Grand Snacks Pickles & Thokku

by Mahalakshmi (Mahi)

The Grand Snacks and Sweets is a very famous sweets and savory shop in Chennai. They specialize in South-Indian Sweet and Snack items. It is based in Adyar, Chennai and now, they have few franchises too!

The food prepared there is very fresh and hygienic and they taste yummy!  People used to buy this when they travel abroad as it is very convenient to mix with rice and eat. It gives a comfort feeling of having a home cooked meal. I bought it too, when I traveled here :)  I was so excited to find it in grocery stores in USA. 

Wholesome Pasta Salad & Sour Cream (Video Recipe)

by Neetu

I developed a liking for salads long back, so I use to try out different salad recipes and various combinations on dressings. I recently bought this ready made thousand island dressing during a trip to supermarket, but I didn’t want to use this as it for my salad, so thought of combining it with sour cream and it worked really well. Checkout the video to make fresh “SOUR CREAM” at home. Uummmmm well, I am thinking to make Thousand Island Dressing also at home next time. Do subscribe if you want to be updated about my coming posts. : )

Coconut Chutney

When I visited Chennai for the first time I found it so very surprising that ppl ate coconut chutney with almost everything , even with samosas, pakorars and stuff like that but later on even I developed a taste for that… yeah I don’t eat it with samosas but I do with paranthas.. :) n yes it tastes really gud… Its very simple and easy to make and there are so many versions of this as well…. so lets have a look at mine…

INGREDIENTS:-

Freshly Grated Coconut: 1 Cup (Remove brown skin) Roasted Peanuts: 2 Tbsp Curd: 1 Tbsp Curry Leaves: 8-10 Green Chillies: 1-2 Ginger: 1/2’’ Salt: to taste

For Tempering (Tadka) Oil: 2 Tbsp Mustard Seeds: 1/2 Tsp Red Chilli: 1 Piece Curry Leaves: few

METHOD:-

• Grind all the ingredients (except mentioned under tempering) to a paste adding water as required.

• Transfer the paste to a bowl.

• In a tempering pan heat oil then add mustard seeds when it crackles add curry leaves and red chilly, stir for 30 sec.
• Pour the tempering over chutney and serve with anything that you like.. :)

Sandwich Spread Salad

 The Star of my today’s post is Fun Food’s Sandwich Spread (veg.), it has a very creamy mayonnaise like texture but tastes very diff.. has a sweet tangy taste with tiny bits of veggies that makes it so yummy… I use it in my lots of preparations like sandwiches off course and pastas, salads, dips with any snack etc etc… Here I have made a very easy n yummy salad using this…. and you can se the picture of dip at the e…

This quantity will serve 2-3 ppl…..

INGREDIENTS:-

Blanched Veggies: 1 Cup Sweet Corn: 1/4 Cup Boiled Pasta: 1/2 Cup Pizza Seasoning: 1 Tsp

Mayonnaise: 2 Tbsp Sandwich Spread: 3 Tbsp Salsa: 1 Tbsp

METHOD:-

• Mix together in a bowl blanched Veggies of your choice in salted water,( I took Yellow & Red Peppers, Zucchini & green peas) defrosted sweet corn & boiled pasta.

• Let it cool down then add pizza seasoning, mayonnaise & s/w spread & mix well, check seasoning & adjust if required.

• Cool it fridge for some time and serve with salsa on top as in the display pic.
• Below I have attached the picture of the sandwich spread.

Disclaimer:- I am in no way officially promoting the product of the company, this is my personal liking and have paid money to buy the product for my own use.

Pickled Jalapeño

First time I ate these Jalapenos at Dominos in their  Veg. Extravaganza Pizza, didn’t like it much that time but later on developed a taste for it. I thought this will also be really expensive like all other exotic ingredients but its really not… Its super easy to make ‘em at home and can be stored in sterilized bottles for few months like we store our Indian pickles… I made it with less quantity to start with but off course one and increase and decrease the quantity as they prefer…. 

INGREDIENTS:-

Bhavnagri Mirchi: 4 Big Piece Vinegar: 1/2 Cup

Water: 1/4 Cup Salt: To taste

METHOD:-

• Cut Chillies (Mirchi) into thick slices.
• Take add vinegar, water, salt and sliced chillies into it.

• Boil It for 5-7 mins and store it in a sterilized bottle once cool.

 

• Keep it in fridge for two days to get mature.
• Pickle is now ready to use….

Corn & Peas Pasta Salad

It happens to a super hit recipe in my family and most of the time I cook it just to see that glint in Vikas’s eyes when he eats this salad. Yeah its a salad but can be served as a full dress meal for lunch or dinner and this quantity will serve 2-3 people..

I had used Penne pasta but one can choose which ever he/she likes even spaghetti can be used for this dish.

 INGREDIENTS:-

Penne Pasta: 1 Cup Tomato: 5-6 Medium Mayonnaise: 3-4 Tbsp Capsicum: 1 Medium Oil: 2 Tbsp Garlic: 3 Cloves Onion: 1 Medium Salt: To Taste

Red Chilly Pwdr: To Taste Tomato Ketchup: 1 Tbsp Pizza Seasoning: 1 Tbsp Sugar: 1 Tbsp Olives: 3 Piece Frozen Sweet Corn: 1/3 Cup Frozen Peas: 1/3 Cup Water: 1/2 Cup + to boil

METHOD:-

• Boil Pasta in salted water till al-dante.
• Roast capsicum on gas till black marks appear on its skin and chop.
• Mix mayonnaise, capsicum, pasta and keep aside.
• Make slit on tomatoes skin and put it in boiling water for mins. then remove the skin.(I used 2 country tomatoes as they are more sour then the normal ones if you are using the normal ones  then add li’l vinegar to the sauce).
• Put tomatoes in a blender and make puree.
• Heat oil in a pan add chopped garlic sauté a bit and add onion cook for 3-4 mins.
• Add tomato puree, water, salt and red chilly powder and cook till sauce like consistency.
• Add tomato ketchup, pizza seasoning, sugar then check seasoning and adjust if required.

• Add peas, corn & olives to the sauce and cook till peas are soft. ( I used frozen peas if you are using fresh ones the add it before so that the are cooked properly).
• Add this sauce to pasta and keep in fridge once it reaches room temperature.
• Serve it cold.

Sending this for Legume Love Affair – 42

Lehsun & Kachri Chutney(Garlic & Cucumins Pubescens Chutney)

I am very fond of eating this chutney with pooris (made a day before and grilled of tawa) and a cup of hot tea OMG there’s no better breakfast for me in winters… but if not puri it tastes so very good with stuffed hot  parathas… trust me you’ll love it….

Its made with the fresh ones during the season but for the rest of the year it is dried and stored.. I got it from my grandma but one can get it from the market as well… :)

INGREDIENTS:-

Garlic: 10-12 Cloves Kachri (Cucumins Pubescens): 3/4 Cup Salt: to taste Reed Chilly Pwdr: to taste

Water: to grind Oil: 2-3 Tbsp Cumin Seeds: 1/2 Tsp Asafoetida: a pinch

METHOD:

• Peel garlic cloves.

• Grind coarsely garlic & kachri in a mixer with little water.
• Heat oil in a pan add cumin seeds, asafoetida  & when it crackles add the chutney.
• Add salt and chilly powder to taste but as its chutney that to from Rajasthan make it a li’l spicy.

• Serve it with hot parantas, puris chapati, bread…… the way you like… :)

COLE SLAW

Not just that it could be made very easily but can be eaten in various forms starting from the plain cole slaw sandwich to burgers, hotdogs, club sandwich and  accompaniment to various snacks, Veg. Sandwiches and pizzas….etc

INGREDIENTS:

Cabbage : 1/2 Piece (Medium) Carrot: 1 Piece Capsicum: 1/2 Piece Mayonnaise: 4-5 Tbsp

Mustard Paste: 1 tsp Salt: 1/2 tsp Pepper Pwdr: if required Water: 1 Cup

Method:

1. Shred cabbage thinly with knife or chips slicer, Grate cabbage and chop capsicum into small pieces.

2.  Heat water in a pan  add salt and the above veggies, boil it for 2 minutes then switch off the gas and keep it in hot water for 10 mins to make it little soft.

3. Drain the veggies and squeeze it very tightly in a muslin cloth to drain out as much water as possible and let it cool.

4. In a mixing bowl mix mayonnaise and mustard paste in the veggies, check seasoning if required add salt and pepper.

5 Serve cold.

*Tbsp = Table Spoon, Pwdr = Powder, Tsp = Tea Spoon