This post is adapted from Manasi's blog. When she said that it was the best she has ever eaten, i found it hard to believe. I thought, how much variation can anyone bring in a tomato rice...afterall it is tomato and rice and the masalas!!! But i was in for a HUGE surprise... i absolutely LOVED the ground masala that goes into the rice...The ingredients are pretty much the same, but i made the method a lil more simpler..it was a beeg hit at home and at work!!
Here's what you need:
1 cup long grained rice
3 medium sized tomatoes
1 onion
2 green chillies
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
salt
For the Masala ( to be ground into a paste)
5 - 6 dry red chillies
1 1/2 tsp coriander seeds
1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
2 tbsp chana dal
1/2 tsp asafoetida
1/4 cup grated coconut
For the Tadka
Oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
few curry leaves
Coriander leaves, for garnish
Cook the rice and keep aside. Heat a little oil in a pan, add the ingredients for the masala and fry them for a few minutes. Let them cool. Grind them to a coarse paste and keep aside. In the same pan, heat some more oil, add the tadka and let the mustard seeds splutter. Add the onions, green chillies, turmeric powder and saute for a while. Add the chopped tomatoes to it. After a while, add the ground paste to it and let it fry for a while. Add salt to taste and finally add the rice and mix well. Garnish with chopped cilantro leaves, get some curd n papad and you are all ready to enjoy the most delicious tomato rice ever!!!!!
Happy Eating!!!
First of all, I am extremely sorry for my sloppiness in blogging and blog hopping...I started working again a couple of weeks ago and since then Ive not taken the time to blog or to visit other blogs...i had vowed to myself that I will not do this, but sadly I couldnt keep up the promise i made to myself...I know, that a lot many of you out there..inspite of juggling your schedules between work, kids and many other commitments have still found time for your blog...i really admire all you guys..now that Ive broken the absence period, i should hopefully be able to contribute more..
Eventhough, I did not keep aside any time for my blog, I did keep aside some time for my cooking..cos like ive written before..its a stressbuster for me :)
Last week, I managed to squeeze some time to bake a cake n some muffins...plain n simple...but we totally loved it!!
Honey Spiced Cake ( adapted from the book "Perfect Baking")
1 1/2 stick butter 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup honey 1 tbsp water 1 1/2 cups self rising flour 1/2 tsp ground ginger 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon a pinch of cardamom powder 2 eggs, beaten  Grease a cake pan and preheat the oven to 350F. Place the butter, sugar, honey and water in a heavy bottomed pan and set over low heat till the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved. This will take about 5 mins. Remove from heat and let it return to room temperature. Sift the flour into a bowl and mix int he ginger, cinnamon and cardamom. Make a well in the center and pour in the honey mixture and the beaten eggs. Beat well until smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for around 45 mins.
1/2 cup butter 1 cup sugar 2 eggs, beaten 2 cups flour 2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 cup milk 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 1/2 cups blueberries Grease a 12 cup muffin pan and preheat the oven to 375F. Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs to it, one at a time, beating well after each addition. In another bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, soda and salt. Add alternately to the creamed mixture with milk and vanilla. Crush the berries and add to the batter. Spoon the batter into the muffin pans and bake for 30 mins or so. 
I bought this new book Easy Meals : Vegetarian. It is a small book with just about 40 odd recipes which fall in the categories of Soups & Appetizers, Main Meals, Salads & Side Dishes and Desserts. When I went through the recipes in this book, while contemplating whether to buy it or not, what caught my eye was that, there has never been any other book that I have seen / bought, in which you feel that ALL the recipes in it are doable and simple and you are sure u'll like all of them (well, some of you may disagree to this)!! Generally I make sure that I will be able to make atleast about 50 - 60 % of the recipes and that there are pictures and the method of cooking is explained well and that there is no ambiguity in it. Let me know what you look for when you buy a cookbook!! The original recipe is a roasted pumpkin and tomato soup, but I had butternut squash, so i used it instead..
 Ingredients 2 tbsp olive oil 1 lb butternut squash, cut into 1/2 inch cubes 2 medium tomatoes, sliced thickly 1 medium red bell pepper, sliced thickly 1 onion, chopped 2 garlic cloves, chopped finely 2 tbsp water 2 cups vegetable broth 1/4 cup light cream salt and pepper chives, to garnish Spray a large baking dish with cooking spray and arrange the squash, tomatoes, bell peppers, onins and garlic in layers. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Add the 2 tbsp water. Cover with aluminium foil and bake in a preheated oven at 375F for 30 mins or until done. Once the veggies have cooled, blend them to a puree in a food processor. Use the cooking juices from the baking dish. Pour the puree into a sauce pan and stir in the vegetable broth. Cook over medium heat for about 15 mins. Stir in the cream and cook again for 3 -4 mins. Garnish with chives and serve hot.
Although there are confusions about the origins of Balti cuisine, whether it is from Kashmir or Punjab, one thing is certain that this cuisine was developed in Birmingham, England. Balti style of cooking draws heavily on traditional Indian cooking methods but easily adopts itself to ingredients from the rest of the world. Also, it is pretty versatile when it comes to using meat, poultry, fish or veggies as the base.
 Ingredients
1/2 cup toor dal and yellow split moong dal
1/4 tsp onion seeds
1 bunch spring onions ( scallions), chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 inch piece ginger, crushed
1 tsp chilli powder
2 tbsp fresh fenugreek leaves ( or kasuri methi - dry fenugreek leaves, eventhough the fresh ones impart a stronger aroma n flavour)
5 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 small red bell pepper, sliced
juice of half a lemon
chopped spring onions and fresh cilantro, to garnish
salt to taste
oil and water
Cook the dal until soft and in a mashable condition. Drain and keep aside.Heat the oil in a skillet and fry the onion seeds. Add the drained dal and stir fry for a few minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, turmeric powder, chilli powder, spring onions, fenugreek leaves and salt and continue to stri fry for a couple more minutes. Pour some water to just about loosen the mixture. Now, add the tomatoes, bell peppers and lemon juice. Mix well and garnish with spring onions and coriander leaves.
Serve hot with naan or rotis.
Verdict : AJ and I loved it soo much that I made it again the same week :)
Recipe Source : Best Ever Indian Cookbook
Whenever I make any soup or stew, AJ loves it and if he wants it to be made again, he says " make that goulash thing no". At first, I had no idea what he was talking about as I didnt know what a goulash was and I was pretty sure that I have never made one :D Its only later, that I understood that it was his "generic" term for soup!! :D
Last week, I decided to make the real Goulash for him. Since, I am a vegetarian, I had to look for a vegetarian Goulash recipe and found it here.
 1 tsp olive oil 1 medium onion, chopped 1/2 cup mushrooms ( i used the assorted gourmet mushrooms) 2 garlic cloves 1 green bell pepper 1 cup assorted veggies, chopped ( you can use carrots, potatoes etc) 1 tsp paprika 2 tomatoes, chopped 1/2 cup red wine 1 tsp oregano ( dried) 2 tbsp tomato paste 1 tsp sugar salt and pepper Heat the olive oil and saute the onions garlic and mushrooms. Add the green pepper, veggies and paprika and saute for another 3 mins. Mix in the tomatoes as well. Now, add the wine, oregano and tomato paste. Add enough water to make a stew like consistency and let it simmer for about 15 mins. Add the sugar and salt and pepper, just before serving. I am sending this out to Monthly Mingle February 2008 - One-Dish Dinner.  Now for the best part. Last week, Easy Crafts of Simple Indian Food bestowed me with the Nice Matters Award. “Nice Matters Award is for those bloggers who are nice people; good blog friends and those who inspire good feelings and inspiration. Also for those who are a positive influence on our blogging world.” Thank you so much, Easy crafts, for thinking that I deserve this award!  I would love to pass this on to all of you bloggers out there, because I believe that, we all inspire someone or the other, become good friends as time goes on and defenitely deserve the Nice Matters Award. But, since I have to pass it on to specific bloggers, I would like to choose some of my old friends, who have inspired me when i was new to blogging and to some new friends I made on the way!! :) I would also love to pass this on to Aarthi @ Jushtt Jotting, who was the inspiration behind this blog. I would not have started blogging, if not for her!!! :)
I recently got this amazing gift from a friend of ours... a lovely Japanese tea set!! I have always enjoyed my cup of tea, be it masala chai, green tea, orange pekoe or even iced tea. The aroma of freshly brewed tea can wake me up any time of the day (or night!). Especially so, when i was working. The " tea breaks" were also a great socialising time and you can always come back to your desk refreshed!!
 I have been looking up and studying a little more about tea and came across some interesting facts. Accidental Discovery of tea - In 2737 BC, legend has it that leaves from a tree dropped into Emperor Shen Nung's cup of boiling water. The servant had boiled the water for hygienic reasons before the emperor was to drink it. But this time the water was turned brown by the wayward leaves. Being a scientist, the emperor was curious and decided to try some of this new liquid. He found the liquid aromatic and refreshing. Since that serendipitous beginning, tea has been part of many cultures down through the years.( Source)
What is oolong?? orange pekoe?? black tea?? Why is it called so? I have tried many different varieties of tea and by now, i know what i like and what i don't. But only now, i know the difference between a black and an oolong, in terms of how it is made!!
Leaf buds and young leaves are used in making tea, the age of the leaves determining the taste and name of the particular commercial variety. Thus, orange pekoe is made from the youngest leaves, and souchong from the fourth leaves. After picking, the leaves either are dried immediately and completely to produce green teas—such as pan-fired, basket-fired, hyson, and gunpowder—or are partially dried and then allowed to ferment to produce various kinds of black teas, such as orange pekoe, pekoe, congou, and souchong. Oolong tea is partially fired and then steamed, thus being intermediate between green and black teas. After being sorted, all grades of tea are packed in foil-lined chests to prevent the absorption of unpleasant odors or the loss of aroma during shipment. In China, tea is sometimes allowed to absorb the scent from various flowers; jasmine is a particular favorite. (Source)
I made this wonderful cup of strawberry black tea and this is how you brew black teas:  Strawberry black tea leaves  Measure the desired amount of tea leaves and place into a teapot or teacup. Use 1 tsp of tea leaves for every 8oz (1 cup) of water. Bring the water to a rolling boil at 212oF (100oC). Add enough hot water to submerse the tea leaves and let it sit for a few seconds before pouring out the water. Warming the tea leaves and teaware allow for a better brew. Add boiling water and let the tea leaves steep for 3 to 5 minutes. Adding sugar or honey is optional. (The method of brewing is different for different kind of tea. For more see here). Enjoy your cup of tea!!!
I have been wanting to make breakfast / cereal bars for sometime now. I saw the WBB for healthy eats and thought what better time to make this one than now!! This is more of a breakfast cake bar..not just a breakfast bar!! :) Its got fruits, nuts, oatmeal... so its super healthy and yeah tasty too!! i got the original recipe from here...this one has slight modifications. 1 1/2 cup flour 1 cup brown sugar 1 tsp salt 1 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp baking soda 1 stick butter, unsalted 1 egg 2 medium bananas, mashed 2 small apples, peeled and grated 1 tsp vanilla 1 1/2 cups quick cooking oats 1/4 cup milk a handful of chopped almonds and raisins, or any other nuts or dried fruits of your choice
 Fresh out of the oven ( makes about 12 bars!!) Preheat the oven to 425 deg F and prepare the baking pan. Sift together the flour, salt, baking soda and the cinnamon. In another bowl, beat the egg with the sugar and butter till light and fluffy. Add the mashed bananas and grated apples to it. Add in the vanilla as well. Now stir in this mixture to the dry ingredients mix and add the oatmeal as well. Add the milk and stir well. Finally, add the nuts and dried fruits and bake for about 25 mins. 
I am sending this over to the WBB - Healthy Eats event at Tasty Palettes.
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