Microwave Vermicelli Bath

I have never tried making any type of breakfast in the microwave, except Maggi Noodles and for reheating the leftovers. But thanks to the blog events, we get to experiment different kinds of food in different ways.

Please Note: This vermicelli bath was prepared using a 1200 watt microwave oven. Adjust the cooking times according to individual ovens. The overall time took according to my oven is 30 minutes.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Vermicelli
• 4 Tomatoes
• 1 small Onion
• 2 green Chilies
• A small piece of Ginger
• 3 cups Water
• Salt as required

For Seasoning:

• 2 tsp Oil
• ½ tsp Mustard Seeds
• ¼ tsp Cumin Seeds
• ½ tsp Bengal Gram (Pachi Senaga Pappu, Chana dal)
• ½ tsp Black Gram (Minappappu, Urad dal)
• Some broken Cashews (Optional)
• 1 small dry red chili
• Some Cilantro and Curry Leaves

Preparation:

Chop tomatoes, onion, green chilies and ginger into fine pieces and keep aside.

In a microwave safe bowl, add the vermicelli and run it for 1 minute or until the vermicelli is roasted. Transfer the vermicelli to a plate and keep aside.

In the same bowl, add 2 tsp oil along with the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, urad dal, chana dal, cashews and red chili. Cover and run the microwave for 2 minutes or until the mustard seeds pop.

Remove the cover and add the chopped tomato, onion, green chili, ginger pieces along with the water, cover and run the microwave for 10 minutes.

Remove the cover and add the vermicelli and salt and mix well. Be very careful as the bowl will be very hot. Then cover the bowl again and run the microwave for an additional 15 minutes or until the bath thickens. Let stand it for 2 or 3 minutes.

Serve hot with Peanut Chutney or Ginger Chutney.

This is my entry to WBB – Microwave Foods originally started by Nandita of Saffron Trail now being hosted by Easycrafts of 100% Microwave Cooking.

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Microwave Apple Upside down Cake

Ever since Srivalli of Cooking4allseasons has announced the MEC: Cakes theme, I have been digging through all my recipe collection. Finally I found this cake that is done easily in microwave. I clearly don’t know why I forgot about it till now! Thanks to Srivalli, I could bring this recipe to the front and make it. I was surprised how easily this was done in a microwave. I made little changes to the original recipe, though! Actually it was pineapple upside down cake, but as I don’t have pineapples on hand, I replaced them with apples. And for pineapple juice as suggested in the original recipe, I used apple juice. That’s it!

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp Apple Juice
• ¼ cup Sugar
• 1 Apple (any kind)
• 1 cup All-purpose Flour
• 2 Egg Whites
• 3 tbsp Butter
• ½ tsp Baking Powder
• ¼ tsp Baking Soda

Preparation:

Peel the apple and core out the seeds. Then slice into thin rounds like in the picture below. Keep aside.

Place butter in a microwave safe bowl and microwave it for 1 minute or until the butter melts.

In a different bowl mix apple juice with sugar and beat well with a spoon. To this, add all the other ingredients except the apple slices and beat well either with a manual or electrical mixer until the mixture turns smooth. Keep aside.

Coat a microwave safe bowl (I used a 2-quart glass bowl) with non-stick cooking spray. Arrange the apple slices in a circular pattern at the bottom of the bowl. Pour the prepared batter on top of these slices.

Place the bowl in the microwave on an inverted saucer. Microwave for 6 minutes or until the center of the cake springs back when touched lightly.

Let stand for 3 to 5 minutes until the cake cools down. Then invert onto a serving plate. Cut into pieces and serve. It tasted delicious.

This goes to Srivalli’s MEC: Cakes event.

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A Meme, An Award and Some Fun Food Riddles

I’ve been tagged again by Homecooked. I enjoyed doing it.

1) LAST MOVIE U SAW IN A THEATRE?
Alvin and the Chipmunks (Yes, with my kids)

2) WHAT BOOK ARE U READING??
On Fortune’s Wheel by Cynthia Voigf

3) FAVOURITE BOARD GAME?
Chutes and Ladders

4) FAVOURITE MAGAZINE?
National Geographic, Reader’s Digest, Times

5) FAVOURITE SMELLS?
First smell of rain, Jasmine and Lavender

6) FAVOURITE SOUNDS?
Wind Chimes and Chirping of birds

7) WORST FEELING IN THE WORLD?
Being alone

8) WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU THINK OF WHEN U WAKE?
Wish I had some more time to sleep.

9) FAVOURITE FASTFOOD PLACE?
Mc Donald’s

10) FUTURE CHILDS NAME?
No more please!

11) FINISH THIS STATEMENT—’IF I HAD A LOT OF MONEY I’D’
Build a mansion with all the luxuries

12) DO U DRIVE FAST?
No way. I am a safe driver.

13) DO U SLEEP WITH A STUFFED ANIMAL?
Are you kidding?

14) STORMS–COOL OR SCARY?
Sometimes cool and sometimes scary.

15) WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CAR?
For my own it’s actually a minivan – Chrysler Town & Country

16) FAVOURITE DRINK?
Coffee, Mango Juice

17) FINISH THIS STATEMENT-IF I HAD THE TIME I WOULD…
Try to sew the entire wardrobe, which I love to do.

18) DO YOU EAT THE STEMS ON BROCCOLI?
Of course, I usually make chutney out of them.

19) IF YOU COULD DYE YOUR HAIR ANY OTHER COLOUR, WHAT WOULD BE YOUR CHOICE?
I don’t like to dye my hair.

20) NAME ALL THE DIFFERENT CITIES/TOWNS U HAVE LIVED IN?
Nellore, Hong Kong, Chofu in Japan, Woodland in California

21) FAVOURITE SPORTS TO WATCH?
Cricket and Lawn Tennis

22) ONE NICE THING ABOUT THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU?
A good friend who is a wonderful cook

23) WHATS UNDER YOUR BED?
My Sewing Accessories

24) WOULD U LIKE TO BE BORN AS YOURSELF AGAIN??
Who wouldn’t?

25) MORNING PERSON OR NIGHT OWL?
Morning Person

26) OVER EASY OR SUNNY SIDE UP?
Definitely Over Easy

27) FAVOURITE PLACE TO RELAX?
My Home

28) FAVOURITE PIE?
Apple Pie

29) FAVOURITE ICECREAM FLAVOUR?
Vanilla, Strawberry and Mango

30) OF ALL THE PEOPLE U HAVE TAGGED, WHO IS THE MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND FIRST?
Hmmm…..

I wish to tag these friends:

• Dhivya
• Cham
• Madhavi
• Divya Vikram

I have one more surprise. My dear friend Dhivya of Dhivya’s Cuisine has sent a wonderful award my way. I am really flattered Dhivya and Thank you for thinking about me. This award is originally started by Roopa of My Kitchen Treats.

"Yummy blog award is the award given to the blog with most yummy recipes/photos”

Now I have to quote my favorite yummy-licious dessert(s) that I have ever prepared/eaten. So here goes the list:

• Cashew Burfi
• Fruit Salad
• Apple Halwa
• Jilebis

The list is never-ending. So I stop here. Now I have to prepare or buy one of them to celebrate this occasion.

Now it’s my turn to pass on this award. As Dhivya said, it’s really hard to pick only a few (only four blogs). But rules are rules. So I chose these blog friends to pass this award.

• Meera
• Home Cooked
• Vaishali
• Sagari

Rules for the ‘Yummy Blog’ award Reciver:·

• The person who receives the award should display the "Yummy Blog !" logo on their blog and also the meaning of the award which is "Yummy blog award is the award given to the blog with most yummy recipes/photos".·
• The receiver should also quote their favorite yummy-licious :) dessert(s) that they have ever prepared/eaten. Don’t restrict yourself to any dessert, chocolate bars also welcome.·
• Also the receiver should pass on the award to four other bloggers whose blog they find "yummy" and let them know about the rules.
  

And Finally Some Funny Food Riddles I read on a cereal box:

How do you make soup rich?
Put 14 carrots in it!

What kind of beans have landed on the moon?
Human Beans!

What fruit always travels in groups of twos?
Pears!

Why did the cookie go to the hospital?
It felt crummy!

What does corn say when it’s picked?
Ouch! My Ears!

What do ghosts like for breakfast?
Scream of Wheat!

What do you call someone who eats everything in sight?
A Refriger-raider!

How does the gingerbread man make his bed?
With Cookie Sheets!

How can you knock over a full glass and not spill any water?
When the glass is filled with milk!

That’s all friends! Enjoy! Have a nice day!

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Microwave Clove Tea

Aromatic and Yummy Tea

Cloves are an important ingredient in many spice blends of India. They are used mostly in garam masalas, biryanis and pickles. There are so many health benefits of cloves. They relieve tooth pain, helps to control vomiting etc. Cloves are very helpful for getting rid of indigestion too. Cloves keep food fresh.

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Peas and Capsicum Rice for MBP

When Pavani of Cook’s Hideout has announced the “Monthly Blog Patrol-April: One Pot Wonders” for April, I started to search different blogs for recipes. I really amazed to see so many wonderful recipes to choose from which was a hard decision to make. I finally landed on Vanamala’s PEAS & CAPSICUM RICE. She has so many other delicious recipes too. I chose this rice item for three reasons: one is, I had all the ingredients at hand as mentioned in it and second is, it is so green in color, which happened to be my favorite color and third is, it looked so delicious too. You can find the original recipe here.

I didn’t make any changes to the original recipe except for few things like:

1. Instead of cooked rice as she mentioned, I used uncooked basmati rice.
2. Instead of fresh coconut, I used desiccated coconut.
3. Reduced the amount of oil to use with the recipe.

I used the pressure pan to cook this Peas & Capsicum Rice. Hot, delicious rice was served with plain yogurt and some papads. Thanks Vanamala for sharing such a delicious recipe.

This delicious Peas and Capsicum Rice goes to Pavani’s Monthly Blog Patrol-April: One Pot Wonders.

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The Three Musketeers for Click: Au Naturel

The Three Musketeers taking a shower

The above picture is my entry to the food photography event “Click: Au Naturel” hosted by Jai and Bee of Jugalbandi.

I got this click idea while washing the apples.

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Puffed Rice (Murmura) Upma

This upma is perfect for breakfast. I make this often. But these murmura or borgulu as we call them in Telugu should be consumed when still fresh as they lose crunchiness and smells bad with prolonged storage.

An Update:

Dear Bee of Jugalbandi has given a nice tip regarding the freshness of the murmuras. In her own words:

When murmura gets old and starts smelling funny, pop it in a 350F oven for a few minutes. it will smell and taste fresh again.

Thanks Bee for this wonderful tip. And regarding the difference between Poha (Beaten or Flattened Rice) and Murmura (Puffed Rice) please refer at the following links.

Puffed Rice: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puffed_rice

Beaten or Flattened Rice: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaten_rice

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Puffed Rice
• 1 small Onion
• 1 medium Tomato
• 2 or 3 green chilies
• ¼ tsp Turmeric
• 1 tsp Lemon Juice (Optional)
• Salt as required

For Seasoning:

• ½ tsp Mustard Seeds
• ¼ tsp Cumin Seeds
• ½ tsp Bengal Gram (Chana dal)
• ½ tsp Black Gram (Urad dal)
• Some Curry Leaves
• 1 tsp Oil

Preparation:

Wash puffed rice very well and soak in water for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, cut onion, tomato, green chilies into fine pieces.

In a pan, heat the oil and add the mustard seeds. When they splutter, add the cumin seeds along with the Bengal and Black grams and fry till the dals turn golden brown in color. Then add the curry leaves and fry well.

Then add the chopped onion, tomato and green chilies and fry very well until they appear cooked and soft. Keep the flame on medium setting.

Later, squeeze the water out of the soaked murmura and add it to the pan along with turmeric, lemon juice and salt. Mix well. Add some water if needed. Cover and leave it for some time.

After some time remove the lid and stir the upma well and check if the puffed rice is cooked. Switch off the flame once it is cooked and all the water is absorbed. Leave it for 5 minutes.

Serve hot with any chutney you like.

I am sending this over to Barbara's LiveStrong Day - A Taste of Yellow as my contribution for LiveSTRONG day.

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Yogurt Chutney with Snake gourd

As we all knew, yogurt possesses so many health benefits. It is a great source of calcium, riboflavin, Vitamin B12 and proteins. When compared to milk, yogurt was proved to contain more calcium due to the added live cultures in the yogurt. And the best thing is it helps in good digestion. Snake gourd is said to have a cooling effect on the body.

Here is chutney with the good old yogurt which is not chutney actually but called as chutney. We may add any vegetables of our choice to make this delicious chutney.

Ingredients:

• 1-cup Snake Gourd, cut into small pieces
• 1 tomato
• ½ tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• 2 cups yogurt, beaten lightly
• Salt as required

For Seasoning:

• ¼ tsp Mustard seeds
• ¼ tsp Cumin Seeds
• ½ tsp Bengal gram (Senagapappu, Chana dal)
• ½ tsp Black gram (Minappappu, Urad dal)
• 2 or 3 small broken red chilies
• Some Curry Leaves
  

Preparation:

In a deep bowl boil the snake gourd pieces along with tomato, turmeric and red chili powder. Chili powder can be replaced with some green chilies.

When the snake gourd pieces appear to be cooked add the yogurt, salt and stir well. Keep the flame in low setting. Don’t over boil the yogurt as it tends to break apart.

Switch off the flame and keep the bowl aside. In a small pan, heat the oil and add the mustard seeds. When they splutter, add the cumin seeds along with the Bengal and Black grams and fry well until the dals turn golden brown. Finally add the broken red chilies and curry leaves and fry well. Add this seasoning to the yogurt chutney and mix well.

Serve with rice/chapathi.

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Rasamadhuri Sherbet

This is a Bengali delicacy that I found here that is easy for me to make and so delicious too. I didn't make any changes to the original recipe. It was so delicious and refreshing. Here goes the recipe.

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Instant Dosa

Dosa with Curry Powder and Peanut Chutney

I have seen so many wonderful varieties of dosas on the blogosphere lately for Dosa Mela. Here is another addition to Dosa Mela being hosted by Srivalli of Cooking 4 All Seasons.

Ingredients: 1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour 1 Cup Rice Flour 1 Cup Chickpea Flour (Besan) 1 Cup Black Gram Flour (Urad Flour) Water and Salt as required Oil Preparation: Mix all the flours with salt and water. Make the batter into medium consistency. Heat a non-stick pan. When it is hot, pour a ladleful of the batter and spread evenly into a round shape. Sprinkle some oil around the dosa and cover. After some time, remove the cover and flip the dosa over. Again cover and leave it for some time. When the dosa appears to be cooked, remove it from the pan and transfer to a serving plate. Repeat the same process with rest of the batter. Serve hot with any chutney. This is the easiest and delicious dosa ever and it is so filling too.

 Dosa with Curry Powder and Peanut Chutney

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Bitter Gourd Curry

As the name suggests this vegetable is certainly bitter in taste. But we should agree that the bitter is the better as it helps in good digestion just like fenugreek seeds which are also bitter in taste and are packed with full supply of vitamins A, B1, B2 and C.

I made a very easy and simple bitter gourd curry.

Here are the ingredients I used:

• 3 cups Bitter Gourd, seeds removed and cut into tiny pieces
• 3 tsp home-made Curry Powder
• 3 tbsp Oil
• ½ tsp Turmeric
• Salt as required

Preparation:

Heat the oil in a non-stick pan. Add the bitter gourd pieces, salt and turmeric and mix well.

Cover and let the curry cook for some time until it becomes crunchy. Keep the flame on low setting. Keep stirring now and then.

When the curry looks cooked or becomes little crunchy, add the curry powder and mix well. Remove the cover and leave it for some time on low flame.

After it turns little brownish turn off the flame and let the curry stand for a while. Then transfer to a serving bowl or plate. Serve with rice and ghee (optional).

Believe me, it not at all bitter in taste. It tasted so yummy that everyone wanted for a second round for the first time.

I am sending this over to Pooja’s wonderful event “Vegetable of the Week -Bitter Gourd”.

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Apple Halwa

Today we are celebrating Ugadi, an auspicious beginning of a Telugu New Year. Ugadi is also celebrated in Karnataka and Gudi Padwa in Maharashtra. Every Telugu New Year is given a different name. This year it’s named as “Sarvadhari”. As we all know the special for today is the preparation of Ugadi Pachadi, a fusion of six tastes (Shadruchulu) such as, sour, bitter, sweet, salt, spicy, pungent. I also prepared Ugadi Pachadi today with available ingredients like: Tamarind (sour), Fenugreek Seeds (bitter), Sugar (sweet), Salt (salt), Red Chili Powder (spicy) and finally raw mango pieces (pungent).

Another special treat I prepared today is APPLE HALWA. This is my first time making it, but it turned out so well. So I want to share that with you all. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

• 2 Apples (I used Gala Apples)
• ¼ cup Milk
• ½ cup Sugar
• ¼ tsp Cardamom Seeds (Elaichi, Elakulu)
• ½ tsp Raisins
• 1 tsp broken Cashews
• ¼ tsp Red Food Color (optional)
• 1 tsp Ghee

Preparation:

Peel the skin of apples and grate them. Keep aside.

In a heavy-bottomed pan, heat ghee and roast the cashew pieces until they turn golden brown in color. Add the milk to this along with sugar, grated apple, cardamom seeds, raisins and the food color. Keep the flame on medium. Leave it for some time, but keep stirring it now and then.

When the mixture thickens switch off the flame and transfer to a serving plate. Let it cool and serve. This is really a delicious dessert for festive days.

Thank you so much for your wishes. Happy Ugadi to you all too. Have a wonderful year ahead.

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Curry Powder (Koora Podi)

I always keep this powder on hand. We use it in so many ways like stuffing in vegetables, especially for stuffed eggplant curry, as a dip for dosas, idlis and eat with rice.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Bengal Gram (Pachi Senaga Pappu, Chana Dal)
• 1 cup Black Gram (Minapa Pappu, Urad Dal)
• ½ cup Coriander Seeds (Dhaniya)
• ¼ cup desiccated Coconut (optional)
• ½ tsp Asafetida (Hing, Inguva)
• 5 or 6 dry Red Chilies or according to individual taste
• 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
• Salt as required

Preparation:

Heat a pan and dry roast the Bengal and Black Grams with no oil. When they turn golden brown, transfer them to a plate to cool.

Add the coriander seeds, cumin seeds and red chilies to the same pan and again dry roast them. Finally, add the coconut and asafetida and fry for a while. Transfer them to a plate to cool.

When all the ingredients are cooled, grind them into coarse powder along with the salt. It is that easy and simple.

As I said, this powder can be used in many ways like stuffing for different vegetables, as a dip for dosas and idlis and of course can be eaten just like that with rice and ghee.

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Spicy Pesarattu (Spicy Moong Dal Dosa)

Pesarattu is very famous in Andhra. It is nothing but a different kind of dosa made with yellow lentils (Moong Dal, Pesara Pappu). I have added spiciness to the original pesarattu with green chilies, ginger and onion. It gave the pesarattu a good spicy taste and smelled great too. If that much spiciness is not desired, all the spicy things can be avoided while grinding and just the dal, cumin seeds, rice flour and salt can be added to make it non-spicy.

Ingredients: 3 cups Yellow Lentils (Moong Dal, పెసరపప్పు) 10 small Green Chilies 1 tsp Cumin Seeds A small piece of Ginger Some Cilantro Leaves (కొత్తిమీర) 1 medium Onion 2 tsp Rice Flour Salt as required Water to grind Oil Preparation: Soak the moong dal for 2 hours and grind it into a smooth paste along with the green chilies, cumin seeds, ginger, cilantro leaves, onion and salt.  Add the rice flour during half way of the grinding. Make it into medium consistency batter by adding some water. Heat a non-stick pan. When it is hot, pour a ladleful of the batter and spread evenly into a round shape. Sprinkle some oil around the pesarattu and cover.  After some time, remove the cover and flip the pesarattu over. Again cover and leave it for some time.  When the pesarttu appears to be cooked, remove it from the pan and transfer to a serving plate. Repeat the same process with remaining batter.  This pesarattu can be eaten just like that as it already spicy or can be eaten with any chutney, if more spiciness is needed. Serve hot. We usually eat this Pesarattu along with Upma.

This Moong Dal Pesarattu goes to Dosa Mela being hosted by Srivalli of Cooking 4 All Seasons.

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Sugar Snap Peas Chutney

On the whole, any green peas are full of nutrients. They provide so many vitamins, minerals, protein and dietary fiber. They even help in building strong bones.

I previously made a curry out of these sugar snap peas, but no one at our home liked the taste of it as they are so hard to chew. So I have decided to try making chutney with these peas and believe me, it turned out to be a hit. It tasted so good than curry.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Sugar Snap Peas, cut into small pieces
• 2 tsp desiccated Coconut
• 2 tsp roasted Red Chili Powder or according to individual taste
• ¼ tsp Mustard Seeds
• ¼ tsp Cumin Seeds
• ½ tsp of Bengal Gram (Chana Dal) and Black Gram (Urad Dal)
• ½ cup Curry Leaves
• 1 tsp Oil
• ½ tsp Tamarind Pulp
• Salt and water as required

Preparation:

In a pan heat the oil and add the mustard seeds. When they splutter, add the cumin, Bengal and Black grams and fry well until the dals turn into golden brown color.

Add the sugar snap peas along with some water and cover. After some time remove the cover and fry well. Once the water is completely absorbed add the coconut powder and curry leaves and fry well again. Switch off the flame and let the contents cool.

When they are cool, grind them into a smooth paste along with the tamarind pulp, red chili powder and salt by adding very little water. Adjust the salt and chili powder as needed.
This chutney goes well with rice, dosas. I even use it with chapathis by adding some plain yogurt to it. It even tastes good when applied to sandwiches.

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