Vellari /Cucumber Pachadi

 That is when this Onam went by that I  noticed I haven't posted any lunchtime recipes till now in my blog. So lemme start with an easy and delicious side dish that I think almost all of us love to have with our lunchtime rice. Vellari is known as cucumber or common cucumber in english; but this is not the usual cucumber which we use for salads. This one is fattier in size and has got many medicinal values. This is not eaten raw, but cooked.Check this site for the picture and to know the medicinal values of this vegetable.

Ingredients:

Vellari 1 cup
Coconut 1/2 cup
Yoghurt 1/2 cup
Cumin seeds 1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds 1 tsp
Curry leaves
Dried red chillies 2
Green chillies 1
Coconut Oil 2 tbsp


Method:

Boil cucumbers till it turns soft. Grind coconut along with curd,1/2 tsp mustard, green chillies and cumin seeds. Mix  this paste in the cooked vegetable. Give it a stir till it comes to the boiling point.Heat oil in another pan, splutter 1/2 tsp mustard; then add curry leaves and dried red chilly to it. Pour this tadka into the vegetable. Delicious Vellari Pachadi is all set to go with your lunch.

Aloo Gobi

 Aloo Gobi is usually seen as a dry dish.But this has got some gravy in it. This recipe is a bit different from the regular ones as we deep fry potatoes and cauliflower so that it won't get messed up and then saute in masalas. I got this recipe from my cousin Shameera Gafoor long ago and since this had been one of our favorites.

Ingredients:

For potato marination:


Potato
Red chilli powder 1/4 tsp
Coriander powder 1/4 tsp
Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp

Corn flour 1 tsp
Salt

For Cauliflower :

Cauliflower
Corn Flour 1 tsp
Salt
Red chilli powder 1/4 tsp

 For Gravy:

Onion 1
Ginger garlic paste 1 tsp
Green chilli 2
Red chilli powder 1/4 tsp
Coriander powder1/4 tsp
Cumin seeds 1 tsp
Cumin powder (optional)
Coriander leaves
Thick Coconut milk 1/2 to 1 cup

Method:

1. Marinate potato alongwith the spices mentioned above and deep fry till it is cooked well inside and browned outside.

2. Marinate cauliflower with red chilli powder and cornflour and deep fry these too in high flame.

3. For the gravy, heat a pan, add ghee and then cumin seeds. Wait till it splutters.

4. Then saute in onions till it turns translucent. Add ginger-garlic paste, saute fr a minute  more.

5. Now add the remaining spices and saute in the vegetables.

6. Once the veggies are coated well in the masalas, add coconut milk to it. Coconut milk is an option though. You may or may not add this. This is added just to get some gravy.

7. Sprinkle some cumin powder if u need and garnish with coriander leaves.

8. Serve hot with Puris , rotis or paranthas....

Malai Kabab

Ingredients: 



Boneless Chicken 1 kg ( I used chicken with bones)
Ginger Garlic paste
Yoghurt 1/2 cup
Garam Masala 1/2 tsp
Saffron a pinch (soaked in 2 tbsp of water)
Lemon Juice 2 tbsp
Nestle Cream 2 tbsp
Cashew (soaked in water ) 8
Salt
Egg 1

Method:

1. Grind  cashews into paste.
2. Mix all other ingredients except  eggs together. Marinate chicken in this marinade and keep refrigerated for 2-3 hours.

3. If you are using wooden skewers, soak them in water for about 1 hour or so. This is to avoid skewers from burning.

4. Now mix egg in the chicken marinade and skewer chicken in skewers leaving space between each piece of chicken.Eggs are used for its soft texture.. I forgot to add them.. :(


5. Now shallow fry these skewers on a pan with little oil and medium to high heat. You can grill them too... Preheat oven to 210 degrees and then bake for 20-30 mts until it turns brown.

Mehndi /Henna designs

I know that I'm not so perfect in designing Mehndi ;but a serious admirer though. Applying Henna has become an integral ritual during Eid , weddings and similar functions back home. As you all know, we indians has got a separate function named mehndi/mailanchi just a day before the wedding.




 












I remember when we were kids,we used to roam around to pluck the henna leaves, grind it, then pluck some coconut tree leaves for its thin sticks and then go behind some elders who could apply it on our hands. We try to deepen its color by adding something to it like lemons, black tea, petrol..... ya petrol,, you read it right... 

I've seen Arabs mixing some drops of petrol into henna for dark colors. Yes. when we tried it, the color came out deep, but the smell of pure henna was lost somewhere.. Once we dare to add the white ingredient which we use to make Paan to henna; I forgot its name. Actually somebody told us that it was the main ingredient which turns Paan into red while chewing and that would give a nice color to our henna. But what happened was there was no color at all when we washed our hands!! Our palms were blank!!

Choco-cherry Cupcakes

Ingredients:
   

Unsalted Butter 90gm

Castor Sugar 1/2 cup

Eggs 2

Self-raising flour 1 cup

Cocoa powder 20gm

Milk 2 tbsp

Cherry Jam 2 tbsp

For the icing:

Cherry Jam 2 tbsp

Butter 1 1/2 cups

Icing sugar 1  3/4 cup

Cream cheese 1/2 cup

Dark chocolate shavings

Cocoa powder 20 gms

Method:

As the first step of baking cupcakes, cream butter and sugar well. Add eggs slowly to the creamed butter and sugar frosting.Then mix flour . and add milk and cherry jam. Spoon this batter into muffin cup lined trays. Bake at 180 C for 16-18 mts.

For the icing:

Spread 1/2 tsp of cherry jam directly onto cooled cupcakes. Cream butter and icing sugar until light and, and mix in sifted cocoa powder. Spread icing evenly over the layer of cherry jam. Sprinkle chocolate shavings over layer of icing. Dust lightly with cocoa powder.

Linking this to Anyone can Cook Series hosted by Taste of Pearl City

Tiramisu (without Alcohol)

Tiramisu is an Italian dessert layered with savoirdi biscuits dipped in coffee and mascarpone cheese flavored with cocoa. This picture is taken over a year ago; that is ; during last year's eid; wanted to take a better picture to post it in my blog; but I donno why I had turned to be lazy these days that I couldn't click one yet .:(

Tiramisu is usually flavored with liquor, but this recipe is one without it. I did try two other recipes before this, but this one is my favorite and so sharing with you all. This is adapted from Shabs Cuisine a blog owned by one of my friend, of whom I had been inspired of. I had tried almost all of her dessert recipes and Masha Allah ,they turned out to be good too...

Ingredients:

4 eggs separated
500 gms mascarpone cheese
2 cups heavy cream/double cream
2 packets of sponge fingers/savioardi/lady's fingers (It depends on the dish u use)
14 tbs powdered sugar
2 tbsp coffee
2 tsp vanilla essence
2 tbs cocoa powder

Method:

1. Prepare 2 cups of coffee by adding boiling water to 2 tbs of coffee+2 tbs of sugar. Let it cool.

2.Beat the egg yolk with half the sugar. Double boil this mixture for about 10 mts.that is, boil some water in a pan & keep the bowl of egg yolk mixture on top of it & go stirring the mixture for 10 mts while the flame is simmering; ie; till the mixture turns pale yellow. Add vanilla essence to this and keep it aside to cool.
5. Whip the Cream along with the remaining sugar until peaks form and keep it aside. Don’t whip it for too long because it will start forming into butter. You can use wire whisk or egg beater for this.

6. Mix the mascarpone cheese in this whipped cream and mix well until no lumps appear.

7. Whip the egg whites until peaks form.

8.Fold in egg whites and whipped cream into the egg yolk mixture. Dont over mix it..

9.Soak half the biscuits in the espresso and layer it at the bottom of a springform cake tin or a pudding dish. Don’t keep the sponge fingers in coffee for long time since they tend to absorb liquid too quickly. Just dab both sides in coffee and that should be more than enough.

10.Add half the egg-cream mixture to the soaked biscuits. You can add chocolate shavings here.

11.Then layer again with savoirdi biscuits dipped in coffee and then remaining egg cream mixture.Refrigerate for atleast 2 hrs.

12.Dust cocoa powder over and decorate Tiramisu with grated chocolate,garnish tiles and biscuits. Serve immediately.

Bhindi Pakoras

 This is a recipe posted by Priya of Priya's Easy N Tasty Recipes last month . She has got a wonderful place out there and you (those who don't know about her page) will be surprised to see the number of posts in her blog as I did during my initial visits.

I just loved the way bhindis are used and immediately gave it a try during Iftar. I know that this might be quite popular among North-Indians as they are specialized in pakoras; but we Malabarians are quite unfamiliar with such things. I've tried bread pakoras also which came out really well and will post the recipe soon .

Ingredients:

Bhindi/Lady finger (chopped) 2 cups
Onion 1 (chopped)
Few curry leaves
Rice flour 3/4 cup
Gramflour/Besan 1 cup
Chilly powder 1 tsp
Ginger garlic paste 1/2 tsp
 Fennel seed powder 1/2 tsp
Salt
Oil for deepfrying

Method:

Take all ingredients except oil in a bowl, sprinkle enough water and mix everything well until the veggies gets well coated with the flour paste.


Drop gently enough flour coated bhindi pieces in hot oil and fry until they turns golden brown. Fry in medium-low fire so that the bhindis also turn crispy enough.

Drain the excess of oil with a paper towel.. Serve it with yummy, tangy & spicy sauces...

!

Gajar Ka Halwa

Belated Eid Greetings to all out here...

I was on a short vacation this Eid and so couldn't wish you fellow bloggers and rest of the readers out here. Just reached home 2 hrs before and I'm feeling so bored that jumped into see what you guys are doing here.. It was  so much fun there in Muscat,Oman with my sister,  uncles, their family and many more!! Eid Lunch was, as usual, arranged at my uncle's restaurant with his entire staffs ; but this time he made it lot more interesting with Dessert contest which we ladies enjoyed to the core. I did take part and made Cheesecake with Blueberry Topping which got appreciated a lot.. I've pointed out some delicious recipes over there which you can expect anytime here..

Ingredients:

Ghee 2 tbsp
Carrot 1/2 kg
Milk 1 cup
Condensed milk 1/2 tin
Sugar 1/2 cup
***Mawa (optional or you can use milk powder instead of that)
Cardamom powder
Nuts for serving (Almonds, pistachios,cashews etc.)

Method:

1. Grate the carrots.

2. Heat 2 tbsp of Ghee in a non-stick deep bottomed pan and saute carrots for a while in high heat. 1 or 2 minutes is enough.

3. Now add the milk ,cover the lid and cook till done or till the milk disappears from the pan; but not too dry. If you are adding milk powder instead of mawa, add it along with the milk .

4. Add condensed milk to it. Now raise the flame to medium-high and let the moisture or water disappear again. Saute in between and make sure that it doesn't get burnt..

5. Add sugar and grated mawa at this stage..Keep on stirring in high flame till the moisture dries out. Add cardamom powder  just before you switch off the flame.

6.Garnish with fried cashews,raisins,almonds or pistachios. or what about having it with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream?? It sounds wonderful, doesn't it??

...*** Mawa can also be prepared instantly by making a dough using water and milk powder (just like chappathi dough;but sticky) which is wrapped in a muslin cloth and then steamed for about 15- 20 minutes.