A Vacation to Harstene Island & Fantastic Four Meme

Weeks back I was on a vacation to beautiful Harstene Island in WA. A large forested island with a abundant wildlife,a quiet and peaceful feeling in a beautiful beach house in harstene pointe.A relaxing weekend ,enjoyed the misty forest view across our deck,enthralled with wildlife such as deer,raccoons,birds.A perfect place for a family reunion.We were four couples ,had a fun time by playing games,beach combing and last but not least cooking together and eating.'Too many cooks may spoil the broth' but here too many cooks made fabulous dishes,will be posting few dishes soon.Stunning view of sunrise from the deck overlooking water and of course enjoyed the private Jacuzzi in the evening watching the sunset on the water.

The Beach House we stayed

A Stunning view from the beach house

Harstene Pointe Beach

A forest view

An evening from the deck

Deer near beach house

Fantastic Four Meme!!!!

I'm tagged by Spicychilly,Bharathy, for Fantastic Four Meme.Its the first time, I'm been tagged by someone.I am very thrilled and at the same time a bit nervous also.Anyway thanks Bharathikka for tagging me,who persuades me in blogging. I love reading these Memes,which helps to know more about fellow blogger.Here goes my Meme...

4 Places I've Lived

• My sweet home "Trivandrum"..God's own country..kerala...during childhoods.


• Again capital city "Trivandrum"...after marriage, I'm lucky coz 's' home town is same...ho ho !!!!


• Beautiful Garden city ...."Bangalore"


• Now residing in 'Rainy city' of USA ..."Seattle"

4 Jobs I had...

• A mischievous daughter and a sister pampering little brother..As a student enjoyed life roaming with friends.


• An elder daughter-in-law in a sweet family,going to celebrate our 1st wedding anniversary within weeks.....still not responsible...naughty!!!!


• Junior chef, proud being a blogger...


• Last but not least,a full time lovely job, specialized Homemaker....

4 Favorite Places I've Holidayed....

• Munnar,kerala for its tea plantations,breathtaking beauty,winding lanes and rolling hills and beautiful dense forest and grasslands....


• Kodai,TN ..a charming hill station with its wooded slopes,mighty rocks ,waterfalls,lovely lake and bracing air...


• Ooty,TN.. for her Lofty mountains, dense forest, sprawling grasslands ,miles of tea gardens and Ooty to mettupalayam rail journey...


• Hartstene Island ,WA....a exotic beach,wildlife and forest...

4 Favourite Foods...

A tough one...not satisfied with the number..mm

• Meen curry(fish) with kappa(tapicoa) and mom's aviyal....yumm kerala style dishes.


• Malabar chicken briyani with raita and pappadam.


• Grandma's dishes...all kinds..,she's my inspiration in cooking


• Masala dosa..of course my style.

4 Places I'd rather be...

• Lovely home ,Trivandrum with family and cousins..enjoying mom's & grandma's foods.


• Now here with my 'S' in our house with a cup of tea,enjoying rain with nostalgic feelings of kerala.


• Exploring New york and Disneyland...


• Oh forgot My fav Eiffel Tower ....Paris.

4 Persons i like to tag...

• Lissie of Salt and Spice
• Seena of Simple and Delicious
• Rajeswari of Rak's Kitchen
• Vijaya of Dailymeals.

A Healthy Breakfast

Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper.~ Adelle DavisThis is an old proverb, a well said fact.Eat to live ,not live to eat.I'm not a diet person but a bit health conscious .Even though many people say like they are on diet,that never happens.The one meal we should never skip is breakfast, yet this is the meal that most people omit. Eating something for breakfast is critical because it gives us the energy we need to start your day .Skipping breakfast increases our hunger,leads to consume more foods ,like junk foods.Here's simple ,but healthy breakfast with bread..


Bread Upma
Ingredients..
Bread 5slices
Onion 1/4cup
Frozen peas,carrot 1/3cup
Tomato 1
Roasted peanuts 5(optional)
oil 1tsp
Mustard seeds 1tsp
Urad dal 1tsp
Cumin seeds 1/2tsp
Turmeric powder 1/4tsp
Garam masala 1/2tsp
Redchilli powder 1/2tsp
salt to taste
Cliantro

Method..
In a Pan,heat oil,splutter mustard seeds.Add urad dal,cumin seeds,peanuts and saute for few min.Be careful not to burn them.Now add chopped onions and saute till golden brown.Throw chopped tomatoes ,saute will they are cooked.Add peas and carrots and fry .If needed sprinkle water .Once veggies are cooked,add turmeric powder,red chilli,garam masala,salt,cliantro and saute.In the mean while,put bread in a mixer and make fine bread crumbs.Recently i found that bread crumbs is more tasty than bread pieces for upma.Finally add bread crumbs to the fried veggies and mix well.Saute for few Min's in low flame.serve hot.This is my entry to WYF: Diet Food hosted by Hima of SnackORama .

Sweet Appam

Happy Navaratri!!!!!

"Ayigiri Nandhini Nandhitha Medhini
Viswa Vinodhini Nandhanuthe
Girivara Vindhya Sirodhini Vasini
Vishnu Vilasini Jishnunuthe
Baghavathy He Sithi Kanda Kudumbhini
Boori Kudumbhini Boorikruthe
Jaya Jaya He Mahishasura Mardhini
Ramyaka Bardhini Sailasuthe."Navaratri is dedicated to Goddess Saraswathi/Durga,the "Goddess of Learning" and considered as personification of courage,strength and power.Its a festival of nine days,last three days are more scared than others,they are called Durgashtami, Mahanavami and Vijayadasami.In my house in kerala ,during the durashtami day in the evening ,a ceremony called "Poojavaipu" is performed.Books ,musical instruments are placed before the goddess ,"Golu" is kept in golu padi,decorated with flowers and other decorative items.Idols of God,Goddess and other mythological characters are placed on padi and pujas are performed.
The following day, Mahanavami, is totally devoted to the worship of Saraswathi. Pooja is performed both in the morning and in the evening and many more items such as rice, payasam, thirali,vada,appam etc are offered to Devi.During our childhood days,we love this festival than other,coz as studies are suspended during the puja days.On the Vijayadasami day after a Puja in the morning, the books and implements are removed and this ceremony is called `Puja Eduppu'. The time for the break up of the puja marks the beginning of learning and work. In our house,we write "Om Sri Ganapataye namaha" on rice , particularly the children, and read a few sentences from books. Its a day to begin new ventures, business or education as it is an auspicious day and assures one of success. On Vijayadasami, toddlers are taught their first alphabet ,ceremony is conducted in all temples,its known as "Ezhuthiniruth".

Sweet Appam
Ingredients....
Rice flour /wheat flour1cup
Sugar/jaggery 1/4cup
Coconut 1/2cup
Cardamom 1/2tsp
Banana 1 ripe
Refined oil for frying
Method..
1.Mix well the riceflour with cardamom,coconut and sugar.
2.Mash banana well with hand,add along with above items.
3.Sprinkle water to mix,make a thick batter like that of vada batter
4.Heat oil in a pan,take small balls flatten it with fingers in a oilpaper/banana leaves.
5.Deep fry them till they are golden brown or pour batter in appam pan.
U can use wheat flour also.Maida is generally not used on festivals.I used riceflour here.
Instead of sugar,jaggery can be used like melt jaggery in 3-4tsp of warm water,strain for impurities .mix this along with rest of the ingredients.Jaggery i found here is not that good taste ,so i used sugar.
This is my entry to Saraswati pooja/Navaratri under the event RCI-Tamilfestivals hosted by Viji and also to JFS:Dassera/Diwali hosted by Vee

An EGG Wonder!!!!!

When Bee and Jai announced their event named Click and the theme is Eggs,i was wondering and thinking to do something creatively.Recently i did fabric painting in t-shirt,From that got an idea about pencil drawing in eggs ...Eiffel Tower ,Paris in an egg .....sounds nice.I used Fujifilm S5500 camera,4 megapixels in automode ,taken in dimlight.

Chicken Thoran

Chicken thoran is a Kerala style chicken stir fry .Thoran is made with chicken boneless pieces with coconut and masala.It a side dish for rice,roti or can be used as filling in burgers/sandwiches.Its a bit time consuming dish,coz chicken should be chopped into small pieces.I usually make with boneless chicken breast strips,can be chopped easily.U can even make with minced chicken.But taste good in chopped ones. when our marriage was fixing,my in-laws gave me a hint to win my man's heart ,thats by making this chicken thoran. A beautiful smile can be seen in his face ,when ever i make thoran.This is my grandma's style of thoran....

Ingredients..

Boneless chicken pieces(chopped into small pieces) 1cup

Ginger-garlic paste 2tsp

Onions 2nos

Grated coconut 1/2cup

Red chilli powder 2tbsp

Pepper powder 1tsp

Coriander powder 1tsp

Jeera powder 1tsp

Chicken masala powder 1tsp

Turmeric powder 1/2tsp

Oil 3tsp

Mustard seeds 1tsp

Salt to taste

Curry leaves

Method...

In a sauce pan,heat 2tsp oil.Add mustard seeds.when its pops up ,add chicken pieces,ginger-garlic paste,pepper powder,red chilli powder,jeera powder,coriender powder,chicken masala powder,salt,turmeric powder and cook it.Sprinkle some water if needed.In other pan ,add 1tsp oil.Add chopped onions and curry leaves to it ,roast till its brown.Add coconut , roast till its brown in color and keep aside.When chicken is cooked,add this roasted items into it.cook for few min,till coconut and chicken are blend together.As roasted coconut is added to thoran,it will remain good for 3-4 days.

Mambazha Pulissery - kerala ripe mango curry

Mambazha Pulissery ,an authentic kerala style ripe mango curry.A sweet n sour curry made with mambazham/ripe mangoes and yogurt.Ripe mangoes enhances the taste,even pulissery can be made with ripe plantain,pappaya,cucumber,pineapple .This puliseery is one of my favourites from childhood. Amma is very famous among her friends for her style of mambazha pulissery n olan.This is her recipe , sour yogurt and sweet & sour mangoes makes this dish delicious.As you mango is rich in vitamin A,E,iron,antioxidant ,anticancer abilities and helps to prevent heart diseases.Yogurt has calcium,beneficial to bone &teeth and boost immune system.

Ingredients...

Ripe mangoes 1 no.

Turmeric powder 1/4tsp

Water 1/2cup

Green chillies 2nos

Red chilly powder 1/2tsp

Salt to taste

Grind to paste...

Grated coconut 1/2cup

Jeera powder 1/2tsp

Curry leaves 4-5

Seasoning...

Oil 1tsp

Mustard seeds 1/2tsp

Red chilly 3nos

Fenugreek seeds 1/2tsp

Curry leaves

Method...

1.Cut mangoes into pieces and boil with water,turmeric powder,green chillies,salt,red chillipowder.Cook till mangoes are well cooked and can be mashed.

2.Grind coconut and cumin powder into a fine paste and add to the boiling mangoes.Boil for few min .Turnoff the flame.

3.Whip yogurt to smooth and add to the boiled mangoes with enough salt.

4.Heat oil in another pan,add mustardseeds.when it pops up,add fenugreek seeds,red chillies,curry leaves.Fenugreek seeds enhances flavour to pulissery.Add seasonings to pulissery.Serve with rice.

Egg Omelette Curry

Egg Omelette Curry/Guddu Omelette Pulusu, a spicy andhra curry with rice....sounds tasty isn't.For the egg lovers who's fed up eating usual egg dishes,this would be definitely a great relief .Make this curry when i'm bored with normal curries usually on weekends.Its like kerala Varutharacha curry , a slight change in omellete.

Ingredients

For Egg omelette.....

Egg 2

Onions less than 1/4cup

Grated coconut 1tbsp

Toor dal(sambar dal) 1tsp

Red chilli powder 1 tsp

Turmeric powder 1/4tsp

Asafoetida apinch

Salt to taste

For curry/pulusu

Grated coconut 1/4cup

Tamarind pulp 2 -3 tsp

Coriender powder 1tp
Jeera powder 1tsp

Onion 1/4cup

Red chilli powder 2-3 tsp

Curry leaves 5

oil 1tsp

Mustard seeds 1tsp

Method...

For making egg omelette...

Soak toor dal for 15-20 min.Gring dal,coconut,onions,red chilli powder,turmeric powder,salt in a blender with enough water into a smooth paste.Add egg into the paste,mix well.Make thick omelettes.Cut into pieces and keep aside.

For making curry/pulusu...

In a thick bottomed sauce pan dry roast coconut without adding oil till it becomes slight brown color(like we roast for theeyal) and keep aside.In the same pan,add 1tsp oil .Now add onions,curryleaves,red chilli powder,jeera powder,coriender powder for a few min.Turn off flame.Blend roasted coconut and this masala with enough water into a paste.In a pan,heat 1tsp oil ,add mustard seeds.when it pops up,add masala paste,tamarind pulp with enough water.(Add some water extra b'coz after adding omelette,gravy becomes thick)when curry starts boiling ,add omelette pieces into it.Reduce fire to low flame.Let it boil for 5 -10 mins.See how much gravy u need and remove from flame accordingly.

Goes well with rice.

Rawa Kesari/KesariBhaat

Rawa kesari,an easy and wonderful dessert .Yesterday was my 's' birthday,who's a sweet lover...more than that never fed up with eating it,what else can i make for my sweet kothiyan rather than this tasty kesari.Actually i did't know that it's so simple n can be made so quickly.Amma makes kesari very tastly,but i havent noticed how she makes,u know well girls rarely enter kitchen before marriage,same with me too.But after marriage we should start cooking,no other option but now i love cooking .Though kesari is quite simple,one should be careful while adding water to rawa to avoid lumps.when i made,got lumps and mashes it with dal masher.Anyway it came out very well,he loved birthday sweet.
Ingredients

Rawa/semolina/sooji 1cup

Water 2cup

Sugar 1 1/2cup

(i used granulated sugar)

Cardamon 2 powderd

Ghee 1/4cup

Kesari colour apinch

Cashewnuts 8-10

Raisins 8-10

Almonds 8-10

Method...

In a thick bottomed pan,pour 1tsp ghee and roast rawa till it becomes cream in color or till a nice flavour comes.Boil water in another pan ,add kesari colour to it.In a small pan roast cashew,raisins n almonds with ghee and set aside.once rawa is roasted,bring fire to low flame.Add water and stir continously to avoid lumps.When it's almost cooked,add sugar,cardamon,ghee and mix well.Keep stirring till the kesari leaves the pan.At last add roasted nuts .u can serve hot or if u like to cut kesari in pieces.pour it in a ghee spread plate,when it is cooled ,cut into required shapes.