Kitchen Corner-Try It

Andhra Mango Pickle/ Aavakaya Today's recipe is a condiment - Aavakaya/Andhra mango pickle. I spend most of my childhood in Andhra and I love Andhra food. My mom still makes Andhra food and making avankaya during mango season is still a tradition at home. This pickle is towards the spicy side with lots of chilly powder that may sound scary. But believe me, chilly powder,salt and oil is the key ingredients,it adds taste and color and also serves as preservative. If carefully made,this pickle can be preserved for over a year. It is a great accompaniment with dal curry or with simple curd rice. Recipe source here Ingredients Mango cubes- 5 cup Chilly powder- 1 cup Mustard powder- 1 cup Salt -3/4 cup Roasted Methi/ fenugreek  powder- 1 tbs Gingerly Oil- 1 1/2cup Whole cloves of garlic- 5-8 Chana dal- 2 tsp (optional) Clean and wipe dry the mangoes. The mangoes selected for pickling should be firm in touch and sour Cut mangoes into cubes. If you have a sharp kn...

Carrot and Walnut Slices/ Turkish Cezeriye This is a traditional dessert popular in Turkey and Afghanistan. The name of the dish derives from the Arabic word,cezer,meaning carrots.In southern Turkey, cezeriye refers to all desserts prepared with carrots.This dish actually has a candy/ jelly like consistency. If you like a more jelly like texture process the carrots and walnuts using a food processor into the consistency you like. It is wonderful dessert with the taste of carrots, walnuts ( you can use nuts of your choice) and coconut. Serve it with a little whipped cream and it is a perfect dessert for any occasion. Recipe source: The Turkish Cookbook , Nur Ilkin and Sheilah Kaufman, Interlink Books, Massachusetts. Ingredients Coarsely grated carrots- 2 1/2 cup Sugar-3/4-1 cup Water- 3/4 cup+ 2 tbs Cornstarch- 1tbs Coarsely chopped walnuts or hazelnuts- 3/4 cup Lemon juice- 1/2 lemon Clove powder- a pinch (optional) Coconut- 1/4 cup (sweetened or unsweetened) ...

Pataqueta. Valencia’ Orchard traditional Bread  This months Baking partners challenge is a very traditional yeast bread. Since Thanks giving is coming up  Swathi suggested yet another bread. I am so excited for this months challenge and my heartfelt thanks to Marisa ( Thermofan) for suggesting this beautiful traditional Spanish bread. All of us get nostalgic when it comes to special recipes passed down through generations. I really appreciate Marisa's effort to trace an authentic recipe, took time to discuss with a local baker for the exact technique of making this bread and also sharing the tradition of her country with the group. She sent us a detailed step by step instruction with pictures which proved a helpful guide. Marisa say's that this bread is from Valencia, known at least since the Seventeenth Century. The Pataqueta , as the name suggests is shaped like a crescent Moon.This is the bread the inhabitants of the Valencia’s Orchard used to eat when they...

Spicy Chickpeas Today is World Diabetes Day and Swathi of Zesty South Indian Kitchen has organized an event  and a group of bloggers are sharing diabetic friendly recipes. It is wonderful to be part of the group. Three members of my family are diabetic, my mom and my in laws. My in- laws today attended a camp, organized by medical center, to help diabetic patients. World Diabetes Day is observed all around the world, to bring better awareness to this  diseases, which if left undiagnosed or unregulated will lead to chronic life threatening situations like heart diseases, stroke, kidney failure and blindness. But a healthy life style,controlled diet and regular checkups has been an effective way in controlling diabetes and preventing serious situations. In recent years there is an alarming rise of diabetic patients around the globe and   researchers point out that the number of people living with diabetes may rise to 592 million by 2035. So  it is impo...

Pistachio Cookies Rich and buttery cookies with the flavor and crunch of pistachios.I simply love this light green cookies which is a perfect tea time cookie.  As a variation to this you can use almond meal and a splash of Amaretto (Italian almond liqueur) to make flavorful almond cookies. Try this,you will surely love it. Ingredients All purpose flour-2 cups Baking powder- 2 tsp Salt- 1/2 tsp Sugar- 3/4 cup Egg- 1 egg + one egg white Pistachio instant pudding mix- 2 tsp (This is optional or you can add a few drops of permitted  green food color) Powdered pistachio- 1/2 cup ( use food processor to make a course meal) Cold Unsalted Butter- 1 stick Chopped pistachio- 1/3 cup Vanilla essence- 1 tsp Sift flours,baking powder, powdered pistachio,pudding mix and salt into a bowl. You can slightly toast pistachios and make a coarse powder using a food processor. Using a stand mixer or a hand mixer cream butter and sugar till it is pale yellow, smoot...