How to store Coriander Leaves | Cilantro Leaves

During the season I always ponder on how to store the coriander leaves for weeks. Coriander leaves are such integral part of Indian cuisine and you can't imagine making a gravy dish without the ceremonial addition of coriander leaves. Over the years we had followed different ways to store the fresh coriander leaves, some worked, some didn't. Finally we hit upon this method which really works well.

Amma's younger sister visited us sometime back and she passed on this tip to us. I wanted to try it out right away and was so happy seeing the fresh leaves being fresh over weeks. We have successfully preserved the leaves in it's freshness for 2 - 3 weeks. 

I know many of you may know better ways. And this is too simple a method to even record. But I am not really in a mood to write a lengthy post with recipe.

Since Coriander leaves are part and parcel of every Indian cuisine, I am happy finally finding a way to store it well.

Trim the root ends which normally gets sold along the green coriander leaves.

Soak in a bowl of water and rinse well

See the fine dust that is left behind.

 Let them drain over a colander

 Then spread over a cloth to make sure the water is completely absorbed. If require, put it under fan.

 Slowly cover it up like this to absorb whatever water might still be in the leaves.

Take the bowl that you want to store the leaves, cut a newspaper to the size of the inner bowl.

Place the fresh leaves inside.

The stalk can also be stored to be used in Rasams. They add such flavour.

Take another paper cutting and cover over the fresh leaves. Refrigerate. There is no need to freeze the leaves.

This is after two weeks. Of course I have been using and opening it in between.

If required change the paper used to cover the leaves.

Other Indian Basics and How to's

Have a great week ahead!

Sweet Potato Paratha | Sweet Potato Indian Flatbread

I love Sweet potatoes! And always loved eating it as such. There are always certain things that you just eat as such and never can imagine it being incorporated in a dish right. Sweet Potatoes are such things for me. Shakarkand as it is called in Hindi, we call it Genusa gadda in Telugu. 

This month when Harini announced her Design a Menu Event, I checked in to see what ingredients she listed. When I saw Sweet Potato as one of the mandatory ingredient, I knew I ought to make these parathas. The first time I remember reading this paratha being made with Sweet Potato, was when I started blogging. Since then I have seen sweet pototo being used in different ways. But paratha is the best way to use it. 

I remember Richa posting this and checked to see how she made it. Though I don't normally add hing to my parathas, I saw it was used and wanted to experiment with it. It gave a nice taste and since I can never make without adding jeera powder, I added that too to the dough.

I always make parathas two ways, one stuffed way and the other blended with the flour. When you blend the stuffing mix to the flour you can end up making the parathas much quicker than the regular stuffed way.

We had these for our breakfast this morning with just Curds and Avakkai and can tell you that it was simply too good.

Sweet Potato Paratha

Sweet potatoes, boiled - 1 big
Wheat flour - 2 cups
Turmeric powder a pinch
Red Chili powder - 3/4 tsp
Roasted Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida / Hing a pinch
Salt to taste
Coriander Leaves - 1 tbsp
Curds / Yogurt - 2 tsp
Water to knead the dough
Oil to cook the paratha

Method to prepare:

Pressure Cook the sweet potatoes and peel once it cools down.

In a bowl, take the wheat flour, spices, salt, curds, coriander leaves and mashed sweet potatoes. Mix well to incorporate the spices in to the flour.

Add water as required to knead into a soft and smooth dough. Keep aside for 10 mins.

Heat a griddle/tava. Roll into medium sized parathas and cook like a regular paratha, spreading a few drops of oil on both the sides while cooking them.

Serve with Curds and pickle of your choice.

These parathas tend to be very soft because of the potatoes and make a great start to the day.

Sending this to Harini for her Design a Menu Event.

I might make Masala Vada , Mamidikaya Annam ~ Mango Rice,
Menthakku Pappu , Godumai Halwa ~ Wheat Halwa, Chocolate dipped Strawberry.

This is also going for my Breakfast Mela, which is going on until May 20th.

Launching ValliShopping.com - An online Shopping portal!

I am so happy to share the launch of our online Shopping portal Valli Shopping 

This has been our venture since December 2010 and finally opened our showroom in Chennai. We then thought we should have our online presence felt and hence a need to create an online site.

The showroom is operated by my husband, Suresh. I will be managing the online operation. We are right now into Electronic gadgets like Blackberry Mobiles, Cameras like Nikon, Canon, Sony. Computers and all accessories for Mobiles, Cameras and computers. We may extend to other brands and services shortly.

Though we are going to do the sales through our showroom based in Egmore,Chennai, we do have an online selling option too. Since we are yet to finalize a better payment gateway, we have a very simple mode of transaction for now.

Right now we will do the delivery in and around Tamil Nadu.

Please visit our Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/vallishopping

Our site http://www.vallishopping.com

Our Address

      VALLI ENTERPRISES
      Shop No.20,Basement, 150, Cisons complex,
      Montieth Road, Egmore,
      600 008 Chennai
      TN
      India

We would really appreciate all the support and help we can get in terms of promotion and recommendation.

Eggless Chocolate Muffins for Birthday Celebration

I made these chocolate muffins a weekend couple of weeks ago. With the summer vacation on for the kids, they have been after me to make them some muffins. Since these ought to be eggless I was again trying out a different proportion improvising on my other muffin recipe. As a replacement for the egg, I was trying to use Olive oil, milk and butter. And also wanted to have that crumbly effect, so make a cake flour.

Having always thought that one can't make cake flour at home, discovering this simple fix was an amazing thing. I should thank Simmi for sharing her knowledge. Now be it a cake or a muffin, it is not done without corn flour being used. When I finally made these Egg less Chocolate muffin, they disappeared so fast. I just remembered to click few pictures. Second batch I dusted it with castor sugar to make it look pretty. I was baking these non stop for three days and hubby dear was complaining that if these take so much of my time, he will as well get it from shop. Athamma replied that those may not taste as good and kids may not like them.

Check out Eggless Chocolate Cupcake with Chocolate Frosting for detailed procedure on how to do with step by step pictures. This is very similar muffins and gets done in a jiffy.

We celebrated Konda's birthday yesterday. She had invited her friends and my colleagues also. We are missing Athamma and twins as they have gone to visit my sil. We decided to make Chole Batura, Jeera Rice with Masoor ki Dal. Everything turned out so well and all had a great time relaxing. I was thinking it was high time I make the birthday cakes myself. So to make up for that, I baked a different one this morning, which I will be posting later.

I remember making Seviyan for her birthday last year. And both my sils were here with their families. We were hoping they will come down this year too but couldn't make. I was especially looking forward as I was planning to make some more breakfast thali. Let me see if I can anyway make it.

Now let's get into the recipe details. FYI: The basic proportion that goes into these muffins are same. You might be wondering why I should be posting almost similar recipes. I know how much it matters as each time the taste and texture differs and I would surely hope these different proportions will help a novice.

Eggless Chocolate Muffins

All purpose Flour / Maida - 1 cup *
Corn flour - 2 tbsp
Olive oil - 2 tsp
Baking powder - 1/4 tsp
Cooking Soda - 1/4
Cocoa powder - 2 tsp
Salt a pinch
Icing sugar - 1 cup
Butter - 2 tsp
Milk - 3/4 cup
Chocolate Chips handful

Method to prepare:

In a measuring cup, add the corn flour, add the flour on top of it. This will get you the cake flour.

Sift all the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Melt the butter and add to the flour. Gently stir in the mixture. The add the olive oil, slowly add milk and gently mix in. Add the Chocolate chip at the end and stir.

You can slowly add the milk to get the mixture little loose.

Pre heat the oven at 185 deg C. Line the muffin tray with liners and scoop a spoonful into each muffin cup. I used a small cup and got about 12 muffins.

Bake at 185 deg C for 15 mins. Check if it's done by using a knife. Allow it to rest. When it's cooling over the rack, dust the top with icing sugar.

Serve little warm as it tastes best!

How To Make Basic Sponge Cake Recipe | Step By Step Recipe

Sponge Cake reminds me of my high school days. Though few years after this period, I stopped eating eggs, I still remember those days I spent beating the eggs for Ammamma, who used to make this cake for us during holidays. We had these wonderful folks for neighbours and I spent some of my best years at their home. Besides being an excellent cook, Ammamma was a jolly good person. She loved cooking for her grandchildren. And I was glad she took me into the fold as well. Since I never could spend that many days at my own grandmom's place, this was my foster grandmom's home.

She used to make those typical Sponge Cake with about 6 eggs, I don't remember how much of flour went into it. But what remains predominate in memory, is the fact she used to ask us to beat the egg along with flour. Our arms used to ache in the end. But she used to say the more you beat it, the better cake you have in hand. In the end of the hurdle we were awarded with huge slices of soft, spongy Sponge cake. Of course it used to disappear right away and we used to wonder why the pain remains!

Coming to this recipe, I am not sure if it's exactly the same proportions used, but it did look similar. And I was remembering those childhood days while baking this cake.

Step by Step Recipe:

Separate the egg white, beat the egg white till it foams. Add Vanilla essence to the liquid

Shift the flour with baking powder and salt and keep it aside.

 Get the butter to room temperature.

Cut into slabs

Using a spatula, beat it in a bowl

Continue beating till the butter turns soft.

Add icing sugar at this stage and continue beating it.

See the way it turns thick at this stage so continue beating it in one direction.

Continue beating till you see this look this way.

At this stage add the egg whites and gently fold in.

Slowly fold in the egg and mix in one direction.

Mix in the flour and gently stir.

Continue doing it with egg and flour

Until you complete both

Grease the baking pan and dust with flour.

Shift the batter into the pan

Pat the batter down, don't use any spoon.

Pre heat the oven at 185 deg C and bake the cake for 30 mins.

Check to see if the knife inserted comes out clean.

Allow it to rest

 once done and the slice into pieces.

Basic Sponge Cake 

Ingredients Needed:

All purpose flour / Maida - 2 cups
Icing Sugar - 2 cups
Butter, unsalted - 1 & 1/2 cups
Baking powder 2 tsps
Egg White - 4
Salt a pinch
Vanilla - few drops

Method to prepare:

Grease a baking pan with butter and dust it with flour, keep it aside.

Shift the flour along with baking powder, and salt in a big bowl, keep aside.

Separate the egg whites and take the egg whites in a bowl. Beat well till it is foamy and having peaks. Add the Vanilla essance and gently mix in.

Get the butter to room temperature and beat well using a spatula until it turns really soft

Then add the icing sugar and continue beating it. Do this till you see the butter turning soft.

At this stage add half of the egg whites. Combine everything well slowly.

Add the shifted flour and gently fold it in one direction. gently fold in the rest of the egg white mixture. Finally add the remaining flour. Gently fold everything together.

Pre-heat the oven at 185 degree C.

Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin.

Bake at 185 Degree C / 365 degrees F for about 30 minutes till cake springs back when touched lightly in the centre.

Invert the pan and let it cool. Remove the cake from the pan once it is cooled.
   
Slice it into small pieces

Serve warm.

Ganji Dosa with Ulli Karam, Aloo Masala | Porridge Crepes with Onion Spice paste, Potato Curry ~ 101 Dosa Varieties!

It was typically one of those moments when you felt you had the gold pot in your hand. Well not really a gold pot but rather a recipe that brings back golden memories. This happened when I was talking to Amma on her latest Dosa recipe that she was telling me. In passing she mentioned, "You know you always said you loved those Dosas that your Ammamma made, well to what I remember this was what she used to make". It was all said so casually that I might have missed if I hadn't paid attention to what she was saying.

I plead guilty of being distracted at times when either Amma or Athamma are in their recipe narrations. Not that I am not interested but in the sense I hardly can remember so many recipes that they tell me. Nor is my memory so accurate to recite a recipe with its proportion just like that. Well I was glad that I was paying attention because I had to make this Dosa and to finally write this post.

I can still remember that aroma whiffing out of my grandmom's chimney! During our summer holidays when we visit them, we used sleep on the terrace. They allow us to sleep late, hoping that we will be up when the hot sun shines on us. But much before that, I used to wake up with that delicious aroma of Dosa being made. I am not sure I can aptly put in words the way it smells. But imagine getting up from dreams to land into heaven again!

The Dosas look pristine white, so delicate and soft, yet taste so heavenly. Served with Groundnut Chutney that can only taste as good as it can be, if ground in mortar and pestle. The best combo I have ever eaten, the dosas would be porous and soft, with smoke infused smell as it was cooked on a stove that used wood, it leaves a unforgettable mark in your memory

Those days, as there were no grinders, the batter was made by pounding rice. The powder is then mixed with water and left to ferment. Amma says her mother used to make porridge with the final left out grains that doesn't get pound into fine powder. This porridge was then mixed into the batter.

We can call this Kanji Dosa with Onion paste with Kalagu Curry in Tamil.

Potato is called as Bangaladumpa in some parts of Andhra.

Ganji Dosa with Ulli Karam, Aloo Masala

Ingredients Needed :

Gaji Dosa

Raw rice - 2 cups
Urad dal - 50 gms
Methi / Fenugreek Seeds - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil for making dosas
Rice flour - 1 tsp

Ulli Karam

To make paste enough for 4 dosas

Onions 1 medium
Green Chilis - 2 medium
coconut -  1/3 cup
Jaggary - 1 tsp

To make the Potato Masala

Method to prepare:

To make the Gaji Dosa/ Porridge Dosa

Wash and soak the raw rice for 4 hrs. Once done, grind the rice and ferment overnight.

Next morning make rice porridge with 1 tsp of rice flour. Allow it to cool and mix it to the fermented batter.

To make the Ulli Karam

Take green chili, onions in a bowl and boil till the chillies turn colour. Then cool the ingredients, add coconut, jaggary, salt and grind everything together


Make Potato Curry and keep it ready

To Make the Dosas

Heat a tawa and grease oil over it. Scoop a ladle of batter and spread into thin crepes, Sprinkle oil on sides.

Spread a spoon of the Ulli karam all over the dosa. Scoop the potato masala in the middle and roll the dosa as you do with the regular masala dosa.

Another entry for my Breakfast Mela!

Microwave Carrot Kofta Curry Recipe | Step By Step Recipe

I made this Carrot Kofta Curry to be paired with Subz Pulao. It was quite a combo, though I felt it would have been much better with Naans. I felt the pulao was spicy on its own and would be fine with a raitha. This was the first time I was ever making a Koftas with Carrot and I was wondering how a kofta would hold up it's shape in microwave. I was pleasantly surprised that the shape was retained.

Just two more days to go for the school to close for the boys and they are so restless. But imagine my plight when Konda's and the twins common holiday is only for May. Come June I will again have to plan for lunch boxes. It becomes quite a task getting them agree to something they will want to eat. So when I made this Subz pulao, one wanted only the beans, while the other carrot. So it was a lunch that was exclusively for the elders at home.

This was another recipe I adapted from MW recipe book. The recipe called for Raisins to be stuffed in the Koftas but I avoided it completely. Though later I realized that might have balanced the spice in the koftas.

The book has many such pretty looking gravies, that I am planning to make. so look out!

Step by Step pictures.

Microwave Carrot Kofta Curry Recipe

Ingredients Needed

For the gravy

Onion - 1 medium, puree
Tomato - 2 medium, puree
Chili powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Garam masala - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil - 2 tsp
Coriander leaves for garnish

For koftas:

Carrots - 2 medium, grated
Bread slices - 2 (churned in mixer)
Green Chili, chopped - 1
Ginger paste - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
Yogurt - 1 tbsp

Method to prepare:

For the gravy:

Mix onion paste with oil, turmeric powder, garam masla and red chilli powder in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 5 minutes.

Add the tomato puree, mix and microwave for 5 more minutes.
Add 1 cup of water, microwave for 6 more minutes and keep aside.

For the koftas:

Grate Carrots. Then mix carrots with all the ingredients for koftas.

Mix well. Make round balls. Place them on a greased micro safe plate, microwave for 3 minutes.

At the time of serving, place koftas in a serving dish pour the curry over them and microwave for two minutes and serve warm.

Notes:
I made small koftas and got about 12 of them.
Original recipe calls for Chaat masala and Raisins to be added to the koftas but I didn't add them.
If you want to add the raisins, stuff them in the middle when you make the balls.

Sending this to Lataji who wanted us to make a lunch box menu using Microwave for Microwave Easy Cooking event that she is guest hosting this month.