Avalakki Chivada....Dipawali Special snack...

These chivada are my all time favourite.. I tasted these from many people but I always loved to have special chivada prepared by my mom.I tried them in my home more than thrice but never got time to pen down and take picture... So today as Dipawali special I prepared them,try out recipe and let me know how it come out. Enjoy Safe Dipavali with kurkure avalakki chivada...

Prep Time: 20 min

Cook Time: 15 min

Serves for: 4 persons

Ingredients:

2 cup – Avalakki (medium thin poha)

4 tbsp – Ground nuts

4 tbsp – Fried gram

1 tbsp – Coconut pieces

3 tbsp – Oil

1 tbsp – Sesame seeds

1 tsp – Coriander seeds

4-5 – Green Chilly

1 tsp – Termeric Powder

1 tsp – Chilly Powder

Salt - to taste

Fresh Curry leaves

Fresh Coriander leaves

Direction for Preparation:

1. Heat Avalakki in Microwave for about 5 min or until they are crisp, stirring in between to avoid burning. (Get medium thin poha, you can get it from megastores. For crispyness of avalakki my mom used to dry them in sunlight, as modern technology utilization I used microwave for this process…J)

2. Slit the green chillies length wise and keep aside. (Adjust these according to taste)

3. In Kadai, put oil and add ground nuts first and stir continuously.

4. When Ground nuts are started to brown in colour, add fried gram , green chilly, Coconut pieces,coriander seeds,curry leaves.Let them splitter.

5. Add turmeric powder,salt and red chilly powder according to taste.

6. Now add coriander seeds,sesame seeds and stir well.

7. Switch off the gas and let it cool the mixture completely (to maintain crispiness of avalakki)

8. After cooling completely add fresh and finely chopped coriander.

9. Add crispy avalakki and stir well. Store in air tight container, can store more than 15 days.

10. Serve them with cup of coffee to you Diwali guests.

Chocolate Trifle...

My week has ended with satisfaction of completing my work on time, enjoying my Friday evening with cup of coffee. As weekend special I am not in mood to prepare any fully fledged dinner like roti, dal, rice tired of eating it…Today I wanted to have something different, while surfing through internet I came across an idea of preparing simple desert… THIS IS THE RESULT OF MY WEEKEND SPECIAL DESSERT…CHOCOLATE TRIFLE…

Ingredients
2 piece – Chocolate cake

3-4 tbsp – Fresh Cream

1 tbsp – Choco Chips

2  -  Choice of butter biscuit(I used Britania Goodday biscuit)

1 tbsp – Chocolate sauce

Direction for Preparation:

1.Take glass(I used wine glass) to arrange triffle.

2. Apply Chocolate sauce to the walls of glass. 

3. Roughly crush the biscuits, and crumble the chocolate cake keep aside.
4. First start with filling 1/4 of glass with crushed biscuits.
5. Next fill the glass with crumbled cake followed by a tbsp of fresh cream.
6. Follow this arrangement of biscuits,cake and cream until you reach end or 3/4 of glass.
7. Finally garnish with some extra cream,choco chips and chocolate sauce.
8. Chill it in freezer to maintain consistency of cream.
9. You can even use ice cream  as one more layer, arrangements and garnishing are left to your own imagination.

Dahi Puri

As every Indian girl I too like chats. After spending and tasting chats more than year in Pune… I couldn't like to have chats here in Bangalore (at some places we will get really very tasty chats like Laddos in Indiranagar). So I learnt preparing these chats in home whenever I get time and company to me to have…J Today I tried Dahi puri….turned out very spicy and tangy..Waiting for another day to have them again..:) 

Prep Time: 30 min

Cook Time: 0 min

Serves for: 2 - 3 persons

Ingredients

Puri (1 packet which contains 20 pieces)

1 cup Curd

1 cup - Sev

1 cup -Boiled and smashed potatoes

½ cup - Green Chutney 

½ cup - Dates Chutney

1 medium - Onion chopped

4 tbsp - Coriander chopped finely

1 tbsp - Chat masala powder

1 tbsp - Red Chilli powder

Salt - as required

How to plate Dahi Puri:

Direction for Preparation:

1. Take required count of puris in plate and for each puri crack in the middle.

2. Mix Curd and Smashed potatoes with required amount of salt.

3. Add mashed potatoes inside each puri(about 1tsp)

4. Add Onion, according to your taste.

5. Add green chutney and Date (sweet) chutney

6. Add Curd

7. Sprinkle red chilli powder, Chat masala powder and bit salt if required, according to your taste.

8. Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves. Serve immediately otherwise puri become soft due to wet ingredients.

Channa Sundal - Ganesh Chaturthi special

Prep Time: 20 min

Cook Time: 10 min

Serves for: 2 persons

Ingredients
1 cup - Channa 

2 tbsp - Coconut

1 tsp - Mustard seeds

1/4 tsp - Urad dhal

2 - Chilly

Fresh Coriander

Curry leaves

Salt to taste

Hing a pinch

Direction for Preparation:

1. Soak channa overnight at least for 8 hours. 

2. Pressure cook until soft for at least 5 to 6 whistles and set aside.

3. Heat oil in a pan - add Mustard seeds, Urad dhal, chilly, Curry leaves, Hing and allow it to splutter.

4. Now add salt mix well.

5. Then add the cooked channa and mix well.

6. Add coconut, fresh and finely chopped coriander, stir well quickly and switch off.

7. You can have this as evening chat or as side dish.

Soft -Crunchy Ragi Cookies

Prep Time: 20 min

Cook Time: 40 min

Serves for: 2-3 persons (12-14 cookies)

Ingredients: 

1 cup - Ragi flour

1 tbsp - cornflour powder

1 tbsp - All purpose flour (maida)

1 tbsp - cocoa powder

1/2 cup - sugar

1/2 cup – butter

1 tsp – cardamom powder

1 tsp - baking powder

1 tsp - curd

Chocolate chips 

Direction for Preparation:

1. Dry fry the Ragi flour for a few minutes in kadai, untill the raw smell disappear.

2. Take a large vessel and add Ragi flour, cornflour, all purpose flour, baking powder and cardamom powder into it. Mix all the dry ingredients.

3. Heat butter bit say about 30 – 60 seconds or until it starts melting.

4. Take another vessel and add melted butter, sugar and the curd into it. Mix the wet ingredients till the sugar melts.

5. To the above wet mixture add the dry flour mix slowly (1 tbsp at a time).

6. Once done just mix the mixture with hand to avoid if any lumps are left out.

7. Grease the baking tray with butter.

8. Heat oven to 190°C for 10 minutes.

9. Make small balls from the dough in hand by applying butter to your hand

10. Arrange them on the baking tray. Do not flatten the balls too much.

11. Add the chocolate chips on each cookie.

12. Bake the cookies at 190 °C for 12-15 minutes or till done.

13. Remove from oven, let it cool down for about 10 min. Ragi cookies are very soft so handle them with care. They taste wonderful with a cup of hot Coffee.

Creamy-GreenPeas Soup

Prep Time: 20 min

Cook Time: 20 min

Serves for: 2 persons

Ingredients
1 cup - fresh or frozen green peas

2 cup - water
1 small - onion, chopped

1 – Green chilly
2 tsp - cornflour
1 tsp – butter

1tsp - Fresh Cream
salt to taste

Black pepper powder to taste (Optional)

Coriander

Direction for Preparation:

1. Boil Green peas using 2 cups of water.

2. Saute onion and green chilly in butter.

3. Drain extra water and keep aside, cool down peas and sauted onions for about 10 min.

4. Blend green peas, onion, salt and green chilly using required amount of water.

5. Add the peas, drained hot water and simmer till the peas are tender.

6. Add the cornflour mixed in 2 tablespoons of water and stir well.

7. Boil the mixture until it becomes thick soup.

8. Garnish with coriander and fresh cream, Serve hot.

Choco-Chips Muffins

Trying another version of muffin with choco chips.

Prep Time: 20 min

Cook Time: 10 min

Serves for: 2-3 persons

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter (at room temp)

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 cup plain yogurt

1/2 cup Milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups all purpose flour (maida)

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup Choco Chips

1 tsp Chocolate Syrup to decorate

Direction for Preparation: 

1. In a bowl, mix butter and sugar together.

2. Add the vegetable oil and beat it along with the butter mixture.

3. Add yogurt, milk and vanilla and mix well.

4. Combine the flour, soda, baking powder and salt together in another bowl

5. Add it slowly into the creamed butter mixture until moistened.

6.  Add choco chips and mix it gently.

7. Line a muffin pan with paper-lined cups and fill it 2/3rd full with the batter.

8. Sprinkle some of  Choco Chips over the batter.

9. Preheat microwave for 200C about 5 min.

10. Bake them at 200C for 7-8 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

11. Cool it for few minutes before removing them from the pan.

12. Decorate it with Chocolate syrup.

Corn Cheese Sandwich with Pudina Chutney

Again its cheese...whenever I come across anything which can be done using the cheese, my hunger for food almost doubles..:) Today I prepared sandwich using my favorite sweet corn and cheese on tava. I am not having sandwich maker so managed on nonstick tava.. as I can't wait till I get my new sandwich maker..:) used some extra cheese for my sandwich by stealing it from my hubby's share...;)CHEESE...CHEESE...

Prep Time: 20 min

Cook Time: 30 min

Serves for: 2 persons

Ingredients: 
1 cup - American sweet corn
6 slices - Sweet bread

4 tbsp - Grated cheese

1 tsp - Green Chilly paste (adjust according to taste)

2 tbsp - Tomato sauce
2 tbsp - Green Pudina chutney

2 tsp - Ghee

Salt to taste 

Direction for Preparation: 
1.Heat tava , apply ghee to both sides of bread and roast them until they become bit crispy.Now remove from tava and keep aside.

2.Grind sweet corn coarsely with chilly and salt.(Use fresh corn without boiling them, the taste is great compared to boiled corn)

3.Take roasted bread, apply tomato sauce and pudina chutney side by side (applying of this chutney is left to your imagination, I applied here diagonally half tomato sauce and half pudina chutney)

4.On the top of the sauce and chutney, apply corn mixture and grated cheese.

5.Close the sandwich mixture by another roasted bread.

6. Again roast these on tava in low heat by pressing them using spatula, this is to avoid falling down of corn mixture and as cheese is melting to make it to bind with bread. (you can even use grilled sandwich maker)

8. Serve hot with sauce and some left out corn mixture.

Tutti Frutti - Muffins

Again got long break from work ( 5 days ), not made any plans to go out of home. As I got new mini muffins tray from my brother, I tried these eggless tutti fruity muffins. It took almost 40 min to prepare but finished all muffins in 15 min...:) Beautiful.

Prep Time: 20 min

Cook Time: 10 min

Serves for: 2-3 persons

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter (at room temp)

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 cup plain yogurt

1/2 cup Milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups all purpose flour (maida)

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup Tutti Frutti

Direction for Preparation: 

1. In a bowl, mix butter and sugar together.

2. Add the vegetable oil and beat it along with the butter mixture.

3. Add yogurt, milk and vanilla and mix well.

4. Combine the flour, soda, baking powder and salt together in another bowl

5. Add it slowly into the creamed butter mixture until moistened.

6.  Add Tutti Frutti gently.

7. Line a muffin pan with paper-lined cups and fill it 2/3rd full with the batter.

8. Sprinkle some of Tutti Frutti over the batter.

9. Preheat microwave for 200C about 5 min.

10. Bake them at 200C for 6-7 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

11. Cool it for few minutes before removing them from the pan.

Chocolate - Cherry Cake

Chocolate cake with cherries awesome combination. This summer my home is filled with two little angels (my brother-in-law’s daughter, Disha and Isha, 8 and 5 yrs old resp), as they wanted to learn making of chocolate cake... I prepared this recipe…OOPS my angels baked this cake with my directions...They are so happy  that almost whole day spent in eating the cake and calling everybody in phone and telling how they prepared and all(even thought they are not so well understood about baking time ,measurements but its ignored in front of their excitement)…J

Prep Time: 20 min

Cook Time: 10 min

Serves for: 2-3 persons

Ingredients:

All purpose flour - 1 and 1/2 cups (225 gms)

Cocoa powder - 3 tbsp

Baking soda – 1/4 tsp

Baking powder - 1/2 tsp

Salt taste

Powder Sugar - 3/4 cup [Adjust according to your taste]

Chopped Cherries - 2 tbsp

Water – 1/2 cup

Curd – 1/2 cup

Vanilla essence - 1/2 tsp

Lemon juice - 1 tbsp

Oil - 1/4 cup (60 ml)

Direction for Preparation:

1 Take water in a bowl, add curd, vanilla essence, lemon juice and oil. Mix well and Keep aside.

2. Now take flour, Powder Sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and coco powder and sieve together.

3. Then slowly add the sieved flour mixture to the wet ingredients mixture.

4. Gently mix in one direction until no lumps are formed, (mixing in one direction will reduce the hair crack on your cake after baking).

5. Now add chopped cherries (you can use chocochips, raisins instead of cherry) and gently mix it.

6. Preheat oven to 200 deg C for 10mins. By the time grease the cake pan with few drops of oil and pour the batter into the cake pan.

7. Bake for about 7-9 min (I am using Onida Conventional microwave and my cake takes almost 7 min at 200 C). Or until toothpick inserted come out clean.

Khaman-Dhokla ( Gujarati Recipe)

Finally I learnt making of these wonderful gujarati snack dhokla...:)

Prep Time: 15 min

Cook Time: 10 min

Serves for: 2-3 persons

Ingredients:

1 cup bengal gram flour (besan)
1 1/2 tbsp semolina (rava)
3 tsp sugar
1 tsp ginger-green chilli paste
1 tsp lemon juice
salt to taste
2 tsp fruit salt
3 1/2 tsp oil for greasing and cooking
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp sesame seeds (til)
1 tsp chopped green chilies
a pinch of asafoetida (hing)
2 to 3 curry leaves (kadi patta)

2 tbsp chopped coriander (dhania)

Direction for Preparation:

1 Combine the besan, semolina, sugar, ginger-green chilli paste, lemon juice and salt along with little water (approximately ¾ cup) in a bowl and mix well with the help of your hand to get a smooth and thick batter.

2. Add 2 tsp of fruit salt and pour little water to the fruit salt, it starts spreading out with your batter( this is to make easy to combine fruit salt with batter)now mix gently.

3. Pour the batter immediately into a greased with oil (125 mm. (5") diameter )thali and spread evenly by rotating the thali clockwise..

4. Steam in a steamer for 7 to 10 minutes or till the dhoklas are cooked. Keep aside.

5. Heat 3 tsp of oil in a small pan and add the mustard seeds

6. When the seeds crackle, add the sesame seeds. Green chillies, asafoetida and curry leaves, mix well and sauté on a medium flame for a few seconds.

7. Remove from the flame and add 1½ tbsp of water and mix well.

8. Pour this tempering over the dhoklas.

9. Cool slightly and cut into equal sized pieces.

10. Serve hot garnished with coriander and green chillies.

11. Serving Tip: Cut single piece of dhokla in middle and add pudina chutney and serve like sandwich it tastes good.

Cheesy Garlic Bread

We both are found off Cheese, so the called “GARLIC BREAD WITH CHEESE”. Whenever we get chance love to have them, never thought the preparation is so simple! I surfed for this recipe and finally found it…:D, and prepared it on the same day its really easy and delicious…J Have it hot with more cheese if you are not bother about fat…J Enjoy Eating…!!

Prep Time: 10 min

Cook Time: 20 min

Serves for: 2 persons

Ingredients:

4 Dinner Rolls

4-5 Cloves Garlic, minced

200 grams Butter

2tbsp Cheese, grated

1 tsp Dried mixed herbs

½ tsp Sesame seeds (til)

½ tsp Black peppercorns, coarsely

Salt for taste

Aluminium foil

Direction for Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 175°C.

2. Cut the dinner rolls in the middle (as I am not getting here loaf/baguette so I used Dinner rolls for making this), not slicing the dinner roll completely.

3. In bowl melt butter and add minced garlic to the butter.

4. Once butter is melt add salt, dried herbs mix and Black pepper, check for taste.

5. Add this butter and garlic mixture on the gaps of bread roll, spread remaining butter over the bread roll. 4. Sprinkle with grated cheese and some sesame seeds on the bread roll.

5. Wrap the bread in a aluminum foil and seal the ends.

6. Then in the oven and bake for 7-10 minutes.

7. Remove from the oven carefully and serve unwrapped with accompaniments like Cheese dip or orange dip...

8. Garlic bread with soup is best option for dinner..:)

Corn - Spinach Vegetable Kabab

In Bangalore our favorite family restaurant is “Holiday Village” which is in Kanakapur road since there you can enjoy Karaoke singing, dedication of songs to special one, good service and good food in reasonable price. Whenever our family units we plan for this place after 9 o’clock in the evening. Our dinner starts with vegetable kabab and platters as starter, whenever we go there always I thought I should try these kababs in home... J  So today finely my thought is going to execute and hoping to get good comments from my husband…J Kababs come out very nice and served hot one with sauce… in time of 20 min we both finished all of them.

They are tasty… J

Prep Time: 30 min

Cook Time: 20 min

Serves for: 2 persons

Ingredients:

Corn – 1 cup

Spinach – 1 cup

Potato – 3 (which makes smashed 2 cup full)

Corn Floor – 1tbsp

Rice Floor – 1 tbsp

Baking soda - 1/2 tsp

Garam Masala – 1tbsp

Chilly Powder – 1tsp

Green Chilly paste – 1tsp

Coriander powder – 1tsp

Fresh Coriander leaves – 2tbsp
Bread crumbs - 4tbsp

Salt

Oil

Direction for Preparation:

1. Wash all vegetables, Pressure cook all vegetables separately.

2. Pressure cooks Potato with pinch of salt for 4-5 whistles.

3. Pressure cooks Corn and chopped Spinach for 3 and 2 whistles separately.

4. In bowl smash boiled potato, to this add boiled corn and spinach mix well.

5. To the mixed vegetable ingredients add all dry powders like corn floor, rice floor, Chilly, garam masala, coriander powder, baking soda.

6. Now add green Chilly paste and salt adjust according to your taste.

7. Adjust the corn and rice floor according to consistency of your mixture (to make kababs)

7. Add finely chopped fresh coriander leaves and mix well.

8. Apply some oil drops to your palm and make vegetable kabab of desired shape (I made cylinder shape)
9. Roll out these kababs in bread crumbs and keep aside.

10. In Tava add 2tbsp of oil, when it is hot shallow fry these kababs by putting some more oil on top. When they are fried one side just turn for other side for boiling and put some more oil (you can even deep fry them, as all the vegetables are already cooked I made them with shallow fry, taste wise fried one become more crispy but these are also not so soft )

11. Serve hot vegetable kabab with spicy tomato ketchup which are crispy outside and soft inside.

Baby Corn - Manchurian

Today I took off from office, to relax and bring back my lost energy by preparing some delicious food.So started my day with morning breakfast Vegetable POHA, followed by very lite lunch Maggie since I was alone in home...;) and now its evening time to show my cookery skill and get tap on shoulder by my husband once he is back from office..;) I thought and surfed of many recipes which are not tried by me till now..:) Came across this fantastic spicy Baby Corn Manchurian immediately I checked for availability of ingredients in my home.. thank god all of them I am having. Now its time to try this spicy recipe and pen down recipe in my blog..

Prep Time: 20 min

Cook Time: 20 min

Serves for: 2 persons

Ingredients:

For the batter :

Baby Corn - 10 cut into small pieces

Cornflour - 4 tbsp

Maida - 1 tbsp

Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tsp

Red chily powder- 1 tsp

Salt - to taste

Oil - to toast 

For the manchurian:

Oil - 1 tbsp

Capsicum - 1 medium size cut into ½ inch squares

Big Onion- 1

Soya sauce - 2 tsp

Tomato sauce - 3 tbsp

Salt - to taste

Spring onions - 2 tbsp

Coriander - 2tsp

Corn Flour water mixture - Mix 1 tbsp of cornflour with water

Direction For Preparation:

1. Finely chop onions, capsicum, spring onion and coriander.

2. Boil baby corn with water and salt. Drain water and keep aside.

3. In a mixing bowl mix cornfloor, maida, ginger and garlic paste, red chili powder and salt with babycorn

4. Add little water to form a thick paste and marinate for 15mins.

5. Toast the baby corn with oil in dosa tawa until crispy/roasted well (You can deep fry too if you are ready to consume more calories, in both cases taste will remain same).

6. In another hot pan add oil and spring onions saute for a minute.

7. Then add onion saute until slightly browned then add capsicum and saute for 2mins. (Let the onions and capsicum retains its crispiness and do not let them turn brown)

8. Add soya sauce and mix well in high flame.

9. Now reduce flame and add tomato sauce, cornflour mixture and required salt and bring the sauce to boil.

10. Add the toasted baby corn and mix well. Garnish with spring onions, Coriander and serve hot.