Garam Masala Fried Rice

I am a true lover of garam masala. Not the ones that we get prepacked from the store. I am talking about the one that amma roasts at home and grinds fresh. Its got a unique flavor and aroma which the store bought ones can never acquire. Without doubt the first thing that I asked her when I started preparations to leave to the US was half kgs each of her homemade masala powders and an extra half kg of her garam masala. Now whenever I grab the garam masala powder from my pantry to flavor my curries, I always remember her and her varutharacha kozhi kuzhambu. It always tops my list of favorites and it can be made right by no-one else other than amma.

My love for garam masala is what made me to add the flavor to this fried rice and we totally loved it. If you are not in deep love with the spices then you can reduce the amount to 1/2 teaspoon or you could totally skip it. But then it would just be another regular fried rice.

Prep time: 10 mins; Cook time: 15 mins; Serves: 2-3 ~*What U Need*~ Cooked Basmati rice - 2 cups Onions - 1/2 cup, finely chopped Carrots - 1, finely chopped Beans - 6-7, finely chopped Cabbage - 1/2 cup, finely chopped Spring onions - a handful, chopped Salt, Pepper Oil - 1 tsp Low sodium soy sauce - 1 tsp Garam masala - 1 tsp How I Made it: Heat oil in a pan. Add the onions and saute till brown. Add in the chopped vegtables and saute till tender but crisp. Season with salt and pepper. Add the soy sauce followed by the garam masala. Once the raw smell goes off, add the spring onions and fry for 1 minute. Add the cooled rice and mix well.

Serve warm with any indo-chinese starters!!!

So thats it Folks...
With Love,

Signs off!!!

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Cabbage fritters / bajji

I am addicted to any kind of bajjis(cauliflower, raw banana, onions, anything). Give me a plateful and I would settle down speechless with a hot cup of chai. When amma had to leave immediately due to personal emergency and when I was left with a whole kg of cabbage and when the huss got bored of the repeating cabbage thorans, I was left with no other option but to find a frying alternative for the rest. That is when I came up with this idea. These make a perfect snack / side dish. Another bajji recipe into my kitty.

I had this as an accompaniment for curd rice for lunch box. Was done with the cooking in half an hour. So you can rely on this combo when you are in a hurry.

~*What U Need*~
Cabbage(chopped) - 1 cup
Gram flour - 3 tablespoons
Rice flour - 1 1/2 tablespoon
Corn flour - 1 tablespoon (Added to give crispiness)
Chilli powder - as needed
Salt - to taste
Baking soda - 1/4 teaspoon
Oil - to fry

How I Made it:
Mix all the above ingredients and marinate for 10 minutes. Deep fry in oil. Place in paper towel, drain the excess oil and serve hot with tomato ketchup.

So thats it Folks...
With Love,

Signs off!!!

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Red Cabbage Mixed Salad

As I had already mentioned I am a diehard fan of any kinda salads these days. I prefer having a refreshing bowl of salad and a glass of fruit juice to the daily dinner menu. And huss also joins hands with me these days. So we just go chop!! chop!!
Making salads has given me the option to explore many un-tried veggies, fruits and salad dressings. I just play with all the ingredients in hand and am enjoying it.
One such veggie is the red cabbage. I have seen red cabbage many times but was not sure what to do with it and hence usually ignored it. But after I read a few articles on its usage in salad, I grabbed some when I went for my next grocery shopping.

~*What U Need*~

Red cabbage(cut into chunks) – 1 cup
Boiled corn kernels – ¼ cup
White cabbage(cut into chunks) – ½ cup
Cucumber(de-seeded and cut into chunks) – ¼ cup
Tomato(Medium) - 1
Carrot(julienned) – ¼ cup
Capsicum(julienned) – ¼ cup
Pitted black olives – 2 tbsp

For the Salad Dressing
Apple cider Vinegar – 1 tsp
Mayonnaise – 2 tbsp
Olive oil – 2 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Pepper – a pinch

How I made it

De-seed and dice the tomato into cubes.
Add all the ingredients mentioned and give it a stir.

Refreshing bowl of salad is ready.

Serve immediately. Sit back and enjoy!!!

Though the name suggests Red cabbage, I would say that the overall color of the veggie falls under Purple. So off this goes to Food Palatte Series Purple held at Torview

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Green salad with Sweet Corn and Olives | Awards Again

I am obsessed with salads these days. I go to any restaurants and you see me looking at the salad recipes available. Nothing can beat a fresh refreshing salad with a homemade simple dressing in one hand and “Confessions of a Shopaholic” in the other hand :). This is one of my favie mainly because it includes sweet corn and olives.

~* What U Need*~
Cabbage – ½ cup
Lettuce leaves - 10
Green capsicum – ¼ cup
Boiled Corn kernels – ½ cup
Pitted black olives – 2 tbsp
Apple cider Vinegar – 1 tbsp
Mayonnaise – 2 tbsp
Olive oil – 2 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Pepper – a pinch
Red wine – 1 tbsp (optional)

How I Made It
Chop the cabbage, lettuce and green capsicum to a not so big or not so small size.
In a large bowl, add the chopped veggies, olives, vinegar, mayonnaise, olive oil, salt, pepper and red wine.


Give it a stir.
Serve immediately. Sit back and relish the freshness.

We had this with a glass of fig n honey milkshake and it was divine.

Now moving on to the awards...
Shoba of FoodMazaa passed on her very own Food Mazaa award and Ambreen of Simply Sweet N Savory again passed on this award.

Akila of Learning to Cook passed on the participation award for the event - Dish Name starts with 'G'

Jabeen of Jabeen's corner passed on a whole bunch of awards.

Ambreen of Simply Sweet N Savory has passed on a whole basket of awards :)... Thanks sweetie...

Snegithi of En Iniya Illam shared this cool award...

Thanks a lot dearies and I apologize for taking such a long time to post all the awards. All these awards mean a lot to me.
I have already penned moused down 7 crazy facts about me here.

The rules of the Awards are ..
1) Accept, and post them on ur blog with the link to the person who gave it to u.
2) Pass it to 15 other blogger friends to keep the ball rolling.
3) Let the nominated person know about his/her award

And now... whew.... the difficult part. Passing on the awards to fellow bloggers...
I would like to give it to...

Geetha of En Samayal Araiyil
Preety of Preety's kitchen
Cook from Doha of Experiments with taste
South Indian Home
Love2cook
Aruna of Veggie Paradise
Nandhini of Nandhini's food
Priya sreeram of Bon Appetit
TreatNTrick
Jeyashri of Jeyashri's kitchen
Prathima of Prats corner
Ammu Mohan of Rasi's Veg Bites
Menaga of Sashiga
Saraswathi of Saras's Kitchen
Ananda of A pinch of Love

I am sorry but I am limited to numbers... But everyone of my dear blogger friends deserve these awards... Next time I am not gonna pick names... I have decided guys...

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