Nithu's Kitchen

Stuffed Milagai Bajji / Stuffed Chilli Bajji

2012-01-30T00:08:00.000-08:00

I always love to prepare chilly bajji at home. This time, instead of making it as such, I stuffed the chillies with potato masala. The taste is very different from the usual one and we all loved it.

Ingredients :

1. Green Chilly - 10

2. Besan - 1 Cup

3. Ginger-Garlic paste - 1/2 tsp

4. Turmeric powder - 1 tsp

5. Baking Powder - 1/4 tsp

6. Red Chilly Powder - 3/4 tsp

7. Salt - Needed Qty

8. Oil - To Fry

For the Filling :

1. Medium Potato - 4 (Cooked)

2. Onion - 1/2 Cup (Chopped Finely)

3. Red Chilly Powder - 3/4 tsp or adjust to your taste.

4. Garam Masala - 1 tsp

5. Mustard - 1/2 tsp

6. Oil - 1/2 tbs

7. Salt - Needed Qty

Procedure :

1. Mash potato. Add red chilly powder, salt and garam masala with the potato. Keep aside.

2. In a pan, heat oil. Splutter mustard. Add onion. Saute till onion turns golden brown.

3. Now add the mashed potato. Mix well. Allow to cook in medium flame.

4. Once cooked, let the potato masala cool.

5. Now, in a bowl mix besan, ginger-garlic paste, turmeric powder, salt, baking powder and red chilly powder together.

6. Add a little quantity of water and make a thick batter. Add a little water if needed.

7. Take warm water in a vessel. Add salt. Soak green chillies for 15 minutes.

8. Then, slit the green chillies vertically. Remove the seeds completely.

9. Fill the potato masala in the chillies.

10. Dip the stuffed chillies in the batter and deep fry till golden yellow.

11. Serve hot with coconut chutney.

My Sister Bharati's Recipe Featured in The Hindu, Metroplus

2012-01-26T19:14:00.000-08:00

My sister's "Palaa Kottai Varuval" recipe is featured under "Grandma's Recipe" column today (27-1-2012). Please checkout her recipe at the below link.

http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/Food/article2834538.ece

She has already shared many recipes in Nithu's Kitchen and you can checkout two of her recipes here and here.

Let's Join hands to fight against plagiarism - Chain Post

2012-01-24T16:47:00.000-08:00

I know I'm very late to write about this but it's better late than never! Kumudam Snegiti published my Beetroot Halwa recipe with picture in one of their July-2011 issues, under someone else's name (K.Revathi, Theni). Initially, I was angry with this particular person alone for copying my content without my permission but after seeing Sowje's post in September-2011, I understood that the magazine itself is responsible for all this. I mailed them many times and even left comment in every page of their online magazine. But they didn't care to respond.

Few months back, Sowje and I talked about this but we didn't do much about this by then. Yesterday, when Kurinchi posted about the same issue, we decided to talk about this on our blogs too. Friends, only if we all join hands together we can fight against this. So Friends, Please do write a post in your blog if you were affected by any magazine and please give link to this post. Let it go in chain, so that everyone will be aware of this.

Please check my original post here. See the below picture & recipe that was published in Kumudam Snegiti.

UPDATE :
Yesterday, I bought this month's issue (Jan, 16-31-2012). I could spot many of our blogger friends recipe pictures and recipes in that. I don't know how a reputed magazine is repeatedly involved in this type of act!

Steamed Eggless Banana Cake

2012-01-23T00:00:00.000-08:00

Today is our wedding Anniversary and I prepared this easy and delicious cake to celebrate the occasion. This is the first time I tried to steam the cake. It came out very well.

Ingredients :

1. All Purpose Flour - 1 cup

2. Banana - 1

3. Vegetable Oil - 3 tsp

4. Water - 2 tbsp

5. Baking Powder - 2 tsp

6. Sugar - 1/4 cup

Procedure :

1. Grease and flour dust a dish and keep aside.

2. Mash banana and keep aside.

3. Mix flour and baking powder. Sift and keep aside.

4. Now, take a large bowl. Combine flour and sugar.

5. In a small bowl, mix together the mashed banana, oil and water. Add this to the flour and sugar mix. Gently mix them all together.

6. Pour the mixture in to the greased and dusted dish.

7. Place the dish in a Idly cooker. Cook for about 20 minutes or till the knife or tooth pick passed in the centre comes out clean.

8. Cool and then cut in to pieces.

You may be interested in :

Eggless Carrot Cake

Chocolate Cake Truffle

Eggless Whole Wheat Fruit Cake

Eggless Chocolate Cake

This Eggless Banana Cake goes to Suma's "Cook-Eat-Delicious-Desserts #6 - Fresh Produce", an event started by Raven.

Sprouted Horsegram Sambar / Mulaikattiya Kollu Sambar

2012-01-19T02:40:00.000-08:00

Ingredients :

1. Mulaikattiya Kollu/Sprouted Horsegram - 1/2 Cup (Cooked)

2. Thin Tamarind Juice - 1.5 Cup

3. Sambar Powder - 1 tsp

4. Onion - 1/2 Cup (Chopped)

5. Tomato - 1 (Finely Chopped)

7. Corainder Leaves - Small Qty

6. Salt - Needed Qty

7. Oil - 1/2 tbs

For masala powder,

1. Coriander Seeds - 1 tsp

2. Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp

3. Fenugreek Seeds - Few Seeds

4. Red Chilly - 3 or adjust to your taste

5. Thoor Dhal - 1 tsp
6. Channa Dhal - 1.5 tsp

7. Coconut - 1.5 tsp

8. Asafoetida - 1/2 tsp

Dry roast the above ingredients and finely powder.

For tempering,

1. Mustard - 1 tsp

2. Urad Dhal - 1 tsp

3. Oil - 2 tsp

Procedure :

1. Cook and mash the horsegram. Keep aside.

2. In a pan, add oil. Add onion and tomato.Saute for few minutes.

3. Now add tamarind juice, water, salt and sambar powder.

4. Once the raw smell of the sambar powder is gone, add horsegram (Kollu) and masala powder.

5. Medium the flame and allow the contents to boil well.

6. Temper and then garnish with corainder leaves.

7. Serve hot with rice ot roti.

This participates in Pari's "Only Sprouts" event guest hosted by Priya Mitharwal

Yellow Pumpkin Sweet Pachadi for Pongal

2012-01-14T00:00:00.000-08:00

"Wish You All A Very Happy Pongal"

Parangikai Inippu Pachadi or Yellow Pumpkin Sweet Pachadi is prepared during Pongal. It is offered to God along with other dishes. You can click here for Sakkarai Pongal Recipe, Breakfast Menu and Lunch Menu for Pongal.

Ingredients :

1. Yellow Pumpkin - 1 Cup (Cubed)

2. Salt - A pinch

3. Jaggery Syrup - 2 tbsp

4. Coconut - 1 tbsp (Grated)

For seasoning

1. Red Chilly - 1

2. Mustard - 1/2 tsp

3. Urad Dhal - 1 tsp

4. Curry leaf - A few

5. Oil - 2 tsp

Procedure :

1. Peel pumpkin and cut in to small cubes.

2. In a pan, add little quantity of water and a pinch of salt. Then add pumpkin cubes.

3. When the pumpkin is half-cooked, add jaggery syrup.

4. Again cover the pan and cook till pumpkin becomes tender.Add coconut. Keep aside.

5. In a small pan, heat oil. Splutter mustard. Add urad dhal, curry leaves and red chilly. Fry for a minute.

6. Add this to cooked pumpkin. Mix well.

7. Serve with any Indian bread/ rice.

Event Announcement - Healthy Food for Healthy Kids Series

2012-01-08T20:00:00.000-08:00

It looks like just yesterday, I confirmed my pregnancy but days have moved fast and today, our little angel "S" is five months old. Most of you here already know this good news from my side and thanks to all for your mails enquiring about her. She needs all your blessings and wishes. Our Angel has made our life so beautiful. Her smile makes us feel how much we are blessed!

Just after our little angel completed her four months, I was in a urge to start solids. But her Pediatrician said Lil "S" is gaining weight steadily and it is better to wait until 6 months. She said it is worth to wait because baby's digestive system would be more matured in 6 months which would help her to digest food easily.

Soon "S" will complete her six months and here is where I want your help. I need ideas on first food that we introduce to baby. I have decided to have this as an event. The event will continue as series with different titles every month. The event will eventually move from baby food to toddler food and so on. I invite all my wonderful fellow bloggers to join hands with me to host this event. "Healthy Food for Healthy Kids" series will start from this month (Jan-2012). Please mail me to nithuskitchen@gmail.com if you are interested to guest host this event. Please note that only vegetarian recipes will be accepted. No eggs too.

Now let us go to Event Title for this month, Logo & it's Rules :

Event Title :- Healthy Food for Healthy Kids - Baby Food (6 to 9 Months)

Rules :

1. Post recipes for Porridge, Fruits & Vegetables Purees, Juices or any other food that you feel suitable for babies between 6 months to 9 months of age. Event logo & link to this event announcement page is mandatory one.

2. Don't worry if you have your recipes in your archives. Just update the post with the link to this event announcement. Adding logo is important.

3. Send your entries to nithuskitchen@gmail.com with the subject line as ‘Healthy Food for Healthy Kids-Baby Food (6-9 Months)' with the below details.

Name :

Blog Name :

Recipe Name :

Recipe URL :

Picture of your recipe :

4. Non-bloggers are welcome to send in their recipes. Send recipe in full with the picture and the same subject line as above.

5. Person who sends highest number of entries will be declared as the Winner of the Month. A winner badge will be awarded which you can proudly post in your blog:-)

6. I'l acknowledge your entries within 3 days else leave a comment in this announcement.

Note :

There are few important things that we should be keep in mind while we prepare food for babies.

1. Please wash hands before preparing baby food.

2. Wash fruits and vegetables before cooking.

3. Wash blender jar in clean water before blending anything for your little one.

4. Don't over cook or under cook.

5. Please avoid additives like sugar, salt & fat. If you still want to use, keep them in minimum.

6. Most important thing is consult pediatrician regarding the food that may pose allergic risks to your baby.

7. Please don't use honey till your little one is one year old. Honey may cause rare form of food poisoning in babies.

8. Avoid nuts in baby food preparation as they may pose allergy.

9. Use separate vessels and a small pressure cooker to prepare baby food.

Host Line-up & Event Titles

S.No	Event Title	Child Age	Hosted By	Month
1	Baby Food - Porridge/Purees/Juice	6 to 9 Months	Nithu Bala	10th Jan to 10th Feb
2	Baby Food - Lentils	8 to 10 Months	Kiran	10th Feb to 10th Mar
3	Baby Food - Finger Food	9 to 12 Months	Sowje	10th Mar to 10th Apr
4	Healthy Breakfast/Dinner for Toddlers	1 to 3 Years	Roshni	10th Apr to 10th May
5	Healthy Lunch for Toddlers	1 to 3 Years	Priya Vaasu	10th May to 10th June
6	Rainbow Food for Toddlers	1 to 3 Years	Sara	10th June to 10th July
7	Healthy Snacks for Pre-Schoolers	2.5 to 3.5 Years	Pari	10th July to 10th Aug
8	Healthy Lunch Box Recipes for Kids	4 to 15 Years	Latha	10th Aug to 10th Sep
9	Healthy Combo Meal for Kids	4 to 15 Years	Food Lovers	10th Sep to 10th Oct
10	Healthy Chaat for Kids	4 to 15 Years		10th Oct to 10th Nov
11	Wraps & Rolls for Kids	4 to 15 Years	Asiya	10th Nov to 10th Dec
12	Paneer Delicacies for Kids	4 to 15 Years	Rachana Rege	10th Dec to 10th Jan-2013
13	Kids - Party Food	4 to 15 Years	Priya Mitharwal	10th Jan to 10th Feb-2013
14	Kids Favourite - Sandwich	4 to 15 Years	Jaleela	10th Feb to 10th March-2013
15	Kids Favourite - Pizza	4 to 15 Years		10th March to 10th Apr-2013
16	Kids Favourite - Pasta	4 to 15 Years		10th April to 10th May-2013
17	Kids Favourite - Noodles	4 to 15 Years		10th May to 10th June-2013
17	Kids Favourite - Ice Creams & Fresh Juices	4 to 15 Years		10th June to 10th July-2013

Rice Kheer for New Year - 2012

2012-01-01T05:30:00.000-08:00

Wish you all A Very Happy New Year - 2012.

Ingredients :

1. Basmati Rice - 1/2 Cup

2. Milk - 1 litre

3. Sugar - 3/4 Cup or Adjust to your taste

4. Almond - A few

5. Cashew - A few

6. Ghee - 2 tsp

7. Cardamom Powder - 1/2 tsp

Procedure :

1. Fry nuts with a teaspoonful of ghee. Cool and finely powder. Keep aside.

2. Fry rice with a teaspoonful of ghee till it turns to light golden brown.

3. Bring milk to boil. Add rice. Medium the flame.

4. Keep stirring the contents. Add sugar, cardamom powder and powdered nuts once rice is cooked.

5. Wait till milk reduces to half of the actual quantity.

6. Serve hot or chilled. Both way it tastes great.

You may be interested in :

Rice Payasam

Paneer & Apple Kheer

Mixed Fruit Custard

Poori Payasam

Nuts and Fruits Dessert

Poha Payasam

Mango Dessert

Moong Dhal Payasam

Beetroot Kheer

Carrot Kheer

Vermicelli Payasam

Vazhakkai Masala Curry / Spicy Plantain Curry

2011-12-27T00:00:00.000-08:00

I got this recipe from my Mom. She often makes this curry and we all enjoy having this curry with Sambar sadam, Rasam Sadam and Yogurt/Curd Rice.

Ingredients :

1. Plantain - 2

2. Mustard - 1 tsp

3. Oil - 1/2 tbs

4. Curry Leaves - A few

To Grind,

1. Onion - 1/2 Cup (Finely Chopped)

2. Red Chilly - 2

3. Coconut - 1 tbs

4. Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp

5. Salt - Needed Qty

Grind the above ingredients to a fine paste & Keep aside.

Procedure :

1. Peel and cut plantain in to small pieces.

2. Steam cook the plantain for few minutes.

3. In a pan, heat oil and splutter mustard.

4. Add ground paste, curry leaves and steam cooked plantain.

5. Combine all the ingredients in the pan.

6. Medium the stove and cover the pan with a lid.

7. Occasionally stir the contents. After 10 minutes, switch off the stove.

8. Serve as a side dish to Sambar Sadam, Rasam sadam and Curd Rice.

Carrot & Capsicum Rice

2011-12-20T00:30:00.000-08:00

This is a quick lunch box recipe. The combination of carrot and capsicum gives a wonderful flavour. For sure kids will love this colourful rice.

Ingredients :

1. Cooked Basmati Rice - 3 Cups

2. Carrot - 1 Cup (Grated)

3. Capsicum - 1/2 Cup (Chopped)

4. Onion - 1/2 Cup (Chopped)

5. Ginger-Garlic Paste - 1/2 tsp

6. Soya Sauce - 1 tsp

7. Tomato Sauce - 1 tsp

8. Chilly Sauce - 1/4 tsp or Adjust to your taste

9. Salt - Needed Qty

10. Oil - 1 tbsp

Procedure :

1. Take oil in a pan. Add ginger-garlic paste. Then add onion and saute till the raw smell of the ginger-garlic paste is gone.

2. Now add carrot and capsicum. Saute for few minutes.

3. Add all the three sauces and salt. Mix well.

4. Medium the flame and cover the pan with lid.

5. After 5 minutes,add rice and mix completely with the ingredients in the pan.

6. Switch off the stove.

7. Serve hot with chips.

You may be interested in :

Cauliflower & Peas Pulav

Yogurt Rice

Red Kidney Bean & Mint Biryani

Corn & Green Onion Rice

Spinach and Peas Pulav

Capsicum & Cashew Rice

Mint & Black Channa Pulav

Spinach Rice

Peas Pulav

Beetroot & Colacasia Kofta Briyani

Veg Fried Rice

Vegetable Briyani

Carrot Rice

Thenkai Sadam/Coconut Rice

Thakkali Sadam/Tomato Rice

Stuffed Brinjals / Ennai Kathirikai & Peanut Podi - A two-in-one recipe-with step-by-step pictures

2011-12-13T04:00:00.000-08:00

Ennai Kathirikai is a delicious curry that goes good with Sambar sadam, Rasam sadam and Yogurt/Curd rice. This curry is different from "Ennai Kathirikai Kuzhambu". In this recipe, I have used groundnut & Sesame to stuff and spice up the curry. This combo gives a nice aroma and a wonderful taste.

Ingredients :

1. Fresh Brinjals - 8

2. Curry Leaves - A few

3. Gingelly Oil - 1.5 tbs

4. Salt - To taste

For Spice powder,

Dry roast and coarsely powder the following ingredients along with salt.

1. Roasted unsalted groundnut - 1.5 tbs

2. Gingelly/Sesame Seeds - 1 tsp

3. Urad Dhal - 1.5 tsp

4. Coconut - 1/2 tbs (Grated)

5. Red Chilly - 3 or adjust to your taste

This spice mix can be prepared in large quantity and stored. This can be either used as a rice mix or accompaniment to idly or dosa.

Procedure :

1. Select small and fresh green or purple brinjals(eggplant).

2. Remove the top and then make a criss-cross cuts.

3. Stuff the spice powder. Keep the remaining powder aside.

4. Now, in a pan add 1 tbs of oil. Gently place the stuffed brinjals. Medium the flame.

5. Cover the pan with a lid. Cook till the brinjal colour changes.

6. Now, throw the remaining spice powder on the top of the brinjals.

7. Add remaining oil and turn the brinjals gently. Allow to cook for another few minutes.

8. Switch off the stove. Garnish with curry leaves.

9. Serve as a side-dish to rice or roti.

You may be interested in :

Brinjal & Cluster Bean Curry

Chidambaram Kathirikai Gosthu

My Story Published in Devathai

2011-12-05T05:00:00.000-08:00

Devathai, a famous tamil fortnightly published my story "Pambin Kal...!"(பாம்பின் கால்...!) in Dec 1-15, 2011 issue. My thanks to Devathai team:-)

You may be interested in :

My Recipe Featured in The Hindu Metroplus - Kadugu Sadam (June 19, 2010)

My Recipe Featured in The Hindu Metroplus - Thengai Paal Mullu Murukku(September 10, 2010)

My Recipes Featured in Vikatan Deepavali Malar (October, 2010)

My Recipes Featured in Thendral (November, 2010)

My Article about Niagara Featured in Aval Vikatan (May 24, 2011)

My story published in Thendral(July, 2011)

Ghee Rice

2011-11-29T06:00:00.000-08:00

Ingredients :

1. Basmati rice – 1 cup

2. Ghee – 1 tbsp

3. Thinly Sliced Onions – 1/2 Cup (Chopped)

4. Green Chilly - 1

5. Cardamom – 2

6. Star Anise – 1

7. Bay leaf– 2

8. Clove - 2

8. Salt – Needed Qty

For Seasoning

1. Ghee – 4 tsp

2. Cashew – 1/2 tbsp (Broken)

3. Raisins – 1/2 tbsp

Procedure :

1. Soak Basmati rice for 10 minutes. Wash and drain the rice and keep aside.

2. Add a little ghee in a pan and then fry rice till the rice colour changes to slight golden brown.

3. Now, in a deep pan, heat ghee and then add the whole spices. Saute for a minute and then add onions and chilly. Fry till onion becomes translucent.

4. Add required water and salt. Mix well. Allow the contents to boil well.

5. Medium the flame, add the fried rice. Cover the pan with a lid. Occasionally stir the contents.

6. Once rice is cooked, season with ghee fried cashew and raisin.

6. Serve hot with any vegetarian gravy.

You may be interested in :

Cauliflower & Peas Pulav

Yogurt Rice

Red Kidney Bean & Mint Biryani

Corn & Green Onion Rice

Spinach and Peas Pulav

Capsicum & Cashew Rice

Mint & Black Channa Pulav

Spinach Rice

Peas Pulav

Beetroot & Colacasia Kofta Briyani

Veg Fried Rice

Vegetable Briyani

Carrot Rice

Thenkai Sadam/Coconut Rice

Thakkali Sadam/Tomato Rice

Beans Paruppu Usli

2011-11-08T05:15:00.000-08:00

Paruppu Usli is a traditional dish. This protein rich curry is prepared with a blend of lentils, red chilly and vegetable. Usually, usli is prepared with vegetables like beans, snake gourd and carrot.This is a best side dish for rice. Goes very well with sambar sadam and rasam sadam. In few districts of Tamil Nadu people refer Usli as "Puttu".

Ingredients :

1. Beans - 1/2 Cup (Chopped)

2. Onion - 1/4 Cup (Chopped)

3. Thoor Dhal - 1/2 Cup

4. Red Chilly - 2

5. Asafoetida - 1/2 tsp

6. Salt - Needed Qty

7. Curry Leaves - A few

8. Mustard - 1 tsp

9. Oil - 1/2 tbs

10. Coconut - 1/2 tbs (Grated)

Procedure :

1. Cook beans with a pinch of salt and keep aside.

2. Soak thoor dhal and red chilly for about an hour.Drain water.

3. Transfer the dhal and red chillies to a mixer container. Coarsely grind the dhal with asafoetida and salt.

4. Make small balls. Steam cook in idly cooker for about 5 minutes.

5. Cool the steam cooked dhal balls and then crumble them without any lump.

6. Heat oil in a pan. Splutter mustard.

7. Add onion and saute till onion turns golden brown.

8. Add the steam cooked dhal mixture, coconut and cooked beans. Mix well.

9. Medium the flame and cover the pan with lid. Cook for about 10 minutes.

10. Serve with rice.

You may be interested in :

Karamani Paruppu Usli

Broccoli, Cauliflower and Capsicum Curry

2011-11-01T06:00:00.000-07:00

Ingredient :

1. Broccoli - 1 Cup (Cut in to small florets)

2. Cauliflower - 1 Cup (Cut in to small florets)

3. Capsicum - 1/2 Cup (Chopped)

4. Onion - 1/4 Cup (Finely Chopped)

5. Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp

6. Chilly powder - 1 tsp

7. Coriander powder - 1 tsp

8. Mustard - 1 tsp

9. Salt - Needed Qty

10. Oil - 1/2 tbs

Procedure :

1. Boil water in a vessel. Add little salt. Put Cauliflower and broccoli. Close with lid and le it stand for 10 minutes.

2. Now, drain water and keep broccoli and cauliflower aside.

3. In a pan, heat oil. Splutter mustard.

4. Add onion and capsicum. Saute till onion turns transparent.

5. Add turmeric powder, chilly powder, coriander powder and salt. Mix them all together.

6. Then add, boiled cauliflower and broccoli. Mix well.

7. Cover the pan with a lid. Medium the flame.

8. Cook for another 20 minutes. Mix the contents inbetween.

9. Serve hot with any Indian Bread or rice.

You may be interested in :

Other Veg Curries

Microwave Peda for Diwali

2011-10-25T06:00:00.000-07:00

Diwali or Deepavali is known as festival of lights. During Diwali, all the celebrants wear new clothes and share sweets and snacks with family members and friends. Most Indian business communities begin the financial year on the first day of Diwali. To know more about Diwali, go here.

Thanks :-www.123greetings.com

Microwave Peda

Ingredients :

1. Condensed Milk - 1 tin

2. Milk Powder - 1.5 Cups

3. Rose Essence - 1 tsp

4. Melted unsalted butter - 2 tbs

Procedure :

1. Combine condensed milk, milk powder, melted butter and the essence in a microwave dish. Mix well.

2. Microwave the contents for two minutes. Remove and stir it thoroughly.

3. Again microwave it for another 2 minutes.Remove and stir well.

4. Repeat the above process once again. Let the contents cool for sometime.

5. Then make a small lemon sized balls. Gently press and place any nut on top.

6. You can store pedas in any container.

Check the following links for other delicious sweets and savories :-

Puran Poli

Sweets

Savories

Festival Menu

Snacks

Desserts

Karasev

2011-10-18T06:00:00.000-07:00

Karasev is another savory treat like murukku. This is a wonderful tea time snack. To prepare karasev, we need special gadjet called karasev kattai/ karasev maker plate. As I don't have that one with me, I just used murukku presser.

Ingredients :

1. Besan flour - 1 Cup

2. Rice flour - 1 Cup

3. Pepper - 1 tsp (Ground coarsely)

4. Red Chilly Powder - 1/2 tsp

5. Ghee - 4 tbs

6. Salt - Needed qty

7. Oil - For frying

Procedure :

1. Combine all the ingredients together (except oil), sprinkle a little water and make a soft dough.

2. Heat oil and stuff the dough in a murukku maker and directly press in oil.

3. Fry till crisp and drain excess oil on a kitchen towel.

4. Break the murukku in to small pieces.

5. Store in an air-tight container.

You may be interested in :

Sweets

Savories

Festival Menu

Snacks

Desserts

eBook - "100 Yummy Diwali Recipes" is available for download

2011-10-15T06:43:00.000-07:00

The most awaited "100 Yummy Diwali Recipes" compiled by Indus Ladies is now available for download. The recipes are contributed by our fellow food bloggers! Go ahead and download the recipes @ http://www.indusladies.com/100diwalisweet

Thanks to Indus Ladies for publishing my Bread GulabJamun Recipe in the ebook:-)

Sweet Potato Poli - Second Blog Anniversary

2011-10-13T06:00:00.000-07:00

Nithu's Kitchen completes two years in this Blogging World today. There are almost 400 posts in this blog now. I couldn't spend much time in blogging this year for various reasons. I hope to continue blogging regularly herafter :-)

You can read about Nithu's Kitchen's First year Anniversary and its milestones here.

Here goes the second year blog anniversary treat for you... Poli/Obbattu is a delicious sweet dish. Most of us are very much familiar with Puran Poli. Making soft and delicious poli needs bit of experience and patience. This time when I prepared poli, instead of usual Channa dhal puran, I made this sweet potato puran poli. It turned out great and gave a new taste.

Ingredients :

1. Sweet Potato - 3 (Medium sized)

2. Coconut - 1/2 Cup (Grated)

3. Maida - 1 Cup

4. Rice Flour - 1 tbs

5. Jaggery - 3/4 Cup

6. Cardomom powder - 1 tsp or Cardamom - Few pods

7. Turmeric powder - 1 pinch

8. Ghee - Needed qty

9. Salt - 1/2 tsp

10. Oil

For the covering :

1. Mix maida, rice flour, 1 tsp ghee, 1/4 tsp salt and turmeric powder. Sprinkle water slowly and make a soft dough. Keep the dough aside for atleast an hour.

2. Then roll out in to small balls.Keep aside covered.

For the stuffing :

1. Pressure cook sweet potato with 1/4 tsp salt.

2. Once cooked, remove skin and mash well.

3. Heat 2 tsp of ghee in a pan. Medium the flame. Add grated coconut and fry for few seconds.

4. Now add cardamom powder and mashed sweet potato. Mix well.

5. Add jaggery and cook on medium flame till the mixture thickens.

6. Allow the mixture to cool.

7. Make small balls and keep aside.

Procedure :

1. Grease the plastic sheets with oil and flatten the dough balls.

2. Place the sweet potato balls in the centre of the flattened dough. Bring the edges together towards the centre.

3. Now, again flatten the stuffed dough gently with the rolling pin or with your oil greased hands.

4. Heat a dosa pan. Cook the poli on both the sides. Pour ghee around the poli while they cook.

5. Serve hot or at room temperature.

You may be interested in :

Puran Poli

Sweets

Savories

Festival Menu

Snacks

Desserts

100 Yummy Diwali Sweets Recipes - Ebook By Indus Ladies

2011-10-06T01:00:00.000-07:00

For the upcoming Diwali on October 26th, 2011, people at Indusladies are compiling an E-Book “100 Yummy Diwali Sweet Recipes”. They are collecting sweet/dessert recipes from various bloggers to be featured in this E-Book.

This E-book will be made available as a free download to their community's 1.3 Lakh+ members. In addition, they will also be making this E-Book available to their 9000+ Facebook fans and Twitter followers. It's LOTS and LOTS of exposure to those food blogs entering the E-Book!!

Those bloggers interested in submitting a recipe for this E-Book...all you need to do is as follows:

1. Send a link from your blog for a sweet / dessert recipe. It should also include the picture of the sweet/dessert. Your recipe, food picture, recipe URL as well as the entire blog URL will get featured in the E-Book.

2. In return, you should do two things:

- Now make a blog post in your blog announcing the E-Book compilation by IndusLadies and the recipe you are sending for this E-Book. That way inviting your co-bloggers interested to send in their contribution by Oct 10th,2011.

- Between Oct 11 and Oct 26, make a blog post featuring the E-Book and announcing it is available for FREE download in IndusLadies. They will be providing you sooner with the picture of the E-Book’s cover page that you will use to include in the blog post.

Come on...hurry! Send a sweet/dessert recipe link from your blog to partners@indusladies.com by Oct 8th, 2011.

Oma Podi / Sev

2011-10-04T06:00:00.000-07:00

Ajwain is considered to have many health benefits. Ajwain is generally added in delicacies like roti, paratha, etc to enhance flavour. The primary health benefits of ajwain are, it reduces toothache, beneficial to a sore throat, provides relief from bronchitis as well as asthma, helps get rid of indigestion, prevents flatulence, enhances appetite, etc.. So, it is always good to add ajwain to our diet.

Ingredients :

1. Besan (Gram Flour) - 1.5 Cups

2. Rice Flour - 1/2 Cup

3. Omam (ajwain)-1 tbsp

4. Red Chilli Powder - 1 tsp

5. Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp

6. Butter - 1 tbs

7. Salt - Needed Qty

8. Oil - For Frying

Procedure :

1. Soak omam in warm water for 30 minutes and grind with little water.

2. Strain and keep the water aside.

3. Melt butter. Keep aside.

4. combine all other ingredients (except oil).

5. Add melted butter and strained omam water.

6. Prepare the dough similar to chapathi dough.Sprinkle a little water, if needed.

7. Grease Idiappam presser with oil.

8. Stuff the dough inside the presser.

9. Heat oil and squeeze the dough directly on the oil.

10.Once fried, remove and drain excess oil on kitchen towel.

11. Store in air-tight container.

Note :

If you don't like the smell of Omam, you can very well avoid Ajwain/ Omam in the recipe. But it is always good utilize the medicinal value of Omam.

You may be interested in :

Sweets

Savories

Festival Menu

Snacks

Desserts

Spicy Murukku / Kara Murukku

2011-09-27T06:00:00.000-07:00

Spicy Murukku is a tasty tea time snack. I got this recipe from Mahi. Thanks to her for this wonderful recipe. I have made few adjustments to the original recipe to fit to our taste.

Ingredients :

1. Rice flour - 2 Cups

2. Roasted channa dhal (Pottu kadalai) powder-1/2 Cup

3. Red chilli Powder - 2 tsp

4. Asafoetida - 1/2 tsp

5. Sesame Seed - 1 tbs

6. Cumin - 1/2 tbs

7. Butter - 1.5 tbs

8. Salt - Needed Qty

9. Oil - To Fry

Procedure :

1. Melt Butter. Keep aside.

2. Combine all other ingredients (except oil).

3. Add melted butter, mix the ingredients well.

4. Sprinkle a little water and make a soft dough.

5. Stuff dough in oil greased Murukku maker.

6. Press in a oil greased plastic sheet.

7. Heat oil and depending on your wok size, put two or three murukku at a time and fry till crisp.

8. Drain excess oil in a kitchen towel.

9. Store in air-tight container.

You may be interested in :

Sweets

Savories

Festival Menu

Snacks

Desserts

Sundakkai Thuvayal (Turkey Berry Chutney)

2011-09-20T06:00:00.000-07:00

Sundakkai (Turkey Berry) is a special medicinal herb which is botanically called as Solanum torvum. You can read more about Turkey berry and its benefits here.

Ingredients :

1. Sundakkai - 1 Cup (Slit into two halves)

2. Urad Dhal - 1/2 tbs

3. Coconut - 1 tbs

4. Red Chilly - 3 or adjust to your taste

5. Tamarind Paste - 1/2 tsp

6. Asafoetida - 1/2 tsp

7. Oil - 4 tsp

8. Salt - Needed Qty

Procedure :

1. In a pan, add 3 tsp of oil and fry sundakkai till it get roasted well.Trasnfer to a small mixer jar and allow it to cool.

2. In the same pan, add 1 tsp of oil and fry urad dhal, red chilly and asafoetida.Transfer to a mixture jar, add tamarind paste, salt and coconut.

3. Add little water and grind the ingredients.

4. Serve with rice or any Indian bread.

You may be interested in :

Chayote Peel Chutney

Plantain Peel Chutney

Kiwi, Apple & Raisin Chutney

Orange Peel Chutney

Ripe Mango Chutney

Beetroot Chutney

Mint and Coriander Chutney

Paruppu Thuvayal (Thoor Dhal Chutney)

Carrot and Pomegranate Salad

2011-09-13T06:00:00.000-07:00

Ingredients :

1. Carrot - 1 Cup (Grated)

2. Pomegranate - 1/2 Cup

3. Lemon Juice - 2 tsp

4. Green Chilly (Optional) - 1 (Finely Chopped)

5. Salt - Needed Qty

Procedure :

1. Combine all the ingredients together.

2. Serve Chilled.

You may be interested in :

Honey Fruit Salad

Mixed Fruits and Vegetables Salad

Kachumbari - East African Salad

Cauliflower and Orange Salad

Spicy Fruit Salad

Apple and Barley Salad

Vegetable Noodles

2011-09-06T06:00:00.000-07:00

Ingredients :

1. Noodles - 1 pack

2. Soy Sauce - 2 tsp

3. Ginger - 1" Inch piece (Finely Chopped)

4. Garlic - 4 cloves (Finely Chopped)

5. Coriander leaves - 1 tbs (Finely Chopped)

6. Onion - 1 (Finely Chopped)

7. Mixed Vegetable - 1 Cup

8. Pepper - 1 tsp

9. Salt - Needed Qty

10. Tomato sauce - 1 tsp

Procedure :

1. Cook noodles and keep aside.

2. Heat oil in a pan, add ginger, garlic and onion. Saute till onion turns golden brown.

3. Now, add vegetable, soy sauce, tomato sauce and pepper. Mix the ingredients together and half cook the vegetables on medium flame.

4. Then, add noodles, mix well.

5. Garnish with coriander and serve hot with tomato sauce.

You may be interested in :

Veg Fried Rice

Vegetable Briyani

Vegetable Kurma

Ellu Kozhukattai for Vinayakar Chaturthi

2011-08-31T18:00:00.000-07:00

Ganesh Chaturthi, or Vinayakar Chaturthi, is the birthday of Lord Ganesha, the God of wisdom, prosperity and auspiciousness. Ganesha is today worshipped around the world and the Elephant-faced Hindu god is one of the most popular deities associated with Hinduism.Ganesh Chaturthi falls on the fourth day after new moon in the Hindu month of Bhadrapada (August - September).(Source:http://www.hindu-blog.com/2008/08/vinayaka-chaturthi-ganesh-puja-festival.html)

Varieties of Kozhukattai(Dumplings) are offered to Lord Ganesh on Ganesh Chaturthi day. This Ellu/Sesame Kozhukattai is one of his favourite Kozhukattais and it is necessary that it should be offered to him on this special day. Wish you all a very Happy Ganesh Chaturthi. May Lord Ganesha shower all his blessing on you:-)

Ingredients :

For the Stuffing :

1. Sesame (Black) – 1/4 Cup
2. Jaggery – 1/4 Cup (Grated)
3. Cardamom Powder – 1/2 tsp
4. Salt - 1/4 tsp

For the Covering :

1. Rice flour - 3/4 Cup
2. Water - 1/2 Cup - 3/4 Cup
3. Salt - 1/4 tsp
4. Oil

Procedure :

1. Dry roast sesame and let it cool.
2. In a small mixer jar, take roasted sesame, jaggery, cardamom powder and salt.
3. Run the mixer once for few seconds.
4. Don't run more than once, the stuffing should be coasely powdered.
5. Once the stuffing is ready, combine rice flour, 2 tsp of oil,salt and hot water in a large bowl.
6. Knead well and make a soft dough.
7. Grease your palms with oil. Take little amount of dough and make a ball.
8. Now, press it with your fingers gently to flatten the ball and then make a cup shape.
9. Place one spoonful of filling.
10. Now, bring one edge towards the other,and paste both the edges together so that the shape resembles a semi circle.
11. Grease idly plates with oil and place the kozhukattai.
12. Steam cook for 5 to 10 minutes.
13. Serve hot or at room temperature.

You may be interested in :

Pal Kozhukattai

Sweet Kozhukattai(Modakam)

Uppu Kozhukattai(Ammini Kozhukattai)

Upma Kozhukattai

Ragi Kozhukattai

Vermicelli Kozhukattai

Ellu Idiyappam and Ellu Podi

Ragi Kozhukattai

2011-08-30T06:00:00.001-07:00

Ragi or finger millet is one of the most nutritious millet that has its own unique texture and taste. Ragi plays an important role in preparation of healthy South Indian dishes. This ragi Kozhukattai/dumpling is one such healthy and a traditional dish which is prepared during Ganesh Chaturthi.

Ingredients :

1. Ragi flour - 1 cup

2. Rice flour - 1/4 cup

3. Jaggery - 1/2 cup (Grated)

4. Coconut shredded - 1/2 cup

5. Moong Dhal - 1/4 Cup (Dry roast till golden brown and then half Cook)

6. Cardamom powder - 1/2 teaspoon

7. Salt - 1/4 tsp

8. Ghee

Procedure :

1. Dry roast the rice flour and ragi flour together for few minutes.

2. Boil the jaggery in a little water and make a syrup. Strain the syrup and keep aside.

3. Now, combine flour, salt, cardamom powder, moong dhal and coconut.

4. Add jaggery syrup and a little quantity of hot water(if needed).

5. Make a soft dough. Divide dough in to small portions.

6. Grease hands with ghee and clamp the dough in-between the fingers.

7. Place in ghee greased idly cooker plates.

8. Steam cook for 10 minutes.

9. Serve hot or warm.

You may be interested in :

Pal Kozhukattai

Sweet Kozhukattai(Modakam)

Uppu Kozhukattai(Ammini Kozhukattai)

Upma Kozhukattai

Ellu Kozhukattai

Vermicelli Kozhukattai

Ragi Idly

Ragi idiyappam with coconut milk

Sweet Ragi Idiyappam

Whole green moong ragi idiyappam

Rice Payasam for Krishna Jayanthi

2011-08-20T06:00:00.000-07:00

Sri Krishna Jayanti, is the birthday of Lord Krishna. This year (2011), the date of Sri Krishna is August 21 in South India.This festival is also known as Gokulashtami and Krishnashtami. Shri Krishna is, most widely revered and most popular Hindu God and is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Lord Vishnu. Krishna is also worshipped as a supreme god in his own right by numerous sects around the world.In South India, the festival is observed on the eighth day after full moon in the month of Shravan (August – September).

The Sri Krishna Jayanti festival is not celebrated on the same day in all parts of India and this is due to the various regional calendars and the various calculations in the time of the birth of Krishna. In 2011, Sri Krishna Jayanti is marked on August 21 in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and is some parts of Karnataka, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. In North India, it is marked on August 22. The Smarta Tradition observes the festival on August 21 and the Vaishnava Tradition on August 22.

Special pujas are held in Sri Krishna Temples spread around the world and millions of people visit the shrines. Special poojas and rituals are held at midnight the time of Krishna’s birth.Staunch Krishna devotees fast on the day. It is a 24-hour fast. (Source : www.hindu-blog.com)

Rice Payasam

Ingredients :

1. Milk - 4 cups

2. Rice - 1/4 cup

3. Sugar - 1/4 cup

4. Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp

5. Ground coconut - 1 tbs

6. Raisin - A few

7. Cashew/Almond - A few

8. Ghee

Procedure :

1. Wash rice and drain excess water.

2. In a pan, roast the rice till it turns golden brown.

3. Cool and grind coarsely.

4. Bring milk to boil and once it starts to boil, add cardamom, sugar and coarsely ground rice.

5. Medium the flame and keep stirring till the rice cooks.At this stage, add the ground coconut.

6. Fry cashew and rasin in ghee and add to the payasam.

7. Serve hot or cold.

Note :

You can replace sugar with jaggery or else, equal quantity of both sugar and jaggery can be added.

You can dilute payasam with boiled milk if it is too thick in consistency.

Check Out the below links for Sweets and Savories to offer Lord Krishna on this auspicious day :

Puran Poli

Sweets & Savories

Festival Menu

Snacks

Paneer & Apple Kheer

Mixed Fruit Custard

Poori Payasam

Nuts and Fruits Dessert

Poha Payasam

Mango Dessert

Moong Dhal Payasam

Beetroot Kheer

Carrot Kheer

Vermicelli Payasam

Upma Kozhukattai

2011-08-16T06:00:00.000-07:00

Upma kozhukattai is a traditional South Indian breakfast or dinner dish. This is a steam cooked savoury balls prepared with rice and dhal and flavoured with pepper and cumin.

Ingredients :

1. Raw Rice - 1/2 Cup

2. Parboiled Rice - 1/2 Cup

3. Thoor Dhal - 1/4 Cup

4. Coconut - 1/4 Cup (Grated)

6. Oil - 2.5 tbs

7. Mustard - 1/2 tsp

8. Urad Dhal - 1 tsp

9. Channa Dhal - 1 tsp

10. Pepper - 1 tsp

11. Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

12. Red Chilly - 3

13. Asafoetida - 1 tsp

14. Salt - Needed qty

15. Curry leaves - A few

Procedure :

1. Wash rice and thoor dhal together.

2. Drain water completely. Keep the wet rice and thoor dhal mixture aside for 45 minutes.

3. Now, coarsely powder the rice and thoor dhal along with pepper and cumin seeds.

4. Heat oil in a pan. Splutter mustard. Add urad and channa dhal. Fry till they turn golden brown.

5. Add curry leaves, red chilly and asafoetida. Fry for a minute.

6. Add about 2.5 cups of water and needed salt.

7. Allow water to boil well.

8. Now, add the coarsely powdered rice and dhal. Stir continously while adding to avaoid lumps.

9. Medium the flame. Close the pan with lid.

10. Cook for about 30 minutes in medium flame.

11. Once cooked, add grated coconut and mix well.

12. Allow the contents to get cooled. Then roll in to medium balls.(If the upma is dry and separates while rolling, add little water)

13. Place in oil greased idly plates.

14. Steam cook in idly cooker for about 5 minutes.

15. Serve hot with coconut chutney and sambar.

You may be interested in :

Pal Kozhukattai

Sweet Kozhukattai(Modakam)

Uppu Kozhukattai(Ammini Kozhukattai)

Ragi Kozhukattai

Ellu Kozhukattai

Vermicelli Kozhukattai

Vegetable Cutlet

2011-08-09T06:00:00.000-07:00

Cutlet is a healthy and tasty snack. This is a quick snack which will take not more than 15-20 minutes to prepare. You can add vegetables like peas, beans etc...When coloured vegetables like carrot and beetroot are added, they give a nice colour and a sweet taste which will attract the kids to eat this healthy snack.

Ingredients :

1. Potato - 4 (Medium sized,cooked and mashed)

2. Carrot - 2 (Grated)

3. Beetroot - 1 (Grated)

4. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

5. Dried mango powder - 1/2 tsp

6. Chilli powder - 1 tsp

7. Garam Masala - 1 tsp

8. Coriander - 1/4. Cup (Cleaned and chopped finely)

9. Maida - 2 tbs

10. Bread Crumbs - For rolling

11. Salt - Needed Qty

12. Oil - For Frying

Procedure :

1. Combine potato, carrot and beetroot in a bowl.

2. Add turmeric powder, mango powder, garam masala, red chilly powder and salt. Mix them all together well.

3. Take small quantity of the mixture and shape in to ball and gently flatten them and keep aside.

4. Heat oil in a pan.

5. Meanwhile, add water to maida and make it to a batter like bajji batter in consistency.

6. Place the cutlets gently on the batter and then roll it on the bread crumbs. Once you roll it on the maida and bread crumbs, fry the cutlet immediately on medium flame till the outer covering turns in to nice brown colour.

7. Serve hot with tomato sauce.

You may be interested in :

Apple and Sweet Potato Cutlet

Vermicelli Cutlet

Other Snacks

Onion Chutney Bread Toast - A two-in-one recipe

2011-08-02T06:00:00.000-07:00

This particular chutney prepared for the bread toast is usually prepared bit spicy. You can adjust the red chillies quantity according to your taste. You can really enjoy this chutney with idly and dosa as well.

Ingredients :

1. Onion - 2 ( Medium Sized)

2. Red chilly - 5 or depending on your taste

3. Tamarind - Small qty

4. Salt - Needed qty

5. Mustard - 1/2 tsp

6. Oil

7. Bread

Procedure :

Chutney Preparation :

1. Peel onion, wash and roughly chop.

2. In a small mixer jar, combine salt, red chillies, tamarind and onion.

3. Grind to a smooth paste.

4. For tempering, heat the oil in a small pan and add the mustard seeds. When they crackle, pour the tempering over the chutney and mix well.

How to make toast?

1. Take a spoonful of chutney and spread over the bread on both the sides.

2. Heat a non-stick dosa pan.

3. Place the bread and pour little oil around the bread.

4. Allow the bread to toast well on one side and then flip it to another side.

5. Serve hot.

You may be interested in :

Basic White Bread

Indianized French Toast(with Besan)

Indianized French Toast(with Sooji)

Guest Post : 55 - Today's Guest : Menaga

2011-07-25T06:00:00.000-07:00

Today, we have Menaga from Sashiga. Menaga lives in France and holds a Masters degree in Mathematics. She is such a talented person. She is interested in painting, embroidery, tailoring and cooking. She is a Tamil Food Blogger and hence the interview with her is in Tamil. Now, let us hear from her..

நித்துஸ் கிச்சன்: உங்களை பற்றி நம் நண்பர்களுக்கு சொல்லுங்களேன் மேனகா.

மேனகா: நான் கணிதத்தில் முதுகலை பட்டம் பெற்றுள்ளேன். எனக்கு சொந்த ஊர் பாண்டிச்சேரி. எனக்கு பெயிண்டிங், எம்ப்ராய்டரி,ப்ளவுஸ் தைப்பது, புதுவிதமான சமையல் செய்வது ரொம்ப பிடிக்கும்.

நித்துஸ் கிச்சன்: இவ்வளவு திறமையான ஒரு பெண்ணை வலைதள நண்பர்களுக்கு அறிமுகம் செய்வதில் எனக்கு மகிழ்ச்சி. நீங்கள் செய்த பெயிண்டிங் அல்லது எம்ப்ராய்டரி வேலையின் புகைப்படத்தை எங்களுடன் பகிர்ந்து கொள்ளலாமே.

மேனகா: எம்ப்ராய்டரி,பெயிண்டிங் ஒர்க் எல்லாம் இந்தியாவில் அம்மா வீட்டில் வைத்திருக்கேன். அதனால் அவற்றின் புகைப்படங்கள் கைவசம் இல்லை. இப்பொழுதுதான் கொஞ்ச நாட்களாய்,என் கீழ்வீட்டு ப்ரெஞ்சுக்கார பாட்டியிடம் ஸ்வெட்டர் பின்ன கற்றுக் கொண்டிருக்கிறேன். என் மகள் ஷிவானிக்காக பின்னிய உல்லன் குல்லாயின் புகைபடத்தை உங்களுடன் பகிர்ந்து கொள்வதில் எனக்கு மிக்க சந்தோஷம்.

நித்துஸ் கிச்சன்: உல்லன் குல்லாய் மிகவும் அழகாகவும், நேர்த்தியாகவும் உள்ளது மேனகா. உங்களுக்கு வலைப்பூ தொடங்க வேண்டும் என்ற எண்ணம் ஏற்பட்டது எப்படி ?

மேனகா: நன்றி. என் வலைப்பூ சஷிகா-வை நான் தொடங்கியது தற்செயல் என்றே சொல்ல வேண்டும். என் தோழி ஒருவர், வலைப்பூ தொடங்குவது பற்றி கேட்க, எனக்கும் ஆர்வம் ஏற்பட்டு, நானும் சஷிகாவை ஆரம்பித்துவிட்டேன்.

நித்துஸ் கிச்சன்: உங்களுடைய முதல் சமையல் அனுபவத்தை பற்றியும், உங்கள் சமையலின் முதல் ரசிகர் பற்றியும் சொல்லுங்களேன்.

மேனகா: நான் எட்டாவது படிக்கும் போது, முதன்முதலாக ரசம் செய்ய கற்று கொண்டேன். அஞ்சறைப்பெட்டியில் இருக்கும் அனைத்து பொருட்களையும் என் ரசத்தில் பார்க்கலாம்! என் அப்பாதான் என்னுடைய சமையலுக்கு முதல் ரசிகர். நான் செய்யும் ரசத்தை, ரசித்து ருசித்து உண்டுவிட்டு, அருமை,அற்புதம்னு என்று சொல்லி ஊக்கப்படுத்துவார். அவரிடம் இருந்து பெற்ற பாராட்டே எனக்கு சமையலில் ஆர்வத்தை ஏற்படுத்திவிட்டது.

நித்துஸ் கிச்சன் : உங்கள் சுட்டி மகள் ஷிவானி பற்றி சொல்லுங்களேன்.

மேனகா: அவள் இந்த செப்டெம்பரில் தான் பள்ளிக்கு செல்ல போகிறாள். அவளுக்கு இப்பொழுதே உணவு வகைகளின் சுவை எல்லாம் நன்றாக தெரிகிறது. நான் சமைத்த உணவு நன்றாக இல்லையெனில் அவள் சாப்பிடவே மாட்டாள். அதனாலேயே நான் சமைக்கும் போது சற்று கவனம் எடுத்தே செய்கிறேன்!

நித்துஸ் கிச்சன்: உங்கள் வலைப்பூ பற்றிய செய்திகளை முன்னணி பத்திரிகைகளில் பார்த்த நினைவு இருக்கிறது. அது பற்றி சொல்லுங்கள்.

மேனகா: என் வலைப்பூ பற்றி ஆனந்தவிகடன் வரவேற்பறையிலும்,தேவதை,லேடீஸ் ஸ்பெஷல் (ஆசிரியர் கிரிஜாம்மா மற்றும் தேனக்காவிற்கு நன்றி) இதழ்களில் வந்துள்ளது.

நித்துஸ் கிச்சன்: இன்று எங்களுடன் நீங்கள் பகிர்ந்துக் கொள்ள போகும் பலகாரம் என்ன?

மேனகா: இன்று நான் கல்கண்டு வடை/ Sugar Candy(Kalkandu) செய்முறையை பகிர்ந்துக் கொள்கிறேன்.

தேவையான பொருட்கள் :

முழு வெள்ளை உளுந்து - 1 கப், கல்கண்டு - 3/4 கப், எண்ணெய் - பொரிக்க

செய்முறை :

உளுந்தை 3/4 மணிநேரம் ஊறவைத்து, தண்ணீரை வடிகட்டி, தண்ணீர் விடாமல் நன்றாக மைய அரைக்கவும். அரைக்கும் பொழுதே, கல்கண்டு சேர்க்கவும். மாவு தயார் செய்தவுடன், ஒரு வாணலில் எண்ணெய் வைத்து, காய்ந்தவுடன் வடைகளை தட்டி போட்டு, எடுக்கவும். சூடாக பரிமாறவும்.

குறிப்பு: வடையை எண்ணெயில் தட்டி போட்ட, சிறிது நேரத்திலேயே திருப்பிவிடவும் இல்லையெனில் கருகிவிடும்.

நித்துஸ் கிச்சன் : நன்றி மேனகா. உங்களை பற்றியும், உங்கள் வலைப்பூ பற்றியும் எங்களுடன் நீங்கள் பகிர்ந்துக் கொண்டதில் எங்களுக்கு மகிழ்ச்சி.

மேனகா: நன்றி நித்து.

You may be interested in :

Other Guest Posts

My Story Published in Thendral

2011-07-19T06:00:00.000-07:00

Friends, One of my stories got published in Thendral Magazine, July 2011 Issue. Thendral is a monthly magazine that is published for the Tamil people living in North America. Last year, in November 2010 issue, they published my Kollu (Horsegram) Recipes. Thanks to Thendral for publishing my story this month.

The whole story revolves around a man and his association with a cookie vendor in his various stages of life. The main theme of the story is from the incidents that happened in my father's life. So, I dedicated this story to my Dad.

As the story is in Tamil, I hope to get the feed back from some of our friends atleast. Let me know your comments if you get a chance to read the story.

You may be interested in :

My Recipe Featured in The Hindu Metroplus - Kadugu Sadam (June 19, 2010)

My Recipe Featured in The Hindu Metroplus - Thengai Paal Mullu Murukku (September 10, 2010)

My Recipes Featured in Vikatan Deepavali Malar (October, 2010)

My Recipes Featured in Thendral (November, 2010)

My Article about Niagara Featured in Aval Vikatan (May 24, 2011)

Phulka

2011-07-12T03:23:00.000-07:00

Phulka is a light and fluffy Indian bread. Usually Phulka is cooked directly on gas burner flame to make it fluffy.

Ingredients :

1. Wheat flour - 2/3 Cup

2. Maida - 1/3 Cup

3. Salt - 1/2 tsp

4. Oil - 3 tsp

5. Sugar - 1/2 tsp

6. Water

7. Ghee

Procedure :

1. Combine the flour, oil, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Sprinkle water a little by little while kneading the flour. Knead well and make a soft dough. Cover the dough and keep aside for atleast 2 hours.

2. After 2 hours, grease your hands with little oil and knead the dough again. Roll out in to small balls.

3. Then, using a rolling pin, gently spread the balls in to round thin discs.

4. Heat a dosa pan. Place the phulkas. Once the phulka puffs up and the top portion starts to form bubbles, flip to other side and cook or alternatively you can cook one side on the dosa pan and other side directly on the gas burner flame.

5. Once cooked, apply little ghee and serve warm with any side dish.

You may be interested in :

Spicy Paratha

Jeera Paratha

Chilli Paratha

Chapathi & Dhal

Mint Roti

Methi Thepla

Stuffed Methi Paratha

Side Dishes for Roti/Paratha/Chapathi/Poori

Almond and Orange Rava Kesari

2011-07-05T06:00:00.000-07:00

Kesari is a popular sweet dish prepared with Sooji in general. This time, when I prepared Kesari, I just gave a twist by adding orange juice and almond. Those two additional ingredients gave a very rich taste and flavour.

Ingredients :

1. Rava (Sooji) – 1/2 Cup

2. Water – 1 cup

3. Fresh Orange Juice - 3/4 Cup

4. Orange food colour / Kesari Powder – 2 pinches

5. Sugar – 3/4 Cup or adjust to your taste

6. Ghee – 4 tbsps

7. Raisins – 10

8. Almond – 10

9. Cardamom powder – 4 pinches

10. Cashew - 10

Procedure :

1. Dry roast the almonds and powder them coarsely. Keep aside.

2. Dry roast the rava till golden brown. Heat water in a separate pan.

3. When water starts to boil, add the food colour and sugar. Once the sugar get dissolved completely, medium the flame.

4. Now, add the roasted rava. Stir continously to avoid lumps while adding the rava.

5. Once the water get absorbed fully, add the freshly extracted orange juice and coarsely powdered almonds. Keep mixing the contents till the rava get cooked well.

6. Meanwhile, heat ghee in a small separate pan. Add raisin, cashew and cardamom powder.

7. Once the cashews turn golden brown, add the ghee mixture to the kesari and mix well.

8. Serve warm.

You may be interested in :

Aval Kesari

Other Sweet Dishes

My Article featured in Aval Vikatan

2011-05-17T06:51:00.001-07:00

Aval Vikatan is one of the famous tamil magazines from Vikatan publications. They have featured my article about Niagara in the issue dated 24-5-11. Thanks to Aval Vikatan and my friends who wished me through mails and phone.

You may be interested in :

My Recipe Featured in The Hindu Metroplus - Kadugu Sadam (June 19, 2010)

My Recipe Featured in The Hindu Metroplus - Thengai Paal Mullu Murukku (September 10, 2010)

My Recipes Featured in Vikatan Deepavali Malar (October, 2010)

My Recipes Featured in Thendral (November, 2010)

My story published in Thendral(July, 2011)

Puli Saaru

2011-05-10T20:10:00.000-07:00

Puli Saaru or Vengaya Rasam is a two-in-one dish. This can either be served as rasam with white rice or as side-dish with any upma. This rasam can be prepared without rasam powder and can be done in few minutes.

Ingredients :

1. Tamarind Juice - 1/4 Cup

2. Water-3/4 cup

3. Onions - 1/2 Cup (Finely Chopped)

4. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

5. Mustard - 1/2 tsp

6. Red chilly - 1

7. Green Chilly - 1

8. Curry leaves - A few

9. Asafoetida - 1/2 tsp

10. Oil - Needed qty

11. Salt - Needed qty

Procedure :

1. Heat oil in a pan. Splutter mustard.

2. Add asafoetida, red chilly, green chilly and curry leaves. Fry for few minutes.

3. Now add, onion and saute till it turns golden brown.

4. Add tamarind juice, water, salt and let the contents boil.

5. Serve with white rice or upma.

You may be interested in :

Lemon Rasam

Orange Peels Rasam

Star Fruit Rasam

Sprouted Kollu Rasam

Rasam Powder / Rasa Podi

2011-04-26T01:00:00.000-07:00

Ingredients :

1. Coriander seeds - 3/4 Cup

2. Cumin seeds - 3/4 Cup

3. Toor dhal - 1/2 Cup

4. Black pepper - 1/4 Cup

5. Red chillies - 3

6. Curry leaves - A few

7. Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp (Optional)

Procedure :

1. Dry roast all the above ingredients and allow them to cool.

2. In a small mixer jar, grind the cooled ingredients to a coarse powder.

3. Transfer to an air-tight container.

4. Use 1 tsp of rasam powder for a bowl of rasam that serves for four.

You may be interested in :

Ellu Podi

Pavarkaai Podi

Kollu Idly Podi

Guest Post : 54 - Today's Guest : Padhu

2011-04-25T01:00:00.000-07:00

Today, we have Padhu from Padhu's Kitchen. She works from home and manages her family and job well. She is a mother of two lovely kids. Now, let us hear from her...

Nithu's Kitchen : Tell us about you.

Padhu : I am a very creative person, healthy conscious with lot of interest in yoga and a mother of 2 adorable children.

Nithu's Kitchen : What are your hobbies and interest?

Padhu : I am a person with varied interests, which made me venture into various fields like waste management, art & crafts, Beauty, cooking, Yoga, blogging, web designing etc. I started my first website healthbeautytips.net in early 2007 which focuses on how to look gorgeous from head to toe using natural ingredients. I love to do embroidery, painting and gardening in my leisure hours. I have conducted hobby classes for women and children and summer camps for kids. In the below picture, you can see one of my paintings and few soft toys I made.

I am into vermi composting in a small way and have my own composting unit at home. I never use chemical fertilizers or pesticides in my small garden but convert my kitchen waste into manure .I have even published a post on how to change kitchen waste into manure in my website here. I love listening to movie songs and reading self development books. My favourite book is Dale Carnegie “How to influence people and win friends”. I like ethnic Indian clothes and jewelry and love dressing up and going out with my family.

Nithu's Kitchen : How you balance your job and blogging.

Padhu : As I am working from home, I am able to adjust the timings to suit my needs. I always make it a point to spend time with my children when they are back from school.

Nithu's Kitchen : How do you relax yourself?

Padhu : I am an early riser and enjoy my long morning walk. That keeps me fresh and active the whole day. I enjoy listening to melodious movie songs.

Nithu's Kitchen : When did you start to cook? Who taught you the cooking?

Padhu : I started to learn cooking after my engagement from my mom and Perima. I learnt all North Indian dishes from my aunty who has spent a major part of her life in North India.

Nithu's Kitchen : What made you to start a blog and when did you start it? What inspired you to start a blog?

Padhu : I started my blog Padhu's kitchen on July 2009. The whole credit of starting this blog goes to my children. They enjoyed my dishes and appreciated me so much, that in order to please them I stared cooking a variety of dishes. I wanted to maintain an online diary of my recipes, so that it will be useful not only for them but also to others who want to learn cooking and try out new dishes .

Nithu's Kitchen : Who is your best critic?

Padhu : My daughter is my best critic. Only if she gives a thumbs up, will I publish that recipe in the blog.

Nithu's Kitchen : What is your family's favorite food?

Padhu : My family loves all vegetarian Indian food.

Nithu's Kitchen : What cuisine does your blog focus?

Padhu : My blog focuses on Indian Vegetarian food .It also has traditional recipes, festival recipes and cooking basics. I have a special series called “How to” which focuses on cooking basics.

Nithu's Kitchen : What do you have today to share with us and why did you choose this specific recipe?

Padhu : Today, I am going to share Mango rice with all your readers. I chose to share this recipe, as mango is in season now and also it can be done in a jiffy. You can use left over rice also for this.

Ingredients needed :

1. Mango finely chopped – ½ cup

2. Cooked rice -1 ¼ cup

3. Oil -2 tsp

4. Salt as required

For the seasoning

1. Mustard -1/2 tsp

2. Bengal gram -1/2 tsp

3. Urad dal -1/2 tsp

4. Turmeric powder –a pinch

5. Hing – a pinch

6. Green chilli -1

7. Red chilli -1

8. Curry leaves - little

9. Roasted peanuts or cashew nuts – 2 tbsp

Preparation :

1. Cook rice in such a way that each grain is separate. Add a tsp of sesame seed oil and spread it on a plate to cool.

2. Cut mangoes finely or grate them with the skin.

3. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, when it splutters, add hing, bengal gram, urad dal, red chilli, green chilli, turmeric powder and curry leaves.

4. Then add finely chopped mango and sauté till it becomes soft. Add needed salt .

5. Mix rice gently to the above. Add roasted peanuts and mix well

6. Serve with papads or chips.

Serves 1

Nithu's Kitchen : Thank you so much Padhu. Enjoyed talking to you.

Padhu : Thank you Nithu for giving me the opportunity to be your guest.

Friends, If you are interested to be featured as Nithu's Kitchen's Guest, please drop a mail to nithuskitchen[at]gmail[dot]com.

Stuffed Methi Paratha

2011-04-13T02:06:00.000-07:00

Hi Friends, I'm doing great. How about you all? Thanks to you all for your kind enquiries about my sudden absence from this blog world. I too missed all your delicious recipes. This was just an unplanned break and that is the reason I couldn't inform you all in advance. Very sorry about that. I'm sure to catch up with all your recipes soon.

Now, I'm with a wonderful and healthy recipe "Stuffed Methi Paratha". Methi (Fenugreek), also known as Greek Hay, is an amazing herb with unique aroma and taste. The major health benefit of methi is that it helps in reducing blood sugar level. The other health benefits are, it increases haemoglobin and works as a blood purifier. Apart from these major benefits, it helps in digestion and hairloss as well. It is always good to include methi in our regular diet.

Ingredients :

1. Wheat Flour - 2 cups

2. Salt - 1/2 tsp

3. Water - Approximately one Cup

4. Oil or ghee

For the Filling :

1. Methi leaves - 1 Bunch

2. Onion - 1/4 Cup (Finely Chopped)

3. Red chilly Powder - 1 tsp

4. Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp

5. Chickpea Flour - 1 tbs

6. Oil - 1 tbs

7. Salt - 1/2 tsp

Procedure :

1. Combine flour, salt and a teaspoon of oil/ghee. Mix together. Sprinkle water a little by little and prepare a soft dough. Cover the dough and keep aside for about 30 minutes.

2. Now, pour oil in a pan. Add onion and saute till it turns golden brown.

3. Add cleaned methi leaves. Saute for few minutes.

4. Add salt, chilly powder and garam masala. Mix them thoroughly.

5. Finally add chickpea flour. Keep stirring the mixture for few minutes.

6. Switch off the stove. Let the mixture cool down.

7. Now, roll out the dough in to small discs. Take a spoonful of methi masala mixture and place it in the centre of the rolled disc.

8. Bring the edges of the disc towards the centre so that the dough covers the masala.

9. Flatten gently with a rolling pin.

10. Heat a dosa pan, add a teaspoonful of oil or ghee and cook the stuffed parathas on both the sides.

11. Serve with raitha , chutney or any other side dish.

You may be interested in :

Spicy Paratha

Jeera Paratha

Chilli Paratha

Chapathi & Dhal

Mint Roti

Methi Thepla

Phulka

Side Dishes for Roti/Paratha/Chapathi/Poori

Pomegranate Milkshake

2011-04-10T06:26:00.000-07:00

Ingredients :

1.Pomegranate - 1

2.Sugar - 6 tsps or adjust to your taste

3.Milk - 2 Cups

Procedure :

1. In a juicer, juice pomegranate, sugar and milk.

2. Filter and refrigerate.

3. Sprinkle few pomegranate seeds just before serving.

You may be interested in :

Jackfruit Milkshake

Mango Milkshake

CSN $35 Giveaway Winner Announcement

2011-03-11T19:13:00.000-08:00

This is a long pending post. Sorry friends for this much delay in announcing the winner. The random generator selected "Reshmi" of Rasoi. Congrats Reshmi:-) I'l mail you soon with the details of the gift.

Thanks to all who have participated in the giveaway.

Guest Post : 53 - Today's Guest : Viji (My Mom) ; Guest Post Series Completes One Year Today

2011-03-06T23:03:00.001-08:00

Today, this guest post series completes one year. I started this series on March 8th, 2010 on International Women's Day and my sister was the first guest here. I take this opportunity to thank my sister, mom and all my friends who gave their guest posts and helped me to run this series without any break for the complete one year.

We have my Mom with us today. She was already here once on Mother's Day, 2010. You can read about her here.

She shares a recipe for Plantain Fry (Vazhakkai Varuval) :

Ingredients :

1. Vazhakkai - 2
2. Rice flour - 1/2 Cup
3. Corn Flour - 1 tbs
4. Red chilly powder - 1.5 tbs
5. Salt - Needed qty
6. Oil - to fry

Procedure :

1. Peel and cut plantain in to thick rectangular pieces.
2. Throw both the flour along with red chilly powder and salt on the cut vegetable.
3. Sprinkle some water.
4. Mix them all together.
5. Heat oil and fry till crisp.
6. Serve with rice as side dish or with tea as evening snack.

Guest Post - 52 : Today's Guest - Cooking Foodie

2011-02-28T07:36:00.000-08:00

Today, we have Cooking Foodie from 365 days of eating. She is from a Gujarati family. She holds Masters degree in Engineering. Let us hear from her now...

Nithu's Kitchen : Tell us about you.
Cooking Foodie : Born in a food loving Gujarati family, I grew up on scrumptious meals cooked by my mother. On occasion my father would step into the kitchen to create a masterpiece. Education was important too and I got a Civil Engineering degree from University of Mumbai. Later I came to US to get my Masters degree in Civil Engg. from University of Florida. That is also where I met my husband. US also opened my eyes to a whole new world of food and drink. It was not just Amul cheese and Wills bread but artisanal cheese - more than I can eat and artisinal loaves which I have grown to love, all different textures and tastes. I also started cooking more cuisines here and expanded my knowledge of food and processes.

Nithu's Kitchen : What are your interests?
Cooking Foodie : I love to watch food network and I love to eat out and do so often.

Nithu's Kitchen : Tell us about your blog.
Cooking Foodie : I started my food blog cookingfoodie.blogspot.com to chronicle my mothers recipes and my own. I crossed a 100 followers and I am thankful to each and everyone of them for their support and encouragement.

Nithu's Kitchen : What was the first dish you made.
Cooking Foodie : I always loved food and my first dish was onion bhajji which I made because I didn't want to eat the roti sabzi mother had made. After that there was no looking back. Everytime I didnt want to eat the food cooked (pretty rare) or planned, I would make something I liked, usually a snack or a non-traditional item.

Nithu's Kitchen : During your early days of cooking, what was your speciality dish.
Cooking Foodie : Pizza's were my specialty back then :)

Nithu's Kitchen : What do you have today to share with us?
Cooking Foodie : Pesto Pasta Salad is a simple summer salad. This salad has simple ingredients and can be made in a jiffy. Some pasta shapes are easier to coat than others, I used farfalle, bow-tie pasta as they are better in this dish. For some saltiness, I use feta cheese which has a bite and goes well with the basil notes of the pesto. Cherry tomatoes are little bombs of flavor. They have the concentrated taste of tomato in each small bite. Buy the snack variety and preferably organic as they will be eaten raw.

Ingredients :

3 cups pasta, bow-tie pasta preferred
1/2 cup basil pesto
1 cup cherry tomatoes, split in half
1/3 cup feta cheese crumbled

In a large pot boil about 9 cups of water till it comes to a rolling boil. Add salt and pasta and cook till al dente. It should take about 8-9 minutes. Drain the pasta, place in a large bowl and add the pesto to it. Toss well to cover evenly. Add the tomatoes and half the cheese and mix well. To serve sprinkle some cheese on top and enjoy!

Nithu's Kitchen : Thank you so much.

Cooking Foodie : Thanks Nithu.

Guest Post - 51 : Today's Guest - Preetha

2011-02-21T06:00:00.000-08:00

Today, we have Preetha from Preethi Bhojan is here with us. She owns couple of blogs. Now, let us hear from her about her blogs and her interests...

Nithu's Kitchen : Tell us about you.
Preetha : I am the youngest of 3 siblings, and had all the pampering and the privileges that come with it. I earned a degree in Textile Technology and worked in the apparel export industry for seven years, mostly in Chennai. After my marriage I moved to US, enjoying the life to the fullest with my husband.
Our family is associated with the Shivanjali Trust, and are devotees of its founder Swami Shanthanand Saraswathi.One of the things that I love is the frequent food melas that we conduct at our house to raise funds for the free hospital run by the trust.

Nithu's Kitchen : What are your interests.
Preetha : When working I did not have anytime to think of anything other than my job. Oh yes, I am little workaholic, constantly running behind the export samples from one end of the city to another. Now that I have plenty of time, I started doing simple craft work mainly to keep my little home pretty and to keep myself busy.I am writing all my funny experience and the things I am enjoying here in my other blog, http://funanddreams.blogspot.com

Nithus's Kitchen : How your love for cooking started.
Preetha : I love cooking. In fact, I wanted to join Catering course after school, but ended up doing Engineering course.
When I was in India, although I never cooked a full course meal, me and my sister always help my mom in the kitchen. And My mom never missed an opportunity to cook a feast!
In India, of course we have enough religious occasion at regular intervals, each of which had its own special menu. Whatever cooking I learnt, I learnt by being a sous chef to my mom and aunty when they cook for these occassions.
Thank God, whatever I learnt helped me a lot when I moved to a new world, in-law's house.That's the first time I cooked a full meal,got a good appreciation.

Oct 2009, was the first time, I started to know more about the food blogs. That time I never imagined that I would have my own space. After 6 months of a hotel living, when we moved to an apartment, I was thrilled to have a full size kitchen. Love towards cooking increased a lot. I started exploring the web a lot and tried many new recipes. I then realized that I need to keep a log of the recipes that I was trying out and my experiences with them. That's how Preethibhojan was born.

Nithu's Kitchen : What dish do you have today to share. Why did you select this dish today.
Preetha : I would like share a recipe, which I learnt from my Mom, easy Tomato Sambar. This is one of her special dish, whenever I cook this, always feel that I am missing her. It is the best side dish for Idli and Dosai.This is very easy and quick and does not need any cooked dal.

Ingredients :

Tomato Medium size -- 3 nos
Chilli powder -- as per taste
Salt -- as per taste
coconut (fresh or dried) -- 6-7 tbs

To fry :

Chana Dal -- 2 tbs
Urad Dal -- 2 tbs
Dry corriander seeds -- 2 tsp
Dry chilli -- 4-5 nos *
Oil - 1 tsp

For seasoning :

Mustard seed -- 1tsp
asafoetida - 1tsp
Oil -- 3-4 tsp
Fresh curry leaves and Cilantro -- few
Dry chilli - 2 nos

Method :

1. In a pan add a tsp oil and fry all the 4 ingredients, till the both the chana dal and urud dal turns to golden color.
2. Transfer them to another container and let it cool.
3. In the same pan, add a tsp of oil again and saute the tomatoes for 3 - 4 minutes untill the the tomatoes are tender.
4. Grind the sauted tomatoes in the mixer.
5. Transfer the mixture into a sauce pan and turn the heat to medium. Add a cup of water, chilli powder and salt to taste and bring it to boil.
6. Meanwhile grind the fried mixture, coconut and some water and make a paste.
7. Add this coconut paste mixture to the tomato, and boil it for few minutes.
8. Thats it Yummy Sambar is ready.
9. To add more flavor season the sambar. In a pan, heat the oil add the mustard seeds, once it starts to cracle add the 2 dry chilli, and the asafoetida.
10. Add this mixture to the sambar and garnish with curry leaves and cilantro.

Methi Thepla

2011-02-16T01:00:00.000-08:00

Thepla is a Gujarathi dish which can be preserved for about a week. Teplas are best for long train travels.

Ingredients :

1. Wheat flour - 1 Cup

2. Besan flour - 1/4 Cup

3. Oil - 1 tbs

4. Red Chilly powder - 1 tsp

4. Coriander powder - 1/4 tsp

5. Cumin powder - 1/4 tsp

6. Methi leaves - 1 Cup (Fresh and finely chopped)

7. Curd - 1/4 Cup

8. Asafoetida - 1 Pinch

9. Sugar - 1/2 tsp

10. Salt - Needed Qty

Procedure :

1. Combine all the ingredients with little water.

2. Knead to a soft dough. Keep aside for 10 minutes.

3. Roll out in to round discs like chapathi.

4. Cook on both sides with little oil on a hot dosa pan.

You may be interested in :

Spicy Paratha

Jeera Paratha

Chilli Paratha

Chapathi & Dhal

Mint Roti

Stuffed Methi Paratha

Phulka

Side Dishes for Roti/Paratha/Chapathi/Poori

Guest Post - 50 : Today's Guest - Nidhya

2011-02-14T04:00:00.000-08:00

Today, we have Nidhya from Aaha-Oho is with us. She worked for a Banking Industry while she was in India. Now, she is settled in US and a happy home maker. Let us hear from her about her blog and her interests now...

Nithu's Kitchen : Tell us about you.
Nidhya : I am an engineer with MBA in Finance and HR. I worked in the banking industry when I was in India. Here in US, I am a homemaker, as my visa doesn't support any form of work.

Nithu's Kitchen : Tell us about your blog.
Nidhya : My blog is a few months old and I started blogging in order to develop my interest towards cooking and record my recipes to show especially to my mom, who still couldn't believe that I could cook. I learnt a lot of new recipes, cooking tips and techiniques from my fellow blogger friends, which puts me in a mood to cook everyday and share it with the world. Just like most of the blogger friends, I too started cooking after my marriage. I never thought I could cook so well until my husband scored me 10 out of 10 from day 1. Thats how my interest towards cooking heightened. He is very supportive and encourages me with his everyday critics. Also, he is the one who chose my blog's name.

Nithu's Kitchen : What are your interests apart from blogging.
Nidhya : I knit my winter scarves (a beginner), practice yoga four days a week, enjoy dining out, sample several cuisines and love pencil drawings in which I am into most of the time. Shopping is one other thing I completely disappear every now and then. Also I am health conscious and a big fruit fanatic.

Nithu's Kitchen : What do you have today to share with us. Any specific reason for selecting this dish today.
Nidhya : Hot Peppery Mushroom Fry. Mushrooms are new favorite to me. This was such an easy fry and a big hit at home, as me and my husband loved the peppery flavor in every bite. And i thought my fellow friends would love to try it out and enjoy the simple flavors, like we did.

Ingredients:
1. 8oz Button Mushroom
2. 1 medium Yellow onion (chopped)
3. 1tbsp Black pepper (whole)
4. 1tsp Ginger (minced or paste)
5. 1tsp Garlic (minced or paste)
6. 5-6 Curry leaves
7. 1tbsp Coriander powder
8. 1tsp Garam masala powder
9. 1tbsp + 1tsp Oil
10. Salt

How to :

1. Heat 1tsp oil in a skillet and roast the pepper corns until it starts to pop.
2. Remove from heat, let it cool and coarse grind'em.
3. Heat the remaining oil in the same skillet, add onions, saute until tender, then add ginger and garlic and continue sautéing until raw smell disappears.
4. Then add the sliced mushrooms along with salt, saute for a min and cook with lid closed until tender. (Let the mushrooms cook in its own water.)
5. Now add the coriander powder and pepper powder and saute for 5-6 mins.
6. Add the garam masala powder and curry leaves and saute until mushrooms start to brown.

7. Switch off and serve hot with roti or steamed rice.

Nithu's Kitchen : Thank you Nidhya. Enjoyed talking to you.
Nidhya : Thanks Nithu.

Paruppu Thuvayal

2011-02-09T01:00:00.000-08:00

This is a delicious chutney that we often prepare to have with rice. Paruppu thuvayal, Garlic rasam and appalam makes a good combo.

Ingredients :

1. Moong dhal - 1/2 Cup

2. Coconut - 3 tsp (Grated)

3. Garlic - 2 Cloves

4. Red chillies - 2 or asjust to your taste

5. Salt - Needed quantity

Procedure :

1. In a pan, dry roast the dhal on a medium flame till the dhal turns golden brown. Keep aside.

2. In the same pan, dry roast red chillies.

3. Transfer dhal and red chillies to a mixer jar. Add 1/4 cup of water. Let it stand for 10 minutes.

4. Now, add coconut, garlic and salt.

5. Grind coarsely.

6. Serve with over the hot rice with a dollop of ghee.

You may be interested in :

Chayote Peel Chutney

Plantain Peel Chutney

Kiwi, Apple & Raisin Chutney

Orange Peel Chutney

Ripe Mango Chutney

Beetroot Chutney

Mint and Coriander Chutney

Sundakkai Thuvayal

Guest Post - 49 : Today's Guest - Bharati

2011-02-07T01:00:00.000-08:00

Today, we have my sister Bharati with us. She is well known to you all. She had been here few times. To read her recipes and know more about her, go here, here and here.

Bharati shares a recipe for a tasty Elephant Yam Fry.

Ingredients :

1. Elephant Yam - 1

2. Onion- 2

3. Tomato- 2

4. Garlic cloves - 4

5. Turmeric Powder- 1 tsp

6. Sambar Powder - 1 tsp

7. Chilly Powder- 1 tsp ( adjust to your taste)

8. Coriander Powder- 1 tsp

9. Garam Masala Powder- 1 tsp

10. Salt- required quantity

11. Curry Leaves- few

12. Oil- required quantity

13. Coriander Leaves- required quantity

Procedure :

1. Cut the elephant yam into cubes.

2. Add turmeric & sambar powder along with half of the required salt to the yam.

3. Marinate well. Keep it aside for 10 mins.

4. Pressure cook the marinated yam for one/ two whistles just enough to cook the yam.

5. Pour required quantity of oil to the pan & fry finely cut onion for one minute. To that add the cut tomato pieces & fry nicely.

6. Then add the cooked yam to this onion tomato mixture along with all the powders & remaining salt.

7. Mix well & add curry leaves & crushed garlic cloves to it. If needed, add one or two spoons of oil so as not to stick to the pan.

8. Roast the yam nicely.

9. Garnish it with coriander leaves & Serve.

$35 CSN Giveaway Announcement

2011-02-01T19:15:00.000-08:00

Hi Friends, How are you all doing? It's high time I visited all your blogs. I was caught up with few things and hope to continue my blogging regularly. Some of my friends helped me to keep my blog live with their guest posts for the entire January. Thank you so much girls:-)

Today, I'm here with a giveaway announcement from CSN stores. CSN folks contacted me recently for hosting a $35 gift certificate giveaway and I don't need to give any special introduction to CSN stores. As you all know very well that from CSN stores you can buy anything from a cookware to swing sets .

One lucky reader of Nithu's Kitchen will get $35 (does not cover any shipping costs but you can use it on ANY product from ANY one of their CSN stores sites)

Giveaway Period : 2nd Feb, 2011 - 28th Feb, 2011
Giveaway Open to : US and Canada. Others, you can still participate but if you win, you have to gift it to one of your friends or relatives living in these two countries.

Rules :

If you fulfil all the three below rules, your winning chances will be increased. A winner will be selected by random.org. Please leave a separate comments for each activity you do.

1. Subscribe to Nithu's Kitchen via Feed Burner.
2. Blog about the giveaway with the link to this giveaway announcement.
3. Follow Nithu's Kitchen through Google Friend Connect.

Good Luck :-)

Guest Post - 48 : Today's Guest - Mina

2011-01-31T01:00:00.000-08:00

Today, Mina from Authentic Vegetarian Recipes is with us. She lives in UK. Her love for cooking started when she first tried Rasgullas from a cookery book. Her blog is a vegetarian blog. Now, let us hear from her.

Nithu's Kitchen : Tell us about you.
Mina : I live in a small village about 12 miles north of the famous Cambridge in UK. We moved here about 6 years ago because my job moved to Cambridge from London. We liked the idea of moving away from the hustle and bustle of London.I have been married for 35 years and have two sons.

Nithu's Kitchen : How your love for cooking started?
Mina : I have always worked full time and cooking used to be a chore I hated coming to after work. When I got married, I could only cook the basic simple food like curries and chappatis. MY dad was a diabetic so a lot of the food I had learnt to cook was healthy but simple. I got married to a guy who loved his spicy fried food, his nastas like jalebi and gathia, puris , theplas, undhuyu shak etc. which were all dishes I wasn’t good at making. I bought my first cookery book called Adhunik Pakshatra which was in Gujarati from an Indian shop in Wembley and remember making rasgullas for the first time. They turned out great and my love affair with cooking food started. However, I did feel very inadequate as my parents and in-laws were very good cooks. To be fair to them, they took a lot of pleasure in teaching me to cook and often my mother in law would pass on a cooking tip to me and ask me to keep it secret!! Both my father and father in law were very good chefs and used to cater at weddings in East Africa.I had always wanted to write a cookery book and now really wish I had written down some of the traditional recipes my dad and FIL used to cook. I wish that I had taken some videos or photographs when they were cooking!! I suppose I was too busy in other things and it’s too late now as both of them have passed away.

Nithu's Kitchen : What made you to start a blog?
Mina : I started blogging quite by accident!! I was following a blog written by a colleague who was in Japan. He used to blog everyday about all the unusual things he saw in Japan and I suddenly thought why not blog about the food I make everyday.

Nithu's Kitchen : What does your blog focus?
Mina : My blog focuses on traditional vegetarian Gujarati recipes. My first few recipes are not written well and do not have photographs. However, pretty soon, I had followers and looking at everyone’s blogs, I developed my style of writing recipes. I noticed that some recipes were good and I understood them because I was Indian but foreigners looking at Indian recipes would need more instruction. That’s when I started including the step by step instructions with photographs. The editing and loading photographs does take a lot of time but the compliments I receive make up for the effort.

Nithu's Kitchen : What are your interests.
Mina : Apart from Blogging, I like to travel. The job I do involves a lot of travelling so I tend to include some holidays with work as well. We’ve been to some wonderful places and I wish I knew about blogging then as I could have written so much!! The family travels to Orlando at least once a year as we own a home there too. My kitchen in Orlando is equipped with all the ingredients for cooking great meals and I love making farsi puris, dhoklas, somasas and curries for friends and family when we are there. It’s great place to get away to when the weather is bad in UK. I am also a Committee member at my son’s school and love helping out with the events they hold. It’s a great place to make friends and share ideas and recipes too.

I am a great fan of Indian music of any kind ranging from Hindi, Punjabi or Gujarati - from Garbas, bhangras, bhajans to old bollywood songs. I am a big fan of the BBC Asian radio and listen to it when I am cooking as it seems to calm me down and I don’t mind being alone in the kitchen as I feel I have company.

Nithu's Kitchen : What dish do you have today to share with us?

Mina : I'm sharing the recipe for Briyani today.

Ingredients for 4 servings :
2 cups Basmati Rice
1 cup Mixed Vegetable (brocolli, baby carrot, peas, sweetcorn and red peppers)
4 baby potatoes
1 Onion
4-5 Fresh Green Chillies
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
1 tsp turmeric
2 tsp Cinnamon and cloves ground powder
3 cups of tomatoes ( I used tinned tomatoes)
2 tbsp Cooking Oil ( I used sunflower oil)
1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds
half a cup of peanuts, cashews and almond mixture

Method :
1. Wash and soak the rice for 20 minutes or more if you have the time.
2. Wash Chop all the vegetables into small pieces.
3. Wash and boil the baby potatoes in their jackets.
4. Chop the cashews and almonds in halves.
5. Roast the peanuts lightly and remove their husks. This can be done in the microwave. I cooked them for a minute at a time for 3 minutes.
6. On one cooker hob, start to cook the rice.

7.On a second cooker hob: Heat the oil in a pan and add mustard seeds and stir for about half minute. Then add onions and cook them for a couple of minutes.
8. Add fine chopped tomatoes.

9. Now add the salt, chilly powder, turmeric and the cinnamon and cloves powder.
10. Once the tomatoes have cooked, add the vegetables and the nuts to the mixture but not the potatoes.
11. Peel the baby potatoes, cut them into halves and lightly brown them under the grill using a small amount of oil. The idea is to make them look like roasted potatoes. So you can fry them or toast them in a frying fan as well if you prefer. Once ready, leave aside to add to the biryani.
12. The rice and vegetables should now be cooked.
13. In a baking dish, make a layer of cooked rice. Top this with a layer of cooked vegetables. Add some of the roasted potatoes to the vegetables. Cover the vegetables with a layer of rice. Finish with a layer of vegetable and roasted potatoes.
14. Cover this dish and transfer it to the oven on a medium heat – 150 degrees for 20 minutes.
15. Once ready, garnish the biryani with slices of onions and lemon and some fresh green chillies. 16. Serve the vegetable biryani hot with raita or khadhi.

Nithu's Kitchen : Thank you so much Mina.

Mina : Thank you Nithu.

Guest Post - 47 : Today's Guest - Roshan

2011-01-24T01:00:00.000-08:00

We have Roshan from Roshan's Cucina is with us today. She is a freelance research writer. She is interested in health, food, gardening, etc...Let us hear from her now...

Nithu's Kitchen : Tell us about you.

Roshan : My name is Daisy Roshan Nash. I am a freelance research writer and a mother of two. I live in Kochi.

Nithu's Kitchen : What are your interests.

Roshan : My interests include reading articles on health, food, fitness, social and political issues. I am also interested in gardening, home makeover and trying out new recipes.

Nithu's Kitchen : What made you to start a blog.

Roshan : I had a wish to publish a recipe book when I resigned my job (I was working in the ad dept of an English publication until my second child was born). Somehow it didn't work out....probably because I was busy with my freelance job and my infant baby. Now that my younger one has started his play school, I started a blog to record and share my recipes.

Nithu's Kitchen : Share us one unforgettable experience from one of your holiday trips.

Roshan : It was when we went to Munnar. We had stopped on the way at a resort which did not have a well laiden road. We had to reverse the vehicle down the hill to get to the place. The first time, a person at the resort directed my hubby. Later we went out to visit places and

returned at night. It was pitch dark and half way we felt our car was slipping away b'coz the place to be parked was slightly towards the right and we were reversing to the left. In no way my hubby could control the car since the dry grass was pulling down the vehicle when it was in brake also. Finally I managed to get out of the car with the kids and took a stone from nearby and placed it behind the wheel. Then I called the person at the resort who made arrangements to pull the car up. He called three men and tied the car with a rope and pulled it up.

Nithu's Kitchen : What dish do you have today to share with us. Why did you select this dish.

Roshan : I would like to share Kashmiri Paneer. Paneer is an ingredient liked by all and I consider all Kashmiri dishes to be exotic as is the place.

Ingredients :

paneer – 200 gms

tomato – 4

curd – 3-4 tbsp

chilly powder – ¾ tsp

salt – to taste

black cardamom – 2 or green cardamom – 3

bay leaf – 2 small

ghee - 2 tbsp

Ingredients not in the original recipe :

Pepper powder – ½ tsp

Sugar – ½ - ¾ tsp

Oil – 2 tbsp

Onion – 1

Garlic – 3 cloves

Method :

1. Cut the paneer into 4 cm long x 2-3 cm wide slabs.

2. Chop the tomatoes, onion and garlic and puree it with the curd.

3. Heat oil in a frying pan and add the ghee and vegetable oil. Deep fry the paneer pieces till light to golden brown (may be fried in batches). In the original recipe, the paneer was fried till it turned almost black. Drain the fried paneer pieces and place it in ¼ cup water or milk.

4. To the remaining ghee + oil add the bay leaf and cardamom and fry till the aroma comes out. Add the pureed tomato and curd mix.

5. Add the chilly powder and salt and let the puree boil for five minutes. Add pepper powder and sugar. Check taste and add more sugar and pepper if needed.

6. Half cup water may be added if the gravy is too thick. Add the fried paneer pieces and simmer for ten minutes.

Nithu's Kitchen : Thank you so much Roshan. Enjoyed talking to you.

Roshan : Thanks for the opportunity. Nice talking to you too.

You may be interested in :

Other Guest Posts

Side dishes for roti

Guest Post - 46 : Today's Guest - Usha Nandini

2011-01-17T01:00:00.000-08:00

We have Usha Nandini from Nandini's Food Page is with us. She holds Bachelors Degree in Mathematics. She is interesting in photography, music and healthy foods. Let us hear from her now...

Nithu's Kitchen : Tell us about you.

Nandini : I’m the good & only daughter to my parents, mother of two cute kids and wife of a loving husband. I completed Bachelors degree in Mathematics.

Nithu's Kitchen : What are your interests?

Nandini : Some of my interests are health foods, reading novels, snapping some shots of surroundings (food also, of course) and listening to music.

Nithu's Kitchen : What cuisine does your blog focus?

Nandini : I mainly focus on Indian cuisine. However, I adopt dishes of other cuisines.

Nithu's Kitchen : We have always appreciated your lovely clicks. How you got this interest in photography.

Nandini : Thanks. I have always admired photos of nature while surfing the net. I’ve always taken shots of the nearby environment. Initially when I started blogging, I used to shoot ordinary flash pictures with my camera. But after a while, I felt insatiable with my snapshots. Then I experimented taking photos without flash and the results were, of course, quite impeccable.

Nithu's Kitchen : What made you to start a food blog?

Nandini : To be exact, my husband suggested me to start one.

Nithu's Kitchen : Have you encountered with any interesting kitchen mishap? If you have a story please do share with us.

Nandini : Hmm. Yes, I did. When I was in my mom’s house during the holidays, I was making seedai for the first time. My parents were outing at that time. I was a bit nervous in deep-frying stuff. I had rolled the little balls out of the dough and put them in oil for deep-frying. The seedais burst, jumped out of the kadai and I ran out of the kitchen screaming for my life. When the mishap got over, I tip-toed to the kitchen very hesitatingly with my husband armed with stainless steel lids. Instead of the seedais, the kitchen got fried and sloppy. It was a very indelible experience.

Nithu's Kitchen : What dish do you have today to share? Why did you select this particular dish today?

Nandini : I’m sharing pumpkin pulao today. Pulao is one of our favourites in my house. This pulao is a microwave version. It was one of the biggest hits in our house. All of us had the pulao finished for lunch. I must confess that my face was beaming with satisfaction.

Ingredients :

Basmati rice - 1 1/4 cup

Yellow Pumpkin - 3/4 cup (chopped)

Carrots (big) - 1 (grated)

Sprouted green gram - 2 tsp.

Sprouted fenugreek seeds - 1 tsp.

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp.

Green cardamom - 2

Cloves - 4

Cinnamon (1 inch) - 2

Green chilies - 4

Ginger - 1 inch

Salt (to taste)

Oil

Onions - 2 (thinly sliced)

Method :

Wash basmati rice for 4-5 times and soak in water for 45 minutes.

Grind green chilies and ginger and keep aside.

Add oil, onions, cumin seeds. cardamom, cloves and cinnamon in a microwave-safe dish.

Microwave high for 4 minutes by stirring in between.

When the onions change color add ground chilies and ginger.

Microwave high for a minute.

Add pumpkins, sprouted fenugreek, carrot and green grams and microwave high for 2 minutes and stir.

Discard the water and add the rice and salt.

Add 2 1/4 cups of water and close the dish with a microwave-safe lid partially with a small gap on one side.

Microwave high for 10 minutes.

Stir gently and microwave low for 15-19 minutes or until the rice is cooked.

After 3 minutes, mix so gently that the fragile rice shouldn't be broken.

Enjoy with your favorite raita.

Nithu's Kitchen: Thanks Nandini for the unique pulao recipe. We had great time talking to you.

Nandini : Thanks Nithu. It was a pleasure sharing my experience with you.

Guest Post - 45 : Today's Guest - Rachana

2011-01-10T01:00:00.000-08:00

We have Rachana from Veggi fare is with us today. She is originally from Rajasthan but brought up in Kolkatta. Let us hear from her now...

Nithu's Kitchen : Tell us about you Rachana.

Rachana : I was born in Rajasthan, India, brought up in Kolkata, India and am presently living in Munich, Germany with my husband. I am the eldest of the 3 siblings and am very close to both my brother and sister. I am a Commerce graduate and also studied Fashion Designing and worked for a year before marriage. I am a homemaker now and do some voluntary work.

Nithu's Kitchen : What does your blog focus.

Rachana : I am a vegetarian - and so is my blog, as you can make out from the name! In addition, I often try to do healthier versions of traditional recipes.

Nithu's Kitchen : When did you start to cook.

Rachana : I took to cooking late, but then with a passion. My mother was (and still is) a big supporter of letting us find things out by ourselves - so she never gave us detailed recipes - while this made life slightly difficult sometimes, it also woke a sense of and love for experimenting and figuring stuff out - something that helps me no end now, when I am thinking up recipes for my blog.

Nithu's Kitchen : Share us one unforgettable cooking experience.

Rachana : One such incident, which I will never forget... After shifting fro Kolkata to Munich, I wanted to make a kadhi for the first time. I knew roughly how it was made, but didn't know the ratio of the gramflour to the buttermilk. I called up my mom and asked her the ratio, she didn't tell me the ratio purposely and said, "I should figure it out myself". After giving it a little thought, I tried something out, and the kadhi turned out to be really good. After a few hours, my mom called up to inquire about the kadhi and explained why she didn't tell me anything about the recipe. I guess, that made me.

Nithu's Kitchen : What do you have today to share with us.

Rachana : Today's Chyawanprash dish is one I have seen my mom making often, but never got from her the exact recipe and measurements. And it also turned out to be pretty good!

Ingredients :

500 grams - gooseberries (amla)

600 grams - sugar (may increase upto 750 grams)

3/4 tsp - clove powder

3/4 tsp - cinnamon powder

1 tsp - cardamom powder

3/4 tsp - black pepper powder

1/4 tsp - nutmeg, grated

1 1/2 tsp - dried ginger powder (saunth)

25 - 30 strands of saffron

edible silver foil to garnish

Method :

Put the gooseberries in a pressure cooker. Add enough water to cover the gooseberries and pressure cook them for 4 whistles/ring or until the gooseberries are soft. Drain the water and remove the seeds from the gooseberries.

With a mixer, puree the cooked gooseberries.

Add the pureed gooseberries in a large cooking vessel and add the sugar to it.

Place the vessel on a medium heat and bring the mixture to a boil under constant stirring.

When the sugar melts, add the spices and mix well.

Cover the vessel and reduce the heat to low and let the mixture cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Be careful, the mixture splutters a lot!!!

When the mixture thickens a little, do a saucer test, (as you would when making jams). If not ok, then bring the mixture to a boil and check again.

Fill the conserve/jam in a sterlised jar. Cover the lid when the jam is completely cool.

Shelf life of this jam is 2-3 months.

Nithu's Kitchen : Thank you so much Rachana. We enjoyed talking to you.

Rachana : Thanks Nithu.

You may be interested in :

Other Guest Posts

Kiwi, Apple and Raisin Chutney

Ripe Mango Chutney

Guest Post - 44 : Today's Guest - Amritha Kalyani

2011-01-03T01:00:00.000-08:00

Today, we have Amritha from AK's Vegetarian Recipe World is with us. She holds MBA degree. She lives in San Diego. She is interested in learning different languages. Let us hear from her now...

Nithu's Kitchen : Tell us about you.

Amritha : I am a happy house wife, came to San Diego in Dec 2007. Its almost 3 yrs now and slowly got used to the living. I am an MBA ( Fin) graduate from Chennai, India. I did my schooling in various parts of Tamil Nadu. Worked in Chennai for 3.5 yrs in a Bank and moved to San Diego after my wedding. Life is good in US but I always miss family. Would love to go back anytime I get a chance to :-)

Nithu's Kitchen : What are your interests.

Amritha : I like to learn new languages. This, I developed after coming to US. I never paid attention to this interest back then in India. But after coming here, I had lots of time to develop such interests. Initially I knew only English, Tamil and Hindi. Now I know Telugu and Kannada. Presently, I am learning Chinese . This is my latest interest. I love this interesting language. I started to learn this few months back when we went to China. I was forced to learn Chinese because we dint know how to ask for milk and the products were all labelled in Chinese. It was very hard for us. Only then I realised the need for it. Now I have come to a stage where I can communicate about myself, my requirements etc. in Chinese :-) I love gardening too. I am slowly experimenting as I dint have a garden till now. Now I have enough time gardening and its my latest passion. I would like to give a small information to all our friends here.. If you are travelling to any new country, learn some basic words that are used in our daily lifestyle. It helps a lot in communicating with those people.

Nithu's Kitchen : Share one unforgettable incident.

Amritha : My first cooking experience: This is very sentimental to me. My first attempt into the kitchen was when I got engaged to my husband. My mom forced me to do something and you know if we ever try anything for the first time in the kitchen, it would be a sweet dish and that too the easiest one. Yes! It was rava kesari. My first attempt was pretty good. It was a thursday and I am a great devotee of Shirdi Sai Baba. So my mom said we would distribute this as prasad in the temple. We took the kesari to the temple and I was so lucky that day as they were giving anna dhanam (Feeding the poor ) in the temple. The priest in the temple told me to take it to the dining hall quickly as they were just going to start their dinner. I served upto 15 people with my kesari and the most touching moment for me was that every one came to me and appreciated the kesari. I felt as though God himself ate my kesari and gave me such compliments. :-)

Nithu's Kitchen : How did you get the idea of starting a blog?

Amritha : It was November end 2009, my cousin Maya was talking to me about writing blogs. Initially I was not sure because I dint know if I could write so many recipes. But she encouraged me and made me start this blog. I couldn't write much last year as I was not so keen and frankly I was busy till June 2010. After July, I wanted to continue blogging. From then I am posting entires and I try to participate in as many events as possible. I should thank my cousin first who made me write this blog and of course my husband who has been my support throughout. He has been my biggest strength and best critic for my dishes. My parents and in-laws are all great supporters:-) I get lots of recipe ideas from them.

Nithu's Kitchen : What dish do you have today to share with us. Why did you select this dish.

Amritha : Vermicelli Pulao. I started this blog in the name of my grand moms. I got this vermicelli pulao recipe from my maternal grandmom. So I wanted to post this dish for this guest post as a dedication to my grand mom.

Ingredients :

Vermicelli - 2 cups

Mixed Veggies - 1 Cup cut lengthwise

Onion - 1 Small cut lengthwise.

Salt - to taste

For seasoning :

Oil - 1tbsps

Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp

Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp

Curry leaves - 8

Preparation :

Cook Vermicelli like how we cook pasta. Boil water in a pan, add salt and a tbsp oil. When it starts to boil, add vermicelli and let it cook till it becomes tender. Drain the water and keep vermicelli aside.

In a pan, heat oil , add mustard seeds. When it splutters, add cumin seeds, curry leaves, green chilli . Add onions and fry till it caramelizes. Now add veggies, salt and cook till veggies become tender. Sprinkle water when necessary.

When veggies get cooked, add vermicelli and mix everything well.

Vermicelli pulao is ready. Its slightly different because of its process. The taste actually varies slightly. If you need, you could add bay leaf when you are seasoning. It add more flavor to the dish.

Nithu's Kitchen : Thank you Amritha. It was pleasure talking to you.

Amritha : Thanks Nithu.

You may be interested in :

Other Guest Posts

Vermicelli Upma

Vermicelli Cutlet

Vermicelli Kozhukattai

Mysore Pak (Besan Burfi) for New Year - 2011

2010-12-31T04:00:00.000-08:00

Dear friends, Wish you all a very Happy New Year :-)

I got this recipe from Mahimaa's blog. Thanks to her for this easy and quick recipe. Her method is so simple and it tasted so good:-)

Ingredients :

1. Besan Flour - 1/2 cup
2. Sugar - 1 cup
3. Ghee - 3/4 cup

Procedure :

1. Sift flour and dry roast in a medium flame till you get a nice aroma.
2. Take sugar in a deep pan and add approximately 1/4 cup of water. The water should just cover the sugar.
3. Boil for 7-8 minutes on a medium flame and when the syrup is in one string consistency, add flour. Stir continously.
4. Add ghee a little by little. After 2 minutes, the mixture will absorb all ghee and starts to leave the sides of the pan.
5. At this stage, transfer the contents to a ghee greased plate. Spread evenly with a flat spatula.
6. Cut in to desired shape when warm.

Guest Post - 43 : Today's Guest - Shama

2010-12-27T01:00:00.000-08:00

We have Shama from Easy2cook Recipes is with us today. She holds Masters degree in Business Administration. She is from a very big joint family. She has lot of things to share with us. Let us hear from her...

Nithu's Kitchen : Tell us about you Shama.

Shama : I am graduated in B.E and Post graduated in MBA . At present , I'm a house wife taking care of my 3 year old cute daughter , Deshna .I am a native of the Temple City , Madurai , TamilNadu . Born and brought up in a well educated joint family of nearly 20 members . My father has 3 brothers and 1 sister . You can imagine how much we(my cousins and myself) were pampered .

Nithu's Kitchen : Sounds like you had a very enjoyable childhood days. Tell us how your Grandma, Mom and Aunts used to share their kitchen work.
Shama : My granny would be the chief cook and tutor for all her four daughters-in-law. She used to grind all the masalas instantly using 'AMMI' . She trained them in the same way. Even today , I could still remember the days, when mom and aunt used 'AATU KULAVI' for idli-dosa batter.One would be grinding while the other one would be helping her.Sometimes both would hold and grind. During my childhood days , I enjoyed many varietes of special recipes . My mom and my aunts had their own style of cooking and each one had their special recipe.

Nithu's Kitchen : When did you start to cook.
Shama : To be very frank , I started to cook only a week before my marriage.

Nithu's Kitchen : What were the few first dishes you tried.
Shama : I cooked the basic traditional recipes like sambar, dal, rasam and quick veggie fries.

Nithu's Kitchen : Who is your best critic.
Shama : My hubby. His positive comments and support made me to try different recipes.

Nithu's Kitchen : How much effort you take to keep your food healthy?
Shama : I am a kind of person who never wishes to make a usual menu everyweek or get trapped within that tradition. I made a routine to use all the vegetables in my menu. I take care that a particular veggie is not repeated in 15 days. I store vegetables only for a week. Once a week, my menu would include lentils like green gram , channa , cowpeas etc.

Nithu's Kitchen : What does your blog focus?
Shama : My space would give you all simple recipes which I learnt from my mom , granny , aunts , cousins , TV Shows , Magazines and sometimes my own experiments .

Nithu's Kitchen : What do you have today to share with us? why did you select this dish?
Shama : Karupatti(palm sugar) idiyappam is one of my most favourite dishes. You can either have it as a breakfast or as evening snack. It has its own unique taste .Try and taste this recipe, I'm sure you will definetly enjoy its taste.

INGREDIENTS :

Rice Flour - 1 cup

Palm sugar syrup - sufficient to knead the flour .Boil 200 gms of sugar with sufficent water . Once it dissolves,allow it to cool and filter the impurities .

Ghee as per preference.

Shredded coconut - 1 cup

METHOD OF PREPARATION :

1) Knead soft dough with rice flour ,syrup and ghee.

2) Fill an 'idiyappam' presser with the dough and press it on to idli plates and steam for 5-10 minutes.

3) Serve hot with shredded coconut and ghee.

Nithu's Kitchen : Thanks Shama. We enjoyed talking to you.
Shama : Organising guest post is a lovely concept. Happy to be your guest today. It is a good way to know more about our dear fellow bloggers. My wishes and prayers for everyone. Wishing you all a very happy Christmas and a fantastic New year. Thank you .

You may be interested in :
Other Guest Posts
Idiyappam Varieties

EyeBuyDirect.com Winner Announcement

2010-12-24T03:40:00.000-08:00

Thanks to all of you for participating in the giveaway. Friends, please do read the instructions in the giveaway whenever one is announced. Most of you have left some comment but you didn't fulfill the needed entry that qualify you for the random draw.

The winner is loni. Congrats loni :-) EyeBuyDirect.com people will contact you soon.

Thengai Bun (Coconut Bun) for My Lovely Sister

2010-12-22T05:35:00.000-08:00

Today, My sister is celebrating her Birthday. Many More Happy returns of the Day Dear:-)

This Thengai Bun, which is our favourite is nothing but, a coconut and nuts mixture sandwiched between two thin layers of bread. I still remember the days, how much we used to get excited when we hear the bakery man's tri-cycle bell. He used to sell all baked products at our door step. He would never move to next door until we buy something from him. It was like a everyday routine. Though we buy, cup cakes one day and the plum cakes or puffs other day, the one which was in our regular buy list was this "Thengai Bun". If you have told me that one day, I would bake my own Thengai Bun, I wouldn't have believed it!

I have one memory related to this Bun. I used to eat the coconut mixture and would give the bread part alone to my sister. She never complained about that. Though, she was fond of eating the whole thengai bun as such, she was very kind and nice enough to her little sister. Not only this thengai bun but in all cream biscuits I do the same thing. I'm really lucky to have a sister like her.

Ingredients :

1. All purpose flour - 1.5 cups

2. Active dry yeast - 1 pack

3. Milk - 1/4 cup (Warm)

4. Water - 1/4 cup (Warm)

5. Sugar - 1/4 tbs

6. Salt - 1/2 tsp

7. Oil - 1/8 cup

For stuffing :

1. Coconut - 1 cup to 1.5 cups (Grated)

2. Mixed nuts - 1 tbs

3. Raisins - 1 tbs

4. cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp

5. Sugar - 1 tbs

6. Ghee - 2 tsp

Heat a pan. Add ghee. Roast the nuts and raisin. Add coconut and fry for few seconds. Switch off the stove. Add cardamom powder. Mix well. When the mixture is completely cooled, add sugar and keep aside.

Procedure :

1. Take sieved flour in a wide vessel.

2. Combine oil, sugar, salt, water and milk. Mix well once and then add yeast. Leave it as such for 10 minutes or till the mixture becomes frothy.

3. Add this mixture to the flour. Make a smooth dough.

4. Keep it covered with a damp kitchen towel for about an hour.

5. By now, you can see the dough doubled in size.

6. Gently knead the dough. Divide it in to two equal parts. Make two balls.

7. Dust the work surface with flour.

8. Take one ball and roll out it in to 1/4 inch thickness using rolling pins. Prick some holes using fork.

9. Place the coconut & dry fruits mixture on it.

10. Now, roll out the remaining ball in to same 1/4 inch thick. Prick holes. Place it on the top of the coconut & dry fruits mixtures.

11. Fold the edges together without any gap.

12. Place this gently on a lined and greased cookie sheet.

12. Bake for about 15 minutes.

13. Once baked, take out and immediately apply some butter on the top.

14. When it is warm, cut it in to pieces.

15. Serve warm. Warm coconut buns(Thengai bun) tastes great:-)

You may be interested in :

Basic White Bread

Guest Post - 42 : Today's Guest - Gayathri Raani

2010-12-20T01:00:00.000-08:00

Today, we have Gayathri Raani from Gayathri's Cook Spot is with us. She lives in Madurai. She holds couple of Diploma degrees. Her interest for cooking started during her teenage years. She has lot of interesting things to share with us. Let us hear from her now...

Nithu's Kitchen : Tell us about you and your family.

Gayathri : I am Gayathri Raani. I did my schooling in Theni ( near Madurai) and Pondicherry. I did my Diploma in ECE at Srimath Polytechnic, Mysore and Diploma in Fashion Designing at Queen's School of Fashion, Mysore. I got married 6 years ago and a proud mother of Sruti who is in LKG. My hubby is Palanikumar who is a software consultant and we are at present settled at Madurai.

Nithu's Kitchen : When did you start to cook?

Gayathri : I started cooking at the age of 12. I used to follow the instructions from my Mom and so couldn't take the credit for the results. I started to cook independently only when I was 16. My grandma was admitted to hospital and my mom had to stay by her side. Naturally, I took charge of the kitchen and I couldn't believe that I could cook on my own. The dishes were good and so I became confident of my cooking.

Nithu's Kitchen : How your love for cooking started.

Gayathri : I started to collect recipes during my teenage and I would never miss any cookery show. I used to write down lots of recipes from the show. I also collected recipes from magazines. Now I have a huge collection of recipes.

Nithu's Kitchen : What made you to start a cookery blog.

Gayathri : To be frank, I had some household worries. I was often thinking of those and was getting mad. Just to divert my mind, I started browsing the net. My dad suggested some pages from the web. When I saw a 'start your own blog' ad in some site I just wanted to give it a try. My hubby encouraged me to start it. When I started, I didn't understand anything. It was learn by trial and errors at the beginning. Now my blog is 3 months old and I have got so many blogger friends.

Nithu's Kitchen : Share us one unforgettable incident in which you got all blessings from the elderly people.

Gayathri : Yeah, that was one such unforgettable day in my life. While I was in college, a group of relatives and friends, of about 60 people visited us. My mom, a nice person had promised to prepare breakfast and lunch for them. We cooked for the whole night the previous day. Though it was bit hectic, all our tiredness were gone when they enjoyed the food and blessed us:-)

Nithu's Kitchen : How starting a blog has changed your life style.

Gayathri : Yeah, ofcourse life has changed a lot. I don't have free time now. If I am free for some minutes I start thinking of my next post or any event or contest going on in the blog world.Even the finishing touch I give to my dishes have improved a lot because everything I prepare have to be photographed immediately. I prepare variety of dishes for my daughter and hubby. I have stopped watching tv:-)

Nithu's kitchen : What do you have today to share with us. Why did you select this dish.

Gayathri : Gulab Jamuns. This was my first blog post and many of the readers would have missed it. It is so yummy and one of my favorite sweets.

Ingredients :

For the Syrup :

Sugar - 1 cup

Water - 1cup

Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp

For Jamuns :

Milk-1 ltr

Baking Soda -1 tsp

Maida-5 tbs

Sugar-3 tsp

Procedure :

1. Reduce milk(add sugar) in a heavy bottom pan to thick batter consistency.

2. Add baking soda and mix well. The batter will become fluffy.

3. Switch off flame and add maida in small quantities.

4. Mix well till it becomes a soft dough.

5. Divide it into 20 equal pieces. Roll each piece to a smooth ball.

6. Heat oil on low flame. Deep fry the Jamuns till golden brown.

7. Meanwhile add sugar and water and bring to boil.

8. Add cardamom powder and let it boil till the syrup becomes sticky.

9. Switch off flame and add the fried Jamuns to the syrup.

10. Allow it to cool. Wait for 1 hour before you eat it.

Nithu's kitchen : Thank you so much Gayathri. We enjoyed talking to you.

Gayathri : God bless you for this wonderful service, Nithu. This will give a nice exposure to new bloggers like me and I love to thank you very much on behalf of all the blogger friends who are new to the blog world.

Friends, Hope you all like Gayathri's delicious Gulab Jamuns. If you are interested to be featured as Nithu's Kitchen's Guest, please drop a mail to nithuskitchen[at]gmail[dot]com.

You may be interested in :

Other Guest Posts

Bread Gulab Jamuns

Gulab Jamuns

I'm Tagged:-)

2010-12-16T06:00:00.000-08:00

Gayathri, Shobha and Shanavi tagged me with two sets of questions yesterday. I enjoyed answering all the questions. Thank you so much for tagging me:-) The questions were really framed in an intelligent way..kudos to the people who made these two sets of questions.

Shobha and Shanavi's Questions :

1. Are you a vegetarian, or have you thought about being one?

Yes, I'm a vegetarian..

2. Who inspired you to cook or bake?

My mom:-)

3. How do you celebrate Christmas?...or a favorite holiday of your choice?

We all would get-together either at our place or at any of our relatives place.

4. Do you prefer to celebrate New Year's Eve with friends and/or family, or prefer to ring in the New Year quietly, and privately, at home?

I always love to celebrate New year with my family alone. Normally, I make one or two sweet dishes, we do prayers on New year day.

5. If someone were to ask you to bring dessert to a party, what would you bring? Store bought, or homemade, and if you were to make homemade, what would you make?

I love preparing at home. But, it again depends on the number of people. If I were to prepare something, I will go with a dish that doesn't take much of my time but at the same time, I won't compromise in taste. I hate to attend any party with a tired look!!

6. How will you celebrate your next birthday?

:-) never celebrated any of my birthdays...but, it is an usual practice at home to go out for lunch or dinner on our birthdays.

7. Do you have a New Year's resolution-and will you be sticking to it?

Never take any..because I know, I'm a poor at sticking to resolution!!

Gayathri's Questions :

1. What is your take on organic food , is it a big deal for you ?

Have not much thought about it. But, used to buy organic milk and carrots atleast once in a while. The huge price difference matters here:-)

2. Do you time your breakfast,lunch & dinner or eat when you are hungry ?

Yes, always try to have food on time:-)

3. What inspired you to write a food blog ?

Starting a blog was unplanned one. I wanted a place to store up my recipes and that thought made me to start a blog.

4. You try a new recipe and it does not turn out good,what will you do ?

Most of the times, I try to give it an another form and try to make it edible. You can read the two funny stories related to this question here

5. Name three ingredients you consciously avoid or eliminate even when the recipe calls for it ?

Tofu, eggs and mushroom.

6. Name three things you have to use in most recipes ?

Oil, mustard and onion.

7. How important is eating meals together as a family to you?

We all enjoy eating together. I always feel, dining table is the only place where we can bring all the family members together.

8. You do not like a particular dish at your favorite restaurant, what will you do?

I would write in their guest book to check the quality of the dish!

Now, it is time to pass on these questions to few of my friends...Girls, you can answer any set of questions or you can pick any question from both the set and can form your own set of questions. The choice is up to you...but, don't forget to pass the chain to your friends..keep it going..

1. Mahi

2. Jyoti

3. Priya(Elachii)

4. Priya Mahadevan

5. Preethi Sriram

6. Latha

7. Gayu

Rava Idly

2010-12-15T07:00:00.000-08:00

This is such a quick and easy idly that comes in handy whenever we run out of Idly batter. The preparation is very simple.

Ingredients :

1. Rava - 1 Cup

2. Yogurt - 1 Cup

3. Carrot - 1/2 Cup (Grated)

4. Green chilli - 1 (Finely chopped)

5. Soda - 1/2 tsp

6. Salt - Needed qty

7. Milk

Seasoning Ingredients :

1. Oil- 1 tbsp

2. Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

3. Curry leaves - A few

4. Cashew nuts - A few

5. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp (Optional)

Procedure :

1. Dry roast rava and let it cool.

2. Once cooled, combine rava, yogurt, salt, green chilli and grated carrot. Mix well without any lumps. Keep aside for about 20 minutes.

3. The batter consistency should be of pouring consistency. If you feel the batter is thick, add a little milk to thin out.

4. Now, heat oil. Splutter mustard. Add cashew, curry leaves and turmeric powder. Fry for a minute. Add this to the batter.

5. Add soda, mix well.

6. Pour the batter on the oil greased idly plates.

7. Steam cook for about 15 minutes.

8. Serve hot with coconut chutney and sambar.

You may be interested in :

Garlic Podi Idly

Fried Masala Idly

Basic Idly

Kancheepuram Idly

Ragi Idly

Sweet Idly

Kollu Idly

Guest Post - 41 : Today's Guest - Preethi

2010-12-13T02:00:00.000-08:00

Today we have Preethi from Preethi's Culinary is with us. She is interested in cooking, painting and craft work. She has a separate blog for her crafts and paintings. Now, let us hear from her...

Nithu's Kitchen : Tell us about you Preeti.

Preethi : I'm an Engineering graduate. I quit my job after my wedding as I had to move to US. I 'm married to such a wonderful, sweet, lovable and supporting person - Mr. Sriram. I'm proud to be a home maker now:-)

Nithu's Kitchen : What are your interests.

Preethi : I'm interested in cooking. I love to paint and do lots of craft work.

Nithu's Kitchen : It is very interesting to know you love to paint and do craft work. Why don't you share us some of the your crafts and paintings.

Preethi : Sure. You can see my craft works @ Preethiyin Kaivannam.

Nithu's Kitchen : Share us an interesting incident from your wedding.

Preethi : Actually, there were many interesting incidents happened. But the most interesting one was, my husband was in US when our wedding got fixed. Later we learnt that we were in a way related to each other already. During our wedding, we had lot of pre-marriage ceremonies but my hubby couldn't come and all went very well without the important person for the wedding. Atlast, he managed to come to the wedding, since his presence was very much required for marriage:)

Nithu's Kitchen : Who suggested you to start a cookery blog?

Preethi : When I got married, I didn't know anything about cooking. My husband only taught me the cooking from basics and slowly, I started to cook well. He is the person who suggested me to start a blog.

Nithu's Kitchen : What do you have today to share with us?

Preethi : Veg Burrito, my hubby's favourite one:-)

Ingredients :

For Stuffing :

Potato - 2 small cubed

Bell Pepper - 1 sliced lengthwise

Tomato - 1 sliced lengthwise

Onion - 1 sliced lengthwise

Cilantro - to garnish

Basmati Rice - 1/4 cup

Tomato Onion Gravy - 2 tsp

Lime juice - 1 tsp

Pomegranate seeds - 1/2 cup

Black Beans - 1/2 cup

Curd - 4 tsp

Salt - to taste

For the base:

Wheat Flour - 1 cup

Salt - to taste

Oil - 2 tsp

Method :

* Cook the black beans well that it's consistency should be like it mashes only when it is pressed.

For the potato fry :

* Wash the potatoes and peel the skin off.

* Then cut the potatoes in cube shape and make it dry.

* Then deep fry the potato cubes till it changes into golden brown color.

For the gravy :

* Cut the bell pepper, tomato and the onions lengthwise saute them weand ll.

* Add some salt to cook them well and soon.

* Then saute it till they become tender but see to that they don't get overcooked.

* That's the gravy is ready.

For the rice stuff :

* Soak the basmati rice for half an hour.

* Then cook the basmati rice and keep it ready.

* Then mix some 2 tsp of tomato onion gravy and keep aside.

For the stuff mixture :

* Finely chop the onions, tomato and cilantro.

* Then mix all these three and add some 1 tsp of lime juice.

* The stuff is ready.

For the base :

* Take a bowl, add the wheat flour, salt, oil and mix well.

* Then add some warm water and mix them well to make a nice dough.

* Knead the dough well to make it soft.

* Once the dough is ready set it for atleast 15 minutes.

* Then divide the dough into 4 equal parts.

* Roll each rolls into big round shape.

* Then take a pan, heat it and once the pan is ready, put the base and cook it slightly.

* Once both the sides are cooked well, the base is ready.

To make the burrito :

* Take the base prepared.

* Add the rice prepared as first layer.

* Secondly layer with the stuff prepared with bell pepper, onions, tomato.

* Then layer it with chopped tomato, onions, cilantro and lime juice mixture.

* Then layer it with curd, cooked black beans, pomegranate seeds and fried potato cubes.

* Once the stuffing are done then close the burrito

* Wrap some foil to make holding the burrito comfortable. Yummy, healthy and delicious vegetable burrito is ready to go.

Nithu's Kitchen : Thanks Preethi for being Nithu's Kitchen's guest. We enjoyed talking to you.

Preethi : I too enjoyed a lot and its my pleasure to be here Nithu.

Friends, Hope you all like Preethi's yummy Burrito. If you are interested to be featured as Nithu's Kitchen's Guest, please drop a mail to nithuskitchen[at]gmail[dot]com.

Rice Flour Sweet Puttu - with step-by-step pictures

2010-12-10T10:00:00.000-08:00

This is a delicious snack/breakfast dish made out of rice flour, sugar and coconut. This puttu and Corn & Green Onion Rice makes their way to PJ's Tried & Tasted - Priya's Easy & Tasty Recipes, an event started by Lakshmi. Check out Priya's recipe here.

Ingredients :

1. Rice flour - 2 Cups

2. Sugar - 1 Cup

3. Cardamom powder - 1 tsp (Optional)

4. Salt - 1/2 tsp

5. Water - To sprinkle on the flour

6. Grated coconut - 1 Cup (Grated)

7. Ghee - (Use freshly prepared ghee. This gives a nice flavour.)

Procedure :

1.Roast the rice flour for few minutes.

2. Let it cool. Now, add salt and mix well.

3. Sprinkle a little water.

4. Mix and see, whether you are able to form balls from the flour mixture. At the same time you should able to crumble it back.

5. Once the flour is ready, steam cook the flour for 20 minutes in a idly cooker.

6. Once cooked, transfer to a larger container, mix well with wooden spatula to break the small lumps formed.

7. Then add sugar, cardamom powder, ghee, grated coconut. Mix everything well.

8. Serve with a dollop of ghee on the top.

This also participates in Akheela's "Food Palette Series - White"

A Giveaway Announcement

2010-12-08T11:54:00.000-08:00

Eyebuydirect.com, has generously offered to giveaway $30 gift voucher to one of the readers of Nithu's Kitchen. Thanks to them for this opportunity.

EyeBuyDirect.com is a prescription eyewear website offering an extensive range of high quality, affordable frame and lens packages. The site offers its budget-conscious and style-savvy shoppers a fast, simple and efficient way to browse an extensive online catalogue, and enables them to purchase eyewear from the comfort of their own homes. Users have the added option of uploading their photo to ‘virtually’ try-on their desired eyeglasses, as well as receiving feedback and opinions from other users to help inform their decision – all contributing to a fun and interactive shopping experience.

Giveaway : Prize: $30 Gift Voucher (Exclusion of designer eyewear and sunglasses.)

Giveaways open to : USA & Canada

Mandatory Entry : Visit www.eyebuydirect.com, “Like” your favorite frame and for those who don’t have facebook, Tweet: I love (frame name) @ EyeBuyDirect.com. Once you done this leave me a comment, specifying the frame name you liked.

(Please note that you will be eligible for random draw, only if you do this mandatory entry.)

Extra Entries :

1. Follow Nithu's Kitchen via google friend connect.

2. ‘Like’ EyeBuyDirect.com on Facebook, become a fan.

3. Follow EyeBuyDirect on Twitter. Leave the URL to the Tweet in your comment.

4. Post your Eye Try photo with your favorite frame to Wall of Frame.

This cool “Virtual Dressing” room feature is a great help to customers that want to try on something before they buy it,

and the Wall-Of-Frame is where customers can share tips and comment on each others photos.

5. Post a comment to their Wall of Frame- Help other visitors choose which frames suites them best!

For mandatory entry and each extra entries, leave separate comments.

Giveaway will be closed on 23rd December(Closing date changed from 21st to 23rd) The winner will be generated through random.org.

Between, if you're looking for a gift to your family and friends, why don't you consider giving them the gift of vision? check out here for Eyebuydirect.com/gift-voucher.com. Now, EyeBuyDirect is offering gift vouchers for 50% off and the best thing is you can send the gift vouchers via Email and Facebook.

Won the First Place in Manjula's Kitchen

2010-12-07T18:00:00.000-08:00

I'm very happy to inform you all that my bourbon biscuits recipe won the first place among the top five recipes selected for November contest at Manjula's Kitchen. This is all because of the support from you. Thank you so much friends for your support. This win is dedicated to you all. Once again, my thanks to all my lovely friends:-)