Top Chef on AXN

Top Chef is a one-hour reality competition series. It’s telecasted from Monday to Thursday at 10pm. More Chefs will be participating in the beginning. But, at the end of the episode, the weakest Chef is asked to leave the show by packing his/her knifes…

All the Chefs who are participating in this show are much talented. But, performing under such pressure is more important.

First, they will have a quick fire round, in which the host tell their challenges. They will have the ingredients in front. From that, they have to prepare the style of dish mentioned by the host within that time.

If it’s a high stake quick fire round, the winner will receive nice amount of cash or will have immunity in the elimination challenge.

Next is the Elimination Challenge. It will be like choosing the dish by drawing knifes. The style of dish will be carved in that knife. Or they will have team challenges by working as two or four members together. In this partiality, fighting’s due to egos arise…

Their creativity, execution of the dish was so wonderful… The judges will taste their dishes and give their comments. Based on this, one or two Chefs will be eliminated. There are no excuses while eliminating. They will consider only the performances delivered on that day…

About seven seasons went. I just watched from 6^th season. It’s such a nice programme.

By watching this, I can realise the worth of Chefs…

Next is Top Chef: Just Desserts, hosted by Gail Simmons features pastry chefs competing against one another in a series of challenges.

Now telecasting is Top Chef Masters. This will pit 24 world-renowned chefs against each other, four in each of episode, to win $100,000 for the charity of their choice.

Macaroni Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 glass of Macaroni
• Chilli powder
• Salt
• 1 Onion
• 1 Tomato
• Curry leaves
• Coriander leaves
• ¼ tsp of Turmeric powder, Bengal Gram, Black Gram and Fenugreek
• ¼ tsp of Mustard seeds
• 1 drop of Soya sauce
• ¼ tsp of Chilli sauce
• Oil

First place the vessel on stove and pour 4 tsp of oil. Add mustard seeds. After it pops, add Bengal gram, black gram, fenugreek and turmeric powder. Now immediately add the sliced onion and tomato to this. Sauté them well. Add the salt. Again sauté it well.

Now pour 1 ½ glass of water and add the chilli powder as you wish. Allow it to boil. Check the taste. Put the macaroni in this. Let it boil till the water drains. Sauté rarely, so that the macaroni won’t broke. Now add Soya and chilli sauce. Sauté them well, so that it mixes well. Add coriander leaves and switch off the stove.

 

Now Macaroni dish is ready… My son liked it. This is my great compliment…

Bengal Gram Chutney

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of Bengal gram (kadalai paruppu)
• 3 or 4 Green Chillies
• 2 tsp of Ghee
• 3 tsp of Oil
• 1 cup of Coconut
• Salt
• ¼ tsp of Mustard seeds

First fry the Bengal gram and green chillies in 2 tsp of oil until little brown. Then grind this fried dal and green chillies along with coconut finely by adding water. Add salt to this. Check the taste. You can add more salt and chillies as per your taste...

Now pour 1 tsp of oil in the pan and put the mustard seeds. Let it pop. Then add ghee to this. Now pour this in the finely grinded mix. It suits for idly and dosa..

                                

Your Bengal Gram chutney is ready now…

Stay Alert with Kids…

As I said earlier, raising kids is the most difficult job in this world. We can somehow manage all our outer works, but this is too tough. Iam experiencing a lot in this…

Just be careful with smaller parts of toys. Whatever the toy it is, my son will break it just like that. Also, he used to keep everything in his mouth. So, iam very much worried about this. I used to throw these smaller broken parts in bin. At least iam happy that, he won’t get these parts…

Though, iam alert, two days before I gave gems to him. He always used to eat this. But suddenly, he put the gems in to his ear on that day. Thank God, it didn’t go inside. I picked it slowly. I felt that my hands are little shaky due to his behaviour…

Each and every day, they will give new troubles. They won’t give us time to guess. All of a sudden, they will do it. For me, each day is a tough one…

I struggle with one child. I don’t know how teachers are managing them. I feel pity for them… They are doing great…

I Miss My Bro…

 

I have a young brother. His name is Srinivasan (seenu/srini). Now he is in London for his work. I miss him so much. We used to share many things. We won’t hide anything from each other. Now, we can’t able to talk properly because of my son. He used to shout a lot while we are speaking. That’s why…

While we are studying together in home, we used to talk a lot than studies. Sharing things like what happened in his class/my class. For this, we ask our mother to prepare tea for us. That’s really nice moment.

During diwali, after firing our crackers, we used to go to terrace and loved to watch fire works in the sky. It’s so beautiful. We don’t know how time is running…

Also, we fight a lot with each other. Though we have fighted, we will talk within a few minutes. That’s our speciality…

During childhood time, he used to wear my chain and anklets. In each and every photo, one of his trousers will be little raised than other. I used to make fun of him.

He used to advice me as he is elder. In many situations, he used to help me by giving a clear conclusion. Iam really lucky to have him as my bro…

During my marriage, I can realise the pain, he had by sending me to my hubby’s home…

On Raksha Bandhan day, I miss him so much. I can’t tie rocky on his hand...

Like this, many events have occurred in our life. Now, I just stated a few…

Thanks for tolerating this post…

Fish Fry Recipe

 Ingredients:

• 1 kg of Red Snapper (Sankara Meen)
• Chilli powder
• Salt
• Pepper
• Turmeric powder
• Colouring powder

First clean the fishes well with crystal salt and turmeric powder. This reduces the smell of fish. Now mix chilli powder, salt, pepper, colouring powder and a bit of turmeric powder as per your wish. Check the taste. 

 Then apply this mix on the fish and also the inside part. Now keep it in the refrigerator for atleast half an hour.

Now place the vessel on the stove and pour some oil. Allow it to heat. Keep it in the sim. Now fry the fishes by slowly turning it 3 or 4 times. It should be light brown. Fishes will cook soon as their skin is very thin.

 

Now Red Snapper fry is ready…

Poorna Kozhukkattai

Ingredients:

• 1 glass of Raw rice
• 500g of Groundnuts
• 1 hand full of Jaggery
• Salt
• 2 tsp of Oil

 

First soak the raw rice in water for 30 minutes. Then allow it to dry in clean cloth without any water. Rice should be little bit wet but without water. At this condition make it as flour by using mixer grinder. Filter this flour.

Allow it to boil for 20 minutes in the idly cooker.

 

In between, take the groundnuts and just fry it deep. After that, remove the skins of the groundnuts. Otherwise, buy the fried and skin removed groundnuts from the provisional store. It will reduce our work.

 

Now make these groundnuts in to powder and add the sliced jaggery. Mix it well. Now the poornam is ready.

Take the boiled rice flour and add a little bit of salt. Mix it well. Now add 2 tsp of oil. Make it as dough by adding little bit of hot water. Use some stirrer otherwise it will be hot. Make it as soft dough.

Now make small round balls and press from the centre and make it as round shape. So that you can place the required pooram in the centre and close it well. Be alert that this shouldn’t have cracks.

Again keep this in the idly cooker and allow it to boil for 20 minutes. Place this in the sideways. It will stick if you place one above other while keeping it to boil.

 

Now your Poorna Kozhukkattai is ready…

Sarkari Pongal

 Ingredients:

• 1 glass of Raw rice
• ½ glass of Green gram
• 1 hand full of Jaggery
• 5 tsp of Ghee
• 10 Cashews
• 10 Dry grapes
• Salt

First soak the rice and green gram together for 30 minutes. Then place the vessel on the stove and pour nearly 3 glass of water and allow it to boil. After that, put the rice and green gram in the boiled water. Put a bit of salt. Overcook it. It should be watery. So that it will become little bit thick after getting cooled.

In between place another vessel on the stove and pour 1 glass of water. In this add the sliced jaggery. Allow it to boil. Now filter this and pour in the rice mix. Mix it well, so that the sweetness will spread.

Now place a small vessel on the stove and pour the ghee. Allow it to boil. First add the broken cashews. It should become little brown. Now add the dry grapes. This will bulge soon. Now pour it in the rice mix. Mix well.

Now your Sarkari Pongal is ready….

Cashews will take time to become brown, but grapes will bulge immediately. That’s why we should use cashews first and then grapes.

We have to use much amount of sugar to give sweetness. But, little bit of jaggery will give much sweetness. That’s why I used jaggery…

French Beans-Carrot Curry Recipe

 

 

Ingredients:

• 100g of Beans
• 2 Carrots
• 1 Small onion & tomato
• Chilli powder
• Salt
• Oil
• Mustard seeds
• Black gram
• Bengal gram
• Cumin seeds
• Fenugreek
• Turmeric powder
• Curry leaves

First chop the carrot and beans well. Without adding water, place this in the pressure cooker and allow it for 2 whistles. After 15 minutes, take these boiled vegetables outside.

Now slice the onion and tomato. Place the vessel on the stove. Pour the oil and allow it to boil. Then add mustard seeds and allow it to burst. Now add little bit of black gram, Bengal gram, cumin seeds, fenugreek and curry leaves. Add this sliced onion and tomato. Pour required amount of salt and little bit of turmeric powder. Now sauté them well. After that add required chilli powder to this mix.

Now add the boiled vegetables and again sauté them well. Check for taste. Now French Beans- Carrot curry is ready.

You can also add an egg to this while sauting. This will give you different taste. Kids will enjoy this as the vegetables are fully boiled and also egg is also their. We will be satisfied that we have given nice food to our kids….

Chicken Gravy Recipe

Ingredients:

• ½ kg Chicken
• Ginger-garlic paste
• 2 Onions & tomatoes
• Chilli powder
• Salt
• Chicken masala powder
• ¼ tsp Turmeric powder
• Cinnamon & Cloves
• Coriander leaves
• Oil

First prepare ginger-garlic paste along with cinnamon, cloves and 2 pieces of coconut. Then chop the onions and tomatoes. Cut the chicken pieces and wash them well.

Now place the pressure cooker on the stove. Pour some oil. After that, add some cinnamon and cloves. Now add chopped onions and tomatoes. Mix them well. Add required amount of salt and little bit of turmeric powder. Now sauté them well.

Then add the chicken pieces, ginger-garlic paste and also 1 tsp of chicken masala powder. Mix them well. Add required amount of water and chilli powder to this mix. Allow it to boil. Now check for taste.

Close the pressure cooker and allow it up to 3 or 4 whistles. After 15 minutes, open the pressure cooker and add some coriander leaves for smell.

Now your chicken gravy is ready. Try this…

Being a Mother…

One of my very happiest moments in my life was my son’s birth. I was the one who saw him first and also heard his voice first. It’s really a great gift from God. When I came out from ward, my hubby just ran towards me and gave a kiss on my forehead. Wow... What a moment...

I felt that I was the only luckiest in the world. I just realized that every woman will feel the same thing as I felt.

Now, he’s very naughty and also nearing his second birthday. Sometimes, I used to cry aloud to free from the troubles he used to cause me. He simply smiles at me or will stay calm. I can understand, you all were thinking that iam crazy. But what to do, sometimes we will loose our patience and get temper by our kids activity. As raising kids is the most difficult task according to me.

But, when iam angry with him, he realizes that. He will come to me and make me happy by laughing or calling me “amma or mummy”. As soon as I hear his voice, I will be forgetting all my pains.

I should thank by hubby in this time. Without him, I can’t manage our son alone. V are lucky to have him as husband/father….

Mother--- is the most difficult, happiest, proud position……

Finally I Stitched My First Chudidhar….

I took one of my old saree which has borders. So that I can use this borders to decorate my chudi.

I used my already stitched chudidhar which fits me well for marking purpose. Then without any disturbances, I folded the saree and marked with this chudidhar.

I used borders in my hands and also in the front inorder to look little bit grand. First I decided how the design will be and what are the things, I needed to do before attaching the shoulders of front and back piece.

I attached the designs in the front carefully. Then I stitched the side cuts. After that I stitched the neck. Now I attached the shoulders.

Then I attached the hands, after that I joined the sides of the pieces. Now my new chudidhar is ready.

All it needs is some creativity and to work peacefully. Try this…

My College Life …. Part 1

I just finished my schooling and got engineering seat in Electronics and Communication Engineering. Our class was my school’s first batch. So, obviously I didn’t have much exposure to outer world. My way was school to home and home to school. Imagine how it will be in the college.

After getting introduction, we are allowed to go to our classes. When I entered, it was like; I was in the middle of somewhere which is not at all familiar to me. Soon I heard languages which I don’t know.

In our class, mostly were Telugu students. Their fluency was excellent. Iam not that much fluent with my English. So I started to struggle. I don’t know to whom I should speak. They all look like strangers. I tried to find some who are like me.

I felt very shy, because they tried to talk with me. I was worried that whether they can understand my English or not. But luckily they became my very nice friends of my college life. Even they tolerated my English and taught me to speak fluently.

I completed my Engineering in 2005 with first class distinction. Now I got married and also a mother of a two years old kid.

I find this place to share my thoughts, memories, etc…

Hope this continues…