Beetroot Halwa

We have four beautiful nieces (Shakthi, Angel, Nissi and Mathangi) in our family. Though living miles apart these girls are always in my heart. I am happy to introduce them all to my blogger friends. This week Shakthi is celebrating her birthday and I am dedicating this dessert for her. Happy Birthday Shakthi (Darshi pappa) !.

Beetroot is one of the beautiful creations of God and I love buying it and eating it anytime and any form :) Beetroot halwa recipe is almost similar to carrot halwa, but needs lesser milk (my version). I like the rich color of beets and the deep flavor of this halwa.  My mom used to make this sometimes and we would eat it as a dessert or a spread on bread. Try this and enjoy!

 Happy birthday Darshi pappa!

Ingredients:
Beetroot - 3 (300 gm)
sugar - 3/4 cup
condensed milk - 2 tbsp + 3/4 cup water
(or milk - 1 1/2 cup)
ghee - 3 tsp
cashew - 10
cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp
rose essence - 1 drop

Method:
Peel the beetroot and shred it (coarse side of shredder is enough).
Take a thick bottom pan. Fry the cashew in ghee and take out.
In the remaining ghee add the shredded beetroot, fry till raw smell reduces (2 minutes).
Add the water (or milk) and cook covered in low heat.
As soon as the beetroot is cooked completely, add sugar, condensed milk and stir continuously in high heat (10 minute). Stir till the halwa comes out of the edges without sticking.
Add cardamom powder, rose essence, fried cashew and stir well.
Take out and keep in serving bowl.
Beetroot halwa is ready!

Serving suggestion:
Serve as dessert.
A scoop of ice cream with this halwa will make it more delicious.

Note: (updated : Mar 6 2015)
Nowadays before switching off, I mix 2 tbsp wheat flour / AP flour with 1/4 cup water and add this to halwa. Then I cook very well so that this halwa becomes glossy.

Sardine fish curry

Sardine is one of my most favorite fishes. Sardine being one of the lowest in the food chain in sea world, it is lesser polluted than the bigger fishes. By the same time the health benefits outweigh the  bigger fishes. I haven't seen any fresh sardine in the region I am living. Though canned sardine is popular among Italians and dieticians, I wanted to devour Indian sardines in a curry. So bought a pack of frozen sardines from Indian grocery store and made a kulambu (curry) and fry on a weekend. Sardine is one of the lesser expensive fishes in Tamilnadu, but it costs almost $ 7.00 / 2 lb pack here.... closer to pomfret :) Interestingly enough, my hubby will eat bigger fishes like king fish and only a few selective varieties. I made him eat this by helping him picking out all those tiny bones from sardine in his plate,  as if we do for a child and he ate a few fishes too :) Just like my dad, he too feels weird to take some fish curry in his lunch box :)  But my dad's friends, my friends and hubby's friends , all like my fish curry and that's the trophy for this recipe:) Anyways , I eat this whole sardine fish along with those tiny bones and I love that head too, but exported frozen ones are neatly cleaned and packed ....which makes me still search for fresh sardines:)  I am narrating  a basic fish kulambu recipe, which is loved by people of Tamilnadu especially Tirunelveli:).

Other names: Indian sardine fish curry, saalai meen kuzhambu, chaala meen kulambu, mathi meen kulambu

Fish platter: White rice, sardine fry , beans poriyal, chaala meen kulambu, boiled egg.

Chaalai meen kuzhambu

Indian sardine (mathi / chaalai meen)

Ingredients:
Sardine fish - 1 lb
sesame oil - 2 tbsp
mustard seeds- 1 tsp
fenugreek seeds- 1 tsp
Tamarind - 1 small keylime size
Red chilly powder -1.5 tsp
coriander powder- 3 tsp
turmeric powder-1/4 tsp
tomato - 1
green chillies - 2
curry leaves- 2 sprigs.

To grind:
shredded coconut - 1/2 cup
shallot - 8
cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Method:
wash the fish and remove all the fins and scales by a knife.
Slit along its stomach, cut off the gills and mouth. Retain or discard the head portion.
I suggest retaining the head, if we are buying fresh sardines.
Run your finger all through the slit portion to remove intestines and any wastes.
Rinse well twice or thrice till water runs clear.
Apply little turmeric powder , salt over the fish and keep aside.

Extract juice from tamarind and add chilli powder, coriander powder, pinch of turmeric powder, salt and mix well.Keep aside.

Heat the sesame oil in vessel. (Fish curry prepared in earthen vessel tastes good).Add mustard and fenugreek seeds. After the mustard seeds crackle add the curry leaves .

Then add finely chopped tomato and saute till oil separates.
Add tamarind juice mixture and let it boil for 5 minutes.
Then add the finely ground coconut-onion paste.
Immediately after this starts boiling , reduce flame and wait till raw smell vaishes.
Add the fish.
cover the vessel partially to allow steam to go, reduce heat to minimum. Put the chopped green chillies and curry leaves.
Cook for 10 minutes in that low heat.
DO NOT stir the curry after adding the fish, otherwise you may end up with broken pieces. If needed gently shake the vessel, by holding the sides.
Switch off.

Serving suggestions:
Serve hot with rice, Idly or dosai .

Note:
*Always use a shallow-wide vessel to make meen kulambu.
*Earthern vessels are traditionally used in my native place for preparing fish curry. If using earthern vessels (mann pathiram) then we keep a separate vessel for non veg, this is a traditional habit there.
*I don't know why, but my mom used to insist on preparing some greens (spinach) or any green vegetables like beans along with this kind of fish curry. So I too follow that :)
*The fish kulambu tastes better the next day and I love to have it with idly or bread for breakfast ....anytime:)

Ragi paal kolukkattai payasam

Paal kozhukattai is a recipe handed down through generations in my family and I am passing it to my food blogger friends. Paal kolukattai(dumpling) payasam is a kheer made of small rice (powder) balls soaked in sweetened milk. Just like that I prepared a payasam using ragi. It tastes delicious , hope you all try this millet kozhukattai payasam in your kitchen and enjoy !

Ragi , kelvagaragu , keppai - finger millet

Millet kheer.

Ingredients: 
Ragi flour - 1/2 cup
hot water - 1/2 cup (as needed)
salt - a pinch
coconut milk from can (thick)- 1/4 cup
cashew - few
ghee - 1 tsp
jaggery / brown sugar - 1/2 cup
Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp

Method: 
Dry roast the ragi till it smells nice. Switch off.
Put 2 tbsp sugar to the flour. Bring water to boil along with salt. Add this water little by little and mix until it becomes a soft dough.
Make tiny balls.
Bring 3 cups of water to boil in a separate vessel.
Add a handful of ragi balls, wait for few seconds to see the water boiling again.
Repeat and add all the balls. Cook in boiling water for 2 minutes. We can call the cooked balls as ragi kolukattai.
Drain and take out the cooked ragi kolukkattai. Retain only 1/2 cup (or as per need) of that cooked water and discard the excess. Add jaggery / brown sugar and bring to a boil. Add all the ragi kolukkattai. Add the coconut milk and switch off immediately.
Fry the cashew in ghee and add to the payasam along with 1/4 tsp crushed cardamom powder.
Ragi paal kolukattai is ready!

Serving suggestion:
Serve warm as dessert or snack.
Makes 2 servings.

Plain coriander powder

Preparing the basic masala powders is the key element for a successful Indian recipe.  Homemade masala is always pure and inexpensive. Sometimes we may be tempted to buy a readymade powder, but the taste would be quite different than our home version. So I try to make all powders other than chilly powder at home here (I don't know to handle that hot flavor). In Chennai preparing the powders is very easy because of the availability of Sunlight and proximity of grinding mills. But here we have to employ some more techniques to get our own masala.
While growing up I had seen mom preparing turmeric powder, idly podi, coriander powder, sambar powder, curry masala powder, chilly powder, paruppu podi,  Soapnut hair wash powder (Shikakai), bathing powder and many other powders on a regular basis, as if it is a ritual:) I used to mock at her for her dedication, but now I understand the necessity:)
At that time we used to have 2 helpers for her....always one trustworthy lady from our village to stay with us and one from our locality for bigger tasks on hourly basis.  Mom would buy bulk quantities of basic ingredients, dry them in Sunlight and our local maid would take it to a dry grinding mill to powder them. The masalas would last long up to 3 or 4 months.
Here is the basic coriander powder we use in Tamilnadu or any Indian recipe.

Homemade Coriander powder.

Ingredients:
Coriander seeds - 1 lb

Method 1 (small batch):
Take the coriander seeds in a winnowing pan (sulavu / muram) and separate the chaff from seeds.
Heat a thick bottom wok.
Put one cup of coriander seed, reduce flame to minimum and fry for 1 minute (till it gets crispy).
Don't let it brown for Tamilnadu recipes, as we need a tender smell of coriander just like Achi's masala. Take it out.
Just like that repeat in small batches for the remaining coriander.
Spread the coriander on a newspaper and  let it cool.
Powder it in a mixie , let cool completely and store in airtight container.
This is the method I employ for smaller batches of coriander without drying in Sun.

Method 2 (traditional):

Coriander seed - 2 kg.

Take the coriander seeds in a winnowing pan (sulavu / muram) and separate the chaff from seeds.
Sundry the coriander seeds for 10 hours (till it turns crispy) .....from morning to evening.
Dry grind it to a fine powder in a nearby mill.
Before grinding it in a mill, make sure that they haven't put anything with lot of flavor for the previous person...that smell will stick to ours:) Mom would suggest us to wait till it is clean or would grind wheat / rice before giving our masala items:)
After bringing it home, immediately spread it on newspapers and let the powder gets cool completely (otherwise the powder turns brown).
Store in airtight containers.
Once in a month keep the containers in hot Sunlight for 10 hours to avoid pests.

Note:
Use this coriander powder in any kulambu, fries, Sambar as per recipe.
The ratio between coriander powder and chilly powder in most of my cooking is 3:1.
This is the purest form of fresh coriander powder and it makes every recipe delicious.

Simple mutton soup

This is a very simple soup / clear soup I prepare using goat ribs.Some weekends I try my best to give Xav some spicy soups before lunch, as it is our tradition in my parents house. I buy lamb meat WITH bones whenever I want to make a mutton kuruma (whereas mutton curry can be made using boneless or boney meat).Mutton kuruma tastes good with less spicy rice like coconut milk rice or ghee rice.  I cook the mutton in pressure cooker and before pouring the cooked ribs to the kuruma, I take out some of the cooked broth for soup. Though hubby is a picky eater, he will eagerly ask for a few more servings of this soup, which makes me very very happy:)
Though there are many versions of mutton soup in Tamilnadu (India), I like this quick soup also very much. I prefer serving this kind of soup at least 15-30 minutes before meal, to make room for lunch:). This clear soup should be served in smaller cups just like this picture for a native touch and it can be conveniently sipped instead of using a spoon:)

Ingredients: 
lamb meat (ribs) - 150 gm
shallot - 6
garlic - 1 whole
cilantro - handful (chopped)
mint leaf - few
turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
whole black pepper - 1 tsp
cumin - 1 tsp
black pepper powder - to taste
salt - to taste

Method:
Clean the  meat in water.
Add turmeric powder, cilantro, mint and 3 cups of water. Keep aside.
Peel the onion and garlic. Chop them coarsely.
In a tbsp of butter / oil fry the shallot and onion and add to the mutton.
Grind whole black pepper and cumin to a fine powder and add it to the above.
Pressure cook this till we get one whistle. Reduce flame and cook in medium heat for 15 minutes.
Then switch off. After the pressure is released, open and take out 1.5 cups of clear soup (no need to take out the meat or bones....it is optional). Keep aside the remaining broth and meat for preparing a kuruma.
Add required salt to the soup and mix well.
Serve in small bowls and garnish with black pepper powder.

Mutton soup is ready!

Serving suggestions:
Serve as appetizer.

Onion bajji

Onion (Vengayam) bajji is a popular snack of India similar to onion rings. Though it is mostly served as snack , sometimes I make this bajji as side dish with sambar rice during weekends or nights when we need something more delicious than the usual side dish.  I am narrating my recipe for vengaya bajji.

Vengaya bajji (photo updated : Feb 2014)

Ingredients (for 10 pieces) :

Red Onion - 2
Besan flour (kadalai mavu) - 3/4 cup
dosa batter - 1/4 cup
(or) rice flour - 2 tbsp
salt - to taste
red chilly powder - 1 tsp
hing (asafoetida)- 1/8 tsp
baking soda - 1/2 tsp
garlic - 2 pieces (finely ground)
ajwain (omam / bishop weed) - 1/4 tsp
red food color - a pinch (optional)
oil - to deep fry (200 ml)

Method:

Peel the onion. Slice it into thin (1/4 inch thick approx) round pieces, using a knife and cutting board. Carefully cut the onion, so that the concentric pieces remain intact.

Grind the garlic and omam to a fine paste with 1 tsp water. Mix all the above (except oil) along with 1/4 cup water to a thick batter. Add more water if needed, but keep the batter like thick idly batter ,otherwise the bajjis will absorb more oil.

Heat oil in a wok. As it gets smoky hot, reduce flame and keep in medium flame.

Dip the onion slices in the batter and put it on the hot oil.  Do not clutter. Flip and fry both sides. Drain oil and take out.

Onion bajji / fritter is ready!

Serving suggestions:

Serve hot as snack along with hot coffee or tea during rainy / winter season.
Coconut chutney or tomato ketchup are good side dishes for these fries.

Sweet potato boli

Boli is a kind of sweet paratha prepared in Tamilnadu, India. We can see many varieties of stuffing for boli. In Chennai, one can see some shops selling this boli alone, as they are very popular there.
Preparing pooran boli / oppittu (with channa dal stuffing) at home is a time consuming job, as preparing the stuffing demands many steps like pressure cooking the dal, preparing jaggery solution, making a soft ball stage pooran in a wok etc.,.  But this sweet potato boli is comparatively easy, as the stuffing can be made quick, if we have some boiled sweet potatoes and chapati dough.
I made this as lunch box snack for hubby and I love the way it came out easier and tasty. Try this and enjoy!

Sweet potato boli.

Sweet potato stuffing.

For stuffing (pooranam):
Sweet potato - 1 (large)
brown sugar - 2 tbsp
shredded coconut - 1 tbsp
cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
Outer layer:
Wheat flour - 1 cup + 1/2 cup
salt - a pinch
water - to knead
sesame oil - few tbsp
Ghee - 2 tsp

Method:
*Boil or pressure cook the sweet potato. Peel and mash with hand. Add the ingredients in stuffing and mix well without lumps. Divide it into small balls of key-lime size. Keep aside. This is the stuffing for boli.
*Put the wheat flour in a large mixing bowl. Add salt, mix well. Slowly add water and knead to a thick soft dough (just like chapati dough). Add 2 tbsp sesame oil and knead again very well, so that the dough becomes very soft and pliable.
*Divide the dough into equal size balls (say 6 balls).
* Take one ball, sprinkle some dry wheat flour on the rolling board. Press using a rolling pin to a small circle (3 inch dia).
* Place one sweet potato stuffing inside, fold like a pouch. Sprinkle more flour and roll carefully (without much pressure) to a 6 inch circle.
* Heat a tawa , apply few drops of oil , fry the boli both sides in low heat for 1 minute each side.
* Take out, brush few drops of  ghee, let cool for 1 minute and keep inside an airtight container.
Repeat the procedure for all the dough balls.

Sweet potato boli is ready!

Serving suggestion:
Serve hot as snack.

Note:
Instead of wheat flour it is traditional to use maida / All purpose flour.
Keep the kneaded  AP flour dough for 6 hours in room temperature for a more workable dough.

Egg kuruma

Whenever we say egg curry, the only thing that comes into the mind of many people is a spicy red hot egg curry. But there are many versions all over India. Sometimes we may need an egg curry with more gravy to go along with rice or idiappam (rice noodles). Then I would choose this curry or kuruma with lots of coconut masala. This kind of  egg curry with more gravy is a common in Southern Tamilnadu and kerala. On that day I made this with veggie briyani for one of my friends who likes egg curry very much and insisted on making my hometown version. Though I like her version also very much, I made it for her and we all had an amazing dinner.

 Egg kuruma.

Ingredients:

Egg - 6

Ingredients:

tomato - 2
Red onion - 1
coriander leaves - a handful.
mint leaves - few
curry leaves - few
coconut milk - 1/2 cup
red chilli powder - 1 tsp
turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
curry masala powder- 1 tsp
coriander powder - 2 tsp
salt - to taste
oil / ghee - 2 tbsp
cinnamon - 2 inch
Fennel seeds - 1 tsp
bay leaf - 1
ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp

to grind:

cardamom - 3
shredded coconut - 1/4 cup
cashew - 4
poppy seed - 1 tsp
cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
green chillies - 4

Method:

*Grind ginger and garlic together.
*Dry roast the poppy seeds, cashew and grind the items mentioned to a fine paste.
* Hard boil the eggs , peel. Make 3-4 slits lengthwise on all the eggs.
Keep aside.
* Heat oil / ghee in a pan. Add fennel seeds, cinnamon and bay leaf.
*Add the chopped onion, green chillies ,curry leaves, cilantro and mint leaves. After the onion turns golden brown , add ginger garlic paste and saute well.Then add the chopped tomato and fry till it is completely cooked.
* Put  chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder , curry masala powder and stir well till raw smell goes. Add 2 cups of water. Close the lid and cook for 5 minutes.
* Add the coconut masala and let it boil to give a nice flavor.
* Put the prepared eggs. Bring to a boil.
*Before switching off add the coconut milk. Switch off immediately.
Egg kuruma is ready!

Serving suggestions:

This is one best side dish for vegetable briyani,  parathas, parotta, any briyani, dosai,  idly, appam and idiyappam.

Masal dosai

Idly and dosai are popular dishes of Tamilnadu, India. They are consumed as a main course for dinner and a staple for breakfast. Proper fermentation of the batter is the key behind the successful idlies and the hot climatic condition prevailing there throughout the year will make the idly petal soft. Though making the perfect idly depends on how much care we give for maintaining the temperature, dosa comes handy for all who long for native food.

We can see an idly vs dosai scene in almost any Indian house. When the mother wants to steam some idly in a jiffy, one fuzzy person may always demand for a dosai . That demanding person can be satisfied only by a hot dosai, while others has to eat the idly:) Just like that whenever anyone goes to an Indian restaurant , crispy dosai would be in the top preference. The restaurants would serve the dosai with variety of chutney and that makes the platter pretty.Mostly I make coconut chutney or sambar only and rarely both. But I would make masal dosai if I have some left over poori kilangu after having poori the previous day. Nowadays readymade batter is also available everywhere (I suggest making your own batter for fresh taste) and so dosa making becomes more handy.
 
Prepare this delicious Masal dosai and enjoy!

Masal dosai with sambar and chutney.

Take a look inside: ) Potato masala stuffed inside a thin crispy dosai.

Ingredients:
Dosa batter - 1/2 cup per dosai
potato masala filling - 2 or 3 tbsp per dosai
sesame oil / ghee - few tsp

Method:
For making perfect crispy dosai we may need a thick dosa tawa, sharp spatula, a medium sour dosa batter.
Add a tbsp besan flour for 2 cups of dosa batter and mix well. (Besan flour gives dosai a red hue. Some times I skip this step).
Apply one drop oil on tawa and spread uniformly using a spatula.
Heat the tawa to maximum. Check the heat by sprinkling a drop of water. Wipe the tawa clean, using a kitchen towel.
Now without applying oil to the tawa, pour a ladle full of batter on it. Using the back of the flat spatula or a small cup, spread the batter to a thin circle.
Drizzle few drops of ghee or sesame oil.
As soon as it shows little red color, flip , reduce heat and cook for 10 seconds.
Flip again, so that the beautiful red side lays down. Place 2 -3 tbsp of poori masala in the center and fold , so that the red color shows up.
Some people fold thrice like a newspaper (see photo above) and some fold only once so that dosa looks like a semicircle.
Masal dosai is ready!

Serving suggestions:
Serve hot immediately (for crispiness) with coconut chutney and sambar.

Note:
For details on dosa making see my paper roast dosai recipe.

Chennai fish curry

Chennai fish curry is a spicy, tangy curry. It is one of my favorite versions of fish curry. Chennai has a huge fishing harbor in Royapuram which supplies many markets all over the city and state. One can get excellent quality sea fish in all the Chennai markets.Also fresh water fish is caught from many lakes around. People living there for generations are very good at making delicious fish curries and sea foods. One popular fish recipe from chennai is the Kasimedu meen kulambu. This typical Chennai fish curry differs from southern Meen kulambu by the following hints:
1.There won't be any coconut paste in chennai fish curry. Fish curry will smell just like fish curry, the way I like it very much:)
2.Chennai fish curry should have more fish pieces and it will give a strong fish flavor.Use any chunky fish pieces like king fish.
3. Madras / chennai meen kuzhambu needs lot of onion and tomato with lesser tamarind. Chennai people won't make fish curry without tomato, whereas others care less for tomato.
4.If needed chennai people would add little coconut milk extract (very rarely), but not the ground coconut masala.
5. Any cooking oil like peanut oil, sunflower oil or sesame oil can be used in chennai fish curry, while village style south fish curry demands sesame oil only.

Salmon fish in Indian curry.

Salmon and Evoo in Madras meen kulambu. Any chunky fish like King fish and peanut oil are traditionally used there.

Tangy spicy Madras style fish curry.

Ingredients:
King fish / salmon - 1/2 kg (1 lb)
Tamarind - 1 small lemon size
red onion - 2 (medium big)
garlic - 10 cloves
tomato puree (3 crushed) - 3/4 cup
red chilly powder - 1 1/2 tsp
coriander powder - 3 tbsp
turmeric powder - 3/4 tsp
curry leaf - 2 sprigs
oil - 3 tbsp
mustard seeds - 1 tsp
fenugreek seed  (venthayam / methi) - 1 tsp
cumin seed - 1 tsp
sea salt - 2 tsp (as per taste)
green chilly - 2

Method:
* Soak tamarind in warm water along with salt. Extract juice using 2 cups of water.
Put coriander powder, turmeric powder, red chilly powder, salt in the tamarind extract. Keep aside.
* Clean the fish in water and cut into medium size pieces. Sprinkle some salt, turmeric powder and let it marinate till we prepare the curry (15 minutes).
* Chop onion very finely. Heat oil, add mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, cumin. As soon as mustard starts crackling, add curry leaves, finely chopped onion and saute till onion turns soft and mild red.
Then add the crushed tomato (chop them finely and squeeze with hands) and saute till the oil shows up. Put the peeled chopped garlic and saute for a few seconds.
* Then pour the tamarind extract, slit green chilly. Bring it to a boil. let it boil for 5 minutes in medium heat till raw smell goes.
* Then add the fish pieces. Cook covered in very low heat till curry gets little thick (10 minutes). Don't stir in between. If needed gently shake. Switch off.
Chennai fish curry is ready!

Serving suggestion:
Serve hot as curry over rice.
The usual side dish for meen kulambu and rice are fried fish, omelet, ripe mango pieces.

Note:
I have used extra virgin olive oil and salmon instead of the traditional ingredients as I had that in hand on that day and we liked the curry very much. Salmon tasted similar to King fish:)
Add a tsp of jaggery (brown sugar)before switching off,  if it needs lesser sourness. 

Ragi Malt

I am sure every Indian would know to make this ragi drink and I wanted my blog to have this too:)
Many years ago with the introduction of TV and advertisements to India, many people started  buying the energy powders and brand named health drinks and started believing that it was their favorite hero's energy secret:) It would be surprising to see even the mothers from typical villages which grow these Ragi (African finger millet), appreciating the store bought health mixes. In my house too we had started naming one favorite drink for each person and used to buy a bottle per month. But then one of our elderly relative from our village (Annapazham achi) while visiting us, told my mom how much government officers were stressing the noon meal schemers to provide sathu mavu urundai (power packed home made sweet balls) for pregnant women and explained the benefits of age-old homemade drinks. She would always make us love our traditional foods than buying something from supermarket:) Her smiling face, fairy tales and folk tales could make any kid sleep tight:) She brought us the recipe to make that urundai and this energy drink and reminded my mom to stick to the older recipes than buying something made commercially. Even though at that age I preferred telling my friends that we all drink the expensive one, I secretly started liking this home made Indian ragi malt better and now I don't hesitate to tell it to the world:) Here I have given one recipe for ragi malt directly from a readymade ragi flour and one recipe from scratch.

Ragi malt, Indian ragi drink, Finger millet drink, keppai kool, keppai koozh, kelvaragu sahu mavu kanji

Ragi malt and one of my favorite coffee mugs, we bought during Christmas.

Simple keppai koozh / ragi malt:
Ingredients:   (2 cups)
Ragi flour - 2 tbsp
water - 1 cup
fat free milk - 1 cup
brown sugar - 3 tsp
cardamom - a pinch

Method:
As soon as we buy the ragi flour or powdered the whole ragi from a dry grinding mill, we should dry roast it till it smells good. Do the roasting in small batches, as it is easy. Spread the roasted flour over a large sheet of paper (I use a sheet of news paper) and let it cool completely. Then store it in an airtight container for longevity. This keeps the flour fresh. Some people keep raw flour inside fridge. Both are good ways to store the ragi flour.

Do this recipe in stove top only for better taste.

Take 2 tbsp ragi flour in a stove top vessel and add 1/4 cup water. Mix well without any lumps. Break the lumps at this stage to get a smooth drink.
Then add the remaining water and start heating.
Add the milk and bring it to a boil. Simmer till it gets little thick (but drinkable).
Then add brown sugar or karuppatti (palm sugar), cardamom powder and mix well.
Serve medium hot just like coffee and tea.

Homemade Ragi malt flour recipe from scratch:
Ragi - 1 kg
almond - 10
cashew - 10
cardamom - 10

Method:
Wash the whole ragi millet multiple times and keep it in water.
Finger millet may have some small stones. Gently hold the top of the vessel and shake it many times, so that the stones settle in bottom. Soak in water for an hour.
wash a clean thin cotton or muslin cloth and place the millet on the cloth and tie , so that it looks like a pouch. Place it in a container and cover it. Let it remain for 12 hours.
In this time it would have germinated.
Sundry the germinated millet and let it dry completely.
Then dry roast it till it smells good.
Dry roast the almonds, cashew too.
Put the roasted items together along with cardamom.
Send them to a dry grinding flour mill or powder it at home.
Keep in a cool dry place and use within 2 months.

Note:
Prepare the ragi malt drink as suggested above.
In the simple version , we can add soaked almond made into a paste to the drink too.
This is a recipe for ragi malt only.
For the Tamilnadu version of sathumavu (energy powder) we should germinate green gram, whole wheat, red channa also. While powdering we would add corn (makka cholam), almond, cahsew, cardamom, cloves, sprouted dry roasted green gram - wheat - ragi. This powder stays good for 2-3 months in room temperature / inside fridge .It can also be made into a drink like ragi or into laddu. 


 

Homemade corn tortilla

Homemade tortillas are more easier to prepare if we know how to make chapati. Texture of corn is more or less similar to rice flour. So it may tend to stick to the rolling board. I keep a wax paper or plastic sheet over the rolling board, sprinkle some flour and start rolling. It peels off easily and can be cooked over any tawa or flat pan.
Anyone who tastes fresh corn tortillas will definitely have a hesitation before going for a ready made tortilla  from the grocery store.  I prefer corn tortillas than flour tortillas, as corn smells really really very good while cooking:) Homemade tortillas are incredibly lesser expensive, amazingly flavorful, soft like a cotton and no words to explain how much I love to make them at home:)

Basic corn flour from ALDI, Price: 4.4 lb / 2kg  corn flour costs $ 2.

Making corn tortilla with chapati rolling pin.

We can make cut off  perfect round tortillas using any round shaped lid.

Fresh Corn tortillas made at home.

We can refrigerate the left over tortillas...and  note down the date:)

Ingredients:
Corn flour - 2 1/2 cup
AP flour - 2 tbsp
sea salt - 1/2 tsp
water - 2 1/2 cups
oil - 2 tsp + 2 tbsp
corn flour - 1/2 cup (for dusting)

Other items needed:
Chapati rolling pin, chapati rolling board, (or) tortilla making press.
plastic sheet or wax paper - few squares

Method:
Put corn flour, AP flour, salt in a wide mixing bowl.
(I like to add some AP flour  as it helps in easy rolling of tortilla, but I don't think it is traditional).
Mix slightly. Boil the water. Add water little by little till the flour can be kneaded.
Mix well so that it rolls into a smooth ball (e.g., pizza dough or chapati dough).
Apply 2 tsp  oil and knead again to a soft ball.
Divide it into 20 lemon size balls.
spread the plastic sheet / wax paper over the rolling board.
Sprinkle some corn flour and keep one ball.
Again dust some more corn flour and start rolling it to a thin circle.
Don't bother about the serrated edges, when can make it a smooth round by pressing a sharp lid on it.
In the mean time start heating a tawa / pan.
Apply few drops of oil using a brush / flat wooden tool we use for applying oil to dosa.
Peel off the tortilla and put it on hot tawa.
Cook for 30 seconds , flip , cook again for 30 seconds and if needed cook more time till we see mild brown dots appearing on the tortilla.
Take the tortilla and store in airtight container to maintain the softness.
Wipe off the pan and again apply oil and repeat the same procedure to make all the tortillas.
Home made tortilla is ready!

Note:
Corn tortillas can be used in making endless dishes like wraps, enchilada, tortilla chips etc.
The left over can be stored air tight and kept refrigerated for a week.
Before using the refrigerated tortillas, reheat them one by one on a hot pan.

Makes 20 corn tortillas (6 inch dia).
Time taken :  45 minutes .... from start to finish.

Crab pepper fry

Cooking seafood on most of the days was a tradition in my house while growing up. While common fishes are cooked on weekdays, we reserve the exotics like crab, shrimp for the weekends, as they take more time to devour:)  Here is what I made using crab and pepper....the crab pepper fry. I am sure I coined this recipe all by myself and I love it very much. This has a thick curry like finish, a Chettinadu crab curry touch and tastes very delicious with plain white rice and curd rice. I fried some king fish pieces and a fish curry for my hubby.

The Chesapeake blue crab or Atlantic blue crab, or simply blue crab of USA tastes similar to the native Indian smaller crabs. So choose some smaller soft shell crab for Indian version of crabs. But any crab (king crab too) works good:)
Do you know why all the crabs, shrimps and lobsters turn to red color while cooking? If interested read the chemical reactions behind and appreciate the beauty of cooking:) Love this reasoning:)
other names: Nandu milagu curry, nandu milagu varuval, crab pepper fry, Indian crab curry.
If you are looking for a newer crab recipe, then try this and enjoy!

Have a crab as appetizer as soon as it is cooked....my recommendation:)

Crab pepper fry with rice and fried king fish.

Have another look at my crab fry...flipped side :)

Ingredients:
Small crab - 6

To grind:
Coconut - 1/2 cup
black pepper - 2 tbsp
cumin - 1 tsp
shallot - 4
To mince:
garlic - 1 whole
Others:
fennel - 1 tsp
oil - 2 tbsp
red onion - 1
curry leaf - few sprigs
turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
garam masala powder - 1tbsp
coriander powder - 3 tsp
green chillies - 4
tomato puree - 1/2 cup
salt - to taste

How to clean the crab:
Wash the crabs twice or thrice till there is no impurities.
Open the shell in stomach side (opens like a pocket with button) and discard that shell (retain other shells surrounding the meat).
Do this for all the crabs, keep them in water , squeeze and remove the yellow and green portions from stomach.
Keep the legs intact.
If cooking the long king crab legs, then gently break it at joints and cut the longest limb into two (helps the masala to penetrate better). This step is not necessary for soft crabs.

Method:
Take a  wide huge thick bottom vessel.
Heat oil , add fennel and let it get red.
Then add the finely chopped onion and fry till it gets red.
Then add the minced garlic and fry for a few seconds.
Grind the items given to a fine paste with little water.
Now put the masala, tomato puree, turmeric powder, salt, garam masala, slit green chilly, coriander powder along with cleaned crab in to the vessel.
Close tightly, cook in medium flame and stir every 3 minutes.
After few minutes the crabs will turn red color while cooking, reduce flame.
Cook for 15 minutes or till the curry gets thicker.
Add fresh curry leaves, chopped cilantro and switch off.
If needed sprinkle few drops of lemon.
Crab pepper fry is ready!

Serving suggestions:
Serve as side dish / main curry over plain rice.
Tastes great with curd rice.
Makes a starter dish too.

Semiya Pulav

Semiya pulav is a very quick and yummy main course. Semiya briyani or pulao was a new food to me, till I tasted it for the first time from my colleague's tiffin box. Many years ago, I met this happy personality Mythreyi mam, a beautiful woman, can drive a car in that small town, knowledgeable and friend for most of the beginners there. Whatever clarification we would ask, she would smile as if it is easy and would show a simple yet enjoyable way. Her memories are sealed with me by this recipe she shared.  

Spring has sprung in our state now. Have a look at this beautiful tree in our apartment. We are blessed to have this tree very close to our house, and I am enjoying this view now. I love this tree very much and photograph it through all the seasonal colors it show. It is totally green in summer, brown branches n fruits in winter. As soon as the spring starts, the tree will bloom in pretty pink flowers all over the tree before getting leaves.  Just seeing this gives me a lot of cheer and hope. Hubby and me have given it a name....'thevathai maram' 'தேவதை மரம்' means 'Angelic tree' and also my 'pinky tree':) Don't get surprised, we name everything we adore:) Most of the mornings we come near our window, sniff the fresh air and enjoy our cup of tea while watching this tree and the beautiful singing birds that visit.

Pink blossom tree in full bloom. Spring has sprung!

Ingredients:
MTR semiya - 2 cups
ghee - 1 tsp
oil - 2 tsp
water - 2 cup
bay leaf - 1
cinnamon - 1 inch
--------------------
onion - 1/2
green beans - 5
carrot - 1
peas - 1/2 cup
cilantro, mint - few leaves
green chilly - 3
tomato - 1
ginger garlic paste - 1tsp
------------------------
red chilly powder - 1/2 tsp
turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
curry masala powder - 1 tsp
coconut milk powder - 2 tsp
salt - to taste
lemon juice - few drops

Method:
In 1 tsp ghee fry the semiya till few pieces turn golden red. (If using a ready made roasted semiya or not, just fry it in ghee).Take it out.

Cut the beans into 1.5 inch pieces. Cut the carrot to same length thin strips.
Defrost the peas. Chop onion, tomato, mint cilantro, chilly and keep them separate.

Heat oil in the same wok and put bay leaf, cinnamon.
Immediately add finely chopped onion and fry till it turns golden.
Then add ginger garlic paste, stir for few seconds.
Add chopped tomato and cook till it is soft.

Now add the chopped vegetables, peas, green chillies, mint, cilantro, salt, powders given above except coconut milk powder. Stir well and cook covered with few tsp of water. After it is completely cooked, add 2 cups of water. Dissolve coconut milk powder. Bring everything to a boil.

Add the roasted semiya, reduce flame and cook covered till it absorbs all the moisture. Switch off , sprinkle lemon juice and fluff it using a fork without mashing.
Now it may seem a little mushy, but after a few minutes it will get fluffy.
Let it rest for 5 minutes, garnish with chopped cilantro and serve!

Semiya pulav is ready!

Serving suggestion:
Serve as main course with any raitha (I would suggest onion raitha /vengaya pachadi).
Makes a tasty lunch pack too.

Fruit and nut kulfi ice cream

Ice cream topped with jelly.

update: Fruit and nut kulfi ice cream I made for hubby's office party,  June 5 ,2013

(for a Large party tray) You can do 1/4 of this recipe for a 4 member family.

To soak and grind:

Almond - 20
cashew -20
cardamom seeds - 2 tsp
saffron - 3 strands

Other ingredients:

Almond - 10
cashew -10
pistachio - 10
Tooti frooti (dry fruits) - 1/2 cup
raisin - 1/2 cup
Sweetened Condensed Milk - 14 oz 2 cans (400 gm each)
fat free Whipped Topping 8 oz (225 gm) - 5 packs
sugar - 3/4 cup
milk - 1 cup
(prepare sugar solution, by bringing to boil 1/4 cup water and this sugar. Let cool completely)

Preparation:

Powder the cardamom. keep aside.
Soak the almonds overnight (or)Put it in boiling water, wait till it wrinkle, peel .
Grind immediately to a coarse paste along with milk , saffron and cardamom (elachi).
In a wok dry roast the almond, cashew, pista and chop it to very small pieces. Let it cool completely. Keep aside.
Buy the tooti fruiti pack from Indian store or use candied dry fruits like pineapple, pear etc.

Method:

The whipped topping should be kept in refrigerator till we start using.
In a mixing bowl add the almond paste, sugar solution and Condensed milk . Mix well.
Then blend in the raisin and dry fruits. (keep the chopped nuts for decoration).
Now add the whipped topping and mix gently (too much mixing will make the ice cream hard).
Immediately transfer them to a freezer-safe lidded container.
Cover and freeze for 8 hours - overnight.
After the ice cream is completely frozen, then garnish it with sliced roasted nuts.
Tooti fruity kulfi  ice cream is ready!

Note:
Always use dry fruits that won't get hard or chewy in this ice cream.
I suggest using tooti frooti from any Indian grocery shop. (I don't know the exact spelling of tooti fruity, so giving a lot of variations....LOL)
Click to see, how I make my own tooti fruity.
Little raisin and finely chopped dates can also be used. Top with any jelly of your choice and serve.

update:

I made this nuts kulfi ice cream for Hubby's office party May  28, 2015.

Wheat dosai

Ingredients:
Wheat flour - 1/2 cup
sour dosa batter - 1/4 cup
salt - to taste
water - as per need
oil - as per need
finely chopped onion - 2 tbsp
cumin - 1/2 tsp

Method:
Put the wheat flour in a mixing bowl. Add water and make a batter of runny consistency.
Add all the other ingredients. Mix well.
Heat a thick dosa tawa (without applying oil and till hot, then reduce flame) and pour 1 ladle, spread to a fine thin circle.
Drizzle some oil , flip once, let it cook for a few seconds and take out.
Crispy wheat dosai is ready!

Serving suggestion:
Serve with chutney.


Note:
Soft wheat dosai for dinner:
Mix 1 cup wheat flour, salt, required water. Spread oil before pouring batter as a thicker dosai, flip and serve.

Happy Tamil New Year ,

May this wish brings all the happiness we ask,
May this wish makes us all healthy and energetic again
May this wish  grant us all peace and
May this year and all the years to come
make us praise God's love towards us
Wishing all a very happy and prosperous Tamil New Year.

(click to see image source.Thanks.)

Love,
Viki

Tomato chutney

Normally the red color chutnies we see in any average Indian food has to be very spicy. That too the street foods in Chennai offers its customers the spiciest chutnies along with idly, dosa etc. But when we go to some vegetarian restaurants like Saravana bhavan, we can get less spicy foods. I tried this tomato chutney just like Saravana bhavan with their mild sweetness and tangy taste. I made this tomato chutney with vegetable kara paniyaram (recipe: yet to publish) as breakfast.

Tomato chutney with vegetable kuli paniyaram.

Ingredients:
Tomato - 3
red onion - 1
dry red chilly - 4
garlic - 4 cloves
channa dal - 1 tbsp
shredded coconut - 1 tbsp
cumin - 1/2 tsp
tamarind - a small piece
salt - to taste
jaggery - 1 tsp
To temper:
curry leaf - few
mustard - 1/2 tsp
urad dal - 1/2 tsp
hing - pinch
coconut oil - 1 tsp

Method:
Cook the tomatoes with 1 cup water, till it is completely cooked.
Add the tamarind and let it cool.
Heat oil in a wok. Fry the channa dal till it turns mild red. Then add the sliced onion, garlic and saute till onion turns golden red. Switch off. Let it cool.
Grind everything together to a thick chutney form.
Heat oil in another wok. Add mustard and urad dal. Let the mustard splutter. Add curry leaves, hing.
Pour the fried tempering over the chutney. Mix well and serve.

Serving suggestion:
Serve as side dish with any tiffin (a light meal - British Indian word) like idly, dosa, uthappam, karapaniyaram.

Chicken koftha

Other names: Chicken meat balls , chicken kofta, chicken kheema balls, baked chicken meat balls, chicken kola urundai.
Deep fried meat balls (mutton / chicken kheema) is called kola urundai in Tamilnadu, India. Instead of frying I have baked it, as it seems quick for me. If we are following my recipe below, then baked koftha will definitely taste similar to deep fried version. If you want a deep fried kola urundai, then click to see my mutton meat ball recipe. I used chicken thigh kheema in this recipe. Chicken kheema can be bought from any halal meat shop. Kheema / minced chicken can also be made at home by grinding the chicken meat in mixer. For more tips on kheema meat and kebabs, please see my chicken sheek kebab recipe.

Chicken koftha / chicken meat balls.

Instead of baking we can deep fry them too.

Chicken kola urundai after baking. Keep them covered to retain the moisture and juicy texture.

Ingredients:
minced chicken - 1 lb
Onions - 1
green chillies - 2
lettuce -  2 or 3 leaves (optional)
cilantro - a handful
mint leaf - a handful
minced garlic - 1 tbsp
dry ginger powder - 1 tsp
turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Puffed channa dhal (dalia) - 1 cup
(powder the puffed channa dhal)
Salt to taste
Oil - 4 tbsp

To powder:
dry red chilly - 2
coriander seeds - 2 tbsp
Black pepper- 1/2 tsp
fennel seed, kali jeera - 1 tsp each
cloves, cardamom - 2
cinnamon - 1 inch 
cumin - 1 tsp
garam masal powder - 1 tsp (optional)

Method:

While the mixer / blender is dry, powder the puffed channa dhal (dhalia)and keep aside (besan flour can be dry roasted and used as substitute for puffed channa dal powder).
Grind the items given above to a medium fine powder.
Put the chicken kheema in a large mixing bowl.
Finely chop the onion,lettuce, chilly, cilantro, mint using a vegetable chopper (saves time).
Add ginger powder, turmeric powder, puffed channa dal powder,finely chopped onion, chilly, lettuce, cilantro and mint, salt.
Knead well to get a thick minced meat dough.(If needed add some bread crumbs to get the consistency enough to make meat balls).
Make small lemon size balls by adding oil.
Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and grease its surface.
set the oven to 350 deg f.
Place the meat balls and bake for 12 minutes one side. Flip and bake again for 12- 15 minutes or till completely cooked.
The kheema kofta can be deep fried too (in medium heat).
Fry or bake till it turns golden red color.
Chicken kofta is ready!

Serving suggestion:
Serve as side dish with rice or as snack.

Note:
1 pound chicken kheema with all the above ingredients will give around 28 - 30 kofthas.
 Adding lettuce will give very juicy kebabs. Finely chopped onion and cilantro can be used in more quantities as substitute for lettuce.

Hi !

Dear readers and friends,
I am on a short blog break.
Hope to write again soon!
Wishing all a happy, healthy, peaceful, prosperous and Blessed Easter.
Enjoy blogging and blog hopping,
Take care,
Love,
Viki

Radish spicy fry

Normally radish is cooked as stir fry in Indian cuisines. I wanted to give it a make-over and here is a spicy fry.

Red radish in a bag.

Radish spicy fry.

Ingredients:
Radish - 250 gm
onion - 1
oil - 2 tbsp
red chilly powder - 1 tsp
fennel seed - 1 tsp
curry masala powder - 1/2 tsp
salt - to taste

Method:
Peel the radish if necessary. Rinse well. Finely chop onion and radish.
Heat oil in a wok, add fennel.
As soon as fennel gets red, add chopped onion. Fry till it gets soft.
Then add radish, fry in high heat till moisture goes off.
Then add salt, chilly powder, garam masala, 1 tbsp water, stir and cook covered in low flame (10 minutes).
Stir well and take out.
Radish fry is ready!

Serving suggestions:
Serve as side dish with chapati or rice.

Coconut cookies

For each petal on the shamrock 
This brings a wish your way  
Good health, good luck, and happiness 
For today and every day. 
May your blessings outnumber 
The shamrocks that grow, 
May St.Patrick pray for us all,
Happy St.Patrick's day! 


Glitters123.com | Saint Patricks Day |

I am seeing green everywhere around St.Patrick's day. A week ahead, I too made some cookies to honor St.Patrick. I didn't add any green color to my cookies, but served them on green color cupcake liners:)  Here is some coconut cookies to celebrate St.Patrick's day. 

This cookie should be a bit chewy inside as well as crispy on outside.

Reference: I tried Martha's coconut cookies and made some alterations according to my taste.

Instead of coloring the cookies, I served them on green cupcake liners:)

Coconut cookies for St.Patrick's day!

Cool the baked cookies in a wire rack. 

Ingredients:
Dry shredded coconut - 1 1/2 cups for powdering  + 1/4 cup for coating
white sugar - 3/4 cup
brown sugar - 1/2 cup
salt - 1/2 tsp
Baking powder - 1/2 tsp
unsalted butter - 1/2 cup (1 stick)
egg - 1
vanilla extract - 1 tsp

cardamom powder - 1 tsp (heaped)
All purpose flour - 1 1/2 cups

Method:
Preheat oven to 350 deg F.
Set aside 1/4 cup coconut in a plate for coating the cookies.
Grind the coconut in a mixer to a fine stage (by pulsing) along with sugar, salt.
Add cold butter, egg, vanilla extract , cardamom and process till smooth.
Sift the flour with baking powder twice.
Keep the flour in a large mixing bowl and add the prepared coconut.
Mix well.
Using a tablespoon as measure, scoop out 1 ball of dough.
Slightly roll it to a ball and flatten it mildly.
Dip it in coconut we kept on the plate.
Arrange 2 inch apart in baking sheets (as this cookies will puff up).
Bake until light golden brown color appears on bottom edges.
It took 13-15 minutes for me.
Always keep watching this from the second batch, as it gets brown quickly.
Cool for 1 minute, transfer to wire rack, let cool completely.
Store in airtight containers.
Stays fresh for a week.

Serving suggestions:
Makes 33 cookies of 2 inch dia.
Serve as dessert or snack.

Note:
Prepare this dough and keep refrigerated for 2 weeks, so that we can make fresh cookies whenever we want.
Sweetened dry coconut can also be used instead of dry coconut flakes


Glitters123.com | Saint Patricks Day |