Milagu Vadai or Hanuman Vadai

I saw this in a couple of blogs and said, hey, this is something I'd like to try when my folks were visiting - They turned out well and here I am blogging it :) This is a good snack vadai, traditionally offered in a garland for to Hanuman/Anjaneya ... I made this with no strings attached (pun intended:) just for a snack - the type you delve into each time you pass the kitchen counter!
It was lot simpler than I expected. Here is how I made it , but would recommend and probably do next time I make it is add a handful of rice..
Ingredients
1 cup of urad dal
2 tbsp of  whole peppers
salt
Asafetida a pinch
oil and shallow frying pan
wax paper for patting the vadai
RECOMMENDATION - 1 handful of rice to elevate crisp factor

Preparation
Soak for exactly 20 minutes with water covering just the top of the dal
Grind coarsely using very little water and add desired salt (about 1.5 tsp)
In a shallow frying pan, heat oil
get a small bowl of water and oil ready to dip your fingers
Dip fingers in water
Take a small square of wax paper and oil the surface lightly
Pick up a small ball of batter and flatten with fingers until thin
press fingertip in the middle to make hole
Frying
Heat oil in a shallow frying pan. Flip once the bottom browns and take out when both sides are dark golden brown.
Cool and put in a air tight jar/box

Whey Berry Shake

Hi folks,
Back after a week or more of busy family visits and pooja and endless cooking - Had a blast, but really did miss my blogging! So I am back for a week before I get busy with the second set of visits - My last post was RoseMalai for which I'd made homemade paneer - This left me with a gallon of whey - the protein packed goodness which I loathed to chuck! So Here is a high-protein energy drink idea I had - There are several ways of using this - As mere whey, with a dash of milk and some sugar; with some buttermilk and salt, if you prefer; or  with a fruit as a whey shake :) I had it all three ways and I must tell you, that this is a totally awesome ingredient to make shakes with. For more information on the benefits of whey, click here
I have presented to you the Black Berry Shake I made with whey and one glass with milk and sugar .... Serve chilled for best taste! Perfect for the summer and a good thing to remember if your milk curdles in the heat of the summer -
I will leave you with some delicious pictures - The blackberry lent a marvelous purple color to the drink!
I look forward to visit all your blogs and catch up on all the wonderful dishes over the week ...cheers and love!

Rose Malai

Yes, this is another Rose recipe of mine – I have been meaning to make my own paneer for this very reason for a while now and finally went for it. It turned out well, but with all first time efforts and critically analyzing what I’ve made, I know the couple of things I need to improve on the next time I make this. But I got accolades all around and that is the proof of the pudding or malai in this case J This post also contains the method to make some delicious homemade paneer… here goes- Makes about 24 RoseMalais J

Homemade Paneer

1 gallon of whole milk boiled

4-5 tbsp lemon juice to be dribbled into the boiling milk

See the paneer form and fall apart from the whey

Drain and wrap it in a thin mundu towel or cheese cloth

Once drained make small balls with it in preparation for the malai part

Sugar Syrup

2 cups of water and 1.5 cups of sugar

Bring to boil until the syrup gets stringy

Drop the paneer balls into the hot syrup

Rose Milk

Heat ½ gallon of whole milk and add about ¼ cup of Rose Syrup to it along with ½ cup of additional sugar.

To this add about 1 tsp of powdered cardamom

Combine

Remove the paneer balls from the syrup and set on a serving bowl.

Now pour the rosemilk over this and cover them until the entire lot is soaked in

Cool and eat! Or eat warm if that’s you preference

Thai Red Curry

I have made the Thai Green curry on man occasion and I’ve made the Thai Red Curry too, but just never got around to blogging it.  So, here it is… enjoy with some No Yolk Noodles as shown in a picture below.

Ingredients

All veggies of choice (I used carrots, zucchini, yellow squash, Eggplant, mushrooms, onions, green bell pepper)

3 green chilies

Tofu – i pack extra firm cubed

Asian Spice Mix                                                           

Peanut sauce

Spicy Szechwan Stir Fry sauce

½ tsp of Tamarind pulp (Lakshmi Brand)

1 tsp sesame seeds (white)

1 tbsp Sesame Oil

NO Garlic or Coconut this time - yay (:

Preparation

Cook some egg noodles, drain and keep

In a wok, on high heat, heat 1 tbsp of sesame oil.

Splutter the sesame and add the veggies and cook for a few minutes

Mix all the spices and sauces

In a cup of warm water mix the tamarind pulp and add to the veggies.

Add all of it the veggies. Add the salt and let it simmer.

Remove from flame.

Add to noodles and enjoy a wonderfully healthy meal which also tastes fantastic.

Hot Cross Idlis

Before I post this, I want to acknowledge the wonderful friends who have been sharing a whole bunch of awards with me - Thanks you lovely ladies - Nancy&Vijay, Sangee Vijay Jay, Chitra Krishna, Cinnamon & Chillies, Mina Joshi, Indrani Vardhini - You all have incredibly amazing blogs too and I am happy to be cooking with you ::) IF I have failed to include anyone else who has given me an award, shame on me - please pull me up! It is or sure an oversight since I am not meticulous about posting acknowledgements quickly- But every award I get I revel in, and cherish wholeheartedly.


Sharing it with all the Super blogger friends I look forward to hearing from each day, who make my day with their comments and their own wonderful posts :)

Now for the Hot Cross Idlis


Our blogger friend Priya Ramakrishnan of Elaichii took one look at these and exclaimed  - Oh Hot Cross Buns Idlis and in a second gave me the best name for this dish :) Thanks Priya - you rock!



We had a Food Event at our community - I'd made a 100 idlis, of which 60 got sold- We had our sai Bhajans the next day and I had all these idlis left over. So I made a quick Kothamali-green chili chutney (clinatro chutney) and decided to go about making these :)
Here is another way to polish off left over Idlis :) I made some with molaga podi and some with chutney creating The Indian flag effect, unintentionally!
Adios amigos and Happy Weekend - Plenty cooking with many family visits in the next few weeks - Look for some sweets and savories and some very traditional recipes ....
I am sending this to Akila's Dish starts with H event

Rose Yogurt

This is the first recipe I made with my new Ice-cream maker… I was craving for Rose Milk and when we went to Richmond for a quarterly Indian grocery store stock-up, I got me some Rose syrup. I had some Page Greek Yogurt handy so I decided I will make a Frozen Rose Yogurt, with Indian flavors. So I included cardamom in the recipe and boy did it taste ever so good!

Here are a few must knows about the ice-cream maker – PLEASE READ THE INSTRUCTIONS ON YOUR MACHINE BEFORE LAUNCHING ON THIS PROCESS! You have to freeze the bucket at least 24hours before you plan to make it. I was gung-ho about making it all my ingredients lined up and then I read the instructions I realized that I had to wait for a day before I could appease my craving L -

Ingredients

2 packs of Page Yogurt (if you are using homemade, drain the whey completely!

¾ cup of sugar

2 tbsp Rose Syrup

½ tsp ground cardamom powder

Some rainbow sprinkles, just for fun 

Prepare per instructions on the ice-cream maker

A yummy treat to kick start your summer or even a wonderful idea for your Mem. Day party J

would like to send this as an entry to 4 sizzling summer events 

Jay's  Relishing Ice cream Event

Radhika's Fun & Sun Event

Dil Se Divya's Show me your Summer Cooler event

Olive Houmous

I am following up on my pita post with a totally yummy Olive Houmous!

In the picture - Mother's Day Daisies From My Daughter :)

A funny tale behind this wonderfully delicious dish -  So last year, some of my family decided to go to an island resort in Greece – While I did read some about Greece and the food options for vegetarians, I was well aware that meat was the mainstay for Greeks. But the romantic notions of fresh Greek Salad and Houmous and yogurt were very uplifting. Then we get there and this resort was kinda isolated – a 45 minute boat ride to the biggest island/tourist resort, Hydra. Not a soul there knew what the heck we were asking for when we tried to order Houmous – Not a soul knew the heck how to talk in English either – There I was playing a game of Pictionary, drawing with all my might and gesticulating verily to make them understand until one other customer at the café said, Ah whomoosh! In rapid Greek, he explained to them what I was talking about and I could tell light bulbs were coming on brightly and their broad smiles made me realize what a dummy I was asking for a Lebanese/Turkish dish in Greece and expecting them to understand!

While we never got to eat houmous, we did eat a lot of unbelievably thick and sluggish yogurt, which seemed to me made purely of fat, like the fresh churned butter (vennai) that we do have on Gokulashtami in India.

I have mentioned to you Bobbi’s humus which is sold on occasion in Sam’s club and how crazy we are for it. Sabra is a brand that sells a really yummy humus too although they are getting more commercial.

So when I made the pita, I went all out and made Olive humus (houmous) too.

So here my friends, is a happy companion to the pita.

I will like to compare this combo to a chappati/chutney combo or dosai/thogayal combo.

Ingredients

3 cans garbanzo beans

1 can of black olives, pitted

2 tbps of tahini sauce

8-10 cloves of garlic

6-10 red chilies

1 tbsp black pepper

2 tbsp Virgin Olive Oil

Preparation

Grind the contents together in a fine paste

Pour into a serving container

Dribble the oil over it

Add a spring of your favorite herb for decoration (I used basil)

Serve with Pitas

BIG TIP: SERVED CHILLED FOR BEST TASTE
Sending this to my own event which is being guest hosted by Priya of Bon Appetit