Taste of Saras

Broccoli Soup One of my favorites is this broccoli soup, which is hearty, nutritious and delicious.The secret to make a thick and satisfying soup is to puree them after cooking. Enjoy this broccoli soup with crispy garlic bread. A perfect yummy soup for the winter season which will make you warm and your tummy full. A filled tummy makes wonders you know:) Ingredients: Serving Size: 6 1 onion finely chopped 1 celery finely chopped few cherry tomatoes 3 garlic clove minced 1 potato reeled and cubed 4 cup finely chopped cubed 2 cup vegetable broth 1.5 cup milk salt and pepper to taste Preparation Methods: Heat oil on medium heat in a soup pot.Gently sauté onion,minced garlic and celery for 3-4 minutes, until onion is softened. Add potato,cherry tomatoes and chopped broccoli, followed by the broth and milk. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes, until vegetables are tender. Add salt and pepper.Remove the tomatoes and allow soup to cool slightly, then transfe

"Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way! O what fun it is to ride in a one-horse open sleigh Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way! O what fun it is to ride in a one-horse open sleigh " Once again Christmas is here again and guess what it snowed heavily and we had lots of fun playing and throwing snow balls at each other. 2009 is coming to end in 5 days time and I was wondering what I will do to make our Christmas season special for us.the morning was filled with lots of fun and daughter outside playing with the snow. My kids made a a cut little snowman with their dad's help. What's the next part??? That's right FOOD:Filling the tummy with food is the best part of any celebrating.Hmmm..to celebrate any happy event, we either go out for a good meal or cook one and enjoy it together at home therefore Christmas makes no difference to us at all. Instead of grilled a whole chicken and making the usual cakes and cookies was not on my menu this year. S

Channa Gravy With Mushrooms Ingredients Serving Size: 4 1 cup chick peas boiled 1 cup button mushrooms 1 onion finely chopped 2 tomatoes finely chopped 2 green chillies minced 2tsp garam masala 1tsp tumeric powder 1tsp chillie powder 3tbsp tamarind water 1tbsp ginger garlic paste 1tsp cumin seeds 1/2tsp mustard seeds chopped coriander leaves salt to taste Preparation Methods: Heat oil in kadai and add the ginger garlic paste and saute till the raw smell is removed followed by cumin and mustard seeds. Once they starts to splutter add the onions- fry till it becomes translucent. Add tomatoes,green chilies and all the spice powders ,cook until the masala mix well.Add the button mushrooms and cook it's tender enough. Take 1/3 rd of chick peas and make a paste.Now add that chickpeas paste and remaining whole chick peas in to the mixture and add tamarind paste.Finally add channa masala powder and salt.Saute till they are mix well. Remove from flame and transfer to serving plate and ser

Eggplants in Spicy Garlic Sauce This is a very popular recipes in many Szechuan restaurant which can be very spicy but very delicious. Normally Japaneses eggplants are used for preparation. Big chunks of eggplants are braised in the spicy garlic sauce with the grounded pork as Chinese food normally have pork as they main dish like we use chicken.We happen to try this dish in a Chinese restaurant near to the Asian Store. My hubby just love the taste and it kind of oily so I brought some eggplants and give the dish are try. It came out pretty good but with less oil compared to the restaurant. Ingredients Serving Size: 4 2 medium sized Japanese eggplants 1/4 cup cooked grounded chicken 2tbsp mince garlic 1tbsp minced ginger chopped scallions For the Sauce: 1.5tbsp dark soy sauce 1.5tbsp light soy sauce 1tbsp Chinese rice wine 1tbsp balsamic vinegar 1tsp black pepper 1tsp black bean sauce 1tbsp chillie paste 1tbsp cornflour Preparation Methods : Cut the eggplant crosswise in half and into

This is my favorite Indian sweet which makes me drool whenever I see them.The sweets in India is famous throughout the world for its wide range of products like ‘Rasogolla’ and ‘to savory snacks like murukku. Indian sweets consist of milk, sugar and flour based confectioneries. Most of the sweet has a particular taste and takes a long time to prepare. These sweet stuffs come in various shapes, colors and sizes which are normally prepared during festive occasions and ceremonies. Indians tends to believe that every happy occasion is marked with the distribution of sweets. which improve and strengthen the bond between two hearts with their mouth-watering tastes. Puran Poli Ingredients : 1 cup - all purpose flour 1 cup - bengal gram dal 1 cup - grated jaggery 1/2 cup - grated coconut 1/2 tsp - cardamom powder pinch of turmeric powder Preparation Method Mix flour, turmeric and 1 tbsp of vegetable oil- mix well and add water as needed to make into a soft dough. Pres

Godumai Dosai (Wheat Flour Dosa) This recipe was shared by my MIL few days ago when there wasn't any dosa batter left at home.The addition of the spice paste gives a flavorful taste to the dosa. Ingredients: Serving Size :5 -Makes about 15 dosas 3garlic cloves small ginger, 5 curry leaves 1tsp cumin seed 3 dried chilies Grind the all the ingredients to a smooth paste without adding water. 1 cup iddly batter {optional} 1 cup wheat flour- 2 if you are not using iddly batter 1/2 cup rice flour salt to taste 1 cup finely chopped onions Preparation Method: If you have iddly batter at home - just mix the wheat flour with some water and add to the iddly batter and the grind paste. Allow the batter to stand for 1 hour and prepare the dosas as usual. If you tend to omit the iddly batter-then mix the 2 cup wheat flour and rice flour with enough water to a batter. Then add the salt and grind paste and allow the batter to stand for 1 hour or so.Heat the iron griddle or non-stick tawa on medium

Thai Red Chicken Curry Ingredients Serving Size:4 1 packet red curry paste( available in Asian Store) 1/2lb chicken breast cubed 1 tomato diced 1/2 cup sliced shallots 3 cloves garlic finely chopped 1 small pc ginger sliced thinly 1 cup thick coconut milk 2tbsp soy sauce or fish sauce 1 green pepper diced 1 lemon grass sliced few lime leaves 2tbsp lime juice 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves salt to taste slice red chillies for garnishes Preparation Methods: Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat and cook the onion for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally followed by the diced tomatoes,lemon grass.lime leaves,ginger the curry paste and garlic and cook, stirring, for a minute.Then add the coconut milk,soy sauce, diced green pepper and salt. Cover with lid and reduce the heat to medium and allow the gravy to simmer for a while. Finally add the chicken breast and cook til it become tender. Adjust the level of salt and stir in the lime juice and the chopped basil leaves and red c

Cheesy Finger Strips Ingredients Serving Size: 5 5 slices of old white breads- remove the edges and cut into strips 3 eggs 1 cup mixed shredded cheese 1/4 cup finely chopped onions 1/4 cup finely chopped tomatoes 2 green chillie minced 1tsp chillie powder 1/4tsp garam masala 1/4tsp turmeric powder 1tsp black pepper powder salt to taste finely chopped coriander leaves a pinch of hing powder Preparation Methods: In a large bowl crack the eggs one by one and add all the ingredients expect the bread.Wisk them until fluffy.Dip each slice of bread into the egg mixture, allowing bread to soak up some of the mixture. Melt some butter over a large skillet on medium high heat. Add as many slices of bread onto the skillet as will fit at a time. Fry until brown on both sides, flipping the bread when necessary. Serve hot.

Home-Made Prata Phew!!! At latest I managed to prepare prata at home. My hubby have being trying to makes these at home for a very long time since we moved to Dallas but somethings always seems to go wrong. A week ago he found a recipe from another blog and want to try that out and in the recipe it was mentioned to get some eggs to the dough. Since it was Thursday and we don't eat non-veggie but he never listen.He prepare the dough without add the eggs and the result was dry and hard prata. I have made that prata recipe before back in Owasso using wheat flour -came out really well. Check the recipe out: Finally I got the right recipe from Ammu's Kitchen and it came out perfect. A big thanks to her for sharing her recipe with other bloggers like me. This time I have followed the recipe accordingly as mention.. Ingredients: Serving Size: Makes 15 3 cups all-purpose flour 1/4 cup milk 1tbsp sugar salt to taste enough oil and water for dough Preparation Methods: Mix together all

Dinner Rolls With Mashed Egg Mayo Ingredients: Serving Size: 4 1 Packet of Frozen dinner Rolls or Buns For the stuffing: 4 boiled eggs 2tbsp of finely chopped onions 2tbsp of shredded cheddar cheese 1/4tsp of garlic powder 3tbsp of mayo 1tbsp copped coriander leaves 2tbsp of olive oil 1/2tsp of Mrs.Dash Seasoning Table Blend Salt and pepper to taste Preparation Methods: Pre heat the oven to 350°F. Bake the frozen dinner rolls for about 30-45 minutes or until golden brown.In a large bowl blend in all the stuffing ingredients together well.Slit the dinner roll across but not cutting into half. Spread some butter to the roll and scope 1tbsp of the stuffing spreading across the roll.Bake again for another 5-10 minutes.Serve warm with your choice of sauce.

Spicy Coconut Fish Fry Ingredients 1 whole tiliapia cut into thick strips 1/2tsp turmeric powder 1tbsp chillie powder 1tsp cumin powder 1tsp curry leave powder 1tbsp ginger garlic and chillie paste 1/2tsp garam masala 1tbsp fish curry powder juice of half lemon salt and pepper for taste 1tsp mustard seeds and fennel seeds roasted and grind with 1tbsp coconut milk Preparation Methods: Rub the fillets with 1tsp of salt and let it stand for 10 minutes and risen. Pat dry and all the ingredients into a large bowl with the fillets. Marinate overnight. Heat a heavy bottomed wok with oil on medium flame and once heat deep fry them until golden brown and transfer to a serving platter with chopped coriander leaves and lemon wedges. Note: you can also roast 1tbsp coconut powder together with mustard and fennel. Grind them into paste with some water and add to the fish too.

Having rotis soaked with gravy taste great.I have adding cooked vegetable puree to the dough to make the roti more health and the taste was really good. One could feel the taste of the vegetable in every bite. Ingredients for the Tofu Masala : Serving Size:4 Grind paste for Masala: 5 shallots 3 garlic cloves a small ginger 1tbsp chillie powder 1tsp garam masala 1tsp chicken masala powder 1/2tsp turmeric powder 1tsp fennel seeds 2tbsp crushed tomatoes salt and pepper 2tbsp olive oil Roast all the ingredients and grin to a paste and set aside. 1 packet tofu cubed and blend with a little salt,chillie powder and lime juice 1 cup beans sprouts 1 red onion chopped 1tpmato chopped few curry leaves 1/2tsp mustard seeds 1/2tsp cumin seeds chopped coriander leaves Preparation Methods: Heat a heavy bottom skillet with vegetable oil. Once heated shallow fry the marinated tofu in batches. Drain and keep aside. Pour the remaining oil away leaving about 2tbsp oil in the pan. Splutter mustard,cumin an

Mee Pok (Teochew Style Noodles) I can never get bored of having noodles for all my meals. I'm kind of addicted to them.They can be eaten at any time of the day and feature in both simple and very lavish meal.Like eating rice -The Chinese like to consume noodles and it's a staple food in any Chinese kitchen.A Chinese meal is usually a communal affair.Whenever they eat out or at home,the food is always shared between them.It's like going against the Chinese custom to select and eat a whole dish oneself. Every weekend I would have some kind of Chinese noodles back in Singapore esp the "Mee Pok" a Teochew style noodles. The noodles are often toss the noodles vigorously to remove excess flour and soda and to separate noodles which have stuck together.The sauce in which the noodles are tossed in is a very important aspect of the dish, and is considered a representation of the cook's skill and experience which give the flavor to the dish. Well I wasn't able to