FRIED GRITS with VEG. TOPPING - Arusuvai 1

I always used to read in blogs about Arusuvai frienship chain and the surprise ingredients that they receive and always wondered if i will ever be lucky enough to receive one.Little did i know that 2 months later my wish will come true.I received a mail from Madhuram of egglesscooking if i was interested in receiving surprise ingredients from her.I was so excited and happy and so you all can guess what my reply was.

The package arrived sooner than i expected and i was so eager to see what was in it.It contained 3 packets - 2 of which contained the ingredients and the 3rd one had some yummy australian ANZAC biscuits that madhu prepared.We (hubby and me) gobbled it up in no time.It was really really delicious.Thank you much for those madhu:).

Now coming to the ingredients.I was asked to guess both of them.The one in the bigger packet had the texture similar to rava , so i thought it would be polenta but as you can see i was wrong.She told me that if i couldnt guess then the answer was right there behind the stamp.I just couldnt stay in the dark anymore so pulled off the stamp and was very happy to see that it was QUICK GRITS.

Grits was something that we wanted to try after seeing the comedy movie "My Cousin Vinny". This is one of the most hilarious movies i have ever seen. In a way grits do play a role in winning the case.The ones who saw the movie will know what i am talking about and the ones who havent seen please watch it.Its a must see.

Since this was my first time cooking with grits i didnt want anything to go wrong.So browsed for recipes and stumbled upon an interesting one in Epicurious.com .I made slight changes to this recipe and made my own topping which one can choose to totally avoid.Hubby loved it without the topping and i loved with the topping.So here is the recipe.

FOR GRITS

INGREDIENTS

water - 2 1/2 cups

quick-cooking grits - 1/2 cup

grated sharp Cheddar - 1 cup(i used italian 4 blend cheese reduced fat)

garlic pdr - 1 tsp (optional)

unsalted butter - 1 tablespoon(i used 1 tsp)

Salt to taste

FOR TOPPING:-

Button mushroom - 4-5 nos,clean using wet cloth and dice small

Green bell pepper - 1/4 cup , diced small

zuchini - 1/4 cup,diced small

gin-gar paste - 1 tsp

red chilli pdr - 1 tsp

worchestershire sauce - 1 tsp

salt

FOR COATING:-

Flour paste ( mix flour and water to form a thin paste)

bread crumbs

METHOD

In a heavy saucepan bring 2 cups of the water to a boil, add the grits in a stream, stirring, and cook them, covered, over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, for 7 minutes, or until they are very thick. Add the Cheddar, the butter, and salt to taste, stir the mixture until the cheese is melted, and spread it in an 8-inch-square baking dish. Chill the grits mixture, covered, overnight.

Heat oil in a pan.Add gin-gar paste and red chilli pdr.Saute for a few seconds and add the vegetables.Stir on high flame.When it softens slightly add salt and sauce.Lower the flame and let it cook until its done.

Have ready in separate bowls the flour paste and the bread crumbs. In a pan add some oil for shallow frying. While the oil is heating cut the grits mixture into squares or any shape you like. I used a heart shaped cutter.Working in batches, dip the grits into the bread crumbs first,then flour paste, letting the excess drip off, then coat them again with the bread crumbs, and fry them in the oil, turning them carefully, for 2 minutes on each side, or until they are golden, transferring them as they are fried to paper towels to drain. Serve the topping spooned over the grits.

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