~~>Taste Buds<~~

Nuvvu Podi [Sesame seeds Powder]


This podi easy to make and  is generally taken with rice and ghee. It gives a wonderful aroma when you mix the powder and ghee in rice.."yum!"


Ingredients:

1. Sesame seeds                                   1 cup full
2. Red chillies                                        8-10
3. Hing
4. Asafoetida                                         a pinch
5. Salt       

Method:

Flame:Low

Time: 10 min

1. Pour the sesame seeds and red chillies in a frying pan.
2. This should be done with constant stirring for 10 min. (Care should be taken that the seeds do not turn  brown.)
3. Turn off the flame and let the contents in the pan cool.
4. Now, transfer all the contents from the pan into a jar.
5. Grind the contents in the jar .
6. Then add salt and asafoetida and grind for another 3 seconds.
7. Transfer the contents into a bowl.

And "tasty,spicy nuvvula podi ready!!!"

Note:

• Do not fry the sesame seeds for long else the powder may taste bitter.
• The number of red chillies vary upon how spicy one wants it.

Happy Cooking!!!

~~>Taste Buds<~~

Alapu chutney [Ginger chutney]


This easy to make chutney goes well with all types of dosas, garelu and undarallu.(Vinayaka chavithi special). You could call this as a "Khatta meetha" type of pickle. So this blends well with plane dishes, popularly with the ones I mentioned above.

Ingredients:

1. Chinthapandu(Tamarind)              100gms
2. Red Chillies                                  15-20
3. Jaggery                                         50 gms
4. Ginger                                          10 gms
5. Chana dal                                     1tbsp
6. Urad dal                                       1tbsp
7. Mustard                                        1tsp
8. Jeera                                             1tsp
9. Asafoetida                                     a pinch
10. Vegetable oil
11. Salt

Method:

Flame: Medium

Time:   10-15 min

1. Soak the tamarind in water and keep it aside.
2. Now take a frying pan and pour some oil into it.Once the oil is heated, add chana dal and urad dal. 
3. Once they turn slightly brown, add mustard seeds and jeera. As the mustard seeds starts to splutter, add the redchilles and hing.
4. Turn off the flame after a few seconds and keep stirrinng the contents in the frying pan.(The contents in the pan need to cool.)
5. Transfer all the contents from the pan into a mixer jar and grind for a few seconds.
6. Now squeeze the juice from the tamarind,add ginger pieces and put them in the jar.
7. Then add jaggery (it shudnt be too hard, else it might spoil the blade in ur jar).
8. Next add a pinch of salt into the jar and grind all of them together.
9. Add water if you dont want it too thick like a paste.

        

And "chatpata alapu chutney ready!!!!!!!!"

Note:

• The tamarind, jaggery, ginger and salt proportion can vary depending on your like. Some like it sweet and other a little spicy and sour!
• If the jaggery is too hard to make it into a powder, keep the chunk in the over for less than 10 sec.It becomes easier to beat it.(Dont keep it for too long, it becomes greasy!)

Happy cooking!!!

~~>Taste Buds<~~

Rajma Masala 


The name alone can make your mouth water!!! Yummy...this takes the first place in my favorite dishes! It is easy to cook, delicious and goes with both rice and chapathis! :)

Ingredients :

1. 2 cups rajma seeds (Kidney beans ,soak the seeds in water one day prior to preparation)
2. 2 large onions            finely chopped 
3. 4 tomatoes                finely chopped
4. Bay leaves                1 or 2
5. Green chillies            2-3
6. Ginger                      a small piece
7. Jeera                        1 tbsp  
8. Mustard seeds          1tbsp
9. Red chilli                   1     
10. Garam masala           1 tsp
11. Salt          
12. Pepper
13. Turmeric
14. Vegetable oil

Method:

Flame:Medium

Time: 30-45 min (Cooking rajma seeds + making the gravy)

1. Put the soaked rajma beans in a pressure cooker and allow it to give 2-3 whistles.
2. Simultaneously, keep a frying pan and pour some oil into it. Once the oil is heated, add bay leaves , mustard seeds,jeera and a piece of red chilli. Fry till the mustard seeds start to splutter.
3. Then add some finely chopped onions into the frying pan. Add a pinch of salt.(This would avoid the onions from over frying and burning).
4. Make green chilles,ginger paste and add it into the frying pan. Keep stirring.
5. Then add turmeric and finely chopped tomatoes into the pan.
6. Try smashing the chopped tomatoes in the pan , this would give a nice taste, as onions and tomatoes blend well.
7. Then add garam masala ,red chilli powder and salt to taste.
8. One you see that the tomato puree is cooked (oil has formed on the top layer) you can add the cooked rajma seeds in the puree.
9. Now, either you can pressure cook the cooked rajma seeds and the puree or leave it in the frying pan.
10. When you pressure cook it, the salt is absorbed in the seeds well , takes less time and tastes better.It would be the same in the frying pan too...but would take a little extra time and energy!! :)Your choice!!! 

And "garama garam rajma masala tayyar hain!!"
            

Note:

• Cashews,almonds fried in butter can be used for garnishing.
• Remember that you are adding salt twice, once when the onions are frying and one after you add tomatoes.
• While adding salt, make sure you add a pinch extra than what you generally add for cooking as the salt needs to be absorbed by the seeds as well.

Happy cooking!!!

~~>Taste Buds<~~

Shahi Jeera Rice 


When you are having guests in a couple of hours and you are completely unprepared for such a surprise in such a short notice, chill, this is going to save you! :)
This is a simple and yet tasty recipe!

Ingredients :

1. 2 cups rice
2. Shahi jeera
3. Jeera
4. Bay leaves
5. Cinnamon
6. Green chillies (cut into small pieces)
7. Salt
8. Oil/Butter(Unsalted)

Method :

Flame : Medium
Time :15 min

1. Wash 2 cups of rice (I am using sona masoori here), and soak it in 4 cups of water in a rice cooker vessel.. Keep it aside.
2. Take a frying pan and add a flake of butter.(Oil can also be used instead).
3. Once the butter has melted, add bay leaves and cinnamon. Fry till the color changes.
4. Then add shahi jeera ,jeera, green chillies and fry. 
5. Pour all these contents into the rice cooker vessel, add salt to taste and cook.

And , "garama garam shahi jeera rice ready!!!!!"

Note:

• You could fry cashews and almonds and place them on the rice as seasoning.

~~>Taste Buds<~~

Chintapandu Pulihora [ Tamarind rice]

This is a very well known dish in south India, infact this dish is made more often during festivals. Here is my version of Chintapandu pulihora (aava petti). I am going to a add this ingredient to the dish which would add a special aroma  and rich taste to it!!! [Try it and tell me!!! :)]


Ingredients :

1. 2 cups rice
2. Tamarind                               100 gms
3. Groundnuts
4. Chana dal                              2 tbs
5. Urad dal                                2 tbs
6. Mustard seeds                       2 tbs
7. Green chillies                         9 to 10 
8. Red chillies                            2 to3
9. Asafoetida
10. Turmeric
11. Curry leaves                         5 to 6
12. Oil    

For the aava preparation :

Take a few tablespoons of mustard seeds, 2-3 red chillies, salt (a pinch is sufficient) and grind all of them into a fine powder.

Keep the powder aside. This powder can be made in a larger quantity and can be stored for later use.

Method :

Flame : Medium flame
Cooking time : 45 min  

1. Soak the tamarind in water(just enough for the tamarind to be deeply immersed) and keep it aside.  
2. Wash 2 cups of rice , add 4 cups of water to it (I am using Sona masoori here) and put it in the pressure cooker or rice cooker. (The rice shouldn't be too sticky, so an inch less of water than the  usual is safer.)
3. Add oil in a frying pan and let it heat. After the oil is hot, add chana dal and urad dal. When they are slightly turning into brown color, add groundnuts and fry constantly until the groundnuts also change their color to light brown.
4. Now, add red chillies and mustard seeds into the frying pan and fry until the mustard start to splutter. Add a pinch of turmeric.
5. Add green chillies and curry leaves into the frying pan. (Please cover the pan for a few seconds else the chillies might sputter. )
6. Add a pinch of asafoetida.(Hing,inguva)
7. Now, take the previously soaked  tamarind and squeeze until you get a paste without seeds and mix it into the frying pan.
8. Add little bit of salt to the pan and let the tamarind paste and other ingredients in it cook in medium flame for 10-15 min.
9. Now, after the rice is cooked, transfer it into a larger vessel(it would be a lot more easier to mix) and  add a little bit of turmeric and salt (not to forget we added salt in tamarind paste also.)
10. Now, mix the tamarind paste into the rice and mix well so that each and every rice grain turns into a golden brown color.  

     

Now, finally, take the mustard powder(aava) about a tablespoon or slightly more , add little bit of water to it(a thick paste) and mix it into the pulihora.

And "tasty, aromatic aava pettina chintapandu pulihora ready!!!!!!!!!!

Note :

•  This kind of pulihora lasts longer and is much tastier when eaten after a while.(the aava and chintapandu effect comes to play)
• Do not add water to the aava powder if you intend to store the powder.
• Too much aava paste mixed with the pulihora can give a  bitter taste..(so too much of it is ruins the flavor).

Happy cooking!!

Thanksgiving'09

Thanksgiving'09

Date : 27th November 09

Since it was my first thanksgiving in the US, I was a lil bit excited and had some preconceived notions about this particular day!!! I heard from most "seniors" that this day was all about finding good deals and shopping! ["what more does any women want???? ]"(chuckling)

It had been just one week after I returned from India and had done loads of shopping ,so I decided that I would be a mere spectator and not lay my hands on anything I see here!! [God...it was a difficult promise and i had planned to keep it!  :(   ] 

As Kismet had it, and I being a woman of my word , I dint lay my hands on anything but made my husband do it!!![hehehhehehe...!!] So I did all the gesturing ( me being a spectator) and my husband shopped for me!!

I think the sales people have a really inherent talent for identifying their scapegoat! One actually convinced me on buying a $55 perfume [ To be honest 2 Paris Hilton branded perfumes..i have to specify!!! :) ]  with a Jeccisa Simpson bag, Guess bag as complimentary gifts! [Gurls...is it worth it?????????? :) ]

A good pair of jeans, a lovely floral printed shirt , a beautiful skirt and a hooded jacket ...added to  my shopping bill!!

All and all a wonderful day!!  Obviiously ...why not????? It was all about shopping!!!!

When Annavajjulas meet Achantas!!

Date : 4th Sep 2009

Fun..!

I can say that for sure. It was a wonderful long weekend (ironically, we were short of time, it just flew). If I had to sum it up with two words, its was all about food and poker. The day generally began late and the night...it depended on the game, as the winning person wouldn't just let go the other people. {chuckling}

Poker game started with all of us being amateurs, but at the end, each one out doing the other , trust me , if it were for money...I would have been bankrupt!!! :( (on the bright side, it just proves that I am easily gullible :) )

Bowling, was fun. A nice experience and I did well too...I have a video to substantiate it!! :) (maybe beginner's luck played a major role!!)

I took pride in one thing for sure...the DELMAR street...and if I put in the exact words, it would sound like.. "Do you know...I lived on the most popular street of St Louis!", and yes it was worth a praise. I proudly call it the Times Square of St Louis.

Food..."yummy says my tummy"(my very own jingle!)....call me a foodo-holic or a glutton..I dont care..but food is my life...! I live for it apart from other stuff.. I think the Nutty chocolate cake,Aloo parathas, Chekkalu and Rava dosa were the ones which had the maximum praise and sadly my Chegodis, (hmm... :( ) had to suffer a huge criticism..and a punishment to the unlucky people who ate them.

Last but not the least,my personal favorite, Ted Drews frozen custard. Man if I ever miss this place , it would be because of this. Had my usuals and relished every whit of it. Yummy! I think it was an unanimous opinion.

Like they say, all good things come to an end..so has this! Definitely, this visit will be one of my most cherishable moment of my life!!!

A BoRiNg day!!

Hmmm....I think this is one moment that everyone faces at one time or another!!

Trust me, what possibly could cheer a person who feels so bored??Its like that your brain decides to stop giving you interesting ideas or rejects even when you voluntarily think of doing something !!! It hypnotizes yours thoughts to only one line.."I am getting bored!!!".Shuts your imaginative and creative doors!!! Ironically,at no time does our brain make us think or feel that we are wasting time! But, when we are busy or we have something important to do, even brushing your hair makes us guilty of wasting time!!! (wonder brain).

Call it a coincidence or you being utterly unlucky, all your folks seem to be busy, all on the same day! Nobody is online and even the networking sites seem dead, no updates, no new pictures..(grrr)!!

And to add to the boredom, all the channels on TV (esp HBO)either play movies that you would have never heard of, or movies which you would have seen a thousand times!!

Worst part, people having fun make us feel like LOSERS! Mayb they are just lucky today!!!!

So, now the really big question is, how could one possibly get over it??

Oops,my CPU (brain)is dead again...lol..

To all the people who have had the worst boring days in life, there is no medicine for it! Njoi!

Vinayaka Chavithi 2009

Welcome home..

Date :23rd May 2009,Sunday

This Vinayaka chavithi was special to me for two reasons, one that it was my first vinayaka chavithi after I got married and the second that I managed to get our family tradition(making the idol with clay or mud) all the way to St Louis!

Yes, there is immense satisfaction and happiness when we make this murthi and worship it. I used to see my dad making this idol, he has perfected this art, one can actually feel as if God is sitting right in front of us!The main difficulty was to find clay !With great help from a very generous person, Valentina(thanku ..I owe u.), we managed to get clay from her friend , who does pottery.(If there is a will..there is a way..trust me!). Came home..applied my skills and my bojja ganapathi took shape. "Ganapathi Bappa moriya!"

The next day started pretty early than any other casual day. I had decided to make a few delicacies for this day...such as garelu, avadalu, chintha pandu pulihora and ofcourse, undarallu(specific to this festival) . Once all these were done, my hubby and I prepared ourselves to perform this pooja(thanx to the anonymous person who uploaded the pooja vidhanam and katha on youtube!).

We ate all the festive delicacies, we were full!!! :) I was tired and took a lovely nap. (felt blessed!)This was disturbed, thanks to my husband who was having a conversation with his friend over the phone regarding the minor axis and major axis of the earth's elliptical orbit!!!???!!!! and Mr Vamsi's phone call!!!

In the evening, my husband and I went to Forest Park. (Was feeling very languid!). A volleyball game worked well for me to get over it! We rushed home before it got dark...as the myth goes..one should'nt see the moon that night!(yeps...I totally believe it!).

A wonderful day overall...its over!! :( :( :(

Until next year.......

"Jai bolo Ganesh maharaj ki!"

New York Trip

Our first Trip

Date : May 23rd 2oo9

This was the first "big" city that my husband and I toured. It was a really delightful experience. We flew to Connecticut and stayed at my hubby's childhood friend's place. They were a very pleasant couple. His friend , Mahesh and his wife were perfect hosts. We had a good time at their place and not to forget mentioning the lovely food made by his wife , Sunitha. Thanks to them.

Since we had not planned anything for that evening, we went to a beach.It was lovely, calm and cool. I loved it.

I had already planned the places that I wanted to see, under the name, "Top 10 places to visit in New York". Man, I surely have put a lot of effort in it! With the help of google maps and wikipedia , I managed to create my own map :) .

I had a complete sketch of the places to visit by time and order!!!!

Started our tour from the Grand Central Station.We were all pretty excited and headed off to The Statue of Liberty. This was the only place that took the maximum time, because of the line for the tickets, waiting for the boats to pick us and take us to the Ellis Island and then even drop us back!This was over, and rest all were to be done faster.

Getting into the local trams with the map to guide us to the required destination and then walk and then walk!!All the places are close by, and so it needed lot of walking to be done! :)

These were the places which we saw:

• Wall Street (I was eagerly waiting to see the Bull)
• New York Stock Exchange(NYSE)
• United Nations Headquarters (at this place , a funny thought struck me, "Wow, I am standing at this place where great people come to dicuss world problems!!!")
• Times Square (the busiest place)
• Madame Tussads(Honestly, I like the one in London, mayb because I was a kid then)
• Brooklyn Bridge(I walked the whole bridge, one end to another!)
• Rockefeller Center
• Chrysler building(one of the finest buildings in NY)

All and all, I had a great time, and we enjoyed it a lot! Apart from the Statue of Liberty to carry home a souvenir, I had taken a caricature of me done too..dated 23rd may..! (This was one of the things in my wish list!)

P.S :

Life is not measured by the number of breaths that we take but by the moments that take your breath away! This was one such moment!

This is the link where you can check out the pictures taken by us in NY!

http://picasaweb.google.com/sravantipasumarti/NYC?authkey=Gv1sRgCNbWwdK3xMPQDA#

Phase 1: A new Beginning

A word that puts many people into jitters and I am no different ! The most common and funny questions that I was popped up with when I told people that I was getting married were: (in increasing order of severity!)

1. Serious??
2. So soon?
3. Arranged marriage?( lol...)
4. Why?(this question is my personal favorite..cudnt find an answer for it)

Some even supported my decision by giving examples , this one tops all :
" good ya ... u r getting married early...coz..my aunty's sis's brother's daughter is "x" years old and still the search is on". I wonder if she exists !!! (hahahahahahah!)
o man...we all have stories!!!! Is it a coincidence or are we all alike?

Got married.......flew over two large seas with lots of thoughts and mixed feelings in my head! Was thinking about "my own" home, yes!,and that thought scared me again! Could someone like me, who can't even manage my book rack ..manage a home?????Yes indeed. :)
I think this chapter in every woman's life is the same with a few minor changes.I can vouch for that, coz when I talk to married people, they seem to have either done these a few years back or are doing them now! These seem to be the most common stuff done by every woman when she gets married:

• Talks to her mom for more that 2 hours( lessens as time passes)
• Wants to cook like her mom ..but it turns out to be entirely diff!!
• Gains weight
• She might have thought at least once "what has happ to my life!"

It is definitely a transition,coz, we wouldnt have done many of the things mentioned above , when we were with out parents!But slowly without our notice, all these , becomes a part of our life!

I am happily married to the man of my dreams. He happens to be the most wonderful person on earth. A silent, intelligent,easygoing, fun loving and caring husband.Most important of all..he loves me. I am lucky..(blushing!!)

My cutie pies :)

I love them!!My sister,a silent,beautiful,intelligent,smart(sometimes a lil too whiny and annoying..but I think its a part of the "sister" package..:)) person and my bro ,chubby(still???? nope....but I still associate that word with him), adorable,handsome,intelligent(???? kidding!!) is a sweetheart!
I think growing up with them were the most beautiful days of my life.
I still remember those days when my sister and I used to play with dolls, kitchen sets, drape our mom's sarees..., and when I used my imagination to create wierd stories and my gullible sis wud beleive them!!It was really fun! Hahaha!!
The day my bro was born was truly blissful. He was the apple of our eye! We loved him instantly! He was the most delightful surprise in our life. He had made our family potrait perfect!
All and all..I miss them..if I could wish for one thing..it would be re-living those days!I miss them..but like they say..it was a phase in life..time keeps ticking and things must go on..........!
Love u guys..ummmaah!

First innings..an introduction

I want to devote this section to my parents, my mom and dad.
They have alwaz been a pillar of support and strength..they have been great mentors when I had troubles making decisions and choices in life.They have given me courage to take up challenges..."Dont worry ...give ur best..result is never a problem.".. these are trivial words..but these simple words have made me acheive wonders in life.
Thank you mom and dad for everything.