! Recipes @ Panchamrutham

Belated New Year Wishes

2012-01-16T07:28:00.000+11:00

Belated New Year Wishes to all my readers....

Will be back soon........

Uzhunnu Vada / Split Black Gram or Urad Daal Fritters

2011-11-30T15:44:00.000+11:00

Uzhunnu Vada / Split Black Gram Fritters

I was never fond of these fritters and so never bothered to make them before marriage....Only after marriage I realized that I am married to a vada loving person , who can have this any time without counting on the number of them served to him.....He will be very happy to help me out in the kitchen if I decide to make vada which is the only factor that motivates me in vada making , as I still dont like them much...

I had started making these ones under the guidance of my MIL who is an expect in making them to perfection...

First time when I saw doughnuts, these fritters were the ones that came to my mind....Later on I learned the difference between them....These are savory ones compared to the sweet doughnuts and are made from Split black gram or urad daal...

Back home , stone grinders are used to make the vada batter and they do give a better batter for a perfect vada...Here I depend on my blender to do the job and it wasn't bad either...When you want to make the batter for a few people, blender / mixer will be a better option I feel....

Here comes the recipe..

Ingredients

Urad daal / Split black gram - 1 cup
Rice flour - 1 Tbsp [ optional , if you want to add some crispiness ]
Grated carrot - 1/2 cup
Grated ginger - 1/2 tsp
Salt - 1 tsp
Crushed pepper - 1/2 tsp
Oil - enough for frying

[ Sometimes I do add grated cabbage, chopped onion, green chilies , curry leaves etc....

So the ingredients is upto you....]

Preparation

Uzhunnu Vada Making

Wash and soak the daal for at least 2 hrs.
Drain the daal and blend it in a mixer / blender to a smooth paste without adding any water.
Add ingredients 2 to 6 to the batter and mix well.
Heat oil in a wide mouth pan.
Before start making the vadas, keep a bowl of cold water for wetting your palms.
Wet your hands with water and take a small lemon size of batter on your palm. Wet the other hand and flatten the ball shape with it.
Again dip your index finger in water and then punch in to the middle to make the vada shape. [ I have used the plate just for the click ].
Once the oil is hot enough, slowly add the vada into it.
Repeat the process in batches until all the batter is finished.
Keep the flame on a medium low while making vadas so that the inside gets cooked without burning the outside.
Turn over to get both sides done uniformly.
Once the vadas are lightly brown in color take them out from the oil and drain on a paper towel.

They are best served along with coconut chutney and Sambar

Note : I could make 20 vadas from the above recipe

Uzhunnu Vada / Urad Daal Fritters

Do try out these fritters for your next evening tea session and Enjoy........

Have a Great Weekend and Enjoy...

Queen of the Night...Nishagandhi

2011-11-23T10:09:00.000+11:00

Jet Lag did a good thing to me....

Just because of it I was blessed to watch these nightblooming beauties commonly known as queen of the Night.....

Wish I had some poetic language to put in words their beauty and fragrance...

Here are some snaps to share with U all...

Nishagandhi..........Ready to Bloom by evening

" Queen of the Night "

Moon was there to give company....

Drooping by Day....

Beetroot Kichadi / A tasty n colorful side dish for rice..

2011-11-19T21:53:00.000+11:00

Beetroot Kichadi

Sometime back when my son was just about to start on solid food, my friend who is basically from Maharashtra , suggested me to give him some khichadi....At first it was the picture of Kerala kichadi in my mind and I was like , what........?

Then she explained to me what is Khichadi in Maharashtra and even gave me a sample to taste...That was indeed very delicious....Now that our friendship has grown over years, I too have learnt to make khichadi from her and we love to have it whenever we want a simple and easy one pot meal....

Kerala kichadi is totally different and is an important item in the sadya menu and the one made with beetroot, especially adds that lovely color to the platter served on plantain leaf....We also make kichadi with other veggies like cucumber , okra or even with banana or pineapple...Each one will give its own unique flavor to the dish...

So it is another authentic Kerala recipe that I am sharing today...And here it is

Ingredients

Beetroot - 1 large [ grated. It was almost 1 1/2 cups]
Grated Ginger - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Onion - 1/2 [ Or 2 to 3 shallots ]
Grated coconut - 1/4 cup
Green chillie - 1 large
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Water - 1/4 cup
Beaten curd/ Yougurt - 1 cup
Salt - 1 tsp
Oil - 1 Tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Dried red chillie - 1 or 2 Nos

Preparation

Peel the beetroot and grate it.
Heat a pan and add half of the oil [ 1/2 Tbsp] to it. Now add the beetroot along with the grated ginger and keep stirring until the beetroot gets cooked. You can add little water to make the process faster. But I prefer not to add any. [ It took about 10 mins without water.]
In a mixer / blender , grind together ingredients 4 to 7 along with the water and make it a thick and smooth paste. Keep this aside.
Once the beetroot is cooked, add turmeric powder and salt and saute for a minute.
Now add the blended coconut paste to this and keep stirring until the raw smell from the onion is gone [for about 5 mins].
Switch off the flame and allow it to cool.
Once cooled, add the beaten curd and mix well. Check for salt and adjust depending on how sour the curd is. Transfer this to a serving bowl.
Now heat a small pan and add the rest of the oil. Once it is hot, add mustard seeds and allow them to sputter. Add the red chillies and curry leaves and saute for a minute.
Transfer this on top of the prepared kichadi and it is now ready to be served along with rice.

Dont forget to try out this lovely Kerala recipe and Enjoy.......

Note : The recipe serves about 4 people.

Spring Blooms.........

2011-11-15T10:00:00.002+11:00

Is there any better sight than this on a Spring morning ?????

Rose

I just love to enjoy waking up with this daily dose of bloom in the garden....

Rose

Wish I could upload and share their fragrance too.......

Rose

Mullu Murukku / Rice Fritters / Chakkli [ version 2 ]....With Roasted Gram

2011-11-11T12:15:00.001+11:00

Rice Fritters / Mullu Murukku with Roasted Gram

Last day I noticed an interesting thing in my blog archive...It was the pattern in which the frequency of my posts were going over the last three years , With the largest number of posts in the months of Oct - Nov and the least in Jun - July....I have found out some explanations for it too....One may because of the spirit of getting ready for our usual trip to India in the month of Dec and the other may be magic of Spring turning to summer during this time of the year....Or it may be simply the way a typical Cancerian blogs...

Cant tell what exactly is behind it , better wait for some more years of blogging to get to the final conclusion.......

Along with the plans of India trip, comes my yearly pantry cleaning session....Which in a way is good for me as I can clear all clutter there....And start again with all fresh ingredients in the new year...

So by now you would have guessed it....Yes, Today's recipe is the outcome of such a clutter clearance in my pantry...And the ingredients were rice flour and roasted gram.....

Now what to make with them ?? It should be a family favorite, which is nothing other than murukku.....Easy to make and easy to finish too....

Here is the recipe........

Ingredients

Black sesame seeds....Best part that I love in murukku

Rice flour [ fine ] - 2 cups
Roasted Gram flour - 1 cup [ I had powdered the roasted gram / daliya / pottukadala in a mixer]
Salt - 1 1/4 tsp
Butter [ softened] - 3 Tbsp
Black Sesame seeds - 1 Tbsp
Red Chillie Powder - 1/2 tsp
Water - 1 1/2 cups [ adjust]
Oil - enough for frying

Preparation

Murukku Making

Mix ingredients 1 to 6 in a bowl and incorporate the butter well into the flour mixture with your hand.
Add water little by little and make a smooth and soft dough.
Heat oil in a wide mouth pan for frying the murukku.
Take a plate or even a flat spatula greased with some oil and start making the murukku on it using the murukku press. You can make them on a greased baking sheet also.
Slowly flip it into the hot oil without breaking and fry them on a medium high heat.
Turn over to get both sides done. Dont have to wait for them to be brownish in color like this variety.
Once the bubbles stop forming on the oil, they are ready and can be taken out.
Repeat the process in batches until the dough is finished.
Do drain well on a paper towel and allow them to cool before storing in an air tight container.

Mullu Murukku with roasted gram

Note : I could make about 40 to 45 fritters from the recipe

[ Couldn't really count as I am not sure how many went into my mouth while the making process was going on....]

Mullu Murukku with Roasted Gram

We love to have these ones along with a hot cup of Tea for our evenings....

BTW Have you noticed today's Date ??

It is 11/11/11.....

This may be my last post before my trip to India....

I hope I will be able to squeeze out some time to keep my little space alive during the next two months....

You all have a Great Weekend and Enjoy...

Black and White Wednesday....

2011-11-09T17:26:00.000+11:00

My companion to go oven safe........

My first entry for the Black n White Wednesday series going at The Well seasoned cook

It is time for Gardenia........

2011-11-08T06:10:00.003+11:00

Gardenia

Nadan Kozhi curry / Kerala Chicken Curry

2011-11-04T10:00:00.005+11:00

Nadan kozhi Curry / Kerala Chicken curry

It is high time that I post some non veg recipe before I myself forget the fact that I haven't started a veg only recipe blog ....

The problem with posting my non veg recipes is that I dont get to click any of them, as they directly go to the dining table....

Luckily today I got the chance to get some snaps of one of the easiest and simplest Kerala chicken recipes that I know , known as Nadan [ meaning common ] chicken curry...I would like to call it the basic chicken recipe which I have been cooking from the day I started trying my hands in the kitchen , even before marriage...With this basic recipe in hand, do what ever alterations you want and you can turn it into any new variety you like...

As this is the common recipe that I prefer to make normally [other than on special occasions ] , I keep forgetting that I need to record it in my recipe journal....That was one more reason for its delay in getting posted..

Finally here is the simple recipe for a spicy chicken curry from the land of Kerala...

Ingredients

Ingredients other than chicken

Chicken 1 Kg [ Cut into desired size pieces and washed ]
Oil 2 Tbsp [ preferably coconut oil for the authentic taste ]
Curry leaves 2 sprigs
Onion 3 [ finely chopped]
Ginger 1 small piece [ chopped]
Garlic 3 pods [ chopped]
Tomato 2 [ finely chopped]
Kashmiri Red Chilli powder 2 tsp [ adjust as per taste ]
Coriander powder 2 tsp
Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
Garam Masala Powder 2 tsp
Salt 1 1/2 tsp
Water 2 cups
Coriander leaves for garnishing

Nadan Kozhi Curry

Preparation

Wash and clean the chicken and marinate it with little of all the ingredients from 8 to 12. [ Marianating for at least a couple of hours to overnight will enhance the flavor. Do keep refrigerated if you are keeping for long].
Heat a large non stick pan and add oil to it.
Once it is hot add the curry leaves followed by ginger , garlic and green chilies. Saute them for a couple of minutes.
Add onion along with salt and keep stirring till it turns soft and mushy.
Once the onion has turned lightly brownish, add the tomatoes and keep stirring till they become soft.
Add the remaining powders from 8 to 11 and keep stirring on a medium flame without getting them burnt for a couple of minutes.
Finally add the chicken pieces and keep stirring till the pieces get coated with all the gravy. For about 5 minutes.
You can see some of the liquid start oozing from the chicken.
Now it is time to add water and close the pan. Let it get cooked in medium heat until the gravy thickens.
You can stir in between. It takes about 20 to 25 mins for the chicken to get cooked.
For an even faster preparation you can do it in a pressure cooker which I dont try normally.

Garish with some Coriander leaves and serve hot with Rice or Roti.

Note : The recipe serves 6 people

Nadan Kozhi curry

My favorite combination is chicken curry with Roti [ Indian bread ]......

Do try out the recipe and Enjoy.......

I'm sending this chicken curry for the Kerala Kitchen event hosted by Fajeeda.

Palak Rice / Spinach Rice

2011-10-31T13:00:00.002+11:00

Palak Rice

When rice is in the menu for lunch , as far as possible I try to go for a one pot meal, for two reasons.....

You can guess the first one....And that is my laziness to make elaborate side dishes separately....And the second one is because of my son...He likes to take rice for his preschool and if it is a one pot meal , it is easy for him to have it with spoon....

Spinach Rice is one of my options for a healthy one pot meal with rice....With this recipe, it is easy for me to make all the nutrients in these rich green leaves go into my loved ones tummies even without their consent...Here is a link which gives an insight to the reasons why we should include this nutrient rich leaves in our daily diet....

Sometimes I add other veggies like carrot, green peas etc to this to make it even more tastier and healthier...But, today I had kept it simple and plain...

Here is the super easy recipe for a tasty n colorful lunch......

Ingredients

White Rice - 1 cup [I used Sona masuri.Basmati will be a better option]
Spinach - 1 large bunch [ about 3 cups after chopping ]
Green chillie - 1 large
Ginger - 1/2" piece
Mint leaves - a handful [ optional , just to add some flavor ]
Onion - 1 large
Water - 1 1/2 cups
Ghee - 1/2 Tbsp [ Oil also can be used instead ]
Bay leaves - 2 Nos
Cardamom pods - 3 Nos
Cinnamon - 1 small piece
Cloves - 3 Nos
Whole black pepper - 1 tsp
Salt - 3/4 tsp

Preparation

Wash and soak the rice for 1/2 hr.
Blend together ingredients 2 to 6 adding 1/2 cup of water and make a smooth puree.
Heat a large pan or pressure cooker pan and add ghee / oil.
Once hot, add ingredients 9 to 13. Saute for a minute until a nice aroma of the spices start coming.
Add the puree from the mixer and keep stirring till the raw smell goes away. For about 10 to 12 mins.
Now add the drained rice to this and stir for another 5 mins.
Add the rest of the water and salt and cook until the rice is done. Adjust water as per the variety of rice and the amount of puree you could get from the spinach.
If you are comfortable with the quantity of water, you can use pressure cooker to do the rice cooking to make things easier.
Once cooked, simply serve and enjoy while it is hot along with some curd / yogurt and pickle.

Wasn't that quite an easy way to enjoy the goodness of these healthy green leaves ??

Note : The recipe serves 2 people

Do try out and Enjoy.....

Kerala Boli / Obbattu / Holige / Puran Poli......And Diwali Wishes

2011-10-24T06:52:00.003+11:00

Puran Poli / Boli

Diwali is almost here and I hope everyone is busy with the preparations..........

I thought of sharing a sweet recipe for today which was there in my 'TO DO' list from quite some time......Wanted to post it with the step wise pics and that's why it took so long to get published...

This is a festive sweet favorite to Indians and is known by different names in the various parts of India....I had grown up enjoying this sweet in the name of Boli and it is quite popular in my home town where it is served along with paal payasam or semiya payasam during hindu marriages......

During my stay in Bangalore I got to taste Obbattu / Holige and came to know that it is almost the same as Boli.....And then after coming here, my friends from Maharashtra shared with me Puran Poli with which I learnt yet another name for this lovely sweet recipe....

The slight variations in its preparation are in the choice of using either sugar or jaggery for the the sweetening and plain flour or wheat flour for the outer covering....

Boli is made with sugar as the sweetener and plain flour for the outer cover.....Since my personal choices are jaggery and wheat flour, I have used them here in my recipe....

It takes a bit of time and patience for making these, especially if you are making them for the first time....So make sure you are free for sometime and then start making them....But trust me, it is worth an effort...

Here is the recipe........

Ingredients

Chana Daal /Bengal gram - 1 1/2 cups
Water to cook daal - 2 cups
Jaggery powdered - 1 3/4 cups [ adjust as per taste ]
Nutmeg powder - 1/4 tsp
Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp
Whole Wheat flour - 1 1/2 cups
Oil - 4 Tbsp [ I used sesame oil ]
Salt - a pinch
Turmeric powder - a pinch [ optional , just for the color ]
Water to make the dough - 1/2 cup
Rice flour - enough for dusting while rolling out

Preparation

Filling preparation

Preparation of filling / puran

Wash and soak the channa daal for 2 to 3 hrs. This is optional but helps in cooking the daal faster.
Cook the daal in a pressure cooker with just the amount of water.
It takes about 3 to 4 whistles in the cooker. It should be just cooked and not over / under cooked.
Drain any water from the daal. Dont throw away the water. Instead use it in any your gravy dishes.
Allow the daal to cool down.
Once cooled, blend it to a smooth powder in a mixer. It may not be exactly powdery as it will be a little sticky. Make sure there are no whole grams left in it and that is what is required.
Take the daal paste in a non stick, heavy bottom pan and add jaggery to this.
Heat the pan on a medium low and keep stirring. The jaggery will start melting and together with the daal it forms a thick syrup.
Keep stirring till it starts getting separated from the sides of the pan. It may take about 15 to 20 mins of stirring on a medium low flame.
Once it is thickened, add nutmeg and cardamom powder and mix well. Now switch off the flame and allow this to cool.
When it is cooled down, take handful of the mix and make lemon size balls out of it. This is going to be the filling. I could get 16 of them. Keep them aside .

Poli making

Preparation of outer covering and poli making

Take the wheat flour in a bowl.
Add salt , turmeric powder and oil to this. Slowly add water and make a smooth and soft dough.
Let it rest for 1/2 hr before start making the polis.
Once ready to make the polis , make balls from the wheat dough, a little smaller than the filling balls which were already made.
Make sure you make the same number of covering balls [16] to match the filling ones.
Now roll it out using rice flour into a small circle.
Keep the filling ball inside this and cover completely with the rolled dough.
Close it without any hole and again roll out to a bigger circle using rice flour for dusting. Spread it on a tray.
Repeat the process until you finish rolling all of them.
Now heat a flat pan and toast the rolled out polis in it on a medium heat.
Be careful while flipping it to get the other side done as they are very delicate to handle.
Once both sides are slightly browned, they can be taken out.
Arrange them folded on a serving plate.

Puran Poli / Boli

We , from the capital city of Kerala are used to enjoying this delicacy in combination with Paal payasam.....

Other tasty choices are Poli along with warm milk and ghee....

Note: I could get 16 Polis from the above recipe of the size shown

Puran Poli / Boli

Advanced Diwali wishes to all my readers........

Have a wonderful and safe festive time with your loved ones

Enjoy........

Here it goes to be part of the following events

Serve it Festival Potluck at Krithi's Kitchen initiated by Denny

Diwali Special ..Sweets and Savories event at Tickling Palates

Kerala Kitchen at A Girl's Diary

Diwali festival of lights event at Anu's Healthy Kitchen

I am Tagged..........

2011-10-20T21:24:00.004+11:00

Thanks Anzz of Anzz cafe for tagging my space....

Plz do check out Anzz Cafe to enjoy some fresh Recipe ideas along with her stunning presentation and beautiful clicks... I just loved her fried apple pies....It is truly a very tempting dessert...

Coming to the tagging part , if I were asked to answer the below questions from another blog it would have been easier..... Isn't it hard to choose from your own blog ?.....I have tried my best and I think I have done a good job with the tagging game and hope you all will enjoy reading.....

Here are the questions......

1. My most beautiful post.

Paal Payasam / Rice Pudding

For any blogger, all the pics they take are precious and beautiful...So it is really hard to choose....My paal payasam is the one which I have chosen for this title...I was happy that I have improved a lot on my clicks when I compare my first post with the latest one...Still a long way to go for sure...

2. My most popular post.

Kozhi Varutharachathu / Spicy Chicken Curry in Roasted Coconut Gravy

This is the post for which I have received most of the traffic. It was one of those early clicks...After that I dont really know how many times I have made it.... But never bothered to click again and update the post...So that is one thing in the 'TO DO' list.

3. My most controversial post.

Whole wheat Dates Bread ...Eggless and Sugarless

I was really surprised to see one of the photos from my blog being used in some other blog without my permission...Though I was aware of plagarism , I never experienced it....My Dates bread's click was the one which was lifted from my space. It's water mark was neatly removed and it was used as the snap for a Panchamrutham recipe....What a choice of photo for Panchamrutham and to mislead people....I'm not mentioning the website here....So that is only post that I can include under the controversial title...

4. My most helpful post.

Why I said no to Maida

When I started this blog I wasn't having any particular aim other than penning down my recipes for later use and to share with you... But in this culinary journey I have always kept an open eye towards what goes into each of the recipes... So as and when I get to read something which makes me think on what we are putting on to our plates and how it affects our health, I became more cautious and whenever I get a chance, I use my blog as a medium for sharing what I have learnt over the time.

Why I said No to Madia is one such posts with which I wanted to give some insight for a healthy eating. If this post could make some change in the eating habits even for a single person I will feel greatly honored.

How to make butter from Cream was another useful post as some of my readers have pointed out

5. A post that’s success surprised me.

Rasgulla

Rasulla is basically a Bengali sweet which we all love a lot. When I made them and posted the recipe I never thought that I am going to get such good response for it. This recipe's success was truly a surprise for me.

6. A post which I feel did not get the attention it deserved.

Sticky Dates Pudding with Caramel Sauce...

I simply love this Aussie dessert for its texture and for the goodness of dates in it. Though its clicks were the outcome of my early days of blogging, I simply love them. And I was wondering why not much visitors for it yet.

7. The post of which I am most proud of.

Jilebi from Whole Wheat Flour

After my awareness about the usage of Maida, I try to substitute it with other healthier alternatives whenever and where ever possible. I never had any clue that Jilebi can be made without maida and still not losing its taste. My attempt with that substitution and the successful outome of it made me really proud with this recipe.

Now it is time to keep the ball rolling and let me tag five of my fellow bloggers, which I had chosen randomly.

Hope you will join the link....

100 Yummy Diwali Sweet n Dessert Recipes from Indusladies ...E Book

2011-10-17T14:30:00.002+11:00

The Indusladies has done a good job by compiling 100 Yummy Diwali Sweets n Desserts Recipes in an easy to download e Book form....So no need to hunt around for sweet recipes this festival season...Make good use of it and enjoy home cooking for this Diwali...

I had sent the following recipes for the e Book.....And my Madhura Seva was the one which got into the e Book....

Rasgulla

Urad daal laddu

Jalebi with wheat flour

Madhura Seva

Rava Laddu

Instant Mixed Nuts Laddu

Rice Laddu / Ariyunda

Do check out the e Book and find all the interesting sweet recipes in it...

Here is the link to download the free e Book.

http://www.indusladies.com/forums/announcements/148569-free-download-100-yummy-diwali.html

Enjoy....

Kerala Unniyappam / Sweet Paniyaram / Dutch pancakes with rice

2011-10-14T13:00:00.003+11:00

Unniyappam / Sweet Paniyaram

What is the recipe that first comes to your mind when there are over ripen bananas at home ??

Many may say Banana bread...... I do agree with that..

But for me these sweet little treats called Unniyappams are the first ones in the list , as my little one just loves them a lot....

Kottarakkara is the place in Kerala that is linked to unniyappams , which is renowned for the Kottarakkara Ganapathi temple....And the delectable unniyappams served there as prasadam / offering is quite famous.....I had the chance of trying them a number of times...They are definitely addictive...

We happened to watch the Malayalam movie Salt n pepper recently and just loved the way Unniyappams were highlighted in it......Here is the scene if you wish to watch....

Now lets get to the recipe and do some offering for the little tummies....

Ingredients

Ingredients

Rice flour - 2 cups
Powdered Jaggery - 1 cup
Over ripe banana - 3 Nos [ Palayam thodan is the variety used traditionally]
Water - 1 1/2 cups
Baking Soda - 1/2 tsp
Milk - 2 Tbsp
Chopped coconut - 1/4 cup
Ghee - 1 Tbsp
Cardamom Pods - 8 Nos

Preparation

Unniyappam preparation

Take water in a sauce pan and add jaggery to it. Bring it to boil and simmer for 10 mins. No need to wait for a thicker syrup. Turn off the flame and allow this to cool.
Meanwhile heat ghee in a small pan and roast the coconut pieces in it until they turn golden brown. Keep this aside.
Take the rice flour in a flat pan and roast on a medium heat for about 5 mins. Allow this to cool.
Peel the bananas and take them in a blender / mixer and blend to a smooth paste. Now add the cooled jaggery mix to this and blend again until all well combined.
Now take the roasted rice flour in a bowl and add the banana jaggery mix to this and combine well without any lumps. This step also can be done in the mixer / blender for a smooth batter. I had used the mixer to do the job.
Add the baking soda, roasted coconut and powdered cardamom powder to this and mix well.
Keep this aside for a minimum of 1/2 hr.
Once ready to make the unniyappams, check the consistency of batter. It should not be too thick. Add milk at this stage and mix well.
Now heat the unniyappa chatti / mini dutch pan and add oil or even ghee for a better taste. Make sure that the individual moulds are only half filled with oil.
Once the oil is hot, keep the flame on a medium low and spoon the batter to individual moulds till they are 3/4th full. Dont overfill the moulds.
Once the rims of the appams turn brownish, turn over to get the other side done.
Unniyappams can be taken out and drained on a paper towel , once both the sides are uniformly golden brown in color.
Arrange on a serving bowl and sprinkle some sugar [ optional ] and then start munching.

Unniyappam / Sweet Paniyaram

Can anyone stop with just one ??? I bet you cant....

They were crispy outside and so soft inside....

Loved those little bites of coconut pieces too....

Unniyappam

Note : I could make 30 unniyappams from the above recipe.

You can add cashew or any nuts of your choice [chopped and roasted ] to the batter if you prefer , instead of coconut.

Enjoy and have a great Weekend......

I'm sending these unniyappams to be part of the Kerala Kitchen event hosted this month by Khushi at A Girl's Diary.

They are going to be part of Healing Foods : Coconut hosted by Saffronstreaks and initiated by Siri of Cooking with Siri

Garden colors in Spring..

2011-10-13T14:24:00.000+11:00

Hibiscus

Lavender ....Yet to show its bloom

Lavender

Echeveria

Mulberries and the birds waiting to munch on them

Mandevilla

Broadbeans thoran / Stir fry ....Fresh from my spring harvest

2011-10-10T21:20:00.004+11:00

Broad beans thoran

Broad beans which is a rich source of dietary fiber is the harvest of the season from my garden...Needless to say about the taste and freshness of home picked veggies.....Even my hubby who is not a big fan of vegetables had to agree with me today....

Here is a simple stir fry / thoran recipe with broad beans....

Thoran is one of those basic Kerala recipes indispensable for the daily menu in any Mallu home....To my surprise I haven't yet posted even a single one in this category....So here is one to add to the list of Kerala specials...

You can always substitute beans with almost any of the veggies like carrot, beetroot, cabbage, beans, leafy veggies etc and prepare thoran in the same way....Just adjust the cooking times depending on the veggie of your choice.

Here is the simple recipe.

Ingredients

Broad beans - 1/2 cup [ 8 Nos ]
Onion - 1 [ chopped ]
Green chillie - 1 [ chopped ]
Garlic - 1 pod [ the ones we get here are really large ]
Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 1/2 Tbsp [ preferably coconut oil for authentic taste]
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Split black gram / Urad daal - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Salt - 3/4 tsp

First harvest of broad beans fresh from my garden

Preparation

Wash the broad beans and chop them finely along with the seeds.
Heat oil in a pan and once hot, add mustard seeds and allow them to sputter.
Now add urad daal and curry leaves.
Once the daal turn brownish , add the chopped beans along with onion, green chillie and salt.
Saute them till the onion turns soft [ for about 4 to 5 mins].
Now if you want to make things faster add 1/4 cup water to help cook the broadbeans, else keep stirring until the beans are soft and tender. [ No need to add water for most other veggies ].
While this is getting ready, dry grind the ingredients 4 to 6 and keep.
Once the beans are cooked , add the ground coconut mix on top and keep covered for about 2 mins.
Now mix them all uniformly for another couple of minutes and turn off the flame.
Serve hot with rice.

Broad beans stir fry

Note: The recipe serves about 4 people.

Off it goes to be part of the Kerala Kitchen event hosted this month by Khushi at A Girl's Diary.

Also to Herbs and Flowers Event : Curry leaves hosted at Taste Junction and initiated by PJ of Seduce your taste buds.

Urad Daal Laddu / Sunnulundalu

2011-10-05T14:50:00.004+11:00

Urad Daal Laddu / Sunnulundalu

Navarathri / Dassera Wishes to all.....

Hope everyone is in festive mood and having a good time...

When I saw the Indus Ladies 100 Diwali Sweet Recipes EBook anouncement, I couldn't resist myself from sending something for the cookbook....And today's recipe is my entry for the event..

Last few days though my cooking was going on fine, photos didn't really make me post something .....So even though I saw the event announcement I couldn't think of anything....

Now, with only one more month left for my India trip, as usual pantry cleaning is on full swing and then I remembered about the urad daal flour which I have to finish off soon...So searched for a sweet recipe and landed at this blog ...And decided to kill the two birds with one arrow...

The referred recipe had used urad daal instead of flour.... But my trial with flour didn't go wrong....Though I had never tasted this Andhra delicacy before, it got finished off in no time as we all loved munching on this healthy laddu....

Here is how I made them.

Ingredients

Urad daal flour - 1 cup
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Ghee / Clarified butter - 1/4 cup
Cardamom - 5 Nos

Preparation

Roast the urad daal flour on a pan until a nice aroma comes , without getting it burnt. It took less than 5 mins.
Take the roasted flour in a bowl.
Powder the sugar in a mixer and add it to the bowl.
Powder the cardamom seeds and add to it.
Finally melt the ghee and pour over.
Now simply mix them all together and start making small balls.

The laddus are ready to enjoy.......

Note : I could get 10 laddus from the recipe.

Do check out other Sweet Recipes from Panchamrutham here.

I'm sending these lovely laddus to My Diwali My Way event at A Girl's Diary.

Beetroot - Chocolate Cake

2011-09-23T15:02:00.001+10:00

Beetroot Chocolate Cake

Post Onam blues was holding me back from blogging for a while....Also we were taking our turns with fever and flu and saying good bye to winter.....So not yet completely recovered to pen down something.....

For such occasions baking a lovely cake is the best way out.....So here is a super moist chocolate cake which is simply irresistible for any choco lover....And with the goodness of beetroot in it , it makes a healthy snack too...

Here is the recipe...

Ingredients

whole wheat flour - 1 cup
Cocoa Powder - 1/4 cup
Baking Powder - 1 tsp
Baking Soda - 1 tsp
Beet root puree - 1 1/4 cup [ taken from 3 small sized beetroots]
Caster Sugar - 3/4 cup
Egg - 3 Nos
Olive oil - 1/2 cup
Vanilla Essence - 1 tsp

Preparation

Make beetroot puree by cooking it either in a pan on stove top or in microwave. Allow it to cool and then blend using a mixer to a smooth paste. Keep this aside.
Preheat the oven to 180°C [ fan forced ].
Prepare an 8" round / 9" squre pan and keep aside.
Sieve the ingredients 1 to 4 together a couple of times and keep.
Take a bowl and beat the eggs in it until it turns thicker in volume.
Add caster sugar and continue beating.
Add oil and vanilla essence and beat until all mixed well.
Now add the flour mix little by little and mix using a spatula.
Finally mix in the beetroot puree.
Pour in to the prepared tin and bake for 40 -45 mins or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.

Enjoy this healthy cake with a cup of hot tea.

Off it goes to be part of Celebrate Sweets event hosted by Raks Kitchen and started by Nivedita.

An Aussie Athappookkalam...

2011-09-12T15:50:00.005+10:00

Our athappokkalam at home.....

Paal Payasam / Rice Pudding And Onashamsakal

2011-09-07T17:16:00.002+10:00

Paal Payasam

Wishing you all a Happy and Prosperous Onam in advance....

It is that time of year again when Malayalis get nostalgic with their Onam memories....No matter where we are , the message of peace and togetherness which this festival brings along is something to be cherished...

Onam memories and experiences have undergone its own changes with each passing generation, as obvious from the usual hearing from our elder generation "What Onam now...It was all in our olden times "....Right?

Being brought up in the capital city of Kerala , my Onam memories are limited to getting Onakodi [ the new dress gifted from the elderly member of family] , decorating Athappokalam / floral designs which happens mostly in school or college , taking turns in the Oonjal [ swing ] and the indispensable Onasadya.....More than all these , it was time for our family get together , having fun with cousins and enjoying sadya sitting just next to my grandpa....

In the midst of all these celebrations , do we have one moment to follow and remember what is the message of Onam , other than telling kids the story of King Mahabali being sent to patala by Vamana and his asking for a boon to come back and visit his people during Onam and all that.......
That was what I was also used to hear when I was a child....Just wanted to share a little thought on this note as I am sure that our next generation will definitely need more explanation on this story.....

Was it the king Mahabali who was destoryed by Vamana or the pride which was growing in him about his own virtues which was destroyed.....Think over and you will defintely get an answer when your little one asks about Onam the next time....So instead of the story they can get the real message behind this beautiful festival and treasure those values for the rest for their lives......[ Interested readers can follow the story as in Bhagavatham , here ].

Now let us get to today's recipe which is nothing but a Payasam from the sadya menu.....Payasam is my favorite among the sadya items and Paal payasam is the most wanted among the different varieties of payasams available during this time ....

When it comes to paal payasam, the one name which comes along with it is Ambalappuzha where there is the famous Ambalappuzha Sri Krishna temple and the Paal payasam served as Naivedyam there is something to crave for....I was very fortunate to have tasted it on all my visits to that blessed place...The one served in temples wont have any garnishing with cashews or raisins...It will be served plain but tastes heavenly....

Without further words, let me take you to the recipe of paal payasam prepared at my kitchen a few days back on another occasion...

Ingredients

Broken Rice - 1/2 cup
Milk - 3 cups
Sugar - 2/3 cup
Cardmom Pods - 5 Nos
Ghee - 1/2 Tbsp
Cashews - 10 Nos
Raisins - 10 Nos

Paal Payasam

Preparation

First I made broken rice from whole matta rice. For that wash and clean the rice and let it dry on a clean cloth. Now pulse it in a mixer 2 - 3 times to get the broken form of rice.
To make the Payasam first bring milk to boil in a thick bottom pan. I used a pressure cooker pan.
Now add rice. You can cook either by keeping on stirring in between or by using the pressure cooker to do the job in a few whistles, keeping on a low flame.
I used the cooker method and the rice was cooked in 10-15 mins.
Now let the pressure get released and open the lid.
Heat again, add sugar and keep stirring. You can always add more milk depending on the consistency you like.
You can see the color turning light pinkish once the payasam is ready. Another 10-15 mins of stirring after adding sugar will do the job.
Add cardamom powder and stir again. Once it is ready, switch off the flame and transfer to the serving bowl.
Heat another small pan and add ghee. Once hot, add the cashews followed by raisins and roast them lightly.
Transfer them on to the top of payasam and serve hot.

Note : The recipe serves 5 - 6 roughly.

Paal payasam

Once again , Have a Wonderful time with your family and friends during this Onam ....

Enjoy

Do check out other recipes for the sadya menu from Panchamrutham

Sending my Paal Payasam to Simply food's event "Flavors of South India"

Spring is in Air.......

2011-08-31T12:29:00.004+10:00

Tulips

Is there anything which can better express the happiness of Spring in Air than the flowers in the garden??

They are just in time for Athachamayam , the first day when the homes in Kerala get ready with Athappokkalam [ Floral designs ]....

And the celebrations and preparations for Onam begin with this day..

The count down starts and the main Onam [ Thiruvonam ] arrives on the 10th day

Let us spread the message of peace and happiness on each of these festive occasions..

Modakam / Sukhiyan

2011-08-27T13:00:00.008+10:00

Modakam / Sukhiyan

Isn't it interesting to observe how the same dish is called by different names in different parts? ...... Today's is one such sweet snack from Kerala which is called Modakam towards my home town and Sukhiyan towards the northern parts...

Whatever be the name is , we love to have this healthy n tasty snack quite often for our evening tea...

This is one recipe which became a flop many times in my kitchen simply because of my carelessness in cooking green gram to the right consistency required for the recipe...I get absent minded with the amount of water or the number of whistles while it is getting cooked in the pressure cooker...So never got to get some decent snaps to share at Panchamrutham.

Today I was patient enough with the work , managed to take some snaps and finally it is ready to be posted....

Just one change that I made from the normal or the so called standard method is that I used wheat flour for the outer coating instead of maida / plain flour.....

Here is the recipe....

Ingredients

Whole green gram - 1 cup
Water to cook gram - 2 cups [important]
Powdered Jaggery - 1/2 cup
Cardamom Pods - 10 nos
Whole wheat flour - 3/4 cup
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
Water to make batter - 3/4 cup
Oil - enough for frying

Modakam / Sukhiyan Preparation

Preparation

Wash and cook the green gram with water in a pressure cooker. It took about 5-6 whistles for me. [ If you soak the gram for 2-3 hrs before , you can reduce the cooking time. Take cake not to over cook it. So the amount of water and time is important here.]
Allow the cooked gram to cool and then take it in a bowl. It should be dry without any moisture as in the pic.
Add grated jaggery and cardamom powder to this and mix well.
Take a handful of it and make small balls and keep aside.
Take wheat flour in a small bowl and add salt and turmeric powder to it.
Add water little by little and make a smooth lump free batter. It should be thick enough to form a nice coating over the gram balls.
To start with the frying, heat a wide mouth pan and add oil.
Dip each of the balls in the batter , get them coated uniformly without any patch and start frying in the oil. Keep the oil on a medium high.
Turn over to get both sides done.
Once they become light brownish in color , take out from oil and drain on a paper towel.

Note : I could make 12 mokadams from the recipe

Modakam / Sukhiyan

Enjoy this healthy snack with a cup of hot tea.

Manga Curry / Mango Pickle

2011-08-24T11:12:00.004+10:00

mango pickle / manga curry

During my first Onam here, I was wondering whether I will have to buy store bought mango pickle for the sadya or not, as Mangoes were not something common that I found here...It should come from other states...But with the onset of Spring, [ which falls in time for Onam ] Mangoes start coming to market....The first time I saw raw mango in the shops here, was a moment of great joy...

Now that years have passed, I wait for spring to bless us with some mangoes.......
And finally they are here this year too....

Last time I had shared another mango pickle called kadumanga which is a dry preparation. Today's pickle is more runny and so we call it manga curry....Because of the moisture content it wont stay longer like the other one...But it is not a problem as it wont be there to be stored for longer at my home....

This is again one of my favorite recipes from my MIL which I love a lot....

Here is it.

Ingredients

Raw Mango - 2 Nos.
Salt - 1 Tbsp
Seasame oil - 3 Tbsps
Mustard seeds - 1 Tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1/8 tsp
Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
Red chillie Powder - 2 Tbsps
Fenugreek powder - 1/4 tsp
Water - 1/4 cup

Mango

Preparation

Wash the mangoes and wipe them to get devoid of any moisture.
Cut them into small cubes. Size depends on your preference. I like small cubes.
Take it in a bowl and mix with salt. Keep this for at least a day before making the pickle. This helps for the salt to get infused and bring out the natural moisture from mango. I had kept for 2 days.
So with the time consuming part over, you can make the pickle any time you wish.
First mix the ingredients 5 to 8 with water to a smooth paste and keep aside.
Now heat a small pan and add oil.
Once it is hot, add mustard seeds and allow them to sputter.
Now keep the flame to low and add the masala paste to it. Keep stirring and bring it to boil. Let it cook for a couple of minutes and then turn off the flame.
Allow the gravy to cool down completely.
Now transfer it to the mango pieces and mix well.
Pickle is ready to be stored. You can keep it refrigerated for a longer shelf life.
Use a clean and dry spoon to take the pickle.

Mango Pickle / Manga Curry

Enjoy making this easy pickle for the upcoming OnaSadya.

Jalebi / Jilebi.....With Whole Wheat Flour

2011-08-19T13:23:00.014+10:00

Jalebi / jilebi

Kid's tastes keep changing every week or may be every day....My son is no different which keeps me on the roll trying new recipes daily......Today's recipe is on his favorites list for the time being....So let me try them before something new takes up the position.

He happened to taste jilabi / jalebi at an Indian store sometime back and has started asking for them....I had made them long back but forgot to keep the recipe...So started searching again and got this instant version here [ There are two methods there. I chose the easier one ]...And gave it a try with some modifications , The major one is the use of whole wheat flour instead of Maida...And was happy to see that no one could make out the difference....

One more reason why I liked the referred recipe was the use of natural food colors in it....I Loved the addition of saffron powder...That gave a nice color and flavor to jalebi....

Here is how I made it....

Ingredients

Whole wheat flour - 1 cup
Corn Flour - 1 Tbsp [ for extra crispiness ]
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
Saffron Powder - 1/4 tsp
Yeast - 1 1/4 tsp
Luke Warm Water - 1 1/4 cup
Sugar - 1 tsp
Oil - 1 Tbsp [ I used Olive Oil ]

For frying

Ghee - 1/4 cup [ optional , you can fry on whole oil instead ]
Oil - 1 cup [ I used Olive Oil ]

For the syrup

Raw Sugar - 1 cup
Water - 3/4 cup
Milk - 1 Tbsp
Rose Essence - 1 tsp [ optional ]
Cardamom Powder - 1/4 tsp [ from 6 - 7 pods ]
Saffron strands - a few [ optional ]

jalebi preparation

Preparation

Add sugar and yeast to the luke warm water and keep it for the yeast to become active . It takes about 5- 7 mins.
Take wheat flour in a bowl and add ingredients from 2 - 4 to it and mix well.
Once the yeast mixture is active add it to the flour and mix well and keep covered for about 1/2 hr for it to double in volume.
Just 10 mins before start making jelabis, start making the syrup.
For the syrup, take sugar and water in a pan. Heat it and bring it to boil.
Add milk to this and keep stirring. All the dirt from sugar will appear on the top. Remove it using a ladle.
Now keep on medium flame until it reaches 1 string consistency. [ You can check this by dropping a little into a cup of cold water. Once it reaches the consistency, it will form to a ball. ] It takes about 5- 7 mins after boiling.
Once the syrup is ready turn off the flame and keep aside.
Now heat a wide mouth pan and add oil and ghee for frying the jalebi.
Add the 1 Tbsp of oil to the batter and mix well. It should be of pouring consisteny.
Fill a sauce bottle with the batter and start making jalebi into the oil , keeping in low flame.
Turn over to get both sides done. Once they are slighly brownish in color they are ready to be transferred to the syrup.
Add rose essence, cardamom powder and saffron strands to the syrup and give it a stir.
Now, Drain the jalebis from oil and immediately immerse into the warm sugar syrup. Keep it immersed for just a couple of seconds and then take out and arrange on the serving plate.

Jalebi

Here is the whole platter of jalebis that I made....Have them without much guilt as there is whole wheat flour and only natural colors in it....[ consider the sugar part later ].....

And there he goes........ Finally with his Patience Rewarded

Note : I could make 34 jalebis from the recipe

Enjoy Making and Having this lovely Indian Sweet ......

Why I said NO to Plain Flour / Maida / The ALL PURPOSE FLOUR ?

2011-08-14T17:51:00.002+10:00

By now I have shared a lot of recipes without plain flour especially for baking....

And I had already mentioned about my aversion for plain flour in one of my previous posts,

but not elaborated on it.....

I felt it is a personal choice and it up-to you, if you want to use it or not...

But last day I got a mail forward about Maida which made me think over and I thought it is my duty to share with you all regarding it....

After all that should be the main purpose of a Blog......Right ?

The article that I recieved was in my mother tongue Malayalam and quite a lengthy one...

I am translating here just the highlights from it for you....

So if you are ready to read and make a change in your life plz go ahead...

Yes , it is a lengthy post for today...So take my warning before you proceed...

Before starting, let me thank the friend who forwarded me the article...

The article starts with a bit of history on how our eating habits started around the world and it mentions about rice and wheat as the main grains that were eaten by man. And it was a time when there was no proceeded food and a place full of healthy human beings. As the food culture around the world had its changes , new food habits developed and along with it came the deadly invention called Maida....

What is Maida / All Purpose Flour / Plain Flour ??

Maida is simply the left over waste from wheat flour after all its nutrients [ germ and bran ] are extracted. It is then bleached with Benzoyl peroxide and further softened using Alloxan. And we are provided with a more appealing and softer flour which brings a very good texture for the variety of food prepared with it.......Except the only fact that it is not providing you or your growing children with any of the nutirents which food intake is supposed to provide.

Read on more here.

What is Alloxan ?

It is a chemical used in Biochemistry laboraties to introduce Diabetes for animals like guinea pigs and rats to test the effectiveness of insulin on them. Here I found an interesting article which details the ill-effects of alloxan on your body..So if it can introduce diabetes to these animals it can surely make you diabetic one day...Think over before you indulge in foods prepared from white flour like noodles , white bread , pasta , paratta , cakes, cookies etc.

Bakery Items and the usage of Maida

Can you find any bakery / store bought item where Maida is not used ? Unless specified , they all use Maida for almost every item prepared, as it is the cheapest flour available and at the same time make the bakery / store bought food more attractive and appetizing.

Along with maida there will be other things like Artificial colors, Mineral oils, Taste Makers, Preservatives , Sugar, Saccarine , Ajinomotto etc which makes an even more dangerous combination.

The article in detail explains the side effets of each of these which I am not repeating here as I am limiting to Maida for the time being.

Will Maida be digested in human body ?

Fibre content of food is what helps in digestion which is completely lost in maida with the removal of bran and germ of wheat. Digestion without fibre makes our digestive system weak and sluggish and it can even damage our digestive tract. Moreover you may be knowing the usage of Maida as a glue for many purposes. [Here is a link on how to make it.] It can easily stick to your digestive tract and further create a list of problems which still need to be comprehended.

So, What to give our children instead ?

The answer is as simple as that...Try to make your kids introduced to home made food including home made snacks and make them aware about the ill effects of store bought food. And for that all you need is some time to dedicate for cooking...That is the only way...With home made goodies, you know what goes in there and it is always under your control....Once kids get addicted to the bakery / store bought foods it is really difficult to get rid of the habit...So start as easly as possible for their own sake....With this note the article ends leaving me to think about it.

For all those who want to read a copy of the original article in Malayalam plz do inform me, I am very happy to forward you the same.

Here are some of my recipes where in I have completely replaced the good for nothing PLAIN flour with nutirent rich alternatives...

And here are some recipes where I have partially replaced it....

Hope the article will make you think and make a change at your home too, for the sake of our Next generation....

Do stay tuned in for some intersting recipes in which I have tried out this replacement and you will start believing that health and taste can indeed go together.

Courtesy for the original article: "Karuna Koottayma, Malappuram"

Referred Sites:
http://www.juicing-for-health.com/harmful-foods.html
http://www.haivli.net/article/?type=detail&id=1
http://www.naturalnews.com/008191.html
http://www.helium.com/items/1104616-danger-of-white-flour
http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Glue