TOMATO OMELETTE

I would like to pack this tasty and sumptuous breakfast to WBB–Combi Breakfast hosted by Masala Magic

TOMATO OMELETTE

I had about 2 ladles of leftover dosa batter, so I decided to make Tomato Omelette. Tomato Omelette is a spicy pancake. This is one Omelette that is made without eggs. This dish can be rustled up quickly for breakfast or on a day when you are lazy to cook.

Tomato Omelette is usually served with a slice of bread. You can either place one Omelette between two slices of bread or eat it with one slice of bread spread with butter.

In my recipe I use some rice flour also, so it won’t be sticky and easy to spread on the tava (flat pan)

Ingredients

Gram flour (besan) - 2 cups

Rice flour – 1 cup

Left over dosa batter – 2 ladles (optional)

Onion – 2 medium size

Ripe Red Tomatoes – 2

Ginger – a small piece

Green chillies - 4

Chilly powder - ½ tsp

Cumin powder – ½ tsp

Asafetida – ½ tsp

Salt to taste

Freshly chopped coriander leaves – 1 tbsp

Oil

Method

Mix the gram flour, rice flour and dosa batter with some water. Put in a mixie/blender, this

batter, one onion chopped, one tomato chopped, ginger chopped, 2 chillies and the Cumin powder, chilly powder, asafetida and salt as per taste. Blend all this well into a fine paste. This ensures that the batter doesn’t have lumps and also the essence of the onions, ginger, chilly and tomato have entered the batter. This also ensures an even mixture.

Now chop the other onion and tomato into small pieces and add it to the batter. Also chop the other 2 chillies into small pieces and add to the batter. This you won’t grind, as when you make the Omelette you want to get some pieces of onions and tomatoes to bite upon. Add the finely chopped fresh coriander leaves and mix well.

Now take a tava (a flat pan), Heat on medium heat and pour 1/2 teaspoon of oil into it. Spread it evenly. Pour one ladle full of this batter onto the pan. Cook until you see the sides turning golden. At this point flip over and cook on the side. Once it is golden on both sides. Remove from pan and serve. This is eaten hot with a slice of bread, tomato sauce and green coriander chutney.

PESTO

This recipe of mine goes to Srivalli's blog who is hosting the Weekend Herb Blogging event which was started by Kalyn and the herb Iam using in this recipe is " Basil
You can read more about the Benefits of the herb Basil in my blog(Click on the link)
PESTO
Pesto is a green sauce that originates from Italy.
Pesto is commonly used on pasta, lasagna, strozzapreti or trenette (forms of pasta). It is sometime used in minestrone as well. Pesto tastes good when served on tomatoes and sliced boiled potatoes. It can also be served as a dip for chips also. It can be served, spread on a baguette (French loaf)
It is very important never to cook pesto because basil when heated gets bitter.
Pesto is made with basil, salt, garlic, extra virgin olive oil, European pine nuts (often toasted) and a grated hard cheese like Parmesan or Romano).
Historically, pesto was (and is sometimes still) prepared in a marble mortar with wooden pestle. First the basil leaves are washed and dried and then put in the mortar together with garlic and some coarse crystals of sea salt, crushed to a creamy consistency. Then the pine nuts are added and crushed together. When the pine nuts are well incorporated in the "cream", the cheese plus olive oil can be added and stirred together with a wooden spoon. The sauce is now ready. Store in a tight jar, or simply in an air-tight plastic container, pesto can last in the refrigerator up to a week. Pesto can also be frozen, if needed. If you want to freeze the pesto you may omit the cheese (it doesn't freeze well). Line an ice cube tray with plastic wrap, and fill each pocket with the pesto. Freeze and then remove from the ice tray and store in a freezer bag. When you want to use, defrost and add in grated Parmesan or Romano. Most basil pesto recipes call for pine nuts but you can easily substitute it with walnuts.
(Info courtesy Wikipedia)
Ingredients
1 large bunch of basil, leaves only, washed and dried
3 medium cloves of garlic
one small handful of raw pine nuts
3/4 cup Parmesan, loosely packed and FRESHLY GRATED
A few tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
Method
Pick out the basil leaves, Use only the leaves, not the stem, seeds or any other part. Wash it thoroughly in a colander. Then spread on a plastic paper to dry.
Traditionally the pesto was prepared using a mortar and pestle, but those who don’t have one, you can chop the ingredients finely, but this involves a lot of chopping so I used a chopper. Of course nothing can beat the taste of pesto crushed with a mortar and pestle. The other option is putting the ingredients into a blender, but doing that would make it into a fine paste. We want it to be in medium texture not too coarse or too fine.
Because I used the chopper (picture on the left), I could take care that the pesto didn’t become a fine paste.
Most pesto recipes call for Parmesan cheese, but I used Romano cheese in my recipe, this has a stronger flavor.



Chop the garlic in the chopper finely, then add the pine nuts(see picture of pine nuts on the right)
and chop into small pieces, then add the basil and chop until all of it blends into a fine mixture. Add the Romano cheese and run until the mixture blends well. Check for salt. The cheese already has salt, so after adding the cheese, if required add salt as per taste and run the chopper to blend it well. Now remove and put the pesto sauce into a glass bottle and top it with 3 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
Don’t replace with normal Olive oil, Use only Extra virgin Olive Oil (as shown in the picture on your left). Check the label on the bottle while buying the oil.
Your homemade Pesto is ready. You can set this aside or place it in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it. Just before serving give the pesto a quick stir to incorporate some of the oil into the basil. Pesto can last in the refrigerator up to a week. Pesto can also be frozen as mentioned above, if needed, this gives it a longer shelf life.

BISI BELA HULI ANNA / BISI BELE BHAT (BBB) / SAMBAR SADAM

BISI BELA HULI ANNA / BISI BELE BATH (BBB) / SAMBAR SADAM
One Pot meals are the need of the hour. What we must remember when we make one pot meals is not only the simplicity of the dish but how much nutrition it packs into the meal.
Bisi Bele Huli Anna as it is known in Karnataka or Bisi bele bath/ bhaath as it is known colloquially, is a Rice dish combined with lentils(for protein), vegetables, Tamarind and spices, making it a One pot meal fulfilling the nutritional needs of the body.
This dish is said to have originated in the Mysore Palace and from there spread across the other states. Every state has it's own recipe of BBB.
In Tamilnadu, we call it "Sambar Sadam". The Bisi Bele Bath/Bhaat (BBB) has many variations, Every state, every house has it's own variations to the dish and the masala blend as well. 

I will share with you my version of the recipe. Whenever I cooked this for my guests they relished it. 

My recipe is the marriage of 2 states. 

Nothing can beat the comfort of eating a hot and simmering plate of BBB drizzled with ghee with a batch of pappadams.  Enjoy!!!

Ingredients
Raw Rice – 2 cups
Toor daal – 1 cup
Drumsticks – 1 stick
Onions – 2
Tomatoes - 1
Potatoes – 1 cup diced

Carrots - 1 cup diced

French Beans - 1 cup diced

Green Peas - 1/2 a cup
Raw Banana – 1
Brinjal – 1-2 slit vertical
Tamarind – lemon sized ball soaked in water
Mustard seeds – 1tsp

Urad dal - 1 tsp

Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves – 1 sprig
Coriander leaves to garnish
Ghee to drizzle on top of the servings
Asafetida – a pinch
Salt as per taste
Oil

For Masala
Freshly grated coconut -3-4tbsps
Coriander seeds - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Red chillies -3-4
Peppercorns – ½ tsp
Fenugreek – ½ tsp
Onion – ½ an onion chopped / you can alternatively use 2 small onions (shallots/chinna vengayam)

Method
Rinse and soak the Rice for about 5 -7 minutes.
Wash the toor daal and add 1 1/2 cups of water to it. Cook it in a pressure cooker. up to 3 whistles.  Keep aside.

Now Prepare the wet Masala - Roast all the ingredients stated above in the Wet masala and grind into a thick paste using a little water at a time. Keep this masala aside.
Heat oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds, urad dal and Fenugreek seeds for the tempering. Once the mustard starts to crackle, add in the  curry leaves. 

Now Add the onions and fry till transparent.

Then add the tomatoes, cook until squashy, followed by adding the rest of the vegetables and the wet masala, add in 3-4 tablespoons of concentrated tamarind juice, Asafetida & Salt and Mix all well.

Fry for about 5-7 minutes till you hear a sizzling sound. 

Now add the soaked rice and mix well and sauté for about 5 minutes,  Check for salt and the Tamarind taste at this time, If you feel the need to adjust, kindly do so at this point. 

Pressure cook this until 3 whistles or you can also cook it in the pan, cook covered until the rice and vegetables are done. Add the cooked toor dal, mix well , cook the dish for another 5-7 minutes and then garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot with papads, add a dollop of ghee on top while serving. 

VARIATIONS

• You can use Green Peas, Fresh Edmame, Capsicum or any vegetables of your choice. 
• BBB in Karnataka comes with additional spices like Cinammon, clove, nutmeg, poppy seeds etc. 
• You can fry Cashewnuts in ghee and add it to the BBB as a rich and exotic garnish 

TIPS

• If you don't have fresh Vegetables, You can add 1 cup Frozen vegetables too and follow the recipe as abpve  Here we get the combination of  (carrots, beans, & green peas) & Sometimes corn as well. 
• You can add the half cooked toor dal and cook it alongwith the rice, but here the toor dal doesn't get cooked well, hence I add the toor dal after it gets cooked. 

I would like to send this exotic Karnataka delight to Sheetal of Sweety-My Kitchen for the SWC-Karnataka Event that she is hosting in her blog.

TIRANGA CAKE & INDEPENDANCE DAY

I would like to send this post to Pooja's Theme-Independence day 2008" event,

INDEPENDENCE DAY
15th August is India's Independence Day. It is celebrated to commemorate its independence from the British rule and its birth as a sovereign nation on that day in 1947.

These are the days that we miss our Motherland the most.

The National Anthem has special memories for me coz I was the person who used to sing the National Anthem everyday in my school right from Class 6 to Class 10 and here I am living in Singapore.

My hubby Yo's grandfather was very active in the freedom struggle and even went to jail with Veer Savarkar(one of the prominent Freedom fighters).

I strongly believe that, "Living abroad can’t change the love that one has in their heart for their motherland".

RESPECT OUR NATIONAL ANTHEM

Last year during Independence Day, a video was aired repeatedly, This video was made with the idea that people must respect Our National Anthem and it sure has managed to strike a chord. It used to make me cry every time that they played it.

You can watch this video here;

TIRANGA CAKE

Here is an attempt to show our National Flag on an Eggless Cake, you can click on this link for the recipe in my blog
The only change here is I have tried making an icing for the cake
For the Icing
Ingredients
Powdered Sugar – ½ cup
Vanilla Powder – 1 tsp
Milk 3-4 tbsp
Food colors – Orange and Green
Method
Mix the powdered sugar and vanilla powder and add milk little by little till you get a thick paste. this icing shouldn't be very thick, u should be able to apply with spatula. Now divide into 3 portions, you can mix the colors and apply on the cake, the top line is Orange, plain icing for the middle one in white and the bottom line is Green. Now keep it in the fridge for few hours and then apply second coat which is a smooth and final coat.
Now my little one was so excited about the cake that she wasn’t patient for me to apply the smooth and final coat and so the icing is not enough and doesn’t look professional, so please pardon my imperfection
I also used a Monaco biscuit and drew the lines with a blue marker depicting the Dharma Chakra.
Pooja’s event also says;“Create anything having combination of 3 colors. i.e. you can just catch a picture of array of vegetables/birds/flowers / anything having these 3 colors.”
So here is a picture of the beautiful flower Anthurium growing in my little balcony garden.

Gift of nature just in time for independence day as the Leaf like bract called the “Spathe” is dark orange in color. The fleshy spike called the "Spadix" where the tiny flowers emerge is white in color and the leaves below are green of course, symbolizing the 3 colors of our National Flag.

JAI HIND!!!!!

VANDE MATARAM!!!!!!

HAPPY INDEPENDANCE DAY TO ALL THE INDIANS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

MILO DINOSAUR

This is my entry for Srilekha’s Icecreams and Milkshakes Event

MILO DINOSAUR
This is my daughter’s favorite drink. Whenever we eat outside, she will make it a point to order this if it is on the menu. I am not sure if this drink is available anywhere else, I think this would be a Singapore special drink and may have originated here. The recipe is simple and kids adore this drink.
Ingredients
Milo – 1 ½ tbsp
Water – ¼ glass
Milk – ¾ glass
Sugar – 2 tsps (as required)
Icecream – 1 scoop (Preferably Vanilla or Chocolate)
Method
In the glass/tumbler that you are serving, Add 1 tbsp of Milo, 2tsps Sugar and ¼ glass of hot water and stir well, Top it with boiled milk, stir well, Check for sugar, if more sugar is required, add, stir and chill it in the refrigerator. When cool, use a hand blender to work up a froth. This increases the volume of the Milo and makes it look like Expresso Milo (just like Expresso Coffee).

Use a transparent glass/tumbler so that the kids can see how attractive the drink looks. Top it up with a scoop of icecream, Vanilla or Chocolate flavor icecream goes best with this drink and on top sprinkle the remaining ½ tbsp of Milo powder with a tea strainer.

Put in a straw and serve this deliciously refreshing and nutritious drink to your kids.

CHEESE TOMATO CROISSANT

I would like to pack this sandwich for the picnic basket of “Waiter There’s Something in my……….Picnic hosted by Johanna of thepassionatecook.
CHEESE TOMATO CROISSANT
Croissants are made of a leavened variant of puff pastry by layering yeast dough with butter and rolling and folding a few times in succession, then rolling. A lot of time goes in making Croissants, so I decided I would buy it off the rack.
Ingredients
Croissant - 1
Tomatoes - 1
Cheese Slice - 1
Salt
Pepper
Method
Slice tomatoes, keep aside. Take one piece of croissant and carefully slice in the middle. Place one cheese slice inside and on top of it neatly place the tomatoes. Sprinkle some salt and freshly crushed pepper over the sliced vegetables. Enjoy this delicious sandwich.

VEGETABLE SANDWICH

I would like to pack this Vegetable sandwich for Johanna's(the passionatecook) picnic basket for her Picnic fare event.
I absolutely adore the logo which says “Waiter There’s Something in my………." which is a headline grabber for sure.
Here is an out and out picnic recipe from me which is nutritious, light on the stomach and can be assembled at the picnic spot with the help of friends.
VEGETABLE SANDWICH
I have used White bread in my recipe but brown bread would be a healthier option. Sandwiches taste best when freshly made, so here’s a tip, you can carry all the sliced vegetables in ziplock bags and assemble the sandwich at the picnic spot and enjoy the crunch of the fresh vegetables.
Ingredients
Two slices of White Bread/ Brown Bread
Cucumber – 1
Tomatoes - 1
Beet Root – 1
Potato – 1
Butter
Salt
Pepper
Green Coriander Chutney(Optional)(refer to link below for recipe)
Chat Masala (Optional)
Method
Peel and boil the Beet root. Boil and peel the Potatoes. Make slices of both and keep aside. Peel the cucumber and slice it. Slice tomatoes. Sprinkle some salt and pepper over the sliced vegetables. Once all this is done. Apply butter to one side. Place the sliced potatoes first, Place the sliced beet root over it, then place a layer of the sliced cucumbers and over it a layer of the sliced tomatoes. You can sprinkle a bit of Chaat Masala( is a tangy savory powder available in Indian stores)
On the other bread apply some Coriander chutney.(Click on the link for the recipe). Cover the sandwich with the slice of bread which has chutney on it. Top it with a bit of coriander chutney and tomato sauce as shown in the picture while serving it.

CABBAGE PORIYAL

Priti our KC member from Singapore and Purva from London are hosting the Festive

Food Event and since Rakshabandhan is round the corner their theme is Rakhi - "The Thread of love".

I belong to Tamilnadu where we dont have the tradition of Rakhi, but I was born and brought up in Mumbai, which is so cosmopolitan that we learn to adapt to different cultured and traditions and celebrating as many festivals as we can is always fun. We do have another festival that coincides with Rakshabandhan festival and on festival days we usually have a fixed menu fare as certain vegetables are avoided and only certain vegetables are cooked. We cook many dishes like Sambhar, Rasam, Avial, Dry curry(poriyal), Payasam, Pachadi, papadam, Vadai etc. I have noticed that during festivals Amma usually either makes Cabbage poriyal or beans poriyal.
So here is my recipe for Cabbage Poriyal..........

Cabbage Poriyal
Some call the dry sabzi "curry", some call it poriyal, some call it upkari and yet others call it palya, but in my house we use to call it podutuval. So here’s amma’s recipe of Cabbage podutuval.
Ingredients
Cabbage – 1 medium sized
Mustard seeds- 1 tsp
Udad dal - 1 tsp
Chana dal - 1 tsp
Green or Red chillies – 1-2
Ginger grated – 1tsp
Grated Coconut - 2 tbsp
Turemric powder – 1 tsp
Asafetida – a pinch
Salt to taste
Oil
Method
Chop the Cabbage, rinse in a colander and keep aside. Heat the oil in a wok and add the mustard seeds, when they start to splutter add the udad and chana dals, when they are slightly pink add in the chillies broken into 2 pieces and the grated ginger, fry for a minute. Now add the cabbage, turmeric powder, salt to taste and hing and mix well, Cook closed with a lid on a low flame and let it cook in its own juices. Open after about 3-4 minutes. Add some water if required. Cook till the cabbage is done. Once the cabbage is totally dry, Add the grated coconut and mix well and cook for another 2 minutes till you get the faint aroma of the coconut.
Serve hot with chappati, rice and dal.
Beside the Plates are Rakhis made by me. I will be posting how I made the Rakhis and close-up photos of the Rakhis soon in my hobby blog

ONION FRITTERS WITH RED JALAPENO PEPPERS AND CASHEWNUTS

ONION FRITTERS WITH RED JALAPENO PEPPERS AND CASHEWNUTSIn the desi style we can call it Onion Bhajji/Bhajiya lal Mirchi aur kaju ke saath.

I guess I am hooked onto red Jalapeno peppers, I love the color, the flavor, the extra funk or you may say punch that it adds to any dish. Don’t replace the red jalapeno peppers with any other pepper, the taste won’t be the same. If you don’t get Jalapeno peppers in your country, you can use Red Capsicum. Here is yet another Original recipe of mine.

Ingredients Onions – 3-4

Red Jalapeno Peppers – 2

Cashewnuts – 1 tbsp

Gram Flour – 1 cup

Bishops weed (Ajwain/Omam) – ½ tsp

Asafetida – 1 tsp

Red Chilly powder – 1 tsp

Salt as per taste

Oil

Method

Chop the onion in thin slivers, Slit the Red Jalapeno peppers de-stem and de-seed them. Chop them in thin strips also. Put them in a bowl, Add the cashewnuts, then add 3 tbsps of gram flour, the bishops weed, Asafetida, Red chilly powder, salt and mix well. Allow the onions and chillies to marinate in the mixture for about 5 minutes. The onions start to sweat and you will notice the mixture to be moist, at this point, add the rest of the gram flour and some water, The water is added to make the mixture a bit loose and in dropping consistency as shown in the picture. Again keep aside for 4-5 minutes.

Heat oil in a frying pan and when the oil is hot, drop small balls of the batter, while dropping spread your fingers so they drop unevenly and look shapeless, this makes it more crispy. Fry the Bhajiyas(fritters) till golden and crisp on a slow fire. Remove and drain on a kitchen towel to remove excess oil. Serve hot with green chutney/ coconut chutney or tomato sauce

I would like to send this dish also to Lore's Original recipes Event.

CUCUMBER IN YOGURT WITH RED JALAPENO PEPPERS

Here's yet another post for Lore's Original Recipes Event

CUCUMBER IN YOGURT WITH RED JALAPENO PEPPERS
This is also known as Cucumber Raita in India. Raita or Pachadi is usually prepared by adding vegetables or savories to thick yogurt. This is considered very cooling to the body so it is served with spicy dishes. This recipe of mine is an ode to the Chef who prepared a similar raita at KK hospital(Singapore) where I delivered my second baby. I don’t know who prepared it but it used to taste awesome. The red jalapeno peppers have an awesome flavor and this raita is simply mindblowing. Don’t ever replace the red jalapeno peppers with any other chilly as the taste will not be the same. This is my version though, so here is yet another Original recipe for Lore's event.
Ingredients
Cucumbers - 1-2 big ones
Red Jalapeno peppers – 2
Yogurt – 10-12 tbsps
Mustard seeds -2 tsps
Fenugreek seeds – ½ tsp
Asafetida(Hing) - a pinch
Curry leaves – a sprig
Salt to taste
Oil – 1 tsp
Method
Peel and grate the cucumbers in a vessel. Drain the water that seeps out of the grated cucumber, we don’t want our raita to be very watery. Use thick yogurt, ensure that there is no whey else the raita will be watery. If the yogurt is not thick, hang it in a cloth, so you can get the thick yogurt. Mix the yogurt with the grated cucumber with salt as per taste and keep aside.
Chop the red Jalapeno peppers, this pepper is not very spicy. If you don’t want even a tinge of spice, you can slit and remove the seeds. But if you don’t mind a little spicy punch to the raita, you can retain the seed. In my case, I de-seeded it as I only wanted the flavor of the jalapeno peppers and not the spice.
Now in a small pan, heat1 tsp oil, add the mustard seeds, when the mustard seeds starts to splutter, add a pinch of asafetida, now add the chopped jalapeno peppers and fry, the peppers should get slightly fried, they become even less spicy when fried. Add the curry leaves and fry. Now add this to the grated cucumber and yogurt mix and serve chilled. You can serve it with any meals or you can have it just like that. Indulge in this cool delightful condiment.

MINT-CORIANDER-COCONUT POWDER (PUDINA-KOTHAMALLI-TENGA PODI)

I would like to send this post for Lore's Original Recipes Event.



I would also like to send this for Roma's "Long Live The Shelf Event"




MINT-CORIANDER-COCONUT POWDER(PUDINA-KOTHAMALLI-TENGA PODI)
People prepare Kothamalli podi (Coriander powder), some prepare Pudina podi (Pudina powder) and yet others prepare Tenga Podi (Coconut powder). These are usually had as an accompaniment to our daily meals, idli, dosa or adai. But here is an exotic creation from my kitchen. I combined all 3 and the result is a tasty podi combined with the nutrition of the mint and coriander and the aroma of roasted coconut.
Ingredients
Coriander leaves – 1 bunch
Mint leaves – 1 bunch
Curry leaves – 10-12
Grated Coconut – 1 cup
Udad Dal – 2 tbsps
Chana dal – 2 tbsps
Red chillies – 4-5 (If you like it spicier you can add more)
Tamarind – A lemon size ball
Oil - 1 tsp
Asafetida (Hing) – 1-2 teaspoons
Salt to taste
Method
De-stem the Mint leaves (pick the leaves from their stem), Pick the coriander leaves, De-stem the curry leaves, Rinse them in a colander well and spread on a newspaper till it is dry. If you can sun dry it will be good, the reason to dry them out is to get rid of the moisture that the leaves have after washing them.
Heat oil in a Wok (kadhai), Add the udad dal, chana dal and the red chillies, Tamarind, Asafetida. Fry until the dals turn pink and the chillies turn plump. Keep aside on a plate.
Now in the same kadhai add the Udad dal and Chana dal and roast till it is light pink in colour.
When it is well roasted, a lovely aroma is emanated. Roasting enables the dals to get powdered easily and also roasting enables to store the masala powders for longer time. Once roasted, remove from flame and allow it to cool down. Then run it in the dry mill to a coarse powder consistency. Keep aside.
In the same kadhai, put in the sun-dried leaves, add salt and roast until they reduce in volume and loose moisture. Keep aside.
In the end roast the grated coconut until it gets a faint pink color and gives that wonderful coconut aroma. Now in the dry mill of your blender, run the roasted leaves and keep aside and then the coconut and then mix all 3. Check for salt, if required add at this stage Run once more in the blender, so the salt gets mixed well with the other ingredients. This time don’t run the blender too much, just one spin would be enough.
This should be coarse as shown in the picture not too fine. If you grind all the ingredients together and not separately as directed then you will notice that the dals don’t get powdered and if you run it too much to ensure that the dals get powdered then the mixture will be too fine and not so tasty. All the ingredients get grounded at different levels hence it has to be done separately.
Serve it with Idli, dosa, Adai or Rice and enjoy this savory powder.
This powder can be kept outside for 2 days and inside the refrigerator for 15 days. Use a clean, dry spoon always for it to have a longer shelf life.

ALFALFA SPROUTS SALAD

ALFALFA SPROUTS SALAD

Alfalfa sprouts are germinated from Alfalfa seeds. They are so easy to sprout that you can sprout them even in your refrigerator. Their dietary fibre contains substances called saponins which can remove cholesterol from the blood. Alfalfa is also extremely rich in antioxidants, including one powerful antioxidant called tricin, and is used as a commercial source of chlorophyll and carotene. It is said to help in stimulating milk flow in breastfeeding mothers and for alleviating menopausal problems in older women. Alfalfa has also been used traditionally as an appetite stimulant, to promote weight gain and to stop bleeding. Unsubstantiated claims include treating abnormal growths, alcoholism and bone and joint conditions. Tomatoes are an excellent source of vitamin C, a useful source of vitamin E with some vitamin A and dietary fibre. I got some cherry honey tomatoes in the market, Cherry tomatoes are small and oval in shape, they are especially used in salads, they are sweeter than the normal tomatoes that we usually use in cooking. I have used them in this recipe. Lettuce provides potassium, carotene, dietary fibre and small quantities of other minerals and vitamins. Onions are a good source of vitamin C, B3 and calcium.
Ingredients 1 ½ cups of Alfalfa sprouts
1 Cucumber
Cherry Tomatoes – 5-6
1 ripe red & juicy tomato
1 Red Onion
Lettuce – 3-4 leaves
Olives – 5-6
½ Red Capsicum
Freshly ground pepper for seasoning
Salt as per taste
½ tsp - dried Oregano
½ tsp – dried Basil
½ tsp – dried Dill
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1½ tablespoons lemon juice
Feta Cheese(Sheep/Goat Cheese) – 120gms cut into cubes.
Salad dressing as per choice
Method
First of all peel the cucumber in stripes, means peel one strip out and leave the skin on the next strip and so on. We would like to retain some skin on as it is nutritious. Now chop into square chunks, Chop the Tomatoes into square chunks. Chop the Cherry tomatoes into halves so that they get the spices as well. Slice the onion into a half and then into semi circles and then peel out the rings, so you get thin semi circular rings, this will give the salad more flavor of the onion. I have used the longish red peppers easily available in Singapore and it has a fantastic flavor too. Discard the seeds inside the red peppers and chop them .Add in the olives.
Now in a large bowl, put in all the vegetables, tear the lettuce and put in, also add in the afla alfa sprouts. Now add the olive oil, salt as per taste, freshly ground pepper (use a pepper crusher and crush freshly into the salad), Add in the dried oregano, dried basil and dried dill. Toss it all well and top it with Feta cheese. Feta cheese is very soft, it crumbles very easily so don’t toss it along with the Feta cheese. Do all the tossing before adding in the feta cheese. The Feta cheese cubes must be on the top like a dressing, when you serve yourself your portion you can toss it in. Toss lightly as you don’t want your feta cheese cubes crumbled and squashed.
You can dress this salad with a Thousand Island dressing or some Mayonnaise before adding the Feta cheese, but since I am off eggs now, I didn’t put it my recipe, but you can add this and the salad will be very tasty.

Garnish with some alfalfa sprouts and dunk into this nutritious salad.

This salad can be a complete meal in itself or you can have it with some light crusty bread.

I would like to post this for Lore's Original Recipes Event

MATAR PANEER

This is my entry for Srivalli's Curry Mela event. Matar Paneer can be eaten with rotis, dosas and rice. Roti is the best combo though.

MATAR PANEER(GREEN PEAS AND COTTAGE CHEESE COOKED IN A GRAVY)
Matar Paneer has its origin in Northern parts of India, This dish can be rustled up in a jiffy especially because now we don’t have to take the efforts to make the paneer nor do we have to strip the peas from its pods. We just have to cut open neatly sealed packets and thaw them to make this dish. Green peas are protein rich and low fat. Paneer is rich in protein and can be substituted for meat. So those who are looking for a protein rich diet here’s the recipe for you.
Ingredients
Paneer (Cottage cheese) -200 gms
Green Peas – 1 cup
Onion – 1
Tomato – 1
Ginger – small piece
Cumin seeds – 2 tsps
Coriander powder – 1 tsp (freshly ground if possible)
Cumin powder – 1 tsp (freshly ground if possible) Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
Red Chilly powder – ¼ tsp
Asafetida – ½ tsp
Garam Masala – 1 tsp
Salt as per taste
Oil – 1 tbsp
Coriander leaves for garnish
Method
I have used frozen Amul Paneer (available in the form of chunks) and frozen Peas in my recipe. So I had to thaw both, then rinse it well with water which I always do for all the frozen items that I buy. Keep aside.
Roast the coriander and cumin seeds and powder it. Using the freshly grounded powder gives a good aroma to the dish. Chop the onions and tomatoes and keep aside. Grind the ginger to a paste or alternatively use 2 tsps of ginger paste.
Now in a Kadhai(wok), Take one tbsp oil, when the oil is hot, add cumin seeds and when they are frying, add in the asafetida, the ginger paste stir fry for about a minute then add in the Onions, Stir fry till they are transparent, Now add in the tomatoes and fry for about 2 minutes, after this add in the green peas, stir fry till the green peas is half cooked. Now add the Paneer chunks and then add coriander powder, cumin powder. Turmeric powder, chilly powder and Garam masala and stir well. Add salt as per taste, stir again then add about half cup water and close the wok with a lid and let it get cooked. Don’t press on the paneer chunks else they will crumble. Stir with a light hand. Once it is done, switch off the gas. Garnish with fresh chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot with Chappati.
Tip :

1.Paneer can also be fried until golden and then added to the dish, but I didn’t want to fry and add on extra oil and calories to the dish.
2.If you want the gravy to be thick like in the restaurants, Make a paste of Cashewnuts (1 tbsp) with water and run in the blender until it becomes a smooth paste. After adding the onions and tomatoes and frying them. Add the cashew paste and fry and then follow the above procedure.

FRIENDSHIP DAY

FRIENDSHIP DAY
August 3 is International Friendship Day for 2008, time to recognise your friends and their contribution to your life. Friendship helps to bring peace and positivity to the globe - a great reason to celebrate!

TO ALL MY FRIENDS ON BLOGOSPHERE, TO MY FELLOW KC ians and to all my friends

"WISH YOU ALL A HAPPY FRIENDSHIP DAY"
These Flowers are for all the special people who are my friends. I clicked it in the Garden Festival 2008 in Singapore.


Here's my attempt to write a poetry, not so great though, but thought I would send it anyways, as I know you are my friends and you can understand.


FRIENDSHIP @ BLOGOSPHERE
TO HAVE MET BLOGGER FRIENDS LIKE YOU'LL
SO THOUGHTFUL AND SO KIND
IS SOMETHING WE ALL HOPE FOR IN BLOGOSPHERE
BUT CAN BE HARD TO FIND


YOUR FRIENDSHIP IS A COMFORT
COZ NOW I DONT FEEL ALONE
THANKS FOR MEETING ME HERE
THANKS FOR THE COMMENTS, APPRECIATIONS AND AWARDS THAT YOU SHARE


I KNOW YOU GUYS ARE THERE FOR ME
WHETHER MY POST IS GOOD OR BAD
YOU'LL REALLY ARE MY LOVELIEST FRIENDS ON BLOGOSPHERE
THE BEST THAT I HAVE EVER HAD

GREEK SALAD

Iam sending this recipe for Sunshine Mom's "Food in Color" which is RED this month and
EC's "WYF-Color in Food" which is also RED this month
GREEK SALAD
Salad is a totally underestimated dish, maybe because people think, “What’s so great in a salad after all everything is raw”. But when I started watching an Indian cookery program regularly wherein a dietician comes over and shares her recipes, I realized that eating raw along with cooked food is very good for health. She also says that Salads when made with a right mix of vegetables and with the right spices and dressing can match no other dish. Salads are good for your health, can make wonders for your skin, light on the stomach and nutritious.
Iam going to share with you a recipe of the Greek salad, This is also known as Horiatiki in Greece. This is a rough country salad, so all the vegetables are cut into big square chunks.
Ingredients
2-3 ripe red & juicy tomatoes
1 Red Onion
1 Cucumber
Freshly ground pepper for seasoning
½ teaspoon dried oregano
Green Capsicum – ½
Red Capsicum – ½
Salt as per taste
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1½ tablespoons lemon juice
Olives – 5-6
Feta Cheese(Sheep/Goat Cheese) – 120gms cut into cubes.
Method
First of all peel the cucumber in stripes, means peel one strip out and leave the skin on the next strip and so on. We would like to retain some skin on as it is nutritious. Now chop into square chunks, Cut the Tomatoes into square chunks Slice the onion into a half and then into semi circles and then peel out the rings, so you get thin semi circular rings, this will give the sald more flavor of the onion. Chop the red pepper and green pepper into square chunks also discarding the seeds inside. Add in the olives
Now in a large bowl, put in all the vegetables, add the olive oil, salt as per taste, freshly ground pepper (use a pepper crusher and crush freshly into the salad), Add in the oregano(this is the original recipe), but in my recipe I haven’t added in the oregano and it still tastes good. Add in the lemon juice. Toss it all well and top it with Feta cheese. Feta cheese is very soft, it crumbles very easily so don’t toss it along with the Feta cheese. Do all the tossing before adding in the feta cheese. The Feta cheese cubes must be on the top like a dressing, when you serve yourself your portion you can toss it in. Toss lightly as you don’t want your feta cheese cubes crumbled and squashed.
Feta cheese makes this salad very exotic, Feta cheese is very nutritious; it is high in protein and low in fat as compared to other cheese available in the market.
Now dip into your bowl and relish. This salad can be served as a side dish. It can even be
had as a light meal with some crusty bread.

STRAWBERRY MILKSHAKE

I Would like to send this post to WYF event which simply means "What's Your Favourite. The theme for July is Juices and Icecreams.

The event is hosted by Easycrafts

STRAWBERRY MILKSHAKE
If you love Strawberry milkshake and like to order for it whenever you go to a fast food joint, remember that they don’t use fresh strawberries, they use strawberry flavor which has loads of chemicals. It’s better to prepare fresh Strawberry Milkshake at home and get the benefits of eating Strawberry.
Strawberries have always been an expensive fruit. Seldom you see strawberries at a cheaper price, but when you do see them don’t miss it. That’s just what I did, bought some strawberries at a cheaper price and decided to indulge in some thick fresh Strawberry Milkshake topped with fresh Strawberry Ice cream. Delicious…..slurp!! slurp!!….

Ingredients
Strawberries – 10-12 Ripe berries
Milk – 4-5 glasses of Milk
Sugar – 4-5 tbsp
Ice cubes – 4-5
Strawberry Ice cream
The above measurements can make 4-5 tall glasses of Milkshake.

Method
While buying the strawberries, choose the ripe ones which have a deep red color, this will give your Milkshake a good color. De-stem the strawberries and Wash it well. In a mixie/blender, Blend the strawberries and sugar. The reason I used more sugar is because strawberries are sour, if you want you can reduce the measurement of sugar in the recipe and add later if required. Pour the Milk and add in the ice cubes into the blender, blend well, if required you can add some more sugar after tasting and run the blender. If you want your milkshake to be thick, add 2-3 scoops of strawberry ice cream and then run the blender for about a minute. All the ingredients must mix well and become one uniform mixture.
Pour the milkshake into a tall glass tumbler. Top it with fresh strawberry ice cream.
You can slit one strawberry and fix it to the top of the glass for decoration, don’t forget you need a straw and a spoon, the straw to savor your milkshake and the spoon to eat your ice cream. Serve chilled. Enjoy your Strawberry Milkshake.

GRILLED CORN ON THE COB

This is my entry for "Grill it - Summer fun" hosted by Sig on her website Live to Eat - "Sleep till your hungry and Eat till your sleepy" I love this catch line.

Lets Celebrate Summer with Seattle

It's summer time in Seattle and time for barbecue............

Since we have the privilege of staying in Singapore which lies in the Tropical Rainforest region, we are always blessed with Summers accompanied by downpours to battle the sweltering heat and bringing down the temperatures .

So why not celebrate Summer with our Seattle brethren?.

Grilling doesnt have a season in Singapore. It happens when friends decide to meet, chill out and when 75% of the people in the group are in the mood to have barbecued food.

We are privileged to have a group who meet and have a barbecue once in a while and we are lucky to have a seperate vegetarian grill where we barbecue a whole lot of vegetarian stuff. Here's my entry for the event "Grilled Corn on the Cob". This is my hubby Yo's absolute favourite and he sometimes grills corn even on the gas at home.

In India, when it rains we used to haveCorn (known as "Butta") grilled on little charcoal chulhas(stoves) by the "buttewalla" (means a vendor selling corn). The Buttewalla used the backside of a notebook, which is made of cardboard to fan the coals so that they light up properly to barbecue the "butta"(corn).

Rains make me reminiscent of my days in India when we used to wait for the buttewalla to start selling his buttas(since this was a seasonal delicacy). The corns crackling in the chulha and the masalas put in small neat bowls waiting to be sprinkled and rubbed over the corns would make anyone's mouth water. He used to have some wonderful variations like plain salted, salted with chilly powder(lets call that chillied), salted, chillied and drizzled with Amul butter, Corn sprinkled with chaat masala and last but not the least Salted and chillied with lime. All of the above combos were available for the same price where you could choose one or all of the available ingredients, except when you add the amul butter, which was slightly more priced than the rest.

People would wait impatiently to get their corn done (the chulha was usually small and only 2 corns can be barbecued at a time), The waiting time made it even more appealing as we would get to see the way he barbecued, sprinkled, rubbed masala with lime and watching this mouthwatering chore would make us await our turn eagerly. The corn was served in its husks with the respctive combo masala. It used to be such a pleasure to dunk into its sweet, tangy, spicy taste while its hot and the weather is so chilly due to the rains.
This recipe is for Yo.....

GRILLED CORN-ON-THE-COB
Corn on the cob is an all time favourite and tastes really divine when freshly roasted on a grill. There is a technique to roast the corn and you will be surprised to know that the best technique is to cook the corn in their husks, directly on a hot grill. The husks protect the corn from getting dried out and the corn essentially steams in its own moisture (no need to soak the corn in water as called for by some). The smokey corn husks impart a wonderful flavor to the corn as well.

Ingredients
Sweet Corns – 4-5
Lemons – 2 cut into halves.
Salt as required
Red chilly powder as required
Butter as required

Method
Wait for the coals to be burning well.Remove just the visible silks from the tips of the corn. Place the corn in their husks on the hot grill. Turn the corn occasionally with long tongs so that you don’t burn yourself, Grill until the husks are charred on all sides, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the corn from the grill. Let it sit for 5 minutes. Use a hand towel to protect your hands while removing the silks and charred husks from the corn. Make a mixture of salt and chilly powder. Cut the lemon into halves. With the half lemon dip into salt and red chilly powder and rub onto the corn from all sides. Using a butter knife spread butter on all sides of the corn. The Butter will be melting and when u bite onto the corn the butter and the spices will simply melt along with the freshly roasted corn in your mouth. Its simply divine and an all time Indian favourite.

(The photo of "Rain" is a free downloadable poster from the net and the picture of the corns being grilled with their husks on a grill are courtesy Wikipedia)