Announcing Cooking with Herbs and Flowers #2 - Spring Onions [with giveaway]

I am so happy to announce that I am guest hosting PJ's event - Cooking with herbs and flowers. This is my first ever event on my blog, so i am very thrilled. We use herbs in our day to day cooking. They enhance the flavor and taste of the dish. One such herb is Spring onion. 

A scallion or spring onion is one of various Allium species, all of which have hollow green leaves (like the common onion), but which lack a fully developed root bulb. It has a relatively mild onion flavour, and is used as a vegetable, either raw or cooked. Many other names are used, including green onion, spring onion, salad onion, table onion, green shallot, onion stick, long onion, baby onion.

They are widely used in soups, noodles, salads and Asian recipes. In Asian recipes, they are part of the stir fry.  I love them and use them very often in my stir frys. I have the onion bulbs raw as a part of salad in my daily diet. So lets get into some details of the event.

Some rules of the event:

1.   Cook and blog about a Vegan or Vegetarian dish which features spring onion. Though this series is based on the culinary uses, you can also share the following -growing spring onion or tips on freezing or storing them ,non culinary uses that have been tried and tested by you like cosmetic uses, home remedies, crafts etc. You can also write about some interesting facts on spring onions.

2. Please add this announcement link, and link to PJ’s announcement page  - cooking with herbs and flowers to your post and hosted by cookingwithpoorni to your post.

3. Adding the logo to your post will help spread the word.

4. Send in as many entries as you wish. Archives entries are also accepted but do make a link to the post with both the announcements.

5. Non bloggers are also welcome to participate

6. Drop a mail to poornimamolri@gmail.com(for non - bloggers) / use the linky tool below with these details
· Your name and name of your blog
· Recipe and URL
· Picture of your dish.[Please re-size your images]

7. The last date for the entries is April 30th 2014

8. PJ will select a winner and sponsor a cookbook as the giveaway. The book will be shipped to the winner’s Indian Address

 Thank you for supporting Herbs and flowers Event. Let me know if you have any doubts.

An InLinkz Link-up

Pineapple n Cottage Cheese Cake(eggless)

As you might have noticed i  am not active for the past few weeks on my blog due to my health reasons. Hopefully, will be more active from next month. Its time for Potluck Party Cyber Style. i got this opportunity to make this wonderful yet very different cake. If you ask me, i would never have thought of this combination. Cottage Cheese and Pineapple in a cake, unique isn't it. Thanks to Rachana Shah for this wonderful recipe. I made few changes to the recipe. I added store bought pineapple preserve and did not make it at home. Also used wholewheat flour instead of all purpose flour.
Click here for original recipe.
So lets check the recipe.... Happy cooking...

Ingredients:

Cottage Cheese(Paneer) - 3/4 cup
Wholewheat flour - 3/4 cup
Granulated sugar - 3/4 cup
Butter - 60 gms(unsalted)
Baking powder - 1 1/2 tsp
Baking soda - 1/2 tsp
Preserved pineapple - 3/4 cup
Pineapple essence - 1/2 tsp
Pineapple syrup - 2 tbsp
Milk - 1/2 cup
Vinegar - 1/2 tsp

Method:

Preheat the oven at 180 degree Celsius.

Sieve wholewheat flour, baking powder and baking soda in a bowl. 

Beat butter till creamy and add grated paneer to this and beat till smooth. Now add sugar and beat till fluffy.

Now add sugar and beat till fluffy.Add milk, vinegar and pineapple essence. Mix well.  Now add the flour mixture with a spoon and mix well. Do not over mix the mixture. 

Now add pineapple syrup and preserved pineapple pieces and give it a final mix.

Line a 8" cake tin (round or square). Arrange few pineapple slices in the tin and pour the batter in the tin.

Bake for 40 minutes. Check with a toothpick. If it comes out clean, the cake is done. Allow the cake to cool down and serve.

Sieve wholewheat flour, baking powder and baking soda in a bowl. Beat butter till creamy and add grated paneer to this and beat till smooth. Now add sugar and beat till fluffy.Add milk, vinegar and pineapple essence. Mix well.  Now add the flour mixture with a spoon and mix well. Do not over mix the mixture. Now add pineapple syrup and preserved pineapple pieces and give it a final mix. Line a 8" cake tin (round or square). Arrange few pineapple slices in the tin and pour the batter in the tin. Bake for 40 minutes. Check with a toothpick. If it comes out clean, the cake is done. Allow the cake to cool down and serve.

 PCPS...

Minty Melon Cooler

Summer has slowly started to set in here in Pune. One of the best things that happen in summer are watermelons. I love them. Not only they are low calorie, they fill you up and quench the thirst. I make sure that i indulge in melons throughout summer. They help you cool down the summer heat. Despite being mainly water and sugar, watermelons are actually a very good source of vitamin C, (which provides protection against immune system deficiencies) and vitamin A (which promotes good eyesight). Since they have high content of water, they make refreshing drink. Now to make it more refreshing i added few mint leaves. Mint like melon not only cools body but also a very good cleanser for blood. So here is the recipe, simple n easy... Happy cooking...

Ingredients:

Watermelon - 1/2 medium sized

Fresh mint leaves - 6 - 8

Black salt - 1/2 tsp

Sugar (optional) - 2 tbsp heaped

Method:

Peel and slice watermelon into medium sized chunks. Place the chunks along with mint leaves in a blender and blend it into fine juice. 

Sieve the juice for a fine texture. Add black salt and sugar, mix well. Serve immediately, if you wish, you can serve chilled. I prefer at room temperature. 

Peel and slice watermelon into medium sized chunks. Place the chunks along with mint leaves in a blender and blend it into fine juice. Sieve the juice for a fine texture. Add black salt and sugar, mix well. Serve immediately, if you wish, you can serve chilled. I prefer at room temperature. 

Recipe is off to PCPS...

Moongdal Paniyaram | Green gram Paniyaram

I am back. Due to internet problems, couldn't write a post for a long time. Feeling so good.... Now back to this recipe. I happen to see a cookery show in Telugu channel long time back. It was moong dal bonda however since i did not wanted to deep fry it, i used my paniyaram pan and cooked it with about couple of drops of oil. So this is a very healthy recipe. You can have this for breakfast or as a snack. I made this as a snack hence served with tomato ketchup. You can have it with any type of chutney or sambhar. So here is the recipe... Happy cooking....

Ingredients:

Green gram | Moong dal(whole with skin) - 1 1/2 cup( soaked overnight)
Urad dal | Black gram - 1/2 cup ( soaked overnight)
Green chillies - 2
Ginger - 1 inch
Salt as required
Oil as required

Method:

Soak the dal overnight.

Grind the dal with green chillies, ginger and salt into a semi thick batter. 

Now heat paniyaram pan and about a couple of drops of oil( i used non stick, hence it required very less oil otherwise use it as required). Pour the batter in the pan and let it cook for about 2 minutes on each side. 

Soak the dal overnight. Grind the dal with green chillies, ginger and salt into a semi thick batter. Now heat paniyaram pan and about a couple of drops of oil( i used non stick, hence it required very less oil otherwise use it as required). Pour the batter in the pan and let it cook for about 2 minutes on each side. Serve it with ketchup, chutney or sambhar.

This recipe is off to CC Challenge # 5 Week 4

Eggless Almond sponge cake

It is very difficult to make my little one nuts and dry fruits. So this one was for him. 
I never tried to make egg-less cake before but i have been wanting to from a long time. So I thought why not at least give it a try. So instead of using eggs, i used condensed milk. Also that is the only sugar element that I used, no extra sugar added. However if you wish to add you can go on to add sugar. Also I haven't used any essence, just roast the almonds and chop them roughly, roasting releases flavors in almond. This one is super healthy and can stay for about 5 - 7 days without refrigeration. So here goes the recipe... Happy cooking...

Ingredients:

Whole wheat flour - 1 cup
Baking powder - 1 tsp
Baking soda - 1 tsp
Condensed milk - 150 gms
Milk - 1/2 cup
Oil - 1/2 cup
Almonds - 100 gms

Method:

In a separate bowl, combine the condensed milk and oil and whisk. 

Now add the flour slowly. Whisk till it is combined. 

 Now slowly add milk into flour mixture milk is combined, then stir in the chopped almonds(keep some aside for sprinkling on the cake).

Put the mixture in the baking tray, sprinkle the remainder almonds. Cook for 20 - 25 minutes at 180 degrees or till the cake is done.

Grease the baking tray with oil/butter and sprinkle some flour and keep aside. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees. Roast almonds and chop them, keep aside.
Sieve the flour, baking powder and baking soda and combine them. In a separate bowl, combine the condensed milk and oil and whisk. Now add the flour slowly. Whisk till it is combined. Now slowly add milk into flour mixture milk is combined, then stir in the chopped almonds(keep some aside for sprinkling on the cake). Put the mixture in the baking tray, sprinkle the remainder almonds. Cook for 20 - 25 minutes at 180 degrees or till the cake is done.
Remove from the oven and let it sit in the tray for 5-10 minutes and invert it over a wire rack to let it cool completely. 

Mix Veg Cutlets(from leftovers)

We all have leftovers at home. It is really interesting how we can give them an amazing makeover. My MIL gave me this idea. I made mixed veg paratha one day however i had a lot of the veg stuff leftover. So  to give it an interesting twist, i made these cutlets and it was real yummm. All the ingredients that I used in this recipe are leftovers; mixed veg stuff, brown bread slices and about 1/2 cup of daliya upma, all mixed together and you have an interesting cutlet which is healthy and tasty... I haven't used many spices, if you wish you can add spices according to your taste. So do try it... Happy cooking...

Note: It is not compulsory you use only leftovers, you can make this with fresh vegetable mixture.

Ingredients:

Mixed vegetable - 1 cup finely chopped( i used carrots, capsicum, cabbage, potato, onion, ginger)
Brown bread - 4
Leftover daliya - 1/2 cup( you can skip this one, since i had some leftover i used it)
Salt to taste
Red chilli powder to taste
Oil - 4 tbsp

Method:

 

In a bowl add mixed vegetables, leftover daliya and brown bread crumbs(i made fresh bread crumb by powdering bread in a mixer). Season the mixture and mix well. 

 Now divide the mixture equally, make balls and then flatten it. 

Heat oil in a pan and shallow fry the cutlets until golden brown on both sides. Serve hot with tomato ketchup.

In a bowl add mixed vegetables, leftover daliya and brown bread crumbs(i made fresh bread crumb by powdering bread in a mixer). Season the mixture and mix well. Now divide the mixture equally, make balls and then flatten it. Heat oil in a pan and shallow fry the cutlets until golden brown on both sides. Serve hot with tomato ketchup.

Makki ki Roti with Sarson ka Saag

I never had sarson ka saag until my marriage. It is only after a year and half of my marriage, i first tasted this amazing dish at a relative's marriage.This is a must have in winters. It is prepared all over Punjab, Haryana atleast once a week. I never saw sarson/mustard greens or should i say i never knew how it looked even if it was in front of me. But my MIL showed me and taught me how to cook this. Since mustard greens has a bitter taste, usually spinach or bathua is added to balance the flavors. I was able to get my hand on spinach hence used it. Even you dont stay in North, I think you should try this recipe atleast once as the combination of Mustard greens and Maize is awesome. So here is the recipe.... Happy cooking...

Ingredients:

For sarson ka saag:

Mustard leaves - 2 bunches
Spinach/Bathua - 1 bunch
Ginger - 1 tbsp(grated)
Onion - 1 medium
Tomato - 1
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tbsp
Ghee - 2 tbsp
Salt to taste

For makki ki roti:

Maize flour/Makki ka atta - 2 cups
Warm water as required
Salt to taste

Method:

For sarson ka saag:

Wash mustard & spinach leaves, remove leaves from stems. Chop them.

Pressure cook mustard & spinach leaves up to 5-6 whistle(for about 25 - 30 minutes) .

Once the steam is released, grind the mixture to a puree(not a fine one though, let the mixture be little coarse).

 In the meantime, chop tomatoes, ginger and onion( i did it in food processor).

Heat a kadhai and add ghee. Now add cumin seeds, once they splutter, add the chopped tomato mixture. Cook till oil leaves the end. Now add red chilli powder and cook for another minute.

Now add mustard and spinach mixture. Mix well. Add salt to taste.  Cook for 8 - 10 minutes on low flame. You can add water if required but saag should not be runny though. 

Garnish with a dollop of butter(mine got melted though) and ginger julienne, sarson ka saag is ready to serve.

Wash mustard & spinach leaves, remove leaves from stems. Chop them.
Pressure cook mustard & spinach leaves up to 5-6 whistle(for about 25 - 30 minutes) .
Once the steam is released, grind the mixture to a puree(not a fine one though, let the mixture be little coarse). In the meantime, chop tomatoes, ginger and onion( i did it in food processor). Heat a kadhai and add ghee. Now add cumin seeds, once they splutter, add the chopped tomato mixture. Cook till oil leaves the end. Now add red chilli powder and cook for another minute. Now add mustard and spinach mixture. Mix well. Add salt to taste.  Cook for 8 - 10 minutes on low flame. You can add water if required but saag should not be runny though. 
Garnish with a dollop of butter and ginger julienne, sarson ka saag is ready to serve.

For makki ki roti:

Take maize flour in a bowl. Make a soft dough with warm water, knead for a few minutes. Make sure you knead it thoroughly otherwise you wont get soft rotis. Knead for atleast 5 - 10 minutes.

Divide dough into equal-sized balls. Lightly flour a rolling surface & roll each ball into a circle with your palm. If you are able to make it with rolling pin, then nothing like it however i was able to do with my hands.

Now heat tava/griddle & place roti very carefully on it. Flip & cook on both the sides till you see red-brown marks & get that distinct aroma(u get pop corn aroma).

Serve hot makki ki roti glazed with piece of jaggery & piping hot sarson ka saag. 


Take maize flour in a bowl. Make a soft dough with warm water, knead for a few minutes. Make sure you knead it thoroughly otherwise you wont get soft rotis. Knead for atleast 5 - 10 minutes. Divide dough into equal-sized balls. Lightly flour a rolling surface & roll each ball into a circle with your palm. If you are able to make it with rolling pin, then nothing like it however i was able to do with my hands. Now heat tava/griddle & place roti very carefully on it. Flip & cook on both the sides till you see red-brown marks & get that distinct aroma(i got pop corn smell). Serve hot makki ki roti glazed with piece of jaggery & piping hot sarson ka saag. 

Note:

• While making rotis, make sure you knead the flour as and when you are making them otherwise you won't get it soft.
• You can also add a bit of jaggery while making Sarson ka saag as it can give a well rounded taste because of bitterness in mustard greens. 
• Also you can add garlic and asafoetida in the the tempering( since it is not used in my MIL's place we did not add it).  

This recipe is off to CC Challenge # 5 Week 1



Motions & Emotions & Gayathri's Announcement page

Corn N Spinach soup

Its PPCS time again. I know I'm little late but due to bad internet connection, was not able to post it on 28th. But as they say better late than never. This month I got to make Corn N Spinach soup by Nayana. Must say im really thankful to her as I thoroughly enjoyed it(even my little one). In Pune, the climate has been really cool throughout this month. So really enjoyed this simple yet healthy soup. Here's the recipe.... Hope you enjoy it... Happy cooking...

Ingredients :

Sweet corn kernels - 1 cup
Fresh Spinach leaves - 1/2 cup(finely chopped)
Onion - 1
Corn flour - 1 tbsp
Oil - 1 tbsp
Water - 3 cups + 1/4 cup
Salt to taste
Black pepper powder to taste


Method :

Heat oil in a thick bottom vessel and saute onion till translucent. Now add chopped spinach leaves and cook for another 2 - 3 minutes.

Now add the corn and 3 cups water and bring it to boil. 

Mix cornflour in 1/4 cup water and pour it in the boiling soup.
Stir continuously for 2 minutes. The soup will become thick. Season the soup with salt and pepper.

Boil fresh corn till tender and keep aside. Wash the spinach leaves thoroughly and chop them.
Heat oil in a thick bottom vessel and saute onion till translucent. Now add chopped spinach leaves and cook for another 2 - 3 minutes.
Now add the corn and 3 cups water and bring it to boil. 
Mix cornflour in 1/4 cup water and pour it in the boiling soup.
Stir continuously for 2 minutes. The soup will become thick. Season the soup with salt and pepper.

Note : You can adjust the thickness of the soup by adjusting the cornflour used.