God Gave Me You!

In the unknown darkness, there flashed a light,

In the untold sadness, there sprouted joy,

In the jungle of fears, there arose the ray of hope,

In the shades of black and white, there splashed bright colors,

In the crowd of virtual people, there stood YOU!

Who made me from NOBODY TO SOMEBODY!

Brought me from NOWHERE TO SOMEWHERE!

                                                   

TO YOU all, 

A Sense of Celebration with Kajur ka halwa ( Dates Halwa)

Today's dish- Cabbage fry ( simple method)

Cabbage fry is a simple recipe, yet delicious dish, at times we have enjoyed as a snack too apart frm side dish. I never paid any attention to chopping cabbage, until my mother inlaw pointed out. Its from her, I have learnt how to chop the cabbage. Initially it was so random and it was done to bits and pieces, later on with paying attention and with learning intentions ( yet to perfect the chopping), it got better, and it was appealing to look at as a dish.
Thanks to my " mother-in-law", for teaching me the method.

Ingredients : 

Cabbage - 250 gms ( chopped)
Peas - 50 gms
Curry leaves - a few( optional , adds nice flavour)
Ginger  - a small piece( optional)
Salt to taste
Grated coconut - 3 tbs.

Seasoning:

Mustard - 1/4 tsp
Urad dal - 3/4th tsp
Green chillies - 2 ( deseeded/ slit)
Red chilly - 1 ( optional)
Oil - 1 tsp.

Preparation:

Chop the vegetable.
slit the chillies and deseed them.
Grate the coconut and keep it ready.

Making:

1) In a pan, add the chopped cabbage, green peas, ginger piece( if u add) .
2) Add salt as needed. Note that Cabbage has got salts in it, it needs just a little than usual. I have always wondered how it requires just a little, yet it tastes perfect, my friend shared the detail that it has salts in itself.
Thanks to him, now I know why..
3)Close the lid. Cook in a medium flame.
4)In a few mins ( it took harldy 8-10 mins approximately) colour change can be noted, it becomes tender.
5)After its cooked it should not be fully cooked, so that it still has the crunchiness in it, add the grated coconut on the top, stir it and keep the flame on for a minute and then switch off.
6) Now for seasoning, add oil in a pan, add mustard seeds after it crackles, add urad dal and green chillies.
add curry leaves too.
7) Add the seasoning to the dish and stir it. Cabbage fry is ready. The crunchiness of the dish makes it interesting and tasty.
8) It can be a side dish for rice items, or can be enjoyed as a snack too.

 Pictures:

Mother-in-law taught me to cut it in to thin slices, instead of random cutting and making in to pieces.

 In the pan, are cabbage , peas and ginger piece with salt added.

 It just takes a few mins when the lid is closed, she says. cooking is done faster and a few minutes it has to be opened to remove the excess of water to prevent from becoming mushy.

Color is changed. Its tender too.

After adding the seasoning..

But there can be lots of variations with cabbage , my friend shared with me, and it was so interesting, lots of variations will come up soon.. Until then, enjoy the recipes and happy cooking..

Today's dish - Sweet Potato Halwa

Today , being thursday, I was thinking of some sweet dish to make as prasadam for Baba. When my eyes were searching for the ingredient, mind for recipes, eyes found this sweet potatoes lying in the bag, that was hoping to be chosen, and immediately an idea flashed to make sweet potato halwa, that my friend has shared with me earlier.

Usually at home, there was a common dish, whenever we bought sweet potatoes, same old sweet potato cubes boiled and mixed with jaggery syrup, or some fry. This time with his recipe available, we tried at home and it was a hit. Orange in appearance, friends wondered if it was carrot halwa but with different taste. 

For the full recipe for this sweet potato halwa, 

please visit  :Sweet potato halwa 

Its so simple , yummy , its different, a variation from the usual halwas,  and healthy too.

Today's dish

Today's dish is a section where the recipes that have been tried at kichen will be shared.
Today I have tried Dahi ka kabab. This recipe , my friend dedicated to me . Its such a simple and yummy dish, that surprised my neighbor friends.
Its a different flavour and taste and so refreshing from the usual veggie cutlets and kababs. I am glad to share the recipe here. THANKS TO YOU , MY FRIEND, for sharing such a lovely dish. Thanks to nishamadhulika.com  for the wonderful recipe.

Ingredients:

Yogurt - 1 cup
Roasted channa dal powder - 2- 3 tbs
Besan flour - 1 tb ( optional) ( I have used it).
Corn flour - 3 tbsp
Salt to taste
Ginger paste - 1/2 tsp
Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp.
Chilli powder - 1/4 tsp.
Chopped cilantro- 1 - 2 tbsp

Preparation:

Hang the curd or yogurt in a thin cloth or a muslin cloth so that the water is fully drained off the curd. It takes around 4-5 hours.

Cooking Method:

i)  After water is fully drained off the curd, take the curd in the bowl and mix the ingredients ( roasted channa dal powder, besan flour, salt, pepper powder, chilli powder, ginger paste, cilantro and mix it with a spoon.

ii)  Take corn powder in a plate for dusting.

iii) Dust the fingers and the palm with corn flour so that rolling the yogurt mixture becomes easy.

iv) Take a spoonful of the mixture and make a ball, dusting it in corn flour and pat it flat.

v)  Make all the balls and make it flat. dusting it with enough corn flour.

vi) In a pan , put a few drops of oil or ghee or we can make it without oil or ghee. Here I have used  oil and fry it till it becomes brown and then flip it to the other side.

vii)Continue the process until all the kababs are done.

viii) Hot simple yet yummy kababs are ready. Serve hot with chutney of your choice or any ketchup.