Is Cooking a challenge?

Is Cooking a challenge?

Yep cooking is a challenge for a person like me. I married on Feb 14 2003, learnt how to make coffee and sambar, rasam from my hubby. Oops, as there is a saying "Practice makes woman/man perfect", it took atleast an year for me to make a good sambar/rasam. My father-in-law was working for defence when we married and my mom-in-law stayed with my father-in-law. They were in Noida. Once I was 8th month pregnant carrying Aditya, my mom-in-law came down and started staying with us.

From that time, till last year she was making delicious food, I used to help her only by chopping the vegetables. On Saturdays, if I cook by any chance, it used to be a disaster. But after starting blogging seriously I learnt so many new things which included to set the measurements  right. For example, making Rasam is very easy only few ingredients - salt, rasam powder, tomato, water, jaggery and any additional things to add flavour - curry leaves, cilantro. It can be cooked with or without dhal. But if the measurements are not correct, then it would be tragic situation at home.
For different rasams please click here.

Belated Ugadi festivals wishes to all my blog readers. I know, might be you are thinking why I am wishing in this post. Coming straight to the answer, Ugadi is also considered as New Year for Andhrites or Telugu people and also for Kannadigas and a start for all new things. Ok, so what?

I have started cooking from this Ugadi in my house and today, it is 6th day of my successful food at my home. Successful????  My hubby who loves to have tasty food, said you are preparing good dishes. Wow, that helps me put a new cap of Chef in my house, which I lacked almost for 9 years after my marriage.

I have seen spinsters being part of events and cooking delicious food to name few:
a. Preeti - Preeti's Kitchen
b. Maha - Maha's Lovely Home
c. Aarthi - Yummy Tummy

Hats off to these spinsters and lovely moms.

Lovely moms cooking food for their family:
a. Srivalli Jetti - Spicingyourlife
b. Vaishali Sabna -  Ribbons to Pastas
c. Meena - Chattersmusings
d. Radhika - Ticking palates
e. Madhuram - Eggless Cooking
f. Saraswathi Iyer - sarascorner
g. Divya - Dilse
h. Hema - Aromatic Cooking
i. Mireille - Global Tastes and Travels
j. Pradnya's - Pumpkin Farm 
k. Sharmi - Neivedyam

These are just a few to name. There are many please visit here to see whom I follow.

So, here is just a list of what I made, the recipes will come out soon.
Day 1 - 23rd March 2012 - Ugadi
Sweet was: Akkibelepayasa. As this has to be done for Nivedhyam, it was done by my mom.
Sambar: Carrot, Turnip and Potato
Rasam: Dhal Rasam
Side Dishes: Papads and Aamvada (aamvada was prepared by my hubby, as I had to catch my little son Aadya).
Hit thing was cooking we started at 12pm and 1:30pm it was ready. Usually, we used to take our meals only by 3pm on festival day.

Reason for me entering kitchen was: My MIL, FIL and Aadya, little one was going to Vizag the next day, i.e., on 24th March 2012 so in-laws were busy packing their luggage for a fortnight. My hubby only informed them to pack and asked me to cook food. I was happy to get an opportunity and more happier when it came out with great tastes.

Day 2 - 24th March 2012: First Voyage of my inlaws and little one in flight.

Aadya excited as he is out of house

MIL in tension about his son

FIL posing

Aditya had Science exam on this day and was back from School at 12:45pm. I was excited and planned to do the following:

Sambar: Tomato Pappu (replace ridge gourd in the linked post only with tomatoes)
Rasam: Dhal Rasam
Starter/Appetizer: Crispy Noodles (next post)

Lunch menu was perfectly fine and was ready by the time Aditya arrived from his school.

Planned evening snacks did not turn up:
Evening Snacks(planned): Eggless Dates Cake which turned out to be bad because i added more maida and made it thick mass.

Eggless Dates Cake - Disaster (due to more maida)

Potato Cheese Balls: Potato palya was ready and I had brought Cheese from store. But I did not check the oil, which had got over.

Adi smiling at me keeping an ice cube on his head (his experiment)

Potato balls after keeping it in freezer

Potato Balls before keeping it in freezer

So evening snacks did not go well. Hence, I learnt the lesson once again, planning is essential.

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Interesting Puffed Cakes (Idlis)

• 1 1/4 cups semolina
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 1/4 cup chopped, boiled vegetables (carrots, french beans, peas, corn, etc)
• 2 tsp. ginger paste
• 1 1/2 tsp. Eno's fruit salt
• 1 tbsp. oil
• salt to taste
• oil for greasing

For Seasoning

• 1 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1 tsp. sesame seeds
• a pinch asafoetida
• some oil

1. Mix the semolina, buttermilk, vegetables, ginger paste, oil and salt in a bowl to make a smooth batter. Keep aside for half an hour.
2. Add the fruit salt, mix well and pour the batter into a greased (idli) pancake mould. Steam for 8 to 10 minutes.
3. Prepare the seasoning by heating the oil, adding the mustard seeds, sesame seeds and asafoetida and frying until the seeds crackle.
4. Pour over the prepared pancakes.
5. Cut into pieces and serve hot.

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Ginger Punch

Ginger Punch

• 1 cup sliced ginger
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 1 bottle club soda

Bring the first 3 ingredients to a boil and cook for 15 minutes. Let them cool. When cool, pour in a punch bowl and stir in the fruit juices. Add the club soda and ice cubes and serve in punch cups.
Green Flat Cakes (Dosas)

• 1 cup soaked/sprouted green gram
• 1 piece ginger
• coriander leaves
• 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
• salt to taste
• 2 tbsp. rice or plain flour
• 1 cup grated carrots
• 1 cup finely chopped onions
• 1 cup chopped tomatoes without seeds

1. Grind green gram, ginger, cumin seeds, salt and coriander leaves to a fine paste by adding water.
2. Add rice flour to make thin flat cakes (dosas) on a griddle.
3. Add a teaspoon of grated carrot, chopped onions and tomatoes in the centre.
4. Fold into half and make a tight roll and serve hot.

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