Naankatai

Men with large aluminium trunks would go house to house selling this lovely aromatic biscuit or cookie. When I was a kid, I would ask my mother to buy this cookie along with another flaky puff called " khaari biscuit". Naankatai as it is called, comes in different varieties and aroma. This simple cardamom flavoured Naankatai is melt in the mouth and takes very few minutes to bake.

Ingredients :

Maida / All purpose flour - 1 cup
Ghee - 1/2 cup
Powdered sugar - 1/2 cup
1 tsp. cardamom powder
1 pinch soda bi carbonate

Method :

1. Mix ghee, cardamom powder, soda and powdered sugar with hand in a one side circular motion till sugar is dispersed in the ghee and it froths to a light colour.

2. Add maida little by little to the ghee and sugar and mix to form a dough.

3. Pre-heat the oven to 360 degrees Farenheit ( 180 degrees Celsius ).

4. Make small balls of the dough and place on a cookie sheet with some gap between the balls and bake for 12 - 15 minutes.

5. As soon as you remove the naankatais from the oven, they will be soft to touch. Once they cool down they will harden. Enjoy these Indian cookies once they are cooled.



This recipe goes to "Baked sweets and Chocolates" hosted by Mythreyee of Paajaka Recipes.


Krishnaarpanam

Vegetable Kurma in Corn Gravy

Burnt Corn or Butta as it is called in Hindi was the favourite during the rainy season and that too eating on the streets from the Butta wala with some salt and lemon was something that we enjoyed during our days. But in US, I could see many varieties of corn and the recipes are endless to say, but still miss the butta from India.
As the corn in US is sweet tasting, and people at home are spicy lovers, I had to think of a recipe which makes this sweet corn spicy. Kids did not like the texture of the whole corn and I had to camouflage it in some form. I thought of grinding the corn and using it in substitute of coconut and yesssss!!! the idea was brilliant enough for anyone to guess it.



Ingredients :

To be ground to paste :

1 cob corn
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp. fennel seeds ( saunf )
2 cardamoms ( elaichi )
2 cloves
3 - 4 green chillies ( increase or decrease according to heat )

Other ingredients :

2 cups Mixed vegetables ( cauliflower, carrot, beans, green peas ) chopped into desired size
1 medium size onion chopped
2 tomatoes chopped
few curry leaves
1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
1/2 tsp. jeera
1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
1 tsp. oil
Salt to taste

Method :

1. Remove the kernels from the corn with hand and grind it with other ingredients given for paste. As the corn has a lot of moisture, no need to add water. Alternatively you can grate the corn using a regular grater and grind it along with the other ingredients.

2. Heat oil in a pan, add the seeds and allow to splutter. Add the onion, curry leaves and tomatoes and turmeric powder and saute well for a few mins. The onion and tomato gets cooked in the juice of the tomato itself.

3. Once the onions turn transluscent, add the ground paste and saute for a while. You can add a tbsp. or water if the mixture sticks to the bottom of the pan. Saute for a minute or two.

4. Add the vegetables, salt and 2 cups of water and mix well. Cover with a lid and cook till the vegetables are cooked and the gravy is thick. Serve hot with rotis, puris or any pulav.

This recipe does not use much of oil and coconut is ommitted unlike in other kurma recipes. Hence a very healthy side dish.


This recipe goes to "Cooking For Kids Event" hosted by Sharmi of "Neivedyam"




Krishnaarpanam

Beetroot Pulav

Beets in any form were not acceptable by me in my childhood days. It was only that after I got married I was introduced to a lot of veggies by my hubby as he is a person who cannot live without vegetables. I gradually started liking many vegetables which were shunned by me as a child and now I too cannot cook everyday without any of the veggies. Luckily my children also like vegetables and beetroot is one of their favourites.
Recently I came upon this pulav in Supriya Raman's Ode2Food blog and gave it a try with some variations here and there and all at home were happy with it.

Ingredients :

1 large beetroot or 2 medium (washed, peeled and cut into cubes of any size )
2 cups Basmati rice ( washed and soaked for 30 minutes )
1 cup chopped onion
2 - 3 cloves garlic
3 - 4 green chillies
1/4 cup chopped mint leaves or coriander leaves
1 tsp. Kitchen king masala
1/2 tsp. pepper powder
1 tsp. jeera
2 normal green cardamom pods / 1 black cardamom
4 cloves
1 small cinnamon
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp. ghee or butter or oil ( I mixed 1/2 ghee and 1/2 oil )
Salt to taste
4 cups water


Method :

1. Heat oil/ghee in a pressure pan, add the bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom and jeera. Once they get fried, add the chopped garlic, mint/coriander leaves, onions, green chillies and saute for a few minutes till the onions turn transluscent.

2. Add the chopped betroot and saute for a while till the betroot is half cooked. Add the drained rice, pepper powder, kitchen king masala, salt and mix well.

3. Pour the measured amount of water and give a stir and cook covered without the weight for 10 - 15 minutes on medium low till the water evaporates and the rice is cooked.

4. Serve hot with pappad and raita.

Krishnaarpanam

Lasooni Palak Phulka

Green chapathi as it is lovingly named by my kids, this chapathi is very nutritious also. I added garlic to this recipe, but one can omit and ginger can be used instead of garlic.

Ingredients :

1 cup spinach leaves ( washed )
2 cloves garlic
3 - 4 green chillies
2 cups whole wheat flour
Salt to taste
water to knead and grind

Method :

1. Grind the spinach, garlic, green chillies with little water into a smooth paste.
2. Add this paste to the wheat flour and some salt and knead into a soft chapathi dough. If you find the dough to be watery, then add little more wheat flour and knead / if the dough is very hard, then add some water. Keep in the fridge for 15 minutes or so for the flavours of the spinach and the garlic to blend with the flour.
3. Remove from fridge and make small balls out of the dough and roll out into chapathis.



4. On a medium hot tava, put one rolled out chapathi and cook on one side till half done.




5. Flip over and cook till the other side has brown spots on it.

6. Remove the chapati from the tava and put the undercooked side over direct flame and puff up the phulka. ( In case of coil stove or glass stove top , use a splatter screen to put the phulka over direct flame or heat ) ( See the fig. )




7. Smear with ghee and serve hot with any side dish or with curd and pickle.

Splatter screens can be found in Wal-Mart, Target, K-mart, Bed Bath & Beyond and any store in the US which has household things.




Krishnaarpanam

Appam for Karthigai Deepam

It was the month of Karthigai according to Tamil calendar and the New moon day of this month marks the birthday of Lord Karthikeyan the six heads god. People in Tamil Nadu light lamps in their house and make Pori urundai which is jaggery balls using puffed rice and appam a jaggery sweet. There are many appam recipes using rice / rava / wheat flour / maida. I had made appam using wheat flour and its quick and easy preparation.

Ingredients :

1 cup wheat flour ( any atta flour or whole wheat flour can be used )
1/2 cup rice flour
2 ripe bananas
1/4 cup grated coconut ( optional )
1 tsp. cardamom powder
1 cup jaggery ( powdered )
pinch of salt ( to bring out the sweetness of appam )

Method :

1. Grind coconut, bananas, cardamom and jaggery in a mixie or blender.

2. Add the paste to the flours and a pinch of salt. Add just enough water to make into a batter of bajji or dosa batter consistency. The batter should be pourable, but thick and not watery.

3. Heat oil at medium in a round bottom kadai and when it is quite hot, pour a tablespoon or a small ladle of the batter in the center of the kadai and fry till both the sides puff up and become brown in colour. ( Alternatively it is easy to make in a appam kuzhipaniyaram pan. As I did not have one, I made in a normal kadai ).


Krishnaarpanam

Broccoli Paruppu Usili

After knowing the health benefits of Broccoli which is an unknown veg. in India, I found it very difficult to get it into my daughter's diet. She refused to take it in any form that I tried to make. I came upon this Broccoli Paruppu Usili in Saffron Hut's blog and wanted to give it a try. Paruppu Usili and Moar Kuzhambu are the all time favourites of my family. I was surprised that my daughter liked this paruppu usili and she said " Mummy, if you want me to eat broccoli, then this is the way that you should make it". Anyway, atleast there is some way for me to get this wonderful vegetable into her.

Ingredients :

1 pound broccoli ( 2 medium size florets )
3/4 cup channa dal
1/4 cup moong dal
3 - 4 red chillies
1/4 tsp turmeric
Salt to taste

For seasoning :
1 - 2 tsp. oil
1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
a few curry leaves
1/2 tsp. asafoetida


Method :

1. Soak the channa dal, moong dal and red chillies together in water for nearly 45 mins. to an hour. Drain the water completely and grind the dals and chillies along with turmeric powder and salt to a coarse paste. Steam this paste in a steamer or you can microwave the paste covered in a glass bowl for 3 - 4 minutes. Cool and crumble with your fingertips.
2. Wast the broccoli and chop into medium size florets and microwave along with salt and a handful of water for 3 mins. on high or till the florets are cooked.
3. In a kadai, heat oil, add mustard and when it splutters, add the asafoetida and curry leaves and then the dal paste and saute till all the water from the dal is evaporated.
4. Then add the cooked broccoli without any water and mix well and saute for a few minutes. Serve hot with rice and moar kuzhambu ( buttermilk stew ).



Krishnaarpanam

Butter Murukku

Murukkus / Chaklis are the all time favourites of any Indian and each and every region of India has its own recipe of making it. South Indians have a variety of murukkus and one of them is the "Butter murukku" which is a melt in the mouth after just a few bites.

Ingredients :

1 1/2 cups rice flour
1/4 cup besan ( chickpea flour )
1/4 cup chutney dal / pottu kadalai / Dalia powder ( chutney dal powdered in the mixie )
2 tbsp. butter at room temperature
1/2 tsp. asafoetida
1/2 tsp. jeera / sesame seeds
Salt to taste
water as required
Oil for deep frying
Murukku press


Method :

1. Mix the rice flour, besan and the chutney dal powder and salt.
2. Add the butter and mix with fingertips till the butter is dispersed in the flour evenly.
3. Add asafoetida, jeera / sesame seeds and mix and sprinkling little water at a time mix the flour together to form a soft dough so that the dough can pass through the star hole of murukku press easily.
4. Put some quantity of the dough into the murukku press and squeeze out the dough into the hot oil to make murukkus and deep fry on a medium heat till light pink in colour .

Some Hints :
1. Add just enough water to the dough till all the flour comes together and a dough is formed. The dough should be just right so that it is squeezable in the press, not very hard and not very soft.
2. If you want a perfect chakli shape, then shape the dough on a wax paper or onto a flat ladle and then leave in the oil. If no time, then squeeze directly into the oil and dont bother about the shape. It will still taste good.
3. Remove the murukkus when they are light pink in colour and dont wait till golden brown as it will spoil the taste of it. See that 90 percent of the hissing noise or the bubbles in the oil have stopped.


Krishnaarpanam

Orange Raisin Muffins (Eggless)

I always thought that cakes can never be soft unless and until you add eggs till I came across Tarla Dalal's website. When I came across so many cake recipes and that too all eggless, I was awestruck. At first it was magic according to me for the cakes to be so soft in texture and that too without eggs. One such recipe of an eggless cake is this and no one will know that it is eggles....


Ingredients :

1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp. soda bicarbonate
1/2 cup butter at room temperature
1/2 cup condensed milk
1/3 cup sugar powdered
1/3 cup cream
1 tbsp. orange juice
1 tsp. grated orange rind
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup walnuts ( optional )


Method :

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Sift the all purpose flour and soda together and keep aside.
2. Mix the butter and sugar well with a whisk or a spatula till the sugar is infused in the butter. Mix in the condensed milk, cream, orange juice and the orange rind and mix will till all are combined together.
3. Add the all purpose flour to the wet ingredients and mix well in a single direction. Add the raisins and walnuts and mix. Scoop the mixture into greased muffin pans and bake for 20 - 22 mins. till they are cooked. ( Insert a tooth prick or a clean knife in one of the muffins and see that they come out clean.). Cool and enjoy.





Krishnaarpanam

Tofu Mutter in Makhni gravy

This weekend, I wanted to try a Vegan dish. At first I only knew about Vegetarianism, but not Vegan. Are you a Vegan ? I had been asked these questions a few times in US and I said yes as I thought I am a vegetarian, so vegan is a short form of that. Then when I entered the blog world, I realised that Vegetarian and Vegan are two different kinds that people follow. Vegan being more strict in using animal products.
Once I came upon a recipe in Tarla Dalal which used vegetables for a creamier gravy and not cream or milk. I thought of giving it a try and yes!!! its healthier and a vegan friendly too. Makhan in Hindi means butter. Therefore sometimes Makhni dishes are also called 'Buttery'. The Makhni gravy is very rich as butter, cream and/or yoghurt is also used. The following recipe avoids these dairy products and uses a vegetable that also gives a creamier gravy.
This recipe goes to Suganya of "Tasty Pallettes" for Vegan Ventures - Round 2


Ingredients :

1 block of extra firm Tofu cut into cubes of desired size
1 cup frozen mutter ( green peas )
1 tsp. jeera
1 tsp. Kasuri methi
1 tsp. chilli powder
2 tsp. Kitchen King masala
2 tbsp. oil
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves for garnishing.

For the gravy :
1 tbsp. cashewnuts
1 cup chopped red pumpkin
1 onion roughly chopped
2 tomatoes chopped
4 cloves of garlic
1 small piece of ginger


Method :

1. Take all the ingredients for the gravy in a glass bowl, add 1/2 cup of water and microwave covered on high for 4 minutes. ( alternatively, cook the ingredients with 1 cup of water on a stove top till all the vegetables are soft and cooked. ). Cool and puree in a blender.
2. Heat 1 tbsp. of oil and saute the tofu cubes till lightly browned on the edges. Remove and keep aside.
3. Heat remaining oil, add jeera and when it is fried add kasuri methi and chilli powder to the oil and then the puree. Saute till little moisture is evapourated and then add salt and Kitchen king masala and saute for a few seconds.
4. Add the tofu, green peas and a cup of water and mix well and allow a boil or two. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with phulkas or rotis.



Krishnaarpanam

Dill and Moong subji ( Dry )

Dill leaves or "Shepu" as it is called in Marathi are good for the digestion. It is said to be beneficial for lactating mothers too. Very few like the smell of these leaves, but if you are used to the aroma, nothing like a hot Dill and moong dal subji with hot Jowar Bhakri. Try this and you will not find the Dill aroma overpowering the subji.
This entry of mine goes to "Herb Mania" started by Dee at Ammalu's Kitchen and hosted by Lakshmi of the yum blog


Ingredients :

1 bunch Dill leaves
1 medium sized onion
3 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup moon dal soaked for half an hour
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp. jeera
3 - 4 green chillies
3 tsp. oil
salt to taste

Method :

1. Wash the dill leaves and separate the hairy leaves from the main stem.
2. Heat oil in a kadai, add jeera and when they turn pink, add slited green chillies, chopped garlic and the chopped onion. Add turmeric and little salt and saute till the onions turn translucent.
3. Next add the dill leaves, soaked moong dal and some more salt according to taste and saute for a minute. Sprinkle little water now and then and cook covered for a few minutes till the moong dal is cooked. Serve hot with Jowar bhakri or phulkas.

Krishnaarpanam

6 cup Almond Burfi

According to me, the quantity of sugar in 7 cup cakes (burfi) is too high and when I tried to follow the exact recipe, I found that the sweetness was too much that I had to do something to wash off the sugar. I reduced the sugar in the recipe and substituted coconut with almonds which gave more richness and softness to this burfi.
I used a normal heavy bottom kadai to make this burfi and one of my observation is that, if u use a non-stick pan or kadai, u can use half the ghee to make this sweet.

Ingredients :

1 cup besan ( chickpea flour )
1 cup powdered almonds ( powder along with the skin )
1 cup milk
1 cup ghee ( including the ghee to grease the plate or thali )
2 cups sugar
1/2 tsp. cardamom powder

Method :

1. Seive the besan and in a heavy bottom kadai mix the besan and ghee and saute on a medium flame till the besan is fried and gives out a sweet aroma.
2. Add the sugar, warm milk and the almond powder and mix well and keep stirring so that no lumps are formed.
3. Keep stirring the mixture till it becomes thick ( approximately 20 - 25 mins. on a medium flame ).
4. Drop a little paste into cold water and try to make a ball out of it. If a firm ball is formed, then remove from heat mix in the cardamom powder and spread out into a greased plate.
5. Allow to cool for 10 - 15 mins. and then cut into desired shape.


This recipe goes to Sweet Series - Halwa, Kathli, Burfi & Peda hosted by Mythreyee of Paajaka Recipes

Diwali Goodies

This year Diwali was not so very interesting for me compared to the previous years. Food is the only way of getting into the festive mood especially when you are out of India and to top that all my kids were not well and we had to rush to the clinic on the D - day. I still managed to make some goodies to get me in the mood and to have a small celebration. "Mixture" and "6 cup almond burfi" was the savoury and the sweet that I had prepared for this occassion.

Doodh Peda ( Microwave )

One of the easiest sweet is this, with the use of modern electrical equipment "the microwave", ready in just few minutes without compromising the taste of the "halwai dukaan ke pedhes".
I was once searching for sweets in the web, when I came across "ShowMetheCurry" blogspot and viewed the video of this pedha. At first I thought this peda is easy to make, but was not very sure about the taste. So, I gave it a try and I couldn't believe that it was so similar the ones we get at the sweetmeat shops. Since then it has been a hit at the festivals or parties. This is one of the most easiest sweets that I have come across and hats of to you guys, Hetal and Anuja at Show Me the Curry for contributing such a wonderful recipe.
Wishing all a Very Happy and Prosperous, Peaceful Year of Diwali.
I had made this pedha for a potluck party and forgot to take snaps of it. So, here is the melt in the mouth Doodh Peda at the Diwali party.





Ingredients :

2 cups of Milk powder ( I used Carnation Non-fat Dry Milk )
1 can of Condensed Milk
1 stick ( 1/2 cup ) butter and some to grease your hands
1 tsp. cardamom powder
A few strands of saffron (optional)
chopped pistachios for decoration.


Method :


1. Melt the butter in a microwave safe glass bowl for 1 minute on high ( use a deep dish so that it does not spill ).
2. Mix well along with the butter, the milk powder and condensed milk and microwave for another minute and a half.
3. Remove and mix well and again microwave on high for another 2 mins. stirring every 1 mins.
4. Mix in the cardamom and saffron and allow to cool to room temperature.
5. Grease your palms with ghee or butter and make small pedhas out of the mixture and decorate with chopped pistachios.

This recipe goes to Sweet Series - Halwa, Kathli, Burfi & Peda hosted by Mythreyee of Paajaka Recipes

Beetroot Thuvayal ( Beetroot fried chutney )

A healthy and colourful chutney, beetroot in a new form.

Ingredients :

2 medium size beetroots
1 tsp. urad dal
4 - 5 dried red chillies
1 small lump asafoetida or 1/2 tsp. of asafoetida powder
small gooseberry size tamrind
salt to taste
1 -2 tsp. oil ( preferable gingelly oil )


Method :

1. Heat 1 tsp. oil and fry the asafoetida lump and keep aside. ( if using powdered asafoetida, fry along with the urad dal ).
2. In the same oil, fry urad dal and red chillies till the dal turns pink. Remove and set aside.
3. Heat remaining oil and fry the chopped beetroot for 4 - 5 mins. Allow to cool.
4. Grind the urad dal, red chillies, tamarind, salt, asafoetida and beetroot in the mixie to a coarse chutney adding little water.
5. Serve this chutney with hot steaming rice or idlis or dosas or chapatis.

This chutney goes to Srivalli's "Spicy Fiery Chutneys"

Oats & Spring Onion Parathas

Having a box full of oats at home, I was wondering how to get it into our stomachs. I usually use oats to make cookies for my kids and now I am bored of making the same thing out of the oats. Its tough for me to get this wonderful grain into my kids in any other form. I was as usual searching for a savoury recipe with oats and found a good one from Tarla Dalal. This Oats and Spring Onion Paratha is so easy to make and you wont believe that my kids finished it off along with their favourite accompaniment i.e. plain yoghurt.


Ingredient :

1/4 cup quick cooking oats ( I coarsely powdered the oats in the mixie )
3/4 whole wheat flour
2 tbsp. yoghurt
salt to taste
water to knead the dough

For the filling :

1 tsp. jeera
1 tsp. oil
2 bunches of spring onion chopped along with the onions
1 clove of garlic chopped
1 - 2 green chillies finely chopped ( you can also substitute with red chilli powder )
1/2 tsp. turmeric
chopped coriander leaves
salt to taste


Method :

1. Heat the oil in a pan, add jeera and when they get fried, add the garlic, green chillies, spring onions, salt and turmeric and saute till they are cooked and the mixture is dry. Also add some chopped coriander leaves. Allow to cool completely.

2. Mix all the ingredients and adding little water make into a soft pliable dough.

3. Take a portion of the dough, fill in the mixture and seal completely and roll out into small chapathis using flour for dusting.

4. Cook the parathas on a non stick pan on both sides using little or no oil on a medium flame till brown spots appear. Serve hot with yoghurt.

Besan Kheer ( Chickpea flour kheer )

One of the easiest kheer that my grandma taught me was this. Easy to make and very comforting too. Sometimes I feel that I am having "Mysorepak" in a liquid form. Ready in a jiffy is this Besan Kheer ( Kadalaimaavu paayasam).




Ingredients :

1 litre milk
4 tbsp. besan / kadalaimaavu
4 tbsp. ghee
1 cup sugar ( adjust according to taste )
1 tsp. cardamom
1 tbsp. charoli / saraparuppu / chiroti
a few strands of saffron


Method :

1. Heat ghee in a pan on low and fry the charoli till they are slightly crisp. ( You can substitute with cashewnuts also ). Remove from ghee and keep aside.
2. In the same ghee, add the besan flour and fry till the besan gives out a sweet aroma and it is fried in the ghee. Meanwhile keep milk to warm in another pan.
3. Add the sugar to the besan and keep stirring till the sugar melts and is infused with the besan.
4. Add the warm milk little by little and keep stirring while pouring all the milk and allow a boil.
5. Garnish with chiroti, cardamom and saffron and serve warm.

Variation of flavour : Instead of cardamom and saffron, try adding a tsp. of vanilla essence.

A Royal Treat for the Taste Buds

A friend of mine had to attend a potluck party and she wanted to make something rich and elegant. As she is a south Indian and don't know much about North Indian cuisine, I suggested her to make "Malai Koftas". I have a collection of recipes from Tarla Dalal and we decided to make Malai Koftas in Makhni gravy with some variations here and there. It sure was a royal treat to the taste buds and she was very proud to have tried it for the first time with such a rich flavour.







For the malai koftas :


1/2 cup paneer, grated ( we made paneer out of scratch out of 1 litre milk )
2 potatoes, boiled and grated
1 tablespoon milk powder
1 teaspoon chilli powder
a pinch turmeric (haldi) powder
1 carrot, grated
1/2 capsicum, finely chopped
1 teaspoon ginger, grated
1 tablespoon chopped coriander


For the tomato paste :


1 onion, sliced
a small piece ginger, chopped
3 cloves garlic
2 large tomatoes, chopped
4 to 5 cashewnuts
¼ teaspoon turmeric (haldi) powder
1 teaspoon chilli powder



Other ingredients :

oil for deep frying
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon garam masala
4 to 5 tablespoons cream
½ teaspoon kasuri methi
1 tsp. sugar
2 tbsp. butter
salt to taste
Coriander leaves to garnish


Method :


For the malai koftas :

1. Combine all the ingredients and mix well.
2. Roll them into rounds and deep fry them over a medium flame till they are golden brown and keep aside.



For the gravy :

1. Combine the onion, ginger, garlic, tomatoes, cashewnuts, turmeric powder and chilli powder with ½ cup of water in a pan and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes till the vegetables are soft. Cool completely.
2. Blend this mixture to get a smooth purée.
3. Heat butter and add the cumin seeds. When the seeds crackle, add the tomato paste, garam masala, kasuri methi, sugar and salt and bring to a boil.
4. Add the cream and mix well.
5. Just before serving, add the koftas to the gravy and serve hot, garnished with the coriander and butter.

Another comfort food for dessert

I once attended a Rajasthani function at my friend's place and along with all other rajasthani courses I had dessert. It looked like rice with chocolate. I asked my friend was it "chocolate rice" and all my other friends had a laugh. Then she told me that it was "Lapsi" a dessert that rajashtani's must have at their functions. At that time I did not know what lapsi was. It tasted like chocolate flavoured pongal but the rice did have a hard bite to it unlike the pongal. I still fell in love with it and after knowing the health benefits of lapsi I started making it often during festivals as offerings to God.
This entry of mine goes to JFI- Whole Grains hosted by Suganya of "Tasty Palettes".






LAPSI

Ingredients :

1 cup cracked wheat
1 cup jaggery
3 cups milk
1 cup water
2 tbsp. ghee
some raisins and cashews for garnishing
1/2 tsp. cardamom powder
few saffron strands

Method :

1. Heat 1 tbsp. of ghee and fry the cashews till pink and remove. In the same ghee fry the raisins till they puff up and remove aside.
2. Heat remaining ghee, add the cracked wheat and fry in a medium flame until the wheat changes its colour to white and then light pink
3. Add warm water and warm milk to the cracked wheat and cook covered until the wheat is fully cooked. ( you can also pressure cook till 2 whistles ).
4. Add the jaggery and keep stirring till the jaggery dissolves and gets infused with the wheat.
5. Sprinkle cardamom powder and garnish with cashews, raisins and saffron.

A Weekend Ritual

Every Saturday was a ritual of oil bath, comfort food and a long nap in the noons and you would be rejuvenated from head to toe and refreshed for the whole week ahead. Indians have so many varities in comfort foods and one of them in South India is the "thuvayal" or in other words "chutney" or "pachadis". Thuvayal is a fried chuney as some of the ingredients are fried in little oil and then blended. Unlike chutneys, the shelf life of thuvayals can range from 2 days upto a week depending upon the moisture it contains.

Every weekend I try to make one of these and nothing else can comfort you than a thuvayal with hot steaming rice and ghee. This weekend lunch consists of "Kothamalli thuvayal", "Chow-chow moar kottu" and "Carrot rasam", all satisfying and light.





KOTHAMALLI THUVAYAL ( Cilantro fried chutney )

2 bunches of Cilantro washed thoroughly
2 tsp. urad dal
7-8 red chillies
1 small piece of asafoetida or 1 tsp. asafoetida powder
1 small gooseberry size tamrind
1 tsp. mustard
1/2 tsp. urad dal for seasoning.

Method :

1. Heat a tsp. of oil ( preferably gingelly oil ), fry the asafoetida piece first and remove. ( if you are using asafoetida powder, dont fry it now ).
2. In the same oil, fry urad dal and red chillies till the dal turns pink in colour, remove and keep aside to cool.
3. Grind the urad dal, chillies, asafoetida piece, salt, tamrind and cilantro into a smooth paste sprinkling some water.
4. Heat a tbsp. of oil, allow mustard seeds to pop, then add urad dal, ( powdered asafoetida ) and then the cilantro paste and saute well till the oil separates from the paste or the paste has become thick. Serve with hot steaming rice.






MOAR KOOTU

Any vegetable like choyote squash, winter melon, snake gourd, brinjal, cabbage can be used to make this kootu. I have used choyote squash in this recipe. This is a microwave version of the kootu.

Ingredients :

2 choyote squash
1 tbsp. chana dal
1/4 cup curd / yogurt
1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
1/2 tsp. urad dal
1/2 tsp. asafoetida
few curry leaves
1 tsp. oil
Salt to taste.

To be ground to a paste :-

1/4 cup coconut
3-4 green chillies
1 tsp. jeera
1 tsp. rice flour


Method :

1. Wash and peel the choyote squash and cut into small cubes. In a microwave safe bowl, put the choyote squash along with chana dal , add salt and a cup of water and microwave covered on high for about 8 - 10 mins. or till the squash is cooked.
2. Grind into a smooth paste sprinkling some water the given ingredients. Add to the cooked choyote squash and mix and microwave for another 1 - 2 mins.
3. Add the yoghurt and mix well.
4. In another pan heat about a tsp. of oil, splutter mustard seeds, urad dal till pink , asafoetida and curry leaves and pour over the kootu and mix well.







CARROT RASAM

Ingredients :

2 carrots
1 cup of thick tamrind extract
1 tsp. rasam powder
1 tomato
salt to taste
1/2 tsp. asafoetida
1/2 tsp. turmeric
Cilantro for garnish
1 tsp. ghee
1/2 tsp. mustard seeds

Method :

1. Pressure cook carrot or microwave until mushy and puree in a blender or mixie.
2. Take tamrind extract, salt, tomato, rasam powder, turmeric and asafoetida and bring to a boil till the raw smell of the tamrind is lost.
3. Add carrot puree, and 1 1/2 cups of water and bring to a boil.
4. Heat ghee in another pan, splutter mustard seeds and add to the rasam and garnish with cilantro.

Ganesh Chathurthi Special

Ganesh pooja is one of the main festivals in South India and as well as the other parts. For me Ganesh chathuthi is the start of other festivals following it i.e. Navrathri, Diwali, Pongal/Sankranthi and on goes the list.
All are aware of the modak that is made for prasadam to please Lord Ganesha and his all time favourite. In Tamil Nadu, people prepare 3 to 5 varieties of kozhukattais ( type of modaks ) in different shapes. In my house ( my mother's place as well as my in-law's ) the whole day is spent in making kozhukattais and specially where there are many people in the house, the consumption of these kozhukattais have no limit. Hence the rice dough is prepared in large quantity and after using the dough for the kozhukattais, there is still some left. The left over dough is made into "Ammani kozhukattai" ( so called for small balls of the dough ) and steamed and made into a savoury dish.

Ingredients :

Left over rice dough after making modak / or

1 cup rice flour
1 cup water
salt a pinch
1 tsp. ghee or gingelly oil

Other ingredients :

Grated coconut 1/2 cup
Chilli powder 1 tsp. or as required
Asafoetida 1/2 tsp.
Mustard seeds 1 tsp.
Curry leaves a few.

Method for making the rice dough :

1. Boil 1 cup of water with salt and oil/ghee. Add the rice flour to the boiling water and mix well with a spatula. Remove from fire. If u feel that the water is not enough, add little hot water and mix again. Keep tightly covered for a few minutes and then knead well when warm like a chapathi dough.
( remember to grease ur palms with oil or ghee before kneading the dough )

For making kozhukattais :

1. Mix in grated coconut, chilli powder, asafoetida and a little more salt to the dough and knead well till all are mixed properly with the dough.
2. Roll small balls about a little smaller than a marble size out of the dough and steam them for a few mins. ( approximately 8 - 10 mins.)
3. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard and allow to splutter, then add curry leaves and the steamed balls and mix well. Your ammani kozhukattais are ready to eat after it cools a bit.

Aval Payasam

One of the easiest payasams or dessert is this Aval payasam. Aval or poha is nothing but dehusked rice beaten to flakes. Whenever any guest arrive suddenly for lunch or dinner, I usually make this payasam in a jiffy and it is healthier too. Payasams are one of the desserts that the south indians make for a festival or for a feast.



Ingredients :

1/2 cup Aval ( Poha or beaten rice flakes )
4 cups milk
1 cup sugar
2 tbsp. ghee
2 tsp. cardamom powder
chopped cashewnuts as required
few strands of saffron
1 cup boiling water


Method :

1. Heat ghee in a pan on a medium low flame and fry the cashews till pink. Remove and keep aside. In the same ghee add the poha and fry till they puff up.
2. Add the boiling water to the poha and cook till the poha becomes soft and mushy.
3. Add milk and sugar and bring to a boil till the sugar is fully dissolved.
4. Remove from the stove, add cashew nuts, cardamom powder and saffron and serve warm.

Capsicum Masala rice

Ingredients :


Capsicums - 2 chopped finely
Carrots - 2 chopped finely
Green chillies - 2 slitted into two
Curry leaves - a few
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp.
1 tsp. mustard seeds
1 tsp. urad dal
1/2 tsp. asafoetida ( Hing )
Salt to taste
Oil as required
2 cups cooked rice

To be roasted and powdered :

2 tbs. sesame seeds - roasted to pink colour without oil
1 tbsp. coriander seeds
4 red chillies ( increase or decrease as per individual taste )
Roast the coriander seeds and red chillies in little oil till pink and powder along with sesame seeds.

Method :

1. Heat about a tablespoon of oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, after it pops add urad dal, asafoetida, turmeric powder, green chillies, curry leaves, capsicum and carrot. Add salt and saute till the capsicum and the carrots have cooked.

2. Switch off the stove, add the rice and the prepared powder to the capsicum and mix well till the powder and the capsicum-carrot have been mixed with the rice well. Add a little lemon juice for the extra tang and serve with raita and chips.

Tofu Sambal

This entry of goes to JFI-Soya of Monsoon Spice.

Moving to Singapore I was always fasinated by the way Chinese(buddhists & Chrishtians) Malysian(Muslims) & Tamilians (Hindus) live together in one country with lot of peace. Also how Chinese could maintain a very slim figure, malaysians a very heafty one & tamilians mainly from India a moderate one. Malaysians have a wide range of specialities, but for them briyani (I didnt spell wrongly, its called briyani instead of biriyani as normal) is the main dish & all non-veg stuff, but one of the vegge delicacies that they make to go as a side dish to briyani is Sambal. This

Sambal is prepared by us on a weekly basis as soya is good for health(definelty in moderation) & we use this is the side dish for our normal Sambhar rice or chapati or biryani. One other important ingredient for this Sambal is the Sambal red chilli which is used mainly this part of the country, but we can use normal chilli powder instead of this also.

Ingredients:

Tofu cut in rectanular pieces
Sambal red chillies (around 6)
or chilli powder (kashmiri chillies)
Onion - 1 big
Garlic - 6 cloves
Tomatoes - 2 big


Method:
1. Fry the tofu with little oil & be careful that the tofu does not stick on the sides (Good to get silken tofu which is soft)
2. Immerse Sambal red chillies in hot water for some time & once soft grind it with garlic to a smooth paste (if you are using kashmiri red chilli powder saute them for some time in warm oil & grind with garlic)
3. Take some oil in the pan & fry the prepared paste nicely till all the dry smell is gone (if you are using sambal red chilies then you need to fry for more time for the dry smell to go)
4. Once nicely fried add onion & tomatoes to this & also saute for some more time to make a thick paste and oil leaves the sides of the pan.
5. Then add tofu to it to coat all the masalas to the fried tofu. Be careful not to break the tofu.
6. Dont add coriander leaves as it gives a different taste to it.

Note :- Fry the tofu's carefully since this makes then crumbled. We buy Silken Tofu available vaccuum packed here in local supermarkets.

Salt Seedai

Its Gokulashtami and none of the Krishna pooja is complete without this savoury snack in most of the south indian homes. Many of them are familiar with this snack and still many of them are frightened to try out seedais as they might burst.
As far as I know and have been told by my grandmother, seedais burst for a few reasons. In those days people used sea salt also known as " kal uppu" or "khada namak". As this salt contained impurities they would burst in the oil. The sea salt had to be dissolved in water and then mixed in the dough. If it would not be dissolved completely, then it would burst.
Next reason is the sesame seeds. In India we would buy ingredients in loose i.e. not the packaged ones. These non packaged items would contain mud or small stones or other impurities. Hence the sesame seed would be washed and rinsed and then dried in shade and then used in making snacks.
The other thing to my knowledge is the water content in the dough. The dough should be kneaded nicely and then the small balls of seedais are to be rolled with the fingertips just to the extent that they form a ball. They are not to be rolled tightly into perfect circular balls as these balls need some space for the steam to escape while frying.
After marriage, I did not take the trouble to process the rice flour as I had no patience and the time to do it and after all I was alone. I used store bought rice flour and other ingredients and they still came out as good as my patty's seedai. I would like to share this simple recipe with others and I'm sure u will not go wrong with it.

Ingredients :

1 cup rice flour
1 tsp. roasted urad flour
2 tbsp. butter ( room temp.)
1 tsp. sesame seeds
3 tbsp. grated fresh coconut
1/2 tsp. asafoetida powder
Salt to taste ( add very little, knead the dough and then add if necessary )

Method :

1. Roast the rice flour in a pan till hot. ( When u touch the flour it should be bearable hot )
2. Roast 1/2 cup of urad dal or whole urad till pink. Cool completely and grind in the mixie. Seive and keep the smooth flour. One can keep this roasted urad flour for a month and use it to make other savoury snacks too.
3. After both the flours have completely cooled down, take the specified quantity of flours, add sesame seeds, coconut gratings, asafoetida, salt and butter and mix will with fingertips till the butter is dispersed in the flour.
4. Sprinkle water little by little and knead into a soft dough.
5. Take a little part of the dough and start making small balls of marble size with ur fingertips lightly and spread on a clean cotton cloth.
6. After u have rolled out all the dough, heat oil in a kadai to medium hot, add a handful of the balls to the hot oil and fry till light pink in colour. Remove from oil and allow to cool and store in air tight container.
(If u r frightened that the seedais might burst, put a handful in the oil and move away from the oil for a minute or two and then u can return and fry them with a ladle.)

Eggless Banana Walnut Muffins

When we were young school going girls, our mother would buy cake from the local bakery and we would have it in the evening. It was a treat for us. Our mother would never return empty handed after her shopping. It would be either samosas, kachoris or cakes or mithais. We knew that if mom has gone out then some treat would be there after she returns. We had a bakery near our house where we used to get freshly baked bread, cakes, khari puffs, veg. puffs and so many other things. As the place where we lived was mostly populated by Jains, we would even get eggless cakes on order. I would wonder how these eggless cakes were also so soft and fluffy as the ones with eggs. As we are pure vegetarians, buying egg at home was not allowed even though we would buy cakes with eggs and eat them ( except for my parents and grandmother). After my (Sucharitha) marriage, my inlaws were and are very orthodox and they dont even eat certain vegetables on certain days. It was very difficult for me to think and cook only vegetables that are allowed leave alone the eggs. I had always heard about Tarla Dalal in the 90's and she inspired me a lot. I joined her website and downloaded a lot of recipes including the Jain recipes which I had to make i.e. the ones without onions and garlics. I came upon this cake recipe and gave it a try. I was so proud of the results and it was a hit with my in-laws and relatives. I couldn't believe that an eggless cake would be so soft and tasty. From then on, I vowed not to think about the cakes with eggs when the eggless ones were more tastier and softer than those. Here is the recipe for Eggless Banana Walnut muffins.
"Eggless Banana Walnut muffins"




Ingredients :

2 bananas smashed
1/4 cup walnuts coarsely chopped
1 cup all purpose flour 3/4 cup butter ( at room temperature ) { original recipe calls for 1 cup } 3/4 cup sugar ( powdered ) { original recipe calls for 1 cup }
1/2 tsp. vanilla essence
3 - 4 tbs. milk
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda

Method :

Note : All the ingredients should be a room temperature. Keep all the ingredients ready or out of fridge before starting.

1. Pre heat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Beat butter and sugar together with a wooden spoon till fulffy or until the sugar is completely is mixed with the butter.
3. Seive all purpose flour, baking powder and baking soda together.
4. Mix in the flour with the butter mixture little by little, add essence, banana, milk and mix gently. ( Do not mix the batter too much. Just mix so that the ingredients become one).

5. Add the walnuts, stir and pour into muffin moulds till half of the mould and bake for 20 mins. or till a knife inserted in the centre of the muffin comes out clean.
Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 10 - 15 mins. and then dig in.

You can also pour the batter into a cake pan and bake into a cake. My experience is that the muffin recipes come out soft when they are made into muffins than like a cake. This batter makes about 10 - 12 muffins.

Gajar (Carrot) Halwa

The title makes me goto the shivers of the winters & the colourful market place where I would accompany my mom & see those red carrots which you get in the north. The carrots look so full of life that sometimes I am so astonished by the nature.

I remember my mom making gajar halwa(authentic one without condesnsed milk) and I gulping each & every bite of it. As a house hold lover of sweets we relish each & every sweet we buy or make. Also remember how our granny used to be after us not to eat too much & she used to hide the sweets in some place. We could not resist and would try to find it in the afternoon time when everyone was having a nap & try to finish some for sure without knowing.

The place where we stay "Jalgaon" is a very good place for sweets & we surely miss the pure ghee & milk sweets from there.

The story related to sweets is very long with people of sweet tooth like us.

"Carrot Halwa"


1.5 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter)**regular butter may work too
Grated carrot 2 cups
whole milk 1/2 cup
half cup sugar
depending on taste3 shelled green cardamoms powdered
1/4 cup cashews (or almonds) and golden raisins
nutmeg powder optional





1. Melt the ghee, fry the raisins first until they puff up, take them out. Fry the nuts until golden and take them out.

2. Add the carrots to the same ghee and fry until dryish. Frying the carrots adds a nice texture to it (This can also be done in the microwave)


3. Meanwhile, add 1/2 cup of milk to the carrots & allow it to boil, you can also pressure cook the same for 2 whistles. Do not use more than 1/2 cup liquid since it becomes watery if you pressure cook.

4. Add the condensed milk, sugar(if needed, definetly you need it since the condesnsed milk sweetness is not enough) to the carrots and cook down until really thick and it begins to come off the sides.To aid thickening, you can add the nutmeg (jathikkai in tamil) powder. This is optional, but the nutmeg powder makes it creamier and enhances the flavour.

Believe me it smells heavenly!!!

5. The carrots should have texture in the end, and they should not be too ‘milky’. So cook them for 10-12 minutes, max on medium-high heat. (This too can be done in an uncovered container in the microwave, stirring every couple of minutes.)

6. Once its quite thick add the powdered cardamoms, cashews and raisins. Stir and serve warm.


Note :- Consistency is very important, be carerful with the milk you put & the time you need to keep in the heat. Also nutmeg make the dish smell totally different.

I dont get those wonderful red carrots in Singapore, but surely the orange ones dont taste less bad, finally its the color & taste which if you want can add in some red color or kesari powder to it at the end.

Spicy Dill Seeds Rasam

Our grandmother is a very good cook and apart from that she has home remedies for almost all common diseases. Even though she is more than 80, she still tells us remedies for the stomach problems or the common cold or bites or sprains etc etc. The following post is a rasam made with "Suva seeds" ( "aalshi or balant saunf" in Marathi, "sadakuppai" in Tamil, "dill seeds" in English and "suva" in Hindi ) If any of u happen to know the translations in other languages, please feel free to write them. I make this rasam once in a week to remove the toxins and the water retention in the body. It is very good for pregnant ladies as it helps to remove the excess water and helps in digestion. The seeds can be found in the US in the Indian stores and in Chennai in any "Nattu marundhu kadai" and in Maharashtra in the spice shops or the masala shops.


This entry of mine goes to "Think spice" hosted by Sunita of Sunita's world. Thank you Sunita for hosting this event of spice as this is giving me an opportunity for the first time to participate in an event.

This entry also goes to "Herb Mania - Dill" hosted by Lakshmi of "The yum blog" and which was started by Dee at Ammalu's Kitchen.

Dill seeds

"Sadakuppai Rasam"

Ingredients :

To be fried and ground into paste :
1 tsp. Dill seeds (sadakuppai)
1/2 tsp. coriander seeds
1 red chilli
8 - 10 peppercorns



Other ingredients :
1 cup thick tamarind juice
1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
salt to taste

Seasonings :
1 tsp. ghee
/2 tsp. mustard seeds
a few curry leaves.

Method :

1. Boil the tamarind juice along with salt and turmeric powder till the raw smell of the tamarind is lost. ( about 10 mins. )
2. Fry the given ingredients in a drop or 2 of ghee, cool and grind to a smooth paste adding a little water about 1 - 2 tbsp.
3. Add the ground paste to the boiling tamarind water, add a cup and a half of water and allow it to boil.
4. In a pan, heat the ghee, add mustard seeds, let it crackle and then add the curry leaves and pour over the rasam.
5. Close the rasam vessel with a lid and serve after a few mins. ( this allows the smell of the ghee and curry leaves to get absorbed in the rasam)




Serve this rasam with hot rice and ghee along with roasted rice appalam (papad) or any dry vegetable of your choice.