I Used:Sweet potatoes - 3 (about 300gm)Red chilly flakes - 1.5 tbspCumin / jeera...

Curry Leaves Chutney / Kariveppilai Chutney
2008-12-15 09:32:00
Curry leaves are one of the staples of Indian cooking. Its the one herb that we cannot do without and you will find this in practically every Indian kitchen, or shall I say refrigerator :) However limited space people have around their houses and apartments, its not uncommon to see at least one curry leaves plant that is carefully watered and tended to. My mom has about three plants around the house and my sis has practically a tree growing out of her backyard.The house we moved into first in Singapore had 3 plants outside the front door. A neem plant, a money plant and curry leaves! The other 2 died when I went to India for 3 weeks but the curry leaves plant harbored on and was still standing strong and healthy when we moved out 2 weeks back. I miss breaking out fresh sprigs of curry leaves while cooking but some good things must come to an end.However, I didn't leave before I made this super-quick chutney one day. As we know, curry leaves are just added for flavor to dishes and m...
More About: Chutney , Coconut , Vegetarian Recipes , Curry , Vegan

Kathrikka Podi Curry / Brinjal Cooked in Roasted Spices
2008-12-10 10:23:00
I apologize to all those brinjal haters out there for posting so many brinjal recipes but these are quick and easy and one of the vegetables that are available at all times for me. Also, I love brinjals :DThis one is a traditional Tamil Brahmin Recipe except that I made a slight twist in it and added pureed onions. You can omit that and you will get a dry fry dish. I wanted something that was slightly soft and not fried.What I Used:Brinjal / eggplant - 2 cups, cubedOnion - 1 small, ground to a paste or chopped fineMustard seeds - 1/8 tspOil - 1 tbsp (preferably gingelly/sesame oil)Salt - to tasteTo dry-roast and grind:Dhania / malli - 2 tsp (or 3 tsp dhania powder)Bengal gram / Chana dal / kadala parippu - 1 tbspUrad dal / uzhunnu parippu / uzhutham paruppu - 1 tspDried red chillies - 4, adjust to tasteCurry leaves - a fewHow I Made It:1. Dry roast the list of ingredients until golden brown, cool, grind and set aside.2. Heat oil in a pan. temper mustard seeds and lightly saute the o...
More About: Vegetarian Recipes , Spices , Vegan , Daal

Black Eyed Beans Thoran
2008-12-08 10:58:00
This recipe is adapted from Das Sreedharan's Fresh Flavours of India. Das is a Malayali who runs the Rasa chain of hotels in England. His restaurants are supposedly popular and when I mentioned it to a couple of friends in England, they knew it instantly. I first came across this book in the National Library and borrowed it for 2 weeks. I loved the simple recipes, beautiful illustrations and the general 'feel' of the book. What I liked best about the pictures was that they gave the dishes a very 'easy-to-make' look which need not necessary be true for a beginner in Indian cooking. However, like I mentioned, I felt it was more for non-Indians or beginners to learn the basic recipes and not necessarily for me 'cuz I'd like to believe I have graduated from the beginners' level :) But after seeing my enthusiasm over the pictures, TH got it for my birthday this year, so I have one anyway!This is one of the recipes that caught my eye immediately. Black eyed beans thoran. The basic...
More About: Beans

Dum Aloo / Potatoes in Yogurt-Tomato-Onion Gravy
2008-12-04 09:09:00
'Dum' cooking is a traditional method of slow-cooking, normally on a bed of coal with pots over them, sealed with flour and water so that no heat escapes it. Sometimes coal is spread out on the pot lid to distribute heat evenly. Thanks to our modern-day cooking accessories, nothing takes that much effort, though the difference in change is definitely debatable. Dum aloo is not something I make often because I try to avoid using the mixer on weeknights and normally don't buy pureed stuff in cans (or anything in cans for that matter, except milkmaid!).This was made on a weekend a few weeks back when I was in a lovely mood to cook and I followed the recipe I had scribbled down from mom-in-law, to the last letter.What I Used:Baby Potato es / New potatoes - 15 nosTomato - 1 large, choppedOnion - 1, choppedGreen chilly - 2Ginger - a 1" pieceGarlic - 3 cloves (or 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste)Yogurt / curd - 2 TbspOil - 1 tbspSalt to tasteCoriander (cilantro) leaves - for garnishingSpices:C...
More About: Vegetarian Recipes , Vegan

Padavalanga / Podalangai Koottu
2008-11-27 07:49:00
Padavalanga / Podalangai Koottu is one of my favourite types of koottu. I always say that koottu is the Tamil version of thoran, a staple recipe in Kerala cooked with a variety of vegetables. I make that as often as I make koottu, to balance out the Tamil-Mallu couple that we are. TH doesn't like too much coconut in his food either way, so I compromise by toning it down a bit.What I Used (Serves 2):Snake gourd / podalangai / padavalanga - 2 cups, cut into 1" squaresChana dal / kadala parippu - 1/2 cupGrated coconut - 1/2 cupShallots / small onions / chinna vengayam / ulli - 4 nosGreen chillies - 2 nosCumin seeds / jeera / jeerakam - 1 tspTurmeric powder - a pinchRed chilly powder - 1/2 tsp (optional)Salt - to tasteFor tempering:Mustard seeds - 1/4 tspCurry leaves - a fewShallots - 3 nos, choppedOil - 2 tspHow I Made It:1. Cook the snake gourd and chana dal in little water until both are soft. This will take about 15-20 mins. I pressure them for 2-3 whistles to make it quicker.2. M...
More About: Coconut , Vegetarian Recipes , Vegan , Daal

Brinjal Cooked in Green Chilly - Coconut - Shallot Paste
2008-11-25 08:24:00
If you are a brinjal lover like me, then you will surely enjoy this dish. It was an impromptu one that my mom-in-law made when she was visiting and I loved it! I made it again last weekend following her precise recipe word by word.Brinjal in a shallot-green chilly-coconut baseWhat I Used (serves 2):Brinjal / eggplant - 2 cups, cubedShallots / small onions - about 12 to 15Green chillies - 5 or moreTomato - 1/2 of 1, chopped (optional)Grated / dessicated coconut - 2 tbspCumin / jeera powder - 1/2 tspCoriander / malli powder - 1 tspJaggery - 1/2 tsp powderedMustard seeds - 1/4 tspUrad dal - 1 tspOil - 1 tbspSalt - to tasteHow I Made It:1. Cook the brinjal in very little water until soft. Drain and set aside.2. Grind the shallots, coconut and green onions to a paste.3. Heat oil in a pan and temper mustard seeds. Add the urad dal next and fry till golden brown.4. Add the chopped tomatoes and fry for a minute until soft. Then add the cumin and coriander powders and fry for another minute...
More About: Coconut , Vegetarian Recipes , Vegan , Paste

Spicy Baby Potatoes
2008-11-21 06:00:00
This recipe has been totally and completely flicked from my sister's blog. I didn't have curry leaves in the house and mine didn't come quite as delicious-looking as hers, especially the gravy, but both TH and I licked the bowl clean. The simplicity of this dish makes me wonder why I've never tried this version before.What I Used (to serve two):Baby potatoes /new potatoes ? 15 nosOnions - 2 medium sized ones, choppedGarlic paste - 1 tsp (or 4 pods, minced)Sambar powder - 2 tbsp (or 2 tsp coriander powder, 1 tsp jeera, 1/8 tsp fenugreek seeds, 2 tsp red chilli powder)Turmeric powder - a pinchMustard seeds - 1/4 tspUrad dal - 1 tspOil - 2 tbspsSalt - to tasteHow I Made It:1. Wash the potatoes. Pressure cook for 3 whistles (or put in a heavy-bottomed pan with sufficient water and let cook on a medium fire). Cool, peel and set aside.2. Add sambar powder, salt and turmeric to the potatoes with very little water and leave to marinate for half hour.3. Heat oil and temper mustard seeds....
More About: Vegetarian Recipes , Potatoes , Potato , Spicy

Vazhakka Bajji / Fried Raw Banana Snack
2008-11-19 08:46:00
I love vazhakka in any form. Be it stir-fried, as a thoran, in kaalan, even podimas or better still, as a steaming bajji dipped in tomato ketchup on a rainy day. Bliss! TH loves them too so this time his parents visited, we made vazhakka bajji. We just used 2 raw bananas and still there was more than enough for the four of us and we weren't hungry at all for dinner.This is a great party snack for kids and adults alike. Who can resist the golden, crispy goodness of bajjis?!.What I Used:Vazhakka / Raw bananas - 2Besan / Kadala mavu / Chickpea flour - 2 cupsWhole jeera / jeerakam / cumin seeds - 1 tspHing / Asafoetida / kaayam - 2 pinchesRed chilli powder - 1 tspSalt - to tasteWater - enough to make a thick batterOil - to deep fryHow I Made It:1. Cut the banana midway and then slice them length-wise. The idea is to get thin (really thin!) slices of them about 4 inches long.2. Mix the chilli, salt, hing, jeera and besan well in a bowl and make a thick batter with just enough water. Mak...
More About: Banana , Vegetarian Recipes , Snack , Vegan , Fried

Paneer Peas Pulao / Paneer Matar Pilaf
2008-11-17 06:46:00
Though I collect dishes-to-cook-over-weekend all through the week, come Sunday and I am too lazy to do anything much. I hate myself for that cuz I am letting all the lovely natural light go away when I could cook something new and photograph it!Anyway, on this particular Sunday that I made the peas pulao, I was too lazy to make a side-dish with the paneer I had so I added it to the pulao! The light was just too perfect for me to pass on taking food pics. No harm done and so much time saved, right? Well, TH would have still preferred Palak Paneer to go with the peas pulao but when one's wife is lazy occasionally, one can't complain too much, right? ;)What I Used:Basmati rice - 1 1/2 cupsOnion - 1, chopped fineGreen peas - 1/2 cupPaneer cubes - 1/2 cupGreen chillies - 3Ginger garlic paste - 1.5 tbspCumin / jeera / jeerakam seeds - 1 tspWhole black pepper - 1/2 tspCloves - 4Cardamom - 2Cinnamon stick - a 1? pieceBay leaves - 1Ghee / Clarified butter (or veg oil) - 2 tbspSalt to tast...
More About: Rice , Vegetarian Recipes , Peas , Matar

Aloo Palak - Potatoes in a Spinach Gravy
2008-11-12 07:46:00
I really can't believe how fast time is flying. Its been week since my last post. I have been making mostly simple sabzis the past week since we have been apartment hunting almost every evening after work. A subzi and some steamed rice is all I have energy for after work and poking around strangers' houses.Aloo PalakAloo Palak is a sure-shot winner at home since TH loves both potatoes and palak. And its generally a quick recipe for me since I chop the spinach during weekends and freeze it or sometimes buy it chopped.Aloo Palak is originally a Punjabi recipe, (which reminds me - what happened to RCI??) and the authentic recipe includes addition of some methi or fenugreek leaves to it. My version is very customized to my laziness so you may or may not find it to resemble something you would get in a Punjabi restaurant ;)What I Used:Palak / Spinach / Cheera - 2 cups, choppedPotato es / Aloo - 2, cubedOnion - 1 small, chooped (I used 5-6 shallots so that works as well)Garlic pods - 2 ...
More About: Vegetarian Recipes , Vegan

Thakkali Chutney / Tomato Chutney
2008-11-05 11:17:00
This is one dish that has many many memories associated with it. My grandma used to make it quite often since me and my bro love it. And we call it 'thakkali oorindi' where the word 'oorindi' comes from saying 'noorindi' very often. 'Noorindi' in "our" telugu means ground (past tenst of grind!). Ok this explanation is getting way too confusing so I will fill you in on why I call the word "our" telugu and where in India I am actually from. 'Cuz that's a long (long) story.My sis took the recipe from amma last summer and I took the picture. Because of that, I get to post it first, I guess. Thanks sis, for sending the recipe over email 'cuz god knows I wouldn't have been able to remember it otherwise. Don't get put off by the roast-remove steps in the directions of the recipe, really. Its worth it!What I Used:Ripe red tomatoes, slightly sour - 500gm, dicedBig onions-3, choppedGarlic - 2 clovesCoriander seeds - 1 tbspGrated coconut - 1 tbsp (optional)Red chillies - about 12,...
More About: Chutney , Vegetarian Recipes , Vegan , Tomato

Kaalan - The Kerala Specialty
2008-11-03 06:00:00
Its been a while since I posted any Kerala recipes in here so I fished this out from my drafts. I make this quite often since this is one dish with coconut that TH doesn't mind too much. Not that I refrain from any other coconut-heavy Kerala dish 'cuz of his slight dislike :)Kaalan is a staple in any Kerala Sadya. The usual kaalan recipe has both elephant yam (chena) and raw bananas (pachakkai). I add only yam since that's more readily available here. Also, its important that the curd is slightly sour, otherwise the curry will taste a bit 'flat'. Adding a bit of tamarind might take care of this, I haven't tried that though.KaalanWhat I Used:Curd - 1.5 cups lightly beaten to remove lumps, best if slightly sourElephant yam (chena) - 1/2 cup, cubedCoconut - 1/2 cupPepper powder - 1/2 tspTurmeric powder - 1/4 tspGreen chillies - 2 to 3Fenugreek seeds (uluva) - 1/4 tspDried red chillies - 2Oil - 1 tbspMustard seeds - 1/2 tspCurry leaves - a fewHow I Made It:1. Heat 1 cup water with...
More About: Vegetarian Recipes

Paruppu Urundai Kuzhambu
2008-10-31 04:33:00
Paruppu Urundai Kuzhambu literraly means dal balls in a gravy. As with most tam Brahm recipes, this one has the most common ingredients like toor dal, tamarind, hing and of course sambar powder! I have mentioned before how new I was/still am to an extend to Tamil Brahmin cooking. My parents-in-law are here for a visit and that means amma takes care of all the cooking and dinner is ready by the time I get back from office. Bliss. But, I told her first off that I wanted to watch her making Paruppu Urundai Kuzhambu. The dish features dal balls in a tangy tamarind sauce. Though it looks a bit like kofta curry, the recipe couldn't be further from it. Amma had given me the recipe long back and I tried it once but the dal balls (urundai) dissolved in the sauce and it ended up like sambar in the end. It does take some practise to get it right and what better way to learn than by watching!What We Used:Toor Dal ? 1 cup, soaked in water for atleast 1 hourOnion- 1 small, mincedHing - 1/4 tspDr...
More About: Vegetarian Recipes , Vegan , Daal

Thattai - A Savory Snack For Deepavali
2008-10-27 10:18:00
I wanted to share a Diwali savory snack with you very quickly. So no yada-yada this time. Just a quickie thattai recipe that came out real well, even for a newbie like me.What I Used:Rice flour - 4 cupsUrad dal - 1/2 cup, ground to fine powderChana dal - 2 tbsp (I didn't use them since didn't have any)Butter - 1/3 cupRed chilli powder - 1 tspSesame seeds (ellu) - 2 tbspCurry leaves - a few, each cut into twoSalt - to tasteWater - about 1. 5 cupsOil - for deep fryingHow I Made It:1. Mix all the ingredients and make a thick dough adding very little water at a time.2. Divide and shape into marble-sized balls. Normally, the store bought ones are bigger but I made them small so that I can use less oil while frying.3. Dampen fingers and gently the flatten the dough on a plastic sheet (I cut up the plastic bag in which I got the urad dal), to get a uniform disc of about 0.5cm thickness.4. Prick the discs lightly with a fork (to prevent puffing up) and deep fry till golden brown.Tastes aw...
More About: Savory , Snack , Deepavali , Daal

Authentic Tomato Rice / Thakkali Sadam
2008-10-24 11:40:00
I have already posted my easy peasy tomato rice recipe here but this one is more authentic and has some grinding and roasting to do before you can enjoy it. And let me also tell you that its totally worth the effort. Of course, if you are too pressed for time or are too tired to be doing anything than some bare minimum chopping and stirring then the first recipe is the one for you.The pasteThis is my aunt's special recipe and she has been using it for ages to impress her guests (and my uncle of course).Tomato Rice What I Used (Serves 2):Rice - 2 cupsTomatoes - 3 ripe medium-sized ones. If in India, do not use the 'Bangalore tomatoes' but the other firmer, tangier variety.Onion - 1 medium, very finely choppedSalt - to tasteDry-roast and grind:Coriander seeds (malli) - 1.5 tbspChana dal - 2 tbspRed chillies - 5 or 6Fenugreek seeds (methi/uluva) - 1/2 tspFor tempering:Mustard seeds: 1/2 tspUrad dal - 1 tspChana dal - 1 tspGreen chillies - 3, chopped finePeanuts - 1/2 cup (I use sligh...
More About: Vegetarian Recipes , Vegan

Easy Vathal Kuzhambu
2008-10-22 11:25:00
This tangy South Indian specialty gets its name from Vathal which is vegetables sun dried and then added to the gravy for flavour. The common vathal is made with sundakka (Turkey Berry), vendakka (Okra) or manathakkali (interestingly known as black nightshade in english). You can also add vegetables like brinjal or drumsticks for a different flavour.I had been using the MTR ready mix since I came to Singapore but decided to make the authentic version. I wasn't very confident since this is a very authentic recipe and may not come out well during the first try. I searched online and came across this relatively simple version that didn't require any grinding or roasting and decided to give it a shot.It came out much better than I expected so this one is definitely a keeper.What I Used:Shallots -12, halved or whole if not too bigVathal/Drumsticks/Aubergine - 1/2 cup (you can add pretty much any of these in the kozhambu for a unique flavour)Tamarind paste - 2 tbsp (or half cup tamarin...
More About: Vegetarian Recipes , Vegan , Easy

Bibimbap - A Korean One-Dish Meal
2008-10-19 08:04:00
Its been over 5 months since we moved to Singapore and since then I have been eating out quite a bit. TH and I have lunch out and while he finds it difficult to find good food outside (he is a vegetarian), its slightly easier for me. I am a very selective non-veg eater and after marriage, have been mostly sticking to vegetarian food. I mostly ask restaurants to customize their dishes by removing any red meat and substituting with vegetables if possible, or sometimes chicken. This is not easy considering South East Asian Cuisine has meat and seafood atleast in a hidden way, in the form of fish sauce or pork lard used for cooking.Anyway, since I normally experiment on different kinds of cuisines, I thought I will document some of the dishes here. The pics are going to be a bit fuzzy since I don't carry my camera with me everywhere and use my phone mostly.The other day, I went with 2 of my colleagues to a Korean restaurant called Seoul Kool and I tried the popular one dish Korean meal...
More About: Dish , Meal

Aloo Paratha
2008-10-16 12:10:00
Aloo Paratha really doesn't need an introduction to any Indian cuisine lover. I remember having it in an Indian restaurant in Dublin and though everything else tasted nothing (much) like Indian food, their Aloo Paratha was very near the real one. The best Alu Paratha I have ever tasted was in a well-known dhaba in Gurgaon lovingly called the Convergys Dhaba. Darsh took me there during one of our many visits to Gurgaon and I will never forget the taste of that paratha which was super-thick, soft, oozing in butter with a square butter piece on top that melts around the paratha as you eat. And they serve it with a really nice achaar (pickle). The paratha was hot till I finished eating it, that's how thick it was. Bliss..As with most street food, its impossible to get that taste at home for me. I chicken out and add very little butter and I guess that's for the best anyway. I like my parathas nicely browned and with avakka pickle while TH also takes curd with his.What I Used:For the...
More About: Vegetarian Recipes , Potato , Bread , Vegan

The Indian Recipes Round-Up
2008-10-13 15:02:00
This is one event that I almost regretted hosting because of many glitches that happened along the way. I was contacted by an ex-colleague currently with Warner Bros who wanted to promote a movie she was working with. She also promised movie tickets and various give-aways. It seemed like a fun idea and I happily agreed.But what do we do when people make empty promises and not only let you down but also tens of others who trust you and what you said? I have tried my best to communicate and follow up, but to no avail.Bottom-line: I promised some gifts for the participants and its very likely that I won't be able to keep that promise. It feels horrible and I sincerely apologize for that. To make things slightly better, I will be randomly picking 2 names from the list and send them a surprise gift with apologies since its the movie merchandise that I had originally promised.I did, however, manage to send movie tickets to most of the early birds. Again, my apologies to Jayashree for not...
More About: Recipes , Indian , Round Up , Round

Chettinad Aloo / Potatoes with Chettinad Masala
2008-10-10 10:48:00
Do not get thrown away by the blahh pic accompanying this recipe. You have to try it to see how awesome it tastes. Before I go any further, this recipe is an original one but from a cousin. She is very new to cooking and yet came up with this amazingly flavourful dish for us. I took the recipe from her (she just calls it throwing a few things together) and have made it twice in 2 weeks.I think I am beginning to like potatoes almost as much as TH!What I Used:Pototoes - 3 bigGinger garlic paste - 1 tbspRed chilli powder - 1.5 tspCardamom - 1Cinnamon - 1" pieceCloves - 2Star anise - 1 (optional)Grated / dessicated coconut - 2 tbspORKhus khus / poppy seeds - 1 tbsp, soakedSalt - to tasteFor temperingOil - 1 tbspMustard seeds - 1/2 tspUrad dal - 1/2 tspHow I Made It:1. Boil and mash the potatoes. Set aside.2. Grind together the cinnamon, cardamom, anise, cloves and coconut/couscous with no added water. Ok fine, you can add very little water if you absolutely must.3. Heat oil in a wide pa...
More About: Vegetarian Recipes , Potatoes , Potato , Vegan