Pachai Puli thanneer Rasam

Here comes another interesting rasam 'Pachai puli thanneer' rasam that means raw tamarind extract rasam . To make this rasam we won't need a stove.
May be this rasam could be a very old cuisine prepared by the travelers in India.
The other name of this rasam is 'vandikkaaran rasam', that means the rasam prepared by the bullock cart drivers:)
In those days , before the invention of motor vehicles, people were traveling in bullock carts from place to place. Some times they may take even a month to reach their destination. So they would take rest once in a week in a nearby city and would stock up some grocery items and food. The restaurants were rare to commons and the annachathiram (free meal place) would be scanty. So, in the mean time they would have prepared Puliyotharai, lemon rice, curd rice etc for the first three days and for the next coming period they need to cook , at least for two days.
The only way to sustain the travel was to cook the rice with the available wood and to fix up some easy side dish like rasam and thovaiyal (hand ground chutney). Thus comes the invention of this raw tamarind rasam.
May be we also find it very easy to fix a delicious simple dinner, if running late. Good for the summer too:)
I remember those days when my elder brother and myself voraciously consuming the rice without any hesitation with our mom's puli thanneer rasam:)



Ingredients:
Tamarind - size of a small key-lime
Shallot onion - 10
(or 1 red onion)
green chilly - 2
cumin seed - 1 tsp
curry leaf - 1 brig
water - 3 cups
salt - to taste

Method:
Extract the juice of tamarind by soaking it in water.
Finely chop the onion, green chilly, curry leaf and mix it with the tamarind water.
Add cumin seeds and salt.
Let them soak for an hour or we can use it immediately also.
Pachai puli rasam is ready!

Serving suggestions:
Pour over piping hot fully cooked rice along with any thogaiyal , vadagam or appalam as sides.

Note:
Prepare more quantity of rice than the usual amount and you will find the reason after tasting this rasam:)

Puthina (Mint leaf) rasam

Puthina / Mint leaf is my favorite herb. I love to add mint in my tea. Mint leaf is believed to do a lot of good to our intestine, memory power , skin, breathing system etc etc. Moreover the plants add a touch of greenery to our house. So I proudly display some plants always in my window garden. Mostly the price of a bunch will be expensive in USA. But surprisingly last week I bought some mint leaf bunches for very less price in the Indian stores.
 I am posting two vegetarian recipes with mint leaf today.




Mint leaf Rasam / Pudina Rasam:
Ingredients:
Cooked Toor dal (Red gram) - 1/2 cup
Tomato - 100 gm
garlic - 3 pearls
Tamarind - a gooseberry size
Black pepper - 1/2 tbsp
coriander seed - 2 tsp
Dry red chilly - 3
cumin seed - 1/2 tsp
garlic - 3 pearls.
Mint leaf - a small bunch (1 1/2 cup chopped leaves)
oil - 1 tbsp
mustard - 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida - a pinch
salt - to taste

Method:
Cook the Toor dhal and mash it .
(I take out the necessary dhal after pressure cooking for sambar).
Extract juice from tamarind.
Dry roast pepper, coriander, cumin, red chili and powder them together with fresh garlic.
Wash and clean the mint leaves. Chop the mint leaves finely.
Heat oil in a wok. Add mustard, cumin , asafoetida. After the mustard crackles , add the chopped tomato and fry till oil oozes out.
Pour the mashed dal, powdered masala, tamarind extract, chopped mint leaf and let it come to a boil.
As soon as the rasam starts to boil, immediately switch off and add salt.
Mint leaf rasam is ready!

Serving suggestions:
Serve over hot plain rice.
Goes well with a simple thovaiyal (thick chutney) and appalam.

Events:
Mint leaf rasam goes to JFI : Mint event hosted by Ashwini of Spicy cuisine. originally created by Indira of Mahanadi.

Also sending this mint leaf Rasam to the SWC - cooking with greens event hosted by Sowmya of creative saga.

Award:
I am very much excited when two of my friends Ann of Happy and healthy cooking and Ammu of Nature kitchen passed me this beautiful award.

Thank you friends. I feel honored.
I think it is appropriate to pass on this award to all who visit me. Feel free to pick it up buddies.
Enjoy!

Puthina thuvaiyal (Mint leaf chutney)

Here comes a very refreshing chutney made with the aromatic fresh mint leaves.
My mom used to say , " A few mint leaves in our daily cooking will drive away the body odor and bad breathe ".
There are so many versions in this thuvaiyal. But I am narrating a very basic method.



Mint leaf chutney / Pudina chutney:

Ingredients:
Mint leaf - a small bunch
urid dhal (black gram) - 1 tbsp
tamarind - a gooseberry size
Dry red chili - 4
salt - 1/4 tsp (check taste)
shredded coconut - 2 tbsp

Method:
Soak the tamarind in little water.
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a wok.
Fry the red chili to get nice flavor. Take it out and keep aside.
Fry the urid dhal to red.
Then add the mint leaf and sautee till the mint leaf becomes little tender.
Do not fry it more than that. Let it cool completely.
Grind it along with fried chili, tamarind, salt and shredded coconut to a fine paste with almost very very little water in a mixer / blender.
Garnish with fried mustard seeds.

Mint leaf chutney is ready!

Serving suggestions:
Goes well with chapathi, Idly , dosa, any rice.
I love it with curd rice.

Events:
Mint leaf chutney goes to JFI : Mint event hosted by Ashwini of Spicy cuisine. originally created by Indira of Mahanadi.

It took just 15 minutes to get the entire dish done. So I am eager to end this chutney to the 15 minutes cooking event hosted by Mahima of Mahimaa's kitchen's.

Also the mint leaf chutney goes to the SWC - cooking with greens event hosted by Sowmya of creative saga.

Butter chicken

Butter chicken is a kind of less spicy but creamy side-dish prepared in India. Due to its silky texture and lesser spice it is loved all over the world. So if you are new to Indian cuisine but eager to try some Indian restaurant then you can safely go for a butter chicken. I am sure you will become addicted to that creamy chicken with lots cashews and butter. The origin of butter chicken can be traced back to the Mughal period. It is a common dish in Delhi restaurants. Even though general recipe of butter chicken is well known, the actual flavor can vary from restaurant to restaurant even within India. Butter chicken is usually served with naan, roti, parathas or steamed rice.
Including this silky butter chicken for the event 'Potluck - chicken' hosted by me.

Butter chicken / Murg Makhani :



Ingredients:
Chicken (boneless & skinless) - 2 lb
thick curd - 2 tbsp 
Red Onion - 1 (50 gm)
Tomato - 3 (100 gm)
cashew nut - a handful (20 numbers)
Butter - 100 gm (1 bar / 8 tbsp)
ginger - 2 inch
garlic - 6 pods
salt - to taste
Chilly powder - 1 1/2 tsp
coriander powder - 2 tsp
cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
fennel seed - 1/2 tsp
cloves - 6
cardamom - 4
bay leaf - 2
cinnamon - 1 inch
oil - 4 tbsp
dried methi leaves (kasuri methi) - 2 tbsp
fresh cream - 2 tbsp (or) whole milk - 1 cup

Method:
1.Grind ginger and garlic to a fine paste.

2.Clean the chicken pieces in running water. Again apply 1/2 tsp turmeric powder and wash finally.
Cut it in to medium size squares. Pat dry with a paper towel.
Apply salt, ginger garlic paste, thick yogurt 2 tbsp and mix well.
Let it marinate for an hour.

3.Then heat 3 tbsp oil in a wok and fry the chicken pieces just till the chicken becomes golden grown in the outside.
(No need to cook it till crispy).
Take out the fried chicken.

4.Add another tbsp oil and fry the chopped onion to golden. Keep aside.

5.In a lidded vessel cook the whole tomatoes with 1 cup of water till their skin cracks.
Let it cool.

6.Peel the skin and grind the tomato along with cashews, fried onion, cumin seed, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon. fennel seeds.
Mix the masala with fried chicken, red chilly powder, coriander powder, red food color , salt and mix well.

7.Melt butter in a pan, add cardamom, cloves, bay leaf, fennel and add the mixtue.
Fry well till the gravy thickens.
Finally garnish with chopped cilantro, fresh cream (optional) and dried methi leaves.
Butter chicken is ready!

serving suggestions:
Serve as side dish with any Indian bread.
Goes well with Naan , paratha , plain rice and chapathi.

Note:
I did not add any fresh cream before serving. But if you like a less spicy version , then add a tbsp of fresh cream per serving.
Instead I have added 1 cup whole milk.
Decorated the dish with my home-grown mint leaf:)
Instead of frying the chicken pieces, we can bake them in oven at 375 dec C for 20 minutes and use as told above.

Announcing the event 'The Potluck - Chicken '

After going through many useful blog events I felt it very interesting to start an event chain. The name of the chain is 'The Potluck' .
A potluck is a gathering of people where each person is expected to bring a dish of food to be shared among the group. I invite all of you for my Potluck with your amazing dishes.
The theme for this event is 'Chicken'.
Are you a fan of chicken dishes and waiting to post your recipes for an event? Send it to the 'The Potluck - Chicken' event. (Veggie friends need not worry, I will announce a theme for you in the upcoming event).


Here are some rules:

1) Make any dish with chicken as the main ingredient and post the same in your blog and link back to this announcement. Feel free to use the logo.
You can send in your entries from the archive also, provided they are re-posted for this event between May 11 and June 20, 2009.

2) Multiple entries are most welcome .

3) The entries sent to 'Potluck - Chicken' can be entered to other events.

4)you can send your entries to vikiskitchen@gmail.com and the Subject as The Potluck - Chicken , with the following details.

Your Name:
Blog URL:
Recipe Name:
Recipe URL:
Attach a picture of the dish.

5) Non bloggers can send their entries with the recipe details and picture if any to my email account.

Send it on or before June 20, 2009.

Looking forward for your delectable dishes.....

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Results are in the below links:

with images:
links only:

Carrot cake - Repost

I prepared this carrot cake with marshmallow bunnies for the Easter 2009.
I am re-posting this Easter carrot cake for Sanghi's FIL : Carrots event.
Dedicating the carrot cake to my hubby as his passion for carrot cake made me dig into Google to get this recipe. This is a fusion of 3 or 4 original recipes and I added many ingredients to make it more delicious. I am sure anyone can make this carrot cake without fail and I am revealing all my secret ingredients below.


Ingredients:
Any brand 'moist white' cake mix - 1/2 of 1 lb pack.
water - 1/2 cup (half of the amount said in the pack, as the carrot , pineapple will release some water)
Powdered cinnamon - 2 tsp
vegetable oil - 1/3 cup
egg - 1
cocoa powder - 1 tsp
orange peels - 2 tbsp
vanilla extract - 1 tsp
shredded carrots - 1 cup
Shredded coconut - 1/2 cup
chopped walnuts - 1/2 cup
raisins - 1/4 cup
crushed pineapple in can (drained)- 1/2 of a 8 oz can.

For Butter cream icing:
Unsalted butter - 1/2 bar (5 tbsp)
confectionery sugar - 2 cups
milk - 1 tbsp
vanilla essence - 1 tsp
Food colors like orange , yellow and green

Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan.
Mix water, oil, egg and vanilla using in a blender / mixie.
Add cake mix flour, cinnamon and run the mixer again to get a smooth batter.
Pour the batter to a broad bowl.
Add the carrots, coconut, walnuts and pineapple and mix well with a spoon.
Pour into a round pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 35 - 40 minutes..
Allow to cool and turn it upside down.

Frosting:
Mix softened butter with confectionary sugar, milk and vanilla essence.
This can be of a thick conssistency like a murukku flour.
Keep 1/2 cup icing separate , to add color.
Spread the white icing uniformly all over the cake by using a knife or icing tool.
Mix colors to the remaining icing .
Then decorate the cake with color icing using the icing cone.
If you do not have an icing cone then fill the colors to small zip lock covers , cut a small opening at a corner and decorate the cake.
The ultimate carrot cake is ready!

Note: The above said quantity is enough to make one round cake of 2 inch height.
So , double the quantity to bake 2 rounds .
Adding 2 tbsp of chocolate cake mix will enhance the taste.
Adding orange juice instead of water will make the cake more flavorful.


Serving suggestions:
Refrigerate the cake and serve chill as dessert.
Makes one round cake.

Kale leaf Stir fry (keerai poriyal)

Drumstick leaves ('Murungai Ilai' in Tamil) happen to be a staple green in most of the houses of Indian villages. People in my native place make it in a unique way by adding powdered rice and fennel seeds (Sombu).Though I do not get the drumstick leaves here, I wanted to record that recipe. The recipe needs a firm green like drumstick leaf. So I replaced it with my favorite kale leaf and it turned out very successful and resembled much like our drumstick leaves.
Here goes a simple stir fry using Kale leaves.




To dry roast and powder:
Any uncooked rice - 1 tbsp
Fennel seed (sombu in tamil) - 1/2 tsp

Heat a wok. Dry roast the rice and fennel till the rice becomes white and puffy.
Let it cool. Make a fine powder out of it in a blender.

Other Ingredients:
Drumstick leaves / kale leaf - a bunch (1/4 kg)
Garlic - 10 pods
red chili - 2
Fresh shredded coconut - 2 tbsp
salt - to taste
Shallot - 4
Mustard seed - 1 tsp
Curry leaf - a brig
Sesame oil - 2 tbsp

Method:
1.Take out the leaves leaving the stem.
Wash and clean the leaf very well.
If using kale leaf, chop it in to medium size pieces.
(If drumstick leaves are used, then no need to chop the individual leaves).

2. Heat Oil in a wok. Add the mustard seeds and let them crackle.
Then add the chopped shallot onion , curry leaf, broken red chilly , garlic and fry well till the onion turns soft.

3. Now put the greens and fry till the leaf reduce in volume.
Sprinkle some water and cook covered.

4.As soon as the greens get cooked add salt , powdered rice + fennel, shredded coconut and fry really well till all the water gets evaporated.

Kale leaf stir fry is ready!
(Use the same procedure to make drumstick leaves too).

Serving suggestions:
Serve as side dish with any rice.
The above said quantity will be enough for 2 people.
Cooking time : 15 minutes.

Events:
It took just 15 minutes to get the entire dish done. So I am eager to end this kale leaf stir fry to the 15 minutes cooking event hosted by Mahima of Mahimaa's kitchen's.

Also the kale leaf stir fry goes to the SWC - cooking with greens event hosted by Sowmya of creative saga.