~ Tamalapaku

Punjabi Samosa

When we are talking about samosas, how can anyone forget the typical Punjabi samosas? I couldn't not prepare these samosas with the inimitable taste of coriander seeds and pomegranate seeds in almost every bite !

I stress that for those of you who are like me, who can tolerate the baked versions, go for it. Just spray some oil and bake them at 375 F for about 25 min or until they are golden brown all over.

Here are the Samosas I prepared for this edition of BM #28..
Scrambled Tofu Samosa for Day 1,
Palak Paner Samosa for Day 2

Also another one from the archives ..
Vegetable Samosa

Ingredients -

Oil For Deep Frying
For the Wrapper -
Refer to Vegetable Samosa or Scrambled Tofu Samosa

For The Filling -
Potatoes 2 , boiled and roughly mashed
Peas handful, boiled
Turmeric 1/4 tsp
Salt, Red Chilli Powder, Amchur Powder, Garam Masala to taste
Roasted Coriander seeds, coarsely crushed 1 tsp
Dried Pomegranate seeds , coarsely crushed 1 tsp
Seasoning (Oil 1 tsp, Cumin seeds 1/2 tsp)

Method Of Preparation -

For the Wrapper -
Refer to Vegetable Samosa or Scrambled Tofu Samosa

For the Filling -
Roast and coarsely crush the coriander seeds and dried pomegranate seeds. Set aside.

In a heated pan, add oil and cumin seeds. After the cumin seeds crackle, add the boiled and mashed potato, turmeric and boiled peas.

Add salt, red chilli powder, amchur powder, garam masala, coarsely crushed coriander seeds and dried pomegranate seeds.

Mix well until the flavors are uniformly blended. Remove from fire and let it cool.

Assembling the Samosa -
Pinch a big marble sized dough and roll it into a thin circle (like roti). Using a pizza cutter or knife, cut the circle into 2 halves.

On each half, apply water to the edge and make a cone/triangle shape and press well so that the edges are sealed properly.

Fill in about a tablespoon of the filling and seal the edges by applying water.

Keep them covered while the oil is heated in a kadai/wok.

Gently slide these in moderately hot oil and fry them in low-medium heat. Drain them on to kitchen paper towels when they get a golden brown hue.

Continue frying them in batches and serve them hot with chutney of your choice.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#28.

Preparation Time 45 min
Makes 20 approx

Posted by Harini R on Sunday, May 12, 2013

13 comments

categories: All Purpose Flour (Maida), Appetizers and Snacks, Blogging Marathon, Flours, Fried Snacks, Peas, Potatoes (Alu), Vegetables, Wheat Flour (Godhuma pindi) | |

Palak Paneer Samosa

For Day 2 Week 2 of BM #28, here is another filling for our favorite samosas. Personally these samosas have become my favorite.

I was very much tempted to finish off the filling as is and had to stop myself from doing so. The result being I got 3-4 samosas less, no one being the wiser :)

Posted by Harini R on Saturday, May 11, 2013

11 comments

categories: All Purpose Flour (Maida), Appetizers and Snacks, Blogging Marathon, Dairy Products, Flours, Fried Snacks, Onions, Palak (Spinach), Paneer, Vegetables, Wheat Flour (Godhuma pindi) | |

Scrambled Tofu Samosa

All of us agree that Samosas make for great appetizers at parties, right? So when Srivalli announced 'Types of Samosas' as one of the themes for BM #28, I thought I would take it up to please my family :).

For the wrapper, I have earlier used a different ingredient mix for Vegetable Samosa. I have observed that both the wrappers work well.

Since my older one loves the scrambled tofu, I thought I should try this in a samosa form and see if she likes it! She really did like it. I also baked a batch of samosas instead of frying in the oil for my humble self :).

Posted by Harini R on Friday, May 10, 2013

17 comments

categories: All Purpose Flour (Maida), Appetizers and Snacks, Blogging Marathon, Dairy Products, Flours, Fried Snacks, Soy Products, Tofu, Wheat Flour (Godhuma pindi), Yogurt (Curd/Perugu) | |

Sindhi Sai Bhaji

Here is yet another delightful vegetable-lentil medley which has already become a family favorite.
This is supposed to be a traditional Sindhi Variety which we have since adopted :).

There are so many Sindhi Dishes which I have bookmarked and made some too. I am sure I will get another opportunity to post those !

So check it out for Day 3 Week 1 of BM #28.

Posted by Harini R on Sunday, May 5, 2013

14 comments

categories: Beans And Dals, Blogging Marathon, Carrots, Chana Dal (Senaga Pappu), Chayote Squash, Dals, Palak (Spinach), Tomatoes, Vegetables | |

Aur Jho Ras - A Sindhi Kadhi

As soon as I saw this recipe in SindhiRasoi, I felt it was closer to our pulusu variety where we add tamarind along with vegetables. My husband who is a major fan of garlic was very happy with the garlic smell wafting through the kitchen!

So for Day 2 Week 1 of BM #28, here it is..

Posted by Harini R on Saturday, May 4, 2013

13 comments

categories: Anapakaya (Bottle Gourd), Blogging Marathon, Carrots, Chick Pea Flour (Besan), Flours, Potatoes (Alu), Sambar, Vegetables | |

Tidaali Dal - The Sindhi Way

We start yet another edition of Blogging Marathon. For the first week of this edition, I have chosen to blog some traditional Sindhi dishes.

I have browsed through some websites which had some authentic Sindhi dishes listed and I picked out three simple ones to make which I shall feature for the next three days.

The first one is of course, this Tidaali Dal or Tridaali Dal which, as the name signifies, is made out of three lentils. I have seen various ratios of these dals in multiple websites and I chose to go with a ratio I am comfortable with.

We found this to be a very aromatic dal and comforting at best!

Ingredients -

Chana Dal 1/2 cup
Urad Dal 1/4 cup
Moong Dal 1/4 cup
Tomato, chopped 1/2 cup
Salt as needed
Turmeric 1/4 tsp
Ginger, Garlic and Green Chillies as needed
Seasoning (Oil 2 tsp, Cumin seeds 1/2 tsp, Mustard seeds 1/2 tsp, Curry leaves few, Asafoetida 1 pinches)
Optional Lime Juice as needed

Method Of Preparation -

Wash the dals and pressure cook them along with ginger and green chillies until they are thoroughly cooked. Mash the mixture, add in salt and turmeric.

In a pan, add oil and the rest of the ingredients. After the mustard seeds crackle, add the grated garlic and saute until it turns golden brown.

Add the mashed dal and let it simmer for a couple minutes and remove from fire.

Traditionally it is served with Sorghum Roti but we enjoyed with Rice.

Also I squeezed in some lime juice to suit our palate.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#28.

Preparation Time 30 min
Serves 3-4

Posted by Harini R on Friday, May 3, 2013

14 comments

categories: Beans And Dals, Blogging Marathon, Chana Dal (Senaga Pappu), Dals, Moong Dal (Pesarapappu), Tomatoes, Urad Dal (Minapa pappu), Vegetables | |

Kobbari Pachadi ~ Coconut Chutney

For the last day of this month long Blogging Marathon # 27, here is a humble and basic chutney from my kitchen.

It is very rare for me to make this coconut chutney at home. The reason is simple. I am very picky when it comes to the quality of coconut. We very rarely the coconut which doesn't smell or which is not dry. On the rare occasion we get good quality coconut, we tend to eat it raw with some jaggery.

Ingredients -

Fresh Coconut, shredded 1 cup
Green Chillies 4-5 (or to taste)
Tamarind pulp 1 tsp
Salt as needed
Coriander leaves, few
Seasoning (Oil 2 tsp, Chana Dal 1 tsp, Urad Dal 1 tsp, Mustard seeds 1/2 tsp, Cumin seeds 1/2 tsp, Asafoetida 2 pinches, Curry leaves few)

Method Of Preparation -

Grind all the ingredients adding as little of water as needed.

Prepare the seasoning - Heat Oil in a pan, add all the seasoning ingredients in the order mentioned. After the mustard seeds pop, remove from fire and transfer onto the chutney.

Mix well and serve with steaming hot rice or Ven Pongal.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#27.

Here is the list of recipes blogged this month in a glance..

Week 4 - Misc (Craft or Condiments)

Week 3 - Seasonal Recipes
Day 8 Baked Masala Vada
Day 7 Coconut Water - Mixed Fruit Popsicle
Day 6 Ragi Buttermilk ~ Ragi Majjiga
Day 5 Watermelon-Strawberry Slurpee
Day 4 Masala Chai
Day 3 Mixed Berry Smoothie
Day 2 Shahi Falooda
Day 1 Onion Bajji ~ Onion Fritters

Week 2 - Traditional Recipes
Day 7 Zarda Sweet Saffron Rice - ICC March 2013
Day 6 Pappu Pulusu
Day 5 Kakarakaya Ulli Koora
Day 4 Matikkaya Podi / Goruchikkudu Podi
Day 3 Panasa Pottu Fry ~ Raw Jack Fruit Fry
Day 2 Ugadi Greetings 2013!! with Chana Dal Laddu
Day 1 Rayalaseema Erra Karam Dosa
Week 1 Special Occasion Recipes
Day 8 Bhindi Pakodi ~ Okra Fritters
Day 7 Eggless Banana Wheat Cookies
Day 6 Mysore Pak
Day 5 Mixed Vegetable Khichdi
Day 4 Paneer Masala
Day 3 Mixed Vegetable Curry (No Onion, No Garlic)
Day 2 Eggless Carrot Yogurt Cupcake
Day 1 Mixed Vegetable Bread Baskets

Preparation Time 7-10 min
Makes 1 cup

Posted by Harini R on Tuesday, April 30, 2013

13 comments

categories: Blogging Marathon, Chutneys And Powders, Coconut(Kobbari), Dry Fruits and Nuts | |

Tamarind Date Chutney

Can you imagine any chaat without this amazing sweet and tangy chutney?? The first time I made this my older one was so on to it that she put it on anything and everything.

Simple to make but sounds like a huge chore! Here is the humble chutney for Day 6 Week 4 of BM #27.

Posted by Harini R on Monday, April 29, 2013

14 comments

categories: Blogging Marathon, Dates, Dry Fruits and Nuts, Jaggery, Kitchen Basics, Sweetening Agents, Tamarind | |

Carrot Flowers

Here is another flower, this time made out of carrots. My kids had loads of fun eating these carrot strips off of the flowers competing with each other!

I thought it was yet another great idea to make them gobble up carrots. What say?

I felt it was very easy to make and so my basic cutting and peeling skills were more than enough to get the desired result!!

So a carrot flower it is for Day 5 Week 4 of BM #27.

Ingredients -

Carrots, as many as needed (1 carrot makes 1 flower)
Toothpick one for each flower

Method Of Preparation -

Choose a fresh, healthy and plump carrot. Wash the carrot and chop off both the ends.

Peel the carrot length wise. We would need about 8-9 strips for 1 flower.

Insert a small carrot chunk into a toothpick. This would be the anchor for the flower.

Select 4 long carrot strips and 4 shorter ones.

Make a bow with the longer strip and pin it to the toothpick as shown in the picture. Pin 3 more long ones so that each of them is at right angles to the next one.

Make a bow with the shorter strip and pin it to the toothpick so that it lies between 2 longer bows. Continue for the remaining 3 short strips.

Now it becomes an 8 petal flower. To close the open end of the toothpick at the top, fold a small carrot strip and pin it.

Place the flower on a bigger chunk of carrot or any other sturdy base and it would definitely make a center piece on a buffet table.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#27.

Preparation Time 5-7 min
Makes 1 flower

Posted by Harini R on Sunday, April 28, 2013

14 comments

categories: Blogging Marathon, Carrots, Salads n Dips, Vegetables | |

Instant Tomato Chutney

I was getting really tired of having peanut Chutney as an accompaniment for Idli, Dosa etc. That was when my maternal aunt introduced me to this instant chutney. This has since become a staple at home!

Check out this humble chutney for Day 4 Week 4 of BM #27.

Ingredients -

Onions , chopped 1 cup
Tomatoes, chopped 2-3 cups
Tamarind marble size, cleaned and stringed (Optional)
Salt and Red Chilli Powder as needed
Oil 1 tsp
Seasoning (Oil 1 Tbsp, Mustard seeds 1 tsp, Asafoetida 1/8 tsp)

Method Of Preparation -

Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a pan. Saute the chopped onions until they are translucent.

Add tomatoes and let them get mushy. Also add the tamarind. [Skip the tamarind if the tomatoes are sour]

After the tomatoes get mushy, remove from fire. Add salt and red chilli powder. Let it cool.

Grind to a fine paste and prepare the seasoning by heating oil, popping mustard seeds and adding asafoetida.

Mix in the seasoning into the chutney and serve.

It can be stored in the refrigerator for a few days. A great accompaniment for Idli, Dosa etc.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#27.

Preparation Time 15 min
Makes approx 1 1/2 cups

Posted by Harini R on Saturday, April 27, 2013

18 comments

categories: Blogging Marathon, Chutneys And Powders, Onions, Tomatoes, Vegetables | |

Guacamole

Guacamole, according to Wiki, is an avocado based sauce originated in Mexico. It is used as a dip, condiment or salad ingredient.

In my mind, Guacamole is synonymous with Mexican food. We have been eating guacamole for a while now occasionally with chips or with Tacos.

Recently we were introduced to a veggie bowl from Chipotle (a restaurant chain). And one of the ingredients happens to be this guacamole.

I have since recreated this veggie bowl at home much to our delight! More of that recipe later but for now check out the version of guacamole which has been approved at home.
So for Day 3 Week 4 of BM #27, here is the recipe.

Ingredients -

Avocados 2 nos
Onions, finely chopped 1/4 cup
Tomatoes, finely chopped 1/4 - 1/2 cup
Garlic, minced 1-2 cloves
Jalapenos 1/2 - 1 (depends on the heat preference)
Salt as needed
Cumin Powder 1/4 tsp
Red Chilli Powder 1/4 tsp (or as needed)
Cilantro / Coriander leaves finely chopped 1 Tbsp
Lime Juice 1 Tbsp

Method Of Preparation -

Cut the Ripe Avocado, remove the seed and scoop out the pulp .

In a mixing bowl, mash the avocado pulp and mix all the other ingredients except tomato.

Mix well, cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Mix in the chopped tomatoes just before serving.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#27.

Preparation Time 15 min
Makes about 1 cup

Posted by Harini R on Friday, April 26, 2013

15 comments

categories: Avocado, Blogging Marathon, Fruits, International Recipes, Kitchen Basics, Onions, Salads n Dips, Tomatoes, Vegetables | |

Annam Podi ~ Mixed Lentil Powder

Childhood summers in grandparent's place = amazing food + ripe mangoes + fun time with cousins, aunts and uncles. Therefore some of my childhood memories are definitely entwined with food.

We used to visit our maternal grandparent's place mostly during summers and used to spend close to 90-100 days. Our kiddo gang was about 8-10 and we used to have loads of fun. I now cherish those memories and always urge my kids to have fun and save those memories for the future!

One of the mouth watering items is this Annam Podi combined with Rasam Rice. It used to be a typical combo for dinner.

It looks like I was forever postponing to make this at home because I was skeptical to get horse gram :). I got this recipe from amma almost a decade back and it finds a place here only now. Needless to say, it always had a place in my memories!!
Check out this humble podi for Day 2 Week 4 of BM #27.

Ingredients -

Toor Dal / Kandi Pappu 1/2 cup
Moong Dal / Pesara Pappu 1/2 cup
Horse Gram / Ulavalu 1/4 cup
Chana Dal / Senaga Pappu 1 Tbsp
Urad Dal / Minappappu 1 Tbsp
Cumin Seeds 1 tsp
Whole Red Chilies 2-3 (or as needed)
Salt 1 tsp (or as needed)

Rasam Rice with Annam Podi in the background

Method Of Preparation -

Roast all the ingredients (of course except salt :) ) separately until they are golden brown and aromatic.

Let them cool and grind them into a semi coarse powder.

Store in an air tight container and serve it with steaming hot rice and ghee.

Our favorite combo is with Tomato Rasam and Rice.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#27.

Preparation Time 15 min
Makes approx 1 1/2 cups

Posted by Harini R on Thursday, April 25, 2013

13 comments

categories: Beans And Dals, Blogging Marathon, Chutneys And Powders, Horse Gram, Moong Dal (Pesarapappu), Toor Dal (Kandi Pappu) | |

Cucumber Roses

The last week of this edition of Blogging Marathon is an attempt to showcase our artistic abilities. The theme says "food craft/art or miscellaneous recipes". I am no artist, but I have made an attempt to present this interesting craft idea which I thought was easy to do.

I feel that these roses would make a very good decoration on a buffet table as a way of serving salads. What say?

I have looked at numerous videos on Youtube and after a couple of attempts, I got it to this shape. The fun part was my kids were looking on and were waiting to gobble up the cucumber slices and they were not mindful of the fact that I was tense about the end result! They were sure they would get to eat the cucumber slices whether I get the roses right or not!!

The sprinkles on the cucumber roses was my little one's idea. She loves those sugary and colorful sprinkles and was looking for a chance to gobble them (which I usually don't allow). She cleverly manipulated me into using it to garnish the roses so she would be able to have it her way. Master manipulators - these kids!!

Note - These roses can be made out of carrots too. Just get hold of some plump carrots, slice them and soak them in hot water for a couple minutes so the slices soften up a little bit and follow the procedure below.

Ingredients -

Cucumbers thinly sliced about 22-24
Sprinkles for garnish (optional)

Method Of Preparation -

Layer the cucumber slices as shown in the picture below. Place 1 slice then the other slice would be placed in the middle on the first slice and so on.

I layered about 11 slices. I guess you could use more but I felt 11 was a decent number to roll.

Start rolling like a carpet from one end to the other as shown in the picture.

Hold the rolled slices and cut them into two halves.

Place the cut side down and arrange the slices and voila! they would resemble roses!!

Garnish with sprinkles for a colorful look. Don't they look professional??

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#27.

Preparation Time 15 min
Makes 2 roses

Posted by Harini R on Wednesday, April 24, 2013

18 comments

categories: Blogging Marathon, Kheera (Cucumber), Salads n Dips, Vegetables | |

Baked Masala Vada

Here is a guilt free indulgence for a rainy day! I had bookmarked this almost 2 years back and I made it the other day. The most interesting addition to this was flax seeds.

I found these to be addictive and my older one confirms! Though my husband says he would have gladly gobbled up the deep fried version. Anyway this recipe is a winner (3-1). My older one made sure I promised to bake these often while the Dad put on a long face :).

Anyway here it is for Day 8 Week 3 of BM #27.

Ingredients -

Chana Dal 1/2 cup
Toor Dal 1/2 cup
Flax Seeds 2 Tbsp
Onion finely chopped, 1/2 cup
Peanuts handful
Salt as needed
Ginger as needed
Green Chillies as needed
Baking Powder 1 tsp
Oil 1 Tbsp

Method Of Preparation -

Wash and soak Chana Dal and Toor Dal for 3-4 hours.

Drain and coarse grind the dals adding as little water as needed. Separately grind the flax seeds, green chillies and ginger to a fine paste.

Mix the coarsely ground dals, flax seed mixture and coarsely chopped peanuts along with salt and baking powder. Fold in the finely chopped onions.

Mix well adding a little oil and the dough is ready.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line parchment paper on a baking tray and set aside.

Divide the dough into lime sized portions and flatten them into 1 cm thick discs or patties and place them on the baking tray. Spray oil on each of the patties and bake them for 35 min.

Flip them after about 25 min so they get browned evenly on both sides.

I broiled them for a couple of minutes for a crispier vadas.
I served them with tomato chutney and tea for the adults while the kiddo wanted strawberry milk.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#27.

Preparation Time 15 min + Baking Time 35
Makes 18

Posted by Harini R on Tuesday, April 23, 2013

15 comments

categories: Appetizers and Snacks, Baking, Beans And Dals, Blogging Marathon, Chana Dal (Senaga Pappu), flax seeds, Healthy Snacks, Onions, Savory Bakes, Toor Dal (Kandi Pappu), Vegetables | |

Coconut Water - Mixed Fruit Popsicle

I was thinking about making popsicles using coconut water and was cracking my brains as to what combo would be liked by the kids. And Voila! I saw a Facebook post with a combo which was interesting. I was skeptical initially but then I thought if not the older one, the younger one would definitely like this!

So I went ahead and made this, put it in the freezer and offered to the kids when they came back from school. Surprise !! Surprise!! My older one liked it better!

Later on she figured out that it had banana and so was very upset. She was like, "Amma you are so mean, you tricked me into eating and also liking banana". Ultimately she had to agree that banana is not always yucky and that I always strive to feed them healthy stuff. That was how my job for the day was done!!

Check out this easy recipe for Day 7 Week 3 of BM #27.

Posted by Harini R on Monday, April 22, 2013

14 comments

categories: Banana, Blogging Marathon, Blueberry, Fruits, Mango, Shakes, Strawberry | |

Ragi Buttermilk ~ Ragi Majjiga

Here is a calcium rich drink which cools down body heat and is a fortifying drink on a hot summer day. This is the recipe I learnt from my MIL.

Growing up, I was never exposed to ragi in any form. Only in the later years my mom started using ragi in her kitchen. But apparently my MIL has been making this buttermilk since ages. Couple summers earlier, I tasted it back home and I made this a few times since.

My friend shared a different version of where the ragi flour is cooked and then mixed in buttermilk. My MIL says since the ragi flour is already sprouted and roasted, it need not be cooked.

Posted by Harini R on Sunday, April 21, 2013

18 comments

categories: Blogging Marathon, Butter Milk (Majjiga), Dairy Products, Flours, Millet Recipes, Ragi Flour, Shakes | |

Watermelon-Strawberry Slurpee

This is a delightful summer time coolant for the kids. My little one can have any coolant in the peak of winter looking at the piling snow :).

But this time I thought of this slurpee instead of smoothie/juice as my older one who is a picky fruit eater said she would try it out too. In the end, our neighbors kids dropped by and licked (slurped?) off the slurpee!!

So let the kids enjoy the coolant while we check the recipe for Day 5 week 3 of BM #27.

Posted by Harini R on Saturday, April 20, 2013

17 comments

categories: Blogging Marathon, Fruits, Shakes, Strawberry, Sugar, Sweetening Agents, Watermelon | |

Tamalapaku

Punjabi Samosa

Palak Paneer Samosa

Scrambled Tofu Samosa

Sindhi Sai Bhaji

Aur Jho Ras - A Sindhi Kadhi

Tidaali Dal - The Sindhi Way

Kobbari Pachadi ~ Coconut Chutney

Tamarind Date Chutney

Carrot Flowers

Instant Tomato Chutney

Guacamole

Annam Podi ~ Mixed Lentil Powder

Cucumber Roses

Baked Masala Vada

Coconut Water - Mixed Fruit Popsicle

Ragi Buttermilk ~ Ragi Majjiga

Watermelon-Strawberry Slurpee

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