Boost Burfi

My son is very fuzzy with drinking milk and I keep trying a new health drink to make him drink milk.He didnt like boost ,and so I stopped giving him boost.The end result- a lot of boost left in the jar on my kitchen shelf,which kept me hunting for a delicious recipe that will help me to make use of the remaining boost.Finally I found a good recipe here and immediately I tried it and it came out well.Kids will love it when the boost is made into these delicious boost burfis and it is a must try.

Boost Burfi

Preparation time:25 mins

Makes nearly 12 pieces

Ingredients:

Maida/All purpose flour-1/2 cup

Boost/any chocolate drink-1/4 cup

Ghee - a little less than 1/4 cup

Sugar-3/4 cup

Water -1/4 cup

Hot water-2 teaspoons

Procedure:

1.Roast the flour in a pan for 5 minutes and make sure it doesn't change color.

2.Add hot water to the boost and mix it to a fine paste with no lumps and keep it outside.

3.To the roasted flour add the ghee and roast it for another two and then remove it from flame and keep it in a bowl.

4.In the same pan add sugar and water and boil it to a one string consistency.That is when you take the  sugar syrup between your thumb and pointer finger and stretch it you should get one string.

5.Keep stirring in the mixture and on e it starts leaving the sides of the pan add the boost paste and stir it for another minute in low flame and then pour this mixture on a greased tray. 

6.Once it cools down cut in to small burfis.your yummy boost burfi is ready.If you are not able to cut into pieces and the mixture is still gooey then don't worry ,again transfer the contents in to the pan and keep stirring in low flame till it comes together .Then pour it into the tray and you will be able to cut into square pieces.

Boost Burfi

Tips:

*The ghee quantity could be increased to 1/2 cup for a melt in burfi,as I found the burfis could have been a bit more melting type.You can add the additional 1/4 th cup of the ghee at regular intervals when stirring the flour and sugar syrup mixture.

*You can mix boost with hot milk also to make a fine paste instead of hot water.

*Throughout the process make sure the flame is low.

Pudina thogaiyal/chutney (Mint chutney-I)

Mint Chutney with Upma Kuzhakattai

A mint chutney is always a yes at my home.Be it for idli or dosa or Pidi kuzhakattai or rice ,it goes really well and gives a refreshing taste.When the mixture is grinded coarsely it is called thogaiyal and when it is ground to a fine paste it is called chutney.Generally thogaiyal is had with plain rice and chutney is used with tiffen items.Whenever I recover from any illness and my tongue tastes bitter due to antibiotics ,my mom used to make this mint thogaiyal or chutney for me as it tastes good for that bitter tongue and you will be able to relish it.

Preparation time:20 mins 

Serves :2

Ingredients:

Mint leaves-1 small bunch

Tamarind - 1 small gooseberry size(I soak it before grinding so that it is made in to a fine paste in the mixer)

Urad dhal-1 1/2 tsp

Toor dhal-1 1/2 tsp

Red chillies -3(adjust according to your spice level)

Curry leaves-few

Hing- 1 tsp

Grated coconut-4 tbsp

Salt- to taste

Oil- 2 tsp

Procedure:

1.In a pan,heat a tsp of oil and roast urad dhal,toor dhal,red chillies and curry leaves till the dhals turn golden brown.keep it separately on a plate for it to cool down.

2.In the same pan add another tsp of oil and sauté the mint leaves(wash the mint leaves well and strain before sautéing).after it is sautéed add the grated coconut and hing and mix well and switch off the flame.

3.After all the roasted ingredients cool down add salt and soaked tamarind and grind them in a mixer to a fine paste for mint chutney .

4.For thogaiyal ,first grind the mint leaves,coconut ,red chillies,salt,tamarind to a fine paste.Add the roasted dhals finally and grind the mixer in pulse mode so that the dhals are grounded coarsely.

Mint Thogaiyal

Thinai Pidi Kuzhakattai with Pudina Chutney(Quinoa Dumplings with MintChutney)

Pidi kuzhakattai or Upma kuzhakattai is generally made with broken rice and lentils.This is another very healthy and very tasty version of Pidi kuzhakattai bit made with quinoa or Thinai.believe me ,this was even more delicious and succulent than the regular upma kuzhakattai made with rice.this could be an ideal breakfast or dinner option as Thinai or quinoa is very healthy and works well for all calorie conscious people with no compromise on taste.It goes well with Mint chutney or coriander chutney.Traditionally my mom prepares raw tamarind chutney with upma kuzhakattai and it tastes awesome with the dumplings,but my son and husband likes upma kuzhakattai with mint chutney and even I feel mint chutney tastes great with it.

Preparation time:35 mins

Serves:3

Ingredients:

Quinoa or Thinai -1 cup

Toor dhal or pigeon peas-1 tbsp

Urad dhal or white lentil-1 tbsp

Gram dhal-1 tbsp

Red chillies-4 nos

Green chillies-1 or 2 

Hing-1 tsp

Grated coconut -4 tbsp

Curry leaves -few

Salt-to taste

Sesame oil and coconut oil-1 tbsp each

To temper:

Mustard-1 tsp

Red chillies-1 

Urad dhal-1 tsp

Gram dhal-1 tsp

Curry leaves -few

Procedure:

1.Wash quinoa and other dhals separately and keep.Soak urad dhal,toor dhal and gram dhal along with red chillies and green chillies in water for a minimum of 25 mins.grind it to a coarse paste along with the curry leaves.

2.In a wok heat sesame and coconut oil together and add the tempering ingredients.after the mustard splutter and the dhals turn golden brown ,add 2 1/2 cups of water ,salt,hing,ground dhal and chillies paste and grated coconut.

3.Allow the water to boil.once it starts boiling add the quinoa and cook till all the water is absorbed and the mixture turns like upma.

4.Switch off the flame and after the mixture turns lukewarm make dumplings by taking a little mixture with you palm and pressing it with fingers closed. Do the same with the rest of the mixture also.

5.Steam the dumplings for 10- 12 mins and serve hot with mint chutney.To know the recipe for mint chutney click here.

Tips:

* You can use coconut oil completely instead of using it along with sesame oil.

*Adding hing is essential,as it lends a beautiful flavor to the dish .

Karuveppilai Kuzhambhu(Curry Leaves gravy for rice)-I

Everytime I buy veggies from the nearby grocer ,I get a lot of curry leaves for free and inspite of using them daily for rasam and sambar ,still there was a lot and sometimes they get dried up and ends up in the bin.With all the nutrients in it ,I felt I should not waste it and make it taste delicious to the taste buds as well.So this time I made a lovely and authentic karuveppilai kuzhambhu and had it with plain rice.It was so yummy and one major advantage of this kuzhambhu is that it stays well for 2 days at room temperature and up to 4 days in fridge when used with a dry spoon.I added less oil ,if you wish you can add a little more oil which will definitely increase the taste and shelf life.

Preparation time:30 mins

Serves:3

Ingredients:

Curry leaves -2 cups or 1 big bunch

Tamarind-1 lemon size

Peppercorns-2 tbsp

Red chillies-2 nos

Fenugreek-1/2 tsp

Toor dhal-1 tbsp

Hing-1 tsp

Salt- to taste

Turmeric powder-1 tsp

Oil-2 tbsp

To temper :

Mustard-1 tsp

Fenugreek-1/2tsp

Procedure:

1.Wash the curry leaves well and strain them.

2.Dry roast peppercorns,red chillies,toor dal and 1/2 tsp fenugreek and keep it separately .

3.In the same wok,roast curry leaves well followed by tamarind.

4.Grind all the above roasted ingredients to a fine paste(curry leaves,tamarind,peppercorns,fenugreek,toor dhal and redchillies).

5.Heat 2 tbsp of sesame oil and add the tempering ingredients and turmeric powder.After the mustard splutter add the  ground paste ,1 cup of water ,salt and hing .allow the mixture to boil and after it starts boiling simmer the flame and close the wok with a lid .let it boil till the oil oozes out and the kuzhambhu thickens.

6.If you don't want it too thick ,then switch off the flame after your required consistency is reached when you slow cook it with a lid.serve with hot plain rice and appalam.

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.

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

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.