March 11, 2009

Tomato Kurma, Dill-Dabeli Masala Parathas, Chutney Pudi-Aloo fries with Strawberry Lassi!

Happy Holi to all of you! :)
Yes!! Spring..err.. Summer like weather is here at last! It was sunny 80+F the last weekend and hot rest of this week too! But ground is still not warm enough, I will have to wait until May to start planting in my veggie patch.

In other news, if you remember my little experiments from last week's post of not shopping for 14 days and to go on liquid detox for one day a week, here are the updates!
I did not shop last Saturday as I usually do but ran out of milk, OJ and bread 2 days later. With two teenagers around, I had to shop on the 10th day! I fell 4 days short of my goal, mission NOT accomplished!

But I did successfully complete one whole day of liquid diet on last Thursday though! It wasn't bad at all, lived on 7 cups of liquid for the whole day. Body surely protested by giving me headache and nausea but my mind is lot stronger even though it felt like the longest day of my life!! Next day, hubby says I needed to drink about 10-12 glasses (8oz each) of liquid per day to avoid dehydration and headache if we are not eating solids! Well..too late now, will keep that in mind in future! :P

Btw, we have two birthdays to celebrate this weekend, very busy days for us parents as well! My boy is 14 and my girl is 18 on Saturday and Monday respectively! Finally, one is an adult. YES!! Oh wait, she gets her own bank account and a credit card next week! OH NO! HELP!! :D
Details in my next post.

Okie dokie!! Now let's get on with it without too much yakking from me, shall we? I have spicy Tomato Kurma, festive masaledar Lachcha Parathas, my mom's Chutney pudi, Dabeli masala smothered Aloo fries and a delicious Strawberry lassi for this week. Sounds good, huh?
I will be sending these to few events, logos and links are at the bottom of the post. You can click on all the photos to enlarge them.

Tomato Kurma:

Tomato Kurma is adapted from one of the Mallika Badrinath's books. It's delicious and down to earth as most of her recipes are. Tomato is a fruit but mostly used as vegetable in our kitchen. It is also high in Vitamin A and C, which are good source for us, specially for kids. Since kids usually like Tomatoey Spaghetti sauce, using Tomatoes in Kurma is another way to utilize the goodness. With antioxidant benefits, Tomatoes are excellent for reducing the risk of Cancer too.

You need:
4-5 Tomatoes, Cilantro to garnish, 1 tsp Jaggary or sugar, enough salt.
Seasoning:
2 tsp oil and 1 tsp ghee, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 2 garlic,chopped,1 large onion chopped, 1-2 green chillies, sliced.

Grind all these to a smooth paste with enough warm water and keep aside:
1/3 cup fresh coconut, 5-6 Cashew nuts, 1 tbsp Poppy seeds, 1 tbsp Coriander seeds, 1/4 tsp chilli pd or 2 red dry chillies, 1 tsp Garam masala. (no need to roast the spices before grinding)
To make Kurma:
1. Heat oil and ghee, add cumin seeds, garlic, chillies, stir for a minute and add onion and fry until soft.
2. Add Tomatoes, salt, sugar, cook until Tomatoes are soft. Turn down the heat.
3. Add the ground coconut masala to this dish and simmer for 30 mins or until you get a delicious aroma. Adjust the salt and spices, add cilantro.
4. Serve with Dill masala Parathas or Dosas or idlies.


Festive Parathas for Holi! Dill and Dabeli masala stuffed Parathas:

Since Holi is not one of the well celebrated festival in South India unlike in North India, I am not very familiar with the traditional Holi festival foods. After reading the choices at Purva's blog about Parathas as one of the foods for Holi, I made these masaledar colorful Parathas for her Holi event. They are colorful with Dill (Ashwini's idea to add Dill) and flavorful with the Dabeli masala added to the dough. Enjoy! :)

You need:
2 cups of Wheat flour, 1/2 cup Dill leaves chopped, (optional), 1 tbsp oil, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp Fennel seeds powder, 1 tsp coriander seeds pd, 1/2 tsp garam masala, 1 tsp Dabeli masala (store bought or home made), 1/4 cup yogurt and enough warm water to make a firm dough.

Home made Dabeli Masala:
2 tsp cumin seeds pd, salt, 1/4 tsp sugar, 1/4 tsp Kala namak (black salt), 1 tsp Mango powder, pinch of Nutmeg/Mace powder, 1/2 tsp chilli powder, 1/8 tsp clove powder, 1/4 tsp Turmeric. Mix all these and use as needed.

Layered Parathas:

Enlarge the collage if you want to see the details of folding the Parathas.

To make Parathas:
1. Add the above in a mixer or mix by hand and knead this to a firm non-sticky dough for 5 mins. Divide into equal portions. Cover the bowl and rest the dough for atleast 15mins or more.
2. Now, look at the collage. First roll one dough ball to 4", spray no-stick or brush some oil, fold the top 2/3rd way down. Fold the top again to a cigar style and stretch the dough to make it longer.
3. Now curl this elongated dough into a peda or snail like shape, flatten and roll out again gently without pressing too hard to keep the layers to a 5-6" circle. Repeat with others.
4. Heat a tava, cook these parathas both sides until golden, brushing with oil or ghee on top while it's still warm and sprinkle some Dabeli Masala on top.


Note:
If you don't want to make layers, you can also just roll the dough balls to 5-6" circles' 1/8th thick and cook on Tava too.
Serve these with Tomato Kurma or just with plain yogurt or raita or Pickle.

Mom's Karnataka style Chutney Pudi:

This is one of the three Chutney pudis/powders my mother makes at home. This one has 2 kinds of dal and it's supposed to be very spicy to go with plain Yogurt and rice or dosas and idlies with some ghee. But I add a bit less chilli pd than usual. You can add as much as you like. Great with hot chapatis with a tsp of ghee drizzled on top of this chutney pudi as well.

You need:
1 cup Chana dal,
1/2 cup Urad dal,
1/4 cup dry grated coconut,
and 1 tsp coriander seeds.
enough dry red chillies to your taste.
or enough chill powder,(do not roast this but add it to the grinder)

enough salt to taste,
1 /4 tsp Turmeric,
1/2 tsp Sugar (Optional)
1 tsp or more Tamarind powder.
(or take a large marble sized tamarind (not tamarind paste), roast this until it's a bit dry and stiff. As it cools, it will be drier and easy to powder along with others.)

To make chutney pudi:
Roast first 4 of the above ingredients one by one in a hot pan until reddish, cool them and powder adding the other ingredients on the list coarsely. Do not powder this mixture very fine, it should grainy like Semolina/Rava. Adjust the salt, chilli and Tamarind as you like it. Crunchy Chutney pudi should be well balanced, spicy and tangy. You can add some sugar too, if you like the sweet, tangy and hot taste!

If you make a small amount of chutney pudi and use it quickly, store it in a jar with airtight lid on the counter or in the pantry. If not, it's better to keep it in the fridge, lasts longer there since this pudi has coconut in it.

Dabeli masala and Chutney Pudi laced Aloo fries with Strawberry Lassi for kids!

well...who doesn't like thick cut baked golden Potato fries? They are excellent to munch on for kids and adults. With masala sprinkled on the crispy baked Aloo, they are great for snacking on their own or on the side with a burger or few cutlets. You can use large Potatoes cut into fingers and fry or bake to make these masalaedar aloo fries.

To make masala Fries:
I used frozen crinkled cut Potatoes, baked them at 450F oven until golden. Took them out and sprinkled half the portion with above Dabelai masala, dry herbs and salt and sprinkled the other half portion with salt and my Chutney pudi which I have given recipe above. You can cut Potatoes into long 3-4" fingers and shallow fry and sprinkle with masalas if frozen is not Potato fries are not available to you. Serve this with delicious thick Strawberry Lassi!! Slurp!! :)

Strawberry Lassi:
When FIC event said Pink, I immediately thought Strawberry smoothies. After seeing many smoothies and milk shakes in other blogs, I thought of making it Indian fusion Lassi with Strawberries. It was delicious. If the strawberries are fresh and sweet, you need less sugar and few ice cubes. I used frozen Strawberries, so more sugar needed and no ice! How thick or thin you want the Lassi, it depends on how much water you add. Strawberry Lassi is a great source of Calcium, Fiber, Vitamins and Protein too. Enjoy.

Here it is:
Add 1 cup frozen or fresh Strawberries, 1 cup plain Yogurt, 1/2 cup milk and 1/4 cup ice cubes, 1/8 cup or enough sugar powder into a blender and make a smooth thickish drink. If you like to add flavor, add few drops Vanilla essence or few Pistachios while blending. But natural flavor of Strawberries is good enough for me. I like my Lassi little thicker, add more water if you want thinner Lassi. Chill Lassi for an hour to serve. Makes about 3-4 servings.

Here are logos of each event, link to their announcement pages and list of my dishes I am sending to these events, please click on the collage to enlarge. Thanks to all the event hosts, enjoy! :)


Tomato Kurma, goes to Sanghi of "Sanghi's Tasty Bites" blog's new event "Fall in Love-Tomato".

Chutney Pudi, goes to Smitha of "Kadumanga" and to her "Colors of taste-Podis" event.

Masala Potato fries, goes to Deepa of "Simple Home cooking" blog's event "Cooking for kids-Potato" and this event is started by Sharmi.

Wheat flour Dill-masala Parathas, go to Roma of "Roma's space", who is guest hosting "JFI-Wheat" this month, an event started by Indira.

Colorful and festive Dabeli Masala Parathas, also go to Purva of "Purva's Dawat" blog's event "Festive Food-Holi".

Delicious Strawberry Lassi, goes to Priya of "Priya's easy and tasty recipes" who is guest hosting "Food in Color-Pink", an event started by Harini.

************************************************************************************************************************************
My tried and tasted dishes from other blogs, thanks for posting these, girls! :)

Kathirikkai Mor-Kuzhambu, from Malar.
(Cubed the Eggplants since I only had the US style huge purple ones. Finger licking recipe, different from the usual Mor kolzhambu!)
Moogachi Hirwi Amti, from Meera.
(Was delicious and nutritious, skipped the optional coconut milk but added everything else)
Keerai Molagutal, from Super chef.
(Added a bit of tamarind, can't go wrong with this yummy Spinach and dal Molagotal!)

Book I am reading now:
"The quilt and other stories" by Ismat Chughtai. (1915-1991)
Born in 1915 and growing up in a very conservative Muslim family in India, Ismat Chugtai started writing in Urdu when she was in her 20s. Her short story "The Quilt or Lihaaf" was about a young girl who was temporarily staying with her female relative remembering an incident where two women were having a sexual relationship, which was frowned upon at that time. She was charged with "indecent writing" in 1944 for this story by the British Imperial court and she won that case too! How about that?! Happy International Women's day to her! :)
Her stories have been sufficiently well-translated into English by two women; Tahira and Syeda, other stories are very interesting too although it's not easy to translate from poetic Urdu to English. Her other stories are equally endearing in this book. It must be excellent to read them in Ismat's own words in Urdu but unfortunately most of us can't. Thank God for English translation!

Movies I saw:
"Flashbacks of a Fool"
Daniel Craig, "MR. BOND" himself! 'Nuff said!! ;D
But seriously this movie makes you see how and why some "rich" people are such sad souls and every sad soul has a sadder story to tell! Great "R" rated movie to watch )

"I've Loved You So Long"
Loved this French movie with English subtitles. Kristen Scott Thomas, a British actress, keeps you glued to the movie until the last minute to know what happened in her past and why she killed her 6yr old son!

At last, I won a "Drool Worthy" award from Rathna of "Asvadha" blog when we sent in the entries for her "Made for each other" event. I have never ever won anything in my life, so I am deliriously happy, didn't even know I even get a surprise gift! WOO HOO! Thanks Rathna! :)

Lastly, thank you so much to all the bloggers who shower me with many cute awards week after week. I appreciate each one of them, cherish it and they are all listed on the sidebar with your names in it. Hugs to all of you, I am lucky to have all of your support. All of my blog buddies are welcome to grab these awards, you all deserve them. Have a great weekend my friends, have fun!

152 comments:

jayasree said...

Ashakka, what an array of lip-smacking dishes. Loved the strawberry lassi, esp the pink color.

Advanced b'day wishes to Trisha & Tushar. So you must be busy this weekend.

Congrats on the much deserved prize won.

Anonymous said...

SO lots of party's to come Asha..Please pass a happy b'day hug to both...And enjoy..So your daughter will be on the top of the world i guess..
That colorful tomato Kurma am going to try soon...oops the parathas looks sp tempting..hope you have enjoyed..and the chutney podi is an asset i feel..will try that too.thank you Asha.

Malar Gandhi said...

Well deserved award for you, dear. Everything will be drool worthy at ur blog!:) Splendid spread. Masala parathas looks perfect, kurma looks colorful, chutney podi was once essential in my diet(when mommy was cooking). Strawberry lassi, oh what a click...Great art work!:)

I am amazed at your speed in commenting others! I certainly dont have words to pick...to thank you. This is super kool, you tried my simple recipe...its like 'Vasishtar giving me Brahmarishi award'!:)

Malar Gandhi said...

Advance Birthday wishes to Trisha and your son, dear.

Priya Suresh said...

My hearty birthday wishes to both of ur kids...can guess how busy ur weekend..Thanks for sending strawberry lassi even with full tight schedule..thats so nice of u...Awesome array of tempting dishes...Have a great weekend Ashakka(hope u dont bother)..:)

Meeta K. Wolff said...

the entire platter looks great but I#d be happy with the masala fries!!

Lakshmi said...

Congratulations! Ashakka on winning a prize. Tomato kurma is a must try now for me looks so tempting ;)

Lakshmi said...

Btw..Our birthday wishes to both of your children

A_and_N said...

Its Tomato Kurma for dinner tonite :D

I love the chutney podi too. My granny used to make it the same way :D

suvi said...

You always come up with such a wonderful spread..awesome! And perfect entries too for all the events. Happy budday to the kids :)

sra said...

Happy Birthday to Trish and Tushar! I didn't realise he was 14 already, used to thinking of him as a baby. :-)

I'm also trying that don't shop business - let's see. Earlier when I would overeat, I'd drink a few litres of water to flush it all out and end up feeling strange in the head. Then my folks told me there's such a thing as water poisoning!!! I've kept away from that since then.

Sunshinemom said...

Asha, I envy your kids!!! Just lemme know when you visit India - I really need to meet an as energetic cook as you!! Me too saw a French movie with English subtitles but forgot the name - it was about a housekeeper who starts living in with her employer after his divorce and her boyfriend ditches her, and then they go out on a weekend. She meets a young man at the beach, falls in love and leaves this guy! I had to smack myself on the forehead for watching it:)!

For a detox diet you should have not only taken more liquid but also dieted on one fruit liquidised at a time esp. in the morning!

Hey! Happy Birthday to both of them:), and congratulate the girl on my behalf on getting a credit card:)

FH said...

Thanks to all of you for your wishes girls, they could use it! :))

sra, thought Tushy as a baby? Did you drink too much water again? ;D

Yes, there is a thing called liquid poisoning! We have few cases of young freshman college students dying here because they drink too much alcohol in one night! Keeping under 10 glasses a day would be fine if we dieting.

Pavani said...

Advance B'day wishes to your kids. Hope you guys have lots of fun.. Love the dill-dabeli paratha.. I'm going to try these. Enjoy!!

Vishali said...

wow nice mouth watering recipes ...and cool Lassi :)...my dil goes mhh..mhh Asha...

Wishing you and your family a very Happy Holi !! and to all my fellow bloggers too.

Cheers,
Vishali

Vishali said...

Also wishing your son and daughter many many happy returns of the day ...my birthday wishes :)...u know even my b'day is in Mar...

okay take care...

Pooja said...

Advanced wishes to your kids asha...Lovely dishes....

Finla said...

I should also try no to go for shopping for days, Hans would love it as then i won't spend :-)
Congrats for doing the liquid diet for a day, i am sure it was really difficult especially if you have to cook for others at home.
Party time there this weekend then, I am not telling they Trishs will get her own credit card to shyama, she will say she too want one when she gets 18. They do grow up so fast.
Love all the dishes, I love the parathas they looks so yumm.
Early b'day wishes to both of them.

notyet100 said...

lovely post,..wish u nd ur family happy holi,.and ya advance birthday wishes to ur kids,..
everythin looks so yum,.specially the parathas,..nd ya congrats for winnin too,..:-)

Vani said...

Wow, Trisha will turn 18 already?! And the dreaded credit card, huh? Have fun with the birthdays, Asha! Loved the tomato kurma. Loooks wonderful. Chutney pudi looks great too.

Purnima said...

Asha, I m stuck today at ur parathas! Lovely looking dough.Happy Bday to ur growing angels in advance! Congrats on very well deserved award, hard to believe u hv never won! For me each n every post of urs is a winner! Tks for sharing such lovely recipes ..loved ur mother's Pudi specially! The pink lassi looks a true quencher! Kurma is wonderful!

saffronapron.blogspot.com said...

Great job Asha. I can't imagine the amount of time and energy you've put into this. WOW!
Keep going!
Birthday wishes to your kids. My niece's name is Trisha as well:)
Btw, do collect ur award form my blog.
Cheers!
have fun

Bong Mom said...

Hi Asha
Wanted to mail you on the detox diet, what liquids did you have ? Can we have no fruits etc. ?

All the dishes are lovely as usual

A very warm birthday wish to Tushar and Trisha. Separate B'day parties, what are they doing ?

indosungod said...

Those fries are irresistable, I can imagine the look on the kiddies faces if they get hold of them. Mallika Badrinath books were the ones mom packed with me when I first came here. Love all here neat precise recipes.
After a few warm days we are back to winter.

FH said...

F, you can ask the bank to limit the credit card to certain amount. In college they will another card as well to spend on food and books etc! :)

Harini, we haven't been to India in a long time, may be soon! :)

Sandeepa, thanks. Yes, two separate b'days since Trisha's big 18th this year and Tushar's 5 teenage firends are coming home! :D
I will post pics and details next week.

No solids at all like actual fruits but you can have fruit juice of course, less sugar is better. As long as you have some nutrition in some way in the liquids for 3-4 glasses, keep the rest to just plain water! :)

Indo, back to winter again? Man, that's cruel! I think we are done with Winter, it's hot here!
Love all her books, simple and tasty!:)

Sandhya said...

It's amazing how much work you put in the blog posts! Everything looks tempting and the paranthas are so colorful! Perfect for holi!
Happy Birthday to both the Kids and one of them not any more a kid! I have 14 more years :-)
Congratulations on the much deserved award.

Mythreyee said...

I had dabeli for the first time last week in my friend's house. Yummy post once again. I am hungry.

Cham said...

Congrats to win :) You deserved such a thing, probably long back! About the detrox diet, I will keep in mind about the liquid we should drink. Whenever I go for a week soup diet, I get severe headache, but i don't break my diet! U did it with two teens, Bravo :)
My advance wishes to Trish and Tush!
I love the lassi idea, delicous kurma with parathas. My son would love the fries! The podi is a treasure!

Anjali Koli said...

Asha you are a daring cook must say!

Anonymous said...

happy Birthday to the kids!!
As usual a very tempting platter, but I love the fries & te podi the best. I wish I could meet u & eat the foodu cook:-)

Jaishree Iyer said...

My Advance Birthdaywishes&blessings to both of ur kids.. Splendid spread !looks awesome! And perfect entries too for all the events. Btw I have something for u. Pls accept& trail back to my blog.

Anonymous said...

Congratulations on winning the award asha! chutney pudi recipe is mouth watering!what is the shelf life of this podi? should we store this in refrigerator??
My B'day wishes to you kids!:)

FH said...

Kalpana, I should have added this info, good question.
Since this chutney pudi has dry and roasted coconut, I make a small amount at a time and keep it on the counter to use it quickly. But it's better to keep it in the fridge if you take some time to finish it all off though. Goes well with dosas too! :)

Deepa Hari said...

Delicious and mouthwatering dishes...they all look great....loved the color of Lassi, perfect parathas, yummy kurma, fries and podi...Thank you for the lovely entry Asha...so nice of you.

My hearty wishes to Trisha and Tushar....i guess u have a busy week ahead.

Congrats dear on winning MOE...you deserve it.

Pavithra Kodical said...

Happy birthday to your lovely teenagers:)
Tomato kurma looks vibrant and delicious.And loved dill parathas and lassi too..
Congrats for winning the award asha akka..You deserve all those awards :)

Chutneytales said...

Congratulations on winning MEO-Droolworthy award.Your entry was indeed very droolworthy..I will try the vadas with doughnut maker soon..
Advance b'day wishes to kids :)
The recipes are wonderful..Esp the potato fries and strawberry lassi..Im drooling for them..Nice work,Asha..

Bhagyashri said...

As usual a delicious looking collection there!

BTW, the 'kid' that I mentioned in my Tiramisu post was my blog :) I posted my reply to you & then realised that you might have got it mixed up!

FH said...

OMG! Bhagya, I really did think it's for your child, so sorry! Happy first blog anniversary sweetie!! :D

Vanamala Hebbar said...

In advanced Happy Birthday to trisha and tushar.

Lovely food asha..i have bookmarked parathas and lassi.

Mahimaa's kitchen said...

oh i will watch that movie about sad souls you mentioned.

i will try strawberry lassi.. sounds yummy :)

Recipeswap said...

Two teenagers at home must be havoc all the time;)
Happy Birthday to them,weekend will be so much fun.Credit card lol
Good to know your detox went well,yea water would have been helpful.
Everything looks good,so clever to sprinkle chutney pudi on fries........never ever thgt of that.

Aparna Balasubramanian said...

Birthday wishes to both your children. They grow up so fast, don't they? So two b'days to plan for and execute in a week. You'll be busy.:)

As for that meal, I'd love that for lunch (except the dill part:D).
I'd gladly become a kid again if it means those fries and lassi!

Unknown said...

Yummy dishes..esp like the aloo fries with masala..
Happy b'day to to your kids, my kid is turning 4 this friday so taking her to disneyland..
Have funfilled weekend..

Seena said...

How are you Asha?
juice, snacks and a heavy meal in one single post! You always do great work! :)

Red Chillies said...

Many many Happy returns of the day to Tushar and Trisha. Have a wonderful birthday party. She is an adult already? Phew!

Best of all I must hand it to oyu, for your strong mind. I would have given up the thought of liquid -detox even before starting. The thought of headache and nausea is what scares me. Anyway, you are my inspiration for this.

Beautiful array of dishes. I am eyeing the karnatak style chutney powder the most.

Congrats on all the awards!

kamala said...

Hello Ashaji..heyy tushar and me have same Bdates..Convey my heartiest wishes to them..Chutney podi is grt!!!

sra said...

Asha, the baby of the family, I meant, and you do seem to have referred to him as such now and then. I do know he's not a real baby! :-D

gtyuk said...

Dieting is a good idea but with tomato kurma and lip smacking parottas with chutney pudi aloo fries, and with 2 birthday parties to come, hmmmm, that's not going to be a simple task!
forget the diet and enjoy the birthdays!
my daughter is going to be 6 at the end of the month , so no way for dieting too!

happy birthday to both of them!

gtyuk said...

and Happy Holi to you and all at home!

Varsha Vipins said...

Awesome!!!..I hav so many thing in mind now..:d

1stly,the Khurma looks yum n I am in to try that soon,just running short of coriander seeds..:D
The parathas look rich n like our nadan Kerala porotta's..:)
Loved the platter of fries n the lassi looks so inviting..:)
Altogether,I just wished I were staying somwhere there Ashakka..:D
n oh..you really made it to 10 days no..i cant even think of a week.:d..take care n drink lotsa water..:)So you have become a even more bigger mom now..:D..CRedit card..oops!!:D

FH said...

THANK YOU SO MUCH for all your wishes girls! :))

sra, I know you know he is not a baby, I was just pulling your leg,girl! I keep telling everybody he is teenager every other post anyway! ;D

Madhu, have a great at Disney. I bet she will love it and more than kids, we parents love to go to theme parks! :D

RC, it's my fault, I should have drank more water! :D

Seena, I am good now that I am off liquid detox! ;D

Kamala , happy birthday to you too, have fun on Saturday! :)

Akal, I just wanted to experiment and see if I can do the detox for one day, not as much for dieting although I do need to go on diet after the birthdays! Haha.

Trupti said...

Asha, I don't have any words to say!! Can I have all dishes??

My birthday wishes to both of your children

Shivali said...

A lovely treat for eyes as usual.

Advance birthday wishes to your adult n teenager kids.

So its party time and i m sure u will have best of ur dishes on plate on both the days.Do let us have a glimpse of the party menu in your next post.

Manju said...

loved all the dishes posted, especially the tomato kurma..i did not bring any of my Mallika Badrinath's book and now i feel bad :(

Happy birthday to your son and daughter!! and enjoy the party!!

and also, congrats on the award and glad that you liked the keerai molagutal!

Archy said...

Hey, so many yummy dishes, one is better than other, loved all..

Advanced B'day wishes to both!! Enjoy Asha.. Might be busy baking cakes an lots of sweets :P!!

All are march.. even me an my hubby will celebrate end of march :) !!

Kannada Cuisine said...

Happy birthday to both your kids!! and congrats for having completed the detox diet..as always the food looks great

Meera said...

It's such a great pleasure to see your new post. Every post is classic. I love it.

I came to know about so many events. I knew just a few. loved the idea of dabeli-dill paratha. tomato kurma looks lipsmackingly good. Your mom's chutney powder will be on my next to try list. I want those masala alu fries!!!

Convey my birthday wishes to your kids. Enjoy. congrats to your awards and prize too.

Meera said...

Ooops! Forgot to add, thanks for trying my recipe. The simple recipe looks awesome when tried by you.

bee said...

when i run out of chutney podi, i'm making this.

FH said...

SP, you can buy all her books here in a package deal.
www.innoconcepts.com (where I bought my ULTRA Grind)

Meera, I made Amti thick, it was so yum with Dosa! Thanks for the recipe! :)

Bee, hope you do, it's my fave pudi with crunchy dals! :)

Anonymous said...

every one of your posts makes me sooo hungry :(. I just had my lunch and I am hungry again... loved the spread - especially the tomato kurma... it looks lip smacking delicious :)
Congrats on the award!

ChrisB said...

I wish your children Happy Birthdays enjoy the celebrations.

Ashwini said...

Wow yummy array of foods..Everything looks fantastic..Kurma looks so bright..will try that..I too have mom made chutney pudi stocked up..yumm..Paratha looks lovely..
Many many Happy Returns of the Day to both Tushar and Trisha..

Shilpa said...

Hi Asha, how have you been? I was (and am) extremely busy with heavy workload in office :(. No time for anything...

Loved the parathas. Any paratha is always welcome at home as V loved them.

Ramya's Mane Adige said...

awesome spread as always, Ashakka!! Loved the parathas the most. Will try them sometime :)

KonkaniBlogger said...

Hey Asha, Wishing Trisha and Tushar a very happy birthday! Everything looks yummy as usual, but specially loved the tomato kurma and the aloo fries, they look superb! Congrats on your win too! I love to read about the book and movie reviews from you, I wouldn't be even knowing so many of these movies.

amna said...

I have been meaning to make parathas this way since I saw it on a previous post of yours. I just get incredibly lazy!

MR said...

love the idea of frozen fries then adding masala
will try that
enjoy ur weekend with upcoming b-days

Unknown said...

Happy Birthday to your children Ashaji! And I loved the parathas. Great entries to the events.

Daily Meals said...

Congrats on your prize Asha! Chutney podi looks yummy...will give it a try...Strawberry lassi looks delicious... kurma and parathas...perfect combination...Advanced birthday wishes to your kids...

Uj said...

The week is going to be hectic celebrating two birthday's :) I am sure you will be having a great time :) I have bookmarked tomato kurma and dill paratha's. Both look very tempting.. I can see lot of beets and strawberries making rounds due to the FIC pink. I am yet to make something for the event. We are in process of shifting our house so blogging is taking a back seat. Happy holi dear :)Hope you have had a great holi. I have never made chutney podi by myself. Got to try my hand at that :) Advanced birthday wishes to both of them :)

veggie belly said...

Happy Holi and Happy birthday to your kids! I cant decide which i LOVE more - the fries or the the gorgeous bowl they are sitting in.

Divya Kudua said...

Many more happy returns of the day to Tushar and Trisha..

Love the Kurma..being in Chennai I do watch quite a few cookery shows by Mallika Badrinath-its nice to see the way she transforms a complicated recipe into a simple one.I am making this Kurma soon..;-).

I totally forgot about FIC-Pink:-(Strawberry milkshake was the first ting i made with the berries we bought from Bangalore,I had some frozen milk inside the fridge and we had the milkshake for breakfast the day we reached here...baaah,I missed it!!!

Havent tried Dill yet..Paratha looks great and thats an easier method of folding..try-able!!!

Once again,a great array of dishes..kudos to you..do accept the awards on my blog too.And hey..congrats on winning..you are a winner ALWAYS!!!Hugs!!

Raaga said...

I had some pakodas at a holi stall in my complex... and my tummy's a little unsettled... I should have just come over to your place. :-)

We had a really amazing holi :-)

Bhawna said...

Hello Ashaji, Ur pictures are very tempting and inviting. Just one ques--- how u get time to cook this much, read , watch movies and browse blogs too...u are a super mom

Unknown said...

first congrats on your prize winning
and a very happy birthday to trisha and tushar
Each and every dish looks so amazing and book marked that paratha recipe nice color for strawberry lassi looks so yum
I too make some mallika badrinaths recipes some of them are very easy to make
weekly one day i do fasting like i take water but no food yes 1 glass juice and one apple in the mid day and again some fruits in the dinner thats it is it ok or not I don't know but i am doing this for last 5 year

Deepthi Shankar said...

wow, what a fab platter as always .. Happy Birrhday to both your kids .. God Bless

Suparna said...

Hi asha,
Belated Holi greetings to u!!
it's a great feeling to come to ur blog....:)love the way u write. I repeat my words...U are truly gifted!! awesome dishes.Would love to try the tomato kurma.. (I hadn't heard of it before). Congos! on the well deserved awards!!
Warm B'day wishes to ur kids!Enjoy
God Bless!
TC

Jaya M said...

Asha,
loved this post of yours ,all looks so delicious and strawberry lassi !! yum ...
many good wishes to both of your lovely children ,may god bless them..
wish you and your family a happy holi..
hugs and smiles

Savi-Ruchi said...

I was wondering why people address you as Ashakka, now I know.., you are mommy of an adult now :)
I take a bow to you at your efforts in cooking & presenting it in such a lovely way., hats off Ashakka..
Coming to the recipes, I felt like snatching the strawberry lassi & aloo fries from your plate :)

Indian Khana said...

Happy Holi to you too...this is call celebrating holi...wonderful array of food...and thanks for your entry (for festivefood)....Birthday wishes to both of them...have a nice weekend and celebration

Anonymous said...

Happy birthday to your kids. Its hot outside and I am drooling over your strawberry lassi.

Thanks for sharing the Dill-Dabeli Paratha with us & for participating in JFI-Wheat.

Anonymous said...

Lovely spread Asha! Everything looks so yummy! I'll try your chutney pudi soon :)

Anonymous said...

Hello Asha,
I admire your patience.All the dishes look mouthwatering.
Wishing your daughter and son birthday wishes in advance.

Shalini

lubnakarim06 said...

Oh God! awesome recipes....How in the world you are getting time to make so many yuumy delicacies and that to from other blogs. Love the milkshake. I too had the idea of milkshake only dear. But i have to think alternatice i think...

Anonymous said...

Another colorful, flavorful array this week Asha! That tomato kurma makes me long for summer and the fresh garden tomatoes... winter's still hanging on up here :)

Masala parathas look great and so do the fries with spicy chutney, thanks for sharing that recipe! Never knew about dry roasting tamarind to grind -- will try that out. And who could resist strawberry lassi!

Happy Happy Birthday to the kiddies, I'm sure you've got something special cooked up for them (no pun!) :)

Chitra said...

Happy bday wishes to ur son and doter!!they are really lucky to have u as a mom,u make so many varieties of dishes,every time i am amazed to see ur blog,u r wonderful,i wish to be a mom like u for my 2 yr old kid.have bookmarked all these recipes:)thanks a lot for sharing!!

Yasmeen said...

Appetizing spread of food,spicy aloo fries with lassi is such a heavenly combo for snacking.Parathas with kurma are equally fabulous.
Good going with your reading and the detox diet.The book sounds interesting ,will look for in Library here.
My best wishes for your kiddos:)

sunita said...

R and A's birthday's are a week apart and mine and D's are 10days apart. sometrimes I wish they were more spread out :-D

I've been meaning to try those parathas for quite a while now, looks so delicious :-)

Good on you for not shopping for 10 days, would have been hard for me :-)

sunita said...

And yes, all the best with the b'day preparations. And many, many happy returns of the day to both dear Trisha and Tushar.

FH said...

Thanks Linda. Sometimes I get Tamarind powder which is easier to add to mix but you have to dry fry the seedless Tamarind pieces until dry, cool and powder like my mom does.
Winter is still there? Man! it's long Winter this year! :)
Yeah, busy buying cakes of their choice, details next week.

Sunita, thank you, we will.
I wish the same too girl. Arvind and I are 2 yrs and 2 days apart in Feb and kids are 4yrs and 1 day apart in March, gets chaotic and quite expensive months as well! :D

Beyond Curries said...

I have to try the thakkali kurma, it looks very mouthwatering.

Birthday wishes to both of them. Did she get her car already? My son is only 3 and 1/2 now and I have some more time to freak out. But I think he will be wise with his money. If I ask him to get little change from his piggy bank to get something for himself in the grocery store, he doesn't. He tells me to use my money from the purse.

Anoop made it this time! Actually I slept off (ya very soon). Got up exactly when it was announced that he made it. So missed other fun stuff.

FH said...

Haha! Madhu, your son is a very clever guy, you should be proud that he knows how to save! Trisha is like that, very sensible with money but my son is very impulsive. Give him $100 and it will gone in a week buying Guitar Hero games, I am really worried about this boy.
Anoop; he did sing pretty bad but MJ is a legend, nobody can sing like him. Noop dawg seems like he has Cat's nine lives or something! :D

Mojo said...

Wow, is it Holi already? Where did the year go so fast?

As usual I've read this when it's still hours before mealtime, and as usual I'm probably going to regret it! It all looks fabulous, especially the parathas.

delhibelle said...

thanks for rescuing my dabeli masala from the confines of the freezer.

FH said...

Holi came and gone Mojo, would have been fun in Cary! On to the next party now! :D

DB, use the Dabeli masala on chips too, have fun! :)

Sia said...

first, biday wishes to trisha and tushar :) trisha is already 18? god, it feels like ages since i was 18 ;)

and u managed to survive liquid diet for one whole day? wow. i get so crancy if i dont get my daily dose of carbs. i dont think i can survive without solid for a day.

and next coming to recipes, i don't think i have anything left as many of them have already expressed what i want to say:) have fun ashakka. i am sure that u will be super busy this weekend. so wishing u all the very best ;)

FH said...

Thanks Sups. I know! They grow so fast, time flies so quickly. I have been so busy since 2 weeks now, blogger feed is giving me lot of trouble too these days. I will check e mail later. Take care, hugs! :)

Srivalli said...

thats wonderful spread of food...asha..:)..my birthday wishes to kids..

Laavanya said...

Birthday wishes to your kids... :)

I've made the same tomato kurma (and posted too) - we really love it. great with idlis.

The parathas look great.. i always have a weakness for the layered ones. Fries spiced up with that pudi must be divine.

AnuSriram said...

Wow.. thats such a nice red colour of tomato kurma.. It makes me drool! Masala parathas looks delicious and your aloo fries with chutney podi, make me crave for some.. If it is your strawberry lassi, i can run the whole day with it! Totally a gr8 spread! My wishes to your Kids for their birthday!

AnuSriram said...

I almost forgot to mention that i ahve some awards for you at my blog. Pls accept!

Anonymous said...

Great idea of adding dabeli masala to the frozen potato fries. As always mouth watering dishes and photos. Happy birthday to the two kiddos.

Smita said...

The quilt and other stories sounds interesting...I am just finishing up Thousand Splendid Suns...

Sum Raj said...

looks very mouthwatering platter..specially lassi also the glass....advance b day wishes to trisha nd tushar..god bless them with lots of happiness nd joy..

Manasi said...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO BOTH TRISHA & TUSHAR!!!
Lovely platter! with day time temps. soaring, I'd love the lassi!

Vikis Kitchen said...

Tomato kuruma with dill-dabeli masala paratha seems to be a great combination.
Thanks fo explaining the paratha making method. Very useful for me:)
Chutney pudi is my all time favo. The spread looks so delicious.
Advanced Birthday wishes to Trisha and Tushar. Have fun dear.
Congrats on all ur awards and participation.

Suganya said...

Sounds like a busy weekend celebrating 2 b'days. My wishes to them both. 18 years old.. yikes ;)

TBC said...

No grocery shopping for 2 weeks?! I should definitely try that. I'm sure I'd be able to manage just fine with just the frozen veggies, canned goods and all the other things in my pantry. I sometimes think that we go grocery shopping every weekend more out of habit than anything else. Let me see if I can do this.
The masala podi looks gorgeous and I like your idea of using the podi on the fries.:)
Have a great weekend, Asha!

Archana said...

The parathas are such a great idea, very interesting masala. You have a whole spread laid out. Have fun with the parties !

Rekha said...

Wow, loved the tomato and paratha recipe. Tomatoes are real cheap over here now, Rs 5/kilo...all the reason to try ur recipe :p

Advanced b'day wishes to Trisha & Tushar btw.

Meenal Mehta said...

Fantastic food Asha

I have a small gift waiting for you
(In my new blog post)


in my New Blog Post... Please do accept it.

vidhas said...

Hi Asha,

Wow!! a nice spread of mouthwatering dishes. Advance bithday wishes for your kids. All the dishes a re colourful. something is waiting for you, come and collect it.

Purva Desai said...

I am glued to the dishes you prepared....
I am sure it was a delicious treat for the whole family.
Thank you for the lovely entry for the event.

Miri said...

Happy Returns of the Day to the kids! and I love that strawberry milkshake the best...creamy...

Sukanya Yogesh said...

Such an awesome and yummy spread. truly colorful going in with the Holi festival.

LifenSpice said...

Hi Asha, long time, been here...first of all, Birthday wishes to your children!

As always a lovely array of food here. The parathas look so tempting..btw,I too have a mallika badrinath book, which i look upto when i want to make something special:)

Great to know about the detox diet..lol, i cant even think about not eating for a single hour. U know what, i keep dreaming about food, when i try that!!!

Nandinis food said...

Visiting your blog for the first time. I can't express how your blog is:). Cool recipes...

Ranjani said...

Wow what a phenomenal variety of foods!! Love the different elements you brought into the paranthas and the fries!

Paru ... said...

Lovely variety again. Each dish is unique with a wash down of yummy strawberry lassi. I dont even know where to start:). Loved your mom's chutney pudi, cant wait to see the other 2 pudis.

Congratulations on your win:) Three cheers to you..

Anonymous said...

Hey Asha, my heartiest congrats to you on your newly gained status - mother of an adult daughter !You will discover a whole new world in watching yr little bundle of joy growing into a "friend" of yours in no time !!
( Statutory Warning : handle her with care for at least 3 yrs now , ha, ha ! )

And a tight warm hug to both the birthday boy n girl - many happy returns of the day in their lives !! Goes without saying, Mama master chef would come up with some amazing special dishes for the celebration. Waiting eagerly to check out your post on those ! Enjoy!!

FH said...

Thank you girls, I appreciate all your wishes! :))

Snigdha, they don't want anything homecooked this year, already gave me a list of cakes etc to me to buy and list of "wants" too! ;D
Yeah, until 21 she needs our guidance somewhat. After that, she is on her own! HeHe!

Gita Jaishankar said...

wow 80 degrees... now I am jealous of you...we are still hovering around in big jackets...All the dishes look so tempting.. love the yummy strawberry lassi...lovely pictures :)

Usha said...

Everything looks wonderful, loved the tomato kurma and the chutney podi, will definitely try both soon!
Birthday wishes to your son and daughter and congrats on winning all your well deserved awards :-)

DK said...

Asha- are we cool or what! Did u know I happened to make Dill roti just couple of days back and U have it posted here! Luv you :)

Its scheduled to be posted in few days..u can chk my version then :)

I am eyeing that lassi..its calling me...I can even hear deeeeeeee...kaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyy echo from it..cant you!

Trust you to make for every conceivable event in this universe!!!!!!

2 be blatantly honest, I am happy that I am NOT your neighbhor..cos if by just looking at ur pictures I can put on 5 lbs (I have proof!), imagine what wud have happened if I would have smelt the aroma from ur kitchen..and also the morsels which u would share with me ( of course U will..I am a good neighbhor!). I would beat out that guy from Mexico for being the heaviest human on the face of the earth! Karthik will leave me and chase woman 0.01% of my size then ;) ;)

..me gng bck to kitchen to make that lassiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii....yum!

FH said...

HeHe!! Good one DK. Can't wait to see your dill parathas too, they are so aromatic, aren't they? Enjoy.
Just got up and preparing for birthdays at 2pm today. Arvind left me alone here to cope! He is doing quick rounds in the hospital this morning, thought I would check comments and then log off for the weekend. Hope he comes back soon, still have so much work to do! :)
Have fun, see you next week.

Madhu's cooking gallery said...

wow! so many yummy yummy dishes, just can't take my eyes out of it..it is so tempting...yummy paratha's ..love the lassi..so colorful. pass on my b'day wishes to both

Unknown said...

Hi Ashaji,

I am a silent follower of your blog and very much inspired by your work.

I have one request can you please add one more tag for books and movie.

Raks said...

Parathas are new to me!Never heard before and all the dishes looks fabulous! Have a nice weekend:)

FH said...

Thanks Madhu, Raks and Mogra! :)

Mogra, I will. I have a section for books in my recipe Index but haven't had the time to update it yet. I will do it as soon as possible. Thanks for the suggestion, come and say hi to me whenever you can. Enjoy! :)

Nandini Vishwanath said...

Wanted to tell you that I tried the Tomato Kurma that night and it was fantastic :D We added a little more spice though!

FH said...

YAY!! Thanks for trying N. Yeah, you did good with adding more spices, I cannot add too much spice at all in anything because of kids! :)

Shobana senthilkumar said...

Hi ashaji,
after along time i am visiting ur blog....its gr8 to do a couple of dishes..that to yummy ones....gr8

Paru ... said...

Hope your kids had a rocking time Asha..Wish your kids a very Happy Birthday :)..

Finla said...

How was saturday's b'day party and most important how is the Trish doing today on her first day of 18 th. Wish Gappy birthday from all of us here and tell her to enjoy her first day of adulthood.
Enjoy the party there.

FH said...

F, we just came back from Driver's license office. Saturday was great and very noisy and Sunday was a full day too with Trish's friends coming over, she had lunch and a movie date with them. I am so tired today, taking a break from blog surfing, need a nap! :D
Thanks F, I will tell her. I have to take her to the bank for account and credit card on Wednesday again.She is relaxing and enjoying the today, college starts tomorrow as usual, Spring break is over for her! :)

Dalicia said...

hi asha, happy holi to you! :) hmmm charma tomatoes :)

sallywrites said...

Happy 18th to your daughter and 14th to your son!!

Nice weather... lucky you!

Viji said...

Lovely dishes as usual Asha. Dill parathas are inviting. Viji

FH said...

Thanks Sally! :)

Viji, they are so fragrant, do try! :)

bee said...

i made this tomato kurma with green peas and even put it on pizza. yum.

Anonymous said...

Hi Asha,
tried the tomato kurma 2 days back and it was delicious.thank you for the recipe.

shalini

Shubha Ravikoti said...

So much and so so tasty...:d Belated happy holi to u too dear... Visiting ur blog after a long long time...:D

Gayathri said...

yummy chutney poodi

FH said...

Bee, Kurma Pizza! YUMMY!! I heard that CA sells Tandoori Pizza, Kurma Pizza is a great idea too. Chutney pudi on Pizza or may be in Quesadilla next! :D

Thanks for trying and the feedback Shalini, I love all the Tomato dishes! :)

Thanks Shubha and Gayatri, enjoy. Hope you try some of these too! :)

Andhra Flavors said...

Delicious dishes! I am always awed by your pics Asha.

chef and her kitchen said...

Your Thali's always looks yummy....Need to try tomato kurma..

Purnima said...

Hi Asha..made the tomato kurma yest for a very picky guest! Guess what..got compliments abt the taste! Am truly happy that I chose this dish! This truly had a very different taste, n v all loved it too! Tks so much shall blog over it some time (sheesh..my food blogging has taken a backseat!)

FH said...

YAY! Glad that picky eater loved it, what if he didn't? Scary, huh?:D
Take your time. I too am busy today, running around the kitchen and living room every hour cooking and blogging! Happy Ugadi, hugs! :)

Rajee said...

Love to spoon each of 3 dishes. Can I? What a delicious dishes, you've posted. I think I missed one or 2 latest post, Asha(sad face)

Rajee said...

Becos of my birthday on April 9th, I took break off. Pls dont mistake me.

FH said...

That's okay Rajee. Take a break when you need it, no problem. Always good to see you here anytime you are free! :)