Ruchi

Akaravadisal

2012-01-12T16:07:00.000+05:30

Akkara Adisil also known as ‘Akkara Vadisal’ is one of the famous Traditional dish . Akkara Adisil is usually prepared on the "Koodaravalli day" which comes on 27th day of the Margazhi month and offered to the lord. In the 27th poem "Koodaraivellum" of "Tiruppavai" Sri Andal says "Mooda nei peidhu muzhangai vazhivaara"and so we prepare the akkara adisil with lot of ghee & "Koodi irundu kulirndhaelo" meaning share and enjoy the food with everyone present. The akkaravadisal given in temples as prasadam has its own unique taste. Today I prepared Akkara Vadisal’ as Neividhyam.

Ingredients:

Raw Rice- 1 cup

Moong dal- ¼ cup

Whole Milk -5 cups

Jaggery 3/4 – 1 cup

Ghee – 1/4cup(plus more are added usually)

Cardamom, Crushed- ½ tsp

Edible Camphor -1 pinch

Few roasted cashews and raisins

Method:

1.Rinse the rice and clean it and add fried moong dal In a heavy bottomed pan, and and 4 cups of milk and pressure cook it. Leave atleast 4 to 5whistles so that the rice is smashed well.

2.In another stove place the jaggery in a vessel and add little water say, less than 1/4 cup. Bring it to a boil and let the jaggery dissolve completely.

3.Add the filtered jaggery water and the remaining milk to the cooked rice and add some ghee and cook over medium flame stirring it to avoid burning.

4.Cook for 5 to 10 mins and you can see it coming together. It should be a semi solid mass, so don’t over cook it. Remove from heat. Add the cardamom powder and Edible camphor

5.In a separate pan, add ghee and add broken cashew nuts, dried grapes and fry it till it turns golden brown color.Hot Akkaravadisal is ready for neivedhyam .

Note:

It tends to thicken with time, hence you can add some warm milk to loosen it up a bit according to the consistency you like. You can add a tsp of ghee before serving.

Eggless Fruit and Nut Cake

2011-12-25T21:25:00.000+05:30

This fruit cake is great not just for Christmas but for any special occasion. The aromas of flavorful spices, exotic nuts, dried fruits, and fruit juices make this cake almost irresistible.

Ingredients:

Plain Flour- 1 cup

Butter-120g

Brown Sugar-120g

Baking soda-1/2 tsp

Baking powder-1tsp

Sugar-1 cup

Cinnamon powder-1 tsp

Clove powder-1/4 tsp

Cardamom Powder- 1/2 tsp

Fruit Juice -1/3 cup ( I used Orange juice)

Mixed Fruits (sultanas, raisins, cherries, dates, tutti frutti)-, 120g roughly chopped.

Mixed Nuts (cashew nuts, Walnuts, almonds)- 120g roughly chopped

Orange marmalade (I used mixed fruit jam)-2 tbsp

Vanilla essence- 1 tsp

Curd-1 tbsp

blanched and peeled almonds for decoration

Soaking the fruit mix:

Soak the dried fruits and nuts in orange juice for a day. The juice will get absorbed by the dry fruits and they will look plump

Method:

1.Pre heat the oven 180 degree C

2.Shift the flour along with the baking powder, soda and spice powder

3.In a mixing bowl, beat butter till it becomes light and fluffy. Add brown sugar and sugar mix well

4.Then add the yogurt, then jam whisk well. Add the soaked fruits along with the juice, nuts and combine everything together.

5.Add these dry ingredients to the fruit mixture a little at a time, mixing with a spoon. Decoratively arrange the almonds over the top of the cake.

6.If it is not in dropping consistency, add some milk as required.

7.Pour into the greased tins and bake at 180 degrees C for 15 to 20 mins.

8.Test the center of the cake if it is done. Cool for 15 minutes in pan.

Enjoy!

Eggless Fruit n Nuts Cookies

2011-12-22T20:26:00.001+05:30

Fruit n Nuts Cookies

These cookies are tasty and colorful and full of flavor from the fruit and nuts. Fruit n nuts Cookies are a real treat for their luscious taste and spellbinding aroma and perfect choice for the holiday season. These soft, colorful cookies are a nice addition to a Christmas dessert tray.

Ingredients:

All Purpose Flour - 1 cup

Unsalted Butter -1/2 cup

Powdered Sugar - 1/2 cup

Tutti Frutti - 1/3 cup

Milk - 1 to 2 tbsp

Dates- 1/4 cup coarsely chopped

Cherries-1/4cup

Toasted walnuts,Cashew - 1/4cup coarsely chopped

(I used a combination of raisins, dates,dried cherries//walnuts &cashews)

Method:

1. In a mixing bowl add powdered sugar and butter. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy - Add maida, tutti frutti , dried fruit and nuts and mix well.

2. Add milk to form a soft sticky dough. Lay a butter paper and roll the dough and form a log(dust flour if needed).

3. Divide the dough in half and place each half and Wrap it with butter paper Roll each log in the butter paper and Put it up in the freezer to make the dough firm for 30 to 40 min.

4.Cut log into slices or cut it with a cookie cutter and Bake it at 180 deg C for 10 to 12 minutes or until the edges are slightly golden brown. Transfer carefully in a rack and cool it.Store in airtight container.

Vermicelli /Semiya Vada

2011-12-17T21:27:00.000+05:30

Vermicelli /Semiya Vada is a delicious spicy snack coated with flour and mixed with spices and chopped chillies before getting deep fried in hot oil. Serve the crispy hot Vermicelli vada with coconut chutney or tomato sauce as evening time snack.

Ingredients

Vermicelli-/Semiya - 2 cups

Onion-1 finely chopped

Green.chillies-2 finely chopped

Ginger-2 tspgrated

Gram flour-1 cup

Rice flour-1 tbsp

Maida-1 tsp

Redchilli powder- 1tsp

Yoghurt-1 cup

Curry leaves-1 sprig

Salt- to taste

Oil- for frying

Method:

Boil some water and cook the vermicelli for few min and drain it and allow to cool

In yogurt add cooked vermicelli in a bowl and add ginger ,green chilies, onion and Mix with all other ingredients.

Yoghurt is enough to make a dough, if not add little bit water.

Press in your palm to flatten it & Fry these vadas till golden brown and crispy.

Serve hot with any kind of chutneys or Tomato ketchup.

Fresh Ginger-Lemon &Honey Cookies

2011-12-04T21:25:00.000+05:30

The Fresh lemon ginger cookies are treats those who like sour, sugary, tangy with spice.I love ginger, lemon& honey. Honey and lemon is always so soothing and the lemon and ginger really shone through and complemented each other well ;and in these cookies the honey was delicately lingering in the background... Well to be honest the ginger cookies turned out soft and lovely balance of crispy and chewy and full of ginger & lemon aroma with spicy flavor.

Ingredients:

All Purpose flower- 200 gms

Butter-115 gms

Powdered Sugar- ½ cup

Brownsugar- ½ cup

Baking Powder- 1 tsp

Baking soda- ½ tsp

Honey – 2 tbsp

Lemon zest -2 tsp

Fresh lemon juice -1tsp

Ground ginger-1tbsp

Cardamom- ½ tsp

Method:

1.Preheat oven to 180°C.

2.Add the flour, baking powder, ginger, baking soda and mix until well combined.

3.Cream the butter together with the sugar and honey until light and fluffy.

4.Grate in the lemon zest and finely chop the ginger and add to the bowl along with the lemon juice and ground ginger.

5.Add the flour and beat together until all incorporated. knead to a smooth dough.

6.Flatten then slightly using the palm of your hand and place on the baking tray.

7.Bake in the oven for 12-14 minutes until they are golden brown in colour.

8.Allow to cool before storing in an airtight container.Enjoy with Hot Tea or Coffee.

Eggless Chocolate Oreo Cake with Fluffy frosting

2011-11-27T20:58:00.000+05:30

After 3 years of blogging I just crossed my 200th post and to thank everyone for the support and encouragement.

Who can say no to an Oreo Cookie? I loved the Oreos in the chocolate cake bake because they would go wonderfully well with fresh cream cakes! The cake is very easy to make and looks gorgeous!So I wanted to incorporate Oreos in the cake.SoI just make Oreo-filled chocolate cake, layer it with fresh whipped cream, dust it with crumbled Oreo. , It was all Yum. Moist, decadent, so delicious, but all of it at once was…well…completely and totally overwhelming.

Ingredients:

All-Purpose flour-125 gms

Condensed milk-½ can (200 grams)

Cocoa-1 tbsp

Chocolate powder-1 tbsp

Baking powder-1 tsp

Baking soda –1/2 tsp

Butter melted-1/2 cup (60gms)

Vanilla essence-1/2 tsp

Milk-100 ml

Oreo biscuit Pkt -2

Ingredients for filling and frosting the cake

2 cups fresh cream whipped until it triples in volume and is stiff

10 to 15 Oreo cookies crushed

1/4 cup chocolate chips

Ingredients for sugar syrup

Water-1 cup

Strong coffee-1 tbsp

Sugar-3to 4 tsp

Method:

1. Sieve flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, cocoa all together 2 to 3 times.Keep aside

2. Pour condensed milk in a bowl. Add the butter, and beat well till smooth. Add the flour spoon by spoon, mixing into the condensed milk mixture.

3. In between, add milk as required if the butter begins to get too stiff. Stir the mixture in one direction only all the while. This will incorporate more air and make the cake lighter.

4. Once all the flour is used up, beat the batter as above till light (5-7 minutes) mix gently till smooth.

5. Pour into a greased cake tin. Do not smooth with a spoon etc. If the consistency is right this will not be needed.

6. Pre-heat over to 180o c. Place tin inside. Bake at 15-2o minutes or till done.

7. Poke with a skewer and check. Cool a little. Invert on wire rack. Cool completely before doing icing

Procedure:- Boil the water and add sugar and coffee. Cool this mixture completely .

Assembling the Cake:-

Once the cake is cooled completely, slice the cake into layers. Beat whipping cream on medium speed for about five minutes, until soft peaks form and add sugar.

1. Place the top most layer on the cake board and drizzle the sugar syrup using a spoon.

2.Make sure to drizzle is across evenly on the cake especially along the edges which tends to get a little hard.

3. Now add a generous dollop of fresh cream and spread it evenly using a spatula.

4..Now sprinkle about 1/4th of the crushed oreo cookies and chocolate chips.

5. Carefully place the second layer of the cake on top of the first and repeat the above steps of drizzling sugar syrup and fresh cream.

6. Place the last layer on top and again drizzle the remaining of the sugar syrup.

7.Now cover the sides of the cake and top with the remaining fresh cream, if the sides of the cake are not turning out evenly don't worry they will be coated with generous amount of crushed oreo's .

8.Top the cake with Whipped Cream and the whole Oreo cookies. Refrigerate for 1 hour to firm up then remove and allow coming to room temperature before serving.

Stuffed Chilli/ Stuffed Mirchi Wada

2011-11-07T19:45:00.001+05:30

Stuffed Chilli

I bought the biggest and the hottest jalapenos/Chillies available in the local market.I tried to make stuffed chilli for the evening snack. A popular dish in India, freshly made, by street hawkers. They are called Mirchi Bada. Everyone thought that these would be spicy, But they are not at all spicy and even a small kid can eat them . It is the best snack for teatime or Here you can make this fine-tasting accompaniment to a main meal - or indeed can be eaten alone as a sort of snack.It is favorite of many people In Mumbai This is mine and my husband's all-time favorite snack. Everyone in our family just loves it.

Ingredients:

Green Chillies/Jalapeños-4 large

Potatoes, boiled -4

Tomato-finely chopped-1

Onions, finely chopped-2

Red Chilli powder-1 tsp

Coriander Powder-1 tsp

Chaat Masala Powder-1/2 tsp

Garam Masala Powder - 1tsp

Baking Powder- 1/4 tsp

Gram Flour- 1 cup

Method:

Slit green chillies and remove the seeds. Blanch in hot water

Making stuffing:

1. Peel and grate boiled potatoes and add onions, red chili powder, garam masala powder, chaat masala, coriander powder and salt. Mash and mix well.

2. Divide in portions same as number of chillies.

3. Stuff each chillie with this mix and keep aside .

Making batter:

1. Mix all ingredients in gram flour and beat vigorously until soft.

2. It is better to add a little water at a time, whilebeating it.

Frying:

1. Heat oil. It has reached correct temperature when a drop of batter dropped in it sizzles and floats to the surface quickly.

2.Dip each chilli in batter and coat it well.

3.Drop gently in the oil and fry in batches until until crisp and golden brown

4.Serve hot with Green Coriander Chutney or Tangy Tomato ketchup.

Malai Peda& chocolate Peda

2011-10-28T21:19:00.001+05:30

Pedas are soft and It has a smooth and silky texture and it just melts in the mouth. pedas are an all time favorite .For diwali I tried Chocolate peda& Malai Peda. Malai Peda I adapted from here.

Happy to say My Chocolate Peda is Published in Vallamai Magazine:)

Malai Peda

Ingredients:

Milk Powder--2 cups

Sweetened Condensed Milk – 1 tin

Unsalted Butter – 100gm

Method:

1. In a microwave safe dish, melt the butter.

2. Add in the rest of the ingredients and mix well.

3. Cook in the microwave for 3 minutes, stirring very well after every minute.

4. After the 3 minutes, mix well again and leave aside for the mixture to cool down enough to handle.

5. Once the mixture has cooled down, grease your hands and make balls.

6. Gently press the balls and flatten them to shape…round and flat.

7. Decorate them with colored sugar, almonds, cashews, pistachios or raisins.

Chocolate Pedas

Ingredients.

Marie Biscuits - 200 gms (powdered)

Milk powder-100gms

Condensed milk - 1 tin

Butter - ½ cup

Sugar - ¾ cup

Cocoa - 6 tsp

Mixed, broken nuts - ¼ cup

Raisins - 1 tbsp

Chopped peel - 1 tbsp (optional)

Mix all ingredients. All the ingredients should be mixed and cooked in a heavy pan.

Cook till thick and dry - it sets very fast, Remove & cool.

Roll into balls and garnish.

Aval/Poha Puttu

2011-10-19T08:52:00.003+05:30

Aval/Poha Puttu

Puttu is my all time favorite. Aval Puttu is a delicious snack and is used to prepare in functions & festivals prepared as a neivedhyam .Rice Puttu is quite a long process. But Aval Puttu, is a simpler version and just as tasty as the rice puttu.

Ingredients:

Poha/Aval-1/2 cup

Jaggery-1/2 cup

Grated Coconut-1/2 cup

Turmeric powder-1/4 tsp

Cardamom powder-1/4 tsp

4-5 Cashews

2 tsp Ghee

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pan and fry the poha for 1-2 minutes until turns to light brown color.

2. Grind the poha into coarse powder.

3. Heat the water with salt & turmeric till it becomes lukewarm.

4. Sprinkle this little by little, to the roasted flour & mix well till it resembles fine bread crumbs.( The rice flour should be wet enough to hold together when you try making a fist with it and dry enough to break apart at a simple knock with the thumb. It shouldn’t be clumpy or too powdery. Keep breaking it with the hand as you mix. The amount of water varies with the kind of rice flour used. So keep adding in small quantities.)

5. Mix well with hands without any lumps. 6. Now, in a deep pan pour 50 ml water and put crushed jaggery and when it melts filter it.Make syrup out of it.

7. The syrup should become thick enough, so that when you add a drop of it in a vessel of water, it should solidify immediately. (When a drop of the jaggery syrup is dropped in cold water, you should be able to form it into a ball. When you reach this consistency switch of the stove and remove the vessel from the stove.)

8.Pour the syrup little by little onto the steamed poha Mix well with a light hand

9.Heat the ghee in a pan, roast the coconut and cashews until turns to light brown color.

10.Add the roasted coconut, cashews with cardamom powder to the poha and stir well.

11.The 'puttu' is ready and it must be like 'dry sand' after adding the jaggery. Allow to cool & then serve.

Stuffed Plaited Bread

2011-10-07T14:10:00.000+05:30

Stuffed Plaited Bread (Tried &Tasted)

I recently came across a braided bread recipe which captivated my mind; After looking at this beautiful bread in a couple of blogs, I wanted to try one on my own. It is very easy to prepare and very delightful to look and the fillings making the bread more scrumptious. When done, remove from the oven and brush with butter if desired. These can be enjoyed warm and in fact should be enjoyed when warm. They taste great when cold too. The left over’s can be warmed up in the oven and served warm.Mix and match from a couple of recipes.And here comes my version.

Ingredients:

All purpose flour-2 cups

Yeast-1 tbsp

Sugar-- 1/2 tbsp

Salt - 3/4 tsp

Warm milk -3/4 cup

For the filling:

Potatoes-2 large boiled, peeled and cubed

Green peas-1/4 cup

Oil - 2 tbsp

Tomatoes – 2 finely chopped

Green chillies - 4,5 finely chopped

Onion - 1 finely chopped

Cheese- 1 1/2 cup grated ( instead of paneer I used Cheese)

Cumin seeds- 1tsp

Coriander powder -. 1tsp

Garam masala-1tsp

Salt. to taste

Turmeric-. 1/2 tsp

Red chili powder .- 1/2 or to taste

Coriander leaves, finely chopped - 2 tbsp

(add different vegetables as per your choice)

For Filling:

1. Heat oil in a pan on medium heat. Add in the cumin,seeds. Let them splutter.

2. Add green chillies. Stir for a minute. then add chopped onion Fry

3. Add tomatoes till dry then add the green peas, turmeric, salt and coriander powder and stir for 2 minutes.

4. Add the potatoes and cook for 4 - 5 minutes. Add the red chilli, garam masala. Mix and remove from heat. Allow the mixture cool down to room temperature.

Method:

Dissolve fresh yeast & sugar in warm mixture of milk & water, mix well, sprinkle a little flour & leave.

1. In a medium bowl mix the yeast, sugar, and milk and set aside in a warm place till it becomes frothy about 10 minutes. Add in the salt and oil. Mix.

2. In a large bowl add both the flours, mix. Make a well at the center and add the yeast mixture little by little.

3. Combine everything using your hand and start kneading. Knead for 5-6 minutes until the dough becomes smooth.

4. Apply oil over the dough and cover with a wet kitchen towel and place it in a warm place. Let the dough rise to double its size, about 1 hour.

5. Gently deflate the dough and knead for a minute. Roll the bread dough to a rectangle 1 cm thick.

6.Divide it into 3 imaginary parts along the wider side.. Make slanting cuts on either side at equal distance

7. Spread the filling and cheese on the center one third. Cut 1” wide strips on either side of the filling.

8. Make sure there is the same number of strips on each side of the filling. Leaving the end closest to the filling attached. "Braid" the strips up over the filling, tucking in loose ends and wrapping the final piece or two under the bread. Let it rise again, about half an hour.

9. Brush the top with milk & bake at 180 deg for 15 mts or so till top turns golden brown.

10.Serve hot with tomato ketchup.

Eggless HomeMade Doughnuts

2011-09-25T20:46:00.000+05:30

Tried and Tasted

Doughnuts are tasty, inviting and lip-smacking sweet treats. My son likes doughnuts. He asked me to prepare it at home. So I thought this time let me try it at home itself .After many days of pondering about doughnuts finally I tried it. One of the greatest things about this recipe is that they have a mildly sweet, with a soft, fluffy texture. They are surprisingly inexpensive requiring few ordinary household ingredients, we can easily make at home. The freshly homemade egg less doughnuts are very tasty and everyone in home loved it. It makes me very happy!

Ingredients:

2 -cups plain flour (maida)

Milk-1 cup

Butter-1/4 cup

Yeast-1 tbsp

Baking powder-1/2 tsp

Powdered sugar-1/2 cup

Sugar-for dusting

Oil to fry

Method:

1.Heat the milk in a medium saucepan and heat medium heat just until warm enough to melt the butter. & pour over 1/4 cup sugar & 1/4 cup salted butter.

2.Let cool to room temperature. In a small bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water and let dissolve for 5 minutes and it should get foamy.

3.Add this foamed yeast& 2 cups Maida 1/4tsp salt&1/2 tsp baking powder to milk mixture. Continue adding flour, 1/4 cup at a time, until mixture is a stiff dough, and no longer sticky.

4.Flour is incorporated well after each cup. Slowly mix in the flour until the dough forms a ball. Cover the dough and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Let rise until double in bulk.

5.Roll out on a floured board to 1/2" thick. Cut out dough using doughnut cutter or drinking glass and centerthe whole. Set on floured baking sheet, cover lightly with a tea towel, and let rise for10 minutes.

6.Heat your oil for frying in a deep and wide, heavy-bottomed frying pan over medium-high heat.

Slide dough slowly into the oil to avoid splattering and deep fry until they puff up and are golden brown.

7.Carefully remove and allow to cool until you can handle them. Then dust the doughnuts with powdered sugar until covered or coat them with melted cooking chocolate.

Chocolate Glaze

Ingredients

Unsalted butter-1/2 cup

Whole milk, warmed-1/4 cup

Vanilla extract-1- teaspoons

Bittersweet chocolate, chopped-1/2 cup

Sugar-1cup

Method:

1.Combine butter, milk, and vanilla in medium saucepan and heat over medium heat until butter is melted.

2.Decrease the heat to low, add the chocolate, and whisk until melted.

3.Turn off heat, add the powdered sugar, and whisk until smooth.

4.Place the mixture over a bowl of warm water and dip the doughnuts immediately. Allow glaze to set for 30 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

Sweets With Fruits - RePosting for "Celebrate Sweets"

2011-09-21T16:42:00.002+05:30

Indian desserts are very often decorated with cardamom, raisins, almonds, pistachios, cashew nuts and fruit such as mangoes, guavas, pineapple, melon, cherries, oranges and bananas. So much fresh fruit available, each month offers the chance to create something deliciously different. One solution is to eat fruit for dessert, either alone or incorporated into recipes. These light desserts are not only a quick way to satisfy your sweet tooth—they can be prepared in 15 minutes or less—but they are also a delicious way to get antioxidant-rich fruit into your diet.

Pears and Coconut Ladoo

Egg less AppleRaisins Muffins

Eggless Orange Cake with Raisins

StrawberryMousse

JackFruit Halwa (chakkavarati)

Fruit Kesari

Carrot burfi

Strawberry yogurt smoothie

Pineapple Jam

Pine AppleJam cookies

NendranPalzam Halwa

Egg-less orange Muffins/cupcake

Fruit Salad with Honey(Summer Treat)

ABCHalwa(AppleBananaCarrot Halwa)

Fried fruit Balls

Rak's Sweets/Desserts with Fruits/Veggies started by Niveditha

Tomato And Peas Curry with Kasuri Methi

2011-09-18T18:18:00.000+05:30

Tomato And Peas Curry with Kasuri Methi is very simple & easy to prepare and great tasting dish This curry is little tangy and spicy.Kasuri methi enhances unique flavor to the dish. This is not cream based curry. Without cream it is too good. But if you want you can add cream. I didn't add any cream.I adapted this recipe from here. . But I do make few changes to her recipe and it turned out great. here is my version

Ingredients

Tomato 2-3 medium

Peas 1 cup

Onion-1

kasoori methi-2 tbsp

Cashew nut - 6-7 no.s(soak it in warm water)

Green chilli -2 finely chopped

chilly powder 1 tsp

Coriander powder 1 tsp

Garam masala 1 tsp

Ginger 1/2" piece

Cumin seeds/Jeera 1/2 tsp

Milk/Fresh Cream-1/2 cup

Salt as needed

Oil 1 tbsp

Butter 1/2 tbsp

Method:

1.Chop onions and tomatoes very finely

2.Grind tomato, soaked cashew nuts, green chillies and ginger to a smooth paste.

3.Heat oil or butter in a kadai,add cumin seeds when it splutter add onions and Saute onions till golden brown.

4.Add redchilli, garam masala, coriander all the dry powders and mix well.

5.Then add Peas and fry. Then add the grounded tomato paste and cook in medium heat and keep stirring

6.When oil starts separating, add kasuri methi leaves Stir fry.

7.Now Add milk and cook until the gravy becomes creamy and fry for 2 minutes.( You can even add fresh cream)

8Adjust salt and stir well. Allow to boil the curry for some 5-7 minutes

9.Now the tomato &peas curry is ready and serve hot with Rice, Roti, or Naan.

Nenthra Kay/Ethakka Upperi / Banana Chips

2011-09-13T16:54:00.001+05:30

Nendran chips is one of the popular snacks and these are fried in coconut oil and sprinkled with salt water. They are called "Upperi" They are an important item in festive occasions.. Both ripe and unripe bananas are used for this variant, sometimes they are coated with jaggery to form sweet variants. Whenever nendrankay available in market I prepare this chips at home. In my home everyone love this bananchips.. They tased heavenly!

Ingredients :

Raw Banana(Plantain)/Nenthran Kaya - 4 nos

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Salt water-1 tsp in 1/2 cup water

Cooking Oil-or Coconut Oil for frying

Method:

1.Peel the outer skin of the bananas and immerse them in the turmeric water for 10-20 minutes.

2.Drain the excess water and leave to dry or pat dry with paper towels.

3.In a vessel add water and turmeric powder and keep aside.

4.Heat oil in a deep, wide mouthed pan at a medium high flame.

5.Slice Banana into thin round pieces and dry the sliced pieces in a plate lined with kitchen tissue or towel.

6.Slide the sliced bananas into hot oil without overcrowding them and occasionally give stir to flip them and keep them from sticking together.

7.When the chips are almost done you can hear a crisp sound and the oil will stop foaming, reduce the heat and sprinkle a little salt-turmeric water(you do not need to add more than 1-2 tsp) into the oil carefully.

8.After sprinkling since the oil might come up and splash making lots of bubbling noise. When the bubbles stop coming, stir well and fry for another 2 minutes or until golden brown and drain on to a colander.

9. Repeat the next batches and sprinkle less salt water for the next batches as the oil already contains some salt that you added before.

10.Store it in an airtight container

Fresh Kidney Beans Curry

2011-09-07T10:56:00.000+05:30

I saw weirdly speckled pods next to the green beans at local market this week. The sign said "fresh pinto beans" (Kidney beans) . I love kidney beans and they too very fresh! So I bought this fresh pinto beans in shell from Market.

They provide antioxidant effects, give you energy, and provide fat-free high quality protein, fiber, vitamins, iron, folate magnesium etc etc. Fresh rajma beans tastes much better than the dried one and cooks faster also. Here’s a delicious and tasty quick vegetarian curry.

Ingredients:

Pinto Beans/ Red Kidney Beans – 1 cup

Coconut - 3 tbsp

Salt - as required

Dhania-jeera powder (coriander-cumin) - 1/2 tsp

Red chilli powder-1/2 tsp

Coconut - To Garnish

To Season:

Oil- 1 tbsp

Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp

Urud Dhal - 1/2 tsp

Red Chilli – 1

Curry leaves-few

Method:

1. Wash and clean the beans and cook in water for at least half an hour.

2. Decant the water and let stand for a few minutes.

3. Then take a pan and add oil.

4. Once it gets heaten up, add mustard seeds it splutters add urud dhal red chilli and saute them.

5. Then add the cooked beans in it, add salt, Dhania-jeera powder, Red chilli powder and sauté them for 2 minutes.

6.Then add the shredded coconut and curry leaves mix them well .Serve Hot .

Navratan Kurma

2011-08-28T14:25:00.001+05:30

Navratan korma is popular Indian Vegetarian curry. This kurma is a mixed combination of vegetables, paneer, fruit & nuts. Traditionally Navratan Korma comes from a Mughlai origin giving it a very rich and slightly sweet taste. This is an absolutely delicious recipe and for all those who are not so fond of spicy Indian food, this should be a welcome change.

Ingredients:
Boiled vegetables (potatoes, carrots, green peas, green beans, cauliflower, peppers, cabbage, cluster beans)-3cup

Grated paneer- 150gms

Tomatoes-3

Grated onion- -2

Ginger paste- 1 1 / 2 tsp

Garlic paste-1 1 / 2 tsp

Salt to taste

Turmeric powder- 1 tsp

Red chili powder- 1 1 / 2 tsp -

Coriander powder- 1 tsp -

Garam masala powder-2 tsp -

Vegetable oil-6 tbsp

Milk / water-1 cup

Raisins-2 tbsp

Cashew Nut, broken in half-2tbsp

Cashew Nut (for gravy)2tbsp

Poppy Seeds-1 tbsp

Cloves-2

Piece Cinnamon-1 inch

Piece Ginger-1 inch

Coriander for garnish

Method:

1.In small bowl soak cashew nut and poppy seeds in 1/4 cup warm water for 30 minutes.

2. Blend together cashew nuts, poppy seeds, ginger, green chili, clove and cinnamon, into smooth paste.

3. Make tomato puree. Ready-made tomato puree can also be used.

4. Take 1 tbsp ghee and increased dry fruits for about 1 minute on medium heat.

5. Heat oil in a saucepan. Fry the onions and ginger-garlic paste until golden brown.

6. Add salt, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder, garam masala and cook for 2-3 minutes.

7. Next add tomato puree and dried fruit. Stir well and cook the mixture for 4 minutes. Make sure the mixture does not stick to the bottom of the pan.

8. Add milk (use water alternatively). Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until sauce thickens

9. Add paneer to the sauce and stir well.

10.Finally, add all the vegetables to the above gravy and cook for 5-7 minutes.

11.Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve hot with roti, chappati, paratha or rice.

Pears coconut Laddo

2011-08-20T12:14:00.000+05:30

Pears Coconut Ladoo

There are so many reasons to love the green pear. Pears are packed with health benefits - they are an excellent source of dietary fiber and Vitamin C in particular, and at the same time low on calories. Although the season for pears runs from August through October, there is a variety of pear available year-round because of the seasonal variations amongst the different varieties .And Coconuts are one of the most nutritious of all fruits. It is easy to make and less expensive as it does not require much of ghee. yesterday my daughter brought some pears it was too hard and bit sour instead of wasting it I decided to make it sweet. I have prepared this sweet before once.. It is lovely and sweet with Pear ,beautiful coconut and cardamom flavors .In home Each and every one said 'Wow'!

Ingredients:

Pears -1/2kg

Sugar -1/4kg

Grated coconut- 11/2 cup

Coconut powder- 1/4kg

Cardamom powder -2 tsp

Red Cherry-few

Method:

1.Peel off all the pears.

2.Take water in a pot and add some pinch of salt to it.

3.Then put all the pears in this water for 10 mints.

4.Then grate them all and remove the extra water by squeezing the grated pears.

5.Take 1 cup water in a pan and add the sugar and prepare sugar syrup by heating

6.Then add the grated coconut to the boiling sugar syrup and boil for 20 minutes.

7.Then mix the grated pear into it and simmer it for next 15-20 mints. Keep stirring it till it leaves the sides of the pan.

8.Add the cardamom powder mix well and remove it from the stove.

9.Make laddoos of the mixture and roll it into the rest half of coconut powder.

10.Decorate all the laddoos by putting some red cherries on top of each one.