Food for 7 Stages of Life: Less than 15 minutes

Showing posts with label Less than 15 minutes. Show all posts

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Mixed Fruit Raitha

Posted by RV @ Food for 7 Stages on Thursday, October 15, 2009

Mixed fruit raitha is one dish you will always find in my get together menu. It is relished by everyone irrespective of ages, especially kiddos love it. Kids are usually finicky about eating spicy food, so I normally serve roti/paratha with this raitha. Trust me in no time their plate will be empty. This makes their Mommy's happy and relieved. This is one good reason why I prepare this whenever we have guests at home. Let us now see how to make this easy-peasy mixed fruit raitha.

Ingredients from my pantry

Onion (chopped) - 3 tbsp
Tomatoes (chopped) - 3 tbsp
Green Chillies (cut in to halves) - 2 nos
Apple(peeled,chored, chopped) - 1/2
Grapes (cut in to halves) - 12 nos
Pomegranate - 1/4
Thick Curd or Yogurt - 3/4 - 1 cup (as desired)
Water - 1 tbsp
Few sprigs of Cilantro/Coriander leaves (chopped)
Salt to taste

Cooking Instructions

Add the above ingredients in a bowl and mix it well. Ensure that you don't crush the fruits. Garnish it with cilantro leaves.

Serving Suggestions

Can add 5 tsp of Mango juice (Maaza/Slice).

Add more water if you like it watery.

You can use any vegetables or fruits in any combination. I have also made raitha with carrot(shredded),pineapple, raw mango, cucumber, jalepenos etc.

Serve it with Biriyani, Pulao, Rotis, Parathas

Raitha tastes extremely good when we use apple. Ensure that you peel off the skin.

Remove green chilies before serving it to kids.

Friday, September 4, 2009

Spicy-Tangy Sweet Corn

Posted by RV @ Food for 7 Stages on Friday, September 04, 2009

There are very few eat outs in Chennai where I always love to visit. One of the them is the corn shop in front of the Spencers Daily supermarket. 2 years ago a whole sweet corn used to cost Rs.12 and a cup corn used to cost Rs.15. There were days when we walked almost 15-20 minutes to grab this one in between our work schedules. :-)) What is so special about them, answer is pretty simple. They taste YUMMY.

Since we have moved to the Garden State, I have the privilege to buy the fresh produce from the farm stands or pick your own farms. Recently I picked up some fresh corns from a farm stand near my work place.Amma says that a corn will taste good when its texture is close to pale yellow. The one I picked up was very much pale. So here I present this delicacy from my kitchen. Hope you enjoy it.

American Sweet Corn /Makka cholam - 2

Lemon Juice /Elumicha pala saru / limbu pallo - 2 1/2 tsp

Chili Powder /Milagai thul/Miri bhuruko - 1/2 tsp

Chat masala - 1/2 tsp

Salt to taste /Uppu / Meet

Butter /Vennai - 1 tsp

In a pressure cooker, add water and pressure cook for 3 whistles. The corn must be half soaked with water.

Meanwhile melt butter either in a microwave or put it in a bowl and place the bowl on the tawa. Add red chili powder, chat masala, salt, lemon juice and mix.

Once the steam releases, open the lid. Carefully remove the corn using a tong and place it on a plate or aluminium foil

Take the mix and spread it on the corn using your fingers or a cooking brush. I used my fingers. (Caution: The corn might be hot)

Wrap it with the aluminium foil and serve. This is perfect for a evening snack and it is healthy too.

Monday, August 31, 2009

Panchakhadya

Posted by RV @ Food for 7 Stages on Monday, August 31, 2009

This recipe has been shared by Mints for ICC.

Ingredients

1 cup grated dry coconut
4-5 tbsp powdered sugar
2 tbsp poppy seeds / Khus Khus
4-5 dried dates (Maharashtrians call it kharik)
1/2 tbsp cardamom powder
4-5 tbsp coarsely powdered mixed nuts (almonds,cashews, pistachios)
pinch of nutmeg powder

Method

Dry roast grated coconut on a very light heat and set aside
Dry roast poppy seeds and grind them coarsely after cooling them for 5 minutes
Take the seeds off the dried dates and grind them coarsely as well.
Mix all these ingredients and nuts powder, cardamom, nutmeg, powdered sugar together and offer to Ganesha as prasad

Changes made by me:

Since I didn't have cashews & pistachios I have added some dried cranberry and almonds

I have not added nutmeg powder.

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Nugul-untallu (Sesame Laddoo )

Posted by RV @ Food for 7 Stages on Sunday, August 30, 2009

Sesame laddoo or Nugul Untallu (Andhra) or Theel Untto(Sourashtra), however you call it they taste out of the world. This is served to Lord Ganesha on his birthday (Ganesha Chathurthi)

Ingredients

Black Sesame - 1/2 cup (Theel)

Jaggery - 2 1/2 tbsp (Gullu)

Method

1. Dry roast black sesame seeds until you hear some crackling sound of sesame.

2. Let it cool. Grind it in a mixie/blender along with jaggery into a fine powder.

3. As you grind sesame it becomes sticky, this will help the laddoo to hold together.
4. Take a portion and try to make smalls balls, if they stay in shape you are good to go. Repeat this step to continue making laddoos.

This is how you make laddoos: Take a portion of the sesame powder in your palm, and try to open and close your hand slowly (as the doctor pumps the machine when he/she checks Blood pressure for us) pressing it hard each time so that it holds together. :-)

This dish is being submitted to the Indian Cooking Challenge event.

The above recipe can be used to prepare laddoo's with white sesame seeds too. Please follow the same procedure but you will need 4 tbsp jaggery instead of 2 1/2 tbsp. I loved the black ones better.

Citrus Blast

Posted by RV @ Food for 7 Stages on Sunday, August 30, 2009

Ingredients

Orange - 5 numbers
Lemon Juice - 2 tsp
Sugar - 2-4 tsp (as per taste)
Ice cubes

Method

Peel the Oranges and add them to a blender

Grind it, add ice cubes if necessary.

Strain the juice in a colander or a strainer. Also you can use a muslin cloth/cheese cloth for a finer extraction. This will give you a thinner juice without any pulp.

Add sugar, 2 tsp of lemon juice, stir and serve. Here sugar is optional, naturally some oranges are very sweet and some sour. So the sugar to be added depends on the oranges we choose.

Serving Suggestion: Add a thin slice of lemon or add some ice cubes or add some orangepulp for a healthier and neat look.

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Sundal

Posted by RV @ Food for 7 Stages on Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Ingredients

Chickpeas/Channa (Brown) - 1 cup
Coconut (finely chopped) - 2 tbsp
Whole Urad dhal - 1 tbsp
Sesame Seeds - 1/2 tbsp
Mustard seeds and Cumin Seeds for Seasoning
Curry leaves - 1 strand
Cilantro/Coriander leaves(chopped) - 2 tbsp [optional]
Salt to taste
Oil - 1/2 tbsp

Method

Add water, chickpeas, salt and pressure cook up to 5 whistles.
Heat 3/4 tbsp of oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds, once it stops spluttering add cumin seeds and curry leaves.
Add Urad dhal, Sesame seeds.
Add chickpeas and fry for 3-5 minutes. Add salt if necessary.
Add finely chopped coconut and fry it for 15-20 seconds. (Frying coconut for long time is not good for health)
Add cilantro leaves.

Tips

You can also add onions and green chillies before adding chickpeas.