Sagu Biyyam Murukku/Sago Murukku - ICC

This month's Indian Cooking Challenge - Sago Murukku

Ingredients:
Rice Flour - 2 cups
Besan flour/kadalai maavu - 1/2 cup
Fried gram flour/Pottukadalai maavu - 1/2 cup
Sago - 1/2 cup
Salt (to taste)
Curd - 50 gm
Chili powder - 1/2 tsp. (or as per taste)

Special Utensils:
Murukku Achchu

Method:
Soak Sago in butter milk for 3 hours.
Mix all the flour together in a large bowl.
Heat 50 gm of oil and then mix it to the flour along with salt and chili powder. Then add the sago (which was soaked in buttermilk) slowly and knead it into a chapathi dough consistency.
Heat the oil for deep frying.
Add the dough in the murukku achchu.
When the oil is hot enough, press the dough down directly to the oil.
Cook on a medium flame mode to ensure that the murukku is cooked well.

Note:
Ensure sago soaks in butter milk well and is soft or else it will burst when you press it down and fry in hot oil.

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Aval Payasm/Atukulu Payasam (T&T-Sailu's Kitchen)

Original recipe here.

Ingredients:
Coconut milk - 2 1/2 cups
Roasted rice flakes/aval/poha (in a tsp. of ghee) - 1/2 cup
Grated jaggery (keep in 1 cup of warm water) - 1/2 cup
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp.
Cashew nuts - 6-7
Raisins - few
Ghee - 1 tbsp.

For the smooth paste:
Soak in 5 tbsps of milk:
Dry-roasted poppy seeds/khus-khus - 1/2 tbsp.
Grated coconut - 1 1/2 tbsp.
Cashewnuts - 5-6

Method:
First grind all the ingredients for the smooth paste.
In a heated pan, add ghee and roast the cashewnuts and raisins. Keep aside.
In the same pan, add the ground paste and a few tablespoons of water and cook for 5 minutes.
Add the jaggery water and let it cook along with the paste for 5-6 minutes.
Add the roasted rice flakes and coconut milk and let it slowly simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring it once in a while.
Add the cardamom powder and toasted cashews and raisins. Serve warm or refrigerate until chilled.
It tastes good both warm and chilled.

Note:
Add a cup of warm milk before serving as the rice flakes absorb the moisture content of the payasam.

Sent off to "Tried & Tasted-Sailu's Kitchen" event (hosted by Kitchen Chronicles and started by Zlamushka), Shama's "Kheer Festival" event & Priya's "CWS-Cardamom Seeds" event.

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Sheer Brunj (Lucknowi Rice Kheer)

Ingredients:

Milk - 1 litre
Basmati rice - 30 gm
Khoya - 75 gm
Sugar - 125 gm
Ghee - 2 tbsp.
Cashew nut paste - 25 gm
Cream - 75 gm
Kewra water - ¼ cup
Ground green cardamom - ¼ tsp.
Almonds - 8
Pistachios - 20
Saffron - a few strands (soaked in warm water)

Method:
Boil the milk and add the washed rice in a thick bottomed pan.
Cook the rice till tender in simmer mode.
Add half of the sugar and do not stir till it boils.
Once boiled, stir and cook for a minute.
Add mashed or grated khoya little by little mixing well to avoid lump formation.
Add half of kewra water and remaining sugar.
Mix and add the remaining kewra water. Stir continuously till it thickens and sticks to the wooden spoon.
Add melted ghee while mixing well.
Blend cream, cashew paste and saffron water.
Add to the sheer brunj along with ground cardamom.
Cool to room temperature.
Serve garnished with chopped almonds and pistachios. I garnished with saffron also.
Enjoy the rich, creamy and yummy kheer!.

R.C.

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Muhallabia (An Arabic Milk Pudding)

Ingredients:

Corn starch - 2 tbsp.
Ground rice - ¼ cup
Milk - 4 ½ cups
Sugar - ½ cup
Rose water - 1 ½ tbsp.
Honey - 3 tbsp.
Almonds - 8
Pistachios - 15

Method:
Mix corn starch and ground rice with ½ cup of cold milk and beat till it turns smooth without lumps.
In a non-stick pan, bring 4 cups of milk to boil.
Add the corn starch and rice mixture while stirring continuously with a wooden spoon.
Stir continuously till the cream thickens in a low flame.
Add sugar and keep stirring.
Stir in 1 tbsp. of rose water and cook for a few more minutes.
Cool the cream slightly before pouring into a glass serving cup or bowl.
Let it cool and chill in the refrigerator.
When the pudding is cold, prepare the honey syrup.
In a small pan add the honey and ½ cup of water. Bring it to a boil.
Stir well. Add the ½ tbsp. of rose water.
Once the honey syrup has cooled, pour it over the cold and firm cream.
Sprinkle chopped almonds and pistachios.
Serve chilled.
Enjoy!!

R.C.

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Green Peas Sundal

Ingredients:

Green peas (dry) - 1 cup
Onions - 1 (chopped)
Coriander seeds - 1 tbsp.
Bengal gram (chana dal) - 1 tbsp.
Whole dry red chillies - 2
Green chillies - 2 (slit)
Curry leaves - 1 sprig (chopped)
Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp. (chopped)
Lemon juice - a few drops
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Asafoetida - 2 pinches
Coconut (grated) - 2 tbsp.
Salt (to taste)
Oil
Mustard seeds - ½ tsp.

Method:
Soak peas overnight and boil them with required salt and fresh water.
Fry red chillies, coriander seeds & bengal gram and powder them.
Heat oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds.
Allow them to crackle.
Now add onions, green chillies & curry leaves and fry.
Add the boiled green peas, turmeric powder & asafoetida and sauté for a minute.
Add the powder, coriander leaves & grated coconut and sauté. Check if there is enough salt.
Remove from heat and add lemon juice before serving.
Enjoy as an evening snack!!

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Onion Chutney

Ingredients:
Onion (medium) - 3 (sliced)
Bengal gram - 2 tbsp.
Coriander seeds - 2 tbsp.
Whole red chilies - 2
Oil (for sautéing)
Salt
Garlic cloves - 5 (small)

For tempering:
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp.
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp.
Urad dal -1/2 tsp.
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Oil

Method:
Heat oil in a pan and fry the onions till they change their color.
Add garlic & red chillies and fry. Keep aside.
In the same pan, fry the bengal gram and coriander seeds separately.
First, grind the bengal gram and coriander seeds.
Add onions, garlic, red chillies, salt & little required water and grind them.
Temper them with the given ingredients.

Note:
If you feel coriander seeds are too much, reduce them to 1 tbsp.
You can have it with idlis or dosas.

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