Sale at Amazon.com

To all those gadget freaks , its a real good christmas because Amazon is holding a very huge Sale on all their movies and TV dvds . I am thinking of buying some for myself. These items are reduced upto 60%. Its worth browsing this site .

http://www.amazon.com/b/ref=amb_link_4545332_1?ie=UTF8&node=672572011&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=browse&pf_rd_r=1CFYM907152D8YAR91VZ&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=466177391&pf_rd_i=130

This is the link. Why don't you have a look ?

I like the comedy serial Some mothers do 'ave 'em. I am thinking of buying this one. If you are interested then u can just click on the link below and buy it. 

Enjoy!

Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em: The Complete Collection [1973]

Spicy fruit salad in coconut sauce (Konkani style sasama )

This is sweet and spicy dish so I cant categorise either in savoury or dessert. This is again served during festival meals and wedding. This can be prepared with variety of fruits. Most commonly used is pineapple. I have used mango, red grapes and bananas. But this can be prepared with just one kind of fruit or combination of these fruits.

Ingredients

1 cup raw fruits chunked (just a variety or mixed fruits)

3 tbsp shredded coconut

a pinch of whole mustard seeds

2 dry red chillies

1 tsp tamarind juice

1 tbsp jaggery or sugar or sweetener

a pinch of salt

Method

Take all the chunked fruits into a mixing bowl. Now grind the rest of the ingredients with 3-4 tbsp water in a blender. Add this ground mixture to the fruits and serve. This can be chilled. This tastes very flavourful the next day as these fruits marinate in the sauce. This can be served immediately also.

Minty Tofu Kebabs with Roasted vegetables

Forgive my presentation and photography. Still an amateur. This recipe is from www.massala.com . This website is run by a Hema Alur Kundargi . She has posted some healthy and awesome recipes mostly vegetarian and vegan. All the vegans and vegetarians out there ! this website is really worth browsing . She has posted recipes for beginners also. My husband doesn't like the smell and taste of yogurt but he munches theses kebabs. She has even posted the video for this recipe in Youtube as well.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=fb6RPhjb9fU&feature=PlayList&p=817FF6CADF84F8BA&playnext=1&index=22

The recipe can be found in link below.

http://www.massala.com/Tofu.html

Spicy cauliflower and potato

I always make spicy cauliflower and potato but this is slightly different. I got the recipe for this from www.paajaka.com. I am giving the link below

http://www.paajaka.com/2008/06/cauliflower-palya.html

This is not at all spicy because the only spice used here is turmeric and mustard. This was the first time I tried this , I liked it but my husband though it could have been better if it was little more spicy. If you dislike hot and spicy food , then this is really a treat. Other day when I made this, I wanted a very bland and good food and hence , I made this. Thank you Paajaka.

Vegetable Biryani

This is quiet a nutritious dish. This is very commonly served during parties, potlucks and wedding in India. You can add variety of veggies and make it more colorful and appetizing . This can be prepared very quickly and without any effort. This recipe was given to me by my ex colleague Sudha Baliga. She is a great cook. Thanks to her for this wonderful recipe.

Ingredients

5 -6 garlic pods chopped finely
1 medium sized cinnamon stick (equal to length of your index finger) powdered
3 -4 cloves powdered
2 cardamom powdered
3 onions chopped
1 tbsp red chilli powder
pinch of turmeric
thumb sized ginger piece finely chopped
1 cup of mixed veggies chopped (I used tomatoes, beans, carrots, peas, sweetcorn)
1 1/2 cup rice preferable basmati rice
pinch of sugar (optional)
1 tsp salt
3 cups water (for every one part of rice 2 parts of water should be added)
2 tbsp oil

Method

the spices can be powdered together or the whole spices with whole garlic pods and whole ginger can be ground in a blender. The latter saves time and effort. Heat oil in a pan and add the powdered spices and garlic and ginger and saute it for 1/2 a minute or you can add the ground spices with garlic and ginger and then saute it till you get the fragrance or aroma of the spices. Add the chopped onions and saute it till reddish brown . Now add washed rice and saute it for a minute or 2 and then add chopped veggies , roast them for a minute or wo . Now add chilli powder , turmeric, salt , sugar and water. Cook for 15 - 20 mins or till the rice is completely cooked and tender. At this point you can add more water if required. This is ready to be served with raita .

Dal and Roti

This is a very simple and common dish eaten in north india. And lately it has been quiet a popular dish even in south india and a cheap one too. During my college days , I would crave to eat this and pull a friend of mine to a near by fast food outlet and eat it. It was just 10 Rs per plate and I relished every bite of it and even eat from my friends plate . I tried this at home but the taste was never the same. I miss my food outlets in India.

Ingredients for Dal

1 cup cooked channa dal
a pinch of asafoetida
a pinch of turmeric
2 tsp ginger paste or finely minced ginger
2 -3 green chillies slit
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp salt
1 tsp oil

Method

Heat oil in a saucepan and when the oil is hot, add cumin seeds. When the seeds stop spluttering add asafoetida, turmeric , ginger and gren chillies. Saute it for half a minute and then add cooked channa dal and about 1/4 cup of water and salt. Bring this to boil and cook the dal further till they are very tender and are easily mashed when taken between the fingers and crushed. This is ideally served with chappatis and rotis.

Marrow curry (Konkani style ambath)

Ingredients

1 marrow chunked without the hard skin
1 onion finely chopped
3 tbsp grated coconut
1 tsp tamarind juice
3 roasted dry red chillies
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup red lentils / toor dal cooked and mashed
1 cup water
1 tsp oil

Method

Prepare the masala by grinding coconut , tamarind juice and red chillies with little water. In a pot add lentils , masala , marrow , salt and water and cook till the marrow is tender . Meanwhile heat oil in a small pan and when the oil is hot add onions and caramelize them . Add this to the pot above and the curry is ready to be served.