Are you ready for a non stop bantering from me, for the next 30 days? Well if anybody wants to blame, please feel free to vent yourself at Dhivi. She threw a challenge for the next Recipe Marathon, which is going to be for 30 days. Phew!!! And she took for granted, that I am going to take it up anyway. If you have been following me for a while now, you would've realized that I am not doing a post daily. Reasons being, many asked for recipes that I had already posted. That left me wondering if I am leaving my readers breathless! But when a challenge is thrown at me, I can hardly not take notice of it, right! So here I am, going to be blogging away non stop for the next 30 days. I don't know if I can, but hopeful I can.
I have no idea what I am going to cook. Dhivi and Siri have been very adventurous and decided to do a theme. Though a theme sounds very exciting, I am not sure if I can. But I do have a plan to stick to some theme, nevertheless! I may post some in my Spice your Life blog too!
Do come and cheer us on the way, afterall its the Gold medal we are running for!
Will update the list of my fellow runners soon!
And yeah, before I leave, Pavani has announced the next edition of MEC , themed on Cheese. Do say Cheese and send your entries!
I had tasted these for the first time recently, when hubby dear was given these by his colleague. She is from a background, where the traditional cooking is still in the vogue! Infact when he happened to drop in for lunch, he was served a curry that reminded him of his grandmother. He was telling me that I should talk to her and get insight into their cooking. I am yet to find an opportunity to do that. So when she had made these sweets, I was impressed by the shape and taste. She was supposed to show me a demo on how they make these shapes, but we couldn't make it. When I showed the sweets to Amma, she said she knows another proportion for making Kaja, but she never attempted to shape them this way.
On the day when we were preparing the kajas, we happened to watch these panasa thonalu, over the tele. She said something very fast, only later I recalled the name of this sweet. I couldn't spend much time seeing the chef who was making these, but I had a rough idea. When I got down making these, they turned out so simple. Since I already made the dough and prepared kaja, I wanted to try the other proportion that Amma knows. This method does not require resting time, as ghee is used instead of Dalda. And you can proceed with the process right away!
Kids are back to school today. Konda somehow didn't complain on going to school, whereas the boys cried as they are going after 3 days. I was working both the days, whereas hubby dear was at home, so all the boys had a gala time, playing and napping together. As such both of them are very attached to their father. When he is carrying them both, they won't even come to me, so spending two full days with him, they have become even more. I call the boys his soul mates!
Now coming to these famous sweets called Panasa thonalu, they are called so because they look like Jackfruit bulbs. Eating each strip one by one is fun!
Panasa Thonalu
All purpose Flour / Maida - 1 cup Ghee - 1/4 cup and 2 tsp Sugar - 1 cup Maida for dusting Oil for Deep frying.
Method to prepare:
In bowl, take the maida and ghee. Rub in the ghee well, till you get the crumble. Then slowly add water and knead a pliable dough.
Meanwhile melt sugar and remove scum if any. Then cook till you get one thread consistency.
Divide the dough into small balls of size smaller than regular pooris. Dust the dough and roll out as you do your regular pooris. Roll them as thin as possible.
Using the knife, leaving an inch intact, make long insertions, vertically towards the end. Continue to do so till the end as shown in the picture.
Gently remove from the board, gathering the uncut disc. Shake the disc a bit and the strips will fall as long strips.
Gently drop them into hot oil and cook in sim on both the sides. The trick to get all of the as separate, is to make them as you fry them. When you prepare these shapes and allow them to rest, they will loose shape!
When its cooked on all sides, drop these into the sugar syrup. Let it soak for 5 mins, then remove.
Once they are cooled, store them in an air tight container.
I am sending a box of these to Aparna, who is celebrating her blog's first anniversary. I hope she likes these!
I have mixed feeling on the eve of the Deepavali day. Memories gush in bring in the sweet memories of childhood spun around the Deepavali and what it meant as a child. Every year, almost until after college, the enthusiasm was always there. The crisp new dress and the competition on who fires the first bomb, never dies down. All our colony friends used to bet that they will be the first person to get ready and lit the bombs. Thinking of the excitement that used to stem out of it, even now gets me all excited. I was kind of happy that early morning bug hasn't bit Konda as yet. She was still peacefully asleep when I got up at the dawn. Fireworks started since last evening, all those wonderful rockets blustering different colours out there in the clear sky, was a sight to behold. Chinnu was all excited and was cheering for each one that was on display, while Peddu was going deeper and deeper into my arms at each one. Only this morning, he was happy to be seeing them, from a far distance.
Though I am not as excited as it was as a kid, I went about calling all friends and relatives to wish them on this happy occasion. Everybody had a festive tone on the phone, its really wonderful how infectious this day is to all. A day to spend with loved ones and wishing everybody all happiness, I guess this is the meaning behind the festival of Lights! Konda was all excited when she got up and got ready in record time, to wear her new dress. I remembered my one deepavali, when I had got up in the wee hours as early as 3 am, to get ready. In the haste, I slipped and had a full bath much before! How I can still remember the sore bum, but the enthusiasm was all high!
I have shared our Deepavali traditions much in detail in my last year post. This year, I made sure I learnt how to make Kaja, which is a famous Andhra Sweet. Amma used to make this, along with Athirasams for the Diwali. We skipped making this for the last couple of years, because of its elaborate process. Hubby dear always says, he said yes for the marriage, only after eating the Kesari Bath and Kaja that Amma made for him. He thought being her daughter I would also make both the items well. Kesari Bath of course, I made many times. But Kaja, this was my first attempt on myself. Though I have always been the person who finally press them to shape, I had never kneaded the dough. I got to Amma showed me how to knead and then I continued. It was indeed a lengthy process. Took almost 2 hours for us to complete. I had plans to make Amma's famous Murukus, but after this exercise, I didn't have the stamina. Amma had plans and she prepared them the next day.She made Star Murukkus, Plain ones and then Mixture.
Though Amma was telling me about Kakida Kaja, I don't know the difference. I made Kaja and another famous ones called the Panasa thonalu, because they look like jack fruit bulbs. You can make these with the same dough as kaja, or you have a separate proportions for that too.
Kaja
These are sweets made with All purpose Flour, Vanaspathi and of course Sugar! Once fried, they are normally soaked in the sugar syrup. But they tend to be overly sweet. If you don't want so much sweet, you can powder sugar and sprinkle over the fried Kajas.
I actually wanted to record a video, but since I was also making it, managed only the pictures. Hope the slide show explains the process clearly!
Preparation Time : 1 hour and more Resting Time for the dough - 1 & 1/2 hrs Makes - 50 pieces
Ingredients Needed:
All Purpose flour/ Maida - 500 gms Vanaspathi Dalda - 100 gms Cooking Soda a pinch Sugar - 1 kg Maida - 1 tbsp for dusting Gram flour - 2 tbsp for dusting.
Method to prepare:
For the dough:
Shift Soda along with the flour in a wide bowl. Add the dalda and crumble well. Then slowly add water and knead to a pliable dough. It should be of medium softness and not to stiff. Knead till you get that smooth texture on the dough.
Cover the dough a wet muslin cloth and let it rest for 1 & 1/2 hours, you can allow it for 2 hrs too. Once 2 hrs is done, knead again and divide to equal size balls of the size shown in the picture. You will get about 6 balls of that size.
For the Sugar Syrup
Meanwhile, have the sugar melting over a pan. Remove scrum if any, then bring it to a boil. Cook till you get a consistency of one thread. This you can confirm, by touching the syrup with your thumb and index finger, when you move, you will find one thread forming. Switch off the heat and cover with lid.
For Making the Kaja
Dust the dough with maida and roll the first ball to a disc of 1" thickness. Remove to a plate. Then roll out the second ball to the same size.
On the second rolled out disc, apply melted dalda and gram flour. Spread evenly all over. Now take the first disc and place on the second. Press firmly.
Again repeat the brushing with dalda and gram flour on the top. Then starting from top, fold it inside, as shown in the picture. Do the brushing and dusting. Fold again, repeat and fold till you reach the end.
Then cut into small pieces of 1 inch size. Then dust them again in maida, press them down on the vertical side, then roll them out to get a long strip as shown in the picture.
Heat a kadai with oil. Since the dough is mixed with Vanaspathi, it does not drunk much of oil. Once its hot, drop in the rolled out kajas gently and cook in sim. The entire batch has to be fried in sim, so add enough to cover the oil. Turn to the other side to cook evenly.
Once they are done, drain the kajas and drop them into sugar syrup. Gently press in so that , it soaks the sugar. Let it soak for 2 mins, then remove and spread for it to cool.
Fry all of them the same way and allow to cool before storing them. These normally stays good for about 7 - 10 days.
Note: Heat the Sugar syrup in between the whole process a couple of times, for it to be absorbed well. If the sugar syrup is not enough, add some more sugar and water, bring to the same consistency before add the fried Kaja.
While I was still making these, Athamma said Chinnu will like something Savory and made the Salt Diamonds as I call them. She made it almost the same way as I did. When he came back from school, he saw the box of these and went about completing it by evening, anyway it was a small serving.
I feel exhausted typing so much, will be back with the recipe for Panasa thonalu later.
Deepavali is celebrated on Tuesday in Andhra, so we are having two days of celebrations!
Hope Deepavali preparations are on full swing at your place! It is in mine. Since Saturday, we are doing nothing but some sweets for savories for Deepavali. I remember my childhood, when Amma would start off the preparations a week before, getting the flour ready for the Murukkus. Then for the Athirasams. She also used to make our most favorite Kajas. This year, we thought we will skip the Athirasams, but make Kajas. That will be posted tomorrow. Today's special is Athamma's special. She saw this in some tele and had prepared it couple of times. All the times, it was over before even I could click a picture. So this time round, we thought we will prepare again, atleast for the pictures. It came out very well again.
I remembered my Moong Dal Halwa and wondered if it ought to be prepared the same way. Though this method uses Moong Dal, its prepared differently. But I am not sure why its called Ashoka Halwa. If you know, you can let me know the reason. The last time she made, she didn't add any food colour, so it was a natural orange colour. This time, she thought she would make it red!
This is a great replacement for Moong Dal halwa, which takes a long time to get done. This is quick and simple. And no compromise on taste!
So another Halwa to sweeten your Diwali!
Ingredients Needed:
Pesarappu / Yellow Moong Dal - 1 cup Milk - 1 & 1/2 cup Sugar - 2 cups Grated coconut - 3 tbsp (opt) Ghee - 3 tsbp Cardamom a pinch Red Food colour a pinch (opt)
For Garnish
Cashew nuts Almonds
Method to prepare:
Heat a pan with ghee, roast the nuts and keep aside, then roast the grated coconut.
Melt the sugar in a pan and get a one thread syrup.
Meanwhile, take the dal and milk in a bowl. Fill the pressure cooker with water. Place the bowl of dal in the cooker and cook for 2 -3 whistles. Once the dal is cooled, grind to a smooth paste.
Boil together and pressure cook. Grind to a smooth paste once its cool.
Take Ghee in a thick bottomed pan, then add sugar syrup, then add the dal paste, cardamon, grated coconut (if you are adding) and half of the nuts. Mix well till you get the consistency of halwa, you can know this when the sides starts leaving.
Grease a plate and spread. Garnish the rest of the nuts over the top
This stays good for 2-3 days, if its not devoured before!
Korra Annam, as its called is referred as Foxtail Millet, maybe be easily available to all. But I wanted to share variation made with Korra annam, with you all. I have mentioned before, this was the staple food at my Athamma's maternal house and she grew on this. She had adapted this to her family too and even now she gets a bag of this from her native. The most common way this is confused is as the cooked one, its referred as Annam, since its eaten with dal. She was very enthusiastic when I asked her to show me the different ways this can be used in cooking. We have made dosas, idlis, upmas and of course, a payasam too with this cooked millet. The taste of this yummy Korra Annam payasam, is something you got to taste, to know how delicious it is. Well if you can imagine the taste of Palakova, you are somewhat close!
Come weekend, we are left wondering what to make for the neivedhyam.So this time Athamma said she will make this payasam, that she used to eat at her mom's place. Imagine that! I was really glad that she was teaching me a traditional Indian sweet made with a rare ingredient. Since on Sunday, my kids always get up early, Athamma didn't want to take it for chance. So it was all done before they got up. She had so delicately roasted the nuts in ghee to sprinkle over it. I sprinkled all over with a sense that the picture looks perfect! Of course, it was all over after the pooja was done. I can still feel the lingering taste of this delicious payasam!
The clock struck 6.30 pm and I hurried away home, as I had to reach on time. I rushed away heedless of the rain drizzling or the hurried vehicles zooming by. I hastily looked at the showroom that had dazzling sarees on display. It was a pass time once, to look at the sarees on display and wonder who would really want to tie such sarees. Whenever I see that showroom, I get reminded of reading about Madame Curie. In one of the dinner parties she attended, she saw ladies all decked up with diamonds and jewelries. Her husband thought she was also taken in by those ornaments. But she replied that with that amount of money, she could set up so many labs! Well I don't' really want to set up a lab right now, just a comparison!
Well lunch for today was a different affair. For a change we made a simple channa curry or channakurma. It was delicious to have with chapatis, hubby dear enjoyed it, from the regular rice spread! This is the south indian way of making channa. Its called Senagalakurma in telugu.
Today's Lunch Box had
Channa Kurma Chappati Rasam Rice Curd Rice
Ingredients Needed
Channa - 1 cup Onion - 1 medium Tomato - 2 medium Ginger - 1" Coconut paste - 1 tbsp Chili powder - 1 tsp Coriander powder - 1 tsp Fennel powder - 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder a pinch Oil - 1 tsp Salt to taste Coriander leaves for garnish
Method to prepare:
Soak Channa overnight. Pressure cook in water till tender.
Heat a pan with oil, saute grated ginger. Then add finely chopped onions. Once they turn brown, add chopped tomatoes. Simmer for 10 mins for the tomatoes to soften.
Then add all the spice powders, salt and combine well. Simmer for 5 mins, till the oil comes out. Then add the coconut paste and saute.
Add required water, bring to boil. When it thickens to desired thickness, add chopped coriander leaves.
I may be drinking only a soup, but who says I am not enjoying? If you must know, I am having a feast every night. With the chill breeze steeping in through the windows, I sip my piping hot soup and can literally feel the heat strolling through my windpipe. Oops, its not wind pipe is it, I meant the throat! Well whatever, you get the draft right. Every sip reminds me of those many times in past, I had enjoyed this quintessential Tomato Soup. This typically is Amma's another one of those wonderful concoctions. Though I remember being the person, who read out to her a decade ago, she has since then changed and modified and added her signature touch!
Though at the risk of being repeated, I am not a soup person. But who can say no to something that's so delicious? Other than at home, I can vouch I have never sip a tomato soup elsewhere. Soup, if at all, has always been Sweet Corn Veg Soup. So I have enjoyed this version of Amma's Tomato Soup. I had it at various times in life. Early years of remembering this, would be that time when I was recuperating from a fall, then during pregnancy. And when she wanted Konda to have an intake of Veggies, so she camouflaged them as soups. Since she was anyway going the full yard, she used to make for me too. Oh how I remember enticing Konda to drink this, saying Ammama made only for her, 'cos she has to grown tall, strong and healthy! Magical words to get my daughter eat, is to say Ammama made for her. She will even eat a full meal that way!
Amma adds ghee roasted bread crumbs as garnish. In our recent trip by train, hubby dear said, that the only good stuff sold, was the tomato soup. So Konda was all excited to taste. It was, of course, served with bread crumbs. She eat up all the bread crumbs and gave the cold soup back to me! I was reminded of that incident when I added the dry toasted bread crumbs to my soup. This fits the bill the outside climate demands, you wonder what's special today, well a bowl of that hot Tomato soup to shoo off the cold!
Ingredients Needed:
Tomatoes - 2 medium Carrot - 1 small Onion - 1 medium Clove - 1 Cinnamon - 1 " Mint Leaves - 5 Salt to Taste Pepper to Taste All purpose flour - 1 tsp (opt) Milk - 2 tbsp (opt) Oil - 1 tsp Butter/ Ghee - 1 tsp
Getting up to a chilled, snow kissed morning is wonderful. Ok, keep it rain kissed mornings. We can't imagine snow hitting us right! But can't we be allowed to dream about it too? If only snow comes to my city, I can only have a wishful thought. As such, the monsoon season gets an irritated reaction from people, who worry more about drying the cloths, than enjoying them. So what will their reaction be, if they are faced with a snow hit city! I have seen answering almost the same questions every year, that Athamma poses on our dear climate, which is so characteristic of this city. Even in a peek hot summer, you can expect a shower of rains to visit you. So this onslaught of rains in winter, no doubt makes her ponder so. It had Athamma wondering why its raining non stop the last two days and when we might have a respite from it. For me, its been a heaven. I have had my share of drenching in the rains, at every chance I got. The very thought of wading through a pouring rain, is enough to lift any gloomy sentiments you might have!
So getting up in the morning, to be welcome by a scantily lit sunlight, you will only feel snuggling back. But there are always the Monday morning blues right. So with heavy heart woke up Konda and I went about my morning tasks. I was all ready to leave by time. I was reminded of those wonderful evenings, when with rains thrashing away, you indulge in a cuppa of coffee with hot bajjis. Wish it was one of those days now. There has been hardly any such days at home nowadays. All of us get back quite late in the evening for us to enjoy such snacks. Still I am hoping one day will come!
Any raining day and you are all reminded of hot pakodas or bajjis to enjoy the day. Though I have both a banana bajji and Palak Paneer Vada in making, I choose the latter, for want of a variation.
So her comes a lip smacking Palak Paneer Vadas to treat you virtually, to enchant you on a rainy day.
Ingredients Needed:
Palak/ Spinach - 1/2 cup Paneer - 150 gms Gram Flour / Besan - 1 cup Rice Flour - 2 tsp Ajwain / Carom Seeds - 1/4 tsp (opt) Ginger Garlic paste - 1/2 tsp Chili powder - 1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp Onion - 1 medium Coriander leaves - few springs Curry Leaves - few Salt to taste Oil for frying
Method to prepare:
Wash and drain the Spinach leaves. Chop it finely. Grate the paneer and keep aside
Chop the Onions, Coriander leaves.
In a bowl, take the besan and rice flour along with all other ingredients. Mix well. Add more besan if needed to get a batter that holds shape. Add very little water to bind. Infact its enough to just wash the onions and Spinach and use that along with the flour. It should be enough to hold shape.
Using your left palm, take little of the batter the size of a ball and pat them down. Make a hole in middle for it to get fried well.
Heat a pan with oil. Once its hot, gently drop these shaped vadas and cook on both sides.
Once done, drain on over kitchen towel.
Serve hot with tomato sauce. I think this tastes great when hot, but no harm trying it warm if you want!
It tasted simply great. If you don't like Spinach much, this is the best way to eat.
If you are conscious of deep frying, you can shallow fry this too. Spread oil in a pan and place the vadas and sprinkle few drops over it. Cook on both sides. This was also a good way.
Most times cooking whats just needed is quite hard to achieve. You do tend to over do on dishes and they end up sitting in the cold comforts of the fridge, wondering when you will cast an eye on it. Well that's not true to T, but of course for effect its accepted. I don't normally cook more than whats needed. And if its so, its with non -veg dishes, which gets done by next morning.
So this chicken fry that I made the previous night had to be completed and so it took the form of a sandwich. It was a perfect blend of spices with a delicate touch of cashew that added the richness to the whole dish. It went well with chapatis, and even more between a slices of ghee toasted bread.
How do you manage leftovers?
Ingredients Needed:
Chicken - 250 gms Onions - 1 medium Ginger garlic paste - 1/1 tsp Chili powder - 1 tsp Coriander powder - 1 tsp Clove - 1 Cinnamon - 1" Tomato - 1 medium Salt to taste Oil - 2 tsp Cashew nut powder - 2 tsp Coriander leaves for garnish
Method to prepare:
Wash and cut chicken into small pieces. Heat a pan with oil and add clove and cinnamon. Then saute onions. When its light brown, add the ginger garlic paste. Saute well.
Then add the chicken pieces and cook on high flame for 2 mins, while you are stirring for browning.
After 2 mins, add the spice powders. Cook to combine everything well. Then add chopped tomatoes and cover.
Cook in sim for 20 mins. Remove lid and add the chopped coriander leaves. Mix well.
Then add the cashew nut powder, mix well. Ensure you stir in between, else it might get burnt.
Remove once the liquid is all evaporated.
For making the sandwich, trim the slices and toast with ghee. Remove the bones in the chicken and stuff the chicken pieces in between the bread slices. Press well and cook on sim.
This is a great way to make use of chicken and with toasted bread, its just out of the world!
Its fun to see how little ones pick up words. Peddu says "Mana" for No and Chinnu says Nana or Vana for No. This is their standard response for any query you pose them. Be it calling them for a bath or eating, their immediate response would be either Maana or Naana, with their heads shaking to show no. Peddu is picking up words much faster and he typically says with his own slang. Last evening, Konda was watching Mr. Beans and hubby dear was standing carrying him. He was literally laughing aloud, as if he understood what was shown.
Coming to their eating habits, other than their regular food, they are ready to taste anything new. Peddu especially is willing to taste new things. Whereas Chinnu backs off. But this one particular food, was something both of them loved the moment I gave them. As you might know, Gongura is something that's held very close to heart to us. I simply love the Gongura chutney that Amma makes. So when we had another bunch of leaves with us, we were wondering what new way to cook it. So this rice dish came upon. After it was ready, I was about to taste when both the twins came running, asking for a feed. I was hesitant but they won't let me go. So had to give them a sampling. But they liked it so much that they wanted it again until it was all over. Of course, it was just a small sample I did the first time. This rice dish is something that's spicy, tangy and all exciting all together! Not to mention, it can be prepared in jiffy!
Ingredients Needed:
Cooked Rice - 1 cup Gongura leaves - 1 cup Onions - 1 medium Curry leaves - 5 Mustard Seeds + Urad dal - 1/2 tsp Bengal Gram - 1/2 tsp Cashew Nus - 5 Whole Turmeric powder a pinch Chili powder - 1/2 tsp Red Chillies - 4 Salt to taste Oil - 2 tsp Lemon Juice - half
Method to prepare:
Wash Sorrel Leaves/ gongura well. Allow to drain well. Chop onions and have other things ready.
If you have cooked Rice, this is the best way to make use of it. Else cook rice in the usual way. The rice should not be soggy but as separate grains. More like you do for Fried rice.
Can you imagine a day without eating rice? I might get mixed reactions for this. But are you one of those people, who need to have rice atleast once a meal in some form? Do you feel deprived if you don't have it for atleast one meal in a day? Then you are plagued with the need to find new ways to eat this. Maybe you are comfortable with eating with side dish or make dishes with Non Veg. But what if you run out of ideas?
Well here comes an answer to your quests. So this edition of Mela will hope to answer all your needs in finding a dish with Rice as the main Ingredient. I hope you will indulge me again with all your beautiful creations. It can be sweet or in any form but using Rice as the main ingredient!
What is accepted:
Any dish which has rice as main ingredient and in any form. It can be breakfast, lunch or dinner. When I say that there are breads made from Rice flour or used in soups, I hope you get the draft! It can be both Veg and Non-Veg. And from any Cuisine.
Send in as many as you like from now till Nov 30th 2008. Email your entries to cooking4allseasons@gmail.com
To participate in this event, please follow the below! Email and link back to this post are mandatory, if one of them is missing your entry will not appear on the roundup. Thank you for your understanding.
1. Cook anything that's has Rice as main ingredient and post it on your blog from now till Nov 30th 2008. Can send in as many entries are you can!
2. Add a link back to this event announcement, would be nice if you can include the logo!
3. Please send me an e-mail to cooking4allseasons@gmail.com with the following info.
Subject : Rice Mela Your preferred Name Dish Name Your post URL A picture of the dish
4. Non bloggers can e-mail me the recipe and the picture and I will include it in the round up.
5. If you feel you want to participate but can't find time enough, I will accept already posted entry, if you create a NEW POST linked to this announcement. But it will be really fun to create a new dish!
6. If you want to submit multiple entries, do link your old posts in your new posts, but please do link the announcement page in your original post too.
Looking forward to all your enthusiastic participation!
We are just back from our two days trip and weekend saw us celebrating our twins 2nd birthday. I had planned for few things, but looks like plans are only for paper! Chinnu was not keeping well and everything was so hectic that we didn't get to do anything properly. I wonder if all parents face the same pressure during such time. We had the birthday party at home and then hurried up to start an early day for the trip next morning. Luckily both of them are much better today. We even managed to send all of them to school on time. We had gone to Tirumala for blessings and now Peddu and Chinnu spot a shinny tonsured head! They are now going to be referred as bold and bald head boys for couple of weeks!
Getting back to today's recipe, let me warn you upfront that, coming days you will be seeing some soups taking the center place in my blog. I had always wondered why I never got around featuring Soups. which is missing from my Recipe Index! Yes, as I have said, I am not really a very keen soup person. But I decided I am going to address that and so you will be seeing handful of soups parading over here. I have few delicious soups tucked away and have tried many in those bygone days. But then thinking of making soups and then having it included in regular dinner, makes it such a lengthy process. So had always kept it for another day to come. Now that's become the schedule!
Those days when I was making soups, I used to enjoy the time spent with Amma. We used to make together. So when I decided that I am going to make those soups again, I asked Amma to make them for me, as I was not able to get back home on time during nights. This delicious cabbage soup was entirely Amma's own concoction and she was hesitant if I would like it or not. But believe me, it was simply so yummy that I have already made this again couple of times. Cabbage, as you know, is very good for health. Consuming a bowl of raw or half cooked cabbage helps you in losing weight, apart from so many beneficial factors.
Ingredients Needed:
Cabbage - 150 gms Onions - 1 medium Garlic - 3 - 4 medium sized pods Salt to taste Pepper as per taste Oil - 1 tsp Maida / All purpose flour - 1 tsp (opt) Butter - 2 drops (opt) Milk - 3 tbsp
Method to prepare:
Wash and chop cabbage roughly. Chop Onions and Garlic. Keep aside.
Heat a pressure cooker with oil. Roast the chopped Onions till they are pink. If you are using All purpose flour, then roast once the onions are done.Then add the cabbage and roast for 2 mins.
Then add 1 cup of water and pressure cook the roasted vegetables. Pressure cook for 1 whistle and allow it to cool.
Once cooled, grind to a smooth paste. Sieve and run for a smooth paste. Add water as per consistency.
Cook without lid, add salt, pepper. Simmer and add milk. Cook for 1 min. Bring to boil or till you get the required thickness.
I have done without adding APF and butter, there is not much difference in taste. It was yummy this way too. I simply couldn't believe it was a soup with Cabbage!
It was filling on its own, but I also had a serving toasted Brown bread for some!
Finally after a long delay I am here with the round up of Microwave Cooking with Chocolate. Different things kept this round up at bay. I am happy that I am finally able to do this. Again we have some wonderful dishes out from Microwave. Unfortunately I wasn't able make anything, but then there are so many dishes that I feel happy!
I finally thought I should invite fellow bloggers to help me host this event. So contact me if you are interested to host this event. I know this isn't the most easy event but still hey we have a load of dishes coming out from this. Those interested, please mail me at cooking4allseasons@gmail.com. You have the liberty to decide on the theme and you can use the same logo.
Coconut Barfi is yum, and to top it with chocolate, thats ultimate!
********************************************** If this is mediocre cake decorating, I don't how beautiful cakes will be from Aparna. She says these are easy to eat. All it needs is to peel them off and just eat!
********************************************** These yummy brownies from Divya is made in Microwave are tasty and perfect in texture.
And of course who will say no to something so sinfully delicious that gets done in 10 mins.
********************************************** This beautiful strawberry dipped in chocolates are sure to tempt anyone. And Usha says she never used Microwave for anything else till now than for reheating.
So its a delicious way to start the journey with chocolate delights!
********************************************** Now who won't be fond of something thats silky, soothing, and scrumptious. Well Cham is referring to Chocolates, especially dark ones.
So that prompts her to make Dark chocolate blended with fruits & nuts.
********************************************** I am fond of Gulab Jamuns and if its glazed with chocolate, what more can you ask?
Thats what Priya does and no doubt also they vanish immediately.
********************************************** Divya knows how to tempt me. Nevertheless I am stern not to succumb to her lovely choco chip cake.
Now imagine how wonderful it will be bitting on a chip in every other morsel of sinfully delicious cake!
********************************************** There is always a never ending praises for oats and when its combined with chocolate, well I don't have to say how irresistible it becomes.
Thats exactly what Jayasree tries for her guest, who I know would've enjoyed every bit of this! ********************************************** Kamalika always wants to try out baked dishes if they are from microwave and this one caught her attention.
Well I know how delicious these chocolate brownies are. ********************************************** These lovely nut chocolates are something nobody can resist. And Lakshmi says these can be made in a jiffy!
Looking at the picture, you might wonder its show! Well you are wrong, for its lovely coconut dusted over a chocolate cake, that Lakshmi makes it look so pretty!
**********************************************
Thank you for sending in and looking forward to the next theme!
AyudaPooja always brings in so many wonderful memories. Every year its the same rituals that are followed at home. I remember those many AyudaPoojas spent during childhood at home. Its the same every year, Amma would have the house cleaned, along with the electrical appliances, and then you can see her marching with a bowl of Kunkum and Sandan, to adore each of them. And I will find Dad going behind her and clean them off neatly. Then Dad will get on saying why should you apply these kunkum over these appliances, they for sure get stained! Later years, he used to ask me do the cleaning job. Then I used to tell Amma to put on places where it won't stain. Still the entire drama used to be fun to watch. While Amma used to be busy with her pooja at home, Dad, Sri and me, would go get the Car and Bikes ready. All would be washed again and adored with flowers and yes, applied kunkum and sandan!
After praying to the Sun God and doing arthi, the coconuts are broken along with the pumpkins and lemon. The guy who does the pooja, will then go around the car and bikes with each of them. The lemons are kept under each tyre and once the pooja is done, we got to run over the lemon and go for a round. The lemon would invariably slip and we would've to look around for it! What fun! After marriage, hubby dear joined the fanfare and it used be another rounds of same rituals and ceremonies!
This year it was no different, only we didn't actually get to do it ourselves. Though we had everything ready, our boys decided they wanted to be carried. Konda was busy playing with her friends. Parents joined us along with Sri and his family. We had both Konda's and my niece's cycles, also adorned with flowers and occupying the center spot! Yellow and Pink, both looked so pretty and beautiful. Thats my niece's shadow, she was jumping with jubilation!
The prasad for Ayudapooja, is usually two types of puffed rice along with jaggary and Fried gram, along with fruits. As for the lunch today, we kept it simple as kids didn't allow us much space. So made only pesarapappupayasam for offering. Its a delicious one. We also make, Senagapappupayasam, though moong dal has a different taste all together.
Moong Dal Payasam ~ PesaraPappuPayasam.
Ingredients Needed:
Split Moong Dal / PesaraPappu - 1 cup Jaggary - 1 cup Cardamom - a pinch Roasted Cashew and Raisins - for garnish Grated Fresh coconut - 1 tsp Poppy Seeds - 1 tsp Ghee - 2 tbsp
Method to prepare:
Heat a pan with ghee and roast the moongdal. Allow it to cool. Then roast the cashew nuts, raisin, keep aside.
Meanwhile, melt the jaggary with little water and remove scum.
Take the roasted moongdal in a pressure cooker. Then add melted jaggary to the dal along with poppy seeds, cardamom and if liquid is not enough , add water thats enough to cover the dal. Pressure cook for 1 to 2 whistles or till cooked.
Once cooked, remove the lid and again cook till you get a smooth consistency, add the grated coconut and roasted nuts. Add the remaining ghee.
Serve hot. or if you prefer it cold.
You can use sugar but since jaggary is more good for health, this is always is preferred.
Enjoy your festival moment with a bowl of sweet Moong Dal payasam.
Life seems to be void of any music off late! Not that we aren't dancing to the tunes of our kids, I am referring to the Music as in listening to songs or watching movies. For me, music means those soulful songs that were sung by Kishore, typically those old classic hits. It was almost like he sang those just for me, for my imagined pathos in life. I wonder why life is so ironical. When you have no pathos in life, you get to hear all those soulful songs and cry a bucketful, for no cause or reason. But when it is actually so, you hardly get time to even stand still for a moment, let alone listening to numbers, which gets your sore soul elated!
But yesterday I happened to listen to one of those songs, that instantly has your spirits up. It was Aadha Hai Chandrama from Navrang. Though I am particularly fond of Kishore Kumar's songs, I am generally in love with all those old classics. Maybe it has to do with my Dad being fond of old classic Hindi songs and I grew up on that. Dad has this habit of suddenly remembering a song and gets me to find him that song. This time, the best thing I did was search net and got this on Youtube. He is so very fond of another number from Shera. I am yet to get that one downloaded. But this song, magically transported me to those many late nights, spent listening to these soulful songs in a dim lit room, for an effect! Thinking of those days of wonderful childhood, leaves you gasping, longing for those moments back. All my young days were spent trying to emulate my Dad and married life, emulating my mom. I ardently hope, I have atleast some qualities that my kids feel worthy to think back!
Anyway, enough of my single minded bantering, its time for the final part of the exciting Curry Mela. I was so two minded on these lovely entries. Should I put them together or combine them with the rest. But I decided that the best way to show my appreciation to the contributions these wonderful bloggers did to Curry Mela, would be to put it together in a single post.
So here comes the Multiple entries with so many exciting and interesting entries. An update on the total entries, its actually 350 entries now. This final edition showcases entries from bloggers who have sent in 10 or more. We have 32 entries from Priyanka, 11 from Divya Vikram, 10 from Aartee, Lakshmi of Taste of Mysore, Srilekha, including 70 from me.
I was actually stumbled to write on the individual entry as they were one too many!
I couldn't really believe Priyanka started blogging just some 6 months back. In such short span, she has managed to create a beautiful place for herself. Very talented blogger, she has other interesting talents to add on to food blogging. Managing her arts, taking care of a 1 yr old, she manages to cook beautiful food with so many varieties. I actually couldn't point out which was more interesting. When you land in her place, you get the fast pace she has, through her post.
If I have to talk about one post I liked over the rest, was her Mughlai Paneer. A busy day finds Priyanka hard pressed for dishing out the lunch plans she had. And hubby dear comes to rescue and she accounts her own creation of a Mughlai Paneer to save the day! Creatively pours in many forms I must say!
Now lets have an overdose of Priyanka's other Vegetarian dishes and I warn you, each of those will leave you craving for more. I really wonder how she takes time to make new ones so frequently! Not to mention her lovely paintings and others, its really nice that she does a great looking cooking too!
Priyanka is one blogger, without whom this curry mela would not have reached so many numbers. Sweet lady that she is, she sent me without hesitation all her wonderful curries! And my, that enthu she conveys through her post is infectious...after reading them, I feel I am geared up to race again!
Do check out her lovely veggie curries and her awesome non veg curries. You won't believe, she seems to have tried one chicken variety from all states. You can find authentic pubjabi chicken to andhra kodi gasi, not to mention those kormas...
Sorry Priyanka, I so wanted to comment on each, but there were so many, I thought it will be great to have all of them in one place! Thank you very much for your many entries and support!
********************************************************* Next set of entries comes another young lady, hardly out of her teens! Well Divya Vikram, my dear ninja friend didn't let me down and you can't believe she can dish out so many recipes everyday! She sent me all her curries on list. And I was left drooling at each picture not knowing which one was more delicious. Be is all those Kuzhambus, or those yummy curries with channa, mattar or black eyed, or with other veggies, you name it, she has it for you!
All her pictures are delicious to feast but the one that caught my eye is her Channa Masala. Maybe because of nostalgic reasons. Divya tries this delicious looking channa masala for the first and wasn't disappointed. So we know how yummy it must've been. She likes it with poori and bread. Yea I remember eating it with bread too!..
Not to be left out without a non veg dish, she sends in her Chicken Chalna. I know where my next chalna is going to come from!
From Nalabagham, comes Aartee with her set of curries, each with a tale of its own. Be it this exciting curry which came about because Aartee had couple of things on hand like baby corn and soya and quickly comes up with this great looking dish. Guess what we are happy she had those on hand!
Or the couple of dishes that Aartee prepares with Ridge gourd, which are easy to prepare and quick to finish too. I personally like it better with dal but I have never really known this to be cooked with Lime!
Not to mention her non veg entries which gets about some delicious ones. Aartee getting tired with making the same old recipe, tries out a variation and gets laurels from her hubby. Now there is nothing more than getting approval on your dish right!
If you are bored with the chicken, you have the egg curry. Aartee makes her favorite dish from her childhood. Egg curry for sure is something all of us resort to, when the need strikes for a quick yet tasty one. And Aartee no doubt looks great!
In the hurry don't forget to check out her other chicken dishes or her seafood spread! And after reading through all Aartee's posts, I know she has a great friend named Bindiya. The way Aatee praises her cooking skills, sure makes me want to meet her.
Lakshimi of Taste of Mysore, tries to recreate the taste of different parts of Karnataka. Imagine, I am dumbstruck at the different cuisines we have in general, and here she goes talking about different way of cooking in one state!!!...And you must read the sweet tale of how we Indians complicate our lives!
While you are at it, check out her other lovely dishes! Be it the authentic Stuffed Brinjals or the famous Majjige Huli or the famed gojjus, she has it all!
Sowmya Tripurant does a guest post in Lakshmi's Cooking Station blog. And what a delicious dish she has to share. Its none other than our crowd pleaser Aloo Dum!
********************************************************* Next comes another lovely set of curries from Srilekha. She sends all her curries with gusto for the Curry Mela. Be sure to check out all her curries in one place!
Be it the Mutton varieties or the veg curries, she has got them in one place!
********************************************************* Finally from me, my set of gravies
I wonder why at times we feel we don't have enough time to do all that we want in a day! Off late, I am plagued with a need to find time for everything that I plan out. And most times its not working out. So I have decided not to plan too many things that I end up getting disappointed. I planned to have a day in between each part so that everybody gets a chance to read. Not sure if that's fine or not! Anyway that gave me the much needed time to work on my Spice your Life! The previous template was not loading properly So worked on it and also changed the template. Well it might look very similar to Cooking 4 all Seasons, but then I can't help it I guess! Since I have Chinnu's picture for profile in this blog, she wanted to know where Peddu's and her's is. So I said I will have Peddu's in Spice blog and she has her own blog anyway. At times I wonder if my whole family is only following blogs! Infact, Athamma was telling me that its been quite a while since I posted a recipe! Well I have a whole lot still waiting, let me get the melas out of the way!
Today's part is again featured on categories based on main ingredients. This edition covers both Vegetarian and the Non Vegetarian dishes!
********************************************************* The Reigning Rajmas!
Rajma has always been a tempting one for me. Many a times I tried to get the perfect one. And seeing the curry prepared by Anjali, makes me crave for it again!
Mythreyee makes one wonderful rajma curry. Let me not bore you with how much I love rajma curry, but from the beautiful picture taken by Myth, its obvious, I am going to try this.
Not knowing what to prepare, got Priti into deciding on this yummy biryani from a fellow blogger. And this led her to have a dilemma on choosing the side dish. With canned rajma on hand, she ended up cooking that, only to realize how yummy it is. Now she says she has stock of the canned ones!
Seems makes a yummy curry with these beans. Its been ages since I have had and her curry brings back memories on lingering on this. And this she says is her mom's recipe, so I am sure it must be great.
I have always loved rajma and seeing Skribles bright coloured rajma, I am tempted to try again. I have always looked out for the prefect one and all these lovely entries are going to be surely tried!
Another entry from Sweatha is the Rajma masala which looks very yum and ready to be devoured! Seeing this from a glossy magazine, prompts her more to get on with the job!
*********************************************************** When Rajmas are done, can the Okras be far away! Check the exotic dishes that one can do with the Lady's Finger aka the Okras!
Now don't be misled by the word pachadi. I was first, only to look at that beautiful picture of Okra dancing, ok kind of floating in a gravy! Anu can't go wrong with pictures believe me, so this is one no wonder so pretty!
Deepthi makes a different combo with Okra in Soy sauce, I have never really made with soy sauce and I see that she has tweaked it to suit our taste. How lovely!
Meera makes a yummy curry with Okra. I have only had made a kurma and its completely different. This looks so delicious and sure is a different way to make. so head over her place to enjoy this lovely treat!
The universal problem occurred to Priti on what to cook. They luckily decided on bhindi and thought of this lovely shahi variety. Well I have never made a shahi of a okra. And this one surely tempts one!
Purva's love for bhindi finally finds an outlet in this form of a west meeting south fashion. Her hubby dislikes okra and it was her mission to make him get around this dish. So she devices this recipe and makes him surrender to this wonderful dish!
RC makes this lovely curry with bhindi. She says this is what she makes when she is hard pressed for time. But assures that its heavenly, it has to be especially if her mom makes it so often! Seeing her picture sure makes me want to dig in!
*********************************************************** Now comes the tangy dishes, so get ready for an assault on your senses with these great looking tangy sauces!
Chitra sendhil, a non blogger sends in this lovely looking tomato chutney which is quite simple to prepare. I must appreciate her interest in sharing this dish with us and going to the extent of clicking pictures, I should suggest her to start her own blog soon!
Tomato 3 nos Onion(Big) 1 no Coriander leaves To taste Salt As needed Garam masala powder 1 tsp
To grind: Green chillie 3 nos Grated coconut 1 tbsp Fried gram 1 tbsp Ginger 1 inch size
Method of preparation: 1. Grind all the items given in To Grind with little water and keep it aside.
2. Heat a thick bottomed pan or kadai with 2tsp of oil. When its hot, add the mustard. When it starts popping, add the rest of the tempering ingredients one by one and fry on sim flame. Finally add the onion and fry it till light brown.
3. Add the finely chopped tomatoes, salt, turmeric powder. Sim, cover and cook for 5 mins. When the tomatoes are mushy, add the ground mixture. Mix everything well on high flame. Add more oil if needed .Add required amount of water if the gravy is very thick.
4. Finally, add the garam masala powder and cook well for 3 mins.
5. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
Note: Vegetables like carrot, beans,peas,potato can also be added and done. But it should be pressure cooked.
Serve hot with rotis .Tastes good with idli ,dosa too!!
Medhaa's all Sindi related posts are so interesting. It gives me a peek to their culture and they food was cooked and cherished. Its always so wonderful to experience through another person's view. And this awesome curry is one of their traditional ones!
Mythreyee comes out with a beautiful bowl of tomato mint kootu. Wow that bowl surely makes me hungry for it.
Sweatha comes with an adapted recipe made with tomatoes. Well by the sounds of it, it sounds simple and looks says its great with dosa and Roti.
Usha makes Pitla for a change as a combo for Poori. What a lovely plate that looks! Now Pooris have always been my favorite. And this lady talks about the same things as it happens at my home. All said and done, I should say the new combo that she has tried makes me want to try it next time we make poori.
Vedha's Inji Puli
This one from a non blogger who sends in her Inji Puli which goes well with Idli and ven pongal. I am sure the tangy taste of this side dish extends lot of flavour for these breakfast!
Can be used as a side dish for Idli and VenPongal.
For seasoning; Mustard, urad dhal Bengal gram Asafetida - a pinch
Method: In a Kadai, add some oil, First put mustard, urad dhal, Bengal gram and Asafetida. Then add chopped green chillies and Ginger, wait till it gets ready. Then add curry leaves. Add turmeric powder. Now pour the thick extract of tamarind to the kadai Then add water. (to one part of thick extract u can add one to one and a half part water) Add salt to taste. When the mixture comes to a boil, allow it to boil for five minutes. Subsequently take a table spoon of chutney(fried gram) dhal powder and add water to it to make a paste. Then add the chutney dhal powder paste to the boiling Inji puli. Also add a little bit of Jaggery to the boiling mixture. Allow to boil for five minutes.
Now Inji puli is ready to serve.
We call it as pachi pulusu in telugu at our home.
It is delicious with idly, dosa and pongal.
Taste this and give your comments. Its hot and spicy. Yummy!!!
Now you need variety right, so they come! Spinach, Peppers and Soya they are!
Though Palak Paneer is something that's common at my place, I have never attempted with aloo. Seeing Manisha make this, only adds to my interest to get my hands on this.
When I landed in Rajani's blog, the first expression I had was, wow!. Not only her pictures are breathtaking, her posts are engaging. Lotus seeds are something I haven't seen, but her pictures are for sure tempts you to core!
Dal dishes are always nice and added with palak, it makes it more healthy. So Sangeeth's friend makes this for them and she was happy it came out as her mom's.
Illatharasi rules her readers mind by making exciting dishes, which they end asking for and being so kind blogs especially for them. This beautiful sound curry is with Bell Peppers.
Nithu makes this exciting looking dish with Bell Peppers stuffed. And not just that she serves with parottas. Can't really believe that this is the first time she was making it!
Sireesha comes out with a Curry made with Capsicum in Coconut base. Now anything in coconut base is great to have with chapatis, so I am even capsicum would've suited well!
Divz makes this different combo of soy beans with snake gourd! I haven't really tried much with soya beans but this combo sure sounds good enough to try a new dish
Sunshinemom has a really tough nut to crackle. Imagine being a Vegan with two Vegetarians and a non -veg around. You end up tackling difficult choices satisfying all. So making a pasanda with soya, was the best thing to happen. And what a lovely dish it comes to the party!
Its really been ages since I had soy meal. I remember eating them as a chile, when amma used to sneak them into puloas. But reading Lavi's post on the soy kaima, makes me wonder that it might be really nice if I try to make it again.
*********************************************************** Not sated with the rest, more there for you!
I was really glad Apu sent in an entry. For that got me knowing her beautiful blog. You should especially take a look at her daring bakers creations..Simply lovely! And she recreates the magic it held for her during her college days! I sure can imagine that!
Divya Kudua comes up with an authentic Mangalore-South Kanara curry called the Koddel. Now horse gram is something that famous as a rustic one in Andhra, imagine this being famous all over the south! Well its only great that Divya's husband loves it too, all the more reason for her to come with different varieties.
Karuna makes a Rakhi special as her brother was at home. So for an indulging lunch, she made dal makhani and mutter paneer. Well these for sure makes any occasion very special. And am sure her brother was very happy with the special dishes!
This is shifa's son's fav. Well if a kid can eat this, it sure must be great. So next time I have a doubt what to cook for my kid, then this is it!
Eggs always come to rescue when you want to prepare a quick non veg meal. So these entries are a sure help at times of need!
Cinnamon has always tempted me with her beautiful pictures. And this curry is no less. Check out her beautiful eggs resting so well in a tomato gravy. I am always on a look out of a nice egg curry and this seems so perfect!
Dessert Pro is pro in many things you know! She sends this traditional kerala dish egg curry with coconut milk and her picture just comes alive!
Shifa makes this yummy looking Egg curry when she has the pressing question of what to cook! Well I have always looked for different versions for cooking egg and this one sure fits the bill!
Knowing Sra so well, I wasn't surprised in her making something like this for the mela. There is never a dull moment when you are in her company and imagine she planning to make a dish like this. I always knew she loved eggs, but to make an Omelette curry? Well hop on and enjoy what Sra has to dish out!
*********************************************************** I can only say that each and every entry with chicken, is a class of its own!
Curry leaves are very important to Indian Cuisine. And I have made rice, chutney and podi with these wonder leaves. But when I got a curry from Cinnamon and that too a chicken swamped with these, its surely on my do to list!
Ok I have to say I got to put this as an explanation of the event's theme. Gaurav rambles on the definition of a korma. And I eagerly scoured down to read what he says. Well its nice to know how different korma is prepared and his murg korma is more than tempting!
Well I know that listening and cooking could produce such yummy dishes, I would've forever had songs running. But Gaurav proves that no matter which dish you are preparing its bound to turn out great. So is Talli Murgh Masaledar!
Illatharasi makes this yummy chettinad chicken curry after being inspired by another blogger. Chettinad cuisine is so very flavoured and spicy that you will really want to go for a second serve and Illatharasi's picture looks fittingly rich!
Indy gets nostalgic thinking about college days and the joint she used to frequent. Those dabbas are always a place to remember and the food served are something that always remains fresh. The Butter Chicken is something from the days ago!
Judy's Chicken Curry
Judy, a non blogger, sends in her recipe for Chicken Curry. She also clicks a picture and sends in. Well it looks great, so I am sure she should start a blog of her own soon!
Ingredients Needed
Meat (Mutton/Chicken) = 250gm
Seasoning
Bay Leaf = 1 Cloves =2 Cardamom =2 Cinnamon stick = 1 Sanuf = 1 tbspl Red Chillies = 4 (depending on spicy)
Grinding Ingredients
Coconut = 1/4 cup Onion =2 Coriander powder = 2 tbspl Sanuf = 1/2 tbspl Pepper= 1/2 tbspl Ginger/Garlic paste = 1 tbspl each (fresh is recommended)
Other Ingredients Tomato =1 Turmeric powder = 1 tbspl Chilli powder =1 tbspl Curry leaves/Cilantro for garnishing Salt /Oil as needed
Step 1 Heat a tawa and pour some oil , fry the onion till it becomes soft (not brown) turn off the heat and add the coconut and stir for sometime. Blend these along with coriander powder , half a spoon of pepper and sanuf to a nice paste.
Step 2
Take a pressure cooker add oil(as needed), add the seasoning Ingredients and then add the grinded paste.Stir for sometime until the raw smell goes off. Add the tomato,turmeric powder ,chilli powder and the meat and ofcourse salt :) .Add enough water for the meat to cook.
Garnish with curry leaves and cilantro .A good combination for any Indian breakfast and also with Rice. Note: (Since we grind the onion and do in pressure cooker the cooking time is very less and an easier dish)
************************* Kamala's daughter loves Butter chicken. So mommy dear tried many recipes, finally hitting the jackpot! I am so very glad that sweet Nandhu loves this. I especially loved that rich look Kamala's gravy has got!
Ok, don't be misled by the term fry in the title. I was, but seeing the picture assured that it was indeed a gravy and one that looks so bright and red. Kamala, I am sure this was a great hit too!
As a newly wedded couple, she was hesitant to say no to her sil, who is a great cook. After a heavy lunch its again dinner time, and this time Lubna was treated to another yummy servings of this Chicken Korma, which she has been preparing ever since!
Maheswari makes a delicious looking chicken all the way from punjab and its the yummy punjabi chicken masala. Now who can resist this creamy dish. She got this from her friend, so we should thank her too for getting this to us.
Rina always comes outs with great looking non veg dishes. And this one is no less. The colour and everything else calls out. This is surely something I am planning to cook next. Thanks rina for a lovely curry!
For Sudeshna, celebrations always meant cooking chicken. And this occasion was nothing less. For its not everyday we get to have the 61st birthday of India and having everybody at home was an addition bless for her to prepare an elaborate meal! That dish sure looks very festive!
Usha Rao explains the magically meaning behind Shorva. Until now I didn't know there was even a word such that! Makes me wonder how much more I got to learn..well anyway hop on to her place to learn more about what a shorva is and enjoy her lovely picture.
Yasmeen's pictures really comes out to tempt you! She makes a great healthy chicken dish with garlic and herbs. Whatever, the picture was enough to droll me for a while. I was sure I have to bookmark it.
*********************************************************** All with Lamb or Mutton, what more you need to become more of a glutton!
Lubna's Taar Khorma looks straight from a glossy magazine. The specialty is, this is from Kashmir. and its prefect for winter season. I can imagine how this might soothe you while its so chill outside.
Mona always comes out with classic dishes and her pictures are always mouth watering pretty! This is no less, believe me. But don't think you can say the name in one shot ok, its quite a mouthful! But this delicious Meatballs in hot and sour gravy is a sure delight to behold.
Pallavi @ All Thingz Yummy makes a gongura mutton with the her own produce! gongura is very famous in Andhra and combining it with Mutton is the next best thing that could happen is what I heard. so imagine preparing it with plants grown in your backyard!
Suparna's blog was a new one that I got to know through this mela. I must say she has some interesting one and this curry she sends is no less.
Another winning picture from Yasmeen is her Tangy Tomato Lamb. That bowl really gives anybody a royal appetite.
*********************************************************** This opens an ocean of choices!
Keralites are very fond of fish curry. This I saw personally during my trip down there. They make it almost everyday and again order the same while eating it out. Well its no wonder, if its looking as tempting as Ann's. And she adds zing to it by including chembu in it!
Divz prepares a fish molee and wonders on the origin of the name. Well what's in a name, when the dish looks yummy enough to be devoured right off! Anyway read on her post to know more about what others thought of this!
Now Sanhita's curry is interesting! Its bright Orange and yea she calls it orange fish curry too. I find it interesting that she recommends using stone grinder to grind the masala. That really brought back many memories!
Suma Rajesh makes this interesting fish curry that tastes great with cooked tapioca and rice. I know fish curry tastes great next day but she even talks about cooking in clay pot. Well nothing like old traditions right!
Jaya is cooking shrimp and while she is at that, she pays a beautiful tribute to the fishermen who's hard work is what that gets us such lovely seafood. I am sure the fisher folks would love to hear what jaya has to say about them!
Now this gets me quite happy! Priti's first non veg dish and it comes to curry mela! Her whole family helps her out as these are sent by her sister and bil!..how wonderful!
Adding coconut to any gravy gives it an unique taste and flavour and Suma Rajesh brings that about by adding it to shrimps and making a malai curry with that. She says she is very fond of this curry, no wonder it does look very tempting!
*********************************************************** Hope you all will have fun reading through this edition as I had putting them together.
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