RM2-Day 30- Maida Halwa

This is a recipe I got from Easycrafts's Simple Indian Food- An Easy Cooking Blog.

It was so easy and it came out good. This being the last post for Recipe Marathon, I am thrilled I made it till here (yeah I missed a day, but I guess, 29 days of posting is not bad huh :)
It was a fun adventurous ride and I enjoyed the part of cooking and posting everyday :) I am motivated to keep blogging frequently because of this event , I must say :). It doesn't seem that tough to keep up with the Marathon , now that I look at it. I am glad I made a whole lot of new blog buddies too , yes that's one of the exciting part of running a Recipe Marathon :) . I am sure I would love to take part in another Marathon, not immediately though :)

Congrats to all of you fellow Marathoners in completing this race :) I thoroughly enjoyed running along with you people , it was fun to see so many recipes everyday !

Last Day Recipe Marathon 2 - Day30:

1. DK
   
2. Siri
   
3. Srivalli
   
4. Ranji
   
5. PJ
   
6. Curry Leaf
   
7. Priya
   
8. Bhawana
   
9. Raaji
   
10. Ruchii
    
11. Anu
    
12. Kamala
    
13. Medha
    
14. Divya Kudua
    
15. Rekha
    
16. Divya M
    
17. Lakshmi
    
18. Raaga
    
19. Lakshmi Venkatesh
    
20. Sripriya
    
21. Viji
    
22. Kamalika
    
23. Pavani
    
24. Karuna
    
25. Roochi

RM2-Day29-Vegetable Omelette

I made this as I was lazy to make anything else today after a tiring Black Friday :) . I had a good time yesterday , though I was mostly window shopping. Today we had a late Breakfast.
We had a lot of eggs in the refrigerator. I decided to make a frittata, but then decided to make a simple vegetable omelet. What simpler way of having breakfast on a lazy weekend. I read in some blog that back in Kerala, fast food stalls make omelet with sunny side up.
I remember having those a long time back when I was a kid. But I don't quiet remember whether it was sunny side up (as a kid, who cares as long as you get to eat it :) . I decided to try it today and it was so tasty. I cut up mushrooms, shallots, green chillies.
Sauteed them in a well greased pan (if you using non-stick, much better) , on high flame. Then I beat 4 eggs. I added 3 teaspoons all purpose flour, 1/4 cup milk, and a little salt n pepper and beat again. Poured it on the pan on medium-low flame. Spread some freshly grated cheese and allowed it to cook in this flame until eggs stop flowing. Then carefully transfer the Omelet to a serving plate. There, you have it, vegetable omelet.

I am curious to know whats cooking in other marathoners blog:

1)DK 2) Srivalli 3) Ranji 4)PJ 5)Medha 6)Priya 7)Bhawna 8)Raaji 9)Ruchii 10)Anu 11)Kamala 12)Curry Leaves13)Divya Kudua 14)Rekha 15)Divya M 16)Lakshmi 17)Raaga 18)LakshmiVenkatesh 19) Sripriya 20)Viji 21)Kamalika 22)Pavani 23)Karuna 24)Roochi

RM2-Day 28- Egg Biriyani

I made this for Thanksgiving. I am in a bit of hurry , hence I am just posting a condensed recipe here. I will post the detailed recipe very soon. So for now I am posting the photos along with a brief recipe. Here goes the recipe:

I used 1 cup of rice (I used the Himalayan Basmati rice from BJ's) for two people. I boiled two eggs. I sauteed, various spices in 3 tablespoons olive oil. I added various veggies, including capsicum, mushrooms, onions, garlic, ginger, coriander leaves, mint leaves, and curry leaves (yes i added these leaves together with these veggies whilesauteing).
Then I checked for salt and added the rice and the boiled eggs too. I added enough water (2.5 cups) and kept it on a high flame. When the water boils, I lowered the flame to low and allowed to cook for 20 minutes or until all water is absorbed. Then I added caramelised onions as a garnish and served it with Roasted Chicken.
This is also my entry for Rice Mela hosted by Srivalli

RM2- Day 28: mmmm, I can smell something yummy cooking in my fellow Marathoner's blog :

1) Siri, 2) Srivalli, 3) Ranji, 4)PJ, 5) Curry Leaf, 6) Medha,
7) Priya, 8) Bhawna, 9) Raaji, 10) Ruchii, 11) Anu, 12) Kamala,
13)DK, 14) Divya Kudua, 15) Rekha, 16) Divya M, 17)Lakshmi,
18)Raaga , 19) Lakshmi Venkatesh , 20) Sripriya, 21) Viji,
22) Kamalika, 23)Pavani,>,24)Karuna,25)Roochi

RM2- Day 27- Thanksgiving Roasted Chicken

Happy Thanksgiving to all my dear Readers and Friends ! On this occassion I would like to thank each and everyone of my readers who kept up my spirits with their inspirational comments. I would also take this opportunity to thank my Family, especially my husband Vijay who has been a constant source of encouragement. My late father and God for everything.
This is mine and V's first time trying to roast a whole chicken. I was actually inspired by Ina Garten who demonstrated how to roast a whole chicken. Her show has always fascinated me. We decided to choose chicken as it was just the two of us at home and Turkey would have been too much on the table :) And this being our first time celebrating Thanksgiving, we decided to keep it simple :) .
Roasting a whole chicken was not as difficult as I imagined. We had purchased 2 whole chickens from BJ's. Today morning, V kept it in the refrigerator for thawing. I was in full enthusiasm in the morning to start the Thanksgiving cooking:) . After a cup of refreshing coffee made by V, I entered my Kitchen :) .
The chicken was taking a long time to thaw, hence I put the plastic covered chicken in a vessel with warm water. After it was completly thawed, I removed it from the cover and washed it in cold water. I cleaned it completly and wiped it dry. Then I generously marinated it outside and inside with salt , pepper and any other spices I could find in the kitchen. I cut the butter in small cubes (around 2 tablespoons) and put it inside the chicken. Then I rubbed the chicken with olive oil outside and inside. Its important to generously season and grease inside and outside the chicken if you need a good flavor.
I cut small slits in some parts of the chicken. Then I also seasoned it with the Tandoori paste. I stuffed a variety of vegetables (shallots, green chilli, lemon juice (or cut lemon), mushroom, coriander leaves, curry leaves, sliced onion) inside the chicken. Tied the legs of the chicken as shown in the picture with a thin piece of cloth (usually a twine is used for this purpose, but we didnt have any, hence it was V's idea :) and it worked very well).
Placed the chicken, breast side up, inside the oven , 375 degrees F. Roasted it for 1 hour, 10 minutes. To check the chicken for doneness, cut the hardest muscle part of the chicken (mainly around the thighs). If the juices flow clear, it means the chicken is ready.
For extra safety, I decided to broil the chicken for 10 minutes. For that, I removed the cloth tying the legs, and kept it in the oven, which I turned to broil setting.

The color of the chicken was too good. Me and V were so excited. V carved the chicken after it was done. I had made Egg Biriyani and we had a nice heavy lunch :) I must say it was quiet tiring, but, its a nice way to celebrate the essence of Thanksgiving:) I look forward to doing it every year :)

RM2-Day 27- I cant wait to see what my fellow marathoners have made :


1) Siri, 2) Srivalli, 3) Ranji, 4)PJ, 5) Curry Leaf, 6) Medha,
7) Priya, 8) Bhawna, 9) Raaji, 10) Ruchii, 11) Anu, 12) Kamala,
13)DK, 14) Divya Kudua, 15) Rekha, 16) Divya M, 17)Lakshmi,
18)Raaga , 19) Lakshmi Venkatesh , 20) Sripriya, 21) Viji,
22) Kamalika, 23)Pavani,>,24)Karuna,25)Roochi

RM2- Day 26- Pink Rava Laddoo

I was in the mood to make some sweet today as V was working from home and he has a sweet tooth :) . I found this a good chance to try out one of the easiest Indian sweets: Rava Laddoo. Its a very common festive sweet in India. I had tried it a very long time back (maybe when we were just married and I remember that the shape didn't hold well that time.
Hence I decided to improve that part. I also wanted a different color for the Laddoo than the authentic white. Hence I added a pinch of color.
I did not have any raisins or cashews, so I decided to add chopped candied cherries which are now available in the markets due to the approaching holiday season. The taste was really good.
I had also used melted butter instead of ghee as I didn't have ghee. I followed Srivalli 's recipe for making Rava Laddoo. I forgot to add grated coconut and I guess that's why, while making balls for the Laddoo, I had to sprinkle a little bit water to hold the shape.

V and me and enjoyed it lots and I will be making this often when it comes to sweets:)

RM2: Day 26...Still rocking and running with full swing :) ...Check out what my fellow marathoners have cooked:


1) Siri, 2) Srivalli, 3) Ranji, 4)PJ, 5) Curry Leaf, 6) Medha,
7) Priya, 8) Bhawna, 9) Raaji, 10) Ruchii, 11) Anu, 12) Kamala,
13)DK, 14) Divya Kudua, 15) Rekha, 16) Divya M, 17)Lakshmi,
18)Raaga , 19) Lakshmi Venkatesh , 20) Sripriya, 21) Viji,
22) Kamalika, 23)Pavani,>,24)Karuna,25)Roochi

RM2- Day 25- Kuch Khatta Kuch Meetta Malai Kofta :)

I was tempted to try making Malai Kofta after a recent Potluck at a friend's place. I was impressed with the Malai Kofta made by one of the ladies. Malai Koftas are deep fried or baked Vegetable /Meat dumplings in a thick creamy sauce. Its the first time I tried Malai Kofta today and I am glad to say it came out really good :) I didn't have the usual Cream, so I decided to substitute it with Cream of Coconut (I named it Cream of Coconut because it looked like cream when the Canned Coconut milk solidified when I refrigerated it.
Khatta means "Tangy" and Meetta means "Sweet" , and the ingredients I used for giving it these tastes are a combination of Tomato paste and diced Pineapple. I was anxious initially if the taste of coconut milk would be appropriate forMalai Kofta, but I was craving for this dish and hence decided to go along with the ingredients I had. I didn't want to use just plain milk. This is how I made it:

Ingredients:

For the Kofta
============

2 cups mixed vegetables: I used peas, carrots, beans, cauliflower, spinach
1 medium potato cooked and mashed
Ginger garlic paste- 1 T
Minced green chillies
2 T Besan (Chickpea flour)
Bread crumbs: 1/2 cup
1/2 cup grated Cheese (I used Gouda Cheese, as that's what I had as cheese in my refrigerator)
Salt and Pepper
Oil for deep frying

For the gravy
===========

1 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup diced pineapple
1/2 cup tomato puree
Onion powder (you may use sliced onions and caramelise it before adding the tomato puree to the pan)
Mashed Garlic and minced ginger-1/4 cup together
Fennel seed powder : 1/2 teaspoon
Asafoetida: a pinch
Coriander powder, Cumin powder: 1/ 2 tspn each
Green chilly slit in middle: 4 nos
Garam masala, Coriander leaves (chopped), Pudina leaves (chopped): for garnish
Water: 1 cup
Curry leaves - 3-4


Method:

For making Kofta
=============
Cook the vegetables partially. Drain the water and wipe them dry as much as you can. Chop them very finely (I used my chopper). Add all the other ingredients and mix them well. Form small balls (size of key lime) and deep fry them in oil and drain them on paper towels.

Note: Koftas are added to the gravy only just before serving as they tend to break if soaked early.


For making Gravy:
============
In a flat pan on high heat, add 3 tablespoons oil and when its hot, reduce to medium and add all the spice powder (except Garam Masala). Add the green chillies, Curry leaves, Ginger, Garlic and saute until the raw smell goes off. Add the thickly diluted tomato puree and increase the flame and wait until the mixture starts to boil. Add the Lima beans (optional). Reduce the flame to medium and add little water, just enough to cover the Lima beans. Let the Beans cook. After it is cooked, reduce flame to medium-low and add thickly diluted coconut milk. Stir and add salt. Then increase flame a little and let the mixture heat up and then lower it . Then add Pineapple pieces and stir well. Add little water if the gravy becomes too thick. Keep flame at medium-low and cover the pan . Let the mixture cook for 3-4 minutes (lower the flame if the gravy reduces.Switch off flame and spread the garnishes.


Add the Koftas and serve immediately with Roti, Naan, or even plain rice. I served mine with Lemon Rice :) . It had the subtle taste of Coconut milk accompanied by a tangy taste of Tomato and sweetness of Pineapple. The Koftas when mixed with gravy gave a richness to the dish.

RM2- Day 25 - Check what my buddies are up to in their kitchen:

1) Siri, 2) Srivalli, 3) Ranji, 4)PJ, 5) Curry Leaf, 6) Medha,
7) Priya, 8) Bhawna, 9) Raaji, 10) Ruchii, 11) Anu, 12) Kamala,
13)DK, 14) Divya Kudua, 15) Rekha, 16) Divya M, 17)Lakshmi,
18)Raaga , 19) Lakshmi Venkatesh , 20) Sripriya, 21) Viji,
22) Kamalika, 23)Pavani,>,24)Karuna,25)Roochi

RM2 -Day 24 - Spiced Tomato-Spinach Dosa

I love dosas and I have been looking forward to making different dosas. RM2 gave me an opportunity for that I can say :) My mom used to make dosas by adding Drumstick leaves (in Konkani we call this as "Mishinga Paththiye Polo" where Drumstick leaves are called "Mishinga Paththi" and "Polo" means Dosa)
I never found this leaf in the Indian store near our place or in any US food market. So I decided to find a nice substitute, considering the fact that I had a lot of leftover spinach. From the name of this dosa, you might have already guessed the ingredients and the way to make it. What I am about to share is the situation behind why I made this dosa. It came out of necessity.

To start with I was trying to use Urad flour and Rice flour to make the batter in the ratio (1 cup urad dal:2 cups Rice flour). I even added a very little pinch of yeast and a teaspoon of powdered fenugreek seeds (methi seeds) . The batter did not rise even a bit and I guess its because I failed to add enough water. So I added little more water and a little bit more yeast and kept it for fermentation another 3 hours. So total hours of fermentation = 12 hours + 3 hours = 18 hours. Still I couldn't see even a faint rise in the level of batter. I had enough of this and I was anxious that the whole batter would get spoiled if I kept it out any longer, so I took the batter out of the oven and transferred to the refrigerator. Today I added a little more water to the batter and a little more salt and did a quick taste testing, mmphh, no sour taste, just bland and nothing special like a dosa batter :( ....Thats when I decided to spice it up with my spices and Spinach and for that sourness a bit of tomato paste and a yet another piece of taste maker , the ginger. I minced it fine and added it to the batter and made crisp dosas. mmmm it tasted good at last :)

Note:
Methi leaves are also tasty leaves to add while making dosa. I had tried it and it had also tasted equally good.

RM2- Day 24- Check what my other friend's have prepared:
1) Siri, 2) Srivalli, 3) Ranji, 4)PJ, 5) Curry Leaf, 6) Medha,
7) Priya, 8) Bhawna, 9) Raaji, 10) Ruchii, 11) Anu, 12) Kamala,
13)DK, 14) Divya Kudua, 15) Rekha, 16) Divya M, 17)Lakshmi,
18)Raaga , 19) Lakshmi Venkatesh , 20) Sripriya, 21) Viji,
22) Kamalika, 23)Pavani,>,24)Karuna,25)Roochi

RM2- Day23- Roasted Bell Pepper and Garlic Sandwich

I am on a mission to use my broiler to its maximum benefits:) I used it to make a lot of recipes in RM2 especially :) You may view them under the label "Broil" in my blog. So thanks to DK for hosting this event, hence I have been making good use of my broiler :-) . I made this easy sandwich which is healthy and equally tasty.
I seasoned the bell pepper with salt, pepper, olive oil, Italian seasoning, and onion powder. Meanwhile I microwaved few garlic cloves with the skin for 20 seconds , so that garlic is partially cooked. Then I slit the garlic and applied the same spices and oil to the garlic as I did for the bell pepper. I kept the garlic inside the Bell Pepper and broiled until the colour changed to a beautiful charred colour.
I then sandwiched them along with various cheese and also added some tomato flavoured roasted Potato (You may refer this link for the recipe of Broiled Potatoes , there is a variation I did this time and that was to add tomato paste as a flavour to the potatoes before broiling)between 2 Pumpernickel Bread slices . Then I added few drops of hot sauce to give it a hot shot :)


I sprayed some olive oil on both sides of the bread which was exposed and broiled until the bread became crispy. The bread was crunchy and tender every bite :) I would make this again as I now have another way to use up my bell Peppers. I would also caramelize onion the next time I make this sandwich :)


Check what's happening in my fellow buddies's blog:)

Here are their links:
1) Siri, 2) Srivalli, 3) Ranji, 4)PJ, 5) Curry Leaf, 6) Medha,
7) Priya, 8) Bhawna, 9) Raaji, 10) Ruchii, 11) Anu, 12) Kamala,
13)DK, 14) Divya Kudua, 15) Rekha, 16) Divya M, 17)Lakshmi,
18)Raaga , 19) Lakshmi Venkatesh , 20) Sripriya, 21) Viji,
22) Kamalika, 23)Pavani,>,24)Karuna,25)Roochi

RM2- Day 22- Edamame, Spinach gravy

I had written about Edamame in one of my previous posts. One of my readers asked me how it would taste if used in curries. I prepared a gravy using Edamame and Spinach. Edamame was very buttery and soft on the bite side and has a delicate flavor. I loved the combination with spinach. It gave a rich texture. Here is the gravy I made the base for which is the ingredients I made for the spicy Potato gravy which you may refer here. Just add Edamame and Spinach to it and you can have it with plain rice .

Day 22 RM2: Check what my buddies have prepared :

1) Siri, 2) Srivalli, 3) Ranji, 4)PJ, 5) Curry Leaf, 6) Medha,
7) Priya, 8) Bhawna, 9) Raaji, 10) Ruchii, 11) Anu, 12) Kamala,
13)DK, 14) Divya Kudua, 15) Rekha, 16) Divya M, 17)Lakshmi,
18)Raaga , 19) Lakshmi Venkatesh , 20) Sripriya, 21) Viji,
22) Kamalika, 23)Pavani,>,24)Karuna,25)Roochi

RM2- Day 21- Broiled Cheesy Garlic Pumpernickel Bread

Don't let the words Pumpernickel scare you off :) Its just a mildly flavoured bread. The flavour includes the caraway seeds, rye, and other ingredients. We buy the dark version of Pumpernickel bread. If you want to know more refer here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pumpernickel

I loved the unique taste of this bread and its deep color. I decided to make Garlic bread out of it, but then I remembered that we had recently purchased a cheese named : Gouda , and Swiss cheese ,and I wanted to try it. So I decided to make Cheese Garlic bread in my broiler. I referred the Internet to know how garlic breads are usually prepared, and I decided to make my version with different spices.
The Swiss cheese

Gouda cheese
Pumpernickel bread

This is how I made it:

Ingredients:

Pumpernickel bread (you may use any other loaf bread or the traditional French or Italian bread used for Garlic bread): 2 slices
Butter: 1/4 cup
Olive Oil : 1 tablespoon
Mashed garlic (Microwave garlic with their skin for 15 seconds) : 5 cloves
Pepper
Salt
Onion powder
Italian seasoning
Cheese slice (I used Swiss cheese): 2 nos
Grated cheese (I used Gouda cheese)
Method:

Mix butter along with salt, pepper, garlic, onion powder, Italian seasoning, olive oil and form a thick spreadable paste. Apply it on all sides of the bread slices. Add grated cheese on any top of the bread slices. I placed these slices on a aluminium foil leaving space between each slice so as to broil them individually. I broiled them until all the cheese melted. Then I sandwiched one slice of cheese between the bread slices and the other on the top the sandwich slice and broiled until the cheese melted and forms a light brown coating on the cheese.

This can be served as such or dunk into a hot bowl of soup such as Sweet Corn Edamame Soup :-)

Dont you want to know what else is cooking? Check my buddies's blog, you will be delighted:

1) Siri, 2) Srivalli, 3) Ranji, 4)PJ, 5) Curry Leaf, 6) Medha,
7) Priya, 8) Bhawna, 9) Raaji, 10) Ruchii, 11) Anu, 12) Kamala,
13)DK, 14) Divya Kudua, 15) Rekha, 16) Divya M, 17)Lakshmi,
18)Raaga , 19) Lakshmi Venkatesh , 20) Sripriya, 21) Viji,
22) Kamalika, 23)Pavani,>,24)Karuna,25)Roochi

RM2- Day 20 - Sweet corn Edamame soup

We had purchased frozen Edamame during our grocery shopping last weekend. I was looking forward to incorporate it in our food for health benefits. Edamame is a Japanese preparation of baby soybean in the pods, for further information please refer : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edamame

I was inspired to buy Edamame after seeing one of Alton Brown's show on Food Network on Edamame. I decided to make mine and V's all time favorite soup : Sweet Corn soup with Edamame as addition. To make Sweet corn soup, I prefer to buy the canned version of sweet corn cream style, add a little water , some veggies like cabbage, green chilli, and ofcourse Edamame.


I added 50:50 portions of the cream style corn and water along with the veggies, salt and pepper, 1 tablespoon of vinegar, simmered it , and under low fire, for 20 minutes. Served it with Broiled Cheesy Garlic Bread, the recipe for which will be posted in the next few days :)


I cant wait to know what my buddies have prepared in their kitchen:

1) Siri, 2) Srivalli, 3) Ranji, 4)PJ, 5) Curry Leaf, 6) Medha,
7) Priya, 8) Bhawna, 9) Raaji, 10) Ruchii, 11) Anu, 12) Kamala,
13)DK, 14) Divya Kudua, 15) Rekha, 16) Divya M, 17)Lakshmi,
18)Raaga , 19) Lakshmi Venkatesh , 20) Sripriya, 21) Viji,
22) Kamalika, 23)Pavani,>,24)Karuna,25)Roochi