How to make home made ghee from butter | Step by step method

A very vivid childhood memory is of the butter man (vennaikaaran) pushing his loaded TVS 50 with bags of what was then pure coimbatore butter. Paati (my maternal grandmom) had made it a practice to use home made ghee made from butter - its grainy texture, the aroma when melted and poured on to hot pappu saadam (dal rice) is a memory that I cherish every single day. So, we didnt quite use store-bought ghee anytime at all, and the same was with hubby too. Soon after I married and moved cities, one of the first things on my agenda was to source readymade butter. Once, when I, in my gullible state asked for butter the storekeeper pushed me a packet of amul table butter. I asked him if he had anything else. He thought I was looking for low fat(?) butter and showed me Nutralite. I told him this wasnt the one I was looking for, but white butter. Exasperated that he was, he showed me margarine or dalda : which I promptly said I didnt need. 


So for 3 - 5 months, although we lived on store bought ghee (which we both detested), it was only when MIL came visiting us that she showed me where to get Coimbatore butter, filter coffee powder, sundaikaai (sun dried turkey berries) and the rest that goes into a Tamil household kitchen. And trust me, since that time, today when I walk into that store every month, the store keeper keeps out a packet of Coimbatore butter and Filter Coffee Powder first even without asking... may be he now reads me as a quasi tamil shopper :-) Anyways, todays post is not actually a recipe, but a step by step method on how to make Ghee out of butter. You can also hoard cream from boiled milk, churn it after fermenting to make ghee, but I find that as we use very low fat milk, there isnt too much cream on top, and the process is not worth it. This post today will give you that golden coloured liquid - almost like ambrosia to the senses - while its hot and an aroma after its stored. Please remember to store the ghee or any oil for that matter in a glass / stainless steel container rather than plastic to prevent it from getting rancid. The plastic canisters sold these days to store oil is just not the thing you want to have ...

Butter Kulcha ~ Indian flat bread - stove top method | Step by Step Recipe

Making Kulcha and other Indian breads that we often enjoyed at restaurants often eluded me at home. While I thought it was next to impossible to make them without an oven, I never ventured towards it quite so confidently. Till one day my little one asked me why I could not make kulchas (one of her fav breads) to go with our weekly schedule of Sunday Paneer Dishes. I knew I had to learn it fast, and Radhika's recipe helped me quite a bit, as did Nithya's. I combined both the methods not fully sure how the output would be... But the Butter Kulcha turned out to be super soft and delicious to go with Paneer Matar. I was quite let down by the bad light in the pictures, for my SLR gave way, and I had to make do with a P&S in low light (evening fading light). But the taste more than made up for it.. Am planning to make this again and update this post with better pictures :-) 
Check notes for more tips on this dish.

Sending this to Radhika's Winter Mela, PJ's Back to Basics - breads, event by Jaya. Now off to the recipe..

Peas Noodles with Schezwan Tom Yum Soup (Combo Meal)

I was talking to someone the other day, and the topic veered to comfort foods. While my first choice would be Rasam with Rice, the 2nd and more obvious choice was Maggi Noodles. While there is a bit of summer still lurking around Mumbai, the evenings have a slight nip in the air, which makes you crave for hot comforting foods. While I try best not to deep fry, the entire day's chores leaves me with very less energy for baking on a regular basis- enter Maggi to the rescue. While today, I wanted to make this a whole meal by itself, I also made Peas Noodles with Schezwan Tom Yum Soup (without cornflour / MSG) with carrots and veggies, and boy , did we enjoy the wholesome meal. This is also a healthy lunch option as well. You can play around the ingredients a bit and spice it according to your palate. The warmth from the soup and the homemade noodles is sure to soothe your senses. And kiddo, who doesnt take to new food immediately loved the 'indianised' version of this Tom yum Soup and pronounced it as 'tres bien' (very good).. Now, what more could I want? Lets get to the recipe...

Sending this to:

• My event - Global Food Fest - a 100 day celebration of world cuisine and Flavours of China
• Radhika's Winter Food Carnival
• Kavi's HCC, event by Smitha
• The soup goes to Srivalli's Soups and Salads

Check out other healthy combo meals here


Prep time : 15 mins. Cooking time : 10 - 20 mins. Serves :2
Ingredients:
Instant Noodles :

• Maggi Instant Noodles - 1 packet
• Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp
• Green peas - frozen

Schezwan Tom yum Soup:

• Tomatoes - 4 large
• Carrots - 1/2 large - juilenned
• Vegetable Stock - 1.5 cups
• Spring Onion - 1/4 cup (chopped)
• Onions - 1 large (diced fine)
• Ginger / garlic grated - 1 tsp
• baby mushrooms - 2 or 4 chopped (opt.)
• Lemon juice - 1 tsp
• Salt - to taste
• Olive oil - 1 TBSP
• Sugar - 1/2 tsp
• Schezwan paste - 1/2 tsp
• White pepper powder - 1/2 tsp

Method:
Instant Noodles: 
Boil peas with a pinch of salt. If using frozen, thaw them in boiling water for 10 mins with a pinch of salt. Prepare the Maggi Noodles according to pack instructions. Add in the boiled peas, garam masala and saute for few mintues till done.
Serve with Schezwan Tom yum Soup (recipe below)
Schezwan Tom yum Soup:
1) Blanch tomatoes in hot water for 5 - 10 mins. Cool, peel and puree into thick paste. Strain and keep ready.
2) In a large wok, add olive oil. Saute ginger and garlic. Add half of the spring onions, schezwan paste, mushrooms and saute well. Add onions, carrot juilennes and saute again. Adjust salt and add the strained tomato puree, vegetable stock and cook covered for 8 - 10 mins till carrots are 95% done.
3) Check for salt. Add 1 tsp of sugar if desired and the white pepper powder, lemon juice and mix well.
4) Garnish with the rest of the spring onions and serve hot with Peas Noodles (recipe on top)

Microwave Pineapple Kesari : Guest Post by Premalatha Aravindhan

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but in the case of a blogger friend whose blog  goes by the name of Prema’s Thaligai, it speaks a million words.. I am floored by the sheer length and breadth of Prema's blog - a very popular one indeed, and her dishes and pictures just speak to you- be it the icing that she uses for her cakes or the traditional recipes that she dishes out with amazing regularity, I am sure you will agree as I do, that its indeed a feast to the eyes. Happy to present Prema as our guest blogger on this monthly featured guest blogger series, and I am sure that her recipe for me - Microwave Pineapple Kesari - will sweep you off your feet with its visual and aesthetic delight. Thank you Prema, for taking off time and presenting this lovely recipe !


 Without much ado, lets proceed to hear Prema, in her own words.....

" Hi everyone. My name is Premalatha Aravindhan from Prema's Thaligai and I’m the baker, recipe developer and photographer for my blog -  a little bit of everything. My home town is Thanjavur,tamilnadu, India.Currently living in Singapore.I have done Master in Computer Applications. At present, I'm a home maker and a proud mom On my blog I mostly share Indian traditional recipes n baked goods.I love baking  and try to surprise my family with different treats. When my  blogger friend Kalyani asked me to be her guest I agreed instantly. I love her blog, her easy and yummy recipes."

Today I’m going to share with you an easy Recipe - Pineapple Kesari – Microwave  Method : How to Prepare Pineapple Kesari in Microwave:

Couscous Salad

When Rosanne Cash said "“The key to change... is to let go of fear," I am sure she was talking about experimenting with new food too - Letting go of old habits, embracing the new, doing something totally new, like experimenting with Couscous !! When the blogging bug bit me, I had headed to the nearest hypermart and picked this packet of rather expensive Couscous some weeks ago, but somehow couldnt get to eat it - it wasnt that I had tasted it and didnt like it : guess it was the fear of the unknown. Like cooking mushrooms at home, when I dont eat it - but I still include it for hubby and daughter. Like, working with a new set of ingredients for today's Couscous Salad. It was supremely healthy & filling, and a much needed break from the usual stuff we have for lunch and was crunchy from the chilled veggies and the warm oil.. I liked it quite a bit, and was wondering if I could make this a weekly ritual..those questions always seem to haunt you, once you have tried it, right? just like bungee jumping or driving your first car, or even marriage, perhaps !! he he he :-)

Anyways, the verdict : Would I make it again? yes, definitely. And while most people prefer it bland, I would definitely spice it up a bit more with chopped sweet peppers, steamed veggies and may be even a spoon of mashed up lentil for a complete meal. The warm olive oil combined with the cold and crunchy veggies and fruits is sure to warm you up during the winters. 

My 200th post- Rasmalai : a sweet tribute, and a giveaway !

Let me be honest - I had almost lost track of the number of the blog posts till a casual conversation over dinner - with a good friend of mine & S -@ Delhi last fortnight asked me how my blog was going - and I said it was good , and that I might have crossed about 150 posts..he gently corrected me and said as he keenly followed my blog, I was on my 181st post--wow ! that was some news, I thought, and then got to work on celebrating what is my blog's 200th post - a milestone that I had dreamt of, when I started this blog about 11 months ago ! Like Anna Pavlova said "To follow, without halt, one aim: There's the secret of success."


I briefly halt though to thank all my readers, well wishers, family and very importantly course my blogger friends , without whose constant encouragement,this would have remained a wish,a hope. Thanks also goes to husband, kiddo and mom for grinning and bearing me as I fussed over the snaps first before serving them food (ok, kidding!) . A special thanks is in order for hubby for, amongst other things, handling my tantrums while shopping out for that particular muffin mould, not to mention cartloads of books brought online and borrowed, and most importantly, gifting me a new laptop so I could work uninterrupted. Just seems like yesterday, when I was all hesitant to step out to the blogosphere : I wasn't even sure I would post once a week, forget running events, contests or even participating in Blogging Marathons and Blog hops events !! And it seems like a breeze now... although , like Robert Frost says , " ...and miles to go before I sleep,..."! Thanks to all out there for your support and encouragement:-)


And for you, dear friends this is a small way of thanking you with a giveaway at the end of this post :-)

Roundup of CEDD Strawberry event and winner of giveaway

Happy to announce the roundup and winner of the CEDD - Strawberry Desserts event that I hosted this October. Thanks to Raven for this opportunity. Although I personally love strawberries, it was completely out of season to make any dishes out of the fresh fruit. I loathe the synthetic store bought crushes. I was very tempted to make ice cream out of strawberry essence, Diwali and other personal agendas took centre stage the entire last month. However, I have 14 yummy recipes sent across my dearest friends that I  present to you on the roundup ... Thank you so much and appreciate the effort. 

And the winner of the giveaway is Suma from Veggie Platter !! Congratulations Suma. Please check your email on how the prize is to be redeemed :-)


Hope you and other readers also would participate in my Ongoing events - Flavours of China and Global Food Festival with equal or better fervour :-)


Cheers,
Kalyani

Apple Chutney

Yes, you read it right. Today's post is a very yummy Apple Chutney that came about, mostly as a result of toooo many apples lying unused in the pantry. We had bought some apples for naivedyam for diwali pooja, and my aunt n uncle who visited us also brought along some more. So, there we had apples galore. Like they say, when life hands you lemons, make a lemonade. So I checked quite a few recipes to use up apples, but most of them were jams / preserves and required pectin (which I am yet to add to my pantry list), or baking (and I do limit my baking with APF to once or twice a month). 


And, there it was - a dilemma. When hubby suggested that I make chutney out of it, given my rush to preserve every vegetable peel in the house to make Chutneys (like the Carrot one or the mixed peel version) , I looked daggers at him. When I realised he wasnt joking, we got to work (yes, me and hubby). While he made me a superb refresher with apples and green tea (recipe coming soon), I got to work with making this yummy apple chutney with a little ginger to spice it up for our Sunday breakfast of  Poha Idli. I had never used apples for chutneys, and therefore didnt know how the final taste 'should' be, but what resulted out of this  experiment was another yummy chutney added to my menu card :-) I have used normal red apples (Shimla red variety - the ones which are spongy in taste) , but do try out with other varieties and let me know if you liked this dish :-) . Meanwhile, check out 10 other varieties of Chutneys here

Prep time : 10 mins. Cooking time : 10 mins. Serves : 3


Sending this to Priya Mahadevan’s The Big Chutney Chowdown

Coconut Pulav

Most people from the South of the Vindhyas (india) use coconut in their everyday cooking. Contrary to what was hyped a decade ago, coconut and its food products greatly help in reducing the cholestrol by boosting metabolism. For every believer in coconut, there would be two to scoff at the 'bad' fat from coconut. It does take a conscious effort to cut down 'unreasonable' quantity of coconut in everyday food, like vegetable peels have replaced most of the chutneys in my family's dinner today. But in totality, coconut should be had in moderation. For that matter, anything taken in excess is harmful. May be this link would throw some light on the benefits of coconut.. Now, why am I going on and on about coconut?? Coz, today's post is a yummy Coconut Pulav that makes use of freshly ground coconut, and is a quick dish to put together for a potluck or lunchboxes. After upma, Pulav is probably something that I learnt cooking way back in high school - may be the humble one pot meals were my pathway to learn more cooking with Paneer-n-raisin Pulav, Soya chunks Pulav & baby Corn pulav added newly to the menu card. Today's dish goes well with any raita and roasted papad.


Sending this to:

• Sukanya's healing Food - Coconut, event by Siri
• Kavi's HCC - Healthy Lunches (HCC), event by Smita

Refer notes on more variations. Now, off to the recipe:

Beans Carrot Thoran ~ Beans Carrot Palya

This week of Blog hop, I am paired with Kaveri of Palakkad Chamayal. Being a south Indian myself, most recipes were common. I chose a simple to make but yummy Thoran (Stir fry in English, Palya in Kannada or Curry in Tamil). Its a very simple dish - Beans Carrot Thoran - that you can put together with very few ingredients. Although addition on onions is optional in such dry curries, in most South Indian homes, onions are not added. Feel free to saute 1 chopped onion to this dish if you prefer. You can saute the chopped veggies in oil, but I pressure cook for 2 whistles prior to sauteeing it with literally just 1 tsp of oil. This dish goes very well with hot rice and Rasam. My favourite preference is to have this with Rice & Poricha Rasam ! Lets get on to the recipe now...  Also sending this to Susan's BWW

Kale Masoor ki Dal ~ Whole Red Lentil Curry

One of the finest cookbooks I have acquired in the recent past (esp after I started blogging) is Vidhu Mittal's "Pure and Simple". Although I must confess here that I am not a cookbook person at all, but I love collecting them - it gives me various ideas which I tweak to suit my family's palate. There are many reasons I love this book by Vidhu Mittal - the simplicity of ingredients, clear write up, and not to forget stunning photographs. But more than anything, love it most 'coz its all about Pure Vegetarian cooking - something that I rustle up in my small kitchen everyday. So, its quite handy for me to refer this. Today's dish - Kale Masoor Ki Dal - is an exception for I have reproduced the recipe to the T, and boy was I impressed :-) We had this for Sunday brunch along with Soya Chunks Pulav, and the combo was amazing ! 
Sending this to Priya's Tuesday's bookmarked recipes as well as to Suma's MLLA, event by Susan. Its a simple hearty dal that goes well with rotis / Naans and simple steamed rice and pickles as well. The tenderly cooked dal along with ginger slivers takes the dish to another level.. Before you rush away, let me get to the recipe :-)

New Event Announcement : Flavours of China

Friends, am happy to announce that I shall be guesthosting Nayna’s event – Flavours of China – at my space all this November. Legend goes that the Cuisine of China spreads both around the world and deep into history and is marked by both variety and change. The archeologist and scholar K.C. Chang says “Chinese people are especially preoccupied with food” and “food is at the center of, or at least it accompanies or symbolizes, many social interactions.” Over the course of history, he says, "continuity vastly outweighs change." Over the centuries, as new food sources and techniques were invented, the Chinese cuisine as we know it gradually evolved. The "Silk road" is the conventional term for the routes through Central Asia linking the Iranian plateau with western China; along this trade route passed exotic foodstuffs that greatly enlarged the potential for Chinese cuisines, only some of which preserve their foreign origin in the ideogram for "foreign" that remains in their name: "it would surprise many Chinese cooks to know that some of their basic ingredients were originally foreign imports," Frances Wood observes: sesame, peas, onions, coriander from Bactria, and cucumber were all introduced into China from the West during the Han dynasty". 

THE SILK ROAD / THE SILK ROUTE

Chopsticks, which are made from all sorts of materials and which are one of the hallmarks of the Chinese table, have been used as eating utensils at least as far back as the Zhou Dynasty. Stir-fried dishes became popular during the Tang Dynasty. The stir-fry method of cooking was invented out of necessity, in order to conserve expensive and scarce fuel.

Poricha Rasam ~ Porciha Sathamudu | Spiced Lentil broth

If I were to choose one signature dish by mom that is extremely comforting, I would choose today's dish - Poricha Rasam (or Poricha Sathamudhu). For the linguistically challenged, this is rasam without tamarind, and loaded with protein and ground masala and is a super combo with hot rice, ghee and roasted papad.. I can almost smell the aroma of this Rasam as I write this post- some dishes cannot be explained in mere words : its got to be experienced at the dining table ;-) I am not a great fan of tamarind in any form. So, while I do make Mysore Rasam and Tomato Rasam regularly, today dish - Poricha Rasam - is something I ask mom to make . Yes, I have learnt it too, but there is something  about her 'kai manam (maa ka haath ke khaana) ) that makes me yearn for that special taste and flavour. And I hope to recreate that magic everytime I make this :-)  Like other rasams, this too can be made with Toor Dal, but mom and me both prefer this with soaked and cooked Moong Dal that lends itself so beautifully to the texture of this rasam. Like most South Indian recipes, each household has its own method, but this comes directly from mom's cookbook and goes straight to :
Suma's MLLA, event by Susan, Healing foods – Coconuts @ Saffronstreaks, event by Siri & also Priya’s Fruit / Veggie of the month- Coconut


Woo hoo ! I am almost writing an ode to this humble yet sublime rasam - something like a heirloom recipe.Without any more prose, lets get quickly to the recipe. 

Arbi Laajawaab ~ Stir fried colocasia munchies

Arbi Laajawaab is one of the quickest snacks you can put together for unexpected guests as well as spice up your Indian Thali for any festival / get together. It can be relised both as a snack as well as a dry sabji , and this goes to Blogging Marathon Day 7 for October 2011.If you prefer, you can deep fry these lovely veggies, but I prefer to stir fry them, and didnt compromise on the taste at all. you can also bake / grill them for extra texture (something I am sure to try out next time).With just under 4 - 6 ingredients, this is a super easy and tasty snack to make. Meanwhile, check out the goodness of Arbi here. Check out my fellow marathoners here
In case you missed any of the 6 days' posts under this edition of Blogging Marathon, here goes a quick recap under the theme "Snacks in a jiffy". 
Day 1 - Mini Katori Chaat

Day 2 - Low fat Mini Beetroot Burgers

Day 3 - No Ghee gajar and Lauki Halwa

Day 4 - Sugarfree Chilli Pine Splash

Day 5 - Schezwan Dill Corn Lollipops

Day 6 - Moong Dal Seekh Kabab

Moong Dal Seekh Kabab ~ Snacks in a jiffy ~ step by step recipe

Kababs (or Kebabs as they are already known) entice me to no end : I was introduced to the same by S. Truth be told: Till about a decade ago I always thought kababs were only non-vegetarian, and didnt care for them too much,being a vegetarian myself. But on one of my trips to Lucknow, I had what was my first Vegetarian Seekh Kebab,and I was hooked. I love it even more because most kebabs can be made in Tandoor and like today's dish - Moong Dal Seekh Kabab- without a drop of oil. The only grease I used was for basting (considering it is really negligible). I was wanting to make seekh kebabs at home, for a long time now and Blogging Marathon gave me just than chance. 

Extremely rich in protein, this recipe came to me from a book by Tarla Dalal (one of my favourite authors), and I was successful in getting even my fussy daughter to eat this (which is quite a rarity for any new dish) . Its a wonderful appetiser for parties too. See notes for more details on spicing this up.  You can parboil the Moong Dal ahead of time for guests you are expecting, and while you are making cups of tea and having light conversation, I promise you the kebabs would be ready :-) So, lets get on to the recipe !

Wikipedia tells me - The origin of kebab may lie in the short supply of cooking fuel in the Near East, which made the cooking of large foods difficult, while urban economies made it easy to obtain small cuts of meat at a butcher's shop.^[4] The phrase is essentially Persian in origin and Arabic tradition has it that the dish was invented by medieval persian soldiers who used their swords to grill meat over open-field fires.^[5]According to Ibn Battuta, a Moroccan traveller, in India, kebab was served in the royal houses during the Delhi Sultanate period(1206-1526 AD), and even commoners would enjoy it for breakfast withnaan.^[6] The dish has been native to the Near East^[4] and ancient Greece since antiquity; an early variant of kebab (Ancient Greek: ὀβελίσκος - obeliskos^[7]) is attested in Greece since 8th century BCE (archaic period) in Homer's Iliad^[8] and Odyssey^[5] and in classical Greece, amongst others in the works of Aristophanes,^[9] Xenophon^[10] and Aristotle.^[11] Excavations held in Akrotiri on the Greek island of Santorini by professor Christos G. Doumas, unearthed stone sets of barbecue for skewers (Ancient Greek: κρατευταί - krateutai^[12]) used before the 17th century BCE. In each pair of the supports, the receptions for the spits are found in absolute equivalence, while the line of small openings in the base constitutes mechanism of supplying the coals with oxygen so that they are maintained light up during its use.^[13][14][15]One of the more delicate kebabs from South Asia, made of minced goat / buffalo meat. It was supposedly made for a Nawab in Lucknow who could not eat the regular Kebabs due to weak teeth. The Galouti Kebab is part of the "Awadhi Cuisine". Along with the Lucknowi biryani and Kakori Kebab, this is one of the outstanding highlights of the great food tradition from the Awadh region in Uttar Pradesh, India. Many leading Indian hotel chains have taken to popularising the Awadhi food tradition, with the Galouti Kebab being a Pièce de résistance.The home of this kebab is Lucknow. It is most famously had at the almost iconic eatery "Tundey Miyan" at Old Lucknow.

Check out more Party idea snacks here and for more baked and healthy options, appetisers, click on..Sending this to: Suma's MLLA , event by Susan, Blogging Marathon Day 6, Manjula's appetiser event, my own event - Global Food Festival & Priya's event that she is hosting: Healthy Cooking Challenge - Healthy Bakes.


Check out my fellow marathoners here.


Prep time : 30 mins. Baking time :  12 - 14 mins. Makes : 6 kebabs (fairly large sized)


Notes: 
1) Instead of using Moong Dal, you can use an assortment of fresh veggies (finely minced and blanched). Be sure to add required quantity of besan to bind them, though. Moong dal needs to be pressure cooked with very little water. If you have any water in the pulse after cooking, drain completely before use.
2) This version of Kebabs does not have any added oil and is mildly spiced. However, you can still bast them with melted butter / ghee and add more chillies and ginger to spice them up.
3) Ensure the oven is piping hot (pre-heat). I pre-heated on broil for 250 deg C for 8 - 9 mins, and once the kebabs were in, I turned down to 220 deg C to bake for 12 - 14 mins, then switched again to broil for further 8 -9 mins once the kebabs were basted. Time and temperature would vary from oven to oven. Please check yours for more settings.
4) If using wooden skewers (like me), ensure they are long enough and that you soak them in cold water for atleast 15 mins, while your kebab mixture gets going.
5) Browned or roasted kebabs is a product of how much oil you bast them with - please adjust according to palates. You can make Palak ke kebab (spinach kebab) in a similar way, on skewers.


Ingredients:

• Moong Dal (split green gram) - 1/2 to 3/4 cup
• Potato - 1/2 boiled and grated
• Onion - 1 no. (grated)
• Kasuri methi - 1/2 TBSP
• Salt - to taste
• Ginger garlic paste - 1/2 TBSP
• Dhaniya Powder (Coriander powder) - 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder - a dash
• Jeera Powder (cumin powder) - 1 tsp
• Red chilli powder , Kitchen king masala, Garam Masala pwd - 1 tsp each
• Green chillies - 2 nos (minced)
• cornflour / corn meal - 2 TBSP - for binding
• Oil- for basting (I used olive oil)

Method:
1) Mix all the ingredients for the kebabs (barring oil) to a smooth mixture. 

2) Meanwhile soak the wooden skewers (if using) in a glass of water (place them vertically so the entire skewer gets soaked & pre-heat oven to 250 deg C (broil mode)
3) Adjust the mixture to the required consistency - you may need a little more cornmeal than indicated t make this a completely dry mixture : it should barely stick to your hands. 4) One tip here though : you may oil your hands if required at this stage while mixing and making them into equal sized portions.

5) Once the balls are made, take the skewers out of water, and start pressing them onto the mould starting at the base of your palm and extending it towards the fingertips. If it breaks, dismantle the kebab and start all over - it is extremely painful to work around a hot oven if the kebabs break while baking. Work with the rest of the roundels till the dough is completed.

6) Once all the roundels are done, give it a resting time of 4 - 5 mins to check for any further breakages, if any.
7) Once the oven is pre-heated, place on a baking tray with the skewers stickign out so you  can bast them easily later and set to bake for 220 deg C. Bast with olive oil  / ghee according to your preference after 12 - 14 mins. Check notes above for more details.
8) Once the kebabs are done, let them rest in the oven for further 2 -4 mins to absorb the heat.
9) De-skewer them gently onto a plate, and serve hot with onion rings, green chutney, a dash of lime and tomato ketchup !


It aint get more royal than this :-) Enjoy with steaming cups of tea, and endless gossip with friends over :-D

Schezwan Dill Corn Lollipops ~ Snacks in a jiffy | Step by step recipe

Before we go to today's post, reminding all my readers on the Strawberry Desserts & Giveaway event that ends 31st October - Do rush in your yummilicious entries (archives also accepted when linked) . Also check out my 100-day Global Food Fest and link in your entries.


Day 5 of Blogging Marathon sees me dishing out one of our family favourites - Schezwan Dill Corn Lollipops. Quick to make and easy to serve, its a great dish to whip out for kiddo parties and potlucks alike ! Yes, agreed it is deep fried, but indulgence is good sometimes, or so my daughter says when she chomped it last evening after what seemed like hours playing outside..Like the Healthy Carrot Bonda, I wanted to use the paniyaram pan to fry this, but gave it a miss and deep fried it instead. You can make the lollipops way ahead of time and refrigerate it, and fry it just before serving. Let's get cracking on this.. 


Sending this to Blogging Marathon Day 5 along with Manjula's Appetiser event and my event - 100 day Global Food festival. Check out my fellow marathoners. 


Check out more appetisers and fried delights from my blog.

Prep time : 15 minutes, Cooking time : 10 minutes, Serves : 3


Ingredients:

• Potato - 1 large
• Dill leaves - 1 cup (cleaned and sorted)
• Boiled sweet american corn - 1 cup
• Chaat Masala - 1 tsp
• Amchur / Dry mango powder - 1 tsp
• Garam Masala - 1 tsp
• Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
• Schezwan Sauce - 1 tsp
• Tomato ketchup - 1 TBSP
• Salt - to taste
• Onions chopped - 1 medium
• Cornmeal - 1/4 cup
• Oil - to fry
• Maida / APF + water - for outer covering

Method:

1) Grate boiled potato. Mix chopped onion, boiled corn, chopped dill and all the dry masalas including salt , schezwan and tomato ketchup. Now add cornmealand mix well to a semi dry consistency.
2) Make into equal roundels and refrigerate for minimum 10 minutes.
3) In a small bowl, mix APF and water to a smooth slurry kind of mixture.
4) Heat the oil in a kadai (deep pan) and check if its hot enough by placing a drop of the maida covering into the hot oil.
5) Dip the roundels in the maida slurry and gently slide into the hot oil - 5 to 6 at time. Fry on medium heat till golden brown. Drain on paper towels
6) Serve with green chutney or ketchup as required.

Happy Diwali, and wishing you all a very prosperous year ahead !

With gleam of Diyas

And the Echo of the Chants
May Happiness and Contentment Fill Your life
Wishing you a very happy and prosperous Diwali!

Sugarfree Chilli Pine Splash ~ Super summer cooler

Like I mentioned in my post on Sugarfree Ginger Mocktail, hubby has an eclectic eye for mocktails . Today too, is one of his creations and I happily got clicking as the drink was getting ready.. Contrast to the rest of the country (and probably the world too, barring Australia/NZ), Mumbai experiences a very hot , dry & humid October - almost more severe than the main summery months of Mar/May. This cooler too is sugar free, and yes doesn't contain any honey too - the 'kick' (not literally) to this drink comes from the bombastic combo of chillies (jalapenos) and pineapple , but you can also play around with most seasonal fruits to make this more interesting. Addition of sugar / honey is optional, although ensure you have loads of ice and very fresh fruits - to make this a very refreshing drink. You may also serve at your place for guests /potlucks  and i can assure you it would be a super hit !


Sending this to Blogging Marathon Day 4 and also Susan's BWW


Prep time : 5 - 8 minutes. No cooking ! Serves : 2 adults

Ingredients:

• Pineapple chunks - 2 cups - I used fresh. If using canned,drain and use.
• Apple - 1 medium (peeled and cubed)
• Ripe Guava - 1/2 no
• Green chilli - 1 no OR jalapeno (red n firm) - 2 small
• Ginger - 1/2 inch
• Black salt - 1 tsp
• White pepper - a dash
• Ice - 1 cup (crushed ice, preferred)
• Fresh mint leaves - few - optional

Method:
1) First puree pineapple, apple with half the ice quantity.
2) De-seed and finely shred the chillies into small bits.
3) Add the chillies, salt, white pepper, ginger and rest of the ice to the fruit puree and pulse for 3 - 5 minutes. Add extra water as required (you may not need any) and run the juicer.

4) Strain the mocktail and add a few sprigs of fresh mint (if using) and serve immediately in tall glasses.

Gajar - Lauki Halwa (no-ghee version) - a step by step recipe | Diwali Sweet recipe

I was honestly tired of making Gajar Halwa - although its a family favourite, it was nearing its expiry date in terms of being the first choice for festivals / quick desserts for unexpected guests / luncheons / potluck parties. As a family, we are also quite conscious about how much oil and sugar we consume . So, when I saw a nice fresh lauki (bottle gourd) peeking from the pantry, I quickly rustled up this Gajar and Lauki Halwa (adapted from my bookmark here) for the Diwali festival, where we had some friends dropping in. And voila ! It was guilt free too (to an extent) as I didnt use ghee at all, but some mawa (unsweetened solidified milk fudge). For sweet lovers, i would recommend they up the sugar a bit more , but for my family and those who dropped in -  it was the perfect taste. Hope you would also make this dish for your family and enjoy the mild sweetness with a hint of sugar and saffron and crunchy fried nuts to complete that divine experience.  I served this with a Mixed Bhajia platter to the guests for a quick evening snack, and the combo was enthusiastically received :-)

Sending this quick dish to:  
Blogging Marathon (Day 3), Radhika's Diwali event, Khushi's My Diwali My Way, Anu's Diwali - festival of lights, Krithi and Denny's Serve It Festival Potluck, Pari’s Only Sweets & Desserts hosted by Gayathri & also to Priya & Aipi's Tuesday's bookmarked recipes.


Check out my fellow marathoners here

See other Indian Sweets here


Prep time : 10 mins. Cooking time : 15 mins. Serves : 4

Ingredients: 

• Carrots - 2 large
• Lauki / bottle gourd - 1 medium
• Mawa / condensed unsweetened milk fudge - 2 TBSP
• Sugar - 3 TBSP
• Condensed Milk - 3 TBSP
• Milk - 1/4 cup
• Saffron - a few strands
• Cardamom - 1 no.
• Almonds / raisins / Cashew for garnish

Method:

1) Wash, peel and grate carrots and bottle gourd finely. Place the veggies in a deep bottomed vessel. Add the milk and pressure cook for 3 whistles. Cool and drain all the water from cooked veggies.
2) Powder the sugar with cardamom in a spice grinder.
3) In a thick non stick pan, add the boiled veggies and half the mawa and stir continuously on a slow flame. 
4) When the halwa reduces by 1/4 or 1/3, add the powdered sugar and stir again on a low- medium flame. Once the sugar melts and the oil (from the mawa) begins to separate, add the remaining mawa and give it a vigorous stir for 5 - 7 mins (get those arm muscles moving :-)). 
5) Now add the saffron and the nuts (if you wish, you may lightly fry the raisins in just a drop of ghee) and serve warm. This halwa goes very well with a plate of mixed hot bhajias !