Ginger Rosemary Spritzer

This is my take to mimic Melting Pot's Ginger Rosemary Spritzer. Ideally, this should have Vodka but I skipped it...

Ginger Rosemary syrup
1 cup Sugar
1 cup water
2 tbsps Ginger, chopped
1 1/2 tsps Dried Rosemary

• Combine Sugar, Water, Ginger, and Rosemary
• Simmer until the syrup is golden in color
• Strain the liquid through a sieve
• Refrigerate the syrup for atleast an hour
  

The Lemon Lime Soda works best. You could use Sprite or Seltzer(lemon lime flavor)
If you are using Sprite, use 1 tbsp of the syrup. But if you are using an unsweetened version of Lemon Lime Soda, you can use 2 tbsps of the syrup

1 cup Lemon Lime Soda
2 tbsps Syrup
Crushed Ice
1 lemon wedge, optional

• Combine Lemon Lime Soda, syrup, Ice
• Garnish with a lemon wedge
  

Potato (Urulaikizhangu) Dosa

Even as an adult,I find some of the children's books engrossing. 'The Very hungry Caterpillar' and 'Jamberry' are two of my favorite books that I love to read while putting Shriya to bed. Those books, I know, will later move to my shelf to sit with Calvin and Hobbes or Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.
What is your favorite Toddler/Preschooler book?

Recipe: Dakshin by Chandra Padmanabhan

2 large Potatoes
1 cup Rice flour, softed
1/2 cup Yogurt
2 green chillies
1 bunch of coriander leaves
Salt
Water as needed
Oil

• Boil the Potatoes with their skins.
• Peel and mash them
• Blend the mashed potatoes, yogurt, rice flour, chillies, coriander leaves, and salt.
• Add enough water to make it like a dosa batter consistency
• Heat Tawa and sprinkle some water to see if it is hot enough. It is sizzles, then the pan is ready
• You can smear a little bit of oil but I used Crisco Nonstick Spray.
• Pour the batter with a ladle and spread in a circular motion until dosa is about 6 in in diameter
• Pour oil around the edges and cook for 3 min or until the bottom is golden in color
• Turn gently by lifting the edges
• Cook the other side for a min
• Serve hot with Chutney

Apple Crumble with Vanilla Sauce

As the tragedy in Japan unfolds, it is very sobering to realize what nature can do and the damage it can cause. The earthquake and the tsunami were horrific and coupled with that a nuclear melt down only made the matters worse.
While it is common in Japan to have earthquakes and Tsunamis, the power of the recent 9.0 magnitude earthquake that bent the tip of the Tokyo Tower can fundamentally change the face of the nation. Day after Day on the TV, the devastating pictures and the harrowing stories undeniably makes you dazed.

That said, I think a country with resilient people which recovered from WW II and the Hiroshima Nagasaki destruction will definitely make its way through this one...

Recipe: Mallika Badrinath

6 Apples
4 Tbsps Sugar
1 cup All Purpose flour
3 1/2 oz Butter
5 Tbsps Caster Sugar
2 tbsps Lemon Juice

• Preheat the oven to 350F
• Peel the apples and cut them vertically into finger shaped pieces
• In a pan, place the sliced apples, sprinkle a handful of water, 4 tbsps of sugar and lemon juice
• Cook for 5 min and remove from the stove.
• Wit a hand mixer, mix the butter, the flour until well mixed but make sure not to make it into a dough. It should be crumbled
• Apply butter to a pan or a pie dish
• Arrange the apples. Sprinkle the crumb mixture on the top by covering it completely
• Press lightly and you can make shapes if you are feeling upto it
• Bake in the oven until the top is golden brown
• Take a scoop and place it in a bowl. Serve with Vanilla Sauce (Recipe follows)
  

Vanilla Sauce

2 Egg Yolks
1 tsp Corn Starch
1 1/2 tbsps Fine Sugar
1 cup warm milk

• Beat the eggs with Vanilla extract
• Add and corn flour to the egg mixture
• Add the milk and continue to stir until it thickens and has a custard consistency
  

Raw Mango Rice

I have owned the 'Cooking at home' with Pedatha (Pedatha means (elder aunt) in Telugu, typically father's sister) book for a couple of months now. At the risk of making it sound like a review/critique, I wanted to share my thoughts on this book.

It is a very simple cookbook, down to the rudimentary concepts. This book will take you to your grandma's kitchen and memories of her cooking.I have always spent time in preparing desserts from scratch but I rarely prepare(d) Indian masalas & podis, which I am sure most of you know.I end up using the store bought ones.This, I believe is the first or one of the first dishes that I actually went through the whole nine yards- roasting, blending...!! As laborious as it may sound, the results were nonpareil!!

It is very unusual and stimulating to see recipes like Karivepaku pachadi (curry leaves chutney) or Bangaladumpa vepudu(Potato fry) when all you see in Indian cook books are how to cook Biryani or Paneer 100 different ways.

The best thing that I liked is how the book was presented- with clean lines and crisp pictures, with the dishes shown in copper vessels



2 cups Uncooked Rice
2 Medium Sour Mangoes
1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
3 tbsps Oil
Salt to taste

Paste

1 tsp Mustard Seeds
1/2 cup fresh grated coconut
3 green chillies
2 tbsps coriander

Tempering

1 1/2 tsps Channa dal
2 tsps urad dal
1 tsp Mustard seeds
3-4 Red Chillies
1/4 tsp Asafoetida powder
10 curry leaves
2 tbsps roasted peanuts


Boil the rice with turmeric powder; I used Basmati rice and the ratio of rice : water is 1:1.5
Let the rice cool off
Peel and grate the mangoes.
Grind mustard seeds, fresh coconut, green chillies and coriander leaves to a fine paste. Use very little water
Heat the oil in a pan. Add the channa dal, urad dal, mustard seeds, red chillies and let them turn golden
Add curry leaves, asafoetida and peanuts
Add the grated mangoes and paste and stir for 3 min
Add the cooled rice and salt