Coconut Kesari ( Thengai Kesari )

COCONUT  KESARI ( Thengai kesari )

Rawa/ Sooji : 1 cup

Coconut, grated :  1 cup

Sugar : 2 cups ( you can powder it )

Water : 2 + 1/2 cups

Ghee : ½ cup

Cashew nuts : 10 ( chopped )

Raisins : 15

Cardamom powder :  ½ tsp

Food colour of your choice : 1 pinch

In 1 tbsp of ghee fry Rawa on low flame till it changes its colour.

Heat water and add sugar powder … let it dissolve nicely and becomes sticky syrup. 

And then add rawa, grated coconut at one go and stir continuously to prevent lump.

Add cardamom powder, colour and add ghee in stages and keep stirring. Cook till kesari leaves the sides of the pan.

Garnish with ghee fried cashews and raisins.

Millets Milk Kheer ( Siru Dhaniya Paal Payasam )

Millets Milk Kheer

GUIDENCE FROM CHITVISH RECIPES.

Full Cream Milk - 1 litre

Millet  --  1/4  cup

Sugar – 1/2 cup ( powder it )

Ghee :  2 tsp.

Cardamom : ½ tsp

Pour milk , millet and a tsp of ghee in a tall vessel and close with lid .

Keep it inside a pressure cooker and cook.  Its ideal to use 5 ltr or bigger size cooker.

When the first whistle comes, simmer & cook for 5 more minutes .

Allow to cool & open.

Add powdered sugar & cardamom to the milk & mix well.  Cover with lid.

Keep it inside the pressure cooker.

When the whistle comes, simmer & cook for 5 more minutes.

Wait till the pressure drops and open.

No need to garnish with  cashews or any nuts. 

Milk flavored Payasam is ready to serve .

Note :

You can use Rice or any of the following millets to prepare this payasam.

1.  Kodo millet ( Varagu )

2. Foxtail millet ( Thinai )

3. Little millet ( Saamai )

4. Banyard millet ( Kudhiraivali )

Ellu Poornam ( Sesame sweet stuffing )

Sesame Sweet Stuffing for Kozhukkattai.

Black Sesame / Til / Yellu  :  1 cup

Jaggery Powder : 1 cup

Cardamom powder : ½ tsp

Dry fry Sesame in hot Pan till it splutter , in medium flame. 

When it is cool, finely grind into a powder.

Mix jaggery powder and cardamom power with it.

Sesame sweet stuffing is ready .

Or

Easy method of Til filling : 

Dry roast Black Til till it pops. Grind and add the power with regular Coconut Poornam which we make for Kozhukattai. 

Use this stuffing for making  Yellu Poorna Kozhukkattai  . 

We can prepare this Yellu Poorna Kozhukkattai on Ganesh Chathurthi day.  

 You can also prepare this mixture as  a Sesame balls ,  by mixing with 2 tsps of melted ghee and shape them into balls.

Ajwain Parantha

Ajwain Parata /  Carom seeds Parata.

Whole Wheat Flour / Aata  :  3 cups ( 600 ml )

Warm water: 1 cup

Salt  : ½ tsp

Sugar : ½ tsp

Carom Seeds / Ajwain : 1 tsp

Oil : 1 tsp ( while kneading )

All-Purpose flour / Maida for dusting.

Ghee while preparing Parantha.  

Dry roast Carom seeds just to make it warm .  It releases nice aroma.  Remove from the heat and powder it nicely .  Can use Mortar and Pestle.

Mix all the ingredients and knead briefly, just to mix water and no traces of dry flour.  Brush oil on surface of the kneaded dough to prevent it from drying .  Rest for at least half an hour.   Now knead thoroughly into soft dough,  for 10 to 15 minutes .   Dough should not be sticky or it should not be hard.  You can use food processor or can knead using hands.

Divide into 12 equal portions of balls .

Dusting in All-purpose flour , roll each balls into a disc, little bit thicker than chapathi. . 

 While rolling,  pressure should be light and equally applied .

Apply few drops of melted ghee and spread carefully on the facing side of the rolled parata.

Sprinkle some maida .  

Now fold it into half.  

Again apply some ghee and sprinkle some maida.  Now again fold into half to form triangle in shape.

Now gently roll on the parata to get expanded triangular rolled Parata.  You can use maida for dusting while rolling the parata.

On a hot tawa place the rolled Parata .

Keep the flame to medium .

When it just starts to bubble at the bottom ( first side ),.

Flip  and apply few drops of ghee lightly and cook till it gets light brown spots on the second side.

Again flip and apply ghee on the other side too.  Cook the other side for few seconds till it gets golden brown spots.

Serve hot with Dhal /  Bhaji  or any gravy.

Store in Hot pack and serve fresh.

It will be soft even it gets cold, so very ideal for lunch box or travel.

Can be refrigerated and just warm it before using.

Note : 

• ·       Water may vary according to the quality of wheat flour.   Increase or decrease accordingly.  

• ·       After kneading , if you find your dough is sticky , add some flour and knead it.  And if it is hard , add little water and knead.

• ·       Use less flour for dusting as much as possible .

• ·       Machine ground wheat flour gives best result.

Veg Kolhapuri

Veg Kolhapuri

Veg Kolhapuri is a dish from the city of Kolhapur in Maharashtra, India consisting of mixed veggies in a thick and spicy gravy.  It is served as a main course accompanied by breads such as Roti, Parantha, Puri etc.    Let me share the method I prepared Veg Kolhapuri. 

Mix Veg :  2 cups ( carrot + Beans + Peas + Cauliflower )

Dry fry : 

Cashew : 2

Black Til : 1/4 tsp 

Coconut : 1 tsp 

Dry Powder : 

Fenugreek powder : 1/8 tsp

Kashmiri chilly powder : 1/4 tsp

Red chilly powder : 1 tsp

Sugar : 1/2 tsp

Goda Masala powder :  1 tsp

Turmeric powder : 1/8 tsp

Salt to taste

Other ingredients : 

Small Onion : 4

Green chilly : 1

Ginger : 1/4 inch

Garlic : 4

Tomato : 1

Curd : Half ladle

Tempering :  

Mustard seeds : 1/4 tsp

Jeera : 1/2 tsp

Cooking oil :  3 tbsp.

Method : 

In low flame, Dry roast til seeds till it pops ... Add cashews and when it becomes warm add coconut. Fry for a couple of minutes. 

Remove from the Pan.

When it becomes to room temperature, grind cashew,  til, coconut with onion, ginger, garlic, green chilly to a course paste.  

Grind tomato separately to course paste. 

In a small cooker , add oil and temper mustard and Jeera .  

Add Onion paste and saute for few minutes till the raw smell goes out . 

Add tomato paste and saute till oil leaves. 

Add dry masala powders and saute for 30 seconds . 

Add curd and keep stirring for a minute. 

Add half cup of hot water and chopped veggies. 

Mix everything nicely and close the lid.

Cook for a whistle .

After opening garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves.

Veg Kolhapuri is ready to serve with Roti, Parantha, Puri or Kulcha. 

Note :  You can use Garam masala powder instead of Goda masala. 

Onam Sadya Recipes

Onam Sadya Recipes

  Onam is new year celebration for Keralites, which comes during the month of August., mostly the day before Tamilians Aavani Avittam / North Indians Raksha Bandhan festival.  

Tamil nadu  and Kerala style of cooking are more or less very similar.   In most of the Kerala recipes, Coconut dominates the taste. 

Sadya recipes :

Paalada Pradhaman (  Payasaam Ready mix )

Nentram Pazham ( Banana )

Papadam ( fried Papad ) 

Matta Choru ( Brown rice )

Cherunaranga Rasam ( lemon Rasam )

Inji Ooruga ( Ginger Pickle )

Sambharam ( Flavored buttermilk )

   

 Raw banana Thoran

 

  Mambazha Pulisery ( Ripe mango pulisery )

 

   Puli Inji ( Ginger tamarind pickle )

  Unni Appam

Parippu Vada

NentrangaiChips

  ParippuCurry with Nei ( lentil curry with ghee )

Ulli theeyal

  Aviyal

   Kootu curry

Pacha MangaKichadi ( Raw mango curd pachadi )

  Pacha mangaOorugai ( Cut mango pickle )

  VadukapuliNaranga Ooruga ( Wild lemon pickle )

Almond Kheer

Almond Kheer

Very rich, healthy and tasty Almond Kheer is also very easy to prepare.

Almond : ½  cup

Sugar : ¾ cup

Full fat Milk : 2 cups

Cardamom powder : 2 pinches

Ghee :  1 tsp

Saffron : few strands

In a broad non-stick pan pour milk and heat in a low flame.  Let it reduce to half.

Stir in-between .

Meanwhile in ghee fry almonds till it turns little bit brown in colour.

Let it cool.

Powder the almonds in a mixer.

When milk reduced to half of its content, add sugar, almond powder, cardamom powder and saffron strands.

Boil for a 5 to 10 minutes in a low flame.

Keep stirring now and then.

Serve hot or cold .

Delicious Kheer is ready to serve in any special occasion.