🍒Very Berry!!! #1

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Food, India, Indian cuisine

Kuler chatni

Hey everyone 🙋
Today’s post is a foodie one
With two different recipes in two different posts involving the sour berry, the Indian plum

Jujube- Indian plum

I am a South Indian married to a Bengali, so when I came across this particular recipe I cringed thinking how could anyone make a sweet dish out of something which is supposed to be spicy and sour..
The berries are called Kul in Bengali..Elandapazham in Tamil…Regipandlu in Telugu
(The southern part of India)

A small flashback though..

Having grown up in the south, everyday outside my school just before summer this particular berry used to be sold in carts…All for a meagre 25 paise..
My pocket money used to be one rupee per day, which was a lot in those days..,
I used to buy these for 25/50 paise while walking back home..
The vendor used to drizzle them with salt and chilli powder mix..😋
One had to be cautious while consuming them as they were the residing places of miniature fruit worms..
I know it sucks but one can’t resist eating the good ones though..
We used to get these dried, packeted ones sold for just One rupee…we used to call them BORROMS!!
How the word came into picture I do not know..

So when I first saw my Mil making a sweet dish out of this I quickly pocketed a few to be eaten with salt and chilli powder…yummy yum

Below is the Bengali style recipe Of this yummy berry..

It’s a simple one with variations..I will stick to one taught to me by Mil…

So here we go..

🍒Wash the berries without much pressure on them( they tend to burst open and get gooey)
🍒Gently press each berry to check for fruit worms

Clean the berries

Clockwise…Dried red chillies..Sugar..Black mustard seeds..

🍒Take a wok and add some oil and a tablespoon of black mustard seeds..

🍒Once they splutter add in little turmeric and one or two dry red chillies..( I am using the kashmiri variety here )
Saute them and add in the berries..
🍒Add in sugar and a cup of water depending on the amount of berries

🍒Saute all till you get a thick syrupy consistency

🍒The flavour is that of sweet and sour…Sweet from the sugar and the berries contributing to the sourness

🍒An alternate method would be to add in raw mangoes or even tomatoes to balance out the sweetness..

Do give it a try and let me know how it tasted…Until next time have a great week ahead everyone 🤗🤗🤗

🌶️Hyderabadi Mirchi ka Salan🌶️

Tags

Food, India, Just thoughts

Hey everyone🙋

It is the last Sunday of the year..I haven’t been very active these past few months so as I was making a dish for the very first time I thought why not share it with my reader Friends here…

This dish is a Hyderabadi special, I have had this dish many a times at a friend’s place or at a restaurant especially accompanied with Biryani..
Now why Hyderabadi is because it is a very normal almost everyday kind of dish especially in muslim households everywhere more so in Hyderabad..
It is usually had with plain white rice or my favourite Biryani..

🌶️🌶️Mirchi ka Salan, meaning Mirchi= chillies
Salan= thin gravy usualy made of peanuts
Salan is a Urdu word for curries..

Without going too much into the stories let me start..
( I haven’t taken the pics in order)

We use Bhajji chilli’s, they are these huge big chilli peppers..

The Ingredients are (approximate values)

*Chilli peppers : 6-8
*Peanuts : a cup
*Star aniseed : 1-2
*Coriander seeds : 2 tablespoons
*Red chillies : 3-4 ( depending on how spicy you want it)
* Tamarind : lemon sized ball soaked in water
*Onions : 1 ( big one)
*Tomatoes : 1 medium sized

(The traditional authentic recipe requires sesame seeds…poppy seed and dry coconut…I don’t have them so making it with the basic minimum ingredients 😜 and of course it tastes good this way too🙈)

Method

🌶️So first dry roast the peanuts and remove their skin..
🌶️Dry fry the star aniseed..corainder seeds..red chillies..
🌶️Put them all in a mixer and make a thick paste with little water( grind to a thick consistency, shouldn’t be runny)
🌶️Once done transfer to a bowl..
🌶️Make a paste of the tomatoes and onions and keep aside..

Clockwise..Soaked tamarind…peanut paste…onion tomatoes paste and chilli peppers

🌶️Wash and dry the chilli peppers and make vertical slits…
🌶️Stuff them with the above thick paste..

🌶️Take a pan, with a little oil..(a couple of spoons)
🌶️Sauté the stuffed chillies till they get a light brown char..

Before….

After…

🌶️In another pan..heat some oil..add in cumin seeds..add in the onions and tomato paste..fry fry till the raw smell is gone..then add the rest of the paste used for the stuffing and stir away till the oil layer separates on top..

🌶️Then add in the fried chilli peppers..water about a cup to be added..
🌶️With occasional stirring, cook till the gravy is thick and the colour changes, indicated by the oil layer at top of the gravy..

🌶️The consistency of the gravy can be adjusted accordingly..
🌶️Garnish with freshly chopped coriander and serve hot with plain rice..rotis..parathas or the quintessential Biryani…yummy!!!😋😋😋

Ready!!!

Here’s wishing everyone a happy hungry Sunday..💞🤗

Bye bye MC.Aus😔

Tags

Food, Masterchef Australia

Hey everyone🙋

Happy Sunday..🌞

A quick post today..

Mc Australia season 8 comes to  an end this week..(here in India the telecast is approximately a month behind )

I already know who the winner is and  I feel sorry cause I really wanted Matt sinclair to win..ahhhh still it was yet another lovely season..

Every time the season draws to an end..I feel sad..It’s like I want to know where the contestants are and what are they upto..about Matt..oohhh i have already told the better half, when we visit Australia, I wanto dine at his restaurant/food truck.. Apparently Matt is opening /opened up a eatery called “Ten piece cutlery”..ooooohh..lucky Australians, I really want to taste Matt’s cooking..

This season was more fun as the better half also got glued to it..tee hee hee..

So the next season of Mc USA is starting up..back to the terror chef Gordon Ramsay🙈🙈

Let’s see how much of it I am  able to follow…until next season it’s a tearful  goodbye to the 3 awesome Australian judges..and gonna miss watching Brett, Matt, Charlie, Elise, Mimi and Harry cook..

The contestants

Pssst: A funny thing..the judges ensure and taste the contestants food sooo precisely and when it comes to the master class, I find Matt Preston ( the judge)making a burger in one and a toast in another which I find is sooo ironic and funny, of course I know he isn’t a chef but still..

So while I continue to miss this season😔, here’s wishing all a happy week ahead..💞💞💞

Egglicious!!🍳🍳🍳

Tags

Food

Hello everyone..🙋

A late night Sunday post, as the weekend saw me being a busy bee, what with visiting temples with my gran..
In India we believe in astrology and stuff so off we went with my granny as she wanted her’s to be rechecked and find a solution ( Just for her mental satisfaction you know)
Followed by catching up with the latest movie, Independence Day, not bad for a movie made on similar lines after 20 years..
So that’s about it..

The lovely month of June is ending soon before July peeps in which is always welcome, more so as Bangalore is experiencing an awesome climate..

My city is back to being what it was.. simply beautiful..😍😍

Since I am in the masterchef 🍴mood these days, presenting
a very very simple leisure recipe..

For those of you with spicy buds gear up and do give this simple dish a try..

Ok so the Ingredients needed are very very simple..

🐔Eggs

From clockwise..

🐔Chilli powder – 1-2 teaspoons
🐔 Coriander powder 1 teaspoon (optional)
🐔 Turmeric -1/4 th teaspoon
🐔 Salt to taste
🐔 Vinegar / Lime juice -1   teaspoon

🐔 Oil ( for shallow fry)

Method:

1.Firstly  boil the eggs and de shell them..
2.Mix the above masalas and make a semi solid paste
3.Cut each egg into halves
4.Apply the masala mix onto the eggs and sides..

5.Take a pan ,pour in some oil for shallow frying..

6.Place the eggs and cook on both sides till crisp but not too brown ..

7.Serve it as a side dish with Hott Sambhar/Daal rice or rotis and puris.
It can be used as a starter too..🍳🍳🍳

Psst:
This dish is very very easy and one of my favourites as my mom makes it with Puris..
Whenever we used to have picnics in school, she used to pack Lemon rice, Puris and  these fried eggs..
So it brings me back memories of my school days..😋😋💭💭💭
Do give it a try..

Have a great week ahead everyone..🍭🍭🍭

Time for some Garlic/Butter Naan🍛

Tags

Food

Garlic / Butter naan
(Flat Indian bread)

Hello Everyone..🙋
Happy Sunday ..

I am not a professional food blogger..
I just love to share a few yummy everyday recipes occasionally..

Lot of thoughts and gyaans made me sound like a philosopher..🙆

So I decided to let it be for some time and delve into the culinary world..🍴

So here’s for some yum Sunday Foods..

The long pending post of how to make Garlic /Butter naan..
I am not sure of the terminologies so maybe its called flat Indian bread abroad..

It isn’t a biguuhhh deal as most of my Indian friends here would be familiar with the making of it..

Many Indian households especially in the North make it at home but for us Southies it’s like a luxury, normally had when we trod into the North Indian/Punjabi restaurants..

OK so without much ado let’s go about it..Oh and by the way I did not make it..😝
As promised it was made by my sister in law RUCHI( I can see her evil grin 😈)
Ruchi is an expert..(tee heee heee now il get the make up kit she bribed me with😛)

So the  Ingredients required are as follows..

1. Maida (all purpose flour)
-3 cups (makes about 10  naans approx)

2. Sugar- 1.5 teaspoons
3. Salt- Half a teaspoon
4. Warm water – 1 cup ( to   dissolve the yeast)

5.Yeast- 2 teaspoons

6.Garlic pods -10 pods( or as much as you like )

7. Coriander leaves -1/2 cup finely chopped

8.Butter
9. Water at room temperature   (Required to make the dough)

Method

1.Firstly  sieve  the Maida into a mixing bowl..

2.Heat a cup of warm water and dissolve the sugar, yeast, salt and mix well..

3.Add this mixture into the bowl of maida and knead it well adding extra water as required to make a soft dough..

4. Allow it to rest for a minimum of 1 hour, in an air tight container so that the dough can rise..

5. Knead the dough again and divide it into medium sized balls..

6.Using a rolling pin, roll them out into round shapes..( we made oval and round ones )

7. Roll out  the naan and sprinkle one side of it with chopped garlic mixed with coriander..

Gently press it with the rolling pin..

8.Flip the naan and dab the other side with water..
(This is to ensure it sticks to the pan and doesn’t fall off)

9.Heat an Iron pan..(usually a tandoor is used is restaurants)
Any pan can be used other than a non stick pan..

10. Place the side coated with water directly on to the hot pan and let it bake on medium heat..

11.Once the colour of the dough changes, immediately take the pan and place it directly on the flame upside down to cook the other end..

12. The pan should be moved constantly over the flame so as to prevent it from burning..

13. Now with a flat ladle take it out and garnish it with a  chunk of butter and serve hot hot..😋

14.Plain butter naan can also be made the same way by just skipping the addition of garlic part..

15.Serve hot with Cholle Masala( Chickpeas ) /Paneer dishes( cottage cheese ) or any  Mutton/Chicken curries and gravies..

This is my plate which was served with Cholle Masala accompanied by chopped onions, Lemon wedges and a  green chilli..yummm

So thanks to RUCHI I learnt how to make garlic naan/butter naan..🍛
Do let me know of your experiences with naan..

Until next time eat  away..😋😋

A Quick snack..Masala vadas🍥

Tags

Food

Hello everyone..🙋

After a series of thought provoking Sunday posts I felt I was becoming some sort of a philosopher..
Being dragged deep into an abyss of thoughts.. So just to overcome it, presenting a yummy post today..
Ok so most of my Indian reader friends obviously  would know this dish..but still sharing it cause I made it for the recently concluded festival we call Pongal/Sankranthi..

☝The Rangoli (drawings with rice and chalk powder) outside my home on the festive day..

So coming back , presenting  Masala vada..that is fried  Bengal Gram fritters..

Usually it’s had with mint chutney or sauce or I like it just like that

So for making Masala  Vada/Bengal gram (channa dal) fritters

Ingredients required

Channa dal / Bengal gram – 400 grams ( makes about approx 15 medium sized vadas)

From clockwise..

1.Chillies – 2 nos ( according to the spiciness required)

2.Coriander leaves – 1 and half cup finely chopped

3.Ginger – 1 inch

4.Onion – 1 (chopped )

5.Dill leaves: 1 cup (finely chopped )
(Dill leaves are Optional..
Some prefer to use it, some skip it..this one is my granny’s recipe, so I am using it..should not add too much of it as it gives a bitter flavour )

6.Salt to taste

7.Oil For deep frying

Method

1.Soak Channa dal in water for 4-6  hours

2.Drain the water completely in a colander.

3.Keep 2  teaspoons of whole channa dal aside.

4.Now grind the green chillies and ginger and add the channa dal without adding water to form a coarse paste.

5.Take it into a mixing bowl and then add finely chopped onions, the remaining soaked and drained channa dal (2 teaspoons of which was kept aside), finely chopped green dill leaves to the above mix.

6.Add salt as required.

7. Now heat a pan with oil

8. Use a plastic cover or the palm of your hand can also be used to make the vadas..

9.Just coat it with oil and place  a small lemon sized portion onto it and gently press on it to flatten it a little..

10. Check if the oil is hot enough to drop the vadas, by adding a pinch of the batter, if it raises to the surface immediately , then that is the right temperature to fry the vadas.

11.Now gently slip the vadas  into the oil.

12.Keep on  medium heat and fry them on both sides till golden brown and crisp.

13..Repeat the same procedure for the rest of the mix

14.There you have it..crispy hot vadas..served with mint chutney or sauce..

A great snack for rainy evenings  accompanied with Chai/tea ☕ but mostly prepared on festive  occasions..

Hope you liked this simple Bengal gram/ channa daal fritters..😎

Until next time Let’s eat away and keep the weighing scale at a distance..😈
Have a great rest of the week ahead..💞

Chilli Prawns!! 🍤🍤🍤 Would you like some?? ;)

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Food

Would you like some Chilli Prawns?? 🍤🍤🍤

Who wouldn’t like some yummy yummy crunchy Prawns??? 🍤 🍤🍤  Me me meeeee 😍

So, Hello everyone..🙋
A quick weekend evening snack..🍴
Looks long and boring 💤💤 but very easy to make..
This Recipe has been shared by a dear friend of mine Hemanth.. 👮
Who is a Marine Engineer  by profession ⚓
A food freak by choice 🍝 and a  Master chef by passion..💓

Ok without much ado let’s go about it.. 🌀

THE  RECIPE

The actual Preparation time takes approx 20 minutes..

INGREDIENTS

Prawns – 300 grams
( Deveined)

Onion – 1 medium  (Diced)

Cornflour – 2 teaspoons

Oil for deep frying

For the Marination,
From Clockwise

Turmeric powder – 1/2  teaspoon

Chilli powder – 2 teaspoons

Vinegar – 1 teaspoon

Ginger paste – 1/2 teaspoon

Garlic paste – 1/2 teaspoon

Salt as required

Marinate the prawns and let it rest for about 30minutes ..

For the green masala,
From Clockwise

Green chillies – 3

Ginger – 1 small piece  (diced)

Garlic – 4 to 5 medium pods

Curry leaves –  3 strips

Fresh Coriander – 1 cup

Sugar – 1/2 teaspoon ( to be added in the end)

Grind all coarsely.. (water should not be added)

METHOD :

1. Add the Cornflour to the  prawn marinate and mix well.

2. Now deep fry the marinated prawns until golden brown.

3. In a non stick pan, using the same oil, add in the onions and sauté until just about softened (we don’t want them browned)

4. Add in the green masala and a  pinch of salt and sauté a bit more.

5. Now add in the deep fried Prawns and mix till each one is coated.

6. Sprinkle in the sugar..
And bingo it’s readyyy.. 😋😋

Can be served as a side dish or as an evening snack with Tomato ketchup or Green chilli sauce..

(This Recipe can also be tried with Prawns being substituted with Cauliflower, Panner (cottage cheese) Mushrooms and Potatoes)

Above pic is the original dish sent by Hemanth, I tried my best to replicate it below.. ;)😛

Hope you all enjoyed it visually atleast..😛

Until next time stay happy, Eat whatever you want !! 😆😛

Have a fun filled Week ahead.. 😆

Mutton Aloo Kurma!!

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Food

Mutton Aloo Kurma South Indian style
(Spiced mutton and potato gravy)

Hey everyone.. with Bakrid around the corner, I thought why not dish out some gravy with mutton in it, hope you enjoy this recipe.
I am not a regular food blogger, just trying to post the dishes I make, So kindly bear with my mistakes, any questions and suggestions are welcome.
I learnt this recipe from my granny.

Korma, also spelled kormaa, qorma, khorma, or kurma, is a dish originating in Central Asia consisting of meat or vegetables braised in a spiced gravy.
The gravy could be tomato based or Coconut based.

Mine is a very typical South Indian dish, with meat simmered in Coconut based gravy.
Even chicken can be used instead of mutton and for vegetarians, you can use potatoes, that will give you the awesome Aloo( potato) Kurma.
This dish is normally prepared for Sunday noon leisurely lunches.
Might look tedious but with practice, it becomes a routine dish.
This dish goes very well with Rotis, Plain parathas and hot steamed rice.

THE RECIPE

Preparation time take approx 30 minutes once all the ingredients are collected and kept ready at hand.

INGREDIENTS :
I’m a making just a little so I took about

Mutton – medium sized peices – 300 grams

Potato – medium 3 ( diced into small cubes)

Tomatoes – 2 (large)
one half diced and the rest pureed

Oil- 5 to 6 teaspoons

Ingredients required for the wet masala

Fresh Coconut – 50 grams ( diced)
Onion – large 1( diced)
Fresh green coriander – 1/2 cup
Mint leaves – 1/4 cup

**Ingredients for the the dry masala from clockwise

Garam masala – 1 teaspoon

Coriander powder – 1 teaspoon

Salt to taste

Chili powder – 1 teaspoon

Turmeric powder – 1/2 teaspoon

Dried cinnamon and clove powder – 1/2 teaspoon each

Ginger paste – 1/2 teaspoon

Garlic paste – 1/2 teaspoon

The wet green masala

METHOD

1. Take a teaspoon of oil in a small pan and saute the coconut peices and half of the chopped Onion peices until browned.

2. Add in the coriander and the mint leaves and sauté for about 1 minute and let it cool

3. Grind into a paste with a little water.

4. In a cooker or a pan (I like to use a pressure cooker) slightly shallow fry the mutton peices with 3 teaspoons of oil, a pinch of salt, half a teaspoon of turmeric powder, one half of a diced tomato, till it softens a bit, for say about 8 minutes (this is to remove the raw smell from the meat)

How to make the Kurma

5 .In the same pressure cooker saute the rest of the chopped Onions with a pinch of salt till they are slightly browned.

6. Add in the wet masalas and the dry masalas and shallow fry a bit.. (This is to take away the rawness of the masalas)

7. Add in the tomato puree and the diced medium sized potatoes and the half cooked mutton.

8. Add 2-3 cups of water and pressure cook for say about 3 whistles. ( the water should be added approximately)

There we go, we have the Mutton Aloo Kurma ready.
Garnish with the remaining coriander leaves and serve hot!!

Enjoy it with hot buttered Rotis, Plain Parathas or Steamed rice.

Note:
* Always when using freshly ground masala’s it’s advisable to fry/saute them till the oil layer is seen at the top, It takes away the rawness of the masalas.

* Adding turmeric to meat helps to add taste and takes away the raw meat smell

* Add a pinch of salt when you sauté the onions, it helps to keep them moist and soft.

* Potatoes can be peeled or the skin can be retained.

*For more spice, green chillies can be added to the wet masala.

Until next time stay happy, Eat whatever you want !! 😆😛

Lets make some Ghee!!!

Tags

Food

Let's make some Ghee... 😋

Hello everyone..
Though my blog is a year old,  I was dormant all these months..😴😴💤So now I am actively posting 🙅(atleast I hope to)  Every like👍 and comment 💬is special and dear to me. 😍
I was overwhelmed by the likes and questions on my post “Ghee anyone??”
Especially from my non Indian friends.. So I thought why not post a detailed recipe of how to make ghee.. 
Though that post was meant just for fun, I decided that my writing a detailed step by  step procedure would assist my friends in making ghee..There are many methods of making it.. I follow this simple one..

Ok first of all.. The process starts of by boiling milk and collecting the cream which forms on top of the milk, once the boiled milk cools down..
(That’s how we do it here in India.. In India even today specially in small towns and rural parts we get fresh cow/buffalo milk.. In cities we are more used to buying “packet milk”  that is milk sold in tetra packs..)

The process of collecting the cream may vary from days to a month,a lil tedious eh??
So what I do is..

1. I collect the cream every time I boil the milk and store it in the freezer box, once i feel it’s adequate enough,

The collected frozen cream

2. I defrost it for say, just 2-3 minutes.
3. I empty the contents into a non stick pan and keep stirring it continuously for say about 15-20 minutes on low flame

Stirring continuously on low flame..

The cream bubbling away..

4.Eventually a top layer of oily liquid will separate from the bottom which is the solid part or the sediment ( we call it the Malai or Cream) 

The top liquid layer separates from the solid part..

5. Next  just strain the contents.
6.The solid/sedimented part can be discarded.

Voila our very own homemade Ghee is ready!!!

The liquid aromatic Ghee is ready!! 😋😋

Pssstt:

1. It’s better to stir continuously cause we don’t want the cream to get burnt

2. No need to skim off the foam..It doesn’t actually matter. 

3. Just make sure once you see the  oily layer separating and the solid part browning, thats when you should stop and turn the gas off and let it cool.

4.Ghee/clarified butter is even better than butter because it is butter without the milk solids, therefore having all  benefits of butter it doesn’t go rancid- so doesn’t have to be refrigerated.

5. For the health conscious people,watch out..Ghee Is awesome but anything in excess.. You know the rest..  

Ghee anyone??!!

Tags

Food

Ghee anyone??!!!

Here I was lazing away on a boring Monday noon 💤 💤 with all my work being done, my WordPress, mails and news all upto date and having finished reading two ebooks wondering what to do next, bored bored me!! When the idea of cooking something soothing to the soul struck me and I found myself being drawn towards the kitchen. 💁
Opening up my freezer box I found the month load of cream I had religiously and obediently ( if you may call me so) accumulated.😛
A quick defrost in the oven and I was ready to stir away my worries and boredom, in the form of home made ghee or clarified butter or butter oil as some may call it, which would emerge shortly.
I kept stirring away imagining it to be the celestial pot of amrit (Nectar)🍯(For my non Indian friends it is the pot of nectar which the Gods and the Demons fought over in Hindu mythology)🙅
Just a vague oh so me comparison here..
So stirring..stirring..dreaming and huffing puffing I finally could get a milky buttery consistency followed by the clumps being reduced to buttery butter and eventually  turning into the liquid ghee or butter oil.
To be had with piping hot rice or brushed atop Rotis or Parathas as you may please.
So I pat myself and draw in the fresh aroma of my own pure home made ghee.. 😋😋
Yippee… Way to go, I tell myself👏👏.. Something useful of a Monday..:D