Truly Obscure is a San Francisco-based online publication focused on critical commentary. They review interesting gadgets, films, bands, events, restaurants, websites, books, and more.
They wrote a nice article on Supreme Spice extracts.
Check it out here.
I just realized that Supreme Spice comes up in top position on Bing search engine for search word "Saffron extract" :) . Same is the case with "Tea masala extract" and "Tulsi extract".
We had some crazy weather this last couple of weeks and some plants in my backyard are behaving all confused :) They thought it was Spring time and started blooming.
While I was on a long break from blogging, some very creative food bloggers posted recipes using our Supreme Spice extracts. One of my favorite ones was posted by Madhuram of Eggless Cooking. Madhuram is very creative with her recipes and comes up with some delicious ones using various substitutes for egg.
Check out her Vegan Christmas Fruitcake recipe in which she used Tea Masala extract to give it a spicy twist.
Giving makeovers to your everyday butter is really easy.
Using different spice flavored butters is a wonderful way to introduce kids to the aromatic world of spices.
Spiced butters can be stored in the freezer for a 1-2 months. You can slice rounds of frozen spiced butter and store them in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Coconut Burfi is a very popular dessert in India and requires just 3-4 ingredients. I make it the easy way and do not make any sugar syrup.
Note: You could also use Cardamom extract instead of Kesar Milk masala extract.
Ingredients:
1 cup desiccated coconut
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup Milk
4-5 drops of Kesar Milk Masala extract
In a pan, add desiccated coconut, milk and sugar. Stir and cook till the mixture becomes thick. Keep stirring to avoid burning coconut at the bottom of the pan. Once the mixture is thick and all the milk has evaporated, add 4-5 drops of Kesar Milk masala extract. Stir and take the pan off the heat. Pour the mixture in a plate, press well and let cool. Once cooled, cut diamond shaped burfis.
Tomato Rasam is one of my favorites.
Madhuram of Eggless Cooking gave me a very quick and wonderful recipe for tomato rasam. She suggested the use of tomato paste which I found to be very interesting. I have made this rasam many times and have tweaked it a bit. I find Madhuram's recipes creative but simple and yummy. Check out her blog for some really good recipes for eggless cakes, cookies, etc.
Ingredients:
1 can Tomato paste
1-2 drops of Green Chilli extract
1 drop of Asafoetida extract
1-2 drops of Turmeric extract
2 drops of Garlic extract
1 drop of Ginger extract
1 tsp Rasam powder
!/2 tsp cumin seeds
very little oil
Salt to taste
1 cup of water ( add more if you want a bit thinner rasam)
Cilantro for garnish
Heat the oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds and let it splutter. Add tomato paste, water and rasam powder. Stir. Bring it to a boil and then reduce heat. Add turmeric extract, garlic extract, green chilli extract, ginger extract, asafoetida extract. Add salt to taste Let simmer for a minute or two. Take it off the heat. Garnish with cilantro. Serve hot.
Note that I am not using any tamarind. The canned tomato paste is perfect for this easy, breezy rasam :)
I love Doodhi the most when it is served in this sweet and simple Halwa avatar :)
Ingredients:
1 Doodhi (Bottle gourd)
1/2 can condensed milk
3-4 drops of Cardamom extract
( You could also use Kesar Milk masala extract )
Little butter
Peel and grate doodhi. Heat little butter in a pan, add grated doodhi. Cook for about 8 - 10 min . Add condensed milk and let the mixture cook on low flame for another 7-8 min. Take it off the heat. Add Cardamom extract. Stir and serve with some raisins or cashews sprinkled on top.
Another variation is to add Saffron extract to give this humble dessert a royal touch.
This is one simple tea that can be helpful in curing cold.
1 drop Ginger extract
1 drop Cinnamon extract
1/2 stalk of Lemongrass
Steep lemongrass stalk in a cup of hot water for 10 min. To this add Ginger extract and Cinnamon extract. Add honey for sweetness if you like.
This tea really tastes delicious. Take this tea 2-3 times a day to relieve cold symptoms and congestion.
This summer me and my kids have decided to do lot of baking. Its been just 2 weeks since my kids summer vacation started and we already made Banana bread a couple of times, made cupcakes and 2-3 kinds of cookies :)
Baking with kids is the most enjoyable way to spend summer afternoons.
We recently tried Beth's Oatmeal Raisin cookies recipe. These cookies came out wonderful and my kids loved them.
In my previous post, I mentioned the importance of cloves. This Oatmeal cookie recipe calls for 2 spices (clove & cinnamon) and is an excellent way to introduce kids to spices.
Here is the recipe with my slight variations.
Did you know that Cloves help boost digestive functioning and contain antioxidants ?
Can you think of a simple and yummy way to get cloves into your kids tummy?
Have you ever tried Cardamom Lemonade ?
The addition of Cardamom makes this lemonade amazingly refreshing and gives a surprising twist to this plain and simple beverage.
1 glass cold water
Juice of 1 small lemon
1 drop of Cardamom extract
sugar and salt to taste
In a glass of cold water, squeeze lemon juice, add salt and sugar to taste and 1 drop of Cardamom extract. Stir well till sugar dissolves. Garnish with mint leaves.
Adding salt is the Indian way of making lemonade :)
Salt balances the sweetness of sugar and sourness of lemon. Also, most importantly, adding salt replenishes the sodium lost through sweating during summer days.
Photo credit : CupCakeProject.com
This is my entry for Indira's Food Art ~Mango Manthram.
I had the idea for a long time but just couldn't d find time to paint or draw :) Have been busy lately and was not sure if I will even get time to send my entry. I had to borrow my daughter's color pencils, Watercolors and also a paper from her drawing book :) I am glad I was able to do it though.
I am very eager to see the entries from other bloggers.
