Sponge Bob Square Pants Cake

I think most of the kids are crazy about Sponge Bob Square Pants.......In those most, my daughter is one....so, I had made this Cake on her Birth Day......

Kodi Guddu Porutu, Egg Porutu, Egg Burji

Who don't know egg Porutu/burji?.....I like to call it Indian style of Scrambled Egg. It is the easiest dish that anybody can make......I have been doing this recipe for years, from my collage days.......I think it's the most simple and easy dish ever ... how ever we do it, turns out tasty.......

Ingredients:

4Eggs, 1 big onion,2no.green chillies/ 1tsp. red chilli powder(adjust as per spice level), salt to taste, 3tsp. oil, 1/4 tsp. turmeric powder.

Cut the onions, green chilies into small pieces, in a pan heat the oil , once it is hot add the onions and green chillies and fry them until the onions are translucent, then add salt, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and fry for about a min. then add the beaten eggs to the sauteed onions and cook them on medium heat until done(In between stir well with spatula, so that the eggs g in the pan are roughly scrambled)......serve it with roti or rice..........

Chicken Pulusu

Hummmmmm.........about this recipe there is lot to tell.......this is my all time fav. chicken variety, generally in telugu we call it kodi pulusu......the word pulusu mean the gravy which is not thick but in puring consistency........this is the most comfort chicken variety in south......we have it with garelu/wada, dosa, idli and even we have with rice and biryani.

Ingredients:

Masala: 1/4cup fresh shredded coconut, 2tsp.coriander powder, 3 pods garlic, 2''piece of ginger, 1/4 cup onion(roughly chopped), 2no.cardamom, 2'' piece Cinnamon, 3cloves.

Grind all the above ingredients with little water into very smooth paste and keep it aside.

Pulusu/Gravy:

In a pan or cooker heat 4tbsp.oil, once it is hot add 1/4tsp. of jeera and mustard each, once they start to crack, add 1/4 cup of onions(cut lengthwise) and fry until the onions are translucent they add 1/4cup of diced tomatoes( do not add more tomato, it changes the taste of chicken)and fry for few min. then add the ground masala, salt and 1/4tsp. turmeric powder and fry on medium flame for about 15 min. or until the masla is light brown in color, then add the chicken pieces, 1 cup water, 2tsp. red chilli powder(adjust as per the spice level) and pressure cook for two whistles, the gravy should be in pouring consistency....if it is too tin then keep it on medium flame until you get the desired consistency. If you are doing it in a pan cover it with lid and cook until the chicken is cooked and the gravy is thick enough(should not be too tick or too watery)....now garnish it with coriander leaves and seve it hot...........with rice, idli,dosa, wada.......this can also be served as Sharuva for Biryani.

Potato Bajjilu, aloo bajjia

This is a quick fix snack.......There are many varieties in this bajjilu , I have already posted the recipe of Mirchi Bajji....here.......today I'm posting the recipe of Aloo bajji............In the similar way you can make any vegetable bajji........

Ingredients

2no.potatoes,1/4cup besan/channa dal flour/sanagapindi, 3tbs. rice flour, few pinches of garam masala, 1tsp.chilli powder, 1/4tsp.ginger garlic paste, salt to taste, oil for deep frying

Slice the potatoes into thin round pieces and keep them aside. In a bowl add besan, rice flour, red chilli powder, garam masala,salt, ginger garlic paste, water and mix well and soft (the consistency should be little thin). In a pan heat oil, once it is hot dip the potato slices in the besan batter and drop them in the hot oil and fry them until they are light gold brown in color.....serve them hot.....

Similarly you can dip any vegitable in this batter to make various varities of bajji.........you can make bajji with mirchi, brinjal, spinach leaves, ridge guard(beerakaya) and onions.......

Ragi Sangati (Millet flour rice) and Ambali

Today It's raining very heavily here......so the thought of sangati came into my mind.............having sangati on a rainy day is really a superb thing.............Ragi Sangati is a staple food in most of the rural areas of Andhra, it's very tasty,nutritious and healthy. This tastes great with Chicken Pulusu...., it even tastes better with Pappu Endumirapakayalu..... even it can be taken with curd and lemon pickle......it tastes heavenly.......here is the recipe of Sangati........

Soak rice for 30 mins., for 1 cup of rice take 3 cups of water and cook the rice very soft. Now add the ragi/millet flour(11/2cups of millet flour) to cooked rice and mix it well until the rice is totally coated with flour, making sure that there are no lumps of flour, then cover and keep it on low heat for 5 mins................yep that's it sangati is done...now make the rice into round shapes( if you make them in to round shapes they seal the heat for a long time) and serve it hot with chicken/kodi pulusu or any vegetable curry.....( all puppu curries and masala curries go well with it).

Ambali

Even we can make energy drink with sangati, it is called ambali, this ambali is easy to make...........take 1/2 cup of sangatin,2cups of buttermilk and salt to taste and blend them together in a blender and enjoy this tasty drink............ for variation we can add little lemon pickle while blending ...........

Chicken Curry

This chicken curry is something different for that I usually make. Chicken curry is usually loaded with masalas and oil, but ....this is very lite and simple version of chicken curry......this tastes good with rice, but go better with roties.........

Ingredients:

2lbs. chicken(cut int 1''pieces), 3 big red onions(chopped finely or cut lengthwise), 1 tomato(diced),3tsp. oil, 1tsp.jeera, 2tsp. red chilli powder(adj. as per spice level), salt to taste, 1/4 tsp. turmeric powder, 1/2 tsp. dhania powder, 1/2 tsp. jeera powder, 1/4 tsp. garam masala, 1tsp. ginger garlic paste.

In a pan heat the oil, once it is hot add jeer, ginger garlic paste and onions and fry until the onion is very soft(for about 15 min.) on medium flame, then add the chicken pieces, salt and turmeric powder and cover it with lid and cook until the chicken it soft, keep stirring for every 5min.(to avoid sticking) (usually water comes from the chicken which is enough for cooking, but it the water is not enough, we can add 1 cup), once the chicken is cooked add red chilli powder,dhania powder, jeera powder, garam masala and diced tomato and cook until the tomatoes are soft and the gravy is thick enough......

Chicken 65

This is the chicken dish which does not need as introduction........it's the most popular chicken variety.......here is the simple and delicious recipe.......

Ingredients:

2lbs.chicken,(bone less), 5tsp.ginger garlic paste, 1/2tsp.turmeric powder, 3tsp.red chilly powder,
7no.green chillies(cut length wise), 1cup thick yogurt/curd,few drops of red colour, 5springs curry leaves,3tbsp.oil, Salt to taste.1tsp. cilantro leaves, few onion slices(optional) and lemon wedges for garnishing.

Cut the chicken into 1" pieces, wash and drain the pieces for few minutes( the chicken pieces should not be moist),then add salt,turmeric powder,chilly powder,ginger garlic paste and colour, mix well and marinate for over night. Heat the oil in a pan, once the oil is hot add the chicken pieces and fry them on medium flame until cooked well, once they are cooked,drain them and keep them aside. In the same pan( in which we fried chicken) add curry leaves and green chillies and fry for 2 min. then reduce the flame and add yogurt/curd, cook for few seconds, then add the fried chicken and fry until all curd is dried up and coated well on the chicken pieces, now garnish it with chopped cilantro leaves, onions and lemon wedges......

Rabdi

Ingredients

3cups milk, 2cups paneer(grated),3/4cup condensed milk, 1tsp.Cardamom powder, pinch of saffron strands,1tsp. ghee, almonds and pistachio for garnishing (as I ran short of pistachios,I used only almonds for garnishing)

Take a large,thick bottom pan, grease it with ghee and boil milk, keep stirring for every 5-7min.while the milk is boiling, grate the paneer and keep it aside.when the milk is reduced to 3/4, then add condensed milk,cardamom powder,saffron strands and the grated paneer to the milk,mix well and boil for about 15-20min. stirring for every 5 min.(to avoid sticking).Paneer acts as a thickening agent and gives thickness and texture to the rabdi, cook it on low flame until you get the desired consistency,after attaining the consistency add rose water and mix well, then garnish with dry nuts.....serve it clod......even it can be served with fresh cut fruits.....

Idli Upma, Crumbled Idli, Fried Idli

No.....no..no not again idli Mommy...this is the dialogue of my 7yr. old, what to do.....I remember the day of me telling the same to my mom......my Amma used to transform idli into very tasty breakfast/evening snack.......that's what I did yesterday........my daughter also enjoyed it.......she called it yellow upma....I told her no matter what u call, this is also idli.....then she told me, "Even idli tastes better" mommy.....so friends try your luck with this recipe to your idli hating lil' one's.

Ingredients:

4 idlies(even the left overs can be used), 3green chillies, cut lengthwise(adjust as per the spice level),1/4 onion (cut lengthwise), 1tsp. lemon juice. salt to taste.

Seasoning:

1tbsp. oil, 1tsp. chana dal, 1tsp. urad dal,1/4 tsp. turmeric powder, 1tsp. mustard and jeera seeds each, 2 spring curry leaves.

First crumble the idlies and keep them aside. In a pan heat oil and add all the seasoning ingredients and fry until they fragrant, then add turmeric powder, onion, green chillies and salt and fry until the onion are translucent and then add the idli crumble and toss it well until it is coated with all the seasonings, now add the lemon juice, mix well and remove from the flame and serve it hot........

Dhokla

This is a popular Gujarati Snack........it's famous for its spongy texture and mild flavours..........The recipe that I'm posting here is not the original dhokla recipe........its mostly like instant one........but turn out so tasty...........................





The measurements given here serves 2, just double to quantities to increase the servings........

Ingredients:
1 cup Sooji(upma ravva), 1tbsp. Oil,1/4tsp. ajwain,1/2tsp.ginger,2no.Green Chili,finely chopped (adjust as per taste),salt to taste,1/2 cup water,1/2cup Yogurt(curd),1/4tsp.turmeric Powder, 1tsp.ENOFruit Salt.

Seasoning:

1tsp.oil,1tbsp.mustard seeds, for garnishing finely chopped coriander leaves for about 2tsp.

In a bowl, add Sooji, ajwain seeds and oil, mix well until the sooji is totally coated with oil, see that there no lumps. In another bowl take the yogurt and whisk soft, then add chopped chillies, grated ginger salt and turmeric powder and mix well, then add this mixture,water to sooji and mix well until a smooth batter is formed, now allow the batter to reset for at least 15min., then add ENO fruit salt to the sooji batter and mix well, now we can see the fermentation of the batter.......then immediately pour the batter into the greased plate(9" x 2" sized),filling only half way up, In a pressure cooker add 1 1/2cup water and place the batter plate into the cooker, close the lid of the cooker but do not place the whistle,(even we can use a wide pan with the lid instead of pressure cooker) steam the Dhokla on medium heat for 15 min., then remove from the flame and allow it to cool for about 2 min. then cut the dhokla in squares and keep them aside. Now heat Oil in a pan, once it is hot add mustard seeds and allow them to splutter, now garnish the dhokla pieces with chopped cilantro leaves and seasoned oil with mustard seeds, serve them hot with green chutney......or the lazy arts enjoy it just like that......these dhoklas have the spongy texture and tastes as good as original dhoklas.........I really enjoyed them........thanks to my friend who have shared her recipe with me........

Rava Kesari, Sooji Halwa

Rava Kesari(sooji halwa) is a very popular sweet dish all over India...........

Ingredients:

1/2 cup rava(sooji, semolina)
1/4 cup ghee
1 cup sugar
1 1/2cup water
1/4tsp.cardamom powder
1 tbsp. cashews

Boil the water,keep it aside. In a pan heat the ghee,toast the cashews and keep them aside, then in the same pan add rava and sugar and roast to dark golden brown color,stirring constantly this will take about 10min. ravva will be little dark brown in color and will have a light sweet aroma. Then add water and turn down the heat to medium low and let it cook for about 2-3 min.or until you reach the desired consistency. Then remove from the flame and garnish with cashews..........