Eggplant (Kathirikkai) Rasavangy

When I first came across the Rasavangi recipe,I was quite amused by the name.Although I was in India for the majority of my life, I have never come across this dish. But then, I realized it is a variant of Sambar or Pappuchaaru as we call in Telugu. This recipe is a delicious combination of eggplant, lentils, coconut and fresh spices.Serve it with rice and that will be heaven!!

1/2 cup Toor Dal
2 cups water
a small piece of tamarind pulp
1 cup hot water
2 green chillies
1 small tomato, chopped
4 eggplants
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp sambar powder
1 small block of jaggery
4 tbsps of Coriander, chopped

Paste
1 1/2 tbsps coriander seeds
1 tsp oil
2 red chillies
Asafoetida powder
5 1/2 tbsp fresh coconut
Tempering
2 tsps ghee
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 red chili halved
few curry leaves

• Cook the dal with the 3 cups water, salt and turmeric until soft, about 1 1/2 hour
• Microwave the tamarind in water for 1 min. Set aside.
• Heat the oil and add coriander seeds, red chillies, asafoetida powder.
• Saute for a few min.
• Add coconut and blend it to a fine paste
• Heat the ghee in a pan. Add the mustard seeds, red chilli, and curry leaves
• When the mustard seeds begin to splutter, add the green chillies, tomato, egg plants
• Add the Sambar powder, tamarind pulp, jaggery, and salt to taste
• Cook until the vegetables are done.Add the dal and the coconut paste
• Simmer for a few minutes
• Garnish with chopped coriander
  

Lemon Curd Cake

I made this the day before V's Birthday. It came out perfect!! The taste was much better the day after...I have been aiming to make a layered cake on his Birthday each year but the time that it can take and the procedure together, made me hesitant and overwhelmed.This year, I took the plunge and it proved to be well worth the time and the effort.

The only change I made to this recipe is, I have used less lemon curd.The layer between the cakes does not have lemon curd. You can always use the store bought lemon curd.

Recipe: Martha Stewart

2 sticks Unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups All Purpose flour, plus more for pans
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup sour cream
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
2 tbsps freshly grated zest of 2 lemons
2 recipes lemon curd
Lemon Swiss Meringue Butter cream

• Preheat the oven to 350F
• Butter 2 9X2 inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with a parchment paper
• In a bowl, sift the flours, baking powder, and salt
• In another bowl, combine sour cream, lemon zest and juice
• In a bowl fitted with an attachment, beat the butter on medium high speed until fluffy.
• Add sugar and continue beating until light and fluffy, 4 to 5 min
• Add eggs one at a time, beating for 1 min after each addition
• With the mixer set on a low speed, add the flour mixture alternating with sour cream beginning and ending with the flour mixture.Do not over mix.
• Divide the batter evenly between the two pans.Bake until cakes are golden brown and pull away from the sides of the pan, about 30 to 35 min
• Transfer the cake to cool down.
• Invert the cakes and remove the parchment paper. Re invert them so that the tops can be cool down
• Trim the top of the cakes.Slice each cake in half and in two layers.On the bottom layer, spread 1/2 cup lemon curd over the top. Cover it with a top layer. Repeat the same with the other cake.(I skipped the lemon curd between the cakes)
• Spread a thin layer of Swiss Meringue Butter cream to seal the crumbs. Refrigerate until chilled
• Spread the remaining Butter cream on the cake.
• Refrigerate 30 min before decorating with Lemon Curd
• Fill the Lemon curd into a ziploc bag. Pipe the dots on the top of the cake
• You can pipe vertical lines on the sides of the cake
  

Lemon Curd
8 egg yolks
1/2 cup lemon juice plus 2 tbsps
1 cup sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1 1/4 sticks of unsalted butter

• Combine the yolks, lemon zest, lemon juice and sugar in a saucepan
• Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture is thick, 8 to 10 min. The thermometer should register 160F
• Remove from the stove. Add salt and butter, one piece at a time, till smooth.
• Strain through a fine sieve into a medium bowl.Stir in the zest
• Cover with wrap and refrigerate until chilled for an hour

Lemon Swiss Meringue Butter cream
4 large egg whites
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into tablespoons
1 tsp vanilla extract

• Combine the egg whites and sugar in a bowl set over simmering water
• Whisk constantly until the sugar has dissolved and it is warm to the touch
• Remove from the heat; Using a mixer, beat the mixture on high speed until stiff peaks form.
• Beat the mixture until it is fluffy and cooled about 5 min
• With the mixer on low speed, add the butter few tbsps at a time.
• Beat in vanilla at the lowest setting.Stir until the frosting is smooth

Meringue with Yogurt, Balsamic Reduction and Berries

It is so beautiful here in PA with the temperature going upto 80F. While I feel that Winter was not as brutal this year except for January, the arrival of Spring and Summer is always exciting.

Having grown up in the Southern Parts of India,with the notorious hot weather where temperatures can shoot up to over 100F, warm weather was not something that I looked forwarded to. I have always dreamt of the cold/Snow places until I started shoveling my driveway!!Now, the appreciation for the different seasons is much more especially Summer.

Meringues are very light, crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. It is served with Yogurt cream made out of Greek yogurt and Cream served with a Berries and a drizzle of Balsamic Reduction.

A few years back, I had this dessert in a restaurant and to my surprise, I saw the recipe for that in a local magazine.It came out perfect.

Recipe: Local Gourmet magazine

8 Egg Whites
1/2 tsp Salt
2 cups Sugar
1 Vanilla Bean, Scraped
3 tsp Corn Starch
1/2 tsp Cream of Tartar

• Preheat the oven to 275F
• Whip Egg Whites with Salt until it forms stiff peaks
• Add Sugar 1 tbsp at a time until the mixture is shiny and stiff
• When half the sugar is incorporated, beat in the vanilla, cream of tartar and cornstarch
• Add the remaining sugar until all of the sugar is incorporated
• Place the mixture in the pastry bag or a Ziploc bag
• Pipe into 6 or 8 mounds, about 2 inches apart
• Place in the oven and bake till crisp, about 1 hour
  

Topping -
1 cup Heavy Cream
1/2 cup Greek Yogurt
2T Balsamic Reduction
1/2 cup Mixed Berries

• Place Heavy Cream and Yogurt in a bowl and whip it to soft peaks
• Place the Meringue and top with the yogurt cream
• Spoon the fruit and drizzle the balsamic reduction around and on top
  

Balsamic Reduction -

• Place 1 cup of Balsamic Vinegar in a pan and boil it until it is reduced by half
• The Vinegar has an inherent sweet taste to it but if you would like little bit more sweetness to it, add a tablespoon sugar to it before reducing it.

Beans Parippu Usili

Here is one of my other favorites from Dakshin by Chandra Padmanabhan-

1 cup toor dal or Masoor Dal; I used Masoor Dal
3 cups water
5 red chillies
Asafoetida Powder
1 lb Green Beans, finely chopped
1/2 tsp turmeric

Tempering

2 tbsps oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp chana dal
1 tsp urad dal
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 red chilli, halved
7-8 curry leaves

• Soak the dal and the red chillies in water for about an hour
• In the meanwhile, boil beans with salt and turmeric till tender/soft
• Drain water and set aside
• Drain the water from the dal and add salt and asafoetida
• Blend it to a smooth paste
• In a pan, heat 2 tablespoons of oil. To it, add chana dal, urad dal, cumin seeds,mustard seeds, red chilli and curry leaves
• Once the seeds splutter, add the dal paste
• Keeping the stove on low heat, stir the paste occasionally until the paste gets the texture of breadcrumbs and crisp.
• Add the boiled beans and saute for 3 min.
• Serve with rice

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

Chocolate Crackles with M&Ms

Its that time of the year where the Holiday decorations are down and every one I am sure is bracing for the snow storms and blizzards in the next couple of months. While this is definitely not my most preferred season, this will let me relax and unwind on the weekends.No running around theme parks and other outdoor activities.

I made these during the Holiday season and we definitely enjoyed them. With Shriya not being a fan of Chocolate, I made thumbprint cookies, which I will be posting soon.

Source:Food Network Magazine
Makes 24 cookies

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup Dutch process cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
6 tbsps unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup M&M's
1 cup powdered sugar

• In a bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt
• Whisk the melted butter and eggs into the dry mixture until well combined
• Stir in the M&Ms; Cover with a plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour, until firm
• Preheat the oven to 350F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Remove the chilled dough. Roll 2 tablespoonfuls of the dough in powdered sugar until well coated
• Place the balls on the sheet, 1 inch apart.
• Bake till the cookies are puffed and the tops are cracked, about 10 min.
• Transfer them to a wire rack and let them cool
• Store them in an airtight container.They can be stored for up to a week.

Enjoy the cookies

Till then,
K

Campanelle Pasta with Tomatoes, Spinach and a hint of lemon

Campanelle in Italian means "BellFlowers".The edges of this pasta are fluted and has is hollow in the center for holding the sauce.This is very "Holiday-ish" looking Pasta.

I personally like pasta dishes with little or no sauce. This is a taste that I have acquired over years. Just a dash of Olive Oil will do for me.

I did not add any sauce to this dish as I wanted it to be light.So I tossed it with Sauteed Spinach, Grape Tomatoes and Extra Virgin Olive Oil.I also add lemon zest to enhance the flavors in the dish.

1 lb Campanelle Pasta (I used Barilla)
1 box Cherry or Grape Tomatoes, Halved
1 Block of Fresh Mozzarella Cheese, cubed
1 Bag of Spinach, preferably used in Salads
2 tbsps Italian Seasoning
2 Garlic Cloves,crushed
1tbsp of Lemon Zest from 2 fresh lemons

• Add Salt and bring 6 Quarts of water to a rolling boil.
• Add the pasta and cook for about 10 minutes, uncovered
• If you want more soft/tender pasta, cook for an additional 1 min
• Heat a table spoon of Extra Virgin olive oil in a saucepan and saute the Spinach until wilted
• Add Garlic and Tomatoes and cook for 3 min
• Stir in the Seasoning
• Add the Mozzarella Cubes and lemon zest
• Add the remaining table spoon of EVOO and toss all the ingredients.

Ciao,
K