Students work

📹 Just sharing a clip sent by a student who attended a short-term lessons to horne his baking skills. He got an offer to join a bakery unit in Canada. So, he wished to learn puffs, cakes, donuts, and other 🥐🎂🍩 bakery stuff. Before he left, he was apprehensive if he could take up the role in a bakery unit. And, recently he msgd with this video from the bakery. Looks like he found his 👨‍🍳 footing in a new country doing a specialized skill job. Good Luck and Wishing you a great future! 👏 

Ragi Mudde

Raagi mudde is a traditional South Indian dish, specifically from the state of Karnataka. It is a simple and nutritious food made from ragi flour (finger millet flour) and water. The dish is also known as ragi ball or finger millet ball.

Raagi mudde is typically served with a variety of accompaniments such as saaru (a spicy lentil soup), bassaru (a flavorful vegetable stew), or spicy curries. It is a popular dish among the rural communities in Karnataka and is known for its high nutritional value. Ragi is rich in calcium, iron, and fiber, making it a healthy addition to the diet.

In terms of eating raagi mudde, it is common to break off a small piece of the ball with your fingers, make a small well or indentation in the ball, and use it to scoop up the accompanying dish. The texture of raagi mudde is dense and slightly sticky, and it has a distinct earthy flavor.

Raagi mudde is considered a staple food in certain regions of Karnataka and is enjoyed by people of all ages. It is a dish that showcases the culinary traditions and cultural heritage of the state.

For a change today I had Raagi Mudde and fish curry and loved the combination.

#raagimudde #raagi #millets #healthyfood #raagiballs #karnatkafood #milletyear2023 #marinacharles2004 #mennasdelight

Heart of Gold

last weekend I met Saimol Thomas from Kottayam, she came all the way from Kottayam to learn icing and I was inspired and impressed  by her stories who loves to cook and feed others finds great joy in sharing her culinary creations with friends, family, and loved ones. For her, cooking is not just about satisfying her own passion but also about bringing happiness to others.

She says her day starts at 5:00 am by making coffee for the milkman who comes around that time and if she get time will wrap a dosa in the butter paper for him. She even send food to people who are admitted in the hospital and make sure their breakfast is taken care

I could say a lady with a golden heart and we had a good time in the class with her. She understands that a well-cooked meal has the power to bring people together, create lasting memories, and provide a sense of comfort and happiness, a way to show love, and a means to connect with others through the universal language of food.

 Wishing her many more wonderful days of creating memories and touching others hearts

Curd Rice

Curd rice, also known as yogurt rice or thayir sadam, is a popular dish from South India. It is a simple and comforting dish made by combining cooked rice with yogurt (curd) and seasoned with various spices. Here's a basic recipe for curd rice:

Ingredients:

1 cup cooked rice
1 cup plain yogurt (curd)
Salt to taste1 tablespoon 
oil 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1-2 green chilies, finely chopped
A few curry leaves1/4 cup grated carrot (optional)
2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves (cilantro) for garnish

Instructions:

Cook the rice and let it cool down completely. You can use leftover rice or freshly cooked rice.
In a mixing bowl, whisk the yogurt until smooth. Add salt to taste and mix well..

Add the cooked rice to the yogurt mixture and mix thoroughly, ensuring that the rice is coated evenly with the yogurt. You can adjust the quantity of yogurt as per your preference for consistency.

Heat oil in a small pan over medium heat. Add mustard seeds and let them splutter. Then, add cumin seeds, green chilies, and curry leaves. Sauté for a minute until the spices release their aroma.
Pour the tempering (mustard seeds, cumin seeds, chilies, and curry leaves) over the curd rice and mix well. The tempering adds flavor to the dish..

If desired, add grated carrot for a crunchy texture and extra flavor. Mix it well with the curd rice.
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves (cilantro) for added freshness and visual appeal.
Let the curd rice sit for a while to allow the flavors to meld together.
Serve curd rice at room temperature or chilled as per your preference.

Curd rice is often enjoyed as a standalone dish or served as a side dish with pickles, papadums, or other South Indian accompaniments. It's a popular choice for a light and cooling meal, especially during hot summer days. Feel free to adjust the spices and add any additional ingredients according to your taste. Enjoy your curd rice!

Rava Idli

Rava Idili and coconut peanut Chutney made with so much of love by my sister in laws Mom when we visited Hyderabad

Rava Idli is a popular South Indian dish made from semolina (also known as rava or sooji). It is a variation of the traditional idli, which is typically made with fermented rice and lentil batter. 

Rava Idli

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Urad Dal
2 cups Idli Rava
3 tablespoons Poha
1/4 teaspoon Fenugreek Seeds
1/2 teaspoon Salt

Directions:

step-1

Rinse urad dal in water 4-5 times. Combine urad dal, fenugreek seeds and poha in container and soak in water  mix should be completely sub-merged in water for 4-5 hours.

step-2

Soaked dal volume would increase to almost double in 4-5 hours

step-3

Rinse and clean idli rava in water for 4-5 times and Soak rinsed rava in water for 4-5 hours. Water should just cover the rava.

step-4

Drain the excess water from urad dal mix. Do not discard the drained water, it can be used while grinding the batter. Place drained dal in the jar of a mixer grinder.

Grind it into a smooth paste, add water  as needed while grinding the dal. The batter should be fluffy

step-6

Pour it into a deep large vessel. We will ferment the batter in the same vessel and its size would increase, so make sure that vessel is sufficiently large.

step-7

Drain excess water from soaked rava, gently squeeze it using your hand and add it to the grinder jar.

step-8

Add water as needed and grind into a smooth batter. It will have medium coarse texture and it will not be as smooth as urad dal batter. Grinding the idli rava is an optional process; you can also add drained and squeezed rava directly in the ground urad dal batter.

step-9

Pour it to urad dal batter, add salt and mix well. Batter should not be very thin or very thick.

step-10

Cover it with a plate and keep it in warm place for around 8 hours for fermentation. Batter’s volume would increase after fermentation. Depending on the weather and room temperature, time required to ferment the batter. In cold season, place covered batter and keep it in warm place.

step-11

Place the idli mould in steamer and cover with a lid. Steam it for 10 minutes over medium flame. After 10 minutes, insert a toothpick into the cooked idli and check if it comes out clean; if yes, then it is cooked; if not, then it is not cooked yet; steam it for few more minutes and check again.

step-12

Remove the idli moulds from the steamer and let them cool for few minutes. Remove the idli with a spoon and transfer to a plate. Serve hot idli with Sambar and Coconut Chutney.

Prawns Masala

Prawns Masala is a delicious and popular ,It is made with succulent prawns cooked in a flavorful and aromatic masala gravy. Here’s a recipe to prepare Prawns Masala:

Ingredients:

500 grams of prawns, cleaned and deveined

2 onions, finely chopped

2 tomatoes, pureed

3-4 green chilies, slit

1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon red chili powder (adjust according to your spice preference)

1 teaspoon coriander powder

1/2 teaspoon garam masala

1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds

1/4 cup chopped coriander leaves

2 tablespoons oil

Salt to taste

Instructions:

Heat oil in a pan or kadai or mud pot over medium heat. Add mustard seeds and let them crackle.

Add chopped onions and sauté until they turn golden brown.

Add ginger-garlic paste and green chilies. Sauté for a minute until the raw smell disappears.

Add tomato puree and cook until the oil separates from the masala, stirring occasionally.

Now, add turmeric powder, red chili powder, and coriander powder. Mix well and cook for a minute.

Add the cleaned prawns to the masala and mix them gently until they are coated well with the spices.

Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan, and let the prawns cook for about 5-6 minutes. Stir occasionally to ensure even cooking.

Remove the lid and increase the heat to medium. Cook for another 2-3 minutes to allow the gravy to thicken slightly.

Sprinkle garam masala and salt to taste. Stir well.

Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Your Prawns Masala is ready to be served! It goes well with steamed rice, roti (Indian bread), or naan. Enjoy your flavorful and spicy prawns masala!