Glass Painting's

Everyone who first meet's me ask what i do...i say Housewife....soon afterwards comes the big question...then how do u pass ur time??..N the general answer i give is cook,clean,bake n deocrate cakes n do glass painitng.

Glass painting... i was first introduced to this hobby in 2004 just by mistake...I was doing my MBA n them Amma was like apart from studying u dont even have a nice hobby...Ofcourse she will not let me come into the kitchen n cook then..

So she introduced me to her friend...n she inturn introduced me to her cousin,who does glass painting,mehndhi,pot painting etc...all such simple stuff.

That's how i learnt my glass painting.Here are a few of my works..








It's just a nice n simple hobby which doesnt require much painting skills.Thanks to amma i learnt it because of her.During my initial stay in US..this helped me a lot to pass my time...n from then on it became one of my hobby.

So when i went to india last year i wanted to thank Amma...So i painted the rajasthani lady n some camels(that u see above) n framed it n gave it to her when i stayed over there.

The other 2 paintings that of the birds n fish on lotus were my first paintings in US(painted on 2nd week after coming to US).The elephant painting was a gift to my friend who recently bought a townhome.They were some more which i gave as gifts but forgot to take a picture of them.

I usually get a photo frame with glass(since framing is quite costly out here in US) n paint on that...on most occassions i give them as gifts to my friends,which make's them very happy..

I will blog the procedure of how to paint on glass along with pictures(picture tutorial) soon

Semiya Pulihora

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups vermicelli(semiya)
1/2 cup peanuts
3 green chillies slit
3 red chillies broken into two
1 small onion chopped
small pc ginger chopped finely
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp urad dal
1/2 tsp channa dal
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp jeera
1/2 tsp turmeric
few curry leaves

Method:

Boil some water until it reaches boiling point add salt n few drops oil/ghee along with semiya(vermicilli)

Once the semiya is soft drain the water from the semiya useing a seive..once the water is drained run the semiya under cold tap water to remove excess starch n ensure that they dont stick togeather

Heat some oil on medium heat,then add the urad ,channa dal,mustard,jeera.

Once they start spluttering add the green chilli,dry red chilli,chopped ginger and curry leaves.

Then add the peanuts n chopped onions, once fried add the salt n turmeric.

Next put in the boiled semiya into this n mix .

Add the lemon juice n mix so that it gets coated well with the turmeirc n lemon juice.

Check for salt n sourness n adjust according to ur taste.

Serve hot

Andhra Style Spicy Chicken Curry

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken cut into medium pc's
1 big onion chopped finely
1 small tomato chopped finely(optiona)
3 green chillies
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
1 tbsp chilli pwd
1 tsp turmeric pwd
1/2 tbsp coriander pwd
1 tsp jeera pwd
1 tsp garam masala pwd
1 tbsp fresh grated coconut
1 tsp gasalu(poppy seeds)
1" cinnamon
1 bay leaf
3 cloves
3 elaichi
1 tsp shah jeera
few curry leaves n cilantro

Method:

Marinate chicken with 1 tsp ginger garlic paste,1/2 tsp turmeric,1 tsp chilli pwd for 30 min's.

Dry roast the poppy seeds for few mins n make a coarse pwd with it n add the coconut to it along with few drops of water...u will get a paste consistency keep aside this.

Heat oil in a pan on medium heat ,then add the cinnamon,bay leaf,cloves,elaichi n shah jeera(dont burn them).

Next add the chopped onion,green chillies n fry until they turn light golden yellow color.

Add the remaining turmeric and ginger garlic paste .

Add the chicken n mix so that all the pc's are coated with the mixture.

Next add the gasalu coconut paste n mix,let it fry for 3 min's.

Then add the coriander pwd,jeera pwd,chilli pwd n salt n mix.

Add 1/2 cup water n chopped tomato's mix n cover n cook until the chicken is tender to the touch.(alternatively u can pressure cook for one whistle)

U will notice the oil oozing out ,then add the curry leaves n garam masala pwd n remove the lid.

Let it cook until ur desired gravy consistency,turn off heat n garnish with cilantro.

Note:

u can adjust the green chillies n chilli pwd according to ur spice level.Another variation to this curry is u can also add 1 1/2 tbsp of curd after u remove the lid n cook for few mins.But remember that u need to add the curd on very low flame

Aloo Gobi

Aloo gobi आलू गोभी or aloo gobhi, is a dry Indian dish made with potatoes (aloo), cauliflower (gob(h)i) and Indian spices. It is yellowish in color, due to the use of turmeric, and occasionally contains kalonji and curry leaves. Other common ingredients include garlic, ginger, onion, coriander stalks, tomato, and cumin. A number of variations and similar dishes exist, but the name remains the same.

It is eaten regularly by North Indians and Punjabis, especially in winter when cauliflowers are in season.This curry is usually eaten with a phulka or roti.



Ingredients:

1 whole cauliflower(cut into florets n soaked in salt water for few min's)
1 big russet potatoe(cut it into medium pc's)
1 small onion
1 medium tomatoe
3 green chillies
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp jeera
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp coriander pwd
1/4 tsp jeera pwd
1/4 tsp amchur pwd/chaat masala
1 1/2 tbsp crushed kasuri methi
1/2 tsp garam masala pwd
salt
cilantro leaves

Method:

Coarsley crush the onions,green chillies n tomatoes n keep aside.

Heat some oil in a pan add the jeera,mustard n when they splutter add the ginger garlic paste n turmeric.

Next add the coarsley ground paste n fry until the oil starts oozing out.

Next add 1/2 cup water,then add the corainder pwd,jeera pwd,chilli pwd,amchur pwd,salt n kasuri methi.

Next add the cauliflower n potato pc's mix so that all the pc's get coated with the masala's.

Cover with a lid n cook on medium heat.

When the cauliflower n potato pc's became tender remove the lid .If there is any water left this will get evaporated.Dont keep mixing as this will break the cauliflower pc's

Once the curry becomes dry sprinkle some garam masala pwd n chopped cilantro n mix.

Serve with hot phulka or rotis or even rice

Chettinadu Chicken Curry

My first non-vegetarian dish on my blog...

Chettinad cuisine is the cuisine of the Chettinad region of Tamil Nadu state in South India. Chettinad is one of the driest regions of south India. The Chettiar community, who are a majority in this region are a very successful trading community. Chettinad cuisine is one of the spiciest and the most aromatic in India.

Chettinad cuisine is famous for its use of a variety of spices used in preparing mainly non-vegetarian food. The dishes are hot and pungent with fresh ground masalas, and topped with a boiled egg that is usually considered essential part of a meal. They also use a variety of sun dried meats and salted vegetables, reflecting the dry environment of the region. The meat is restricted to fish, prawn, lobster, crab, chicken and mutton.






Chettinad is known for its culinary delicacies. Most of the dishes are eaten with rice and rice based accompaniments such as dosais, appams, idiyappams, adais and idlis.Chettinad food, now is one of the many reasons why people get to know Chettinad. Chettinad food is essentially spicy, with a standard full meal consisting of cooked dhal, eggplant (brinjal) curry, drumstick sambar, ghee for flavouring rice, and sweet meats like payasam and paal paniyaram. "Kara kozhambu" is a highly regarded south Indian sambar.






Though i am not from the chettinad region i am in love with this regions spicy dishes..esp the non-veg dishes.Usually during weekends its this kind of stuff which is spicy that i generally prefer eating once in a while esp when its a rainy day.

So here is my tale it was a rainy sunday....a day where there is compulsary non-veg dish on the menu in my house...i bought cut up chicken the previuos day n was wondering what to cook with it other than the regular chicken briyani,or chicken fry...etc....N i was going through the non-veg section in various blogs....My face lit up with a smile as i found one beautiful recipe with a beautiful pic in sailusfood.com ...there it was chettinad chicken curry....i thought of giving it a try....Happy to say it turned out perfect...dont be afraid of the amount of oil u see in the pic because its from the coconut milk as well...

Chettinad Chicken Curry:
1 kg chicken cut into pcs

Roast n Make a Powder : On medium heat add a 1/2 a tsp of oil to a pan to this add the following in the order listed below...be sure not to burn them

1" cinammon
4 cardamon
4 cloves
1/2 tsp peppercorns
1/2 tsp cumin
3/4 tsp fennel/saunf
1 1/2 tbsp corainder seeds
5 curry leafs
6 dry red chillies

Make a paste of the following :

4 garlic cloves
1" ginger
2 green chillies (small)

Ingredients for curry
1 medium onion chopped
4 curry leaves
1/2 of big tomato
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 cup coconut milk

Heat a pressure pan/cooker with 5 tbsp oil,then add finely chopped onions and curry leaves.

Add the ground paste(ginger,garlic n green chillies)

Then add the turmeric,salt,red chillie powder n 1/2 cup water(so that the spices r not burnt)

Then add the chicken n combine well so that it gets coated well with the masala's.

Add the chopped tomato n mix n let it cook in it for 4-5min's.

Now add the 1 cup of coconut milk,mix and cover with lid,put the whistle and let it cook for 1 whistle(not more than 1 whistle).

Once the pressure comes down removw lid,put it on the stove again n let it come to a boil,now add the ground masala powder according to ur spice level.

Check for salt n spice level n cook it for 4 mins .

Remove n garnish with chopped cilantro n serve with rice or roti .

Note: U can prepare this dish with mutton(lamb)as well,but instead of 1 whistle u need to get atleast 5 whistles.