Coleslaw (the KFC way)

Eating out is something which every family may want to do sometime or the other, most times during the weekend and with kids at home, it would probably be from the fast food chain. I quickly noticed on my move from UAE to India, that the one thing missing from most and literally all fast food chains was 'Coleslaw'. Even when I finally found one that did include coleslaw along with the main protein, it lacked the flavour that a good coleslaw contained.

Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) is one such outlet in the UAE, whose coleslaw I came to like. I say came to like as when I was young anything related to mayonnaise would give me a headache like you would not believe. I disliked coleslaw as a result back then.

Well I have been meaning to try out mum's version of KFC for a long time now and I am getting close. In fact hers is the non-fry version, so I am keen to share it very soon. Since I bought a second head of cabbage quite recently and mainly for the purpose of making coleslaw, I went all out yesterday and made it along with some Crispy Fried Chicken and Calamari as well.

Oh my I did not expect the turn out of the coleslaw to be so good! It tasted so close to the KFC make itself, I am quite surprised I nailed it. In fact the only thing I would have done differently is to have used a smaller size onion and preferable a white onion with white pepper powder (not black pepper). I have made notes of this in the Ingredients section below.

I can guarantee that once you make this your kids would probably think you bought it from a KFC outlet. Actually I would recommend you serve it in one of your KFC takeaway bowls. Foolproof and a sure winner!

You need:

• 4 cups of finely chopped cabbage (approximately 1/2 of a cabbage head) 
• 1/4 cup shredded carrot (1 medium carrot) 
• 1 tbsp minced white onion
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise 
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar 
• 125 ml milk 
• 125 ml buttermilk 
• 11/2 tbsp lemon juice 
• 3/4 tbsp white vinegar 
• 1/4 tsp salt 
• Pinch of white pepper powder

The Make:
Preparation Time:10-15 mins | Serves 5-6 adults

1. Ensure that the cabbage and carrots are diced finely to the size of rice grains. You can use your food processor. I used my very handy Philips hand blender.
2. In a large bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients and whisk well until smooth and creamy.
3. Next add in the chopped vegetables and onion and mix well.
4. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

Serve on the side of your favourite protein. 

Pazham Bonda - Fried Mashed Banana balls

This is one from my mum's kitchen again. A very simple to make tasty tea-time snack! There are so many variants of Bonda but this one by far strides well with both kids and adults alike. This also makes for a good on-the-go snack and can be made in various sizes as well. It has a texture very similar to that of a doughnut.

Normally bonda is made with plain flour (maida) only however as  I mentioned in my earlier posts and profile as well, Mum's kitchen has always adopted healthier options. This variant is made with a combination of wheat flour and plain flour. I would suggest you make this at home rather than buying it from a restaurant as it is simple to make and you know how sweet to make it and how much and what type of oil to use.

You need:

• 2 cups of Wheat flour
• 1 cup of Plain flour (maida)
• 6-8 Bananas, mashed
• Jaggery/Sugar/Brown sugar/Cane sugar to taste
• 1-2 cups drinking water
• A pinch of baking powder
• Cooking oil - to deep fry

The Make:
Preparation Time: 3-4 hours | Cooking Time: Under 30 minutes | Makes 8-10 medium sized balls

1. Combine all the ingredients above into a dough.

2. Set aside to rest for about 3-4 hours. You can leave it for longer if you have the time as well. This batch was rested for at least 6 hours.

3. Once rested, divide the dough and roll it into tennis sized balls. You can make them smaller if you like as well.

4. Heat a large/deep-bottomed wok with the oil for up to 2 minutes.

5. Lower the flame and place the rolled balls carefully into the oil and deep fry till golden brown.

6. Drain and place the bonda on a clean kitchen towel.

7. Serve hot with tea or coffee.

Bon Appetit!

Mummy's Special Apple Pie

To celebrate crossing 10,000 visitors, I thought what better than this warm, comforting Apple Pie that my Mum used to make for us. Let me take this opportunity to thank all my readers for their interest in my food blog and I just want to say how thankful I am that I began this blog to share my recipe creations. Thank you for your kind support.

This indeed was a weekend of celebrations as my toddler had a very successful Annual Day Celebration at pre-school and we are so proud of her!

A new celebration would be in order soon as G'Gina's Kitchenette Facebook page is reaching 100 likes.. let's leave that to another day!

I have always loved Mummy's Apple Pie. In fact I remember during college days away from home, my mouth used to water just thinking of Mum's Apple Pie and I would wait keenly for the holidays to ask her to whip me some of these sweet delights.

Mummy's Special Apple Pie

To make this simple, delicious pie,

You need:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup powdered sugar (1/2 cup for dough, 1/2 cup for filling)
• 1 tsp yeast
• 4 apples, peeled and diced
• 1 cup of filtered/drinking water
• 1 tsp of cardamom powder or cumin powder (you can also use cinnamon powder)

Method:

Serves 2-4 | Cooking Time: 30-40 minutes | Preparation Time: 30 minutes

1. Mix the all-purpose flour, salt, sugar and yeast  and water and knead into a dough (just like for chapati/roti/flatbread dough). Cover with kitchen towel and allow to rest for at least half an hour.

2. Divide the dough into 2 large balls. Roll the dough ball as flat as possible into one large circle and set aside. Repeat for the second dough ball.

3. If the apples are soft, then you can directly use it otherwise, cover and cook the apples over medium-low flame in a little water and sugar for 2-3 minutes. Add cardamom or cumin or cinnamon powder as preferred. Uncover and cook to reduce the sugar syrup.

Reducing the sugar syrup

4. Place half of the dough circle on a lightly greased cake tray or tin foil or butter paper without tearing. Next add the apple or apple mix and cover with the hanging part of the remaining dough circle and hand crimp/tuck the sides avoid any open gaps.

Crimped and ready to bake

5. Place the cake tray in a preheated oven of 180°C and cook until golden brown or for 30 minutes.

Apple Pie served

The inner view of the Apple Pie

Close up of the inner view of the Apple Pie

You can also make mini apple pies and top with quartered apples and dust some sugar on top. Some pictures (not as clear as I would like it to be) of an earlier make.

Top of a mini apple pie

Side view of the mini apple pie

Oat and Millet (Bajra) Sweet and Savoury Pancakes

Aha! The return of the Oat and Millet combo:) Well what can I say, this is a hero combo in terms of its nutrition factor. Millet in itself has so many nutritional benefits. Having this as a breakfast meal has many advantages as well. I have heard many people complain about migraines early in the morning. Well did you you know that Millet contains Magnesium that helps reduce the effects of migraines and even heart attacks. It is also alkaline which means that it is easily digested and you know what great wonders that does to your digestive system in the morning:)

Well not to get too scientific but let's not leave out our all too common oat bran which most of you already know is a "healthy-heart" cholestrol lowering food. I find that people with lactose intolerance normally avoid consuming cereals in the morning, simply because it becomes difficult for them to have cereals without milk. These oat bran recipes resulted since that realisation. It is important to have a high fiber meal in the morning as our body is able to digest it well then.

I had two of my usual diners, my hubby and my daughter when I whipped up this meal. So, naturally the Sweet is for my Sweetheart daughter and Savoury my darling hubster. Needless to say, both of them enjoyed their simple breakfast meal.

Savoury Pancake

Sweet pancakes

You need:

For both the sweet and savoury pancakes:

• 2 cups of oat bran (powdered)
• 1 cup of millet flour
• 2 tsp of salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup of milk (optional)/1 cup of filtered water
• 1 tbsp of cooking oil
• 2 tsp baking powder

For the sweet pancakes:

• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon powder

For the savoury pancakes:

• 1 medium sized onion, finely diced
• 2 green chilies, diced

The condiments:

• For the savoury, you can serve it as is or with coconut chutney
• For the sweet one, you can serve it with maple syrup, honey, chocolate syrup and chocolate chips, fresh fruits or nuts.

The make:
Makes 6 savoury pancakes, 3 sweet pancakes | Cooking Time :30 mins | Preparation Time: 15 mins

1. Combine all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl for the sweet and savoury pancakes combined.

2. Next whisk in the eggs, milk/water and oil and set aside to rest for 10 minutes.

3. Divide the batter into 3/4 for the savoury and 1/4 for the  sweet pancakes in a separate bowl. I did this considering my little one's appetite. You can choose either way.

4. For the savoury, add the remaining ingredients and mix well.

5. For the sweet, add the remaining ingredients and mix well in the separate bowl.

6. Meanwhile, preheat two iron skillets or non-stick skillets on high. Grease the pans, using a paper kitchen towel dipped in cooking oil. Repeat this between pancakes until the batter is used up.

Cooking the pancake on one side

7.  Lower the heat on both pans to medium-low and pour 1/4 cup of batter quantity using a ladle and pour in the center of the pan and spread the batter in clockwise fashion to a medium sized circle.

8. For the savoury, owing to the chilies and the onions, you make not be able to spread it out as much as it would lead to gaps and would not evenly spread the onion/chilies on one half or the other. You may need to either fill in the gaps or pour the batter evenly without the clockwise spreading technique.

9. Cook the pancake for 2 minutes on each side or until cooked and lightly browned.

10. Continue this process until all the batter is used.

If the alternating between sweet and savoury pans is too much, you can also do it one at a time. My mornings are usually a lot of juggle and multitasking so this technique works well for me.

11. Serve with the condiments of your choice or the suggested ones in this recipe.

Cooking on the second side

Sweet pancakes served up with honey drizzle

Hope your family and you enjoy this breakfast treat. Bon Appetit!

Waffles with Poached Eggs

I know the first thing that may be on your mind would be how would I make Waffles without a Waffle iron? Well you do not need one! I am certainly happy that I invested in the George Foreman's  Lean Mean Fat Grilling Machine as I made one batch of my waffles on it and the other on a griddle pan (pan with embossed lines on it). Yes! You can make waffles with just a griddle pan. I will let you know how.

Waffles with Poached Eggs, Jelly and Honey

What you need is:

• 1 cup flour (can be wholewheat or all purpose or plain flour)
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk of your choice
• 3-4 tbsp castor sugar or powdered sugar
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup oil or butter at room temperature (reserve some for brushing on the griddle)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• Pinch of nutmeg powder *Optional

The make:
Serves 4 adults | Cooking Time: 10-15 minutes | Preparation Time: 10-20 minutes

Getting the batter together

1. Combine all the dry ingredients in large bowl.
2. Next, in a separate bowl, whisk all the wet ingredients together.
3. Slowly add the wet ingredients to the large bowl containing the dry ingredients while whisking them together into a moist dough. Set aside and allow to stand for 10-15 minutes.
4. Heat your griddle pan or in my case the electric griddle for at least 5 minutes.
5. Brush your griddle with some oil/butter.
6. Place the batter dough on the griddle in the desired shape. Remember do not expect to get the waffle pockets but it tastes just the same. You can also use this recipe in case you have a waffle iron.
7. Top with jelly, maple syrup, fresh fruits, cream spread or whipped cream as per your choice.

Poached Egg whites

I have been asked many a time how to poach eggs. Well here goes. This one was made with egg whites only but you can poach eggs in whole with the yolk as well.

You need: 

• 2 eggs
• A small saucepan
• A porous or slotted spoon
• 4-5 cups of filtered water
• Pinch of Salt
• Pinch of Pepper

The Make:

Serves 2 adults | Cooking Time 4-5 minutes | Preparation Time: 2 minutes

1. Fill a small saucepan with water and bring to a rolling boil on high heat. Remember to add as much water as is required to cover the saucepan at least 2-3".

Waffles with Poached eggs and condiments

2. In the meantime while bringing the water to boil, separate the egg whites from the yolk and set the yolk aside to use later. Egg yolks make for a good hair mask. Just make sure you rinse it out well later or risk smelling eggy :)

3. Once the water has come to a rolling boil, lower the heat to simmer and gently pour the egg whites to the pan and allow to cook for 2-3 minutes. If the whites separates and spreads in the pan, use a spoon to guide the eggwhites back together.

4. Remove the egg whites using the slotted/porous spoon and once the water is drained out place it on the serving plate.

5. Top with the salt and pepper.

Bon Appetit!

Homemade Scramberry ('Lololikka'/'Lololica' - Flacourtia inermis) Jam - When Mummy Cooks

Lololica (Flacourtia inermis) is a red berry which has been homegrown in my grandma's backyard in Kerala for decades. My parents now still nurture lololikka trees at home. The only reason I have been delaying posting this recipe is because I have been trying to get the English name for Lololikka. 

Lololikka Jam

My cousin Jeff suggests its name as The Lololikka fruit or Red Ribes-uva-crispa. 

Top view

My sister Marilyn and some of my friends name it as  Red Gooseberry. For some reason on viewing the pictures of Red Gooseberry, I am still not convinced and ensuring that this is its actual name. In case, I find otherwise I will update this page.

Lololikka Jam on Toast

Finally my dearest Dad found out the actual name of this fruit. Its botanical name is Scramberry.

So, this delicious Lololikka Jam is another one of my mum's creations. Topped on breads of your choice (I recommend multigrains bread or flat bread (chapatti or roti) ), this makes for an interesting breakfast start.

To make this simple jam,


You need:

• 1 kg ripe lololikka berries (Scramberry)
• 1 kg sugar (you can use lesser sugar if you like. Lololikka berry is actually quite sour)
• 1 cup of plain drinking/filtered water
• Essence of your choice (You can use a fruity essence or vanilla essence) *Optional

To make:
Preparation Time: 10 minutes | Cooking time: 15 minutes | Makes about 250 gms

1.Clean the berries off any black deposits and air dry. Grind properly with seeds but without water.
2. In a non-stick pan, pour the grind mix with water and stir to reduce.
3. Add the sugar and stir well for about 5 minutes.
4. Set aside and once lukewarm, add essence of choice and bottle in airtight container and refrigerate.
5. Top the jam on your favourite bread and in combination with your favourite other toppings as desired. You can use it in combination with chutneys such as mint chutney esp. if you have used lesser sugar in your jam.

Homemade Banana Jam - When Mummy Cooks

This is one of my mum's special jams that she made when we were in Kerala. It goes really well with toast and makes for a wonderful start to breakfast. She made this with crushed bananas. Next time I plan on trying this with banana chunks.

Mummy's Banana Jam

To make this simple jam,

You need:

• 1 kg bananas (she used homegrown small sized bananas also known as Apple banana or Latundan banana)
• 1/2 kg sugar
• 1 cup of plain drinking/filtered water
• Essence of your choice (Vanilla would be better) *Optional

To make:
Preparation Time: 10 minutes | Cooking time: 15 minutes | Makes about 250 gms

Banana Jam with Nutella combo

1.Peel the bananas and slice thinly. Grind properly with seeds but without water.

2. In a non-stick pan, pour the grind mix with water and stir to reduce.

3. Add the sugar and stir well for about 5 minutes.

4. Set aside and once lukewarm, add essence of choice and bottle in airtight container and refrigerate.

5. Top the jam on your favourite bread and in combination with your favourite other toppings as desired. I also tried it with nutella and it was fab as banana and chocolate usually combines well.

Assorted Pasta Bolognese - A Twist on Spaghetti Bolognese

I have to start this post with an apology to my readers. It has been quite a while since my last post and while the reasons are large and varied. I can tell you that the first part of my New Year 2013 was spent away on a holiday/medical research followed by what I earlier thought I would never experience "Writer's block"! I am happy to tell you though that I did spend that time in trying out new recipes and now am ready to share with you all of my new creations. January left with a bang with my darling' daughter's much celebrated 3rd birthday.

Of course as tradition goes, Mum always needs to pamper lil ones with their faves during their birthday celebration. Izzy has always loved pasta, noodles, tomato/ragu base with meat. So what best to make than Bolognese Sauce. Hmmm, but since we only had a duo at the celebration at first and pasta being one of my favourite as well, I decided to add a mild twist to the traditional Spaghetti Bolognese. I used Noodles and Rigatone. Needless to say the birthday girl was wowed with her surprise brunch meal. Bolognese Sauce as you may know is a meat based sauce originating from Bologna, Italy. Hope you enjoy this meal as much as we did.

Pasta Bolognese

 You need:

For the Bolognese Sauce:

• 500 gms Minced meat (Veg option: Soya granules)
• 1 large grated Onion
• 1 grated carrot
• 4 cloves of garlic, crushed and diced
• Sprinkle of oregano
• 2 tbsp of tomato paste or Homemade Tomato Puree
• 500 gms of tomatoes, skinned and chopped **
• Dash of Worcestershire Sauce (Veg option: Soya Sauce as Worcestershire sauce may contain fish)
• Salt and Pepper -  to taste
• Olive oil as required
• Dash of dried parsley or 2 tsp of  fresh parsley

*Optional: 

• Dash of red wine (avoid if cooking for kids)
• 1 tbsp of cream

**(Tip: you can skin the tomatoes by running the tomatoes under hot water)

For the Pasta:

• 50 gms of Noodles (half cooked and strained)
• 50 gms of Rigatone Pasta (half cooked and strained)
• Grated gruyure cheese (optional)

The Make:

Preparation Time: 10 minutes | Cooking Time: 20-25 minutes | Serves 4-6 adults

1. Heat olive oil in a deep bottomed skillet and saute the onions and carrots till translucent. Do not brown.

2. Season with salt and add the crushed garlic. Next sprinkle the oregano and saute for 1 minute on medium heat.

3. Add the mince meat, parsley and  add the tomato paste. Saute well.  You can add the red wine at this stage and reduce. I did not use wine as I mentioned this was a kids meal for my little one.

4. Next add the chopped tomatoes and Worcestershire sauce. Cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes. You can uncover and add cream at this stage.

5. Add the pasta and noodles. Saute without crushing the pasta and allow to simmer for 5 minutes. 

6. Serve with grated gruyere cheese or other of your choice on top.

Tip:You can also serve the sauce on the side and top the pasta with the sauce and cheese while serving, then you will get a more creamier texture as the pasta would absorb the sauce in the cooking process mentioned above.

Serve hot with crusted bread or your favourite salad or as is. Bon Appetit little ones :)

Topped with Gruyere Cheese

Boondhi Besan Laddoos (Gramflour sweet small balls) - Happy Diwali

Happy Diwali one and all. May the festival of lights bring love, prosperity and peace to you and your loved ones.

Happy Diwali!

I tried this recipe after almost 21 years. My cousin Gigy who was also my neighbour is an ace graduate of home science and she had made this in her home science lab at school. I had it in my handwritten recipe book from the older times. As I made these laddoos last night into the wee hours of the morning, I recollected the good times we spent during my childhood in my neighbourhood with neighbours from diverse cultures. So thinking back, I remembered all the diverse types of laddoos that I had growing up as a child - Indian which itself had many different versions and flavours owing to our large subcontinent's diverse states and cultures, Pakistani, etc.

Laddoos boxed up for Diwali celebrations

I would also like to congratulate my friend Shireen Pais Sequeira who just had a baby princess 8 days ago. I had mentioned in my earlier posts that Shireen, a successful food bloggist of Ruchik Randhap http://ruchikrandhap.blogspot.in was the most recent motivator to enable me to start this blog. I wish her continued success in both her blogging and personal life. These laddoos goes out to your little munchkin Shirs.

Another close up

Close up

I just realised how difficult it is to convert Indian sweet names to English. For example, the literal translation of Laddoos is Small Balls. 

Ever since Green Gold's Chota Bheem has taken on to the silver screen and to the twinkle of our little one's eyes, Laddoos have been a sweet delight and interest in the homes of toddlers and little kids. So I am sure your little one will take to this sweet with awe and interest. Laddoos can also be had as a tea time snack.

For this sweet mouthful,

You need:

• 250 gms of gramflour or besan
• 250 gms of sugar
• Pinch of Lemon Yellow Food colour
• Pinch of Salt
• 1/2 cup of raisins
• 1/2 cup of Cashewnuts (chopped)
• 300 ml of refined oil
• 200 ml of ghee or clarified butter (I used this organic cow's ghee. I must say it was so light)
• 12 cloves of cardamom, de-seeded and powdered
• 1.5- 2 cups filtered or boiled/cooled water

Tools used

Tools required:

• One large deep bottomed skillet or frying pan
• 2 large perforated ladles (1 of them must have the perforation, the size of a whole peppercorn)
• 2 spoon
• 1 mixing bowl
• 1 large deep bottomed pot (you can use a non-stick one also)
• 1 small skillet
• 1 large bowl
• 1-2 large sheets of butter paper
• 1-2 large sweet boxes (Recycling is good esp. since these days a lot of effort is used in making these boxes. I just do not feel like throwing them away. I usually save my old sweet boxes and re-use them after wiping with a dry cloth)
• 1 large plate

To make these laddoos, it is essential to have your utensils ready prior to the cooking process. Ensure it is clean and dried (free off water). The perforated ladles are required as one of them would be used to form the droplets of pearl shaped fried balls(boondhis). The other one would be used to strain the boondhis once fried.

The make:

Cooking Time: 45 minutes| Preparation Time: 10 minutes | Makes roughly 12 golf ball sized laddoos

1. In the small skillet, heat 1-2 tbsp of ghee and toss in the raisins and cashews until lightly brown. You can add the cashews first as it takes slightly longer than the raisins. Set aside.
2. Next it is best to get working on the sugar syrup before working the batter as it takes a good 8-10 minutes to get this done. Take the deep-bottomed pot or non-stick deep bottomed skillet and add the sugar and 1 cup of water and bring to a boil on medium to high heat. Stir well to dissolve the sugar. Simmer till about half thread consistency or until bubbles form on the surface. Turn off the heat and set aside.
3. In a mixing bowl, add the gramflour and 1/2 cup of water and stir well ensuring no lumps are present. Add a pinch of salt and the lemon-yellow food colour. The mix should have a slightly thicker consistency than dosa batter. Test the batter by using the perforated ladle to see if it drops through the perforations without intervention. If not add a tablespoon of water to the batter and stir and test again until required consistency is achieved. I had to repeat 3 times to get the consistency right.
4. Heat the oil on high and the ghee in the frying pan. Do not overheat or else the oil turns brown and affects the boondhis. Remember that the frying pan should have at least 1.5" of oil. Test to see if the oil is the right temperature by taking your little finger and dipping it in the batter and dropping it into the heated oil. If it rise immediately then it is ready.Lower the heat to medium.  
5. Place all the vessels close to each other as shown in the picture above - the sugar syrup pot, the batter mixing bowl and the frying pan. Hold the perforated ladle about 1.5"inches above the oil over the center of the frying pan with one hand. With your other hand, take the spoon pour some of the batter onto the perforated ladle to cover all of the holes without spilling over the edge of the ladle. Tip: if you hold the ladle higher than 1.5" inches above the oil, the boondi will not be round. It gets more of a tear-drop shape.
6. The batter will start dropping through the holes into the oil. Move your hand with the batter-perforated ladle in clockwise direction to avoid the batter concentrating in one position in the pan and layering. Drop enough boondis into the oil so they just cover the surface of the oil in frying pan in a single layer without overlapping.
7. Fry them for a few seconds and/or until the sound of sizzling stops and boondis are light gold in color but not crispy. Drain the boondi out of the oil with the second perforated ladle so as to allow the oil to drain from the boondhi back into the frying pan and transfer the drained fried boondhis to the sugar syrup pot and mix with another spoon.
8. Tip: Remember to wipe the perforated batter-ladle before adding the next scoop of batter. This helps to keep the boondi round and avoids blocking to allow free flow of the batter through the perforations.
9. Repeat this process with rest of the batter. Let the boodhis soak in the syrup for few minutes.
10. Next add the powdered cardamom seeds, roasted cashews and raisins to the syrup and mix.
11. Drain off the excess syrup by taking out the boondhis from the syrup into a large bowl.
12. If the boondis are still hot, let them rest till warm and easy to handle. Ensure they do not become cold or you will not be able to roll them into balls to make the laddoos.
13. To make the laddoos, scoop up some of the boondi mixture into your palm with a spoon. Gently squeeze the mixture between both palms to shape into a round ball about the size of a golf ball. You can also make bigger laddoos as required. As you are squeezing some of the syrup will come out.  
14. As you finish making each laddoo, put it on a plate with a sheet of butter paper and continue on to make the next laddoo. 

Transfer to plate

• As the Laddoos cool to room temperature they will become      firm but they should still be moist.

• Laddoos will keep at room temperature in a covered container for up to 7-10 days depending on the weather and for one month in the refrigerator. If you make it in the summer, I suggest transferring it to the refrigerator after 2 days.

Additional tips:

• Remember if you leave the boodhis to cool down to room temperature(below warm), the sugar crystallises. 
• The syrup should be of the right temperature, so warm up slightly before draining the boondhis if it turns cold.
• If you have too much of boondhis, set aside as a salt snack or you can add it to yoghurt and have it with lunch/dinner. If you have already added it to the sugar syrup, then you can drain and have it as sweet boondhi as well. You can also serve the sweet laddoos with the salty boondhis as a tea time snack.

Namkeen boondhis

Boxed up!

Enjoy this sweet delight ...Wish you all a safe and fun-filled Diwali!

Chinese Upma - A Twist on the Traditional Upma (Semolina mash)

This was a morning last week when I wanted to serve up something different for my HD 'A'. This could be had both as a breakfast meal or as a tea-time snack and I will mention the variations/alterations (alt#) to all you cooks and moms out there who find it difficult to make the lil' darlings eat up. I tried this with several variations earlier so you can add what your loved one prefers.

Upma with a twist

You need:

2 cups of Rawa (Semolina)
1 cup Chopped vegetables(thinly sliced) - carrots, beans, peas, potatoes, cabbage, cauliflower, capscicum (one of these would also do- I tried it with peas alone this time. Before adding potatoes, cut in medium bite size pieces and pre-cook. Finely dicing the veggies lengthwise would give it more of a Chinese cuisine look)
Eggs - 2 (optional-alt#1, beaten with salt and pepper if you are using this alternative)
Tomatoes -diced into cubes(optional - alt#2)
Soya Sauce - 1 tbsp
Tomato Sauce(optional-alt#3. I did not add this although if you are making it as a kids' snack then go ahead)
Paprika or Kashmiri Chili Powder - 1/2 tbsp (skip for kids)
Salt to taste
1/2 tbsp of cooking oil or olive oil (ghee(clarified butter) or unsalted butter - in case you are making it for kids)
2-3 cloves of crushed and diced garlic
1/2" crushed and thinly sliced ginger
1 white onion or 2-3 bulbs of spring onions, finely diced
2 cups boiled, cooled water
Garnish: Thinly sliced leaves of the spring onions(discard wilted)

* Tip: If you are opting only for potatoes, then add tomatoes to compliment

The make:

Cooking Time: 20 minutes|Preparation Time: 5 minutes|Serves 2 adults

• Dry-roast the semolina (rawa) and set aside.
• Heat a pan, add a drizzle of olive oil and saute the spring onions leaves for 5 minutes and set aside.
• Heat a large deep bottomed skillet, personally I prefer the non-stick variety. Add the oil. (normally I would add mustard seeds and curry leaves but as I mentioned this is a twist on the traditional South Indian breakfast)
• Add the onion, ginger and garlic and saute till translucent. Add the paprika, soya sauce, salt at this stage. (If opting for the egg, add the beaten egg at this stage, taking care not to add too much salt in the egg. Also if opting for the tomato sauce, now is when you add it).
• Add the veg(s) and saute well. ( if adding tomatoes - now is when you add it in). Add 1 cup of water and cover on a medium flame for about 10 minutes.
• Lower the flame, uncover and add the roasted rawa, mix well and add 1 cup water to allow the blend in process, avoiding lump formation.

Semolina cake with peas, paprika and soya sauce

• The upma is done when the semolina uses up all the water. Garnish with the spring onion leaves and serve hot.
• For kids, you can also add milk and sugar (as it tasted quite well - avoid if using egg, beans, potatoes, cauliflower or the mixed veg option as the tomatoes/tomato sauce would add sufficient flavour)

Served up!