Rava idli

Rava Idli :
Rava Idli is an authentic South Indian breakfast. It is quick, easy and ready to make.
Unlike normal idli, we don't have to grind anything and let it ferment for overnight.
It also has a unique taste.U can have it as a special breakfast.

Ingredients  :
For the batter :
Rava - 1.5 cup coarse rava
Thick curd - 1.5 cup
Baking soda - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste

For the seasoning :
onion -1 Tbsp
ginger - 1 tsp grated (Optional )
green chilli -1
Few curry leaves
Pepper - 3/4 tsp
Cumin seeds - 3/4 tsp
A pinch of Hing
Carrot - 1 Tbsp ( Optional)

Method :
1 . Dry roast rava until it is light golden brown. Let it cool. Always use Coarse rava for this.

2.Mix rava, curd , baking soda and salt and add water as required to make a idli batter consistency.

3. Let it rest for 20 minutes.

4. Chop Ginger, Green chilli, Onion, Carrot, curry leaves finely.

5.Add little Ghee or oil and fry cashews.
6.Add oil and when it is hot, add pepper, jeera, chopped curry leaves,chopped green chilli, chopped ginger, chopped onion and any vegetable of your choice. Sauté well. Let it cool.

7.Add it to the fermented batter and mix well. The consistency of the batter should be like a idli batter, as soon in the picture. Take some whole cashews for decoration and add the rest to the batter.

8.To get the cashews on the top, place the fried cashews in the idli plate and pour the batter on the top.
Cook it and when you take the idli, the cashew will on the top.
Yummy and easy rava idli is ready.

Enjoy the joy of cooking.

Note :
Seasoning is up to you. U can experiment it.

Read More

Chicken Lettuce Wrap

Chicken lettuce wrap :
I had this first time in PF Chang restaurant and right from that I am a big fan of it.
My son also liked it very much. So been thinking of doing this at home.
At last did it and it came out very good. I tell you, it is such a simple recipe that is healthy and yummy.

Ingredients :
Chicken - 1/2 lb ( finely chopped or ground chicken)
Onion - 1/4 medium size
Mushroom - 5 finely chopped
Water chestnut - 1/4 cup
Ginger - 1 tsp
Garlic -  1 tsp finely chopped
Soy sauce - 1.5 tsp
Hoison sauce - 1.5  tsp
Chilli sauce - 1 tsp
White vinegar - 1/2 tsp
Green onion - 5 springs finely chopped
Salt to taste
Pepper - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 1 Tbsp
Iceberg lettuce - 4 to 5 leaves

Method :

1. In a saute pan. heat oil, add garlic and ginger. Sauté well.
2. Add onions and sauté well.
3. Add chicken. Wait till the chicken is almost cooked and free of any moisture and light brown.
4. Add mushroom and sauté well. Fry the vegetables in medium high flame and keep stiring.
5. Add water chestnut and sauté well.
6. Vegetables should be little crunchy.
7. Add salt and pepper and sauté.
8. Add Hoison sauce, soy sauce, chilli sauce, vinegar and mix well.
9. Add spring onions and mix.

Yummy filling is ready.
Put this on the lettuce, wrap it and have it.

Healthy tasty lettuce wrap is ready.

Enjoy the joy of cooking.

Read More

Tomato pickle

Ingredients :
Tomato - 10 medium
Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp crushed
Garlic - 1 tbsp
Curry leaves - few
Sesame seed oil - 4 Tbsp
Chilli powder - 3 tsp or to taste
Mustard seeds - 1tsp
Salt to taste

Method :

1. Chop the tomatoes, garlic.
2. In a pan,  add oil and when it is hot, add mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, garlic, and curry leaves.
3. When the garlic is fried, add tomatoes, red chilli powder, salt and turmeric powder.
4. Close the lid and let it cook. No water is required as it leaves lot of moisture.
5. It will take little long time for the water to dry up . Mix it in between.
6. Let the water dry.
7. When the oil leaves the gravy, it is ready to go.
8. Switch of the flame.

It goes well with rice, roti. This can stay upto 1 week.

Note :
1. If you want to have it for long time, add little more sesame oil and let it be in the stove for little more time.
2. If you don't like the skin, you can either put the tomatoes in hot water and peel off the skin and use that tomatoes.
3. You can also grind the tomatoes and use.

Read More

Home style Chicken Soup

Chicken soup: 
Very good for cold weather. If your throat is infected or have cold, this is such a soothing thing to have. It has all good spices in it and is also good for newly delivered mom.
You can also substitute vegetables for chicken, but I personally like it with chicken.

Ingredients :
Chicken - 1 lb
Pepper - 2 tsp
Toor dhal - 2 tsp
Coriander seeds - 3 tsp
Fennel seeds - 1/4 tsp
Ginger garlic paste - 3 tsp
Onion - 1/2 medium size
Tomato - 3/4 medium size
Curry leaves - few

Method :
1. Dry fry pepper, fennel seeds, toor dhal, coriander seeds. Grind it to fine powder.

2. Cut onion and tomato.

3. In a pan add oil and fry onion and tomato and when it fried, add ginger garlic paste and fry until raw smell goes.

4. Grind it into a fine paste.

5. In a pan add oil and when it is hot, add curry leaves.

6. Add chicken and fry for few minutes.

7. Add onion tomato paste and the dry powder and a cup of water and let it boil.

8. Let it boil until chicken is cooked.

Switch  off the flame and nice hot soup is ready.

This can also be had with rice.

Enjoy the joy of cooking.

Read More

Adai

Adai :
Adai is made of lentil and rice. It's rich in protein.

Ingredients : 

For Seasoning :
Onion - 1/2 medium size
Curry leaves  - few
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Urad dhal - 2 tsp
Channa dhal - 2 tsp
Hing a pinch

To grind :
Ginger -1 inch
Garlic - 2 pods
Red chilli - 5 or to taste

Batter :
Idli rice - 1.5 cup
Toor dhal -1/2 cup
Moon dhal - 1/2 cup
Channa dhal - 1/2 cup

Method :

1. Soak rice, dhal and red chili for 4 hours.
2. Take the red chilli and grind it with ginger garlic in a mixer.
3. Grind rice and dhal in a wet grinder. Grind it until you get a coarse batter.
4. Add the ginger garlic, red chili paste to the batter and give it a quick grind.
5. In a pan add 1 tsp oil. When it is hot, add mustard seeds, urad dhal, channa dhal, curry leaves
   and chopped onion and fry it .
6. Let it cool. Add it to the batter.
7. Make dosa in a dosa pan.

Healthy breakfast is ready. It's a change from usual dosa.
Doesn't need much of planing like dosa.

Enjoy the joy of cooking.

Note :
If you want thick adai, make the batter little thick in consistency.
I like it in dosa consistency.

Read More

Heart cake- Red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting

Red velvet cake is an apt option for a valentine celebration.
Click here for Red velvet cake recipe.

To cut the cake to heart shape is easy.
Print in a paper heart shape of your desired size.
Cut it to that shape. Place it on the cake and run the knife around it to make heart shape.

I am using cream cheese frosting. I am not piping it and it worked great for me.

Recipe for Cream cheese frosting :
Ingredients :
Cream cheese - 8 oz
Mascorpone cheese - 8 oz
Heavy whipping cream - 1.5 cup
Vanilla extract - 1 tsp
Confectionary sugar - 1 cup

Method :
1. Put cream cheese and Mascorpone cheese in room temperature.
2. Beat cream cheese until creamy.
3. Add Mascorpone cheese and beat until creamy.
4. Add vanilla extract and confectionary sugar and beat nicely.
5. Add heavy whipping cream and beat well until required consistency is obtained.

Creamy frosting is ready. If you want to pipe it beat it really well.

Cut the cake into layers. Frost in between and add each layer.
Frost all over. It needed not be perfect as we are going to add crumbled cake on top.

Crumble the left out cake piece. Have soft crumble.

Spread it all over the cake to get a bright red attractive decoration.
Be sure to spread the cake when the cream is fresh so that the cake crumble sticks to it.
For the sides, you can take some and press it gently.
Clean the leftover cake crumble.

Beautiful valentines cake is ready.

Enjoy the joy of cooking.

Note :
Put a wax paper in the bottom of the pan. I found it difficult to take the cake out as the cake was too soft.

Read More

Red velvet cake

Red velvet cake :
Celebrate this valentines day with this attractive cake. Looks apt for the celebration.
It is very different in taste.

Ingredients :
1. All purpose flour - 2.5 cup
2. Butter - 1/2 cup at room temperature
3. Egg - 2 at room temperature
4. Buttermilk - 1 cup
5. Sugar - 1.5 cup
6. Baking soda - 1 tsp
7. Vinegar - 1 tsp
8. Unsweetened coco powder - 2 Tbsp
9. Vanilla extract - 1 tsp
10. Red color - 2 tsp or as required
Salt - 1/2 tsp

Method :

1. Preheat oven to 350 degree C.
2. Sift All purpose flour, coco powder to remove any lumps.
3. Mix them together and add salt.
4.  Beat butter with mixer until creamy.
5. Add sugar and beat for 3 to 4 minutes.
6. Add eggs one by one and beat until creamy.
7. Add vanilla extract and beat it.
8. Add color in buttermilk.
9. Add buttermilk mixture and dry flour alternatively little by little and beat in between.
10. Do this until all the flour and buttermilk is done.
11.  Grease the pan and have it ready.
12. Now mix vinegar and baking soda separately. It will start foaming.
13. Add this quickly to the cake dough and stir it and pour it the cake pan.
14. This batter makes 2 - 9 inch cake. Make sure to pour it in two separate pan.
15. Two cakes are made to make layered frosting later. If you just want the cake, just adjust your measurements as required.
16. Place it in oven and bake it for 25 to 30 or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Beautiful red velvet cake is ready.

Enjoy the joy of cooking

Read More