Cherry Tomato Grapes Salad

      The salad kit our generous neighbor gave, had a stash of my favorite cherry tomatoes in it. I wanted to make a salad with this cute li'l fruit, or is it a veggie? I tasted one...then another...it was very sweet...sweeter than the green grapes sitting next to it. Those grapes are sweet with a hint of tartness, i combined them both with balsamic vinegar and parmesan powdered cheese.

Cherry tomato grapes    

Ingredients:
2 cups       cherry tomatoes      
2 tbs          balsamic vinegar  
2 cups        green grapes           
3                spring onion        
3 sprigs      cilantro                
salt            to taste
2 tbs          walnuts                
1/2 tsp        pepper                
2 tbs           parmesan cheese  
3 tbs           olive oil               

colorful!

To garnish:
Reserve:1 tsp Parmesan cheese, 2tsp cilantro and spring onion and 1tsp chopped walnuts.
Method:
1. Slice the tomatoes and grapes.
2. Chop cilantro, spring onion and walnuts.
3. Toss all the ingredients with balsamic vinegar and olive oil.
4. Transfer into a bowl.
5. Garnish with the ingredients under-to garnish.

Summer salad!

Tips for taste: Feta cheese can be substituted for parmesan cheese.
 Thanks for taking the time to visit my blog. If you try this recipe, please comment on it. I like to hear how it came out.                                            
                                       

Rava Dosa (Sweet Rava Dosa)

Sweet dosai

To Make Dosa:

2 cups rava batter
Click for rava batter recipe

1/2cup sugar

1 tbs    coconut 

2 tbs    water

4 tbs    oil or ghee

Method:

1. Heat the dosa pan. Dab oil/ghee to its surface.

2. Combine all the ingredients except oil.

3. Pour 1 ladle of batter and spread it around thinly with 

the back side of the spoon.

4. Flip it after the dosa gets brown on the pan side.

5. Remove it from heat when it gets cooked.

6. Continue making dosas with the remaining batter.


Step by step photos:

                       1. Heat the dosa pan.Dab oil/ghee to its surface.

Hot dosa pan ready.

             2. Pour 1ladle of batter and spread it around thinly.

Spread the dosa batter

              3. Flip it after the dosa gets brown on the pan side.

Flip the dosa

4.Remove it from heat when it's cooked.

Sweet rava dosa ready

Thanks for taking the time to visit my blog. If you try this recipe, please comment on it. I like to hear how it came out.

Masala Dosai/ Potato Stuffed Dosa
Spicy Rava Paniyaram
 Fluffy Iddly

Dosa batter 

How to cut a pineapple

         Pineapple is a tropical fruit named after its resemblance of a pine cone. When i was young  my dad will cut the pineapple and he'll do it perfectly. We kids will eat the fruit and take the discarded crown to the garden and plant it but i don't remember seeing even one pineapple plant coming from those crowns. Raw pineapple is an excellent source of manganese and vitamin C. 
     To find out the ripeness of a pineapple: pull a leaf from the crown, if it comes off easily then it's ripe. If the pineapple feel soft if we press on it's side then it's over ripe.

Cut between the fruit and the skin

Slice off the top crown

Cut 1/2 inch from the bottom

Cut it into half

Cut through the middle portion of one half of the pineapple.

Trim off the fibrous thick core in the middle

Slice off the peel by cutting between the fruit and the rind  

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                                                              ENJOY :)

                                                        

Chicken Broccoli Stir Fry Salad

     It's summer and we're surrounded with beautiful and colorful vegetables and fruits. Our good friend and neighbor shared with us a big pack of salad vegetables with cucumber dip. It had broccoli, snow peas and carrots in it. Instead of eating it raw i cooked it like a stir fry. 

Colorful stir fry salad

To prepare chicken:
2 cups   chicken-thinly sliced 

2 tsp      sesame seed 

1 tbs      corn starch 

1 tbs      oil

2 tsp      soy sauce

to taste  salt

To cook chicken:

1. Make a paste of soy sauce, corn starch, sesame seed and salt.

2. Mix the chicken with the corn starch paste.

3. Heat oil in a pan, turn the heat on med/high and cook the chicken till it becomes dry and not sticky.

4. Remove it from the pan with a slotted spoon.

5. Place it on a paper towel and keep it aside.

To prepare vegetables:

Cut the veggies into uniform length.

2 cups      broccoli-cut into pieces.

1cup         carrot-thinly sliced. 

1cup         peas- cut it lengthwise.

4-5           whole red chillies. 

3sprigs     spring onion-thinly sliced.

2 tsp         ginger & garlic paste.

2tsp          soy sauce.

2 tsp         oil.

Salt           to taste.

To cook vegetables:

1. Heat the remaining oil in the same pan.

2. Add red chilli pepper.

3. Raise the heat to high, add beans and saute for a few mins, add broccoli and carrots. 

4. After a few mins add the ginger garlic paste.

5. Add the bell pepper and stir fry for few mins.Turn the heat to low.

6. Add few spoons of water to the soy sauce and add it to the pan cover and cook.

7. Check the vegetables. It should be soft and crispy.

8. Add the spring onion and salt. Combine the chicken and veg. mix.

9. Transfer it to a serving platter.

The amount of dried red chilli pepper can be reduced or increased to adjust the spiciness of this dish.

Thanks for taking the time to visit my blog. If you try this recipe, please comment on it. I like to hear how it came out.

                                                   ENJOY :)

                                                    
                                            

Coconut aval/sweet coconut poha

I love this easy and instant sweet dish any time of the day.

Sweet coconut aval

1 cup   aval/ poha         
1/4 cup water / coconut milk
2 tbs     grated coconut
2 tbs      sugar
Salt       to taste

Method:
1. Add water /coconut milk to the dry poha.
2. Mix it nicely with hand, it'll absorb water and swell within minutes.
3. Add coconut and sugar.
Tips for taste:
I used white thin poha in this recipe. Thick poha needs more water. Soaking it in warm milk will make it so soft and tasty.

Thanks for taking the time to visit my blog. If you try this recipe, please comment on it. I like to hear how it came out.
                                    ENJOY :) 

Chicken kulambu with ground coconut (chicken curry)

         This chicken kuzambu (lal mirch ka murgi)  with rice is my favorite comfort food. It brings fond memories of my happy and care free childhood days. I really thank God who blessed me with loving and wonderful parents. They are truly the best parents anyone could ask for :)
This chicken gravy pairs well with plain white rice and with any indian breads like poori, naan or chapathi.

Coconut chicken gravy  

Ingredients:
1 kg/ 2 lb chicken
2 med      onion
1 med      tomato
4 small    green chillies
1 tsp        ginger garlic paste. 
2-3tsp      chilli powder
1 tsp        turmeric pwdr 
1 tsp        curry masala
few          curry leaves
salt          to taste 
2             cloves
2             cardamoms
1"           cinnamon

To grind                                          
3/4 cup   shredded coconut     
1 tsp       fennel seed              
1/4 tsp    poppy seed
2            cloves
2            cardamoms
1inch      cinnamon

Method: 

a. Wash and cut the chicken.

b. Chop onion, green chillies and tomato.
c. Grind coconut with fennel and poppy seeds.

1. Heat oil in a pan. Add the cloves, cardamoms and cinnamon.
2. Add onion and green chillies and fry till the onion becomes soft with a golden hue.
3. Reduce the heat and add curry leaves, ginger & and garlic paste, chilli powder, turmeric powder, chicken masala, and salt.
4. Add the chicken and stir it well with the masala and cook on medium.  
5. When the chicken is half done add the chopped tomato and cook till it blends well with the masala.
6. Add the ground coconut with little water to get the required thickness for the gravy.
7. Cover the pan with lid. Reduce the  heat.
8. Remove it from heat when the oil separates* from the masala and the raw smell no longer remains. 
9. Transfer it to a serving dish and  serve it hot with rice or with any Indian bread.

*Thin layer of oil coming through the sides and over the gravy. 

Thanks for taking the time to visit my blog. If you try this recipe, please comment on it. I like to hear how it came out.

Suggested veggie side dish: Kose Poriyal/Cabbage and peas poriyal

Chicken kuzambu

                                       ENJOY:)

Lemon Aval Uppuma (Poha Upma)

Memory Lane:

              During summer breaks we used to visit our grandma in our native place. I'd be amazed to see her big yard with  fruits and nut trees, a massive well with steps carved inside, a big motor pump in a room, a water tank (we used to go inside to play and bathe). It was an interesting sight to see women pounding red boiled rice in a stone with a hollow in the middle and pound it alternately with a thick round stick to make aval/poha. Some days my grandma will make aval with hand scraped coconut and sugar, that'll be a treat for us. The aval/poha i used in my recipes are the store bought thin white ones.

Lemon aval uppuma

Ingredients:

1 cup      aval/poha
1/2 med  onion

2             green chili

1 tsp       oil
1 tsp       lemon juice

1/8 tsp    turmeric powder

1/2 tsp    mustard seed

1/4 cup   water

1tbs        peanuts/groundnuts.

1tbs        coconut flakes  

Salt        to taste.

3 sprig   coriander leaves.

white aval

Method:

1. Add the water to aval/poha and mix it well with hand. It'll become soft within minutes (for thicker poha/ aval, use more warm water).

2. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seed after it splutters add the peanuts.

3. Add the chopped onions and green chilli, fry till the onions become golden brown.

4. Add turmeric, salt, lemon juice and coconut flakes.

5. Now add the aval/poha to the onion mixture and mix it well. Remove the pan from stove. 

6. Transfer it to a serving dish, garnish it with coriander leaves.

Thanks for taking the time to visit my blog. Feel free to comment. I love your feedback. Enjoy ur cooking! Have a blessed day :)

                                           ENJOY:)