Apr 27, 2012

Red Cow peas Salad / Raita


Simple yet healthy salad / raitha ..I am sure kids will also love it ..I had some cooked red lobiya so used it .

Ingredients needed :
  • Vegetables:Onions +carrot +cabbage +cucumber 
  • Fruits : Apple + seedless black or green grapes 
  • Red Cow peas / Lobiya / Karamani - 1 cup 
  • Low fat yogurt / curd - 2 cup 
  • Lemon juice + salt + chat masala(opt.) + pepper powder 
Method : 


Soak red cowpeas  overnight  and pressure cook it with little salt ..once done drain the water and take the cooked peas and set aside ...you can use the water while preparing gravies or can make chapathi dough with this water ...



In a small bowl mix curd + salt + lemon juice + pepper powder + chat masala powder and mix it well. Clean and chop onions,cabbage,cucumber,apple finely ...peel carrot skin and grate it ..cut grapes in to half . Take a bowl and add the chopped veggies and fruits + cooked red cow peas + curd mixture and mix it well and enjoy your raita / salad



Sending this to Shama's event an event started by Priya



Apr 24, 2012

I am Tagged by Shama

Thanks Shama for the tag , Hope I have answered all the questions to some extent ...

RULES:

1. Post the rules.
2. Answer the questions set for you in the tagger's post and create new set of eleven questions .
3. Tag eleven people and link to them on your post.
4. Let them know you have tagged them

before reading my answers ...I would love to ask few questions and tag some of my friends in this :
  1. Introduce yourself
  2. What's your favorite hobby or how do you love to enjoy your time ??
  3. Which is the place / tourist spot you want to go ??
  4. When it comes to blogging , how supportive are your family members ??
  5. What is your fav. food
  6. What inspired you to create a blog ?
  7. How do u feel while u get a award /Tags from other blogger friends ??
  8. Talk about food photography..do you judge a recipe by the photo posted  by the bloggers ?? and when searching for a recipe in search engine say Google, do u look for just recipe or look by images ??
  9. Have you tried any recipes from other blogger ?? what's the result ??
  10. How happy you will be in getting a comment for your recipe ...??
  11. How about taking parts in events hosted by other bloggers ??

Hope you all love to answer these question ...so here u go friends, accept the tag and post it in your blog :

Padma , Jay , Maha , Aarthi, Kannan , Vimitha, Hema , Sangeetha , Jeyashri , Priya , Hari chandana .

Now to my replies :

1) Introduce yourself :

 I am Gayathri , right now staying in Uk. I have a son , Harshavardhan, 8 years old and studying in 3rd standard . My home town is chennai, vera yeduvum uripidiya illai yenna pathi solla ...so to next question..

2) What is your most memorable gift?

There are many gifts , including the recent gift from kavitha kishore - Apple ipad.

3) Share your favourite travel experience :

There are many places which I enjoyed well ...the best being trip to US
to meet Kavitha ...we both r eagerly waiting to meet again ...hope our wish comes true soon...

4) How do you feel when things go wrong ?

Will feel very bad ...keep talking about the same again and again
(rombo pozhambuven...)and then will try to change myself and make sure I don't do the mistake again ...

5) What is your postive and negative attitude about blogging?

I have only positive attitude about blogging ...learnt a lot , got many good friends .

6) Your most favourite cook , recipe?

Ofcourse my mom. Can't say just one recipe each and every recipe I love it ...

7) Share your first cooking experience and first cooked food.

I tried making sambhar ...added too much sambhar powder and it became too spicy ...in the inital days I was not that good cook ..my chapathi's will turn out toooo crsipy just like chips ...after I went to blr. my husbands grandmother was staying with us ...I learnt to cook from her ..

8) What is your hubby's first comment on your first cooked food ?

Yaarukku nyabagam irrukku ??? maybe : nalla irrukku ...sathiyama marandu pochu  ..

9) Share your views to be a happy home maker.

I am still searching for a answer ...

10) What inspired you to create a blog and mention about your blog ?

I did not create this blog ...this is created by Kavitha, I just share my recipes here ...

11) What is the impact of blogging in your life ?

As I said earlier learnt lot of new recipes and will try it and will enjoy the new recipe .

Royal icing


This recipe along with photos was shared by Lavanya.
  • 2 large eggs (egg white only)
  • 2 tsp lemon juice.


For flooding consistency, (carrot pic)
  • 3 cups of confectioner sugar.


Now to you beater/ processor, at low speed beat the egg white add the sugar in batches. The right consistency for flooding when we drop it from a spoon, the batter should flow in thick batches (something similar to string consistency in jaggery).




For pipping consistency icing add more sugar until it has a consistency similar to that of mayonnaise.  (rabbit pic) In more appropriate terms,

  • 1 large egg (egg white only)
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • about 2 cups of confectioner sugar.


remember not to keep the frosting open. This forms a solid layer on the top of the icing. Always cover with usual plastic food wrapper. Else we have the scrap out the solid layer first before using the frosting.  Also, when you pipping, make sure you always place it on a damp cloth/paper. I used my coffee cup. Covered the bottom of the cup with damp paper towel and when ever I had to keep my pipping down, i placed in into the cup containing the damp towel. This prevented the icing from forming a thick solid layer.



Though the process is little time taking, the output is always enjoyable. Specially for the kids, I bet they will for sure love the icing on their sugar cookies and cakes

Apr 23, 2012

Vanilla cake with chocolate frosting


Thanks to Lavanya for sharing this recipe along with photos..

Cake:

  • 1 1/2 all purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup oil (else 1/2 cup butter= 1 stick butter)
  • 3/4 cup milk



Mix the wet ingredients and dry ingredients separately. Now in batches mix the dry ingredients with the wet.Beat until silky.

I used a mini cake pan set and filled my greased mini cake pan with the batter. Bake it at 350F (180 C) for about 20mins or until when picked with a tooth pick, nothing sticks to the pick.


Now cut the top layer of the cake and form a even platform for both the mini cake.Fill the gap with vanilla frosting. and place one over the other. Now cover the cake with chocolate frosting.



Vanilla frosting.:
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 2 tsp confectioner sugar.
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract.



Chocolate frosting:
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 2 tsp confectioner sugar
  • 2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder


For frosting, make sure you use a stainless steel bowl. Before starting the procedure freeze the utensil, blade of the mixer for 10 mins in your freezer. Frosting melts really quick so make sure everything is real cold. Mix the ingredients in low speed first and then increase the beater speed gradually until thick frosting is formed. Make sure the frosting is really thick else, it melts real fast.


Decorate your cake with frosting.

Apr 18, 2012

Sweet Paratha



My son likes Peshwari naan a lot tried making it at home ..I used the sweet somasi stuffing and made the paratha ..infact same process just that this is tawa fried ... I am sure kids love this a lot .

Ingredients needed : 

for paratha :
  • Maida - 1 cup
  • Salt - a pinch
  • Oil
  • Water
Method :

Take a bowl add in maida + salt + oil and mix it well and then add water little by little and knead it well till a soft dough is formed ...and allow it to rest for few mins. meanwhile prepare the stuffing ...
 

for stuffing :  

 

 (adjust sugar as per you taste) 
  • Grated coconut - 1 cup
  • Chutney dhal / Pottu kadalai - 1/2 cup
  • Poppy seeds - little
  • Dry Raisins - 10 - 15
  • Sugar - 1 cup
  • Elachi powder - little
Method : 

Grate coconut and keep it aside ..take a blender and add the chutney dhal and using the pulse button grind coarsely ...and transfer it to a bowl and to that add the dried raisins + elachi powder + sugar + poppy seeds + coconut and mix it well..

Method to make Paratha : 

Take a small ball size of dough and make it like a cup and take a spoon of stuffing and place it in the cup and bring the sides of the dough together and roll it into chapathi ...if needed use some flour for dusting ..

Heat a tawa and place the paratha and fry it in both sides ..if needed u can use ghee to fry .

Apr 17, 2012

keerai masiyal


You can make this using Arai keerai / Mullai keerai . you can mix it with hot rice + ghee and enjoy . My mom uses the thayir mathu for keerai masiyal ...but my Mother -in-law grinds it in mixie ...here in Uk as I don't have mathu...so I have also grinded it in mixie ..both the ways I love it ...you can follow whichever method you want ...I have given the method as how I did it .

Ingredients needed : 
  • Keerai  - 2 bunch
  • Salt
  • Hing powder
  • Mustard seeds
  • Urid dhal
  • Jeera
  • Dried red chilli 
  • Oil
Method : 

Remove the root ends and wash the bunch well and roughly chop the keerai and heat a kadai and very little water and and the chopped keerai and allow it to boil well ...then drain excess water if any ...then take a blender and add the keerai and when it is cooled ...grind it well just for few secs. will do, then transfer it to the the bowl and add salt + hing powder ..now heat the kadai again and add a tsp. of oil and temper it with mustard seeds when it starts to splutter add urid dhal+ jeera+ dried red chilli and add it to the keerai and mix well and serve it ..

( I couldn't get dried red chilli for few days near my place ...there was no stock in any shop ...so had to use green chilli for tempering )

Apr 6, 2012

Health Tips

Tip 1 ~~  Never skip breakfast :

People who eat a hearty breakfast of cereals like wheat flakes and oat flakes (avoid cornflakes, muesli or other sugar-coated cereals), consume less fat and more carbohydrates during the day than people who skip eating in the mornings. Breakfast eaters have a higher intake of essential vitamins and minerals, and generally have lower serum cholesterol levels


Tip 2 ~~ Benefit of fruits :

It's healthier to have a fruit instead of having its juice. The juice gives you no fiber. Think about it, if you want to have a glass of juice, you will need three or four oranges to fill a glass. But if you eat even two oranges, you will feel full and satisfied. Plus you get your dose of nutrition as well.


Tip 3 ~~  Yogurt is magic for the tum. :

(One among the 10 foods for fabulous Abs )



“The probiotic bacteria in most yogurts help keep your digestive system healthy,which translates into a lower incidence of gas,bloating, and constipation, which can keep your tummy looking flat." Ideally go for the
plain-flavoured yogurts, that don’t contain added sugars.



Tip 4 ~~ Benefits of Mushrooms:


Slice a mushroom in half and it resembles the shape of the human ear.
And guess what? Adding it to your cooking could actually improve your hearing. That’s because mushrooms are one of the few foods in our diet that contain vitamin D. This particular vitamin is important for healthy bones, even the tiny ones in the ear that transmit sound to the brain


Tip 5 ~~ Benefits of Banana


Cheer yourself up and put a smile on your face by eating a banana. The popular fruit contains a protein called Tryptophan . Once it has been digested, tryptophan then gets converted in a chemical neurotransmitter called serotonin.
This is one of the most important mood-regulating chemicals in the brain and most anti-depressant drugs work by adjusting levels of serotonin production.
Higher levels are associated with better moods.



Tip 6 ~~ Benefits of Broccoli:

BROCCOLI – CANCER : 


Close-up, the tiny green tips on a broccoli he ad look  like hundreds of cancer cells.  Now scientists know this disease-busting veg  can play a crucial role in preventing the disease.

Last year, a team of  researchers at the US National Cancer Institute found just a weekly serving of  broccoli was enough to reduce the risk of prostate cancer by 45 per cent. In  Britain , prostate cancer kills one man every hour.




 Will keep updating this page ...

Apr 5, 2012

Mixed Fruit & Vegetable Salad


This is very simple salad ...you can use veggies and fruits of your choice ...kids will surely love this ...(I have used the store brought salad greens pack )
  • Vegetables:Onions +carrot +cabbage +lettuce +cucumber + tomatoes
  • Fruits : Apple + seedless green grapes 
  • Nuts : badam + cashews  - finely chopped ..
  • Lemon juice + salt + chat masala(opt.) + pepper powder


Clean and chop all the veggies finely and chop apple finely , cut grapes into 2 slices ...take a bowl and mix all chopped vegetables + fruits + nuts + lemon juice + salt + pepper powder + chat masala (opt.) and toss it well and enjoy ur salad...

Sending this to Shama's event an event started by Priya

Apr 4, 2012

Sweet Somasi


Sweet Somasi / Gujjiyas / karchikka / Karjikai :  these are the names for this sweets .

Ingredients needed :

for outer covering :
  • Maida - 1 cup
  • Salt - a pinch
  • Oil
  • Water
Method :

Take a bowl add in maida + salt + oil and mix it well and then add water little by little and knead it well till a soft dough is formed ...and allow it to rest for few mins. meanwhile prepare the stuffing ...

Ingredients needed :
for Stuffing : 

(adjust sugar as per you taste)
  • Grated coconut - 1 cup
  • Chutney dhal / Pottu kadalai - 1/2 cup
  • Poppy seeds - little
  • Dry Raisins - 10 - 15
  • Sugar - 1 cup
  • Elachi powder - little
Method : 

Grate coconut and keep it aside ..take a blender and add the chutney dhal and using the pulse button grind coarsely ...and transfer it to a bowl and to that add the dried raisins + elachi powder + sugar + poppy seeds + coconut and mix it well..


Method to make the somasi :

Take small ball size of the dough and roll it like how we make it for poori then place it on the mould and place the stuffing in one side and close the mould tightly and take all excess dough if any and place it in a plate ...

Heat a kadai and add oil for deep frying , once the oil is hot gently drop in the somasi and deep fry it till done on both the sides ...

If you don't have the mould , you can roll it like poori and place the stuffing in one side and bring the other part and close it and press the ends with fork and then deep fry it ..

Made these for my son's birthday on April 2nd. and these are the gifts he recd. 

1. IPAD - from Kavitha aunty
2. Cricket set - appa
3. Watch - Roopa aunty



Apr 1, 2012

Maida Biscuits


The  tiny biscuits /  thukkada  recipe along with photo was sent by Lavanya . Hope you all like both the version ..


Savory biscuits.:

Maida 1 cup
Salt to taste
Chilli powder 2 tsp
hing ( a pinch)
oil.

Make like a chapati dough. Roll as thin as possible like that for a chapati.
Cut it in cubes using knife. Deep fry the cubes.

Sweet biscuits.:
 
Maida 1 cup
sugar 1 1/2 cup
cardamon powder
oil - 2tsp

Its the same procedure like that for savory biscuits. Since its sweet version, the dough will be more sticky. Use enough flour while rolling as chapati. Cut into small cubes. Deep fry the cubes.


Its a very easy evening snack to make.

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