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Orangettes

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Who will say NO to chocolates?

Orangettes are the ideal candy for those who love the orange and chocolate flavor combo. They are very simple, made of nothing but orange peel, chocolate and sugar.The prime point here is that you don’t have to fling the peels aside and we have something to do with that. If you want you can store the orange peels for this purpose in the freezer and use them later.

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They are easy to make at home, and have a long shelf life. They are perfect gifts for friends and family J you can freeze them and gift it whenever you need. To keep the chocolate firm, I store them in the refrigerator or freezer. I have had orangettes in candy shops, but never thought to make them myself.

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I love citrus flavors. Those flavors excite me. I have made candied orange peel long back.I thought of doing that to start with, then chocolate “called “ me 😀 😀 :D. And I wanted to try a new recipe. So here it goes.These taste really good. That flavor comination is out of the world. Try to use dark chocolate as the normal chocolate does not taste that good for me. i used mostly dark chocolate but added few chunks of milk chocolate to it.

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Orangettes
Author: 
Recipe type: Dessert
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 6
 
Ingredients
  • 2-3 oranges
  • 3 cups sugar
  • 3 cups water
  • Few bars of dark chocolate
  • oil – ½ tsp
Instructions
  1. Scrub the oranges and Slick off the top and the bottom.
  2. Using a sharp knife, slice the peel away from the orange in long, flat strips. Slice the peel into thin ¼th inch strips and set aside.
  3. Take a saucepan; add some water and the peel. Boil the water for 10 minutes in low heat. Remove the peels, rinse in cold water and dry. Blanch them few times if you can to remove the bitterness. I did this step thrice.
  4. Now take another pan, add the sugar and water, simmer it in a medium heat. Add sliced peels and cook for 45 minutes. You can turn it off when the liquid turns syrupy. And also peels should become soft and translucent. Remove the peels; place them in a wire rack to cook and dry off a bit.
  5. Chop the chocolate little and melt it in a double broiler, stir them frequently. Procedure for double broiler is by boiling water in a pan and Keeping another pot on top of it with chocolate. The chocolate will melt from this heat. I used ½ tsp oil togive that silky texture.
  6. Place a parchment paper in a clean place. U can cover the whole slice or cover only half. When they are dipped, place them immediately on the paper.
  7. They have to be set in refrigerator for 30minutes.
  8. Pull them put when you want to eat them.
Notes
1. I have used only three oranges. If you want prepare loads and store in inventory, you can do by increasing it proportionately. Let me know if you have some questions on that.
2. Do the boiling/blanching of orange in hot water at least twice to remove bitterness.
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Uppu Seedai/ Crunchy Lentil Nuggets

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UppuSeedai_relishthebiteHello all hi, It’s Janmashtami/ Krishna Jayanthi today. It’s the birthday of the Lord Krishna. I posted a recipe for “pepper vadai/ milagu vadai” yesterday for this occasion. But the main savory we do for this festival is the “Uppu seedai/sweet seedai”. I am going to uncover the “uppu seedai” recipe today here. I like savory more than sweet after coming to Canada. Wherever I go here, I see ample of sweet based dishes and get very few savory ones. So my choice was this and I did aval payasam as a sweet which was very easy to make. It took me very few minutes. Will post it sometime soon.

I was wondering why this recipe is being the main savory for this god. There should be a reason. Let me know if somebody gets to know it.notsure

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I always wanted to make seedai, but my mom used to warn me that it would burst easily. So I was staying away from it always. This time, may be I thought I was old enough to try it. When I told my mom today about making this recipe, my mom was watching me in facetime when I was doing it, and she was waiting for me till i shout “success!” after taking the first batch from the stove. She is so protective whatever age I am in. “MOM’s” are always the best. heartI have seen my dad and close one’s throw this “Seedai” on the air and catch them with their mouth to make it more interesting. When I put the first batch in the oil, I stayed away from the kitchen just to make sure that it does not burst and was peeping into the kitchen peek. But it came out so good :). I was so happy! I am not trying to scare you by saying all this, but be careful when you do this. May be in older days they used to have lot of stones in the rice which made it burst. These days its loads better and also if you sieve it well, it should be very fine 🙂

The correct way to do this recipe is to soak one cup of raw rice in water for two hours, dry them completely by placing on a cloth/paper and grind them. I used the ready-made rice flour instead. It was equally good. I have no complaints. 🙂 Let me know someone if you get to know the reason why we need to do the former method.

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UPPU SEEDAI / CRUNCHY LENTIL NUGGETS
Author: 
Recipe type: Appetizer
Cuisine: Indian
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 2 cups seedai
 
Ingredients
  • Rice flour – 1 cup
  • Urad dal – ¼ cup
  • Sesame seeds – 1tbsp
  • Ajwain – 1 tsp
  • Coconut Grated - 2 tbsp
  • Jeera/Cumin – 1tsp
  • Salt – as needed.( I used 1 tbsp)
  • Ghee – 1 tbsp
  • Oil – to fry.
Instructions
  1. Fry the urad dal for 2 – 3 mins.Grind the urad dal very finely. Mix rice flour and urad dal powder together, Seive them twice.
  2. Mix the ajwain, coconut,jeera,ghee and salt to the mixture.
  3. Add water little by little to form a soft dough but do not make it watery/sticky.
  4. Now comes the major step, hold a little dough part on your left hand on the fingers side like shown below. Take a tiny dough part, press them and release them by making anticlockwise directions on the right hand. And the first seedai dough is ready. It should not be hard or very soft. It should be in perfect texture.
  5. Make them all like the above step.
  6. Fry them in hot oil and take them out when its in golden color.
Notes
1. Be careful when you put them in oil, it might easily burst. So, sieve it properly to avoid stones.
2. When you make the balls, make sure its not very hard or very soft. It will either break or it will be too hard.
3. Use unsalted butter instead of ghee. Or if you using ghee adjust your salt accordingly as ghee would have salt.
4. If you think the dough is too hard, add little ghee and water. Very little.
5. Oil should be very hot, or else it will break.
6. Roast the urad dal just for few minutes, which should do the job.
7. Try to use whole urad dal for this recipe. I used the broken one’s, as I did not have the whole urad dal handy.
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Milagu Vadai/ Pepper fritters

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Crispy  and spicy crackers made with peppercorns and urad dal.

I made this again this week 🙂 the very first version I made before two years 😀 I totally had this guilt that it was not perfect so tried again and it came out crispy perfect. I found the reason for it, I soaked for an hour which did not make it crispy I believe and this time I soaked for just 15 minutes.

Today is Krishna Jayanthi 🙂 Happy Birthday, Lord Krishna. For people who do not know what is Krishna Jayanthi, it’s an annual celebration of the birth of the Hindu deity Krishna. Images of Krishna’s infancy are placed in swings and cradles in temples and homes. His devotees celebrate his birthday by today sweets and savory by his name. This pepper vadai/ milagu vadai is usually done for another god “Hanuman”. But it’s a good savory to do for all gods. These vadai’s are usually connected through a thread and garlanded to the Lord. The below picture was my older version. I totally felt it was not that crispy so made it again 🙂 This time it was crispy crispy perfect!

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This is the first time for me to make these. And I guess it turned out good. They used to give this in temple. And I always loved them. But never felt like trying them at home. But today is the day for me to try this. Soak the urad dal only for one hour. It will not have that texture otherwise. I soaked more than that this time 😉 so make sure.

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Milagu Vadai/ Pepper Vadai
Author: 
Recipe type: Appetizer
Cuisine: Indian
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 6
 
Ingredients
  • Urad dal - 1 cup
  • Rice flour – 1 tbsp
  • Pepper corns – 2 tsp (grounded)
  • Ajwain - ½ tsp
  • salt – ½ tbsp
  • Oil – To fry
Instructions
  1. Wash and soak the urad dal for 15 minutes and not more than that.Drain it nicely. If there is water, it can spoil the whole procedure. Grind it in the blender without adding water. The mixture should be little coarse not a paste.
  2. Ground the pepper again roughly. Just a single pulse would do.
  3. Take a bowl, mix the ground urad dal, hing, rice flour,ajwain and broken pepper.
  4. Heat oil in a kadai/pan, add one tbsp of oil to the vadai mixture.
  5. Take a banana leaf/Ziploc cover grease with oil. Grease your hands with oil to tap them thinly using hand or flat shaped cup. Take small lemon sized balls and pat it to make it a circle and thin vadai. Flatten it as thin as you can.Mark a hole in the center.




  7. Remove the vadai from the banana leaf and put them in the hot oil.
  8. Cook the vadai on both sides and till its crispier brown color on both sides.
Notes
1. Try to use whole urad dal. As it gives a nice texture. If not, use the broken ones.
2. When you drain the mixture, drain them completely. If there is water, the vadai’s wont be formed perfectly.
3. If the vadai batter is sticky and with more water, add more rice flour. Continue doing still it is in the perfect consistency.
4. Adding 1 tbsp hot oil to the batter will make the vadai crispier.
5. If you want crispier vadai, after frying them, try to refry them again. It will give nice colour and more crispiness. But mine was fine with the first time.
6. If you don’t have banana leaf, use Ziploc or polythene cover.
7. Marking a hole in the center will cook the vadai faster.
8. Ensure that vadais are patted thin, or else it’s going to be hard.
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Shrimp Biryani

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Who does not love the exotic fragrant biryani? 😀 Just the name “biryani” will make many drool. Biryani is one of the most popular dishes in India. Biryani is one of the foods for sure that gives that comfort feeling. Shrimp biryani is extraordinary for seafood lovers and biryani lovers. Shrimp in biryani induce nice flavors to rice. 

The one I have prepared is a home-style biryani. Closing the vessel with the lid when cooking and sealing the edges with wheat dough is the authentic style. Cook on high flame for 2 minutes. Then remove the vessel from the stove and place an iron tawa. Place back the biryani vessel on iron tawa and cook biryani for 20minutes.

Biryani is not strenuous at all to prepare like many believe. Its just little time consuming and it need that little extra special care when we do it. Try to use all the ingredients listed, each ingredient has a special role in the biryani and compliments one with another.

There are many different types and versions of regional biryani recipes. The style that I am cooking today is dum biryani, shrimp gets the direct heat from the flame and the rice is cooked with steam generated by the airtight method of cooking. This way the rice is cooked in the flavors of the shrimp and gets the aroma of the shrimp. I have cooked this recipe couple of times and it has never failed me.For the biryani masala ,I will post my biryani powder soon. But store bought ones are good too. I use aachi biryani powder most of the times.

 It is for all the seafood spicy flavourful food lovers 🙂

My other favorite biryani recipes: Lamb Biryani, ambur biryani, chicken biryani, mushroom biryani, cauliflower biryani

5.0 from 1 reviews
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Shrimp Biryani
Author: 
Recipe type: Dinner, Lunch
Cuisine: Indian
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 4 or 5
 
Ingredients
  • Marinate:
  • Ginger garlic paste - 1 ½ tbsp (I grind fresh garlic and ginger)
  • Biryani powder - 2½ tbsp
  • Red chilli powder - 2 ½ tsp
  • Coriander pwder - 1 tsp
  • Cinnamon - 1
  • Cardomon - 2
  • Fennel seeds - 1 tsp
  • Jeera - 1 tbsp
  • Green chilli - 5 (cut them roughly)
  • Mint - 1 /2 cup(chopped)
  • Coriander- ½ cup minced
  • Grated coconut - 3 tbsp finely grated
  • Curd - 1 cup
  • Oil - 3tbsp
  • Prawn - 600 grams ( shrimp, peeled, raw, de-shelled & de-veined

    Rice:
  • Basmati rice - 3 cup (soaked for twenty minutes)
  • Jeera - 2 tsp
  • Salt - 2 ½ tbsp. (according to taste)

    Others:
  • Oil - ½ cup
  • Onions - 2 (sliced beautifully)
  • Ghee - 2 tbsp
  • Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
  • Salt - 1 tbsp
  • Orange food colour mixed with 2tsp of water or saffron in warm water
  • Lime juice
  • coriander – to garnish
Instructions
  1. Marinate everything listed under “marinate” section for at least an hour.
  2. Boil 8 cups of water in high heat. When it boils vigorously, add the soaked rice, jeera and salt. Cook till its 80% done. Usually I put them for 5 minutes after adding rice. That is usually 80% done.
  3. Meanwhile on the other side, heat a heavy bottom pan with oil. Add the onions and salt. Sauté them till they become crispy. Add the marinated shrimp to it and sauté for 3-4 minutes. Stir in between. (I am using cooked shrimp that we get on market, its hard to get raw shrimps around here. If you are cooking with raw shrimps, add the shrimp and cook for 5minutes till it is done.)
  4. Top the shrimp with the cooked rice, add the ghee, garam masala powder. Shrimp and rice will cook perfectly in that heat.
  5. Close it with tight lid, if possible Place lid and over the lid place a heavy weight (like cooker) keep it in medium for 10 minutes and switch it off.
  6. Top it with the food color mixture,coriander and mix after a minute. After 5 minutes, gently mix the rice and gravy. squeeze the lemon and serve.
  7. Biryani ready!
Notes
1.Don’t over soak the rice, and then it will not give you that biryani texture in the rice.
2.Gently mix the rice at the end, don’t break the rice.
3.Don’t compromise on the quality of the rice. Use basmathi rice and not long grained rice.
4. The red colour is not healthy. But sometimes I use it. You can add the saffron soaked in warm milk instead.
5. I am using cooked shrimp that we get on market; it’s hard to get raw shrimps around here. If you are cooking with raw shrimps, add the shrimp and cook for another 5minutes till it is done.
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Serve with raita, Chicken curry or any curry, boiled eggs or chicken 65. 

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Balsamic Peach Spinach Salad

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This is my favourite dish if I wanted it to eat healthy. To be frank with you, I am not a salad person at all. But once in a while, I would have that craving for salads. I guess I should stress on the “WHILE” part 😀 strongly. And when I have them, I want them with all the taste and health factors on the plate.

I like the part that salads are simple enough to put together for a light weeknight meal, and really fancy enough to serve as a starter at your night or summer party’s.

Balsamic peach spinach salad nuts toast

It’s a refreshing summer salad. The dressing used is jam packed with all sorts of ingredients that just come alive when you eat it. The combo with sweetness of peach and balsamic glaze, crunchy walnuts, mustard flavor, freshness of spinach, and that crumbled cheese is really worth it. When you look at the combo, its kind of weird. But try it 🙂 you would surely know what I am trying to say, Fresh, crunchy, salty and sweet! That explains it all.

You can also grill the peach and use. It gives an excellent smoky taste. Do it with some olive oil, balsamic, pinch of salt and use it instead of plain peach. But if you want grill your peaches, be very careful. They have a tendency to pick up the flavors of what you previously grilled on that grill. You may want to clean your grill well before grilling them.

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Balsamic Peach Spinach Salad
Author: 
Recipe type: Dinner
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 2
 
Ingredients
  • Peaches - 2 firm yet ripe.
  • 4cups baby spinach
  • ¼ cup crushed walnuts and pecans together
  • ½-cup blue cheese crumbles or feta cheese
  • ½-cup balsamic vinegar

    Dressing:
  • Dijon Mustard – 2tbsp
  • Honey -1/2tsp
  • Olive oil
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Lemon
Instructions
  1. Pour the balsamic vinegar into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Heat it in simmer for 15-20 minutes until the balsamic vinegar is syrupy and reduced very well.
  2. Meanwhile, Slice the peaches into 5 or 6 segments per peach.
  3. In a small bowl, stir together a drizzle of olive oil, a squeeze of lemon, salt and pepper. Whisk together all the dressing components and taste. If you like it more mustard flavor, add more mustard, if it’s too tart, add a bit more honey. Chill until ready to use.
  4. Dry roast walnuts and pecans. Keep it aside.
  5. Toss spinach with a little of olive oil. Place it in the salad bowls. Top the layer the spinach with salad dressing, balsamic vinegar, peach, nuts and crumbled cheese. Top it with balsamic if needed.
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Masala Spicy Kuzhi Paniyaram

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To start with, This is my very first post for my website  🙂 Yipee!!! Good luck to me 🙂

These are spiced dumplings /Fried riceballs made from leftover idli/dosa batter. For now, i have made a quick short note on idli dosa batter. Will make a detailed post soon.

These are made form special authentic vessels called paniyaram chatti. You can get it in many shops in India. This recipe is very simple to do and very tasty. I always believe home cooking should be fast,simple and delicious.

I have made these for my office potluck and everyone loved it. We can use leftover idli batter. We can make sweet and savory ones. And I am going to show the savory one today.


 

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Masala Spicy Kuzhi Paniyaram
Author: 
Recipe type: Breakfast
Cuisine: Indian
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 4
 
Ingredients
  • Idli Batter – 3 Cups
  • Carrot – 1 cup, finely grated
  • Shallots / sambhar onion – 10, finely chopped
  • Salt – 1 tbsp (if not added before in the idli batter)
  • Mustard Seeds-1tsp
  • Cumin – 1 tbsp
  • Green chillies – 3, finely chopped
  • Curry leaves – 10, finely chopped
  • Coconut – ½ cup
  • Ginger – ¼ inch, finely grated
  • Black pepper- 5, finely crushed
Instructions
  1. Mix all the ingredients in the idli batter.Heat the paniyaram vessel with two drops of oil in each hole.
  3. Pour the batter into it . Pour it till there is ¾ of the paniyaram mould.Let it cook in medium flame for two minutes. When there are holes formed inside, you can Turn it carefully to other side using a wooden skewer or fork.Allow other side to cook now.
Notes
1. You can also use regular onion but using shallots /sambhar onions tastes great.
2. Cooking in medium flame will get a crunchy and crisp outer while the interior of the paniyaram will be soft and cooked.
3. Grated carrot gives great color and taste.

Quick Notes for Dosa/idli Batter:
To do Dosa/idli Batter:

Ingredients: (This serves for four)
Raw rice: ¾ cup
Urad dal: ½ cup
Idli Rice: 1 cup
Toor Dal: 2 tblsp
Channa dal: 2 tbsp
Poha/Flatterned rice/Aval - ¼ cup
Salt - As needed(i used 4 tbsp)

Procedure:
1.Soak everything together for three to four hours.(except salt)
2.Grind it smoothly
3.Place it a place like microwave oven for 8hrs to make it ferment nicely (you surely don't want to switch it on).
4. Add salt, mix it well, keep it in refrigerator and use it whenever you want
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It taste really good with chutneys like garlic coconut red chutney, ginger tamarind chutney, tomato chutney, sambhar and spicy idli powder.

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