Cucumber-Cheese-Chutney Sandwiches

I love the whole concept of picnics. It is my favorite way of spending time with family. In Chennai, we used to go picnicking every alternate months.  Most of the times we used to plan picnics, on the last minute, and I would hurry to make some sandwiches to carry along. I just loved to spend time sitting on the beach, enjoying my husband’s company, having fun making sand castles with my son and eating those home made sandwiches. But since we’ve shifted to Coimbatore, life has been to busy off lately with something or the other happening. Not that, I am complaining but I do miss that stuff a lot.

Just to relive those memories, I made my usual picnic sandwiches at home. I felt really nostalgic while preparing these sandwiches. Although they are very simple to make, but these sandwiches hold a very special place in my heart. We call them picnic sandwiches at home.

Ingredients for chutney:-

• handful of coriander leaves
• 5-6 mint leaves
• 1-2 green chillies
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• ½ tsp sugar
• ¼ tsp cumin pdr
• salt to taste  

Method:-

• Grind all the chutney ingredients in a blender with very little water to a smooth and semi-thick paste.

Ingredients for assembling:-

• bread slices
• cream cheese
• cucumber slices
• lettuce leaves

Method:-

• Apply cream cheese on bread slice.
• Then apply chutney on it.
• Place 4-5 cucumber slices.
• Place a lettuce leaf on top.
• Apply cream cheese on another bread slice.
• Then apply chutney on it.
• Cover the sandwich with this slice.
• Cut diagonally and serve.

Notes:-

• You may choose your toppings or fillings as per your likings.
• You may also use leftover vegetables or chicken chunks in this sandwich.

Happy Cooking!!

Sending this entry to :- Pari's Only Food For Pregnancy Event and Sreevalli's Healthy Bites Event and Nayna's Lets Cook With- Cheese Event and Cooking With Love - Sister & Sara's Home Page and Eat Seasonal Food, Fresh Event & Jagruti's Event announcement page and Healthy Diet–Lunchbox Recipes & Priya's Healthy Diet page and WTML & Gayathri's announcement page and Amrita's Friends Forever Event and Kids Delight "After School Bites" & Valli's Announcement Page and Whats with my Cuppa 2 & Nupur's Home Page and Vardhini's Chaat And Chutneys Event

Creamy Coconut Milk & Rice Pudding

We are a family obsessed with sweets. And literally crave for some at least once in three days. Yesterday night, I made this quick dessert on an impulse when hubby dearest expressed his desire to eat something sweet. I looked around my kitchen cabinets and found a can of coconut milk. Immediately I thought of making this simple yet rich and delicious dessert - Coconut rice pudding.

There are many people I know who don't like the taste of coconut at all. I've always loved coconut. In fact, my favorite ice-cream flavor is none other than 'tender coconut'. Seeing my love for coconut, my Mom used to always tease me that I was destined to marry a South Indian for sure. Coconuts is used much in South Indian cooking, from gravies, to curries, to chutneys and desserts. I just love the aroma of freshly grated coconut.

This amazing desert felt like a sweet comfort food for our souls with its rich and creamy texture and the flavors of cinnamon and vanilla in it. It is absolutely worth a try.

Ingredients:-

• ½ litre milk
• 200 ml coconut milk 
• 50 gms dessicated coconut
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• ½ cup rice flour
• ½ tsp vanilla essence
• ½ tsp raisins
• ¼ tsp cinnamon pdr

Method:-

• Heat milk along with sugar and ½ cup water on slow flame. Keep stirring occasionally.
• Meanwhile in a bowl, take coconut milk, eggs, vanilla essence, cinnamon pdr and beat well.
• Add rice flour and beat again till mixed well.
• When the milk boils.
• Add the milk gradually to the batter and beat again so that it is well mix and doesn't curdle.
• Transfer to the bowl again and cook on slow flame stirring continuously til thick for about 8-10 minutes.
• Add dessicated coconut (Keep little aside for garnishing) and mix well.
• Switch off the flame.
• Remove in serving bowls and garnish with dessicated coconut and raisins.

Notes:-

• You can also use cooked and mashed rice instead of rice pdr.

Happy Cooking!! 

Sending this entry to :- Pari's Only Food For Pregnancy Event and Sreevalli's Healthy Bites Event and Cooking With Love - Sister & Sara's Home Page and Healthy Diet–Lunchbox Recipes & Priya's Healthy Diet page and Amrita's Friends Forever Event and Kids Delight "After School Bites" & Valli's Announcement Page and Cutchi Kitchen's Giveaway  and Hetal's 1st Anniversary Celebration Giveaway and Minnie's Weekend Gala Dinner Extravaganza

 

Oats - Dalia Idli / Oats - Broken Wheat Idli

Idli is a common breakfast for all South Indians. There are many types of idli's such as rice idli, quick rava idli, ragi idli and much more. I decided to make this wonderful and nutritious version of idli for my son today. Broken wheat is a wheat product made from whole raw wheat kernels which are crushed or cut into smaller pieces. Wheat is always healthier as compared to rice. It is also a good source of iron, magnesium and phosphorus. On the other hand, oats is considered to be good at heart, since it helps in reducing cholesterol. It has high soluble fiber than any other grains. Oats are rich in iron, magnesium and proteins. These idli's are very good for diabetic people as they are advised to have as little rice as possible.This is one idli I enjoy making and eating the most. These idli's are really yummy, simple and quick to make. Very healthy for kids especially for those kids who run away from roti's and paratha's. Perfect for kid's lunch box.

Ingredients:-

• ½ cup oats
• ½ cup dalia (broken wheat)
• ½ cup whole urad dal (black gram dal) 
• 1 tsp salt

Method:-

• Dry roast oats and grind to a fine powder.
• Soak dalia and urad dal separately for ½ an hour.
  
• Grind urad dal to a very fine paste adding as little water as required. 
• Strain the dalia well and grind it along with urad dal.
• In a vessel, mix ground dal and dalia batter along with oats pdr and salt.
• Mix well and keep aside to ferment for 3-4 hours.
• Lightly grease the idli plates with oil.
• Pour the ladleful batter in each plate and cook without weight for 8-10 minutes.
• Remove idli's and keep aside to cool.
• Serve hot with chutney of your choice.

Notes:-

• You may add in grated carrots, finely chopped onions or green chillies just before putting the idlis in the plates.
• You may also temper idli's with mustard seeds, peppercorns and curry leaves if you like.
• You may make plain broken wheat idli's or plain oats idli's the same way. Just add 1 cup of oats or dalia instead of half.

Happy Cooking!!

Sending this entry to :- Pari's Only Food For Pregnancy Event and Sreevalli's Healthy Bites Event and SIC–South Indian Cooking & Anu's Page and Cooking With Love - Sister & Sara's Home Page and Healthy Diet–Lunchbox Recipes & Priya's Healthy Diet page and Amrita's Friends Forever Event and Kids Delight "After School Bites" & Valli's Announcement Page and Whats with my Cuppa 2 & Nupur's Home Page

Chicken Dum Biryani

Mughlai cuisines are very popular especially for their biryani's and korma's. Biryani is a royal dish where the meat is marinated with lotts of spices and rice is cooked separately. In the final step of assembling the biryani, both are layered and cooked on slow flame till done. It is a food made and served at all occasions to celebrate, such as parties, family functions, festivals and weddings.

Biryani has always been my all-time favorite. During our childhood days, my aunt (Mom's elder sister) used to prepare the most amazing biryani and she would very fondly serve it to all of us. And I used to completely love her biryani. Till date I remember the aroma that used to fill the room with her biryani preparation. Later, my Mom learnt the recipe from her and passed it to us too.

There is nothing more satisfying than having a biryani on a weekend afternoon followed by a short nap. For the past couple of weeks, I've been making different types of biryani's every weekend - mutton biryani, beef biryani, lucknowi biryani, kachche gosht ki biryani and chicken dum biryani. But everytime, I am unable to click pictures for my post. This time I made sure that I immediately take a pic before serving it for my family. I wonder how I was able to do that because biryani is one indulgence my family can't resist waiting for.

Everyone has a unique method of preparing biryani as per their family cultures. I would like to share with you one of my favorite biryani recipe today. I always find making dum biryani's easier than the usual Degchi biryani's. Of course, it does needs prior planning and preparing if you plan to make this biryani. But I can guarantee you that the end result will be worth it. I have made this biryani many times and it is always a hit among my family. This is the kind of biryani you all will love to make because it doesn't need much effort and is quite easy too. 

Ingredients:-

• 1 kg chicken
• 1 kg rice
• 400 gms yogurt
• ½ cup oil
• ½ cup milk
• 4 tbsp coriander pdr
• 3 tbsp all spice pdr
• 2 tbsp red chilli pdr
• 1 tbsp turmeric pdr
• 2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
• 1 tsp shahizeera
• 7-8 cloves
• 7-8 peppercorns
• 7 -8 green chillies (ground)
• 4 potatoes (peel, cut in large chunks)
• 4 onions (sliced)
• 4 green chillies (slit)
• 3 tomatoes (ground) 
• 3 bayleaves
• 2 green cardamom
• 1 big cardamom
• 1 lemon (juice)
• handful of coriander leaves (finely chopped)
• a few mint leaves 
• pinch of saffron
• oil for deep frying
• salt to taste

Method:-

• Deep fry onions till brown in colour. Remove and keep aside.
• Apply little turmeric pdr and salt to potatoes and rub well. Deep fry till potatoes are golden. Keep on slow flame for 4 -5 minutes, Remove and keep aside.
• Clean and wash chicken. Pan fry in 2 tbsp oil for a minute or two.
• In a vessel marinate chicken along with brown onions (keep little aside for garnishing), tomatoes, ginger-garlic paste, green chillies, yogurt, coriander leaves, mint leaves, all spice pdr, coriander pdr, red chilli pdr, turmeric pdr, salt and potatoes. Mix well.
• Keep in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
• Wash and soak rice for ½ an hour.
• In a vessel. take at least 8 litres of water.
• Add salt, slit green chillies, shahizeera, cloves, peppercorns, big cardamom, green cardamom, bayleaves and lemon.
• When water starts boiling, add rice and cook till slightly underdone.
• Drain and keep aside.
• Heat oil in a degchi.
• Add the marinated chicken and stir well.
• Add the rice on top.
• Sprinke saffron soaked in hot milk, little fried onions and few coriander leaves.
• Place a heavy iron skillet on flame and place the degchi on the skillet.
• Cook for 5 minutes on high flame.
• Simmer and cook for another 20 minutes on low flame.
• Serve hot with raita of your choice.

Notes:-

• You may use mutton instead of chicken. For mutton, you can marinate and keep in refrigerator from 24-48 hours if you like.
• While frying onions, add a pinch of salt. This speeds up the frying process.
• Do not overcook the rice or else it will become mushy.

Happy Cooking!!

Sending this entry to :-  Taste Of Tropics & Chef Mireille's Home Page and Amrita's Friends Forever Event and Cutchi Kitchen's Giveaway