Gold vs golden

Ammamma : Rishi,  what is the difference between gold and golden?

Rishi : gold is G-O-L-D and golden is G-O-L-D-E-N

Rishi...........you are my Khushi.

Appam

Appam and stew makes a wonderful breakfast. For this you will need a special tawa called "appachatti". Click here for the recipe for stew

INGREDIENTS:

1. Raw Rice - 2 cups


2. Cooked white rice (choru) - 1/2 cup


3. Coconut milk - 1/2 cup


4. Yeast - 1/2 tsp


5. Sugar - 1 tsp


6. Water - 1/4 cup


7. Salt

METHOD:

• Wash and soak raw rice for 5 to 6 hours.


• In warm water put sugar and yeast. Keep it aside till its foamy.


• Grind the raw rice, cooked white rice, yeast mixture, coconut milk and salt.


• Add enough water to make a good batter. (Batter should not be too thick or too thin)


• Keep the batter to ferment. It will take atleast 10 to 12 hours.


• Heat appachatti.







• Pour a ladle full of batter into it.







• Rotate the chatti holding the handles so that the batter spreads.







• Cover it with the lid and let it cook in steam for two minutes.







• Repeat with the remaining batter.

Stew - Easy and Tasty

INGREDIENTS:

1. Onion (large) chopped - 2
2. Potato (large) chopped - 2
3. Green chillies - 4
4. Curry leaves - 1 sprig
5. Coconut milk - half a can
6. Water - 2 cups

METHOD:

• Boil onion, potatoes, green chillies and curry leaves in the water with enough salt util they are cookes.






• Add coconut milk and boil for a 1 minute.
• Stew ready. Can't believe it???

Sree's Gobi Chettinad

Here I am with a great tasting curry by my Sree-Gobi Chettinad. Chettinad cuisine is a speciality in Tamil Nadu and will be a delight for those who like hot and spicy non-vegetarian food. But Sree made it with Gobi and Aloo.

INGREDIENTS:

1. Onion (large) - 2
2. Tomato (small) - 2
3. Florets of one Gobi
4. Curry leaves (big) -1 sprig
5. Red chilli powder - 1tsp
6. Lemon juice - 2 tsp
7. Water - 2 cups
8. Poppy Seeds - 2 tsp
9. Whole red chillies - 6
10. Grated coconut - 6 tbsp
11. Coriander powder/powder - 1tsp
12. Cumin powder/cumin seeds - 1 tsp
13. Fennel seeds - 1tsp
14. Cinnamon 1" piece - 1
15. Cloves big - 2
16. Cardamom - 2
17. Garlic paste - 2 tsp
18. Ginger paste - 2 tsp
19. Coriander for garnishing

METHOD:

• Roast all the ingredients from (9) to (17) in oil.





• Cool the mixture
• Grind with garlic and ginger.
• Saute onion in oil till they are golden brown. Add the curry leaves, the ground paste, red chilli powder and salt.
• Fry for some more time. Add the chopped tomatoes and fry for a few minutes.



• Add lemon juice and water and cook for some time.
• Add Gobi florets and cook in the gravy till the gravy thickens and the florets are fully cooked.





• Garnish woth coriander leaves.
  

Vegetable Pulao

INGREDIENTS:

1. Rice - 1 1/2 cups
2. Onion - 300g
3. Tomato - 200g
4. Cauliflower - 170g
5. Beans - 100g
6. Peas-100g
7. Carrots - 100 g
8. Bayleaves - 3
9. Cardamom pods - 6
10. Cinnamon - 1 inch piece
11. Ginger - 1 tsp
12. Garlic - 1 tsp
13. Mint leaves - 1 tsp
14. Fennel seeds - 1/2 tsp
15. Chilli powder - 1 tsp
16. Coriander powder - 2 tsp
17. Shan bombay biriyani mix - 1 tsp
18. Sabji masala - 1 tsp
19. Yogurt - 3 tsp
20. Raisins - 1/3 cup

METHOD:

For Masala

• In oil fry ingredients (7) to (9). Be careful not to burn it.
• Add onion and saute till transperent. Add garlic-ginger paste and saute for a few minutes.





• Add all the masalas from (13) to (18) and fry for a few minutes.





• Add tomatoes and saute well.





• Add yogurt and cook well.

Preparing Rice:

• Wash and drain rice and soak it in water with 1 tsp of lemon in it for 15mnts. Drain the rice.

• Fry the rice thoroughly in a 2 tsp oil. Keep it aside.

Making Pulao:

• Put masala in a deep vessel and add water in the ratio 1(rice):2(water).





• Add salt and rice and vegetables bring it to a boil. Simmer the stove.





• If water is not enough you can add a little water in between.
• When done, spread the pulao on a bigger pan.
• After 10 minutes mix the pulao well gently.
• Garnish with raisins fried in ghee, coriander leaves, spring onions etc.

Vinee's Caramel Cake

Our Last X'mas was at my friend Vinee's house. She is a great cook who loves to try new things. My friend Sailaja always tells that if Salasa and Vinee are together one can be sure that there will be something special cooking. But for X'mas though she made a great lunch for a big gang. There were vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. I have already posted her egg curry recipe. What is a X'mas without a cake. So there was this big three layered cake which tasted heavenly. After I started my blog I had asked her for the cake recipe and photos. She was very happy to share those with me, which I am now happily sharing with you. I would like to call this "Vinne's Caramel Cake"

INGREDIENTS:

Caramel cake

1. Butter - 2 sticks
2. Sugar - 2 cups
3. All-purpose flour - 3 cups
4. Baking powder - 4 tsp
5. Salt - 1 tsp
6. Eggs - 4
7. Milk - 1 cup
8. Vanilla - 1 tsp

Caramel Frosting

1. Butter - 1/2 cup
2. Brown sugar (packed) - 1 cup
3. Heavy cream/whipping cream - 1/3 cup
4. Confectioner's Sugar - 16 ounce
5. Chopped nuts for decoration

Filling

1. Butter - 1 cup
2. Light brown sugar (packed) - 2 cups
3. Milk - 1/4 cup
4. Vanilla - 1 tsp

METHOD:

Making the Cakes:

• Preheat oven to 350F.
• Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
• In a bowl mix well flour, baking powder and salt.
• Add alternately the flour mix and milk; beat thoroughly.
• Add vanilla and mix thoroughly.
• Grease and flour three 9 inch round cake pans. Distribute the mix equally into the pans.
• Bake at 350F fpr 25 minutes or until the cake springs back when pressed lightly (or else u can prick the cake in the middle with a fork, if it comes out clean, the cake is done)

Making the Frosting:

• Melt butter in a sauce pan in low flame.
• Stir in brown sugar and cream and bring it to a boil.
• Cool the mixture.
• In a bowl pour the mixture and add confectioner's suger little by little and beat well till you get a spreadable consistency.

Making the Filling:

• Melt butter in medium heat.
• Add brown sugar and milk and cook for 3 to 5 minutes.
• Remove from heat and add vanilla.

Putting it together:

• Place a sheet of wax paper. Place a cake on the wax paper.
• Spread Filling over the top of the cake and place another cake over that.
• Spead filling over that and place the third cake inverted.
• Spread frosting on the top and sides of the cake with a spatula.
• For finishing dip the spatula in water and smoothen the top of frosting.
• Decorate the cake with chopped nuts.

The Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies

INGREDIENTS:

1. Crisco Vegetable shortening - 3/4 cup (3/4 stick)
2. Light Brown Sugar firlmly packed - 1 1/4 cups
3. Milk - 2 tbsp
4. Vanilla - 1 tbsp
5. Egg - 1
6. All purpose Flour (I use Pillsburry) - 1 3/4 cups
7. Salt - 1 tsp
8. Baking Soda - 1 tsp
9. Semi-sweet chocolate chips - 1 1/2 cups

METHOD:

• Preheat oven to 375F
• Combine ingredients (1) to (5) in a large bowl.

• Beat at a medium speed of electric mixer until well blended.

• Combine ingredients (6) to (8) in another bowl.

• Stir in the chocolate chips. Mix into the creamed mixture just until blended.



• Place rounded tablespoonfuls of dough 3 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheet.

• Bake one sheet at a time at 375F for 8 to 10 minute. for chewy cookies, or 11 to 13 minutes for crisp cookies. Do not overbake.(The cookies will be soft when you take it out of the oven, they will harden when cooled)

• Cool for 2 minutes.
• Remove cookies from the sheet.

(If you don't have shortening with you, substitute shortening with 3/4 cup butter.)