Pepper Paneer!!!

Happy Holi!!!

Pepper Paneer is a dish I tried since I wanted to make something different. My family liked it a lot. You can have it with chapathi or rotis.

Ingredients
Paneer cubed - 2 cups(store bought/homemade)
Pepper powder(coarse/fine) - 1 tspn(As per your taste)
Onion - 2 tspns(finely chopped)
Oil - 2 tspns
Mustard - 1/4 tspn
Asafotida - a pinch
Curry leaves - few (optional)
Salt

Preparation Method
Heat a  kadai, add oil mustard, wait till it splutters, then add asafotida, curry leaves, onion and saute till transparant.
Add paneer and mix well.
Sprinkle pepper powder and salt.
Saute for few minutes and off the stove.

Pepper Paneer is ready to serve. Serve hot with chapathis or enjoy as it is.

You can also try my previous Paneer Recipes click here.

Eggless Chocolate Cake has won Best Cake Recipe!!!

Eggless Chocolate Cake is one more cake in my baking section. I would like to thank my hubby's cousin Pushpa Akka for helping me with this recipe. After baking this cake I am more confident in baking.

Wet Ingredients
Condensed milk -1 tin(Can use low fat too)
Butter - 100gms
Plain Soda - 150ml

Dry Ingredients
APF - 1 cup
Cocoa Powder - 1/2 cup
Baking Soda - 1/2 tspn
Baking Powder - 1/2 tspn


Preparation Method
In a wide bowl, mix all the wet ingredients in a beater or hand mixer.
Seive all dry ingredients and mix it slowly to get a batter.

Preheat oven to 180 C.

Grease it or spread butter paper in 7 or 8 inch round baking dish. Pour the batter. Bake it for 30mins. Check with a fork when it comes clean or bake it for 5 to 10 mins more. Cool it and slice. I have just dusted icing sugar on top.

Enjoy the Eggless Chocolate Cake.

This recipe is going to Crazy for Cakes by Priya.

Carrot Halwa Method 2 my 300th Post!!!

I am excited and happy for my 300th Post. I would like to thank all my friends in blogosphere. Also my first post in this blog was on 10th March 2007 its been 4years in this blogging world.

Carrot Halwa is always my favourite in the sweet list. This time I prepared when hubby left out of country. I have used unsweetned Kova in this.

I had previously posted a different method of Carrot Halwa here and also microwave Low Fat Carrot Halwa. My blog has a wide range of sweets check it out here.

Prep Time - 15 mins
Serves - 2 -3 persons

Ingredients
Grated Carrots - 2 cups
Sugar -  3/4 cup(As per your taste)
Unsweetned Kova - 2-3 tspns(I used Nandini)
Ghee  -  3 tspns
Cashews/Raisins - 1 tspn(fried in ghee)(Optional)

Preparation Method
In a heavy bottom pan/kadai, add 1 tspn ghee and saute carrots. Cook them.
Once its almost cook, you will know by its colour, add sugar and keep stirring, until it becomes thick in low flame.
Add Kova and mix well. Add 2 tspns ghee and stir, until its dry.

Garnish with Cashews and Raisins.

Delicious Carrot Halwa is ready to serve. Serve as it is or with Vanilla Icecream.

PS - Your feedback is appreciated. Do try recipe from (http://www.sarascorner.net/) take picture and send it to me through Facebook message or mail me at simplysara07@gmail.com. Will be glad to add in my page Tried & Tasted album on FB or post on my page.

Karadaiyan Nombu | Adai Recipes!

I am reposting this again, since today is the Nombu Festival. I am going off to prepare. Happy Karadaiyan Nombu to all ladies.

Karadaiyan Nombu is on 14th March between 8.00 and 9.30pm. It is a festival celebrated by Hindu married women. The story behind this is Savitri observed fast(upavasam) for the sake of well being and long life of her husband Satyavan. It is continued and believed by tying a yellow thread tied with flowers keeping turmeric at the center in front of Goddess photos. The thread is tied during the time Panguni Masam starts temple priest is best person to get exact time. Prayers are done by Hindu married women offering pooja, vella adai & kara adai, breaking coconut, offering fruits along with betel leaves, betel nuts and turmeric.

After pooja is done, they eat kara adai and sweet adai in plantain leaf with edge.

There are two types of adai sweet and salt. Recipe as follows:

Kara Adai

Ingredients

Karamani(Black eye beans) – 1 cup
Rice Flour – 2 cups
Oil – 5 tspns
Mustard – ½ tspn
Bengal gram/Urad dal – 1 tspn
Asafotida – 1 pinch
Dry Red Chilli – 2 nos
Curry leaves – 10 nos (chopped)
Grated coconut – 1 cup
Salt

Preparation method

Cook karamani(brown or white) in pressure cooker for about 3 whistles and keep aside.
In a thick bottom kadai, season it with oil, mustard, wait till it spulters.
Add Bengal gram, urad dal, asafetida wait till it turns brown.
Add curry leaves and dry red chillies and sauté for few mins.
Add 4 to 5 cups of water. Allow it to boil.
Now add the cooked karamani and salt. Stir for few mins.
Add grated coconut and mix well.
Add rice flour and keep stirring till it absorbs all water in medium-low heat.
Off the stove and mix well like chapathi dough by hand.
Take a plantain leaf or plastic sheet and grease oil on it.
Make small balls, spread by hand to small round patties and make a hole in the center.
Steam the patties in idli cooker or pressure cooker(without whistle) for 20mins.

Karaadai is ready to serve with butter.

Vella Adai

Ingredients

Karamani(Black eye beans) – 1 cup
Rice Flour – 2 cups
Jaggery – 1 ½ cups(you can lessen if you want less sweet)
Grated coconut – 1 cup
Cardamom powder – 1 tspn

Preparation method
Cook karamani(brown or white) in pressure cooker for about 3 whistles and keep aside.
In a thick bottom kadai, put jaggery and water. Wait till it dissolves and filter it to remove mud particles.
Transfer it to a vessel.
Now add the cooked karamani. Stir for few mins.
Add grated coconut and cardamom powder mix well.
Add rice flour and keep stirring till it absorbs all water.
Off the stove and mix well like chapathi dough by hand.
Take a plantain leaf or plastic sheet and grease oil on it.
Make small balls, spread by hand to small round patties and make a hole in the center.
Steam the patties in idli cooker or pressure cooker(without whistle) for 20mins.

Vella Adai is ready to serve.

Note - The quantity of jaggery can be reduced or increased according to one's requirement.

URAD DAL /MEDHU VADAI

MEDHU VADAI IS A DEEP FRIED SNACK. POPULARLY KNOWN WITH COMBINATION OF VADAI SAMBAR IN SOUTH INDIA AS BREAKFAST OR TIFFIN WITH IDLI OR DOSAS.

INGREDIENTS

URAD DAL – 2 CUPS

BLACK PEPPERCONS – 2 TSPNS

CURRY LEAVES – 2 TSPNS( CHOPPED)

OIL – TO DEEP FRY

GINGER – SMALL PIECE
Green chilli - 2 nos

SALT

PREPARATION METHOD

SOAK URAD DAL FOR 3 to 4 HRS.

GRIND LIKE THICK BATTER WITHOUT ADDING MUCH WATER WITH GINGER, Green chilli AND SALT.
NOW MIX PEPPER AND CURRY LEAVES TO THE BATTER
KEEP PAN WITH OIL IN OVEN TO DEEP FRY.
IN A BOWL KEEP WATER DIP YOUR HAND AND TAKE BATTER.
ONCE THE OIL IS HOT TAKE LEMON SIZE PORTION OF BATTER AND MAKE A WHOLE AND DROP IN OIL.
DEEP FRY BOTH SIDE UNTIL BROWN

SERVE HOT WITH SAMBAR OR CHUTNEY. YOU CAN SOAK IN CURDS/YOGURT AND HAVE THAYIR VADAI.

NOTES - YOU CAN ALSO ADD LITTLE RICE FLOUR OR A PINCH OF SODA TO THE BATTER.
If you are grinding in mixie do not prepare vadas immediately after grinding. Allow  for 1 to 2 hrs and then prepare it.

Cucumber Raitha Restuarant Style

Cucumber is very cooling and crunchy.

Ingredients
Cucumber - 1/2 no(Deseeded and chopped)
Plain curd/yogurt - 1 cup
Chaat Masala - 2 pinches
Red Chilli Powder - 2 pinches(As per your taste)
Salt

Preparation Method
In a bowl, mix all the above ingredients and Serve.

Cucumber Raitha is a very good combination for Vegetable Pulav/Biryani.

Notes - Since chaat masala has salt in it, check and add salt if required.

Onion Chutney Method 1 and Review!!!

Onion Chutney is a delicious combination for Idlis and Dosas.

This is simple but tasty. I got this recipe from my friend here. She makes such delicious chutneys.

Ingredients
Onion - 2nos
Tomato - 1no
Green Chilli - 2 nos(As per your taste)
Ginger /Garlic - 1 piece
Cashews - 5nos
Oil - 1 tspn
Salt

Preparation Method
Heat a kadai with oil, add onion, tomato, ginger, garlic and salt. Saute till onion is transperant.
Allow it to cool.
In a blender or mixie grind it to coarse paste with cashews.

Delicious Onion Chutney is ready to serve. Serve with Dosas or Idlis.

Review
I am so excited and happy that I got another opportunity with CSN stores. This time I am doing a review, checkout this new lightings at Pendant Lighting which are so beautiful.

Healing Foods Ginger Garlic Giveaway Winners!!!

Dear Friends,

It gives me immense pleasure to announce the winners of Healing Foods Ginger Garlic Event guest hosted here started by Siri. Thanks Siri.

If you have missed the roundup check it out here.

Winners were chosen by random.org out of 31 participants.

Valentine Vegetable Hearts by Kalva, you will win Cooking At Home With Pedatha and Healthy Bulgar Wheat Upma by Swetha Reddy, you will win Sukham Ayu from Pritya Books.

Congratulations!!! You will be contacted by email.

Hope to see you in the next event.

Thanks & Regards,
Saraswathi

Healing Foods Ginger Garlic Event Roundup!!!!

Hi Friends,

Its 3 am, I am herewith posting the roundup of Healing Foods Ginger Garlic Event. I would like to thank Siri for giving an opportunity to guest host her event. I received 54 entries. Thank you for the support and participation. Do leave a comment or mail me to know incase I have missed any of your entry, which is not intentional. Will update it. 

Hope you enjoy the recipes.

Garlic Rasam by Sowmya

Allam Pachadi by Charita

Poha with Potato and Peas by Siri

Garlic Rice by Shama

Ginger Kulambu by Shama

Ginger Garlic Thokku by Shama

Indian Marmalade (Orange pachadi) by Vijitha

Spicy Vegetable Hearts by Kalva

Ginger Rasam by Sharmi

Allam Pachadi by Sharmi

Inji Puli by Soumya

Potato Peas Fry by Sangeetha

Ginger Chutney by Sangeetha

Ginger Mushroom Fry by Shanavi

Inji Poondu Kulambu by Shanavi

Poondu Kulambu by Savitha

Green Beans Ginger Lemon Curry by Akheela

Spicy Asparagus Stir Fry by Anshu

Ginger Kulambu by Kamakshi

Ginger Thokku by Kamakshi

Cashew Mushroom Masala by Priya

Ginger Curry by Sravani

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Flax Seeds,Onion & Garlic chutney by Priya

 Tomato & Ginger Rasam by Priya

Leek Chutney by Priya

Tawa Paneer Pulao by Priya

Cabbage Potato Curry by Priya

Ginger Garlic Brocolli by Priya M

Veg Tofu Stew by Tay

Ginger Flavoured Potato Curry by Sukanya

Beans Coconut Fry by Swetha

Pepper Coriander Mushroom Curry by Swetha

Bulgar Wheat Upma by Swetha

Green Peas Pulao by Swetha

Ginger Chutney with Tomato by Shanavi

Lasooni Dal by Vidya

Sinangag Garlic Fried Rice by DK

Bottlegourd Kootu by Sangeetha

Lima beans and spinach pakoda curry by Sangeetha

Pepper Garlic Kulambu by Sowjanya

Ginger Thuvaiyal by Nandini

Brocolli Stir Fry by Nandini

Ginger Rasam by Nandini

Ginger Peanut Chutney by Denise

Spaghetti with Roasted garlic and Home-made Marinara by Krithika

Murungai Poondu Kulambu by Krithika

 

Ginger Pickle by Nivedita

Garlic Rice by Nivedita

Garlic Rolls by Priya

Masala Spiral Bread by Jayasri

Ginger Lemonade by Sharmi

Ginger, Mint, Lemon Juice by Hima

Ginger Tea by Saraswathi

Vegetable Soup by Saraswathi

Since I am running out of time as my parents are here with me, will pick up the winner on Sunday. So Keep watching this space.

I once again thank all the participants for your entries.

Cheers,
Saraswathi