I’ve Been Tagged Again!

For the second time, I have been meme’d by Divya Vikram of Dil Se... Of course, this is a little different than my first one. But again 5 things (5 facts about me!) I had fun doing it. Thanks Divya.

Here are the rules for the Meme..

1. 1. Link to your tagger and post these rules.
2. 2. Share 5 facts about yourself.
3. 3. Tag 5 people at the end of your post and list their names (linking to them)
4. 4. Let them know they've been tagged by leaving a comment at their blogs.

O.K. Five facts about me, right! These are the facts that occurred to my mind and of course I have confirmed them with my family, just in case, ha ha!

1. I am innocent according to my husband and pretty according to my daughter. Really! Is it true?

2. I am so friendly, but when I meet a new person, the conversation has to start from their side, as I am little shy. Once I make new friends, I will be so friendly with them.

3. I too have a fear of dogs just like Divya as she said in her meme. When I go for a walk with my family, if I notice a dog at a distance, I totally avoid that street.

4. I am obsessed with cleanliness. I always keep my home clean and wish for the same even at the public places. That’s too bad, right!

5. My family certifies that I cook yummy food.

So, these are the five facts I have known about myself (of course my family). That was fun doing this meme. Thanks again Divya.

Now I want to tag some of my blog friends and hear what they would say about themselves.

Kalai
Mythreyee
Shankari
Deepa
Annu

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Pumpkin Seeds Powder

Next time, when you get pumpkins (any kind, even the melons and Lemon Cucumbers) don’t throw the seeds away. You can make a yummy spicy powder with them. I used the Japanese pumpkin (Kabocha).

Picture Courtesy: zionmarket.com

Ingredients:

• ½ cup Pumpkin Seeds
• ¼ cup Coriander Seeds
• ¼ cup Bengal Gram (Chana Dal)
• ¼ cup Black Gram (Urad Dal)
• 6 dry Red Chilies (or according to individual taste)
• ½ tsp Asafetida
• Salt to taste

Preparation:

When you remove the seeds from the pumpkin, wash them well and let them dry in the sun or just in your kitchen on a plate for a day.

They would look like this when are well dried.

When the pumpkin seeds become dry roast them without oil and keep aside. Then add both the dals and the coriander seeds to the pan and dry roast them too till they become golden brown in color. Finally add the red chilies and fry for a while. Take them away from the flame and let them cool. The red chilies can be substituted with crushed red chili powder too.

When they cool, dry grind them into a fine powder by adding salt and asafetida. By the way, it’s ok if it is little coarse. The powder still tastes great. Serve with hot rice and ghee. Try it and you won’t regret it.

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Semolina-Vermicelli Kesari

I prepared this Kesari for my husband’s birthday. This is my first attempt of Kesari (That's true, I never made Kesari before!) and I was afraid how it will turn out as I added some imagination to the original Kesari recipe and prepared it. That too I made this experiment on my hubby’s b’day! But thank god, it came out so perfect that he wanted more. I want to share my very first Kesari attempt with you all! Hope you like it too!

I used:

• 1 ½ cup Semolina (Upma Rava)
• 1 ½ cup Vermicelli (Semiya)
• ½ tsp Red Food Color
• 2 cups Sugar
• Some Cashew Nuts, Raisins and Cardamom Seeds
• 1 tbsp Ghee
• ½ cup Milk
• 6 cups Water

Preparation:

In a bowl boil the water. In a separate pan add the ghee cashews and cardamom seeds and fry well. Then add the semolina and vermicelli and fry till the mixture turns golden brown.

Later add the sugar and the food color and mix well so that the color spreads evenly. Finally add the boiled water along with the milk and raisins and mix well so that no lumps were formed.

Put the lid on and leave it for sometime on a low flame. When all the water is absorbed, switch off the stove and leave it for 2 minutes.

Then transfer thus prepared Kesari into a greased plate and spread evenly.

Cut the Kesari into desired shapes or just simple diamonds while it is still hot. Garnish with some raisins and cashews and serve. This can be eaten hot or cold. This is one yummy dessert.

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Fall Colors

These pictures were taken when have we visited Shenandoah Valley of West Virginia. It is a famous place to visit during the fall season for the most amazing fall colors.

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Radish Leaves Dal

The radish leaves are rich in Vitamin A. The leafy vegetables, particularly, supply a wide variety of nutrients.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Toor Dal
• 2 bunches of Radish Leaves
• 1 small Onion
• 2 Tomatoes
• 5 Baby Carrots
• ½ piece of Green Bell Pepper
• 4 small Green Chilies (or According to taste)
• Some Cilantro leaves
• 1 tbsp Tamarind Paste
• ½ tsp Turmeric Powder
• ¼ tsp Asafetida

For Seasoning:

• ½ tsp Mustard Seeds
• ¼ tsp Cumin Seeds
• 1 tsp Oil

Preparation:

Wash the toor dal well and pressure-cook it until done. Mean while, wash the radish leaves well and chop into small pieces. Chop the onion, tomatoes, baby carrots, green bell pepper and the green chilies into medium pieces.

In a bowl, heat the oil and add the mustard seeds. When they splutter, add the cumin seeds too and fry for 1 minute. Then add all the chopped veggies along with the radish leaves, fry for some time. Later pour some water on the veggies and let them cook for a while by putting a lid on top. When they are half way done, add the turmeric powder along with the asafetida and the tamarind paste. The tamarind can be substituted with lemon juice.

When the veggies were cooked add the cooked dal, mix well and add salt. Pour some more water if required. The consistency of this dal should be neither too thin nor too thick, but medium. Finally add the cilantro leaves and let the dal stand on the medium flame for a little while. Be careful not to burn the dal.

Serve with hot rice with some deep-fried yogurt chilies (majjiga mirapakayalu) or papads. This dal goes well with chapathis too.

This is my entry to Srivalli’s “MEC: Greens” theme.

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Another Pleasant Experience…

One more lovely experience has happened to me. My nice friend Dell of Cooking and the City has tagged me for a meme. Thank you Dell, it was really fun doing this. Here it goes:

What were you doing 10 years ago?

Enjoying life in my first foreign country, Hong Kong. Started collecting new recipes. Making new experiments with food.

What were you doing 1 year ago?

Hmm.. Again enjoying life in US by watching my kids grow. Just returned home from our long, happy trip to my sister’s place in MD.

Five snacks you enjoy

1. Cookies
2. Fruits
3. Any Homemade snacks
4. Nuts
5. French Fries

5 Things I would do if I was a millionaire

1. Help the poor in need
2. Make a world tour
3. Buy all the latest gadgets
4. Build a luxurious and beautiful house
5. Enjoy as much as I can

5 Bad Habits

1. Thinking too much
2. Not being strong in decision making
3. Feeling shy to mingle with people
4. I can’t think of any other bad habit as far as I know.

5 things you like doing?

1. Working on my computer and of course blogging
2. Reading
3. Cooking
4. Watching Comedy Shows and movies
5. Pleasure walking with my family

5 things you would never wear again

1. High Heels
2. Tight Jeans (Ouch.. They hurt)
3. Dangling ear rings (I feel they don’t suit me)
4. Tattoos
5. Artificial Nails (I just don’t like them, I don’t know why!)

5 Favourite Toys

1. All of my precious collectibles
2. My Digital Camera
3. My Computer
4. My MP3 Player
5. All of my Kids’ toys (he he)

I would like to tag some of my blog friends. Here goes the list:

Asha
Cham
Daily Meals
Mansi Desai
Vanamala

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The Foodie Blog Roll

Hi Friends,

I have joined the Foodie Blog Roll. If you are a foodie like me and if you have a blog related to the food, recipes...I suggest you to join in. This Blog Roll has been created for the benefit of food bloggers who love cooking. If you haven't signed up till now, go and join in.

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I am Thrilled....

Yippee... I got my very first award. My friend Vanamala of 'My Kitchen World' has kindly sent this to me. Thank you so much for your nice gesture Vanamala!

“Nice Matters Award is for those bloggers who are nice people; good blog friends and those who inspire good feelings and inspiration. Also for those who are a positive influence on our blogging world.”

I would like to pass on this award to my blog friends:

Mythreyee

Dhivya

Meera

Sagari

Kalai

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Hot and Tasty Dal

We usually call this as “Pindi Miriyum” in Telugu. It is also called as ‘Kootu’ in some places. This is one of my most favorite kinds of dal. I remember when my mom used to cook this, just the aroma of this dal used to make me very hungry. If you go traditionally, a lot of preparation is involved. I usually go the easier way. I have learned it from my mom.

To prepare this in the easier way, we need:

• 1 cup Toor Dal
• 1 small Plantain
• 1 tomato
• 2 tsp Black Pepper Powder or according to taste
• 1 tsp desiccated Coconut
• ½ tsp Coriander Powder or Rasam Powder
• A small piece of ginger
• ½ tsp Turmeric
• ½ tsp Asafetida
• Some Coriander leaves
• Salt to taste

For Seasoning:

• ½ tsp Mustard Seeds
• ½ tsp Cumin Seeds

Preparation:

Wash the toor dal well and cook it until soft. Peel the skin of the plantain, chop into medium pieces. Chop the tomato and ginger also. In a bowl add these pieces along with some water and cook them until soft. When they become soft, add the cooked dal along with all the other ingredients and mix well. Cook it for some time, but be careful not to burn the bottom as the dal has tendency of burning if left on the flame for a long time. This dal should be relatively thin in consistency. The black pepper powder gives a unique spiciness to this dal.

In a small pan, heat 1 tsp oil and add the mustard seeds. When they splutter add the cumin seeds and fry for a while. Add this seasoning to the prepared dal.

Serve with hot rice, ghee and papads.

Traditional way of preparation:

We need:

• All the above ingredients excluding the powders (coriander or rasam and pepper)
• 1 tsp Bengal Gram (Chana Dal)
• 1 tsp Coriander Seeds
• 1 tsp Peppercorns or according to taste

Dry roast the chana dal, coriander seeds, peppercorns and the desiccated coconut until they turn golden brown. Grind them into a fine powder. Add this powder to the cooked dal instead of coriander powder or rasam powder and the black pepper powder.

Variation: The plantain can be substituted with a potato or 2 arvi or zucchini.

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Strawberry - Banana Smoothie

This entry is for the kid’s event. This entire recipe was from the brain of my 8-yr old. She has gathered all the ingredients and chopped the fruits. I just helped her in running the blender. We all tasted it (including my 3-yr old) and certified it as a yummy smoothie. So, I thought like, why not I send this entry made by a kid herself, to the Kid’s Food Event.

So this entry goes to the Kid’s Food Event hosted by Vanamala.

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Animals, Birds, Insects….What else?

You must be wondering about the title. I just wrote it ‘cause I have some pictures of some birds, animal(s) and an insect. So I thought “Why not post them all at the same time for the picture of the week”. A mini Zoo in my collection! Just kidding.

First let me start with the smallest creature.. the insect. Here is the picture of a caterpillar. You are wrong! It’s not a real one. It was made of small pumpkins during last Halloween. We had made it for some local event and of course we were the winners.

The next one is the picture of some Sea gulls.

The above picture was taken at Half Moon Bay Beach, CA

The above picture was taken in New York when the World Trade Center was still there. This is my most valuable possession.

Next in the series is the picture of Ducks taken at Lagoon Valley Park, CA.

Last but not the least, is the picture of the fastest animal in the jungle, The Cheetah. This was taken at the Sacramento Zoo, CA. But, alas! It was sleeping.

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Pickle with Mango Pieces

In Telugu we call it as “Maamidi Mukkala Pacchadi”. This is one easy and instant pickle. I have learned this pickle from my sister R.

I used:

• 1 raw Mango
• 1 ½ tsp Fenugreek Seeds (Menthulu)
• ½ tsp Mustard Seeds (Avaalu)
• 2 tsp Red Chili Powder (or According to taste)
• Salt to taste
• 2 tbsp Oil (Sesame Oil will be good) (I used Olive Oil)

Prepare like this:

Wash the mango well and wipe with a paper towel, because the pickle would be spoiled if it were wet. Then chop it into tiny pieces. Don’t peel the skin off, because mango pickle tastes so good with the skin. Keep aside in a bowl.

In a small pan heat 1 tsp of oil and add the mustard seeds. When they splutter, add the fenugreek seeds and fry till they turn golden brown. Be careful not to burn them. Take off from the flame and let it cool.

Meanwhile, add salt and red chili powder to the mango pieces and mix well with a spoon. Pour the rest of the oil on the pieces and mix well.

When the mustard and fenugreek seeds become cold, powder them into a fine powder. It is all right if it is little coarse. Add this powder to the mango pieces and mix well.

Let the pickle stand for one hour, so that the mango pieces absorb the essence of the fenugreek and the mustard seeds. Store it in a cool place. Serve this pickle with hot rice.

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It’s Valentine’s Day!

Here are two specials I have made for this Valentine’s Day!

AS EASY AS A PIE – Orange Gel Pie

Ingredients I have used:

• Keebler Shortbread Crust – 9-inch size
• Jello Orange Flavoured Gelatin – 3.5 Oz pack
• Water 2 cups

Preparation:

The preparation of this pie is as easy as the ingredients.

1. Boil water, add the gelatin powder to the hot water and mix well.
2. When the gelatin mixture is still hot pour carefully into the Crust. Leave it for some time. Then cover the crust and place in the refrigerator for 3 or 4 hours or until set.
3. Now the Orange Gel Pie is ready. Garnish it with your favorite icing or whipping cream.

Don’t you think this is the easiest pie? This is simple, easy and tastes great too.

COOKIE ANYONE? – Butter Cookies

This is one more easiest cookie recipe. These cookies are a hit in our family. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups Pillsbury Classic White Cake Mix
• ½ tsp Baking Powder
• 1½ stick unsalted Butter, softened
• 1 cup Sugar
• 1 Egg

Preparation:

Mix butter and sugar in a bowl and beat them together with an electric hand mixer (or manual egg beater will do) at medium-high speed until fluffy. Beat in egg too. Finally add the cake mix flour to this and mix until just combined. The dough should be soft and fluffy. Preheat oven (I used toaster oven) to 375 degrees F.

Meanwhile roll the dough into a thick round shape using a roller. Using a heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut shapes in the rolled dough. Arrange them on an ungreased baking sheet about an inch apart.

When the oven is preheated, place the baking sheet and bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until they are golden brown. Cool them for some time on cooling racks or on a plate. Repeat the above process with remaining dough.

Garnish the cookies with your favorite icing, sprinkles etc.

My 8-year old daughter who has helped me throughout the cookie making process decorated my cookies. She is a great helper.

I am sending these Valentine’s Day entries to Pooja’s “Theme of the Week – Valentine’s Day”.

Once again, a very happy Valentine’s Day to you all!

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Palakayalu | Savory Rice Balls

Tasty and cute Palakayalu

These are great for time pass munching. They taste yummy and very easy to prepare. In Telugu we call it “Paalakaayalu”.

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Go Green!

Green is the color of nature, which happens to be my most favorite color. To my surprise, I found out that I have some green recipes (I mean green colored) with me. As they all are looking nicely green I thought of posting them all at the same time even though they were made on different dates. Believe me, they all tasted so yummy! Read on!

Let me start with a healthy and very easy snack.

Green Apple Snack

This was our snack on one evening. There is no cooking involved in this.

We need: 1 Green Apple (Granny Smith) 1 tsp Red Chili Powder 1 tsp Salt Preparation: Chop the apple into thin slices.  Mix the chili powder and salt together in a separate bowl.  Arrange them on a serving plate.  Dip the apple slices in the mixture and eat.  Trust me it tastes great. That’s it.

Green Sour Dal

This dal is for the sour lovers. It has the combination of green veggies like mango and tomatillo.

Ingredients: 1 cup Toor Dal 1 Green Mango (only ½ mango is needed) 1 Tomatillo Some Coriander Leaves A pinch of Turmeric Salt to taste For Seasoning: 1 tsp Mustard Seeds 1 tsp Cumin Seeds A pinch of Asafetida 1 tsp Oil Preparation: Wash the toor dal well and cook it until it becomes soft. Chop the mango and tomatillo into medium pieces. In a separate bowl add these pieces with some water and cook until they are soft. Then add the cooked toor dal, turmeric and salt to it. Mix well and finally add the coriander leaves. Take it away from the flame. In a small pan heat the oil and add the mustard seeds. When they splutter add the cumin and asafetida. Fry for a while and add this seasoning to the dal. Serve with hot rice.

Spinach-Potato Patties

Spinach-Potato Patties with Peanut Chutney and Ketchup

This is one easy snack and tastes great.

Ingredients: A bunch of Spinach Leaves 3 medium Potatoes ¼ cup All-Purpose Flour Salt to taste Oil to deep fry Method: Boil the potatoes, peel the skin and mash them into a smooth paste.  Cook the spinach leaves until tender, mash into a fine paste with a fork. In a bowl, mix the mashed potato and spinach well, add the flour and salt.  Mix them well and prepare just like chapathi dough. Make small balls out of the dough and flat them with palm into the shape of patties. Heat the oil in a pan. When it is hot, add these patties one by one carefully.  Fry them for some time and take them away from the oil and spread on a paper towel. Repeat this process for all the patties. Transfer them into a serving plate. Serve hot with the ketchup and peanut chutney.

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Moong Dal Pickle

This is very easy to prepare and tastes great. In Telugu we call it “Pacchi Pesala Pacchadi”. There is no frying involved in this recipe except for the seasoning.

Ingredients:

• ½ cup Moong Dal
• 5 dry Red Chilies or as per taste
• ½ tsp Cumin Seeds
• 2 tsp Lemon Juice
• Salt to taste

For Seasoning:

• ½ tsp Mustard Seeds
• ½ tsp Cumin Seeds (optional)
• ½ tsp Bengal Gram (Chana Dal)
• ½ tsp Black Gram (Urad Dal)
• 4 or 5 Curry leaves
• 1 broken dry Red Chili
• 1 tsp Oil

Preparation:
Wash the moon dal well and soak it in water for an hour or until it is soft.

In a blender, grind the soaked moong dal along with the red chilies, cumin seeds and salt into a fine paste by adding little water. The paste should be thick, so add the water only as required.

Transfer the finely ground pickle into a serving bowl, add the lemon juice and mix well.

In a small pan heat the oil and add the mustard seeds. When they splutter, add the cumin seeds, the dals and the curry leaves. Fry them until the dals turn golden brown.

Finally, add the above seasoning to the prepared pickle and mix well.

Serve with hot rice and ghee.

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Picture of the Week

Donner Lake

This picture was taken when we had visited Donner Lake, Truckee CA.

Donner Lake is a wonderful recreation area with an unlimited summer fun like fishing, water skiing and swimming etc. It is a best place for camping too.

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Rava Dosa

Rava Dosa with Peanut Chutney

This is my most favorite kind of dosa and it is pretty easy to prepare.

Ingredients: 1 cup Semolina (Upma Rava) 1 cup All Purpose Flour (or Maida) 1 glass Buttermilk (or as required for mixing) Some Green Chilies (4 or 5) 1 medium Onion A small piece of Ginger 1 tsp Cumin Seeds Some Curry Leaves (optional) Salt to taste Oil Preparation: Mix the semolina and the maida with the buttermilk and the salt.  It is better if the buttermilk is sour. The batter should be relatively thin in consistency.  Let the batter stand for an hour.  Chop the onions, green chilies, curry leaves and the ginger into small pieces and place in a plate along with the cumin seeds. Heat a pan and pour one ladleful of batter in the center.  Spread to make a round flat pancake shape.  Sprinkle some onions, green chilies, cumin seeds, ginger and the curry leaves mixture on top of it. Pour a little oil around the dosa, cover it with a lid and leave it for a while.  After 2 min. take off the lid and fold the dosa in half and take away from the pan.  Repeat the above process with the rest of the batter.  Place the dosas on a plate and serve along with Peanut Chutney.  They taste better when they are hot.

Rava Dosa with Peanut Chutney

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