Malliga's Kitchen

Achchu murukku

2011-02-28T12:26:00.000-06:00

This is my favorite snack and festival treat.My hubby loves sweet treats and so I made this for him.Hope you enjoy this.

Ingredients:

Rice Four-1 cup
All purpose flour -3/4
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Oil-for frying
Sesame seeds-1 tsp
Cardamom powder- 1/2 tsp optional

Preparation:

Mix the above ingredients except oil in a bowl.
Add water little by little and keep mixing the batter until it becomes smooth .
Make sure that it is not too thick or too runny.
Heat oil in a pan and keep the murukku mold dipped in the oil.
The oil needs to be hot enough but not smoky to turn the murukku brown at once.
Once the oil is hot and the mold is also hot, dip the mold into the batter.
Make sure that the mold is not dipped fully but three quarters.
When the mold is dipped, it should make a hissing noise.
The mold needs to be hot for the batter to stick to the mold.
Then dip the mold into the oil and the oil will bubble around the mold.
When the murukku is half done,start shaking the mold gently and the murruku will drop my itself or use a knife or skewer to loosen it from the mold.
It might take some two or three murukkus to start understanding the exact way that works better for you.So don't panic at the first time.
Take the murruku out of the oil when golden brown.
The murukku will harden once it cools.
Store in a tight container.

Phalli aloo

2011-02-24T17:46:00.000-06:00

Ingredients:

Green Beans - 200gm
Aloo-2 medium
Jeera-1 tsp
Chili powder- 1 tbsp
Salt - 1 tbsp
Turmeric- 1 /2 tsp
Onion-1 chopped
Tomatoes-2 small
Ginger garlic paste-1tbsp
Mustard-1tsp
urad dal - 1 tsp
curry leaves
Oil
Green chillies-3
Lemon juice(optional)

Preparation:

Add oil to the pan and heat it.
Add mustard,urad dal,curry leaves,jeera and allow to splutter.
add green chillies(chopped) and saute.
Add onion,potato and saute for 2 mins until the onion turns golden brown.
Then saute ginger garlic paste along with it.
Add tomatoes(diced) and allow the raw smell to leave.Add little water if desired.
Then add the beans and the chili powder, turmeric and salt.
Close with a lid and leave it for 4 mins.
Add lemon juice if desired once the beans is cooked and stir.
Serve hot with roti.

Jeera pulao

2009-11-16T23:54:00.004-06:00

Ingredients:

Basmati rice - 2 cups
Cumin seeds - 1 tbsp heaped
Bay leaf - 1 large broken
Cloves - 2
Ghee/Oil
Salt
Food color/Saffron
Onion - 1/2 cup (optional)

Preparation:

Soak the rice for 20 mins.
In a large pan, heat ghee.
Once the ghee melts,ass bay leaf,cloves,cumin seeds and allow to splutter.
Add onion and saute until pink.
Strain and add the rice ,salt and add 4 cups of water to it and close with a lid( I don't pressure cook this usually).
Keep the flame in high for 5 mins and medium fro 5 mins.
Open and check if the rice has come to the top and bubbles come out of it.
Now add a little saffron or few drops of food color on the top.
Close the lid and cook in low for 5 mins and turn off.
Jeera pulao is ready.Enjoy with gravy.

Nei appam

2009-08-17T14:22:00.008-05:00

Nei appam is a favourite of Lord Krishna and makes a good Janmashtami recipe.I made this last week for janmashtami pooja.

Ingredients:

Raw rice - 1 cup (soaked for 1 hr)
Banana - 1
Jaggery - 1 cup
Coconut (optional)- 1/2 cup grated
Ghee(clarified butter)
Cardamom - 2

Preparation:

Drain the rice and add banana, jaggery & cardamom to it.
Grind the above with little water to make a batter (dosa consistency).
Mix coconut to it and keep aside for 1 hr.
In the paniyara maker, add 1 spoon of ghee to each section.
Make sure the heat is in low-medium.
Now fill three quarters of each section with the batter.
Once the ghee starts to bubble,flip it using a skewer.
Wait for a minute and remove.

Janmashtami Pooja

2009-08-17T14:06:00.004-05:00

Grape Juice (Real fruit concentrate)

2009-07-09T17:52:00.004-05:00

Ingredients:

Grape - 1 kg
Sugar (sugar : grape juice extract = 1 1/2 :1)
Citric acid - 1 1/2 tsp
Water

Preparation:

Keep the heat on low and add the grapes to the pan with 1/4 cup of water and allow the juice to come out the grapes.
Turn off the heat(maybe after 5-6 mins).
Squeeze the juice out of the grapes through a sieve.
Measure the amount of grape juice .
In a pan heat 2 tbsp of water and add sugar(little more than equal to the amount of grape juice).
You could substitute for sugar if you like.
Allow the sugar to dissolve and turn of the heat.
Allow it to cool and add to the grape juice.
Add the citric acid to it and mix well.
Whenever needed just add 3 tbsp of the concentrate to a cup of chilled water mix well and serve.

Coconut Chammandhi

2009-07-08T13:05:00.002-05:00

Ingredients:
Coconut - grated 1/2 cup
Red chilies - 4 or 5
Garlic cloves - 2
Gram dal - 2 tsp
Coriander seeds - 2 tsps
Tamarind paste - 1/2 tsp
Salt
Little oil
Preparation:
Fry all the above in little oil.
Grind into a slightly coarse powder.
Can be mixed with oil or served as such with idli,dosa or rice porridge.

Porikadalai thuvaiyal (roasted gram)

2009-05-13T18:06:00.005-05:00

Ingredient:

Roasted gram- 1 cup
Red chillies - 2
Garlic - 1 clove
Salt

Preparation:

Grind all the above into a smooth thick paste with little water.
Serve as side dish with rice,bajji etc.

Tomato daangar chutney

2009-05-13T17:58:00.002-05:00

Ingredients:

Tomato - 3 medium
Onion - 1 large
Garlic - 1 clove
Red Chillies - 3
Mustard - 1 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Oil - 1 tsp
Salt
Curry Leaves

Preparation:

Heat oil and add mustard,urad ,red chillies and curry leaves to it and wait to splutter.
Add onion and garlic to it and saute until transparent.
Now add the diced tomato to it and saute until the raw smell of the tomato goes off.
Turn off the heat and grind it into a coarse mixture.
Add salt.
Serve with idli ,dosa,bajji and enjoy.

Pudhina malli chutney (mint cilantro chutney)

2009-05-12T08:36:00.004-05:00

Ingredients:

Mint leaves - 1 cup
Cilantro - 1 cup
Coconut grated - 1/2 cup
Onion - 1 large
Green chillies - 4
Mustard
Urad dal
Cumin
Curry leaves
Oil
Salt

Preparation:

Heat oil in pan and add mustard,urad,cumin seeds and allow to splutter.
Then add curry leaves and green chillies.
Add onion to it and saute until transparent.
Add the mint and cilantro leaves to it and mix well and turn of the heat.
Add coconut to it and mix well.
Grind it to a coarse paste along with little salt.
Serve with idly,dosa .
If you make it into thick paste you can use it as mint thuvaiyal for rice.

Walnut Custard Coffee Cake

2009-04-02T18:40:00.004-05:00

Ingredients:

Walnuts (toasted and rough chopped) - 1 cup (divided)
Custard powder - 3 tbsps
Sugar - 1 cup
Baking powder - 1 tsp
All purpose flour - 1 cup
Instant coffee - 2 tsps(add to 1/2 cup boiling water and divide into two halves)
Egg - 2
Salt - 1 pinch
Oil - 4 or 5 tbsps
Milk (warm) - 4 tsps
Brown sugar - 3 tsps

Preparation:

In a bowl,sieve the flour and baking powder.
Add salt to it.
Blend oil,eggs,milk,coffee(1 part) and sugar.
Add to the flour little by little and mix without forming lumps.
Add custard powder to it.
Add 1 part of walnuts to it and mix thoroughly .
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Just apply little oil to the baking pan and dust with all purpose flour.
Now pour the mixture into it.
Mix leftover coffee,walnuts and brown sugar and pour over the it in random fashion.
Bake for 25 -30 minutes .
Allow to cool (it will be a little sticky at some places inside because of the custard) and then cut into pieces and store in a tight container.
Serve with tea/coffee.

tomato cilantro(malli) chutney

2009-03-11T09:22:00.002-05:00

Ingredients:

Tomatoes diced -5-6 medium
Cilantro- 1/2 bunch
Onion- 2 small( roughly chopped)
Oil
Mustard- 1tsp
Urad dal-1 tsp
Curry Leaves
Cumin seeds - 1tsp
Red Chilies -3
Salt

Preparation:

In a pan,heat oil and add mustard,urad,cumin and curry leaves and allow to splutter.
Add red chillies and then onion to it.
Saute until golden brown and remove from pan and allow to cool.
In the meanwhile, saute tomatoes and cilantro in the pan and allow to cool.
Grind all of the above with salt .
Serve hot with dosa,idli.

Plain Rice kolukattai (no-filling)

2009-03-10T17:15:00.003-05:00

Ingredients:

Rice Flour -2 cups
Mustard - 1 tbsp
Curry Leaves - 10
Urad Dal - 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds- 1tbsp
Red chili crushed - 4
Salt
Oil to season
Water - very hot

Preparation:

Heat oil in a pan and add mustard,urad,cumin,chillies and curry leaves.
Add it to the flour and add salt to it.
Add the boiling water little by little into it and start stirring with wooden spoon.
Make sure not to add excess water .
The mixture needs to be soft.
If you have kolukattai achchu (press) use it to stuff the mixture into it or make shapes(which ever appeals to you).
Steam the kolukattai in idli or any steamer.
Serve with chutney.
Makes a great snack,enjoy!

Meen Kuzhambu / Fish gravy

2009-02-12T12:45:00.004-06:00

Ingredients:

Fish- Salmon - 1/2 lb
Onion - chopped - 1 large
Pearl onions - 4-5
Green chillies- 2 split lengthwise.
Tamarind - 1 lemon size
Coriander powder - 3 tbsp
Chili powder - 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Cumin powder - 1 tsp
Black Peppercorns - 4-5
Coconut - 1/4 grated
Salt
Oil
Mustard,Fenugreek seeds - 1 tsp

Preparation:

Clean the fish and slice it into medium size pieces(too small pieces will break while cooking).
In a pan,heat oil and add mustard,fenugreek seeds and wait until splutter.
Then add entire onion(both large and pearl onions) and green chillies and saute until golden brown.
Then add tomato to it and saute for 3 mins.
Take the tamarind extract and add to it and allow to boil for 5 mins.
Now add coriander,chili ,turmeric powder and cumin powder to it and mix well.
In the meanwhile,grind coconut and peppercorns until smooth paste with water.
Add the coconut paste to the gravy and allow to boil for 2-3 mins.
Then add the fish pieces and salt and close the pan with a lid and simmer for 10 mins.
Serve hot with rice,dosa,idli etc..and enjoy.

2009-01-14T15:52:00.002-06:00

இனிய பொங்கல் வாழ்த்துக்கள் !!
Wish you and your family a very Happy Pongal !!

Chettinad Tomato kuruma

2009-01-14T15:03:00.008-06:00

Ingredients:

Tomatoes - 4
Onion diced - 1 medium
Coconut (grated) - 1/2 coconut
Garlic cloves - 1 or 2
Green chillies - 3
Poppy Seeds - 1 tsp
Fennel seeds - 1 tbsp
Cinnamon stick - 1
Salt
Oil
Mustard seeds - 1tsp

Preparation:

Grind garlic,coconut,chilies,fennel,poppy seeds and cinnamon along with a little amount of the diced onion.
In a pan, heat oil and add mustard allowing it to splutter.
Then add the remaining onion and saute.
Once golden brown,add the finely diced tomatoes.
After 2 minutes, add the ground mixture to it along with 1 cup of water and salt and allow it to cook in medium heat.
Serve hot with idly,dosa,puri,roti etc and enjoy!

Rava ladoo

2008-12-31T13:38:00.004-06:00

Ingredients:

Rava (Sooji or semolina) - 1 கப்
Sugar 3/4 cup
Ghee - 1/ 4 cup
Milk - 2 tbsp
Cardamom powder - 1 tsp
Raisins - 1 tbsp
Cashew nuts - 5

Preparation:

Roast the rava in a thick pan until the aroma starts to come out and gold color.
Make sure it doesnt turn brown.
Fry the cashew and rasins with ghee in a pan.
Add roasted rava,sugar,cardamom powder,ghee,and milk and make a small balls out of it.
You can either press the rasin and cashew at last on it or you can mix them to the mixture itself before forming balls.
Make sure not to disturb them until hard otherwise there are chances of breaking them.
Makes a nice snack and festival item.

Chicken Biriyani

2008-12-01T13:01:00.003-06:00

Ingredients:

Basmati Rice - 1 1/2 cups
Long Chopped Onion (med) - 2
Cashews- few
Green chillis - 2
Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Mint and Coriander Leaves - 1/2 cup
Ginger paste -1/2 tsp
Garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
Cinnamon -1
Bay leaf - 2
Cloves - 4
Cardamom - 3
Butter - 3 tbsp
Salt

Marinade:

Chicken pieces - 1/4 kg
Curd - 1/2 cup
Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 /2 tsp
Turmeric powder -1/2 tsp
Ginger paste - 1 tsp
Garlic paste - 1 tsp

Preparation:

Marinate the chicken with all that mariande items on the list for 30 minutes.
Soak the rice for 10 minutes (else it may become overcooked at the end).
Heat butter in the wok and add all the bay leaves,cloves,cinnamon,green chillies,cashews in it.
Once the aroma starts to come out,add onion to it and saute until little crisp brown.
Now add the garlic and ginger paste , corriander,chilli powder to it.
Add the chicken with the marinade into it and saute for few minutes until the oil starts to separate.
Add the rice,salt,garam masala into it.
Close the lid of the pressure cooker and wait for 2 whistles .
Serve hot with onion raitha and egg.

Pazham Aval

2008-01-17T12:59:00.000-06:00

Ingredients:

Aval - 2 cups
Jaggery - 1/4 cup
Banana - 1
Coconut -grated-1/4 cup
Cardamom - 1
Nuts - any (optional)

Preparation:

In a pan heat jaggery with very little water and form a syrup.
Add powdered cardamom to it.
Add coconut to it and mix well.
Turn off the heat and allow it to cool a little but it should be warm.
Take aval in a bowl and add the above syrup to it and add little mashed banana to it and mix well.
Serve with sliced banana and top with nuts if desired.
This dish is nutritious.

Bread Pakoda

2008-01-11T09:22:00.000-06:00

Ingredients:

Bread-6 slices (brown sides peeled)
Potato-2 small
Onion-1 medium
Coriander leaves - hand full
Cumin seeds-1 tsp
Salt
Oil for frying
Gram flour - 2 tbsp (optional)

Preparation:

Boil the potatoes ,peel and mash them.
Add the diced onion ,cumin,salt,coriander leaves to it and mix well.
Dip your palms into water and lightly wet the bread (I have used whole wheat bread for health reasons) with your palms so that it becomes a little soft but not too soft.
Now stuff small amount of the potato mix into the bread ,close the bread from all sides and roll it into a ball.
Deep fry in hot oil.
One more way to make it a little desi would be to dip it into gram flour mixed with water and little salt and fry it.
Serve hot with ketchup.
It makes a good evening snack and kids love it.

Rasam powder

2007-12-20T11:49:00.000-06:00

Ingredients:

Coriander seeds- 600gms
Toor dal - 200gms
Peppercorns - 200gms
Gram dal - 100gms
Cumin - 100gms
Turmeric (Virali) - 6 pieces (or less )
Red chillies - 600gms
Dried curry leaves - 2 tsps
Asafoetida - 1 tsp

Preparation:

Dry roast all the above ingredients.
Grind it into fine powder.
Add 2 tsp of this for making rasam.

Onion rice

2007-12-20T11:11:00.000-06:00

This is a recipe i do when i have left out rice and have less time to prepare a dish.This is easy and comes out very tasty.

Ingredients:

Boiled rice - 2 cups
Onion chopped - 1 cup
Bay leaves - 2
Cardamom - 1
Cloves - 2
Cumin seeds
Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Salt
Butter - 2 tsps

Preparation:

In a deep pan heat butter and add cloves.cardamom,bay leaves and cumin seeds and saute until the aroma comes.
Add onion to it and saute it until golden brown.
Add garam masala and chili powder and salt to it.
Add rice to it and mix well.
Turn off.
Serve hot with brinjal fry or kuruma..

Pineapple rasam

2007-12-12T12:14:00.000-06:00

Ingredients:

Pineapple - 1 large slice(finely diced)
Tomato - 1 large finely diced
Tamarind - half size of a lemon(make tamarind juice out of it)
Rasam powder -2 tsp
Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
Toor dal - 3 tbsp
Asafoetida - 2 pinches
Cilantro - few sprigs
Salt to taste
Oil
Mustard- 1 tsp
Cumin - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 3-4
Urad dal - 1 tsp

Preparation:

Pressure cook toor dal and mash it .
In a deep pan,add tamarind juice,salt,asafoetida, rasam powder,a cup of water and allow it start boiling .
Add diced tomato ,pepper powder and pineapple to it and allow it to cook.
Add toor dal and cilantro to it and wait until it starts foaming.
Turn of the heat and remove .
In a kadai,heat oil and add mustard,urad dal,curry leaves,cumin seeds and season it.
Add it to the rasam.
Add few cilantro leaves to it to garish and keep it covered until serving to maintain the aroma.
Serve hot with rice and potato roast.

Rasgulla

2007-12-11T18:00:00.000-06:00

Ingredients:

Milk - 4 1/2 cups
Lemon juice -2 tbsp
Water - 4 1/2 cups
Sugar - 1 1/2 cups

Preparation:

Bring milk to boil and add the lemon juice diluted with 1 tbsp water into it little by little stirring continuously.
Wait for the cheese to separate from the milk.
Drain it through the muslin cloth and show it under cold water to remove the taste of lemon juice from it .
Then bundle it up and squeeze the water out it until no water is left in it.
In the meanwhile,add the water and sugar in a pressure cooker and boil it uncovered.
To check if the cheese is just right, rub a little on the palm and form a ball out of it.
It comes out perfect,then the cheese is in right consistency.
Split it into equal parts of small balls (they double in size after cooked).
Make sure you press it hard while rolling it so that it doesn't break while cooking.
Add these balls to the cooker and close it with the lid and add weight .
Wait for the pressure to form and then allow it to cook on medium flame for 7-8 mins and turn off.
Once the pressure is released, transform it to a container (take care not to break it).
Refrigerate and serve cold.
Add a little shaved pistachios on it. Enjoy !!!

Chocolate frosting

2007-12-03T16:41:00.000-06:00

Ingredients:

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
1/3 cup Cocoa powder(do not add more as it will make it a little bitter)
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation:

Melt butter.
Stir in cocoa.
Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency.
Add small amount additional milk, if required.
Stir in vanilla.
About 2 cups frosting is ready.

Chocolate cake

2007-12-03T16:34:00.000-06:00

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup Cocoa
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

Preparation:

Heat oven to 350°F.
Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.
Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl.
Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes.
Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin).
Pour batter into prepared pans.
Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks.
Cool completely.
Frost with CHOCOLATE FROSTING (recipe given above).
Serve with whipped cream ,wafers and vanilla ice cream.

Pitlai kuzhambu

2007-12-03T13:40:00.000-06:00

Ingredients:

Tamarind - lemon size
Salt
Coconut oil - 1 tsp
Mustard -1/2 tsp
Asafoetida - 2 pinches
Curry leaves -3-4
Brinjal(small) -2 , cut lengthwise
Drumstick -2
Toor dal - 25 gms

For frying:

Coconut - 1/2 grated
Cilantro leaves - 3 tsps
Coriander seeds - 3 tsp
Gram dal -1 tsp
Fenugreek - 1/2 tsp
Rice - 1/2 tsp
Peppercorns -4-5
Red chillies- 6-7

Preparation:

Fry all the ingredients listed above.
Grind it nicely.
In a deep pan,add coconut oil,mustard seeds,curry leaves, asafoetida and season it.
Then add brinjal to it and saute until tender.
Now add tamarind juice to it .
Then add the ground powder.
Add salt,drumsticks to it and allow it to cook.
In the meanwhile pressure cook toor dal and add to the pan and mix well.
Allow the kulambu to become a little thick and turn of the heat.
Serve hot with rice.

Chicken Chettinad

2007-11-26T22:41:00.000-06:00

Ingredients:

Marination:

Boneless skinless chicken-1 kg cut into small pieces
Ginger paste -2 tsps
Garlic paste - 2 tsps
Curd - 6 tbsp
Pepper powder 2 tsps
Cumin powder 1 tsp
Fennel seed powder 2 tsps
Turmeric powder 1tsp
Coriander powder 1 tsp
Chili powder 1 tsp
Lime juice - optional

Other Ingredients:

Ginger paste - 2 tsp
Garlic paste -2 tsp
Red chilies - 4
Onion - 3 large chopped
Tomatoes -4 large
Cinnamon stick -1 broken
Cloves - 2-3
Bay Leaves - 2
Coriander leaves
Oil
Salt

Preparation:

Marinate the chicken pieces with all the ingredients under marination and keep aside for 1 hour.
In a deep pan heat oil and add cloves,bay leaves,Cinnamon and saute.
Add onion,red chillies and saute until golden brown .
Add ginger and garlic paste to it.
After a minute add dices tomatoes and fry until the oil floats on the top .
Add the marinated chicken with contents and salt and coriander leaves.
Cover with a lid and cook under medium heat.
Cook for a few minutes until chicken is done and the gravy is thick.
Garnish with coriander leaves and little butter on the top.
Serve hot with rotis,dosa or rice.

Banana Split - Semi Homemade

2007-11-19T22:46:00.000-06:00

This is the easiest of any recipe and makes a gud dessert when u don't have time to make one for parties.This is also easy for bachelors who do not cook.

Ingredients:

French Vanilla Ice cream- 2 scoops
Banana -1
Vanilla wafers-optional-1
Hershey's chocolate syrup -2 tsps
Pistachios-4

Preparation:

In a bowl,add the ice cream and banana pieces(split into two or three)
Now drizzle the chocolate syrup on it.
Top it with pistachios and wafer pieces.
Serve cold.

Onion Rings

2007-11-16T21:01:00.001-06:00

Ingredients:

Large Yellow Onion -1
Pancake mix - 3 tbsps (i.e) all purpose flour+baking soda+ soy flour (optional)
Corn Flour -2 tbsps
Red chilli powder - 2 tsps
Salt - 1 tsp
Oil - 1 cup for frying

Preparation:

Cut the onions such that the layers in the onion form a concentric circular shape.
Now pull out each rings from the sliced onion.
Make a paste out of the pancake mix,corn flour,red chilli powder,salt and a little water to form a slightly thick batter.
Heat oil in a deep pan .
Dip the onion rings into the batter and fry them until golden brown and crisp.
Serve hot with ketchup.

Boondhi Laddu

2007-11-09T14:45:00.000-06:00

Ingredients:

Besan (gram flour) - 1 cup
Sugar - 2 cups
Water -1 cups
Oil for frying - 1 1/2 cups
Rice flour - 2 tsps
Baking powder - 1 tsp
Cardamom powder - 1 tsp
Food colors - yellow, red,green (optional)
Cashews broken -3 tsps
Raisin - 2 tsps

Preparation:

In a bowl, mix besan, rice flour,baking powder and add water little by little to make a thick batter.
Divide it into 3 portions and add the three colors to one portion each.
If you don't like color, skip step 2.
Now heat oil in a deep pan .
Pour the batter little by little through the vessel or broad spoon with holes and remove them before they turn brown.
Collect all the boondhi by using the batter with three colors.
In the meanwhile, heat water and sugar to form a syrup of just before thread like consistency.
Now add powdered cardamom and turn of the heat.
Add the boondhi to it and mix well.
Now heat ghee in a pan and fry cashews and raisins in it and add to the mixture once done.
Mix all the ingredients well.
Allow the mix to cool a little but must be warm so that you can make small balls out of it.
Otherwise the bondhi will not stick to each other properly.
Serve with murukku,thattai and enjoy!!

2007-11-07T12:49:00.000-06:00

Wish you a very

Happy Diwali !!!

Murukku

2007-11-06T15:56:00.000-06:00

It is Diwali time and time to celebrate with lamps,sweets and savouries.This Diwali I made Thattai ,cookies,kadalai mittai and Ladoo.Today I made murukku.This is one of my favourite snack.Thought of sharing this...

Ingredients:

Rice flour - 2 cups
Black gram (urad) flour-3/4 cups
Gram flour (kadalai mavu)- 1 tbsp - optional
Butter - 3 tbsp
Sesame seeds - 2 tsps
Cumin seeds - 2 tsps
Salt
Chilli powder - 3 tsps
Ajwain seeds - 1 tsp
Oil for frying

Preparation:

Dry roast the urad flour in a pan.(if you don't have urad flour,dry roast urad dal and grind it to a fine powder)
Now cool it and add to a bowl.
Add all the dry ingredients to the bowl and mix.
Soften the butter and add to the bowl and mix.
Add water little by little and fold the flour to make it soft.
Heat oil in a fry pan.
Take the murukku maker, fill it with the dough and pipe out the patterns(i have used the star pattern), forming circles on a greased plate or plastic sheet.
Transfer the murukku from the plate to the hot oil.
Fry until light golden brown color.
Remove the murukku from oil and place on a paper towel to drain the surplus oil.
Allow them to cool and store them in a tight container.

Chocolate chip cookie

2007-11-05T15:52:00.000-06:00

Ingredients:

All purpose flour - 1 1/2 cups
Hersheys Chocolate chips (or broken chocolate chips)
Butter(unsalted) - 1 stick (8 tbsp)
Eggs - 2
Baking powder-1 tbs
Salt - 2 pinches
White sugar - 3/4 cups
Brown sugar - 3/4 cups
Vanilla extract - 2 tsp
Almonds - 10

Preparation:

In a blender, add almond and give chop on low.
Add the butter and beat it.
Then add both the sugars and blend it .
Add the eggs one by one slowly and keep blending.
Finally add the vanilla extract, and keep blending for 2 mins so that the mixture becomes soft and fluffy.
Now in a bowl shift the flour and baking powder .
Add the salt to it and mix well.
Now add the blender mix to it and mix well until no air bubbles in it.
At last add the chocolate chips to it.
Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap and keep it in the freezer for 30 mins.
Preheat the oven to 350 C .
Make small bowls out of the cookie mix and flatten it and place on cookie sheet and bake them for 12-15 mins.
Store in a airtight container.
Serve it with milk.

Vanilla Teatime Cake

2007-11-01T21:28:00.000-05:00

Ingredients:

All purpose flour -1 cup
Butter (softened) - 3/4 cup (1.5 sticks)
Sugar - 1 cup
Vanilla extract - 1 tsp
Warm Milk - 4 tsp
Eggs - 2
Baking powder - 1tsp

Preparation:

Sieve the flour along with the baking powder into a bowl.
In a blender,blend the softened butter and sugar.
Then add the eggs one by one,blending in between.
Add the vanilla extract.
Mix then until they become fluffy.
Add the mixture to the flour little by little and mix.
Add the warm milk to it and mix well until the air bubbles go.
Preheat the oven to 350 C .
Coat the pan with butter and then dust some flour on it and remove the excess.
Pour the mixture into it.
Heat it in the oven for 25-30 minutes.
Turn off ,cool it and cut it into pieces.
This is very soft for a day or two but then eventually becomes like bread in consistency.
You could serve it during tea time or during breakfast with milk and maple syrup on it.

Egg puffs

2007-10-28T22:44:00.000-05:00

Ingredients:

Pastry sheet
Eggs -2
Onion -1 large
Oil - 2 tsps
Salt
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Coriander powder -2 tsps
Ginger paste 1 tsp
Green chillies chopped-3
Chilli powder 2 tsps
Curry leaves-4-5

Preparation:

Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds,curry leaves and green chillies.
Add ginger paste and onion to it and saute for 2-3 mins.
Add chilli powder,coriander powder,salt to it and mix well and turn of heat.
Let it cool
In the mean while boil the eggs and cut into halves lengthwise.
Roll out the pastry sheets on a flour dusted surface and cut them into 3" by 5 " pieces.
Now spread some onion fry on one half of each pastry piece and place one piece of egg with yellow side down in each.
Fold the other end of the sheet and paste the edges with water and press with fork.
The stuffing should be entirely closed inside the pastry pieces.
Now heat the oven to 300 F
Place the puffs on cookie tray and bake until the puff turns gold color and becomes fluffy.
Serve hot with ketchup.

Thai Garlic and Basil Chicken

2007-10-10T14:35:00.000-05:00

When you think of cooking with basil, Italian dishes like pasta or pesto sauce, would probably come to our mind first.But this recipe uses basil in a Thai style dish.If you like spicy food ,add a teaspoon of dices chili pepper or red pepper flakes, or a little chili-garlic paste when sauteing the chicken.This is a high protein,low fat dish and is only 200 calories per serving.I love Thai food and I hope you like it too.

Ingredients:

Vegetable oil - 2 tbsp
Minced garlic - 2 tbsp
Onion-1 large cut into 1" strips
Red bell pepper - cut into 1 " pieces
Chicken - 1 1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken breast-cut into 1" chunks
Soy sauce - 7 tbsp
Sugar -1 tbsp
Fresh basil leaves,roughly chopped-1 to 1 1/2 cups

Preparation:

Heat oil in a nonstick pan over medium heat.

Add garlic,onion and pepper and toss for 2 mins

Add chicken pieces and saute,stirring frequently until it starts to brown on all sides but is not fully cooked , for about 3-5 mins.

Add soy sauce (use lower salt soy sauce if possible) and sugar.

Cook uncovered ,tossing occasionally,until chicken is just cooked through about 2-3 mins

Add basil and toss well and remove chicken from heat .

Cover until ready to serve to meld the flavors

Chilli Parotta - South Indian Style

2007-09-29T23:03:00.000-05:00

Ingredients:

Parotta-4 small sized
Tomato paste of 1 large tomato
Onion-1 large
Ginger paste - 1 tbsp
Mustard
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Urad dal -1 tsp
Curry leaves-5-6 leaves
Coriander leaves
Chili powder - 1 tsps
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Coriander seeds - 1 tsp
Green chillis -3-4
Oil
Salt

Preparation:

Make small pieces out of the parottas which are ready to eat.If you have the frozen ones, heat them in a pan and when ready to eat,make them into small pieces.
Heat 3-4 tsp of oil in a wok and fry the parotta pieces in it.once fried.remove them and keep it aside.
Heat little oil in a pan ,season mustard seeds, cumin seeds, urad dal and curry leaves .
Add ginger paste ,coriander seeds , green chillies and onion in it and fry them until golden brown.
Take half portion of this and grind it in the mixer and add it back to the pan.
Now add the tomato paste to it and saute it until the raw smell of tomato is gone.
Add chilli powder, coriander powder, salt to it and mix.(add food color,preferably red,to get the color like in hotels)
Add parotta pieces and saute until all the pieces are coated with the spices.
Remove from heat and garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with raitha.
Enjoy!!!

Adai

2007-07-20T13:51:00.000-05:00

Ingredients:

Toor Dal - 1/2 cup
Chana Dal - 1/2 cup
Urad Dal - 1/4 cup
Rice - 1 cup
Red Chilies - 7
Cumin - 1 tsp
Asafoetida -1/4 tsp
Grated coconut - 1 tbsp
Red Pearl Onions(small) - 15
Plantain flowers (optional)
Drumstick leaves (optional)
Curry Leaves
Cilantro
Ginger- finely chopped-1/4 inch (optional)
Oil - for making dosa
salt

Preparation:

Soak Rice,Toor Dal, Chana Dal and urad Dal for 2 hours.
Add 1/2 tsp salt,cumin seeds , red chillies, asafoetida ,curry leaves , cilantro and grind it coarsely.
Add grated coconut,ginger , finely chopped onions, chopped drumstick leaves or chopped plantain flower to the flour.
Heat the tawa and pour little batter and spread it like dosa and pour little oil around it and once cooked on one side, turn it upside down.
Once done,serve it hot with avial or chutney and little butter on the top.
You could also use jaggery along with the chutney.

Andhra Paruppu podi

2007-07-14T17:25:00.000-05:00

Ingredients:

Pottu kadali - 1/2 kg
Red chillies-50 gms
Garlic - 10 gms (donot remove the skin)
Salt

Preparation:

Roast all the above except salt in a pan without oil.
Wait until it is golden brown.
Remove from heat and cool it.
Grind it with salt.
Sieve it if you would like a fine powder.
Serve with rice by adding ghee to the powder.

Malli (Cilantro) Masala

2007-07-14T16:09:00.000-05:00

Ingredients:

Cilantro - 2 bunch
Onion- 2 chopped
Garlic- 6 cloves
Sesame oil-4tsp
Salt
Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp
Asafoetida - little
Tamarind-size of a small ball (soak and make a thick juice out of it)

For frying:

Coriander seeds-1 tsp
Red chillies-5
Cumin seeds - 1/s tsp
Gram dal - 2 tsp

Preparation:

Fry the ingredients above without oil in a hot pan and grind it into a coarse powder.
Clean and chop the cilantro.
Heat the oil in a pan and add mustard.
Once it starts to splutter, add onion and garlic and saute until golden brown.
Now add salt and turmeric powder and saute.
Add the cilantro, asafoetida and the tamarind water and stir for 2-3 minutes.
Then add the ground powder and cook for 3-4 mins and remove from heat.
Serve with hot rotis or with rice.

Peach Oats Crisp

2007-06-26T10:52:00.000-05:00

This is a recipe I found on the food network and tried it at home and it turned out very good..This is a healthy snack too.

Ingredients:

Peaches, peeled and sliced -6 cups

Lemon juice - 1 tbsp

Honey -1/4 cup

All-purpose flour 1 cup

Rolled oats -1 cup

Brown sugar 1/3 cup

Cinnamon 1/2 tsp

Nutmeg 1/4 tsp

Soft butter (you could use the low fat ones) 1/2 cup

Preparation:

Place peaches in a 9 inch square pan.

Sprinkle with lemon juice and then drizzle with honey.

In medium bowl, mix together remaining ingredients .

Sprinkle mixture evenly over peaches.

Bake in preheated 375 degree oven for 35-40 minutes or until top is golden brown.

Cut it into rectangles and serve.

Note: The peach can be a little sticky at the bottom.So when you take it out be a little carefull not to break the pieces.

Methi Paratha

2007-06-26T09:47:00.000-05:00

Methi (Fenugreek) is mainly used as digestive aid. It is ideal for treating sinus, lung congestion, reduces inflammation and fights infection. Fenugreek seed is widely used by nursing mothers.

In india, methi is mixed with curd and applied on hair as a conditioner.Also methi seeds are soaked in water overnight,ground into a paste and applied on hair for conditioning and to have a cooling effect on body.

Ingredients:

Methi (green fenugreek) - 1 bunch
Wheat flour -2 cups
Besan - 1/2 cup
Green chillies -5 chopped
Turmeric Powder-1/2 tsp
Chilli powder- 1/2 tsp
Ginger -1/2 inch cut into small pieces
Cumin seeds -1 tsp
Ajwain - 1/4 tsp (optional)
Oil
Salt
Curd-1 tbsp
Water

Preparation:

Separate Methi leaves from stem.
Wash the Methi leaves and chop finely.
Add all the other ingredients to the bowl.
Knead to a smooth dough.
Make lemon sized balls out of it .
Flatten the ball and roll it out as any other paratha.
Make parathas of medium thickness .
Heat the tawa and fry the paratha on both sides using ghee.
Serve with curd and pickles

Peas Masala

2007-06-22T13:22:00.002-05:00

Ingredients:

Green Peas - 1 cup
Tomato (crushed) - 3/4 cup
Onion -1
Mustard-1tsp
Ginger paste -1 tbsp
Garlic paste -1 tbsp
Coriander powder-1 tsp
Chilli powder-1 tsp
Salt
Oil
Amchur powder 1/2 tsp
Garam masala -1/2 tsp
Cilantro Leaves-hand full

Preparation:

Soak Peas in water for about 1 hour.
Heat oil in a pan and add mustard to it.
Once it starts to splutter,add chopped onion,Ginger,garlic paste and saute.
Add coriander powder,chilli powder,garam masala and salt to it and saute for another 2 mins.
Now add crushed tomato to it and heat for 3-4 mins.
Now add the peas to it and add a cup of water and amchur powder to it and cook until the peas are cooked.
Once cooked,sprinkle cilantro on it and serve hot with roti or naan.

Thattai

2007-05-23T16:27:00.000-05:00

Ingredients:

Rice-4 cups
Urad dal-1 cup
Butter
Bengal gram- 1/2 cup
Garlic-2 cloves minced
Red chillies(crushed) -2 tsp
Chilli powder-1 1/2 tsp
Salt
Sesame seeds-1/2 tsp
Asafoetida
Oil

Preparation:

Wash,clean and dry the rice well.
Fry the urad dal in a pan .
Powder both the rice and urad dal.
Soak the gram in water for 1 hr.
Make a dough out of rice flour, urad dal flour, soaked gram, asafoetida powder, crushed chillies, minced garlic,chilli powder, sesame seeds, salt and butter with very little water.
Take small amount of dough and press it flat and round.
Fry them in hot oil .
Store it in air-tight container.

Ash gourd (white pumpkin) Kootu

2007-05-15T10:31:00.000-05:00

Ingredients:

Ash gourd - 1/2 kg
Chana dal -1 tbsp
Coconut grated - 1tbsp
Mustard -1 tsp
Curry leaves-4-5
Red chillies-3
Urad dal-1 tsp
Oil
Salt

Preparation:

Cut the ash gourd into small cubes.
Cook it in microwave for 3 mins with a little water.
In a pan,heat a little oil and season mustard, urad dal,chana dal,red chillies, and curry leaves and add the cooked ash gourd.
Saute and add salt .
Add coconut on it and turn off the heat.
Serve with rice

Technorati Profile

Kovakkai (ivy gourd) poriyal

2007-05-15T10:17:00.000-05:00

Ingredients:

Kovakkai (ivy gourd) - 1/4 kg
Onion - 1
Peanuts - 10
Chana dal - 1 tsp
Mustard - 1 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Red chilli - 2
Oil
Salt
Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp

Preparation:

Cut each Kovakkai into 4 pieces lengthwise.
Cook it in microwave for 6-8 mins without water.
In a pan,heat oil and season mustard, urad dal, chana dal, peanuts and red chillies.
Once they are seasoned add the chopped onion to it and saute until it turns transparent.
Add the cut Kovakkai and saute.
Add the chilli powder,salt ,coriander powder and turmeric powder into it and keep sauteing it.
Turn off the heat when it turns golden brown.
Serve with rice.

Milagu / Pepper Curry

2007-05-11T11:55:00.000-05:00

Ingredients:

Lamb leg steaks- 1/4 Kg cut into small pieces.
Pepper powder(freshly ground) - 1 1/4 tsp
Ginger paste-1 tsp
Chilli powder-1 tsp
Onion-1 chopped
Tomato-1 diced
Garam masala -1/2 tsp
Fennel seeds-1/4 tsp
Cloves-3
Oil
Water
Salt

Preparation:

Cook the lamb pieces in a pressure cooker.(3 whistles)
Heat oil in a deep pan and saute onion,fennel seeds and cloves in it.
Once it turns golden brown,add ginger paste,pepper powder,chilli powder,garam masala powder to it and saute for 1 min.
Add the diced tomato to it and saute again.
Now add salt and also the cooked lamb in to it.
Add a little water from the pressure cooker (used for cooking the meat) to this and turn the heat to medium.
Allow it to cook until it forms a thick mixture.
Take care not to break the pieces.
Serve with rice.

Oinion Theeyal

2007-05-03T15:46:00.000-05:00

Ingredients

Onions-1 chopped
Tamarind paste -1 1/2 tbsp
Grated coconut 1/2 cup
Red chillies -8
Coriander seeds 1 1/2 tbsp
Cumin seeds -1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds -1/2 tsp
Curry leaves -5
Black peppercorns -1 tsp
Turmeric powder -1/4 tsp
Sugar -1/4 tsp
Asafoetida
Water
Oil
Salt

Preparation :

Heat oil in a small pan and saute coconut till it is light brown.
Add the 6 red chillies, coriander seeds, pepper ,cumin seeds and fry.
Add the turmeric powder to the above.
Turn of the heat and cool it and grind it.
Heat oil in a deep pan and add the mustard seeds, curry leaves and the remaining red chillies. When it starts to splutter, add asafoetida and onions.
Saute for 5 minutes .
Now add the ground powder to the above and saute.
Add water, tamarind extract, salt and sugar to it and keep it on medium heat (the theeyal should not be too watery).
Serve hot with rice.

Valaikai puttu / Raw banana puttu

2007-05-03T15:28:00.000-05:00

Ingredients:

Raw Banana-1
Coconut grated-2 tsp
Oil
Salt
Red chillies-2
Mustard-1/2tsp
Cumin Seeds-1/2 tsp
Split urad dal -1/2 tsp
Curry Leaves-5
Water

Preparation:

Cut the Banana into two halves .
Take water in a microwave bowl and drop the banana pieces in it and cook for 4 minutes.
Now allow it to cool and just slit the banana peel open and remove it.
Now grate the cooked banana .
In a fry pan ,heat oil and add mustard,split Urad Dal,curry leaves and once it starts spluttering add the red chillies and fry it.
Now turn the heat to low and add the grated banana and salt to it and just mix it.(since the banana is already cooked,do not keep it on heat for a long time).
Turn off the heat.
Sprinkle grated coconut on the top to finish it.
Serve with rice as a side dish.

Sweet potato doughnut

2007-04-11T22:58:00.000-05:00

I went to a friend's house for a get-together and found this recipe interesting.I took the preparation details from her and tried it in my own style with some additions.My family liked it a lot.Hope you like it too.

Ingredients:

All purpose flour-2 1/2 cups

Sweet potato (cooked and mashed)-1 cup

Egg-1

Baking soda-1 tsp

Salt-1/4 tsp

Sugar-1 tbsp

Sour cream-1 tbsp

Milk-1 tbsp

Cinnamon powder - 1/4 tsp

For the syrup:

Maple syrup -2 tsp

Sugar-1 tbsp

Milk-3 tbsp

Preparation:

Mix the sweet potato,all purpose flour,sugar,egg,salt,baking powder,sour cream ,milk and Cinnamon in a bowl.Make sure not to form lumps in the dough.

Knead it until soft.

Roll the dough on a clean sheet with some flour sprinkled.

Make sure not to roll it thin.

Cut them in the round shape and make a whole in the center(just like a regular doughnut)

Fry them in hot oil.

Make a syrup with sugar,milk,maple syrup and dip the doughnuts in the syrup and serve.

Chicken Sukha

2007-04-11T18:23:00.000-05:00

Ingredients:

Chicken - 1/2 kg
Onion-2
Dried Red chilli -4
Ginger paste- 1 tsp
Garlic paste- 1 tsp
Coconut grated-1/4 cup
Turmeric powder -1/2 tsp
Garam masala-1 tsp
Cloves-3
Bay leaves-2
Curd-1/2 cup
Cardamom-2
Cumin seeds 1/2 tsp
Coriander seeds 1/2 tsp
Peppercorns -1/2 tsp
Salt
Oil

Preparation:

Marinate the chicken pieces with little salt and turmeric for 30 mins.
Chop the onions.Fry it till golden brown in a pan with oil.
Add cumin seeds,cloves,red chillies,coriander seeds,cardamom,peppercorns to it and saute.
Also add garlic and ginger paste to it.
Add turmeric powder to it and take off the heat.
Grind the above along with grated coconut into a thick paste.
In a deep fry pan,take a teaspoon of coconut oil and bay leaves and heat it.
Now add the ground paste to it and add the curd in it.
Take the marinated chicken and slowly drop it into the pan.
Allow it to cook with the ground paste in the pan.
The heat should be set on medium so that the spices gets mixed with the chicken.
Cook until the paste becomes dry and gets coated on the chicken.
Optional:sprinkle some lime juice on it and garnish with coriander leaves and onion.
Serve hot.

Aloo chat

2007-04-05T15:45:00.000-05:00

Ingredients:

Potato-3
Garlic paste 1/4 tsp
Green chilli paste -1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds-1/2 tsp
Amchoor powder-1/2 tsp
Chat masala-1/2 tsp
Lemon juice-3/4 tsp
Cumin powder-3/4 tsp
Oil
Salt

Preparation:

Cut potato into cubes and boil until cooked but make sure it doesn't get overcooked.
Take oil in a pan ,heat it ,add cumin seeds to it and add green chilli paste , garlic paste
Saute for 2 mins.
Now add Cumin powder and saute.
Add the boiled potatoes,chat masala, amchoor powder and lemon juice to it and mix them well for 3 mins.
Add salt and take it off the heat.
Garnish with coriander leaves.
Optional: substitute lemon juice with curd or tamarind chutney .

Rajma Curry

2007-04-04T14:09:00.001-05:00

Ingredients

Rajma 1 cup
Onion Chopped 2
Tomatoes 3
Garam Masala 1 tsp
Coriander powder 1/2 tsp
Chilli powder 1 1/2 tsp
Cloves 2-3
Giner garlic paste - 1tsp
Green Chillies 3-sliced vertically
Few Curry Leaves
Oil
Salt

Preparation

Cook Rajma in a pressure cooker.
In a pan,heat oil and add the green chillies ,cloves and curry leaves.
Add oinion and saute until the oinion turns golden brown.
Add garlic ginger paste to it and heat for 1 min.
Add diced tomatoes to it and saute until it leaves oil.
Now,add the coriander powder, garam masala ,chilli powder and salt to it.
Drain the Rajma and mix it in the pan.
Pour 1/2 cup water to the pan and allow it to boil.
Garnish with coriander leaves.

Ulundu kali

2007-04-03T13:27:00.000-05:00

This is very good for health as it cools the body and is good for people with back pain.
This recipe mainly depends on the ratio in which we use the ingredients..So I have mentioned the quantity in parts.

Ingredients:

Black gram- 4 parts (split with skin)
Oil - 2tbsp
Coconut milk- 3 parts
Rice -2 part
Jaggery or sugar -4 parts

Prepartion:

Soak the black gram (with skin) and rice for 1 hour.
Drain and grind them .
Take coconut milk to a deep pan and add sugar/jaggery to it and boil for 5 mins.
Now add the ground paste slowly to the pan so that lumps do not form.
Once the mix is cooked add oil and mix it until the Kali doesn't stick to the pan.
Make small balls out of it and serve.
Optional:You could also add cardamom to it .

Vegetable kuruma

2007-03-29T08:49:00.002-05:00

Ingredients:

Peas
Carrot
Potato
Onion-chopped-1
Chilli powder
Coriander powder
Garam masala
Cloves
Turmeric
Salt
Oil
Mustard
Red chillies-2
Curry leaves
Water-1 1/2 cup

For the mix: Grind the ingredients listed below

Coconut-1/4 cup
Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
Black Pepper - 1/4 tsp
Kasakasa - 1 tsp
Sombu(Fennel) - 1tsp
Garlic - 1 clove
Ginger - equivalent to garlic

Preparation:

In a deep pan,heat oil and season,mustard,curry leaves,cloves and red chillies.
Add onion and saute until golden brown.
Add tomato and saute for few mins.
Now add chilli powder,coriander powder,garam masala ,turmeric powder and mix.
Add the ground mixture to the pan and saute for 2 mins until the oil starts to separate
Now add all these to a cooker and add a cup and a half , of water.
Add the cut vegetables and salt to it and cook for 5 mins.
Serve hot with rotis, dosa, Idli.

Inji Pachadi

2007-03-22T15:46:00.000-05:00

Ingredients:

Ginger -1 medium size
Red chillies-3-4
Coriander seeds 1tsp
Tamarind Paste 1 tsp
Cococnut (grated)- 2 tsp
Salt
Mustard
Curry leaves
Cumin seeds
Oil-1 tsp

Preparation:

Cut Ginger into small pieces and roast it in little oil.
Add red chillies,coriander seeds and grated coconut to it and saute.
Turn off the heat.
Grind them in the mixer and add tamarind paste and little water to it to form into a paste.
Now heat little oil in a pan and season with mustard ,cumins seeds and curry leaves.
Add the ground paste to it and saute for 2 mins and add salt.
Serve with rice and dosa.
This is ver good for digestion .

Sodhi kulambu

2007-03-22T15:16:00.000-05:00

This is another favourite of mine and a popular recipe from Tirunelveli.This is also very good for health as it cools the body and increases digestion.

Ingredients:

Coconut milk - 400 ml
Coconut grated-2 tbsp
Moong dal - 100 gm
Coconut oil- 1/2 tsp
Ginger paste - 2 tsp
Carrot
Potato
Salt
Drumstick
Lemon juice-1tsp
Green chillies-2-3 cut lenghtwise
Cumin Powder-1/2 tsp

Preparation:

Heat the pan and saute chillies in coconut oil .
Add ginger paste to it.
Dilute half of the coconut milk with 1 cup of water and add it to the pan on medium heat.
Cook the moong dal and add to the pan.
Add all the vegetables(cut into pieces),cumin powder and grated coconut to the pan and let it cook for 5 minutes ,until the vegetables are boiled.
Bring the heat to low and add the other half of coconut milk(concentrated) and stir .
Turn off the heat and add salt and lemon juice.
Serve with rice and inji pachadi (excellent combination with sodhi)

Kootanchoru

2007-03-21T12:34:00.001-05:00

This recipe might seem like sambhar rice,but has a different taste.It is a special from Tirunelveli and my favourite as I'm also from Tirunelveli.

Ingredients:

Toor dal-100 gms
Rice-2 cups
Salt
Turmeric
Asafoetida
Tamarind-small lemon size
Coconut 1/4 cup (grated)
Cumin seeds-1 tsp
Red chillies 10
Red onion 6
Raw Mango-sliced
Peas
Spinach
Carrot
Beans
Brinjal (egg plant)
Potatoes
Drumstick - 1 cut
Plantain(vazhaikkai) -1
Water(the usual amount you use to cook rice+1 cup for the vegetables)

Preparation:

Add grated coconut,cumin seeds,red chillies,red onions to the mixer and make it into a paste.
Soak tamarind in water and make a paste out of it.
Now add rice,toor dal,vegetables(cut),turmeric powder,salt,asafoetida,water and the coconut paste into the cooker and add the tamarind paste to it.
Close the lid and cook for 10 mins
The rice should not be separate in kootanchoru.
Serve it with vadagam and pickles.

Tomato Pasta

2007-03-20T14:54:00.000-05:00

Ingredients:

Elbow Macaroni(whole wheat-optional)
Milk-1/2 cup
Garlic paste- 1/2 tsp
Tomato-2 diced
Peas
Bell pepper cut
Carrot
Broccoli florets
Olive oil- 2 tsp
Cheese
Salt
Pepper

Preparation:

Boil water with a pinch of salt and add the elbow macaroni to it .
Cook uncovered,stirring occasionally until tender.
Remove from heat and drain.
Boil the vegetables.
In the meanwhile,heat the oil in pan and add garlic and bell pepper .Saute for 3-5 mins.
Add the tomato to it and saute.Add the vegetables.
Now add the milk and boil.
Add the pasta and cheese to it and mix and heat for 2-3 more mins .
Sprinkle salt and pepper and garnish with a little grated cheese and tomato.
Serve hot.

Note: Weight watchers!Use a whole wheat pasta for a healthy food.

Chinese Fried Rice

2007-03-19T11:14:00.001-05:00

Ingredients:

2 cups Rice
3 tbsp oil
100 gms Beans -Chopped
2 Carrots - Chopped
1 Onion -chopped
100 gms Cabbage - Chopped
Mushroom -4-5 (optional)
2 Spring Onions Finely Chopped
2-3 Green Chilies cut lenghtwise
1 tsp Ginger Chopped
1 tsp Garlic Chopped
2 tbsp Soy Sauce
Salt
Pepper

Preparation:

Wash and soak the rice in enough water for 10-15 minutes and drain.

Boil water, add rice and little salt.

Cook uncovered on low heat till the rice becomes tender.

Take care not to overcook the rice.

Each grain of rice should be separate.

When rice is done, drain and add cold water and drain again using a large sieve and set aside.

Heat oil in a large pan and fry all the chopped vegetables.

Cook for 3-4 minutes.

Take care that the vegetables are crisp.

Mix salt and pepper to taste.

Add the cooked rice and mix well.

Now add the soy sauce to it.

Cook for 2-3 minutes.

Serve with Gobi Manchurian gravy.

Gobi manchurian

2007-03-18T22:54:00.001-05:00

Ingredients

1 cauliflower
1 small bunch spring onoin finely chopped
2 tsp. ginger finely chopped
1 tsp. garlic finely chopped
1/4 cup rice flour
3 tbsp. cornflour
1/4 tsp. red chilli powder
2 red chillies, dry
3 tbsp. oil
1 1/2 cups water
1 tbsp. milk

Preparation:

Gobi Manchurian gravy:

Break the cauliflower into big floretts.
Boil the florettes for 3-4 minutes in water with tbsp of milk added.
Dry the floretts.
Make thin batter out of rice flour and 2 tbsp corn flour, adding 1/4 tsp. each of ginger and garlic and red chilli powder and add salt .
Dip the florettes in the batter one by one and deep fry in hot oil. Keep aside.
Heat oil in a pan and add remaining ginger, garlic and crushed red chilli and fry for a minute.
Add the salt and spring onions.
Fry for a minute.
Add 1 1/2 cups water and bring to a boil.
Add 1 tbsp. cornflour to 1/4 cup water and dissolve well.
Boil till the gravy becomes transparent.
Add florettes and soya sauce.
Boil for two more minutes and remove.
Serve hot with noodles or fried rice.

Dry Manchurian:

Omit the gravy in the above recipe.
Make florettes as above and instead of adding water as above, add fried florettes, spring onions and soya sauce at this stage.
Sprinkle 1 tsp. cornflour on the florettes and stirfry for 2 minutes and serve.

Vegetable biriyani

2007-03-17T22:48:00.001-05:00

Ingredients:

Rice
Onion chopped -1
Tomatoes-2
Carrot
Peas
Cauliflower
Beans
Brinjal(Egg Plant)
Potato-1
Mushroom (optional)
Coconut Milk(optional)
Cloves-4
Butter -1 tbs

For the ground paste:

Red chili -4 ( add 2 more if u need it really spicy hot)
Mint Leaves- hand full
Coriander/Cilantro -1 bunch
Garlic ginger paste - 2 tsp
Cumin seeds-1tbsp

Preparation:

Soak the rice in water for 5 -7 mins.
Cut all the vegetables.
Heat oil in a pan and add onion and cloves.
Wait till it turns golden brown and add tomato to it and saute.
Add the ground paste to it. Heat for another 2 mins and take it off the heat and add to the cooker.
Drain the water from the rice.
Heat a little butter and add the rice and let it dry completely (this will prevent the rice from sticking to each other when done and gives a good taste)
Add the rice and all the vegetables to the cooker
Add the usual amount of water that you use to cook rice.(you could replace a little amount of water with coconut milk for better taste)
Add 2 tsp of Garam masala powder
Cook on medium heat for 10 min
Once done ,add a little butter and mix .
Garnish with Coriander Leaves.
Serve with onion raitha

Chicken drumstick fry

2007-03-15T16:19:00.000-05:00

Ingredients:

Chicken drumsticks-4

½ tsp coconut oil

2 tbsp vegetable oil

Little butter

Onion-1

Green chillies-5

Chilli powder-1tsp

Coriander powder-1tsp

Pepper powder- ½ tsp

Turmeric powder- ½ tsp

Garam masala- ½ tsp

Cloves-3-4

Garlic ginger paste-1 tsp

Coriander Leaves-for garnish

Lemon- ½

Preparation:

In a pressure cooker, add chicken drumsticks, little salt, ¼ tsp turmeric powder and ½ tsp coconut oil and cook.

Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a fry pan and add chopped onions and finely chopped green chillies to it and fry for 2 mins.

Add garlic-ginger paste, garam masala, cloves and fry for few mins.

Now remove the chicken from the cooker and add to the fry pan .(save the cooked water in the cooker for making soup or as a substitute for broth)

Sprinkle little turmeric power on it and add chilli powder, coriander powder and a little pepper powder to it and fry until the chicken starts taking in the spices( you could prick the chicken pieces with the fork for the spices to get into it)

Add a little butter if you wish for added flavor.

Remove from heat, add some coriander leaves and squeeze half lemon on it and serve.

Vendaikai Pachadi(Okra/Ladies finger/Bindi)

2007-03-15T00:32:00.000-05:00

Ingredients:

1/4 kg vendaikai(Okra)
2 tomatoes smashed
1 chopped onion
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp chili powder
1 1/2 cup water
salt

Seasoning:

Oil
Mustard
Fenugreek

Preparation:

Cut Okra into thin slices
Heat oil in a pan and add mustard, fenugreek, chopped onion and season it.
Now add Okra into it and saute it until the slipperiness goes off.
Add the smashed tomatoes,spices and water .
Allow it to cook until the gravy is ready and add salt.
Serve it with hot chapattis,roti,sambar rice,curd rice or you may spread it on a bread slice.