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.

Sooji Pyaaj Kachori

Sooji  Pyaaj Kachori

Kachori, deep fried snack , is supposed to have originated in Uttar Pradesh or Rajasthan.  But it is famous all over North India now.  There are so many varieties of Kachori.  Pyaaj Sooji Kachori / Onion Rawa Kachori is very tasty and easy to prepare.  Let us see the recipe of Kachori.

Yield :  4 Kachori.

Ingredients :   

Rawa / Sooji :  ½ cup

Potato : 3

Onion : 1

Green chilly : 1

Ginger : ½ inch

Garlic : 4 cloves

Red chilly powder : ½ tsp

Turmeric powder : 2 pinches

Ani seeds /Sonf  : ¼ tsp

Coriander leaves : 1 tbsp

Salt to taste

Water : 1 cup

Oil : 1 tbsp + 1 tbsp

 Method : 

Boil potatoes.  Peel the skin and mash them.

In a pan, add a tbsp of oil and fry aniseeds.

Add finely chopped green chilly, ginger and garlic and give a couple of stir.

Add finely chopped onion and fry for a couple of minutes.

Add chilly powder, turmeric powder and mix nicely.

Add mashed potato, salt ( required for potato ) and finely chopped coriander leaves.

Mix everything nicely and remove from flame.

Make them into 4 balls.

In a pan, Heat a cup of water with salt (required for rawa) and add a tbsp of oil .

When it comes to boiling stage, keep the flame to low and  add rawa gradually and stir nicely so that it mixes well without any lumps.

Cook till it absorbs all the water.

When rawa mixture comes to warm in temperature, Knead it like a dough.  Divide it into 4 portions. Make them into disc.

Keep a ball of potato masal inside rawa disc and close properly.  You can grease your hands while doing so.

Slightly press and make them into Patty / Vada shape .

Now the Rawa kachori will be with stuffed potato masala.

Deep fry the kachori on both sides in hot oil, in medium flame till it becomes golden brown.

Serve hot with Sauce or Chutney along with hot Coffee or Tea for a great evening snack.

Note: 

* No need to roast Rawa before cooking it.

Ulli Theeyal

Ulli Theeyal

Here ulli refers to small onion and so ulli theeyal is nothing but onion karakuzhambu in Kerala style.  Though I am not a Malayali , I prepared Onam Sadhya this year and enjoyed  the feast. I included Ulli theeyal in Onam Sadhya menu.  Tamilnadu and Kerala style of cooking is very similar and use same ingredients mostly but with a slight variations.

Main Ingredients :

Small Onion : 10

Tamarindpaste : 2 tsp

Turmeric powder : 2 pinches

Rock Salt to taste.

Jaggery : ½ tsp

Roast and Grind :

Til or Coconut oil : ½  tsp

Coriander seeds : 1 tbsp

Red chilly : 5

Curry leaves : 5

Grated Coconut: 1 tbsp

Tempering :

Mustard seeds : ½ tsp

Fenugreek seeds : ¼ tsp

Red chilly : 1

Curry leaves : few.

Method :  

Peel the onion skin and keep it ready.

In  a small pan , add half a tsp of til oil and roast coriander seeds, chilly, coconut and curry leaves till nice aroma comes in low flame.

Remove and keep it aside .  Let it come to room temperature. 

Grind to a nice paste adding less water, if needed.

In a small Stainless Steel cooker, add a tsp of til oil and temper with mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds and when it starts to pop up, add broken red chilly and curry leaves.

Add small onion and saute it nicely for a couple of minutes.

Now add a cup of water,  turmeric powder, tamarind paste, Rock Salt, ground paste , jaggery and mix nicely.

It should be a thick gravy.  Accordingly add water , only if needed.

Close the cooker and cook for a whistle in medium flame.

Let the pressure settle on its own.

Serve with hot rice, Pappadam and Parippu curry.

Parippu Curry

Parippu Curry

Parippu Curry  is the Kerala dish which is very similar to Kalathukku Paruppu of Tamilnadu.   It is usually had with plain rice and ghee.  Tamilnadu style of preparing paruppu is very simple , mash the cooked Thur dal and add salt, that’s it.  But in Kerala style Parippu curry , Moong dal is cooked and coconut paste is added along with seasoning.  Traditionally Keralites prepare Brown rice instead of White rice.

On special occasion like Onam, Parippu curry is prepared along with the other special festival items.  

Here it is the recipe for Parippu Curry …

Main ingredients :

Green gram split / Moong dal/ Paasi paruppu :  1 cup

Turmeric powder : 2 pinches

Salt to taste.

Ingredients for coconut paste :

Coconut : ¼ cup

Cumin seeds : 1 tsp

Green chilly : 3 ( slit )

For Seasoning :

Coconut oil :  1 tbsp

Mustard seeds :  ¼  tsp

Red chilly : 1 ( broken )

Curry leaves : few.

Method :

Dry roast dal and soak it in water for half and hour.

Pressure Cook adding sufficient water with turmeric powder.

Meanwhile, grind coconut, cumin seeds and green chilly to a nice paste.

After opening the cooker, mash dal slightly.

Add salt and   coconut paste.

Give a nice  boil. 

In a small frying pan, using coconut oil, temper mustard seeds.  When it stop popping , add red chilly and curry leaves and saute till chilly change its colour slightly.

Add this seasoning over the Parippu curry / Dal and serve hot along with rice and ghee.

Parippu Vada

Parippu Vada

Parippu vada is the famous Kelara lentil fritters which is very similar to Tamilnadu Paruppu vadai . 

During Onam , Parippu vada is prepared along with other special items.

Let’s see the recipe for delicious Parippu vada.

Bengal gram / Kadalai paruppu / Channa dal :  1 cup

Red chilly : 4

Green chilly : 2

Onion : 1

Asafoetida / Hing : ½ tsp

Cumin seeds : 1 tsp

Curry leaves :  1 tbsp ( chopped )

Coriander leaves : 1 tbsp  ( chopped )

Salt to taste.

Oil for deep frying.

Soak dhals & red chillies together for 2 hrs.
Then drain  and keep it aside for 1 hr.

Grind dal, red chilly & green chilly to a coarse paste without adding water.

Mix in-between grinding to get uniform grinding.

Thinly slice onion.

Mix dal paste, onion, hing powder, cumin seeds, salt, curry leaves , coriander leaves and 1 tbsp of hot oil and mix thoroughly..

Pat them into patties / vada shape . Can pat on your palms.

Deep fry the patties in medium hot oil.  When it is half done , keep the flame to low and fry till it becomes brown in colour and crispy.

Very tasty crispy Parippu Vada is ready to serve.

Note :

* Can replace cumin seeds with Aniseeds / Sonf / Perunjeeragam.

* Can omit Onion.

* Can make vada using chopped banana flowers, cabbage , carrot, greens like spinach, fenugreek leaves, etc. with the dal batter and prepare tasty veg vada.    

Badaam Puri / Jeera Poli

Badaam Puri /  Jeera Poli

Maida :  1 cup

Sugar : 1 cup

Ghee :  2 tbsp

Cardamom powder : ½ tsp

Almond Powder: 1 tbsp

Water as needed.

Food colour if needed.

Oil+ Ghee :  for deep frying.

Mix maida , ghee with less water and make a soft but thick dough like we make for Puri.  Can add a pinch of food colour while making dough.

Rest it for half an hour.

Add sugar in a vessel and pour water just to immerse it.  We can use powdered sugar. 

Heat in low flame till it becomes sticky syrup adding cardamom powder .  No need to get string consistency.  You can add food colour if needed.

Keep the syrup in hot pack till you are using. 

Divide the dough into small portions and Roll out into small thin puris. 

Deep fry them in the hot Ghee in low flame.  We can use Oil + Ghee for deep frying.  Need not fry till it becomes crispy and crunchy.

Remove Puri from ghee and dip into the sugar syrup .

Let it soak for a minute.

Remove from syrup and place them in a plate.

When the syrup is still sticky, garnish puri with powdered nuts.

Very tasty Jeera Poli / Badaam puri is ready to serve.

Rawa Chakli / Murukku

Rawa Murukku / Chakli

Rice Flour : 1 cup

Rawa / Sooji :  ½ cup

Green chilly : 1

Curry leaves : 1 arc

Butter : ¼ cup

Salt to taste

Water : 1 cup

Using one cup water, grind green chilly and curry leaves .  Drain spicy water and use this water for cooking Rawa.

In a pan heat spicy water.  Add Rawa and salt needed for  Rawa .

Cook in low flame till rawa absorbs all the water.

Remove from flame.

Let it come to warm temperature.

Mix rice flour, butter and salt needed for rice flour with the cooked rawa .

Make soft dough by adding less water.

Use Murukku / Sev press with STAR shaped hole blade . Grease inside Murukku Press before filling dough. 

Shape them as Chakra / Murukku on greased flat ladle.

Flip the pressed Murukku carefully in hot oil .

Deep fry them on both sides in medium heat.

We can fry 2 or 3 murukku at a time according to the space available in the Kadai / frying pan.

Remove from oil and collect them in tissue paper to absorb excess oil.   Transfer them into the air tight container when it comes to room temperature.

Tasty Rawa Chakli / Murukku is ready to serve as a snack.