All in One – Prizes, Awards and a Meme

How are you all? I am enjoying the time with my sister. When I arrived at her place, I was overjoyed to see the prizes that were already waiting for me here (I gave my sister’s address just in case). Yes, you guessed it right! I received the prizes from the two contests that I have recently won. You can imagine my happy face after seeing them, :)

The above beautiful necklace (sponsored by Lakshaya) is the prize I got for the "Fortune Cooking Contest" hosted by the very talented duo Nithu and Shriya. Thank you so much for such a beautiful necklace dear Nithu and dear Shriya! Wow, I have no words to describe! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Here is another beautiful prize (and it’s a surprise gift) I got for the fun-filled contest, “Open Sesame I” initiated by another dynamic duo Siri and Dhivya. They have sent this fabulous book as if they’ve read my mind! I am a great fan of Tarla Dalal, the famous Indian cooking author. I am overwhelmed with joy to receive this wonderful book of hers as a surprise gift. Thank you so much dear Siri and dear Dhivya for selecting such a great book and of course for hosting such an enjoyable contest.

Next coming to a couple awards showered on me by dear friends:

Dear Rekha has passed me the “Rocking Girl Blogger” award. Thank you Rekha for thinking about me. I am so flattered.

Dear Ramyabala and dear Madhavi passed me the beautiful “Giant Bear Hug” award. A big, big, big hug to you too! Thank you for the award dear friends!

I am passing this award to:

Dhivya

Kalai

Madhuram

Sangeeth

Sireesha

Siri

Silvia

Congrats friends!

Dear Cham says I am inspiring her! Wow! You inspire me too dear! You’re such an amiable person. Thanks for the award…so happy to get it from you!

Last but not the least, dear Sashree has tagged me for the following meme:

What was I doing ten years ago?

Just moved to Japan

What are five things on my to-do list for today (non-work related)?

Hmmm. I guess nothing in particular as I am on vacation, he he!

What are five snacks I enjoy?

Popcorn, French Fries, Fruits, Cookies and any kind of chats.

What things would I do if I were a billionaire?

I’ll answer this question when I become a billionaire, he he!

Places I’ve lived:

India, Hong Kong, Japan, USA (present)

Jobs I’ve had:

Worked in research field and now an evergreen full-time mom!

Thanks for tagging me Sashree! I had fun doing it.

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Sweet Savory

Here we are again at the wonderful Open Sesame II designed by dear Siri and dear Dhivya. I had so much fun playing it again. Wow, what a great event! I picked the same box I had selected last time this time too and that box contained the following riddle:

I am a grass , or am I a cereal or a grain
I am everywhere and in almost all the foods you eat
My whole being used in many ways without restrain
I offer you something which is so hard to beat
I am as old as you can think of me to be
Thought to be originated from the land of camels
I am breakfast, lunch and dinner for all to see
Or be it desserts from cakes , pies to caramels
I am famous all over the world from east to west
As breads, flatbreads , cookies to muffins
I am v healthy and like a treasure chest
For ppl - weight conscious and its healthy kins
Buckle up and take a pen and a paper
I am yellow when alive, brown when put to 'dust'
Eating me makes you look so dapper
Now think hard and tell me what is that grain that we all genuinely trust

I guessed it right for the first time itself, hooray! The answer was “WHEAT – The king of all the grains”.

So, I whipped up a sweet recipe with the main ingredient. I just named it that way (Sweet Savory), ‘cause this is something that emerged from my imagination and couldn’t think any other name for this better than this. I made these on my daughter’s b’day last week and everyone appreciated the taste. This is my first time making this and I am so happy that these turned out so good. I used up the Apple Jam that I posted earlier, which was taking rest in the refrigerator. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Apple Jam (or any other fruit jam)
• 2 cups sweetened Coconut
• ½ tsp Cardamom Seeds
• 3 cups Wheat Flour
• 1 tsp ghee
• Oil to deep fry

Preparation:

In a bowl mix together jam + sweetened coconut + cardamom seeds + ghee. Add the wheat flour to this mixture and mix well again. Add more flour if needed. A little water also can be added until the dough becomes just like the chapathi dough. Knead the dough well. Leave it covered for 30 minutes or less.

Make small balls out of the dough and flatten them into small circles. Or cookie cutters can be used to make desired shapes.

Heat the oil in a deep bottomed pan. When the oil is hot, drop the above prepared circles or the other shaped dough carefully into the oil. Fry well until they turn golden brown in color. Then remove them from the oil and place on a paper towel to absorb the excess oil. Repeat the same process with rest of the dough.

Enjoy these sweet savories any time. These tasted so delicious.

These yummy savories are making their way into the Open Sesame II of International Food League at the Dining Hall.

I am also sending these sweet savories to dear Mythreyee’s “Sweet Series” event.

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Millet Dosa

Here is another instant dosa variety! This is done very quickly with no grinding or no fermentation. And it is so filling too!

Let's see the recipe:

Ingredients: 2 cups Millet Flour (జొన్న పిండి) ½ cup Rice Flour (బియ్యపు పిండి) ¾ cup Onion, diced 3 green Chilies ½ tsp Cumin Seeds A handful of Cilantro  Oil to pour around dosas Salt as required Preparation: Mix together millet flour + rice flour with water to make a thin batter.  Add the chopped onions + green chilies + cumin seeds + cilantro to the batter and mix well. Add salt to taste. Heat a non-stick pan and pour a ladleful of batter on it and spread out quickly into a circle.  Pour little oil around the dosa and leave it for some time. Then flip it over, add a little oil and let the other side to cook.  Transfer the dosa into a serving plate. Repeat the same process with rest of the batter. Serve hot with desired chutney. 'These dosas taste better when they are still warm.  These tasted just like wheat flour dosas.

This is a quick breakfast. So I am sending this to “WBB#23 Express Breakfasts” event being hosted by Raaga of The Singing Chef.

A Happy Note:

Dear Meera and dear Suma Rajesh have passed me the wonderful “Blogging with a Purpose” award. Thank you so much Meera and Suma!

I am passing this award to the following friends:

Maya
Nithu and Shriya
Sukanya Ramkumar
Shankari

Dear Ramyabala has passed me the “Yummy Blog Award”. Thank you so much Ramya! I have already done the rules before. You can find them here.

I am passing this award to:

Rama
Shibani
Karuna
Divya
Neha
Sujatha

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Super Healthy Shake

Here is one of the milk shakes I usually prepare during weekends. I call it super healthy because it contains many ingredients that are so healthy, protein rich and gives instant energy.

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Tamarind Pickle

This pickle is our Nellore (the place where I was born) special. We call it as “Minumula Chintapandu” in Telugu. This is a very delicious pickle eaten with rice. I learned it from my mom who is a great cook. My husband is also an expert in making this pickle. Actually I forgot some of the ingredients, but my hubby helped me in getting it right.

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

• Lemon sized ball of Tamarind
• ½ cup Urad Dal (Minappappu, Black Gram dal)
• ¼ cup Coriander Seeds (Dhaniya)
• ½ tsp Mustard Seeds
• 3 tbsp Oil
• 5 to 6 dry Red Chilies
• ½ tsp Asafetida (Inguva)
• Salt as required

Preparation:

Place tamarind in water just enough to soak it. Keep aside.

In a pan, heat half of the oil and add urad dal. Fry it for some time till the dal turns into golden brown in color. Then transfer it into a plate to cool.

Add the rest of oil to the pan and add the mustard seeds. When they splutter add the coriander seeds and fry well until the seeds turn light brown.

Then add the chilies and asafetida and fry well. Transfer the contents to a different plate and let them cool for some time.

In a mixer, add the coriander seeds + red chilies + asafetida mixture along with the soaked tamarind and add little water and run the mixer for 1 minute.

Then add half of the fried urad dal to the mixer along with salt and run the mixer again until all the contents mix well and it turns into a coarse paste.

Finally add the rest of the urad dal and run the mixer once. The dal shouldn’t be ground into a smooth paste. It tastes better when the pickle is little coarse.

Serve this tamarind pickle with hot rice and ghee.

This is my contribution for “JFI – Jihva For Tamarind” event being hosted by dear Sig of Live to eat. JFI (Jihva For Ingredients) is the brainchild of Indira of Mahanandi.

On a different note:

Dear Aditi of My Kitchen Stories has made me so happy by passing the “Good Chat Blog Award”. Thank you so much for your sweet gesture dear Aditi!

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Easy Vegetable Rice

Preparation Time: 20 min. (approx.). Serves: 2 persons

This vegetable rice is not only so delicious, but also healthy and quick. If you use all the readily available frozen vegetables, it is even faster to prepare. This definitely is a winner among family and also a filling one pot dish.

The recipe includes a combination of several vegetables and spices that give this dish a great flavor and taste. I used 3 tbsp oil for this dish, but it can be reduced to a little amount to lessen the oil intake. 

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Semolina Puris

Have you ever used semolina (upma rawa) for making puris? If not, try this recipe! These puris tasted so good and they are soft and fluffy just like regular puris. I found this recipe in my cook book that I bought in India long back.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Semolina Flour (Upma Rawa)
• 1 cup Milk
• Oil to deep-fry
• Salt as required

Preparation:

Mix the semolina flour and milk together and leave it for 2 hours.

When the semolina absorbs all the milk, add the salt. Mix it well and knead till the dough becomes soft.

Tip: If the dough is too thin, add some wheat flour to make it thick and knead well.

Make small balls out of the dough and roll out into small circles. Keep aside.

Meanwhile, add the oil in a deep-bottomed pan and heat.

When the oil is hot, drop the rolled puris one at each time carefully and deep fry it until it becomes puffed up.

Take out the puri and place on a paper towel to drain excess oil. Repeat the same process with rest of the puris.

The good thing with these puris is, it won’t absorb too much oil like the regular puris and taste very good too.

Enjoy these fluffy, soft puris with your favorite curry or just sugar. We enjoyed them with Potato Fusion Curry.

These delicious puris are my contribution to Srivalli’s Roti Mela.

Thank you Shubha, for passing me the “inspirational blog award”! I felt so happy that I have inspired you. Really it’s a great honor for me Shubha! Thanks again.

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Nupur’s Kati Roll

Tried and Tasted (T&T) is a monthly event of appreciation of other blogs - an opportunity to thank our fellow bloggers for sharing their recipes by re-creating them. This month, we’re given a great opportunity to cook the recipes of Nupur of One Hot Stove.

This event is started by Zlamushka of Burnt Mouth, who has so many mouth-watering recipes in her place. You really are doing a great job Zlamushka, by coming up with such a nice event of appreciating fellow bloggers. Best wishes to you!

Coming to the recipe I have chosen it from Nupur’s recipe collection, which was a hard decision indeed. She had so many delicious recipes that I want to try, but I made up my mind on one recipe for now. I prepared the delicious Kati Rolls for our dinner yesterday. The rolls tasted so good and I am glad I decided on them.

I just followed the original recipe step by step. The only change I made was adding some red bell pepper pieces along with green bell pepper pieces as suggested in the recipe. And I used frozen veggies instead of fresh ones. We all love these Kati Rolls. Your recipe rocks, Nupur!

These yummy rolls are my contribution to Zlamushka’s Tried and Tasted (T&T) event.

I am also sending these to Madhuram’s “Your Recipe Rocks” event, as this is a non rice wholesome food, from another blog.

This is also my entry to Sia’s “MBP – Street Food”, as the theme of this event is to cook some street food from a fellow blogger. MBP event is the brainchild of Coffee of The Spice Cafe.

With that I am signing off! Have a great weekend friends! Happy Father’s Day to all the dads!

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Basboosa

A delicious Middle Eastern Dessert

This is my 100th post. So I wish to celebrate this with a delicious dessert! Of course, it is not an Indian dessert. It is a traditional Middle Eastern (Arabic) dessert made of semolina flour, yogurt, and coconut. 

I took the original recipe from here. I didn’t make many changes to the original recipe. I just used cashews instead of almonds as suggested in the recipe. I also reduced the amount of time to 30 minutes instead of 40-45 minutes as suggested in the recipe. Everything else remained the same.

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Pasta Roti

Do you remember my Tomato Pasta that I posted previously? I made these rotis using the leftover tomato pasta. Yes and the rotis tasted so delicious, soft and fluffy. The veggies I have added in the pasta made these rotis healthy too. Try this recipe and you won’t regret it! Here is how I made them:

Ingredients: I didn’t follow any exact measurements. I just used up all the leftover pasta I had. Anyhow, I will give the ingredients I used. Leftover Pasta Some Wheat Flour Salt Water Oil Preparation: Grind all the leftover pasta into a smooth paste by adding a small amount of water if needed. Transfer into a mixing bowl and add some wheat flour + salt + some oil (optional) to the pasta paste and mix well.  Add more wheat flour if needed to make the dough just like chapathi dough. Adjust salt. Knead the dough well and divide into small round balls. Roll each ball into a roti/chapathi. Heat a non-stick pan and place a roti, pour little oil around it and leave it until bubbles show up on top.  Flip it over and let the other side cook. Transfer the cooked roti to a plate.  Repeat the same process with remaining rotis. Enjoy these fluffy rotis either hot or cold with your favorite curry or pickle.  We ate them with Chhole.

These delicious rotis are my first entry to Srivalli’s Roti Mela.

Thank you so much Sowmya, for passing me “You Make My Day” award. You make my day too with your sweet comments regularly.

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Tomato Achar

First of all, thank you everyone for your wonderful wishes on our marriage anniversary! We have celebrated our wedding day so happily with all your wishes. Thank you again dear friends!

Now coming to the recipe, this pickle is from the Land of Mystical Splendor – Sikkim. I took the recipe from here. I didn’t make any changes to the original recipe. I just used microwave oven for cooking the ingredients. Here is how I made it:

Ingredients:

• 2 large Tomatoes
• 4 Green chilies
• Salt as required

Preparation:

Wash the tomatoes and make a 2-way slit into it just like in the picture. The slits make it easy to peel off the tomato’s skin after it is boiled.

Then place the tomatoes in a microwave safe bowl and pour some water just to soak the tomatoes half way.

Cover the bowl with a lid and place in the microwave oven and run the microwave for 10 minutes or until the tomatoes become soft and boiled.

Let it cool for some time and transfer them into a plate. Peel off the skin and put them in a different bowl. Mash the tomatoes well with a fork. Keep aside to cool. Meanwhile, wash the green chilies and chop them into medium pieces.

Later, grind the mashed tomatoes with green chilies and salt into a paste. It’s ok if it is somewhat thin in consistency. It still tastes great. Store this pickle in an air-tight bottle and refrigerate to retain freshness.

Enjoy this tomato achar as a dip for deep-fried snacks or in vegetables or just about anything.

I am sending this pickle to “RCI: North – East Indian Cuisine” event being hosted by dear Bhags of Crazy Curry. The event “Regional Cuisine of India” was the brainchild of Lakshmi of Veggie Cuisine.

I am also sending this to “MEC: Bottled” event being hosted by dear Srivalli of Cooking 4 All Seasons.

A Happy Moment:

Dear JZ@tasty treats and dear Neha of Tasty Recipes thought I am rocking. Thanks dear friends! You too rock!

I have already passed this award before, but still want to pass it to some more friends.

Jamie of Flavor Pantry
Sashree of A Warm Welcome to All the Foodies
Hetal of Isha’s Kitchen
Sailaja of Sailaja’s Recipes

Congrats to you all!

Here is another award from dear Sashree, who says I am inspirational. Thanks dear Sashree for thinking about me!

This beautiful award is started by dear Jamie of Flavour Pantry. What an awesome award, dear Jamie! In her own words:

This is given to bloggers whose stories and recipes inspire us. Whether it’s to eat healthier, dive back into our past to conjure up something we ate as children, or just make the light bulbs in our brains go on with a new idea for a recipe.

As recipients of this award, please share with us what inspires you and then pass on the Inspiration Award to 4 other deserving bloggers.

Please let them know what the award means and what to do with it.

Feel free to post the Inspiration Award Logo on your site for the whole blogsphere to see. (logo photo taken by my inspiring friend and co-author of Dueling Foodies, Beth.)

As per the rules, I have to share some things that inspire me most:

1. 1. I got my inspiration to stay clean and tidy from my mom. I never saw my mom being untidy or tired. She always looks so fresh and at the same time keeps the home so clean.


2. 2. I am inspired by my hubby who always does things on time. He is so punctual in everything.


3. 3. I am so much inspired by the beautiful nature which keeps my mind so pleasant.


4. 4. So many blogger inspire me to do more yummy recipes and take beautiful pictures.

As I said, I get inspiration from all the bloggers who cook yummy food and present it with beautiful pictures. But I have to choose only 4 bloggers to pass this award which was a hard decision. Here they are:

Jai and Bee of Jugalbandi: I am so much inspired by their fabulous blog where they share their wonderful thoughts through beautiful pictures and yummy recipes. What an amazing style of writing they have!

Madhuram of Eggless Cooking: She inspires me with her awesome recipes and pictures. I really get inspired by her eggless cooking, amazing! She has become a good friend of mine in a short period of time.

Meera of Enjoy Indian Food: She is another good friend of mine who always encourage me with her sweet words. I get inspiration from her delicious recipes (especially rotis) and her elaborate instructions.

Siri of Siri’s Corner: She inspires me with her friendly nature. She also has become a good friend in a short period of time. I like her style of writing and humour. Her enthusiasm inspires me the most. And of course, her delicious recipes too.

Congrats to you all! Enjoy your awards and have a good day! Phew, that was a long post!

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Celery Chutney

I’ve been thinking about fiber rich recipes for contributing to dear Sangeeth’s lovely event “Eat Healthy – Fiber Rich” event. During that time one day my hubby prepared this chutney for lunch. He also took the pictures of the chutney while preparing. I am totally unaware of that. I tasted this chutney with rice and thought it was delicious and asked him what the ingredients were. He asked me to make a guess (even if he knew I am poor guesser, he he!). I could only guess bell pepper and tomato and said no idea of other ingredients. Then he showed me the pictures and I realized what the ingredients were. I was surprised that he even took the pictures! I think blogging has cast a spell on him too! And did I mention that my hubby is a good cook too!

Here is the recipe according to him:

Ingredients:

• 1 Celery Stem, with edges removed (rich in fiber, Vitamins K and C)
• 1 cup green Bell Pepper pieces (rich in Vitamins C, A, B6 and fiber)
• 2 Tomatoes (rich in fiber, Vitamins C, A and K)
• 1 small Onion (rich in Vitamin C and fiber)
• 2 green Chilies
• 3 tbsp Coriander Seeds
• 1 tsp Fenugreek Seeds
• 1 tsp Tamarind Pulp
• ½ tsp Cumin Seeds
• ½ tsp Turmeric
• 5 dry Red Chilies
• ¼ tsp Asafetida
• 2 tsp Oil
• Salt as required

Preparation:

Wash and cut all the vegetables into medium pieces. Keep aside.

In a pan, heat the oil and add coriander seeds + fenugreek seeds + cumin seeds + dry red chilies and fry for some time.

Then add all the chopped vegetables along with the turmeric and asafetida and fry for some time until the veggies appear little cooked.

Later switch off the flame and transfer the contents into a plate and let it cool.

When it is somewhat cold, add the contents to a blender jar and grind into a fine paste by adding a small amount of water along with salt and tamarind pulp. Don’t add too much water as the chutney should be thick in consistency.

This spicy Celery chutney goes well with rice and chapathi.

I thought this would be a perfect entry for dear Sangeeth’s wonderful event, “Eat Healthy – Fiber Rich”.

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