Owner: Annarasa URL:http://annarasaessenceoffood.blogspot.com/ Join Date: Sat, 22 Dec 2007 23:43:26 -0600 Rating:0 Site Description: Hello!! I am passionate about food and aboslutely enjoy cooking. Join me in the wonderful experience of enjoying life and food. Site statistics:Click here
Pasta with Chickpeas and Parsley 2008-03-07 15:51:01 There is nothing quite like having a few recipes for quick and easy one dish dinners handy. Amongst my favourite recipes is Pasta
with Chickpeas & Parsley. This is a deliciously spicy pasta with a tremendously hearty flavour. Its completely no-fuss to make. It was perfect for our move last week - fast to make and truly yummy!!Ingredients:3 cups mixed pasta1 large can chickpeas2 small onions, diced2 cloves garlic, diced1 large bunch flat-leaf parsley, chopped1 tbsp olive oil1 1/2 tsp hot red pepper flakesSalt, to tastePepper, freshly groundMethod:Boil the pasta with a pinch of salt and a teaspoon of olive oil in plenty of water. Set aside when ready.Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the garlic and onions and cook until transparent.Drain the chickpeas and add to the pan. mix well cook co
Gujarati Kadhi 2008-03-04 01:28:41 Hey Folks! I'm back after a short hiatus. February was supposed to be our home moving month, with the actual move planned for the end of the last week. However we had some rather unexpected warm and sunny weather on the weekend of 23-24 February. Given the 100 plus inches snow that we have plowed our way through since the start of this year, the ray of sunshine seemed promising, and indeed too good to pass up. At the very last minute we decided to take advantage of this good fortune that nature had sent us and move a week before planned. There was some unfinished maintenance at our new home, yet we decided to chance it :)Moving is tough work and while I am still unpacking the boxes (does that ever end??), I made sure the kitchen was set up and functioning on 'Day One'. Now where have I hea
Watercress & Potato Soup 2008-02-21 11:55:43 Now there's nothing quite like warm soup on a cold winter's day. And here in the Great Lakes area we appear to be having the coldest, snowiest winter ever. In fact, not only do we have 3 feet snow on the ground, the branches of trees have frozen over and are glittering like shiny ornaments in the bright winter sun! Yes I spent the better half of my day admiring this sight and taking loads of photographs. With the setting sun, I decided to get back in and get some hot soup going.We love soup so much around here that I have taught myself to prepare it 'from scratch'!! Yes, I make my own soup stock, freeze it, and keep it handy to boil up a steaming hot favourite in a snap. Here's my recipe for our favourite Watercress
& Potato
Soup.Ingredients:2 tbsp butter1 oinion, chopped fine1 potato
Rose-Coloured Kalakand Hearts 2008-02-13 16:41:08 Kalakand is a much-loved sweet in Indian homes. It is milk-based treat that graces festivals, marriages, and many more celebratory events.Kalakand has a melt-in-the mouth feel. It is grainy in texture often due to the multiple milk based ingredients that make it up. The best Kalakand is that which is gently sweetened and allows the combination of both flavour and texture to explode simultaneously in a single bite. Though almonds, cashews, and indeed even walnuts can be added to Kalakand, I find that this indulgent sweet holds its flavour best when paired with pistachio nuts! Needless to say, this sweet is for everyone who loves milk, adores fudge, and has the desire to give in to toothsome delights every so often. And with Valentine's Day round the corner, what better treat for your sweet Read more:Coloured
, Hearts
Fasting & Feasting: Sabudana Khichiri 2008-02-05 21:42:24 In India, feasting very often follows fasting. It is customary to observe fasts on numerous days throughout the year. Indeed, people fast on particular days of a week, month, and year to please and honour particular Gods and Goddesses, to give thanks for blessings received, or to pray for that their wishes be granted.A fast usually begins at dawn and broken at dusk. During this time those undertaking the fast tend to partake of only water, fruits, nuts and milk. Yet, the entire day is often filled with the joy and camaraderie that accompanies a shared kitchen. Family members regardless of age come together to prepare for the feast that inevitably accompanies the successful completion of a fast. Some feasts are humble and traditional meals where only certain categories of foods permitted on Read more:Fasting
Winter Warmers: Hot Mango Salsa 2008-02-05 21:39:53 Mango is a great favourite on the Indian sub-continent. Indeed, as a mango lover one can't help but be passionate about this beautiful fruit. Every summer, desis in the US bemoan lack of access to the over a 100 varieties of mango available freely on the Indian sub-continent. And every so often I get a mango craving and I am tempted to buy one of the beautiful orange, yellow, and green mangoes in the local supermarket. Yet, these mangoes are very fibrous they don't do too well on a dessert plate. So to satisfy my mango cravings I began to experiment using these sweet fleshy fruits in new ways. I remember standing in my kitchen, mango staring at me when memories of eating sour kairi (raw mango) with rock salt and red chilli powder on a hot summer's day, flashed back to me. Mmmmm, the textur Read more:Mango
Rasedaar Aloo-Gobhi (Fragrant Potato-Cauliflower Curry) 2008-02-05 21:35:25 Aloo-Gobhi sabzi (Potato
-Cauliflower
Vegetable) happens to be one of my favourite vegetable combinations. There are so very many ways in which this vegetable combination is cooked and dished out. Yet it is only in winter that one gets the opportunity of enjoying it in this fragrant curry form. Primarily because this recipe uses loads of Dalchini or Cinnamon. Cinnamon which is an essential spice in Indian cooking, is regarded by Ayurveda as a warming spice. It is, in general, used in combination with other spices that complement its flavour and often in its bark form. Also it is used to flavour savoury vegetables and meats from the main course rather than sweets and desserts! Cauliflower curry with cinnamon is a perfect example of this. I find it to be a comfort food - tasty, warming, and u Read more:Curry
Cranberry Orange Relish 2008-02-05 21:32:56 For Taste & Create V, I have been paired with Jill of Hey, That Tastes Good! Eagerly, I browsed through Jill's site for a recipe to create. Jill's site was an education for me - it was my first encounter with a blogger who blogs gluten free. Hmmmm, I thought, here's a challenge for me!! After reviewing several recipes that appeared delicious, I settled on the Cranberry-OrangeRelish
, for several reasons! Firstly, I love cranberries. Secondly, I adore oranges. Thirdly, I am fanatical about relishes. And last but not the least, I had never tried making anything with cranberries thus far.Jill's original recipe can be found at: Cranberry Orange Relish. It calls for the pulp and zest of 1 orange, 3 cups cranberries, and 11/2 cups sugar to be whisked together in the food processor, refrigera
Til Gur (Crunchy Sweet Black Sesame Diamonds) 2008-02-05 21:24:30 The change in seasons has always been a cause for celebration amongst peoples across the world. For Indians, one of the most auspicious days on the monthly calendar is marked by Sankranti - the day on which the sun moves from one sign of the zodiac to the other. Of all such days, it it the day of Makar Sankranti that is believed to be the most holy. This is because it is on this day that the sun returns to the Northern Hemisphere thereby marking the end of a long cold winter and the return of spring.As it is in the month of Magha that the sun enters the Makar Rashi or sign on the zodiac known as Capricorn, this Sankranti is known as Makar Sankranti. The terms come quite literally from the fact that the sun leaves the Tropic of Cancer and enters the Tropic of Capricorn. The ensuing period i Read more:Black
, Diamonds
, Sesame
, Sweet
Lasun Parathas (Garlicky Parathas) 2008-02-05 21:18:51 Garlic is part of the onion family and is packed with antibiotic and antifungal properties, Vitamin B, minerals, and flavanoids! It is believed to have several health benefits and is believed to help prevent heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, cancer, and even regulate blood sugar levels.Garlic is used extensively in Indian foods. Its sharp, pungent taste adds much flavour and richness to vegetables, lentils, and curries. It is sometimes though rarely incorporated in Indian breads, and I have often wondered why this is the case. I love different kinds of rotis and parathas and am always experimenting with them. Here's my recipe of Lasun Parathas for Think Spice... Think Garlic!!Ingredients:2 cups whole wheat flour1/3 cup wheat flour for rolling the bread1 tsp ghee (clarif
Mumra Wale Kanda Pohe 2008-02-05 21:17:45 Pohe is an all-round favourite at breakfast on weekends or for a heavy tea. My current favourite is a recipe that I learnt from a friend but have tweaked to taste. This pohe is made not with Pohe Rice (flattened rice) but with Mumra or Puffed Rice. It has a different and unique flavour and texture. But I found that the puffed rice absorbed the flavours better than the flattened rice. Also it retained a moisture and softness that pohe rice tends to lose if not served immediately. This recipe of Mumra Wale Kanda Pohe is for Jhiva for Ingredients: Onions, which this time has been hosted by Radhika of Radhi's Kitchen. Ingredients:6 cups Mumra (Puffed Rice)1 tbsp oil2 large onions, sliced finely2 green chillies, slit6-8 curry leaves1/2 tsp mustard seeds1/2 tsp cumin1/2 tsp turmeric powder1/2 ts
That Feeling of Coming Home! JFI Toor Dal 2008-02-03 20:56:18 You can eat any cuisine in the world, you can travel the globe, you can eat out for days on end - but there is nothing quite like the feeling of coming back home!! Of course, coming home means different things to different people. But in my parents home - it had one simple meaning: "Ghar ka Khana" or simple food cooked at home.I remember as a child we would go for our annual trek in the Himalayas, or on summer vacations across the country only to return home to the deliciously heart-warming dal-chawal. Now you can guess that dal on the occasion meant the humble arhar dal or toor dal, served hot with basmati chawal, and methi-aloo bhaji. Over the years this has become my most abiding memory of coming home. Now when ever we travel, the first meal on our return echos that memory.In fact, this Read more:Coming Home
, Feeling
Winter Warmers: Healthy Vegetarian Tacos 2008-01-04 00:43:58 Tacos are a great favourite in my home and I am very experimental with the filling I make for for them. Here's a version of some yummy healthy vegetarian tacos that I made last weekend.Ingredients:4 large taco shells1 tbsp olive oil3 cloves garlic, crushed1 medium onion, chopped fine1 green pepper, chopped1 green zucchini, chopped1 yellow zucchini, chopped1 tin black beans, drained1 Jalapeno pepper, chopped fine4 medium tomatoes, chopped fine1/2 cup chunky tomato salsa1/2 tsp Italian herbs1/2 tsp crushed black pepperSalt to taste1/2 cup grated cheese (I used a mix of Cheddar and Mozzarella)Method: Set the oven to 350F. Place the taco shells on a cookie sheet, at least 1 inch apart. Heat for 10 minutes or until they appear toasted and lightly brown. Turn off the heat.In the meanwhile, prepa Read more:Tacos
, Vegetarian
Christmas Cookies: Cinnamon-Chocolate Swirls 2007-12-23 02:29:55 Now home-baked cookies and I have a history of sorts. I developed an avid interest in baked goodies early on, and as time went by it turned into a passion of sorts. Yes, there's always a time for a story and this is one for Christmas
cookies. As I stumbled across Susan's Christmas Cookies
from Around the World 2007, I was inspired to dig out my old faithful - a treasured recipe book which holds a collection of my very favourite tried and trusted cookie recipes. Just a turn of the page and memories of baking batches of cookies for school events, for family, friends all came flooding back. Just as much as I loved the aroma of my Mum's kitchen every time I loaded in a fresh batch to bake, the fact remains that I really have not had the time or the opportunity to indulge in this joy for sever Read more:Chocolate
, Cinnamon
Winter Warmers: Delicious Dal Dhokli 2007-12-15 01:00:14 Temperatures below zero degrees always call for especially delicious treats. And last week, while it was snowing like no tomorrow, I decided to treat us to some hearty Dal Dhokli. Now Dal Dhokli is basically a Gujarati dish, though I believe that there are some Rajasthani versions of it too. It was particularly popular in Mumbai where I spent part of my childhood.Not coming from either Gujarat or Rajasthan, I ate Dal Dhokli the first time when I visited a schoolfriends home. One taste and I was hooked! On my insistence, the dish was cooked every so often at home. Much as I enjoyed eating Dal Dhokli, I never had the chance to cook it in India. But my passion for food ensured that I carried the recipe with me. Yet, that's really no good - as I hardly ever follow a recipe. I work the ingredi Read more:Delicious
Hello! 2007-12-03 13:13:44 So, I love good food! And here's my tribute to enjoying it and living well. Hope you will visit soon, read often, and savour immensely. Read more:Hello
Khaman Dhokla 2008-03-09 00:42:52 As my husband and I simply adore Khaman, I thought this might be the best treat to share on International Women's Day 2008. Thanks to Zorra, the web today has been flooded with warm, fragrant, and delicious messages of awareness and love!Ingredients:1 cup chickpea flour3/4 cup water1 tbsp oil1 tbsp lemon juice1/2 tsp red chilli powder1 tsp sugar1 tsp ginger-chilli paste1/4 tsp asafetida1 tsp baking sodaSalt, to tasteMethod: Mix all the dry ingredients except the baking soda in a large mixing bowl.To this mix, add the oil, water, and ginger-chilli paste and blend well to make a lump-free paste.Put 2 cups of water in a pressure cooker or a steamer, and bring to a boil. Meanwhile grease a cake pan or pie dish that will fit into the steamer such that it can also be easily removed with a few dr
Dreamy Vegetarian Pizza 2008-03-21 13:50:24 So, I was surfing the internet for interesting food events.... Yup, feels like I have been doing a lot of that lately!! But then there are so many wonderfully enthusiastic chefs out there, each dreaming up new ways to challenge our skills and creativity!! I still continue to be quite literally gobsmacked at the variety and range of food events online.Anyway, the first site to pop out from the blogosphere was Stephanie's blog announcing a Pizza
Party. Just perfect I thought. And then, almost simultaneously - what exactly is a pizza? I mean I know what a pizza is, I have eaten it often enough, I bake it at home quite frequently - and yet - what is a pizza?? Quite simply, a pizza as we know it today is an Italian open pie usually made of thin bread dough spread with a spiced mixture of a.k.a Read more:Dreamy
, Vegetarian
A Perfectly Delicious Start for a New Daring Baker 2008-04-01 23:52:06 Hello Everyone,I am delighted to announce that I have successfully completed my very first DaringBaker
s Challenge. I have been a silent admirer of this great blogging community since I began my blog in December 2007. Baking and I have a long and happy history. I began baking fairly regularly when I was in high school - cakes, biscuits, pastry, bread! My love affair with baking continued well into my University years, when the demands of career and travel left me with little time to boil an egg, let alone bake. Slowly, yet steadily now and with much encouragement from my husband :) I am returning to this great passion - and so I welcome Daring Bakers into my life!!Here's my experience with the very first challenge. A couple of weeks before the challenge was posted, I ran across Dorie Green Read more:Delicious
, Start
Spinach & Mushroom Rotini 2008-04-16 13:40:05 Spinach and mushroom make for a wonderful combination. And with whole grain rotini, the taste is almost heavenly. This is one of my favourite recipes, one I created on one of those long winter evenings when I had a craving for a hearty yet healthy meal!! I am sharing this with all pasta lovers via Presto Pasta Night, hosted by the lovely Ruth.Ingredients:3 cups whole grain rotini1 cup frozen spinach1 1/2 cups mushrooms, sliced1 medium onion, sliced2 cloves garlic, crushed1/2 cup milk1 cup vegetable stock2 tbsp low fat cream cheese1/4 cup pepper jack cheese, gratedParmesan cheese, shaved1 small green pepper, sliced1 tbsp olive oil1 tsp cornflourSalt, to tasteBlack Pepper, freshly groundMethod:Boil the pasta as per instructions on the packet in plenty of water and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.Heat t Read more:Mushroom
, Spinach
Cheesecake Pops a.k.a Daring Bakers 2008-05-17 21:42:39 Back with the Daring
Bakers for an all new creation - Cheesecake
Pops!! When I saw this recipe I was both excited and apprehensive. I'd never tried this before and as eggs are not really my favourite food, mostly because they don't agree with me, I decided to experiment. I halved the recipe and dropped the eggs altogether! The result was fabulous. The cheesecake turned out delicious - could not re
Quick Microwave Upma 2008-05-17 21:14:20 Upma is a great breakfast food - quick to make, filling, and very nutritious too. When I was a child, we had it every weekend for brunch amongst other goodies. But often as a treat it found its way into our school lunch boxes!! Over time I have worked to simplify the recipe so that its microwave ready for a whenever snack!!Dry Ingredients:1 cup sooji (cream of wheat)1 tbsp chana dal1 tbsp urad dal Read more:Quick
Bhuna Masala Lobhia 2008-07-07 23:05:23 Lobhia or Black-eyed beans are one of the more popular beans cooked across the Indian sub-continent. They are easy to prepare, very tasty, and chock full of nutrition - including calcium, folate, and Vitamin A!! They can be prepared in a dry vegetable style or in a more soupy way as a curry. They are excellent served with Parathas or rice.Ingredients:2 cups lobhia, soaked overnight1 black cardamo Read more:Masala
Multi-Grain Banana Bread 2008-07-21 22:04:28 I am always on a lookout for healthier alternatives to everyday treats. So when I saw Manasi's announcement for Healthy Cooking - A Cookbook Giveaway Event, I decided to go right ahead and try a new recipe that I put together last week, while considering a healthier approach to Banana Bread
. Now, Banana Bread is a great favourite in my home and we adore it warm with hazelnut-cinnamon coffee!! But Read more:Grain
, Multi
Tomato Paneer (Indian-Style Cottage Cheese) 2008-07-17 22:02:22 Tomatoes and paneer are a truly beautiful combination. Almost every Indian home has its own special way of making this dish. I love paneer with fresh tomatoes, but when I make this curry style dish with tomato puree, its just finger-licking good!! Try this with Lasun Parathas , or Zeera Rice.Ingredients:1 1/2 cups paneer, cubed1 small tin tomato puree6-8 curry leaves1 tsp mustard seeds1/2 tsp turm Read more:Cheese
, Style
, Tomato
Rice Plate Chole 2008-07-17 14:02:01 Now that's an unusual name for a recipe isn't it? Not if you've been to University in Delhi, Bombay, or many of the other metros in India. When I was completing my Masters in Delhi, I spent long long hours soaking up books in the library. Reading often gave way to a ravenous appetites and late after the local cafes and canteens closed doors, it was the corner shops that catered to the hunger of bu Read more:Plate
A Desi Take on the Danish Braid 2008-07-11 16:54:41 The June Challenge from the Daring Bakers took me right back to my early days as a novice baker!! Still in high school, I had an insatiable need to experiment with all goods baked. Thumbing through an old Woman & Home magazine, courtesy my grandmother's collection, I found myself fascinated with the very flaky puff pastry. Out came the flour, butter, and rolling pin, and with a some great rec Read more:Danish
Moth Bhaji (Stir-fried Dew Bean) 2008-07-08 23:48:43 Moth, Matki, Mat, are all synonyms for the Dew Bean. Very small and creamy brown in colour, the Moth bean resembles Mung bean. But it has a stronger, fresher flavour with a deliciously nutty aftertaste. Moth is very healthy with high amounts of both protein and fibre. Moth bhaji is a delicately seasoned stir-fry. It is excellent on its own as a quick snack or incorporated into any meal as a main d
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