Rasaswad

Onam Sadya Menu: Plate Preparation: Salt, ginger pickle, ? chutney, banana chips, fresh banana, fried kerala papad, plantains, cabbage Thoran, Avial Course 1: Rice, Parappu, ghee,  Course 2:  Rice, Sambar Course 3:  Rice Kalan Course 4 :  Brown payasam Course 5: Pal Payasam  Plantain: Cabbage Thoran: Avial: Parappu: Sambar: Kalan: 2 plantains (ripe)  1/4 tsp turmeric powder  1/2 tsp chilli powder 1 cup water Cut plantain length wise, remove the black part. Cut into cubes. Boil with the turmeric powder and chilli powder and water and you cook. Keep stirring. Add a bit of salt. Keep it aside.  1 cup grated coconut (frozen). Microwave. 3/4 cup is also enough 1 tsp cumin 5-6 whole black pepper 1 tsp ghee + 1/4tsp fenugreek. Roast well. Raw smell should go away.  Grind the masala to a smooth paste.  Now pour the coconut paste to the cooked plantains. Add salt. ...

Not sure if I can replicate this recipe, given that I was throwing in all sorts of leftovers, but here's a rough description of what I did: - Butter and flour a 10" spring form pan. - Toast about a cup of hazelnuts. Keep aside a handful for garnish, and grind the rest coarsely in a food processor. Remove and keep aside. - In the food processor, mix 1 stick soft butter and about 3 tbsp sugar. Now add 4 egg yolks and mix until pale and fluffy. Add 3 squares of melted ghiarardeli semi sweet chocolate (that's all I had), 1/2 container of hazelnut chocolate spread (that's all I had left), a table spoon of chocolate liquor (have something sitting around for a while in the fridge). Blend everything in the processor. - In a stand mixer, beat the 4 egg whites. Add some of the egg whites to the chocolate mixture to lighten it, and then add it to the egg white bowl and slowly fold. Also fold in half pack of white cake mix (yeah, I know, it's all very approximate), and t...

Some friends were visiting on a Friday evening, so I prepped the night before, and the meal came together beautifully. The awesome produce at Whole Foods helped too. Corn Salad http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/charred-corn-salad-with-basil-and-tomatoes-51104300 Watermelon Feta Salad http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/arugula-watermelon-and-feta-salad-recipe-1949660 Lavash Pizza with Mushroom and Gorgonzola https://www.joanneweir.com/recipes/pizza-breads/lavash-pizza-with-mushrooms-and-cheese/ Spinach manicotti Ladies finger with peach, raspberries and yoghurt

Here's an easy, casual cake, which can add a special touch to a nice, relaxed evening with friends. For me, the recipe really worked when our friend, D. said that it reminded him of his childhood in Spain. Here's the original recipe, but I made a whole bunch of tweaks: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/flourless-lemon-almond-cake-385 I added some flour, baking powder and almond extract, got rid of the cinnamon and added a lemon glaze and sliced almonds. Here's what I did: Preheat oven to 375. Butter and flour one 9 inch cake pan. Separate 4 eggs. Beat the yolks with a pinch of salt, and 2 Tbsp sugar until pale. Add the zest of about 4 lemons, a small dash of almond extract (~1/2 tsp), 1 1/3 cup almond flour,  2 Tbsp flour, and 1/4 tsp baking powder. Remove this thick paste (almost dough-like consistency) in another container. Clean the mixer bowl and whisk really well. Beat the egg whites and 1/8 tsp cream of tarter until soft peak forms. Add about 5 Tbsp...

This makes for a perfect hostess gift, packed tightly in a mason jar, with a nice card with instructions on using it.  Use all nuts in raw form unless specified. Also, they should all be unsalted. 2 cups almonds 2 cups cashews  2 cups walnuts, very lightly toasted  1 cup pistachios  1 cup flax seeds, toasted until they start popping.  2 tbsp cardamom seeds (not pods, but seeds) 3/4 whole nutmeg 1 really big pinch saffron 2 1/2 cups sugar  In a food processor, grind each nut separately until fine or coarse. Towards the end, add a quarter cup of sugar for each cup of nut to aid grinding. The nuts Should not turn to butter. Grind flax seeds finely in a grinder or magic bullet. Grind each of the spice separately with a couple of tablespoon of sugar in a spice grinder. Mix everything together nicely and pack in air tight container.  For serving: mix 2-3 tbsp of powder with a cup of milk. Microwave for a minute, let steep...

The idea is to make almost everything ahead of time and set it out. Ragda Pattice is the only thing that needs to be warm. Mango Lassi Thandai Pani Puri Ragda Pattice Papdi chaat Kachori Pulao Raita Gulab Jamun Gujiya Paan

I figured I should start writing down the menus I plan for parties... This one was a potluck: Diwali snacks: chakli, chevdo, farsi puri, cholafali, mathia, mawa peda (prasad), chocolate cookies Amiri Khaman Dahi vada Fried balls of awesomeness Methi Malai Matar Rajma Mix veg. Korma Rice Triangle paratha Boondi raita Papad Moong daal halwa Paan