Happy Memorial Day - Updates from my side

Hey Everyone, I am down with cold and fever. I wasn't able to visit anyone's blog in last two days. I didn't have chance to make anything new as well, so can't post any recipes.

I am sad that I am goin' to miss Soup and Sandwich event as well :(((

I read comments just now. Thank you so much Ranji, Swati, Divya, Meera and Shubha for the awards. I am so happyyyy, can't wait to post it to the new thread :))) I will post new thread and replys at a later time when I feel little better.

Here's wishing everyone Happy Memorial Day!!! Happy Travelling!!! See you all next week!!!!

Happy Blogging!!!

Cheers!!!!!

Madhavi....

Tostadas

I love Mexican food. Mexican cuisine has excellent spicy and rich dishes. I love Tostadas because they have layers of flavors of rice to beans to salsa to cheese and vegetables too. Tostadas are very easy to make, and when you are in hurry or want to serve in a party to lot of people, this is the perfect entree. I made fresh cilantro sauce instead of plain sour cream, which is much more flavorful than plain sour cream.
Ingredients:-

• Tostada
  
• 1 Iceberg Lettuce - shredded
  
• 1/2 cup Mexican Cheese
  
• 1/2 cup Rice, boiled
  
• Hot Salsa, to taste
  
• Scallions, chopped
  

-- For Chunky Guacamole

• 1 Avocado, chopped
  
• 1 tsp Green Chilli
  
• 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
  
• 1 small Tomato, chopped
  
• 1 small Red Onion, chopped
  
• 1 tsp Hot Sauce
  
• Salt to taste
  

-- For Beans

• 1 cup Black Beans
  
• 3/4 cup Corn Kernels
  
• 1-1/2 tbsp Chipotle pepper, chopped
  
• 3 tbsp Red Bell Pepper, chopped
  
• 1-1/2 tsp Taco Seasoning
  
• 1 tbsp Oil
  
• Salt to taste
  

-- For Cilantro Sauce

• 1-1/2 cup Cilantro
  
• 1 tbsp Jalapeño
  
• 1/2 cup Sour Cream, light
  
• 3 tbsp Yogurt
  
• 1/2 cup Water
  
• Salt to taste
  

Method:-

-- For Guacamole
1. In a bowl, stir together the avocados, tomatoes, onion, lemon juice, green chilli, salt, and hot sauce.

2. Stir as little as possible. Do not mash avocados.

-- For Beans

1. In a bowl, mix black beans, corn kernels, red bell pepper, taco seasoning, oil, and salt.

2. Heat in microwave for 2 minutes.

-- For Cilantro Sauce

1. In blender, mix Cilantro, sour cream, yogurt, lemon juice, jalapeño, salt, and water. Blend until it is smooth and creamy.

--For Tostadas

1. Arrange Tostadas in baking sheet with a liberal amount of beans and rice.

2. Put spoonful of Chunky Guacamole on it.

3. Top with hot salsa and then cheese. Broil until cheese is melting.

4. Serve immediately with lettuce, cilantro sauce, and chopped scallions.

Enjoy...

You Make My Day :)))

My Dear friends Uma and Meera with awesome blogs, passed on me this cute and sweet "You Make My Day" award. Thank You so much for this beauty, You gals really made my day :))



I want share this with all of you. As Uma and Meera said, this is really hard to chose and to make it even worse, some of you already received this award. I would like to pass this beauty to -
Divya Vikram
Cham
Namratha
Archy
Madhuram

Thanks to all of you. You guys make my day with your lovely comments and encouraging words.

Rajasthani Chana Curry

Every region in India has their own style of cuisine. This recipe comes from land of the brave, Rajasthan. Rajasthan is famous the warriors, kings, great battles, Rajputs, and eye-catching architectural gems like Castle of Jaipur, Hawa Mahal, ChittarI Palace, and many more. It is also famous for its amazing food. The most popular dishes of Rajasthan are Dal-Bati, Churma, Gavarfali ki subzi, Papad subzi, Gatta Kadhi, Ghevar, Balushahi, Missi Roti , and Ker-Sangri. Most important ingredient in Rajasthani food is Ghee, and they believe that their curries are incomplete without it.

This dish is not very well-known because mainly it’s cooked in homes as their day-to-day meal. It is very similar to Jaishalmer chana subzi. I ate this dish first time at one of my neighbors', and I love it since then. This dish works best with, Ghee Jeera Pulav.

Ingredients:-

• 1 cup Bengal gram, (kala chana)
  
• 1 small Potato, boiled and mashed
  
• 4-1/2 tsp Besan
  
• 1 Onion, chopped
  
• 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
  
• 3 tbsp Oil
  
• 2 tbsp Ghee
  
• 1 Cinnamon stick
  
• 2-3 Cardamom
  
• 5 Cloves
  
• 1/4 tsp Asafoetida
  
• 1 tbsp Dhania-Jeera Powder
  
• 4 Green Chilli, chopped
  
• 3 Garlic cloves, chopped
  
• 1 tsp Red Chilli powder
  
• 1 tsp Rajwadi Garam Masala
  
• 1-1/2 cup Yogurt
  
• 1-1/2 tsp Chat masala
  
• 1/2 cup Spinach, chopped
  
• Salt to taste
  
• Cilantro, chopped
  

Method:-
1. Soak chana in water overnight. It is advisable to use hot water initially.

2. Wash chana well, and pressure cook until its cooked completely. Drain well after cook.

3. Heat oil and ghee in pan. Add cumin seeds.

4. When they start to crackle, add cinnamon stick, cardamom, and cloves. Cook for 1-2 minutes.

5. Add onion and garlic and sauté for 4 minutes or until it is little brown.

6. Add green chilli, red chilli, asafoetida, turmeric, dhania-jeera powder, spinach, rajwadi garam masala, salt, and sprinkle some water to prevent it from burning. Cover it with lid and cook for 5 minutes on medium-low heat.

7. Add cooked chana and mash lightly. Add yogurt, mashed potato, and besan. Mix well.

8. Cook for 3 more minutes. Add 2-1/4 cups of water and chat masala. Bring it to the boil.

9. Turn down the heat to low, cover with lid and let it simmer for 10 minutes. Stirring occasionally.

10. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot with ghee jeera rice or bajara roti..

Enjoy...



This is my entry to RCI - Rajasthan hosted by Padmaja of SpicyAndhra.

Spicy Tomato & Olive Focaccia Bread

Focaccia is famous Italian flat bread. This bread is usually seasoned and topped with onion, tomato, olive, rarely meat, and cheese. The most popular toppings are herbs like rosemary, oregano, and thyme. The dough of focaccia is very similar to pizza dough. Focaccia is usually eaten accompanied by olive oil and/or balsamic vinegar. In Italy, people eat focaccia on Christmas Eve for good luck. Focaccia is perfect for sandwiches, either cold or warm. Focaccia dough can be used for pizza dough, bread for the Panini, or sometimes for sweet sandwich.

Ingredients:-

• 2-3/4 cup All-purpose Flour
  
• 1 tsp Kosher Salt
  
• 1 tsp Sugar
  
• 1 tbsp dry Active Yeast
  
• 1 tsp Garlic Powder
  
• 1/2 tsp onion Flakes
  
• 1 tsp dry Thyme
  
• 1 tsp dry Oregano
  
• 1 tsp Black Pepper, ground
  
• 1 tbsp Olive oil
  
• 1 cup Water, warm
  

-- For Topping

• 1/4 tsp Kosher Salt
  
• 4 tbsp Parmesan Cheese, grated
  
• 2 tbsp Pecorino Romano cheese, grated
  
• 1 Tomato, sliced
  
• 8-10 Black Olives, sliced
  
• 1 tsp red Pepper Flakes
  
• 1 tsp Herbes De Provence
  

Method:-
1. Mix flour, salt, sugar, yeast, thyme, oregano, pepper, garlic powder, onion flakes in large bowl.

2. Add warm water and olive oil. Mix well until dough pull together.

3. On floured surface, knead the dough until smooth and elastic.

4. Put the dough in lightly greased bowl. Coat dough with little oil and cover with a damp cloth.

5. Let the dough rise for 25-30 minutes in warm place.

6. Preheat oven at 450 degree. Punch the dough for 2-3 times after 25 minutes.

7. Grease baking sheet. Place dough on baking sheet, so that its thickness is around 1-inch.

8. Brush olive oil on top of dough.

9. Sprinkle some salt, Parmesan cheese, Pecorino Romano cheese , herbes de provonce, red pepper flakes, tomato slices, and olive slices. Make sure to remove tomato seeds.

9. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

10. Serve warm or room temperature with olive oil and balsamic vinegar on side.

Enjoy...

Top 10 pictures MeMe

My dear friend Meera tagged me for this meme, here's what I think are my top 10 pictures.

1. Gnocchi With Orange Sauce



2. Italian Aaloo Paratha



3. Tawa Taka Tak



4. Schezuan Kimchi Rice



5. Corn Pakora



6. Orzo Pasta Salad



7. Roasted Tomato and Red Bell pepper Soup



8. Creamy Tandoori Mushroom



9. Dhekra



10. Orange Citrus Chocolate Cake



I would love to tag my dear friends :-

Kalai
Cham
Anjali J
Sagari
Homecooked
Easycrafts
Do it only if u are interested..

Enjoy...

Thai Flavored Carrot Soup

Carrot soup is right up there in the list of very famous soups, followed by tomato soup. It is popular all over the world, with every region having their own version. This is Thai flavored carrot soup. Thai flavor comes from lemongrass, coconut milk, and ginger. This soup has some Indian touch as well, with garlic and curry Powder. Roasted carrots make this soup more flavorful. This soup is very rich in texture and spicy in taste.

Ingredients:-

• 1 lb Carrot
  
• 1 Red Onion
  
• 3 Garlic Cloves, chopped
  
• 1 tsp Ginger
  
• 4 cups Vegetable Stock
  
• 1 cup Coconut Milk
  
• 1-1/2 tsp Lemongrass, finely chopped
  
• 5 tbsp Olive Oil
  
• 1 tsp Red Chilli, finely chopped
  
• 1/2 tsp Cumin Powder
  
• 1/4 tsp Red Chili Flakes
  
• 1 tbsp lemon Juice
  
• Salt to Taste
  
• Pepper to Taste
  

Method:-
1. Preheat oven at 400 degree.

2. Peel carrot and cut into small pieces.

3. Season carrot with little oil, salt, and pepper. Roast for 25-30 minutes or until carrots are tender and little golden brown.

4. In the mean time, heat oil in pan. Add onion, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, red chilli, cumin powder, curry powder, and cook for 8-10 minutes on medium-low heat.

5. Cover the pan with lid. Stir occasionally.

6. Add roasted carrot, coconut milk, vegetable stock, and salt. Bring to the boil.

7. Turn down the heat and let it simmer for 35-40 minutes.

8. Pour soup into the blender and blend to smooth.

9. Pour soup back into pan. Add cilantro and lemon juice. Simmer for 3 minutes.

10. Sprinkle some red pepper flacks and serve hot.

Enjoy...