Friday, February 18, 2011

Green Moong Dal Poori with Potato Subji

Today I am feeling like eating something deep fried, may be a poori with my favorite Potato. Is is possible for me to eat healthy when I am deep frying something?? hmm....good question. Ok I thought why not try to add some healthy stuff into the deep frying concept. This is how I came up with this recipe - Moong Dal Poori. Does it sound unusual? Definitely Not!! you guys should try this ...this wonderful and puffs up better than the normal poori :-)

GREEN MOONG DAL POORI RECIPE
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Ingredients:
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1/2 cup Split Green Moong Dal
2 1/2 cups Wheat Flour or Atta
1 Green Chilli
1/4 inch Ginger
Salt
Water as needed
Oil for deep frying

Method:
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1. Wash and soak split green moong dal in water for about 3-4 hours. 
2. Grind the dal with green chilli, salt and ginger (Note: no need to add water, but add the water in which the dal was kept to soak)
3. In a bowl take the wheat flour and mix with the dal mixture and kneat it to a firm dough. (just like you make the regular poori dough)
4. In a kadai add oil and wait until it's medium high hot. (around 350F)
5. Make small lemon size balls and roll to rounds as pooris.
6. Make poori one by one. (Note: when u put the rolled out poori into the oil, and when it rises to the top press with a spoon lightly so that it will puff up and then turn it to the other side. This will make good poori's)

ALOO (Potato) SABJI
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Ingredients:
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3 medium sized red skin potato's (boiled, peeled and mashed but with little chunks)
2 medium sized Onions sliced
3 medium sized Tomatoes chopped
3 Green Chillies Chopped
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
1 Spring Curry leaves
Salt to taste
water as needed
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
1 tsp Oil
1/4 tsp Asafoetida
1/4 cup Cilantro

Method:
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1. In a kadai add oil, and when it's hot add mustard seeds and when they start to sputter add Asafoetida, cumin seeds, green chilies and curry leaves.
2. Add Onions and saute them until they become transparent.
3. Add Tomatoes, salt and turmeric powder and cook until tomatoes are soft.
4. Add 1/2 cup water and when it comes to boil add the mashed potatoes and cook until you get a boil.
5. Garnish with chopped Cilantro and serve with hot poori's.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Benne Biscuit / Butter Biscuit

Things have been pretty busy at my end. I must apologize to all my friends for not being able to visit your blogs for sometime. I cancelled a weekend plan of mine due to a bad weather and just took sometime off to chill. Decided to get back on my space and post a simple and light recipe.

"Benne" means "Butter" in Kannada. Benne biscuit's are very famous in Iyengar's Bakery in Bangalore. Butter Sponge is a bakery in Bangalore from where I have tasted the best baked goodies ever. The taste still lingers in my mouth. Drooool !!

I have been craving to eat these goodies for sometime. I made these biscuits at home and tried to recreate the same taste. But I was not successful in recreating the same consistency but the taste was delicious!!



Ingredients

All Purpose Flour - 1 Cup
Powdered Sugar - 1 Cup
Cashews - 1/2 Cup
Butter - 1 Stick - 8 Tablespoons
Baking Soda - 1/2 Tsp
Cardamom Powder - 1/2 Tsp

Method

  • Sift the all purpose flour, powdered sugar, baking powder and cardamom powder in a bowl and set it aside.

  • In a food processor/ blender add the cashews and grind it coarsely. To this add butter and blend the both together. The butter has to be completely at room temperature.

  • Slowly add the dry ingredients to the food processor and pulse it till it forms a crumbly mixture.

  • Make balls out of the mixture. Be sure to not roll the ball tightly. It has to be loose so that the biscuits fluff up.

  • Preheat the oven to 3000F. Place the cookies on the cookie tray and bake for 10 minutes.

  • Make sure that you don't over bake them. I left them for an extra minute or so to get a beautiful golden color on the cookies. Cool them completely before you can taste them.

  • Enjoy the cookies with your evening tea or morning breakfast!


Notes:
  • Addition of cashews is optional and you may skip its addition.
  • The butter must be very soft and completely at room temperature otherwise the consistency of the dough mixture will not come out as desired.
  • As there will be variations on heat in different ovens, make sure to have an eye on the cookies while they are baking.
  • Rolling the cookie dough tight will not allow the biscuits to rise and they will not come out soft.
  • The cookies have to be white in color and browned slightly at the base. You can make them white by removing them from the oven at the end of 10 minutes and allow them to cool completely.

Landscaping to Avoid Root Infiltration



Natural Ways to Protect Sewer Lines and Septic Tanks!

If you're a homeowner, it is extremely important to take care of your sewer line system or septic tank to prevent costly damage. Root infiltration is one of the most common causes of damage sewer lines, pipes and septic storage tanks. Over time, sprawling roots from trees and shrubs can make their way through thin cracks and holes in pipes, lines and tanks. Once they've penetrated, they can continue to grow, creating a major blockage that cause unsanitary sewage and waste water to back up into your home...or to leak and soak through the soil in your lawn.

To avoid root infiltration damage, try to avoid planting trees and plants with long root systems or that require a great deal of moisture within the vicinity of your main sewer line or septic tank. These plants will seek out and gravitate toward pipes, lines and tanks. Instead, stick with these sewer and septic safe alternatives.
  • Grass: Plain old lawn grass is one of the best (and safest) things you can plant over your septic tank or main sewer line. The roots are very short and grass is relatively easy to care for. Try Kentucky bluegrass or Rye grass, be sure to mow regularly, and treat yearly with a weed-killing formula.

  • Perennials: Perennial plants and flowers -- like daisies, daylilies, and poppies -- come back year after year. These plants are a good choice because they are low-maintenance and inexpensive. When planting perennials over a septic tank or the path of a sewer line, lay down topsoil at least six inches deep and cover with a layer of mulch to keep the soil from eroding.

  • Wildflowers: Wildflowers also have short root systems that won’t reach deep enough to damage your sewer line or septic system. They provide great color, thick coverage, and a distinct look to any area of your yard. You can purchase individual packets of wildflower seeds in coordinating colors to give your planting structure or choose mixed seeds for a more casual, random garden. Be sure to put down an inch or two of good quality top soil so your wildflower seeds will sprout.

  • Septic Tank Mix: Septic tank mix, or prairie mix, is a blend of wildflowers and wild grasses. It’s easy to plant, sprouts quickly, is super-low maintenance, and doesn’t require a bed of topsoil in order to flourish. Septic tank mix is often recommended by professionals because it absorbs excess moisture from the ground and has a very short root system. You can find prairie mix in any lawn and garden or home improvement store.

  • Ornamental Grass: Ornamental grasses are also easy to grow and don’t require much maintenance. They tend to spread but don’t grow deep, so there’s little chance of the roots damaging your sewer lines or septic tank. The simplest way to start growing ornamental grasses is to purchase a starter plant in a small container from your local garden center. Once it’s replanted in the ground over your septic tank or sewer line, it should start to spread out within a few weeks. There are plenty of colors and varieties to choose from, making it easy to create a custom look for your home.

  • Container Gardens: Most septic tanks need maintenance or repairs at some point. If you’ve invested a lot of time and money planting in this area, you could face a significant loss if the ground must be disturbed. An easy way to avoid this while still adding beauty to your yard is by arranging container plantings over the septic tank. Flowers, grasses and other plants can be potted in attractive containers and set over a layer of pea gravel. That way, if you ever need access to the underground parts of your septic system, you can simply move the containers out of the way until the work is finished.

Repairing and replacing sewer lines and septic tanks can be quite expensive and usually requires digging and tearing up large patches of your yard. Adding these plants can not only help you avoid these costly and destructive repairs, they can also give your yard added beauty and attract songbirds and butterflies.



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