December 28, 2010

Aloo Pudina Curry

Ingredients :


Aloo - 2 Big/3 Small
Pudina - a handful
Onion - 1 Big
Tomato - 1
Green Chillies - 3
Fresh Ginger - a small piece
Sambar Powder - 2 tspns
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tspn
Salt - 1 tspn
Curry Leaves - few


For Seasoning :


Oil - 3 tbspns
Urad Dal - 1 tspn
Mustard Seeds - 1 tspn
Jeera - 1 tspn
Hing - a pinch


Method :
  • Pressure cook the Aloo for 3 whistles.
  • When it cools down peel the skin and cut into small cubes.
  • In a pan put oil.When it is hot add Urad Dal,Mustard Seeds,Jeera fry for a minute.Then add Curry Leaves and then add the chopped Onions.
  • When the Onions turns into transparent add chopped Tomatoes,Turmeric Powder.
  • Fry till the Tomatoes mashed nicely.
  • Add Pudina and stir well.
  • Now add the Aloo cubes,Salt and mix it well.
  • Keep the stove low and stir the curry till it becomes dry.
Tasty Aloo Pudina Curry is ready :-)))
It goes well with rice/Chapathi.

Milk Halwa

Ingredients :

Milk - 2 Cups
Ravva - 1/4 Cup
Ghee - 1/2 Cup
Sugar - 3/4th Cup
Ilachi Powder - 1/4 tspn
Almonds & Pistas - 1/4 Cup

Method :
  • First roast the ravva on a low flame in order to avoid the raw smell.
  • Put all the ingredients i.e., Milk,Ravva,Ghee & Sugar in a thick bottomed non-stick pan and keep it on a medium flame.
  • When it is half cooked add Ilachi Powder and stir it well.
  • Stir continously till it becomes thick and leaves the sides of the pan.
  • Remove and put the content in a greased bowl/plate.
  • Finally garnish it with Almonds & Pistas.
Tasty Milk Halwa is ready:-)))

December 23, 2010

Tips for preserving Large Bottle Gourd

  • First wash the Bottle Gourd.
  • Peel the skin of it.
  • Cut into big pieces.
  • Remove the soft portion surrounding the seeds while cutting the Bottle Gourd into pieces.
  • Also seperate the seeds from it.
  • Cut some portion of Bottle Gourd into medium sized pieces and use in making Curry,Sambar or Pulusu or even you can use these while making Majjiga Pulusu.
  • Cut the remaining Bottle Gourd into thin shreds and can be used in making Halwa,Kheer & Koftas.
  • Place the Bottle Gourd pieces in Zip-Lock Bags.
  • Similarly place the thin shredded Bottle Gourd also in Zip-Lock Bags.
  • Place the soft portion of Bottle Gourd also in Zip-Lock Bag.But use this within 2-3 days.
  • Take a mixie jar and add the peeled skin of Bottle Gourd.
  • Grind it to a smooth paste by adding enough water.
  • Pour this paste in Ice Cube tray.
  • Again take a mixie jar and add seeds of Bottle Gourd.
  • Grind it to a smooth paste by adding enough water. 
  • Pour this paste in Ice Cube tray.
  • Stack the Zip-Lock Bags in freezer.
  • Once the paste in Ice Cube Tray is Frozen remove the cubes from the Ice Cubes Tray and store them in Zip-Lock Bags.
  • Stack the Cubes Bag in Freezer & store.
  • Remove the packets from Freezer & place them in Fridge the night before you plan to use them.
  • Use the soft pulp of Gourd in 2-3 days of Freezing.Use them while making Dal.
  • Use the seeds & peeled skin of the Bottle Gourd paste while making any sambar,pulusu or any gravy preparations.

Note :
  •      We can use the soft portion of the Bottle Gourd while making Dal.

Tips on preserving Mint

  • First pluck the Mint Leaves from Stalks.
  • Fill basin with water.
  • Add a tspn of salt and mix it well in order to dissolve it.
  • Wash the Mint Leaves in salt water in order to remove the pesticides from it.
  • Drain them in colander.
  • Pour out the salt water and fill the basin again with fresh water.
  • Once again wash the Mint Leaves in fresh water.
  • Again drain them in colander.
  • Now place a dry cloth in shade and place all the Mint Leaves loosely on this cloth .
  • Dry Mint Leaves in the shade till all the leaves becomes crisp.
  • Place the dried Mint Leaves in air tight glass jar and store it in fridge.
  • It stays for longer days.
We can crush these dried Mint Leaves and use them in Curries.

Tips on preserving Green Chillies

  • First remove the stalks of Green Chillies.
  • Fill basin with water.
  • Add a tspn of salt and mix it well in order to dissolve it.
  • Wash all the Green Chillies in this salt water in order to remove the pesticides from it.
  • Drain them in colander.
  • Pour out the salt water and fill the basin again with fresh water.
  • Once again wash the Green Chillies in fresh water.
  • Again drain them in colander.
  • Place them in a basket which contains wholes and store it in fridge.
  • Green Chillies remains fresh for longer days when we follow this process.

Tips on preserving Curry Leaves

  • String the Curry Leaves from stems.
  • Fill basin with water.
  • Add a tspn of salt and mix it well in order to dissolve it.
  • Wash the Curry Leaves in salt water in order to remove the pesticides from it.
  • Drain them in colander.
  • Pour out the salt water and fill the basin again with fresh water.
  • Once again wash the Curry Leaves in fresh water.
  • Again drain them in colander.
  • Now place a dry cloth in shade and place all the Curry Leaves loosely on this cloth .
  • Dry the Curry Leaves till there is no trace of water on them.
  • Take one air tight container and place a cloth on it.
  • Sprinkle water on a cloth to lightly dampen it.
  • Loosely pack the Curry Leaves in this cloth and close the cloth from all the edges.
  • Close the container with a lid and place it in a fridge.
  • Curry Leaves will remain fresh for nearly 15-20 days.

Tips on preserving Cilantro

  • Fill basin with water.
  • Add a tspn of salt and mix it well in order to dissolve it.
  • Take out the Cilantro stems seperately from the bunch and put it in the salt water and wash it.Washing in salt water removes the pesticides in Cilantro.
  • Take out the Cilantro stems and drain in colander.
  • Now pour out the salt water and fill the basin again with the fresh water.
  • Again wash the Cilanro stems in the fresh water.
  • Again drain it in colander.
  • Now take a plastic/glass jar and fill 3/4th bottle with water.
  • Take the Cilantro and dip the roots of Cilantro in water.
  • Place this bottle in fridge.
  • Cilantro remains fresh for nearly 15-20 days.

Low Fat Cream

Ingredients :

Low Fat Paneer - 100gms
Low Fat Milk - 100gms

Method :
  • Take a mixie Jar.
  • Crumble the Paneer and put that in the mixie Jar.
  • Run the mixie to get the grated Paneer.
  • Once we get the grated Paneer add the Milk to it.
  • Run the mixie again to get the smooth cream. 
Low Fat Cream is ready for use:-)))
  • Store it in a air tight container and refregirate it.
  • This Cream is used instead of Heavy Creams while making many North Indian Dishes & Icreams.

December 22, 2010

Brinjal Ulli Kaaram

Ingredients :

Small Brinjals - 10(12)
Onions - 2 Big
Coconut Shredded - 1 Cup
Cilantro Chopped - 1 Cup
Oil - 3 tbspns

Method :
  • Chop the Onions into small pieces.
  • Blend the chopped onions,shreddedcoconut & cilantro.
  • Slit the Brinjals into the salt water.
  • Fill the blended mixture in the slitted brinjals.
  • Put 3 tbspns of oil in a pan.
  • When the oil becomes hot arrange all the filled brinjals one beside the other and mix it well and close the pan with a lid and cook the curry on a low flame.
  • Stir the curry in between.
  • When the curry is half cooked put the remaining blended mixture in the pan and mix it well.
  • Put the lid and cook the curry on a low flame till all the brinjals become soft.
  • Finally garnish it with cilantro.
Tasty Brinjal Ulli Kaaram Curry is ready:-)))

Ridge Gourd Salad

Ingredients :

Ridge Gourd - 1 cut into small cubes
Grated Carrot - 1/2 Cup
Pepper Powder - 1/2 tspn
Salt - as per taste
Roasted Peanuts - 1/4 Cup
Lime Juice - 1 tspn
Cilantro chopped - few

Method :
  • First put the Ridge Gourd cubes in a bowl.
  • Add the grated carrot,1/2 tspn of Pepper powder,Salt and mix it well.
  • Keep it aside for 10-15 minutes.
  • After that add a tspn of Lime juice,chopped Cilantro and roasted Peanuts and mix it well.
  • Finally garnish it with chopped Cilantro.
Note :
  • The taste of the Ridge Gourd should not be bitter.
  • Lime Juice can be added along with the salt.If not add after 10-15 mins later.
Tasty Ridge Gourd Salad is ready :-)))

December 14, 2010

Kandhi Pachadi/Toor Dal Chutney

Ingredients :

Toor Dal - 1/2 Rice Cooker Cup
Dry Red Chillies - 3
Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tspn
Tamarind - 2-3 pods
Coconut - 2 tspns
Salt - as required

For Seasoning :

Oil - 2 tspns
Cumin Seeds - 1/4 tspn
Mustard Seeds - 1/4 tspn
Hing - a pinch
Curry Leaves -  1 Spring

Method :
  • Heat 1 tspn of oil in a pan.Add toor dal,cumin seeds,red chillies and fry on a low flame till toor dal turns into a light brown color.Let it gets cool down.
  • Soak tamarind.
  • Grind the fried items and tamarind with a little amount of water.
  • Do the seasoning with the above ingredients and mix with chutney.
Toor Dal Chutney is ready.Serve it with hot rice.:-)))

Musk Melon Milk Shake

Ingredients :

Musk Melon - 1 small sized
Sugar - 2-3 tbspns
Milk - 1 Glass

Method :
  • Peel out the skin of the Musk Melon and cut them into small pieces.
  • Add sugar to this and blend it to a fine paste.
  • Add the milk and blend it one more time.
  • Transfer it to a serving bowl and refregerate it for an hour and serve it cool.
Tasty Musk Melon Milk Shake is ready:-)))

Dates Milk Shake

Ingredients :

Dates - 10 pieces
Milk - 2 cups
Sugar - 6 tspns

Method :
  • Soak dates in cup of milk for 4-5 hours.
  • Add sugar and the remaining cup of milk to the soaked dates and blend it well.
  • Refregerate it for an hour and serve it cool.
Tasty Dates Milk Shake is ready:-)))

Mango Milk Shake

Ingredients :


Mango Pulp - 3 cups(2-3 Mangoes)
Sugar - 2 tbspns
Milk - 1 Glass
Ilachi Powder - 1/2 tspn


Method :
  • Peel out Mangoes to obtain pulp.
  • Add mango pulp,sugar & ilachi powder in a blender and make a smooth paste.
  • Add the milk and blend it.
  • Refregerate it for an hour and serve it cool.
Tasty Mango Milk Shake is ready:-)))

Strawberry Milk Shake

Ingredients :

Strawberries - 8-10
Milk - 1 Glass
Sugar - 2 tbspns

Method :
  •  Cut the Strawberries into small pieces and transfer them to a blender.
  • Add 1/2 cup of  milk & sugar and blend it until the strawberry pieces becomes into a smooth paste.
  • Then add the remaining milk and blend it again.
  • Refregerate it for an hour and serve it cool.
Tasty Strawberry Milk Shake is ready:-)))

Orange Yogurt Shake

Ingredients :

Oranges - 2
Yogurt/Thick Curd - 2 cups
Sugar - 2 tbspns
Water - 1 cup


Method :
  •  Peel the skin of the Oranges to obtain the pulp.
  • Add Orange pulp,sugar & curd in a blender and make a fine paste.
  • Then pour a cup of Water in the blender.Beat the yogurt shake in the blender by using the whipper button of the blender.This will help yogurt shake turn thick and foamy.
  • Transfer it to a container and refregerate it for an hour and serve it cool.
Tasty Orange Yogurt Shake is ready:-)))

Banana Milk Shake

Ingredients :

Banana - 4-5
Milk - 2 Glasses
Sugar - 2 tbspns

Method :

  • Peel the banana and cut it into pieces.
  • Transfer it to a blender.
  • Add the sugar and blend into a smooth paste.
  • Then add the milk and blend it for another 2 mins until the banana paste mixes well with the milk.
  • Transfer this banana milk shake to the serving bowl and refregerate it for an hour and serve it cool.
Tasty Banana Milk Shake is ready:-)))

December 09, 2010

Menthi Majjiga

Butter Milk - 2 cups
Green Chilles - 2
Salt -  as required
Cilantro - 1 tbspn
Curry Lvs - 1tbspn
Turmeric - a pinch

For Seasoning :

Oil - 1tbspn
Chana Dal -1 tspn
Urad Dal - 1 tspn
Mustard Seeds- 1 tspn
Cumin Seeds - 1 tspn
Methi Seeds - 1tspn
Hing - a pinch

Method :


  • Add salt,turmeric,cilantro,curry leaves to the butter milk and mix it well.
  • In a vessel add a tbspn of oil.Add the seasoning.When the seasoning is well fried add this seasoning to the butter milk and mix it well.

Tasty Menthi majjiga is ready:-)))

Peach Pear Apple Juice

Ingredients :

Apple coarsed and sliced - 1
Peaches(Remove the seeds) - 2
Pear - 1 sliced

Method :

  • Blend all the above in a juicer.
  • Refregirate it and serve it cool.
Tasy Peach pear Apple Juice is ready:-)))

Blueberry Cherry Juice

Ingredients :

Blueberries - 3/4th cup                                                                       
Cherries pitted - Handful
Apple coarsed and sliced -1

Method :                                                                                  

  • Blend all the above in a blender.                                           
  • Refregirate it and serve it cool.                                       
Tasty Blueberry Cherry Juice is ready:-)))

December 08, 2010

Rice - Household tips related to cooking rice

rice.jpg
  • To stop grains of rice from sticking together, add a few drops of cooking oil or a teaspoon of butter or margarine to the cooking water.
  • For snowy white rice, add a few drops of lemon juice or vinegar to the cooking water.
  • Rinse uncooked rice in a sieve under a cold running tap before cooking.This removes excess starch, so preventing the rice from becoming sticky.


Beans Curry

Ingredients :


Beans - 1/2 Kg
Ginger - 1" Piece
Green Chillies - 8
Salt - as required


For Seasoning :


Oil - 3 tspns
Chana Dal - 1 tspn
Urad Dal - 1 tspn
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tspn
Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tspn
Red Chilles - 2
Curry Leaves - 1 Spring


Method :


  • First grind the ginger and green chillies with a little amount of water and make a fine past.
  • In a pan heat 3 tspns of oil and do the seasoning.
  • Add the chopped beans,salt and mix it well.And cover it with a lid.
  • When the beans is half cooked add the grinded ginger & green chillies paste and mix it well and cook till it becomes soft.
  • Serve it with Rice or Chapathi.

Mysore Rasam

Ingredients :

Ghee - 2 tspns
Chana Dal - 1 tbspn
Black Pepper - 1 tspn
Grated Coconut Powder - 1 tbspn
Rasam Powder - 1 tspn
Salt - as required
Tamarind - One Lemon Size Ball
Water - 2 Tumblers
Curry Leaves - 1 Spring
Cilantro Chopped - 1/2 cup
Turmeric - 1/2 tspn
Tomatoes Chopped - 1 cup
Toor Dal - 4 tspns
Hing - a pinch

Method :

  • In a pan add 2 tspns of Ghee and roast the chana dal & black pepper for few minutes.
  • When it gets cool down add 1 tbspn of grated coconut powder and blend it.
  • Pressure cook the Toor Dal for 3-4 wistles and mash it.
  • In another vessel boil tomatoes in the water along with turmeric powder and a littlebit of salt.
  • When tomatoes become soft add tamarind juice and add 2 tumblers of water.
  • When it comes to a boil add the blended mixture,Rasam  powder,hing,cilantro,curry leaves and the required amount of salt and bring it to boil.                                              
  • When the Rasam mixture is boiling add the mashed Toor Dal and mix it well.
  • Boil this for another 5 minutes.
  • Transfer it to a vessel.        
                           
                                                                              


                                                               


Tasty Mysore Rasam is ready:-)))
Serve it with a hot rice.

Wheat Ravva Sweet

Ingredients :


Wheat Ravva - 1 cup
Jaggery/Sugar - 1 cup
Ilachi Powder - 1/4th tspn
Ghee - 2 tspns
Water - 2 cups
Cashews -10
Rasins- 10


Method :




  • In a pan add a tspn of ghee and roast the Wheat Ravva until the raw smell goes.
  • Remove the Ravva from the pan and add a tsp of ghee and roast the Cashews & Rasins.
  • In a pan add 2 cups of water and let it comes to a boil.
  • When the water is boiling add the Ravva and Jaggery and mix it well and put the lid on it.
  • Keep stirring in between.
  • Add Ilachi powder and mix it again.
  • Cook the Ravva until all the water is evapourated.
  • Take it into a bowl and garnish it with Cashews & Rasins.
Tasty Wheat Ravva Sweet id Ready:-)))


Note :
 If you are using sugar insted of jaggery use 1/2 cup of Milk when the wheat ravva is boiling in the water.It gives nice taste to the sweet.It will be very tasty.

7 Cups Sweet


Ingredients :

Besan - 1 cup
Milk - 1 cup
Ghee - 1 cup
Grated Cocount - 1 cup
Sugar - 3 cups
Ilachi Powder - 1/4 tspn

Method :

  • First roast the Besan in a tspn of ghee in order to avoid the raw smell.
  • Combine all the ingredients together in a heavy bottom pan and cook on a medium low flame.
  • Cook stirring occasionally for about 20-25 minutes or until the mixture starts to get frothy. At this stage, you have to be hovering around the stove more often, stirring. Keep stirring frequently for another 15-20 minutes.
  • After a while, the whole mixture starts to pull away from the bottom of the pan and starts moving with the spoon.
  • Now add the Ilachi powder and mix it well.And stir it for another 5 mins.
  • Remove the content onto a greased plate at this point and allow it to cool. 
  • Now cut it into squares or diamonds when the mixture is slightly warm and enjoy the taste of this simple sweet.
Yummy 7 cup sweet is ready:-)))