Pan Toast Semolina Bread

Easy to prepare snack for breakfast or teatime.  Simple and quick to prepare. I love upma, nei urunde (ghee balls) and kesari made of semolina.   

This is a bread filled with the goodness of vegetables and coated one part with semolina and buttermilk.  You may use yogurt but whisk well with some water to have a spreadable consistency.

PAN TOAST SEMOLINA BREAD

ingredients

1/3 cup of semolina flour (suji/rava/sooji)

180ml of buttermilk

4tbs of chopped carrot

4tbs of chopped red capsicum

1 chilly chopped

3tbs of chopped onion

2tbs of chopped coriander leaves

salt to taste

butter or ghee

bread slices 

method

1. in a bowl mix all ingredients except butter and bread.

2. mix thoroughly till well combined.

3.  heat a pan/tawa and add some ghee/butter

4. spread the batter over the bread and cook over the butter/ghee with the filling side down.

5.  remember to use low heat so as to ensure it is cooked properly.

6. apply some butter/ghee on the top and flip it downside to give a toast taste on the other side.

7. serve warm with tomato sauce or chutney.

Enjoy

Pomegranate Raita

Anardana Raita || Pomegranate Raita

Pomegranate raita is a quick to fix dish that goes well with briyanis and variety rice.  The tangy taste from the yogurt and sweetness and crunchiness from the pomegranate gives you a yummy combo with the spice of briyani and curries.

I like a simple raita to go with.  Not to many additions like cucumber or onions.  I like to savour the pomegranate as the hero in this raita.


anardana raita || pomegrante raita

ingredients
1 pomegranate seeds (they are called arils)
1 small green chilly deseeded and chopped finely (optional)
1 small tub of yogurt
1 small tub of buttermilk
1/4 tsp of cumin powder
1/4 tsp of black powder
salt to taste
chopped coriander leaves

method

1. in a bowl, whisk yogurt and buttermilk together.
2.  add cumin powder and black powder, salt, pomegranate and coriander leaves and mix well
3. serve chill.

note if you do not have buttermilk, just add some water to the yogurt, thickness desired for the raita.

Kushka

Kushka ||குஸ்கா

Kushka is a simple yet flavourful rice dish. It's briyani dish without using any meat. and a South Indian speciality.  Within this they are a few variants of cooking, some one with water only, some a combo of coconut milk or milk with water and some with chicken/meat stock.

This is a lunch meal that goes well together with kurma and raita.  For this kushka I paired it with bhindi ka salan and pomegranate raita.

I used basmathi. I also used the rice cooker to the rice instead of a pressure cooker. Lets look at the ingredients.

Note : 1 cup of basmathi rice liquid to be at 1.5 cups.


Kushka

Ingredients

3 cups of basmathi - washed and soaked for 20mins. and drain
4.5 cups of water
2 red onion - slice finely
5-6 green chilly - slit into 2
1 big tomato - chopped finely
2 medium sized bay leave
2 small stick of cinnamon
2 star anise
3 cardamon
3 cloves
1 tsp fennel seeds
1tsp ginger garlic paste
1/2 cup of yogurt - whisked
4 tbs of ghee
1/4 tsp of turmeric powder
1/2 tsp of chilly powder
1/2 tsp of garam masala
a handful of mint leaves
a handful coriander leaves - chopped coarsely

Garnishing - Mint leaves and fried onion.

Method

1.  In a pot heat ghee. Add in bay leave, cinnamon stick, star anise, cardamon, cloves and fennel seeds.  Fry for a few minutes till aromatic.

2.  Add in sliced onions.  Saute with a little salt till soft and brown.  Add in the ginger garlic paste, fry till raw smell is gone.

3.  Add in chilly and all the powders and cook till mix well, stir for a few more minutes.  Add half of the mint and coriander leaves. Mix well and add in tomato.  Cook till the tomato is homogeneous and well mix into a combined paste.

4.  Add in yogurt and mixed well.  Stir in rice, stir well add in water and salt to taste, top up with the balance of coriander leaves and mint leaves and cook till it is done.

Serve with some home made fried onion and mint leaves.  Serve hot.

Egg Gravy Punjabi Style

Egg Gravy Punjabi Style

Another great dish from eggs.  There are many variations or style one can do out of an egg, curries or gravy, omelettes, quiche to name a few.

When you want something quick nothing beats an egg curry or gravy.  This time I tried out Punjabi Style Egg Curry. Mr Hubby likes the egg in a gravy or sambal shallow fry.  Best with chapatis, rotis and rice.

EGG GRAVY PUNJABI STYLE

INGREDIENTS
4 hard boiled eggs
1 big onion
2 green chilly (optional - if you desire heat in your curry)
1tsp ginger garlic paste
2 medium sized tomato
1 green chilly
1 bay leave
1 small cinnamon stick
3 cloves
2 cardamoms
2 tsp chilly powder
1.5 tsp garam masala
1 tsp turmeric
1- 1.5 cups water (adjust accordingly)
salt to taste
1 tsp kasuri methi (optional- I did not use)

PREPARATION

1. Boil egg with some salt. Remove shell, either prick with fork or make several slits with knife.
2. Heat some oil and shallow fry the eggs till golden brown.
3. Puree onion and tomato separately. If using chilly blend together with onion. Set aside
4. Heat a pot with some oil. Pop in bay leave, cinnamon stick, cloves and cardamoms and allow to splutter.
5. Add in pureed onion, saute for a few minutes on medium heat or till onion starts to leave oil. 
6. Add in ginger garlic paste, stir well for several minutes or till the raw smell is gone.
7. Add in tomato puree, mix well with onion and ginger garlic paste, fry till the raw smell is off.
8. Add in garam masala, chilly powder and turmeric.
9. Stir in well together on medium heat, till aromatic and oil starts to separate.
10. Pour in water enough to make a portion of gravy.  Stir well and let it boil to a desired thickness.
11. Salt to season.
12. Add in the eggs, kasuri methi, if using , mix thoroughly. and let it simmer on low heat for  3-4 minutes.
13. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves. 

Bon Appetite







 

 

 

Sathiarani 

Asian InspiredTaufoo Salad

Simple and easy, no fuss salad ala Thai.  No specific measurement just go with the flow.

Ingredients

Taufoo - cut bite size and deep fry.

Sliced Onions - slight crushed with your hands

Chilly - sliced small

Carrots - Shredded

Cucumber - Sliced finely

Roasted peanuts - removed skin in whole or crushed

Roasted white sesame 

Coriander - coarsely chopped 

Sweet & Spicy Sauce

Preparations

Mix all the ingredients nicely coated with the sauce and ready to serve.

Enjoy

** Sathiarani**

Almost White Vermicelli Rice Noodle @ Meehoon

I have always fried meehoon/beehoon aka vermicelli rice with some soy sauce and chilly paste rendering it almost red in colour.  This time around I decided to prepare it almost white with some soy sauce.  The addition of white pepper gives a slight dash of peppery taste on your tongue.

Almost White Vermicelli Rice Noodle aka Meehoon.

Ingredients

1 packet of 200gm vermicelli rice

1 whole bulb of garlic - pounded finely

1/2 half carrot - sliced thinly

2-3 pieces of lettuce - chopped coarsely

chicken breast cut into small pieces

1.5 tsp of white pepper

1 tsp of light soy sauce (salted)

1 whole spring onion - chopped finely

salt to taste

oil for saute

How to prepare

1.  In a bowl, marinate chicken strips with white pepper, soy sauce and salt to taste. Leave it aside to marinate about 15-20mins.

2.  In a pot, put in the vermicelli rice covered with cold water and put it to boil.  You will noticed that the noodles will turn into nice white colour when it is almost done.   Strain and keep aside.

To be sure feel it with your fingers, you will know it is cooked. You need not wait till the water starts to boil. This will only make the noodles very mushy when it cook it further.

3.   In a big deep wok, heat enough oil, add in whisked egg to make it scrambled eggs.  Set it aside.

4.  In the same wok, heat oil, once it is hot, saute in pounded garlic till nice aromatic.  Add in the marinated chicken and stir well.  Cook for a few more minutes and add it carrots and lettuce to the mixture. Keep stirring and cook it further.

5.  Add in the vermicelli and stir well till the sauces/chicken mixture are well coated with the vermicelli.

6.  When they are fully coated, add in the scrambled eggs and chopped spring onions and mix well.

7.  Ready to be serve.

Enjoy!!!

** Sathiarani **

Dhall Fry

Dhall fry is so simple to prepare that anyone can do it.  It is best eaten with rice or chapatis/rotis, naans.

Dhall fry best done with tuvar dhall (pigeon pea lentils).  You can also make them with either moong dhall, masoor dhall or chana dhall.  

Mine was a combo of moong dhall and tuvar dhall equal portion. I like to saute with ghee and a cooking ahead atleast an hour or more so as to let the spices absorb well with the dhall gravy.

You can use a pressure cooker or with a laid back fashion as I just did (but beware not to burnt them though)

Ingredients

1 cup of tuvar dhall

1 cup of moong dhall
enough water to pressure cook
1 tsp of turmeric powder

4 tbs of ghee
1 tsp of mustard seeds
1 tsp of cumin seeds
1 big onion - chopped

1 tsp ginger garlic
2 red chilies - chopped coarsely
2 sprigs of curry leaves
2 -3 dry chilly
a good dash of asofetida
1 tsp of turmeric powder
1 tsp of red chilly powder

1 medium sized tomato - chopped finely

salt to taste
3-4 tbs of chopped coriander leaves
water to adjust the thickness of dhall
1 tsp of lemon juice. - optional

How to prepare:

1.  Wash and pressure cooker both dhalls with turmeric powder till soft without any grains felt.  It should be kind of creamy and mushy.

2.  In a pan, heat ghee till melted.  Add in mustard seeds and let it splutter

3.  When the mustard seeds starts spluttering, add in onions, fry till soft and translucent, add in ginger garlic paste. Once the rawness of the ginger garlic is disappear, add in the chilies and curry leaves, stir well

4.  Add in the powders, stir and mixed well.

5.  Next goes in the chopped tomatoes, mix well and stir well and cooked till the tomatoes are soft and the oil is separated from the sides.

6.  At this point, season with salt, add in the cooked dhall, mixed well, beware though, the dhall is very thick and they will start to pop.

7.  Add in some water, depending on your required consistency, mixing well with the tempered and dhall.

8.  Once they are well coated, remove from fire, add in the chopped coriander leaves and lemon juice.  Stir well.

If you prefer, you may add in a dash of ghee and chopped coriander leaves while serving.

Enjoy.

Dhall Fry

Dhall Fry and Chapatis

Sathiarani

Mix Vegetables with Tofu

Some brocollis, carrots, cauliflowers and tofus you can make a great dish. No strict amount but a handful of this and that with some good seasoning and voila you get an easy peasy dish.

If you fancy meat/seafood, you may add them while sauteing onions/ginger garlic.

Ingredients

broccoli florets
cauliflower floerets
tofus - firm ones cut into square and deep fried
carrots - sliced diagonaly
Salted soya sauce
fish sauce
oyster sauce
slices of onions
ginger garlic paste
chopped spring onions
some water

Method

Wash and drain the vegetables.
In a pan heat some oil, once hot, stir in onion, once it is soft, add in ginger garlic paste and in stir.
Add in the vegetables, stir well, uncovered,  as to coat with the onions and ginger garlic paste.
In a different bowl, mix all the sauces with some water.
Once the vegetables are almost done, add in the sauces as well the tofu. mix well, let it simmer for a more minutes.
Add in chopped spring onions and serve hot with some steaming hot rice.

Enjoy

Sathiarani

Mutton Bone Rasam/Soup

Mutton Bone Rasam/Soup

My son recently had a hairline fractured on his left elbow.  Friends suggested making home made mutton bone soup for a speedy recovery. Apparently the juicy from the bones have healing properties for the bones.  I used a pressure cooker to stew my soup.

Lets look at how to prepare this soup.

Item A
1 tsp of peppercorn
2 tsp of coriander
1 tsp of white peppercorn
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
2-3 dried chillies depending on the spiciness required
a few sprigs of curry leave

Item B
1 small onion
thumb sized ginger
3-5 cloves of garlic

Item C
1 tomato - chopped small
2-3 chilly  chopped coarsely

Item D
150 gms of mutton bones with fats
6 cups of water
1/2 tsp of turmeric

Item E
1 tbs of gingely oil - optional

Item F
a handful of finely chopped coriander leaves

1.  Grind items A into fine powder and Items B into fine paste.
2.  In a pressure cooker/deep based pot put in all items except gingely oil and coriander leaves.  Cover the pressure cooker and let it on till 5 whistles.
3.  If not using a pressure cooker, stew/boil the soup for an hour or till the meat are well cooked.
4.  Add in gingely oil and chopped coriander leaves and leave it to simmer for another 10 mins.
5.  Ready to serve with bread or rice or just enjoy it as it is.

Enjoy

Sathiarani

Coconut Cake

I tried a few newbies for my pot luck party.  Sweet Potato Kheer - this was shared by cousin brother, Coconut Cake shared by Anita (which also shared her Moroccan Spiced Chicken), Chiffon Pandan Cake and Chinese Style Prawn Fried Rice.

Now lets look at Coconut Cake which Anita shared on her FB.  Not only it is easy to prepare, it was also fantastic especially when it was still warm and definitely a big wow from my guests.

Lets look at the recipe

Coconut Cake
Source - Anita Muthukaruppan, New Zealand

Ingredients
250g butter
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2.5 cups flour
0.5 cups desiccated coconut
2 tsp baking powder
1 cup coconut cream

Method

1.  Preheat oven to 160C
2. Cream butter and sugar till fluffy.
3. Mix in eggs one at a time.
4. Sift flour & baking powder into a separate bowl. Stir in coconut.
5. Alternate folding in flour mixture and coconut cream (I warm the coconut milk with pandan leaves just as suggested by Anita) into cake batter until incorporated.
6. Pour into tin and bake for 1-1.5 hr.

 

 

Sliced Coconut Cake

 

Note from Anita : For a Malaysian twist, warm coconut milk with a 2-3 bruised pandan (screwpine) leaves, and leave to infuse for 5-10 min before adding to batter


Sathiarani

My Version of Chicken Noodle Soup

I made this for yesterday night's dinner.  another simple and quick to prepare.

Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients
1 packet of rice noodle
5 clove of garlic
thumb size ginger
1 tbs of black pepper
2 tsp of white pepper powder
1 tsp of cumin powder
3 medium sized thigh - skin removed
roughly chopped celery leaves
6-7 baby carrots - halved
a handful of cauliflower florets
salt to taste

Saute (A)
1 cinnamon stick
2-3 cardamons - bruised
2-3 cloves
2-3 aniseeds
1 tsp of fennel seeds
Sesame oil for saute

Garnishing
shredded cooked chicken
fried taufoo
finely chopped celery leaves
finely chopped spring onions

How to do

1.  Wash and toss chicken.
2.  Grind or pound ginger, garlic and black pepper.
3.  In a pot put some water enough to make soup add in chicken and the grinded ginger garlic and black pepper.
4.  Add in white powder, cumin powder roughly chopped celery leaves and let it boil till the chicken is cooked.
5.  Removed the chickens from the soup, removed the chicken from the bones, and put back the bones into soup, add in the carrots and cauliflowers and cook al dente.
6.  Heat  a pan, heat sesame oil, and sauté ingredients (A) till aromatic and pour over the soup.
7.  Shred the chicken pieces. and set aside
8.  Preparing the noodles : - In a pot, add cold water, and noodles, cook till it is soft.  Remove from fire and strain it and ready to use.

To prepare - Dish out some noodles into a bowl, pour hot soup over it and garnish it with taufoo, shredded .

 

 

Enjoy

 

Sathiarani



Chicken Lemongrass Noodle Soup.

I did this recipe a long time ago but some how never got to post it - maybe because I could not find the pictures that I took for this.  I have been wanting to try this recipe for sometime and finally did it. I also learn to make the perfect way to soften the rice vermicelli from http://www.tiffinbiru.com/2013/05/mi-sup-ayam-berserai-untuk-che-mat.html.  thank you very much

My children's verdict  - delicious, must do again, Mine - surely a kepeer, simple and quick to do, hubby's - ate with no comment so it's an A ok...

Lets look at the recipe.

Chicken Lemongrass Noodle Soup...

1/2 kg of chicken cut to bite size
4 potatoes cleaned and cut into 4 and soak in water
a handful of celery leaves - chopped roughly
1 tbs fried onions
1 Maggi Chicken cube
1 packet mix spices for soup (I did not used this)
Water
Salt to taste
1 packet of rice noodle

Ingredients to grind (A)
6 onions
4 cloves garlic
1½ inch ginger
1½ fresh turmeric
1 tbs full black pepper
2 candlenut - slice finely

Ingredients for sauté (B)
1 cinnamon stick
5 cloves
1 star aniseed
3 cardamons
3 lemongrass - bruised lightly

Other ingredients (C)
Dried noodles
Taufoo - fried an slice
Bean sprout , remove ends, wash and drain
chopped celery leaves
Hot Spicy Soya Sauce Sambal

How to prepare:

1.  Soup preparation - Cut chicken into bite size, wash and toss.
2. Heat oil, sauté all in (B) till aromatic.  Add ingredients from (A) and fry till the oil separates. 
3.  Add in the chickens, mix well, add enough water.
4.  Let it boil and  reduce the flame.
5.  Add the chicken cube and roughly chopped celery leaves and fried onions. 
6.  Continue cooking till the chicken is soft, Add water if necessary. 
7.  When chicken is cooked, add in potato and cook till soft. 
8.  Add salt to taste. Let it cook for a few more minutes and remove from fire.

How to prepare the noodles -  Put enough water in a pot, put in the rice noodles in, and let it cook till soft. Once cooked, drain and ready to use.

To dish out - Dish out the cooked noodles into a bowl, Pour in the soup together with the chicken and potato. Garnish with finely bean sprouts, fried taufoo, chopped celery leaves, spring onions and fried onions.

Serve hot with hot spicy soya sauce.

Enjoy just like we did


Sathiarani

 

Anita's Morrocan Spiced Chicken

This recipe is courtesy of Anita - hence the post title - Anita's Morrocan Chicken.

Anita and my brother are classmates and we all live in the same neighbourhood back home and she currently resides in New Zealand.  She shared this recipe over the FB and I always like simple and easy recipes.

I love the smell of paprika when it was baking.  Lets look at the recipe.

Morrocan Spiced Chicken

Source - Anita Muthukaruppan

Ingredients
1 heaped tbsp good smoked paprika
1 heaped tsp ground cumin
Salt and black pepper to taste
2-4 tbsp olive oil
12 chicken drumsticks
6 medium potatoes cut into 1-2cm slices - I omitted this as I ran out of potato

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180C

2. Mix everything in a large baking dish until combined and coated.

3. Bake for 45min-1hr until cooked. Turn chicken after 30 min & mix potatoes once/twice during cooking

4. Eat with couscous/rice or just by itself. Yummy.
 
For a nice twist, add grated zest of one orange and juice of one orange into marinade. Even more yummy.

Enjoy

Sathiarani