Cooking with Love - Host lineup!

Hi Friends,


Cooking with Love is a series of Event. A tribute to all our family and relatives. Each relation plays an important part in everyone's life.

Do drop me an email if you wish to host the event at simplysara07(at)gmail(dot)com.

Themes	Month	Hosts
Grandmom	Jan-Feb	Saraswathi  Iyer
Granddad	March	Shama
Mom	April	Nithu Bala
Dad	May	Nayna
Aunty	June	Akheela
Uncle	July	Saraswathi
Themes	Month	Hosts
2013
Spouse	Jan	Hema
Kids	July
Sister	August
Brother	September
Cousins	October
Friends	November
Lovers	December

Feel free to mail me your suggestions.

Thanks & Regards,
Saraswathi

Sajjige/Rava Kesari Type 2

Sajjige this is a sweet prepared for Sathyanarayan Pooja or Pournima Pooja or any ocassion. This was prepared by my Mother in law for Aadi Perukku. It was very tasty. I have prepared another version of Kesari Bath and Pineapple Kesari taught by my  Dad.

Ingredients
Chiroti Rava/Upma Rava - 1 cup
Water -  2.5 cups
Sugar - 1.5 cups (If you like less sweet can reduce accordingly)
Ghee - 1/2 cup
Banana - 1/2 no(chopped)
Cashews/Raisins - 2 tspns
Elachi powder/Cardamom - a pinch

Preparation Method
Boil water and keep aside.
Heat a kadai, add 1/2 tspn ghee and fry cashews and raisins till brown. Transfer it to a plate.
In the same kadai, add 1/2 tspn ghee and roast rava till you get good aroma and slightly brown.
Now add warm water and mix it. You can use whisk for easy mixing and to avoid lumps.
The mixture should not be very thick it should be thin. Reduce flame and wait till rava is completely cooked.
Add little ghee and mix. Now add sugar and mix well. Add chopped banana, a pinch of elachi powder and mix well.
It should not be thick. So it will be soft later. Add left over ghee.
Off the fire and add the fried cashwes and raisins.

Offer to God and then enjoy.

Sajjige is ready for Prasadam.

Notes : - You can skip banana and prepare.

- You can also lessen ghee and add oil or vanaspati. - Can be consumed within 2-3 days, need not be refridgerated.

Create n Carve Roundup!!!

Dear Friends,

I am herewith posting the roundup of Create n Carve Fruit n Vegetable Event. I would like to thank Nayna for giving an opportunity to guest host her event. Thank you friends for sending your entries.

Entries by Nayna

Cantaloupe Melon Carving

Marigold Flower 

Carnation Table Decoration

Carnation Flowers

Entries by Elena

Romantic Fruit Display with Candles

Cute Fruit Sculpture

Spring Flowers by Shobha

Crabby Sandwich by Vatsala

Hope you enjoy the roundup. Until next post, have a nice day.

Cheers,

Saraswathi

Eggless Vanilla Chocochip Cake!!!

I prepared this for my son and Father in law birthday. Both of them like cakes a lot and it falls on the same date.

Vanilla Chocochip Cake was soft and yummy.

Recipe
Wet Ingredients
Condensed milk -1/2 tin(Can use low fat too)
Butter - 3/4 cup
Vanilla Essence - 1 tspns
Milk - 1/2 cup
Warm Water -  as required.

Dry Ingredients
APF/Maida - 2 cups
Baking Soda - 1/2 tspn

Baking Powder - 1tspn

Preparation Method
Preheat oven to 200 C.
Melt butter in microwave for 10sec. In a wide bowl, add butter and mix all the wet ingredients by using a whisk or hand mixer slowly.

Seive all dry ingredients and mix it slowly to get a batter.
Add 1 to 2 tspns of choco chips
Grease or spread butter paper to 7 or 8 inch round baking dish. Pour the batter. Bake it for 45mins. Check with a fork or skewer when it comes out clean or bake it for 5 to 10 mins more.
Can also brush warm milk and allow it to cool.

You can do icing with Nutella spread. I did later for my son with Nutella.
Enjoy the Eggless Vanilla Chocochip Cake with coffee/Tea.
Preparation Method

This recipe is going to Only Baked Event by Harini and Pari.

Tofu Masala!!!

Tofu is a cheese from Soya Milk. I tasted tofu for the first time and liked it. This is also good for people having cholestrol who cannot eat Paneer. This has no cholestrol.

Serves 2 persons
Ingredients
Silken Tofu - 100gms (at room temperature)
Onion - 1no
Tomato - 2nos
Ginger Garlic paste - 1/2 tspn
Garam Masala - 1/2 tspn
Red chilli Powder - 1/2 tspn(As per your taste)
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Milk - 1/2 cup(Slim)
Kasoori Methi - a pinch
Olive Oil - 1/2 tspn
Salt
Sugar - a pinch(Optional)

Preparation Method
Chop onion and tomato into small pieces. Save around 1 tablespoon of each for later use.
Grind Onion, tomato, ginger garlic, turmeric powder, red chilli powder in a blender or mixer into fine paste with little water.
Heat a Kadai/wok, add oil, add onion, tomato and saute till its soft. 
Add the grounded mixture and allow it to boil.
Add garam masala, kasoori methi and mix well.
Add milk and allow it to boil. When its going to be thick.
Cut tofu into small pieces and add it. Just boil once and off the stove.

Serve it with hot chapathis or rotis.

Notes - You can use coriander leaves if you dont have kasoori methi.

Dates Milkshake!!!

This is a simple milkshake prepared for my son, who sometimes doesnot eat food properly. This is combi of iron and calcium. This can be had by anyone with haemoglobin

Ingredients
Dates - 3 nos(Deseeded)
Milk - 1 cup (boiled and cooled)
Sugar/Honey - 1/2 tspn.


Preparation Method


Soak dates in 1/4 cup of warm milk for about 1/2 n hour. Then grind it in blender or mixie with sugar and milk. Transfer it to a tumbler/glass.

Serve it warm or chill.

Notes -  You can increase the no of dates according to the size of tumbler.

Carrot Thogayal/Chutney!!!

We usually make thogayal for Kootu rice as sidedish. Yesterday, I tried using carrot skin and carrots. It was very tasty and gave good colour. No one could make out until I told it was Carrot Thogayal:-) Last time I prepared Carrot Payasam and it was yummy.

Ingredients
Carrot skin/peel of 1 carrot.
Carrot - 1/2 cup(chopped)
Urad dal - 1/2 cup
Channa Dal -  1 tspn
Dry Red Chilli - 2 nos
Tamarind -a small piece
Fresh Grated Coconut - 2 tspns
Oil - 1/2 tspn
Salt


Preparation Method
Heat a Kadai, add 1/2 tspn oil, add dals and red chilli. Saute till dals are brown. Transfer it to plate.
In the same kadai, add few drops of oil, add carrot skin and carrot and saute for few mins. Transfer it to a plate and allow it to cool.
Grind these with tamarind, coconut and salt to a coarse paste by adding very little water.

This is a sidedish for any Kootu rice or a good combination for Steamed rice with gingely oil.

This recipe alongwith Carrot Payasam is going to Veggie/Fruit a month Carrot by Revathi and Priya. and CC Roti Pachadi/Chutney event by Sravani.

Aval Oats Dosai!!!

This is an easy and quick dosai, was thinking what to do with aval/poha/rice flakes. Took it to make Aval Upma and ended up with dosai. My family like it too.

Ingredients
Aval/Poha/Rice flakes - 3 cups (thin or thick)
Oats - 1 cup(I used quaker quick cook oats)
Green chilli - 1 no(As per your taste)
Rice flour - 2 table spoons

Seasoning/Talipu
Oil - 1 tspn
Mustard - 1/4 tspn
Hing - 2 pinches
Jeera/Cumin - 1/2 tspn
Coriander/cilantro leaves chopped - 2 tspns
Salt

Preparation Method
Wash and rinse aval, leave it for few minutes.
Add oats, green chilli, water and grind to fine paste in a mixie or blender.
Now season the batter with the above ingredients.
Add rice flour and mix well without lumps. Add water if required.
Heat a tawa/skillet and pour the batter slowly. Do not spread, it will spread by itself. It will take sometime to cook. Wait and slowly turn around.
Put oil and steam both sides.

Soft and Crispy Aval Oats Dosai is ready. Serve hot with Coconut chutney or Molagai Podi.

Notes - If you have time you can mix and leave the batter for 1 to 2 hrs and then make dosas.

This recipe is going to Show me ur Dosa event by Divya.

Potato Paneer Peas Pulav!!!

Potato Paneer Peas Pulav is different and tasty variety rice. I tried this when I saw on TV, but its not exactly the same. I have made few changes. This is a rich rice with butter, oil and paneer. Good for kids.

Ingredients
Basmati Rice - 3 cups thats 1.5 alakku (Can use normal rice too)
Paneer cubes - 1 cup cubes(click here for homemade paneer recipe)
Green Peas - 1 cup(Fresh or Frozen)
Potato - 1no
Spices -Bay leaf/- 1no Cinnamon/Cloves/Cardamom - 2 nos each
Butter - 1 tspn
Oil - 3 tspns
Onion - 2 nos
Tomato - 1no
Curry leaves - few
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tspn
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tspn(As per your taste)
Green chilli - 1 no
Ginger Garlic - 1 tspn chopped or you can grind with coconut.
Cashews - few
Salt
Coriander/Cilantro - 2 tspns for garnish Optional

For Grinding
Grated coconut - 1 cup
Cardamom/Elachi - 2 nos
Pepper - 8nos

Preparation Method
Heat a kadai, add butter and saute paneer slightly brown and keep aside.
Heat pressure cooker, add ghee, oil, cashews and spices. saute for 2 mins.
Now add onions and little salt, ginger, garlic, green chilli saute till brown. Then add tomato and saute.
Add the coconut paste and mix. Keep in low flame.
Add chopped potato and peas. Add little water and let it boil.
In a kadai, add little butter or ghee saute the basmati rice till you get good aroma.
Mix the rice with the rest of the ingredients in pressure cooker.
Add water about 5cups or if you want it soft 1 cup more.
Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, salt and mix well. Check for salt. Add sauteed paneer.
Close the lid and pressure cook for 3 whistles.
Off the stove and mix well.


Potato Paneer Peas Pulav is ready to serve.


You can serve with any Raitha or Paneer gravy.

This recipe is going for Healthy Lunchbox Ideas by Kalyani hosted by Jayashree.

Other recipes for the event.Mutter Paneer, Simple Paneer Peas Pulav, Paneer Bhurji and Palak Paneer

Curry Podi/Powder!!!

As one of my blog reader has asked me for the recipes of podis. Am sharing the recipes.

Curry Podi/Powder is a very handy homemade masala powder. This can be used for any vegetable curry's. Its very flavourful. I make in small quantities and use it. This recipe is from my mother in law.

Ingredients
Dhaniya/Coriander seeds - 1 cup
Kadala Paruppu /Channa Dal- 1/2 cup
Dry Red Chilli - 1/2 cup or 10nos(As per your spice level increase or decrease)
Peringayam/Asafotida -  a small piece or 1/4tspn

Preparation Method
Dry roast all the ingredients one by one with a 1/2 tspn oil till its slightly brown.
Cool and grind it to a coarse powder.

Store it in an air tight container and for later use.

Notes - You can dry roast without oil for long use and if you are preparing in large quantity.

This multipurpose podi can be used in rice, sundal and curries. 

Check my recipes using this here. 

Create n Carve ~Fruit and Vegetable Event Annoucement!!!

Hi Friends,

This month I am hosting Create n Carve event started by Nayna of Simplysensational Food who has wonderful recipes at her space. I would like to thank Nayna for giving the opportunity for hosting the event.

Inviting you all to participate in the event with your entries. Are you creative?

Logo

Do check out the tutorial link to start with carvings click here.

Rules for the event
1. Any number of fresh entries can be sent. Archived entries to be reposted, else will not be accepted. You can create n Carve Fruit and Vegetable from now till 31st July 2011.
Using fruit or vegetable  show a garnish  or carving you have created . You can  post instructions on how to create your garnish / carving although it is not compulsary. If you use an on line source or video to help you , please do not forget to link the source due to copyright reasons and of course to give full  credit to the owner.
You can use cookie cutters, knives, fancy garnish cutters, graters any tool to help you create your piece of art.You may send entries where you have used your garnish or carving  on a cooked dish but remember the main  emphasis should be to show the carving /creation.
 
2. Use of logo is compulsory.

3. The entry should be linked back to this event announcement and Nayna Events Page.


4. Format of entry
- Name
- Recipe name
- Recipe link
- Pic resized to 300 pixel

5. Non bloggers can also participate, by sending their entries  by email to simplysara07@gmail.com with photograph.

6. Roundup will be posted in August.

So start carving and creating. Looking forward for your creations.

Thanks & Regards,
Saraswathi

Cauli Brocolli Manchurian

In my previous post, I had posted Cauli Brocolli Crisps. I used the same for making this Cauli Brocolli Manchurian. My family liked it a lot.

Ingredients
Cauli Brocolli Crisps click here for recipe 

For Manchurian
Oil - 1 tspn
Onion - 1 no chopped
Capsicum - 1/2 no chopped
Ginger - 1/2 tspn chopped finely
Garlic - 1 no chopped
Spring onion - 1 no chopped
Soya Sauce - 1 tspn
Tomato Sauce - 2 tspns
Chilli sauce - 1 tspn(as per your taste)or Green chilli- Optional
Ajinomoto - a pinch
Salt to taste
 For Manchurian
In a pan add oil (Can use left over oil after deep fry) add onion, ginger, garlic and fry till its transperant.
Then add chopped capsicum and saute. Add salt.
Add all the sauces and mix. If required all some more sauce as per your taste. Add the deep fried veggie. Mix well cook for few mins.


Garnish with chopped coriander leaves or spring onions.


Serve hot with tomato sauce or fried rice.

Enjoy the delicious Cauli Brocolli manchurian.

Notes - Fresh coriander leaves (Cilantro) can be used instead of spring onion.

Spinach Potato Brocolli Curry

Palak Potato Brocolli Curry is very different and tasty sidedish for sambar rice, rasam rice or curd rice or even chapathi.

Ingredients
Spinach/Palak or any greens - 1 bunch chopped.
Brocolli - 1/2 no florets
Potato -  1no chopped to med size
Onion -  1no chopped
Ginger garlic - 1 tspn chopped
Grated coconut  2 tspns(Optional)
Green or Dry Red chilli - 2nos
Turmeric powder - 2 pinches
Curry leaves - few
Salt
Oil - 2 tspns
Mustard - 1/4 tspn
Jeera - a pinch

Preparation Method
Put Brocolli in hot water and leave it for 5 mins.
In a kadai, heat oil, add mustard and wait till it splutters. Add jeera and fry for  a minute.Add chillies and curry leaves and saute.
Add onion, ginger, garlic, a pinch of salt and fry till transparant.
Now add potato and mix. Let it cook. Close a lid.
When its almost done add palak and mix let it cook.
Once done add brocolli, salt, turmeric and sprinkle little water.
Let everything cook well and when its done, off the stove and add grated coconut if you are using.

Mix and serve. I prepared with and without coconut.

This recipe is going to  Healthbox Ideas Brocolli by Kalyani and Vardhini.

Cauli Brocolli Crisps/Pakoras

Cauli Brocolli crisps /pakoras are very tasty and different. Usually we make cauliflower bajji or pakoras. Adding brocolli made my son eat this veggie too and glad he liked it.

Ingredients
Cauli Flower florets - 4 cups
Brocolli florets - 2 cups
Kadalai Maav/Besan/Chickpea Flour- 2 tspns
Chola Maav /Corn Flour- 2 tspns
Arasi Maav /Rice Flour- 2 tspns
Red Chilli powder - 1/2 tspn (As per taste)
Oil for deep frying
Salt to taste
Kesari/Orange colour a pinch - Optional.

Preparation Method
Make small florets of the veggie. Put them in boiling water with little salt and a pinch of turmeric for 10minutes. Close with a lid. leave it for sometime. Drain/Strain fully so no water is left.
Transfer it to a wide bowl. Sprinkle Arasi, Chola and Kadalai maav all over and mix well. Add chilli powder and salt. Sprinkle very little water and mix well.
Deep fry in oil until brown and crispy.

Tasty Cauli Brocolli crisps are ready. This can be had at tea/coffee time at home or office.

Mangai Inji Urugai/Mango Ginger Pickle

Mangai Inji/Mango Ginger is a traditional Tamil Brahmin pickle. This has both flavours mango and ginger. This is available in India in Aadi Masam. But it was available at Little India. I have learnt all these recipes after marriage from my Mother-in-law. My hubby and in-laws like this a lot. Its good for digestion.

Ingredients
Mangai Inji/Mango Ginger - 100 gms
Green Chilli - 10 nos
Lemon Juice - 1 tspn
Salt as per taste


Preparation Method
Wash, remove skin and chop into small pieces. Chop green chilli also into small pieces.
In a glass bowl, add both and mix with salt and lemon juice.

Enjoy Mangai Inji/Mango Ginger with Curd Rice.

Notes - Can be stored in air tight container for about a week.

Mango Apple Smoothie!!!

I tried this long back and got delayed in posting. Enjoy the Mango Apple Smoothie.

Ingredients
Ripe Mango - 1 no(Medium size)
Apple - 1/2 no
Sugar - 1 tspn
Curd - 1 tspn

Preparation Method
In a mixie or blender add mango, apple without skin whip once.
Then add sugar and curd and make a fine paste.

Garnish with Pistachos and Serve chilled.

Notes - If the mango is slight big you can add 1 apple.

This recipe is going to Serve it chilled event by Denise and Krithika.

Olan

Olan is a traditional Kerala dish. This is a traditional sidedish in Kerala. It is also prepared for weddings. Its pending in my drafts when I prepared last time and I made it yesterday. It is non spicy. Easy and tasty.

Ingredients
Pooshanikai/Grey Pumpkin - 1 cup(chopped into squares)
Karamani/Black eyed beans(white or brown) - 1/2 cup
Coconut Milk - 1/2 cup(thick)
Coconut oil - 1 Tablespoon
Curry leaves -  few
Green Chilli - 1 or 2 nos slit.
Salt

Preparation Method
Pressure cook karamani with water upto 3-4 whistles.
In a wide vessel, cook pooshanikai with water, green chilli, salt and a pinch of turmeric.
Once its done, add the boiled karamani and coconut milk.
Just let it bubble up and dont over boil.
Off the stove add coconut oil and curry leaves.
Mix well.

Serve with sambar rice as sidedish.

I am back with Holige/Obattu Saaru/Rasam!!!

I was away from blogging for a while and was enjoying with my sis-in-law in town for holidays. Hope you all are doing good. I will be visiting your blogs soon. Since my inlaws are here, I will posting few authentic and traditional Tamil and Kerala Recipes soon.

A sweet and tangy rasam, prepared with hoorna. This is prepared for Ugadi generally after making Holige/Boli. Checkout my recipe for Obattu/Boli here.

Ingredients
Leftover Hoorna/Poornam water.(checkout recipe here)
Sambar/Rasam Powder - 1 tspn
Tamarind water - 1 cup
Salt

Seasoning
Ghee - 1/2 tspn
Oil - 1/2 tspn
Mustard - 1/2 tspn
Curry leaves - few
Grated coconut - 1 tspn 


Preparation Method
Mix all the ingredients in a vessel and boil well in medium flame.
Season it except coconut and garnish with coconut.

Tasty Obattu Saaru is ready to serve. Serve hot with steamed rice.