Kara Boondi

Ingredients:
Gram flour/Besan - 1 cup
Rice flour - 1 tbsp.
Salt (to taste)
Curry leaves - 2 sprigs
Cashew nuts (whole) - 1 tbsp.
Peanuts - 1 tbsp.
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp. and 3 pinches (or as per taste)
Garlic cloves with skin - 8 (crushed)
Oil (for deep frying)

Method:
In a bowl, mix gram flour, rice flour and salt. Now pour some water little by little until the batter is consistent enough for pouring through the perforated spoon. Make sure to avoid lumps. The batter should not be too thick nor too thin.
Take a ladleful of batter and place the perforated spoon or boondi ladle on the top of batter vessel.
Pour the batter (from the ladle) and check whether it drops like pearls without any tails.
If it falls with tails, then again pour little water, mix well and check again.
The correct consistency is achieved when the batter falls like pearl droplets.
Heat the oil in a wide deep pan to deep fry.
Drop a very little batter to check the oil temperature.
When the boondi floats to the surface of oil, this indicates that the temperature is right for frying.
Take a ladleful of batter and place the boondi spoon over the pan and pour the batter.
Pour up till a layer of boondis is formed. Don't overcrowd or else the boondis end up as clusters.
Fry on both sides till the sizzling sound almost stops.

Continue with the next batch.

When all the batter is finished, deep fry the peanuts and cashew nuts till light golden colour, curry leaves till crisp and garlic till light golden colour each individually.
Mix all with boondi. Sprinkle red chilli powder and mix .
After cooling, store in an air tight container.


Note:
If the boondis are flat, then the batter has too much water. Add a little more gram flour.
If the boondis form tails, add little water and mix well.
Mix the batter very well to avoid lumps.
It is better to sieve all the flours before use.
After pouring the batter on the perforated spoon, wipe it clean to remove the remaining batter sticking on it each time.
Instead of garlic, asafoetida can be added to the batter.

Read More

Pineapple Halwa

I tried out this halwa today. This is quite an easy and tasty halwa.

Ingredients:
Pineapple - 1 and a 1/2 cup (chopped)
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Condensed milk - 2 tbsp.
Ghee - 1 tbsp. + 1 tsp.

To garnish:
Almonds + Pistachios (chopped)

Method:
Add 1 tbsp. of ghee in a pan/kadhai. Add the pineapple pieces and begin sautéing.
Allow the pineapple to cook in its own juice in slow flame for 10-12 minutes. Sauté in between to avoid burning.
Now mash the pineapple pieces.
Add the sugar. After adding sugar, it becomes watery and mash the pineapple again if there are any pieces left.
When the halwa becomes thick, add condensed milk and mix.
Add the 1 tsp. of ghee and mix well.
After a very few minutes, the halwa leaves the sides of the pan and releases ghee.
Remove from heat.
Garnish with chopped almonds and pistachios.
Serve warm or cold.

Note:
It is better to add 1 tbsp. of condensed milk since it was too sweet (after adding 2 tbsp. of condensed milk).
Add sugar according to the sweetness of pineapples (I used canned pineapples).
There is no problem if there are pieces that aren't mashed left.
At the final stage, it should be moist and consistency should be thick.
After cooling, the halwa becomes thicker than earlier.
Don't add cardamom powder as it will ruin the balance of flavours especially, pineapple flavour.
I didn't add any food colour.

Read More

Coriander Mint Paneer Masala or Gravy

Ingredients:
Cottage cheese/Paneer - 200 gms
Onions - 2 (chopped)
Ginger-garlic paste - 2 tsp.
Tomato - 1 (chopped)
Cumin - 1 tsp.
Oil
Green chillies - 5
Coriander leaves - 1 cup
Mint leaves - 1 cup
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp.
Coriander powder - 1 tsp.
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp.
Curd - 2 tbsp.
Salt (to taste)
Roasted and powdered cumin - 1/2 tsp.

Spices to grind:
Fennel seeds - 1/2 tsp.
Cloves - 2
Green cardamom - 2
Cinnamon stick - 1 (small)

Method:
Grind mint leaves, coriander leaves and green chillies. Keep aside.
Grind the given spices coarsely.
Heat the oil and add cumin seeds. When the cumin seeds sizzle, add the spice powder, ginger-garlic paste.
Saute till the paste's raw smell fades away.
Add onions and sauté till light golden colour.
Add the tomatoes and required salt and sauté till half mushy.
Now add the ground coriander-mint and sauté till the raw smell fades off.
Add the curd and mix well.
Now add the red chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder and cumin powder and mix well.
Pour 1/2 to 3/4 cups of water and bring it to boil.
Cut the cottage cheese into big chunks.
Add the paneer chunks to the gravy and mix gently.
Let the chunks cook for 3-4 minutes.
Remove from heat.
Serve with phulka roti or naan.

Note:
2 tbsp. of fresh cream or low-fat milk can be added to gravy.
Adjust the chillies and spices according to taste.

Read More

Ellu Podi/Sesame Powder

Ingredients:
Black sesame seeds - 1/2 cup
Whole black gram (with skin) - 1/2 cup
Bengal gram - 2 tbsp.
Coriander seeds - 1 tbsp.
Curry leaves - 2 sprigs.
Black peppercorns - 1 tsp.
Garlic - 3 big cloves (peeled)
Asafoetida - a big pinch.
Dry whole red chilli - 6 (or as per taste)
Salt (to taste)
Sesame oil

Method:
Dry roast the sesame seeds in a pan till it creates noise. Remove and keep them on a plate.
Pour a little oil in the same pan and fry the black gram till they become crisp and change colour. Remove and place them on another plate.
Fry each of the ingredients individually.
{Fry the Bengal gram till golden colour.
Fry the coriander seeds till golden colour.
Fry the peppercorns for a few minutes.
Pour a little oil in the pan and fry the curry leaves till they become crisp.
Fry the red chillis with little salt till they become crisp.
Fry the asafoetida for a minute.)

Cool all the fried ingredients. 

Grind the black gram, Bengal gram, curry leaves, peppercorns, coriander seeds, red chilli, asafoetida and salt.
Chop the garlic, add them to the powder and grind.
Remove and keep the powder in a bowl.
Grind the sesame seeds for 2 to 3 seconds. Mix this with the gram powders.
Serve this flavorful powder with idli, dosa, uttappam or white rice.

Note:
I roasted all the ingredients (except garlic and salt) individually to avoid burning.
Remove any impurities from the black sesame seeds before roasting.

Read More

Semiya Kesari

Before my marriage, I used to be picky about certain meals. As I'm the only child of my parents, I'd be showered with love and attention all the time. If I find something that dis-interests me, I'd avoid it. My parents wouldn't coerce me at all in the first place. The vermicelli falls into this category. Whenever my mother prepared semiya payasam, I'd never eat it.

After my marriage, I found out to my surprise that my hubby never liked it too. But up till now, there is a slight hesitation to eat semiya in my house.

Coming back to today's recipe, semiya kesari is the simplest and the easiest kesari among kesaris. Me and my children ate only less amount of kesari. 75% of this sweet was gobbled by my hubby :)

Ingredients:
Semiya/Vermicelli - 1 cup
Sugar - 1/2 cup (or as per taste)
Hot water - 2 cups
Cashew nuts - 10
Raisins - 12
Green cardamom powder - 2 pinches
Food colour - 2 pinches (optional)
Ghee - 2 tsp.

Method:
Heat 1 tsp. of ghee and roast the cashews and raisins. Remove the nuts and raisins.
In the same pan, roast the semiya till it changes to golden colour.
Mix food colour to the hot water.
Now pour the hot water carefully and give the mixture a stir.
Cover and cook. Stir in between.
When the water dries up (The semiya is cooked at this stage). Add sugar.
When the semiya becomes thick, add roasted cashews, raisins, cardamom powder and the remaining 1 tsp. of ghee and mix well.
When the semiya starts to leave the sides of the pan, remove from heat.
Serve warm.

Note:
Saffron strands can be added.
Add sugar according to taste.

Read More

Vazhaipoo Masala Vadai/Plantain Flower Fritters

Ingredients:
Vazhaipoo/plantain flower - 1/2 from a medium-sized flower
Bengal gram - 1 cup
Arhar dal - 1/2 cup
Black gram (whole & skinned) - 1/4 cup
Dry red chillies - 7
Curry leaves - 2 sprigs
Saunf/fennel seeds - 1 tsp.
Shallots - 1 cup (peeled and chopped)
Ginger-garlic paste - 2 tsp.
Grated coconut - 1/2 coconut
Mint leaves - a small bunch
Salt (to taste)
Oil (to deep fry)

Method:
Soak all the dals/grams for 3 hours. Drain all the water and grind coarsely.
Clean and chop the flowers and drop them in buttermilk.
Grind the dry red chillies and grated coconut.
Chop the curry leaves.
In a bowl, mix all ingredients except oil.
Heat the oil to deep fry.
Make balls from the thick batter and flatten them into patties.
Deep fry till golden brown.

Note:
Add only chopped flowers to the batter and throw away the buttermilk.
Instead of butter milk, I used the water in which the rice was washed with turmeric added.

Read More