Friday, September 28, 2012

PARRUPU URUNDAI KUZHAMBHU | URUNDAI KULAMBHU

Parrupu Urundai Kuzhambhu, my mom makes during our childhood days, but i never used to eat it and she makes rasam for me but my sister used to love it like anything. Even after marriage in my in laws place they never used to make it but i remember once my mil made this with morkuzhambhu. When i wanted to make this last week, I asked my mom for the recipe and i tried it and somehow i enjoyed it and told my mom that i liked the paruppu urundai kulambhu very much.
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urundai kuzhambhu

INGREDIENTS:
FOR URUNDAIS:(YIELDS 10 SMALL BALLS)
TOOR DHAL 1/4 CUP
CHANNA DAL 1 TBLSP
RED CHILLI 2
SHALLOTS(SMALL ONION) 6-7(OPTIONAL)
SALT AS NEEDED
ASFOETIDA A GENEROUS PINCH
FOR THE GRAVY
TAMARIND EXTRACT(THIN EXTRACT) 3 CUPS
SAMBAR POWDER 2 TSP
SALT AS NEEDED
TURMERIC POWDER 1/4 TSP
ASAFOETIDA A PINCH
SESAME OIL 1 TBLSP
MUSTARD SEEDS 1/4 TSP
CURRY LEAVES FEW
urundai kuzhambhu

Method:
  • Wash and soak the dals together for 45 minutes.
  • Drain the water completely and grind it into a slightly coarse paste by adding red chilli , salt and asafoetida to this.
  • Peel the skin of the shallots (if using)and finely chop them and mix it to the ground dal mix.
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  • Grease your hands and make small tight balls.
  • Grease the idli plate and arrange the urundais on it and steam it for 12 to 15 minutes on medium flame.
  • Insert a tooth pick to check out whether it is done.
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  • In a pan, add sesame oil and throw in the mustard seeds and when it splutters add the tamarind extract and add the turmeric powder, salt,sambar powder ,curry leaves and asafoetida.
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  • When it starts boiling simmer the flame and add the steamed paruppu urundais carefully to the boiling gravy one by one.
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  • Let this boil till it reaches a kulambhu (gravy) consistency.
  • It should be slightly thicker than the sambar.
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  • Serve with hot rice. Normally we mix  the gravy with hot rice and keep he urundais as accompaniment.
  • We had with avarakkai(broad beans) curry and Vazhakkai chips.

urundai kuzhambhu
Note:
  • Adding onions is totally optional. My mom told adding onions makes it soft.
  • Some people add fennel seeds while grinding ,but since i don’t like it much i didn’t add.
  • You  also add a tsp of cumin seed while grinding.
  • Some people may add coconut to the gravy, if you want to add just grind 2-3 tblsp of coconut with little water and add it to the gravy in the last.
  • Always ensure that the balls should be tight and while grinding do not add water. If it is loose they may tend to break after putting it into the gravy.

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

HOW TO MAKE SOFT IDLIS | IDLI BATTER RECIPE


IDLI RECIPE


 Idli is an extremely popular breakfast recipe made in almost every South Indian household,  a  soft, fluffy rice cakes made by steaming a fermented rice and lentil batter.. Idli is now recognized worldwide as a healthy and nutritious breakfast option. I have been wanting to post the recipe – how to make soft idlis for a long time now. However, after coming to Singapore I stopped following the traditional method of grinding idli batter as I was not very sure about the quality of urad dal
available here. Back home in India, I would grind a large batch of idli batter every week and we would all savour deliciously spongy idlis. We used to bring back packets of Udad dal from India but they would last me only a few months. I tried adding a handful of poha (puffed rice) along with rice and this gave me soft idlis. But, the idea of grinding udad dal and idli rice separately was slightly time consuming and did not appeal to me. Hence, I started grinding urad dal, idli rice and poha together smoothly. I must say I am extremely satisfied with my method of making idli batter as this never fails to result in super soft idlis. After repeated requests from many of my friends, I am posting the recipe of Idli batter. This method is very convenient for people who like to grind the batter in smaller quantities. Do scroll down to the end of the recipe for the tips to get soft idlis. For bachelors and people who do not have a grinder, I have also posted the recipe of idli/dosa batter in mixie and in case you do not have idli rice, you can check for the recipe of  idli using idli rava

Idli

Monday, September 24, 2012

VAZHAKKAI CHIPS RECIPE| HOME MADE RAW BANANA CHIPS

   Vazhakkai | Raw banana chips is a rare one which i make at home, though my grandmother makes a super crispy chips often. One day i had a sudden craving for this chips and i decided to make it out and asked my mom for the exact procedure of making it(though i know roughly). The raw banana chips came out super crispy and yum and we enjoyed with hot rice and Paruppu urundai kuzhambhu for a weekend lunch. Will be posting the recipe for parrupu urundai kuzhambhu in my next post.
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raw banana chips
INGREDIENTS:
RAW BANANA | VAZHAKKAI 2
OIL TO DEEP FRY
SALT AS NEEDED
BLACK PEPPER POWDER 1/4 TSP
RED CHILLI POWDER 1/8 TSP
PLANTAIN CHIPS
METHOD:


  • Peel the skin of the  raw bananas and slice them using a slicer (mandoline slicer)and immerse it in salt water for 10 minutes.
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  • After 10 minutes, take out the slices and pat dry in a kitchen towel.
  • On the other hand heat the oil for deep frying.
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  • When the oil is hot, carefully put in the dried and sliced raw bananas.
  • Fry it in batches. Do not put too much at a time. Also carefully put them and ensure everyone is separate . If the raw banana slices are together then it will get cooked evenly and will become soggy.
  • When the sizzle sound of the oil subsides, take them out and drain it in a kitchen towel.
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  • Repeat this for the rest of the slices.
  • Transfer it to a wide airtight container. Add pepper powder and chilli powder. Do not add salt as we added while immersing them in water.
  • Shake vigorously for even mixing of spices.
  • Enjoy crispy Vazhakkai chips with Rice and sambar or with tea | coffee.
vazhakkai chips
Note:
  • Just before frying take out the sliced raw bananas from water and pat dry. Else the color will become dull.
  • After frying and draining the excess oil in the kitchen towel, a minute later transfer it to a air tight container. Repeat this for all the batches . If the chips stays outside till the entire batch gets over it will loose its crispiness.
  • For a healthy version you can bake it instead of frying.
  • In my in laws place the cook mami will take out the skin of the vazhakkai ( as we do for ripe banana) and directly slice them in the oil. though i have seen that I never tried as i don't think i can bear the heat!!

Thursday, September 20, 2012

HOT CHOCOLATE RECIPE | HOME MADE HOT CHOCOLATE

     Though I am not a fan of chocolate, very rarely i get cravings for chocolates and few days back  suddenly i have a craving for some hot drink with chocolate i made this hot chocolate at home adapting the recipe from here. It tasted very yum and i thoroughly enjoyed it and sharing the recipe today.
This posted i drafted a few weeks back . As i was extremely busy with the kiddos exams and other routine work, couldn’t visit any of the blogs and missed all the super recipes. I will be back to routine from next week.
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hot chocolate


INGREDIENTS:(  SINGLE SERVING)
COCOA POWDER 1 TBLSP
SUGAR 1 TBLSP
HOT WATER 1 TBLSP
LOW FAT MILK 1 CUP
SALT A PINCH
VANILLA ESSENCE 1/4 TSP
hot chocolate
METHOD:
  • In a pan add the cocoa powder, sugar and salt along with hot water.
  • Slowly add the milk and bring it to a boil. Keep the flame low.
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  • Remove from heat and add vanilla essence.
  • Whisk the mixture to make it frothy.
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  • Dust with some chocolate powder on the top if you want.
hot chocolate
The entire process can be done in Microwave too.

Monday, September 17, 2012

BESAN LADOO | BESAN LADOO RECIPE

(KADALAI MAAVU URUNDAI)- Recipe updated with video
  Till date i have i have never tasted or made besan ladoo, but when a reader asked me the recipe for this few days back, I thought i will learn and post the recipe of besan ladoo before diwali. But, she again insisted me to post before Ganesha Chaturthi, I tried this two days back. When i asked my mom about the recipe for Besan ladoo, though she never made this, but makes a yummy ladoo with green gram flour(Payatham urundai) ,didn’t say the exact measurements for this besan ladoo. So i called up my friend’s MIL, who stays in our apartment,and asked her for the recipe. Aunty is an expert in making sweets and she told the recipe and the way to make the besan ladoo too.  It came out extremely well and super perfect and we all enjoyed it a lot.
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Besan ladoo
   Though i packed few ladoos for my friend too but here is a visual treat for her MIL (who taught me the recipe) who is celebrating her birthday tomorrow.

                                              Video of how to make besan ladoo
                  


INGREDIENTS: (YIELDS 10 LADOOS)
BESAN |KADALAI MAAVU 1 CUP
SUGAR 3/4 CUP
GHEE(CLARIFIED BUTTER) 1/4 CUP
CASHEWNUTS 8-10
CARDAMOM POWDER(optional) A PINCH
ladoo
METHOD:
  • In a heavy bottomed pan, add a spoon of ghee . Chop the cashew nuts into small pieces. Fry them in the ghee till golden brown and keep it aside.
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  • In the same add the besan and roast it in a medium low flame till it emits a nice aroma and the colour of the besan must have changed by now.This took approximately 20 minutes.
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  • Be careful not to get it burnt.
  • Melt the ghee in a separate pan .
  • Transfer the roasted cashew nuts and besan to a wide bowl .
  • Powder the sugar finely and add it to the bowl.
  • Add the ghee slowly. The ghee should be hot.
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  • Mix everything well with a spoon. When it becomes warm, make medium sized balls with your hands.
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  • The ladoos were moist in the beginning but after an hour it was perfect.
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  • If by any chance you can not make ladoos  just melt a tblsp of ghee and try making ladoos.
besan ladoo
Note:
  • Always roast the besan nicely else it will give a raw taste to the ladoos.
  • Do not add too much ghee ,else you will get  very soft  ladoos instead of a firm one.
  • Do not lessen the quantity of ghee too as the mixture will be dry and you cannot make balls.
  • You can sprinkle few drops of milk to bind the mixture, but this will lessen the shelf life of the ladoos.
  • This tasted super yum on the next day.
  • The quantity of ghee depends on the texture of the besan. when i made it again it took 2 tblsp more ghee.

Friday, September 14, 2012

POTATO MASALA FOR POORI , POORI KIZHANGU RECIPE

Restaurant style poori kilanghu with video

Potato masala for poori| Poori Kizhangu, a popular South Indian restaurant style gravy, pairs well with poori, dosai and also Rava idli. The Poori masala which they normally serve in restaurants especially in Saravana Bhavan is one of my most favorite. Whenever Varun  order Poori in Saravana bhavan here, he will just dip the masala and eat the poori, so me a big fan of Poori masala will eat it as it is and Varsha will sometimes share with me too.  Though i tried Poori masala | Poori kizhanghu at home many times , but mostly i will be making for kids lunch box only and i never had a chance to click the pictures. Yesterday i made poori and kizhangu for evening tiffin and i made this before the kids are back from school and clicked the pictures too.
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Wednesday, September 12, 2012

ULUNDU KOZHUKATTAI | UPPU KOZHUKATTAI | GANESHA CHATHURTI RECIPES

  Recipe updated with video 

kozhukattai
The savory version of kozhukattai , which is made by stuffing urad dal poornam, made for ganesha chaturthi. Last year itself i wanted to post the recipe of ulundu kozhukattai, but somehow i couldn’t make it out. In my mom’s place she makes this savory version of kozhukattai more than the Modakam, where as in my in laws place every one likes Modakam a lot. Though making of kozhukattai is a bit time consuming i love to make it and of course to eat it too. Check out my ganesha chathurthi recipes

Monday, September 10, 2012

AMMINI KOZHUKATTAI RECIPE | GANESHA CHATURTHI RECIPES

Ammini Kozhukattai , made  from the left over kozhukattai maavu(outer layer) while making Modakam for ganesh Chaturthi.  This ammini kozhukattai itself makes a tiffin or snack and it is a quite a healthy and addictive snack too. Though there are different version of making this ammini kozhukattai I am sharing the one which my mom usually makes at home. Check out the notes to see the different ways of making ammini kozhukattai.
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ammini kozhukattai



Ammini kozhukattai recipe
Ammini kozhukattai recipe

  • Recipe Cusine: Indian
  • Prep Time: 20 Minutes
  • Cook time: 20 Minutes
  • Serves: 4
  • Author: Jeyashri
  • Recipe Category: Lunch | Dinner
  • Description: Ammini Kozhukattai , made from the left over kozhukattai maavu(outer layer) while making Modakam for ganesh Chaturthi.
     Rice flour   1 cup
     Salt  1/2 tsp
     Water   to make the dough
     Sesame oil  2 tsp
    Coconut oil  1 tblsp
    Mustard  seeds  1/2 tsp
    Urad dal  1 tsp
    Curry leaves  few
    Idli milagai podi   3- 4 tsp
    Coconut  2 tblsp
     
ammini kozhukattai

Method with step by step pictures :


  • Boil the water by adding salt and sesame oil to it.
  • Keep the rice flour|idiyappam flour in a wide bowl.
  • When the water comes to a rolling boil,slowly add the water to the flour.
  • Normally for idiyappam flour it will take 1 and 1/4 cup of water for 1 cup of flour. But for store bought rice flour it will be little less.
  • Just mix with a spoon while adding water.
  • This should be of a smooth dough consistency.
    • When it is warm knead it with your hands and add a tsp of sesame oil if you want.
    • Cover with a moist cloth to avoid dryness.
    • Grease your hands with oil and make a small size balls out of the rice flour dough.( I am not good in making even sized balls)
    • Steam this in a greased idli plates for 8 minutes in medium flame.
    • Heat a pan and add the coconut oil.
    • Temper with mustard seeds and curry leaves.
    • Add the steamed balls to this and add the idli milagai podi.
    • Gently mix it well.
    • Add coconut to this and mix well. 
    • Check for salt.
    • Enjoy this guilt free snack for evening tiffin.
    ammini - kozhukattai

    Notes:
    • Do not over steam this kozhukattais as it will turn hard and chewy.
    • Instead of Idli Milagai Podi you can add redchilli powder while kneading the dough and make balls. the rest of the procedure is same.
    • You can add pepper powder to the seasoning and make it as pepper ammini kozhukattai.
    • Thengai molagapodi can be added and in that case you can skip the coconut.
    • Alternatively while tempering mustard seeds chopped green chilies or red chilies can be added to give spicyness to the ammini kozhukattais.

    Thursday, September 6, 2012

    CUSTARD POWDER COOKIES RECIPE| RECIPE WITHOUT EGG AND BUTTER

    When Varsha told me to bake some cookies for Teacher’s day celebration at her school, I was searching for some eggless cookies and my google search ends when i saw these eggless Vanilla custard powder cookies in Sowmya's blog. I like her baking recipes a lot. I loved the recipe as it is doesn’t have butter too. For me taking out the butter before hand and handling them in the measuring cup is a lazy job!!. This recipe has used oil and they turned out totally awesome. No where i could find the oil taste in the cookie.
    The place where I did the mistake was i over baked the first batch , though she mentioned in the recipe not to do that, and i got many of them burnt. But the second batch i took out in the right time and they really melted in the mouth.Click here for the original recipe. She used whole wheat flour too but i used only All purpose flour.
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    custard powder cookies

    INGREDIENTS:(YIELDS 40- 45 COOKIES)
    MAIDA | ALL PURPOSE FLOUR 2 CUPS
    CUSTARD POWDER 1/2 CUP
    BAKING POWDER 3/4 TSP
    BAKING SODA 1/2 TSP
    SUGAR 1 CUP
    OIL 1 CUP
    VANILLA ESSENCE 1 TSP
    custard powder COOKIES
    METHOD:
    • Combine the flour, custard powder(i used Vanilla flavor) baking soda and baking powder.
    • If you want for even mixing just sieve them together.
    IMG_7646
    • Combine the sugar and oil and mix this till the sugar gets dissolved.
    • I wanted to make it easy and  put them both in a mixer and whipped for a minute.
    • Slowly add this to the dry ingredients(flour mixture) and combine well.
    • Make it into a smooth dough.
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    • Pinch small portion of your dough. Make it into a smooth ball and flatten it. I just made lines with fork which is just optional.
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    • Line the baking tray with Parchment paper(butter paper)
    • Place the cookies slightly away from each other. Mine slightly expanded while baking. Bake it for 10 minutes at 170 degree C.
    • Take out from the oven and cool them in a wire rack.
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    • These are the first batch of my cookies which are slightly over baked.
    • The cookies were soft when u take out from the oven. Once completely cooled they will become firm and crispy.
    • Though these cookies were made with oil, they just melted in the mouth.
    custard powder cookies
    NOTE:
    • Never over bake the cookies. Take out them when they are soft.
    • If the dough is stiff while kneading add a tblsp of cold milk or water to make it a smooth dough.
    • Chocolate chips or tutti fruity can be garnished on the top before baking the cookies.
    • I used Vanilla custard powder, and i love to try this again with butter scotch flavor too.