Event Hosting And 2 Giveways- Walk Through Memory Lane- Month Of Love

Hello All, I have come here again with something very special for you all - it is an event called 'Walk Through Memory Lane', announced by Gayathri of Gayathri's Cook Spot. First of all I would like to thank Gayathri for making me a part of this wonderful event and allowing me to host it on Merry Tummy.   

Walk through memory lane is a beautiful way to create the dishes that remind you of something or of someone. For example when it rains, it reminds me of Rainy Day Onion Shallots Subzi.  I am sure everything we cook or eat; with it there are so many memories to rejoice. A memorable dish created for someone, or someone who created your favorite dish etc etc. So in this beautiful ride of memories we all have one person who is with us to share our joys, sorrows and feelings; I have my husband with whom I share everything and he is my best friend.

 So I thought as February is the Month of Love, let us cook something for your partner, spouse, boyfriend or girlfriend. You can cook anything from starters, main course, dessert etc...It can be something that your partner loves to eat, something that you would like to cook for him...Ideas are endless! “Let us dedicate our dishes to that Some One Special”

Logo

Rules

• The event runs through the month of 1^st Feb- ^28th Feb 2013.
• The post must to be linked with WTML Event hosted by Merry Tummy and announced by Gayathri'sCookSpot.
• Only two recipes from the archives can be sent to the event which has to be updated with the links. There are no restrictions to the number of new entries.
• Usage of logo is optional but will be helpful to spread the word. 
• Only vegetarian recipes are allowed. (Eggs are not allowed).
• You have to like Merry Tummy's Facebook Page and Follow Merry Tummy.
• Include a small message about why do you want to dedicate the dish to your partner.
• I will post the round up within one week after the event gets over.
• Use linky tools to enter your recipes. In case you have a problem using linky tool or for the Non-bloggers, you can send the details to agrawal.shweta.n@gmail.com in the following format using subject line of “WTML Event- Month Of Love”.
• **Your Name Blog's Name Recipe name Recipe URL Recipe’s Pic of size 300-350K**

 

Now for the giveaway. There are two Giveaways this time.

GIVEAWAY 1-It is from Gayathri who will select an entry through random selection and for the giveaway you will get "One year's subscription of Tarla Dalal's Cooking" which includes six magazines.  Note: Giveaway is not sponsored and it is her own contribution to the event. On the First of March, Gayathri will select a lucky winner and send a mail. After receiving her mail, you can give an address to which she has to ship the book.

 GIVEAWAY 2- Since this is my first event I planned to do a giveaway from my side as well. I will choose one recipe which is unique, creative, well explained and has a beautiful picture. For the giveaway there will be "Simple Home Baking Book By Sanjeev Kapoor".  Once I choose the winner I will send an email and the winner has to reply back with the shipping address.

   
Both these giveaways are only for Indian residents as the book gets shipped only in India. However, those who can provide an address in India are also eligible for giveaway. 

Looking forward for the lots of delicious entries in this event, Join me in my Blog.  
"Please read the rules and follow them"
 

Aloo Tikki Coated With Til/ Sesame Seeds Coated Potatoe Patties- "Gold Coins"

Aloo tikki/ potato patties are my all time favorite and those of you who read my blog knows that I like to add news twists to Potato Patties. Today's twist is inspired by one of the recipes that I tasted in the restaurant. Tikkis are generally pale and looks boring, so I coated the tikkis with sesame seeds-it not only adds the color to it but also enhances the taste and aroma. Sesame seeds brings that missing crunch and makes it tastier. These are perfect starter and will be enjoyed by all.

Ingredients:

• Potatoes - 3 to 4
• Red chilly powder- 1 tsp
• Oats- 1/2 cup
• Grated carrot-1
• Amchoor powder/dry mango powder- ¼ tsp
• homemade chaat masala  - ¼ tsp
• Green chillies chopped  - 1 tsp
• Lemon juice - 1 tsp
• Corn flour- 2 tbsp
• Sesame seeds/Til- 1/4 cup
• Freshly chopped coriander leaves - 2 tbsp
• Salt to taste
• Milk-1/8 cup      
• Ghee- 2tbsp

Method:

1. Wash and boil the potatoes in their skin, until tender & soft. I cook them in pressure cooker for 4 to 5 whistles.
2. Once the pressure goes off, peel the skin and mash the potatoes.
3. In a wide bowl, add the mashed potatoes,carrot, oats, red chilly, amchoor, salt, chaat masala, green chillies & coriander leaves.
4. Squeeze fresh lemon juice and add corn flour to it & mix thoroughly.
5. Apply some ghee on your palms and  divide it into equal portions and roll them into balls.
6. Flatten them to small disc shape. Roll the tikki in milk and then coat them with sesame seeds/til. Milk being a wet ingredient will help with the coating of til/sesame.
7. Heat a pan/tawa on medium flame and add ghee and roast the tikkis. When they’re golden brown and crisp at both sides, remove the tikkis.

Serve hot with chutneys or dips.

These tikkis were a great hit in my family and my hubby has named it as Gold Coin (interesting isn't it??)

Tuesday's Tip- How to make egg substitue/ egg replacer

Hello All,

Here it is another Tuesday and with every Tuesday comes my tips.Today's tip is very special and is on special request from my vegetarian friends who do not eat eggs. For all the pure vegetarians and vegans out there,people with egg allergies-this one’s for you! I will show you How to make egg substitute. 


I know there are so many of you who want to cook and bake new stuff, but there are hardly any recipes that do not require eggs. So here is a wonderful egg substitute for eggs so that next time when you bake brownies, cakes, breads you do not need to worry about eggs. Of course, you won’t be able to make an omelet, but the possibilities are far and wide. 
 
Here is the tip. One egg is equal to 1 tablespoon of Flaxseed Powder plus 3 tablespoons of warm water. Make a mixture of it and let it sit for 10-12 minutes. Use it like you are using an egg. The mixture will look like this .
















Flaxseed is commonly known as Alsi in Gujarati, Hindi and Punjabi, Jawas in Marathi, Tishi in Bengali, Agasi in Kannada. Here is how it looks like-

Now you easily hate eggs and still enjoy baking and cooking. Hope this tip will be useful, go ahead and try and bake and bake.  









* Disclaimer :::: Not all the information mentioned above is my own and some of it are taken from various books and online sources like Google including the pics. My pics will have my logo on them , rest all are taken randomly from Google

How To Preserve Ginger (Paste and Whole)- Tuesday's Tip

Yes!! so it is Tuesday today and so I am back with the new tip. Today I will tell you 2 ways to store or preserve ginger. Ginger is very cheap and is available at all the veggie shops; we generally buy very little amount of ginger because we are scared of it getting stale or rotten. But I am not one of them, because I know how to preserve ginger. 
 
Fresh ginger cannot be beaten for taste and refreshing texture. Its use in stir-fry dishes and other Asian cuisine. It also enhances many sweet foods when baking. I prefer to store ginger in 2 ways -one for the gravies or soups and other one in large pieces for spiced tea, lemon ginger juice etc.

Ginger on demand for soups and gravies:
Clean and peel 1 fresh ginger. The edge of a spoon works very well for this task, removing the papery skin easily. Take the grinder or blender and grind the ginger to very fine paste. Mix in it 1/2 cup of oil and 5 tbsp of salt. Fill the mixture in the air tight jars and keep them in the fridge. The paste in ready and can be used whenever you want. Please note that the paste has oil and salt in it, so remember it so that you do not end up adding excess salt and oil in the gravies and soup.

Ginger on demand as whole
For this I do not peal the ginger; it is said that ginger peal is very nutritious and has more flavor and aroma. So simply cut the ginger into large chunks and wash it well, so that peal is free from dust. Dry them on paper or kitchen towel so that there is no moisture left in the ginger. Then simply take plastic zip lock bag and put the ginger in it, and freeze it in the freezer. Now when you need to put ginger in the juice, tea or sweet dishes simple take one piece and grate the ginger; you are all ready to use it.

These tips are great way to store ginger for a long time and use as and when needed. Buy it in bulk, when on sale and store it quickly and easily.

* Disclaimer :::: Not all the information mentioned above is my own and some of it are taken from various books and online sources like Google including the pics. My pics will have my logo on them , rest all are taken randomly from Google

Gits Khaman Dhokla Instant Mix Review

I know I have been so very irregular in blogging these days :-P. Even today I do not have any new recipes to share and talk about- sorry about that, but I do have something new that you all will like to read about. Today I am going to review one of favorite product. It is form Gits, Gits is a very famous product and is used in many houses in India. Gits has wide range of instant mixes and today I am going to review one of them which is Gits Khaman Dhokla Instant Mix.

Before reading the review I will like to tell you what is Khaman Dhokla?- IT is an Indian Guajarati specialty. It is perfect for any time snack. It is like a savory steamed sponge cake made from gram flour. It is healthy snack as it is not deep fried and also rich in proteins and carbohydrates.

I really like this instant mix-the dhokalas were very soft and yummy. It is a complete time saver for me, when ever I am in hurry and I am not sure what to cook , it is then when I look for this packet . I like to garnish it with green chillies, curry leaves and mustard seeds(rai) which adds more taste and flavor to it. All that it needs for preparation is oil and water which is always available in our kitchens. It is 100% vegetarian with no artificial colors and flavors. It is a good value for money, 60 pieces at this price is a very good option. At last I can say that all working ladies and busy moms must keep this packet in the kitchen and cook when ever they want in just 15 minutes.

Here is the final results:

 

DO VISIT www.gitsfood.com/khamandhokla/

I will be soon back with other reviews.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Disclaimer:  This is an unpaid and unbiased review. My review depends totally on my taste and choices.

How To Keep Eggs Fresh? -Tuesday's Tip

Here I am back with another useful and simple kitchen tip. Well we all love eggs, and we usually buy 10-12 eggs together-but the question is How to keep them fresh? I will share some basic tips with you today that will keep eggs fresh for 4- 5 weeks.







Should you refrigerate eggs?
Always keep the eggs in the cardboard box (the box in which you get them).Eggs will last longer in the fridge, provided you don't put them in the door. The cold does make them last, but constant changes in temperature can make them go off quicker (we open door again and again). They should be kept nearer the back of the fridge, where the temperature is more constant. For cooking, its better to use room temperature eggs, so get them out in good time.

How to check if the egg is fresh or not?
Immerse the egg in a pan of cool salted water. If it sinks, it is fresh; if it rises to the surface, it is old and should not be cooked.  








I hope these tips were useful :-) Next time do not be scared to buy dozen of eggs.
 

Lehsuni Badam /Garlic Almond Chutney

Here I am again with a new Chutney recipe. I was so busy these days that I hardly had time to blog :(. I went to India for some days and now I will share more and recipes for sure. :) Almond Garlic/ Badam Lehsun chutney is a very good and unique dip- it goes well with tikkis, finger chips and dosa. Lets see the recipe then.

Ingredients:
Almonds/badam- 1/2 cup
lemon juice-1/2 tsp
Tomato- 1
Asofetida/ Hing-a pinch
Garlic/lehsun- 8-10
Oil- 1 tbsp

Method:
Soak almonds for 4-5 hours. Peal the skin and keep it ready.
Grind together garlic,almonds and tomato.
Heat oil in kadai, add hing. Then add all the grinded mixture and cook till the raw smell for garlic disappears and all the water is evaporated.

See more Chutney recipes

Happy New Year

Farewell 2012. . . I think you have been through a lot of things unlike your older mates. . .You were brave!!! :) :)

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OF YOU