Watermelon & Lemon Fizz - with a slight Hic!!

                                            Watermelon.......Lemon.......and a mild tinge of Vodka

Refreshing cocktail........perfect drink for a hot Sunday afternoon.....do not go overboard....be  a responsible drinker.........HIC!!!!  

Ingredients
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• 4 cups Watermelon, roughly chopped
• Juice of 1 small lemon
• 30ml Vodka (more or less:)
• 10 Ice Cubes
• Sugar to taste
• Small Pinch Salt 
• 2 cups Sprite/7up

Method

1. Blend together watermelon, lemon juice,vodka,sugar and salt till you get a thick puree.Chill.
2. Divide the puree into glasses and add sprite or 7 up just before serving.
3. Add  ice cubes and top with  lemon rings or watermelon cubes.
4. Serve immediately... 

Marvai Pundi - Clams and Rice Dumpling Gravy

This one was long due......My Mangalorean recipe index will be incomplete without Marvai Pundi...

Marvai Pundi is one of those...'Once in a blue moon' dish in our house ....and long awaited one too... this has always been a breakfast dish for us...The previous evening the house is filled with aroma of marvai/clams cooking in spicy coconut gravy and the pundi/rice dumpling steaming away....this dish is kept overnight to let the rice dumplings soak in the gravy....its just an amazing combination....clams with our typical Mangalorean gravy and mini rice dumplings......a true coastal dish.

Ingredients for Rice dumplings/ Pundi

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• 4 cups Brown Rice
• 1 cup coconut
• salt to taste

Method

1. Wash and soak brown rice in water for 4 hours.
2. If using a grinder -Grind rice along with coconut and salt using very little water to form a thick and coarse pasty dough.
3.  If using mixer - grind using more water and grind to coarse dosa batter consistency ,then transfer to a thick bottom  pan and cook on medium flame till the moisture evaporates and you are left with a lump(this should not be too dry,you must be able to form balls).
4. Note: Grind the rice to a coarse paste, this is important if you want the rice balls to hold shape.
5. Wet your hand or apply little ghee, take around 1 tbsp of the dough and form small balls.
6. Steam the pundi for 25 to 30 minutes.
7. You will know the Pundi is ready when you touch the pundi with wet hands and it won't stick.

Ingredients for Clam/Marvai Gravy

• 1/2kg Marvai/Clams
• 3 cups fresh Grated coconut
• 8 long Red Chillies (roasted)
• 5 small Red Chillies (roasted)
• 3 tsp roasted Coriander Seeds
• 1/2 tsp roasted Cumin Seeds
• 15 roasted Peppercorns
• 1/tsp roasted Fenugreek Seeds
• marble sized tamarind
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 5 cloves of garlic
• 1 onion chopped
• salt to taste
• 2tbsp oil

Method

1. Grind coconut,long and small red chillies,coriander and cumin seeds,peppercorns. fenugreek seeds turmeric powder, tamarind and garlic to a smooth and thick paste using little water.
2. Place a vessel on medium flame add oil,when oil is hot add chopped onion fry till golden brown,now add the ground coconut masala and 2 cups water or according to desired gravy like consistency.
3. Now add salt and bring the gravy to a boil.Add the marvai/clams into the boiling gravy and let it cook for few minutes, till the clams are almost done and the raw smell disappears.
4. Now drop in the steamed rice dumpling and cook till the the gravy thickens.
5. Serve after few hours or keep it overnight to let the rice dumpling soak in the gravy.

How to clean Marvai / Clams

First of all...please clean the clams in water nicely to remove dirt and sand and follow the above video....That's how its done at home and in most of the households down south.

I know I know....not everybody has that kind of weird looking scary knife/sickle/weapon(whatever they call it)....MOOTATHANE (in tulu)....so there is an easier method which I learnt from my Goan friend in Bahrain.

Pop the clams in the freezer for 20 to 30 minutes...remove....chuck it into a vessel with room temperature water...after few second they will open up... Separate the shells slowly, you will notice that there will be more flesh on one shell, using that shell scrape out the remaining flesh from the other shell and throw away the empty one....simple.

Now I saw this on Nigella Lawson show where she had mentioned ....to throw away the clams that do not open up....supposedly they are the bad/evil ones...so I do listen to Nigella and throw away the ones that do not open.....But mom does not care....open or not she rips its apart with her weapon.

I am no expert on clams...whatever little I know...learnt it from mom ......So if anyone else has any input in this matter please feel free to comment...rather than saying to yourself    'ee ponnage dada gothuji ' (translation- this girl does not know anything).....yes I am talking to all the beautiful Mangalorean aunties out there :)

Ferrero Rocher Shake.......to beat the summer heat

The heat in Bangalore is maddening....is it just me...or are people spending more time hovering around the refrigerator.....that's what I am doing.....trying out all kinds of cold mock tails....shakes.....fresh fruit juice...and not to forget the cocktails.....anything to beat the maddening summer heat.

Since I am the self proclaimed 'chocoholic'......this shake is soooooo 'ME'.......its thick.....nutty .....and loads of chocolate...... Each time I go to Corner House, I gotta have Chocolate milk shake....just love it.....but I gotta confess...... nothing to beat this Ferrero Rocher shake....I rest my case.

Ingredients
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• 500ml Ferrero Rocher Gelato Ice Cream or Plain chocolate ice cream
• 5 Ferrero Rocher Chocolates (more if you are using plain chocolate ice cream)
• 1 cup Cold Milk (more or less according to your desired consistency)
• 1/2 cup Crushed ice
• 2 tbsp Chocolate Powder (I used Nesquik)
• whipped cream ,for topping (optional)
• 2 tsp Chocolate vermicelli, for topping (optional)
• 4 tbsp Melted Chocolate , for the swirl in the sides of the glass (optional)

Method

1. Using a spoon or cone ,swirl the melted chocolate to the sides of the glass and transfer into the freezer for few minutes for the chocolate to harden.
2. Toss chocolates, ice cream, milk, crushed ice and chocolate powder into a blender. Blend till you get a thick shake, add more milk if you do not like thick shake.
3. Pour the shake into the prepared glasses. Top with whipped cream and chocolate vermicelli.

Devil's Food Cake for Neetu

Okay.......I know.......I am going overboard with chocolate......I am official a self confessed 'CHOCOHOLIC' ......

This Devil's Food Cake is truly 'DEVILISH' .....and the frosting is just 'SINFUL'...I can think of doing a lot of naughty things with it ...(Is that sentence permissible in the blogging world.....or will I be banned ).....I don't care......coz.....believe me ....this frosting ....is 'PURE PURE PURE SIN'

This cake is dedicated to my 'Dearest Nautanki Sister ' Neetu .......If Devina is the butter in my life.....Neetu is my Chocolate:)

Ingredients
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Recipe source:Nigella Lawson

for cake

• 50g Cocoa Powder, sifted
• 100g Muscovado sugar - I used Soft Brown sugar
• 250 ml Boiling Water
• 125g Unsalted Butter, softened
• 150g Caster Sugar
• 225g Plain Flour
• 1/2tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2tsp Soda bi carbonate
• 2 tsp Vanilla
• 2 Eggs

for frosting

• 125ml Water
• 30g Muscovado Sugar- I used Soft Brown Sugar
• 175g Unsalted Butter cubed
• 300g dark chocolate- I used quantities of dark and milk chocolate

Method

1. Preheat oven at 180 degree C.
2. Line the bottom of two 8 inch round cake tin with baking paper and grease the sides and lightly dust with flour. Set aside.
3. In a bowl whisk together cocoa powder, muscovado/brown sugar and boiling water till well combined and set aside.
4. Sift together flour, baking powder and soda bi carbonate and set aside.
5. In a mixing bowl cream butter and caster sugar with an electric hand beater till it turns pale and fluffy.Now add vanilla essence/extract and beat.
6. Add one egg and keep beating and quickly add a scoop full of flour mixture. Now add the other egg.
7. Keep mixing and add in rest of the flour mixture. Finally add in the cocoa/brown sugar/water mixture
8. At this point my batter was pretty thick and I really felt that my beater was going to give up, I quickly added few tablespoons of milk and mixed in with a spatula.
9. Divide the batter equally between the two cake tins and bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes or till done.
10. Let the cake cool in the tins for 5 minutes before transferring onto a wire rack. Let cool completely.
11. I started preparing the frosting as soon as the cake was in the oven, because the frosting needs at least an hour to set.
12. For frosting :Combine water, brown sugar and butter in a sauce pan and place on low heat till the butter melts and mixture starts to bubble slightly.Remove off the flame and add the chopped chocolate and let it stand for few minutes before mixing with a whisk. You will be left with a runny chocolate sauce.
13. Set aside for an hour, keep whisking in regular intervals. The frosting will thicken gradually. If you want to hurry up the thickening process, keep the frosting in the fridge for few minutes,remember to keep whisking the frosting in regular intervals or the frosting will harden.
14. Assemble the cake:-Place one cake top side down on a cake stand and spread about third of the frosting on the cake and spread with a spatula. Place the other cake and spread the remaining frosting on the cake and spread evenly on the sides.

Thai Green Curry with Chicken and Veggies

I will never get tired of saying this over and over again.......'I LOVE THAI FOOD'........its this amazing blend of fresh basil......lemon grass......lemon leaves.......galangal........coconut...........its like fireworks in your mouth.

I was pretty apprehensive about making this curry, was not sure if it would be accepted at home ....since my trusted critic ...my sister Devina has betrayed me and left the country(hope you are reading this Devs).....but I was surprised to watch my dad enjoy this curry..........he over ate (which rarely happens).

Point to be noted:  All the 'Hot Veggies' can exclude the chicken.....the poor chicken....

Ingredients
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Recipe source: Nita Mehta

• 1 cup Thai Green Curry Paste
• 250g Chicken ,cubed (I used boneless)
• 5 to 6 Babycorn, slit
• 1/2 cup Broccoli
• 1/2 Red Capsicum , diced - optional
• 1/2 Yellow Capsicum, diced- optional
• 10 to 12 Button Mushroom, sliced
• 500ml Coconut Milk, tinned
• 1 cup Water
• 1 tsp Soy Sauce
• 1 tsp Sugar
• salt to taste
• 2 Lime leaves ,chopped
• 10 to 15 fresh Basil leaves , chopped
• 2 Red chillies , chopped- to garnish
• 1 tbsp Oil

Method

1. Place a pan on medium heat, add oil. When oil is hot add green curry paste and fry for 2 minutes. Now add the chicken and stir for few minutes.Toss in all the vegetables except for broccoli (I like my broccoli to have a crunch to it,so I toss it in when the curry is almost done).
2. Now add coconut milk and mix well. Cover and simmer till the chicken and vegetables are almost done.Add water ,you can increase or reduce the amount of water according to your desired consistency.
3. Add sugar, salt, soy sauce, lime leaves ,basil leaves and broccoli and cook for few more minutes.
4. Garnish with red chillies.
5. Serve with hot rice.