Shakshuka | Eggs poached in spicy sauce

Shakshuka  meaning 'to shake' in Hebrew is an Israeli breakfast staple. This hearty breakfast meal can easily please most people for its simplicity in ingredients. It can be made in a jiffy like egg burji. All you need is a fresh loaf of airy bread to dunk into the sauce. Perfect for a sunday brunch!

Anyways, I have great love for Middle eastern food and you are going to see more recipes of it coming soon here :)

Preparation time: 5 mins

Cooking time: 10 mins

Serves : 2

You will need:

2 Eggs 

1 large Onion

2 cloves of garlic

2 large tomatoes

1 green chilly 

1/4 tsp red chilli powder/Paprika

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1/4 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp freshly ground pepper

a pinch of sugar

a handful of fresh coriander leaves

1 tbsp olive oil

Salt as per taste

1. Chop tomatoes, onions, garlic, green chillies and coriander leaves to fine pieces.

2. Heat skillet with the olive oil. Add the onions and fry till translucent.

3. Add the garlic, green chillies and tomatoes with the spices, salt and sugar. Cook for 3-4 minutes.

4. Add 1/4 cup of water if you want it more sauce-y. Stir in finely chopped corainder leaves.

5. Crack open the eggs on the sauce. Do not stir the sauce now.  Everyone likes their eggs cooked     differently. So cook it for 4 mins or more, as per the desired consistency of egg you'd want.

Long time ago, I made the eggs well cooked in a thick sauce as I was having with Pita bread.

We also tried runny eggs with soupy sauce with nice and spongy bread. Both versions were uncompromising in taste!

Red Riceflakes(Aval/Poha) Upma

This Tamilnadu style aval upma is a very simple, flavorful and quick to prepare item. In less than ten minutes you can get this on serving table if you have some grated fresh coconut ready.
Moreover, its a wonderful food for those who are health conscious. And the red rice flakes are even better if you are able to grab this from your local store. You will need the thin variety of poha for this recipe.

Preparation time : 5 Minutes

Cooking time : 5 Minutes

Total : 10 Minutes

Serves 2
You will need:
2 Cups of Red rice flakes (Aval/Poha)
1 Red onion ,chopped
1 green chilly, chopped
1 inch piece of ginger, grated
1/4 cup of grated fresh coconut
2 tsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp Urad dal
A pinch of asafetida/hing
Salt to taste




Heat oil in a pan and put the mustard seeds and hing. Once it begins to splutter add the urad dal and fry it in low heat till it appears to change color.



Now rinse the rice flakes once and drain them in a colander. Do not soak and
Add the green chillies and ginger followed by onion. Fry till the onions appear translucent. Add salt.




Add the rice flakes and give a good stir for a minute until all the flavors marry together.




Turn off the heat and sprinkle the fresh coconut.
I promise. Its a no-fail recipe. Why not serve this for your guests who visit during tea time? Also, its an easy-peasy breakfast idea for busy mornings!

Iyengar Bakery style Carrot Toast/Sandwich

There are so many baked goodies to try from the iconic Iyengar Bakeries. But the 'Carrot Toast' is one of the most favored items of Iyengar Bakery. Recently, my dad and I got into a serious 'food conversation' which predominantly included talking about some delicacies that is nostalgic to him and me. Then popped up the famous 'I.B 's Carrot Toast' in our conversation and I immediately wanted to try it. 


Before going into the recipe, let me tell you the secret of this recipe. Though, it is an 'Iyengar' Bakery I doubt they add egg whites to the carrot masala(I'm not sure.. at least I believe!). So my recipe here calls for egg white. If you are not for it, you can omit that. But trust me, adding the egg white did bring out the exact taste of Iyengar Bakery's and also no one can tell there is egg in it unless you reveal it (I promise!).


One more tip for the authentic I.B's taste: Once you prepare all the toasts, transfer them in a serving tray and saran-wrap it while they are still hot. This way the steam gets into the bread, making it soft. When you are serving you can just re-heat in microwave. (Thats how exactly the bakery do!). So this is perfect for parties too :)


Prep Time       -   05 Minutes
Cooking Time -  10 Minutes   
Total Time      - 15 Mintues
Makes 4 Toasts/ Sandwiches


You will need:
1 large Carrot
1 large Onion
1 small Tomato
1 Green Chilly
1 egg white
1 tsp of Mustard seeds
1/2 tsp of Cumin seeds
1 tsp of Urad dal (split white lentil)
A pinch of Asafetida(Hing)
1/2 tsp of Red chilly powder
A pinch of turmeric
1/4 tsp of garam masala
1/4 tsp of coriander powder
Fresh coriander, finely chopped
Salt to taste
2 tsps of oil
4 Slices of white bread
Ghee(Clarified Butter) to toast

Chop the onions, green chilly and tomato very finely. Peel and grate the carrot.

In a pan, heat oil and add the mustard seeds,cumin seeds and asafetida. Then add the Urad dal and let it golden brown. (caution : do not over brown it!)
Add the green chillies and onions. Fry till translucent.

Add the spices(chilly powder, turmeric, coriander powder and garam masla) with salt. Mix well and then add the chopped tomato.

After a minute, add the grated carrot and cook covered for couple of minutes. Add the egg white and mix so well until it gets disintegrated in the carrot mixture. 

Heat a flat pan and spread some ghee on the bread slices. Place the bread slices and toast them on either side till it becomes golden brown and crispy.

Spread the carrot mixture on top of each slice and serve them as toast or as sandwiches.

Best Indian summer drink~ Cumin Mint Swirl

Cumin Mint Swirl Lifewater- A fantasy product that we, me with two other friends, made up for a our MBA marketing Project. SoBe  with its cool lizard logo caught our attention and we decided to market our product under Pepsico's SoBe brand. SoBe is a famous brand that markets flavored water, teas and smoothies.

In the  past couple of decades people began to seek healthy alternatives for sodas, sugary beverages and plain water. Then came the 'Flavored water'- water enhanced with artificial flavors, vitamins and sweeteners. Soon 'Flavored water' became the buzzing word for all the beverage companies in the recent decade.

In India, we have been drinking flavored water for several centuries. Yes! flavored with different spices and aromatic roots which have immense healing properties. Ranging from the humble 'Cumin seeds' /jeera to 'Vetiver roots'.

SoBe is always on the look out for exciting, new, tropical flavors. And it had been only having fruity flavors. So we decided to give it an heads up with a bunch of flavors that uses the 'healing spices'.

Though, we never directly suggested SoBe to include our suggestions but our idea was to imagine that our Professor as the company itself and convince her to take up this as line extension.lol!

As we were working on the project, we came to know those secret healing properties of mint and cumin.

The astounding health benefits of Mint and Cumin :

Cumin -Stimulates appetite, increases metabolism, relieves insomnia and detoxifies the body. Since this is rich in iron content it is also helpful to cure anemia and also believed to treat cancer and piles.

Mint- anitbiotic in nature, rich in vitamin C, cures asthma and flu,helps in indigestion, stress and sore throat. This ultimate refreshing and cooling herb is best suited for tropical climates.

Research says consumption of iron with Vitamin C helps to absorb iron better in the blood. 

Also, I would like to recall a particular region of people who consume cumin water everyday. Kerala- No body would deny the fact people from this place look radiantly beautiful and healthier. One of the reasons for their good health is that they had been drinking this sassy water for centuries.

So why not include them in everyday diet?

I know I did my best marketing it to my professor for grades. But now, I am not marketing it for any personal gains but for the well being of all.

Summer is almost here. Buttermilk is the ubiquitous drink of India. There are like zillion variations in consuming it ranging from the sweet lassi to masala chaas. Here is how I like it.

Cumin Mint Chaas Recipe:

A handful of fresh mint leaves and 2 teaspoons of roasted cumin seeds ground to fine paste. Mix this paste with required salt in half a liter of buttermilk.

Cheers to good health!

Puli Sundal

Puli Sundal is a very famous dish in the regions comprising Chidambaram,Mayiladuthurai and Kumbakonam.Some people call it 'Puli upma' but in our side its popularly known as 'Puli Sundal'.Though some argue that Puli Sundal is different from Puli Upma .They believe that Puli upma is made with broken rice.It is also known as the 'Quick Puliogare'.The best side dish for this Puli Sundal is nothing but raw 'Pearl Onions'.People swear that nothing beats this combo..

Other recommended side dishes are 'Sutta Appalam' (Pappad which is roasted over direct fire) or homemade fried arisi vadams(rice fryams) or any citrus pickle..

Im sharing with you the authentic recipe for Puli Sundal..My grandma taught me this..Actually ,its soo simple and there is nothing to teach much :)

Usually we prepare this for dinner and often me and my sis end up fighting for the last serving of Puli Sundal.yeah,a layer of puli sundal gets sticked to the bottom of the pan which is browned  a bit and they taste awesome..

Traditionally,its not in practice to add a bit of jaggery to the puli sundal..But we love to add about 1/2 tsp of jaggery to any dish that is made with  tamarind as base..So if you like that you can add a small amount of jaggery while adding salt.

You will need :

1 cup of rice (dry roasted for about 3-4  mins)

1 golf sized tamarind ball,soaked in 3 cups of water for 5 mins

4 red chillies,(break each one of them into small pieces)

1 tbsp of Bengal gram

1/4 cup of Peanuts

1/4 tsp of mustard seeds

A pinch of turmeric

A small piece of Asafotedia or 1/4 tsp (if in powder form)

2 sprigs of curry leaves

1/2 tsp of jaggery(optional)

2 tbsp of oil

Salt

In a large pan,heat oil.Add asafotedia,let it fry completely..throw the mustard seeds and allow it to splutter.Pluck the curry leaves off the stem and throw them in.Add bengal gram,broken chillies and peanuts.Fry for a couple of mins in medium heat.

Extract the juice of tamarind which will be about 3 cups.Pour them in the pan..Add salt and jaggery and let it come to boil.

Add the rice and keep the flame in low.Cook covered until done.

Peel some 'Pearl onions' chop them and sprinkle them over the 'Puli Sundal'.

Or just keep them aside and have a bite on it each time you dig in..

This simple and traditional recipe goes to 'Recipes for rest of us-DINNER' event hosted by Siri which is initiated by 'Ramki' of One page Cookbooks..

Quick IceCream Muffins

Its Chirstmas time and so I thought of sharing with you all some of my baking delights.Today I accidently came across my childhood Cookery book ,'ABC cookery'.This book has simple recipes which children could make with some assitance.Im so excited when I read about this 'Quick Muffins' recipe.It just requires 2 ingredients and 20 mins of baking time.Thats it..you get super spongy,flavorful muffins.

You just need ..

500 ml of Vanilla Ice cream

1 Cup of Self-raising flour

The flavour and sweetness is already in the ice cream.So we don't have to reach out for Sugar or Vanilla extract.This is something incredibly quick and simple..isnt it?

                       

We just need to bring the ice cream to room temp.And mix it well with the flour.

Take a muffin tin.And place a muffin liner in each cup..Drop the muffin batter in each cup giving some space for the muffin to rise.

Bake the muffins in a 250 C preheated oven for 20 mins.

Squirt some honey or chocolate syrup on each muffin.

Try this out..Its interesting.

Poha!

Poha(Aval) is nothing but rice flakes or beaten rice.Poha Chivda is chatpata ,simple and delicious Maharastrian breakfast/brunch dish.I know its too big an explanation for this dish but to the contrary its amazingly simple and could be prepared in a snap of a finger(!!)...

I made this for my sis's evening snack.And she praised me from her heart(something unusual to me!!)..So try this and win your beloved's heart : )

You will need :

1 Cup thick Rice flakes (Aval/Poha)

1 big Onion (I used Purple Onion),finely chopped

2 tbsp of roasted Peanuts

1 tbsp Lemon juice

1 green chilly ,deseeded and finely chopped

2 sprigs of Coriander Leaves,finely chopped

1 tbsp of oil

1/2 tsp of Cumin seeds

1/2 tsp of Mustard seeds

1/4 tsp of turmeric

Salt as per taste

Wash and soak the rice flakes in water..

Heat oil in a Kadai.Add the mustard seeds and cumin seeds.Allow it to splutter.

Add the onion,chillies,turmeric powder and salt.Saute until the onions get transculent.

Drain the water and squeeze out excess water from the soaking poha.Its enough to soak it for 5 mins.Add the poha to the onion mixture.And stir well.

Turn off the heat and add lime juice ,chopped coriander and roasted peanuts.Toss well and serve.

We had this with crispy 'wheel' vadams.

Don't you think those purple bits of onion in the yellow poha is adorable???

Sending this to Recipes for rest of us event hosted by Ramki of One Page Cookbooks.

Karthigai Deepam,Rawa Pongal and Coconut Chutney !

Today is the festival of lights-Karthigai Deepa Thirunaal.It is predominantly celebrated in Tamil Nadu for the auspicous star Kirthigai's ascension.Like others,we too lit many little beautiful lamps in the clay diyas,which we lined on our compound walls and decorated the lovely 'Kolams' with diyas.We made a pooja with the lip-smacking 'Pori Urundais'(Puffed Rice Ladoos) .

In some  homes,it is in practice to make 'Kothumai(Wheat) Appam ,Ulundhu(Urad Dal) Vadai and Kadalai Urundai'(Peanut Ladoos).But we usually celebrate Karthigai with just Pori Urundais.The tiny bits of coconut is what I love the most about Pori Urundais.As my grandma is away and my mom is busy, my mom's sister made these urundais for this Karthigai and sent us some.It was the one of the perfect Pori Urundais which I can't stop eating .They were in good shape and I wanted to capture the beauty of these lovely delicacy.I never tried making this,someday I have to !

I felt a pang deep in my heart that,I didn't made anything for this Karthigai.So to overcome the grief ,I declared to my family members that I will make the dinner.

I made 'Rawa Pongal' and 'Coconut Chutney'.Its very simple and comforting.We always use rice to make Pongal.But Rawa Pongal is quicker to prepare and also tastes like restaurant pongal.

Here is the recipe...

You will need :

1 cup Semolina(Rawa)

1/4 cup Green gram dhal (dehusked and splited)

10 Cashew nuts (chopped)

1 tsp Pepper

1 tsp Cumin seeds

1 sprig Curry leaves

1 inch Ginger (grated)

2 tbsp oil

2 tbsp ghee

Wash the dal and boil the dal in 1 1/2 cups of water.To make this boiling process quicker you can pressure cook it.

The dal must be well cooked as shown in the picture.Boil 4 cups of water.Add salt and 1 tbsp of ghee to the boiling water.Stir and pour the boiling water over the dal.Add the semolina and stir it constantly.Keep the heat in low.

The semolina will absorb all the moisture.And the pongal will look like this.

Turn off the heat.

For the tempering,heat 2 tbsp of oil and add pepper,cumin seeds ,ginger,curry leaves,cashews and fry until they are roasted well.

Throw this over the pongal and stir well.Add the remaining ghee and serve.

For the Coconut Chutney:

1 cup of coconut pieces

2 tbsp of roasted chana dal(Pottu Kadalai)

1 tsp salt

1 green chilly

2 tbsp of tamarind juice /1 tsp of tamarind paste

For Tempering,

1 tsp oil

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp Chana dal & urad dal

1 sprig of Curry leaves

A pinch of Asafotedia

Put all the ingredients in a mixer,add 1/4 cup of water and grind to a smooth paste. 

Heat oil,add all the ingredients of tempering one by one and when the seeds splutter.Pour it over the Coconut Chutney with the oil.Stir and serve.

Rawa Pongal and Coconut Chutney is ready to devour :)

Chilly Bread

When I started to learn cooking during my school days,I often try to create dishes that uses bread.Chilly bread is my first loved-by-all recipe.Every friend of mine loves this dish.Each weekend they ask me to make this for them.Its very easy and could be prepared in less than 15 mins.And I bet ,you can't stop eating this.This is such a crowd pleaser and one can make them in large amount and include it as starter in parties..

I made this innumerous time and it never failed me once.What Im going to show u now is my own style of making Chilly Bread.One can make it with whatever variations they want.

You can call it as 'Bread Uppma'..but since i made it spicer,I named it 'CHILLY BREAD'

You will need:

1 loaf of bread ,sliced

2 Onions ,finely chopped

4 Tomatoes, finely chopped

2 Green chilly ,finely chopped

1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste

2 tablespoon tomato Ketchup

1 teaspoon Chilly powder

1/2 teaspoon garam masala

A pinch of turmeric powder

Salt to taste

Cut the bread slices to 1 inch cubes.Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large frying pan.Add the bread cubes and toss them.They must get light brown in color  and bit crispy.

In the same frying pan,heat 2 tablespoon of oil and add the onions and chilly.Fry for a couple of mins.Add the tomatoes and ginger-garlic paste and fry for another couple of mins.

Add the turmeric,chilly power and garam masala.Add required salt.Give it a nice stir.Cover and cook for 3-4 mins.

Add the Ketchup and mix well.Make sure that its not too saucey.Otherwise the bread may get soggy.Add the fried bread chunks and toss to get it all coated with the tomato-onion masala.

Garnish with coriander  leaves and serve!

This is my entry to Recipes for the rest of us  event hosted by Ramki of One page Cookbooks