Broccoli Dry Curry

Ingredients:

Broccoli florets- 1 crown
Onion chopped- 1 medium
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Besan flour - 2 tblsp
Salt- to taste

Seasoning:
Olive oil - 1 tblsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Asafotedia - a pinchjavascript:void(0)
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp

Chopped corriander leaves - 1 tsp to garnish

Method:
1. Steam broccoli and set aside
2. Take a tblsp of olive oil and make a seasoning of cumin seeds, asafotedia and turmeric and add the chopped onions and saute.
3. When the onion turns brown add the salt, red chilli powder, and besan flour and mix well.
4. Finally add the steamed broccoli and mix
5. Garnish with corriander leaves

Sending this recipe to Only Original Recipes event at Nivedita's Kitchen and Foodelicious and WomensEra 2008 event "C for Colourful Currys "

Pizza Bread

Ingredients:
Pizza sauce - 1 cup
Olive Oil – 2 tbsp
Grated cheese - 1 cup
Salt - 1 tsp
Bread Flour – 3 cups
Yeast – 3 tsp
Paprika, dried basil, oregano - 1/4 tsp each

To be added during during the mixed bread cycle when the machine beeps
1/2 onion chopped
1/4 of a small bell pepper chopped
1/4 cup fresh methi leaves
2 mushrooms chopped
4 olives chopped

Saute onions, bell pepper and fresh methi in 1 tsp of olive oil and keep it ready to mix when the machine beeps.

Method:
1. Add all the ingredients in the bread machine in the order of ingredients.
2. Set the setting to mix bread and light crust
3. Start the bread machine
4. Make sure the dough is soft elastic ball, if necessary add a tsp of oil if the dough is tight or a tsp of flour if the dough is sticky
5. When the machine beeps add the sauted vegetables, chopped mushroom, and olives
6. Cool completely when done and slice to pieces.

Sending this recipe to Srivalli's Kids Delight event hosted by "Now Serving"

Suruttai Poli

The challenge for the Indian Cooking challenge for the month of February is "Suruttai Poli".  This event is hosted by Srivall of "Spicing your life".  This recipe is adapted from Nithya of 4th sense cooking.  This dessert has a crispy crunchy crust and mildly sweetened with the filling.  I made this delicious dessert for my friend's "Board Game Nite" and everyone enjoyed this.

Ingredients:

For filling -

Roasted gram - 1 cup
Sugar - 1 cup
Cashews - 20
Cardamom powder - 1 tsp
Dry Coconut  - 1 tblsp
Ghee - 1 tsp

Method for filling:

1.  Powder the roasted gram and sugar together. Chop the cashews into small pieces.
2.  Roast cut cashews and coconut in a tsp of ghee.
3.  Mix the other ingredients in a bowl. Keep it aside.

For the Crust:

Aall purpose flour - 1 cup
Salt - a pinch
Oil - for frying

Method:

1.  Mix the all purpose flour and salt in a bowl.
2.  Knead it  like chapathi dough and set it aside for half an hour.
3.  Make small balls from the dough and roll them into very thin circles of 10cm diameter.
4.  After rolling them into circles spread them on a cookie sheet a for ten minutes.
5.  Deep fry them in hot oil and remove them when they are half cooked. It should be flexible and should not turn brown or crispy
6.  Remove them from oil and spread 3 spoons of fillingon the crust and roll it tight like a cigar and keep it on a plate with seem sidefacing down.

Ginger Jeera Cooler

My friend Nandita made this delicious summer cooler when I visited her recently during my India trip.  Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:
Sugar - 4 cups
Water - 5 cups
Ginger grated - 1 cup
Jeera (Cumin) - 2 tsp
Juice of 5 lemons


Method:
1.  Mix water and sugar and boil it for 10-15 minutes
2.  When it starts boiling turn off the heat and add grated ginger, jeera and let it cool
3.  When it is completely cooled add the lemon juice
4.  Strain and store in a glass bottle in the refrigerator
5.  Mix with water and ice cubes and serve.

Sending this recipe to "Learning to Cook" Akila's Dish Starts With G Event

Lemon Cake

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cake flour
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 pkg (3 ounces) lemon gelatin
• 3/4 cup milk
• 2/3 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons lemon flavoring
• 3 eggs separated

Butter cream icing or Ready to use Wilton Decorator's icing

Recipe for Butter cream icing:

• 1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine softened
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
  
• 4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar (approximately 1 lb.)
• 2 tablespoons milk

In large bowl, cream shortening and butter with electric mixer. Add vanilla. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often. When all sugar has been mixed in, icing will appear dry. Add milk and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Keep bowl covered with a damp cloth until ready to use.

Makes: About 3 cups of icing.

Fruits sliced for decoration
Melted jelly for brushing on top
Chopped nuts for the sides of the cake

Method:

1. In large bowl, combine flour, 1 cup sugar, baking powder and gelatin. Add milk, oil and lemon flavoring; mix well.

2. Preheat oven to 325°F. Spray pan with cake release or brush with vegetable shortening.

3. Beat in egg yolks, until stiff, but not dry, adding remaining 1/4 cup of sugar. Fold egg whites into batter.

4. Bake 45-50 minutes or until cake springs back lightly to the touch. Cool 15 minutes in pan. Remove from pan and cool completely.

5. Spread the butter cream icing and arrange the sliced fruits as desired.

6. Brush with melted jelly

Sending this entry to "Now Serving" Crazy for Cakes

ROTI ON A RING

I am a vegetarian so it's no surprise that I love cooking vegetables. But I like to experiment with different vegetables, spices, lentils to pioneer one-of-a kind culinary innovations. I love cooking spinach as well as other vegetables, so I tried this recipe and as a fun zing I added seasoned tofu to create a scrumptious new versatile curry that can be used for many different dishes. These low fat tortilla rolls stuffed with vegetables make a complete meal. The same filling can be used with cheese to spread on sandwiches, or it can be paired with basmati rice and cheese as a delicious dinner entree.

Ingredients:
Fresh spinach - 8 cups tightly packed and chopped
Red Bell pepper - 1 big sliced to thin strips
Ginger - ½ inch grated
Black pepper powder - ½ tsp
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Garam masala powder - ½ tsp
Medium firm tofu - ½ lb cut to cubes
Paprika or chili powder - ½ tsp
Juice of half a lime
Salt to taste
Cilantro - 2 tsp chopped
Olive oil -5 tblsp
Whole wheat stone ground tortillas (rotis) -8
Lettuce and red bell pepper cut to rings for decoration

How to proceed:

Spinach filling:

1. Heat 3 tblsp of oil in a pan; add the pepper powder and ½ tsp turmeric powder to the oil.
2. Add the chopped onions and grated ginger and sauté for 5 minutes
3. Add the chopped spinach and salt to taste. Turn off the heat and set aside.
4. In another pan take 1 tblsp of oil and sauté the red bell pepper and set aside
5. In the same pan add 1 tblsp of olive oil and the tofu cubes and sauté. To this add paprika or chili powder, ½ tsp turmeric powder, garam masala powder, salt, and lime juice. Sauté for 10 minutes.
6. Add the sautéed red bell peppers, tofu, and chopped cilantro to the spinach mixture.
7. Divide the filling into 8 equal portions

To prepare the rolls:

1. Heat a skillet and warm the tortillas
2. Layer the tortilla with a lettuce leaf and spread one portion of the filling in the center of the tortilla and roll up tightly.
3. Roll it and serve with a red bell pepper ring

Sending this recipe to Only Original Recipes event at Nivedita's Kitchen and Foodelicious

Masala Murmura

Ingredients:

Murmura (Puffed rice) - 15 cups
Red chillies - 5 or more per taste
Garlic - 1 pod
Oil - 1/2 cup
Chutney dhal - 1/2 cup
Peanuts - 1/2 cup
Dry Coconut powder - 5 tblsp
Salt to taste

Seasoning:
Mustard - 2 tsp
Asafotedia - a pinch
Curry leaves - 5 strings
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Red chillies -2

Method:
1. Keep the murmura (puffed rice) in oven at 175 F for 2 hours to make it crisp
2. Roast red chillies and powder it
3. Add crushed garlic to the red chilli powder and add 2 tbsp of hot oil and add it to the puffed rice
4. Roast peanuts, chutney dhal in 2tbsp of oil and add to the murmura
5. Make a seasoning of mustard, asafotedia, curry leaves, turmeric powder, red chillies with the remaining oil and add to the murmura
6. Add coconut powder and salt to taste.

Sending this recipe to Kurunji Kathambam's Healthy Recipe Hunt Event - Puffed Rice