LADIES FINGER THORAN

Iwas getting bored of the usual stir fried ladies finger.Hence thought of having a change tdy and decided to go for a Thoran, the typical south indian version of vegetable preparation for lunch.Here it goes ...

INGREDIENTS FOR THE THORAN:-

1)Ladies finger sliced as seen in picture--2 cups

2)Grated coconut--1 cup

3)Button onions--3 sliced or chopped

4)Green chillies--2 sliced

5)Garlic--1 flake chopped or crushed

6)Curry leaves-2 sprigs

7)salt

INGREDIENTS FOR THE SEASONING:-

1)Oil--2 tblsp

2)Mustard seeds-1tsp

3)Urad dal--1 tsp

4)Sliced onions--2 tbsp

5)Curry leaves--2 sprigs

METHOD:-Heat oil and splutter the mustard seeds followed by urad dal..When the dal starts to turn brown add the sliced onions and curry leaves..Fry till the onions also turn brown and crisp..Remove three fourth of this seasoning into a small bowl and keep aside to garnish the Thoran later..

Mix all the remaining ingredients for the Thoran into the seasoning left in the frying pan,and mix well.Spread it out, using your ladle ..Stir and cook untill the ladies fingers are cooked and no longer slimy..Care should be taken not to brown the coconut.Transfer to a serving bowl and serve hot garnished with the seasoning, that has been kept aside.

SWEET N SOUR RAITHA

Have ever wondered what to do with the raw plantain all black and ugly, still somewhat firm but no longer raw ,that has has been left forgotten all thoses days,at the bottom of the veg rack of the fridge!?And have guiltily thrown them out into the waste bin?Pls do not do that again.Give them a delicious make over by turing them into this wonderful Raitha .

1.Raw plantains that have just started to turn ripe(shud be little sweet!)---4 nos

2)Tomatoes cubed--2 medium

3)Green chillies--3 sliced

4)Button onions--3 sliced

5)Curry leaves--3 sprigs

6)Oil --2 tblsp

7)Kashmiri chilli powder--1/2 tsp

8)Mustard seeds--1 tsp

9)Urad dal--1/2 tsp

10) Red chillies split--2 nos

11)Whole black pepper--1 tsp

12)Sliced onions--2 tbsp

13)Coconut grated--3/4 cup

14)Thick slightly sour yoghurt--3/4 cup
15)Salt

METHOD:-

Cook the cubed plantains with sliced green chillies , button onions, two sprigs of curry leaves and salt.. It will get cooked very fast.. When three fourth done, add the cubed tomatoes and cook till the plantains turn mushy..Switch off the flame.

Grind the grated coconut with half the yoghurt , till creamy,and pour it into the cooked plantain tomato mixture..Stir in the rest of the yoghurt,as well .

Now for the seasoning, heat oil in a frying pan, and splutter the mustard seeds followed by the urad dal, black pepper,split red chillies,few curry leaves,red chilli powder, turmeric powder, and finally the sliced onions till the onions turn brown...Pour it into the Raitha and mix well before use.

This Raitha goes well with almost all rice dishes, especially the Indian versions.

POTATO CASHEW FUDGE

Why not make a sweet with a difference this Diwali?Try this yummy potato fudge, with a dash of cashew milk cream and chopped nuts!

INGREDIENTS:-

1)Potatoes cooked and mashed well--1 cup heaped

2)Thich milk--1/2 cup

3)Cashew nuts--1/2 cup

4)Butter--5 - 6 tblsp

5)Sugar--1 1/2 -- 1 3/4 cups

6)Vanilla essence--1 tsp

7)Cardamom powder--1/2 tsp

8)Green food colour--2-3 drops

9)Cashew nuts--10 nos, chopped

METHOD:-

Cook 350 gms of peeled ,washed and cubed potatoes till well cooked and mash well using a potato masher till smooth .....Keep aside covered...Grind cashew nuts with milk till a smooth cream is formed..Take a non stick pan , put sugar and 1/2 cup water and heat till sugar dissolves...Add the mashed potatoes and the cashew milk cream..Cook stirring all the time till the mixture becomes thick and starts to leave the sides of the pan as a single mass..Stir in green colour, vanilla essence, cardamom powder and chopped cashew nuts...Remove from the stove and beat well using a wooden spoon for two minutes..Pour into a buttered dish and let cool down a bit.. Mark into shapes while still warm.. Break into pieces when cooled completely..Store in an airtight container.

COCOA COCONUT MELODY

Its my family's fav ever since my first experiment.No eggs, no butter and no baking!! ..But we will need a couple of blobs of butter for greasing the grease proof paper...Dessicated coconut should be ground dry, without adding any liquid.. You can see oil oozing out as you grind in the dry mixing jar...No need to make it into a very smooth paste...Use a serrated knife to slice the chilled Cocoa Coconut Melody into pieces..As well ,as you slice, wipe the knife using a damp towel so that the brown crumbs clinging to the knife does not spoil the beauty of the white coconut layer..Add a fThe qty of milk mentioned will be enough for mixing the ingredients of the two mixtures as the sugar will melt on adding the milk,making the mixture paste like..So do not be tempted to use too much milk .ew drops only if necessary.If using Indian cocoa add one heaped tsp more.Chill the Melody on the lower shelf of your fridge,before slicing.. But do not freeze.

INGREDIENTS:

1)Marie Biscuits powdered--1 large pkt(170gms)

2)Any gud qlty cocoa powder--3 tbsp

3)Ground dessicated coconut---2 cups

4)Any gud qlty milk powder--1cup

5)Sugar powder --2cups(Take two cups of sugar 16 oz) and then powder it)

6)Milk--1/2 cup

7)Coconut essence--2 drops(optional)

8)Vanilla essence--2 drops

9)Nescafe--1tsp

METHOD:-

Take two bowls.. Into one bowl, put powdered marie biscuits, 1 cup powdered sugar,cocoa,and vanilla essence..Into the second bowl, put ground dessicated coconut, the remaining 1 cup powdered sugar, coconut essence, and milk powder..

Now combine the ingredients in the first bowl using 1/4 cup milk in which nescafe has been dissolved,to get a thick paste..If its too dry, add few drops of milk to make it little soft..The consistncy should be such that it can easily be pressed well into a baking tin...The mixture should not be runny..

Now we will deal with the second bowl.. Mix all the ingredients well using another 1/4 cup of plain milk, to get a thick paste as the previous one..

Now to assemble, spread the brown cocoa mixture in a rectangular baking tin that has been lined with a buttered butter paper...Press it down well..Now spread the white coconut mixture over the first one...Press this as well onto the brown cocoa layer..Lay a sheet of another buttered paper over the top layer and gently spread it so that it clings to the surface.. Let cool in the fridge before cutting it into any shape of your choice!!..

ORANGE ALMOND STREUSEL CAKE

Dear frnds, am here tdy, too thrilled to share an awesome recipe with you all, after having tasted a large wedge of a bewitchingly luscious Orange Almond Streusel Cake..This recipe belongs to allrecipes.com.

This is a scrumptious cake with a toothsome crunchy streusel topping.I have not made much changes in the original measurements or ingredients..But had to use a little more than the qty of orange juice mentioned..As well I took a pressed qty of light brown sugar for the streusal filling..The cake batter does not contain enough sugar.. It is the streusal filling that lends the required sweetness to the cake..The filling plus the cake batter's sugar together will make it sweet enough..So pls do not be tempted to increase the qty of sugar in the batter..Almonds in the recipe are supposed to be sliced.. But to save time I chopped them very coarsely ..This makes the streusel very crunchy n tasty..Since I luv intense orange flavour I used the rind of 3 large oranges, each for the batter as well as for the streusal..So altogether we will need 6 oranges, for the rind alone..The cake will be sweet enough.. So no need for any glaze! If desired an orange glaze can be trickled on top.

I wud suggest all my frnds to try this out.. Your family will definitely luv it!!..The cake tastes best if served warm and on the day it is made....Wow! The whole house is filled with an entrancing aroma of freshly baked streusel!!..I can't wait any longer to share this recipe with you all....So, here goes the recipe:-

INGREDIENTS FOR THE STREUSAL:-

1)Fine light brown sugar--1 cup pressed

2)Plain flour--1/4cup

3)Melted butter-3tblsp

4)Chopped or sliced almonds--1 cup

5)Orange rind--of 3 large oranges

Mix everything together in a bowl,using your fingers tips and keep aside covered.The mixture will be dry and grainy.

INGREDIENTS FOR THE CAKE:-

1)Plain flour--2 cups

2)Baking Powder--1tsp

3)Baking Soda--1 tsp

4)Eggs--3

5)White sugar--1/2 cup measured and then powdered

6)Soft butter--1/2 cup

7)Vanilla essence--1/2 tsp

8) Orange rind of --3 large oranges

9)Orange juice--almost one cupful

METHOD TO MAKE THE CAKE:-

Take a square baking tin and line it with buttered butter paper..You will need a deep tin..(I used a loose bottom tin measuring,91/4"wide and 31/4"tall)Keep aside..

Beat the butter with powdered sugar in a bowl,followed by the eggs one by one.. Beat till light and fluffy adding the orange rind and vanilla.. Fold in the flour , that has already been sifted with the BP and BS,alternating with the orange juice..The batter will be semi loose.Do not make it runny by adding any more juice.. Almost one cup of juice is enough..You may run your hand mixer thru the batter for 3 seconds, at the lowest speed just to blend everything..Do not over beat!

Now let's spread the two mixtures in the baking tin..

First spread half of the cake batter in the tin.. Now over this layer sprinkle half of the streusel filling..Repeat the layers once more .(top with the streusel)..Bake in a preheated oven(180 degrees)for almost 50 minutes, or till the top is firm to touch..Insert a skewer into the middle of the cake..If it comes out clean without any crumbs, the cake is done.. Remove from the oven and serve warm.

ENJOY!!......HAVE A HAPPY TEA TIME!!REMEMBER, THE CAKE TASTES BEST WHEN SERVED WARM AND THE DAY IT IS MADE.

FRIED NAN

One of my fav recipes for nans..Puffs up well if the temperature of the oil used is maintained thru out..Even though we need very hot oil, if it starts to smoke you may reduce the flame..Secret lies in the appropriate temperature of the oil ..The dough should be kneaded thoroughly till it turns soft and pliable..Remember to use the best yeast available..If you have the habit of storing yeast in the fridge, bring it to room temperature before adding to milk to ferment.

INGREDIENTS:-

1)Plain Flour--2 cups(1cup=8 oz)

2)Salt

3)Soda bi carbonate--1 pinch

4)Sugar--1tblsp

5)Yeast--1 tsp

6)Warm milk--1/4 cup

7)Yoghurt that is not too sour--1/2 cup

8)Oil--1 tbsp

9)Egg--1

10)Oil for frying the nans

METHOD:-

Dissolve yeast and sugar in 1/4 cup warm milk..Cover and keep aside to ferment..It will turn frothy after a few minutes..

Put all the other dry ingredients into a bowl..Make a well in the center and break open an egg into it..Beat it lightly with a fork...Add the rest of the wet ingredients ,including the fermented yeast and knead the dough well on a clean surface till it is soft and pliable...Cover with a damp cloth and keep aside to rise..The risen dough should be double its original volume...May take 1-2 hrs...Pinch off small portions and shape into lime sized balls ..Press a little between the palms and roll them out using a little flour if needed.... We do not want them too thin..(Pls see the picture)..Any shape is ok... A tear drop shape will be fantastic..Since I do not have the patience, I go for simple circles, only.Cover them with the damp cloth till the oil gets very hot and ready to fry the nans....Deep fry the nans pressing down lightly with the ladle and splashing hot oil carefully over them,till they puff up on one side... Toss it over and fry the other side as well...Serve hot with Palak Paneer or Kadai Paneer(That's my fav combo!)

FOUR O CLOCK POP INS

This is a very easy to make tea time snack you can make in a jiffy....I tasted it long time ago at a local restaurant...The waiter told me some name, but I could not recollect it after reaching home.. Having got a vague idea about how they made it,since then I have been making it at home, as a tea time snack after making a few changes in the ingredients..I had to substitute yoghurt for making the batter whereas at the restaurant they use water..I didnt like having onions in them..So added more of ginger and green chillies....As well I had to give it a new name..Hence started fondly calling them 4 O CLOCK POP INS....My children say that they taste like urad vadas.. But when made with plain flour,no soaking or grinding is needed..They are golden N crispy outside and spongy, white N spicy inside .. Remember to use fresh yoghurt that is not too sour.. The ones we get here in the gulf is pudding like and not watery.. That is the ideal choice.. If using very sour curd, reduce its qty and substitute water.But the freshly made or store bought thick yoghurt gives the best results.

INGREDIENTS:-

1)Flour--1 cup

2)Yoghurt--3/4 cup

3)Chopped ginger--1 heaped tblsp

4)Chopped green chillies--2-3

5)Chopped curry leaves--2 sprigs

6)Baking soda--1 pinch

7)Salt--as needed

8)Asafoetida powder--1 pinch

METHOD:-

Sift flour into a bowl.. Put the rest of the ingredients and beat well using a wooden spoon..Do not make it too smooth a batter.. The batter should be elastic type, as you can see in the picture.. You need not beat it for long.. It will take only a minute...Mean while heat oil in a deep frying pan. One in the shape of a wok is ideal.. We are going to deep fry the 'pop ins',not shallow fry..So use enough oil to cover them..Once the oil is really hot take a wet tea spoon, and scoop out a little thick batter .. Using the index finger of the other hand slide it slowly into the hot oil.. If the oil is hot enough you can see it puffing up happily!!:).. Similarly put a few more at a time and use your laddle to toss them in oil so that they get cooked all around ...If the oil starts to smoke reduce the flame immediately...The pop ins should be golden brown all over...Remove them from the oil and drain on absorbent paper.. Do the same with the rest of the batter.. Serve very hot with any chutney of your choice, or as plain.. Here we prefer to eat them as they are, with out any dips.

Have a happy tea time!!!