KITCHEN CONNECT MEET -2 AND A SECRET RECIPE

KITCHEN CONNECT MEET -2 AND A SECRET RECIPE
Kitchen Connect is a modest effort of the Indian foodie bloggers at Singapore to come together and share their ideas, host events and take blogging @ Singapore to a whole new level on blogosphere. It was initiated by Lakshmi who was inspired by other chains on blogosphere. Kudos to her to come up with such brainwaves and take the efforts to bring together all the busy talented women on a common platform. This was the first time I attended the Kitchen Connect Meet, although it is the second meet. It was mind boggling and absolutely great to see the faces behind those blogs. We all queued up at the Toast Box to order for our own coffee or tea, we did need something hot to to break the ice, for the ideas to start flowing, to boost our spirits and drinks always keep the conversation going on don’t they.
Priyanka got us some home made samosas, spicy and good to go with our Toastbox tea(tea which cannot make us happy as we are so used to having masaledaar tea made with boiling hot milk, nothing can beat the Indian tea or so I think).
Vani was tied up with something so she came after the ice-breaker session was over. I did want all of us to play a guessing game with her and make her recognize us if she could, but Lakshmi couldn’t resist cueing her, it was fun.
Vani got some crunchy munchy Tengozhal (known as Murukku in this part of the world). Lakshmi treated us with the finest biscuit baked by her with a hint of ginger, the best part was; it was eggless(much to my pleasure), she also treated us to Dry fruit Halwa. So I can say we started with a sweet and ended with a sweet and hope to have sweet beginnings all the way for us Singapore Indian bloggers.
Now this meet was special, as there was a blogging event associated with it. Each blogger would bring in a secret ingredient and a tip on how to cook it. Chits were made with names of the attendees and each person was asked to pick up one chit. I picked up the chit with Priyanka’s name on it and Priyanka had lovingly packed for me ingredients to make Gulabi Firni (Firni with dried Rose petals, the recipe is available on her site Asankhana. She had also packed in loads of gifts, a beautiful hand painted T-shirt, a very cute stenciled painting of Lord Ganesha and instructions written down on a scroll hanging with wooden beads prepared by her. This event is like a relay race, the person who gets the ingredient blogs the recipe on her blog with a reference to the blog of the person who gave her the ingredient and this happens with all the KC attendees. Isn’t that exciting. So many new recipes and so many ideas. After all the brainstorming session we decided to disburse after discussing about the next KC meet. So we all parted ways hoping for a better future for the blogging scene @ Singapore.

So here’s my secret recipe;

GULABI FIRNI WITH APPLE
Since Priyanka had already made the Gulabi Firni and blogged it in her blog Asankhana, I thought why not give it a twist. So the twist is……I made Gulabi Firni with Apple. So it’s a fruity-flowery twist to this delightful sweet.
Priyanka had given me the exact measurements, which Iam going to copy paste from her blog for everyone’s benefit.
Ingredients
Milk - 300ml
Apple – 1 medium sized
Freshly grounded rice powder - 4 tbsps
Sugar – 5-6 tbsps
Milkmaid - 1 tbsp
Crushed French rose petals of 6 roses
Some rose petals for garnish
Method
Peel the apple, chop it into very small pieces, In a pan add the apples and ½ a cup water and 2tbsps sugar and boil, the apples will become soft. Keep aside.Boil the milk in a pan, when the milk starts boiling, reduce the flame and add in the remaining sugar followed by the rice powder, Now add in the boiled apples in the milk, boil for about 2 minutes on a low flame, keep stirring. Now add the crushed rose petals and milk maid and simmer for 2 minutes and remove from flame. Once cool, refrigerate it. Serve chilled garnished with rose petals.
Hope you enjoy this delicious and exotic fruit and flower concoction, the way I enjoyed making and eating it.
Could I patent this too………………..

FLOWER CHUTNEYS - NEEM FLOWER CHUTNEY

This is my entry for the JFI August-"Flower Power", which is very interesting and gastronimically exciting and since I live in the garden city of the world" Singapore", I cant let this one pass. Soulfood is organising this JFI.

Neem Flower Chutney (Vepam Poo Pachadi)

Everyone is aware of the medicinal properties that neem has. It is commonly known as Margosa tree in English, the biological name is Azadirachta indica. Every part of the neem tree, which includes bark, leaves, branches, fruit, roots, flowers, etc is beneficial. Neem Flower is very healthy. The neem flower not only acts as a blood purifier but also strengthens the body's immune system against diseases. The Neem tree gets flowers in the month of April(which is considered as the Spring season in India, so not only Raw mangoes are available during this time but also the Neem tree is in full bloom) in India, but the flowers can be shade-dried and stored for up to a year. So you can use fresh Neem flowers or the dried ones available in stores. This dish is known in Tamilnadu as Vepam Poo Pachadi and in Andhra Pradesh as Ugadi Pachadi. It is usually made on their respective New-year's day. The neem represents sorrow and the Jaggery represents happiness, indicating that life is bittersweet.
Ingredients
Neem flower - 2 tsps
Grated jaggery - 4 tsps
Tamarind - 3 tsps

Red chilly powder - a pinch
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Salt a per taste
Oil - 1 tsp (Recommend Gingelly oil)
Finely chopped raw mangoes - use one small mango

Method:
While choosing the raw mangoes, choose half raw-half ripe mangoes(more towards the raw though), the mangoes you choose must be hard but with a sour-sweet smell.

You can use either Tamarind or Tamarind paste. Incase you are using Tamarind, then boil the tamarind in 1 and 1/4 cups of water. Once soft, Ensure there are no seeds and run it in the mixie till you get a smooth paste, to this add water. Using Tamarind is better than using tamarind paste.

Now add the finely chopped raw mango pieces to the juice. Boil till mango pieces are tender. Once the mango pieces are tender, Add jaggery, let it cook till it melts. (Jaggery is added because Neem flower is bitter). Switch off the gas and keep aside.

Heat oil, add mustard seeds and when it splutters, add neem flower and fry till light brown, Add the Red chilly powder and salt and mix everything well. Mix this to the prepared tamarind juice. Your Vepam Poo Pachadi is ready.

Do not overindulge in this delightful chutney. It is heaty. Do serve it with lots of love but in small quantities.

SABUDANA VADA (Sago Vada)

My entry for the SWC -: Maharashtrian Cuisine is this;
SABUDANA VADA (Sago Vada)
Sabudana(Sago) is usually used during fasting in Maharashtra. But it wouldn’t be fair to grade it just as a fasting item. The sabudana khichdi (upma), sabudana Chiwda and the sabudana vada are special Maharashtrian delights which cannot escape any Maharashtrian kitchen.

Any dish made with sago and potatoes taste absolutely good, sago and potatoes are a very tasty and explosive combination according to me, be it the papad or this vada. I am sure your day is made, when you have this vada on a rainy day as an evening snack along with some hot tea.

Sago and potatoes when mixed together tend to absorb more oil, so after you fry it, always absorb the excess oil on a kitchen towel (tissue) and serve hot.

The sabudana vada tastes good only when served hot, as it is crispy only when hot. Once it cools down, the crispyness is lost. Do indulge in this absolutely wonderful Maharashtrian delight.

The sabudana vada is a crispy delight which is usually served with sweetened thick yogurt and green coriander chutney.

I have used the smaller sized sago in my recipe, which is easily available everywhere in Singapore, It soaks fasts and I feel we can make crispier vadas, We can do the same with the sago available in India also.(To the right is the picture of the sago vada made out of the bigger sized sago)

Ingredients
Sabudana (Sago) – 250gms
Potato - 2 medium
Green Chillies – 2-3,
Ginger - a small piece,
Peanuts -1/2 cup (Roasted and crushed coarsely)
Jeera (cumin seeds) - 1tsp.(freshly roasted)
Salt as per taste
Finely chopped coriander leaves
Oil - to deep fry

Method
Roast the peanuts and preferably remove the skin of the peanuts. If you grind the peanuts along with their skin, your vadas will be slightly reddish in color. We want our vadas to be golden in color.

Wash the sago well to remove any dirt and soak it in water. Since I have used the smaller sized sagos. I just add water to immerse the sago, the water should not be too much or else the sabudana will get mashed and the vadas wont be tasty or crispy. The soaking is one of the most crucial aspects in the making of these vadas. I usually soak for 2-3 hours, but the smaller variety of sago used by me gets soaked very fast so even half an hour is enough.

Boil the potatoes, peel and mash well. Keep aside

Grind the chillies and ginger in the mixie (alternatively you can use the ginger and green chilly paste also). Some people just add finely chopped green chillies and finely grated ginger, but I prefer to make a paste and add it to the sago mixture as the spices enter the mixture well and the vadas taste better.

Check your soaked sago after half an hour, all the water will have been absorbed by the sago, thus increasing its size and making it soft, the sago will still be separate and not get mashed. If it gets mashed your vada will be very gluey.

Now in a bowl, take your soaked sago, add the roasted and ground peanut powder, salt, Toasted cumin seeds, ginger and green chilly paste, finely chopped coriander leaves. Mix well. Check for salt and spice. If you find it less add more before you add the mashed potatoes. Once, you add the mashed potatoes everything binds well, so the salt and spices will not be evenly mixed.

In the end add the mashed potatoes and mix well. Now the mixture will bind well. Heat oil in a kadhai (wok), make balls of the mixture, flatten it on your palm and deep fry in the hot oil. Drain the excess oil in paper towels or tissues and serve hot, with thickened sweet yogurt, green coriander chutney or coconut chutney as per your choice. I am sure people will love this recipe.

Note : Some people make the Sabudana Khichdi first and then use the khichdi mixture to make the vadas. It is not necessary though. You can consider it as another method.

Hai Re Kaisi Uljhan Fir se Aloo Baingan

Hai Re Kaisi Uljhan Fir se Aloo Baingan
Thanks to the initiation from Lakshmi, here is my first attempt to create a comic strip.
This is for Lakshmi for her "Create a comic - announcing a fun and no cooking event".
This is fun as this event is different and also brings out your creative instincts. As a child I have always loved reading comics be it Amar Chitra Katha, Phantom, Mandrake the Magician, Tinkle, Champak, Chandamama, Chacha Chaudhary or Tintin. I have always wondered what fun it must be for the people who create these wonderful comics, without them Suppandi would'nt be witty or Tantri the Mantri wouldnt be acting smart, Chamataka and doob doobs adventures wouldnt be fun nor would be Phantom and Mandrake so heroic. Thanks to Lakshmi for this event.Since the theme is "Cooking with Brinjals"So the Subject of my Comic is " Hai Re Kaisi Uljhan, Fir se Aloo Baingan"

2 bachelors living in a foreign country under the same roof sharing the house to save on the rent. Bachelor 1 does the dishes and Bachelor 2 does the cooking.
Bachelor 1 : " Whats for lunch"
Bachelor 2 : " Today Iam making aloo baingan ( Potatoes and brinjals mixed vegetable)
The next day
Bachelor 1 : " Whats for lunch"Bachelor 2 : " Baingan Aloo ( Brinjals and potato mixed vegetable)
So the first Bachelor who doesnt cook but cleans the dishes says,
Bachelor 1 : " Its the same vegetable right"Bachelor 2 : " You got it right, but sounds boring if I say the same thing all over again doesnt it? This sounds good, yesterday was aloo baingan and today it is Baingan Aloo.

MY JFI ENTRY FOR DECEMBER 2007 - PARUPPU RASAM

JFI ENTRYThis was my first ever JFI entry, for those who don't know what JFI is refer to Indira's blog Mahanandi
I think its a wonderful event for all foodie fellow bloggers to come together. This month's event was hosted by Linda from Out of the Garden and the Ingredient was Toor Dal, It was the last day to send the entry and I had discovered about JFI that evening only, I decided to participate with a humble recipe of the Paruppu Rasam. Linda was kind enough to accept my recipe and I got to be part of this JFI.
Soon, I learnt that hosting the JFI is no mean business, a lot of hard work has to be put in, accumulating recipes, pictures, assimilating them and presenting them. And these women take their work seriously too. You can check their blog to know that. Isn't it amazing that women today manage their home, work, kids and their blogs so well. Here's my first ever JFI entry.

Paruppu RasamThe paruppu rasam is just the usual rasam, with the variation being, in this rasam, toor dal pulp is added in abundance and the rasam is less spicy. Suitable for infants and kids, so they can get proteins in their diet and also get introduced to the light spices in the rasam.

Ingredients
Tomatoes – 1 (optional)Tamarind Juice – 2-3 tablespoonsRasam powder – 1 tspCooked Toor Dal – 4-5 TbspsMustard seeds – 1tspCumin seeds – 1 tsp
Crushed Pepper – ½ tspAsafetida – a pinchSalt as per tasteGhee – 1 tbspCurry leaves – a sprigCoriander leaves for garnishing

Method
Cut your tomatoes into ¼ inch cubes, and add the tamarind juice, add salt, rasam powder, crushed pepper powder, a pinch of asafetida and allow to boil till the tomatoes are soft. You can crush one or 2 pieces of the tomatoes with a karandi(spoon) so that the essence of the tomato enters the rasam nicely.

Add the cooked toor dal. Boil for another 2-3 minutes.

Heat 1 tablespoon of Ghee in a pan, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, Fry till the mustard seeds pop. Add curry leaves, let it fry, pour this seasoning on top of the rasam.

Garnish with finely chopped fresh coriander leaves and remove from flame.

Serve with hot rice and pappads. Or can also be served as an appetizer.

Note: Tomatoes are optional.