Kasturi methi pulav- Saturday Special

Wow! I am tired.. N what is more refreshing than singing some beautiful carnatic music and cooking.. The combination seems super to me..:) Saturday afternoon well spent,taking a break from masters!


Today's special on the menu:

Kasturi Methi pulav:

Things you will need:
1. Pulav masala-2 tsps
2. Turmeric powder-1 tsp
3. Rice 1 cup:Water 1.5 cups
4. 4 or 5 tbs of kasturi methi powder
5. jeera-1tsp
6. vegetables of your choice(I prefer Cauliflower, beans, corn and carrots).
7. Onion-1
8. Ginger(As wanted)
9. Garlic(As wanted)
10.Tomato-1

Easy to make:

Throw in the chopped onions and fry it till transparent.Add the ginger and garlic at this stage and fry a bit. Now add the veggies,turmeric powder and pulav masala. Add the kasturi methi leaves in it. Add rice and fry for a little while. Add water to the mixture. Pressure cooker for 3 or 4 whistles(depending on the cooker). It is ready ! It is that easy..

Zion National park-Rustic beauty..

Amma

http://www.youtube.com/user/sangee2007?feature=mhsn

Mothers give us love,attention and everything we have today. Each day I am reminded of my mother, who has given me this beautiful life and everything I have in it today... Love you lots amma!

Chocolate Mousse

I was watching this delectable recipe by Nigela Lawson hence I decided to implement it. I absolutely love her charm and her simple way of cooking.. No fancy stuff and she makes it look so easy. She truly shows that cooking is all about love! This was made under 15 minutes and is the easiest thing if you are running out of time.

The things you will need are:

1. Dark chocolate buttons or bar.
2. Marshmallows.
3. heavy whipped cream.
4. Butter.


The easiest ingredients to lay your hands on and all these are under $8..

The whole procedure:

1. Take the marshmallows and dark chocolate in a pan.
2. Add butter to the above ingredients.
3. Mix it up and form and smooth paste.
4. Add water to the above mixture(A little under 1/4 cup).
5. Let the beautiful chocolate melt.
6. Add whipped cream to the above mixture.
7. Let it cool and keep it in the refrigerator for about 45 mins-1 hr.

The awesomeness is right in front of you after it is done.. You can also grate white chocolate on it for further dressing.

It is easy and very delicious.. Perfect if you have guests over and you are running out of time!

Have fun...

Cabbage kofta Curry

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Things you will need:
1. Cabbage-1(Grated)
2. Carrots-3(Grated)
3. Tomatos-5
4. Green chillis( According to taste)
5. Ginger(Grated)
6. Coriander leaves
7. Basin-2 cups
8. Coriander powder
9. Chilli powder
10. Kitchen King powder
11. Salt
12. Oil
13. Sugar



For the koftas:

1. Take the grated cabbage, grated carrot, grated ginger and chopped green chillies in a bowl. Add basin to the mixture in a way that it forms a soft consistency. Add salt,chilli powder and coriander powder.
2. Make balls out of the above mixture and deep fry it in oil.

For the gravy:

1. Grind the tomato,ginger and green chillies and keep it aside.
2. Pour oil in the pan and put mustard into it. Let it sputter. Add a little basin and pour the mixture of tomato,green chillies and ginger in it.
3. Let the mixture boil for some time. Add kitchen king masala, coriander powder and chilli powder to the mixture. Add salt and sugar(2:1) to the mixture.


Add koftas to the gravy. Add coriander leaves for garnishing.Serve with rice or rotis..

In the abode of life..

Many people will think I am crazy as I write such an unusual article. I was having this conversation with a friend. Well I wanted to share a note about something I feel stronger about everyday..

I watched this documentary about "How the universe was created" recently. Our sun is a DWARF star. It is fueled by the nuclear fusion reaction, in which the hydrogen atoms collide at a high velocity. This is what fuels the sun. We are hit by solar flares and we are unharmed.. The reason is that we have a molten core, which rotates and produces a magnetic field, which deflects the sun's energy.The core will cool down one day and the earth will be inhabitable. We are not permanent.It is not a coincidence that our core is protecting us.. It is not a coincidence that sun is not 100 times its present size and that the sun is not making earth an inhabitable planet already.. It is letting us thrive.. But I really don't understand why.

The stars that we watch in the night skies are biggest examples of life and its permanence. Supernova is a beautiful example of what we are. We are all made of stars is literally a true phrase. When stars explode due to the stoppage of the nuclear fusion reaction, they explode and they expel out elements . These elements help in the formation of new stars. We are a part of that and we have all those elements in us. All the gold,silver,diamonds and all the elements on earth was a part of something else. Do read up this article on wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supernova

It always gives you a clear picture of where you are going, if you know who you are. The reason I gave these examples is that nature is a very silent and beautiful teacher. We can choose to understand or ignore its silence. We go through the birth,death cycle too. We were a part of something, got decomposed and got dissolved in the soil and here we are as a part of something else.. This is beautifully explained in the Bhagvat Gita. This may seem like a preposterous thought but it is a scientific fact. Our life may seem like it is in our control but what if it is not. What if everything has a purpose,lifespan and is prescript-ed?

So going by this logic, there is no real birth or death. We were a part of something and we are now a part of something else. It is a loop, which repeats itself constantly. Our energy form within is maybe the only true thing this life holds.

My conclusion for this article is that we were all a part of a single starting point. We are still looking for answers in theories that we read in scientific books. It is science, but science that we don't understand completely yet...

Kings Canyon

One of my quests in life is to explore new frontiers.. See unknown places and find out who I really am.. I don't want a million people's attention nor do I want to be a movie star. I would be happy all my life ambling through forests, meeting different people and exploring new and exciting things. I am basically a restless soul, and I get bored of a monotonous life(who doesn't?).
When I walked through the Kings Canyon National forest I saw nature at it's purest form. Nature is unadulterated and it has no embellishment. I am constantly seeking for happiness in friends, family and everyone around me. Does nature ask for all those things? It is so happy with itself. So satisfied, so matured and so pure..

The picture you see above is the picture of the "U" shaped valley in Kings Canyon. It is a spectacular view and eases your mind like nothing else does.

The picture to the the side was taken on our way to the mist falls. A beautiful trail, which was easily taken and not very strenuous.











The picture below shows the falls..


















We did a couple of other hikes such as the switch backs and the zumawalt meadow. They both were extremely picturesque too.

Bottom line traveling and exploring makes me really connect with the person within. Nature has very beautiful and subtle lessons. Nature is ready to teach, if you are ready to learn!

Indira

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ReKMdvmMSA

The song that I always wanted to sing..

Music always tantalizes me.. It arouses in me a desire to achieve, a desire to love and live.. It flows into me like deep truth, a wave of realization that hits you when you know the truth...I love my life there is no doubt about that.. But music makes me believe that there is God. I am humbly been bestowed with this gift. A very precious gift from my mother. When there are times when I am down, it makes me alive. I know love,truth and God, when I am with music. It is my first love and I am very passionate about it.

Kayaking- San Diego May 11 2011

Rava Idly

I love my Rava Idly. It is extremely simple and amazingly tasty. I make my Rava Idlies from scratch and I absolutely love them.

Things you will need:
1. Coarse Sooji Rava
2. Ghee/Oil
3. Curds(Rava:curds-->2:1)
4. Ginger
5. Green Chillis
6. Urad dal(1 tsp)
7. channa dal(1 tsp)
8. Mustard(1 tsp)
9. Cashewnuts(Kajju)
10.Eno fruit salt(From Indian stores)
11.Tomatos
12. Coriander leaves.

If Eno fruit salt is not available, please use baking powder and lemon juice. The Eno fruit salt gives the fermentation for the Rava Idly.

Take a pan and pour oil into the skillet. Put mustard,channa dal and urad dal into it(Got from the local Indian Store, 1tsp each).









1.Urad dal 2.Channa dal 3.Mustard


Add cashewnuts to the oil with the above ingredient.







Cashew nuts

Add coarse rava to the above recipe and fry till golden brown. Cool it down a while for 5 mins after the frying.


Add finely chopped ginger and green chillies to the to golden brown rava. Add curds and add salt to taste. Mix water to the recipe till a fine paste is formed.
Slice thin slices of tomato(Extremely thin) and cut coriander and keep it aside.
Take the Idly plates as shown in the picture in the left.



Place the thinly sliced tomatoes on top of the idly plates and a a piece of the coriander leaves. Spray the cooking spray on each dent of the idly plate. If cooking spray is unavailable, put oil to each dent. This is done so that the idly doesn't stick to the idly plates.



Take the batter that was prepared previously. Just before placing it on the idly plates add eno fuit salt(2 tsp) to it. As shown in the figure below.

Place the batter on the idly plates. Make sure not to fill each idly dent completely as the idly expands in size in the cooker.
Place the idly plate in a pressure cooker. Steam the idlies without the weight of the cooker for 15 mins. Once that is done cool it down for 5 mins. Remove the cooker lid and the rava idly is ready!

Tawa Pulav:

A very easy dish (15 minutes). I learnt this dish from a video of Sanjeev Kapoor. I really think this is an easy one to make. Especially if you have a lot to do and very little time.















Things you will need:
1. Onion-1
2. Tomatoes-2
3. peas(smashed)-1/2 cup
4. carrots
5. Pav bhaji masala-3 spoons or 2 spoons if you want it less spicy.
6. Ginger garlic paste - 2 teaspoons
7.lemon juice-2 teaspoons
8. Coriander
9. 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
10. Capsicum.



1. Cook the onions till transparent and add cut tomatoes to it. Once tomatoes turn a little tender, add the peas and carrots. Once they are cooked, add the pav bhaji masala and the ginger garlic paste. Add the chilli powder.
2. Add the rice and fry it on a tawa(non stick). Now after stirring add green capsicum(I have used red capsicum, which can be used).
3. After frying for a while add quarter glass water, add the lemon juice and salt to taste. Add coriander on top.
The dish is ready to serve!