NANNA ADIGE: January 2009

Click - Red

This is my entry for Click - Red hosted by Jai and Bee.

Seeing all the fruits in the house, thought of taking photos of them for Click - Red. After taking couple of photos, finally decided to go with this photo.

Upma is somewhat a life saver in my house. I make this for breakfast as well as for dinner sometimes. Last weekend we dint step out of the house as it was very cold and had not gone for grocery shopping. I was out of all the vegetables. When I opened my fridge I saw only beets left and thought will make chapati and beets curry. Then I heard my 3 year old calling me "mommy I want upittu". As soon as she saw beets in my hand, she forgot what she was saying and she wanted them to eat. I cut and gave them to her a piece and asked for more and she had half of one beet. Then it occurred to me why not do beetroot upma. Along with that I added her favourite corn too. She enjoyed eating the upma and she was like "Thank You Mommy". So sweet... This was our dinner..

Ingredients:

TheUpma Rava - 2 cup Onion – 1 small Beetroot – 1 medium (diced to small pieces) Corn – ¼ cup Chilies – 4 (split to halves) Mustard seeds – ¼ tsp Channa Dhal – ½ tsp Urad dhal – ½ tsp Curry Leaves Coriander leaves Oil – 2 Tb spoon Salt Water – 4 cups Method:

Fry rava with little oil until you get the aroma. Then keep aside.
Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds. When it splutters, add channa dhal and urad dhal.
When it gets little brown add chopped onions and chilies and fry till onions are golden brown.
Then add dices beetroot and corn and allow it to cook by adding a little salt.
Break the curry leaves with hands and add to it.
Cover and allow it to cook for few minutes.
Then add water and allow it to boil.
When the water starts boiling, add rava slowly. Keep stirring while adding rava.
Cover the lid and allow the rava to cook for few minutes on low heat.
Then add coriander leaves on top and stir and serve hot.

Lentil - Wild Rice Salad

Every time I make rice (especially Basmati Rice) in a rice cooker, it sticks to the bottom and I have to scrape it out. So, due to all the scratches at the bottom, I bought a new rice cooker. I got a receipe book along with it.. This receipe caught my eye, as it said salad with rice and lentil ..Hmm..When I went through the ingredients..it looked simple and healthy too.. When I made and served it to my hubby, he din't believe that it is a salad.. It tasted Yumm..

Ingredients for Salad Wild Rice – 1 cup Brown Lentils – ½ cup Green Onions (chopped) – 3 Celery stalk (diced) – 1 Red bell Pepper (diced) – 1 Water – 4 cups Salt Dressing: Extra- Virgin Olive oil – 1/3 cup Red Wine Vinegar – 2 Tb spoon Dijon Mustard – 2 tsp Ground black pepper – ¼ tsp Fresh Italian parsley – 1 Tb spoon (I used Cilantro / coriander leaves) Fresh Lemon thyme (minced) – 2 tsp Sweet marjoram (minced) – 2tsp ( I have not used this) Method:

Place the wild rice, lentils and water in the rice cooker.
Cook for one hour.
Then add green onions, celery and red bell pepper.
Close the lid and continue cooking until rice is tender for about 15 minutes.
Remove the salad and place in a serving bowl. Cool to room temperature.
In a small bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar, mustard, black pepper and fresh herbs.
Drizzle the dressing over the rice and lentil salad and toss well.
Serve at room temperature or chill for up to 4 hours before serving.

I would like to send my Lentil - Wild Rice Salad to MLLA hosted by Srivalli. My Legume Love Affair was originally started by Susan of The Well Seasoned Cook.

PS: I have used Uncle Bens Wild rice. I did not use the seasoning that came along with it. Uncle Ben rice is a mixture of wild rice and long grain rice.

Fusion Lunch (Thai and Indian combo)

Happy Republic Day to all of You

After a lovely warm week, we had a sudden temperature drop and a cold weekend. So, din't step out of the house on Saturday. On sunday we had planned to have a Republic Day potluck. So, on saturday I wanted to try Thai food as we had planned to stay at home. Had all time for trying this dish. We had a fusion lunch that day, Thai and Indian combination... Now a days my daughter is having crazy cravings at crazy times. Suddenly she got up and she wanted to eat sweet Pongal. When I had made it for Sankranthi, she had loved it..and I think she remembered it all of a sudden and asked for it...So, made Pongal for her along with Thai food.

I wanted to try a Thai dish without any coconut milk in it...(watching weight). Thanks to Google..can find anything.

Ingredients:

Extra-firm Tofu, cut into 1/2-inch cubes - 1 package (8 ounces) Soy sauce – 1Tb spoon Lime juice – 1/2 Tb spoon Yellow onion, chopped - 1 medium Red bell pepper, diced - 1 Green bell pepper, diced -1 Garlic, finely chopped - 1/2 teaspoon Flour - 1 Tb spoon Vegetable broth - 3 cups Nori flakes (or other crushed seaweed) - 1 teaspoon Crushed pineapple, with juice - 1/4 cup Vegan Thai red curry paste - 1-2 Tb spoons Zucchini, diced – 1 medium Mung bean or soy sprouts - 1 cup

Method:

Marinate the tofu cubes in the soy sauce and lemon for at least half an hour.
Stir or shake often to cover all the pieces.
Heat a large, non-stick wok or sauce pan over medium-high heat, and add the onion, peppers, and garlic.
Cook, stirring, until onions are becoming tender for about 8 minutes.
Add the flour, stirring constantly, and cook, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan, for about 2 more minutes, until the flour begins to brown.
Continue to stir as you add the vegetable broth, nori flakes, crushed pineapple, and curry paste.
Turn down the heat to low and simmer until it's thickened, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, add the tofu and its marinade to a hot, non-stick skillet.
Cook, stirring gently, until all the liquid has evaporated.
Continue to cook without stirring until the tofu is browned on one side; then turn it over to brown on all sides. Add it to the curry mixture.

Return the skillet to the heat and sauté the diced zucchini until it is tender but still crisp.
Add it to the curry mixture.
Cook the curry for about 5 more minutes. Serve over rice, sprinkled with bean sprouts and topped, if you like, with chutney.

PS: I have used Thai Kitchen Red curry paste . Other brands contain shrimp paste in it. You can add any other veggies too along with this. I have used sea weed instead of nori flakes. Thai Red Curry goes to A.W.E.D Thai Cuisine hosted by DK .

Now coming to Pongal, it is a must sweet made during Makara Sankranthi. I have made this twice in a span of 10 days..:-)Trying to cut dowm the sweet consumption, but not able to... This sweet goes to my daughter on her request...

Ingredients: Moong Dhal - 1 cup Rice – 2 cups Dry coconut – ¼ cup Jaggery – 2 cups Elaichi / Cardamom – 2 Ghee – ¼ - ½ cup Milk – ½ cup Raisins – 1 Tb spoon Cashews – 1 Tb spoon Method:

Fry moong dhal with little ghee till golden brown.
Add water and boil for 10 minutes.
When it is half boiled, add rice to it. Add enough water for it to boil.
Keep adding ghee to it while it is cooking.
When the rice has cooked, add coconut elaichi powder and jaggery and stir well.
Keep adding ghee. Add milk to it and stir it all.
Then fry raisins and cashews in ghee and add to the pongal.
Serve hot with more ghee on top.

Sweet Pongal goes to Just For You hosted by Sindhi Rasoi.

Sweet Pongal also goes to “Harvest: The Festival of Rice”, hosted by Here I Cook and also to Festive Food hosted by Indian Khanna.

Dill - Capsicum Lemon Rice with Usli

Back home in Bangalore, lemon rice is usually made for breakfast and also during festival days. Staying here, having heavy breakfasts is a big no-no especially at my place.. other than the weekends of course. Whenever I call home, my Dad always asks whether I cook anything at all for breakfasts:-) ..Usually I make rice items for lunch or for dinner... Hearing the same answers every time they have stopped asking about it :-).

When I called home yesterday, my mom had made lemon rice..So, today I made lemon rice with dill - capsicum and channa usli along with the rice...

Ingredients: For Lemon Rice

Rice – 2 cups Dill – 1 cup Capsicum – 1 big Onion – 1 small Channa Dhal – 1 tsp Urad dhal – 1 tsp Mustard seeds – ¼ tsp Ground nuts – 1 Tb spoon (optional) Turmeric – ¼ tsp Chilies – 5-7 Peas – ¼ cup Curry Leaves Coriander leaves Oil – 3 -4 Tb spoon Lemon Juice – 2 Tb spoon Salt

Method:

Cook rice and keep aside.
Wash dill and chop them finely.
Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and allow it to splutter.
Then add ground nuts, channa dhal, urad dhal and allow it to turns little brown.
Add onion, chilies and curry leaves and fry till onion turns golden brown.
Add dill and fry for 2 minutes. Then add capsicum ( chop them to cubes) and peas to it.
Sprinkle salt on it, stir and allow them to cook until soft.
Then add turmeric powder and stir it well.
Mix the gojju with rice, add lemon juice and coriander leaves on top and mix it all together.
Serve hot.

Dill - Capsicum Lemon Rice goes to FIC - Yellow hosted by Harini.

To Make Channa Usli:

Usually in my place they make usli either with brown, or Kabul channa. I thought if combining both and make Usli..

Ingredients: Brown Channa - 1/2 cup Garbonzo / Kabul Channa - 1/2 cup Onion - 1 Chillis - 4 -5 Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp Curry leaves Coriander Leaves Lemon Juice - 1 Tb spoon Coconut - 2 Tb spoon (optional) Oil - 1 Tb spoon Salt Method:

Soak both Channa's in water overnight.
Pressure cook the channa for 2 whistles.
Strain the channa and keep aside.
Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds.
After it splutters, add onions and chillis, fry till golden brown.
Then add boiled channa to it, add salt and mix well.
Then combine coriander leaves, coconut and lemon juice to it.

Channa Usli goes to MLLA Hosted by Srivalli and also to JFI - ChickPeas hosted by MS. My Legume Love Affair was originally started by Susan of The Well Seasoned Cook.

PS:

I have not added the coconut to it.
You can add salt to the channa while pressure cooking them.
I boiled the channa directly on the stove and added little salt during the process.

Lemon - Coconut Burfi

This was a long awaiting sweet to make. I had this recipe written down a while ago and at last today the time came to try it out.. There is one more reason to make this sweet.. I was passed on a Lemonade Award by LG from Taste of Mysore.. Thank You Lakshmi for passing me this award. I am very humbled and exited by the award as it is my first award. Thought it would be a perfect sweet made with lemon..:-) It turned out yummy, both my husband and my daughter loved it.

I would like to pass this award to Vanamala, Maya and Ujwal. Ingredients: For the Crust: All-purpose flour - 1 cup Granulated Sugar - 1/4 cup Salt - 1/4 tsp Butter Chilled -6 Tb spoon Coconut Flakes - 3/4 cup (toasted) For the Filling: Granulated Sugar - 3/4 cup Eggs - 2 Fresh Lemon Juice - 3 Tb spoon Lemon zest - 1 Tb spoon Baking Powder - 1/2 tsp Salt - pinch Confectioner sugar for dusting Method: To make the crust:

In a food processor, combine flour, sugar, and salt. Process briefly until well mixed.
Add the butter and coconut and process until the mixture resembles a fine Meal.
Transfer to the prepared pan and press into the bottom to form a crust.
Bake until light brown around the edges, about 25 min.

For the filling:

Combine the sugar, eggs, lemon juice and zest, baking powder and salt in a blender or in a food processor.
Process until smooth.
When the crust is ready, pout the filling into the hot crust.
Continue to bake until the filling begins to brown around the edges and is just springy to touch, about 30 minutes.
Let it cool in the pan on a wire rack.
Cut into squares, dust the confectioners evenly.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 5 days.

This Lemon - Coconut Burfi is off to FIC - Yellow hosted by Harini's ToungueTicklers.

Simple Chicken Gravy

This is something I make when I have to it very quick and in short amount of time. Most of the time I do pooris for this gravy as everybody likes it with this. This is the recipe.. Ingredients: Chicken – 1 pound Onion - 1 big Tomato – 2 big Ginger paste – 1 Tb spoon Garlic paste – 1 Tb spoon Yogurt – ¼ cup Chili Powder - 1 Tb spoon Coriander Powder – 1 tsp Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp Chicken Masala Powder – 1 tsp Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp Dry methi leaves – 1 Tb spoon Cinnamon stick – ½ inch Coriander leaves – 2 Tb spoon

Oil – 2 Tb spoon Salt Method:

In a hot pan, add oil and fry the onions until golden brown.
Chop the tomatoes into small pieces and fry them with onions till they become soft.
Add the ginger and garlic paste to it and fry till oil leaves.
Add the dry methi leaves, and all the powders to it and fry for a minute.
Then add the chicken and add salt to it and mix everything together and let it cook of low flame for 5 minutes.
Then add yogurt to it and allow it to cook till the chicken is tender.
Sprinkle coriander leaves on top and serve it with chapatti or poori or rice.

Happy Sankranti / Pongal

Wish you all a very Happy Makar Sankranti / Pongal

Here is the Till mixture from our house to yours.

In Karnataka, the festival is called 'Sankranti'. Special prayers are offered in the temples and houses. After the pujas, white sesame (ellu) mixed with pieces of jaggery, peanuts, dry coconut and sugar blocks (shakkare achchu) are exchanged. The significance of this exchange is that sweetness should prevail in all the dealings.

All cows and bullocks are bathed, their horns polished and painted in bright colors, and garlands of flowers placed around their necks. The Pongal that has been offered to the Gods is then given to cattle and birds to eat. In the evening, the cattle are led out in procession to the beat of drums and music. In the night a bonfire is lit and the animals are made to jump over the fire. Nowadays all these are done in Villages. When we were kids, they used to do this in Malleshwaram. People used to gather to watch this.

At Gavi Gangadhareshwara (Siva) temple in Bangalore's Gavipuram, a rare phenomenon is witnessed in the evening. The Sun's rays pass through the horns of the Nandi briefly to fall on the Lingam in the sanctum. It is an architectural marvel. The temple will be crowded during this time.

We used to enjoy doing every bit of the preparation for this festival. My mom, my sister and myself used to sit and do the sakkare achchu together but for the ellu preparation, my mom used to do it alone as it was only cutting the jaggery and coconut. In the evening we used to go to distribute(ellu beerodu) to all the houses in our colony. I am really grateful to my mom for teaching us all these cultures and traditions.. I would like to teach all these to my daughter. So, hoping she will learn all these things and have fun..

I used to do only the till mixture as I did not have the mould for the achchu. When I went to India, I got one mould from my mom. So, have prepared the till (ellu) mixture and also sakkare achchu (sugar blocks) .

Till Mixture:

ಎಳ್ಳು / Till - 1/2 cup

ಬೆಲ್ಲ / Jaggery - 2 cups

ಒಣಕೊಬ್ಬರಿ / Dry coconut - 1 cup

ಕಡಲೆಕಾಯಿ ಬೀಜ / Ground nut- 1 cup

ಕಡಲೆ ಪಪ್ಪು /Dhalia - 3/4 cup

Method:

Dry jaggery and coconut in sun so that it will be easier to cut them later.
When it has dried, cut them to small pieces.
Grate the skin of the coconut and then cut them to small pieces.
Fry ground nuts on medium heat till brown.
Then remove the skin and split them to half.
Keep dhalia also in sun till they become crisp.
Fry Till also till they are brown.
Then mix all of them together.

In the evening, myself and my daughter will go to friends house to distribute the till mixture(ellu beerodu). She is exited about it...So, once again wish you all Happy Sankranti and enjoy the till mixture..

I would like to send this to Festive Food hosted by Indian Khanna Thank you Preethi for hosting the event.

Egg Puffs

Puffs is one of the favourite evening snack for every body. I remember, whenever we felt like eating one, our dad used to bring us hot puffs from a local bakery. I miss that especially during winter season.. So, whenever we crave for them I make veggie puffs, using different vegetables all the time. My hubby dear was having a flash back of old days... He was remembering how he and his friend, on their pay day, after finishing work, both used to have hot egg puffs near Domlur bus stand and then part their ways to their homes. This was the reason for making the egg puffs. I have included methi leaves and green pepper to it. It came out wonderful and hubby loved it told me that it tasted like the one he used to eat. Nothing is better than hot puffs for winter..

Egg Puffs are off to the Bookmarked Recipe Event hosted by Ruth. This tempting snack is also off to Winter Treat Event hosted by Trupti.

Ingredients: Puff Pastry Eggs - 2 Onions - 1 Tomato - 1 Ginger Paste - 1/2 tsp Garlic Paste - 1/2 tsp Methi Leaves - 1/4 cup (Optional) Green Bell Pepper - 1 Chili Powder - 1/2 tsp Coriander Powder - 1/4 tsp Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp Salt Oil - 1 Tb spoon Method:

Preheat oven to 400 degree.
Boil eggs, cut them into halves and keep aside.
Heat oil in a non stick pan, add onions and fry till golden brown.
Then add methi leaves, fry for a min and then add tomatoes pieces.
Add ginger and garlic paste and fry till oil leaves.
Then add all powders to it and at last add green pepper, salt and fry till soft.
Add egg halves into the masala and cover the eggs with it so that the eggs will soak the masala.
Allow the masala to cool.
Take one pastry sheet and cut them into 4 equal parts.
Take one part of pastry sheet, put one spoon of the masala at the bottom and then place one half of the egg along with some masala on top.
Then apply water on four sides of the pastry sheet so that it will hold together.
Fold all four corners together as shown below.

Repeat the procedures for the other halves of the eggs.
Bake them in the oven for 20 minutes or till golden brown.

Serve hot along with a cup of hot tea.

PS: Methi and green pepper is optional for this egg puff. If you are doing a veggi puff, you can follow the same procedure, just add vegetables of your choice.

Masala Sandwich

After two long weeks of vacation, our daughter went to school this week. When she is at home, the house will be full of life and chaotic. She wont stop talking, pulling, jumping, running around and making a mess of the house. When she went to school, the house was so silent and it felt like I was all alone in the whole world..Sometimes I feel it is good as I can get my work done but sometimes I get bored.

So, when she went to school on first day, I was not feeling like cooking, but you can't tell that to the stomach right.. My husband teases me saying that it is just a reason for not cooking:-).

I wanted to make something quick as it was already lunch time and saw all the veggies. Added soy for proteins.. My husband liked it a lot as it was a simple, light and healthy lunch..

Ingredients:

Onion -1 Tomato – 1

Zuchini – 1

Green pepper – 1 Red Pepper – 1

Turnip - 1 Soy chunks – ½ cup Ginger paste – ½ tsp Garlic Paste – ½ tsp Chili powder – ½ tsp Garam masala powder – ½ tsp Turmeric – ¼ tsp Oil – 1 Tb spoon Fresh Basil Leaves – 1 Tb spoon Salt

Method:

In a pan, add oil and fry onions till golden brown.
Add tomatoes and ginger and garlic paste and fry till they soften.
Then add chili powder, garam masala and turmeric powder and fry till oil leaves on top.
Add all the veggies and salt and cook on medium heat until all veggies are soft (Do not add water).
Take the hot dog bun and stuff the veggies and sprinkle fresh basil on top.
Serve with little salad and some hot peppers.

PS: For the Soy, I first soaked them for few minutes till they are soft, then squeezed all the water out of it and added them directly to the veggies and cooked on low flame. You can use the masala as a side dish for chapati or rice. You can use any veggies that you have. If you are a non-veg lover, you can add chicken or fish also to it.

7 Cup Sweet / Chick Pea Burfi

Already a week has gone by in New Year.. It feels like yesterday with all the turmoils happening around the world . Time flies by very fast and we will never know..

We had potluck for New Year, all of us enjoyed by eating and playing all night.. Kids also enjoyed each others company. Overall we had a great time..Hope everybody had a great New Year celebration with what ever you did...Wish You All once again a very Happy New Year...

So, thought to start blogging this year with a sweet. To make this sweet all you need is 7 cups of different ingredients. It is easy and very tasty too.. I have used nuts and raisins as one ingredient. You can make it plain without the nuts or you can add anything else of your choice.

Whenever I make this sweet, my husband always tells it tastes like Mysore Pak and won't stop eating..:-). It is a big hit in my house...

Ingredients:

ಕಡಲೆ ಹಿಟ್ಟು / Besan / Gram flour - 1 cup ಹಾಲು / Milk - 1 cup ತುಪ್ಪ / Ghee - 1 cup ಒಣಗಿದ ಕೊಬ್ಬರಿ / Dry coconut - 1 cup ಸಕ್ಕರೆ / Sugar - 2 - 3 cups Raisins/Cashew/Almonds - 1 cup (all combined)

Method:

Take a heavy bottomed non stick pan and add all the above ingredients.
Keep stirring all together on medium heat.

Everything will come together and will start leaving the pan.
Add the batter to a greased pan and allow it to cool for few min.
Then cut them to required shape, before they dry completely.

I am sending this entry to JFI ChickPea event hosted by MS. Thank You for hosting the event.

PS: You can use the sugar quantity according to your taste. You can use any dry fruits you like eg. tutti fruity, cranberry, or dry pineapple. I like the crunchiness of the nuts, so I use nuts.