(CON)FUSION CUISINE

KAARAKUZHAMBU SAUCE

noreply@blogger.com (Kala BN) — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 10:48:00 +0000

KAARAKUZHAMBU WHICH IS SOUR,HOT AND OILY CAN BE MIXED WITH RICE. BUT KAARAKUZHAMBU SAUCE CAN BE HAD WITH BREAD,ROTI OR MIXED WITH PASTA.

KAARAKUZHAMBU SAUCE
-----------------------------
INGREDIENTS
1.TAMARIND PASTE-1CUP
2.GARLIC ,GINGER PASTE-1/2 CUP
3.ROASTED AND GROUND RED CHILLY PASTE-1/2 CUP
4.POWDERED JAGGERY-1/2CUP
5.ROASTED AND POWDERED MUSTARD AND FENUGREEK POWDER-2 SPOONS
6.SALT
7 OIL

METHOD OF PREPARATION
----------------------------
MIX ALL THE INGREDIENTS IN A BOWL AND MICROWAVE FOR 15 MINUTES STIRRING IN BETWEEN.

Fruits pulav

noreply@blogger.com (Kala BN) — Wed, 31 May 2006 09:17:00 +0000

Ingredients:
Basmathi rice-1 cup
raisins-5
pine apple-3
mango-3
dates-5
green chillies-4
cashew nuts
cloves-5
Method:
Cook basmathi rice and spread it on a plate.Allow it to cool.
Fry cashews .
break the cloves in to 2 pieces and fry it in ghee.
cut the green chillies'
saute the green chillies
Heat a kadai ,put the raisins and dates and switch off.
Cut the the pine apple and mango in to fine pieces.(see to it that the fruits are not sour at the same time it should not be too juicy.If you cant get the right variety you can add finely cut apples)
Mix all the above with rice and heat before serving.
.

Macaroni in bean sauce

noreply@blogger.com (Kala BN) — Sun, 28 May 2006 10:48:00 +0000

Macaroni is made from a kind of wheat.Macaroni in bean sauce (protein) can be a nice meal item equal to roti dhal or rice and sambar.

Ingredients:
macaroni
soy bean or any bean variety-1 cup
coconut-grated
red chillies
garlic
turmeric powder
tamarind
salt
Method:
Prepare the macaronis as per instruction in the packet.Drain and rinse in cold water.
soak the bean for 3 hours and pressure cook till soft.
grind the coconut,fried red chillies,turmeric powder,tamarind and a spoon of cooked bean.
heat a kadai and boil the cooked bean with a cup of water.Add salt.
Add the ground stuff and mix.
Saute garlic in oil and add to the sauce.
Add the macaronis .
Note:
This is a carbo protein diet.

Plums laadu

noreply@blogger.com (Kala BN) — Tue, 23 May 2006 10:14:00 +0000

Ingredients:
Plums(ripe and sweet)-6
sugar powder
grated coconut(powder it in a blender)-3 spoons
raisins
bread slices(not fresh)
Ghee
method:
Cut the edges of the bread slices.
Wet your palm and try to crumble and slowly powder the sliced bread.
Heat a kadai and roast the bread crums crisp using ghee .
Remove the seeds from the plums and put them in blender.
Mix the sugar powder,raisins with plum paste.
Mix this with bread crumbs.
Pour little milk on a plate.
Wet your palms in this milk and make round laadus.
Note:
Instead of making laadus we can make this flat like vadaas and cook in a pan using lot of ghee in low flame.So that we can have hot ,sweet plum cutlets.

Easy stuff

noreply@blogger.com (Kala BN) — Sun, 21 May 2006 11:20:00 +0000

I always try to find some fool proof method to make an authentic dish.Making stuffed parathas has always been a challenge to me.The difficult part of making the parathas is rolling it without making the fillings leak.
So I found out an easy way of doing it and the parathas look like roti sandwiches but tastes good.
Ingredients:
1.rotis
2.Stuffing
Stuffing:
1.We can use grated carrots or beet roots,add chilly powder or spice powder and saute in a kadai.
2 Boi l and mash vegetables like potato,raw banana,sweet potato and add chillies,lime juice
3.make mixed vegetables curry
4.Make thick paste of tomato onion(fried and ground),or garlic,ginger or onion,mint leaves etc
Use one of these or use the left over curries either crushing it in a bender or as they are.
Method of making stuffed parathas:
Roll rotis.
Spread the fillings in one half of the roti and close it with the other part.
Slightly roll the edges thin.
Heat a pan and put the stuffed roti in low flame.use ghee or any cooking oil.
when it has light brown spots turn it and cook the other side.
When it gets light brown spots cut the roti with the laddle you are using.
You get 2 triangular parathas.
Isnt it an easy stuff?

rice cake brunch

noreply@blogger.com (Kala BN) — Thu, 18 May 2006 09:43:00 +0000

Iam giving this recipe exclusively for bachelors who find cooking rice,curry and sambhar laborious and monotonous.
Once a week this can be prepared and have the luxury of eating nutritious and tasty food.

Ingredients:
Rice flour-3 table spoons
buttermilk-200 ml
salt
chillies(red or green)
ginger pieces
curry leaves
oil
vegetables
mustard
urad dal
Asafoetida
Base:
Mix the rice flour with butter milk.Add salt and a pinch of asafoetida
Heat a kadai and Season mustard and urad dal.Add chillies ,ginger and curry leaves.
add the rice flour mixture and keep stirring it.Add some water if it gets thick immediately.Cook till the mixture forms in to a lump.Add oil so that it doesnt stick to the kadai.
Remove from the stove and spread it on a greased plate.
Method 1.
Add the grated carrots,cucumber and pour tomato sauce.
Method2:
Put thin strips of carrots,capsicum,beans and peas in boiling water.Close it with a lid for 2 minutes and remove the vegetables.Spread it over the rice cake.Top it with soya sauce.
Note:
If the rice flour is not available take a cup of rice,2 spoons of red gram,a spoon of cumin seeds and powder it in a blender like semolina.
After seasoning add 3 cups water and pressure cook or microwave.
Spread it on a plate and then add grated cheese or butter(since we have not added butter milk)
Add any sauce or chutney.
Top it with cooked vegetables or salad vegetables like tomato,spring onoin,radish etc.
You can have this item with chipsor pickle.
Cut them in to pieces for convenient eating.

Mushroom potato curry

noreply@blogger.com (Kala BN) — Wed, 17 May 2006 10:34:00 +0000

Mushroom-white button type
potato
mint chutney or coriander chutney(available in Indian stores)
pepper powder
sauce(tomato,soya..)
curry powder
chopped garlic
chopped ginger
Method:
Wash and drain mushrooms
boil and peel the potatos.dice in to cubes.
Heat a kadai.saute garlic,ginger,mushrooms till the mushrooms become brown.Add the potatos.
Add a spoon of chutney,sauce,pepper powder and curry powder.cook for a minute.
Adding butter or adding grated cheese will enhance the taste.

Modak with egg filling

noreply@blogger.com (Kala BN) — Sat, 06 May 2006 10:05:00 +0000

Ingredients for filling
Eggs(4) boiled,shelled and sliced
green chillies(to be cut and mixed with eggs)
mustard and cury leaves for seasoning(to be mixed with egg)
Ingredients for Modak:
Rice flour-1cup
water
salt
oil
Method:
Put enough water in the rice flour and make a thick batter.
heat a kadai and pour the batter and continuously stir till the batter becomes thick like a dough.This may take few minutes.Switch off.
Take the dough and knead it soft without lumps.Smear your palm with oil and make balls.Press the middle with your thumb and shape it like a cup.
Fill it with a spoon of egg and fold it like half moon.Pinch the edges.
Steam cook for ten minutes.
If the Modak shines at the outer it is cooked.

Egg-vegetable salad

noreply@blogger.com (Kala BN) — Fri, 05 May 2006 08:29:00 +0000

Ingredients:
Baby potatos boiled and peeled
Baby corn cut and soaked in boiling water for 5 minutes
spring onions peeled
egg boiled and shell removed
baby tomatos
baby raddish boiled in thin tamarind water
salt
pepper powder and corinader powder

method:
Remove the baby corn from water.
Remove the raddish from tamarind water.
slice the boiled eggpieces.
Add baby tomatos and spring onions,egg,raddish ,baby corn and potatos.Mix salt and the powders.
Garnish with celantro
Note:
soya sauce or chilly sauce will be the added attraction

Baby corn ksheer

noreply@blogger.com (Kala BN) — Wed, 03 May 2006 10:39:00 +0000

Ingredients:
Baby corns
Milk-1 cup
cardamom powder
roasted cashewnuts
sugar
Method:
Cut and pressure cook the corns.
Put them in the blender and grind to a paste.
Heat a kadai and put the corn paste.
Add sugar and stir till it melts.
Add milk slowly and cook till the entire milk is absorbed.
Add cardamom powder and roasted cashews.

pasta coconut combo

noreply@blogger.com (Kala BN) — Tue, 02 May 2006 04:31:00 +0000

Ingredients:
Pasta(prepare as per instruction ,drain and wash with cold water and again drain)
coconut milk(to be extracted from grated coconut)
red chillies
garlic
mint leaves
olive oil
vegetables-(carrot,beans,capsicum,peas)
method:
grind red chillies,garlic and mint leaves.
cook the paste in olive oil,slowly add the milk.cook till it is absorbed.
Add this to pasta and mix thoroughly. Top it with boiled vegetables.
Note:since we have added coconut milk adding cheese is optional.

Tortillas with dal fillings

noreply@blogger.com (Kala BN) — Sun, 23 Apr 2006 10:06:00 +0000

Ingredients:
corn tortillas-4
Grated cheese
dal,salt and red chillies(soak in water for 30 minutes,grind with very little water,mix oil and microwave for a minute or till it becomes dry)(instead of microwave oven it can also be steamed in pressure cooker)
chopped spring onion
oil

method:
crumble the dal with fingers.Add onion and cheese.
Heat oil in a pan.
Place one tortilla,cover with the dal mixture and cover it with another tortilla.
cook both sides till brown.use as much oil as reqyuired.
cut in to wedges.

Lentils pizza

noreply@blogger.com (Kala BN) — Fri, 07 Apr 2006 09:05:00 +0000

Ingredients:
Tuvar dal- 1cup
channa dal- 1cup
rice-1cup
preparation of pizza base:
Soak the dals for 3 hours.grind coarsely.Add salt

Ingrdients for pizza:
Grated carrots
grateed cheese
bell pepper cut into julienne
plums
dried basil leaves
pepper powder

preparation of lentils pizza:
Take a non stick pan.Heat it.Pour the batter with ladle as we do for dosa.Make a big round,thick dosa.The heat shoul be minimum.Pour oil all round the pan cake.Top it with grated carrots.Put bellpepper on top of the carrots.Again top it with grated cheese.stick the plum pieces here and there.Press all this with a ladle.Cover it with a lid.After a minute,check whether the base is dry .then cook for a minute.remove from the pan with a ladle and cut in to 4 triangular pieces.Garnish with basil leaf.Add pepper powder for taste.

Macaroni Paal Kozhukkattai

noreply@blogger.com (Kala BN) — Mon, 13 Feb 2006 11:25:00 +0000

The traditional paal kozhukkattai(rice balls in flavoured milk)can be made with macaroni as the macaronis can be cooked in 5 minutes.macaroni is prepared from wheat.

Ingredients:
Macaroni-1cup
Condensed milk or 3 cups of milk
sugar or powdered jaggery
elaichy powder or any essence

method:

Prepare the macaronis(.Cook the macaronis adding a cup of water either in the microwave oven or stove.)
Strain the water.
Pour the milk and powdered sugar or the condensed milk in the microwavable container and cook for 2 minutes.
Add the cooked macaronis,elaichi powder and cook for a minute.

Grapes Rasam

noreply@blogger.com (Kala BN) — Sun, 12 Feb 2006 04:30:00 +0000

Notes:
Fresh juices can be made from Fruits like tomato,lemon,orange,grapesand pine apple.For some persons these juices give irritation in their throats.Since c vitamin should be included in our diet we can make Rasam , a south Indian preparation .

Ingredients:
1.Extract of Grapes (plums or any sour fruit) - 1 cup
2.Mustard and cumin seeds for seasoning
3.Green chillies and finger(finely cut)(or use the chutney,paste)
4.Lemon(if you can add a cup of mashed dal you can sqeeze a lime)

method:
Take a pan ,season mustard and cumin seeds,saute green chillies and ginger.Add the extract,salt and boil till it bubbles.You can add mashed dal .Squeeze lemon when it is cool.
Do not reheat this rasam.Instead you can put the rasam vessel in a hot water pan.

Roasted Nuts puli Kuzhambu

noreply@blogger.com (Kala BN) — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 03:15:00 +0000

Ingredients:
Tamarind puree(3 table spoons diluted with double the quantity)
Roasted nuts(mixed or ground nuts)-1tin
chilly powder
Dhania powder(coriander seeds)
Pepper powder
salt
Gingelly oil ir vegetable oil

Method 1.
Take a microwavable bowl(big size).Pour the oil ,tamarind puree,powders and microwave for 5 minutes.
Add the roasted nuts(a handful) and heat for 1 minute.The kuzhambu is ready.This will also taste like puliyogare.
Method 2
Use tomato puree instead of tamarind puree.Add onion garlic,chilly powder and you will get Kaara kuzhambu

Broccoli Manchurian

noreply@blogger.com (Kala BN) — Sun, 05 Feb 2006 05:03:00 +0000

Broccoli is rich in vitamin c.It contains glucoraphanin which leads to anti cancer sulforaphane.it can be boiled,steamed.or eaten raw.All the recipes that can be prepared with cauliflower can be used.

Ingredients:
1.Broccoli florets
2.tomato puree
3.ginger garlic paste
4.soya or besan flour for dipping the florets
5.Oil for deep frying
6.green chilly paste

Method of preparation:
Dip the florets in soya batter and deep fry.
Take a pan,add butter,green chilly,ginger garlic paste,salt and saute for few minutes.Add the tomato puree.Finally put the fried broccolis in to the gravy and coook for few minutes.
Although this is a tasty dish,better make salads and curry(the south Indian way) to retain the vitamins.

Apple Pickle

noreply@blogger.com (Kala BN) — Sat, 04 Feb 2006 08:37:00 +0000

You can use this as a side dish or mix it with rice.

Ingredients:
1.Apples(not the red variety but the green,unripe,sour variety)-3
2.Any one of the following
green chiily and ginger pieces
green chilly and ginger paste(available as chutney)
red chilly pieces
3.oil-100ml(gingelly oil or olive oil
4.salt
5.mustard and fenugreek for seasoning (optional)

Method 1.
Apple thokku:
Cut the apples in to pieces.Add a cup of water and cook in microwave oven till they are soft.
Mash well.Mix the chilly powder and salt.Add oil to it and again keep it in micowave oven for 1 minute.
or
Take a pan,pour oil, heat it,and add the apple pulp.stir in low fire till the oil seeps out.
Method 2.
Apple pickle:
Take a microwavable dish.Put the apple pieces,chillypowder,oil and cook for 5 minutes.
Season with mustard and fenugreek.
sweet and sour pachadi:
Cook the apple pieces for 5 minutes in the microwave oven with little water.or cook the apples with water in any stove.
Take a pan.Heat it .Add oil.when oil is heated,put mustard,fenugreek,green chillies,ginger,and mashed apple pieces and salt.Allow it to boil till it shrinks.Add a pinch of sugar or jaggery.

Bread Paratha

noreply@blogger.com (Kala BN) — Fri, 03 Feb 2006 07:41:00 +0000

This is exclusively for guys who do not have time and patience to knead and roll the wheat flour for making parathas.Yet you can enjoy and relish the taste of this paratha.

Ingredients:
1.Wheat bread-1 loaf
2.Grated carrots(available in any Indian store)
or grate either carrotsor radish.
3.sauce or puree(tomato or green chilly)
4.Paste(coriander,or garlic)
5.oil

Method:
Preparing curry:
Take a kadai(pan) and put the grated carrots,or radish or mashed potatos,or any left over cooked veg.Add salt and garam masala powder.Switch off.
Preparing parathas:
Take a plate.Smear it with oil using your finger.
Take another plate and pour 3spoons of water so that you can wet the bread slice.Pressing your palm over the bread slice squeeze out water.Using a flat ladle which we use for making dosa take out the bread silce and put it on the buttered plate.
Put little curry,a spoon of tomato sauce,green chilly paste over the bread slice. Wet another bread slice as we did before and cover it over the curry.
Press it gently so that the slices should stick to each other.
You can even roll it lightly by applying wheat flour.
Take a non stick pan,heat it,remove the bread parathas from the plate with a ladle and put it on the pan ..

You can also use a plastic sheet ,apply oil and the then keep the parathas instead of plate.In this method,when the pan is hot you should put the plastic sheet upside down,holding the sheet above the pan so that the parathas will fall on the pan smoothly.

Noodles Biriyani

noreply@blogger.com (Kala BN) — Thu, 02 Feb 2006 04:48:00 +0000

Ingredients:
1.Mixed vegetables(frozen)
2,Garam masala powder
3.Elaichi,Bay leaf,Saunf(aniseed)Cloves etc
4.Finely cut onion
6.Coconut milk extract or grated coconut(put it in hot water and squeeze out milk)
7.Chinese brand rice noodles packet
8.green chillly paste (available as chutney)
9.ginger garlic paste
10salt

Method:

Noodles:

Take big vessel.Crumble the noodles and pour hot water over it till it is soaked.Cover it with a tight lid.Or Take big Microwavable container put the noodles soaked in water and microwave for 3 minutes(see that the quantity raises).Put it in a colander and drain out the water.

Vegetables:

Take a pan.Add a spoon of butter and stir fry onion,spices,chilly paste,ginger garlic paste.Add salt The frozen vegetables can be cooked in the microwave(make a small hole in the packet ot cut the edge)Add the veg in the kadai. pour the coconut milk and cook till the gravy becomes thick.switch off the stove.
Mix the gravy to the noodles or vice versa .Garnish with celantro.

Cornflakes Raita

noreply@blogger.com (Kala BN) — Wed, 01 Feb 2006 04:45:00 +0000

Cornflakes-1 cup
Green chilles-1or2(slit)
Ginger(slit)
Coriander leaf(celantro)
Fruits(pomegranate,cherries,or apples)-3 spoons
Nuts-if preferred
Curds(yogurt)
Sugar-1 spoon
salt-as per reqirement
Method:
Take a bowl.Add curd.sugar,salt,chillies and ginger(Instead of green chillies and ginger you can also use a spoon of green chilly and ginger paste which is available in any Indian store)
Mix the finely cut fruits
keep the cornflakes in Microwave oven for 10 seconds.
Add to the curds before eating or serving.Garnish with celantro
Have this for your breakfast or use it as raita for any meal.
How about cornflakes mixture?
Microwave cornflakes for 30 seconds or dry roast it in a nonstick kadai.
Add a spoon of sugar,salt,any garam masala powder,chilly powder,and roasted ground nuts(any salted nut).MIx them well.This will be tasty tea time snack.You can aslo look for low salt,low sodium variety of cornflakes.

Oats Upma

noreply@blogger.com (Kala BN) — Mon, 30 Jan 2006 09:34:00 +0000

I was the one who hated upma a typical south Indian preparation when it was offered by my mom as soon as i returned from school.If I complained then she would say,"oh dear...today I have made Aval upma with pepper flavour." After school time was tiffin time. Our weekly tiffin schedule would be,Rava upma,dosai,Arisi upma,Idli,Semia upma,Adai,Aval upma,poori (poori would be replaced with chappaththi,bread toasted with ghee etc) But later, after many years, I found myself making varities of upmas by introducing Idli upma,bread upma for my children) But still upma was not a priority when I had other yummy tiffins before me.

Thanks to the changing scenarios in Chennai ,I have enjoyed eating cutlets,bun butter jam,masaldosai of the sixties,batura chole,samosas of the seventies,bhel puri,milagai bhajji of the eighties,pizza,noodles,pasta,burgers of the nineties.Life was very interesting till I had to undergo a bypass surgery. No salt or low salt,oil free diet made me think of some innovative recipes.

One such is oats upma. Add a cup of water to 2 table spoons of oats,add 1 Chilly(cut),onion,garlic ,grated carrots and keep it in the microwave oven for 3 minutes.When it is done add a spoon of curds.(no salt,no oil).I love this yummy oats upma now.Infact I gave this recipe to my son who is in the USA (of course he could make it wih extra salt) and now it can be certified as a healthy nutritious ,easy to prepare upma.