Carrot Kheer - Celebrating 100th post

Today I am very happy to draft my 100th post in Krithi's Kitchen. I am super-excited and would like to thank all my readers and fellow bloggers for the support. I also want to thank my DH (my constructive critic), family and friends for giving inputs and feedbacks on my journey so far. As in any tradition, a celebration calls for something sweet. I made Carrot kheer to celebrate!
I tasted this kheer after a long time at our friend Anu's house during Boston trip. She was more than happy to share the recipe.

Ingredients:

Carrot - 4 medium sized - approx chopped 1 cup
Milk (fat free or reduced fat) - 4 cups
Sugar - 1/2 cup or to taste
Water - 1/4 cup

Method:
Pressure cook the chopped carrots with water and just a pinch of salt for 3 whistles. If cooking on stove top, cover and cook until the carrots are very soft. Allow it to cool and puree the cooked carrots in a blender. Boil the milk and allow to cool to room temperature. Mix the pureed carrots, milk and sugar. Pop it in the fridge until time of serve. Garnish with finely grated carrots and Serve it Chilled.
Tip: You may cook and add almonds or pistachios if desired. Make sure you cut the carrots and not grate it. Grated carrots may not puree well (grandma's tip). You can add a tad bit of salt while cooking carrots. This brings out the sweetness well.

This is my first entry to our event Serve It - Chilled happening at Denny's Oh Taste N See for this month.

Also sending to the following events, Kid's Delight - Summer Cooler event by PJ and Srivalli, Only - Coolers and Mocktails event by Pari and Nayna, Summer Coolers event by Sukanya, Show me your Summer Cooler event by Divya.

Yardlong beans curry / Paithangai kari

I do not remember eating long beans at my home when I was a kid. I am not sure if it was not made or if it was I who didn't eat. I was a picky eater (back then). But I do remember eating from our friend Denny's lunch box in college whenever she brings this curry. Her mom is a great cook and whenever she prepares this curry and Sundal kulambu, Denny would have to swap her lunch with ours. We all used to finish hers in a wink. Those are good old memories. As soon as I saw the recipe for the long beans at her blog, I bought some on my grocery shopping and immediately tried it. I have tried this curry for a couple of times now and loved it every time. It is a perfect and tasty combo for rice as well as roti.

Ingredients:
Yard long beans / Payathangai - 1/2 kg - 1 lb - cut into 1/2" pieces
Onions - chopped - 1 cup
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves -  a few
Oil - 2 tsp
Salt - to taste
Make a paste:
Grated coconut - fresh/frozen - 2 tbsp
Tomato - 1 - cubed
Garlic - 2 cloves
Fennel seeds - 1 tsp
Red Chilli powder - 3/4 tsp (I reduced this by 1/4 tsp, since I used lesser coconut)
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Method:
Grind the ingredients under 'Make a Paste' to a smooth paste adding little or no water. Heat oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds and curry leaves. Add the onions and saute until translucent. Now add the beans and fry until it is soft and cooked, about 7-10 mins. Add salt, ground paste and 1/2 cup of water. Cover and cook for 5 mins. Remove the lid and cook uncovered for another 5 mins until the raw smell disappears and the desired thickness is achieved. 
Tip: I usually cut and freeze vegetables which has shorter life. In this case, I washed the beans in running water and left it to air dry for 30 mins. I then chopped it into 1/2" pieces and placed it in a ziploc bag and stored in the freezer. Green beans, bottle gourd, winter melon and few other vegetables can also be stored in this way in a ziploc bag or freezer safe box.

I am sending this healthy curry to Bookmarked recipes - Every Tuesday event by Aipi and Priya.

Broccoli and Cheese Soup | Soup Recipes

I have tasted Broccoli and cheese soup only twice so far. The first time I tasted it with much reluctance doubting it to be too cheesy. But it was very tasty and not too cheesy. Since I love broccoli, I enjoyed the tiny pieces of it in the soup. Now I had wanted to recreate the soup very much and was successful in my first attempt. It was a simple process with few easy ingredients and would be ready in under 20 minutes in a microwave. Paired with some bread it makes a wholesome meal in itself. One of the main ingredient, cheese (reduced fat) when used in moderation is an excellent source of protein and calcium. Also broccoli is rich in calcium and milk is rich in Vitamin D which helps in better calcium absorption by the body.

 Ingredients:
I used standard measurements
Serves - 2
Broccoli Florets - 1 cup
Milk - 3 cups
Grated Sharp Cheddar cheese - little less than 1 cup
Olive oil - 2 tbsp (can use butter instead)
All-purpose flour - 2 tbsp
Onion - chopped fine - 2 tbsp
Garlic - 1 clove - finely minced
Salt - 1/4 tsp or to taste
Fresh ground pepper - 1/4 tsp or to taste

Method:

My microwave(MW) is of a 900w power.
Cut the broccoli florets into bite sized pieces and add 1/4 cup of water and cook in a medium MW proof bowl for about 4 mins stirring once in between. When done mash with a fork or a hand blender. I just pulsed in the blender for a couple of seconds. Take another big MW proof bowl and add the olive oil and heat for 30 secs. Add the onion, garlic, salt and pepper. Mix well and cook for 2 to 3 mins stirring once every one minute. The onions would turn soft and translucent by now. Now add the flour and mix well. Pour the milk and stir well so that there are no lumps. Cook for 4 mins stirring once every minute. Now add the cheese, mix well and cook for 3 mins. When done add the mashed broccoli and mix well. Heat further for a minute. Serve hot with bread.

Sending this to MEC-Calcium rich food event by Srivalli and Lakshmi and to Hearth & Soup Blog Hop #49.

Sending this to Srivalli's Soups and Salads Mela

Announcing "Serve It" Series - Serve It Chilled

I and Denny of Oh Taste N See are college friends and have shared the common interest of food blogging. Denny was one of the motivators for me to start a food blog. I was always inspired by her comprehensive knowledge of world-cuisine. If you have not checked out her site, do check out Oh Taste N See now and guess what she has blogged about 300+ recipes. We had an idea of starting an event for a while now. Well, things got little delayed but we have successfully initiated our new event, given that she is celebrating her first anniversary of food blogging this month.

We are delighted to announce the "Serve It" series, which is going to be a theme-based event for every month. This month the theme is "Serve It - Chilled" and is happening at her space. Do check out the event guidelines at her event announcement page. We hope to receive grand support from you all with your super-cool chilled entries.

Dum Aloo / Potatoes in Yogurt based gravy | Indian Curry Recipes

I believe quite a few many of us have a list of dishes to try which we have either bookmarked in browser or our mind. We would totally forget about it until we see it again in some other place like another blog or magazines. My bookmarked list is growing and I would want to try everything soon. Dum Aloo was one such dish which is in my "To Do" list. My "To Do" list is something in addition to the bookmarked list :). The other day i saw this beautiful baby potatoes in the market and can't resist but pick them up, since I was planning to make Dum Aloo for a long time now. Dum Aloo literally means Steam cooked  Potato where in the potatoes are cooked with the gravy in a covered pan.

Ingredients:
Serves - 2-3
Baby potatoes - 6-7
Yogurt/Curd - 1/2 cup - smoothened
Milk - 1/2 cup
Onion - chopped finely - 1/2 cup
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 1/2 tsp
Cumin powder - 3/4 tsp
Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp
Oil
Salt- to taste

Method:

Boil 2 litres of water with salt. Prick the potatoes all over with fork and put them in the boiling water. Simmer for 15 mins and drain. I left the skin on, you may peel if you wish. Heat 2 tsp of oil in a non-stick pan and saute the potatoes until all sides turn brown. Drain in a paper towel and prick all over with fork again. This ensures the gravy to seep well through the potatoes. Heat 2 tbsp of oil and saute the chopped onions until soft and transparent. Add the ginger garlic paste and fry until the raw smell disappears. 
Now reduce the heat to medium and add the turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, garam masala powder one-by-one, followed by salt. Saute for 2 mins. Now add the milk and then the yogurt. Make sure you stir continuously while adding milk and yogurt. This would prevent the yogurt and milk from curdling from the acidity of the spices. Add the potatoes and give a gentle mix. Cover and cook for 15 mins or until the potatoes are soft but still holds the shape. Serve hot with rotis or flavored rice.

Sending this the Hearth & Soul Blog Hop #48.