Has a week whizzed without a new post on this blog? Darn! there goes my New Year's resolution to publish two posts per week out of the window. But, my motto for 2014 in general is to say to myself every single morning - 'I Refuse to Give Up!'. So, here I am with a new recipe - "Coconut and Rava Laddu" (Sooji Ka Ladoo) for you all adapted from my BFF DK's blog - Chef In You. Just a handful of ingredients and less than 30 minutes of time is all that's needed to make my favorite laddu of all time.
I don't usually dig on desserts much and prefer wandering on the savory side of a(ny) dinner table. Sadly, too much of sweet stuff gives me headache, unlike the others in my family who really adore them. I hadn't made any kind of kheer for many months now so, I decided to make some past weekend. It's light, refreshing that can be made with a number of different add-ins and in my recipe, I chose to use dried lotus seeds (phool makhana), a packet that was sitting in my pantry, untouched for many many months now.
The Holi fever is slowly catching up in our neighborhood and people are getting ready to enjoy this boisterous festival of colors with their friends and family. It also feel good to know awareness to use only eco-friendly, organic colors and demand for the same is increasing with each passing year. I never played Holi as I said in my previous post but the gaiety of spirit does get to you. :-)
This is also a time when people tend to indulge themselves with heady drinks and get sloshed by the end. One beverage popularly called as Thandai, a spiced nut milk is consumed in copious amounts during this day. There are two versions of it - one is mixed with an intoxicating bhang and other without it. Today's recipe is the latter version. Not just for Holi, this delicious beverage can be prepared anytime, any day and for any occasion. It doesn't need much effort except for the nut mix which can be made way ahead of time. Kids will love it! Enjoy.
Important: Due to severe drought conditions in few parts of India, many are pledging to celebrate water-less Holi this year. Please be mindful of the amount of water you use and avoid any wastage.
To all you readers out there, Wishing you all a very Happy Holi. Play safe and think about our environment too.
Make a difference to lives of those girls who have no family of their own to celebrate Holi except for each other. Would you spare to donate a few rupees (or dollars) so that their school fees are paid for and they can aspire for brighter future? Please press the "Give Now" button and share about Vaidehi Ashram (More information Click here) with your friends and family. Thanks in advance.
"Tea does our fancy aid, Repress those vapours which the head invade And keeps that palace of the soul serene." ~ Edmund Waller, "Of Tea"
Good morning everyone!
Its my new year resolution to drink a cup of hot green tea every single day of 2013. I got myself a cute electric kettle to heat some hot water and have a jar of honey just beside the tea bags. I am so happy to say that I am well on track until now. But, to be honest its getting little bored with the same tea-flavors I currently have. That's when I started to research of any other soothing, therapeutic tea recipe ideas and stumbled upon this one - Yogi Chai Tea.
The concoction made for this tea has spices that are health promoting and energizing. For example - "cloves take away pain, cardamom aids digestion, cinnamon is good for the bones, peppercorns stimulate the digestive process, and ginger is an ayurvedic panacea, giving strength and energy. And the synergistic effect of all the herbs is more than the sum of its parts" (Source) Is that not enough to motivate us to drink this tea often, for those fresh, exciting mornings & evenings? :-)
Its very handy to make the concoction in bulk so that the rest can be refrigerated or even frozen as cubes. Whenever you are ready to drink it, simply heat the tea, add milk and honey.
1 litre water
8 whole cloves
10 black peppercorns
2 sticks of cinnamon
10 whole cardamon pods (split the pods first)
4 ginger slices (1/4″ thick)
1/4 teaspoon black tea leaves
enough milk and honey to taste
Preparation:
Bring water to a boil in a pot. Add cloves and boil for one minute. Next, add cardamom pieces, peppercorns, cinnamon, and fresh ginger root. Cover and boil for at least 30 minutes. For best flavor, it is recommended to simmer on low heat for 2 to 3 hours. When ready, remove from heat, add black tea leaves, cover and let it cool. Strain tea. Refrigerate the concoction.
When ready to drink, add milk (use soymilk if you are a vegan) and sweeten to taste with honey or maple syrup.
We, Indians tend to celebrate many festivals during the course of an year. Its diversity in terms of people, religions, traditions and cultures gives us a chance to ritualize each and every happiness with a lot of gusto.
The first festival of the year, which signifies the celebration first harvest (of especially rice from the paddy fields) is - Sankranthi or Pongal(as it called in the southern part of India) - a perfect time for family gatherings, super delicious foodie treats, beautiful rangolis sketched in courtyards and of course kite flying which used to be my favorite thing to do all my childhood. I was pretty darn good at it, giving a good fight to the boys! ;-). It is a scenic splendor to watch the blue sky dotted with numerous kites of varied colors and shapes. Ah! how much I miss those lovely, carefree days.
There are many recipes that are made especially for this festival. Milk puddings are a must. Today, am going to share a rice pudding recipe sweetened with jaggery. Its called Bellam Paramannam in Telugu and my family absolute beloved dish. Serve it warm or cold, it taste lip smacking!
{Recipe} Rice Pudding With Jaggery | Bellam Paramannam
Makes 6 servings Recipe: My Mom
Ingredients:
1 cup white rice
2 cups milk
2 cups water
11/4 cup powdered jaggery
1/2 cup in total - raisins, chopped cashewnuts and dried coconut pieces.
1/2 tsp cardamom powder
2 tsp ghee
Preparation:
Step 1. Cook 1 cup of rice with 2 cups of water until fork tender.
Step 3. Turn off heat. Add powdered jaggery. Mix once. Cover. Mix again after 5 mins.
Step 4. Melt ghee in a small kadai. Add raisins, cashew nuts and coconut pieces. Fry until light golden brown. Add the contents in to the jaggery pudding. Stir well and let it cool a bit. Serve.
Notes:
1. Don't boil pudding once jaggery is added otherwise there is a risk that the milk will get curdled.
2. Save the left over pudding in the fridge and the next day reheat it with a cup of milk as it tends to thicken a bit and its ready to be devoured, for that sinful second serving!
Wishing you a very Happy and Prosperous Sankranthi. Have fun everybody!
Doesn't it feel good to spread joy and give happiness during this festive season to those who are not as privileged as we are. Those who don't have any loved ones that they can call as their own and those who celebrate every happy occasion in an ashram, with a new extended family of kids and care takers. Help the kids of Vaidehi Ashram today for their better, brighter future. They need all our love and support. I am told that there is a constant need of funds to pay their monthly school fees and this is an appeal to everybody to contribute generously for the cause. Thanks so much in advance. Click here for more details on you can help. You can also help me by spreading a word about this ashram and their efforts to your friends and family, to encourage them to contribute as well. :-)
It is not often that I indulge myself into desserts that are especially deep fried and those who know me are aware of the fact that I don't really have a sweet tooth either. But, the gloomy, not-so-peppy weather in Hyderabad is not helping me and with a blocked nose and sore throat I, to my mom's surprise begged to make some "Sojjapallu" (kesari stuffed poori) past weekend. My mom, being the best couldn't refuse her daughter's wish..;-)
..and as she was making them, I happily took some step by step pictures to share with you all.
Sojjappalu (or Sojja Poori) is a classic Andhra sweet normally made for festivals and other happy occasions. Those who are counting calories might have to just to look at these photographs to pacify their cravings. It is hard to express in words how divine these taste. Rava Kesari (the stuffing for these), as-is is a very popular and imagine if we stuff that into a poori! You see where am I going and why its hard to describe how it tastes. :-)
1 cup sooji rava/semolina
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup ghee
1/2 tsp saffron strands, mixed with little warm water [or any edible orange food color]
1/2 cup in total - cashew nuts, raisins
4 whole cardamom pods, crushed (or 1/8 tsp cardamom powder)
3 cups of water
Oil - for deep frying
Preparation:
How to prepare the dough -
Step 1: Knead maida, rice flour with water into a poori consistency. Rub 1/4 cup oil all over the dough. Cover and rest for 2 hours.
How to prepare the stuffing -
Step 2: Heat 1/2 tsp of ghee in a small kadai and fry cashews with raisins. Keep aside.
Step 3: Heat 3 cups of water in kadai. Add sugar. Stir until it dissolves. Add ghee. Let it come to a rolling boil. Reduce to low-heat and then slowly stir while adding the rava (Make sure there are no lumps). Cook until it is thickened for 5-6 minutes. Just before turning off the heat, add fried cashew with raisins and cardoamom powder. Mix well. It is very important to cool to room temperature as it will be used as a stuffing. Make 10 small lemon sized balls out of it.
How to make Sojjappalu (Kesari Poori) -
Step 4: Make 10 equal sized balls out of dough. Roll out a small round. Put a kesari ball in the middle. Cover gently with hand. Don't use rolling pin. With hand, gently press on each side by placing on a plastic sheet and make into a round. Repeat the same with all of them. Note: Refer to the step-by-step pictures above.
Step 5: Heat oil in a kadai. Slide one-stuffed-poori-at-a-time into hot (not smoking) oil. Fry until light golden brown. Drain onto paper towels.
Serve warm to pep up those gloomy day and to bring an instant smile on your faces! :D
These are also made as offering for Vara Lakshmi Vratam which is on July 27th 2012. May be you can woo the Goddess with these goodies this year! I am sure she will be extremely happy, so will be your family & friends!
True to its name, "The Leela Palace" is palatial hotel & resort depicting our rich heritage of kings and queens who ruled India in the past. Rated as one of 500 World's Best hotels, it is still to-date favorite destination hotel for many. Numerous conferences happen here on a daily basis and we were invited for an exclusive event "The Perfect Nutrition for Women of All Ages" organized by International Prune Association in association with Jade magazine and The Leela Palace itself.
I grabbed this opportunity with utmost excitement and was thrilled to experience the grandeur that Leela Palace had to offer.
The Leela Palace, Bangalore
The Interiors
We learnt a lot about how good the Prunes are in this event. When I was in California, I ate prunes on a regular basis as a snack and was pleasantly surprised to know that even in Bangalore, these are very easily available in many super markets. I made some Prune-Almond Phirni for you all today. If you just want to jump tothe recipe, scroll down to the end of the post. :-).
Smiling staff warmly greet you as soon as you enter the premises and the magnificent upholstery in the lobby area will catch your eye instantly. there are flowers, flowers and more flowers every where and you wouldn't even think for a second that this hotel is located at the very heart of the buzzing Bangalore city.
The corridors are filled with huge paintings of young Indian princes and kings.
It has an impressive lobby decorated with many rare Indian artworks.
After the informative conference, we all gathered for lunch at "The Dining Room", where things were literally served on a silver platter.
With plenty of sunshine streaming through the huge windows, it was one pleasant day to enjoy good food, good conversations and meet new people.
Here is what was served in our Leela Palace lunch.
Platter of fruit and prunes. We gobbled up so many that we lost count. ;-)
Lemongrass soup which was so refreshing and a best start for any meal.
Sago Payasam.
Ever heard of Prune Biryani? It tasted delicious.
Dal Tadka with aromatic spices.
Baby Potato Dum Aloo. Super yummy and its taste still lingers in my mouth.
the very traditional - Tindora with Coconut
Chocolate Magic, the dessert.
the entire dessert platter
Leaving you all for now with some beautiful rose petals and hope you all have a lovely weekend ahead.
