SPICY MUSHROOM CURRY

I am happy to be back with some interesting posts after a long gap.I have been following many blogs

all these months and almost  trying a new recipe daily.I need to tell, it was such a pleasure trying different cuisine and all the tried recipes came out very well. Thanks to all the bloggers.

Today i feel like sharing a recipe which goes very well as a side dish for roti and also any type of rice item.
Mushroom is liked by all, specially the children.
Since it was a sunday and a time for the family to have lunch together,myself and my daughter
decided to make different types of side dishes for pulkas.It was nice when we shared the cooking work too.
We made three different combination dishes.The first one a dal item, next combination of vegetables with a healthy version and unique blend of vegetables,the last one a spicy mushroom curry which I made for the first time.I am going to share the recipe with you all.
I followed the recipe which i viewed in a urdu channel and it was very tempting.
For the Dal recipe i followed spicy cabbage dal posted by Indian cuisine and for the korma i followed padhu's kitchen with the variation in the vegetables.We ommited potato,carrot, peas and cauliflower instead used zucchini,broccoli,moong sprouts and brussel sprouts.As a result we got a green colour kurma.
In  the end the three dishes were in yellow, green and red colour.

The recipe for the mushroom is here.

INGREDIENTS

Button Mushroom	200gms
Onion	2 nos
Tomatoes	4 nos
Tomato puree    or Tomato ketchup	2 Tbls 1 Tbls
Capsicum  or Peas	1 no 1/2 cup
Ginger	1 1/2 tsp  (chopped)
Garlic	1 1/2 tsp (chopped)
Green chillies	2 slit
Curd	1 tbls
Haldi	1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder	1 tsp
Coriander powder	1 tsp
Cumin powder	1 tsp
Kasuri methi	1 tsp
Garam masala powder	1 tsp
Cream	3 tsp
Cilantro	for garnish
Oil	1 tbls + 1 tsp
Salt	to taste

METHOD
In one teaspoon of oil slightly roast pieces of ginger,garlic, slit green chillies, tomatoes
and cut onion. Make puree in a blender and keep aside.

In one tablespoon of oil stir fry sliced mushroom,capsicum.If you are using peas,blanch the peas
and  then stir fry.

In another pan cook the pureed mix kept ready adding dry masalas.Add tomato puree/ketchup
and cook for 10 minutes.

When done add curd and cook on low flame for one mintue.

Add the stir fried vegetables to this and mix well and adjust consistency by adding water if needed.

Finally add,  fresh cream, garam masala powder, crushed kasuri methi and coriander leaves.

Serve hot with pulkas or jeera rice.

DEEPAVALI/DIWALI -LAKSHMI PUJA-2010

Happy deepavali to all my relatives and blogger friends.I am sure preparations for the Festival of Lights is going on in full swing.This year the Narakachaturdasi and Amavasya are on the same day-5th November.Danteras is also popular here in Hyderabad and considered auspicious and beleived to bring prosperity if Gold,silver,or any item is bought on this day.Thriyodasi starts from 5.21pm onwards on 3rd November, and stays upto 3 pm of 4th NovemberPurchase can be made during this time.Then chaturdasi prevails and stays upto 1.30pm of 5th November.Since we celebrate Narakachaturdasi by taking early bath, it is deepavali for us on 5th November.Amavasya starts from 1.30pm of 5th November.As it is auspicious to perform Lakshmi Puja in the evening and on amvasya day,this year it happens to be a Friday too and the Puja is to be performed on 5th Evening.The Muhurth for performing the puja are given in this google search ..hindupad.com/diwali-deepavali/time-to-perform-lakshmi-puja-2009/. in elaborate way.The puja when performed during Pradosh Kaal is good.This time is arrived by calculating the sunset time in each area.The pradosh kaal is 2hours 20 minutes from the sunset time.
Hence around 6.03 pm to 8.22pm during pradosh kaal, lakshmi puja can be performed.
Thanks to all the TV channels for telecasting live shows for preparation of sweets and karas for the festival.
Thanks to all the bloggers who share their savory and sweet preparation posts.When following the same the recipe is bound to come out successfully as they are prepared with experience and shared by them.
I posted Diwali Lehyam in my last year's post(29.9.2009) which can be followed.Wish you all happy cooking.Enjoy the festival.

VIJAYA DASAMI

I am sure all had nice time enjoying the nine day festival.Thanks to the media which extensively covered all aspects of Navrathiri including Bomma Golu and created a festive mood and ambience at our homes.We have less of Golu here  in Hyderabad ,when compared to Tamil Nadu.But there was wide media coverage of BATUKKAMMA this season.Yesterday marked the end and there was live telecast in all the telugu channels here with the Telengana movement in air.
I feel sad that the season of navarathiri is coming to end .The nine days were lively by meeting relatives and friends and we were in a seperate spiritual world.There was over all discipline and a big NO to laziness.Thanks to elders who taught us the sanctity of this nine day festival.
We have seen how Navarathiri Nayagi is worshiped all the nine days, in three amsam,and nine vadivangal,as three sakthis.Each day marked the purpose of destroying the evil.Finally on tenth day Annai takes the SIVASAKTHI vadivam symbolisng the sakthi as MAHASAKTHI and the purpose is to mark the VICTORYover the evil on this day.She is with STOOLAM on this day.
By  praying the NAVAGRAHAS on all the nine days,we worship  Annai who is also called by the name SARVA GRAHA ROOPINI, (the planets have her roopam) . By worshiping Devi from Sukla Paksha
Pradamai  thithi to Poornima  with faith as guided by elders,there is bound to be good result.
The neivedyam to be offered on Dasami day is RASSAANAM.
It is beleived that by offering rasannam along with sutta applam, sukhu thanni, vennai and thuvail we will be pleasing Devi after the varieties of offering given on all the nine days.
On the night of Dasami, Aarathi (marking the end of worship) is done. This is known as  Muthaarathi .We call it Manjaneer in which muthu, pavazam is also added.
In Hyderabad, A.P. there is custom followed, wherein people see the bird KADAI, and go out in the evening to fetch the branch of maize tree and they also get branch of JEMMI tree.The Jemmi leaf is beleived as Gold.
After the festival, people greet each other by exchanging the leaves. It is also beleived auspicious to chant LakshmiAshtotharam and do archana with the Jemmi leaves for prosperity.

NAVARATHIRI NAYAGIGAL-SARASWATHI VADIVAM-THIRD THREE DAYS

https://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=0AlPi-SCjGqUXdE10TklJWHZBY19pVUExREJ0bUZaekE&hl=en&single=true&gid=0&output=html

NAVARATHIRI NAYAGI-SARASWATHI VADIVAM-THIRD THREE DAYS

The final set of three days is spent in worshipping the Goddess of Wisdom,Saraswathi.In order to have all-round sucess in life, believes seek the blessings of all three aspects of the devine femininity, hence the nine nightsof worship

NAVARATHIRI-2010 THIRD THREE DAYS CHART

https://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=0AlPi-SCjGqUXdDU1Uzc4dWxpM2dTOGdOcXRXclptNUE&hl=en&single=true&gid=0&output=html

NAVARATHIRI-VARIOUS WAYS TO WORSHIP DEVI

Navarathiri is celebrated in South India specially in Tamil Nadu with GOLU as the main feature.It is celebrated in different ways through out the country.In Andhra pradesh in Telengana Region BATAKAMMA is popular.Be it in any form,DEVI is worshiped on these nine days uniformly.Batakkamma is about arranging colourful flowers on a plate in a small gopuram type and the ladies assemble in one place and keep all the plates in the centre and go round singing special songs and perform like GUMMI.They start this on Mahalaya Ammavasya and do till Dasserra.Finally they drop this in a lake.DANDIYA is famous for Gujarathis.All these celebrations show embodiment of Feminity.The festive mood can be apparently felt looking at the ladies and girl children in their best attire and jewels on all nine days.Even the dieties in temples are worshiped with special pujais and the alankarams for Godess keep changing each day.Godess Saraswathi is known as Kalaivani.She is Godess of Art.To mark this the singing and dancing are undertaken during these ninedays.And on the NAVAMI day which is also known as Saraswathi puja day SUHASINIS are adorned.The practice of giving Tambolam has been in all auspicious occasions for Hindus where a Suhas or Sumangali is given importance.This shows the women pray for the wellbeing of their husbands.Receiving tambolam and giving tambolam is given priority on these days.Ayudha Pujai is also done on Ashtami Day which signifies Pandvas doing it on that day and the Dasami day marks the victory by them hence it is called vijaya dasami.Navarathiri calls for adoring and praying KANYAS.Durga pujai so to tell performed on all nine days signifies Kanya pujai.The girl child from the age of 2 years are given priority and given prasadam and useful gift each day.Starting from day one a 2 year old child ,on 2nd day 3year old and so on.The North Indians perform Kanya puja on Ashtami day by inviting 8 Kanyas and some on Navami day inviting 9 Kanyas.Mahalaya Amavasya is considered auspicious for us hence the Golu is arranged on that day with the Kalasam being kept first.Even for the Devi puja (ifdone in puja place seperately) kalasam is arranged.Afterlighting a lamp fruit can be offered.Navarathiri puja starts from next morning(8th October this year).Coming to the daily pujai,Panagam is offered to Goddess daily.The combination of all the prasadams offered as per kizamai, nakshtram and for dieties keep changing each year.Also when some sweet item is offered as per kizamai neiyedyam, payasam can be skiped.Eight and ninth day kizamai prasadams will be repeated.It is all upto one to decide and offer.Like wise preparing sundal daily has been the practice and same is distributed to the invitees.Sundal like one prepared with Mochai is not possible, so some other sundal can be prepared.This year since it starts on Friday and Mochai is the Danyam for sukran this can be prepared in small quantity and offered or can be used in our other preparation like koottu.Likewise for Rahu ulundhu and for ketu kollu can be offered in other forms becos sundal cannot be prepared in required quantity.