Evolution of Kitchen Gadgets, Part 2 - Coconut Grater and Beyond!

Do you have a favorite kitchen gadget or "toy"? Please feel free to share with us. 

We are no strangers to using kitchen gadgets to ease the painstaking tasks such as grating, powdering, mixing and/or kneading. A couple of years ago, I blogged about one of my favorite gadgets called the Coconut grater in my post titled Evolution of Kitchen Gadgets. Gadgets such as this grater have really cut down prep time for cooking our favorite dishes and made time for other activities. I wonder how people used to perform these tasks before and how much longer it used to take. I certainly appreciate the innovative thinking and creativity behind all these kitchen tool or "toys" as some might see them as. Join me as I explore some "toys" that we have acquired and added to our collection over the years.

#1: Magic Bullet - versatile mini blender

We've used the Magic Bullet to make all our fresh chutneys and lentil podis (ground lentil mixture with spices) for several years now and it's still growing strong.

#2: The Cake Pop Maker, not just for sweets!

Cake Pops was all the craze a couple years ago. I didn't fall into the trend until I saw something similar while traveling in India during 2011 Christmas. It changed my mind about the product and decided to buy one at Target for $15. Check out my post on making Guntapongalalu or Veggie Pops; a popular dish in Telangana, South India.

#3: My Crimson KitchenAid Stand Mixer

My next and favorite gadget since the coconut grater is the KitchenAid Stand Mixer. Some girls get clothes and/or jewelry for Christmas and I got the KitchenAid (can you tell I enjoy cooking and baking yet). It was my mom's way of telling me to pursue my passionate and expand my culinary horizon. Thanks, mom! I'll make you proud. As I started using the mixer more often, I realized that it was powerful enough for our Indian recipes as well. I prefer using the mixer when making Sarvapindi*, dough for pooris, parathas, and rotis, and kulfi because it really blends the ingredients well and the texture is smooth not lumpy. Did I mention that it significantly cuts prep time? I figured you already knew that. Until my next gadget update, keep it real FOODIES!!



***Quick Tip: Making the Sarvapindi dough is easy as 1 2 3 (check recipe for ingredients list):
1) Measure the ingredients, one by one and toss into the KitchenAid mixing bowl.
2) While all the ingredients are mixing, gradually pour water until the dough comes together without sticking to the edges. (Hint: not all the water will be used)
3) Finally add the oil. The texture of the dough should be smooth but and not sticky. If it is sticky, add a little bit of flour and run the mixer again.

If you have any questions about any of the gadgets mentioned in this post, feel free to contact us. We would be happy to help.

Delightful Veggie Pops

This post is dedicated to my grandaunt who loves to feed everyone. Out of all the dishes my aunt makes, my mom's favorite is Sarvapindi (rice and moong dal flatbread). On our last trip to India, my mom and I visited my grandaunt and she made sure we left her home with a belly full of goodies. Along with my mom's favorite, she also made this yummy snack called Guntapongalalu*, which resembled cake pops but tasted like uttapams (Indian pancakes). 

We filled up on the the savory bites, while my aunt filled us in on the family updates. We enjoyed ourselves quite a bit and even received some recipes for our blog. Woohoo!