Saturday, August 30, 2014

Daangar Pachidi(Urad dhal flour raita )



Everytime I make murrukku or thattai for diwali or krishna jayanthi,I was always left with some roasted urad dhal flour which I used for it.This time after krishnajayanthi, again I had some leftover roasted urad dhal flour and one day when I called my mom ,I told her I don't  know what to do with this  leftover urad dhal flour.she told me that we can make a delicious raita with this roasted urad dhal flour and it is known as Daangar pachidi traditionally.It tastes great with any vathakhuzhambu or sambar.I was quite unsure whether there will be any raw smell of urad dhal flour as we roast the urad dhal only till it turns light pink and not golden brown for murrukku or thattai.But to my surprise the Daangar pachidi came out superb and here goes my post for the recipe of Daangar pachidi.

Preparation time:5 mins
Serves:2

Ingredients:
Roasted urad dal flour-1 1/2 tbsp
Thick curd-1 cup
Hing-1/2 tsp
Salt- to taste
Coriander leaves chopped- few to garnish
Oil-1 tsp

To temper:
Mustard-1 tsp
Jeera -1 tsp
Curry leaves - few
Green chillies chopped-2 no s

Procedure:

1. In a vessel add the roasted urad dhal flour, salt, hing and curd and mix well.


2. In a small pan,add a tsp of oil and add the tempering ingredients.once the mustard and jeera splutters add it to the curd mixture.


3. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve it with vathakhuzhambu or sambar or puliyotharai.



Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Kothavaranga Pulikootu(Cluster beans in tamarind gravy)



Kothavarangai or cluster beans are very nutritious and a low-calorie option.When I was a kid I didn't like it a lot as it sometimes has an after taste bitterness if the cluster beans are not very tender.once my mom made this very tasty pulikootu with kothavarangai and from that moment I liked this vegetable.as we add tamarind there was no bitterness and it tasted scrumptious .mostly everybody makes a poriyal or paruppu usli with this vegetable.but you must surely try this and goes well with any thogaiyal or mor khuzhambu or just with plain rice.

Preparation time:20 mins
Serves:2

Ingredients:

Kothavarangai or cluster beans-250 gms
Gram dhal-2 tbsp
Tamarind-1 small goose berry size(don't add too much otherwise the dish will turn sour)
Sambar powder-1 1/2 tsp
Grated coconut -3 tbsp
Curry podi(optional)-1 tsp
Turmeric powder-1 tsp
Hing-1/2 tsp
Jaggery -1/2 tsp
Fresh coriander leaves- to garnish
Oil-1 tsp

To temper:

Mustard seeds-1/2 tsp
Jeera-1/2 tsp
Urad dal-1/2 tsp
Curry leaves-few

Procedure:

1.Boil one cup of water in a wok with the gram dhal,turmeric powder and hing added to it.Once it starts boiling,add cluster beans and simmer the flame and close the wok with a lid and cook till the cluster beans are soft.



2.Meanwhile,soak tamarind in water and extract it's juice.once the cluster beans are cooked add tamarind juice,sambar powder and salt to it .Let it boil till the raw flavour of sambar powder is gone.




3.Grind a tsp of curry powder with coconut in a mixer to a fine paste.


4.Add this ground paste to the cluster beans mixture and let it boil for another 5 mins on slow flame.After 5 mins,switch off the flame and add the coriander leaves and jaggery.



5.In a separate pan,add oil and all the tempering ingredients and after the mustard splutters add it to the cluster beans gravy.The kothavarangai puli kootu is ready and serve it hot with any thogaiyal and plain rice.



Tips:

*You can skip curry powder if you don't have.
*Curry powder : Dry roast and grind to a fine powder the following.
                          Urad dal-1 tbsp
                          Gram dal-1 tbsp
                          Coriander seeds-1 tbsp
                          Red chillies-4 nos


Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Easy Mor Kuzhambu


Actually there are two types of Mor kuzhambhu which my mom makes at home.The one with coconut and other ingredients is called as Arachuvitta mor kuzhambhu and the one made with besan flour is known as Vedikavitta mor kuzhambhu as we generally temper the besan flour mixed curd.I am going to give the recipe of the latter as it is super easy and tasty also.Generally it is prepared with leftover or sour curd.Sour curd gives a nice tanginess to this mor kuzhambhu.It goes well with plain rice,coconut,rice and even with coconut/lemon sevai.

Preparation time:10 mins
serves:2

Ingredients:

Curd-1/2 litre
Besan flour-3 tbsp
Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp
Hing-1 tsp
Salt-to taste
Oil-1 tbsp

To Temper:
Mustard seeds-1 tsp
Omam/Ajwain -1/2 tsp
Chopped Green Chillies-4 to 6 depending on your spice level and chilli's hotness.
Chopped Ginger-1 1/2 inch
Curry leaves-few

Procedure:

1.Beat the curd and add besan flour,turmeric powder and hing and mix well so that there are no lumps.
2.Heat oil in a wok and add all the tempering ingredients.Let it all splutter.Then add the curd mixture and simmer the flame.
3.When the curd mixture starts to bubble slightly and starts to thicken,switch off the flame and transfer it to a vessel.Now add salt and mix well.Make sure you don't boil mor kuzhambhu for a long time or in a high flame,otherwise it will curdle.
4.Serve hot with plain rice or any sevai of your choice.It goes well with beans paruppu usli/Vazhakkai Varuval.


Tips:

1.You can add chopped onion or ladies finger after tempering and roast them well and then add the curd.
2.If you are using sour curd ,then add more green chillies.If the curd is not sour ,then reduce green chillies,otherwise it will be too hot and spicy.

Monday, August 18, 2014

Bhindi Aloo Curry(Ladies Finger Potato Curry)


I never mixed ladies finger and potato until I had such a combination on one of the ready to eat meal pack.If it could taste nice even in a ready to eat curry ,imagine when prepared fresh at home how it would be! And when I made bhindhi Aloo curry at home it tasted awesome and everyone at home liked it.From that time it is one of our regular sidedish for chappathi.

Preparation time:30 mins
Serves:3

Ingredients :

Lengthwise slit ladies finger or okra-250 gms
Peeled and diced potatoes-2 nos(big size )
Chopped onion-1 no big size
Chopped tomato-1 no big size
Garlic-5 cloves
Ginger-1 inch 
Turmeric powder-1 tsp(1/2  tsp for ladies finger and 1/2 tsp for gravy)
Chilli powder-1 tsp( adjust according to your spice level)
Curd-1/2 cup
Garam masala-1 tsp
Salt- to taste 
Oil-3 tbsp

Procedure:

1.Roast ladies finger with a tbsp of oil,salt  necessary only for the ladies finger and turmeric powder.Keep it separately.


2.Grind ginger,garlic and half of chopped onion to a fine paste.In a wok,add 2 tbsp of oil and add this ground paste and fry well.


3.Now add the remaining chopped onion,salt necessary for onion and tomato alone and turmeric powder and saute well.


4.After it is roasted well add tomatoes,potatoes,chilli powder,water and curd and simmer the flame and close the wok with a lid and cook till oil separates from the gravy and the potatoes are cooked.


5.Now add the roasted ladies finger to the gravy and add a tsp of garam masala and let it boil for 5 minutes in medium flame.





6.After 5 mins,switch off the flame and serve hot with chapathis.Optionally you can garnish with fresh coriander leaves.

Friday, August 15, 2014

Uppu Seedai and Vella Seedai

Uppu Seedai(Savory Rice Crisps)


My mom makes a lot of items for Krishna Jayanthi fasting the entire day till pooja.As a kid we used to help her in making thattais and rolling out seedais.But I never knew what went in to the dough for these things and how it is fried.After marriage ,I used to make mullu murrukku,thattai,therattupal,vadai and payasam for Krishna jayanthi because I was scared of the fact that the Seedais will burst when frying if you don't prepare it correctly(actually I was a bit lazy too as preparing these seedais meant a lot of work).After about 5 years of marriage and after starting this blog,I had no option but to try Seedais this time for Krishna Jayanthi.I got this recipe from my mom and I also read a lot of stuff on internet about why seedai bursts.

My inferences are:
1.All the dry ingredients used in seedai should not contain any moisture at all.So dry roast all the flours or coconut(used in vella seedai) till the moisture is gone.
2.Both the rice flour as well as the urad dal flour should not contain any lumps I mean they should be a real fine powder.So sieve them really well.
3.Roll the seedais with less pressure and not too firmly.If you roll them very firmly then the seedais will burst when deep frying when the hot vapour tries to escape out of it.If you are sure when rolling then don't worry prick each seedai with a safety pin or a needle so it doesn't burst.
4.Oil temperature must be consistent.Medium flame for Uppu seedai and low flame for Vella seedai.
If you ensure the above points then your seedai won't burst.My seedais didn't burst even though I made it for the first time.I followed the traditional method by soaking the rice and drying it and then powdered it.But you can also use the readymade store brought rice flours( use the rice flours specially made for 
kuzhakattais or puttu flour.but sieving and dry roasting is must even for store brought flours).I made everything in less quantities . You can double the ingredients ratio to get more quantity .


Preparation time :1 hour 30 minutes
Cooking time:30 minutes

Ingredients:

Raw Rice flour-1 cup( I used the cup given for the electric rice cooker) approximately 150 gms
Urad dal flour -1 1/2 tbsp
Butter-1 tbsp to 1 1/2 tbsp
White sesame seeds-1 tbsp
Hing-1 tsp
Salt-to taste
Oil- for deep frying 

Procedure:

To make rice flour at home:

1.soak the raw rice for 1 hour.drain the water and spread them on a thin towel for drying.it takes about 15 mins for the grains to dry.



2.After it is dry put it in the mixer and grind it to a fine powder .if you are making in large quantities then you can giving it in a commercial grinding store to make it to a fine powder.


3.Sieve the flour and remove grainy particles.grind the grainy particles with the next batch and sieve again .The flour grounded in a machine from commercial grinding store must also be sieved.
4.Dry roast the flour to remove moisture completely.


5.Your rice flour for uppu seedai and Vella  seedai is ready.

For ready made store brought rice flour:

Follow step3 and step 4 from above method.

To prepare urad flour:

1.Dry roast urad dal in a pan till they turn light pink and nice aroma arises.Do not roast till golden brown.
2.Grind the urad dal in a mixer and sieve it to remove grainy particles.


3 .If you buy store brought urad dal flour then take the specified amount of flour for recipe and dry roast It in pan till nice aroma comes and sieve it.

Preparing uppu seedai :

1.Mix all the ingredients and add water little by little to make it a soft dough from which you can roll out tiny seedais.Do not knead hard like how you make it for chappathi.Use mild pressure and knead it to a dough.


2.Roll them in to balls.make sure you don't roll them too firmly.otherwise it will burst.If required after rolling prick each seedai with a needle or safety pin to avoid bursting.


3.Heat oil in a medium flame and when the oil is hot drop the seedais in the oil by reciting a small prayer to Lord Ganesh.
4.When they turn golden yellow ,take them out and put the next batch into the oil .
5.Store them in a air tight jar after they cool down to ensure freshness.

Vella Seedai(sweet rice crisps)


Ingredients:

Raw rice flour-1 cup(I used electric rice cooker cup)approx 150 gms
Urad dal flour-1 tbsp
Jaggery-1 cup
Scrapped coconut -2 tbsp
White sesame seeds-1 tbsp
Butter-1  tbsp
Oil-for deep frying

Procedure:

1.Prepare rice flour and urad dal flour as given for uppu seedai above(sieve and roast).
2.Dissolve jaggery in little water(1/4 cup water) on heat.once it is dissolved switch off the flame.
3.After it cools down,strain the jaggery water to remove impurities.
4.Dry roast scrapped coconut till the moisture is gone.
5.Mix the rice flour,urad flour,jaggery water,roasted coconut,butter and white sesame seeds and make it to a dough which can be rolled in to Seedais.let it stand for half an hour.
6.Roll them into balls(slightly bigger than uppu seedai).Make sure you don't roll them too firmly or tightly ,otherwise they will burst.You can prick them using a needle to avoid bursting.



7.Heat oil in a low flame and once it is hot  ,drop the seedais and let it turn nice dark brown  on all sides.Don't overheat the oil ,otherwise the seedais will break because it has jaggery which will break in high temperatures.
8.Store them in air tight jar after it cools down.

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Ambalapuzha Pal Payasam(Sweet Rice Pudding)



Well,what to say... The story is quite long when it comes to pal payasam. Raised in Coimbatore,we used to go to Guruvayur often.Generally we start early in the morning and return  home before evening.Once we decided by afternoon that we will go to Guruvayur and started in the afternoon and we had a nice dharshan in the evening and after the dharshan there was was a big queue separately and when asked , the people in the queue told us it is for prasadam(not the one where we pay and get in counters,this is free).So even we joined the queue and the wait in the queue was worth a million as they gave us the most divine and delicious Ambalapuzha Pal Payasam.It had a light pink tint and absolutely awesome.From that moment,pal payasam become my favorite payasam.The ones made at home by mom was good but never we were able to get a pink tint or that texture served at the temple.
After marriage when I was in London,I used to buy whole milk and tried out pal payasam and within 20 mins in pressure cooker I used to get the perfect pink tint pal payasam.But after coming to India I never  got that pink tint even when tried with full cream milk available in our supermarkets.
For once I gave up making pal payasam at home.After an year or so , I tried pal payasam but this time I didn't use full cream milk and used the 3% fat milk(blue aavin).I kept my fingers crossed and prayed god that it should come out well with that pink tint and creamy texture as that of the temple one.I used my 6 liter anodized cooker and to my surprise the outcome was superb.I think it is due to the fact that I made sure that the cooker didn't whistle throughout the process(my cooker's original whistle was lost and I replaced it with another one ,because of which it didn't whistle anyway).   
So I wanted to share my recipe.It is simple in ingredients but the cooking time is more in order to get that perfect texture.As we are not sweet toothed , I have added less sugar. If you want more you can add it.It will be an ideal prasadam for Krishna Jayanthi.

Cooking time :45 mins to 1 hour
Serves:4

Ingredients:

Raw rice-1/4 cup
Milk-1 liter 
Sugar-1/3 cup( increase if you want it very sweet)

Procedure:

1.In a pressure cooker,heat water upto half it's quantity and wash it well with that  boiling water and throw the water away. This step ensures that the cooker is clean and does not allow milk to curdle. 
2.Now add the milk,washed raw rice and sugar to the cooker and allow the milk to boil.
3.Once it starts to boil, simmer the flame and close the cooker with its lid and put the whistle.
4. It has to be on sim flame for almost an hour and through out this time make sure the cooker don't whistle.If it is about to whistle switch off the flame and after5 mins again switch it on and let it be on sim flame.
5After about 45 mins to 1 hour , switch off the flame. But do not open the cooker. Let it rest like that for another 20 to 30 mins ,after which a delicious Ambalapuzha pal payasam is ready to serve.



Tips:
1.If you want, you can add cardamom powder and temper with ghee fried cashews and raisins but the original recipe does not call for it .
2.After the milk boils,the entire process has to be carried on with a low flame.
3.After done do not open the cooker immediately.open after 20 - 30 mins to get the perfect pal payasam texture.
4.Never fill the pressure cooker more than half of its quantity.My 6 liter pressure cooker was ideal for 1 litre of milk.So,if you have a 3 liter cooker,halve the measurements.The time taken for cooking will also be less.
4.Finally a bit of patience is required otherwise the pal payasam will not get the right texture though it may still taste good.

To know why it is known as Ambalapuzha Pal Payasam in kerela ,Click this link to know the legend: Legend Of Ambalapuzha Pal Payasam

Monday, August 11, 2014

Javvarisi Idly Mavu Bonda(Sago Idly Batter Bonda)


With all the festivals lined up in this month of aadi , I prepared vadais on varalakshmi nombu as well as on avani avvittam.So today I decided to make something different and made these sago bondas for my son as an evening snack.Sago(Javvarisi )vada or Bonda is usually made with soaked sago,boiled potatoes,chilli powder,salt and hing. But this one is completely different and definitely very easy.Because we add sago to idly/dosa batter ,these bondas are really very crisp but quite heavy and they should be served really hot for one to enjoy its crispy outer layer  and soft core.

Preparation time:4-5 hrs
Cooking time:10 mins
Serves:2

Ingredients:

Sago-3 tbsp
Idly/dosa batter-2 cups(4 ladles approximately) 
Ginger-1/2 inch
Green chillies-1 or 2 (increase if you want it very spicy)
Small onions-4 to 5 nos
Curry leaves-few
Hing-1/2 tsp
Coriander leaves-2 strings(optional)
Salt-to taste
Oil-to fry

Procedure:

1.Soak sago in idly/dosa batter for 4-5 hours.


2.If the sago and idly batter mixture becomes too hard after 4-5 hrs then you can a spoon of water to make it to a batter of Bonda consistency.
3.Grind green chilli,ginger,curry leaves,small onions,coriander leaves to a dry coarse paste without adding water in a mixer.Mix this paste to the sago batter.



 4. After mixing the ground paste well with the batter,take a spoon of the batter and pour it in the hot oil heated in a wok/kadai .


5.Keep the flame on medium and cook the Bonda till it's cooked on all sides and it turns golden brown.Once done strain it from the oil and enjoy the sago bondas hot.


Tips:

*Soaking the sago in idly batter is essential ,otherwise sago will not be soft.
*After the sago has got soaked for 3-4 hours,if the batter is too thick then you can add a spoon of water,mix well and then check the consistency. Don't add too much water because you won't be able to get bondas then.
*If you like fennel seeds flavor, then you can add 1/2 tsp of fennel seeds to the grinding ingredients.

Saturday, August 9, 2014

Corn and Carrot Patties- A guilt free snack















Healthy snack could also be really tasty.One such tasty and yummy starter or evening snack is corn and carrot patties.It is quite easy and kids will really love it.My son enjoys these patties a lot.I generally dont prefer deep frying on a regular basis so I pan roasted it with a tsp of oil,but if you want to deep fry you can very well do it for a crispy corn and carrot rolls or cutlets.I made it with frozen american sweet corn kernels,but if fresh sweet corn kernels are available you can use it for these patties.

Preparation time:25 - 30 mins
serves:3

Ingredients:

Grated Carrots-2 big nos
American sweet corn kernels-3 tbsp
Boiled potatoes-3 nos
White oats-3 tsp
Bread crumbs powder-3 tbsp
or powder 3 rusks in a mixer.
Green Chillies-2 nos(increase if you want it very spicy)
Garlic-2 cloves
Ginger - 1 inch
salt-to taste
garam masala-1 tsp
chopped fresh coriander leaves-few
oil-few tsp to roast the patties


Procedure:

1.Grind sweet corn,ginger,garlic and green chillies to a coarse paste.


2.To the above ground paste add grated carrots,boiled and mashed potatoes,oats,salt,garam masala,coriander leaves and bread crumbs and mix well.



3.Make a firm dough like mixture.

4.Roll out the above mixture into small patties and dip them over oats so that it covers the outer part of the patties.



5.Heat a non stick pan, place the patties and pour a tsp of oil around each patty.


6.Once they get roasted on one side,turn them carefully and roast the other side till they are golden brown.Serve hot with tomato ketchup or green chutney .



Tips:
* Do not add water when grinding the sweet corn paste.
* Bread crumbs and oats absorbs moisture from the patties keeping them firm so do not avoid them.
* If the mixture still has moisture then you can even add a slice of bread and mix well.If the mixture is not firm then the patties will break when turning them on the pan. 
*Do not add more garlic than specified ,otherwise it's flavor will be overpowering as we are pan roasting the patties.