Tutti- fruitti cookies

      I am so delighted to find Savaadhjevana FB page hitting more than hundred likes.  To dedicate this success, I made tutti-fruitti cookies.

  Initially I wanted to make them with wheat flour, but realized that these tutti-fruiti would be better with a white background than with a brown one.  That is with wheat flour, they can be hardly seen giving an less appetising look.  So,  I opted for tutti-fruiti with white or much lighter background.  As soon as I decided on white, the first three things that crossed my mind was Regular flour (of course, maida!), Cornflour and Rawa or semolina.  Hence with a mixture of abovesaid, I continued with addition of butter,  sugar and finally blended with delecious, colourful tutti-fruitti cookies.  After baking them, they were so crisp, light-coloured (though I browned a few  in my first batch!) and fell very less on stomach too!!

Vadakari (SouthIndian curry made with steamed dal dumplings)

    Vadakari is my all-time-favourite.  My mother used to prepare this dish atleast once a month and we used to rejoice it with idly, dosa and  pongal too!  I made it for first time and served it with mini-dosa (to come sooner) and my kid enjoyed it.  Here, Chana dal, which was first soaked, is later blended with selective spices, steamed and mixed with regular onion-tomato gravy base.  The spices usually added are red chilly and dhanya powder, here I added  chana masala which blended  soo well and gave an much richer aroma.  Do try guys and let me know.

Ingredients required

For dumplings

• 1/2 cup chana dal
• 1/2 tsp dry ginger powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp jeera powder
• 1/2 tsp haldi/turmeric powder
• 4 tsp coriander leaves, finely chopped
• Pinch of hing/asoeftida

Tawa arbi masala

   
    Arbi, one of the Colocasia species is an underground(grown) vegetable.  It finds an easy place in south-indian cooking.   Found as an fry or curry, it is also supposed to be an healthy alternative for potatos for aged people because the starch content found in arbi is easily digestable one.  Arbi is also found to nourish with contents like fibre, protein, calcium, phosphorous etc.

 Arbi tawa fry done here is an easy preparation that can go yummy with hot rice, sambhar, rasam or any kozhumbu type.  This can also be served as an vegetarian starter and can go great with parathas too.  To top that arbi prepared in tawa ensures uniform cooking on all sides (which is not guarenteed on kadaai), saves time and ends up spending up little amount of oil.

Chocolate eclairs - Baking partners challenge

Baking partners is a group for new bakers, they enhance the baking skills by alloting monthly challenges, mailing all suggested recipes, tips etc This month's challenge was Chocolate eclairs.  

Thanks to Baking partners for suggesting the same as honestly speaking the topic was quite new to me, but after coming across the recipes and few videos, I understood that chocolate eclairs is a french pastry filled with choco-custard cream (and also any fruit custard cream) and topped  with choco glaze.  The very difference of this to other pastry form is that the basic dough is first cooked in stove first, mixed with flour, then added to beaten eggs to obtain a glazy form.   I followed the pastry recipe by www.joyofbaking.com

Summer spl event & giveaway - Winner announcement

   
  Hi guys, so we are meeting after quite a loooonnnggg time, isn't it??   Yes, I had a nice vacation at chennai and on return, my camera broke down.  Am sad, bcoz literally it has broken down the bloggy stuff, but tooo happy on other side, as shama has promised me a new one :)  So,  let us get back to my first summer spl giveaway and event, if you had asked me few months before, about organizing events I would have said that it should be an easy task, but no... preparing event pics, registering with linkedin, following linked up posts, visiting them and thanking for link-up were ofcourse on easier side.   But, deciding winners with stunning 94 posts is really, really tough though you go for an random numbering style.

     I would thank all of you for contributing such beautiful, delecious posts for my event, thank you all!!

So, now follows a series of certificates for culinery excellancy

Our first award goes to best baked dessert for Manjula bharath.  The name of the dish is Rasagulla blackforest cake,  kindly go through the link for an delecious yummy fusion cake

The next award is best (non-baked) dessert that goes to drool-worthy falooda by Aara.

The next category is best curry (or healthy summer curry) is to Pooja agrawal for her DanaMethi kairi subzi

Best salad goes to...... no guesses here anybody can point out beautiful stuffed cucumber  covering peanut & other veggies.  Again bagged by Pooja agrawal for her cucumber salad

Best summer drink also goes to same (I, just now realize that she is awarded thrice honestly)

Kiwi mint masala sharbat from Pooja agrawal

The maximum contributor award goes to Priya anandakumar with stunning 24 posts.  Thank you for your moral support Priya.

So, the ultimate winner of the event & giveaway is.....

 Random Number GeneratorMin: Max: Result:21Powered by RAND

21st post is linked by Linsy patel for her Vegetable deewani handi, congrauts Linsy patel you are being awarded Sanjeev kapoor's 'zero oil cookery book'   Kindly mail your indian address to arthyshama7@gmail.com

Following is the participation certificates, thanks for your valuable presence in my event.