Muttakos Adai, Cabbage Adai

          Adai is a family favorite, it's not only tasty but also very nutritious. I usually make the regular Paruppu Adai just with rice and dal batter mixed with onions and coconut or the Vazhaipoo Adai with the same batter mixed with chopped banana flower. This time, I made the adai with chopped cabbage and also slightly changed the flavor of the batter with ginger and cumin seeds instead of fennel seeds. Cabbage gave a different taste and flavor, and we enjoyed the adais with some tomato chutney..

Need To Have

• Idli Rice - 1/3 cup
• Tuvar Dal + Chana Dal - 1/3 cup
• Dried Red Chillies - 5
• Chopped Ginger - 1 tablespoon
• Cumin Seeds - 2 teaspoons
• Asafoetida - 1/2 teaspoon
• Chopped Cabbage - 2 cups
• Grated Coconut - 2 tablespoons
• Curry Leaves - 20
• Salt to taste

Method

          Soak the rice and tuvar dal ( split pigeon peas ) and chana dal ( bengal gram ) for at least 2 to 3 hours.

          Grind the rice with the red chillies, remove, now grind the tuvar dal and chana dal along with ginger and cumin seeds, remove and add it to the ground rice.

          Then add the grated coconut, chopped cabbage, chopped curry leaves, asafoetida and salt and mix it well to make a thick batter.

           Now pour some batter on a hot skillet and spread it as thinly as possible. Adding some oil, cook it on both sides to golden brown. Remove and serve it hot with some chutney.

Note
You can make the adai even more healthy, by adding brown rice or ragi instead of the idli rice.
While making the adais, when you flip the adai the first time, press it all over with the spoon, this makes the adai smooth and you'll get nice light brown spots on the bottom side.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Pottukadalai, Dalia, Roasted Gram Chutney

          Though I haven't posted yet, the tomato chutney is one that I do most often as a side for idlis and dosas, since it's a favorite for both my husband and daughter. But sometimes, when I run out of tomatoes or I am running short of time, then it's this pottukadalai/ dalia or roasted gram chutney. No previous roasting or sauteing is required and you can do a couple of versions with it. Usually I do a combo of green chillies, ginger, roasted gram and a little coconut or dried red chillies, garlic, roasted gram and coconut. But for today's chutney I have used red chillies with ginger and have also added a couple of shallots. This chutney goes well with almost everything, both as a side to idlis and dosas and would also taste good if mixed with rice too..

Need To Have

• Roasted Gram - 4 tablespoons
• Grated Coconut - 1 tablespoon
• Dried Red Chillies - 2
• Chopped Ginger - 1 tablespoon
• Shallots - 4
• Tamarind - a small marble size
• Mustard Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Urad Dal/ Husked Black Gram - 1 teaspoon
• Asafoetida - 1/8 teaspoon
• Curry Leaves - 5
• Salt to taste

Method

          Take the roasted gram, coconut, red chillies, ginger, shallots and tamarind and grind it all together along with the salt and some water, remove and keep.

          Heat some oil, add the urad dal and mustard seeds, when it starts spluttering, add the asafoetida and curry leaves, mix for a couple of seconds, remove and add it to the ground roasted gram dal.

Note
You can add equal amounts of roasted gram and coconut, but I use less coconut to keep it healthy.
If you don't have shallots, use one small onion instead.
More or less chillies according to your tolerance level and also if you don't want, you can leave out the coconut completely.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Beetroot Kootu, Beetroot Dal, Beets With Lentils

          Whenever I buy beets, I usually make a poriyal or use it along with other vegetables in a kurma or curry. I've made kootu with it long time back, but the taste was not that amazing, so I never did it after that. I made the kootu again, couple of weeks back, cooked beets along with some dal and this time, spiced it up with black pepper and the taste was awesome. I've noted that black pepper ( instead of dried red chillies ) goes well with vegetables that have a sweetish taste like carrots and beets. And also, I have done the seasoning with coconut oil which gives a wonderful flavor to this kootu. It tastes great with some plain rice and pappads..

Need To Have

• Chopped Beets - 11/2 cups
• Moong Dal/ Split And Husked Green Gram - 1/4 cup
• Grated Coconut - 1 tablespoon, packed
• Black Pepper - 1 teaspoon
• Cumin Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Urad Dal/ Husked Black Gram - 1 teaspoon
• Mustard Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Asafoetida - 1/4 teaspoon
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Curry Leaves - 10
• Coconut Oil - 1 to 2 teaspoons
• Salt - to taste

Method

          Grind together the coconut, cumin seeds and black pepper, without adding any water, it'll be like a wet powder.

          Pressure cook the beets, moong dal along with the turmeric powder. Once all the pressure is released, open the pressure pan and add the powdered coconut mix and asafoetida and cook for a couple of minutes.

          Then heat some coconut oil in another pan, add the urad dal and mustard seeds, once it starts spluttering, add the curry leaves and remove, add this to the cooked beetroot and dal, mix well and serve it over some hot rice and enjoy.

Note
You can cook the beets and dal in a regular pan, the pressure pan or cooker saves you time.
You can do the seasoning with regular vegetable oil or canola or with ghee also, but coconut oil gives an awesome flavor.
Can make the kootu as thick or thin as you prefer, increase or decrease the pepper according to your spice level. 

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Aval Upma, Poha Upma

          It's been a week since I checked on my blog, had been on a trip to Coorg and came back only on Saturday. It was a different kind of a vacation, very relaxed and peaceful, saw for the first time, a coffee estate, learnt a little more about what goes into that morning cup of coffee. We also visited Talakaveri, the place of origin of the river Kaveri, a holy pilgrimage for the Hindus. We also got to taste a little bit of the local Kodava cuisine, Coorg food, I would be trying out some of the dishes and posting them here later. Now coming to today's post, it's the simple aval upma or poha, this is one upma that my daughter likes and I have been trying out different versions of this simple and humble upma. I have already posted one, Pepper And Jeera Aval, and today it's going to be another one, here we are flavoring the rice flakes/ aval/ poha with lemon, ginger and green chillies. It's such a simple dish, can be put together in under 20 minutes and makes a good breakfast or an after school snack..

Need To Have

• Aval/ Poha - 2 cups
• Raw Peanuts - 3 tablespoons
• Onions - 2 medium, chopped
• Grated Ginger - 1 teaspoon
• Green Chillies - 2, chopped
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Mustard Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Urad Dal - 1 teaspoon
• Asafoetida - 1/4 teaspoon
• Curry Leaves - 10
• Chopped Coriander Leaves - 2 tablespoons
• Lemon Juice - 1 tablespoon
• Sev - to garnish
• Salt to taste

Method

          Wash the poha a couple of times, drain and keep for about 10 minutes. In the meantime, heat some oil, add the peanuts and roast for 2 minutes, then add the urad dal and mustard seeds.

          When the mustard seeds start spluttering, add the asafoetida, followed by the onions, green chillies, ginger and curry leaves. Saute till the onions turn pink, then add the turmeric powder and salt and mix for a few seconds.

          Now reduce the heat, add the drained aval and mix it well till it's slightly warmed up. Finally add the lemon juice and the coriander leaves, mix once and remove. Serve it garnished with some sev.

Note
I have used aval that's neither too thin nor too thick, if you use a very thick one, then you have to soak it for some time, then drain and use, don't use the very thin variety, it'll become very mushy.
Sev is deep fried chickpea flour noodles that can be made at home or it's readily available in Indian stores. You can also use aloo bhujia (potato noodles), I have used that only, instead of plain sev and if it's spiced up and has chat masala in it, then leave out the lemon juice.
We like the upma texture to be a little soft, so I just leave a tablespoon or more of water with the aval when draining it, this water is absorbed by the aval and makes it softer.
You can also add some cooked potato pieces or green peas and also some grated fresh coconut for extra taste and flavor.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Panettone

Vidjeh prije neki dan u trgovinama su se vec pojavili gotovi Panettoni..Bozic nije bas tako blizu,tako da sam danas imala vremena napraviti jedan probni Panettone jer nekako za Bozic me vise privuce Stollen,pa na ovaj predivni kolac zaboravim.
Vrijeme mi je islo na ruku,bilo je toplo s malo vlage u zraku sto je pripomoglo tijestu da jos bolje dobije  na prozracnosti i lakoci.

Potrebne namirnice:

450gr brasna
+brasno za pobrasniti radnu povrsinu
225gr maslaca,sobne temperature
120gr secera
100gr kandirane korice limuna i narance
1 zlicica vanila extrakta
2 sredne velicine jaja
5 zumanjaka
rendana korica od 1 limuna i 1 narance
30gr svjezeg kvasca
30ml toplog mlijeka

70gr suhih grozdica
70gr suhog ribizla
1 zlicica soli
1/4 zlicice morskog orascica

    U toplo mlijeko staviti kvasac ,otopiti ga i dodati zlicu secera i zlicunbrasna..ja tako uvijek radim,mada ne mora i sam kvasac u mlijeku ce se aktivirati,no meni je sigurnije  ovako.

U dublju zdjelu prosijati brasno ,dodati morski orascic,svjeze rendanu koricu limuna i narance.

U drugu dublju posudu staviti jaja,zumanjke,vanila extrakt i jako mekani,gotovo otopljen maslac.

Kada se kvasac aktivirao,sipati ga u brasno,polako mijesajuci dodavati i ostale tekuce/mokre sastojke...mijesiti rucno ili mikserom dok se ne stvori fino elasticno tijesto,koje se ne lijepi za posudi i ruke.

Ja tijesto ostavim u istoj posudi u kojoj sam mijesila jer je ostala masna od samog tijesta tako da samo stavim prozirnu foliju i ostavim na stranu da se poveca volumen.

Pripremim u meduvremenu kandiranu koricu i ostale sastojke.

Nadoslo tijesto istresem na pobrasnjenu povrsinu ,malo rastegnem rukama i pospem kandiranu koricu narance i limuna ,grozdice ili sta tko vec dodaje,ponovo laganim pokretima premijesim tijesto i stavim u pripremljen kalup za pecenje.

Moj kalup je bio 20cm ,promjera,ali sam ga nadogradila sa obrucem  za torte  kako bi mi Panattone rastao u visinu ,a ne u sirinu !!

Peci u predhodno zagrijanoj rerni na 190c oko 15 minuta,zatim smanjiti temperaturu na 180c i jos nastaviti pei 30-ak minuta.

Prohladiti Panattone u kalupu ,isjeci i posluziti,posut secerom u prahu !

*****

Panettone

450gr flour
225gr butter
120gr caster sugar
2 medium eggs
5 medium egg yolks
grated zes of 1 orange/lemon
30gr fresh yeast
30ml milk
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
100gr candied peel
70gr sultanas
70gr raisins
*icig sugar for dasting

....Wisk the eggs,egg yolks and vanilla extract together in a bowl.
In a seperated bowl beat together the butter and all but 1 TSP of the sugar for 4-5 minutes.
Add the beaten egg mixture to the butter and sugar,beating allthe time.
Heat the milk then crumble the yeast on top and add 1Tbsp of sugar,!Tbs of flour...leave to activate and froth.
Sift the flour salt and ground nutmeg in a bowl.Make a well in the centre and pour the milk and yeast mixture into it.
Work into dough,then fold in the butter and egg mixture until smooth.
Knead on a floured surface for 8-10 minutes.
Shape into a ball then place in a floored bowl and cover with film.Leave to rise in a warm place for 1 hour...turn it out onto a floured surface and knead for 2 minutes.
Knead the risins and sultanas into the dough along with the candied peel.
Place in a springform cake tin and cover with film(clean wrap).Leave for 2 hours in a warm place.
Preheat the oven to 190c(fan170C)
Wrap the outside of the cake tin with aluminium foil,so that it come 10cm above the rimof tin.

Transfer dough to the oven,reduce the temperature to 180c after 15 minutes and bake for a future 30 minutes.
Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for 15 minutes.
turnout onto wire rack to cool completely.
dust with the icing sugar,then slice into portions and serve from a plate.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Keksici od cokolade i oraha

Keksici kojima je tesko odoljeti..

Potrebno je:

250ml sobne temperature,mekanog maslaca
375 ml smedeg secera
2 veca jaja
5ml extrakt vanile
500ml brasna
60ml gustina
5ml sode-bikarbone
prstohvat soli
500ml cokoladnih kapljica
300ml oraha,grubo sjeckanih

  U dubljojn posudi izmijesati maslac i secer,dodati jaja,dobro sve izmijesati.

dodati brasno sa sodom-bikarbonom,malo soli i gustin..napraviti tijesto u koje na kraju dodamo cokoladne kapljice ili komadice cokolade i grubo sjeckane orahe.

Pripremimo 2 veca pleha,postavimo papir za pecenje i slazeno komadice tijesta..po volji,veci komadici,manje keksica i obrnuto.
Veci keksici se moraju duce peci dok je manjim keksicima,vrijeme pecenja krace.

Keksice peci u predhodno zagrijanoj rerni na 175C oko 15 minuta.

Ogladiti i posluziti uz kavu ili caj..moze i solo !!

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Strudla

Pravila sam ih razno-razne,ova mi se u zadnje vrijeme najvise dopada !! 

Tijesto 

600gr brasna

•  1jaje,
•  250 grmaslaca
•  1kvasac
•  1/2šalicemlakog mlijeka
•  1/2korice limuna
•  2 žlicešećera
•  1 žličicasoli
  
•  nadjev:
•  oko 150 groraha, maka, lješnjaka ili rogača, malo grožđica
•  1 dlmlijeka,
•  po ukusušećera,
•  1vanilja šećer,
•  šećer u prahu

TeTijesto:

1. 
   

   brašno, sol, šećer pomiješati, dodati jaje, otopljen margarin, koricu od limuna, mlako mlijeko i izmrvljen kvas. Umijesiti fino, glatko tijesto i pustiti ga da malo naraste. Podijeliti ga na 4 loptice prije nadjevanja.
2. 
   
   /slika/770655/
   Nadjev:

   
   

    mak, orahe, lješnjak ili rogač staviti u mlijeko i kuvati na pari , miješajući. Dodati šećera po želji i  vanilja šećera. dodati grožđice/ suvo grožđe
3. 
   
   Ugrijati rernu na 200 C. 

   Tijesto razvaljati i 3/4 kvadrata , premazati   nadjevom. Urolati , premazati žumanjcem i peći oko 20-25 minuta.

   
   
4. 
   

   

   
   Original recept !!

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Karamel snite

•  .1 casa brasna
•  .125gr. maslaca
•  .4 kasike smedjeg secera
•  .3/4 case kokosa

• fil/Karamel premaz

•  .500 ml. sweetened condensed milk (slatko kondenzirano mlijeko)
•  .80gr maslaca
•  4 kasike smedeg secera

• Cokoladna glazura

•  100gr cokolade
•  2 zlice ulja

Težina:

1. U zdjelu staviti brasno,secer,kokos,promijesati i dodati istopljen maslac,pa sve izmijesati da se dobije vlazna smjesa.
2. 
   
   U pripremljenu tepsiju(25x15cm) pritisnuti lagano dobivenu smjesu/ tijesto i staviti peci.
3. 
   
   Peci u predhodno zagrijanoj rerni na 160C, 10 -12minuta, dok nebude svjetlo smedje boje
4. 
   
   Pustiti biskvit da se prohladi..
5. 
   
   U serpu staviti maslac, secer i

   zasladeno kondenzirano mlijeko, te kuhati, mjesti  kuhacom non-stop, dok se ne pojave mjehurici,zatim smanjiti temperaturu i kuhati jos pet minuta.

   Kada potez kucom ostavi trag,znaci da se karamel zgusnio i da je spreman za upotrebu.
6. 
   
   Tako pripremljen fil premazi preko biskvita i ponovo vratiti u rernu da se pece,narednih 15-estak minuta

   (okolo po rubovima se pojave mjehurici,tada je gotovo).

   Ostaviti da se ohladi.

   Kada se karamel stisne preliti ga cokoladom otopljenom na pari.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Green Beans And Chickpeas Curry

         Back after a weekend of fun and celebration, hope everybody had a fun filled and safe Diwali. After all the sweets and savories for the past couple of weeks, today's post is going to be a simple curry with green beans and chickpeas/ garbonza beans or chana. It's very simple to make, goes very well with both rice and rotis, very healthy and nutritious..

Need To Have

• Chopped Green Beans - 11/2 cups
• Cooked Chickpeas - 1 cup
• Onions - 2 medium, chopped
• Tomatoes - 2 medium, chopped
• Garlic - 5 cloves, chopped
• Kasoori Methi - 1 tablespoon, crushed
• Red Chilly Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Cumin Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
• Black Pepper Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Cumin Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Salt to taste

Method

          Microwave the chopped beans with a little water and salt till cooked. Heat some oil, add the cumin seeds, when it starts spluttering add the onions and garlic and saute for 2 minutes, then add the kasoori methi and mix for another minute.

          Now add the chopped tomatoes and saute till it starts to break down, then add the turmeric, chilly and cumin powders along with salt and keep sauteing till the tomatoes become mushy.

          Then add the cooked beans and chickpeas and keep mixing for another 5 to 7 minutes, finally add the pepper powder, mix and remove.

Note
The green beans retain the green color, if you cook them in the microwave.
Kasoori Methi is dried fenugreek leaves, available in Indian stores which gives a unique flavor.
I have added only 2 tomatoes as the ones available here are very sour, if you are using plum tomatoes, you can add more.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Eggless Pina Colada Cake

          Pina Colada Cake, most of us are very familiar with this flavor, if not, it's a cake bursting with tropical flavors of coconut and pineapple, well, this was our challenge, this month, for Eggless Baking, it was suggested by Meena of Chettinad Fiesta. It's basically a sponge cake frosted with pineapple mousse, coconut and mascarpone cheese, the process might look a bit long, but the end result is worth all of it. The original cake recipe here, uses rum, coconut liquor and eggs, I have replaced eggs with condensed milk and orange juice and left out the alcohol. I have made cakes, using condensed milk alone which gives a dense cake and orange juice alone which gives a airy and super spongy cake. For this cake I have used both of them, because I felt that if I used orange juice alone, the cake would be very light and might weigh down with the frosting. Since the frosting has coconut, cheese and fruits, it has to be refrigerated, if you like the drink Pina Colada or cheese frosting or white chocolate, then this cake is for you, because the frosting tasted a little bit like all of the above..

Need To Have
For The Sponge Cake

• All Purpose Flour/ Maida - 1 cup
• Condensed Milk - 1/2 cup
• Orange Juice - 3/4 cup
• Oil - 1/4 cup
• Baking Powder - 1 teaspoon
• Baking Soda - 1/2 teaspoon
• Vanilla Extract - 1 teaspoon
• Salt - a pinch

For The Pineapple Mousse

• Chopped Pineapple Pieces - 2 cups
• Sugar - 1 tablespoon
• Corn Flour - 1 teaspoon

For The Coconut Cream, Cheese Frosting

• Coconut Milk - 200 ml
• Sugar - 1/4 cup
• Mascarpone Cheese - 6 tablespoons
• Cream Cheese - 2 tablespoons
• Corn Flour - 2 teaspoons

Additionaly Needed

• Orange Juice - 3 tablespoons
• Grated Coconut - 1 to 2 cups 

Method
Sponge Cake

          Take the oil, condensed milk, orange juice, vanilla extract and salt and beat well.

          Sift the flour, baking powder and baking soda and add to the wet ingredients and mix it well.

          Pour it in a greased and floured pan and bake it at 180 C for 35 to 40 minutes, remove and cool the cake.

Pineapple Mousse

          Take 11/2 cups of the chopped pineapple, add the sugar and 1 cup of water, mix and cook it covered for 1/2 an hour.

          Mash it slightly, add the remaining 1/2 cup pineapple pieces and the corn flour mixed with little water. Mix everything together for about 5 minutes till you get a jam consistency, remove and cool it.

Coconut Cream Frosting

          Take the coconut milk and sugar in a pan, and cook on  medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes, till it thickens, it should coat a spoon dipped in it, keep stirring it all the time.

          Cool it, then add the mascarpone and cream cheese and whip it well, using a electric blender, since the mixture was a little runny, I added 2 teaspoons of corn flour and whipped it, cool it for about 30 minutes, it'll be easier to do the frosting.
You can refer for homemade mascarpone cheese here and homemade cream cheese here.

Frosting The Cake

          Slice the cake into 3 layers. Take the bottom layer, pour about a tablespoon of the orange juice, allow it to soak, then put half of the pineapple mousse, then layer with the coconut cream frosting, then place the next layer, repeat the orange juice, pineapple and coconut cream, place the third layer, add the orange juice and frost it fully with the coconut cream, just enough for the grated coconut to stick to it. Press the grated coconut all over the cake. Refrigerate the cake for at least an hour and then slice it and serve.

Note
I have not used 2 cups of grated coconut, used about 1/4 cup only, wanted to cut down the calories, if doing it for a party, then layer it well with the grated coconut, it gives the cake a beautiful look.
You can avoid the sugar in the pineapple mousse, the pineapple that I used was not that sweet, so I added 1 tablespoon of sugar to it.
The sponge cake, if eaten alone will need another tablespoon or 2 of sugar, but with all the frosting, it tasted perfect.
I have used a 5" spring form cake pan, the pan is deep, so it took me about 40 mins in the oven and also the cake could be sliced into 3 layers.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Potato And Bitter Gourd Stir Fry, Urulaikizhangu Pavakkai Vadakkal

          Last month, we had lunch at a Bengali restaurant, though I have tasted Bengali food a couple of times, I cannot talk about the authenticity of a dish. But on that day, I spoke to a girl ( a Bengali student ) sitting at the next table and she told me that she was tasting home style food after a long time, I took that as the verdict. One of the dishes that we ordered that day was a vegetable bajje ( appetizer ), I thought it would be some vegetable, dipped in batter and deep fried. To my surprise, it was a potato and bitter gourd fry, I think both the vegetables were deep fried and then sauteed with some spices. We just loved it, and I wanted to try it at home, I have tried to reproduce it from what I had tasted, I didn't get the recipe, and also I have tried to make it healthy too, try this, even kids wouldn't mind the pavakkai/ karela/ bitter gourd in this..

Need To Have

• Bitter Gourd - 2 medium
• Potatoes - 3 small
• Fennel Seed Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
• Red Chilly Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Sugar - 1/2 teaspoon
• Salt to taste

Method

          Slightly scrape the outer skin of the bitter gourd, slice into half, scoop out the seeds in the middle and make thin half-moon slices. Peel and slice the potatoes like we do it for French fries. 

          Heat some oil in a pan, add the potato slices and a little salt,  cover and keep sauteing, till the potato fingers turn golden with few brown spots here and there, remove and keep. 

          Add some more oil, now add the sliced bitter gourd and salt and cover and keep sauteing till it gets wrinkled, gets cooked and slightly crispy, remove and keep. 

          Add a little oil, add the fennel seed, chilly and turmeric powders along with the sugar, give a mix and add both the vegetables, mix with the spice powders and keep sauteing for another 5 to 7 minutes. Remove and serve it warm with dal and rice or rotis.

Note

You can deep fry both the potato and bitter gourd, the dish at the restaurant was just oozing out oil.

The final dish should not be crunchy, but sort of soft and crispy at the same time.

The bitter gourd loses most of its bitter taste.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad