Quick Pasta

Pasta (Italian pasta, from Latin pasta "dough, pastry cake", from Greek παστά (pasta) "barley porridge" is a generic term for foods made from an unleavened dough of flour and water or eggs and water, and sometimes a combination of egg and flour.


Pasta is categorized in two basic styles: dried and fresh. Dried pasta made without eggs can be stored for up to two years under ideal conditions, while fresh pasta will keep for a couple of days in the refrigerator

What we now know as "pasta" originated in Italy. While many different cultures ate some sort of noodle-like food, composed mostly of grain, the key characteristics of pasta are durum wheat semolina, with a high gluten content, made with a technique that allows the resultant dough to be highly malleable. Thus, the many different shapes (i.e., ziti, spaghetti, ravioli) that characterize "pasta." South of Europe, in Arab North Africa, a food similar to pasta has been eaten for centuries: cous-cous

While the only basic difference between these names is the shape of the pasta, each pasta is typically matched with a particular sauce based on cooking time, consistency, ability to hold sauce, ease of eating, etc

Information source : Wikipedia.org

For More Information and Types of Pasta  : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pasta

Like all the Food Lovers i too love to watch cookery shows. i saw this recipe in Vijay TV.

Posting this for Think spice - Think Red Chillies Event and Sunita's Blog Think Spice Event

Quick Pasta

Ingredients
Pasta - 1/2 cup

chilli powder - 2 - 3 tsp

garlic - 1 clove finely chopped

canola oil - 1-1/2 tbsp

salt to taste

Method

Boil Water with salt in a Skillet.  Drop pasta and cover it and wait  for 3-4 minutes. Pasta will be cooked, Drain the excess water. This is how i cooked. Check the instructions on ur pasta pack before u start,

Heat oil in kadai, splutter jeera/cumin seeds, add garlic and cook Keep the flame low. Add pasta and add chilli powder. check the salt.

cook for 2 minutes or until its all well combined

Serve it with some shredded cheese or simply with some Tomato sauce.

Red Chilli Thokku

lanned to make pesarttu for dinner today. When it comes to this idly, dosas the side dish is always a big thinking!!!

I was checking Kitchen chronicles and Think Spice - Think Red Chillies, caught my eye. Headed straight to my kitchen and got this chutney ready for dinner and also for the blog.

Ingredients

15-20 round red chillies

small lemon size tamarind
1 clove of garlic
1/4 tsp hing
2-3 tbsp jaggery
2 tbsp gingley oil.
salt to taste

Method

Grind red chillies, tamarind, garlic, hing and salt to a fine paste using little water.

Heat Gingely oil in a kadai, splutter mustard seeds, add the chilli paste.
Keep the flame low. When the mixture starts to boil add jaggery. stir occassionally.

when oil starts leaving the sides, take it off the flame.

Can be stored up to a week.

makes a great combo with hot idlis, u can even have it with steaming rice and ghee.


I m Sending this recipe for Think Spice - Think Red Chillies event hosted by Ms. Laxmi Venkatesh of Kitchen Chronicles and Sunita's World Think Spice 

Walnut Halwa

I m not a good writer, i can talk (its go with my profession)  but when it comes to writing, its ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!
I m trying my level best to keep it good. Lemme C, hope to go better with every new post.

Walnut is a good source of all important omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids has a lot of health benefits ranging from cardiovascular protection, better mental function, anti-inflammatory benefits in asthma, rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory diseases like eczema and psoriasis.

Some dont favour Walnuts for its bitter taste. They say the bitterness is due to high tannin level in the skins. I never had a problem coz i normally buy Nuts and Dry Fruits from souq (Market place).  Fresh walnuts are light-colored under their skins.

when it comes to any festivitiy there is this tradition of making sweets, i was getting a bit bored of making the same old  paal payasam (its our family dessert:) ). Got this recipe from a magazine. Tasted great.

Here goes the recipe . Will post the pics soon!!!


Walnut Halwa

Ingredients

Walnuts - 2 cups (Soak in warm water and peel the skin)
grated carrot - 2  cups
Milk -1 cup
Sugar - 1-1/2 cup
ghee - 1/2 cup
cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp

Garnishing
roasted cashew nuts

Method
Grind Walnuts and carrot adding little milk. Heat a heavy bottomed pan add walnut-carrot paste, the remaining milk, sugar and ghee. Keep the flame low and Stir occassionally.
when ghee start leaving the sides add cardamom and mix well. Take it off the flame and garnish with nuts.