Birds in Action at Woburn Safari Park

The National bird of India. The peacock has the iridescent blue green plumage. A symbol of eternal life.

They have emitted a very loud high-pitched cry just before the rain has stared.

The perfect timing.....A bird in action under the 'Birds in Action ' display board.

Kaaram borugulu / Spiced rice puffs

This is a nice low calories snack. Puffed rice mixed with roasted garlic, peanuts, roasted chick pea with a hint of turmeric. The turmeric itself gives the nice aroma.  This can be served as it is or can be mixed with some chopped onion, tomato and some fresh coriander.

Can also be eaten as a meal ....(Cheeky)

Ingredients:

Rice puffs / Marmaralu – 200 gms

Peanuts – ¼ cup

Dalia / Roasted chick pea – ¼ cup

Garlic – 6-8 cloves crushed

Curry leaves – 4-5 strings

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

Cumin – 1 tsp

Turmeric – 1 tsp

Salt

Red Chilli – 4-5

Oil – 1 tbsp

Method:

Heat a broad kadai with oil.

When it is warm add peanuts, red chilli and roast them on medium flame.

When they are half done add garlic.

Roast everything until the garlic gets browned and peanuts get crunchy.

Now add roasted chick pea, mustard seeds, cumin and curry leaves.

Fry them for few seconds and add the puffed rice

Toss every thing thoroughly, so that the puffed rice get coated with oil. At this point add salt and turmeric.

Keep mixing every thing until the puffed rice get mixed well and coated with turmeric.

Remove from flame. Allow them to cool down completely and then store in an air tight container. They remain fresh up to 10 days.

You can also mix some sev if you like.

Sorakaaya Thokku Pachadi

Bottle gourd is the one of the favourite vegetables of Indians and has numerous medicinal values. We can make use of each and every bit of this vegetable and the skin is not exceptional. We can make a nice coarse tangy chutney. 

When I made the bottle gourd halwa, I had this peel left behind. So I made this chutney.

Ingredients:

Bottlegourd Peel / Sorakaya Thokku - 1 cup

Coriander seeds - 1 tbsp

Peanuts – 1 tbsp

Cumin Seeds / Jeera - 1/2 tsp

Bengal Gram / Channa dal - 1 tsp

Red Chilli – 4-6

Tamarind - small marble size

Salt to taste

Oil - 1 tsp

Method to prepare:

Wash and peel the skin from the bottle gourd.

Dry roast peanuts, remove the skin and keep them aside.

Now heat the same pan with oil, add coriander seeds,  cumin seeds and bengal gram. Remove and keep them aside.

Then to the same pan add the red chilies and the peels, saute well.

Remove and allow it cool.

Once it is cooled down, grid to a coarse paste.

If you wish, you can add seasoning to this chutney. I have avoided the seasoning as we have roasted all the ingredients in oil.

You can have this chutney with rice, dosa or idly or as per your wish.

I had this with ponganaalu.

Paala poori

I have learned this divine recipe from my mother in law. Pooris are soaked in protein rich coconut milk. The flavour is intensified by adding saffron.

Pooris will melt in the mouth just like that......hmmmm

Ingredients:

Poori – 10 

Milk – 500 ml

Coconut + rice milk – 500 ml

(To prepare this we need 1 whole fresh coconut and 4 tbsp of rice soaked in water for 30 min )

Cashews – 10

Almonds – 10

Cardamom – 1 or 2

Method:

Prepare the poori bit smaller than the usual size so that they can be fit in a serving cup.
To prepare the coconut milk, grind the fresh coconut along with the soaked rice and extract the milk. Filter and remove the pulp.

Coconut and rice milk

Soak cashews, almonds in warm water for about 10-20 minutes and grind them into paste along with cardamom.

Take a sturdy vessel and heat the milk. When the milk gets heated up (not boiled) add the coconut + rice milk and the almond + cashew paste.

Stir every thing and bring it to boil.

Reduce the flame and boil the milk further more until it thickens.

Take the serving bowls. Place 1or 2 poori in a serving bowl.

Now pour the hot milk over it until the pooris gets soaked. Do this 30 minutes before serving, so that the heat gets reduced to room temperature and the pooris get soaked well in the milk, become soft and tastes divine.

Cabbage with Egg

Cabbage is popular for its versatility and strong flavour. Cabbage ranked in our WHFoods rating system as an excellent source of vitamin C and a good source of vitamin A. Cabbage is very impressive in preventing intoxication. This recipe is a nice combination of protein rich eggs and the vitamins rich cabbage.

Ingredients:

Shredded Green Cabbage – 2 cups
Egg – 2 to 3
Green chilli – 2-3 chopped finely
Ginger Garlic paste – 1 tsp
Salt
Oil – 2 tbsp
Method:
Heat a wide bottomed pan with oil.
When it is hot enough, and add green chilli and cabbage. Fry a minute 
Now break the eggs and drop the yolks. 

Stir everything until the eggs get scrambled.
Cover the pan with lid for 3-4 min and allow the cabbage to get steam cooked.
Remove the lid, stir everything and cook for another 4-5 minutes.

If you wish you can add chopped coriander at the end.
Remove from the fire.
Serve it with roti.

Sorakaaya / Lauki Halwa / Bottle gourd sweet

We can prepare lots of recipes with bottle gourd starting from curries, chutneys including the sweets. It has got so many medicinal values. The juice is given to treat the urinary disorders. In olden days, people used to use this dried vegetable as bottles.

Sorakaaya / Lauki Halwa

Ingredients:

Grated bottle gourd - 2 cups

Sugar - 1/2

Milk - 1 cup

Cashews - 10

Ghee - 2 tbsp
Green Food Colour - Pinch (Optional)

Grated bottle gourd and sugar

Method:

Heat a pan with ghee.

Fry the cashews till golden brown.

You can either keep them aside and then add the grated bottle gourd or you can add the bottle gourd to the fried cashews itself.

When the raw smell disappears and the bottle gourd gets transparent, then add milk.

When you feel the bottle gourd is cooked, then add sugar and mix every thing.
At this point add the food colour.

Slowly stir in between until the mixture becomes thick and leaves the sides.

When it reaches the desired consistency, remove from fire.
Serve it warm or chilled.

Queen's Diamond Jubliee

The Diamond Jubilee celebrations marking 60 years of The Queen’s reign

Our Street Party

Different cultures celebrating at one street

The Ministers addressing the public

Playing cricket with kids as kids

Dancing Time

Time to tuck in

Kids painting the face masks