~~>Taste Buds<~~

VEGETABLE PULAV

I know, your mouth must watering by simply listening to this name. Well here is a simple and tasty vegetable pulav. Lots of vegetables, spices and coconut milk! (Yes thats rite, coconut milk enriches the taste of your pulav!!!)

Ingredients:

Rice                         2 cups

Carrots                    2

French Beans           1/4 kg

Peas

Potatoes                   1 large

Onions                      1 large

Green chillies             5-6

Coconut milk             1 can

Bay leaves

Shahi Jeera

Cinnamon

Oil

Salt

Pulav Garam Masala

Method:

Flame: Medium

Time: 30 min

1. Wash and soak 2 cups of rice in 2 1/2 cups of water.
2. Take a frying pan and pour 4-5tbsp oil in it.
3. Add Bay leaves, cinnamon and shahi jeera in it.(crush shahi jeera in ur palm when u r putting it in the oil.) Keep frying.
4. Add chopped onions into it and fry. Add a pinch of salt.(This would prevent the onions from deep frying )
5. Add green chillies in it and keep frying.
6. Add chopped potatoes,  french beans and carrots into it and keep mixing for 10 mins.
7. Now, add 3-4tsp of pulav garam masala into it.Keep mixing for 5 mins.
8. Add green peas and 1 cup of coconut milk into it.
9. Switch of the stove and transfer the contents from the pan into the rice cooker.(once u wash the rice, soak with 21/2 cups of water in the rice coooker dish itself.)
10.  And let it cook in the rice cooker.
11. Once it comes to warm, unplug the rice cooker and transfer the contents into the frying pan.(This would help evaporate any water left, this is not mandatory though!)

And "spicy pulav ready!!"

Note:

1. Coconut milk is optional.
2. Ginger garlic paste can be added too.
3. Adding more oil , prevents rice for becoming soggy.

Happy Cooking!

~~>Taste Buds<~~

CAPSICUM MASALA


This is one of my personal favorites! It tastes good with chapathis, plain rice and the best with vegetable pulav!

Ingredients:

Capsicum                      2 large(Cut vertically into long pieces)
Onion                            1
Peanuts                        
Cashews
Dhaniya                         2 tbsp
Grated coconut
Curry leaves
Green chillies                  5-6
Red chillies
Jeera
Mustard
Tamarind                         soak a little bit in water
Oil
Salt

Method:


Flame: Medium
Time: 30 min

1. First,take a frying pan and roast dhaniya, peanuts, cashew.
2. Next add grated coconut and green chillies and keep the pan aside. (Let it cool and grind all the contents into a paste.)
3. In the mean while, take a frying pan and pour some oil.
4. Now, add jeera and mustard seed.Fry till the mustard begin to splutter.
5. Add the chopped onions into the oil.Add a pinch of turmeric. Fry until they turn golden brown.
6. Add the capsicum pieces into the pan and let them fry.
7. Now, add the paste into the capsicums and mix well such that the paste sticks well to the capsicums.
8. Add salt and red chillies into the capsicum and let it cook.
9. Squeeze the juice from the tamarind a pour it into the curry. (gives a slightly tangy and tasty taste!)
10. Fry until you see a thin layer of oil forming on the sides of the pan.(Which means that the contents are not raw anymore.)

And "yummy yummy capsicum masala ready!"

Note:

1. Tamarind juice is optional.
2. Cashews is also optional but it adds a special to the gravy.
3. Capsicum when cut into small pieces may get smashed and blend into the gravy.
4. Roast the nuts slightly brown, so that the raw taste disappears.

Happy cooking! :)

~~>Taste Buds<~~

PAV BHAJI

Ever thought of something to eat that would be spicy, filling and easy to make??? Well, pav bhaji is the answer. This is something I always loved. Here is how to go about with this.

Ingredients:

Buns                          5-6
Tomatoes                  3 large
Onions                      1
Green chillies             5-6
Cashews                    paste
Capsicum                  1
Corriander  
Jeera
Red chilli powder         2tsp
Corriander powder      1tsp
Garam masala              2tsp
Butter
Oil
Salt

Method:

Flame: Medium
Time: 30 mins

1. Firstly,cut the tomatoes,chillies,corriander and grind them together.Keep it aside.
2. Now,take a frying pan, and add 2 tbsp of oil/butter in it.
3. Add jeera into the oil.
4. Add chopped onions in it.(cut it into 2 halves, use one half now).
5. Add chopped capsicum into it and fry.
6. Now, add the tomato puree into it.
7. Keep stirring the contents in the pan.(This removes the rawness in the tomatoes ).
8. Add the cashew paste into it.
9. Add garam masala, corriander powder and red chilli powder into the pan.
10. Add salt to taste.
11. Keep frying them until you see a thin layer of oil around the tomatoes.(Which means that there is nothing left to fry yet!! :) )
12. Transfer the contents into a bowl. Bhaji is ready!!
13. Now, for the pav, first smear butter on the white side of the bun.(Usually, a bun is sold cut in halves.)
14. Place the buns on a tava. Keep moving until the white part become golden brown.
15. Pav is ready for serving! :)

And ,"Yummy yummy pav bhaji ready! :)"

Note:

1. Cashew paste is optional, it gives a special taste to the gravy though. :)
2. Eat it with cut onions, while biting a green chilli and having lemon juice on the bhaji.
3. A little bit of food color does magic to your bhaji,again, its optional.(I figured out that's how they get such an attractive color, and no matter how many ever tomatoes u add u will never get it so red without being tangy.!!!

Happy Cooking!

~~>Taste Buds<~~

VADA(GARELU)


My mom makes the best garelu (vadas). When my mom used to make this delicacy, I used to stand beside and see how she used to make it so round and perfect!!( I wouldn't call it as a herculean task,but its definitely an art!!)


Ingredients:


Urad dal                          3 cups
Green chillies                   5-10
Jeera                                2stp
Salt
Oil
*Thick Polythene sheet ( the ones you get when you purchase pulses are perfect)

Method


Flame: Medium
Time: 30 min

1. Firstly, you need to soak Urad dal in water for atleast 6-7 hours.
2. Drain the water and grind urad dal in the grinder.
3. Approximately, 1(or less than 2) cup/s of water should be enough.
4. Remove it and keep the bater in a bowl.
5. Add chillies, jeera and salt to the bater in the bowl.
6. Mix all the contents well.
7. Now, take a frying pan and pour oil in it.(Oil needs to be really hot, avoids the vadas from sticking to one another).
8. Take the polythene sheet, moist it with water, take a ball of the dal paste and keep it on it.
9. Now, dipping your hand in the water, try to make a circle and a hole is the center.
10. When you try to remove it, try to slide it from the sheet, hold it and place it in the oil.
11. Keep frying until they are golden brown.

And "Garam garam garelu ready!!!!"

Note:

1. Try to grind urad dal with less water, else it becomes too loose.(Try keeping it in the refrigerator, might harden the bater.)
2. You can add ginger,curry leaves,corriander and onions too in the bater.(Always add onions  just before u plan to make the vadas.)
3. Have it with alapuchutney, it tastes yummy.. :)
4. And finally, its all about practice..!!! :) 

Happy cooking!! :)

Festive Colors

SANKARANTHI


Date: 14th Jan 2010

First festival of 2010 and it has been all about cooking delicacies for Bhogi, Sankaranthi and Kanuvu. Tried my  best to keep up with the tradition and made some of my favorite items! (wel...being here,in Toronto, i dnt think i can talk about skies filled with kites...so food sums up our festival!)


Since, chakkara pongal is the dish that most people do on this particular day...i made it too..(it was so yummy!! :) )


CHAKKARA PONGAL


Ingredients:


Rice                                       1 cup
Milk                                       2 cups
Jaggery                                  100 gms
Cardamom powder                2 tsp
Cashews
Badam
Raisins
Ghee                                     4 tbsp


Method:


Flame: Low
Time: 20-25 min

1. Wash the rice and pour it into a pressure pan.
2. Then add 2 cups of milk into the pressure pan and keep it on low flame.
3. After 2 whistles, switch off the stove.
4. In the mean time, make the jaggery into a fine powder.
5. Take the lid off the pressure pan and add the jaggery powder. (Make sure the flame is low, else jaggery could break the milk)
6. Mix well until the jaggery powder mixes completely.
7. Add cardamom powder into the pressure pan and stir well.
8. Now, pour the contents into a bowl.(Chakkara pongal is ready.)
9. Keep a frying pan, and add some ghee in it.
10. Once the ghee melts, add cashews and badam.
11. Fry until they turn golder brown.
12. Then add raisins.(These should be added last, as they take lesser time to fry.)
13. Spread the contents from the frying pan into the chakkara pongal bowl.

And "chakkara pongal is ready!!!"

Note:

1. You can add the any amount of milk after the rice cooks depending on the thickness you desire.
2. You can add any amount of ghee while stirring the jaggery too.
3. Dry fruits is completely your choice! (add all that u want, it only enhances!)
4. Make sure u make a powder of the jaggery.(Tip: keep it in the microwave for 10 sec, and then make a powder, lessens your work.)

Happy cooking!

Wishing everyone a Happy and Joyous sankaranthi! :)

~~>Taste Buds<~~

GREEN CHILLI CHUTNEY


Yeah, the word itself gives you a thoght of how spicy the chutney can be. This a great chutney, easy to make and yet blends well with bland dishes mostly, like idli, vada , dosa and even plain rice. (with ghee not to forget :))


Here is how we go about with it:

Ingredients:


Green chillies               15-20
Corriander                   1 full bunch
Tamarind                      25 gms
Curd                            1 tbsp
Salt

Popu:


Chana dal              1tsp
Urad dal                1tsp
Mustard                 1tsp
Jeera                      1tsp
Oil                          2tsp
Asafoetida
Curry leaves
Red chilli                1

Method:


Flame: Medium
Time: 15 min

1. Wash green chillies and corriander and blend them in the grinder.
2. Add salt and tamarind.
3. We can add water to it depending on the thickness one wants.
4. Remove it,keep it in a seperate bowl and add curd to it.Mix well.
5. Now, take a small frying pan , add oil in it.
6. After it gets heated, add chana dal and urad dal.
7. When they turn slightly brown, add mustard and jeera.
8. Add curry leaves and a red chilli.
9. Then add asafoetida into the frying pan.
10. Pour these contents into the bowl and stir well.

And, "Teekha teekha mirchi chutney is ready!!"

Note:

1. If its too spicy,add grated coconut .Adds a special taste to it.
2. Lots of corriander also does the trick to make it spicy and tasty!

Happy cooking!!

New Year's 2010....Yippee!!! :) :) :)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!


I decided to keep this section as colorful as possible!! Reason being very very simple and obvious..!I want my life to be as colorful as this coming year!!! 


Well! In retrospect, last year wasn't that bad too, we did have some good memories that would stay with us for a lifetime.... 

1. Our first valentine day... [dunno y i fantasize this day!!! :) :) :)  :) :)]
2. My sister got engaged.[:) :) ]
3. My best friend got married![:) :)] 
4. My sister-in-law got a MD seat.. [she has been trying for the past 2 yrs..uff..finally!! :)]
5. An unforgettable trip New York Trip and I made new friends![:)]
6. We moved to a new house in St Louis.[just 1 mile away,...hehe...but packing is still packing!!!! :) & :(] 
7. A trip to Chicago and met my relatives![:) ]
8. My cousins came to visit us in St Louis. [:)]
9. I has a rocking 2 month vacation in India.[:) :) :) :) :) :) :)]
10. My husband became a docter!!! [oho..i meant the PhD thing!!! :) :) :) :)]
11. Visited Detroit and got a visa to Canada.[:) :)]
12. Had a nice holiday in Toronto.[:) :) :)]
13. And, finally, we moved to Toronto for gooooooood!!!!!! yayy..............![:) :) :) :) :) :)]

Not to highlight on the bad things... I want to make them seem as few a possible, actly the two big things for me, which, if I had a chance ,I would have re-lived and had it my way would be,

1. My GRE score [would have worked on my math...actly the paper sucked..!!! :( :( :( ]
2. My first anniversary.. [we celebrated it seperately..honestly..no celebration! ]
3. Recession.[Y me??? :(]

Would it be "ok" to assign :,,( for sad with tears..??????????? Then think of 100 of them in the 2nd one.. !!

When people say that all good things come to an end...I think of it as one good just leads to another! :) New place, new friends, new beginning, I think I am being given a second chance to live a different life all over again, a new page in the same book.Only that this time I am much more prepared for challenges that I need to face in the coming days!

"New year resolutions" what are they?????? Something made in one night for the whole year!! Oh please, thats not something which I would ever stick to!!! 

Well. whats gone is never gonna comeback, but we can make a lot of difference to our present!!!

Cheers to a wonderful year and life!! Cheers!!!

P.S : Those :) and :( indicated the intensity of my happiness and saddness...!!! HEHEHE, and a new emoticon for crying...  [;,(], do u have a  better emoticon...????

~~>Taste Buds<~~

Tomato Pappu [Tomato Dal] 


I think this is the simplest yet tastiest of all the dal's. This with avakayi {mango pickle} is yummy... !!! :)

Ingredients


Chana dal                    1 cup
Tomatoes                     2 small ones
Green Chillies               3
Red chilli powder
Turmeric
Corrainder
Salt
Water                           2 cups

Popu :


Urad dal                     1tsp
Mustard                      1tsp
Jeera                           1tsp 
Oil                               2tsp
Curry leaves
Asafoetida

Method


Cooking time: 20 min
Flame: medium

1. Wash 1 cup of chana dal and keep it in a dish. (This is the bowl you intend to keep to cook the dal)
2. In that dish, add finely chopped tomatoes and green chillies.
3. Add 2 cups of water and place it in the pressure cooker.
4. After 3 whistles(2 in low flame and 1 in high), switch off the stove. 
5. Let the cooker cool.(You can test it by trying to remove the whistle)
6. Once you are able to remove the whistle, add salt , red chilli powder and a pinch of turmeric and mix slightly.
7. Now, in a frying pan, add oil. Then add urad dal. 
8. When the urad dal turn slightly brown, add mustard seeds and jeera.
9. Then add curry leaves and asafoetida.
10. Pour the contents in the frying pan into the dal dish.
11. Now place the dal dish on the stove for 5 min and switch off the stove.
12. Garnish it with corriander.

And "yummy yummy dal ready!!!!!!!!!!"

Note:

1. Pre-frying the chana dal before washing them makes the dal even more tasty.
2. Its better to make it in the pressure cooker or on the stove directly than in the micorwave.
3. Cutting the green chilles vertically and then adding it in the popu is also good.(Its nice to bite a crunchy green chilli in this pappu). But make sure you close the frying pan with a lid when you do this.  :)
4. It is best when served with rice, avakayi, appadam and vodiyaalu.... (oo..my mouth is watering!! yummy)