Quick Recipe

Rasam Pic: Priya Q

This is the most basic of the rasam recipe and quite simple to make. And yes this is the one mom used for pani puris too

Tamarind – 1 small lemon sized (soak in water and extract tamarind juice)

Ingredients for crushing
Curry leaves – 1 sprig
Tomato – 2 nos (big)
Turmeric – ¼ tsp
Water – ¾ cup
Salt to taste
Rasam powder*

1. Crush the ingredients (mentioned for crushing) and add to it tamarind juice extract
2. Place it in a pan and boil
3. On boiling add rasam powder and simmer the gas for few minutes
4. Temper it by heating little oil + mustard seeds + 1 dry chili + 1 pinch asafoetida and add it to the prepared rasam.

For Rasam Powder*

Cumin (jeera) – ½ tsp
Coriander seeds – ½ tsp
Black pepper corns – 1-2 tsp
Garlic – 2-3 flakes

1. Grind cumin and coriander seeds to fine powder
2. In a blender crush pepper and garlic and add it to above powder
3. Your rasam powder is ready!

Will get back with Garlic Rasam recipe tomorrow…till then happy cooking!

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Homemade baby food recipes

Corn and Peas with cottage cheese

You can have two variations – one for a toddler or year old baby….

Sweet corn – ¼ cup
Green peas – ¼ cup
Cottage cheese – ¼ cup
Onion – 1 Tbsp (finely chopped)
Garlic – 1 clove (finely chopped)
Mixed herbs – ¼ tsp
Butter – 1 tsp
Salt to taste

1. Heat butter in a pan and sauté onion and garlic till you get an aroma
2. Tip in corn, peas and little water and cook on low heat till the vegetables are done
3. Add cottage cheese, herbs, salt and mix well
4. Mash it well with a fork and serve it to your toddler

1. In case the baby is slightly older you can add 1 boiled potato (mashed) and 1 Tbsp of bread crumbs and combine it all.
2. Shape it in the form of cutlets. Use fancy shaped cookie cutters to make it interesting
3. Fry on a non stick pan with about a dash of oil.
4. Serve it with your kid’s favorite sauce

Coming up next… few dessert recipes for your baby’s sweet tooth

happy cooking!

Boiled Potato Raita

We all love potatoes, don’t we? So how can there be a Raita week with no potato raita? here’s one quick and simple one…check it out

To plain yogurt / curd add the following

• Boiled and cubed potatoes
• Red chilli powder (paparika)
• Roasted cumin powder

Mix well, garnish with chopped cilantro, boiled chickpeas / crushed fried groundnuts!

Till next time….happy cooking!

Beetroot Raita served with Pulav

Add to plain yogurt, grated beetroot, chopped green chili, salt and a pinch of sugar and your delecious beetroot raita is ready to be served!

Alternatively you can also boil the beetroot to make it soft before adding to yogurt…

Till tomorrow…. happy cooking!

Mixed Vegetable Raita

The simplest of all Raitas hardly take any time of yours in the kitchen plus they are healthy too!

Onion (red or white) – 1 nos

Tomato – 1 no

Cucumber / Zucchini – 1 no

Green chili – 1 nos (optional)

Roasted and ground cumin powder – 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Plain yogurt / curd – 100 gms

1. Finely chop all vegetables.
2. Add to the yogurt along with salt and cumin powder
3. Serve chilled with pulav (pilaf) / biryani etc

Till tomorrow… happy cooking

Fruits Raita

Fruits with yogurt and spices yumm..

Plain yogurt, Green grapes, Pomegranate, chopped apples. Combine all and to it add beaten fresh cream, a pinch of sugar, a dash of chat masala, roasted cumin powder and salt. Serve chilled.

Now, how simple can a recipe get …yeh?

have fun cooking!

Pumpkin Raita

Raita might be originally from North India, but each region has adopted and adapted it to their own taste. Check out the south Indian version…

White pumpkin – 1/4 kgs

Green chili – 1 no

Grated coconut – 1 cup

Cumin – 1/4 tsp

Mustard seeds – 2 tsps

Beaten thick curd / plain yogurt – 1and half cups

For tempering – 2 tsp oil, mustard, 1 dry red chili and curry leaves

1. Chop pumpkin into small pieces to it add chopped green chili, little water and boil
2. When soft add salt
3. Grind fine coconut and cumin seeds and add to it crushed mustard seeds (about 1/4 tsp)
4. Add the above to boiled pumpkin and give it another boil.
5. Add curd and temper it with mustard, red chili and curry leaves
6. Serve chilled

Till next time…happy cooking!

photo credit: norwichnuts

Well, Europeans love their potatoes. Come every meal and they wont mind having it in different styles….hash browns, mashed potatatoes, baked, roasted or with pumpkin sauce . This one is so simple and delicious that you might end up making it quite too often check it out!!

Potato – 5-6 large sized (peeled and diced in big cubes)

Onions – 1 medium

Green Onions – 1-2 (chopped finely including the greens)

Dried or fresh herbs – 4 tsps

White pumpkin – 100 gms (finely chopped)

Garlic – 2-3 flakes

Margarine – 2 tbsps

Milk – 1 cup

Water

Thyme – 1/2 tsp

All purpose flour – 1 tbsp

Black Pepper (optional)

1. Grill potatoes at 230 degree C for about 40 minutes or till soft
2. After 30 minutes add sliced onions and the green onions with some herbs to the baking potatoes
3. Meanwhile in a pan take pumpkins, little water and chopped garlic and cook on low flame. Close lid and let it cook in its own steam.
4. In a separate pan take margarine and add all purpose flour and fry well and then add soft and cooked pumpkin. Cook for a while.
5. Now add milk and keep stirring till the sauce becomes smooth. Add more milk if required.
6. Add thyme and other herbs of your choice and salt.
7. Serve baked potatoes and pour the sauce over it.
8. Sprinkle black pepper powder if required.

Till next time….happy cooking!

Meet Katarina Starc... a student in Koper, Slovenia. An ever smiling and full of life girlie!

Thanks Katarina for sharing the recipe with me!

This is yet another creation of Biji ammai – simple, quick and yummy. What set it apart from the normal lentil preparation is the usage of Zucchini. If you don’t have Zucchini you can use pumpkin instead! Don’f forget to give me a feedback post you cook

Gram daal / chana daal (lentil) – 1 cup

Zucchini – 2-3 numbers

Cumin powder – 1 tsp

Coriander powder – 1 tsp

Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp

Salt to taste

1. Soak gram dal for 1 hour
2. Cook the dal with sufficient water without closing the vessel. Howver, dal should not get fully cooked.
3. Add chopped Zucchini and cook
4. Add cumin powder, coriander powder, turmeric, salt and cook
5. Serve with Indian bread (chapatti) or rice

Till next time…Happy cooking!

Thanks ammai ….meet Ms.Biji Gopi Ram

We got to taste the yummy Shrimp Pulao made by our vegetarian aunt at Haren a small town with 23k population located in Germany. Its amazing how despite being a pure vegetarian some one can prepare a non vegetarian dish with such ease and taste.

Deveined and clean Prawns / shrimp – 750 gms

Plain yoghurt / curd – 5 tbsp

freshly pounded ginger and garlic paste – 3-4 tbsp

Onions – 3 numbers big – (finely chopped)

Tomato – 2 numbers big – (finely chopped)

Green chili -2 numbers (finely chopped)

Basmati rice – 1 cup

Garam masala – freshly ground preferred else use ready made

Chili powder – 2 tsp

Salt to taste

1. Wash rice and cook separately
2. Marinate shrimp in yoghurt, fresh ginger-garlic paste and garam masala for atleast 1 hr or more
3. Heat oil in a thick bottom pan and add onions. Fry for a while
4. Add tomatoes and fry well
5. Add green chillies and red chili powder and stir
6. Add the marinated prawns and cook till gravy is almost thick and the water content has evaporated
7. Season
8. Add cooked rice and stir gently avoiding breaking of rice grains
9. Garnish with chopped coriander / parsley
10. Serve hot with raita, pickle and papad / plain potato chips

Meet our peppy aunt Biji Gopi Ram