Sunday, April 28, 2013

Veg kababs ( flat veg patties)

Servings: 20-22 pieces

Total time: 40-45 mins

Ingredients:

½ cup- Grated Spinach

2 medium size boiled and mashed Potatoes

½ cup -Bread crumps

1 tea spoon- Sesame seeds

Corn flour (as per requirement/ just to sprinkle)

2-3 Green chillies ( or as required)

1 tea spoon-Grated Ginger

¼ cup- Grated Cabbage flower

¼ cup- very finely chopped onion

¼ cup- Grated capsicum

1 tea spoon- Chaat masala (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaat_masala)

Salt as per taste

 

 

Preparation:  

Mix all the ingredients one by one and then just taste the mix (in case you require to add salt and more chillies and also if these are in excess you can reduce them by adding more potato or bread crumps).

Now make small balls out of it and press them softly between your palms to flatten them in shape as shown below. Sprinkle a little bit of corn flour at one side and then flip them and sprinkle sesame seeds at the other face of the kababs. Press the seeds a little bit or rather very softly with your palm.


Now put a non stick pan on flame and carefully place the kababs over the pan’s surface. Once they become a little brownish from one side then flip them softly to cook the other side also. No oil is required for these kababs.  You can also grill them in ovens rather than non stick pans. Serve these hot with some chilli sauces or spicy or tangy chutneys.


Saturday, April 20, 2013

Vermicelli and semolina upma



Servings: 2
Total Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
½cup-Vermicelli ( take vermicelli in a pan and add  1 ½ cup of water  , 1 teasp spoon oil and salt to taste; bring this mixture to boil(till vermicelli becomes soft as noodles) and then strain the water from it)
2 tea sps---roasted Semolina/rava/suji
2 medium sized---Chopped Onions
1 medium sized tomato finely chopped
½ tea sp--- Mustard seeds
1 teasp---Water
Salt to taste
 tea sps--- Soaked and roasted bengal grams
Vegetable oil
1medium--  ½ inch size chopped salted capsicum which is again roasted or fried in 1 tea spoon oil
1 large-- -Fried/roasted and salted small cubes of Potato
2 tea sps---Roasted peanuts
3-Finely-- Chopped green chillies
1 teasp---Grated ginger
½ teasps tomato ketchup
Coriander leaves to garnish

Preparation:

Heat some oil in a pan and add mustard seeds to it. Wait till the seeds start to splutter and then add chopped onions to it. Fry till light golden in colour and then add roasted Bengal grams, boiled and strained vermicelli and semolina to it. Add salt to taste and then add water and ketchup while continuously stirring it . Then add all the chopped potatoes and capcicum(one can also add small cubes of paneer and peas), chopped green chillies, tomatoes, roasted peanuts and grated ginger to it .Turn the flame off instantly after mixing the ingredients. Garnish this upma with some coriander leaves and serve warm with tea or  buttermilk.

Friday, April 19, 2013

“iPad4 with Retina Display”: most talked about in my city



The new most talked gadget in my friend circle is the luxuriest, best built, most premium looking tablet iPad 4 with Retina Display. The fit and finish is very classy with a gorgeously curvy aluminium back and simple glass front combining to make the device feel like it’s completely solid.


The best part of this world class model is that the fundamental elements of iPad - the display, the processor, the cameras, the wireless connection - all work together to create the best possible experience.




Some of the most talked about features of this new version are:
  • The buttery smooth menu navigation and an intuitive interface makes gliding through the iPad's software a pleasure, and you'll rarely struggle to find what you're looking for. It measures 9.5 x 7.3 inches across its glass-covered front has fingerprint-resistant oleo phobic coating.
  • The small repertoire of new features include a Lightning port/connector( instead of a 30-pin socket)  which is thinner and easier to connect, more durable and faster when transferring files.
  • The new  iPad has a 5 megapixel camera on the back and 1.2 megapixel FaceTime HD camera up front, image quality on the back has not been improved much from the previous ipads. The 5-megapixel iSight camera features a backside illumination sensor that captures great-looking pictures whether by sunlight or candlelight. When you shoot photos, the big, beautiful Retina display becomes a smart & beautiful viewfinder - giving you plenty of room to compose your shot. 

  • The new processor -A6X, is a retooled and more efficient version of the previous A6  running in the iPhone 5. The new A6X chip inside iPad is the most powerful mobile chip yet. It delivers up to twice the CPU and graphics performance of the A5X chip. And it makes iPad feel faster and even more responsive. The games running on this iPad felt faster, fast-loading.

Some odds which do not add up any negative value for a new apple buyer are:
  •          New lightning port means, older chargers and acessories are no more in use.
  •          The screen is still intensely reflective as the previous ones
  The 16GB ipad4 with retina display avialable online at stores like flipkart.com, ebay.com, ask.com,homeshop18.com, junglee.com, samsclub.com, bestbuy.com, futureshop.ca  etc at price range of INR (31500-32000) and $ (490-500).(updated prices as on 19th April, 13)




Friday, April 12, 2013

Celebrities in Anarkali suits : beautiful party wear designs


Stylish and trendy pink dress
A gorgeous yellow dress
Splendid and exquisite attire.....

Beautiful, Elegant and Rich Look
Very Classy ...... all slim and tall girls can take this style easily
Sumptuous Traditional dress
Wow........... simple, sober yet stylish
A fabulous classy look




blogs followed :


www.mysareestore.com 
trendsasia.blogspot.com 
www.trendymods.com
fashnfok.blogspot.com 

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Sleeker, taller and lighter- the new smartphone: iPhone 5


Amidst the entire buzz, the much hyped smartphone has hit the market with mixed emotions. While the iPhone 5 is certainly slimmer (7.6mm) than the previous versions and longer, with a larger display of 4 inches .The display has a resolution of 1136×640 pixels with a pixel density of  326 ppi and 800:1 contrast ratio ,which is same as of iPhone 4.  Excellent front and rear camera, super fast web surfing, great looking design and iOS6 which is further up gradable to iOS 6.1.3 makes it a wow…wow model.

The display also features a fingerprint-resistant oleo-phobic coating that serves its purpose to an extent. The back is metallic but not scratch resistant. It can take still pictures while recording a video with face detection.


iPhone 5(16 GB), a smart lifestyle product, available in black and white colours; can be bought online through bestbuy.com, jungle.com, ebay.com, snapdeal.com, yebhi.com, suleka.com, tradus.com, myshopping.com, infibeam.com etc  at a price range of (199-399)USD approx. and (39000-45000)INR (*depending on the schemes launched by the sites; 11th April, 2013)


Monday, April 8, 2013

Potato Salad

Ingredients:

750g baby potatoes, skins left on if possible

4-5 spring onions

2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

 1/3 cup light mayonnaise or salad dressing

2 tablespoons yoghurt

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

Optional extras

1/2 cup cooked peas

chopped sun-dried or semi-dried tomatoes to taste

1 small avocado, diced

3 tablespoons finely chopped red onion 

3 tablespoons Gherkins(kundru)

1-2 teaspoons dill seeds or 3 tablespoons chopped mint)

1/4 cup pumpkin seeds, toasted (place in a heavy-bottomed pan over heat and cook for a few minutes stirring regularly, until seeds pop) – use as a garnish on top of salad

 Preparation:

Cook potatoes in boiling water, cool and cut into medium chunks. Place boiled potato chunks in a bowl with most of the spring onion (save some for garnish) and fresh mint.

In a small bowl mix light mayonnaise, yoghurt and mustard; then add this mixture to potato. Add optional extras as desired. Mix thoroughly. Serve garnished with remaining spring onion.

Paneer Ka Chilla

For the batter:

1 cup gram flour (Besan)

1 tsp each: red chill powder, dry coriander and turmeric powders

Salt, to taste

Water to make a batter (Dosa batter consistency)

For the filling:

1/2 cup grated paneer

Chopped coriander

1 Green chilly, finely chopped

Preparation:

To prepare the chillas (or pancakes), heat 1 tbsp oil in a non-stick frying pan.

Pour a ladle of batter and roll it around to spread it evenly. Cook on reduced heat.

When almost done, spread a tablespoon of the paneer filling on the pancake.

Turn it over and cook on the other side till done.

Serve hot with green chutney.

Sweet corn fritters

Serves: 4

Time to make: 20 mins

Ingredients:

olive oil 

4 eggs, lightly beaten

410 g canned corn kernels, drained(or pressure cooker  cooked for 1 and a half mins only)

1 medium red capsicum, finely diced

4 spring onions, finely chopped

1 cup canned/boiled chickpeas, drained, rinsed, mashed

1/2 tea spoon red chilli powder

1 tea spoon tamarind powder 

salt according to taste

2/3 cup tomato chutney

2/3 cup cottage cheese

Instructions:

In a bowl, combine corn, capsicum, spring onions, chickpeas and eggs. Now add the chilli powder,  tamarind powder and salt(as per taste) and mix it.

Heat a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Spray with little oil.  Make 8 small balls and then press them softly between hands to make them a little flat patty. Put these patty fritters in the frypan . Cook for 3-4 minutes each side, or until golden. Cook in batches if needed.

Sprinkle cottage cheese over these and then serve with chutney. Add a green salad on the side or enjoy these with hot ginger tea.

Oatmeal Energy Bars

Total Time :1 hr 15 min
Servings :14-15 bars

Ingredients:
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 and1/2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups rolled oats
2 cups crisp brown rice cereal
1/4 cup roasted wheat germ
1/2 cup chopped roasted peanuts
1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
1/2 cup chopped dried figs
1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions :
Place a small pan over medium heat, combine honey, peanut butter, vegetable oil, brown sugar and cinnamon. Stir and cook until mixture just begins to bubble( about 3 to 5 minutes). Remove from heat and add vanilla extract.
In a large bowl, combine oats, rice cereal, wheat germ, peanuts, apricots, figs and salt.
 peanut butter mixture over oatmeal mixture and stir gently with a spatula until well combined. Transfer this to flat dish, cover with parchment paper and press firmly into dish. Allow to cool completely (will cool faster in the refrigerator). Cut into squares or bars.


Chilled Vegetable Salad

Ingredients

1 cup sugar 

3/4 cup cider vinegar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 medium-size green bell pepper, chopped 

1 medium onion, chopped 

3 celery ribs, sliced

200 gms chopped red bell pepper

450 gms canned small sweet green peas, drained

400 gms canned French-cut green beans, drained

300 gms canned white sweet corn, drained

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Preparation

Bring first 3 ingredients to a boil in small saucepan over medium heat; cook, stirring often, 5 minutes or until sugar dissolves. Remove dressing from heat, and cool it for 30 minutes.

Stir together chopped bell pepper and next 8 ingredients in a large bowl; gently stir in dressing. Cover and chill salad for 8 hours. Serve chilled only.

Note: This Salad can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.