Staying warm with Pakodas

Its been snowing and raining ice these past few days here in the Midwest. We have been at home mostly trying to stay warm and get some indoor chores done. Having been here for so long, I have learnt to appreciate the change in weather and enjoy good weather even more than before. But even after all these years, I still am not used to the extreme cold - frozen fingers, frozen noses and ears and a really depressive mood! I have great respect for people out there who live all their lives in cold extreme conditions!
Well anyway, to stay warm this winter, it has been mainly soups and some spicy indian curry with chapathis at home. Every once in a while, I get the craving to eat some hot bajjiyas, hot samosas or some hot pakodas! To satisfy this craving (and actually for a potluck at a friend's) I made garam Pakodas the other day!


Garam (Hot) Pakodas


I follow Sailu's Ulli Pakodis recipe to the T. I have made it numerous times now and it has never failed me! People always wonder how my Pakodas stay so crisp and delicious even after such a long time! Well if only they knew - this is not a low fat, calorie check recipe by any means :-) But its delicious and great for indulging once in a while! Thanks Sailu for a wonderful recipe!

Also wanted to mention about Foodie Blog Roll! This is really wonderful- this blogroll thing! It keeps me abreast with the latest in the food blog world and the best part is that I dont have to keep adding to my blogroll! Someone else takes care of it :-) Do check it out on my right hand side bar! And I would encourage my dearest blogger friends to join, if you're not already on there!

Sorry for not blogging a whole lot lately! Thanks though to some of my dear readers to enquire! I have been busy with the usual and not too much in the mood to cook :-) Though things are getting better and I promise to come back with some recipes :-)

Tomato Slice - Street Fare

Summer is the season for red, ripe delicious Tomatoes! This summer, I've seen red, yellow and golden yellow tomatoes all over. Check out Linda's post on fresh veggies from her garden and a wholesome sambar and you'll know what I mean!
We've had a surplus of tomatoes this year. My tiny vegetable patch has about 5 Tomato plants - 4 Cherry Tomato plants and one Vine-Ripe Tomato plant. Apart from these, I have a kind co-worker who brings me tomatoes, cucumber, peppers and bell peppers from her huge vegetable garden every other day!
So the other day, my mom wanted me to make us all a quick evening snack. I was too tired to toil in the kitchen, so I put together this quick street snack for us!


Tomato Slice Chaat - Bangalore style!

During my Bangalore days, we always ate this wonderfully delicious fresh tomato slice chaat at a street corner in Sadashivnagar, Bangalore. A guy stood there every evening with his little orange and glass cart lined up with chopped onions, shredded carrots, various spicy chutneys, rows of juicy tomatoes, pure as white crunchy puffed rice, golden yellow sev and an assortment of spice powders. There was always a big huge line waiting to try his various chaat items, people waiting patiently for him to dish out their snack, while salivating at what he was making! He made the best tomato slice ever! My two favorites were Spicy Churmuri and Spicy Tomato slice - as it was called. Followed by a cup of cold sugarcane juice from a sugarcane juice vendor nearby!
So when I made this snack, I thought why not send it to dearest Asha of Foodie's Hope for RCI- Karnataka. These street foods - the essence of India, the essence of the fast paced life in Bangalore. I've really not eaten or heard of this snack outside of Bangalore or Mysore... Is it made in any other city in India?

It's quite simple to make this actually. Pick juicy big, red ripe tomatoes. Slice them into rounds. Arrange them in a plate or a sheet of paper (the way that guy served it!). Top with crispy puffed rice, spicy peanuts (I usually use roasted spanish peanuts), green chutney and sweet tamarind chutney, then some grated carrots, some chopped onions, topped with some sev and garnished with some cilantro! And just gobble :-)
I did not have any fresh cilantro at that time - so thats missing in the picture!

Also, do check out some yummy Tomato Slice versions from

Madhu of Ruchi
Sreelu of Tasty Travels

Off this goes to Asha for the RCI event! My first entry :-)

Healthy Chivda and Thanks

A cup of hot 'garam chai' (hot tea) and a bowl of spicy chivda, perfect for a summer evening! Or let's just say any evening! I'm sure all of us desis relate to that... but I dont! Because I am a South Indian at heart - I am a coffee drinker! I love my coffee .. morning or evening! Hot filter kapi (coffee) is more like my style! Though I've got accustomed to the taste of either black coffee or a cup of hot Taster's Choice Coffee with milk! Ok, ok now I am deviating from the point.
Everyone at my home are evening tea drinkers except me! And along with their chai they like something to nibble on. So to please their palate, I came up with this healthy snack! My kids love any kind of chivda. They can eat it by the bowlful (as long as it is not too spicy!) . In South India, chivda is usually called 'mixture'. Like the name suggests it is a mixture of various things and is spiced with some chilli powder, seasoned and served as a tea time snack. It keeps for a long time and can be stored in air-tight jars! My only tryst with the chivdas and mixtures back home in India are that they are too greasy and too un-healthy to be eaten on an everyday basis!
So to make truce, I usually make this healthy chivda with cereal! No more guilt when you eat chivda!
This is my friend Shabna's recipe and creative idea! Thanks Shabs for this wonderful snack. I bet u think that i never make it and have forgotten all about it!


Healthy, Tasty Cereal Chivda

You will need:
Actually you can use any cereal of your choice, but I use these.
One box Kellogs Corn Flakes
One Box Kellogs Rice Crispies
One Box GM Whoel Grain Kix Cereal
3 tsp Red Chilli Powder
1 tsp Turmeric Powder
Salt to taste
1 cup Peanuts (or store bought Salted Spanish Peanuts - one box)
1 cup Whole Cashews
1 cup Channa Dalia (Chutney Dal)
3 sprigs curry leaves
2 tbsp Oil

Method:
In a pan, heat the oil. Add the Peanuts , channa dalia and cashews and roast until golden brown. Then add the chilli powder, turmeric and curry leaves. Turn off the stove. Add the toasted nuts with seasoning, cereal, salt and mix well in a mixing bowl. I usually add only half box of each of the cereals. That way i make the next half later and it tastes fresh!
Cool and store in an air-tight jar. Serve with hot tea or Coffee!


Healthy Chivda - One more look!


And I almost forgot about this! Many thanks to my dear friend Sia of Spice Corner for the thoughtful and wonderful award that she conferred upon me! This is my first award and I was so excited when i saw it! I have tried many of Sia's dishes and they never fail me! Not sure if I deserve this one, but she surely does, "weaving her way through blogsphere with her lovely comments and making me smile" Thanks and hugs to you Sia!

And also many many Thanks to lovely Richa of As Dear as Salt! She is one of my favorite bloggers! Love her recipes! I love the traditional touch she has and always has some pretty funny anecdotes to share! My mom raves about Richa's site. Thanks and hugs to you Richa!



The Power of Schmooze Award is for bloggers who “effortlessly weave their way in and out of the blogosphere, leaving friendly trails and smiles, happily making new friends along the way. They don’t limit their visits to only the rich and successful, but spend some time to say hello to new blogs as well. They are the ones who engage others in meaningful conversations, refusing to let it end at a mere hello - all the while fostering a sense of closeness and friendship.”



And then following the tradition... I really have so many favorite bloggers! Each blogger is special in their own way. Everyone is so nice and is here to make blogging buddies! We have a pretty nice community out here! We are all strangers yet we share a special bond and know so much about each other! And to me, in a place away from home, my blogging buddies and readers keep me going and make me feel special. So all you dear bloggers please take me up and help yourself to this fun award!

Though I want to specially mention my first online friends who were there for me whenever i needed them, who know the true me and stood by me through good and bad times:

Bee and Jai of Jugalbandi
Meera of Meera's Blog
Ranjani of Eat and Talk
Reena of Spices Of Kerala
Jen of Mexican Masala

Thanks for stopping by people! Have a great day!

Churmuri - A Simple Snack

Summer has been really busy this year with my parents visiting us. We have been busy with lots of travel, fun, summer activities and work of course. In all this, the biggest reason for my break was that i wanted to get away from cooking meals loaded with calories to cooking more nutritious healthy meals for all my family. You see I've been trying to loose those last few pounds forever! Something seems to have snapped inside me this summer! I have gone at weight loss these past few weeks like there's no tomorrow :-) Luckily i can see a small change and I'm more confident that I can get to my goal this time round. More about that later!
In the meanwhile, I'm here to post a simple recipe for an evening snack that is low fat and low calorie (in moderation). It also satisfies my spicy-tooth (i don't have a sweet-tooth you see!). After a full day of eating fruits, cereal, milk and salads, this spicy evening snack is a treat!

Churmuri
Spicy Churmuri
You will need:
5 cups Puffed Rice (Mamra, Muri, Borugulu, Pori)
2 tbsp Peanuts
1 tbsp Channa Dalia (Putnalu pappu or Chutney Dal)
3 tsp Red Chilli Powder
3 tsp Pappulu Pudi or Kandi Pudi
Salt to taste

For Seasoning:
6 tsp Oil
1 tsp Mustard seeds
2 tsp urad dal
1 tsp Hing or Asafoetida
a few Curry leaves

Method:

In a pan, dry roast the Muri or Puffed rice on medium to low heat. Keep stirring and roast until the muri is nice and crispy (takes about 10 minutes). Keep this aside in a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle on this roasted muri the pappulu pudi, salt, red chilli powder and mix well.

In another small seasoning pan, add about a tsp of oil and roast the peanuts and channa dalia or chutney dal until well roasted and crunchy. Transfer this to the mixing bowl with the muri. In the same pan, heat the remaining oil, add seasoning ingredients, turmeric and curry leaves. Saute for 1 minute. Add this seasoning to the muri mixture and mix well. Mix well until all the muri is well coated with a bright red from the chilli powder.

Serving Suggestions:

Serve dry in a bowl. Or Serve topped with chopped red onions, cilantro and a dash of lime. A simple evenign snack in a jiffy!

Churmuri- A Simple Evening Snack