Chocolate Apple Shake

Some time ago, Lil Angel's favourite fruit was Banana.She loved it so much that anything with that flavor would be devoured with gusto. Then came a time when the sight of bananas would send her running off in the opposite direction and apple became her favourite.On the other hand,the love for chocolate stuffs has been escalating.So combining the two flavors that she loves,a drink was born...

 I used :

Chilled Milk -300 ml
Apple - 1 ,peeled, cored and chopped
Drinking chocolate - 3 teaspoons
Sugar to taste
Choco chips and a few slices of apple for garnishing.

1. Blend the apple pieces to a paste.
2. Add milk,drinking chocolate and sugar.
3. Blend till frothy 

Serve immediately garnished with chocolate chips and apple slices.

Note :

• You can alter the qunatity of all the ingredients to suit your taste
• We like a few chunks of apple in the drink,so added a few at the end of blending time.

Sending this to Vaishali @ Ribbon's to Pasta's, who is hosting Srivalli's Kids Delight event, with the theme - Chocolate

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#19


Earlier on Blogging Marathon #19

Week - 1 - Calcium Rich dish

Ragi Porridge
Spiced Oats Buttermilk
Mango Almond shake

Week -3 - Cooking From BM blogs

Vegetables in yogurt sauce and potato - okra curry
Ajwain tomato rice and carrot onion raita
Nutella cashew shake

Week 4 - Kid's delight- Chocolate

Eggless chocolate pudding
Apple Chocolate shake

Bon Appetit...

Eggless Chocolate Pudding

I love reading food blog.The tempting clicks and the innovative recipes are a great source of inspiration!It is not often that I browse through my own blog.But a few weeks ago, I did browse through my whole blog!I started from the very first post and enjoyed reading my own posts!I re-lived the situation when I created the dishes and it brought back loads of memories.

While I was going through my blog, I noticed that there were very few recipes that was prepared with chocolate.Just two chocolate beverage recipes and a chocolate brownie to be exact.Keeping in mind the theme for this week's- Kid's Delight- Chocolate in Blogging Marathon, I decided to add more chocolateness to the blog.

I took out my cookbooks and found more than two dozen chocolate related recipes ranging from simple chocolate beverages to exoctic desserts. Then I remembered having bookmarked many recipes and thought I will take a look at those too.There too I found many recipes that were too good to pass.

Finally I decided to prepare and post from the bookmarks.Here is the first one from Sala's Veggie Belly .Sala's blog is a wonder place filled with easy to exotic vegetarian recipes.This one is a very easy egg-less pudding which can be made in a jiffy.

Eggless Chocolate Pudding

Source :Veggie Belly

I used :

Milk - 2 cups
Unsweetened Cocoa powder -2 tablespoons
Corn flour - 2 tablespoons
Sugar -1/2 cup

1. Sieve corn flour and cocoa powder and keep aside.
2. Heat milk till luke warm.
3. Dissolve the corn flour and cocoa powder mixture in the half of the luke warm milk till well blended and there are no lumps.
4. Heat the remaining milk and add sugar.
5. When the sugar melts, simmer and slowly add the milk-cocoa powder mixture through a sieve to prevent lumps formation.Keep stirring.
6. Cook till the pudding is glossy.
7. Wet the sides of the serving cup and pour in the prepared pudding.
8. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving.

Serve chilled , as such or garnished with anything from nuts / fruits / cream.

Check out Sala's post for more tips on this recipe.

Sending this to Vaishali @ Ribbon's to Pasta's, who is hosting Srivalli's Kids Delight event, with the theme - Chocolate

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#19

Bon Appetit...

Spicy Potato Fried Rice

It is always intersting to try out recipes from other blogs.We get to taste different dishes from various cultures from around the globe. I have prepared dishes that I normally would not try to make at home and sometimes it is the dish I have never tasted till I make it at home. In all, cooking something new from another blog is exciting.This is exactly why I never miss cooking for Taste and Create.

This month I was paired with Vijayalakshmi of Virunthu unna vaanga.After a long time I am being paired with an Indian blogger!I saw this rice recipe and wanted to make it for lunch. It was indeed a tasty dish and we loved it with raita and some crispies.

Spicy Potato Fried Rice

Source :Virunthu Unna Vaanga

I used:

Rice- 1 cup
Potato -2,peeled and chopped into small pieces
Tomato-1,chopped
Onion- 1, chopped
Garlic- 5 pods,grated
Curry leaves- a few
Corinder powder- 1 teaspoon
Chilli powder- 1 teaspoon
Soy sauce- 1 teaspoon
Fennel seeds- 1 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Oil- 1 tablespoon

1. Cook rice and spread it on a plate to cool. The rice should be cooked in such a way that the grains are seperate.
2. Cook the potato.This can be done on the stove top / Microave oven.
3. Heat oil in a pan and add the fennel seeds.
4. When it splutters, add the onion , garlic and curry leaves.Saute till the onion is light brown.
5. Put in the tomato and cook till it is soft.
6. Add the coriander powder, chilli powder and soy sauce.
7. Mix well and cook for a few minutes. If the mixture is dry, sprinkle a little water.
8. Add the rice,cooked potato and mix well.Check for salt and add if needed. The soy sauce has salt so add after tasting.
9. Cook on low flame for a few minutes for the flavors to blend.
10. Remove from heat and serve as such / with a raita of your choice.

Sending this delicious platter to Srivalli's 30 minute meal mela

Each month,it is fun creating dishes for  Taste and Create ...Would you like to join ? Just email Min @ cowgirlmin07@gmail.com with your name, blog name and a link to your blog to sign up.Hope to see you in the next edition of Taste and Create....

 Bon Appetit...

Nutella Cashew Shake

There was a time when all I knew was jam for bread and I really loved it. There were so many flavors and the mixed fruit flavor was my favorite.Then one day I chanced upon peanut butter and the moment it hit my tongue, I was in love. I still had mixed fruit jam around,feeling bad about leaving out something that was close to my heart.

True to the saying - Like mother,like daughter,Lil Angel too became an ardent fan of peanut butter. Then when we tasted Nutella, the feeling changed. This has become our new favorite. We love to spread this on almost any food stuff and I am assured of an empty tiffin box when there is something with Nutella in it.So it is bread nutella sandwich or Nutella chapathi rolls,Nutella coated poori and so on for her Snack / Lunch box....

I was very sure Priya too would have something with this delicious spread in her blog and I was not disappointed. In fact I was amazed to see the number of recipes with Nutella. She too has mentioned how her family loves this!

This shake looked so easy and healthy that I made it a few minutes ago and Lil Angel and me enjoyed it immensely. Nutella cashew shake is my 3rd recipe from Priya's blog,today under the theme - Cooking From BM Blog- Calcium rich dishes.

Nutella - Cashew Shake
Source : Priya's Versatile Recipes

I used:

Chilled Milk - 300ml
Nutella - 3 tablespoons
Cashew nuts- 10 numbers


Soak cashew nuts in hot water for 15 minutes and grind to a smooth paste.Add the nutella and milk and blend well to mix.Serve immediately...

Sending this to Vaishali @ Ribbon's to Pasta's, who is hosting Srivalli's Kids Delight event, with the theme - Chocolate

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#19

Bon Appetit...

Ajwain Tomato Rice, Raita & Carrot Curd Rice

I love a few spices more dearly than the rest on the list. Cumin and Ajwain are my favorites. I tend to add cumin to almost everything that I season in Indian dishes. Mom laughs at this and would say cumin should be left out in certain seasonings to bring out the flavor of the other elements. When it comes to Ajwain or Carom seeds, I add them to wheat flour to make Chapathis/ Roti.

So when I saw this Ajwain flavored tomato rice in Priya's blog, I knew I had to make this.It had both cumin and ajwain. Then I wanted a raita for the Tomato rice and the search led me to Carrot ,Onion Raita.Then there was my favorite dish - curd rice and she had added carrots to it. I had to make this too.Thus was born our simple lunch for today and I loved every bite of it.This too ,like yesterday's lunch was ready in 30 minutes.

Here is what I did to get the meal ready in 30 minutes...

1. Wash the rice and pressure cook it for 15 minutes. This is for the curd rice.
2. Heat oil on the other burner and fry the chips
3. While the oil is getting heated,get the vegetables ready.
4. Once the chips are ready, use that burner to prepare the tomato rice.
5. While this is getting cooked, the rice would be ready, take the pressure cooker off the burner and use that burner to prepare the seasoning for the curd rice and keep it aside.
6. When the pressure releases from the cooker[for curd rice], spread it on a plate to cool.
7. Meanwhile,whisk curd and grate the carrots.
8. Give the final touches-all the mixing,seasoning etc, and the meal is ready!!!!!

Priya used Basmati rice for the tomato rice, and it had to be soaked for 15 minutes. So to save time, I used the regular rice.Also , instead of powdering the cumin and ajwain , I added them whole.

Now to the recipes....

Ajwain Tomato rice

Source - Priya's Versatile Recipes

I used:

Rice - 1/2 cup
Tomato -3,ripe
Onion- 1, sliced
Mint leaves- a handful
Green chilli -2,slit
Ginger-garlic paste - 1/2  teaspoon
Red chilli powder- 1/2 teaspoon
Garam masala- 1/2 teaspoon
Cumin seeds- 1 teaspoon
Ajwain seeds- 3/4 teaspoon
Yogurt- 1/2 cup
Oil- 1 tablespoon
Salt to taste

1. Heat oil in a pressure cooker and add the cumin and ajwain.
2. When the cumin crackles, add the onion, green chillies, ginger garlic paste and saute till the onion is light brown.
3. Add the tomato and cook till it is mushy.
4. Put in the garam masala,red chilli powder and salt.Mix well.
5. Add the yogurt, 3/4 cup of water and stir.
6. When it comes to a rolling boil, add the washed and drained rice and the mint leaves.
7. Mix, cover and cook for 15 minutes or till done.

Serve with a raita.

Carrot- Onion Raita 

Source - Priya's Versatile Recipes

I used :

Yogurt - 1 cup
Carrot - 1 , small, grated
Onion- 1,small chopped
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves for garnishing

1. Whisk the yogurt with salt.
2. Add the carrot and onion.
3. Serve with any flavored rice,garnished with coriander leaves.

Carrot - Curd Rice
Source - Priya's Versatile Recipes

I used:

Steamed rice - 1 medium sized bowl
Yogurt- 1 cup
Milk- 1/2 cup
Carrot- 1, grated
Salt to taste

For tempering

Oil- 1 teaspoon
Mustard seeds- 1 teaspoon
Cumin seeds- 1/2 teaspoon
Gram dal - 1 teaspoon
Curry leaves - a few
Red chilli - 1
Grated ginger- 1/2 teaspoon

1. If the rice is hot off the stove,spread it on a plate to cool.
2. Whisk yogurt with curd with salt.
3. Into a large bowl put in the rice , whisked yogurt, milk ,carrot and mix well. I added milk so that the curd rice does not turn sour soon due to the heat[climate]
4. Heat oil for tempering and add the ingredients.When the mustard splutters and dal turns brown, pour over carrot curd rice .
5. Mix well and serve as such or with a pickle of your choice

A very simple yet filling lunch that was prepared in 30 minutes.Sending this platter to Srivalli's 30 minute meal mela

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#19

Bon Appetit...

 

Majjige Huli & Okra Aloo Posto

Not so long ago, there was a little girl who used to watch her mom churn out extremely delicious dishes.She used to wish she too would be able to do so when she grew up. Then a few years later, when she entered the kitchen to cook, things went wrong many times. The butter burnt instead of turning into the aromatic ghee,the kesari was dry, the majjege huli curdled...

 Undeterred by the many failures, her love for food and cooking kept growing. She too grew up and learnt the art of cooking from her mother- a patient women and a wonderful cook,the tips and tricks of the trade.Then when she started a family, she found the way, not only to her man's heart, but also everyone else in the family through food.Then she started blogging and now she cannot stay away from it for long!

So one day when she was ready with themed dishes for the Blogging Marathon,she finds out that she had the dishes for a different topic ready!!She had messed up while noting down the dates and themes. She is not the one to give up when it comes to challenges especially if it involves cooking,so off she goes and prepares a  meal from her favorite blog!Yes, dear friends, that girl[Yeah 'girl'...I am still young at heart,you know :)] is none other than me.

So here I am with two delicious dishes that can be whipped up in just 30 minutes for first post on the theme - Cooking From BM blogs for the 3rd week of Blogging Marathon #19.The moment I saw this theme - Cooking From BM blogs, I knew from whose blog I was going to cook and even had the recipes bookmarked.But I assumed this theme was for the last week of BM until I was about to post the 'wrong' dish this morning!

Anyway,I have always found Priya's blog to be a place where you can find quick, easy and innovative recipes.I chose her blog to be the theme for Tried and Tasted event that I hosted here two years ago.She has been blogging non-stop,yes,non stop,since 2008 and has more than 2000 recipes!

I wanted something for lunch today and a one pot meal was not on my mind.As much as I love these filling dishes, I was in mood for something to served with piping hot rice.The climate is chill and breezy, Lil Angel is at home, Lil dude needs my attention most of the time,and I had to cook something nice and it had to be done fast.Then I have click and post.So much to do and so little time!But when I found these two recipes, I knew my job would get done pretty quick.

I prepared this Majjege huli ,is a dish from Karnataka,South India, which is a yogurt sauce with vegetables and for the curry I made Okra-aloo posto a Bengali Okra- potato curry.Together with steamed rice and few crispies, the meal that I dreamt of was ready...

When I mentioned that a whole meal was ready in 30 minutes,it is not an understatement.Getting things going simultaneously in the kitchen really helps.If I wrote the recipe exactly how I prepared,meaning the sequence, it will be very confusing.So here I will tell you the sequence and then I shall go on to the recipe.

1. Wash and pressure cook rice. We pressure cook for 15 minutes.
2. While the rice is being cooked, I cut the vegetables for the yogurt sauce and the curry.
3. In the little pressure cooker, I cooked the vegetables[except the okra and onions]
4. While both were getting cooked, whisked yogurt,ground the paste for the yogurt sauce and the curry,cleared the vegetable peels,etc.
5. The vegetables were done first as I cooked them for 8 minutes only.So on that burner, I started with the curry.
6. When the rice was cooked, that burner was used to prepare the yogurt sauce.
7. The curry was ready by that time and on that side the pappad and crispies was fried.

See, a whole meal can easily be done in a short time !!!

Here are some of the things that made work easy for me today.

• Usually we soak gram dal along with cumin seeds and pepper for at least half an hour while preparing this dish. Here I use fried gram so there was no need to soak the dal.
• Generally, I pressure cook or microwave the veggies to be used in curry / gravy and today was no exception.When we allow the vegetable to cook in the pan itself, it takes a long time to get done.
• I keep a bowl of water near the stove.Instead of walking to the sink to wash my hands, I use the bowl of water and replace the water as and when needed during the cooking process. Saves time and energy.
• A little trick I learnt form a TV show helped. I pressure cooked potato for curry,so only the okra had to be cooked in the pan.That saved a little time.

.Sending this platter to Srivalli's 30 minute meal mela

Now to the recipes....

Majjige Huli / Yogurt Sauce with vegetables
Source :Priya's Versatile Recipes 

I used:

Thick Yogurt -   1 cup
Mixed vegetables -2 cups,cubed. I used Peas, Carrot, Beans, Taro,Potato
Pearl onion,peeled and chopped - 5
Turmeric powder- a pinch
Oil- 1 teaspoon
Salt to taste

For the paste:

Coriander seeds - 1 teaspoon
Fried dal - 2 teaspoons
Green chilli - 2
Ginger - 1" piece
Peppercorns-1/2 teaspoon
Cumin seeds- 1 teaspoon
Grated coconut- 2 tablespoons

For tempering / seasoning :

Oil-1 teaspoon
Mustard seeds- 1 teaspoon
Cumin seeds- 1/2 teaspoon
Red chilli - 2
Curry leaves- a few

1. Pressure cook the vegetables.Whisk the yogurt with a pinch of turmeric.
2. Grind the ingredients for the paste adding a little water to a smooth paste. Mix this into the whisked yogurt.
3. Heat a pan with oil and saute the onions till translucent.
4. Put in the yogurt, cooked vegetables, salt and simmer for 5-8 minutes till the sauce thickens.
5. Remove from heat and keep aside.
6. Heat a small pan with oil and add the ingredients for seasoning.
7. When the mustard crackles, pour over the yogurt sauce .
8.  Mix well and serve with steamed rice.

Okra - Aloo Posto

Source : Priya's Versatile Recipes

I used :

Okra - 1/4 kilo

Potato- 2
Poppy seeds - 4 tablespoons
Green chilli -2
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Oil- 2 teaspoons
Salt to taste

Pre-prep:

Trim the ends and chop the okra into 1/2 " pieces
Peel, cube and pressure cook the potato till just done.
Make a paste of poppy seeds and green chilli.

1. Heat a pan with oil and put in the okra.Keep stirring once in a while to prevent it from burning.
2. When it is cooked, add the ground paste, potato,turmeric,salt.
3. Mix well to coat and cook for a few minutes on low flame.
4. Remove from heat and serve as a side dish with steamed rice.

Hope you enjoyed this quick and simple lunch that we had today...Tomorrow, I will be back with another delicious dish from Priya's blog.

Meanwhile,check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#19

Bon Appetit...

 

Palak Kichdi For Bog Hop

My childhood memories of eating vegetables are not so happy. By 'happy' I mean I did not eat them happily i.e. with all my heart. I was forced to eat veggies and mom made sure she hid them inside parathas and roti and other stuffs that I loved.

Even though I was [and I still am] a huge fan of Popeye the Sailor, I loved just him and not his favorite spinach.Growing up and tasting and cooking with several ingredients has changed my views on vegetables and mom does not have to force me to have these nutrient stuffs,but its my turn now to get my Lil one eat some greens and vegetables.

I too follow mom's footsteps now.Its a lot easier to get veggies in when they are artfully hidden in some unsuspecting dish.When I was paired with Nupur of UK Rasoi,I wanted to try out something with vegetables or something for breakfast that Lil one would enjoy. I hit the jackpot when I found this recipe that uses spinach and is also an ideal breakfast!

Spinach used here is barely noticeable but still imparts it goodness to the dish.Dal and rice combo is the best vegetarian source of complete protein and with the ghee to top it up, the flavor was excellent.

Simple Palak Kichdi
Recipe source :UK Rasoi

I used:

Rice- 1/2 cup
Toor dal - 1/4 cup
Moong dal - 1/4 cup
Tomato- 1 large, chopped
Palak - 1 small bunch,chopped
Red chilli powder -1/2 teaspoon
Turmeric powder -a pinch
Green chillis- 2,slit
Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
Ghee- 1 tablespoon + extra to drizzle while serving

1. Wash and soak the rice and pulses for 15 minutes. Drain and keep aside.
2. Heat a pressure cooker and put in the ghee.
3. Add the cumin seeds and when it crackles, add tomato and green chilli. Cook till the tomato is mushy.
4. Put in the chilli powder, turmeric powder and cook for  minutes.
5. Add 3 cups of water and bring to boil.
6. When it comes to a rolling boil, add spinach,rice-lentils mixture, salt and mix well.
7. Pressure cook for 15 minutes or till done.
8. When the pressure releases, mix well and serve hot drizzled with ghee.

We had this with grilled pappad...

Note :

• Adjust the ratio of rice-lentil :water. I use 1:2 ratio for rice.Added more to make the dish a little mushy.
• The kichdi was a little bland.I will add a little more red chilli powder / green chillis the next time I make this dish.

I had fun browsing through Nupur's UK Rasoi  for Blog Hop Wednesday, an event organized by Radhika . Nupur has delicious dishes with beautiful clicks.Do check them out....

Bon Appetit...

Mango Almond Shake

Wishing All My Friends 

A Very Happy 
Friendship Day!!!

Today is the last day of Blogging Marathon #19,week 1.I wanted to make an elaborate dish for the final day but keeping in tune with the other two recipes[which are beverages] posted for the 'Calcium Rich Recipes' theme, I am posting this milkshake .

Almonds and milk are good sources of Calcium. This is a simple way to incorporate Calcium into the diet. It takes very less effort to make this milkshake but the result is stunning!

I have mentioned many times before that Lil Angel loves mangoes .She gets fussy if the same ingredient is used repetedly. So I had to think of another drink that can be prepared with Mangoes and hence was born this milkshake....

I used:

Mango chunks from 1 small ripe Mango
Almonds- 1/4 cup + few chopped for garnishing
Chilled Milk- 3 cups
Sugar to taste
Chocolate chips / mint leaves for garnishing

1. In a blender ,powder the almonds coarsely.
2. Put in the mango chunks , milk,sugar and blend well.
3. Pout into a glass and serve immediately garnished with chopped almonds, chocolate chips and a sprig of mint.

Note :

• Alter the quantity of ingredients to suit your taste.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#19


Bon Appetit...

Oats-Masala More | Spiced Oats Lassi / Buttermilk

Hello Dear Readers!!!

Today is the second day of Blogging Marathon #19.Keeping in mind the theme - Calcium rich dishes, I have decided to prepare a lassi. Though it is very windy around here, it is equally hot.So a lassi / buttermilk seemed to be very apt.For the second recipe of this week I chose my favorite ingredient - Oats. There are numerous ways in which oats can be incorporated in the diet and this is the easiest of them all.A very quick way to chill out in summer.

Buttermilk is a good source of Calcium and so is Oats.Combining these two and adding some spices gives a great tasting drink ideal to quench the summer heat...

I used:

Yogurt - 1 cup
Oats - 1 1/2 tablespoon
Minty leaves- a few
Cumin powder- 1/4 teaspoon
Green chilli - 1, deseeded and chopped
Ginger- 1/2 " piece, peeled and chopped
Salt to taste

1. Roast the oats in a pan for a few minutes till it turns light brown.Remove from heat and let it cool.
2. Powder the oats in a blender, add ginger, green chilli, mint leaves, cumin powder.Run the blender for a few seconds.
3. Add yogurt, salt and around 2 cups of water and belnd well.
4. Pour into tall glasses and serve garnished with a spring of mint leaf.

Note :

• Instead of mint, you can also add coriander leaves/ curry leaves/ any other herb of your choice.
• Adjust water according to your taste.Usually this type of buttermilk is of very thin consistency.
• If this lassi is made ahead, there is a layer of thin liquid on top.Mix well before serving.
• You can also sprinkle a little chaat masala.
• For a chilled effect, add a few ice cubes before serving.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#19

This Day That Year...

2010 - Kollu Paruppu Podi - Horsegram lentil spice mix

Bon Appetit...

Ragi Koolz | Ragi Porridge | Finger Millet Porridge

Hello Lovely Readers!!!

Today we are starting the first week of Blogging Marathon #19. The past 19 months [or a year and a half] has gotten me close to so many friends and has widened my knowledge on food and cooking. I am now anticipating each and every blogging marathon announcement with so much eagerness! Each month we are given challenging themes and I love to explore the possibilities of cooking something new each month.

This time too we had a whole bunch of interesting themes to choose from and for week #1, I have chosen Calcium rich dishes.

Calcium,as we all know is the most abundant mineral found in the body.This mineral is essential for maintaining healthy , strong bones, helps in blood clotting and also supports the proper functioning of nerves and muscles.

Some of the important sources of Calcium in the diet are...

• Ragi / Finger millet
• Milk
• Cheese
• Yogurt
• Kale
• Arugula
• Sardines
• Oats
• Soya beans
• Almonds
• Sesame seeds
• Dried figs
• Tofu
• Sunflower seeds, etc...

For the first recipe, I am posting a health drink prepared from Ragi / Finger millet. Ragi porridge is one of the most important and preferred weaning food in my part of the world.Ragi is a very nutritious cereal and if given in the right method, it is suitable for the little tummy.

A little info on Ragi...

• It is also called finger millet ,African millet.
• It has a valuable amino acid -Methionine .
• 100g of ragi gives 328kcal energy , 7.3 g protein ,1.3 g fat,72 g carbohydrate ,3.44g calcium and 3.6g fibre.
• The nutritive value increases when it is malted.

Today I am sharing with you the type of porridge that adults love to drink.In summer , we can see many small carts selling finger millet porridge and pearl millet porridge in almost all the streets. They are served with an interesting array of side dishes ranging from fried stuffs to pickles and raw onion and green chillies.

These type of porridge that are sold on the streets invites a lot of people. I have always seen a bunch of people around these carts savoring the porridge with the side dishes. Not only the rural people, even the urban folks love this.

Updated:

Many of my friends wanted to know 'how' they sold this porridge on the streets. Here are some clicks..

The vendor ready with the porridge in his push-cart....

A closer look...

The pot that holds the porridge is a clay one covered with a wet cloth . 

It is placed on a tyre that is filled with sand and sprinkled with water.

This is done to keep the porridge cool.

You can also see the huge packet of color crisps and 

the closed containers have the pickles ,etc.

The stainless steel vessels are used to serve the porridge.

There is also a [pink] pot of drinking water...

The vendor is now busy...

I wanted to try this at home and here it is for the blogging marathon. Ragi and buttermilk used in this recipe are good sources of Calcium and of course it is a very filling meal too...

I used:

Ragi flour - 2 tablespoons
Yogurt - 1 cup
Salt to taste

1. Beat yogurt with a cup of water and keep aside.[Or you can use buttermilk]
2. Dissolve the ragi flour in less than 1/4 cup of water.
3. Heat 1 cup of water and when it comes to a rolling boil,slowly add the ragi paste and stir so that there are no lumps.
4. Add salt and simmer.Keep stirring till it thickens a little.It may take around 8-10 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and cool.
6. Add the buttermilk and mix well.
7. Serve as such or along with side dishes like pickles, chips, crisps, sun dried chillies ,etc.

A sweet version of this porridge is also prepared using palm candy. I will post that recipe in a few days.

Here are some more recipes with Ragi....

Ragi Semiya Kheer
Ragi sevai
Ragi porridge - Weaning food
Ragi Adai with herbs
Instant Ragi Dosai
Stuffed Vegetable Ragi Dosa


Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#19



Bon Appetit...

Ragi Semiya Kheer - Welcome Party For Baby Kavin..

One of the most cherished moment in a woman's life is when she sees her newborn for the first time. After all those months of being fussed over and pampered,being scared over several issues and not to mention the numerous medical tests and the inevitable advises from almost everyone you meet..., the cute little picture from the first sonogram,this phase sometimes seems to go on for ages until that wonderful little wail makes us forget the hardships that we have faced till then. The sleepless night [ and days too],colicky cries, fusses and all seem small when we think how blessed we are to have a little one adore us and love us more than anything in this world...

Wondering why I am going into this topic once again? I am reliving the moments my friends threw me a virtual baby shower almost 6 months back when I was due with lil dude. I felt so happy to share the joy with my friends, many of whom I have never even met! Blogging has indeed given me a whole bunch of friends...

So when I heard through Reva of Kaarasaaram,that Krithi was due,I was thrilled! A small group of bloggers have joined hands to welcome Little Kavin and share the joy of being a new mom with dear Krithi who blogs at Krithi's Kitchen. We met virtually when Krithi wanted to host my event - Herbs and flowers.I wanted to be a part of the celebration...

No celebration is complete without a dessert,right..Here is a healthy and tasty dessert that is fit for the new mom which is both healthy and delicious...

Welcome into this world,Dear Kavin..

May you be blessed with all that is best and beautiful in life :)

Now coming to the sweet treat for new mom Krithi...

I saw this recipe in Srimathi's Few Minute Wonders and was looking for the perfect time to make this.This recipe uses semiya prepared from ragi. Ragi / finger millet is a rich source of Calcium and Iron.Both of which are essential during pregnancy and the post partum period.It is also rich in amino acids that are vital for the proper functioning of the body. On regular inclusion in the diet, ragi keeps malnutrition at bay and is also said to lower cholesterol.

For those who are new to ragi semiya / ragi sticks, this is what is looks like...

For this nutritious and delicious kheer,
I used:

Ragi semiya / Ragi sticks / Ragi vermicelli -1/4 cup
Whole milk - 1 1/2 cups
Brown sugar - 1/4 cup
Fried cashew and raisins- a few
Ghee - 1 teaspoon

1. Heat ghee in a heavy bottom pan.
2. Put in the ragi sticks and fry for a minute, till they turn crisp .
3. Add enough water to submerge the ragi sticks and let it cook al dente. Add more water if needed.
4. Add the milk and brown sugar and mix well.
5. Simmer for a few minutes and remove from heat.
6. Serve warm / chilled garnished with fried cashews and raisins...

Note :

• Unlike the regular vermicelli, ragi semiya does not swell up much.
• You can also use regular sugar / jaggery.
• Adjust the sweeter to suit your taste
• Add a pinch of cardamom powder at the end if you like the flavor...

This bowl of kheer is specially for dear Krithi...

Check out my other friends who have joined hands to welcome dear Kavin...

Priya Suresh
Priya Sreeram
PriyaMahadevan
Vardini
Shama
Nupur Mehra
Dhuythi
Radhika
Anu
Reva
Denise

Bon Appetit....