Til Ke Chawal/Ellu Sadam/Spicy Sesame Rice

Hello and warm welcome to all my readers of ‘Yummy Food’….today I am here to do a quick post….quick post means no chit chat….i am directly running into the recipe as all because of time factor…I made a hot cup of masala chai to fuel my engine….and sat before my computer to make this post….but cool breeze with a kiss of sunshine touching my cheeks to blush….i just closed my eyes to experience this magic in air….Somewhere I can hear chirping of birds….tip-tap of people returning from there morning walks….and from my kitchen….whistle sound from Idli cooker….microwave peeping to say maggi is ready…..pressure cooker hissing to say dal is almost done….and someone in the neighbouring house tossing rice in winnow (soop in hindi/chata in telugu/muram in tamil)…..wow…I love winter warm morning…….leaving you here to jump into my recipe…..

Today’s recipe is yet another simple recipe with rice…a perfect lunch box treat and also could be made in jiffy……Some days back when I was flipping pages through Southern Spice(cookbook won by me) by Chandra Padmanabhan, I caught hold of this recipe…This recipe can also be made when you have leftover cooked rice. So what are you waiting for….scroll down to check out….

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup Rice, cooked and cooled
• 1 tbsp Salt

TO GRIND:

• ½ cup white Sesame seeds/Til
• 2 tbsp. grated dry Coconut
• 4 dry Red Chillies

TEMPERING/TADKA:

• 2 tbsp. Peanuts
• 1 tbsp. Mustard seeds,
• ½ tbsp. Cumin/Jeera
• 2 dry Red Chillies, halved
• 1 tbsp. Urad dal
• 1 tbsp. Chana dal
• 10 Curry leaves
• Oil

PREPARATION:

• Dry roast sesame seeds and dry coconut individually for 2-3 minutes on low flame and set aside.
• Then add oil to a heavy bottom cooking vessel, to this add dry red chillies and fry till fragrant. Leave it cool.
• Now mix in roasted sesame seeds, dry coconut and fried red chillies and grind to make a fine powder.
• Mix this spice mixture with cooled rice and adjust salt.
• Heat oil and fry peanuts. When peanuts are completely fried then add one by one ingredient listed under tempering.
• Now add in rice and mix well. Leave for 1-2 minutes and turn off the flame.
• Serve hot with papad or any vegetable stir fry or curd. I served with potato fry and raita.
• Last but not least add your 'love' to make the dish 'YUMMY'.

MY NOTES:

• Make the spice mixture a day ahead and store in an air tight container so that you can rustle up the recipe in just few minutes.
• You can even make it in abundant so that you can use it whenever you are in hurry.
• I used the same spice mixture to make potato fry. I turned out yum.

This recipe is going to participate in CWS-Rice hosted by Reva of Kaarrasaaram, event Cooking With Seeds by Priya of Priya's Easy N Tasty Recipes, also to Cooking Without Onion and Garlic event at Ammaji's Recipes and also to Healing Foods - Coconut event hosted by Sukanya of SaffronStreaks, Healing Foods event by Siri of Cooking With Siri.

7 Links Game To Celebrate Good Food Day

When Deepa and Prathibha had tagged me to 7 links game, I knew it would be fun doing this tag…..as it involves retrospection my blog…which I love doing…..It’s always amusing to go and see your past when it is so flavorsome……isn’t it? It’s been long since I checked my past recipes and now because of this tag I have taken my time to see my yum journey…..thank you dear friends for tagging me….here is what I have found by going through this yummy and flavorsome kitchen journey…..

My Most Beautiful Post - Rava Kesari

This is one my most acclaimed recipe…..A simple rava kesari ( a semolina dessert) is layered, shaped and presented in an exotic way…..A treat to senses….they say you eat with your eyes first and this is an perfect example to it. Till months people gone through the post were acknowledging me for this recipe….and one even said your box rava kesari is haunting me dear…..my efforts r paid….so I choose Rava Kesari as one of my beautiful post.

My Most Popular Post – Qubooli

When I tasted it for the first time at my aunt’s place….one thing was clear that I am going to learn it…as I fell in love with this simple yet delectable recipe….which is also called as poor man’s biryani….when I posted this on my blog, many said we would love to be poor to have this yummylicious meal…..so is the joy of this recipe….

The Post I Am Most Proud Of - Mango Granita

For the first time, I made mango granite…it came out good and I loved relishing the mango in a new way…yet another simple recipe and I must say flavoursome too…as it got the fresh mango pulp in the frozen form…perfect to beat the heat in the mango season….

Most Useful Post - Sauf Ka Pani

I call it as most useful because, when I post this sauf ka pani, which in turn mean Fennel seeds water…very few knew about the health benefits about this….a enlightening post to many….

Surprise Success Post - Karela/BitterGourd Fry

I was wondering whether to post this simple recipe or not…but you people took me on cloud 9 by showering your beautiful comments….and making this recipe a surprise success post……

Most controversial post – Hmmm checked again and again…but found nothing….

Post Which Deserves Attention, But Did Not Get As Much – Shamiya

One of my favourite recipe…in which I explained least detail of the recipe…but some how missed your attention….may because vegetarian recipes are little less popular while coming to blogging in India…

As many of my friends had already been tagged by this 7 links game and many have even done it….I like to pause this tag here......

As I mentioned earlier about BBC Good Food India, an Indian edition of internationally famous food magazine which is going to hit the strands today…is coming with promising 5 sections consisting of Eat In, Eat Out, Eat Away, First Bite and Master Class. Commencing this today the 21^st of OCT is been observed as Good Food Day in India and henceforth, will celebrate the day every year. On this day, the magazine will encourage readers to avoid the usual, get adventurous and experiment while eating in, eating out or eating away.…so what are you waiting for…go grab your copy right now…..

Sneak Peek

The below picture goes to Susan of The Well Seasoned Cook, who is hosting B&W Wednesday - A Culinary Photo Event. Come click food in B&W and celebrate......

My next post is all about sesame seeds....stay tuned.....

Thulli - Cracked Wheat Halwa & Participate To Win A Chance To Fly Italy

Life is just whirlwind at my end…..with my lil one taking her baby steps and wants to touch, taste, conquer and destroy everything which comes on her way…..my day goes running behind her……I know you sweet people had warned me about this…..but all for the good reason…I am not complaining…just wanted to tell you what’s keeping me busy these days…..It’s fun to play with her and watch her play. Taking out camera to shoot pictures and that too food pictures is looking Mission Impossible to me. But when you are passionate about a thing you go leaps and bounds in doing it. That is what I am doing right now….Squeezing out time to take pictures and making a post. Although blogging has gone through a major makeover these days…..don’t you agree then stay tuned for my next post on changed interface……

Now coming to today’s recipe it’s a simple and gratifying dessert which I learned from my mom……it’s my dad’s all time favorite sweet….takes less time in preparation, involves less ingredients and above all it’s rich, creamy and yummy. It’s a simple rava kesari with a twist you can say…. and the twist is instead of semolina you add wheat rava/cracked wheat and no milk. Addition of fennel seeds impart rich aroma to the recipe, saffron makes it rich and wheat rava makes it creamy……Try it to taste it……

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup Wheat Rava/Daliya/Cracked Wheat/Godhuma Rava
• 3 cups Water
• 1 tbsp. Fennel seeds/Sauf
• ½ tbsp. Cardamom powder/Elaichi powder
• 1 ½ cup Sugar
• 3-4 tbsp. Ghee
• Cashews
• 1 tbsp. of lukewarm Milk
• Few strands of Saffron/Kesar

PREPARATION:

• Mix lukewarm milk and Saffron in a small bowl and set aside.
• In a heavy bottom cooking vessel, add 1 tbsp. of ghee and fry cashews on low flame until they turn light brown. Turn off the flame and set aside.
• Now in the same pan add remaining ghee and fry wheat rava until lightly colored on low flame. Set aside.
• Now in the same pan add water, fennel seeds, milk+saffron mixture and cardamom powder. Give the mixture a stir and allow it to boil. Now lower the flame and start adding the wheat rava by continuously stirring to avoid lumps.
• Cook till rava is completely done. Now add sugar to the mixture and give it a nice stir.
• Cook until the sugar dissolves. Garnish with fried cashews and serve hot or at room temperature.

MY NOTES:

• The cooked wheat rava should be runny as it tends to thickens up upon cooling.
• This sweet is mostly made with gur/jaggery. But I somehow like it when prepared with sugar.
• Adding sugar before adding wheat rava may tend to delay the process of cooking wheat rava.
• If the mixture tightens up when sugar dissolves then you can add little water to adjust consistency.
• Last but not least add your 'love' to make the dish 'YUMMY'.

This recipe is going to participate in 'Only Sweets/Desserts' hosted by Gayathri of Gayathri's Cook Spot. Event 'Only' by Pari of Foodelicious.

Coming to the exciting part.....

BBC GoodFood is going to launch BBC Good Food India an Indian edition of BBC GoodFood, a magazine internationally famous for its devotion to fine dining. The magazine comes with great recipes for home cooking, and entertaining. Triple-tested handpicked recipes make the magazine a must have for every kitchen. Each recipe is also paired with great food photos. Each issue also reveals culinary secrets from internationally renowned chefs. BBC GoodFood India also comes packed with restaurant reviews, news on India’s dining scene, and for the globe-trotting food-lover, recommendations for eating well across the world.

As India’s first international food magazine, BBC GoodFood India is proud to introduce the GoodFood survey. The GoodFood survey has been at the forefront of gauging the dining habits of food-lovers around the World, and is now keen to replicate the same in India. With this survey, we’re hoping to decode how India eats.

BBC GoodFood survey comes with the promise of great rewards – one lucky participant stands to win a culinary holiday to the Fontanafredda vineyards in Italy. Other prizes include a gift pack containing a voucher for two for a great dining experience at any of three fabulous restaurants in Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore - Olive Bar & Kitchen, Manchester United Café and Aromas of China. Come do participate in survey and win……

Don’t forget to grab a copy of India’s first and only international food magazine BBC GoodFood India, which is going to be out on 22 October…..I just can’t wait to see what the magazine holds……

To know more about BBC GoodFood and the GoodFood survey please visit:

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com

http://www.facebook.com/BBCGoodFoodIndia

http://goodfoodsurvey.in

Black and White Wednesday

There's something strange and powerful about black-and-white imagery.
Stefan Kanfer

You can see a color version of above picture here @ Flickr.

Guest Blogging - Food Photography #6

Do you think good props make the food look good? or use of too many props in a picture make it look appetizing? Concentrating on just a bowl of food doesn't make the food look yum? Do we always need new props to enhance the ways to make food look appealing to eyes? Do you think it is always the props which make the food look yummy? If your answer is 'YES' for all the above questions, then I say you are wrong. If you scroll to read down today's post then you will know why I said so.

The guest author of today's 'Food Photography' post has mastered her food clicks with no props or minimal props with handy backgrounds. I not only like the simplicity in her writing style but also makes me drool with her appetizing food clicks. I am talking about girl with captivating smile ......Nags of Edible Garden. Nags being busy with work, projects, deadlines, trips and tours...but upon my request to make a post on food photography....she squeezed out time and came up with this gorgeous post. Thanks a ton dear Nags for making this post. Scroll down to see what nags has in store for you in her much mastered department of food photography.

I haven’t posted anything new in the food photography section in my blog in a while so Lubna actually gave me a good reason to move my lazy bones and do something about that.

Today I am going to talk about something I got very good at with of practice – ie, getting something done with minimum effort. If you notice, most of the pictures in my blog have minimum or no props. Although I’d love to say this is more my style, that’s only part of the reason. The actual reason is that although I do shop for props and have a decent collection, by the time I take a picture, its almost time for lunch and I have a hungry husband and myself to feed in a short while.

Chilli Paneer

So I have resorted to focusing more on the clarity of my pictures and the angles rather than setting up a food shot and using a tripod, etc. For the longest time, I used a simple white table as the background for all my pictures. This was mostly when I was in my old apartment, which had large windows and lots of natural light. I just placed the table wherever there was good light at that time of the day and clicked away.

Eggless Garlic Rolls

Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes

Since I moved, there’s not much natural light inside the house so I have to take the table and place it out in the corridor, which I have done in a couple of pictures below.

Blueberry Streusel Muffins

Falafel

I also do some minimum changes, like adding a cutting board as a base on top of the white table, or a sheet of craft paper that goes with the colour of the food or ingredients I am clicking, so that there’s a different colour and texture for the pictures.

Dal Panchratan

Eggless No-Bake Mango Cheesecake

This is a lot of work, bringing the table and accessories and the food in and out of the house, not to mention weird looks from the neighbours and passers-by. So nowadays, I mostly resort to taking pictures on the sofa near the living room window.

The sofa is white and textured so for a while I used that as the base of a lot of pictures using the dark wall behind as a good background.

Stir-fried Raw Papaya

Then it started getting dirty so I got a dark brown throw to protect it from dust and dirt. This throw now forms the background of almost 90% of my pictures. The light there is not good through the day, only the first half, so I try to finish most of my cooking by then and rush to the sofa corner to get shots before the light fades or I get too tired.

Banarasi Dum Aloo

Bottom line, here’re 5 things I go by while taking pictures for my blog.

1. Choose the area that has the best light in your house (or outside!).

2. Decide where and how you are going to place your dish, background, etc. I don’t use a tripod or reflecting board, or flash.

3. Take as many pictures as you can before your back breaks. This is usually my strategy. I click on an average about 80 pictures for each of my dishes (and I have a 1TB external drive that I use to dump these once I am done picking the winning shots – nothing gets deleted unless its blurred).

4. Before you go out to buy props and matching stuff for your food, get the basics – a white plate, a white bowl, a dark coloured plate and bowl and some new spoons and forks to place near the food. Second step would be coloured craft papers and napkins. I went a long time before buying those. Trust me, buying props that go with everything you ever cook is a never-ending process and very addictive!

5. Edit your pictures but don’t go overboard. I prefer simple images and don’t add frames or vignettes to it. That’s just my personal preference of course. But make sure you don’t go overboard when editing your images, just a simple increase or decrease in brightness and overall sharpness should be more than enough. I recommend www.picnik.com for a start. Its free and has pretty much everything to get you started.

5-min Chocolate Mug Cake (image entirely edited in Picnik)

You can meet Nags, the cook, photographer and writer @

Website: Edible Garden.

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ediblegarden

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/nagsthecook

In case if you have missed the entries under this series, here are the links to the posts...

Guest Blogging - Food Photography #5 by Sunshinemom aka Harini Prakash of Tongue Ticklers.

Guest Blogging - Food Photography #4 by Nithi Rajasekaran of The 4th Sense Cooking.

Guest Blogging - Food Photography #3 by Nisha of Look Who's Cooking Too.

Guest Blogging - Food Photography #2 by Kulsum of Journey Kitchen.

Guest Blogging - Food Photography #1 by Namitha of Collaborative Curry.