Thursday 31 July 2014

Carrot Buttermilk/Carrot Mor

Suddenly the weather is getting to hot here, two days back it was raining and now its too hot. This sudden climate changes are hard to tolerate now. We keep carrying the umbrellas and coolers in our bag whenever we go out, yes anything can happen now and this summer is totally different from other summers since ever i came to this Country. But however we keep ourself busy eventhough the climate play very much with our nerves. We keep travelling and trying to make plan to have weekend picnics and get togethers whenever the weather helps us a bit. Ok my today's post is going to be a summer friendly drink with the well know beta carotene rich carrots. This drink is definitely a thirsty quencher and very refreshing to enjoy while the weather is hot outside.Sending to Pari's Only - Gluten Free Cooking.


Healthy Buttermilk, Carrot Mor, Buttermilk with carrots

Sunday 27 July 2014

Eggless Orange Cream Biscuits

You cant forget bourbon and orange cream biscuits if you are born and brought in India, in 90's bourbon biscuits and cream biscuits were quite famous among the kids. I cant forget the taste of those biscuits and those moments are so special for me. Whenever my maternal uncle makes his trip to our place, we will look for both bourbon and orange cream biscuits, he never comes home with these biscuits. I still remember the taste and crunchiness of this biscuits. When you get a chance to make your own batch of orange cream biscuits at home, who will miss the chance.Even i dont want to miss the chance to make some orange flavored biscuits at home, actually i want to give a try to some cream biscuits since a while but somehow i couldnt able to bake them. Finally for this week's Fond Bites-Bake Along a weekly event by Subhashini, she suggested this cream biscuits.Every week we get to know about the week's challenge and the members of this group should bake and share either in their blog or with the group members. Seriously am having real fun with this group actually learning so many different bakes every week.

Orange cream biscuits, Cream biscuits with hung curd, Orange cream biscuits

Saturday 26 July 2014

No Deepfry Spiced Sprouted Chickpeas Balls/Kondakadalai Kola Urundai

Sprouts, i cant give up this protein packed stuffs never ever in my life. I started sprouting beans and wholegrains at home just few years back when i wasnt able to get them here. Sprouting is just a child play, anyone can make sprouts at home easily. Some makes their sprouts by using kitchen gadgets or simply with a muslin cloth or else with hot pack vessels. Using hotpack vessels for making sprouts is definitely one of the easiest way of making sprouts at home. Soak the beans you want to sprout a day before, next day, drain the water and drop the soaked beans in hotpack, close it and keep it in room temperature for a day, trust me the next day you can see the sprouts already. Use those sprouts in your cooking, this is how am making my sprouts and this method sounds easy na. I have prepared some chickpeas sprouts last week, after making kuzhambus and masala vadas with this incredible sprouts, i finished the leftovers as this delicious kola urundais.Sending to Kids's Delight - Healthy Snack Box hosted by Harini,event by Srivalli.

Healthy chickpeas balls, no deepfry Sprouted chickpeas balls

Friday 25 July 2014

Mixed Millets & Brown Rice Kuzhi Paniyaram /Siruthaaniya Kaara Paniyaram

If you have very tiny quantity of varieties of millets left aside in your pantry and dont know how to finish them, just look at this beauties, am sure they will definitely makes an excellent evening snacks. These paniyarams are more filling,nutritious, satisfying and healthy as well. After making couple of dishes with millets like barnyard millet, kodomillet, foxtail millet,little millet, finger millets,there were some leftovers sitting in my pantry since a while, those millets pulled me to try this interesting combination and trust me you will leave aside some millets just to make this kuzhi paniyarams. Kids love this paniyaram, this finger food can be easily served with anything as side dish, my lil one love his paniyaram without any side dish if they are tempered and spiced with green chillies. Sometimes they love with chutney, am sure kids will definitely finish their plate of paniyaram without any fuss.Sending to Kids's Delight - Healthy Snack Box hosted by Harini,event by Srivalli, Pari's Only - Gluten Free Cooking.



Thursday 24 July 2014

Blackeyed Peas & Raw Banana Tikkis

Kids just love deep fried snacks,but however i tried to them bit away and feed mine often with healthy snacks. Whenever i plan for healthy snacks, i'll always stick to the steamed cooked snacks or pan fried snacks. Panfried snacks goes for less oil when compared with the deep fried ones. Since my kids arent big fans of protein rich beans, i'll try to add often those nutritious beans in our menu but i'll try to keep masking them with other ingredients.One among those trials is this black eyed peas and raw banana tikkis. Actually you can add more veggies and cooked potatoes instead of raw banana but i replaced vegetables and usual cooked mashed potatoes with cooked,mashed raw banana. Both mashed raw banana and pressure cooked blackeyed peas works wonder in this tikkis. Seriously none at home noticed the addition of the blackeyed peas eventhough the tikki looked bit dull in colour.Sending to Kids's Delight - Healthy Snack Box hosted by Harini,event by Srivalli n  to Pari's Only - Gluten Free Cooking.




Sunday 20 July 2014

Cheesy Garlic Spinach Rolls

I have hardly seen people saying no to home baked fresh breads or rolls, i love the aroma of freshly baked goodies and i keep baking atleast twice a week at home. Its quite a routine now and if i dont bake everyone at home will ask me why am not baking now, see how they are hooked with my bakes. Earlier, the yeast god tested my patience, i have trashed the dead yeast numerous time, but slowly i learned to tame the yeast, now i play with it. Now my pantry is having both active dry yeast and instant yeast. Nothing can beat the aroma of the freshing baked goodies especially the garlic rolls. I prepared few garlic rolls with emmental cheese and spinach few days back for a baking group, they came out just prefect and loved having those rolls with a cup of coffee for our evening snacks.These cheesy rolls is this week's challenge of a weekly baking group called Fondbites, Bake Along by Subhashini,


Saturday 19 July 2014

Barnyard Millet & Black Urad Dal Sponge Dosa/Kuthiravali Karuppu Ulundhu Dosai

Millets took an important place in our daily menu, actually am cooking with them atleast once a day. If our breakfast or lunch is prepared with rice, our dinner will be definitely something with millets and vice versa. But however i like to take millets specially for our breakfasts.Millets are excellent for the health and they are more healthier than rice, millets are very much versatile as like other whole grains. After making a couple of dishes with barnyard millets, i tried recently this spongy dosas for our dinner. This batter goes for barnyard millet and black whole urad dal, yes black urad dal are healthier as much as millets. Now am getting whole urad dals from Indian stores often just to make my idly batter with them.Sending to Kids's Delight - Healthy Snack Box hosted by Harini,event by Srivalli n  to Pari's Only - Gluten Free Cooking.




Friday 18 July 2014

Milagu Jeeraga Kambu Sevai/Cumin, Peppered Pearlmillet Vermicelli

If you ask me to make a quick tiffin,i'll definitely go for a simple milagu jeeraga sevai aka cumin and pepper flavoured rice noodles. Its my all time favourite, whenever i want a quick tiffin i'll make immediately this simple, delicious dish with store bought sevai. But this time for a change, i tried the same milagu,jeeraga sevai with finger millet vermicelli/noodles. If you are my follower i have already told that i came home with few packets of different millets sevais from India. I just started experimenting with those sevais,one of my recent trial with kambu sevai is this easy peasy cumin and pepper flavoured sevai. They came out simply awesome and my kids loved thoroughly when i served them topped with sugar.Sending to Kids's Delight - Healthy Snack Box hosted by Harini,event by Srivalli n to Pari's Only - Gluten Free Cooking.




Thursday 17 July 2014

Semolina Masala Toast/Sooji Masala Toast/Savoury Suji Bread Toast

Bread makes an excellent breakfast, either sweet or savoury one can have a super filling meal anytime. We love bread in any form, either sweetened or savoury none at home will hesitate a second to have it. Actually if am making something with bread, my lil one will be the happiest person in the world. After chocolate, his favourite is bread. Cook anything with bread slices, he will be the first to indulge them. Obviously my pantry will always have a packet sliced breads. Whenever i feel lazy to make breakfast for my kids, i'll ask them to toast and have those toasted bread slices with their favourite spread. Since they are all in summer vacation, i have enough time to make different,quick breakfasts out of bread now.For this week's blogging marathon, i opted for Easy tiffin as themes, trust me today's savoury masala toast is definitely one among those easy tiffins.Sending to Kids's Delight - Healthy Snack Box hosted by Harini,event by Srivalli


Tuesday 15 July 2014

Roasted Urad Dal Flour

South Indian savoury snacks are not complete without the addition of roasted urad dal flour, this flour is must for savoury snacks like murukku,seedai,thattais. This flour can be prepared at home with just an ingredient. Yes just deskinned urad dal is quite enough to make this flour at home easily. When dehusked urad dals roasted in a pan without oil in low flame turned as golden brown is the only ingredients which makes this nice aromatic flour. Slow roasting urad dal makes an excellent homemade urad dal flour. You can make this flour earlier and they can stay prefect for a long if they are stored properly in an air tightened container or bottle. If your urad dal and rice flour is ready at home you can make savoury snacks quickly for your evening snacks.


Friday 11 July 2014

Bombay Toast/Sweet Bread Toast

Bombay toast or French toast, this sweet bread toasts are my favourite since ages, my mom makes often this toast for our evening snacks when i was kid. These sweet bombay toast aka bread toast makes an excellent snack for hungry kids. Back home, mom makes this bread toast with rolled breads in India but here in Paris, i usually prepare this toast with baguette slices. My lil one simply loves this super filling toast very much. Whenever i have some leftover baguette slices, i'll make immediately this toast. Obviously this sweet bread toast is my kids favourite too. These sweet bread toast suits prefectly for anytime of the day,make it for breakfast, lunch or for dinner, am sure kids will go crazy for this addictive sweet bread toast.


Thursday 10 July 2014

Kamarkat/Kamarkattu/Jaggery Balls/Jaggery Candies

If you would have doing your schooling during 80's or earlier in 90's you might have definitely crossed this chewy addictive kamarkats atleast once in your life. I tasted this jaggery candies aka Kamarkat for the first time when i was doing my 6th standard, i was totally tempted by the smell of jaggery syrup which pulled me to get this kamarkat from the petty shop situated in the corner of Gandhi street in Pondicherry.Every afternoon the vendor of this petty shop makes his fresh batch of Kamarkat.I still remember the owner of this shop was quite famous for this Kamarkats, he is very much known for this freshly made kamarkats among the Pondicherrians. Now this petty shop is still there but they dont do that fresh kamarkats now, even during my last India's trip, i went to that shop to get some fresh kamarkats but i was disappointed to find out some already prepared and packed kamarkats there.


Wednesday 9 July 2014

Rose Milk

Rose milk this rose flavoured sweetened milk is one among my favourite drink since my childhood. Everytime when mom prepares this milk at home, am the one who can drink a gallon without any guilt, yea i love it that much. I never forget to buy the concentrated rose syrup bottles or store bought rose milk instant powder from India whenever we make a trip. Eventhough the rose syrup can be prepared at home with fresh rose petals, its quite a long process hence most of the time i'll jump towards the store bought instant mix or syrup. That makes the life easier, some people make their rose syrup with rose essence and food colouring at home too, however i opted for the store bought ones.


Tuesday 8 July 2014

Eggless Chocolate Almond Streusel Cake

The word streusel itself makes me drool , its been ages i prepared streusel cake. Actually Streusel is a crumbled topping made usually with flour,butter, sugar often topped over a bread, muffins,pies or simply in cakes. Now some of the streusel topping includes spice powders, nuts and even chocolate powder.The word Streusel derives from German which means something scattered or sprinkled.My today's streusel cake is this week's challenge of an incredible baking group called Fondbites, Bake Along by Subhashini, every week on monday,a baking dish will be challenged to the members of this baking group and we need to post before the next sunday. seriously am enjoying the member's bakes virtually.

Monday 7 July 2014

Salted Pan Roasted Peanuts/Uppu Nella Kadalai

You cant forget few nostalgic moments and the foods we enjoyed during those moments, one among is this Salted peanuts. Love this pan roasted peanuts since ever i tasted first time when my grandma bought me in a store near to Pondicherry's raja theatre, this shop doesnt exist now, the oldman who hails from a nearby village never failled to sell the freshly roasted peanuts everyday along with puffed rice, rice flakes, salted channas etc. Everytime we go to Nehru street, we never forget to get a huge pocket of this roasted peanuts, the highlight of this peanuts is they are roasted along with sand which gives a wonderful flavor, i cant forget those tasty roasted salted peanuts.

Saturday 5 July 2014

Kuthiravali Venpongal/Barnyard Millet Pongal

Every South Indian home will definitely prepare ven pongal atleast once a week, pongal is prepared always with  rice and moongdal, later we usually spice them with peppercorns,curryleaves,cumin seeds and cashew nuts fried in ghee or oil. Been born and brought up in South India, pongal is one of the my most favourite breakfast before few years,but i cant eat this food now for my breakfast coz i completely lost the habit of having South Indian breakfast dishes. Blame the Paris's weather or my laziness, watever its been ages i stopped making pongal for our breakfast.If we crave for this beautiful dish, i'll definitely make it for our dinner, obviously most of the South Indian breakfast dishes are now turned as our evening dinner.


Friday 4 July 2014

Little Millet Kheer/Samai Payasam

Little millet belongs to the famous millet family, as i told earlier millets can be used in everyday life and they are very versatile. You can make many dishes like upma, dosa,idli, vadas, murukkus, pongal,khichdi, biriyani etc. Little millet can be cooked as much as like rice, yes they can be steam cooked or pressure cooked. Actually little millet are also known as small millet and they are commonly cultivated in Southern parts of India,they will be small in size and gluten free. They contains nutrients like Zinc, magnesium, vitamins,potassium,folic acids, iron and calcium.I love cooking with millets, obviously millets have their important place in our weekly menu. Sometimes i replace rice completely with millets and now everyone at home dont complain to have millets atleast once or twice a week.Sending to Pari's Only - Gluten Free Cooking.



Thursday 3 July 2014

Ragi Semiya Upma/Fingermillet Vermicelli Upma

Upma is one of the easiest and quickest breakfast South Indian dish usually prepared with semolina or rice rava. But this time am posting today this healthy upma with fingermillet vermicelli. Actually during my last trip, i crossed many different and healthy vermicelli with many varieties of millets, obviously i came back home with a couple of millet vermicellis. One among is this ragi semiya aka finger millet vermicelli, actually i make this upma quite often whenever i feel like having semiya upma and completely trying to skip the usual vermicelli. This semiya upma is definitely nutritious and healthy as it is made with ragi aka fingermillet. Apart from upma, you can make varieties of foods with this vermicelli, but today its going to be a simple upma with this vermicelli.Sending to Pari's Only - Gluten Free Cooking.



Tuesday 1 July 2014

Cheesy Zucchini, Tomato & Bellpepper Schiacciata

The word Schiacciata may sounds funny or hard to pronounce but its a yeasted flat bread mostly stuffed with a savoury filling or else simply with a sweet filling even sometimes without filling. Almost like Calzone or focaccia, this Italian flatbread is quite known as Classic Tuscan Flatbread.Schiacciata goes for simple ingredients and the main basic ingredients are flour,yeast and water. You can add other ingredients like olive oil,herbs depending upon ur wish. This flat bread is eaten every day as mid morning snacks, or for lunch or for dinner. But some may also have this flat bread during mid afternoon snack. If this bread goes for filling you doesnt need anything to add with, if its simply prepared as flat bread, just stuff it as you desire with vegetables,meats or simply with salads and have it as sandwiches.