Its the Award Time

I was crazy busy with my course work and could not post about the awards. Thanks to all these 3 ladies for remembering my blog and giving me these beautiful awards.

Awards

The first award which is One Lovely Blog Award is from PaakShalee . Thanks. She started to blog in July 2010 and so preety new to this world. But if you visit her blog you will conclude that she is not new to the cooking world. She has got some fantastic recipes. The best thing I like about her collection is that she has got the recipes which we can make in our day to day life. Do visit her blog.

The next one which is Sunshine award is from Soumya.  She is newer and very active blogger. She has got some lovely desserts on her blog. Do check them.

Last is from Rupali of RecipeGrabBag. She like to cook the quick recipes. (jhatpat khana :) ) which we all are always in search of. The recipes will definately help us to save our time. Visti and find them out.
Thanks Rupali for  'U r the best blogger' award.

Passing Time

I would like to pass on this award to following:

Sunshine Award

PaakShalee

Mina Joshi - Authentic Vegetarian Recipes 

Nitha  - Amaeture Perceptions

Kalva - Curry In Kadhai

Pari - Foodelicious

Akheela - TorviewToronto

Usha Rao - My Spicy Kitchen

One Lovely blog

Pavithra - Binge On Veg !!!

Jagruti - Joy Of Cooking

Jayashri - Jayashris Kitchen

Suja - Kitchen Corner

PanchPakwan

Neha - From My Kitchen To Yours

Supriya - Queen Of My Kitchen

Honey Bee

U are the best blogger

Rachana Kothari - Veggie Fare

Simply.Food

Yummy Team - Yummy O Yummy

Thanks to all and let the awards flow in :) :)...........

An Award and a funny Poem ... :)

I received a versatile blogger award from 2 of my blogger friends of: Priya Mitharwal and Suja Sugathan.
Both these ladies are as new to the blogging world as me. But the way they are flourishing is commendable. The only reason for this is truly the recipes on their blogs. Do visit them :)
Priya has been a good friend of mine. She is always excited about all the food events going around. You will find her entries in all the events :).  Suja has various yummy South Indian dishes. Besides this speciality she also cooks many other varieties. Thanks to both of you for sharing an award.

To accept this award I have to thank the persons who awarded it, share seven things about myself and pass it to fifteen blogger friend.

Many Thanks to Priya and Suja

Seven Things about myself.....

I have posted these things before as well...I will copy some from them :)

1. I love to learn, experience, eat and know new things each day.

2. I love chitchatting with my dear ones and bugging them :)

3. I love to dance (non-classical :)

4. Fresca is my favorite soft drink.

5. I am a chocolate addict.

6. I love giving suggestions and free advice. :)

7. I like writing poems. You can find some of them here at my other blog. I am posting the one which I wrote long back even before getting into this cooking world :)

Cookery

I decided to cook

That too with no book

Headed towards the kitchen

A mission was to begin

Played in a sea of permutation

But none promised to be perfect combination

It seemed laughed all of they

To a stranger who went grey

Chilies, garlic, mint, ginger

Made my mind for a lady finger

She yelled mummy and daddy

Life was ending for sticky lady!!!

Didn't fell the need of water

As she had enough within her

Tossed and turned into a pan

She was ready within no span

To rest on the case

Cooking is an interesting mess

Its surly not about the lucks

Once you understand the whole crux... :)

Hope You all liked it :)...

Now passing this award to Lizy, Yummy O Yummy, Hari Chandana, SpicyTasty, Smita, Racahna (Sizzle NSpice), Valarmathi, Pavithra, BeenaShylesh,Nitha, Hamaree Rasoi,Creative Saga,PanchPakwan, Sayantani, Suhaina

Couple Of Awards & Gram Flour Dumplings in Spicy yogurt sauce (Punjabi Kadi Pakora)

I  stayed in hostel for about 6 years from my 11th grade till I graduated. Hostel life is really cool. Variety of people, so many experiences and so much to learn. During my engineering we were 4 girls sharing an apartment. Those were the days when I was damn lazy about cooking. I just remember making tea and maggie most of the time :) . We had some restaurants nearby were we used to go and eat. That was pretty quick. But as we had all the things needed for cooking we sometimes tried our hands on it. There was one senior staying with us. She once made a North Indian kadhi (kari) and rice. Thanks to her for introducing us to such a nice and tasty kadi from North India. I know everyone of you must be aware of it. But during that time when I had less interest in cooking this was totally new to me. I simply love her kadi and we all enjoyed having it with rice, I remember.

Today, when I made Kari Pakora it reminded me of that day when my senior di made that kadi at hostel.

North Indian kadi is slightly thicker than the usual gujrati kadi.  It is yellow in color and has different spices in it. Simply delicious and could be eaten with rice and parathas as well.

 

Ingredients:

Serves 4-6

For the dumplings:

1 cup Gram flour (Besan)

2 tsp Ginger (Adrak), chopped

1 tsp or to taste Green chili chopped

Salt to taste

Oil for shallow frying

For the yogurt curry:
2 cups Yogurt (dahi) sour

½ Cup Gram flour

4 cups Water

               For seasoning:

              1 tbsp Clarified butter (Ghee)

              ½ tsp Cumin seeds (Jeera)

              Asafetida

              1/3 tsp Fenugreek seeds

              Few Curry leaves

              1 tbsp julienned Onion

              1 tsp Chopped Green Chili

              1 tsp Ginger paste

              1 tsp Garlic paste

              1 tbsp diced Tomato

              2-3 dry Red chilies

              1 tsp Turmeric powder

              ½ tsp Red Chili powder

              Salt to taste

              Chopped Cilantro for garnishing

Method:

For dumplings (pakoras):

Add water, chopped ginger, chopped green chili, salt to the gram flour and prepare a semi-thick batter.

Beat until fluffy.Heat the oil in a shallow pan. Drop small dumplings of batter with your fingers into the oil and fry till brown. Remove and immerse in cold water. Let them dip and then remove.

For yogurt curry:

Mix gram flour in 1 cup water and keep aside. Mix remaining water and yogurt and with the help of a whisk make buttermilk of it. Now heat this butter milk and slowly add the gram flour paste into it, stirring continually. Bring to boil. Keep stirring. Set aside.

For seasoning:

Heat the clarified butter in a pan. Add cumin seeds, asafetida, fenugreek seeds, dry red chilies and curry leaves. Then add onions and sauté till soft. Add ginger and garlic pastes, chopped green chili sauté again and then add diced tomatoes. Sauté again for 2-3 minutes.

Now add red chili powder and turmeric powder.

      Mix and immediately add seasoning to the yogurt mixture. Add the gram flour dumplings as well , add salt to taste and bring to boil again.

Tips:

Make sure that the dumplings get ample time to get soaked into the kadi. Otherwise they remain dry inside.I had plain yogurt, so adding tomatoes helped me to get the sour taste. You can also add a pinch of amchoor powder (dry mango powder).

Now it's the award time again:

I have received Sunshine and Thank You Cake awards from my new friends Gayatri and Beena and again a Circle Of Friends and a Thank You note from Gayatri :)

Thanks to both these lovely bloggers.

ThankYou                                                                      

I would like to pass on this award to some other bloggers :

Rachana, PanchPakwan, Jagruti, Swati, Lizy, Hamaree Rasoi, Aparna

SunShine

Passing on to:

My cooking experiments, Savi Ruchi, AvantiRao, Suja, Rupali, SS 

 

ThankYou Note

Passing this to:

Priya Mitharwal, Priya, Sushma Malya, Yummy team, Simply.food

Circle Of Friends

Want to pass on this to everyone but I am naming few here :)       

Beena, Priya Mitharwal, Priya, yummy team, Sushma, My cooking experiments, Savi Ruchi, AvantiRao, Suja, Rupali, SS ,Rachana, PanchPakwan, Jagruti, Swati, Lizy, Hamaree Rasoi, Aparna, Simply.Food

Have Fun And enjoy every bite in life !!!

Indian version of Vegetable/ Vegan Toast Sandwich and an Award

                    Sandwiches are always fulfilling, healthy, tempting and easy to make. These are very common in India and a very popular street food but the home made sandwiches are always hygienic and satiating. I learned this recipe of  'Vegetable Sandwich' from my mother. I made a slight variation of adding 'chaat masala' and making toast of bread loaves which is absolutely optional. I call this a 15 minutes recipe. :). Yes, very easy and so much liked by everyone at home. The preparation just takes 15 minutes; grind the coriander chutney, slice the veggies and its done. I am making a toast of bread loaves and then a toast sandwich but you can simply skip making toast and go with a regular one.
Serving, you all know..... :)

   

Ingredients: For just 1 sandwich

2 slices of bread (white or brown)
Coriander Green Chutney
Thin slices of each Cucumber, Tomato, Onion, Baked Potato
Baby Spinach
Tomato Ketchup
Indian Chaat Masala - this is available in any Indian store or may buy it here

You will also need a toaster. (optional)

Method:

1. Take 2 slices of a bread and make toast of them in a toaster.

2. Spread green chutney evenly on one of the bread slice.

3. Then on the same slice put sliced cucumber, tomato, onion, potato pieces the way you want. Put some baby spinach leaves. You won't see those in this pictures.

4. On the other slice of bread spread tomato ketchup and sprinkle some 'chaat masala'.

5. Now put this slice on the earlier one and cut into 2 or 4 diagonal or vertical-horizontal pieces.

Tips:

Sandwich tastes great even if you add only cucumber and tomato. I added lettuce leaves once. One can also try beetroot slices. Wear the Chef hats and think of new ideas. Try it...
Some of different veggies/other ingredients which you can add are :

Lettuce leaves

Beetroot slices (blanched)

Grated paneer
Shredded and parboiled carrot

Would like to know different fillings from you gals ???

You can also put butter before applying green chutney, but it would no longer remain vegan :).
This can also be done just with regular bread loaves and not toasting them.


Vegetable Grilled Sandwich

To make grilled sandwich you can use Griller or the Grill plates which come in the sandwich maker.
To make grilled sandwich do not toast the bread. Instead prepare the sandwich with the untoasted regular bread and then apply butter on both the sides of the sandwich (above and bottom) and put it in the griller or the sandwich maker. Grill it till it turns little brown and little crisp.

This one tastes really good and different than the toasted/untoasted sandwich.

Garnish with some cheese  (no more vegan :) ).

Also I received the 'Honest Scrap' award from Cooking Foodie.

Rules for this award :

a) I must brag about it .

b) I have to display the badge on my blog and link to the one who tagged me to prove that I didn't tag myself (See links above)

c) Share 10 things about myself. (Following the rules and other awards)

d) Pass the award to other fellow bloggers by visiting their site

I pass on this award to...Turmeric and Spice team, An Open book of Look Who is Cooking, PanchPakwan , Swati , creative Rachana, My favorite Gulmohar of Collaborative Curry, Gayatri Raj

Here are 10 things about me:

1. I love to learn, experience, eat and know new things each day.

2. I love chitchatting with my dear ones and bugging them :)

3. I love to dance (non-classical :)

4. I want to be a great and a smart cook.

5. Fresca is my favorite soft drink.

6. I am a chocolate addict.

7. I love giving suggestions and free advice. :)

8. I am still confused with my height weather its 5ft 1" or 5ft 2". #$^#^

9. I like movies of Tom Hanks and started loving animated movies these days.

10. I like writing poems. You can find some of them here at my other blog.

Rajma (Kidney Beans Curry) and the first Award :)

Rajma (kidney beans) is very popular sabzi in North India. But today it is known to almost every Indian foodie. Kidney beans are amongst richest source of proteins. Two variety of kidney beans are seen in market. Light-speckled kidney beans and dark red kidney beans. Both are much similar except for the cooking time they take. Light-speckled kidney beans cook faster than the other variety. I have used both of them, rather experimented with both the varieties...:)

Ingredients: Serves: 3-4

1 cup Rajma (Kidney beans)
2 cups of Tomato  puree
1 medium grated Onion
2 tsp Ginger paste (adrak)

1/4 tsp Garlic paste (lasan)

1/2 tsp green Chili paste
1 Clove
Salt as per taste

1 tsp Red Chili powder

3 tsp Coriander-Cumin powder (Dhaniajeera)
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1 tsp Garam Masala powder
2 tbsp Oil, 2 tsp Cumin seeds for seasoning
Coriander for garnishing

Method:

1. Wash rajma and soak it overnight.

2. Pressure-cook soaked rajma until it cooks.

3. Heat oil in a skillet and add a clove.

4. When clove starts to sizzle add cumin seeds to it. Then add grated onion, ginger, garlic, green chili paste and a pinch of salt and saute till they turn brown. Add turmeric powder and red chili powder, mix.

6. Add tomato puree and saute till oil separates.

7. Then add cooked rajma (kidney beans), water as required and salt as per requirement and bring to boil. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add coriander and garam masala.

Tips:

If Rajma remains uncooked even after cooking for long then you can try adding soda to it when soaked on previous night.
If you want more puree (gravy) add some milk and cook for 3 minutes.
Rajma is usually enjoyed with plain rice or even with rotis (Indian Bread)

Light brown Rajma beans will cook in less time (2 whistles) than the Red Rajma beans.

My first Award From Yummy Team :) :)

I am so grateful to Yummy team to remember me and sharing this award. Thanks a lot, Yummy Team. This award doesn't have any name (:O) but the rules asked me to post my favorite photos and tag other blogger friends. Please don't get bored as I am going to post many of my favorite pics :)

The Pacific Ocean

The Jungle at Multnomah falls

 The Scenic River Columbia

 The amazing Lotus at Chinese Garden

Tulips at Skagit Valley

The Colorful and Charming Trees during Fall

I would like to share this award with my blogger friend Suvidha of Suvidha's kitchen, Turmeric and Spice team, Kalai of my reciepsDiary, Priya of Mharo Rajasthans recipe, Cooking Foodie of 365 days of eating, Akhila of Eatomaniac, PJ of Garlic and Ginger, Gita of Gita's Kitchen, An Open book of Look Who is Cooking, Nisha of Nisha's Kitchen Ramya of Simple Vegetarian Recipes, Deepa and Tanu sister of Hamaree Rasoi, Valarmathi of Simple and Yummy Recipes, my favorite Malar of Kitchen Tantra, Gayatri Raj of Heaven On the Spoon, Neelu of Neelu's Cuisine.