Kiwi salsa

A crunchy,sweet and tangy salsa salad that tastes best when served chilled.

You need

Kiwi fruit -1,peeled and chopped
Cherry tomato-2,chopped
Onion-1/2,chopped
Cucumber-1/2,peeled and chopped
Green chillies-1 chopped
Lemon juice- 1 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves to garnish

In a bowl combine all the ingredients.Let is rest for sometime for the flavors to blend.
Chill and serve.

Easy and tasty!!

This is for the event hosted in my blog - AFAM-Kiwi fruit

Kiwi-cucumber lassi

Blog events can definitely turn me crazy!Not in that sense of 'craziness' but in the positive way of making me want to try different dishes for the events.When I chose kiwi fruit for AFAM, I thought it was not such a good choice because it may not be available everywhere but the fact that I have never tried anything with it before ,made me select this one.So am trying out recipes and sharing it in my space..

Here is a blend of cucumber ,kiwi and yogurt that is very refreshing and a lot different from the regular lassi.

You need:-

Yogurt-1/2 a cup,chilled
Kiwi fruit-1 ,peeled and chopped
Cucumber-1/2.peeped and chopped
Chilled water-1/2 a cup [adjust to your preferred consistency]
Salt to taste

Blend all the ingredients and serve immediately.

This is for the event hosted in my blog - AFAM-Kiwi fruit

Kiwi Raita

This is a slightly tangy, slightly sweet raita that can be had as a snack on hot summer days or served as a side dish for a rice dish

You need :

Fresh yogurt – 1 cup, thick
Kiwi fruit – 2 ,small, chopped
Red chilli powder/pepper powder- to taste[I used a little of both]
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves, finely chopped , to garnish

1. Beat the curd well with salt and chilli powder and chill.
2. Peel and chop the kiwi fruit.
3. Just before serving, fold in the kiwi pieces into the curd.
4. Serve immediately, garnished with coriander leaves

This is off to - AFAM-Kiwi fruit hosted here.

Kiwi marmalade

While browsing for kiwifruit recipe,I came across this one at About.com. It was the method and the ease of preparation that prompted me to try it. I have never made any jam or marmalade, but this one being so easy , with just a few ingredients and cooked in the microwave, was all that was needed to get me started . You can make this in less than 15 minutes.

The quantity of lemon zest and the sugar depends on your taste.The original recipe calls for zest of 1 lemon but I felt it was too much so reduced it.Also ,I didn’t use the recommend 3/4th cup of sugar. You too can use your discretion to suit your taste buds.

You need:

Kiwi fruits- 3 ,ripe
Sugar-5 teaspoons
Lemon zest-1 teaspoon,chopped/grated
Lemon juice-1 teaspoon.

1. Peel kiwi and chop roughly, mash if needed.
2. In a deep microwave proof bowl, put in all the ingredients and microwave on high uncovered, for 5 minutes
3. Remove and stir to mix.
4. Return to microwave and cook for another 5 minutes or till it thickens.
5. Cool to room temperature
6. Store in a sterilized airtight container.

The instructions said it keeps well, if refrigerated, for a week. I used 3 kiwis and got around 100ml in a liquid measuring cup[see the pic].It was just enough for a day. In case you need more, adjust the quantities to get a larger batch.

The timings will vary hence when you microwave for the second time-step 4,keep an eye on it after 3 minutes to get the right consistency.

This is for the event hosted in my blog - AFAM-Kiwi fruit

Sesame chutney

Remember the black beauty from the Ven pongal post?I am just about to reveal it’s identity.

I had got a sesame seed chutney recipe from my aunt and tried it out almost 6 months after I had written it down!It is simple as always but full of flavor.

You need:

1. Roasted black sesame seeds-2 tablespoons
2. Coconut grated-1/4 cup
3. Red chillies-4
4. Tamarind – a small piece
5. Salt to taste

To season :

Oil- 1 teaspoon
Mustard-1/2 a teaspoon
Jeera-1/2 a teaspoon
Redchilli 1 or 2 [optional]
Urad dhal/1/2 a teaspoon
Curry leaves-a few


1. Grind all the ingredients 1-5 to a smooth paste adding a little water
2. Heat a small pan with oil and put in the seasonings.
3. When the dal turns brown and curry leaves crisp ,pour over the ground chuntney
4. Mix well and serve with a breakfast dish of your choice.

Tasty bites -Kiwi Fruit

I really needed to know a lot about kiwi fruit before I hosted AFAM and here are some delectable details that I came across..

If you thought kiwi fruit originated in New Zealand,then you have to think twice..

This flavourful fruit is almost 700 years old .

The fruit native to China , was not known to the outer world until the period between 1800-1900AD.

It was cultivated in the Chang kiang valley in China.

It is called 'Yang tao’ in Chinese and it was considered to be a delicacy by the great khans and they were treasured for their bright emerald flesh and wonderful flavour. They also considered it to be an aphrodisiac.

Between 1800-1900 AD the seeds were taken to other places and people around the world tried to cultivate this fruit.

It was known as the ‘Chinese Gooseberry’

When these seeds were taken to New Zealand and cultivated there, the name ‘Chinese Gooseberry’ was replaced by ‘Kiwi fruit’ in honour of their national bird.

There are two varieties of kiwifruit that are very popular- the green and the golden variety.

The nutritional value of this fruit is really astonishing…

It is a nutrient dense fruit and is gaining popularity.

We can call it a ‘heart friendly fruit’ as it rich in Chromium, a mineral that is required for regularizing the heart beat. That’s not all; a couple of kiwi fruits a day can lower the risk of blood clots and reduce the amount of triglycerides in the blood.


It also contains Calcium,Iron,Magnesium and copper. Recently trace mineral Manganese was found to be present in kiwi fruit which is essential for body’s use of protein and food energy.

It is a good source of folic acid.Folic acid is important for expectant mothers to protect their lil ones against birth defects.Folic acid is also needed for reproduction and formation of blood cells and its deficiency can cause anaemia.

Kiwi fruit has twice the amount of Vitamin E.Vit.E,as we all know is an anti-oxidant and can reduce the risk of heart diseases and some form of cancers

It out-beats banana with its potassium content! It is rich in potassium and low in sodium and these two work together to maintain fluid balance in the body.

Recent studies prove that it helps to reduce the symptoms of asthma in children and also helps to protect against it.

Lutein ,another antioxidant is also found in kiwi fruit.This anti oxidant is helpful to reduce the risk of age related macular degeneration,a major reason for vision loss in adults.

Since kiwi fruit has both soluble and insoluble fibre, we get both the benefits at the same time.
Actinidin,an enzyme found in kiwi fruit is said to have tenderizing effect and can be used to marinate meat

Here is what you can do with these fruits-

1. Eat them as they are-peeled or scooped out.
2. Try a tropical fruit salad with kiwi fruit
3. Make a smoothie or a milkshake
4. Use them in baking
5. Prepare cold soups
6. Use your imagination and try out other interesting dishes!!!!
Don’t forget to send me your kiwi based dishes for AFAM – Kiwi fruit .Details in the side bar…

Ven Pongal

A couple of days ago,I was browsing through my blog archives and I was surprised to to find that I had missed writing about ‘Ven pongal’! ‘Ven Pongal’ or simply ‘Pongal’ is one of the famous breakfast dishes in South India.It forms trio with Idli and vadai. Typically,these three[Idli ,vadai and pongal] are present in the breakfast menu served at wedding in Tamil nadu,South India and is common to see them together in the restaurant menus as well. But now times are changing and so are the breakfast menus at the weddings..

Coming to the recipe,it is a perfect mix of rice and pulses and I would call it fast food as its really quick to prepare but nevertheless tasty.

You need:

Rice-3/4 cup
Moong dhal-1/4 cup
Turmeric powder- a pinch
Cumin seeds/Jeera-1 teaspoon
Black peppercorns-1 teaspoon,lightly crushed
Ginger-1 teaspoon,minced
Curry leaves – a few
Roasted cashew – a few
Salt to taste
Oil- 2 teaspoons[If you are not a vegan or don't mind the extra calories,use Ghee-It gives the dish a delicious flavor]

All you need to do is…

1. Heat a pan and roast the moong dhal till you get a good aroma and lightly brown.[You can also skip this step but dry roasting moong dhal imparts a lovely flavor to the dish]

2. Wash rice and put in the moong dhal along with turmeric ,salt and water[2 cups] in a vessel that fits into the pressure cooker and pressure cook for 15 minutes. The quantity of water depends on what kind of texture you like the pongal to be.If you want a grainy pongal add the same amount of water you would add when u cook rice,if you want it a little mushy,add more water.

3. Once the pressure is released,remove the vessel from the cooker and mash the contents lightly.

4. Heat oil in a small pan and put in jeera and peppercorn. [Take care the peppercorns might just pop right on you].

5. Put in minced ginger,curry leaves and wait for the curry leaves to crisp.

6. Pour over the pongal and mix well.

7. Serve warm garnished with roasted cashews.

Traditionally it is served with sambar and coconut chutney, but I served it with sambar and a 'black beauty'!Keep guessing till I write about it tomorrow!




Sending this traditional South Indian dish to Graziana,who is hosting this months edition of -Its a vegan word,an event started by Vyshali of Holy cow

Green coconut chutney for T&C

Another recipe created from Jayaspace for taste and create.

Coriander chutney is a family favorite and as soon as my eyes fell on this recipe,I decided to prepare it .Jaya's version is a little different from mine but it is definitely tasty.

You need:

Grated coconut-1 cup
Coriander leaves-1 cup,washed and stalks removed
Green chillies-3
Urad dhal-2 tablespoons
Cumin seeds-1 teaspoon
Ginger-1 inch piece,peeled and chopped
Salt to taste

To season:

Mustard-1 teaspoon
Curry leaves- a few
Oil-1 teaspoon

1. Dry roast the ingredients for chutney [except coriander leaves and salt].
2. Cool and grind together with coriander and salt using a little water.
3. Remove the chutney into a bowl.
4. Heat oil in a small pan and put in mustard and curry leaves.
   
5. When it crackles,pour over the chutney and serve with any breakfast dish of your choice.
   

Peas Pulao

Lil angel is really fond of fruits and vegetables and thank God for that!I used to be worried[unduly] wondering what I would have to do in case she grew up to hate vegetables but I needed have worried so much.When served a meal with vegetable,she first picks out the vegetables one by one with her cute little fingers and pops them into her mouth and gives a squeal of delight.After all the vegetable pieces are done,she goes in for the dish!Anyhow,makes my job easier.

She is particularly fond of peas,potato and pumpkin ,so when I was paired with Jaya of 'Jayaspace' for this months edition of Taste and create,I was looking out for recipes with one of lil angel's favorite vegetable and found this 'Pretty peas pulao' as she calls it.

Before I go on to the recipe,just a few words on Taste and create.This is an event started by Nicole of For the love of food.Each month bloggers sign up and a partner list is created and we have to create dishes from the partner's blog.The main idea behind this event is to create a community of bloggers who can try out recipes from other blogs and share the recipes and their thoughts about it.If you find this interesting,click here to learn more about this event.

Now back to the recipe..I followed Jaya's recipe for Pretty peas pulao and it came out really pretty and was a hit at the dinner table.Needless to say lil angel enjoyed the peas and the rice,in that order...

The first time I prepared this dish,it disappeared even before I could click a pic,so I made this again yesterday just for my lil angel and the blog!

Here is the recipe for the simple and tasty peas pulao

You need :

Rice -1 cup
Peas -1/2 a cup[I used frozen peas]
Onion-1,large,chopped
Tomato-1 larege,chopped
Garlic-4-5 cloves,chopped
Cumin seeds-1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder-1/2 a teaspoon
Chilli powder -1 teaspoon[original recipe uses 1/2 a teaspoon
Garam masala-1 teaspoon
Water-2 cups
Curry leaves a few
Ghee-2 teaspoons
Salt to taste

1. In a pressure cooker ,heat ghee and add the cumin seeds and curry leaves.
2. When it crackles,add the garlic and onion and saute till translucent.
3. Add the tomatoes and cook till soft.
4. Add the chilli powder,garam masla,turmeric powder and salt and saute for 2-3 minutes or till the raw smell of the masalas disappear.
5. Stir in the peas.
   
6. Add the washed rice+water,mix well,cover and pressure cook for 15 minutes.
7. Serve hot garnished with coriander leaves with a raita and pappad.
   
   
   

I used ghee and basmathi rice for this recipe,it was really full of flavor and by the time the dish was served the whole house was fragrant!Thanks for the tasty recipe,Jaya...

Since this dish was cooked specially for my lil angel with her favorite vegetable,I am sending this to Srivalli's Kid's delight event to celebrate her 'Spicing your life' blog's first blog anniversary.

Down the memory lane-Navarathri

Navarathri is well on its way and this festival is never complete without the mandatory sundal and that's the recipe I am going to share today. .

Sundal is boiled and seasoned legumes ,something like a salad,which is offered to God as well as distributed to the friends and neighbors when they visit our home to see the 'Kolu' for Navarathri.On other days it is eaten as a snack.

Let me start with the significance of Navarathri ,kolu,some memories and of course the sundal.

Navarathri which literally means ‘nine nights’ is one of the major festivals in India.Celebrated for 9 days ,it is the worship of the feminine form of the Supreme.People from different parts of India celebrate in their own style but the basis is the same.

The 9 days are divided to sets of three days where 3 different Goddesses are worshiped in Her different forms of manifestations -Durga[destroyer of our vices, negativity and impurities] ,Lakshmi [provider of inexhaustible spiritual and worldly wealth] and Saraswathi[Goddess of wisdom].

During Navarathri,there us an exhibition of dolls in each household.Marapachi dolls, wooden figurines of a boy and a girl, are one of the dolls that find their positionwithout fail in the ‘Kolu’.The others are statues of various Gods and Goddesses in different materials and the their sizes are a matter of individual choice,figures from day to day life,animals,birds,etc.

There are even a whole bunch of miniature kitchen utensils that are really adorable.Of course it is not complete without a pair of pot bellied shop-keeper and his stout wife with an array of groceries[in small cups] spread in front of them.The kolu arrangements are not disturbed for the entire festival

Neighbors and friends are invited to have a glimpse of the ‘kolu’ and before they leave they are offered a pouch with a few betel leaves,betel nuts,a couple of fruits[mostly bananas] and a small gift, like pens for children,a kum-kum box for women etc but these gifts are not mandatory. Along with this comes a packet of tasty sundal which is of course, mandatory.Visitors, especially the children are asked to sing for the small audience present.

For me,Kolu is the most interesting aspect of Navarathri.The day before the festival starts,steps are arranged usually in the puja room or in the main hall and dolls made of various materials are arranged on it.I would eagerly wait for this festival as it would bring out all the beautiful dolls that mom had collected over the years as well the ones handed over to her by her mom and her grandmom.Would you believe me if I told you that there are some dolls at home that are nearly a 100 years old!!These dolls were given to my grandmother by her mother in law!We treasure these dolls and they means a lot to us.These dolls are made of porcelain and are still in the best of their beauty without a bit of chip or fading of color.What exquisite craftsmanship!!

Each year we buy at least a few dolls to add to our collection and shopping for it is a thrill.We used to go some shops which sprout up during this season or but them from the street hawkers.There would be hawkers calling out their wares,carrying them on huge baskets over their heat or in a push car,walking through the streets.Anytime we hear them call out,I would be the first one to rush out and call them to check out the dolls.

The other thing that I looked forward to is the park or zoo that I would be allowed to create beside the main 'Kolu'.Dad would help me lay out a large plastic sheet and we would spread sand over it and let our imagination run.Sometime I would scatter a few mustard seeds on the sand and they would sprout as 'trees' for my miniature zoo or forest.I would place animals and birds and people in my park and admire my 'creation'.

Another interesting thing during navarathri is a sort of 'competition' amongst friends to see whose home has more number of steps for the Kolu as there are predefined numbers for setting it up.The more the steps and more the dolls it houses,the greater our pride!

Mom would draw beautiful and colorful rangoli in front of the steps and light lamps around it.Rangoli is a form of art of drawing patterns using finely ground white powder and color powders.Some days it would be a colorful rangoli,other days would feature her rangoli with colored cereal grains and pulses and sometimes even rangoli on water and on glass.This is one of the arts that mom learnt from my grandmom- her mother in law!

Every evening mom would dress me up in beautiful traditional cloths and send me off with a box of kum-kum to invite my neighbors.I would feel so 'grown up' and important during these times..How I wish I could be a kid again...[I am sure all of you will agree with me on this statement]

Then comes the tasty part of Navarathri-the offerings prepared for the Goddess or the 'Neivedhyam '.Each day would see its share of sundal and I would look forward to savoring it along with the other snacks and sweets that she prepared.

Sundal,which is the easiest snack to prepare is chokeful of proteins as it is made with legumes.Dried legumes are soaked overnight and boiled and seasoned the next day.You can also use canned legumes[after draining them,of course] in case you forget to soak them the previous night.

Today I prepared sundal with peanuts and they tasted great.

You need:

Raw peanuts -1 cup
Salt - to taste

To season:

Oil- 1 teaspoon
Mustard- 1/2 a teaspoon
Jeera / cumin seeds -1/2 a teaspoon
Urad dhal,split -1/2 a teaspoon
Red chillies-2,broken into bits
Grated coconut-2 tablespoons
Grated ginger-1/2 a teaspoon [Optional]
Curry leaves- a few
Coriander leaves to garnish [Optional]

1. Pressure cook the raw peanuts with enough water for 15-20 minutes till soft but not mushy.Drain and keep aside.
   
2. Heat oil in a pan and put in mustard,jeera and dhal.
3. When the dhal turns brown,add the red chillies,curry leaves,ginger and saute for a few seconds.
4. Add the boiled peanuts,coconut,salt and mix well.
5. Remove from heat and serve garnished with coriander leaves.
   

Wishing you all a happy Navarathri!!!

Sending this nutritious sundal to My legume love affair-15,this edition hosted by Sia of Monsoon spice,an event started by Susan

Adai

Talk about a protein rich breakfast-South Indian style and you will hear people telling you about ‘Adai’.This is one simple dish that is packed with proteins!!

Adai is a rice –lentil based dish that looks like dosa/crepes but made with a more thicker batter and is also very filling. Though it involves soaking and grinding, it does not need to be fermented like dosa or idli batter before it can be used. Soak, grind and use the batter right away.

There are myriad variations and each family has a time tested recipe and here is mine,I do vary this each timed and the results never fail me.!!!Once I had a handful of various beans and I soaked them up with the usual stuff and it tasted great!This is one recipe that will never let you down.

You need :

Rice – 3 cups
Mixed lentils – 1 ½- 2 cups [Toor dhal,Gram dhal,moong dhal,urad dhal and/or any other pulse you have at hand. In case you add more pulses/dhal adjust the rice quantity accordingly]
Ginger- 2” piece
Cumin seeds/Jeera-1 teaspoon
Asafoetida powder – a pinch
Red chillies-8 [adjust to taste]
Salt to taste

1. Soak the rice,mixed lentils,redchillies,jeera for 4-5 hours if you live in a warm country or overnite if in a cooler place.

2. Drain and grind the mixture with ginger ,adding a little water.Take care not to grind it to a smooth paste/ make it too watery.. It must be thicker than dosa batter.

3. Mix in salt,asafoetida powder and salt.

4. Heat a griddle and pour a ladle full of batter in the centre and spread it to a circle.

5. Drizzle a little oil around the edges

6. When one side is cooked[the edges leave the griddle and u can slide the ladle easily under it], flip it over and cook.

7. Serve hot with a side dish of your choice.

After preparing the batter, there are many things you can add to it like

- Sauteed drumstick leaves- a handful. This adds to the iron content as well.
- Curry leaves and finely chopped onions-adds to the flavor
- Grated coconut

You can also store this batter in the refrigerator for a couple of days.

Now coming to the side dishes, there are plenty of matches for this one!! Yes ,you can have it with one or a combo of the following

Coconut chutney
Tomato onion chutney
Sambar
Honey
Butter
Avial- vegetables cooked in a creamy coconut gravy.Adai Avial is on the special menu in some restaurants!
Grated jaggery.

Adai served with grated jaggery,a dollop of butter,tomato onion chutney and honey!!

I once prepared adai with ‘kathirikkai baji’- a brinjal based chutney like side-dish which tasted great..

Here is that recipe as well….

You need:

Brinjal – 1 large or 5-6 small ones
Tomato-1 small
Onion-1 small
Green chilies -2
Tamarind – a small piece[optional]

1) Chop the veggies roughly
2) Pressure cook brinjal, tomato, onion, green chilies ,tamarind with a little water till fully cooked [ I cooked for 10 minutes].Never mind if it gets mushy.

3) There are two ways that u can proceed after this

A] Mash the veggies well with a potato masher .Heat a pan with a little oil and season with mustard,jeera,red chilies[optional],curry leaves and pour it over the veggies.Add salt mix well and serve

B] Cool the cooked veggies and grind to a fine paste[like the one in the pic] and season as above.

Either way it tastes good….

So,what do you like to have with adai???

Fresh Red Chilli Chutney-Ouch!!!

My recent trip to the farmers market drew me towards a vendor who sold brightly colored red chilies.They were fresh from the farm and were simply calling out to me..
As you are aware, I don’t prefer spicy food and yet I was attracted towards to it.

The vendor greeted me with a smile and handed me a small bag to pick out the chilies and I grabbed a handful and tossed it in and handed it over to be weighed. He smiled and said he would give them for free cos its very less [by weight] and he didn’t have the mind to charge for it. So I put in some[read-lots-around 300 grams] more and he charged for just 1 RMB!!!!!

It was only after I came home that I realized that I didn’t know what to do with it!! It sat in the fridge for a few days and I asked MIL if she would prepare ‘chili chutney’.She said it would taste best if prepared with shallots and dry red chillies and not with fresh ones like the one I had purchased. My heart sank but I was determined to try.

I came up with this recipe and it tasted as fiery and tasty as the ‘chili chutney’[That’s what hubby said!!]..I just tasted a wee bit and 'Ouch..' was it spicy!!My folks had it with Dosa.

I used:

Fresh red chilies- 6
Coconut grated – 2 tablespoons
Tamarind – a small piece
Urad dhal-2 teaspoons
Cumin seeds/jeera-1 teaspoon
Salt to taste

Oil-2 tablespoons

To season:

Mustard-½ a teaspoon
Jeera- ½ a teaspoon
Curry leaves a few

This is what I did….

1. Heat pan with a little oil and put in cumin seeds and urad dhal and sauté till the dal turns brown.
2. Remove from fire and cool
3. Blend together roasted dhal, tamarind, chopped chilies , coconut , salt to a fine paste adding a little water
4. Transfer the contents to a bowl.
5. Heat the remaining oil in a pan and put in the seasonings.
6. When they splutter, put in the ground paste.
7. If it is too dry, add a little water.
8. Simmer and cook for 5 minutes .
9. Serve as a side-dish to any breakfast dish of your choice.

Note- If the chutney is way to spicy to your liking,mix it with a little sesame seed/sunflower seed oil while serving.This reduces the heat a little.

This piquant ‘Red chili chutney’ will join Lakshmi for her ‘Think spice –Think red chillies’ event,an event to appreciate the goodness of spices,started by Sunitha..

Bon Appetit...

Instant Milk Halwa Recipe, Ingredients for Milk Halwa, How to make Milk Halwa

I had a tin of condensed milk sitting around in my pantry for quite sometime. I used it up to prepare this dessert. We can call it instant milk halwa and it saves you the pain of standing in front of the pan stirring its contents. Yes, its the microwave version. A dessert in 6 minutes flat!!!

You need:

Sweetened condensed milk[I used-Milkmaid] – 1 tin [approx 200ml]
Fresh curd- 1 tablespoon
Nuts of your choice [ I used almonds]
Cardamom powder a pinch-optional

1. Take the milkmaid in a deep microwave safe bowl and heat it on medium for 3 minutes. Stir every minute.
2. After 3 minutes, add the curd mix well and microwave for 2 minutes, stirring every minute
3. Add nuts and cardamom powder and cook for a minute,stirring every 30 seconds.
4. Let it sand for a couple of seconds before taking it out of the microwave.
5. Cool and shape or serve as such.


Note-

When you try this for the first time, keep an eye on the timing. If cooked for a longer time [even 30 seconds extra] it will result in a chewy halwa,So stir every 30 seconds initially till you are sure about the timing.Also the cooking time depends on the brand and voltage ,so adjust the timing accordingly.

A deep dish is recommended as it will avoid the spilling of the contents on the plate.

Can we even think of a festival without sweets!!! So off this goes to

EC’s WYF-Festive treats

Shanthi’s -Sweets for festivals

Sara’a event- Sweet and savories and

Srivalli's-MEC event

Cucumber Raita

Raitas are the easiest side dishes that one can prepare and this one is no exception!

All you need to do is....

Peel and grate a medium sized cucumber and keep it aside.

Beat yogurt/curd with a little salt

In a small pan heat 1 teaspoon oil and put in 1/2 a teaspoon mustard,1/2 a teaspoon jeera/cumin seeds,red chillies -2 ,a few curry leaves and wait for it to splutter.

Mix the curd,grated cucumber and seasoning.

Serve chilled or at room temperature with a rice dish of your choice..As simple as that!!!!

Tang Hu Lu- ' Enchanted' Inspiration

Yesterday ,I watched the movie ‘Enchanted’ for the first time and was I enchanted!!

I usually don't get to see any movie full length on TV these days.Blame it on many things-Hubby's control over the remote, lil angel needs my attention pronto, too tired /sleepy to watch a movie or if all the above are absent the movie is a bore..But yesterday everything was in my favor!Hubby dear was not around,lil angel fast asleep,I wasn't tired and that's when the movie 'Enchanted' was being aired.

For those of you who are new to this movie here is the synopsis…

It starts as an animated fairy tale and later the characters from the fairy tale meet the real world people. A princess from the fairy tale is 'thrown' into the real world by a witch on the day she is supposed to be married to a prince.Here the animated movie changes to ‘real life’. The princess lands in New York!!She meets our real world hero and his daughter but she holds on to the belief that her price[from the fairy tale] would come looking for her and her story would have a 'lived happily ever after' ending.

But our [real life] hero says such things never happen in real life.After a while her prince does come looking for her and she is delighted but realizes that she has fallen in love with our hero but can't say so coz she is engaged to the prince and our hero is dating someone else!!! Sounds complicated, rite..Ok to cut a long story short, the fairyland princess weds our 'real life' hero and the wicked witch witch dies...

So, why am I telling you this story ??In this movie the witch sends poisoned 'caramel apple' to the princess [obviously to kill the charming princess.]

When I saw that I was reminded of the 'Tang Hu Lu' we have very often. Sounds like Greek and Latin..No, not really, its Chinese.

Walking through the streets in China one can see loads of these .They are snacks actually ,popularly known as 'winter snacks' but I have seen them all round the year though[,not so easily available in summer though]. It is a traditional snack of candied fruits on long wooden skewers.It looks very pretty and tempting.

These have a hard sugar coating and the traditionally used fruit is the Chinese hawthorn [Crataegus pinnatifida] or Shān Zhā in Chinese.It is a small red colored fruit that resembles a small crab apple.

It is relatively inexpensive but very delicious.The price starts from RMB 3 for the traditional one and goes upto RMB 5 or 6 for the stuffed varieties.You can buy one of these and eat it on the go.If you want them as a take away,they wrap it with an edible paper and put it into long paper bags.They are hawked by vendors with the Tang hu lu skewers stuck to a pole which they carry around. I was not able to click one such pic coz these days they are sold under glass cases and I have to wait till winter for that.Even in winter some shops sell them under the usual glass cases.
I have seen other fruits as well.My fav is the one with strawberry and are nowadays made with a variety of other fruits including pineapple, kiwi, oranges,grapes, plums,and even sliced lotus root .There are chocolate coated ones and some with sprinkles, coated with finely chopped nuts and even some with walnut stuffing! They all taste good but I don't prefer the chocolate ones cos I feel it actually spoils the real taste of Tang hu lu.

When I tasted Tang hu lu for the first time,my friend had got the one with Chinese hawthorn on the way to the mall.She casually mentioned that this fruit was good for health.I was in love with this street food even before she said it was healthy.

Anyways, after I came home, I checked up on this fruit[Chinese hawthorn] and came to know that it has anti-tumor activities on the skin.It is used as a digestive aid in Chinese traditional medicine.It is also used as an aid to lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol, and treat some heart related diseases.

That's interesting and tasty..

I really don't know if this is being sold elsewhere but if you were to visit China don't forget to have a bite of Tang hu lu.

Here are some tasty pics for you

The traditional tang hu lu

With kiwi fruit,oranges and Chinese hawthron

Sunflower seeds and raisin coated tang hu lu


Chinese Hawthron sandwiched between kiwi paste and red bean paste sprinkled with sesame seeds

Candied lotus roots

Do these pics make u drool?Here is one for you...

AMMA'S HULI

This one is similar to the regular South Indian sambar but it does not have veggies or even the mandatory sambar powder.It is served with plain rice[sometimes drizzled with sesame oil/ghee] but the taste is beyond this world. We[dad and me] also like to have it as a side dish with idli / dosa

This ‘Huli’ my fav dish. I miss mom’s cooking so much these days that I am keen to get her recipes, cook and of course blog about them.

Whenever we were bored with the same old sambar or we didn't have veggies for sambar, mom prepared this one.

One more occasion that calls for this dish to be prepared is when we return home late after shopping and need to prepare something quick and tasty for dinner or come home from a vaction. Yes,we are not too fond of restaurant take-aways and we prefer amma’s[mom] huli to anything else.

When this is served with rice, drizzled with a little sesame seed oil and with a few crispries,I cannot ask for any other meal.

I asked mom for the recipe and its sooo simple but how can something with so little ingredients and no veggies turn out so tasty!!I guess it’s the loving heart & hands that turn out the simple dish into a real treat...

This is actually called ‘Oggarnay Huli’,[meaning seasoned sambar] but I prefer to call it ‘Amma’s Huli’ and here is mom’s recipe for the dish…

You need:

Toor dhal- 1 cup
Tamarind- marble sized ball
Mustard seeds -1 teaspoon
Fenugreek seeds-1/2 a teaspoon
Red chillies- 6
Curry leaves- a few
Asafoetida-a pinch
Turmeric powder a pinch
Oil-2 teaspoons
Salt to taste.

1. Soak tamarind in hot water and extract thick juice, about ¼ cup and keep aside
2. Pressure cook the toor dhal with a pinch of turmeric powder and enough water. .[15-20 minutes or till done],Mash lightly and keep aside
3. Heat oil in a pan and put in mustard,fenugreek seeds,asafetida powder,red chillies and curry leaves.[Don’t forget to switch on the kitchen exhaust else you will be coughing away]
4. When the mustard splutter,add the tamarind extract and salt.
5. Let it come to a boil and simmer till it reduces [almost to half the quantity].Stir once in a while
6. Now add the cooked dhal and let it come to a boil.
7. Simmer for a few more minutes [around 5 minutes] and serve hot with piping hot rice…..

I love to just drink this sambar like a soup-spoon by spoon- biting crunchy pappads!!Delicious....

Once upon a Bread Upma

SCENE 1:

One girl ,who is around 13 years ,prepares bread upma for her family one day and that’s exactly when their family friend drops in [with his family, of course].The friend’s wife[who also happens to be the best friend of the girl's mom]is surprised at this prospect and wants to taste it. The mother, not having tasted it herself, is a bit hesitant, yet goes ahead to offer it to her. The friend tastes it and appreciates the girl.. The girl is full of pride for this is one her first ventures in the kitchen.

SCENE 2

The same girl, now grown up is in the kitchen ,standing there with a look of predicament on her face. It is a weekend and she has woken up late.She is wondering what to prepare for breakfast as her folks are bored with the regular stuffs and to top it all ,they are hungry the minute they woke-up. The need for a quick breakfast is eminent.

She checks the pantry and finds a packet of noodles and a few slices of bread in the bread-box. Out of the blue she remembers the bread upma she prepared years ago.She is truly inspired and prepares Sesame vegetable noodles and bread upma.. Quick and filling breakfast!!!

Now that you guessed who the girl is, let’s go to recipe

You need:

Bread slices
Mixed veggies [carrots,beans,corn,peas,potato]
Tomato
Onion
Ginger-garlic paste
Chilli powder
Soya sauce
Oil-2 teaspoons
Jeera-1/2 a teaspoon
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves / spring onions – to garnish

1. Tear or cut the bread slices and keep aside
2. Chop the veggies finely and microwave till cooked.Alternatively you can also cook them on a stove top.
3. Meanwhile heat a pan with oil and put in jeera
4. When it crackles, add ginger garlic paste and sauté for aminute.
5. Add the chopped onion and sauté till transparent
6. Add tomatoes and cook till mushy
7. Add chilli powder,salt[if needed] and soya sauce[may contain salt,so taste and add salt if required]
8. Cook for a few minutes.
9. Add the cooked veggies into the pan and mix well.
10. Put in the bread slices and mix.
11. Cover for a few minutes and stir once in a while.
12. Once all the ingredients are well mixed, remove from heat and serve warm garnished with coriander leaves/spring onion greens.

I have not mentioned the quantity of ingredients as you can vary them and yet will be good to taste….

Bon Appetit...

A taste from Kongunadu....

I stood by the gate,clutching my school bag and turned back to catch a glimpse of dad.He had already left and was nowhere in sight.My heart sank.There I was standing by the gate of a new school and not wanting to go in.It was a new school in a new place. Everything looked alien to me. Wait..Did u think I am talking about the day I entered kindergarten?? No..no..no..It was the day I was entering a new school for higher education.I had left behind all my friends and my dearest school and I didn’t like the idea of a new school in a new place.

Anyway I could not stand there for long and had to walk in.I was scared, scared of the seniors who would rag and embarrass me..I wished I could run back home. [But I couldn’t do that !!] I walked meekly into the campus to look for my class.

I felt every students gaze was on me for it was written all over me that I was new to the school, with me in non uniform, thanks to that wonderful tailor who had misplaced mine.

As I walked searching for the classroom a group of students came towards me.I held my breath waiting to be ragged but they merely smiled and asked me what I was searching for and directed me to my class!!!

I was so relieved and went into my classroom and all the seats were occupied expect for one.I took that seat and the girl who sat next to me smiled and said ‘Welcome to our school’. Thus began a deep friendship!!

All my fears of being ragged or feeling lost in a new school vanished into thin space and N, my dearest friend and me sailed through the schooldays with a profound bond.

N and me used to share our lunch and once she had brought with her a green gram dish to go with rice which was super tasty that I almost finished it.Incidently the same day mom had packed veggie pulao and she luved it.Many a times this combo would coincide and we would end up eating each others lunch.

Whenever I visited her home, her mom would surely prepare the green gram dish for me. I never got bored of this. Later N’s family shifted to another town and I lost the chance to taste that dish.

After my wedding, the cook in MIL’s place prepared this and it brought back those wonderful school days.I got the recipe from her and prepare it often.

When Priya announced that she is hosting RCI-Kongu cuisine,an event started by Lakshmi of Veggie cuisine I immediately thought of this dish as I have never blogged about it and it also belongs to the Kongu cuisine.

Here is the ‘Pachai payaru kadaiyal’ just for you….

You need:

Green gram- 1 cup
Onion-1,chopped
Tomato-1,chopped
Garlic-5 pods
Chilli powder- 1 teaspoon / Red chillies- 4
Peppercorns- ½ a teaspoon
Coriander seeds – ½ a teaspoon
Curry leaves- a few
Mustard-1 teaspoon
Jeera/cumin seeds – 1teaspoon
Oil-2 teaspoons
Salt to taste

1. Heat a pan [without oil] and roast the green gram till slightly brown.
2. Pressure cook the green gram+garlic with enough water for about 20 minutes or till soft.[Never mind if it gets mushy.].If the green gram is whole,mash it lightly after removing it from the cooker.
3. Heat oil in a pan and put in mustard ,jeera,curry leaves.If using whole chillies put them in too.
4. When it splutters,add the onion and sauté till transparent
5. Put in tomato and cook till soft and mushy.
6. Add the chilli powder-if using instead of whole chillies- and cook for 2 minutes.
7. Put in the cooked green gram and stir well.
8. Lightly crush the coriander seeds and add to pan. This really brings out a wonderful flavor.
9. Add salt and desired quantity of water to make it a gravy.
10. Simmer for 5 minutes and serve with rice.



Note :

You can also soak the green gram overnite but in case you forget, my method is very helpful.

If you don’t have coriander seeds,coriander powder can be used but the original taste comes with the use of the seeds.

It tastes even better when served with a spicy potato side dish….

This dish can also be served as a side dish to Chapathi

By the way,did I tell u that this new school was in one of the parts of Kongunadu??? Though this is not my hometown,I have been there for quite sometime to get to know its unique recipes,So how do you think I will stop with just one dish!!! Here is an entire meal for the event….

Arisi paruppu sadham- A flavorful rice-lentil dish
Urulaikizhangu curry-A spicy potato side dish
Ell urundai-A sesame dessert and
More -Buttermilk.

While you are at it,don’t forget to check out the article- Forgotten flavors of kongunad

Hope you liked my kongunadu spread!!!!

Sending this Pachai payaru kadayal to My legume love affairthis edition hosted by Sia of Monsoon spice,an event started by Susan

Kiwi Banana Shake

I am so new to kiwi fruit, in the sense that apart from eating it whole as a fruit, I have never tried anything with it. Finally my time to host AFAM came and I sat there wondering what to do with this fruit and googled for the recipes. I got lots of results and one easy one was a kiwi shake.

I tweaked it and added my all time fav fruit, banana, to it and made this kiwi banana shake.

You need:

1. Kiwi fruit - 1 small
2. Banana - 1 medium sized
3. Cold milk - 200 ml
4. Sugar to taste

Steps:

1. Peel the kiwi fruit [or cut into half] and scoop out the flesh.
2. Peel and chop the banana roughly.
3. Blend all the ingredients till smooth
4. Serve immediately

If kiwi shakes are left for sometime, the kiwi fruit kinda curdles the milk so it is better to prepare this shake just when you want to serve it.

This is for my event AFAM - Kiwi Fruit!

And another one :)..

Indu of Kaipakkuvam has bestowed upon me,’ the honest scrap’ award. Thanks a lot Indu..You made my day!!!!!



This award comes with a meme and I have to say 10 honest things about me. I just found out that Indu and I share of a lot of things in common!!!!
So, here is the meme

1. I come from a family that is into fine arts for a couple of generations and that is obviously why chose to do a graduation in veena. My mom- a singer with a captivating voice and dad –a fantastic veena artiste made me what I am today. I studied under them [and still am when I got to India].I learnt a host of other arts-Violin,Tabla and dance-Bharthanatyam.

2. I don’t mind working until late night but hate to get up early. But I will get up even at 3am when it comes to studies,yea that’s on the day of the examination!


3. I still love watching cartoons and my favorite are Tom and Jerry and Popeye!

4. I love to travel and don’t like to stay at home during the weekends.Even with my lil angel I don’t mind packing and carrying bulky luggage’s if it means we are on a tour. I like to bring back some souvenirs from the places I visited.

5. I love reading books[both to gain knowledge and for time pass] and I had a routine of buying books each month which resulted in a vast collection.

6. I am really scared of pet dogs.Yes,even the smallest one. I can admire them from a distance though but would never enter a house if their pet in not tied up. I don’t hate dogs but am just frightened of them.

7. I love cooking and now like it even more because I can blog about it

8. I like to collect recipes and cook books. Of course crockery and cutlery too join that list.

9. I live in China. It’s a nice place, friendly people and there is so much to explore in their culture and cuisine.

10. It was fun writing this meme .

As always, this award too comes with the certain rules and here they are

1. I must list 10 honest things about myself
2. I must put a copy of The Honest Scrap Logo on my blog.I must select at least 7 other worthy bloggers & list their links
3. I must notify the bloggers of the award and hopefully they will follow the above three requirements also.

I would love to pass it on to-

Nivedita
Mriganayani
Priti
Nithya
Mansi
Shaista

Huo Guo

I will start this post with a question…

Which type of restaurant would you like to dine out at?

I will give the options –

1.A restaurant which is so very fancy and serves the meal on exquisite plates and each dish you ordered keeps flowing- piping hot from the kitchen one after the other….

Or

2. A restaurant that’s not too fancy, you order the menu and the ingredients are brought to your table and you cook your own meal??

I know…!! Most of us prefer the option 1, rite.

Who would go out to a restaurant and cook their meal there.. Do I hear-”Rite!!I would rather stay at home and cook my meal than dress up and go out for dinner and cook the meal there”?

You might just change your mind about option 2 after reading this post….

Let me introduce you to option 2 -Welcome to Huo Guo!!!!

“Huo guo” is the Chinese style of ‘self- cooking- way- of- eating’.It literally means Fire pot,meaning there is a pot bubbling with a soup/broth where you can put in a wide range of goddies ranging from veggies,tofu,meat ,eggs ,fish and other forms of meat ,wait till they are cooked and enjoy a leisure dinner.

A stove or a hot plate is placed beneath the centre of the table and a vessel is placed above it, into which the veggies/meat are to be cooked in the stock. The stock/soup can be vegetable broth or meat based and the meat based broth are widely famous here.

Let me start from the very beginning. Wait, I don’t mean to start the history of hotpot ,just my experiences…

Eating out in here in China is a very daunting task for me, especially since I am a vegetarian.. I would rather prefer simple rice dish at home than eating out because of my experiences in the restaurants. Here vegetarianism seems to be unheard of,.specially in the restaurants.

During the initial periods[that was 2 years ago!] of “trying” to find out a vegetarian meal in a restaurant, I have encountered so many events that have made me a “restaurant-food hater”.All the dishes seem to have a little bit of pork, egg or shrimp in spite of being labeled “vegetarian”. Now, how good can that be!!!

In any case, I have very few choices for eating out like Dumplings or KFC, and pizza hut but there too my choice for vegetarian menu is very limited.

This being the case, one day hubby dear took me out for dinner the first time after I returned from India with our lil angel. Before we started he said he was taking us[me and lil angel] to a new restaurant. My repeated questioning just got a smile as the reply!! I was a bit skeptical if I would be able get anything at all to eat .Soon a friend of ours joined us and off we went to the ‘anonymous’ restaurant.

As soon as we entered the restaurant, I found myself being in a large, smoky place packed with people. Each and every table, almost 200 of them, was full and people were sitting around something that gave off ‘vapors’! Now that’s not very encouraging rite?

It was the peak of winter and place was welcome warm! I followed hubby dear through the tables where I noticed what gave out those vapors and we managed to get a table and off my friend went to order for us.

A little while later, a cute little waitress got us trays of assorted “dishes”. There were a medley of thinly sliced vegetables[Pumpkin,cauliflower,potato.varieties of mushrooms,tapioca],a wide range of beancurd products,uncooked noodle varieties,and ofcourse some starters and cool drinks.As hubby dear and my friend took me through the process of eating at a hotpot,I grew excited….

Thus began my love affair with huoguo…

Here is what you do at a hotpot restaurant…You have to put in the veggies or any other “dish” you ordered and wait for it to cook,just a couple of minutes since they are thinly sliced, and use your chopsticks to pick them out,eat them as they are or use a dipping sauce-you get a wide range starting from a very spicy version of chillipaste,to mildly spiced tomato-chillipaste,peanut butter,soysauce,vinegar etc.



You have two types of vessels for the hot pot-one is a like a basin into which a single type of soup is poured and the other is the one with a partition so that you can have plain broth on one side and spicy broth on the other side. We always select the partitioned one coz hubby dear is sooo fond of spicy food whereas I like my food mildly spiced.I also like to add a bunch of coriander leaves to the broth for extra flavor.

The soups/broth have some flavorings.U can find a slice of tomato ,some spices , a few mushrooms, bean sprouts in the non spicy broth and a dark colored, flavored and highly spicy broth on the other side of the partition.

[The vessel with the soup,getting heated and awaiting the dishes!!!]


[Veggies and other goodies added with the soup boiling-awaiting hungry tummies!!]

When the vessel is brought to the table,this vessel is half full and the waitress adds more broth and u let it come to a mild boil before adding the veggies inside. Since they are boiling all the time[i.e till you finish your meal ] we have to keep adding more soup as the volume decreases. A waitress is usually available with a pitcher of soup to help you refill the pot.

In some restaurants,they have a individual huoguo pots.This means you have one small pot for yourself [which is heated by candles] and u can add any flavoring you want to suit your taste.

When we visited Xian, an ancient city in China, we immediately picked up a hotpot restaurant from the list that was offered to us by our travel agent. But I was so disappointed at the individual pots. [We like the one that we are used to-a central pot.]



Our regular style hotpot is actually so much fun where you sit around it and talk and wait for the “dish” to be cooked and eat a bite at a time. Yes, the food is piping hot!![There are so many times when I have come home with a scalded tongue!!!]

We dine out in a hotpot that has vegetarian broth for the soup and we go there almost every weekend. Weekends at our favorite hotpot is so crowded that we have to wait to get a table.[As I told you earlier,there are around 200 tables there!!!].Sine we are ‘regulars’ there and have a credit of being a ‘foreigner’, the floor manger bypasses the waiting list and gets us a table real quick!!!

Once you step into the restaurant you feel that you are entering a forest with giant mushroom,cherry trees and the tables are places between these giant trees.The ambiance is very good .



I feel this is one kind of restaurant[hotpot ,in general] where I can overeat and still not feel guilty-The food is just veggies and also non spicy and no fat..What else can you ask for when you eat out !!!!

Hotpot has become our favorite joint now anywhere we travel within China but the style of service varies slightly from place to place and even restaurant to restaurant with a city!

I strongly recommend anyone who can get a chance, to try out this Huo Guo restaurant. Its an experience to relish!!


Now that you have read this really long post, here is the visual treat….

Nangua bing- a pumpkin based dessert- one of the starters we order regularly

Xiaomantou-another regular in our menu,is a kind of bun that has a crispy crust and a super soft inside,served with condensed milk for the dip-is lil angels fav!

A rice based dish-Niangua

Yutao- A kind of sticky root vegetable that is too good in the hot pot!!

[Some other goodies-Mushroom,Bean curd products,coriander[ for flavor],etc]

[Rice noodles]

[Mushroom and potato slices]

[Greens and black mushroom]

[Tapioca]

[Bean sprout]

[My favorite (white) pumpkin]

[Dongdoufu-Iced(frozen) tofu..yummmmm]

Ok,now go back to the start of the post and read those two questions..I am sure you would have changed your mind by now!