Mixed Vegetable sizzler

Mixed Vegetable Sizzler is one of our favorite appetizers. This when accompanied with toasted bread or noodles becomes our main dish too. This also tastes good with rice.

Ingredients:

Beans  - 100 gms( cut to 1" piece)
Carrots - 100 gms (cut to 1"Piece)
Potato - 4 ( 1 1/2 " piece
Capsicum (red, yellow and green) - 1 each cut length wise like fingers "
sweet potato - 1" (10 no)
Cauliflower - deflowered, blanched in boiling salt water. Drain the water and keep aside.

 Big cabbage leaf - 4 numbers
Pineapple -   1. 1/2 inch piece (10 no)
BBQ sauce -  4-5 table spoon

Toasted bread - 4 slices
Iron tava*

1) Steam the beans, carrots, potato and sweet potato .
2) Deep fry the potato and sweet potato and keep aside

In a tava, add one tablespoon of cooking oil and saute the steamed vegetables till it is dry. Saute the cauliflower similarly till it is slightly grilled.  Season them with salt and pepper.

Also Season the potato and sweet potato with salt and pepper.

Heat the iron dosa tava on a high flame and brush the surface with cooking medium. Place the cabbage leaves till they llightly charr. Place the sauted beans, carrot and cauliflower. Arrange the potato and sweet potato on one side.  Remove them from stove. While serving drizzle the BBQ sauce over the veggies. The iron tava sizzles when sauce is poured over it.

Serve it with toasted bread.
*I don't have a sizzler plate and so used the iron tava.

Homemade chocolates

Ingredients:

1/2 kg Morde chocolate bar
a few almonds


Fillings:

For Ganache:
Cream  - 1/2 cup
grated chocolate - 1/2 cup
a pinch of salt

For finishing
Mould plate
chocolate wrapping foils
a few almonds
Method:
Grate the chocolate bar.

Morde or selborne chocolate bar( available in market)

Choclate gratings

                                                        Melted in the double boiler method

Melt the gratings in a double boiler. Heat water in a vessel. In another vessel add the grated chocolate and place it in the vessel with hot water.

When the chocolate melts, pour them in the moulds of your choice readily available in market or spoon them on a greasy surface like plate to form your own patterns.


To make a ganache chocolate filling

Heat the cream, add the grated chocolate and salt to make a ganache mixture.

Pour the melted chocolate to fill half  the mold, place a spoon of ganache and cover again with the melted chocolate.

                                 Heat the cream( amul) or even the home collected cream

                                               

                                      Pour the half cup heated cream over half cup chocolate gratings and add a pinch of salt

                                           Mix well to make a creamy ganache


To make an almond filling chocolate.

Pour the melted chocolate  in the mould, place an almond and cover the almond with some more melted chocolate.

                                                           chocolate with almond filling

                                                    Chocolate with ganache filling

           

The chocolatiers licking their creations

                                                              The chocolates after getting dislodged

WRAPPING

 When cooled, dislodge the chocolates form the mould and wrap them in the colorful foils of your choice.
The above chocolatey affair was done by my son and daughter with a lot of disagreements, kicks, licks, mess and love thrown in.

                                              Being wrapped

                                                           Grab them now before its gone

Bonus:
The end product was awesome no doubt. I relished the chocolates made by my children and went to sit on the  dining chair when i found a blob of gooey melted chocolate on the upholtery.

When i showed this to my son, my son said. Don't worry ma, I will give you the upholstery polisher's number. He will do the shampooing job.

Wheat carrot cake with flax seeds

Ingredients
2 cup multigrain wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
3/4 cup olive oil
3/4 cup honey
flax seed paster* (instead of 4 eggs)
2 cups grated carrots
1 cup unsweetened crushed canned pineapple, drained(optional)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:
Combine dry ingredients( except flax seeds)
Add oil, honey and flax seeds mix well
Stir in remaining ingredients
Bake the mixture to eat a guilt free cake loaded with goodness of honey, carrots, wheat and flax seeds.

The cake was moist and spongy. forgot to click in the beginning, only the crumbs are what you see

To replace one egg:
1 tablespoon ground flaxseeds
3 tablespoons water (or other liquid)

Stir together until thick and gelatinous.

You can also use whole flaxseeds:

1 tablespoon whole flaxseeds
4 tablespoons water (or other liquid)

Process seeds in a blender to a fine meal, add liquid and blend well.

You can make a bigger batch by increasing the ingredient amounts. Store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Thakkali thokku

Thakkali thokku is a tangy and spicy traditional saucy pickle made of tomatoes. Best when mixed with rice. tastes good with curd rice, dosa , roti or idli. It can be used as a bread spread too. my mom is a specialist in making oorgais( pickles) and thokkus( chutneys) . 

Ingredients:

Tomatoes  - 1 kg( chopped and ground to pulp)
thick tamarind juice  (extracted from lemon size)
ginger(optional) -  2" piece chopped and ground
red chilli powder - 2 1/2  table spoon Or according to the degree of spiciness can be increased or decreased.
asafoetida - 1/2 teaspoon
fenugreek seeds  - 1 teaspoon(roasted and ground)
turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
salt to taste
Gingelly oil -- for cooking 3 table spoon
Jaggery(optional) - To balance the taste of spice,tanginess, and salt

Method:
Grind tomatoes,  tamarind and ginger in a mixer.
Heat a kadai and add gingelly oil, when it reaches smoking point,Add the ground mixture and saute for a while in the oil.
Now add turmeric, and redchilli powder.
When the sauce bubbles add salt, roasted fenugreek and asafoetida powder and allow it to thicken  till the sauce leaves the sides and the oil floats to the top.
Allow the mixture to cool and transfer it to a clean dry container.

Has a shelf life of more than 3 months when cooked in oil properly and stored in an airtight container



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