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Showing posts with label blog. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blog. Show all posts

{recipe} Clear vegetable soup

I like my soup to be chunky, dont like it completely smooth. And one soup I love is the clear vegetable soup. I remember having a version of this in Cascade years ago. Last month one day I stood staring into the veg tray for  a few minutes, shut the fridge and repeated the same once again.  I gave up! I had 2 carrots, a small piece of cabbage, 1 onion, 1 potato, handful of fresh peas, 1 tiny bit of zucchini, 1 tomato and a small piece of tofu. I broke my head for a while and finally a lightbulb moment happened. I decided to make the soup for dinner and have it with 2 slices of multi grain bread. 


Ingredients 
2 tsp olive oil
1/4 cup cabbage
1 onion 
2 carrots 
1 potato
1/4 cup peas 
1 tomato
1/4 zucchini
50-60 grams tofu 
1 liter water
Salt
Black pepper
2 cloves of Garlic
1 tsp vinegar



Method


1. Chop all the veggies into cubes and set aside. 
2. In a pan, add oil, saute the onions, garlic for a few minutes and then add the rest of the chopped veggies and saute them for 3-4 mins
3. Add water and allow it to come to a boil, cooking the veggies [if you want you can pre-cook the potato and peas]
4.  Once the vegetables are all cooked, take a tbsp of the same and puree. 
5. Add puree back to the boiling vegetables in water and let it simmer
6. Add salt and black pepper along with vinegar [this gives it a nice kick] and finally add the tofu. Let it boil for a minute and turn off stove

Your soup is now ready to be served!! 

Options:
You can add any vegetable you can get your hands on- cauliflower, broccoli, beans, zucchini, mushrooms,pumpkin, squash, boiled chickpeas etc etc
You can also add an egg at the end- crack open the egg and drizzle from a height, and stir-  this becomes an egg drop soup :D
You can infact add a few spinach leaves if you have them [ quite like the change in colour]
You can make the same with meat as well 
If you like it spicy and with heat, add few chopped red chillies 
To make it a better meal, you can toss in some boiled noodles/pasta/macarooni
Similarly, a bay leaf will boost the soup's flavour

As you can see, sky is the limit when it comes to soups!! 
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[Recipe] Spinach Daal


What you need:

Spinach: 2 cups

Onion: 2

Green chillies: 2

Cooked green gram dal/moong dal: 1/2 cup

Tamarind: 1 small sized ball

Tomato: 2

Urad dal: 1/2 tsp(for tempering)

Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp(for tempering)

Oil - as much as you need

Salt- to taste

Curry leaves - 4-6

Taken on mobile- BB

Method-

In a pan, heat oil and add mustard, urad dal and curry leaves. to this, add the chopped onions and green chillies. When they turn to a golden brown, add the chopped spinach and fry well for a couple of mins.

Put a pan and the green dal to cook in it, once that is done, add to the fried spinach and onion along with the tamarind(that has been soaked in water n strained), chopped tomato and salt. Boil for about five minutes..

If you want, you can grind the spinach.. but i like spinach as it is.. and it sure tastes yummy with Roti and Steamed rice.. enjoy~~~

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The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Chennai


S: Have you been to it yet? I have, it is huge and so many shops. Only about 1/3rd are open. Do make a visit. 
Me: But it is so far off. I have to spend like half a day if I wanna visit. 

Cut to few days later... 
F: Hey, How about we visit the place before we head to dinner?
Av: Sounds good
Me: Super, that sounds like a plan
F: let us meet there at 6:30pm, spend about an hour and head over to Tadka Talk for dinner meet. 
Av & Me: Roger that! 



So, that fateful Thursday  I headed out of home around 5.30 pm and thought I was going to make it there by 7 which would mean I barely had time to look around as dinner was planned for 7.15. But luckily, there was no traffic beyond North Usman road and I made it by 6.15. Yayy!! 

Curious to know where I was headed? Phoenix Market City Mall, Velachery! Those who know me, know I am not a mall person, and the only reason I visit a mall would be for the Book store, a movie or to meet friends. I am not into shopping at all. 

So, this day, at Phoenix, I entered, spoke to F and Av, who were already there, got directions that dint really help because they had approached the place from a different entry. Decided to just take a chance, hopped on the escalator, walked down the 1st floor and there it was- "The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf" cafe. It was a small cafe, located right across from Rajdhani [which is tucked away inside a left], and looked quite cozy. 

"Founded in 1963, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf® is the oldest and largest privately-held chain of specialty coffee and tea stores in the United States. With a reputation for excellence, the company is a leader in product innovations, having developed the original Ice Blended® beverage."



Av was already there sipping on tea, F said he was full, and so I went ahead and ordered a Peach Iced tea. The place is fairly small, can seat about 20-25 people max. There were a few others and I also spotted a few tuned into their laptops. The furniture is all brown, wooden, and has a very earthy feel to it. I waited, and waited, and then went to the counter only to be told the waiter had forgotten my order. The manager took over and made sure I got my Iced tea in a few minutes. Chatted with him and came to know he was in the Bangalore outlet and had been sent to Chennai to train and get the place going. 


While we walked out, we couldn't help it, we had to pause and oggle at the muffins and cheese cake. They were huge, and looked divine. But then, we were headed to dinner, so with a promise of repeat visit we left, making our way to the parking lot.


The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf,
1st Floor, Phoenix Marketcity,
Velachery Main Road,
Chennai – 600 042.
Tel. No: 044 30083411

Disclaimer:
The reviews posted on this blog are based on my personal experience. Also remember that restaurants and eat outs sometimes change with time, so does their food and service. So, kindly consider these factors while visiting the places. Remember, no two palates are the same. Bon Appétit  :-)
reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Thirsty Thursday... Long Island Iced Tea

Yet another drink I enjoy is the "Long Island Iced Tea" . Was introduced to this by a friend at TGIF, Bangalore.  It so happened that the time we landed there was Happy Hours, and so we each got 2 drinks for the price of 1. I quite enjoyed the Long Island Iced Tea but it was a huge glass, and we spent nearly 4-6 hours there-  talking, catching up,eating, drinking, trying to finish 1 drink before moving on to another.. I recall she ordered something different, equally big and heavy.. It was fun.. 


I've had this drink in many other places, and it tastes the same, but comes in glasses of different shapes and sizes. At 10Downing Street and Fusion 9, it comes in a regular glass, but somewhere else [I forgot where], it came in a beautiful tall glass [like the one Cream center uses for their Iced Tea and it is a tall glass indeed]


From the 1st sip, I was curious what the drink had. And i managed to dig out this image I have saved on my Hard drive on how the Long Island Iced tea is made.. ;o) There is another drink called Long Island Beach Tea, but the ingredient[s] are tad different and I dint really like the taste of it.


And for those of you who follow The Big Bang Theory, this is one howlarious episode...



Submitting this for the Thirsty Thursday theme from Chennai Bloggers Club
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Haji Ali once again...

It was 28th January 2013. How do i remember the date so well? It was the day I got the Tata Indica Vista D90 for review :D


 That evening piled the family into the car, and we did a drive around the city, the marina beach, a quick bite at Vrindavan, New Woodlands and finally for desserts headed to Haji Ali on Greams Road. This place had a lot of memories for all of us.. The most recent being of friends landing here after dinner while I had to head back home. And they kept sharing pictures of stuff they ordered and dug into.. grrr... 

We walked in, found a table empty near the counter and started browsing through the menu card, wondering what to order. I wanted to try something different. 


While we were pondering over what to order, I spotted an entire order of Falooda waiting to be served to another table. Requested the guys behind the counter to allow me to take a photograph :D




And finally, we placed our order and waited....Here is Gramma's Strawberries and ice cream[ she had actually wanted cream but ordered ice cream]

 d I chose the Fresh Anjeer shake 

and finally Mom's Dry fruits Falooda, 

What a fun evening it turned out to be... as always.. To read about my 1st visit to Haji ali, click here


Service: Quite prompt- 8/10
Ambiance- Cosy and comfortable -9/0
Cost- Reasonable - these costed Rs268 [approx]

Location-
Haji Ali Juice Centre 
85B, Murugesa Naikar Complex,
Greams Road. 
Call             (044) 28292220       or 28292227 for details or home delivery.
and
Haji Ali juice Center
#124 Sterling Point, Near Bharathirajaa Speciality Hospital & Research Centre, 
G N Chetty Road, T Nagar, Chennai - 600017
Call             (044)-28342704      ,28342705,28342706
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Dario's once more...

And there i was, back at Dario's for a dinner. You can read my previous review here

This time with the CFG gang and Suresh Cumar [ the man behind Dario's Chennai] was also with us tonight. Instead of doing another detailed review, am going to do a photo feature with a one liner on each of the dishes..


Focaccia Bread with Sun dried tomato dip/sauce- This is served complimentary and are quite flavorful.



Antipasto Siciliano -A fun platter- Olives, olives stuffed with red chillies, gorgonzola cheese, pickled onions, sauteed Italian vegetables, Brinjal cooked the Sicilian way and sun dried tomatoes- We all loved the cheese, it was stinky but we couldnt get enough of it. 

Funshi Darios- Whole roasted Mushrooms with lemon, garlic, parsley & olive oil- I loved this, even though garlic was strong.


Assorted Bruschetta platter- 2 with gorgonzola cheese, and 2 with Sundried tomato paste- The Cheese ones won hands down. 


This was another platter of Bruschetta- with sauteed zucchini, olive paste and tomato & basil- I quite liked the zucchini ones]

hey, wait a minute, we were offered 2 kinds of salads, damn, forgot to take pictures of them.. One was Aranciazola [Mixed salad leaves with orange slices, gorgonzola, olives and herbs] . The 2nd salad was   Verdure Grigalate [Warm mixed vegetables- baby potatos, colour peppers,zucchini, carrots and onion] 


Polpette Di Spinaci e Formatggio -- Spinach & Fresh cheese balls served with spinach cream dip -- We had this last time as well, i loved the starter but wish it was served with a spicier dip.


Pizza Carduni- Mozerella cheese, Artichoke, Broccoli, Mushroom, garlic, Olives an sun dried tomatoes - Loved it, the pizza stood still when you held it and dint wilt like a dried up flower.


 Pizza Stromboli-Mozzarella, red chilli, spinach, red peppers and sun dried tomatoes-- Personally, i loved this one-

During the course of the evening, we were all suddenly talking about Tea when Suresh mentioned they had a Morrocan mint which was quite good. Well, yes, we ordered some and between us had quite a few cups of the tea. And then, he also said they had Blackcurrant tea. Ta da, I wanted it, i love the flavour and quite enjoyed the tea. but Blackcurrant tea is not something you can have cups and cups of, it is quite strong. So, if you are at Dario's,, do try the Morrocan Mint, you will not regret and will come back to Thank me! This image is of the Blackcurrrant tea :)

Ok, moving ahead, here are the main courses that we got to sample..


Risotto al funghi Porchini- Risotto made with porchini mushrooms- It was creamy and simple flavours


Risotto Siciliano- Risotto cooked with tomato sauce, red chilli,aubergines, oregano,capers and cheese: This felt very Indian, maybe because of the tomato base.


Ravioli Kamarina- Ravioli stuffed with spinach& cheese served on a bed of tomato sauce cooked with peas , chickpeas, rosemary and cream- It was quite good, i am not a great fan of Ravioli but the texture here was light and soft.


Tortellini Formaggi &Funghi- Pasta Parcels stuffed with mushroom & cheese served in Cheese sauce- I love mushrooms and so liked it, but not a big fan of white sauce[gets heavy on the tummy]

Fusili Vitale-- Fusili tossed with fresh tomatoes,sundried tomato, garlic and mushrooms- It was good, but nothing new as i make pasta quite often at home.


Crepelle Al Funghi- Baked pancakes with mushrooms, garlic, cheese, tomatoes and peas- Creamy and rich, crepes filled with veggies, dint try it last night as i had this last time around :)

Moving on, we were served not one or two, but 4 desserts, of which 2 I loved and others were Ok... not my cuppa tea.


Erupting Chocolate- Well, it was like the molten chocolate cake, you cut in and out oozes rich chocolate sauce. If you are a chocaholic, go for it. 

No prizes for guessing- Tiramisu- However, this one tasted very different, and Suresh mentioned it was eggless. 

Where are the other 2? Patience... I have saved the best for last... Remember the song? yes, well, here it is, the dishes that stood out amongst the others, the ones that still lingers in my mind... What is it? Read on... 

 Risottoragli Asaparagi- Risotto cooked with Asparagus, cream and cheese- Oh man, this was divine. you could taste the richness, the flavour and there were so many different textures. It was the highlight of the evening for many of us. :-)

Panna Cotta- A simple dessert served with Blueberry preserve and thin slices of apple- every spoonful was heavenly


The Lemon cheesecake- Hubba hubba hubba.. This one sure is a winner.. The lime flavour comes out so beautifully, it sings a song in your mouth :-)

As i bid adieu, it was one awesome evening with Friends, Food and an ambiance that oozed with FUN...

You can read my earlier review here

Highlights at Dario's
  • It is a pure vegetarian restaurant
  • There is a lovely indoor and outdoor seating area
  • They are open till 11pm... 
  • There are plans to launch corporate lunch packages with a set menu[ for large groups] priced around Rs650
  • The desserts are eggless, even the Tiramisu.. 
A meal for 2 should cost around Rs1000 - 1500... 

Dario's Address:
#11, Kasturi Rangan Road,
2nd Street,
Teynampet,
Chennai- 600018
Ph:             044-4919 3333      
URL: http://www.darios.in [you can not only read about the restaurant, but also see the detailed menu]
Landmark: Next to Ashwini Hospital [1st right after the Russian Cultural Centre]

Disclaimer:
The reviews posted on this blog are based on my personal experience. Also remember that restaurants and eat outs sometimes change with time, so does their food and service. So, kindly consider these factors while visiting the places. Remember, no two palates are the same. Bon Appétit  :-)
reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Eggless Banana Cake in a jiffy

There we were, kinda bored and wondering what to do when our gramma muttered "there are too many bananas here, next time buy just 5-6, dont buy a dozen, see they have all started becoming black"...And the next instant, my cousin L was on her laptop hunting for another cousin's mother-in-law's blog where she had read a Banana Cake recipe.... Within minutes, she had found the blog and the recipe. Reading out the ingredients, we discovered most of them were already available at home.. I was heading out for a bit and so we decided to bake the cake once i got back home.... 

The weighing scale

I strode in around 4.15 and we got to prepping for the cake by 4.30. Laid out all the ingredients on the dining table, pre heated the oven, greased the baking bowls and were all set to get the cake mix ready.



The Eggless Banana cake [ Recipe from here]

Ingredients:
All Purpose Flour- 140 gms
Baking Powder- 2 tsp
Baking Soda- 1/2 tsp
Condensed Milk (sweetened)- 200 gms
Melted Butter- 70 gms
Vanilla Extract- 1 tsp (optional)
Very Ripe Bananas- 2 (Peeled weight 200 gms)
Water- 60 ml
Almonds- 10- chop into small pieces
Baking pan 7″ x 5″ x 2″




Method:

  • Preheat oven to 200 De Centigrade.
  • Peel and mash the bananas with a fork and keep aside. DO NOT use mixer to mash.
  • Sift together flour and baking soda and powder. Add the chopped nuts and mix well. Add melted butter, condensed milk, Vanilla essence and mashed bananas. Mix well. Add water little by little to form an uniform batter.
  • Transfer to greased pan and tap to level. Bake at 200 degrees C for about 50 minutes. The cake is done when it begins to leave the sides of the pan. Remove from oven and leave in pan for 5 minutes. 
  • Then separate from pan and turn on to a cooling rack
 

We baked the cake in a round mould and it came out delicious.. The top was a thin crust, while the center was soft and filled with favour... Proud of our baking skills, we went ahead and baked another batch, half of which travelled with me by A/C bus to Chennai and a tiny slice is all that is left...!!

Next time, i am going to try the same recipe with Strawberries or apples... ;-)


reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Hunger pangs and an Eggless Strawberry Yogurt Cake


I was feeling like a snack, but it was one where i wanted to eat fruits. I opened and stood in front of the fridge for a few minutes, discovered a box of chopped papaya and a box of fresh strawberries. Had a light bulb moment, why not i make something with the strawberries, milk/yoghurt and maida at home. And for some reason, was in the mood to bake. There flew my urge for a snack. 


I started looking on the net for simple interesting recipes, when i stumbled upon the Eggless Strawberry Yoghurt cake on my friend Saffrontrail’s blog. That was it, it looked mighty easy, and i had all the ingredients, but jam [which i could pick up from the store a minute away from home]

Here is the recipe from her blog:

Ingredients
¾ cup yogurt
¼ cup milk (i used regular milk )
¼ cup rice bran oil ( i used cooking oil, dint have rice bran at home)
¾ cup sugar
2 generous tablespoons of strawberry or mixed fruit jam (mixed fruit jam it was)
1 tsp Strawberry essence or mixed fruit essence (had to settle for vanilla extract 1 tsp)
1.5 cups all purpose flour OR 1 cup AP flour + ½ cup whole wheat flour (atta)
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
Pinch of salt

Roughly 1 cup finely diced strawberries [ I set aside a few berries for decoration but ended up eating them as the cake baked :-) ]
Handful of tutti-frutty (optional- i dint have these either)



Directions
In one bowl, whisk the oil, yogurt, milk, sugar and jam.
In another big bowl, sieve the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Make a well. Add the whisked wet ingredients. Fold until they come together.
*Note: Over enthusiastic beating / whisking is better avoided.
Towards the end, fold in chopped berries and tutti-fruity.

A small variation here:
Saffrontrail recommends baking in oven, now i again had only a microwave and have baked a eggless chocolate cake earlier, which turns out delicious every time. So, going with my gut feel, decided to try the same for this cake as well and must say, not disappointed. The cake was yummy, a tad dry in the middle [wonder why] but otherwise soft and bursting with strawberry flavour….

I used a microwave proof glass bowl, and baked it for 8minutes on high.. :-)

If you have an oven [lucky you, follow the below mentioned steps to bake the cake]
Scrape the batter into the greased tin / silicon mould and bake at 180 C for around 45-55 minutes, checking with a tester if it comes out clean.
After 10 minutes, un-mould and cool on a wire rack.

Finally, cut into wedges, dust with icing sugar and serve with tea/coffee or just devour it as a dessert. 


Bon Apettit... 
reade more... Résuméabuiyad