Whenever we go for an outing we usually have scones or muffins as a snack alongwith coffee.I find them both a bit too sweet for my taste.So when I found a really simple recipe for scones I omitted the addition of sugar.The recipe called for cheddar cheese,but I used Kraft singles for the same.I liked the taste of it.It was flaky and buttery without all the sweet taste.

Ingredients: 

1 cup plus 1/4 tbsp All purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 stick (approx 6 tbsps) of cold butter cubed
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup cheddar cheese diced
1 egg beaten lightly
1 egg plus 1 tbsp water for egg-wash

Method:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.Line a tray with parchment paper and keep ready.

Sift together 1 cup flour,salt and baking powder.Add butter and mix on low speed till the butter is in tiny balls.

Measure the heavy cream and add 1 egg to it and mix lightly.Add this to the flour and butter and combine till just blended.

Take the remaining 1/4 tbsp flour and add them to the cubed cheese.Mix well.

Add the cheese to the dough and mix till incorporated.

Flour the surface and dump the dough on it.Knead for a couple of minutes till the cheddar is well distributed.

Roll the dough about 3/4 inch thick.Cut the shapes with a cookie cutter.

Beat the remaining egg with a tbsp of water.Brush the tops of the muffins with this egg-wash

Line them in the parchment paper about 1 inch apart.Bake for 20 to 25 minutes,until the outside is  golden brown and inside is fully baked.

 Serve hot with butter or jam and a cup of coffee.

You know how I mentioned earlier about my love for the Indo-Chinese food.Well this again is a hot favourite.In India I would never have attempted to make this at home as we get this in any restaurant easily but I wanted to make this dish to go with fried rice.I dont think the Chinese have ever heard of this dish This is basically an Indian invention with lots of Chinese flavours.It goes very well with fried rice.I was pleased with the results and next time I am going to try chicken manchurian.

Ingredients:

3 tbsp Cornflour 
1 tbsp all purpose flour/maida
1 cup Cabbage finely shredded 
4 tbsps soya sauce
1 tbsp hot sauce
1/2 cup Carrot grated
1/4 cup Onion chopped 
4 green onions/scallions chopped finely
1 tbsp Green chilies chopped 
1 tbsp Chopped garlic 
1 tbsp Coriander leaves chopped(optional)
1/4 tsp white pepper powder
1/4 tsp black pepper powder
2 cups vegetable stock
Oil 2 tbsps.
Oil For frying

Method:

Mix cabbage,carrot,all purpose flour,2 tbsp cornflour,1 tbsp soya sauce and 1/2 tbsp hot sauce together to form a thick batter.Add a little water if needed.

Shape into small balls and deep fry in medium hot oil till light brown.

Heat 2 tbsps. of oil in a wok. Add chopped green chilies, chopped garlic and
spring onions. Cook for about half a minute.

Dissolve the remaining cornflour in about 1/2 cup of stock and keep aside.

Add stock.Then add salt, pepper powder, sugar ,hot sauce and Soya
sauce. Bring it to a boil.

Add the cornflour paste and bring to a boil.

 Add the fried balls and garnish with coriander leaves after it comes to a boil.

Remove and serve hot with fried rice.

When I saw many of my fellow food bloggers participating in Sig’s MBP for mixed drinks,I was inspired to do the same.I love to participate in events as it makes me try out different things which I normally wouldn’t. I dont usually make any drinks at home.We prefer to buy readymade juices.So when I saw this event, I really wanted to make something at home.This event was pretty easy as all I had to do was make something which was already featured on some blog. I chose Asha’s California Sunshine . The pic looked real yummy and since we always have orange juice in the fridge it was doable. I pretty much followed her recipe but the only change I made was I added a few pieces of banana and used orange juice instead of the concentrate she mentions and skipped the addition of vanilla essence.Have a look at the recipe here. My pic has not come out very well,you can always look at Asha’s pic and get the idea.The results were really great.Thanks Asha for such a wonderful drink.Cheers !!!

PS:As I mentioned earlier,this post goes to Sig for her “MBP for mixed drinks” event.

….when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony. So said Mahatma Gandhi.This is a feel good meme and I picked this up from Mandira’s blog.I thought it would be a good way to count my blessings and appreciate the things I enjoy in life.Just writing the list made me smile So,here goes….

 A tall glass of cold coffee with icecream on a hot day.

Sunshine after a rainy spell.I hate the rains.I get quite depressed in the cloudy weather.

Someone telling me I’ve lost weight.God….its been so long since I heard this phrase

My parents calling me….just like that, because they were missing me.

People remembering me on my birthday.Makes me feel very cherished.

Spending time with my cousins and having a blast.

Gossiping on yahoo messenger with my friends

Cuddling next to hubby and watching television.

A huge serving of Rocky Road icecream….HEAVEN!!!

Watching the sunset on a beach.The following pic was taken in Tannir Bavi beach in Mangalore.

The fragrance of mogras.

A visit to Mount Mary church,Bandra.Its so calm and peaceful there.

Sitting in Marine Drive and watching the waves hit the rocks.

Eating golas on Juhu Beach.Have a look here to find out what gola is.

Window shopping.I can spend hours just roaming around in the mall without actually buying anything and come home happy.

Seeing the look of delight on a persons face when I’ve gifted them something.

A really good funny movie.

A big bunch of tulips.Want to have a house just so that I can plant some tulips.

Thinking of Disneyland.We are huge Disney fans.We used to stay quite close to Disney and had an annual pass.We used to go practically every week.Then when we moved to another state we went to DisneyWorld.When we moved back to California….we again went to Disney for a short trip!!! Talk about obsessions

Anyone who wishes to,can pick up the tag.It would be fun to read your list.

When I saw that the RCI for this month was Bengal I wanted to participate as I had never cooked anything Bengali.The only Bangla dish I always had were their mouth watering sweets.The 2 things I know Bengal is famous for is their sweets and fish dishes.Since this was the first time I was experimenting with the ciusine I wanted to start with something simple.So I thought of making chollar daal.I love Bengali language.Every word has a nice  lilt to it.I think its the sweetest language in India.Even something as simple as chana daal sounds so exotic when pronounced as chollar daal.This was a hit in my first attempt itself.This is so simple and delicious I am going to make it often.

Ingredients:

2 cups chana daal soaked in water for a couple of hours
1 tbsp oil
1 tbsp ghee
2 cloves
3 cardamoms
1 bay leaf
1 whole red chilli
1 tsp cumin seeds
 2 tbsp dhania-jeera powder
1 inch ginger grated
1 tsp red chilli powder
2/3 tsp  turmeric powder
1/2 cup small pieces of coconut
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp sugar
Salt to taste

Method:

Boil the chana dal in water with salt and ginger till it is well cooked.Take care that the grains are tender but not disintegrated.

Dry roast the coconut pieces and keep aside

Take a small bowl.Add in turmeric powder,red chilly powder and dhaniya-jeera powder.Make a thin paste by adding water and keep aside.

Take a vessel.Heat the oil and ghee to it.

Put in cumin seeds and fennel seeds.Then add the cloves,bay leaf and cardamoms alongwith the whole red chilli. 

Stir for a couple of minutes.Then add the turmeric,chilli and dhaniya-jeera paste to the vessel.Fry this till the oil starts leaving the sides.

Then add the boiled daal and some water(depends upon the consistency needed) to the vessel.

Add the sugar and check for salt.Bring to a boil.Garnish with the roasted coconut pieces.

Serve hot with rice.

PS: I am sending this to Sandeepa for the “RCI-Bengal” event.
 

I have recently started enjoying all kinds of soups.Initially I used to have only a couple of varieties like the hot and sour soup,sweet corn soup ,chicken soup or the classic tomato soup.In Mangalore,we make something called tomato saar and I loved it while growing up.Since I liked the taste so much I thought I would add cabbage and sprouts to make it more filling.I just love the tanginess of the tomatoes combined with the spicyness of chillies.You can have this with rice too but I prefer mine as soup.

Ingredients:

4 large ripe tomatoes,chopped
3 cups water
1 inch piece ginger, grated
1 cup cabbage shredded
2 green chillies
1/4 tsp red chilly powder/cayenne pepper (optional)
1/4 cup sprouts
1 large onion finely chopped
4 flakes garlic finely chopped
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 tbsp oil
1 tbsp chopped parsely
A pinch of pepper powder
salt to taste.

Method:

In a saucepan,boil the tomatoes and water alongwith ginger, green chillies and salt.

When the tomatoes are soft remove from flame.

Take a vessel.Add 2 tbsp oil and heat it.Add in the mustard seeds.

When they splatter,add the cumin seeds

Then add the garlic.After about 5 seconds add the onions and saute it till the onions become transluscent.

Then add the cabbage and stir fry for 2 minutes on a high flame.When they wilt a little add the tomato broth to this vessel.

Check for salt and spiciness.If you can handle more spice,then go ahead and add the red chilli powder and pepper.

Boil this for about 5 minutes.Garnish with parsely and remove from flame.

Serve hot.

PS:I am sending this to Holler for the “No croutons required-Spicy soup“event.

Since American Idol started,we have an appointment with the television the days its telecast.We love to watch AI.The initial episodes are watched just for pure entertainment value but after the top 24 are selected we watch it for talent and vote for our favourites.As I mentioned earlier,my husband is a huge fan of the Beatles so this tuesday we were more than eager to watch it because the contestants were going to sing the McCartney-Lennon collection.I knew that once we sat to watch the episode niether of us would want to get up and make repeated trips to the kitchen,so I wanted to make something which is really filling and basically a one dish meal.What better dish than Mutton Biryani,I thought.I dont make this as often as chicken biryani but whenever I make it,the vessels are licked clean I dont make the layered biryani…..I just mix the rice with the gravy and the biryani is ready,though it can be made into layers.The preparation is a bit lengthy but the results are worth it.I finished my cooking by 7:30 and we took our plates and sat in front of the television to cheer our favourites.

On a side note our favourite this year is Michael Johns.We were bowled over by his rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody ! And on tuesday we really liked the way he sang Across the Universe.He sounded so cute when he sang the phrase “Jai Guru Deva”.Totally disagreed with Randy and Simon !!!

Ingredients:

1 pound mutton 
3 large onions
1 green chilli
2 medium tomatoes
1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
4 flakes of garlic
4 tbsp cilantro chopped
1 small ball of tamarind
1 large potato
1 tbsp red chilli pdr(or 6 kashmiri chillies)
1 tbsp paprika
1 tsp turmeric powder
2 cups rice
14 cloves
3 pieces of cinamon stick
3 bay leaves
6 cardamom pods
18 peppercorns
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1/4 cup cashews
1/4 cup raisins
A pinch of saffron
salt to taste
4 tbsp oil
2 tbsp ghee

Method:

Marinate mutton with salt,1/2 tsp turmeric powder and ginger-garlic paste and keep aside for atleast an hour.

Wash the rice and soak it in water and keep for atleast an hour.

Chop one onion,green chilli and the tomatoes.

Heat a vessel.Add 2 tbsp oil and 1 tbsp ghee.Add in 4 cloves,1 cinamon stick,6 peppercorns, 1 bay leaf and 2 cardamom pods.

After about 5 seconds add the green chilli.Saute for 5 seconds and then add chopped onions.

When the onions become transluscent add the chopped tomatoes.

Cover and cook for a couple of minutes.When the tomatoes become soft add the mutton pieces.Add approximately 1 cup of water and cook covered.

Slice one onion and garlic and keep aside.

In a frying pan dry roast cumin seeds,fennel seeds and coriander seeds seperately.

Remove on a plate.Add a tbsp of oil and a tbsp of ghee.Add 4 cloves,1 cinamon stick,1 bayleaf,8 peppercorns and 2 cardamom pods.

After 5 seconds add the sliced onions.When they are almost brown add the chopped garlic.Remove from flame after 10 seconds and cool.

Take a bowl and remove about half cup of mutton stock (the broth in which the mutton is cooking).Cool.

In a mixer/blender add the chopped cilatro,cumin seeds,fennel seeds,coriander seeds,tamarind,chilli powder,paprika and half tsp tumeric powder.Then add the fried onions and garlic.

Finally add the stock and blend to a fine paste.Add this masala to the mutton and cover and cook.

Slice 1 onion and keep aside.

Heat a tbsp of oil in a frying pan.Add in the onion and brown them.Then add the cashews and raisins and mix well.Remove the pan from  flame after 10 seconds.

Boil the rice with the remaining cloves,cinamon stick,bay leaf,cardamoms and peppercorns.Add the saffron and salt and cook the rice till it’s 90 percent done.

When the mutton is almost tender add the potatoes and boil till both the mutton and potatoes are well cooked.If there is a lot of gravy,cook the mutton uncovered so that the gravy reduces.Check for salt.

Add the cooked rice to the mutton gravy and mix well.Cover and cook on simmer till rice is well cooked.

Garnish with brown onions,cashews and raisins.

Serve hot with raita and lemon wedges.

This tag has been floating around in the blogworld and found it on Pooh’s blog.Thought it would be interesting to take it up after some gentle prodding by Pooh I will state only my preferences as my hubby’s likes are completely different than mine.

8 things I am passionate about:

1) God
2)Family
3)Books
4)Travel
5)Cooking
6)Baking
7) Making friends
8)Music

8 places I want to see before I die:The list is quite long but these are the ones I definitely want to see.

1)Vatican City
2)Venice
3)Switzerland
4)Kerala
5)Darjeeling
6)Italy
7)Dubai
8)Ireland

Okay,I’ll change this a little bit as I cant think of anything I say very often.And since its a food blog,it’ll be something related.

8 things needed by me for cooking:

1)Fennel seeds
2)Cumin seeds
3)Hing
4)Cinamon stick
5)Bay Leaf
6)Curry Leaves
7)Tomatoes
8)Rice

8 books I have recently read or reading:-I am a big fan of thrillers and fiction as you’ll notice by reading the list.All time favourite author-Agatha Christie.

1)Folktales of Greece
2)A murder is announced-Agatha Christie
3)Third Girl-Agatha Christie
4)Two little girls in blue-Mary Higgins Clark
5)Three Fates-Nora Roberts
6)Rasputin-Jane Oakley
7)Prime time Emeril
8)Payback-Fern Michaels

8 Songs I listen to over and over: Wow this was difficult because I have so many songs,it was kinda hard to select just eight .I listen to everything,mostly hindi,english and konkani.Following is a list of my all time favourites.

1)Pehla Nasha-Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander-Was always a huge fan of Aamir…..still am,but this song really did it for me
2)Chura Liya Hai Tumne-Yaadon Ki Baaraat-One of the songs you never tire listening to.All the parties I attended during my teens had this song blaring from the speakers with all of us singing along.
3)Tadap Tadap-Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam-Ah…what a movie and what songs! I think it was the best performance by Aishwarya.
4)Let it Be-The Beatles- My husband is a HUGE fan of the Beatles.Knows every note and the words of all their songs.I started listening to them after I got married.This song is my favourite because when I listen to it,it really soothes me.
5)Its now or never-Elvis- Love all songs by Elvis.
6)Quit Playing Games-Backstreet Boys-Takes me back to college days when we used to listen to these songs on the walkman.
7)Nothings gonna change my love- This was the first song I memorised.Has been a favourite since school days.
Sleeping Child-Michael Learns to Rock-Love all the songs by MLTR though they are not known in the US.

8 things that attract us to our friends:

1)Conversation
2)Humility
3)Sense of humour
4)Large-heartedness…..how do I say this….people who are not stingy!!! Believe me….we’ve met some real samples in this regard.
5)Helpfulness
6)Outgoing personalities
7)Willingness to do something fun
8)Well-mannered kids - really dont like spending time with people whose kids are rude.

Since I am new to the blogging world…dont really know anyone to tag them.Those who wish can take it up…. Chakoli, Mandira, Uma,Pravs, Meera, Kalai, Mona,Lyandra …. anyone???

After Indian cuisine,Italian food is our next favourite.Initially we used to go out to dine,whenever we felt like having Italian.Then I started buying readymade marinara sauce and pastas and made them at home during the week. Gradually, after watching Food network,I realised that  making Italian dishes wasn’t that difficult and started making a few things at home.I started off with spaghetti and meatballs,as its my hubby’s favourite.It turned out quite well.So I became more adventurous and wanted to make a great vegetarian dish and I zeroed in on Eggplant parmesan.I had tasted it from a friends plate when we had gone to dinner together and quite liked it.We dont like eggplants that much,so I thought this would be a good way to include it in our diet.The dish turned out great and I make this dish quite often nowadays.

Ingredients:

2 eggplants sliced into circles
1 egg
1 tbsp water
1 cup flour
1 cup Italian style breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Oil for frying

For the sauce:

Ingredients:

1 can of tomato sauce/tomato puree
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1 onion chopped finely
5 cloves of garlic,finely chopped
2 tbsp parsely finely chopped
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Pasta of your choice boiled in water with a little salt and olive oil.

Method:

Cut the eggplant into circles and apply salt and keep aside for about half an hour

Take a paper towel and dab the eggplant circles as it tends to sweat out with the addition of salt.

Take 3 seperate bowls

In the first bowl,add the flour and some salt and pepper.Mix well

In the second bowl,beat the egg with a tbsp of water

In the 3rd bowl,add the Italian style breadcrumbs and the parmesan cheese.Mix together.

Heat oil in a frying pan.Dip each slice of eggplant,first in the flour,then the egg and finally in the breadcrumbs.

Shallow fry on each side till both sides are golden brown.

Drain on a paper towel.

For the sauce:

Heat oil in a vessel.Add in the chopped onions.When they become transluscent,add in the chopped garlic.

After 10 seconds,add the tomato sauce and stir for a couple of minutes.

Add in the oregano and basil and bring to a boil.

Add in the chopped parsely.

Drain the boiled pasta and add it to the sauce.Let it simmer for about 2 minutes and then remove from flame.

While serving place a couple of fried eggplant slices on a plate and spoon the tomato-pasta mixture over the slices.Serve hot.

PS: I am sending this to Pooja for the “Brinjal Event“.

I love to have biscuits or cookies as an evening snack.Back in India we used to get pau (bread) from a guy who used to come selling it on his cycle.He used to get many things like kadak(hard) bread,pau,eggs,and various assorted nankhatais.We used to always buy bread and sometimes we used to stock up on the nankhatais.They were so delicious and simply melt-in-the-mouth. Ofcourse nowadays with the high-rises everywhere in Bombay,I dont see the cyclewala anymore.But we have some amazing bakeries everywhere and getting fresh nankhatais is not that difficult.Here in the US,we get it in packets in the Indian stores,but we dont normally buy it as we dont know how old the stuff is,as most of the times there is no expiration date mentioned on the packet. So when I started baking I searched for a good nankhatai recipe and I came up with my own variation as below.The familiar aroma of the nankhatai’s baking made my day!!!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup powdered almonds
1 and half stick butter
2 cups All purpose flour
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp cardamom powder
1/4 tsp salt
Almond pieces for decoration

Method:

Beat the butter and the sugar together.Once its well mixed add the flour and mix well.

Then add the almond powder,cardamom powder and salt.

Mix well.It should all come together in a soft dough.You can add a few drops of water if the dough is very coarse.

Alternatively if its too sticky,you can keep it in the refridgerator covered in a plastic wrap for about 15 minutes.

Make flat circles and arrange them on a cookie sheet.

Decorate with almond slivers and bake at 350 degrees for about 10 to 15 minutes.

Turn off the oven and let the cookies sit inside till the tops are slightly brown and then remove from the oven.

Serve at room temperature.