Updates and a GIVEAWAY!

Have you checked into my new blog Foodomania recently?
Here's a quick update -

1. There's an amazing giveaway organized on the new blog. You can win one of the 10 cookbooks or an amazing set of non stick bakeware! Read more HERE to find out ways to enter the giveaway.

2. Some of the recipe posts are -

Chinese Noodle Soup

 Healthy Puran Poli

 A birthday cake in a jiffy!








3. I'm also talking about some basics of baking. The topics I've covered so far are :

• How to prevent a cake top from burning or cracking?
• Setting the oven temperature
• How to de-mould a cake from the cake pan

Developments: 1st month of blogging at Foodomania!

I did say that this would be my last post on Edible Entertainment. However, I just missed the Blogger platform so much so that I decided to update this blog too! ;) Exactly 1 month ago, I left blogger for my new blog and I'm extremely happy with the new space.

Have you all updated your links to be in touch with my new posts? :D If not, do so now! Since it is a WordPress blog, there won't be any Google followers button. However, you can add the feed url or my blog url on your dashboard to keep getting updates. Or like me on Facebook. I'm super active there. Google+, Twitter and Pinterest are sites I update regularly too. If not, get the posts delivered by email :D Just don't lose touch, okay?

So.. I'm having so much fun at my new blog! Although Blogger is extremely easy, there are so many things one could do at WordPress! I love it. :-D And I've already posted more than 70 recipes (of which, 20-30 are old ones from Edible Entertainment). If you haven't checked that out already, go check out now!

Here's a glimpse of what's cooking in Foodomania!

1. For starters.. I started blogging with this decadent Caramel and Chocolate Sandwich. If anything defines comfort food, it has to be this mouth watering dessert here!

2. Then came this mind boggling dessert! An ice cream made with protein powder. Actually, its a Kulfi, the Indian Ice cream. I'm very proud of this one here because it is not just tasty, but it is super healthy! ~ The Protein Powder Kulfi.

3. When it comes to Tamil Cuisine, I'm not interested because mum makes it all. But a theme based event made me rise & make this delicious and hot Sambar - a thick lentil spicy soup.

4. I outdid myself by making a healthier version of the famous Indo Chinese dish. This is the baked potato Manchurian.

5.  Finally, I found the simplest recipe for Nutty Chocolate Brownies!

For these and more such delicious recipes, please visit www.foodomania.com

Launching my NEW BLOG!

Greetings! :)

I apologize (to anybody who has missed me! :D) for being so irregular for the past few weeks. It hasn't been all hunky dory at my end. However, this blog is not a platform for me to write the woes of my life. I'll just stick to what has kept me from blogging...

It has taken a few months, but I've realized this is one hobby I'd seriously like to pursue along with the other career commitments. Even though it seems like the entire world's time is lost on me, I still vow to make time (no matter how less) for this passion. My dream is to build a go-to website for all kinds of foods from around the globe. Which is exactly why I decided to go PRO!

I've gotten myself a new domain and a host! Sorry Google! I'm gonna have to move out! :P Ladies & Gentlemen, (& spammers :D) here's introducing the new food blog in town -

FOODOMANIA!

                - for people who are crazy about food! 

And if you aren't one of them, one click on the link and you will be! :D (Bah! That seems like a hype right now because it is still in its incubator-y stage! But give it a few months and your words of encouragement and you'll see it transform!)

Kindly update your links with the following to continue receiving delectable updates!

1. I am active on Facebook. If you are a regular Facebook-er, you may want to hit *Like* on my page to get recipe updates and much more! (Loads of contests & giveaways coming up on Facebook!)
http://facebook.com/foodomania100

2. To receive updates delivered to your inbox, click on the following link & enter your email ID
http://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailverify?uri=foodomania100

3. To Subscribe via RSS Feed - visit
http://feeds.feedburner.com/foodomania100

4. For Blogger Users:- Add either of these links to your *Reading List* -
http://www.foodomania.com
http://feeds.feedburner.com/foodomania100

5. For Wordpress Users:
- Sign into your wordpress account.
- Go to "Reader" tab.
- The first option is "Blogs I Follow". Click on "Edit List" next to it.
- Enter the url - http://www.foodomania.com

6. You can also Follow Me on Twitter.
https://twitter.com/Foodomania

7. Are you one of the Google Plus folks? Well, I have an account there too! :-D Follow me there.
https://plus.google.com/u/0/106198364821590418189/posts

Look around the new website. Its still a work-in-progress. I wanted to re-post all my older posts (and not just import them) so it'll take sometime before everything settles down! :) I've categorized the recipes which will make it easy for you to navigate across the website. Your valuable comments, feedback, suggestions are like gold to me! They're always welcome! :)

This is effectively my last post on Edible Entertainment.

Henceforth - Foodomania!

Homemade Dinner Rolls (Indian Pav Buns)

Visit www.foodomania.com for the recipe & step by step pictures.
Link to this recipe - http://foodomania.com/homemade-dinner-rolls-indian-pav/

Tomato Pickle

For this recipe, visit http://www.foodomania.com
Link to this recipe - http://foodomania.com/tomato-pickle/

Jalapeño Fritters | Molagai Bajji

It is perhaps unfair to post jalapeño two days in a row. But you need to know just how sinfully delectable both these dishes are. I wouldn't categorize either of these as "Healthy Foods". The baked cheese jalapeño, although 'baked' involves a ton of cheese; while these fritters avoid cheese but make up for the fat by frying in hot oil! Ideally, you could eat one. (or if you've been good & working out, then two! :P) Since these fritters are stuffed with mashed potatoes, you're left feeling full after just one or two. This is a very basic version. I wouldn't recommend spicing up the stuffing as the jalapeños are spicy.

Baked Cheese Jalapeño

RULE NO. 1: You need to be audacious to eat jalapeños. If you haven't trained yourself to bear hot spice, bid adieu now.

Have you got what it takes to be a jalapeño eater? :-D You never know if biting into one is going to harvest that phenomenal flavor and kick (that is the basis for so many Southwestern foods) or if that one little bite will pack such a fierce punch that you'll be running around the room mouth agape and begging for something to cool it all down.

Marie Biscuit Chocolate Floaters

The total time to make this immensely easy and delicious dessert was less than the time spent coming up with a suitable name for it. And I'm still not sure if I've done justice to it. Why don't you guys come up with a name for this? Basically, its Marie biscuit sandwiched with chocolate sauce... floating on more chocolate sauce!

Paneer Pasanda

I promised you a rich dish today. Well, here it is. Richer than a chocolate cake, if you ask me. Stuffed cottage cheese deep fried and dunked in a cashew-tomato-onion-milk gravy. Yes. I think that is the gist of the long recipe we're gonna make together! :-D

A Healthy Salad...

To call this a Salad Recipe would be an insult to your intelligence. Let's just say this is how I like my salads.. :-) A little corn, some onions, capsicum, tomatoes (a MUST!) and a dash of lemon... The job gets done in under 5 minutes, its tasty and you don't have to worry about it depositing on your hips or thighs! ;-) Feel free to add or skip any other vegetables or sprouts.

Caramelized Onion & Garlic Buns

I've learned quite a bit about the workings of yeast and the art of making bread, thanks to MasterChef Australia. I decided to put one of those tips to use. I've been thinking of making onion bread for quite sometime. But instead of adding the onion at the initial stages, I decided on caramelizing and adding after the dough has been prepared. Apparently, yeast doesn't like too much disturbance in the initial stage. Once you make the dough, you've incorporated your yeast and hence, adding any kind of spices, veggies or nuts would be okay.

Cold Pasta Salad

Disclaimer: The idea of a cold pasta is still weird for me. And even weirder is the dressing I used for this. I don't guarantee the 'taste' because I didn't eat this. However, my brother, who usually eats everything I make, relished every bite. So if you trust his opinion, then go ahead with it. :P

Cheesy Vegetable Sandwich

One of the reasons why I get to experiment a lot with food is because I am not responsible for ensuring that everybody at home is fed on time. That's Ma's job. So, I don't mind spending an hour or 2 for every recipe. But I can fathom how some don't like to spend more time in the kitchen than what's absolutely necessary. "There isn't enough time for making dinner, and you want me to make your fancy cakes?" - said a dear relative of mine to me. :-D That's when I realized the lack of simple and quick recipes on my blog. This sandwich, is my answer to all you people who have no time for themselves. Of course, it involves cheese, mayo or béchamel sauce. That's how it becomes tasty! ;-) Feel free to skip any ingredient while you make it.

Moist Carrot Cake

Visit www.foodomania.com for the recipe & step by step pictures.
Link to this recipe - http://foodomania.com/moist-carrot-cake/

Zomato Restaurant Guide 2012 - A Book Review

Zomato.com, famous for its online restaurant reviews has published the first edition of its restaurant guide for 4 cities - Delhi, Mumbai, Pune & Bangalore.

Mawa Cupcakes | Milk Cheese Cupcakes

For the recipe + step by step pictures of this spongy & delicious cake, please visit - http://foodomania.com/mawa-cupcakes-milk-cheese-cupcakes/

How to make Khoya (or Mawa) at home

I am one of those stubbornly self sufficient people when it comes to cooking. I love making everything from scratch. So, when I needed mawa to make Mawa Cake, instead of saving 2 hours of my life and buying it from the shop, I decided to make it on my own. Making it is so damn easy and involves almost zero labor!

Visit www.foodomania.com for the recipe & step by step pictures.
Link to this recipe - http://foodomania.com/khoya-home-homemade-mawa/

Spicy Mango Pickle (Avakkai)

There are a gazillion ways of making pickle. This mango pickle, or Avakkai Oorgai (read: aa-vuh-kkaay oor-gaai) as we Tamilians call it, is our family recipe. This is how ladies of my family have been making for generations.

Wholewheat Stuffed Buns

Who in the world doesn’t love the smell of fresh bread baking in the oven? It’s better than any smell my nose could possibly ... uh, smell. :D And mind you, my sense of smell is really strong. I can sniff food from far away and even guess what ingredients are boiling/ broiling/ baking/ frying away! :P But nothing like a loaf of bread, heh? Remember the Stuffed Bread Loaf I made sometime back? Well, this is pretty much like that. Same method, different output.

Rasam Powder

Say hello to Ma. She's been kind enough (or.. should I say, excited! :P) to share her 'secret' Rasam powder recipe with us. ;-) Rasam, Saaru, Chaaru, Saathumudhu... different names, one dish. A tamarind based south Indian soup flavored with various spices to give it a different taste every time. Rasam is an indispensable part of a South Indian feast.

Grissini (Italian Breadsticks)

I think yeast is starting to love me. ;-) How else would you explain every yeast experiment succeeding? (touch wood!!!) In fact, I've already made them thrice, in varying sizes. Homemade breadsticks are delicious! Plus there's an added satisfaction of consuming what you made - from scratch! Grissini, commonly known as breadsticks are Italian appetizers. They are perfect sides for a bowl of soup.

Chinese Vegetable Noodle Soup

I have said it before. I am not a soup person. But then, my idea of soup has always been blitzing the hell out of beautiful tomatoes and then further slaughtering by squeezing out the liquid from the puree! But if soups can look as beautiful as this one, then I'd like to change my opinion! ;-)

Double Chocolate Brownies

Visit www.foodomania.com for the recipe & step by step pictures.

Link to this recipe - http://foodomania.com/double-chocolate-brownies/

Homemade Caramel Sauce

I mastered the Caramel Sauce a while back. Remember this exceptionally fancy birthday cake? I gave the regular old chocolate ganache a twist by adding caramel sauce. And believe you me, it was excellent! Caramel sauce can have a pleasing effect on anyone who has the good fortune of tasting it. It is delicious as a topping on ice creams, cakes, brownies, pancakes and what not! In fact, it is worth spending the time to make this sauce just for the mere pleasure of licking it off the bowl!

Mixed Vegetable Curry

I know I’ve been MIA for quite sometime. I’ve been vacationing down south. Well, more like sweating truckloads & doing absolutely nothing! Since there was no scope for baking, (which I consider to be my specialty! :D) I resorted to writing simple gravy recipes. And now that I’m back from the fiery land of Chennai, I decided to test one of those recipes. A lot of people I know are afraid of making gravies. It is really funny, because there really is nothing simpler than making gravy! I kid you not. How hard is it to throw in some vegetables and spices and give it a quick blend? I hope this recipe will serve as a simple guide to making any gravy, anytime you want.

Chocolate Cupcakes

Use this recipe for baking a cake or a batch of cupcakes. I swear they would turn out soft and spongy. This has, by far been THE most successful experiments with ingredients I've ever had. This recipe exemplifies the saying 'Simplicity is profound'. So simple and readily available are the ingredients that go into the making of these cupcakes that you'll want to bake them everyday!

Noodle Burrito | Noodle Frankie

Noodle Frankie is extremely popular in my college. A thin tortilla stuffed with red hot noodles and other spices and rolled like a Burrito makes it an absolute delight to munch on during breaks. Bit by the nostalgia bug, (I graduated in March) I decided to recreate the same roll at home. And I believe I almost succeeded. A bit of tailoring the recipe here and there would give me the perfect homemade Noodle Burrito I've been looking for. What you see here is the perfect Noodle Frankie recipe (I hope so!).

Chocolate Mousse Caramel Ganache Cake

Uh huh... For the recipe & step by step photographs, you will now have to visit http://www.foodomania.com! :D
Link to this recipe - http://foodomania.com/chocolate-mousse-cake/

How to make Chocolate Shards - step by step

For the recipe + step by step pictures, please visit http://www.foodomania.comLink to this recipe - http://foodomania.com/chocolate-shards-step-step-pictorial/

Mango Ice Cream

There are so many different ways of making ice cream. With eggs, without eggs, with cream or with milk and so on. In my experience, the few ice creams I've made (without the ice cream maker) crystallized sooner or later. This time though, I was determined to find a solution to those irritating ice crystals. And I may have found it! :-D I do wish I had tried the Chocolate Ice Cream though. I'm not a big fan of fruity ice creams. However, that couldn't stop me from devouring a cup or two. ;-)

Stuffed Bread Loaf

Visit www.foodomania.com for the recipe & step by step pictures.
Link to this recipe - http://foodomania.com/stuffed-bread-loaf/

Butterscotch Pudding

To show you how obsessed I was with writing recipes, here's a glimpse of what I usually did in the pretense of studying ... I managed to clear all exams so I don't think Ma should have a problem seeing this! :-D

I'm a Notable Newbie!

Just a short post to let y'all know that a few weeks ago, BlogAdda thought I deserved the Notable Newbie Award! :-D And I was featured on their homepage for a whole week. I love the badge they've given me. You see, I'm a new blogger. And I'm 'notable'. :-) Aye sir! I'm the Notable Newbie! :P

Unfortunately, I wasn't online at the time to fully "feel awesome". But my dear friend took a screenshot of the page. Check out the right side corner. That's me!!!!

You can also check their list of Notable Newbies here and scroll down to find me. :D

Have a good day, folks! :) I'll be back soon! :D

Essential Equipments for Baking

I keep getting a lot of questions from beginner bakers regarding cups, spoons, pans, how to get started, substitutes etc. I  thought, why not write a post on the knowledge I've gathered in these past few months? :D

Today, I'm going to be talking about equipments that are absolutely necessary for every baker. This is the perfect shopping list.Of course, you can go ahead and buy fancier equipments if you have the money and space to store them. :)

Baking in Microwave Convection Oven

OTG vs Microwave Convection is a topic that has been widely discussed. I have used both. And even though it took me a few burnt cakes to get the settings right, I like my convection microwave oven more. I think it can be a very efficient choice for your kitchen. Most of us have tiny kitchens. In such cases, having a separate oven for baking and a separate one for microwaving makes no sense. Convection ovens are handy and make almost anything albeit they are more expensive than regular microwaves. (Click here to read about different types of ovens)

A convection microwave is a combination of a standard microwave oven and a convection oven. It allows food cooked in the convection microwave to be cooked quickly, yet come out browned or crisped as in a convection oven. For example, a convection microwave oven can be preheated to bake cakes, which is not possible with standard microwave ovens.

I have an Onida Black Beauty Convection Oven. But I'm sure the principles of baking are the same in all convection microwave ovens. Any questions, just leave a comment. I shall try to answer as correctly as possible! [Disclaimer: I'm not claiming to be an expert!] ;-)

I've tried to demystify some of the questions and doubts involved with baking in a convection microwave oven. There are of course so many other functions your could try, but in this post, I'm sticking to Baking. (I'll probably do another one on other functions like defrosting, cooking, grilling etc)

Thengai Poli | Cooking With Kin #17#

I didn't want my blog to go into a funk just because some exams were in the way. But I had to prioritize and so, cooking + blogging took a backseat. Out of an adversity, Cooking With Kin was born! :-) I have another blogger here with us today to share her recipe as a part of my CWK Series. Seriously, what would I do without these people?! :-D They are responsible for keeping my blog alive all these days. Ok, before I start getting all mushy with gratitude, I'll introduce our guest of honor - Jeyashri from Jeyashri's Kitchen! You will find so many authentic Indian recipes on her blog. And the variety of recipes is simply outstanding! What are you waiting for? Go check out Jeyashri's Kitchen. Wait. Go after seeing this post fully! ;-) Over to Jeyashri -
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Strawberry Cake | Kitchen Blooper No. 1

I don't even know why I'm sharing this recipe. It was my first failed cake. But once in a while, its okay to show off your flopped attempts too. :-) I did figure out why the cake tanked. So this is not a completely useless post either. :-)

Types of Baking Pans

There are many different types of bake-ware available for baking a variety of baked goods. Some types are essential in producing the desired end product and some bake-ware can be used for several purposes. Bake-ware can be found made of many types of material, such as tinned steel, stainless steel, glass, silicone and stone. The type of material the pan is made from can have an effect on the cooking times or temperatures, requiring that they be adjusted.

Below is a list of different types of baking pans available. It is not an exhaustive list, so if I have left out anything, please let me know.

Self Rising Flour

It is flour that has a leavening agent – baking powder – and salt added to it during packaging. Since the ingredients are evenly distributed throughout the flour, you will get the same nice lift to your baked goods every time you use it.. Here's how to make self-rising flour if you don't have any on hand

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoons baking powder

Preparation:
Combine all ingredients; store in tightly covered can or jar.
Use in any recipe calling for self-rising flour.

Tip: It is a good idea to sift the mixture 2-3 times before storing.

Chinese Fried Rice | Cooking With Kin #16#

I'm a sucker for good looking food photographs. (well, who isn't?) No matter how good your food tastes, your success as a food blogger lies in food styling, photographing & presentation. Nisha, from Spusht is one such blogger I follow religiously. Some of her recipes like the Gobi Manchurian, Almond Pudding Cake, Manchow Soup just give you the best use of time spent on just-another-food blog. The photographs are so beautiful that you wont even care about the recipe! You'll just want to ape her creation. I'll stop yakking now. Here's Nisha with her Chinese Fried Rice.
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Instant Raw Mango Pickle | Cooking With Kin #15#

I'm here with another guest post for my CWK Series. And this time, Anjali from Spice n Sugar Tales has graced us with her delectable Raw Mango Pickle! I got acquainted with Anjali 2 months ago, when she won the Jingle All the Way event hosted on my blog. Mails were sent back and forth and before I knew it, we became good friends! :-) She agreed to do the guest post and sent me this recipe long back. Enjoy!

Chickpea Sundal | Garbanzo Bean Salad

This is one of my mum's classic recipes; and my most favorite sundal too. Sundal is basically lentils/legumes cooked with seasoning. They are commonly prepared during festivals to give away to guests. This is also a very high protein snack and can easily leave you full with just 1 cup.

Shaam Savera (Spinach Balls in a tomato sauce) | Cooking With Kin #14#

In terms of blogging, she's younger than me! ;-) But what amazes me is that she's already managed to post so many delicacies; supporting them with good looking photographs! It took me 2 months of blogging and a friend's advice to realize that food pics have to be neatly designed too! But this blogger's clean photographs and precise recipe instructions make her blog really beautiful! Here's introducing Rasi, from Vegetarian Food and Me.
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