Wishing you all

May the year 2008 be a prosperous and fulfilling year to everyone.

Ridge gourd peppercorn chutney / heerekai menusu chutney

This tasty spicy chutney is 100% my husband's creation. Just loved it. The minute I tasted this chutney, I wanted to share it with everyone and got it clicked. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

Ridge gourd / Heerekai - long - 6

Oil for seasoning

Red chillies - 4

5 to 6 Peppercorns

Few curry leaves

Urud dal - 1 teaspoon

Asafoetida Powder

Turmeric Powder

Salt as required

Tamarind Concentrate - less than 1/4 teaspoon

(If not using concentrate, use a pinch of tamarind)

Method:

Peel the ridge gourd and chop into small pieces.

Heat oil in a kadai and add urud dal, red chillies, peppercorns, curry leaves and asafoetida powder.

Fry for a minute and add the chopped ridge gourd.

When the content is heated, add the turmeric powder and salt. Let it cook for some more time. Stir occasionally. Do not add water.

When the vegetable is cooked, turn off the heat and wait until it cools down.

Add tamarind and grind the content without adding water, and the chutney is ready. Serve with steaming white rice with a dash of ghee.

If you prefer not to have it too spicy, remove a couple of chillis before grinding.

Eggless Tutti Fruity Cookies

A big thanks to Sailu for sharing her wonderful eggless recipe of the tuity fruity cookies. I tried the cookies . Though mine were not as white as her's, it sure did come out very well. The slight yellow color might be because I used a yellow colored custard powder-vanilla flavor. She had used vanilla extract, but I used cardamom extract. I had to use drops of cold water in the end because the dough was little dry and I could not make balls. The recipe below is based on Sailu's Eggless Tutti-Frutti Cookies.

Ingredients:

2 cups Maida
1 cup Canola oil (refined oil)
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup custard powder (I used vanilla flavor)
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons Cardamom Extract

Tutti fruity for garnish

Method:

Mix together maida, baking powder, baking soda and custard powder and in a bowl and dry whisk them really well.

Blend the sugar and oil till smooth. Add the flour to the sugar-oil mixture. Add Cardamom extract and mix well to form a dough. If the dough doesn’t become stiff enough to roll out into balls, add a few tbsps of cold milk or water and chill for a few minutes.

Make small balls out the dough. Garnish with tutti fruity, by slightly pressing into the dough. Place on a greased tray and bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for about 10 -12 mts or till done. Once baked, the cookie will feel soft on touch but once cool it will harden. If you over bake beyond the mentioned time limit, you will have a very crunchy cookie.

Cool on a wire rack and store in airtight container.

Click Here for the original recipe.

Thanks Sailu, for sharing this wonderful cookie recipe.

Eggless Butter Cookies

Its holiday season and lots of baking going on around the world. Getting into the mode of preparing cookies, I googled for eggless versions. Looking at the many versions, I noticed that one thing was common. Beating butter with sugar and mixing some flour, the standard way of preparing simple cookies. With this in mind, I came up with a simple recipe, with very few ingredients and named it 'eggless butter cookies'. This can be tried by anyone. There is nothing in the procedure that can go wrong. This is my entry to the 'Eat Chrismas Cookies', a food blogga's event for christmas cookies roundup.

Ingredients:

1 cup Butter (at room temperature)

1 cup Powdered sugar

1 teaspoon Cardamom Extract (just add your favorite extract)

2 cups of All purpose flour (I used maida)

1 teaspoon Baking powder

1/2 teaspoon Baking soda

Tutty fruity for decorating the cookies (optional)

Method:

Take the softened butter in a large mixing bowl. Add the sugar and whisk using an electirc hand mixer. Cream until light and fluffy. Add the Extract and whisk again.

Take the Flour in another bowl. Add the Baking powder and Baking soda and (dry) whisk well. Incorporate the Flour slowly in the cream while mixing at the same time, until well blended. The cookie dough is ready.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Now, make small balls and place it in an ungreased cookie sheet (use parchment paper) providing atleast 3/4th to 1 inch distance between the balls.

Decorating the cookie is up to you. I pressed each ball with the fork to dent lines. The second time, I tried pressing and placing Tutty fruity in the middle. Bake at 300 degrees for atleast approximately 20 minutes. The cookie is done when it turns lightly brown. Cool them and store in airtight containter. If the cookies are small, the yield is atleast a little more than a couple of dozens.

Instant Lemon Pickle

My friend gave me few lemons when I visited her a couple of weeks back. They were big sized yellow lemons that had a little hard skin. I never realized that they were very juicy until I turned one of them into my favorite pickle. The usual way for preparing lemon pickle is to mix salt to the cut lemons and keep in the sun for 15 days in the jar and shake it daily. I did not have the patience to wait for days (though I admit that it's taste is much more authentic). So, tried out some technique to prepare instant lemon pickle, that's tasty, hot and juicy. Here's how I prepared.

Ingredients:

1 Big sized lemon

Red Chilli Powder - 1 tablespoon

Salt as required

Asafoetida Powder

Roasted and ground fenugreek seeds (metha) less than 1/4 teaspoon

1 tablespoon Oil for seasoning

Mustard Seeds

Method:

Dice the lemon and pressure cook (without adding water) for just few minutes. Set aside (with all the oozed out juice) in a mixing bowl.

When it cools completely, mix in the Salt, Red chilli powder, Asafoetida powder and Fenugreek powder. Mix well.

Heat Oil and spatter the Mustard seeds. Pour this over the pickle and mix well. Instant lemon pickle is ready.

Serve with curd rice. Goes well with rotis or even bread. store in air tight glass container and refrigerate.

Toor Dal Adai

Toor Dal is one versatile lentil that we use in every day cooking, be it sambar, or rasam or even dal fry. In this (Toor Dal Adai) recipe, I have used Toor Dal to make crispy and filling Adai. Adai is a form of dosa and there are several versions of making adais using different lentils. Toor dal Adai is one delicious recipe that I want to share with you all. This is my entry to JFI event: Toor Dal hosted by my friend Linda of 'Out of the Garden'. Thanks Linda for hosting this event. Here goes the recipe.

Ingredients:

Toor Dal - 3/4 cup

Par Boiled Rice - 1 cup

Fresh Coconut (grated) - 1/2 cup

Green Chillies - 3 to 4

Asafoetida Powder

Curry Leaves

Salt to taste

Method:

Soak Toor Dal and Par Boiled Rice in water for 3 to 4 hours.

Grind the soaked Dal and Rice together. Add Coconut, Green Chillies, Asafoetida Powder and Chopped Curry leaves and Salt while grinding. Grind to a smooth dosa batter adding very very little water.

Use this batter to make nice and crispy thin Dosa or thick Adai. Serve with yogurt or any spicy chutney.

Note: The batter can be used instantly or used after fermenting.

This is my entry to Dosa Mela hosted by Srivalli of Cooking for all seasons.

Try This Recipe is now Paajaka.com

My dear friends,

I have launched a new website www.paajaka.com and transferred all the contents of http://trythisrecipe.blogspot.com to the new portal.

PAAJAKA in spoken sanskrit means 'A special Kitchen Utensil'. The utensils we use to cook becomes the special utensil of that recipe. There is one more reason I chose this name. Sri Madhwacharya was born in a hamlet near Udupi and the place is called 'Paajaka Kshetra'.

Thank you for all the support that you have been giving me. Henceforth, all new posts will be in www.paajaka.com. You can email me at mythreyee at paajaka dot com

Best wishes and warm regards from,

Mythreyee.

Navaratna Kurma

This is my version of the navaratna kurma with lots of nuts and fruits. This delicious dish is so filling and is a treat for any special occasion. Navaratna means nine gems and the nine gems in my recipe are carrot, peas, potato, cauliflower, onion, tomato, almonds, pineapple and paneer. I added tutty fruity to add an extra punch to this rich gravy. Here is how I prepared.

Ingredients:

2 cups Mixed Vegetables - Cooked (carrot, peas, potato, cauliflower)

1/2 cup Paneer Cubes - Fried (make thin slices out of the fried paneer cubes)

1/2 cup Pineapple Chunks

Tutty fruity - 2 tablespoons (optional)

1 tablespoon Ghee

1 tablespoon butter (room temperature)

2 tablespoons chopped Almonds or Cashews

Salt to taste

Dry Masala:

1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds

2 teaspoons Poppy Seeds (Khus Khus)

1 teaspoon Cardamom Powder

Wet Masala - 1

grind together:

1 large Onion

2 ripe blanced tomatoes

2 green chillis

Wet Masala - 2

grind together:

1/4 cup Shredded Coconut

1/2 cup Cream (or evaporated milk)

1/2 cup Milk

Method:

Heat Ghee in a kadai and roast the nuts. Keep it aside.

Add the Butter and fry the Wet Masala - 1 for 5 minutes. Keep stirring. Add the Dry Masala and fry for a couple of minutes.

Add the Vegetables and Salt and mix well. After two to three minutes add the Paneer, Fruits and Nuts and the Wet Masala - 2. Let the gravy thicken. Turn off the heat and serve with Naan, Chapathis/Rotis or Parathas.

Note: Other ingredients that can be added to the gravy are apples, raisins and green beans.

Channa Masala

Here is the recipe for the spicy tasty Channa Masala from my mom's kitchen. My mom prepares the channa masala powder with very few ingredients. This Channa Masala goes well with Pooris, Chapathis and even Bread. Awesome authentic delicacy with just few ingredients. Here is how she prepares.

Ingredients:

2 Cups cooked Channa. (Either soak a cup of dry channa overnight and pressue cook it or buy the canned Channa)

1 Big Onion
6 to 7 Ripe Tomatoes
1 Cup cooked Potatoes
Red Chilli Powder
Salt
1 teaspoon Jaggery/brown sugar
Little Oil
Chopped Coriander leaves for garnish


Roast and grind the following:

3 teaspoons Dhania
2 teaspoons Cumin Seeds
1/2 inch Cinnamon
3 to 4 Cloves

Method:

Grind Onion and Tomatoes separately. Keep it aside. Grind little Potato with a tablespoon of cooked Channa and keep it aside.



Heat little oil in a kadai and fry the ground onion.



When it turns color, add the ground Tomatoes and a cup of Water. Fry for some more time. When its boiling, add the Red Chillies and Salt.



Add the ground Masala Powder and cook for 5 minutes or until the powder blends evenly with the gravy.

Add the cooked Potatoes and Channa. Add the ground Potato Channa. This enhances taste and gives good consistency to the gravy.

Add the Jaggery/Brown sugar. Stir and allow it to boil for a couple of minutes.

Garnish with Coriander Leaves and serve with Chapathi or Poori. Can be served with plain Bread too.

Mentha Palidhya - Spiced Buttermilk

Mentha Palidhya is a wonderful substitute for the usual Majjige Palidhya, and is a great dish for diet conscious people since there is no coconut in this recipe. (Mentha is Fenugreek and Palidhya is spiced buttermilk, a dish from Karnataka)

Ingredients:

3 cups Buttermilk (Not too diluted)

Oil for seasoning

1 teaspoon Mustard seeds

2 Red Chillis

1 vertically slit green chilli

1 teaspoon grated Ginger

1 teaspoon Toor Dal

Less than 1/4 teaspoon Mentha (Fenugreek seeds)

Turmeric Powder

Asafoetida Powder

Curry Leaves

Salt

Method:

Add Turmeric Powder and Salt to the Buttermilk and mix really well. Keep it aside.

Heat Oil in a kadai and spatter the mustard seeds, add Toor Dal, Chillis, Grated Ginger, Asafoetida powder, Mentha and Curry Leaves. Add the Buttermilk and give a stir. Wait until one boil and turn off the heat.

For best results, keep mentha palidhya closed, for aleast a couple of hours before serving.

If you think the buttermilk is too diluted, mix a tablespoon of gram flour to it. Make sure there are no lumps.

Serve with steaming rice.

HAPPY DIWALI

Wishing you all a wonderful, safe and a happy Diwali.

Bajji

Bajji is a simple dish prepared by dipping the sliced vegetable in the batter and deep frying it. Though this is the standard procedure, each kitchen has a different recipe for the batter, I mean the proportion of the flour to prepare the batter differs. Here is the recipe for Bajji from my my mom's kitchen. I use Potatoes, Onions, Bell Peppers (Capsicum), and Plantain (Raw Banana or Vaazhakka) to make Bajjis. Plantain Bajji is my contribution for the JFI Banana for the month of October. Thanks Mandira of Ahaar for hosting this wonderful event that was started by Indira.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups Rice Flour

3/4 cup Gram Flour

2:1 measurement of Rice Flour and Gram Flour respectively

1/2 spoon Maida

a pinch of Soda

Red Chilli Powder - 1/2 tea spoon

Asafoetida Powder

Salt as required

Vegetable: 1 Plantain or 1 Potato or 1 Onion or 1 Bell Pepper

Oil for deep frying

Method:

Prepare batter thus, Mix the Rice Flour, Gram Flour, Maida, Soda, Red Chilli Powder, Asafoetida powder and salt. Mix well using a whisk. Then, pour water and mix well until there are no lumps. Make sure the batter is not thin.

Plantain Bajji:

Heat oil in a Kadai for deep frying. Peel off the skin and slice the plantain. Immediately, dip one sliced plantain into the prepared batter and slowly immerse it into the hot oil and deep fry both the sides until golden brown. Carefully, drain the oil and place in the paper towel, so that the excess oil is absorbed. one, two or maximum three sliced plantains can be fried at a time. See to it that each bajji is fried well. Serve hot with any spicy chutney.

For Potato Bajji: Peel the Skin and Slice. Follow the same procedure as Plantain Bajji.

For Onion Bajji: Chop the two ends and take away the outer skin and slice carefully, so that the rings stay in place. Do not disturb the rings. Then follow the procedure as Plantain Bajji.

For Bell Pepper Bajji: Chop both ends and take away the middle seed part. Cut into rectangle shapes and follow the same procedure as Plantain Bajji.

Above is the picture of Bajjis prepared with Plantain, Potatoes and Bell Pepper from my mom's kitchen.

Cherry Tomato Pulao

My friend Sharmi of Neivedyam is hosting the Jhiva for Ingredients event and she has chosed the staple food of the south, RICE. Last weekend, my dear friend Sowmya gave me a bag full of fresh ripe cherry tomatoes that she grew in her garden. The first thing that came to my mind was to try 'Mahanandhi' Indira's Cherry Tomato:Basmati Pulao, which I've been wanting to try for a long time.



Big thanks goes to Sharmi for hosting the event, Indira for her wonderful recipe and to my friend for the tasty juicy Tomatoes. The main recipe is from Mahanandhi, but I substituted Sprouted Kala Channa in the place of frozen fresh chickpeas. Here is how I prepared.



Ingredients:

Basmathi Rice - 1 Cup

15 to 20 cherry tomatoes - cut into half

1 Big Onion - chopped

3 green chillies - cut lengthwise

1/2 cup Sprouted Kala Channa

Salt

Bay leaf - 3

Oil for seasoning

1/2 pinch Food Color : Orange red color (Optional)

For Masala, grind coarsely the following:

2 pods Cardamom

2 cloves

1/2 inch Cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns



Method:

Heat oil in a large saucepan. I used Prestige Kadai Pressure cooker. Fry the Onions until soft. Add the green chillies, masala powder, bay leaf and Sprouted Kala Channa. Fry for a couple of minutes.

Add the cut Cherry Tomatoes and fry until the Tomatoes are tender. Now, add the Basmathi Rice, pour exactly 2 1/2 cups water and brind it to a boil.

Add Salt and the Food Color (optional) and give a stir.

Since I used Kadai Pressure cooker, I turned off the heat after 3 whistles (Please remember to take the cooker away from heat if cooking in electirc cooking range). If you are using a large saucepan, like Indira says, reduce the heat to medium and cook covered for atleast 10 to 15 minutes, until the moisture is absorbed. Do not stir as the basmathi rice will break. Just before serving, sprinkle finely chopped fresh cilantro. This tasted yummy and the best part is, its so easy to prepare.

Very delicious and yet simple. Thanks Indira. This is my kadai pressure cooker that I got from India this time. I recommend this very handy and a convenient Cooker for busy moms.

Hayagreeva muddy

Hayagreeva is an authentic sweet from Karnataka. This is done on special occasions and can be done very easily. The sweet is made with Channa Dal, Jaggery and Ghee. I am contributing this delicacy for my Dear Friend Asha's (Foodies Hope) Round up for RCI Karnataka . Thanks Asha for hosting this event.

(RCI is Regional Cuisine of India: event starter, Lakshmi of Veggie Cuisine)

"Hayagreeva" is a brand name dish of the Madhwas. No major Madhwa social event is complete without the "Hayagreeva" dish. It is called "Hayagreeva maddi" by Madhwa chefs. (Madhwas are followers of the Dvaita Philosophy founded by Sri Madhwacharya). This sweet was prepared by Sri Vadhiraja Theertharu as prasad to Lord Sri Hayavadana and this is the speciality of the sweet. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

Channa Dal - 1 Cup

Jaggery / Brown Sugar - 2 Cups

Ghee - 3 tablespoons

Powdered Cardamom - 1/2 teaspoon

Nutmeg Powder - 1/4 teaspoon

Desiccated Coconut/ Grated Kobri - 2 tablespoons - Roasted in Ghee

Cashews or Almond slices - roasted in ghee.

Method:

Dry Roast Channa Dal for a couple minutes in medium heat. Pressure cook the dal. (The cook time for channa dal is more than toor dal). After the dal is cooked, drain the water and keep the dal aside. The water can be used for preparing Rasam/Saaru.

Heat jaggery/brown sugar in a heavy kadai adding a quarter cup of water.

When the Jaggery melts completely, add the channa dal. Turn heat to medium.

Keep stirring until the moisture is almost absorbed completely.

While it's cooking, mash the dal with a masher.

Reduce the heat and add the other ingredients viz. roasted coconut, cardamom powder, nutmeg, ghee, and nuts.

Mix well and Serve warm or at room temperature.

I am back

Hello Friends, I am back. I had a lovely time in India. Very relaxing though it was a little hectic now and then. I am slowly getting back to the routine here. I have learnt a lot of new, interesting and easy recipes from my mom. Will be posting one by one from next week onwards.

I visited Chennai's new mall 'Citi Center', watched 'Shivaji' in one of the premium theaters - Sathyam, visited Bangalore, hanged out in Forum Mall in Koramangala and all the more had Good Food in India. My daughter loved this trip as she had many people to attend to her and pamper her.

See you all next week with new recipes. Till then, will check out all the wonderful recipes that were posted during my absence.

Blogging Break

I am visiting India next week. Will resume blogging only from August. I will really miss all my blog buddies.

I will be learning many many recipes in India. Will post them one by one after I come back. bye bye. See you all in August. Until then its bye from, Mythreyee.

Recipe Index

Click here for Recipe Index. Thank you.

Black Eyed Beans Curry

Black-Eyed Beans curry is a healthy choice for people who are diet conscious. Here is a simple yet tasty recipe from my kitchen. This beans is called karamani in tamil.

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup - Black Eyed Beans
1 medium Onion - Chopped
Oil for Seasoning
Mustard Seeds - 1 teaspoon
Cumin Seeds - 1 teaspoon
Dhania Powder - 1 teaspoon
Red chilli Powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon

Asafoetida Powder
Salt to taste
Coriander Leaves - handful - Chopped

Method:

Soak Black Eyed Beans in water overnight. Pressure Cook (three whistles).

Heat oil in a Kadai and add the Mustard seeds. When it sputters, add the Cumin Seeds and Dhania Powder. Add the the Onions and fry until tender. Now add the Cooked Beans and Stir. Add 1/2 cup water and let it boil. Now, add the Turmeric Powder, Asafoetida Powder, Red chilli Powder and Salt. Cook for a couple of Minutes and turn off heat. Garnish with Coriander Leaves. Serve hot for Rotis/Chapathis.

Tomato / Thakkali Thokku

Here is one recipe that is an all rounder side dish for Dosa, Iddli, Chapathi, Rice and Bread. Kids love it. This is my sister B's recipe and is also photographed by her. She used Naatu Thakkali, which is by nature a little sour. If trying this recipe with the Roma Tomatoes (The fleshy tomatoes that are not sour), add a little Tamarind to the recipe.

Ingredients:

Tomatoes - 10 (around 2 kgs)

Fenugreek powder - 1 teaspoon

Chilli powder - 2-3 teaspoon

Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Sugar - 3 tsp

Salt to taste

Asafotida Powder

Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon

Sesame Oil(Idhayam) - 2 tablespoons

Method:

Puree the Tomatoes without adding water.

Heat Oil in a Kadai and add Mustard seeds. When it sputters, add the Asafoetida Seeds. Add the Tomato Puree. Boil the content for 1/2 an hour in low heat. Stir occasionally.

Add Turmeric powder, Chilli powder, Salt and Sugar.When it becomes half the quantity (smooth paste), add fenugreek powder and allow it to boil for 5 more minutes. Cool and bottle it. best for Idli, dosa, chappathi, curd rice, tomato rice, sandwich etc., Store in refrigerator.

Carrot Halwa

Here is one of my favorite Halwa. I just followed Malika Badrinath's recipe for Carrot Halwa and it came out very well. Before following her recipe, I fried the Grated Carrot in a tablespoon of Ghee. I also added Saffron strands and extra Ghee for flavor. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

Grated Carrots - 3 cups

Milk - 1 1/2 cups

Sugar - 1 cup

Ghee - 3 tablespoons

Cardamom Powder - 1/2 teaspoons

Saffron Strands - a pinch

Chopped Cashewnuts - 2 tablespoons

Method:

In a heavy bottomed kadai, fry the grated carrots in a tablespoon of ghee for one minute. Then add the milk and saffron and pressure cook for one whistle.

To this, add sugar and keep stirring in a heavy bottomed kadai in medium heat.

When complete moisture is absorbed, add half of the ghee. Fry for two more minutes and remove from heat.

Fry the cashewnuts in the remaining ghee and add it to the halwa with the cardamom powder. Mix well. Serve warm or at room temperature or serve warm with a dollop of Ice cream.

Note: Reduce the sugar if the carrot is too sweet..

(I did the whole procedure in my non stick prestige kadai pressure cooker).

Pongal Gojju

One of the very common breakfast item in south India is the famous VenPongal - (Seasoned Rice and Dal) and Gojju - (gravy with tamarind). Its very easy to prepare and is sure a filling one. Venpongal is called 'Huggie' in Kannada. Pronounced 'hug' as 'who'g and 'gie' as 'ghee'.

Pongal Recipe:

Ingredients:

1 Cup - (Ravi) Sona Masoori Rice
1/2 Cup - Split Moong Dal (Hesaru Bele)
1 teaspoon - Cumin Seeds
1 teaspoon - Crushed Pepper
Salt as required
Ghee - 2 tablespoons
Curry Leaves
Asafoetida Powder
Cashew Nuts (Optional)

Method:

Wash rice and dal. Add the cumin seeds, pepper and salt. Add just 4 cups water and pressure cook for 5 whistles.

Transfer the contents to a large bowl.

For the seasoning, heat little ghee and fry the cashewnuts. Add the curry leaves and asafoetida powder. Pour the seasoning into the pongal with the remaining ghee and stir well until even distribution.

Gojju Recipe:

Ingredients:

Peeled Small Onions - 1 Cup

Oil for seasoning - 2 tablespoons

Mustard Seeds - 1 teaspoon

Urud Dal - 1 tespoon

(Mentha) Fenugreek Seeds - 1/4 teaspoon

Tamarind Concentrate - 1 teaspoon (if using raw tamarind, soak small lemon sized tamarind in water and sqeeze. Use the the tamarind water)

Curry Leaves

Asafoetida Powder

Turmeric Powder

Salt

Roast and Grind:

Urud Dal - 1 tablespoon

Dhania - 1 tablespoon

Red Chillis - 2

Sesame Seeds - 1 teaspoon

Channa Dal - 1 teaspoon

Method:

Heat Oil in a Kadai. Add the Mustard Seeds, Urud Dal and Fenugreek Seeds. Add the Onions and fry for a minute. Add the Tamarind Concentrate and 2 Cups of water. Allow it to boil. When its boiling, add the Turmeric Powder, Asafoetida Powder, Salt and Curry Leaves.

When the Onions are tender, add the ground masala and cook for 5 minutes.

This Gojju can be served with plain rice too. Tastes good with Appalam or Vadagam.

Presentation:

Serve Pongal and Gojju as shown in the above picture. (Fill pongal in a Cup and topple upon the plate).

This is my entry to Mixed rice varieties event hosted by EC of Simple Indian Food.

Coconut Burfi

This is my sister B's recipe for Coconut Burfi. Photographed by her too. Here's the recipe.

Ingredients:

Grated Coconut - 1 Cup

Sugar - 1 and 1/2 Cups

Saffron - a pinch (as desired)

Gram flour - 4 tsp

Cardamom - 1 tsp

Ghee - 4-5 Tbsp

Method:

Heat Sugar in a large Kadai dissolving very little water, Cardamom and Saffron.

Wait until the Syrup reaches the Soft Ball Consistency. Meanwhile roast the Gram flour for few seconds and keep it aside. Also, grease a dish with ghee.

(Soft Ball Consistency: Add few drops of sugar syrup into a cup of cold water. If the syrup does not dissolve then the right consistency is reached)

Add the Coconut and keep stiring.

When the mixture starts thickening, add the Gram flour.

When it starts thickening add little ghee. and keep stirring.

Pour the content in a greased dish. You might have to act fast as the coconut will get overcooked while the full moisture is absorbed. That will lead to dry coconut and sugar flakes.

Even the layer and allow it to cool. When its almost cooled and a little warm, cut it into diamond shaped cubes. Allow it to cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

Curry Leaves Kudhi Menusu

Curry Leaves, called Karuvepilai which literally means Black Neem Leaf, are aromatic leaves that are extensively used in Asian Cooking especially in the South Indian Cuisine.

I found a wonderful article about curry leaves, in buzzle.com, written by Kanika Goswami. She says, Apart from cooking, the curry leaf has a number of medicinal uses also. It is an essential ingredient of almost all traditional medicine systems of peninsular India, sometimes with amazingly good results. Unani, Ayurveda and other systems use it to cure ailments such as piles, to allay heat of the body and are useful in leucoderma and blood disorders, and this has been proven by experts of western medicine also. In India, the curry leaf is used to prevent conditions such as nausea and stomach upsets. It is also used in treating skin irritations and poisonous bites. Its oils are invaluable as repellants and to cure skin disorders common to the tropics. More...

Also, Here's a post about the Curry leaves by Prabudesai in Benifits of Indian food.

The Jihva for Ingredients for the Month of May is 'GREENS' and is hosted by the event creator Mahanandhi. Thankyou Indira for hosting this event. I chose Curry Leaf and my contribution for the JFI event for Greens is 'Curry Leaves Kudhi Menusu'. We call it Karuvepilla Kudhi Menusu at home. Its a wonderful recipe that is very good for digestion, particularly prepared the day after a heavy Dinner to cleanse the digestive tract. Here's the recipe.

Ingredients:

Curry Leaves - 2 to 3 Cups

Ginger - 1 inch

Peppercorns - 8 to 10

Salt to taste

Oil for seasoning - 1 tablespoon

(Sesame) Gingily Oil - 1 or 2 teaspoons

Mustard Seeds - 1 teaspoon

Asfoetida powder

Tamarind - very little

Method:

Wash Curry Leaves and Drain Water. Toss in a heated Pan for a couple of minutes. When its almost room temperature, grind the leaves with Ginger, Tamarind and Peppercorns using water little by little. Do not use more water.

Heat Oil in a Kadai and tamper the Mustard Seeds. Add the Asafoetida powder and then add the ground paste. Add Salt and Fry until all the moisture is absorbed.

Serve a teaspoon of this with a cup of hot steaming rice and a spoon of ghee. Mix well and enjoy the delight.

Lima Beans Kootu

The Nutritious Lima Beans, sometimes called 'butter beans' is rich in fiber and also reduces cholestrol and is very good for diabetic people as it prevents rise in blood sugar levels that rises rapidly after meals. It also provides fat free high quality protein. For more information on Lima Beans CLICK HERE.

Here is a recipe thats delicious and yet a healthy choice for everyone. This is a regular Kootu where I added cooked mashed Lima Beans to the kootu instead of Toor Dal. The taste is superb and the feel of consuming a healthy food is wonderful.



Ingredients:

1 Cup Lima Beans (Large or Small)
Chopped Cabbage - 1 Cup
Chopped Beans - 1 Cup (Chopped into 1/2 inch size)
Tomato - 2 (Chopped)
Tamarind Concentrate - 1 teaspoon
Kootu Powder - 1 teaspoon ( or substitute with the usual sambar powder)
Oil for seasoning
Mustard Seeds
Urud Dal
Asafoetida
Turmeric Powder
Curry Leaves
Salt as required

Method:

Soak Lima Beans in water overnight.

Pressre Cook Lima Beans and Mash it well.

Fry the chopped tomato (no oil or water required) and add the mashed lima beans and stir until it blends well with the Tomato. Keep it aside.

Heat Oil in a kadai and tamper the Mustard seeds. Add the Urud Dal and when it turns golden, add the Cabbage and Beans. Pour some water and allow it to boil.

While the vegetables are boiling, add the Tamarind Concetrate, Turmeric Powder, Asafoetida Powder, Curry Leaves and Salt.

When the Vegetables become tender, add the Kootu or Sambar Powder (I used Kootu Powder).

Stir well and add the Mashed Lima Beans. Stir until the beans blends well to become a gravy.

Garnish with cilantro and serve hot with Rice or Roti.