Collard greens stir fry

From the start of March month, we can see a whole green look in USA because of St.Patrick day (Mar, 17). Its a tradition to wear a lucky green T-shirt or a shamrock logo for this festival. I can see everything green here in TV and streets ranging from T-Shirts, shamrocks, beads, hats, scarfs, face painting, hair colors, cakes, green thinking, green ads etc:) While we both are also getting green, I wanted my blog to have a green dish in its menu card too:) Here goes my collard greens stir fry with peanuts.

Happy St.Patrick day!

Ingredients:
collard greens - 15 leaves.

To temper:

Mustard - 1/2 tsp
onion - 2 tbsp
garlic - 3 cloves
sesame / coconut oil - 1 tbsp

To grind:

grated coconut - 2 tbsp
ground nut - 20 numbers
rice - 1 tsp
fennel seed - 1/2 tsp
dry red chilly - 2

Method:

Rinse the collard greens and remove the mid stem. Chop finely.

Dry roast the peanut and remove the skin by rubbing. Crush it to very-coarse pieces (using a mixie or chopper).
Dry roast the rice, fennel seed, red chilly, till rice puffs. Coarsely powder it.
Keep the powders aside.

Heat oil and add mustard seeds. Add the chopped onion, garlic and fry for few seconds. Then put the chopped greens and cook covered in low heat along with a few tbsp of water. After it gets cooked add required salt. Before switching off put the prepared powders, coconut and stir in high heat for a minute.

Collard green peanut stir fry is ready!

Serving suggestion:

Serve as side dish with roti or chapati or rice.

Kara Paniyaram

Kara paniyaram - Spicy puff pancake.

This is a popular tiffin / snack / breakfast in chettinadu region of Tamilnadu. The batter is similar to idly batter with slight variation in proportion. The urad dhal should be much lesser for the paniyaram, so that the paniyaram comes off the hole easily.

Ingredients:

Idly rice (parboiled rice / puzhungal arisi) - 1 cup
black gram lentil (ulunthu paruppu) - 2 tbsp
channa dhal (kadala paruppu) - 1 tbsp
salt - to taste ( 1tsp)
baking soda - 1/8 tsp
ghee /butter/  sesame oil - as per need

To temper:

mustard seed - 1/2 tsp
urad dhal - 1 tsp
sesame oil - 1 tsp
onion - 1/4 (small)
green chilly - 2
cilantro - few leaves.
asafoetida (hing) - a pinch

Method:

Rinse and soak the rice, urad dhal and channa dhal together for 6 hours.
Grind it to a fine to medium coarse batter with very little water.
The batter should be thick like a pancake batter / idly batter.
Mix salt and keep it to ferment overnight (cold weather) or 6 hours (in hotter weather).
The batter will ferment well only if the room temperature is above 85 deg F. Otherwise maintain the temperature using an oven.

10 minutes before starting to prepare the paniyaram, add the baking soda and mix well.
In the mean time prepare the tempering.

Heat 1 tsp oil in a small wok and add mustard seeds. Once they start splutter, add the urad dhal, asafoetida and finely chopped onion, cilantro, curry leaf, chilly and let it get slightly tender. Add it to the batter and mix well.

Now heat a paniyaram pan and brush some oil in all the holes. Then add 1 tsp sesame oil / butter in each hole. Reduce the flame to minimum and pour the batter to halfway in each hole. Click to see the picture. Cook covered or in open. (I prefer putting a lid to ensure uniform cooking). We can see the paniyaram getting cooked. Flip using a skewer or fork. Take out once done.

Serving suggestion:
Makes almost 21 paniyaram .
Serve with coconut chutney.

Note:

Do everything in low heat. It may take a little while but that is the only way to get whole fluffy paniyaram.
Non stick pans work the best. But I have used a pan similar to traditional thick paniyaram pan.
For the first round it may require more oil to fry, but it will take very lesser in the following.

16 bean soup

Preparing soup is a tradition associated with lent days. This multi bean soup is packed with loads of protein and will be very filling too. I found this pack in a local chain of grocery stores where they keep the dry nuts, rice etc. This soup recipe is inspired by  Yasmeen's sixteen bean soup recipe and did some slight variations for my taste. Thank you Yasmeen, I learned a very healthy recipe from you.

The Lent days are observed from Ash Wednesday (for this year, Feb 22) to Easter (April 8, 2012). During this time Christians try to reduce their preference for luxurious foods. The aim of simple meals during this season is to keep off from any expensive foods so that we can learn to share food or save that money and donate it for the needy. Also we participate in the stations of the cross prayer and mass on Lenten Fridays. All Fridays throughout the year are meatless days in some families like us, while many stay vegetarian for the whole fasting. The traditions are many but the focus is not just on fasting but mainly emphasized on compassion, understanding, sharing, charity, virtues and purity of heart.

Name of beans in a sixteen bean soup mix:

Pinto beans,  red cow peas, small white beans, great northern beans, large lima beans, baby lima beans, yellow split peas, green split peas, lentils, large kidney beans, small kidney beans, black eye cow peas, black turtle beans, garbanzo beans, pearl barley, whole green peas, and pink beans. To read more...click.

Dried beans before soaking. I used Jack rabbit brand without the flavoring sachet.

Preparing the beans:

Wash the dried beans and soak in water for 10 hours or overnight.
I use a pressure cooker. The soaked beans are kept in a pressure cooker with water to cover the beans and little standing above.
Wait to see the steam and put the pressure valve. After it whistles once, reduce the heat and cook it for 18 minutes. Switch off and open after the pressure reduces.
Otherwise we can cook it in slow cooker / stove top for 4-6 hours in low heat.

Ingredients:

16 grain lentil (dry) - 1 cup
Butter - 1 tbsp
turmeric - 1/2 tsp
onion - 1
bay leaf - 2
cloves - 3
cinnamon - 1 inch
cardamom - 3
green chilly - 3
cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
hot sauce (or red chilly powder)- as per need.
tomato puree - 1/2 cup
salt - to taste
garlic - 6 cloves
black pepper - to taste

Method:

Saute the finely chopped onion, bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom in butter for a minute and add the finely chopped garlic, green chilly. Fry for 30 seconds.
Add tomato puree and cook for a minute.
Add the turmeric powder, cumin powder , pepper powder and simmer with 1 cup of water.
Pour the cooked lentil and bring to a boil. If required add more water.
The soup should be thick. Then put salt and hot sauce to taste.
Let it cook in low heat for 10 minutes.
Garnish with fresh cilantro or mint leaves.
Switch off.

Serving suggestions:

Serve hot as a whole meal with rolls or bread.
Serve as starter.

Note:

Reduce the green chilly and hot sauce for lesser spicy version.
Little lime juice can be squeezed at the end to get more flavor.
Some people add some shredded cheese as topping.
One cup of this mixed beans can make 6 small bowls of thick soup.
The 16 bean soup pack can be substituted with any lentils like, nava dhanyam (9 grain), red gram, toor dhal, bengal gram, channa, green gram , black gram, rice etc. The options are endless. Just a teaspoon of each kind will do the same job:)

Event entries and re-posts.

Event 1:

I am sending the following recipes for Teenz' Yummy delights' Valentine's day event.
Happy hosting dear!
1. Mango ice cream.

2. Badusha

3. Pistachio Kulfi Ice cream.

Event 2:

The following recipes goes to Sobha Shyam's Just4fun event.
The main rule is that there should a maximum of 4 ingredients. Here are my entries.

1. Parotta

2. Idiyappam.

Happy hosting dear!

Event 3:

The below entries goes to Srav's 'Dish for loved ones' event.
1. Boondhi

2.Aloo Channa chaat.

Happy hosting dear!

Boondhi

Boondhi - very tiny drops of besan flour, fried and soaked in sugar syrup.

Last week I saw hubby buying some gifts for me for the Valentine's day. I peeked into that bag after he started for office and there were very cute hair clips with glittering stones. They are the ones I used to give a glance in a nearby Indian grocery store and pass on without buying, just like a typical housewife:) I think he could have seen me watching them and adoring them:) Isn't it so sweet to get what we long for? I too wanted to make something special for him. Then I bought 2 beautiful Valentine's day themed tins from dollar stores and filled them with his favorite sweets like boondhi and badusha along with  almond kulfi ice cream. 

Here is the recipe for boondhi.

My simple gift to hubby:)

I have given the measures to make one cereal bowl full of boondhi. Increase the measures by seeing my laddo recipe:

Ingredients:

Besan flour(bengal gram flour / kadalai mavu)- 3/4 cup
(water for boondhi- almost half the flour)
sugar - 3/4 cup (if needed increase few more tsp)
water for syrup - 1/2 cup
baking soda - a pinch
turmeric powder / yellow food color - a pinch
oil - to deep fry

To garnish:

ghee - 1 tbsp
cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp
pachai karpuram (edible camphor) - a pinch
cashew - few
raisin - few

Special equipment needed:

A perforated vessel to make boondhis.
(If we are doing for a small batch, say 1 cup flour, then make holes on a disposable plate using a skewer. I have done this disposable home made boondhi making plate , before buying a traditional boondhi maker and it was very successful too.).

Sugar syrup:

Make a sugar syrup of 1 thread consistency. (Heat the sugar and water together till it starts boiling. After few seconds it will be sticky to touch). Switch off.

Preparing Boondhi:

Mix the baking soda, turmeric / food color with water and pour it into the four. Add water little by little, till it reaches a thick dosa batter consistency. The consistency should be so thick that, if we place a scoop of batter on the perforated plate, it should not run down easily (we have to press the drops in the oil).

Now add the oil/ ghee in a broad wok and start heating slowly, without reaching the fuming point. Keep in medium heat. Gently pour a ladle of batter over the boondhi making perforated bowl and press it to the hot oil. Don't crowd the oil. Fry for a few seconds only. The final product should be crispy.(My version calls for crispy boondhis. But if you want, you can make soft boondhis too). Immediately transfer them to the sugar syrup. Repeat and collect all the boondi in the syrup. Mix well.

Fry the cashew and raisins in ghee and add it to boondhi along with cardamom powder, edible camphor. If there is some excess syrup, gently heat the syrup so that the boondhi absorbs it and each droplet should stay separate. It should not crystallize.

Serving suggestions:

Makes a big bowl of boondhi.
Serve as snack or dessert in normal temperature.
Time taken - 20 minutes.

Badusha

Happy Valentine's day to all my readers, friends and family!

Here is a sweet to celebrate the Valentine's day. I made it for my hubby as a home made gift, as it is one of his most favorite sweets. It came out very well just like the store bought. 

Recipe Source - An article called 'Kalyana Virundhu 64' by Mr.Subham Ganesan in Mangayar malar magazine, Feb 2012 edition.

Ingredients:

Maida / All purpose flour - 2 cup
curd - 1/4 cup 
butter - 100 gm (1/2 cup)
cardamom powder - 1 tsp
baking soda, baking powder - 1/2 tsp each.
sugar - 2 cup
water - 1 1/2 cup
oil - 250 ml (to deep fry)
rose essence - 2 drops

To garnish:

coconut flakes or almond or saffron.
lime - 1/8 of a fruit

Method:

Whisk the butter or dalda with baking soda and baking powder , curd till it blends well and slightly frothy.
(Don't use more baking soda / powder).
Sprinkle the maida  little by little and mix well. The maida will look like crumbs now.
(I add 2 drops of rose essence in the dough or sugar syrup to get more flavor).
Add cool water (few tbsp ) little by little to get a loose chapathi dough.
Knead it like a kiddish crumbs dough. It should not be like firm chapati dough. Let it rest for 20 mins.

Divide it into 18 small balls. Flatten it to a 1/4 inch thick, 3 inch diameter discs. Make a slight indent with the thumb.   This is the shape of badusha. Make all of them and keep aside.

Heat the oil and test fry one disc. Keep the heat in low and fry it till all the bubbles stop. It may take nearly 5 minutes. take it out and check if it is almost cooked till the center. If broken, it should look flaky. It may be very slightly soft in the center, but it will taste fine after soaking in syrup. This is the perfectly fried badusha.

Just like that prepare 5 badushas at a time and fry them as told.

In the same time prepare the sugar syrup. Heat the water and sugar together to get a one thread syrup. It should be sticky to touch and should not crystallize. Squeeze the lime over it to prevent crystallization. Switch off!

Put the fried hot badhusha in to the sugar syrup and let it soak for 10 minutes. Take out and place in a tray. After soaking and arranging all the badushas, pour the excess sugar syrup over it (optional).
Decorate with colored coconut flakes or almond slivers.

Badusha is ready!

Serving suggestion:

Makes nearly 750 gms of badusha (18 - 20 small pieces).
Serve as snack / dessert.
Great for home made gifts.

St.Valentine's day:
In USA, the St.Valentine's day is celebrated to express the love and affection towards our family, friends, pets, society and especially for the our spouse or sweet heart. Click to read more. St.Valentine was a Christian saint who was said to have helped the lovers getting married.Red color dress was the code word for those wishing to get married and St.Valentine took great steps to unite those lovers in holy matrimony. Red rose and red colored objects are popular during this season. The second Sunday of February is celebrated as World Marriage day in Churches. Celebrating the sacrament of marriage, importance of love, understanding between couples are emphasized by the church on these days.

I made this boonthi for hubby...homemade Valentines day gift. Chocolates from him:)

Hairclips and scented candles from hubby dear.

Gifts from Xav. Happy Valentines day always!

Brinjal poriyal

Last summer I bought these cute brinjals from a local farmer's market .Brinjal / aubergine/ eggplant comes in different shapes and colors. The health benefits are many.
Here is a simple poriyal (stirfry) recipe with eggplant.

Summer 2011: Beautiful multicolor eggplants I got from a farmer's market.

Easy stir fry.

Ingredients:

Brinjal / eggplant - 2
oil - 1tbsp
turmeric powder - a pinch
salt - to taste
mustard - 1/2 tsp
black gram lentil (urad dhal) - 1 tsp
dry red chilly - 2
onion (chopped) - 2 tbsp
curry leaf - 1 sprig
shredded coconut - 2 tbsp
cumin - 1/2 tsp

Method:

Heat oil in a wok and put mustard, urad dhal.
Let the mustard start splutter.
Immediately add finely chopped onion, dry red chilly and curry leaf.
By the same time start finely chopping the brinjal and turmeric powder.
Stir well and wait till the onion gets soft.
Then put the chopped brinjal and sprinkle a handful of water.
Cook covered in medium heat till soft (5 minutes).
Then add the required salt, coconut and cumin.
Switch off.
Brinjal poriyal is ready!

Serving suggestion:

Makes enough for 2 people.
Serve as side dish with any rice or chapati.

Note:

If making this poriyal for more number of people, then cook the chopped brinjal with very little water, salt separately. Then do the above tempering.
Chopped brinjal should be cooked immediately to avoid oxidation (darkening) .
Oxidation can be delayed by immersing them in salt water.
Total time taken : 15 minutes.

Red capsicum chicken

In my native place capsicum (bell pepper / kudai milagai) wouldn't be on the top of a 'to buy' list and they would ask the pressing vendor 'What can we do with these other than deep frying like molagai bajji'? That scene may come to my mind whenever I see these beautiful peppers.  But if it is in an abnormally lesser price during rainy season, then everyone would try to make the famous bajjis at home. Those were the days when no one had access to internet or a recipe book other than the one handed down in generations.
Nowadays the very sight of these beautiful red bell peppers would make me grab a few. I love the red ones more than the green or yellow or orange bell peppers, but I like them all:) Then after billing them I would wonder just like my folks, if I could do anything other than my usual bajji:) Blending the bellpeppers in my regular cooking is not that easy for me. So I tried this on my own with some grilled chicken tandoori leftovers and named it as 'red pepper chicken'. Believe me, this is a flavorful chicken curry with a sweetish finish. Now the recipe became my favorite:)

Ingredients:

Chicken thighs - 4 (1/2 kg)
red bellpepper (red capsicum) - 2
onion - 1 (big)
fennel - 1 tbsp
lemon - 1 (small)
oil - 2 tbsp + 2 tbsp
turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
red chilly powder - 1 tsp
salt - to taste
black pepper powder - 1 tsp
cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
garam masala powder - 1 tsp
ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
(crush together 1 inch ginger and 5 garlic cloves)

Method:

Trim the skin, fat and discard. Wash the chicken and pat dry. Cut it into bite size pieces. Mix the juice from 1/2 lemon, 2 tbsp oil, turmeric powder, red chilly powder, salt and marinate the chicken for 4 hours - overnight inside refrigerator. Adding 2 tbsp of vinegar to marination will make it more tasty.

Now heat 2 tbsp oil in a wok. Saute the onion till it becomes soft. Now put the ginger garlic paste and stir for few seconds. Chop the red capsicum and add 1/2 of it to the wok along with chicken pieces, required salt, garam masala, pepper, cumin powder and cook covered in low heat till it gets a nice flavor. No need to add water, but stir every 5 ninutes. Before switching off add the remaining capsicum and cook covered for 5 more minutes.

Switch off and sprinkle juice from 1/2 lemon.

Red capsicum chicken is ready!

Serving suggestion:

Serve with chapati or roti or rice n rasam.

Note:

Grilled tandoori chicken leftovers can be made in to this capsicum chicken easily.
Red meat (chicken) tastes better for this kind of Indian recipes.

Aloo channa chaat

Aloo - potato ; channa - chickpeas / garbanzo beans; Chat / chaat - Indian salad.

This is one guiltless food for those weight watchers. Chaat food items are much appreciated as evening snack or starter foods in India. Aloo channa chat is more popular among Pakistanis. The recipe is so simple ....just mix the main ingredients with the seasoning and serve with freshly chopped vegetables....enjoy!

Aloo channa chaat.

Ingredients: (for 8 servings)
Potato - 2 (big)
dry chickpeas - 1 cup

Seasoning:

red chilly powder - 1 tbsp
cumin powder - 1 tsp
coriander powder - 1 tbsp
curry masala powder - 1 tsp
sugar - 1 tsp
salt - 1 tbsp (to taste)

Fresh ingredients:

Lime - 1/2
Onion - 2
carrot - 2
cilantro , mint leaf - few stalks
cucumber - 1

Method:

Soak the white channa (chick peas) overnight and cook it to tender (pressure cook or cook in stove top for 2 hours).
(Or) Buy a can of cooked chickpeas, drain water, wash to remove the salt. Keep aside.
Boil the potato and peel.
Potato and channa can be cooked and kept in freezer till we need to make the salad.

Mix the ingredients given for seasoning or just use store bought chaat masala.

Shred the carrot, chop the onion, cucumber and cilantro finely.

Chop the potato. Reheat the potato and chickpeas together together (in microwave or in a wok) before serving. Mix the required seasoning powder to taste.

Aloo channa chat is ready!

Serving suggestions:

Serve hot topped with the fresh vegetables and squeeze lime over it.
Makes a healthy snack.

Note:

I suggest cooking the chick peas from scratch if time permits. They can be kept frozen in batches.

Mushroom soup

As my family's soup recipes are mostly non-veg based and somewhat more in south Indian fashion, I never had the confidence to prepare some fancy soup without proper recipe. The funny thing is I can bake without any hesitation but get confused when my hubby asks me for a restaurant style soup:) But my love for hearty warm soups always made me ask for recipes whenever I taste great soups. In course of time I learned a few. Last year I bought some books from the nearby library when they hosted a brown bag clearance sale. This soup book called 'Soups' written by Ms.Robin Howe, is one among them. It has many descriptions on choosing the herbs,stock making, ingredients and tips. I got this mushroom soup recipe from this book and made it in a lean version.

Ingedients: (2 cups)

Mushroom - 10 (fresh or canned)
(6.5 oz can / 200 gm with water)
onion - 1/4 cup
butter - 1 tbsp
salt - to taste
black pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
All purpose flour - 1 tbsp
milk - 1 cup

Method:

Heat a thick bottom vessel. Add the butter and onion.
Saute the finely chopped onion in butter.
After it gets soft, slide in the finely chopped mushroom.
Stir for a few seconds.
Then put the AP flour and fry for a minute.
Add 1 cup water and cook covered with salt.
After it reduces to half cup, pour a cup of milk and cook till it gets slightly thick.
Serve with a dash of black pepper powder.

Serving suggestions:

Serve hot with little fresh cream (optional).
If the soup seems thin, microwave a tbsp of Ap flour, mix it with 2 tbsp water and add to the soup. Then reheat again.

Original version:

mushroom - 1 lb
onion - 2
butter - 3 oz
chicken stock - 2 pints
milk - 1 1/4 cup
flour - 2 oz
cream - 1/4 pint
egg yolk - 2
salt, pepper - to taste

Method:

Prepare by the above method, but  puree 70% of mushroom after sauteing. Replace water by chicken stock.
For garnishing, saute remaining chopped mushrooms in butter and add.
Sprinkle a dash of paprika powder before serving.

Pistachio Kulfi ice cream

Kulfi can be called the king of 'Indian ice creams'. There are many variations like mango kulfi, pista kulfi, almond kulfi, semiya kulfi etc. In India , Kulfi ice creams are mostly made in molds resembling Popsicle and sold in a hand pulled truck. The kulfi makers use special equipments to make it from scratch (whole milk). But it is very difficult to try that procedure at home (for my skill level...hi..hi). So I made a kulfi using my simple recipe and still I got the perfect pista kulfi taste:)
I made this for '2011 Thanks giving day' and I was excited to see my friends loving it:)

Serve a cup of Pistachio kulfi ice cream after that special weekend lunch for your loved ones:)

Ice cream before freezing.

 Pistachio kulfi ice cream studded with a cherry .

To soak and grind:

Cashew nut - 10
pista (pistachio) - 10
cardamom seeds - 1.5 tsp
saffron - 3 strands

Other ingredients:

Pistachio nuts - 1 cup
Sweetened Condensed Milk - 14 oz can (400 gm)
fat free Whipped Topping 8 oz (225 gm) - 2 packs
green food color - 1 drop (optional)

Method:

Soak the above mentioned nuts overnight or for 8 hours and grind to a fine paste.
In a wok dry roast the pistachio nuts and chop it to small pieces. (Using a chopper for 1 pulse or very coarsely). Let it cool completely.
The whipped topping should be kept in refrigerator till we start using.
In a mixing bowl add the nuts paste, food color and Condensed milk . Mix well.
(Though the food color is optional, I got this color after adding a drop of green food color only. Till then it was pale beige in color).
Then blend in the coarsely chopped pista.
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 3-4 hours.

Creamy rich pista kulfi ice cream is ready!

Serving suggestions:

Serve as dessert.
Makes nearly 15 - 20 generous servings.
Before scooping, keep the ice cream in room temperature for 2 minutes to facilitate smooth handling.

Very simple version:

Also check out my short cut for kulfi flavored ice cream.

Alternate method:

(without whipped cream and condensed milk):
We can make this kulfi by altering my vanilla ice cream recipe too.

Vengaya vadai

Vadai - Deep fried Indian spicy doughnut; vengayam (Tamil) - onion.

This is another version of masal vadai with more onion. It is a popular snack in the tea stalls of Tamilnadu and Kerala.

Click to read and enjoy the old Tamil song behind:)

Ingredients:

Channa dhal / Bengal gram lentil - 3/4 cup
Red onion - 3 (medium size)
salt - to taste
green chilies - 3 (chopped)
fresh ginger - 1 inch
curry leaves- 1 sprig
fennel seeds (peruncheeragam/ sombu)- 1/2 tbsp
dry red chillies - 3
cooking oil-250 ml. (for deep frying)

Method:

Soak the dhal for 1 hour in cold water.
Grind dhal with red chillies, salt, ginger,fennel seeds to a coarse mixture without any water.
Chop the onion finely by hand (not in chopper, as it will yield more water to batter and a dark vadai).
In a mixing bowl add the dhal mixture, chopped onions, finely chopped green chilly and curry leaves. Mix well .
Heat oil in a frying pan. Wait till it is hot.
Take a lemon size ball of the mixture, slightly flatten in the palm of your hand and then carefully put the vadai in hot oil . Keep flame in medium heat.
Deep fry on both sides to a golden brown color to mild red color.
Remove the onion vadai , drain oil by placing over a  paper towel .

Serving suggestions:

Makes 12 big size vengaya vadai.
Serve hot with Coconut chutney.
Serve with tea or coffee.

Healthy version:
Add 2 tbsp oil to the batter and shape them into thin vadai.
Bake them at 350 deg C for 15 minutes , flip and bake for 5 minutes or till done.

Note:

This batter cannot be refrigerated after adding onion (otherwise the vadai will get dark while frying).

Its awards time!

Sobha Shyam of Good food has passed me this cute award. Sobha, you have a wonderful blog and it's so sweet to get this award from you. Thanks dear.

Teena Mary of Teenz' yummy delights has shared this beautiful award with me. I am honored. Thank you dear.

Teena is hosting a lovely event for Valentine's day.. I am creating some romantic recipes for her event:)  Don't miss it!


I would like to present these to the following friends.
Chitra, Christy, Cham, Deepa, Somoo and also to all my well talented blog friends. I would like to share it with all of my blog friends, but can't type all the names now. Friends,  please feel free to grab them.

Brinjal kothsu

Brinjal - eggplant; kothsu - a curry popular among Tamil Brahmins.

I decided to prepare this kothsu, as soon as I saw this pretty big native brinjal in stop&shop. I know it would yield a lot of kothsu, so after broiling I reserved a portion for my eggplant raitha and the kothsu was handy for 3 days with my chapathi:) I prefer to make some eggplant sides while I do the beans like channa, as it is healthy for digestion. I got this authentic chidambaram kothsu recipe from Madhu of Treks and treats. It was in my bookmark for a long time and glad that I tried it. Thank you Madhu, your recipe is a treasure to me. (I have made some alterations like broiling. Noting down for my reference only).

Cute and big eggplant....compare the size with an apple:)

Broiled eggplant.

For podi / kothsu masala powder:

Dry red chilly - 8
Coriander seeds - 3 tbsp
cumin - 1 tsp
channa dhal / bengal gram - 2 tbsp
methi seeds / fenugreek - 1/2 tsp
sesame oil - 1 tsp
Heat oil in a wok and fry the channa dhal, chillies first. Take it out and fry the others. Powder together.

Ingredients:

Brinjal - 300 gm
shallot - 10 (or) red onion - 1
Asafoetida / hing - 1 pinch
turmeric - 1/4 tsp
tamarind - a key lime size
curry leaves - 1 sprig
sesame oil - 1/4 cup
kothsu podi - (above)
Salt - to taste

Method:

Broil the brinjal in gas stove or flame or inside oven. Peel the skin and chop / mash coarsely.
Extract juice from tamarind. Keep aside.
Heat 1/4 cup oil in a wok and fry the chopped onion till it turns soft. Put the hing powder, curry leaves.
Add the tamarind juice, turmeric powder and boil till raw smell vanishes.
Now pour the mashed brinjal and cook well with salt.
As it starts thickening, add the kothsu powder and mix well.
Bring it to a boil and switch off!

Chidambaram kothsu is ready!

Serving suggestion:

Makes a side dish with roti, chapati or rice.

Chayote (chowchow) kuruma

Chayote potato spicy curry / Bangalore kathirikkai Urulaikilangu kuruma / aloo chowchow subji.

Here is a kuruma for the dieters who long for the regular potato flavored kuruma.

Ingredients:

Chayote (chow chow) - 1
potato (aloo) - 2 (medium size)
tomato - 2
channa dhal - 1/4 cup
Red onion - 1 (medium size)
coriander leaves - a handful.
mint leaves - few
curry leaves - few
curd - 1/2 cup
red chilli powder - 1 tbsp
turmeric powder - a pinch
curry masala powder - 1 tsp
salt - to taste

temper:

oil - 2 tbsp
Fennel seeds - 1/2 tsp
bay leaf - 1
ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp

To grind:

shredded coconut - 1/4 cup
onion - 1/2 cup
green chillies - 4
cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
cardamom - 4
cloves - 2

Method:

Soak the channa dhal for 30 minutes.
Grind the items mentioned along with 1 tbsp of soaked dhal.
Peel and cut the potato and chow chow in to 1 inch cubes.
Chop the onion, cilantro, mint finely.

Heat oil in a pan. fry some fennel seeds 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.
Now put the finely chopped tomato and cook till oil oozes out.
Put the turmeric powder, chilly powder, coriander powder, curry powder and fry for a few seconds.
Now add the vegetables, soaked channa dhal and mix well and add 2 cups of water.
close the lid and cook all the vegetables to tender.
Add the coconut masala, curd, salt and boil for 5 more minutes to remove the raw smell.
Switch off immediately .

Chow chow kuruma is ready!

Serving suggestions:

serve hot with chapati or rice.
This is a good alternative to the regular potato kuruma as we can control the carbohydrate by adding the chayote.
Tastes just like the potato kuruma.

Pongal wishes,

Happy Pongal to all my readers, friends and family ,





GoodLightscraps.com

*** world4art.com - Orkut Pongal scraps, graphic and comments ! ***

May this Pongal festival brings peace, good health, cheer, prosperity and every thing we wish for.
Happy Pongal!

Love,
Viki

Pongal Puli curry

Pongal - Indian Thanks giving festival or Farmer's festival ;  Puli - Tamarind;
curry - a side dish.

Recipe source:  My mom used to do this every year during pongal. I got this yummy recipe from my Jeyasri chithi.  Jeyashri chithi prepares lot of dishes along with curry like a sambar with mixed veggies too. I love her recipes very much and practice them for my special days. 

Pongal is celebrated for 3 to 5 days in the middle of January by all people with agriculture background in India. Rice and banana are the major crops in my home town. So pongal is a big festival there. It is a season of happiness for the farmers as well as for every one who loves festivals like me:) The main celebrations include cleaning the house and farm material (Pogi day), offering thanks to Sun and God (Pongal day), celebrating the holiness of cow (mattu Pongal day). The night before Pongal day, the ladies paint big size rangoli kolam in front of the house and tie turmeric plants and sugarcanes in the doorway to welcome the prosperity. On pongal day, just like barbeque party, it is common to prepare the sweet rice Pongal in the front yard in a traditional way. The feast may include a plain rice, sweet rice pongal, avial, puli curry, dhal. It is a tradition to include at least a small piece of every vegetable in that day.
On the third day those who have cows would prepare another batch of sweet rice for the cows and themselves and pamper the cows as always. While in India, I used to befriend a beautiful cow and pamper her everyday.....happy memories :)
The next day is called kanum pongal or tour day.
So the whole January spins around pongal festival in my home town and its a colorful season there:)

Here is the recipe for the pongal puli curry.

(I used yam, potato and arbi only. But given the link to the images of various tubers in my ingredient list for reference. Thanks for the bloggers who have published these images).

Root vegetables:

Yam / elephant foot yam / senai kilangu / suran - 200 gm
potato / urulai kilangu / aloo - 1
siru kilangu / chiru kizhangu - 5
sembu / taro root/ colocasia / arbi - 5
pidi karunai kilangu / yam - 1 (small)

other ingredients:

Tamarind - 1 small lime size
Red chilli powder - 1.5 tbsp
coriander powder - 3 tbsp
turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
water - 2 cups
salt - 2 tsp (to taste)

To grind:

shredded coconut - 1/2 cup
shallot onion - 10
cumin seeds - 1 tsp

To temper:

mustard - 1 tsp
fenugreek seeds- 1 tsp
curry leaves - 1 sprig
oil - 2 tbsp
asafoetida - 1 pinch


Method:
Wash and peel the root vegetables. Cut them into 2 inch size cubes.
(Take care while handling the yams).
Cook them together till soft (10 minutes). Discard the water and keep aside.

Soak the tamarind in hot water and extract the juice thrice with 2 cups of water.
Add the chilly powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, salt to the tamarind extract and start boiling with the cooked roots.

Grind coconut, onion and cumin seeds with little water and add it to the boiling curry. let it get thick.

Heat oil in a pan. Crackle mustard seeds , add fenugreek seeds , curry leaves and asafoetida. Pour over the boiling thick curry. Switch off.

Pongal puli kulambu is ready!

Serving suggestions:
Serve as side dish with sweet pongal.
Can be used as kulambu / curry over plain rice or with chapati.

Healthy Idly podi

An alternative to the regular idly podi / chutney podi.

Idly - Indian breakfast made of rice. Idly podi - a powdery side dish for idly and dosai.

Ingredients:

Bengal gram - 1/2 cup
(channa dal / kadalai paruppu)
Horse gram (kollu) - 1/4 cup
flax seed - 2 tbsp
Dry red chilly - approximately 15 numbers
(Reduce chillies if you need a lesser spicy version)
Curry leaf - 2 sprig
Tamarind - 2 inch (optional)
salt - to taste (untreated sea salt is best here)
Asafoetida (hing / Perunkaayam) - 1/4 tsp

Method:

Heat a wok and dry roast the curry leaves till they turn crispy. Keep aside.

Again heat the wok. Dry roast the channa dhal till it turns mild red. Take it out immediately.
Roast the horsegram till it smells nice. Keep aside.
Roast the flax seeds for few seconds and wait till it pops. Take it out.

Now put the salt, red chillies. Dry roast till the chillies loose all the moisture and becomes crispy. Add the hing and switch off immediately.
(Adding the salt with red chillies reduces the hot flavors. Otherwise we may start sneezing:) So roast the chillies at the end along with salt).

Put the roasted chillies along with the others above and let them cool completely.

After they get cooled, grind them to a medium fine powder using a coffee grinder / mixer. Store in air tight container (even at room temperature). Holds good for more than a month or two.

Idly podi is ready!

Serving suggestions / tips:

Take a tbsp of podi, mix well with enough sesame oil / ghee and serve as side dish with Idly or dosai.
The fresh podi tastes more always. So prepare them in small batches according to need.
Idly coated with this 'podi-ennai' (podi+oil) tastes great and makes a good packed lunch. It won't get spoiled for a day.
The podi can also be mixed with cooked rice and a drop of ghee as main course meal.
We can use this podi in making side dishes like poriyal also.

Vegetable salad

This is a very simple salad I prepare. I like to prepare my own vinaigrette / dressing as it is more convincing for me to avoid wastage. I  got the vinaigrette idea from a cook book 'Good food Gourmet', which I got from the local library. Here is a colorful vegetable salad with low calorie dressing from my kitchen to the bloggers:)

Vegetables:

Lettuce - 3 leaves
purple / red cabbage - 3 leaves
carrot - 1
plum tomato -6
olives - 6
red onion - 1/2 small

Vinaigrette:

white vinegar - 2 tbsp
Extra virgin olive oil - 3 tbsp
salt - little
sugar - 1/2 tsp
cilantro (or any herb) - 2 tbsp (chopped)

Method:

Mix the items given under vinaigrette and let it stand for an hour or more.
30 minutes before serving start preparing the salad to ensure the crispiness.
Wash the plum tomatoes and olives.
Slice the cabbage, lettuce, carrot, onion into small long pieces.
Add the vinaigrette and toss gently.
Cover tightly and keep refrigerated.

Vegetable salad is ready!

Tips:

This salad can be used as stuffing in sandwiches too.
It can be topped with bread croutons and cheese.

Stays fresh  for lunch box or for a delicious snack.
The vinaigrette can be prepared in a bulk and kept refrigerated for a month.
Preparing the salad from fresh vegetables makes it more delicious , nutritious and economical than buying a salad bag.

Yard-long beans stir fry (Karamani poriyal)

An Indian stir fry with 'yard-long beans'

Other names for Yard-long beans : Karamani - Tamil, Chori - Hindi, Chinese long beans, asparagus beans.

Though not a difficult recipe, I like this vegetable because of the delicious seeds inside. Many years ago some vegetables like karamani, kovakkai(Ivy gourd) were not popular in my native place, (as they used to sell only the locally grown fresh veggies because of transportation costs) but available in big cities like Chennai. At that time whenever I visit my aunt Anandhi chithi (my dad's younger brother's house in the city), she would fondly prepare me these vegetable curries, which I like a lot. I admire the way she receives every guest with immense pleasure and remembers their favorites. Also she would pack a bunch of these fresh vegetables for my mom . No wonder she is a favorite aunt for all in our family.....much to learn from her:)

Ingredients:
Karamani - 1 bunch
onion - 1
curry leaf - 1 sprig
dry red chilly - 4
cumin - 1 tsp
mustard - 1 tsp
urad dhal - 1 tsp
coconut oil - 1 tbsp
shredded coconut - 1/4 cup
salt - as per need

Method:

Select the tender long beans and if possible get the bunch with some tender seeds.
Cut the yard-long beans (Karamani) into halves, so that they fit in a big bowl. Wash thrice in cold water or till it runs clear.
Nip the ends and discard. Chop finely.
Heat oil in a wok and add mustard seeds, urad dhal. After the mustard splutters, add the chopped onion, curry leaf, red chilly and fry till onion wilts.
Slide in the chopped beans and fry for a minute. Then pour 1/2 cup water and cook covered in low heat. After 10 minutes remove the lid, add required salt and stir till it gets loose.
Before switching off add the shredded coconut, cumin , mix well.

Karamani poriyal is ready!

Serving suggestion:

Serve as side dish with sambar rice or roti.

Orange butter cookies

I prepared these orange cookies for Christmas. I had some remainder raisin soaked orange juice while preparing the fruit cake and also some orange peels. I thought of bringing out a new kind of Christmasy cookie with my Shrewsbury butter biscuit recipe. I prepared it in round shape for Christmas. Then on Christmas morning I found this beautiful 101 cookie cutter set under our Christmas tree, which I was admiring for a long time. I am so surprised and happy to see hubby dear presenting me this, which I wished secretly. I couldn't control my eager to try new cookies and gladly prepared another batch for hubby and his friend.

Orange butter cookies for Christmas.

Xav presented me this beautiful wilton 101 cookie cutter set for Christmas.

Flower cookies.

Star cookies.

Star cookies for New year.

My version of Orange Shrewsbury biscuit / cookie:
This is an eggless cookie.

Ingredients:

Butter - 1 stick (8 tbsp)
Icing sugar - 1/2 cup
baking powder - 1/4 tsp
Ap flour - 1 1/4 cup
salt - a pinch
orange juice - 2 tbsp
(Orange juice concentrate can also be used)
orange peel powder - 1 tsp
orange food color - 2 pinch
candied orange peel - 3 tbsp
dry ginger powder - 1 tsp

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350 degree C.
Mix butter and sugar in mixing bowl to get a creamy texture.
Sift together salt,baking powder, orange peel, ginger powder and flour.
Add everything together, knead and make a dough like chapathi dough.
Make a soft dough.The dough should be slightly sticky on your finger.
(adjust flour and sugar to get the dough consistency). Add few tsp powdered sugar if needed.
Keep in refrigerator for 15 minutes to make it easy to roll.
Place between wax paper and roll into 1/2 inch thick sheet and cut into desired shape.
Place an aluminium foil / parchment paper on a cookie tray. Arrange them on the baking tray and bake for just 6 to 8 minutes in 350 deg C.
Remove the biscuit once it starts leaving the tray. It will be soft while hot, then gets the correct rigidity after cooling.
Let it cool completely and store in air tight container.
Orange Butter biscuit is ready!

Note:

Makes 20 round or 35 (2 inch) small star cookies approximately.

Semiya Kesari

Kesari - an Indian fudge. Semiya / vermicelli - a kind of noodles / pasta.

Kesari is a dessert prepared along with breakfast during Indian festivals. The most common kesari is sooji or rava kesari, while there are some variations too.

Some years ago,  while buying a vermicelli pack I got a complimentary booklet with numerous recipes using semiya. Though it is a very small pamphlet to promote their product, all their recipes were accurate and it inspired me to collect cookbooks from that day. Here is one dish from my knowledge bank:)

Ingredients:

Semiya - 1 cup
(I used 200 gm MTR vermicelli)
sugar - 1.5 cup
water - 2.5 cup
ghee - 3 tbsp
cashew - 10
raisin - 10
cardamom - 4
orange(Kesari) food color - a small pinch

Method:

Gently crush the semiya into small bits.

Heat 1 tbsp ghee and fry the cashews till it gets golden color. Keep aside.
Then put the raisin and wait till it puffs up. Take out.

Add 2 tbsp ghee and roast the semiya till it turns golden.
Take the semiya and keep aside.

In the same pan bring the water to boil and add orange food color powder.
Add the vermicelli and reduce flame. Cook covered till it is completely done.
Add the sugar and wait till the water evaporates.
Now put the fried nuts, raisin, powdered cardamom and stir gently without mashing.
Switch off once it starts leaving the pan.

Semiya kesari is ready!

Serving suggestion:

Serve warm as dessert.
It can be served along with a scoop of vanilla ice cream too

Tips:

Substitute for orange food color - juice of carrot.