A Clueless Cook

Sorakaya Payasam / Bottle Gourd Kheer

2008-07-15T21:02:00.001-07:00

Vankaya Tomato Pachchadi

2008-03-13T11:10:00.000-07:00

Some how, posts on Veggieplatter are not being updated on Taste of India. Checking whether this post will be updated. The recipe is here.

A Protein Rich Snack - Soya Chunks Fry

2007-08-18T18:06:00.000-07:00

Like many folks, I am also not that fond of soya chunks when it comes to their flavor and texture. I feel they remain bland whatever you do and their texture is rubbery and if not, somewhat closer. Due to it's high protein value, my husband insists to use them in all Indian dishes from upma to sambhar and promptly does so when he cooks. I have started to toss a handful of prepared TSP (textured soy protein) in some veggie dishes as I did in Aloo soya korma.
Prepare the soya granules or chunks by soaking them in enough hot water for 15 minutes. Squeeze and rinse them with fresh water. Again squeeze out the water and use them.
My favorite way of eating soya chunks is as this quick snack loaded with all protein.

S did the soaking and squeezing part while I did the frying.
Soak about a cup of soya chunks in plenty of water for about 15 minutes. Squeeze out all the water from the chunks and keep aside.
Heat 2 -3 Tbsp of butter in a small wok or a shallow pan and add the chunks to it. Fry on low to medium flame till they turn golden brown. It would take less than five minutes. Remove them and sprinkle salt and chili powder (optional) on the chunks and mix them well.
Serve them hot.

Paneer Methi Pulao Test

2007-08-10T17:21:00.000-07:00

Paneer Methi Pulao - Recipe is at VeggiePlatter.

Garlic Bread With An Indian Twist

2007-02-17T17:00:00.000-08:00

I wanted to make garlic bread from a long time for my kids. I also wanted to experiment with dried curry leaves which I had, instead of using those herbs from the western world. I had curry leaves which had dried recently. So, the wonderful aroma was still there and my kids just love to eat the fragrant leaves.
Finally today, I made the garlic bread with crushed curry leaves sprinkled all over, though my job was only to toss the baking sheets into the oven and removing them. This is a super easy job for kids as my son said and do not involve any cooking. So, I let my son and daughter do all the work except handling the oven part.

My son is not that little. So, instead of asking him to stir something, I chose a recipe where he can contribute maximum. My son enjoyed doing most of the work and my daughter did the sprinkling part happily. They wanted to do more and I had to stop them. This is going to be my contribution to Trupti's Little chefs in the kitchen event.

Little chefs in our kitchen:

Shreyas and Shravya

Ingredients:

Bread slices - As many as you wish

Oil or Cooking spray

Garlic powder

Few dried curry leaves crushed

Utensils:

Baking Sheets

Plastic Knives

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 deg F (10 - 15 minutes).

Remove the brown crust of the bread slices if you wish.

Then cut the bread slices diagonally into two pieces.

Place them on a baking sheet.

With a pastry brush, brush each slice of bread with oil, if using. Or else spray the oil on the slices. Then sprinkle garlic powder and crushed curry leaves on them.

Bake them for 10 minutes until just they start to turn brown.

Remove and enjoy the crunchy bread with a bowl of soup.

Final Verdict:
Yummy and delicious

Tips:

Give the kids a steel / plastic knife.

Let them do all the work on a wax paper (or similar kind) to avoid the mess. You can just toss it into the trash can at the end.

About 'A Clueless Cook' & More

2007-02-17T12:29:00.000-08:00

Welcome to "A clueless cook". Right now, We are a mother - son team trying to teach and learn (respectively), the intricacies and the magic of Indian cooking. I hope my daughter would join us soon.
I was a perfect candidate for my blog title for a good part of my life. I don't wish my kids to be the same. I want them to be self - reliant when it comes to the cooking part by the time they start to live on their own. I don't want them to miss home cooked food. So, I have started teaching my son simple, basic things in Indian cooking. He is definitely enjoying it. This is going to be an online journal of his (& mine as well) adventures in our kitchen.
By the way, did I mention that my son is a bright, eight year old kid who is a third grader?