Puli Kuzhambu Podi (Homemade Tamarind Curry Powder)

This is a homemade tamarind curry powder. Its very simple and can be made within minutes. The quantity I have given here can be used 2 times. Also you can increase the quantity and store it for months even. This powder is very flavorful and you can get very good tasting tamarind curry. Just add 2 1/2 tbsp to 3 tbsp of this powder to your tamarind curry.

Ingredients:

Dhania/Corriander seeds - 3 tbsp
Red Chilli - 5 or 6
Jeera/Cumin seeds - 2 tbsp
Peppercorns - 1 tbsp
Unboiled rice (Arisi) - 1 tbsp
Fenugreek - 1/2 tsp

Method:

1) Dry roast all ingredients, until it turns little brown color.

2) Let it cool and make fine powder of it.

Homemade tamarind curry powder is ready for your curry.

Carrot Paneer/Cottage Cheese Tikki

Making kids have healthy veggies is really a tedious job. Most of all it depends on their mood and taste. Kids prefer fried items a lot. But we can't give fried stuffs very often. So we can try this tikki, which seems to be like fried snack, but not actually. It consumes very little oil and gives a great taste. My duaghter loved this, that too with ketchup attracted her a lot.

Ingredients:

Potato - 2 (boiled & mashed)
Carrot - 1 (grated)
Paneer/Cottage cheese - 1/4 cup (scrambled)
Corn flour - 3 to 4 tbsp
Chilli powder - 2 tsp
Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
Cilantro/Corriander leaves - few
Salt - to taste
Oil - 3 tbsp

Method:

1) In a pan, add 1 tbsp oil. Add carrot, potato, paneer/cottage cheese, chilli powder, garam masala powder and cilantro.

2) Mix well and fry for about 3 to 5 minutes and add salt. Give a nice stir and let it cool.

3) Then transfer this to a bowl and add corn flour.

4) Mix well and make a soft dough (increase or decrease the corn flour to get the consistency)

5) Now heat a tawa. Take a lemon size ball and make desired shapes, by placing in your palms.

6) Add some oil in the tawa and toast both the sides.

Healthy and delicious carrot paneer tikki is ready and kids with love this, if served with tomato ketchup.

Blueberry Milkshake

Very refreshing and yummy milkshake for these hot summer days is here. It was very delicious and all loved it. You can add whipped cream or vanilla icecream for this milkshake.

Ingredients:

Blueberry - 1/2  dry pint or 1 cup
Milk - 2 cups
Sugar - 2 tbsp
Vanilla Icecream/Whipped cream - 3 tbsp

Method:

Put everything in a blender and give a nice blend.

Refreshing and delicious milkshake is ready.

White Pumpkin Milk Kootu (Microwave Cooking from Start to End)

I am not much used to microwave cooking, other than re-heating leftover foodstuffs or boiling milk. When I came across this Only - Microwave Cooking event, thought why not cook something and gave a try. But it was very easy to cook in microwave.

Within 10 to 12 minutes I was able to complete the whole cooking process, without any messy kitchen. Also the recipe tastes delicious and could not differentiate it from stove top cooking. The pumpkin was well cooked and all ingredients added to it blended very well. It was very creamy and tastes great.

Ingredients:

White pumpkin - 1 cup (chopped to small pieces)
Milk - 1/4 cup
Green chilli - 1 or 2 (finely chopped)
Mustard - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Salt - to taste
Oil - 1 tbsp + 1/2 tsp

For grinding:
Coconut - 3 tbsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Pearl onion - 2 or 3

Method:

1) In a microwave safe bowl, put 1/2 tsp of oil.  Add the cut white pumpkin and give a stir. Add 1/2 cup of water to it and microwave it for 5 minutes.

2) Let it stand for a minute in microwave. Take it out and add finely chopped green chilli. Microwave for 1 minute.

3) Then take it out and add the milk and ground coconut paste (Grind all ingredients under "For grinding"). Also add the salt and microwave it for about 2 minutes.

4) Take it out and keep aside. In another microwave safe bowl, do the tempering. Take 1 tbsp oil in a bowl and microwave for 30 seconds.

5) Take it out and add the mustard seeds. Microwave it for 1 minute.

6) Take it and add urad dal and curry leaves. Microwave for 1 minute.

7) Add the tempering to the pumpkin mixture. Mix it and microwave it for 2 mins.

Creamy and delicious white pumpkin milk kootu is ready now.

Schezwan Fried Rice (with Homemade Schezwan Sauce)

Schezwan is Chinese cuisine originated in Sichuan. The sauce we prepare in this is the main spice flavor for this rice. You can make this sauce and store in refrigerator. This sauce can be used for making Schezwan noodles and many other Schezwan recipes. I made it less spicy, by decreasing the red chillies, as we are not much spice lovers. If you a real spice lover, then you will love this.

Ingredients:

Cooked Basmati rice - 2 bowls
Carrot - 1/4 cup (chopped)
Capsicum/Bell Pepper - 1/4 cup (chopped)
Cabbage - 1/4 cup (chopped)
Garlic - 3 or 4 pods (finely chopped)
Spring onion/Green onion - 1/2 bunch (finely chopped)
Salt - to taste
Oil - 2 tbsp

For Schezwan Sauce:

Red chilli - 8 to 10 (increase or decrease depending on your spice flavor)
Garlic pods -  3 or 4
Sugar - 1 tsp
White vinegar - 2 tsp
Gingelly oil/Sesame oil - 2 tsp
Warm water - 1 cup

Method:

1) First to make the schezwan sauce, soak the red chillies in warm water for about 10 minutes. Then remove the red chillies from water. Place the red chillies, garlic pods, sugar, white vinegar and sesame oil in a blender .

2)  Make a fine paste of it. This is the Schezwan sauce. Keep it aside. (You can also make this paste in large quantities and keep refrigerated)

3) Now heat a pan, add oil and add finely chopped garlic.

4) Add the chopped vegetables.

5) Saute ir well and let it cook for 3 to 5 mins. Then add the schezwan sauce.

6) Also add necessary salt and half of the chopped spring onions.

7) Saute for few mins and add the cooked rice. Mix it well.

Chinese Schezwan fried rice is all set to taste.

Ready to dig into it.

Vazhakkai Poriyal (Plantain/Raw Banana Poriyal)

My mom used to make this plantain poriyal very often, other than making plantain bajji. Also I have posted Plantain Puttu, a delicious recipe with plantain. This goes very well with sambar rice or with tamarind curry even. Very easy to make also tastes very good.

Ingredients:

Plantain/Raw Banana - 1 big or 2 medium (peel the skin and cut to small pieces)
Grated coconut - 3 tbsp
Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Dhania/Corriander powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Mustard - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Hing - 1/4 tsp
Salt - to taste
Oil - 1 tbsp

Method:

1) Heat a pan, add oil and add mustard seeds. Once it starts to splutter, add urad dal, hing and curry leaves.

2) Then add the cut plantain.

3) Also add all dry powders and salt to it.

4) Mix well and add necessary water, until the plantains gets immersed.

5) Once its done and the plantains are tender, add grated coconut and remove from flame.

Delicious tasting plantain poriyal is ready to taste.

My Third Award

Hurray!!!! It's Award time...

Thanks to PT from Indian Kitchen, for sharing me this "Fabulous Ribbon Award". Preethi has a wonderful space and lots and lots of recipes. I was really surprised to see too many posts within a very short period of time. Also I wonder how she could make too many recipes in a single day and also blogging it. I just admire her work and dedication towards blogging.

The rules to be followed are :
1) Post the rules on my blog
2) Mention five fabulous moments, either in real life or in the blogosphere
3) Mention five things you love
4) Mention five things you hate
5) Pass on this ribbon to five bloggers (and leave a comment on their space to notify of their win)

Rule 1:

I have posted the rules in my blog.

Rule 2:

Five Fabulous Moments:

1) The day my daughter was born
2)First time I saw the snowfall, enjoying and playing in snow every winter
3) The day I started to blog
4) First time I saw a follower in my space and thanks to Aruna Manikandan (Veggies Paradise), my first follower
5) When I first received my first two awards

Rule 3:

Five Things I Love:

1) My family
2) Unforgettable school and college days
3)My childhood days with my mom, dad and brother
4) I love my space and all my lovely fellow bloggers
5) Love travelling a lot

Rule 4:

Five Things I Hate:

1) Backbiting
2) Selfish people
3) Using others for their own sake
4) Wasting food
5) Pretending to be good

Rule 5:

I am totally confused to share this award with only few of my blogger friends, as everyone are special in their own way and are fabulous bloggers. But, as per rules I selected five of my fellow bloggers, for this award.

1)Gayathri, Ishita, Subhashini fromEz Cookbook
2) Reshmi from Noel Collections
3) Meghana from Meg's Delicious Adventures
4) Sarika from Recipe World
5) Mytheryi from Yum! Yum! Yum!


Thanks everyone for your love and support. Do give your support and suggestions throughout.

I share this award with very few friends with all love and affection and please accept my award.

Green Chilli Capsicum/Bell Pepper Pickle

This is a very flavorful and spicy pickle. Green chilli and capsicum makes a great combination. The green color in both chilli and capsicum gives a great pleasant color. It tastes really very good and was very spicy. It  makes great combo with curd rice. Also you can have this with hot idli and dosa even.

Also it can be stored for about a week even. Just put in a dry air tight container and use dry spoon to take this pickle. It will last long for about weeks even. Really hot, spicy and mouthwatering pickle.

Ingredients:

Mustard - 1 tsp
Fenugreek - 1/4 tsp
Hing/Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Jaggery - 2 tbsp or small piece
Salt - to taste
Gingelly oil/Sesame oil - 3 tbsp

For grinding:
Capsicum/Bell Pepper - 1 big (cut to squares)
Green chilli - 6 to 8
Tamarind juice - 3 tbsp (thick juice)

Method:

1) Heat a pan and add few drops of oil. Add the green chillies and cut capsicum.

2) Saute it for few minutes, until you get rid of the raw smell and it when it starts to turn light brown in color. Remove from flame and let it cool.

3) Once it is cool, transfer to a blender and make fine paste by adding the tamarind juice. (Do not add water)

4) Now heat a pan, add gingelly oil. Then add mustard seeds. Let it splutter and add hing and fenugreek seeds.Then add the chilli paste.

5) Stir it for few mins and add salt and turmeric powder.

6) Let it cook for about 5 minutes. Once the oil oozes out, add the jaggery.

7) Let it be for about 2 minutes and remove from flame when thick.

Spicy, mouthwatering green chilli capsicum pickle is ready to go with curd rice or any recipes of your choice.