Basic rasam

Here is a basic rasam recipe for everyday cooking. 

Ingredients:

Tamarind - Amla size (key lime size)

tomato - 1
Turmeric powder - a pinch
water - 3 cups
sesame oil - 2 tbsp
curry leaf - 1 sprig
mustard (kaduku)- 1/2 tsp
fenugreek (venthayam) - 1/4 tsp
asafoetida (hing) - a pinch
garlic - 1 whole (small)
cumin - 1 tsp
whole black pepper - 1 tbsp
salt - to taste

Directions:

Microwave tamarind + 3/4 cup water for 1 minute. Let cool. 
Extract juice from tamarind by adding 1 cup water each time and repeat thrice or till water runs almost clear.  
Add chopped tomato. (or add 2 tbsp pureed tomato).
Add turmeric powder, salt. Keep aside.

Peel garlic. Grind the garlic, pepper, curry leaf, hing and cumin coarsely without water.

Heat oil in a wok.
Add the fenugreek and mustard . After the mustard gets splutter , put the garlic pepper mixture.

Saute few seconds (30 seconds).

Now pour the tamarind extract and let it boil till the raw smell vanishes. Add chopped cilantro (optional).
Then switch off the flame  

Serving suggestions:
Makes 500 ml of clear rasam.
Let the rasam settle down first and just serve the top layer of rasam.
Serve over hot rice along with appalam or thogaiyal .
If preferred serve as a soup , but after meals.

Cooking time: 10 minutes.

Happy Easter

 🌷🌷🌷🎂Wishing all a happy and blessed Easter 🎂🌷🌷🌷

Treats for friends.....Chicken briyani, coconut cookies, chocolate cookies, carrot cake I prepared for Easter.

My 'Rabbit Rabbit' painting, March 2021

Millet adai

 Adai is a kind of spicy dosai (Tamil cuisine). If you want to read more please click to see my usual adai recipe, nine grain adai. I prepared a newer kind of adai this week using millet along with other ingredients. This tastes more similar to the original adai, but this feels lighter.  This is my own version of a millet adai, hope you all try this and enjoy !

Millet Adai with karakulambu and sugar

Thinai millet 

To grind:
Idly rice / any rice - 1/2 cup

Foxtail millet (thinai) - 1 cup
Channa dhal (Kadalai paruppu) - 1/2 cup

green gram (whole) - 1/2 cup
urid dhal (Uluntham paruppu) - 1 tbsp
ginger - 1 inch

whole black pepper - 2 tbsp

cumin - 1 tsp
Dry red chilli - 5
Asafoetida powder (hing) - 1 tsp
turmeric powder - 1 tsp
salt - 2 tsp (to taste)

To add before making adai:
onion - 2 cup
cilantro - a handful
curry leaf - 1 sprig

cumin - 1 tsp

Method:
Wash and soak together everything given 'to grind'  for 4-5 hours (except ginger, salt, turmeric, hing).
I soaked it by 6 Am and prepared the batter by noon and made this adai for dinner.
(If you plan to make adai for a special breakfast, then soak all the items told and keep it inside fridge overnight.
Otherwise soak the rice overnight and soak the dhals for just 2 hours in the norning.
Because while making adai , the dals should not ferment).

Grind all soaked items together to a medium coarse dosa batter .
Finely chop the onion, cilantro , curry leaf and add this to adai dosa batter.
Heat a thick cast iron dosa pan and coat it with a little sesame oil. Drizzle water and wipe clean.
(Thick traditional dosa tawas make crispy adais than the non stick tawas)
Then pour a ladle of batter and make thick dosas.
Flip it. wait to get adai cooked on both sides.

It will take around 3 - 5 minutes for each adai to be cooked completely.
Like wise make as many as required.

If you need to prepare it faster, use two dosa tawas, as this helps better to serve a hot crispy adai.
Adai dosai is ready!

Makes nearly 15 adai.

Serving suggestion:

Serve adai hot with coconut chutney , sugar or aviyal or onion chutney.

Sometimes we enjoy this with kara kulambu too. 
Do not prepare it in batches before serving. Because adai tastes better when served hot.
So start making adai , as soon as your loving family sits in front of the dinner plate😍 

Note:  
The taste will be enhanced if we add a handful of drumstick leaves to the batter before making adai.

🌷Happy Pongal,

 Wishing all a happy and prosperous Pongal !

Pongal greetings Photo courtesy : click here.

🌷Happy New Year 🌷

 Wishing all of us a happy, prosperous and blessed New Year,

Happy Christmas 🎄

 Wishing all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year,

Double chocolate m&m cookies

If you are a chocolate fan, then this chocolate cookie will definitely become your most favorite cookie if you taste it one time. Cookies are my favorites to make, but I bake special desserts like this only during Christmas, Easter or for some church functions, festivals, or for my niece. I think this is the first dish that made her fall in love with my cooking. Chocolate is not my hubby's  favorite flavor. So I won't make anything with chocolate unless I find a reason (still I crave for chocolate).  For the first time I made this cookie while we went to meet my niece in her dorm, after that this has became a regular code for her and me to say our love for each other ☺️Also these 'chocolate chip m&m cookies' tastes  extremely delicious and 'rich' and definitely a 'crowd pleaser' for all festivals.

Double chocolate chip m&m cookies

Ingredients:

Dry ingredients:

All purpose flour - 2 cup

Coco powder - 2/3 cup 

Baking soda - 3/4 tsp

Salt - 1/4 tsp

Creaming wet ingredients:

Butter - 1 cup (2 stick)

White sugar - 3/4 cup

Brown sugar - 3/4 cup

Egg - 2 (large)

Vanilla extract - 2 tsp

Lemon juice - 1 tbsp

Others:

M&M- 3/4  cup + 1/4 cup (or lesser as per need)

Chocolate chip - 1 cup

Method:

First the wet ingredients: Melt the butter (microwave for 30 seconds). Pour it into a large mixing bowl (or kitchenaid stand mixer bowl).

Mix the butter , sugar manually by using a whisk or by using stand mixer whisk attachment or a hand mixer.

Add egg, vanilla, lemon juice and mix well till sugar is dissolved.

Next comes the dry ingredients:

Sift the flour into the mixing bowl. 

Add coco powder (I use Hershey's brand), baking soda, salt , Mix well at high speed for 1-2  minutes until everything becomes a dough.

Then add 3/4 cup M&M chocolates, chocolate chips(Hershey's or Ghirardelli brand) and mix them for 30 seconds (or just mix with hands). 

Take out this dough and wrap using a plastic wrap. Keep in fridge (upto 30 minutes or until needed). 

Baking:

Preheat the oven to 350°F .

Before baking take the dough out and keep in room temperature for 10 minutes.

Take out small balls using a cookie scoop or hands.

Roll to balls. Flatten a little and place in baking sheets.

Bake for 8-10 minutes. 

Take out carefully using a spatula and let them cool over wire racks. 

Decorate:

If desired press some M&M on freshly baked cookies (instead of adding to dough) while they are still soft or just before baking. 

Double chocolate m&m cookies is ready !

FYI:

This cookie dough should be kept in fridge for atleast 1-2 hours before baking. Dough stays safe in fridge up to a week or in freezer for longer time (say a month or more). 

This cookie dough should be rolled to small balls and flattened a bit while arranging on baking tray. Don't try scoop and drop style.

Serving suggestion:

Serve as dessert or snack.

These cookies tastes extremely delicious and intoxicating, so consume in moderation 😀

Happy Cooking !