- Very healthy recipes from the kitchen to the table in minutes

If there is one thing that both kids and adults enjoy often its pizza. Ordering it from the local neighborhood pizzeria is very comfo...

Pizza Prep


If there is one thing that both kids and adults enjoy often its pizza. Ordering it from the local neighborhood pizzeria is very comforting. But, prepping the pizza base gives you the flexibility of making a pizza in less than 5 minutes. When I was reading through Mario Batali's book, I found his pizza making tip that he uses at his restaurant very useful. He suggests cooking individual portions of the pizza base (9 inch) on stove top and freezing them. On pizza days, use the base, add the sauce and topping and broil for a few minutes and voila you have your pizza ready. For the last week and a half we have been customizing our own individual pizzas. For those of you who have a busy schedule and enjoy pizza, a few minutes of prep work can make all the difference. Such an awesome lesson learnt from the Iron Chef.


Gadgets:

Rolling Pin
Cutting Board
Griddle
Oven
Wax Paper
Ziploc bag

Ingredients:

Pizza Dough - divided into equal portions (The pizza dough I had made eight 9 inch pizza bases)
Pizza Toppings ( sauce, veggies, fruits, cheese) - as per taste




Preparation:

1. Once the dough is divided into equal portions, cover it with a damp bowl and allow it to rest for 10 minutes.

2. Roll our into 9 inch circle with 1/2 inch thickness and cook it on the heated iron griddle.

3. Remove and cool the base. Place it on a wax paper and cover the base with another wax paper. Place the pizza bases in a ziploc freezer bag and place it in the freezer.

4. When its pizza time, remove a base, add the sauce, cheese and toppings and broil in the oven. Place the tray in the level closest to the broiler. Broil for 2 - 3 minutes. Serve it hot.







17 Comments:

For dinner last night, roasted potatoes was on the menu. I have a tough time when it comes to cooking with potatoes for my family. Not...

Roasted Potatoes


For dinner last night, roasted potatoes was on the menu. I have a tough time when it comes to cooking with potatoes for my family. Not that I cannot make decent potato curry, but rather that my mother-in-law makes the best potato fry or curry ever. I don't know how she creates such perfectly roasted potatoes, without much oil. She does not use the oven or microwave, but each potato piece will be uniformly roasted. A technique and skill I would like to master. She has set such a standard that its kind of challenging to meet. This is my version of roasting small potatoes with skin.



           

Gadgets:

Kadai or Sautee pan with a cover
Spatula
Measuring spoons
Cutting Board
Knife



Ingredients:

Small Potatoes - 1 bag
Oil - 2 tbsp
Chilli Powder - 1 tsp 
Salt 
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
Asafoetida Powder - a few shakes
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp


Preparation:

1. Heat the kadai over medium heat but below medium high. 

2. Cut small potatoes into 4 pieces, add 1 tbsp of oil, turmeric and chilli powder, salt and mix it well. 

3. Add 1 tbsp of oil to the kadai allow it to warm up. Add mustard seeds, asafetida and allow for the seeds to pop. Add the potatoes and mix well once. Cover the kadai with a lid and allow it to get toasted for 3 minutes. 

4. Keep mixing every 2 minutes but remember to keep the kadai covered otherwise. 

5. It would be about perfectly roasted in 15 - 20 minutes. 




24 Comments:

Idli molaga podi is a comfort spice. Every household in south India will have a bottle of it in their pantry and serve it on the side, w...

Idli Slathered In Molaga Podi

Idli molaga podi is a comfort spice. Every household in south India will have a bottle of it in their pantry and serve it on the side, with a spoon of oil, along with chutney and sambar. I particularly enjoy the idli drenched in molaga podi with a hot cup of tea or coffee. It brings great memories, when I think of it. In our many road trips, Amma would always make a big dabba ( box) of these idli's. It was a big deal, preparing and packing them right. We would stack up a square sheet of news paper and place a similar size banana leaves on top of it. Roll them all together just to enjoy the molaga podi idli's and thair sadham (yogurt rice) on them. Since I made molaga podi a few days ago, I decided to make molaga podi idli for breakfast.


Gadgets:

Measuring Spoons
Plate


Ingredients:

Molaga podi - 1/4 cup
Gingelly Oil - 2 tbsp
Water - 2- 3 tbsp
Idli - 4

Preparation:

1. Add molagapodi to a plate.

2. Drizzle in the oil.

3. Mix it well.

4. Add water and make into a liquid paste

5. Place the idli in the molaga podi paste and coat it well on both sides, so that you do not see any white part in the idli.

6. Enjoy!

15 Comments:

Molaga podi or Idli podi is a delicious spice mix made with lentils and dry chillies. Mixed with oil they add great flavor to any kind of ...

Molaga Podi / Idli Powder

Molaga podi or Idli podi is a delicious spice mix made with lentils and dry chillies. Mixed with oil they add great flavor to any kind of main course like idli or dosai. When we go back home, my sisters and I always load our suitcases with Amma's sambar powder and idli podi which we enjoy for many months. I have been out of Amma's molaga podi and I really miss it. After trying various store bought Idli powders, I decided to make it myself. So, I called Amma and she gave me her recipe. This is the first time I have ever made the powder at home. I am very thrilled that the molaga podi has turned out well, it had a good color, and most important Amma's molaga podi taste. Wanted to document it for me and my sisters.


Gadgets:

Heavy Frying Pan or Kadai
Slotted Spoon
Measuring Cups and Spoons
Blender


Ingredients:

Channa Dal - 1/3 cup
Udad Dal - 1/3 cup
Long Red Chilies - 1/3 cup
Kashmiri Chilis or Bedigai Chilies - 1/3 cup
Black Sesame Seeds - 1/4 cup
Salt
Asafoetida - penny size flat disc
Jaggery- 1 tsp
Oil -  2 tsp




Preparation:


1. Heat the frying pan or kadai with oil. Fry the asafoetida, remove and add to the blender.  (Note: When frying the asafoetida, press with a spoon so that the middle also gets fried).

2. Roast chilies until they change color and add to blender, allow to cool and blend into fine powder.

3. Roast the each of the dals separately. Allow to cool and add to the blender.

4. Wash the sesame seeds and pass it through a tea filter. Roast it in the kadai until it starts to splatter. Remove and add to the blender.

5. Add salt and blend the dal and sesame seeds into a partially coarse, partially fine powder.

6. Add 1 tsp of powdered jaggery and mix well. Store in a tin or bottle.





19 Comments:

Yesterday, I decided to make semiya payasam and I went looking for ingredients in my pantry. I found a packet of Anil ragi vermicelli. Amm...

Ragi Semiya Payasam With Brown Sugar/ Millet Vermicelli Pudding With Brown Sugar

Yesterday, I decided to make semiya payasam and I went looking for ingredients in my pantry. I found a packet of Anil ragi vermicelli. Amma has been asking me to try Ragi semiya forever and, I have been seeing a lot of posts on it the last few months. So, I decided to give it a try. I started the cooking process and then I realized that I was out of white sugar. I found brown sugar in the jar and decided to add that instead. I had no clue as to how it was going to turn out. I quickly cooled a tsp of the payasam and tasted it and was relieved that it tasted good. The ragi semiya has a purple/brown color and the addition of brown sugar did not make it look weird, in fact it jelled well and I loved it.













Gadgets:
Measuring Cup and Spoon
Heavy pan with lid
Spatula

Ingredients:

Ghee - 1 tbsp
Cashew Nuts - 8 broken into pieces
Raisin - 2 tbsp
Ragi Vermicelli - 1 cup
Water - Enough to cover the vermicelli
2% Milk - 2 cups
Brown Sugar - 3/4 cup ( or as per requirement)
Cardamom - 4 pods powdered

Preparation:

1. Heat a heavy pan with ghee. Add cashew nuts, raisins and allow the nuts to get toasted. 

2. Add ragi vermicelli to the and give it a mix for about 1 minute. 

3. Add water enough to soak the vermicelli and bring it to a boil. Lower the heat and cover the pan with a lid, cook the vermicelli until all the water is absorbed. Note : The ragi vermicelli does not expand as much as the regular one. 

4. Add milk and bring it to a boil. 

5. Add brown sugar and allow it to melt. 

6. Season with cardamom powder and serve the payasam hot.

My entry to My Diverse Kitchens Black and White Wednesday.

24 Comments:

When I used to visit my aunt Padhu chithi, she used to create magic with the pressure pan and veggies. She would have food that looked app...

Warm Cabbage Salad / Cabbage Poriyal: Made Using A Pressure Pan

When I used to visit my aunt Padhu chithi, she used to create magic with the pressure pan and veggies. She would have food that looked appetizing, colorful and fresh on the table in minutes. She was very skilled in cutting vegetables uniformly, which helped for them to get cooked evenly. Apart from that, she had a technical mind and though she had many cooks around her in the kitchen, on days she has to manage on her own, her techniques worked perfectly. On my last trip to India, I asked her the trick to making her pressure cooker version of cabbage curry and she told me how it is done. This method works when you need to get things done really fast. Also please pay caution, when releasing the pressure from the pan. I just tried her technique with the purple cabbage and it turned out well.


Gadgets:

Cutting Board
Knife
Pressure Pan 
Spatula
Measuring Cups and Spoons

Ingredients:

Purple Cabbage - 2 cups 
Ghee - 2 tsp
Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
Asafoetida - a few shakes
Udad Dal - 1 tsp
Coconut - 1 tbsp
Curry Leaves and Cilantro - some chopped
Green Chillies - 1 thinly sliced
Salt

Preparation:

1. Heat the pressure pan with ghee. Add mustard seeds, asafoetida, allow for mustard to pop. Add udad dhal and green chillies. Allow the udad dhal to turn golden brown.

2. Add the finely shredded cabbage to a colander and wash it. Add the cabbage immediately to the seasoning and give it a toss. There will be some water in the cabbage. Cover the pressure pan. Allow for it to cook to a whistle. Remove from heat. Try releasing the pressure slowing with a spoon immediately. Open the pressure pan after all the pressure is released.

3. Add coconut, curry leaves and cilantro as garnish, give it a toss and serve it hot.

My entry to CFK event hosted by Food & Ramblings.

14 Comments:

A popular bakery that we love to visit in  the mall is  Andersen Bakery . The bakery is very popular for their pastries, sandwiches and...

Walnut Bread : My Take On Andersen Bakery's Walnut Bread


A popular bakery that we love to visit in  the mall is Andersen Bakery. The bakery is very popular for their pastries, sandwiches and freshly baked bread. Among the different varieties that are sold there, Walnut bread is my favorite. This was the bread that I challenged myself to recreate. Having no luck in finding a walnut bread recipe similar to AB's online, I decided to come up with my own recipe. My solution was to add walnuts to a basic bread recipe. Took me 4 tries before I felt it was close to the original one. My niece is a big fan of the bread too. Here is what she had to say about the bread.


On Sun, Jun 10, 2012 at 8:09 PM, Nethra wrote:

WALNUT BREAD

Last Tuesday was the day before my final exams. In other words, it was the most worrisome day of my existence.
That might be a slight exaggeration.
Regardless, I was incredibly tired and stressed, plagued with a splitting headache, and being forced to pore over pages of algebraic equations and chemical properties into the night.
I'd take residence in my aunt's bedroom (you probably know her as the Foody Guru behind your favorite blog) in order to escape the distracting allure of my laptop and the commotion exploding in my own household.
Somewhere between reading about gas laws and memorizing the periodic table, I went downstairs, delicately pressing the bridge of my nose and sighing in dramatic exasperation.
And then, it happened.
It revealed itself before my eyes. 
My aunt pulled the bread out of the oven, laid it out across the faded brown wood of her cutting board. I immediately dropped everything and padded over to the kitchen counter as if I was entering a temple. A temple created solely for the walnut bread.
It was beautiful. I wanted to run my fingertips against the dark brown ridges of the top and revel in its beauty. The loaf was round, crusty, and warm, the comforting scent of toasted walnuts permeating the air. She pressed her knife into the loaf, tugging it back and forth, the crackling sound of fresh baked bread tinkling like bells in my ear. 
My eyes were wide, my breath hushed (partially questioning why on Earth I was this excited over a loaf of walnut bread).
The first slice fell off, a burst of walnut flavored steam swirling through the air. I reached out to take the hot bread off the cutting board, before biting into the bread.
It was.
Perfection.
My teeth sunk into the incredibly soft bread, studded with walnuts. The crust was hot and crunchy, a perfect counterpart to the sponge-y bread. It had a slight wheat taste, cradling it in my head, inhaling the walnut perfume.
The headache and stress I'd had ten minutes ago? Gone, evaporated into the air with the perfect nutty steam of my aunt's walnut bread.


Gadgets:
Mixing Bowl
Electric Mixer ( with dough attachment)
Measuring Cups and Spoons
Damp Kitchen Towel
Baking Tray or Pizza stone
Spray container with water or a oven safe bowl with water



Ingredients:
Bread Flour - 3 cups or 3 1/3 cup - All purpose flour if using loaf pans  makes 2 loafs.
Warm Water - 1cup
Warm Milk - 1/2 cup
Yeast - 1 Tbsp
Salt - 1 tsp
Honey - 3 Tbsp
Oil - 1 1/2 Tbsp plus extra 1 tbsp or butter 2 tbsp
Chopped Walnuts - 3/4 cup


Preparation:

 1. In the mixing bowl add water, milk yeast and honey. Give it a mix and let it stand for 10 minutes. (Notable Tip: Before adding honey, spread some oil in the spoon and then add honey, it will come out clean).
2. In another bowl combine flour and salt well and set aside.
3. Add 1/2 cup of flour to the liquid mix and mix well. Then add the remaining flour a little by little. Attach the dough hook and knead the dough for 5 minutes until they come together, but still sticky.

4.  Add walnuts little at a time and allow it to spread evenly throughout the dough.

5. Remove the dough from the bowl and place it on a counter coated with some flour. Knead the bread a few minutes to make sure that the walnuts are distributed well.
6. Add oil and melted butter to a bowl and spread well. Add the dough and coat it well. Cover with a damp towel and allow to rest in a warm area for 45 minutes or until the dough doubles.

7. Set the oven at 375 degrees F. If using the pizza stone, heat the stone too. 

8. Before transferring the dough to the oven sprinkle some corn meal and then place the dough on top. If u are baking in a loaf pan. Split the dough into two parts and evenly distribute the dough. Cover with damp kitchen cloth and allow it to rest. The dough will double again. Place it in the oven.
9. Place a bowl of water in the oven along with the bread on the side. Bake for about 30-35 minutes. 

Note:The rule of thumb is to make sure you hear the hollow sound in the bottom of the bread. Remove, allow it to cool down before slicing into it. ( But we do not do that. We have to taste it warm with some butter and is gone in a couple of hours.)


16 Comments:

School is out for summer in this part of the world and its awesome for kids, as they run around and play. As a child, summer was the best...

Almond Apricot Truffles For A Play Date

School is out for summer in this part of the world and its awesome for kids, as they run around and play. As a child, summer was the best time of the year for me. It was all about playing through out the day and having a loads of fun with cousins and friends. We would not know how the day went  by, because we were having fun. These days, most parents and kids themselves want to enroll in summer camps. Parents are happy that the kids are safe when they are at work and the kids on the other hand are happy to learn something and have fun at the camp.

Yesterday was the first day of summer vacation for my daughter. She woke up telling me that she already missed her friends and would love to have a play date with them. Soon, I received a text from her friends mom and she was elated to go see her friend and swim in the pool. Since it was her first visit to her friends house she wanted to take something sweet for her friend and her little sister. Since we did not want to use the oven, I suggested making truffles which was simple for her to prepare. We made the recipe of Ellie Krieger's that was published in USA Today.


Gadgets:

Microwave Safe Bowl
Measuring Cups and Spoons
Parchment or Wax Paper
Fork
Hand held Grater.
Food Processor
Pan



Ingredients:

Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips - 3/4 cup ( instead of Dark Chocolate chips)
Fresh Cream - 3 tbsp ( our addition)
Honey - 1 tbsp
Apricot - 1 1/2 cups
Almonds - 1/2 cup
Cinnamon Powder - 1/2 tsp
Fresh Grated Ginger - 1 tsp ( in place of 1/2 tsp dry ginger)
Vanilla Wafers - 2 ( our addition)




















Preparation:

1. Toast the almonds on medium heat for 5 minutes in a pan.






2. Add the almonds to a food processor and pulse until they are broken into small bits.

3. Add apricots, honey, cinnamon and blend to bring the nuts together.




4. Grate fresh ginger and pluse it a few times.








5. Take 1 tsp heaped portions of the filling and make into small balls.







6. Add fresh cream and chocolate into a microwave safe bowl and microwave for a minute.







7. Remove and mix until you get a shinny chocolate sauce.
8. Drop one ball of the apricot filling into the chocolate and coat it with chocolate evenly.






9. Using a fork carefully drain off the excess chocolate and place it on the plate lined with parchment or wax paper. Grate some vanilla wafers on top of the truffles.





10. Place the truffles in the fridge for 20 minutes.






14 Comments:

A very nice simple and healthy addition to any type of meal is dry fruit salad. There are many versions to this dry fruit salad and t...

Warm Dry Fruit And Nut Salad


A very nice simple and healthy addition to any type of meal is dry fruit salad. There are many versions to this dry fruit salad and they are common in the middle eastern cuisine. The salad can be made either by soaking the nuts preferably for a few hours or over night. These soaked nuts and dry fruits are toasted and served. It can be served warm as a side dish to add a sweet and nutty taste to our meal or can be served as a dessert with yogurt, whipped cream, ice cream or cottage cheese. The aroma emitted from this blend of fruits and nuts made the whole house smell very aromatic. A must try recipe and one of my favorite salad.


Gadgets:

Bowls
Measuring Cups and Spoons
Colander
Spatula
Kettle


Ingredients:

Raw Cashew nut - 1/4 cup
Raw Almonds - 1/4 cup
Raw Walnut - 1/4 cup
Raw Pistachios - 1/4 cup
Pine Nuts - 3 tbsp
Raisins - 3 tbsp
Apricot - 1/4 cup whole chopped into cubes
Dates - 8 chopped
Honey - 1 tbsp
Lemon Juice - a dash
Salt - a pinch
Rose Water or Saffron in water or orange blossom water - 1 tsp
Water - enough to soak the nuts and fruits

Preparation:

1. Boil water in the kettle. Soak the nuts in warm water for 30 minutes or until the skin of the almonds peals easily.

2. Heat the ghee and toss in the fruit and nut mixture to warm them up. Add a dash of lemon juice and mix. Then drizzle 1 tbsp of honey and remove from heat.

3. Drizzle rosewater or orange blossom water or saffron soaked water. Give it a toss and serve them warm.


17 Comments:

Kootu is such a comfort food for most people in south India. I love to have kootu with rasam. Sometimes, when I have people over and I wan...

Mor Keera Kootu / Spinach In Yogurt Sauce

Kootu is such a comfort food for most people in south India. I love to have kootu with rasam. Sometimes, when I have people over and I want to add an extra side dish to my meal, I make this easy version. Using fresh or frozen spinach it takes about 10 minutes to prepare this kootu. I call it the blender/mixer less version. The last thing I want to do is deal with the clean up of the mixer jars. Something about removing the mixer and replacing them in my kitchen shelves bothers me, when I have a lot to do. There are two ways to do away with the mixer and still make the kootu. One, reserve a little of the mor kozhambu from the previous day and add it to the keerai, as my sister does. Second, try this recipe. 



Gadgets:

Saucepan
Ladle
Potato Masher
Measuring cups and spoons
Seasoning wok

Ingredients:

Frozen spinach - 1 15 oz packet 
Butter Milk (store bought) or Thick Curds - 1 cup
Salt
Water - 1/2 cup
Sambar Powder - 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida Powder - a few shakes
Coconut - 1 tbsp
Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
Udad Dal - 3 tsp
Dry Chillies - 2
Curry Leaves - a few
Oil - 1 tsp
Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp


Preparation:

1. In a saucepan add water, spinach, salt, sambar powder and cook until the spinach is well cooked. About 8-10 minutes.

2. In the meantime, heat the seasoning wok with oil, add asafoetida, mustard seeds and dry chillies. As the mustard seeds start to pop add udad dal and roast it to golden brown. Add coconut and curry leaves and give it a mix. Add this mixture to the keerai.

3. Remove from heat and add butter milk or curds and mix and serve.




11 Comments:

Remember, one of my new year's resolution was to learn to bake bread? Well! I have been working at it by baking bread often and lea...

Chaat Bread: Savory Bread With Sweet And Spicy Chutney


Remember, one of my new year's resolution was to learn to bake bread? Well! I have been working at it by baking bread often and learning a few techniques here and there. Since the Cilantro onion bread, I had not felt that the breads I made were blog worthy. But not today, I used a basic bread recipe and decided to make something different with it. With the leftover green and sweet chutney, I decided to create my chaat bread. It was a very crazy idea, but I wanted to give it a try. My daughter was my sous chef and shared my excitement in baking the chaat bread. It was her idea to add onions as toppings in swirls to create a pattern on the top. The bread scored big with my in-house bread critics. I have learned that if by the end of the day more than 3/4 of the bread disappears and there are requests for seconds then it must be blog worthy. For me, it was an interesting bread because, half the bread tasted spicy and the other tasted sweet and it kind of balanced off well.


Gadgets:

Loaf Pan
Kitchen aid or hand held mixer with dough hook or the perfect gadgets your hands
Measuring Cups and Spoons
Spatula
Bowl
Oven
Oven Safe Bowl
Whisk
Damp Towel


Ingredients:

Bread Flour or All Purpose Flour  or Combo of both - 3 cups
Warm Water - 1 cup
Warm Milk - 1/2 cup
Yeast - 1 Tbsp
Salt - 1 tsp
Honey - 3 Tbsp
Oil - 1 1/2 Tbsp plus extra 1 tbsp
Melted butter - 1/2 tsp
Sweet Chutney - 3 tbsp (Thick)
Green Chutney - 3 tbsp ( Thick)
Red Onion Slices - 3 to 4 


Preparation:

1. In the mixing bowl add water, milk yeast and honey. Give it a mix and let it stand for 10 minutes. (Notable Tip: Before adding honey, spread some oil in the spoon and then add honey, it will come out clean)

2. In another bowl combine flour and salt well and set aside.


3. Add 1/2 cup of flour to the liquid mix and mix well. Attach the dough hook and knead the dough for 5 minutes until they come together, but still sticky.

4. Add oil and melted butter to a bowl and spread well. Add the dough and coat it well. Cover with a damp towel and allow to rest in a warm area for 45 minutes or until the dough doubles.



5. Divide the dough into 3 portions roughly. In a loaf pan layer one portion of the dough and spread.


6. Spread the green chutney evenly, add the second portion of the dough and cover the green chutney. Add the sweet chutney and spread.





7.Top with the third portion of the dough.



8. Heat the oven to 375 degree F.


9. Add onion slices evenly, cover with damp towel and allow to rest for 10 minutes. 






10. Place in the oven along with a cup of warm water. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the top browns evenly and the corners form a crust.









11. Enjoy warm chaat bread out of the oven. Forget waiting for it to cool down, they taste amazing fresh off the oven.






13 Comments:

Cucumber is most commonly used in the preparation of raita and pachadi apart from salads. Raita is served in the north Indian cuisine and ...

Cucumber Raita and Cucumber Pachadi

Cucumber is most commonly used in the preparation of raita and pachadi apart from salads. Raita is served in the north Indian cuisine and pachadi is served in the south. What can be different about it if both have yogurt and cucumber involved in the recipe? The seasoning of course! In the north the raita is seasoned with cumin and pepper while in the south it is seasoned with mustard seeds and dry or fresh chilies.

The raita posted is inspired by K.C's Tandoor, a fast food place at the food court in Sorrento Valley, San Diego. We used to enjoy their combo meals served with naan and cucumber raita. What I liked about their raita was, it had a salty and sweet taste that was so perfect to have with spicy food.

The pachadi is a staple at my house when I make south Indian food. It is always nice to have something cooling and an extra side dish on our plate and the pachadi perfectly fills that.


Cucumber Raita

Gadgets:

Measuring Cup
Grater
Bowl
Spoon
Whisk

Ingredients:

Cucumber - 2 Mediterranean
Greek Style Yogurt / home made - 1 cup
Water - 1/2 cup
Roasted cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt
Sugar - 1/2 tsp
Pepper - 1/8 Th tsp

Preparation:

1. Add yogurt to the bowl with sugar, salt and pepper and whisk well.

2. Grate the cucumber and add it to the yogurt mix well and check for salt and sugar combo taste. (Note: If the homemade yogurt is not thick or if the cucumber has excess water when grater, please remove the excess water before adding the yogurt)

3. Serve with any kind of spicy food immediately.


Cucumber Pachadi

Gadgets:

Grater
Bowl
Measuring Cups and Spoons
Seasoning Wok
Whisk

Ingredients:

Cucumber - 2 Mediterranean
Homemade or Greek Yogurt - 2 cup
Water - 1/2 cup
Salt
Oil- 1 tsp
Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
Asafoetida Powder - a few pinches
Dry Red Chillies - 1

Preparation:

1. Please grate the cucumber. Add salt and allow it to sit. ( Note: If you are going to serve it later, remove the excess water before going to the next step, especially if you do not have thick yogurt)

2. Add the oil in the seasoning wok and heat it. Add asafetida, mustard seeds and chillies. Cover the seasoning wok with a lid and allow for the mustard seeds to pop.

3. Add to the yogurt. Mix well and toss in the cucumber. Mix and serve.



16 Comments:

A few minutes ago I made a 3 batches of cookies for my daughter's Brownie troop meeting this afternoon. To keep it nut free I decided ...

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies For Brownie Troop

A few minutes ago I made a 3 batches of cookies for my daughter's Brownie troop meeting this afternoon. To keep it nut free I decided to go with the oatmeal raisin cookies. I have been thinking for a while to make the cookies and was looking for a good recipe. I found America's Test Kitchen's recipe posted at Andrea Meyers blog. I used the cinnamon powder instead of the nutmeg powder as suggested, because I could not find the nutmeg powder. I still loved what I tasted. Just had a hot cup of tea with 4 of these cookies. Could be very addictive when warm, out of the oven. For my own documentation of the cookie I decided to post this one.

Gadgets:

Electric Blender
Bowls
Baking Tray
Measuring Cups and Spoons
Parchment Paper


Ingredients:

All Purpose Flour - 1 1/2 cups
Cinnamon - 1/2 tsp
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Baking Powder - 1/2 tsp
Butter - 16 tbsp
Sugar - 1 cup
Brown Sugar - 1 cup
Eggs - 2
Old Fashioned Oats - 3 cups
Raisin - 11/2 cups

Preparation:

1. Mix together APF, cinnamon, salt and baking powder together in a bowl. Set aside.

2. In another bowl add butter and sugars and blend for 5 minutes until they are fluffy and smooth.

3. Add one egg at a time and mix well.

4. Add the dry ingredients a little at a time, just enough to mix.

5. Toss in the raisins and the oats and mix it evenly.

6. The mix will be very sticky. I transferred into a parchment paper and shaped it to a 2 and 1/2 inch log and refrigerated it for 20 minutes so that I can work with it better.

7. Set the oven at 325 degrees F.

8. Slice the logs evenly and make a ball with each log. Flatten it and place it on the parchment lined cookie tray with 2 inches apart.

9. Bake it for 11 minutes and then turn the tray around and bake for another 11 minutes.

10. The corners will be toasted and brown and the center will be soft. Let it sit for 10 minutes. Please take a bite as soon as it cools a little and you cannot stop with one.




12 Comments: