My Interview and Khaman Dhokla :)

First and formost, I am a really excited little cook today. Guess why?????? I have been featured as the Diamond Chef in www.solkadi.com. Do take a look at my interview there :):):)

Dhokla Dhokla every where, all are yummy to see!!!!! This is the rhyme that runs in my mind after seeing the updates from others. ;) I am really happy to be part of a super cool event called Indian Cooking Challenge (ICC) that Srivalli started. If not for this event, I am sure I would have never tried Dhokla. :)

I am happyyyyyyy!!!!! It came out so well and all at home enjoyed relishing it. So here is my Khaman Dhokla. :)




Ingredients:

For Batter:

Bengal Gram flour / Besan - 1 & 1/2 cup

Curd - 1/2 cup (not very sour)

Water - 1/2 cup

(I used 1 cup of buttermilk + 2 tblspns of water)
Cooking Soda - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste

For seasoning to be mixed to the batter (to be added just before cooking):

Oil - 1 tbsp

Turmeric a pinch

G. Chili paste - 3 nos

Sugar - 1 tsp

Citric acid - quarter tsp ( A big pinch)
Eno - 1 packet (green colour fruit lime) + sprinkle or dust few bits on the plate

For tempering:

Sesame seeds Mustard Seeds Curry leaves Grated coconut Coriander leaves

Little water ( 2 tblspn) + Oil to be topped on dhoklas

Method:

Mix first 1/2 cup curds with 1/2 water. To this add the besan and mix well to get a lump less batter, the consistency should be of idli batter, more of dropping not pouring consistency. Slowly add more water if needed else, add the soda. Keep it aside to rise for 1 hour.

If you are using a pressure cooker, fill the pan with water, place a plate over which you will have use a plate for steaming the dhoklas. Thali plate can be used for steaming.

To the batter mix in the citric acid, oil, salt, sugar, green chili paste and turmeric powder. Mix well. This has to be done just before pouring to the plate.

Meanwhile have the pan on stove, and let the water start boiling. When the water reaches the rolling stage, you can mix the eno to the batter (Save little of eno for dusting on the plate), mix gently, you will see bubbles coming out.

Dust or sprinkle the plate with eno. Then immediately pour the batter to the plate. Place the plate carefully inside the pressure pan and cover with lid. You need not use the whistle. After covering you will find steam coming out of the outlet, simmer and don't disturb for almost 5 -7 minutes.

After 5 -7 minutes, remove the lid and proof it using toothpick or knife. If the knife comes out clean and does not have any batter sticking, then its done. Cover back and let it remain on flame for 1 min and switch off the gas and allow it for 5 minutes.

In a bowl, mix 2 tblspn of water along with a tsp of oilRemove the plate from the pan, pour the water and oil mix over the top.

For seasoning, heat a pan with oil, add curry leaves, sesame seeds, mustard seeds and finely chopped green chilies. When mustard starts popping, remove and pour over the dhokla.

Now cut them neatly into desired shape and sizes.

Serve it with green chutney. :) Happy making and enjoy eating :)

Written by: Nithya
post your queries to fourthsensesamayal@gmail.com

Click - July 09

I am sending this to click - July 09 by Jugalbandi. :) This is my first ever click for a contest. :) And ppl guess what!!! I don't have a proper camera. This is taken using my Sony Ericsson K790i mobile camera(All the pics in this blog). :) Hope it is not a bad one, anyways participation matters.




Written by: Nithya
post your queries to fourthsensesamayal@gmail.com

Star granate Shake :)

I was so excited and was jumping when I saw star fruit in the market a day back. The excitement was because I had just heard of it, but never tasted it before. Now that I got it, I was wondering what to do with it!!!!!!

Finally came this combinational, unusual, weird, moctailed star fruit pomegranate fruit shake. ;)

Believe me it was really good. I liked the taste of this blend very much.

Why agree to me blindly.. Try it out yourself ;)


Ingredients:

Star fruit(Carambola) - 3
Pomegranate - 1
Milk - 1 cup
Vannila ice cream - 1 scoop
Sugar - for taste



Method:

Blend all the ingredients in a blender and serve it chill. :) Happy drinking :)




Written by: Nithya
post your queries to fourthsensesamayal@gmail.com

Pittu

Pittu is a special south Indian delicacy. If at all you want to make a sweet as well as spicy item for your breakfast, then this is a handy recipe that you can make. Same base serves for both the items. :)


To make dhall idly

Ingredients:

Bengal gram dhall - 1 cup
Moong dhall - 1 cup
Salt - for taste

Method:

Soak both the dhalls together for an hour. Grind it coarsely in the consistency of idly batter. Now add salt to it and make idlis.

After it cools down completely, sprinkle little hot water and crumble it well. You can run it in the mixie for few seconds to make this job easier.

Once this is done partition it into two portions to make sweet pittu as well as spicy pittu.



Sweet Pittu

Ingredients:

Dhall Idly Crumbles: 1 cup
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Cardamom powder - a pinch
Coconut scrapings - 2 tbsp
Cashews - few
Ghee - 1 tsp

Method:

Take the sugar in a pan and add some water to it and boil till one string consistency. Put the crumbled idlis, mix well and remove from fire. Add grated fresh coconut, fried cashew nuts, cardamom powder along with little ghee. This pittu is slightly sticky in nature.

This is a lovely and healthy sweet that you can make along with the spicy once for breakfast on special occasions.


Spicy Pittu

Ingredients:

Dhall Idly Crumbles: 1 cup
Mustard - 1/2 tsp
Bengal gram dhal - 1/2 tsp
Urad dhall - 1/2 tsp
Chilly - 4(According to your taste)
Coconut scrapings - 2 tbsp
Lemon extract - 3 tsp
Coriander leaves
Curry leaves
Salt - for taste

Method:

In a pan, take a 3 tsp of oil and crackle mustard, bengal gram dhall, urad dhall and curry leaves. Make the chillies into a smooth paste and add it to the pan. Now put in the dhall idli crumbles and mix well. Finally add coconut scrappins, salt, lemon extract and coriander leaves to it and mix well. Spicy pittu is ready to eat. :) This pittu would be like upma. i.e crumbled form and not sticky.

Serve it hot. :) Happy cooking. :)


Written by: Nithya
post your queries to fourthsensesamayal@gmail.com

Kreativ Blogger Award :)

Parita of Parita's Kitchen ,Jyoti of panchpakwan and Suchithra of SimpleIndianFood have nominated me for this lovely kreative blogger award. I am really excited and happy about it. Thanks a lot for the encouragement. It really drives me to do more. :) I love your blog and happy that you like mine too.

The Kreativ Blogger award comes with some rules:-
1. You must thank the person who has given you the award.

2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog.

3. Link to the person who has nominated you for the award.

4. Name 7 things about yourself that people might find interesting.

5. Nominate 7 other Kreativ Bloggers.

6. Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate.

7. Leave a comment on which of the blogs to let them know they have been nominated

Now for the seven things that you MIGHT find interesting about me :-

1. I am extremely talkative and enthusiastic. I never shut my mouth to ppl who I know. Blah blah blah blah... Absolutely witty most of the time. :) I guess I have inherited this quality from my dad, who is an advocate. :)

2. I never liked cooking before I started this blog. Never felt kitchen was an aspiring place. But then things have changed so much in so less time. Now all I can say is 'I love Cooking' :)

3. I don't have a long term plan or long term passion at all. This might sound bad.. But then who knows how long we would live.. So I just enjoy doing what I like at the moment. :)

4. I love music and learnt classical music for 10 years. I just cant live without music. Its the only thing that keeps me going. I enjoy singing film songs when I cook. :) It makes it all the more interesting. My audience are the ppl next door and around.. Hope I don't trouble them much.. ha ha ha..

5. My passion varies and are of wide range. It all depends on my mood. I loved tailoring earlier, then came pencil drawing, then it was mehandi, then music, sudden entry was cooking and now the latest is paper art. I am not sure what I would finally land up in. :)

6. Little things can excite me so much. I get extremely happy when I fly a kite, when I eat an ice cream, When a rose blooms in my plant, when someone says I look nice, when my favorite contestant wins a show, when my friends send me a morning wish, when I watch my favorite sentimental movie, when I hug my mom, when I argue with my dad, getting little gifts from friends and so on.......... Life is filled with little surprises and happiness. I don't demand more :)

7. Hey did you all know... I am just 23 and a single just out of college. :) Looking forward to learn cooking and to get a person who can eat all what I make. ;)

Okay thats about me.

Now for the nominations that I would want to make: -

I really want to pass it to all.. But then it made me feel special when I was named. So inturn let me make few ppl feel special too.. :)

1. Aparna of My diverse kitchen
2. Ria of Ria's Kitchen
3. Dhanya of Dhanya's dazzling delights.
4. DoggyBloggy(sorry for not knowing your real name :( ) of ChezWhat?
5. Preethi of Preethi's Online cookbook
6. Mangala Bhat of Recipes 24x7
7. Sangi of Simply Delicious

Kindly accept the award from my blog and pass it on to ppl and make them feel special too :)

Written by: Nithya
post your queries to fourthsensesamayal@gmail.com

Naga Chathurthi - Festive Sweet Balls

Naga Chaurthi Upvas is dedicated to Nagas or Snakes and is observed on the fourth day of the Shukla Paksha (waxing phase of moon) in the month of Shravan. The day after Naga Chaturthi is Naga Panchami/Garuda Panchami, one of the most popular festivals dedicated to Nagas(Snake god). Special pujas and rituals are held on the day. In 2009, the date of Naga Chaturthi is July 25 which is today.

Naga Chaturthi is of great importance in parts of Maharashtra, Karnataka and in the Telegana region of Andhra Pradesh. Since I am a telugu girl living in Tamil Nadu, i celebrate this festival too. :)

Some people fast from morning to evening and only consume a single meal on the day. Special Naga pujas are held on the day. Some Hindu communities fast during the daytime and eat food only after sunset. Some people avoid salt and deep fried on the day.

It must be noted that Naga Chaurthi is held in the Kartik month in some regions.

We serve sweet balls as neivithiyam(Prasadam) to snake god along with fruits, milk, sprouts etc.

Here I am going to put down the recipe for three kinds of sweet balls which can be had as all time snacks. :)

Sesame Sweet Balls

Ingredients:

Sesame seeds - 1 cup
Jaggery - 1 cup

Method:

Powder sesame seeds in mixie. Add finely grated jaggery to it and once again powder it together. Once done roll balls with the powder. The balls look glossy due to the oil that sesame oozes out when ground. These balls are easy to make, yummy to eat and at the same time healthy too. :) Sesame is a rich resource of vitamin B, E and Iron.



Roasted Gram Sweet Balls

Ingredients:

Roasted gram - 1 cup
Sugar - 3/4 cup
Ghee - 1/4 cup

Method:

Powder the roasted gram and sugar separately. Seive it finely. In a pan take the ghee and once it is slightly warm pour the powders and mix well for 5 min in low flame. Remove from fire and once again run it in the mixie. This is to avoid uneven mixing of the ghee. Once done immediately make balls when it is hot.

These are simple to make and extremely yummy. :)



Peanut Sweet Balls

Ingredients:

Roasted Peanuts - 1 cup
Jaggery - 3/4 cup

Method:

Powder the peanuts coarsely. Add finely grated jaggery to it and run once in the mixie again. Make balls with the powder.

Peanuts are rich source of proteins so you can royally call it protein balls. :) Happy making.




Festivals make life interesting and for sure one of the biggest reason is such sweets and savories :) :) :) Happy Naga Chathurthi to all. :)


Written by: Nithya
post your queries to fourthsensesamayal@gmail.com

Wheat Bread Dosa

Bread is nice.. But remix of bread is all the more yummy :)

Got this idea from Ganga of 'My Favourite Foods' who had recently invented this bread dosa. Thanks to Ganga for her cool new idea. I have a slightly modified version of this inspirational dish here.

Enjoy bread in a different form :) Happy cooking :)

Ingredients:

Whole Wheat Bread (choose sandwich bread or salt bread)- 10 slices
Maida - 1 cup
Tomato - 2
Chilly powder - for taste
Salt - for taste




Method:

Grind bread, maida and tomatoes together adding some water to it. Finally add chilly powder and salt to the batter. The batter should be like dosa batter.

Now make dosas in pan by adding oil. I made small dosas since its really attractive and fun to eat. You can make normal dosas as well. :)

Top it with coconut chutney or tomato sauce and enjoy eating wheat bread dosa :)



Written by: Nithya
post your queries to fourthsensesamayal@gmail.com

Vankaya(Brinjal or Eggplant) Bajji

Do you want a dish which is sweet, sour, spicy and also has your favorite brinjal in it????

Then come on hurry up, its here all for you ;)

Fall in love with brinjal :)

Note: I really don't know why it is called as bajji!!! If you know, do tell me too.. :)


Ingredients:

Brinjal - 1 large
Onion - 2 big
Green chillies - 4
Tamarind paste - 1 tbsp
Jaggery - 2 tsp
Mustard - 1/2 tsp
Bengal gram dhal - 1/2 tsp
Urad dhall - 1/2 tsp
Salt - for taste
Curry leaves
Coriander leaves



Method:

Keep the brinjal as such in the cooker and cook it for 3 whistles. Now cut it and remove the skin and seeds and smash it finely with your hands and keep this aside. In a pan take a tsp of oil and season with mustard, bengal gram dhall and urad dhall. Add curry leaves, chilly and chopped onion to it and fry for a while till it turns to golden brown. Once done switch off the flame and pour this into the mashed brinjal. Now add tamarind paste, salt and jaggery to it and mix well. Finally garnish it with coriander leaves. Serve it with hot steamed rice. :) Happy making and enjoy eating :)

"Yepdi Irundha Nan!"

"Ipdi Aiten" :):):):)

I am sending this dish to "Fall In love - Brinjal" event hosted by Sanghi of sanghi-tastybites blog.


This event demands a dedication of the dish: So I would like to dedicate this dish to my lovable dad. This is specially because he is the one who encourages me to cook and enjoys all my disasters and yet praises me for all the efforts I take to bring it out. :) And on top of it he just loves brinjal too much. :)

Written by: Nithya
post your queries to fourthsensesamayal@gmail.com

Colorful Capsicum Rice :)

God is the most creative and aesthetic man ever I guess. He has got a such a great taste.

You ask for food, he gives you a wide choice of vegetables and fruits.
You ask for vegetables, he gives you a choice to eat it raw or cook and eat.
You simply ask for capsicum, he gives you a choice of four colors!!!!!!!

When we have them, why don't we use them to make attractive food. :) So here we go for a colorful version of capsicum rice.




Ingredients:

Rice - 1 cup
Capsicum(yellow, green and red) - 1/2 of each
Cumin - 2 tsp
Ginger - 1/2 inch pieces
Garlic - 4 pods
Tomato ketchup sauce - 3 tsp
Chilly powder - for taste
Salt - for taste




Method:

Dice capsicum into cubes and keep it aside. Now in a pan heat one tsp of oil and crackle cumin seeds. Add ground ginger garlic paste to it and fry. Once done add the chopped capsicum and a pinch of salt and saute for five min. Add rice, salt, chilly powder and the tomato sauce to this and fry till everything gets mixed well. Colorful capsicum rice is ready to eat. :) serve it hot with raitha of your choice. :)


I am sending this to Aathidhyam's Rice feast event.



Written by: Nithya
post your queries to fourthsensesamayal@gmail.com

Baby Corn Tikka

It has started raining in chennai and I really have to celebrate it with a nice hot tikka.. :)

Its just amazing to take a look at the city turning fresh with its super cool shower bath. I just love to enjoy the scene with a hot cup of tea and some refreshing hot snack along.

It servers as a super good started.

Baby corn tikka is the right choice for such a day and mood. :)

Ingredients:

Baby corn - 10
Corn flour - 2 tbsp
Chilly powder - 1/2 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp
Cumin seed powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander seed powder - 1/2 tsp
Tomato sauce - 2 tsp
Salt
Oil



Method:

Mix the corn flour, chilly powder, garam masala, cumin powder, coriander powder and tomato sauce all together in a bowl. Add some oil to it and mix well. Now apply this batter on the baby corn and leave it aside in a closed bowl for half an hour. Now keep them on the dosa pan and roast it by adding some oil to it. Keep turning the corns so that all the sides get roasted evenly. Poke a tooth pic to the corn and serve it.

Baby corn tikka is ready to eat. :)

Serve it hot with tomato sauce or curd. :)



I am sending this recipe along with my carrot soup recipe to the 'lovely winter recipes' event by Shanthi Krishnakumar's cook book.



Written by: Nithya
post your queries to fourthsensesamayal@gmail.com

Kiwi Shake

I would like to introduce my two little zulu buddies to you all. Sam and Pam, the most adorable ones that belong to me. :)

Though Kiwi fruit is from China and New Zealand, my zulu buddies and me love it so much because it has a lot of vitamins like A, E and C. :)

That too kiwi with vanilla shake is just too too tempting. :)

Ingredients:

Kiwi fruit - 2
Milk - 1 cup
Sugar - for taste
Vanilla Ice cream - 2 tbsp




Method:

Blend all the ingredients in a blender and top it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. :)

Serve it cold. Kiwi shake is ready to slurp :)





Have a happy weekend!!!!

Written by: Nithya
post your queries to fourthsensesamayal@gmail.com

Answer - Richie Rich Porridge (Sathu Maavu)

Thanks a lot to all of you who had taken interest to make a guess. :) Its pretty challenging to make out, but still 6 intelligent blogger chefs had found it right. :)
Bull's eye is shared by

* Sailaja of Sailaja Kitchen
* Pavithra of Dishes from my kitchen
* Satya of Appetite Treats
* Dhanya of My home cooking
* Ramya of Simple vegetarian recipes
* Priya of Veggie exploits in the kitchen

The 6 super guesses can proudly pin the bull's eye logo to your side bar. :) Kindly take it from my previous post please. :) Congrats!!!!!

Now coming to Richie rich porridge as I named it, I think I really don't have to explain the nutritious benefits of this porridge. The ingredients speak by itself. :) This can in fact be 'The best' breakfast ever. Sathu maavu is pretty much common in India. It is a wholesome dish that can make you a Superman, Shakthiman or even spiderman. :)))) Last but not the least its absolutely yummy too.. :)


Ingredients:

Cashew - 75 gms
Pearl Millet(Kambu) - 75 gms
Groundnut - 75 gms
Almond - 75 gms
Poppy seeds(Kasa Kasa) - 25 gms
Finger Millet(Ragi) - 75 gms
Par Boiled rice - 75 gms
Roasted Bengal gram(pottu kadalai) - 75 gms
Maize - 75 gms
Corn - 75 gms
Sago - 75 gms
Barley - 75 gms
Wheat - 75 gms
Soy - 75 gms
Cardamom - 5
Milk
Sugar - for taste



Method:

Roast each ingredient in a dry pan for few min. Once done grind all the ingredients finely into a powder. This would make 1 kg of powder. You can store this powder for 6 months and use it as and when you want.

Now to make 1 cup of porridge, take 2 tsp of this powder in a bowl and dilute it using 1 cup of water. Then let this contents boil till it gets thick. Stir continuously so that it does not form lumps. Once done, add half cup of milk and 3 tsp of sugar to it and mix well.

Richie rich porridge is ready to eat. You can eat it either hot or cold. :) Enjoy the most healthiest dish ever. Happy eating :)

Note: Some times people add butter milk and salt instead of milk and sugar. Its great either ways. :)



Written by: Nithya
post your queries to fourthsensesamayal@gmail.com

Guess what I would make with these????

Hello chefs.. lets get into the guessing mood again. :)

There are 15 ingredients in the above picture.

I have named them in order from the bottom of the picture.

1. Cashew
2. Pearl Millet(Kambu)
3. Groundnut
4. Almond
5. Poppy seeds(Kasa Kasa)
6. Finger Millet(Ragi)
7. Par Boiled rice
8. Roasted Bengal gram(pottu kadalai)
9. Maize
10. Corn
11. Sago
12. Barley
13. Wheat
14. Soy
15. Cardamom

So now guess what dish I am going to make with these????????

I shall post the healthiest dish tomorrow. :)

Write your guess as comments to this post. Waiting to see interesting guesses. :)


Will pass this Bull's eye award to the one who guesses it perfect. :)




Written by: Nithya
post your queries to fourthsensesamayal@gmail.com

Sago Dosa

Do you want your dosa to be white, yet paper roast and spicy???? Then say SAGO DOSA :)

If you are bored with all the typical varieties of dosa, then you need to go for a change, try this simple one.

Ingredients:

Sago(Javarisi) - 1/2 cup
Raw rice - 1 cup
Par-boiled rice - 1 cup
Green chilly - 1
Coriander leaves
Curry leaves
Salt - for taste




Method:

Soak sago, raw rice and par boiled rice together in water for 6 hours minimum. Leaving it over night gives the best result. Now grind it into a smooth paste. The batter should be in the consistency of rava dosa batter(watery). Add chopped chilly, coriander leaves, curry leaves and salt to it and mix well.

Now heat the skillet and pour a ladle full of batter starting from the edges in a circular way. Since the batter is loose it will automatically fill the middle portion. Add a spoon of oil to roast it. Turn the dosa and roast it on the other side too.

Sago dosa is ready to eat. :)

Serve it hot with chutney and idly chilly powder(Idly molagapodi) :)

Note: Eat these dosas hot. It will harden when it cools down.

I am sending this dosa to 'Dosa corner' event of Padma's Recipes blog.

Written by: Nithya
post your queries to fourthsensesamayal@gmail.com