Beerakaya Kobbari Chutney - Ridge Gourd Coconut Dip

Today my breakfast menu is dosa and so have planned for coconut chutney. When I opened my refrigerator for coconut, to my surprise (it is quite usual for south indians to stock coconut) it is running short. I was then wondering what chutney to make, and then my eyes went onto the ridge gourd, which is sitting alone in the refrigerator.

Ooh... I got an idea.

Quick Punugulu - Rice Lentil Fritters

Punugulu is a famous street food from Andhra especially in Hyderabad. On the streets of Hyderabad these are served with spicy tomato chutney. There are several ways to make them but I prefer making them with the left over dosa batter.

Punugulu tastes even better when made with fermented batter. Adding chopped onions, and green chillies make these fritters more yummy. Best served when hot.

Chakkera Pongal (Rice Lentil Pudding)

Chakkera Pongal is said to be the most favorite naivedyam/prasad of Goddess Durga. Ofcourse, this is my hubby's favorite too Chakkera means sugar in telugu, which means this is a sugar based pudding. Jaggery can be substituted for sugar in this recipe.This pudding is gooey in texture which is the signature of this dish.

                    

Eggless Tiramisu

Tiramisu is an Italian word, which means 'Pick me up'. True to its name, this desert is worth to pick up. This is a desert for all the coffee lovers. It is basically an Italian trifle made using savoiardi/ladyfingers (Italian biscuits), coffee, mascarpone, whipped cream, zabaione ( a custard made of egg yolks, sugar and marsala wine).

Blueberry Turnovers

Turnovers are one of the fancy, yet simple to make desserts. I have posted a recipe for strawberry turnovers earlier. I used blueberry filling this time, but you can use apple, peach, cherry or anything your heart desires. You can simply play around the filling to match to your own taste.

Berry Sparkles Cocktail

Ingredients
1/2 cup of berries of your choice ( I used both black berries and raspberries)
1 tbs fresh lemon juice
1 tsp sugar
Sparkling wine 
Crushed ice (about 1/4 of each glass)

Method

• Split the berries, lemon juice and sugar between two glasses.
• Slightly crush the berries in the bottom of the glass.
• Add the crushed ice.
• Slowly pour in the sparkling wine.

Home Made Healthy Pizza

Home-made pizza keeps you away from the guilt of eating something unhealthy. You can control the use of all-purpose flour, cheese etc. and also play around with your favorite toppings and seasonings. I made pizzas using all-purpose flour earlier, but this time I thought why not make it a little healthier by adding some whole wheat flour. Obviously, the texture changes a bit, but who cares, we want the best for ourselves keeping the health quotient in mind.

So, this is the result from the hot oven. Is that not yummy?? I love the cheese strings while separating the slices. 

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with Raspberry Sauce

This is the first time I've ever made these beauties. I usually make Indian version of pancakes which have whole wheat flour, milk, jaggery, grated coconut in it. Ricotta is an Italian cheese which is a good source of low-fat protein. Ricotta keeps the pancakes light and fluffy, while the lemon adds a refreshing twist. I added honey instead of sugar to cut down the calories which made these a perfect breakfast. 

Lemon Cake with Mascarpone Frosting

This cake is so refreshing with lemon flavor and has an extra kick with the black berries. Black berries have become one of my favorite berries these days.

Godhuma Gottalu - Wheat Shells

Aah.. these are one of my childhood favorite snacks and a famous snack item from Andhra. I still remember asking my mum to make these crunchy shells. These used to be my preferred school-time snack.

Veg. Puffs

Has anybody ever thought, these addictives could be made at home?

One of the snacks we are badly missing in Milan are vegetable puffs. One cold day we were craving for these yummy, flaky puffs and got an idea of making these at home. To my surprise, these are so easy to make at home with the store bought puff pastry sheets.

Rice Pudding with Cherry Sauce

I've been cooking kheer since many years. Kheer is an Indian rice/vermicelli pudding served with choice of dry nuts fried in clarified butter. This rice pudding is with a little twist to the regular Indian 'Kheer'. 

Cherries are in season and I wanted to incorporate these beauties in which ever way possible. My first attempt of this experiment turned out yummicious. 

Grilled Chicken and Avocado Salad

Ingredients

3 thinly sliced chicken breast

1 head of small lettuce, washed, dried
2 ripened tomatoes, cut into wedges
1 avocado, sliced
1 small onion, thinly sliced
3 tbsp of fresh lime juice
3 tbsp of coriander chopped 

3 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste

For seasoning 

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp coriander powder

1/4 tsp cumin powder

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1 tsp ginger-garlic paste

salt to taste

Method

• Season chicken breast with a 1 tbsp of oil and the seasoning.
• Preheat a grill pan.
• Place the chicken on the hot grill pan and let them cook for about 4 minutes on each side or until cooked through. 
• Remove to a plate to cool slightly. 
• Arrange the lettuce leaves, tomatoes, onion and avocado on a platter, season slightly with salt and pepper and set aside.
• In a bowl, add the lime juice, coriander, salt and pepper and whisk in the olive oil.
• Drizzle the dressing all over the salad making sure you focus on the avocado.
• Slice your chicken and place on top. Serve immediately.

Creamy Coconut Zucchini Curry

Ingredients
4-5 zucchini, diced
1 small onion chopped
1 tsp freshly grated ginger and garlic (each)
1/3 cup coconut milk (or 1 tbsp coconut milk powder with 1/3 cup water)
2 tsp oil
3 green chillies chopped (adjust to taste)
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
few curry leaves
fresh coriander chopped
salt to taste

Method

• Heat oil in a pan, add onions. Add little salt, to bring out the moisture from onion. Fry until transparent.
• Add grated ginger, garlic and fry for 2-3 minutes.
• Add chopped green chillies, curry leaves and fry a little.
• Now add diced zucchini, turmeric powder, mix well and cook covered until zucchini turns soft.
• Add coconut milk, stir well, adjust salt and cook covered for 2-3 minutes.
• Add chopped coriander and switch of the flame.
• Serve hot with roti.

Bruschetta

Bruschetta is a simple Italian appetizer usually pronounced as 'brusketta'. This consists of grilled bread topped with a salsa. Tomato is the hero in the classic bruschetta, but you can always play around with your favorite toppings.
If you like 'pico de gallo' (Mexican salsa), this dish is for you. I love having this salsa straight from the bowl. Fresh tomatoes, basil, onions, oregano and a tinge of garlic flavor make this dish amazing.

This is a perfect starter and is best to include in your menu for picnics (keep bread and topping separate until you reach your spot).

Garlic Rosemary Olive Focaccia

This is something which I've not attempted before. I've tasted this for the first time in one of the Italian restaurants in Milan.  Focaccia, which I tasted there, was soft, wonderfully chewy with a golden top, smelling garlic infused olive oil, and topped with rosemary and olives.

I wanted to make exactly the same one. When I was discussing this with one of my Italian friends, to my surprise, she had given me a wonderful recipe of focaccia.

Focaccia is an Italian flat bread which is made with pizza dough. Regular focaccia is usually seasoned with olive oil and salt but this can be always customized with garlic, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, favorite herbs etc.

Cucumber Cooler

Summer is in full swing here. Just a couple of weeks back, I was complaining about continuous rains and chilling weather. Now, the weather in Milan has completely changed. To sustain the heat, I definitely needed plenty of liquid intake. Today I made another refreshing summer drink and recharged myself.

Cucumber Cooler

To fight extreme weather conditions, we all need to be sufficiently hydrated. So, you may try this refreshing drink at the comfort of your own kitchen.

Royyala Vepudu - Prawn Fry

This is one of my favorite childhood dishes. Of course, I enjoy this recipe even now. Small prawns are very flavorful. Most vegetables when cooked in combination with these prawns turn out to be extra-tasty. In Andhra, there are some such combinations which are all time hits, like ridge gourd - prawns, brinjal - prawns, sorrel leaves (gongura) - prawns. Will share these recipes soon.

Prawn fry served with hot rice and rasam

I like this recipe with the shells on, as for me, the real flavor lies there. However, you can make it as per your taste and liking. The best way to eat this prawn fry is with rasam rice or you can also serve this as a starter.

Cherry-Mint Lemonade

Summer is on, and time for some chilled lemonades. This is a season for cherries as well, so why not try a minty cherry lemonade. :-) 

Cherry-Mint Lemonade

This summer, this is the first lemonade I had made. Both me and my hubby loved the way it turned out. Believe me, this is really easy and quick (just about 12-15 mins) to make. Above all, it is healthy and refreshing.

Strawberry Turnovers

"No one can eat just one". This is the perfect liner to describe these lovely, yummy turnovers. These are delicious yet simple to make dessert. The combination of flavorful strawberries and soft cream cheese make them heavenly. If you are a chocolate lover, you can also add some chocolate chips to the filling.

Veg. Pasta Dum Biryani

Pasta, as most of us know, has originated from Italy. Now, of course this is liked world over. I usually make creamy or baked pasta, but today I thought to try out something different to impress my hubby. He is a biryani lover, so thought why not make pasta in a dum style to bring out a biryani flavor. Oh yeah, you heard it right.

Rotini

I thought of using farfalle (bow-tie pasta), but ran short in my pantry. So, used two types of pasta for this dish. One is farfalle and the other is rotini (cork-screw shaped pasta). Farfalle is the name derived from the Italian word 'farfalla', which means butterfly, and the rotini in Italian for 'twists'.

To my surprise, the dish turned out so good that someone who doesn't like pasta will also love this.

Avocado Corn Salad

Yesterday I got two avocados from the market and was wondering, what I can make with these. Though I am aware of the fact that avocado is an excellent source of healthful fats, I wanted to know more about this fruit. After going through the facts about avocados, I though of sharing a few with you.

Avocados are rich in mono-saturated fat that is easily burnt for energy. According to the California Avocado Commission, a medium avocado contains about 22.5 grams of fat, two-thirds of which is mono-unsaturated. They’re also very low in fructose, which is yet another boon, and provide close to 20 essential health-boosting nutrients, including: fiber, potassium, vitamin E, B-vitamins, folic acid.

Avocado Corn Salad

After some thought, I made Avocado corn salad. This colorful combination can be served as a salad or like a salsa with some tortilla chips.

Thumbprint Cookies

Thumbprint cookies are the best choice of cookies for those who love butter, nuts and jam. These nut coated butter cookies filled with raspberry jam are perfect treat for family or friends and especially kids. These are super delicious to eat and pretty to serve.

Thumbprint Cookies with a cup of tea

Cherry Cake Brownies

Cherry Cake Brownies

Streets and parks are blushing with cherry blossoms now in Milan. This is the season for most people like me who would want to enjoy the beauty of nature. Cherry blossoms are usually in light pink and white in color.

Cherry blossom

So, what better way to celebrate this season than making some brownies filled with cherries. 

Blueberry Muffins

There will be very few who do not love muffins. The past week, I had picked some fresh blueberries from the local market to make blueberry turnovers. On the way back home, I passed a bakery which was having different muffins on their display. From then, I was in a mood to bake some muffins. I thought why not try with blueberries. This is the first time, I baked blueberry muffins. Those babies turned out so good that I could not resist myself from patting my back. Light, tender, moist, these muffins have perfect amount of sweetness.

Blueberry Muffins

Eggs in Coconut Gravy

Here is an egg curry which my hubby loves the most. If you are in a hurry to prepare something yummy in a quick time, this is the one, provided you have instant coconut milk handy. I like this really spicy to offset the coconut milk's sweetness, but you may always adjust the spice level as required.

Eggs in Coconut Gravy

Easy Chocolate Brownie

This is the quickest and easiest brownie I had ever made, yet so very tasty.

Easy Chocolate Brownie

Asparagus in Moong Dal

Asparagus-moong dal

Asparagus is completely a new vegetable for me. I came across this when I was shopping for veggies in Milan. I checked with the vendor on how this is cooked, and got to know that these are usually grilled or just steamed, and topped with some butter, salt and pepper. I am an enthusiast to use new ingredients in my cooking. So, without any second thought, I had taken a bunch of these. 

Stuffed Dates

I got to taste these stuffed dates for the first time in one of the restaurants in Milan. They were stuffed with goat cheese which I personally didn't like.  But then, I was inspired by the simplicity of the dish. So, I had made up to substitute goat cheese with mascarpone (Italian cream cheese) & it turned out so good. 

Dates are rich in dietary fiber. They are excellent source of potassium, vitamins & minerals. These can be called a powerhouse packed in a tiny package. 

Ingredients

200g dates

5 tbsp mascarpone (or any cream cheese)

50g almonds

1.5 -2 tbsp sugar

Few coarsely chopped pistachios for topping

Method

• In a bowl gently whisk mascarpone and sugar until you get a smooth cream. 
• Add coarsely chopped almonds, mix well and let it rest in the refrigerator. 
• Make a slit on one side of the date, open it up a bit and pull out seed (leave ends intact). 
• Fill the dates with the prepared cream and keep them in the refrigerator. 
• Before serving sprinkle with coarsely chopped pistachios.

Mulakkada-Royyala Koora (Prawns-Drumsticks Curry)

Ingredients

500 gm prawns

2 drumsticks cut into 2’ pieces

1 small onion chopped
1 medium tomato, chopped

1 tsp red chili powder (adjust to taste)

2 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp cumin powder

½ tsp garam masala powder

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

½ tsp mustard seeds

½  tsp cumin seeds

1 dry red chili

2 strands curry leaves

For paste

1 medium onion chopped

1’ piece ginger

3-4 garlic cloves

1 tsp fennel seeds

Method

• Grind the ingredients to make coarse paste.
• In a pan fry prawns with turmeric powder and little salt until the water completely evaporates.
• Remove prawns and keep aside.
• In the same pan, add oil, torn dry red chili, mustard seeds, cumin seeds and after they crackle add chopped onions and fry till transparent. Add curry leaves, masala paste and fry till oil separates.
• Add all dry spices and mix well. Add chopped tomatoes and let it cook until soft.
• Add drumsticks and cook for 2-3mins. Now add prawns and stir well until the prawns are well coated with masala.
• Add water, adjust salt and cook covered until prawns and drumsticks are cooked well.
• Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with rice and ofcourse some love.

Misal Pav

Misal pav is a very popular Indian street food from Maharashtra. It is mainly served as breakfast there. Misal is a combination of sprouts, spicy gravy & crispy topping served with fresh pav. 

I had a chance to taste this spicy tangy misal for the first time in Pune when I accompanied my hubby immediately after our marriage. I started loving it so much that I used to insist him to get this for breakfast every day :P. Misal pav is actually a wholesome delicious meal if you have your own home made healthy  pav / buns.