Paniaram/Savory pan cakes

Paniaram is a simple, healthy yet tasty dish. Here's the recipe for it. I used a non-stick paniram pan that I got from India. Apparently, such pans(known by different names!!) are also available in the US in stores such as Bed,Bath and Beyond, Walmart etc. You may want to check this out if you are in US.

Ingredients:

Left over Idli or dosa batter

some finely chopped onions

a few green chillies/jalapenos, chopped

a few curry leaves, chopped

a few springs of corriander leaves/cilantro, chopped

mustard seeds, 1/2 a spoon

asafoetida, a pinch

buttermilk,as needed to thin the batter

Cooking oil/Butter

Add some salt to the batter if not added until this point. Throw in the cilantro leaves.

Next get the seasoning ready. In a small skillet, add 2-3 spoons of cooking oil. Add mustard seeds and wait for the seeds to splutter. Then add in the asaofoetida, green chillies and curry leaves. Wait for 15-20 seconds and add the onions. After 30 seconds switch of the stove.

Turn on the stove with the mould on it and add a few drops of oil(or as much as you want) into each depression of the mould. Mix in this seasoning to the batter as shown in the picture and pour it into the mould. Add buttermilk if you want a thinner consistency. This mould does not come with a lid, so it cooks open.

Allow it cook for 4-5 minutes. Flip it to the other side(take care while doing this) and allow it to cook for 2-3 minutes.

Paniaram is ready! Ideally had with spicy tomato chutney. But, I had it with chutney powder mixed in with clarified butter/ghee...ummmm , it was heavenly. enjoy as a break fast option or a snack. A good idea to pack for road trips too. Stays good for a couple of days without the refrigerator.

Strawberry Jam

In a sale at my local grocery store, I bought a box of strawberries. I love strawberries so was definitely excited to bring home a pound of fresh strawberries. Knowing that strawberries tend to rot within a week or so , I looked up some recipes with strawberry as the main ingredient. As I thought, most were smoothie recipes but , hey, no smoothies for a  temperature in the 30's (degrees F). Finally, I stumbled upon this strawberry recipe from the food network channel. I never knew that it was so easy to make jam until I made it myself. This is the recipe that I used and strawberry jam came out really well. Try this with warm toast for a breakfast. Yummmmm

Generally, the bottles in which we store jam need to be sterilized. But, I made a very small batch using 1 Lb of strawberries  which I planned to consume within a week or two so I did not need to sterilize the bottle.
I used rough quantities in the recipe. We don't need to be exact as we would in a bake recipe.

Vegetable Pickle and my gift

Tired out of store-bought Pickles, I wanted to make something at the comfort of my home. I searched many websites and blogs for a recipe but could not find something that I would be able to make. Finally, I decided to try something on my own, after all I did get a good idea after reading so many blogs/articles on making Vegetable Pickle.

Here is a picture of the Vegetable Pickle :


Vegetable Pickle

Ingedients to make the Pickle:

The measurements in this list are approximate, a little more or a little less of anything is no harm!
2 cups vegetable such as Carrot,Cauliflower,Peas,Beans,Beet Root ( Use atleast 2 or 3)
1/2 Cup Pickle Masala - I bought this at the Indian Store in my area. You may even choose to make this powder.
1/4 Cup - 1/2 cup Salt
1 Cup Vinegar
1/2 cup Lime Juice/Lemon Juice
1/4 Cup Cooking Oil + 2 spoons, I used Canola Oil

Wash the vegetables ans julien(Cut into long pieces) them into 1-2 inch long pieces. Blanch these cut pieces so that they are retain their shape when used in the pickle. Then, allow the vegetables to cool. You may skip this blanching step and directly saute the vegetables after cutting them. (However, blanching will help retain the shape.)
Now,heat 2 spoons cooking oil in a pan and add all the chopped vegetables and saute. After 4-5 mins, add the pickle masala and salt , also check the spice/salt level at this point. Adjust the pickle masala and salt quantity to your preference. Let it cook for a couple of minutes and switch of the flame. Add Lime juice. Once this has cooled, transfer this 'pickle' into a clean and dry jar. Add Vinegar.

Vegetable Pickle is ready to use. You can use it right away but I found that it tasted better from the next day, but, its up to you.

On a separate note, I was the lucky winner in the give-away organized Divya at her blog. My gift arrived yesterday. Thank You, Divya. Divya was prompt in sending my gift and here is the picture of it. I am extremely excited to receive this gift because it is my first prize in a Blog ever and also because I loved this cute set of salt and Pepper shakers (something that I do not own as yet!).

Curry Leaves Thuvaiyal/Chutney/Dip



Curry leaves Thuvaiyal

I am a big fan of dips/chutneys but I'm too lazy to get myself to make them on a regular basis. Here's a simple recipe that I tried today. The main ingredient is Curry leaves.

Ingredients:
Curry Leaves - about 2 cups(1 Cup is any regular cup)
Urad Dal - 2 Spoons or to taste
Channa Dal - 2 Spoons or to taste
Red Chillies - to taste or 4-5
Grated Coconut - 1/2 cup,Optional
Asafoetida - a pinch
Salt - to taste
Tamarind paste - 1/4 spoon
Cooking Oil - 2 spoons

Heat the cooking oil in a skillet/pan and add the asafoetida. Use a medium-low flame. Next, throw in the Channa Dal and follow it with Urad Dal. Let this cook for about 2 mins. Add the curry leaves and saute again for a minute. Turn off the stove. Add the grated coconut(optional). Let it cool.Once it cools, add tamarind and salt, and blend it to a smooth paste. You may require about 1-2 tablespoons of water for blending it. Enjoy as a side to Rice along with some gravy dish like Sambhar,Rasam or dal.



Blueberry Milkshake

This is the creamiest home-made milkshake that I have ever had. There are no special ingredients added, its the blueberries that gives the milkshake this texture. Not to mention,the nutrients in Blueberries. They are an excellent sourse of anti-oxidants, iron, and other vitamins and minerals.

Ingredients:

1 scoop ice - cream

1 cup blue berries(Fresh or frozen)
4 spoons sugar, adjust this to your taste level
1/2 cup milk, I used whole milk

Blend all together and serve.

I am sending this recipe to Torview's event here

Bluberries

Show me your refrigerator

This is my entry to this event hosted by Divya.

Palak Paneer

Palak Paneer is one of my favorite dishes and I'm sure many of you reading this would already be drooling over it. It is an eternal Indian dish that is liked by many all over the world.

Ingedients

1 small bunch of chopped Spinach(frozen or fresh)

10-12 pieces of 1" paneer cubes

Milk or Cream, as needed(I used 1/2 cup milk)

1 small Onion, chopped

1 medium tomato, chopped

3-4 green chillies/jaalpenos

1 spoon,Garam masala/all spice powder

1 Spoon,Corriander powder/dhania masala

Chilli Powder - as needed for taste

Boil spinach(frozen of fresh) in little water for about 5 minutes. Alternatively, microwave it. Use as little water as possible so that you don't need to discard the water that has the nutrients. Let it cool.

In the meanwhile, take a medium sized pan and add oil followed by onions. After 3-4 minutes, add tomatoes. Let it cook well for about 5 minutes. Now, add the spice powders. At this point, take care that the dish is not burnt. Add a little water if it helps to keep the dish from burning. After a couple of minutes, switch off the stove and let the masala cool.

Now, come back to the spinach and add it to a blender jar WITH the chillies (Do not forget the green chillies) and coarsely grind. Just 1-2 pulses should do. Keep it aside. Once the onion and tomato paste has cooled, blend it finely in the same blender jar(or a different one). You will not need any additional water.

Again,add 1 spoon of oil in the same skillet and add this onion-tomato paste to it. Let it cook for a few minutes. Add spinach paste and salt and mix well. Allow it to come to a boil. Add, milk or cream. If you are not concerned about the calories, you can go ahead and add cream. It is cream that is used in the original recipes of Palak Paneer and the one served in restaurants. If not cream, add plain milk. Water can also be used instead of cram or milk but the dish does not turn out creamy. Add as much as needed to make the dish to a consistency that you want. Next, stir in paneer pieces without breaking it and cook for 1-2 minutes. Mix well. Check the taste for salt and switch off the stove.

Serve with rotis,parathas or rice. I served it with steamed rice.