Coconut Rice/Thengai Saadham

Simple and yet delicious easy breezy variety rice item to make.I love doing it on a busy weekday, served with coriander or coconut chutney.


Ingredients

Cooked Rice - 1 1/2 cup
Shredded Coconut - 1/4 cup
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Urad dal - 1/2 tsp
Cashew nuts - 10
Peanuts - 2 tbsp (roasted)
Red chillies - 6
Curry leaves - as needed
Salt - as needed

Method

In a pan, heat 1 tbsp ghee and roast cashew nuts and peanuts separately until golden brown.Keep it aside.In the same pan, add 1 tbsp ghee and fry mustard seeds,urad dal,red chillies and curry leaves.Once they are fried, add coconut to the pan and saute until it is slightly brown.Add salt to this mixture.In a bowl, add cooked rice and fluff it with a fork.Add coconut mixture,cashewnuts,peanuts to the rice and mix it with a fork.Serve it hot with spicy coriander or coconut chutney.

Mutton Pepper fry

This weekend went pretty well.I had participated in the local expo for handcrafted/handmade items over the weekend.Went pretty well and sold almost all my pieces.Got order for some the pieces aswell..:D.Felt so happy that my hard work was appreciated.You can view some of my collections at Beyond The Beads.Secondly, had attended a pool party afterwards and won a prize..yippe.. and the the day ended with great food and friends.Sunday was a lazy day with a bit of shopping and leftover food.Anyways ,now to the point, this mutton recipe again shared by my dear friend S.This spicy dish has all the good things to impress someone who loves spicy food..:D


Ingredients

Mutton - 2lbs
Small onion - 1 bag ( 1 cup sliced)
Onion - 1 (sliced)
Pepper - 1 1/2 tbsp
Coriander - cumin powder - 2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2tsp
Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
Garlic - 6 cloves (minced)
Ginger - 1 inch piece (minced)
Coconut oil - 2tbsp
Curry leaves - as needed
Salt - as needed

Method

Mix mutton,sliced onion,ginger, garlic,salt,turmeric,garam masala,coriander - cumin powder and pepper very well.Pressure cook this with 1/2 cup water for 3 whistles.In a heavy bottomed pan, heat coconut oil.Saute small onion and curry leaves.Add cooked mutton mixture to this.Cook till the gravy is almost dry.Serve hot with rice or roti.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

I came across this recipe while reading a cooking magazine from the library.I liked the picture so much, i had to try it.so wrote it down in a piece of paper.Unfortunately forgot write down the magazine's name.But I am pretty positive it is "Taste by 2" magazine.I followed the recipe as it is except for sesame seeds as i didn't have any.




Ingredients

Lemon juice - 1/3 cup
Olive oil - 5tsp
Parsley - 2 springs, stem removed
Garlic - 1 tsp , minced
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Cumin - 1/2 tsp (ground)
Cayenne pepper - 1/4tsp
Black Pepper - 1/4 tsp , coarsley ground
Chickpeas - 2 cans (15oz),rinsed and drained
Roasted sweet red pepper = 1 cup, drained
Sesame seeds - 1/4 cup , toasted
Pita bread - As needed, warmed and cut into wedges.

Method

In a food processor,combine the first 8 ingredients.Cover and process until blended.Add peas and red pepper.Cover and process until smooth.Transfer to a small bowl, stir in sesame seeds.Serve with warm pita wedges.

Puliyodarai

One of my treasured recipe...

Ingredients

Gingely oil - 2tbsp
Tmaraind paste - 1 1/2 tbsp
Peanuts - 20 (skinned and dry roasted)
Mustard seeds - 1tsp
Urad dal - 2 tsp
Channa dal - 2tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Whole red chillies - 5
Vellam/Jaggaery - 2tsp
Perungayam/Asafoedita - 1/4 tsp
Salt - as needed


Dry roast and powder

Red chillies - 15
Vendhayam/Fenugreek seeds - 2 tsp
Sesame seeds - 2tsp
Curry leaves - 5


Method

Mix tamarind paste in 1 cup of water.Dry roast and powder the ingredients listed under.In apn, heat gingely oil and fry mustard seeds,urad dal,channa dal,red chillies.Now add red chilli powder,turmeric powder,asafoedita,powdered mixture,salt and tamarind.Let it boil until the oil separates.Now add jaggery and roasted peanuts to this and keep it heat for 2 minutes.Now switch off the heat.You can store this mix in the refrigetor for weeks.Take required amount of puliyodarai mix to make puliyodarai.







Thanks Sangeeth,Padma and Illatharasi and Suheefor these lovely awards.Really appreciate it!

Cooking With Ram - Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ram, my 4 year old boy, loves to cook.I know....:D.Whenever i am cooking, he comes and put step stool near to the counter and stands on it.His most favourite thing about cooking is stirring.In his own words "stirring is coopking".Yeap, he can't say "cook" only "coopk".So when i decided to bake these cookies with my leftover chocolate chips, i made sure to tag him along.He was so happy and start mixing the dough.When i wanted to take pictures, he wouldn't even look at the camera, That busy .After so many request, got a smile from him.Wouldn't take my suggestions during the process..:(.After the first batch of cookies out of the oven, my Ram was long gone..:)

I followed the recipe from Ghirardelli's website.The cookies came out delicious and bit soft.Perfect combo for a glass of cold milk.

Very busy

No pictures Amma!

Finally a smile...

No..i wanna do it my way amma!

Chocolate chip Cookies

Semiya/Vermicelli Uppuma

Another easy breezy breakfast to enjoy..My mom used make this as an evening snack as well.

Ingredients

Semiya - 1 cup
Ghee - 3tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1tsp
Urad dal - 1/2tsp
Channa dal - 1/2 tsp
Red chillies - 8
Ginger - 1 tsp (grated,optional)
Curry leaves - a few
Shredded coconut - 3tbsp
Salt - as needed
Hot Water - 1 3/4 cup

Method

In a pan heat 2 tbsp of ghee and fry semiya until golden brown and keep it aside.In a heavy bottomed pan, heat 1 tbsp ghee and fry mustard seeds, urad dal,channa dal,red chillies,ginger and curry leaves.Add semiya and saute for few minutes.Add hot water and salt.Keep stirring and do not let it stick to the bottom of the pan.When semiya is cooked , add coconut.Serve it hot.

A friendship day to remember and Fish in coconut milk gravy

Yesterday, on Friendship day, S took over the house and gave a day off for me from my usual duties.While i went out shopping, he cooked his special mutton biryani for me.So when i came back tired from shopping (?) delicious hot biryani was waiting for me.Thanks to dear S for being a true friend and Hubby and for making the day special.




I clicked this picture before i left the house, as he was chopping up....




Mutton biryani with onion raita...


Fish in Coconut Milk Gravy



Ingredients

King Fish pieces - 2 lbs
Coconut oil - 2 tbsp
Red Onion - 1( finely chopped)
Tomato - 2 (finely chopped) (or use 1/2 cup of crushed tomatoes from a can)
Turmeric pwd - 1/2 tsp
Red chilli - 1 tsp
Green chillies - 3 (slit)
Coconut milk - 1 cup (i used store brought)
Jeera - 1/4tsp
Garlic - 2 cloves
Tamarind water - 1/4 cup
Curry leaves - 1 string
Salt - as needed


Method


Heat coconut oil and fry curry leaves,jeera,green chillies, garlic, onion, tomato very well.Then add red chilli and tumeric powder and saute well.Now add fish, tamarind and salt.Cook till fish is fully cooked.Now add coconut milk and switch off the heat soon.Do not let it boil.Enjoy it with rice.

Punjabi Chicken Masala and The sun juice

This recipe from my dear friend S's recipe collection.Thanks to her, for lending me such a nice collection recipes.I always have a double mind while adding yogurt to a dish, as from my previous not-so-good experiences, the dish turns out to be a little bitter.But this time it came out really well.As turned the heat to low while adding the yogurt mixture, this helped.I am sending this to Srivalli's Curry Mela.



Ingredients

Chicken breasts - 4 ( cut into small pieces)
Garlic - 5 cloves
Ginger - 1 1/2 in ch piece
Onion - 2 (medium sized)(chopped)
Chilli powder - 2 tbsp
Coriander powder - 1 tbsp
Jeera powder- 1 1/2 tsp
Yogurt - 3 tbsp (well beaten)
Cardamom - 3
Cloves - 3
Sugar - 1 tbsp
Crushed Tomato - 1 cup
Salt - as needed
Kasuri methi - 1 tsp
Coriander leaves - for garnishing
Oil - 3 tbsp

Method

Marinate minced garlic in yogurt for about 15 minutes.In a pan, heat oil and fry 1 chopped onion.Fry till they are translucent.Now add chilli,coriander and jeera powder.Fry till the raw smell goes away.Grind this mix into a paste.In a heavy bottomed pan, heat oil and fry cardamom, cloves and then add the second chopped onion.Once onions are fried ,add minced ginger.Saute well and then add the grounded onion mixture.Saute well till the oil separates.Now reduce the heat to medium low and slowly , one spoon at a time, add the garlic yogurt mix.Keep stirring continuously until the whole yogurt mix is well Incorporated into the gravy.Now add the crushed tomatoes,sugar and salt.Finally add the chicken pieces.Cook till the chicken is cooked through and gravy thickens.finally add the kasuri methi.When the gravy is thick enough , switch off the heat.Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.Serve hot with roti,naan or rice.





The Sun juice

I know the name sounds interesting..but this is what came thru my mind when i finished blending this juice.This YUM yellow color juice is the product of blending mango and pineapple.

Ingredients

Ripe Mango pieces - 1 cup
Pineapple pieces - 1 cup
Sugar - as needed (optional)

Method

Blend mango and pineapple together well in a blender until smooth.Add sugar if it is not sweet enough for you.Strain the blended juice, if needed.



This is my entry to Aartee'S SUMMER SPLASH and Sia's WBB - Summer Feast


My second jewelry making project.I am trying to make set for all the individual pieces of jewelry i have.So this one,I made this bracelet and earrings to match with my store brought necklace..

Iced Mocha Latte

I got this recipe from Splenda recipe book, which came with the newspaper.I used sugar instead of splenda..:-D ( i know).I am sending this CLICK - Coffee & Tea hosted by Jai & Bee.Also to WYF - Juices and Ice creams by Easycrafts,to Sweet series - Cool Desserts by Mythreyee.

Iced Mocha Latte





This Picture is the entry for click event.


Ingredients

Instant coffee granules - 2 tbsp
Sugar - 2/3 cup
Dutch process Cocoa - 2tbsp
Boiling water - 2 cups
Fat free half and half - 2 cups

Optional garnish - whipping cream,chocalate syrup

Method

Combine Coffee,Sugar,Cocoa in a small bowl.Gradually whisk in boiling water,whisking until blended.Stir in 1 cup of half & half .Pour mixture into ice cube trays.Freeze for 8 hrs.Pour remaining 1 cup of half & half into blender.Gradually add frozen mocha cubes,blending until smooth.Serve immediately.Garnish with whipping cream and chocalate syrup.

The Passion right now..

Jewelry making is the passion right now for me.Though i love knitting , since Meha i couldn't sit and knit anything for a long time.So took up jewelry.These bracelet i made for my Sis V as she loves turquoise and brown combo.And chain for me, made with one of my old pendant.Planning to make so many for Meha in the future which she will be able to wear.. hmmm... in 8 years or so....:-D.

Chemmeen Ularthiyathu /Shrimp Fry - Kerala special

This recipe is usually made with "kodam puli".Since i didn't have it, i used vinegar instead.Recipe adapted from Mrs.K M Mathew's book.




Ingredients

Shrimps - 30-35 (medium sized)
Small onions - 15 (sliced lengthwise)
Big onion - 1/4 cup (sliced)
Ginger - 1 inch (sliced lengthwise)
Garlic - 4 cloves (sliced lengthwise)
Chilli powder - 1 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 2 tsp
Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Coconut slices - 1/4 cup
Vinegar - 2 tsp
Salt - as needed
Curry leaves - as needed
Oil - 2 tbsp


Method

Mix shrimp,ginger,garlic,small onions,chilli powder,coriander powder,turmeric powder,coconut slices,salt,vinegar and curryleaves.Cook this with just enough water in medium low flame until shrimp is cooked and sauce is almost dry.In a pan, heat oil and fry big onion til it is almost dark brown in color.Add the shrimp masla into this and fry till oil separates and the dish is almost dry.Serve with rice.

Pumpkin/Mathanga Erissery

A famous traditional kerala dish..


Ingredients

Pumpkin - 3 cups (cut into medium sized pieces)
Black eyed beans - 1/2 cup
Shredded Coconut - 1/4 cup
Garlic - 2 pod
Jeera - 1 tsp
Red chillies - 3
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - as needed


Method

Keep aside 1 tbsp of shredded coconut.Grind rest of the coconut with garlic ,jeera, red chillies and curry leaves into a paste.Pressure cook black eyed beans.In the same pressure cooker add pumpkin,turmeric powder,chilli powder and salt.Cook until pumpkin is almost soft.Dont overcook it.Add grounded coconut paste and cook until raw smell goes away.In another pan, heat coconut oil,Add mustard seeds,curry leaves,red chillies and coconut anf fry.Add this to the pumpkin mixture.Serve hot with rice.

Potato Chow Chow/Chayote Masala

On my last trip to india my aunt B cooked this dish for everyone.Aunt B is a superwomen, i must say.One of the well balanced woman i have seen.She is a high ranking officer,super mom,wife,super chef and of course a sweet aunt.To me, someone comes to my mind whenever i hear about some dish..:-D.So, Aunt B comes to my mind whenever somebody say Chicken Fry.I will post her delicious recipe soon.Thanks to Aunt B , for sharing this recipe with Me.




Ingredients

Potato - 3 (cut into small cubes)
Chow chow - 1 (cut into small cubes)
Onion - 1 (chopped)
Ginger garlic paste - 2 tbsp
Red chilli powder - 2 1/2tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Coconut milk powder - 2tbsp
Salt - as needed
Oil - 2tbsp
Coriander leaves - for garnishing (chopped)


Method

Boil chow chow and potato separately until almost cooked.In a pan, heat oil and fry onions until golden brown.Now add ginger garlic paste,red chilli powder,turmeric powder and saute very well until oil separates.Now add chow chow and potatoes and mix everything carefully.Mix 2 tbsp of coconut milk powder in 1/2 cup water and pour this into the pan.Cook in medium heat until verything comes together well and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.Serve this with roti or rice.

Mangai vathal kuzhambu with Artichoke Thoran

Mangai vathal are sun dried raw mango slices.Mom brought these,this last trip because she knew how much i love these.We make theeyal and vatha kuzhambu with these.These vathals are super tangy , so we reduce the amount of tamarind in the curry.I served this with artichoke thoran, adapted from Inji pennu's version.She has step by step instructions of how to clean and chop artichoke.Do check it out.I wanted this post to be send for Mango mania, but got delayed by a day...:(

Mangai vathal Kuzhambu



Ingredients

Mangai vathal - 1/2 cup
Sambhar powder - 2 tbsp
Small Onion - 6-8 (sliced)
Garlic - 5 cloves (sliced)
Asafoetida - two pinch
Oil - 2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1tsp
Urad dal - 1/2tsp
Curry leaves - as needed
Tamarind paste - 1/2 tsp(optional)
Salt - as needed

Method

In a pan, heat oil and fry mustard seeds,urad dal and then curry leaves.Add onion and garlic now, fry this until they are soft.Now add the sambhar powder and saute for few min.s.Finally add tamarind,asafoetida,magai vathal,salt and required amount of water.Let it boil until vathal is soft and kuzhambu is thick enough.Serve it hot with rice.

Coriander Prawns / Kothamalli era

My dear friend S had given me her 10 year old collection of recipes from magazine,books and tv shows.For the past few weeks i have been trying the recipes from her collection.This is the first one i am posting.This was adapted from the book , "5 star samaiyal".When i saw the recipe, i thought this is unusual combo, dals and shrimps.I am glad i tried this one.Came out really well.


Ingredients

Coriander leaves - 1/4 bunch
Small shrimp - 1 packet (brand name : sea snack)
Channa dal - 1tbsp
Urad dal - 1 tbsp
Toor dal - 1 tbsp
Whole Pepper - 1 tsp
Red chillies - 5
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Lime juice - 1 tsp
Salt - as needed
Oil - 2tbsp

Method

Marinate shrimp in lime juice and some salt for atleast 15 minutes.Dry roast and grind toor dal,urad dal,channa dal,red chillies,peppercorns and half of coriander leaves into a fine powder.Mix this with shrimps.In a pan, heat oil and fry the shrimp mixture.Fry till everything comes together well.Add rest of the chopped coriander leaves and mix well.

200th Post - Maggi Chicken Dinner

200th post,came a long way for the past two years and thanks to all fellow foodies for encouraging me along the way.And my dear hubby Subba,son Ram who don't complain and eat pretty much anything i cook,deserve a big THANK YOU.Especially to my Son Ram, who waits by the plate "impatiently" until i finish my photography ..:-D.And to my sis V for trying out my recipes and commenting on the photos,Thank you so much!.

Being 200th post, wanted to share a special recipe that my son Ram loves.He is big fan of maggi noodles.Last week in the library,i saw this easy microwave Ramen Chicken Dinner from a food magazine , Taste of Home.Wanted to try it out soon, as Ram loves chicken and noodles.So this will be a perfect treat for him.So tried right away and was a success.I used maggi noodles instead of ramen and followed rest of the recipe as it is.

Maggi/Ramen Chicken Dinner




Ingredients

Maggi/ramen noodles -1 packet
Celery - 1/4 cup
Frozen california blend vegetables,thawed - 1 1/2 cup (i used only fresh carrots)
Frozen peas - 1/4 cup
Water -1/2 cup
Chicken breasts,1/2 inch stripes -1/2 1b
Soy sauce - 2 tbsp
Canola oil - 2 tbsp
Sugar -1 tsp
Red pepper flakes - 1/4 - 1/2 tsp

Method

Set the seasoning packet from noodle aside.In a 2 qt M/W safe bowl, combine noodles,frozen vegetables,peas,celery and water.cover and M/W on high fpr 4-5 minutes or until noodes are tender,stirring once.Place chicken in another M/W safe bowl, cover and cook 2-3 mins or until chicken juices run clear.Stir chicken into the noodle mixture.Meanwhile in a small bowl, combine soy sauce,oil,seasoning mix,sugar and red pepper flakes.Pour over chicken mix and mw uncovered on high for 45sec or until heated through.

Egg Curry

About a month back, we were invited to a friend's place for dinner.Our dear friend S had brought her egg curry.This would be the second time i am tasting her egg curry.From that point every weekend i wanted to make that curry, but something or other comes up and i ended up cooking something else.This weekend i was deter mined, so called S up while she was in her daughter's swimming class...:).Through the phone, she told me the recipe.Thanks to her for sharing this recipe.In this recipe, hard boiled eggs are fried and milk is added for extra flavour.According S, instead of milk, if you add the water left after making homemade panner leads to extra flavour. Because of the salmonella scare , i brought home a big can of crushed tomatoes.So some of the previous and upcoming recipes will have crushed tomatoes.You can always subsitute them for fresh tomatoes.




Ingredients

Eggs - 4 (hard boiled)
Onion - 1 (chopped)
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Tomato - 3/4 cup (I used crushed tomatoes from the can)
2% milk - 1/2 cup
Oil - 3 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2tsp
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
Cardamom -2
Clove - 1
Cinnamon - 1 piece
Salt - as needed
Curry leaves - as needed
Coriander leaves - for garnishing (chopped)

Method

In a pan, heat oil and fry onions till brown and grind it into a paste.In a pan,heat oil and fry eggs, till sides are golden brown and slit the eggs on all four sides slightly and keep them aside.In the same pan, add cardamom,clove,cinnamon,curry leaves and add grounded onion.Add ginger garlic paste and fry well.Finally add crushed tomatoes and fry till oil separates.Now add chilli powder , turmeric powder and salt.Finally add milk and let the gravy thicken.As the gravy thickens,add the eggs and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.I served this egg curry with rice and Coriander shrimps as side dish.Will post the recipe for the shrimp dish soon.






During last week, JZ of Tasty Treats had showered me with this wonderful awards.Thanks JZ for thinking about me and my blog.As i mentioned earlier in your blog, this kind of encouragement is just what i need now as approach towards my 200th post.This has been an amazing journey , making lotz of friends just through their fod and writings.This kind of friendship is special and cherished forever.I would like to forward this "Friendship" award to my husband, who has always been a great friend to me and encouraged me to do whatever i love doing.







Andhra flavours had tagged me for this meme..so here it goes..

What was I doing ten years ago?

That would be 1998, was my glorious engineering college days.Really miss them.Experiences from there made me a better person , i think :D

What are five things on my to-do list for today ?

Well half of the day is over now, anyways..

1.Enjoy every sip of morning coffe without any disturbance..(couldn't do it today though )
2.Feed Children !
3.Check mails and read news
4.Thursdays are laundry day..so i am in the middle of a dry cycle now.
5.Cook for dinner.

What are five snacks that I enjoy ?
Not much of a snacks person.

What things would I do if I were a billionaire?
Letz decide when it actually happens !

Jobs I have had:
As a teacher,Software engineer.

I would like to tag Ajitha Prasanna of Fun n' Life,Sireesha of Mom's recipes,Sowmya of Creative Saga and Sailaja of Delicious journey to vegetarian food.Hope all enjoy doing it.


Have a fun 4th of July!

Open Sesame 2 Voting,AFAM,Awards and Meme

Hello all, Voting for Open sesame 2 just started.Please go ahead and vote of your favourite entries here.My Entry for this event was Godhumbu/Wheat laddus.Thanks to Siri and DK for organizing this fun event.


Another request, i would like to know if anybody wants to host future AFAM.If yes Please mail me the month you want to host via beyondusual(at)gmail(dot)com.


My Views at Ruchi had awarded me this Giant bear hug.Means a lot coming from a teacher..:)Thanks MV





Aditi at My Kitchen stories had passed this Yum-Yum blog award to me.Thanks Aditi.I liked your writing blog as well.






I pass these awards to some of my well deserved foodies..


1.JZ of Tastytreats.JZ , i can pass this award just for that chicken bowl you posted :D.

2.Ramya of Ramyacooks.Though She started blogging by the end of last year, she had managed to post quite an array of delicious dishes.Loved her pazham pori, my most fav.snack in the whole wide world ..:D.Thanks Ramya...

3.Hetal of Isha's Kitchen, a fairly new blogger with lotz of YUM recipes to share.Loved her " Tip of the Day ", very useful.Thanks Hetal.

4.Prajusha of IcookIpost.She has awesome list of dishes, especially kerala delicacies.Thanks Prajusha for sharing .

5.Amrutha of The Chef in Me.Hats off to her creative cooking, especially for "Pancake utthappam".Thanks Amrutha!

Enjoy the awards girls...




Amrutha from The Chef in Me , had tagged me for this interesting Meme.Thanks again Amrutha, enjoyed doing this.


1) LAST MOVIE U SAW IN A THEATER?

Dasavatharam



2) WHAT BOOK ARE U READING?

Book?..Not much of a reader.Anyway, right now going through recipe clippings from about 10- 15 yr old magazines given to me by a sweet friend.


3) FAVORITE BOARD GAME?
:(

4) FAVORITE MAGAZINE?

Vikatan

5) FAVORITE SMELLS?
Petrol,New book,baby smell (right now enjoying it from Meha).


6) FAVORITE SOUNDS?

Cooing from Meha

7) WORST FEELING IN THE WORLD?

Being lonely....



8) WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU THINK OF WHEN U WAKE?

Be careful getting off the bed..without waking up the kids.I just need 15 mts for brushing ..:D

9) FAVORITE FAST FOOD PLACE?

Mc donalds..i love their Nuggets..

10) FUTURE CHILD'S NAME?

No more plans..



11) FINISH THIS STATEMENT—’IF I HAD A LOT OF MONEY I’D’

Do whatever i am doing right now...Wouldn't change a thing..

12)DO YOU DRIVE FAST?
Sometimes..when i am alone in the car!



13) DO U SLEEP WITH A STUFFED ANIMAL?

NO..there is not a lot of room for that in my bed!


14)STORMS–COOL OR SCARY?

Cool.. when it is far away..


15) WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CAR?

I don't own a Car..Do drive a Honda Pilot..



16) FAVORITE DRINK?

Coffee



17) FINISH THIS STATEMENT-IF I HAD THE TIME I WOULD…

Start knitting again..



18) DO YOU EAT THE STEMS ON BROCCOLI?
Hell NO!


19) IF YOU COULD DYE YOUR HAIR ANY OTHER COLOR, WHAT WOULD BE YOUR CHOICE?

Blonde..:lol..

20) NAME ALL THE DIFFERENT CITIES/TOWNS U HAVE LIVED IN?

Long list..Trivandrum,Kasargod,Pondicherry,Chennai,Sunnyvale,Denver,South portland,Orlando,Naperville.



21) FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?

Not a sports Fan..But would love to watch final match of cricket.

22) ONE NICE THING ABOUT THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU?

Nice friend..Getting to know more about her through her blog..



23) WHATS UNDER YOUR BED?
Gate of Meha's crib

24) WOULD U LIKE TO BE BORN AS YOURSELF AGAIN??

Hell Ya!


25) MORNING PERSON OR NIGHT OWL?

Night Owl

26) OVER EASY OR SUNNY SIDE UP?

Not both.Love hard boiled!



27) FAVORITE PLACE TO RELAX?

Our couch..



28) FAVORITE PIE?
Haven't tasted anything i like yet..

29) FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR?
Butter Pecan (Oberwise's)


30) OF ALL THE PEOPLE U HAVE TAGGED, WHO IS THE MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND FIRST?
Would be glad if they just responded...:D

I am tagging ...

JZ of Tastytreats.

Ramya of Ramyacooks.

Hetal of Isha's Kitchen.

Prajusha of IcookIpost.

Hope you four will enjoy doing this...

Ilaneer/Tender Coconut Pudding

Being born and broughtup in Kerala, Coconut is the most important part of my food from childhood.My mom,grandma and now MIL, add coconut to pretty much everything they are cooking.When Suganya of Tasty Palettes aanounced, this AFAM's fruit as Coconut, i wanted to try something sweet.So here is the simple Ilaneer pudding.




Ingredients

Tender coconut - 1 can (i used the one with water and sugar)
Jelatin - 1 packet (unflavoured)
Honey - 2 tsp
Hot Water - 2 1/2 cups
Cinnamon powder - for garnishing


Method

Take 1 cup of juice from the tender coconut can and keep is aside (this will be substituted for 1 cup cold water for jelatin making).Grind the tender coconut pieces with rest of its juice into a fine paste.In a bowl, put jelatin powder,1 cup juice ,2 1/2 cup of hot water and mix well till jelatin powder dissolves completely.Now add the grinded tender coconut paste.Mix well and pour into nonstick sprayed dish.Refrigerate this for atleast 4 hours, overnight will be very good.For unmolding the pudding, place the dish in a warm water bath.This will help it to unmold without breaking apart.Unmold into a plate and cut into squares.Garnish with powdered cinnamon.

Another option for making this pudding is, adding condensed milk and using fresh tender coconut.This yields much more denser and rich pudding.As i wanted to keep the natural flavour of coconut, i opted for simpler version.






Check out my Pineapple Pudding here

AFAM Announcement

I would like to know whether any of you, foodies love to host future AFAM event.If yes, please email me @ beyondusual(at)gmail(dot)com.I have listed the future hosts on the sidebar.

Puli/Tamarind Kichadi for Thayir/Curd Rice

Tamarind,my kitchen is not complete with this wonderful ingredient.Being a mixture of tamil,telugu and malayalam, i cook all the three cuisines.So i use tamarind almost everyday.This last vacation mom brought me 10kgs of tamarind.I know..i don't know how she pulled it off...:D.As soon as Sig announced this month's ingredient, i wanted to share something unique.So here it is..

Puli Kichadi or just "Kichadi" as we call it.This is a popular side dish for curd rice in our household.Mom tells me this is a well known peasant dish, which they use have regularly with "Pazhaya sadam"( a day old rice).My father and i love this one especially with some pazhaya sadam.Believe me, this is the best combo for curd rice than any pickle and my fav mainly because NO COOKING...:D.This is my entry to this month's JFI - Tamarind hosted by Sig of Live to Eat.Thanks to Indira for originating this nice event.




Ingredients

Small onions - 10 (chopped)
Green chilli - 2 (chopped)
Tamarind - small amla size
Salt - as needed

Method

Soak tamarind in 1 cup water.Take out the tamarind water.In that add chopped onions,green chillies and salt.Mix everything well with clean hand.Mixing with our fingers makes it tastes better,according to mom.