Cheppankizangu Puli Curry

Hi all,

After all the Diwali hungama,its time to return to normal routine cooking. I would like to introduce you all to a different tangy curry recipe which I learnt recently from my mother-in law. I am used making cheppankizangu as fry or have used in moor kuzambu or avial. I tasted this for the first time in  my husband's aunt's  house and loved it. I tried it in my house in the following week itself and it  was enjoyed by all at home.Here is the tried and tested/tasted  recipe for cheppankizangu puli curry.

            Cheppankizangu puli curry

Ingredients:

Cheppankizhangu / சே ப் ப ங் கி ழ ங் கு / Taro	¼ kg
Tamarind extract	1/2 cup (100ml to 150ml)
Turmeric Powder	1 tsp
Asafoetida	A pinch
Salt	according to your taste preference
Sugar	A pinch
Chilli powder	according to your taste preference

To temper:

Oil	3 tbsp
Mustard  seeds	1 tsp
Urad dal	1 tsp
Channa dal	1 tsp
Red chillies	3 nos

Method:

1.Cook cheppankingu in pressure cooker to 70% where you can just peel the skin.Take care that it doesn't become  mushy as we are going to cook them again in tamarind sauce.

2. Heat oil in a kadai and add the things under " to temper".

3. To this tempering add the tamarind extract, pinch of turmeric,asofoetida and salt.

4. Once the tamarind sauce comes to boil, add a tsp of sugar.*

5. Add the half boiled cheppankizangu to this tamarind juice.

6. Let it cook till all the flavours are absorbed into the cheppankizangu.Stir it periodically so that it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.

7. Cook till the tamarind sauce gets thick and homogeneously mixes with the cheppannkizangu and looks like a curry and not gravy.

8. By now even the cheppankizangu should have cooked soft.If not sprinkle some water and close the kadai  with a lid for 3 min.

9. Serve when the curry is cooked well and the mixture is of the right consistency.

Notes:

1. Do not overcook the taro at any point and make it mushy.This will soil the taste of the curry.

2. Take approximately 1/2 the quantity of tamaring that you take for your regular sambhar or rasam.

3. Add sugar to bring together all the flavors-tanginess of the tamarind,salt and spice.

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Rasmalai

                        Right from my childhood I am very fond of milk and milk sweets. Today I am going to share a recipe of my one such favorite sweet which I never dreamt of making at home. Yes it is rasmalai this time.It is quite time consuming to make this sweet rite from scratch. I am glad that I found this easy recipe to make yummy rasmalai in no time and can’t wait to share the recipe with you.

Ingredients:

Canned rasgullas

Whole fat milk                                                                                   - 1 ltr

Condensed milk                                                                                 - 200 gms

Sugar                                                                                                  -1 cup

Ghee                                                                                                   -1/2 tsp

Finely chopped nuts (slivered badam and pistachios)                       - 1 cup

Saffron /light yellow food color                                                         -few strands /a pinch
Elaichi Powder                                                                                   - a pinch 

Method:

1.       Smear the kadai with ½ tsp of ghee and heat it. This prevents the milk from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

2.       Boil the milk till it is reduced to ½ the quantity. Just boil the milk for a few minutes if using whole fat milk.

3.       Once the milk is reduced and becomes slightly thick, add 200gms of condensed milk and stir it to avoid milk sticking to the bottom of the pan.

4.       Since condensed milk has enough sweetness, adjust the quantity of sugar to suite your taste buds.

5.       At this stage add the yellow food color by mixing it in a tbsp of milk. You can use saffron strands in place of food color.Also add a pinch of elaichi powder for flavor.

6.       In meantime, squeeze the excess sugar syrup from the rasgullas by pressing it lightly and drop it slowly one by one to the boiling milk mixture.

7.       Simmer the milk for 5 minutes after adding the rasgullas.

8.       You will see that the rasgullas have become very soft by now. Switch of the flame and garnish it with chopped nuts.

 Notes:

1.       Do not press the rasgullas too hard for squeezing the excess sugar syrup. This might cause the rasgullas to break.

2.       Instead of condensed milk we can also use sweetened evaporated milk. I haven’t tried it personally though.

Read more "Rasmalai"

Puttu and Kadalai Curry

It was my long time wish to make puttu and kadala curry at home. We hail from proper Tamil Nadu and so neither my mother nor my MIL was familiar with the authentic puttu –kadala curry recipe.This time during my India trip,the first thing I purchased was the puttu Kuzhai also called as puttu kutti.From then I have been searching for the recipe and finally got to try this one. I was very much satisfied with the result. The puttu was  softer  than expected and the kadala curry was also very tasty. One batch of puttu (one long puttu) is  more than enough for a person and it is quite filling.Puttu –kadala curry is a perfect weekend breakfast and here goes the recipe.First let us learn how to make the kadalai curry.

Ingredients:

Black Channa/Kala channa                           - 1 cup

Coriander Seeds /Dhania                               - 4 Tbsp

Red chilies                                                     - 5 to 6 (add according to the level of spice required)

Onion                                                             ­- 2 small

Medium sized Tomato                                   - 2

Garam masala                                                -2 tbsp

Cumin  powder                                              -2 tbsp

Red Chilli Powder                                         -1 tsp

Coriander Powder                                          -1 tsp

Grated coconut                                              - ¾ cup

Salt                                                                 - to taste

Sugar                                                              - 1 tsp

To temper:

Oil                                    -1 tbsp

Mustard seeds                  -1 Tsp

Curry leaves                     - few strands

Urad dal                            -1 tbsp 

Method:

1) Soak the channa in water overnight.
2)Cook the channa with some salt in pressure cooker for 3 whistles.

3) Dry roast the coriander seeds and red chillies. Once done finally add the grated coconut and fry till the coconut turns light red*.

4) Once this mixture cools, grind this to a smooth paste in a mixer by adding some water.

5) Add oil in a pan and add the items under “To temper”.

6) Once the urad dal turns golden brown add the chopped onions and saute till translucent.

7) Then add the chopped tomato and saute till the raw smell goes.

8) Once this is done, add cumin powder,coriander powder and garam masala and saute until the raw smell of the masala powders leaves the mixture. Add a pinch of sugar as this will bring together all the flavors. Add  little water at this stage if required .

9) Add this to the kala channa and with little more water and required salt,boil the channa in pressure cooker for 1 or 2 more  whistles until the channa is cooked soft *.

10) Once the channa is cooked add the ground paste of coconut to this and stir well. Bring it to a boil and simmer it till you get a  gravy consistency. Kadala Curry is ready to be served with steaming hot Puttu.

Puttu Recipe

Ingredients:

Puttu rice flour                   -1 cup

Grated coconut                   -3 tsp for making 1 puttu

Salt                                     -As needed

Water                                  - As needed.

Method:

1) Add 1 tsp of salt to the rice Puttu flour, sprinkle water and mix the puttu flour to a crumble state. The correct state is if you hold the puttu tightly, you should be able to form a lump in your hand.

2) In the puttu kuzhai, add 1 tbsp of coconut and on the top add 4 to 5 tbsp of puttu powder. Tap it so that the puttu flour sets tight in the puttu kuzhai.

3) Fill the puttu kuzhai with alternate layers of coconut and rice flour and set it to steam on the pressure cooker. Steam it on approx. 5 min on high flame and approx. 3 min on low flame.

4) When the steam comes out of the puttu kuzhai nozzle on the top that is the time to remove from the steam.

5) Just push the puttu from the puttu kuzhai from the hole given in the bottom onto a plate. This can be done with the help of a stick that comes along with the puttu kuzhai.

6) Serve it hot with the kadala curry.

Note:

1) Do not over fry the coconut as the dish will get spoiled if the coconut is burnt.

2) I pressure cooked the channa after adding the masala powders so that the masala flavors blend well with the channa. You can also add the separately boiled channa to the masala mixture and proceed with other steps there on.

Read more "Puttu and Kadalai Curry"

Badam Halwa

  Hi all,

 Happy to see you all with yet another delicious sweet recipe,badam halwa.I had a strong opinion that  halwa is one dish which only  experts can make. I thought it is a tedious job and it takes a lot of our effort as it requires continuous stirring.But it is by far the easiest sweet I have ever made.Ever since my husband tasted badam halwa in saravana bhavan,he was asking(?) (eh pestering) me to make it at home.I succeeded in dodging a couple of times(because I was quite egoistic to admit that I am scared of trying as I feared that I might not succeed in the attempt.) but finally I had a to make it one day.And not bad,infact it came pretty good,oh no very good, hmm it was excellent .Lol!.I think the hype is good enough to get you to try my recipe !!

Ingredients :

Badam	1 cup heaped
Sugar	½  cup or ¾ for sweet tooth
Ghee	¼ cup
milk	¼ cup
Elaichi  powder	A pinch
Saffron /kesari colour	A pinch for colour

Method :

1) Soak the Almond in hot water for 1/2 an hour and peel the skin.
2) Grind it to a smooth thick paste by adding milk little by little.
3) Add sugar in a pan and add little water till the sugar is all wet in water.
4) Keep stirring until the sugar dissolves completely and the mixture just starts to boil.
5) Add the badam mixture now and keep stirring continuously.Mix kesari food colour in a tsp of milk and add to the mixture.
6) Keep stirring till you an see the mixture boiling slightly.
7) At this stage start adding ghee little by little say  2 Tbsp at a time  and keep stirring the mixture.
8) You will reach a point where you can see the bottom of the pan while stirring and the mixture is coming together.( If not,add ghee again and keep stirring till you reach this stage)
9) Switch of the flame .Decorate the halwa with saffron strands and serve it warm :).

Notes:

1) Keep stirring the mixture now and then when boiling or else it might stick to the pan.
2) Anytime you feel the consistency is loose you can again transfer  the mixture to the pan, add a tbsp of ghee and stir it till you get the correct consistency.The shortest way for this is to microwave it for 3 to 4 min depending on the settings of  your microwave. If the power settings are high, take out every 2 mins give a stir and then keep it again for a min if necessary.

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Khaman Dhokla /Nylon Dhokla

        Being a very big fan of Gujarati cuisine,dhokla is my all time favourite snack . It can be an easy  breakfast or a quick evening snack for kids in the evening.It is a steamed besan cake and so health conscious and diet conscious people can have it without any guilt.As the name suggest (nylon means soft),this comes out so spongy that it will melt in your mouth This recipe shows the pressure cooker method.I have tried the microwave version of this too.It is faster and comes as perfect as pressucooked dhoklas.Now lets see the recipe :

  

Ingredients:

Besan	1 cup
Sooji	2 Tbsp
Thick whipped curd	½ cup
Salt	To taste
Green Chillies	1 tsp (Finely chopped)
Ginger(Optional)	Few juliennes
Eno Fruit Salt(Unflavored)	1 ½ Tbsp
Sugar	1 Tbsp
Oil	1 Tbsp
Mustard	1tsp
Long slit Green chillis	Few
Curry Leaves	Few Strands
Finely chopped coriander	For garnish
Sugar	2 tsp
Lemon  Juice	1 tsp
Water	¼ cup

Seasoning:

Mustard	1tsp
Long slit Green chillis	Few
Curry Leaves	Few Strands
Finely chopped coriander	For garnish
Sugar	2 tsp
Lemon  Juice	1 tsp
Water	¼ cup

Method :

1)Mix all the dry  ingredients first.Then add 1/2 of the curd we have taken and mix it with a whisk to a thick paste.Make sure there are no lumps formed during this process.
2) Now add the remaining curd and little water, lemon juice and mix.It should be like dosa batter consistency and not very thick.*
3) Now add 1 tbsp of oil and mix .Keep the batter aside for 10 -15 min.
4)Keep water in the pressure cooker to steam.
5)Once the resting time is over,check for the consistency.Add little water if necessary and bring it to flowing consistency.
6)Add a tsp of ENO salt now.Just add a drop of water on the ENO salt .Mix well.You can see the batter rising and frothing.
7)Immediately transfer the batter in a greased container and place it in the cooker.
8)Let it steam(Do not use whistle) for  10 to 12 mins till the tooth pick inserted in the centre comes out clean.

For Seasoning :

1)Heat the kadai with 1 tsp of oil.
2)To this add the mustard seeds.When the mustard seeds splutter add the curry leaves and green chillis and saute for a few seconds,
3)To this add 1 /4 cup of water and 2 tsps of sugar.Bring this to boil
4)When this mixture boils,just squeeze half a lemon and switch of the flame.
5)Pour this tadka , little by little on the dhokla. Let it rest for 5 min till the moisture is absorbed by the dhokla.
6)Then invert the dhokla to a plate.
7)Garnish it with chopped coriander,cut into pieces  and serve it with mint chutney and sweet chutney.

Notes:

1)You can skip the lemon juice while mixing the ingredients if the curd used is sour.
2)The curd should be thick and not watery.
3)The batter consistency is important.It should be flowy like dosa batter and not thick as idli batter.
4) Eno fruit salt the secret behind spongy dhoklas.So do not skip this ingredient.

Read more "Khaman Dhokla /Nylon Dhokla"

Vermicelli Sooji Vegetable Idli

                      Idlis generally are big saviour in many households because it is very easy to prepare.And recently I read somewhere that it has been rated as the most nutritious breakfast recipe in the world.Surprising rite?Idly is nothing but steamed pancakes(At least that is how they call here in US :P) But plain idlis can sometimes get boring.The same idlis with some variations can make it a really interesting breakfast. Here is one such variation of normal idli-Semolina Sooji vegetable idli.Don't get scared by this long name.It is a very simple recipe.Hope you will enjoy this.

Ingredients:

1) Roasted Semiya/Vermicelli     - 1/2 cup
2) Rava                                          - 1/2 cup
3) Vegetables                                - 1 cup (Carrot,beans,peas,corn)
4) Cashews                                   - Few
5) Curry Leaves                            -2 Strings
6) Coriander  Leaves                     -Few
7) Thick curd                                - 1 3/4 cup
8) Butter milk                               - 1/4 cup
9) Green Chillies                          - 3 nos
10) Salt                                           -To taste
11) Eno fruit Salt                          - 1 tsp
12) Ghee/Oil                                 - 1 tsp

Method:

1) Add a tsp of ghee/oil in the kadai.When hot add mustard seeds to splutter.
2) Once the mustard splutters,add curry leaves, green chillies  and cashews .
3) Once the cashews turn golden brown ,add rava and saute till rava slightly changes its colour.
4) Then add Vermicelli  and the vegetables and give a quick toss.Since the vermicelli is already roasted ,we don't have to roast them again.To this mixture,give a lavish sprinkle of  finely chopped coriander leaves.
5) Now switch of the flame and take the mixture in a container.Add the butter milk  and curd little  by little till it forms a thick paste.Leave it aside for 10 min.
6) After 10min you can see that the sooji has absorbed the curd and  buttermilk and the mixture is thick.Now adjust the consistency by adding very little water and bring it to thick paste consistency.
7) Now add the eno fruit salt(plain)to this and give a quick stir.You can see that the mixture becomes fluffy.
8) Immediately transfer the mixture to the greased idli moulds.


  

9) Steam it for 12 to 15 min till knife inserted in the centre of the idli comes out clean.
10) Serve the hot hot vermicelli idli with chutney or sambhar.I am sure you will enjoy eating these delicious idlis.

Notes

1) Don't skip the Eno fruit salt .It is an important ingredient to make your idlis fluffy and soft.

2) If you are using ordinary vermicelli(non roasted )make sure you roast it before you add.
3) After you add eno fruit salt, immediately transfer it to the idli mould for best results.
4) Do not make the batter watery, otherwise your idlis will turn out flat.

5) The curd should be really thick to get fluffy idlis.

Read more "Vermicelli Sooji Vegetable Idli"

Rava Laddu / Sooji Laddu

Hi Friends!!!

I am very excited to start blogging again after a short break.I know each one of you is waiting for the next recipe eagerly and here comes a very simple sweet recipe which can be made in a jiffy.
         
          Rava Laddu is a very simple sweet recipe. You can make it whenever you have a sweet craving as the recipe takes only 10 minutes to prepare. It is my dad's favorite sweet and luckily my husband also likes it very much. In fact this is the first sweet I made at home after marriage. Sorry for not posting step by step photos,but I have compensated for that by explaining in detail .There is no chance of you going wrong if you exactly follow the steps.

Ingredients:

Rava/Sooji         - 1 Cup

Sugar        - 1 Cup

Ghee       - 1/4 Cup

Cashews    - 8 to 10

Elaichi Powder  - a pinch  

Method:

1)  Put  2 tbsp of ghee in the kadai .Once hot,fry the cashews till golden brown and keep it aside.

2)  In the same pan,roast the sooji till it is slightly red in color.

3)  Powder the sugar and rava in the mixie and make it a fine powder.

4)  Sieve this Mixture. Grind the remaining coarse powder in the siever to a fine powder. Repeat this        step  until very little residue is left in the siever.
5) To this sieved mixture,add elaichi powder,fried cashews and 1/4 cup of melted ghee*(See notes).

6)  Hold the Mixture tight and you should be able to make a ball. If it crumbles down then add some more ghee and try again. Delicious rava laddu is ready in no time.Very easy rite? :P 

Notes.

1) 1/4 cup of ghee is only an approximate measurement.Actually after you add the ghee,if you hold the mixture tight,you should be able to make balls out of it.That is the correct consistency.If the mixture is crumbling,it means it is dry and you need to add little more ghee.Ghee is the only binding agent here.Do not add water .

2) Some reduce the amount of ghee and add warm mix to bind the mixture.I have not tried this method.I prefer to use ghee only.

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Vegetable Kurma / Mixed Veg Sabzi

            Vegetable Kurma is an interesting and easy recipe which can be made in a jiffy if you have the cut vegetables ready.I got this recipe from my sister-in-law who is a great cook too. She prepared this for one of her pot luck party and impressed everyone there. This is again a very good side dish for roti/chapathi.Here is the recipe below:

Ingredients:

Cut Vegetables - 1 cup(Carrot,beans,potato,cauliflower,green peas)

Sweet corn  *-few
Onion - finely chopped
Ginger garlic paste -1 Tbsp
Cardamom- 3 to 4
Cinnamon stick -1 piece
Anise -1 or 2
Cloves -2
Bay Leaf -1
Sugar-1 tsp
Salt -To taste

Grind to a  paste:

Coriander -1 bunch
Grated cocunut -4 Tbsp
Cumin seeds -1 tsp
cashews -8 nos
Poppy seads /Khas Khasa -1 tsp
Green chillies -4 to 5 long

Method:

1) Grind the ingredients under " Grind to Paste " and keep it ready.
2) Boil all the vegetables mentioned in the ingredients in pressure cooker until soft.
3) Heat oil in the pan .When jeera splutter,add the seasoning ingredients to it (bay leaf,cardamom,cinnamon stick,cloves ans anise) and saute it for a min.
4) To this add the chopped onions and saute till the onions turn translucent .Add ginger garlic paste and saute till the raw smell leaves.Add a tbsp of cumin-coriander powder and saute it along.
5) To this add the ground paste ,add 1/4 a cup of water and saute till the raw smell of the paste goes.
6) To this add the boiled vegetables,1/2 cup of water,required salt and bring the mixture to boil.
7) Add a tsp of sugar to coagulate all the flavours in the gravy.*
Once the gravy thickens and reaches the correct consistency ,it is ready to serve.

Read more "Vegetable Kurma / Mixed Veg Sabzi"