cooking tips

After a nice nap we were ready to venture out. Slowly the evening was setting in. We got ready and were out of the hotel in minutes. The Citin Pratunam or similar hotels in the area might seem that they are situated in very crammed up lanes but this was very advantageous also. Within 2 minutes of walk from the hotel you have access to everything that would satiate your shopping spree. And that’s why we come to Bangkok right, to shop till we drop. Room @ Citin Pratunam The first thing on our agenda was to get money exchanged and to get a local sim card. I had read super rich near big C mall was the best place for money exchange in Pratunam as they offered the best rates. But what I didn’t know was the closing time of Super rich. We asked a few shop owners for direction to super rich but they all said that by 5 PM it would have closed and it was already 6 PM by then. We were in dire need to get our dollars exchanged for local money. So the next best option we asked. One shop owner po...

Cabbage dal My kids love dal, but they don't like cabbage stir fry or any dish with cabbage. So one day I thought of adding cabbage in  dal and they didn't even realize that their favorite dal had cabbage in it. Whether you like cabbage or not, this dish takes dal to a different level. It can be served with rice or roti..a little ghee and papads on the side to go with rice makes it a yummy meal. Ingredients Toor dal or split moong dal - 1/2 cup Onion - half of a medium sized, chopped fine Shredded cabbage - 2 cups Tomato - 1 small, chopped (optional) For tempering Oil - 2 tbsp Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp Jeera/ Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp Dry red chillies - 2 Curry leaves - a sprig Garlic - 3 cloves crushed Hing/asafetida - a generous pinch Turmeric powder - 1/4 TSP Chilly powder - 3/4 TSP Chopped coriander leaves to garnish Salt as needed Preparation 1. Rinse and drain dal and pressure cook with 2 cups of water. 2. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds followed by jeera. Add crushed g...

Mushroom Bellpepper sandwich Ingredients Bread - 10 slices Button Mushroom - 200 gms Green bell pepper - 1 Red bell pepper - 1 Crushed pepper - 1 TSP Salt as needed Shredded cheese - 5 tbsp Or Cheese slices - 5 Olive / any oil - 1 tbsp Italian seasoning - as needed Preparation 1. Slice the mushroom and chop the Bellpepper to very small pieces. 2. In a pan add the veggies along with oil, pepper and salt and stir fry on high heat. The veggies give out a lot of water. Stir fry till it becomes dry. 3. Take a bread slice. You may apply some butter if needed. Spread the veggie mix evenly. Top it with 1 tbsp shredded cheese. I used a mix of mozzarella and cheddar. If you are using cheese slices, place it on top of the veggies. Sprinkle a little Italian seasoning. Cover with another bread slice. 3. Grill till sandwich is lightly browned. Serve hot.

Chicken Sausage masala stir fry Let's make a desi dish out of chicken sausage. Ingredients Chicken sausage / Frank - 6 Onion - 1, chopped fine Tomato - 1 small, blanched and pureed Ginger garlic paste - 1 TSP Red chilly powder - 1 TSP Coriander powder - 1 tbsp Saunf/ fennel seeds 3/4 TSP Curry leaves - a sprig Lemon juice - 1 or 2 tsp Oil - 2 tbsp Salt as needed Preparation 1. Cut the sausage into rounds and keep aside. 2. Heat oil in pan and splutter the sauf. Add in onions and saute till soft 3. Add ginger garlic paste and saute till raw smell goes. 4. Add red chilly, turmeric and coriander powders and mix well.. Take care not to burn them. 5. Add in tomato puree and combine well. Saute for few minutes. 6. Add sausage rounds and curry leaves. Combine well and cover and cook for 5 mins. You can sprinkle a little water if it gets too dry. 7. Add the lemon juice and stir fry on high for a few minutes until the dish is dry as in the picture. You may add some chopped coriander leaves ...

Homemade Strawberry ice cream 4 years ago in May I took a long break from blogging... I wasn't able to find time to post any recipes due to the busy schedules of work and home...Many friends kept asking me to start blogging again whenever I find time...and here I'm back to my little space...so let me resume blogging with a sweet treat... Who doesn't love some ice cream on these hot summer days...this is a super easy recipe with just 3 ingredients... Do give it a try... Ingredients Strawberry - 250 g Heavy cream - 1 cup Sweetened condensed milk - 1 cup Preparation 1. Clean the strawberries and use a blender to make a fine puree. 2. Whip the cream and condensed milk together using a hand blender until it thickens. This may take about 5 minutes or a little more. 3. Fold in the strawberry puree using a spatula. 4. Take a freezable container with a lid. Transfer the mix and freeze overnight. Enjoy the best and simple strawberry ice cream

Ingredients : Snake gourd/Padavalanga/Padwal - 1 medium Chana dal - 1/4 cup Oil - 1 tbsp Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp Shallots/Sambar onion - 4 or 5, peeled and sliced thin Green chillies - 2, slit Curry leaves - a  small sprig Salt to taste To grind Grated coconut - 3 to 4 tbsp Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp Garlic - 1 or 2 cloves Green chillies - 1 Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp Preparation : 1. Pressure cook the chana dal with just enough water to cook for 1 or 2 whistles. The dal should be 3/4th cooked. 2. Rub the peel off the snakegourd, and chop it into cubes. 3. Heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds. Add onions, green chillies ad curry leaves and saute till onions start turning brown.  4. Add the cooked dal and the snake gourd and combine well. Add enough salt and cover and cook for few minutes till gourd is cooked. 5. Grind the coconut and other ingredients coarsely without adding water. Add this to the cooked dal and gourd and mix well. Stir fry for a minute. Serve with rice or r...

Thank you everyone for participating in the Kerala Kitchen event. I really enjoyed hosting the event and loved all the recipes that were sent to the event. Thank you, Rose for giving me the opportunity to host the event. So here are the yummy dishes for the roundup... BREAKFAST Uthappams by Rajani. Ragi Idly and Tomato Garlic chutney by Jaleela Onion Uthappam from Chandrani Wheat pleated porotta by Faseela A complete Breakfast platter by Rajani.Being a lazy cook, I can only dream of making such a wholesome breakfast. PICKLES, CHUTNEYS  AND PODI Kannimanga achar/Tender mango pickle  by Reshmi Mahesh Mango pickle by Misha Idli podi/Parippu podi by Faseela Thenga podi by Rasya Srinath Ginger coonut  chutney by Roshni Coriander roasted  gram chutney by Jaleela                                                  Tomato coconut chutney  a...