Moong Dal mini Samosa

Last year same time I had prepared around 6-7 sweets and savouries for our Diwali here in Germany. Best part which I loved was 5 days before I had started with my preparations and on the day of Diwali I distributed among so many families and many many bachelors here those sweets, that gave me an inner feeling of satisfaction and happiness having give everyone a plate full of these. But at that time I din't have this blog. Hence din't bother to click photos. Hope this time I'll click all those which I missed and update here with pictures all the recipes. Today I share a new recipe which I learnt from Nishamadhulika that is moong dal mini samosa. I have altered the basic recipe a bit with minor addition of cashewnuts and dry grapes in the filling. They are so delicious that you can't just stop munching one.  Almost similar to Haldirams mini Samosa. Or I would say much more as it is homemade. Here goes the recipe without much delay.

Cabbage Kofta in Creamy Gravy my 200th post

Have many recipes pending in my drafts, but this one lovely curry which I prepared yesterday was so so delicious that I couln't just stop myself from posting right away. I just wanted to share this recipe you would love to try and surprise your guests. I was wondering at around 7pm in the evening yesterday as what to prepare, first my plan was to prepare palak gravy and chapathis but how forgetful I could be. I had no spinach in my refrigerator. I do agree forgetfulness is a part of aging! but is not this too early for me? I had finished almost entire spinach 3-4 days back and I was believing that it is still left. Then all of a sudden I had to change my mind and prepare something else. I had an opened whipping cream pack. Had solid plans to finish that. Had a small cabbage piece with me. Something out of cabbage but with a gravy was my wish. So thought of preparing Cabbage Kofta in Creamy Gravy . I was so happy for having successfully executed my plan. Here I share happily today my 200th post. When it comes to 100th, or 200th or so on, the post is highlighted, indicating a milestone being reached. Well when I look back, I feel it had been a splendid journey till date as a blogger and hoping to continue the same way. And very happy that this is a kind of e-book for me. I often check the measurements and also few recipes which I myself have blogged to prepare it again or so. Best part is that may be it would be of great use for my kid when she grows up. By then I wish I should have blogged some 1000 recipes atleast.
Well let me move on to the recipe now.

Hot Chocolate Fudge

Today as per the challenge in Sweet Fantasy Club we have to reveal Hot Chocolate Fudge. I am not a chocolate lover neither is Mr. S. I'm glad because I never have to try anything with chocolate. My regular readers would have guessed that by now as till date there were no posts with chocolates as an ingredient. But as it was a part of the challenge given I had to attempt. As I'm a great fan of icecream, just pampered myself on a lazy afternoon four days back and attempted this delicious hot chocolate fudge. Very simple dessert which will be ready in no time. I am not a chocolate lover hence the less amount of hot chocolate is seen, but couldn't resist adding whipping cream. I used readily available vanilla icecream for this dessert. I'm yet to try a home made version of vanilla icecream. With all the ingredients readily available I could prepare this in no time. Here goes the recipe.

Kesar Rajbhog

Rajbhog is a delectable dessert from North India.You might have observed recently a badge in my space stating member of Sweet Fantasy Club. Yes you guessed it right, I love sweets and hence immedietely expressed my willingnesss to join this group when Preeti Garg asked me. The challenge here is in the beginning of the month two desserts, one Indian and another international will be revealed. We are having solid 20 days to prepare them and put them up here on two days, i.e 21st and 22nd of every month for that corresponding month's challenge. Interesting isn't it? Yes,I was so happy when the challenge for this month was revealed. I'm a big sweet lover and hence joined. This month we got Kesar Rajbhog in Indian Dessert and Hot Chocolate Fudge in international dessert. I have tried Rajbhog and I'm here with many cautions and tips as I have faced few problems when I prepared it the first time. I actually followed same recipe of rasgulla to prepare this and hence used a pressure cooker. But as rajbhog involves stuffing inside we never know when it gets cooked if in pressure cooker. Hence the 1st time I prepared it was a big flop with all the rajbhogs fully broken. I had prepared 10 and in that 10, one was without stuffing. That one rasgulla was fabulous which indicated that my Rasgulla recipe is a keeper one. the pressure cooker recipe of rasgulla never fails if followed correctly. But for rajbhog never ever try cooking in pressure cooker. Secondly a thin boiling and bubbling sugar syrup will help the rajbhog cook well. If thick it will turn hard and also the syrup will not reach deep inside.Well stories apart here I share the recipe the way I prepared. I will tell few tips in the notes section. So read till the end.

Moong Dal Khichdi with Cabbage/Moong dal Porridge with Cabbage

My little girl now has sound knowledge with regard to taste I believe. I can see her eyeing on the transparent glass cup of tea that I serve in the morning or evening to myself and Mr. S. She then just makes her face when I serve her a glass of milk with Almond powder or a teaspoon full of Junior Horlicks. She will ask for a sip of tea and if I tell no, she deliberately goes and gets a piece of bread and asks me, ''Amma, dip this in tea and give me''. Don't you think we need to prepare daily something delicious and different so as to make her like what she eats. Yes hence my plight to prepare daily something different for her ended me up with this nutritious khichdi. I added a small amount of garlic, ginger just to enhance the taste and make her drool as she eats. To my surprise it turned out so well that not only she even I liked it to the core. Here I share the simple recipe for your growing toddlers.

Recipe adapted from Tarla Dalal's recipes for toddlers

Ingredients:
Rice-2 tbsp
Moong dal (split skinned green gram)-2 tbsp
Chopped cabbage- 1/4 cup
Capsicum-1/4 chopped
Shallots-1 chopped
Cumin seeds -1/4 tsp
Asafoetida (hing)- a pinch
Grated ginger-1/4 tsp
Garlic-1 chopped fine

Turmeric powder - a pinch

Ghee-1/2 tsp 

Water-1 3/4 cups

 Salt to taste

Cilantro/Coriander leaves to garnish

 

Recipe:

1. Clean both moong dal and rice under running water.
2. Soak them with enough water for 20-30 minutes.
3. In a pressure cooker add ghee.
4. When hot add cumin seeds.
5. Add hing/asafoetida after cumin seeds splatter.
6. Add chopped garlic at this stage.
7. Now once garlic is well sauteed, add in shallots.
8. Add grated ginger too.
9. Saute everything well.
10. Now pop in capsicum, cabbage and saute.
11. Add turmeric powder and give a mix.
12. Now add the drained mixture of soaked rice and moong dal.
13. Saute well and add water, salt to taste and pressure cook for 4-5 whistles.Once pressure releases, transfer it into a serving plate and granish with cilantro.

 

 

 

Notes:

1. If the khichdi or porridge looks dry add little say 1/4 cup boiled water and again simmer for 4-5 minutes.
2. Serving suggestion: Can serve as it is, or with a dollop of curd.

 Enjoy the dish! n don't forget Eat and Eat little MORE.. :)

Ghee Rice and Plain Kurma

I was thinking yesterday night as what to prepare. Daily night I will be in a dilemma as what to prepare for the dinner. Morning and lunch will be in a hurry, but for dinner preparation I get enough time to think and hence I end up with so many options that I prefer asking Mr.S as what shall I put up in the platter for the day's supper. Yesterday's choice was this Ghee Rice and Plain Kurma. Ghee Rice is a fragrant special rice among the exotic rice varieties. It is very common in South Indian auspicious occasions for Lunch. I got the recipe of basic Kurma from Anusha Bare Krishna, but I tweaked in the recipe a little and brought in some changes. It was an awesome dinner must say. Ghee Rice is prepared in many ways. I have my own variation to prepare Ghee Rice. Here I share both the Ghee Rice and Plain Kurma Recipe.

Aloo Matar Paneer Restaurant style

The world of Blogging is so beautiful, I never knew. It gives immense pleasure to me. I enjoy cooking a lot. I really pat my back myself when I hear that a particular dish is nice from Mr. S or any one who tastes it for that matter. I had recently joined a group of bloggers SYS-W Show Your Styles to the World. I was not aware when the group started but recently Viji who announced about this event and was very happy to know the rules and regulations of the event. I just intimated her that I wanted to join and she readily included me to the group. I was little late to join hence missed the thrilling part of the event, that was choosing a pair of numbers of hidden ingredients and later knowing the ingredients. As I was late, got assigned a pair of numbers and to my surprise both the hidden ingredients were loved by me. They were Potatoes and Green Peas. As I learnt the ingredients, the very first thing that struck my brains were Aloo Matar Paneer. It is an exotic flavorful curry that involves potatoes, tender green peas and Indian cottage cheese in a mild cashew nut gravy. Here I share the exotic restaurant style Aloo Matar Paneer. 

 



Butternut Squash Soup

Never in India I knew there existed a veggie called butternut squash. Here, whenever I visit supermarket I used to see this veggie which almost looked as though it belongs to pumpkin family. I got this home and tried varieties which I used to prepare with pumpkin. All were simply splendid. I recently tried a soup out of it. Marvellous must say. It tasted heavenly and was easy to prepare too. Unlike other soups I din't even need corn flour to thicken as by itself it thickens, the very nature of pumpkin genus called Cucurbita. Here goes the simple recipe.

Ingredients:
Butternut squash-1/2 peeled and diced
Coriander leaves/cilantro-2 sprigs chopped
Black pepper corns-15
Garlic-2-3 pods
Bay leaves-1
Oil-1 tsp
Whipping Cream to garnish
Water-3 cups
Black pepper powder-1/2 tsp.
Salt to taste

Recipe:

1. Add chopped pieces of the squash into a pan and add enough water say 1 1/2 cup and cook the pieces well.
2. Once cooked, allow them cool and then grind them well to a smooth puree.
3. In another pan add oil and when hot add black pepper corns, bay leaves and chopped garlic and saute.
4. Once they are sauteed well, add the pureed squash to it. Add cilantro and cook for a while.
5. Once cooked, cool, remove the bay leaves off and grind again followed by filtering.
6. Once filtered, add remaining water, again boil it adding salt to taste, black pepper powder adjusting the spicyness.
7. Garnish with whipping cream and enjoy it piping hot with bread pieces or as it is.

 

 

 

 

 

 Enjoy the dish! n don't forget Eat and Eat little MORE.. :)

 

Sending this to Guru's Cooking

 

Orange Kesari/Orange Flavored Sheera

I had an orange in hand and was not willing to have it as such. Was over Google to get some ideas. Finally refrained myself from baking as I had one single orange and then thought of preparing a dessert out of it. Recently had got a recipe for Orange Kesari from Vinutha Rao, friend of mine. I was very much eager to try out this dessert. It was simply splendid. I hence decided to share it here. Just the normal sheera is prepared but with added orange juice. It gives a mild tangy orange flavor to the normal sheera. I must say it is a must try dessert which is so simple to prepare. Here goes the recipe.

Broken Wheat Vegetable Khichdi / Bulgar Wheat and Vegetable Porridge

Off late came in touch with a website associated to Sambhrama.celebrateinnocence. It provides holistic education to children providing very good initial childhood development by encouraging the leadership spirit as well as enhancing the potential of kids. It is an organization providing value added education to children without any stress. It has a play group, Nursery, LKG, UKG. I being a mommy of a toddler do very well understand the importance of such organizations which help children learn a lot form each other and also get accustomed to social life. With such organizations children learn more than making kids stay at home. I very much appreciate the work this institution does. Have seen lot of pictures being shared in Facebook that reveal the zest and spirit of the small kids. They are the future and need to be nurtured well. I found it really interesting. Do visit Sambhrama for more information about them.
I was excited on receiving a guest post request from Sambhrama. I must first of all convey my sincere thanks for their choice. I'm really honored. Thanks to Sambhrama team. I shared Broken Wheat Vegetable Khichdi / Bulgar Wheat and Vegetable porridge recipe meant for toddlers. Do visit Sambhrama.celebrateinnocence for the recipe.

Avial/Avilu

Avial/Avilu is a famous side dish of South India. I used to love this whenever my mother used to prepare. Almost all our functions used to have this as one side dish. Even for Onam this is a famous side dish without which an Onam Sadya is incomplete. As I couldn't get good raw bananas as well as yam, I didn't prepare avail for my Onam Sadya here. Now that I managed getting good varieties of veggies I decided to prepare this side dish at home. Without much blabbering let me take you to the recipe. Here goes the recipe.