Jeera pulao

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

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

Grape Juice (Real fruit concentrate)

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

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)

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

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)

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

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

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)

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

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.

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

Chettinad Tomato kuruma

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

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.