AnuSriram
Adai is a traditional South Indian recipe. Its similar to dosa, but the ingredients used for making it has a good combination of rice and lentil varieties. Its served with tomato chutney, Jaggery or Avial. Out of these, Avial makes a great combo. A perfect Kerala Delight!

For Adai

Ingredients:
  • Par boiled rice: 1 1/2 cups
  • Channa Dhal: 1/2 cup
  • Toor Dhal: 1/2 cup
  • Urad dhal: 1/4 cup
  • Red chillies: 4 or 5
  • Spinach: 1 cup finely chopped
  • Onions: 1 cup finely chopped
  • Fennel seeds: 1 tsp
  • Curry leaves: few
  • Ginger: 1 inch piece
  • Asafoetida powder: 1/2 tsp
  • Salt: as required
How to make it:

Wash and soak rice, channa dhal, toor dhal and urad dhal for about 2 1/2 hours. Grind it coarsely with red chillies, ginger, asafoetida powder and salt. Add very little water while grinding. The batter should be thick. Divide the batter into two. To one part of the batter, add the onions, fennel seeds and few curry leaves. To the second portion add the spinach and few curry leaves. Heat a dosa griddle or a non-stick pan, add some spinach batter and spread like a semicircle. Pour the onion batter and make the other half of the circle. Add enough oil around the adai. Once it turns light brown, turn to the other side and cook until done. Serve with Avial.
Can i name this 2-in-1 adai? The adai came out nice and crisp, the taste was wonderful and trying two varieties at once always makes the meal satisfying.



For Avial

Ingredients:
  • Vegetables (carrots, beans, peas, potato, drumstick, chayote, mango, white pumpkin) - chopped and steamed: 3 cups
  • Coconut: 3/4 cup shredded
  • Sour Curd (Thick Plain yogurt): 1 1/2 cup
  • Green chillies: 4
  • Jeera: 1 tsp
  • Salt: as required
  • Coconut oil: 2 tbsp
  • Curry leaves: few
How to make it:

Chop the vegetables lengthwise and steam in an idli cooker until half done. Grind coconut, green chillies and jeera into a paste. Add it with the yogurt and mix it well. In a pan, add the steamed vegetables, yogurt mix, salt and 1/2 cup water and bring it to a boil. Add coconut oil and curry leaves and cook until the gravy thickens. Serve hot.


AnuSriram
A nice and easy to make chocolate cookies minus eggs. I usually make butter cookies with just 4 ingredients in them - flour, sugar, butter and Baking soda. This time thought of making something different from the usual and tried adding some chocolate to it. The result - These colourful and tasty chocolateee cookies. Makes a colourful Holiday treat!




Ingredients:
  • All purpose flour - 1 cup
  • Sugar - 3/4 cup
  • Chocolate bar - shredded 3/4 cup
  • Butter - 1/2 stick softened
  • Milk - up to 2 tsp, if required
  • Vanilla essence - 1 tsp
  • Baking soda - 1 tsp
  • M&M's - to decorate

How to make it:

Mix All purpose flour, Sugar and baking soda together. Now add butter and vanilla essence and mix well to form a dough. If it doesn't form a soft dough, add milk in drops. Do not add too much as the dough might become sticky. Now add the shredded chocolate and mix it evenly. Dust a flat surface with some flour and roll the cookie dough flat with a rolling pin. Cut out the required shape and decorate with M&M's by slightly pressing it on the dough. Bake at 350 degree Fahrenheit for about 12-15 minutes or until done. Enjoy! .....



Andhra flavours has passed me "Good job award". Thank you so much for thinking about me... I love it!

Hema balaji of Adlak's tiny world has Passed me "A perfect blend of friendship award", "Hard working food blogger award", "Great buddy Award", "Kreativ blogger award" and "Yum-Yum blog award". Thank you so much dear for sharing it with me... I'm feeling so good.


AnuSriram
Making flowers... For those who think making flowers is not so easy... Here it is! A step by step instruction for making a lovely Rose flower with fabric. I'm sending this craft idea for Illatharasi's Flowers with Fabric- November event.



Materials Required:
  • Organdy cloth - red colour
  • Metal string for stems
  • Green sticky tape
  • Scissors
  • Thread (green or red colour)
  • Artificial leaves


How to make it:

Cut some square bits out of the cloth (approx 2 in * 2 in) for making petals. Use little more for bigger flowers. Follow the direction in fig. A, fig. B and fig. C for making the petals.



Keep one petal without folding for making the center bud. Now take the string and cut the required length. Fold one end of the string as shown in fig. D. Using the reserved square bit, cover the top of the string completely and tie with a thread.


Now take the petals and arrange one by one surrounding the center bud, tying with the thread as in fig. F. Usually the rose is made with 7 or 9 petals. Roll the green sticky tape over the metal string as in fig. G and attach the leaves. For the bud, Take some cloth and roll around the top of the string 2 or 3 times and tie it with a thread as in fig. E. The rose flower is now ready to decorate any place.



Holiday Tips and Ideas:

  • Make it as a bouquet for your loved ones.
  • Make a bunch of them to go in a flower vase.
  • Make some buds in round shape and tie them together. This definitely will look like cherries with those artificial cherry leaves and makes a perfect holiday decoration.



Again Chandrabhaga is flooded with awards.
Vidhas has passed me this Great Buddy Award and 360 degrees Foodie Award. Thank you so much for thinking of me. I feel honoured and great!





Vidhas and Jaishree passed me this Kreative blogger award. That's really wonderful! Thank you so much!


I would like to pass on these awards to asha, sripriya, kalai, happy cook and RAKS kitchen.
AnuSriram
An easy, crispy, crunchy and spicy evening snack with home made croutons.


Ingredients:
  • Bread slices: 6
  • Butter: 4 tbsp
  • Dried Parsley: 1 tbsp
  • Garlic paste: 1 tsp
  • Onion: 1 chopped
  • Green peppers: 1 cup chopped
  • Corriander leaves: 1/4 cup chopped
  • Ginger: 1 tsp shredded
  • Garam masala: if preferred
  • Oil: 2 tbsp
  • Crushed red pepper or green chillies: as per taste
  • Salt: as required

How to make it:

Mix softened butter, garlic paste and dried parsley in a small bowl. Spread the butter on the bread slices evenly. Now cut the bread into small cubes with a scissors and bake it at 300 degrees until it turns light brown. In a pan, heat oil and fry the onions until golden brown. Then add green peppers and fry until the peppers are half done. Add the corriander leaves, Ginger, crushed red hot pepper or green chillies and salt. Add little garam masala if preferred. Add the croutons and mix it well. I kept some of the croutons without mixing with the veggies just to eat it as such. I arranged it in a cabbage bowl and decorated it with some shredded carrots. To my surprise, just the bowl is left out! It tasted so good that we all loved it, especially My kid !

I'm sending this recipe to Pallavi for her event Sunday Snacks- Fix it


Also I'm sending in my Eggless Carrot cake recipe for JFI: Carrots hosted by The cooker.
Click here for the Recipe.



I'm very glad to announce my garland of awards from my friends cum fellow bloggers.

Sireesha of Momrecipies and Kitchen Flavours has passed me these beautiful awards.. Thank you friends, i feel honoured.






Sireesha, Kitchen Flavours and Vidhas made me happy with this "Inspiration Award". Thank you so much... Feeling gr8!


Also sireesha has sent me this "Hard working food blogger" award. Thanks a bunch! I think, Who ever has a food blog deserve this award as it is not so easy to blog regularly with our household work, kid(s), etc., etc.,

I would like to pass all of these awards to Kalai, Sripriya, Happy cook, Vanamala, Laavanya, Vidhas and Jayshree. Congrats!



AnuSriram


Brussels sprouts are leafy green buds which looks like miniature of cabbage. They are rich in Folic acid, Dietary fiber, Vitamin A and Vitamin C. Brussels sprouts usually grow during winter and so they always have a special part in holiday recipes in the form of salads, Stir-fry and roasted. Coming to cooking Brussels sprouts in indian style, Its always delicious when made as a gravy and can be served with any type of indian bread or rice. The purpose of making it as a gravy is to avoid the distinctive smell which most of us feel unpleasant. I'm sending this recipe to Vegan Ventures, Round 2 hosted by Suganya of Tasty palettes.


Ingredients:
  • Brussels sprouts : 8-10 buds
  • Red or yellow Onion: 1 finely chopped
  • Tomatoes: 2
  • Cashews: 1 tbsp
  • Red chillies: 2 or 3 (big ones)
  • Cardamom: 2 crushed
  • Cloves: 2
  • Bay leaf: 1
  • Fennel seeds: 1 tsp
  • Ginger garlic paste: 1 tsp
  • Everest Sabji Masala: 1 tsp (or garam masala)
  • Salt as required
  • Sugar: 1/2 tsp
  • Corriander leaves for garnishing

How to make it:

Wash the Brussels sprouts in running water and slit open the bulb ends like "X". This helps in steaming the bulbs evenly. Steam the Brussels sprouts for about 7 minutes in a idli cooker until half done. Meanwhile, puree tomatoes, red chillies and cashew in a blender. Add little water if required. Heat oil in a pan, add bay leaf, cardamom, cloves, Fennel seeds and onions. Fry for a while and then add Ginger garlic paste. When onion turns light brown, add the tomato puree, sabji masala, sugar and salt and cook until raw smell goes off. Add the brussels sprouts and cook until the oil separates. Garnish with corriander leaves and serve hot with your choice of bread or rice.




Sripriya of Srikarskitchen passed me these awards!
Thank you sripriya for your motivation and encouragement...






I would like to pass these awards to Kalai and Easycrafts.

AnuSriram
A colourful and easy to make side dish for rotis and parathas. Even goes good with dosa, idlis and upma.

Ingredients:
  • Green peppers: 1 cup chopped
  • Red, yellow and/or orange peppers: 1 cup chopped
  • Onion: 1 chopped
  • Tomato: 1 chopped
  • Chilli powder: 1 tsp
  • Corriander Powder: 1/2 tsp
  • Garam masala: 1/2 tsp, if preferred
  • Fennel seeds: 1 tsp
  • Jeera: 1 tsp
  • Cardamom: 2 crushed
  • Salt: as required
  • Sugar: 1/2 tsp
  • Corriander leaves: for garnishing

How to make it:

Heat oil in a pan, add fennel seeds, jeera, cardamom and onions and fry until onion turns golden brown. Now add the tomatoes and bell pepper and cook for a minute. The capsicum gets cooked usually in the juice of tomatoes, if not add a little of water. Add chilli powder, corriander powder, garam masala, salt and sugar and cook until the oil separates. Garnish with chopped corriander leaves.