Liebster award !!!!!!! (Finally)

Finally a Liebster award!!! Thank you Bhawya for nominating my blog!!!

What is Liebster Award?
“The Liebster Blog Award is given to up and coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers. The Meaning: Liebster is German and means sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing and welcome.”

Rules to receive this Award:

1) This is an award passed on to bloggers who have less than 200 followers. A means to identify new blogs and create more friends.
2) Thank the blogger who have passed on this award to you.
3) Answer the questions that the blogger has posted for you.
4) Identify some other new bloggers to whom you would like to pass on this award.
5) Identify some questions that you would like your fellow bloggers to answer.

Here are my answers to Bhawya's question,
1) Few words about yourself and your blog?
    Hi, I am Sweta (but most ppl know/refer me as Oriyarasoi or AuthenticOriyaFood :)..not that I mind). I am a former IT professional and mother to a boisterous 2 year old. 

It was only after my marriage that I started taking cooking seriously. I did know the basic stuff but that was it. Everytime I would think of a recipe, I had to look it up on the net. But Oriya recipes were hard to come by and i ended up calling my mother or my MIL. That made me start this blog which is mainly focussed on Oriya recipes but I do cover cuisine from other regions as well.

2) Which is your favourite food?
     Chicken and any rice dish (one pot meals basically).

3) Any dish which you haven't yet prepared but would love to prepare?
    That is a long list actually. And funnily most of the dishes have name starting from 'Chicken...' .

4) Do you have any obstacles to blogging? How did you overcome them?
     It was after the birth of my son. Without a proper support system, I hardly had time to eat and sleep. Had to take a long break from blogging at the time. But now that he is growing up and expects a lot of variety in  his meals, I am back to blogging with a bang.

5) Your inspiration?
     I know a lot of wonderful cooks so it is rather tough to pick one.

6) What was the first dish you prepared by yourself?
     Maggie (if you can actually call it a dish). It was sometime in the 6th or 7th standard.

7) The dish which you love to cook and why?
   Chicken Biriyani. I get the maximum number of requests for it and it is also widely appreciated.

8) Your signature dish?
    Stuffed Red Bell Peppers.

9) Any two recipes which you would like to try from my blog?
    Since chicken happens to make me go weak in the knees, it would be -
    Arabic Chicken Biriyani here 
    and Pepper Chicken Gravy here .

10) Some words to budding bloggers?
      Cooking is an art and takes time to master. So do not lose heart if you are having a bad day in the kitchen. And sometimes it helps to follow your instincts instead of sticking to every word mentioned in the cookbooks. But the most important is 'Taste the food at every step' so that you know how a dish is shaping up.

Coming to blogging, since it is a medium to share your/experiences recipes with others, make sure you write it down in a detailed, step by step manner.

My Nominees are

Chikku's Kitchen - http://chikkuskitchen.blogspot.in/
Merry Tummy - http://merrytummy.blogspot.in/

My Questions to Nominees are

1) Few words about yourself and your blog?
2) Which is your favourite food?
3) Any dish which you haven't yet prepared but would love to prepare?
4) Do you have any obstacles to blogging? How did you overcome them?
5) Your inspiration?
6) What was the first dish you prepared by yourself?
7) The dish which you love to cook and why?
8) Your signature dish?
9) What was the most romantic meal that you cooked/ordered ?
10) Mention a kitchen disaster that you would like to forget ?
11) Any two recipes which you would like to try from my blog (provide link)
12) Some words to budding bloggers?

Paneer - Mushroom Schezwan

This is an easy and quick vegetarian side dish that I prepared sometime back. Somehow I never got around to posting it. But this week I am not doing much cooking and so while looking to post some recipe this one popped up from the drafts. This one suits my lazy mood perfectly as it requires very less cooking time. It is the cleaning and chopping of the veggies and mushroom that takes the major chunk so if you buy some chopped veggies one can actually get this ready in less that 10 minutes.

The veggies, panner and mushroom make it one nutrition packed dish and with all those lovely colors even the kids find it difficult to resist. One can also add assorted peppers for making it more appetizing. But make sure that you cook the veggies till a little tender (for kids) as opposed to leaving it quite crunchy while serving it to guests. Also go easy on the schezwan sauce in case of the former. Read on for the recipe:

Ingredients:
For marinate : Button mushrooms ( 200 gm), Paneer cubes ( 200 gm), Capsicum ( 1 medium ), carrot ( 1 medium), french beans ( 10-12 nos ), onion ( 1 medium ), spring onions whites ( 3 tbsp, cut into strips), schezwan sauce ( 2-3 tsp), soya sauce ( 1/2 tsp ), finely cut garlic ( 1 tsp ), pepper powder ( 1/4 tsp), salt, tomato sauce ( 1 tsp ), cornflour ( 1 tsp), sugar ( 1/2 - 1 tsp ), oil ( 3 tsp ), spring onion greens for the garnishing.

Preparation: Clean the mushrooms and cut each into 4 parts. Blanch and keep aside. ( Put in hot water for
2 mins, remove and run under cold water.

Put the panner pieces in boiling water (salted) for 2 mins. Drain and keep aside.

Cut the capsicum, carrot, french beans and onion into long strips.

Take the schezwan sauce, soya sauce, pepper powder, tomato sauce, cornflour and sugar in a mixing bowl. Add 2-3 tbsp water along with a little salt. Mix well.

Cooking: Heat the oil in a frying pan.

Add garlic pieces and fry for 5-10 seconds.

Add the onions first and fry till till translucent. Next add spring onion whites, french beans and carrots. Fry for 1-2 mins on medium to high flame.

Next add the mushroom and peppers and fry for 3 minutes on a HIGH flame.

Add the contents of the mixing bowl, stir well and fry the veggies for 1-2 minutes on medium flame.

Finally add the paneer and fry for another one minute or so. (Fry less if you want a little amount of sauce to remain but if you prefer it completely dry increase the flame and cook for 1-2 minutes longer)

Garnish with finely chopped spring onion greens. Serve hot with rice or as a starter. ( If using as starter, cut the mushrooms into 2 instead of 4 halves, and keep it a little crunchy )

Thandaii Kulfi

Holi is still two weeks away but I am getting into the mood already. I guess the colors being sold in the shops nearby are influencing me along with the promise of gorging on variety of sweets/savory snacks. Though I havn't really played with water colors for a couple of years, I was crazy about it during my childhood days. Our Holi sessions would start early and extend much into the afternoon. The number of days it took to get all that color off one's skin was used as a yardstick to measure how much fun one had on the day. I remember sneaking small packets of color to school and playing with friends after the classes got over. But it was an unfortunate brush with some chemical laden colors that had me erupting all over. The pain was quite horrible and I swore never to play with water colors again.

So, now I just play a bit with Gulal or the dry color for the sake of tradition. But I more than make up for it by relishing some great food. Since everyone is so tired/thirsty playing in the sun, the snacks and refreshments served should ideally be something cool/chilled. Apart from traditional drinks like lemonade and Thandaii, dahi vada and namkeen para make for great Holi snacks. This is a modified version of the traditional 'Thandaii', albeit in the form of Kulfi. Read on for the recipe:

Preparation Time - 25 mins

Ingredients - 1/2 liter milk, 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup fresh cream, 2 tbsp cornflour, 3-4 tsp chopped nuts, 4 tbsp thandai extract.

Preparation - Dissolve the cornflour in 1/3 cup milk ( at room temperature ). Keep aside.

Cooking - Bring the remaining milk to a boil in a heavy/thick bottomed vessel and allow to simmer till reduced to 3/4th.

Add and dissolve the sugar in it.

Now add the cornflour mix gradually with continuous stirring. Keep stirring till it thickens sufficiently (3-4 minutes would do but be careful as it has a tendency to stick of the bottom of the vessel and get burnt).

Add the nuts, switch off the flame and keep aside to cool down.

Add the thandai extract and beaten fresh cream. Beat again so that it takes on a uniform consistency and no lumps remain.

Pour into Kulfi moulds. Freeze for 6-7 hours or overnight.

For serving, immerse the kulfi moulds in water for 30 seconds, remove and rub lightly between your palms. Insert a sharp object (like a fork) and take out the kulfi. Cut into bite sized pieces and serve.

Note - Refer to my post on 'Thandaii' for making the thandaii extract.
 ( Use a slightly warm knife to be able to cut though the kulfi with ease. This gives nice sharp edges unlike the one you see in my pics. This one was taken in a hurry and I could not get around to warming my knife. Reminds one of the saying 'Practice before you speak', doesn't it ??? )

Ram Khichdi ( Kathiwadi Khichdi)

This is another recipe that I made from a Tarla Dalal cookbook. As I am into comfort food for the entire week (OK...maybe I will cook something special on the weekends), I wanted something light and nutritious for lunch. Also, it had to be palatable for my kid. While leafing though the cookbook, this recipe caught my attention. Along with the rice and pulses, it also had assorted veggies which made it a complete meal in every way.

Just tweaked the recipe a bit as per kiddo's liking and he really enjoyed it along with his favorite fryums. The final tempering done after cooking the khichidi is optional. I used it mainly as the combined flavors of the curry leaves, asafoetida and cumin resemble that of pongal, kiddo's favorite dish.

Read on for the recipe:

Preparation Time - 15 mins

Ingredients - 1/2 cup rice, 1/2 cup split moong dal, 2 cups of assorted vegetables ( cauliflower, carrot, french beans, aubergine, potato, sweet potato, green peas - use atleast 3 or 4 vegetables ), 1/2 of a small onion, whole spices ( 1 bay leaf, 1/2 inch cinnamon, 3 cloves ), 2/3 tsp cumin seeds, 2 pinches garam masala, 2 pinches asafoetida, 1 green chilli, 1 red chilli, 1/4 tsp turmeric, salt to  taste, 2 tsp ghee, 3 1/2 cups of hot water.

For final tempering - 1 tsp ghee/oil, 1 sprig curry leaves, a pinch of asafoetida, a pinch of carom seeds, 1/2 tsp cumin seeds.

Preparation - Wash and soak the rice and moong dal. Was the vegetables and keep aside.

Cooking - Heat the ghee in a pressure cooker. Add the broken chillis along with cumin seeds and asfoetida. Follow with the whole spices and fry for 10 seconds.

Add the chopped onion and vegetables. Saute for 2-3 minutes. Add turmeric and garam masala.

Add the soaked rice and moong dal (discard the water used for soaking). Mix everything well and fry for 3 minutes.

Add the hot water and close the lid. Cook for 3-4 whistles. (Again this depends on the pressure cooker and the consistency you require. For example, if you are making it for toddlers you need to cook for longer duration and so on.)

Allow steam to escape before opening lid.

Heat the oil in a small pan for the final tempering. Add cumin seeds, carom seeds, asafoetida and finally the curry leaves. Once the leaves are wilted, pour this tempering over the khichidi. Mix well.

Serve hot with raita and papad/pickle.

My 5 favorite foods for daily Detox

Detox is the process of cleansing or removing toxins and accumulated waste from the body. It has the advantage of improving immunity and resulting in higher energy levels. It also takes care of a number of minor ailments, improves the digestion process and results in better skin/hair.

While one should ideally go for a detox diet once every 3 months (this might vary from individual to individual as the amount of accumulated toxins vary in each case), some health/time constraints might prevent one from doing so. For such cases, the best option would be to include certain cleansing foods in one's diet.

These 5 foods are my favorite choice for an everyday detox. They are economical and easily available.

1. Aloe Vera juice - Start with less quantity at first. A single dose of 25 ml once or twice a day is the recommended dose for most folks.

2. Green Tea - One or two cups of green tea in a day, preferably without sugar. A little bit of honey added for sweetness is OK.

3. Garlic - Include 3 cloves of garlic in your meals twice a day. Its anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-microbial properties are widely known.

4. Ginger - Add it to your tea or use generously in curries, an inch of this aromatic root is the daily recommended dose. It is known to increase feelings of satiety and prevents one from going on a binge.

5. Lemon juice - A glass of warm water with 1 tbsp lemon juice first thing in the morning, followed by another tablespoon more during the day is enough to keep your digestive system on a roll.

Tawa Rice

It has been a while since I blogged about some comfort food. I have been trying a lot of recipes lately and sharing the best of them with you. But all the effort has really tired me out and over the next week I will be taking it quite light. Simple one pot meals will be the order of the day and the first one will be this really simple Tawa fried rice which I generally make from leftover rice. While I prefer it spicy with loads of raita to counter the heat, I reduce the amount of spice and sprinkle it generously with processed cheese for my toddler. Read on for the recipe:

Preparation Time - 10-12 mins (if using cooked/leftover rice)

Ingredients - 2 cups cooked rice, 1 medium sized onion finely chopped, 1 medium sized tomato finely chopped, 1/2 cup chopped capsicum, 2 tbsp yogurt, 2 tsp oil, 2 pinches of garam masala, salt to taste.

To be made into a coarse paste - 7-8 garlic cloves, 1/2 tsp kashmiri red chili powder, 1/2 tsp chili flakes.

Cooking - Heat a non-stick tawa. Drizzle with oil.

Add the finely chopped onion and fry to light brown.

Add the garlic-chili paste and fry for 2-3 mins.
'
Add the chopped tomatoes, capsicum, yogurt and garam masala. Cook for 2 mins.

Add the rice and stir on high for 2-3 minutes.

Serve hot with raita and papad/chutney.

Note - Garnish with coriander leaves and a dash of lemon juice. (Sprinkle grated Amul cheese if serving to kids)

Chichen Salna (or Chicken Chalna)

Before I ventured into blogging, I was a total stranger when it came to South Indian cuisine. Ofcourse, there was the occasional dosa, idli, uttapam and the usual accompaniments like sambhar and chutney. But that is just about the tip of the iceberg. Everything was labelled 'South Indian' with no distinctions being made between regions like Tamil Nadu, Andhra, Karnataka and Kerela, leaving no scope or mention of the diversity that exists within each region.

But the exposure that I recieved over the last 5 years has truely transformed me.  Today I know what people mean when they say that food knows no language or barriers. Now when I prepare some of these dishes at home and enjoy them, I truly appreciate and admire the people who created them. Small details like why some cuisine uses an abundance of a particular ingredient or why a curry is so laden with spices and condiments become clear when you have more insight on the lives/culture of the people belonging to that particular region. For example, the very rich and aromatic Chettinad curries owe their origin to the opulent Chettiar traders who obviously had very deep pockets to be able to afford such luxury. But the Chicken Salna in contrast was meant for the working class people and hence the sparing use of spices, a
watery consistency and sometimes the use of potatoes to add volume. (The roadside stalls obviously do not use expensive poppy seeds or cashews to thicken the gravy but instead use thickening agents like besan/cornflour).

A few years back, I could only think of a Macher Jholo/Besara or a Mutton/Chicken Kasa/Jholo when I needed to cook for a Friday dinner or a Sunday lunch. But now my repertoire of non-vegetarian dishes has only been enriched by the addition of such delicacies. Hence I feel the need to share/blog such dishes as I believe that food would win hands down as the medium of national integration (but how do we sell such an idea to our politicos who are busy playing the caste/regional card ??). Read on the recipe for my version of the Chicken Salna:

Preparation Time - 40 mins

Ingredients - 1/2 kg chicken cut into medium sized pieces, 1 large onion finely chopped, 1 small tomato finely chopped, 1 tsp GG paste, 1 tsp red chilli powder, 1 sprig curry leaves, 2 tbsp oil, salt to taste, fresh coriander leaves for garnishing.

For the masala paste - 5 shallots, 1 1/2 tbsp coriander roots, 1 green chilli, 4 tsp freshly grated coconut, 5-6 cashews + ( 3 cloves, 1 inch cinnamon, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp poppy seeds, 1/2 tsp fennel seeds, 1/2 tsp peppercorns - to be dry roasted first )

Preparation - Wash and marinate the chicken pieces with salt and turmeric.

Heat a tawa or any flat bottomed vessel. Dry roast all the ingredients mentioned in the masala paste.
Allow to cool down. Transfer to a grinder cup. Grind into fine powder (as fine as possible).
Add the remaining ingredients of the masala paste along with 3-4 tsp water. Grind into a paste. (Add little more water if needed)

Cooking - Heat oil in a kadai. Add the curry leaves first and allow to crisp a bit. Then add onions and fry to a medium brown.

Add GG paste and cook for 5 minutes.

Add the marinated chicken along with chilli powder. Roast/Fry on a high flame for 4-5 minutes. Then lower flame and cover with lid till half cooked.

In the meantime, fry the tomato pieces with a little oil till it is completely mushy.

Add the cooked tomatoes to the chicken along with the masala paste. Mix well and fry on medium to high flame for 3-4 minutes.

Add 1 1/2 cups boiling water and adjust salt. Cook on a simmer till chicken is completely cooked through.

Serve hot with parottas/rotis or even with white rice as I did.

Note -  You can make the gravy still watery if you like, especially when having it with hot rice.

Pindi Choley

There is a certain level of comfort associated with cooking from a cookbook. After all, these are recipes that have been tried, tested and honed to perfection by experts who have spent years mastering their art. No air of confusion/indecision, mad scrambling at the last moment to find some ingredient to balance the flavors or nail-biting anticipation about how the dish will finally will turn out. I know it can be quite exhilarating at times but it is not something you want to experience every time you walk into the kitchen.

So, when I am in a mood to relax I look no further then my  favorite cookbook author Tarla Dalal. Her recipes are crisp and precise, with useful notes added wherever necessary. This is one such recipe that I had in mind for quite sometime. Read on:

Preparation Time - 45 mins

Ingredients - 1 cup kabuli chana (garbanzo beans), 1 tbsp chana dal, 1 big cardamon, 1 inch long cinnamon, a pinch of baking soda, 1 tsp tea leaves, 1/2 cup grated onions, 1/4 cup chopped tomatoes, 1 tsp pomegranate powder, 1 tsp grated ginger, 1 green chilli (chopped), 1 tsp coriander powder, 1/2 tsp garam masala, 1/2 tsp chilli powder, 3/4 cup tomato puree, 2 tsp chole masala, 5 tsp oil, salt to taste.

Preparation - Soak the kabuli chana and chana dal overnight.

Cooking - Wash and transfer the pulses into a pressure cooker. Add cinnamon, cardamom, baking powder, salt and tea leaves along with 2 1/2 cups water. Cook for 2-3 whistles.

Allow steam to escape before opening lid. Drain the water and it keep aside (do not throw way). Remove and discard the big cardamom and cinnamon stick.

Heat the oil in a kadai. Add grated onion and fry to a light brown.

Add chopped tomatoes and cook till they soften. Add the grated ginger, green chilli, pomegranate powder, chilli powder, coriander powder and garam masala. Fry for 1 minute.

Add pureed tomatoes and cook till oil starts to separate from the gravy.

Add the boiled pulses and choley masala. Fry for 2-3 minutes.

Add the drained water and adjust the salt. Cook till semi-dry or as you prefer it.

Garnish with onions and coriander leaves. Serve hot with rotis/parathas or bhatura/puris.

     














Note - This is a semi-dry dish unlike the gravy laden Punjabi Choley.

My First Experience With ZopNow ( A Review )

The numbers of e-tailers in India are multiplying faster than rabbits. I am coming across a new one almost everyday. Even the regular brick & mortar stores have joined the bandwagon. Most have stated their own websites or are fast tying up with the existing ones.

With the traffic situation in Bangalore making Grocery shopping such a pain, these e-grocery sites are the ones that I am really looking forward to. Sometimes I catch up a recipe midweek and it is something that I need to make the next day. Such sites are a boon for food bloggers like me. After shopping numerous times with BigBasket, I decided to checkout another one. Actually it was quite by chance that I landed up on the ZopNow webpage. I had been looking for Patanjali products in Marathahalli without any success and decided to check if they are available online. To my surprise, ZopNow stocks quite a decent range of these products.

My first experience with ZopNow was really good. I had placed the order on Monday night and it was delivered by Tuesday afternoon ( actually theNewsy have 5 slots each day and I chose the second one ). And that too with a freebie.

Unlike BigBasket, they have free home delivery for orders above Rupees 500 (restricted to South & East Banglore). So, it is quite convenient even if you order for a few items.

To sum up my experience -

What I like about ZopNow -

1. Free home delivery for orders above rupees 500
2. Stocks Patanjali products
3. Wide range of grocery items
4. Wide range of frozen items (both veg and non-veg)
5. Stocks economically priced spices along with their organic variants.

What I do not like about ZopNow -

1. Does not stock fresh vegetables & meat (eggs are available though).
2. Does not stock gifts (BigBasket has started stocking those lately but the range is limited).

Overall I would rate it a 4.0/5 (Sorry about it but I still need to go to the nearest vegetable vendor to pick something midweek.  But if it starts stocking some fresh veggie and meat, I would prefer it over BigBasket anyday).

Jerk Chicken

I first heard of it on TLC in Jamie Oliver's show. This Jamaican grilled chicken recipe draws its flavor (Read HEAT) from the deadly Habanero chillis (which are touted to be hotter than our own 'Bhoot Jholoka') and allspice. The spice mix seemed heavenly to me and the recipe quite easy to follow. Moreover it is a grilled recipe which is quite healthy and low on the calories. I had been looking for something different from our regular tikkas to serve for starters to our guests (most folks aviod the oily/fried varieties these days) and this one fitted the bill perfectly.

Hence I got some 'Allspice' powder from Hypercity and tried it (alternatively you can buy it online from Bigbasket). Mindblowing. One word is enough of suffice this one. (Do choose the chilli carefully so that you can bear its heat.)

Read on for the recipe (Note - I have made some little changes to Jamie's recipe. Incase you like to lookup his version, checkout his site)

Preparation Time - 30-35 mins

Ingredients - 2 chicken breasts, 5-6 shallots, 2-3 spring onions ( use the whites ), 3-4 garlic cloves, 1/2 inch ginger, 1/2 tsp chilli flakes, 1 tsp peppercorns, 1 1/2 tsp brown sugar, 1/2 tsp honey, 3-4 cloves, 1 inch cinnamon, 1/2 tsp allspice powder, 1 green chilli ( preferably a hot one ), 1 tsp light soy sauce, half of a lemon, 1 tsp olive oil/canola oil/ricebran oil, salt to taste.

Preparation - Take all the ingredients ( except chicken ) in a mixer jar. Pulverize to get a fine paste.

Clean the chicken and put little cuts in the skin. Rub the spice paste all over the chicken preferably with your hands (wear gloves though).

Cooking - Pre-heat a oven to 250 degrees (Celcius). Put the chicken on a griller and place it in the middle rack of the oven with both the top & bottem heating elements switched on. Cook for 20-25 minutes or till it is done. Take care to regulate/lower heat because the marinade tends to burn easily as it contains sugar/honey.

Serve hot with some lettuce, sliced carrots and blanched tender beans.

Note - Leg/Thigh pieces turn out to be juicier than the breast ones but are higher in fat content. So if you do not mind the calories, use the leg pieces for preparing jerk chicken.

Garlic Chutney

Ever since dosa has become an integral part of our menu, I am always looking for easy chutney recipes to serve with it. As neither my husband nor my son likes the podi & ghee combination, I have to whip up something fresh every time I make dosa. This recipe caught my attention while leafing through a half torn ( :)...what can I expect with a kid running around ?) Tarla Dalal handbook. Since the recipe was half gone and only the ingredients section was remaining, I modified and improvised the preparation method.

Read on for the recipe :

Preparation Time - 7-8 minutes

Ingredients - 6-7 garlic flakes, 2 dry red chillis (medium spicy), 1/2 cup sliced coconut, 5-6 curry leaves, 1 pinch

asafoetida, a tiny bit of tamarind, 1 tsp oil, salt to taste.

Cooking - Heat the oil in a wok. Add the crushed garlic, asafoetida, curry leaves and broken red chilli. Fry till garlic

turns light brown in color.

Add the coconut slices and fry for another minute. Remove from flame and allow to cool down.

Once it is cool, take the fried ingredients in a mixer jar (use the small chutney jar), add salt and tamarind. Add a few

teaspoons of water and grind into a smooth paste. (Add a little more water if it is too dry)

Serve with idli/dosa or even with rice, rasam, papad and a little ghee.

Note - The original recipe called for Begdi or Reshampatti chillis which give a nice red color. But since I could not find those I used the normal ones lying in my kitchen.