Mutton(Lamb) Soup

Mutton soup is a delicious and healthy soup. It is mildly seasoned with pepper. This soup can also be prepared with mutton bones. I do Mutton clear soup only for my kids.For us I use very small pieces of mutton and cook for 2 more whistles.Enjoy this hot and tasty mutton soup for this rainy season.
Check out other Soup varieties

Prep time	Cook time	Serves
5 mins	20 mins	2 persons

 

Cuisine: South Indian

Recipe Type: Soup

 

Ingredients Mutton pieces -1/4 kg Cumin seeds – 1 tsp Onion -1 no Tomato -1 small Ginger garlic paste -1 tbsp. Oil -2 tbsp. Turmeric powder -1 tsp Red chilli powder -1/4 tsp Black pepper -1/2 tsp Water – 4 cups Chopped Coriander leaves – for garnishing Salt – to taste

 

Method

1. Cut and clean mutton pieces into 1 inch cubes. Cut onions, tomatoes into fine pieces.In pressure cooker, pour some oil and throw cumin seeds, onion, ginger garlic paste, tomato, turmeric powder, and little salt.

2. Add all the above spice powders except the pepper powder with 2 cups of water and cook for 5 whistles.Remove the pressure cooker and keep it aside.

3. Now add black pepper to the prepared soup. Cook the soup now for 2 mins and serve hot.Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Notes

• Actually my granny used to tell me to chop garlic pieces instead of ginger garlic paste. It will be damn awesome with that garlic flavor.
• While sautéing, add cinnamon stick for that garam taste.

Technorati Tags: Mutton varieties,Indian food recipes,South indian food,Soup varieties,Mutton soup recipes,Lamb recipes,Lamb soup varieties.

Strawberry Milkshake

Usually milkshakes recipes are very simple by just adding all ingredients in the blender.But this time I made little different way. And at the end, shake was very delicious with strawberry ice cream

It was very refreshing and specially loved by all girls and women.(My all-time favorite from childhood).

Check out other Milkshake recipes.

 

Prep time	Total time	Serves
5 mins``	15 mins	2 persons

 

Cuisine: Indian

Recipe Type: Beverage

 

Ingredients Strawberries -2 cups Sugar- 1tbsp Strawberry  ice cream -1 scoop Milk -1 cup

Method

1. In a blender, combine ice cream, frozen strawberries, and milk; puree on high speed until smooth.

2. Transfer to your glasses. The taste will be sweet, chilled and refreshing. . Garnish with sliced or whole strawberries. It tastes best when served immediately.

Served as

Serve it as a welcome drink to your guests for parties.

Can be served over ice, if desired also.

Notes

• Sugar quantity will depend on your strawberries’ sweetness. So adjust it accordingly.
• Only difference is that milkshake will be little thin and less creamier if you skip ice cream. I have added because I like creamy and thick milkshake.

Ingr

Technorati Tags: Strawberry Milkshake,Strawberry recipes,Cold beverage recipes,Beverage recipes,Milkshake recipes,Kids recipes,Indian food recipes.

Cooking Tips

Actually there are many tips we need to know before cooking.Here are some tips which I do follow.

1. Many vegetables and fruits, including potatoes and apples, retain many of their nutrients in their skin. So when possible, leave the skin on your fruits and vegetables and cook them whole.

2. Store cheese in your refrigerator, which approximates the temperature of aging rooms. Keep it wrapped tightly in plastic, away from air. Bring cheese to room temperature before melting. Melt cheese over a low heat to help prevent toughening and separation of  oils and liquids.

3. Retain the freshness of plain flour,semolina and gram flour by storing them in a refrigerator and they will remain fresh for a long time.

4. After peeling onions cut in half and soak in water for about 10 minutes before cutting to avoid crying. 

5. Add a tsp. of hot oil to homemade pastes of garlic, ginger or green chili, along with salt to make it last longer and taste fresher.

6. Never discard the water in which vegetables are cooked, use it in gravies or soups.

7. When refrigerating fish for your curries, rub some salt and turmeric so that the fish remains fresh and flavorful for longer.

8. To get rid of the smell of prawns, apply salt and lemon juice to the prawns before cooking. Leave for 15-20 minutes, then wash off and proceed with the recipe. This is usually done with prawns, fish and al kinds of seafood.

9. If you want to store fish for more than a day, first clean it, rub it with salt, turmeric and maybe, a dash of vinegar, and then freeze. It will stay fresh.

10. Soaking rajma or chickpeas in warm water will reduce the time it takes for them to get softer. You can soak them for 4-5 hours and use that water to cook.

11. With a refrigerator in the house, you need not kneed the wheat flour everyday. Prepare enough dough that will satisfy the roti needs for you and your spouse for two to three days.

12. Immediately after chopping raw garlic or marinating process,rub your fingers thoroughly with the bottom of a stainless steel spoon under running water.Then wash your hands with soap.The metal magically neutralizes the garlic fumes.

13. Scrape the ginger with our normal cooking spoon.You might get lots of wastage in ginger if you use your knife.

14. Sprout beans of your liking and keep those in the freezer. whenever its necessary you can semi cook and have them ready.But don’t keep for more than 2 days. Check only for one inch sprouts.If sprouts grow longer it become a waste.

15.Cut the bitter gourd into rings or cut it lengthwise and discard the seeds. Apply a little salt and keep aside for 30 minutes. Squeeze to get rid of all the bitter juices and rinse it under running water to get rid of the bitterness partially.

Dosa Recipe

A dosa is a delicious savory crepe made from a mixture of dal and rice. The resulting batter is then fermented before use. This traditional South Indian dish is healthy, nutritious and very easy to prepare. This staple dish is widely popular in all southern Indian states Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala. It is usually eaten with coconut chutney and with veggie chutnies too. Fresh homemade dosas make for a wonderful breakfast, brunch, lunch or snack. I am sure your family will surely enjoy this tasty treat. Making proper dosas requires a little bit of planning since the rice & dal need time to soak and the batter needs time to properly ferment. So make sure you fully understand all the steps. The soaking & fermenting times may vary slightly depending upon your location.

 

Check out my other breakfast Varieties

Preparation time: 8 hours (Fermentation process included)

Cuisine:  Indian

Recipe Category: South Indian(Breakfast)

Ingredients Dosa rice -1 cup Whole urad dal -1/2 cup Methi seeds -1/2 tsp Salt –for fermentation Oil –as needed

 

 Method

 

1. Wash and soak rice for 6 hours along with fenugreek seeds. Then in another medium bowl, combine the urad dal & methi seeds - add enough water to cover & soak for at least 6-8 hours.

Then using a grinder or mixer, blend the rice into to a smooth batter adding water only as neededDrain the water and grind the urad dal along with methi seeds to get a smooth batter.

 

2. Then using a grinder or mixer, blend the rice into to a smooth

Add water as required while grinding. The consistency of the batter should not be too thick/ thin. Allow the batter to ferment overnight or for 8-9 hours. Lastly, just before use, add the salt. Mix well to combine.

 

3. Heat the dosa pan. Add a ladle full of batter and spread it in circular motion. Now it has turned  lightly brown, turn over once and cook on the other side. It should be thin and golden on both sides. Transfer it to a plate.

Served with

Onion Garlic chutney

Carrot Pumpkin Peels and seeds chutney

Chayote Peel chutney

 

 

Notes

Fermentation process differs from place to place.

 

Technorati Tags: Dosa recipes,Fermentation dosa recipe,Indian food recipes,South indian food recipes,Breakfast recipe,After school recipes.

Chayote Peel chutney(Chow Chow Skin chutney)

Vegetable peels are found to have equal nutrition as the vegetable itself. Vegetable peels are rich in fiber and promote better intestinal health.  Also, the antioxidants in the peel fight against aging and keep you young. So next time before you peel off and discard the skin of fresh green vegetables, give it another thought.  If you are worried about the chemical/ pesticide residue on the vegetables, put the vegetables in warm water with salt for about 30 mins before using them or you can always go with the organic produce.Andhra people name this chutney as Seema Vankaya pachadi.I refered this recipe from “Mangayar Malar” Magazine.

It can be names in different languages as follows:

Chayote (English)

Chow chow (Hindi)

Seema vankaya (Telugu)

Seeme badanekayi (Kannada)

It can be eaten raw but tastes best when cooked. Chayote is from gourd family and the skin is also edible like other vegetables of gourd family. It is called Bangalore Kathirika or Chow-Chow in Tamil. Now it’s time that we start to cook and relish simple and tasty food!

Check out some other Chutney/Thogayal Recipes

Prep time	Cook time	Serves
10 mins	15 mins	2 persons

Cuisine: South Indian

Recipe Type: Breakfast (Side dish)

Ingredients Chow chow peels -2 cups Onion -1 no Tomatoes -2 medium Dry red chillies -6 no’s Channa dal (Bengal gram) -1 tbsp. Tamarind –small piece Salt – to taste Seasonings Oil- 1 tsp Mustard seeds -1/2 tsp Hing – pinch Curry leaves -1 sprig

Method

1.In a pan, add 1 tsp of oil. Then add Urad dhal and Red chillies. Fry till Urad Dhal turns golden brown. Keep aside.

2. In a pan heat one tbsp. oil and fry channal dhal .Keep it aside.In the same pan add along asafoetida, red chilli, onions, tomatoes and add washed Chayote peels. Wait till it gets cooked and transfer to a plate.

3.Keep all the ingredients in a mixer jar and grind to a fine paste. Let it cool for some time. Grind the skin along with the roasted channa dhal and tamarind to a coarse paste.

4. After everything cools down, grind them to chutney with salt .Transfer the chutney into a bowl. 

5. For the seasoning, in a kadai/skillet, add all the Seasoning ingredients in sequence and pour it on the chutney.

Served with

Roti, Poori, Idli/dosa

Pictorial

Notes

If the chutney is too spicy, add 1 spoon of putlana podi/ roasted chickpea powder.It takes some time to cook if the skin is thick. It should be coarse not fine paste. Tastes good with dosa or idly too...

CC Challenge of the month
Linking this to Srivalli's Cooking from Cookbook Challenge  Group.




Technorati Tags: Chow Chow recipes,Chow chow peel chutney,South Indian recipes.,Indian food recipes,Chayote recipes,Semma Vankaya recipes,Side dish recipes for breakfast,Breakfast recipes.

Brown Rice Khichidi

        Brown rice is also called 'unpolished rice' and is brown in color. Brown rice is believed to be more nutritious as compared to white rice as, there are many nutrients in the brown layer that normally get taken off in the polishing process.It is a very easy and simple dish made with brown rice and moong dal. It’s again tempered with some spices.I make it this way whenever I am bored with plain brown rice. It’s made just as I make it with white rice. I added many veggies, coz I like it this way. I like it to this with any curry or even with just pickle. It tastes just as yummy
Check out my other breakfast Varieties

Prep time	Cook time	Serves
15 mins	20 mins	4 persons

 

Cuisine:  Indian (Breakfast)

 

Ingredients Brown Rice -3/4 cup Yellow moong dal -1/4 cup Chopped onions -1 no Chopped Tomatoes -1 no Oil -2 tsp Green chillies -3 no’s Curry leaves- 1 sprig Cinnamon stick -1 no Cloves -3 no’s Ginger -1” grated Water -3 cups Chopped vegetables -1 cup Salt – to taste with some spice powders

 

Method

Option 1:

1. When you cook brown rice, you would need to soak it in water for around 25 minutes to 30 minutes before doing the normal cooking process. Pressure cook the rice along with the moong dal.It will take longer time for the brown rice to cook.

2. After done, cool down and blend it in the mixer (just one blend will do).I wanted to blend the brown rice coz the granules will be bigger in size.

 OR

Option 2:

Grind the brown rice in mixie coarsely and keep it aside. (Don’t grind it Powderly).You can save time by this method. Do the seasonings and follow the same procedure for this method.

1. Heat oil in a kadai, add cinnamon stick and cloves. Once they pops out add the chopped onion, green chillies and tomatoes. Add chopped vegetables and grated ginger into it.Cover with lid and cook it.

2. Once the vegetables cooked well add water and salt, let the water to boil. Add the rice and pressure cook it .Kachadi is now ready to serve.

3. It can be served with sambar/chutney.

Pictorial:

Served with

Keerai kulambu

Avakaya or mango pickle.

Notes

Adding green chillies will do for this khichidi.Addition of red chili powder is not that necessary.I wanted it very spicy coz brown rice will have  no taste by  nature.

Benefits of brown rice

The health benefits of high fiber content foods are numerous, it reduces the possibility of heart diseases, helps avoid abrupt spikes in sugar levels, helps digestion and reduces constipation etc. Some medical tests have indicated that the health benefits of brown rice could include controlling high blood pressure. Besides high fiber content, brown rice also contains other nutrients like, B vitamins, manganese, selenium and iron.

Technorati Tags: Brown rice recipes,Brown rice khichidi,Breakfast varieties,Kerala recipes,Healthy recipes,Indian food recipes,South indian recipes.