NEW YORK

Summer Coolers ~ Iced Cocoa-Coffee

June 13th, 2007

During summers this is a kind of drink I really relish, absolutely chilled cocoa coffee. Brilliant flavor. I made it the other day along with green papaya salad. Neither too strong nor mild, the smooth balance of coffee-chocolate taste and aroma with an addictive flavor made my palate crave for more. Simply irresistable, perfect summer drink.

Iced Cocoa-Coffee Recipe

Preparation: 4-5 mts & Chilling time

Serves 2-3 persons

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Ingredients:

2 cups low fat ice cold milk

1 cup hot water

1 1/4 tbsp unsweetened cocoa pwd

1 1/2 tbsp instant coffee pwd (adjust)

1 1/2 tbsps brown sugar (adjust)

2-3 drops vanilla essence

1 tbsp fresh cream (optional)

pinch of cinnamon pwd

1 Combine the cocoa pwd, instant coffee pwd, cinnamon and brown sugar. Add hot water and mix well till the sugar has dissolved completely. Cool. Add chilled milk and mix well.
2 Chill for an hour or so. Just before serving, add some cream, vanilla essence and cinnamon powder and blend till frothy. Serve chilled.

Check out versions of Iced coffee based on each region/country.

Tags: cocoa coffee, iced coffee

Posted in All Recipes, Beverages & Drinks, Dairy & Milk | 19 Comments »

Dondakaya Pulusu - Ivy gourd in tamarind sauce

June 11th, 2007

Murali, an avid foodie, techie geek, ace photographer, studying film-making, presently working in Australia and a close family friend wanted to share one of his favorite recipe and asked me if he could do a guest post. I am more than happy to oblige with his request.:)

I’m sharing one of my favorite recipe using tindora, dondakaya pulusu, where dondakaya is simmered in a sweet and sour tamarind sauce.

Dondakaya Pulusu Recipe
Prep & Cooking Time: 30 mts

Ingredients:

1 tbsp oil

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/4 tsp grated ginger

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 red dried chillis, de-seed

1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds

10-12 curry leaves

2 onions, finely chopped

pinch of turmeric

salt to taste

1 tsp chilli pwd

1 tsp daniya pwd

1/2 kilo tindora, finely sliced

small lemon sized tamarind ball (extract juice)

1 tbsp grated jaggery

Procedure:
1 Soak the tamarind in 2 cups of warm water for 10 mts. Extract juice and keep aside.
2 Heat oil in a skillet and when hot, add the mustard seeds and let them splutter, add cumin seeds, ginger, garlic, fenugreek seeds, red dried chilli and curry leaves.
3 Toss them for a few seconds and don’t allow the fenugreek seeds to burn, they should turn slightly red.
4 Add the onions and saute till brown, add turmeric. Now add the tindoora pieces (cut lengthwise) and fry for two minutes and cover with lid and cook on medium heat.
5 Add dhaniya powder, salt and chilli pwd. Add the tamarind juice and grated jaggery and cover with lid and cook on medium heat.
6 Cook till the tindoora turns soft and the sauce thickens.

You can serve with rice or chapathi. Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did in preparing and presenting it to you. Thank you, Sailaja.:)

Tags: dondakaya, tamarind, tindora

Posted in Andhra Recipes, Vegetables, Vegetarian Recipes, Curries & Gravies, Guest Blogs | 7 Comments »

Summer Salads ~ Green Papaya Salad - Som Tum

June 7th, 2007

Summer is at its peak here and its salad days at our home. Means less time spent in the kitchen - just fix a salad and a chilled drink. Today I prepared a popular Thai inspired raw papaya salad, Som Tam. When ever we order Thai food, this salad is a must. This is a kind of salad I could eat every other day and still not have enough of it. I found a good recipe on the ‘The Good Food Show’ aired on NDTV and had made a mental note of it.

You would need a wooden or earthen mortar and pestle for this recipe as the ingredients have to be lightly pounded to combine together. Don’t have one, you can still make this salad by just combining the ingredients using your hands. Garlic and red chillis are pounded together followed by jaggery, lemon juice and soya sauce which are finally combined with raw papaya and tomato juliennes. This recipe is an adapted version of the authentic Thai raw papaya salad which calls for long beans and fish sauce which I omitted. The salad had a wonderfully light, sweet-sour-salty flavor with an added crunch of peanuts and raw papaya.

Iced cocoa-coffee and a healthy, refreshing sweet, subtly spiced and tart raw papaya salad was our lunch today and it’s hard to imagine anything better suited for a hot summer afternoon.:).

Raw Papaya Salad Recipe

Preparation: 15 mts,

Serves 3-4 persons

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Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups raw papaya, peeled and julienned and soaked in ice cold water

3-4 garlic cloves

1-2 small dried red chillies, de-seed and tear

2-3 tbsps jaggery or brown sugar

1 1/2 tbsps lemon juice

1 1/2 tsp light soy sauce

1 tomato, remove seeds and julienne

1 small cucumber, peeled and finely sliced (optional)

2 tbsp roasted peanuts

1 In a mortar, lightly crush the garlic, add the chillies and lightly pound again.
2 Add the jaggery, lemon juice, soy sauce. Add the roasted peanuts and lightly pound while stirring once in a while with a spoon to prevent the paste from thickening.
3 Add the tomato juliennes and lightly pound and mix with spoon again.
4 Add the shredded papaya and cucumber slices, lightly pound (they should just bruise a bit) and stir until all the ingredients have combined well. Don’t pound too much as it will become a pasty salad. The juliennes should hold shape while combining with the rest of the ingredients. Use a spoon to mix them well.
5 Garnish with crushed peanuts.

courtesy by...
SAGAR RESTUARANT

Sagar Restaurant offers an extensive choice of traditional Bangladeshi, Pakistani and Indian cuisine together with new mouthwatering recipes, but if you have a preferred dish that isn't on the menu, please don't hesitate to ask the management who will be more than happy to have our chef specially prepare it for you. We provide 100% halal meat.

Location: Sagar Restuarant

168-25B, Hillside Avenue,
Jamaica, New York 11432
PHONE: 718-298-5696
718-657-2855
718-213-4338(for catering only)
Web Site: www.sagarfood.com

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