Dry Fruits Laddu ( Dry Fruits Balls )

Ingredients for dry fruits ladoo

Ingredients :

Seedless Dates : 10
Almonds : 10
Cashew nuts : 10
Raisins : 10
Pistachios : 10


Method :

Chop the dates and raisins into small pieces and keep it aside. Chop the cashew nuts and pistachios into small pieces. Soak the almonds in water for 5 minutes. Take out the almonds and remove the skin and let it dry completely. Chop the almonds into small pieces. Dry roast the chopped almonds, chopped cashews and chopped pistachios for a few minutes. Take out the roasted nuts and cool them. Combine the roasted nuts, raisins and dates and mix very well. Then shape into round balls. Store in a air tight container.

Dry Fruits Laddoo / Dry Fruits Balls

happy happy sunday.

{weheartit}

sunday has become my very favorite day of the week because isaac and i get spend the entire day together. it seems like every other day one of us is spending part of the day working or at school, but not on sweet sweet sunday. he even has to work tomorrow, on memorial day! how dare his company stay open on memorial day. luckily he's getting off a little early and we're going to spend the evening in style. i'm hoping we'll go see the movie babies. have you seen the preview?! i can't wait to see it. i just love babies. and treats. isn't this image magical?! i'm going to use it as inspiration for a little summer party. and maybe i'll invite you!

Korean-style teriyaki mackerel

This is not your typical teriyaki marinade, as it's not Japanese. I learnt it from my Korean friend, Cat, about 10 years ago, and she got the recipe from her mum. It has now not only become part of my repertoire but also been passed on to others. My mate, Rob, now cooks it on a regular basis and apparently he's even won hearts with it. So it's pretty damn good. You can use various oily fish with it - salmon works well - but I like to use local and sustainable fish, so i have taken to making it with mackerel. I ask the fishmonger to clean it up for me, so I get two filets, like this

Ingredients:

Mackerel fillets

Aprox 50 ml sesame oil

Aprox 50 ml soya sauce

1 tablespoon honey

Ginger (about 2 inch chunk, peeled and chopped)

2-4 garlic cloves

Rice

Broccoli or any other greens for stir frying

First blend the soya sauce, sesame oil, honey, with 1 chopped garlic clove and ginger. Cut the fillets into chunks and cover in the marinade. Leave this in the fridge for between 2-4 hours. If you only have half an hour, then that will do too. Once you are ready to eat, push the rice on (I often pop something in there to give the rice extra flavour, with this I added a couple of garlic cloves), and give it ten minutes before you start frying the fish. Fry it skin down first, it doesn't need any extra oil. Give it about 5 minutes on this side, spooning on more marinade every minute or so to create a sauce. Then turn the fish over and start on the stir fry. I fried chopped garlic on the hot wok in some sesame oil, then added the broccoli, and stir fried for about 5 minutes. Et voila! You won't get a picture, as I messed it up, but trust me, it looked great. And it's also really good served with roast veg

I always want my family to be free from any diseases. That is why, I believe that in order for them to be kept away from any forms and kinds of diseases, my family needs the best milk, Nido.

Nido is fortified with essential nutrients like calcium, protein, iron, vitamins and minerals that help support he 10 signs of good nutrition. This full cream powdered milk shares the total fun and excitement of my family that is we are free from sickness and illnesses. Amazingly, I can see it in my kids right now. They are going healthy and well. Moreover, they perform good in school too.

As a mother, I always ensure 100% protection of my family and I know that Nido brings 100% protection for us. That is why, for mothers all around the world, I can truly say that Nido is the best for our kids and for the family. It has all the nutrients that make our kids healthy and strong.

Hope you drink Nido too!

Institute Of Baking and Cake Art - A Discovery!!

A board which I have seen a score times near the Double Road flyover. Always wanted to make a visit to the place and explore. But the almost obscure entrance on the side road and the old building that houses the Institute of Baking and Cake Art made me wonder if the place was still operational. The numbers listed on the  website were not of much use.

And then Vani dropped a comment on my blog about this 'one stop shop' and tempted me to make a visit t the place ASAP. Thanks so very much Vani!! All baking enthusiasts in Bangalore rejoice!! Of all the places, I have hunted so far in Bangalore, this one takes the cake:-)). I had been to the Institute yesterday and came back as pleased as punch. If you are interested in baking and cake decoration, you must, must visit the place.

 Here are some interesting things I found
 1.Edible cake toppers: As in printouts of any image you mail them. You get a ready to use cake topper,just frost the cake and then zap!!! Isn't that cool!!

2. Springform Tins:  I have never found these before, you bet I bought a 9" pan, am looking forward to bake in it

3.Variety of Sugar Craft flowers, leaves, a few cartoon character faces, glitter sugar, colored vermicelli(like chocolate vermicelli).

4.Ready to use "Happy Birthday' edible topper. This would be great for the artistically challenged like me or when you are in a hurry, just warm the message and top on the frosting!!

5.Egg less Concentrate: I have never found this before in any other store. Honestly I have no idea how to use it, but bought it any way. 

6. Acetate sheets: The kind strips used to give shape to desserts and mousses.

7. Whipping Cream and Powder: Found whipping cream in 1 kg packs. Whipping cream powder available too, haven't tried this before, supposed to be good.

8. Flower and leaf cutters, other tools used for crimping.

9. Dark chocolate, Chocolate Chips, cake tins, piping bags, nozzles, muffin trays, chocolate moulds, pastry brushes, spatulas, icing spatulas, food colors, pie tins and other regular baking stuff.

10. Sparkling sugar: In different colors.

11. Silicon Moulds: In different shapes and regular small moulds.

Make sure you carry cash as cards are not accepted. Well, this is all I am able to recall (Wish I had jotted down the list of things i a piece of paper:-(. Will update this as and when I remember.

The phone number is 9342825279.

Have fun Bangalore Bakers!!!

Shrimp and Bacon Bits

1 pound (16 to 20) very large shrimp
Boiling salted water
About ½ pound thinly sliced bacon
1 clove garlic, minced or mashed
½ cup tomato-based chili sauce

Starting several hours before you plan to serve these, cook the shrimp in the boiling salted water until they turn pink, about 3 minutes. Drain and cool enough to shell and devein them. Also broil the bacon slices on one side only (they should not be crisp); drain bacon, then cut each slice in half crosswise. Blend the garlic with the chili sauce. Dip each shrimp into the sauce t coat all over, wrap in a half-slice of bacon, and secure with a toothpick. When all are prepared, cover and refrigerate until you are ready to broil and serve them.

Arrange the appetizers on a rack in a broiler pan and broil until they are heated through the bacon is crisp, turning to brown and crisp both sides. Serve hot. Make 16 to 20 appetizers.

Cottage Cheese in Tomato Yogurt gravy (Shahi Paneer)

This delicacy is a favorite in my home. It is one unbelievable combination of healthy, tasty and easy to prepare. Served with whole grain flat breads, it is perfect for dinner - wholesome, yet light. Makes a great party pick too!

Ingredients: (serves 2)

fried paneer cubes - 4 oz (about 100g)
tomatoes - 3 large
ginger paste - 1/2 tsp (or 1/2 inch piece of ginger finely chopped)
yogurt - 1/4 cup
milk - 1/2 cup
red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
garam masala - 1/2 tsp
cashewnuts - 2 tbsp (broken)
salt - about a teaspoon (adjust to taste)
clarified butter (ghee) - 1 tsp

Method

Heat ghee. Add cashews and finely chopped tomatoes and green chillies. Cover and fry until tomatoes are soft. Add beaten yogurt and fry for a couple of minutes. Cool and blend to a coarse paste. In a frying pan, take the blended tomato mixture and add salt, chilli powder, ginger paste and garam masala. Boil to a thick gravy. Add milk and paneer cubes. Fry for a couple of minutes and serve.

Make mine a double

As soon as the Iron Cupcake challenge for June was announced "celebration", the three main things I like to celebrate with went through my mind.

1. Manowar - I wasn't what kind of cupcake I could make to signify a sweaty, leather clad, metal band, nor if such a cupcake would appeal to all,

2. Cupcakes - obviously! Birthdays, wedding anniversary's, Christmas, Easter, valentines, weekends, wet days, sunny days, basically any excuse for a celebration = a good excuse for a cupcake. However cupcakes are kind of a given as its Iron Cupcake so, again no,

3.Booze - and lashings of it. Preferably in a frozen cocktail concoction or involving hard liquor!

So I began some boozy cupcake trials. Not all of them successful.

First up - Jack Daniels and Coke cupcakes as pilfered from the Eat Me! book by Xanthe Milton. Although pilfered I did change it slightly and add a touch more Jack Daniels.

This was quite a tasty cake, although I found the cupcake base itself a little boring - I should've bunged a bit of JD in there or some chocolate chips to make it a bit more chocolaty. The frosting was basically melted choc, icing sugar, coke and JD. I added a bit more than suggested here as I tried it and it was a v.faint JD taste. In the end I may have gone a tad overboard as they had quite a kick and I may have got a friend slightly tipsy on the one she had! All in all they were quite tasty, boozy cupcakes but nothing special, and now I've learned how to pipe in a pretty(ish) fashion I like to do that rather than just the old method of slap it on which I had to do with these.

Finally the recipe calls for you to add black food colouring to turn the chocolate frosting black - I'm really not sure why as that is just quite absurd isn't it? Anyhow I didn't - I have black food colour but to me a chocolate frosting should be chocolate coloured.

If you're a fan of JD I would recommend these cakes but perhaps add a shot of JD to the base to give it a bit of a kick!

a homemade life.

i recently finished reading the book a homemade life: stories and recipes from my kitchen table by molly wizenberg and i love love loved it. my mother-in-law recommended it and i can't thank her enough! it is written by the creater of the award winning food blog orangette {a new favorite} and it is so well written. it is filled with charming stories from her life and the most delicious recipes. but beware, this book is a killer to read when you're hungry. it will make you want to run to the grocery store and buy a bunch of ingredients that very second.

a few of the recipes i can't wait to try are the coconut macaroons with chocolate ganache, vanilla bean buttermilk cake with glazed oranges and creme, buckwheat pancakes, and her banana bread with chocolate and crystallized ginger. and that is only the beginning of my list. oh goodness, this book is gold in a foodie's hands. if you love cooking/baking/eating, you'll love this book. purchase it here.

i hope you all have the most lovely memorial day weekend!

Almond Caramel Bars

Surprise the brown baggers in your family by tucking in one of these cookies with the usual lunchtime fare. Chewy and easy to make, they are topped with a rich caramel-nut glaze.

¾ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
½ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup chopped almonds
¾ cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 tablespoon milk

In a medium-size bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, eggs, granulated sugar, ½ cup of the almonds and ½ cup of the brown sugar; beat until well blended. Spread batter evenly in a greased 9-inch-square baking pan. Bake in a 350 degrees oven until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean (about 20 minutes).

Meanwhile, melt butter in a small pan over low heat. Stir in remaining 1/4 cup almonds, remaining ¼ cup brown sugar, and milk. Remove pan from heat.

Spread almond-sugar mixture evenly over hot baked cookies. Broil about 4 inches below eat until topping is bubbly all over and golden brown (about 2 minutes). Let cool in pan on a rack. To serve, cut into bars. Make about 24 cookies.

i love days off.

today i made cupcakes just because i felt like it and it was awesome. i was working out and thought, "a cupcake sounds really good right now" and after i was done i went straight for the kitchen. now you know why it's so crucial for me to work out...ha. i just bought a new tip for piping on frosting and i'm in love. now i have 2 dozen cupcakes sitting in my house, and i'm too lazy to deliver them to any of my lovelies. maybe i'll take them to primary children's tomorrow for my fellow nurses.

guess what! my husband did another hilarious blog post. if you're a fan of 30 rock you'll love it. we can't get enough of the clip he posted, it makes me laugh so so hard. we love tracy morgan. i even bought isaac his book on audio {read by tracy himself} and we listened to it in one day. go to ike's blog here.

i tried another new recipe tonight. it was a different twist on hawaiian haystacks and it was delicious. get the recipe here.

tomorrow i'm doing another 12 hour shift and i'm not even scared. i just need to be in bed by 9:30 sharp and i'll be just fine. adios amigos.

Dhaal

Sometimes all you want is some lentils and rice - simple, nourishing food. There are so many different ways of making dhaal, that I have a different method of each different type of lentil. Yesterday, I used green lentils. These need to soak in cold water for a couple of hours before you use them. I used the stuff below to flavour them

Ingredients

Green lentils

Clove of garlic

A couple of green chillies

Cinamon stick

Ginger

A few cardamon pods

Vegetable stock

Coconut milk

Rice

Olive oil

Salt

Once I'd soaked the lentils, I fried the chopped chillies, garlic and ginger off in some olive oil for a couple of minutes before adding them, plus the stock, to the pan. I then added the tin of coconut milk, cinamon and cardamon seeds, as well as plenty of salt. This needed to be cooked for about 45 in total. Therefore, I put the rice on after about 25 minutes

I cooked and ate this dinner in cyberspace, somewhere between London and Athens. I was skyping with my friend Karina for about 3 hours, who was also cooking dinner. So it was a really lovely evening, sharing a meal and a couple of glasses of wine while catching up with someone who lives so far away.

And here's another type of dhaal recipe

Karivepaku Podi ~ Spicy Curry Leaves Powder

Karivepaku Podi or Karivepaku Karam


Ingredients :

Curry leaves : 2 cup
Coriander seeds : 3 tbsp
Chana dal : 3 tbsp
Urad dal : 2 tbsp
Red chillies : 8
Tamarind : small lime sized
Salt to taste
Oil : 4 tsp


Method :

Remove the stems from the curry leaves and wash them. Let it dry completely. Heat oil in a pan and add coriander seeds, chana dal, urad dal and finally red chillies to light golden color. Remove from the flame and allow it to cool. In the same add one tea spoon of oil and put curry leaves. Roast them for a few minutes. Remove from the heat and let it cool down. Grind the roasted spices, salt and tamarind to a coarse powder. Finally add the roasted curry leaves to the spices powder and blenderise it again. Serve with dosa, idli or hot steamed rice and ghee.

i.love.weddings.

plain and simple. i love planning them, i love attending them, i love talking about them, i love dreaming about them, i love looking at pictures of them, etc etc etc. i love them. and i'll be honest, i was pretty sad when mine was over. of course i was so happy to be married to my sweetie boy and the fact that we didn't have to drive an hour to see each other and be in by curfew anymore was fabulous, but i was sad my big day was over. so much planning for one little day to go by in a flash...{i think i reminiscent post on my wedding might be just what i need...}

aj and jon's wedding was magical. i loved every minute of it, especially because my hubs was the dj and we got to stay and party all night long. aj, you were the most beautiful bride.

dj hubs.

isn't she a beauty.

spending the night with these two lovebirds was the best. amanda, i just miss you so much.

i love these girls so much. they always make me laugh so hard.
dear aj + amanda,
i hope california is treating you both supreme.
love you both,
emma

what a day.

hi friends. my first day of my capstone was aweeeesome. i loved every minute of it. the nurse i'm working with this summer is so smart and happily answers all my silly questions. i learned so much in just one day. it was my first full 12 hour shift and it wasn't even that bad! minus the leg aches {why do i get leg aches?!} and ratty hair, i'm doing just fine. go me, go nurse emma.

now excuse me while i go pass out in bed. i am one tired lady.

Mamidikaya Charu ~ Raw Mango Rasam

Mamidikai Charu ~ Mango Rasam

Ingredients :

Raw mango : 1
Mustard seeds : 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds : 1/2 tsp
Rasam Powder : 1 tsp
Chopped fresh coriander leaves
Red chilli : 1
Green chillies : 3
Grated jaggery : 1 tsp
Turmeric powder : 1/4 tsp
Oil : 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
A pinch of hing


Method :

Wash, peel and cut the mango into medium size pieces. Put the mango pieces, turmeric and half cup of water in a pressure cooker. Cook till 3 or 4 whistles. Turn off the flame and wait until the pressure go off. Then remove the mango pieces from the cooker. When it cool down, mash the mango pieces with fingers or masher. Put the mango pulp, salt, rasam powder, grated jaggery, green chillies, chopped coriander leaves and 2 - 3 cups water in a heavy bottomed pan. Let it cook for 10 to 15 minutes on a medium flame and remove from the heat. Heat half teaspoon of oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, cumin seeds. When they start to splutter add hing and red chilli and stir for few seconds. Turn off the flame and pour over the mango rasam. Mix well and serve hot with steamed rice and sun dried chillies.

love it.

{we heart it}

my hubs and i agree that this is where i belong. isn't it delightful?!

Seriously Low Fat Brownies!!!!

Its been a hectic summer with kids at home and having a busy time at work too. I had in fact looked forward to more free time for cooking, baking and blogging as I would have not homework and school assignments to deal with. Boy!! How wrong I was!! All I have been talking about to anybody and everybody who cares to listen is how much I am looking forward to the school reopening. My days would then start early, but would be so much more sane:-)) The joys of being a work from- home-Mom!!

I have been cooking and baking as always but have not really been able to sit down and post them as often as I like to. I have put in a few hurried posts, pics taken in a hurry before the food in question gets polished off by kids. This is one of the recipes from Sanjeev kapoor I have tried form the same book, "Simply Stylish Entertaining at Home'. The name of the recipe actually is "Very Low Fat Brownies' and I was so tempted to try this out as it is really, seriously low fat and super quick and easy to put together.

I made this on the spur of the moment when I had to go to my parents place. The picture was taken in a hurry(isn't that obvious??) before they went into the box. The brownies were tasty and loved by all. A fab treat for the sweet tooth sans the sinful calories, particularly so when teamed with low fat ice cream or low fat chocolate sauce. The recipe for the sauce soon follows...

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons Cocoa powder
1/2 cup wholewheat flour
1/2 cup plain flour(maida)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon soda bicarbonate
1 cup caster sugar( I used powdered sugar)
1/2 cup milk
2 egg whites, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 1/2 tablespoons oil
Method: Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Grease and flour an eight - inch square cake tin and line with butter paper.
Sift the cocoa powder, wholewheat flour, refined flour, baking powder and soda bi carb into a bowl.
Stir in the caster sugar, then beat in the milk, egg whites, vanilla essence and oil until thoroughly combined. Pour in to the prepared tin. Bake for about 25 minutes or until just firm to the touch. Leave in the tin until completely cooled. Cut into sixteen squares, remove from the tin.

I have used wheat flour for the first time in a cake and I was so glad there was no perceptible difference in the taste due to it. Will make a great healthy snack box treat for kids. With school re-opening just around the corner, I can see these brownies making their way into my kids' box every now and then!!

The brownie is being sent off to Divya's 3rd Blog Anniversary Event! 

Tomato Pappu ~ Tomato Dal

Tamata Pappu ~ Tomato Dhal

Ingredients :

Tomatoes : 3 to 5
Toor dal / Yellow Lentil : 1 cup
Green chillies : 2
Red Chilli : 1
Turmeric powder : 1/4 tsp
Mustard seeds : 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds : 1/4 tsp
Red chilli powder : 1/4 tsp
Oil : 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
A pinch of hing
Few fresh curry leaves
Chopped fresh coriander leaves


Method :

Wash and cut the tomatoes into medium size pieces. Wash yellow lentil with plenty of water. Put the chopped tomatoes, yellow lentil, turmeric, chopped green chillies and two cups of water in a pressure cooker. Cook till 3 whistles. Turn off the flame and wait until the pressure go off. Remove the dal from the cooker and add salt, chopped coriander leaves and red chilli powder. Let cook on a medium flame for about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat. Heat oil in a pan for seasoning and add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Let them splutter. When they start to splutter add red chilli, hing and curry leaves. And stir for another few seconds. Remove from the flame and pour over the cooked tomato dal. Mix well and serve with hot steamed rice or roti.

wingin' it.

i got my wings! they were so tasty. isaac took me to rocky mountain wingshak in american fork and we loved it. it's this little locally owned place that makes some yummy yummy wings. all their sauces are handmade and are fabulous. i got the boneless pineapple bbq wings and i'm already craving more. we can't wait to go back.
isaac prepping to eat his wings.

we had such a relaxing weekend, i loved it. this week is going to be a busy one, i start my first day at primary children's tomorrow and i'm so excited to get started. let's hope i love it as much as i think i will. i also made the best cookies this weekend. unfortunately i didn't take pics so just take my word for it. they're called magical peanut butter middles and you can find the recipe here...you'll love them.

p.s. boo for monday.

Pasta and Bean Soup

Colorful and quick, this healthful soup is thick with pasta and vegetables. Use any home-cooked or canned white beans- Great Northerns, cannelloni and navy beans all work well.

1 large red onion, chopped
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 cup chopped celery
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 ½ quarts chicken broth
1 ½ cups dry small shell-shaped pasta
3 to 4 cups cooked or canned white beans, drained and rinsed
1 package (about 10 oz.) frozen tiny peas
Grated Parmesan cheese

Set aside 1/3 cup of the onion. In a 6-to 8-quart pan, combine remaining onion, oil, celery and garlic. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until onion is lightly browned (5 to 8 minutes). Add broth and bring to a boil. Stir in pasta and beans; reduce heat, cover and simmer until pasta is tender to bite (5 to 7 minutes). Add carrots and peas; bring to a boil. Ladle soup into wide bowls and sprinkle with reserved 1/3 cup onion, offer cheese to add to taste. Make 6 to 8 servings.

Cabbage Kootu

Ingredients :

Chopped Cabbage : 1 cup
Chana dal : 1/2 cup
Grated fresh coconut : 1/2 to 1 cup
Tomato : 1
Onion : 1
Green Chillies : 3
Red Chilli : 1
Mustard seeds : 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds : 1/2 tsp
Black pepper powder : 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder : 1/2 tsp
Oil : 1/2 tsp
A pinch of turmeric powder
A pinch of hing
Few Curry leaves
Salt to taste


Method :

Soak the chana dal in water for 15 minutes. Put the chopped cabbage , soaked chana dal, Onion pieces, tomato pieces, turmeric and 2 cups of water in a pressure cooker. Cook till 4 whistles. Turn off the flame and wait until the pressure go off. Then remove the cooked dal from the cooker. Add salt and red chilli powder and let it cook for 10 minutes. Now add grated coconut and pepper powder. And cook for another 2 minutes. Remove from the flame. Heat oil in a pan for seasoning. Add mustard seeds and cumin seeds and let them splutter. When they start to splutter add hing, red chilli & curry leaves and stir for a few seconds. Remove from the heat and pour over the cooked lentil and cabbage mixture. Mix well and serve hot with steamed rice and dollop of ghee.

Dal Lucknowi

What happens when I get a chance to watch a live cookery show of Master Chef Sanjeev Kapoor?? The legend of Indian cookery shows who with his charm, mouth watering recipes and friendly smile has had us addicted to Khana Khazana since ages??  The show makes me finish cooking my break fast on Sunday mornings by 9.30 or defer it till 10 am :-). I have been a huge fan of Sanjeev Kapoor since my college days and love the way he makes every recipe seem so simple, easy and do able.

I got a chance to watch this live cookery show at Kitchen Yatra show thanks to Madhuri. It was on a weekday and I somehow manged to get hubby to baby sit the kids(anything to grab the opportunity of a lifetime!!) It was great to watch him cook and also get to taste the same. And of course also ask him endless questions which were answered in his true witty style. It was a show to remember.

Well, it brings me back to the question, what happens when I get a chance to watch a live cookery show of Master Chef Sanjeev Kapoor?? I read more of the Chef's books and of course tried some of the recipes. I tried  Lucknowi Dal from his fantastic new collection, "Simply Stylish Entertaining at Home'. Do absolutely check this book out, I simply loved the recipes, more coming here.

This creamy Dal is subtle in flavor, is extremely easy to make and is a wonderful, elegant accompaniment to rotis or rice. Perfect for entertaining when you are pressed for time or have unexpected guests.

This recipe is also my entry to Sara's 'Cooking with Cumin Seeds' event

Ingredients:
1 Cup split Pigeon peas(Toor Dal), soaked
2 green chillies, chopped
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
Salt to taste
1 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
4 dried red chillies, broken
5 garlic cloves,chopped
A pinch asafoetida.
1 Cup milk
2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander


Method: Pressure cook the pigeon peas and green chillies with 2 cups of water in a pressure cooker for 2 whistles. Remove the lid when the pressure drops fully. Add the turmeric and salt and simmer on low heat.

Heat the oil in a non stick pan. Add the cumin seeds, red chillies, garlic and asafoetida and saute until fragrant. Pour the sizzling spices into the simmering dal and mix well. Add one cup of water and the milk and continue to simmer for 2-3 minutes.

Adjust the salt, garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve hot. I have added a dash of garam masala and kasuri methi to suit my palate.

Baked Beef Stew with Carrots

This oven stew takes time to cook, but it doesn’t demand much attention.

2 ½ pounds boneless beef chuck, trimmed of fat and cut into 1-inch cubes
2 medium-size onions, chopped
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 cups beef broth
¼ cup red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons dry thyme
4 cups ¼ inch-thick carrot slices
Salt and pepper
About 6 cups hot mashed potatoes

In a shallow 3- to 3 1/2-quart casserole, mix beef and onions. Bake in a 450 degrees oven, stirring occasionally, until meat is well browned (40 to 45 minutes). Remove from oven. Sprinkle meat mixture with flour; stir gently to coat. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.

In a 1 ½-quart pan, bring broth vinegar, thyme and the 1 teaspoon pepper to boil. Add to meat and onions, stirring to scrape browned bits free. Stir in carrots. Cover tightly and bake until meat is very tender when pierced (1 ½ to 2 more hours). If stew is soupy, uncover and continue to bake to reduce liquid. Season to taste with salt and pepper; serve with potatoes. Makes 6 servings.

hello.

image from our magical trip to washington

happy weekend people. i just got home from work and our possibilities of what to do tonight are endless!! we were hoping to have a little picnic but the weather here is not cooperating. not at all. i'm kind of craving wings {weird i know}, so ike is probably going to take me to a yummy wing place in lehi. let's hope they're good.

p.s. i posted the chicken taco recipe i won't shut up about over at just cook already, go take a looksie. they also have a fabulous giveaway happening right now!

Milk soup or "zupa mleczna"

A few days ago I had a dream about making milk soup, or "zupa mleczna". In my dream, I used cannelloni, which is completely inappropriate, and accidently put paprika in it. I have no idea what my sub-conscious was trying to to tell me (perhaps that strange things are happening in my life), but I decided to make milk soup for breakfast nevertheless

Ingredients

Half a mug of bulghur - cracked wheat

1 litre milk

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

30 grams butter

There are many different types of milk soup and all have the same basic ingredients - milk, sugar, salt, butter. What's inside is interchangeable. You can use pasta - the smaller the shapes the better, therefore cannelloni would look freakish in this dish. You may use rice, or various different types of wheat. I used "kasza iglana", I have not been able to find an exact translation online, but I believe that it's bulghur, or cracked wheat

You cook the wheat according to packet instructions (usually about 10 minutes once the water is boiling). When it is ready, you add the other ingredients, and bring it all back to the boil. Then turn the heat down and simmer for a further 10 minutes or so. It's a delicious, warm, soothing breakfast. I am loving anything white at the moment - I have painted my room, and am finding some kind of peace and clarity in it. Perhaps that's another reason why I am slightly obsessed with milk soups at the moment

Apple Halwa

Seema Regi Pandu Halwa ~ Apple Halva
Ingredients :

Apples : 4
Milk : 2 cups
Sugar : 1 cup
Ghee : 3 to 4 tbsp
Cardamom powder : 1/2 tsp
Cashew nuts


Method :

Wash and peel the apples and cut into pieces. Grind the apple pieces to a smooth paste without adding water. Keep it aside. Melt the ghee in a wide pan. Add and fry cashew nuts to light golden color and keep aside. In the same pan, add 1 table spoon of ghee and put the apple pulp. Let it fry for a few minutes. Add milk and stir properly. When the milk evaporates add sugar, ghee and fried cashew nuts. Cook for sometime till the water from the sugar evaporates. When the pulp thickens add a little ghee and cardamom powder. Mix well. Remove it from the flame and spread in a greased dish.

Chintha Chiguru Podi ~ Spicy Tender Tamarind Leaves Powder

Chintha Chiguru Podi ~ Spicy Tender Tamarind Leaves Powder

Ingredients :

Tender Tamarind Leaves : 100 gms
Ground nuts : 4 tsp
Coriander seeds : 2 tsp
Chana dal : 2 tsp
Red Chillies : 8 - 10
Garlic pods : 2
Oil : 2 tsp
Salt to taste

Method :

Remove the stems from the tamarind leaves and wash them. Let it dry completely. Heat one teaspoon of oil in a heavy bottomed pan add and fry ground nuts, coriander seeds, next chana dal and finally red chillies to light brown color. Remove from the flame and allow it to cool. In the same pan add one teaspoon of oil and put the tamarind leaves. Roast the tender tamarind leaves until they turn crisp but don't burn them. Remove from the heat and let it cool down. Grind the roasted spices, salt and garlic to a coarse powder. Finally add roasted tamarind leaves to the spices powder and blenderise it again. Serve with steamed rice, dosa or idli.

anthro dreams.

every once and a while i love to do a little window shopping on my favorite clothing sites. anthropologie is right up there with j crew as a fav but i try not to go on the site too much because it just makes me sad i can't buy all their beautiful clothes. why must i have such expensive taste?! thank goodness for sales.

i love this dress. if i could, i would wear a dress every day. i would say goodbye to all my jeans, tennis shoes, and t shirts and say hello to little beauties like this every day.
oh these shoes! these shoes!!
this rose top is fabulous. enough said.

my bathroom is sooo boring. this shower curtain would perk it up nicely.

ohhh yes, this dainty little dress should be mine.

and lastly, this necklace. buy it for me mr. isaac.

friendsies.

one thing my very early graduation celebration made me realize is just how much i'm going to miss all my friends i've made this past year in nursing school. we've had so much fun together enduring all the crap the college of nursing puts us through. luckily i have one last semester with them before we officially graduate. then we'll all be off to be real life nurses all over the valley. crazy crazy.

here's to getting through the next 3 months!

Majjiga Mirapakayalu ( Oori Mirapa ) ~ Sun Dried Chillies

Ingredients :

Green Chillies : 1/4 kg
Sour Buttermilk : 1/4 kg
Turmeric powder : 1/4 tsp
Salt : 2 tsp


Method :

1. Wash and slit the green chillies and keep it aside.
2. Pour the sour buttermilk in a wide vessel. Add salt, turmeric powder and slit green chillies to it.
3. Mix well and soak them for 3 to 4 days. Remove the green chillies from the salted buttermilk. Place on the plastic sheet and let it dry in the sunlight.

Dahi Mirchi / Vuppu Menasinakayi / Mor Milagai

4. Once they are dried remove from the sheet and store in the airtight container.

5. Fry the dried chillies in hot oil before serving. Serve with dal or sambar.

Blueberry-Lemon Muffins

Simple blueberry muffins get a bright flavor boost from grated lemon peel.

2 cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 large egg
¼ cup salad oil
½ cup milk
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a small bowl, beat egg with oil until blended; then stir in milk and lemon peel. Add egg mixture to flour mixture an stir just until dry ingredients are evenly moistened (batter will be stiff). Gently fold in blueberries.

Divide batter evenly among 12 greased or paper-lined 2 ½-inch muffin cups. Bake in a 375 degrees oven until muffins are golden (about 20 minutes). Turn out of pans onto racks; serve warm or at room temperature. If made ahead, let cool; then wrap airtight and refrigerate for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 6 months. Make 12 muffins.

funk.

i feel like i'm in a bit of a funk. i think it's because i just don't want to deal with school anymore. i am so excited to start at primary children's but the thought of tests/papers/quizzes this summer makes me want to scream. i just want to have fun! i just took my first quiz and it wasn't even that hard, but getting myself to do it was like pulling teeth. i'm just not in the mood for school. okay okay, i'm done complaining. i know i've got it real good.

especially since i get to hang out with this handsome fella all the time. he came home from work today to take me for a little lunch, such a sweetie. too bad our food was grossssssss. please excuse my sickie face. i make it all the time and then i wonder why why why?!! isaac just looks so cute!