Meeting deadlines- Cabbage Carrot thoran - veggies in a Kerala style recipe

Cabbage Carrot Thoran
The end of June marks the last day of my Chicken event and also many other events that I have been desperately wanting to be a part of. So, it is a race against time.

AFAM-Coconut hosted by Suganya of Tasty palettes is definitely one event that I cannot miss. For a Keralite, coconut is a part and parcel of everyday cooking and so this is definitely not one that I would miss. Although I do not use coconut extensively in my daily cooking(like that used in a traditional Kerala home), however, it is definitely on my menu atleast once a week. This dish - a cabbage carrot thoran - is my entry to her event. Thoran is a dish from Kerala which is a tasty combination of vegetables, coconut and a few other ingredients that are so typical of the Kerala cuisine. A Thoran is a veggies delight with colorful vegetables paired together and coconut adding a great flavor and twist to the combination.



Cabbage Carrot thoran
Ingredients
Cabbage - 2 cups(finely shredded)
Carrot - 1 cup (finely shredded)
Coconut - 1/2 cup
Green chillies - 2 (finely chopped)
Jeera - 1 tsp
For tempering:
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Urad dal - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - 6 to 8

Method for cooking Cabbage Carrot Thoran:
1-Mix all ingredients together (except for the ingredients for tempering) in a bowl and keep aside for 10 minutes. 2-Take a pan, add a little oil (1 tsp)and put in all the ingredients for tempering.
3-When the mustard stops spluttering, add the cabbage carrot mixture and mix well. Cover and cook for 3-5 minutes. 4-Open and stir. Dry completely (let any water in the dish dry completely). Serve.
Goes great with plain rice, sambhar and pappad.

I would also like to send this entry for Mansi's "Healthy cooking" event where she has a lovely cookery book for the best entry.

Feel this thoran is a healthy option due to its very low use of oil and also being a wonderful combination of healthy vegetables that are known for it's high nutritional value.
So here's to everyday cooking the healthy way!!

Crumb fried chicken

The countdown for my chicken event begins. The deadline is just four days away and so I decided that instead of posting a chicken recipe of mine with the round up, the next few posts of mine this month would be dedicated to chicken dishes alone.

I had this KFC chicken while on a visit to Bangalore and absolutely loved it. This is my version of the crumb fried chicken that both my husband and daughter vouch for.

Ingredients
Chicken -1/2 kg
Egg -1
Breadcrumbs/powdered cornflakes- enough to coat
Refined flour-2 to 3 tbsp
Ginger-garlic paste – 1 tbsp
Salt- to taste
Pepper- ½ tsp



Method:
Wash and clean the chicken. Marinate in a mixture of ginger-garlic paste, flour, egg, salt and pepper. Let marinate for atleast an hour. Roll on breadcrumbs/powdered cornflakes and deep fry till golden brown.

I generally use cornflakes powder for this chicken instead of bread crumbs as it turns out real crisp and is also healthy. If you have cornflakes coarsely ground , it would give you the authentic KFC chicken look as well.

It is great as an appetizer for any gathering. Easy to make and hardly requires any preparation. I personally find it a great way to bring a smile to my daughter's face.

Gobi Manchurian and bread cutlets - lt's all about events

I have been enjoying being a part of the various events in the blogging world. In fact, this month inspite of my back problems I have been able to announce an event that I have been planning for some time now and also particpate in 3 events so far. Here is my entry to the 4th and 5th event.

It's been great fun cooking to different themes. I love the feel of it, it not only sets me thinking about what entry to send in for the event but is also getting me to try out new dishes - Puran poli being one.This post is all about events meaning that I would like to post two of my dishes and send them to two exciting events that has been going on.

The first dish is the easy and simple Gobi/cauliflower manchurian that goes to the AWED-Chinese event of DKs culinary Bazar. This is a great tasting appetizer. I like to make this dish at parties and make it truly a treat for my veggie friends.




Ingredients:
Gobi/cauliflower - 1/2 kg
2 tbsp cornstarch
3-4 tbsp of all purpose flour



For the sauce:
2 stalks green onions (chopped fine)
1 stalk of celery (chopped fine)
1 bell pepper (cut into cubes)
1 onions (sliced)
2 tbsp soy sauce
4 tbsp ketchup
1 tsp vinegar
1 tsp sugar
Salt to taste
½ tsp pepper
2 tbsp chopped garlic
cooking oil


Method:
Marinate the gobi in all purpose flour, cornflour, salt and a pinch of pepper(you can even add 1/2 a tsp of garlic paste). Deep fry the gobi pieces and keep aside.

For the sauce:
Take a pan and add 2 tbsp of oil to it. Add the chopped garlic, onions, bell pepper , green onions and stir for a minute or two. Add the celery and stir. Add in the soy sauce, ketchup, sugar, salt and stir.Add the fried cauliflower pieces and stir well till the cauliflower pieces are well-coated with the sauce. Serve with toothpicks.

The second dish for today is a quick and easy bread cutlet that is ready in less than 15 minutes. This goes to Raaga for her event WBB- Express Breakfasts.

This would serve as a tasty nutritious breakfast when you are in a real hurry- hope this helps solve Raaga's breakfast problems. It would also be a wonderful idea for the lunch box. I also like to make small tikkis of this batter and serve as snacks with tomato sauce/green chutney.

Ingredients:
Bread -3 slices
Onions - 1 (medium sized, finely chopped)
Green chillies -1 (finely chopped) (you could use chilli powder instead if you are making for your kids lunch box)
Coriander leaves - 2 to 3 tbsp(finely chopped)
Cheese - 1/2 to 3/4 cup
Salt - to taste (please do check and add salt as the cheese is also salted)




Method:
Soak the bread slices in water for a minute. Squeeze out all the water. Add all the other ingredients to the bread and mix well to make a smooth batter of cutlet consistency. Deep dry till golden brown. Serve with tomato sauce/ green chutney(mint-coriander chutney).

Puran Poli - my entry for Roti mela and the sweet event

Had been to a party last weekend and the menu was a celebration of the Maharashtrian cuisine. I absolutely enjoyed the lovely Puran polis. However, the menu was so elaborate that couldn't really have more than one puran poli. The taste and the craving to have another bite of the delicious roti still lingered on and that's what set me on the culinary journey to making it. This is my very first try at making this mouthwatering delight and was glad that it turned out very well. This is also my entry for Srivalli's "Roti mela"



Unlike what I had perceived for some years now the Puran poli is not a tough one to make. A little effort at making the filling and you have delicious rotis that you can savour for the next few days to come.



Back home in Kerala we have a similar sweet roti that is had with a combination os payasam or kheer. "Boli" is what it is known in Kerala and is a thinner version of the Maharashtrian Puran poli. If you look they are all the same just the slight variations that go to give a personal touch of the particualr region. This I guess is one aspect of the "Unity in Diversity" that we experience in India.

Coming back to Maharashtra, Mumbai where I currently reside , here is my recipe for a delicious batch of Puran polis.


Ingredients:
For the Puran or stuffing:
2 cups chana dal
1 1/2 to 2 cups jaggery shavings (depending on taste)
Cardamom - 5 to 6 (powdered)

For the Poli/chapathi:
Maida - 2 cups
Tumeric - a pinch
Salt - 1/4 tsp



Method:
Boil the chana dal. I did so in an open vessel rather than using the pressure cooker as I could keep checking in between. Took me about half an hour to 45 minutes to cook the dal to a soft mashable consistency(so did not have to use the blender and could mash it with the ladle itself). Add in the jaggery shavings and cardamom. Keep stirring till the jaggery dissolves. Mash with the ladle and keep stirring till you have a dry stuffing for your roti. Let cool.

Make the dough for the rotis. Roll out flat rotis and fill in the stuffing and roll out like any ordinary stuffed roti. Cook on the tawa till both sides turn golden brown(spread a little oil on both sides while cooking). You now have delicious Puran polis ready to enjoy. I loved it with mango flavored Shrikhand - a wonderful treat indeed and definitely worth all the effort.

Eggless Microwave chocolate cake in 7 minutes

Monday morning is here and time to check out the happenings in the blogging world over the weekend. Logged in as usual and guess what?...yet another award awaits me at my blog. What better way to begin a week?

Thought of beginning the week with a sweet treat. An easy and quick recipe this is my tried and tested formula to a quick cake. A microwave cake was something that always raised a lot of curiosity, however, was a little skeptical about trying one. However, after tasting this at my friend's place all those fears were put to rest and this has come to be my go to recipe when I am short on time and still want to make a cake. This is a perfect recipe for a tea time serving and also makes for a great dessert combined with a scoop of vanilla cake and topped with some chocolate syrup and chopped nuts. This is also a wonderful pick when you are entertaining and have vegetarian friends or those having an egg allergy.

This is a recipe from my friend Anju (who is a great cook herself)that I have tried over a hundred times and has proved to be a never fail recipe for me everytime. This is one that my husband and daughter love and so the cake does the vanishing act within minutes of being out of the oven. Just takes 7 minutes in the oven. Once you have decided to make it, this delicious cake would take you all of 15 minutes (including preparation, cooking and standing time) from the ingredients stage to the first bite.


Ingredients for the Eggless Microwave Chocolate Cake
Maida - 1 and 2/3 cups
Sugar - 1 cup
Cooking Oil- 1/2 cup
Milk - 1/3 cup(cold milk)
Curd - 1 cup
Cocoa - 6 tbsp *
Soda bi-carb - 1 tsp (not heaped)
*I prefer to use 3 tbsp of cocoa and 3 tbsp of drinking chocolate or else feel the cake turns out slightly bitter and does not agree with the sweet taste requirements of kids.If you are making it only for adults you can stick to only cocoa and also add a tsp of rum to add to the flavour and taste.

Method for making the Eggless Microwave Chocolate Cake:
1-Sieve maida(all purpose flour) and soda bi-carb together.
2-Mix in all the ingredients and make a smooth batter.
3- Pour into a greased microwave proof utensil and cook for 7 minutes(the time may vary slightly from one oven to the other so do keep a watch after 5 minutes).
4-After it is done, let stand in the oven for 5 minutes. Take out and let cool.
5- De-mould, cut and enjoy.

This cake is my entry to Siri's event of "Frozen Yogurt".

Coming to the Yummy Blog Award. It is always an acknowledgement of your work and a great way to interact with other blogger friends. Thank you Sireesha for the "Yummy blog award".

As per the rules I have to list four sweets that I like and here goes:
Caramel custard
Microwave eggless chocolate cake recipe (given above)
Payasam and the Bengali delight Rasogolla
I would like to keep the chain going and forward this award to some of the yummy blogs that I have come across.
1- Suma Rajesh of http://sumascuisine.blogspot.com/
2- Sig of http://blog.sigsiv.com/
3- Archy of http://archysrecipes.blogspot.com/
4- Anupama of http://food-n-more.blogspot.com/

It's award time once again

When I started my blog used to admire the awards at other blogs and used to wonder when one of these would come my way. Guess when it rains it pours. Have received three so far and here comes the fourth and fifth. Makes me truly excited. Thanks Jz@tasty treats for the Rockin' Girl Blogger award.

Would like to pass on this award to
Arundathi of http://arundathi-foodblog.blogspot.com/
Sireesha of http://momrecipies.blogspot.com/
Happy cook of http://mykitchentreasures.blogspot.com/
Sandeepa of http://bongcookbook.blogspot.com/

Suma Rajesh of Suma's cuisine has made my day with "You make my day award. Thanks Suma.

Nupur of http://onehotstove.blogspot.com/Sia of http://www.monsoonspice.com/
Indosungod of http://indosungod.blogspot.com/
Asha of http://foodieshope.blogspot.com/

I would also like to add here that there is this wonderful food based social networking site that I have been following for a few months now. It has got a huge collection of recipes that range from everyday cooking to the exotic. In addition the site also offers wonderful video recipes that have helped me watch the cooking of some of my favorite dishes right from the initial stages of cooking till done. I personally feel that videos of this kind is especially helpful as I know exactly how the final dish would turn out and know how to go about getting the delicious outcome. I have enjoyed blogging and being a part of ifood.tv and hope you all too find the experience interesting.

Chicken event

I have been planning this chicken event for sometime and have been overwhelmed at the response received. Thank you to all those who have been sending in absolutely delicious entries. There is no restriction to the number of entries that each person can send in and so looking forward to all your mouthwatering chicken dishes.

Have tried to personally acknowledge every mail that has come in however, if there is any entry that has still not received a reply please do bear with me. Have been down with a bad back problem and that's the reason that has kept me from making a post after the announcement of the event. Was on bedrest for a week and am still not back to being able to sit for long. Completing my work in short sessions of 15-20 minutes. It's been a bad week in terms of health however, on the blogging scene have been glad to receive such a good response already. Have had enquiries regarding the last date. The last date for submission is June 30 and there's plenty of time still to cook that delicious chicken and forward your favorite chicken recipe.

On the awards scene glad to receive my third award the "Good chat blog award". Thanks madhavi. Love sharing my experiences online and chatting with all of you and especially love reading the responses or comments that come in. Feels great indeed!!


Would like to forward the award to four of my fellow bloggers whom I have loved reading.
http://dessertpro.blogspot.com/ -jz@tasty treats
http://cookerycorner.blogspot.com/ -laavanya
http://spice-club.blogspot.com/ -cham
http://spicykhazana.blogspot.com/ -sujatha

Have been going through the posts on my blog and realized that my blog does have quite a few chicken recipes already.In fact, that's a favorite at my place and that explains the number of recipes. Here's is a list of the chicken recipes covered so far in my blog.
1-Chicken Lollipop



2-Tandoori chicken


3-Chicken cutlets


4-Chicken Manchurian

Announcement of event for the month- Chicken

My blog has completed 4 months in this delicious world of food. I have in the last four months enjoyed my plate of food a little more than before and time in the kitchen has been more creative. Everyday is great interacting with so many of you for whom food is a passion.

The attractive food blogs and the interaction between the foodies is one that I have truly enjoyed. Contests according to me are the fun element that makes the foodie world so lively. I look forward to reading all the comments,surfing through my favorite blogs and also making new discoveries and yes, friends each morning. I have been keenly watching the contests,the round ups and have also been a part of a few. It is real fun indeed. Have been planning for somtime now to move a step further from being a participant to playing the role of the host to an event. After much consideration and research later here I am with the announcement of the contest for the month. I do plan to introduce a new theme each month. For this month, it's my family favorite- the chicken. You could send in as many entries as you like. Experimenting with new chicken dishes could actually be a lot of fun. Whether you pla to cook a chicken fried rice, chicken cutlets, pasta with chicken, a delicious chicken curry or stir fried chicken....the options are truly many. I would love to hear from all of you with your innovative chicken recipes.

Vegetarians please do bear with me. Being my very first event couldn't leave out my favorite...the chicken...however, do promise that next month would definitely be one that vegetarian foodies too would love to be a part of.



Rules
1)Each one of you may send in as many entries as you like.
2)Please do send me an email at vandanarajesh2@gmail.com with
-Your name
-Blog name(url)
-Name of the dish
- A brief description
- A Photo as attachment
3)Please do link to this post from your blog.You may use the event image in your post, if desired.
4)For any other queries,feel free to write to me at the email mentioned or leave a comment on the blog.
The last date for submissions is 30thJune 2008. The round up will appear in the first week of July.

Looking forward to all your delicious chicken recipes.