Killu Milagai Rasam - Dedicating to a loved one!

Duh... Another rasam? Why is it again RASAM???? Before you could fire me with any questions, let me clarify! More than this rasam, my memories associated with this rasam are more special!

Every one of us has this special person in life whom we love/like unconditionally.. No no wait! I am not talking about Parents, Spouse, In-laws, Boy friend/Girl friend, Siblings.. True that we love these people and we always need to love them! But apart from these relationships, we may share a special bond with one person, who may be a friend, a distant relative, a cousin or a colleague, whom we love/like without any special reason! Do you agree with me?

So I am dedicating this post, to my that-special-person, my cousin, S. I am 12 years elder than her, but I am her favorite "Akka" and she is my sweetie-pie. Right from her childhood (and mine too! You know, I am not that old!) we have a mutual affection for each other, which keeps growing each day. I was (and am) so pleasantly happy to love and be loved by a cousin, as I don't have siblings and I used to be one nasty, mean, b****y cousin to the rest of them ;)

And this rasam, is one of auntie's speciality and S's and my favorite too. Now over to our "Killu Milagai Rasam"... Since "Fenugreek" is a main flavoring ingredient of this Rasam, I would like to send this to, SE (Denu)'s Cooking with Seeds:Fenugreek. CWS was initiated by Priya and hosted this month by SE.


Killu Milagai Rasam
Broken Chilli Rasam/Soup

What we need:
Tamarind - a lemon sized ball
Red Chillies - 3 to 4
Fenugreek seeds - 1 tbsp.
Mustard - 1 tsp.
Cumin (Jeera) - 1 tsp.
Asafoetida - 1 tsp.
Ghee - a tbsp.
Salt - according to taste
Water - as needed
Curry leaves - a sprig
Coriander, finely chopped - 2 tbsp. Optional

How to do:
1. Extract the tamarind in 2 cups of warm water. Set aside.
2. Heat Ghee in a deep bottomed vessel and add the fenugreek seeds.
3. Wait till they start turning brown, now add the mustard and allow it to pop.
4. Add cumin, torn/broken red chilli pieces and curry leaves.
5. When they are done, throw in some Asafoetida and a pinch of turmeric powder.
6. Now add the extracted tamarind water with salt. Check for seasoning and adjust the consistency according to taste.
7. Bring to a boil and remove.
Garnish with chopped coriander and serve hot with rice. To serve as a soup, let this rest for sometime, this is for the tempering's flavor to seep in, and then strain and serve.

Award time:
My lovely buddies never stop sharing their happiness with me. So here comes another shower of appreciation.
Priya on her 200th post shared with me this award. Hearty Congratulations dearie, wish you many many such wonderful milestones! *wondering how long would it take for me reach that milestone*

Malar has passed on to me:

Nithu shared with me:

Devi has shared with me:


Hearty congrats to Sara too, on her 200th post.
Thank you so much friends. Your every comment, award only boosts me to do better. Kindly do accept these awards from me too!

T&T Rotli from Lataji's Kitchen
Lataji is one blogger I always look upon and admire at. The way she gives every minute detail when making the dishes, her constant encouragement, and her immediate response to any queries only teach me how to be more perfect as a blogger! Here's something I tried from her kitchen and absolutely loved!
These Rotli's were so soft and perfectly layered that I actually kept peeping into the layers the first time I made it. :) And now whenever I am making Roti's at leisure, I make Rotli's instead. Thanks Lataji, for presenting us such wonderful recipes

It was a long post, I know. Here I sign off, promising to see you again with a Guest Post. Till then, Happy Cooking and Happy Blogging!

Avial

Hope this post finds you all in good colors! Here I come again after a tiny gap, with a yummy, tasty, healthy and traditional South Indian Curry, Avial. I love Avial! (read in block letters!) Yes, to an extent that I don't need rice or Adai to go with it. I simply like to relish the bowlful.

I am sure there are various methods to prepare Avial; so I am sharing with you amma's version. I have also tasted other variations like Avial with Onion-Tomato, Avial with Tamarind, each of them tasty in their own way. Hope one day I'll post all of them!

Avial
Mixed Vegetables cooked in Coconut-based gravy
What we need:*Mixed Vegetables - 2 cups
Thick Yoghurt/Curd - 1/2 cup
Salt - according to taste

To temper:
Coconut oil - 1 tbsp.
Mustard - 1 tsp.
Curry leaves - a sprig
Asafoetida - a pinch

To grind:Coconut - 4 to 5 tbsp.
Cumin (Jeera) seeds - 1 tbsp.
Green chillies - 2 or 3 Red Chillies taste good too
Ginger - a small piece, de-skinned

*I have used Raw Banana, Carrot, German Turnip, Potato, Cluster beans, Beans. Ash-gourd, Yam, Drumstick are also best vegetables for Avial.

How to do:
1. Wash and cut the vegetables into long pieces. Boil them till they turn soft.
2. In a deep bottomed vessel, heat Coconut oil and add mustard seeds.
3. When they crackle, add Curry leaves and asafoetida.
4. Now add the boiled vegetables (along with the water used to boil them). Add salt as needed.
5. When they come to a boil, add the ground coconut mixture and give a good mix.
6. Bring to a boil and remove from flame. Now add the thick curd and mix well.

Serve with rice and appalam or Adai.

Notes:
1. Use only coconut oil for tempering as it gives that special flavor. Also before serving, add a generous amount of coconut oil, mix well and serve.
2. If you are including Drumstick, cook them separately as they can get mushy too easily.
3. A little sour curd will enhance the taste.
4. If you have Banana leaves to spare, keep the lid of the vessel tightly closed with a banana leaf. The flavor and smell is just too good!

T&T Tandoori Mushroom Capsicum Tikka Rice from Sushma's blog
Sushma, we all know is such a innovative cook. I get excited everytime she posts an Indo-Chinese dish or Tandoori dish, as she not only does it in a simple way, she also ensures it is so tasty and delicious. I always wanted to try her preparations; So I chose this Tandoori Mushroom and Capsicum Tikka Ricefor a lunch when DH was working from home. Not only did the otherwise I-wont-eat-Mushroom-Person loved it, he also asked me to make it often. Thanks Sushma for sharing it with us the wonderful recipe, we simply loved it!

Award time:
Akal's Saappadu has passed this to me.

Kanchan has tagged me again with the Kreative blogger award. She wants us tell yet another 7 interesting (or not interesting!) things about ourselves. So here you go!
1. I am or rather was a very short-tempered person. I have refined a lot over years, especially after marriage. DH has played a major role in moulding me! ;)
2. I get real terrible dreams. Often I dream that I have become blind or I am surrounded by Crocodiles, wake up screaming and bring down the whole house. So don't you dare to sleep next to me ;)
3. I have only 26 teeth. Rest of them has been taken away in the process of installing bridges and setting my teeth right. :(
4. I love reading books, ok this one is old.. I love reading the same books again and again. Like for example, I have read Sidney Sheldon's Master of the Game more than 5 times and Dan Brown's Da Vinci code for more than 4 times. Crazy, ain't I?
5. I like to have Tea as many times in a day as I can (though I have it just once!).
6. I am the only person in my family who loves Dogs.. So much.. So much.. That I like to pet and cuddle all the dogs on the road going for a walk ;)
7. As much as I used to hate Greens, I just love them now! And I really miss them now, as we get only selected varieties here.

Thansk buddies for sharing your happiness with me too!
Guess I have bored you all enough. Here I sign off promising to see you all with another interesting recipe! Till then, Happy Cooking and Happy Blogging!

PS: Does the spell-check feature in the Editor (of Blogger) work for you all? It doesn't, for me! :(

Arisi (Kurunai) Upma

Is this something to do with the weather? I have started justifying the word Couch Potato. I am literally lying on the sofa doing nothing the whole day! And you know what? Sometimes, it is fun! Once in a while I pamper myself with this eat-something-do-nothing phase..

Coming to the recipe, Arisi Kurunai Upma is a complete, wholesome meal by itself. Arisi Kurunai is nothing but broken rice. It is also called as "Noi" in tamil. As for preparation of this broken rice, a simple procedure would be to :

Wash the rice and drain it completely. Leave it for half an hour and then pulse (remember not to grind) it in the mixer twice or thrice. This helps in getting a coarse texture.

Over to our recipe..

Arisi Kurunai Upma
Broken rice tempered with mild spices
Serves 2
What we need:
Broken rice - 1.5 cups
Moong dal - 2 tbsp.
Water - 3 cups
Coconut, scraped - 3 to 4 tbsp.
Mustard seeds - 1 tbsp.
Cumin (jeera) - 1 tbsp.
Urad dal - 1 tbsp.
Chana dal - 1 tbsp.
Dry Red Chilli - 2 or 3
Salt - according to taste
Asafoetida - a pinch
Curry leaves - a sprig
Coconut oil / Cooking oil - 1 tbsp.

How to do:
1. Soak the moong dal in warm water for 10 to 20 minutes. If using store-bought broken rice, wash it well.
2. In a deep-bottomed vessel or pressure cooker, heat a tbsp. of oil and add mustard seeds.
3. When it crackles, add cumin, urad dal, chana dal, red chillies, curry leaves and a pinch of asafoetida.
4. When the dal turns light brown, add 3 cups of water and salt as needed.
5. When water starts boiling, add the broken rice, soaked moong dal and coconut scrapes.
6. Cover with a lid and cook until the rice is done. It should take around 15 minutes. If using pressure cooker, let it give out 2 to 3 whistles.

Garnish with fresh curry leaves if desired and serve with chutney / Gothsu (recipe follows). IMHO, it tastes best with a dash of pickle! To impress the kids, all you have to do is shape them into nice round balls! Like this!
T&T Ginger Rasam from A2Z Vegeterian Cuisine:
Rasam is indeed a comfort food for most of us. That too, with a running nose and sore throat, nothing can be more filling as a warm bowl of rasam! Ginger is also an effective ingredient to send sore throat packing (Remember the vicks ad, where the sore-throat-devil gets chased away!) So when the lovely ladies @ A2Z Vegetarian Cuisine came up with this Ginger rasam, I bookmarked it and tried it almost immediately. I strictly prohibited myself from making any alterations to the original recipe. Man, flu or no flu, it was so wonderful! Thank you dearies, for the yummy rasam!

Now, competing the shower of snow outside my window, is the shower of awards in my blog. Sorry buddies, I am very late in acknowledging some of them.
Swarna passed on to me
Devi, Sowmya, Indu (a.k.a) kitchen queen shared with me
Sowmya also showered me with
Thank a ton friends, it means a lot to me!
See you all soon with another interesting post! Till then, Happy Cooking and Happy Blogging!

Bajji Milagai Thogaiyal, T&T Kadai Paneer

So I am back... A whirlwind trip I should say! Phew... But we thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it! This time it has been a pure mana Andhra affair as parents have also shifted base to AP by virtue of dad's work and in-laws always been in AP. Thankfully we didn't get affected by any of the current political situation.

Needless to say, how it feels to be with parents and relatives after a long gap of one year! Lots of pampering and good food has generously donated a few extra kgs and a few inches around the waist line! ;) But who cares!!! This is the time to binge on all those stuff we miss abroad. So did I!
Coming to our recipe of the day, I apologise for not posting the picture of the same; my laptop has been formatted and I am yet to install the photo editors and camera-related softwares. So I shall update the pic as soon as I can! But be assured, this has been one of the tastiest thogaiyal/pachadi my MIL prepares and a true spicy andhra accompaniment for rice, idlis, dosas. I have always regarded this yummy Mirchi as a 'bajji' thing and was pleasantly surprised to know that it tastes so well in the form of thogaiyal and also as a sambar-veggie.

Image Courtesy: Wikipedia

Do try this one and you'll know why I am raving about it so much!

Bajji Milagai Thogaiyal / Mirchi Chutney
A chutney/dip made from Chilli Peppers

What we need:
Bajji Milagai / Mirapakaya / Chilli Peppers - 5 to 6
Tamarind - a lemon sized ball
Salt - according to taste
Oil - 1 tbsp.

For tempering:
Oil - 1 tbsp.
Mustard - 1 tsp.
Cumin - 1 tsp.
Broken Urad dal - 1 tsp.

How to do:
1. Wash, cut and de-seed the chillies.
2. Heat a tbsp. of oil in a pan and fry the chillies till the they turn soft.
3. Allow them to cool and blend to a smooth paste along with tamarind, salt. Do not add water.
4. Heat a tbsp. of oil and add the mustard, followed by cumin and urad dal. When they are done, add the blended mixture and keep stiring them till oil starts to separate. Remove from flame.
5. Cool it and transfer to an air-tight jar. This has a longer shelf life and comes very handy during travel.

Serve with steaming hot rice drizzled with sesame oil and a roasted papad. Now, do I hear you saying,"Mmmmm....." ? :)

T&T Kadai Paneer from Vidya's blog


How many times in a month would you like to eat Paneer? I never, never, never get tired of this one. Sometimes it gets boring when we make the same stereo-typed recipes again and again. So when my dear friend, Sree Vidya posted this Kadai Paneer, I slurped, rolled my sleeves and got into action. It was yummy and so flavorful that I had to click it straight from the pan; the moment it got transferred to the serving bowl, there was no stopping me and DH!! He he.. The only change was adding red capsicum instead of the green ones. Thanks Vidya, it was a definitely wonderful recipe!

So see you all soon with another interesting post! Till then, Happy Cooking and Happy Blogging!

Vegetable Pulav, T&T Chilly Paneer

Yay, I'm back! Thanks a bunch friends, for all your concerns, tips and wishes, my laptop has gotten itself some life and is normal (at least as I am typing this post!) For anybody who is facing this issue, I uninstalled and re-installed my Anitvirus and did a couple of malware scans and that did the trick. Please do write to me if you would like to have the complete steps.

Coming to our recipe for today, Vegetable Pulav is one yummy, complete meal that is a sure hit in most of our homes, be it a party or a lazy sunday lunch! I have about half-a-dozen pulav recipes, with difficulty level ranging from easy to high, the simplest (yet tasty) one being my MIL's version. I shall post that some time soon!

Here is a version that calls for a little bit for work before hand, but is well worth the effort. So without much talks, let's see how I made Vegetable Pulav.

Vegetable PulavBasmati rice cooked with marinated vegetables and spices
Serves 2


What we need:
Basmati Rice - 2 cups
Onion, big sized - 1, thinly sliced
Tomato, big sized - 1, roughly chopped
Vegetables - 1 cup ( I have used Carrot, Beans, Peas, Cauliflower, Potato)
Soya chunks - a handful - Optional
Green chillies - 2 or 3, minces
Mint leaves - less than a handful
* Pulav Masala powder - 1 tbsp.
Bay leaf - 1
Cumin seeds - 1 tbsp.
Ghee/Oil - 3 tbsp.
Water - 3 cups
Salt - according to taste
Coriander - chopped, for garnish

To marinate:
Thick Curd - 3 to 4 tbsp.
Red Chilli powder - 2 tsp.
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp.
Cumin powder - 1 tsp.
Coriander powder - 1 tsp.
Salt - a little
Kasoori Methi - 2 tbsp., crushed
Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tbsp. - Optional
A few mint leaves

* If you don't have store-bought Pulav masala, you can dry-roast 3 to 4 cloves, 1" inch cinnamom stick, a black cardamom, 2 or 3 green cardamom, cumin seeds, fennel seeds and powder them.

How to do:
1. Wash well and soak the basmati rice in water for 30 to 40 minutes.
2. In a bowl, mix all the ingredients given under 'To marinate'. To this, add the vegetables and give a good mix. If you are adding soya chunks, boil them for 3 to 4 minutes, squeeze the excess water and add them to the marinade. Let this also sit for 30 minutes.
3. Heat ghee/oil and add the bay leaf and cumin seeds.
4. When they are done, add the onion, green chilli, mint leaves and saute well.
5. When the onions turn translucent, add the tomatoes, salt and Pulav masala powder.
6. After the tomatoes turn soft, add in the marinated vegetables and the remaining marinade if any.
7. Drain and add the rice; mix well. Now add water (1 cup of rice: 1.5 cups of water)and cook till the rice is done.

Notes:
Take care when adding salt, as our marinade has a bit of salt.
If you are using Pressure cooker, in step 7, add boiling water, add a few drops of lemon juice and cook for 1 whistle.

Garnish with chopped coriander and serve hot with a raita of your choice!!

T&T Chilly Paneer from Kanchan's Personal Tadka

Paneer is my all-time favorite ingredient, and am sure it is for most of us too! (That is evident from so many Paneer-related events in the blogsphere!) But for snacks, I stick diligently to Paneer tikkas or Paneer bites. Kanchan's Chilly Paneer kept coming back to me, so I made it one evening. Only change I did was to add red bell peppers instead of green ones, as I didn't get the green ones that week.
And the outcome: DH and myself, ate in complete silence!!! It was sooooo tasty and finger-licking-delicious (in our case, fork-licking!) Thanks Kanchan, I am passing to you my DH's thanks too :)

See you all soon! Till then, Happy Cooking and Happy Blogging!

Mutter Paneer, T&T Snakegourd Poriyal/Kura

It took me some time to realise "Less is More"! If you are wondering what I am talking about, it is about the number of columns I was considering in my new template! Though my older one wasn't that bad, I wanted a change. I strongly follow the mantra "Variety is the spice of Life" (although there are exceptions ;) ) Hope you like this new look; please do let me know if there is room for any improvisation!

Coming to our recipe for today, Mutter Paneer is one of those favorite dishes we like to order when eating out. I hadn't considered making it at home, but then one fine day I was bored with the usual Paneer Butter Masala and wanted some different side for the rotis. Hence presenting you the yummy "Mutter Paneer"..

Mutter Paneer
Indian Cottage cheese and Green Peas cooked in rich creamy gravy
Serves 2

What we need:
Paneer - 150 g, cut into 1" inch cubes
Green Peas - 1 cup, frozen/fresh
Onion, big - 1
Tomato, big - 1
Tomato puree - 2 tbsp.
Ginger-Garlic paste - 1 tbsp.
Kasoori Methi (Dry fenugreek leaves) - 4 to 5 tsp., crushed
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp.
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp.
Coriander powder - 1 tsp.
Cumin powder - 1 tsp.
Garam Masala - a pinch
Cumin - 1 tsp.
Salt - according to taste
Heavy cream - 3 to 4 tbsp.
Butter/Ghee - 1 tbsp.
Water - as needed

How to do:
1. Blanch the Onions (i.e. boil them as whole in water for 10 minutes with vetical slits) and grind them to a smooth paste. Chop the tomatoes finely. If you are using fresh green peas, cook/microwave them till they are soft.
2. Heat ghee or butter in a pan and fry the paneer cubes till they start to turn brown. Drain and keep them in warm water.
3. In the remaining ghee/butter, add the cumin seeds. Whey they crackle, add the ground onion paste, followed by ginger-garlic paste and salt.
4. Fry till the mixture turns brown and the raw smell of garlic starts to leave.
5. Now add the tomato, tomato puree (diluted with little water). Fry till the oil starts to separate.
6. Stir in all the dry powders except garam masala and half of the Kasoori Methi and give a good mix.
7. Now add green peas and half a cup of water. Bring to a boil, and add the paneer pieces.
8. Sprinkle the remaining Kasoori Methi, garam masala and add the heavy cream. Mix well and remove from stove top after a minute.

Garnish with fresh chopped coriander and serve with roti, naan or parathas.

Note:
I add chopped tomato to give a texture; you can also omit it and increase the tomato puree.
Be generous when adding cream, it gives a really good taste and texture.
For added spicy tasty, add some chopped green chillies in step 3.

T&T - Snakegourd/Podalangai Poriyal/Kura from Rak's kitchen and Prathiba's blog

Snake-gourd or podalangai falls under the not-so-interesting category for DH. He doesn't fuss, but from his consumption, it will be evident that he doesn't prefer it either. So I was determined to make him like this vegetable. So when Raji and Prathiba posted two different varieties of the same poriyal, I decided to give both a try.

Raji's version:
I add either coconut or onion but not both. So Raji's version was new to me. Adding some dal to the vegetable made it all the more healthy and tasty. It was a welcome change for the usual Poriyal I make and both of us loved it! Thanks Raji dear, for sharing it!

Prathiba's version:
Adding coconut wasn't new, but grinding them along with green chillies and then adding them was something that caught my attention in Prathiba's kura. Turmeric powder altered the boring smell of the vegetable and coconut-green chilli mix enhanced the taste many folds, and made the kura utterly yummy. So thanks Prathy, we both enjoyed every bit of it!
So that's all for now folks! See you all soon! Till then, Happy Cooking, happy Eating and Happy Blogging!

Chole Tikki

Call it a liking, obsession or craving? Or what else? Every time I make this Chole Tikki, as I finish off the last bit from my bowl, I start wishing that I could have made some more! And the following week, I make it again! ;)

I had this long time before when I was in Chennai, really loved it and then had completely lost any idea how it tastes like. About a month or two before, during our sunday-evening-tea-meet with our sweet friends-couple V & V (who stay just a floor above us), they had prepared Chole Tikki for the snack. I fell head-over-heels in love with it! (Is this love at second sight, no.. second-taste??!) Then as the tale goes, "Prince and princess lived happily ever after"... I am making this yummy delight based on the recipe given by V, at every possible chance! (V dear, I hope I did justice to your recipe!)
So here it goes!

Chole Tikki
Garbanzo bean or Chana cooked with spices and served with potato patty, yoghurt and spices
Serves 2

What we need:
For Chole Masala:
Kabuli Chana / Garbanzo beans / Konda Kadalai - 2 cups White variety
Onion, medium sized - 1, finely chopped
Tomato, medium sized - 1, finely chopped
Green chillies - 2 or 3, minced
Garlic - 1 pod, crushed
Ginger - 1 inch, finely grated
Chana Masala powder - 3 tbsp
Red Chilli powder - 1 tsp. Optional
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Salt - according to taste
Water - as needed
Oil - 2 tbsp.
Cumin (Jeera) - 1 tbsp.

This one is slightly different from the regular Chole I make for rotis. Please click here for the simpler version.

For potato tikkis
Potato, medium sized - 2
Cumin - 1 tsp.
Salt - to taste
Coriander - 2 tsp Optional

To Garnish:
Chat Masala - 1.5 tbsp for each serving (Everest, MDH brands taste great)
Green chutney - 1 tbsp for each serving Click here for the recipe
Yoghurt / Thick Curd - 2 tbsp for each serving
Onions - finely chopped
Coriander - finely chopped

How to do:
Preparing Chole Masala:
1. Heat oil and crackle the cumin seeds.
2. Add the onions, green chillies, ginger, garlic and salt. Saute till the onions turn soft and then add the tomatoes.
3. Stir in the chana masala powder, red chilli powder, turmeric powder and mix well.
4. When oil starts to separate, add the cooked Chana / Chole with little water (in which it was cooked) and mix well.
5. Let it boil on medium flame for 10 to 15 minutes;then sprinkle some garam masala, garnish with coriander and remove from the stove top.

Preparing potato tikki:
This tikki is not the usual Aloo Tikki we do. I like to keep this one very simple because Chole already has enough spices. And this way, it saves some time too!

Boil, peel and mash the potatoes. Add some salt, coriander, cumin and mix well. Make into small balls, pat them and shallow fry till they turn golden brown on both sides. Drain on a kitchen towel and set aside.

Serving:
In the serving bowls, arrange the potato tikki's one per bowl. Pour 2 to 3 ladles of Chole masala over them.
Spread (don't mix) Yoghurt over this.
Drop a dollop of Green chutney over this.
Sprinkle the Chat Masala, chopped onion, chopped coriander and serve. Mix well as you relish it!

V's tip: Sprinkle some broken potato chips or broken puri or sev to add some crunchiness!

Sending this to "My Legume Love Affair #22" started by Susan and hosted this month @ Ruchika Cooks


T&T Paruppu Thogaiyal from Anupama's blog:

I love all type of thogaiyals. That's why when my dear friend Anupama posted this simple and delicious Paruppu Thogaiyal, I bookmarked it. Believe me, I have already made it 3 times! It is unbelievably simple, yet uncomprisingly tasty! As she has suggested, it tasted heaven with Garlic rasam (the recipe will come soon!) Thanks Anu dear, I really enjoyed it!

PS: I have been trying many recipes from each of your blogs, and relishing every bit of it. I'll start posting each one of them along with my posts from now on (and of course, link it back to you!) Thanks buddies, for spreading the love for good food! :)

See you all soon! Till then, Happy Cooking, Happy Eating and Happy Blogging!

Chutney Upma

If you are wondering if it is a typo as the title says "Chutney Upma" rather than "Upma and Chutney".. NO, it is not! When I say "Chutney Upma", it is upma made with chutney as base! Now without saying, you must have understood that this is one of my so-called kitchen experiments during the mid-morning crisis* that resulted as a delicious breakfast /tiffin item worthy enough to be blogged about.

Mid-morning crisis - A recurring phenomenon that occurs during weekends and holidays, when you sleep late and wake up ravenous and not knowing what to eat to appease your giant-hunger! ;)

Green Chutney is not new to us; it is a multi-purpose chutney that can used as dips for samosas, toppings for chaat, spread for sandwiches, marinade for tikkas, base for pulavs and what not!! Here is one more use of this delicious chutney.

Since this recipe is something I accidentally found, (I am sure I haven't seen or heard of it before!) this delicious Chutney Upma finds its way to Sanjana's Create for a Chilli Chopper. Sanjana's KO Rasoi is a great blog with a wonderful collection of recipes, so don't miss it!

Green Chutney

What we need:
Fresh Coriander leaves - a bunch, cleaned
Fresh Mint leaves - a handful (almost equal or 3/4th of the coriander leaves), cleaned
Ginger - 1" inch, deskinned
Green Chillies - 2 or 3, according to your spice tolerance
Cumin (Jeera_ - 1 tbsp.
Oil - 1 tsp.
Lemon juice - a few drops
Salt - a pinch
Asafoetida - 1 tsp.
Garlic - 1 pod Optional

How to do:
Grind together all the ingredients to a fine paste with very little or no water. Add a pinch of salt if you are planning to store it for sometime. Transfer to a jar and refrigerate.

If you have sharp eyes, you probably noticed the red pieces sticking out the chutney. Since I ran out of green chillies, I just cheated the system by using red chillies (not the dry ones, though!)

I mix a tbsp or 2 Yoghurt or thick curd to use it as a dip or chutney.

Chutney Upma
Serves 2
What we need:Vermicelli / Semiya - 2 cups
Green Chutney - 5 to 6 tbsp.
Oil / Ghee - 1 tbsp.
Cumin (Jeera) - 1 tsp. Optional
Salt - according to taste
Water - 3 cups
Chopped Onions - To garnish

How to do:
1. Roast the vermicelli or Semiya till it turns light brown and set aside. If you are using roasted vermicelli, proceed to Step 2.
2. Heat oil or ghee and add the Cumin. This is also optional since our chutney has enough Jeera.
3. When they start to sputter, add the green chutney and reduce the flame. Fry it for about a minute or 2.
4. When the raw smell starts to leave, add water and salt. Remember our chutney has a little salt, so adjust accordingly.
5. When water starts boiling, add the roasted vermicilli or semiya, cover and cook until the Semiya is done.
Transfer to the serving plate, garnish with chopped onions and serve with a cup of curd!

Rajma Masala from Nithya's blog
Last night for dinner, I tried the Spicy Rajma Masala from Nithya's 4th Sense Samayal. Check out Nithya's blog (I am sure most of you would have, she is pretty famous!); she has a mouth-watering collection of recipes with excellent presentations!

Needless to say, Rajma masala was delicious and lipsmacking! Only change I did was to saute the onions before grinding them with garlic, because somehow the white onions I get here turn bitter if I grind them without sauting! Thanks Nithya for sharing it with us.

Now time to acknowledge the awards; Babli has passed on to me

Thanks dear; I am honored, as always!! I'd like to pass it on to my newest blogger buddies: chakhlere, Sowmya, Shubha, my Kitchen, Preeti Kashyap, Padhu . Please accept it friends!

See you all soon with another interesting post. Till then, Happy cooking and happy Blogging!

Thakali Rasam & Tested and tried Sandhya's Coriander Roti

Another lazy Sunday.. Another round of thinking what to do for Brunch....

So, I was sipping my coffee and staring out from my window at the Alps when I heard some rattling from the kitchen. Rest assured that I don't own cats, I took a peek and was surprised to see my darling hubby playing around with tomatoes and tamarind. A smile! and I understood that he had taken the responsibility of the day's cooking. What more could make you as happy as to see your loved one cooking for you! :)

So this rasam was prepared by none other than my loving V. For most of my blogger buddies, this recipe is a breeze and probably a "Is this a recipe at all?" question has already popped up. I am posting this for the benefit of absolute beginners and bachelors.

Here we go!!

Thakali Rasam
Serves 2
What we need:
Tomato, medium sized - 1
Tamarind extract - made from a marble sized tamarind ball
Rasam Powder - 2 tbsp.
Asafoetida - 2 pinch
Salt - as needed
Water - as needed
Coriander - for garnishing

For tempering:
Mustard - 1 tsp.
Cumin (Jeera) - 1tsp.
Ghee - 1 tbsp.
Asafoetida - a pinch
Curry leaves - a sprig

How to do:

1. Chop the tomatoes. Prepare the tamarind extract by squeezing the tamarind using a cup of warm water.

2. In a deep bottomed vessel, put the chopped tomatoes, tamarind extract, rasam powder, salt, asafoetida and stir well.

3. Keep in this medium-high flame, till it comes to a boil. Remove from flame and set aside.

4. In a small pan, heat ghee and add mustard. When it starts to pop, add cumin, asafoetida and curry leaves.

5. Add this tempering to the rasam and garnish with coriander.

Note: The most important thing about Rasam is the flavor. Do not let the rasam boil for more than once. It is the secret to retain the flavor.

Another secret to a lip-smacking rasam is Coriander and Asafoetida. Both these ingredients increase the flavor and taste by many-folds.

Tested and Tried:

Sandhya's Coriander Roti

Last Sunday, I tried out the Coriander Roti from Sandhya's Kitchen . The only change I did was to omit the green chillies and add Jeera instead of Ajwain. It was definitely worth the try and was a welcome change to an otherwise normal roti. As Sandhya had posted, it was also an effective way to use up all the drying Coriander. :)

Thanks again Sandhya , for sharing it with us! For the original recipe, please click here.