Fried Masala Idly

I hope everyone had a great thanksgiving weekend. I did relax watching lot of movies and did few recipes finally trying to post those recipes one by one. Today's recipe is Fried Masala Idly. Whenever My daughter and I used to go to Tirupathi Bhimas my kid always used to order Fried Masala Idly. It is her favorite recipe in that restaurant. Last Tuesday I had few left over idlies at home so thought of making Fried masala idly for dinner.



Very simple and delicious recipe.

Ingredients:

6 idlies cut into cubes
3 Green Chilies slit length wise
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp urad dal
1tsp cumin seeds
1tsp red chili powder (Adjust as per your spice level)
1 medium sized onion
curry leaves
salt as per taste( very little since idlies are cooked with salt)
pinch of turmeric powder
1/2 tsp garam masala powder (Adjust as per your spice level)
1tsbsp oil
1tsp lemon juice


Preparation:

In a Pan add oil. Once oil is hot add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and urad dal. Once mustard seeds start spluttering add curry leaves, green chilies and onions. Once onions turned into golden color add chili powder, masala powder, little bit salt and turmeric powder.
Now add cubed idlies and mix well and shallow fry them for 2 more mts and remove it from heat and mix with lemon juice as per your taste.







Serve it with chutney or Raita.

Baby Shower cake for my friend (Spring theme)

Today few of our friends and myself arranged a small baby shower party to my friend "Ami". Ever since I completed wilton cake decorating classes I am waiting for the opportunity to bake cakes. What is better occasion than baby shower to practice my cake decorating techniques? So took the job of making the cake for the party.

Since Ami loves strawberries I made a strawberry cake with whip cream and Strawberry filling. Cake was a big hit. I am so glad that she loved the cake. The first thing she said was, I am keeping the cute little girl on the cake :).

I am happy that cake decorating classes from Wilton is helping me to make better cakes each time.

Here are the pics of the cake. All the items on the cake are edible(Including pregnant women, booties, baby frock, hand bag) .. Made with Fondant and Gum paste.

Medu Vada (Garelu)

As a kid I always associated festival with lot of food. I always eagerly used to wait for festival to have yummy food. During the college days started learning how to make some of the festival dishes. Diwali means lots of yummy food at home. My mom always used to make something with urad dal like Jangry(Sweet), and Medu vada for Diwali apart from other sweets like bobbatlu, laddu etc. This year for Diwali I made these yummy garelu. (Recipe learned from my mom)






Here is the recipe for the same

Ingredients:

1 cup urad dal
salt
1 medium sized onion chopped(optional)
2 green chilies cut into small pieces (Optional)
1tsp crushed black pepper
1 tsp cumin seeds
1tsp chopped curry leaves

Oil to deep fry

Procedure:

Soak urad dal for 2 to 3 hrs. Wash and grind in a food processor with little water into smooth paste. Do not use more water.
Mix the dough thoroughly with chilies, pepper, salt, cumin seeds and onions. I made half batter with onions and remaining half without onions.







Heat oil in a pan for deep frying.

Take small lemon sized dough keep it on damped plastic sheet or banana leaf or on palm. I always do it on hand. With practice you will get the shape right. Slightly damp your hand and flatten the dough slightly and make a hole in the middle. Gently transfer the shaped dough into oil and deep fry till it turns into golden brown color on both sides.







Serve hot vada with chutney or sambar.

U bet all your friends and family members will love to eat these yummy vada.

Kalakand using Ricotta Cheese- Reposting with latest images

Diwali is popularly known as Festival of Lights. Diwali is usually celebrated during the evenings with fireworks and lighting oil lamps to signify the triumph of good over evil. One more thing about Diwali is all about eating yummy food with lots and lots of sweets. Today I made Kalakand using ricotta cheese as a part of Diwali celebrations. I am reposting this recipe using the latest images.

Link to the recipe

Aloo Paratha - Flat bread filled with potato curry.

After a lot of thinking finally decided to make aloo paratha for y'days dinner. I was always skeptical to make aloo paratha since my daughter doesn't like to eat potatoes. But I am so glad that my daughter loved the parathas. First thing she said after the dinner is "even though I hate Potatoes these parathas are yummy."

Parathas are flat bread filled with curry. You can make variety of parathas for eg: Muli Paratha(Raddish filling Flat bread), Spinach Paratha, Paneer paratha .




Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

Filling:
2 Potatoes
1tbsp oil
1tbsp of chopped coriander
1tsp ginger garlic paste
3 green chilies finely chopped( you can reduce as per your spice level)
1tsp of chat masala
red chili powder as per your spice level
1small sized onion finely chopped (optional. I Didn't use it today)
salt as per taste

Rotis:

1 cup of wheat flour.
salt


Procedure:

Mix the flour with salt, 1tsp of oil and water to make it like nice soft dough and keep it aside.

Boil the potatoes and mash or grate them. In a pan add oil once oil is hot add ginger garlic paste,chopped coriander,chopped green chilies, spices(chat masala, red chili powder, turmeric). Now add mashed potatoes, salt and mix well. Remove it from stove and make small round balls.



Take the dough and divide into small balls. Roll the dough into small round shaped dusting with flour to avoid sticking onto the platform.



Place potato curry ball bring the ends to the center from 4 to 5 points. Close the ends properly so that the curry will not come
out.



Dust with flour and gently roll into flat bread approximately 5" to 6" diameter.

On a hot griddle or pan place paratha on it. Cook both sides till it turns golden color drizzling little bit of oil or ghee.



Delicious yummy paratha is ready to be served with raita or plain yogurt or any curry.

Brinjal Potato mash curry (Vankaya Bangaladumpa mudda Koora)

Anyone from south india can relate what i am talking about. This curry is served in almost all the marriages in south. The easiest and tastiest curry. Whenever I am tired and want something quick this is the recipe which I do. Here is the recipe for the same.




Ingredients:

2 medium sized brinjals
2 medium sized potatoes
1 big tomato
1/2 tbsp of tamarind juice (Optional if tomatoes are sour enough then you can skip adding tamarind juice)
salt
pinch of turmeric powder
2tbsp of oil

Spice powder: ( this one I make it and store it for 2 months)

1 tbsp of chana dal
1/2 tbsp urad dal
1 tsp of fenugreek seeds
4 red chilies (as per your spice level)
1tbsp of coriander seeds
1/2 tbsp of cumin seeds
pinch of asafoetida


Dry roast all the above ingredients and store it in airtight container. Shelf time 4 to 5 months.

Procedure:

Cut all the vegetables in cube sized. In a pan add oil. Once oil is hot add potatoes cook/shallow fry for 5 mts before you add Brinjal cubes (Since potatoes take longer time to cook than brinjal I always cook potatoes first). Now add brinjal and cook for 5 more mts covering with lid.
Add tomatoes, pinch of turmeric, salt and tamarind juice and cook for few more minutes till all the vegetables are cooked. Once all the vegetables are cooked mash them with ladle add 1tbsp of spice powder(u can increase as per your spice level) . Cook for 5 mts and remove it from the flame.

Serve it with hot rice or roti.

Poha(Pressed rice upma)

It has been more than 2 months since I blogged. Last 2 months were most stressful 2 months for me. Hopefully it will come to an end soon. Finally decided to post at least one. Y'day wanted to make some thing quick and tasty so ended up making poha.




Ingredients:

1 cup of Pressed rice
small onion cut into thin slices
1 potato boiled and cut into small cubes (Optional. I didn't use it y'day since I didn't find it in my pantry)
1tsp of mustard seeds
1 tsp of chana dal
1 tsp urad dal
1 tbsp of peanuts (Optional)
1 tsp of cashews (optional)
2 slit red chilies
3 green chilies ( as per your spice)
salt
1 tbsp of oil
pinch of asafoetida
1tbsp of lemon juice( optional)
curry leaves
coriander for garnishing
1/2 tsp of turmeric powder


Procedure:

Wash pressed rice and drain the water using strainer and keep it aside. You can add salt to pressed rice at this time . This way salt will be mixed properly to the pressed rice.
In a pan add oil. Once the oil is hot add tampering ingredients(Mustard, urad dal. chana dal, peanuts, cashews, red chili, asafoetia). Once mustard seeds starts spluttering add curry leaves, green chilies and onion. Once onions are cooked for 2 mts add potatoes.



let it cook for 1 more mt now add turmeric and pressed rice and mix it well. After a minute of cooking remove it from stove and add lemon juice.

This is very simple and tasty.

Garnish with Coriander leaves and serve.

Dibba Rotti/Idly batter Cake (Savory Cake)

Today I am talking about one of my favorite dishes of my mom. Anyone who grew up in Andhra is familiar what I am talking about. Dibba Rotti is delicacy of East andhra. This cake is cooked on low heat for minimum 1 hr depends on the pan size. In India this is prepared in Aluminum pan (Specially made for these kind of dishes(Slow cooking). We call as Pota Silver ginni in Telugu.) The name Dibba Rotti literally means Fat bread (Based on the size ;) Dibba means fat in Telugu)

Very simple to make but takes lot of time to cook.



Ingredients:

Idly Batter (Note: Homemade idly batter gives the nice crispy texture than store bought. One more point is we use idly rava instead of idly rice)
2 green chilies slit length wise
oil

Preparation:

Heat oil in the pan. Make sure you use a round shaped and thick pan to get the nice shape and crisp to the cake. The technique to get the right cake is to have right pan.
When oil is hot add batter and keep the green chilies in the middle of the batter. (This helps to cook the batter evenly.)
Keep it on low heat and cover with lid for 15 mts once you feel the batter is cooked remove the lid and leave it open till you see crispy edges. Insert a knife or skewer in the middle of the batter to check if the batter is cooked or not. Once the batter is cooked and edges are crispy and golden color turn it over to other side and cook it for 5 to 6 mts till u get golden color.

Yummy Dibba Rotti is ready to be served with any chutney. I like to eat with Peanut or Onion or Coconut chutney.

Low fat Pala kova(Doodh peda)

After 1 week of vacation I am back to my routine work. Last week my daughter had braces appointment. Believe me these appointments are painful. To add to that she got springs in her mouth this time. She is having severe pain to eat anything hard. So prepared this soft and delicious peda for my kid.



Here is the recipe.

Source of the recipe : Web

Ingredients:
2 cups of non fat milk powder(Sieve the milk powder. This will help to cook faster. I learned this step by not sieving it. next time I will definitely sieve milk powder and remove any lumps)
1 can fat free condensed milk
8oz/16 tbsp unsalted butter

Preparation:

Melt butter in microwave bowl. Mix milk powder and condensed milk with butter and cook in microwave for 5 to 6 mts ,mixing continuously after every minute till milk powder completely mixes(Time depends on the power of your microwave. mine took 6 mts). Cool the mixture to room temperature. Grease your hands and make any shape as you want. I made few with hand and remaining I rolled it like roti and cut using cookie cutter.









You can decorate these with any nuts or just leave as it is. Yummy and delicious Peda is ready to be served.

Baklava

Today I made one of the irresistible dessert Baklava for my family. This is second time I made this dessert at home. I am so happy to see that my parents loved this dessert.

Next time when you have get togethers serve this dessert to your friends and I am sure they will ask you the address of the store. I can guarantee that they will be surprised when you disclose the secret that you made this at home.

Baklava (Ottoman Turkish: باقلوا) is a rich, sweet pastry made of layers of phyllo dough filled with chopped nuts and sweetened with syrup or honey. It is characteristic of the cuisines of the former Ottoman Empire and much of central and southwest Asia.
Source - wikipedia



Here is the recipe. Adapted from one of the cook books in my book shelf and web.

Ingredients:

1 cup roasted walnuts
1 cup blanched almonds
1/2 cup roasted pistachos
1/2 cup pecans (I used pecans because my daughter loves.)
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
1/2 tsp clove powder
1 tsp rose water mixed in 3 tbsp of water -Rose water mix
Phyllo dough pastry sheets (30 sheets)
8 ounces of clarified butter/ghee (You can even use melted butter)

Syrup:

1 1/4 cup honey
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cup water
1 cinnamon stick
orange/lemon rind (optional)
1 tsp rose water


Procedure:
Thaw phyllo as per the instructions in the box.
Preheat oven at 350 degrees F
In a food processor pulse all the nuts along with sugar and spices until finely chopped. Do not make it like powder.
Divide the nut mixture evenly in two bowls so it will be easy to distribute the mixture in pans.
Trim the phyllo to fit the bottom of the 8*8 metal pan. Brush the pan with clarified butter and lay one sheet of phyllo and brush butter. Repeat this step 9 more times for a total of 10 sheets. Top with the 1/3 of nut mixture(1 bowl) spray rose water mix using spray bottle or brush. Layer 6 more sheets of phyllo brushing each layer with butter. Top with 1/3 of the nut mixture and spray rose water mix. Layer 6 more sheets of phyllo brushing each layer with butter. now the final layer with 8 more sheets of phyllo.
(Note: same steps should be repeated for both the pans)




Brush each layer with butter generously. Carefully cut into 20 square pieces and bake for 30 - 35 mts untill golden brown.


Syrup:

Combine water, honey, sugar, cinnamon and orange rind in a sauce pan on medium heat. Stirring occasionally boil for 10 to 12 mts.

Once baklava is at room temperature pour hot syrup evenly over the top of baklava and keep it aside for 4 to 5 hours.



Mouth watering baklava is ready to be served.

Eggless carrot cake with Cream cheese frosting

I have been making lot of cakes recently. But my mom couldn't eat any of the cakes because all cakes are made with eggs. To please my mom I made eggless carrot cake this weekend. Here is the recipe for the same.




Source : web

Ingredients:

5/3 cup ( 1 2/3) of all purpose flour
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup raisins
1tbsp flax seed powder ( soak in 4 tbsp warm water)
1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 cup yogurt
2 cups of grated carrot
1tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon powder
1/2 tsp of salt
2/3 cup of oil

Cream cheese frosting:

8 oz cream cheese(I used fat free)
5 tbsp butter at room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups of confectioner sugar




Procedure:

Preheat oven at 370F.

Mix flax seed powder in warm water and mix well. Keep it aside for 10 mts. (Alternate to Eggs)

Sift all dry ingredients(Flour, baking powder,baking soda, spices and salt). Add sugar, nuts and carrot and mix well.

Now in another bowl using electric mixer whisk all wet ingredients ( oil, yogurt, orange juice, vanilla extract and flax seed powder mixture) till well combined. ( I mixed for 2 mts)

Now pour the liquids into the dry mixture and fold the mixture gently till well combined.

Pour the batter into greased 8" cake pan and bake for 30 to 40 mts or till the tooth pick comes back clean.

Remove it from oven and cool it completely on a rack.

Tip: always use parchment paper on the bottom of the pan for the cake to come out clean. And do not remove the cake immediately from the pan . Let the cake cool for 10 mts in the pan and remove it from pan and cool on rack completely

Frosting:

Using electric mixer beat cream cheese, butter,vanilla extract until combined. Gradually add sugar and whisk till it reaches consistency and sweetness. ( I used 2 cups of confectioner sugar. make sure you sift sugar after measuring.)


Now decorate the cooled cake with cream cheese frosting. Yummy moist carrot cake is ready to be served. My parents loved the cake.

Fire Roasted Avocado and Mango salsa

Summer means sports and this summer is more fun watching soccer World cup. Today's final we had get together with our friends. I made salsa and dessert and my mom made entree for our get together. Here is the recipe for the two types of Salsa which I made.




Ingredients:

4 Roma Tomatoes
Green Chilies (As per spice level)
1 big onion
5 garlic cloves
1 tbsp chopped cilantro
fresh lime juice
red chili powder (if you want too spicy)
2 tsp of olive oil
1 Avocado
1/2 mango
salt as per taste
1 bell pepper
3 jalapenos

Procedure:

In a non stick pan place 3 cut tomatoes, chilies, bell pepper, garlic and diced onions. Drizzle olive oil and broil in oven for 8 to 10 mts unitl tomatoes charred. Remove and cool it on room temperature.



Meanwhile chop avocado and mix with lemon juice before oxidization starts and keep it one bowl. chop remaining tomato and mango and keep it aside.

Once the roasted vegetables are at room temperature pulse it(except bell pepper) in a blender until well combined and slightly chunky. Make two half of this mixture and keep it in two bowls.
Finely chop roasted bell pepper. (note: I roasted bell pepper separately due to the space constraints of my pan)
In one bowl add chopped avocado,half chopped bell pepper and half of the chopped tomato. In another half add chopped mango, remaining chopped bell pepper and remaining half of the chopped tomato. Mix well and adjust spices as per your taste and garnish with chopped cilantro.
Tasty salsa ready to be served. I am sure all your friends will love this like my friends.

Fruit and Nut cake

Exhausted with work for past 10 days. Finally got some time today to update my blog. Every year during this time we go for cherry and strawberry picking. Last week one of my two friends birthdays. Since I couldn't meet them on their birthday planned to make some nice cake for them and enjoy in today's picnic. Since weather is too hot these days planned to make cake without frosting. Finally ended up making fruit cake.

Here is the recipe for the same. Source - web.


Ingredients:

2 cups of all purpose flour
2 tea spoons of baking powder
1/2 tea spoon of baking soda
1 tea spoon of cinnamon powder
1 tea spoon of nut meg powder
1/4 tsp of clove powder
1 tsp of salt
3/4 cup of brown sugar
1 egg
4 tbsp butter(room temperature)
3/4 cup of chopped nuts( I used pecans and walnuts)

1 tbsp of orange zest
1 tea spoon of vanilla extract
3/4 cup of orange juice
1/3 cup of orange liquor
2 cups of dried fruits. (I used 1 cup chopped dates and 1 cup of dried mixed fruits)

Preparation:

Mix all dried fruits in orange liquor and soak for at least 30 mts. Tip: The more you soak the better it tastes.

Preheat oven at 350F. Grease the loaf pan and line parchment paper on the bottom.
Sift together flour,baking powder, baking soda, spices(nut meg, cinnamon, clove) and salt.

In a mixing bowl add sugar and butter and beat using electric mixer on speed 1. While beating add egg, vanilla extract and orange zest. With the mixer on low add the flour mixture and orange juice alternatively to the mixture until combined.
By hand fold dried fruits mixture along with liquid and nuts.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 1 hour or until tooth pick comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 mts, then turn over on wire rack and cool completely.

This cake tastes better served next day.




Serving options:

1. Slice and serve.
or
2. Slice and serve with cream cheese frosting.


Picture taken in the picnic: