Purchasing Bulk Candy Online for satisfying Your Sweet Tooth (smart business)

Who is ever able to stand firm against the sweet lure of chocolate candy? Or, the odor of butterscotch candies inside a candy bowl? Candy’s a sweet treat recognized all through the world. It does come in a lot of diverse shapes, varieties, & sizes. Candy canes, Alberts Chews, gum drops, Penny Candy, bubble gum, Parade Candy & more happen to be a much loved of numerous, from children to grown-ups. In the event of you liking to consume candy, and spending a great deal of cash on candy, think about purchasing bulk candy (cheap bulk candy).

Why You ought to be purchasing Bulk Candy

Purchasing bulk candy happens to be lower-priced than purchasing candy individually at the store. On you going to a convenience shop or a wholesale shop, you are going to see that individual boxes & bags of candy are going to be selling for more than $1. In the event of you working with a candy wholesaler, you’re able to be saving your hard made money.

To work with wholesale candy traders is awfully simple. If you’re with a society that does consume a great deal of candy you are able to receive money off from the wholesaler for purchasing bulk candy. Money offs are grand in the event of you / your organization being on a compactly strapped financial plan. In the event of you having purchased candy straight at the store, you would’ve had to vend twice the cost to be able to cover up your expenditures and for making a profit.

A variety of producers carry definite brand names of candy in bulk. Chocolate enclosed candy is able to include caramel, nuts, coconut, & additional kinds of flavors, and happens to be a trendy choice. Other trendy kinds of candy happen to be bubble gum, sweet tarts, Parade Candy, peppermints & butterscotch. You are even able to have candy made to order for an occasion, like a sporting occasion or a marriage. This would be having your customers /your visitors to keep a keepsake of your occasion.

One more reason of buying bulk candy happens to be that it’s an excellent fundraising activity. Kids & adults adore candy, particularly chocolate bars. You are able to place order for chocolate bars packages in bulk for giving to your tutors at school. The tutors can provide the children with an order form so that they are able to keep up to date with the candy bars. The kids are able to take candy bars home and have them sold to family, neighbors, friends, & church members. In the form of a fundraiser, you are able to have awards for the kids who sell the largest amount of candy boxes in the whole school. The fundraiser’s able to go to assist to finance a school's group trip, precise club, or a different kind of expense.

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Indian Cooking Unfolded & Uncomplicated By Raghavan Iyer | Recipes & Book Review

 

Hi!!

While I write this post, I must confess my heart is humming with joy. It is not always that you are sent a copy of your favourite cookbook author for a review and for that I need to thank John from Workman Publishing, New York, who are the publishers of the book.

I have been a proud owner of 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer and ever since then I’ve been an ardent fan of his cooking and teaching style. He is a pro at what he does and his new book is all about that.

Let me first begin with the appearance of the book. The appearance is quite unassuming. It does not have the customary glossy lushness but the book attracts you because of the smiling picture of the mentor, creator of the book Mr Raghavan Iyer, who is seen cooking on the cover page.

 

The book opens with an acknowledgment from the author where he has expressed gratitude by naming all the people who were involved in the making of this book and how their contribution had helped him. Next comes the contents, giving you a fair idea what the book comprises of and how the book has been split.

The book takes you through a culinary voyage of  recipes which are compartmentalized into ten chapters, of which eight are completely devoted to the recipes. The Indian Cooking Unfolded presents Raghavan’s system for learning to cook Indian food through one hundred basic recipes made using ten ingredients or less. Each chapter can be taken as a course of a meal where each recipe teaches a technique; which could be a cooking technique or a way to combine ingredients for exceptional flavours.

This book has been created keeping in mind the people living in USA, who are interested in learning about Indian food. But after trying recipes from the book I realized that it’s a book for anyone who would like to try their hands on Indian Cooking. The highlighted factor of this book is the fact that the author has tried to break the fallacy, that the Indian cooking needs a whole lot of ingredients, spices and condiments. He has created recipes in such a manner that for no ingredient in the book one needs to visit a specialised Indian grocery store and all recipes need, ten or less ingredients.

Each chapter opens with a lesson plan giving a small description of each dish in the chapter. The recipes have been arranged from easiest to complex ones. Each dish starts with an introduction from the author explaining why he likes that particular dish and where he tasted it first.

When I read the book, I realized, there are no major / complex recipes and those which are a bit tricky, the author has expounded them in great details that they appear to be easy. It also seemed that there’s simply no pruning on the illustration of recipes. There are no short cuts taken!!

Even if you do not cook, the book is informative and provides a thoughtful and insightful read. If you are fond of reading in details, this is the book to have. Meticulous research has been done on the history of spices and the extra credits added in each recipe provides a whole lot of information and knowledge; for example one of the extra credits mentions that ‘refined sugar is not vegan, as charcoal is used in the processing, which is derived from bone ash’. The extra credits also provides substitutes for ingredients where ever possible. One can find cooking tips for creating the recipe in this section. Also, in which section of the grocery store one can locate a certain ingredient, has been helpfully mentioned in the extra credits, which also indicates careful observation of the author.

There are seven step by step fold outs in the book. Other than that a few more recipes are explained step by step. Many recipes have pictures and I was happy to see them. Being a visual person, I definitely comprehend  better when a picture is associated with a recipe and if there are step by step pictures…you have won me!!

I decided to try a few recipes to resolve that my observations about the book are correct and I particularly wanted to crosscheck that the explanations are as much flawless, as they appear to be while reading... I decided to try a flatbread, a curry and a sweet.

Since, in India it’s peak festive season, I decided to try the Funnel cake or Jalebis as I’ve been wanting to try them for quite sometime and the recipe’s step by step foldout encouraged me to do so!! I also decided to try the Naan, which is an Indian flatbread. I’ve made Naan many times earlier and posted here too but I had never tried using an egg. The third recipe which intrigued me was the tamatar chana daal aloo, which is a fatless recipe and makes use of only three spices. I was curious to know how a fatless recipe would taste with minimum use of spices..

I decided to follow all the recipes verbatim. I wanted to see how well the directions were given and how precise the measurements are. If anything goes wrong with the recipe using the directions and measurements provided in the book, then I would use my experience and culinary knowledge to set it right..This would give me a fair idea how a novice in Indian cooking, would learn from the cookbook and also where one could go wrong..

Vegan | Dairy Free

The first thing I decided to try was the Jalebi or Funnel Cake in saffron Syrup, as the recipe asked for a resting time of 1-2hrs for the batter to ferment. I followed the procedure verbatim. On mixing the batter using the amount of water mentioned in the book, the batter appeared watery but I overlooked my doubt at that point of time, thinking that the batter might thicken after fermenting and it did but not as much. I was extremely doubtful of how to squeeze out a perfect shaped funnel cake using such a watery batter…

At that point, where I felt that the measurements provided in the book failed, I used presence of mind and added more APF to the mix and kept it aside for ten more minutes and then used it..I had seen the halwai’s in India piping out hot jalebis many times and had also noticed that the batter was thick, that observation helped me solve my problem but I did realize that the book needs to mention the consistency of batter and also to indicate that the water needs to be added gradually to get a thick consistency, as the absorption capacity varies from flour to flour..

 

The temperature mentioned for frying in the book is apt and yields crisp Jalebis. I made the first batch exactly following Raghavan’s instruction and in the second batch I followed how the halwai’s do, so fried the Jalebis first on a low flame till half done and then increased the flame to a medium high and fried till done. I realised the second batch tasted better than the first.

Squeezing out perfect jalebis is an art which comes out of practice, fortunately after one or two wrong shapes I managed decently later on. Another thing that one should take care while making jalebi and is not mentioned in the book, is to keep mixing the batter after every batch. On resting, the batter froths up and air pockets are formed, which needs to be removed before squeezing out the jalebi. If one squeezes out without removing the trapped air, the jalebis will have small air holes on it.

Recipe for Funnel Cake in Saffron Syrup (Jalebi)

For Funnel Cake

1/2cup APF/ maida

1tsp chickpea flour/besan

1/2tsp active dry yeast

1tsp warm water

1/2tsp sugar

1/2tsp refined oil

1/4cup– 1/2 cup water

For Saffron Syrup

1cup refined sugar

1/2cup water

1tbsp lemon juice

1/2tsp cardamom powder

1/2tsp saffron threads

Oil for deep frying

Special equipment required

a squirt bottle/ ketch up bottle

flat fry pan

Method  For Jalebi

Activate the yeast using warm water and sugar and add it to APF and chickpea flour mix. Add water gradually to make a thick, lump free batter, if required add more water. Let the batter rest for 1-2hrs and then mix again. Fill in the squirt bottle or a disposable plastic bag cone (cut it at the end).

Using all the ingredients of the syrup make a one string consistency syrup. A drop of syrup when pressed between thumb and finger should produce a string. At this stage remove it from fire. Warm the syrup just before adding fried jalebi.

Heat the oil in a flat pan (2inches of depth) to a temperature such that if a drop of batter is added it should gradually float to the top. Reduce the flame to the lowest mark and squeeze out jalebis, 3-4 at a time. Fry on low flame till half done and then fry on medium-high flame till done.( the book mentions to fry at 275F). Remove them using slotted spoon and transfer them in saffron syrup.

Completely coat them with the syrup and then transfer them to a cooling rack. Keep a plate under the rack to collect the extra syrup.

The jalebi can also be fried in clarified butter/ ghee but then it will not be dairy free or vegan.

Serve hot.

Naan –Tamatar Chana Daal

The chana daal aloo curry turned out awesome and I never missed the fat in it. The aroma of the roasted spices gives  a nice smoky flavour to the curry. My only input to the curry when I cook it the next time will be, to soak the lentils for an hour before cooking,  as it fastens the cooking procedure and reduces consumption of LPG. I was surprised that the book doesn’t ask for soaking the lentils in fact it says that does not require pre soaking..

I made the Naan in the tandoor and slightly overdid my first Naan as I was removing the jalebis that time. Anyhow, the Naan turned out flawless and was soft, the only flaw was in the procedure. The procedure asks to divide the dough into 4 parts. The pictures in the cookbook show small sized naan, whereas if the dough is divided into 4 parts, it makes 4 big naan of about 12”-15” size. Also, the book says roll naan to 3”-5” diameter but does not speak about the thickness of the flatbread. For a novice, it is very important to know the thickness of the flatbread as on cooking it can turn chewy, if it’s too thin. And if it’s too thick, it takes longer time to cook and doesn’t look like a Naan.

I would suggest to divide dough into 8-10 parts and then roll out 3-5 inch diameter naan of 3-4mm thickness.

For Smoky Yellow Split Peas/  Tamatar Chana daal aloo

1cup Yellow Split peas/ Bengal gram/ Chana daal

5 medium sized potatoes

1/4tsp turmeric powder

4dry red chillies

1tbsp coriander seeds

1tsp cumin seeds

1 medium sized tomato

salt to taste

1tbsp chopped cilantro

Method For tamatar Chana Daal

Wash the lentils 3-4 times and add 4cups of water to it. Transfer in a thick bottom pan, bring it to a boil, remove the froth. Add turmeric and potatoes and mix it thoroughly. Cook covered for 20-25mins (on a medium-low flame) or till the potatoes are done and lentils are cooked. Stir in between.

Meanwhile roast the red chillies, coriander seeds and cumin seeds in a fry pan on a low flame till it produces an aroma. Cool and grind them together. Now add tomatoes and grind to a paste.

Add the tomato melange and salt to taste, to the curry and mix. Cook for 10-12mins or till the sauce thickens. If required, one can crush a few potatoes by pressing the backside of the ladle. Mix the cilantro. Serve hot with rice or phulka. I served  it with naan.

For Naan

3cupsAPF

2tsp baking powder

1tsp salt

1 egg,  lightly beaten

oil, for brushing the dough

butter or ghee, for the finished naan

1 cup warm water

Method For NaaN

Take APF in a bowl and  add  salt and baking powder. Mix it thoroughly.

Make a well in the centre and put the egg and quickly mix it. You may feel the flour dry with a few wet spots.

Using the warm water knead a soft dough which might feel sticky but still manageable. Knead for a few minutes to make a smooth, soft ball.

If you want big Naan, then break the dough into 4parts and lightly grease them with oil. Keep covered with a damp cloth. Rest it for 30mins.

Lightly flour the work area and roll out the Naan and cook it in a tandoor or even on a griddle. Smear some butter or ghee and serve hot.

Smoky Yellow Split Peas- Vegan | Gluten Free | Dairy Free; Naan- Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian

 

After trying the recipes my opinion about the book swayed a bit, as I realized that the procedures and measurements had flaws here and there but the recipes are really good and worth trying. What matters is the flavour and that’s uncompromised.

I am still amazed at the meticulous and detailed work Mr Raghavan Iyer has put up. As a teacher he knows where the students go wrong and has explained procedures in great details to avoid complications and failures. But as the teacher would say, there’s always some scope of improvement..

After reading the book, I’ve become knowledgeable in terms of spices and their use. I can also proudly say now, that I’ve learnt the eight ways of using a spice. Yes, you heard it right, eight ways…read the book to believe it!!

I liked this book for one more reason. It is a book which has a plenty of vegetarian options to try and I’m so looking forward to try the Cardamom scented Cheese with Peppers, The Cashew-Pistachio Burfi and the Sweet scented Pilaf of the many recipes..

I loved the last section of the book as much. This section is devoted to Menus for Great Indian Meals. There are menus for various occasions for example, menu for picnic,  a winter menu, Indian soul food, Gluten Free gala or a Vegan table.

I appreciate the fact that each recipe has been categorised into Vegan/ Lacto-OvoVegetarian/ Gluten Free etc. This is a deciding factor for many to choose recipes.

All in all, I would just conclude that it is a good book to learn basic Indian cuisine. It will hold a special place in my heart for not only the recipes but also the immense knowledge that I attained by reading the book.

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The very best Sweet To find the best Occasions (nida rehman)

So, maybe you are questioning things to get the grandaddy for his birthday, you understand, in which grandpa that has every thing. Otherwise you want to buy your sweetheart something, however flowers simply don't deliver the appropriate information. What ever your own gift giving scenario may be, sweet can be an response. Seriously, there is sweet for any celebration: whether it's a birthday celebration, a wedding anniversary, Valentine, or perhaps Xmas. Often there is a type of sweet for that particular someone in your own life, and you'll undoubtedly be able to give him / her some thing they can enjoy to the fullest if you just think carefully sufficient.

Just what exactly celebration justifies which kind of candy? Nicely, that can be hard. With regard to birthdays, special flavour sorts, suited to the particular preferences of the radio make the perfect idea. Can they like peanut butter cups? Next obtain those, what exactly are an individual awaiting? Will they like jam beans? Get them a huge amount of those after that. How about gummy earthworms? One more fantastic gift and everybody loves those!

On vacation these kinds of Xmas, Christmas-themed sweet is the better solution. Sweet walking canes, chocolates Santas, cookies or perhaps peanut fragile are excellent suggestions for presents. A little bag associated with bears may go quite a distance as a stocking stuffer too, particularly for your spouse, who transpires with really like chocolates as well.

Will be Romance coming on you? You can never fail with a large package of various, gourmet-style girlfriend sweets in the heart-shaped package. An individual special someone will enjoy them all year and consider you every time she or he has one. Have to have a Mother's Day reward? Think about licorice? It's hard to find a mom that does not just like licorice regarding some sort. Red and black are incredibly various although, so ensure she enjoys the main one you plan to acquire the woman'

Will be Romance coming on you? You can never fail with a large package of various, gourmet-style girlfriend sweets in the heart-shaped package. halsschmerzenAn individual special someone will enjoy them all year and consider you every time she or he has one. Have to have a Mother's Day reward? Think about licorice? It's hard to find a mom that does not just like licorice regarding some sort. Red and black are incredibly various although, so ensure she enjoys the main one you plan to acquire the woman'

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Oats - Choco Fudge

Chocolate fudge is an all time favourite with my family and I’ve posted a  few versions here and here. Choco fudge is quite simple to make but this version is even more simpler and healthier too, as I have also added some Oats to it.

This month’s Monthly Mingle had two interesting ingredients to use Ginger and Almonds. I had many thoughts in my mind but I finally got fixed on a sweet. Making sweets is rare thing at my place for obviously fatty reasons but I could not ignore the fact that the kid had been asking me to make the Choco-muesli bars once again.

So, I used the concept of Muesli bars and fudge together, at the same time, did not forget the Monthly Mingle ingredients and came up with this recipe. I assure this is very tasty and at the same time extremely healthy too. It is not overly chocolaty but there’s just right balance of all ingredients. The ginger is just enough to add the right zing. It is a power pack snack for kids after they have played.

Sending it off to Kalyani’s Monthly Mingle-2 and my event ‘Only’- Oats

Oats-Choco Fudge Preparation time-15mins Cooking time-5mins Serves-4 Makes –8 Ingredients 50gms Dark Chocolate 25gms Sweet Chocolate 2-1/2tbsp Oats roasted 75gms cashew nuts, roasted and chopped 50gms Almonds, roasted & chopped 1/2tsp dry ginger powder (sounth) 2tbsp cooking butter 8-10 small cup cake liners Method Melt Chocolates on a double boiler and add half the butter. Mix. Add the ginger powder, nuts and oats. Mix. Finally add the remaining butter and spoon it immediately in small cup cake liners. Level and refrigerate for half an hour. Unmould and serve.

Sending this to Anjali's Cakes,Cookies and Desserts.
Surabhi's Holi Hai Event

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300th Post - Holige.. A traditional sweet from Karnataka & Two Cookbook Giveaways

Hi.

They say slow and steady wins the race and today as I post my 300th post I definitely find myself a winner. I’m a winner because, not only have I managed to post 300 recipes in the last 2-1/2yrs but also I’ve managed to make a small niche for myself in the big world of food blogging. I’ve recently started book reviewing and both my recent reviews- Master Chef India Cookbook & Southern Flavours have had a good readership.

The world of food is like an ocean and we the food blogger’s are like droplets that form it. There’s so much to learn and absorb that  even if I try to be at my best all the times through out my life, I guess I’ll be able to fill a jar full of knowledge for myself.

In all the learning, there were up’s and downs too in this period and I had to be away from blogging but I would gather myself again and re-start. And during these ups and downs, those encouraging words from my readers and fellow bloggers, kept me going. Thanks so much for all your love and support.

Coming to today’s recipe… Recently my MIL was visiting us and she used to get bored at times. At 75yrs she likes to keep herself  very active. She is extremely fond of cooking and once during a general chit chat,  mentioned casually that she had not made Holige in recent times as it’s readily available in the market but she would love to make it for her grandson. And after she said that, how could I leave the golden opportunity of learning the traditional dish..

I’ve grown up eating my Mom’s Puran Poli and I can challenge that I have not tasted a Puran Poli as good as hers and will share her version sometime here. Puran Poli is a sweet Indian Bread made in Maharashtra using a filling of Bengal gram. It is made on festive and happy occasions. Similarly, Holige is a preparation from Karnataka and though Puran Poli and Holige are considered synonymous to each other, I find that there’s quite a difference.

The first big difference is that Holige is made by using both pigeon peas and Bengal gram but Puran Poli is only made with Bengal gram. The dough made for Holige is quite different than Puran Poli and Holige is made using jaggery but Puran Poli can be made either with jaggery or with sugar. Both versions of Puran Poli taste very different from each other. The Holige traditionally is made on an oiled banana leaf but today it is even rolled out, and to the best of my Knowledge, Puran Poli is always rolled out. Holige is a yellow coloured flat bread, the yellow colour is due to the addition of turmeric while no turmeric is added in making Puran poli. Holige is rolled very thin, while Puran poli is surely thicker than it. The amount of filling filled in Holige is the same as the size of the dough, while in Puran poli double the amount of filling is filled as compared to the dough size.

Ingredients

(makes 15-18)

For The Dough

1-1/2cups whole wheat flour

1cup APF (maida)

pinch of turmeric

pinch of salt

water for kneading dough

5-6tbsp oil

For The Filling

1cup pigeon peas (tuvar daal)

1/2cup Bengal gram (chana daal)

250-300gms jaggery (gur)

1/2tsp turmeric

water for cooking

1tsp cardamom powder

1tsp nutmeg powder

Others

Rice flour for rolling

oil for cooking

ghee and milk for eating

Method

To make The Dough

Mix both the flours, salt and turmeric and using water, knead a dough much softer than the regular chapati dough. Soak it in oil for half-one hour. Keep the dough covered.

For Filling

Soak the lentils in water for half an hour (this quickens the process of cooking).

Add turmeric and add just enough water to cook the lentils.

Once the lentils are cooked either grind them to a smooth texture or pass it through a Puran making machine so that there are no grains left.

Take the lentils in a pan and add crushed or grated jaggery. Once the jaggery melts, one needs to be careful. If there was lot of water in the lentils the mix can keep splashing, so one needs to be careful at this stage. As the moisture will reduce the splashing comes down. (I prefer to wear full sleeve cloth while cooking the mix).

Cook both together as long as the it starts to leave the sides of the pan. Keep stirring through out.

My mom’s trick to understand the right consistency is to push the ladle in the centre of the mix, if it falls, the mix is not ready, if it stands, it’s ready to be used. (see pic above)

Let the filling cool. Mix in cardamom and nutmeg powders.

How To Make Holige

Heat a heavy bottom tava/griddle for roasting Holige.

Take the dough less than  the size of lemon and spread it to a flattened disc using fingers.

Fill the disc with the same amount of filling as the size of dough and close from all sides and seal well.

Use oiled hands to fill the filling, this prevents sticking of the filling on the hand and fingers.

Using rice flour roll out the flat bread else grease a plastic sheet and roll over it or pat it thin on a greased banana leaf.

Transfer gently on the hot tava/griddle.

Cook on either sides using light oil. Use all the dough to make Holige like this.

Serve hot or cold with ghee and milk.

Coming to the giveaways. Since it is my 300th post, I thought of making it really big. There are two cookbook giveaways for this post. The first is a new book released in 2011 by the very famous Monica Bhide and is called Modern Spice:Inspired Indian Flavours For The Contemporary Kitchen. It’s a book that’s been in my wish list for a while and hopefully I will have it soon. I am truly honoured and obliged that Monica agreed to sponsor this book as a  giveaway and since she lives in  the USA the book will be shipped only there. So this giveaway is open for all US readers and bloggers and anyone who wants to gift their friends living in USA.

       

I am also giving away a cookbook  to all my readers and blogger friends in India and will be shipped anywhere in the country. Any one can be a part of it as long as you can provide an address in India, you can also gift this book to your friend or relative. This is the second book that has been in my wish list  and it’s called Anjum’s New Indian and is authored by Anjum Anand. To read more about the books click on the links or pictures. The giveaway ends on 19th Feb’12 at 11:59hrs IST.

There are very simple rules to the participate in the giveaways, since I’m working towards making my blog more interesting and appealing, I do need your feedback. Let me know through your comments-

-Which country you belong to and which giveaway/aways you have opted for.

-What do you like/dislike in my blog.

-Which is your favourite recipe in my blog and what kind of posts you would like to see in future.

Since I want to make this giveaway a big event, please help me in spreading the word through your space and in case you are doing that do let me know by leaving  a separate comment for that, thus increasing your chance of winning the giveaways.

I would surely appreciate that if you like my space please be a fan of my page on face book and if you are new blogger or you are visiting my blog the first time, please follow me publicly or leave a link to your blog, so that I get an opportunity to reach your blog and learn from you. (Following my blog is not a condition that I’m throwing on you, it’s completely my selfishness, as I get to have a permanent link on my blog to go to your profile and then to your page).

FOODELICIOUS on Facebook

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Recipe & Book Review- Southern Flavours

A few days back I got a mail from  blogadda, the largest community of bloggers in India  to write a book review for the newly launched cookbook, my reply was an instant ‘Yes'. I was extremely excited. My regular readers  would know that I’ve a penchant for collecting cookbooks and off late book reviewing too..

‘Southern Flavours’..The Best Of South Indian Cuisine (Westland, 2011) by Chandra Padmanabhan, as the name suggests, it has recipes from all the four southern states of India- Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh. The book is priced INR.599. There are total of 153 recipes out of which 50 are the new ones and the rest are her favourite recipes, which have been adapted from her previous ‘best selling books’ Dakshin (Harper Collins, 1992), Southern Spice (Penguin, 2006) and Simply South (Westland, 2008). These are the recipes which the author has learnt either from her MIL, friends, relatives and cooks and then penned them to write a cookbook.

Chandra Padmanabhan is a graduate from Calcutta University, did her post-graduation  at Delhi University. She has long been associated with the publishing industry. Cooking has been her forte for nearly four decades. She has previously authored three best selling cookbooks (mentioned above) and ‘Southern Flavours’ is her fourth cookbook. She last won the international GOURMAND award for the second- best vegetarian cookbook in 2009.

A cookbook hoarder that I’m, I already had the books ‘Simply South’ and ‘Dakshin’ in my collection. I have already cooked a few recipes from these two books and they had not disappointed me and hence I was looking forward to cook more, from the new book.

Apart from the Acknowledgement, Introduction, Buffet Spreads, Suggested Menus & Glossary, the book will guide you through eight food based sections- Basic Recipes, Sambar & Kuzhambu, Rasam, Poriyal & Kootu, Rice, Snacks, Sweets, Accompaniments, which are indicated in the ‘Contents’ of the book.

There are 168pages in the hard bound book, which are non-glossy and the print font is easy to read with clarity of the script. Each food section starts with an explanation to ‘what that section is about’, then an index ‘introducing the names of recipes in that section’ and also mentions the ‘southern state’ to which the recipe belongs.  Followed by are 2-3 pictures of the recipes in that segment.  The pictures are photographed by N. Prabhakkaar. There are no extravagant garnishes and  no fancy styling to the final food product. These are macro shots and the pictures gives you a fair idea of how the final product looks like.

The glossary at the end is really good and it provides you with the names of ingredients in English, Tamil and Hindi.There’s also a Table Of Measures provided at the beginning of the book which has taken into account the  difference between metric, US and imperial measures.

The Buffet Spreads and Suggested Menus help you decide for big gatherings and everyday cooking.

Each recipe starts with it’s common name followed by it’s basic translation in English, for eg ‘Podi Potta Paruppu Sambar’ translates to Spicy Lentil Curry From Tamil Nadu. No. of people served, preparation and cooking time and wherever applicable soaking time too is mentioned. The serving portion is for 4-6 people and can be easily halved for a smaller family size.

All recipes have a small introduction by the author followed by the recipe and finally the notes. Important words and headings are highlighted in the recipe making it more eye appealing and it also helps to draw attention to the ‘key words’. I’m particularly fascinated by the  ‘notes’ and the ‘introduction’ that the author has provided with almost each recipe. It gives you a fair idea of how the author was introduced to that recipe, the difficulty level, what all variations can be made and the precautions required to be taken during the recipe. It is a big benefit to the reader as it helps in trying out more variations and also helps reduce the chances of spoiling the recipe. 

The   recipes are self explanatory in a  clear and simple language that a common man can easily understand. The book provides the basic recipes of sambar podi, rasam podi , Kuzhambu podi, Poriyal and Mysore Rasam Podi  which surely will help any beginner who wants to try the Southern Cuisine. The author has clearly indicated wherever any special cookware/ vessel is required for the recipe. It’s a perfect book for beginner’s in cooking and also for people who are looking for trying Tamil Cuisine. It's a good book to buy for the people who do not have any of her previous books.

Turn the pages and you would realise that the book has about 8 kinds of Dosai, 13 varieties of Kuzhambu and 12 types of Rasam. I’ve never seen any book having so many variety of Rasams. I was particularly interested in Kosu Carrot Rasam (cabbage and carrot rasam) and Kadugu Chaaru ( rice water rasam) both of which I’ve never had. A chutney which pinched my attention was surely the Green Plantain chutney, I found green plantain, quite an unusual ingredient to make chutney with.

The author has given interesting names to some of her recipes like Sheela Auntie’s Pulusu and Cheetra’s Keerai Sambar, giving due credit to the people from whom she learnt that recipe.

Though South Indian cuisine is quite healthy and does not make much use of oil, understanding  today’s health requirements, the author has provided recipes like Oats Upma, Oats Rava Idli and Ragi Idli which are good for health conscious people and weight watchers. She has also used olive oil in the recipe of Bissi Belle Hulli Godhi, following the foot steps of modern, health freak cooking.

I clearly believe no cookbook review is complete unless the recipes are cooked, tasted and tried. It gives you a clear idea of the clarity of procedure and the measurements provided. I tried a few recipes,  which I have tasted or tried earlier and then judged them based on the end results. I’m posting one of them here

Rava Kesari..Semolina Dessert with Saffron From Tamil Nadu Serves: 4-6 Soaking Time: 20 minutes Preparation Time: 5 minutes Cooking Time: 15 minutes Ingredients 1 cup semolina 1cup sugar 1/4 cup +1/4 cup +2tbsp ghee/ clarified butter 2cups milk a large pinch saffron soaked in 3tbsp milk 1tsp green cardamom powder a large pinch orange food colour (optional) For garnish 2tbsp each of Cashew-nut and Raisin MethodOn a low flame fry the cashew and raisins separately. Roast the semolina in 1/4cup ghee  in a pan till nicely pink in colour and releases aroma. Boil milk and sugar together in a pan  on a medium flame. Lower heat and gradually add the semolina to it, stirring continuously and avoiding the formation of lumps. Let the milk reduce and then add the food colour. Add remaining 1/4cup ghee, the saffron and cardamom powder. Cook till mixture leaves sides of pan. Spoon into a serving dish and garnish with fried cashew and raisins. Serve hot or chilled.

 

My Verdict- 

If one reads the recipe carefully, it indicates 20mins of soaking time but fails to tell what to soak in the method. Knowing the recipe, I know, it does not need any soaking.

The recipe says using pan, but of what kind? Use a heavy bottom pan or a non stick pan for making the rava kesari, this prevents sticking and charring at the bottom of the pan while cooking.

The recipe suggests adding semolina to the milk but the vice-versa is easy to do and avoids lump formation. Personally I prefer cooking it in a mix of water and milk, and once cooked, add the sugar. Covering the pan ensures better cooking with the steam generated, even this is missed out in the recipe.

Lower the heat while adding semolina is good tip from the author as this helps prevents splashing and splurging, thus preventing burns.

If the colour is added before adding milk it spreads evenly or in the above recipe, the colour should be added to the boiled milk for even distribution.

2cups milk was not enough to get a well cooked rava kesari so I added 3/4 cup more.

Small details have been missed out in the method which are very essential for any one trying the first time.

The end product surely had a great taste and texture but because of the flaws in the method provided, I’ve given it only 3 stars.

What the book missed out?

The table of measures has not been listed  in the ‘Contents’ of the book, provided at the beginning.

Pictures are a reflection of the final product. I would have appreciated more pictures surely if not for all the recipes.

Simple styling of the food makes it more eye appealing and worth trying. Being a food blogger I do believe that you first eat food with your eyes and then by the mouth, so I do insist on food styling and excellent photography, which is where I feel the book has scope to work upon.

I found that the book is dominated by Tamil cuisine followed by Andhra, Kerala and the least of Karnataka. A balance of all cuisines or a little more from the three states would have been appreciated.

The recipe misses out proper continuity and can be misleading at times if not read very carefully when the recipe is not completely covered in a page.

The heading ‘Ingredients’ is not introduced in any recipe and it is presumed that the reader will understand the listed ingredients on it’s own.

I was surely looking out for recipes of Ragi Mudde, which is healthy and well known food item from Karnataka and also the Holige, Haigriva, Ambode, Kodubale and Madur Vadai which are again specialities known to that state. At the same time the author could have added Ulli Theeyal  & Aviyal (Kerala) too.
 

The sweet section did not have any recipe from Karnataka. I would have surely appreciated one or two recipes from that state.

I surely was doubtful, when I thought whether I would spend  Rs.600 on buying a book which has only 50 new recipes to interest me, since I've her previous books.

It’s a perfect book for novices and amateur cooks. Being a food blogger and a food enthusiast,  I’m looking out for interesting and challenging  recipes. I did find a few recipes very interesting but challenging, I could  find none.

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Sending it to my event ‘Only’- Cooking From Cookbooks guest hosted by Gauri.

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Four Recipes & A Book Review- Master Chef India Cook Book by Pankaj Bhadouria

Hi All.

2010 was when Master Chef  India was aired for the first time. It was a huge platform  for people passionate about food, to show their hidden talent to the entire nation. So many people from different walks of life tried their luck to get into this competition/reality show and only the very talented could make it to the top twelve. These involved home cooks, strugglers, college going students, a few corporates and amongst them was also Pankaj who had quit her many years of teaching job to participate here, so there was quite a lot on stake…

The entire journey of Master Chef  India was fun and lot of learning, though quite melodramatic at times unlike Master Chef Australia, but I guess all Indian reality shows have a lot of melodrama in it to gain TRP. Millions of the viewers watching the show laughed and cried along with the participants. People had their own favourites and I had mine too. I loved  to watch Radhicka, Zebi, Smitha, Jaynandan and Pankaj  cooking. But in heart of hearts I prayed that either Pankaj or Jayanandan should win as they were not only talented but  both of them needed the title badly as Jaya would have got a direction in his life and Pankaj because she took a big challenge by quitting her job of 16yrs and I surely could relate myself  easily with her..

To my delight Pankaj won and Jayanandan was the runners up. We had a privilege of meeting  Chef Jayanandan at The Leela Kempinski, Gurgaon. He was kind enough to spend a quality time with us and surely helped us decide on the menu at the famous restaurant Diya. The food was amazing and I would highly recommend it.

It was around this time of the year, last year, when Pankaj Bhadouria was declared the winner of the coveted  Master Chef India 1 Title and a few days back her book got released for sale. I have already tasted Jayanandan’s cooking and since I’m an equal admirer of Pankaj, I wanted to grab my copy and explore her recipes and live her style of cooking in my kitchen.

The book titled Master Chef India Cook Book by Pankaj Bhadouria starts with a foreword by Akshay Kumar, brief introductions about Chef Kunal Kapoor, Chef Ajay Chopra and Pankaj Bhadouria herself. Then Pankaj describes her journey in Master Chef kitchen to winning the title.

Whenever I buy a cook book, I majorly get attracted by the paper-print quality, the pictures, method of description of the recipe and surely the simplicity of language. This book has an excellent paper-print quality, the papers turn easily and do not produce glare. The font size and font both are adequate to provide an ease in reading and do not strain your eyes. The photograph quality is excellent and the food is very aesthetically captured, making you drool over it and surely inspires you to try it. Each and every recipe has a photograph to go with it, giving us a fair idea how the final product looks like. All recipes provided in the book are new except the last section. It has about 75 recipes and is priced around Rs350 which I thought was reasonable for the quality of paper used in the book and also the number of recipes one learns. I got the book at much lower price as I had booked the book much earlier.

The book is divided into 4parts which are

Quick Fix Recipes

Gourmet Recipes

Desserts &

Master Chef Kitchen Recipes

The first three parts have most of the recipes by Pankaj and a few contributions are by Chef Ajay Chopra and Kunal Kapoor who are the Master Chef judges. The last section has selected popular recipes made by the Master Chef contestants in the Master Chef Kitchen of which I definitely want to try Zebi’s Kimami Seviyaan and Sweet Cheesy Basil by Jayanandan.

Barring a few, most of the recipes are made with ingredients easily available in the market. Each recipe has been provided with preparation time, cooking time and the number of people it serves making it easy for us to choose recipe based on the time we have in hand and also we can increase and decrease the quantity of ingredients based on the number of people we are cooking for. The book also helps you to understand how the recipe is served.

Each section except the dessert section has a mix of recipes for starters, soups, salad and main course. I have tried a soup, a starter, a main course and a dessert to write this review. I was particularly interested in trying out so many because after watching the episode of this year’s Master Chef Australia in which the final four contestants Kate, Michael, Alana and Danny had to write their recipes for the cook book in such utmost detail that when their recipe was tried by home cooks they would not face any problem at any step, for which they tried their recipes many times and corrected the procedure. There was a detailed description  regarding the size of pan and utensils used, the portion size, quantity of ingredients etc. making it extremely easy for anyone to understand and try..

I wanted to see whether Master Chef India has taken enough pains like Master Chef Australia to provide us with a cookbook which is flawless has highly accurate and detailed  descriptions. I also wanted to check whether the book provides simple tips, precautions and tricks while cooking the recipe. Does it provide alternate ingredients and substitutes in case an ingredient is not easily available. In short I wanted to understand the highs and lows of the method described in the book. Four recipes surely gives you a fair idea about the positives and negatives of the book.

I tried the Minty Green Pea Soup, Chickpea Kebab with Couscous, Tahini and Arabic salad, Ker Sangri and Chocolate Lava cake. All recipes that I tried are by Pankaj and they gave me a fair idea of her style of cooking. I must say that I admire her more after trying them. Barring Couscous and Ker Sangri which are not available every where, all the other ingredients for making these 4 recipes are easily available. I picked up Ker Sangri  intentionally as I had bought them when I had visited Jaipur and wanted to use them. 

Minty Green Peas Soup Preparation Time-5min Cooking Time- 20min Serves 4 Ingredients 2tbsp Butter 1medium onion finely chopped 2cloves garlic finely chopped 2cups shelled peas 1cup mint leaves 2-1/2 cups vegetable stock 1/4tsp salt 1/4tsp black pepper pwd 1cup cream Method Heat the butter in a pan and add the onions and cook on low heat for 2mins or until the onions are soft but not brown. Add the garlic and cook for a minute. Add the peas, chopped mint leaves and ¾ of the veg. Stock. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to medium and cook covered for 20 minutes. Process the soup in the blender to make a thick puree. Return the puree to the pan, season with salt and pepper and stir in the rest of the stock and cream. Simmer for a few minutes. To Serve Swirl some cream over the soup and serve with crunchy bread sticks.

My verdict on the soup

The soup is extremely simple to make and is surely a quick fix item. It tastes good, is very refreshing and filling too.The method explained is easy to comprehend and try. The soup was relished by my family. I personally found it under seasoned with 1/4tsp salt as I had used unsalted butter in my cooking. I would have preferred a salt as per taste in the list of ingredients or the mention of using salted butter. I guess the author had used salted butter for cooking in that case 1/4tsp salt should be enough but in case of unsalted butter the soup needs some salt. Plus the soup uses vegetable stock, I made my vegetable stock by boiling a mix of carrots, celery, beans and cauliflower. A quick tip on making veg stock by the author would have helped many.

Also, I would have appreciated that the author gave an alternate option to peas. I personally thought that Spinach or Lilva Beans/ Fresh Pigeon Peas can also replace Peas.

Chickpeas Kebab with Couscous, Tahini and Arabic Salad Preparation Time: 40mins plus soaking Cooking Time:20mins Serves:4 Chickpea Kebab Ingredients 250g Chickpeas 1tsp Tabasco sauce 1tbsp each of finely chopped ginger and garlic 1tsp finely chopped coriander 1tsp dried oregano 1tsp freshly ground pepper 1/2tsp salt 1/2cup olive oil for shallow frying Method Soak the chickpeas for 6hrs in water. Drain and cook in fresh water till tender. Drain and spread out on a kitchen towel to dry. Grind the chickpeas to a coarse paste. Transfer to a a bowl and add the remaining ingredients, except the oil and mix well. Divide mixture into 10 portions and shape into flat oblong kebabs. Shallow fry in moderately hot oil till light golden brown on all sides. Drain on absorbent paper. Vegetable Couscous Ingredients 250g Couscous or broken wheat (dalia) 1medium each of yellow, red and green capsicum finely diced 4tbsp fresh corn kernels 1tsp salt 1tsp freshly ground pepper 1cup vegetable stock 2tbsp finely chopped parsley Method Place the couscous in a bowl. add the vegetables, salt and pepper and mix well. Heat the stock and pour over the couscous mixture. Cover and leave to stand for 5 minutes till the stock has been absorbed and the couscous grains are light and fluffy. Garnish with finely chopped parsley. Tahini Ingredients 1/2 cup sesame seeds 3cloves garlic chopped 1/2tsp salt 1tbsp olive oil 1/2cup lemon juice 1tsp finely chopped parsley Method Dry roast the sesame seeds and soak them in 1 cup of warm water for 20mins and process or grind to a smooth paste. Add the garlic, salt, olive oil and lemon juice and process till smooth. Transfer to a bowl and garnish with copped parsley. Arabic Salad Ingredients 2medium cucumbers quartered 2 large tomatoes quartered 12 baby spinach leaves 3tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves 1tbsp lemon juice 2tbsp olive oil Method Toss all ingredients together and transfer to a serving bowl. To serve Arrange the kebabs on a platter with the couscous. serve with the tahini and Arabic salad.

My verdict on the platter

It is a filling platter and can make a light meal for the family with simple ingredients easily available in the kitchen. It is an extremely good platter for people on a diet. I replaced the parsley with coriander as the herb is not easily available here.The couscous is very light and with the richness of so many colourful vegetables it looks very appetising and also the Arabic salad. The recipe asked for mixing the veggies with the couscous and then pouring the warm stock, I did not do that as I like my veggies with a bite so I mixed the veggies later. Couscous is not readily available everywhere and Pankaj has given daliya as a substitute for couscous.

The Kebabs were bland for my Indian palate and I found them dry too, but then Arabic food is bland! I thought that the idea of spreading chickpeas on a kitchen towel is not good as it makes them further dry. I would surely add a little oil in the kebab mix the next time and also more of Tabasco sauce and pepper too. I also thought that the author should have mentioned that these kebabs need gentle handling. Using a lightly wet hand while making the kebab surely helps in shaping them easily.

The Tahini recipe can be a disaster if you add the half cup of lemon juice mentioned in the list of ingredients. I followed my instincts and squeezed only two small lemons. Plus this makes a lot of sauce so use this quantity only if you want to store it and while storing spread a layer of olive oil on the top and refrigerate.

Ker Sangri Preparation Time: 15mins + Soaking Cooking Time:20 mins Serves:4 Ingredients 25g dried ker 75g dried sangri 1tbsp mustard oil 1tbsp ghee 1tsp cumin seeds 1large dried red chilli 1tbsp garlic 1large onion, finely chopped 1/2tsp cumin pwd 1/2tsp coriander pwd 1tsp turmeric pwd 1tsp red chilli pwd 2large tomatoes, finely chopped 25g kumita seeds rinsed 1tsp salt 6tbsp yogurt 1tbsp finely chopped coriander a pinch of sugar 2tsp lemon juice Method Wash and soak Ker and Sangri separately, in cold water to cover for 3hrs and drain. Heat the mustard oil in a large pan until it reaches smoking point and add the ghee. When the ghee melts add the cumin seeds and dry red chilli and sauté till the seeds start to change colour. Add the chopped garlic and sauté for a few seconds. Add the chopped onion and saute until golden brown; add the cumin, coriander, turmeric and chilli powders and saute for a minute.Add the tomatoes and cook until the moisture from the tomatoes has evaporated and oil starts to separate from the mixture. Add the ker, sangri and kumita seeds and saute for a couple of minutes. Add the salt and yoghurt and stir until the mixture returns to a slow boil. Pour in half a cup of hot water and cook, stirring occasionally for 10-15 minutes until the beans and berries have almost soaked up most of the liquid from the sauce. Stir in the chopped coriander, sugar and lemon juice. To serve Ladle the ker sangri into a bowl and serve with crisp papad and hot roti.

 

My Verdict on the dry curry

I had been longing to try this preparation ever since I tasted it for the first time at the Spice Court in Jaipur. It is an amazing preparation and depicts the real flavours of Rajasthan. The ker and sangri are dry berries and can be stored and used when required. If only I had not tasted this preparation earlier, I would have hated myself for cooking this recipe, as the quantity of spices and the salt is definitely not enough for the amount of ker and sangri mentioned in the book.

The ker and sangri triples in volume after soaking and this preparation is enough for almost 6-7 people. The berries demand a large quantity of salt. I added almost 3tbsp to this preparation and almost 2tbsp of red chilli pwd and other spices. I also added a dash of garam masala too. Do not avoid the yogurt and lime juice as they help remove the pungency of the beans. The next time I make this I will soak the berries in butter milk and not water. The kumita seeds, I have never heard of and I could not find about them on Google too. Let me warn you, if you follow exactly the way the book mentions, one might hate this preparation. But after all the repairs done, my family relished the curry.

Chocolate Lava Cake Preparation Time: 20mins Cooking Time: 10mins Serves:  6 small cakes Ingredients 75g Butter 100g dark chocolate chopped 2 extra large eggs 1 egg yolk 3tbsp sugar 2tsp cocoa powder 3tbsp APF Icing sugar for dusting Method Preheat the oven to 180C. Melt the chocolate and butter together over a low heat. In a bowl whisk eggs and sugar lightly till the sugar has dissolved. Pour the melted chocolate mixture into the egg mix and stir well. Sift the flour and baking powder together. Fold the flour mixture into the egg mixture quickly. Do not over mix as this will make the cake heavy. Pour the batter into 6 buttered ramekins or small ovenproof dishes. Bake in the preheated oven for 10mins. Remove from the oven. To serve Dust icing sugar through the sieve on top of each cake and serve immediately.

My Verdict on the cake

This was a super hit with my family and you can understand by the fact that I’ve already tried it two times in the last few days. It’s a quick preparation and can be a winner with anyone. I'm sending this cake to my event 'Only' Cookies and Cakes.

The only problem I faced was that the ingredients does not mention baking powder and the method does. I added 1/2tsp baking powder to my preparation. The recipe mentions 10mins cooking time but the crust gets flaky in 10mins so I reduced the time to 8-1/2mins the second time and got perfect result.

Coming from Master Chef India, I had expected the book to have interesting recipes, on which it does keep the promise. The book has recipes from India as well as the East and West. The book shares drool worthy desserts, starters and kebabs. As you all know, I am big fan of Kebabs, I’m looking forward to try many more from here. I also want to try the different Indian breads that the book offers.

This book has many exciting recipes which I do want to try in future but after trying 4 recipes I have started doubting the measurement of ingredients to an extent, this is where Master Chef India needs to learn from Master Chef Australia, on trying to produce a recipe which is flawless!!!

I love Pankaj’s style of cooking but I would have appreciated this book further more if the measurement of ingredients was flawless and ingredients not missed out. Many  recipes in the book are surely not for beginners in cooking, as it misses out giving handy tips and tricks and one should know basic cooking skills to attempt this book. I also did not like that the veg and non-veg recipes are not segregated, though it compelled a veg cook like me to peep into non veg recipes and think of suitable ingredients to replace them, yet I feel I would have preferred the segregation. Overall the book is a keeper and a must buy for cooks and foodies like us, the food bloggers, and also  for all those who are ready to try innovative recipes, explore higher culinary skills but at the same time ready to take risks too while cooking. But taking risks while cooking is surely what we all food bloggers do…isn’t it?
Sending the Chickpeas kebab to my event ‘Only’- Cooking From Cookbooks guest hosted by Gauri.

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