Idly and Sambar

Idly:
Wash and Soak 3 cups of rice and 1 cup of urad dal in two seperate bowls.
After 5 to 6 hrs grind into a fine paste and transfer to steel vessel.
Keep oven in warm for 10 minutes and switch off the oven.
Close the vessel with lid and place the vessel in oven and leave to ferment for 8hrs.
Stir in sufficient salt and now the batter is ready for dosa or idly.
Apply oil to the idly plates and pour the batter.Stack the idly plates in pressure cooker and steam for 10 minutes.

Sambar:
Vegetables - 1 cup(Cho cho,sunburst pattypan squash)
green chilli - 1no
Tomato - ½ no
Tamarind paste - 1 tspn
Boiled toor dal - 2 cups
Curry leaves - 4 or 5 leaves
Oil for seasoning.
Water for cooking.
Salt to taste
Cho Cho and Sunburstpattypan Squash Sambar:
Put oil in a pressure cooker and add mustard seeds,red chillies,curryleaves,asafoetida for seasoning.
Add chopped onions,green chillies and fry for a while.Add chopped tomato pieces and chopped vegetables .
Stir for a while and add sambar powder,turmeric,tamarind paste ,salt according to taste.Pour water and close the lid.When steam starts coming add boiled toor dal to the mixture and close the lid and put the pressure.
Switch off the stove after 3 whistles.
Allow to cool the cooker and add coriander leaves to the sambar and serve in a bowl.
Look here for one more idly recipe:
Idly with Vadaicurry
This recipe goes to EFM Theme - Breakfast Series hosted by hostess Sri of Me and My kitchen .

Strawberry Icecream(Eggless)

Ingredients:
Strawberries - 2 lbs
Whole milk - 6 cups
Sugar - ¼ cup
Cinnamon pwd - ½ tspn
Vanilla essence - 1tspn
Whipped topping - 8oz container
chopped strawberries - ½ cup

Making:
Boil whole milk ,Vanilla essence ,cinnamon pwd,sugar and keep stirring continuously in medium flame until it reduces to 4 cups.
Remove from fire and leave the vessel to cool.Meanwhile ,Puree the strawberries.
Pour the chilled milk into the strawberry puree and mix well.Fold whipped topping into the strawberry puree,chopped strawberries.Transfer to the container with a lid and freeze for 3 to 4 hours .

This icecream goes to Happycook who is hosting an event called "Strawberry Feast".

Strawberry and Cherry Picking

Last weekend we planned to visit farms near to our place along with our friends and their kids.We reached the farms after 1½ hours.

My kid was happy to see lot of strawberries at one place.He enjoyed running in and around fields.Strawberries are so juicy and sweet.While picking I can't resist myself tasting tiny red strawberries.Wow enjoyed the taste and picking too.
We did our lunch at near by park and again started ahead to pick cherries.
Here are the pictures of Strawberry Farms:

~~~~~ Strawberry plants ~~~~~

~~~~~ Strawberry flowers ~~~~~

~~~~~ Blackberrys{Red berries are unripe ,when they turn Black its time to pick } ~~~~~








Brentwood Region,Contra Coasta county,California :
Chan's Fruit stand Strawberries,Blackberries
2500b Walnut Blvd. Brentwood, CA 94513 (Corner of Walnut and Payne).
925-325-0640
Per pound - 1$
Maggiore Cherry Ranch
Walnut Blvd., 1/2 mile south of Balfour Road, Brentwood
925-634-4176
Picked & U-Pick Cherries: Bing, Brooks & Corral Champagne.
Per pound - 2.50 $