Sooji Appam and Kadalai Paruppu Sundal

Sooji Appam

Deep-fried appams fried in sunflower oil

Ingredients:
For outer cover:
Maida/APF - 1/2 cup
Wheat flour - 1/2 cup
Ghee/Clarified butter  - 1/2 tsp.
Salt - a pinch

Method:
1. In a bowl, add maida, salt, wheat flour and ghee and mix well.
2. Add water little by little and knead the mixture into a dough. Cover and keep aside for half an hour.




Sooji appams shallow-fried with ghee


For stuffing:
Rava/sooji/semolina (fine) - 1/2 cup
Sugar - according to taste
Cardamom powder - a pinch
Ghee

Method:
1. Add 1/2 tsp. of ghee on the pan. Add rava and saute till it turns to light golden color.
2. Add 1 cup of water and mix well to avoid lumps. Cook the rava in low flame.
3. Combine sugar and when it becomes thick, add cardamom powder and 1 tsp. of ghee.
4. When the sooji leaves the sides of the pan, remove from heat and cool it.

Preparation for appam:
1. Divide the dough (outer cover) into equal-sized balls. Flatten them into round disks (puris) with a rolling pin.
2. Place 1 tsp. of sooji stuffing in the centre of the disk. Cover all the edges by bringing it to the centre, seal and again flatten them into disks.
3. Continue this process with the remaining balls.
4. Shallow fry or deep fry the appams.


Kadalai paruppu sundal

Ingredients:
Bengal gram/chana dal/kadalai paruppu - 1 cup
Salt (to taste)
Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp. (chopped)
Grated coconut - 1 tbsp.

To temper/tadka:
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp.
Split urad dal - 1/2 tsp.
Green chillies - 2 (slit into halves vertically)
Dry red chilli - 1 (cut into 4)
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Asafoetida powder - a pinch
Oil

Method:
1. Soak bengal gram for an hour. Cook them till tender with salt to taste. Drain the water.
2. Heat oil in a pan and all the tempering ingredients.
3. When the seeds splutter, add the bengal gram and toss gently.
4. Remove from heat and add the coriander leaves and coconut. Mix gently.

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Peanut Sundal

Ingredients:
Peanuts/verkadalai (dry) - 1 cup
Salt (to taste)
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp.
Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp.
Split urad dal - 1/4 tsp.
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Whole dry red chilli - 1 (cut into 4 pieces)
Grated coconut - 1 tbsp.
Oil

Method:
1. Soak peanuts for an hour or two. Cook separately or in a pressure cooker till tender with required water and salt to taste. Strain the peanuts. Keep aside.
2. Heat oil in a pan and add the seeds and dal. When they crackle, add red chillies, curry leaves and sauté for 4 seconds. Add the peanuts and sauté.
3. Remove from heat and add the grated coconut.

Note:
If the peanuts are fresh, boil them without soaking.

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Brigadeiro

Brigadeiro is the Brazilian chocolate truffle (or candy). It's the national truffle prepared for kids' parties and other celebrations. The sweet is made with cocoa powder, butter and sweetened condensed milk. In Brazil, people use Nesquik chocolate powder and this product isn't available here. So, I used Cadbury's cocoa powder and drinking chocolate powder. The cocoa powder I used is the unsweetened type. For more information about brigadeiro, click here.


I had some condensed milk left after making Limonada Suíça and prepared this chocolate candy according to OUR TASTE.

Ingredients:
Sweetened condensed milk - 3/4 can
Cadbury's cocoa powder - 1 tsp.
Cadbury's drinking chocolate powder - 3 tsp.
Butter (unsalted) - 1 tsp.

For decoration:
Chopped almonds
(You can also use chocolate jimmies, shredded coconut, powdered sugar, or any other nut, grated chocolate, mini M&Ms and so on...)

Method:
1. In a thick bottomed pan, add condensed milk, cocoa powder, drinking chocolate powder and butter. Mix well.
2. Start to stir continuously in low-flame or medium-low flame.
3. Stirring continuously is done to avoid the burning of chocolate.
4. When it becomes thick, remove from heat (at this stage, the choco mixture should be bubbly)
5. Pour it in a butter-greased plate. Cool completely or till it becomes easy to handle the mixture.
6. Grease your hands with butter. Take a spoonful of the mixture and roll it into a ball with your hands.
7. Roll them on your desired decorating ingredients. Enjoy this soft and gooey chocolate candy.

Note:
I used chopped almonds and drinking chocolate powder for decoration.
You can even eat them with a spoon without rolling them.
This can be used as a topping for muffins, cakes and brownies.
If the mixture is removed from heat early, then it becomes difficult to roll up.
If too late, then the chocolate becomes too hard.
Adapted from allrecipes.com

Sent off to "AWED-Brazil" hosted by Sara and started by DK.

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Ragi Puttu

Ingredients:
Ragi flour/kezhvaragu maavu - 1.5 cup
Salt - 2 pinches
Grated coconut - as per taste

Method:
1. In a bowl, add ragiflour and salt. Mix. Pour required water little by little and mix with your hands. Mix till the ragi resembles like bread crumbs.
2. I steamed ragi flour in a puttu maker. In the base (puttu kudam) of puttu maker, pour water till it fills half of the kudam. Bring it to a boil. Meanwhile fill the cylindrical vessel with ragiflour, then coconut, again ragi flour, coconut and so on......Continue this process till it reaches the brim (don't press).
3. Cover and place the cylindrical vessel in the puttu kudam. Steam for 10 minutes. After 5 minutes, remove and enjoy with chana masala or with banana or mix with sugar and cardamom powder or your choice. :)

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Mysore Rasam

Ingredients:
Arhar/Toor dal - 1/2 cup (boiled & mashed)
Tamarind - gooseberry size
Salt (to taste)
Turmeric powder - 2 pinches
Asafoetida powder - a pinch
Coriander seeds - 1 tbsp.
Whole dry chillies - 4
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp.
Black peppercorns -1/2 to 3/4 tsp.
Coconut pieces - 1.5 tbsp.
Oil
Ghee
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp.
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp. (chopped)

Method:
1. Soak tamarind in required water for a few minutes. Strain the tamarind to get tamarind water.
2. In a pan add tamarind water, salt and asafoetida and bring to a boil. Boil till the raw smell fades away.
3. Meanwhile in a small pan, heat oil and roast the coriander seeds, red chillies, cumin seeds and peppercorns.
Grind into a paste along with coconut pieces by adding little water.
4. Add the ground paste, turmeric powder to the tamarind water. Stir.
5. After 2 to 3 minutes, add the mashed dal and required water. When the rasam starts to boil, (when the foam/froth appears on the top of rasam) remove from heat.
6. In a small pan, heat ghee and splutter the mustard seeds and curry leaves. Pour this on the rasam. Add the coriander leaves and enjoy with white rice.

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Brazilian Lemonade/Limonada Suiça

Brazilian lemonade is a beverage prepared with lime (not with lemons). Limonada suiça (lemonade in Portuguese) is also known as "Swiss lemonade" in Brazil. It is prepared with sweetened condensed milk. Instead of condensed milk, another drink named "Caipirinha" (the national drink) is prepared by adding "cachaca". Caipirinha is a cocktail and cachaca is a distilled white alcohol prepared from sugarcane.

Ingredients:
Limes - 2
Sweetened condensed milk - 4 tbsp.
Water - 3 cups
Sugar - ACCORDING TO TASTE
Ice cubes

Method:
1. Cut each lime into 4 wedges. Remove seeds and white piths.
2. Add all ingredients in a blender and pulse for 3 to 5 times or till the froth appears on the top.
3. Strain the rinds and pour the lemonade in the glasses, drop 2 ice cubes in each glass and gulp it immediately.
4. Do not store in the refrigerator. It tastes bitter when kept for a long time.
5. While filtering, the froth too gets filtered. Another method is there to prepare this.
6. Blend water and lime wedges for few seconds. Strain. Now add the juice, sugar, condensed milk and ice cubes in the clean blender and pulse it. Enjoy immediately.

Sent off to "AWED-Brazil" hosted by Sara and started by DK.

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