Rava Dosai

Rava Dosa is something which we always ate at a restaurant, infact I never knew how to make it perfect the way they did...but this recipe is fantastic.....fingerlickin good....and no soaking, fermenting or planning ahead required! Technique yes...that is essential.....;)

1 cup sooji,rava,semolina
1 cup rice flour
1/4 cup maida
1/4 cup curd (optional)1 piece chopped ginger
 chopped gr chilli
2 tsp cumin seeds
 ghee,butter or oil
1 tsp pepper crushed
1/4 tsp asfoteda powder
 salt to taste
Curry and coriander leaves chopped

 To the above, add water to make a very liquidy mix( almost similar to Chhans), 
Let it soak for 5-10 min  (you can make it immly too)

Keep a non stick pan on the stove, wait for it to heat up completely. Rava dosa requires to be made in good heat.


Then you just sprinkle the batter on the tawa/pan(with your hand). It will make circular patches all over. add oil( I used gingily oil)


Let it cook and become crispy... (if you desire to have it very crispy then add more water to the batter and make dosa) remove when done...you needn't even turn it over...just fold it and serve/eat with chutny...


You can add onion to the pre-oiled pan before sprinkling the batter on the pan to make onion rawa dosa!


enjoy...

summer drinks!

Its really hot these days, having a cooling drink especially in the afternoons is so welcome. My kids look forward to these when they get back after a hot n humid day at school...


1. Sprite n lime drink
I just add about 1.5 tsp lime juice (kalamansi limes here) to one glass of cold sprite. Add some black salt or white salt. I like more than just a pinch, but add as much as your taste buds prefer. Stir it completely. Garnish with fresh mint (pudina) leaves or dry ones from shelf....Its just so refreshing...my kids love this drink.. Try it on guests...


2. Yogurt and cucumber drink
Take 3/4 glass of yogurt add about 1/4 cucumber (seeds removed), 1/2 chilli, some black salt (you can add roasted jeera powder too) and blend it in a blender, till they are all mixed. Garnish with roasted Jeera. enjoy it on a hot day!


For variation add green or red capsicum instead of cucumber or Cucumber with coriander.

Butter cake with choc icing

My daughter's Bday , she has that pleading, innocent look.... as usual,  she wanted me to bake a cake for her, rather than buy one ...so i dragged myself to the shop, after the long day, to buy some eggs and baking chocolate for icing it.....

The cake came out well, was a simple butter cake, but was too hot to withstand proper icing ( since she was in a hurry to cut it, eat and share it!).  Decoration: Just plain melted choc on top (no proper icing!!) with some alphonso mango .... we all attacked it as soon as it was ready... (rather than just stare at it till it cooled....!) recipe.....

Ingredients

         1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

         1/2 teaspoon salt

         2 teaspoons baking powder

         1/2 cup butter

         1 cup white sugar

         2 eggs

         1 teaspoon vanilla extract

         3/4 cup milk

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease one 8 inch square/round baking pan. Line bottom with wax paper or dust lightly with flour.

2.Sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder.

3.Cream the butter and blend in the white sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the creamed mixture alternately with the milk. Stir until just blended. Pour batter into prepared pan.

4.Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 50 to 55 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Remove from pan and allow it to cool.

5.Variation: Blueberry Cake; Add 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg to your dry ingredients and stir in 1 cup fresh blueberries into the batter before you bake it. Cut it into squares while it is still hot.

Idiyappam/Sevai with veg Stew

All south indian families in India make sevai/idiyappam at home but the process is difficult, messy and cumbersome... It always required 2 people... so as long as my MIL was with me, we attempted making this...after that we ate it either at restaurants or at mom's place in India. Kids  look forward to these yearly trips to India esp for the different n scrumptious food they get to eat at grandma's.... But this weekend, armed with the basic omapodi press (bhujia press), I attempted making it at home... I took mom's recipe, halved it..... and  proud to say that it came out well...!!! 
I made veg stew to go with it.


 Really guys these rice noodles just melt in your mouth.....no leftovers too!!
This dish is served with coconut chutney, any sambar variety, mor kozambu(kadi) or stew... whatever the family likes... 


For the sevai/idiyappam I used
1 glass boiled rice soaked in water overnight
2 spoons oil (I used gingily/seseame oil..any oil's ok)
for garnish...some oil, mustard seeds, urud dal, chana dal and freshly grated coconut


For Stew...
2 potatos, 
1 carrot (optional:  beans, cauliflower, peas)    
3 green chillies, 
big piece of ginger (cut in big flat chunks)
curry leaves
salt
100 ml coconut milk 
1 tspoon of coconut oil


Sevai
1.Grind the soaked rice till very smooth.
2.For cooking..In a non stick kadai/dish add 2 spoons of oil and pour the rice batter, add salt and keep the stove at medium. Keep stirring the mix till it becomes one big soft lump, switch the gas off Don't let it become very solid, will become difficult to squeeze through the press.
3. Put big spoonfulls into the press and squeeze the sevai out. repeat till all the batter is over.
4. steam the squeezed sevai for 10-12 min.
5. for tadka/garnish, in a spoonful of oil kept on stove add mustard seeds, urud dal and chana dal, when imustard starts to spurt, swich it off and garnish. Add tadka and tablespoonful of fresh coconut to each serving.


For Stew..
Cook all the vegetables with 1/2-3/4 glass of excess water (in a cooker as thats convenient) with salt added. 
Once done turn off the gas and add coconut milk, mix well and stir in the coconut oil....garnish with more curry leaves...


I make so much dosa n idli for b/fast at home that this dish was a welcome change and also not very difficult to make...try it out...and do write....:)

Fettuccine Al Fungi

Guys this Pasta came out real yummy! Last week my lil one ate it at our local pasta place, 'Pasta Fresca' and felt like eating there again today...( I knew it would set me back by quite a few $$$) so I decided to try my hand at it...!! Of course I didn't follow any recipe, just tried to recreate the taste and aroma of the dish...well dint turn out exact but yum nevertheless!


I used 1/2 packet fettuccine..(could use any pasta!)
200 grms button mushrooms cut
2 cloves garlic
2 tsp olive oil
some leek or asparagus or spring onion ( I used leek)
Water for boiling pasta
salt to taste
White Sauce
1 tbsp plain flour
2 tsp butter (can add some cheese too)
1/2 ltr milk


For White Sauce...Roast the plain flour for a few min and mix it with 1/4 cup of cold milk. whisk it well so that there are no clumps of flour.
In a seperate dish start boiling the remaining milk...after a few moments add the flour and milk mixture and stir it continuously, add salt and butter, once its thicked to resemble light sauce, switch the gas off.


Boil the pasta and remove all the water, wash it in cold water. keep it aside.


Roast the garlic in the olive oil in a seperate dish till light brown, add the cut mushrooms and cook for a few minutes. Once done, add the pasta, salt to taste. Switch the gas off. Add the white sauce(if the white sauce becomes too thick, add more milk to bring it to right consistancy). garnish it with leek/asparagus...some black pepper maybe....Heavenly Aroma...Scrumptious to taste...try it sometime..
Enjoy...

Baked Rissotto Capsicum (bell peppers)

This Dish took me ten min of preperation and about 20  min of baking. 
It turned out really yummy. Of course I always improvise on the recipe and you can do too. I have no set ways of making any particular dish...just have an idea and the gut feeling that it would turn out ok.. here's what I used...
 3 bell peppers
75 grm grated cheddar cheese
1 sml bowl of cooked basmati rice
3/4 cereal bowl frozen corn
1 big tomato blanched and pureed
3-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 onion
1 tbsp Olive oil
Fresh herb----basil, Sweet majoram, Majoram, Coriander leaves


---Thaw the frozen corn by placing in the microwave for a min. 


----Cut the bell peppers horizontally and remove out all the seeds.


-----Saute the onion and garlic in some of the oil, add the corn and rice. Add salt and finally add the pureed tomato. leave it on the stove until its all mixed, for about 2 min, add the herbs.(You may add some cheese too if you wish)


----take one of the cut peppers(capsicums) and fill some cheddar cheese, add the rice mix and top it with some more cheese. Repeat with all the rest of the peppers. Arrange them in a pre-oiled dish.


-----bake at 200 deg C for 20 min...


Enjoy...bon appetet... 

Vishu ( Malayalam New Year) Spread!

This Year  Vishu was on the 15th of April. I had some friends over for the Kerala feast that day. I had onion pakoda, banana and jackfruit chips with kalamansi lime soda for starters...this was followed by lunch...avial, veg stew, broad beans veggie, salad (mango, cucumber n moong dal), rice, sambar, rasam, kerala papadam and ofcourse the yummiest of all...pal payasam..!!

Also had made some authentic pickles like puli inchi, raw mango instant pickle and mango ginger pickle...

We all ate to our stomachs fill and to finished it off with a strong cup of southie coffee(to avoid dozing off after the sumptuous meal!)

The Spread...

The pickles..

For Vishu the main ritual that is performed is in the early morning. I decorated some flowers esp yellow kani flowers, pulses, rice, salt, coconut, veggies, fruits, gold, pudu panam(panch dantu which is given at the time of wedding!) and currency notes in front of a big mirror.... for viewing the reflection of decorations first thing in the morning... in the morning, I lit the lamp and woke up my husband and kids and brought them to the temple n decorations with their eyes closed...so that they see it first thing ..!  All the youngsters are  then given some money with blessings...(one of the reasons why all kids remember this festival very well!!).. Its fascinating that we all have such unique festivals celebrated in different parts of India, each having its own significance, according to the climate, harvest or  based on epic tales, each so colourful.... coming with its own set of rituals and yum food items..! i havent given any recipes here as there are too many items...also they are very traditional...ones you would find easily on the net...nevertheless pl feel free to ask for them, will pass it o you...happy reading...raji.