Puliyodharai mix (A recipe from my friends's grand mom)

Here I am not giving you the exact quantity for each, as it could vary depending on your taste. If you want this to be more tangy add more tamarind. some people prefer more dhal in seasoning, some prefer less. So the quantity is left to you.
Ingredients:
Gingely Oil / refined oil (you can add more so that the oil floats and it can stored)
Mustard seeds
Uradh Dhal
Channa dhal
Ground nuts
Curry leaves
Red chillies
Sesame seeds - 2 tbsns for tamarind of 2 big size lemon.
Methi seeds - 2 tea spoon
Tamarind
Turmeric
Salt

Method:
Soak tamarind in water and take the thick pulp. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard , once it starts cracking add Uradh , Channa dhal , ground nuts , curry leaves , once the dhal is roasted add the red chillies and when it is fried add the tamarind pulp, tumeric, salt and let it boil. If you need more chilli spice you can add chilli powder.

In another pan dry fry sesame seeds. Should be careful, when the cracking sound diminishes stop it..else it will be burnt. Remove the sesame and add the methi and dry fry until it browns. Make a powder of these.

When the tamarind mix is boiling and it thicken, the raw smell should have gone, the oil should start separating from the pulp, now add he sesame powder and methi powder mix well and boil for minute and switch off. When you add these powders the puliyogara mix will thicken.

What do I explore?

I explore everything and anything about food food food. If some one asks me what are my interests I would say food, cooking, eating....And I love to explore different cuisines. My favorite is Chinese, Thai and of course our very traditional recipes back from our home town.
I will share some of the very simple instant recipes that you can make which my grand mom and mom use to make. I love to try our very own traditional recipes from karuvattu kolambu(dry fish gravy) to kollu rasam(horse gram rasam), arachu vecha kara kolambu (spicy gravy) ,pachai rasam etc....I will share all these...But one should acquire a taste for these...

I have also collected recipes and tried  from friends,their mom, grand mom. My friends who read these recipes will know from where I got it :)

I would also like to share my experience of eating different cuisines and different restaurants in Bangalore. I can guide you to good places to eat in Bangalore to some extent.

I happened to watch this movie Julie/Julia, its about 2 people. Julie who is a fan of Julia child an American who mastered in french cooking and written books for Americans on french cooking which was considered to be a revolution in American families. The movie really inspired me, the next week end I ended buying an oven , and inaugurated by baking chicken.Inspired by Julie, now I am here writing this blog.

Will post more recipes and also share my experiences ....
Thanks for taking time to read my Blog, will post interesting recipes....

Chocolate Buttermilk Cake

Ingredients:
Butter - 175 gms/6 oz
Vanilla essence - 1 tsp
Caster Sugar - 350 gms/12 oz
Medium eggs - 4 (white and yellow separated)
Self-raising flour- 100 gms/3 1/2oz
Cocoa powder- 40 gms/1 1/2 oz
Buttermilk- 175 ml/6 fl
Plain dark chocolate - 200 gms/ 7 oz ( I used 150 gms of Nuttela chocolate paste)
Butter for the chocolate topping - 100 gms (100 gms if you use Plain dark chocolate , if you use Nutella 25 gms of butter is sufficient)
Fresh Creme - 100 ml.

Method:
Preheat the oven to 180 degree Celsius/ 350 degree F for 10 minutes before baking. Lightly oil a deep[ round tin cake appx(23 cm/9 inch). Cream together the butter, vanilla essence and sugar until light and fluffy, then beat in the egg yolks, one at a time.

Sift together the flour and cocoa powder and fold into the egg mixture together with the buttermilk, Whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form and carefully add it into the chocolate mixture. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and bake in the preheated oven for 1 hr or until firm, to check if the cake is done insert a knife/tooth pick into the cake and it should come out clean. Cool slightly, then turn out onto the wire rack and leave until completely cold.

My preparation for the chocolate topping. I mixed 25 gms of butter, nuttela chocolate paste, fresh creme, little cocoa powder and icing sugar mixed it well and spread the mixture on top of the cake.

The other way is to heat the dark chocolate and 100 gms of butter together in a heat proof bowl and heat until they melt. Stir unitl smooth then leave at room temperature until the chocolate is thick enough to spread.

Mixed Vegetable Paneer Gravy cooked with fresh creme

Ingredients:
Onions - 2 big onions
Tomatoes - 3 big ones
Carrots - 3 medium sized carrots
Beans - 10 nos
Capsicum - 1 small size
Paneer - 50 to 100 gms (Based on your preference for Paneer)
Fresh creme - 2 cups.
Green chillies - 2
Chilli powder - 2 tsp (or as required depending on your spice level)
Coriander powder - 3 tbsp
Garam masala- 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Sugar- small pinch.
Oil - 2 - 3 tbsps

Method:
Cut carrots, beans and capsicum to finger length and thickness of match stick or even thicker if you prefer.Slit the green chillies. In a heavy bottom pan add oil and when heated fry the green chillies,carrots and beans, and let them cook on slow heat.

In the mean time cut onions and tomatoes, Fry the onions with little oil in another pan and when they are fried and raw smell is gone add tomatoes and fry. when the tomatoes are cooked well add the chilli powder,garam masala and coriander powder and switch off the heat, let it cool and grind it with water to a smooth paste.

Check the carrots and beans when they are half done add the capsicum (capsicums are added later as they get cooked fast). Once they are fully cooked, add the above made paste and salt. And fry for 5 mins and then add the fresh creme. Do not add all the creme at once, add 1 cup, check the taste and then add the rest. Let it boil well till the gravy becomes thick and creamy and all the water is gone. Check the gravy for spice and salt( if not enough add more and boil for 5 more minutes. If you feel it is more spicy add a pinch of sugar which will balance the chilly spice).

When the gravy is boiling, cut the paneer into small square cubes and fry them in a pan with oil until they brown. And add the fried paneer into the gravy and let it boil for 5 more minutes. Finally add the coriander leaves(wash it and chop it :) ).  When you serve you can reheat the gravy and serve hot.

This can be served with Chapathi, Phulka or Pulav.

My first recipe here- Chicken Cooked in Italian Sauce

Onions, Peppers and Mushrooms used for this recipe

This is the picture of the baked chicken

Note: If you plan to make this one, plan it a day before to give it some time to marinade in Red wine.
Ingredients:
Olive Oil - 4 tbsp
Chicken - 1 kg
Button Mushrooms- 10
Yellow Capsicum - 1
Red Capsicum - 1
Zucchini - 1/2 (Optional)
Onion - 2 big onions
Tomato - 1 big
Ginger/Garlic paste - 2 tbspns
Pepper- required amount.
Red chilli flakes - as required  (Can be prepared by roasting red chillies and grinding it in mixer.You can make more and store it for later use , as the mixer will not grind small quantity)
Garam Masala - 1 tspn (this gives the Indian taste)
Red wine - 1 cup
Pasta Sauce -1 cup (You can buy this from the stores , I bought the basil, tomato, Onion combination)
Pizza seasoning - 1 or 2 table spoons (You can buy this from stores or when you buy Pizza you can store the pizza seasoning packets you get)
Salt - as required.
If you have Oven you can use it for baking the chicken which will be good, else you can slowly cook chicken in a pan.

Method:
Marinate the chicken with the following.
Wash the chicken, add ginger garlic paste, garam masala, salt, pepper, little Pizza seasoning, red wine. Mix it well, pierce the chicken with a knife so the chicken takes in all these ingredients, cover it and leave it in the fridge for minimum 2 hours or if you have enough time leave it over night.
When you are ready to make this chicken,
Cut onions into thin long slices, cut half of red and yellow peppers into thin long slices, Mushrooms into halves thin slices. And also cut the tomatoes.
Now remove the chicken from fridge and keep it aside.
Heat 1 spoon of Olive oil in a pan, and fry Onions slightly and add into the dish which is oven safe. And again add oil and fry the yellow and red peppers slightly and add it to the onions in the dish, do the same for mushrooms and tomato. And add some oil and fry the chicken slightly and add it to the fried onions and peppers. Now heat the pan, add the pasta sauce, chili flakes (the required amount to give spiciness), pepper, salt required amount (remember that you have added salt while marinating the chicken). Now when this sauce boils well add a spoon of live oil and pour this sauce over the chicken in the dish, mix everything in the dish well and place it in the oven and bake for 1 hr or until the chicken is cooked and the water is all absorbed (the onions,mushrooms,peppers when baked will give out some water, do not add more water). If you do not have an oven you can make this in a heavy bottom vessel on slow heat.
With the remaining red and yellow peppers you can cut them and use it for garnishing.
Try this and let me know your comments. I tried this out twice. As a variation to this recipe you can add fresh lemon basil leaves or fresh parsley chopped and bake it.