Lemonade / Lemon juice / Neembu Paani

Lemonade or Lemon juice is a thirst quenching drink for summer.Its  a very simple drink,that no one can resist from drinking after a long summer day.To  make our body hydrate ,water is a must . This drink hydrates our body and  totally energises it.We used to prepare it in a lot and refrigerate it in bottles.So whenever we feel like having ,just empty the bottle :) This is also a best  drink for outdoor parties.Just chill out with this drink.

Ingredients:
1.Lemon        -     2
2.Sugar          -     4 tbsp
3.Salt             -     a pinch
4.Honey         -     1 tbsp
5.Mint for garnishing

Method:
* Trim the edges of the lemon.
* Squeeze out the juice and pour it to the blender.
* Add salt,sugar , honey and ice cubes to the blender .
* Give it a blend .
* Pour it in a jar and refrigerate it.
* Serve chilled.

Tiramisu - An Italian layered cake made easy - A detailed post with complete pictures

          Tiramisu is a heavenly Italian layered cake. I got to know about this cake ,thru my friend Sho ,who used to tell about the cake often. That made me to try this cake at " Carinos " restaurant last year. I was totally lost in its taste. When I was searching for  a cake recipe for My H's b day,this cake caught my eyes. The process was very easy ,with little steps. So wanted to try this recipe from "show me the curry" video.The original recipe called in for lady fingure,which I was not able to find .So used the white sponge cake as the base. We can either buy a cake mix and use it.Or we can just prepare a basic vanilla cake and use it as a base.But if you were able to get the lady fingure,then just immerse it in the coffee and arrange it as a base .The coffee flavour was tremendous and the silky cream gave a fabulous touch to the cake .Usually rum is added with coffee for a royal touch,but I have omitted that .H was completely satisfied with the cake and I was happy too.When I took it to the party,the bowl was emptied  pretty soon.Tiramisu made my day,we had a blast .

Ingredients:

For Tiramisu :
1.Cream cheese                          -         8 oz
2.Whipped cream                       -          1 1/2 cup
3.Egg  yolks                                -          3
4.Sponge cake                            -          1 square
5.Sugar                                       -           6 tbsp
6.Strong coffee                           -           1 cup
7.Unsweetened Cocoa powder   -          2 to 3 tbsp

For the sponge cake:
1.Pillsburry white cake mix     -       1/2 packet
2.Egg whites                          -       2
3.Oil                                      -       1/4 cup
4.Water                                 -       3/4 cup
5.Butter                                 -       1 tsp (for greasing)
6.All purpose flour                 -       2 tbsp (for dusting)

Whipped cream,cream cheese,eggs,sugar,coffee,sponge cake.

 Method:
For preparing sponge cake:
The original recipe called for lady fingure.Since I was not able to find that,used the alternative white sponge cake.It was a super duper hit.You can also make the sponge cake from the scratch and the recipe is here ,basic vanilla cake .Take half the measurements for preparing the cake as we need a thin layer only.I was too busy to do it from the scratch.So used store bought mix as it was so easy.I bought pillsburry white cake mix and followed the procedure to bake the cake.You can buy any cake mix and follow the procedure in the box.
   * Preheat the oven to 350 degree F .
   * Grease a square pan with butter and flour it with a all purpose flour.
   * Separate the egg yolks from the white .Keep the yolks, for the cream topping ..
   * Take a mixing bowl,add egg whites,oil and water.
   * Beat it really well,untill it forms a frothy mix.

1.Cake Mix   2. Baked white cake

* Measure the cake mix and take half of it.
* Add the cake mix into the mixing bowl and gently fold in.
* Pour the mixture into the greased cake pan and tap it to spread evenly.
* Bake the cake for 25 to 30 mins or untill tooth pick comes out clean.
* Cool the cake completely on a wire rack.

Preparing strong coffee:
* Take 1 1/2 cups of water and bring it to boil.
* Now the water should be reduced to 1 cup.
* Add instant coffee to the water,leave it for 1/2 a minute and cover it.I have used bru coffee,but you can use any instant coffee powder.
* Turn off the stove and cool completely.

 Method for the cream topping:
* Take a mixing bowl ,add cream cheese and 3 tbsp sugar.Mix it using a hand blender well,till the sugar gets dissolved into the cheese.
* We have the remaining egg yolks ,after preparing the white sponge cake.Take a bowl and mix the yolks with 3 tbsp of sugar.Mix it real good ,till the sugar is dissolved in the egg yolk.

     

1.Mixing cream cheese and sugar  2.Mixing egg yolk & sugar in double boiler
3.Mixing the egg in the mix 4.Dumping in the whipped cream

* Now we are going to cook the egg yolk in double boiler method.Take a pan of water and bring it to rolling boil. Now place the egg yolk bowl on top of the boiling water ,so that the bowl touches the hot water and whisk the egg yolks well.Dont stop mixing ,if not the egg yolk will  scramble .
* Whisk the egg yolk for a minute or untill the dark yellow colour of the yolk  becomes pale yellow.
* Pour the egg yolk immediately into the cream cheese and mix it as shown in the picture.
* Pour 2 1/2 tbsp of coffee into the bowl and mix it.
* Now dump in the whipped cream into the bowl and mix it .
* Mix well.so that all the ingredients are blend together.

Layering the Tiramisu:
* Take a serving dish with a lid.
* Cut the sponge cake into two halves horizontally.
* Place one half inside the dish.
* Take a kitchen brush ,dip in the coffee and smudge the cake completely as shown in the pic.But dont pour the coffee,there are chances for the cake to disintergrate.
* Scoop the cream topping and spread it evenly on the cake as in pic.Save some cream topping for garnishing the tiramisu.

1.Smudging coffee on cake  2. Applying cream mixture
3.Spraying cocoa powder 4. The final outcome

* Take a tea strainer and sprinkle the unsweetened cocoa powder evenly on top of the cream layer.
* Now repeat the layering process ,by keeping the other half of sponge cake,spreading the cream  and sprinkling the unsweetend cocoa powder.
* Close the lid tightly and refrigerate for minimum 8 hours or overnight.

Serving suggestions:
* While serving ,cut the cake carefully , with a knife .
* Scoop the saved cream topping and place it on the cake.
* Top it with brown chocolate and sprinkle some powdered sugar.
* Dig into the heavenly Tiramisu and enjoy your day.

Heavenly tiramisu

Chef's Note:
* Care should be taken ,when we mix the egg yolk .in the double boiler,as there are chances for the egg to  scramble.
* I felt that the cream topping had more whipped cream,so we can reduce the whipped cream to 11/4 cup.
* We can also use mascrapone  cheese instead of cream cheese.But mascrapone is difficult to find.
* We can also add rum to the strong coffee and smudge the cake.It will give an extra flavour to the cake.
* Sprinkling bournvita instead of cocoa powder is a superb alternative.
* Once the cake is refrigerated,then dont disturb the cake.Because,any changes like sprinkling of additional cocoa powder will not work,after the cake is set.

Mango Pachadi / Mamidikaya Pachadi / Mango Relish

       Mango and summer has lot of connections.We used to go to our friend's village ,in our child hood days for our vacations.There will be lot of mango trees ,just behind the farm house. Where we can  grab the mangoes ,without climbing the trees. Freshly picked mangoes ,were brought to the shed laid outside for cooking.The maids will prepare lot of dishes out of it. Like mango chutney,mango pickle,mango rice. One important dish will be this mango pachadi.We used to wander around the village and visit all the farms.After physically burning our calories,the lunch will be divine for us.The lunch will surely include this pachadi.After our lunch we will run to see the milk man milking the cows.The fresh milk will then be poured into the filter coffee, yes it is poured directly into the dication,without heating.That coffee will never have any competiter at all.Unforgettable days.I was just carried away with my memories.
    Coming back to the post ,mango pachadi or mango relish is a tangy side dish for rice.Though there are several varieties, in preparing,this is very simple and easy preparation.Mom used to do this often during summer,where we get mangoes a lot in chennai.My MIL will prepare it slightly different.Will post the recipe soon.Untill then enjoy this pachadi with curd rice.

Ingredients:
1.Mango               -  1 cup (cubed)
2.Jaggery               -  1/2 cup
3.Oil                      -  2 tbsp
4. Mustard seeds   -   1/4 tsp
5.Urad  dal            -   1/4 tsp
6.Red chillies          -   4
7.Curry leaves        -   few

Method:
* Powder the jaggery well.
* Wash and pat dry the mango.
* Peel the skin and cut the mango into cubes.
* Take a pan ,add oil ,temper with mustard seeds,urad dal ,red chillies and curry leaves.
* When the red chillies and urad dal turn golden brown,add the mango.
* Stir in the mango ,cover and cook till it becomes tender.
* Sprinkle salt .
* When the mango is cooked,dump in the powdered jaggery.
* Mix well,stir well to melt the jaggery.
* Serve with any rice.

Kodi Vepudu / Andhra Chicken fry / Kozhi Varuval

Kodi vepudu is a spicy andhra chicken fry. Kodi means chicken,vepudu means fry,this is the meaning for this name. I came to taste this dish from a Indian restaurant,next to my apartment. H and me became a very big fan for this dish from that day on. Whenever we feel like having spicy food,then we go for this fry. When  I was carrying Ashwath,this is my ultimate food for my spicy cravings. Being inspired by its taste, I wanted to prepare this at home. It came out very well. This is a very spicy fry, so be cautious while feeding it to the kids. This fry goes very well with sambar rice or rasam.

Caution : The content in this post are very spicy .There are chances for your tongue to get twisted :)

Ingredients:
For marination :
1.Boneless chicken       - 500 gm
2.Red onion                  - 1/2
3.Ginger garlic paste      - 1 tsp
4.Chilli pwdr                  - 1 tsp
5.Kashmiri chilli pwdr     - 1/2 tsp
6.Turmeric pwdr             - 1/4 tsp
7.Garam masala pwdr     - 1/4 tsp (optional)
8.Lemon juice                 - 1 tbsp

For frying:
1.Red onion                  - 1
2.Green chillies              - 5
3.Curry leaves                - a handfull
4.Mustard seeds             - 1/2 tsp
5.Urad dal                      - 1/2 tsp
6.Oil                               -  1/4 cup      

Method:
Marination:
* Wash and cut the boneless chicken .
* Grind the onion well.
* Take a mixing bowl, add chicken,grinded onion,chilli pwdr,kashmiri chilli pwdr,turmeric pwdr,ginger garlic paste and lemon juice.
* Mix well and cover it.
* Leave the marination for an hour.

Cooking the chicken:
* Take a pan ,add the marinated chicken and cook with 1/2 cup water.
* Cover and cook the chicken untill tender.
* Retain little cooked water from the chicken.

Frying:
* Slice  red onion,chop the green chillies.
* Take a pan, add oil .Temper with mustard seeds ,urad dal and curry leaves.
* Fry the sliced onion ,green chillies till translucent.
* Add the remaining water from cooked chicken.Let the water gets mixed well with onion.
* Keep the stove on medium.
* Now add cooked chicken and fry till the moisture is evoparated.
* Fry the chicken till it gives out oil.
* Garnish with cilantro ,serve with rice ,dal or rasam.


Note:
* Dont over cook the chicken,then it might be hard.
* If you want this dish to be medium spicy,then reduce the green chillies according to your taste.
* Since we are frying the chicken in medium high,there are chances of the chicken to get black.So keep stirring in between.
* While cooking the chicken,add less water.Because there are chances for the chicken to get hard,while evaporating the excess water.

Sending this to Usha of "My spicy kitchen " Chicken Feast event

Orange Milkshake

This post has a hilarious story behind .I was working on this post,acidently my son published the post.I noticed this after a day.Totally shocked to see my unfinished post ,wired all over the world.Then went ahead and edited the post.Coming back to the post.H bought oranges from Sams club.We could not have it as such,becoz ,it was  very sour. I cannot waste the whole bag of oranges . Orange juice was the other option.We tried ,but Rohith wanted to have something else. I wanted to experiment with orange to prepare milk shake.To my surpirse ,it came out very well. Rohith enjoyed it thoruoughly.

Ingredients:
1.Orange                 -            4 cuties
2.Milk                     -             2 cups
3.Ice cubes              -            hand full
4.sugar                    -             2 tbsp
5.Vanilla ice cream   -            2 tbsp (otpional)
6.Honey                  -            1 tbsp (optional)

Method:
* Peel the oranges and remove the skin completely.
* Take a blender,add oranges,milk,sugar,ice cubes.
*  Puree it well.
* Add honey and mix it.
* Serve it chilled.

Kovil Puliyodharai / Puliyogare / Tamarind rice

Puliyodharai,puliyogare or tamarind rice is a very famous variety rice in southern part of  India.It is served as a main course for many auspicious gatherings.The dish has its name ,because tamarind juice is used to prepare.The mix can be prepared in advance and stored atleast for 2 weeks in fridge.We can also call it as a batchelor's delight,as it can be prepared in no time,if you have the mix.My love for puliyodharai,started in my child hood days.Where we used to go to temple during "Margazhi" - a sacred month, this is offered as a prasad.This is my friend's recipe. .U will fell in love immediately , when u try this.Give it a try ......

Ingredients:
1.Tamarind extract                    -              1cup
2.Fried peanuts                         -               1tbsp
3.Multipurpose masala pwdr  -               2 tbsp
4.sesame seeds                         -               1 tbsp
5.Cooked rice                           -               2 cups

Multi purpose masala powder.

For seasoning:
1.Oil                                         -              2tbsp
1.(a)Red chillies                      -               5
2.Mustard seeds                       -              1/2 tsp
3.Urad dal                                -              1/2 tsp
4.Chana dal                              -               1 tsp
5.Hing                                      -               a pinch
6.curry leaves                          -               few
7.Roasted peanuts                    -              a handfull
8.Cashew                                 -              a handfull

Method:
* Fry the sesame seeds and make it a coarse pwdr.
* Add it to the multi purpose masala pwdr  and keep it aside as shown.
*  Take a pan,add oil,splutter with seasoning ingredients .
*   Now add tamarind juice and bring it to a boil.
*  Now ,add turmeric pwdr and 1 tbsp of  multi purpose masala pwdr.Keep the remaining 1 tbsp pwdr for mixing with the rice at the end.
*  Cover and cook for 2 more minutes and add fried peanuts into the mix.
 

Mix ready to be added to the rice.

Mixing:
Now ,take a mixing bowl,add the rice and drizzle with some gingely oil .Slowly add the puliyodharai mix and multi purpose masala pwdr into the rice.If u want ,the rice to be really spicy,then u can increase the amt of muti purpose masala pwdr .Cover and leave it for half an hour and serve.

Puliyodharai offered to God!!!

Note:
We can just prepare this mix and store it along with the pwdr.whenever u want,just add it to the rice and serve.The more days u store,the more taste will be.Fried cahews and peanuts can be added ,when we mix the rice with the mix.
Linking this to Krithis's event  "Serve it - Preserved"  started by Denny 

Wheat Sheera / Wheat flour Halwa / Godhumai Halwa - A celebration of my blog crossing 2,00,000 hits today

       My  blog baby has crossed 2, 00, 000 hits today. Thats a very big milestone for me . I am very happy to share this  with all my friends and fellow bloggers . My part time hobby ,has become my full time passion now . Yes, I feel like I am ,virtually meeting all my fellow bloggers ,thru this blogging community. I am thanking all my friends ,fellow bloggers and my well wishers ,who was there with me throught this blogging journey,and made me to attain this . Will continue to post new recipes in different cuisines,hence forth.
      Wheat sheera or wheat flour halwa is a very popular Maharashtrian dessert. This is a very easy and simple to make dish. The ingredients required for this sweet are readily available in our pantry and we need not run to the shops . Within few minutes,we can prepare this sweet,and give it to our surprise guests. This sweet was introduced to me by our dear aunty " Shanthi Saboo " in Tiruvellore,near Chennai.
      I have fond memories about this sweet. When we were there, during our childhood,Aunty will prepare this dish as a prasad for poojas.  I doesnt know the name or exact measurements for this sweet. Only thing I know about this sweet is,it is made of wheat. But the taste in my memories ,made me to go for a recipe hunt ,long back. Luckily,when my dear blogger  friend,Geetha  of "En samayal araiyil"posted her recipe in her ,blog. I decided to prepare this dish immediately.Her measurements ,made me to prepare the sweet exactly ,as my aunty made. Thank you Geetha for ur recipe. You can check her recipe here. she has a wonderful space,where we can see lot of healthy recipes. I have bookmarked many of her dishes.

Ingredients:
1.Wheat Flour - 1/2 cup
2.Sugar - 3/4 cup
3.Ghee - 1/2 cup
4.Water - 1 1/2 cup

Method:
* Take a pan,add ghee and make it hot.
* Slowly add the wheat flour and mix it with the ghee.Let it cook thoroughly.
* Make sure ,it does not get any lumps.
* Mix the flour, untill it turns golden brown.
* Heat the water ,but dont boil it.We can also use the microwave and heat it for 2 mins.

* Now add  sugar ,hot water together and mix it.
* The mix will start giving out large bubbles.
* Now mix it in intervals.
* After 2 to 3 mins,the sheera will start coming out like halwa.
* Transfer it to a serving bowl and enjoy.

Note:
* The sheera ,will be dark brown colour,when we fry the flour in ghee for some more time.But I like light brown.so I have not fried the flour to dark brown.
* The amount of ghee should be equal to the amount of wheat flour,if not it will not be that tasty.
* We can also take half ghee and half cup oil.
* The given measurements will yield a larger quantity of sheera.
* Its wise to use a wide pan,as the sheera will start giving out bubbles .So if it is a small pan,then there are chances for the sheera to spill out.