Stuffed Mushrooms




Stuffed mushrooms serve as an exotic appetizer, especially when you do not want to sweat out in front of the hot stove frying stuff for your guests. I luv corn & so filled them with corn. You may choose to try different ingredients such as simply onion, capsicum, meat & so on.This is a nutritious option & it tastes so good that you will stuff yourself with these stuffed mushrooms!!
Here goes the recipe:

Ingredients:
Button Mushrooms- 20 nos.
Sweet corn(cooked or frozen, thawed)-3/4 cup
Mozzarella cheese(grated)- 1/2 cup
Bread crumbs- 3/4 cup
Dried Oregano- 1 tspn
Garlic- 1 big clove(peeled & finely chopped)
Olive oil- 3 tspns
Pepper- 1/2 tspn
Salt to taste

Method:
-Wash mushrooms, pat dry & stalk them out delicately.
-Chop mushroom stalks finely
-Heat olive oil in a pan, add garlic & saute for 1/2 a min
-Add chopped stalk, corn, oregano, pepper & salt & cook for abt 3 mins
-Let the mixture cool
-Mix in bread crumbs
-Preheat oven at 300 deg F(150 deg C)
-Stuff the mushroom caps with the filling
-Top it with grated Mozzarella cheese. Gently press so that cheese doesn't fall.
-Brush the outer side of the mushrooms with olive oil.
-Place mushrooms on a baking tray, with the stuffed portion facing up.
-Bake for 20 mins & serve hot.

Tips:
1.It is important for the mushrooms to be dry, bcouz it leaves water & if wet, it might turn soggy!
2.If the stuffing is leftover, spread it on bread & make yummy sandwiches & serve it hot with ketchup!!

Sodhi

SODHI



This is a mildly spiced gravy(Kozhambu) made from coconut milk & lentils with vegetables in it. It is a must-have when a newly married couple is invited over for feast. This is a traditional dish from a place called Tirunelvelli in down south Tamil Nadu.

My Mom hails from there. The recipe is passed on through generations & I get this from my Mom.This is my Amma's best & as I say so, my mouth is watery!!I must say 'Sodhi' was the dish I was craving to have from my mom's hands when I was expecting :-))My Parents could visit me only at the end of pregnancy term. And, the day they arrived my mom prepared it for me, in spite of her tiredness & jet lag.I devoured it to my heart's content & the very next day I got admitted & my daughter was born!Once, a cousin of mine asked jovially to my mom, 'Can I have Sodhi in a cup instead of tea, for this evening?'. She loved it soo much, she wanted to drink it!!

To subtle the heavy feeling after eating, Sodhi is often complimented by 'Inji Pachadi' which is a hot n sweet sauce made with ginger & jaggery. It is best eaten with plain white rice & a simple potato curry alongside. Also goes amazingly well with 'Idiyappam' or 'Plain boiled Sevai' which is nothing but rice noodles.

Here goes this recipe:
Ingredients:
Fresh Coconut - 1 medium size
Moong Dal- 1/3 cup
Onion(thinly sliced)- 1/2 medium size
Green Chillies- 4 nos or more
Ginger- 1 inch piece(peeled)
Carrots, Green Beans, Cauliflower, Drumstick- 1 cup(mixed)
Turmeric powder- 1/8 tspn
Lemon(optional)- juice from 1/2 a lemon
Salt to taste

For Seasoning:
Cinnamon Stick- 1 inch piece
Green Cardamom- 2 nos
Ghee- 1/2 tspn
Garlic- 2 nos(peeled & finely chopped)
Fresh Coriander- 2 stems(chopped fine) to garnish

Method:
-Grind the chillies & ginger to a paste.
-Cut assorted veggies lengthwise or to bite-size pieces.
-Break the coconut, Scrap the pulp & grind it with water. Strain it & save this 1st milk seperately(approx.1 cup)
-Do not discard the ground coconut. Mix it with water & grind again & extract the milk save the 2nd milk seperately(approx. 1 cup)
-Repeat this procedure to the 3rd milk, which should be like 'tamarind water for rasam'.
-Heat ghee in a pan, add cinnamon, cardamom & garlic pieces & fry for 1 min.
-Add 3rd milk(shud make up to 1 1/2 cups approx.) to it add the cut veggies & moong dal(u cud add cauliflower a little later as it cooks faster), & let it till dal is completely cooked & veggies are tender.
-Add Ginger-Chilli paste, salt, turmeric powder & let it boil for abt 3 mins.-Add 2nd milk & let it for 2 mins or till it froths slightly.-Add 1st milk & bring it down exactly in 1 min.-Garnish with coriander & squeeze lemon if u wish to.
-Serve hot.

This recipe calls for some patience. But, the end result is just worth it.

Tips: Here is an easy way:

1. Alternatively, you could use 1 can of coconut milk. When doing so, pour the entire coconut milk into a separate bowl, then wash the can to scrape the contents with approx. 1 1/2 cups of water & use it as 3rd milk. Then, after adding all the other ingredients, add the entire can of coconut milk as the 1st milk. The results are equally good. I make it with the canned coconut milk & my mom makes it the traditional way.
2. Be really careful to add salt only at the stage mentioned, else it might curdle.
3. After adding the 1st milk, donot boil for long.
4. Please donot grind garlic, as it will spoil the flavour completely!

Rava Idli with Saagu & Chutney



Rava Idli is such a comfort food. No soaking grains for long hours, no grinding, no fermenting for hours & having to look up if its raising!! This recipe is an easy-deazy way to please your guests. And the best part - You could prepare the dry mixture & store it(airtight)in the freezer for up to 1 month long!! Cook this up once & u wouldn't spend bucks on the store-bought mix anymore!!
Here goes the recipe:

RAVA IDLI

Ingredients:

Upma sooji Rava - 1 1/2 cups
Ginger - 1 inch piece (peeled)
Green chillies - 3 to 5 nos.
Curry Leaves - 5 nos(torn to bits)
Oil - 2 tspn Ghee - 1 tspn
Cashew nuts(optional)- 6(broken to bits)
Curds - 1 cup water - 3/4 cup
Salt to taste(1 tspn approx)
Cooking Soda - 1 tspn
Fresh Coriander - 1/2 bunch(finely chopped)

Method:
-Grind ginger & chillies dry in a mixer.
-Heat oil & ghee in a Kadai in medium flame.
-Add the ginger-chilli paste & curry leaves for fry for 1 min.
-Add cashews & fry for 50 secs
-Add Rava & fry for approx. 7 mins or till aroma comes.
-Let the mixture cool completely.
-Mix curds, water, salt, cooking soda & chopped coriander & beat it well.
-Add the rava mixture & let it rest for 7 mins.
-Grease an idli plate & spoon the mixture to the depressions.
-Steam it & check if its done by piercing a knife.
-Flip it out of the Idli plate.
-Serve hot with Saagu & coconut-coriander chutney.

This measurement will make approximately 12 soft & spongy idlies! Relish it & u would say Delish!!

Tips:
1. The curd should neither be too fresh nor too sour.
2. You cud substitute 1 tbspn of soaked Chana Dal to cashew nut.
3. The batter consistency should be little more thicker than the regular Idli batter.
4. The key ingredient is the Cooking Soda that makes it so soft. So, make sure the soda's good!
5. When u wish to store for long, prepare the dry mixture, let it cool completely & store in an air-tight container in the freezer for up to 1 month!!

SAAGU

Ingredients
Onion - 1/2 medium size(cut into 1/2 & sliced thin)
Tomato - 1 medium
Green chillies - 2 slit
Curry leaves - 4 nos(torn)
Turmeric powder- 1/4 tspn
Besan flour- 1 tbspn
Water- 2 cups
Salt to taste(approx. 3/4 tspn)
Urad dal split- 1/2tspn
Mustard- 1/2 tspnOil- 1 tspn

Method:
-Heat oil in a kadai & add urad dal, mustard & curry leaves & let it splutter.
-Add Onion & green chillies & saute till onion is translucent.
-Add Tomatoes & cook for 2 mins, add turmeric powder & salt, add water & let it boil for 3 mins
-Blend besan flour in 2 tspn of water & add this to the kadai & let it simmer for abt 6 to 7 mins.
-Serve hot.

COCONUT-CORIANDER CHUTNEY

Ingredients
Sliced fresh coconut- 3/4 cup
Green Chillies- 2 nos
Roasted gram dal(chana Dalia)- 1 1/2 tspn
Fresh coriander- 1/4 cup
Salt to taste

Method:
Grind all the above to paste adding little water.
Optional:Season it with [3/4 tspn. of combined Split urad dal & Mustard, 1/8tspn of Asafoetida powder & 3 Curry leaves torn apart] in 1/4 tspn of oil.

Eggless Chocolate-Walnut Brownie.


I have always had a fascination for Baking & have found it challenging to find Eggless recipes. I simply luv chocolates & anything chocolaty, well, who doesn't? So, when I found this recipe for an Eggless Chocolate Walnut Brownie(which I've altered to suit my way),
I just couldn't wait to bake!. A Brownie is a cross between a cookie & a cake & is not meant to be spongy! Stick to the measurements, you will never go wrong.
So, Here goes the recipe:



Ingredients:

Flour - 2 1/3 cups
Water - 1 cup
Butter -1/2 cup
Cocoa Powder - 3/4 cup
Sugar - 2 cups
Salt - 1/2 tspn
Vallina Essence - 1 tspn
Baking Powder - 2 tspn
Baking Soda - 1/4 tspn
Instant Coffee Powder -1 tspn
Chocolate Syrup - 1 tspn(optional)
Walnuts - 1/2 cup(chopped)


Method:
-Preheat oven to 180 deg C(350 deg F).
-Combine 1/3 cup of the flour with 1 cup water in a saucepan & cook on medium heat until thick. Let it cool completely.
-Melt butter & stir in Cocoa & coffee powder & chocolate syrup.
-Sift in remaining flour with Baking powder & soda.
-Beat sugar, salt & vanilla essence into the cooled mixture.
-Add the above mixture to the sifted flour mixture. Add nuts & Mix well.
-Spoon the batter onto a greased pan & Bake for 30 mins(Check with a toothprick)
-Square it well completely cooled.

Serve warm brownies with a scoop of vanilla icecream & drizzle it with some chocolate sauce.
One spoonful is Decadent Bliss!!

Tip : A little amount of Coffee kicks up the flavour of chocolate & makes it even more rich.