Kara Sev for Indian Cooking Challenge

The cooking challenge for June is Kara Sev. This event is hosted by Srivalli of Spicing Your Life. This recipe was quite easy to make and turned out very crispy and tasty.

Kara Sev Recipe

Besan - 2 ½ cups
Rice flour - 1 cup
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Soda - 2 pinches
Salt
Oil - to deep fry

Grind fine with water:
Red chillies - 6
Pepper - 1 tsp

Method:

1. Sieve both flours together.

2. Cream ghee and soda well till the paste looks white.

3. Add flours and salt to this.

4. Strain the chilli paste and add, mixing everything well.

5. Add enough water to make a soft yet stiff dough.

6. Heat oil and press the dough with the muruku maker

7. Fry well and remove to a kitchen tissue

8. Store in airtight container.

Jackfruit Payasa

This was my favorite dessert growing up. Recenty, I found this fruit at the local Asian grocery store. I tried my mom's recipe of Jackfruit payasa and it was delicious.



Ingredients:

Jackfruit peeled - 1 cup
Moong dhal - 1/4 cup
Coconut milk - 1 cup
Whole milk - 1 cup
Jaggery - 1/2 cup or more per your taste
Cardamom - 2 to 3 crushed
Ghee (Clarified butter) - 3-4 tsp

Method:
1. Cut jackfruit to small pieces
2. Saute in 2tsp of ghee and set aside
3. Saute raisins and cashewnuts in 2 tsp of ghee and set aside
3. Roast moong dhal in the same pan and pressure cook for ten minutes
4. In a heavy bottomed pan add the sauted jackfruit, cooked moong dhal, jaggery, coconut milk and whole milk and cook for five minutes.
5. In the end add the crushed cardamom and sauted raisins and cashewnuts.

Blueberry Bread

My girls love Blueberry bread and they finish the whole loaf when I bake it. This entry goes for Kid's Delight.


Ingredients:
Frozen or fresh blue berries – 1 cup (completely thawed if using frozen and blend if using fresh)
Olive Oil – 2 tbsp
Salt - 1 tsp
Sugar – 3 tsp
Bread Flour – 3 cups
Yeast – 3 tsp
Milk -2 or 3 tsps

To be added during during the mixed bread cycle when the machine beeps
Dried blueberries - 1/2 cup

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 dried blueberries
6. Cool completely when done and slice to pieces

Green Tomato Chutney

I tried this recipe given by our friend Anil. This recipe of Green Tomato Chutney was tangy and lip smacking.



Ingredients:

Green Tomatoes - 2 big roughly chopped
Onion - 1 chopped
Green chillies - 4
Ginger - 1/2 inch
Cilantro leaves - 2 tblsp chopped
Seasoning - Mustard, curry leaves
Oil -3 tsp
Salt to taste

Method:
1. Saute onions and green tomatoes in 2 tsp of oil
2. Blend with green chillies, ginger, cilantro to a coarse consistency
3. Add salt to taste
4. Make a seasoning of mustard and curry leaves in a tsp of oil and pour over the chutney.

Pani Puri for Indian Cooking Challenge

Srivalli is the host of Indian Cooking Challenge. The challenge for May is Pani Puri. It is my all time favorite snack. I love different chaats and my favorite place for chaats was Alankar Fruit Juice and Chaat Place in Bangalore.



Pani Puri

Ingredients:

Puri:

Sooji 1/2 cup
Maida 1/2 tbsp.
Salt to taste
Oil for Frying

For Spicy Pani

Mint Leaves 1½ tblsp
Chopped Coriander Leaves 1 tbsp.
Tamarind 1/3 cup
Ginger 1"
Green Chillies 4 to 5
Ground Cumin Seed (roasted) 1 tsp
Kala Namak (Black Salt ) 1 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste

Potato Filling

Boiled Potatoes
Red chilly powder
Salt to taste

For Red Tamarind Chutney

Tamarind 1 cup
Jaggery 1/2 cup
Sugar 2 tbsp.
Red chilly powder 1/2 tsp
Roasted cumin powder 1 tsp
Kali Micrch (Black pepper) powder 1/4 tsp.
Cloves 2
Warm water 2 cups
Oil 1 tsp.
Salt to taste

Method:

For making Puri:

1. Mix semolina, plain flour, cooking soda, salt, and knead well to make a stiff dough
2. Cover it with saran wrap and let it rest for 15 mins.
3. Make small balls and roll/press them into small circles.
4. Heat oil in a thick bottomed pan, and deep fry
5. The puris will puff up.
6. Cool and store in airtight container.

For making spicy Pani

1. Blend tamarind, mint leaves, coriander, ginger, chillies and dry roasted cumin seed .
2. Add little water and blend to a smooth paste.
3. Add salt and black rock salt to taste.
4. Cool and mix water as required.

For Red Tamarind Chutney

1. Extract the pulp from tamarind or use tamarind paste
2. Dry roast the cumin seeds and the cloves and powder to a coarse powder.
3. To the tamarind pulp/paste add jaggery, sugar, red chilli powder, black pepper powder, roasted cumin powder, cloves and salt.
4. Heat the mixture for five minutes on medium heat.
5. Remove from heat and let it cool .
6. Add water it is too thick to bring it to the required consistency
7. Blend the contents to a smooth paste.

Assembling the Pani Puri

1. Make a small hole in the center of the puris
2. Add a tsp of mashed boiled potato in the middle of the puri.
3. Add a little of the tamarind Chutney.
4. Fill the puri with spicy water in it and serve.

Mysore Pak - Video Demonstration

Mysore Pak in 20 minutes

Demonstration by Uma

Mysore Pak is a favorite sweet dish of Karnataka, India, usually served as dessert. It is made of generous amounts of ghee (clarified butter), sugar, and chick pea (besan) flour. As per Wikipedia, Mysore Pak was first created in the kitchens of the Mysore Palace by a palace cook named Kakasura Madappa out of the above ingredients. Here is a demonstration by my friend Uma.

Video Demonstration -Part 1

Video Demonstration -Part 2

Ingredients:

1 cup besan

2 cups sugar

2 cups ghee

1 cup water

1. Mix half cup of melted ghee with one cup of besan flour, mix lightly and set aside

2. In a pan, add two cups of sugar and half cup of water.

3. When is dissolves add the besan flour and ghee mixture to pancake dough consistency

4. Add half cup more water to this. Adding water increases the porosity of the Mysore Pak.

6. Keep stirring continuously adding ghee gradually until all the ghee is used

7. When the besan mixture becomes light brown and porus it will leave the sides of the pan

8. Pour the cooked mixture on to a greased plate

9. It will harden in a few minutes.

10. Cut to desired shapes pieces when it is still warm.

Jackfruit Idly

I tried my mom's receipe of Jackfruit idly and created this delectable creation. This was my favorite dish and now my girls are crazy for this dish.

Ingredients:

Jackfruit peeled - 1 cup
Long grain rice soaked - 2 cups
Jaggery or brown sugar - 1/2 cup
Fresh or dry coconut - 1/4 cup
Salt - a pinch
Banana leaves to steam

Method:

1. Blend the soaked rice with jackfruit, jaggery/brown sugar, salt, and coconut to coarse consistency.
2. Cut banana leaves to square pieces.
3. Pour the dough in the banana leaves and fold it.
4. Steam it for 15 minutes till done.




This recipe goes to Gayathri's "Walking thorugh Memory Lane Event".

Jalapeno Cheese Bread

Jalapeño Cheese Bread
(Bread machine recipe)

This bread recipe goes for Chaitra's Bread Mania Event

Ingredients:
Skim milk – 1 cup
Olive Oil – 2 tbsp
Cheese - ¾ cup (either Mexican cheese, or mozzarella cheese or grated jalapeño cheese)
Salt - ½ tsp
Sugar – 3 tsp
Bread Flour – 3 cups
Yeast – 3 tsp
Chopped jalapeño – 1

Method:
1. Add all the ingredients except jalapeños in the bread machine
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 chopped jalapeños
6. Cool completely when done and slice to pieces

Rasmalai for Indian Cooking Challenge

The Indian Cooking Challenge for April hosted by Srivalli of Spice your Life is Rasmalai from scratch. I have made rasmalai previously from scratch but this recipe was slightly different. This spongy, delicious rasmalai was a special treat for my mom for Mothers Day.


Ingredients:

Milk - 3 litres (2 litres for making paneer and 1 litre for making Milk syrup.)
Vinegar- 3 tblsp
Water-5 cups
Sugar- 16 tbsp (8 for Sugar Syrup and 8 for Milk Syrup)
Saffron- a pinch
Pista-10 finely chopped
All purpose flour- 1 tsp
Cardamon-2 (crushed)

Method:

1. Boil two litres of milk and let it cool.
2. Refrigerate the milk for 12 hours remove the thick layer of cream.
3. Boil the milk again and add vinegar till the milk seperates.
4. Strain the paneer in a muslin or a cheese cloth and hang it till all the whey is separated

Preparation of Paneer:

1. Knead the paneer well and add a spoon of all purpose flour to the paneer and make it as small balls.
2. Makes about 12 paneer balls.

Preparation of Sugar Syrup:

1. In a pressure pan add three cups of water and eight table spoons of sugar and let it boil.
2. When the water boils, add the paneer balls to it
3. Pressure cooked for ten minutes in slow flame for two whistles
4. Open the cooker and let the steam out and open the cooker
5. The paneer balls will be double in size
6. Press the paneer balls to drain the excess sugar syrup

Preparation of Milk Syrup:

1. Boil one litre of milk in a wide bottomed vessel till it is reduced to half of the quantity.
2. Add eight table spoons of sugar, saffron and crushed cardamom to it and mix well.
3. Add the paneer balls into the milk syrup.
4. Cool it refrigerate it.
5. Garnish with chopped pistachios

Spinach Rajma

I tried rajma with a twist by adding chopped spinach sauteed in olive oil to enhance the nutritional value. The result was amazing and lipsmacking.


Ingredients:

Rajma (Kidney beans) - 3 cups (canned or soak overnight and pressure cook)
Tomatoes - 3 big chopped
Onion - 1 big chopped
Ginger - 1/2 inch
Garlic - 1 clove
Spinach - 3 cups chopped
Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Jeera powder - 1/2 tsp
Corriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp
Oil -5 tblsp
Salt to taste
Corriander leaves - 2 tsp chopped

Method:
1. Soak rajma overnight in water and pressure cook.
2. Heat 3 tblsp oil add turmeric powder, chopped onions, ginger grated, garlic crushed and saute till brown.
3. Add tomatoes and cook till soft
4. Blend the tomato onion mixture till smooth and cook in a pan
5. Add boiled rajma, corriander powder, jeera powder, red chilli powder, garam masala powder, and salt to taste.
6. In a seperate pan saute the spinach and add to the Rajma
7. Garnish with chopped fresh corriander leaves.

Sago Muruku for Indian Cooking Challenge

The cooking challenge for March hosted by Srivalli of Spice your Life is Sago Muruku. The entries for this event can be viewed atthe website Spicing your life. F0r this recipe the key was to soak the sago in buttermilk overnight to prevent it from bursting in oil. The muruku turned out very crispy and tasty, and the sago looked like little stars. This recipe was a hit with my family and friends.nds.

Sago Muruku


Rice Flour 2 cups
Besan flour 1/2 cup
Fried gram flour - 1/2 cup (Chutney dhal)
Sago - 1/2 cup
Salt to taste
Curd - 50 gms ( 1/4 cup)
Chili powder - 1/2 tsp or as per taste


Muruku maker

Method:

1. Soak Sago in Butter milk for 3 hrs
2. Mix all the flours together, heat 50 gms oil, mix to the flour along with salt and chili powder. 3. Add the buttermilk soaked sago slowly and knead the dough
4. Heat the oil in a pan
5. When the oil is hot press the murukus in oil
6. Cook on medium flame till done.

Lemon Rice

The international food day at work was an opportunity for everyone at work to share different cuisines. For this event I prepared lemon rice and cholay. It was a pleasure to taste different cuisines from appetizers, entrees to desserts. Here is the recipe for lemon rice.




Ingredients:

Jasmine rice cooked - 1 cup
Fresh lemon squeezed - 1
Salt to taste

Dry coconut powder - 3 tsp
Ginger grated - 1/2 inch

Seasoning:
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Asafoetida - a pinch
Channa Dhal - 1 tsp
Green chillies - 1 or 2 cut
Curry leaves - 2 strings
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 2 to 3 tsp

Garnish:
Cilantro chopped - 2 to 3 tsp
Peanuts/Cashew nuts roasted - 3-4 tblsp
Sauted bell pepper and peas - 1/2 cup

Method:

1. Cook rice so each grain is separate.
2. Spread it on a plate and add 2-3 tsp of oil and let it cool.
3. Take oil in a pan add mustard seeds, green chillies, curry leaves, channa dhal and turmeric powder.
4. When is sputters add the grated ginger. Pour this on the cooled rice.
5. Add salt, coconut powder
6. Garnish with cashew nuts, roasted peanuts, sauted bell pepper, peas, and chopped cilantro.

Cooking Rice at Paadi Temple

During my recent visit to India in February 2010, I visited Paadi Temple, in South Kodagu. It is a beautiful temple and very scenic. What impressed me the most is that the family who performs pooja at the temple also cooks lunch everyday for the devotees who visit the temple, without a head count of how many people are there for lunch everyday. It varies from 150 to 600 people and one or two people cook the entire meal with a variety of dishes. It is amazing and unbelievable how they can cook such a sumptuous meal in such short notice. It is just the miracle of the temple. I took this picture of the rice being cooked in the temple kitchen when I visited there.

Tindoora and Sprouted Green Channa Curry

Ingredients:

Tindoora - sliced lengthwise 4 cups
Sprouted green channa dhal soaked overnight and cooked- 1 cup
Onion - 1 big
Tomatoes - 2 big
Ginger - 1/2 inch
Sambhar powder - 3 tsp
Coconut milk - 1/2 cup
Salt to taste
Oil to saute - 3-4 tblsp
Corriander leaves - 2 tsp chopped for garnishing

Seasoning:
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Hing - a pinch
Urad dhal - 1/2 tsp
Curry Leaves - 3 strings
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 3-4 tbslp

Method:
1. Saute tindoora in oil and set aside
2. Make a seasoning of oil with mustard seeds, hing, urad dhal, curry leaves, and turmeric.
3. To the seasoning add the chopped onions and chopped ginger and saute till brown
4. Add tomatoes to this and cook for about 10- 15 minutes
5. Finally add the sprouted green channa dhal which is cooked
6. Add the sambhar powder, coconut milk, and salt to taste and the sauted tindoora
7. Garnish with corriander leaves.

Khasta Kachori

This month's Indian Cooking Challenge hosted by Srivalli of Spicing your life is "Khasta Kachori". The kachori is an all time favorite of mine and my recipe is adapted from Medhaa's Aunty and Tarla Dalal. The green pea filling especially reminds me my college days in India and continues to be a big hit even today.


Kachoris

Adapated from Medhaa's Aunty and Tarla Dalal

Resting Time for the Dough is app 1/2 hr - 1 hr
Frying time for the Kachoris - 20 mins for each batch app.
Soaking Time for the Filling is app. 1 hr
Cooking Time for the Filling is app 15 mins
Yields - 15

For the Dough

Ingredients Needed:

All purpose flour / Maida - 2 cups
Oil/ Ghee - 1/4 cup ,
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Water for kneading

Method

1. Mix the flour and salt, Add the oil/ghee and mix till you get a bread crumbs texture.
2. Slowly add water and make a soft dough. Knead well for about 8 minutes.
3. Cover and keep aside to rest for atleast half hour.
   
   Special Tips / Notes for the dough:
   
   
   • Keep the dough covered at all times, if not it will dry up and not puff up when frying. If the dough is made right wet cloth can be used if not just a towel.
     
   • The dough could spring back for many reasons:

Dough is too cold (If wet cloth is used)
Dough is not soft enough.
Not kneaded for enough time.
Oil is less.
Not rested enough.

Muttar Ki Kachori from Tarla Dalal:

For green pea filling

2 cups green peas
1 teaspoon green chillies, chopped
1 teaspoon ginger, grated
1/2 teaspoon nigella seeds (kalonji)
2 teaspoons fennel seeds (saunf)
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon chilli powder
1 teaspoon garam masala
4 tablespoons chopped coriander
2 tablespoons oil
salt

For the green pea filling

1. Coarsely grind the green peas, green chillies and ginger in a blender without using any water. Keep aside.
2. Heat the oil in a pan, add the nigella seeds, fennel seeds,bay leaves and ground green pea mixture and saute over a very slow flame for 8 to 10 minutes.
3. Add the chilli powder, garam masala,coriander and salt and saute for 2 more minutes. Remove the bay leavess and discard. Divide into 12 equal portions.

Cucumber Dosa

This is one of my favorite breakfast dishes. This is my mom's recipe. I love the color and flavor of this dosa.


Ingredients:

Long grain rice - 1 cup
Cucumber - 1
Green chillies - 2 to 3
Coconut fresh or dry - 3 tblsp (optional)
Salt to salt

Method:
1. Soak rice overnight
2. Cut the cucumber to big pieces. Do not peel the skin.
3. Blend rice with cucumber pieces, green chillies, coconut, and salt.
4. Heat the dosa tava.
5. Pour the dosa batter on the tava and spread evenly
6. Put another tsp of oil to cook, cover the tava
7. Flip the dosa and cook on the other side.
8. Serve dosa with chutney.

Rice Noodles

Ingredients:
Rice Noodles - 1/2 packet

Seasoning:
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Hing - a pinch
Urad dhal - 1/2 tsp
Curry Leaves - 3 strings
Jeera - 1 tsp
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Green chillies - 3 -4 per taste
Oil - 3-4 tbslp

Grated ginger - 1/2 inch
Corriander leaves chopped - 1/2 cup
Salt to taste
Coconut powder
Lemon juice - 1/2 lemon

Sauted peanuts and cashew nuts for garnish

Method:
1. Boil water in a pot add a tsp of oil and turn off the heat
2. Add the rice noodles and wait for 10- 15 minutes till it is soft
3. Drain the water and spread in a plate
4. Make a seasoning of oil with mustard seeds, hing, jeera, urad dhal, curry leaves, turmeric and green chillies.
5. Pour it on the rice noodles and mix gently
6. Add grated ginger, coconut powder, corriander leaves, salt, and lemon juice
7. Garnish with cashewnuts and peanuts sauted in a tsp of oil

Moong Dal Halwa for Indian Cooking Challenge

The December Indian cooking challenge hosted by Srivalli of Spicing your life is Moong Dhal Halwa. I tried Lataji's recipe of the Moong Dhal Halwa. The proportions and directions of the recipe are perfect and the Halwa came out fabulously. Thanks for the new recipe for my collection.


Ingredients:

Split (Yellow) Moong dhal - 1 cup
Ghee - 1/2 cup
Sugar - 3/4 cups to 1 cup (as per required sweetness)
Milk - 1/2 cup
Cashews/ raisins roasted in ghee for garnish.

Method to Prepare:

Soak 1 cup moong dal overnight. Next morning, grind to a paste.

Heat a heavy Kadai, take initially only 1/2 of the ghee and heat it.

Add the dhal and stir continuously, not allowing lumps to form. This part is very tricky as the dhal cooks really fast, irrespective of the ghee.

Keep the heat at the lowest and keep stirring even after the dhal becomes thick.

Add the rest of the ghee intermittently and cook the dhal until aromatic and the ghee starts oozing out.

Meanwhile mix the sugar with water/ milk in a pan and bring to a boil. Add this slowly to the cooking dhal.

Keep the fire low at all times and break lumps if formed while adding the sugar and water/ milk mix.

Cook until the ghee surfaces.

Garnish with cashews and raisins.

Notes :

• Use a thick bottom pan or better nonstick pan
• Don't leave the halwa unattended. The dal can stick and it can go from just done to burnt in a second so keep stirring as much as possible. You should remember to keep stirring to prevent dhal from sticking irrespective of the ghee added.
  
• You aren't looking for the halwa to get too thick when you turn off the heat. It was thicken as it cools.
• Cook until ghee surfaces on the sides and the halwa attains a very nice shine.
  
• Initially, it may appear that all the ghee is being used up. But as the dhal cooks the ghee separates. So the ghee measure is sufficient.
• In both recipes depending on how you got the moong dal paste, you may require slightly more ghee to get the texture
• Though original recipe didn't call for roasting the dhal before soaking, roasting it a bit gives more fragrance.

Dream Cake

I tried out this cake after I completed the Wilton cake decorating class. I baked this cake for my friend's wedding anniversary party. The icing did not turn out very smooth as the cake was not completely cooled and there was crumbs in the icing. However, everyone loved this cake.

Ingredients:

4 eggs
1/4 cup oil
1 cup cold water
1 package dream whip
1 small package of pudding & pie filling (not instant)
1 cake mix (any flavor other than choclate)

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

Makes: About 3 cups of icing.

Materials Needed:
Wilton tiers display set
Wilton decorating tips

Method:
1. Bea t the eggs and add oil, water and the cake mix.
2. Add the dream whip and pudding filling
3. Pour the batter in 2 baking pans
4. Prepared the pan using a pastry brush or paper towel and solid vegetable shortening. For best results, do not use butter, margarine or liquid vegetable shortening. Cake release works well too.
5. Bake at 325 degrees and test after 40 minutes.
6. Cool the cake completely for icing.
7. Ice the cake smoothly set on the tiers so there are no crumbs
8. Use desired colors with the icing for the borders and use the tips for the shell design and the piping lines.

Tie Cake

Tie Cake for our friend Ajay's birthday.

I used a box cake mix and followed directions. I baked this cake in a square pan and cut the cake into the shapes I wanted and patched it with homemade buttercream icing and decorated with sprinkles and dried blueberries.

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.

Chegodilu for Indian Cooking Challenge

The Indian cooking challenge for November is Chegodilu. This event is hosted by Srivalli of Spicing your life. I had never tasted this snack before. I looked for pictures on google and it looked similar to the South Indian Kodbele though the ingredients are different. I enjoyed trying out this snack. I followed Srivalli's recipe, I added a few spoons of more rice flour to the recipe to get the correct consistency. I shared this with my friends and they all loved it. Thanks Srivalli for introducing me to another tasty snack.



Chegodilu

Ingredients Needed:

Rice flour - 3/4 cup
All purpose flour/ Maida - 1/4 cup
Ghee - 2 tbsp
Ajwain - 1/4 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1/4 tsp
Turmeric really a pinch
Salt as per taste
Oil to deep fry

Method:

1. Boil 1 cup water in a bowl, add salt to it.

2. When the water starts boiling, remove from stove, add ajwain, red chilli powder, turmeric and flours. Stir with a ladle to make sure it is mixed well. Pour ghee on it and cover.

3. Once it cools, knead it to form smooth dough.

4. Pinch out small balls of dough and roll them like threads between your palm, bring the ends together to form into small rings

5. Fry them in hot oil til they turn golden in colour.

Handbag Cake

Handbag Cake for my friend Anju's Birthday!

I used a Vanilla cake mix from Trader Joe and followed directions. I baked this cake in a square pan and cut the cake into the shapes I wanted and patched it with homemade buttercream icing mixed with food colors and decorated with M&M candies and dried blueberries.

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.

Gulab Jamuns for Indian Cooking Challenge

I am excited to participate in this month's Indian Cooking Challenge to make homemade Gulab Jamuns from scratch. This event is hosted by Srivalli of Spice your Life. I used a combination of Alka's recipe, techniques from a cooking class from Mr. Somshekar in Bangalore, and well of my own flair to create the most mouthwatering Gulab Jamuns ever. I used 6 cups of milk and 2 cups of sugar for the syrup. The only change I made was after I fried the jamuns I soaked them in water for a minute before transferring them to the syrup so there would be no oil remains in the syrup. The jamuns came out beautifully and were a big hit among my family and friends.

For sugar syrup:

Ingredients:

Sugar - 500 gms (This can be reduced as per taste)
Water - 1 & 1/2 cup (bit more or less)
Cardamom - 2-3
One spoon of milk (optional)
Few threads of saffron (optional)
2-3 drops of rosewater (optional but highly recommended)


Method:

1. Mix about 500 gms of white sugar in one and half cup water and keep it for boiling.

2. Add a spoonful of milk to remove the impurities (impurities if any, will form a scum on surface)

3. Add 2-3 green cardamoms also in syrup for strong flavor, and a tad of saffron strings (optional)

4. Boil until you get just a tad sticky syrup. Gulab Jamun syrup is not very dense nor too dilute as in Rasgulla

5. Strain the syrup, add rosewater when syrup is slightly cooled.

Always remember two things while using rose water, do not add it while syrup is bubbling hot or on fire, and be particular about the quantity mentioned in every recipe, since even few drops of excess rosewater could lend a bitter taste to the final product.


For Gulab Jamun:

Ingredients:

Unsweetened Maawa* - 250 gms
All purpose flour - 1 & 1/2 - 2 tsp
Cornflour - 1 tsp
Green cardamom - 1-2 crushed
Oil for shallow frying

* (khoya-the condensed milk thickened till it turns into moist dough, preferably made from cow’s milk, also known as Hariyali mawa)


Method:

1. Mix all the ingredients in a wide mixing bowl until soft textured dough is obtained (keep mixing until it is really soft)

2. Make very small sized balls (bit larger than pebbles) as they swell up after frying and soaking in syrup

3. Make sure that the surface of dough balls is really smooth without any cracks. In case the cracks refuse to go away, slightly wet your palms with water and roll the flour till absolutely smooth.

4. Now take little oil for frying in preferably flat bottomed pan, and heat the oil. But gulab jamuns are to be fried on LOW FLAME or else the surface will be browned while the core will remain uncooked. Some prefer to place an unsalted pistachio in the center of every gulab jamun while making balls, that way the core of gulab jamun is not left uncooked .

5. Fry one or 2 gulab jamuns at a time and always remember to STIR THE OIL with slotted spoon AND NOT TO TOUCH GULABJAMUNS, which means keep swirling the oil without tossing or turning gulab jamun.

6. Fry till light brown in colour, remove on tissue paper and repeat the procedure with rest of dough.

7. Now soak these in COOL syrup for few hours. They will surely swell up

Vegetable Saagu

Veggie Platter is hosting the "Microwave Easy Cooking Event" popularly known as the MEC Event for this month and decided to celebrate the "Fresh Produce". This event was started by Srivalli of Cooking 4 all Seasons. I would like to share my recipe of the popular South Indian "Vegetable Saagu" for this event.

Ingredients:

Fresh vegetables :
Peas, chopped carrots, beans, potatoes, chayote squash - 3 cups
Cilantro leaves - 1/2 cup
Ginger - 1/2 inch
Green chillies - 2 to 3 (as per taste)
Cashews - a handful
Coconut milk - 1/4 cup
Salt to taste

Method:
1. Microwave the mixed vegetables for about 7 to 8 minutes with half cup of water and set aside.
2. Blend cilantro, ginger, green chillies and cashews.
3. Add the blend mixture to the the mixed vegetables add salt and microwave for another 5 to 6 minutes.
4. Add coconut milk at the end and mix it
5. Garnish with some chopped cilantro

Doll Cake

I made this cake sometime ago for my friend's bridal shower. I used the classic wonder mold to bake the cake. I gave an Indian touch to the bridal doll by dressing in a Chaniya Choli for the doll cake. I used the dream cake recipe and butter cream icing with simple mango motifs on the dress. I used purple fondant for the blouse and a piece of decorative golden ribbon for the chuni.

Mango Thokku

Red chillies are one of the main ingredients of the Indian cuisine. This pickle or thokku is a spicy accompaniment for a South Indian meal. It wakes up your senses and tastebuds. Lakshmi of Kitchen Chronicles is hosting "Think Spice -Think Red Chillies" which was started by Sunita of Sunita's World.


Ingredients:

Raw Mango grated - 1
Red chilly powder - 2 tsp
Methi - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Oil - 4 tbsp -5 tbsp to saute

Seasoning:
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Asafoetida - a pinch
Curry leaves - 2 strings
Turmeric powder -1 tsp
Red chillies - 3 broken into halves

Method:
1. Peel and grate the raw mango
2. Roast the methi and powder it
3. Heat the oil and make a seasoning of mustard seeds, red chillies, asafoetida, turmeric powder and curry leaves
4. Add the grated mango and mix it
5. Keep stirring it in between and cook till the oil separates for about half an hour
6. Add the powdered methi, red chilli powder and salt
7. Cool it and store in airtight container

Almond Roca

My daughters Samantha and Nikita love anything with chocolates. Almond Roca is their all time favorite. This recipe was given by my friend Jamie. It is her family recipe. This dessert is absolutely dangerously delicious and addictive.

Salt to Taste has announced the event Cooking for Kids hosted by Hema. This event was started by Sharmi of Neivedyam. I would like to share this recipe.

Ingredients:

2 sticks unsalted butter
1 tblsp karo syrup
1/4 cup water
1 cup sugar
8 oz slithered almonds
8 oz mini kisses baking chocolate chips

Method
1. In a pan take the water, karo syrup, sugar, butter and slithered almonds.
2. Cook in medium heat and keep stirring with a wooden spoon.
3. Simultaneously spray a pan and keep in ready
4. Cook the almond mixture for about 20-25 minutes till frothy and slightly dark color
5. Pour on the sprayed pan
6. Melt chocolate chips in the microwave and spread on top on the almond roca
7. Set it in the fridge till set for a couple of hours
8. Break to pieces to serve

Awards

Received from Chaitra of Aathidhyam

Thanks Simply Food!

February 12, 2011

Today on visiting my blog I found the amazing "Stylish Blogger Award" passed to me by Chandrani Banerjee of  Cuisine Delights. Thanks Chandrani.

March 5, 2011
Meera Rao of "Art by Meera"  passed on the "Stylish Blogger Award" today.  Thanks Meera for this honor.

Cucumber Guliappa

This was my favorite snack when I was growing up. The credit for this recipe goes to my mom who is an excellent cook.

This is my entry for the event hosted by Aathidhyam

Cucumber Guliappa

Ingredients:
1 cucumber medium size
1 cup long grain rice
3 tbsp poha
3 tbsp brown sugar or jaggery
3 tbsp coconut grated (fresh or dessicated coconut powder)
3 cardamom pods
A pinch of salt

Method:

1. Dry roast rice lightly and soak with poha for 5-6 hours.
2. Grate half the cucumber and set aside.
3. Blend the other half cucumber with the soaked rice, poha, brown sugar, coconut, cardamom and salt.
4. Do not add water for blending.
5. Squeeze the grated cucumber and add for blending if necessary.
6. Mix the grated cucumber.
7. Heat the guliappa pan and add a few drops of oil in each hole and cook the guliappa in low flame.