Puli Inji (Ginger in sweet & sour sauce)

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                                       This is one of the side dishes of Onam (a Kerala festival),then again you do not need an occasion to make a dish.  I adapted this recipe from a magazine by Pazhayidom, a renowned chef from Kerala. I made this for the first time for Onam. One can have it only in minimal quantities. It can be made ahead and stored in an air tight jar in the refrigerator. The recipe below is the original one, I tripled the recipe because I had so much ginger in stock and did not want to let it go to waste.

Ingredients:

Tamarind                                -           50 g.

Turmeric Powder                   -           1 Tsp.

Red Chilly Powder                -            1 Tbsp.

Asafoetida                             -             20 g.

Jaggery                                  -             75 g.

Curry leaves                          -            few sprigs

Coconut Oil                           -            3 Tsp.

Mustard                                 -             1 Tsp.

Dry Red Chilly, broken         -             3

Ginger, minced                       -          75 g.

Green Chilly, minced             -           10 g.

Fenugreek Powder                 -            ½ Tsp.

Method:

1. Soak the tamarind in 2 ½ liters of boiled hot water in a hard bottomed vessel for about 20 mins, squeeze the pulp and filter the tamarind water and set aside.
2. Add 1 Liter of water, the turmeric powder, chilly powder, jaggery, few sprigs of curry leaves and asafoetida to the prepared tamarind juice and boil it on high flame.
3. The the mixture starts to boil add a teaspoon of coconut oil to it and let it boil until it reduces to half it's amount.
4. Meanwhile in another hard bottomed vessel heat  2 tsp. of oil ans splutter the mustard seeds. To this add the broken dried red chilly and curry leaves.
5. After a minute or two add the minced ginger and chopped green chilies and saute well. Cook the ginger until ¾ done.
6. When the ginger is ¾ done reduce the flame and saute until completely cooked and remove from flame.
7. Add salt and the fried ginger in the now reduced tamarind juice and combine well. The gravy will become at this stage. Combine fenugreek powder and remove from flame and serve with rice. Or when completely cooled store in refrigerator in a airtight jar.

Blueberry Puff Pastry Pies

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                                  Well I had a packet of blueberries and a packet of puff pastries, googled and I found this recipe, which is pretty simple to make and was pretty looking too. The original recipe used  whipped cream, i used vanilla ice cream. It is not that sweet, so the ice cream went well with the pies. This recipe makes 4 pies.

Ingredients:
blueberries                       -       1 cup
sugar                                -       3 Tbsp.
cornstarch                        -       2 Tbsp.
lemon juice                      -        1 Tbsp.
cinnamon                         -       ½ tsp.
salt                                   -       a pinch
frozen puff pastry, thawed  -   ½ kg.
butter                               -       1 tsp.
Egg                                  -       1
sugar, for sprinkling

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 F. In a small bowl, stir together the blueberries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, cinnamon and a pinch of salt. On a lightly floured surface, roll the puff pastry (it should still be cold) into a 10-inch square(the puff pastries i had was square shaped so it did not roll it out). Cut into four quarters and place each piece on a parchment-lined sheet.
2. Divide the blueberry mixture between the pastry, dot each with a bit of butter, and fold the edges of the pastry about ½ inch over on all sides to contain the berries. Brush the pastry with some beaten egg and sprinkle with sugar.
3. Bake for 20 minutes, or until bubbly and golden(I had to bake for 30 mins. Every Oven differs). Serve warm, with whipped cream(or ice cream). 

Mushroom Theeyal (Mushroom In Roasted Coconut Gravy)

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Recipe Source: lekshmisadukkala

Ingredients:
Shallots, sliced                       -        15 
Green Chilly, Slit                   -          4 
Mushroom, Sliced                  -        250 g.
Grated Coconut                      -       1 cup
Red Chilly Powder                 -       2 tsp.
Coriander Powder                  -         2 tsp.
Turmeric Powder                   -        ½ tsp.
Fenugreek Powder                 -          a pinch
Tamarind                                -         a gooseberry sized ball
Water                                      -          ½ cup
Oil                                            -       2 tsp
Curry Leaves                           -        few sprigs
Salt to taste

Method:

1. Soak  the tamarind in ½ cup of warm water and take the extract from it.
2. Heat 1 tsp of oil in a pan add grated coconut and saute till brown.
3. Reduce the flame and add chilly powder and coriander powder and saute for  few minutes(do not burn the spices).The color of the roasted coconut determines the color of the whole dish.
4. Remove from fire and allow to cool. Once cooled grind it to a fine paste.
5. Heat 1 tsp oil in heavy bottomed vessel/pan(I used a traditional clay-pot).
6. Add the sliced onions, Green Chilly and saute, till they turn golden brown in color, now add the sliced mushroom and saute again for few more minutes.
7. Add turmeric powder, salt and water and the tamarind juice and allow to boil.
8. Add the coconut paste and let it boil for 10 minutes on low flame.
9. Remove from the fire and add curry leaves. Sprinkle fenugreek powder and mix well. Serve warm with rice.

Lime Meltaways

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                            If you like Lime you should definitely try this recipe. True to its name the cookie melts in your mouth. I halved the original recipe as it yields more than 3 dozen cookies. This is the first sliced cookie I have tried. To get a perfect round shape you will have to make use of  a parchment paper and a ruler. The dough melts quickly from the heat from your hands, so you to work fast in order to maintain its shape. And the cookie is not too sweet, so do not reduce the quantitiy of the sugar and do not omit the final dusting part.

Recipe Source: Martha Stewart

Ingredients:

unsalted butter, at room temperature      -          ¾ cup 
confectioners' sugar                                -         1/3 cup 
lime zest, finely grated                           -          2 
fresh lime juice                                       -         2 Tbsp. 
vanilla extract                                         -         1 Tbsp.
all-purpose flour                                     -        1¾ cups plus 2 Tbsp. 
cornstarch                                               -         2 Tbsp. 
salt                                                          -         ¼ tsp.
confectioners' sugar                                -        2/3 cup, for dusting

Method:

1. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, and salt. Set aside.
2. Beat the butter and 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar together on medium speed  until light and fluffy, about 4 mins.(using a beater). Add the zest, lime juice, and vanilla, and beat well until well combined.
3. Add the dry ingredients and  mixing until just combined.
4. Divide the dough into 2 parts. Roll each into a log approximately 1¼ diameter. Wrap each log in parchment paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm enough to slice without losing their shape, at least one hour.
5. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350°F.
6. Slice the refrigerated cookie dough into approximately 1/4” rounds and place on the baking tray, about 1” apart. They won't spread much at all. 
7. Place the  tray preferably on top most rack of the oven and bake for about 13 minutes, or until cookies begin to get a light golden color.
8.  Allow to cool for about 5 minutes. Toss the cookies(which will be still warm, but wont crumble) in the remaining confectioners' sugar, shake off excess sugar and cool the cookies completely before storing them.

Notes:

• the cookie dough will become soft as you work on it, so roll it quickly.
• the side on which it is placed to rest  might flatten during cooling, so i made use of a cylindrical pipe.(if the shape is off no concern to you then never mind )