Coconut Burfi

Ingredients:
Grated coconut (firmly packed) - 1 cup
Sugar - 3/4 cup to 1 cup (or as per taste)
Green cardamom powder - 2 pinches

Method:
In a thick-bottomed pan, add sugar and 1/2 cup water.
Bring the sugar syrup to one-string consistency or two-string consistency.
Add the grated coconut and mix well.
After a few minutes, add cardamom powder and mix well.
When the coconut starts to leave the sides of the pan, pour it on a plate greased with ghee.
Spread the mixture and press it tightly on the plate to keep a fairly smooth and straight surface.
Cool and cut into desired shapes.
Serve.

Sent off to Akila's "DNSW-C" event.

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Brinjal Kuzhambu

Ingredients:
Brinjal/small eggplants - 250 gm (sliced vertically)
Onions - 2 (chopped)
Garlic - 1 bulb
Tomato (big) - 1 (chopped)
Dry red chillies - 5
Coriander seeds - 1 tbsp.
Arhar/toor dal - 1.5 tsp.
Black peppercorns - 3/4 tsp.
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp.
Fenugreek seeds - a pinch
Grated coconut - 1.5 tbsp.
Curry leaves - few
Tamarind - key lime size
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Sesame oil
Salt (to taste)

For tempering:
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp.
Fenugreek seeds - a pinch
Fennel seeds - 3/4 tsp.

Method:
Soak tamarind in 2.5 cups to 3 cups of water for an hour or two. Squeeze the tamarind and strain. Collect the tamarind water and keep aside.
Heat oil and add the seeds. Immediately seeds will crackle. Now add garlic and fry till light golden color.
Add onion pieces and sauté till golden color. Add tomatoes and salt (to taste) and sauté till half mushy.
Now add the sliced eggplants and sauté for 5 minutes without burning.
Now add the tamarind water and turmeric powder and cook till the veggies are tender.
Meanwhile heat 1.5 tsp of oil and add the arhar dal, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, peppercorns and fenugreek seeds and sauté till golden color in low flame.
Finally add the curry leaves, dry red chillies and grated coconut. Sauté for few seconds. Cool and powder them.
Add this powder to the kuzhambu and stir well. If the gravy is too thick, add required water to make it thinner or according to your taste. Cook again for 4 to 5 minutes without burning in low flame. Stir in between. Check for salt.
Enjoy with rice.
R.C.

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Egg Masala

Ingredients:
Eggs - 5
Onions - 2 (chopped)
Onions - 2 (sliced)
Ginger - 1 inch
Garlic - 12 pods (medium)
Green chillies - 3
Fennel seeds - 1 tsp.
Poppy seeds - 2 tsp.
Grated coconut - 1/4 cup
Kashmiri red chilli powder - 1 tsp.
Coriander powder - 2 tsp.
Turmeric powder - 2 pinches
Salt (to taste)
Oil
Coriander leaves - few

Method:
Grind garlic, ginger, fennel seeds, green chillies and keep aside (masala paste).
Dry roast the poppy seeds till golden color and cool. Grind into a paste with coconut and required water.
Heat oil and add chopped onions. Saute till golden color. Add 1.5 tsp. of masala paste and stir fry. Remove from heat.
Beat egg with salt to taste and a pinch of turmeric powder. Add the onion mixture to the egg and mix well.
Prepare 2 to 3 omelettes and roll each omelette.
Cut them into a length of 2 inches. Keep aside.
Heat oil in a pan and add sliced onions and saute till translucent. Add the remaining masala paste and saute.
Reduce the heat and add the powders. Add the coconut poppy paste. Add required water and salt.
Cook for 5 to 6 minutes. Add the omelette pieces and cook for 2 minutes.
Finally add the coriander leaves. Enjoy with rotis.

Sent off to "CWS-Poppy" hosted by Cook Like A Bong and started by Priya.

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Fish Kurma

Ingredients:
Fish pieces (of any choice) - 5
Onions - 2 (chopped)
Ginger - 1/2 inch
Garlic - 6 pods
Ripe Roma tomato - 1 (chopped)
Green chillies - 2 (slit)
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp.
Kashmiri red chilli powder - 1 tsp.
Coriander powder - 2 tsp.
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp.
Cloves - 4
Fennel seeds - 1 tsp.
Cinnamon - 1/2 inch
Poppy seeds - 2 tsp.
Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
Curry leaves - few
Coriander leaves - few
Salt (to taste)
Oil

Method:
Grind fennel seeds, cinnamon, cloves, garlic, ginger  and keep aside (masala paste).
Dry roast the poppy seeds till they turn golden color. Cool. Grind with coconut and little water.
Heat oil and add the cumin seeds. When cumin seeds crackle, add chopped onions and sauté till golden color.
Add the masala paste and sauté till the raw smell fades. Add green chillies and sauté for a few seconds.
Add tomato pieces and salt. Sauté till the tomatoes become mushy. Reduce the heat and add red chillies, coriander and turmeric powder. Stir well.
Now add the coconut and poppy seeds paste. Sauté for a few seconds.
Pour required water and bring it boil. Let it cook for 5 minutes.
Now add the fish pieces and cover cook for 10 minutes or until fish is cooked.
Again simmer for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with coriander leaves.
Perfect side dish for dosai and next for rice.

Note:
This kurma will be enjoyed by those who like to eat fish in any form.

Sent off to "CWS-Poppy" hosted by Cook Like A Bong and started by Priya.

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Mysore Pak (Version 2.0)

Unique sizes of mysore pak

Ingredients: Gram flour/Besan- 1/2 cup
Sugar - 1 cup (or as per taste)
Ghee - 1/4 cup
Vegetable oil - 1/2 cup

Method:
Sieve the gram flour and keep ready on a plate near the cooking stove.
In a small pan mix ghee and oil. Place on a small burner and let it simmer.
In a thick, heavy-bottomed pan, add sugar and water (1/4 cup). Bring it to one-string consistency.
When you drop the syrup (few drops) in a small bowl of water, it should form a soft ball and when you remove it from the water, it should break.
Now add the gram flour little by little and start to mix the besan in the syrup without any lumps simultaneously.
When the besan is finished, add hot ghee-oil mixture little by little. Stir the besan continuously.
When the ghee-oil mixture is finished, keep on stirring the mixture until it leaves the sides of the pan and becomes dry.
Pour the mixture immediately on a greased plate.
Cut it in desired shape in the 4th or 5th minute.

Important Note:
Before preparing, grease a plate with ghee.
Simmer the ghee-oil mixture in a separate bowl.
During the right sugar consistency, add the besan little by little and mix well.
At the final stage, the colour changes.
As per your taste, you can add ghee without any oil.
The cooking procedure should be done on low-flame otherwise the besan will get burnt.
While cooking lot of froth are noticeable.

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Navadhanya sundal

Ingredients:
Chickpeas (white), Chickpeas (brown), Green gram, Peanuts, Black-eyed peas (red), Black-eyed peas (white), Rajma, horse gram, green peas - 1/4 cup (each)
Whole red chillies - 5
Coriander seeds - 1 to 1.5 tbsp.
Salt (to taste)
Oil
Asafoetida powder- a pinch
Curry leaves - few
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp.
Split Urad dal - 1 tsp.
Chana dal/bengal gram - 2 tsp.
Grated coconut - 3 tbsp.

Method:
Soak the dal and peas for overnight. Cook them in fresh water with salt to taste. Strain them.
Heat 1 tsp. of oil and add coriander seeds and red chillies. Sauté till seeds change their colour into golden and chillies become crisp. Cool and powder them.
Heat the oil in a big pan and add mustard seeds, urad dal, chana dal, asafoetida and curry leaves. When the mustard seeds pop and the dal changes colour into golden, add the cooked peas and dals. Sauté gently.
Now add the powder and grated coconut and toss.

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