Green Tea Noodles / Cha Soba

There are some days you want something simple, yet that you want to feel indulged ... here is a very simple spread that brings loads of flavor, you will be surprised how filling it is. Today I have used Cha soba, or Green tea noodles, that has a very delicate flavor and aroma.  I like Cha noodles as is without is being soaked in some kind of sauce that basically overwhelms the unique flavor of the noodles. So here, I have some perfect side dishes..

Ingredients :

Cha Soba / Green Tea Noodles - 1/2 pkt
Firm Tofu  - 6 sliced 1" wide
Carrots - 1 cup  Julienne cut
Zucchini - 1 cup  Julienne cut
Ginger - 1 tsp Julienne cut
Red Chili Powder - 1/2 tsp
Toasted Sesame Seeds -  1 tbsp
Soya Sauce
Mirin

White Rice Vinegar
Oil
salt

In a small bowl mix 2 tbsp of soya sauce, 1 tbsp of  rice vinegar and the red chili powder. In this mixture soak the  tofu piece and keep aside.
Follow the directions on the package to make the soba, once done remove to a colander, add some ice cubes to the noodles and let it sit until you are ready to serve. Do add salt to the water when cooking the soba.
In a saute pan add 1/2 tsp of oil and add the carrots and stir fry for 3 to 4 minutes.In a small bowl add about 3 tbsp of mirin. Remove the Carrots and put in the bowl with the mirin. Drain the mirin before moving the carrots to a serving dish.
In the same saute pan after the carrots are removed, add 1/2 tsp of oil and then add the ginger. Saute for a minute and then add the zucchini, and a pinch of salt. Stir fry 3 to 4 minutes, add 1 tsp of rice vinegar, Remove from heat once the vinegar evaporates. You won't need to add salt because of the vinegar but if you feel you want to, just add a pinch.  Remove from heat to a serving dish.
In a saute pan heat about 2 tsp of oil, once the oil heats up gently place the soaked tofu, turn every 3  to 4 minutes until all the sides are a nice brown. Remove from heat to a serving dish.

Now that all the side dishes are ready, place the drained cold noodles to a serving bowl. 
Now get all your sides  next to it - the Tofu, the Ginger- zucchini Stir fry, Stir Fried Carrots, a small bowl of toasted Sesame seeds, a small bowl of soya sauce, (optional) Roasted Nori - crumbled or small stripes.

To plate it, drizzle very little soya sauce on the noodles, topped with the toasted sesame seeds  and Nori. Serve the sides and enjoy!


I used Hakubaku Organic Cha Noodles that I received it as part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program.
Read about some of the ingredients I used:
Mirin
White Rice Vinegar
Nori

Bread Halwa

A very simple yet filling dessert- this bread halwa (sweet confection), is surprisingly tasty. In this recipe I have used a three seed Oatnut bread (any brand will do) ,  traditionally, plain sweet white bread is used, but I like the texture , and flavor the seeds and nuts bring. Please feel free to substitute and try with any other bread of  your liking. This here is for 1 serving or if you share , and don't have a very sweet tooth will serve two. So you might want to increase the quantity according to your requirement.

Ingredients:

Three seed Oatnut Bread - 2 slices
Whole Milk - 1 cup
Sugar - 3 to 4 tbsp
Honey - 2 tsp
Slivered Almonds - 1tsp
Chopped Cashews - 1 tsp
Golden Raisins - 1 tsp
Ghee - 1 tsp

Crumble the bread in a mixer/ grinder (I find that crumbling them,  rather than just breaking to pieces / or just soaking them milk before hand, gives a better texture to the halwa). Heat the Ghee in a saute pan. Add the almonds and cashews and fry for a few seconds until golden brown.  Remove from heat and keep aside. Then to the same pan add the bread crumbs and fry in the remaining ghee for a minute or two until you see it changing color. Then add the milk and sugar, and continue to boil the milk on simmer until the milk is almost evaporated and the mixture starts to leave the side of the pan, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add  1/2 the almonds, cashews, all of the raisins, and 1 tsp of honey to the mixture and stir well. Remove from heat to serving bowl, garnish with the remaining dry fruits and honey. You can serve this warm or cold.

Spinach & Cabbage Pakoras / Fritters

When I was kid/ teenager/ adult (before marriage), every evening I would fervently wait for the evening snack, that my mother would make, hoping against hope that it would be pakoras, I really didn't care which type, as long as they were fried to that delicious golden hue. While pakoras are a common Indian snack, expecting it to be made every evening might be pushing it a bit far. But still I never gave up hope, and if perchance a miracle happens and pakoras are in front of us, you can be sure it would be wiped clean without a crumb left on the plate.These days of course pakoras are a rarity in my home, being health conscious and all. The good news is now when I go back home every couple of years, I find my niece and nephews also take after me, I am ashamed to say but looks like I haven't changed much,and we still manage to clean the plate off to a shine....
Every now and then my eyes do light up at the very thought...So now for some delicious piping hot pakoras

Ingredients:
Spinach - 3 cups washed, drained and chopped well
Cabbage - 1 1/2 cup chopped small, washed and drained
Onion - 1/2 cup finely chopped
Besan - 2 cups
Cilantro leaves - 1/4  cup chopped.
Red Chili powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric Power - 1/2 tsp
Oil for Batter - 2 tsp
Salt to Taste

Oil  for deep frying

Mix all the ingredients except the oil meant to deep fry.  Use the oil as the binding medium for the mixture. The moisture in the washed spinach and cabbage along with the oil should make a thick batter.  Adjust salt and chili powder according to taste.
 Heat oil for deep frying the fritters, once the oil is hot, drop a little bit of batter , if it rises immediately the oil is ready, lower the heat to medium and drop in spoonful of batter, 6 - 8 nos. at a time, depending on the size of the pan , quantity of oil used to fry. Turn after 3-4 minutes and cook both sides until they are golden brown. Remove from the frying an and place them onto a absorbent napkin/paper. Serve hot with just tea or ketchup/ mint chutney.

You can also add one slice of bread that has been crumbled to the batter, but you would need to adjust the salt, chili powder and oil.

Mango Salad

Depending on how much time you have to make this salad - you can serve it as a warm salad or a cold salad. Here I have made the cold salad. On hot summer days go for the cold version of this salad and for those cool winters evenings try the warm salad. Either way this salad gains high points for the taste factor.

Ingredients

Ripe Mango - 1 1/2 cup  small cubes
Pearl Onions / Red Onion - 1/2 cup finely chopped
Lemon Juice - 1 tsp
Chili Powder - to season (according to taste)
Cilantro - To garnish
Olive Oil - 1/2 tsp
Salt - a pinch

For the cold salad, gently combine all the ingredients and serve chill.  Do make with a mango which is fully ripe and sweet yet holds it shape when cut. Other wise you might find the salad a bit mushy with all the juice oozing out of the mango.

For the  warm salad, Instead of cutting the mangoes in small cubes make larger chunks,  then grill the mango cubes, turning them often for 3 to 5 minutes. The grilling process helps heighten the flavors and caramelizes the sugars. If you can't grill, you can saute the cubes  in a pan on high heat and and once you see the mangoes browning,  remove from heat.  Gently combine with the other ingredients and serve immediately.

Avocado - Aloo Paratha

 So, recently the tune that keeps playing in my head is Elvis's Devil in Disguise. ..As it replays I  keep shaking my head smiling,  but then I remind myself sternly should I even be smiling; but that's just it ... I do keep smiling and trying my best to figure out how to get the better of my (sweet?) little one rather than the other way round. And yet if it was a tug of war I would fail miserably, so we play along and we move in sync, one step forward, two steps back, a tickle and we move some steps sideways too, but we are always moving and I am always trying.

And so a very healthy twist on the regular aloo paratha, and I can assure you it will be a hit with the kids. I am perpetually looking for ways make healthy yet tasty dishes so as to entice a very picky 17 month old, and this one works!!! This is the adult version of the recipe, you might want to tone down on the chili and ginger-garlic paste if you are planning to serve it to above mentioned age group.

Ingredients:
For the Dough  

Atta / Whole wheat flour - 2 cups

Avacado - 1 

Milk - 2 tsp (if needed - I did not need it)

Salt - 1/2 tsp
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 tsp

Oil - 1/2 tsp

For the Filling:

Potatoes - 2 large or 5 to 6 small or 3 medium sized
Cumin Seed - 1/2 tsp
Green Chili - 3 chopped
Coriander Leaves / Cilantro - A small fistful chopped
Lemon Juice - 1/2 tsp

Salt to Taste

Boil the potatoes with the skin on. Pierce holes to allow the steam to be released. If possible steam the potatoes rather than boiling it in water. I did it in a pressure cooker for up to 2 whistles on medium heat by placing the potatoes in a bowl and the pouring water around the bowl. The reason for this is you want the potatoes to be cooked and be nice and soft but retain very little water.
You can also use the microwave to achieve the same result, by having one bowl of water and placing another bowl inside it with potatoes. Cover the big bowl with a wrap and pierce the wrap to allow the steam to be released. Cook according to the size of the potatoes from 6 minutes to 10 minutes. Let it cool.

While the potatoes are being cooked, in a mixing bowl add the Atta, avocado, salt, ginger-garlic paste and knead the mixture into a soft dough. You want the dough to be soft to touch without any lumps, in case you find that the dough is still hard ...wet you fingers in a little milk and knead. Spread 1/2 tsp of oil all around the dough and let the dough sit for 15 minutes.

By this time the potatoes would be cool enough to handle, so remove the skin and mash the potatoes in another mixing bowl. Add the Green Chili, Cumin Seeds, Cilantro, lemon juice and salt. Combine the ingredients well and then divide the mixture and make balls the size of golf balls.

Now divide the dough into equal number of balls. Dust each with a little flour, and roll out into small disc about 3 to 3 1/2 inches, enough for you to place one potato stuffing and cover it with the dough like a dumpling by crimping and sealing the top to form a ball again. Pat the ball gently into a disc again and dust with flour and keep aside. Finish stuffing and dusting all the dough in this fashion before rolling out the parathas. Now gently roll out the parathas as thin as you can without breaking the parathas, you most probably won't need to dust again.Now cook on a tava, allow one side to cook for a minute,  then turn, drizzle a drop of oil, turn again, drizzle oil again, and then using a spatula, spread the oil, wait for a minute and turn again for other side, remove after a minute after both sides are evenly cooked. If your paratha is thin enough and is not broken, you will even see it puff up too. Serve hot with yogurt and punjabi achar.Because of the creaminess of the avocado this paratha is very soft.

You can also make rotis with the dough without any stuffing, if you want to do away with the potatoes.

Olan - Ash Gourd in Coconut Milk

A very traditional dish, the Olan is a standard in any feast in Kerala. Part of the sadya spread this is delicate dish is made in coconut milk, and has a very mild taste. Normally you would find vanpayar or black eyed beans in pod also added to this recipe.  But, we make it using just ash gourd at home, so here too I have omitted the beans.

Ingredients:

Ash Gourd / White Pumpkin  - 2 1/2 cups thinly sliced
Coconut Milk - Fresh 1
Green Chili - 2
Curry Leaves - 2 stems
Coconut Oil - 2 tbsp
Salt to taste

If you are using fresh coconut , you need to take the second milk of the coconut,  else if using canned then use 1/2 the can mixed with 1 1/2 cups of water.   In a sauce pan cook the vegetables, sliced green chili in the coconut milk for about 10 - 12 minutes on low heat. Once the vegetables are cooked almost dry, add salt. Remove from heat and add the rest of the coconut milk or the first milk of the coconut. Garnish with the  curry leaves and coconut oil, stir and leave covered for few minutes.

Vegetable Kurma Without Coconut

This version of the kurma is without coconut - while adding coconut give the kurma a distinct flavor, I have changed it as I keep trying to reduce the amount of coconut I use while cooking. Even without the coconut you will be able to distinguish the South Indian flavor of this kurma. While adding vegetables are optional, you can add just one or combine couple of veggies to make this kurma. This kurma is very aromatic and the subtle blend of spices combined with cashews, make a very flavorful and rich gravy.

Ingredients:
Vegetable  1 1/2 cups (cauliflower, carrot, potatoes, peas)
Poppy Seeds - 2 tsp
Cashew nuts - 2 tsp
Red Chili Powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander Powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric Powder
Cilantro leaves - a few
Salt to taste
Oil - 1 tbsp

To Paste:
Onion - 3/4 cup
Tomato - 1 chopped
Ginger - 1" piece
Green chili - 1
Saunf - 1/2 tsp
Garlic - 1 pod
Mint leaf - 2 to 3
Cardamom - 1
Clove - 2
Cinnamon - 1/2 " piece


Cut Cauliflower, carrots and potatoes in small pieces and keep aside. Now powder the poppy seeds followed by the cashew nuts , now add the rest of the ingredients listed under 'To Paste:' to a smooth paste. Heat oil in a pressure cooker and add the paste , turmeric power, red chili powder, coriander powder and cook until the oil separates, make sure to stir occasionally so that the gravy doesn't burn.  Once you notice the oil separate and the gravy is a golden hue add the vegetables and 2 1/2 cups of water.  Cover and cook on simmer until two whistles.  Remove from heat and cool. Once all the steam  has been let off, remove and move to a serving bowl. Garnish with Cilantro leaves.
This dish goes very well with piping hot rotis, appams & dosai.

Ennai kathrikai /Eggplant in Oil

A lot of people either love eggplants/aubergine or hate them, while it is a very commonly used vegetable in many cuisines, somehow people end up making their minds either way. I should confess that not far back in the past I belonged to the later group. It is surprising how our palate changes with the years, how dark or green colored veggies no longer make you run. I can't count the number of excuses I have made to get away without consuming these beauties. Well times change and so did my, lets say, aversion. Today, I would be the first person to try out a dish that includes eggplants.
So, this is one dish you can try if you are trying out Eggplants and you like medium to spicy food. This will be an instant hit to those who already love eggplants in any form. The method for Ennai Kathrikai various from place to place in South India, there is gravy version (kuzhambu), a drier gravy version, a poriyal (stir fry) version, each has a very distinct taste and feel, but include the same main ingredients. Today I am presenting the drier version of the dish, this extremely flavorful recipe is perfect as a side for rice/ biryani. It is surprising how complex flavor belies the simplicity and easy of making of this dish.

Ingredients:

Indian Eggplant/ aubergine - 12 , small rounds ones that you can get in Indian stores.

Red Onion - 1 cup chopped

Whole Black Pepper - 1 tsp

Cumin Seeds- 1 tsp

Coriander Powder - 1 tbsp

Red Chili powder - 1 tsp

Salt - 1 tsp

Sesame seed Oil/ Gingelly Oil - 2 tbsp

Wash and cut crosswise the small aubergines bottom up leaving it still attached to the stem. Cut the tall length of the stem to closer to the head of the eggplant. Place these in a bowl full of water. Make a medium smooth paste of the the rest of the ingredients except the oil. Now fill each aubergine slit with the gravy you just made and keep aside.

In a wide saute pan heat the oil, once the oil is hot carefully place each eggplant next to each other. If you have any remaining gravy pour over the eggplants. Reduce the heat to simmer, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Turn the eggplants over and then cover, and cook for another 10 minutes until both the sides are soft and the aubergines are fully cooked. As we are using little oil, make sure that you scrape the gravy off when you turn the eggplants over. Once you notice the oil leaving the sides of the gravy you can turn off the heat and transfer to a serving bowl. 

Walnut, Pistachio and Raisin Mini loaf

For a dessert that doubles as an energy bar, this Walnut, Pistachio and Raisin Mini loaf is ridiculously quick and easy. Serve these out instead of those heavy desserts we normally dish out for parties and festivals, it's a sure party pleaser.

Ingredients:
Sesame Seeds - 1/2 cup
Almonds - 1/2 cup
Brown Sugar - 2 tsp
Unsalted Walnuts - 1/4 cup
Unsalted Pistachios nuts - 1/4 cup
Raisins - 1/4 cup
Honey - 2 tbsp
Salt - a pinch

Finely chop the walnuts and pistachio. Toast sesame seeds until it is a deep golden brown, keep aside. Then toast the almonds for 5 - 6 minutes. Grind the sesame seeds, almonds,sugar and salt to a powder. Put the powder in a mixing bowl along with the rest of the ingredients and knead to form a stiff dough/batter. Shape the dough into a rectangular loaf about 1'' high and 1" wide, it will almost look like a stick of butter. Refrigerate for 1/2 hr before slicing and serving. You can also mix in other nuts & seeds and try different combinations of dried fruits that have been finely chopped.

Date Rolls

It has been a very long time since I blogged. The months have simply flown and finally I get down to posting. I having been so pampered all these months along with my little one by her grandmothers, that honestly , I hardly saw the kitchen during their stay. But now they have left and I am back in the kitchen; polishing on the kitchen skills that were getting rusty to say the least, to begin with. But all this time I have been collecting the pearls of wisdom that has been passed  to me over the various dishes and recipes they were making, I will be slowing posting the very many recipes I got from them, soon after I perfect them in my own way, sharing them with you in the process.

So today I thought I will start with something sweet! Date Rolls is one simple and nutritious dessert that every one would love.

Ingredients:
California Dates - 2 cups
Milk - 1 1/ cups
Walnuts - 1/4 cup chopped
Almonds - 1/4th cup chopped
Sesame Seeds - 1/4th cup
Canola Oil or Ghee - 1 1/2  tsp
Salt a pinch

Grind the dates and 3/4th cup of milk until they make a thick smooth paste.In a saute pan dry roast the walnut, almonds and semsame seeds seperately and keep aside.  To the pan add 1 tsp of ghee and once the ghee heats up add the paste, rest of the milk and salt  and cook on simmer until the paste becomes darker and start to leave the sides of the pan and starts to become a thick mass. This should take  about 8 to 10 minutes. Make sure to stir often. If you want at this point you can integrate the dry ingredients (walnuts, almonds and 1/2 of the sesame seeds) or you can wait until later. Remove the mixture from the heat and spread it on a alumnium foil that has been oiled and let it cool. Once cooled you can add the dry ingredients as a layer above the dates and then fold the auminum foil to create a large sandwich of dates with the walnuts, almonds and sesame seeds in between. Refrigerate for 2 hrs. Remove the top part of the foil and sprinkle some of the sesame seeds, turn over onto a plate and sprinkle the remaining sesame seeds. At this point you can cut it in any shape you want or you can cut unto thin stripes then again until the rolls are of desired lengths and make rolls by rolling it until it is smooth.
Just so you know this IS a sticky dessert, albeit a very tasty one.

Peerkangai Thuvayal/ Ridge Gourd Chutney

This is one of the many recipes given to me by my mother(IL)when she came to visit us here, that is quick and easy to prepare. Before, I would rarely buy the Ridge gourd - never sure what to do with it..:)
So here is her recipe to make Peerkangai Thuvayal that for our sake does not include coconut and is made with very few ingredients.




Ingredients:

Ridge Gourd / Peerkangai - 1 medium size
Urad Dal - 3 tbsp
Garlic - 1 clove
Dried Long Red Chili - 3
1/4 tsp tamarind paste
Sesame Seed Oil / Gingelly Oil / Nalla Ennai - 3 tsp

Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal- 1 tsp
Nalla Ennai - 1/2 tsp

Scrape off just the ridges of the Ridge Gourd. Wash and pat dry before cutting it up into small pieces that can be easily ground and keep aside.
Heat oil and fry the red chili for 2 to 3 minutes, remove and keep aside. Now fry the urad dal until golden brown for few minutes along with the garlic and set it aside along with the chili, now saute the cut ridge gourd for about 8-10 minutes on medium heat until the pieces are soft you may also want to cover it after 5- 6 minutes to speed up the process. Remove from heat and let it cool.

Grind all the ingredients to finely coarse consistency and move to serving dish. In the same saute pan heat 1/2 tsp of oil and splutter the mustard seeds and then add the urad dal. Remove from heat and pour over the Thuvayal.

This recipe can also be made with just the skin of the ridge gourd.
Serve with hot rice and Ghee or use it as a spread for pitas, sandwiches or paninis.

Peanut Chutney

One of my recent favorites is the Peanut chutney ...one of the make ahead recipes... minimum ingredients and it stays well in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days, which is a definite plus for me!


Ingredients:

Peanuts - 1 1/2 cups
Dried Red Chili - 3 to 4 according to taste
Garlic - 2 to 3 cloves crushed
Tamarind paste /pulp - 3/4 tsp but can be adjusted to taste
Salt to taste
Oil - 1 tsp

In a saute pan heat oil and then gently fry the dried red chili and keep aside. Now add the peanuts and roast until golden brown and crackling, Then add the garlic and roast further for a few minutes, until you no longer get the raw taste of the peanuts. Remove from heat and cool. grind the cooled peanut, chili, tamarind paste, salt and 2/4 cup of water. You can also add water little by little until the chutney grinds to a thick paste. I like it a bit tighter...but if you like the chutney to have a little loose consistency, add more water (1/4 cup at a time), increase, salt and tamarind paste accordingly.

For mixing with rice go with less water. For dosa, idli or any thing else you would like to dunk in chutney use more water. If you are using more water you would like to add tadka - splutter in 1/2 tsp of oil about 1/2 tsp of mustard seeds, 1/2 tsp of urad dal/channa dal, 1 dried chili, few curry leaves and pour over the peanut chutney.

HorseGram curry - Muthira Kootan / Muthira Eriserri

Horse Gram, is one of the healthier legumes normally recommended as part of a iron rich diet. Today's gravy can be made in three ways - without coconut in the sauce base, using roasted coconut as the sauce base or without roasting the coconut. Each method has it own deliciously distinctive taste.

Below I will list all the ingredients specifying modifications to the recipe on the way.

(Muthira Kootan -Without Coconut)

Ingredients:
Muthira / horsegram - 1 cup
Pearl Onion - 4 sliced
Green Chilli - 2 Sliced
ginger - 1 " piece
Red chilli - 1/2 tsp
turmeric powder - 2 pinchCurry leaves - a few
Grated Coconut - 1/2 cup
Jeerakam / Cumin Seeds -1 /2 tsp
Peal onion - 1 chopped
salt to taste
coconut oil - 1/2 tsp

In a pressure cooker dry roast muthira for 6 to 8 minutes on medium heat. Add about 2 cups of water or enough water to cover the dal and pressure cook it upto 4 whistles.Turn off the heat and let the steam release. Once you can safely open the pressure cooker, turn on the heat add salt, green chilli, turmeric powder,red chili powder, once the water starts reaches a rolling boil and you can no longer smell raw chili powder,take down the heat to a very low.At this point you can decide how you would like the gravy to be. If you want to exclude the coconut then don't add the coconut and the cumin seeds and let the gravy boil for another 5 minutes until the water reduces to a thicker consistency. If you decide you want to add coconut then you can either

1. Blend grated coconut, cumin seeds and 1 chopped pearl onion into a thick paste with very little and pour over the gravy. Take off heat as soon as the gravy starts to boil again.
OR

2. Dry roast the coconut, chopped pearl onion and cumin seeds, until coconut is a golden to dark brown (make sure not to burn the coconut!)and then grind in the blender with minimum water. Add the mixture to the gravy. Remove from heat as soon as the gravy begins to boil again.

Once the gravy has turned to a boil the second time according to the method your chose from above, take it off the heat and move the gravy to a serving dish. Then, in a saute pan heat the coconut oil. Once the Oil is hot add the sliced onions and let it tenderize in the heat. Then add the curry leaves. Remove from heat and pour this mixture over your gravy.

(Muthira Eriserri - With unroasted coconut)

Jeera Rice

This is a very simple jeera rice without too many ingredients. Jeera rice is one of the most simplest and versatile flavored rice that goes with almost any kind of gravy.


Ingredients:
Basmati rice- 1 Cup
Jeera /cumin seeds - 2 tsp
Bay leaf - 1
Cloves - 3 to 4
Ghee / Clarified Butter - 1 tbsp
Salt To Taste

Soak the rice for 1/2 hr. When the 1/2 hr is almost over, heat the ghee in a heavy saucepan, and add the cumin seeds, bay leaf, cloves,and fry for a few seconds.Drain the rice and add the rice to the oil and fry it for a few minutes.Add 2 cups of water to the pan, salt and stir, the water should have the salty taste... make sure it is not too salty. Cover with a lid and cook on medium flame. Cook for 10 minutes until you see most of the water absorbed and there are bubbly holes forming on top of the rice. Reduce the flame to low and cook for 5 minutes and turn off the heat. Leave the rice to cook for some time with the lid on. Use a fork to separate and make  the rice fluffy.

Serve jeera rice hot with any spicy curry or raita.

Additional ingredients you can add are cashews, fried Onions, Pepper etc.

Potato Stuffed Sandwich

This is one easy dish no kid or adult is ever going to refuse...

Ingredients:
Potato - 2 medium or 4 small
Onion - 1 cup chopped small
Ginger - 1" piece
Green Chili - 2 sliced
Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp
Jeera /Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Coriander leaves - a small bunch
Oil - 2 tbsp
Salt to taste
Bread - 4 to 6 Slices

In a saute pan heat oil and add the jeera, onion, ginger, green chili and fry till the onions sweat and become pink in color. Add salt, turmeric powder, potatoes and cover and cook till the potatoes are done on low heat.You can also microwave the potatoes with salt to speed up the process. Make sure that the potatoes are cooked just right that they are still soft yet firm enough that they don't crumble on touch but can be mashed on pressing down with a spoon. Lightly mash some of the potatoes. Remove the chili slices before continuing.
Take two slices of bread and spread about 3 tsp of the mixture on one of the slices. Place the other slice on top of the mixture. I used a sandwich maker at this point. I used a drop of oil on either side of the sandwich when placing it on the sandwich maker. Just need to wipe the sandwich holder for that. You can also use a regular tava with a drop of oil on either side of the sandwich, turn the sandwich from one side to another until it is golden brown. Remove from heat once the other side is golden brown too.

The sandwich is now ready to be served.

This Sandwich goes to Deepa of "Simple Home cooking" blog's event Cooking for kids-Potato and this event was started by Sharmi of Neivedyam.

Colors Of Taste : Rice Flour - RoundUp

And so here are is the Roundup of the event Rice Flour; this time we only have three entries... so I am missing all the good recipes that could be churned out using this versatile ingredient, I am just going to assume that it is because I was not able to publish the blog event this time at different forums and aggregators we see such a low response .. I too have been very busy with the baby and have not been able to give my 100% to the blog so I really can't complain!
... but not to worry I am sure this will be the only time we will see such low numbers :).. So without further delay the entries for this month's event

Colors of Taste - Powders: Rice Powder - RoundUp

Satya's cooking experiments : Gatti Pakodi\Crunchy pakodi

Simple vegetarian Recipes : Crispy thattai

Kerala Recipes : Kerala Idli

I am back from my break!!!

After a pretty long roller coaster hiatus.... I have been so busy with my new baby that I have no clue how the last three months flew .... no wonder it is said you lose touch with the world once you look at the beautiful face of your precious baby :)...
I am slowly now involving myself with other things unrelated to baby land.... and that takes me to my other baby ...this blog ...which I oft neglect yet miss at the same time ... :) ...
So now I have decided it is time to get back in mode... with a baby you sure learn fast that you better get organized... and that no amount of organizing is going to prepare you for the workings of your little one's mind ...
All the ladies and gents that have gone through this crazy but wonderful stage do drop in your 2 cents...any words of wisdom is much appreciated.....do too drop in a line if you have recipes that are especially good for nursing mommies like me ...healthy yet quick :) ...I would love to try out your suggestions...

I will resume the Colors of Taste Event from the month of August to given me enough time to get things settled down... I would look forwarded to your entries to the future events....Thanks a lot for all your support and kind words all this time...

Kreativ Blogger

Jisha has awarded me the Kreativ Blogger Award.... Thank You very much!!!


The Kreative Blogger Award comes with some rules :-

You must thank the person who has given you the award.
Copy the logo and place it on your blog.
Link the person who has nominated you for the award.
Name 7 things about yourself that people might find interesting.
Nominate 7 other Kreativ bloggers.
Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate.
Leave a comment on each of the blogs to let them know they have been nominated.
Here are 7 things about me :

Maya is the name of the little imp who already has me twisted around her tiny little finger- And she is barely 6 months old!!

Moved this December from Chicago - Already missing Chicago but loving California!!

I love to travel. Currently the only travel I do is through books and on the net!!

I enjoy cooking but more so eating and trying out new cuisines!!

It's the small things make me happy!

I love the orange Flavor.

I Enjoy Puzzles.

I would like to pass on this award to the following 7 Bloggers :-

Asha of Foodies Hope
Bee of Rasa Malaysia
Padma Rekha of PlantainLeaf
Shaheen of Malabar Spices
Sue of My Korean Kitchen
Pam of For the Love of Cooking

Priya of Akshayapaatram

I know most of you might have already got this award as these do tend to go around a lot... so if you have already got one...just know I think you are all fabulously gifted!!

Colors of Taste : Rice Flour

So this time something that is used very commonly in South Indian kitchen - The versatile Rice Flour. Called Ari Podi, Arisi Mavu, Rice flour, that can be used in so many forms, is the basis for many truly delicious dishes.....both savory and sweet. This powder is an essential in my kitchen...for a quick and easy kai pathiri, neer dosai ... or lacy nool puttu, ...or for sweet or savory Kozhukattai.. or the famous Avalos podi. Rice Flour is also extensively used in other cuisines especially Asian... so it has a more universal appeal in every kitchen.

Rice flour can be made from either white or brown rice. Generally the rice is wash and dried and then powdered. How finely the rice is powdered varies from region and recipe. Then depending of the recipe either it is used as is or is roasted.

The theme for this month is ....

Rice Flour / Ari Podi /Arisi Mavu

Any recipe that calls for Rice Flour as one of the major ingredient qualifies for this event.

This theme for the event runs from May 19th to June 19th.

The rules are simple :
This is a once a month event. So you get almost a month to submit your entry from the date of announcement of the theme of the month, which would be in last week ofthe month. Please feel free to use the Event Logo in your post for the event.
1. Post about it on your blog with picture during the relevant deadline. Past entries are gladly accepted, please make sure you edit the entry to mention the event and link back to the event.
2.You must provide a link to this post and the COT-Powders page in your entry post.
3. Your creation must be prepared for the Colors Of Taste - Powders event and cannot be submitted to any other blog event.
4. All entries must be vegetarian...sorry about that.
5. Please do not Repost.
6. No need to add picture, I will pull it out from your post.

Once you have posted your dish, send an email with "Colors Of Taste - Powders: Rice Flour" in the subject line and send to kadumangacolors(at) gmail (dot) com within the deadline.

Include the following details in your mail:
Name of the dish:
Name of the Blog:
Link to the dish entered in the event:
Your Name:


If you do not have a blog, just email the recipe and a picture.

LAST DATE FOR ENTRIES: June 19th

Colors of Taste - Powders: Flavored Rice - Roundup

And so after a extremely hectic month ...here is the roundup for the 2 part event - Flavored Rice - Indian and International varieties. Looks like this time everyone were very busy to try new dishes, so while I received multiple entries for the Indian section... the numbers for the International varieties have gone down... but this month I am also not complaining as I too have been very busy. I will be taking a break from blogging ...other than hosting the COT event for at least 2 months. I have a new addition to my family now. Maya is my first little one and she is taking most of my time; and as you can see the roundup got delayed by a couple of days. So without further delay here are the entries for the month of April.

Colors of Taste - Powders: Flavored Rice - RoundUp

Indian Flavors


KonkanWorld : Tomato Rice

Foodie's Hope : Hulianna

Dil Se : Egg Biryani

Savi-Ruchi : Hyderabadi Biryani

Savi-Ruchi : Raw Mango Rice

Kayal's Kitchen : Quick Fried Rice

Kayal's Kitchen : Tomato Rice

Kayal's Kitchen : Vegetable Biryani

Kayal's Kitchen : Pudhina Rice

My Kitchen's Aroma : Onion Rice

Priya's Easy N Tasty Recipes : Lemon Rice

Priya's Vegetarian Recipes : Vangi Bhath(Brinjal Rice)

Simple Indian food : Tawa Pulav

Nanna Adige : Mavinkayi Chitranna / Raw Mango Rice

International Flavors


Indian Vegetarian Cooking : Indo-Chinese fried rice

Foodie's Hope : Iranian bhagali Polou

Annapurna : Lubia Polo