My Whirlpool of Coffee....Click Liquid Comfort

This weekend as I was mixing a cup of coffee for me and Hubby, clicked this whirpool, in my cafe' cup.

As the date for the Click event is extended and changed to 30th of every month, decided to send this one also as another entry for Click Event - Liquids, created and hosted by the famous duo in the blogosphere - Bee & jai.

Coffee : There is'nt any day when most of us wake up for a hot sizzling cup of coffee. Be it on the way to work, a long drive, or just to sip at our work desk.

Check for History of Coffee here

Coffee is a widely consumed stimulant beverage prepared from roasted seeds, commonly called beans, of the coffee plant. Coffee was first consumed in the 9th century, when it was discovered in the highlands of Ethiopia. From there, it spread to Egypt and Yemen, and by the 15th century had reached Persia, Turkey, and northern Africa. From the Muslim world, coffee spread to Italy, then to the rest of Europe and the Americas.Today, coffee is one of the most popular beverages worldwide. Coffee berries, which contain the coffee bean, are produced by several species of small evergreen bush of the genus Coffea. The two most commonly grown species are Coffea canephora (also known as Coffea robusta) and Coffea arabica. These are cultivated in Latin America, southeast Asia, and Africa. Once ripe, coffee berries are picked, processed, and dried. The seeds are then roasted, undergoing several physical and chemical changes. They are roasted to various degrees, depending on the desired flavor. They are then ground and brewed to create coffee. Coffee can be prepared and presented by a variety of methods.

Coffee has played an important role in many societies throughout modern history. In Africa and Yemen, it was used in religious ceremonies. As a result, the Ethiopian Church banned its consumption until the reign of Emperor Menelik II of Ethiopia. It was banned in Ottoman Turkey in the 17th century for political reasons, and was associated with rebellious political activities in Europe. Coffee is an important export commodity: in 2004, coffee was the top agricultural export for 12 countries; and in 2005, it was the world's seventh largest legal agricultural export by value.Some controversy is associated with coffee cultivation and its impact on the environment. Many studies have examined the relationship between coffee consumption and certain medical conditions; whether the effects of coffee are positive or negative is still disputed.
(Text : Source Wiki)
Check for more here

Coffee is most popular in South India, especially it is a signature beverage in Tamil nadu. In North America, there isn't any street which doesn't have a coffee shop.

The most cherished thing about coffee is its 'Oroma' ....so soothing to the soul.

Well, I have to satisfied with the smell only, cause I and hubby do not drink coffee regularly... We just take about 1/2 a cup each in the weekend. We take a cup of chai(Indian Tea) in the morning and for the rest of the day I sip on Green Tea, which is a definite healthy choice to coffee. So this weekend coffee cup is so special....

Check here for some FAQ's on Coffee.

Fish Gravy - Kerala Style

Fish is all time favourite for seafood lovers. It is healthy choice of non-vegan food too. Cause the RCI - Kerala cuisine is going on this month, decided to make my fish gravy in Kerala style. Again no Kerala cooking is complete without Coconut.. so this is the first time I added coconut to my fish gravy.

Ingredients:
2 lb Raw, cleaned fish of your choice, scales removed.

For Curry:
2 Tbsp Oil
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
1/2 tsp Fenu greek
4 Garlic pods
1 big size Onions,
4-5 Green Chillies
1 reem of Curry Leaves
1 tsp Ginger/garlic paste
2 Tbsp Tomatoe puree/Tomatoe Paste or 1 big Tomatoes Chopped
Salt to taste

Masala Powders:
1/2 Turmeric powder
1 tsp Coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp Chilly powder

For gravy:
1 lemon size tamarind ball soaked in 2 cups of warm water and juice squeesed.
The traditionsl Kerala recipe calls for Kudum pulli.., since I did'nt have this I used the regular pulli
1/2 cup Coconut Milk
1 cup Grated Coconut ground into a smooth paste

To Garnish:
1/4 cup coriander leaves.

Procedure:
1. Heat a skillet, add oil and then allow Mustard to splutter and add fenugreek seeds, stir for 10 sec and now add the chopped garlic. Stir till color changes lightly.
2. Add Onions, green chillies, curry leaves and cook until the onions turn translucent and fully cooked.
3. Add ginger garlic paste fry a little.
4. Add tomatoes or tomatoe puree, cook well
5. Add all the masala powders.
6.Now add the Pulli(Tamarind) juice and salt.
7.Check to see if enough salt and sour. Add some water if it is too soury.
8.Bring this boil and add the clean fish peices.
10.Once the fish is almost cooked add coconut milk and the ground coconut paste. Allow to boil for a minute or two.
11. Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves
12. Remove from heat.

This can be served hot with the Chapati/Roti/Parota/ or simple plain rice.

So I'm sending this as another entry for
RCI - Kerala hosted by Curry Bazaaroriginally created by LakshimiK
Also I used Onion in this receipe, so I'm sending this to
JFI - Onion created by Indira and this month hosted by Radhi's Kitchen
and since no fish gravy is complete with garlic, I'm sending this to
Thick Spice - Garlic created and hosted by Sunitha's World

Peanut Punch

I have little time to click for this month's Click Event - Liquids, created and hosted by the famous duo in the blogosphere - Bee & jai. So decided to send this liquid drink as an entry which I posted for Peanut butter Punch.

Now going straight into the receipe...
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp Peanut Butter Smooth
2 Cups Milk of your choice(fat free or 1-3%)
2 Tsbp Evapurated Milk
1 Tsp Condensed Milk
2 Tbsp Sugar
4 Ice Cubes
Garnish : Your choice of fruit
Procedure :
In a blendor add all the ingredients.

See that there is no Peanut butter sticking to blendor seperately.

Blend them for a minute or so two times.

Pour into a serving glass and garnish with fruit.

Curried Turkey Wings - Kerala Style

Friends, thanks for playing the guessing game.. Well, what else this can be ... with christmas festive season just gone.. this can be nothing else than the traditional North America Bird must for any big Festive Dinner - "Turkey".

Yes, there is'nt any home in the western world which doesn't have Turkey on the table for they festive feasts. Be it Thanks giving, Christmas or Easter the family dinner is complete only with "Turkey". Back home in our house we use to make curry with Turkey. So a few times I cooked turkey curry here in North America too. And all the times I made it in kerala style, with lots of Coconut and coconut milk. To my joy the RCI this month was Keral Cuisine. So decide to send this Turkey Wings Curry - Kerala Style as one of my entries for ">RCI - Kerala.

In south India, especailly in Tamil nadu, we get to taste the best NV food in Kerala Restaurants, its like they both go synonamous..Their Pepper Chicken Masalas, Fish Gravies etc...I have been cooking all these delicacies these days from when the RCI -Kerala is annouced.

Cause turkey takes a long time to cook, cooking this in a Slow cooker Crock pot is the best. In my cause I was cooking a Christmas party dinner, so naturally the quantity was big, and my crock pot is not so big enough to hold the entire contents. So I didn't use my crock pot. But if you are not cooking for a big meal,Slow cooking will yeild good results.

Ingredients:
2 lb Turkey Wings/Turkey breasts cut into big or medium size peices

Whole Spices:
1 tsp Fennel seeds
3 - 4 Cinnamon Sticks
6 - 8 Cloves
4-5 green Caradamon pods
2 Star anise
3 - 4 Bay leaves

For Curry:
2 Tbsp Oil
3-4 big size Onions,
4-5 Green Chillies
1 reem of Curry Leaves
1 Tsp Garlic paste
1 Tsp Ginger paste
1/2 cup Tomatoe puree/Tomatoe Paste or 2 big Tomatoes Chopped
Salt to taste

Masala Powders:
1/2 Turmeric powder
1 tsp Coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp Chilly powder
1/2 tsp Garam masala powder.

For gravy:
1/4 cup yogurt
1 Tbsp Poppy Seeds(Ghas Khas) soaked in 4 Tbsp of water 2 to 3 hours and ground into a smooth paste.
1/4 cup Coconut Milk
1 cup Grated Coconut ground into a smooth paste

To Garnish:
1/2 cup coriander leaves.
1 Lime juice

Steps:
1. In a heavy bottom pot, add oil after heated and then add all the whole spices after the oil is heats up. Fry till color of the spices changes.
2. Add Onions, green chillies curry leaves and cook until the onions turn translucent and fully cooked.
3. Add garlic and ginger paste fry a little.
4. Add tomatoes or tomatoe puree, cook well
5. Now add the turkey peices and salt , mix well.
6. Add all the masala powders except the garam masala powder. 7. Mix well to coat all the turkey peices with the seasoning and the malsalas.
8. Add yogurt, and mix again.
9.Keep adding required amount of water for the meat to cook well
For Slow cooking Place the entire contents into a crock pot, and cook for 4 -5 hrs..and then follow steps 11 - 15.
10. For regular cooking, allow the curry to cook an hour.
11. Check to see if the meat is tendor. At this stage the gravy may still be very watery.
12.Once the meat is tendor add the poppy seed paste, coconut milk and the ground coconut paste.
13. This makes the gravy thick at once. Cook for another 5 minutes or till the raw smell of the poppy seeds and the coconut is gone.
14. Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves
15. Remove from heat and add the juice of 1 lime.

This can be served hot with the Italian hard crust bread or our Indian Chapati/Roti/Parota or any seasoned rice.

This is one of my entries for
RCI - Kerala hosted by Curry Bazaaroriginally created by LakshimiK
JFI - Onion created by Indira and this month hosted by Radhi's Kitchen
Thick Spice - Garlic created and hosted by Sunitha's World

Guess Please!!!!

Hi Foodies.. yet another guessing game.. I know, we always have some fun with this..So go ahead and guess what curry is this? I'll publish the receipe sooooon..

Chocolate Cups Cakes

Celebrating my second Son's second Birthday on Dec 20th, here are some Chocolate Cup Cakes.
Following the instructions on the Cake mix box these cakes were baked and then topped them with Chocolate cream and decorated with some sprinkles...
Did you check for the Galore of christmas Trees here.

And here is how the vitual tour in the making of the cup cakes...

May be I can send this as an enrty for the Chocolate food event.

New Year 2008 and Best of Year 2007

Wishing all my fellow bloggers and readers a very Blessed New year, 2008

And here is the best of year 2007

Peach Mango Kesar Shake
Shrimp Curry Moonlight and Stars from my Window