Crepe

Serves 6

 I tasted crepe for the first time in Germany.The crepe stalls in markets here are always crowded.Taming my sweet tooth has always been a problem :)and these crepes served hot with Nutella are simply delicious.They can be served as breakfast or an evening snack!

Ingredients:
Eggs - 3
Melted Butter - 3 tbsp
Milk - 1 cup or 250 g(whole milk enhances the taste)
sugar - 1 tbsp
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Flour - 90 g (for a healthier version replace it with 45 g of Wheat flour and 45 g of All purpose flour)
salt - 1 pinch

Method:
-In a blender add the eggs,butter,milk,sugar,flour,salt and blend on high speed until everything is mixed well,approximately 10 seconds.Alternatively you can also beat it with an egg beater.
-Let the batter sit for one hour.
-After an hour just stir it a little and if you feel that it's thick add just a little milk to get it to the pouring consistency.
-Heat a dosa pan and brush it with Ghee,pour about 2 tbsp of the batter and spread it around to make thin dosas. Remove the crepe from the pan once the edges are slightly browned and it's cooked
-Spread the chocolate cream on it as soon as you take it out of the pan or better if you can still keep the crepe in the pan and spread the cream.

Cheppankizhangu fry/ Arbi fry

Found these Arbis in the Indian shop here. I've never seen them before in India,the shopkeeper was the one who told me that it was Cheppankizhangu and very similar to the karnakilangu that I've seen back in India. This is a spicy fry which goes along well with any gravy, but I love it best with plain curd rice:)

Ingredients :

Arbi - 1/4 kg

Red chili powder - 2 tsp

Coriander powder - 3 tsp

Cumin powder - 1 tsp

Garam masala powder - a pinch

Turmeric powder - 1/" tsp

Besan - 2 tbsp

salt - as needed

oil - 1 tbsp

Mustard - 1 tsp

Curry leaves - 2 sprigs

Tamarind thick juice or extract - 2 tsp

Method:

-Boil the Arbi with salt in a pressure cooker for 3 whistles.

-Mix the boiled Arbi with the powder,besan ,tamarind juice and salt.Let it sit for 20 mins.

-In a pan heat the oil , when it heats up splutter the mustard and curry leaves.Add the Arbi mixture and mix well.

-Fry on low heat until the Arbi is well browned.

Mango Pickle

Mango Pickle
I'm not a big fan of mangoes,though I've seen lot of my friends go real crazy over them.It's real funny when i think that there was this mango tree standing in our house,in Chennai and my mom was always making pickles with them.I was prejudiced about it's taste and never really tried it.My hubby is one of those people who love mangoes and only when i started preparing pickles for him did i realize that I've missed all those years of my mom's pickles !

Ingredients :
Raw Mangoes - 2
Salt - 1 tbsp
Fenugreek - 1 tsp
Red Chili powder - 2 tbsp
Asafoetida - 1 tsp
Gingely oil - 100 g
Mustard - 2 tsp


Method :
-Clean the mangoes, pat them dry and chop them into small pieces.
-Add the salt to them and mix it well.
-Dry roast the Fenugreek and 1 tsp of Mustard in a pan. Grind them into a fine powder.
-Add the Fenugreek & mustard powder,Asafoetida and red chili powder to the mangoes and mix well.
-Heat the oil  and splutter 1 tsp of mustard.
-Pour the oil over the mango and mix it good !

Paruppu Podi

Paruppu podi
Podis and Thokkus come real handy on days when we don't feel like cooking.We usually stock our kitchen with at least a few of them.Just these powders with rice and a spoon of Ghee can taste yum !

Ingredients:
Dhalia - 1cup
Copra or dry roasted coconut scrapings - 1/4 cup ( can use desiccated coconut too)
Whole Red Chilli - 8
Garlic - 5 big pods
Curry leaves - a sprig
Mustard - 1 tsp
Oil - 4 tsp
Salt - as needed

Method :
-In a pan add 1 tsp of oil and fry the Whole red chilies on low heat until they puff up and are well browned, remove from pan.
-To the same pan add another tsp of oil, fry the Garlic and remove.
-Again add 2 tsps of oil to the pan and splutter the mustard and the curry leaves.
-In a blender grind the Whole red chilies,salt and Dhalia finely.Then add the coconut and garlic and pulse again.
-Now mix the tempering into the powder or you can add it to the blender and pulse along with the mixture.
-It's done !

Whole wheat Pasta and Cheese !

Pasta,Vegetables and cheese.

Serves one

Being a mother of a picky eater has its upside too :) My daughter has always been a very choosy eater and concocting recipes for her has been a challenge.It's difficult to find recipes which are healthy and still satisfy the taste buds of a little one.This is a very filling and healthy recipe which kids and grown ups would love .And it can be whipped up very quickly !

Ingredients :

Whole wheat pasta - around 15 -20

Vegetables:

   Broccoli - 3- 4 florets

   Peas - a handful

   Carrot - one ( peeled and chopped)

   Potato - a tiny one ( peeled and chopped)

Garlic - a tiny piece

Capsicum - 5-6 small pieces

All purpose flour - 1/2 tsp

Milk - 1/4 cup or lesser

Cheese (grated) - 2-3 tbsp

Butter or olive oil - 1 tsp

olive oil - 1/2  tsp
salt as needed

Method :

-Boil sufficient water and add salt and a tsp of olive oil.Add the pasta and let it boil until its well cooked.I usually cook it real soft when preparing for my daughter.

-Steam or boil the carrot,peas and potato.If boiling them save the water(vegetable stock) in which it boils.

-Add the butter to a pan, add the garlic and stir for a minute.Next add the broccoli and capsicum with a little salt .Sauté for a few minutes until they are cooked. Add the cooked vegetables and sprinkle the flour and sauté for a few mins.

-Add the drained pasta and mix well.Add the milk and the vegetable stock ,add salt as required. Let it cook on medium heat for a few mins.When the mixture is a little dry ,sprinkle the cheese and remove from the stove.

Sending this to:

Baby Corn Capsicum curry

Baby Corn Capsicum curry
Serves 3 people

This is a very mild and creamy curry. Capsicum is one of my favorite vegetables. Whether eaten raw in a salad or just added as a garnish to a gravy it imparts a rather unique taste and flavor. This is one of those gravies which tastes like the restaurant ones. Children would love it, if you just skip the chili part !

Ingredients :
Baby Corn - 10
Capsicum - 1/2 a big one (cut into big pieces)
Onion - 1 big (chop finely ) and 1 small (cut into big pieces)
Tomatoes - 1 big
Red Chili powder - 1 leveled tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
Kasoori Methi - 1/2 tsp
Tomato Ketchup -1 tsp
Cashew nuts -5 - 6
Coriander leaves - 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Garam Masala powder - 1/4 tsp
Milk - 1/2 cup(boiled) - 125 g
Oil - about 2 tbsp

Method :
-Boil the Baby corn with salt ,half a cup of water and turmeric powder in a pressure cooker for one whistle.Once its done boil it until all the water evaporates.
-To a pan, add a tsp of oil saute the capsicum for 3-4 mins and remove them. To the same pan add another tsp of oil and saute the smaller onion until its translucent and remove.
-To the pan add 1 tsp of oil add the onions and tomatoes and saute them until the onions are browned well and the tomatoes are cooked.
-Add the cooked onions and tomatoes to a blender along with the Chili powder,coriander powder,cashew nuts, Ketchup and Kasoori Methi and grind.
-Add oil to the pan and once it heats up, splutter the cumin seeds, add the ground paste and saute for a few mins on low flame , add the garam masala powder,coriander leaves and the milk .Mix it well.
-Add little water depending upon the thickness of gravy that you desire .Add the sauted onions and Capsicum and mix well.Cover and cook on low flame for  5 - 10 mins .
-It's done !

Simple Chennai Chicken curry

Chennai Chicken curry
Serves 4 ppl

I'm one of of those people who simply love chicken.And a Sunday meal is for me,never complete without a chicken dish.This one is from my mom's kitchen, spicy, hot and wonderfully tasty !

Ingredients:
Chicken - 400 g
Curd - 75g
Onion - 1 large
Tomato -2 medium
Cumin seeds - 1tsp
Red chili powder - 2 heaped tsp
Coriander powder - 1 and 1/4 tsp
Fennel powder - 3/4th tsp
Turmeric power - 1/2 tsp
Coriander leaves - a few sprigs
oil - 2tbsp

To grind :
Garlic - 10-12 pods
Ginger - 1 inch
Cashew nuts - 6-7
Green chili -1
Fennel - 1/4 tsp
Cardamon,cloves - 2 each
Cinnamon - small stick
Star anise -1

Method:
-Marinate the chicken pieces with curd, 3/4 tsp salt and the turmeric powder for at least 30 mins.
-Grind the ingredients to be ground in a blender with little water.
-Heat oil in a vessel and when its hot splutter some cumin seeds.
-Add the chopped onion and salt,saute until they turn slight brown, then add the ground paste and reduce the flame and saute until the whole mixture turns a nice dark brown color .Saute on low heat as it tends to burn.
-Add the chopped tomatoes, the powders and the coriander leaves and mix everything well.Close the lid and let the mixture cook on low heat for 3-4 mins.
-Open the lid and add the chicken pieces along with the curd. Saute for a few mins then add half a cup water and close the lid and cook on low heat for 15 mins or until the chicken is done.
-It's ready !

Chick Peas Vada

Chick Peas Vada
Serves 3 ppl

These vadas are made from Chickpeas instead of the regular channa dal. It makes them more nutritious and definitely more tasty.This one is from my mom's kitchen, being a working mother she was great at juggling work and home.We would wait for the weekends for she would spoil us with a lot of good food.These piping hot vadas with sambhar and chutneys were definitely special !

Ingredients :
Chickpeas - 125 g
Onion - 1/2 a big one (chopped finely).
Fennel - 1/2 tsp
Cardamom,Cloves - 2 each
Cinamon - small piece
Ginger - small piece
Garlic - 4 small pods
Curry leaves - 10 leaves ( chopped finely)
Coriander leaves - 1 tbsp ( chopped finely)
Mint leaves - 1 tbsp ( chopped finely)
Green chili - 1
Whole red chili - 1
Salt
Oil - for deep frying

Method:
-Soak the chick peas overnight or for 8 hours.
-In a mixer grind the whole spices,Ginger,Garlic,Green chili and Red chili finely.
-To the same jar add the chickpeas and salt and grind adding as little water as possible , the mixture should be a little coarse.
-To the batter add Mint leaves, curry leaves, coriander leaves and the onions and mix well. Check the seasoning and add salt if needed.
-Make small patties and deep fry them in oil !

Spaghetti Bolognese

Spaghetti bolognese

Serves 2 people

This is one of our family favorites and when I think about it,it's funny that I chose it to be the first recipe on my blog. Most of my childhood and adult hood  was spent in the southern part of India. I grew up with the aroma of hot sambhars and spicy chutneys. The word pasta was a totally foreign word , the truth be told i always thought noodles and pasta were the same:) After getting married and moving to Germany , i was for the first time in a kitchen and found that there were so many different tastes and cuisines to be explored. I also realized that the simplest sauce and Pasta could be as fulfilling as our own rice and gravies. This is one such dish that can be whipped up with very little preparation.

For the Spaghetti :
Spaghetti - 50 g
Water
Salt - 1 tsp
Olive oil - little

Bolognese sauce :
Tomatoes - 2 ( big)
Capsicum - 1 ( medium) - Green ones.
Paprika powder - 3/4th tsp (can be replaced with red chilli powder)
Pepper powder - 3/4th tsp
Minced meat (beef) - 250 gm
Worcester sauce - 2 tbsp ( can be replaced with 1 tbsp of soya sauce)
Tomato ketchup - 2 tbsp
Water - 1/2 cup
Olive oil - 2 tbsp

Finishing :
Grated cheese - 50 gm
Butter - 2 tbsp

Method :
- Boil a lot of water with salt, when it boils add the spaghetti and olive oil.
-Cook for 10 mins on medium or until the spaghetti is done.
- Blitz the tomatoes, capsicum and the powders.
- In a pressure cooker , add olive oil , when its heated add the minced meat and fry for 5 to 6 mins till it turns into a pale brown shade.
- Add the Worcester sauce and Ketchup and saute further for a few mins.
- Add the tomatoes and capsicum mixture,water and mix it up well. Add salt as required.
- Close the lid and pressure cook on medium for one whistle. Reduce the heat and pressure cook on low for 15 mins.
-The sauce is ready.

Assembling :
- Add the butter to the cooked spaghetti and give it a slight mix.
- Serve with the spaghetti , then the sauce and the cheese sprinkled on top.

Sending this to  Flavours of Italy and simply.food. & Dish name starts with S