Mysore Pak

Last week was a start of a new phase in my life.. Its feels good to get back to student life :) Was dead busy throughout the week.. Early morning cooking, then full day college, then come back and cook again, then an hour infront of the TV and then the cozy bed waiting for me to just lie on and put me to sleep at that instant :D Did not get a chance to blog anything or visit my blogger friends.. This phase is gonna last long but I have decided not to give up blogging.. This was my only passion for last few months and I cannot abandon for some other priorities.. Blogging will remain a weekend chore and I'll make it a point to post atleast one recipe every weekend and visit my dear blogger friends during this time.. I apologize in advance if I'll not be able to participate in all events that keep rocking the food blog world... But will surely not miss the round-ups! :)

Mysore Pak is a famous sweet from the Karnataka Cuisine.. As the name suggests, this sweet comes from Mysore, acity in Karnataka famous for its palace. beautiful handicrafts and lovely silk sarees.. Mysore Pak is probably one of the easiest sweet which calls for minimal ingredients and is ready in no time... This is my second entry for Asha's RCI Karnataka Cuisine!

Mysore Pak

Preparation Time:

15-20 mins

Makes:

10-12 pieces

What you need:

1 cup Besan/Chickpea Flour (sieved)
3/4 cup Ghee
3/4 cup Sugar
1 cup Water
1/4 tsp Cardamom Powder

How to proceed:

1) Heat 1 cup of Water and add sugar to it.
2) Bring to boil till sugar syrup is formed (one string consistency test)
3) Now add ghee and cardamom powder
4) Mix well and slowly add besan..
5) Stir continuously while adding besan to avoid forming any lumps
6) Stir and cook till the mixture stops sticking to sides of vessel and ghee starts coming out from the sides
7) Remove from heat and pour in a flat plate greased with ghee and spread evenly.
8) After 5 mins, cut into desired shape and leave aside to cool for another hour..
9) Enjoy the yummy melt-in-the-mouth sweets.. These can be stored for 3-4 days!

BlackBerry Milkshake

I was introduced to this fruit called Blackberry 2 months back when we visited city of Bensheim in Germany. This city is famous for wine grapes and there were plenty of blackberry trees bordering the grapeyards.. Until then, I used to look at these as some wild fruits but when my friend just grabbed some and started feasting on them, I had to try it! And once I had some (luckily I found a big colony of sweet ones), there was no stopping.. I ate many along the way and also admired the lovely clustered structure till my husband declared that I unknowingly had 2 glasses of wine :D

Last week I found a pack of fresh blackberries at the fruit market and couldnt stop myself from buying them.. The plan was to prepare something for Meeta's monthly mingle.. But I ate some and then realised there were very few left for trying anything.. So on weekend, back I went to the fruit market and prepared blackberry milkshake the same day.. The end result aeemed lovely not just due to the tatse, but due to the lovely color! I am not sure if I can call this milkshake as I added some yoghurt as well alongwith milk.. But I surely cant call this lassi as there is more milk than yoghurt :D This blackberry Milkshake goes to Meeta for Monthly Mingle, this month's theme being "Liquid Dreams"

BlackBerry Milkshake

Preparation Time:

5 mins

Serves:

2 glassfuls

What you need:

1 Cup Blackberries
3 cups Milk
2-3 tbsp Beaten Yoghurt
2-3 tbsp Sugar

How to proceed:

1) Mix all ingredients in a blender
2) Place in refridgerator for sometime
3) Serve cold!

* I used Yoghurt to thicken the milkshake.. It can be left out to have thin milkshake!
* Chop few blackberries and put some pieces in milkshake
* Add 2-3 mint leaves to give a twist in the taste!

Hirvya Tamatyachi Bhaaji (Green Tomato Sabji)

Green/Raw Tomatoes have a different taste than the ripe red ones. I love tomatoes in any form..When it comes to ripe tomatoes, I can eat tomatoes any time of the day without any dressing or cooking.. From a plate of salad in front of me, its the tomatoes that vanish first, then cucumber, then cabbage, then carrots and then other things.. Olives and Onions mostly remain unfinished :D Other than salads, most of my soup creations include Tomato- tomato soup, rasam, sambar, tomato saar etc... Tomatoes make the base in all my gravy preparations and also spice up some rice dishes..

Hirvya Tomatochi Bhaaji is a maharashtrian vegetable prepeared using raw tomatoes.. This is my mom's recipe and she made it a point to bring these tomatoes whenever they were in market just to make this sabji or chutney! (which I am yet to prepare and post). I found these at the turkish shop here last week and decided to give it a try.. And it turned out real tasty.. A tangy taste as expected.. This Indian style stir fry vegetable prepared from green tomatoes goes to Chemcook for Fresh Produce of Month.. The theme for this month is Tomatoes!

Hirvya Tamatyachi Bhaaji

Preparation Time:

15-20 mins

Serves:

2

What you need:

3-4 Green Tomatoes chopped
1 Onion,chopped
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
Pinch of Turmeric
2 tbsp Jaggery (can be replaced by 2-3 tsp Sugar)
Salt to taste
1 tbsp Oil

How to proceed:

1) Heat oil, add mustard and cumin seeds
2) When they start spluttering, add onions and saute till they turn translucent
3) Now add red chilli powder and turmeric and mix well
4) Add chopped tomatoes, mix and cook covered for 5 mins
5) Add salt and Jaggery, stir well and cook covered for some more time
6) Turn off when tomato is soft
7) Serve hot with rotis or bread!

Chitranna

Chitranna is a very famous South Indian rice dish from Banglore.. We had a South Indian friend in college who used to bring this rich rice dish in her tiffin.. We used to love it and she used to just hand over her tiffin to us(which was twice a week) when it was Chitranna.. She said it was a very common item at her home and she had been eating it since childhood and so was bored to eat the same thing again and again :D We shameless people didnt even care to ask her the recipe, and would just ask to bring it more often..

And now time comes that you have to cook things yourself, I have learnt to cook some dishes from other regions as well.. And since my husband encourages me by eating everything without complaining (does he have any other option?? ;) ), I keep trying things.. When it comes to inviting friends for dinner, one rice dish is a must.. And when the same friends are invited more often, the menu should not be repeated. (Both of us agree on this rule!) That is how I learnt to make Chitranna, the flavourful lemon rice from the Karnataka Cuisine! The crispy dals, the munchy nuts and the zest of lemon have made this dish one of our favourite rice dish. Chitranna goes over to Sharmi for "JFI-Rice" and Asha for "RCI-Karnataka Cuisine"

Chitranna

reparation Time:

30 mins

Serves:

3-4

What you need:

2 cups Basmati Rice
5-6 Curry Leaves
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
1 tbsp Chana Dal
1 tbsp Urad Dal
1 tbsp Moong Dal
2 Onions, sliced
4 Green Chillies, chopped
1/2 tsp Turmeric
1 tbsp Roasted Peanuts
5-6 Cashews
Juice of 1 Lemon
Salt to taste
2 tbsp Oil

How to proceed:

1) Cook Basmati rice in water until just done and then drain excess water..
2) Spread in a wide pan to cool
3) Heat oil, fry peanuts and cashews and keep aside
4) To remaining oil, add curry leaves, mustard seeds and cumin seeds
5) When they start spluttering, add all 3 dals and fry until they turn golden
6) Add chilies and sliced onions and cook for a min
7) Add turmeric, salt, nuts and cashews
8) Now add rice and mix well
9) Squeeze juice of lemon over rice,mix well and turn off gas!

Serve hot wit tomato rasam or raitas..

Rawa Laddu

When it comes to microwave cooking, I am *scared*.. A friend packing up to go back to India left his microwave(without the book of instructions) at our place 2 months back.. It took us one month to take time to check if it was in good condition.. We then started using it for re-heating veggies and at times cooking rice.. When Srivalli announced the "microwave easy cooking" event, I discovered that I was the only one in this blog world who was afraid to load the microwave with any tough tasks! Looking at some other real tough entries for making desserts in microwave, I decided to try making something on the easier side... Also since Srivalli had extended the deadline for accepting entries, I had to make something! Finally I tried my hubby's favourite sweet, Rawa Laddus, last weekend.. This is a very common sweet at my place, and I need to make it twice a month, at times investing 2-3 hours.. The laddus in microwave turned equally good, and saved me a lot of time n efforts.. With my college starting next week I was worried how I gonna cater to my husband's wish for a continuous supply of these and besan laddus, but now am totally relaxed about this :) Thanks Srivalli for this event and other bloggers , I am no more afraid of experimenting with the microwave now :D Am sharing both ways the normal one and the microwave one...

Rawa/Semolina/Suji Laddu

*Total* Preparation Time:

1.5-2 hrs normally
Less than 1 hr in microwave

Makes:

10-12 big Laddus

What you need:

2 cups Fine Semolina/Rawa/Suji
1.5 cups Powdered Sugar
3/4 cup Ghee
1 tsp Powdered Cardamom
8-10 Cashews cut into pieces (Optional)
12-15 Raisins (Optional)

How to proceed:

1) Place rawa in a microwave safe bowl and add ghee to it.. Mix well and place in microwave on high for 6 mins
2) Keep stiring in between at interval of every one minute.. (6 mins)
[In case not using microwave:
*1) Heat ghee in a pan and add semolina to it
*2) Roast on low medium stiring constantly till u smell aroma of rawa.. (30-40 mins)
This procedure usually takes 30 mins or so and your hands tend to retire before the rolling of laddus starts!
Follow rest of the steps as below]
3) When done, remove and set aside to cool in a wide plate (30 mins)
4) Once cool, add powdered sugar cardamom and nuts and mix well to remove lumps. I prefer not adding any nuts to rawa laddus.
5) Roll laddus with hand.
6) If they break easily and are hard to roll, add 2-3 tbsp hot melted ghee and then try rolling in circular shape..
7) Store in air tight container and enjoy for next few days!

The above snap is of microwave rawa laddus..Have a look at the ones I made 2-3 weeks back.. Dont both look equally mouth watering???? :)


* From now on, the microwave will be used to the fullest ;)

Celebrating RakshaBandhan with Gajar ka Halwa!

Happy RakshaBandhan to all my blogger friends! Ask my brother whats RakshaBandhan and he would say "money making business for girls!!" :D For those who dont know, I have a real bro elder to me whom I call "Da" (Dada is marathi word for elder bro but its tooo long for me, hence......) And I used to agree with him on this till last year when we used to be together on RakshaBandhan day! But now both of us have better definitions for this festival.. Before my marriage all we did was quarrelling (and we plan to continue fighting when I am back in India), but now we really miss each other.. Sometime back he just called to wish me and I happily asked him to courier me some gift.. Oh yes, I didnt forget to courier a Rakhi so he better not forget about the gift! ;)

Its just impossible to find Rakhi material here in Belgium.. I tried nearly all the shops, even childrens hobby classes but nothing could suit my taste.. Finally I got some wool and made a batch of simple Rakhis for Da, a cricket team of cousins and Sid n Vish, two most important people in my life- whom duniya will call rakhee brothers, but for me they are just as close to me as is my real brother.. They have been by my side through all my tough times and at times helping me take the toughest decisions in my life.. The best gift that I have for Rakshabandhan is the assurance that whenever I need them they are just a call away! Love u guys n miss u very much! Happy RakshaBandhan.. A glimpse of the rakhis I made and sent alongwith handwritten letters which my brothers just loved!

Festivals are always associated with sweets and I decided to make something sweet today.. Now I cant make all the variety of sweets which my choosy bros love (with one becoming highly health conscious these days and posting all health funde on his blog :P) so decided to make my favourite.. Gajar Ka Halwa.. The most famous Indian dessert, thanks to Bollywood ;) 9 out of 10 mothers in Hindi films welcome their sons coming back from Pardes with a bowl of his favourite sweet.. No points for guessing.. its my dear favourite Gajar ka Halwa! :) Here's a bowl for u guys!!

Gajar Halwa

Makes:

3-4 servings

Preparation Time:

40-45 mins

What you need:

4-5 Carrots (2-2.5 cups grated carrots)
3 cups Whole Milk
2 tbsp Ghee
1-11/2 cups Sugar [may vary depending on sweetness of carrots]
1/2 tsp Elaichi Powder
4-5 strands of Saffron
Nuts (Golden Raisins, chopped cashews, almonds and pistachios)

How to proceed:

1) Boil milk
2) Heat 1 tbsp Ghee in a non-stick pan and fry cashews and raisins till they turn golden brown
3) Keep them aside and add grated carrots in the remaining ghee
4) Saute carrots for a 2-3 minutes
5) Now add cardamom, saffron and boiled milk and cook on medium low heat till all the milk is absorbed. Keep stiring at intervals. This might take 15-20 mins
6) When milk is nearly absorbed, add sugar, fried cashews and other nuts
7) Add remaining 1 tbsp Ghee
8) Cook till ghee separates from the sides of the pan (If you prefer mushy version as I do, cook for just 2-3 minutes)
9) Serve hot or cold.. I prefer the refridgerated one! :)


* Next Gajar Halwa is gonna be a trial in microwave.. Am looking for time saving recipes these days.. Hope it turns out equally good!

Belgian Waffles

Glenna's theme for Weekend Breakfast Blogging (WBB#14)-"Ethnic Dishes with a Twist!" really inspired me to try my hand at making waffles at home! Staying in Belgium for past 10 months, I had to post something local to this place... I have been eating waffles regularly at a joint which boasts of "The Best Waffles in the World".. I always wonder how he can proclaim without having tasted waffles at all other places in the world ;) When it comes to food, Belgians are proud of their waffles, chocolates and frites- the thing we call "frech fries" were actually invented in Belgium.. Other than crossiants, pastries, chocolate bread or toasted bread with jam/cheese etc., a typical(traditional) Belgian breakfast consists of waffles topped with hot chocolate or whipped cream, served with fruits and juices or coffee.. Thanks to my allery towards breakfast, I enjoyed this "belgian breakfast" yesterday for lunch! :D Waffles with strawberry jam, fruits and juices...

Belgian Waffles

Preparation Time:

20 mins (if 4 waffles at a time)

Makes:

8 waffles of the size above

What you need:

1 cup All Purpose Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
2 tbsp Sugar
2 tbsp Butter, melted
1 tsp Oil
1 cup Milk
2 eggs, beaten
Pinch of Salt

* Waffle maker

How to proceed:

1) Combine all the ingredients, mix well and keep aside for 4-5 mins
2) Pre-heat the waffle maker according to instructions.. If you dont have a waffle maker, go over to some friend who has one.. I did the same thing :D
3) Put batter on the hot waffle tray and close it
4) Bake for about 2 mins (Till waffles turn golden brown)
5) Serve hot or store it and heat in microwave before serving!


* Usually served with hot chocolate, whipped cream topped with fruits.