Strawberry Pooris

       
          Whenever I get a box of strawberries, if it is sweet, it gets done in one or two days but if turns out sour, nobody wants it. Either I have to make milkshakes or mix it in a fruit salad or dip it in chocolate sauce. This time, when the berries turned out to be sour I didn't want to make any of the above. I just came up with this idea of making some pooris and rolling them with a strawberry filling. One thing led to the other, and finally I ended up in making mini pooris, topped with some strawberry filling. Believe me, the taste was so addictive, that I ended up gobbling a few of them before even I took the pictures..

Need To Have

• Whole Wheat Flour - 1/4 cup
• All Purpose Flour - 1/4 cup
• Semolina Or Sooji - 1 tablespoon 
• Warm Milk - just enough to make the dough
• Strawberries - 10
• Sugar - 3 tablespoons
• Coarsely Ground Walnuts - 2 tablespoons
• Grated Coconut - 2 tablespoons
• Mawa Or Milk Powder - 3 tablespoons
• Cardamom Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Red Food Color - 4 drops
• Salt - a pinch 

Method
          Make a stiff dough with both the flours, sooji, salt and milk. Keep it aside, while making the strawberry topping. Coarsely powder the walnuts, I used the food chopper, and make a coarse paste with six of the strawberries and chop the remaining four of them. Mix the nuts, berries (both puree and pieces), sugar, grated coconut, put it on the stove and keep stirring till you get a thin jam consistency (just a few mins). Then, add in the mawa powder, mix everything well till you get a thick mixture (like a spread). Remove, add the cardamom powder and the food color. Now roll out the dough into a big circle (shape doesn't matter), cut out small pooris with a circle cookie cutter and deep fry them. Spread the strawberry carefully, garnish with some chopped strawberries and serve.
Sending it to Zesty Palette for the Sweet Luv event
                to Anu's Berries - Strawberries event also hosted by Vardhini
                to Srav's Culinary Concepts for the Dish For Loved Ones event,
                to Tickling Palates for the Let's Cook-Sweet Somethings event,
                to Sumee's Culinary Bites for the Bon Vivant event,
                to Food Corner for the Midweek Fiesta event,
                to Cuisine Delights for the Colorful Holi event,
                to Preeti's Kitchen Life for the Color And Sweet -  Holi Fest event,
                to Spice N Sugar Tales for the  Cakes, Cookies And Desserts event,
                to Sizzling Tastebuds for the Valentine's Fest - Served With Love and
                to My Cook Book for the  Holi Hai event.

Note
Increase or decrease the sugar depending on the sweetness of the strawberries.
Food color is optional, it's just that when strawberry is cooked with the other ingredients, the color becomes very dull.

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‘Only’ EVENT For March and The Giveaway

Hi All!

The days are passing by and we are already entering the third month of this year. March brings in the festival of colours ‘Holi’ and also the Hindu Calendar New Year for some in the form of Ugaadi or Gudi Padwa. I’m sure there will be events all over the blogosphere celebrating these festivals but here at Foodelicious we are going to celebrate the South Indian Cuisine. The event will run through the month of March.

One of the most popular cuisines of India, the South Indian Cuisine is a term used to refer to the cuisines found in the four southern states namely Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. There’s a great diversity in the preparations and flavours of the four states but a few things that are common are, the use of rice, coconut, curry leaves and tamarind which gives the southern cuisine it’s identity. Rice is the staple food of Southern India but in Karnataka, Jowar and Ragi are also eaten. There’s a huge difference in the style of cooking between the North and South Karnataka and the small additions bring in great variations in taste.

Idli and Dosa are eaten everywhere in Southern India but the texture of Idli and Dosa varies from state to state. So many varieties of Dosa, Idli and snacks are made in these states. There’s a huge range of cuisines within the Southern cuisine that can be tried. One can cook the Nawab’s delight- Hyderabadi Food which is rich and aromatic  on the other hand  cook the hot and spicy Andhra food or try the coastal Mangalorean cuisine, choice is entirely yours.

The giveaway is sponsored by www.tarladalal.com. For this month’s South Indian Theme Event the giveaway book is

The book has great reviews and it will be shipped only in India and anyone who can provide an address here in India can be part of the giveaway as long as you are participating in this event as a follower or reader of my blog. 

Rules for the event

• Any number of fresh entries can be sent but only two entries from the archives will be accepted, provided they are reposted again.
• Use of logo is mandatory as it helps spread a word (and for that just click on the logo and once it opens in a new page, copy it).
• Vegetarian and egg dishes are accepted.
• Mention in your post the Southern State to which the dish belongs to.
• Link your post to this event announcement page.
• Non-bloggers if interested in participating, can send me the recipe and pic to cookingoodfood@gmail.com
• Use the linky tools only to send your recipes only if you face a problem using the linky tool, mail your entry to me.
• There will  be two linky tools, those participating in the giveaway leave the links in Linky ‘For India’ else leave in ‘Others’.

Looking forward to your recipes. Cheers and good luck.
Leave your entries here

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Patra (Snack With Colocasia Leaves)

          Patra is a Gujarati snack made with Colocasia (Seppankizhangu, Taro) leaves, gram flour and other spices. I knew about this dish for a long time but got to taste it only a couple of months back at a party and I liked it very much. Initially I was going to get a pack from the frozen section of an Indian store, but after becoming a food blogger, could I do that. So I picked up some fresh leaves and made this from scratch, it was a fairly simple process, I followed a recipe from my collection over the years. It came out very good and I was very happy that I gave this a try..

Need To Have

• Colocasia Leaves - 9
• Besan Or Gram Flour - 1 cup
• Chilli Powder - 2 teaspoons
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Garam Masala - 1/4 teaspoon
• Sesame Seeds - 1 + 1/2 tablespoons
• Mustard Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Asafoetida - 1/4 teaspoon
• Grated Ginger - 1 tablespoon
• Tamarind - 1 big lemon size
• Jaggery - 2 tablespoons
• Baking Soda - 1/4 teaspoon
• Chopped Coriander Leaves - 1/4 cup
• Grated Coconut - 1 tablepoon
• Salt - to taste
• Lemon - for serving  

Apply the paste 

Make the first fold and apply paste

Do the second fold and apply paste

Roll it over

Arrange in a plate and steam

                       
Method
          Take thick extract from the tamarind, take the colocasia leaves and slice out thick stems without damaging the leaves. In a bowl, take besan flour, add 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, asafoetida, baking soda, ginger, jaggery, the chilli and turmeric and garam masala powders, using the tamarind extract and 2 teaspoons of oil, make a thick paste. Take a leaf, place it vein side up, apply the paste, do the first fold, apply paste on the folded sides, do the second fold, again apply the paste on the folded sides and roll the leaf as shown. Repeat it with all the leaves, arrange it in a plate and steam it for 30 mins. Cool and slice it, heat some oil, add the mustard seeds and the remaining sesame seeds, once they splutter, add the slices, give a nice mix and remove. Garnish with the chopped coriander and the coconut and serve it with a squeeze of lemon juice.
Sending it to Spicy Treats for Show Me Your Hits - Healthy Delights event,
                to Cuisine Delights for the Colorful Holi event,
                to Srav's Cooking Concepts for the Dish For Loved Ones event,
                to Anzz Cafe for the Valentine's Day event,
                to Preeti's Kitchen Life for the Color And Sweet -  Holi Fest event,
                to Sizzling Tastebuds for the Valentine's Fest - Served With Love and
                to My Cook Book for the  Holi Hai event.

Note
Wash the leaves well before using , you can apply paste on one leaf, place another leaf, apply paste, place a third leaf, do the same, roll it and slice it but I followed the above method.
The paste will be enough for 9 to 12 leaves depending on the size of the leaves.

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MTR Potato Cheese Balls ..a Product Review

Hi!

Starters have become an important part of a meal when guests are invited and the lady in the kitchen, who not only cooks but works too, with her hands full, definitely wants to go for a quick and tasty starter. And if a ready mix is available then it is always welcome.

MTR a known name in food products have introduced  a snack mix under the category of  ‘MTR-Tasty Delights’ to help fix a starter in a matter of few minutes. The new product is called ‘Potato Cheese Balls’ and I must say the two words, ‘potato’ and ‘cheese’ are good enough to attract most of us.

The product has three  packets inside it labelled A,B and C. Packet-A has the potato and cheese dry mix which is to be mixed with warm water to make the balls. The mix is enough to make 25 small balls. Later the balls are to be mixed in a slurry of Packet-B which has corn starch and then rolled in bread crumbs contained in Packet-C. Once ready these can be deep fried in oil in small batches. The product is  ready to serve in half an hour. The packet says serves 6 but the size of the balls is so small that I thought it’s good for 3-4 people.

The directions provided on the packet are clear and simple to follow except for packet B where it says that the corn starch to be mixed with a tbsp. of water and that was just not enough, I added almost 4tbsp of water to make the slurry.

The balls have the taste of cheese and potato and have a very subtle continental taste. These balls will not only make a quick starter but can be a good snack for kids. I’m not very sure of how many adults would really enjoy the taste as it does not have very dominant flavours but it will be loved by the kids.

The product is priced Rs.45 for 95g and I found it a good price to make such a quick starter. It’s a price that the common man in India can easily afford and hence will surely indulge in this product as quality wise it does not disappoint you. The balls do not soak oil, if fried in small batches and is delight for the younger generation and also for people with subtle taste buds.

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Ridge Gourd Peel Chutney And Awards

          The first time, I tasted chutneys using vegetable peels was at my friend's place, she usually makes this thogayal with the chow-chow (chayote) peels and I liked it very much. But for some reason, have never tried to make it at home, this is the first time ever, I made a chutney using the peeled skins of a vegetable. I had made a pachadi using the ridge gourd and suddenly it struck me that I should do a chutney with the peels. I added some peanuts for taste, and voilà, it was one yummy thogayal that tasted very delicious with rice and some gingelly oil..

Need To Have

• Ridge Gourd Peel - from one very long ridge gourd
• Peanuts - 1 tablespoon
• Chopped Coriander - 1/2 cup
• Urad Dal - 1 tablespoon
• Chana Dal - 1/2 tablespoon
• Mustard Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Dried Red Chilli - 1
• Green Chillies - 2
• Asafoetida - 1/4 teaspoon
• Tamarind - a small marble size

Method
          Dry roast the peanuts and remove the skin and keep. In a little oil, roast the urad and chana dal, mustard seeds, red chilli and green chillies, remove and keep. Now add a little more oil, add the ridge gourd peels and saute for 10 mins, till the skin gets nicely toasted, finally add the coriander leaves, saute for a couple of more minutes, remove and cool. Grind this with all the roasted dals, peanuts, asafoetida and tamarind. Do not make a very smooth paste and add as very little as possible during grinding. Remove and serve as such.
Sending this to Now Serving for the Big Chutney Chow Down event and
                   to Spicy Treats for the Show Me Your Hits - Healthy Delights.

Note
Please use chillies according to your spice level.
If you want to have this with idlis and dosas, then make it slightly watery and season with some mustard seeds and urad dal and curry leaves.
For my Non-Indian readers, thogayal is a thick and slightly coarse version of a chutney.


          Coming to the awards, I got the Leibster Blog Award one more time, it was so nice of Julie to give me this one. She is one great fellow blogger who has never missed to encourage me with her wonderful comments. Do visit her blog Erivum Puliyum for some lip smacking recipes.

       
          The next one comes from Maha of Maha's Lovely Home, she has given me the Versatile Blogger award. I am always amazed at her stamina, she blogs almost every day, do check her blog for some great dishes.

The rules for accepting this award are:
1. Add the Versatile Blogger Award.
2. Thank the blogger who nominated you in a post with a link back to their blog.
3. Share 7 completely random pieces of information about yourself.
4. Include this set of rules.
5. Forward this award to 15 fellow bloggers, and inform them with a comment on each of their blogs.


Now, coming to seven random things about me:
1. I am a very straight forward person, it's really very hard for me to be otherwise, when the situation demands so.
2. I love reading books, it started with Enid Blyton, Nancy Drew and went on to John Grisham, Ken Follet, the list goes on.
3. Other than food blogs, I love to read about interior decoration and travelling.
4. I like visiting new places but I hate flying.
5. When I visit water parks and see others enjoying, I come out thinking, I am going to learn swimming soon, but that has never materialized.
6. I am a person of habit, prefer to start my day with my oatmeal (what I eat after that does not matter) and to sleep on my side of the bed.
7. My latest fascination is for cake decoration, I am amazed at what some of my blogger friends can do.


          And now, it's my turn to pass this award to 15 other fellow bloggers:
1. Sangee Vijay of Spicy Treats
2. Julie of Erivum Puliyum
3. Sobha Shyam of Good Food
4. Suchi of Kitchen Karma
5. Anu of Hot Pot Cooking
6. Poonam of Kande Pohe
7. Rasi of Vegetarian Food & Me
8. Vimitha Anand of My Culinary Trial Room
9. Reena Vimesh of Achu's Amma's Kitchen
10. Kalpana Sareesh of Life With Spices
11. Hemalata of Hema's Food
12. Chandarani of Cuisine Delights
13. Princy Vinoth of Spicy Food
14. Rekha Shobhan of Rekha's Recipe
15. Jeyashri of Jeyashri's Kitchen


         All of them are such excellent bloggers, they amaze me with their creativeness and versatility. Thank you guys for all those encouraging comments, which are my boosters to keep going. 





         

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Lemon Custard Cakes

         Some time back, I had tasted custard cake, it was not homemade, but it tasted so delicious, soft and spongy and with custard in the centre, had me hooked. From then on I wanted to make it at home, I made some lemon custard and used the whoopie pie pan to make small cakes. Of course what I made was totally different from what I had tasted, but still it was very good in its own way. I will be trying till I can get the original taste, meanwhile enjoy these lovely cakes, they tasted divine with a nice citrus flavor..

Need To Have
For The Cake

• All Purpose flour Or Maida - 1 cup
• Sugar - 3/4 cup
• Evaporated Milk - 3/4 cup
• Baking Powder - 1 teaspoon
• Baking Soda - 1 teaspoon
• Butter - 2 tablespoons
• Oil - 2 tablespoons
• Vanilla Extract - 1/2 teaspoon
• Lemon Juice - from half a lemon
• Salt - a pinch

For The Custard

• Custard Powder - 1 + 1/2 tablespoon
• Milk - 1 cup
• Sugar - 2 + 1/2 tablespoons
• Lemon Juice - from half a lemon
• Lemon Zest - from 1 lemon

Method
          Mix in the custard powder in 1/4 cup milk, heat the remaining milk with the sugar, add the custard to this, keep stirring till thick, remove and cool. When cold, add the lemon juice and the lemon zest. Coming to the cake, sift the flour, baking soda and baking powder. Take the butter, oil, sugar and evaporated milk, mix it well, add the salt and the vanilla extract, then add the sifted flour, combine everything together to a nice batter and finally mix in the lemon juice. Grease the pan, add a spoonful of batter, drop in a teaspoon of the custard in the center followed by some more batter. Bake them at 375F for 10 to 12 mins. Cool and remove them carefully, we had it as such, but I think it'll taste good even with some ice cream.

Sending it to Kitchen Affaire for Priya's Veggie/ Fruit A Month Event - Lemon
                to Zesty Palette for the Sweet Luv event,
                to Srav's Culinary Concepts for the Dish For Loved Ones event,
                to Tickling Palates for the Let's Cook-Sweet Somethings event,
                and the I Love Baking event,
                to Anzz Cafe for the Valentine's Special event,
                to Sumee's Culinary Bites for the Bon Vivant event,
                to Tomato Blues for the Bake Fest event started by Vardhini,
                to Cuisine Delights for the Colorful Holi event,
                to Preeti's Kitchen Life for the Color And Sweet -  Holi Fest event,
                to Spice N Sugar Tales for the  Cakes, Cookies And Desserts event,
                to Priya's Easy N Tasty Recipes for Srivalli's Kids Delight event,
                to Sizzling Tastebuds for the Valentine's Fest - Served With Love and
                to My Cook Book for the  Holi Hai event.

Note
You can use muffin pans for this, since I used the whoopie pie pan, I had to remove the cakes very carefully since the moulds were very shallow and the custard sunk in.
I had left the cakes in the oven for another 5 mins after switching the oven off, that gave the caramelized color to the cakes.
Don't make the custard thick like I did, it sank down a little.

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