Avial

      Hi guys, hope you all had an amazing weekend!!  Here I have my parent-in-laws (finally got releived from babysitting for sometime) for an vacation visit.  Had an awesome time with them :) So, as I had told you in my previous posts, am an active member of Jagruti mam's Cyber partystyle cooking (You can view more details here) For this month's challenge I had prepared handvo, and as we have party over here, I prepared Sini's Avial.  Sini had prepared excellant avial and gave handy tips to acheive great taste too!!  I really appreciate her doing this, and that gave me very ease to prepare the same.
 

   


    I  prepared avial along with hot rice and vathakulambu.  Avial was excellant with such an combo.  Avial, itself can be had with hot rice.  It was very tasty and the aroma filled my entire home :)  And yes, Sini's preparation technique and methodology was simple to acheive great product.  Finally, my husband luved it and appreciated me for making lunch much healthier.  After all this,  I did felt bad, 'why didn't I prepare this before?? What took me so longggg? '   So,  guys, this avial is gonna top my regular food timetable  :)

So, let us move to avial making

Dark chocolate & Oats cookies

Dark chocolates are my all-time-favourite.  And that too, after completing my professional course on chocolate making I learnt a lot about dark chocolates.  Their awesome medicinal properties had  doctors to suggest for  heart patients in  small quantities regularly.  They are also known to delay cell ageing, preferably aiding ladies in increased skin glow.  My own tutor asked me to consume them regularly for my goodness!!!

As a result, dark chocolates have entered my day-to-day  cooking.  This recipe combines the goodness of dark chocolates and oats. They are hard surfaced, that is crunchy in texture.  They are soo delecious and is a must-tea-time snack that goes healthy too!! 

Truffle glazed lychee muffins

    I like muffins a lot... Whenever I am in a Bakery shop, my hubby or I will order for muffins.  Though I have an oven of my own, I rarely experiment or practice fearing of wastage.  But, of late Baking Partners, an online baking community has boosted my baking confidence.  The monthly challenges I make, push me to try different baking products.  Out these, recent outputs is this truffle glazed lychee muffins.  These cup-cake came  out sooo well & spongy that they got out of stock on the day 1!

   Isn't it great??

SUMMER SPECIAL - MY FIRST EVENT & GIVEAWAY

   Hi guysssss....

     I am so excited in revealing you my first event, summer special.  Though the topic may sound odd, bcoz we are halfway through our summer, :) don't mind yourself  :) get ready for more summer cooking.  My event promotes recipes that are not only juices, salads, ice creams but also healthy curries/gravies/main course that are prepared using vegetables like bottlegourd, snakegourd etc (Mainly that are known to have excellant properties against hot summer)

  I really have no specific reason for organizing this event, but am feeling great about it as I type.  But sadly, my one and only giveaway will be there (For Indian address, please) But, dont ignore as the only one giveaway is going to be Fabulous book of SANJEEV KAPOOR'S  " ZERO OIL COOKING"




The simple rules to be followed for participation is as follows:

• Participant must follow me through google friend connect/gadget
• Participant must like my FB page
• After following and liking, they must comment in this post, mentioning the same.
• Non-vegetarian food (Fish, etc) which are considered to be summer coolant can also be linked up
• Multiple entries are allowed
• Archived entry is also allowed if linked back.  But, try to link in fresh posts please.
• Links must include  the summer spl  logo given above and must link it back to announcement page
• Non-bloggers are also welcome to participate in this event, they can mail me arthyshama7@gmail.com with detailed recipe and picture and summer spl as subject
• Contest starts from now and ends till first of june.

   So my dear friends, why wait up???? Tie up ur aprons and link in ur healthy culinery products...

Malvani fish curry

This is my third post for malvani cuisine.  The beforesaid cuisine, which is known for its hot fiery seafood, encloses coconut due to its abundant presence.  Following here below is hot fish curry..

Ingredients required

To be roasted and ground into powder

• 2 tsp whole cumin/Jeera
• 3-4 whole dry red chillies
• 1 tsp whole dhanya
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp rock salt

Baked doodhi pakoda

      Pakodas... hmm... the word itself makes one mouthwater, carving for an deep-fried appetizer had along with evening tea or just as an snack.  The best thing about pakodas are that they can be combined with any sort of vegetable or mixed vegetable and establish themselves accordingly.  Onion pakodas are one of the famous snack item in chettinadu cuisine.  The easy-peasy ingredients readily available on any Indian kitchen had made this dish dominant.

    Though these are done on rainy or chill seasons, they can also be had in summer.  I had bottlegourd left in refrigerator, and decided to make use of it in pakodas.  And yes, baked my pakodas due to diet concern :) lolzzzzzz   But, what surprised me was that the  baking did show the same crispiness obtained on deep-fried concept.  So, why don't we put hands together and join to do an healthy, evening snack

Handvo

    Handvo is an Gujarati savoury cake with highly nutritious ingredients.  This cake combines rice and dal as its base and also includes bottlegourd making it an highly suggestable summer intake.  This baked cake is brown and crisp outside, but goes so soft inside.  Sadly, they can't be had alone, need green chutney or shaak.  Here I served this cake with khumb shaak.  Both went really nice.

Ingredients required

To make handvo flour/paste

• 1/2 cup raw rice
• 1/4 cup tuvar dal
• 1 tsp urad dal
• 1 tsp moong dal
• 1 tsp chana dal
• 2 tsp whole wheat
• 1/2 tsp rock salt
• 1/2 cup sour curd

Harira

   Just luv the name and even when I am still typing, my mouthwaters to catch an glimpse of my momma's version.  She really  used to prepare an tasty version and serve it with hot poori's...hmm... yum..yum...i miss it a lot :(

   This harira, an milk extracted from poppy seeds/khuskhus is an energizing drink usually suggested for new mothers in order to increase their lactation.  But these are given to kids also, and will be an delightful surprise for aged people since this dont carry as high calories as that of Coconut milk's...

Ingredients required 

• 1/4 cup khus khus/poppy seeds
• 7-8 cashewnuts
• 1 tsp basmati rice
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp cardamon powder
• Water, as needed

Kadaai vegetables - Hyderabadi styled

Ingredients required

• 4 tsp oil
• 1 tsp whole cumin seeds
• 2 green chillies broken
• 4 tsp finely chopped mint leaves
• 1/2 cup pureed onions (which are boiled in hot water)
• 1 cup  tomato puree
• 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1/2 tsp dhanya powder
• Salt, as per taste
• 1/2 cup cauliflower florets
• 1/4 cup each of chopped beans, potato, capsicum, carrot
• 100ml of fresh cream

Suji ki cookies

As adapted from Nita Mehta cookbook.  Tastes heavenly with tea, coffee etc

Ingredients required

• 2 cups wheat flour
• 3/4 cup sooji/ bombay rava
• 3/4 cup icing sugar
• Pinch of  salt
• 1 cup of ghee/unsalted butter
• 4 tsp of almond flour (optional)

Goan Egg curry

  This hot fiery egg curry can be made in a jiffy... and promises great taste too!!

Ingredients required

To made into masala paste

• 1/2 cup grated coconut
• 5-6 red chillies
• 1 tsp whole dhanya
• 1 tsp whole peppercorn
• 7-8 garlic pods
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp whole cumin seeds
• 2 tsp thick tamarind paste

Malvani khumb curry

      Malvani cuisine is followed by Konkan region of Maharashtra and Goa.  Name comes from Malvan, town in Sindhudurg district in Maharashtra.  Since this town being coastal, this cuisine dominates non-vegetarian food and especially sea food.  Using coconut liberally throughout their cuisine, malvani cuisine is known for its fiery curries.  Here I replaced khumb/mushroom with normally cooked chicken, mutton, prawn etc.  As mentioned earlier, my hubby is mushroom-freak and we have it atleast once a week, so went on for an new try.. and mushroom malvani curry did passs... :)

Ingredients required

For the marination masala

• 3-4 whole red chilly
• 1 tsp whole dhanya
• 1 Bay leaf
• 5-6 clove
• 2 green cardamon
• 1 black cardamon
• 1 tsp shahjeera
• 1/2 tsp dagad phool/stoneflower
• 1/2 tsp crushed nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp whole peppercorn

Kadaai lasuni gosht

    Garlic is known for its antioxidant properties,  it also has capacity to stabilize blood pressure, cholestrol and cancer.  So, using lots of garlic does help to build your immune system, especially in your sunday brunch!!  Here I used garlic with mutton, I really liked the flavour of both resulting in tasty hybrid.

Ingredients required

To temper

• 1 tsp shahjeera
• 10-12 garlic pods thinly sliced
• 3-4 whole red chillies
• Handful of curry leaves

To be pressure cooked

• 350  gm mutton
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 cup finely chopped tomato
• 2 slit green chillies
• 1/2 tsp haldi/turmeric powder
• 1 cup water