A Very Merry X'mas .... :)

It had been a while since i baked, and then I saw Martha Stewarts jelly roll recipe n I had to make it. so, heres my Christmas sweet surprise... like it? You can get the recipe here ..... It was sweet n also a bit tart. The genoise(sponge cake) was a pretty good one. We enjoyed every bit of it. It takes patience though to make it and wait for it to chill.... but its sooo worth the wait.

Fall, n Falling.....

Just look at those leaves just about to fall,
and grace the ground with colorful bits; of a kind life....

It was fun to see the colorful display of reds, yellows, oranges.... and I miss them now that they have gone. It becomes so dreary in winter that the festivals are '''really'' a God send. Nothing like Christmas to up the mood, nothing like a piece of fruitcake and a warm cup of hot choclate... mmmmm.....
I took a looong break from blogging, somehow days just went by.

And at night when the eyes beg you to sleep, but the dishes in the sink are crying,
a wishing wand, a spell, a potion I wish in the closet; lying...

And so now, when I finally got the time, I have lost words it seems, 'cause there is nothing spectacular i made that i want to share, no sweet heavens, no savory surprises... other than the filling glorious food of the everyday life.
But still i felt, O! what the heck, i'll put some use of thought.

Onam PonOnam... :)

That was the Ona-sadhya we had... how does it look ? I do wish we cud have something of a great big feast everyday but, hmmmm....

I love festivals, whichever , whatever.... I used to wait for every reason I cud celebrate. Most of my '''good eats memories'' r mostly thanks to festivals n celebrations... 'cause life is just so busy and mundane otherwise, isn't it?
We do say that we should live every moment to the fullest and make memories and cherish every second of our existence, but, how many of us really do that?
It fun once in a while to have a reason, a festival, a birthday, an aniversary, a something something that makes us pause and take look at what we have, feel happy that we have families to share our life with, feel proud that we have reached some place in our life, even bring back memories of a much innocent childhood.... yaaaa....

Even though i am writing this post, i am still lost in the music and colors that filled my afternoon today. We had gone to a function celebrating Onam today. It was really good.... I just loved the atmosphere, the kids running around, the food, the mood.... I really appreciate the people who put the function together. I loved the kids who performed. It was such a sweet experience.... i remembered the times with my family and those when i was still a student. Somehow it feels so '''a loooong time ago'' (psst... i am not that old), i was never an audience, forever on stage. The organising, the effort, the competition n so on.... and through it all the experiences, the bloopers, the fights, the taste of victory and bitterness of loss and not to forget the amazing companionship of friends. (Ohhh! i miss them ). It seems from another era ... so far, that, its hard to keep a hold on memories... And to top it all, we grow up so soon.

I do cherish the new memories that I make. It was my sons first onam. There is a slang in malayalam that says "njan ninnae kaattilum onam kooduthal unditund" and that says it all. (It means that i have had more onam feasts than u). It just says that somebody is much the wiser and that the person is elder to the other. My son had a good time today... all the colors and attention... and i realised hes almost six months. Time flies.....

For Click!!

This is one of my absolute favorite combinations... Choclate and Orange . And This pic is on its way to Click!! :)

I love the event (All about it here). Its simply amazing the imagination and photography skills displayed each month. I am no where near the talents, but I decided to participate 'cause its loads of fun. Thanks Bee and Jai for hosting this wonderful event.
Now about the pic : Its Chocolate (Lindt intense orange which i loooove ) and California Oranges.

Camera : Sony DSC-W1

Resolution : 550*413

Puutu - Kadala mmmm.....

I looove puttu n Kadala. The only thing is that i like the kabuli channa instead of the traditional black channa.... This was my weekend breakfast. Iused to make puttu, but it never came out right. It was either too dry or too chunky n wet. And then I got the consistency right. It should be like wet sand which holds shape when u press it into ur fist but falls apart when you poke it. It is easy once you get the hang of it. Heres how i made it:

For Puttu :
My guestimate is about 1 cup of flour for one kutti and half the amount of water. Add also a salt to your taste. U should mix in the water little by little so as to not form a dough. Get the puutu kodam(the steamer used to make puttu) ready, fill the kutti with layers of the flour and grated coconut, begining with coconut , close the lid and let it steam for about 10-15 min.

For kadala curry:
1 cup kadala (u cud soak it for some time, but i didnt have the time) (Kabuli channa)
3 green chilli
1 big onion
1 huge tomato (or 2 medium ones)
a 2' piece of ginger
4-5 cloves of garlic
2 tsp red chilli pwdr
4 tsp corriander pwdr
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp tumeric
a sprig of curry leaves
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 dry red chilli

Pressure cook the Kadala with some water, salt and green chilli (about 3 or more whistle or less if u have soaked it). In another pan prepare the seasoning with mustard, curry leaves, and red chilli. Add the ginger and garlic. Roast till the raw smell goes (do not burn). Add the onion and fry till golden brown. Add the rest of the masalas and roast. Add tomatoes and cook till the oil shows on top or it looks glossy. Add this to the kadala and cook for another 5 min. Your nose will know when its done :)

Happy Independence Day!!
.... and this was my dinner .... its a simple one, rice, cabbage n carrot thoran (poriyal) and a coconut chutney... with homemade pickle
mmmmm... simple is delicious. :) I also had a salad of lettuce and that gave the dinner a tri-color effect. Pretty, isn't it ? It was wiped off the plate in 5 minutes....
Here is the recipe for the poriyal :
1/2 a savoy cabbage (I kind of like the texture) - chopped
2 carrots (medium size) - chopped (i was lazy so i cut in juliene)
1/2 an onion - chopped
1/4 cup grated coconut
1 1/2 inch ginger - chopped
3 garlic cloves - chopped
3 green chillies - cut length wise
1/4 tsp tumeric
1/4 tsp red chilli pwdr

Seasoning :
2 Tbsp oil
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1 dry red chilli
salt

and then..... take a fairly large bowl, mix all the ingredients except the seasoning and give them a good crush just to mix in the flavours (believe me this works ). Heat up the oil in a pan and splutter the mustard. Put the mix into it and distiribute the seasoning. Cover with a lid and cook for 10-15 min. Stir n check in between. Its done! Now thats what i call easy.

My name is ''Kunjootan'' :-)

Hi to everyone, its been a loooong 2 months, and here i am again with an excuse, a sorry and a change of name. Puzzled ?!! Dont be, just days ago i chanced upon a fantastic blog http://addictedsweettooth.net/ full of mouthwatering sweets n baked delights... but i saw that the blogger coincidentally had the same name 'sweet tooth' and so I decided to change mine . Also, i am sorry if i have caused any confusion with the names... i never knew. And so i christen myself again... Its ''Kunjootan'' meaning 'Little boy' in Malayalam. Hope the name sticks this time ;). Love.

Just another day......

Its a lazy afternoon, I did bake some cookies though... one batch got burned n the other survived... whew ! It is a batch of Lime meltaways... n yes, they do melt in your mouth.... the taste is tangy n sweet. Its very rare now-a-days to find myself time. I dont do much around the house thanks to mom but still cant find time for anything ... at the end of the day I wonder what I did hmmm.... I blog surf sometimes and I am amazed at the creative personalities out there. How in thw world do they come up with such imaginative and wonderful ideas, recipes and such humour in what they write. I really admire them.

'B' for Buiscuits....

Its an almost medetative feeling when u see the soft white dough rise to your expectations. Its warm and flaky and yes it melts in your mouth. I love buiscuits. In India, the name 'buiscuit' is synonymous with ParleG and most Britannia buiscuits.... U should have seen my face when I first ordered a Buiscuit in the US.... :O
I tried the recipe first after seeing Paula Deen make it on TV. I was sooo tempted when she dipped the buiscuit sticks into homemade jam... mmm... It came out well so I tried again. n again. n ... u get the point...
so heres a thanks to dear Paula. It is the same exact recipe ...

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
3 tsp baking powder
4 to 6 Tbsp butter (cold and cut into small cubes)
3/4 cup milk
Melted butter to brush on the buiscuits

Preheat the oven 450 degrees. The trick to make a flaky buiscuit is the temperature. The butter should be cold. Mix the dry ingredients and put in the butter cubes. I mix them with a cold fork so that my hand temperature doesnt affect the dough. Cut the butter into the flour mixture till it has a crumbly texture and u can still see the butter in the flour. (Dont overdo it). Mix in the milk to form a dough. Refridgerate for some minutes wrrapped in prastic wrap. Then roll out the dough , fold it 6 to 8 times taking care that the butter doesnt melt in the dough. You can also refrigerate after each fold. Cutting the dough is also important. Do not drag the knife through the dough while cutting or the layers wont show properly. I cut them into eight triangles. Brush them with melted butter and bake them for 5 to 8 minutes. Spread a generous spoon of butter or have it with your choice preserves. Its absolutely delicious.

A new beginning.....

Its a new beginning for me, a new role...
u must be wondering what .... well, i am a "mommy" now :)
Its just one of the things in life that we can never express in words...
no matter if a hundred people share their experience, its always unique n very personal...
I am learning new things everyday.... n so is my baby... My baby ''Nishanth'' ... dawn...
I'll try to keep my blog alive... but most of u know hw it is.. :)
lots a love.....

A soft and sweet heaven.... mmmmm...
Oat meal and Flour pancakes...

Hi,
Its been ages since I have been meaning to blog... Well... here goes nothing....
I never imagined the world of internet to be so tempting , delicious and a sight for sore eyes... What with all those beautiful blogs... ever since i have been trying out so many of the wonders from these blogs.... I want to thank all those out there who take the time and effort to come up with these delicacies and have a heart to post them and share them with novices like me....
This sweet stack of pancakes are a dedication to those sweet bloggers....

As u must have guessed by my name... i have a sweet tooth... and like my mom says... '' If u paint sugar on a stone I'd probably gobble it up" ;-). And so here is something sweet to begin with... I found a recipe for pancakes in a book from the food network kitchens. They had used corn meal. I substituted it with oats and it turned out pretty good.

So here is th recipe with my modifications :

Ingredients :

3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup oat meal ( I used the quick cooking one)
3 tbsp light brown sugar
1 tsp baking powdr
1/4 tsp salt
a pinch of baking soda
a pinch of ground nutmeg
2 eggs separated
1/2 cup yogurt
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup milk
3 tbsp unsalted butter (melted)
3/4 tsp vanilla extract

• Whisk the dry ingredients (flour, oatmeal, sugar, baking pwdr, baking soda, nutmeg)
• In another bowl whisk wet ingredients (egg yolks, yogurt, water, milk, butter, vanilla)
• Whisk dry n wet mixtures together to form a batter
• Whip the egg whites to form soft peaks.
• Fold the whipped egg whites into the batter
• For each pancake I used approx. 1/4 cup of batter on a hot girdle
• Cook till bubbles break the surface . Turn and cook for another minute.

Your pancakes are ready. Its better served right off the stove with maple syrup and a tab of butter. Its a bit rich, so you can lessen the amount of butter used. Also if you do not enjoy the slight eggy flavour of a french toast, you can use one egg yolk instead of two. I do like to experiment with things and I guess cardamom instead of nutmeg and vanilla will give an Indian punch to the pancake. I'll let y'll know when I try the modification...

Cheerios!!

My First Post

Hi,
Its me ... a ''sweet tooth''. Welcome to ''Chat and Chaat''.