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Paalakayalu On Vinayaka Chavithi ~ Spicy Crispy Rice Balls ~ No one can eat just ONE!!
13 COMMENTS Posted by KALVA at 5:44:00 PM
My First Handmade Ganesha made with Atta( Whole Wheat Flour )
Rice flour balls ready to get oil bath!!
A fresh batch hot off the kadai - 2cups rice flour
- 4tbsp.curd
- 2tsp.butter
- salt to taste
- oil for deep frying
- green chillies
- First run green chillies and salt in blender( or use mortar and pestle ) and it need not be a smooth paste
- In a mixing bowl, add rice flour, red chilli powder, green chilli paste, yogurt, soft butter, and make a dough ( chapathi dough consistency ) adding a little water at a time
- Cover the dough and let it stand for few minutes.
- Pinch out small amount of dough and then roll them into tiny balls using your palms. Let kids help you in making these tiny balls, and i am sure they would have fun making these.
- Rub oil onto your palms that way the dough wouldn't stick to your palms while rolling them
- Heat oil in kadai( enough for deep frying ) under medium heat and once the oil is hot enough drop these dough balls slowly and fry them until they are brown in color ( see pic )
- Spicy Rice Balls are ready to be relished!!! But first offer them to Ganapathiji on his birthday( Vinakaya Chavithi )
Here are some more Vinayaka Chathurthi Pics:
Vinayaka Chavithi @ my sisters place
Blueberry Almond Yogurt Smoothie - A Simple Sumptuous Delight
18 COMMENTS Posted by KALVA at 1:19:00 AMYou can definitely make your family berry favorite with my blueberry almond yogurt smoothie. Blueberries are excellent source of fiber and vitamin C. Blueberries are my favorite out of the all berries and are very delicious eaten out of hand. Choose blueberries that are firm and indigo blue. Wash them with water and relish immediately, or you can store in the waterproof container in the refrigerator for up to four days. Also you can freeze these cuties to enjoy all year long. First freeze them in one layer on a plate right out of the carton and once frozen transfer them to a freezer bag. Be sure not to wash them before storing.
Ingredients you need:
- 1/2 cup fresh blueberries / frozen berries
- 1 cup yogurt
- some ice
- sugar / honey to taste
- light whipped cream ( optional )
- 5-6 whole soaked Almonds
How to make healthy blueberry smoothie:
- Soak the whole raw almonds in water for 5-6 hours. I usually soak them at night, so that they will be ready to go into the smoothie the next day. Once soaked overnight these almonds become pulp and the skin comes off very easily.
- Put all the above ingredients along with the almonds in a blender and run it until smooth. You can add some whipped cream ( if you don't mind those extra calories )
- I like some chunky blueberries in my smoothie, so i add a few more blueberries at the end and run the blender under pulse setting
This blueberry almond yogurt smoothie can easily boost your nutritional needs is a healthy way to start your morning. Try having it along with your breakfast and you'll see the difference. So light, tasty and healthy and the best part you can control the calories.
My smoothie is off to the events:
No more excuses for skipping breakfast!!!. Here's how to whip up a fresh, natural and healthy nutritious smoothie perfect fit for a beautiful sunny day in less than 15 minutes.. My Strawberry and Kiwi luscious smoothie is sweetened with honey and fresh home made yogurt. The regular smoothies at the stores are brimmed with ice cream, which i would like to replace in the early mornings with some good old plain yogurt. I have made Strawberry smoothie for my husband, and for myself a Kiwi-Strawberry smoothie.
Simple Strawberry and Yogurt Smoothie...For the above Strawberry smoothie, i have just blended some strawberries, yogurt and sugar.. This is for my husband at dinner..
Chopped fresh juicy strawberries and ripe kiwisYou need:
- 1 cup fresh plain low fat yogurt(store bought low fat Dannon or homemade curd)
- Milk ( optional, add if the yogurt or curd is too sour )
- 5 fresh ripened Strawberries
- 1 ripened kiwi ( you can core it if you want )
- Honey according to your taste
- Ice
Getting ready be churned- Clean and chop strawberries
- Peel Kiwi fruit and you can remove the core if you don't like any seeds
- In a blender( I use Braun Hand Blender, so easy to whip up any smoothie in no time ), add strawberries and Kiwi.
- Once pureed, add ice, honey and yogurt and blend it until frothy.
- And the toppings could be endless from fresh fruit to cereals like granola, raisin bran or your favorite cereal , now that's a complete nutritious breakfast!!!
Healthy Strawberry and Kiwi Honey Yogurt Smoothie- Fresh Produce Of The Month : Strawberries hosted by Marta -- Yep these are fresh from my favorite "Marias Market" a local Farmers Market.
- Healthy Cooking hosted by Mansi -- Mansi i skipped ice cream and used honey instead of sugar...
- Express Breakfasts hosted by Raaga -- Yep done in 15 min or less
- Summer Splash hosted by Arthee -- This strawberry and kiwi honey smoothie is indeed a refreshing drink in these hot summers
- WYF - Juices and Ice cream event hosted by EC of Simple Indian Food
Pudina Kasuri Methi Aloo Parathas / Mint and Dried Fenugreek Leaves Whole Wheat Indian Bread Stuffed with Spiced Potatoes
28 COMMENTS Posted by KALVA at 10:55:00 PMParathas hot and fresh from the griddle are always sumptuous and mouth watering. My husband is the first person to be so much content and satisfied when i serve parathas( particularly his favorite aloo parathas ) with some regular plain old home made yogurt, he wouldn't ask for any more, and that makes my job... even easier !
Mint and kasuri methi adds so much flavor to the good old aloo parathas.. Actually I have added the aloo stuffing just to make the parathas meatier for my husband and i had to bluff him saying those were the regular plain aloo parathas( oops!! yes he is so picky when it comes to food.. ) .. I mixed up some potatoes with simple spices and lemon juice ( kept it subtle , no fancy masalas ).
Ingredients:
1/2 bunch of mint leaves ( Pudina )
1/4 cup kasuri methi ( Dried fenugreek leaves )
2 cups whole wheat flour ( Goduma Pindi / Atta )
1/2 cup yogurt / fresh homemade curds ( Perugu )
1/4 cup coriander ( Kothimeera )
1 clove of garlic ( Thella gadda )
1 inch ginger ( Allam )
1 tbsp white sesame seeds ( Nuvvulu )
2-4 green chillies ( Pachi mirapakayalu )
1 tsp sugar ( Chakkara )
a pinch of turmeric ( Pasupu )
2 tbsp oil ( Noone )
For potato filling:
1 large red potato ( Bangala dumpa )
2 tsp chilli powder ( Mirapa podi )
1 tsp cumin seeds ( Jeela karra )
1 tsp coriander powder ( Dhaniyala podi )
1/2 juice of 1 lime / small lemon ( Nimma kaya )
salt to taste ( Uppu )
How to:
Puree green chillies, ginger, garlic, mint leaves, cilantro, salt to a fine paste.
In a mixing bowl combine yogurt, sesame seeds, the above spice paste, kasuri methi , sugar and salt
Mix in the wheat flour with the yogurt mixture only.., if its too try you can add some water Knead it into a soft dough and coat it with oil and keep it aside covered for one hour
Microwave potatoes peel and mash them, add chiili powder, salt, dhaniya powder and lime juice. Mix together and keep aside.
Plain Mint and Kasuri Methi Parathas hot from the griddlePreparing the plain Mint and Methi Parathas:
Roll out the dough as regular rotis and cook them over the griddle / tawa both sides with either a butter stick, ghee or oil.
These have a long shelf life and i usually wrap them in a foil, store in a freezer and heat on both the sides when needed.
Preparing the Mint and Methi Aloo Parathas:
Divide both dough and potato stuffing into equal portions, stuffing should be smaller in size than the dough balls. ( follow the above picture )
Roll out the dough into palm size, place the potato filling, bring the edges together and wrap the dough over the potato stuffing
Now roll out the potato filled dough like a regular roti upto required thickness
Heat these parathas on both sides over the griddle along with some oil , butter stick or ghee..
Unlike the Mint parathas these doesnt have long shelf life because of the potato filling..
I had the plain methi and mint parathas and my husband had the potato stufffed parathas.. For freezing instructions of parathas click here.
Mint and Febugreek paraths stuffed with spiced potato fillingNote:
You can add some water to mix the dough if the yogurt isnt enough to bind together
Please adjust the green chillies according to your taste
Make sure you bring the yogurt to room temperature before mixing the dough
Always rest the dough covered for atleast half an hour to one hour
Once the parathas are cooked cover them with a lid, this way they stay moist longer
Try to dust less flour while rolling out the paratha
These delicious Aloo Mint and Methi Parathas are on its way to
- Roti Mela hosted by Srivalli
- Monthly Mingle event hosted by Mansi of Fun Food
- Herb Mania hosted by Dee of Ammalus Kitchen
Tags: Rotis, Breads, Whole Wheat Stuffed Bread, Potatoes, Herbs, Mint, Cilantro, Kasuri Methi, Yogurt
Clicked For Bri -- Sour and Spicy Buttermilk and Rice Flour soup / Majjiga Pindi
15 COMMENTS Posted by KALVA at 10:44:00 PMThis is an appeal on behalf of a group of food bloggers who are friends of Briana Brownlow @ Figs With Bri. Bri was diagnosed with breast cancer two and half years ago. A mastectomy, chemotherapy and two years of relatively good health later, the cancer is back. It has metastasized to other parts of her body. At the age of 15, Bri lost her 41-year old mother to the disease. Now, she’s waging her own war against breast cancer. More about it here.
She is going through intensive chemo and other treatments and needs to focus single-mindedly on healing and finding what treatment works best for her. Her health insurance, unfortunately, does not cover holistic alternatives which she would like to try. Bri and her husband Marc have enough on their plates right now in addition to worrying about her medical bills.
The team organising the JUNE edition of CLICK at Jugalbandi has organised a fundraiser to help Bri and her family meet her out-of-pocket medical costs for ONE YEAR. CLICK is a monthly theme-based photography contest hosted by Jugalbandi. This month’s theme is: YELLOW for Bri .. Yellow is the colour of hope. Through the work of the LiveStrong Foundation, it has also come to signify the fight against cancer. The entries can be viewed HERE. The deadline for entries is June 30, 2008. The fundraiser will extend until July 15, 2008.
The target amount is 12,000 U.S. dollars. We appeal to our fellow bloggers and readers to help us achieve this. Bri deserves a chance to explore all options, even if her insurance company thinks otherwise. There’s a raffle with exciting prizes on offer. After viewing the list, you may make your donation HERE or at the Chip-In button on any participating site. Your donation can be made securely through credit card or Pay Pal and goes directly to Bri’s account. This month’s photo contest also has some prizes. Details HERE. You can support this campaign by donating to the fundraiser, by participating in CLICK: the photo event, and by publicising this campaign.
I'm here with my Healthy Buttermilk and Rice Flour Soup aka Majjiga Pindi in Telugu, a recipe that cools down your body temperature in these hot summers... This recipe is from my Pinni( moms sister ) and it didn't take long for it to become an instant hit and i remember she once served this majjiga pindi / rice flour soup in a dried half coconut shell( sagam kobbari chippa ) and it was so much fun! The tangy buttermilk compliments the spice from the green chillies... I promise this is a very simple, quick and hearty recipe quenching those salty cravings any time of the day!! This recipe is also on its way to Frozen Yogurt hosted by Siri of Siris Corner
Ingredients you need:
- 3-4 cups sour light buttermilk / Churned thin yogurt
- 1 cup sifted rice flour
- 4-6 green chillies cut lengthwise( please adjust the spice )
- 6 - 10 curry leaves chopped coriander( cilantro/kothimeera )
- 2 tsp urad dal
- 2 tsp chana dal
- 1 tsp mustard seeds( aavalu )
- 1 tsp cumin seeds ( jeera )
- a pinch of turmeric
- 2 tbsp oil salt to taste
Procedure:
- Sift the rice flour and churn the buttermilk well( it shouldn't be thick ), and mix in rice flour with buttermilk and make sure no lumps are formed.
- Add salt to the mixture and set aside
- In a kadai or thick bottomed saucepan, do the tadka with oil, mustard seeds, cumin, urad dal and chana dal, once they start to dance around, add curry leaves, green chillies and turmeric
- Stop the flame and add the rice flour butter milk mixture stirring slowly .
- Now put on the flame and bring this mixture to boil stirring continuously, when it gets together check for if its done remove from flame
- Adjust salt to your taste and add chopped coriander.
Guys, i added less buttermilk( approx 2 - 2.5 cups ) for a thicker soup, should have added 3 - 3.5 cups. Please do adjust the quantity of buttermilk since i have churned homemade yogurt into buttermilk!!
Tags: Pindi, Majjiga Pindi, Challa Pindi, Healthy Buttermilk and Rice Flour Soup, Perugu Pindi, Yogurt Soup
Recipe Source: Pinni( Moms sister )
Dahi Bendi / Bendakaya Perugu Koora( Okra In Yogurt Sauce )
13 COMMENTS Posted by Kalva at 7:23:00 AMOkra aka Bendi( Ladys Finger ) is not that widely used, but back home Okra is the most popular veggie not just for its flavor but for its MATHS improving powers! Yes may be thats the big reason i used to score good marks at Maths. Thanks to my mom, though i was a big fan of Dondakaya fry/ Tindora fry, she made sure we eat more Bendi than Dondi( yep we used to call it like that ). Hope everyone from India knows this 'Okra sharpens your brain unlike Tindora' and many people believe and we kids used to have Okra curry, i think it might have given us confidence that our maths skills had really improved just before the exam day( I know its funny! )
Coming to the recipe, i had this curry from one of our Marwadi friends and fallen in love with it. Marwadis use Dhaniya powder a lot and their curries looks so simple yet delicious and satisfying. And when they say it sounds really simple with very few ingredients. This curry uses freshly home made yogurt, dhaniya( corinader ) powder, red chilli powder and mint. Thats it! Worried about the stickiness from Okra? Adding yogurt or lime would significantly reduce it. Click here for tips on cooking perfect okra!
You need:
1 cup lighlty whipped fresh homemade yogurt(perugu) or dannon yogurt
2 cups chopped Okra
1 onion
2 tbsp dhaniya powder/ corinader powder
1/2 tbsp - 1 tbsp red chilli powder
3 - 4 stalks mint
2-3 stalks of cilantro( i didnt have it then )
4 tbsp oil
a pinch of turmeric
How to:
Heat oil in kadai or wok and add onion and okra
Add turmeric and fry till okra softens and cooked
Add dhaniya powder and chilli powder
Fry for 1 more min
Once okra is completely cooked, should melt right away when eaten
Add salt and whipped/whisked yogurt.
Cook for 2-3 min
Add chopped mint leaves and switch off the heat
P.S: Adjust salt and spice to taste
To relish the maximum flavor of the dish please do eat it when fresh and hot. Serve this Dahi Bendi( bendakaya perugu kura ) with hot hot rotis or rice. This time we had this curry with Aloo Parathas and it was Finger Licking Good. Dont take my word on this, try it for yourself to see how easy and delicious the curry is!
Tags:Bendakaya perugu kura, Bendhi Yougurt Curry, Bendi dahi curry, bendi masala, bhindi curry, Bhindi Yogurt curry
