ME ME ...

ME, MYSELF and Vanamala !!!

This is the first time I am writing about myself. In a way I am feeling happy and strange to do so. Thanks to 'Ramya' of ‘ Maneadige’ blog who tagged me to share my life experiences.

I want to thank ‘ mathy kandasamy’ and Indira who helped me to add my blog to food blog desam. Bee from Jugalbandi was the one who told me to join food blog desam. Thanks to her too.

It is difficult to write about myself. But will try my best to put in some experiences and my likes and dislikes of my life.

  • I am a very straightforward girl. I am crazy about vehicles, dresses, artificial jewelery, traveling and shopping. I used to ride a two-wheeler bike ( TVS Scooty ) in my college days. I cried a lot the day I had to sell my Scooty. After my marriage when I moved to bombay I bought a Nova and that was a completely different experience.
  • I am from Mysore, Karnataka. Its my birthplace and even my eduction was in Mysore. My most memorable years were my college days and also the period when I joined Aptech computers for a course. Those were the days when I enjoyed the most…
  • Before marriage I was working in Mysore in Central Institute of Indian Languages. That was my beautiful experience ever. Had to leave the job after I married and moved to Bombay. We were 4 of us colleagues. We enjoyed a lot. One happy thing is that one of my colleagues is living in US in Philadelphia. We talk a lot on phone and laugh about our experience when we used to work together. Whenever I am on phone with her my husband and my son keep on staring at me as if they are watching someone mad.
  • I used to cook from a very young age like from when I was in 12th std. In this blog, most of my recipes are taken from my mom… she is an amazing cook. Of course everyone likes their Mom's cooking. My dad is also a wonderful cook. He used to cook when he was staying in Chennai alone for his job. My mother-in-law cooks well but I have not got a chance to live with her for a long time. She lives with my BIL. Now my husband loves all my recipes and he is my fan now hehehe :).
  • My husband works as a software consultant and he has been in bombay for about 12 years now. But we used to travel a lot depending on his projects. Thanks to his projects I have been to UK, US, France etc.,. We both love Bombay so much but for now we are in US
  • I love watching movies especially salman khan movies. I am a big fan of his. Earlier in my college days my room would be full of his posters. The best part is I used to make my friends also help me to collect his posters. First time Prakash (that’s my husband) came to our house after we got engaged my sister showed him my room and he had a surprised smile on his face wondering what he had got into :). Even now I love his movies and make it a point to see all. I have a fascination for interior design and I love to do keeping changing things around in my house. I have also learnt Carnatic classical music for a few years but now I only sing for my son. He has a very musical ear ;-)
  • I spent my childhood in sarswathipuram, mysore. We were in a joint family along with my grandmother. My father and his two brothers stayed together. We are 21 cousins along with me and my sister on my fathers side (a huge family LOL !!!!). We had lots of fun together and I have wonderful memories of that period. Playing all kinds of games, roaming around, going to different schools, learning bicycle and in summer visiting my cousins from my mother’s side are part of those wonderful memories. Even though now we are far off from each other we are still close to each other by way of emails, phones etc.,.

    I will end up my MEME…

    Now I will tag 'Athika' Food masala and SeeC from En Samayal Arai
    Please feel free to play only if you have the time

CHILLI PANEER

You can have this as a snack or starters!! A delicious dish which is very hot spicy and yummy… (mouth watering!!!)



Ingredients

  • Paneer - 200 grms
  • Green chillies - 3 or 4 (Sliced)
  • Green chilli sauce - 1/2 tsp
  • Soya sauce - 2 tsp
  • Ajinomoto 1/2 tsp
  • Onion - 1 cup (sliced)
  • Garlic - 2 crushed
  • Vinegar - 1tsp
  • Salt to taste
  • Oil for frying
  • Green capsicum - 1/2
  • Yellow capsicum - 1/2 (optional)
Method
  1. Cut the paneer into cubes
  2. Fry the paneer cubes in the hot oil till golden
  3. Heat oil in a pan, add onions, garlic, green chillies and capsicum's and fry for few minutes
  4. Add paneer pieces and cook for a few minutes and add vinegar stir well
  5. Remove from the flame and serve hot.

GORIKAAYI KARIMBDH | BARODA KARIMBDH

In Kannada it is called 'Gorikaayi'. 'Cluster Beans' in English.
Karimbdh is a tamil word, Palya is a kannada word, Hindi is in sabzi, Curry in English.
This is my mom's recipe. I have changed the name actually it is known as Baroda Karimbdh.



Ingredients
  • Gorikaayi / Cluster Beans - 1 kg
  • Moong Dal - 1/2 cup
  • Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
  • Chana dal / Bengal gram - 1 or 2 tsp
  • Green chillies - 2 or 3
  • Curry leaves - 1 stalk
  • Asafoetida (hing) - 1/2 tsp
  • Oil - 2 tsp
  • Lemon juice - 1 tsp
  • Grated coconut - 5 tsp
  • Salt to taste
  • Coriander leaves for garnish
Method
  1. Wash and finley chop gorikaayi / cluster beans, place it into the pressure cooker (do not add water) along with moong dal in a different bowl using 1/2 cup water about 3 whistles
  2. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, chana dal, chillies, curry leaves, hing stir fry till dal turns golden
  3. Add cooked gorikaayi and moong dal stir fry
  4. Add salt, coconut mix well aind remove from the hob
  5. Add lemon juice mix well and garnish coriander
Serve with roti's / chapati or rice




 | Copyright © Malas - Kitchen 2007 | | All rights reserved

JEERA ALOO


Jeera aloo is very simple and easy recipe. Anyone can do it within no time. Especially easy for bachelors. I have already lots of vegetable punjabi curry's in my blog. I thot to make this easy dish for all.


Ingredients

  • Aloo / Potatoes - 1/2 kg
  • Jeera seeds - 1 tsp
  • Turmeric powder - 1/ tsp
  • Green chillies - 2 or 3
  • Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
  • Garam masala - 1 tsp
  • Garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
  • Oil - 5 tsp
  • Salt to taste
  • Lemon juice - 1/2 tsp
Method
  1. Wash, peel cut in to cubes and parboiled
  2. Heat oil in a pan, add jeera seeds when they sizzle
  3. Add chillies, turmeric, garlic stirfry
  4. Add parboiled potatoes / aloo stir well on medium heat
  5. Add chilli powder, garam masala and salt stirfry, cover and cook for few minutes
  6. Switch off the hob. Add lemon juice mix well

| Copyright © Malas - Kitchen 2007 | | All rights reserved

WATERMELON JUICE


Cool drinks for hot summer.. thanda thanda cool cool....



Ingredients

Watermelon - 4 cups pulp, deseeded
Water - 1 cup
Jeera powder - 1/2 tsp
Small piece of ginger
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Sugar - 2 tsp
Lime juice - 1 tsp
Crushed ice



Method


  1. Blend all the above ingredients till smooth
  2. Add crushed ice
  3. Pour into glasses serve immediately
| Copyright © Malas - Kitchen 2007 | | All rights reserved

Mango Pickle (Methi seeds Flavoured) | Manga Oorga






Ingredients

  • Sour Mangoes - 1 kg
  • Whole red dried chillies - 50 grms (I used byadgi chillies)
  • Methi (Fenugreek) seeds - 1 tsp
  • Oil - 1/4 cup
  • Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
  • Sea Salt ( as per taste)
  • Asafoetida (hing) - 1/2 tsp

Method
  1. Cut mangoes into half and remove the seed and chop medium sized pieces
  2. Fry chillies and methi seeds, cool a bit and grind a fine powder
  3. Add powder into the mangoes
  4. Add salt mix well
  5. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds allow to splutter, add hing
  6. Pour into the mangoes mix well and cover
  7. Keep pickle outside(normal temp) for one or two days
  8. After 2 days saute well and then transfer into the Pickle jar, keep Refrigerate
  9. This pickle can be kept for 6 months or more



| Copyright © Malas - Kitchen 2007 | | All rights reserved

CARROT HALWA







Ingredients

Carrots - 1 kg
Mawa / Kova (whole dried Milk) - 50 grms
Sugar - 2 cups
Pure Ghee - 3 tsp
Milk - 2 tbsp
Dry fruits ( Sliced Almond, Cashews, Raisin) - 1 tsp each
Cardamom powder - 1 tsp

Method
  1. Peel and grate carrots
  2. Place it into the pressure cooker (do not add water or milk) till 3 vissile
  3. Take a heavy bottom pan add mawa/kova add 2 tbsp milk stir till mava /kova melts then add cooked carrots
  4. Add sugar stirring occasionally, cook till thickness until all liquid evaporates
  5. Add ghee, elachi, bring to boil for thickness
  6. Stir well on low flame until ghee starts separating. Remove from the hob
  7. Take a small pan heat 1 tsp ghee
  8. Add dry fruits fry till golden
  9. Garnish with almonds, cashews and raisins
Serve hot / warm or cold









| Copyright © Malas - Kitchen 2007 | | All rights reserved

BRINJAL SAMBAR

This Sambar recipe is one of the most loved dish in South Indian cuisine.


Ingredients

  1. Brinjal / Baingan / Aubergine - 1/2 kg
  2. Chana - 5 tsp
  3. Potato - 1 (finely chopped)
  4. Toor dal - 1 cup
  5. Sambar powder - 2 tsp
  6. Rasam powder - 1 tsp
  7. Tamarind Paste - 1 tsp
  8. Jaggery - 1/2 tsp
  9. Coconut - 1/4 cup
  10. Salt to taste
  11. Oil for seasoning - 2 tsp
  12. Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
  13. Asafoetida (hing) - 1/4 tsp
  14. Curry leaves
Method
  1. Wash the dal and place it in the pressure cooker using 2 cups water along with potato, chana. Add turmeric powder a pinch into the dal.
  2. Chop lenthwise brinjal. Cook seperately into the pan using 1/4 cup water and a pinch of salt.
  3. Next add the boiled dal, chana, potato into the cooked brinjal.
  4. Grind sambar powder and coconut using a litter water (should be thick paste).
  5. Add tamarind, salt, jaggery, sambar masala, rasam powder bring to boil for 5 minutes
  6. Heat oil in a pan add mustard allow to splutter, add hing and curry leaves finely pour into the sambar.
  7. Ready to serve with rice
| Copyright © Malas - Kitchen 2007 | | All rights reserved

Capsicum Gravy

Capsicum Gravy (Karwar Style). Karwar belongs to north kanara (Uttara Karnataka).


Ingredients
  • Capsicum - 2
  • Peanut (Roasted & Crushed) - 5 tsp
  • Jaggery - 1 tsp
  • Asafoetida (hing) - 1/2 tsp
  • Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
  • Curry leaves - 1 stalk
  • Oil - 5 tsp
  • Red Whole chillies - 2
Grind to a paste :
  • 1/2 cup coconut grated
  • 2 tsp split bengal gram
  • 1 tsp black gram
  • 2 tsp sesame seeds
  • 1/2 tsp coriander seeds
  • 2 strips tamarind
  • Grind the paste using water

Method
  1. Heat oil, add mustard seeds allow to splutter, whole chillies
  2. Add asafoetida and curry leaves, stir
  3. Add capsicums, stir fry for 5 minutes
  4. Add ground paste, jaggery, salt, turmeric powder and peanuts stir
  5. Add 1/4 of water. Boil for 5 to 6 minutes. Gravy must be thick
Serve hot with chapati or rice.

| Copyright © Malas - Kitchen 2007 | | All rights reserved