Colostrum pudding (Posu/Ginnu/Junnu/karvas )

Prepared from 1st day colostrum and fresh milk

Colostrum is the first milk of mammals. Like human colostrum, colostrum from cows is rich in immune factors, antimicrobial fatty acids, vitamins and minerals--all necessary to protect the calf from infection and insure adequate growth during infancy. Colostrum has a long history of use in the practice of medicine, especially in Ayurvedic medicine, and has been successfully used to treat a host of chronic diseases including allergies, autoimmune diseases, respiratory ailments, digestive disorders, diabetes, osteoporosis, heart disease, gout and depression. In fact, colostrum is said to be the perfect anti-aging food and has been used in expensive spas for years.
      In the English countryside, colostrum is called "beestings" and is used in a variety of custard and pudding dishes. It can be substituted for eggs because when used, it will cause the puddings to "set." In konkani we call it posu, in kannada Ginnu and in Marati it is known as Karvas and in north india it is know as Junnu

Ingredients

• 1 cups cow's colostrum (milk from the first or second milking after calving)*
• 2 cups  colostrum (2nd milking)*
• 11/2 cups Jaggery 
• 1 tsp Cardamom powder

prepared from 1st milking and 2nd milking 

Cooking Directions

1. Mixing the colostrum with milk is an art one has to learn, but the rule of thumb is that if it's from the first milking, then it should be thinned 1:2, but if it's from the second milking, then it should be thinned with two parts colostrum to one part milk. To make sure you're getting the mix right, do a test batch and cook it to see how it comes out.
2. First dissolve the jaggery in a milk and stir together the milk and colostrum, When you're sure of the mix,strain if necessary to remove any impurities in the jaggery. add the cardamom powder and stir to mix
3. Now Pour the mixture into a saucepan or bowl or pudding mould and steam it just like we steam idli in a steamer.
4. Boil some water in a vessel and put a lid or cover it with a  foil to avoid moisture entering and cook gently in a water bath on the stove-top for until the mixture is set. The pudding should be solid, soft and smooth  the texture is similar to creme caramel. It will take about 10 to 15 minutes depending on the size of the ramekins or pudding moulds.
5. Let it cool completely before cutting.
6. Serve chilled.

Tip:

1. Jaggery can be replaced with Sugar  for this recipe (depending on your taste). I prefer adding jaggery itself.
2. You can replace cardamom powder with saffron strands or vanilla essence to get a different flavor.

Kurukku payasam...Healthy kerala style red rice pudding

 Rice payasam is usually a heavy, occasional indulgence, it's pretty easy to cut some corners to turn this former guilty pleasure into a healthy, diet-friendly treat!

  

 Today i am here with a traditional kerala style payasam. Red boiled rice. The red rice is also known as the unakkalari by kerala peoples. If you cannot find red rice in store then you can buy Rose Matta rice or you can use some any non-sticky rice like brown basmathi for preparing this type of payasam .This is a very healthy pudding as it is made with red rice and jaggery. Red rice , rich in fiber and is a good source of manganese and selenium. Jaggery is rich in iron and is definitely a better choice than sugar.

This recipe combines coconut milk and red rice or brown rice to result in a delicious, creamy dessert. The coconut milk cooks the rice into a perfectly soft texture, and with a tad of sweetener and a dash of cinnamon, this rice Payasam is the poster child for sweet comfort food. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup rose matta rice/red rice (nellu kuthari)or Chamba arii or payasam Rice
• 1 Coconut ( grated)
• 1/2 Kg Jaggery
• 6-7 Cardamom
• 1/4 piece Nutmeg/jaipal
• 2 tsp Ghee
• 15-20 Cashew nut,broken
• 1 tbsp Raisins
• 8-10 Almonds,sliced
• 1/4 tsp Cinnamon powder

Cooking Directions

1. Soak rice in water for about 3 hours.
2. After 3 hours strain and grind rice, coconut grating,whole cardamom and nutmeg to smooth paste using 2 cups of water.
3. Add about 11/2 liter of water to make thin watery consistency and keep aside
4. Dissolve jaggery in a little water and heat on a low medium flame or until it begins to melt. stir well switch off the gas.Then filter it to remove impurities.
5. Heat non stick pan or thick bottomed kadai and add the ground rice -coconut paste and Water and cook on medium flame and stir continuously till the rice paste becomes almost thick.
6. At this stage add melted jaggery water, keep stirring till the payasam thickens to the desired consistency .
7. Now, heat the ghee in a pan and add the raisins pieces of cashew nut and almonds fry till golden brown and the raisins have puffed up, remove and add to the payasam and mix well preserving some nuts for garnishing...Enjoy!

Thai chicken curry with lemongrass

Preparing Thai food can be challenging, because some of the ingredients are pretty exotic.It can be tough getting hold of things like galangal and kaffir lime leaves in smaller cities like mine so i have replaced it with ginger and bay leaves. Thai green curry paste often contains shrimp, and fish sauce has anchovies, which presents a problem.Because of these challenges, I decided to create my own Thai-style curry using everyday ingredients. I wanted to capture that delicious Thai flavor in a recipe that is accessible to everybody, whether or not you live close to an Asian market. The most exotic ingredient on the list is lemongrass, which is available in the produce section of most Asian grocery stores. If your market doesn't carry fresh lemongrass, it will likely carry lemongrass paste near the fresh herbs or in the Asian food section.  this herb has a distinctive flavor that really enhances the dish.

This Thai Curry Recipe is fragrant and sumptuous, and can be made anywhere from mild to spicy depending on your taste. It starts with a homemade Thai green curry paste which is easily put together with your food processor or blender. Add coconut milk, chicken, and you have a healthy and hearty curry dish that will awaken your senses and boost your mood.I just  love this recipe and it is SO simple. I've adjust it slightly due to personal preferences. I usually go light (if at all ) on the fish sauce and shrimp paste and I leave out the brown sugar completely . For my family, it is already sweet enough with the coconut milk and tomato. I also add  onion to the blender preparation and then slice the rest and put it in the dish with the chicken to cook. This is so easy and tastes wonderful.

Thai green curry paste

1. 4-5 cloves garlic
2. 10 green chilies 
3. 1onion (OR 1/4 cup purple onion), chopped
4. 1 thumb-size piece galangal OR ginger, sliced
5. 1/2 cup fresh coriander (cilantro) leaves & stems roughly chopped
6. 1/2 tsp. coriander seeds
7. 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
8. 1/2 tsp. ground white pepper (available in most supermarket spice aisles)
9. 1 Tbsp. lime juice
10. 100ml coconut milk fresh or canned 

Blend well to create a fragrant green curry paste. If using a blender, add more coconut milk to blend ingredients, up to 200ml as necessary.

Main ingredients:

1. 4 shallots , or 2 small onions
2. 2 stalks lemongrass
3. 1 tbsp vegetable oil
4. 3-4 tsp Thai curry paste
5. 1kg Chicken,cut into medium sized pieces
6. 1 tbsp fish sauce
7. 4 freeze-dried or fresh kaffir lime leaves or bay leaves 
8. 300 ml coconut milk
9. 2-3 stalks of green onion/spring onion

Cooking Directions

• Peel shallots or onion and cut in half from top to root. Lay the cut sides flat on a board and thinly slice. 
• Remove any tough outer leaves from the lemongrass and cut off the bulb. Thinly slice the lower half of the stalk (the upper half can be discarded OR cut into long segments and added to the curry pot for extra flavor). Chop the slices with your knife to mince, or pound with pestle & mortar.
• Heat the oil in a wok or large saucepan for a couple of minutes.Add sliced shallots or onions. Fry for 3-5 mins, until soft and translucent. Stir in the curry paste and Lemon grass and cook for 1 min, stirring all the time.
• Add chicken pieces and stir until they are coated. Add the fish sauce,sugar (if you are using), kaffir lime leaves or bay leaves and remaining coconut milk. Bring slowly to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 15 mins until the chicken is cooked. Stir the curry a few times while it cooks, to stop it sticking and to keep the chicken submerged.
• Stir half the roughly chopped spring onion into the curry and sprinkle the rest over the top. Serve Hot with Thai jasmine rice or plain steamed basmati rice.

Tips :

1. If the fresh lemongrass is not available then substitute 3 Tbsp bottled OR frozen prepared lemongrass (bottled lemongrass can be found at some supermarkets, or look for the frozen type at your Asian food store).
2. If You'd Like More Sauce then add 1/2 cup chicken stock. OR, for a creamier green curry, add more coconut milk (1/3 to 1/2 can) or evaporated milk (both are used in Thailand).
3. Once chicken is cooked, add up to 2 chopped bell peppers OR experiment with other vegetables of your choice - green beans, tomatoes zucchini, and eggplant all work well.Stir in the vegetables and continue simmering another 10 minutes, or until vegetables have softened and chicken is tender.
4. You can add a tsp of shrimp paste.Shrimp paste (also known as 'shrimp sauce', 'kapi', 'trassi' or 'bagoong aramang') is a strong-smelling, very salty pink paste commonly used as a cooking ingredient in many Southeast-Asian dishes.

Banana choco Sundae

Over the weekend, I got together with some of my neighbours for an Ice Cream Social. We had been talking about doing this for quite some time but had never followed through.We each brought different ice cream toppings, candy and accouterments. We had hot fudge, caramel, butterscotch, whipped cream, sprinkles, Oreos, brownie bites and cookies.We piled our bowls high with a bit of everything and topped off our sundaes with different waffles.These were works of art, unparalleled masterpieces even.Each bite was a unique experience that was never exactly replicated.As an homage to our ice cream social, I'm posting this fun and yummy recipe of  banana chocolate ice cream

Nothing says summer like homemade ice cream.I really enjoy eating ice cream all year round. it is my dessert passion! The hot summer months are just a great excuse for enjoying ice cream more often. It certainly will help to cool off the rising temperatures. that's for sure!Try out this light,easy and delicious recipe and Enjoy!
Ingredients

• 3 Large bananas or 4 medium
• 2 cups Full fat milk
• 1 cup Fresh cream
• 1 Lemon
• 1 cup Sugar
• 1/2 cup Dark chocolate,grated
• 1tbsp Butter salted or unsalted, cut into small pieces
• 1/2tsp Vanilla extract/essence

For serving:

• 3-4 Bananas
• 1-2 tbsp Honey
• Some waffle biscuits

Cooking Directions

1. Slice the bananas into 1/2-inch pieces and toss them with 1/2 cup sugar and butter in a non stick pan and cook on slow flame,stirring during cooking, until the bananas are light browned and cooked through.
2. Scrape the bananas and the thick syrup from the pan into the blender or food processor. Add milk, cream, remaining sugar, vanilla, lemon juice and salt ,puree until smooth.
3. Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator till almost set.It will take about 3-4 hours.
4. After its set, take it out and beat it again to remove crystals from it.
5. Now add Add 1/2 of the chocolate gratings and again blend it well in a blender.After this beating, you will see air bubbles in it which will make ice-cream more softened after solidifying.
6. Now put this ice cream mixture in an air-tight container otherwise it may become harden,sprinkle remaining grated chocolate and Refrigerate for 6-7 hours or overnight.
7. For serving, take 4 wide bowls, add freshly cut banana pieces mixed with honey and Scoop ice cream into four bowls and garnish with banana slices, chocolate sprinkles and waffle biscuit.

Please do leave your wonderful comments and thoughts using the comment box below. Remember that your comments and thoughts are highly welcomed and appreciated.

Tangy "Mango pickle Rasam".. JO's way

Mango madness! Spice up your summer with tangy mango delights...today i am here with one such amazing recipe that will tickle your taste buds..yes its tangy rasam using mango pickle

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup Mango pickle
• 2 tbsp Turdal
• 1 Tomato ( chopped)
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
• 1 tsp Rasam powder
• 1/2 tsp Sugar
• 1 green chilly, chopped

For grinding:

• 1/2 cup Coconut,grated
• 3tsp Coriander powder
• 1tsp Jeera/cumin seeds
• 4-5 Kashmiri red chillies

For tempering:

• 1tsp Mustard seeds
• 2 spring Curry leaves
• 2 tsp coconut oil
• 1tbsp Coriander leaves,chopped for garnishing

Cooking Directions

1. Pressure cook Turdal,1/4 cup mango pickle,green chilly,tomato,rasam powder,few curry leaves and turmeric powder in 1 liter of water,till 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile grind all the masala ingredients to smooth paste and keep aside.
3. Once the cooker is completely cooled down, open and transfer the cooked dal into a deep sauce pan or any vessel,blend it well with a hand blender or a churner .
4. Bring it to boil,while its boiling add ground masala and the remaining 1/4 cup of mango pickle to it.
5. Allow it to cook until the green mangoes are soft but not mushy.
6. Add sugar and salt to taste (check salt as pickle also contains salt),stir well. Once done remove from heat.
7. Now prepare tempering by heating oil in a pan and add mustard and curry leaves,after they splutter pour this tadka over the rasam and stir well.
8. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with steamed rice.

varutharacha chemmeen curry (Prawn in roasted coconut gravy)...

This traditional Kerala style Prawn curry my Mamama/grandmother used to make this when I was a child. My amma/mom made a version of it, too. I make a version of it, too, with chopped ginger and some pepper. I also added a bit of garam masala and some lemon juice. I made this last Sunday and it was a hit!!! When my 14 year old daughter saw me clicking , she was like "Oh wow... That looks soooo good!" Love it when she gets excited about dinner like that LOL! She then proceeded to taste couple of prawns, and told me to put it on the menu often!

Ingredients
For marination:

• 1/2 kg Prawns shelled and deveined 
• 1/2tsp Turmeric powder
• 1tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Lemon juice

For Roasting in oil and grinding

• 1/2 grated Coconut
• 1tbsp Coriander seeds
• 10 Whole dried red chilles
• 4-5 Garlic, cloves
• 10 sambar onions/shallots or 1 Onion chopped
• 10 Pepper corns
• 1 Lemon sized ball of tamarind
• 1 tsp Garam masala ( optional)
• 3 tsp coconut oil

For tempering:

• 1 Onion or 7-8 shallots
• 3-4 Green chillies
• 1tsp Mustard
• 2 spring Curry leaves
• 1tbsp Coconut oil
• 1 tsp Chopped ginger

Cooking Directions

1. Combine the marination ingredients well and keep aside for 30 mins.
2. Heat two teaspoons of oil in a pan and fry the grated coconut, coriander seeds, Red chillies, Garlic, turmeric powder and pepper corns stir well. When the mixture becomes brown in colour, grind it into a smooth paste with tamarind and garam masala and keep it aside.
3. Heat oil in an earthen/ clay pot/large pan.Add Mustard,curry leaves and saute for a second.Now add onion and saute till onions becomes dark brown colour.
4. Add slit green chillies and ginger and fry again for couple of minutes.
5. Now add roasted masala paste and saute for a few minutes.
6. Now add marinated prawns and check for salt and add at this stage.
7. Simmer and cook covered till the gravy is semi dry and oil comes on top
8. Now get ready to relish this spicy prawn dish with hot red boiled rice or roti

Baby corn Tamatar ki subzi( baby corn in tomato sauce)

If there is one vegetable that is power house of great nutrition and taste alike,it is babycorn. Rich in carotenoids,vitamin B & C,sodium,and fibre,baby corn is one such vegetable that offers resistance to several health problems like constipation,colon cancer, cataracts, heart diseases  and abnormal blood pressure.
Eat it raw or cooked,grilled or boiled,baby corn is a heaven of taste and health bundled into a crunchy ,chewy,delicious vegetable.

Today i am here with tasty baby corn recipe that's sure to please one and all.

Ingredients :

1. 20 baby corns,cut into 2 inch long pieces
2. 2 big capsicum( red and green)
3. 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
4. 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
5. Salt to taste.
6. Juice of 1 lime.
7. 1 tbsp  oil
8. 1 tbsp butter or margarine 
9. 6 dry red chillies.
10. 1/4 tsp methi /fenugreek seeds.
11. 6 cloves garlic (peeled)
12. 1/4 tsp mustard seeds.
13. 2 onions ( finely sliced )
14. 1/2 tsp cumin powder
15. 1/2 tsp Garam masala
16. 6 green chillies (chopped finely)
17. 5-6 large tomatoes ( skinned & pureed) or
18. 2 cups tomato puree.
19. 1/2 tsp cumin seeds.

Method :-

• Rub turmeric, ginger garlic paste and salt with the juice of 1 lime on babycorn and capsicum. leave for 30 minutes.

 

• Heat oil in a pan ,add red chillies, fenugreek seeds, garlic & mustard seeds till they darken, turning down the heat to prevent their burning. 

• Add onions & fry to a golden brown.

 

• Add cumin powder and garam masala powder stir for 2 minutes.

•  then add marinated babycorn and stir fry. 

• Add green chillies and butter, saute well for 3-4 minutes on medium low flame. 

• Add pureed tomatoes and cook on slow fire till the tomatoes are cooked and the dish is almost dry.

• Add sugar dissolved in a tbsp of water (optional), salt to taste & saute till it blends well . 

Serve hot with roti or rice

Manglorean style "Marvai pundi" (clams and rice dumplings in coconut curry sauce)

Today for dinner I cooked manglorean style clam and rice dumplings in Coconut curry sauce, Its yummy and taste fantastic with all the herbs combination, totally outrages. HUbby and I have decided to make a conscious effort to eat more seafood. This effort probably won't be cheap. But if we try to spoil ourselves on a seafood dinner at home, we are less likely to splurge on a fancy dinner out were that salmon or king fish fillet is likely to cost 3 to 4 times more. So whatever the occasion we eat at home and ate well. This is amazing curry broth and I suspect mussels would be equally as divine!

Ingredients for Pundi:

1. 2 cups- Parboiled rice/ white ukde thandul
2. salt as per taste

Ingredients for clam curry sauce:

1. 1/2 kg Clams/kubbe/marvai/thisre
2. 1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
3. 1 onion,chopped
4. 1 tbsp coconut oil/any veg oil

Ingredients for the masala/sauce:

1. 3 cups Coconut.grated
2. 10-12 Kashmiri red chillies ( you can use 2-3 guntur or any hot chillies if you like it more spicy)
3. 2tsp Coriander seeds
4. 1/4tsp Cumin/jeera
5. 8-10 Fenugreek/methi seeds
6. 1Onion,sliced
7. 10 Pepper corns
8. 1/2tsp Turmeric /haldi
9. 6-7 Garlic cloves
10. 1/2 inch Ginger,chopped fine
11. 1/2tsp Mustard seeds
12. 1 Marble sized ball of Tamarind
13. 1tsp coconut oil or any veg oil

Cooking Directions:

For Pundi:

1. For rice dumplings,soak rice for about 6-7 hours and grind to coarse paste with 3 cups of and salt to taste.
2. then transfer to a thick bottom pan and cook on medium flame till the moisture evaporates and you are left with a lump(this should not be too dry,you must be able to form balls).
3. Let it cool for sometime,then start making small round,flat shaped dumplings almost as a coin shape.You can make about 25-30 dumpling from this dough.
4. Now boil water in a idli steamer and steam for about 15 minutes or till done.

For clams :

• Place the clams in a large bowl and fill with water until the clams are fully submerged. Allow them to rest for 30 minutes to an hour to encourage them to filter out any sand and grit.
• Gently remove each clam one at a time and scrub away any grit on the outside of the shell.
• Now take one vessel and add 2 cups of water.Add all the clams and simmer the calms for 5-7 minutes or until most of the shells have opened. Discard any unopened clams.When its cool open and discard one shell keeping one with the flesh and save the liquid left over after boiling the cockles for the gravy.

For the masala:

• Dry roast the ,chillies, coriander, cumin, pepper corns, fenugreek seeds,1/2 tsp mustard and lastly add turmeric and switch off the gas.
• Transfer this to a blender and in the same pan add 1 chopped onion and little oil (about 1tsp) and fry on low flame till you get the nice aroma.
• Grind coconut ,roasted masala ingredients ,fried onion,garlic cloves,ginger and tamarind to fine paste.

For the clam curry sauce:

• Heat cooking pot,add coconut oil/any veg oil.Add remaining mustard and onion chopped and saute for a while till onion turns to golden brown.
• Stir in the coconut Paste and clam juice in which clams have boiled, whisking to break up and lumps in the coconut paste. Add salt to taste and some more water if needed to make the gravy little thin. Bring the mixture to a boil. Add the clams, cover and reduce heat,cook for 5 minutes.
• Now add steamed rice dumplings/pundi and boil further 10-15 minutes till the gravy is thickens.
• Serve after few hours or keep it overnight to let the rice dumpling soak in the gravy.

Water melon rind halwa

Summer and watermelon are inseparable. Watermelon are found almost everywhere in the world. Although we can find watermelons in our markets throughout the year, the season for watermelon is the summer when they are sweet and of the best quality. No other fruit can we find so crunchy and thirst quenching like watermelon.

 When the heat of summer tires us with thirst, eating watermelon is a safe alternative to taking energy drinks. Since it contains high water quantity it can hydrates us whereas other drinks are caffeine filled energy drinks, which can easily dehydrate us. Nothing can be more satisfactory on a hot, dusty day than a crisp, juicy slice of watermelon! 

        Do you know that the rind of water melon is edible?....... The term rind usually refers to the skin or peel of a fruit. In watermelon, the rind consists of two parts - the outer green skin and the inner white pulp.The outer green skin of the rind is hard and inedible, so it is discarded. The inner whitish part of the rind is edible, although it has a bland taste when raw and is not as soft as the central red part. Today i am not using the juicy red part of the watermelon but the white part of water melon rind to make this delicious halwa.

      I got this recipe from one of my friend, who posted in one of the  Face book food group , I was drawn to it like a magnet. (Don't ask why because I have no idea. Maybe it had something to do with my hesitation to throw away all that pretty green rind. Or, maybe I just like any recipe with the word halwa.) This recipe is simple just like carrot or bottle gourd halwa. 

Ingredients:

• 5 cups Water melon rind (grated)
• 1/2 cup Jaggery
• 1/4 cup Sugar
• 1/4tsp Cardamom powder
• 2tbsp Ghee/clarified butter
• 1cup Fresh cream
• 1tbsp Cashewnut,broken
• 1tbsp Raisins
• 10 Almonds,sliced
• 5-6 strands of Saffron

Cooking Directions:

• For this recipe, you'll need the rind of a 2 kg melon. Use the white inner rind, not the outer green part, which might have been waxed. Shred the rind with the large holes of a box grater, or cut it into chunks and shred it in a food processor .
• Fry nuts in little ghee till golden and keep aside
• Now take a heavy bottomed kadai or pan,add ghee and sugar and stir till it changes to light brown colour,now add the grated water melon rinds and Keep stirring on high flame till the water dries up completely.
• Now add the cream and cook further on medium flame,till the fat separates.
• Add jaggery and keep on stirring till the halwa turns to light brown colour and almost dry.
• Add saffron stands and cardamom powder and stir for 2-3 minutes and switch off the gas.

• Garnish with roasted nuts and tasty water melon halwa is ready to serve !

If you have tried any of these recipes or have recipes of your own, i want to hear about your experiences so be sure to leave your comments in the comment box below this post..thank you :)

Soyabean idli..

Soybeans are very rich in protein. It is an excellent food, which replaces animal protein. It is highly suitable for strict vegetarians and for those who want to avoid non-vegetarian foods. Soya can be used in variety of traditional foods. The aim is to replace the junk foods, which contain empty calories with great tasting Soy Foods.Soybean contains isoflavones that minimizes the risk of developing certain cancers. Soybean, being a fabulous source of proteins, aids in lowering the cholesterol level. Genistein, an isoflavone in soybean, protects the body from the clutches of plague disease. In the market, three kinds of soybeans can be spotted, namely, fresh immature (green) soybeans, known as edamame, fresh mature soybeans, and dried soybeans. Owing to the innumerable benefits of soybeans, incorporate them in your daily meals and promote your health fitness. In this recipe i've used dried soya beans which is easily available in any of the super market

Ingredients

• 1/2cup Urad /black gram dal
• 1/2 cup Dried Soya bean
• 2 cups Dosa rice
• 1/2tsp Methi/fenugreek seeds
• salt as per taste

Cooking Directions

1. Wash soya bean and urad dal twice and soak both together for 6-7 hours in 2 liters of water.
2. Wash and soak rice and methi in 1 liter of water for 6-7 hours
3. Now use your wet grinder or mixer grinder and use the same water in which both soya and dal are soaked.
4. Fill the soaked dal and bean upto 3/4 of the jar. Run the mixer at speed 2 and gradually add water while the mixer is still running,till the paste becomes uniformly fine.Stop and stir inbetween to allow trapped air bubbles to escape and to allow circulation. It will take 5-6 minutes to get a fine paste depending on the mixer grinder. Do not use all the water,keep some for grinding the rice.
5. Now transfer the batter into large vessel.
6. in the same jar add rice and methi and 1/2 cup of soaked dal water and grind to coarse paste ( should be semolina consistency )
7. Add this rice batter to the dal and soya bean batter,mix it well with your hands and keep overnight to ferment.
8. Next day morning add salt as per taste and adjust the batter,by adding little water if needed.
9. Boil water in idli cooker and fill the idli moulds with this batter and steam for about 10-12 minutes.
10. Serve hot with ginger-peanut chutney.

Hi Everybody thank you for visiting my blog. I'd love to hear 

from you, post your comments or shoot me an email with any

 questions: jobaliga@gmail.com

Chinese style "Dragon chicken"

Happy weekend!

Why go out for Chinese food when it is this easy? Today i am here with one of my favourite chinese dish called Dragon chicken. I've heard about this recipe for a while but was skeptical. Much to my delight, the recipe was spot-on and the chicken was truly juicy and delicious.
  If you love chinese dishes,then this recipe is perfect for Saturdays and Sundays when you have more hours to devote to prepping and cooking, but you can just easily make them on any day of the week if it so please you. Savor this yummy recipe with your family and friends. Make your weekend table a place for good food and good times. Enjoy!

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Ingredients

• 500 grams Boneless chicken ( about 10 pieces)
• 1 tbsp Ginger garlic paste
• 1 tsp Red chilly powder
• 1 tsp Soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp Pepper powder
• 1 tbsp maida/all purpose flour
• 1 tbsp Corn flour
• Salt as per taste

For the sauce:

• 1 tbsp Red chilly paste
• 2 tbsp tomato sauce
• 1 tbsp Garlic Cloves ,chopped fine
• 1 tbsp Ginger,chopped fine
• 1 Green chilly,chopped fine
• 1 tsp Soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp White vinegar
• 1/2 tsp Pepper powder
• 2s ticks Spring onions,chopped fine
• 1 tsp Sugar
• a pinch of Ajjinomoto/MSG
• 1 Drop of orange red colour
• 3tsp of sesame oil or any veg oil
• Salt to taste

Cooking Directions
To prepare the sauce:

1. Mix all the ingredients together ,except oil and red colour.
2. Heat oil in a frying pan,when that oil is very hot,pour in the mixture and add 1tbsp water, stir well .Cook till the sauce blends well and thickens.
3. Add a drop of red colour and remove from the heat.
4. Marinate the chicken with ginger garlic paste,red chilly powder,pepper powder and salt.Keep in refrigerator for a minimum of 30 minutes.
5. Mix flour, cornflour,egg,salt to taste and a dash of orange red colour. Add enough water to mix to a smooth batter.
6. Dip the chicken pieces in the batter and deep fry until crisp.
7. Saute them in a prepared sauce..Pour this in a serving bowl and garnish with finely chopped spring onions and finely cut omelette pieces and Serve with rice or
   Asian noodles.

Dhaba style ...Methi aloo-paneer

Happy weekend!

It's not every day that one can spend long hours in the kitchen preparing elaborate meals. But on weekends and holidays when the family is at home and there is more than enough time to go crazy in the kitchen. You can easily dazzle everyone with delicious meals- starting from a beyond-the usual breakfast to a hearty lunch to a four-course dinner.

  Today i am here with such interesting rich and creamy dish with fenugreek,baby potatoes and paneer/cottage cheese, A Perfect  dhaba style dish .This recipe is perfect for Saturdays and Sundays when you have more hours to devote to prepping and cooking, but you can just easily make them on any day of the week if it so please you. Savor this yummy recipe with your family and friends. Make your weekend table a place for good food and good times. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 2 cups Fresh Fenugreek/Methi leaves
• 20 Baby potatoes
• 200 grams Fresh paneer/cottage cheese,crumbled
• 3 cups Full Fat Milk
• 2tbsp Fresh cream
• 1 Onion,chopped
• 2 medium Tomatoes ,pureed
• 1tsp Sugar
• 1/2tsp Turmeric powder/haldi
• 1tsp Cumin
• 1 Onion
• 2 tsp Ghee
• 1 tbsp Oil

For masala paste:

• 1 Onion
• 1inch Ginger
• 6-7 Garlic cloves
• 3-4 Green chillies
• 10 Cashew nut,cut into pieces
• 2tsp Poppy seed/Khus khus

For the Garam masala powder:

• 2(1 inch) pieces Cinnamon sticks
• 6-7 Cloves
• 4-5 Green cardamoms/elichi
• 1 Black cardamom/badi elichi
• 2tsp Coriander seeds
• 1tsp Jeera/cumin seeds
• 1tsp Fennel seeds/saunf
• 1/4 Mace
• 1/2tsp Pepper corns/kali mirch
• 1tsp Kasoori methi ( no need to roast)

Cooking Directions

1. Wash fenugreek leaves 2-3 times and drain.Sprinkle some salt to get rid of the bitterness if any.Keep aside for 30 minutes.
2. Wash baby potatoes well to get rid of mud if any and cut into half. Heat oil in a kadai and deep fry potatoes till light golden and take it on a plate.
3. Soak cashewnut and poppy seed in 2tbsp of warm water.
4. Grind all the ingredients for the masala to smooth paste along with soaked cashewnut and poppy seed.
5. Now dry roast all the ingredients to be powdered till you get the nice aroma of the spices.Let it cool completely before grinding to fine powder.
6. Now squeeze the fenugreek leaves to get rid of that extra water .
7. In a kadai, heat 2tsp of ghee and add cumin seeds. Once they crackle, add the fenugreek leaves and saute for about 5-6 minutes on low flame till all the moisture dries up and you get nice aroma.
8. Transfer the fried methi leaves to a plate and in the same pan add oil and add chopped onions and saute till light brown colour.
9. Add the ground paste, turmeric powder and roasted masala powder and mix all the spices well,saute the mixture till the oil comes on top.
10. Add the tomato puree next and saute till oil separates.
11. Add the fried baby potatoes, fenugreek leaves milk, cream, salt, sugar and a cup of water and cook for about 10 mins.
12. At last add the crumbled paneer and cook again for 3-4 minutes and switch off the gas.
13. Transfer to a serving dish,garnish with a tbsp of cream and serve hot with hot pulkas or roti.

Avnaas-ambya sasam ( Mustard flavoured pineapple and mango salad)

Aunas Ambo sasam (called pineapple and mango respectively in English) is an excellent mango pineapple sweet sour dish. It is a very popular dish from the Konkani/ Mangalorean cuisine .Mango is the king of fruits and has got a variety of mangoes like the Alphanso, Malgova, Thothapuri, Mallika etc. Traditionally Aunas ambo sasam uses mango and pineapple. when mangoes are not available, you can also use all mixed fruits which would give a wonderful sweet and sour combination of taste and flavors. It is a popular GSB feast dish and locally known as Ambe (mango) sasam and is normally a must in most marriage food.In this dish fruits are together tossed in a mustard flavored coconut paste and spiced with red chili to make a dish that surely serves as an exotic accompaniment. This dish is a blend of sweet, sour and hot all at once. .Do try this luscious and exotic recipe specially during hot summer season.This really makes a great salad!

Ingredients

• 2 cups Mango pieces (any sweet variety will do)
• 2 cups Pineapple cubes
• 1 cup Black or green grapes
• 2 cups Freshly grated coconut
• 2 Whole Red chillies,roasted in oil
• 1tsp Mustard seeds
• 1tbsp Jaggery or sugar

Cooking Directions

1. For preparing the Avnaas ambya sasam, firstly mix the Jaggery or sugar into the chopped fruits and keep aside.
2. Grind the coconut with the red chillies adding little water to a coarse paste. 
3. Just before taking, add the mustard seeds and grind for a few more seconds till the mustard seeds are slightly crushed.
4. Now add the coconut paste to the fruits with salt and mix well. Serve this excellent and yummy dish cold or at room temperature.