Preethi's online cookbook

Thank you Anu and Padmaja Suresh for these awards

I've been tagged by Rads.


The Rules:
1. Link the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Share the ABCs of you.
4. Tag 4 people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.
5. Let the 4 tagged people know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website.
6. Do not tag the same person repeatedly but try to tag different people, so that there is a big network of bloggers doing this tag.

The Tag:1. A – Available/Single? No!
2. B – Best friend? Husband
3. C – Cake or Pie? Cake
4. D – Drink of choice? Elaneer! (tender coconut)
5. E – Essential item you use every day? Laptop, Phone
6. F – Favorite color?Orange, white, Lavender
7. G – Gummy Bears Or Worms?I hate both.
8. H – Hometown? chennai
9. I – Indulgence? Deep fried foods
10. J – January or February?Makes no difference to me.
11. K – Kids & their names?Don't have kids
12. L – Life is incomplete without? People around you
13. M – Marriage date? 13th Sept 2007
14. N – Number of siblings?One, sister
15. O – Oranges or Apples?Orange (Kamala orange/loose jacket/cuties only
16. P – Phobias/Fears?roaches and insects
17. Q – Quote for today? Take it easy policy :)
18. R – Reason to smile? Nice words, praise
19. S – Season?In Chennai its winter, in Houston it is fall , Bangalore-Rainy
.20. T – Tag 3 People?Scroll down to the bottom of this post
21. U – Unknown fact about me? Im a student again!
22. V – Vegetable you don't like? Beet root, bottle gourd, bitter gourd, Banana stem, Raddish (if strong- and not properly cooked), Garlic (except in Italian cusine)
23. W – Worst habit? Eating in a hurry
24. X – X-rays you've had? I dont remember
25. Y – Your favorite food? Raw banana chips
26. Z – Zodiac sign? Cancer :)
I tag: Padma, Pavithra, Vrinda, Ramya

Sadhana and Muskan gave us this award. Thank u so much dearie!! We are honoured

Hari Chandana and Aysha have passed these awards and tag. Thank u so much. Makes us feel so good!

Here are things about myself and the answers to the Tag

Tag:
1. What is your current obsession?
Blogging, Shopping, Researching and reading articles related to spirituality
2. What are you wearing today?
Jeans and shirt
3. What’s for dinner?
Payathamparupu Masiyal (moong dal) , Tomato rasam, Beans masala curry, thayir sadham (curd rice)
4. What’s the last thing you bought?
Sandals
5. What are you listening to right now?
Thangam perena jolikum, nallavarai sodhanaigal sodhikkum! (serial title song)
6. What do you think about the person who tagged you? They are excellent cooks and post mouth watering recipes!
7. If you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished anywhere in the world, where would you like it to be?
Houston
8. What are your must-have pieces for summer?
In India, full hand driving gloves for two-wheeler and in the US- a sunscreen lotion. Im prone to sun burns very easily
9. If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go?
Sri Lanka
10. Which language do you want to learn?
Sanskrit (I have just learnt it in School.. I want to be an expert) and Malayalam (should be able to watch a movie)
11. What’s your favourite quote?
Elaam Maaye!
12. Who do you want to meet right now?
Parents
13. What is your favourite colour?
White, Lavender and anything pleasing to the eye
14. What is your favourite piece of clothing in your own closet?
Wedding Sarees
15. What is your dream job?
IPS officer, Astrophysicist, Interior designer, Researcher of ancient texts, Food Network chef...haha.. However, I know Im gonna stay in a environmental lab as a researcher and cook meals at home!
16. What’s your favourite magazine?
TINKLE once upon a time... nothing now
17. If you had $100 now, what would you spend it on?
Spend it in a gym or Yoga class.. trying to reduce weight :(
18. What do you consider a fashion faux pas?
Maybe wearing clothes you are not comfortable with..
19. Who are your style icons?
I, me, myself
20. Describe your personal style.?
Given an option, I can stay in a comfortable nighty all day..thtz my style
21. What are you going to do after this?
Eat dinner
22. What are your favourite movies?
Mozhi, Rythm
24. What are three cosmetic/makeup/perfume products that you can't live without?
Vicco turmeric cream/ Kajal (Kannu mai)/ Bath and body works body spray
23. What inspires you?
Good food, soothing music and a solid 9 hour sleep.. Sure to feel refreshed and inspired to do my work the best way :)
24. Give us three styling tips that always work for you:
Just be yourself and do things the way u like!
25. What do you do when you “have nothing to wear” (even though your closet’s packed)?
Go buy some more clothes and donate the rest!
26. Coffee or tea?
One cup coffee in the morning and 1 cup tea in the evening
27. What do you do when you are feeling low or terribly depressed?
Cry out and trouble my husband
28. What is the meaning of your name?
Preethi means Love, Affection
29. Which other blogs you love visiting?
Every other blog I know
30. Favorite Dessert/Sweet?
Gulab Jamun made by Amma and some ice-cream to go with it..
31. Favorite Season ?
Winter in chennai, Rainy in Bangalore and Fall in Houston
I have not changed any question. The question of my own is:
32) If I come to your house now, what would u cook for me?

The rules are:
Respond and rework – answer the questions on your own blog, replace one question that you dislike with a question of your own invention, and add one more question of your own. Then tag eight or ten other new set of people.
I would like to share this awards and tag with..

1.Lubna Karim of Yummy Food
2.Chaitra of Aathidyam
3. Nithya of 4th sense samayal
4.Lakshmi of Taste of Mysore
5.Preety of Preety's kitchen
6. Radhika of Rads Blog-a-Zine
7. Mythri of Mosey Mind
8. Ann of Happy and Healthy cooking
9. Priya of Priya's Easy and Tasty Recipes
10. Jyoti of Food Seasons

Recipe and Photo Courtesy: Padmini, Srinivasan (my parents)
(recipe reposted with new picture)

This tiffin item reminds me of my friend Barathi.. For some reason, I always called him upma kozhakatai!
An intersting recipe.. Best way to make upma haters eat upma... I got this recipe from the scratch from my granny olly.

To make the upma kozhakattai odasal (base mix):

8 cups raw rice
1/2 cup toor dal
1 tbsp urad dal
2 tbsp jeera
Grind to a coarse powder like idly rava consistency ( finer than arisi upma odasal)

To make Upmakozhakattai:

1 tbsp toor dal
2 green chillies
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp urad dal
1/2 tsp channa dal
2 red chillies
1 sprig curry leaves
salt, hing 4 dashes
2 cups water
1 cup odasal (refer above)

Soak toor dal and green chillies for 1/2 hr. Remove and grind to a smooth paste.
Add oil in a kadai, splutter mustard seeds. Add channa dal, urad dal, curry leaves and red chillies.
When the dals get brown, add water, add salt, hing, dal-chillil paste.
Allow it to come to a boil. Add the odasal, briskly stirring the mixture with the other hand. Close and cook till soft and done.
Roll out tiny balls and shape it like oval kozhakattais (like an egg). Place it on idly plates and steam for 12 minutes. Serve with onion-brinjal ghotsu and thengai/ coconut thogayal!




This recipe representing TN state goes to State Specials event hosted by Shanti

I thank Nithya, Padma, Hema and Ramya for the Kreative blog award. Thank you so much guys! Im really honoured!
The rules for this award are :
1. You must thank the person who has given you the award.
2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog.
3. Link to the person who has nominated you for the award.
4. Name 7 things about yourself that people might find interesting.
5. Nominate 7 other Kreativ Bloggers.
6. Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate.
7. Leave a comment on which of the blogs to let them know they have been nominated.

Here are 7 things about myself
1. I enjoy cooking and love to see ppl eat well. I enjoy eating too (obviously).
2. I love socializing and enjoy people oriented activities.
3. I am a restless person, cannot sit idle. I just need to do something or atleast sleep!
4. I cannot manage without 8 hours of sleep and frequent meals.
5. I try my best to please everybody, not that I am successful all the time :)
6. I always wish for and dream of the most ideal situation where everything is nice and rosy.. Everything should be happy, everyone should be nice... Like a typical Vikraman movie (If u watch Tamil movies directed by him, u should get the pic :) hahaha)
7. Like most cancerians, my interests keep varying almost every month.. I can never have a single all time hobby!


I want to pass this award to every other blogger I know, but according to the rules I can nominate only 7 other bloggers
They are
Karthikeyan of the Best Hangout
Sowmya of Visit my Kitchen
Deesha of Vegetable Platter
Shanti of Shanti Krishnakumar's cookbook
Mahimaa of Indian Vegetarian Kitchen
Avisha of Simply Sindhi Recipes
Ammu of Nature Kitchen
Please pass this to another new set of creative bloggers
Thank u Nithya, Padma, Hema, Ramya again!

The all time favourite Mexican starter :)

Tortilla Chips:
You will require
1 pkt store bought flour tortillas
Oil for deep frying
Salt and freshly cracked pepper for seasoning

Cut each tortilla into 6-8 parts and deep fry till golden and oil stops bubbling. Make sure that you fry it enough so that it stays really crisp. Sprinkle salt and cracked pepper to taste

Salsa (Tomato based)

You will need
5 juicy tomatoes
1/2 onion
1/2 red bell pepper
2 cloves garlic
2 scallions (spring onion)
2 jalapeno peppers
2 Serrano peppers
3 +2 tsp olive oil , fresh cilantro-a handful
salt, pepper, chilli powder to taste
Juice of 1/2 lime to taste

Take a pan and add some olive oil in it. Keep the flame in high
Roughly chop all the above veggies. Roast on high till they get slightly charred at the base.
Turn them around and allow the other side to get charred. Allow it to cool.
Roughly grind into a coarse mixture without adding water in a blender. Add some olive oil while grinding.
Add salt, pepper, chilli powder and lime juice to suit your taste
Enjoy with tortilla chips!
Radhika has awarded me with the International Bloggers' Community Award. Thanks a lot for the award. Really sweet of u!
You are supposed to
Link the person who tagged you
Copy the image above, the rules and the questionnaire in this post
Post this in one or all of your blogs
Answer the four questions following these Rules
Recruit at least seven (7) friends on your Blog Roll by sharing this with them
Come back to BLoGGiSTa iNFo CoRNeR (PLEASE DO NOT CHANGE THIS LINK) at http://bloggistame.blogspot.com/ and leave the URL of your Post in order for you/your Blog to be added to the Master List
Have Fun!
The questions with my answers:
The person who tagged you: Radhika His/her site's title and url: Rads blog-a-zine http://rads-blogazine.blogspot.com/
Date when you were tagged: 8th July, 2009
Persons you tagged: I tag all my fellow bloggers

Recipe and Photo Courtesy: Priya (my friend)


Ingredients

Thoor Dal -1 cup
Frozen Methi/ Fenugreek leaves -1 cup (Thawed)
Frozen Peas-1/2 cup (Thawed)
Fresh Tomato-1 average sized (fine chopped)
Onion-1 large (fine chopped)
Potato -1 average sized (diced)
Garlic- 4 cloves (crushed)
Green chilies-3(slit)
Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp
Red chilly powder -1/2 tsp
Hing/ Asafoetida - 4 dashes
Garam masala- 1 Tbsp
Jeera powder- 1/2 tsp
Coriander/Dhaniya powder-1 tsp
Jeera/ Cumin seeds-1 tsp
Methi /Fenugreek seeds-1/4 tsp
Oil- 3 Tbsp
Salt (to taste)
Juice of half a lemon
Coriander leaves (to Garnish)

Cooking Directions

-Pressure cook thoor dal well with potato, methi seeds, asafoetida and a pinch of turmeric powder. Keep aside.
-Get a pan going on medium heat and add oil. When hot, add jeera seeds and let them splutter.
-Then add green chilies and Garlic. Let the garlic infuse its flavor.
-Add sliced onions and sauté till golden brown.
-Then add tomatoes and sauté till soft.
-Add the remaining turmeric powder, red chilly powder, dhaniya powder, jeera powder and garam masala powder.
-Add salt and fry for 4-5 min.
-Then add thawed methi and peas. Let them cook for 3-4 min.
-Then add cooked dal with potatoes and mix well
-Add hot water to bring it to the desired dal consistency and let the mixture boil for 5 min.
-Move away from heat and add lemon juice.
-Garnish with coriander leaves.
-Serve this healthy and delicious dal with rice/rotis.

We received this award from Shanti. Thank u so much. Makes us feel special.
I also take this opportunity to thank Ann and Ammu for the award again.


I would like to share this award with 10 other fresh bloggers
Vidaas ,Vibaas, Chitra ,Shubhie ,Veena, Shubha (munchcrunch) ,Kalai, Nithya Praveen
Sweta, Trupti

Please pass it to 10 other bloggers :)

Recipe and photo courtesy: Kamala, Mythili (my grandma and aunt)





1 lime size ball of tamarind
1 cup rice flour
1.5-2 cups water
2 tsp oil
Curry leaves 1 sprig
Channa dal 1/2 tsp
Urad dal 1/2 tsp
Green chillies 2
Salted black chilli (mormolagai)-4
Salt to taste
Hing 3 dashes


Soak tamarind pulp in sufficient water
Add oil in a kadai. Splutter mustard seeds
Add channa dal, urad dal, curry leaves and all the chillies and roast well.
In a microwave safe bowl, mix rice flour and tamarind juice such that it forms a thick batter.
Add the seasoning to this batter. Add salt and hing
Toss it into a microwave.
Microwave for 5-6 minutes stirring every one minute.
This yields a kali consistency
For upma consistency, stir and continue for a few more minutes till dry and powdery.
Serve with manga thokku.

Calorie count: 580 cal approx
Thank you Ammu for this lovely award..We are honoured. I share this award with all my blogger friends

Radhika has given me the 'Honest Scrap Award' and tagged me to write 10 honest things about myself. Thank you so much Radhika! Also, I am supposed to award and tag 7 others...

About myself...

I am very bad at writing articles. I find it hard to write down or just put my thoughts into words..
I am a people’s person. My family and friends are very important to me. I love socializing and reading people.
Yes, I love eating and cooking… It gives me a lot of pleasure and happiness to see people eat well.
I can never compromise on my sleep even if I have an exam the next day
I am a perfect cancerian, I like to work smarter not harder..
I love participating in everything. I have always been a Jack of all!
I hate gossips, politics and backbiting… however I love sharing genuine feelings and thoughts
I love philosophy and Vedic Scriptures.
I require a good deal of appreciation and support in everything I pursue :)
Like most cancerians, I love being the centre of attraction, like to lead.

I am supposed to tag only 7 others... That is really difficult for me to choose 7... So I just tag some of the earliest visitors of this blog. (Rads was the first, however since she tagged me, I cannot)

Lakshmi
Mahimaa
Ishu
Sriharivatsan
Ann
Kitchenflavours (Lubna)
Shama Nagarajan

Thanks Shubhie Arun, Padma and Shubha (munchy) for the lovely 'I love your blog' award... I am so happy!!! I shall soon be posting that and share the award with others...