tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13901398576082684622024-03-14T06:58:29.701-07:00Apy CookingSeason your food with happinessAparna S Mallyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00366918707387955566noreply@blogger.comBlogger146125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1390139857608268462.post-54774095462475304502016-07-20T09:00:00.000-07:002016-07-22T21:59:01.306-07:00Caramel Custard <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0p9NyssfC8rBUVzwRSQNoNxWFnOy8cpAzCj7pEUxd_Kcf3RkYScygUFGIDawI5i6VqjEUExuZzKhzGwXI2GvhIJ_Y1YmlsVJVMS4ntYHDfpQ4YSmlxQCWcA5DSZa7J3JJj0ySDZfpJGGe/s1600/caramel+custard1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0p9NyssfC8rBUVzwRSQNoNxWFnOy8cpAzCj7pEUxd_Kcf3RkYScygUFGIDawI5i6VqjEUExuZzKhzGwXI2GvhIJ_Y1YmlsVJVMS4ntYHDfpQ4YSmlxQCWcA5DSZa7J3JJj0ySDZfpJGGe/s640/caramel+custard1.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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When I was a little kid, my favoruite non Indian dessert was Caramel Custard. Back then, we weren't exposed to tiramisus and cheesecakes as much as we are now and getting to eat caramel custard was a welcome luxury. My aunt Malathi Mallya would make this delicious dessert whenever she invited us over for dinner and I would lap it up and would always want a third or fourth helping! I have made a few changes to my aunt's recipe and have stuck to this recipe for quite sometime now. So here's it :<br />
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Video :<br />
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<b><br /></b><b>Ingredients :</b><br />
For the caramel<br />
4 tbsp sugar<br />
2 tsp water<br />
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For the custard<br />
4 eggs<br />
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½ cup sugar<br />
1 <o:p></o:p>½ tsp vanilla extract<br />
2 cups (approx 500 ml) milk.<br />
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<b>Method :</b><br />
<i>Caramel</i> :<br />
In a saucepan, pour sugar and water. Turn the heat to medium and let sugar melt. Stir using the handle or kitchen pincers and not a spoon as the spoon can get stuck to the caramel. Once sugar melts, turn heat to low and let it change colour to amber or golden brown colour.<br />
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Immediately pour this into a vessel that fits into your pressure cooker / steamer. Allow to cool and refrigerate for 10 mts.<br />
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<i>Custard:</i></div>
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Whisk together the eggs, sugar and vanilla essence. I prefer using a blender. Pour (room temperature or cold) milk little by little and whisk well till all ingredients blend well.<br />
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Through a sieve pour the custard mixture onto the caramel. [The caramel should be completely cool].<br />
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Steam in a pressure cooker or steamer for 30 minutes on medium or low or till the custard is done.<br />
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Once out, allow to cool and refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours. Run a knife along the edge of the vessel and invert the caramel custard onto a plate.<br />
Enjoy!!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVj3UTi3qAhEv2CzsWYPlsj27uDABzS8tE-QYpDDe70vh1bAJjehdlP4yQ9KL2dCoJyLTKZ37Ozf49uTMbzkmi1ydBe3dOIWSJLkqNteYFV7ELvCjE0cI45lrX8ziDy5vYkate7Z_vBWbq/s1600/caramelcustard3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVj3UTi3qAhEv2CzsWYPlsj27uDABzS8tE-QYpDDe70vh1bAJjehdlP4yQ9KL2dCoJyLTKZ37Ozf49uTMbzkmi1ydBe3dOIWSJLkqNteYFV7ELvCjE0cI45lrX8ziDy5vYkate7Z_vBWbq/s640/caramelcustard3.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Aparna S Mallyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00366918707387955566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1390139857608268462.post-42349746453226049852016-02-09T07:33:00.000-08:002016-02-09T21:02:18.851-08:00Chicken Ghee Roast<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiStQOrCcAusIl7GvgoScfF7T_PWUmpfjO9fFG63-qQ1yYzRT8EI7CHFl9MVc0BC32DjXC0RO0tTf5_0ebOZ1RWdplCeH1xKLW-XtCGzicvLydNtCsXq6CcHA__VTi3OzwhNYy28O6uK-rt/s1600/chickengheeroast1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiStQOrCcAusIl7GvgoScfF7T_PWUmpfjO9fFG63-qQ1yYzRT8EI7CHFl9MVc0BC32DjXC0RO0tTf5_0ebOZ1RWdplCeH1xKLW-XtCGzicvLydNtCsXq6CcHA__VTi3OzwhNYy28O6uK-rt/s640/chickengheeroast1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I'm not too happy with this picture (took it from my cell phone camera) but I'm darn excited about how this dish turned out. This is the first time I made chicken gheeroast and I must say it tasted quite good. I had been to my friend's place for lunch and as she cooked her signature chicken biryani on one side of her kitchen, I hijacked the other side to make chicken gheeroast. It was a fun cook out (though we cooked in), while our kids enjoyed their playdate in the living room. As we sunk into the aroma of the dishes, I managed to take some quick pictures with my cell phone. Hopefully one day I'll update these with better pictures.<br />
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Before I go to the recipe, just wanted to let you know that this is a spicy Mangalorean dish made of a particular type of dry red chilles called byadgi (or kumte mirsang). They look like kashmiri chillies.<br />
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They are not particularly too spicy but do give a nice deep red colour to the dish. If you are alarmed by the number of chillies used, you can reduce the number and later on if you think the dish needs to be spicier, you could add some red chilli powder (roast it a bit in hot ghee before adding).<br />
Also, I love adding different kinds of spices to this dish, If they are not available you can add some basic spices and omit "optional" spices.<br />
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Also please note that in between all the talking and laughing, I may have eyeballed the ingredients so here's a rough estimate of what I had put in. Please don't hold it against me :D. If the dish turns out too spicy, squeeze some lemon juice. If it doesn't turn out spicy (and M'loreans like this spicy), you could add a tsp or more of red chilli powder in the end (like I mentioned, roast it a bit in hot ghee before adding). I did end up adding chilly powder even though I used so many chillies!<br />
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<b>Ingredients:</b><br />
1 kg chicken<br />
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">¼</span> cup yogurt / curd<br />
1 tsp chilli powder<br />
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">½ </span>tsp turmeric powder<br />
30 long red chillies (byadgi chillies / kumte mirsang)<br />
1 tsp coriander seeds<br />
1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)<br />
2 to 4 cloves<br />
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">½</span> " cinammon<br />
8 to 10 garlic cloves<br />
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">½</span> tsp khus khus (optional)<br />
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">½</span> tsp fennel seeds (optional)<br />
5 to 8 peppercorns (optional)<br />
1 lemon-sized tamarind or 1 tbsp tamarind paste<br />
2 tsp sugar<br />
Salt to taste<br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">¾</span> cup ghee*<br />
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*This is called ghee roast for a reason.<br />
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<b>Method :</b><br />
Marinate chicken with curd, salt, red chilli powder and turmeric powder for atleast 2 hours.<br />
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Meanwhile make the red chilly paste. To do this, in a large pan, heat 1 tbsp ghee. Add coriander seeds, jeera, cinnamon, cloves, garlic and the optional spices and roast lightly till you get a nice aroma. Transfer this to a blender jar.<br />
In the same pan, heat 1 tbsp ghee. Roast the chillies. Slowly pour one cup water on the chillies and cook for a couple of minutes. Allow to cool. Remove and transfer the chillies along with the water to the blender jar with the roasted spices.<br />
Grind with tamarind and sugar into a SMOOTH paste. Add more water if needed.<br />
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In a deep pan heat 2 tbsp ghee. Add chicken pieces. Cover and cook till chicken is 90% cooked.<br />
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In the meantime, in a large deep bottomed pan, heat the rest of the ghee. Add the smooth red chilli paste, 1/2 cup water and keep roasting this masala on medium or low heat for about 10 minutes. Add the almost cooked chicken, salt to taste. ( You can add more water if you want some gravy with it).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Tbd-kf_SLt5kDAJMWJAOefuqGW8E87F4TPaWtLh1Zw4zSvi7kROJZNlQni-2ZG1Jz-UG9oLCYNnZtVKIx2EkS8LYXQLO-b8sO7Y4ZybTOCdMgvuqLnk-t4b_yJ17b5lwiwg3NSDiNK-z/s1600/gheeroast+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Tbd-kf_SLt5kDAJMWJAOefuqGW8E87F4TPaWtLh1Zw4zSvi7kROJZNlQni-2ZG1Jz-UG9oLCYNnZtVKIx2EkS8LYXQLO-b8sO7Y4ZybTOCdMgvuqLnk-t4b_yJ17b5lwiwg3NSDiNK-z/s640/gheeroast+3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Cover and cook for another 10 to 15 minutes till the chicken is completely cooked and coated well with the masala.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrpXdmguoFQeQzzH-IMsU9NkuOTypU16YzZ-t4yzuhsQsCZ567Oe88Hy3l7wwHX16kcM_4Ez6cM-UdUCqtJjXs49tH8A93VE7aykxMrgug3zijXqU7aTI_fG5ZxH2uzbDHidPeOfKy_TIf/s1600/chickengheeroast2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="558" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrpXdmguoFQeQzzH-IMsU9NkuOTypU16YzZ-t4yzuhsQsCZ567Oe88Hy3l7wwHX16kcM_4Ez6cM-UdUCqtJjXs49tH8A93VE7aykxMrgug3zijXqU7aTI_fG5ZxH2uzbDHidPeOfKy_TIf/s640/chickengheeroast2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Again, if you cannot digest spicy food, this dish may not be for you. But ofcourse, you can halve the chillies and try it out. This tastes good with bread or pav or naan or any kind of rice.<br />
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Aparna S Mallyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00366918707387955566noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1390139857608268462.post-51196953636429407472015-03-07T12:25:00.002-08:002015-03-07T12:25:54.185-08:00(H)ap(p)y 5th B'day Apy Cooking!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Youtube channel - <span style="text-align: left;">https://www.youtube.com/user/Apycookingonline.</span></div>
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 14.3000001907349px; line-height: 20.0200004577637px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 14.3000001907349px; line-height: 20.0200004577637px;">Yes, a video recipe! Something I've been wanting to do for a long time.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 14.3000001907349px; line-height: 20.0200004577637px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 14.3000001907349px; line-height: 20.0200004577637px;">I've kept the video short, with not too many frills and I do hope you like it. Any suggestions are welcome.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 14.3000001907349px; line-height: 20.0200004577637px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 14.3000001907349px; line-height: 20.0200004577637px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 14.3000001907349px; line-height: 20.0200004577637px;">Thanks to all my readers for visiting my blog, reading my ramblings and actually trying some recipes. Your comments and encouragement have kept me going these five years, despite disappearing from the blogging world for long stretches. I hope to do more videos in the future, as and when time permits (and boy, you do need a lot of time for the videos, yes even the under 5 minute ones!).</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 14.3000001907349px; line-height: 20.0200004577637px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 14.3000001907349px; line-height: 20.0200004577637px;">Thanks again and Happy Cooking!</span></div>
Aparna S Mallyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00366918707387955566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1390139857608268462.post-27052344261685142202015-01-09T20:34:00.000-08:002015-03-08T22:07:43.961-07:00Eggless Chocolate Coffee Cupcakes / Mini Cupcakes / Muffins<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>[Video update on 4th March:</b></div>
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<span style="background-repeat: no-repeat; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/-cG6WGsPiaQ/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/-cG6WGsPiaQ?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></b></span> <b>]</b></div>
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Who likes a hint of coffee in a moist, luscious, chocolate cupcake? I do! And so, when I was trying a batch of mini chocolate cupcakes last month, I went ahead and added some coffee in it. I loved the result and thought of sharing with you all. For this post, I made regular muffins, but given a choice, I'd go for a mini muffin any day. They are cute, just a tad bigger than bite-sized and, they've always been my favourite form of cake! If you do not have a mini muffin tray, you can use a regular muffin tray, but like I have said in my earlier posts <a href="http://www.apycooking.com/2014/06/eggless-mini-mango-muffins.html">here</a> and <a href="http://www.apycooking.com/2011/10/mini-banana-muffins.html">here</a>, do try to get your hands on one!</div>
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I have not iced these cupcakes because they taste great as they are. The recipe is slightly modified from my earlier post on <a href="http://www.apycooking.com/2010/03/eggless-chocolate-cake.html">eggless chocolate cake</a>. I halved the recipe and made some minor changes. If you want to make only chocolate cupcakes or just an eggless chocolate cake, then you should definitely try that recipe.<br />
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<b>Ingredient:</b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">1 cup water<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">1 ½ tsp coffee powder <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">1 ½ cups maida or all purpose flour<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">3 tbsp cocoa powder <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">1 ¼cup sugar<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">¼ tsp salt<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">1 tsp baking soda<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">½ cup oil<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">1 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice (or
vinegar)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;">1 tsp vanilla essence</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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* Preferably caster sugar. If using regular granulated sugar, grind in a dry mixer for a couple of seconds. This is to dissolve sugar easily later. Optional step.</div>
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<b>Method:</b><br />
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Bring water to a light boil and dissolve the coffee powder in it. Allow to cool completely.</div>
Meanwhile in a bowl, mix maida, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. [ Run them through a sieve if they have lumps].<br />
In a large bowl, mix all the wet ingredients - coffee solution, oil, vanilla, lemon juice, Add sugar and blend with a hand-held electric mixture till sugar dissolves. To this add the dry maida mixture little by little and mix thoroughly to get a smooth mixture. Blend for a few seconds.<br />
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Preheat the oven to 170<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">ͦ</span>C [340<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">ͦ</span>F]. </div>
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Line a muffin or mini muffin tray with paper liners. Pour in the batter till they are 2/3rd full.<br />
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Bake for about 20 to 22 minutes for muffins (15 to 18 minutes for mini muffins) or till fork inserted in the centre comes out clean.</div>
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NOTE: If the cupcakes are overdone, the edges tend to become crisp and stick to the paper liner. Every oven differs in baking time so keep an eye. Once they are done, leave them to cool completely and refrigerate for atleast 30 minutes. Otherwise they may not come off easily from the paper liner.<br />
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You can easily double the recipe if you are looking to make lots of cupcakes. Infact I made a huge batch of these cuties for my son's birthday. The picture below is of a mini muffin tray and of the cute li'l muffins ready to be arranged for the party on their cupcake stand.<br />
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Go ahead and ice these cupcakes with icing of your choice and sprinkle some sprinklers on them if you like them pretty. As for me, I was content with these cuties adorning the dining table during the party. A proud moment indeed :)!</div>
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Aparna S Mallyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00366918707387955566noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1390139857608268462.post-18446869877528674672014-08-13T07:45:00.001-07:002014-08-13T08:49:54.811-07:00Paneer Mushroom Bread Masala / Paneer Mushroom Stumbler<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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If you like paneer and mushrooms and are looking for an easy, one pan dish for breakfast, lunch, dinner or even a tea-time snack, then dish is for you. You could say this dish is a spin-off of my earlier post on <a href="http://www.apycooking.com/2011/04/scrumbler-stumbler-scrambled-eggs-with.html">Stumber</a> which, btw, tastes great if you eat eggs. I replaced the eggs in the recipe with paneer and mushroom one day, because I wanted to, and loved the result. Go ahead and make this. The bite of mushrooms, the creaminess of the paneer and the softness of the bread will make you want to make this again and again! Oh and just a small tip. if you have no problem with using an extra couple of spoons of ghee, go ahead and drizzle it. Ghee lends a lovely flavour to this dish.</div>
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<b>Ingredients:</b></div>
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4 large onions</div>
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2 tsp chilli powder</div>
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1 or 2 green chillies</div>
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1 1/2 tsp garam masala</div>
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1/2 tsp haldi (turmeric powder)</div>
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2 medium tomatoes</div>
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200 g mushroom</div>
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200 g paneer</div>
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4 or 5 slices of bread</div>
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One handful coriander leaves</div>
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Ghee or oil</div>
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Salt</div>
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<b>Method:</b></div>
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In a large pan, heat 2 tbsp ghee. Add chopped onions and sauté till they become brownish. Now add chillipowder and roast for a couple of minutes. To this add finely chopped green chillies and chopped tomatoes and roast till the tomatoes are completely cooked. Add garam masala powder and haldi powder and roast for a minute. Now add chopped mushrooms and 1 tsp salt and cook for a few minutes. To this add paneer chopped to 1" cubes and mix gently. Cook for a couple of minutes. I added another 3/4 tsp salt. Now add bread chopped to 1" cubes and mix. Cook covered on low flame for a couple of minutes and mix well. Adjust salt and spices according to your taste. Sprinkle chopped coriander leaves and mix well.<br />
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Happy Cooking!!</div>
Aparna S Mallyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00366918707387955566noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1390139857608268462.post-41904257212066452852014-07-15T03:35:00.001-07:002014-07-15T06:08:44.554-07:00Palak Paneer / Indian Cottage Cheese in Spicy Spinach Curry<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Many a times when I have had palak paneer, in a restaurant or elsewhere, I couldn't help noticing the difference in the shades of green this dish comes in. Cooking the dish for an extra few minutes can slowly deepen it's colour. Some like to cook the palak minimally to retain it's colour while some overcook it to make it a lot darker (unknowingly so). Some add milk or cream which makes the colour lighter while others prefer to just go by water. Though I like all the different shades (because I love palak paneer), I invariably tend to overcook the dish, probably because in the back of my mind I like the colour to ripen from a rich emerald to a deep olive green.</div>
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<b>Ingredients :</b><br />
2 bunches palak<br />
1" piece ginger<br />
3 tbsp oil or ghee<br />
1 tsp jeera (cumin seeds)<br />
3 medium onions<br />
2 tsp ginger garlic paste (or crushed garlic and ginger)<br />
1 large tomato<br />
1 1/2 tsp garam masala powder<br />
1 1/2 tsp chilli powder<br />
1/2 tsp turmeric powder (haldi)<br />
200g paneer, chopped into 1" cubes<br />
Water<br />
Salt<br />
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<b>Method :</b><br />
Wash palak (discard the stems) and boil with ginger in half a cup of water for a few minutes. Allow to cool. Drain the water out but reserve it.<br />
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In a deep bottomed pan, heat oil/ ghee. When it's <b>hot</b>, add cumin seeds. Once the seeds splutter, sauté chopped onions. Add crushed garlic and ginger or their paste and sauté till the onions turn brownish. Now add the powders and roast for a couple of minutes. Add chopped tomatoes and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes till tomatoes are cooked. Allow to cool.<br />
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Transfer half of this into a blender. Add the boiled palak also into the blender. Blend into a smooth paste. Transfer this back to the earlier deep bottomed pan. Mix the blended paste with the rest of the sautéed onion mixture. Add the reserved water and bring to a boil. Add enough water to get a gravy like consistency. You can also add a couple of tablespoons of milk or cream. Add salt and bring to a boil. Now add the paneer cubes. You can fry paneer before adding. I did not fry. Cook for a few minutes.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDNev6pSU5hivkLBNeP7BtVX1fA72qAlaWeKMJ_Eum6TIZQDhi8cujc0TYS2-F78H851uPVhB8a7i9Lv6vaH0d9jI4uZ-Av7pFST6XFN6i2Cx489TRmRi1n3w6HZ-Y2BJ6RO-Zp6G1FMjB/s1600/Palak+Paneer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDNev6pSU5hivkLBNeP7BtVX1fA72qAlaWeKMJ_Eum6TIZQDhi8cujc0TYS2-F78H851uPVhB8a7i9Lv6vaH0d9jI4uZ-Av7pFST6XFN6i2Cx489TRmRi1n3w6HZ-Y2BJ6RO-Zp6G1FMjB/s1600/Palak+Paneer.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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Tastes best with rotis / chapatis.<br />
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Aparna S Mallyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00366918707387955566noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1390139857608268462.post-12769674777858748092014-07-11T01:23:00.002-07:002014-09-23T10:21:59.369-07:00Basic Cake / Vanilla Cake<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Under all the beautifully hand crafted fondant, the deliciously flavoured frosting and the subtle, creamy filling, lies a simple cake that holds these elements together. Here's a recipe of one such cake.<br />
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This is a vanilla cake by virtue of the vanilla essense I added, but you can experiment with any flavour of your choice. Another similar post that I have is of a simple <a href="http://www.apycooking.com/2011/07/yellow-cake.html">yellow cake</a> which is very easy to make, but I wanted one which required only 1 cake pan. So I went ahead and halved the ingredients of the famous 1234 cake adjusting butter according to the way it's packaged in India. Here we get butter in 100g slabs unlike the sticks it comes in elsewhere. 1 stick equals 113 g or 1/2 cup while a slab weighs 100g.<br />
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<b>Ingredients :</b><br />
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour (maida)<br />
1 1/2 tsp baking powder<br />
1 pinch salt<br />
100g butter<br />
1 cup sugar<br />
2 eggs<br />
1 tsp vanilla extract<br />
1/2 cup milk<br />
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<b>Note:</b><br />
<b>-</b>All the ingredients, specially butter, should be at room temperature.<br />
-Baking powder is different from baking soda.<br />
-Please check the contents of the butter. If it has salt, don't add extra salt. You can add a small pinch if you want to. I forgot the butter was salted and I did add a pinch, but the cake turned out fine. Besides, I like salt. If the butter is unsalted, add a good pinch of salt.<br />
-Try and use castor sugar (thin granules) if you want the butter and sugar to cream beautifully. I used granulated sugar which I found in my nearest small grocery store. The kind you run to after you start cooking. This sugar was very stubborn and did not want to get creamed easily.<br />
-Try to get your hands on good quality vanilla essence. Always smell it before you add it. There was a time when I threw my cake because the synthetic vanilla essence I used was horrible. It was horrible. Did I tell you it was horrible?<br />
-Try to get your hands yet again, on good quality parchment paper. It's a big boon. You don't have to grease too much and your cake will pop out right out when you invert the baking pan.<br />
-Before using all purpose flour (maida), sift it to remove lumps/ impurities, if you wish to do so. To sift, just pass it to a large sifter / strainer.<br />
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<b>Method:</b><br />
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First mix the dry ingredients. For this, in a bowl, add maida, baking powder and a pinch of salt. Mix well.<br />
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Now in a large bowl, take some butter. The butter should be soft enough to be mixed easily. Add sugar and mix with a spoon or spatula. With a hand held electric mixer, blend the sugar and butter for a minute or two till you get a nice creamy mixture. Add eggs and vanilla essence [ Notice how well I've succeeded in highlighting the eggs and not focus on the "creamed" sugar and butter, because, well, it did not cream well] Blend to get a creamy mixture. To this add milk and flour mixture [the dry ingredients which you had mixed earlier] little by little and blend gently as you add. Towards the end, mix well with a large spoon or spatula, scraping the sides.<br />
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Preheat the oven to 170C [340F].<br />
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Grease the sides and bottom of an 8" or 9" baking tin with oil, butter or ghee. I also lined the base with parchment paper. Pour the batter into the tin. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or till a fork inserted in the centre comes out clean. [ I baked for 35 minutes so the cake browned a little more, but the taste was great. Infact I like it that way. I'm not justifying]. Allow to cool and invert on to a cakeboard / plate.<br />
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So now that you have a simple basic vanilla cake, you can experiment with flavours, fillings, icings, toppings and what not. Happy Baking!</div>
Aparna S Mallyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00366918707387955566noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1390139857608268462.post-66077509032876359482014-06-10T11:14:00.002-07:002014-07-21T10:40:57.429-07:00Easy Eggless Banana Cake<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Usually when I buy bananas, I end up buying a dozen of them. They come home with me and sit stubbornly in the fruit basket, as if gesturing to stay away for a few days till they ripen. And ripen they do, all together, making me wonder if they take a silent pledge of equal fruition. Almost always a couple of these bananas, specially the ones that stay at the bottom of the pile, end up getting ignored, and they seem to vehemently make this clear by quietly changing colour.<br />
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That, ofcourse, is not an excuse to bake this cake. Infact, I made this cake just as the bananas ripened, because I was waiting to lay my hands yet again on my new OTG after the delicious outcome of my earlier experiment - <a href="http://www.apycooking.com/2014/06/eggless-mini-mango-muffins.html">Eggless mini mango muffins.</a> Just like the mango muffins, this is an eggless cake that comes out soft and light.<br />
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So here's the recipe. It's easy to make with ingredients probably available in your house right now.<br />
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<b>Ingredients:</b><br />
2 medium-sized ripe bananas<br />
3/4 cup sugar<br />
1/2 cup yogurt (curd)<br />
1/4 cup oil<br />
1 pinch salt<br />
3/4 tsp baking soda<br />
1 1/4 cup maida or all purpose flour<br />
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<b>Method:</b><br />
Roughly chop bananas and blend with sugar and yogurt for about 20 seconds to get a smooth paste (there shouldn't be any banana chunks).<br />
Transfer this paste to a large bowl. Add oil, mix gently till you fold it in and then mix thoroughly. Add salt and baking soda and mix. To this add maida little by little mixing as you add. <b>Mix thoroughly, </b>scraping the sides, and get rid of all lumps to get a nice and <b>smooth paste. </b>[You can use an electric hand mixer]. Make sure there are no lumps and that all ingredients are mixed really well.<br />
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Preheat oven to 180C (350F).<br />
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Line a baking tin with parchment paper or grease it well with oil. [ Use a 7" round tin. I used 8" and the cake became thinner than I'd have liked].<br />
Pour the cake batter into the baking tin. Bake for 35 minutes (+ or - 5 minutes depending on the oven), till a fork inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean.<br />
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Allow the cake to cool. Invert the cake (gently peel off the parchment paper if you have used it).</div>
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My husband's serving suggestion - have this hot with ice-cream. Sounds yum!</div>
Aparna S Mallyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00366918707387955566noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1390139857608268462.post-11197892060535437712014-06-04T21:51:00.001-07:002015-04-30T06:16:22.722-07:00Eggless Mini Mango Muffins<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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[Video update on 30/4/2015 :<br /><br /><br /><iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/1IyAmnF0uP0/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1IyAmnF0uP0?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> ]</div>
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Mango is such a divine fruit. Mangoes are pulpy, juicy, sweet, luscious. Their bright orange-yellow colour plays with your eyes and their succulence makes them totally irresistible.<br />
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Here's an easy, eggless recipe with easily-available ingredients to make mini muffins out of these delicious mangoes. I prefer mini muffins to muffins because they are smaller, good for a quick bite and can be very appealing. If you don't have a mini muffin tray, you can use a regular muffin/ cupcake tray (baking time will increase by about 10 minutes), but I would urge you to get yourself the mini muffin tray. A few online stores seem to sell them. Mini muffins look very cute and you can serve them at a party or take them to your friend's house or to your child's play date and they will be immediately liked. You can even slip one into your child's tiffin box.<br />
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<b>Ingredients:</b><br />
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1 ½ cups Maida or all purpose flour<br />
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1 tsp baking soda <o:p></o:p></div>
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¾ cup sugar<o:p></o:p></div>
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3 to 4 cardamom pods<o:p></o:p></div>
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½ cup melted butter OR ghee<o:p></o:p></div>
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½ cup thick yogurt/ curd<o:p></o:p></div>
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2 large or medium mangoes (for 1 cup thick <o:p></o:p></div>
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mango pulp)<br />
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Note :<br />
- I used 2 regular sized mangoes for the pulp/ puree. For best results use ripe and sweet mangoes.<br />
- All ingredients, specially the mango, should be at room temperature.<br />
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<b>Method:</b><br />
In a bowl, combine maida and baking soda and keep aside.<br />
Discard the skin and blend cardamom with sugar for about 10 seconds. Take this powdered sugar into a large bowl. Add ghee and mix well. Get rid of lumps. To this add curd and mix thoroughly. Get rid of lumps.<br />
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To make the puree, chop mangoes roughly and blend for 10 to 15 seconds or till you get a fine puree. Measure out one cup [You may need more mango depending on the size. ] Add puree to the above mixture and mix really well. Get rid of lumps. You don't want any lumps.<br />
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To this, add the maida+baking soda little by little and mix thoroughly [ I used my handheld whisk. You can use an electric hand mixer to get a smooth mix.] Make sure you get rid of lumps. The batter should be <b>smooth and lump-free.</b><br />
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Preheat the oven to 170˚C or 340˚F.<br />
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Line a mini muffin tray with paper liners. If you don't have a mini muffin tray you can use a regular muffin tray. The baking time will vary.<br />
Using two spoons get the batter into each liner till it's 3/4th full.<br />
Bake for 16 to 18 minutes, till the muffins are done and a fork inserted in the centre comes out clean.<br />
[If you are using a regular muffin tray, bake for about 22 minutes.]<br />
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Allow to cool. You can frost these muffins and make cute cupcakes out of them. [If you are using a regular muffin tray and you realise only later that the inside in still a little sticky, then refrigerate the muffins and they should be good after an hour].</div>
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Enjoy these cute treats with your family or friends!</div>
Aparna S Mallyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00366918707387955566noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1390139857608268462.post-75996290021324910582014-03-07T10:42:00.001-08:002014-06-10T20:44:28.213-07:00(H)ap(p)y 4th B'day Apy Cooking! Celebrating with Churmundo (Wheat Flour Laddoos)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Long before I relished rasgullas and rasmalai, tasted tiramisu and tres leches, or polished off pies and puddings, the homely, humble and hearty burst-in-the-mouth <i>churmundo</i>, stood tall as one of my most favourite desserts in my early childhood. Memories of my granny, Amma and Pachi (aunt) sitting around a huge vessel and shaping these laddoos as I hovered around 'sampling' a couple here and a couple and a half there are still very vivid. </div>
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Today being the 4th 'Bloggiversary' of Apy Cooking, I thought of making these simple, easy laddoos just to walk down the memory lane a little bit, and sought help from my Pachi for the measures. There are a few variations to this laddoo - some people add besan (gram flour) and some prefer to throw in raisins and cashewnuts. I have kept it simple with the usual four ingredients.</div>
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<b>Ingredients :</b></div>
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2 cups wheat flour (chapati atta)</div>
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1/2 cup + 2 tbsp ghee</div>
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1 1/4 cup sugar</div>
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7 to 8 cardamom</div>
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Note: Reduce sugar if you don't like the laddoos very sweet.</div>
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<b>Method:</b></div>
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Pour 1/2 cup ghee into a heavy bottomed pan and place on low heat. When the ghee turns slightly warm, add wheat flour little by little and keep mixing and roasting for about 10 to 15 minutes on low heat till you get a nice aroma and the flour appears to change in colour. Remove from heat and keep aside till it cools completely.</div>
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Meanwhile, grind sugar along with cardamom (skin removed) in a blender for about 15 seconds till you get a fine powder. Add this powdered mixture to the roasted flour. Mix really well. Add another 2 tbsp ghee and mix well (knead with your palm). Grease your palms with a little ghee and taking about a fistful of mixture at a time, shape into lime-sized balls.</div>
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To shape the laddoos, press the mixture by tightening your fist and move it along the fist as you press it hard. As the laddoo gets it's shape, decrease the pressure, or else it can collapse in your palm. </div>
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You can add a little more ghee to the mixture if the balls don't hold their shape. Just mix well again and rework the laddoos.</div>
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The recipe yields 20 to 22 laddoos.</div>
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Aparna S Mallyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00366918707387955566noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1390139857608268462.post-70080990681501539402013-03-08T04:05:00.004-08:002013-03-08T04:20:43.536-08:00(H)ap(p)y 3rd B'day Apy Cooking!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Apy Cooking turns three today. And as it always happens, I was taken back to my very first post. My most favourite dessert. Something I could eat all day, everyday, if my metabolism worked overtime like Jughead's. So I thought of mentioning this delicious dessert yet again along with two others that I made to celebrate the earlier birthdays of Apy Cooking.<br />
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<b>Tres Leches</b></div>
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Is this cake? Nope, it's heaven's delight. Take a bite and feel the burst of sweetened milk dancing on your palate. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-fyWaUonDvDXQiQg-OjvGrNgX9pVgHyDKiqNxmj5ueMO8gZ0HOBn1r2Y0ua6ziiAn9OS1UqjwHvUPFnbCFyB_oUhkKndeYpF8fzRpTebzA47AQWdX_yPWIxV267C8ldzHGe14lKV_J5Wl/s1600/blog_tresleches.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-fyWaUonDvDXQiQg-OjvGrNgX9pVgHyDKiqNxmj5ueMO8gZ0HOBn1r2Y0ua6ziiAn9OS1UqjwHvUPFnbCFyB_oUhkKndeYpF8fzRpTebzA47AQWdX_yPWIxV267C8ldzHGe14lKV_J5Wl/s640/blog_tresleches.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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[Original post <a href="http://www.apycooking.com/2010/03/tres-leches-heaven.html">here</a>.]</div>
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<b>Tiramisu</b></div>
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Coffee at it's best. Coffee and cream. Coffee and cake. Coffee and chocolate. Layers of happiness. "Pick me up"? You bet!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGF3xohq-j7CXA3jp3lay1F67Z91sRI_9fJY8gGLge-iuSmBHNnXfM8AQt9qaNr8MbX0bQ-d0rU3fDeeVDW9wLCGJTzZgOBTkdpnlKqHqHPWbdC-xJBezXZu4SrM93GLw8K1rh8lpht4NF/s1600/blog_tiramisu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGF3xohq-j7CXA3jp3lay1F67Z91sRI_9fJY8gGLge-iuSmBHNnXfM8AQt9qaNr8MbX0bQ-d0rU3fDeeVDW9wLCGJTzZgOBTkdpnlKqHqHPWbdC-xJBezXZu4SrM93GLw8K1rh8lpht4NF/s640/blog_tiramisu.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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[Original post <a href="http://www.apycooking.com/2011/03/happy-bday-apy-cooking-celebrating-with.html">here</a>.]</div>
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<b>Doll Cake</b></div>
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Every girl likes dolls. Imagine one made of chocolate. And hazelnut spread. And wrapped in delicious pink fondant. With purple beads. A cake that will make any girl squeal with delight. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzTyGXDY3425GWrmo4ov0Zf3Em_Nxk-12vF_V-VPmUCH4ZO0a4b2a3CRNBc2vWjU5xjZqs10WbGzumw3jmQJ-z5bGhx4YwtDtNAYNKqYSzlEQ-Zc4EDGH4-24J28gX_juKPL-f6CCQ_Fpz/s1600/blog_doll.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzTyGXDY3425GWrmo4ov0Zf3Em_Nxk-12vF_V-VPmUCH4ZO0a4b2a3CRNBc2vWjU5xjZqs10WbGzumw3jmQJ-z5bGhx4YwtDtNAYNKqYSzlEQ-Zc4EDGH4-24J28gX_juKPL-f6CCQ_Fpz/s640/blog_doll.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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[Original post <a href="http://www.apycooking.com/2012/03/happy-bday-apy-cooking-celebrating-with.html">here</a>.]<br />
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I absolutely enjoyed every tiny moment I spent on making these beauties. Specially when I poured the three milks all over the cake when making tres leches. And when I made the different layers of tiramisu. And when I rolled the fondant to make the doll's dress. And I enjoyed all the little trials and errors that went into making every single post on Apy Cooking. Happy B'day Apy Cooking and thanks to all my dear readers!<br />
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Aparna S Mallyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00366918707387955566noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1390139857608268462.post-56799210967438891912012-12-31T23:08:00.001-08:002016-02-27T21:47:07.378-08:00Super Easy 5 Minute Eggless Microwave Oreo Biscuit Cake<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-wpw3278t6zKqxPuSpTbGEm3u9dXqJtpySK3J5he2zm4FaM_LTqqhLr82FaV3sc8s9FsGn24qBDvDdOVKuVLw3K2f3yQAAPee_S-8w_k0jzkm5YvCgnwYWhR0igIws2Kw5qnOwwZ9PsyF/s1600/biscuit+cake+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-wpw3278t6zKqxPuSpTbGEm3u9dXqJtpySK3J5he2zm4FaM_LTqqhLr82FaV3sc8s9FsGn24qBDvDdOVKuVLw3K2f3yQAAPee_S-8w_k0jzkm5YvCgnwYWhR0igIws2Kw5qnOwwZ9PsyF/s640/biscuit+cake+1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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[Video update on 22/02/2016</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/vrrj_ZncvHU/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vrrj_ZncvHU?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe> ]</div>
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Hungry for a cake, but lazy to make an elaborate one? Here's a quick and easy recipe for a semi-homemade cake, so to speak.<br />
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<b>Ingredients :</b><br />
1 large packet and 1 small packet of oreo biscuits (<b>19 pairs</b>. 38 biscuits in total)<br />
1 cup milk (240 ml)<br />
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¾ tsp baking powder OR ¾ tsp Eno<br />
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3 tbsp sugar<br />
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<b>Method:</b><br />
Crush the biscuits roughly. [Do not remove the cream]. Transfer to a blender. Add the other ingredients and blend into a smooth paste.<br />
Grease a microwave safe dish liberally with butter, oil or ghee. [You can also line the base with parchment paper/ butter paper to get a clean top while inverting. Please use good quality parchment paper. I first greased the bottom and sides and placed the parchment paper like so:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2E2GA_hKDIGkNLoeJrCqnGBJL0xpKocdgo_fjBCdaYgPx4vCnruOwqpN2JYW8wuZXVQLLwK7LksfnG61r7XXePAvH4XlFshUjzVCbaPsM87GROMAeRn95c2RknTEPoRTCBayNN6VwKr5z/s1600/parchment.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2E2GA_hKDIGkNLoeJrCqnGBJL0xpKocdgo_fjBCdaYgPx4vCnruOwqpN2JYW8wuZXVQLLwK7LksfnG61r7XXePAvH4XlFshUjzVCbaPsM87GROMAeRn95c2RknTEPoRTCBayNN6VwKr5z/s1600/parchment.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
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Transfer the cake batter into the dish. Microwave for 5 minutes [in regular microwave mode]. You will see some moist spots on the top and sides. That's fine.<br />
Do not touch the cake for atleast another 15 minutes, you want to let it cook with the heat trapped inside.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWoUFomq2wmBuOilbjJwRaI9_et8nftlG8cM5tEYgQ715pNoz5KdeIXQ4INJ73TXyVo9nDWlrKGwvPyOFWRwf4MG-T6UEjTRHEhHyFCQ9-0cPDhu_w99BB8FEzHXYc5x_e99gQK145i9Z-/s1600/Oreo+Cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWoUFomq2wmBuOilbjJwRaI9_et8nftlG8cM5tEYgQ715pNoz5KdeIXQ4INJ73TXyVo9nDWlrKGwvPyOFWRwf4MG-T6UEjTRHEhHyFCQ9-0cPDhu_w99BB8FEzHXYc5x_e99gQK145i9Z-/s640/Oreo+Cake.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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[If you wish to invert the cake, let it cool for 30 minutes. Check <a href="http://www.apycooking.com/2011/05/eggless-microwave-chocolate-cake.html">this </a>post for more tips. If you have used parchment paper to line the base, you can invert it in lesser time. ]<br />
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You can top the cake with sugar powder. Just take some powdered sugar in a strainer and splash it all over the cake.<br />
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Perfect for a last minute (oops last 5 minute) snack! Happy New Year!<br />
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<b>Update</b> : Made this with Oreo orange creme biscuits. Loved the subtle orange flavour. This time, I used baking powder instead of eno. And the lines on top - that's Nutella!<br />
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Thanks to the internet for letting me know you can make cakes with biscuits! I experimented with my favourite Oreo cookies and now I have a quick cake recipe.<br />
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A couple more eggless microwave cake recipes -<br />
<a href="http://www.apycooking.com/2011/05/eggless-microwave-chocolate-cake.html">Eggless Microwave Chocolate Cake</a><br />
<a href="http://www.apycooking.com/2010/09/eggless-microwave-coffee-cake.html">Eggless Microwave Coffee Cake</a><br />
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Aparna S Mallyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00366918707387955566noreply@blogger.com54tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1390139857608268462.post-22911777127415412582012-12-24T02:49:00.000-08:002012-12-24T03:02:23.556-08:00My Baby Turns Four!! Celebrating with Banana Cupcakes Iced with Delicious Flour Frosting<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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It's my son's b'day again and the time to bake a cake for him! However, this time I made something different - I made several cupcakes and brought them together to wish my son a Happy Birthday! The cupcakes are made of banana - click <a href="http://www.apycooking.com/2011/10/mini-banana-muffins.html">here</a> for the step-by-step pictures - and the frosting is made with flour! Don't be alarmed when I say flour because the icing comes out so airy and delicious, you want to lick the spoon as you ice the cupcakes. Go ahead, try it for yourself!<a href="http://www.apycooking.com/2011/07/frosting-for-cakes-cupcakes.html"> Here's </a>the link for the flour frosting.<br />
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The chocolate frosting I used for the letters is store bought - Pillsburry Creamy Chocolate Icing - and I also swirled some frosting on some cupcakes for a chocolaty taste. If you want different frosting colours you can mix some food colour (the Wilton fan that I am, I used Wilton gel colours) with the flour frosting till you get the hue you desire.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU8IfBSLOtnvP9KcoR2B2xA3zibO9sSuNw7Oyaxa-66zjiWYmdXFuBwnP1rgB8qcSsmuiPI2ICLqK7O8CzQ2kKeu_Te9EATLzpCjS374yNcUVZn5rESfzZcKbIUnQk1toEfmjhfHulmMzx/s1600/banana+cupcake3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU8IfBSLOtnvP9KcoR2B2xA3zibO9sSuNw7Oyaxa-66zjiWYmdXFuBwnP1rgB8qcSsmuiPI2ICLqK7O8CzQ2kKeu_Te9EATLzpCjS374yNcUVZn5rESfzZcKbIUnQk1toEfmjhfHulmMzx/s640/banana+cupcake3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Thankfully, my son had no complaints about the simplicity of the cake which was devoid of any cartoon characters or action figures. Thanks for that Vineet!! Happy B'day!!<br />
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Aparna S Mallyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00366918707387955566noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1390139857608268462.post-89573051005757560102012-10-28T09:34:00.001-07:002012-10-29T07:43:55.239-07:00Fondant Pumpkins made with Homemade Marshmallow Fondant<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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A huge pile of giant pumpkins is what comes to my mind when I think of Halloween. So how about some really cute mini-pumpkins made with homemade marshmallow fondant. Sounds yummy, yeah? Luckily I found a bag of white and pink marshmallows in Nilgiris in Mangalore. I used only the white ones and nibbled on the pink ones while I made these.<br />
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Check my post on <a href="http://www.apycooking.com/2012/02/homemade-marshmallow-fondant.html">Homemade Marshamallow Fondant</a> to get step by step pictures on how to make fondant.<br />
I used only 1 cup marshmallows with 1 cup sugar and 1 tsp water. You can easily increase or decrease the quantities depending on how many pumpkins you want to make.<br />
[You can, of course, use store-bought fondant].<br />
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Once you make the fondant, just eyeball, or roughy divide it into the number of pumpkins and their size, setting aside a little bit of fondant for the stems and leaves. Colour the fondant orange, green and brown accordingly. [You can even use a piece of chocolate instead of brown fondant for the stem.] I used Wilton's Icing Colors (concentrated gel).<br />
To colour, just make streaks with the colouring with a toothpick and knead really well to spread the colour evenly (Check <a href="http://www.apycooking.com/2012/02/homemade-marshmallow-fondant.html">this</a> post). Repeat till you get the shade you desire.<br />
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Take a small portion of the orange fondant. Roll it into a ball. Using a toothpick poke a hole in the centre at the top, and make verticals markings on the side (you can even use a butter knife).There, you have a cute pumpkin. Make small stems with the brown fondant. For the green creeper, just curl green fondant around a toothpick like you see in the picture. Remember, fondant dries easily and won't be very malleable once it dries. You may have to knead it again to mould it into the desired shape. To fix the stem and leaves to the pumpkin, use a dab of water.</div>
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You can serve these pumpkins as is or station them on a yummy cupcake. Now how is that for a super-cute Halloween treat!!<br />
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Here are a couple more. Go on, rock your halloween!<br />
<a href="http://www.apycooking.com/2010/10/sugar-cookies-for-halloween.html">Pumpkin Sugar Cookies</a><br />
<a href="http://www.apycooking.com/2011/10/spider-web-muffins-cupcakes-for.html">Spiderweb Muffins</a></div>
Aparna S Mallyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00366918707387955566noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1390139857608268462.post-87061029498589757042012-10-21T10:30:00.004-07:002016-07-26T21:06:17.665-07:00Roasted Garlic Mushroom Soup / Cream of Mushroom Soup<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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It's raining here tonight (yes, in October) and what better companion than a bowl of hot soup to keep you warm! The only thing missing is my husband's company since he is miles away, but that's not going to stop me from relishing this creamy, steamy, earthy, delicious soup!<br />
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[Video Update on 26/07/2016<br />
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<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/LyGe0OcwWys/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LyGe0OcwWys?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> ]</div>
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<b>Ingredients:</b><br />
12 to 15 garlic cloves, chopped<br />
200g mushrooms, chopped<br />
2 tbsp butter<br />
1 tbsp maida (all purpose flour)<br />
1 cup milk<br />
3 cups water<br />
1/4 to 1/2 tsp ground pepper (or pepper powder)<br />
Salt to taste<br />
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<b>Method:</b><br />
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In a pan, heat butter. Roast garlic for a couple of minutes. Add mushrooms and roast for a few minutes. Remove about 2 tbsp of this mixture and keep aside in a bowl (for garnishing).<br />
Add maida to the remaining roasted garlic and mushrooms and roast for a few minutes.<br />
Transfer to a blender and blend with 1/2 cup milk (add milk a little at a time). Add 1/2 cup water and blend again.<br />
Transfer to a vessel. Add another 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 cup water and bring to a boil. Sprinkle ground pepper. (If you are using fine pepper powder, mix with a little water before adding). Add salt to taste and add the roasted garlic-mushroom kept aside for garnishing. Cook for a couple of minutes. Watch the rain, sip the soup and stay warm!<br />
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Note : You can adjust the quantity of milk and water depending on how thick or thin you want your soup. This recipe serves 2 and you can easily increase the measures. Also, I prefer to grind whole pepper and add the fine granules which give a better peppery flavour, as compared to store-bought pepper powder.<br />
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Aparna S Mallyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00366918707387955566noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1390139857608268462.post-78688495862589419072012-07-01T10:41:00.000-07:002012-10-30T02:21:12.164-07:00Gudgud Alambe Songa / Mushrooms in Tangy-Spicy sauce<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: white;">Rainy season has a beauty of it's own. Rains have a certain magic to them which makes you want to watch them and just watch them, while you listen to their sound of music. One of my favourite things about rain, apart from the refreshing smell of the soil, is these delectable mushrooms that take shape in the beginning of rainy season. These are called thunder mushrooms or</span><i style="background-color: white;"> gud gud alambe</i><span style="background-color: white;">, are round in shape, and need to be peeled individually - a tedious task that is done by almost everyone in the family together at the dining table, amidst jokes and laughter. </span></div>
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My favourite dish made with these mushrooms is <i>Alambe Songa</i> - a spicy dish (and I love it extra-spicy), slightly sour and very delicious. Typically, potatoes are also added, but I prefer it without them, as I love the unique taste and flavour these<i> alambes</i> offer - something we relish only a few weeks in an entire year. So let's keep the potatoes at bay and enjoy a field day with the taste of thunder!</div>
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<b>Ingredients:</b></div>
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3 cups peeled round mushrooms</div>
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3 cups finely chopped onions</div>
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3 to 4 tsp red chilly powder (adjust according to your spice level)</div>
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1 tamarind lump (gooseberry sized)</div>
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Salt to taste</div>
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<b>Method:</b></div>
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Soak tamarind in 1/4 cup hot water and keep aside.</div>
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In a deep-bottomed pan, heat 3 to 4 tbsp oil (or more). Sauté onions for 8 to 10 minutes till they turn brownish. Add chilli powder and roast on medium low heat for 5 to 6 minutes. </div>
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Squeeze out all the water from the tamarind, add the water to the onions and roast well, till the water is absorbed.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivJHgzdd1IAW9dOWZqJirrsQmgpaoUROcJRNY9MGaQmi38sNBnU1jNKn8PWTmMV8Nfzoyd8qkYGpIoyaX67-7PpAByqGZ2v9_TjWURn46voMM5ewyenevmjehM9ANB6N4WpuAEi3fvDJr9/s1600/Alambe+Song+prep1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivJHgzdd1IAW9dOWZqJirrsQmgpaoUROcJRNY9MGaQmi38sNBnU1jNKn8PWTmMV8Nfzoyd8qkYGpIoyaX67-7PpAByqGZ2v9_TjWURn46voMM5ewyenevmjehM9ANB6N4WpuAEi3fvDJr9/s640/Alambe+Song+prep1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Meanwhile add 1/2 cup water to the mushrooms and bring to a boil. Add boiled mushrooms along with water to the pan. Add salt to taste, cover and cook for a few minutes.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUV1wfMftSbFm-4SQF0lbWvivdjvJT0kwOMoCoYKUS_Wp2r1gih-ADUV-bRB20bx0dmoRKH_Qs3_JDhWFWHmoW5PX9_2yImnVQgWIsn5L0WTlQdtcZ7qgF2mvSBLqtIY4uLJoegFOHux2M/s1600/alambe+song+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUV1wfMftSbFm-4SQF0lbWvivdjvJT0kwOMoCoYKUS_Wp2r1gih-ADUV-bRB20bx0dmoRKH_Qs3_JDhWFWHmoW5PX9_2yImnVQgWIsn5L0WTlQdtcZ7qgF2mvSBLqtIY4uLJoegFOHux2M/s640/alambe+song+1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I like it best with boiled rice (ukde sheeth) or bread. And a glass of water to help me out!!</div>
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Aparna S Mallyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00366918707387955566noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1390139857608268462.post-46414932733561550372012-05-22T23:25:00.000-07:002012-05-29T03:22:08.597-07:00Photography - Experimenting with Aperture in Manual Mode<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I'm an absolute novice at taking pictures in manual mode, so I wasn't even thinking of writing a post on it. I just started using this mode less than a week back and am still trying to understand all the nuances involved. However, when I came across<a href="http://www.mydiversekitchen.com/2012/04/exercises-in-food-photography-1.html"> this</a> post by Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen, a fellow Goan, an ardent blogger and a fervent photographer, I decided to take one step ahead and take part in her exercise.</div>
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So here's the picture. The camera I used is a Canon EOS Rebel T3i. I don't have a 50mm f/1.8 lens (hint hint to my hubby), so I stuck to my 18-55mm kit lens and as suggested by Aparna, set the focal length to 24mm. I set the ISO to 100, changed the aperture to f/4.0 (unfortunately it doesn't go any higher in my lens) and experimented a bit with the shutter speed. Here's one where the shutter speed is 1/15s.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6mtq1RHhq0pUWOR2amFRc29webRXAQcuit_PA7i7iFI6xU3BU0qvvUP7RF2OJy1xjwn3Z6Dg73cvSC9XlnYuTThe2EWZ4kVExM2ngVXXD7C9y1UX6I7FeT-Z3NQfHtAYig26FdpNiwPv2/s1600/aperture3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6mtq1RHhq0pUWOR2amFRc29webRXAQcuit_PA7i7iFI6xU3BU0qvvUP7RF2OJy1xjwn3Z6Dg73cvSC9XlnYuTThe2EWZ4kVExM2ngVXXD7C9y1UX6I7FeT-Z3NQfHtAYig26FdpNiwPv2/s640/aperture3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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If whatever I said went right above your head, then let me try to explain whatever little I've understood. Just look closely at the photograph. The orange and lemons look sharper while the rest of the items look a little blurred.<br />
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You may have seen some amazing food photos in food blogs or restaurant menus where a plate of succulent kebabs, a neatly cut piece of chocolate cake or a bowl of luscious ice-cream look so tantalizing against a wonderfully blurry background. And you may have wondered how it is possible to make one aspect shine so much, while toning down the backdrop. This is where aperture plays a major role.<br />
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Aperture is basically the opening in your lens through which light comes in. The bigger the opening, the more the light coming in. The smaller the opening, less light comes in.<br />
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Aperture is measured in F-stop numbers. Example f/2.0, f/5.6, f/22 etc. The smaller the F-stop number, the larger the aperture. The bigger the F-stop number, the smaller the aperture. I know, it's counter-intuitive (because it's a fraction) but you will get the hang of it very soon. <br />
Once again - smaller the F-stop number, more light comes in. Larger the F-stop number, less light comes in.<br />
Example - f/4.0 has MORE light coming in than f/22.<br />
All this when you thought you were done with school and exams. Sigh..<br />
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So why not always shoot with a wider aperture? More light gives better pictures, eh?<br />
This is where DOF comes in. DOF (Depth of field) is the area in your photo that you want sharp or blurred. Remember the gorgeous photos with the blurry background I was talking about? [Something I need to really work on, now that I'm actually talking about it]. Those pictures have a <u>shallow</u> DOF. What that means is, the main subject (read yummilicous food) is sharp and in-focus, while the background and all the pretty decorations are blurred. Same goes to portrait pictures where a child or a bunch of people are the "stars" who stand out against a blurry backdrop.<br />
Compare this to a beautiful scenery. You want all the elements - the trees, the clouds, the mountains, the lake and whatever else you have in there, to be given equal importance. Which means, the depth of field should be <u>greater</u> because everyone's the star in there and all elements should be clearly in focus.<br />
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So what is the connection between aperture and DOF? Aperture decides the DOF. Or rather, depending on what DOF you want your picture to have, you set the aperture accordingly.<br />
A wider aperture (bigger opening, more light, smaller F-stop number ) focuses on the main subject which results in a shallow DOF. A smaller aperture (less light) gives a greater DOF. No, I'm not going any deeper into that, because I don't want to pull my hair out. Just remember that a smaller F-stop number (say f/2.0) gives a shallow DOF (more blurry background) compared to a larger F-stop number (say f11).<br />
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Here are two pictures for comparison. [My lens doesn't have a lower F-stop number, so this is just about what I could manage in terms of blurry background]. The picture on the left has a bigger aperture (f/4.0), hence a shallower depth of field. The oranges and lemons look sharp, while the coffee mugs and rest of the cast look blurred. The picture on the right has a smaller aperture(f/10), hence a wider depth of field. The mugs et al, look clearer.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA6yrQ-2OjzYyJ0VGiwPVL2MecyNjrAp7Y0jbgJ4sF3cxu4abgoGMVWJ77-7U969pkO2l-RxFFTkJIGfiJbOhvp7ifoFWJbWOz0SL5iQv6OGaXlD5ks5KCOCjcAh1fv2TvAM8r-9niTV5E/s1600/aperture+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA6yrQ-2OjzYyJ0VGiwPVL2MecyNjrAp7Y0jbgJ4sF3cxu4abgoGMVWJ77-7U969pkO2l-RxFFTkJIGfiJbOhvp7ifoFWJbWOz0SL5iQv6OGaXlD5ks5KCOCjcAh1fv2TvAM8r-9niTV5E/s640/aperture+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Larger aperture (smaller F-stop number) = shallower DOF (more background blur).<br />
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One more term to remember when changing the aperture is "shutter speed"- the duration taken for the shutter to open and close. When the aperture is bigger, more light comes through the lens, hence the shutter speed should be faster, otherwise the picture will be overexposed. Likewise, when the aperture is smaller, less light comes through, so the shutter speed should be slower in order for the required light to come in.<br />
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Take a deep breath. It's not as confusing as it looks. Just remember that a smaller F-stop number should have a faster shutter speed.<br />
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In the above pictures for example, for the wider aperture (f/4.0), I set the shutter speed to 1/15s (0.066 seconds). For the smaller aperture (f/10) I set the speed to 0"3 s ( 0.3s).<br />
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Here's another example. The first picture was taken with an aperture of f/4.0 and shutter speed of 1/250s. The second picture was taken with an aperture of f/14 and a shutter speed of 1/5s.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwm462kj2P0x-dFgh5EgX7sG7D5jkVq4YdQqkLjNkvdj0N2P8ztZV471Vvl7TKbx5KBXvM8EOb27TvxqilqzQXB4GddOjNvdkd5pwK2IvgcgjcsyAnXzt2TKSV_gGz7CLXJDhrGXM_jEIT/s1600/apple_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwm462kj2P0x-dFgh5EgX7sG7D5jkVq4YdQqkLjNkvdj0N2P8ztZV471Vvl7TKbx5KBXvM8EOb27TvxqilqzQXB4GddOjNvdkd5pwK2IvgcgjcsyAnXzt2TKSV_gGz7CLXJDhrGXM_jEIT/s400/apple_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpPRCSfXaH74N3EbhAnsyE71Mj5L-VY5F4JGdQjT9SM78Or2M3vcjMG4zCAqKTsT0ts4GBIAeA0_Bf0uMS3rflwDZH8c003F8MA_fTbF6nGU_0ZIWf_QCSYrbuQizcg5nrw8-0IQLbUwcm/s1600/apple_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpPRCSfXaH74N3EbhAnsyE71Mj5L-VY5F4JGdQjT9SM78Or2M3vcjMG4zCAqKTsT0ts4GBIAeA0_Bf0uMS3rflwDZH8c003F8MA_fTbF6nGU_0ZIWf_QCSYrbuQizcg5nrw8-0IQLbUwcm/s400/apple_2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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See the difference?<br />
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The first picture (wider aperture) has a shallow depth of field (more background blur).<br />
Since the aperture was wider than that of the second picture, it was taken at a much faster shutter speed. [ I did not use a tripod for any of these pictures, so there may be some differences in the position.]<br />
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Keep varying and experimenting with the shutter speed till you get the picture you envision. Ofcourse, the light source and time of day can affect the quality of the picture. So also could ISO which determines the sensitivity of the camera's sensor to light. I don't want to go deeper into that, because it will leave me more confused than you, so let's stick to whatever I just explained. All I can say is if your picture appears too dark, increase ISO and if too bright, decrease it (or just set ISO to Auto if you are not sure what the heck is happening). If ISO is way too high then the picture will be grainy ("noisy" in camera jargon).<br />
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So that's about how much I know. I'm all set to explore the "Av" (aperture priority) and "Tv" (shutter priority) modes next. As of now, I'm sung as a bug in a rug with the "Auto" mode, but since I've stretched myself a little bit to understand what some terms means, I'm hoping I will soon be comfortable clicking pics of my dishes in manual (or Av) mode.<br />
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Until then, Happy Clicking!!<br />
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<br /></div>Aparna S Mallyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00366918707387955566noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1390139857608268462.post-67302749177096037022012-05-10T12:25:00.000-07:002012-10-30T02:20:54.391-07:00Prawn Recheado / Rechard<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1PbOy9aBcqF3_Jlg23SgVU1bjJzHUcop3vX70dqX8GBAmduJP-y3FdIiBNIE4Kp76_wpJBFARJUUbLYvgwhIJhKMNuEgI9oVcKoyjSh8xo0J0P9ajO1VmGY6mYJlX1gSLxh0LUgi7G8SA/s1600/prawn+rechard+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1PbOy9aBcqF3_Jlg23SgVU1bjJzHUcop3vX70dqX8GBAmduJP-y3FdIiBNIE4Kp76_wpJBFARJUUbLYvgwhIJhKMNuEgI9oVcKoyjSh8xo0J0P9ajO1VmGY6mYJlX1gSLxh0LUgi7G8SA/s640/prawn+rechard+1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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So what did I do with the rechado paste I posted about earlier? Made some delicious, succulent Prawn Rechado. Very easy to make. First of all make the <a href="http://www.apycooking.com/2012/05/goan-rechado-rechard-masala.html?spref=fb">rechado</a> paste. Marinate the prawns with it and stir fry. See, easy-peasy. I told you.</div>
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<b>Ingredients:</b></div>
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23 to 25 large prawns [I kept the tail on of a few of them]</div>
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<a href="http://www.apycooking.com/2012/05/goan-rechado-rechard-masala.html?spref=fb">Rechado (rechard) paste</a></div>
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1 to 2 tbsp oil</div>
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1 to 2 tbsp water</div>
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1 tbsp coriander leaves</div>
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Salt</div>
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<b>Method:</b></div>
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Marinate prawns in the paste. Refrigerate for a few hours [I kept it overnight .]</div>
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In a large pan, heat oil. Add marinated prawns along with all the paste. Sprinkle water. Cook covered till the prawns are completely cooked. Keep stirring to avoid the masala from sticking to the pan. Adjust salt. Garnish with coriander leaves.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigBSkepfLP11JyBiOrcHV9Q53nvZa4wN3Qr4JynoC_4XIQno8UVB_Iy3Kb-ZP5P9jvAlfAKPv0sFUaAzNapvq02QUlx81fbTRd89yE3ho-PwickIpWhPU2j-3KT9y_vdMGk3A8G_gKVKPc/s1600/Prawn+Rechard+Masala.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigBSkepfLP11JyBiOrcHV9Q53nvZa4wN3Qr4JynoC_4XIQno8UVB_Iy3Kb-ZP5P9jvAlfAKPv0sFUaAzNapvq02QUlx81fbTRd89yE3ho-PwickIpWhPU2j-3KT9y_vdMGk3A8G_gKVKPc/s640/Prawn+Rechard+Masala.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The Goan Rechado masala is a little sweeter, so add extra sugar if needed. I did not want to make it too sweet so I stuck to the 3tsp sugar I added while making the paste. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4jQU1GrsQQRNpM6_CApra3x3GFnHSoxWGreMkoRsc4bLBdxX9SwxV5W_8Rl7qUh44nc7FVPUKel4sjz9pv2XUGbuihT4JXYOSa8SvQkdKEErzbGzAGV-u-DCOJzRgjHXuHD1I7yqZeIv1/s1600/prawn+rechard+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4jQU1GrsQQRNpM6_CApra3x3GFnHSoxWGreMkoRsc4bLBdxX9SwxV5W_8Rl7qUh44nc7FVPUKel4sjz9pv2XUGbuihT4JXYOSa8SvQkdKEErzbGzAGV-u-DCOJzRgjHXuHD1I7yqZeIv1/s640/prawn+rechard+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Hope you enjoy this Goan delicacy as much as I do :)!</div>
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Aparna S Mallyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00366918707387955566noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1390139857608268462.post-76119131751496272122012-05-09T07:27:00.001-07:002012-05-21T03:50:07.323-07:00Goan Recheado / Rechard Masala<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijJKUBifIy1iAC3coQzgSN3HSQwTnbWwdtb5lHpfa-4pCV1AVAO880IKG9V8z2FY35QV6DYbkS00dpsmOX4Jgby8mjizkva0rJHAawiv_pQSu-mk_2QTf8RNxg8y2O-us6JbeNQ4kJKoze/s1600/rechard+masala+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijJKUBifIy1iAC3coQzgSN3HSQwTnbWwdtb5lHpfa-4pCV1AVAO880IKG9V8z2FY35QV6DYbkS00dpsmOX4Jgby8mjizkva0rJHAawiv_pQSu-mk_2QTf8RNxg8y2O-us6JbeNQ4kJKoze/s640/rechard+masala+1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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If you love seafood and have visited Goa, then chances are you would have tried a spicy-sweet-tangy dish with a deep red colour called Rechard Masala. So when I found a recipe to make this paste in a book called <i>"Goenche Swad"</i>, I was waiting to try it out. I made a few minor changes, since I was making this for the first time. The recipe called for 1 cup coconut vinegar, but since I had white vinegar I added only 1/2 cup - I was very apprehensive to add a whole cup - and added some coconut oil. I also toned down the spices a bit. This paste can be used as a marinade for your seafood. I found it similar to gheeroast that we get down south, except that rechard masala is tangier and ofcourse, sweeter.<br />
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<b>Ingredients:</b><br />
18 to 20 kashmiri chillies, roughly chopped<br />
3/4 tsp haldi powder<br />
1 tsp jeera<br />
12 to 14 peppercorns<br />
5 to 6 cloves<br />
1" cinammon<br />
10 garlic cloves<br />
1" ginger<br />
1 tsp tamarind<br />
2 to 3 tsp sugar<br />
2 tsp coconut oil<br />
Salt<br />
1/2 cup vinegar<br />
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<b>Method:</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy9XgGoVABxN6Q4v3JOxnjFRO8rNoHErtM_NEb_Eg2CIr25TSGASlmSxGUjep5i5_Jf_Uf-zRSm_9GsIUh9Qb9kJgpWajmGHeil8ItcklvwSORGYOambh_RRdsB-uc9-PJ7yQCoT5pfmCa/s1600/Rechard+Masala.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy9XgGoVABxN6Q4v3JOxnjFRO8rNoHErtM_NEb_Eg2CIr25TSGASlmSxGUjep5i5_Jf_Uf-zRSm_9GsIUh9Qb9kJgpWajmGHeil8ItcklvwSORGYOambh_RRdsB-uc9-PJ7yQCoT5pfmCa/s640/Rechard+Masala.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Dump all the ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well so that the chillies and all the other ingredients get marinated in the vinegar. Leave aside for 30 to 40 minutes. Grind into a <b>smooth paste</b>. [Add a little more oil if required. You could use a little water, but if you want to store the paste for a few days, avoid using water].<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLzijLRGvGKM7YgRq1rEcTADnXm2DHWPfMQqY5ZkBDpNc6DkEzpz5FHSN29VDqWTCFqvfJGufm4Bi3VRNY7MJr_0tQ666-z_2JukQlTEUwPJdiUUsQZBJWPys_ulaa16161-qVARaqVSeD/s1600/rechard+masala+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLzijLRGvGKM7YgRq1rEcTADnXm2DHWPfMQqY5ZkBDpNc6DkEzpz5FHSN29VDqWTCFqvfJGufm4Bi3VRNY7MJr_0tQ666-z_2JukQlTEUwPJdiUUsQZBJWPys_ulaa16161-qVARaqVSeD/s640/rechard+masala+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I will let you know very soon what I made of this paste. Stay tuned!<br />
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So here's what I made - <a href="http://www.apycooking.com/2012/05/prawn-rechado-rechard.html">Prawn Rechard.</a></div>Aparna S Mallyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00366918707387955566noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1390139857608268462.post-90514171610121834072012-05-01T07:53:00.000-07:002012-10-31T20:50:18.385-07:00Baby Corn Bajo / Fritters / Pakoda<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9QxXUOiTh2vg79MfQnYTzZlTU8MenhCC37xj4mNAERtVQ34kKqcsTDBnDMI-Cdm0gXd3Ma1zv89khEgz8HrvtDodetJe4eRY2cBzwSYIVD6Shd-uOqsZ-OrazZfs77lIm-4SEZ1fkA6W8/s1600/babycorn+fried+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9QxXUOiTh2vg79MfQnYTzZlTU8MenhCC37xj4mNAERtVQ34kKqcsTDBnDMI-Cdm0gXd3Ma1zv89khEgz8HrvtDodetJe4eRY2cBzwSYIVD6Shd-uOqsZ-OrazZfs77lIm-4SEZ1fkA6W8/s640/babycorn+fried+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">What's better than sipping hot soup on a cold and rainy evening? Having some hot, crispy pakodas. Dipped in cold tomato sauce laced with chopped garlic. It rained in M'lore a couple of weeks back and boy, what beautiful rains they were! More than welcome in this hot, sultry summer. No signs of rains for a few days now, but that doesn't stop us from having hot bajjis, now does it? </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Ingredients:</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">10 medium babycorn</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">½</span> cup besan (gramflour)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">2 tsp rice flour</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1 <span lang="EN" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">½</span> tsp chilli powder</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">¼</span> tsp jeera (cumin) or jeera powder</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1 <span lang="EN" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">½</span> tsp ginger garlic paste</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">2 tsp tomato ketchup</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Salt</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1 pinch hing powder (optional)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1 pinch ajwain (optional)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Oil for frying</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>[</b>If you don't like the taste of besan you could replace it with maida+cornflour]</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Method:</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Chop babycorn into 1 <span lang="EN" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">½</span>" pieces. Cut the thicker pieces vertically.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In a large bowl add the rest of the ingredients. Add enough water to get a thick-lump-free paste. [When you dip a piece of babycorn, it should coat the babycorn well and when you lift it, a couple of drops of the batter should fall back into the bowl. If the paste is too thick add some more water and mix well.] The batter should be spicy and slightly salty. Adjust accordingly.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Dip babycorn pieces, coat well with batter and deep fry in hot oil.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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I served it with some tomato ketchup on which I sprinkled finely chopped garlic and a couple of pieces of green chilli. Yummy combo!<br />
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</div>Aparna S Mallyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00366918707387955566noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1390139857608268462.post-51904369195552329192012-04-23T06:11:00.002-07:002012-04-23T11:05:40.796-07:00Anjal / Seer Fish Masala Fry<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4cewpEKOJWvxpeeiX2nKY9amMsB_SdwZ9CGK-a8S93QeyjDia52ivwmVUtKJa3ulZPK-P7REAu790dxTIqjUx6-3CSpGC74jKaHhTl7TWj24S0krmKO0CtK4pvUU0O5duiu-sVxYG9yWQ/s1600/fish+masala+fry+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4cewpEKOJWvxpeeiX2nKY9amMsB_SdwZ9CGK-a8S93QeyjDia52ivwmVUtKJa3ulZPK-P7REAu790dxTIqjUx6-3CSpGC74jKaHhTl7TWj24S0krmKO0CtK4pvUU0O5duiu-sVxYG9yWQ/s640/fish+masala+fry+1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Some of my most cherished memories are the ones I spent with my cousins in my Mamama (maternal granny's) place. Long before the age of Nickelodeons and Nintendos, our summer vacations would mainly comprise of playing in the frontyard, amidst the trees, despite the scorching heat. Hide-and-seek used to be one of our favourites where we would hurriedly count upto 20 and rush to find the others crouching under the bed or stooping behind a tree. We would revel playing "family" and being pretend mommies and daddies working hard at the pretend office or sprawling our kitchen-set in the pretend kitchen. During one such evening, the daddies brought home some pretend fish (leaves of a tree) and we made some yummy pretend fish fry for them. I don't think my cousins would even remember this day - we were like 8 or 9 years old then, but I couldn't help smiling when I was shallow frying this fish, so badly wanting to relive all those pleasant memories.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrHC1r4y7UdULwsXS0V-cNf_NWJVoVoYaIn8htyA8Ss_dGFkkxjDDS4cK4df1t03Torx_wFV3a7CFq5jbDvELoU_4fdso0III5iGKM0cjSzu72bUcvABYg0tbIRsqk2yafApbWZyYhAA4W/s1600/fish+masala+fry+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrHC1r4y7UdULwsXS0V-cNf_NWJVoVoYaIn8htyA8Ss_dGFkkxjDDS4cK4df1t03Torx_wFV3a7CFq5jbDvELoU_4fdso0III5iGKM0cjSzu72bUcvABYg0tbIRsqk2yafApbWZyYhAA4W/s640/fish+masala+fry+3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I followed my mom's recipe for this one, making a couple of minor changes. The chilli powder I used was a local brand which gave a wonderful colour and was less spicy. Adjust the spice according to your taste. If the fish turns out too spicy, drizzle more lemon juice before serving. Also, if vinegar is not available, replace with lemon juice. I used 7 medium pieces of anjal (surmai / seer fish).</div>
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<b>Ingredients:</b></div>
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<i>For the marinade</i></div>
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1 tsp chopped ginger</div>
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5 to 6 garlic cloves</div>
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3 tsp chilli powder </div>
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1/4 tsp turmeric powder</div>
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3/4 tsp garam masala powder</div>
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1 tsp lemon juice</div>
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1/2 tsp vinegar</div>
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2 tbsp water</div>
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Salt to taste</div>
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<i>For shallow frying:</i></div>
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Oil</div>
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Curry leaves (about 5 to 6 per piece of fish)</div>
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<b>Method:</b></div>
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Grind all the ingredients under "for the marinade" into a smooth paste. [The marinade should be spicy and slightly salty]. Apply it all over the fish and refrigerate for a few hours [I kept it overnight]. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDh1XLV1QwukzIjdXxsy8GF2NwePxKxLJLy50queunHoxL7fe430991cuO1DcjFLq9Ya0aATEYYos3wb3M0TsOueVO3FmxQL6PZlQ9xMSG1ya_udqI8YYdr0DEg8rNC223O-VG1jkQaBy9/s1600/Anjal+Masala+Fry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDh1XLV1QwukzIjdXxsy8GF2NwePxKxLJLy50queunHoxL7fe430991cuO1DcjFLq9Ya0aATEYYos3wb3M0TsOueVO3FmxQL6PZlQ9xMSG1ya_udqI8YYdr0DEg8rNC223O-VG1jkQaBy9/s640/Anjal+Masala+Fry.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Heat oil in a pan. Add lots of curry leaves, roughly torn. Place fish pieces and drizzle some more oil on top. Cover and shallow fry for a few minutes on each side, till the fish is completely cooked.</div>
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Serve hot with a dash of lemon. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhavGlP8i6vKdHCjcLc2IR_a9aHGuqam9bwPSQQhkLfBcOU8S-wVjdXTJayZFXPHNmZ1HhqzO1GvEVU1zK13D5fUjiMGLyLEdXJ7dCpieU-_WPZK-DTdV-A6aSCtJDtR47WF5xQYWeNEfuF/s1600/fish+masala+fry+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhavGlP8i6vKdHCjcLc2IR_a9aHGuqam9bwPSQQhkLfBcOU8S-wVjdXTJayZFXPHNmZ1HhqzO1GvEVU1zK13D5fUjiMGLyLEdXJ7dCpieU-_WPZK-DTdV-A6aSCtJDtR47WF5xQYWeNEfuF/s640/fish+masala+fry+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>Aparna S Mallyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00366918707387955566noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1390139857608268462.post-16206324200314973692012-04-18T19:20:00.007-07:002012-05-01T09:00:08.211-07:00Raja Phanna Upkari / Mackerel In Spicy-Tangy Sauce<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Raja Phanna Upkari is a super-spicy, delightfully tangy Konkani dish made with very few ingredients. "Raja" here refers to mackerel and somehow for me, this fish is irreplaceable. Ofcourse, you can make this dish with prawns or tilapia or any other type of fish, but I always found mackerels winning hands down on this one.</div>
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<b>Ingredients:</b></div>
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5 to 6 medium mackerels, cleaned and cut</div>
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2 cups onions finely chopped</div>
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5 to 6 tsp chilli powder</div>
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1 goose-berry sized tamarind</div>
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Salt</div>
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<b>Method:</b></div>
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In a small bowl, add 1/4 cup hot water and soak tamarind in it.</div>
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In a deep-bottomed pan, heat oil. Add chopped onion and roast for about 10 minutes till they become brownish. Add chilli powder and roast on medium-low heat for 7 to 8 minutes.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMAwYWhHW6UxSURe9EHenznlPVRCzuufnhNWPF6V4NNKP-tzPTennUjPP289sDDKdCGUU9QFvX4O_yVCZS2HAly6PMxdC9zUviSAd_4W1e37PkOgbM4qaLwVPvxpTAjxZSCuYy59kGj45Y/s1600/Raja+Phanna+Upkari+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMAwYWhHW6UxSURe9EHenznlPVRCzuufnhNWPF6V4NNKP-tzPTennUjPP289sDDKdCGUU9QFvX4O_yVCZS2HAly6PMxdC9zUviSAd_4W1e37PkOgbM4qaLwVPvxpTAjxZSCuYy59kGj45Y/s640/Raja+Phanna+Upkari+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Squeeze tamarind in the water as much as possible. Add the water into the pan. Pour some more water on the tamarind, squeeze out the juice completely and add the water to the pan. Discard the tamarind.</div>
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Add a cup or two of water and bring to a boil. Add mackerels. Add more water if needed and salt to taste. Bring to a boil. Simmer and cook till the fish is completely cooked, about 5 to 10 minutes.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7vIiPfi3bsADWaawpxOczC1x8jZCxViXoCQSql_Vn0znUmI-sDoEJHDAi54lc7pEFVYdUVFpRyyOq3BGQ4u_NwTtE8qTIsg_WvW4yEsxH2tlD-TbDFJ86Tr_heWcW2eHeNmwbkrto2Vmd/s1600/Raja+Phanna+Upkari+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7vIiPfi3bsADWaawpxOczC1x8jZCxViXoCQSql_Vn0znUmI-sDoEJHDAi54lc7pEFVYdUVFpRyyOq3BGQ4u_NwTtE8qTIsg_WvW4yEsxH2tlD-TbDFJ86Tr_heWcW2eHeNmwbkrto2Vmd/s640/Raja+Phanna+Upkari+3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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People also make this dish by grinding roasted chillies with tamarind. At my mom's place it's usually made with chilli powder. Either ways, the kick the chillies lend are a great accompaniment to rice along with milder fish curries. Love the combo! Fish fry anyone?</div>Aparna S Mallyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00366918707387955566noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1390139857608268462.post-73584309039013378392012-04-12T11:41:00.004-07:002012-05-01T09:00:22.043-07:00Kurle Alle Piyava Ghashi / Crabs in Spicy Onion-Ginger Coconut Curry<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Eating crabs can be a messy affair. That's why it's best eaten at home, when nobody is watching! Seriously, I get so involved with this dish that I have to be reminded that there is nothing more left that is edible.<br />
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Alle Piyava Ghashi is a konkani delicacy where the crab is cooked along with chopped onion and ginger and you get a delicious aftertaste of these ingredients. This is how crab is usually prepared at Amma's place. My mom cleaned and cut the crab for me and made most of this dish while I happily clicked pictures.<br />
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<b>Ingredients:</b><br />
5 medium crabs<br />
2 cups grated coconut<br />
7 to 8 roasted red chillies<br />
1 goose-berry sized tamarind<br />
1/4 cup finely chopped onion<br />
1 tbsp chopped ginger<br />
Salt<br />
1 tsp oil<br />
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<b>Method:</b><br />
Grind coconut, red chillies and tamarind with enough water to get a smooth paste.<br />
In a large deep-bottomed pan, add cleaned and cut crabs, onion, ginger and the ground paste. Add 2 cups water and bring to a boil. Add more water if needed. Cook till the crabs are completely cooked - about 10 minutes. Adjust salt, drizzle oil. Cover and keep aside for sometime.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMg4biw_-KfEDDZ8JPGJmEzG-5IBbBS1qETLleu6rZ4QdkDN4aAm0kisMp85U1MyvuRdr4dHo4clM0ZnxJ689NmdVpPoqUzHjZh0pBLXnx4z9RfctKHkYxEt4E4C6I_Nx4kzjpTNwb_6ju/s1600/Kurle+Ghashi+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMg4biw_-KfEDDZ8JPGJmEzG-5IBbBS1qETLleu6rZ4QdkDN4aAm0kisMp85U1MyvuRdr4dHo4clM0ZnxJ689NmdVpPoqUzHjZh0pBLXnx4z9RfctKHkYxEt4E4C6I_Nx4kzjpTNwb_6ju/s640/Kurle+Ghashi+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Like all seafood curries, this tastes better after a few hours or next day. I like it best with boiled rice, fried fish and a <i>phanna upkari.</i> Now what is that? More in the next post :).<br />
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<br /></div>Aparna S Mallyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00366918707387955566noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1390139857608268462.post-41915450387567273012012-04-10T07:08:00.001-07:002012-04-10T07:12:37.044-07:00Mushroom Biryani<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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It's hot here in M'lore but somehow the weather doesn't seem to bother me. Probably because I have a lot of others things occupying my mind. Like missing Sunnyvale for instance. I love India, but a place that contributed to my growth immensely, cannot be forgotten easily. Glimpses of my kitchen come flashing into my mind, be it my oven, my cooking range, or for that matter my kitchen sink!! Right now I'm eagerly awaiting the shipment which will bring along with it a lot of my kitchen stuff that were so much a part of my life there.<br />
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Coming back to Mangalore, I'm at my Amma's place right now. My brother visited last weekend and I made Mushroom Biryani for him.<br />
For the rice part I followed my <a href="http://www.apycooking.com/2011/08/egg-biryani.html">egg biryani</a> recipe. For step-by-step pictures go <a href="http://www.apycooking.com/2011/08/egg-biryani.html">here.</a><br />
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Instead of eggs, ofcourse, I used mushrooms. I must have used about 400g mushrooms.<br />
Chop mushrooms into quarters, wash and place them in a colander to drain off all the excess water. Mushrooms release a lot of water when being cooked so it's better to wash them well in advance and give enough time for the water to drain off.<br />
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Transfer mushrooms into a large vessel. Sprinkle garam masala, chilli powder, turmeric powder, ginger-garlic paste and salt [I just eye-balled the measurements]. I also added 1 tbsp thick curd. Mix well and marinate for 15 minutes.<br />
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Roast the mushrooms on both sides. Since mushrooms release water, it is better to roast them in 3 or 4 batches, a few mushrooms at a time. If you see them releasing water, increase the flame and roast uncovered for a few minutes (keep stirring) till all the water is absorbed.<br />
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Once the rice is cooked, add the roasted mushrooms and mix gently. Or just spread rice on a plate and top it with roasted mushrooms.<br />
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The next couple of dishes that will feature here are among my favourite. Keep guessing!</div>Aparna S Mallyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00366918707387955566noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1390139857608268462.post-70093366725028734622012-03-08T09:56:00.009-08:002012-03-09T08:20:58.683-08:00(H)ap(p)y 2nd B'day Apy Cooking! Celebrating with Doll Cake<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I always loved writing. Two years back I took a step forward and brought together my two favourite hobbies - experimenting in the kitchen and writing, which gave birth to my blog - Apy Cooking. Till then, I was a happy cook, usually satisfied with my experiments (more with the process than the result).</div>
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And then I became thirsty. I wanted to do more. There was this urge to emulate various food bloggers. I wanted to make bread, cakes, decorate them, I wanted to fuse food of different cultures. I started getting hunger pangs for bigger challenges. I wanted to make 3D cakes, I included non veg dishes in my cooking, I made fondant at home. Results mattered more than the process and Apy Cooking became a passion than a mere food blog.</div>
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And then it was time to leave, to bid adieu to my kitchen in sunny Sunnyvale. Bags were being packed, boxes were getting wrapped, and in the middle of all this, my heart was longing to make something very special for my dear food blog. A doll cake. Seriously?? Just a week left to pack up and relocate to India and I wanted to make a doll cake?? Yes, I did. So I unwrapped the <a href="http://www.apycooking.com/2012/02/homemade-marshmallow-fondant.html">homemade marshmallow fondant</a>, whipped up two small <a href="http://www.apycooking.com/2011/05/eggless-microwave-chocolate-cake.html">microwave chocolate cakes</a>, drenched them with yummilicous Nutella, spread rolled fondant, dressed up the doll and took pictures like my tail was on fire. I was amazed at how fast I could actually make something and take pictures, much to the surprise of my husband who always claimed I spent more time taking pictures of the food than in actually cooking it. I was so tired at the end of it that all I wanted to do was plunge into the hazelnut frosted cake and take a big, fulfilling bite.</div>
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So here's how I made the doll cake. I looked up on the internet, ofcourse, for some ideas. I bought a small doll from Michael's (you can get a bigger doll for a bigger cake). I then made half<a href="http://www.apycooking.com/2011/05/eggless-microwave-chocolate-cake.html"> recipe of microwave chocolate cake </a>and poured the batter into two microwave-safe bowls, one larger than the other. I microwaved the cakes [ smaller bowl - 2 minutes, larger bowl - 3 1/2 minutes ], allowed to cool completely and inverted them. I then frosted with Nutella and placed the smaller cake on the larger one and frosted all over.</div>
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I then took a small portion of <a href="http://www.apycooking.com/2012/02/homemade-marshmallow-fondant.html">marshmallow fondant</a> (you can use store-bought fondant), dusted powdered sugar (u can use crisco) on the mat (fondant sticks easily to countertops, add more crisco if not using a mat, or stick parchment paper on the countertop), coloured the fondant and rolled it. I then covered the cake with the coloured fondant and removed the extra bits.</div>
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It was time to dress the doll. I do wish I had more time to make the dress a lot prettier. But the large carboard boxes were calling for attention, so I wrapped the poor doll in average "clothes" (thank God dolls don't speak), placed some beads made of fondant and piped buttercream stars on the dress. I did want to avoid using buttercream and wanted to make it all fondant. But just to be safe, I had a small jar of store-bought buttercream icing (thank you, Wilton). I'm glad I had it because Nutella, being brown in colour peeps through the clothes when you try to join two fondant bits. I got away with the beads on her waist, but for the neckline and the little rose on her shoulder (ahem, I'm not exactly a fashion designer), I used buttercream for binding.</div>
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I was so happy and thrilled at the end to see the little doll in her pretty dress. Reminded me of the time I had seen a barbie doll cake for a cousin's 5th b'day party. Though not as beautifully decked up as the Barbie doll cake, my little doll stood proud as we celebrated.</div>
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Happy B'day Apy Cooking!! Not sure when the next post will be since we arrived only yesterday and have a lot of settling down to do, but until then dear readers, Happy Cooking!!</div>Aparna S Mallyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00366918707387955566noreply@blogger.com17