Instant Onion Vada

Onion Vada is a simple snack with onions and takes very little time to prepare.

Ingredients:

Onions – 2 small

Green chillies – 3 no

Rice powder – ½ cup

Corn Flour powder – 2 tsp

Ginger – ½  slice

Jeera – 1 tsp

Coriander leaves chopped– ¼ cup

Curry leaves – 4 no

Baking soda - pinch

Salt as required

Oil for deep frying

Water

Preparation

• Grind green chillies and ginger in a food processor and keep it aside.
• Mix  chopped onion, chopped coriander leaves, curry leaves, jeera, rice powder, corn flour powder, baking soda, salt and above grinded paste in a vessel. And make soft dough by adding little water to it.
• Divide the dough into portions. Make small balls and flatten into small round vadas.
• Heat oil in a pan and deep fry vadas on low flame till little golden brown and remove them on paper towels.
• Onion Vada are ready to eat.

Sending it to Any One Can Cook 

Strawberry Cupcakes

Today I tried baking cupcakes by using fresh delicious strawberries. Also made frosting using fresh strawberry puree. The cupcakes turned out lusciously and the frosting was pleasantly fruity. I used fresh strawberries and colorful sugar crystals for garnishing. This is the recipe for Pretty Pink Strawberry Cupcakes

Ingredients:

For 6 Cupcakes

Fresh Strawberry – 2 nos

All purpose flour – ½ cup

Baking powder – ½ tsp

Whole milk – 2 tsp

Vanilla extract – ½ tsp

Unsalted butter – ½ stick, room temperature

Egg – 1

Sugar – ½ cup

For frosting

Strawberry – 3-4 nos

Unsalted butter – ½ stick, room temperature

Vanilla extract – ½ tsp

Powdered sugar – 1 cup

 Preparation:

• Puree the strawberries in a food processor.
• In a small bowl, mix strawberry puree (4 tsps), milk, vanilla extract and keep it aside.
• In a medium bowl, take unsalted butter, sugar and beat for few minutes until light and fluffy.
• Add the egg and mix well.
• Slowly add the flour ,salt (a pinch) and  mix well.
• Now add the above strawberry milk mixture and mix well
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Put paper liners in 6 cupcake tins and fill them to ¾ with batter.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
• Transfer cupcakes and let them cool before icing.

For frosting 

• Puree the strawberries
• In a bowl beat butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy.
• Add vanilla, ½ cup strawberries puree and mix well.
• Frosting should be dense and creamy.
• Use your creativity to decorate the cupcake using frosting bags.

Note : Put the frosting after the cupcake gets cooled, if not frosting melts.

Sending to Cooking with fruits hosted by Smita, Veggie fruit a month hosted by pari & originally started by Priya  , Best Western Desserts hosted by priya and Kid's Delight hosted by Champa.

Kheema ( Grounded Goat) Balls Biryani

Kheema is grounded meat, usually used to make curry. Today I made Kheema biryani for the first time and it came out very well.

Biryani is a great traditional hyderbadi dish that can go as a menu for either lunch or dinner.  Kheema balls are prepared with a mix of grounded meat (I used goat meat), onions, mint, coriander leaves and spices and fried in oil. The flavor of these kheema balls in biryani makes it unique and tastes so good.

Ingredients:

For Kheema Balls

Grounded goat – 1/2lb

Egg – 1 no

Onion – 1 small

Green chillies – 2 no

Corn flour – 2 tsps

Jeera powder – 1 tsp

Ginger garlic paste – 1 tsp

Coriander powder – 1 tsp

Gram masala powder – 2 cardamom, 3 cloves, 2 small slice cinnamons grind them all

Coriander leaves chopped – ½ cup

Mint Leaves

Turmeric powder – ½ tsp

Red chilli powder – 1 tsp

Salt to taste

For curry

Grounded goat – ½ cup

Onion – 1 small

Green chillies – 2 no

Garam masala powder (combination of above spices) – 1 tsp

For Biryani

Ghee - 2 tsps 

Basmati Rice 2 cups

Onions 1 no finely sliced

Green chilies 5-6 slit

Ginger garlic paste ½ spoon

Coconut milk – 4 tsps

Fennel Seeds  -1 tsp

Coriander powder -1 tsp

Lemon juice - 3 tsps

Water - 2.5 cups

Salt As Required

Biryani masala

Bay leaves 4-5

Jeera 1 tsp

Black cardamom 2

Star anise 2

3-4 pepper corns

2-3 cinnamon sticks

2-3 cardamom

5 cloves

2 mace/jathipoo

Black stone flower/kalpasi 2 nos

Oil for frying

Preparation:

• Wash basmati rice and soak in water for 30 mints 
• Meanwhile to make balls, first clean the meat in water and drain well.
• Boil grounded meat with very little water along with ginger garlic paste and salt for 5 mins.
• After it gets boiled strain the water.
• In a vessel put the grounded meat, corn flour, chopped onions, chopped green chillies, jeera powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder,  coarinder leaves, mint leaves, little salt, turmeric powder, chilli powder, egg and mix well.
• Make small sized balls from the above mixture and keep them aside.
• Heat the oil and deep fry the balls till golden brown. After fried remove them on paper towel and keep them aside.
• To make curry heat 1 tsp of oil in a pan. Add chopped onions, green chillies and cook till the onions become soft.
• Add grounded meat and little water and cook it.  
• Now add garam masala powder and cook for 10mins. After cooked remove from heat and keep it aside.

• Heat ghee in a pan, add all the biryani masala items and stir well.
• After few seconds add onions and sauté for few minutes.
• Now add green chilies, ginger garlic paste and again saute for few minutes
• Add coarinder powder,fennel seeds and mix well.
• Add the above prepared curry and mix well
• Add basmati rice by draining water and mix well.
• Add fried keema balls and mix well.
• Now take the above mixed spices,rice in rice cooker add water, coconut milk, lemom juice  and salt
• Lastly place the keema balls on top of the rice and cook well
• Garnish with mint and coarinder leaves.
• Serve with Raita.

Pasta Pulihora

Pasta is my husband's favorite and it can be prepared in numerous varieties. Yesterday I tried a new variation of this as Pasta Pulihora. It came out so well that my husband loved it  and jumped on it before I got any good snaps lol!!!

Pasta Pulihora is a new twist to the traditional pulihora where I used lemon juice. This is a good option for those who really love pasta and also to those who are trying to avoid rice.
To make it healthier I used whole wheat pasta as this is excellent source of fiber. Works wonder as a quick breakfast, brunch or an evening snack.

Ingredients:

Pasta - 3 cups ( Rotini)
Lemon Juice - 1 Large lemon,adjust as required
Salt as Required

Tempering\Tadka

Peanuts - 3-4 tsps
Chana dal/senaga pappu - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Jeera - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal/minappa pappu - 1/2 tsp
Red Chilli - 3 nos
Green Chilli - 3 nos
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - 8 nos
Hing - 1/4 tsp
Oil - 1tsp

Preparation:

• Cook Pasta in boiling water with some salt in it.
• After pasta gets soft remove from heat and strain the water completely.
• Add little lemon juice to pasta and keep it aside.
• Now to prepare tadka heat oil in a vessel add peanuts, chana dal and fry it till it turns red.
• Add mustard seeds, jeera, urad dal.
• After they sizzle add green chilli, red chilli, curry leaves and stir fry for 30 secs.
• Add hing ,turmeric powder,salt and mix well.Turn off heat
• Now combine this tadka to pasta and add lemon juice and combine well.
• Taste it if you feel less tangy add lemon juice accordingly.
• Yummy pasta pulihora is ready !!!! 

Sending this to Twist the traditional - Pulihora hosted by Satya, to Pari's event 'Only' Original Receipes hosted by Nivedita and to Cooking with Seeds - Wheat hosted by Suma.

Thai Iced Tea

Thai Iced Tea is a delicious beverage and popular drink hailing from Thailand and commonly found in restaurants across US. It is very strong, sweet tea often spiced with ingredients such as star anise, orange blossom water, crused tamarind seed and sometimes other spices well. 
This tea is then sweetened with sugar and condensed milk and served over ice.

There are many ways to make Iced Tea. Here is my easy recipe for this tasty Iced Tea which is prefect complement to hot weather and spicy food.

Ingrediants:

For 3 servings

Water - 4 cups
Sugar - 1 spoon based on sweetness
Star anise pods - 4
Tea - 3 spoons
(If american tea bags are used - 6 nos)
Sweetened Condensed Milk - 1/2 cup
Ice
Mint leaves ( optional)

Preparation

• In a tea vessel on medium heat bring water, sugar and star anise pods to a boil
• Add tea to the boiling water and boil it for some time.
• Remove the vessel from heat and cool it.
• After it gets cooled filter the tea.
• If tea bags are used discard the star anise pods and tea bags.
• Whisk the filtered tea well with the condensed milk.
• Pour into a large container and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or until ready to serve.
• To serve pour the tea into 3 ice-filled glasses and garnish with mint leaves

Ginger Curry

Ginger is used as a medicine and is a great remedy for a lot of digestive disorders. Fresh ginger is one of the main spices used for making curries and can also be used in hot tea and coffee, especially in winter.

Ginger Curry is made with ginger as the main ingredient. It tastes great and yummy and I learnt this recipe from my mom. I followed her recipe exactly and it came well. Enjoy this spicy, sweet ginger dish!!!!

Ingredients:

To be Grinded

Ginger - 3 inch slice and peeled
Garlic cloves - 2
Red chillies – 4 nos
Green chillies – 2 nos
Jeera – ½ tsp
Coarinder seeds (Dhania) - 1tsp
Black pepper – ½ tsp
Vamu(Ajwain)-  ½ tsp
Coconut Powder – 2 tsp
Cardamom – 2 nos
Cinnamon – ½ inch
Cloves – 3 nos
Onion – 2 small size

Other Ingredients

Bay Leaves – 3 nos
Curry leaves – 4 nos
Turmenic Powder a pinch
Jaggery powder – 1tsp
Salt As required
Oil – 4 tsp
Tamarind – 1 small lemon size

For Seasoning

Jeera – ½ tsp
Mustard seeds – ½ tsp

Preparation

• Grind all the above listed ingredients by adding little water to a fine paste and keep it aside.
• Soak the tamarind in water and extract the juice by separating the pulp, keep aside.
• In a cooking vessel, heat oil and add jeera, mustard seeds, curry leaves and let it splutter.
• Add Bay leaves and after frying add above grinded paste.
• Add turmeric powder, salt.
• While it is cooking add tamarind juice and little water and bring to a boil.
• Add Jaggery and cook on medium flame.
• Cook till the gravy becomes thick and oil oozes from the sides.
• Serve with rice and rotis.

Sending to Healing Foods hosted by Sara's Corner

Fruit Punch (Juice)

Fruit Punch is a mixed fruit drink made with several fruits mixed with water or soda. Here is the delicious fruit punch I tried that is made with strawberries,orange, apple and grapes.

Ingredients:

Fresh Strawberries - 6 nos
Orange peeled and sectioned
Apples cored and chopped - 1 cup
Seedless grapes - 1/2 cup
Sugar or Honey - 2 tsp

Preparation

• In a blender, combine Strawberries, orange, apples, grapes and sugar.
• Use more or less water or ice depending on the thickness you want for your juice.
• Process until all the fruits are smooth.
• Pour into glasses and serve. 

Sending this to Juice Recipes hosted by Sameena and Dish Name Starts with F hosted by Akila,Cooking with Fruits hosted by Smita, Veggie/Fruit A month-strawberry hosted by Pari originally started by Priya.

Kajjikayalu -- Andhra Sweet

Kajjikayalu is a famous and traditional sweet of andhra.These are deep fried with crispy outer shell and a sweet filling inside it.There are several fillings that go inside the shells, whereas I am posting the version of sooji, coconut , sugar and a pinch of cardamom.

 

Ingredients:

For shells

Maida - 2 cups
Salt a pinch
Heated ghee - 2 spoon
Water to knead the dough

For the Filling

Sooji Rava - 2 cup
Powdered Sugar - 1 1/2 cup
Grated Dried coconut - 1 cup
Cardamom powder - 1 tsp
Cashews - 5 nos
Raisins - 5 nos
Almonds - 5 nos

Oil for Deep frying

Preparation

• To make the dough, take the maida, salt and ghee in a vessel.Mix well by slowly adding water to the dough and make it thick.
• Keep it aside for 30 mins by surrounding the dough with a wet cloth.
• In mean time take a frying pan add ghee,fry rava and keep it aside
• In the same pan fry the granted dried coconut on medium flame and keep it aside
• Chop the cashews,almonds into small pieces and roast them along with raisins and 1 spoon ghee and keep it aside.
• Now for the filling mix sugar,cardamom powder,roasted coconut,fried cashews,almonds,raisins,fried rava.
• Make the dough into small balls.Using rolling stick flatten the balls into thin puri

• Place the flattened dough on the kajjikaya presser. Place 2-3 tsp of filling mixture inside and close it
• Remove extra dough from the sides of presser

• Now remove the kajjikayalu from the presser and deep fry in oil
• Yummy kajjikayalu are ready and they can be stored for 3-4 weeks.