Spicy Nut Rice - Blogging Marathon #11

Blogging Marathon Week 11, For this edition of BM i have chosen Lunch Box Dishes. Spicy Nut Rice, an healthy combination of nuts and spices to give an flavorful n tasty Lunch Box Recipe.

Ingredients
1 Cup Cooked rice
1 tbsp Coriander Seeds
1/2 tsbp Peanuts
1/2 tbsp Gram Dal/Chana Dal
1 tbsp Flaxseed meal
4 nos Walnuts
4 Red Chillies
a small gooseberry sized tamarind
Salt to taste

For Seasoning
1 tbsp Gingely oil
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp urad dal
hing a pinch
curry leaves a few

Method

• Spread the Rice in a plate, fluff it with a spoon and add a tsp of Gingely oil and toss.
• Dry Roast Coriander seeds, Peanuts, Gram dal, Red Chillies and walnuts separately.
• Take all the ingredients in a mixer along with flaxseed meal, tamarind, salt and grind it to a powder. 
• Heat oil in a pan, add tempering ingredients one by one, pour it over the rice and toss it well. 
• Add the required amount of ground powder to the rice and mix well.
• Serve Warm with Dry-Curry of your Choice.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#10

Decorating Cutout Cookie Dough

In an episode of Family Ties, Mallory predicts that heaven is like an enormous mall which never closes. I remember thinking that was a frightening concept (long before it was possible to lose an eye over the latest Xbox). As a cookie lover, I envision heaven as one big bakery with a vast variety of sprinkles and cookie cutters.


This time of year, I always set aside time out to make cutout cookies. I love decorating them with royal icing, but know it's possible to create exquisite cookies without ever pulling out a piping bag. All it requires is some cutters, sprinkles and your untapped creative juices. The first step is to cut a basic shape from your cookie dough. Here I used a snowflake. Then think about ways to embellish the basic pattern. Reach for your smallest cutters, but also other objects (thinking outside the box).


I've long admired the intricately decorated snowflake cookies that are displayed in high-end home goods catalogs. This year, I set out to recreate them. Using a tiny star cookie cutter, I marked the center of each cookie. Then I pressed piping tips around the star shape. The rounded tips produce a delicate circular pattern. You can also make circles using the tip of a straw. Look around your house and find a way to re-purpose other objects. Create patterns with the tongs of a fork. Use the tip of a knife.

Once you have cut patterns into the cookie dough, use sprinkles to add texture and color. I pressed shimmery dragees into my snowflake cookies to catch the light.

A few years ago, I bought a patterned rolling pin at a super sale. The design reminded me of Dr. Seuss's books. I'm pretty sure it's meant for imprinting fondant, but I decided to test it out on cookie dough. I coated it with a generous layer of flour, dusted it off a touch and then pressed in over some dough I had rolled out. It left a wonderful whimsical pattern. I used cutters to shape cookies out of the patterned canvass. The lesson? If you have any tools for decorating fondant, don't overlook them!

Sweet Melange For A Merry Christmas - Indian Cheese Cake

SWEET MELANGE FOR A MERRY CHRISTMAS

INDIAN CHEESE CAKE / PANEER CAKE

This simple and easy to make Indian Cheese Cake / paneer cake,  can be prepared even by children. My grand children are ardent viewers of the popular T. V. show 'MasterChef Australia'. They gave me some very useful tips while making this cake. It was so easy to make the cake. And it was all the more easy to polish it off  as soon as it was ready!

INGREDIENTS

Marie biscuits - 20

Butter - 1/2 cup

Hot milk - 1 cup

Indian cheese / paneer - 200 gms

Powdered sugar - 1 tsp

Sweetened Condensed milk - 1 tin

Canned fruits - 1 can

METHOD

1. Take a shallow bowl and line it firmly with a greased butter paper.

2. Blend 12 Marie biscuits into a coarse powder.

3. Melt the butter and add enough to the biscuit powder so that the crumbs cling together.

4. Pat the mixture evenly into the bowl  making a thick base to support the cheese cake.

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5. Dip the remaining biscuits in a cup of hot milk and arrange them on the biscuit crumb base.

6. Cut the Indian cheese / paneer into cubes and boil them in water for five minutes or until they become fluffy.

7. Drain the cooked  cheese / paneer thoroughly and knead into a soft dough adding one spoon of powdered sugar.

8. Spread  a thick layer of the  cheese /paneer dough on top of the biscuit layer.

9. Pat evenly and firmly and chill for half an hour.

10. Add one teaspoon of butter to the condensed milk and  microwave for one minute or till it starts bubbling  using  a microwave safe bowl. 

11. Bring out the chilled cake bowl. Spread the cooked condensed milk all over the cheese cake. Refrigerate again for fifteen minutes.

12. Run a sharp knife between the wall of the bowl and the now set cake and gently slide the cake on to a plate.

13. Top with thoroughly drained canned fruits.

Gently slice the delicious Indian Cheese Cake / Paneer Cake.

  Enjoy the Indian Cheese Cake slices with your favourite ice cream.

WISH YOU A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS