Vada Pav

Iyengar Puliyodarai

Ingredients

Tamarind - a size of a big lemon
Peanuts - 2 tbsp
Channa dal - 1 tbsp
Dhaniya - 1 tbsp
Sesame seeds - 1 tsp
Methi seeds - 1 tsp
Turmeric - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 2 sprigs
Red Chillies - 15 nos. - break them into halves
Oil as needed


Method

• Soak the tamarind in a cup of water and take out a thick extract
• Roast the channa dal, dhaniya and 5 red chilles  and grind them to a fine powder
• Roast the sesame and methi seeds and grind them separately to a fine powder
• Heat oil in a pan, add the mustard seeds 
• Add the peanuts and the remaining red chillies (break them into halves) and fry for a while.
• Pour the tamarind extract and add turmeric and curry leaves and salt as per taste.
• When it boils add the daniya powder and let it cook till the oil separates and reaches a semi- solid consistency.
• Add the methi, sesame powder and switch off

Gojju is ready , mix as much as you need in plain rice and Enjoy!!!

Tip : The rice must not be sticking together while you mix. Cook rice and let it cool completely then mix the puliyogare gojju.

Quinoa Dosa

I had a pack of Quinoa lying unused that I bought from a health store a while ago. I have seen many posts about Quinoa dosa and also heard about how healthy it can be since the protein and fibre content is very high in quinoa.

Today I tried my hand at making this dosa and my family loved it a lot. It was very crispy and golden brown and very tasty.

Ingredients :

Quinoa - 2 cups

Rice - 2 cups 

Urad Dal - 1 cup

Soak all of the above for about 4 hours and grind to a fine batter.

Let it ferment for abut 6- 8 hours.

Make dosas in a pan and serve with chutney or chutney powder or Sambar.

Enjoy!!!

Chocolate Cake with Rich Ganache Frosting

http://mymagicalkitchen.blogspot.com/2013/05/chocolate-cake-with-rich-ganache_5167.html

Horchata de Arroz

In Latin American parties, you can see big canisters of Horchata or rice milk to help quench your thirst.  This vegan drink was introduced to the Latinos by the Spanish . It is very easy to prepare and tastes delicious. There are some Horchatas where you add nuts like almonds.
This recipe is a simple horchata.

Ingredients :

Rice - 1 cup
Water - 4 cups  (can also be replaced with 2 cups water and 2 cups milk)
Sugar - 5 tbsp
Cinnamon Powder - 1/2 tsp
Vanilla essence - 1/2  tsp

• Soak rice overnight.
• Strain the water and grind the rice with two cups of water
• Filter the rice water using cheesecloth several times till no grits are found in the rice milk.
• Mix in the remaining water, sugar and cinnamon powder and vanilla essence
• Store in refrigerator and serve chilled.

Enjoy!!!

Potato Poha

Mixed Vegetable Curry

Quick Tortilla Chat

Whenever I get this irresistible urge to eat chat i make the Quick Tortilla Chat.
Simple ingredients to throw in and absolutely delicious.  Works great as a party starter where you just assemble the ingredients in a corner and guests will be more than happy to make their own according to their spice needs and you are out of your responsibility of serving them.

Ingredients :

Tortillas - 5 numbers
Boiled Garbanzo beans -  2 cups
Boiled and Cubed Potatoes - 2 cups
Green Chutney and Sweet Chutney
Chat Masala - 1/4 tsp
Roasted Cumin Powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt and Chilli powder to taste
Unsweetened Yogurt

Method ( to assemble one serving)

• Cut the tortillas into thin strips or rounds and deep fry them in hot oil and set aside 

• In a plate add a handful of  fried tortillas,boiled potatoes and garbanzo beans, add fried tortillas
•  Pour a ladle of yogurt on top and add the chutneys, salt, chat masala, cumin powder and chili powder. Garnish with cilantro
• Serve Immediately

Gujarathi Dhokla

Flowers in my garden

Rich Chocolate Fudgy Brownie

Brownies are of the three varieties, the cakey ones, almost cakey ones and the fudge ones.
To me a brownie must be fudgy. I made these brownies on a quiet, anti-social Sunday where just the four of us had a gourmet meal of Puris, Chats, Brownies and Ice Creams.

I would elaborate as to why I said anti - social.
Before moving here I have heard stories about uppity, attitude showing, thankless and opportunist Indians who live abroad.  I used to hear those stories and rub it off saying it happens only to a certain set of people and not all of them

While living in India we were not social animals. We felt so adequate with our own family, visiting parents and relatives and never felt the need to socialize outside.

But a couple of years here and Oh boy!!! what have I witnessed?  Needless to say I have come across all the above and much more.

My other Indian friends who live in different countries told me similar stories too.
I think there is so much distress because when we live so far away we start considering other Indian friends as our own and tend to become possessive and thats where the problem arises.

Guatemala is a quaint little country with about 100 Indians. All the Indians live in the city about a maximum of 5 kms distance within their homes. What do you expect?
Unity, attachment, party every week, help each other in times of need etc etc. But the opposite has happened and it is very unfortunate.

I think all of us when given the opportunity fall into politics. It is really a great art not to succumb to it. Some of the Indians here would ill-talk so much about a friend that you think there is something really messy between those two. But you see them the next day, all sweet-talk and false talk just to be in the good books of the other person. What I don't understand is if there is really a problem cooking between two persons, why can't they sort it out by asking directly to them rather than passing stories, ill-talking behind or secretly fuming within. In spirituality they say hesitation is the greatest sin.
If there is a problem why hesitate? Go ask.  I have lost a couple of friends by asking but it is rather better than dealing with a relationship with a lot of friction. We fight with our husbands, children, parents and we talk to them the next moment as if nothing has happened without friction, that is because we don't hesitate to ask and sort out the problem. Same must be done with friends too. Life will be a lot more easier.

The most creepy one I have come across so far is bragging about the number of years they have spent in a country. Sadly people who live in India never count the number of years they lived there but moment they step abroad they start to count and it becomes a status talk.  The other day at a party a lady came up to me and said 'You know what? I have completed (as if it is a degree from the IIM) two years in Guatemala.   (me thinks .. so what??)

Some of the Indians who land up newly here are very very social with you that you think they are the best people you have come across in your life.  Don't be too naive... They were just choosing their 'group'.

Some socialize with you suddenly like a rebound love only because they were rejected by some other group.

Some who take all the help from you to babysit their kids while they enjoy movies, drinks, parlors or work at office and are absolutely thankless. There were instances when they don't even call or message to say good bye when they leave the country.

Some who behave their best when they come to your place but behave different when part of a different group.

Some who are so insecure and always monitor about who is partying with who and sulk about why weren't they invited.

Some manipulators who do more bad to you than good. I recently came to know from a common friend that we were not invited for drinking parties because we had been branded as 'Non- alcoholics and old-fashioned' by some of our so called friends.

Some who network (secretly) at such a pace with everyone only to know what is happening with work permits, permanent resident status etc. but never for a truthful relationship.

Some who are friends with other Indians to get free car rides, sell medical bills to others (note: not only illegally procuring medical bills but also selling them)

Some who demand home cooked food, eat to the heart's content and go and ill-talk with other friends.

Some who don't have their own brains to search for house-help but use your maid only to gossip and get information about what is happening in your house. Indians are smart, they can learn any language faster to gossip.

Some who demand you to get food supplies and many other things from your India and USA trips but refuse to do the same for you.

Some who are neutral (believe me they are the worst, they simply nod their heads for anything and because of that nothing productive happens) or simply put it behave like slaves to retain a friend.

Some who borrow your things but never return them.

Some who even befriend you and your friends to hire them or pull them into their organizations.

Some who give only ideas but not do any work when we organize group festivals or parties.

Some who act funny as if they have forgotten their Indianness that you have to remind them to remove even footwear during religious functions.

Some who network with people only online just for a virtual celebrity stauts to get as many 'likes' or 'comments' in their social networking sites , but in reality they are so different.

Some who befriend  you to just tell on others.

I told you before that you get to rub shoulders with the Indian diplomat crowd. Some who think that they have attained a high social status just because they were invited to an exclusive embassy party or   have been invited to a diplomat's house dinner.

It pains me deeply to think why can't we all be friendly just for a relation and not with any hidden agenda. Finally after all the bitter experiences, the Indians are of two types here - one who socialize only with Indians and the others who avoid the other Indians as some serious plague. I haven't come to the stage of avoiding them like plague, for I  know that not everyone is the same. Being indifferent or ignoring them will not help me break my limitations.  The more close you work with such people you get a chance at least to change them by passing on the good vibes and blessing them.

I constantly remember my Guru's words to be truthful to everyone and continue to do the goodness irrespective of whether it comes back to you or not.


This brownie that I made, gave an affirmation that I indeed have magical hands. I just followed my own intuitive recipe and got the best brownies ever.

Ingredients

2 cups flour
1 tin - condensed milk
1 tsp - baking soda
yogurt - 1/2 cup
melted butter - 1/2 cup
cocoa powder - 2 tbsp

Method

Mix all the above ingredients and bake at 350 F for 35 minutes or till you see a fudgy top.
When cool , cut pieces and serve with ice cream

Enjoy!!!!

Black Forest Gateau

I made this Black Forest Gateau for my husband's birthday last December.

This pictures does no justice to the cake at all.


Ingredients For the Chocolate Cake

3 cups all purpose flour
1 3/4 cup sugar (make it 2 cups if you plan not to frost the cake)
6tbsp or 1/2 a cup of Hershey's cocoa powder
2 tsp baking soda
a pinch of salt
2 cups of hot water
3/4 up of vegetable oil
2 tbsp white vinegar
1 tbsp vanilla extract

Bake the cake with all the above ingredients at 350 F. I used two six inch tins to bake two cakes.

For the Frosting 
Cherry Compote - 3 tbsp
Whipped Cream 
Grated Chocolate 
Maraschino cherries


Once the cake is completely cooled, level them if needed.
Whip the cream till peaks appear adding one or two tbsp of icing sugar.
Cook the cherries in two tbsp of sugar and two tbsp of water until shiny.
Let it cool.

Assembling the cake

Spread the cherry compote on top of one of the chocolate cakes
Spread the whipped cream.
Place another chocolate cake on top and spread the whipped cream all around the cake.
Once neatly done, sprinkle the grated chocolate on all the sides of the cake.
Decorate the top of the cake with whipped cream and cherries and sprinkle some more grated chocolate.

Enjoy!!!

Potato Rolls

Its been more than three months since I visited this space.  Umpteen doctor visits neuro, ENT, general and dentists only to find out that I was using wrong power glasses which caused vertigo, dizziness and fatigue. A small issue blown out of proportion.  Finally changed my glasses and feel better now. Also I am on a serious diet to lose weight and updating the blog means cooking calorie laden food and getting trapped into serious diet accidents.

Had a long four day weekend, was going mad at home.  I really miss my school kids and can't wait to see them tomorrow.

This potato ball recipe I learnt from a dear friend Meenu Nair who is a Punjabi. She always cooks a storm for her dinner parties and her magical hands always turn out amazing goodies.

I suck big time at starters. I can plan an elaborate main course and desserts, but never plan ahead for starters. All I can make is some mean looking bajjis and pakodas especially when I have to host a big crowd and get way too stressed to plan the meal and lose out on starters.

Thanks Meenu for this amazing recipe again.

Ingredients :

Potatoes - boiled and mashed - 5 nos.
Bread Crumbs - 1 cup
Amchur powder - 1 tsp
Salt -  1 tsp
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Cilantro leaves - chopped fine - 1 tsp
Oil to fry

Method

• Mix the mashed potatoes and the other ingredients well.
• Make small balls out of them 
• Fry to golden brown in hot oil

Serve with green chutney.

Enjoy!!!

Carrot Kheer

Carrot Kheer is a very refreshing drink loaded with nutrients for wellness and good health. I made this drink for my kids who got back from school after a long and tiring day. Hope they like the Kheer.

Ingredients

Two chopped carrots

Cardamom powder - 1 tsp

Sugar - 6 tbsp

Milk  - 4 cups

Method

• Boil the carrots in little water
• Once well cooked, puree the carrots 
• Add to the milk and boil them well adding sugar.
• Switch off, add the cardamom powder and mix well.
• Store in the refrigerator and serve chilled.

Enjoy!!!

Basil Focaccia Bread

I love the Italian Focaccia Bread Sandwich at San Martins in Guatemala. They serve the sandwich with potato coleslaw salad and it is delicious. The bread is very crisp on the outside and I wanted to try making at home ever since. We love to dip it in olive oil and pepper or just eat them with pasta or spaghetti or soups.

I got this recipe from www.showmethecurry.com where they gave a Rosemary and Onion version, but I tried with Basil.

Ingredients
All purpose flour - 3 cups
salt - 1/2 tsp
Olive Oil - 5 tbsp
Basil leaves - 2 tbsp
Rapid rise yeast - 2 tsp
Sugar - 1 tsp
Warm water - 2 cups
Kosher or sea salt to taste

Method

• Mix 2 tsp of yeast with sugar and a little warm water
• Let it rest for the yeast to work in five minutes
• Mix the yeast mixture to the flour and add salt and water and make it into a smooth dough
• Take a nine inch cake tin and smear it with generous amount of olive oil
• Spread the dough evenly in the tin
• Let it rest for about an hour to rise
• After an hour's time the dough would have risen. Make small indentation with your fingers all over the dough
• Mix the basil and olive oil and spread it evenly on the dough.
• Sprinkle some sea salt on top for taste.
• Bake the bread for 25 minutes in 350 F

Enjoy the bread with pasta or dip it olive oil, vinegar and salt and eat it just like that.

OPOS ten minute Lemon Pickle

One Pot One Shot Lemon pickle has been shared from Ramki of United by Food. This recipe is such a time saver because it is so easy and it takes only 10 minutes to prepare. I have already made this pickle twice at home in small batches and it is delicious to eat this fresh pickle with curd rice and rice kanji.

Ingredients

Lemons - 1 pound
Chilli powder - quarter cup
Salt - quarter cup

Method

• Cut the lemons into quarters
• Put the lemons , chilli powder and salt in the pressure cooker
• Cook them for two whistles.
• Cool and open. You will see that the mixture is watery but will thicken once it cools completely.

Enjoy!!!!

Strawberry Jam

I always had confusion in differentiating a jelly, jam and a fruit preserve. After googling a whole lot of recipes, came to understand that jelly is made from fruit juice, a jam from the mashed fruit pulp and a fruit preserve from chunks of fruits.

I found this super easy recipe for strawberry jam from Allrecipes.com,   http://allrecipes.com/recipe/strawberry-jam/and the greatness of this recipe is that it did not call for pectin as other jam recipes. I could not find fruit pectin in any of the stores here and so I opted for this recipe since I did not want to make large quantities of jam. I did not do the jam processing with a hot bath since I made it for immediate use.
I got a very soft, delicious, spreadable jam.

Ingredients
Strawberries - 1 pound
Sugar - 2 cups
Lemon Juice - 2 tbsp

Method

• Mash the strawberries in a food processor
• Cook them on medium flame with the sugar.
• Once it thickens bring it to a rolling boil and add the lemon juice.
• Cook for a few more minutes till you see a jam like consistency.

Store in air tight bottles and refrigerate.

Enjoy!!!

Grilled Veg Cheese Sandwich

Ingredients

Bread Slices
Grated carrots, peas, and green pepper  - 2 cups
Salt
Chilli powder  - 1 tsp
Garam Masala - 1 tsp
Oil - 1 tbsp
Grated Cheese - I used cheddar

Method

• Saute the carrots, frozen peas and green pepper in oil till almost cooked
• Add the salt, chilli powder and garam masala and garnish with coriander leaves
• Heat the grill and fill the above vegetable filling in a bread slice and grate some cheese on top
• Close with another bread slice and grill with butter smeared on top of the slices.
• Take out when it is golden brown
• Serve with green chutney or tomato ketchup

Enjoy!!!!

Nei Appam

I  made these Nei Appams for Neivedyam today for Thiru Karthigai Deepam. We celebrate this festival for the well-being of our brothers and light oil lamps around the house in the evening.

I learnt these from my mother in law who is an expert in making these. Still my nei appams can never match the taste she achieves every time.

Ingredients

Raw Rice - 1 cup
Jaggery - 1 cup
Cardamom - 4 nos
Ghee - to fry
All purpose flour - 1 tbsp

Method

• Soak the raw rice for about 3 hours
• Drain water completely and grind smooth along with jaggery to a smooth paste
• While grinding you would notice that jaggery will give out water.
• Once ground, transfer to a container and add the powdered cardamom
• Let this batter ferment for about 3 hours
• Just before frying the appams, add the flour and give it a nice mix.
• Drop small ladles of appam batter in hot ghee in the appam moulds and flip to cook
• You may also use a combination of oil and ghee if you feel the ghee is too much to take.

Enjoy!!!

Apple Almond Cinnamon Loaf

I took this recipe from http://youreverydaycookradha.blogspot.com/2013/11/apple-walnut-cinnamon-loaf.html#comment-form

Her recipes are very accurate and I replaced the walnuts with almonds since I didn't have walnuts in stock.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp cinnamon powder
1 apple peeled and chooped into fine pieces
1/2 cup of almonds finely chopped
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup curd
1.5 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup of melted butter


Method

• Mix the sugar, cinnamon and curd well
• Add the melted butter and milk and mix well
• In another bowl, sieve the flour and the baking soda
• Add it to the sugar mixture
• Add the vanilla extract 
• Add the apples and the almonds and give a gentle mix
• In a greased pan, bake the mixture at 350 F for about 30 minutes 
• Cool in a wire rack and slice into pieces

Enjoy!!!