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.

FRIENDSHIP AWARD

FRIENDSHIP AWARD
Being a housewife, which as everyone knows is a thankless job, I used to keep complaining to my husband, You never appreciated the "dal(lentil soup) I made, Isn't the curry very tasty today This made me ponder on all those times when I didnt thank my dearest darling mom for all the lovely dishes that she used to rustle up for us over the years. This made me realize that we take our own people for granted usually.

But since I started receiving Awards from my dearest blogger friends @ blogosphere, I feel so happy and satiated that I dont look forward to appreciation from dearest hubby and now I realize that he appreciates even without being asked for it. Isn't that great?

Here is a Friendship Award that Lakshmi has been so kind enough to bestow upon me.

Thanks LG for this sweet friendship and making me feel so loved and cared for in blogosphere.

I would love to pass this onto my fellow blogger friends

Lakshmi (I cant resist passing this to you again for I really feel so thankful)Sowmya, Priyanka & Anisheetu.

TAGGED!!!!!!!!

I was tagged........
Illatharasi tagged me:
What is Tagging?
Everyday there is something new buzzing in the blogging world and when I was tagged I was not sure whats tagging all about.
Here is my(Sukanya's) explanation for tagging
"Many people read your blog, some stumble upon it by chance and some are referred to it. Then there are fellow bloggers, some of whom we may have met and some whom we haven’t met, but they visit your blog, leave comments on your posts on a regular basis and you do that for their blog too.
When I was tagged I wanted to know what tagging was all about, so according to me Tagging is letting people know more about yourself and also know more about each other. It’s like a game going around the blogosphere in which bloggers are sharing five things about themselves that relatively few people know, and then tags five other bloggers. As in any game there are rules, so the rules of this game are, "At the end of the post, the player tags 5 or 6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read the player's(the one who initially tagged them) blog". This not only helps in increasing the viewer ship of your blog but also helps fellow bloggers know more about you. "
Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answers.
**(The lines in Blue color are copyrighted by me, as they are my explanation for this game, the lines in red color are the rules of the game.)**
Here are the 5 questions, which I must answer and pass this tag to 5 more people

Q.1- What was I doing ten years ago?
I was working with British Airways, Mumbai, India

Q.2- Five things on Today's "To do" list.....
Prayers
Cooking
Exercise which is always there in my “To do” list but always gets ignored
Blogging
Eating and Sleeping ofcourse

Q.3- I am addicted to......
My House
My kids
Cooking
My laptop
Aromatherapy

Q.4- Things I would do if I were a billionaire.....
I will fulfill my husband’s dreams (which includes all the material things – a big car(sleek), a wonderful home, trips abroad etc etc), start a restaurant serving organic food grown in my organic farm.

Q.5- Places I have lived ...
Mumbai, Singapore, Chennai, Pune, would love to live in Thailand

I am tagging ......

Indian Food Rocks ,Sowmya , Bicks, Sid and Spice of Life

Thanks Illatharasi and hope the ball is kept rolling.

VEGETABLE UPPUMA (RAWA KICHADI)

VEGETABLE UPPUMA (RAWA KICHADI)
This is a very nutritious uppuma, as it has lot of vegetables which brings in a lot of color to the dish and kids like it a lot.
Ingredients
Semolina (Rava) – 2 cups
Onions – 1
Potato – 1
Tomato - 1
French Beans - 1 tbsp chopped
Carrots – 1 tbsp chopped
Green Peas – 1 ½ tbsp
Green chillies – 2
Ginger – a small piece
Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds – ½ tsp
Cumin seeds – ½ tsp
Chana dal (Bengal Gram) – 1tsp
Curry leaves – A sprig
Asafetida (hing) - a pinch
Turmeric powder – 1tsp
Salt to taste
Ghee (Clarified butter) – 1 tsp
Method
Take 2 cups of rava and roast without oil in a wok, for the raw smell to go. Be careful that it shouldn’t burn. Keep aside. Now chop the onions and tomatoes. Peel the potatoes and carrots and chop them into squares. Cut off the top and bottom of the French beans and chop into pieces, Rinse the green peas, Chop the chilly into 2 pieces don’t chop it too finely else it will be very spicy for kids. Chop a small piece of Ginger. Now in a kadhai(wok), put 1 tbsp oil, add the mustard seeds, when it begins to crackle add the cumin seeds and the Bengal Gram, once the Bengal gram starts to turn light pink add the curry leaves and ginger and chilly, sauté for about a minute then add the onions and sauté till transparent, now add the tomatoes and sauté for a minute, after which you can add all the remaining vegetables, then add the salt, asafetida and turmeric and let it fry till you see the green peas turn light green in color, At this point add in about 3 cups of water, cover and let the vegetables cook, check for salt, if you find it less then add at this point. After 5 minutes open and check, if the vegetables are done, reduce the flame to sim, then slowly add in the Rava. Add the rava slowly with the left hand and with the right hand keep stirring so that it doesn’t form any lumps. Keep stirring. Soon you will notice that the Rava is absorbing the water. When the water content begins to reduce lower the flame and cook under cover for 5 minutes. Open Add a spoon of ghee, mix well and close the wok with a lid, let it rest for about 5 minutes. Then open the lid and serve hot. Kids love this upma. What more; it is nutritious as its got lots of vegetables.
Tip : You can add in Cashews while seasoning, if you want

AMLA/AVLA PICKLE (Instant Gooseberries Pickles)

AMLA/AVLA PICKLE (Instant Gooseberries Pickles)

Here is another instant pickle which is also an instant hit. Whenever you see Gooseberries available in the market, you can buy them and pickle them. Gooseberries are very high in Vitamin C.

Ingredients

Gooseberries – 10-12 medium sized

Turmeric powder – 2 tsps
Red Chilly powder - 2 tablespoon

Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon

Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 teaspoon

Asafoetida (Hing powder) - 1 teaspoon

Salt to taste

Oil – 2-3 tbsps

Method

Wash the gooseberries in a colander. Cook the gooseberries in a pressure cooker with some turmeric for upto 3 whistles. Once the gooseberries are cooked cut them and remove the seed and chop into small pieces or you can chop them into slivers or even mash them into a paste or grate them, this is totally up to you. In my recipe here I have chopped the boiled gooseberries into small pieces. Once done, keep aside.
In a Kadhai(wok), roast the mustard and fenugreek seeds, the fenugreek seeds acts as a preservative. Powder this in a mixie, make a fine powder.
In the same kadhai, Take 2-3 tbsps of any cooking oil. Add the mustard seeds and wait till it pops. Keep the gas on a very low flame or better still put off the flame else the masala will turn black. Now add the red chilly powder and the ground mustard and fenugreek powders and Asafoetida, let it fry. Now add the boiled and chopped gooseberries and mix well with the masala. Add salt to taste and sauté for a few minutes.
Your Instant Gooseberry pickle is ready to be enjoyed with your lunch or dinner or snacks as you may please.
Tip : More oil is required to preserve this pickle. This pickle does'nt have a very long shelf life. Can stay for 3-4 days outside and later for another week in the refrigerator.

GOOD CHAT BLOG AWARD

GOOD CHAT BLOG AWARD








Lakshmi has awarded me with the Good Chat Blog Award and I would love to pass this to
Sowmya of Creative Saga
Priyanka of Asankhana
Anupriya of Myspace

Thanks Lakshmi, this award really means a lot to me.

MY VERY FIRST AWARD "A GIANT BEAR HUG AWARD"

A GIANT BEAR HUG AWARD

Priyanka of ASANKHANA passed me this award. Its my very first award since I entered into the blogging world so its very special to me. Thank you dear for bestowing upon me this award.
I would like to pass this award to Lakshmi
Thank you Lakshmi for making blogging so interesting in Singapore and making me addictive to getting in touch with you guys through these fun events, it truly cheers me when I feel so tired and stressed out the whole day handling housework and 2 kids without any help.
I would like to pass it also to Nupur
Anupriya and I want to send u a bear hug too Priyanka for sending me one,
So here's one for you again, Priyanka
I hope I made your day like Priyanka made mine.
Hope all of you guys enjoy the bear hug award and do pass it on.

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.

FANCY RESTAURANT NAMES

FANCY RESTAURANT NAMES

At the office lunch party
Lady In Pink : Everyday my husband calls me from work and asks me, “Whats for dinner” When I say,” Rasam (is a south Indian soup) and a curry(dry vegetable).He says, “How boring”. I get tired after a hard days work at office and I really don’t know what to cook that will cheer him up” I don’t like him sulking at the dinner table.

Lady in Blue : I think I know what you can do, cook the same thing, just garnish it well, give it a different color and bestow the dish with an exotic name and he sure will come running home to savor it.

Later that night

Husband of Lady in Pink : Hi honey, I will be reaching home by 7ish. Whats for dinner?

Lady In Pink : Mulligatawny soup, garnished with fresh coriander and handpicked potatoes tossed with chilly and freshly ground spices cooked on a slow fire to perfection

The next day at work

Lady In Pink : It worked! Thank you so much, He was so impressed and I actually cooked what I usually cook only altered the look a bit and served it very nicely.

Lady in Blue : You are most welcome. Sometimes we just need to make a few changes here and there. I even cook dishes from leftovers and my husband can’t even guess. Everything depends on how you present it.

Strawberry Kesari/ Sheera

Strawberry Kesari/ Sheera
Kesari is the sweet that is usually served when the boy comes to see a girl or select his bride in Iyer households. The menu usually is Bhajji / Bonda and kesari. Even the Visu movies (Tamil Cinema) which show Brahmin families will show this menu for bride viewing. It’s usually not considered as a very exotic sweet as it is made with semolina and can be rustled up in a jiffy. The North Indians call it sooji ka halwa. As culinary evolution took place, the kesari started to get more and more exotic with its variations and we now have the pineapple kesari which is quite popular. Hearing of the Pineapple Kesari the great cook in me wanted to try another variation. So here comes my discovery, since I am a die-hard strawberry fan, I would love to present to one and all my very own creation, The Strawberry Kesari. There isn’t a recipe on the net for this and mine is the first so I better patent this recipe and call this Sukanya’s berry berry “tasty” strawberry sheera/kesari. My daughter loves kesari so I thought whatever the outcome, she would still try it.….ha ha ha ha.
Make this during the strawberry season with fresh strawberries. Take about 3-4 ripe strawberries, destalk them, wash them well and run it in the blender, Use this pulp to make your strawberry kesari.
Ingredients
Semolina (Rava) – 1 1/4 cup
Ghee - 1 cup
Strawberry pulp - 1/2 cup
Sugar - 1 1/4 cup
Cardamom crushed - 1/4 tsp
Raisins – a tablespoonful
Method
In a nonstick pan, add the ghee, and when it melts. Add in your raisins and crushed cardamoms, when u see that it starts to froth and the raisins are getting plump, add the Semolina (rava). Roast the semolina in Ghee. After about 5-6 minutes of roasting you will get the roasted aroma, don’t make it pink or else you will burn it. Remove and keep aside on a plate. Now in the same pan, add 1 ½ cups of water, add in the sugar and the strawberry pulp, Allow the sugar to melt and when the liquid starts to froth, Add in the roasted rava. Stir well. Keep the gas on a low flame and cover with a lid. After 2 mins stir again and keep covered. Put off the flame, Let it rest for a while with the lid on. After about 5-7 minutes, you can open the lid, stir well and serve hot.
By the way, the strawberry Kesari was a hit with my daughter. Do try it and let me know