8. Ravioli

 Source: Read many online recipes and ended up cooking my own version.
 Final Outcome: Very very good 

    I am jumping from Moravla, Majjige Huli to Ravioli. I have cooked recipes from different cuisines before but not in such a short time. This was "Exhausting" recipe to cook and also to eat :-).
I made mushroom ravioli. I committed an unspeakable error and had to make most of the ravioli again. I was exhausted by the end of it, and when I sat down to eat, I ate so much that i was exhausted eating it ( the next day I took 8 flight of stairs, Khichidi as diet food just to balance out excess eating of ravioli:-)).

Recipe in short:
For stuffing: cook garlic (2-3 cloves), Mushroom and little sweet corn in oil till it is dry (all water from mushrooms should evaporate). Add salt, cheese(mozzarella) and Italian seasoning. 
For Ravioli: Kneed Maida(all purpose flour), salt, little oil and pinch of soda.Let it stand for 15-20 mins covered with wet cloth.
For tomato sauce: Cook veggies (baby corn, capsicum, little onion and garlic). Add tomato puree, cheese(mozzarella), Italian seasoning, salt.

Cut small circles of the flattened dough. Place stuffing on one circle and place 2nd circle on top. Press the ends with a fork.
Boil water with a spoon of oil. Put ravioli into the boiling water 2-3 at a time. Once they are done they float to the top. 
Place them in a dish and serve with sauce.

7. Majjige Huli (sour curd saar)

Source: A friend (Thanks Vidya)
Final Outcome: Added to the list of favourites in my family.

     This is Havyaka (dakshin Kannada) style of cooking. Vidya has shared with me lot of sambar and saar recipes (These are genuine homemade masala recipes and not the ones using MTR masala :-)) I have tried all types of sambar - bhindi, ash gourd, egg plant, tomato saar etc. But this huli is totally different and very simple. Thank you Vidya, we have loved all the recipes.
Sharing the recipe for Majjige Huli here:

Ingredients:( for 3 ppl)
- 1 spoon dhaniya
- 1 spoon chana daal
- 1 small cup grated coconut
- 1 or 2 Green chillies
- 1/4 kg ash gourd (also called kohala) or 2 cucumbers
- Curd or butter milk 2 cups
- Salt to taste

For Seasoning:
- little oil
- little hing
- 7-8 curry leaves

Method:
1. Soak Dhaniya and Chana Dal in water for 30 to 40 mins.
2. Grind Soaked Dhaniya, Chana Dal, Coconut and green Chilies
3. Cook Ash Gourd (I pressure cook it. 2 quick wistles)
4. In a pan add cooked Ash Gourd and masala from step 2. Bring it to a boil, however don't overcook it as it may smell like coconut oil.
5. After above mixture from step 4 cools down, prepare hot seasoning of oil, Hing and curry leaves and add it to the Huli.
After the Huli is warm add curd or butter milk. (If the Huli is hot the curd may curdle.)

Recipe looks tedious but its very simple. We all are big fans of Kannadiga food so this was a treat for my family. I will be making it often.

5 & 6. Urulai Chettinadu & Moravla

5. Urulai Chettinadu

Source: Sanjeev Kapoor (book)
Final Outcome: ok

It is a curry with small potatoes prepared in chettinadu way (its name had made no sense to me). Curry was not bad. But I prefer a lot of other ways I have cooked small potatoes before. (Dum Aloo, Alu tamatar etc.). May be I should try it again without burning it:-) . Yes here’s the truth: I burnt it a little. I was juggling with a lot of tasks early morning and completely forgot all about the curry on the stove.

6. Moravla (short cut way)

Source: Aai (my Mom)
Final Outcome: very good
Cooking time: ~30 mins

It is a sweet side-dish made with gooseberries (big, not the small ones).  It is an extremely healthy dish. 

Sharing the recipe here:
- Grate Gooseberries.
- Pressure cook (2 whistles)
- After it cools down, add equal amount of sugar and cook over the stove until sugar melts and it starts boiling. ( I added just about ¾th sugar instead of equal amount )

Its that simple!  The original way of preparing Moravla is a little complicated. But I loved this!

3 & 4. Makai Palak & Zucchini and Feta Cheese Fritters

3. Makai Palak

    Source: Sanjeev Kapoor (book)
    Final Outcome: very good
I cook a curry very similar to this. It contains beans, carrot, matar and corn in addition to pureed palak. This recipe contains just corn and palak and some onion. Relatively simple dish. Great for any fan of North Indian food.

4. Zucchini and Feta Cheese Fritters 

    Source: Zucchini-Patties-With-Feta-Epicurious
    Final Outcome: very good

I can dedicate an entire post to this recipe. After an online search and a nice recipe in mind I began shopping. I bought a very expensive pack of feta cheese. But after going back home I realized the recipe required Ricotta cheese!!! This very much explains why I am not a chef. I cannot even remember  the ingredients:-). So again I looked up on the net for feta cheese recipes and made these.

I made these fritters for breakfast.  They are definitely not for the diet conscious. It contains a lot of cheese and a lot of oil goes into shallow frying them. So my final verdict is: I liked them but may not make them again (at least not for another year).

Journey Begins..1 & 2. Avial & Achari Gobhi

1. Avial

  Source: kerala style avial recipe

  Final Outcome: Excellent

  
On a lazy Saturday after several rounds of discussions about which restaurant to visit, I decided to cook my first recipe. It contains lot of ingredients but the end result is yummy! After a run to nearby vendors I began this dish. I miscalculated the amount of each veggies that goes in and ended up cooking for 4 people. But it was soo good that 2.5 of us finished it!

2. Achari Gobhi:

Source: Sanjeev Kapoor (book)

Final Outcome: Average

Bored with typical cauliflower curries, i wanted to try something different. It was good but the fragrance of masala that goes into it is a little strong. Overall, can be prepared once in a while.

Resolution set

        With 2013 resolution set, I began making a mental list to achieve my target. But could no longer wait for the new year. So here I am starting it in Dec 2012: 200 recipes, 365 days.

        Inspiration for this resolution was Julie & Julia. Julie cooked over 500 recipes. But being a full time home maker, part time C.A and with a 2 year old prancing around, I decided to go with 200. I am not an excellent cook like Julia Child, may be a good cook at the best. And neither do I swear, rather I never swear like Julie. This is a fun experiment for me and hopefully a good experience for my family.

Initial reactions of people around me are fantastic:' why not try 100 and save us from your tantrums' being my favourite:-)

So lets see how this year goes.