Fish Fry

Ingredientd

1.)Fish - 225gm(I used Tilapia, proly 9 2 inch pieces)

2.)Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp

3.)turmeric powder - 1tsp

4.)Red chilli powder - 3-4 tsp(depending on how spicy u want)

5.)Lime Juice - 2 Tbsp

6.)Salt - 1tsp

Procedure:

Mix all the above ingredients in a bowl, except the fish. Coat the fish pieces evenly with the mixture and let it marinate for 30 mins. Fry the fish on a pan with little oil or PAM(cooking spray) by flipping it , so that the fish gets properly cooked.Fish fry is ready to be served. This goes extremely well with sambar and rice, or can be had just as a snack or appetizer.

Collard Green Curry

Ingredients:
1.)Collards - 450gm(Chopped)
2.)onion - 1 medium(finely chopped)
3.)green chillies - 3(slit length wise)
4.)dried red chilli- 2-3
5.)ginger garlic paste - 1tsp
6.)Tomato - 3(finely chopped)
7.)mustard seeds - 1tsp
8.)cumin seeds - 1tsp
9.)ural dal - 1tsp
10.)garlic - 1tsp(finely chopped)
11.)turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
12.)garam masala - 1tsp
13.)amchur powder - 1/2 tsp
14.)salt - to taste
15.)oil - 1 tbsp
16.)coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
17.)cumin powder - 1/2 tsp

Procedure:
Take oil in a pan, when it is hot add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, urad dal and red chilli. When they start spluttering add onion, green chillies, garlic and fry till onions get golden brown. Then add turmeric powder and ginger garlic paste and cook till the raw flavor of ginger garlic paste is gone.Then add tomatoes and salt and saute till the tomatoes are cooked. Next add the collard green and fry for 2 mins. Then add the rest of the masalas, add some water and mix well andLet the collards cook .

Cauliflower curry

Ingredients:
1.)cauliflower florets- 450gm
2.)tomato -3 (chopped)
3.)onion - 1 small(finely chopped)
4.)cumin seeds - 1tsp
5.)mustard seeds - 1tsp
6.)red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
7.)amchur/dried mango powder - 1/2 tsp
8.)garam masla powder - 1 tsp
9.)salt - to taste
10.)ginger garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
11.)lime juice - 1 tbsp


Procedure:
Take oil in a pan. When it is hot add cumin seeds, mustard seeds and urad dal. When they start spluttering add onions and salt and saute till onions get transparent. To this add turmeric powder and ginger garlic paste and saute till the raw flavor of the ginger garlic paste is gone. Now add the tomatoes and saute for about 2-3 mins. To this add red chilli powder and mix well. Now add the cauliflower florets and mix well. Close the lid of the pan and let the cauliflower florets cook. Keep checking occasionally, other wise the curry might get burnt at the bottom on the pan.If necessary add a little water to avoid burning of the curry.Once the florets are cooked, add garma masala powder and amchur powder and mix well add cook for another 3 mins and finally add lime juice and mix well. Cauliflower curry is ready to be served. This goes well with chapathi or rice.

Tomato papu

1.)tomato - 4(cut into pieces.)

2.)onion - 1 small chopped(not very finely)

3.)toor dal - 1 and 1/2 cups

4.)green chillies - 5 to 6

5.)curry leave - 6-7

6.)mustard seeds - 2 tsps

7.)cumin seeds - 1 tsp

8.)astefodia - pinch

9.)sambar powder - 1 tsp

10.)turmeric - 1/2 tsp

11.)ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp

12.)coriander leaves - 1/2 cup

Procedure:

Wash the toor dal well and soak it in water for about 15 mins to half an hour.Take oil in a pressure cooker.When it is hot add mustard seeds, cumin seeds,when they start spluttering add onions curry leaves and green chillies. Saute till the onions get transparent. Add turmeric powder and ginger garlic paste and saute till the raw flavor goes away. then add astefodia and stir for a min. Then add the tomato and saute for 2 to 3 mins. Now add the toor dal and stir for 2 to 3 mins and add approximately4 to 5 cups of water. Ans pressure cook for 4-5 whistles.

After4-5 whistles, turn off the stove and let it rest till the steam is completely gone. (Test for this is, try to lift the weight of the pressure cooker.If no steam comes out,or, u do not get a whoosh sound, the steam is gone.Otherwise let it stand for some more time.)

Once the steam is gone completely, open the lid and mash the dal into a semi-smooth paste.Add salt and sambar powder and stir well. If the dal is too thick(dal is generally thick so do not add too much of water), add a little water and let it boil for 15-20mins. Finally take oil in another pan add 2 tsps of oil.When the oil is hot add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and dried red chilli. When mustard seeds start spluttering, pour this over the dal and mix.Garnish with coriander leaves. This goes well with white rice.

Note:
Add water to toor dal in 1:2 proportion(for 1 cup toor dal, add 2 cups water). Here we add a little more, because of the tomato that we added. Anything sour makes the dal take longer time to cook.As a rule of thumb, add water until the ingredients and completely immersed. This rule works pretty well most of the time :).

Pongal

Ingredients:
1.)Rice - 1 cup
2.)pesara pappu - 1/4 the cup
3.)pepper corns- 1tbsp
4.)curry leaves - 10
5.)astefodia - pinch
6.)cumin seeds - 2 tsp
7.)salt to taste
8.)cashewnuts - 8
9.)ghee/oil - 1tbsp

Procedure:
Wash rice and pesara papu. In a pan add rice and pesara papu and add water in the ratio of for 1 cup of rice/ dal 2 and 1/4 cups of water and let it boil(Amount of water may vary based on the rice u use). In a presuure cooker cook it for about 6-7 whistles. Then once the steam is gone add salt and mash the rice and dal mixture to a coarse paste.
In another pan, add ghee/oil. When it is hot add cumin seeds, pepper corns, astefodia, cashews. curry leaves. WHen the start spluttering and the cashews get brown add this mixture to the rice and dal mixtures and mix well. Pongal is ready to serve. this goes well with mango pickle or any chutney.

Aloo puttu/curry/masala for dosa

Ingredients:
1.)potato-3 boiled and coarsely chopped
2.)green chillies - 4(cut into 1/2 inch pieces)
3.)onion - 1 small(chopped)
4.)mustard seeds - 1tsp
5.)cumin seeds - 1tsp
6.)channa dal - 1 tbsp
7.)ginger garlic paste - 1tsp
8.)curry leaves - 4
9.)oil - 1tbsp
10.)salt -to taste
11.)turmeric powder -

Procedure:
Take oil in a pan. When it is hot, add mustard seeds,cumin seeds and channdal. Once the mustard seeds start spluttering add onions and green chillies

Carrot and Peas Pasta

Ingredients:
1.)Paste (penne)-1 cup
2.)pasta sauce - 1 and 1/2 cup
3.)peas and carrot - 1/2 cup
4.)salt - to taste
5.)cheese - 1/4 cup(could vary the variety and quantity of cheese according to ur taste)
6.)water - 4 cups
17.)sugar - pinch

Pasta Sauce:
1.)Tomatoes - 2-3 (large)(could use tomato paste instead, about 3/4 cup)
2.)salt-to taste
3.)pepper - 1/2 tsp
4.)garlic - 1-2 tbsp(finely chopped) (could use a little less too, but I like the garlic flavor)
5.)oil - 1 tbsp
6.)italian seasoning - 1 -2tsp(u get this in the super markets. If not this u could use some of the italian spices like basil, oregano etc).
7.)Rose mary- 1/2 tsp

Procedure:
To prepare the sauce, blanch the tomatoes and let them cool(for blanching tomatoes, take boiling hot water and add the tomatoes to it.Let them stay in the water for a minute or so. Immediately get the tomatoes out of the hot water and run them through cold water. Now you will see that the tomatoes skin come off pretty easily.)Remove the skin of the tomatoes. Having remove the skin of the tomatoes , crush the tomato pulp with hand or use a blender to get a paste.do not add water, try to get athick sauce.
Instead of going through the whole procedure you could use the tomato paste instead, whoch generally use. In a pan take oil, when it is hot add onions, garlic and saute well. When the onions get transparent add peas and carrots and saute well. Add salt ans pepper and mix well. To this add tomato paste and mix well. Let it cook till the raw flavor of the tomatoes is gone.Then add the italian seasoning,rosemary and a pinch of sugar and mix well.
If the mixture is too thick and stick to the bottom of the pan, add a little water.
While this is going on, in another pan boil 4 cups of water with a pinch of salt. Once the water starts boiling, add pasta and let it cook.Once the paste is cooked, fish it out from the water and add to the tomato sauce in the other pan and mix well. Let it stay in the pan for about 5 mins. Finally top the pasta with cheese and serve hot.

Note:-Rosemary gives a very nice flavor to the pasta. I generally add a little rosemary in addition ot the italian seasoning. It is optional.

Palakura/Palak/Spinach papu/dal

Ingredients:

1.)Palak - 250gm

2.)onion - 1 small chopped(not very finely)

3.)toor dal - 1 and 1/2 cups

4.)green chillies - 5 to 6

5.)curry leave - 6-7

6.)mustard seeds - 2 tsps

7.)cumin seeds - 1 tsp

8.)astefodia - pinch

9.)sambar powder - 1 tsp

10.)turmeric - 1/2 tsp

11.)ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp

Procedure:

Wash the toor dal well and soak it in water for about 15 mins to half an hour.Take oil in a pressure cooker.When it is hot add mustard seeds, cumin seeds,when they start spluttering add onions curry leaves and green chillies. Saute till the onions get transparent. Add turmeric powder and ginger garlic paste and saute till the raw flavor goes away. then add astefodia and stir for a min. Then add the spinach and saute for 2 to 3 mins. Now add the toor dal and stir for 2 to 3 mins and add approximately4 to 5 cups of water. Ans pressure cook for 4-5 whistles.

After4-5 whistles, turn off the stove and let it rest till the steam is completely gone. (Test for this is, try to lift the weight of the pressure cooker.If no steam comes out,or, u do not get a whoosh sound, the steam is gone.Otherwise let it stand for some more time.)

Once the steam is gone completely, open the lid and mash the dal into a semi-smooth paste.Add salt and sambar powder and stir well. If the dal is too thick(dal is generally thick so do not add too much of water), add a little water and let it boil for 15-20mins. Finally take oil in another pan add 2 tsps of oil.When th oil is hot add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and dried red chilli. When mustard seeds start spluttering, pour this over the spinach dal and mix.Spinach dal is ready to be served. This goes well with white rice.

Note:
Add water to toor dal in 1:2 proportion(for 1 cup toor dal, add 2 cups water). Here we add a little more, because of the spinach that we added. The extra water is for the spinach to cook. As a rule of thumb, add water until the ingredients and completely immersed. This rule works pretty well most of the time :).

Arbi/Chammgada fry

Ingredients:

1.)Arbi - 5

2.)mustard seeds - 1tsp

3.)cumin seeds - 1tsp

4.)urad dal - 1tbsp

5.)curry leaves - 6

6.)ginger gralic paste - 1/2 tsp

7.)turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

8.)salt - to taste

9.)chilli powder 1/2 tsp

10.)oil-4tbsp

Procedure:

Boil the arbi(for 3 whistles), peel its skin off and chop into 1/2 inch peices. Take oil in a pan, when it is hot add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, urad dal ,curry leaves and turmeric paste. When they start spluttering add arbi, ginger garlic paste and fry. Next add salt and mix well. Fry till they get golden brown. When it starts getting brown add chilli powder and mix well.Keep stirring frequently to avoid burning of the vegetable.Once the vegetable gets golden brown the vegetable is ready to serve.This goes wel with curd rice,sambar rice or roti

Sakara/Sweet Pongal

Ingredients:
1.)Rice - 1 cup
2.)pesara pappu - 1/4 the cup
3.)cardamon powder - 1tsp
4.)jaggery 3/4 cup(depending on how sweet u want the dish to be vary the amount of jaggery)
5.)Ghee - 1tbsp
6.)raisins - 8
7.)cashews - 8(or any nut that u like)
8.)milk - 2 cups

Procedure:
Wash rice and pesara papu. In a pan add rice and pesara papu and add 2 cups of water and tow cups of milk and let it boil. Ina presuure cooker cook it for about 6-7 whistles.
In the meanwhile take the jaggery and dissolve it it hotwater (to disolve jagerry faster, take jagerry ina bowl add a little water and put it in the microwave for a couple of mins until u find the jaggery dissolved.).Then once the steam is gone add the dissolved jaggery and mash the rice and dal mixture to a coarse paste.Now again put the mixture back on to the stove.To it add cardamon powder and mixwell. Keep mixing occasionally other wise the misture stick to the bottom of the pan. Leave it on the stove for about 5 mins.
In another pan, add ghee/oil. When it is hot add Cashews and raisins. When the raisins and puffed and cashews are brown add this to the rice and dal mixture and mix well. Pongal is ready to serve.

Zucchini snack

This is one of the quick recipes which goes extremely well as an party snack or appetizer. Or it is good even for an evening snack on a rainy day.

Ingredients:
1.)Zucchini - 2
2.)Salt-to taste
3.)oil - to deep fry

Procedure:
Wash the zucchini well and pat dry. Now using a peeler keep peeling the zucchini until u start to hit the seeds(do not peel the seeds part of zucchini, leave the core and use it in sambar.Follow the kheera/cucumber sambar recipe.)
Now heat the oil and fry the zucchini strips till golden brown. Do not brown it much, because it will start tasting bitter. The main thing to get zucchini to right color is to make sure that oil is really hot.
Now remove the golden brown zucchini skins and sprinkle salt. Make sure u sprinkle salt when the zucchini skins are hot. This ensures it sticks to the snack.

Bagara Baingan

Bagara Baingan
Ingredients:
1.)brinjal/eggplant - 6 samll round(slit into four with its stem intact.After slitting put them into salt water.)
2.)onion - 1 medium (pureed)
3.)seasme seeds/til/nuvulu - 3/4tbsp(roasted and ground to powder)
4.)groundut - 2tsps(roasted and made to paste. Can use peanut butter too.)
5.)coconut powder - 1tbsp
6.)tamarind - juice from lime size ball
7.)chilli powder - 2tsps
8.)turmeric - pinch
9.)oil - 2tbsps
10.)salt - to taste
11.)cumin seeds - 1tsp
12.)curry leaves - 5
13.)coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
14.)ginger garlic paste - 1tsp

Procedure:
Take oil ina pan.When it is hot add cumin seeds and curry leaves. When they start spluttering add onions(ideally would require onion paste, but can be subtituted with very finely chopped onions).Once the onions get transparent,add turmeic,ginger garlic paste and salt. Saute till they get golden brown.At this point add the add the brinjals and saute till their skin gets discolored and the brinjals get a little soft.keep stiring often to avaoid the onions from getting burnt. To this add peanut,seasmea and coconut mixture and mix well. Now add tamrind juice and mix well. To this add chilli powder,coriander powder and salt. Mix well and close the lid. Keep stiring occasionally.Once the birnjal is cooked, bagara baingan is ready to be served.This goes extremely well with birani ,pulav ,plain rice or roti.

Aloo paratha

Aloo paratha


Ingredients:
1.)Potatoes - 3 large(boiled)
2.)green chillies - 2(finely chopped)
3.)chili powder - 1/4 tsp
4.)garam masala - 1/2 tsp
5.)onion - 1/2 small(finely chopped)
6.)Wheat flour - 2cups
7.)salt to taste
8.) oil

Procedure:
Boil the potatoes and grates them(grating the boiled potatoes helps to simplify the mashing process and ensures that the potatoes are evenly mashed with no lumps). Take 1 tsp oil in a pan and fry onion and green chillies. Fry till the onion turn golden brown. To this add chili powder and gram masala and fry for a min and add this mixture to the grated potatoes. Add salt and mix all the ingredients to a smooth dough consistency.Now divide the potato mixture into six equal parts and roll into balls.

Take wheat flour and add 1 and 1/4 cup of water and knead the dough(quantity of water depends on the wheat flour u use, so add water little by little.). Make six balls of the dough. Roll each of the dough ball into a circle of 3 inch diameter.Now place the potato ball in the centre of it and make a dumpling. Make sure that the potato stuffing does not ooze out of the dumpling. Now roll out the dumpling carefully into a circle of 6 inch by making sure that the potato mixture does not come out.
Fry the rolled out roti's on a pan with little ghee or oil. Aloo paratha is ready to be served. This goes well with curd, raitha,tomato ketchup, or any curry.

Hyderabadi Chicken Haleem

Ingredients:
1)ground chicken - 1lb

2.)Cracked wheat- 1 and 1/2 cup

3.)Ginger-Garlic paste - 2tbsp

4.)Mixed lentils [urad daal,chana daal]- 1/2 cup

5.)Red Chilli powder -1/2 tbsp

6.)Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp

7.)Yougurt-3/4 cup
8.)cinnamon - 1 inch stick
9.)cloves - 2
10.)cardamon -2
11.)garam masla powder - 1 tsp
12.)peper corns -1/4 tsp
13.)green chillies - 5 small
14.)salt - to taste
15.)oil - 1/4 cup
16.)fried onions - 1 cup(ready made or made at home)

Procedure:
First wash and soak the cracked wheat for atleast 1/2 hour.Boil the cracked wheat with mixed lentils,1tbsp ginger-garlic paste,1/4 tsp turmeric powder,3-4 green chillies,1/4 tsp pepper corns in 4-6cups of water until its cooked and mashed completely
Now in another pan add oil and add whole spices and remaining green chillies. To it add ginger garlic paste and and ground chicken and mix well. To this add 1/2 tsp of salt,Red chilli powder,Garam masala powder and mix well.While the chicken it getting cooked try to keep it in shredded state.Add the Yoghurt and saute for another 10- 15 min or until a lil oil starts to float on top. Now at this point add the wheat and lentils mixture to the chicken and mix well. You may add some water if needed. Check for salt and let it simmer for atleast 1/2 hr(the longer it simmers the better it tastes). Keep stirring regularly. Finally top it off with fried onions and let it simmer for another 10 mins.
Haleem is ready to be served. Just berfore serving garninsh with fried onions, coriander leaves and ad rizzle of lime juice.
This is a meal in itself. It can also be served with roti or nan.

Tandoori chicken

Ingredients:
1.)Chicken - 1 kg(about 7 to 8 drumsticks)
2.)Thick yogurt - 1/4 to 1/2 cup(may vary based on how thick the yogurt is.)
3.)salt - to taste
4.)ginger garlic paste - 1tbsp
5.)chili powder - 1tsp
6.)paprika - 1tbsp(this just adds color to the dish, but does not increase the spice level of the dish)
7.)lime juice - 1tbsp
8.)garam masala powder - 1tbsp
9.)food color - 1 pinch(red)
10.)turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
11.)coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
12.)cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
13.)oil - 2 tsps

Procedure:
Wash the chicken drumsticks. Make deep slits(about 1/2 inch slits,this is not a standard size, varies based on the drumstick size) on the drumsticks on three side length wise.(make the slits carefully such that, the drumstick piece does not open out or meat tears apart from the bone. Even after making the slit, the drumstick piece should be intact.)
To make the marinade and curd to a bowl , to it add ginger garlic paste, turmeric powder, chili powder, paprika, garamasala, coriander powder, cumin powder,lime juice, salt, food color and mix well. (If the curd is not thick then the marinade does not stick to the chicken peices well, so while preparing the marinade add curd little by little depending on the consistency of the curd u have)To each drumstick piece apply this marinade thoroughly. Make sure u apply the marinade into the slits that we made. After we coat the drumsticks with the marinade add a little oil and mix well.Having applied the marinade leave the chicken for about 3 hours.(The longer you marinate the better it taste)
Preheat the oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit, and spread the drumsticks on a tray covered with aluminium foil. Spray cooking spray(PAM) on the drumstick pieces and let it sit in the oven for about 15mins. After 15 mins, flip the drumstick piece and spray PAM and push it back into the over for another 15.20 mins(By flipping the chicken u are making sure that all the sides of the chicken are cooked evenly).Cooking time may vary based on the chicken piece size,but approximately it would take about 30-40 mins.
Once the tandoori is ready, squeeze fresh lime juice over all the pieces and serve it with onions.
This is a great appetizer.

Note:
You could adjust the spices based how how spicy you want the tandoori chicken to be.

Where to find host string and port name in oracle

The tnsnames.ora file has the host string and port number details needed to connect to the oracle server.So open the tnsnames.ora file with notepad or wordpad to get the details about the hostname, port number and SID.

How to make jQuery work in blogger/blogspot

Go to Layout of ur blogspot and click on edit html.Add to the head section the following snippet:

To add jQuery to the blogger post, make sure the whole jQuery snippet comes on a single line when u paste it on notepad or wordpad.If there are line breaks(carriage return or returns) in the note pad,then the jQuery snippet does not work.

How to change the port number of wamp(apache) server on windows machine

To change the port number of apache server , go tto the httpd.conf file and change the port number to the available port number(8080 or 8081).
If it is a wamp server u will find the httpd.conf file at this path
C:\wamp\bin\apache\Apache2.2.11\conf\httpd.conf
Open this file with note pad and change the port numbers.
or start the wamp server and u will find the apache icon in the tray(right hand bottom corner). Click on the icon and go to apache and and there u the httpd.conf file. Open this file and change the port number.

Pav Baji

This my sis' s favorite dish. I'm posting this recipe for her.She is a person, who can survive on fast food..:):). I guess it would make sense if add a separate label for her and post her favorite recipes..hehehe.





Ingredients:
1.)Carrots, peas,beans - 1 cup(chopped into small pieces )
2.)potatoes - 3 medium (boiled and mashed)
3.)tomato -2
4.)cloves - 2
5.)cinnamon - 1/2 inch
6.)onion - 1 medium
7.)pav baji masla - 2 tsps
8.)oil - 2 tbsp
9.)ginger garlic paste
10.)coriander leaves - 1/2 cup
11.)butter - 1 inch cube
12.)lime juice - 2 tsp
13.)bread /pav
14.)salt

Procedure for baji:
Take oil is a pan, when it is hot add the spices. Once the give out an aroma add the onions and saute till golden brown. Now add ginger garlic paste and saute till raw flavor is gone. Next add tomatoes and saute till they get cooked. Now add salt and pav baji masala add mix well. Next add the vegetable and potatoes and cook. Once the vegetables are cooked try to mash it in the same vessel that u are cooking in. mash it coarsely and mix well. Finally add butter and mix well. Just before serving add lime juice and garnish with coriander leaves.


Procedure for Pav:
For this use either the pav or bread. Toast the pav/bread in ghee or oil on a pan. The other option is toast the bread in a bread toaster.I prefer the bread toasted in the toaster. :)
Now serve the Pav and baji together.

Vegetable stew

Any party that goes on at my home(back in India) was incomplete without "vegetable stew". This was one of the "should be dishes" in the parties, which my granma used to host. I still remember how she would make all her recipes with so much attention to the detail of the ingredients that go into it. And every time she made it it would have the exactly same "yummy" flavor. I would be satisfied if i become half as good a cook as my granma :) .So today i will be sharing the vegetable stew recipe.

Ingredients:

1.)Potato - 3 large(cut into 1 inch cubes)

2.)cauliflower - 6 florets

3.)carrot and peas - 1/2 cup

4.)cloves - 2

5.)cardamon - 3

6.)cinnamon - 1/2 inch

7.)onion - 1 small (chopped length wise)

8.)ginger garlic paste - 1tsp

9.)coconut powder - 1 cup

10.)tomato - 2(chopped)

11.)coriander leaves - 1/2 cup(finely chopped)

12.)turmeric - 1/2 tsp

13.)green chillies - 4 (vertically slit)

14.)curd/yogurt - 1/2 cup

15.)salt - taste

16.)oil - 1tbsp

Procedure:

Take oil in a pan. When it is hot add cloves,cardamon and cinnamon. When they start giving an aroma add onions and green chillies and sauteed till golden brown. Into it add turmeric powder and ginger garlic paste and saute till the raw flavor goes.Then add tomatoes and saute till they are cooked. Next add vegetables and fry for 5 mins. Next add water and close the lid and let the vegetables cook. When the vegetables are 50 % done , add salt and coconut powder and mix well. Again close the lid and let it cook till the vegetables are done. Once the vegetables are cooked add yogurt and mix well. Let it simmer for 5 mins and finally garnish with coriander and serve. This goes extremely well with vegetable biryani, roti or plain rice.

Kheera/Cucumber sambar

Sambar is one of 'THE' most important dish on south India. Me being from Hyderabad, i do not remember one day at home , that there was no sambar. Today i will be sharing Cucumber sambar recipe.It can be done in two ways. Procedure 1 is an easy and quick recipe, and procedure 2 is a more authentic one. Procedure 2 takes more time to prepare that procedure 1. But in the end, both the tastes are quite comparable.


Ingredients:
1.)Toor dal - 1 cup
2.)dried red chillies - 3
3.)cucumber - 1(skin peeled and chopped into large pieces)
4.)onion - 1 small(cut length wise)
5.)tomato - 2
6.)mustard seeds - 1 tsp
7.)cumin seeds - 1tsp
8.)ginger garlic paste - 1tsp
9.)sambar powder - 1 tsp
10.)astefodia - pinch
11.)turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
12.)oil - 1tsp
13.)coriander leaves - 1/4 cup
14.)curry leaves - 5
15.)salt

Procedure1:
Follow the same procedure as mango dal, instead of mango, add tomato and cucumber and saute.Follow the other steps exactly similar(please omit adding the sugar part, if following the mango dal recipe).

Procedure2:
Wash toor dal well and let it pressure cook with 2 cups of water and turmeric powder for 3-4 whistles. Once the dal is cooked mash the dal into a paste. Take oil in a pan, add a little mustard seeds,dried red chillies and cumin seeds. When it starts spluttering add onion and saute till it gets transparent. Then add ginger garlic paste and saute till raw flavor is gone.Now add salt and tomatoes and fry for 2 mins. Then add the cucumber pieces and mix well and cook with the lid closed till the cucumber pieces are cooked well. Once the cucumber is cooked well add to this mixture the already cooked and mashed dal. Mix well and add water till it gets thin(not very thick not very thin). At this point add sambar powder and mix well. Add salt according to taste and let it boil for 15 to 20 mins. Boil till the raw flavor of dal is gone and all the flavours blend well and turn off the stove.Take oil in a pan, add a little mustard seeds,cumin seeds,curry leaves and dried red chillies, once they start spluttering and this to the sambar and garnish with coriander leaves.
Sambar goes well with rice.

Note:
Add water to toor dal in 1:2 proportion(for 1 cup toor dal, add 2 cups water).

Egg burji

Egg burji is one of my all time favorite recipes which is very simple to make and yet is substantial food to have at any time.


Ingredients:
1.)Egg - 3
2.)Green chillies - 2 (finely chopped)
3.)mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
4.)Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
5.)onion -1 small(finely chopped)
6.)turmeric - 1/4tsp(or less)
7.)ginger garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
8.)salt - to taste
9.)oil - 1tsp
10.)chili powder -1/4 tsp (optional)

Procedure:
Beat the eggs well in a bowl. Take oil in a pan, when it is hot add mustard seeds, cumin seeds. When they start spluttering add onions, green chillies and fry till onion gets translucent. next add turmeric and ginger garlic paste and fry till onions get brown. Now add the salt and stir well. next add the eggs and mix well and let it rest for 2 mins. Stir occasionally till the eggs get cooked(Stir to make sure the eggs do not get burnt or stick to the pan). One the eggs are cooked depending on the taste add chili powder if needed and stir well. Cook for a couple of more minutes and Egg burji is ready to be served. This goes well with roti, bread or eat it juz like that..it tastes simply superb!!!

Baingan Bartha

Brinjal/Eggplant is one of the rich vegetables that can be prepared in so many ways with such different flavors. One can cook this veggie daily and yet give a totally new dimension to it in its taste. The recipe that i will be sharing is one of my husband's favorite recipes.


Ingredients:
1.)Brinjal/Eggplant - 1 large
2.)onion - 1 medium(finely chopped)
3.) tomatoes - 4(coarsely chopped)
4.)garlic - 2 tsps finely chopped
5.)green chillies - 3 finely chopped
6.)pepper powder - 1 tsp
7.)salt - to taste
8.)oil - 1tbsp
9.)coriander leaves - to garnish

Procedure:
Rub oil thoroughly on the brinjal and place it in the oven for 20 to 30 min at 550 degrees Fahrenheit. Keep checking on the brinjal now and then, and keep turning it to ensure that it is cooked well on all sides. When the brinjal is cooked its skin gets wrinkled. (This is the test to check if the brinjal is cooked. If the brinjal is cooked right the skin of the brinjal peels off with ease. And also the colour and texture of the cooked brinjal is quite different from a raw one. Cooked brinjal meat has a browner tinge to it and is a lot more softer than a raw one.). Once the brinjal is cooked remove from the oven and let it cool down. Then peel the skin and coarsely chop the brinjal.
Brinjal can also be cooked on stove top. For that apply oil to the brinjal and put on a pan.Cover the pan with a lid and let the brinjal cook. Keep turning occasionally(to make sure brinjal is not burnt.).When the brinjal is cooked the skin colr changes and skin is wrinkled. A cooked brinjals's skin peels off with ease.

In the mean while take oil in a pan. When it is hot add onions,garlic and green chillies. Saute till onions get golden brown. Now add the tomatoes and cook. Add salt and pepper powder, mix well and cook till the tomatoes are cooked. At this point add the cooked brinjal and mix well. Let it cook for some more time till all the flavors are thoroughly mixed. Garnish with coriander leaves and remove from the stove. Baigan bartha is ready to be served. This goes well with roti's or rice.

Creating new ODBC connection on 64-bit Vista/ODBC driver for 64-bit Vista

If u are trying to make a odbc connection to say MS Access or Excel, so that it can be used by a programming language (like java), on a 64-bit OS. Then the things u need to do are:
1.)Go to Control Panel
2.)Go to Administrative Tools
3.)Right click on Data Sources and go to its properties
4.)In properties change the following and click 'OK'
Target field to:
%SystemRoot%\SysWOW64\odbcad32.exe
From:
%SystemRoot%\System32\odbcad32.exe
Start In to:
%SystemRoot%\SysWOW64
From:
%SystemRoot%\System32
5.)Having done the above go to Data Sources and in that go to System DSN.
6.)In System DSN click on Add and select the driver u want and click 'Finish'.
eg. Driver *.mdb(for Access 2003), *.accdb(for Access 2007), *.xls(for Excel) and so on.

7.)Having done this Select the file u want by going to 'Select' and choosing the file u want to use

in ur program and give the Data Source Name(DSN) the same as name the name of ur

file.This will do the job.

Note: The DSN need not be the same as the name of the file. But what ever u give the DSN ,makes ure u use that in ur program to get Connection.

Roti

Roti is generally served with a side dish, which is generally a curry or raitha.


Ingredients:
1.)Wheat flour - 2 cups
2.)water - 1 cup
3.)salt - pinch
4.) oil - 1/2 tbsp

Procedure:
Take wheat flour and salt and mix well. Now add water little by little and knead to a soft dough.(amount of water that goes to the dough depends on the wheat flour, so always little by little).The dough should be soft, with a little sticky consistency. Now oil ur hands and try to knead the dough. Add a little oil to the dough and knead well. If the dough is too sticky, add a little flour. The dough should be in a consistency , where u can roll out the dough with the rolling pin. Not divide the dough into 6 balls and roll each of then into 6 inch diameter circle.Fry the rolled out dough with little oil or ghee.
Roti is ready to be served. This goes well with any curry

Tips

1.)Is the dish gets too spicy because of addition of chili powder, spiciness of the dish can be reduced to a considerable extent by adding coriander powder to it.

2.)If the dish is too salty, add coconut powder or coconut milk to reduce the salty flavor. Sometimes adding something sour like lime juice, tamarind juice and tomatoes helps too.

Tomato curry

This is a very simple curry. It goes well with plain rice, rotis and kichidi. This is one more 'jhatpat' recipe, which take very less preparation time.


Ingredients:
1.)Tomatoes - 4( chopped)
2.)green chillies - 4(slit lengthwise)
3.)onions - 1 medium(chopped)
4.)mustard seeds - 1tsp
5.)cumin seeds - 1tsp
6.)Urad dal /minnapappu - 2 tsps
7.)red chili powder - 1/2 to 1 tsp
8.)turmeric - pinch
9.)coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
10.)oil - 1tbsp
11.)curry leaves - 5
12.)salt - to taste

Procedure:
Take oil in a pan, when it hot add mustard, cumin, urad dal. When they start spluttering add the curry leaves, onions and green chillies. Fry till the onions are translucent. Now add turmeric powder and ginger garlic pates and fry till the raw flavor is gone. Now add tomatoes and cook them. when they are almost done add salt, chili powder(add chili powder to taste.Some tomatoes are more sour compared to other, hence will need more chili powder to get rid of sour flavor.) and coriander powder and mix well. Cook for another 5 to 10 mins and tomato curry is ready to be served.

Kichidi

Kichidi is one more thing that I fall back to when i have absolutely no patience to cook. I guess i learnt this from my mom :))


Ingredients:

1.)Basmati rice -1 and 1/2 cups

2.)Moong dal/Pesarapapu - 3/4 cup

3.)green chillies - 4(slit vertically)

4.)onion - 1 small(chopped length wise)
5.)Cloves - 3
6.)cinnamon - 1/2 inch
7.)tomato - 1 (optional)
8.)turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
9.)ginger garlic paste - 1tsp
10.)oil - 1tbsp
11.)salt - to taste

Procedure:
Wash the dal(lentil) and soak for 15 to 30 mins(first start the cooking process by washing and soaking the dal). Take oil in a pan. When it is hot add cloves and cinnamon. Once it starts giving an aroma, add onions and green chillies. When the onions get translucent add turmeric and fry till the raw aroma of turmeric is gone. Now add ginger garlic paste and fry well till the raw flavor is gone. At this point, add the tomatoes(optional) and salt, and cook for 5 mins. Now to the above mixture add dal and rice and stir until all the grains are properly coated. Fry for 5 mins(this prevents the rice from getting mushy). The next step is to cook the above mixture in cooker(electric), with 4 and 1/2 cups of water. Kichidi is ready to be served. This goes best with the tomato curry, curd and pickle(Indian).

Gajar/carrot Halwa

Gajar halwa is one of the famous desserts of India. there is almost no one that does not like this dessert. This also happens to be my husband's favorite desserts. Actually it is his recipe that i will be sharing today.

Ingredients:
1.)Carrot - 3 cups grated (aprrox 3 large carrots)
2.)Sugar - 1 cup (can be adjusted according to taste)
3.)milk - 3 cups
4.)ghee - 1tbsp
5.)cardamon - 4
6)raisins - 10
7.)cashews - 10

Procedure:
Melt ghee in a pan , and add grated carrots to it. Fry in ghee till they get cooked. Add cardamon and stir for a couple of mins, till the carrots starts getting the cardamon flavor. Next add sugar and stir with the carrots. Let the sugar dissolve and evenly coat the carrots. Add sugar little by little. Amount of sugar can vary by taste. Once the carrots are cooked and sugar is evenly coated, add milk and stir well. On medium heat let the milk thicken up in the carrot mixture. Keep stirring regularly, to avoid the carrot mixture from getting burnt or sticking to the bottom of the pan. Once all the milk thickens up, take another pan add 1tsp of ghee and add raisins and cashew and fry till the raisins are puffed up. Add this to the carrot mixture and stir well. Let the carrot mixture cook for 2 mins. Carrot halwa is ready to be served.

Capsicum fried rice

This one more variation to the fried rice family. the main ingredient of this recipe as the name suggests is capsicum.

Ingredients:

1.)capsicums - 2 (chopped finely)

2.)onion - 1 medium (chopped length wise)

3.)cloves - 4

4.)cinnamon - 1/2 inch

5.)ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp

6.)soya sauce - 2tsps

7.)basmati rice - 2 cups

8.)tomato ketchup - 1 tbsp

9.)garam amsla powder - 1tbsp

10.)oil - 2 tbsp

11.)salt

12.) green chillies - 2 (slit length wise)

Procedure:

Take oil in a pan, add the cloves and cinnamon and fry till u start getting the aroma. At this point add the onions and green chillies and saute till onions get translucent. Now add ginger garlic paste and fry till raw flavor is gone. At this pint add capsicum , soyas auce,salt, garam masala and saute well. Try to fry the capsicum peices tilll they get soft. At this point add tomato ketchup and cook for another 4 -5 mins. Now add washed basmati rice and stir till all the rice grains are coated with the masala's. Next transfer the contents to an electric rice cooker. Add 4 and 1/2 cups of water and cook. Capsicum fried rice is ready. This goes well with raitha or plain curd.

Note:

First add soya sauce and then add salt accordingly. Because soya sauce gives saltiness to the dish, so add salt accordingly.

Carrot curry

This is a very simple, but very healthy dish. This is passed on to me from my aunt. This is one other recipe that i rely on when i have no patience to cook. It is so simple with minimun ingredients and the cooking time is also very less. So today i will share this recipe.

Ingredients:

1.) carrots - 4 cups of grated carrots (approx 4 large carrots)

2.) green chillies - 3

3.) mustard seeds - 1 tsp

4.) cumin seeds - 1tsp

5.)urad dal - 2 tsps

6.)coconut powder - 2 tbsps (optional)

7.) lime juice - 1 - 2 tbsp

8.)coriander leave 1/2 cup

9.) oil - 1 tbsp

10.)salt - to taste

Procedure:

take oil in a pan, when it is hot add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, urad dal and green chillies. When they mustard and cumin start spluttering add the grated carrot and mix well. Add salt and cook till carrots are cooked well. Once the carrots are cooked, add coconut powder and let it cook for 3- 4 mins. Finally add lime juice and garnish with coriander leaves. Carrot curry is ready to be served. this goes well with roti's or rice. I prefer eating it by itself :).

Choley

This is one my favorite recipes. So today i will be sharing the recipe for it.

Ingredients:
1.)Garbanzo/chick peas - 430 gms (i use canned, but can use fresh chick peas. If using fresh chick peas soak it over night.)
2.)tomatoes - 3 medium
3.)onion - 1 medium(chopped finely)
4.)cloves - 2
5.)cinnamon - 1/4 the inch
6.)MDH choley masala - 2 tsps
7.)amchur powder - 1 tsp
4.)green chillies - 4(silt vertically)
5.)coriander leaves - 1/2 cup
6.)lime juice - 2tbsps
7.)oil - 2 tbsps
8.)salt

Procedure:
Take oil in a pan, when it gets hot add cloves and cinnamon. When they start giving out the aroma, add onions and green chillies. Saute till the onions get translucent. Now add the tomatoes and fry for a couple of mins. Then add the MDH masala and salt and stir for a min. Then add the peas and water and cook till the peas are completely cooked (test to check if peas are cooked it, take a pea in ur hand and try to press it between ur fingers. If it gets mashed easily with not much effort, the peas are cooked.). At this point add the amchur powder and mix well and cook for about 2 mins. Then finally add lime juice and garnish with coriander leaves. Choley is ready to be served. This goes extremely well with bhatura, puri or roti.

Methi/fenugreek leaves roti/paratha

Roti is one dish which can be had everyday without getting bored,because of the many varieties that can be made with it.

Ingredients:

1.)Wheat flour - 3 cups

2.)methi/fenugreek leaves - 1 cup (I use everest kassori methi and soak it in hot water for some time before use.)

3.)Chili powder - 1 and 1/2 tsp

4.)Coriander powder - 1tsp

5.)Garam masala powder - 1 tsp

6.)onion - 1 medium

7.)oil - 1tbsp

8.)ginger garlic paste - 1/2 tsp

9.)cumin seeds - 1tsp

10.)salt

11.)sugar - pinch

Procedure:

Take oil in a pan, when it is hot add cumin seeds. When they start spluttering add onions and saute till they get translucent. At this stage add chili powder, coriander powder, garam masala and saute for a few mins(make sure the masala's do not burn). Then add ginger garlic paste and saute till the raw flavor leaves . Then add the methi leaves soaked in water, salt and sugar and mix well. Cook till methi is cooked well.Let is cool down.

Now mix dough and methi mixture into a soft dough. Now make into small balls and roll out into roti's with a rolling pin.Fry roti on tava/pan with with little oil/ghee .

This goes well with raitha, pickle, curd or curry.

Chilli paneer and mushroom curry

This is one my OWN recipes, experiment with whose end results i was pretty happy :)). It so happened that i had couple of ingredients in the refrigerator for quite some time and had to use it soon. So that's how i came up with this recipe.

Ingredients:

1.)Capsicum - 1(finely chopped)

2.)Paneer - 200gms(cut into 1/2 inch cubes,preferably fried)

3.)mushroom -100gms

4.)tomato - 2 small(finely chopped)

5.)cumin seeds - 1tsp

6.)onion - 1 small(finely chopped)

7.)ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp

8.)garlic - 3 cloves(finely chopped)

9.)soya sauce - 1tbsp

10.)hot sauce - 1tsp

11.)tomato ketchup - 1 tbsp

12.)chili powder - 1tsp

13.)green chillies - 2(slit lengthwise)

14.)sugar - 1tsp

15.)turmeric - pinch

16.)salt

17.)oil - 2tbsp

18.) pepper - 1/2 tsp

19.)coriander powder - 1/2 tsp

20.)garamasla powder - 1 - 2 tsp

21.)coriander leaves - 1/2 cup

22.)Lime juice - 2tbsp

Procedure:

Take oil in a pan. When it is hot add cumin seeds, when they start spluttering add onions and green chillies and saute well. Then add turmeric powder, garam masala powder,chili powder and coriander powder. make sure that masala's do not burn. Then add ginger garlic paste and saute till raw flavor is gone. Then add finely chopped garlic and saute for min. then add mushrooms,tomatoes and capsicum and fry well. Add soya sauce and salt, then close the lid of the pan and cook till capsicum is properly cooked.

Keep checking on the veggies while the lid is closed, because it might get burnt if not stirred occasionally. If it is too dry and tends to get burnt add water and cook. Once the capsicum is cooked add panner and stir it. Now add hot sauce and tomato ketchup and stir till the panner gets all the flavors.Finally add lime juice and garnish with coriander. This can be served with roti or pulav.

Note:

Do not add paneer way ahead of time. If cooked for long paneer tends to crumble down.Fried paneer is preferred because it prevents the panner from crumbling down.

first add the soya sauce and then add salt. Adding soya sauce give saltiness to the curry, so adjust the salt in the curry accordingly.

Mango papu/dal

Raw mango dal is one of the authentic andhra recipes. It tastes really good with white rice and mango pickle. today i will be sharing the quick and simple, yet with the very same taste of the authentic mango dal done in an elaborate way.

Ingredients:

1.)Raw mango - 1(cut into an inch pieces.Do not throw the seed, leave it with some pulp)

2.)onion - 1 small chopped(not very finely)

3.)toor dal - 1 and 1/2 cups

4.)green chillies - 5 to 6(depending on how sour the mango is)

5.)curry leave - 6-7

6.)mustard seeds - 2 tsps

7.)cumin seeds - 1 tsp

8.)astefodia - pinch

9.)sambar powder - 1 tsp

10.)turmeric - 1/2 tsp

11.)ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp

12.)coriander leaves - 1/2 cup

13.)sugar-pinch

Procedure:

Wash the toor dal well and soak it in water for about 15 mins to half an hour.Take oil in a pressure cooker.When it is hot add mustard seeds, cumin seeds,when they start spluttering add onions curry leaves and green chillies. Saute till the onions get transparent. Add turmeric powder and ginger garlic paste and saute till the raw flavor goes away. then add astefodia and stir for a min. Then add the mango pieces and saute for 2 to 3 mins. Now add the toor dal and stir for 2 to 3 mins and add approximately4 to 5 cups of water. Ans pressure cook for 4-5 whistles.

After4-5 whistles, turn off the stove and let it rest till the steam is completely gone. (Test for this is, try to lift the weight of the pressure cooker.If no steam comes out,or, u do not get a whoosh sound, the steam is gone.Otherwise let it stand for some more time.)

Once the steam is gone completely, open the lid and mash the dal into a semi-smooth paste.Add salt,sugar and sambar powder and stir well. If the dal is too thick(dal is generally thick so do not add too much of water), add a little water and let it boil for 15-20mins. Garnish with coriander leaves. This goes well with white rice, ghee and a side of mango pickle. uuummmmm.....yummyyyyyyyy..!!!!

Note:
Add water to toor dal in 1:2 proportion(for 1 cup toor dal, add 2 cups water). Here we add a little more, because of the mango that we added. The extra water is for the mango to cook. As a rule of thumb, add water until the ingredients and completely immersed. This rule works pretty well most of the time :).