tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37739134592720381772024-02-18T21:00:58.756-08:00Some Salt... To Taste!Shake up the mundane!Deepti Pawarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05228690769856346808noreply@blogger.comBlogger126125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773913459272038177.post-70545205751034752222015-02-15T20:58:00.002-08:002015-02-15T21:22:40.513-08:00Super Moist Banana Nut Loaf<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Let's start with a little note before we preheat our oven for this one - Where in the world have I been all this while? Well, to cut things short, I had been to you-seriously-cannot-be-this-lazy kind of a town. Yeah, so let me be brutally honest and agree with you if you think I've become so hopelessly tardy with my food blog. But, I still am trying to revive it and in that attempt I do hope to keep you entertained, engaged and satisfied with whatever little I share every now and then.</div>
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Now jumping into the Super Moist Banana Nut Loaf here...</div>
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Let me give you some time to jump in.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLfZFw8oOY3PXvJZDEepaLi4HR_cpQjjONxr91IV0C0ROFQgkBnKewIc3L5MvrUEz9oZVb-H8BIuf6QDKsSLCBUvkUl5U0LaP2hyY0lSwzf99Djgnp33Wgjlc6-4onjLKHhvIhQ9d1I82B/s1600/Banana+Nut+Loaf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLfZFw8oOY3PXvJZDEepaLi4HR_cpQjjONxr91IV0C0ROFQgkBnKewIc3L5MvrUEz9oZVb-H8BIuf6QDKsSLCBUvkUl5U0LaP2hyY0lSwzf99Djgnp33Wgjlc6-4onjLKHhvIhQ9d1I82B/s1600/Banana+Nut+Loaf.jpg" height="512" width="640" /></a></div>
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Done jumping?</div>
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This was my first baking adventure after a really, really long break of almost two and half years. And, then I took really, really long to post it, too. Good heavens, I made this sometime in summer and am posting it here in winter. But, well at least I am posting it, after all!</div>
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So yes, I made this one day to satisfy my sweet tooth and to serve up to a couple of relatives who dropped by for tea one evening. Ripe bananas come together in the oven with toasted nuts into a delicious, aromatic experience you too can feel, just after one bite into this loaf!</div>
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This recipe comes with lesser butter than the <a href="http://somesalttotaste.blogspot.com/2011/02/sugar-glazed-banana-walnut-muffins.html" target="_blank">Sugar Glazed Banana Walnut Muffins </a>and one lesser egg than the <a href="http://somesalttotaste.blogspot.com/2009/06/rich-banana-almond-cake.html" target="_blank">Rich Banana Almond Cake</a>, both of which I had posted way back in the hay days of blogging. Yet, so moist and flavourful, you have no excuse now that you have jumped in this far!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhybF9dxGy00M89rEV7wH1lnqPYgtAIs-69lQnWF6eX4Yfyxkqu546LsYe0ktWEMXgH6dlxhTCYYMJVkM1_KdgdEpfeuIzcufHwqJnxG4Qkq5STqzVvJX0JjrJX9PRlcdfxF3gGzuWNswdF/s1600/IMG_2104.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhybF9dxGy00M89rEV7wH1lnqPYgtAIs-69lQnWF6eX4Yfyxkqu546LsYe0ktWEMXgH6dlxhTCYYMJVkM1_KdgdEpfeuIzcufHwqJnxG4Qkq5STqzVvJX0JjrJX9PRlcdfxF3gGzuWNswdF/s1600/IMG_2104.JPG" height="428" width="640" /></a></div>
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<u>Ingredients</u></div>
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1 1/4 Cups All purpose flour (Maida)</div>
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1 1/2 Cups (approx 2 nos.) over-ripe bananas, mashed</div>
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3/4 Cup Mixed nuts (such as unsalted almonds, walnuts, cashews)</div>
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1 Cup Granulated sugar</div>
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4 oz Unsalted butter, at room temperature</div>
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1/2 Cup vegetable oil</div>
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1 tsp Baking powder</div>
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1/4 tsp Baking soda</div>
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1 tsp Vanilla essence</div>
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1 Egg, lightly beaten</div>
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A pinch of salt</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTYn80SXqUPfzsTJTSVrFiqPJFt9Z6XUKoAR8m0ilvPcjQ5xdL0p3VxMsa_AD1sygANF0G3nSwRdCrVR4sJMIQL4SmbBeTTrCO-y7PSJ-f5EhxjY4uQw3ttH1mjGOOSX8an2f9w-3zczsW/s1600/IMG_2102.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTYn80SXqUPfzsTJTSVrFiqPJFt9Z6XUKoAR8m0ilvPcjQ5xdL0p3VxMsa_AD1sygANF0G3nSwRdCrVR4sJMIQL4SmbBeTTrCO-y7PSJ-f5EhxjY4uQw3ttH1mjGOOSX8an2f9w-3zczsW/s1600/IMG_2102.JPG" height="640" width="428" /></a></div>
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<u>Method</u></div>
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- Preheat oven to 350F and grease baking loaf pan. You may line your loaf pan with parchment paper for easy clean-up</div>
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- Place walnuts on baking sheet and toss in oven for about 10 minutes to toast the nuts. You can skillet toast nuts, too</div>
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- In the meanwhile, mix together flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and baking powder in a large bowl</div>
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- Pull out the toasted nuts, coarsely chop them and toss them into the flour(dry) mixture</div>
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- To the lightly beaten egg, add the vanilla essence, butter and mix until just blended</div>
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- Now, stir the mashed bananas and oil into this wet mixture</div>
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- Pour this wet mixture into the dry flour mixture and fold until just blended</div>
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- Pout the batter into prepared baking loaf pan and bake for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out smoothly</div>
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- Cool completely before taking out the baked loaf onto a plate prior to slicing</div>
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Makes about 8 to 10 slices</div>
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Deepti Pawarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05228690769856346808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773913459272038177.post-85985191072138239982014-07-23T18:23:00.001-07:002014-07-24T16:02:26.404-07:00Roasted Chicken Sausage Pasta with Pomegranate Garden Salad<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The July sun's scorching up the East Coast, not to mention, late sunsets and long, humid days. The kids love it, however. I mean, who won't like to stay out playing till nine in the night, carelessly chasing fire flies and never wanting to accept that it's almost beyond dinnertime!<br />
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The hardest thing for me is to have my little boy stocked up with energy for his summer evening playtime. Summer vacation in a new neighborhood brought with it new friends for him and new challenges for me to keep him up and running. I would have to ensure he's eaten a healthy lunch before he steps out.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG3jljyFSjnG3uQasIqrTIFprZvw8MCrJZEiSp89OKcQeFIZfdCl5mnfnFSbLjq3a8OuuP-5TZ-Holpy_0eY_eF8fX9vHx6004pVOQNzi-E2ONKeHSNiqaI2aBPcAbvCflKI34kpA3aWLk/s1600/IMG_1900.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Some Salt To Taste" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG3jljyFSjnG3uQasIqrTIFprZvw8MCrJZEiSp89OKcQeFIZfdCl5mnfnFSbLjq3a8OuuP-5TZ-Holpy_0eY_eF8fX9vHx6004pVOQNzi-E2ONKeHSNiqaI2aBPcAbvCflKI34kpA3aWLk/s1600/IMG_1900.JPG" height="425" title="Roasted Chicken Sausage Pasta with Pomegranate Garden Salad" width="640" /></a></div>
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I always stash up on boxes of pasta and tons of veggies to make this easy lunch for him. He loves pasta. Yes, most kids do! But, more often than not we all end up cooking pasta along with store-bought sauces. In my case however, my son is not fond of ready sauces, which certainly increases my efforts, but gives me more opportunity to explore new flavors that enhance pasta. So, most often I end up making pasta in <a href="http://somesalttotaste.blogspot.com/search/label/Pasta" target="_blank">other ways</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqPGa5bmpk9f9R-wex6hBzcT3Z9NB_7LIeautp4ndHxxvvycWXCJFgFKDsWCgd49k3HOGcit-tOW6rehq7C9iZFRmlINrDjTfA_s46qhf_2d-X645LwULFfXPjHLmQl5wpP_tUffzRuGC4/s1600/IMG_1907.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Some Salt To Taste" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqPGa5bmpk9f9R-wex6hBzcT3Z9NB_7LIeautp4ndHxxvvycWXCJFgFKDsWCgd49k3HOGcit-tOW6rehq7C9iZFRmlINrDjTfA_s46qhf_2d-X645LwULFfXPjHLmQl5wpP_tUffzRuGC4/s1600/IMG_1907.JPG" height="640" title="Roasted Chicken Sausage Pasta with Pomegranate Garden Salad" width="428" /></a></div>
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So, here's a dish that can perk up your protein and satiate your taste buds!<br />
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I hope you have your water boiling to <a href="http://somesalttotaste.blogspot.com/2009/05/how-to-cook-pasta.html" target="_blank">cook the pasta</a> by now. Let's jump straight into the recipe now, shall we?<br />
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ROASTED CHICKEN SAUSAGE PASTA<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkfV7HkTbKosvUgiC1PbXxDYArZtGbEvXk_28WmIdQJAnDSYM5xh3YKL_dlLOIbseXlGcIjy9edd2tZKgiTf8OnDvdju10LZk_0aqQuL-HZJD30f0HnrcuwsrKvDZUvKi4Mbtz_-MifrJY/s1600/IMG_1903.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkfV7HkTbKosvUgiC1PbXxDYArZtGbEvXk_28WmIdQJAnDSYM5xh3YKL_dlLOIbseXlGcIjy9edd2tZKgiTf8OnDvdju10LZk_0aqQuL-HZJD30f0HnrcuwsrKvDZUvKi4Mbtz_-MifrJY/s1600/IMG_1903.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a><br />
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<u>Ingredients</u><br />
2 Cups <a href="http://somesalttotaste.blogspot.com/2009/05/how-to-cook-pasta.html" target="_blank">Cooked Pasta</a><br />
2 Cups Choice of vegetables, partly cooked (I have used steamed broccoli and carrots. Some suggestions would be carrots, beans, peas and corn.)<br />
1 tsp Garlic paste<br />
3 to 4 Chicken sausages, cooked and sliced<br />
1/2 Onion, finely chopped<br />
3/4 Cup Mozzarella cheese, shredded (Add more if you like it!)<br />
2 tsp Chili powder (Optional - You can even use any other spice you want)<br />
Olive oil<br />
And, of course, some salt to taste!<br />
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<u>Method</u><br />
- Heat about 1 tbsp olive oil in a large wok<br />
- Toss in the garlic paste and stir just a few seconds<br />
- As it splutters add the onions and stir fry until translucent<br />
- Now, add the chicken sausage slices and chili powder<br />
- Stir fry on medium heat<br />
- Add the veggies and stir for another minute<br />
- Let this pasta sausage mixture cool for about 2 minutes<br />
- Meanwhile, preheat an oven to 300F<br />
- Transfer the pasta sausage mixture into an oven safe dish<br />
- Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella cheese over the pasta sausage mixture<br />
- Place in oven for about 15 minutes or until the cheese browns on top<br />
- Serve hot<br />
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SERVES 2 to 3<br />
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Let's get cracking on the quick, refreshing salad so we're closer to eating this scrumptious meal before too long! You can scale the ingredients to as much or as little as you want and store this in the refrigerator for another meal, too. I personally love the bursts of the tangy sweetness the pomegranate seeds add to a salad. You have to try it to believe it!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRb4yKxWapFInPnir6uTuB8B3OVNwYVa5qXKeK2kalZhh1_1q740p1zuje4wXh1WUxeGK2Vqw6Vv8GQJww1rCCmRrI2BesbQvF7SOE9PWWZQKtZYdPmZdsjmteKPruE77ei9wMESRwq1Ea/s1600/IMG_1901.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRb4yKxWapFInPnir6uTuB8B3OVNwYVa5qXKeK2kalZhh1_1q740p1zuje4wXh1WUxeGK2Vqw6Vv8GQJww1rCCmRrI2BesbQvF7SOE9PWWZQKtZYdPmZdsjmteKPruE77ei9wMESRwq1Ea/s1600/IMG_1901.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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POMEGRANATE GARDEN SALAD<br />
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<u>Ingredients</u><br />
1 medium sized Cucumber, deseeded and thinly sliced<br />
1/2 Red onion, thinly sliced<br />
1/2 Cup Iceber lettuce, chopped<br />
1/4 Cup Pomegranate seeds<br />
1 tsp Ground pepper powder (Add more if you like to!)<br />
1.5 tbsp Olive oil<br />
1 tsp Fresh lemon juice<br />
And, of course, some salt to taste!<br />
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<u>Method</u><br />
- For the dressing, mix together the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper<br />
- In a large bowl, mix all other ingredients and pour the salad dressing over the same<br />
- Toss until dressing mixes thoroughly<br />
- Place in refrigerator for about 20 to 30 minutes (or longer if you plan to serve it later)<br />
- Serve with your favorite entree<br />
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SERVES 2<br />
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Deepti Pawarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05228690769856346808noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773913459272038177.post-65844219351390508362012-11-03T06:40:00.001-07:002012-11-03T06:40:51.403-07:00Sabakki Sandige | Sabunada Papad | Tapioca Fritters<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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If you know anything about making papads, appalams or any type of sandige then you must be wondering how in the world I managed to make them when Bangalore just faced the wrath of Cyclone Nilam (Those of you in Chennai and surrounding areas, I hope you are fine after the havoc). </div>
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Now, back to the crunchy side dish that will perk up every meal. One of my mother-in-law's friend was nice enough to lend us her expertise to make these for us. All we did was follow her instructions.</div>
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We made this way back in Summer. I just did not find the time to post it. But hey, you have enough time to read and memorize this recipe until next summer. And, try it!! Just make sure you're up early in the morning so you're not working on your roof-top in the hot mid-day heat of Summer.</div>
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These fritters are more than just a side dish. They stay fresh in an air-tight container forever! All you need is to cook up a good South Indian meal (Think drumstick sambar, rice and a dry vegetable on the side) and deep fry these babies to perfection. Yum-O!</div>
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<u>Ingredients</u><br />
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1.5 kg Sabudana/Sabakki/Tapioca pearls, soaked for about 6 hours<br />
12-15 Green chillies, very very finely chopped (add more if you desire)<br />
3-4 tbsp Jeera/Cumin seeds<br />
2 small Onions, finely chopped (Optional)<br />
A large sheet of plastic to dry the papads<br />
And, some salt to taste!<br />
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<u>Method</u><br />
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This is probably my first step-wise pictorial recipe description. So just go with the flow and drop me a line if you think I've missed something out.<br />
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Making this is no rocket science. Just needs a LOT of patience and an equal amount of sunshine!!<br />
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STEP 1 - Soak the sabudana for about 6 hours<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_MFA4kJCKUeF3mtI1dTeNFizFW8o_lh5b0rYpcFsuaP6SQeaRj1RupvBUX-cSPLLvbkpiKzr1qf4vlTpTfY4a3bFBh3WJrKF_scKKwEQ5fr5woLO60uAAKZEhy8RfeP1A7sVSbal9yp5o/s1600/IMG_0925.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_MFA4kJCKUeF3mtI1dTeNFizFW8o_lh5b0rYpcFsuaP6SQeaRj1RupvBUX-cSPLLvbkpiKzr1qf4vlTpTfY4a3bFBh3WJrKF_scKKwEQ5fr5woLO60uAAKZEhy8RfeP1A7sVSbal9yp5o/s640/IMG_0925.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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STEP 2 - Place the soaked sabudana on a stove, over medium flame, continuously stirring, allowing the little pearls to cook.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYLfQAMpzeS25KDLeSD1jE1o0CoPMnL94wczW7xkr5i-buA06X-SpvVuBiEJerpm9F6dp0mVbXE19-s-JHaB7lZZLbSHFHpyY_TmdoI1t15fB1A3gIBcdziBGgK81uSIcxSp5mBeRgE2sO/s1600/IMG_0926.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYLfQAMpzeS25KDLeSD1jE1o0CoPMnL94wczW7xkr5i-buA06X-SpvVuBiEJerpm9F6dp0mVbXE19-s-JHaB7lZZLbSHFHpyY_TmdoI1t15fB1A3gIBcdziBGgK81uSIcxSp5mBeRgE2sO/s640/IMG_0926.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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STEP 3 - Add the chopped green chillies, jeera, onions and salt to the hot sabudana mix and stir to mix. Add more water if you find the mixture becoming too thick. Sabudana has a tendency to absorb water and thicken. Transfer it into a dish with a handle. Yup, we used a bucket!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2WzTgZFSYzgM5MW8joziUo-Z8UCwKkaM4WcuB8Uj4wkdR8xq_VI-Aj4XIGJ0HLEsjuy7zHVpgW5FIhIxG_qROFWEBIzBiJQjqkOzQj3imGE90Ome-njJShlXvCxBkxt0EWHSMwVlh3-Ec/s1600/IMG_0927.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2WzTgZFSYzgM5MW8joziUo-Z8UCwKkaM4WcuB8Uj4wkdR8xq_VI-Aj4XIGJ0HLEsjuy7zHVpgW5FIhIxG_qROFWEBIzBiJQjqkOzQj3imGE90Ome-njJShlXvCxBkxt0EWHSMwVlh3-Ec/s640/IMG_0927.JPG" width="428" /></a></div>
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STEP 4 - Haul your dish to your roof-top terrace. Don't forget a spoon. Lay a mat/bedspread on the floor. Place a large plastic sheet of paper over this and fastened on the ends with something heavy. The sabudana mixture has to be hot while you're at this step. DO NOT DELAY!<br />
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STEP 5 - Spoon little circles of the sabudana mixture onto the plastic sheet. Now, the waiting game begins! Allow the sun to do his job and let the papads-in-the-making get bone dry.<br />
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STEP 6 - As the papads dry, they tend to peel of become transparent, bubbly and fragile to touch. When they peel off easily from the plastic sheet (takes a whole day), pick up a cut of tea and a air-tight container and hit your terrace again.Sip tea as you peel away the papads and store them into your air-tight container.<br />
Ensure that they are completely dry. If they're not, you might want to lay them out in the sun again the next day.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkwxvxQOkkssAy3m3ou02GQFbHGt27bK17_fhUPyVTsT1oHfH4o-SvZrOhyr2vla1vRerI_s2ypk_7MQrQ41jNo14kPCVaiUcyPJpSEs-7EPKEQSi3f_YGQoUpgTi9wJuw44NMhK9y9da3/s1600/IMG_0933.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkwxvxQOkkssAy3m3ou02GQFbHGt27bK17_fhUPyVTsT1oHfH4o-SvZrOhyr2vla1vRerI_s2ypk_7MQrQ41jNo14kPCVaiUcyPJpSEs-7EPKEQSi3f_YGQoUpgTi9wJuw44NMhK9y9da3/s640/IMG_0933.JPG" width="428" /></a></div>
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Once completely dry, the papads are ready to be deep-fried. Make that scrumptious meal and get chomping away. Now! </div>
Deepti Pawarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05228690769856346808noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773913459272038177.post-89582381822449817062012-06-01T11:01:00.002-07:002012-06-01T11:01:55.248-07:00Indo-Chinese Style Chicken Lollypop<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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As much as you're stuck up with the notion that India still fancies those little cart-style joints that churned out the most delicious Indo-Chinese food - Think again. They've moved on. The food scene in India has changed. So much so that I was left dumbfounded when I saw pasta at a popular Pizza chain. Oh yes, I was fully stumped when the waiter offered me a choice of Fusilli or Penne with my alfredo sauce, since I did not want fettucine. Now, why am I discussing Italian cuisine when we're here to deal with Indo-Chinese? Oh well... End of the day... Food is food is food! And, in truth, this post is to update all you people who were ignorant (until now), like me, in estimating India's culinary growth. Be enlightened!<br />
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Coming to the availability of world cuisine. All you got to do is ask for it. There's probably some place in some corner of every city that imports, makes or grows the ingredient or food you're looking for. My joy knew no bounds when I discovered I can get the freshest of cold cuts from a store cum deli very close to my office. Oh yes, that's another thing that's kept me off the blog. I landed myself a job a couple weeks ago. Just getting into the groove of work-life after a sabbatical of six years, really. So now. Back to the topic. The office is so beautifully located, I seem to find restaurants serving just about all cuisines in the world. I've downed Italian and Mexican and I can say, the taste is very authentic (or at least as authentic as these cuisines are in America).<br />
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All the while that I was at home before I took up the job here in India, I tried to put in efforts to prepare different types of dishes. It is certainly nice to see everyone enjoy something off the monotony. On one such Sunday, I dished out these uber-succulent indo-chinese style spicy chicken lollypops to go with fried rice. Yum-o!<br />
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If I've given you enough reasons to go beyond Indian cooking, then you should probably try out this currently-in-vogue-everywhere dish. Perfectly trimmed chicken wings, appropriately cut and formed into little pops, marinated in a spicy sauce, dipped in batter, deep-fried to golden crunchiness and then bathed in a seasoning of soy sauce, onions and chillies.<br />
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Oh my gosh. Someone please either make this for me NOW or buy it from somewhere. I am DROOOLING!!<br />
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I've talked enough about the ease with which you can get ingredients in India. Here's to another tidbit. You even get chicken wings made into lollypops in leading meat stores. If you can find a butcher, you can even ask him to do it for you.
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<u>Ingredients for the Marinade </u><br />
20 to 24 Chicken wings prepared to make lollipops, washed (Procedure below)<br />
2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste<br />
1 tsp Turmeric<br />
1/2 tbsp Garam Masala<br />
2-3 tbsp Red chillie powder (adjust per taste)<br />
3 tbsp Soy Sauce<br />
And, of course, some salt to taste!<br />
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<u>Ingredients for the Batter</u><br />
1 Egg<br />
1 Cup All purpose flour (Maida)<br />
1/2 Cup Corn flour (fine)<br />
1 tsp Red Chillie powder (optional)<br />
1 tbsp Soy Sauce<br />
A pinch of Red Food Colouring (optional)<br />
Oil, for deep frying<br />
And, of course, some salt to taste!<br />
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<u>Ingredients for the Stir-fry Sauce</u><br />
1 Bunch of Scallions, julienned<br />
2 Red Onions, finely chopped<br />
1 Small onion, diced<br />
8-10 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced<br />
3-4 Green chillies, slit (adjust per taste)<br />
2-3 tbsp Soy sauce<br />
Oil<br />
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Now, let's get down to making these yum-de-dum pops shall we?<br />
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<u>Method to Prepare Chicken Wings and their marination</u><br />
- Split each chicken wing into two parts at the point where it is joint<br />
- Pull back the meat from one end of the bone over the other.<br />
- Make sure you do not pull the meat out entirely<br />
- Your chicken wing is now, officially, a lollipop<br />
- Now, for the marinade, mix all the ingredients listed under 'Ingredients for the Marinade' in a large bowl<br />
- Dunk in the prepared chicken lollypops and stir<br />
- Close bowl and store in the fridge until you prepare your batter<br />
[An alternative (Easier and Food Network chefs recommend it too!) method would be to toss it all in a zip-top bag, add chicken and give it a good shimmy-shake to coat completely and pop in the refridgerator]<br />
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<u>Method to Prepare Batter and fry lollypops</u><br />
- Pour oil in a large wok on medium flame<br />
- While the oil heats up, get the batter ready by mixing all the ingredients listed under ' Ingredients for the Batter' in a large bowl. Add just enough water to make a thick, dip-able consistency batter<br />
- Toss in the marinated lollypops in batter and deep fry until crispy. If you're like me, you may lust at the sight of the chicken at this step itself. But hang in there... It only gets better here on!<br />
- Drain fried lollypops on kitchen towel<br />
- Method to Prepare Stir-fry Sauce<br />
- Heat about 2-3 tbsp oil in another wok<br />
- Toss in the sliced garlic, green chillies and onion and stir try<br />
- Add soy sauce and fry until its all well-blended<br />
- Throw in the julienned scallions and stir fry<br />
- Finally, add the deep fried chicken lollypops<br />
- Serve hot<br />
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Serves 10-12</div>
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</div>Deepti Pawarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05228690769856346808noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773913459272038177.post-8686458887598052172012-04-30T04:56:00.001-07:002012-04-30T04:56:41.082-07:00New Beginnings<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Vehicles honk past on the main roads, waking us up. Street hawkers giving their best hollers, reaching out to a prospective buyer. The maid renders her stone-washed look to clothes. Milk coming to a boil on the stove-top. It's morning. It's India.</div>
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Just when you concluded that I've banished my blog, I am back here. And at the risk of sounding non-promising, let me tell you I may not be as regular. Life is certainly a lot more hectic here. But all said and done, this is home. And, we're here. Now!</div>
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It's taken me a good two months to settle in. I was itching to blog. I did miss you after all, you see! So, I thought let me share with you something as fresh as the mornings. </div>
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Here's a picture of the hibiscus plant on our terrace - A place I visit every evening to refresh myself in the cool breeze of the evening, once the sizzling sun has blazed us down. Summer has been killer, to say the least. And, our terrace mini-garden is quite a retreat for sore eyes.</div>
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Here's a close-up of the pretty pink that captured my heart.<br />
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On this fresh note, I plan to restart Some Salt To Taste - with more vibrant, fun-filled stories and recipes, of course. Isn't that what we're here for? India - Here we are!<br />
<br /></div>Deepti Pawarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05228690769856346808noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773913459272038177.post-12386774460959364252011-12-26T15:43:00.000-08:002013-04-22T02:22:22.455-07:00Citrus Golden Sangria<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I told'ja I'd see you around New Year's, didn't I? Here I am. For starters, how about we have a rapid-fire round of questions before we close this year's posts? Here we go!</div>
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Ever had a sip of a drink and wanted to jump into it and live in there forever? Ever wanted to go all the way and make your own drinks for guests rather than just pick up readily available wines, beer and soda? Ever wanted to quench your thirst with something home-made, yet with the right amount of 'hiccity-hic'? Ever wanted to feel like it is summer when it is bone-chillingly cold outside with some cheery looking drink?</div>
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Sangrias are the answer! Inviting hues ranging from blood red, fiery oranges, pretty pinks, golden yellows and clear whites - These are down-right amazingly flexible wine based drinks. And talking about color, let me mention to you that I bring to your party this drink only because of the <a href="http://somesalttotaste.blogspot.com/2011/07/free-sirit-bloggers.html">Free-Spirit Bloggers</a> (pun totally unintentional).</div>
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This winter, FSB-ite <a href="http://slurpchompyumm.blogspot.com/">Mridhubhashini</a> decided to throw more than a snow-ball at all of us. The chirpy young lady gave us a theme fit to liven up any occasion. It being New Year's and all, she made this one really vibrant. She randomly assigned colours of the rainbow to numbers and asked us to pick one each. Next she said, go ahead and make food/drinks which would finally look that colour that we picked. We FSB-ites sure love such games. And, it was my turn to paint it orange!</div>
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Many on-board FSB have chosen to make a three course meal using the colour they picked, but I decided to make just a drink, not due to shortage of orange coloured foods, but simply due to shortage of time and some other reasons (which I will fill you in shortly).<br />
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And so...yes, Sangria! They're basically wine punches supposed to have originated from Spain and Portugal and have found their way into pitchers across the world. Fresh fruit, wine, sweetener, soda and a hint of brandy if you like, is all it takes. Oh and yes, about a day for all these wonderful flavors to get to know each other well in your refrigerator.<br />
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Coming to a wee bit of news from my end - We're moving back to India for good from the US sometime early next year. So this might well be the last post from me for a long while now, unless I sneak in some sit-down-and-write time amidst all the packing that's going on. I'll certainly see you all back, but for now, I'll be taking a break. So, until next time, here's sending you and yours good luck, best wishes and good health in the coming New Year and always.<br />
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For now, go ahead and finish that pitcher of Sangria!<br />
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While most recipes call for adding gin or brandy alongside wine, I decided to do away with it. This rendition of Sangria is sweet, light, fruity, refreshing and a perfect way to begin the New Year!<br />
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<u>Ingredients</u><br />
2 Cups White Zinfandel (Or any other blush wine that you prefer)<br />
3 to 4 Oranges, washed and sliced<br />
1 Lime, washed and sliced<br />
1 Lemon, washed and sliced<br />
1/4 Cup Lemon juice, freshly squeezed<br />
12 fl. oz. Mandarin Soda (Or use regular orange flavoured soda like Fanta etc.)<br />
Whole Strawberries in syrup (optional)<br />
Simple Syrup (recipe below)<br />
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<u>Method</u><br />
- To make simple syrup, combine 1/4 Cup of water and 1/4 Cup of Sugar in a saucepan on medium flame and heat, stirring continuously until the sugar dissolves and set aside to cool<br />
- In a large bowl/pitcher toss all the ingredients except the orange soda<br />
- Stir slowly to mix it all up<br />
- Place in refrigerator overnight to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maceration_(food)">macerate</a><br />
- To serve, pour sangria along with fruit in a tall glass and top up with chilled orange soda<br />
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Makes about 2 glasses of Sangria<br />
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Again, have a fabulous New Year!</div>
Deepti Pawarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05228690769856346808noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773913459272038177.post-41185032070585203392011-12-18T13:43:00.000-08:002015-02-14T11:39:25.207-08:00Classic Red Velvet Cake<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Jingle bells, candy canes, cookies and winter,<br />
Lit up homes, decorated trees and warm apple cider!<br />
Santa's on his sleigh, commanding his reindeer,<br />
Would you believe Christmas is already here?<br />
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Ok, I get it. I'm no good at poetry. But, here's what is good. I have something lovely to share with you. And, it is, after all the season of giving and sharing. This time around its a classic recipe for a cake that will give you every reason (if you haven't any yet!) to celebrate - Red Velvet Cake.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggTToQjVAYc50iE3PFcrNkHkzCg9Nc0HKBTNMesnRo5Iz4UwzTWU8U0nIFUIZhsxMcra1SF7wDtP5lCuZmbsGPgpcVwli9j-1RD9KwmrFPyxw6KkhIlcyDk0KA0KYs8FKxg5swyIy_XtXh/s1600/RedVelvetCake1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggTToQjVAYc50iE3PFcrNkHkzCg9Nc0HKBTNMesnRo5Iz4UwzTWU8U0nIFUIZhsxMcra1SF7wDtP5lCuZmbsGPgpcVwli9j-1RD9KwmrFPyxw6KkhIlcyDk0KA0KYs8FKxg5swyIy_XtXh/s640/RedVelvetCake1.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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I had no clue something this divine and delicious even existed until we got to the US. Call me ignorant, but I had my first taste out of a two slice packaged box at my local grocery store, which was baked at the bakery on premises. It was both love at first sight and bite, really. The gorgeous red layers bathed in serene white cream cheese frosting had me swooning.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTjz0LjWZzyznbt5DFhGPhd3gWsgoe047ofLpqcud3LLOowTjyNu58qzotw49mFGBNxnJNA9TCbqlhylXmK37qMTkKkREUxv37qf_wRdKQ9rwO5z6zPKpEXSXKTiq_duraTzBI3nePMJWP/s1600/CreamCheeseFrosting.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTjz0LjWZzyznbt5DFhGPhd3gWsgoe047ofLpqcud3LLOowTjyNu58qzotw49mFGBNxnJNA9TCbqlhylXmK37qMTkKkREUxv37qf_wRdKQ9rwO5z6zPKpEXSXKTiq_duraTzBI3nePMJWP/s640/CreamCheeseFrosting.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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So, yes, it was a new thing for me. I obviously wanted to try it and I did not want to experiment the first time around. I found the <a href="http://www.joyofbaking.com/RedVelvetCake.html">recipe </a>on a <a href="http://www.joyofbaking.com/">popular baking website</a> because I did not want to mess this up. Not one bit. It turned out great as you can see. </div>
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Did you know that although this cake looks so very red, it even has cocoa in it? And, buttermilk? And vinegar? The cocoa heightens the rich flavor and the buttermilk renders tenderness. Some believe that the red color comes from the reaction of the vinegar and the buttermilk. But, these days everyone uses food coloring to enhance the red. </div>
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It is said that the Red Velvet is a distant relative of the very famous Devil's Cake. For certain, this one has the colour of his horns all over himself!! Before you start growing a pair of your own out of sheer sinful temptation - Go bake!</div>
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Recipe source - Joyofbaking.com</div>
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<u>Ingredients for the Cake</u></div>
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2 1/2 Cups All purpose flour, sifted and then measured</div>
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1 1/2 Cups Confectioners sugar/Powdered sugar/Icing sugar (You can use regular granulated sugar as well)</div>
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2tbsp Cocoa Powder</div>
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1 tsp Baking Soda</div>
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1/2 tsp Salt</div>
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1 tsp Vanilla Extract</div>
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1/2 Cup Unsalted butter, at room temperature
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2 Large Eggs, at room temperature</div>
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1 Cup Buttermilk (Unsalted)</div>
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1 tsp White distilled vinegar</div>
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2 tbsp Liquid red food <span style="text-align: left;">coloring</span></div>
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<u>Method to prepare the cake</u></div>
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- Preheat oven to 350F; Grease cake pan (I used a 9 inch round cake pan and then cut layers after baking)</div>
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- Sift together flour, salt and cocoa powder and set aside</div>
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- Cream together butter and sugar until soft and fluffy</div>
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- Add eggs, one at a time, with the mixer on</div>
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- Add Vanilla Extract and combine well</div>
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- In a small bowl, mix together the buttermilk and red food colouring</div>
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- With the mixer on low speed, alternately at the red buttermilk and the flour to the butter mixture, in three additions, starting and ending with the flour</div>
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- In another small bowl, add baking soda to the vinegar and allow to fizz</div>
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- Quickly fold this into the batter</div>
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- Pour into prepared cake pan and bake for about 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean</div>
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- Once fully baked, take out of oven and cool 10 minutes and then invert onto cooling rack</div>
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- When the cake is fully cooled, wrap and set aside in refrigerator and prepare the frosting</div>
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The recipe for frosting on the website called for Mascarpone cheese. I went ahead and replaced that with cream cheese instead and did a full-on cream cheese frosting. If you prefer using mascarpone just use half cream cheese and half mascarpone in this recipe.</div>
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<u>Ingredients for Cream Cheese Frosting</u></div>
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16 to 20 oz of Cream Cheese, at room temperature</div>
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1 Cup confectioners' sugar, sifted</div>
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1 tsp Vanilla Extract</div>
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About 1 1/2 Cup Cold Heavy Whipping Cream</div>
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<u>Method to prepare Cream Cheese Frosting</u></div>
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- Place cream cheese in a large bowl</div>
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- On medium speed of your mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth</div>
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- Add vanilla extract and combine</div>
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- Add sugar, a little at a time and mix until incorporated</div>
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- On low speed of your mixer, gradually pour in the heavy cream and mix until frosting comes to a spreading consistency. If the frosting becomes too flow-y, add sugar to stiffen it up</div>
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<u>Decorating the Red Velvet</u></div>
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This is all your game really. I cut up mine into three layers and spread the frosting inside and on top. I used the tip of a rubber spatula and ran it around the top to give it that stripe-y finish and piped cream cheese on the sides.</div>
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Here are some tips for achieve a well frosted cake.</div>
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1. Tort/Level the top of the cake if it has a dome</div>
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2. Flip cake upside-down and then cut into layers. This way you will have a flat top for your final decorated cake</div>
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3. Use a frosting spatula to spread frosting on cake layers</div>
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4. While frosting top and outsides, always start by adding a generous dollop (almost all of what you have left after you frost the layers) of frosting on top and then spreading from top to bottom and then covering the sides and finally wiping off the excess from the sides</div>
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5. Never lift the spatula in the middle while spreading frosting. This is what causes peaks and valleys in the frosting</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK9Huob1HtYFUvrIkfw5AxVq2SShI-Xu2q-Kbg0FxBwYsz4klv97vrksdwmulgffl3hgYKEM7k0tEfm7LObP38zAt0F8AXXydYr0qa87_KhXe973inNCChMzc-0yPSqurWs8xNm7XMpcDn/s1600/Red+Velvet-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK9Huob1HtYFUvrIkfw5AxVq2SShI-Xu2q-Kbg0FxBwYsz4klv97vrksdwmulgffl3hgYKEM7k0tEfm7LObP38zAt0F8AXXydYr0qa87_KhXe973inNCChMzc-0yPSqurWs8xNm7XMpcDn/s1600/Red+Velvet-1.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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I do hope this one has ignited the festive spirit in you. Merry Christmas to you and yours and see you around New Years'!</div>
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Deepti Pawarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05228690769856346808noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773913459272038177.post-2765481243519236082011-12-11T13:48:00.001-08:002011-12-16T13:31:31.404-08:00Brown Rice Spaghetti with Rotisserie Seasoned Chicken<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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A couple of stores in the US carry some really interesting things. Among others, I hate why <a href="http://www.traderjoes.com/">Trader Joe's</a> hasn't yet opened a store around where we live. So, every time I'd go to meet people who lived near one, I'd never miss a chance to hop by and gape at all the line-up of organic, naturally delicious stuff they stock up. I flip like a teenager in love, each and every time I see their packaging and brown bags made using recycled paper.</div>
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On one such <strike>voracious</strike> trip to Trader Joe's I picked up this packet of brown rice spaghetti. Following the package instructions, the first time around I cooked it and tossed it in some regular marinara sauce. No great shakes. Tasted good. But, this spaghetti was so earthy and wholesome I just <i>had</i> to put it to better use.</div>
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On another (not so voracious) mundane grocery shopping day, I picked up some <a href="http://www.kraftbrands.com/oscarmayer/carving-board/chicken.html">Oscar Mayor Carving Board Rotisserie Seasoned Chicken</a>. I could possibly eat just this thing all by itself and not want anything else with it. Randomly cut the chicken into chunks, add tomatoes, onions, lettuce, seasoned bread croutons and your favorite dressing and it is a meal in itself! </div>
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And, on another wonderful day when I really was voraciously hungry, I married the most delicious spaghetti with the best deli chicken in town and made this scrumptious lunch.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8qg2drETUhs3THE9hRfg6vThegoTvpo-MKg4s_FB0tzDYgZv-aHl_Z0-rwBCddIIctq6HFddHZUz7U1y5SNThOFECvPUnv6euWc06aK26Yu183qwvpbv2vZJJMe5bd3wXHHzXmntqOuyp/s1600/BrownRiceSpagRotisChx.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8qg2drETUhs3THE9hRfg6vThegoTvpo-MKg4s_FB0tzDYgZv-aHl_Z0-rwBCddIIctq6HFddHZUz7U1y5SNThOFECvPUnv6euWc06aK26Yu183qwvpbv2vZJJMe5bd3wXHHzXmntqOuyp/s640/BrownRiceSpagRotisChx.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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You need very few ingredients for this one but the outcome will make people thing you slogged for hours in the kitchen. You can even make this with regular pasta and deli chicken (or cooked shredded chicken). Yum is the word. Try it for yourself!</div>
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<u>Ingredients</u></div>
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1/2 Packet of Brown Rice Spaghetti OR Regular spaghetti</div>
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1/2 Box of Rotisserie Seasoned Chicken, cut into random chunks OR cooked and shredded chicken</div>
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1/2 Cup Red Onions, cubed</div>
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1/2 Green Bell Pepper/Capsicum, julienned</div>
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2-3 Garlic Cloves, crushed</div>
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2-3 Scallions, cut into one inch pieces</div>
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1 tsp Pepper (Use more if desired)</div>
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Oil</div>
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And, of course, some salt to taste!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVoIw-rGVkh6vr1ptyK40aIY4yJTctTmsxmRreyS7zeAmfCXt4vVCF9pzxacFtYB93VPooO1b_Sc2Qzjn9jzjlmZswehsbAJC_GDUpap7EyYijcgvSJ-xYpzdSWfUxPo2_PFrD9OTmb_h0/s1600/BrownRiceSpagRotisChx1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVoIw-rGVkh6vr1ptyK40aIY4yJTctTmsxmRreyS7zeAmfCXt4vVCF9pzxacFtYB93VPooO1b_Sc2Qzjn9jzjlmZswehsbAJC_GDUpap7EyYijcgvSJ-xYpzdSWfUxPo2_PFrD9OTmb_h0/s640/BrownRiceSpagRotisChx1.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<u>Method</u></div>
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- Cook spaghetti as per package instructions. (Or use <a href="http://somesalttotaste.blogspot.com/2009/05/how-to-cook-pasta.html">these directions</a>)</div>
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- In a wide non-stick pan, heat about 2-3 tbsp oil</div>
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- Once the oil is hot, add cubed onions and saute until tender</div>
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- Add green bell peppers and saute for another 3-4 minutes</div>
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- Toss in the scallions and stir fry</div>
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- Add chicken and stir fry for about a minute or two, since the chicken is already cooked</div>
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- Add the cooked spaghetti, salt and pepper and toss until all of the spaghetti is well mixed with the onions, peppers, scallion and the chicken</div>
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- Serve hot with a glass of red wine</div>
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Serves 2-3</div>
</div>Deepti Pawarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05228690769856346808noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773913459272038177.post-28587504401165683582011-12-08T08:37:00.001-08:002011-12-09T13:32:27.509-08:00Karanji | Sweetened Coconut Filled Deep Fried Crescents<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We're landing head-on into Christmas, and here I am, still blogging about Diwali goodies. Call me lazy, but hey, goodies are goodies - no matter when they're eaten. So, perhaps, you could make these sweet treats for your family and friends for these holidays, after all!<br />
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Now that you bought my excuse I feel a little lighter and free of guilt for not having these up around Diwali. But they're here now and they're still as good. These beautiful, crunchy crescents stuffed with sugar, coconut, cardamom and couple other things will have you clean up the platter and lick the left-over crumbs.<br />
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You can store these for over a week in an air tight container. No better reason than to stash away some right on your counter-top!<br />
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<u>Ingredients </u><br />
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<i>For the Crescents</i><br />
1 1/2 Cup Maida/All purpose flour<br />
1/4 Cup Rava/Sooji/Semolina (fine variety)<br />
2 tbsp ghee<br />
2 tsp Sugar<br />
1 tsp Salt<br />
Oil and Water, to knead the dough<br />
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<i>For the Filling</i><br />
1 Cup Freshly grated coconut (You may use thawed frozen grated coconut as well)<br />
3/4 Cup Sugar (Use more if you like it really sweet)<br />
1/4 Cup Split Chana Dalia/Putane, powdered<br />
1 tsp Cardamom seeds, crushed<br />
1 tbsp Raisins, roasted in ghee until plump<br />
A handful of Cashew nuts, roasted in ghee until golden and chopped<br />
1 tsp Salt<br />
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<i>Others</i><br />
Oil, for frying<br />
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<u>Method</u><br />
- In a large non-stick wok, dry roast the maida and rava on a low flame and remove into a wide bowl for kneading<br />
- Add sugar and salt to the roasted maida-rava mixture<br />
- Melt ghee and pour it over the flour and knead to a stiff, yet pliable consistency (much like chapathi dough)<br />
- When it comes together into a ball, add about 2-3 tbsp of oil and knead well<br />
- Cover and set aside<br />
- Mix all the ingredients for the filling in another bowl and set aside<br />
- Now, pull out one inch wide balls of dough and roll into thin,round discs<br />
- Spoon about 1 tbsp of filling into each disc (placing on one side helps with the next step)<br />
- Fold over to form a crescent and seal the edges using your fingers to make 'pleats'<br />
- Set oil on a medium flame, and when heated slowly drop karanjis/crescents into the oil<br />
- Fry until golden brown<br />
- Set aside fried karanjis on paper towel and allow to cool completely (They harden on cooling) and place in air-tight containers to store.<br />
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TIP - Make about 5-8 crescents at a time before frying, else they will tend to dry out<br />
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Makes around 30-40 karanjis</div>Deepti Pawarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05228690769856346808noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773913459272038177.post-5130274057651993452011-11-21T08:12:00.001-08:002011-11-21T09:50:50.946-08:00Cupcake Mania | Buttercream Frosting Recipe and Icing 101<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
There's really nothing much to be said on this post. I made this for a couple of close friends when we all met up at a new vacation home in the Poconos, that one of them had bought.<br />
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It was celebration time, so cupcakes were the perfect answer.<br />
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I baked over 3 dozen egg-less cupcakes. One batch of plain vanilla, one of vanilla with chocolate chips and one of good ol' chocolate. I then made blue, white and brown buttercream frosting and decorated them.<br />
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Here's the super simple recipe to the best and most popular frosting on this planet!<br />
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<u><b>Buttercream Frosting Recipe</b></u><br />
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<i>Ingredients</i><br />
1 Cup Unsalted Butter/Vegetable Shortening, at room temperature<br />
4 Cups Confectioner's Sugar, sifted<br />
1 tsp. Vanilla Essence (Or any other flavour that you want to use, like almond, pineapple etc.)<br />
2 - 4 tbsp milk (Or more depending on the consistency of icing you want in the end)<br />
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<i>Other</i><br />
Icing Colours (optional; as desired)<br />
Electric Hand Mixer (Using a whisk would just take you much, much longer)<br />
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<u>Icing Notes</u><br />
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1. Using Vegetable Shortening in place of butter will ensure you have pure white buttercream frosting<br />
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2. In order to make dark brown/chocolate colored frosting you will need to substitute one cup of sugar with cocoa powder. If it turns out too thin, add more sugar since sugar stiffens icing.<br />
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<i>Method</i><br />
- Place vegetable shortening/ unsalted butter and vanilla essence in a large bowl<br />
- Add sugar about half cup at a time and mix using the hand mixer/whisk until all the sugar is well blended<br />
- Add milk, one teaspoonful at a time to thin the icing to desired texture and mix well<br />
- At this point the buttercream frosting is ready and you can colour it with desired icing colours<br />
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<u>Icing Texture Guide</u><br />
a) Very Stiff/Minimal Milk usage -This type of icing takes effort to spread because of its extreme thickness. It is best for icing flowers and decorations that need to hold their shape<br />
b) Medium Consistency - This type of icing spreads when pressure is applied but still holds shape. It is best for cake borders and icing patterns<br />
c) Thin Consistency - This type of icing spreads very easily and is perfect to cover cakes<br />
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<u>Adding Colour to Icing</u><br />
- Icing colour comes in the form of gel. If you plan on using liquid food colouring, remember that the liquid can thin out the consistency of your buttercream icing.<br />
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- Use toothpicks to pick colour from the icing gel tub and then dip into the buttercream icing. Mix in the colour using a rubber spatula.<br />
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- If you need to add more colour, always use a new toothpick to pick the icing colour gel<br />
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I hope you found all this information helpful. I am no professional at this stuff, but all this is based on what I've read, learnt and experimented with.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH4b4RDQdqYwUj4tQ2gvZVHFUDILab09cFXHZ12H5AhqXzzZXX0Hh32QP8DjQlXnaRyqzSaw7qbiRaU5rn-7w4maBvFMLe_vfsMlshjutI0ouHVqyKt7qg7drRhFxtVPPAowlOgK4qGBUa/s1600/Cupcake+mania2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH4b4RDQdqYwUj4tQ2gvZVHFUDILab09cFXHZ12H5AhqXzzZXX0Hh32QP8DjQlXnaRyqzSaw7qbiRaU5rn-7w4maBvFMLe_vfsMlshjutI0ouHVqyKt7qg7drRhFxtVPPAowlOgK4qGBUa/s640/Cupcake+mania2.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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And, to end this post I'd like to share a picture that I personally love the most, even with some flaws in the frosting/frosting technique.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguu6IaiAIxaSyWthi4K2cEzAi9D2lqn0BNN1jQsYFPLtFMM7l039WzoGy25pVES5ZktKxIMVaNKQ6_HbZIaP1-7F9BCkYX84uL-03Huit2ZBmsd76mhJ1CA6ujsJHlMB6PnTycnLEyOXLb/s1600/PB045282.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguu6IaiAIxaSyWthi4K2cEzAi9D2lqn0BNN1jQsYFPLtFMM7l039WzoGy25pVES5ZktKxIMVaNKQ6_HbZIaP1-7F9BCkYX84uL-03Huit2ZBmsd76mhJ1CA6ujsJHlMB6PnTycnLEyOXLb/s640/PB045282.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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Drool on!</div>Deepti Pawarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05228690769856346808noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773913459272038177.post-70345306913879781402011-11-12T09:25:00.001-08:002011-12-08T08:37:40.108-08:00Kodbale | Savory Rice Flour Rings<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I've been missing in action, I know. No wonder they call it the holidays out here. Diwali followed by Thanksgiving, I've been doing nothing but cook, eat and repeat!</div>
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Do you have memories associated with food? I do. Especially with kodbales. I'm in awe of all those tiny shops in India that churn out these kind of fried snacks, pack them in cellophane bags and sell them. They put a tiny white placard with the name of their store in tiny-er letters, along with details like the price and weight - all the ink smudged and oh-so-soggy with oil after having been snugly wrapped in along with the fried goodies. These little things were'nt fancy like well packaged, loudly colored snack boxes we get today, but they certainly made many memories. As a part of a after-school snack, or just something to much along on holidays,movies or picnics, they were always a hit.</div>
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I've tried recreating kodbales at home and this recipe works like a charm always. I made these during Diwali, as a part of the festive spread offered to Goddess Lakshmi. Ever since we got to the US, this has indeed been a mandatory snack because of its easy, although slightly time consuming, preparation.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcU5b8IkJFe0wAjc5xHH9zHDF13OeKs1L4xPimRCBvEMvJBQCkQhlBZYUno5a2D6Q2Hhg3JJao-0tt2T859HTEu7lSQAnFwte9ZR5MqPZhS9z1XtQ2ZERSo0xXSeOmJ2qMP1tSN8OlZXTm/s1600/Kodbale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="506" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcU5b8IkJFe0wAjc5xHH9zHDF13OeKs1L4xPimRCBvEMvJBQCkQhlBZYUno5a2D6Q2Hhg3JJao-0tt2T859HTEu7lSQAnFwte9ZR5MqPZhS9z1XtQ2ZERSo0xXSeOmJ2qMP1tSN8OlZXTm/s640/Kodbale.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I think this recipe is good enough, but somehow they did not turn up as crunchy as I intended them to be - Just about 95% there. Any suggestions are most welcome.<br />
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<u>Ingredients</u><br />
1 1/2 Cups Rice Flour<br />
1/2 Cup Maida<br />
3/4 Cup Rava (I used the fine variety)<br />
1 tsp Jeera/Cumin seeds<br />
1/4 Cup dry coconut, grated<br />
5 Dried red chillies<br />
1 tbsp Urad Dal<br />
1 tbsp Channa Dal<br />
1 tbsp Ghee<br />
Oil, for frying<br />
And, of course, some salt to taste!<br />
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<u>Method</u><br />
- Place a large non-stick saucepan/wok on a skillet over low flame and roast the dried red chillies, jeera, urad dal, channa dal and grated coconut, adding one at a time in the same order<br />
- Let cool and grind into a paste using minimum water and set aside<br />
- Now in the wok, add the rice flour, maida and rava and roast for about 5 minutes<br />
- Toss in the cooled and ground spice/coconut paste into the roasted flours<br />
- Add salt and mix well<br />
- Melt ghee and pour it over the flour mixture<br />
- Give it a minute or two (the ghee will be hot) and mix it all together<br />
- Add water to bring the flour/spice mixture into a firm and stiff dough consistency, finally add a few tablespoons of oil and smooth it into a ball<br />
- Heat oil in in the fryer/wok and using small portions of the dough, make 'bangles' and deep fry until golden brown<br />
- Place on kitchen towel to soak up excess oil<br />
- Once done frying, allow the kodbales to cool completely and then store in an air-tight container. These last for over a month, unless they're not eaten up!</div>Deepti Pawarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05228690769856346808noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773913459272038177.post-62255314602734697172011-11-09T13:14:00.000-08:002011-11-09T13:14:57.746-08:00Microwave Dudh Peda<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Let me start with a confession. This is no secret recipe. Google it and you will get umpteen links to the same one. But, here's why I made it. I wanted to try it, of course. And, it was Diwali. I heard it was a fool-proof, super-simple recipe so I got all gutsy and decided to make it anyway! </div>
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Besides, who would want to stand next to the stove waiting for humongous amounts milk to reduce when you can just pop things in the microwave and being eating pedas instead?</div>
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I personally found that the final peda, although tasted exactly like the elaborate version one, was slightly sticky to bite into. Also, the butter was on the higher side as well. You can opt to reduce about 2 tablespoons.</div>
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This was the first of my <a href="http://somesalttotaste.blogspot.com/2011/10/diwali-greetings.html">Diwali line up of sweets and savory snacks</a>. And to say it took less time to make than to roll out into sweets would be another confession. Just three main ingredients and a microwave is all you need. So, you know what you're making the next time you crave something sweet!</div>
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<u>Ingredients</u><br />
1/2 cup (8oz) Unsalted butter<br />
1 Can (14oz) Condensed Milk<br />
2 Cups Milk Powder<br />
1 tsp powdered cardamom seeds<br />
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<u>Other</u><br />
Wide microwave-safe bowl<br />
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<u>Method</u><br />
- In the microwave safe bowl , toss in the butter and melt it in the microwave<br />
- Add the rest of the ingredients and give a good stir to mix well (The bowl remains uncovered throughout the process)<br />
- In 30 second intervals, microwave on medium, stirring frequently to bring the ingredients together into a soft dough-like consistency<br />
- Once all ingredients come together, set aside for about a minute or two to allow to cool a tad bit<br />
- Grease a plate with oil/butter, and using your hands make pedas out of the mixture. Go on, taste it and you will be lying if you said it did not taste delicious!<br />
- Decorate with dried fruit and/or nuts<br />
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DO NOT allow the mixture to rest too long because it will dry up. Cover it as you make the pedas, lest you end up having cracked ones. Has anyone come up with a solution to this? My pedas cracked up on the outsides although they were staying together.<br />
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Makes about 30 to 35 one inch wide pedas</div>Deepti Pawarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05228690769856346808noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773913459272038177.post-66990198231899417262011-11-02T12:51:00.000-07:002011-11-19T09:42:05.326-08:00Creamy Mushroom Farfalle with Steamed Veggies<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Ever come across a moment in life that changes the way you see a certain thing, person or sometimes even a situation? Among other larger such 'moments-of-change', to me is hidden this one moment that revolutionized the way I saw a little button of a thing - Mushroom. And, such was the theme for last month's Free-Spirit Bloggers. It was chosen by none other than Anupama of <a href="http://www.loveandlentil.com/">Love and Lentils</a>. </div>
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Anupama challenged us to pick out a food/ingredient that we steer clear of. Something we've never liked as a child or even as a grown up and cook with it. Not to forget she asked us to have fun doing so. Here's my story keeping in mind this wonderfully challenging theme.</div>
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It would seem normal for a pure vegetarian to state he or she did not like mushrooms because of its taste and texture. But for me, being a meat-eater did nothing towards how I saw mushrooms until very recently. I must thank my very close pal, V, for introducing me to this way of cooking mushrooms. V found this recipe in some cookbook, apparently. Now, there's almost nothing to hate and everything to love when I think of mushrooms.</div>
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I love pasta, but I never for once imagined it would gain a new dimension of taste when you throw is a dash (or more, ahem!) of cream and mushrooms. I was so in love with it the day I ate it and now, I make it for lunch at least once a week (cutting back on the cream of course!). I must add my son loves this as much as I do. So, all you moms looking for a fresh new perspective on pasta - This is IT!</div>
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What's even more awesome is that you can club this with a side of fresh steamed veggies and voila what do you have? Creamy Mushroom Farfalle with Steamed Veggies!!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEOC9Hiff5OnKn0TT0vD6aiG6sVuH-gQ4Dmy4y55gYfAsTwfiQewqrfCM-dGVuUo-on-rFvDUcFkr5PApJFnYFSz-67A1FB6tqYlXu_c6cRI9lkI2N6rVDfP2MSruOeHCv3veRabkkjzuo/s1600/Creamy+Mushroom+Farfalle.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEOC9Hiff5OnKn0TT0vD6aiG6sVuH-gQ4Dmy4y55gYfAsTwfiQewqrfCM-dGVuUo-on-rFvDUcFkr5PApJFnYFSz-67A1FB6tqYlXu_c6cRI9lkI2N6rVDfP2MSruOeHCv3veRabkkjzuo/s640/Creamy+Mushroom+Farfalle.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Pasta leaves me stumped when it comes to showing off its ability to adapt and absorb any flavour you toss it in. And this recipe is a winner, hands down. In fact, if you love mushrooms, but not pasta you GOTTA TRY THIS. You will come back to me and thank me, telling me this was your 'moment-of-change'.</div>
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<u>Ingredients</u></div>
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1.5 Cups cooked Farfalle/bowtie pasta (Here's how to <a href="http://somesalttotaste.blogspot.com/2009/05/how-to-cook-pasta.html">cook pasta</a>)</div>
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1 Cup sliced button mushrooms</div>
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1 tsp crushed garlic</div>
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1 tbsp Unsalted butter (optional)</div>
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1/4 Cup Cream (Use more if you're feeling indulgent)</div>
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Steamed veggies (Your choice of vegetables; Optional)</div>
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1 tsp ground pepper</div>
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Grated Parmesan cheese(Optional; I've not used it here)</div>
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And, of course, some salt to taste</div>
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<u>Method</u></div>
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- In a non-stick saucepan, heat butter until melted</div>
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- Add crushed garlic and stir a few seconds</div>
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- Add sliced mushrooms and stir </div>
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- Lower flame, cover and allow mushrooms to cook; About 3 minutes, stirring occasionally</div>
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- Pour cream and allow to barely come to a boil</div>
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- Toss in cooked farfalle pasta and stir until it is well coated with the creamy mushroom sauce</div>
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- Transfer to serving plate, sprinkle pepper and grated Parmesan cheese</div>
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- Serve hot along with a side of steamed vegetables</div>
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SERVES 2<br />
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See what other FSB-ites have in store for you (Will update links with more)<br />
Lataji's <a href="http://lata-raja.blogspot.com/2011/10/mushroom-pulav.html">Mushroom Pulav</a><br />
Nags' <a href="http://www.cookingandme.com/2011/11/moong-bean-sprouts-biryani-with-soy.html">Mung Bean Sprouts Biryani with Soy Chunks</a><br />
Mridhubhashini's <a href="http://slurpchompyumm.blogspot.com/2011/11/bombay-chutney-kadalamaav-gothsu-besan.html">Bombay Chutney</a><br />
Siri's <a href="http://www.cookingwithsiri.com/2011/11/blueberry-yogurt-kanten.html">Blueberry Yogurt Kanten</a><br />
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</div>Deepti Pawarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05228690769856346808noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773913459272038177.post-73026817845055816152011-10-27T13:22:00.000-07:002011-10-27T19:24:12.150-07:00Diwali Greetings!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It's that time of the year again. Yes, its Diwali season. I now I am about a day late, but hey, Diwali is celebrated for a good 3 days, and beyond in some cases. So, better late than never!<br />
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Happy Diwali to all you readers and bloggers out there. May the festival of lights fill you heart with joy, home with warmth and life with prosperity!</span></i></div>
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So, what did you make for Diwali? Were you asked this? I was umpteen number of times. Well, so I decided why not post something in response. I know most of you would want the recipes of these items. They're on their way. But, for now, drool on!<br />
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The simplest of all items I made - Shankarpali<br />
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Another easy to pull off sweet-dish. I wonder who ever thought about this one. It will seem like you slogged for hours, but only takes a few minutes - Microwave Dudh Peda<br />
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This one is a traditionally made item during Diwali - Karanjia<br />
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And, finally, the famous spicy snack - Kodbale<br />
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As a custom, we offer these items (called <i>'Faraal'</i>), fresh fruit and a platter of all items cooked as a part of the days meal, first to God (called <i>'Naivedhya'</i>). This is done as a part of the <i>'Puja'</i> or prayers before we eat the same. I took a couple pictures to share with you all, and here they are.<br />
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<i>Naivedhya</i><br />
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<i>Faraal</i><br />
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Will share the recipes to all the Diwali snacks and sweets I've put up here, shortly. So, stay tuned and enjoy the celebrations while they last! </div>Deepti Pawarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05228690769856346808noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773913459272038177.post-49862557448920629512011-10-25T11:52:00.000-07:002011-10-25T11:53:35.721-07:00Masala Vada<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The last few months of every year come strung with festivals knit together one after another. I made these masala vadas for Dussera and we're already well into Diwali! We're all surrounded with lots of good food and festivities. Crunchy munchies and sweet delicacies adorn the counter-top of ever kitchen in an Indian household around this time of the year.<br />
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Sorry about the sad quality of the pictures here, it was raining outside and clouds barely allowed any light indoors.<br />
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These are not only made during festivals. Think about the number of times you would've stopped by the corner shop to pick up a newspaper cone filled with fresh, hot masala vadas. Yum! This one is an ode to all the delicious street food we have in India.<br />
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I have explained making these vadas using a mixer/blender. Traditionally they are stone ground and the resultant texture is simply mouthwatering. This method yields something to that effect.<br />
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Make these this Diwali along with your festive spread and watch them disappear. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">(Psst...Instead, keep a couple of them in the kitchen and away from the grabbing hands. Don't complain if you have nothing left for yourself in the end!)</span><br />
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<u>Ingredients</u><br />
1.5 Cups Channa Dal/Split Chickpeas/Split Bengal Gram Dal) - Soaked for about 6 hours<br />
Couple sprigs of Coriander, washed and finely chopped<br />
Couple sprigs of Dill, washed and finely chopped<br />
2 Large Red Onions, finely chopped<br />
5 Green chillies, finely chopped<br />
1 inch piece of Ginger, washed, peeled and grated<br />
Oil, for deep frying<br />
And, of course, some salt to taste!<br />
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<u>Method</u><br />
- Place chopped coriander, dill, red onions, green chillies and grated ginger in a large mixing bowl<br />
- Drain away the water used to soak the channa dal and divide dal into three portions<br />
- In the mixer/blender, place one of the three portions and use the grind option to grind the dal into a smooth paste with minimum (about 2 tablespoons or so) of water. You will have to open and stir the dal often to get a smooth mixture<br />
- Add the smooth ground dal to the other ingredients<br />
- Next, toss in another of the three portions of dal into the mixer and grind to a coarse texture, opening and stirring every few times you run the blender. Use lesser water this time. Don't loose patience. The vadas are almost done!<br />
- Add the coarse ground dal to the bowl of ingredients<br />
- Roughly grind the last portion of dal. It's ok even if you can see chunks of dal. If you're tired of the mixer/blender by now, go ahead and simply roughly chop up the soaked dal and add it to the bowl of ingredients<br />
- Add salt and combine all ingredients<br />
- Heat oil in a kadai/deep pan/wok<br />
- Make 1 inch wide vadas and fry on a medium flame<br />
- Serve hot with coriander chutney<br />
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Makes about 25 vadas</div>Deepti Pawarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05228690769856346808noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773913459272038177.post-51500876303625917112011-10-10T16:18:00.000-07:002011-10-13T12:48:56.537-07:00Cafe Casa | The Round-up | Free-Spirit Bloggers<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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You've been waiting for this, I know. I'm here now, so keep those daggers down and pick up something to drink as you read on. Confused as to what to fill your cups and glasses with? Oh think no further. Allow us, the <a href="http://somesalttotaste.blogspot.com/2011/07/free-sirit-bloggers.html">Free-Spirit Bloggers</a>, to pamper and spoil you with ideas.<br />
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Cafe Casa was the theme for FSB all September, where I invited bloggers-on-board to make cafe inspired drinks, the ground rules being:<br />
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- Pick any coffee-based drink recipe from <a href="http://www.e-barista.com/Recipes.htm">this</a> listing OR choose your own from anywhere else OR conjour up your own<br />
- Share with us your inspiration for the drink, if its your own or why you choose a certain drink<br />
- Present it the way it would be in a Coffee Shop (Think cinnamon dusting, whipped cream etc.)<br />
- Add a snack to accompany your drink (Optional)<br />
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That said, I did allow some jiggle-room for my FSB mates who did not like coffee too much. So, they went ahead and made cafe style drinks instead. Keep your eyes peeled for there's a host of thirst quenchers listed up here! So, what are we waiting for. Let's roll!</div>
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<b>CAFE CASA ROUND-UP</b></div>
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<i>DK of Chef In You</i></div>
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She's sure to have your palate tickled pink with her <a href="http://chefinyou.com/2011/09/strawberries-creme-frappuccino/">Strawberries and Creme Frappuccino</a></div>
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She suggests you down this with her <a href="http://chefinyou.com/2011/10/very-berry-coffee-cake/">Very Berry Coffee Cake</a>. I would blindly take her advice!</div>
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<i>Lataji of Flavours and Tastes</i></div>
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Even though she's not too much of a coffee person herself, she whipped up something just as sweet and cool as her. It's called <a href="http://lata-raja.blogspot.com/2011/09/iced-caramel-machiatto.html">Iced Caramel Macchiato</a>. </div>
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Take a bow and glug it down with <a href="http://lata-raja.blogspot.com/2011/10/apple-cinnamon-muffins.html">Egg-less Apple Cinnamon Muffins</a>. It cannot get better, can it?!</div>
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<i>Madhuri of Cook-curry Nook</i><br />
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You can almost never go wrong with this tall one - <a href="http://cookcurrynook.wordpress.com/2011/10/10/frappe-mochacchino/">Frappe Mochacchino</a>! Cold, creamy and most of all - It. Has. Chocolate.<br />
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We need not another excuse.<br />
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<img height="320" src="http://cookcurrynook.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/copy-of-dsc_0478-2.jpg?w=500&h=757" width="209" /> <img height="320" src="http://cookcurrynook.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/copy-of-dsc_0544-3.jpg?w=500&h=673" width="237" /></div>
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Want to make this a complete snack and drink party? How about some Spinach-Corn-Cheese Sandwiches on the side. Burp!</div>
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<i>Mridhubhashini of Slurp, Chomp, Yumm!</i><br />
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A staunch tea lover gives us this western world version of our very Indian Masala Chai. Presenting <a href="http://slurpchompyumm.blogspot.com/2011/10/latte-starbucks-style.html">Chai Tea Latte</a>, made from scratch at home!<br />
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This one is certainly on my to-do list, because tea was, is and always will be my first love when it comes to beverages. And, what's more to love you ask? Well, the <a href="http://slurpchompyumm.blogspot.com/2011/10/glazed-lemon-blueberry-cream-scones.html">Glazed Lemon Blueberry Cream Scones</a> that are peeking at you from behind that cuppa. Grab 'em now!<br />
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<i>Siri of Cooking With Siri</i><br />
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Like your tea iced? How about some <a href="http://www.cookingwithsiri.com/2011/10/ginger-and-honey-iced-tea.html">Ginger and Honey Iced Tea</a>? The pictures are so inviting, you wouldn't think about NOT making this one.<br />
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I don't even know why I never looked at tea this way. Just plain superb!<br />
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<i>Anu of Love and Lentil</i><br />
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I will update her offering to this theme the moment I hear from her. So, stay tuned!<br />
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Nags of Edible Garden had to excuse herself from this theme because she was traveling on work. But, I wouldn't be surprised if she surprises us. Hang tight!<br />
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And, finally my <a href="http://somesalttotaste.blogspot.com/2011/09/caramel-macchiato.html">Caramel Macchiato</a> which you already must have tried by now. If you haven't, well then I've just handed you a bunch of drinks on your to-try list. Go!! </div>
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</div>Deepti Pawarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05228690769856346808noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773913459272038177.post-56983084464849878832011-09-30T20:15:00.000-07:002011-09-30T20:35:40.904-07:00Caramel Macchiato<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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You knew something on these lines was coming, didn't you? If I've made caramel, then I was going to use it somewhere! Okay...Okay! You win this one time. But, there's a little thing you don't know. Ah! Now I have you're attention. So, read on.</div>
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You're aware of the <a href="http://somesalttotaste.blogspot.com/2011/07/free-sirit-bloggers.html">Free-Spirit Bloggers</a> by now. Well, as cliched as it may sound but time has flown by since this group of bloggers was founded. It's been a good six months. We had our share of fun making interesting appetizers, challenging bakes, imitation food and nostalgic entrees to mention a few themes from the past. This time I suggested to my buddies on the group that we should kick back and take a break. A coffee break, at that! And that was the basis of my theme.</div>
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What better way than to put all our heads together and come up with coffee based drinks served up at your favorite coffee-shop? I named this theme 'Cafe Casa', to mean that you bring the Cafe to your Casa (home) and invited all my FSB pals to bring on their best coffee-based drinks!</div>
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You will find that some of them made a snack to accompany the drink, too, so they create a very cafe like ambiance. Also, I shared <a href="http://www.e-barista.com/Recipes.htm">this website</a> with my friends to give them various ideas on the kind of drink they can make. But, knowing this group of bloggers, I don't think they even needed this kind of an heads-up!<br />
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So, that pretty much rounds up the theme that we FSB-ites had for September - Cafe Casa!<br />
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Here's my part of the story. Once, I am done with this, I will share links of all the other drinks (and snacks, if applicable) that all other Free-Spirit Bloggers have come up with.<br />
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I'm not sure about you, but every time I hit the lines of modern day coffee-shops my eyes are rolling all over their menu wondering and wandering like a deer that wanted to stroll in the well-known limits of the wilderness but lost its way and was left bewildered in the middle of New York City.</div>
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So, for all those wide-eyed mob of deer out there, gaping at the coffee shop menu, this month the Free-spirit bloggers are here to solve a few mysteries. Mysteries of the coffee shop! Join us as we recreate the coffee shop drinks at home without any fancy equipment. Welcome to Cafe Casa!</div>
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I'm not big coffee drinker myself. But, being raised in Bangalore, I've had my share of '<i>filter kaapi</i>', especially after downing a large, butter-laden masala <a href="http://somesalttotaste.blogspot.com/2010/02/dosa-batter.html">dosa</a> at the next-door restaurant all my childhood. Coffee took a backseat when tea entered my life. But, all of last month I lost count of the number of coffee cups I gulped down just to make this one drink that I so love in my favorite coffee shop - Starbucks. Oh yea, S.T.A.R.B.U.C.K.S!! So fancy, so accessible and so very compelling to all of your senses. Hot or Cold. Drenched in whipped cream or just a simple latte. They have it ALL.<br />
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Over the last couple months I kept hopping in and out of every Starbucks cafe I passed by, trying different drinks they offered. Here's what pleased me the most - Caramel Macchiato. This drink is served both cold and hot. I tried the hot one on a unusually cold day in late summer and was in love with it. Light coffee (which pleases someone who likes milky coffee), sweet notes of caramel and warm frothy milk. Bliss!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNEoKAM31qObKqcZfSsyU6VurMZanoFdSZ8jNI9A61ll8tWqXD1gAiAA_HiFVk-8zxE2xFCCcOoJfo-Jdf8ho2IkeLviNdEvi78yXT9woWZx8fNDY-V1zYnxTRHkcR8JhnFkAKLeKmKKk9/s1600/Caramel+Macchiato+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNEoKAM31qObKqcZfSsyU6VurMZanoFdSZ8jNI9A61ll8tWqXD1gAiAA_HiFVk-8zxE2xFCCcOoJfo-Jdf8ho2IkeLviNdEvi78yXT9woWZx8fNDY-V1zYnxTRHkcR8JhnFkAKLeKmKKk9/s640/Caramel+Macchiato+1.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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So, before we jump into how to make this surreal temptation, let's get down to some history and science. First up, history.<br />
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Caramel Macchiato is a variant of the original drink called Cafe Macchiato, caramel being the extra factor (X-factor, tee hee!). Macchiato in Italian literally translates to 'stained', which refers to the way coffee/espresso is 'stained' with steamed/frothed milk.<br />
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Now, let's move on to the science of this drink - The steamed or frothed milk. Did you know steaming or frothing milk is an art that baristas across coffee-shops have to know like the back of their hands? Oh yeah. It is the very basis of a plethora of coffee based drinks. So, yes the equation for this drink is simple. Caramel + Espresso + Steamed Milk = Caramel Macchiato.<br />
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Before you conclude that you can simply whip this up in no time, think again. It took me a good gallon of reduced fat milk and about 3 weeks until I figured out the exact way to get that froth you see on top of that cuppa. Still, I'm not too satisfied with it.<br />
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I made Caramel Sauce at home, to give this drink a complete 'Homemade' tag. If you've missed that recipe, read it <a href="http://somesalttotaste.blogspot.com/2011/09/homemade-caramel-sauce.html">here</a>. So, like I said, I was trying hard to get the foamed milk on my coffee, which means I had to first start off by learning to make Lattes, which are a combination of espresso and steamed milk.<br />
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Once, I mastered the steamed milk to a certain extent (as far as possible it was without any equipment at home), I made my first caramel macchiato which you see below. I hated why I poured it in that wine glass. It was the only one I found (before I bought what you see above) and I decided I will sip out of it anyway!<br />
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If you ask for this drink at Starbucks, they serve it with their signature caramel crosshatch on top of the foamed milk. This was something I was unable to recreate. I fumbled, stumbled and fell on my face in despair. But, well, there's always a next time!<br />
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I'll get down to the recipe now. So, now that you know this is very much a do-it-yourself fancy coffee drink, what's stopping you?<br />
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I've broken the procedure into two portions. One where you make the frothed/steamed milk and another where you put together the caramel macchiato.<br />
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When making drinks in the coffee shop, baristas use a lot of equipment, techniques, flavors, shots and appropriate proportions to make a glass/cup of a drink. Since this is a very homemade approach, I have used simple terminology and measurements such as cups, teaspoons et. al.<br />
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<b>Frothed Steamed Milk Recipe</b><br />
Recipe Sources: I found two methods on Youtube, which I've shared here and explained what I did, as well. (I followed Method 2)<br />
Method 1 - <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Moiw7Vi_Rjw">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Moiw7Vi_Rjw</a><br />
Method 2 - <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4leislQVGA&feature=related">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4leislQVGA&feature=related</a><br />
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<u>Ingredients</u><br />
300 ml Reduced Fat Milk<br />
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<u>Other</u><br />
A microwave safe bowl/cup<br />
A bottle with a cap that closes tightly<br />
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<u>Method</u><br />
- Warm milk in the microwave safe bowl/cup for about one minute<br />
- Pour warm milk into the bottle and close it tightly<br />
- Shake the bottle vigorously, using an up and down motion, like you would when you want to mix ingredients in the bottle, for about one minute<br />
- Frothy milk will stay afloat on top<br />
- Set aside and use when needed<br />
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<b>Caramel Macchiato Recipe</b><br />
I conjured up this recipe on my own after having it a couple of times at Starbucks. It's not 100% there, but I'd say its close to a good 90% sans the fancy caramel crosshatch.<br />
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Before we get into this recipe, I'd like to give you some information about the difference between coffee (what we call as coffee decoction in India) and espresso. These are NOT the same. Coffee is obtained when you brew roast and ground beans. So does espresso, but the similarity ends there. Coffee is loosely packed and brewed in a coffee filter/machine. Espresso on the other hand is tightly packed and brewed under high pressure, rendering a thick textured liquid with a 'crema', or light,bubbly foam on top.<br />
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Caramel Macchiato is a layered drink, and that's what I've aimed at here.<br />
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<u>Ingredients</u><br />
1/3 Cup of dark roast coffee (Since I do not possess a coffee machine, but an <a href="http://www.hotdishes.net/product_gallery/big/5897_front.jpg">Indian coffee filter</a>, I brewed a dark roast in the same to derive a rather thin coffee. But if you own a coffee machine, go ahead and and brew espresso and use just about 1/4th Cup for this recipe)<br />
3 to 4 tbsp of <a href="http://somesalttotaste.blogspot.com/2011/09/homemade-caramel-sauce.html">Caramel Sauce</a> (Use less or more as per your liking for the amount of sweetness in your drink)<br />
1/4 tsp Vanilla Essence<br />
Frothed/Steamed Milk (as much as you make from the method above)<br />
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<u>Method</u><br />
- Make hot coffee/espresso and measure out 1/3 OR 1/2 Cup, respectively<br />
- Add vanilla to the hot coffee/espresso<br />
- Make Frothed/Steamed milk as per the above method and set aside<br />
- In the serving glass, spoon in the caramel at the bottom<br />
- Slowly pour the milk-part of the frothed milk (Hold a spoon against the mouth of the bottle so as to keep the froth from falling into the glass). The milk will stay on top of the thick caramel sauce<br />
- Now, gradually pour the hot coffee/espresso in the glass and watch the colors of the coffee and milk mingle while the caramel stays intact. It's a beautiful sight!<br />
- Top off with with the froth and serve<br />
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Drinking Tip - Stir before drinking to mix in the caramel OR better yet, drink as is with a straw and enjoy the marriage of the flavors in your mouth!<br />
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Makes one tall, it-calls-my-name glass of caramel macchiato. Perfect for fall or just whenever you're in the mood.<br />
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I will update this post with what the other FSB-ites have for you as soon as they have their posts up. So make yourself a caramel macchiatio and stick around for some coffee action!<br />
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Deepti Pawarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05228690769856346808noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773913459272038177.post-24430300454830903882011-09-22T12:59:00.000-07:002011-09-22T13:00:21.477-07:00Homemade Caramel Sauce<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Hot chocolate fudge, rainbow sprinkles, chocolate syrup, strawberry syrup, peanut butter, nuts, fruit and the like - Please step aside. Welcome the queen of all dessert toppings - Caramel syrup. Golden and royal from head to toe, need she do anything to woo you? Svelte like velvet and sweet as sugar, you'd be lying if you said you were not in love with her - Again!</div>
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I'd be lying if I said this was my own concoction. But, yes, I did mix up two recipes to make this wonderful sauce. One from one of my favorite Food Network Chefs, Ina Garten (Recipe <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/caramel-sauce-recipe2/index.html">here</a>) and another from yet another Food Network Chef, Anne Burrell (Recipe video <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/videos/caramel-sauce/27367.html">here</a>). </div>
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I know you're wondering what the waffles are doing with the syrup. Shouldn't it be ice cream there? Boy oh boy, you're right. But, I could not wait to eat the syrup and paired them with whatever I had on hand.<br />
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Chef Garten has not added butter in her recipe, but I opted to have it in for extra creamy texture. Chef Burrell added lemon juice and corn syrup both of which I opted not to add. The end result was good. So, its up here for grabs!<br />
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Now, before you come to a conclusion that this recipe is made by chefs and it's something not in your capacity. Think twice. Or even thrice! I mean, you're going to have a whole jar of caramel sauce at your disposal, and here's the best part - ONLY FOUR INGREDIENTS!! Just as Chef Anne Burrell says in all her shows "You certainly don't have to be a restaurant chef to cook like one".<br />
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As a prelude to this recipe, I 'd like to mention that I made a very scanty amount of caramel sauce since I was only trying out something new. Go ahead and multiply the proportions of the ingredients for more a sauce-y experience!<br />
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<u>Ingredients</u><br />
- 3/4 Cup granulated sugar<br />
- 3 tbsp water<br />
- 1/2 Cup + 1 tbsp Heavy Cream<br />
- 1 tbsp Unsalted butter<br />
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<u>Method</u><br />
- Mix water and sugar in a heavy bottom sauce pan and place on low flame<br />
- Increase flame to medium-high and allow sugar to melt. DO NOT STIR<br />
- As sugar caramelizes/turns a golden brown hue (about 5 to 7 minutes) give the mixture a twirl and turn off flame. The sugar-water mixture will be really bubbly and very hot at this point<br />
- Turn off flame<br />
- Pour in heavy cream and stand back since the solution will now bubble very rapidly<br />
- Return to a low flame, pop in the butter and stir until all ingredients mingle together to a luscious brown syrup<br />
- Take off from flame and pour into bowl and allow to cool<br />
- The caramel syrup will thicken as it cools<br />
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Makes about 1 Cup about sinful caramel sauce<br />
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Deepti Pawarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05228690769856346808noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773913459272038177.post-45796807765725624472011-09-15T12:53:00.000-07:002011-09-15T12:53:43.473-07:00Baked Coconut Bites - Modak Makeover (Egg-less)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
To say Lord Ganeshji is the most adaptable would be an understatement. He's been disguised into so many avatars by us humans every year when Ganesh Chaturti comes along. Ambedkar Ganapati, Cycle Ganapati, Computer Ganapati... I mean seriously?! God really has patience with us humans for all the antics we show him.<br />
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With all that said, every year, we all serve him with the one thing that's considered his favourite food - Modak. I personally love modaks, too. I made them for Ganesh Chaturti <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>(and forgot to click pics to post it here, but will make it for you all again soon!)</i></span> and they were over in the blink of an eye even with a minor glitch in them.<br />
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But here's what happened. I ended up having extra Modak filling. Plus, like I mentioned earlier about the slight mistake I'd done - I had used shredded dry coconut instead of grated dry coconut and my filling turned out to be very dry. Still, I'd say the modaks tasted good because the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaggery">jaggery</a>/gud melted when the modaks were steamed.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTXnJRNremmtUICDUspOa6aJYqaF56FHBpBJZktyKT1cStIOhOZxHjZkV9paMcwHsq69kM8ulDgxTi690QioZ9OPG2qsHRdBHCxfQ0D1vd10_YesGu2Zt6ztcRIzNd_MzjNo4X5hRqTx8J/s1600/Coconut+Bites+Modak+Makeover1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTXnJRNremmtUICDUspOa6aJYqaF56FHBpBJZktyKT1cStIOhOZxHjZkV9paMcwHsq69kM8ulDgxTi690QioZ9OPG2qsHRdBHCxfQ0D1vd10_YesGu2Zt6ztcRIzNd_MzjNo4X5hRqTx8J/s640/Coconut+Bites+Modak+Makeover1.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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So, what do you do when you have left-over Modak filling? Of course, eating it up as is can be one idea. But, how about transforming it into something else? Like these crunchy baked coconut bites?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYeyxCobZGJRddMdA1mZ6PnSK6JL6fDSMXGQnxBPoEOIl3IeFkBqd7LXQjUq47hZiWmtZ0b0feWgOV4_R5MXu5WC7vZSXgt191QJkTB7MwkwtUFkyG9_MTN_bczVGc4FCNf_UMve9_wBe3/s1600/Coconut+Bites+Modak+Makeover.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYeyxCobZGJRddMdA1mZ6PnSK6JL6fDSMXGQnxBPoEOIl3IeFkBqd7LXQjUq47hZiWmtZ0b0feWgOV4_R5MXu5WC7vZSXgt191QJkTB7MwkwtUFkyG9_MTN_bczVGc4FCNf_UMve9_wBe3/s640/Coconut+Bites+Modak+Makeover.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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Now, we're talking. And, you agree don't ya? These coconut-y bites are so easy to make you could even use your gooey modak filling for the same as well. Just add more flour to aid in binding. I know Ganesh Chaturti was over two weeks ago. But hey, won't you just make that filling again to eat these crunchy munchies??<br />
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<u>Ingredients</u><br />
- 2 1/2 heaping cups of modak filing (OR 1 3/4 Cup shredded coconut and 1 1/4 Cup Powdered jaggery mixed together along with 1/4 Cup powdered split chana dalia/putane)<br />
- 1 tsp baking powder<br />
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda<br />
- 1 1/2 Cups flour (Use more in case the dough is not binding)<br />
- 1/2 Cup Milk<br />
- 1/2 Cup Cooking oil<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR-e3Tw73AGwFMOyOExajvWiGTdnjFZTobCSjedn2mlq9ITKS6DFdJInWkg51VfqiwmbZvUFoGXU6nQnp8gK-R7bReA7C0nHnjdICr2lSAcSXWYLlu0zyxBzldek_ng6Cn77h8HOI455tr/s1600/Coconut+Bites+Modak+Makeover2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR-e3Tw73AGwFMOyOExajvWiGTdnjFZTobCSjedn2mlq9ITKS6DFdJInWkg51VfqiwmbZvUFoGXU6nQnp8gK-R7bReA7C0nHnjdICr2lSAcSXWYLlu0zyxBzldek_ng6Cn77h8HOI455tr/s640/Coconut+Bites+Modak+Makeover2.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<u>Method</u><br />
- Preheat oven to 350F and line cookie/baking sheet with parchment/wax paper<br />
- Simply mix all ingredients in a large bowl until homogeneous<br />
- Drop spoonfuls of dough on to prepared baking sheet with a one inch space in between any two bites<br />
- Bake for about 15 minutes or slightly spring-y to touch. Do not over-bake as they burn quickly<br />
- Cool on wire-rack completely before serving<br />
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Makes 24 coconut bites</div>
Deepti Pawarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05228690769856346808noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773913459272038177.post-30306641177430152652011-09-09T13:39:00.000-07:002011-09-09T13:46:38.108-07:00Grilled Shrimp Kababs<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We're really not big seafood eaters. But, when it comes to shrimp we'd go the extra mile to make it. Not the curried/gravied (if there's a word like that) ones. We don't go there. We like oil, really. Ahem! Shrimp. Even if it comes deep-fried, packed with calories and bread crumbs alike. Now, like many other things that change, this frenzy of fried shrimp changed too - Ever since we bought our indoor grill! I've made grilled chicken cutlets and <a href="http://somesalttotaste.blogspot.com/2011/06/grilled-veggie-seekh-kabab.html">veggie seekh kababs</a>, to name a few things I've thrown over the fancy gadget. I really want to use it a lot more. So, keep your eyes hooked on to SSTT.<br />
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But, for now let me serve you some Grilled Shrimp Kababs. Succulent, spicy and just made for those lazy weekend lunches when you want to do less in the kitchen and catch up with you favorite shows on TV.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi02YzxZgIzqZy4Vah5z7Dhv2ALtgTUAve07AqvUFWsnE_bC4pe_KvGpcx6p1y6mpfJay0qWEoNVNTIE5_25DVpITIEQ34sjuum2GAaSqFU9ZHH4uoNk7O8hjMUjvE8mpcwi9ok_KD8o-ee/s1600/Grilled+shrimp2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi02YzxZgIzqZy4Vah5z7Dhv2ALtgTUAve07AqvUFWsnE_bC4pe_KvGpcx6p1y6mpfJay0qWEoNVNTIE5_25DVpITIEQ34sjuum2GAaSqFU9ZHH4uoNk7O8hjMUjvE8mpcwi9ok_KD8o-ee/s640/Grilled+shrimp2.JPG" width="506" /></a></div>
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You can make this using the regular conventional oven, too. I've explained that process in the recipe as well. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBH7hhPPSoB9PnWWxSqzD8aBcaWHLeniUevOABsKXsQ1JuuIckoCUUBp8_3wD13bIDJuXBgBJiRkgLqB6eQ3Wem25PGc5_q-mvJKk1Ri-yhdrXYuVWInQMDHoLxbkYeZleOb7o-LKIxyVJ/s1600/Grilled+shrimp.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBH7hhPPSoB9PnWWxSqzD8aBcaWHLeniUevOABsKXsQ1JuuIckoCUUBp8_3wD13bIDJuXBgBJiRkgLqB6eQ3Wem25PGc5_q-mvJKk1Ri-yhdrXYuVWInQMDHoLxbkYeZleOb7o-LKIxyVJ/s640/Grilled+shrimp.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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This one is so easy to put together, you'd be running to buy shrimp the moment you're done reading this super-short reicpe.</div>
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<u>Ingredients</u></div>
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50-60 Shrimp (tail-off), peeled, de-veined, washed</div>
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Vegetables (I've used Tomato, Onion and Green Pepper) cut into 1 inch squares</div>
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<u><br /></u></div>
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<u>For the marinade</u></div>
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1 tsp Turmeric powder</div>
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3-4 tsp Chillie powder (or per taste)</div>
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2 tsp Coriander/Dhania powder</div>
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1 tsp Garam Masala powder</div>
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1 tbsp Ginger paste</div>
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1 tbsp Garlic paste</div>
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1/4 Cup Yogurt/curd</div>
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2 tbsp Lemon juice</div>
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And, of course, some salt to taste!</div>
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<u>Other stuff you'll need</u></div>
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Grill/Conventional oven</div>
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5-6 bamboo skewers soaked in water</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIS02F5kAX5vmk8icWsb_ItJ4BikKWbOiepHISR8-BAs7SbE4NaOV-ofdpBgCueUxXBKYfgQJJ3YNuBlamiTsV0Ni_dkOgb8kmFfJAc-jQYAzBMEXOK9r054f_cyTi1_KrridYQvkm0Fwh/s1600/Grilled+shrimp1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIS02F5kAX5vmk8icWsb_ItJ4BikKWbOiepHISR8-BAs7SbE4NaOV-ofdpBgCueUxXBKYfgQJJ3YNuBlamiTsV0Ni_dkOgb8kmFfJAc-jQYAzBMEXOK9r054f_cyTi1_KrridYQvkm0Fwh/s640/Grilled+shrimp1.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<u>Method</u></div>
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- Combine all the ingredients for the marinade in a zip-top bag and shake until well mixed</div>
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- Toss in the shrimp, vegetables and give another good shake to coat everything inside</div>
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- Marinate for a good 4-6 hours, or even longer if you have the time</div>
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- Preheat grill/oven. If using oven, preheat to 400F</div>
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- Thread marinated shrimp and vegetables over skewers in any pattern you wish and place on hot grill. In the oven place them over baking sheet lined with tin foil</div>
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- DO NOT throw away remaining marinade</div>
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- Keep flipping and basting the shrimp with leftover marinade and grill/bake until done</div>
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- Serve hot with a tall glass of <a href="http://somesalttotaste.blogspot.com/2011/07/fizzy-raspberry-lemon-cooler.html">fizzy raspberry lemon cooler</a></div>
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Makes about 5-6 skewers with around 10 shrimp on each</div>
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Deepti Pawarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05228690769856346808noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773913459272038177.post-7009145170511227632011-09-09T12:47:00.000-07:002011-11-21T09:32:06.032-08:00Hurricane Cupcakes | Egg-less Mocha Cream Chocolate Cupcakes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Did you know a woman named her child Tsunami because he was born when the natural disaster occurred? Well, I know its personal taste, but, really?! I thought it was bordering on absurd. I mean tsunamis are dangerous, to say the least. </div>
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But when hurricane Irene decided to spend the weekend with us not too long ago, I was thinking of things more than dangerous. With hurricane warnings all over town, packed grocery stores, no bottled/packaged water and no flashlights available anywhere, Ms. Irene sure had pressed the run-for-your-life button in all of us along the East Coast.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggqLrErCr69TNSVxWh2Gkbb7FFbrTTIgHmSHyyehOumMGba0npDbPYW4UKr-J8QYFmAUNPU7KO1xERlhJxbHtqbs22IyVV3r7gbfS5_V3ZP4TwpIX4UDTQpBwSAtZgn0wpq-WV8PDMa2Dk/s1600/Hurricane+Cuppies.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggqLrErCr69TNSVxWh2Gkbb7FFbrTTIgHmSHyyehOumMGba0npDbPYW4UKr-J8QYFmAUNPU7KO1xERlhJxbHtqbs22IyVV3r7gbfS5_V3ZP4TwpIX4UDTQpBwSAtZgn0wpq-WV8PDMa2Dk/s640/Hurricane+Cuppies.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Now, where was I? Yes, the woman who named her child Tsunami. Well, I did something sorta similar. But, before you get ideas and think I renamed my son 'Irene' and categorize me as a maniac...listen up!<br />
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I decided to celebrate that we survived Irene. No power outage, no flooding, no evacuation orders, no broken homes around our area and to top the list we were still alive! Oh yes, go ahead and call me a chicken all you want, but, I was freaked out.<br />
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But, we really lucked it out don't you think? And, yes, the oven was still working. So why not bake? I mean you could not go out, no traffic allowed on roads, trees ripped apart, heavy winds, flood warnings and you certainly don't want to see more of the graphic hurricane representation but you do want to eat good food. That's when I whipped up these egg-less mocha cream chocolate cuppies with my friend, DS. We had a great time baking, frosting and eating 'em up.<br />
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Need more inspiration than a hurricane to bake these? Try these cupcakes and top them off with Chocolate Ganache (Recipe <a href="http://somesalttotaste.blogspot.com/2011/03/oreo-peanut-butter-mousse-dessert.html">here</a>), fresh cut strawberries and mint.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5oaOdQWvsHsn7-fRSHPzX_Z-aE2ElfK7nzHr9TM_IbtxW15CYgOEcHG5SwLRrJHu9OBTfkPdrOcmDIPcjDWNLXdAepMNeEN3QY170ALjCVTnJS1pYuA9jwQgi2J1SFddWgkYAeQnZYzYi/s1600/Choco+ganache+cuppies.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5oaOdQWvsHsn7-fRSHPzX_Z-aE2ElfK7nzHr9TM_IbtxW15CYgOEcHG5SwLRrJHu9OBTfkPdrOcmDIPcjDWNLXdAepMNeEN3QY170ALjCVTnJS1pYuA9jwQgi2J1SFddWgkYAeQnZYzYi/s640/Choco+ganache+cuppies.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Before I proceed to the recipe, I'd like to let you know that this recipe originally belongs to my friend <a href="http://cookcurrynook.wordpress.com/">Madhuri Kumar</a>. It's an e<a href="http://cookcurrynook.wordpress.com/2010/04/18/eggless-butterless-5-minute-microwave-chocolate-cake/">gg-less, butterless 5 minute chocolate cake</a> made in the microwave. I have lost count of the number of times I've made it. Need I say more to have you enter your kitchen?<br />
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I <a href="http://somesalttotaste.blogspot.com/2010/05/madhuris-microwave-chocolate-cake-and.html">tried this cake earlier</a>, as an experiement the first time around, with Chocolate Syrup instead of Cocoa powder. The results with this change were good and yielded a very rich, super-moist cake. But, I like this version better.<br />
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Here, I've followed the exact same recipe as the original, but baked it in the conventional oven instead of a microwave. Why? Two reasons. One, I have a non-stick metal muffin pan which cannot be put in the microwave and we badly wanted to eat cupcakes and cupcakes ALONE. And, reason number two is to have the sinful smell of chocolate baking into something heavenly in your oven. This is something I'd not mind - Anytime!<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><u>Ingredients for the cupcakes</u><br />1 1/4 Cups All purpose flour/Maida<br />1/3 Cup Cocoa Powder<br />1 1/4 Cup Brown Sugar, firmly packed<br />3/4th tsp Baking Powder<br />1/3rd tsp Baking Soda<br />1.5 tsp Vanilla essence<br />3 tsp Flax seed powder mixed in 3/4 cup warm water (substituting 3 eggs)<br />1/3 Cup Milk(I used whole milk)<br />1/3 Cup Cooking Oil (I used Corn Oil)<br />A pinch of salt<br /><br /><u>Method</u><br />- Preheat oven to 350F and line muffin tray with baking cups</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">- Sift the flour into a large preparation bowl<br />- Add the brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder, salt and mix until homogenous<br />- Slowly stir in the milk, oil and vanilla essence to make a smooth batter making sure there are no lumps<br />- Pour the flax seed powder mixed in warm water and mix well to make a silky textured cake batter<br />- Spoon the batter into baking cups<br />- Bake for about 20 minutes or until a tooth pick comes out clean from the center for your cupcakes</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">- Once ready, immediately</span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"> remove cupcakes from the muffin pan and cool completely on a cooling rack. Allowing cupcakes to cool in the hot muffin pan will get them over-baked, dry and crusty.</span></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><u>Ingredients for Mocha Cream Frosting</u></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">1 Cup Heavy Cream</span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">1/2 Cup Confectioner's sugar</span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">1.5 tbsp Instant Coffee powder (I used Nescafe)</span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">1/2 tsp Vanilla Essence</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><u>Method</u></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">(Chill mixer blades and mixing bowl prior to whipping for better results)</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">- Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">- Whip on a medium-low speed until cream forms soft peaks</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">- Chill for about 30 minutes</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">- Fill whipped mocha cream into piping bags fitted with open star tip</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">- Pipe onto cupcakes using circular motion, starting from the center</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">I used a small cupcake liner and this made about 12-15 petite cupcakes, just perfect to fix that 3 o'clock chocolate craving.</span></span></div>
</div>Deepti Pawarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05228690769856346808noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773913459272038177.post-66424419336477795282011-09-06T07:56:00.000-07:002011-09-07T13:00:46.066-07:00Paneer Butter Masala<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://www.cookingwithsiri.com/">Siri Pulipaka</a> decided this months theme for us, <a href="http://somesalttotaste.blogspot.com/2011/07/free-sirit-bloggers.html">Free-Spirit Bloggers</a>. To say she took us down memory lane is one thing, but here's what she did. She left us there to wander about all those memories and the restaurants we'd visit as children. And, the most important thing she made us do: Re-live the moments in that restaurant eating the one dish that always made its way to the waiter's order note-pad. </div>
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For me it's always been Paneer Butter Masala. The moment we'd grab our seats in any restaurant, the one thing we knew we were going to order was this. Everything else did not even matter. I still remember us driving up to the Karnataka State Billiards Association (KSBA) on weekends for Bingo Nights. I was very young to understand the game. So I'd sit there munching on appetizers, trying to understand the game, telling Dad and Mom I see the number on their sheets, knowing well what followed for dinner.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8eZtdWt0bvfHGD5DmzZ1syYVfrSNECn7_b2lulVK4W-aVTlTva1JtfDl4kHoBS33U7DMD2va2xVGEAbNTElfe_25gYK0iEsuL0FSP99Ox4QAcdsLQAo9jFfzjFcQKK2uwzOa4T1EsCdv4/s1600/Paneer+Butter+Masala.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8eZtdWt0bvfHGD5DmzZ1syYVfrSNECn7_b2lulVK4W-aVTlTva1JtfDl4kHoBS33U7DMD2va2xVGEAbNTElfe_25gYK0iEsuL0FSP99Ox4QAcdsLQAo9jFfzjFcQKK2uwzOa4T1EsCdv4/s640/Paneer+Butter+Masala.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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While I spent all of my childhood and teenage years, gorging down this North Indian delicacy, things changed after I stepped into wed-lock. Once I learnt the basics around the kitchen, I wanted to, for certain, learn to make this favourite. I still remember the very first time I made it (a pretty home-y version sans cashews and cream) and was super excited. Almost as if I had created a new being or something. Then on, I explored various ways of making paneer butter masala - From recipe books, magazines and the internet. I've come down to one recipe, a combination of a little bit of everything I've read. And, this one works every time and gets me the results I'm looking for.</div>
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Mildly spiced, creamy cashew sauce with succulent paneer cubes. What wouldn't go with it? Roti - Yes! Naan - Yes! Kulcha - Yes! Plain white/brown bread - Yes! Rice - Yes. In fact, I could down bowls of Paneer Butter Masala all by itself!!</div>
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<u>Ingredients</u></div>
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10 to 12 oz. Fresh paneer, cubed (Use as much as you like, really!)</div>
2 Cups (approx. 1.5 medium sized) tomatoes, cubed<br />
3 Cups (approx 2 medium sized) onions, cubed<br />
1/2 Cup Tomato puree<br />
1.5 cups Cashew nuts<br />
1 inch Cinnamon stick<br />
3 Dried red chillies<br />
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4-5 cloves of Garlic, peeled</div>
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1 tbsp Kasuri Methi/ Dried fenugreek leaves</div>
1.5 tsp. Garam masala powder<br />
1 tbsp Coriander/Dhania powder<br />
1/2 tbsp Cumin/Jeera powder<br />
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1/2 tsp. Haldi/Turmeric powder</div>
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2 tbsp Heavy Cream (optional)<br />
1 sprig of fresh Coriander, for garnishing</div>
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1 tbsp Butter (Use more if you like)</div>
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2 tbsp Oil</div>
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And, of course, some salt to taste!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD3VVRjR35KelApvR-Zh3D8qC9mdCunpaFj4pquaXYw0gHtslMOpB4MgfWrohOq8lzsXk7k1z55rR5HpfukYq6KnDoKPeKAq8tREgCwIvqE6vcfqrsvWhCcz3OPzcjwfZ5W622AGdecnO3/s1600/Paneer+Butter+Masala+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD3VVRjR35KelApvR-Zh3D8qC9mdCunpaFj4pquaXYw0gHtslMOpB4MgfWrohOq8lzsXk7k1z55rR5HpfukYq6KnDoKPeKAq8tREgCwIvqE6vcfqrsvWhCcz3OPzcjwfZ5W622AGdecnO3/s640/Paneer+Butter+Masala+1.JPG" width="640" xaa="true" /></a></div>
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<u>Method</u><br />
- Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a wide saucepan and add garlic and red chilles, stirring for a few seconds<br />
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- Toss in the cashew nuts and stir until they turn slightly brown on the outsides</div>
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- Add onions, fry until translucent</div>
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- Add tomatoes, fry until all the moisture content evaporates</div>
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- Throw in the kasuri methi and stir fry this mixture for about 5 minutes</div>
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- Set aside and allow to cool</div>
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- Place paneer cubes in a bowl of warm water for about 10 minutes. This allows them to soften and retain softness in the gravy. I do not normally fry paneer cubes before I add them to any dish. You could opt to do so by shallow frying the paneer in butter and setting aside<br />
- Grind the cooled cashew-onion-tomato mixture to a smooth paste and set aside<br />
- Heat the butter in a non-stick saucepan and add garam masala powder, coriander powder and cumin powder and stir<br />
- Add the ground cashew-onion-tomato and the tomato puree to thin its consistency<br />
- Add salt and stir on a low-medium flame for about 2 minutes<br />
- Cover and simmer for about 5 minutes, until the mixture cooks<br />
- Add water until desired consistency is reached<br />
- Drain water off the paneer and toss in the paneer cubes and stir<br />
- Cover and simmer for another 3 minutes. You could add some cream to thicken the gravy at this point, before covering<br />
- Pour in serving bowl and garnish with cream and a sprig of coriander. I haven't added the cream in my recipe/garnish<br />
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Serves 4-6<br />
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Looking for more restaurant favourites? Look no further. The other FSB-ites - <a href="http://cookcurrynook.wordpress.com/">Madhuri</a>, <a href="http://www.cookingwithsiri.com/2011/09/chile-relleno-with-home-made-tomato.html">Siri</a>, <a href="http://www.cookingandme.com/2011/09/murugan-idli-kadai-idli-recipe.html">Nags</a>, <a href="http://lata-raja.blogspot.com/2011/09/potato-and-aubergine-gratin-with-greens.html">Lataji</a>, <a href="http://www.loveandlentil.com/2011/09/gobi-65.html">Anu </a>and <a href="http://slurpchompyumm.blogspot.com/2011/09/hotel-saravana-bhavan-inspired-14-idly.html">Mittu </a>- have the best of the best up for you. Hop on to each of their blogs and grab the recipes!<br />
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Deepti Pawarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05228690769856346808noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773913459272038177.post-83703877400761100102011-08-16T20:21:00.000-07:002011-08-17T19:59:26.087-07:00Rava Dosa with Pudina Chutney | Savory Semolina Pancakes with Mint Chutney<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Let's talk about the best days of the week. Yes, you guessed it right! Weekends are always about relaxing. And, heralding every weekend is a hearty breakfast that follows a late night of Friday fun with friends and family or all by yourself watching a flick - Your pick! But, wait a minute! Did I just hear you say - "What do I make for breakfast?". And, you dare not answer yourself with something as mundane as cereal with milk, or worse a store-bought slice of bread or a bagel thrown under a dollop of self-proclaimed low-fat, imitation butter. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Of course, all these are quick fix breakfast solutions for on-the-run weekdays. In fact, I myself gorge these down as if the world is coming to a close every morning. But, what if one day the cereal and bread aisles in the supermarket vanished. Zap!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_0SVgfC4C8d7ar_IzrxVa_drw6q2PI5W8FE3xcOxK8sSA3rQSOZ7B3yh5ncUoviGa3KWf6V8zL2zAXELVWR0vF3rzpwoHd9_uOGstG3uCD47vAcJ93LIxFc0qh2gBruLl98saVRn64v01/s1600/Rava+Dosa+Pudina+Chutney.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_0SVgfC4C8d7ar_IzrxVa_drw6q2PI5W8FE3xcOxK8sSA3rQSOZ7B3yh5ncUoviGa3KWf6V8zL2zAXELVWR0vF3rzpwoHd9_uOGstG3uCD47vAcJ93LIxFc0qh2gBruLl98saVRn64v01/s640/Rava+Dosa+Pudina+Chutney.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Ok, let's not make it sound that bad. But here's what - I always make sure I make something elaborate for breakfast on weekends imagining there's no bread. Oh and yes, no frozen breakfasts, too! That way you are not only satisfying your taste-buds with some fresh, home-made food but can also go light on lunch and dinner. Isn't that just what more researchers say? See, I wasn't wrong anyway. Ok, ok. So much for my justification. But, here's my point - Make Rava dosa with pudina chutney. I can see you salivating. Go grab the ingredients. Even if its not the weekend, just go!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Ingredients for Rava Dosa (Savory Semolina Pancakes)</u></div><div style="text-align: justify;">3/4 Cup Rava/Semolina (Coarse or fine, not roasted)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">1/2 Cup Rice Flour</div><div style="text-align: justify;">1/4 Cup Maida/All-purpose flour</div><div style="text-align: justify;">2-3 Green chillies, finely chopped<br />
2 sprigs of fresh coriander, finely chopped<br />
1 tsp Jeera/Cumin seeds<br />
1 tbsp Dry coconut flakes, finely chopped (Optional)<br />
And, of course, some salt to taste!<br />
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<u>Method</u><br />
- In the blender, combine the rava, rice flour and maida with about 3 cups of water and run on medium speed until you have a thin, runny batter. It should be almost watery, something to the effect of a thin, yet smooth textured sauce.<br />
- In a bowl, toss in the green chillies, coriander, cumin seeds, coconut flakes and salt<br />
- Pour the ground batter in the bowl and stir<br />
- Heat a non-stick skillet, and pour a teaspoon of oil and swirl it around to evenly coat the skillet<br />
- Using a round ladle splatter the batter (rhymes!) on the surface of the skillet to cover it completely. Most rava dosas are never round, so don't worry too much about the shape. Just make sure you have thin later of batter all over the skillet<br />
- Turn flame to medium-high and add another dash of oil and allow to cook/lightly brown on one side<br />
- Flip to cook on the other side<br />
- Serve hot with Pudina Chutney (Recipe follows)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyQMSRn9DI7fjKw3SpGl7pmfmukng85NcN07lOV25Pw4PAG2TEq6HUcSq7gN-GYcyLE7L_Hlw7Q05ZjqsRtI0UxU4JOTfpPq7BDWnEMCJfTgGQGgIxSddTC01CpJWihzTGxi4BGPwffvWk/s1600/Rava+Dosa+and+Pudina+Chutney.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyQMSRn9DI7fjKw3SpGl7pmfmukng85NcN07lOV25Pw4PAG2TEq6HUcSq7gN-GYcyLE7L_Hlw7Q05ZjqsRtI0UxU4JOTfpPq7BDWnEMCJfTgGQGgIxSddTC01CpJWihzTGxi4BGPwffvWk/s640/Rava+Dosa+and+Pudina+Chutney.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br />
NOTE - If you are planning on storing the batter (which keeps for about 2-3 days in the refrigerator), add more water before using if it has thickened due to the presence of the rava/semolina.<br />
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<u>Ingredients for Pudina Chutney (Mint Chutney)</u><br />
1 Handful Mint Leaves, washed<br />
2-3 Sprigs of Coriander, washed<br />
3 Cloves of Garlic, peeled<br />
3 Green chillies<br />
1/2 tbsp Tamarind pulp<br />
1/2 inch piece of Ginger, peeled<br />
1/4 Cup onion, cubed<br />
1/2 Cup grated coconut<br />
1/2 Cup Chana Dalia/Phutane<br />
And, of course, some salt to taste!<br />
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<i>For Seasoning</i><br />
1 tbsp Oil<br />
1 tsp Mustard seeds<br />
4-5 Curry leaves<br />
A dash of Hing/Asafoetida<br />
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<u>Method</u><br />
- Grind all the ingredients together with minimum water in the mixer until smooth<br />
- Pour into serving dish<br />
- To season, heat oil and toss in mustard seeds<br />
- Once they splutter add the curry leaves and hing and stir for a few seconds and add over prepared chutney<br />
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SERVES - 3 to 4<br />
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</div></div>Deepti Pawarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05228690769856346808noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773913459272038177.post-78620398875816787532011-08-02T08:23:00.000-07:002011-08-03T13:05:25.344-07:00Honey Roasted Sweet Peppers And Mango With Ricotta Ice Cream<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: justify;">Yes. We raised the bar. The Free-Spirit Bloggers just decided to take things to a completely different level along with a little bit of a gambling, too. How is that for a little summer-time fun?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">This time <a href="http://lata-raja.blogspot.com/">Lata Raja</a> choose the theme. We were all to make sweet-dishes or desserts using just about any mode of cooking we liked. So? You ask, 'What's so great about that?'. But, hold on. Here is the twist. She asked us to choose numbers between 1 and 12. To each of these numbers she had put down the most unusual combination of ingredients that one would make a sweet dish out of, on a spreadsheet that she had not shared with us.<br />
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So (virtually) blindfolded, each FSB member picked her choice of number(s). Once all of us were 'numbered', we got to see the list. When the ingredients were revealed, I was more than a little baffled. Then, left in amusement and awe. Then in deep thought. Lastly, action followed and here is what I made using what I had chosen - Sweet Peppers along-side fruit and nuts. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMM1-it37ZlcvqbYpWk2x-Kj9XLpvMbjZvzXliBhd8iHBX29_f6JFQO6kAfOkPlRF-qy-RdorwR4dXLKAdRu1AxQKKvovxtNmfgfG53Xi6TT-QtAkX8905StiWg44FrPTa7lJ9vBAOtPT3/s1600/HR+Sweet+Pepper+Mango+w+Ricotta+Ice+Cream.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMM1-it37ZlcvqbYpWk2x-Kj9XLpvMbjZvzXliBhd8iHBX29_f6JFQO6kAfOkPlRF-qy-RdorwR4dXLKAdRu1AxQKKvovxtNmfgfG53Xi6TT-QtAkX8905StiWg44FrPTa7lJ9vBAOtPT3/s640/HR+Sweet+Pepper+Mango+w+Ricotta+Ice+Cream.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Here's a peek at what other choices Lataji had on her list:<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">1. Bottle gourd/ Marrow/ Zucchini (Cinnamon/Cardamom flavouring)<br style="margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" />2. Tapioca/ Arrowroot starch (Zest of lemon or Orange/Juice) <br style="margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" />3. Tomatoes (Vanilla)<br style="margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" />4. Barley (Coffee/ fruit)<br style="margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" />5. Quinoa (Raisins, Fruit juice) <br style="margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" />6. Noodles/ Pasta (Dark chocolate)<br style="margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" />7. Buckwheat (Cheese/ Paneer)<br style="margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" />8. Sweet peppers (Nuts and dry fruits) <br style="margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" />9. Sweet corn (Cream) <br style="margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" /><span style="margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">10. Corn meal/ Polenta (Coffee/ Orange)</span> <br style="margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" />11. Black currants/ Pomegranates (Caramel/ White Chocolate)<br style="margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" />12. Chick peas or mung beans (Saffron/ Pistachios)</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Oh yea, I did away with the nuts because there was already so much going on here. Besides, it was optional. Well, well if you really want to add nuts, just throw in some slivered almonds on top! </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7IYh7B41W4heMVX2qqoW3yn-4smtlly8oIrLwnQymIjLgVM88xNjcWgckrbECRY8KWY5zoXuAPSgJg0mV7bpaVcpm5VQIAVCWpZpoKLkrZAHbQWcCBxm-5DVRNwy0Am99N7rJtOxIVyQF/s1600/Sweet+Peppers.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7IYh7B41W4heMVX2qqoW3yn-4smtlly8oIrLwnQymIjLgVM88xNjcWgckrbECRY8KWY5zoXuAPSgJg0mV7bpaVcpm5VQIAVCWpZpoKLkrZAHbQWcCBxm-5DVRNwy0Am99N7rJtOxIVyQF/s640/Sweet+Peppers.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I knew my toughest enemy to make a sweet treat out of this would be dealing with the bold flavor of the sweet-peppers. I had to do something different to make the peppers show me their 'sweet' side, quite literally! Pacing through my mind were various ways I could do this. Saute the peppers and make a <i>halwa</i>? Grind to a puree with cream and sugar and make a popsicle? And just then, like a brainwave I remembered this wonderful recipe I had watched on Food Network. Chef <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/claire-robinson/index.html">Claire Robinson</a> had made <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/claire-robinson/roasted-figs-with-fresh-ricotta-recipe/index.html">Roasted Figs with Fresh Ricotta</a> on her popular show <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/5-ingredient-fix/index.html">Five Ingredient Fix</a>. I drew inspiration from this recipe and created what I would like to call Honey Roasted Sweet Peppers and Mango with (not just Ricotta, but...) Ricotta Ice Cream!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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I'd like to split the recipe into two. First, we'd learn to make the honey roasted sweet peppers and mango. Later, we'd dive into the Ricotta ice cream.<br />
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Read on!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhofOhN8qpzXpwleplTZ_pNMznaiAcIWVUj5N4sxQ7GchyQcrpRA6jxnZ5UNlapwv39wCZDQGI6K756EfdXnt-nzmE9KRChF2qOjqn4nkbVvewjPTo-YYYo2kMo59MbYwHoz_ZZt_1oXqSU/s1600/Honey+Roasted+Sweet+Pepper+Mango+w+Ricotta+Ice+Cream.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhofOhN8qpzXpwleplTZ_pNMznaiAcIWVUj5N4sxQ7GchyQcrpRA6jxnZ5UNlapwv39wCZDQGI6K756EfdXnt-nzmE9KRChF2qOjqn4nkbVvewjPTo-YYYo2kMo59MbYwHoz_ZZt_1oXqSU/s640/Honey+Roasted+Sweet+Pepper+Mango+w+Ricotta+Ice+Cream.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><u>Ingredients for Ricotta Ice Cream</u> (I followed <a href="http://www.food.com/recipe/ricotta-ice-cream-408718">this</a> recipe to a large extent)</div><div style="margin: 0px;">2 Cups Fresh Whole Milk Ricotta</div><div style="margin: 0px;">1 Cup Powdered/Confectioner's Sugar</div><div style="margin: 0px;">1 1/3 Cup Heavy Cream</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><u>Method</u></div><div style="margin: 0px;">- Whip heavy cream to soft peaks</div><div style="margin: 0px;">- Blend ricotta and sugar in a food processor/blender until smooth. You could add a spoon or two of cream/water to get the contents in the blender moving</div><div style="margin: 0px;">- Transfer the ricotta-sugar mixture to a large bowl</div><div style="margin: 0px;">- Fold the whipped cream through the ricotta-sugar mixture until fully combined</div><div style="margin: 0px;">- Pour into a freezer safe container and freeze for about 6 to 8 hours </div><u><br />
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<u>Ingredients for the Honey Roasted Sweet Peppers and Mango</u></div><div style="text-align: justify;">1 Cup Mini Sweet Peppers - Washed, cored of all the seeds and julienned<br />
1 Mango - Washed, peeled and diced to half inch cubes<br />
1/4 Cup loosely packed brown sugar<br />
2 tbsp Unsalted butter<br />
1/4 Cup Honey<br />
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<u>Method</u><br />
- Preheat oven to 400F<br />
- Apply butter on the insides of an oven safe dish and place the julienned sweet peppers and diced mangoes in the same<br />
- In a saucepan, melt butter on a low flame<br />
- Add brown sugar and honey and stir until it forms a golden syrup<br />
- Pour syrup over sweet peppers and mango and toss until completely covered in honey -brown sugar syrup<br />
- Place in pre-heated oven and bake for about 25-30 minutes or until the sweet peppers shrivel up and the honey-brown sugar syrup is all bubbly<br />
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<u>To Serve</u><br />
- Scoop ricotta ice cream into serving bowls<br />
- Top with warm honey roasted sweet peppers and mango and the honey-brown sugar syrup<br />
- Garnish with mint and serve<br />
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Makes 6-8 servings<br />
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Here's a peek at what the other FSB-ites served up this month and don't complain if they left you drooling!<br />
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Lata Raja - <a href="http://lata-raja.blogspot.com/2011/07/this-month-i-wanted-free-spirit.html">Apple and Strawberry Crumble with Barley Flour</a><br />
Madhuri - <a href="http://cookcurrynook.wordpress.com/2011/08/02/sweet-corn-panna-cotta/">Sweet Corn Panna Cotta</a><br />
Mittu - <a href="http://slurpchompyumm.blogspot.com/2011/07/quinoa-raisin-muffins-with-lime-curd.html">Quinoa Raisin Muffins with Lime-curd Frosting</a><br />
Nags - <a href="http://www.cookingandme.com/2011/08/white-chocolate-pomegranate-cupcakes.html">White Chocolate Pomegranate Cupcakes</a><br />
<div closure_uid_qbocqz="188">Siri - <a href="http://www.cookingwithsiri.com/2011/08/cornmeal-orange-cookies.html">Cornmeal Orange Cookies</a></div>DK - <a href="http://chefinyou.com/2011/07/chocolate-tapioca-pudding/">Eggless Chocolate Tapioca Pudding</a><br />
<div closure_uid_qbocqz="149">Anu - <a href="http://www.loveandlentil.com/2011/08/buckwheat-ice-cream.html">Buckwheat Ice Cream</a></div></div></div>Deepti Pawarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05228690769856346808noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773913459272038177.post-68690425770098102192011-07-19T12:34:00.000-07:002011-07-19T13:49:23.120-07:00Free-spirit BloggersThis post has been long pending. Nearly 3 months up, really. Too bad I did not have time to do justice to this elite group I've been a part of, and enjoying every bit of it.<br />
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So, if you're already not aware of us, we are the Free-Spirit Bloggers (FSB). Who? Well, eight food bloggers whom <a href="http://cookcurrynook.wordpress.com/">Madhuri Kumar</a> decided on putting together into a closed group dedicated to one soul purpose - Having fun with food!<br />
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Just another monotonous day was in progress for me, when Madhuri pinged me and told me about this brilliant idea she had. We make a group of food bloggers and every month each of us pick a theme and cook up together! That made my day - Sounded to me like great fun and most certainly so to the other well established bloggers we have on board today, too. Who are they? Here you go! (In no particular order or preference)<br />
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1. <a href="http://cookcurrynook.wordpress.com/">Madhuri Kumar</a> (Mads)- My school-mate and a very, very good friend. Social networking and blogging brought us back in touch and now we've come to times where we cannot pass a day without chatting with each other and fueling one another with the craziest of ideas...oh and yes, not to mention, sharing the same wave-length, too. To be very honest, she's the one to get the food-blogger in me all fired up - My inspiration!<br />
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2. <a href="http://www.cookingwithsiri.com/">Siri Pulipaka</a> - I'd been seeing her name on blogosphere for the longest time. Got to know her once we formed FSB. She's recently moved to Bangalore from the US and has the company of Madhuri. I am SO J of you two!<br />
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3. <a href="http://chefinyou.com/">Dhivya Karthik</a> (DK)- The stalwart blogger in the food-blogging arena. I've been reading her recipes and posts ever since I started blogging, and she certainly rocks!<br />
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4. <a href="http://www.loveandlentil.com/">Anupama Gobalan</a> (Anu)- Another blogger who I'd come across time and again, but go to know better after FSB came into the picture. She writes amazingly well. So it simply goes without saying that her recipes are very easy to follow - She'll take you every step of the way like a baby. With pictures to leave you drooling like a baby at the end of it all, too!<br />
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5. <a href="http://www.cookingandme.com/">Nagalakshmi Viswanathan</a> (Nags)- An experienced blogger and photographer based out of Singapura. Just take a look at what she has on her blog. I need not say another word then on.<br />
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6. <a href="http://lata-raja.blogspot.com/">Lata Raja</a> (Lataji)- The sweetest person you'd ever meet. At least in my case, virtually. It's amazing how she delivers thing way ahead of time. Enthusiastic and charming. That's Lataji for you!<br />
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7. <a href="http://slurpchompyumm.blogspot.com/">Mridhu Mohan</a> (Mittu) - The newbie blogger on the block. She's certainly an amazing cook and that she's on FSB just proves it all, again and again!<br />
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8. <a href="http://www.somesalttotaste.blogspot.com/">Deepti Pawar</a> - Well, well! You know who this is.<br />
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So, finally I have some place where I can lead you all to when I talk about FSB on my blog. I do hope you all enjoy the ride as much as us. Loads of interesing recipes coming your way. So, stay hooked!Deepti Pawarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05228690769856346808noreply@blogger.com3