Saturday, 5 November 2011

Bara Sabji





Ingredients:
  • Small brinjal - 1 / 4 k. g.
  • Small simla mirchi - 2 to 3
  • Small ladies finger - 7 to 8
  • Baby potato - 7
  • Baby tomato - 5
  • Tendli (kovakai) - 7
  • Finely cut coriander leaves - little 
Wash & clean all the vegetables.Slit the vegetabls & bake for 5 mins in the oven (another workaround would be to boil the vegetables in cooker without whistle)

Masala for stuffing :
  • Bengal gram flour (kadalai mavu) - 1 tbl sp
  • Salt - as per taste
  • Red chili powder - 1 1/2 sp
  • Dhaniya jeera powder - 1 sp
  • Asafoetida - a pinch
  • Lemon juice - 1 tbl sp
  • Sugar - 1/2 sp
  • Oil - 4 sp
 (mix all the ingredients in oil along with basan & keep aside.This is masala for stuffing)

Method :
Take one non-stick kadai &  keep on the gas,  pour 2 sps of oil & add the vegetables to it (before adding stuff the masala to the vegetables) keep the gas in lower flame. Carefully turn the vegetables till all the masala gets blended well with the vegetables. Once the masala has completely soaked into the vegetable & become dry, remove it from the gas. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Serve with roti & parathas.



Haydrabathe Baingan

Ingredients :
  • Medium size brinjal/eggplant - 4 to 5
  • Onion - 2
  • Garlic - 2 flakes
  • Ginger - 1 / 2 inch piece
  • fresh grated coconut - 2 tabl . sp
  • Tamarind paste - 1 / 2 sp
  • Peanuts (roasted) - 10
  • white seasame seeds - 1 / 2 sp
  • Cumin seeds 1 sp
  • Oil - 1 / 4 cup
  • Salt - as per taste
  • Dhaniya jeera  powder - 1 sp
  • Red chili powder - 1 sp
  • Green chili - 1
  • Mustard seeds - 1 sp
  • curry leaves - little
  • Methi seeds - 1/2 sp

For grinding (gravy):
Take onion, ginger, garlic, grated coconut, tamarind paste & grind all together into a mixture & keep aside.


For dry masala powde:
Fry peanuts, seasame seeds & cumin seeds in kadai (without oil) & make dry powder in mixture & keep aside.

Method:
First cut the brinjal in the bottom (just slit into 4 don't cut into pieces) & put it in the water. Then keep one kadai on the gas, pour 3 sps of oil, when the oil becomes hot add the grind wet masala to that & fry in a low flame till the masala becomes dry & thick. Add salt, turmeric, red chili powder, dhaniya powder & dry masala powder & fry for 5 mins (the gas should be in lower flame) At the same time keep another kadai on the gas  & pour 6 to 7 sps of oil. When the oil becomes hot add mustard seeds, methi seeds &  the brinjal , slit green chili, & curry leaves.When the brinjal is half cooked ,add the wet grind masala to that along with needed water.Close the kadai with a lid & fry for15 mins in lower flame. When the sabji becomes ready  remove from the gas. Garnish with finely cut coriander leaves. Serve hot with parathas, puri, etc.





Makkai ki Roti

Ingredients:
  • Maize flour (cornmeal)- 250 gms
  • Salt - as per taste
  • Warm water - 1/2 cup

Method:
Mix the dough adding salt &warm water (if required add more water to make soft dough) Make into round portions/balls slightly bigger than lemon size. Keep a damp cloth over a wooden board & roll each into a round chappati, with even thickness. Lift it along with the cloth & keep it over a greased hot tava & remove the cloth. Toss the other side over after a few seconds, applying ghee on the both sides. Remove from the tava when it is evenly done on both sides. Serve hot with sarson ka saag or with any other side dish.

Beans Malai Wali Sabji

Ingredients:
  • French beans - 1/2 kg.
  • Potato - 2 (cut into thin lengthy piece)
  • Rice flour - 2 tbl sp
  • Fresh cream - 1/2 cup
  • Salt - as per taste
  • Turmeric powder - 1/2 sp
  • Red chili powder - 1 sp
  • Dhania jeera powder - 1 sp
  • Asafoetida - 1 pinch
  • Sugar - 1/2 sp
  • Oil - 2 tbl sp
  • Green chili - 2
  • finely cut coriander leaves - little
  • Cumin seeds - 1 sp

Method:

Take a small cooker and place it on the gas &  pour 2 tbl sp of oil, heat it & add cumin seeds. When it splutters, add the cut beans, potato (cut into 1/2 inch length wise) along with salt, turmeric, red chili powder, asafoetida, sugar, fresh cream & mix well. Then close cooker & wait for 2 whistle to come. After the pressure goes open the cooker. Again keep the cooker on the gas & sprinkle  the rice flour & stir non stop till the sabji become thick (while cooking don't add any water. The beans should cook only in the cream) Then remove from the gas. Garnish with cut coriander, slit fried green chili.You can have this along with rice/roti.

Sarson Ka Saag



Ingredients:
  • Tender mustard leaves - 1 bunch
  • Spinach leaves (palak) - 1 bunch
  • Red chilli powder - 1/2 sp
  • Ginger - 1/2 inch
  • Garlic - 4 to 5 flakes
  • Cornmeal (makkai ki atta) - 2 tabl .sp
  • Salt - as per taste
  • Butter - 1 tbl sp

For seasoning :
  • Ghee or oil - 2 tbl sp
  • Garlic - 6 flakes (finely chopped)
  • Green chillies -2  (finely chopped)
  • Onion - 2 (finely chopped)
  • Large tomatoes - 2 (cut into small pieces)
  • Ginger - 1 inch pieces (finely chopped)

Method:
Wash palak, mustard leaves, radish leaves, methi leaves, little cabbage in water. Then keep pressure cooker on the gas, put finely chopped leafy vegetables along with the ginger piece, salt, garlic pieces, red chili powder & 1cup water. Close the cooker & wait for 4 whistles to come. After the pressure leaves, open the cooker add maize flour & mix well. Keep the gas in simmer & boil for 5 mins.Then blend it with the help of blender & keep aside. Then keep one kadai on the gas, heat 2 tbl sp of  ghee, put finely chopped onion, garlic, green chillies, & fry for 3 mins till it becomes brown in colour. Then add finely chopped tomatoes & ginger pieces. Fry well till it comes turns into a consistent puree (well blended together). Add the green saag & saute for few more mins. Before removing from the gas add 1 tbl sp of butter to that & mix well. Serve hot with makkai di roti.






Monday, 31 October 2011

Kesari's [Sheera's]

                                                    Aval Kesari (Rice flakes)

Ingredients:
  • Poha (Aval) rava - 1 cup
  • Sugar - 1 1/2 cup
  • Water - 1 cup
  • Milk - 1 cup
  • Ghee - 4 tbl sp
  • Kesar or Orange colour - little
  • Cashewnuts & Resins - 15
  • Borneol [Pacha karpuram ] - pinch.


Method:

First take one kadai, keep it on the gas & pour 2 sp of ghee. Add poha & fry for 3 mins till it becomes crisp. Then grind in the mixer like rava & keep aside. In the same kadai again, pour some ghee, fry cashewnuts, resins till it turns into golden colour. Other side keep some boiled water. When the cashews are fried, add aval rava & mix well in the kadai & pour the boiling water along milk. Add colour, sugar & remaining ghee in the water. The sugar should be completely dissolved. Keep stirring constantly till it forms a thick mass. When it doesn't stick to wet hands & gets a shine, remove from the gas. Enjoy your aval kesari.
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                                                            Pineapple Kesari


Ingredients:
  • Fine rawa - 1 cup
  • Sugar - 1 1/4 cup
  • Water - 1 1/4 cup
  • Tinned pineapple or
  • Fresh pineapple (Finely cut) - 1/2 cup
  • Ghee - 3 tbl sp
  • Lemon yellow colour - Little
  • Cardamom powder - 1/2 sp
  • Cashews & Resins - To taste.

Method:

Heat one tbl sp of ghee in a deep frying pan. Fry cashews, resins & remove from ghee & keep aside. Fry rawa in that ghee itself for 3 mins & remove from the pan & keep separately. Heat water & sugar together in that pan, add colour & rest of the ghee in that water. During that time, add finely cut pineapple. When the sugar gets dissolved completely & it starts boiling, add fried rawa, cashews, resins. Keep stirring constantly till it forms a thick mass. When it doesn't stick to wet hands & gets a shine, [See the picture] remove from the gas. Serve hot. Enjoy your pineapple kesari along with namkins or bajji.
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                                                       Vermicelli [Semiya] Kesari

Ingredients:
  • Fine vermicelli - 1 cup
  • Fine rawa - 2 tbl sp
  • Sugar - 1cup
  • Water & milk mixture - 1 1/2 cup [Should be hot]
  • Ghee 3 tbl sp
  • Kesar yellow colour - Little
  • Cashews & raisins - 10
  • Cardamom powder - 1/2 sp

Method :

Take one deep frying pan keep on the gas heat 1 tablsp of ghee & fry cashews, raisins & remove from the fire & keep aside.On the same pan add some more ghee & fry vermicelli, rawa till it becomes light red in colour. Then pour the milk, water mixture to that & mix well. Keep stirring constantly till it forms a thick mass. Then add the sugar & remaing ghee to that & mix well. Keep the gas in lower flame.Mix the cashews, raisins, & cardamom powder.Your yummy semia kesari is ready to eat.Serve it hot.
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                                            Sheera [Prasad for Satyanarayana Pooja]


Ingredients:
  • Fine rawa - 1 cup
  • Milk - 3 to 4 cup
  • Sugar - 1 1 / 2 cup
  • Milk masala - 1 tbl . sp
  • Cardamom powder - 1 sp
  • Ghee - 3 tbls .sp [ heaped ]
  • Cashews & raisins - little

Method:

Fry rawa with one tbl sp of ghee in medium flame till plesent aroma comes from the mixture. Then add milk, sugar & mix it well without forming lumps. Cook while stirring constantly along with milk masala powder, cardamom powder till halva consistency is reached. Add ghee when it sticks to the vessel (use non - stick vessel to avoid sticking) Finally, add fried cashews, raisins to that & mix well. Your prasadam is ready for your pooja. It is very tasty :)

Traditional Sweets




                                                                    Appam

Ingredients:
  • Raw rice - 1 glass [soaked in water 1/2 an hr]
  • Wheat flour - 1/4 cup
  • Jaggery - 1/2 glass
  • Ripe banana - 1 small size
  • Cardamom powder - 1 sp
  • Seasame seeds - 1 sp
  • Grated coconut - 2 tbl sp
  • Ghee - 1/2 cup
  • Oil - For frying.

Method:

Grind the rice in the mixer along with jaggery, wheat flour, ripe banana & cardamom powder. Grind the batter smoothly & keep aside [See Photo]. Then take a pan & pour 2 tbl sp of ghee to that & fry the seasame seeds & coconut. Make them little brown in colour & add it to the batter. Keep the appam vessel on the gas & pour little oil & ghee together to that. When the oil becomes hot, pour one sp of batter to the vessel [See photo]. Make sure that when one side of the appam gets fried, turn the other side also & get it fried. Fry both the sides till it becomes brown in colour. Remove from the gas. Your appam is ready.
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                                                                  Badhusha

Ingredients [For Syrup]:
  • Sugar - 2 cups
  • Water - 1/2 cup
  • Powder cardamom - 1/2 tsp
  • Pachai karpooram - A pinch.

Method:

In a heavy wide mouthed vessel heat sugar adding 1/2 cup of water. Bring to 2 string consistency syrup. Add powdered cardamom, pachai karpooram & mix well. Your syrup is ready.


Ingredients [For Badhusha]:
  • Maida - 2 1/2 cups
  • Baking powder - 1/2 level sp
  • Unsour curd - 1/2 cup
  • Butter - 1 tbl sp [Good Quality]
  • Ghee - 1/4 cup
  • Powdered sugar - 2 tbl sp
  • Oil - for frying.

Method:

Take one mixing bowl, put maida & baking powder. Add butter, ghee & curd to make a dough. [Don't knead it too much]. Then make big lemon size balls with the dough. Make each ball in to a good round shape vada with 2 cm thickness. Make gentle depression with your finger in the center. Keep over a greased plastic sheet. Then heat oil  in a pan & gently dip as many vadas as possible. Lower the flame, turn each vada the other side & deep fry till it is light golden in colour. Remove gently with a spoon. Dip each vada into the prepared syrup [Check whether it is still hot]. Then transfer each sugar coated vada on to the other plate. The badhushas are ready. Heat the syrup again to make it watery [You may add a few drops of water if necessary]. Decorate with chopped nuts when it is still hot. When it becomes cool, keep them in an air-tight container.
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                                                         Milk & Coconut Burfi

Ingredients:
  • Finely grated coconut - 1 cup
  • Milk - 1 litre or Sweetless kova [Mawa] - 50 gms
  • Sugar - 1 level cup
  • Pure ghee - 3 to 4 tbl sps.

Method:

First take one heavy kadai, keep on the gas & pour the milk & heat till it is reduced to half. Then add coconut, sugar & stir till it becomes thick. Add ghee when it sticks to the bottom of the kadai. When it reaches burfi stage, the mixture turns golden & frothy. At this stage, pour on a greased tray [apply little ghee on the tray] & cut into pieces. Your mouth watering milk coconut burfi is ready to eat.

Note: People who don't prefer milk while making burfi can make this burfi with the help of sweetless kova as per the above measurement. At 1 litre of milk you can make this kova upto 50 gms. Such type of kova is also available in shops.
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                                                             Boondhi Laddu


Ingredients:
  • Bengal gram flour - 1 cup [Heaped]
  • Rice flour - 1 tsp
  • Kesar colour - A pinch [For the dough]
  • Cooking soda - A pinch
  • Oil - For deep frying
  • Sugar - 1 1/ 2 cups
  • Water - 1 1/ 2 cups
  • Saffron - Little
  • Broken cashewnuts - 1 tbl sp
  • Resins - 1 tbl sp
  • Diamond candy - Little [Optional]
  • Cloves - Few
  • Ghee - 1 tbl sp
  • Kesar colour - A pinch [For sugar syrup]
  • Cardamom powder - Little.

Method:

Mix gram flour, rice flour, kesar colour, cooking soda together. Add just enough water to make it into a paste.[Like bajji dough consistency]. Then heat oil in broad kadai. Keep boondhi ladle [flat round ladle with holes] on top of the oil at a distance & pour 1 big spoon full of mixed batter on the boondhi ladle. Tape gently with spoon. See whether small droplets of dough falls in the oil & gets fried. When its half fried, [still soft] take out from oil & put in hot sugar syrup. Repeat the process till all the boondhis are fried.

For Sugar Syrup:

Mix water & sugar together in heavy vessel. Heat till the sugar is dissolved. Stir it in between. When it is dissolved, allow the syrup to boil till 1/2 string consistency is reached [do not stir at this stage]. Then remove from the fire & mix kesar colour, saffron, cardamom powder, fried cloves, cashewnuts, resins, diamond candy & deep fried boondhis. Then keep aside till it becomes warm. Then make into medium size balls [laddus] when the mixture is warm.

Note:

If the mixture cools completely, the sugar crystallizes & balls cannot be made. Add all the deep fried boondhis together in sugar syrup. Syrup should be warm while putting boondhis in that.
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                                                      Milk Powder Gulab Jamun

Ingredients:
  • Milk powder - 15 tbl sps [Level]
  • Maida - 6 tbl sp [Level]
  • Cooking soda - 2 pinches
  • Fresh curd - 1 tbl spn
  • Milk - Little
  • Melted ghee - 1 1/2 tsp
  • Oil or Vanaspathi - For frying.


For Sugar Syrup:
  • Sugar - 1 1/2 cups
  • Water - 1 1/2 cups
  • Saffron - Little
  • Rose essence - Few drops.


Method:

First sieve maida, milk powder, soda together 2 or 3 times without any lumps. Then take this mixture in a bowl, add ghee, curd & mix with finger tips. Sprinkle water or milk & mix gently to form a smooth dough. [Do not knead]. Then keep it closed for 10 mins. Make lemon sized balls & deep fry in medium hot oil or vanaspathi. On the other side of the gas, keep one vessel & prepare sticky syrup with sugar & water. At this time, add saffron & essence to that. As the jamuns are fried, put it in hot sugar syrup. Allow to soak for atleast 2 hrs in sugar syrup. Enjoy your gulab jamuns. Serve it hot or cool.
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                                                        Cashew [Kaju] Kathri


Ingredients:
  • Cashewnuts - 1 cup
  • Powdered sugar - 1 cup
  • Rose essence - A few drops
  • Sliver warq [wrap] - For decoration [Optional].

Method:

Soak cashewnuts for 10 mins. Then grind it into a thick paste without adding water. Then mix the paste with sugar, heat it in a heavy kadai, stir it constantly, till it becomes a thick mass. Then remove from the gas & mix it with essence. Knead well like chappathi dough when the mixture is still warm. Then apply little ghee in 2 thick plastic sheets. Transfer the dough on one sheet. Place another sheet on top. Flatten the dough & roll out like a thin chappathi. Then peel off the top plastic sheet & decorate with sliver warq. Cut into diamond shapes when it become cool. Enjoy your kaju kathri.
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                                                            Akkaravadsal

Ingredients:
  • Rice - 1 glass
  • Moongdal - 2 sp
  • Ghee - 1/4 kg
  • Cashewnuts - 10-12
  • Jaggery - 1 glass
  • Sugar - 1/4  glass
  • Elaichi - 8
  • Resins - 10-12.

Method:

Take 1 glass of rice n 2 tablespoon of moongdal, wash n drain them together nicely. Fry them with ghee till the smell comes. Now, If u take 1 glass of rice, then take 1 glass of milk n 3 glasses of water n boil them in cooker (like how u cook / boil rice). Wait for 3 whistles to come.
Now open the cooker. Above the rice, mix with it 1 glass of jaggery n 1/4th glass of sugar. Mix it with ghee also (in between). Mix it well till it becomes thick. After it becomes thick, add some elaichi powder & a pinch of green karpoora powder (Pacha Kalpooram Powder). Finally fry some cashewnuts, resins (kismiss), & pour it above the Akkaravadsal. Ready 2 eat.
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                                                                    Puttu

Ingredients:
  • Rice Flour - 1  1/2 cup
  • Jaggery - 1  1/4 cup
  • Fresh grated coconut - 1/2 cup
  • Ghee - 2 tbl sp
  • Cashewnuts - 10 [Made into small pieces]
  • Salt - A pinch
  • Turmeric powder - 1/4 sp.


Method:

Wash the rice, strain it & spread it on a muslin cloth. Allow about 15 mins for the cloth to absorb all the water from the rice till it no longer steals wet. Now blend the rice in to a fine powder. Roast the flour over a medium flame. The flour should be roasted to such a consistency that you should be able to draw a straight line. Add little salt & turmeric powder to the flour. Sprinkle little warm water to the flour & mix well. It should be in such way that you should be able to hold it & when you leave it, it should spread.
Add water to the jaggery & melt it over to a low flame. Strain to remove stum [dirt].
Return to the flame & steer until it reaches a thick pouring consistency so that when you roll & drop it, you should be able to hear the sound. Pour this thick consistency to the flour & mix well. Fry coconut, cardamom & cashewnuts in a ghee & pour it on the puttu & mix well. Your puttu is ready.
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                                                                  Ukkarai


Ingredients:
  • Bengal gram dal [Kadalai parupu] - 1 glass
  • Jaggery - 1 glass
  • Ghee - 3/4 cup
  • Cardamom powder - 1 sp.

Method:


Take one kadai, keep it on the gas & fry the channadal till it turns to golden brown. Then pour required water to the dal & keep aside for 2 hrs. Then drain the water & grind it to a fine paste. Again keep one heavy bottom vessel on the gas & pour ghee to that. Add the grained dal & fry till it becomes dry. Heat the jaggery adding 1/4 cup of water. When the jaggery melts, strain through a strainer & reheat. Keep the fire in lower flame. [Better use non-stick vessel]. When it comes to 1 string consistancy, add the prepared dal & mix well. Add cardamom powder. When it becomes dry & soft, remove from the gas. When it becomes cool, store it in a dry container.


It is a popular sweet in Tirunelveli.