We Provice Recipes

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Rava Uppuma Kichadi

Almost all households in South India (I am not sure about the other parts) would have resorted to this item though they like it or not and whether they are good in preparing it or not.This is mainly because of the less cooking time that it takes and can easily become a complete meal. We have seen in many functions if they run out of food due to excess crowd the cooks will make this uppuma and serve fast.Rava is not easily digestible and so cant become a regular tiffin.Many I come to know find it difficult to make it perfect.I too was not able to reach the best combination of oil,water etc for many years. This is a food item best suited for bachelors. Youngsters will not have digestion problem and they can resort to it as an instant food.Many people I know love this uppuma .In some places they call this rava Bombay Rava.

I am crazy about this uppuma and will ask for it in all hotels. My children are not big fans of this and I rarely prepare this at home .This is a very tasty recipe and if followed exactly will give a nice uppuma.This uppuma can be made without vegetables also.If you add vegetables you can make the item more healthy. Those who are having frozen mixed vegetables can easily add a handful.The main thing to be kept in mind while making any uppuma is that you should not be very cautious about the quantity of oil used. If you are so then the uppuma will turn very bad like kali.

Ingredients

Roasted Rava -1 cup (Now all the brands of Rava we get are roasted)

Onion -1

Green chili-4

Curry leaf-little

chopped ginger- 1 teaspoon

Coriander leaf -little

Cooking oil -4 table spoons (If mixed with ghee will be very tasty)

Vegetables

cut beans-3 table spoons

carrot sliced- 3 to 4 table spoons

peas -little

(If fresh vegetables are used microwave it for 4 minutes or cook separately for 10 minutes.)

To Season

Mustard seed-1 teaspoon

Broken urudh dhal-1 teaspoon

Kadalai Paruppu- 2 teaspoons

Broken cashews -1 table spoon (optional)

curry leaf-little

Procedure

Place a reasonably big kadai in the stove.Add 3 table spoons of cooking oil.If you like you can mix a tablespoon of ghee.Season the uppuma with the items given in to season.First add kadalai paruppu when its color changes add mustard seed then urudh dhal and then curry leaf.Now add the chopped onions and slit chilies. Add the cooked vegetables also if vegetables are used.1:3 is the ratio of water to rava. So add three cups of water and the salt needed now.Close the kadai so that the water boils fast.once the water boils add the rava equally in all sides of the kadai(In Tamil we call it thoovurathu).Sir nicely till it becomes semi solid.Now reduce the fire. Add 1 table spoon more of ghee or oil to the corners of the uppuma in the kadai and continuously stir from top to bottom even though it gets the correct consistency for 5 to 7 minutes in medium or slow fire.Rava needs this cooking time.If you switch off once it gets thick then the rava will be left uncooked.The uppuma will not catch to the bottom if oil is exact.After 8 minutes switch off the stove and add the coriander leaves if you have and serve.

Monday, February 24, 2014

FFHs Halloween Dessert CONTEST!

Were holding our first ever contest! If youre having trouble reading the flyer above, here it is:

RULES: Create a Halloween themed dessert. Cakes, cupcakes, muffins, candy,
whatever. The more gorey, the better. It does not have to be hunting related.
To qualify (1) you must “Like” our Facebok page, (2) submit a photo of your dessert,
(3) submit a photo of you with your dessert, (4) submit your name and brief description
of your dessert. Please submit all materials to to foodforhunters@gmail.com
Contest ends on October 30, 2012 at 11:59 PM.

PRIZE: One (1) winner will be annouced on Halloween. The winner will recieve one Camp Chef 9 Piece Professional
Knife Set (Retail value: $52.08).

We hope many of you enter! Good luck!

The Beurre Rouge – A red wine butter sauce born during that other French Revolution

Well, it happened again! I get an email asking for a red wine sauce. I reply please check the site, I’ve already posted one. They reply, oh no you didn’t. I check site and realize…oops, I never posted this clip. Excusez-moi. As usual, the standard “this is an old clip” disclaimer applies.

We all learned about the French Revolution in school. You remember, “let them eat cake,” and all that stuff. Anyway, there was another French Revolution that started in the 70’s and it had to do with French Cuisine. It was called “Nouvelle” cuisine which is simply French for "new cuisine." This style was a reaction to the classic “Haute” cuisine (meaning "high cooking"). It focused on lighter and more delicate dishes, without heavy flour-based sauces. One of the darlings of this new style was a simple butter sauce called a “beurre blanc” which was a reduction of white wine and vinegar, finished with whole butter. These lighter sauces became all the rage.

The version I’m showing today is the red wine version of the classic beurre blanc. I usually force you to get the procedure by watching the clip (multiple times, I suspect), but just this one time I’ll give you a brief procedure below, so the sauce doesn’t “break” or separate.

Ingredients:
A couple of nice steaks
1 minced shallot
1/2 stick butter (2oz)1/4 cup wine vinegar
1/2 cup red wine
salt and pepper to taste

1. Remove steaks from pan and turn off heat.
2. Add shallots with 2 tsp of the butter.
3. On low heat, sauté shallots until lightly browned.
4. Deglaze with vinegar, cook until almost evaporated.
5. Add wine and cook on med-high heat until reduced by half.
6. Turn off heat and whisk in butter, adjust for salt and pepper.

Curried Mushrooms and Potatoes

This recipe is not as complicated as you might think, have a go and you will be pleasantly surprised, my hubby loves it!

For the Spice Mix
2 tsp coriander seeds
2 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
2 cloves

Add the seeds to a hot pan and dry roast them for a few minutes - keep shaking the pan every so often and dont leave the pan or the seeds will burn , you will know when they are ready as they will smell nutty and crackle a little - This only takes a few minutes! Put the seeds into your mortar and pestle and grind to a powder(it will be a little coarse). Personally I grind the 2 cloves first as they are harder to grind than the rest! Now you have your spice mix!

For the Garlic-Ginger Paste
2 Small Garlic Cloves
Heaped tsp Ground Ginger
Small Splash Olive Oil

Cut the garlic into a few chunks( it makes it easier to grind) and grind into a paste, stir in the ginger then add a tiny bit of olive oil to form a paste. There you have it.

For the Main Dish
1 heaped tsp Turmeric
3-5 Small Potatoes
Tomato Puree
5-6 Mushrooms
Half Tin Peas
3 Small Onions
2 Curry Leaves Dried
Coriander Leaves Dried
Water
Pinch of Chili
Salt

Fry the onions on high until going brown then turn down, crush the dried curry leaves and stir then add the garlic paste and cook for a few minutes making sure you stir the paste right into the onions. Add 2 heaped tsp of your spice mix with turmeric and a splash of olive oil - cook for a 2 minutes stirring it all together. Add the potatoes and pour in enough water that the potatoes sit like dumplings - do no t cover in water. Cook for 5 minutes or so then add your mushrooms and peas keep stirring it all together. Cook for 5 minutes or so then add a pinch of chili and a pinch of salt and coriander leaves, stir together then add a good squeeze of tomato puree and stir in to thicken. Cook until it thickens and the mushrooms look cooked. If you added a bit too much water cook for a little longer and it will thicken. Serve with pita bread and cucumber yogurt.

Sunday, February 23, 2014

Pickled Herring for Lunch

Im cheating a bit here, as there is no cooking involved in this plateful at all! However, it looked so pretty I had to take a picture and blog it! I have made pickled herrings before and they turned out really well, they are one of my favourite foods especially the sweet pickled ones like these. Avocados were half price in Tesco last night and just ripe and those little tomatoes are so sweet.

Cream Cheese Tuna Spread

Tuna brings together three kid pleasers: tuna, cream cheese and bagels. Its a simple sandwich spread for breakfast, snacks, or a quick bite. You eat this as a dip on just about anything, veggies, chips, crackers, etc. The flavor of tuna is very subtle in this thick and creamy spread. This delicious recipe came from my aunt.

Ingredients:

3 (5 oz) cans of tuna
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese (room temp)
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 small sweet onion
1 tbsp dill
2 tbsp chives or green onion
Salt, pepper to taste