Gobi AlooTamatar Masala, Mufuletta Sandwich with Olive salad!

I will be linking my Gobi Aloo Tamatar Masala to "fortune Cooking" event going at Nithu and Shriya's "Spicy Tasty" blog. We are supposed to choose one Zodiac sign and cook with veggies it's compatible with. I chose "Cancer sign with Cauliflower" for this, enjoy hosting girls!:)

Sangeeth from "Art of cooking Indian food" blog has launched a new event called "Eat Healthy..Fiber Rich", and asks us to cook something fiber rich this month. Here is my Gobi AlooTamatar masala full of fiber and Zodiac friendly too, enjoy hosting Sangeeth!:)

Celebrating the Zodiac sign (Cancer) of our Bichon Frisé , A.J.!! :D
Bichon Frisé , in French literally means a "curly lap dog". Our pet AJ (short for Arvind Junior!:D) is a mix of Bichon Frise and a Poodle but he does have 98% Bichon characteristics in him than a Poodle! His birthday is in June and he will be 10years old this month, 70yrs old in dog years!:D Small dogs of his size live about 12 0r 13yrs. So I thought why not give him some attention in my blog too. He loves to snuggle on that Bean bag every night! Happy birthday old man! :D
NO! He won't eat this Gobi masala, gets his own Salmon and brown rice canned doggie food, which is his favorite dish! His food sounds better than our's, don't you think? Hahaha!!
More info about this breed of dogs are here and here.

Fiber rich Cauliflower:
This is what Whole foods website says about Cauliflower,
"Filling, high in fiber, and low in calories, Cauliflower is a great food for reducing your waistline, says Dr. Barry Sears in his book The Top 100 Zone Foods. Weighing in at only 25 calories, a cup of florets contains 100% of the recommended daily allowance (RDA) for vitamin C, one-third of the RDA for folate, and a nice serving of potassium and vitamin B6. These nutrients all work to protect your heart. Cauliflower also contains bioflavonoids, indoles, and other chemicals that protect against cancer. To retain the flavor of cauliflower and minimize nutrient loss, cook it rapidly by boiling or steaming. Overcooking cauliflower diminishes the nutrients significantly."
Food writer Mark Bittman quoted a Cornell University study, stating that 100 grams of cauliflower had 55 mg of vitamin C after boiling, 70 after steaming, and 82 after being cooked in the microwave oven.
For more info about the benefits of fiber, check out here.

Fiber contents of Aloo-Gobi-Tamatar: 1 medium baked potato with skin has 3.8 gms of fiber and 1 cup of Cauliflower has 3.35 gms of fiber, 1 small onion has 1gm of fiber and 1 Tomato has 1.4gms of fiber!

Gobi Aloo Tamatar masala:
The title literally means Cauliflower, Potato, Tomato in spices, you can make this with or without sauce. You can add any veggies like green peas and cooked beans to this recipe. Just make sure that you don't cook the veggies to death which leaves the dish without any nutrition! :)

To make it, you need:
1 small head of Cauliflower, 1 large red Potato peeled or leave the skin for more fiber and cubed, 1 large Tomato chopped 1/4 cup Tomato sauce, 1/4 tsp turmeric, cilantro.
Season: 1 tbsp oil, 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds, 1 small onion finely chopped, 1" ginger grated or ground.
Dry spices: 1 tbsp Coriander seeds powder, 1/2 tsp or more Chilli pd, 1/2 tsp Garam masala, add 1/4 tsp Cardamom powder and 1/4 tsp Fennel seeds pd at the end for that special fragrant touch!


To make the masala:
1. Cut the flowerettes and bake them on a sheet in a single layer at 450F oven for 20 mins or spray some oil on top and Microwave them for 3-5mins or until you see reddish spots on top.
2. Heat oil in a non-stick pan, add Cumin seeds, chopped onion and fry until reddish. Add ginger, stir and then cubed Potato, a tbsp of water, cover and cook for 2 minutes. If potato is cooked before in the MW, it's even easier!
3. Put in all the dry spices like turmeric, Tomato sauce or Tomato pieces. Cook for 1 minute or until oil shows.
4. Now add all the almost cooked Cauliflower, salt, add about 2tbsp or more water, stir fry until almost dry, unless you want some sauce. In that case, add more water or veg stock to it.
5. Garnish with cilantro and lime juice.



Serve with whole wheat rotis for even more fiber kick or serve on a bed of cooked Quinoa, you will be in nutrition Heaven! :D

Another look!

Have a great weekend, see you all next week!

Last minute addition about Fiber:
I found a great article about the benefits of Fiber at this diet website. Take a look, it's a lot of info! Good to know all these too! :)

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Anupama of "Food and More" is hosting a Sandwich Festival 2008! this month. Last time I somehow missed the deadline for her event and this time I almost did it again until I saw sandwiches flying in every blog this week. I am sending my delicious Muffuletta to her, thanks for hosting Anupama! :)


What's a Sandwich and why we we call it so?
A sandwich, essentially is a "grab and go" food made of two or more slices of bread with one or more layers of filling such as meat, cheese, vegetables, salads or ever popular peanut butter and jelly!

WIKI says, ""The first recorded sandwich was by the famous rabbi, Hillel the Elder, who lived during the 1^st century B.C. He started the Passover custom of sandwiching a mixture of chopped nuts, apples, spices, and wine between two matzohs to eat with bitter herbs."

"In 1765, John Montague's biographer, N. A. M. Rodger, points out in his book, The Insatiable Earl - A Life of John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, that the sole source for giving Montague credit for the invention of the sandwich, was gossip mentioned in a travel book by Grosley, and that at the period in question 1765, he was known to be very busy, and it is just as likely that it was for the purpose of eating at his desk."

"In 1840, the sandwich was introduced to America by Englishwoman Elizabeth Leslie, (1787-1858). In her cookbook, Directions for Cookery, she has a recipe for ham sandwiches that she suggested as a main dish!"

New Orleans style Muffuletta sandwich with Olive salad:


Here are the recipes I have already posted at Foodie's Hope few weeks ago and reposted here for "Sandwich Festival 2008!" Hope you try it! :)

Whole wheat bread and Muffuletta with Olive salad!

Enjoy and have a 3 day long safe, peaceful weekend!:)

Crunchy Asparagus in Chilli-Garlic butter, Palak Dal-Roti from "City of Joy"

I made a simple and delicious Steamed Asparagus flavored with Chilli-Garlic butter for Marta from "An Italian in the US" blog for her "Fresh Produce of the Month" event. She has chosen "Asparagus" as her choice this month. Enjoy Marta, hope you like my simple side dish!:)




Since it's a steamed dish in the Microwave, I am also sending this to Srivalli from "Cooking 4 all seasons" blog's "Microwave Easy cooking" event with a theme of "Steamed" dishes. Thanks to you too Sri!:)

About Asparagus:


Asparagus is a perennial, an almost leafless member of the lily family. Asparagus has been used from very early times as a vegetable and medicine, owing to its delicate flavor and diuretic properties.It was cultivated by the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans. Only the young shoots of asparagus are eaten, often stir-fried or steamed.
Asparagus is low in calories, do not contain fat or cholesterol and is very low in sodium. It is a good source of folic acid, potassium, dietary fiber. Info from WIKIPEDIA and you can read more about Asparagus is here.



Steamed crunchy Asparagus in Chilli-Garlic butter:
I usually stir-fry these Asparagus and sprinkle the spices and little Mayo or any sauce over it to serve as a side dish with Chicken patties like this post I have posted before. This time I have steamed and semi-fried in the Microwave and topped with Chilli-Garlic butter for a super quick side dish. Enjoy! :)



To make it, you need:
Chill-Garlic butter first: 1 tbsp (ie 3 tsps) softened butter, pinch of salt, 1/4 tsp Garlic pd or 1 plump garlic,chopped finely, 1/4 tsp chilli pd.Mix everything and chill in the fridge until ready to use.
Prepare the Asparagus: About 20-25 young Asparagus, 1/4 cup water or chicken stock, 1 tsp (1/3 rd of of above chilli butter mix) butter in chunks, 1/4tsp of salt if you are using just water (stock has salt already,do not add more!), 1/8 tsp coarsely ground pepper corns.
Crunchy mix: 1/4 cup Panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) plain or seasoned, 3 tbsp Parmesan cheese, 1/4 tsp garlic pd, 1/4 tsp dry Italian mixed herbs. Mix everything and keep aside.

How to make:
1. Hold each Asparagus at both ends and snap. It will break at the tender spot itself. Arrange them all in a Microwave proof dish.
2. Add water or stock, salt, 1/3rd of chilli-garlic butter and pepper, cover partially and cook on high for 3 mins. Uncover, flip the Asparagus gently and microwave again for 3 more minutes without cover.
4. Take the dish out, sprinkle bread crumbs mixture on top, add 1tsp more of chilli butter and microwave for 1-2 mins.
5. Take it out and add rest of (last 1 tsp) chilli butter on top and cover with a plate to melt it. Serve on the side with any meat dishes or veg dishes.


That's it!! Crunchy Asparagus flavored with Parmesan, Panko, Italian herbs and chilli-garlic butter is now ready to devour!:D

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Bhags from "Crazy Curry" has launched a new and interesting event for us to cook a dish from a novel you have read or movie you watched and named it "This book/(movie) makes me cook!". Sounds great. huh? Well....I had to get in there at the last minute because Bha as I call her is a great book lover like me. I chose to make a very humble "Dal-Roti" as the poorest people of Anand Nagar or "City of Joy" cook and enjoy in their everyday life! Yes, Dal-roti may not be not as glamorous as some dishes in other novels but it keeps their tummy full and fills the heart of all the poor but good hearted citizens of "the City of Joy" no matter what their daily struggles are. Hope the book enlightens you, makes you think how lucky you are compared to many slum dwellers' reality and these humble, comforting and delicious everyday dishes gladdens your heart too! :)

Sri reminded me of her "Roti Mela" event which going on in full swing right now. I am sending my Palak dal and roti to Srivalli from "Cooking 4 all seasons" blog for "Roti mela" as well. Enjoy Sri!:)

The City of Joy(Anand Nagar):
This book "The City of Joy" is written by Dominique Lapierre, who lived in Calcutta for sometimes to study, document and write this book, which is half fiction as well, based on his experiences there. Story has been made into a film with the same name with Patrick Swayze(Max Lowe), Pauline Collins(nun) and Om Puri(Hazari) as main characters.
I had read this book long time ago. Recently, I borrowed the movie from the library and watched it again. Do read if you haven't already or watch the movie. Story in brief goes like this:

Hazari Pal, a farmer from Bihar couldn't pay off his debts and moves his family to Anand Nagar, a slum in Culcutta (Kolkota) in the hope of making enough money to pay his debt and marrying his daughter but looses all his saved up money to a fraud who poses as a landlord as soon as they land in the city.
In desperation, he takes up a job of driving a hand driven Rikshaw, which is managed by a local "Dada", "Bhai" or "God father", underworld mafia style. During his work, he meets a Texan doctor who is visiting India to "find himself" who develops a friendship with him when Hazari rescues the robbed and beaten doctor who lying on the streets bleeding. Together, they meet a nun who introduces them to utter poverty and terrible conditions the slum dwellers live in, whom they try to help to improve with whatever little they have, running a free medical clinic.
When God father dies, his son takes over who determined to destroy the slums and uproot the people who live there, including shutting down the medical clinic run by the nun. As Hazari and the doctor sides with the nun, Hazari looses his only means of livelihood ie the Rickshaw and still doesn't give up hope as long as his family is with him to support and love!
The author writes in his book that inspite of all the trials and travails of the poorest of the poor in Anand Nagar, Calcutta, how they still manage to smile, enjoy simple pleasures of being with their loving family, help the neighbors with kindness in their time of need and enjoying the humble daily meal of warm Dal-Roti on the plate at the end of day spent doing hard physical labor as well as celebration of festivals with fragrant and delicious food served at these celebrations like dal, roti, Tandoori chicken and mint-coconut chutney with such joy which surpasses all the suppression, abuse of everyday and replaces it with faith, hope, love and dignity for life! :)

A humble plate of Hazari family's Palak Dal and Roti:
Palak dal literally means Spinach cooked with spicy lentil gravy and rotis are chapatis made of flour and baked on a griddle, a Indian flatbread similar to Tortilla, a nutritious and filling combo as common in North India as "meat and Potato" in US. Here is a step by step tutorial how to make rotis or Phulkas, the soft and puffed rotis. Enjoy the dal-roti!:)

Rotis/Chapatis:
You need: 1 1/2 cup plain flour, 1/2 cup Wheat flour, or 2 cups of wheat flour/atta, 1 tsp salt, 2 tbsp oil and about 1 cup or more warm water, just enough to make a soft and pliable dough. Do not add too much water at once when mixing, which makes the dough sticky.
To make Rotis/Chapatis:
1. Mix and knead all the above ingredients with enough water well to make a soft and pliable dough. Cover and rest for 15mins and divide the dough into 6 balls, roll each out to 6" circle.
2. Heat a iron or any griddle, bake each roti both sides and brush with little butter when done and keep warm until they are served.
Palak Dal:
You need: 1 cup Tuar dal, or Chana dal or Moong dal or Masoor dal (I used chana dal), 2 bunches of fresh spinach, chopped or 1 pack of frozen Spinach,thawed, about 2 cups water, 1/2 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp oil.
To season: 2 tbsp oil or butter, 1/2 mustard seeds, 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds, 1 onion, chopped, 2 garlic-1" ginger grated or ground to paste, 1 red chilly, 1/2 tsp chilli pd, 1 tsp Coriander seeds powder, 1/2 tsp Garam Masala, salt.
1 tsp lemon juice and cilantro for garnish.
To make dal:
1. Cook dal and Spinach with water and turmeric until soft. Mix well, add more water if it's too thick. I personally like my dal thickish to help scoop it up with soft rotis. Add enough salt.
2. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, 1 dry red chilli and onion. When slightly reddish, add ginger and garlic paste, fry for 1 min and all the dry spice pds, stir for a minute.
3. Add cooked dal and spinach to the pan and simmer for 5 mins. Adjust the salt and spices.
Garnish with lemon juice and cilantro and serve with rotis and onion slices or mint chutney.

Have a joyful week. No matter how your day begins and ends, always count your blessings and keep smiling! :)

Clicking Beans, Gougère/Cheese Puffs

Clicking Matki beans today for my entry to "Click-Beans and Lentils" which JaiBee of "Jugalbandi" blog are hosting this month. Thank you Jugs and all the judges too!:)




About Matki beans:
These cute beans might be the smallest of all beans as far as I know! Soaked and cooked Matki beans are usually used in Maharashtrian Usal to make a spicy dish called Misal. I love the taste and loved to eat Misal when I was in college in a small local restaurant for lunch almost three times a week! Here is the recipe for Matki Pulao I made along with a photo of Matki beans, dry and soaked!:)

Matki beans Pulao:

Camera: Sony Cyber-Shot 4.1Megapixels

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I am making a delicious French appetizer called Gougère to serve with red Wine for Mansi from "Fun and Food" blog's party, who is guest hosting "Monthly Mingle" with the theme of "Appetizers" this month. "Monthly Mingle" event is initiated by Meeta of "What's for lunch, Honey?" blog. Thanks to both of you, enjoy these yummies!:)


Gougère or Cheese Puffs:
Gougère are pronounced as Goozhair in French (say it in French accent please! :D) and also called Cheese Puffs in England. They are fluffy round balls made from a very thick batter called pâte à choux or cheese puff dough or thick batter and usually served with Wine at parties. If you make just the basic dough, you can add sugar and essence, bake these as sweet cream puffs, eclairs etc. and stuff with chocolate ganache or vanilla butter cream. The addition of grated cheese, herbs, spices etc transforms these into savory Gougères. Grated Swiss Gruyere cheese is usually used to make these but I added sharp white Cheddar and few spices to make it yummier!:)

This Recipe for Gougère comes from French chef Jacques Pépin , with my additions of garlic pd, parsley and Chilli flakes. Enjoy!

Red Wine with Gougère/Cheese puffs:
I know some of you are going to ask what kind of Wine did I serve with! :D
Any red Wine will go very nicely with spicy Gougère and white Wine is served with sweet Gougères! This particular red Wine is called "Old Vine Zin"(Lodi Zinfandel of California), a product of "Gnarly Head". It's a dry red Wine and tastes wonderful with warm and spicy Gougères!

Gougère piled up, grab a few! :D
Kids ate them like crazy and we parents enjoyed these with red wine! You can reheat them at 350F for 10 mins in the oven, if there are any left overs. I remember Iyengar Bakery sweet cream Éclairs in Bangalore I used to love, will make that next time! :))

Inside story!!
It should look like this inside after you bake. Fluffy with big holes and crunchy cheesy outside. Make sure the batter/dough is just warm or cold before you add Eggs to mix.

How to make them:
You don't have to use piping bag. After the initial try, I just used a spoon to scoop and drop puff batter on the baking sheet, lot easier!

You need:
1 cup milk or cream,
4 tbsp unsalted butter(1/2 stick),
1/2 tsp salt,
1/2 tsp garlic pd,
1/4 tsp or more chilli flakes,
1 tsp dry Parsley,
Pinch of cayenne pepper,
1 cup all-purpose flour,
3 large eggs,
1/8 teaspoon paprika,
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese,
1 cup grated white Cheddar cheese or any hard cheese you like,
Save some Parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top.

To bake them:
1. Bring the milk,butter,salt,garlic pd, chilli flakes,parsley and cayenne to a boil in a saucepan.
2. Remove from the heat, add all the flour and mix well with a wooden spatula until it's well mixed. Put it back on the heat, keep mixing until you get a lump and dough is not very soft.
3. Take it off put it in a bowl or blender/mixer, let the dough cool before adding eggs, or they will become scrambled in the hot dough.

Preheat the oven to 375F, prepare the baking sheet by spraying no-stick oil or line with parchment paper.

4. When the batter is cooled, start the mixer on low or mix in a bowl by hand. Add 1 egg at a time, mix until well mixed, use all the eggs this way, add in Paprika too. Now mix in both the grated cheeses and mix well with a spatula gently.
5. With a spoon or 1 tbsp cookie dough scooper or with piping bag, drop 1 1/2 tbsp of thick batter on the baking sheet 2" apart in a round shape, don't press it down.
6. Sprinkle the top with grated Parmesan cheese lightly and bake for about 25-30mins or until the top becomes golden.
Don't take them out of the oven too early, they all collapse instead of staying puffy! Don't let them burn either, burnt cheese doesn't taste that great!
7. Take them out on a cooling rack and serve warm or reheat for a short time before serving.

Enjoy, see you all next week. Have a peaceful weekend!:)

Dosti roti stuffed with Dill-Chana dal, Cardamom Iced Tea

My Dosti Roti stuffed with spicy Dill leaves and Chana dal goes to "Roti Mela" and to host Srivalli from "cooking for all 4 seasons", who got such a grand response to her Dosa mela, she has come up with Roti mela now! :D
Here is one from me Sri, thought really hard to come up with this one , enjoy! I can't wait for round up!:))


Roti:Roti, in general is a traditional Indian flat bread, eaten with gravies made of vegetables or meat. It is most often made with wheat flour or atta, sometimes with plain flour or Chickpea flour, any other flour made of grains, cooked on a iron griddle called a tawa. It is similar to a tortilla of Mexico, Lavash in Iran etc. When rotis are stuffed with dry veg or meat preparation, they are often served as they are or just with yogurt, ghee or butter on top.

Dosti Roti:
Dosti means "friendship" in Hindi. This popular roti recipe is influenced by Indian population settled in countries like Guyana, Trinidad etc and are made with slight changes such as adding baking powder to personalize to give it a bit of rise while cooking, which makes the rotis soft.
A dosti roti is made by two layers of thinly rolled out rotis, are then stacked one on the other (or hugged?! :D) just smeared with some oil and/or flour in between the layers, then pressed gently or rolled again to make a double layered roti without any filling and cooked on the tava or iron griddle, often brushed with oil on the rotis while they are cooking. I took the basic idea of Dosti roti and stuffed with south Indian style filling to make it mine!

I thought of making a collage of all the rotis I have made so far in both of my blogs like I did in this Dosa Mela post but list is too long!! So I am just linking to my roti section in my recipe Index. Have fun browsing, you can see all kinds of rotis there!!
Just eating one of these stuffed Dosti rotis will fill you up and very nutritious all in one meal. You can replace Dill with any greens you like or use different dals too. Hope you try.

Dosti Roti with Dill and Chana dal filling, served with Yogurt mixed with chilli and Chaat masala, my style! :)
Ready for you, grab one!Sneak peek inside the Dosti roti:

Step by step photos:
For filling, you need: 1/2 Cup Chana dal, 1 cup chopped Dill leaves, 1 small onion, finely chopped, 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds, 1/2 tsp or more red chilli flakes, salt, 1/2 tsp coriander seeds powder, pinch of garam masala (optional), 1/2 tsp lemon juice.
For dough: 1 1/2 cups of wheat flour or Atta, 1/2 cup plain flour, 1 tsp salt, 2 tsp oil, 1/2 tsp Baking powder, 1/4 tsp chilli pd (my touch!)+enough warm water to make a firm dough. I use my stand mixer and knead the heck out to make a nice smooth dough! :D
Make the filling first:1. Wash 1/2 cup Chana dal, add 2 cups of water, 1/4 tsp oil and microwave for 15 mins or until it is cooked soft. Drain the water, and mash roughly until you get a thick mass, add 1/4 tsp salt. Mix and set aside.
2. Heat 1-2 tsp oil in a pan, add cumin, onion and chilli flakes, stir fry until onion is soft.
3. Add the Dill leaves, 1 tbsp of water cover and cook for 2 mins. Add in all the spice powders, salt.
4. Add cooked and mashed Chana dal, adjust the salt,lemon juice, mix well and cool the mixture.
For dough: Mix all the ingredients for roti to a firm dough with enough water, cover and let it rest for atleast 1 hour. Divide into golf sized rounds, about 10 or 12 pieces.
To make the rotis:
Heat a griddle until medium hot.1. Roll one dough ball out to thin 6"-7" circle, do the same with another dough ball.
2. Now take 1-2 tbsp of cooled dal mix, spread it with a back of the spoon, put the other roti circle on top of the mix and seal the edges by pressing it with your fingers.
3. Press the layered roti with your palm gently and put it on the griddle and cook one side for a minute. Drizzle a tsp of oil on top, flip the roti and drizzle some more oil.
4. Cook both sides until roti is crisp and golden. Serve with plain yogurt, sprinkled with Chaat masala and chill pd which is optional.
Note: Make sure you cook the rotis on medium heat so it cooks the inside as well since it has double layer of thin rotis. Roll out the rotis thin to layer them. If they are too thick, they won't cook properly on the griddle. Enjoy! :)

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Southern Iced (Green) Tea flavored with Cardamom, Honey, Balm Lemon leaves and Lime is my contribution to EC from "Simple Indian food" blog. She is guest hosting "Think Spice think.." event, which is started by Sunita of "Sunita's World". This month EC has chosen of Cardamom as her spice. Thanks for hosting EC, enjoy the chilled Tea! :)


Southern Iced Tea with a Indian twist!
Whenever you visit any homes in the Southern sates of US, specially in Summer months, first thing they offer is Iced Tea as we would offer Tea in North India, Lassi in Punjab and coffee or buttermilk etc in the south of India! Usually in the in South (US), they brew Tea in the morning in large jugs, let it cool, add sugar(for sweet tea) and lemon slices and/or mint to serve chilled or at room temp.
I have added a Indian twist to flavor the southern sweet tea with Cardamom and added honey instead sugar since I don't like my tea or anything for that matter too sweet. I like to taste the tea more than sugar in my iced tea. It's your choice how much sugar or Honey you would like to add. You can also use loose tea granules or any herbal tea to brew, I find bags are more convenient and less messy. Enjoy.

This is what WIKIPEDIA says about the tradition of Iced Tea in America:
"In the United States, iced tea is very popular as an alternative to carbonated soft drinks, especially in the hotter southern states: it is ubiquitous in restaurants, convenience stores, vending machines, and grocery stores. It may be freshly made on premises, or available in bottles and cans, and at self-serve soda fountains. Restaurants typically give the customer the choice of sweetened or unsweetened.
Sweet tea, sometimes known as "Southern Table Wine", is tea brewed very strong with a large amount of sugar added while the tea is still hot. The mixture of sugar and tea is then diluted with water and served over ice and garnished with lemon. Sometimes the diluted mixture is allowed to cool to room temperature. Other times the sugar and tea mixture is not diluted at all but poured hot over a full tumbler of ice to cool and dilute it.
The oldest printed recipe of sweet tea dates back to a community cookbook "Housekeeping in Old Virginia", by Marion Cabell Tyree, published in 1879. The term can also refer to plain tea with sugar or sweetener added. Sweet tea is the common type in the South; elsewhere, unsweetened tea is the standard.
Iced tea was popularized and believed to be created at the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis by Richard Blechynden, but recent evidence has refuted this.[2] Iced tea's popularity in the United States has led to an addition to standard flatware sets; the iced tea spoon is a teaspoon with a long handle, suitable for stirring sugar into glasses".

Southern (US) Iced Tea flavored with Cardamom and honey:Personally, taking a photograph of a drink or a beverage in a glass is the hardest thing to do, pardon me for this unnatural color of tea! It's my shadow standing infront of it, photo taken on a cloudy morning! Look at the bottom part of the color in the second photo, that's how it should look! :P

To make Cardamom Iced Tea:
You need: 1 1/2 cup water, 2 herbal or regular Tea bags of your choice, (I used Green tea with Lemon, herbal tea bags), 3 Cardamoms, take out the seeds and powder or 1/2 tsp of powder, 1-2 tsp of Honey or sugar to taste, 1-2 Balm Lemon leaves (which has natural lemony mint flavor!) or Mint and a slice of Lime or Lemon slice for garnish.

To make it:
This recipe makes 1 large or 2 small glasses of beverage. Double, triple the amount if you like more iced tea, with 2 bags for each glass, approximately.
1. Pour the water in a glass bowl, add cardamom powder and heat in the Microwave for about 1 1/2 minutes.
2. Take it out, add both tea bags, honey or enough sugar, let it seep for 2 minutes. Stir to mix well, squeeze and remove the tea bags. Adjust the sugar or honey to your taste.
3. Take a strainer, strain the tea to a big glass to catch all the Cardamom bits. Let the tea cool or chill in the fridge.
4. Before serving, add lots of Ice cubes, Balm Lemon leaves or mint and a lemon slice in each glass. Very refreshing to drink on a Summer day! Enjoy, see you all later!:)

Leafy Paratha roti/oil roti and Kanji with Cherupayar!

Leafy Paratha roti/Oil roti is my contribution to "Tried and Tasted", a new event which is launched by Zlamushka from "Zlamushka's spicy kitchen" blog. This month we are scouting Cynthia of Tastes Like Home blog looking for her recipes. Thanks for hosting Z, it was fun cooking these rotis from her blog. Thanks to you too Cynthia, great recipe! :)


Tried and Tasted is an event which is just launched by Zlamushka. It's similar to our own Coffee's "Monthly Blog Patrolling", except Z chooses a blog each month for us to scout and cook dishes from. I chose Caribbean style Leafy Paratha roti from beautiful and multi-talented Cynthia, who is also a journalist and writes articles related to food and others as well. Thank you for posting this wonderful recipe Cynthia, we enjoyed it with spicy dry peas masala!:)
Please check out her colorful and always very informative blog about Caribbean traditions and food along with the recipe for leafy paratha roti as well, by clicking on the link below.
I always wanted to try Paratha roti or "Buss up shut" (Busted up shirt, by the way these rotis look after cooking!), so this event was a great opportunity for me to try these. Similar Malaysian Roti Canai I made before is here and Kari Ayam, a chicken curry which goes well with these rotis is here.

Leafy Paratha rotis, from Cynthia's blog:


Another look:

Enjoy!:)

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I have chosen Kanji with Cherupayar from shn of "Mishmash" blog, as my entries to Raaga of "The Singing Chef", who is hosting MBP this month. This event is the brain child of Coffee of "The Spice Cafe" blog. Raaga's "Monthly blog patrolling" include a theme of "Salads and Soups" this month. Thanks for hosting Raaga and my thanks to you shn for these yummy treats! :)

I patrolled shn's blog for a unique but very traditional Kerala combo of soup and salad/stir-fry from Kerala of Kanji and Cherupayar for my entires and thoroughly enjoyed eating them both for lunch. That was one comforting food!
Can these be called soup and salad? Absolutely!! Sambhar is Lentil soup for non-Indians, Risotto is another dish comparable to this rice gruel, with no veggies added and lot thinner of course but topped with spicy Moong, Rasam has the similar texture and concept of a French onion soup, aren't they? Salad can be made with Lentils as well like here!

Kanji with Cherupayar Mezhukkupuratti(Rice soup with seasoned Moong salad):

Kanji is nothing but a delicious soup, made with Rose matta or any rice of your choice, cooked in lots of water (or stock, skip the salt if you use stock) salt until it looks like a thin gruel like soup. Cherupayar is a spicy, (seasoned with onion, chillies etc) soft cooked and drained Moong (Green gram) stir fry which is my absolute favorite to have on the side with plain yogurt and rice or any yogurt Kadhi style gravies. Here is my red chori stir-fry, another variations of beans to use in the same salad.
Although Kanji or Ganji as we call it in Kannada is routinely eaten in some parts of South Canara region of Karnataka, I had never tasted the Kanji before at all, so it was my first try! I loved the simplicity and the taste, great with spicy pickle. I added a pinch of cumin pd and crushed peppercorns to rice which made it tastier and always optional. If you want to make it for lunch, you could add some chicken and veggies to rice but traditional Kanji is always eaten plain.
Please click on the link above to check out the original recipes, read the tradition of kanji in Kerala and other very entertaining, fascinating and colorful with photos of Kerala posts about her formative years spent there in her blog, which I always enjoy reading. Thanks again for everything shn, hugs to you!:)

A closer shot! :)


Cherupayar Mezhukkupuratti or seasoned green Moong salad:

Another dish I tried and loved from shn's blog is "Potato stew or Kerala Eshtu", will link at FH later with a photo.See you all later! :)

PEAR TOMATOES & MW ORANGE STREUSEL CAKE

Pear Tomatoes in all it's natural glory is my entry to "Click-Au Naturel" which Jai and Bee of "Jugalbandi" blog are hosting this month. Thanks to you both and all the judges too!:)




First, let me say that it feels great to be back after 5 weeks' long hiatus. I still have lots of work to do, so I will be blogging and visiting you all just 3 days a week from now on (Mon., Wed., Fri.) and will be participating in very few events if I can, as there are so many events going on these days. Right now, I am glad I have managed to post these, my last minute entries! :)

Pear Tomatoes:
I grew few Pear Tomato plants last Summer, loved and enjoyed each and every fruit of these beautiful tomatoes.They were not only gorgeous to look at, very sweet and juicy to eat too, excellent to make Summer salads. Hopefully, they are few seeds still scattered in my garden patch waiting to sprout up for this Summer's bounty, keeping my fingers crossed! :)



Camera I used: Sony Cyber-Shot 8.1 Mega Pixels

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Microwaved Orange Streusel cake is my entry to "Microwave Easy cooking", which is hosted by Srivalli of "Cooking 4 all seasons" with a theme of "cakes" this month. Thanks for hosting Sri!:)


I am giving you a fabulous tasting and a very fragrant Orange cake with Streusel topping, baked in a microwave!! Can you believe it? Of course, microwave cakes will never be as soft and fluffy as the oven baked cakes but look like quick breads, not bad at all for a cake made within 10 mins, instead of 1 1/2 hrs for a cake baked in the oven when the craving hits you!! :D
This recipe came from an old yellowing microwave cookbook I bought long time ago. Orange cake is really delcious and quick to make in 6-7 mins after the initial prep of the batter. It will taste like a quick bread but lot more delcious than a bread. Read the whole recipe before you start on the cake please, hope you try!:)

Microwave Orange Streusel cake:



A slice for you! :)



Step by step photos, click to enlarge:

Bowl: Prepare the microwavable ceramic bowl about 8" in diameter. Spray no-stick oil or butter inside. Cut a round wax paper to fit into the bottom of the bowl inside and spray again on it to make the cake come out of the bowl easily after cooking.

For Streusel topping, you need:
1/4 cup plain flour,
1 tsp Cinnamon powder,
1 tbsp Unsweetened Cocoa pd,
(I used Ghirardelli Cocoa,Hershey Cocoa will do too)
1/4 cup chilled Butter,cut into pieces,
1/4 cup fine brown sugar,
Mix all these with your fingers until it has a texture like coarse bread crumbs,chill in the fridge until needed.
Or you can use the commercial chocolate frosting on top instead of Streusel for topping.

For Microwaving the cake, you need:
To cream:
1/4 cup Butter, softened,
2/3 cup fine textured white sugar,
1 large Egg.
Liquid mix:
5 tbsps Orange Juice,
6 tbsps whole/2%Milk or half and half,
1 tsp Orange flower essence,
1 tsp grated Orange rind or zest.
Dry mix:
1 1/2 cup Plain flour,
2 tsp Baking powder,
1/8 tsp salt.

How to:
1. Make Streusel topping first, chill it until needed.
2. In a stand mixer or processor, beat butter and sugar until creamy and fluffy on high speed. Stop and add 1 egg, beat gently until creamy.
3. Add liquid mix to it, mix on low speed. Add dry mix to it slowly until everything comes together to a thickish batter. Do not over mix.
4.Pour into the prepared bowl, tap the bottom of the pan gently on the counter top to make the top even and to take the bubbles out.
5. Cook it in the microwave for 3 mins. Take it out, sprinkle the Streusel topping, press it gently on top and microwave it again for 2 more mins.
6. Insert a wooden skewer or knitting needle in the middle to test the doneness. If it comes out somewhat clean, it's done. If very wet, microwave for just one more minute, but not more than that.
7. Take it out, loosen the sides with a knife, shake the bowl gently to loosen the bottom. Invert it on a plate very carefully as to not crush the Streusel (or try to take it out from the bottom i you can), invert again on a cooling rack to cool. Store in a air tight plastic bag or cake stand.
8. Serve a slice with cream if you like and dust with cocoa powder.

Note: Don't worry if you feel that it's still a little moist in the middle of the cake, it will cook as it cools. If you feel that it's not completely cooked, you can always microwave for 1/2 to 1 minute but DO NOT OVER COOK it or else it will be become dry and crumbly.
If that happens ie if it's very dry, prick the top with skewer, drizzle a tbsp of cream or Orange juice in the holes to make it moist again. Each Microwave differs in power, so use your judgment regarding the time for cooking after the first 5 minutes. Enjoy!:))

GREEK EASTER BREAD/ TSOUREKI PASCHALINO

Susan from "wild yeast blog" is hosting this month's "Baking bread day #8" with a beautiful theme of "celebration breads". I am sending her a fragrant Greek Easter Bread/Tsoureki Paschalino to celebrate Easter. Thanks for hosting Susan!:)
Bread baking day event is started by Zorra, who is also celebrating her birthday this month.
"I wish you a very happy birthday Zorra, celebrate and have fun!!"


Easter in Orthodox Greek tradition:
According to author Gary Van Haas ;
"The solemnity of Holy Week in the Greek Orthodox Church ends with the commencement of Easter celebrations, where it glorifies the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. In Greek religion, every Sunday is dedicated to the Resurrection of the Lord, but one hundred days also are dedicated to Easter, 50 before its actual preparation, and another 50 after it in commemorating the glorification of the Lord. Easter is therefore considered, the "Feast of Feasts". On Holy Saturday, the ceremonies of whole week come to a close as people begin to break their fasts, savoring specially prepared dishes like 'margeiritsa' soup, made of lambs innards. The rest of the day is spent preparing for next day's big lamb feast at the Easter Sunday celebrations".

Although we personally do not have Easter celebration at home, I thought I would bake Greek Easter bread for this event and gift the large bread to a friend who celebrates Easter. Easter for Greek Orthodox falls this year on April 27th and for others including USA, Easter is celebrated on March 23rd . Easter bread is traditionally baked with red Egg which represents new life, is one of the delicacies they bake on holy Thursday before Easter Sunday. This sweetish bread is also delicious for breakfast or with Feta cheese for lunch. Enjoy!:)

Greek Easter Bread:
Greek Easter bread also called Tsoureki Paschalino in Greek, meaning Easter Bread. It's another eggy bread beautifully shaped and very fragrant with Aniseeds to bake for Easter. I just had one problem with this recipe, my colored Easter Egg disappeared in the center after the bread is baked, so I stuck a few Dove milk chocolate Eggs on top, had to rescue my poor Easter bread from a sunken Easter egg!:D
It's better to add the colored egg on the top after you bake the bread instead of baking the bread with egg inside it! Of course you can always learn by my mistakes so you don't have to go Easter egg hunting in the deep center of the bread like I did!! Hahaha!!

Greek Easter Bread, Mardi Gras bread and Twister Bread:
These are all made with one dough but you can bake two huge Easter bread loaves with this recipe too instead of making three! And yes, DO NOT try to take photos by a huge window on a very sunny day! ;D


This recipe for Greek Easter bread is adapted by "Williams-Sonoma" Kitchen library book called "Breads". I made one traditional Easter bread and two other shapes just to keep it interesting, it's up to you decide what you want to do. You can also freeze the half of the dough for later too! Click on the collage below to make it bigger to see the step by step pics.

To bake this bread, you need:
Spice mix:
1 bay leaf, (remove this after boiling the spice water)
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon,
1 tsp crushed aniseeds,
1 tsp grated lemon zest,
1 cup water.
Liquid:
1/2 cup milk,
1/2 cup unsalted butter.
To add:
3 large eggs beaten,
1/2 cup sugar,
1 tsp salt,
1 pack or 2 1/4 tsp of Quick Rise Yeast,
4 cups of unbleached bread flour,
2-2 1/2 cups or less wheat bread flour as needed. (or just use 6-7 cups plain bread flour)
To top:
2 hard boiled and dyed red eggs (for two loaves,1 egg for each loaf),
or few chocolate eggs to top if you don't want to use hardboiled eggs,
1 egg+ 1tsp water to glaze,
2 tbsp sesame seeds to sprinkle on top.
Some colorful sugar for Mardi Gras bread! :D

To bake the bread:
1. In a bowl, mix the first 5 ingredients (spices+water) and heat for 2 minutes in the microwave, and discard the Bay leaf. Let the mixture cool to 110-115 F or until lukewarm. (Yeast will die if it's too hot or will not rise if colder than 110F!)
2. Heat milk and butter together for a minute in the microwave until it's lukewarm or 110 degrees. (Same applies here too, keep the temp at 110-115F)
3. On an electric stand mixer bowl with flat beater or by hand, beat the eggs first and then add milk mixture and spice mixture, then add in the sugar, salt and yeast.
4. Gradually add in 5 cups or more of bread flour until it becomes a soft dough and change to dough hook. Keep adding flour if needed up to 2 more cups or less and knead the dough until it's not sticky and pulls away from the bowl for 6-7 mins.
5. Brush the dough ball with oil, cover the bowl and let it rise to double in a warm place for an hour. When it doubles, punch down, place it on the counter.
6. Cut 1/5 of the dough and keep it separately. Shape the rest of the dough into two 8" loaves and place them on to two baking sheets, cover. (just make one loaf if you are using the other half of the dough for other shapes)
7. Cut 1/5 of the dough into 8 parts for 2 loaves and roll each part into a long rope, twist pairs of ropes together to make four twisted pairs of ropes.
8. Place 1 red egg on each loaf in the center (or save to add later) and criss cross two ropes over each egg and tuck in the end of the ropes underneath the loaf. Cover both loaves and let it rise for an hour.

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Egg wash:
9. Beat one egg with water for egg wash and brush the egg mix on the loaves and sprinkle both loaves with sesame seeds and bake them until golden brown for 35-45 minutes, or until it sounds hollow when tapped. Transfer the loaves to a wire rack to cool. Store in a airtight bag and keep it in the fridge to reheat, if you are not using the bread immediately. Best when freshly baked!

Note: Add the colored egg on top to serve or place a few Chocolate eggs on warm bread for a yummy gooey treat. My son ate a slice topped with Duncan Hines chocolate frosting! :D

To make Mardi Gras Bread and the Twister bread!
For colorful Mardi Gras bread: With half of the above dough, cut into half. Shape one to a round loaf, brush with egg, sprinkle colored sugar on top, place a chocolate egg in the center. Cover and let it rise to bake.

For Twister bread: With the other half of the dough ie 1/4 th of the whole dough, roll into about 16" rope, fold in half in the middle and twist the rope around itself and seal the end. Place a chocolate egg on top in the center groove and let it rise to bake later.

Freeze: You can make one Easter bread loaf with half the dough, freeze the other half of the dough for another day! That's it, hope you try and enjoy this Easter bread! :)

Another look:



Happy Easter and happy Holi cerebration to all of you, have a fun and peaceful holiday. Enjoy the Spring, I will see you all again in May!:))

DOSA GALORE; RAVE DOSE, MOONG, MASOOR AND BROWN RICE ADAI WITH KARELA MASALA!

My Dosa galore post goes to "Dosa Mela" and to Srivalli from "cooking for all 4 seasons", who calls herself a "dosa freak" and is calling all of us to send her loads of dosas!!:D
I added two more new dosas to your list Sri. Enjoy them all to your heart's content my friend! Hahaha!




Rave dose, restaurant style!!
I accidentally found this recipe or the way of making restaurant style Rava dosa while I was surfing on the net one day. Vahchef Sunjay Thumma, has become my favorite chef on the "youtube" world since then for showing us the authentic dishes as they cook in the restaurants. His way of making rava dosa absolutely fascinated me. Just look at the result! (Click on all the photos to enlarge them to see better pictures)


I was skeptical at first. When I tried his way sprinkling the very thin dosa batter with a lacy pattern using your hand on a electric griddle, which is perfect to make a huge, thin, crispy rava dosa, I was in for a delightful surprise! It looked exactly like they serve in the restaurant, crispy and tasted delicious. I changed the recipe a bit, added the dry spices instead of fresh to keep the batter smooth and easy to sprinkle, didn't use the raw onion. Here is how I made it with some changes of my own, I thank chef Thumma for showing us the secret of restaurant style Rava dosa and other dishes too!:)

To watch Vahchef's "Rava Dosa" video demo, click here.
The Vendy award (award for the best street Vendor of New York)2007, runner up; The dosa man, Tiru kumar!! Watch him here and here and here!

To make Rava dosa:
1. Mix 1 cup fine rava/Semolina/cream of wheat, 1/4 cup plain flour, 1 cup rice flour, salt, 1 tsp of cumin powder, 1/2 tsp each of garlic pd, ginger pd, chilli pd, 1 tbsp onion pd with enough water (3 or more cups) or buttermilk to make a very thin batter with buttermilk consistency. (Watch the video to see how thin and how to sprinkle the batter on the griddle).
2. Heat the non-stick electric griddle on moderately high/375F to 400F heat, sprinkle the batter with your hand or use a plastic Mustard or Ketchup bottle to squeeze the batter out like I did (cut the tip off if the hole too small) and let it get crispy golden on the bottom, no flipping required. Drizzle oil or ghee on top. Serve right away. (Mix the batter well or shake the bottle every time you use it. Rava tends to sink in the bottom)

Tastes excellent just with thin and spicy coconut chutney to dip in. I served it with Sambhar, coconut chutney and some homemade ghee. Hope you try.

Spicy green Moong, Masoor dal and brown rice Adai:
I love Adai because of the ease of making them without fermentation and very nutritious as well. I keep adding different pulses and beans, this is one of those with Masoor dal, green Moong and brown rice. It has a beautiful pinkish green color inside. Adjust the spices to your taste.



To make Adai:

1. Soak 1/2 cup whole green Moong in water overnight. Next morning, add 1/2 cup Masoor dal (split red lentils) and 1 cup Brown rice to the same water and let it soak for 2 hrs.
2. After 2 hrs, drain the water and grind all these in batches with enough water, 1 tbsp cumin seeds, 1/4tsp turmeric, 2-3 red dry chillies or chill pd, salt, few curry leaves until you get smooth batter of pourable consistency.
3. Take the batter out into a bowl, add 1 tbsp chopped cilantro and a pinch of baking soda.
4. You can use this batter right way to make dosas or chill in the fridge to use later. Add soda just before making dosas.
5. Heat a iron tawa or non-stick griddle, add some oil, spread a ladleful of batter to a circle. Drizzle some ghee or oil on top, flip and cook both sides until crisp and golden.

Serve with red Chutney powder (roasted dry coconut, red chillies, garlic or garlic pd, salt, hing, cumin seeds, ground) and ghee.

Now presenting my Dosa/Pancake/Griddle cake/Crepe Museum!! ;D

These are all the Dosas, Crepes, pancakes, griddle cakes I have made and posted in both of my blogs so far, I am sure I will make some more of these in future!:D

Alrighty, let me link to each of them; from top left to right. Have fun! :)

1. Kerala Aapam (Rice-coconut milk pancakes),
2. Roti Jala (Malaysian flour pancakes),
3. Mysore Masale Dose,
4. Avalakki dose (Flattened rice flakes pancakes),
5. Thari dose (crushed rice-coconut milk steamed pancakes),
6. Thatte dose, plain and with veggies and dal (savory plate pancakes),
7. Uddina bele-Menthya dose (Urad dal-fenugreek seeds dosa),
8. Uttappa (vegetable pancake),
9. Rava dose (Semolina/cream of wheat pancakes),
10. Adai (Brown rice and multi dal dosas),
11. Adai masale dose (spicy brown rice dal dose),
12. Spicy Corn-Zucchini griddle cakes,
13. Zucchini pancakes,
14. All American pancakes,
15. Butternut squash griddle cakes,
16. Soy flour-veggies pancakes,
17. Patishapta (flour-coconut pancakes),
18. Chocolate Crepes,
19. Halasina hannu dose (Jackfruit pancakes),
20. Kayi-bellada dose (Molasses-coconut pancakes).

Are you still awake?! WAKE UP!! Hahaha!!

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Karela Masala is my second entry to Pooja of "creative Pooja" blog's "Vegetable of the week" event. She has chosen "Bitter Gourd/Karela" as her vegetable for this month. You can have this too from me Pooja!:))




Karela/Bitter Gourd masala:
I somehow manage to eat few tbsps of Bitter gourd dish every time I make Bitter Gourd dishes although when cooked and balanced with spices, it won't be as bitter to taste. My husband loves Karela dishes, so I do buy just two of them to cook whenever I can get them in the Indian store. This Karela masala dish comes with a delicious gravy, goes well with rice rottis usually or rice if you can handle it! :D


To make Karela masala:
1. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a non-stick pan. When hot,put in 1/2 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp cumin seeds, few curry leaves, 1 red chilli.
2. Add in 1 medium onion,chopped, fry for 2 min. Add in 2 finely chopped garlic, 1/4 tsp turmeric pd, pinch of salt, stir fry for a minute.
3. To this, add 2 cups of slightly peeled and chopped Bitter gourd pieces and fry until it gets a reddish color on the edges. Add salt and 1 tbsp tamarind juice.
4. Pour in 1/2 cup tomato sauce or 2 chopped Tomatoes, 1 tbsp coriander seeds powder, 2 tsp cumin seeds powder, 1/2 tsp chilli pd, 1 tbsp or more to of powdered Jaggery. stir fry and simmer until oil shows on top. Add some water it's too thick and simmer again.
5. Adjust the heat and sourness in the gravy, tastes good the next day. Add 1 tsp of ghee on top and few tbsps of chopped cilantro, mix and serve.

Long beans Kootu, Eggplant Pachadi, Karela Masala served with plantation style Akki/rice rotti:


Recipes for the other dishes you see on the Thali are here:
For Yardlong beans Kootu dish, click here or you can use this kootu masala to cook with Yardlong beans too. Yardlong beans are also called Mangaluru beans in Kannada.
For Eggplant chutney/Pachadi/bajji recipe, click here.
To make coffee plantation "style" Akki/rice rotti, click here.

That's "all" I have this week, Phew! :D