Karupatti Appam / Palm Sugar Appam & Award

I am very happy to take a part of SNC challenge which is started by Divya of You Too Can Cook. In this event two team challenge each other with their traditional and authentic dish.This month Southern team challenges us with this regional recipe Karupatti Appam by Shama of easy 2 Cook Recipes and southern team got a challenge to make Gujrat famous farsan - Khandvi from Hetal of Gujrati Zaika.

Karupatti Appam is a very popular street food in Tamilnadu. appam is made with rice and dal mixture that is a type of steamed indian pancake. I served this appam with Aloo matar sabzi and tomato sauce. After tasting this appam I just love this. Thanks a lot to Shama for this awesome challenge.

Ingredients :

Boiled rice - 1 cup
Raw rice - 1 cup
Urad dal - a handful
Palm jaggery (Karupatti) - 250 gms

Method :

Make a thick jaggery syrup. Once cool then filter it and remove all the purities by using strainer.

Soak the rice and dal for 2-3 hours. Grind it to a smooth batter no farmentation needed.

Finally mix jaggery syrup with the batter without any lumps.

Heat appam tawa, pour a small ladle of batter in the center then hold its hadle with the hands and rotate the pans, hence the ladle will spread like a dosa.

Spread a spoon of oil over it, cover with a lid and cook it slow flames till done. 

The center part will be of and edge crispy. Just roll over.

Serve hot Karupatti Appam with sabzi & tomato sauce.

Now it is award time.......

For the month of March 2013, I was awarded by Divya Pramil as "Well Presented Award" for Hyderabadi Vegetable Dum Biriyani. 

SNC-6 We feel proud that Northern Team Won

Sending this to Divya & Shama's SNC 7

Paneer Pasanda

Paneer pasanda is a very rich and creamy gravy which is cooked in onion, flavors of ginger-garlic, cashew paste, yogurt and delicate blend of spices. I adapted this exotic recipe from Meena of Homely Food. 

Ingredients :

For the paneer cutlets ~

Paneer, Crumble - 1 cup 
Maida - 3 tbsp
Pepper - 1/2 tsp
Bread - 3 slices
Salt as needed
Oil as needed

For the gravy ~ 

Onion - 1 & 1/2 cup, sliced
Ginger-garlic - 1 tbsp, chopped
Tomato - 1, chopped
Curd - 1/2 cup
Cashew - 8
Kashmiri red chilli powder 1 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt as needed
Oil - 2 tbsp
Coriander leaves for garnishing

Method :

In a bowl mix crumble paneer, salt, pepper, maida and bread slices. Make small cutlets of your choice of shape.

Heat a non stick pan with little oil shallow fry the cutlets till cook both side to golden brown..

For the gravy, heat oil in an another pan add onion, ginger-garlic, tomato and cashew, until onion turn golden brown. Cool and grind to a smooth paste with a little bit of water.

Heat pan with oil, fry ground paste for 3-4 mins in medium flames. Add kashmiri red chilli and garam masala powder, fry until oil separates.

Now add beaten curd, cook until oil separates from the gravy. Then add 3/4 cup water and bring to boil.

Arrange the cutlets in a serving bowl and pour the gravy over it. 

Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot with pulao and roti/naans.



Sending this recipe Indrani's "Spotlight - Show Your Best Creation" event, Jagruti's "Gain Popularity" event, Viji's "Soul food show & giveaway" and Meenu's "Try my recipes Event & Giveaway"

Rose Flavors Rava Kesari / Semolina Pudding

Rose flavor Indian semolina pudding is one of the most simplest dessert. This is served as 'Prasad' in temple and festival. Easy to prepare with few ingredients available in most Indian kitchen.

Recipe source :  Homely Food
Ingredients :

Semolina - 1/2 cup
Sugar - 1 cup
Rose syrup - 1 tbsp
Ghee/oil - 2 tbsp (I used ghee)
Water as needed
Nuts for garnishing

Method :

Heat ghee or oil in a pan fry the semolina on medium heat take care not to make brown.

Add one cup water and rose syrup to it, keep stirring the pan.The semolina does not form into lumps.

When the semolina is well cooked then add sugar and keep stirring while the sugar melts. It comes into a thick pudding like consistency. Switch off the flame.

Remove the pan and serve hot garnish with chopped almonds.






Sending this to Recipe Junction 's "Spotlight : Show Your Best Creation" event hosted by me, Homely Food's "Event & Giveaway", Simply Tadka's "CWS-Almond" event, Nivedhanam's "Authentic Indian Sweets" event

Channa Masala

Chana masala is a Punjabi dish which consists of chickpeas. This is one of popular dish of Indian cuisine.There are many version of this dish available across India. Mostly chana are cooked with lots of onion, garlic, ginger, tomato. My version is without onion, garlic with just little oil.  Chana masala means spiced chickpeas curry, chana mean chickpeas and masala means a mixture of spices. 

Recipe Source : Homely Food 

Ingredients :
Kabuli Chana - 11/2 cup 
Potato - 1 cup, boiled 
Tomato - 1 cup
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Ginger paste - 1 tsp
Tomato puree - 1 cup (Remove the skin of tomato and blended)
Green chilli - 2
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Cumin powder  - 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida - a pinch
Gram flour - 1 tbsp
Sugar - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil - 2 tbsp

Method :

Chana soaked in enough water overnight and pressure cooked till soft with some salt.

Heat oil in a pan, add asafoetida and cumin seeds, when seeds are splutter then add gram flour and continue stiring till the color to light brown. Then add red chilli, turmeric, coriander, cumin powder, green chilli, mix well.

Now add cooked chana, salt and sugar, mix well. add 1 cup of water to it. Let the chana masala simmer for 15 mins on a low flame.  

Garnish with ring onion and red chilli.

Chana masala served with Roti, poori or rice...

Sending this to Homely food's Event & giveaway

Microwave Raw Mango Chunda

Raw Mango Chunda is a hot sweet and sour tasting mango pickel. Inspired from Tarla Dalal's recipe I am sharing this quick mango chunda recipe. The instant chunda is very easy to make with just few ingredients that you would already have in your kitchen. Mix raw mango with sugar, salt, turmeric, chilli and roasted cumin powder and that's it we have a chunda/pickle ready. This pickle is a very popular recipe and can also be used with pancake, parathas, pulao and sandwich or a dip with chips.  

Ingredients :

Raw mango - 1 cup (Peel the skin and grate the pulp)
Sugar - 1 cup (or as required)
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tbsp (to taste)
Roasted cumin seeds powder - 1 tsp
salt to taste

Method :

In a microwave bowl add grated mango pulp.

Then add sugar, turmeric powder, salt, mix well, keep aside for 5 mins. Microwave this mixture on High Power 3 minutes. Open and stir well. 

Check the sugar is well dissolves or not. Then mix the chilli powder and roasted cumin seeds powder, mix well. Put this mixture in microwave for 2 mins. 

Once cooled, mixture will be little sticky, then add red chilli powder, roasted cumin seeds powder give it a quick mix. Rest it for 5 mins.

Store in a sterilised glass jar. Store upto one year in refrigerator. 

Enjoy with roti, paratha and any indian bread..

Sending this to Viji's "Show your Style to the World Series - Mango" event, Aathidhyam's "Easy to prepare in 15 minutes" event

2 mins Eggless Chocolate Cake

This chocolate cake is eggless and can be prepared in just 2 mins. This cake is so moist and each bite gives you a rich chocolaty flovour. I had gotthis recipe from my blogger friend Meena of Homely food. I made this cake in microwave but who doesn't have it can steam slow cooker using stove top.

Ingredients :

All purpose Flour/White flour - 3 tbsp
Unsweetened cocoa powder - 11/2 tbsp
Sugar - 3 tbsp
Oil - 3 tbsp
Vanilla essence - 1 tbsp
Baking powder - 1 tsp
Milk - 2-3 tbsp
Salt a pinch
Few cashew for topping

Method :

Take a bowl mix all the dry ingredients. Flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt, mix it. 

Take an another bowl mix all wet ingredients. Milk, vanilla essence, oil and sugar, mix with a spoon.

Make it a runny batter and sure there were no lumps. Sprinkle few cashew on top. 

Put the bowl in microwave on full powder and cook for 2 mins by checking in between after 1 min. It should not be in convection mode. After 2 mins check if the cake is ready by inserting toothpick. If needed bake it for 1 min. Stopped the oven and leave the cake for few minutes.

Super moist eggless chocolate cake is ready......

Sending this to Recipe junction's "Spotlight : Show your best Creation"event, Homely Food's "event & giveaway" event 

Homely Food Event & Giveaway

One of my blogger friend Meena is celebrating her blog's 2nd anniversary. She has lovely food blog named Homely Food with lots of vegetarian recipes. Friends try out her recipes and win giveaway. Click here for more details. Participate & win the giveaway.

Announcement of Spotlight : May theme is Show Your Best

Thanks a lot to Indrani (of Recipe Junction ) for this wonderful opportunity to host this beautiful event. I am really excited to continue the event. I found so many great cook who shared their recipes with us. In that reason Spotlight : Show Your Best creation is extent for another one month. Hope you all will participate and make this event a great success and that will encourage me to continue more.

So, the theme of Spotlight : May is "Show Your Best Creation"

Deadline : May'15, 2013

Linky tools here 

Baked Rasgulla ~ Celebrating Bengali New Year With a twist of traditional sweet

Poila Baishakh is known as a Noboborso or Bengali New Year, as it is the first day of  Bengali Calender. This day is a very festive time for Bengalies. On this auspicious day everybody wear new dresses, wishes among friends and families. Guests are greeted snacks and sweets. And all bengalies being known for their love on food for the traditional preparation are the best attraction of this celebration. Wishing all my blogger friends and readers "Subho Noborsho" or Bengali Happy New Year..

   Baked rasgullas are very delicious preparation. A new variation to the famous bengali dessert rasamalai. Rasmalai is a Bengali dessert consisting of soft paneer balls immersed in chilled creamy milk flavored with cardamom powder. Rasgulla also known as Roshogolla, is regarded as the 'king of all Indian sweets'. Traditional sweets are usually prepared during festive occasions in our home. A special thanks to my blogger friend Arundhuti of My Saffron Kitchen who makes this wonderful baked rasgulla. It tastes best after refrigerating and serve chilled.

Ingredients :

Rasgulla - 10 pcs
Paneer - 200 gms
Condence milk - 4 tbsp
Nalen gur - 4 tbsp
Milk - 1 cup

Method :

Preheat the oven on 200°C.

Drain the rasgulla from the can and squeeze to remove any extra syrup inside.You don't have to squeeze the life out of them, just get most of the syrup out so that our milk mixture can get in and soak up the ragullas nicely.

Blend milk, condensed milk, nolen gur and paneer, mix well.

Next take a baking dish (I used square), arrange drained rasgullas then spread the smooth paneer mixture. Make sure it is evenly spread especially at the center.

Bake it for 30 minutes until a pale brown color.

Serve & Njoy.............

Sending this to Recipe Junction's "Spotlight - Show Your Best Creation" event, Madhavi's "Festival Recipes for Ugadi/ Gudi Padwa / Yugadi" event, Pavani's "Kid's Delight-5 ingredients fix", Hasna's "Mother's Day Event- mummy Ka Magic" and Nivedhanam's "Authentic Indian Sweets" event

Mughlai Paneer (Indian Cottage Cheese In Creamy Gravy)

An exotic mughlai dish made with paneer cooked in a rich cashew, poppy seeds, almond sauce and some spices. Some of the  significant ingredients of mughlai cuisine, as per the experts are the dry fruit, aromatic spices and milk which will give the dish creamy texture of the gravy.

Ingredients :

Paneer - 200 gms
Onion paste - 1/2 cup
Ginger paste - 1 tbsp
Garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Poppy seeds paste - 2 tbsp
Cashew paste - 1/2 cup
Almond paste - 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Sugar - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Milk - 1/2 cup
cinnamon - 1"
Cloves - 3-4
Cardamom - 4
Bay leaves - 2 nos.
Oil - 2 tbsp

Method :

Cut the paneer small pieces.

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan, put the paneer, fry them with little salt for 1 mins in medium flame. Keep aside.

In the same oil add cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, when they are crackled then add  onion paste, fry until golden brown. Then add ginger, garlic paste, cook for 2 mins.

Now add poppy seeds paste, turmeric powder, coriander powder, red chilli powder, sugar and salt, mix well. Fry for few minutes on low heat til the oil separates out.

Add cashew paste, almond paste, paneer, mix well with paneer. Now add 1/2 cup milk. Cover the lid and bring it to boil. 

Garnish it with chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot mughlai paneer with paratha, naan and any indian bread....