Ingredients:

How to make it:

Blend all the above ingredients in a blender with some ice cream. Pour onto a glass and top with more ice cream. Serve!

This is for my event "Refreshing Drinks for Summer", the last date for sending the entries is 30th April.
The umbrella here is a hand made one. Wanna know how to make it?? Check out my new crafts blog.



Mixed Fruit Jam

This can be made with those fruits available for the season. Its not a must to use all of them. Choose at least 3 types of fruits for better taste.

Ingredients:

How to make it:

Mash bananas. Grind each fruit separately in a blender. For every cup of ground mixture, add 3/4 cup of sugar. Cook on medium heat in a heavy bottom pan until it becomes thick (Dip a scissor inside and when released, it should form a thin line). Add a pinch of citric if making in large quantities.

Ingredients:

How to make it:

Cook rice and spread it on a plate. Add few drops of oil/ghee and mix well so that the grains do not stick together. Let it cool. Heat few drops of ghee in a pan, add turmeric powder and pour this over the rice and mix it lightly (should be like a mixture of yellow and white colour). Steam cook vegetables until just done. To a cup of yogurt, add chopped cilantro leaves, curry leaves and mint leaves. Warm milk in a separate bowl and add saffron. Heat little ghee in a pan, add the cashews, almonds and raisins and fry until light brown. Take it out and set aside. In the same pan, add remaining ghee and oil. Add bay leaf, fennel, cumin, cloves, cardamom and cinnamon and fry for a while. Add the chopped onions and ginger garlic paste and fry until onion turns light brown. Add chilli powder and turmeric powder and saute until raw smell leaves. Add the steamed vegetables, salt and mix well. Add the yogurt mix and little water and cook until it starts to thicken. Now, in a baking tray, layer vegetables and rice alternatively, starting with vegetables and ending with rice. On the top layer of the rice, pour the saffron soaked in milk. Cover with a lid or foil and seal tightly. Bake at 300 degrees Fahrenheit in a pre-heated oven for about 15 minutes. Take it out. Let it cool a bit. Transfer to a serving bowl (if necessary, this is just to mix it lightly) add the fried nuts and raisins. Serve hot with chips and Raita!

Raita:

Ingredients:

How to make it:

Mix onion with a pinch a salt and let it stand for few minutes. Add tomato, cilantro, salt and yogurt and mix well. Sprinkle chilli powder and jal jeera powder on top.

Dear friends Priya Sriram, Anu and Varunavi says " I love your blog" by sharing a beautiful award. I will update that in my Index page. This award comes with a rule of passing it to 7 blogs that i love.. which is a real tough job for me! So, i would like to pass it to all my blogger friends! You all rock! I love all your blogs and your yummy recipes!

Ingredients:

How to make it:

Steam vegetables until just done. Grind cilantro, mint, coconut, cashews and green chillies into a paste. If necessary, sprinkle some water while grinding. Heat oil in a pan, add bay leaf, cumin and fennel and when it sizzles add onions and saute for a while. Add the ginger garlic paste, corriander powder and garam masala and saute until raw smell goes off. Add the ground paste and 1/2 cup water. Add the steamed vegetables and cook for about 5 minutes. Add 1/2 cup whole milk and mix well. Garnish with cilantro.

This recipe got its "Very Green Colour" from the cilantro and mint leaves and so sending this to the event JFI: Cilantro
I used whole milk in the recipe instead of cream, because i used more of the cashew nuts to get a wonderful creamy dish and hence, this goes to the event Let's go nuts "Cashew nuts".

Wish you all a Happy Tamil New year. Hope you all had a wonderful celebration !!!
Coming to the topic, Here is the feast i made for the New year. Its a No Onion- No Garlic feast. Its called "Virundhu" in Tamil.
The menu includes Pachadi, Medhu vada, Vegetable curry, Kootu, Sambar, Mor kuzhambhu, Rasam, Curd, Payasam, Pickle and Vadagams -Served with Rice.

This pachadi is made with five ingredients with different tastes like Sweetness, Saltiness, Bitterness, Sourness and Hotness. This signifies that "Life is like a mixture of all these tastes. Accept whatever comes our way and treat everything equal"

Ingredients:

• Mango - 1/2 cup sliced


• Green chilly - 1


• Dark Brown sugar - 1/4 cup


• Salt - a pinch


• Neem flowers - few

How to make it:

Melt brown sugar in water and bring it to a boil. Add mango, chilly and salt. Cook until mango is soft and pachadi becomes thick. Fry neem flower in 1 tsp oil and add it to the pachadi.


Vegetable curry

Ingredients:

• Cabbage - 1 cup chopped


• Carrot - 1/2 cup, finely chopped


• Beans - 1/2 cup, finely chopped


• Peas - 1/4 cup


• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp


• Urad dal - 1 tsp


• Green chillies - 2, slit


• Coconut - 1/2 cup grated


• Salt - as required


• Curry leaves - few

How to make it:

Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and when it splutters, add urad dal and green chillies. Add all the vegetables and salt and cook covered until done. Sprinkle water if necessary while cooking. Add the grated coconut and curry leaves.


Kootu

Ingredients:

• Chow-Chow (chayote) - 1, chopped


• Peas - 1/4 cup


• Moong dal - 1/4 cup


• Channa dal - 1/4 cup


• Green chillies - 2 or 3


• Coconut - 1/2 cup, shredded


• Cumin - 1 tsp


• Turmeric powder - a pinch


• Asafoetida - a pinch


• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp


• Urad dal - 1 tsp


• Curry leaves - few


• Cilantro - to garnish


• Salt- as required


• Dry red chillies - 1

How to make it:

Cook moong dal and channa dal with enough water in an open pan. When it is half done, add the peas and chow-chow and cook until they are almost done. Grind coconut, green chillies and cumin into a paste and add it to the cooked veggies with salt. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and when it splutters add urad dal and dried red chillies and add this to the kootu. Garnish with cilantro and curry leaves.


Sambar

Ingredients:

• Okra - 1 cup, diced


• Toor dal - 1 cup cooked


• Tamarind pulp out of small lemon sized ball


• Corriander seeds - 1 tbsp


• Channa dal - 1 tsp


• Urad dal - 1 tsp


• Red chillies - 2 or 3


• Coconut - 1/4 cup, shredded


• Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tsp


• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp


• Curry leaves - few


• Cilantro - to garnish


• Sambar powder - 2 tsp


• Turmeric powder - a pinch


• Asafoetida - 1/2 tsp


• Salt - as required

How to make it:

Heat oil in a small kadai, add red chillies, corrainder, urad dal, channa dal, fenugreek seeds and fry until light brown. Let it cook and grind with coconut into a paste. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and when it splutters, add urad dhal. Add the okra pieces and fry for a while. Add the tamarind pulp, asafoetida, sambar powder, turmeric powder and cook until raw smell goes. Add the mashed toor dal and salt and let it boil. Add the ground paste and cook until done. Garnish with curry leaves and cilantro.


Mor kuzhambhu

Ingredients:

• Taro root/ arbi/ Chepang kizhangu - few, cooked, peeled and diced


• Thick curd - 2 cups


• Coconut - 1/2 cup, shredded


• Rice - 1 tsp


• Toor dal - 1 tsp


• Channa dal - 1 tsp


• Cumin - 1 tsp


• Green chillies - 2 or 3


• Ajwain seeds - 1 tsp


• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp


• Dried Red chillies - 1 or 2


• Turmeric powder - a pinch


• Asafoetida powder - 1/2 tsp


• Curry leaves - few


• Cilantro - to garnish

How to make it:

Soak rice, channa dal and toor dal in water for about 1/2 hour. Grind this with coconut, green chillies and cumin into a paste. In a pan, add 1/2 cup water with the curd and mix well without any lumps. Add the ground mixture, turmeric powder, asafoetida, salt and cooked taro root and mix well. Check the taste. Now heat it on a medium flame until it boils. Garnish with curry leaves and cilantro. Heat oil in a small kadai, add red chillies, mustard seeds and when it splutters add ajwain and pour this over the mor kuzhambhu.


Rasam

Ingredients:

• Tomato - 1 finely chopped


• Tamarind pulp from a small goose-berry sized ball


• Toor dal water - 1 cup


• Pepper - few, crushed


• Green chilly - 1, slit


• Rasam powder - 1 tsp


• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp


• Asafoetida powder - 1/2 tsp


• Salt - as required


• Curry leaves - few


• Cilantro - to garnish


• Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp


• Cumin - 1 tsp

How to make it:

In a pan, add the tamarind pulp, water, tomatoes, rasam powder, turmeric powder, asafoetida powder and green chilly and cook until tomatoes are soft. Mash well with a potato masher. Add coarsely ground black pepper and salt. Add the toor dal water and bring it to a boil. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and when it splutters add cumin and pour this over rasam. Garnish with cilantro and curry leaves.


Paal Payasam

Ingredients:

• Whole milk - 6 cups


• Basmati rice - 1/2 cup


• Sugar - 3/4 cup


• Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp


• Raisins - few


• Cashews - few


• Almonds - few


• MTR badam mix - 2 tbsp


• Ghee - 1 tbsp


• Saffron - a pinch

How to make it:

Bring milk to a boil, add the rice and cook until rice is half done. Add the cardamom powder and sugar and cook until rice becomes soft. Add MTR badam mix and mix well. Add raisins, cashews and almonds fried in ghee. Garnish with saffron.

I used the frozen veggie burgers instead of cutlets as i don't see much difference between them except for some spices, which gets adjusted with the ingredients here ;)

Ingredients:

How to make it:

For papdi:
Mix flour, ajwain and salt with enough water and knead into a soft dough. Roll in to a thin round shape and cut into small squares. Fry in oil until light brown and crispy.

For Chutney:
I used craisins instead of dates. Grind all the ingredients with 1/2 cup water.

For chat:
Thaw frozen veggie burgers and cook as per the package instruction. Keep aside. Heat oil in a pan, add cumin seeds, onions and ginger and fry until light brown. Add tomatoes and cook until soft. Add turmeric powder, corriander powder, salt, chilli powder and garam masala and cook until raw smell disappears. Add 1 cup water and cooked peas and cook until it gets little thick.
Cut the burgers into 2 or 3 pieces. On a plate, place the burger pieces. Add papdi and pour one or two ladles of the prepared peas masala. Pour the chutney and tomato ketchup. Sprinkle some chat powder, amchur powder and sev on top and garnish with cilantro leaves. Prepare this just before eating to enjoy the crispiness of papdi and the softness of burger at the same time. Hmmmm...

I'm sending this recipe to Pallavi for her event "Sunday snacks - Chaats" and also to Sahaja for her event "Single serving recipes"

I made this aloo baingan yesterday as a side dish for my chappatis. I prepared my own masala powder for making this... Just because, I'm bored using the same garam masala for almost all my side dish recipes.

Ingredients:

Masala Powder :

• Black pepper - 1 tsp
• Jeera - 1/2 tsp
• Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Corriander seeds - 1 tsp
• Peanuts - few
• Cloves - 2
• Fennel seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Red chillies - 3 or 4
• Coconut - 1 tbsp, shredded

Aloo baingan:

• Onion - 1 big, chopped
• Tomato - 1, chopped
• Potato - 1 big, boiled, peeled and cubed
• Eggplant - 2 cups, chopped
• Ginger - 1 inch piece, shredded
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Cilantro leaves - few, chopped
• Curry leaves - few
• Masala powder - 2 tbsp or as per taste
• Oil - as required (up to 6 tbsp)
  

How to make it:

Masala powder:
In an un-oiled pan, fry all the above ingredients except coconut until they turn light brown. Let it cool. In the same pan, fry coconut until it gets dry (without oil). Grind everything into a Coarse powder.

Aloo baingan:
Heat oil in a pan and shallow fry potatoes and eggplant separately. Add a dash of salt and corn flour (if preferred) while roasting. Take it out. Set aside.
Heat oil in a pan, add chopped onions, cilantro leaves, curry leaves and ginger and fry until light brown. Add the tomato and saute until it becomes soft. Add the masala powder and turmeric powder and fry for few minutes until the raw smell leaves. Add 3/4 cup water, fried eggplant and potato and cook until it thickens. Garnish with chopped cilantro. Serve. The masala was mild and we all loved it! Those fed up with the garam masala that gives the same taste for every dish can try this... :)

I'm sending this to EC for her Event WYF: Side dish

Ingredients:

How to make it:

Wash and cut the cantaloupe into two. Discard the seeds. Scoop out the fruit or cut into chunks. Add all the above ingredients in a blender and blend well. Serve.
I tried this with plain yogurt and also with strawberry-banana yogurt and both tastes good. Add sugar if the cantaloupe is not so sweet. I tossed some mildly sour green grapes and it added a kick to the recipe. This recipe serves 2. Increase the quantity of fruits as per your taste and number of servings.
This goes as an entry to my event "RD for Summer"

Ingredients:

How to make it:

Soak basmati rice in enough water for 10 minutes and cook with 3 cups water until done. Spread on a plate and let it cool. Steam cook all the vegetables except green peppers until just done. Heat oil and butter in a pan, add bay leaf and fry for a while. Now add cumin seeds, fennel seeds, crushed cardamom, crushed cloves and cashews and fry until light brown. Add onions and slit chillies and fry until onions become translucent. Add green peppers and fry until peppers are soft. Add the steamed vegetables, salt and garam masala and cook for about 3 minutes. Add the rice and mix well. Garnish with chopped cilantro leaves and serve hot!

Hooray! Spring is here! Can feel the warmth in the air and see the plants and trees smiling with colours. But, before we could realise it is spring, it becomes a hot summer day!

So, for the summer ahead, I'm pleased to announce the first ever event hosted @ chandrabhaga. The theme being "Refreshing Drinks" to welcome the season. The days are long and so, its time for shopping sprees, vacation planning, make sand castles, and for those who were staying home lazy all through the winter unlike me, its time to get fit and toned. Its a pleasant time now and with the summer ahead, i wanted you all to pour the refreshing drinks, to keep us well hydrated.

You can send entries in any of the categories below.

• Fresh Juices (prepared by tossing one or more of the combination of fresh fruits and even some vegetables in a blender or a juicer, a zero cooking process).
• Smoothie (a thick beverage, made with a combination of fruits, crushed ice and frozen yogurt).
• Milkshake (a beverage made of milk, ice cream, fresh or flavoured syrup and blended or whipped until foamy, served in a tall glass topped with whip cream or a scoop of ice cream.)
  

It would be really refreshing if it is made with those fresh fruits available for the season. Do not use preserved ones just to make them more natural. Health conscious ??? Substitute soy milk, Herbs, Green tea or nutritional supplements if you feel smoothies have a high calorific value added up due to the sugar content from fruits, yogurt and natural sweeteners.

Rules for the event:

The round-up will be just in time for the summer. Looking for your entries to fill my inbox :)
Have a great day!