Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Mysore Bonda


Ingredients :

Maida 1 cup
Rice flour 1 cup
Sour Curds 1/2 cup
Salt to taste
Onions sliced small 1
Ginger greenchilli paste 1 tsp
Oil for frying




Directions:

# Mix all the ingredients except for oil and keep it aside for 30mins
# Heat the oil in pan and put the batter in the oil making round shapes .You can also put the batter with spoon.
# Fry on medium flame till bondas are golden brown color.
# Serve hot with coconut or peanut chutney

Shankarpali


Ingredients:


Milk- 1 1/2 cup
Sugar- 2 cups
Maida- [all purpose flour ]- 3 1/2 cup
Salt- 1/2 teaspoon
Ghee- 3/4 th cup
Oil to fry


Method:

1. Mix ghee, sugar and milk in a pan and heat it till the sugar melts and the mixture starts boiling. Turn the heat off, as soon as the mixture starts boiling.
2. Let the mixture cool down.
3. Mix maida in above mixture and keep adding it till you get a nice, stiff dough. The consistency of the dough should be such that you should be able to roll it. [not too thin, not too stiff.]
4. Heat oil, in a kadhai. Divide the dough in equal parts, roll it, into round shape like a chapati. [it should not be very thin.]
5. Cut it with a knife into small squares.
6. Fry in oil, on medium heat, till you get light brown colour.
7. Serve these nice crispy, crunchy shankarpali with tea.

KESARI BHATH


Ingredients :
1 cup rice
1/2cup sugar
1/4 tea spoon kesar
50 gms raisins
50gms cashew nuts
1/2 cup ghee
5 pods cardamom

Preparation :
Wash and cook rice in four cups water. Add ghee and sugar and continue cooking on low flame. Stir continuously. powder cardamom and add to the rice.. Keep cooking till the rice mixture leaves the sides of the vessel. Grind kesar and add to rice. Finally add raisins and chopped cashew nuts and mix well.

DOODH PEDA


Ingredients :
1/2 kg khoya. Khoya is made by reducing a large volume of milk to a solid by very slow boiling for many hours; about 3 litres of milk will produce hardly 200-300 gms of khoya.
250 gms ground sugar
250 gms milk
2 drops rose essence or a few strands saffron or kesar
2 tbsp almonds, finely slivered
2 tbsp pistachios, finely slivered
1 tsp green cardamoms or elaichi powder

Preparation :
Mix the khoya and sugar well, and warm it over a medium fire. Add 2 tablespoons of the milk and stir with a heavy ladle smoothening out any lumps. Continue stirring and add more milk, little by little, till all the milk is used up. Lower the heat, if it sticks at the bottom.

Add the rose essence or saffron dissolved in milk, and take off the fire. Mix the flavouring and khoya properly.

In a plate, mix the finely slivered nuts with the cardamom or elaichi powder. Make small balls of the khoya mixture and press on the nuts for decoration. You can also make depressions along the edges with a spoon handle or other stamp moulds for surface designs.

MALPUA


Ingredients :
1 cup sugar
1-1/2 cups wheat flour
4 tbsp yogurt or curd
10-15 whole peppercorns
Milk
Water

Preparation :
Make a batter of all of these dry ingredients and the dahi, using 1/2 milk and 1/2 water till it is thick and of pouring consistency, similar to pancake or dosa batter. And whip till smooth. Add the 10 peppercorns. Keep aside and allow it to rise for about two hours.

Heat oil on a medium flame. Drop large ladlefuls into the oil to form circles of 6-8 inches. Typically the dough will sink and line the bottom of the karhai and rise up in the shape of a disc. Fry till golden. Drain and pat off the oil. Serve with cream or garnished with pista. Serves five.

Rawa Ladoo


Rawa Ladoo

Ingredients

* 2 cups Semolina (rawa)
* 1/2 cup Powdered Sugar
* 1 cup Ghee
* 1 tbsp broken Cashew Nuts
* 1 tbsp Raisins, fried
* 1 tsp Cardamom Powder, fried

Method

* Heat 1 tsp. ghee in a pan and dry roast the rawa (semolina) till golden color.
* Grind the fried rawa and powdered sugar in a mixer, to make a fine powder.
* Heat the remaining ghee and add the powdered rawa, cashew nuts, raisins and cardamom powder. Mix thoroughly.
* While still warm, make the mixture into small lemon-sized balls.
* Cool the rawa ladoos and store them in an airtight container.

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Cabbage Soup


Cabbage Soup

Ingredients
•1 cup of vegetables
•1 cup of stewed tomatoes
•1 cup of beans, drained
•1/4 head cabbage, chopped
•3 carrots, peeled and sliced
•2 onions, chopped
•2 cloves garlic
•salt and pepper

Preparation
Add the stewed tomatoes and vegetable broth to a medium sized pan.
Bring it to a boil.
Add the beans, carrots and cabbage, and let it simmer.
Sprinkle salt and pepper.
Simmer on low heat for an hour.
arnish the soup with corieander leaves and serve.

Vegetarian Black Bean Soup


Vegetarian Black Bean Soup

Ingredients
•Two cups of black beans, undrained
•1 cup of vegetables
• cheese
• cream
•4 onions, chopped
•1 tbsp chilli powder
•Fresh corieander leaves, chopped

Preparation
Mash the beans with a potato masher or a food processor.
Pour the beans in a medium sized pan.
Add the onions, vegetables to the pan and bring to a boil.
Add salt and chilli powder.
Let it simmer for 10 minutes.
Remove from heat. Mix cheese and cream to the contents. Garnish the soup with corieander leaves and serve.

Brown Rice with Mushrooms


Brown Rice with Mushrooms

Ingredients
•Brown Rice – 1 Cup
•Sliced Fresh Mushrooms – 16 Ounces
•Slivered Blanched Almonds – 1 Cup
•Butter – 3 Tablespoons •Chopped Mint Leaves – ½ Cup
•Water – 3 Cups •Salt & Pepper –

To Taste Directions
•Melt the butter in a medium sized saucepan. Saute the mushrooms and the almonds until they are golden brown in color.
•Add all the remaining ingredients and cover the pan. Reduce the heat after the water starts boiling and simmer for 45 minutes until the rice is tender.

Baked Potato Skins


Baked Potato Skins

Ingredients (for 6 servings)

½ cup grated, fat-free cheese
4 medium potatoes
¼ cup green onions
3 tbsp very lean bacon bits butter flavored non-stick spray

Preparation
Scrub and pierce the potatoes.
Bake them in a preheated oven (400°C), for about an hour.
Cut potatoes in half (lengthwise) and scoop out centers leaving ¼th shell.
Cut shells in half (lengthwise).
Spray them with butter flavored spray.
Place the potato shells on a large baking sheet.
Bake in a preheated oven at 500°C, until crisp.
Sprinkle evenly with cheese, bacon bits and onion.
Again, place it in oven at 400°C for 3 minutes, to melt the cheese.
Add a fat-free, sour cream to top off.

Rice with Creamy Chicken


Ingredients
7/8 Pkg. chicken flavor rice
1/4 c Hot water
1 cup Sliced mushrooms
1 1/2 Skinned, boned chicken breas
Cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 ts Garlic powder
3/4 c Non-fat sour cream
1/4 ts Pepper
1 cn Low-cal cream of mushroom sp
1/4 c Cracker crumbs
1 ts Melted margarine
1/2 ts Poppyseeds


Preparation*** This recipe calls for 1 6.9 oz. package of chicken flavored rice and vermicelli mix with chicken broth and herbs. Cook the rice mix in a large nonstick skillet according to package directions, using 1 tb margarine and 2-1/4 cups hot water. When done, remove from the skillet and set aside. Wipe the skillet with a paper towel. Coat the skillet with cooking spray, and place over high heat until hot. Add the chicken, mushrooms, and garlic powder: saute for 6 minutes or till the chicken loses its pink color. Combine the rice mixture, chicken mixture, sour cream, pepper, and soup in a bowl: stir well. Spoon into a greased 2-quart casserole. Combine the cracker crumbs, margarine, and poppyseeds. Stir well, and sprinkle over the chicken mixture. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Each 1-1/3 cup serving contains 334 calories and 6.8 grams of fat. You can freeze this in single servings in containers or zip-lock bags. Just heat it up in the microwave and youve got a home-cooked meal in a hurry.

Crunchy Sweet Potato Casserole


Crunchy Sweet Potato Casserole This is tasty recipe that uses peanuts and marshmallows.
Ingredients:
•Cooked and diced sweet potatoes, 3 cups full.
•Butter, 2 tablespoons.
•Warm milk, ½ a cup.
•Salt, ½ a teaspoon.
•Marshmallows of the miniature variety.
•Peanuts, ½ cup full and chopped.

Preparation:
•Take a pan and melt the butter in it, to this add warm milk and salt.
•Blend the potatoes and beat the mixture till it is light and fluffy. •Keep adding more milk as per needed.
•Pile these potatoes into a casserole dish that has been buttered.
•Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and bake the casserole for 20 minutes.
•Remove the bake and garnish with marshmallows and the chopped peanuts.
Then put the dish back into the oven and let the marshmallows become a nice golden brown.
•This casserole is sufficient for 8 people.

Saturday, September 19, 2009

Egg Salad Sandwich


Ingredients

•Hard boiled eggs - 6
•Mayonnaise -1 tablespoons
•Fresh lemon juice – 1 teaspoon
•Chopped celery – 1 cup
•Chopped onions – ½ cup
•Chopped tomatoes – ½ cup
•Chopped green chilies – 2
•Whole grain bread - 8 slices
•Butter
•Salt and pepper according to taste

Making this recipe is relatively simple, less time consuming and is perfect for breakfast, lunch or even as a late afternoon snack. First of all you need to take the hard-boiled eggs, chop them and put them in a mixing bowl. Now add the mayonnaise, salt and pepper and mix well. Try and mash the mixture so that it becomes easy to use it as a spread on the bread. Having done this, it is time to add the chopped celery, onions, tomatoes, chilies and a dash of lemon juice. Mix the ingredients well. Now the sandwich filling is ready. Now apply some butter on the whole grain bread. Make sure to apply butter on both the sides of the bread slices. Having done this, add the egg salad sandwich filling between two slices of bread and grill the sandwich in a sandwich maker. Applying butter on the outside makes the sandwich crispy golden brown on the outside.

Best Cuban Sandwich Recipe


Best Cuban Sandwich Recipe

Ingredients

•1 lb boneless pork tenderloin
•½ tablespoon ground cumin
•½ tablespoon dried oregano
•2 tablespoons olive oil
•4 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
•1 medium onion, sliced
•1 cup orange juice
•1 lime, juiced
•1 cup chicken broth
•2 bay leaves
•1 long Cuban roll
•Dijon mustard
•8 slices Swiss cheese
Method of Preparation
Use salt, pepper, cumin and oregano to season the pork. Set the pressure cooker over low-medium heat and add olive oil. Braise the pork by adding garlic, chili pepper, onion, orange juice, lime juice, chicken stock and bay leaves. Secure the lid of the pressure cooker and cook well for about 25 minutes. Once done, let the juices cool. Now, split the bread in half and layer the sandwich with mustard, cheese, ham and pork. Add little of the pork braising liquid and onions on top. Keep the sandwhich in a sandwich pres,s called 'plancha', and toast it lightly. Serve and enjoy your best Cuban sandwich recipe.

Cuban Pork Sandwich Recipe


Cuban Pork Sandwich Recipe

Ingredients

•Bread (preferably Cuban bread, though you can also use Italian or French bread)
•Roast pork
•Ham, sliced
•Bread and butter pickles, sliced thinly
•Swiss cheese, sliced thinly
•Mayonnaise
Method of Preparation
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Construct the sandwiches by cutting the bread in half, length-wise, and slathering it with mayonnaise. Layer the mayonnaise with the roast pork, ham, pickles, and cheese and top it with the other slice of bread. Wrapping the sandwiches in aluminum foil, place it on a baking sheet. Now set a heavy oven-proof skillet on top. Place everything in the oven and cook for 30 minutes. Remove the sandwich once done from the oven, slice it diagonally and enjoy.

Grilled Chicken with Chipotle chillies-Orange Glaze


Grilled Chicken with Chipotle chillies-Orange Glaze
Ingredients
•2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of fat (8 ounces)
•1 tablespoon orange juice concentrate, thawed
•1 1/2 teaspoons of finely chopped chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
•1 1/2 teaspoons of balsamic vinegar
•1 teaspoon molasses
•1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
•Salt to taste
Here's a funky dish for those who are pretty tired of salads and barbecuing chicken. Preheat the grill. In the meantime you can lightly oil the chicken. Sprinkle salt in the chicken. Mix the orange juice concentrate, chipotle chillies, vinegar, mustard and mollases in a bowl. Once the salt and oil have permeated the chicken, grill the chicken for 2 minutes. Then turn the chicken, and brush on the chipotle-orange glaze, and cook, brushing again and again with more of the glaze. Turn the chicken again, and repeat the glaze-brushing procedure. When the chicken is no longer pink, it is ready.

Baked Chicken and Mushrooms


Baked Chicken and Mushrooms
Ingredients
•1 lb. thinly-sliced chicken breasts
•8 oz. sliced button mushrooms
•1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
•2 Tbsp. French fried onions
•3 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
•Salt and pepper to taste
How can a list of easy healthy chicken recipes be complete without baked chicken? Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Add olive oil to the oven cooking pan. Place chicken breasts on top of oil and season both the sides with salt and pepper. Place the button mushrooms evenly over chicken breasts. Add the remaining oil to the chicken and mushrooms. Top with the Parmesan cheese. French fried onions are optional but you can add those. Now bake the mix for 15 minutes with the cover on. Remove cover and bake for another 5 - 10 minutes. Once the top of the chicken is browned, you know that it is ready!

Barbecued Chicken Burritos


Barbecued Chicken Burritos
Ingredients
•1 2-pound roasted chicken - 4 cups
•1/2 cup barbecue sauce
•1 cup canned black beans, rinsed
•1/2 cup frozen corn, thawed, or canned corn, drained
•1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
•4 10-inch whole-wheat tortillas
•4 leaves romaine lettuce
•2 limes, cut in wedges
Burritos and healthy? Why not! Like I said, along with the ingredients, it is also about the preparation procedure, to make an easy healthy chicken recipe. You don't always need to cut back on taste you know! This chicken recipe is again very simple. First, cook the chicken, BBQ sauce, corn, beans and sour cream on a heated skillet. Heat on medium-high flame for about 4-5 minutes. Place the lettuces on the tortilla along with the chicken mixture. Roll it up and your burrito is ready!

Moroccan Chicken Salad


What is healthy? How would you define healthy eating or a healthy diet? In my opinion any food that supplies the correct amount of nutrients to the body, without any unhealthy additives is healthy. It also depends a lot on the way you cook it. You can make healthy foods unhealthy by frying them, and then you can make easy healthy recipes by sticking to roasting and boiling. Chicken by itself is pretty healthy food, but if you're going to fry it, or add sodium to it, you're going to ruin it. So here are some easy healthy recipes to get the best out of your chicken!

Healthy Chicken Recipes
Moroccan Chicken Salad
Ingredients
•2 cups cooked rice
•2 cups shredded cooked chicken
•2 cups shredded carrots
•2 tablespoons of chopped fresh cilantro
•1/4 cup sliced scallions
•1/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
•1/4 cup chopped Kalamata olives
•2 tablespoons of chopped fresh mint
•2 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil
•1/3 cup orange juice
•2 tablespoons of lemon juice
•1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
•1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
•Salt & pepper to taste
If you have left over some rice and chicken from last night, this is the best thing to do. The long list of ingredients should not put you off. Making salads in general is very simple and so is this one. Mix the chicken broth, lemon juice, orange juice, oil, cayenne, mint, cinnamon, cilantro, salt and pepper in one bowl. Take another large bowl and combine the cooked chicken, carrots, scallions and olives. Combine the two and add a rice topping and toss it in the bowl. And your Moroccan salad is ready!

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Diabetes Food Pyramid


The Diabetes Food Pyramid is another meal planning option that some people use. It is less popular compared to both carbohydrate counting and the plate method for diabetes management.

The Diabetes Food Pyramid divides food into six groups. These groups or sections on the pyramid vary in size. The largest group – grains, beans, and starchy vegetables – is on the bottom. This means that you should eat more servings of grains, beans, and starchy vegetables than of any of the other foods. The smallest group – fats, sweets, and alcohol – is at the top of the pyramid. This tells you to eat very few servings from these food groups.

The Diabetes Pyramid gives a range of servings. If you follow the minimum number of servings in each group, you would eat about 1600 calories and if you eat at the upper end of the range, it would be about 2800 calories. Most women, would eat at the lower end of the range and many men would eat in the middle to high end of the range if they are very active. The exact number of servings you need depends on your diabetes goals, calorie and nutrition needs, your lifestyle, and the foods you like to eat. Divide the number of servings you should eat among the meals and snacks you eat each day.

The Diabetes Food Pyramid is a little different than the USDA Food Guide Pyramid because it groups foods based on their carbohydrate and protein content instead of their classification as a food. To have about the same carbohydrate content in each serving, the portion sizes are a little different too. For example: you will find potatoes and other starchy vegetables in the grains, beans and starchy vegetables group instead of the vegetables group. Cheese is in the meat group instead of the milk group. A serving of pasta or rice is 1/3 cup in the Diabetes Food Pyramid and ½ cup in the USDA pyramid. Fruit juice is ½ cup in the Diabetes Food Pyramid and ¾ cup in the USDA pyramid. This difference is to make the carbohydrate about the same in all the servings listed.

Following is a description of each group and the recommended range of servings of each group.

Grains and Starches
At the base of the pyramid are bread, cereal, rice, and pasta. These foods contain mostly carbohydrates. The foods in this group are made mostly of grains, such as wheat, rye, and oats. Starchy vegetables like potatoes, peas, and corn also belong to this group, along with dry beans such as black eyed peas and pinto beans. Starchy vegetables and beans are in this group because they have about as much carbohydrate in one serving as a slice of bread. So, you should count them as carbohydrates for your meal plan. More

Choose 6-11 servings per day. Remember, not many people would eat the maximum number of servings. Most people are toward the lower end of the range.
Serving sizes are:

1 slice of bread
¼ of a bagel (1 ounce)
½ an English muffin or pita bread
1, 6 inch tortilla
¾ cup dry cereal
½ cup cooked cereal
½ cup potato, yam, peas, corn, or cooked beans
1 cup winter squash
1/3 cup of rice or pasta
Vegetables
All vegetables are naturally low in fat and good choices to include often in your meals or have them as a low calorie snack. Vegetables are full of vitamins, minerals and fiber. This group includes spinach, chicory, sorrel, Swiss chard, broccoli, cabbage, bok choy, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and kale, carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, and lettuce. Starchy vegetables such as potatoes, corn, peas, and lima beans are counted in the starch and grain group for diabetes meal planning. More

Choose at least 3-5 servings per day.

A serving is:
1 cup raw
½ cup cooked

Fruit
The next layer of the pyramid is fruits, which also contain carbohydrates. They have plenty of vitamins, minerals, and fiber. This group includes blackberries, cantaloupe, strawberries, oranges, apples, bananas, peaches, pears, apricots, and grapes. More

Choose 2-4 servings per day

A serving is:
½ cup canned fruit
1 small fresh fruit
2 tbs dried fruit
1 cup of melon or raspberries
1 ¼ cup of whole strawberries

Milk & Dairy
Milk products contain a lot of protein and calcium as well as many other vitamins. Choose non-fat or low-fat dairy products for the great taste and nutrition without the saturated fat. More

Choose 2-3 servings per day

A serving is:
1 cup non-fat or low-fat milk
1 cup of yogurt

Meat and Meat Substitutes
The meat group includes beef, chicken, turkey, fish, eggs, tofu, dried beans, cheese, cottage cheese and peanut butter. Meat and meat substitutes are great sources of protein and many vitamins and minerals.

Choose from lean meats, poultry and fish and cut all the visible fat off meat. Keep your portion sizes small. Three ounces is about the size of a deck of cards. You only need 4-6 ounces for the whole day. More

Choose 4-6 oz per day divided between meals

Equal to 1 oz of meat:

¼ cup cottage cheese
1 egg
1 Tbsp peanut butter
½ cup tofu

Fats, Sweets, and Alcohol
Things like potato chips, candy, cookies, cakes, crackers, and fried foods contain a lot of fat or sugar. They aren't as nutritious as vegetables or grains. Keep your servings small and save them for a special treat. More

Serving sizes include:

½ cup ice cream
1 small cupcake or muffin
2 small cookies

Saturday, September 5, 2009

Corn with Tomato Sauce - Using Microwave


Ingredients

2 cups frozen corn
1 tablespoon tomato past
2 tablespoons mix masala (See Tips & Tricks Section)
¾ cup water

For seasoning (tarka)

2 tablespoons oil

For Garnish

2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves

Method

In a 2-quart glass bowl add oil, mix masala, water and tomato past. Mix together, cover and cook for 4 minutes.

Add corn, mix cover and cook for 5 minutes. Garnish with coriander leaves, serve warm with bread.

Rajama Curry (Using Microwave and Mix masala )


Ingredients

1 cup cooked chick peas or from the cane
1 cup cooked kidney beans or from the cane
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 /2 cup chopped tomato
2 tablespoons mix masala
1 tea spoon mango powder (optional)
½ teaspoon garam masala (optional)
1 cup water

For seasoning (tarka)

2 tablespoons oil
3 bay leaves
1 tablespoon chopped ginger (optional )

For Garnish

1 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves

Method

In a 2 quart bowl, add oil, onion, ginger. Cover and microwave for 3 minutes. Add tomato, mix masala cover and cook for 3 minutes.

Add chick pea and kidney beans, garam masala and water Cover and cook for 8 minutes or until chickpeas become soft. Remove from microwave. Garnish with coriander leaves, and serve warm with rice or bread.

Potato and Peas Curry(microwave receipe)


Ingredients

1 cup chopped potato cubes
1 cup frozen peas
½ cup chopped tomatoes
½ cup chopped onion (optional)
2 tablespoons mix masala (See Tips & Tricks Section)
1 cup water

For seasoning

2 tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon chopped ginger (optional)

For Garnish

2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves
1 tablespoon lemon juice (optional)

Method

In a 2 quart glass bowl add oil, ginger, onion and potato cubes. Cover and cook in microwave for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and mix masala and mix, cover and cook for 3 minutes.

Add peas water, cover and cook for 5 minutes or until potatoes and peas done.
Press few potato cubes with spoon so gravy become little thick and tasty.

Mix lemon juice and garnish with coriander leaves, serve warm with breads and rice.

Drumsticks with Potatoes


Ingredients:
4 drumsticks; washed, peeled and cut into 2″ pieces,
2 large potatoes; washed, peeled and cut into long pieces,
2 onions; halved and slices,
2 small tomatoes; halved and sliced,
1/2 tsp turmeric powder,
1 tsp red chilli powder,
1 tsp dhania (coriander) powder,
Salt to taste,
Oil for frying,
Water,
Chopped coriander leaves to garnish.

Method:
Heat oil in a kadhai (wok) add jeera, asafoetida and onions and cook till onions are soft. Then add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder and tomatoes, mix and let this fry till tomatoes are soft. Now put potatoes and drumsticks, mix, add ample water, cover and cook for 25 minutes on low-medium flame. Stir occasionaly. Add salt in the end, and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Spicy Bhindi(microwave recipe)


Spicy Bhindi


Ingredients

•Bhindi ½ Kg
•Ground green chillies 1 teaspoon
•Garlic paste 1 teaspoon
•Dried mango powder ½ teaspoon
•Oil 1 teaspoon
•Salt To taste


Method

•Mix all the ingredients and cook on power 70 for 8 minutes.

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Vada Recipe




Ingredients:
  • 1/2 cup Urad Daal (Black Gram)
  • 1 Onion, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp Ginger
  • 1 or 2 Green Chilies, finely chopped
  • Salt to taste
  • ¼ tsp Baking Soda
Method
  • Pick, wash and soak Urad Dal for 3-4 hours.
  • Make a smooth paste of the dal by grinding it in wet grinder. Make sure that you do not add too much water, because it should be a thick paste.
  • Add onions, ginger, green chilies salt and baking powder to the paste, mix well and set aside for 5 minutes.
  • Heat oil in a pan or kadhai and deep fry a spoonful of batter, till golden
  • Serve with coconut chutney or sambhar as a snack. It can also serve as meal.

Tomato Rasam Recipe




Ingredients
  • 3-4 tbsp Red Gram Daal
  • 4 large Tomatoes, finely chopped
  • 1/2 tsp Garlic Paste
  • 1-inch piece of Ginger, finely chopped
  • 21/2 cups Water
  • 1tsp Garlic, grated
  • 1 or 2 Green Chilies, finely chopped
  • Coriander Leaves, finely chopped
  • Salt, to taste
  • chili or pepper powder, to taste.
  • 1/2tsp Turmeric Powder
  • 1tsp Mustard Seeds
  • 1tsp Cumin Seeds
  • 1-2 whole dried Red Chili, halved
  • A pinch Asafetida
  • Few Curry Leaves
  • 2 tbsp Oil
Method
  • Pick, wash and pressure cook the daal and keep side.
  • Heat 2 tablespoon oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves, dried chili and asafetida.
  • When mustard seeds start to splutter add garlic, ginger, tomatoes and green chilies.
  • Add salt, chili & turmeric powder and a cup of water.
  • Simmer for 5-6 minutes and add the cooked daal and 11/2 cup of water and bring to boil.
  • Serve hot garnished with coriander leaves.

Sambar Recipe




Ingredients
  • 2 Cup Tuvar Dal (Arhar Dal)
  • 3 Red Chiles
  • 3 Green Chiles
  • 1/4 tsp Methi
  • 1 tsp Sambhar powder
  • Curry leaves, a few
  • Hing (Asafetida), a small pinch
  • Salt 1 tsp Salt (to taste)
  • Cooking Oil
  • 2 tsp Mustard
  • 1/2 tsp Turmeric
  • 1/4 tsp. Tamarind Paste
  • 2 tsp. Vegetables (Drumstick, Green Pepper, Eggplant, Okra),
  • Washed and diced
Method
  • Cook thuvar dal and turmeric with extra water, on medium flame. Separate the two, and keep them aside.
  • Cook the vegetables in thuvar dal water, and add turmeric and salt to this.
  • After this is cooked, add tamarind paste.
  • Heat some oil in a pan, splutter mustard, then add methi, red chilies, green chiies, curry leaves, asafetida , turmeric and sambhar powder and keep frying for a few minutes.
  • Add this to the boiling vegetables.
  • Add the thuvar dal and let it cook for a few more minutes.

Rice Puttu


Ingredients
  • 1/2 Kg Raw Rice
  • 1/2 grated Coconut
  • Water to sprinkle
  • Salt to taste
Method
  • Soak rice in water for 4 hrs, then drain it and grind it to make fine powder.
  • Roast the powder for 5 minutes. Stir it well, while heating. Keep it for cooling.
  • Mix salt with water ant then sprinkle this to the powdered rice, just to make the powder wet.
  • Put a handful of grated coconut in the puttukutty and then put rice powder till half then add another handful of grated coconut.
  • This is done till the top. Close the lid steam it for 2 mts in cooker.
  • Serve it with potato curry or ghee
  • Serves five people.

Pesarattu(Moong Dal Dosa)


Ingredients
  • 2 cups Whole Green Gram
  • 1 Tsp Cumin Seeds
  • 1/4” Ginger
  • 2-4 Green Pepper
  • Salt
  • 1 Onion, chopped finely
Method
  • Soak Moong Dhal for 3-4 hours.
  • Grind the soaked moong Dhal with cumin seeds,ginger,salt and green peppers for 10-12mts.
  • Make dosas like pancake sprinkling few chopped onions on top with little oil.
  • Serve hot with coconut chutney.

Palada Prathaman(Onam Special Receipe)


Ingredients
  • 4 cup Milk
  • 2 cup Water
  • 1 cup Condensed Milk
  • 2 tbsp Butter
  • 1/4 cup Ada
  • 1/2 cup Sugar
Method
  • Boil ada by putting it in 2 to 3 cup boiling water. Keep it covered for 30 minutes.
  • Drain water from the ada, completely.
  • Heat butter in a pan and fry ada to a golden color. Keep it aside.
  • Boil milk and water in a sauce pan.
  • Add boiled ada and reduce heat to low medium, while stirring all the time.
  • Keep stirring until milk is reduced by 2/3rd.
  • It takes about 1-½ hours to prepare the dish and now, the color of pradaman should be golden.
  • Add condensed milk to it and cook for 5-10 minutes more.
  • Add sugar and mix it well.
  • Remove from flame.
  • Serve warm.

Kozhukattai/ Modak Recipe(Onam Special)


Ingredients
  • 200 ml Rice
  • 1 Coconut
  • Seasame Oil
  • 200gms. Jaggery
Method
  • Wash and soak raw rice for an hour. Drain the water completely and spread the rice on a cloth and allow it to dry. The rice can be allowed to dry in the shade itself. Grind the raw rice to smooth flour. For 1 measure of rice flour take 2 measures of water.
  • Boil this water in a kadai (a shallow thick bottom vessel). Add a pinch of salt and a teaspoon of seasame oil.
  • Allow the water to boil. When the water starts boiling add the rice flour to this, stirring continuously without allowing any lumps to form.
  • When the mixture has formed into a smooth thick batter, remove from the fire. The batter must be thick enough like chappathi batter.
  • Grate fresh coconut.
  • Add a teaspoon of milk to the grated coconut and grind it in a mixer grinder lightly.
  • Add a little water to the powdered jaggery and keep on low fire and stir for some time.
  • When the jaggery has dissolved completely in water add grated coconut to this and keep stirring for some time.
  • Then remove from fire and add powdered cardamoms to this.
  • Smear your hands with a little seasame oil.
  • Smoothen the prepared rice flour batter with your hands.
  • Make small balls (the size of a lemon).
  • Fill these cups with the prepared coconut-jaggery filling.
  • Put these filled up cups on an idli-plate and pressure cook them.

Mor Kuzhambu


Ingredients
  • 5 cups Buttermilk
  • 4-5 Green Chilies, slit
  • 1 1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds
  • 2 tsp Coriander Seeds
  • 1 tsp Turmeric Powder
  • 2-3 tbsp Coconut, shredded
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 tsp Mustard Seeds
  • 1 sprig of Curry Leaves
  • Oil, for seasoning
Method
  • Add 1/2 tsp of turmeric to the buttermilk and mix well.
  • Add water if the buttermilk is too thick.
  • Add salt and heat on a low flame till the buttermilk reaches room temperature.
  • Take it from the fire and set aside. Roast in a little oil, one by one, the coconut, the remaining turmeric,jeera, coriander and green chillies.
  • Blend to a smooth paste.
  • Add this coconut paste to the warm buttermilk, put it back on the stove and heat for approximately 4-5 minutes.
  • Season it with mustard seeds and curry leaves.

This dish cannot be re-heated on direct fire.

Masala Dosa


Ingredients
  • 1½ cups Rice
  • 1/2 cup Urad Dal
  • Salt to taste
  • 2 large Potatoes
  • 1 medium Onion (chopped)
  • 1/2 tsp Yellow Split Peas
  • 1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds
  • 1/2 tsp Turmeric
  • 1-2 green Chili
  • 1 tbsp Oil
Method
  • Separately soak rice and urad dal at least 6 hour or overnight in water.
  • Grind to paste.
  • Mix together, add salt with water to make batter.
  • Leave in room temperature overnight.
  • Mix onion and chilies to the thin batter.
  • Heat pan or griddle with little ghee or oil.
  • Spread the mix on pan in circular motion to make thin Dosa.
  • Cook on both the sides, if desired.
  • Heat oil. Add mustard seed, peas, onions and spice.
  • Fry for about 5 minutes on medium heat or/until onions are turned into golden brown
  • Add potatoes and mix and cook some more.
  • Add filling inside Dosa and roll. Serve hot with Chutney.

Dry Fruit Kesari Recipe


Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup dry fruits (chopped dates, raisins, cranberries and other nuts),
  • 1/2 cup rava,
  • 3 tbsp sugar,
  • 2 tsp ghee,
  • 1 pinch cardamom powder,
  • 6 almonds,
  • 1 cup water, and
  • 3-4 drops food color optional (yellow, orange or red)
Method
  • Stir-fry Rava with 1 tsp ghee on low flame till the smell of raw grain goes.
  • Set it aside for later use.
  • Sauté dry fruits for 5-10 seconds in a pan with 1 tbsp ghee on low flame
  • Add water, sugar, cardamom powder and food color to them and increase heat to high flame.
  • Add roasted rava to boiling water slowly and smoothen out any lumps and mix well.
  • Reduce heat and keep stirring continuously till the mixture is cooked. One can know that the mixture is cooked when it starts coming off the pan easily.
  • Grease a plate and pour 'kesari' into it.
  • Let it cool and get set.
  • Cut it into smaller pieces and garnish it with an almond.
  • Kesari is now ready to be served.

Chakkai Chips


Ingredients:

Jackfruit cut into long pieces
Oil
Turmeric powder
Salt

Method:

1. Mix 3 tea spns salt, 1/2 tea spn turmeric with about 1 cup water and keep aside.
2. Heat oil and deep fry the jackfruit in it. When it is almost done, pour 1-2 tsp of the salt-turmeric water in it. Fry till completely done.

Banana Halwa



Ingredients:
Nutmeg ground 1/2 tsp
Pure Ghee 1 tablespoon
Bananas (ripe, peeled and mashed) 3 (medium)
Sugar 1 cup


Method:
  1. Heat ghee in a heavy pan. Add bananas and cook over low heat, stirring to prevent the mixture from sticking. Cook for 10 minutes, or until bananas have browned and resemble soft toffee. Add more ghee as necessary.
  2. Add sugar and continue stirring until dissolved.
  3. Add nutmeg and cardamom; remove from heat.

Spread halwa into a deep, large plate. Allow it to cool and cut into squares.

Avial


This is a semi-dry preparation which is a mixture of all sorts of vegetables.

Ingredients: (Serves 10)

Yam sliced thinly into 11/2" length pieces 1cup
Cucumber sliced lengthy into 11/2" thick pieces 1cup
Snake gourd sliced into 11/2" length pieces 1cup
Carrot sliced into into 11/2" length pieces 1/4cup
Long runner-beans sliced into 11/2" length pieces 1/2cup
Drumstick cut into 2" length pieces 2nos
Raw bananas sliced into 11/2" length pieces 1no
Mango pieces for sour
Turmeric powder 1/2tsp
Salt to taste
Grated coconut 1/2quantity
Green chillies 5nos
Cumin seeds 1/2tsp
Curry leaves 2sprigs
Coconut oil 3tbs
Method:
  1. Coarsely grind the coconut, green chillies and cumin seeds. Keep it aside.
  2. Clean the vegetables.
  3. Heat 2tbs coconut oil in a thick bottom vessel. Add the vegetables and cook in a low flame. Do not add water. When it is done, add turmeric powder, salt and mix it well. Remove the vegetables from the middle and put sliced bananas and mango pieces and cover it with the other vegetables. When steam comes out, add the coconut paste and stir well. Remove from fire. Mix the remaining coconut oil and curry leaves in the avial.


Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Microwave Besan Ladoo


Ingredients:
1 cup Besan 6-7 tbsp Ghee
3/4 cup Sugar Powder
Cardamom powder (2-3 pods)
A handful of raisins Microwave safe bowl

Method:
Mix the besan and tup (ghee) in a microwave safe bowl.
Heat on high for 5 minutes . Stir after a minute and continue heating.
Keep checking and stirring after a minute.
At the end of 5 minutes, the mixture will be a nice reddish brown and will have a nice smell to it. The mixture should not look too dry, otherwise the ladoos will not hold up their shape.
Let it cool completely. Once cooled, add the sugar, cardamom powder and raisins.
Mix well and then make small round ladoos out of it.
If you realize that the ghee is not sufficient once you start making the ladoos, just heat some ghee and add to the mixture.

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Karanji(Karjikai)


Ingredients
  • 1 cup Wheat Flour
  • 3 tbsp Ghee
  • 1 pinch Salt
  • ½ litre Oil (for frying)
  • 1 cup Grated Coconut
  • 3¼ cups Sugar
  • 1½ cups Milk
  • Few Almonds
  • Few Raisins
  • 1/2 tsp Cardamom Powder
  • 1 tbsp Poppy seeds
Method

Basic
In a bowl mix salt, flour and ghee. Rub in well. Gradually add water and knead to form firm dough. Cover with wet cloth and set aside.

For Stuffing
Cook the coconut (use fresh or dried), sugar, milk, chopped almonds and raisins, cardamom powder, and poppy seeds (optional) till the milk evaporate.

The Rest
  • Divide the dough into 20-25 sections, roll them out into flat round pancakes. Place a spoon of stuffing at the centre and fold the pancake in half.
  • Use a cutter to create the fluted crescent border and cut off excess dough. You can seal the edges by applying a little milk and pressing down hard.
  • After all the karanjis are stuffed, fry them in very hot oil for 2-3 minutes or till golden brown, remove onto paper towels and allow to cool.