100th Post : Happy Diwali with sooji nadiya ladoos

Happy Diwali everyone. Hope you have a great and lovely year ahead, filled with health, wealth and happiness. I know I disappeared since months, but didn't want to not post for diwali! And yes it is double celebration time - my 100th post! Its nearly 3 years since I started and I am very happy to have reached this milestone. I couldn't do it without your support! Enjoy these simple and easy sooji-naadia ladoos or rawa-naariyal laddoos.

Ingredients

1/2 cup lightly roasted rawa or sooji
2 1/2 cups of fresh coconut
1 can of condensed milk (400 gm)
1/2 tea spoon of cardamom powder
handful of raisins

How To

Take a non stick pan and dry roast the sooji for 2-3 minutes on low fire, until it starts changing color. Take out of pan and keep aside.
Take the fresh grated coconut and again dry roast for 5-7 minutes on low heat. Once the wetness of the coconut reduces, remove about 1/2 cup of coconut and keep aside.
Add the condensed milk and keep mixing well to the rest of the coconut in the pan on low fire.
The misture forms a lump in 4-5 min. Add cardamom powder and raisins and remove from heat.
Make balls while still warm, roll in coconut flakes and keep aside. Keep in the refrigerator and enjoy for a week.

HAPPY DIWALI Everyone!

Dahi Baingan

Well I saw all these New Year resolutions posted I thought to myself - no resolutions, just good intentions - I will post regularly (at least 2 times a month). How difficult can that be ?  Hmmm Couldn't even post twice in the 1st month! Well the intentions are still good - so lets see...



Here is one of my favorite comfort food! I can eat Dahi Baingan anytime. The one here is the pure sinful one - deep fried version. I will post a guilt free version, later. While this dish is prepared in most states of India, the Oriya preparation is the one I make. It is very simple and amazingly forgiving - an additional pinch of this or that doesn't affect the overall taste of this dish!


Happy Saraswati Puja everyone!




Ingredients
1 Eggplant 
1 cup yogurt - well beaten


1 tea spoon Chili powder
1 tea spoon turmeric powder
1-2 tea spoon of Besan or Maida
1 tea spoon fried Jeera Powder
pinch of black salt (optional)
Salt to taste
1/2 inch grated ginger
1 tea spoon of mustard seeds
2-3 green chillies
sprig of curry leaves


How To
Cut the eggplant into thin long pieces. Sprinkle turmeric powder, chili powder, salt and Besan or Maida. (this prevents the eggplant from being too mushy when fried). Keep aside for 15 minutes.
Heat oil in a frying pan and fry the eggplant pieces to a golden brown color and drain onto a paper towel.
Pour the yogurt into a serving dish and add salt , black salt and fried Jeera powder and mix well. Add water based on the consistency you like. I like mine a little watery...
Heat little oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds. Add green chillies and grated ginger and curry leaves. 
Pour the above fried contents into the yogurt mixture. Add the eggplants to the yogurt mixture. Sprinkle some fried Jeera powder and red chili powder on top and enjoy!

My Baby turns 2

Yes, can't believe it that my baby (my blog) is growing up! Yes my blog turns 2 today! Happy Birthday - my toddling blog! And Happy New Year everyone. Hoping you had a great New Year bash and wishing everyone a lovely year ahead...

This dish is dedicated to one of my mausi... She makes these awesome chena tarkari, aka Paneer Curry. She makes it so well even without adding ginger and garlic to the curry; and her paneer balls are as smooth as silk. This version I present here is my adaption of her chena tarkari... Hope you enjoy these as much as I do...

Ingredients

For the Paneer balls
1/2 gallon of whole milk (yields about 12-14 paneer balls)
1 lemon or 1/4 cup vinegar to curdle milk
1/4 cup maida
Salt to taste
a pinch of Garam masala
1 cup of oil for deep frying the balls

For the curry
1 big onion chopped finely
1 tea spoon of ginger garlic paste
2 tomatoes - chopped finely or mixed once in the mixie
1/2 tea spoon garam masala
1/2 tea spoon Turmeric powder
1/2 tea spoon Chili powder
1-2 bay leaves
1-2 green chillies (optional)
Salt to taste
1-2 table spoon oil

How To

Make Paneer balls
Boil the milk in a large container. Keep stirring so that it doesn't burn.
Once it boils, add the lemon or vinegar to curdle the milk.
Strain the paneer and remove as much whey as you can from the paneer.
Mix well with maida, salt and garam masala.
Make small balls, flatten against your palm and keep aside.
Deep fry the balls in oil, in small batches until golden brown and keep aside.

Make curry
Put the oil in a large vessel and heat.
Once the oil is hot, add the bay leaves and green chillies. Let it sputter for a minute.
Add onions and fry on low heat until the onions turn golden brown.
At this point, I took the onions out, let it cooled for a few minutes and mixed it well in a food processor to get a smooth paste.
Put the onion paste back into the hot vessel, add the ginger garlic paste and let it cook for a few minutes
Add the turmeric powder and chili powder now and mix well. Add the tomato puree or chopped tomatoes and cook until the oil starts to come out of the sides.
Add the garam masala and a cup of water and let the curry look nice and rich.
Turn off the heat and add the paneer balls.

Tastes awesome with plain rice or Jeera rice. This curry tastes even better the next day!