Pumpkin Payasam

Today I prepared this tasty payasam for saraswathi pooja. I wanted to prepare the dessert which is very simple and fast. So here's the recipe:

Ingredients:
Yellow pumpkin cubes - 1 1/2 cup (without skin)
Moong dal - 1/4 cup
Amul full cream milk - 500 ml
Jaggery - 1/2 cup (powdered) or as per taste
Ghee - 1 tsp.
Cashew nuts - 12 to 14
Raisins - 10 to 12
Green cardamom powder - 2 pinches

Method:
Pressure cook pumpkin and moong dal with milk for 3 - 4 whistles.
When the pressure releases, puree the pumpkin and dal with a hand blender.
Roast the cashewnuts and raisins.
Pour a half cup of water to the jaggery and melt. Bring it to a boil. Remove the impurities. Pour the jaggery syrup to the pureed pumpkin. Add the roasted nuts and raisins. Mix cardamom powder. The
payasam is ready.

Note:
Adjust the jaggery according to your tastes.

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Coriander Coconut Thuvaiyal

Every 2-3 days we buy fresh coriander leaves, curry leaves and amaranth or methi leaves. While growing in South, we bought those greens sold in bunches fixed at certain prices. People bargain to get those bunches with the vendor which my mom would never ever do at all. Here in North, along with vegetables, greens are sold in grams. Vendors measure the big bunch of greens in their measuring scales.

To get good quality greens, vegetables and fruits at a fairly cheaper price, winter is the best season.

Ingredients:
Coriander leaves - 2 cups (firmly packed)
Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
Dry red chillies - 3 (or as per taste)
Bengal gram - 1 tbsp.
Black gram whole (dehusked) - 1 tbsp.
Tamarind - gooseberry size
Salt (to taste)
Oil

Method:
Fry the Bengal gram and black gram till their colour changes to golden. Add the tamarind and sauté for few seconds.
Remove. Again in the same pan, add red chillies and fry. Cool.
Wash the coriander leaves well.
Grind all.

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Brown Chickpeas Sundal

I used to eat sundal as a evening snack once every month or every fortnight. I always add ginger and green chillies in the sundal. This time, for a change, I added roasted powders and tamarind pulp. In one of my files of recipe collection, I found a recipe which instructed adding tamarind pulp in the sundal.

Ingredients:
Brown chickpeas - 1 cup
Whole red chilli - 3 (or as per taste)
Coriander seeds - 2 tsp.
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp.
Tamarind pulp - 2 tbsp. (or as per taste)
Asafoetida - a pinch
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp.
Salt (to taste)
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp.
Urad dal/black gram - 1/2 tsp.
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp.
Curry leaves - few
Powdered jaggery - 1 tbsp. (or as per taste)
Oil
Grated coconut - 2 tbsp.

Method:
Soak chickpeas for 8 hours. Pressure cook the chickpeas in fresh water, required salt and turmeric powder. Cool and drain the water. Keep the chickpeas aside.
Heat a little oil and fry the red chillies, coriander seeds and cumin seeds each individually.
Cool and powder them.
Heat oil and add mustard + cumin seeds and black gram. When the mustard crackles, add asafoetida, curry leaves and powdered spices. Sauté for a minute. Pour the tamarind pulp and mix with the spices. After 2 minutes, add the chick peas. Sprinkle grated coconut and powdered jaggery. Mix well. Enjoy.

Note:
Adding jaggery is optional.

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Carrot Kosumalli/Carrot & Sprouted Green Gram Salad

For the past few months, my family started consuming sprouted green grams as breakfast and snacks. These home-made beauties can be mixed with any food in limited quantities. In this salad, instead of moong dal I have added the sprouted ones to enhance the nutrition factor. I prepared this salad for our lunch. This salad can be taken in Virudh days also.

Shubh Navratri to everyone!!!

Serves for 5 people
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time - 4 minutes

Ingredients:
Carrots (medium) - 2 (grated)
Sprouted green gram - 2/3 cup
Grated coconut - 1 tbsp.
Coriander leaves (finely chopped) - few
Salt (to taste)
Lemon juice - a few drops

To temper:
Mustard seeds+black gram+cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp. each
Green chillies - 3 (slit with the base intact)
Asafoetida - a pinch
Curry leaves - 2 sprigs
Oil - 1 tsp.

Method:
In a bowl, mix carrot, sprouted green gram, coriander leaves, grated coconut and salt.
Temper the given ingredients from "To temper" and mix it with the mixture.
Sprinkle lemon juice and serve immediately.

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Snake gourd Bengal Gram Kootu

Kootu is one of my H's favourite side dishes. He'd eat it anytime with any dish. Besides rice, he'd eat it with chapathi and naan.

I love to eat hot and spicy side dishes for naan and chappathi. This also includes my children who are 'ma' kids.

This time I have used only Bengal gram with snake gourd.

Ingredients:
Snake gourd - 1 cup (heaped & chopped)
Bengal gram - 1/2 cup
Shallots - 10 (peeled and sliced)
Tomatoes - 1 (chopped)
Curry leaves - few
Salt (to taste)
Oil - 1 tbsp.
Coriander leaves - few (chopped)
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp.
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp.
Green chilli - 1 (slit)

To grind:
Arhar dal - 1 tsp.
Urad dal - 1 tsp.
Coriander seeds - 1 tsp.
Fenugreek seeds - 5 to 6 seeds
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp.
Black peppercorns - 1/2 tsp.
Dry whole red chillies - 2
Coconut flakes - 1 tbsp.
Asfoetida - a pinch
Oil - 1/2 tsp.

Method:
Soak the Bengal gram for an hour.
Pressure cook the Bengal gram, snake gourd and turmeric powder with required salt.
Heat oil and fry the given ingredients from "to grind" list except asafoetida. Cool and grind into a powder with asafoetida.
Heat oil and add mustard seeds. When they crackle, add onions, curry leaves and green chilli.
Sauté till the onions turn translucent.
Add the tomatoes and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes.
Add the spice powder and mix.
Add the cooked snake gourd mixture and bring it to a boil.
Sprinkle coriander leaves and remove from fire.
Serve as a side-dish.

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Rava Sakkarai Pongal/Semolina Sweet Pongal

Sweet pongals are prepared during festivals and offered as neivedyams to  god or goddess. Sweet pongal is also offered as prasadams in temples. It is prepared during special occasions in families such as a reunion with a favourite relative. Traditionally pongals are prepared with raw rice, moong dal and jaggery. These days we get a lot of grains easily in the markets. In my house, pongal is prepared with these. Of course, they do contribute to the overall nutrition. Today, I prepared with rava/semolina/sooji. Usually whenever I buy rava , I dry roast it and then cool and store it in an air tight container. I use them within 1-2 weeks. For this pongal, I roasted the rava with ghee to get an enhanced flavour.

Ingredients:
Rava - 1 cup
Yellow moong dal - 1/4 cup
Jaggery - 1 cup (powdered) or as per taste
Whole cashewnuts - 10
Raisin - 12
Ghee - 1 tsp. + 3 tsp(heaped).
Green cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp.
Hot water - 2 cups

Method:
Dry roast the moong dal and wash them. Pour enough water and cook them till they become mushy. Keep aside.
Add a little water to the powdered jaggery and melt. Bring the jaggery syrup to a boil and strain away the impurities. Keep aside.
Heat 1 tsp. of ghee. Split the cashews and roast till they turn golden brown colour. Then add the raisins and when they puff up, remove and keep them on a plate or in a bowl.
In the same kadai or pan, add the rava and sauté for 3-4 minutes. Pour the hot water and cook the rava without forming lumps. Now add the cooked dal and mix. Meanwhile in another burner, again boil the jaggery till you get a lot of foam. Pour this syrup carefully to rava and incorporate.
At this stage, lots of lumps are formed. Break them and mix simultaneously. Add the remaining ghee. Add the roasted cashews, raisins and cardamom powder. Remove from heat.

Note:
Saffron strands, a pinch of nutmeg powder, a very small pinch of edible camphor, grated coconut or flakes can also be added to this pongal.

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