Fresh Corn Upma.

Corn-Uma-2, originally uploaded by gems7882.

Hello Hello Hello....:) Guess today I am too excited about updating my almost dead blog...:P Its been like 2 months I have not updated my blog or added any new recipe. So Lets make this a fresh start hoping I will continue adding new recipes to my space. This recipe which I am going to post now is called fresh corn upma and its my favourite. I ate this first at a gujrati friends place...when I was in Mumbai...around 10 yrs back. It was so creamy n yummy. I always wanted to try making this dish... but simply forgot about it as time went buy.

One day my DH got some fresh corn from the grocery stores...which were directly dumped in the fridge...for later use. Few days back when I was cleaning my fridge i found these poor ignored things.... I was wondering maybe I can make a soup.... hmm but soup with 3 corn on cob will be too much for 3 people.... so Soup wont do.
Whatelse can I make with this? That when I remember this yummy recipe for Corn upma. I have tried to remeber a 10 yr old recipe and tried it. It turned out pretty good. If u have any suggestion of additions I can make to this recipe... Please do suggest...:)

Ingredients :

Fresh corn peeled n cleaned and Grated - 3
Onion - 1/2 chopped
Carrot - 1/2 cup grated or finely chopped
Mustard seeds
Garlic - 1 tsp (optional)
green chillies - 2 to 3 chopped
Ginger - 1 tsp chopped
Potato - 2 small grated
Milk - 1/2 cup
Oil
Salt to taste
Turmeric powder - 1/s tsp
Sev and Fresh coriander leaves to garnish
Lemon juice or wedge.


Method :

Heat a pan and oil to it. Add the mustard seed at let it crackle. Add the Onion, carrots and potato and stir cook for few minutes. Add the ginger, garlic and green chillies and stir. Cover and cook for few minute until the potato cooks a bit. Add corn, salt, turmeric powder, milk. Mix well. Cover and cook for 12 minutes stirring in between.Add little water if u feel the the mixture is too dry. Heat until the corn cooks up and gets thick like Rava upma.

Remove from flame. Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with lemon wedges, Sev and Coriander leaves.

Serve as a filling and yummy evening snack. Enjoy

Mushroom Masala

Mushroom-Masala2, originally uploaded by gems7882.

I made this for lunch yesterday and it turned out so well, I couldnt stop myself from blogging (read bragging) about this. It was just like the mushroom masala we get in Indian restaurants and It was literally onion free ( U dont count 2 green onions :P) Here is the recipe for the same.

Ingredients :

Mushroom - 1 big box.
Ginger - 2 tsp
Garlic 1 tsp
Tomato paste / puree - 1 small can
Bellpepper and onion - 1/4 cup each (optional)
Salt to taste.
Turmeric pwdr - 1/2 tsp
Red chilli pwdr - 2 tsp (we like it spicy) u can substitute with green chillies if u wish.
Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
Whole spices (cardamom -1, cinamon- small piece, Star anise- 1 leaf, Bay leaf - 1, cloves 2)
Milk - 3/4 cup
Constarch - 2 tsp
Fresh coriander garnish

Method :

Method : Take oil..add the whole spices to it...add garlic and ginger saute for a minute... then add the bell pepper and onion and saute. Add salt, turmeric, garam maslaa and the mix well.

Add the tomato paste and above a cup water and let ...it boil well...so that the tomato cooks. once the tomato cooks and the gravy thickens a bit....add the milk mixed with constarch to the gravy. mix well and let it cook. Add some crushed methi leaves for the lovely smell. Let it thicken and gel well.

In another saute pan add the chopped mushroom and sprinkle some salt and pepper. cook on high flame and stir for 2-3 minutes. off the gas and keep it aside. Let it leave some water... then drain the water and add the mushroom to the gravy. Take care about the salt u add to the gravy as u will be adding salt seperately for the mushrooms.

Add mushrooms to gravy.. mix ad cook for 5-6 minutes. Off the gas and garnish with coriander leaves.

Your Mushroom Masala restaurant style is ready to be eaten with, naan, phulkas or parathas.

Enjoy!

Vankaya Kothimira Karam

This Curry was taught to me by my Jyothi Akka. It tastes awesome and is a delish side for Chapati, roti or just with plain steamed rice. I make this anytime I have an excess of Coriander leaves in my refrigerator. I have tried this curry with Okra, Potatoes and even raw banana... and it always tastes so good.

Here goes the Recipe

Ingredients:

Small Indian Brinjal/ Eggplant : 6
Green chillies : 2-3 (depending on the spiciness of the chillies)
Ginger : small piece
Coriander leaves : 1 medium bunch
Jeera : 1 tsp
turmeric pwd : 1 tsp
Salt to taste

For tempering

Mustard seeds :2tsp
Urad dhal : 1 tsp
Oil
Dried whole red chilli : 2


Method :

Clean and roughly chop the coriander leaves. Add it to a blender and blend into a paste along with ginger, green chillies and jeera and little salt. Keep aside.

Clean and cut the eggplant lenghtwise. In a deep bottomed pan add oil. Put the jeera and urad dal and wait till the jeera crackles. Now add the mustard seeds and allow it to splutter. Add the cut eggplant. Add salt and turmeric and cooked covered till the eggplant becomes tender ad cooks well. Dont worry if the eggplant becomes mushy.thats Okay. if u dont like it mushy... cook the eggplant without covering and keep stirring..:)

Once the eggplant is cooked, add the coriander paste to it and mix well. Allow it to cook for 8 mins more and turn off the heat. Cover and leave until ur ready to serve.


This is an awesome curry and the best part about it this is... its naturally favoured. The smell is so tantalising.... just yummy....:D do try it and give me ur review on it...:D

Pani Poori - for the Indian Cooking Challenge

Hello friends...here I am after a long long back.... and with my second recipe in this year and also as a fresh new member of the ICC - Indian Cooking challenge. This is my first participation in the ICC... and I just loved this experience. This months topic was Pani poori (an indian snack) my favorite street food. Loved making it...:) Here is the recipe for the pani poori.

Ingredients :

For the Pooris (altered recipe by me..)

Sooji (Semolina) - 3/4
All purpose flour - 1/4 tsp (APF)
Cooking soda - 1tsp (optional - skipped it)
little water for kneading the dough. -1/4 cup approx
Salt to taste
Oil for Frying

The method is so simple.. I never thought it cud be so easy to make these pooris. It does need some work...like rolling out the dough into small pooris and then fryin it on medium high...maybe 3 or 4 at a time... hmm.. it did take me a lot of time....hence I made it a day before. These can be easily stored in a nice air tight container...and will stay fresh for weeks...:) Please note that u allow the poori to cool down completely before u put them in a container. For the method : Mix the sooji, salt, APF into a tight dough. it should be pliable yet firm... cover with a damp cloth and keep it aside for 10 mins.

Arrange for 2 damp clothes. One to put the rolled Pooris on and other to cover them. After 10 mins... roll the pooris out. Once u have rolled them all... now fry them.

** Tricks I learnt.... Instead of rolling individual small pooris.. u can roll a big sheet and using the lid of any bottle or cookie cutter... u can cut out the round shapes. Please keep in mind that the poori have to me medium size. Something u can put in ur mouth whole.

Dont keep flipping the poori when fry. Put the poori in... let it be there for 5 secs... flip it.. and then gently press it with ur laddle... ur pooris will puff up well that way...:) It did for me..:D

I tried this poori twice..once with soda and once without it. I liked it better without the soda. As i felt it puffed better... and I also increased the proportion of maida to sooji... in the second trial... and wow! my poori were more lighter and puffy :) I will share both the pics with u... so u can see the difference..:d

pic one and two r the trials with less maida and soda. Pic three is with more maida and no soda.

For the Spicy Pani


Mint Leaves - 1 1/2 cups chopped well
Coriander Leaves - 1/2 cup
Tamarind concentrate - 1 1/2 tbsp
Green Chillies - 3
Ginger - 1 " piece
Black salt - 1 tsp
8 to 9 cups of water
Pani puri Masala - 2 tbsp (optional)

The actual recipe called for roasted cumin... I skipped it and yet it was just awesome...:)

Method : Blend the green chillies, coriander, mint and ginger, tamarind... into a fine paste using little water. Add this mixture to the water. Add salt and ur pani is ready. (alter the salt according to ur taste...)

I added some pani poori masal also to it... just coz I am habituated too...:P But i guess it will taste good... even without it..:D

I made 2 different types of fillings...

1. The Potato filling : mix together mashed potato, salt, red chilli powder. Mix well and ur filling is ready.

2. Chana filling : Soak and pressure cook Chana / Garbanzo (u can even use canned). Put the chana in a pot and cook it with a little water. Add salt, turmeric and chilli powder, Garam masala to it. Cook well till the masala smell goes off. Ur filling is ready ..:)

Tamarind Chutney

Take 3 tbsp tamarind concentrate and mix it with around 3/4 cup of water. Add sugar/jaggery, a pinch of red chilli powder. Boil it well so that it reduces to almost half. Ur chutney it ready too...

And so r u I guess to indulge in this super famous ...real tangy and yummy snack... yumm!

Hope u liked the recipe.. will post more soon..:d

Baigan mirchi ka salan

Baigan ka salan is a very famous Hyderabadi dish which is eaten along side biryani. I wanted to try this from a long time but just now got the time. When I saw searching for this authentic recipe I came across this site. Got this awesome recipe and I had to try it. I made this salan as a side for phulkas. The main recipe calls only for baigans (eggplants) but I also went ahead and added some green chillies for the perfect combination of Mirchi (chillies) & Baigan (eggplant) Salan...:)




Ingredients :

Indian Small Eggplant - 10
California chillies - 2 or 3 (or u may use any less spicy chilli)
Oil - 2 tbsp
Onion -1 chopped and blended into paste
Ginger Garlic Paste- 1 tbsp
Salt
Tamarind - Soaked and strained
Tomato Puree -1/2 cup (try to use fresh tomatos for puree..)
Masala / Roasted Peanuts -Fistful
KhusKhus -1 tbsp
Jeera or Cummin seeds-1/2 tbsp
Methi seeds or Fenugreek seeds-1/2 tsp
Dry coconut - 2 tbsp
Dry Whole red chilli - 2
Dhaniya or Coriander seeds -1/2 tbsp
Seseme seeds - 1 tbsp

Method :

Prepare by washing the eggplants and green chillies well. Do not cut the stem off from eggplants. Make 4 slits on the sides of the eggplant but do see that u dont cut them off there stem. The Eggplant should remain in one piece after slicing in 4 parts. Slit the green chillies in the centre and remove the seeds if u wish. Cut the chillies into half and keep aside.

Heat the oil in a flat pan and once the oil is hot add the cut egglpants and cover with a lid. Let the eggplants cook on medium heat or till they become tender and somewhat brown in colour.Keep aside. Do the same for the green chillies and keep aside.
Now for making the masala we have to grind few ingredients.If using unroasted peanuts see that u dry roast them well. (I used roasted ones for ease) Dry roast the khus khus and sesame seeds. Dry Roast Fenugreek and cummin seeds together. Add coriander seeds after the two are half roasted. Once you start smelling cummin seeds, turn off the stove and add dry coconut. Let everything cool down completely. Now, make a paste of this and keep aside.

In a heavy bottomed pan heat some oil. When the oil is hot enough, add the onion paste. Saute it for few minutes and then add the ginger garlic paste. Mix well until it starts browning. Now add the tomato puree and fry until the raw smell of tomato goes away.

Now go ahead and add the ground masala. Mix well and cover the pan. Let it cook for few minutes and add salt and red chilli powder. Stir for 1 minute or so and add the fried eggplants and green chillies. Mix well. See that ur gentle and u dont mash or break the eggplants off their stems. Add the tamarind and let it simmer a little while.Check for salt, chilli powder and tamarind and add it according to your taste. The masala can be made and frozen for future use and it will taste equally good as the freshly ground. Ur Baigan Mirchi ka salan is ready to be relished..:)







Enjoy with hot phulkas, parathas, rice or biryani.

Masala Utthappam

You all must have eaten masala dosa...but have u ever tired masala uttappam? I ate this first time in a restaurant near my place back in Thane. It was so tasty and yummy. So anytime u have the masala filling and dosa batter why not try this than the conventional Masala dosa..:)


Ingredients :

Dosa batter
Oil for cooking
Onion - 1 finely chopped
Chaat Masala - 2 tsp


For Spicy masala

Potaoes - 5 boiled and mashed
tomato - 1 chopped
Green chillies - 3 finely chopped
Ginger - 2 tsp
Garlic - 1 tsp (optional)
Fresh corinader leaves
Mustard seeds
oil
Salt to taste
Kitchen king masala - 1tsp (optional)

Method :

Firstly we will make the masala. Now this masal is similar to the masala dosa masala preparation. U can even use the leftover masala from masala dosa to make this. Anyways, In a kadhai take some oil and put in the mustard seeds. Let it splutter and add the green chillies, garlic and ginger. Go ahead and put in the chopped tomatoes along with all the powders. Mix well. Cook till the tomato is tender and the masala is cooked. Add in the boiled mashed potatoes and add to it a cup of water. Mix well and let it cool well. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves. Now ur spicy masala is ready.

Assembling the Masala utthappam. Pour a big laddle full of batter on the pan and spread it to make a nice thick dosa. Sprinkle the chaat masala and chopped onions. Let it cook for 1 minute and scoop in a spoonful masala on the utthappam and flatten it. Pour oil on the sides on the dosa. Let one side cook completely well and then flip it over to cook the other side. Pour oil to the other sides too and cook well. Ur masala Utthappam is ready now to relish.

Enjoy ! Have fun.

Sev Batata Puri

I am from Mumbai the chaat paradise of India. I love chaat items and I am lucky that my hubby enjoys it too....actually he is good at making these chaat items too. Will surely share few of his chaat Speciality with u guys later. So As we both like Chaat we often make it and sometime its our dinner...:) Unlimited chaat hehehe :P.

Sev batata poori is something i dont make that often mainly coz i dont get those flat pooris here that easily. And If I spot them in any shop... I stock my pantry with atleast 3 packs of these pooris hehehe :P. Sev is the thin noodles kind of snack made with gram flour. U can easily get it in any India store. Batata means Potato in Mumbai local language and Poori are normally small puffed hard shells but in this case....they r flat discs like canapes.

Anyways here goes the Sev batata poori recipe.

Ingredients :

Sev batata puris (flat ones) - 1 pack

Potato boiled and mashed -2

Garbanzo beans cooked and lightly mashed - 1/3 cup (optional)

Tomato finely diced - 1 cup

Red Onions finely chopped - 1 cup

Chaat masala - 2 tbsp

Salt to taste

Spicy Green chutney - 1/2 cup (optional) / u can even use red chilly powder :)

Sweet tamarind Chutney - 1/2 cup

Fine Sev - 1 1/2 cup

Fresh coriander leaves - 1 cup finely chopped

Method :

For Spicy green Chutney - Grind coriander leaves, green chillies and mint leaves together. Dont put too much water. Adjust the chillies according to ur spice intake. Ur green chutney is ready.

For Sweet tamarind chutney. Take tamarind water or tamarind concentrate mixed in water and boil it. Add jaggery and boil for 20 minutes.. once the chutney becomes a bit thick ur tamarind chutney is ready.

For the potato filling - Mash the boiled potatoes and the garbanzo beans together. Add salt, red chilli powder and little chat masala and mix well. Keep aside.

Making sev puri. In a serving plate arrange the pooris. Put a spoonful of the potato filling on the puri. Top the masala with a tsp of green chutney and a tsp of sweet chutney. Sprinkle onions, tomato, fresh sev and some chat masala on each poori. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and Serve.

Ur simple and easy Chat is ready...:)

Vegan Chocolate Cake

Vegan chocolate cake for a dear friend. My dear childhood friend Krithika visited me here in US for the first time and that too with her new born baby girl. The day she was going to come to my house was her birthday..:) I wanted to make something special for her....and wts better than a sweet treat. As she was coming with her mom, and granny I wanted to make something eggless.

I found this awesome Vegan chocolate cake recipe in Madhuram's blog and I was so glad. This recipe is so simple to make and can be made with the ingredients readily available at home. Cool isnt it? Here is the actual recipe. I will list down the recipe and the small changes I made in it. The icing is not vegan. I used ready made buttercream frosting and I didnt have much time I just sprinkled some colourful ice cream sprinkles on it...:P easy way to decorate :)

Ingredients :

All purpose flour - 1 1/2 cups

Sugar - 1 cup

Salt - 1/2 tsp

Baking Soda - 1 tsp

Unsweetened Cocoa powder - 1/4 cup

Vanila extract - 2 tsp

Canola Oil - 1/3 cup

Distilled Vinegar - 1 tbsp

Cold water - 1 cup

Method :

Preheat the oven at 375 degree F.

In a bowl mix all the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and cocoa powder) together. Keep aside.

In another bowl take the water and mix in all the wet ingredients to it (oil, vinegar, vanila extract). Whisk well. Add this mixture to the dry ingredients and mix well using a hand blender. Blend till a nice smooth batter is formed.

Grease a cake pan with some butter (I used wiltons cake release. Its very very good, and the cake out out so well.) Pour in this mixture into the pan and even it out. Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until a tooth pick outs out clean. Off the oven and leave the cake in for 5 more minutes. Dont try to remove the cake from the pan now. The cake will break / crack. Let the cake cool well in the room temperature. Leave it for an hour or so.

Run a knife along the edge of the cake to remove it from pan. turn it upside down on a plate of serving tray and pat the bottom of the pan to loosen the cake.

Now u can serve the cake hot as it is with tea or coffee.

To frost the cake, let the cake cool completely. I left it out for another hour and Sliced it into 2 layers, then wrapped it with a plastic wrap and kept it in the freezer for 1 hour. Keeping it in the freezer helps the frosting to stay on the cake well. U can slice the cake into 2 layers if u want to frost in the centre.

Once the cake is cool. I frosted it with store bought buttercream icing and decorated with ice cream sprinkles..:) My friend loved it and I was so happy to see the smile on her face.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KRITHIKA :)