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