Fresh Mosambi Juice With A Tag

Mosambi/sweet limetta/Mediterranean sweet lemon/sweet lemon/sweet lime are common names of different spices of Mosambi. In India, it is commonly called sathukudi, mousambi, mosambi, or musambi. With green to yellow (when it is fully matured) thick outer layer, a thin white layer is enlosed with soft, juicy and fleshy inner layer. The juice of mosambi is sweet rather than acidic. These fruits are excellent source of vitamin C, iron and copper.

After morning yoga or jog or walk a fresh homemade mosambi juice cheers your energy levels. A glass of this can also make a delectable combo with your morning breakfast or else you can serve this fresh juice when kids are back home from school in the evening. To get the full benefits of any fruit juice, try to prepare it at home. As homemade juice will not have any preservatives it is always good for health. After a short morning workout a fresh juice not only levels my energy but also help me to start running for my daily chores. Drink fresh...Be fresh......

The above picture is going to participate in Click:Bi-Color, event by Jai and Bee of Jugalbandi. This is also going to participate in FIC-Express Your Mood by Nithya of A Culinary Odyssey, event by Sunshinemom of TongueTicklers. Fresh juice to start a fresh day.....

INGREDIENTS:

• 2-3 fresh Mosambi, wash and pat dry
• Sugar (optional)
• Water

PREPERATION:

• Cut mosambi into halves and extract juice by using a citrus juice squeezer.
• Strain in a glass add water and sugar. Mix well and indulge!
• Last but not least add your 'love' to make the dish 'YUMMY'.

Prasu of Prasukitchen, Shubha of Munchcrunchandsuch, Fiaza Ali of Faiza Ali's Kitchen, Mythreyi of Speciality Recipes From My(E) Kitchen and Sree Vidya of Vidya's Kitchen passed on beautiful Kreative Blogger Award with a tag and it says to mention seven things about me,

1. Cheese, chocolates and cooldrinks make my day.......

2. I love reading books.....presently Iam reading Kite Runner by Khalid Hosseini.

3. I like to craft gifts for friends and loved ones.

4. I like to play with HTML.

5. My recent passion - flower photography.

6. I rarely experiment with cooking.

7. I like painting, stitching and shopping.

UPDATE: Sushma of Authentic Food Delight and EC of Simple Indian Food also passed on this award. Thank you so much......

As the rule of the tag says I have to nominate seven bloggers to it.....but I am breaking the rule here as all the blogger buddies I know have already done this tag. Thank you girls for the award and tag.

Coconut Rice With An Afternoon To Remember

Coconut Rice is most satisfying and filling one pot meal I came across recently. After trying my hands on simple and delectable jeera rice then jeera-peas pulao, this coconut rice is very indulging. It is not only simple to make but the robust flavour of fresh coconut and aromatic tempering makes the rice more redolent. There are many variations in making this coconut rice. But as my blog tag line says, "fast to cook good to eat" I made it in a very simple way. I really love the crunchy taste of coconut with soft and fluffy basmati rice.

This recipe is going to participate in Let's Go Nuts - Coconuts hosted by PJ of Seduce Your Tastebuds, event by Aqua of Served With Love.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup rice, wash and soak for 15 min
• 1/2 cup fresh grated Coconut
• Salt

TEMPERING/TADKA:

• 1/2 tbsp Jeera/Cumin
• 1/2 tbsp Mustard seeds
• 1/2 tbsp Black peppercorns
• 1 dry Red chilli
• 6-9 Curry leaves
• 12 Cashews
• Oil

PREPERATION:

• Cook and cool rice by spreading on a plate.
• Add oil to a heavy bottom cooking vessel. To this add jeera, mustard, black peppercorns, red chilli, curry leaves and cashews. Fry till the mustard seeds start to splutter.
• Now add fresh grated coconut and fry till light brown in color (or till raw smell of coconut disappears).
• To this add cooked and cooled rice and mix well by adjusting the salt. Cook for 2-3 min on a low flame by covering with a lid.
• Serve hot by garnishing with cashews.
• Last but not least add your 'love' to make the dish 'YUMMY'.

An Afternoon To Remember:

Now coming to sunshinemom with experiments, emotions and experiences along with simple and yummy recipes and with some kitchen flavours...... Can you get it? it is not a riddle.....think? Some days back sunshinemom of TongueTicklers was here on a pretty small summer trip with her kids and she graciously left a mail for a meet. As Curry Leaf of Experiments, emotions and experiences with food is also very close to my area and as you all know Valarmathi of simple and yummy recipes and me are staying in the same apt. we four thought of a quick afternoon meet.

First to reach the place is Sunshinemom and by the time we reached there she had a little peek in the grocery store near by and bought vegan strawberry milkshake.....need I say anything more about the dear vegan sunshinemom.......then to reach the place was curry leaf. I was about to cross the road to reach the place, I can see both the pretty ladies (sunshinemom and curry leaf) already talking to each other. Hmm conversation started over by ordering a refreshing mausambi juice. Now you all know what the food bloggers will talk......food, food and glorious food......may be the major part of the conversation was on food......but we talked on so many other things too.....It was like never ending conversation........we paused it to continue till we meet again.......I really love to meet and get know them in person. The charming personalities and adorable nature of Sunshinemom, Curry Leaf and Valarmathi left an memorable afternoon to cherish.....which will always stay fresh in my mind.....As a part of blogger meet culture, Curry Leaf bought yummylicious Chocolate Almond Brittle, Sunshimemom bought pretty wooden spoon and wooden fork (which you can see in the today's pics) Valarmathi took beautiful glass bowls and I bought Coffee mugs to the ladies. It was all fun at the end of the day.......with a promise to meet again.....may be with some new faces to join.......

Spicy Peanut Powder/Phalli Podi

Most of the times when we are in a rush to make dosa or idli for early morning breakfast a side dish like chutney is time consuming and moreover same routine chutney makes the breakfast little dull and boring. At those times a spicy podi like peanut/phalli podi is not only time saving but also give a new twist to the routine breakfast. Podi(s)/powder(s) have 10-15 day shelf life or sometimes more when stored in a clean, dry air tight container and they can be indulged with dosa or idli or upma or vada or sometimes with a hot bowl of steamed white rice.

Peanuts are rich with proteins and carry good source of niacin which helps in brain health, brain circulation and blood flow. Peanuts are a significant source of resveratrol, a chemical studied for potential anti-aging effects and also associated with reduced cardiovascular disease and reduced cancer risk. With many more health benefits, peanuts rock the kitchen. Here comes a simple and flavourful peanut podi.......... This podi is going to participate in JFI-Peanuts hosted by Pavani of Cook's Hideout, event by Indira of Mahanandi and also to MLLA-Thirteen Helping hosted by Sunshinemom of TongueTicklers, event by Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup Peanuts
• 10-12 dry Red chillies
• 1/2 tbsp Cumin/Jeera
• Salt

PREPERATION:

• On a very low flame dry roast peanuts till they change color and start to break open little.
• Once they are roasted take them out on a plate and before they get cool, rub and remove the skin.
• In a heavy bottom cooking vessel or kadai dry roast dry red chillies and cumin till light brown. Cool and set aside.
• Grind and make a coarse powder by mixing roasted peanuts, dry red chillies, cumin and salt.
• Store in a clean, dry air tight container.
• Last but not least add your 'love' to make the dish 'YUMMY'.

Sweet Scrambled Egg With Toast

After a lazy weekend, getting up early on monday to start a crazy and hectic week is something I dislike. But I can't hold the sunday.......sun sets and rise again to bring a new shine and hope to start a week on a good note. Breakfast(s) is the first thing which comes to my mind when I get up in the morning and when you are still in a mood dreaming of your past weekend and not in a mood to step down the bed and prepare something and running out of time......forgot to soak dals and no batter for rescue, then the starting of the week gets more hectic. At that time a simple bread with a very simple to make scrambled egg sweet version come and say Main Hoo Naa....(I am there).

This combo can also a make comfort snack when children come home after tiring school day. Try it....to taste it! This sweet scrambled egg is commonly called as Ando Ka Meetha (Ando - Eggs, Meetha - Sweet) in hindi. This sweet also tastes good in combo with roti.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 Eggs
• 4 tbsp Sugar
• 1/2 tbsp Butter/Ghee
• 2 Cardamom, powdered

PREPERATION:

• Beat all the ingredients till sugar melts.
• On a low heat, in a heavy bottom cooking vessel or kadai, pour in all the ingredients.
• Keep stirring until the mixture gets harder. Using a spoon scrape out the egg mixture and cook for 1-2 min.
• Serve hot with lightly roasted bread slices.
• Last but not least add your 'love' to make the dish 'YUMMY'.

UPDATED: This sweet scrambled Egg With Toast is going to participate in EC's WYF:Breakfast Event.

Jeera-Peas Pulao

After trying my hands on simple and delectable jeera rice next to hit my kitchen is jeera-peas pulao. The gorgeous green peas and aromatic flavoured cumin seeds flavour the rice with black peppercorns spicing it up. This was my first attempt to make this simple recipe. I really like simple to cook recipes. This one is sure to fit under that category. With handy ingredients and simple preparation steps, a delicious pulao is ready to indulge.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups Rice, washed and soaked in water for 15 min
• 1/2 cup Green peas *, washed
• 2 tbsp Jeera/Cumin
• 1 tbsp Black pepper corns
• 2 Cardamoms
• 2 Cloves
• 1 two-inch stick Cinnamon
• 10-12 Cashews
• Salt
• Oil/Ghee

PREPERATION:

• In a heavy bottom cooking vessel, add oil. To this add add jeera, black pepper corns, peas, cashews, cardamoms, cinnamon stick and cloves.
• When the raw smell of peas disapper add water ** and salt.
• Bring the water to boil and add rice to it. Cover and cook till completely done.
• Last but not least add your 'love' to make the dish 'YUMMY'.

I was playing around something with Jeera-Peas Pulao image and I ended up with this.......MORAL OF THE STORY.....It is always good to have back up of the image before you start editing on it.......

NOTE: * I used frozen peas from SAFAL.
**I will add 2 cups of water for 1 cup of rice.

Kitchen Flavours Turn One

Turai Gosht

Turai/Ridge gourd is a versatile vegetable with silky soft texture and watery in content. Ridge gourd is low in saturated fat and cholesterol. Ridge gourd is high in dietary fiber, Vitamin C, Riboflavin, Zinc, Thiamin, Iron, Magnesium and Manganese. When this nature’s delight is mixed and cooked with tender lamb meat, the end dish is delectable. Lamb meat is much used in combo with many vegetables. The robust flavours coming from vegetables when gets combined with tender meat and spiced up with some aromatic Indian spices the result is completely delish. Turai Gosht/Ridge gourd lamb meat recipe is easy to cook and calls for simple ingredients too.

INGREDIENTS:

• ½ kg Ridge gourd, peeled and cut into pieces
• 300 gm Lamb Meat, cleaned and washed
• 1 Onion, peeled and sliced
• 1 Green chili slit lengthwise and deseeded
• 1 tbsp Red chili powder
• ¼ tbsp Turmeric powder
• 2-3 springs fresh Coriander leaves, chopped
• Salt
• Oil

PREPERATION:

• In a heavy bottom cooking vessel/kadai add all the ingredients except coriander leaves and cook covered on a low flame.
• As turai/ridge gourd release lot of water upon cooking, mutton pieces get easily cooked in this water. Cook till all the water gets absorbed, ridge gourd gets tender and mutton pieces get completely cooked.
• Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve hot with hot streamed rice and khatti dal.
• Last but not least add your 'love' to make the dish 'YUMMY'.

NOTE: If mutton is very hard then pressure cook till half and mix with the remaining ingredients and cook till done.

Potato Chips - My Style

When I say comfort food......I mean a hot bowl of steamed white rice with a drop of ghee along with dal and a spicy fry. As there are many variations in dal so in fries. According to me a simple potato fry and mango dal is deadly combination. I love the flavour of raw mango in dal and that too when that dal flavours the hot white rice with ghee and to add more simple potato chips....hmmm makes a drool worthy combo....Hmmm is it mouth watering......? Potato is a versatile vegetable.....a simple fry to spicy khorma are the much liked delicacies in almost every Indian family. Potato chips are crunchiest, spiciest and yummiest chips loved my many across the globe. This is my version of potato chips which goes hand in hand with Indian recipes. I love potato chips when fresh and lil hot. I never like to store them. I will fry them whenever Iam in a mood to indulge or when Iam bit bored by the routine potato fry.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 Potatoes, peeled, washed, sliced and soaked in enough water
• 1 tbsp Red chilli powder
• 1/4 tbsp Turmeric powder
• Salt
• Oil

PREPERATION:

• Using a sieve, drain the water from the sliced potatoes. Using a kitchen towel/kitchen tissue, wipe the pieces to dry.
• For deep frying, heat oil in a kadai or heavy bottom cooking vessel with turmeric powder.
• Once the oil is ready for frying drop in required amount of sliced potato pieces and fry till crisp and nice golden in color.
• Take out on a kitchen tissue/towel and sprinkle red chilli powder and salt.
• Serve hot with hot bowl of rice and dal or else you can either have it as a snack.
• Last but not least add your 'love' to make the dish 'YUMMY'.

Above potato chips are going to participate in BSI - Potatoes currently hosted by ChezWhat? and also to WYF - Fried Snack by Simple Indian Food. The below picture is going to participate in Show Me Your Breakfast! by Divya of Dilse.....

Idli Dosa Vada Poha

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