Vendakka Masala - Okra Masala

  Okra or Ladies Finger is one vegetable that we cook very often at home.This is one recipe that I prepare when we feel like having okra with Chapati.Okra has loads of health benefits.I still remember being told as a kid that Ladies finger is good for your brain and it helps you to be good at mathematics.I still don't understand logic behind Okra helping you with maths though :) But I really would be happy if it could help my brain with learning German.I've been here in Germany for more than 5 years now and I really wish to master the language,but I'm a real lousy student.I still manage to day dream during my German classes,something that I've been consistently doing from my school days :) The best part is my brain now sometimes get stuck with English words and comes up with an equivalent German word.I keep telling myself that It's because I'm getting older :) But then yesterday I happened to step into a Spanish language class by mistake and I noticed that almost half the students were people of the age group from 50 - 70.I was surprised as to how attentive and enthusiastic they appeared.I remember another memorable incident,before a month I happened to meet another old German lady at my language school.When I told her that I was from the southern part of India,she asked me if I was from Madras.When I said yes she asked me 'Vanakkam,eppadi irrukeenge ?'.I was really taken aback when she told me that she was doing a Tamil language course and she finds the script very interesting.Germany has a lot of immigrants from Sri Lanka and I guess that could explain the interest in Tamil.When I asked her what drives her to learn at this age,she smiled and simply answered that it makes her happy and keeps her gray cells alive :)Her attitude really touched me!
  Back to the recipe it's very simple and yumm ! This has been lying in my drafts from Christmas (as you can see from the pic:))..I hope I get to post more regularly and and clear my drafts soon :)

You'll Need:
Okra - 200 g
Onion - 1 big(chopped)
Tomato - 1 -2 big(pureed)
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Red Chilli Powder - 1 tsp
Cumin Powder - 3/4 tsp
Coriander Powder - 1 tsp
Curd -3 - 4 tbsp
Kasoori Methi - 1 tsp
Garam Masala Powder - 1/2 tsp
oil -1 tbsp & 2 tsp
Coriander leaves - 1 tbsp(finely chopped)
salt as needed

Get,set,go:
-Clean the okras and pat them dry.Chop the crown and the rim.Cut them into 1" pieces.To a pan add one tbsp of oil and when it heats up add the chopped okra and salt as needed and saute on a low flame for 5 - 6 minutes until they are slightly crisp.Transfer the fried okra to another vessel.You can also deep fry the okra,it definitely enhances the taste.
-Add 2 tsp of oil to a pan and when it heats up add the onions and saute until they turn translucent.Then add the ginger garlic paste and saute until the mixture is well browned.
-Add the tomato puree and mix well.Add the turmeric powder,cumin powder,chopped coriander leaves,curd,coriander powder and chilli powder,salt and mix well.Cover and cook on a low flame for 5 -7 minutes.
-After 5 minutes when the mixture starts oozing oil,add about 1/2 a cup of water and mix well.
-Add the fried okra,Garam Masala Powder and Kasoori Methi powder and mix well.
-Let the mixture cook on a slow flame for another 5 - 7 minutes. Done !

Thanks for stopping by ! Have a nice day !

Anjappar Style Chicken Fry

'From the oven to the fridge',that's exactly how I feel.We are back from India's pleasant warmth to Germany's windy cold winter.And I've been catching one bug after the other,so couldn't spend time with my blog .Hope all of you are doing great :) This is one recipe that I came across in a magazine,the moment I saw the word 'Anjappar',I knew that I just had to try it.I simply love the non veg food at Anjappar.Honestly I don't even know if they offer veg dishes:)Well I haven't posted in a long time,so my brain is on the 'non-responsive' mode like the window browser,I can't get myself to write anything , So off to the recipe... ! 

Ingredients:

Chicken  - 200 g (boneless,cut into bite sized pieces)

Onion - 2 medium - big

Oil - 2 tbsp

Ghee -2 tbsp

Grated  ginger - 1 tsp

Grated garlic - 1 tbsp

Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Cashew nuts - 5 -6 (broken into small pieces)

Green Chilli - 2

Whole Red Chilli - 1 - 2

Pepper Powder - 2 tsp

Fennel seeds - 1 tsp

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Red Chilli powder - 2 tsp

Coriander powder - 2 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1 tsp

Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp

salt - as needed

Method:
-In a pan heat the oil,once it heats up splutter the Garlic,Ginger,Cashew nuts,Green chilli,Curry leaves,Whole Red chilli,Pepper powder,Fennel seeds and Cumin seeds one after the other and saute on a low flame.
-Then add the finely chopped onions and turmeric powder and saute until the onions are well browned.
-Add the Ghee and the chicken pieces and saute on a low flame.
-When it's half cooked add salt,Coriander powder,Red Chilli powder and Coriander leaves and mix well.Keep sauteing until the chicken is cooked and the gravy is well browned and dry.Done !

Thanks for stopping by ! Have a great day !

Nei Urundai - Moong Dal Laddoo

Wishing you all a wonderful New Year ! I know that I'm 20 days late,but better late than never:P This is a quickie post from Chennai,I would rather call it Madras.For those of us who love the city and its spirit it will always be Madras :)Little girl and I are happily lazing around here for a month now,filling our tummies with all kinds of good food.This is one place where I never log into the Internet, but I still don't feel cut off from the world.So off to one of the simplest yet tastiest sweets :)

You"ll Need:
Yellow Moong Dal - 1.5 cups
Powdered Sugar - 1 - 1.5 cups
Ghee - 1/4 cup
Cashew nuts (broken) - 2 tbsp
Whole Milk - 2 - 3 tbsp

Method:
-Dry roast the Moong dal on a low flame until it gives out a nice aroma.
-Grind it to a fine powder in a mixer. Sieve it to get a fine powder.
-Mix the moong dal powder and powdered sugar well.
-To a pan add the ghee and when it heats up add the cashew nuts and saute until it slightly changes in colour.
-Add the ghee and cashew mixture to the powder and when it's still warm shape them into small laddoos. If it's difficult to make ladoos or if the ladoos don't hold their shape sprinkle the milk little by little until you are able to make smooth ladoos.
-Store in air tight containers. Done !
Note:
-For a soft and smooth ladoo,grind the moong dal in a rice mill.

Thanks for stopping by ! Have a nice day !

Christmas Fruit Cake

Wishing you all a Merry and fun filled Christmas !
It's been 20 days since I posted,and as always I have a string of excuses :) Balancing my time between language classes and work at home I ended up neglecting my poor blog.Now that my exams are over I thought that it was high time I got my lazy self to post something.Christmas season is something that I wait for every year.The sight of the streets filled with decorated Christmas trees ,carols and smalls shops here in Germany fills my heart with joy and makes me feel like a child again.And luckily this year we've been blessed with a not so bad winter which has made it even more wonderful.Christmas isn't complete with a nut and fruit filled Fruit Cake.This cake is very close to my heart as this is one of the very first cakes that I ever baked.There are many versions of this,but this is a very simple but extremely flavorful version.I haven't visited your blogs in a long time,I'll soon catch up !

You'll Need:
For the Fruit Filling:
Candied Orange Peel - 100 g
Candied Lemon Peel - 100 g
Candied Cherries - 100 g
Raisins - 200 g
Dark Rum - 100 g
For the Cake:
Walnuts - 200 g
Unsalted Butter(softened) - 250 g
Brown Sugar - 200 g - 1 cup
Eggs - 3 large
All Purpose Flour - 200 g - 2 cups
Baking Powder - 1 tsp
Baking soda - a pinch
salt - 1/4 tsp



Method:
For the Fruit Filling:
-In a glass jar mix all the ingredients and mix well.Close the lid tightly and let it lay down on its side.
-Everyday just turn it a little so that all the fruits get evenly soaked with rum.
-Soak it at least one week ahead of when you plan to make the cake.You can soak the fruits even 1 - 3 months in advance.

For the Cake:
-Preheat the oven to 350 ° C.Spread the walnuts on a baking paper lined baking tray and bake for 7 minutes .Remove from the oven and break into smaller pieces.
-Sieve the Flour,baking powder,baking soda and salt well.
-Soften the butter,you can melt it and let it sit at room temperature for an hour or so.
-In a mixing bowl,beat the butter until its creamy and soft.Add the sugar and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.
-Add the eggs one after the other.Beating for 30 seconds after each addition on medium speed.
-Add the flour mixture and beat until its well incorporated.
-Add the and soaked fruit mixture and neat for about one minute on low speed.
-Add the walnuts and mix well.
-Fill a loaf pan ( 25 cm  X 7.5 cm) or a 10 " round pan and bake for 50 - 60 minutes in a preheated oven (175 ° C).Done !



Note:
-If you do not want to use rum,you could soak the fruits in apple juice.But the fruits can be soaked only before a week and the cake doesn't hold good for more than 4 - 5 days :)
-If making it with rum,the cake can be wrapped in air tight foil and it stays good for several weeks.Just wrap it airtight and once in 3 days brush it with a little rum.
-This cake tastes the  best when it sits for at least 24 hours after baking.

Banana Mug Cake - Sugarless dessert

Off late I've got this obsession for mug cakes ! I like them mainly because you don't have to get your beater out,all you  need to do is to mix and play around with the ingredients .The mug cakes also look real cute.But I never tried them out as they were mostly baked in the microwave oven.I'm one of those people who is strongly against using microwave ovens,I know that there are many people who cannot do without it and who would give me a long list of its benefits.But I'm not yet convinced :) If you're using a microwave this cake can be done in a minute or two.But with the good old convection oven it takes around 20 - 30 minutes.This cake has no flour or sugar and is almost of a mousse consistency.So off to the cute mug cake....

You'll Need:
Banana - 1 big
Peanut Butter - 1 tsp
Nutella - 1 tbsp
Almond Powder - 1 tbsp
Honey - 1/2 tsp (optional)
Egg - 1 medium
Baking soda - 1/8 tsp
Vanilla essence - a few drops
All purpose Flour or Whole wheat flour - 1 tbsp(optional) - I haven't added it,but for a more cake like texture you can add the flour.

Method:
-Peel,chop and mash the bananas with a fork in the mug.
-Add all the other ingredients to the mug and mix well.

-Preheat the oven to 350 ° F and bake for 25 - 30 minutes. Done !

Thanks for stopping by ! Have a great day !

Vazhakkai Kuzhambu - Raw Banana Curry

Guess this time I've been away for real long ! Repair work at home and each of us falling sick one after the other ,so couldn't sit at my comp.I went without using the internet for a couple of days only to realize how addicted I've been :) I have a lot of catching up to do I guess.Coming to the recipe is a very simple curry.I sometimes  feel that planning for food for a party is easier that deciding on what to cook everyday.I always break my head on what to cook.It's hard to find something that isn't boring to cook,healthy,yummy and most important of all, not time consuming :) I try to find something that at least satisfies two of the above criteria.I had a few raw bananas and wanted to make a curry that would go well with chapati ,so decided to make this curry as its relatively easy to prepare and goes well with rice & chapati..

You'll Need:
Raw Banana/Vazhakkai - 2
Garlic - 3 -4 cloves
Onion - 1 small - medium (chopped)
Tomato - 1 small - medium(chopped)
Coriander leaves - 2 -3 sprigs (chopped)
oil - 2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Hing - a pinch
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
salt as needed
Tamarind juice from a small marble of Tamarind.
Coconut Milk - 1/4 - 1/2 cup.
For the Powder:
Toor dal - 1 tbsp
Whole Red Chilli - 2 -3
Coriander seeds - 2 tsp

Method:
-For the powder : Dry roast all the ingredients one after the other and grind together to a slightly coarse powder.
-For the curry - Clean the banana and scrap the skin .Chop it into pieces.
-Soak the tamarind in 1 cup of water for 30 minutes.Squeeze and strain to extract the juice.
-In a vessel add the chopped banana,tamarind juice,salt and turmeric powder and mix well.Let the mixture boil until the raw banana is  almost cooked.
-To a pan add oil,when it heats up splutter Curry leaves,mustard and cumin seeds.Add the garlic and saute for a minute or two.
-Add the onion,tomato and Coriander leaves and saute until the tomatoes turn soft.Add the ground powder and mix well.
-Add the cooked banana along with the water and mix well.Check for salt.Add water if needed.Cover with a lid and let the curry simmer for 5 - 10 minutes.
-Remove the lid and add the coconut milk and mix well.Let the curry cook for a further 2 -3 minutes. Done !

Thanks for stopping by ! Happy Cooking !

Pfirsich,Äpfel & Quark Kuchen - Peach,Apple & Quark Cake - 100th post :)

         I really can't believe that this is my 100th post.Thanks to my laziness,I never thought I'll get here :) Blogging has been a wonderful experience.I still remember the first week of blogging ,my blog had just 15 visits and I was really thinking if it was a good idea to carry on when there were so many beautiful blogs out there.It was my hubby & sister who knew how passionate I was about cooking and eating :P, who told me 'Do it just because it makes you happy'.I initially thought that blogging was all about just posting good recipes,but only later did I realize that it was being a part of a community of passionate people. In this short span I've got to know so many beautiful people,learnt so many new dishes and developed a keen interest in photography.Well before blogging the moment I see the 'SALE' sign on any cloth shop I would be inside the shop no time, but now I am always on the hunt for props :) Thanks all of you for all the encouraging comments and stopping at my page ,it keeps me going. Doesn't this sound like some speech in a film award ceremony, I feel like Shah Rukh Khan in 'Om Shanti Om' with a whiskey bottle in his hand ,well not exactly a whisky bottle,might be a rolling pin or a ladle :P
         Coming to today's dish,It's a wonderful German cake.When I first tasted this cake before 5 years I really didn't appreciate it's flavour. Well my Indian taste bud was more adapted to hot and spicy stuff.But then slowly over the years I've started loving cheese and it's subtle taste.This cake is made of quark which is very nutritious and widely used in most European cuisines. Quark is a kind of hung curd,similar to what we use for preparing Shrikhand. You could also replace it with Greek Yogurt. So off to the cake....

You'll Need :
For the base:
All Purpose Flour - 175 g
Baking Powder - 1 tsp
Sugar - 100 g
Vanilla essence -a few drops
Salt - a pinch
Egg - 1 big
Butter - 100 g
For the Filling
Apple- 3 - 4 big ones
Sugar - 100 g
Quark /Curd Cheese - 500 g
Vanilla essence -a few drops
Eggs - 3 medium
Weizengrieß - Semolina - 25 g
Whipping Cream - 2 tbsp
For the Topping :
Peaches - 3 tins or 500g or 6 - 7 peaches.
Sugar - 20 g
Fruit juice - 250 ml ( i used orange juice ) if using any berries use apple juice
Tortenguss rot/Fruit tort Jelly  - 1 pack or Check here

Method:
For the Base:
-Melt the butter first and then let it cool to room temperature.
-Sieve the flour and the baking powder well in a big mixing bowl.
-Add all the other ingredients to the flour.With a beater fitted with a dough hook beat the mixture on medium speed until all the ingredients are mixed well.
-Then increase the speed and beat until the dough starts sticking together.Remove it from the bowl and knead it until for 3 - 4 minutes.
-Cover it with a plastic wrap or place it an airtight container and keep it in the freezer for 10 - 15 minutes.
-In a 26 cm springform pan,butter the springform and dust it with flour.Line the bottom with baking paper and remove it from the sides.
-After 15 minutes,Remove it from the freezer.Take 2/3 rd of the batter and roll it into a thin disc of 26 cm diameter.Place the remaining 1/3 rd portion in the refrigerator.For better results.place the dough on the middle of the bottom of the springform(removed from the sides) and slowly roll the dough until it covers the base.You can also use your fingers to flatten it so that it covers the base.
-Now with a fork pierce small holes on the rolled out dough.Attach the sides to the pan and bake in a pre heated oven for 15 minutes at 200 ° C.
-After 15 minutes remove from the oven and let it cool.
-Roll the remaining 1/ 3 portion into thin strips of 3 cms height and place them around the sides of the baked base.So that you get a nice shell with no gaps.

For the filling:
-Clean the apples,remove the core and the skin.Chop them into big pieces.Spread these pieces on the prepared base (shell) in the springform.
-Beat all the other filling ingredients with the beater fitted with a whipping hook for 2 - 3 minutes ,until everything is well mixed.
-Spread it on the apples and spread it uniformly.
-Bake in the oven(not preheated) at 175 ° C for 45 minutes.
-Let the cake cool completely then remove it from the pan.
For the Topping:
-Cut the peaches into thin strips and place them on the baked cake,so that they cover the whole surface.
-Mix the tortenguss with sugar and the juice .Heat the mixture and keep stirring continuously until it starts slightly thickening.Then pour it uniformly over the topping(the peaches).It hardens after cooling. Done !
-If using gelatin please follow this method .

Note:
You can replace the Peaches with any berry of your choice :)