Moon biscuts

Friday, February 12, 2010

These are my favorite biscuts in my childhood but not now due to their 0 nutritional value. the name is moon biscuts just beacouse of their shape like moon but here I did circle shape biscuts.
Ingredients:
1 cup all purpose flow
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup butter
1 pinch of baking soda
1 pinch baking powder
Procedure:
mix all the ingredients together very very well.
so well you mix them so crispy your biscts will be. Mix for about 10-15 minutes for good results.
spread on a even suface like a chapati or roti you do cut them into the shape you want with a cookie cuts.

bake them in oven at 300 for abot 30- 45 see in the middle so that they wont burn.
Note:
place the biscuts a part from each allowing enough space as they will spread another half of their size.
I did not have much photos as I stopped doing these long ago. will update them as early a possible.
when they are hot they looks like they are not done once they are cooled they will be tough enough to handle with.

Beetroot Pachadi

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Like so many people I dont like beetroot curry or beetroot fry but due to its nutritional values I was forced to eat this root vegetable frequently. So I did so many experiments to make a beautiful dish with this root. Here it comes.
Ingredients:
Beetroot 4 medium sized
Dry Red Chillies <35 (depends on your taste buds)
urad dhal 4 Tbsp
corriander seeds 3 Tbsp
garlic cloves 4-6
Corriander leaves (hand full)
tamarind little
Cumin seeds 1 Tbsp
Seasoning:
curry leaves
mustard seeds 1 Tbsp
cumin seeds 1 tbsp
Chana dhal 1Tbsp
Procedure:
1. Clean and peel the beetroots and grate them.
2. Dry roast the ingredients Dry fred chillies, urad dhal, Dhaniya one by one and let them cool down
3. At the same time take a wide pan with some oil and heat it now add the grated beetroot to it add salt and close the lid and cook for 15 min. By stirring in the middle
4. Cook until the beetroot is done with out the raw smell

5. In a grinder add roasted ingredients, garlic,tamarind and blend them well into a coarse powder.
6. now add the cooked beetroot to it and make a caorse paste.
7. Season it with mustard seeds and curry leaves and cumin, chana dhal well
8. It tastes very well with hot rice and ghee(optional)


Note:
Dont grind the hot ingredients. It is very dangerous and there are several incidents where skin gets burned due to the hotness the mixer open up and the hot paste burns the skin. So cool down all the items. Before blending them.
Eating Colorful vegetables adds colors to our health

Blackberry Milkshake

I dont like blackberries to eat but I tried this drink it was wonderful.
Ingredients:
10-12 blue berries
1 banana
1 glass milk 8oz
Sugar (optional)
Procedure:
Blend Banana and blueberries once in mixer
than add milk and blend for a while
healthy and tasty drink is ready

Green Beans Fry.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

For those people who have no access to Indian stores in USA. They should depend on most are vegetables which are here. So with that experience I can understand the problems of those people. Beans are not so tasty but still they are regualarly available ones here. But me and my husband though we are near Indian stores these days we still bring 2 pounds pack of Fresh beans from Costco and enjoy the beans Fry.
So here is the receipe for you all my frens.
Ingredients:
Beans - 2 pounds
Chillies- 10-15
garlic cloves- 5-7
Cumin- 1 Tbsp
Chilli Powder- 2 Tbsp

Seasoning/popu/tadka
Mustard seed 1 Tbsp
cumin seeds 1/2 tbsp
urad dhal 1 tbsp
chana dhal 2 tbsp
Curry leaves 2 springs

Procedure:
1. The toughest part of this curry is cutting the beans. I cut them as small as chillie pieces. I am providing a photo for an Idea

2. cut chillies
3. In a pistel blend garlic flakes, chillie pwd, cumin in to coarse paste


4. Take a wide pan and add 1 tbsp of oil or sufficient oil for seasoning after frying the seasoning items in the list add chillies and fry for 1 min

5. Now add the beans and add salt and fry on medium high untill the water evaporates
dont close the lid at this time
6. Once beans are half done add the coarse paste and fry for 2 min and close the lid
stir in between untill the beans are done.

Serve with hot rice or roti.

Note:
I the picture I am only showing the curry with 1/2 pound of beans.

Mamidikaya pappu

Monday, February 8, 2010

Any time did u hear about the sentence... Heaven in the mouth...
This dish obviously, the path towards it...
Ever since my childhood I love this dish made by my mother.I tried to learn the way she do it but she never allowed me into the kitchen.Even now,when I ask her on the phone she dont use to say ..but I dont know why when I asked her today she told me the procedure I know it is not different for all of you but it is different for me and my friends because we love her pappu(with any vegetable or greens), sambar. Especially I like to mention my fren kranthi here who always used to say me "ask ur mother for the procedure she will definitely tell u one or the other day". So here the receipe for you dear.

Ingredients:
toor dhal 3/4 cup
Raw mango -1 medium sized peel it and cut it into pieces
(dont throw the seed in side it. It tastes awesome)
onion - 1 samll( according to US size onion)
green chillies- 6 ( depends on your taste buds)

Tadka or seasoning or popu:
Oil or Ghee ( with ghee people say it wonderful but my mom uses oil)
Mustard seeds 1 or 2 spoons
cumin 1 spoon
curry leaves
garlic cloves-2

Procedure:
Pressure cook Mango in a sepearate vessel and toordal, onion, chillies in other vessel.
Pressure cook them for 3 whistles.
Let the pressure cool down and once you open the lid add 1 pinch turmeric, salt, chillie pwd and mash the mango and toordal mixture together.
Now make seasoning a pan with all the seasoning ingredients and add the toordhal mixture to it and bring to a boil and stir in the middle for few minutes.

Untill it reaches desired consistency.
Once it is done
Serve with hot rice and Ghee.

Spinach Lasanga

I love Italian Cooking. The best part of it is once everything is done we can keep it in the oven and clean and organize the kitchen by the time the food was ready.
Will be posting Different Cuisines as early as possible. This is a healthier version So If you need to taste real Lasanga then this is not the one you should try.
Ingredients:

12 uncooked lasanga noodles
2 package (10 OZ each) frozen chopped spinach
2 cartons (15 OZ each) fat free ricotta cheese
1 egg
1 egg white
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (Divided)
1 garlic clove ( minced)
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
3 cups (12oz total) shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
2 cans (15 OZ each) tomato sauce
Preparation:
1. Cook noodles according to package directions, Rinse in cold water, drain well.

2. Thawed and squeeze the spinach
3. In large bowl combine spinach,ricotta cheese,egg, egg white, 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese, garlic, basil,pepper, nutmeg powder.

4. Combine mozzarella cheese and remaining Parmesan cheese
5. In 13"*9" baking dish coated with cooking spray layer 3 noodles
layer 2/4 cup tomato sauce,
layer 1 cup of spinach mixture in step 3 and

layer 3/4 cup cheese mixture in step 4
6. Repeat these layers 3 times
7.Bake uncovered 375 for 45-50 minutes or until bubbly.
Let stand for 10-15 minutes before cutting.


Note:
1. This serves 4 people fully.
But if u need the recepie for 2 you need to half everything and even the leayers u will get only 2 layers like me.
2. Sorry the pictures are not clear I will work on the pictures and try to make them perfect as possible.

Strawberry Banana Milk shake

Saturday, February 6, 2010


Ingredients:
1 cup milk 8 oz
8-10 strawberries
1 banana
Procedure:
Blend strawberries and banana together once then are done softly
add milk and blend for another minute. healthy snack is ready.
Health Information:
Strawberries are good in C vitamin and bananas are good source of potassium This is actually a good post workout drink.
Potassium heals the strained or damaged tissues.

Chicken Biryani

Chicken Biryani...The word it self is yummy right!!!
Having 0 knowledge in cooking I started to do biryani..it failed for couple of times. At last got it succeeded and from then I never looked back.....
Here comes my version of Chicken Biryani
Ingredients:
Whole Garam masala
oil
onions 1 big cut into thin slices
salt
Ginger and garlic paste 2 Tbsp
Chicken(cut into medium pieces) 4lbs
Biryani Masala 1 packet
Green chillies 10-15(cut)
Mint leaves 1 bunch
Coriander leaves 1 bunch
lime -1
Chillie pwd- 2 Tbsp
Yogurt 1 cup
Rice 4 cups
Procedure:
1. Soak Rice in water for about 45 minutes.

2. In a wide pan take oil and stir fry the onions with little salt added . fry onions untill golden brown colour


3. Marinate Chicken with turmeric, salt, chillie pwd, biryani masala, curd , g&g paste, lime juice and keep in fridge for 30-45 minutes.

4. In a wide pan take oil and tranfer the marinated chicken into it. Cook untill the chicken is tender. While cooking add half of the cilantro and mint leaves too.

5. Meanwhile Boil rice in rice cooker with 4 cups water and sajeera(1 tbsp), oil(2 tbsp) added. Cook until the rice is done.
6. In a small cup mix milk with color(i used safforn yellow but it is your choice)

7. Now take Oven friendly wide vessel and layer chicken, rice, fried onions, color, cilantro and mint leaves and another layer chicken and rice, onions , color milk,Corriander and mink leaves.
8. close the vessel so that no vapour comes out.
9. Preheat oven to 325F and keep the vessel inside the oven for about 30-40 minutes

Note:
1. see that the rice and chicken cooking finishes at the same time.
2. If any gravy is left with chicken curry pour that on each layer of rice.
3. Failed to take last steps pictures will update next time.

How to test Eggs freshness

Monday, February 1, 2010

Take a bowl full of water the level of water shoul be 1 inch above the eggs standing length.
Now immerse the eggs in it.
1. If the Eggs float on the surface. You can trash the eggs.
Note: Eating spoiled eggs causes nausea, vomitings and even food poison which are noticed only after 72 hours.
2. If the egg stands straight then they should be used immediatly
3. If the egg settles down horizontally. than they are fresh.

Note: Eggs can be used for couple of weeks even after the expiration date. But please check the condition before using at the same time this test is accurate but not exact.

Virtual Chef Copyright © 2009 Designed by Ipietoon Blogger Template for Bie Blogger Template Vector by DaPino