Carrot Cucumber Cart Wheel Salad

I like what the Celebrity Chef, Michael smith( Chef at home) says about recipes....
"A recipe is merely words on paper; a guideline, a starting point from which to improvise. It cannot pretend to replace the practiced hand and telling glance of a watchful cook. For that reason feel free to stir your own ideas into a dish. When you cook it once, it becomes yours, so personalize it a bit. Add more of an ingredient you like or less of something you don't like. Try substituting one ingredient for another. Remember words have no flavour, you have to add your own!"

Carrot cucumber salad is the  most commonest salad placed on dinner tables. Present the same dish in your own style with variation in cutting the same vegetables, use different dressings each time, and play around with arrangement, get ideas and use different techniques in presenting and garnishing. 

Here, I made Carrot and Cucumber cart wheels using the simple kitchen tool, a vegetable peeler.  Arranged them alternately on plate to give variation of colour, which is pleasing to the eyes. 

Vegetable peeler          

Preparation Method:  Pick  fresh, brightly coloured and firm carrot and cucumbers. Wash and Peel it using the curvy edge or crinkled side of the vegetable peeler and slice it thin. Arrange them on plate. Cut the tomato in the shape of petals.  Take a tooth pick and bead the Carrot, Cucumber cart wheels and the tomato petals as shown in the pic and place it in the middle of the plate to make it a focal point.

Beetroot poriyal

What a beautiful intense colour! this root vegetable is so beautiful to see and healthy to eat, but the only problem I have with beetroots is that , it dyes and paints my cutting board with colour, my kitchen counter, knifes, bowls and my fingers of course! It makes it so hard to clean all the surfaces.  Otherwise, it is such a healthy nutrient dense vegetable.


Ingredients:
Beetroots - 2 boiled, peeled and chopped
Grated coconut - 1 tbsp ( fresh or dry)
Chana dal - 1/2 cup, soaked and cooked
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Cumin - 1/4 tsp
Red chillies -2
Lemon juice - 1/2 tsp
Coriander - 1 tbsp chopped
salt
Oil

Method:
Take a pan add 2 tbsp oil, add red chillies, mustard, cumin when it starts spluttering, add curry leaves. Add the chopped beetroots and fry. Add salt and boiled chana , mix well.  Drizzle lemon juice, Garnish with Coconut and coriander and serve hot with rice as a side dish or salad.

Tip: Add 1 tsp vinegar and salt when boiling the beets.

Caramelized Butternut squash

Here's  a great recipe to make during the Thanksgiving and Halloween time, when Pumpkins and squashes are in abundance and available at throw away prices.  My Brother, a culinary expert made this recipe on a Thanksgiving dinner. It tasted so Juicy and tender, it was just melting in mouth. Especially the combination of warm squash, right from the oven and the cold ice-cream makes it more delicious.  Makes a great dessert!!  You can alternate the flavour with cinnamon or nutmeg.  Finally,  I was able to  make use of my belly dance hip-scarf to accent the table decoration, if not for dancing !

Ingredients:
Butternut squash -1
Butter - 2 tbsp
Cinnamon pwd - 1/4 tsp
Cinnamon sticks - 2
Apple juice - 3 tbsp
Brown sugar - 1/2 cup

Method:
Pre-heat the oven at 350 Deg C
Split the squash in two peices. Scoop out the seeds.  Cut the squash in  length wise peices. Place it in a greased pan. Put the dallops of butter on the squash( it melts when placed in the oven) Add cinnamon sticks to it. Sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon powder evenly . Drizzle apple juice on top.  Place it in the oven for 45 min or until done.  The skin remains hard and firm but the inside should be soft when touched and turn slightly brown.
Serve it warm with ice-cream and Garnish it a hint of mint.

Tip:  It's hard to cut the squash in peices.  Use a big chopping knife.

Dal palak vada

During my University days, our college had a small canteen which was run by a woman.  Our college principal gave her special permission to run a canteen, and make a livelihood. She used to live there with her hub and  3yr old son.  During the break time, we  all friends gather in the canteen, sit under the thatched roof and on old  half broken benches. The canteen lady used to share some interesting stories about her native place, and make Dal vadas.  She also shared her Dal vada recipe with us.  I don't know about my friends but I still remember the recipe. She makes the best Dal vadas.  The taste is still lingering in my mouth. She made her Dal vadas with " Thota kura", a leafy vegetable, But I substituted it with spinach.  It equally tastes good. give it a try, here is the recipe....

Ingredients:

Chana dal/ yellow split chick peas - 1 cup, washed, soaked and ground to paste
Palak/ spinach - 1 cup, chopped
Red chilli pwd - 1/4 tsp
Cumin - 1/4 tsp
Aijwan / caraway - 1/4 tsp
Salt
Oil for deep frying

Method:

• Wash, soak and grind the chana dal  with less water to form a dough/paste.
• keep some soaked chana dal seperately, add it to the ground paste.
• Add chopped spinach, red chilli pwd, cumin, aijwan, salt and mix it well.
• Heat the oil in a frying pan .
• Take lemon sized ground chana dal paste and flatten it with fingers and deep fry. Serve .

Tip : If you want to make it spicy add chopped green chillies, and chopped onions.

My fellow blogger Radhika is hosting an event "Deep fried snack". This is the first time I am taking part in such events. Here is my contribution for this event...

Hyderabadi dishes

I uploaded some pics of Hyderabadi recipes.  Your questions, comments, suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Click here to view the presentation:

Potli ka masala

Most of my friends were asking about this unique Hyderabadi spice blend which is used in Biryanis and the method to use it. So, here it is....

Potli ka masala is mostly used in Hyderabadi cuisine. It is a mixture of various spices, herbs and roots. It is used for Bringing the special aromatic fragrance biryanis and various meat based recipes. Potli ka masala is tied in a muslin cloth and droped in the water and bring it to a boil. The spices releases the flavour into the water. The water is then used to cook rice, which gives the aromatic flavour to Hyderabadi Biryani. Potli ka masala is used in Biryanis, Nihari, Haleem, Paya etc... You can make your own Potli ka masala with the given ingredients. But, it is hard to find all the ingredients in one place. It is best adviced to buy the ready made packs, which is easy to use and there will not be problem finding the all the rare ingredients

Ingredients:


 Bay leaf (tej patta)

 coriander seeds whole (dhania)

 vetiver roots –dried, (khas ki kadi)

 sandalwood powder (chandan)

 dry rose petals (sukhe gulab ke phool)

 black cardamom (kali ilaichi)

cassia buds (kabab chini)

cinnamon (dal chini)

 litchen (pathar ka phool)

 galingale (pan ki jadi)

 Star anise

Kapoor kachli

Kasuri methi

 If you are trying to make your own mixture.  Except Daniya (50 gr), take 25 gr of each item and make your own spice blend.

Ready made Potli ka masala packs are available in all Indian and pakistani Grocery stores.  Cost is around 2 bucks.