Puliogare

Puliogare is all time favorite variety rice for almost all of us. Each of us have our style of preparing. And every recipe tastes great only for this type of rice. Just the combination of chilli with tamarind paste and seasoned with salt tastes great. Other additions to it make it just wonderful, and sometimes wonderful for many days to store them!

You need

4 tsp Puliyogare paste with the oil (recipe follows)

1 tsp roasted coriander powder

1/4 tsp roasted fenugreek seeds

few curry leaves

1/4 cup roasted peanuts

Then to it add the powdered mixture, roasted pea nuts, roasted curry leaves and roasted cashews(optional). Check for salt and add if required. Serve this with nice Sabudana vadam or papad or even potato chips goes great with it.

This can be served with cucumber raita. Chop a cucumber and to it add a cup of yogurt. Tamper Mustard seeds with a spoon of oil and add to the raita. Season with salt and serve with Tamarind rice.

For Puliyogare paste

You need

1 Big lemon size tamarind

10-15 dry red chilies powdered

2 cups water

1/2 cup sesame oil

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

For Tampering

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

1 tsp Urad dhal

11/2 tsp Channa dhal

2 tsp oil

few curry leaves

Tamper the mustard and then add the dhal and saute till golden brown. Add the curry leaves - very little. As I always store the Puliyogare for more days. To this add the tamarind, turmeric powder and powdered red chillies. Add water and let cook for about an hour or until the raw taste goes off. While cooking slowly add the sesame oil. Add the oil little by little. If you do not intend to store the puliyogare for more days, then you can reduce the amount of oil.

Cool it and store in an air tight container for 1 month or two

Cucumber Mojito - nonalcoholic version

   During summer, many people suffer from dehydration so they tend to consume a drink that replenishes the liquid and required body salts lost from perspiration. Drinking juices in summer has so many benefits; they boost energy, help to overcome fatigue and work wonder to prevent dehydration. Also, they are an excellent source of vitamins, enzymes and minerals. Additionally, they are low in calories and have immune boosting properties. Summer is a great season to enjoy ice-cold, berry-laden milk shakes, old-fashioned lemonade, smoothies and punches. For healthy summer fruit drinks, try to include wide range of fruits as you can, such as raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, red and black currants, etc as these are the excellent sources of restorative nutrients. These easy beverage recipes allow you to chill out and relish sweet 'n' flavorful summer fruits.

Juicy grapes, water melons, melting pears and mangoes are all packed with the goodness of summer. Throw the fake chemical concoctions in support of natural cocktails that emphasize wholesome ingredients like fruits, vegetables, coconut water and herbs. The king of the fruits, mango is the hot favorite of summer season. While selecting summer drinks, keep in mind that fresh fruit juices are a hundred times healthier, tastier, and cheaper than juice mixes and bottled aerated drinks. Some ready-made drinks contain dyes, artificial fruit-flavors, high fructose corn syrup, and gums to thicken the drink to a desirable consistency. Thus, it doesn't sound like an energizing way to enjoy a hot summer days. So enjoy this delicious and healthy Summer Fruit Drinks.

Cucumber Mojito

This natural drink includes cucumbers that contain a mineral named "silica" which may be advantageous for healthy skin, hair and nails.

You need:
lime, juiced - 1
seedless cucumber, partly peeled & sliced - 2 cups
cold water - 2 cups
fresh mint, loosely packed - 1/2 cup
raw honey - 1 tsp
Crushed ice

Method

First puree lime, cucumber, honey and water in a blender until it becomes smooth. Then, pour this puree on cluttered fresh mint and crushed ice. Make use of a wooden spoon to crush mint & ice together. Mint leaves can be cut with the rough ice edges and release their flavor. Or you can blend them together and then filter. I prefer to drink this way!


Have a fresh & cool summer day!

Creamy Spinach - spiced up with golden corn

I first prepared creamy spinach on Hasini's 2nd birthday! This was a hit at the party in our house.

Spinach with butter and cream is always loved by the kids! And I prepare this for chapathi once in a while. This can also be had along with rice.

Cutting it up! the right way...

Cutting up food into uniform pieces is one of the most important skills to master in cooking. And once you learn to use an all-purpose chef's knife, it's easier than you think.

I like to tell that the knife is the original food processor. It can slice, mince, chop, crush, tenderize, and scoop up food - and you can even use the end of the handle to grind spices. Complement it with a smaller paring knife for finer cutting and making garnishes, and you'll be ready for just about anything.

Getting a Grip

Hold the knife in your writing hand. Move your hand all the way up the handle so that your thumb is on one side of the blade and your index finger on the other side. Curling your index finger slightly, grasp the blade firmly between your thumb and index finger. This may feel a bit strange at first, but once you get used to it, you'll find that grasping the blade in this way gives you much more control than simply wrapping all your fingers around the handle.

Use your free hand to hold the food in place, curling your fingertips under. Use the flat side of the blade alongside the first knuckles of your free hand, and as you slice or chop, slide your free hand along to guide the blade and keep it vertical. To avoid cutting yourself, never uncurl the fingers of your free hand, and never raise the blade higher than the first knuckle. Try not to wiggle the blade while cutting. Use a firm downward and slightly forward motion

Wok On!

Pepper'n paneer curry

For all pepper lovers and of course paneer favorites! 
A cheese in the spicy mixture. Paneer is the most sought out dish in our home. I wanted to prepare a very spicy paneer dish and this time not the traditional recipes from net. I'm not sure if this recipe exist! I found all the Spice jars, muddled them together to get this exceptional! 

Sometimes, we tend to use same spices for most of the curries. Do you realize the taste differs in each of them! Very true that the quantity of them in each matters and this gives different flavors to all of them.

Aloo Gobi masala

Its been almost 8 months since I made something special, or I would say I rather had no time to enter my kitchen since my little Prince came to our house. And now its time to step in! 

All this while I have been preparing gobi manchurian only. 

This time decided to prepare more varieties with Gobi. Since my mom is with me here, we will definitely have gobi atleast once a week as Gobi is her favorite veggie and she loves with anything and everything. 

Sundar will also be home soon, and he is expecting something for chapathi today!