Happy Pongal/ Sankranthi

HAPPY PONGAL/SANKRANTHI

Wish you all happy and prosperous Pongal. May all your dreams come true. May the almighty bless you with health, prosperity and joy.  

This is my pongal Rangoli, as i cant do rangoli on my door steps , instead i have done with chalk and black chart. Hope you all will enjoy this....:)

My flowers floating in the water and it is placed in front of the god....:)

HAPPY PONGAL/ HAPPY SANKRANTHI

After Pooja, and now it is all set for having heavy lunch....hmmmm i had full and distributed to some of my friends and enjoyed my cooking ...:) Soon will update all my recipes. 

HAPPY PONGAL/ SANKRANTHI

Strawberry milkshake

I often prepare this strawberry milkshake.  It is one of the favourite fruit of my son.  so try this strawberry milkshake recipe to make your family delighted.  You can also substitute Banana, Raspberry, Pineapple.

INGREDIENTS:

Strawberries  350g /12 oz

Sugar 1 and half tablespoon

semi-skimmed /chilled skimmed milk one pint

organic strawberry ice cream (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

Remove the stalks from strawberries and liquidise, blend or sieve to a smooth puree.  Pour one pint milk into strawberry puree and blend together. Add sugar/ice cream and blend for few seconds.  Pour into glasses in which you want to serve.

Tomato mirrium

I learnt this recipe from my mom.  To me there is nothing more comforting then making and eating my mom's recipe's.  I promise this recipe can be done in less than 15min if the tomatoes and garlic  are chopped and kept ready. 

Ingredients:

4 big ripen tomatoes 

5 to 6 flakes of garlic

curry leaves

Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp

chilli powder 1 tbsp

corriander powder 2tbsp (add chilli powder and corriander powder according to ur taste)

salt

For seasoning:

Mustard seeds 1tsp
Urad dal 1tsp
Jeera 1tsp
Oil 4 to 5 tbsp (i used sesame oil)

Directions:

Chop the tomatoes and garlic and grind in the mixer like a smooth paste and keep it aside.  Now add the oil in a pan, after it gets heated add mustard seeds, let it splutter, add urad dal, jeera, curry leaves and add the smooth paste in to the pan, now add the turmeric, chilli powder, corriander powder and salt to taste.  Stir well in a medium flame until it gets the right consistency.  Switch off the flame and serve with idly, dosa, goes with plain rice too.

I hope you will enjoy this recipe and let me know how it turned for you.

Kobbari putnala pappu pachadi/ coconut roasted gram dal chutney

Ingredients:

1 cup of freshly grated coconut

1/4th cup of roasted gram dal

2 to 3 green chillies

garlic 2 flakes

small piece of tamarind

salt

seasoning:

1 tsp mustard seeds

1tsp of urad dal/minappapu

curry leaves

2 tsp of oil

Directions:

Grind all the ingredients with out adding water first. Switch off the mixer add some water and grind it to fine smooth paste.  Now season with the 2 tsp of oil and mustard seeds let them splutter, add urad dal, curry leaves and add the seasoning in to the paste. Mix and serve with idly or dosa.

Note :  If needed you can also add red chillies instead of green chillies and if u want the chutney to be thin add some more water to the paste before seasoning it.

Egg gravy

Ingredients:

Boiled eggs make slits on top of each egg 

2 onions chopped

2 green chilli (i used1)

1 tsp red chilli powder

half a tea spoon of turmeric powder

Ginger garlic crushed

3/4 tsp of coriander powder

1 tsp of cumin

5 tomatoes

Curry leaves 

Coriander leaves for garnish

2 tbsp Oil

my own masala ( Pepper 1tbsp and coriander seeds dry roast both of these ingredients and powder it)

For tempering:  1/2 tsp mustard seeds or vadagam, jeera 1/2 tsp, curry leaves.

Directions:

Heat oil in  a pan and add mustard seeds or vadagam and let them splutter.  Add jeera, curry leaves let that fry a second.

Add chopped onions and green chillies, freshly crushed ginger garlic and fry until light brown.

Add chopped tomatoes and fry for 5 minutes until the raw smell goes off.Add turmeric powder, coriander powder,  salt,chilli powder, my own massala  mix well and saute for a few seconds.

Add water if you like to have thin gravy. Close the lid, cook in low heat till you get the required consistency. and then finally add the boiled eggs and stir for a while, now turn off the heat, garnish with coriander.  Serve this with hot rice or rotis or idly/ dossa.

My flowers and egg gravy nice kadha.


http://rainbow-manjulaprabakaran.blogspot.com/2010/05/crepe-paper-flowers.html

Kothavarangai/ cluster beans

Ingredients:

Kothavarangai/cluster beans 500 gms

Mustard seeds 1tsp

Urad dal 1tsp (optional)

Onion 1

Green chilli 2

Dry chilli  2

Coconut (optional) ( i didnt use in this)

Curry leaves

Chilli powder1tsp

Corriander powder 2tsp or (instead of chillipowder and corriander powder you can use sambar powder)

i used chilli powder and corriander powder.

Salt

Turmeric powder

Directions:

Wash the beans and cut into small pieces. Boil the beans for 10 mins till it's half cooked. Drain the water and keep the beans aside.
Add oil in a pan, after oil gets hot, add mustard after it splutters add urad dal, red chilli,curry  leaves , chopped onion, fry onion till it is gloden brown, add turmeric ,green chilli, saute for a while and add chilli powder, corriander powder.
Add boiled beans, salt and if needed add little bit of water so that it wont burn. Close the lid cook for a while and finally add coconut stir for a minute. Turn off the heat and serve for white rice, dal rice, curd rice.  It taste yummy.  I hope you enjoy this recipe.

Bobattu / Puran poli

 

Ingredients:


A cup of channa  dal (Bengal gram lentil)  
One and half cup maida
one cup jaggery
4-5 tbsps of oil
1 tsp cardamom powder
pinch of salt
3-4 tbsp ghee or butter




Directions:


Soak channa dal in water for 2 to 3 hrs and drain them and add a cup of water in a pressure cooker  and cook until it become soft and mashy.  Cool that and mash them once again with spoon or masher or you can even grind into paste.
Add oil in a thick pan and after oil gets heated, add the dal paste and  jaggery, stir it for a while until it forms lump so that you can prepare small balls for stuffing.  Stir in a low medium heat and it should not burn.  
Add cardamom powder to that lump and mix well.  Switch off the heat and let it cool but it should be warm enough to make the smalls and start making the balls with this mixture and keep them aside.
Prepare the dough with the help of maida, pinch of salt, 3 tbsps oil and water to make a very soft and sticky dough.
Grease oil in your hands to mix the dough and take a portion of dough and flatten it (what ever size you want) in silver foil or banana leaves.  Place the balls which you already prepared in the centre and cover the edges of the dough from all sides such that sweet lentil balls cover completely.

 Now gently flatten the balls with your fingers to form 5" or 6" circular  poli (shape as you like) Grease oil in your hands if it gets sticky.  Fry the bobattu/poli on a low heat in tawa or a thick pan.  Toast poli's both the sides until brown spots appear.

Add ghee on both the sides while frying and serve them hot.

Rava Ladoo

Rava Ladoo is one of my favourite sweets and i simply adore these ladoos.  My mom used to make ladoos  and i remembered one instant recently when i was about to deliver my son Pranith,  i asked my mom "Mummy i feel like eating rava ladoo and murukku, she prepared for me immediately" i can not forget those things.  I love my mom so much. God could not be everywhere and therefore he made mothers.


Ingredients

1 cup of sooji/semolina course
1/2 a cup of sugar or 3/4 (add according to ur taste)
Cardamom powder 1 tsp
3tbsp ghee
10 Raisins
15 cashewnuts
Warm milk to make the ladoos.


Directions

Heat a pan, add ghee and toast the cashews, raisins and keep them aside. 
Add sooji in the same pan roast for few minutes until the raw smell goes off and keep aside.  Now add sugar, cardamom powder, toasted cashews and raisins, few tsp of ghee (optional), Sooji and mix well.  Sprinkle warm milk on top it and using your hands form small balls i mean ladoos.  Be careful while forming the ladoos as it will break and hence it should be done gently and place it on the plate by decorating cashews on top of it.  Note:  you can also add coconut by roasting them in ghee. This is optional but if you add coconut, then you can't store ladoos for longer period. 
And now the ladoos are ready  and have fun by making these. 

Egg fried rice

Ingredients

Onion 2

Green chilli 4

Eggs 5

Ginger garlic paste

Black cumin seeds(Shahi jeera 1tsp)

Pepper powder 1tbsp

Coriander

cooked rice

Salt

Oil

Directions

Take a pan add oil, after it gets heated add black cumin seeds.  Wait until it gets splutter, now add onion and fry until slight golden brown in color. Add green chillies, ginger garlic paste fry for 30 seconds. Now break the eggs into it and cook for a while and scramble them. Add black pepper powder and mix for a while. You can also add some vegetables like  beans, carrot, cauliflower, broccoli, peas before adding eggs and then you can add eggs and cook them well.  It is optional.  Now add the cooked rice,salt and mix it well.  Fry for 2 to 3 minutes.  Finally add chopped coriander leaves. And now it is ready to serve.

Egg Roast

Four boiled eggs. Add 4 tsps oil in a pan, add a pinch of turmeric powder,Nicely crushed garlic,pinch of methi powder,pinch of of cumin powder,pinch of coriander powder,1/2 tsp chilli powder and salt to taste. Place the boiled eggs,cut-side down,toast on a low flame for six minutes. Turn over the other side and toast for few mts. Turn off the heat. Serve warm. if it is warm it will be more tasty.

Note:

If u want more spicy to your toast add it accordingly.

Eggplants

My Father and son standing in between the eggplants cultivation.

Dont include too many eggplants in your diet if you are interested in weight gain.

Eggplant is:

• Low in saturated fat, sodium and cholesterol
• Hign in dietary fiber, folate,potassium, mangagese, vitamin C, Vitamin K, Thiamin,Niacin,Vitamin B6, Pantothenic Acid,Magnesium, Phosphorus and copper

The nutritional value and health benefits of eggplant makes it ideal for:

• Maintaining optimum health
• Weight loss

Beans Carrot poriyal (Side dish)

Ingredients:

Beans 15 (Long)

Carrot 2 to 3

Freshly grated Coconut 1tbsp

Half tsp red chiilli powder

One tsp coriander powder

Turmeric powder

Garlic 2 to 3 flakes

Salt

For Seasoning:

Mustard seeds half tsp

Broken urdal dal one tsp

Curry leaves 5

Green chillies 2 to 3

Directions:

Take a thick pan, add 3 tbsp of oil. Then season the things given in the seasoning column. Add crushed garshed to that. Now add beans carrot fry until the raw smell goes off. ( If u like to Cook the beans and carrot in a separate vessel adding a glass water to that, boil it and keep it ready for tampering.)

Add turmeric and salt to the vegetable after seasoning, stir for a while. Add chilli powder and coriander powder stir well. Once you have done , switch off the stove. Now add freshly grated coconut and stir gently. You can have this for curd rice and anyother rice varities and roti. Enjoy the dish.

Idli

INGREDIENTS

2 cups Rice

1 cup Urad Daal (white)

1 1/2 tblsp Salt

A pinch of Baking Soda

Oil for greasing

DIRECTIONS

wash and soak the Urad daal overnight or for 8 hours.

wash and drain the rice.

Grind it coarsely in a blender or Grinder.

Grind the daal into a smooth and forthy paste.

Now mix the grinded rice and daal together into a batter.

Mix salt and set aside in a warm place for 8-9 hours or overnight for fermenting.

Idlis are ready to be cooked when the batter is well fermented.

Grease the idli pan well and fill each of thm with 3/4th full of batter.

Steam cook idlis on medium flame for about 10 minutes or until done.

Now remove the idlis from the pan by applying water on the spoon.

Serve the idlis with sambar or chutney.

Chapathi or Roti

INGREDIENTS:

Two and half cup chapathi or roti flour
one cup of luke warm water
Salt one tsp
some roti flour for dusting the dough while rolling it out
Ghee or oil or butter (your wish)

DIRECTIONS :

Prepare dough by mixing together ½ cup of water with 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp ghee and just enough wheat flour.
Knead well.
Divide the dough in to small size balls.
Using a rolling-pin, roll out the dough into a thin,round patty, about 5 inches in diameter
Roll from the center, turning patty several times to prevent sticking. Try to make the edges slightly thinner than the center.
Heat a tawa over medium heat.
Place the rolled dough on the palm of one hand and flip it over on to the tawa. When the color changes on the top and bubbles appear, turn it over. When both sides are done, use kitchen tongs to remove the chapati from the tawa.

Directions to do chapathi on the gas stove:

If you have a gas stove, hold the cooked chapati over a medium flame and it will puff up immediately. Turn quickly to flame-bake the other side. Do this several times, taking care that the edges are well cooked.
Serve hot by applying ghee or butter.

karamani sundal(cow gram)

Ingredients:

Karamani (cow gram) one cup

One onion (optional)

5-10 curry leaves

Mustard seeds 3/4th tsp

Urad dal broken one tsp

Red chillies 3 to 4

green chilles 1 to 2

Freshly grated coconut 2 tbsp

(Hing) Asafetida a pinch

Directions:

Soak the kidney beans (karamani or Cow gram) for 4 to 5 hrs or soak over night.

Wash the beans in water and drain the water. Pressure cook the beans and just keep for three whistles. Drain away the water by using strainer.

Add oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, urad dal, slit green chillis, broken red chillies,curry leaves, Hing, add onions and stir for few seconds.

Now add cooked beans and stir for few seconds.

Add salt to taste.

Finally add grated coconut and stir for a while, and now the beans is ready to eat.

Pav Bhaji

INGREDIENTS

1 piece butter
2 number carrots
5 piece cauliflowers
1/2 cup peas
1 number eggplant small
3 potato medium size
any other vegetables 1/2 cup
2 onions
3 tomatos
chopped coriander 1 bunch
3 number green chilli
capsicum medium size
jeera
ginger garlic paste
food color
coriander powder 1tbsp
1/2 spoon chillipowder
1 pinch turmeric
hing optional
pav
lemon
salt
pav bhaji masala powder

DIRECTIONS

Wash potatoes,carrots, capsicum,cauliflower, peas, eggplant, green chilli and any other vegetables of our choice and cut them into medium size pieces.Boil the above vegetables in pressue cooker for 4 whistles till it get smashed consistency and keep it aside. Cut the onions and tomatoes and one green chilli into small pieces. Now heat butter in a pan and fry jeera once it got spluttered add onions,turmeric and hing(optional) and fry them till golden brown add tomatoes,greenchilli, ginger garlic paste and cook them till tomato looses its raw smell. Now add chilli powder,coriander powder and pavbhaji masala powder and salt then mix it well. Add some water to avoid sticking to the pan. Close the pan and cook it for 5 mins. Now add the mashed vegetables which we cooked in pressure cooker to this mixture and mix it well. Add food color (optional). Stir well till the vegetables mix well with the masala mixture. Take the pav and slice them. Put butter on a pan and fry it till the pav gets cooked. Serve hot and garnish the bhaji with coriander and chopped onions. Put some lemon juice over the bhaji.

Masaal Vadai

INGREDIENTS

Bengal gram dal one and half cup
Onion 2 number
Green chilli 3 to 4 number
Ginger garlic paste 1tbsp
Curry leaves small bunch
Coriander leaves small bunch
salt
sanuf 1 teaspoon

DIRECTIONS

Wash and soak bengal gram dal for 2 to 3 hrs. Chop onion,green chilli,curry leaves,coriander leaves.Grind bengal gram along with sanuf coarsely(It should not be smooth like dosa mix). Now mix chopped onions, ginger garlic paste, coriander leaves, curry leaves and green chillies along with this batter and add salt to it. Make the above dough like small biscuits by applying water on your hand and deep fry them till golden brown aswell it cooks inside.

Paneer Butter Masala

INGERIDENTS

Paneer 400 grams
Tomato 4 numbers
Cashews 5 numbers
cloves 3
cinnamon sticks 1
Bay leaves 1
Cardamom 2
Gram masala 1teaspoon
Fresh cream single
Chilli powder 1 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Butter 4 tbsp

DIRECTIONS

Heat the pan, put one table spoon butter and fry the paneer. Fry until golden brown. Keep it aside. To make tomato puree, boil tomatos and peel the skin of tomatos. Boil the tomatos as it is, dont cut them. After peeling the skin from tomato, keep it aside for sometime.Let them cool down and then grind them in mixer along with cashew nuts. Heat butter in a pan add the masala grains(Cardamom,bay leaf, cloves and cinnamon sticks) fry them till golden brown. Now add the tomato puree along with sufficient salt to the fried grains and let it cook for 5 mins. Add one spoon garam masala, Chilli powder to the cooked puree. Add the fried paneer cubes to the cooked tomato puree. If you want you can add a pinch of food color to the above mixture or you can leave it. Finally pour one cup of cream in to pan and mix it well. Serve hot the delicious paneer butter masala along with fried rice or chapatis or pulka..

Gobi manchurian

GOBI MANCHURIAN

INGERIDENTS

cauliflower 1 full flower
Onion big size 3 numbers
green chilli 4 numbers
ginger and garlic 3 tbsp chopped
Oil
Coriander leaves 1 bunch
chilli sauce 1tbsp
soya sauce 2 tbsp
Tomato sauce 3 tbsp
corn flour 1 cup


DIRECTIONS

Take only florets from cauliflower and half cook the flowers in a boiling water along with added salt. Now take the cauliflower florets and mix them well with corn flour, turmeric, salt , chilli powder, deep fry them and keep them aside.

Heat a little amount of oil in a frying pan, pour a jeera and fry them. Add sliced oninons to that and fry them till golden brown. Once the onions get fried add sliced ginger and garlic and fry them for a minute.Now add 1 table spoon chilli sauce, 2 table spoon soya sauce, 3 tablespoons tomato sauce and mix them well. Now add the fried cauliflower florets and mix them well. Finally add chopped corinander and server hot along with chapatis or separately.

Fried Rice

INGERIDENTS

Basmati rice 2 cups
carrot 4 numbers
peas 1 cup
Half green capsicum
Half red capsicum
Half yellow capsicum
Chilli sauce 1tbsp
soya sauce 2 tbsp
tomato sauce 1tbsp
Oil
Vinegar 2 tbsp
Salt
Beans 100grams
Cabbage one cup
Onion 2
Green chilli 4 numbers

DIRECTIONS

Cut carrot, capsicum, cabbage, onion,bean into thin long pieces. Heat oil in a pan fry onino till light golden brown and pour the remaining vegetables,peas and fry them for few minutes and put the lid over the pan and keep them till cooked.Add some salt. Once after all the vegetables got cooked add one tablespoon chilli sause, 2 tablespoon soya sause, 1 table spoon tomato sause, 2 tablespoons of vinegar.

Cook the rice separately(grains should get separated). Add the cooked rice to the above mixture and mix well.
Serve hot with tomato sause or any vegetable curry.