Idli with chicken curry

After long long time i decided to prepare Idli. My friend who is south Indian has been giving me many tips to prepare the fluffiest of all the Idli. I followed her tips and few of my own instinct to achieve the fluffy  Idli.
The basic idea is to ferment the batter. Fermentation requires a warm temperature and few catalyst enzymes. In this episode i used fenugreek as the catalyst and for warm temperature i warmed a bowl of water in the microwave, took it out and then placed the batter inside and allowed it to rise. In around 8 hours i received the excellent rised batter.

kadai chicken curry

This is a quick and very easy chicken curry. It doesn't take much of the ingredients and gets done in no time.

Lets take a quick look.

Peanut And coconut chutney

This is extremly easy chutney recipe. Gets done in no time.

How to grow Methi

The spring is at its best at the moment, weekdays are mixture of both rainy and sunny days. I am loving the nature Here at Karlsruhe a lot. The blooming greenery all around is inspiring. So, inspired from the nature i thought to prepare a very small kitchen garden for my self.

It was last month that i sowed the seeds of Methi(Fenugreek), Dhaniya(Coriander) and Mint. This month i can see them actually growing and budding. The pleasure of growing a plant out of seed is immeasurable. You are always attached with that exciting moment where you wait for the seeds to crack and sprout, then you wait for them to grow into green and finally when they take the shape of the plant you are the happiest in the world.

When i was young my mother used to have a lavish kitchen garden. What not was there in , Okra, Eggplant, French beans, Broad beans, Coriander, Mint, Maize, carrots, peas, Spinach, potatoes and Arhar Daal. 

Infact my mother won many competitions for her best kitchen garden. It was so exciting to gift a bag of garden beans to neighbour, Yes garden can bring you sense of pride and love. It can many times soothe your soul as well. 

Methi is the fastest growing plant. its easy to sow and as well easy to reap.

How i grew methi.

• Soil: Choose the best pot soil for your pot or garden. Methi can be best grown in loamy soil. It also requires a good soil drainage. Choose a sunny place or keep the pot in the sunny area.
• Preparation: Take the regular methi seeds. Soak them overnight in water. Next day drain the water and place the methi in a cotton towel or in a piece of cotton cloth. keep the cloth moist and place this in a dark place in your house for germination. In one day you can see the sprouts coming up, its now the time to introduce them to the soil.
• Place the methi seeds in the pot. do not overcrowd the pot. On the top of the seed lay a layer of soil. sprinkle water and wait the shoots to come up in a day or two.
• Water the pot or the soil everyday. Do not water too much. The basic idea is to keep the soil moist but not soggy.
• Wait and watch within a week you will see that the methi have grown to a 1 inch plant.
• Allow them to grow for a month and then start harvesting.

Enjoy Gardening....

BY- Sushmita Pandit
How to prepare methi Parotha, Flat Methi breads

Aloo Chat

Last month it was my Son's birthday and as a starter i prepared Aloo chat for our guest. It was a hit for the day and my guests thoroughly enjoyed this food.

Let me give you a bit of more insight about aloo chat . Aloo chat is the most enjoyed street food of India. Made with potatoes, bit of chick peas and then dazzled with yogurt ,few chutneys and fried Bhujiyas. This food has got the capacity to water your mouth with just a mere look at it (Only if you know how good it tastes).

Chicken Seekh Kabab

Merry Christmas. This festive season is turning me all lazy. Its so difficult to get up from bed these days. I find this winter more colder than the last years . The shopping season is about to end and i have grabbed all desired stuffs in discounts. 

The exchange of Christmas gifts with friends is happening almost everyday. My son is totally loving the Christmas tree at our house and is amazed with the ornaments and lighting on it.

Curry Würstchen(Sausage curry)

Its Christmas time and the place where i live in Germany is all set  with Christmas market. All over the market area theres lots of innovative lighting show that has been placed. This looks absolutely amazing.
In my visit to Christmas market i focused mainly on the food. Apart from Gluwien(Hot seasoned red wine) and Kinderpunch(mix fruit juices for kids) sausages are major consumed food during this season.

Prawn- 65

I know its long time since i have been back on my blog. But this time i bring to you a wonderful recipe of Prawn, which is known as Prawn-65. Chicken 65 is more popular but i must say that prawn-65 is none the less in taste. This is quite a simple recipe and also a quick one.

Suppengrün suppe Rezept(Karroten, Lauch, Sellerie, Petersilie) Soup Recipe

Supermarkets in Germany often sells Suppengrun in their vegetable counter. I was quite fascinated with this combo whenever i strolled through the market. Last day i bought this combo to prepare the soup. I would like to tell you all that my soup turned out superb and super delicious. Here's the recipe of this tasty and highly nutritious soup :

Serves- 4
Preparation time- 10 minutes
Cooking time- 20 minutes
Total time- 30 minutes

Ingredients:

•  Carrot- 2, chopped
• Leek- sliced
• Celery- chopped
• Potato- 2, large, peeled and chopped
• Butter- 1 Tbsp
• Salt as per taste
• Pepper- 2 Tsp
• Petersilie/ Parsley
• Cream/ Sahne

Direction:

• Heat butter in the boiling pot.
• Add all the vegetables except parsley. Season with salt.
• Saute until they are half cooked.
• Add 500ml of water. cover and let it boil for 15 minutes until everything is done.
• Once it is done turn off the heat. Mash the vegetables with the help of blender or once it cools you can grind them in the mixer grinder.
• turn on the heat once again, add the cream and mix well once again. Finally turn off the heat. Sprinkle freshly crushed pepper.
• Sprinkle the chopped parsley and serve.

Serve hot with Baguette or any bread of your choice.

Enjoy !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. 

Happy cooking.

By- Sushmita Pandit

Black Forest Cake - Halloween Special

Its Halloween time. My cake isn't so scary but it suits well with the mood of Halloween. Yes i prepared the black forest cake for my son. It tastes same as what people get in CCD back home. Here's the recipe to this mouth watering , lovely cake.