Tomato Salsa

Salsa time! Enjoy with Tacos or Tortillas..

Ingredients

5-6 large tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 small green bell pepper or capsicum - (in whatever colors you get)
1 garlic cloves, finely chopped (if needed)
6 onions, finely sliced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh corainder leaves
1 tablespoon finely chopped jalapeño chilis ( Pickled Jalapenos are available bottled in Nuts & Spices)
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tsp olive oil

Method :

1. The secret to a good salsa is the right texture of tomato. The presence of seeds and fleshy centre part would make the salsa too liquid.
2. To seed the tomatoes, cut the tomato crosswise in half and squeeze each half gently over a bowl to remove the seeds. (OR) You can also cut the tomato in to two, place in the conventional pre- heated oven for 5 minutes. Take it out from the oven and scoop the centre part.
3. Toss the rest of the ingredients and refrigerate it so that it would be crunchy.

Muesli Bars

One way of eating Muesli - Sometimes I do hate a cold breakfast..

When you are on the run (always we do!), carry these Muesli bars as breakfast!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/3 cup demerrara or brown sugar
3 tablespoons honey
1 cup Muesli (preferably the ones with dry fruits)
1 tbslp almonds / peanuts
1 tbslp dessicated coconut
1 tbslp sesame seeds (white til)

1. Preheat a conventional oven to High and keep a greased square baking pan ready.
2. Meanwhile, heat a sauce pan over low heat. Add butter, brown sugar and honey. Just wait till the sugar melts.
3. Now remove from heat. Add muesli, almonds, coconut and sesame seeds.
4. Mix this mixture and pack this in to the prepared baking pan
5. Bake for 10 mins, until the top becomes golden brown.
6. Allow to cool and then cut into bars.

Hakka Noodles

All time favourite.. Hakka noodles tossed with vegetables of your choice!

Ingredients:

1 packet of Ching's Hakka Veg Noodles - Boiled



Vegetables ( to be sliced finely, cabbage and carrots to be shredded finely)
Onion - 2
Spring Onions - 1 small cup
Cabbage - 1 cup
Carrots - 1 cup
1 capsicum
2 tsp oil
salt- a pinch
Ajinomoto - a pinch
Chinese red chilli fresh -2 finely cut
Garlic - 3 pods, finely chopped

1. Heat oil, fry garlic and fresh red chillis.
2. Add Onion, carrot, capsicum and cabbage and stir fry over high flame for about 2 minutes. Add a pinch of ajinomoto and salt.
3. Now toss in the boiled noodles, stir fry for a minute.
4. Add the chopped spring onions and serve the noodles hot with Chinese gravy and sauce.


(These pics were shot in my mobile since my digicam conked out.. Not bad photos...Yeah)

Appam

Whip up Soft and spongy appams in just an hour! No need to grind rice..
Yes, we take the easy way out!

Ingredients:

Pal Appam Flour (Brand - Double Horse) - Available at Super Markets (I picked this up in Purchase Point @ Mahalingapuram) - 1 pkt

Warm milk - 1 tumbler

Warm water - 1 tumbler

Sugar - 1 tsp

Salt to taste.

Method :

1. Measure the amount of appam powder - (I used 2 tumblers)

2. Add the warm milk and water, add sugar and salt and in turn around this mixture just for 1/2 a minute in mixie.

3. Cover and keep it for a hour.

4. You can see the froth and air in this appam maavu.

5. In a appa kadai, brush little oil, add 1 "karandi" maavu, swirl it and over a low flame, cover and cook.

6. Make sure to retain the softness (i.e, it should be still white in color after cooking)

7. Serve it with Coconut Kurma/ sweetened coconut milk / chutney

Creamy Cauliflower Kurma

Yummy 'n' creamy Cauliflower Kurma which goes well with Appam, Idiappam and chapathi. Sure to get good reviews from the household members!

My benchmark of a good kurma is Saravana Bhavan's Cauliflower chops.. Everytime it tastes the same..

Ingredients :

Onion - 1 small
Boiled Cauliflower florets - 1 small
Green peas - 2 -3 tsp
Dabur Homemade Coconut Milk - 200 ml pack (you can use 3/4 of this pack)
Amul Cream - 200 ml pack (1/2 of this pack)
Coconut Oil - 2 tsp

Masala to be grounded :

Fresh dessicated coconut - 2 tbsp
Green chillies - 3
Khus Khus - 1 tsp
Cinnamon/clove - 1 each
Elaichi - 2
Ginger - 1 small piece
Garlic pods - 2-3


Method :

1. In a Kadai, heat coconut oil. Fry the onions well, add the boiled cauliflower florets and green peas.
2. Saute for a minute, add the grounded masala and little water. Cover and cook for a minute.
3. Add salt and when the gravy starts boiling, reduce the flame.
4. Now add coconut milk and a little sugar. After a minute, add the amul cream.
5. Garnish with corainder leaves and serve it hot.