Announcing My First Event – Cooking Concepts: Roti Pachadi/Chutney

Hello my lovely readers!!! I am very delighted to announce my first blogging event. It’s been six months since I started this blog and participated in many blogging events, which inspired me to start an event.

This is monthly event with a different concept for each month.  And the roundup will be posted the coming month’s 1st week.

So this month’s Cooking Concept is “Roti Pachadi/Chutney”.  Before proceeding, let me tell you about the word Roti pachadi ---Pachadi means Chutney which is a traditional Indian side dish and it refers to the food which has been minced. Roti is Indian mortar (Rolu ) in which this chutney is made. 

Any chutney will taste delicious if we make it by using this mortar But in US we get them very rarely and  so I use blender  to make these Pachadi.

Chutney is a dipping sauce or a fresh pickle and has very low shelf life, a maximum of one week. These are usually prepared by fresh vegetables or the peel of the vegetable can be used and is served as an accompaniment for rice, snacks like idli, dosa, vadas and so on. Gongura pachadi and coconut pachadi are my favorite, I am sure there are endless numbers of other varieties.

So why waiting friends send me as many recipes as you can.

Here are some guidelines

• Make recipes which fit this month’s concept
• Please link back to this page
• Any number of entries are allowed, archives are also allowed if reposted and update with the link to the announcement page.
• Use of logo is appreciated
• Send me your entries to sravscc@gmail.com with subject as “CC-Roti Pachadi/Chutney” with below details
• Name
• Blog Name
• Recipe Name
• Recipe URL
• Picture

• Non-bloggers can also send their recipes along with picture to the above email id.

Last date for the entries is July 31st 2011.

Hope to see you all participating!!!

BlueBerry IceCream

As summer is around, this means that it’s time for berry’s. I have made a variety of icecream flavors but this weekend, decided to try with blue berries. It came out nice and creamy with a perfect blueberry flavor.

I love its color lavender; the best part about this icecream was its fabulous color!!

Blueberries are healthy fruits and this simple icecream preparation is a perfect summer treat which is creamy, rich, silky and full of fresh blueberry flavor.

Ingredients:

Blue berries – 1 cup

Sugar – ½ cup

Vanilla extract – ½ tsp

Heavy cream – 2 cups

Lemon juice – 1 tsp

Salt – a pinch

Preparation

• In a medium sauce pan dissolve sugar in ¼ cup water on low flame.
• When sugar is dissolved add berries, lemon juice, vanilla extract, salt.

• Cook on low flame till the berries burst by stirring them occasionally.
• Remove from heat and mash berries and let it cool.
• After berry mixture is cooled.
• Combine berries mixture and cream thoroughly till it mixes well.
• Take the above cream and berry mixture in a air tight container and refrigerate for 6 hrs.
• Serve chilli.

Sending this to Food palette series - purple hosted by Akheela ,  Serve It Chilled hosted by Denny & Krithika , Only Icecreams hosted by Reva and originally started by Pari

Paneer Frankie / Veg Kathi Roll

When I was working in Hyderabad, I used to have frankies at a regular basis in my office cafeteria. I love them!!! . Now staying in US, I really miss this street food item. 

I taught why not try in our home, and made this yummy snack this weekend. I and my husband enjoyed them a lot!!!

Frankie’s or Kathi Rolls is Street food item from India. These looks like wraps and they can be filled with a variety of ingredients like vegetables, meat, chicken, eggs, potatoes or paneer. I made paneer franky and learnt this recipe from showmethecurry cooking site.

We can use any variety of chuntey as a spread for roti. I used green chutney, sliced the Frankie’s into cute pieces and wrapped them with silver foil / to hold properly. To make these quick we can use tortillas or regular left-over Chapatis instead of roti’s.

Source :  Showmethecurry.com

Ingredients:

For 5 Frankie’s

For Roti’s

All purpose flour -1 cup

Oil – 1 tsp

Salt - ½ tsp

Potato – 1 small boiled, peeled and mashed

For Filling

Paneer – 10oz/100grams mashed into small pieces

Potato – 2 small no boiled peeled and mashed

Green chillies – 2 no chopped

Chaat Powder – ½ tsp

Red chilli powder – 1 tsp

Salt – ½ tsp

Oil – 2 tsps

Coriander powder – ½ tsp

Garam masala powder– ½ tsp

For Garnish

Onions – to taste fine sliced

Lemon juice – to taste

Coriander leaves – fine chopped

Green chutney – to taste

Preparation

• Combine all purpose flour/maida, salt and mix.
• Add 1 tsp of oil and rub it into the flour.
• Add mashed potatoes and mix well.
• Add little water at a time to form soft dough.
• Knead for couple of minutes.
• Drizzle a little oil over the dough, cover it and rest if for 15mins
• Meanwhile prepare filling
• In a bowl take paneer, mashed potatoes, chaat powder, chilli powder, salt, coriander powder, garam masala powder and mix well and keep aside
• Now in cooking vessel take oil heat it.
• Add chopped green chillies and fry for a minute.
• Now add above paneer, potato mixture and cook for 10 mins by stirring in between.

• Take off from stove transfer into a bowl and let it cool.
• Now to make rotis, divide the dough into 5 equal balls.
• Like chapati’s take one ball flatten it, dust it with some all-purpose flour and make roti’s.
• Place on the hot Tawa and allow it to cook on both sides till you see the dough color change and bubbles start to appear.
• Lastly put the cooked rotis on high flame directly and allow it blow up (like pulaka) and keep aside.
• Add chopped onions, coriander leaves and lemon juice to the above cooled paneer mixture and divide them into 5 parts.
• Now assemble them to rolls take green chutney spread all over the roti and place the above divided paneer mixture on one side and roll the roti tightly to form a roll.
• To serve wrap the lower part of the roll in a tissue or foil. 

Sending this to Let's Go Stuffed Series - LGSS hosted by Vastala, Let's Cook - Break Time Snacks hosted by Radhika, Kid's Delight hosted by Champa originally started by srivalli and Bookmarked Recipes hosted by Priya.

Spinach Garlic Chole Curry

This is a simple and very nutritious curry which is prepared using spinach, garlic and chickpeas. This tastes great and goes well with chapati and roti.

Ingredients:

Spinach chopped – 1 cup

Garlic – 3 no

Ginger – small piece

Chickpeas/Channa – 2 cups

Curry leaves – 3-5 no

Shah jeera – ½ tsp

Onion chopped – 1 no small

Green chillies – 3 no

Chole Masala – 3 tsps

Lemon juice – 2 tsps

Curd – 1 tsp

Turmeric powder – ½ tsp

Salt As Required

Oil – 4 tsps

Preparation

• In a cooking pan heat oil and add shah jeera, curry leaves, garlic, ginger.
• When shahjeera splutters add chopped onions, green chillies.
• When onions turn soft add chopped spinach, turmeric powder, salt and mix well.
• Cook for 5 mins.
• Add Chick peas and mix well.
• Cook for another 5 mins.
• Add 1 cup water and cover with lid and cook for 15mins on low flame,
• Stir well once in a while.
• Add chole masala, lemon juice and curd and mix well
• Cook for 5 mins
• Serve hot with chapati’s and rotis.

Sending this to Dish it out - Spinach and Garlic hosted by Vardhini.

Carrot Rice

I and my husband always enjoy the healthy food. So I usally prepare our’s lunch box at night and just take them to work the next day!! They are two reasons for it, I am not much comfortable with outside food and also not many food places around my office.

I plan ahead what to cook some simple food which can be done quickly and easily. And also my husband helps in chopping vegetables, I really need to appreciate him for this, which makes my cooking much easy and can be done in no time. For lunchboxes I usally carry chapati’s with simple curry or some rice items.

Carrot Rice is one of the simple dish which can be prepared in very less time and it tastes awesome !! Love it !! Carrots are highly nutritive, rich in protein, minerals and vitamins. I learnt this recipe from my mom !!

Ingredients:

Carrot – 4 no large

Rice – 2 glasses

Jeera – 1 tsp

Onion small chopped – 1 no

Green chillies chopped – 4 no

Red chillies – 2 -3 no

Tuurmeric powder – ¼ tsp

Garam masala powder – 1 tsp

Chole/ Chickpeas – ½ cup (optional)

Curry leaves – 4-5 no

Ginger garlic paste – 1 ½ tsp

Salt As Required

Oil – 5 tsp

Preparation

• Wash and cook rice with 4 cups of water and keep it aside.
• Wash and Grate carrots and keep aside.
• Meanwhile in a microwave safe bowl take this grated carrot mixture, put little water in it and microwave it for 12-15 mins and keep it aside.
• In a cooking pan heat oil and add jeera, red chillies and curry leaves.
• After jeera gets splutter add chopped onions and green chillies
• Cook till onions get soft.
• And ginger garlic paste and mix well.
• Now add microwaved grated carrot and little water mix well
• Add turmeric powder, salt, red chilli powder and mix well.
• Cook for 10 mins and add garam masala powder and mix well.
• Cook for another 5-8 mins
• Add cooked rice and mix well till the carrot mixture mixes well with rice.
• Serve with raita.

Sending this to Light Lunches hosted by Redchillies, Quick and Easy Recipe Mela hosted by Nithu and Cook it healthy hosted by Sobha and MMK - One Pot meal hosted by kalyani

Orange cupcakes with Vanilla Cream Cheese Icing

I haven’t made cup cakes at home for long.  So baked these beautiful cupcakes over the weekend. They came out so wonderful and the frosting was so yummy!! Loved it!!

I thought to use orange in these cupcakes as this blend of fruit would be the perfect way to kick off our summer.

Ingredients:

For 8 Cupcakes

All purpose flour – 1 cup

Baking powder – 1 tsp

Whole milk – 4 tsp

Vanilla extract – 1 tsp

Unsalted butter –1/4 cup, room temperature

Egg – 2

Sugar – 3/4 cup

Orange juice - 5 tsps

Orange zest - of 1 orange

Salt a pinch

For frosting

Cream cheese – 40 oz, room temperature

Vanilla extract – 1 tsp

Powdered sugar – 1 cup

Preparation

• In a medium bowl, take unsalted butter, sugar and beat for few minutes until light and fluffy.
• Add the eggs and mix well.
• Add vanilla extract, baking powder, milk, orange juice and mix well.
• Slowly add the flour , salt (a pinch) and  mix well.
• Now add Orange zest and mix well
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Put paper liners in 8 cupcake tins and fill them to ¾ with batter.
• Bake for 18-20 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 

• In a bowl beat cream cheese and powdered sugar until light and fluffy.
• Add vanilla 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 this to Veggie/Fruit a Month - Orange hosted by Savitha originally started by Priya and Let's Cook - Break Time Snacks hosted by Radhika 

Egg Bajji

It’s been a while since my last post. I had my project delivery last Friday so was busy with my work and was  unable to make time for my blog and missed to visit all my fellow bloggers recipes :(

I figured out that there were many eggs in my fridge with expiry date closing in 2 days. I decided to use as many as possible. They were nothing I cooked without eggs. So our weekend was with full of Eggs Eggs Eggs!!!!!!

Egg Bajji is a simple and quick snack. I used to have these at my grandmom’s place when I was a kid. These are prepared with boiled eggs dipped in besan batter and layered with onions, coriander leaves, red chilli powder, lemon juice , chaat powder and roasted peanuts.

Ingredients:

Eggs – 4 no

Besan – 1 cup

Baking soda – ½ tsp

Salt As Required

Onion – 1

Corinder leaves – ½ cup

Chaat masala – 1 tsp

Sev – 4 tsps

Lemon juice – 2 tsps

Roasted peants – 4 tsps

Red Chilli powder – 1 tsp

Oil for Deep Frying

Preparation

• Boil eggs peel them and keep aside.
• In a mixing bowl, add besan, baking soda, red chilli powder and salt.
• Add enough water to make thick batter.
• Heat oil on medium heat for deep frying.
• When oil gets hot, dip the boiled eggs into batter and coat and thick besan batter.
• Slowly drop the coated boiled eggs into the hot oil.

• Deep fry them until they turn light golden color all over it.
• Remove bajjis from heat
• After it gets cooled cut the egg bajji into halve.
• Take a wide serving plate
• Place the half bajji’s, layer each with chopped onions, coriander leaves, chaat powder, red chilli powder, salt, sev, lemon juice.
• Lastly add roasted peanuts.
• Serve immediately.  

Sending this to My Legume Love Affair hosted by Aqua originally started by Susan  and Let's Cook : Break time snacks hosted by Radhika !!!

Blueberry Bread

I love to have homemade baked breads made with fruits as a morning breakfast.  So this weekend I baked Bread with Blueberries.  

Blueberries are an excellent source of Vitamin C and this healthy blueberry bread is prepared with blueberries which makes a better breakfast that tastes delicious too. A bit of lemon zest and juice also enhance the flavors.

Ingredients:

Blueberries – 1 cup

Melted Unsalted butter – 5 tsps

Eggs – 2 no

Sugar – ¾ cup to 1 cup

All purpose flour – 2 cups

Salt a pinch

Vanilla extract – 1 ½ tsp

Baking powder – 1 tsp

Lemon Zest – 1 tsp

Lemon juice – 1tsp

Preparation

• In a bowl add sugar, eggs, melted unsalted butter and beat for few minutes until light and fluffy.
• Now add vanilla extract, baking powder, lemon juice and mix well.
• Add all purpose flour and mix well until fluffy.
• Fold in the washed blueberries and lemon zest.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
• Lightly grease a loaf pan with 1 tsp of butter
• Pour the batter into the loaf pan

• Bake for 55minutes-1 hour or until bread turn light brown and bounces back to touch.
• Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes.
• Server warm or at room temperature.

Sending this to Breakfast Club - Berries hosted by Nayan originally started by Helen and Food palette series purple hosted by Akheela.

  

Banana Ice Cream

Banana Ice cream is a quick, simple recipe, there’s no cooking, no ice cream maker, and no fancy culinary technique just few ingredients. And the main ingredient is a banana it’s healthy and suitable to make many dishes.

Making this homemade ice cream is a great way to use up some of these ripe bananas you have hanging around in your kitchen before they go bad!!

Banana Ice cream is a great fruit ice cream and perfect for summer season. The banana not only provides a great taste, but also produces a soft and creamy texture. I topped it with caramel which gives a wonderful taste.

Ingredients:

Ripe Banana – 1 large

Half & Half Milk – 1 cup

Heavy cream – ½ cup

Sugar – ¼ cup

Preparation

• Mash banana in a food processor until smooth
• In a Air tight container/Bowl add banana pulp and half & half and mix well.
• Add heavy cream, sugar and mix thoroughly.
• Cover the container and keep it in freezer for 6 hours.
• Take out from frozen and enjoy this yummy Ice Cream.

Sending this to 'Healing foods - Banana' hosted by Krithika originally started by Siri.
Along with this sending Mango Nut Icecream and Strawberry Icecream to Kid's Delight hosted by PJ originally started by srivalli , Serve It Chilled hosted by Denny & Krithika , Only Icecreams hosted by Reva and originally started by Pari, and Let'z Relishh - Ice creams hosted by Jay