Cadbury Silk India - Orange Peel

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After the success of the soft and creamy Cadbury Dairy Milk SILK, they bring to us this premium chocolate with a fresh new twist.

Introducing the new Cadbury Dairy Milk Silk- Orange Peel. The classic delicious smooth and creamy SILK is now available with a Kiss of Orange. It just makes us melt even before it reaches our mouth ;)

The sweetness of a premium chocolate with the fruity punch of orange - life does not get much better.

At Cadbury India they focus on creating moments of pleasure with every tasty bite, no matter the reason or the season. Throughout the day.At work or play. All year round..Check out the new Tv commercial here

How we liked it : Trust me I am not a big fan of choco orange combination but silk orange peel changed my opinion as the orange flavour is mild giving it a unique taste, the crunch in every bite with the addition of nuts is just awesome. Do try it and am sure you will love it too.

Thanks to Cadbury for sending me the sample, we enjoyed having it!

Disclaimer: This is an unpaid review and my review totally depends on my taste and preferences.

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Chocolatey Biscuit Milkshake

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Mittu used to lick the cream and keep back the biscuits alone... I've seen this with many kids. One fine day I tried this milkshake with all the leftover biscuits without cream and it tasted awesome, she too enjoyed it. So thought of making it as a post. I had some leftover icing I made for my cake pops the same day so used it up for this milkshake :)

Biscuit Milkshake Recipe

Ingredients:

• Chilled Milk - 2 cups
• Bourbon Biscuit(with cream) - 1
• Bourbon Biscuit(without cream) - 1
• Chocolate sauce / syrup - 2 tsp
• Sugar - a pinch (only if needed)

Method:

1. Add the biscuits without cream to milk and blend using the whip option in mixie. Then add the cream biscuit and blend again until its smooth and creamy.
2. Add the chocolate sauce, sugar and mix well.
3. Pour into individual serving glasses and add any topping of your choice.

My Notes:

• You can use any chocolate cream biscuit of your choice.
• You can even skip chocolate sauce and add one more cream biscuit.
• I just piped the left over butter icing as a topping, you can use whipped cream as topping too.

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Dahi Puri (Dahi Poori) Recipe | Chaat Recipes

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Dahi Puri is my all time favourite chat. Whenever we go for chaats, its either Pav Bhaji or Dahi Puri, its my staple order in chat shops :) I have used all my color ramkeins for this post, now you know how crazy I am when it comes to ramekins ;) Here is my version of homemade dahi puri for you all....Enjoy your fav chat at home.

Dahi Puri Recipe - Ingredients

Makes 1 plate

• Puri - 7 puris
• Curd - 1/2 cup
• Sev - a handful
• Boiled Green Gram Dhal - 1/4 cup (You can use sprouted too)
• Boiled potatoes - 1/4 cup
• Green Chutney - 2 tbsp
• Dates Chutney - 2 tbsp
• Onion - 1 medium sized chopped
• Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp chopped finely
• Chat masala powder - 1 tsp
• Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp (optional)
• Turmeric powder - a pinch
• Red Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
• Salt - as required
• Sugar - 1/2 tsp

Method:

1.Mash the potatoes, add cumin powder, turmeric and mix well. Keep aside. Mix curd with sugar, salt - beat it well and keep it ready. Assemble all the ingredients.Arrange 7 puris in a plate. Crack a hole carefully in the center of each puri. Add 1/2 tsp of mashed potatoes and green gram dhal inside each puri.

2.Then add little curd, then add onion. Add remaining curd,green chutney and dates chutney in each puri.

3.Sprinkle red chilli powder, chat masala powder on top, then add the sev. Garnish with coriander leaves.Serve immediately.

You can make the puris and chutneys the before day . Once that is ready all others can be done a while before assembling. Enjoy this easy and yummy chat at home.

I take the short route of buying the dates chutney ready made these days ;) It is called bhel puri chutneys and stays well for long when refrigerated. I use even for sandwiches - its tangy, sweet, spicy with all the flavours bursting out....hmmm yummmy!

My Notes:

• Once it is assembled, serve it immediately else the puris will become soggy.
• If you make the chutneys ready then assembling and serving dahi puri is easy.
• You can use either sprout green gram or pressure cook and use it if needed instantly which is what I did. You can also a combination of sprouts too.

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Fish Fry (Meen Varuval) Recipe | Vanjaram Fish Fry Recipe

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Mittu loves fish fry and its the only nonveg item she eats. So I have started experimenting fish recipes too.

Fish Fry Recipe - Ingredients

• Fish - 6 to 8 pieces (I used Vanjaram variety)
• Red chilli powder - 3 tsp
• Coriander powder - 1 tsp (optional)
• Turmeric powder - a generous pinch
• Lime juice - 1 tsp
• Cornflour - 1 tsp (optional)
• Salt - to taste
• Oil - to toast / deep fry

Method:

1. Clean fish and wash it twice to thrice. Set aside.In a wide mixing bowl, add red chilli, turmeric,coriander powder, lime juice and required salt. Sprinkle little water to make it to a paste consistency. Then add the fish to it and mix well. Coat the masala on all sides of the fish and marinate for atleast 30mins. Set aside.

2.Heat oil in a pan or dosa tawa and toast the fish until the fish turns golden red in color. You can alternatively deep fry too.

Serve hot with lemon wedges and onion rings.

My Notes :

• Adjust spice level according to your taste and preference.
• You can serve fish with raw onions. I love it with tomato sauce :)
• Squeeze lime while serving if you like the tanginess.
• You can even add ginger garlic paste as a add on to the marinade.
• We like fish fries toasted in tawa than the deep fry.Also it avoids fish becoming hard.

Tags: fish fry, fish fry recipe, vanjaram fish fry, vanjaram fish fry, recipe, how to make fish fry, how to prepare fish fry, fish fry recipe in tamil, vanjaram fish fry recipe in tamil, easy fish fry, sharmis passions fish fry recipe, simple fish fry

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Filter Coffee (Filter Kaapi) - How to make filter coffee

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Making filter coffee isnt a big deal but to get the perfection sure comes only practise. I am totally an instant coffee lover but can have filter coffee once in a while. Filter coffee is always ammas department as she loves it and she says she cant proceed her daily chores without her morning dose :)

Filter Kaapi(Coffee) Recipe - Ingredients
For the decotion:

• Coffee Powder - 3 heaped tsp
• Water - 1 cup

For the coffee:

• Strong decotion - 1/4 cup(adjust according to the strongness you want)
• Milk - 1 cup
• Sugar - 1 tsp

This decotion can make around 2-3 cups of coffee depending on the strongness.

The below pic shows a south indian coffee filter. It has a lower container that collects the filtered coffee and upper container where the coffee powder and water is added to form the decotion.

Now lets get on to see how we prepare filter coffee:

Method:

1. First add 3 tsps of filter coffee powder to the filter container.  Allow water to boil.Add the boiled water.

2.Add the top chamber of the filter. As you see the decotion drops and gets collected in the lower part of the filter as shown. After adding water close and keep it undisturbed for 10mins until all the decotion drops down.

3.Add sugar in the serving tumbler. Then add decotion may be 2- 3 tsp(depends on how strong you need your coffee to be). Boil milk.

4.Then strain milk in the same tumbler. Pour from the tawara to the tumbler for once or twice until frothy.

Filter coffee is ready serve it hot and frothy.We always serve filter coffee in a set of tawara tumbler as shown in the pics.

My Notes:

• Once the decotion is added to the milk, do not overheat. If you want to heat then place the coffee tumbler inside a container which has boiling water.
• You can refrigerate the decotion for a day.
• We can take even 2 decotion by adding in little more water once the 1 st decotion is taken and used. The 2nd decotion is not very strong.
• If you use decotion stored in fridge, heat the decotion separately by placing it inside a container which has boiling water.

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Oats Adai (Oats Lentils Pancakes) | Oats Breakfast Recipes

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Oats is my fav and that justifies the number of oats recipes in this space :) Adai is my fav and can have it even daily if given. So when I saw oats adai, I instantly tried it and loved it so much. Lentil with oats is a healthy and tasty combination. I didnt wait for any chutney for sidedish just digged in with idli podi and tomato sauce :)

Oats Adai Recipe - Ingredients
Recipe Reference : Flavours & Tastes

• Powdered oats - 1 cup
• Toor dhal - 1/4 cup
• Chana dhal - 1/4 cup
• Moong dhal - 1/4 cup
• Onion - 1 big finely chopped
• Red chillies - 2
• Garlic - 4 pearls
• Ginger - 1/4 inch piece
• Fennel seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Fresh coriander leaves - 1/2 tbsp
• Salt - to taste
• Oil - to toast

Method:

1. Wash the dhals and soak it for an hour. Then drain water and grind the dhals with red chillies, garlic, ginger and fennel seeds to a coarse paste.

2.In a wide mixing bowl, add the ground paste with powdered oats. Add chopped onions, coriander leaves and required salt.

3. Add water to make it to a batter consistency. Keep aside for an hour. Take 1 laddle full of batter for a adai.

4.Heat a dosa tawa and spread the batter like we make for dosa. Drizzle oil and cook on both the sides till golden brown.

Serve hot with coconut or tamarind chutney or idli podi of your choice.

My Notes:

• I have even made this instant without leaving the batter for an hour. It still comes out soft and nice. But as our traditional adai method needs resting time, I have given that also.
• You can make the adai a bit thinner and make it crisp too.
• Just powder the oats raw, no need to roast it.

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Banana Bread Recipe (Banana Cake)

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I baked this banana bread long back and this was lying in my drafts for almost an year. Yesterday when I was browsing my drafts I found this and thought this should be attended sooner :) As nags says even I felt this recipe inbetween a cake and bread, however it tasted too good and got vanished in a day :)

Banana Bread Recipe - Ingredients
Recipe Source : CookingandMe

• Maida - 1 cup(135 gms)
• Banana - 1 ripe(I used moris variety as shown in the pics)
• Eggs - 2
• Granulated Sugar - 1/2 cup(110 gms) + 2 tbsp
• Butter - 1/2 cup (100 gms)
• Walnuts - 3 tbsp chopped
• Vanilla essence - 1/2 tsp
• Salt - 1/4 tsp

Method:

1. First mash the banana well and set aside. In a wide bowl cream butter(at room temperature) and sugar, beat well.
2. Once the sugar is completely blended with the butter, add the eggs and beat it well until fluffy(I just used hand whisk). Add vanilla essence, mix once.
3. Now add the mashed up banana, salt and mix well. Add the flour in portions and mix well until combined well.Finally add in the chopped walnuts.
4. Preheat the oven at 180 deg C for 10mins. Meanwhile grease the pan and after the preheating time, pour the batter into greased pan and bake it for 40-45mins.
5. Test by inserting a fork / knife in the middle of the cake, if it comes out clean then ur cake is ready. Cool completely then cut into slices and serve.

My Notes:

• I misplaced the bread loaf pan :( so baked it in a normal square pan which was a bit bigger in size so the batter didnt come even to 1/2 of the pan so looks like not raisen in height.But tastewise no compromise very soft and yummy.
• Increase sugar upto 3/4 cup as per your preference and banana variety.
• I didnt use any electric beater to beat the eggs as said in the orginal recipe.

This recipe yielded me around 10-12 slices / pieces. It tasted too good by itself but if you wish , you can add any simple frosting.

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Pongal Kuzhambu Recipe (Pongal Puli Curry)

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I was waiting to post this pongal kuzhambu recipe(puli curry) side dish for pongal and this year got some time to click. It is the best combination with both sweet and milk pongal. Amma says its a custom to add 5 types of country veggies and it can be to our own liking but we add the veggies given below mostly.

Pongal Puli Curry Recipe - Ingredients

• Pumpkin(Parangikai) - 1/2 cup
• Potato - 1/2 cup
• Broad beans(Avarai) - 1/2 cup
• Field beans(Mochai) - 1/2 cup
• Sweet potato(Sakarai valli kilangu) - 1 cut into cubes
• Small onion - 8 to 10 halved
• Tomato - 2 chopped
• Garlic - 8 to 10 flakes
• Tamarind - 1/4 cup tightly packed
• Jaggery - 1/2 tbsp (optional)
• Toor Dhal - little less than 1/4 cup (Pressure cooked until mushy)
• Red Chilli Powder - 2 tsp
• Coriander powder - 2 tsp
• Salt - for taste

To Temper

• Cumin(Jeera) - 1 tsp
• Vadagam (for tempering) - 1/4 tsp
• Curry leaves - few

Method:

1. Pressure cook toor dhal until mushy, keep aside. Add tamarind in warm water and take pulp, set aside. Pressure cook field beans for 3 whistles and keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan - add jeera, vadagam and curry leaves let it temper then add onion, garlic and tomato and saute well. Then add broadbeans, potato and sweet potato saute for 2mins. Then add red chilli powder, coriander powder and required salt. Then add water till immersing level.

2. Once the veggies are cooked then add pumpkin(as it gets cooked faster add it after the other veggies get cooked). Then add little more water if required for pumpkin to get cooked. Once all the veggies turn soft, add mashed toor dhal, jaggery and mix well.

3.Add 1/4 cup tamarind to 1 cup water and extract tamarind pulp, add it at this stage. Give it a boil then add cooked mochai and allow it to get thicker. Once the veggies are nicely blended with the gravy and is semi thick switch off.

This is called as puli curry as amma calls it and is popularly called as pongal kuzhambu.

My Notes:

• We usually add 5 veggies for this pongal kuzhambu as a custom and the choice of veggies can be anything we like. But make sure to add the veggies according to the fastness each veggie gets cooked.
• Adding jaggery is also optional but I recommend it as the tangy tastes compliments well with the mild sweetness.

• Amma says adding toor dal is optional but gives more gravy and compensates tanginess. But if you prefer to store it for more than a day then skip toor dal.

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