Savoury Treats

Was feeling like to eat something savoury after the Carrot halwa...so decided to make the Ribbon (pakoda) ...mom used to prepare this often back home...She used to fill up big big dabbas(boxes) with ribbon pakoda and we munched it during the summer vacation...'crunch- crunch', 'munch munch' ....How soon the time changed... now i have started preparing this for my kids and they are enjoying "crunch and munch" part of it...

Ingredients for making Ribbon Pakoda or Muruku:

• Bengal Gram Flour - 3 cups
• Rice Flour - 2 cups
• Red Chili Powder - 1 Teaspoon
• Salt - 1Tea spoon
• Sesame seeds - 1 Teaspoon
• Cumin Seeds - 1 Teaspoon
• Butter - 2 Tablespoon (room temperature)
• Asafotedia - 1/2 Teaspoon

Method for making Ribbon Pakoda(Murukku):

Step 1: Heat Oil in deep frying.

Step 2:Mean time , add all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix well, sprinkle water and make a smooth dough...

Step 3: Once the oil is ready to be deep fried... Pass the dough through the pakoda nazhi to the oil and let it cook.. once it turn to nice golden color . Remove from Oil and strain the excess oil to a tissue.

Step 4: Let it cool. Ready to be served.

Step 5: Continue the same process till the dough finishes. Cool and store in an airtight container.

This can be done in large quantity and stored (i made six cups) (lot of ribbon pakodas...)...can be served as snacks for tea time or can be munched upon just like that.

Carrot Halwa

Carrot Halwa......Yum Yum...
Ingredients for making Carrot Halwa:
Fresh grated Carrots - 6 medium sized or grated 4 cups
pistachios - a few (to garnish)
Cashew Nuts - a few (to garnish)
Raisins - a few (to garnish)
Milk - 4 cups
Sugar -2 cups
Cardamoms- 4
Clarified Butter - 4 Table spoons
Food Color(orange)- a small pinch(optional)

Method for making Carrot Halwa:
Step 1: Wash and Peel the carrots and grate them finely (hard way) or grind them to fine pieces (easy way).
Step 2: Heat a deep skillet add 1 Table spoon of Clarified Butter and fry the Cashew nuts, raisins and remove them to a bowl.
Step 3: In the same Skillet add the Grated Carrots in medium heat and fry till they become soft and reduce in size.
Step 4: Add other ingredients to it Milk, Food Color, Sugar, Cardamom and mix nicely and cook stirring in between, till the ingredients reduce in quantity and form ball shape..in middle of the skillet . This takes approx 45 minutes (slow cooking).
Step 5: Add the remaining Clarified Butter,Cashew nuts, Raisins,Pistachios and mix nicely.
Step 6: Remove from Heat and this Ready to serve. Can serve this warm or cold...according to individuals taste.

This Carrot Halwa will be good if refrigerated... for at least a week....
I normally make Carrot Halwa...in bulk and refrigerate it.. and give this as snacks to my kiddo...
he loves it and i am happy that he is eating veggies(carrots) for snacks....

The sweetest part is Usha of Veg Inspirations has given me a friendship award and

Thank you so much Usha, I am truly honoured. I would like to pass this award to

Rashmi of Delhi Belle

Sagari of Indian Cooking

Jujubs of My Creative Corner

Vidhya of My Reciepes

The second one is Cooking Station passed me the Magic Lamp of Luck

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Homemade Ghee

Ghee or Clarified Butter is used in most of the Indian dishes.. especially the home made ghee's fragrance adds to the richness of any dish. Few years before i used to buy store brought ghee ....but now have learnt to make ghee from butter .. so now a days... make homemade ghee...( i make it at home... just for the fragrance of it)


I used 2 pkt of Kirkland brand Unsalted Sweet Cream Butter from Costco (16 OZ ) each












Method for making Clarified ghee from Butter:

Step 1: Heat a large Pot/Pan, add the butter, melt it in medium heat.Stirring occasionally..

Step 2: When the melted butter boils a scum will be formed (creamish white) in color,continue the heating process...The scum will start to settle to the bottom of the pan or pot and the ghee will begin to clear.

Step 3: The scum will turn out to nice golden brown and fragrance of fresh ghee will come. The ghee is ready. Remove it from heat, let it cool. Once it cools strain and separate the ghee from scum and store the ghee in an airtight clean container.

The Ghee will last fresh for over 6 months with out any problem. We can also refrigerate it.

Notes: Making Ghee is very easy and simple..But takes lot of time. Do not fasten the process by increasing the heat, the ghee needs to be slow cooked...

The whole procedure took me about 45 minutes.

What next... Oh, yes the Tag...Veda murthy of Iyengar's kitchen tagged me from Kai Kriye art blog.

The rules are:

"At the end of the post, the player then tags 5 or 6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read my blog".Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answers."-

1.What was I doing ten years ago?

Studying in Chennai,India.

2. Five things on Today's "To do" list

To do laundry
Post at least one new post in my food blog and answer the tag
Clean up my vegetable garden
Help my son ( 2 yr old) to gift wrap few presents... for the weekends birthday party
To download the photos from my camera or card reader
3.I am addicted to :
browsing the Internet
playing with my two sons( 2 yr old) and (3 months old )
and now a days blogging......
4.Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
Will do lot of Travel...with my family..visit places.(world tour).. enjoy all the best things in life... do some charity....will give best education to my kids... and save some for my future and my family future....



5. Places i have lived:
Madhya Pradesh - India
Tamil Nadu - India
and now in California - U.S.A

I pass on this tag to Cham, Usha, Priti, Rekha,Shreya and Trupti

Banana Pancakes

Banana Pancakes

Ingredients for making Banana Pancakes:

• Wheat flour - 1 1/4 Th cup
• All Purpose Flour (maida)- 3/4 Th cup
• Baking Soda -3/4 Th teaspoon
• Sugar- 1 1/2 Th teaspoon
• Salt -1/4 Th teaspoon
• Buttermilk - 1 1/2 cups
• Butter - 3 tablespoon (melted)
• Bananas ripe - 2 ( cuts in to small rounds)

Method for making Banana Pancake:

Step 1: In a bowl mix the dry ingredients all purpose flour, wheat flour, baking soda, salt and sugar.

Step 2: In another bowl whisk butter and buttermilk and add the dry ingredients to it and still till the batter is nicely moistened.

Step 3: Pour a ladle of batter to a medium sized skillet over medium heat and then arrange the cut bananas over it ( 3 to 4 pieces) on the pancakes and cook till they are done (approx 5 minutes)

Step 4: Turn and cook till the bottom part turns to nice brown in color.

Step 5 :Remove the pancake from the skillet, repeat the same till the batter is finished.

These Banana Pancakes can be served warm for breakfast with Butter and Maple Syrup. Its a big hit with kids.

Apple,Banana & Carrot Pudding (ABC Halwa)

Apple,Banana,Carrot Pudding (Halwa)

Ingredients for making Pudding (Halwa):

• 1 cup of Peeled and Chopped Apple
• 1 cup of Chopped Banana
• 1 cup Peeled and Grated Carrot
• 1 cup Milk or half a cup Milk Powder
• 1 cup Shredded Coconut
• 3/4Th cup Ghee(Clarified Butter)
• 2 cups of Sugar
• 4 Cardamoms
• 6 Cashew nuts

Method for making Pudding (Halwa):

Step 1 : Grind the grated carrots and milk to a smooth paste.

Step 2: Mix all the ingredients together except Ghee (Clarified Butter).

Step 3: Heat them and mix them thoroughly, till the mixture forms a single mass.

Step 4: Now add Ghee, Cardamom Powder and mix well till the Ghee oozes out.

Step 5: Remove from Heat and Garnish with Cashews.Ready to Serve.