Monday, January 23, 2012

Rasayana-Sekarni


Rasayana/Banana Sekarni:

It gives me immense pleasure to participate in this week of BM also. It’s my second week of blogging marathon. And my group is and this time my group is “Seven different sweets”. Chey, that was the name given by me, but the group name is "Kid's Delight - Something Sweet". Why only kids will sweets is it, not me :), I mean elders.
 
When it comes to sweet, I am mad of all sweets but my hubby doesn’t eat so I prepare it only at times. L But as blogging marathon is giving a new shape to my blog and its posts. I thought let me take up this challenge. And this time I don’t want to miss any day including Saturday and Sunday.

Ingredients:
  • Ripped Bananas (chopped) – 2
  • Coconut (grated) – 1/2
  • Sugar – 3 tbsp
  • Cardamom Powder – 1 tsp
  • Honey – 1 tsp
  • Milk – 50 ml (optional) or according to your taste

Method:
  • Chop the bananas and put it in a bowl
  • Grate the coconut and add it to bananas along with sugar, cardamom powder, honey
  • Pour milk and mix them nicely
  • Leave it for atleast half an hour, so that it would nicely mixed and tastes better
  • Serve it with puris/chappatis or eat directly

Additional Info:
  • This sekarni can be made it of mangoes also. Add little custard powder and one more taste is ready.

NOTE: Sweets are healthy when it is prepared with Jaggery, as it is unrefined one, Sugar is a refined one, and it should be less used in sweets. 

Submitting this to:Blogging Marathon @ Spice your Life by Srivalli

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 12

This is also submitted to:

Kid's Delight - Something Sweet at Edible Entertainment by Kavitha Iyengar and this series were started by again our BM heroine - Srivalli in her spiceyourlife blog.







Banana Event @ Easy to Cook Recipes by Dr.Sameena Prathap. 












Cook, Eat Delicious - Desserts @ Veggie Platter; this series was started by Raven.

Facial Powder using Dhals


Facial Powder using Dhals:

Unfortunately, Saturday and Sunday will be more hectic than the weekdays due to so many works in the house. Inspite of having support from maid servant for cleaning the vessels, washing clothes using washing machine, sweeping, wiping the house still there will be lot of work at home viz., cooking, taking care of kids, making children do something new instead of stupid TV, taking care of ourselves, cleaning almirah, oh my god so many things. Only when we complete them we will find a great charm on our face. If friends/relatives visit us then the whole day is spent in gossiping. But as we plan for a project earlier we should plan our day so that we can make ourselves time for each and every activity. It’s great to tell but when will I plan, “God knows”. I knew that it was the last day of Blogging Marathon #12 so decided to post something new. I prepared for it but couldn’t post it. 

My dear blog readers, my sincere apologies for yesterday due to unavoidable circumstances. My bluetooth has become slow since two days no idea if it is either laptop problem or mobile problem. Hence I will put a picture later. Inconvenience is regretted. My bluetooth is working and including pictures.


 

Coming to the seventh day of BM12, as you know my group was “Seven Days of Delicious Dhals” I am posting this facial powder, which is made of dhals. Facial Powder, dhals?? Before all surprises start let me just put it this way: Yep, dhal is not only used in cooking, it can also be used in making facial powder.

Ingredients:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
  • Moong Dhal – 1 cup
  • Urad Dhal – ¼ cup
  • Masoor Dhal – 1 cup
  • Almond/badam - 10
  • Channa Dhal – 2.5 cups (or kadale maav or besan – 1.5 cups)
  • Lemon powder - 2 tsp
  • Orange peel powder - 6 tsp
  • Lavangam(cloves) - 2
  • Tulsi powder - 6 tsp

(You can consider 1 cup = 100 gms, but I have taken a lesser quantity)

Method:
  • Keep all dhals and badam in sunlight more than 2 hours, so that they all will become warm or hot. (use a sunny day)
  • Add all ingredients and grind it
  • It well suits the whole family, can give a try instead of soap. Just add rose water or/and curds to the powder.
  • For Ladies, kindly add manjal, rose water and/or curds along with the powder.

NOTE: You can also use rose petal powder instead of rose water and just add water or curds. Curds will remove the dirt and yields to a better glowing skin and keeps moist body.

Submitting this to:Blogging Marathon @ Spice your Life by Srivalli



Saturday, January 21, 2012

MoongDal-Balls






Sweet made out of Moong Dal. This is my recipe for BM 12 6th day.

After a long research on internet on Moong Dal Sweet I got this recipe.

Ingredients:
  • Moong Dal - 1 cup
  • Sugar - 1 cup
  • Cardmom Powder - 2 tsp
  • Milk - 3 tsp (i have used more and it has become halwa :))
  • Ghee - 1/2 cup
  • Nuts (almond, cashewnuts) - roasted few

Method:
  • Roast the nuts and keep it aside
Add moong dal, sugar and cardamom powder fry them for sometime in medium flame


Add ghee to the mixture
Fry for some more time, add nuts and little milk to get the consistency

Once you feel ghee coming out from sides put it on to the greased plate
Cut once it is cool





Info: After adding milk wait till it becomes thick, else it would turn out to be halwa instead of balls.


Submitting this to:Blogging Marathon @ Spice your Life by Srivalli



Friday, January 20, 2012

GreenGramDalFruitsSalad

Green Gram Dal - Fruits Salad:

Today is an ultimate day. So many things to complete it today. As there is a saying "Things which have a deadline apart from that day itself is called important things, but on the deadline day it would be urgent thing". 

a. Tax - Today was the last date to submit all papers for Tax.
b. Children - As Aditya has not picked up with his heath still and my little son, Aadya is not at all sleeping properly tough time to manage to sleep and early in the morning rush for a breakfast.
c. I ended getting up late today but i thought i can cook sundal from green gram dal in the morning and soaked it overnight. :(. You know what thanks to office admin who has kept microwave in office. This was done using the same.

So, ended up with fruits + green gram salad, it turned out to be good, healthy and delicious.  This is my 5th day recipe in blogging marathon.

Ingredients:
  • Green Gram Dal - 1 cup
  • Milk - 1 cup
  • Sugar to taste
  • Some fruits

Method:
  • Cook green gram dal in a microwave with milk (i know it is preheated but don't what's it is 195C or so on). 

  • I tried it out for 2 minutes and again increased to 2 minutes, finally to one more minute. As I have burnt two small boxes I doesn't want to take any chance with microwave. I have used a melamine cookware, which was available in office.

  • It was half cooked for 5 minutes, so i added sugar and kept it for one more minute.

  • Finally added fruits (musked melon, papaya and yellakik banana/banana which is small; yellakki means cardamom)

  • Today is my 5th day without lunch in the afternoon and staying only on cookies and today it is salads. Reason I have put on more weight and want to reduce.

Comments:
While i was preparing this, one of my friend came and said you should use a sprouted one, because non-sprouted one might increase gastric. :)

I gave to my friend and found out, she gave a comment usually green gram salad is had with vegetables. :)

My comment: It was good to eat and I feel filly after eating a box full of this.

Let me implement the first comment from next time.

Submitting this to:Blogging Marathon @ Spice your Life by Srivalli

Promises: 
I am feeling so good today that I could keep up my promise atleast for few.
  • Promise to a colleague: My colleague asked me to come in saree today, i promised her "yes" yesterday. If you would have read my earlier comments you will definitely think how is this managed. I came in dress to office and changed into saree in rest room, because our office has a big space for us to get ready in our ground floor rest room. :) looks funny but at times could be managed.
  • Promise to my blogging marathon group/readers: Definitely I will come with a post on "Seven Delicious Dal".
  • Promise to my Christmas-NewYearEvent prize winner, Archana Toshniwal.: Unfortunately I don't know which courier to use to send gifts to people in remote places. I tried with DTDC and sent the consignment in 1st week of jan but it couldn't reach the person and came back to me only yesterday. Today again I have sent with Professional Couriers. Hope so it will reach her and she will feel happy.
  • Promise to myself to file up tax: Atlast I could complete it today.
  • Promise to my hubby: Will shop bedsheets for him, completed.
Hence, I told today is an ultimate day.

Thursday, January 19, 2012

MasoorDal-MysoreDal

Hi All,

I am back again on 4th day of blogging marathon with a simple dal called masoor dal. As per the understanding some sweet/savory should be  cooked using different dals, but I couldn't do anything due to the following reason:
Red Lenthils

My older son is not well due to throat ache and fever, and once I reach home @ 7pm my little son will be waiting at the door step to hug me and play with me. My mom-in-law would have become so tired bcoz of my naughty little son, so once I go to home, she will handover the kitchen and this little rascala to me. 

Yesterday she had prepared only rasam in the afternoon and my turn was to prepare something for dinner along with rice. I have a super doper brain and I thought of preparing this easy Masoor Dal which will give me a post in the morning. Masoor Dal is also called as Mysore dal or red lenthils. 

Inspired by the posts of Aarthi's blog  I thought let me copy atleast  the method of naming my pictures.


Ingredients:

  • 1 cup of Masoor Dal
  • 1 tbsp Oil
  • 1 tsp Mustard Seeds
And the other ingredients as shown in picture:
    • 2 chopped onions
  • coriander leaves - few 
  • curry leaves - few 
  • 2 tsp salt and
  • 1 1/2 tbsp sambar powder
 

Method:
  • Cook Masoor dal with tomato and 1 tsp of turmeric in cooker for 3 to 4 whistles
  • Heat Oil in a kadai
  • Add mustard seeds and wait till it splutters, add curry leaves, salt and onions and sauté till they become translucent.
  • Add sambar powder allow it to boil for sometime 
  • Finally, add cooked dal and allow it to boil for some more time




Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Dal-Palak


Dal-Palak:

It’s great to be in blogging marathon, everyday my blog is getting a new post in this week. My recipes include variation due to seeing other fellow bloggers way, the food is done. Thanks to Srivalli towards this idea. And comments passed by other fellow bloggers motivate each other.

This is my 3rd day in blogging marathon and as you already know I have opted to cook “Seven Days of Delicious Dals”. Today’s Dal is Toor Dal/Tuvaram Paruppu / Togari Bele  / Kandi Pappu.

Ingredients:
  • Toor Dal – 2 cups
  • Palak – 1 bunch
  • Mustard Seeds – 1 tsp
  • Turmeric Powder – 1 tsp
  • Coriander Powder – 1 tbsp
  • Green Chillies – 3 to 4 (chopped)
  • Cooking Oil – 2 to 3 tbsp (I use Dhara – Groundnut oil)
  • Curry Leaves – few
  • Cilantro - few
  • Salt to taste
  • Water to cook dal

Method:
  1. Cook dal for 4 to 5 whistles (depending on the dal)
  2. Wash and chop palak into small pieces
  3. In a kadai heat little oil and add mustard seeds wait till it splutters and add curry leaves
  4. Add salt and once it dissolves, add palak fry them nicely in oil till it is cooked
  5. Add turmeric powder, coriander powder, chopped green chillies and mix them well with palak
  6. Finally add cooked toor dhal to palak and leave it for 5 to 10 minutes until it boils
  7. Serve it hot with Puris.

Yummy, this is my breakfast for today along with Puris..

Submitting this to:Blogging Marathon @ Spice your Life by Srivalli





Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Poriyal Podi-urad dhal

Poriyal Podi-urad dhal:

It’s the second day of Blogging Marathon, and I have not broken my promise, of making one variety of dhal out of Seven Days of Delicious Dals.

UradDhal+RedChilli
While cooking, powders viz., Sambar Powder, Rasam Powder, Poriyal Podi/Palya Powder/Curry Powder will help you to make the things easily. Powders is not only restricted to these you can make anything which you feel it would be a must for your cooking. Other Powders are Masala Powder, cardamom powder, fenugreek powder, dry ginger powder. You name the ingredient a powder can be made out of it.

Today, I have selected urad dhal to make curry powder or poriyal podi.

Ingredients:

  • Urad dhal – 50 gms
  • Ground nut seeds – 100 gms
  • Fried Gram – 50 gms
  • Fried Gram Dhal
  • Red Chillies – 50 gms

Method:
  1. Roast urad dhal till reddish brown or a kind of aroma comes out
  2. Roast red chillies but watch out it might get burnt out if it is roasted more, it should be roasted either with one teaspoon of oil or without any oil
  3. Roast ground nut seeds
  4. Remember, roast everything separately
  5. Curry Powder/Poriyal Podi
  6. Add roasted ingredients with fried gram dhal and grind them to make a fine coarse powder










Today’s breakfast was Aloo Rice which is made so easily due to this curry powder. Here is the recipe:

  • Chop aloos into small pieces
  • Heat 2 tsp of oil in cooker
  • Add mustard seeds wait till it splutters
  • Add curry leaves and powdered salt
  • Add chopped aloos to the above mixture and mix well
  • Leave it for 3 whistles
  • Once it cools down add curry powder and mix well
  • Serve it with cucumber raita.


Submitting to:


 





 
MLLA series is a monthly blog hop started by Susan @ The Well Seasoned Cook. Claire is hosting this month - Jan 2012 MLLA, the legume is "Dal" hence submitting this to her post which is a 43rd blog hop.










 
Sweet Heat Chilli Challenge is started by Lyndsey on Vanilla Clouds and Lemon Drops. This month is a 4th edition hosted by Michelle on Food, Football and a baby.








Monday, January 16, 2012

Tomato Rice (direct)

Tomato Rice (direct):

Searching/Juggling for a breakfast every day morning is really difficult. I feel so bad because if I do new things my family members will try it out and pass a comment, "its good".

But, if I try traditional ones, I will get a comment from my hubby "did you eat? is it good? nobody in the house had it except you". In office, if I share the same they will pass a comment saying, "Its good". Seriously I am tired and don't know how to understand taste of my own family. Speaking truth is bitter sometimes, but I don't have a go except for sharing with you all.

I tried out tomato rice today, in the way my mom-in-law used to cook.

Ingredients:
  • Ripped Tomatoes - 6
  • Salt to taste
  • Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
  • Curry leaves - few
  • Cilantro - few (chopped)
  • Turmeric Power - 1 tsp
  • Dhaniya/Coriander Seeds Powder - 1 tbsp
  • Red Chilli Powder - 1 tsp
  • Green Chillies - 3 to 4
  • Fenugreek seeds+Mustard seeds - grinded powder - 1 tsp
  • Jaggery - small one (just for taste)
  • Oil - for tadka
  • Urad dal - 1 tbsp
  • Channa dal - 1 tbsp

Method:
  1. Heat oil in a kadai and add mustard seeds to it, once it splutters, add curry leaves to it.
  2. Add urad dal, channa dal, salt to the oil and leave till it turns reddish brown
  3. Add chopped ripped tomatoes to the above mixture and mix them well
  4. Add little water and leave tomatoes to become soft for 10 minutes
  5. Add chopped green chillies, red chilli powder, dhaniya powder, fenugreek seeds+mustard seeds powder, jaggery and mix well
  6. Once it turns to boil add cilantro/chopped coriander leaves and switch off the stove
  7. Cool the rice and mix the mixture with it
Submitting to:
 
Weekend Herb Blogging-#316 @ Simona's Kitchen started by Kalyn and continuing by Haalo.


Aamvada-channadhal


Aamvada-channadhal:

I feel great to take participate in Blogging Marathon event hosted by Srivalli on Spicing up your life.

Blogging Marathon is an event which is celebrated last two weeks in a month which comes up with some group events. Instead of just blogging it’s an important rule to pass comments in the group on other posts. So Srivalli had made a group in google called as blogging marathon. In this way the communication develops not only between food bloggers but also in the house to find the different recipes related to the group selected. To prepare a dish there might be more than one variety of making it for example check out my versions (1st - gojju mix with rice, 2nd - without gojju) of tomato rice.

I have selected the concept of Seven Days of Delicious Dals. Today is my 1st day, I am posting “aamvada” a vada made from Channa Dal. In my family all of us love to eat vadas, and this is one of them.

Ingredients:
Channa Dal – 100 gms
Baking soda – 1 tsp
Coriander leaves – few
Green Chillies (small sized which will be more spicy) – 3 to 4
Salt – to taste
Oil for deep frying

Method:
Soak channa dal atleast for 3 hours
Remove the water and grind it along with baking soda, green chillies with little water as the consistency should be thick
Add salt and coriander leaves and mix well
Leave the oil to become hot
Make small dough from the hand and make it like a plate drop it in hot oil
Leave it to fry until the color becomes reddish brown
Turn to the other side and leave it to fry
Remove it from the Stove and put it on to vessel which has pores (a vessel which removes extra oil)
Serve it hot with chutney


Submitting to:



MLLA - 43
MLLA series is a monthly blog hop started by Susan @ The Well Seasoned Cook. Claire is hosting this month - Jan 2012 MLLA, the legume is "Dal" hence submitting this to her post which is a 43rd blog hop.












Walk through the memory lane
Walk through the memory lane by Gayathri @ Gayathri's Cook Spot is an event which says to learn and prepare from our elders. I learnt this from my mother-in-law and for festivals this is a must in my house.





 




Sweet Heat Chilli Challenge is started by Lyndsey on Vanilla Clouds and Lemon Drops. This month is a 4th edition hosted by Michelle on Food, Football and a baby.

Chocolate-Cashew&Raisins

Chocolate - Cashew & Raisins:


Choc-Cashew&Raisins

Right from my childhood days I love to eat chocolates. Same goes with my elder son, Aditya. On Friday, I browsed thro’ the net and found chocolate recipe by Nikko Kitchen in youtube. I was surprised to see that it was that easy to make chocolate. There is a saying which goes like this “Till we learn things are very difficult, once you learn it’s a child’s work”, it’s true. Once you know and work on it, you would develop a like towards making things that might be cooking or testing software.

Nowadays children get stuck to Television so much, Oh my god, save my little Aditya, who is 8 years old. To keep this guy busy I should find out a way either painting, helping me in kitchen, cycling. In cycling, he is great and even at 8pm he takes his cycle and goes around like a college guy, but to avoid this on Saturday I planned to prepare chocolate along with him. 

Ingredients:
  • 3 tbsp cocoa
  • 3 tbsp icing sugar
  • 2 tbsp milk powder
  • Butter – 50g
  • Pinch of salt

Method:

Melt butter and switch off the stove

Add cocoa, icing sugar, milk powder, a pinch of salt to melted butter

Stir the mixture check the consistency it should neither be too thin or too thick
Put a butter sheet on a tray and pour the mixture

Garnish with Cashewnuts and Raisins (this was done by Aditya)

Keep it in deep-freezer for an hour
Turn the chocolate to other side and leave it for one more hour
Transfer the contents into air tight container

Note: You can add more icing sugar to make sweeter.

Submitting to: