Recipe Index

Oven Baked Tomato Soup

January 21, 2012 By anusha 2 Comments

You remember me talking about my hubby s fancy soup only dinners? Well this was made just for one of those. And if you are curious, then let me tell you, that dinner concept has been long forgotten. We are on a fruit only diet now. I really really need some sympathy from you folks. I mean a girl wants to cook but the boy doesnt want to eat. Imagine that.

I know its not a great picture. I simply was not in the mood to click away that day. Lets just say the shutterbug dint bite me enough.

Prep Time: Under 20 mins

Cook Time: Under 20 mins

Source: loosely adapted from Vardhini

Serves 2

What you need?

4 large ripe tomatoes

1 small carrot peeled and chopped into small cubes

Milk ( i always use high fat. i told you i love my cheese, milk, butter, curd and ice cream) 1/2 cup

Vegetable stock 1 cup

Olive oil 2 tbsp

Garlic cloves 3 to 4

Onion small one not that hideously large onion out of which you already have scallions coming 1 chopped coarsely

Pepper 1 tsp

Salt to taste

For Garnish:

Cream 1 tbsp

How to make it?

Chop up the tomatoes roughly and place them on a baking sheet. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Drizzle 1 tsp olive oil on the tomatoes. Sprinkle pepper and salt. Bake for about 10 mins. Keep an eye on the oven after that as the tomatoes tend to burn quickly if they are ripe. Keep aside.

Heat a soup pan or whatever pan that you have. Who knows as long as they can have some soup? Now, add the remaining olive oil.

Saute the onions and garlic just till they are soft.Takes about 2 mins. This is a soup and not a curry so dont overdo the sauteeing.

Now, add the diced carrots and saute for 2 to 3 mins.

Add the roasted tomatoes and saute for about a min.

Toss in some salt and pepper. Combine well.

Add the stock and cook for 4 to 5 mins.

Let it cool. Blend to a puree in a blender.

Transfer to the same pan.
Add the milk to this and simmer for about 3 mins.

Dont boil the soup as the flavours vanish away.

Serve hot garnished with cream and croutons. I dint have any handy.

Javvarisi Vadai

January 20, 2012 By anusha 6 Comments

Sago is everybody s favourite here. Little translucent pearls. Make them into kichdi, upma, kheer or these crispy fritters, anyone will love them. I m not very fond of sago kheer. But anything else which has sago and i m jumping forward to grab a bite. I made these fritters long ago. I dont even remember when. That long ago. But it came out so well that i thought it will be a regular on our palate. But then , hubby launched into this crazy low carb fruits and fibres only diet. Imagine!! How can someone live like that?? Duh…. So sago fritters was forgotten. Then, when i was clearing up the picture folder on my lappie, i discovered these fritters and i thought, oh my god!! I ve not posted this…. I think that is prejudice.

Recipe For Javvarisi Vadai

( Learn how to make Javvarisi Vadai, crispy crunchy fritters with sago pearls)

Prep Time: 1 to 2 hours
Cook Time: Under 20 mins
Yields 10 to 15 fritters

What you need?

Sago or sabudhana or jawarisi 1/2 cup
Rice flour 1/2 cup
Green chillies 4 to 5 chopped finely
Peanuts roasted 2 tbsp crushed roughly
Sour curd 1/4 and a lil more
Salt to taste
Grated coconut 2 tbsp( optional)

Oil for deep frying 2 cups

How to make it?

Add all the ingredients except the oil in a mixing bowl.
Start adding the curd and knead in to a dough. You just have to add enough curd to bind the mixture into a dough like mass.
Let it rest for an hour or till the sago becomes soft. Different varieties of sago take different times to soften. So adjust accordingly.
You will find that the dough is crumbly now. The sago absorbs all the curd so the mixture becomes crumbly.
Add a little water if you feel the dough is too loose to bring back the dough like consistency.
Make small equal size balls of the dough and flatten them to little discs.
Heat up the oil in a kadai.
Drop the discs in the oil and fry on low flame until both sides turn golden brown.
Drain on a kitchen towel.

Serve hot with ketchup or mint chutney.

Mixed Veggie Manchurian

January 18, 2012 By anusha 7 Comments

I love chinese. You say c of chinese and my eyes will light up. I m a person who has eaten a zillion steamed rice and jade sauce for lunch while i was in college. I can see all those rolling eyes 🙂 I m crazy about eating chinese food. And then i discovered that my blog my food blog did not even have one chinese recipe. I mean how shameless can that be? I ve gobbled plate after plate of fried rice and manchurian all these years and the recipe is not on my blog!! That s when i woke up. Somehow, i m very provoked to pick up that bag of mushrooms in the refrigerator aisle at the supermarket. Hubby hates it but still i feel a compelling desire to pick it up as though some one s passing me a trophy. Then i come home and fret realising maybe for the nth time that Hubby hates them. I bought the trophy this time too when i went to supermarket. I bought some baby corns too so i dint fret that much huh… Plus i had a nice flowery cauliflower. This trio always spells chinese to me. Indo chinese rather. What ever that comes out of these vegetable is only and only divine. So was this mixed veggie manchurian.

Prep Time: Under 20 mins

Cook Time: Under 30 mins

Serves 3

What you need?

Now dont be alarmed looking at the ingredient list. Trust me you wont even realise when what got tossed in.

Cauliflower florets cleaned and parboiled 1and 1/2 cups

Mushrooms washed and quartered 10 to 15

Baby corn 10 to 12 slit length wise

For Coating

Maida 1 cup

Cornflour 2 tbsp

Ginger garlic paste 1 tsp

Red chili powder 1 tsp

White pepper powder 1 tsp

Oil 1 tbsp vegetable or sesame oil

Salt to taste

Water for mixing the batter say about 1 and 1/2 cups

For Deep Frying

Oil 2 to 3 cups

For the Sauce:

Tomato ketchup 1/2 cup

Chili garlic sauce or chili sauce 2 tbsp

Soy sauce 2 tbsp

Garlic cloves 6 minced finely

Ginger 1/2inch bit crushed well

Spring onions 3 to 4 stalks chopped finely

Onion 1 medium chopped finely

Green chilies 3 chopped finely

Sugar 1 tsp

Ajinomotto 1/4tsp

Green bell pepper 1 medium chopped finely

Corn flour 1 tbsp dissolved completely in 1/2 cup water

Salt to taste

Sesame oil 2 tbsp

For Garnish

Spring Onions 1 tbsp chopped finely

How to make it?

Whenever i want to post a step by step pic, my camera chooses to ditch me royally. It died i mean its battery died just when i was making this. Duh!

In a large mixing bowl, place all the ingredients for coating the veggies. Add water and start mixing the batter to the consistency of dosa batter. It should not be too runny. Adjust salt and water accordingly.

Add all the veggies to this batter and mix well. Keep aside.

Now, heat a pan with the sesame oil.

Add the garlic, green chilies, ginger, spring onions and onions and saute till the onions turn a light brown.

Now, add the bell peppers and saute till the skin wilts.

Add all the sauces next and combine well. Cook for about 2 mins on medium flame. You can mix all the sauces together and toss them in.

Now, add the sugar and ajinomotto and mix well.

Add the cornflour mixture. The cornflour would have settled down if you had let it rest sometime. So give it a nice stir before adding to the mixture.

Add salt. Be careful about the salt as all the sauces contain a lil salt.

Now, simmer till the sauce thickens. Keep aside.

Heat a kadai with oil.

Drop the coated veggies in the oil once the oil is as hot as it would be for making pooris.

Fry them in medium flame till they are golden brown.

Drain them on a kitchen towel.

Add them to the sauce before serving and combine well. Serve immediately garnished with onion rings and spring onions. If the sauce turns cold while you fry the veggies, heat up the sauce once again before you add the fried veggies.

Relish it with your favourite pulao or parathas or fried rice.

We had it with Subz polo. Sounds new? Stay tuned for the recipe!!

This goes to Healing Foods Cauliflower Guest Hosted By Vardhini for Siri

Carrot Pulao

January 15, 2012 By anusha 7 Comments

It is Pongal here. But i m posting a pulao. How off key can i get? If you have ever experienced that ” Will burst out soon if i dont shout this out to the world” feeling after you cooked something which became a sell out success then you will understand my off key post. I recently went on a shopping spree. Stocked my cookbook library to the end of the racks. Dad sponsored. So a zillion thanks to him. I fell in love head over heels immediately with a few books that i bought and one of them was Malliga Badrinath s Rice recipes. As always, i had the urge to try every one of them in book but this one pushed me to the point of saturation. In fact its the other way round. Our day does not end without a spoon of hot steaming white rice with a little sambhar in our mouths. But an event on our favourite ingredient only excited me more.

I had rice leftover from the last night. And plenty of carrots in the fridge. Which led to carrot pulao. When someone says carrots, all i can think of is the colour. The rich vibrant orange carrots makes it a delight to any kid.

Prep Time: Under 20 mins
Cook Time: Under 20 mins
Source: Mrs. Malliga Badrinath s Rice recipes
Serves 3

What you need?

Cooked rice 2 cups
Onion 2 medium chopped finely
Carrots 4 medium peeled and grated
Cloves 3
Cinnamon 1 inch piece
Ghee or oil 2 tbsp
Salt for taste

To Grind Together:

Coriander seeds 1 tbsp
Grated coconut 3 tbsp
Dry red chilies 3

For Garnish:

Cilantro chopped finely 2 tbsp
Cashews roasted in ghee 10 nos.

How to make it?

Dry roast the coriander seeds and dry chilies in a kadai. Add coconut in the end and fry till light brown.
Let it cool and make a powder out of it. Keep aside.
Now, heat a kadai with oil.
Add cinnamon and cloves.
Add onions and saute till pink.
Next, add the grated carrot and saute till moisture goes away.
Add the ground powder next and combine well.
In a large mixing bowl, place the rice, salt and add the carrot mixture to this rice.
Combine well.
Garnish with cilantro and cashews and combine.
Serve with Tomato Raitha and Minty Raitha
Note: I ve tweaked the recipe a lil to suit our palette. You can also use peanuts for garnish

Cabbage Fritters For Blog Hop Version 2

January 11, 2012 By anusha 12 Comments

I cant believe time has flown by so quickly. Its 6 months since i started blogging and i ve met some wonderful gourmets across the globe thru blogging and Radhika s Blog Hop. We ve had a wonderful hop in the first version and now we are in the second. This week i ve been paired with Archana of the Mad Scientist s Kitchen. Hopping through her blog was a complete hoopla for me. Some unique recipes find a place in her blog. Her Kokum Sherbet and Pumpkin Salad caught my attention. Bookmarked them. I picked the Cabbage Fritters for the blog hop and oh my !!! What a sensation it was. We loved every bit of it. Thanks to Archana. I ve tweaked the recipe a little to suit our taste but the idea of using cabbage itself is very novel.

Prep Time: Under 30 mins
Cook Time: Under 20 mins
Source: Archana of the Mad Scientist s Kitchen.
Serves 2

What you need?

Cabbage chopped thinly and long 1and 1/2 cups

For the coating:

Besan 6 tbsp
Rice flour 2 tsp
Red chilli powder 1 tsp

I couldnt resist them at all!!

Jeera powder 1/2 tsp
Dhania powder 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
Water 1/2 cup
Oil 1 tsp
Salt to taste

Oil for deep frying

How to make it?

In a large mixing bowl, place all the dry ingredients together and combine well.
Add the cabbage to this and combine again.
Let it rest for about 20 mins. Archana recommends resting it for an hour at least. But i dint have the patience.
After 20 mins, add water to the mixture gradually and start binding.
The batter must be a little water than the usual chapathi dough. It should not be runny. Check for seasoning at this stage and adjust accordingly.
Now heat oil in a wok. Make sure the oil is not smoking hot. Heat up the oil just like you would for making Pooris.
Now , drop the coated cabbage in the oil in little lumps. Fry them till golden brown by turning every now and then on a low medium flame.
Enjoy with a cuppa hot tea and a magazine. Trust me, it was sheer bliss.

Note: I dint use the cooked dal Archana used. I was not very confident about that .
And they turn soft after they cool down. They taste best when fried just before eating and eaten hot.

And this goes to Blog Hop Wednesdays version 2, New Year New Dish

Vegan Chocolate Fruit Cake

January 10, 2012 By anusha 6 Comments

You can see that my blog does not evidently have Vegan written over it. I am a person who loves her ghee, butter, eggs and milk. Now vegans. No offence. But when its winter, you want to bake. You go shopping and forget butter and eggs. That s when vegan comes into play. That s typically what happened to me some days back. I baked this way before christmas on one of those days when i really desperately needed to shove a huge chunk of chocolate cake into my mouth. That craving is evil. I opened the fridge only to find that my egg tray was long overdue to be refilled and my stock of butter, the unsalted one of course had depleted over the past weeks due to my wicked indulgences. I scoured the internet for vegan recipes. No i searched for cake recipes without eggs and butter. I came across this one and instantly struck a chord with it. This is originally a cupcake recipe but because the lazy bug bit me, i dint want to go to the trouble of finding that muffin pan in the kitchen, i just baked in an oval mould. Who cares?? As long as you can randomly cut a chunk and pop it into your mouth.

Prep Time: Under 20 mins
Cook Time: 60 mins
Source: Adapted from Allrecipes.com
Serves- No dont ask me that question. Because i served my own self with half the cake.

What you need?

Flour 2 cups
Sugar white or brown 1 cup powdered ( i used brown. I just like using brown cos it has a nice exotic ring to it)
Cocoa powder 1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp

Vegetable oil or canola oil 1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp
Water 1 cup
Soy milk at room temperature 1/2 cup( psst… i used normal cow s milk high fat. I dont care. I told you before.)
Baking powder 1 tbsp ( yes.. that much because no eggs and no butter either. Baking is a science. You have to understand that baking powder makes the cake spongy and soft)
Vanilla custard powder 1 tsp ( optional) I just dont happen to like vanilla extract. Feel free to use the extract if you want to
Salt a pinch

For the toppings:

Chocolate chips any variety ( Toss in whichever you like. I like white chocolate buttons!!) 1/4 cup
Dried Cranberries and raisins dusted with flour 1/2 cup
Orange zest grated 1 tsp( optional)

How to make it?

Place all the dry ingredients except the sugar in a large mixing bowl.

Now, combine well.

Next, powder the sugar in a blender and add to the dry mixture and incorporate into the dry mixture.

Preheat the oven at 175 C.Now, add the wet ingredients one by one starting with the oil. I added the custard powder at this stage. I forgot to do it before. But if you are going to use the custard, then add it when you are combining the sugar.

Now, using a hand whisker start mixing the batter in the same direction until you get a free flowing lumpless

batter. Takes about 6 to 7 mins to mix the batter.Add the dried fruit at this stage and incorporate into the batter.

Pour the batter into a cake mould or muffin mould. Drop the chocolate chips on the batter. I loved the pattern they made on my batter. Cute as buttons. 🙂 I seriously recommend taking a lick out of that batter. Come on, go ahead and taste that yumminess.

Bake at 175 c for 45 mins to 60 mins until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Mine took 60 mins. Keep an eye after 45 mins.

My cake had risen beautifully with a cracked surface cos of all the chocolate buttons. Really soft and spongy. Who ever said that cakes come soft only with eggs and butter???

The kids who come in to study with me loved it every crumb and bit. I was awarded with hugs and kisses. What more can one want??? 🙂

Sending this to Sravs Event CC- Chocolate

Onion Tomato Garlic Chutney

December 25, 2011 By anusha Leave a Comment

How To Make Onion Tomato Garlic Chutney?

Onion Tomato Garlic chutney is an everyday affair that happens in my kitchen whenever i make dosa or idli. I usually make a large batch of this onion tomato garlic chutney that pairs well even with puris. I consider making an accompaniment a herculean task. I can make main courses like there s no tomorrow. But you ask me to make chutneys, pickles and raithas, i ll scurry out of that place as quickly as a mouse does on seeing a cat. Anyway, a gal has to what she has to. There s no shortcuts to that. And we are idly dosa freaks whose sun does not rise without dosa for breakfast. Make dosa. Make chutney is the mantra. This chutney goes well with dosa, idly and even pooris. Well, we eat like that for all those raised eyebrows.

Recipe For Onion Tomato Garlic Chutney

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Onion Tomato Garlic Chutney

Onion tomato garlic chutney is a simple and easy to make chutney that pairs well with dosa, idli, puri and paniyaram

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Total Time20

Course: Accompaniment

Cuisine: South Indian

Servings:

Author: Anusha Praveen

Ingredients

Tomatoes ripe and large 3 chopped finely
Garlic cloves 4
Onions 2 medium chopped finely
Dry red chillies 3
Tamarind paste 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil for sauteeing 2 tbsp
For Tempering
Mustard seeds 1 tsp
Curry leaves a sprig
Hing a pinch
Urad dal 1/2 tsp
Oil 2 tsp

Instructions

Heat a kadai with oil. Add onions and garlic and saute till onions are transparent.
Next, add chillies and saute for 30 secs.
Now, add tomatoes and saute till there s no moisture and they are soft and mushy.
Let it cool.
Once cooled, blend the tomato onion mixture with tamarind and salt to a smooth paste.
Temper with mustard, curry leaves, urad dal and hing.

For Instant Pot & Air Fryer Recipes

Instant Pot timings may vary based on your geographic location. Air fryer settings and timings may vary based on the capacity and the model of the Air fryer.

Disclaimer

Nutrition values are provided here as a courtesy and are only a rough guide. Please consult a health care provider if you have any concerns.

Tried this recipe?Mention @tomatoblues or tag #tomatoblues!

Beetroot Halwa

December 21, 2011 By anusha 1 Comment

Frankly talking, I m not a huge fan of halwa. Not a huge fan of sweets at all for that matter. So making sweets is always a challenge to me. Not a piece of cake at all to make halwa for me. So i must say hats off!! to all those halwa makers in the world. I mean!! Whatte skill!! And to get the same consistency, same texture and same taste everytime and anytime you make it is even more admirable. When my dad brings home my favourite and my only favourite sweet- Wheat halwa, i wonder aloud to my mom, ” Amma, eppadi ippadi ore mathri ore colourla ore tastela panranga?” And i used to finish by saying ” That s so amazing” And my mom had only one repartee-” Practice maketh a man perfect” And my dad had one too, ” Unakku yen andha kavalai chella? Vaangittu vandha, sapdu. Panrathellam namakku ethukku??” ( i m fondly called chella and that dialogue translates to ” Why the worry of making? Eat what i ve bought. Dont bother making it) Imagine that! Anyway, wheat halwa is something too too too far fetched for my repertoire. So, i stuck to beetroot halwa. When i visited Chennai last month, my co sister and me were having a very hungry conversation. When i fretted that i could not make carrot halwa( she makes it well so people say), she retorted back asking, ” are you serious?” Now, i had had enough!! I decided i ll try and try till i succeed. But, gals! i dint even reach the second try. I made beetroot halwa and this is my first attempt. It was exactly like the store bought versions.

Prep Time: Under 20 mins

Cook Time: Under 1 hour

Source: Slightly adapted from www.tarladalal.com

Serves 4

What you need?

Beetroot grated 2.5 cups

Milk 1 and 3/4 cups

Sugar 1+1/4 cups

Cardamom powder 1/2 tsp

Ghee 5 tbsp ( No! you cant use butter. So please put it back in the fridge)

Cashews for garnish

How to make it?

Step 1: Take a thick bottomed vessel. I used my little pressure cooker. Heat about 2 tbsp ghee in it.

Add a pinch of cardamom too. Now, add the grated beetroot and saute for 5 full mins.

Step 2: Next, add the milk and bring the milk to a boil.

Step 3: Bring the flame to medium and let the mixture cook. Cook till the mixture thickens. Keep stirring frequently. Mine took some 15 mins to 20 mins to thicken completely.

Step 4: Add the sugar to the mixture once it has become shiny and mix well.

Step 5: Addition of sugar makes the mixture watery again. So let it simmer. Until it thickens again. Takes about 15 mins on medium flame. Keep stirring. That s the mantra here.

Step 6: After 15 mins or so you should have reached the consistency where the mixture has thickened and you can scoop it up a lil like in the picture.

Step 7: Add the remaining ghee and mix well. Stir till the mixture leaves its sides.

Step 8: Garnish with cashews fried in ghee.

Step 9 : Transfer to a serving bowl and serve as a dessert 🙂

This goes to Kids Delight: Colourful Palate guest hosted by Veena for Valli andPranathi s Yummy Dessert event and Vardhini s Sinful Delights

Adai Recipe With Step By Step Tutorial

December 21, 2011 By anusha 2 Comments

Adai Recipe With Step By Step Tutorial

Adai Recipe With Step by Step Tutorial

This post is a step by step tutorial on how to make adai or adai dosa, a popular lentil crepes that are made in South India, especially Tamil Nadu.Crepes are an integral part of a south indian palate. They come in the form of dosas in many varieties and colours and combinations. Adai is a lentil crepe which i often make at home and is an all time favourite. Full of proteins and carbohydrates, it makes an excellent breakfast menu and tastes divine with Aviyal or even a bowl of creamy thick yoghurt. It s such a no sweat recipe too. Let us check how to make adai recipe with step by step tutorial now.

Ingredients

Par boiled rice 3/4 cup

Raw rice 3/4 cup

Bengal gram or channa dal 1/3 cup

Urad dal or black gram 1/3 cup

Toor dal or pigeon pea 1/3 cup

Ginger 1”

Cumin seeds 1 tsp

Hing 1/2 tsp

Dry red chillies 8 to 10 according to spice level desired

Salt to taste

For Serving:

Cilantro chopped finely 3 tbsp

For Cooking:

Coconut oil 1 tsp for every adai

Directions

Soak the dals and the rice together after washing thoroughly for about 4 hours.
Drain excess water and grind the rice and dals with chillies, cumin seeds, ginger, hing and salt to a consistency slightly thicker than dosa batter.

Now, add cilantro leaves and combine well.
Heat a tawa and spread a ladle of the batter on it like dosa.
Drizzle coconut oil on the sides.
Cook on a medium flame for about 3 mins and then flip over.
Cook for another min and serve hot with any chutney or Aviyal

Note:
Dont skip using the coconut oil because the oil imparts a wonderful flavour to the dish.
I did not have drumstick leaves and shallots but do add them if you have them. The leaves enhance the taste and the crepes taste heavenly with them.
You can also add bits of coconut to the batter.

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4.67 from 3 votes

Adai Recipe With Step By Step Tutorial

Lentil crepes made with rice, chana dal, toor dal and spices. Makes a power packed breakfast or dinner on a weeknight.

Prep Time4

Cook Time5

Total Time4 5

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: South Indian

Servings:

Author: Anusha Praveen