Ganesha Chaturthi 2013 lunch spread

Image from Top (Left to Right)

1) Salt
2) Sweet Kosambri (Made from Grated coconut, sugar, fried channa dal)
3) Kosambri (Salad of lentils, lemon, grated coconut)
4) Gorikai (Cluster Beans) palya
5) Bendekai (Bhindi) Palya
6) Towe
7) Palidya (Kadhi)
8) Steamed Modhaka
9) Kobbri Chitranna
10) Rice
11) Akki-Kadale-Bele paysa

Aaloo Samosa at home

Made some aaloo samosa's at home. Could not get the authentic 'Mithaiwala' taste - probably because did not use onions and garlic; but tasted very good otherwise - recipe to be posted shortly !

Make this was a little challenging, but had to learn it the hard way and used semi-circles to make cones

Maa ki Dal (Dal Makhni)

Attempted making Dal Makhni ... (also called Maa Ki Dal)

Served with Pulao and Curd

Stuffed Bhindi and Pulao

Stuffed Bhindi and Pulao

Served here with Pulao and curds.

Bikanervala Special Thali @ Home

Bikanervala takeaway Thali is one of the best vegetarian take away I have ever eaten. We have always been used to the usual pizza / subway stuff, but this Thali is something extraordinary. They have a Jain version without the Onions and Garlic thrown in. Got it home for me and my wife y'day. It saved us from the trouble of taking our Son and our little girl (6 months old) to the hotel and end up taking care of the little ones instead of eating !

The Thali had the following:

1) Raitha - 1 cup
2) Paratha - 2 triangle parathas (was a little oily)
3) Rolled Roasted papad - 1 nos.
4) Pickle packet.
5) Paneer Butter Masala
6) Dal Makhni
7) Carrot Peas Sabzi (Tasted like Veg Jaipuri)
8) Fried rice (Peas and Panner)
9) Cucumber Salad
10) Shahi Gulab Jamoon

It was a delightful experience and served fresh. It survived well the 40 mins journey back home.

Spicing up the usual idly with Carrot and Sapsige Leaves

It was time to spice up the usual and dull Idly the unusual way with interesting additions. All we did was added some grated Carrots, Salt and some Garam Masala to the idly batter. Similarly made Green idly using Sapsige soppu (Soa-Kura it Telugu and Sada Kuppi in Tamil) - they both came out awesome. Adding a cashew on top made it look great. Served it with Chutney pudi and Sugar.

Cool Dahi Puri on a hot summer day !

Simple Dahi puri right here at home. Actually my Dad from Mysore sent some Panipoori's which we can fry right here at home just like any other fryums. It definitely is a sure shot way to ensure quality oil is used at home.

Its rather simple activity:

Ingredients
Puris - Fried & ready : about 20 nos.
Dahi (Curd / Yogurt) : 300 grams (ideally chilled)
Boiled Potato: 200 grams (mixed with a little salt)
Tomatoes, Finely chopped: 100 grams
Coriander, Finely chopped: A bunch
Nylon Sev (Fine Sev readily available from Halirams or the likes) - 200 grams
Garam Masala 1 tsp
Chaat Masala 2 tsp
Amchur Powder 1 tsp (Dried Mango power - Everest is the brand I trust)
Red Chilly Powder 1/2 tsp
Sugar - 3 tsp 
Salt to Taste

Preparation (5 mins if Puris are ready, else 15 mins)
- Fry the puris and keep them on a kitchen tissue until they cool down (You get ready made puris in most grocery shops, but really not sure on the quality of oil used therein)
- Beat Dahi with Sugar for about 10 mins (add a little water if the dahi is not with pouring consistency)
- Break the Puris on the top and keep on the plate you want to serve
- Put a small quantity of Boiled potato and finely chopped tomatoes in each puri.
- Add a pinch of Garam Masala, Chaat Masala, Amchur Powder, Red Chilly Powder (careful here!) and salt into each puri.
- Sprinkle gracious amounts of chopped Coriander on each puri
- Now take the cold Dahi and fill each puri until it overflows
- Sprinkle Sev all over
- Sprinkle some Chilly powder and Amchur powder along with some Coriander.

Note: You can add some sweet chutney if you have it ready - makes it great.

Server immediately !

You can just cannot eat enough !

Mango Milkshake with Anjeer (Dry figs) Icecream and Chocolate Syrup

Fantastic combination of Mango milkshake  (made out of Banganapalli Mango), good scoop of Anjeer Ice Cream and Dash of Hersleys Choco syrup - the combination tasted great ! Calorie bomb you can avoid during the season of Mangoes and esp Summers !!

Extra Large Badami Mango Variety from Andhra Pradesh

Extra large Badami Mango available in Andhra Pradesh region. This is an offshoot of the Banganapalli variety - depends on your luck really - each fruit is different. One was divine, the rest were just ok.

Dahi puri and Pav Bhaji at Hypercity Mall, Hyderabad

Pradyumna (my son) enjoying his Pav Bhaji and Dahi Puri at Hyper City mall at Hyderabad on May Day.

Photo Cakes - stunning quality

Got this cake made for my son Pradyumna's 4th Birthday - it was an eggless chocolate cake with vanilla icing and a photo print of Spiderman ! Excellent quality print. This was from Almond House, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad.

Tried Chicago Deep Pan

Chicago Deep Pan is the only so called vegetarian dish I could get hold of at the Dallas Fortworth (DFW) on my way to Austin. Its unhealthy, overloaded and sinful cheese treat !

Fried Crispy Cauliflower

Its the simple fried cauliflower. Its very simple to make snack.

Take some Maida and mix it with some water to make it a little lighter than ketchup consistency. A some a Salt, Chilly powder and little Garam masala to the flour mixture. Roll this immediately over bread crumbs and deep fry it in oil till brown. Tastes best with tomato ketchup

Paneer based Hot Dog

Aloo Patty and toasted paneer inside a hot dog bread. Came out really well.

Fried Baingan and Pulao

Interesting combination of Fried Brinjal's, Pulao, Tomato Dal and Dahi. The Fried Brinjal is from the large Brinjals cut in to big circles and deep fired with Besan batter with a dash of Jeera and Garam masala to make it a little spicy. You can also marinate the cut Brinjal  in Dahi and Lemon juice with salt and pepper to add that extra dash of taste !

Lauki (Bottle Gourd) Kofta

Ingredients

For the Kofta (makes 15-20 koftas)

1) 1 medium size Louki (bottle gourd)
2) 200 grams Besan flour
3) 200 grams potato
4) Coriander leaves - 1 bunch chopped
5) 1 inch ginger
6) 2 small Green Chilies
7) Salt to taste
8) Pinch of Garam Masala
9) Jeera - 1tsp

For the gravy

1) 2-3 large ripe tomatoes for puree
2) Cashews - 50 grams
3) Badams - 4 to 6
4) 1 cup milk
5) Coriander leaves - 1 small bunch
6) 2 small Green Chilies
7) Elachi - 4-5 pods
8) Cloves - 3 to 4
9) Dalchini (optional) - 1/2 inch
10) Pepper - 7 to 8
11) Jeera 1-tsp
12) Ginger - 1 inch
13) Corn Flour - 1 tsp
14) Salt to taste
15) Garam Masala

Method - For the kofta

1) Skin the Bottle Gourd and cut in small chunks (you can remove the seeds if you wish to), taste for bitterness before using.

2) Add the cut pieces, coriander leaves, ginger, green chilies, salt and garam masala into a blender and make it into a fine paste.

3) Take bowl and add the above paste, potatoes and mix with Besan making sure no lumps are left.

4) Heat this mixture in a non-stick pan with jeera until it hardens and you think you can make kofta balls firmly. Ensure that most moisture is gone to ensure that the kofta does not break up when cooking it in the gravy. Make the koftas and keep aside.

For the gravy:

5) Add all the ingredients except milk, jeera and corn flour into a blender and bring it to a puree consistency.

6) Take a large pan; add 1 tbsp oil and then Jeera until it splutters.

7) To this mixture add the puree and cook until the gravy does not stick to the sides of the pan.

8) Add the above prepared koftas slows and continue to cook on low to medium heat.

9) Mix corn flour with the milk ensuring no lumps and slowly add this to the gravy; this process helps thicken the gravy.

10) Add freshly chopped coriander and serve hot.

Veggi Pizza

Attempted a veggi pizza with Olives, Tomatoes, Paneer and Capsicum toppings along with fine mozzarella cheese. Whole wheat Pizza base is from Hypercity in Hyderabad.

For the sauce, I blended Fresh tomatoes, Oregano and Red chilli flakes and got it into a pan for about 10 mins to apply on the pizza base.

The Sunday Vegetable market at Yusufguda Hyderabad

Here in Hyderabad where I stay, there is a weekly vegetable market on Sunday. Farmers and retailers bring loads of fresh vegetables and fruits and sell it right here. I have been going to this market for years and really love the shopping experience. Some pics from this fantastic market !

Kulcha and Paneer Butter Masala

Its easy to make Kulcha at home unlike its tandoori cousins like Naan and Roti. Of course Kulcha is not a very healthy option as its made with white flour (Maida) and not whole wheat flour. It was my sister who prepared this during her visit to Hyderabad.

Akki Roti - The unique rice roti from Karnataka

Akki Roti is one of my favorite breakfast dishes from Karnataka. It takes a little bit of practice to perfect it but it’s simply out of the world. You don’t get akki roti in most restaurants (even in Karnataka), so best is to actually go ahead and prepare it. Given that we don’t eat onions or garlic, here is a recipe without them.

Ingredients (prepares 6-7 rotis of medium size) 

• Rice flour - 250 grams
• Chile - 2-3 nos
• Jeera - 1 tsp
• Coriander - 1 bunch
• Asafetida - a pinch 
• Grated Coconut - 1/4 cup
• Salt to taste
• Turmeric - a small pinch

Method of preparation

• Mix all the ingredients with a little oil and warm water into a Chapati like dough.
• Smear the pan with a little oil and then spread the dough (remember the pan should not be very hot as it would be difficult to spread the dough like a roti, so you need to cool the pan a little every time you make a roti)
• Add a tsp of oil on the sides and fry on both sides.
• Your Akki Roti is now ready.