Adhirasam

I had reserved the entire of Last week of Nov for the SNC event. But I hurt myself and got the tiny toe fractured 😐

Yeah it sucks to just sit at home all day, not move, not cook much. But anyway it took me 2 days and one batch of bad adhirasam batter to get to the final product. Yashodha gave us this opportunity to make this wonderful dish.

I had to use the light color jaggery as the dark one was not available in the nearest store.

You shall need:

2 cups  rice (raw)
1 cup jaggery
A pinch of cardamom powder (elaichi powder)
1/4 cup water
5-6 tsp milk
1-2 tsp of ghee

Method

• Soak rice for 1 or 2 hours. Drain it from water.
• Do not dry it completely, it should be moisture moderately. Grind them into powder and should be neither coarse nor fine.
• Add jaggery and water in the heavy bottomed vessel. Allow them to boil.
• Add cardamom powder and allow the syrup should be thicker which is in one string consistency.
• Remove it from the stove. After few minutes add rice flour slowly and stir well until you get soft dough. It should be in the consistency of chapatti dough.
• While mixing rice flour add ghee.
• Heat oil for deep fry. Take a plastic sheet/foil and apply oil on it.
• Take small lemon sized dough and keep it on the greased foil. Dip your fingers in the oil and flatten the dough into thick chapatti.
• Take the thick chapatti out from the foil and drop gently into the heated oil. Fry both the sides until it should be nice and brown.
• Remove adhirasam on an tissue paper. Repeat steps for all others.

Serve with love

Cheers

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Vegetarian Baked Gramaldin

I made this wonderful dish from Nita Mehta’s Vegetarian Baked Recipes.

This recipe is on page 68. I have adapted to my taste-buds.

You shall need: [Serves 2]

Pineapple sauce-

2 tbsp… Butter

1.5 slice… Pineapple [Cut in small pieces]

1/2 cup…capsicum [chopped finely]

2-3 stalks…. Spring onion [Chop onion and greens]

3 tbsp… Maida

2 cup… Milk

1 tsp… Salt

1/2 tsp… White Pepper

1 tsp… Mustard Powder

1/4 cup… Mozzarella cheese

other stuff needed:

1/2 cup… Peas [Boiled]

1/4 cup… American Corn [Boiled]

1/2 tsp… Chilly flakes

75 gms… Spaghetti pasta

1/2 tsp… Oregano

2 tsp… Olive oil

1/2 cup… Grated cheese

Method:

• Melt butter in a pan. Add spring onion [No greens], capsicum, peas, corn, pineapple, salt and pepper.
• Once the pineapple is a little caramelized, add maida and mix well.
• Add milk and keep stirring.
• Add cheese and mustard powder.
• Once it thickens a bit keep it aside until further use.
• In a pan, boil water for spaghetti add a tsp of oil and let them cook al dente.
• Once it is done. Remove from water. Add 1 tsp olive oil, salt, chilly flakes and oregano.
• In a baking dish, put the pasta and pour the sauce on it.
• Add cheese on it and bake in a pre heated oven at 180C for 15-20 min.
• Serve hot.

Cheers

28 things I wish I had learnt sooner

While sitting on the pati’s rocking chair today and “trying” to work, it occurred to me that I have ignored a lot of things along the years.

I turned 28 in 2012 hence 28 things I wish I had learnt sooner came to picture.

1. Money today gone tomorrow if very apt. Learn from it.
2. They way you treat others should be inversely proportional to the respect they usually get. It shall stun them.
3. Grudges are like leaving a bullet in the scar for too long.
4. Passion keeps love for life alive. Nothing else.
5. It is not shameful to not be the star at school/college. It is the not-acknowledged one that steal your thunder later in life. Its a circle.
6. Unless you tell people what you think, they will assume that you are okay with them dealing with things for you.
7. Recognize that hours, days, years will never matter when good friends meet. It takes flash of time for them to catch up on things in life.
8. Be brave and stand up for yourself even if it is against your parents.
9. Be patient with relationships.
10. Once you treat someone the way they should not have been treated, listen to your instinct and mend it.
11. Criticizing people is sometimes the best way to let go of the negatives that you pile up.
12. Shape of your body is they way you look at yourself. Let it never be how others feel about you.
13. Getting in and out of relationships never defines who you are or can be. It is the relationship that lets you be who you are and keep you the way you are, are worth the effort.
14. Credit cards are friends if you can manage them else they are killing machines.
15. Being harsh on yourself makes you a better person.
16. When someone tells you good about yourself, believe them. They wont be so generous all the time.
17. Doing what you are supposed to do might not be what you love to do. Recognize it.
18. Gender Bias is not a tale of bygone days.
19. Women have sharper instincts. Listen to them when they have something important to tell you.
20. Do a quick SWOT analysis in your head before making a strong suggestion. You would not want to chew your own words now, would you?
21. People always things that you do for them, even if they dont acknowledge them. Dont even give up on this habit.
22. Believers are the best people to hang out with.
23. Each journey you embark on has a special significance. Cherish it.
24. Sometimes even round holes accommodate square pegs.
25. Pay it back to the people who have invested their blood and sweat in your life.
26. Acknowledge the achievements of people dear to you.
27. Losing a hobby to get a new one is not a crime.
28. Think on all these more often 🙂

Love,

Eggless Apple Cupcakes

Few weeks back we saw first season of 2 Broke Girls on Stat World.

Two young women waitressing at a greasy spoon diner strike up an unlikely friendship in the hopes of launching a successful business by making and selling cup cakes.
Since I am already doing this on a very small scale with my best friend aka the Pati, it was only apt to make cup cakes  for the final day of the BM #22.

We recently sold about 55 cup cakes in the apartment for the Sports day event. I made coffee chocolate cup cakes, laapsi cup cakes, apple cup cakes and Coconut chocolate cup cakes. They were a hit. I used vanilla butter cream frosting and laced it with some nutella. On a few of them I placed some chocolate shards.

You shall need:

1.5 cup…. Maida/AP Flour

1… Big apple [ I used the one in the pic below]

1 cup…. White sugar

1 cup…. Butter milk [1 cup milk + 1 tbsp Vinegar, let it stand for 10 min]

1/2 tsp… Vanilla essence

a scant pinch of salt

1/2 tsp… Baking Powder

1/2 cup… Oil [can be reduced to 1/4 cup and milk can be increased]

Method:

• Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl and keep aside.
• Grate the apple and add to the flour [I used the thickest grater side and did not remove the peel of the apple]
• Add it to the dry ingredients along with the butter milk, oil and vanilla essence.
• Mix well with a whisk until well combined.
• Pout 3/4 full in cup cake liners and bake in a pre heated oven at 180C for 20-25 min or until the skewer comes out clean.

Check out the marathoners running this 22nd edition of blogging marathon here

Cheers

Sending this to:

Individual Lasagna

Pati and I simply adore the Big Bang Theory

It is basically about 4 guys and a girl. Penny moves across the hall to Lenord and Sheldon, two Physicists/nerds. They also have Rajesh and Howard for friends. It is stunning how nerd funny can become main stream funny as well. Trust me you shall LOVE it once you start following it. And may I say, please see it from Season 1, episode1 . \m/

“Why wouldn’t like Italian food?” Raj was asking, as she arrived.

“Don’t be obtuse, Raj!” Sheldon berated. “Italian food is loaded with meaty chunks of pepperoni and prosciutto! To say nothing of their spicy, meaty tomato sauce.”

“Not all of it!” Leonard countered, adding, “Lasagna can be made without ground beef! Just ricotta cheese and mushrooms, for example.”

This dialogue at the cheese cake factory got me thinking and I made an Individual vegetarian Lasagna for our Anniversary Eve Dinner 🙂

You shall need: [Makes 2]

6… Sheets of lasagna [Boil as per directions and left them separated on a tray until further use]

1 cup… Cheese [I used a mix of cheddar and Mozzarella]

1.5 cup…. Basic Italian Sauce [I tried Prego. It is an exceptionally creamy and balanced sauce. It bakes well. But it was a little more sweet for my taste. I adjusted it with pepper and salt. However you can make a batch yourself by using this recipe.]

2… Small brinjals [Cut into small pieces]

1 cup… Bakes beans

1 cup… Capsicums [Cut small. I used green, red and yellow]

3… Spring onions [Cut the bulb and greens separately]

Chilly flakes

Salt

Pepper

2 tbsp… Oilive Oil

To assemble:

Aluminum boxes

Method:

• In a pan, heat olive oil and add the spring onion bulbs [chopped]
• Let it turn transparent.
• Add brinjals. [Cover and cook for 5 min on a medium flame. Add 3-4 tbsp water, cover with a lid and cook]
• Add the beans. capsicums, salt and pepper.
• Let them cook until the capsicums are slightly done.
• Add chilly flakes.
• Taste and adjust the seasonings. Put the spring onion greens and cover until further use.
• In a foil container, put 2 tbsp sauce at the bottom of the container.
• Fold the lasagna sheet according to the size of the box and put it on the sauce layer.
• Put the vegetable and beans mix as a layer on the sheet.
• Add a layer of cheese.
• Repeat the lasagna sheet layer as above, vegetable layer and cheese layer.
• Put the 3rd lasagna sheet, make a layer of the sauce on top of it.
• Add cheese layer on it.
• Bake for 15 min in a pre heated oven at 180C.
• Serve with love.

Check out the marathoners running this 22nd edition of blogging marathon here

Cheers

Chocolate coconut cupcakes

We have recently started to closely follow Grey’s Anatomy.

A drama centered on the personal and professional lives of five surgical interns and their supervisors.

One of the character’s Izzy Stevens bakes coconut chocolate cup cakes and forgets the secret ingredient used by her mother. [Season 1 Episode 8 : Save me]

Izzie: Eight hours, 16 ounces of chocolate, and 32 cupcakes, and they still don’t taste right.
George (with mouthful): No, these are good. Martha Stewart would be proud.

Here is my version of the cupcakes.

You shall need:

1/2 cup…. Coconut flour [I used flakes and grind them to a flour like consistency]

1/2 cup… White sugar

1/4 cup… Cocoa Powder

1/2 tsp… Salt

1/2 tsp… Baking powder

A pinch of Baking soda

2 … eggs

1/2 cup… Oil

1 tsp… Vanilla essence

Method:

• Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl and keep aside.
• Beat eggs lightly
• Add Oil and eggs to the dry ingredients
• Pre heat oven to 180C.
• Line cup cake mould with liners and pour upto batter 3/4 of the liner size.
• Bake for 20-25 min [Until the skewer comes out clean]
• They shall not rise a lot as the flour is dense. But they shall taste better than a cup cake you have even had 🙂

Check out the marathoners running this 22nd edition of blogging marathon here

Cheers

Laapsi Cupcakes

Laapsi Cupcakes anyone???

I made this jaggery wonder for diwali and froze some to make into these little wonders.

You shall need:

1 cup… Maida

3/4 cup… Laapsi

1/2 cup… Sugar

1/2 tsp… Baking powder

1/2 tsp… Baking soda

a pinch of cardamom powder

3/4 cup .. Milk + 1/2 tbsp… Vinegar

1/2 cup.. Oil

Method:

• In a bowl add maida, baking powder, Baking soda and cardamom powder.
• Mix them well using a fork.
• Add the laapsi and the wet ingredients.
• A thick batter should be formed now.
• Line cup cakes with cup cake liners and bake for 25 min in a pre heated oven at 180 C.
• Insert a skewer in the cup cake, if it comes out clean, they are done.

Hope you liked them 🙂

Cheers

My Diwali Basket Giveaway – Roundup

Hello my lovelies 🙂

Thank you for the lovely response to the event. I got lots of wishes, love and prayers. I hope the year be full of friendships, love and happiness.

Here is a round up of the entries I received.

Badhusha, Sweet Shells, Cornflour halwa, Rice Murukku, Dates and Nuts Laddoo,  Wheat Rava Laddoo, Round Murukku, Wheat laddoo, Peanut Murukku, Kara Sev, Wheat Flour Halwa, Rasgulla, Mysore Pak, Chocolate Sandesh, Peanut Laddoo, Coconut Dates Laddoo, Fried Moong Dal, Chocolate Burfi, Maida Burfi, Thattai, Kala Jamun, Jahangiri, Gulab Jamun and Besan Laddoo from Sara’s Taste Buds

Coconut stuffed Sweet Buns from Nan’s Yum yum’s

Masala Kaju and  Pizza – Pasta Sauce, Namak Paare, Gulab Jamun, Cucumber Yogurt dip, cornflakes mixture, Seviyan Kheer, from Shruti’s Rasoi

Milk cake , Godumai Halwa, Kaara Sev, Peda, Fruit and Nut Urundai and rava laddoo from Soumya

Whole wheat pancake from Nandita

Jalebi from Anu

Jhangri, Peanut Murukku and Mysore Pak, Adhirasam, walnut Burfi from Babitha

Eggless Orange Chocolate Cup cakes, Eggless Chocolate Fudge Brownies, Chocolate cake with frosting, Marble cake from  Shweta

Wheat Flour Laddoo from Amarendra

Galagala from Akila

Eggless Marble cake From Sheelu

Cornflakes Mixture, Basundhi, Plain Sev,  Rasmalai from Chitra

Crispy Masala Poori from Apurva

Moong dal halwa, Sondesh, Rasgulla, Kachori  from Preeti

Potato Snack, Milk Mysore Pak from Ramya

Thenkuzhal Murukku, Thattai from Maria

Dry Nuts Laddoos from Sravani

Rava Laddoo, Narial Laddoo and Gur Laddoo from Suhani [Non blogger]

Besan Burfi and Sweet Maida chips from Nisha

Shakkar Paare, chakli from Mamta

Peanut Burfi and Spice cake from Namita

Diya tarts from Amrita

And the winners of these gifts are:

A prestige Cordless kettle – Chitra‘s Basundhi

Step by Step Mexican Cooking ~ Nita Mehta –  Jalebi from Anu

Vegetarian Cooking with Dahi ~ Sanjeev Kapoor – Shweta for her Orange chocolate cup cakes

Congratulations to the winners 🙂 I shall contact you for the addresses and your gift shall reach you shortly.

Cheers

Our Story

I was yet another freak at college

We met like any other person we would meet at the college in 2006.

We met more freaks like us whom we call friends

And even after the whole bunch of freaks that we know…They never stopped finding us

And then we saw friends getting married/engaged/in a serious relationship

While we were roaming at Bannerghatta park

Our parents were looking for matches for us already. But an idea struck and we got engaged on Feb 19, 2011

And on Nov 21.2011 we got married

And the craziness continued….

May God bless us 🙂

Love you always Pati :*

 

 

Ringan-Tuver Seeng shaak

Dontcha get scared looking at the name 🙂

Brinjal in Gujarati is Ringan and Tuver Seeng is this.

You shall need:

1 cup… Tuver Seeng

1 large/6 small… Brinjals [Cut in cubes]

Salt

1/4 tsp… Mustard seeds/Rai

1/4 tsp… Jeera

1 tbsp.. Jaggery

1/2 cup… Water

1/2 tsp… Red chilly powder

1/2 tsp… Turmeric powder

2…Green Chillies [Finely chopped]

1 tbsp… Oil

Method:

• In a pressure cooker, heat oil.
• Add the mustard seeds, jeera and a pinch of Hing.
• Wash the tuver seeng and chopped brinjal.
• Keep immersed in water until further use.
• In the cooker, add the Salt, turmeric powder, green chilies and red chilly powder.
• Now add the veggies.
• Add the water and jaggery.
• Stir well.
• Put the lid on and let it cook upto 2 whistles on full flame and 2 on a medium flame.
• Serve with Rotla/Bhakri/Khichdi.

Cheers,