Tag Archives: Blog Hop Wednesdays

Raw Tomato Dal (Kootu) – Blog Hop 5

28 Sep

This Wednesday I am paired with Suchitra (EC) of Simple Indian Food. As I rambled in coconut rice post, when in Rome behave like Romans, so when my partner was another South Indian I choose to expand my skills with another of their delicacy. Knowing the Blog Hop schedule in advance has tremendous advantage, I planned to kill 2 birds with 1 stone – cover the blog hop wed with Radhika & Suchitra in one go & satisfy V’s hunger pangs.

What I love about South-Indian cuisine is use of minimum oil & plenty of veggies. Keeping this in mind, I promptly shot off a mail to Suchitra. She very helpfully guided me to 3-4 recipes loaded with veggies, out of them I chose Raw Tomato Dal as I thought it will go well with Coconut Rice. If I erred in combining the 2 then please excuse me women.

Raw Tomato Dal (Kootu)

Raw Tomato Dal (Kootu)

Raw Tomato Dal (Kootu) -

Recipe Source – Suchitra of Simple Indian Food

Ingredients -

  • 4-5 – Raw Tomatoes, hard
  • 1 Cup – Split Moong Dal
  • 1 tsp – Mustard Seeds
  • 5 -6 – Curry Leaves
  • a pinch – Asafoetida

for Masala Paste -

  • 1 tsp – Coriander Powder
  • 1-2 – Red Chillies
  • 1/2 tsp – Chana Dal
  • 1/2 tsp – Urad Dal
  • 1-2 tsps – Grated Coconut
  • 1 tsp – Oil

Method -

  1. Pressure cook the dal with salt.
  2. Heat few drops of oil in a wok & roast masala ingredients except coconut.
  3. Once cool, grind to a fine paste along with coconut. Add water if required.
  4. Heat oil in a pan & add mustard seeds, curry leaves & asafoetida.
  5. Slice each tomato into 8 pieces & add in the pan. Add salt & allow tomatoes to cook.
  6. Now add dal & masala paste. Adjust salt if required.
  7. Adjust consistency as required. I made it little thinner as we were going to have it with Coconut Rice.

    Raw Tomato Dal (Kootu)

    Raw Tomato Dal (Kootu)

It was a lovely combination of Raw Tomato Dal & Coconut Rice. Thank you ladies for introducing me to such lovely dishes.

Sending Raw Tomato Dal to Flavors of South India by Simply Sensational.

Catch other Blog-Hoppers here to see what they have done for their blog hops. If you wish to join contact Radhika of Tickling Palates. Happy Hopping!!

Coconut Rice – Blog Hop 4

14 Sep

I have a perception that most of the Indian food bloggers (settled in India or abroad) are South Indian. My perception can be totally skewed but that’s what I have felt in last 10 months of my association with food blogosphere. So when I started this blog, I was sure that I wouldn’t put try & put recipe of a dosa or idli & pass it off as great. I know for a fact that there are many excellent recipes available for South-Indian cuisine in food world. When I had to choose from Radhika this Wednesday a recipe for Blog Hop I knew it was going to be a South-Indian recipe.

Since, I’m not very familiar with south-Indian cuisine & its nuances I asked Radhika to help me select a rice dish which is authentic South-Indian. She directed me to Coconut Rice. I have not made any major change to the recipe except skipping ground nuts.

Coconut Rice

Coconut Rice

Coconut Rice -

Recipe Source – minimally adapted from Radhika of Tickling Palates

Ingredients -

  • 2 Cups – Cooked Rice
  • 1 Cup – Fresh Grated Coconut
  • 1/2 tsp – Mustard Seeds
  • 1/2 tsp – Urad Dal
  • 2 tsp – Bengal Gram Dal
  • 2 – Green Chillies, slit
  • 2 – Whole Red Chillies
  • 1/2 tsp – Chopped Ginger
  • 8-10 – Roasted Cashewnuts
  • 1 sprig – Curry Leaves
  • a pinch – Asafoetida
  • 2 Tbsp – Coconut Oil
  • to taste – Salt

Method -

  1. Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds, when they splutter add urad dal, bengal gram dal, red chillies, green chillies, ginger & curry leaves. Fry them on low flame. Do not over do them.
  2. Now add asafoetida & coconut. Roast till the kitchen starts filling with aroma of fresh roasted coconut. :)
  3. Now add cooked rice & mix well. Add salt. Garnish with roasted cashew nuts.
  4. Serve hot.

I served it with Raw Tomato Dal. It was the yummiest South-Indian dish I made & had. I ate with my fingers, which I rarely do {you see the farang in me ;) }

Coconut Rice

Coconut Rice

It is not usual for us to cook in coconut oil, hence it was a very different & novel taste for us. Also, I’m not a big rice lover, so when I cook rice, it is always an elaborate affair like this one.

Sending Coconut Rice to Flavors of South India by Simply Sensational.

Catch other Blog-Hoppers here to see what they have done for their blog hops. If you wish to join contact Radhika of Tickling Palates. Happy Hopping!!

Tender Coconut & Mint Ice-Cream – Blog Hop 3 – Without an Ice-cream Maker

31 Aug

Blog Hop Wednesday is here and my this Wednesday my blog partner is Prathima of Prat’s Corner. She has some amazing repertoire of recipes which are begging a reader to try. Radhika has made me go through this dilemma every fortnight. There are just too amazing bloggers there who enjoy cooking & eating as much as I do if not more. :D I love being a part of Blog Hop.

Coming back to Prathima, I chose Mint & Choco-chip Ice-cream which she had made for her  mother. I felt that this was something I have never done before & the recipe was easy enough for someone like me to replicate. However, I did make slight changes – I replaced choco-chips with tender coconut & added vanilla essence for just the hint of flavor. Also I doubled the recipe & increased tender coconut as per my needs. I also added coconut before blending rather than after blending as it would give a uniform taste of coconut in the ice-cream. But if one is using choco-chips then they have to be added later.

Mint & Tender Coconut Ice-cream

Mint & Tender Coconut Ice-cream

Tender Coconut & Mint Ice-cream -

Recipe Source – adapted from Prathima of Prat’s Corner

Ingredients -

  • 1 lt – Full Fat Milk
  • 8 Tbsp – Sugar
  • 2 1/2 Tbsp – Cornflour
  • 200 gms – Fresh Cream
  • 4 tsp – Crushed Peppermint (Polo/ Minto)
  • 8 Tbsp – Finely Chopped Tender Coconut (the coconut flesh should neither be too firm nor too soft)
  • 1/2 tsp – Vanilla Essence

Method -

  1. Drink a coconut. Ask the vendor to remove & give you ‘malai’ or tender flesh of coconut. Bring it home, chop it into fine pieces. :) I loved writing this step.
  2. Dissolve cornflour in 50 ml milk & set aside.
  3. Boil the remaining milk in a thick bottom pan. When it is boiled, add cornflour-milk slowly, stirring continuously. Now add sugar & mix till uniform.
  4. Simmer for another 4-5 mins, continue stirring.
  5. Remove from flame and allow to cool completely.
  6. When cool, add the cream, vanilla essence, peppermint & tender coconut. Mix. Transfer to a shallow container & freeze till slushy – about 7-8 hours.
  7. Divide the ice-cream in 2 batches & churn each batch separately in a blender till smooth. Transfer back to the shallow container.
  8. Freeze till set completely.

Serve chilled with wafers or in a waffle cone. The ice-cream was very good, with just a little hint of refreshing peppermint complimenting tender coconut beautifully. Also, it had perfect sweetness – just the way we like it. Though little ice-crystals were formed, the reason for which I have to do some R&D on, the ice-cream was still a hit. If any of you are aware why it happened & how to avoid in future please suggest.

Mint & Tender Coconut Ice-cream

Mint & Tender Coconut Ice-cream

Our friends had their 3rd Anniversary last week & we enjoyed this ice-cream with them to celebrate. Also she loves tender coconut so it became a perfect gift for them from us.

My next partner for Blog Hop is Radhika of Tickling Palates & I can’t wait to visit her blog & have fun. Catch other Blog-Hoppers here to see what they have been doing for their blog hops. If you wish to join contact Radhika of Tickling Palates. Happy Hopping!!

Eggless Cookie Crunch Mocha Custard – Blog Hop 2 – The Combination of Deadly C’s

17 Aug

Hope you all had great Independence Day Celebration & long weekend. I did! As I mentioned in Eggless Tutti-Fruity Cake, I went to visit my aunt in Mumbai. I baked the cake & cookies for them and carried with me. Also, since I knew that my next blog hop will be due as soon as I get back, I planned a dessert which I had chosen to make from Monika of Sinamon Tales during that visit. She is my blog-hop partner this Wednesday & I chose this wonderful dessert as it has the deadly ‘C’s – cookies, chocolate, coffee & custard. Monika started her blog just like me – with no job, sitting at home, she started experimenting in kitchen & they came out very good. She was encouraged by her family to go ahead and explore this talent more by becoming a food blogger. This custard is one of the first recipes she wrote.

Eggless Cookie Crunch Mocha Custard

Eggless Cookie Crunch Mocha Custard

I baked fresh Choco-chip & oats cookies & I was ready to make the dessert anywhere. :) I carried custard powder, cooking chocolate & coffee powder with me just in case they were out of stock in my aunt’s household. And I rustled this wonderful dessert for 3 men gathered in the family with only slight tweaking based on our tastes.

It is so enriching to go through food blogs especially of people who have been into IT for more than you. When Radhika of Tickling Palates gave us this opportunity to explore each other’s blog & share experiences, it felt just so right. If you want to be a blog hopper, visit her here to know more about it.

Eggless Cookie Crunch Mocha Custard -

Recipe Source – minimally adapted from Monika of Sinamon Tales

Ingredients -

  • 600 ml – Milk
  • 3 Tbsp – Custard Powder
  • 2 Tbsp – Sugar
  • 120 gms – Semi-sweet Cooking Chocolate (or 4 Tbsp cocoa powder instead)
  • 2 tsp – Coffee Powder
  • 6 – Choco-chip & Oats Cookies

    Eggless Cookie Crunch Mocha Custard

    Eggless Cookie Crunch Mocha Custard

Method -

  1. In 50 ml milk, dissolve custard powder in a small bowl. Boil the rest of the milk in a heavy bottom saucepan.
  2. In the meanwhile, melt chocolate in a microwave or double boiler. If you are using microwave, ensure not to burn the chocolate. Usually 30-40 secs is more than sufficient to melt a chocolate.
  3. Dissolve coffee in 1 Tbsp water in a small bowl & keep aside.
  4. When the milk starts boiling, add sugar and allow it to dissolve.
  5. Remove from flame and add custard powder paste. The paste should be added using thin thread dropping flow & your other hand should continuously stir it in the milk to avoid any lumps formation.
  6. Once the custard powder is uniformly mixed & there are no lumps, keep the pan back on a very low flame. Continue stirring. Allow it to boil once again for 2-3 mins.
  7. Then add melted chocolate & coffee paste & boil for another 3-4  mins all the while continuously stirring.
  8. Remove from flame & allow to cool.
  9. Once it reaches lukewarm temp, add the crumbled cookies on top. Ensure the custard is neither too hot or cold as the cookie will either become too soft or will not blend, respectively.
  10. Set in refrigerator for 4-5 hours. Serve chilled with a dollop of fresh cream.

    Eggless Cookie Crunch Mocha Custard

    Eggless Cookie Crunch Mocha Custard

The custard came out great & was gobbled up instantly. Who can resist the deadly Cs. :D This is one of the best custards I’ve eaten. It was just too perfect with a delectable crunchy taste. I drove Monika crazy with asking the same Qs again & again in 5 mails. The dumb me! But i finally got the recipe right :) Hats off to Monika for creating a sinful & excellent custard. I just loved it!

Some notes -

  • I felt that 500 ml milk was slightly lesser than required for 3 Tbsp custard powder. I added about 100 ml extra to get the desired consistency.
  • I increased the chocolate as that was the last bar with me & I wanted to finish it off. You can use lesser if required.
  • Also, the cookies in the recipe are 8-10, I felt 6 was more than enough for this quantity.
  • Once the custard reached the lukewarm temp, I used a hand blender to give it smooth mix as custards invariably becomes lumpy while cooling down.
  • If the custard feels more cool than required temp, before topping with cookies, just microwave for 30 secs or lesser and then add cookies. I did this as due to blending the temp reduced more than required.

Looking forward to my next blog hop with Prathima of Prat’s Corner in a fortnight. Check out what other bloggers are upto here.

Marinated & Grilled Cauliflower Roasted in Semolina – 1st Blog Hop

3 Aug

3rd Aug & First Blog Hop Wednesday!!! Blog Hop Wednesdays is a brainchild of Radhika of Tickling Palates and I am delighted to be a part of it. She came up with this wonderful group so that we take time for other blogs around us and give the recipes due notice & consideration. She divided all willing girls/ ladies into groups & then within groups partners were made. So for this Wednesday, I go through my partners blog – choose & re-create a recipe from her blog & post it on 3rd Aug & she does the same for my blog. Next week the partners are shuffled so that we get to explore as many blogs, recipes as possible . I think it is wonderful way of appreciating & acknowledging tremendous efforts gone into making each recipe/ photo/ post.

For the first Blog Hop my partner assigned is Archana of The Mad Scientist’s Kitchen. She resides in Goa and have some very interesting local delights posted on her blog. I was very confused while choosing recipes – there was so much I wanted to try! What I loved most about her blog was the simplicity with which she creates her recipes – no fancy ingredients, no hi-fi equipments. Just basics and you are done.

Keeping with the essence of her blog (as I perceived it) I chose a simple recipe with even simpler ingredients – Cauliflower Rava Fry. I also chose this recipe as both V & I love cauliflower & experimenting with it. It is also one of the veggies which tastes very good with crunchy flavors.

As Archana very nicely pointed out to me that we both are ‘confusing’ & ‘mad’ in our kitchens, I decided to create this recipe with my touch – I added curd & lemon juice to the marinade & grilled it instead of shallow frying it.

Marinated & Grilled Cauliflower

Marinated & Grilled Cauliflower

Marinated & Grilled Cauliflower Roasted in Semolina -

Recipe Source – adapted from Archana of The Mad Scientist’s Kitchen

Ingredients -

  • 1 – Cauliflower
  • 1/2 tsp – Red Chilli Powder
  • 1/4 tsp – Turmeric Powder
  • 1/2 tsp – Lemon Juice
  • 1 Tbsp – Curd
  • 1 Tbsp – Semolina
  • to taste – Salt
  • Oil for brushing

Method –

  1. Clean & break the cauliflower into florets of your size. Medium should be good as it will allow uniform grilling.
  2. In a bowl, mix together all spices, curd & lemon juice. Add florets & mix them using a spoon or hand so that they are evenly covered with marinade. Cover with a lid & allow to marinate for few hours. I left it overnight. If you are leaving it longer then keeping it in fridge would save it from going bad.
  3. When you are ready to grill, add semolina and mix well. Spread the cauliflower in a baking tray or rotisserie, spread evenly & pour the marinate on top.
  4. Brush with oil lightly & grill on high stand/rack for 20-25 mins until done. In between turn the florets around so that they can be grilled from all sides.
  5. Serve hot with chutney. We had it as snack with drinks.

For me it has become a keeper recipe. I loved the crunchy & healthy taste of cauliflower. It is perfect as a snack or a finger food for a child. Thank you Archana for allowing me to visit your space and giving me this wonderful recipe. Hop on to her blog for some more simply amazing recipes.

Sending this Grilled & Marinated Cauliflower to Fast Food not Fat Food guest hosted by Vardhini of Zesty Palette. This event was originally started by Priya of Now Serving, in today’s fast life, health takes a back seat. It is upto us to consciously make all efforts to eat & serve healthy. Marinated & grilled cauliflower is health personified – negligible use of oil, crunchy cauliflower & spices combined with almost no efforts or prep make it fast but not fat food.

My next partner for Blog Hop is Monika of Sinamon Tales & I can’t wait to visit her blog & have fun. Catch other Blog-Hoppers here to see what they have been doing for their blog hops. If you wish to join contact Radhika of Tickling Palates. Happy Hopping!!

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