One more snack that we all want to munch is Pakodi . Pakodis are all time favorite  tea time snack for Indians. The ingredients what we use for pakodi is healthy, but the way we cook them is not a healthy way, That is deep fried. I wanted to change this unhealthy way of cooking in to healthy way  our favorite snack. First I made them in a paniyarm pan that also took 1/4 cup oil to cook. I am not happy with this exprement, because when we deep fry also they suck the same amount of oil which i used in paniyaram pan.

Then I tried them baked first I made onion pakodi, they came out realy good and taste delicious. After some time again tried with cabbage they came out well after that i stop deep frying pakodi. Now lets check how i made baked mixed vegetable pakodi ....  

 

INGREDIENTS:-

• Chick pea flour (besan, senagapindi, kadalai mavu) --  1 cup
• Rice flour  --- 1 tab sp
• Red chilli powder  --- 1/2 tea sp
• Salt --- 1/2 tea sp
• Baking powder  --- 14 tea sp
• Carom seeds  -- 1/2 tea sp
• Ginger and green chilli paste  --- 1 tea sp
• Carrot  --- 1/2 cup finely chopped
• Beans  --- 1/2 cup finely chopped
• Potato -- 1/4 cup finely chopped
• Capsicum  --- 1/2 cup finely chopped
• Onion --- 1 big cut in to very thin slices
• Olive oil --- few drops for toping (optional)

1. Chop all vegetables in to fine pieces I used carrot, capsicum, potato, green beans you can add finely chopped cabbage and leafy veges like amaranth leaves, spinach and cauliflower also.

2, Cut onion in to thin slices and take all the vegetables in to big mixing bowl.

3. Add chick pea flour, rice flour, red chilli powder, salt, baking powder, carom seeds, ginger and green chilli paste, mix well to combine evry thing well so that the flour mixture should coat on every piece.

4. Sprinkle little water and make a batter like showen in the above picture. Sprinkle very little water because we are going to bake them. If you add more water it will take more time to bake.

Heat oven in 200 degree C. for 10 minutes.

5. Greas a baking try with little oil.

6. Take small portions from flour and vegetable mixture and place them on the greased baking try.

7. Place this pakodi try in pre- heated oven and bake for 10 minutes.

8. After ten minutes remove the try from oven drop 1 drop of olive oil on each pakodi and again place the pakodi try in the oven and bake for 7 more minutes.

9. After seven minutes remove the try from oven by the time your healthy baked pakodi s are ready to serve.

Serve the healthy pakodi s with a cup of chai or coffee. For me they taste even delicious then deep fried, can not stop eating.....

 

Source: Plantain leaf

Sunday means waking  up late in the morning  have a heavy breakfast, this is the time table for us almost every Sunday. Like every Sunday we wake up late in the morning, we have Pesarattu- upma and Allam chutney with coffee for break fast. This is a quite a heavy breakfast so we want to do some work to digest that heavy breakfast. So i changed mud from my pots and put some new plants and cleaned the place where i kept the pots. Still we are not hungry we went out for our week end shopping to by vegetables and other stuff.
                                                                       When i enter the vegetable and fruit shop this green apples said welcome to me i was very happy to see this green fresh apples and i picked some. That time i didn't have this salad idea in my mind. when we come back home, Feeling little hungry so my husband surprisingly asked me to make a salad and some drink. Then i thought of making green apple salad with mango badam milk (recipe coming up). I didn't have any idea what dressing i am going to add to this salad. I just added what i have in my ketchen and what i like, even vegetables and fruits what i brought from the market i used them in this salad. And the salad came out really so delicious. From now this is going to be one of my favorite salads. That crunchy vegetables and fruits make you very refreshing. Like me hope you also like my salad.
Lets check how i made this green, crunchy salad...
INGREDIENTS:--

• Green Apples  -- 2 cut in to bite size pieces
• Red apple   --- 1 cut in to bite size pieces
• Cucumber  --- 2 cut in to bite size pieces
• Green bell pepper  -- 1 big cut in to bite size pieces
• Lettuce  --      8 leaves break them in to small pieces

For Dressing:--  

• Honey -- 1 tab sp
• Olive oil  --- 1 tab sp
• Lemon juice  -- 1 tab sp +1 tea sp
• Red chilli flakes -- 1 tea sp
• Salt a pinch

 

METHOD: --
1. Cut apples in to bite size pieces apply 1 tea sp lemon juice set a side then cut the other vegetables because apple changes it's color if you cut and leave it like that.
2. Mix all dressing ingredients in a big mixing bowl and whisk well to combine every thing.
3. Now add fruit and vegetable pieces to the dressing and mix gently to coat the dressing over the vegetable and fruit pieces.
Serve immediately. 

Source: plantain leaf(Andhra Recipes)

Today's my salad is with crunchy vegetables and olives. I don't know why i like the flavor of olives in my salads so that i use a lot of olives in my salads. Actually i wanted to post Greek salad for today's post. I have every thing except feta cheese and Kalamata olives, I couldn't compromise. Greek salad is a traditional summer salad in Greek cuisine so i don't want to change the traditional recipe any way. I scratch my head for long time for today s salad recipe, because i planed for Greek salad and that idea was failed and i have to change my mind in the last movement. Finely some how i got this idea of mixing vegetables with olives. Believe me this salad is very refreshing and i like the taste too. Hope you all like this......

INGREDIENTS:---

• Carrot's --- 2 grated or cut in to long strips
• Cucumber  ---  2 cut in to small bite size pieces
• Cabbage  --- 1 cup cut in to small pieces
• Capsicum  --- 1 cut in to small pieces
• Lettuce  -- 6 leaves broke in to small pieces
• Raisins   --- 2 tab sp Soaked in water for 10 minutes then drain the water.
• Olives   ----  1/4 cup remove seeds, cut in to rounds ( green and black both you can use in this but i have only green so i used only green olives)
• For dressing:---
• Olive oil  --- 1 tab sp
• Lemon juice   -- 1 tab sp
• Black pepper  --- 1 tea sp crushed
• Salt to taste

METHOD:--
1. In a big mixing bowl mix all dressing ingredients and whisk well to conbine every thing.
2. Add all vegetable pieces, raisins to dressing and give a good toss.
3. Add olive pieces to salad and mix well gently and leave it in the fridge for 1 hour then serve chilled  with bread or roti.
You can use this salad as sandwich filling or a kati roll filling good idea no:).

Source: plantain leaf(Andhra Recipes)

I am not a big fan of snacks but my husband like to eat snacks other then main course. Bajji's (fitters) are one of the favorite snack for him but not mirchi bajji( green chilli fitters). He likes other vegetable bajjis like onion, brinjal, ridge gourd and bottle gourd. My favorite is mirchi bajji's..
 I never saw my MIL making bajji's but she makes onion pakodi's so very well. My mother used to make bajjis with almost all vegetables and she make a slit on bajjis and stuff them with chopped onion and coriander leaves .I like that way to eat bajjis.
Here to day I made bajjis with bottle gourd but you can make with any other vegetable like potato, onion, brinjal, ridge gourd, raw plantain, green leaves like palak and vamu aaku ( I don't know the name for this leaf in english), cauliflower, baby corn, capsicum.
Here is the recipe for Bajji's

INGREDIENTS:--

•  Bottle gourd--- 1 peeled and cut in to rounds
  Chick pea flour --- 1 cup
• Ginger and green chilli paste  --- 1 tea sp
• Ajwain(carom seeds) --- 1/2 tea sp
• Red chilli powder --- 1/2 tea sp
• Rice flour -- 1 tab sp
• Salt to taste
• Oil for frying

METHOD:-

1.  Peal outer skin of bottle gourd ,wash and cut in to rounds make sure that seeds should not be there. If you find seeds cut in to half circles and remove the seeds.

2.  Mix chick pea flour,ajwain, ginger and green chilli paste,  chilli powder,salt to taste rice flour in a bowl add some water and make a batter for bajji's

3. In the mean while  heat oil in a deep frying pan, dip bottle gourd pieces in the chick pea flour batter and drop in to the hot oil and fry till golden color

 4.  Remove from oil and serve with tomato sauce or green chuteny and also you can serve with dal chaval and this bajji's.

Source: plantain leaf

Masala dosa is one of the most favorite breakfast in South India. Of course it's my favorite breakfast too. Normally what we make for masala dosa stuffing is a potato curry. But now a days there are many varieties of stuffing's we are using to give a twist to traditional masala dosa.
                                                    Normally i make aloo and cabbage curry with garam masala for roties. Yestarday  i made this curry with chat masala that gives a different taste to the curry. when i had this curry with my dosas i liked the combination. That time i got this idea of making this curry as a filling for dosas. Today morning again i made this curry and used as masala dosa stuffing. So that this cabbage and aloo masal dosa with chat masala was born.
Let's check the recipe.
INGREDIENTS:--

• Dosa batter
• Cabbage -- 2 cups chopped
• Potato  --- 3 medium cut in to cubes
• Ginger  -- 1/2 inch piece chopped
• Salt to taste
• Red chilli powder -- 1/4 tea sp
• Turmeric powder  -- a pinch
• Chat masala  -- 1/2 tea sp
• Oil -- 1 tab sp and for making dosas
• Mustard seeds  --- 1/2 tea sp
• Urad dal   --- 1 tea sp
• Cumin seeds  -- 1/2 tea sp
• Curry leaves  few

METHOD:---
1. Heat oil in a pan add mustrd seeds let them popup then add urad dal, cumin seeds, curry leaves let them also popup then add potato cubes sprinkle little salt and water cover and cook in a very low heat till potatoes are half cooked.
2. Add chopped cabbage, turmeric powder and salt to taste give good stir and sprinkle some more water cover and cook in a very low heat for 8 minutes, stir in between.
3. After ten minutes open the lid and mix well, check if the vegetables are cooked or not, if not sprinkle some more water again cover and cook for 5 minutes more.
4. Open the lid add red chili powder, chat masala mix well and remove from heat.
5. Heat a dosa pan or a skillet clean with a kitchen towel, Pour a ladle full of dosa batter in the center of the pan. spread the batter with back of the ladle in to a thin circle.
6. Drizzle oil along the edges of the dosa and let it cook in a low heat till dosa turns in to golden.
7. Keep two tab sp of cabbage potato curry in middle of the dosa mash little with help of the back side of the spoon and spread  the curry all over the dosa.
8. Now fold dosa like a roll remove from heat and serve.
Serve crisp and masala filled dosa with coconut chutney or any other chutney you like

Source:plantain leaf(Andhra Recipes)

Making Dosa is a common thing in every South Indian house. there are many varieties of dosas with different flours and flavors. Normaly in Tamilnadu and Karnataka people use par boiled rice to make dosas. This parboiled rice give a fluffy texture to dosa and when you spread this batter very thin these dosas will turn in to very crisp. In Andhra pradesh we use raw rice to make dosas. With this raw rice dosas won't turn that much crisp like parboiled rice dosas. You can make soft dosas with this raw rice batter.

                                        Normally we soak rice and urad dal 1:2 proportion for 6 hours then grind in to a smooth paste. Here my grandmother (nanamma, fathers mother) and my mom makes this dosas little different way. They soak the raw rice for 24 hours then drain all the water and pound that wet rice in a stone pestle (rolu) in to a fine powder and mix this rice powder to urad dal paste. Believe me these dosa turn soft and more delicious then what regularly I make. In my childhood there are no gas stoves my GM used to make this dosas on a kerosene stove. She starts making them 7o clock in the morning and she ends up at 10 o clock in the morning. Now amma is making with the same recipe. Last month when I was there in ammas place, she made this dosas for me with coconut chutney. Here you go with the recipe..

  
INGREDIENTS:---

• Raw rice  --- 2 cups
• Urad dal --- 3/4 cup
• salt to taste
• Oil for making dosas

METHOD:---

1. Soak rice for 24 hours, drain all the water and pound in a stone pestle or a dry mixer or in a dry blender in to a fine powder. Remove in to a big bowl and cover and set a side.
2. Soak urad dal in water for 3 hours and grind in to a smooth paste.
3. Now take 3 cups of raw rice flour in a big mixing bowl.
4. Add salt to taste and 2 cups of water and make a paste like fitter batter consistency.
5. Add urad dal paste to this raw rice flour paste mix well to combine to gather.
6. Set a side to ferment for over night.
7. Next day morning heat a skillet or a dosa pan, pour 1 ladle full dasa batter and spread this batter in to circle, drizzle little oil along the edges and let it cook for 1 minute.
8. Then flip the dosa other side and cook for a while.
 9.  You can make this dosas as thin as you want and if you make them little thick they turn out soft dosas.
Remove the dosa from pan and serve with coconut chutney

Source:plantain leaf(Andhra Recipes)

This recipe was in my draft from long time.Today we are little busy with some guests so could't make any special for our marathon.Then I remember that I have this recipe in my draft. I tried this rice recipe from Sanjeev Kapoor.com.I made it for my husband s lunch box,he enjoyed it.Cooked rice stir fried with mushrooms and spinach with light creamy flavour makes a one bowl meal.First time I toped This rice with egg,Second time I served with fried chicken that toping also a great hit so lets check how I made it.....

INGREDIENTS:--

• Cooked rice -- 1 cup
• Egg -- 1
• Butter --- 1 tab sp
• Olive oil -- 1 tea sp
• Garlic --- 3 cloves chopped
• Onion -- 1 small chopped
• Button mushrooms --- 8 cut in to 4 pieces
• Sweet corn kernls -- 1 tab sp
• Fresh green peas -- 1/2 tab sp
• Spinach -- 1 cup roughly chopped
• Salt --- 1tea sp
• Black pepper powder -- 1 te asp
• Fresh cream --- 1 tab sp (optional)
• Parmesan cheese -- 1 tab sp grated
• Spring onion grean part -- 1 tab sp for garnishing.

METHOD:---
1. Heat butter and oil in a pan add chopped garlic, onion fry for 2 minutes.
2. Add mushrooms let then sweat, then add corn kernels,green peas,chopped spinac,salt,cover and cook in alow heat for 5 minutes.
3.After 5 minutes give anice stir then add cooked rice, pepper powder mix well to combine every thing.
4.Add cream give a good stir and transfer the mixture in to a Microwave baking dish.
5. In the meanwhile preheat the oven at 180 degree C.
6. sprinkle parmesan cheese on top of the rice and break the egg over it,sprinkle choped spring onion green part.
If you want to use 2 or more eggs then break the eggs one by one over the rice and let them settle a little distance from each other.
7.Place the dish in the pre heated oven and set the heat at microwave medium and cook it for 5 minutes or till the eggs set.

Serve hot or you can cook it in a microwave safe lunch box,can reheat at lunch time and enjoy this

Source: Plantain leaf

Vangibath is one of the favorite break fast at my mothers place.Amma use to make this for our lunch box.How and from where she learnt this even she don't know.But she is making this mouth watering vangibath from more then 30 years.Till to day the flavour and texture didn't change I think that is experience.when ever I have this in my lunch box my friends flock and finish within seconds finally I use ate there lunch box in the college.I can eat this any time in the day and I don't want any side dish for this just with sliced onion and some curd.But Amma use to serve this with boiled egg and onion raitha. So here is the recipe from my mother, my favourite VangiBath.

INGREDIENTS:---

• Rice -- 2 cups
• Brinjal --- 250 gm.
• Potatoes --- 2 medium
• Oil -- 1 tab sp
• Salt -- 1 tea sp
• Ghee -- 1 tea sp
• For masala :--
• Cinnamon -- 1 inch stick
• Cloves --- 4
• Poppy seeds -- 2 tea sp
• Red chillies --- 6-8 or according to your taste

MRTHOD:---
1. Spak rice in 4 cups waterfor 1/2 hour and cook till done.
2.Spread the rice in wide plate to cool.
3.Fry all ingredients for masala in a frying pan with a drop of oil for.First fry red chillies for 1 minute remove and keep a side then fry other ingredients in alow flame for 2 minutes remove and let it cool
4. Grind masala ingredients in to corse powder and keep a side.
5. Now peel potato and cut in to 1 inch cubes
6. Heat oil in a fring pan add potato pieces with a pinch of salt cover and cook in a low heat stir in between
7. In the meanwhile cut brinjal in to 1 inch pieces and add brinjal pieces to potato pieces sprinkle 1/4 tea sp salt cover and cook in a low flame, stir in between.
8.cook potato and brinjal pieces till tender, colden in color.Remove the lid add half masala powder give a nice stir,cook for a few seconds.
9.Add cooked rice,remaining salt,remaining masala powder,ghee cover and switch off the heat and leave it like that till you serve.
10. Just before serving mix well to combine every thing well serve with sliced onion and boild egg.

Source: Plantain leaf

7day marathon hummm good Idia for me.Now a days I am becoming very lazy to post my recipes my be because of weather here or I am becoming old:) i don't know any way. When I saw Srivalli s post about 7 day marathon I thought let's worm up my self and joined the marathon. This is a 7 day bloging marathon means we have to post each day a recipe for 7 days. Valli gave us some 7 themes to choose in those themes I have choosen regional and from to day I am here with 7 British recipe. So for these 7 days my theme is REGIONAL CUISINE BRITISH..
Cornish Pasty is a filled pastry commonly associated with cornwall in South West England in the United Kingdom.I have seen this recipe in Travel&living channel and noted the recipe .But that time I missed some ingredients so googled and got the recipe here.I changed the recipe to vegetarian but used eggs.The traditional Cornish Pasty is filled with meat and vegetables, The filling ingredients must never be cooked before they are wrapped in the pastry.I turned it in to my vege style with carrot,potato,cauliflower and cabbage,onion.Actually this is a complete meal itself which miners,farmers use to have for there lunch.In one way this is a packed meal for the workers at there work place.For cornish tin miners who were unable to go for lunch and they are covered with dirt from head to foot so this pastry is made for there convenience. They hold the folded crust and eat the rest with out touching it. This pastries are popular with farmers and labourers particularly in the North East England also . It turned out fantastic for me, check out the recipe how I made it..

INGREDIENTS:---

For pastry dough:

• All purpose flour --- 2 cups
• Salt 1/4 tea sp
• Baking powder -- 1 tea sp
• Butter -- 1/2 cip diced
• Water -- 1/4 cup

Shift flour,salt,baking powder in to a bowl, add butter mix with your hands to combine butter and flour.
Rub well to make this flour and butter mixture in to a breadcrumbs consistency.
Add water and make a stif dough, sprinkle little by little water and mix the dough make sure that dough should not be sticky and don't stretch the dough.Cover and leave it a side.
FOR FILLING:--

• Onion -- 1 chopped
• Potato -- 1 mediun peeled and diced
• Carrot -- 1 big diced
• Cauliflour --- 1 cup chopped
• Cabbage -- 1/2 cup finely chopped
• Mushroom -- 1cup chopped
• butter or olive oil -- 1tab sp
• Salt -- 1/4 tea sp
• Pepper powder -- 1 tea sp
• Cheddar cheese --- 1 cup shredded
• Egg --1 for brushing the pastry

Method:--

1.Heat oil or butter in a pan add chopped onions and fry till they turn in to translucent.
2. Add chopped potato and carrot sprinkle half salt mix well cover and cook for 3 minutes.
3.Then add chopped cauliflour,mushrooms,cabbage,remaining salt, pepper powder and sprinkle 1 tab sp water cover and cook in low heat for 10 minutes.
Here you can add 1 beaten egg and 1/4 cup milk to this vegetable mixture to enhance the taste of the filling.
4. Stir occasionaly and cook till mixture become dry,If you make sure there is no moisture in the vegetable mixture, add cheese mix well and remove from heat and let it cool.
5. Divide pastry dough in to equal portions and roll each portion in to 1/4 inch thick and 5 inches round, don't stretch the dough.
6. Place vegetable mixture on one side of the pastry circle,wet the pastry edges with beaten egg and flod the pastry over filling.
7. Press the edges with a fork ( this pastry should be in a half moon shape.)
8.Transfer the pasties to a baking sheet, brush with beaten egg or milk.
9.Preheat the oven at 450 degrees F(230 degrees C) for 10 minutes. Turn oven down to 350 degrees F(175 degrees C) and bake for 35 minutes.

Serve hot with tomato sauce.

Source: Plantain leaf

Bread and butter pudding is a traditional and popular dessert in British cuisine. Which is brought to India by British people. this pudding is famous as a winter pudding in British cuisine,because they serve this warm,you can enjoy this cold too,but it tastes great when it is warm.Making the egg and milk, cream mixture and pouring it on the bread is very importent in this recipe. Make sure that your egg mixture reached the last layer.And soaking the bread in the egg mixture atleast for 30 minutes(if possible you can soak it for 1 hour)is very importent.The treditional recipe contains only nutmeg and cinnamon for flavoring, adding vanilla is a new version.One day old bread will give a better texture to the pudding,I don't like this pudding with fresh bread.This Bread and butter pudding is my all time favorite,I can have it for any time like dinner,lunch,even for break fast.Check it out how I made...

OOhhh yes to day is the 2nd day for blogging Marathon Let's check what our friend's are doing:
Srivalli
Azeema, Bhagi, Champa, Gayathri Anand, Gayathri Kumar, Harini, Jay, Kamalika, Meena, Mina, Padma, PJ, Priya Mahadevan, Priya Suresh, Priya Vasu, Rujuta, Santosh, Saraswathi, Savitha, Shanavi, Smitha, Sowmya, Suma, Usha, Veena

INGREDIENTS:---

• Bread --- 10 slices
• Butter --- 50 g
• Sugar ---- 25 g
• Milk ---- 350ml
• Eggs ---- 2
• Double cream -- 50ml
• Raisins ---- 50 g
• Cinnamon powder --- 1/4 tea sp
• Nutmeg ---- 1/4 tea sp grated
• Vanilla extract -- 1 tea sp

METHOD:---

1. Heat the oven at 350degreeF or 180degreeC or gas mark 4 for 10 minutes.

2. Grease a 1 liter pie dish ( I used the foil tin that also worked well) With little butter.

3. Trim the crust of the bread and cut in to triangles or what ever shape you like and spread butter bothe sides and keep a side.

4.Now place the buttered bread slices in the pie tin like a layer,sprinkle half of the raisins evenly over the bread,Sprinkle little nutmeg,cinnamon.

5.Repeat the next layer with bread do the layers till the bread finished and top layer should be raisins.

6.In a pan mix milk and cream and heat till warm (no need to boil)

7.In a bowl beat eggs with 3/4 sugar and the vanilla extract till light and airy.

8.Pour the milk in to beaten eggs beat well to combine milk and eggs evenly.

9.Pour this egg and milk mixture over the layered bread slowly and evenly.Gently press the surface to push the bread in to the liquied .

10.Sprinkle the remaining sugar over the surface and leave it a side for 30 minutes.

11.Bake the pudding in a pre-heated oven for 40 to 45 minutes or till the top of the pudding turns in to goled brown and pudding well risen and the egg is set

12.Serve hot. I didn't serve any sauce or custard with this we enjoyed it hot with beautiful cinnamon flavour.

This is my entry for A.W.E.D - BRITISH at reva s Kaarasaaram event by DK

Source: Plantain leaf

Yorkshire pudding is a staple of the British sunday lunch.This pudding is originated from Yorkshire a place in North England.Yorkshire pudding generally a savoury muffin like dish traditionaly served with Roasted meat and gravy as a sunday lunch,some times this will continue with vegetables and white sauce. This is a traditional meathod of eating this pudding in Yorkshire and it is still common in some parts if Yorkshire.This pudding is known as pockets because of there shape may be. Yorkshire pudding is made with milk,eggs,flour, this pudding is not difficult to make if you have a right recipe and the right oven temperature.Here how I made it..

Before that this is my 5th post for blogging marathon, let's check what our frends are doing...
Srivalli,
Azeema, Bhagi, Champa, Gayathri Anand, Gayathri Kumar, Harini, Jay, Kamalika, Meena, Mina, Padma, PJ, Priya Mahadevan, Priya Suresh, Priya Vasu, Rujuta, Santosh, Saraswathi, Savitha, Shanavi, Smitha, Sowmya, Suma, Usha, Veena

INGREDIENTS:--

• Eggs --- 3
• Milk --- 1 cup
• All- purpose flour --- 1 cup
• butter --- 2 tab sp

Method:---

1. Preheat oven at 375 degrees F or (190 degrees C).
2. In a mixing bowl beat eggs with milk and add flour mix well to combine every thing. This batter should be a very thin batter in a pouring consistency (like rava dosa batter)
3.divide 2 tab sp butter in to twelve muffin cups about 1/4 tea sp in each cup,place this muffin cupe in oven to melt butter for 2 minutes.
4.Remove the muffin try from the oven and pour the batter evenly among buttery cups.
5. Bake in preheated oven 5 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degreesF(175degreesC)and bake for 25 minutes more or till puffed and golden.

This is my one more entry for A.W.E.D-BRITISH AT Reva s Kaarasaaram event by DK

Source:Plantain leaf

To day is the 6th day of Blogging Marathon. I am really enjoying this event which is started By Srivalli.Srivalli is one of my good friends in blogging world.I take part in almost every event which she conducts at her site.I just loved her Mela event and ICC and now this blogging Marathon.this Marathon gave me some more good friends and more knowledge about blogging.About valli I don't met her personally but through bloging only I know her,Such a nice lady and good friend,I am very glad to have a fellow blogger friend like her.Thank you so much Valli for all these events as I am enjoying this Marathon too.Let's check what our fellow bloggers are cooking to day
Srivalli,
Azeema, Bhagi, Champa, Gayathri Anand, Gayathri Kumar, Harini, Jay, Kamalika, Meena, Mina, Padma, PJ, Priya Mahadevan, Priya Suresh, Priya Vasu, Rujuta, Santosh, Saraswathi, Savitha, Shanavi, Smitha, Sowmya, Suma, Usha, Veena
And to day I finished 500 recipes in my blog I am very happy for that . This is all because of my readers,blogger friends. thanks to all of you for encouraging me to reach this mile stone.A big thanks to my husbend who gave me a fantastic support and tasted my food.

Cauliflower cheese is a traditional British recipe which is served as a main dish, but also can served as a side dish some times.small cauliflower pices in a creamy sauce top with crispy cheese and bread crumb topping it tastes amazing right from the oven.Now a days it is served with pasta and other ingredients as a main dish but traditionaly cauliflower cheese is served as a side dish with roasted meat for lunch or dinner.I served it with Yorkshire Pudding let's check how I made this creamy cauliflower cheese...

INGREDIENTS:--

• Cauliflower --- 1 big cut in to small florets
• Milk ---- 300 ml
• Cheddar cheese --- 110 g
• Plain flour -- 3 tab sp
• Butter -- 50 g
• Fresh bread crumbs -- 25 g
• English Mustard -- 1/2 tea sp
• Nutmeg -- a pinch
• Salt --- 1/2 tea sp or according to your taste(becarefull there will be salt in cheese so keep in mind that and add salt.)
• Pepper powder --- 1 tea sp freshly ground.

METHOD:--
1.Add cauliflower florets to boiling water with little salt and boil for 10 minutes or thill tender,make sure that cauliflower shouln't become mashey. Drain water and leave a side.
2.Heat butter in a sauce pan add flour and fry till nice aroma comes out, make sure your flour shoud'nt change the color that should be in white color only.
3. Add milk to the flour and butter mixture,stirr continuously till the sauce thickens.
4. Keep the heat very low and add 1/4 of the cheese, mustard,nutmeg,salt and pepper stirr well ans cook for another one more minute.
5.Spread cauliflower florets in a baking dish and pour the white sauce over the cauliflower.
6. Mix the remaining cheese and bread crumbs,Here I want to tell some thing I didn't add cheese in bread crumbs because already there is lot of cheese in the sauce so I just sprinkle a tab sp of cheese on the top of bread crumbs.But if you like a perfect cauliflour chees then mix bread and cheese as per the recipe.
7.Place the cauliflour cheese pan under a hot grill till it turns in to golde brown.
8.Remove from the oven and serve immediately.It taste great when it is hot only.

This is my one more entry for A.W.E.D - BRITISH at Reva s Kaarasaaram event by DK

Source: Plantain leaf

Gujarati dal... that is the recipe for this month s Indian Cooking Challenge. This recipe was choosen by Sri valli from Jigyasa Giri& Pratibha two proud Authors of The Ayurvedic cook book-Sukham Ayu,Which is the winner of the 2nd place for best health and Nutrition book in the World 2009.This Gujarati dal recipe is from there book,In this book they give many healthy recipes and Ayurvedic tips too.Thanks to both of them for sharing this recipe with us and big thank to Sri valli for choosing this delicious recipe.

Comming to the recipe Gujarati dal is a simple and little sweet and tangy lentil curry which is a perfect combination with rice and roti .This recipe contains drumstick and yam,kokam since I am living in Libya here I don't get those ingredients so I skiped them and just fallowed the recipe and here I go....

INGREDIENTS:---

• Split red gram/red lentils/Toor dal -- 3/4 cup
• Turmeric powder -- 1/2 tea sp
• Few drops of oil
• Drumstick -- 2 cut in to 3 inch pieces(I didn't use this)
• Yam --- 4-5 pieces i inch pieces(I didn't use this)
• Hard dry dates --- 4
• Raw Groundnuts --- 1 tab sp
• Green chillies -- 4 slit
• Ginger -- 1 inch piece grated
• Soft dry Kokam -- 4-5 pieces or tamarind pulp 2 tab sp (I used tamarind pulp)
• Jaggery --- 1 tab sp
• Coriander powder -- 1 tea sp
• Roasted cumin powder -- 1/2 tea sp
• Garam masala -- 1/4 tea sp
• Coriander leaves -- 1tab sp chopped
• Salt --- 1 tea sp or according to your taste.

For Seasoning :---

• Ghee -- 1 tea sp
• Mustard seeds -- 1/2 tea sp
• Fenugreek seeds -- 1/4 tea sp
• Cumin seeds --1/2 tea sp
• Dry red chilies -- 2 broken
• Asafoetida -- a pinch
• Curry leaves --- 1Spring.
  

METHOD:---
1. Wash and soak dal in enough water for half an hour then add turmeric powder and oil to dal and cook till dal become soft.
If you would like to cook it in a preasure cooker then cook the dal for 2-3 whistles.
2.Remove the dal from heat and mash well.
3. By the time soak dry dates in hot water for 10 minutes
4. In a other pan take drumstick pieces,yam pieces add 1 cup of water and cook till the vegetables are tender.
5.Now add mashed dal to the vegetables fallowed by all other ingredients exept garam masala,coriander leaves and seasoning .
6.Add 1 cup water and cook in a low flame for 15 more minutes stir in between.
7.At the same time heat ghee in a small pan add mustard seeds,let them popup then add fenugreek,cumin seeds, broken red chillies,asafoetida and curry leaves.
8.Pour this seasoning into the dal and cook for another 5 minutes.
9.Remove the dal from heat and add garam masala mix well and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Serve hot with rice or roti.

Source: Plantain leaf

To day is the last day of 7day Blogging Marathon and I wanted to close this marathon with a sweet dish. In British cuisine there are many sweet dishes like cakes,biscuits,pastries,pies and Dumplings.In British cuisine Dumplings are baked pastry stuffed with some fruits and jam or marmalade.Among those dumpling Hereford Apple Dumpling are most popular in British cuisine.Hereford is a towm in the border between England and Wales.Hereford is famous for it's Apples, many delicious dishes with Apple was born in this place.Imagine a crunchy pastry stuffed with lightly cooked apple with wonderfull flavour of cinnamon and sultanas ummmm delicious we enjoyed them as it is, if you like you can serve them with Ice cream or cream or marmalade sause.
Today is the finel day of Blogging Marathon so let's check what our friends are doing..
Srivalli,
Azeema, Bhagi, Champa, Gayathri Anand, Gayathri Kumar, Harini, Jay, Kamalika, Meena, Mina, Padma, PJ, Priya Mahadevan, Priya Suresh, Priya Vasu, Rujuta, Santosh, Saraswathi, Savitha, Shanavi, Smitha, Sowmya, Suma, Usha, Veena

INGREDIENTS:---

• Flour -- 125 g
• Butter --- 55 g
• Salt a pinch
• Cold water --3 tab sp that is 45 ml
• Apples -- 2
• Grated rind of an orange
• Coarse caster sugar -- 4 tea sp
• Sultanas or risins -- 50 g
• Marmalade --- 4 tea sp I used orange marmalade
• Sugar and milk for glazing

METHOD:---
1. Take flour,salt,butter in a mixing bowl rub well with your hand till it turns in to bread crumbs texture.
2. Then add water and make a frim dough and wrap the dough in a grease paper and leave it in the fridge for 10 minutes this helps to bake pastry more crisp.
3. Roll the pastry dough ad long as possible that should be 1/2 inch thick and cut the rolled pastry in to 6 inch squares and leave a side.
4. Preheat the oven at 200 degree c or 400 degree F or gas mark 6
5. Peel and core the apples don't cut them in to half leave them whole.
6. Sprinkle 1 tea sp sugar on each pastry
7. Combine the sultanas with grated orange rind and marmalade and fill it in the center of the appeles.
8. Place the apple in the middle of the pastry.
9. Wet the edges of the pastry with little milk and gather up the edges to enclose the apple and seal the edges tightly.
10. Place the dumplings up side down in a greased baking sheet,brush with milk and sprinkle sugar on top.
11. Bake the dunpling for 10 minutes and then reduce the heat to 180 degree C,350 degreeF, gas mark 4 and bake for 30 minutes till dumpling turn in to golden brown on top.
12. Serve with custard ,cream or warmed marmalade sauce I enjoyed it plain ...
This is my one more entry for A.W.E.D-BRITISH at Revas Kaarasaaram event by DK

Source: Plantain leaf

I am not a big fan of fried rice since it is not spicy like Biriyani or pulao.My husband is a great fan of fried rice,if it is vegetarian or with chicken.When ever I ask him for his choice for lunch(we don't eat rice for dinner) always his choice will be fried rice.Yestarday I have cabbage left in the fridge so I thought of making kuttu but hubby dear wants to eat fried rice when I said there is no other vegetables,he told me to make with only with cabbage that's it no other choice for me I have to make fried rice. Here is the recipe how I made it....

For Rice:--

• Rice --- 1&1/2 cup
• Water ---- 3 cups
• Oil --- 1 tea sp
• Salt ---- 1/2 tea sp
• Wash rice and pour 3 cups water add salt,oil and soak for 20 minutes.
• Now cook rice till done.
• Spread rice in wide plate to cool and leave a side.
• By the time cut the vegetables
• Vegetables for this rice:--
• Spring onion --- 1/2 cup chopped
• Garlic ---- 1 tab sp chopped
• Ginger --- 1/2 tab sp chopped
• Cabbage --- 1 cup chopped or shreded in to thin pieces.

Other Ingredients I Used:--

• Soya sauce --- 1 tab sp
• Salt --- 1/2 tea sp
• Pepper powder --- 1 te asp
• Eggs --- 4 you can reduce the eggs as you like
• Oil -- 1 tabsp
  

Method:
1. Break eggs in to a big bowl,add a pinch salt,a pinch pepper powder and whisk well to blend the egg white and yolk in to a homogeneous liquid.

2. Heat little oil in a pan, pour egg mixture and leave it like that till egg mixture starts setting lightly.

3.With a spoon strat to scrape the eggs from the edge of the pan to the center, forming large soft curds.

4.Continue scraping your spoon along the bottom of the pan to redistribute the eggs as they cook.

5.When the egg s look wet but are no longer liqied,gently mound the eggs in to the center of the pan and switch off the heat, leave the eggs like that.

6.Now heat oil in a frying pan add garlic,ginger and fry for a while then add spring onion, cabbage,salt fry till the cabbage become tender,don't over cook the cabbage the crispyness of the cabbage should remain this will take 5-7 minutes. in a high flame keep strring.

7.Then add srumbled eggs, rice,pepper powder,soya sauce stirr well to combine every thing remove from heat.

8. Garnish with chopped spring onion green part serve hot.

Serve with any side dish like gobi munchurian or chilli garlic sauce I served it with mixed vegetable and oats balls and chilli garlic sauce, check out my Bottle gaoud munchurian recipe.

Source: Plantain leaf

I don't like kofta curry but like to have fried koftas.When ever I make kofta curry I add koftas just before I serve so that koftas will stay crisp.Generally i make kofta's with bottle gourd or potato. I saw this cheese cauliflower koftas in Raks Kitchen book marked but didn't get time to make them.When jaya announced bloggers marathon for Rak's kitchen then I decided to make this delicious cheese cauliflower koftas for her event. They are realy just melting in the mouth. Raji of raks kitchen is one of my buddy blogger who is alway attracts me with her beautiful and bright pictures and her traditional tamilnadu recipes. Thank you so much Raji for this mouth melting kofta recipe we just enjoyed it.I fallowed the recipe with very little changes here I go..

For Koftas:--

• Cauliflower --- 2 cups grated
• Potatoes -- 3 medium size boiled and mashed
• Cornflour --- 1&1/2 tab sp
• Garam masala --- 1/4 teea sp
• Chat masala -- 1/4 tea sp
• Pepper powder -- 1/4 tea sp
• Baking powder --- 1 pinch
• Salt -- 3/4 tea sp
• Oil -- for deep frying
• Cheese stick --- 1 cut in to 8 pieces.

Method:--
1. Boil potatoes I boiled them in Microwave, peel the skin and mash them well make sure there is no water in potato mash.
2.Heat 1 tea sp oil in a pan add grated cauliflower and cover and cook in a low flame for 5 minutes.
3.Mix mashed potatoes,cauliflower,corn flour,pepper powder,salt,garam masala,chat masala,baking powder mix well with your hands.
4. Make small ball and make a depression in the middle keep the cheese piece and close give a ball shape again.
5.Heat oil in a deep frying pan and drop the balls slowly, deep fry the balls till nice golden brown color.
6. Remove the deep fried balls from oil and place them on a kitchen tissue and leave a side.

ForGravy:--

• Tomato puree -- 1 cup
• Oil ---- 2 tea sp
• Cumin seeds --- 1 tea sp
• Ginger --- 1 tea sp chopped
• Ginger paste --- 1 tea sp
• Garam masala powder --- 1/2 te asp
• Red chilli powder --- 1/2 te asp
• Coriander powder --- 1 te asp
• Milk --- 1 cup
• Cream --- 1/4 cup
• Coriander leaves --- 4 tab sp chopped

Method:---
1.Heat oil in a pan add cumin seeds let them popup then add chopped ginger and ginger paste fry for a while.
2. Add tomato puree give a nice stir,then add red chilli powder,coriander powder,garam masala powder salt mix well and cook till the moisture evaporates and masala leaves the oil from sides.
3. now add 1 cup water mix well and cook till you can see the oil on top, cook in a low flame, this will take 5 minutes.
4. Add chopped coriander leaves, keep the flame in low heat add milk and cream mix well.
5. Add koftas switch off the flame and serve hot
Serve hot with roti or rice.

We enjoyed this delicious curry with rice and puri.

Source: Plantain leaf

Drinking tea is a custom in England,They didn't finish there tea time with just a cuppa. There has to be something with tea like biscuts, crumpets, scones, sandwiches, buns. Afternoon tea is a light meal generaly eaten in between 3-5pm and traditionaly tea is served with sugar and milk.Afternoon tea is first served with sandwiches then cake and scone or buns.cucumber sandwiches are most often served for afternoon tea in Britan as a finger food.So the simple cucumber sandwiches are originated from British. To days my recipe for British is Cucumber tea time sandwich.

Before I start my recipe let's check what our friend are doing in the blogging marathon.To day is the 4th day of blogging marathon let's check...
Srivalli, Azeema, Bhagi, Champa, Gayathri Anand, Gayathri Kumar, Harini, Jay, Kamalika, Meena, Mina, Padma, PJ, Priya Mahadevan, Priya Suresh, Priya Vasu, Rujuta, Santosh, Saraswathi, Savitha, Shanavi, Smitha, Sowmya, Suma, Usha, Veena

INGREDIENTS:--

• Dil leaves -- 1/4 cup fresh,finely chopped
• Unsalted butter -- 2 tab sp
• Cream cheese --- 2 tab sp
• Cucumber --- 1 medium very thinly sliced
• Bread --- 6 slices
• Salt --- a pinch
• Pepper powder ---- a pinch optional

METHOD:---
1.Take butter,cream cheese,chopped dil leaves,salt and pepper powder in a bowl and mix well to combine every thing.
2.Cut the crust from the sides of the bread slices and apply the butter and cream cheese mixture.
3. Now place the thinly sliced cucumber pieces and cover with the other slice cut the sandwich in to rectangles or triangles and serve with tea..
I used dil leaves you can use ant other herbs u like.

Source: Plantain leaf

Crumpet s are pan fried English muffin like tea time bread. These crumpets look like pan cakes but recipe is different and the texture too. Crumpets have a little chewy and spongy texture with many holes on top and a flat top.Crumpets are generally eaten hot with butter, marmalade,peanut butter or with cheese melted on top.There is difference between English muffins and crumpets.English muffins are baked and eaten as a break fast,Crumpets are pan fried and served at tea time.There is a difference between pan cake and crumpet, pan cakes are made with flour, eggs, baking powder and crumpets are made with flour,milk and yeast

To day is 3 rd day of blogging marathon and I am little late to post to days post for marathon.to day is friday the only day I get for shoping for vegetables so I went for my week end shopping. Brought some butter beans,mushrooms orange and red capsicum... any way let's see what our friends are doing to day......
Srivalli,
Azeema, Bhagi, Champa, Gayathri Anand, Gayathri Kumar, Harini, Jay, Kamalika, Meena, Mina, Padma, PJ, Priya Mahadevan, Priya Suresh, Priya Vasu, Rujuta, Santosh, Saraswathi, Savitha, Shanavi, Smitha, Sowmya, Suma, Usha, Veena
For this crumpets you need 1 inch deep.3 &1/2 inch round crumpet rings if you don't have this rings can use scone or pastry cutters. I don't have both of them so i didn't get the shape, but the texture and taste of my crumpets are same I think:)

INGREDIENTS:---

• Flour --- 3 cups
• Active dry yeast --- 2 tea sp
• Warm water -- 2&3/4 cup
• Sugar ----- 1 tea sp
• Salt --- 1&1/2 tea sp
• Milk powder --- 2 tab sp
• Bicarbonate of soda --- 1 tea sp
• Warm water --- 2 tab sp

METHOD:---
1.Combine yeast, sugar and one cup warm water in a mixing bowl mix well,cover with aplastic wrap and leave it in a warm place for 10 minutes.
2. Shift flour, milk powder,salt in to a mixing bowl, make a well in the center add yeast water,remaining warm water and mix in to a thick batter again cover, leave it in a warm place till risen and bubbly this will take 1 hour.
3.Mix soda and 2 tab sp of water, add this soda mixture to dough mix wll to combine every thing cover and leave in a warm place for 15 minutes.
4.Heat a heavy bottom pan in a low flame,spray little oil coat the crumpet rings and place then on the pan.

5. Pour the batter in to the rings till 3/4 of the ring cook in a very low heat for 5 minutes by the time you can see the holes on top of the crumpets and the dough appears dry.
6. Remove the ring slowely, turn the crumpet over and cook for few seconds to drown the top and remove from heat and cool on a rack.
Make sure thet your heat should be very slow other wise the bottom of the crumpet will turn in to dark
Generally crumpets are soft and nice golden brown color base and characteristic holes all over the surface.
So be care full with the heat.
Enjoy the crumpets with tea...
This is my one more entry for A.W.E.D-BRITISH at Reva s Kaarasaaram event by DK

Source: Plantain leaf