Garam Masala

I am lately having a cooking and blogging block! Though my bookmarked folder is overflowing, I hardly have any interest to try new recipes. And that is the reason you don't find much recipes here! Hopefully, I should start cooking and baking once my exams are done! This garam masala recipe is my mother-in-laws. it is really really flavorful and a little goes a long way! I have been using the same recipe ever since our marriage and she never forgets to keep us fully stocked after each India visit.

This garam masala tastes a bit different than the store bought ones. I have listed a few recipe in which I have used this garam masala. Do try and enjoy!

Ingredients

Coriander seeds / Dhania - 100g

Cumin / Jeera seeds - 100g

Cinnamon sticks/ Pattai - 20g

Cloves / Lavangam - 20g

Black pepper corns / Milagu (optional) - 20g

Cardamom / Elakkai - 50g

Bay leaves - 3

Nutmeg / Jathikai - 2

Directions

Toast all the above ingredients in a saucepan on a low flame. Take care the spices do not burn.

Grind them in a mixie or a spice grinder into a coarse powder. Store in an airtight jar for future use.

Some recipes in which this garam masala can be used:

Aloo Tikkis / Potato Cutlets

Egg Puffs

Vegetable Puffs

Vegetable Rolls
Aloo Paratha
Paneer Paratha
Tofu Paratha
Khara Biscuit / Indian Masala Cookies (My favorite recipe to use garam masala!)
Black Eyed Peas Curry
Dum Aloo
Egg Curry
Mixed Vegetable Kurma (Another favorite!)
Palak Tofu
Basil Rice
Methi and Lima Beans Rice
Tomato rice
Spinach Rice

Also do check out my newly acquired Salt and Pepper Shaker! 

Giveaway winner!

Have you read about these colorful little potatoes? And the umpteen number of dishes your could make with these beauties? Check out these colorful little potatoes in your grocery aisl if you would love to try these out.

Now the winner of the previous giveaway selected using Random Integar Generator is - Radhika of Foodfor7stages who commented -

"I love those potato bondas. Love the giveaway. Following you on FB :)"

Congrats Radhika! Do email me your address and I will have the gift shipped to you.

Hope everyone had an amazing thanksgiving!

Do check out the event - Show Me Your Cookbook going on now at Dil Se.. and also check out the Food Blog Events Calendar. Do leave me a comment if you would like your event to be added in the calendar.

Colorful lil' Potatoes and a giveaway!

Potatoes are comfort food for many. It can be paired easily with any meal and can bring back memories of holidays and family dinners. The potatoes from Tasteful Selections have bold colors, unique flavors, small sizes and faster cooking times and are perfect for any occasion.

"Baskin-Robbins may have beat us with 31 flavors, but eight flavors of potatoes plus our medleys in three different sizes makes for a lot of potatoes choices and endless meal possibilities." boast the people at Tasteful Selections. The potatoes fit into modern busy lives and offer a great culinary experience because they are quick cooking and appetizing too.

Why They Taste Great: Unique Flavors, Tender Skins and Moist Textures

Why They Are Easy To Prepare: Pre-washed; no cleaning or peeling needed and Small sizes = faster cook times

The potatoes come in different bite sizes. But choice doesn’t end with size—choice also comes in a variety of flavors. Check out all the different flavors available here.

I made some amazing Potato Pies and Potato Bonda with these amazing small and cute potatoes from Tasteful Selections.

There are umpteen number of options and recipes to create with these cute potatoes! Go check out your grocery store to grab a packet of these beauties for your thanksgiving dinner!

The people from Tasteful Selections have agreed to send some of their exciting products to a lucky reader of Dil Se.. If you would like to win your will have to:
Leave a comment saying what is your favorite potato dish.
Additional entries:

Optional : Follow Dil Se.. publicly in your reader or subscibe by email.
Optional : Follow Dil Se.. in Facebook.
Please leave a seperate comment for each entry.

I will select the winner using a random generator and will announce the winner on monday.

Until then, enjoy your thanksgiving holidays!

Disclaimer: *Please note that Tasteful Selections sent me these samples for review, but as always my opinions are entirely honest and entirely my opinion.

Quick and easy aval payasam

This is a different version of aval payasam I came up with recently as a result of a strange experiment. it is a little different from the regular aval payasam I make. It has a secret ingredient and it makes the payasam absolutely delicious. My husband could not identify the taste of the secret ingredient at all! We licked our bowls clean! Will definitely be making this again..

 Guess what the secret ingredient is! It is a tablespoon on Badam drink mix! All the ingredients in the badam drink mix - saffron, almonds, cardamom all rendered a delightful flavor to the payasam. Do try it next time you make payasam. I believe it could be added to any type of payasam/kheer/pudding.

Ingredients
Aval/ Flattened beaten rice/ Poha - 1/2 cup
Sugar - 1 cup
Milk - 2 cups ( I used low fat milk but whole milk tastes best)
Cardamom powder - 1 pinch
MTR Badam Drink mix - 1 tablespoon (Any brand can be used)
Ghee - 2 tablespoons
Cashews - few
Raisins - few

Directions
In a wide pan, heat the ghee and add the cashews and raisins. Once the cashews turn golden brown and the raisins plump up, remove them with a spoon and set aside. In the same ghee, add the aval/poha and toast for about two minutes, until the aval crisps up and turns slight golden brown.

In a heavy bottomed pan, add the milk and bring it to a boil. Add the toasted aval/poha and keep on medium heat and allow the aval to cook completely. It should blend well with the milk rather than stay as whole pieces. At this point, add the sugar. Stir well. Allow it to cook and completely dissolve. Once it starts to boil, simmer and add the badam drink mix and the cardamom powder.

Mix well and simmer until you get the desired consistency and switch off the stove. The payaam thickens once it cools, so simmer until you get a runny consistency, so that you get the thick rich payasam once cooled off. Garnish with cashews and raisins.
Serve warm or cold.

Check out my new Food Blog Events Calendar! If you would like your food blog events to be entered here please leave me a comment.

Food Blog Events Calendar

I have compiled a "Food Blog Events Calendar" featuring foodie events from all over the blogosphere. Place your cursor over the event name or click it to view more details about each event. If you would like your event to be listed in this calendar, please leave me a comment in this post with the link to the event announcement post. Thank You!

Show Me Your Cookbook!

After my Cookbook Review, I noticed that even though I have a few cookbooks, I have never been cooking with them much. They lie in a corner of my kitchen collecting dust. I usually find it easy to find a certain recipe online or in other blogs. Last weekend, when I was browsing my cookbooks, I realized how each cookbook had a personality and style of cooking which cannot be obtained just from browsing online. The various pictures in the book look really appealing and enticing me to cook! Hence, the theme for this edition of "Show Me Your".. event series.

I have decided that I should try atleast one recipe a week from any of my cookbooks, so that I get to know new recipes, put my cookbooks into good use and also find a reason to blog my creations!

Few guidelines for the event:
For the event, all you have to do is click a picture of your favorite cookbook/cookbooks or your entire cookbook shelf and send it over! In your post you could also list the name of all the cookbooks your proudly own, and also any interesting stories you would like to share regarding your cookbooks.

Please link back your post to this event announcement.

Please include all details in a single post. If you have any archived post featuring your cookbooks, you could very well send them over linking back to this post.

Send me an email to divyablogs[AT]gmail[DOT]com with the following details:
Name:
Blog Name:
Permalink of your blogpost:

Please send in your entries before December 31, 2010.


Happy Cooking and also do check out my new Food Blog Events Calendar!

Clip art licensed from the Clip Art Gallery on DiscoverySchool.com

Anjum's New Indian - Cookbook Review

Anjum's New Indian is a well organized cookbook with regional recipes from states all over India. It documents the traditional Indian cuisine which evolved over time in Indian households.

The book starts with basic recipes like how to make homemade garam masala, indian-style yogurt, paneer and goan red spice paste. It also describes how basic ingredients like tomato, lentils and chilies are actually cooked the Indian way. I believe Indian cooking is unique and renders mild flavorful dishes when ingredients are cooked only in a certain way. This book beautifully describes all those ways.

Even though Indian cuisine is predominantly vegetarian, this book features some amazing non-vegetarian recipes from all regions of India. It 's recipes range from unique entertaining ones like the Anglo-Indian Tomato soup, Madras Pepper Lamb and Kashmiri Pilaff to some basic comforting recipes like the tarka dal, easy mung lentil curry and raitas.

I like the way the recipes are organized under different categories like light meals and snacks, meat, chicken, fish and seafood, vegetables, beans and lentils, rice and bread, raitas and chutneys, desserts and drinks. The recipes also have an introduction to how the recipe shaped up in the particular state of India.

If you are looking for some Indian cookbooks with some authentic non-vegetarian recipes and looking to experiment with cuisines from various states of India, this is your go-to book. It has appetizing pictures and recipes!

Look out for some recipes from the book in the near future in this blog!