APPLE PIE

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!! Hope you all had good time with your family and friends on Christmas day. I was thinking to bake something for christmas, had lots of apples so made apple pie. There are so many ways to make pie, but this is the simplest method. Apple pie is a delicious desert! kids love it for sure.

For Crust

All purpose flour -2 Cups
Salt - 1 tsp
Butter- 2/3 cup
Cold water -6 tbsp

• Mix softened butter, salt, flour with a fork until crumbly.
• Add 5 tablespoons water and mix well, adding more water if too dry.

For Filling
Apples-6 Nos.
Sugar -3/4 cup
All purpose flour - 2 tbsp
Ground cinnamon - 1 tsp
Butter- 2 tbsp

• Core, peel and slice apples.
• Combine sugar, flour, cinnamon in a bowl.
• Add apple slices and mix well.
• Take 1/2 of the pastry and roll flat with rolling pin.
• Line a 9" pie plate with the pastry.
• Fill with apple mixture, dot with butter.
• Take the remaining pastry dough and roll flat, place rolled sheet on top of apple pie mix.
• Crimp along edges creating a scalloped edging.
• Take a knife and cut slits into top pastry for steam to escape.
• Bake in a 400 oven for 50 minutes or until crust is brown.
• Let cool and serve.

BROWNIE WITH WALNUT & CHOCO CHIPS & CHOCOLATE ICING

"My name says it all" turned one on 19th Dec'08, so to celebrate its b-day I made these chocolate brownies with walnut and choco chips.

Ingredients:-

Cocoa-unsweetened - 3/4 Cup
Baking soda -1/2 tsp
Melted butter-2/3 cup
Boiling water-1/2 cup
Granulated sugar -2 cups
Lightly beaten -2 eggs
All-purpose flour -1 1/3 cups

Vanilla extract -1 tsp
Salt -1/4 tsp
Coarsely chopped walnuts -1/2 cup
Semisweet chocolate chips-2 cups

Ingredients for Icing: -
Powdered sugar -2 cups

Cocoa - 4 tbsp

Heavy cream or half and half milk

Vanilla extract- 1 tsp

Procedure:-

• In a large bowl, combine cocoa and baking soda, blend in 1/3 cup melted butter.
• Add boiling water, stir until well blended.
• Stir in sugar, beaten eggs and remaining 1/3 cup butter.
• Stir in flour and salt.
• Stir nuts and the chocolate chips into chocolate brownies batter.
• Pour chocolate brownie batter into a greased 13x9x2-inch baking pan.
• Bake at 350° for 35 to 40 minutes or until chocolate brownies are firm and begin to pull away from sides of pan.
• Cool before spreading icing.
• To make icing mix all the ingredients together with required quantity of heavy cream or half and half milk to get desired spreading consistency.
• Spread icing on cooled brownies and cut into squares.
• Garnish with choco-chips and chopped walnut.

MNSIA TURNS ONE!!!!

"My name says it all" turned one today! OMG! can't believe this ! I am feeling like I launched this blog few weeks back but it completed 52 wks! Phew! time flies very fast :) Just for passing my time I started this foodie blog, off late cooking became my new found passion. I never thought I will be successful in running this blog for long, but I am! :-) with 140+ posts in one year, not bad. :)

To celebrate MNSIA's first anniversary I made Brownies! yum, yum! Click here for recipe.

RAGADA PATTIES

Ingredients for Patties:-

Boiled potato- 4 nos.
Bread slice-2 nos.
Finely chopped onion-1 cup
Garam masala pwdr-1 tsp
Coriander powder- 1 tsp
Finely chopped green chillies- 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil to shallow fry

Procedure to make patties:-

• Mash potato, soak bread in water and squeeze out water.
• Mix all the ingredients with potato and bread.
• Make small round patties and shallow fry them till golden colour as shown in picture.

Ingredients for Ragada:-

Dry peas -1 cup
Green chillies- 2 nos.
Cloves- 2 nos.
Cumin seeds-1 tsp
Chopped onion- 1 no.
Oil to saute
Salt to taste
Chat masala pwdr- 1 tsp
Garam masala pwdr- 1 tsp
Red chilli pwdr- 1 tsp
Green chutney-1 tbsp
sweet chutney- 1 tbsp
Curd- 1/2 cup
Chopped coriander leaves- 2 tbsp
Grated carrot- 1/2 cup
Finely chopped tomato- 1 cup
Finely chopped Onion-1 cup
Fine sev/ Nylon sev-1 cup

Procedure:-

• Soak dry peas for 4-5 hrs.
• Boil them with green chillies, cloves till soft, Keep aside.
• Saute cumin seeds, chopped onion.
• Add Boiled peas, salt, garam masala pwdr, red chilli pwdr, chat masala, green chutney and sweet chutney.

Place a patties in a plate, pour Ragada (peas gravy) on patties, above that a tbsp of curd. Sprinkle grated carrot, chopped tomato, chopped onion, coriander leaves, chat masala and nylon sev.

AKKI SHAVIGE UPPITTU / RICE VERMICELLI UPMA

Ingredients:-

Serves- 2

Akki shavige/ Rice vermicelli- 1/4 lb

Onion-2 nos.

Green chillies- 4 nos.

Chana dal/Bengal gram- 1 tbsp

Urad dal/Black gram -1 tbsp

Chopped coriander leaves- 2 tbsp

Turmeric powder- a pinch

Oil to saute'

Mustard- 1 tsp

Curry leaves- 1 string

Salt to taste

Procedure:-

• Keep some 8-10 cups of water for boiling.
• Immerse vermicelli in boiling water and turn of the stove.
• After 7-8 minutes drain the water and keep vermicelli aside.
• Heat oil in a wok, saute mustard, bengal gram, black gram, slit green chillies ,curry leaves and chopped onion. Cook till onion becomes tender.
• Stir in salt and turmeric pwdr. Turn off the heat.
• Add vermicelli and stir till masala blends with vermicelli.
• Sprinkle chopped coriander leaves.
• Serve hot.

PEANUT MASALA

Peanut masala is a very good chat for winter evenings.

Ingredients:-

Roasted Peanuts- 2 cups

Onion-1 no.

Tomato-1 no.

Coriander leaves- fistful

Salt to taste

Chat masala pwdr- 1 tsp

Lemon- quarter pc

Procedure:-

• Finely chop onion and tomato.
• Mix peanut,tomato and onion.
• Add salt and chat masala.
• Sprinkle chopped coriander leaves.
• Squeeze lemon.
• Serve immediately.

MAVINKAYI CHITRANNA / MANGO RICE

Ingredients:-

Rice-1 cup

Raw mango-1/2 medium size

Onion-2 nos.

Green chillies- 4 nos.

Garlic -3 cloves

Bengal gram/ kadle bele- 1 tsp

Black gram/ uddin bele- 1 tsp

Mustard- 1/2 tsp

Curry leaves- 1 string

Coriander leaves- a fistful

Shredded coconut- 2 tbsp

Turmeric powder- a pinch

Oil to saute

Salt to taste

Procedure:-

• Cook rice and allow it to cool.
• Grate raw mango and keep aside.
• Heat oil, saute' mustard, curry leaves, green chillies, sliced garlic, black gram, bengal gram and onion.
• Cook for 4-5 minutes, then add turmeric powder and salt.
• Remove from heat, stir in grated raw mango.
• Mix this with cooked rice, sprinkle shredded coconut and chopped coriander leaves.

MADIKE KALU PALYA (SPROUTED WHOLE MOTH DRY CURRY)

Ingredients:-

Madike kalu / whole moth- 2 cups

Green chillies- 4 nos.

Onion-1 no.

Garlic- 2 cloves

Jeera / cumin seeds- 1/2 tsp

Shredded coconut-1/2 cup

Mustard- 1/2 tsp

Curry leaves- 1 string

Coriander leaves- fistful

Masala powder- 1 tsp

Oil to saute

Salt to taste

Procedure:-

• Soak whole moth in water overnight.
• Drain water, keep them covered in a dry warm place to get sprouts or you can use sprout maker.
• Grind coconut, cumin seeds, garlic, masala powder, salt and green chillies, keep aside.
• Heat oil, add mustard,curry leaves & saute chopped onion.
• Now add sprouted whole moth and half cup of water, cook for 5 mins.
• Stir in ground paste and cook for another 5 mins.
• Sprinkle chopped coriander leaves.
• Serve with roti/ chapathi/ rice.

BROCCOLI RAAB & WHITE BEAN CRESCENTS

Few days back, I came across this recipe in Vegetarian Times Magazine. I made one set of crescents as per recipe, it was tasting bland for my desi taste buds :) So for the next set I added a Tsp of garam masala powder to the stuffing to make these crescents spicy and Desi :P

Ingredients:-

Broccoli raab- 1 lb

Sun dried tomatoes- 3 tbsp(chopped)

Garlic - 2 cloves

Red pepper Flakes- 3/4 tsp

White balsamic vinegar- 1 tbsp

Sugar- 1 tsp

Cannellini beans- 1 cup( canned)

Pastry sheets

Oil to saute

Salt to taste

Garam masala powder- 1tsp(optional)

Sun dried tomato ~~~~~~~~~~~Broccoli raab

Procedure:-

• Chop broccoli raab finely, mince garlic.
• Heat oil, saute minced garlic,pepper flakes and cook 1 minute.
• Add broccoli raab and saute for 5 minutes.
• Stir in vinegar, sugar and salt.
• Remove from heat, stir in chopped sun dried tomatoes and cannellini beans.
• Allow it to cool.

Stuffing mixture

• Preheat oven to 375 F.
• Line baking sheet with perchment paper.
• Cut pastry sheet in desired shape and stuff the broccoli raab mixture.
• Brush the edges with water, press edges together and seal.
• Place crescents on baking sheet, bake for 20-25 minutes.
• Serve hot with/without ketchup.

GOJJAVALAKKI

Ingredients:-

Flattened rice/ dappa avalakki/ thick poha- 2 cups

Tamarind juice- 2 tbsp concentrated

Peanut- 2tbsp

Red chillies- 3 nos.

Urad dal/ black gram- 1 tsp

Chana dal/ bengal gram- 1 tsp

Grated dry coconut- 2 tbsp

Coriander leaves- a fistful

Curry leaves- 1 string

Rasam powder- 1 tbsp

Salt to taste

Oil to saute

Procedure:-

• Dry grind poha in blender till it looks like semolina/course rava.
• Dilute tamarind paste with half a cup of water. Mix tamarind juice with the ground poha, keep aside.
• Heat oil, saute bengal gram, black gram, peanuts, Dry red chillies and curry leaves. Remove from heat and add rasam powder, salt.
• Now mix this sauted thing with the poha and add grated dry coconut.
• Sprinkle chopped coriander leaves.
• Gojjavalakki is ready to serve!!!

RAAGI ROTTI

To make 10 Rotis:-

Ingredients :-

Raagi Flour -1 lb

Water - 2 cups

salt - a pinch

Procedure:-

• Pour water in a vessel, add salt, bring water to boil.
• Add 1/2 lb of flour, allow it to bake for 10 mins.
• Stir properly to break lumps, remove the vessel from heat.
• When it is warm, add remaining flour and knead well.
• Make even sized dough balls.
• Dust the rolling board with flour and roll the dough ball with roller pin.
• Put roti on a hot tava/ griddle, brush the top surface with water.
• Roast for few seconds until the top begins to puff.
• Turn the roti and again roast until it puffs , then remove from tava.
• Serve hot/cold with palya and chutney.

AKKI PAYASA / AKKI HUGGI

"Akki Payas/ Akki Huggi" is a North Karnataka rice variety, which is usually prepared during festivals/ functions along with Kadubu/Holige. Seeing the name payas/huggi, dont think that its a sweet dish. Main ingredients for this dish are rice and kusubi. Many of you would not have heard or seen these seeds. I had brought kusubi while coming from India, I dont think we get them here in US of A. See the picture below for Kusubi seeds, they are like sunflower seeds but white in colour.

Ingredients:-

Rice- 1 cup

Kusubi-1/2 cup

Water-4 cups

Salt to taste

Procedure:-

• Cook rice in cooker with 3 cups of water.
• Grind Kusubi by adding a cup of water, strain it to remove all the pulp, collect only kusubi haalu.
• Add this kusubi haalu to cooked rice and bring it to boil.
• Akki payasa is ready to serve!!