Yo Gabba Gabba Cake!

My 2 years old loves the show Yo Gabba Gabba. So I made these cake for his birthday. He was very happy to see them.

Pillow Cake

A comfy cushion cake, made for my hubby's birthday. 

Samosa Chaat

Samosa chaat is the mouth watering, yummy snack. It's easy to make if you have the pre-made samosa's (either home made or frozen).  I have tried variety of options and feel that below is the yummiest among all.

• 1 medium sized Onion, Cut into small pieces
• 2 to 3 Tomatoes, Cut into small pieces
• Green chili's, to taste
• 1/2 Tsp Oil
• 2 to 3 Tbsp Butter
• 1/2 Tsp Jeera or Cumin Seeds
• 1 Tsp Ginger/Garlic Paste
• 1 Cup Garbanzo beans, Cooked or Canned
• 1/4 Tsp Turmeric Powder
• 1/4 Tsp Amchur or Mango Powder
• 1/4 Tsp Coriander Powder
• 1/8 Tsp Black Pepper Powder
• 1/4 Tsp Garam Masal
• 2 Tsp Chole/Chana Masala
• 1 Tsp Red Chili Powder or To Taste
• Salt to Taste
• 1 Cup Water
• Coriander leaves, chopped
• 10- 12 Samosas, Broken into pieces

Heat pan in a medium heat. Add oil and butter. Once the oil is hot add the cumin seeds and let it crack. Now add the onions and fry for a minute. To this, add the ginger-garlic paste and green chili's. Now add the tomatoes and let it cook for two minutes. Add in all the spices- turmeric, amchur, coriander, pepper, garam masala, chole masala, red chili, salt. Stir in and add the garbanzo beans and the water. Now let it cook for 8 to 10 minutes. Add the chopped coriander and samosa pieces. Turn off the stove. Garnish with onions, coriander leaves, sev, tamarind chutney, and yogurt. Serve hot.

Heerekai (Ridge Gourd) Dosa

Though Heerekai Or Ridge gourd isn't liked by many, this dosa with the spices makes it super yummy. It takes a lot of time to make this dosa as it should cook really well, otherwise it will taste bitter. Here is what you will need,

• 1 Cup White Rice (soaked overnight)
• 6-8 Red Chili's
• 1 spoon Coriander Seeds
• 1/2 spoon Cumin Seeds
• Small piece of Tamarind
• Jaggery (double the amount of tamarind )
• 1/4 Cup Coconut, grated
• Salt to taste
• Ridge gourd, sliced thin

Grind the rice with the spices and coconut until smooth. Add jaggery and grind gently. The batter is ready. Now dip the slices of Ridge gourd into the batter and place it on the thava. Repeat it until the thava is full. Cover it and let it cook on low to medium heat for about 2 minutes. Now flip the dosa and let it cook for a minute. Heerekai dosa is ready. Serve with butter or coconut oil. 

Fruit Salad

Fruit salad is a dessert loved by everyone. In our family, no celebration is perfect without fruit salad. You can add any fruits of your choice, it tastes delicious. Here is the recipe of the salad I made recently,

• 1/2 Cup Apple (Red delicious)
• 1/2 Cup Grapes 
• 1 Banana (Large)
• 1/2 Cup Honey dew
• 1/4 Cup Blueberry
• 1/4 Cup Pomegranate Seeds
• 2 Tbsp Honey or To taste
• 2 and 1/2Cups Ice Cream (I used, Chickoo or Sapota Flavor)

Add the honey to the fruits and mix gently. Stir in the ice cream and garnish with fruits. Serve chilled.

Rasam ( Saru )

Mangalurian's meal starts with rasam. It's the main part of their food system. My mom-in-law makes the best Rasam in the world. She taught me the recipe. It's very easy with a few steps to follow.

• 1/2 Cup Toor Dal ( soak for 10 minutes )
• 4-6 Tomatoes, Cut into Large pieces
• Green Chili's, slit, to taste
• 1/2 Tsp Turmeric Powder
• A piece of Jaggery
• Salt to taste
• 3 Cups Water
• 2 Tbsp Rasam Powder
• Coconut milk 1/4 Cup ( Optional )
• Coriander leaves, chopped
• 1 Tbsp of Ghee
• Few Curry Leaves

Pressure cook the toor dal with little turmeric powder.  In a separate pan, add the tomatoes, green chili's, turmeric powder, jaggery and salt. Now add about 3 Cups of water and let it cook. Cooking process may take about 20 to 30 minutes. Now add the cooked dal and rasam powder to this and let it come to a boil. Add the coconut milk and coriander leaves, now turn off the stove. Add a simple tadka with ghee and just curry leaves. Serve hot with Rice.

Rasam Powder ( Saru Hudi )

I got this recipe from my mom. It's very easy to make.  You can store this one for up to a month or so.

• 1 Tbsp of Oil
• Handful of Red Chili's
• 10 spoons of Coriander Seeds 
• 2 Spoons of Fenugreek Seeds
• 3 Spoons of Cumin Seeds
• 1/4th Spoon of Asafoetida 

Fry the above listed ingredients in the order,adding one by one. Let it cool completely before grinding to make the powder. Store in an air tight container (no need to refrigerate).