madhuri's kitchen

Carrot Methi Paratha Recipe / Stuffed Methi Paratha / Stuffed Chapati Recipe for Kids / Healthy Paratha for Kids

noreply@blogger.com (madhuriscuisine) — Tue, 27 Mar 2018 09:31:00 -0700

Carrot Methi Paratha Recipe , Stuffed Methi Paratha , Stuffed Chapati Recipe for Kids , Healthy Paratha for Kids ,

Paratha is one of the best breakfast or dinner items which can be prepared very easily in no time. I mostly love ❤ the stuffed parathas like aloo paratha, Gobi paratha, paneer paratha, onion paratha etc,. Today's recipe is carrot methi paratha which I prepared for dinner. It tasted awesome with the addition of some basic spices. My daughter just loved it who is ardent fan of paratha and chapathi.

Carrots and fenugreek leaves are available in abundance in this season. So I wanted to try out this combo. And it turned out great. The bitterness of the methi leaves is taken away by the sweetness of the carrots and there is no kadva taste felt. Hence if you have any kids who are hesitant to eat methi leaves because of its taste, then this is the best way to get them eat it.

I have already posted methi Gobi malai curry which is also so yummy with minimum bitterness. Also do check out my other recipes with green leafy veggies like amaranth dal, amaranth rice, karivepaku podi, palak sprouts curry, spinach dal, munagaku telagapindi fry, etc.,.

Preparation

Grate the carrot finely and keep aside. Chop the washed methi leaves finely. Heat a pan and add the grated carrot with a dollop of ghee.

Mix well and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the finely chopped methi leaves and mix well.

Cook on a low flame until the fenugreek leaves are completely cooked stirring occasionally. Add salt, chilli powder, black pepper powder, Garam masala powder and coriander powder.

Mix well and switch off the flame. Allow it to cool. Meanwhile, mix the chapati dough. I use whole wheat flour for preparing the paratha dough as well as it is more healthy when compared to the Maida. Rest the dough covered for 15 - 20 minutes. By the time, the stuffing would also have become cool. Now, take a ball of the dough. Roll it little using a rolling pin, thinning the edges and keeping the centre portion thick. Put the stuffing in the middle and pull the edges together just as we do for Bobbatlu. Check out the video of bobbatlu for assistance.

Flatten it in your palm and roll out using a rolling pin just like a chapathi.

If done properly, the stuffing will not come outside. Repeat with the remaining dough and stuffing. Heat a griddle until its ping hot. Put one paratha at a time and cook on both sides applying little ghee or oil on both sides of the paratha.

Remove and repeat with the remaining parathas. Serve hot with curd or any pickle of your choice. You can try any of my pickles like instant tomato pickle, gongura ulli pachadi.

Ingredients

Grated carrot 4 ( medium sized )
Methi leaves 1/2 bunch
Ghee 1 tbsp
Salt to taste
Black pepper powder 2 tsp
Coriander powder 1 tbsp.
Garam masala powder 1 tsp
Chilli powder 1 tsp
Chapathi dough sufficient
Oil / ghee to fry the parathas

Method

Heat a pan. Add grated carrots and ghee. Mix well.
Cook for 3-4 minutes.

Add finely chopped methi leaves and mix well.

Cook until the leaves are completely cooked mixing occasionally.

Add salt, chilli powder, Garam masala powder, coriander powder and black pepper powder and mix well.

Allow it to cool.

Get the chapati dough ready and rest it for a while.
Pinch a ball from the dough and roll it into a small circle keeping the edges thin and the middle portion thick.

Keep the stuffing in the thicker part and pull the edges together so as to seal the ball.

Flatten the stuffed ball in your palms and roll out using a rolling pin on a clean platform. Keep aside.

Repeat with the remaining dough and stuffing.

Heat a griddle until hot and place a paratha.

Cook on both sides applying little ghee or oil until you see brown spots ok them.

Repeat with the remaining parathas.

Serve hot with curd or any pickle of your choice.

Notes

This carrot methi paratha can be served along with restaurant style side dish like chayote squash gravy curry, cauliflower kurma curry, chayote kootu, capsicum ka salan, mixed veg curry, snake gourd kurma, mushroom kurma, etc., .
You can adjust the spice according to your taste.

You can view the video of making bobbatlu to see how to put the stuffing in the paratha and bring the edges together.

Ulli Theeyal / Kerala Style Theeyal Recipe / shallots recipes

noreply@blogger.com (madhuriscuisine) — Tue, 20 Mar 2018 09:44:00 -0700

Ulli Theeyal / Kerala Style Theeyal Recipe

Ulli theeyal is a Kerala dish which tastes awesome. Ulli meaning onions and theeyal means something that browns in the pan. As the name suggests we are going to brown the grated coconut and prepare a masala for this spicy dish.

In this dish we are using shallots ( small onions ) also known as sambar onions or pearl onions. They get a lovely taste after getting cooked in the tamarind juice along with the masalas. The masala that we prepare is a bit spicy, though. It has all the three tastes namely sweet, spicy and tangy - sweet from the jaggery that is added at the end of the preparation.

I would consider it a kind of rasam which is spicy and has the vegetables along with roasted coconut bringing out a unique flavour and aroma. You could add any kind of veggies like drumstick, potatoes, ladies finger, bitter gourd etc. , are a few to name. After preparing malai methi Gobi with shallots, I had some more of them in my pantry, so went ahead and prepared this dish for a weekend lunch.

It was very tasty, especially the tiny pearls in the spicy and tangy sauce. You can also check my shallots sambar recipe.

Preparation

Soak tamarind in water and extract the juice and keep aside. Dry roast the spices one after the other separately starting with coriander seeds. Fry them until crisp and a nice aroma comes from it.

Next, dry roast the black pepper corns and red chillies together until the red chillies turn dark in colour.

Lastly fry the mustard seeds, cumin seeds and fenugreek seeds together until the fenugreek seeds turn brown in colour and the mustard seeds start to crackle.

Transfer all these spices to another plate and allow to cool. Now dry roast the fresh grated coconut on a low flame until it browns completely.

Keep stirring continuously to avoid burning and uneven browning.

Allow to cool. Take another vessel and add coconut oil. Do the tempering with mustard, cumin and methi seeds.

When they crackle add curry leaves, ginger garlic paste and hing.

Now add turmeric powder, shallots and salt and give a nice toss.

Add enough water and cover with a lid and cook for a while.

Remove the lid, pour in the tamarind juice and jaggery and mix well. Cover again and cook until the shallots are cooked. Meanwhile, put all the roasted spices along with browned coconut in a mixie jar and make a fine powder or paste by adding little water to it.

Add this powder to the cooked shallots mixture and mix well.

Check for seasoning and cook until it comes to a boil. Switch off the flame and serve hot with steamed rice accompanied with papads or fryums.

Ingredients

Coconut oil 1 tbsp

Mustard seeds 1/2 tsp

Cumin seeds 1/2 tsp

Methi seeds 1/4 tsp

Curry leaves few

Ginger garlic paste 1 tsp

Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp

Hing pinch

Shallots 1 cup

Tamarind lemon size

Salt to taste

Jaggery 2 tbsp

Spices to roast

Coriander seeds 1 tbsp

Black pepper corns 1 tbsp

Red Chillies 6

Fenugreek seeds 1/2 tsp

Mustard seeds 1/2 tsp

Cumin seeds 1/2 tsp

Grated coconut 1/2 cup

Method

Extract tamarind juice and keep aside.
Dry roast all the spices mentioned under ' spices to roast' separately one after another on a low flame until crisp. Allow to cool.
Dry roast grated coconut on a low flame until it browns completely. Keep stirring. Allow to cool.
Make a fine powder or paste of the above roasted spices and keep aside.
Take another vessel and add coconut oil.
Once hot, add mustard, methi and cumin seeds.
When they splutter, add curry leaves, ginger garlic paste and hing.
Add turmeric powder, shallots and salt and mix well.
Add enough water and cook covered.
After a while, add tamarind juice and jaggery and again cook covered.
Once the shallots are cooked, add the ground masala and mix well.
Check for seasoning.
Cook until it starts boiling and switch off the flame.
Serve hot with rice.

Notes

Theeyal can be prepared with any kind of veggies like drumstick, potatoes, ladies finger, bitter gourd etc.,.
You can also add 1/2 tsp of fennel seeds to give a lovely flavour to the dish.
If its too spicy for you, you could consider adding a dollop of ghee and relishing the theeyal.

Karivepaku Podi / Karivepaku Karam podi / Idli Podi / Curry leaf Powder Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (madhuriscuisine) — Mon, 19 Mar 2018 02:09:00 -0700

Karivepaku Podi / Karivepaku Karam podi / Idli Podi / Curry leaf Powder Recipe

Today recipe is curry leaf powder which can be served as a side dish for idli, dosa and rice. Mix it with hot steamed rice with a dollop of ghee and it tastes just amazing. I wanted to do this karampodi for a long time but I could not lay my hands on some fresh leaves hence it had been on the to-do list for quite sometime now.

I generally prepare this podi often in my house for 2 main reasons. Firstly, it is healthy and secondly, these kind of chutney powders come in handy on busy mornings when you do not have time to prepare chutneys.
The preparation of this curry leaf chutney powder is very easy with few basic ingredients. There are many variations to prepare this karivepaku karam podi or idli podi. I will update about the other versions as and when I come across them or prepare them.

You can view my other chutney powder recipe - munagaku chutney podi ( drumstick leaf chutney powder ) .

Preparation

Separate the leaves from the stalk. You can retain the stalks if they are tender. Wash them well and spread then on a cotton cloth to dry them until there is no moisture left on them. In the meantime, put a pan on flame. Add oil and channa dal and roast until light brown in colour.

Transfer to another plate to cool. In the same pan dry roast mustard seeds, cumin seeds, pepper corns, garlic pods, green chillies and tamarind and curry leaves separately one after another until crisp.

The curry leaves should be real crisp such that they should be able to break easily when taken in between your fingers. Allow all these ingredients to cool completely. Put them in a mixie except curry leaves along with salt and blend to a coarse powder. Now add the curry leaves and grind together to coarse or fine powder.

I have grounded to a texture which is neither coarse or fine. Enjoy with idli or rice.

Ingredients

Curry leaves 1 bunch OR 5 cups of leaves
Channa dal 1 cup
Cumin seeds 2 tsp
Mustard seeds 1 tsp
Black pepper corns 1 tbsp
Garlic pods 7-9
Green chillies 4
Tamarind small ball ( a little more than that of as shown in the picture )
Salt to taste
Oil 1 tsp

Method

Separate the leaves from their stalks and wash well.
Dry them on a cotton cloth in shade such that there is no moisture left on them.
Heat a pan and add a teaspoon of oil in it.
Add channa dal and fry until it changes to light brown colour. Remove to another plate to cool.
In the same pan, roast the cumin seeds, mustard seeds, black pepper corns, garlic pods, curry leaves and tamarind separately one after another.
Allow all these ingredients to cool completely.
Put them in a blender along with salt and grind to a fine or coarse powder.
Enjoy with hot steamed rice or dosa or with idli.

Notes

Dry roast curry leaves until real crisp. If you take them between your fingers, they should be able to break easily.

There are other variations of curry leaf powder which I will sharing soon.
You can also add few methi seeds if you wish.
Increase the amount of tamarind by little if you want it sour. You can also add aamchur powder ( dry mango powder ) instead of tamarind.

Bobbatlu / Puran Poli / Puran Puri / Holige / Ugadi Recipes /

noreply@blogger.com (madhuriscuisine) — Fri, 9 Mar 2018 07:56:00 -0800

Bobbatlu Recipe / Puran Puri ( Puran Poli ) / Holige Recipe / Puran Indian / Ugadi Recipes /

March 18, 2018 is Telugu new year - Ugadi. So here I am with the most traditional and delicious recipe of Andhra - bobbatlu. This sweet dish is famous all over India though with different names. It is known as puran poli in Gujarathi and Marathi, boli in Malayalam and Tamil, holige or obbattu or Orugatalle in Kannada or poli in Konkani. It is also known as Bakshalu in Telugu.

This is one of my favourite dish right from childhood days. I never knew how to make it at that time but I remember making them for the first time for my man 👨 during Sankranthi. They came out perfect. Since then I have been preparing them quite often and each time they tasted amazing.

They are very simple to make except the fact that they are time consuming. But if there are two people, then it would be just a cakewalk. One would flatten them and the other would fry them - as simple as said. But again, the process of rolling these bobbatlu comes by practice. So don't get disheartened if you don't get then right the first time. Do try them and you would just master the making of puran poli.
The stuffing is the same as that of boorelu with channa dal. I have used sugar here but you can replace it with jaggery or a combo of both sugar and jaggery. Adding loads of ghee will make them all the more tasty 😋 and delicious.

You can also check out my other festive recipes like

Pesala Boorelu

Palakova Recipe

Custard Apple Rabdi

Sesame Seed Balls

Oats Poha Chivda

Jonna Murukku Recipe

Sago Vada

Poha Kesari

Soya Bean Sundal

Preparation

Take water in a vessel and add channa dal to it. Put it on flame and cook until it is soft.

When you press a grain between your thumb and index fingers, it should get mashed easily.

At this stage switch off the flame and drain the water immediately. Allow the drained channa to cool.

Meanwhile, lets get the dough ready. Take Maida in a bowl and add water.

Make a soft dough. The dough will be sticky initially, but apply little oil and make a soft dough.

A very soft dough is essential because we need to stuff and then roll it out. If the dough is hard then the rolling becomes difficult and the stuffing also comes out. Keep the covered dough aside to rest.

Now put the channa in a blender and make a powder out of it.

Transfer to a big plate. In the same blender, mixie sugar to a fine powder along with cardamom powder. Add this powdered sugar to the channa powder ......

....and mix well with your hands to make a lump.

Make small balls out of them and keep aside. Take the rested dough and make balls similar to the size of the stuffing balls or a little smaller but definitely not larger than the stuffing balls. If the stuffing balls are smaller then we will get to taste more of the Maida roll rather than the sweet. Hence keep the sizes same or the stuffing balls a little larger.

Now the time comes for rolling of the bobbatlu. Check this video for rolling the bobbatlu or holige.

Apply ghee on the rolling platform and flatten the Maida ball gently with your fingers thinning the edges and keeping the centre part thick.

Place the channa ball in the centre of the flattened Maida roll and seal the edges by bringing them together.

If you have excess dough then pinch it off as shown in the video. Now gently press the ball using your fingers and roll out gently into a paratha. Keep aside.

Repeat the process with the remaining stuffing and dough.

Heat a griddle and place one puran poli at a time.

Cook for a few seconds and flip to other side. Cook for another few seconds and flip again.

Apply ghee and do to the other side. Apply ghee to the other side as well and cook for few more seconds until you find lovely brown spots on these yummy obbatlu.

Serve hot or at room temperature. Enjoy with family 👪 and friends. My Ugadi Special Meal is Pulihora with Bobbatlu.

Ingredients

Channa dal 1 cup
Maida 1 cup
Sugar 1 cup + 2 tbsp.
Cardamom powder 1 tsp
Ghee few tbsp.
Oil 2 tsp

Method

Cook channa dal until soft but not mushy.
Drain the water and allow to cool.
Prepare a soft dough with maids flour. Initially add oil and crumble well and then prepare a soft dough adding water little by little. Cover and keep aside.
Blend the cooked channa to a coarse powder and transfer to a big plate.
Make powder out of sugar and cardamom powder.
Mix sugar powder and channa powder well.
Make small balls out of it and keep aside.
Make same sized balls out of the Maida dough.
Take one maids ball and flatten it out keeping the edges thin and centre thick.
Place a channa ball and seal the edges by bringing them together.
Apply oil on the platform and press gently with your fingers to spread out evenly.
Repeat with the remaining dough.
Heat a griddle until real hot and place the rolled out bobbatlu one at a time.
Fry on both sides applying ghee on both sides and cook until golden in colour.
Serve hot or at room temperature.

Notes

For me, the Maida dough was not sufficient. So I prepared boorelu with the remaining stuffing.
Add grated coconut also enhances the taste with tiny bits under your teeth giving a crunchy texture.
Traditionally, they used to roll the bobbatlu on a banana leaf, but now a days we do not get them so easily. Then, people used the plastic covers to roll. But I find my chapathi rolling platform comfortable. But if you find them difficult, then you can use the plastic covers, as they are easy to remove from them.

Gobi Methi Malai / Matar Methi Malai / Gobi masala Side dish

noreply@blogger.com (madhuriscuisine) — Tue, 6 Mar 2018 02:57:00 -0800

Methi Gobi Malai / Matar Methi Malai / Methi Matar Malai / Restaurant Style Side Dish

Gobi Methi Malai is prepared on the similar ways of Methi paneer Malai. Methi Malai is the base for both these curries. This is the season of fresh methi leaves and big big fresh cauliflowers. So I wanted to make best use out of them. I purchased these methi leaves in bulk ( almost 8 bunches ) and prepared kasuri methi with 6 of those bunches. I have used 1 bunch for the preparation of this curry. There are more recipes to come using the methi leaves. So watch this space for more.

The gravy is made with shallots ( sambar onions or small onions ) to make the gravy more tasty. You can use normal onions but the shallots are more sweeter and softer which combines very well with the milk cream ( malai ). Instead of direct cream I am using milk which is boiled to thicken it and then used in the gravy. The shallots when cooked in the milk gives a creamy and silky texture to the gravy. This gravy is similar to the that of the restaurant gravies. So you get the feel of restaurant food at your home. And your kids will love it.

The bitterness from the methi leaves is all absorbed by the creamy milky gravy resulting in a rich, smooth and silky curry which gives you the feel of restaurant eating.

Preparation

Take milk in a pan or vessel and put it on flame. Add cinnamon stick, cloves, cardamom, shallots, green chillies and ginger garlic paste.

Cook this until the shallots become soft and tender. Switch off the flame and let it cool. Take another pan and add oil in it. Temper it with cumin seeds.

When they splutter, add methi ( fenugreek ) leaves and turmeric powder.

Mix well and sauté until they wither. Now add cauliflower florets and green peas.

Add salt and cook covered until the cauliflower is cooked. Stir in between so that the curry do not stick at the bottom of the pan.

In the meantime, blend the shallots along with other spices and milk in a blender to a smooth paste. Keep aside.

Add this to the cooked cauliflower and green peas.

Mix well and add tomato sauce.

Sprinkle chilli powder and garam masala powder.

Adjust the consisitency by adding water or milk. If you want a rich gravy, add milk else you can add water. Check for seasoning and remove from flame. Serve hot as a side dish for chapathi, roti or naan. This side dish serves as an accompaniment with any mildly spiced pulavs like Carrot Fried Rice, Coriander Coconut Pulao, Mango rice.

Ingredients

Milk 2 cups

Shallots 2 cups

Cinnnamon stick 1" piece

Cloves 3

Cardamom 3

Ginger Garlic paste 1 1/2 tsp

Green chillies 2

Oil 2tbsp

Cumin seeds 2 tsp

Methis leaves 2 cups ( loosely packed )

Turmeric powder 1 tsp

Cauliflower florets 2 cups

Green peas 1 cup

Salt to taste

Tomato sauce 1 tsp

Chilli powder 1 tsp

Garam masala powder 1 tsp

Method

Cook shallots, ginger garlic paste, green chillies, cardamom, cinnamon stick and cloves in milk until the shallots are cooked. Allow to cool.
Heat oil in another pan and temper with cumin seeds.
Add the methi leaves ( fenugreek leaves ) and sauté until the leaves wither.
Now add the chopped cauliflower florets and green peas.
Add salt and cook covered until the cauliflower is cooked. Stir in between.
Make a smooth paste out of the cooked shallots along with other spices.
Add this paste to the cooked cauliflower and mmix well.
Add tomato sauce, chilli powder and garam masala powder.
Adjust the consistency by adding more milk or water depending on the richness of the curry you prefer.
Check for seasoning and serve as a side dish for chapathi, roti, naan or any flavored rice.

Notes

You can add cashews or melon seeds in the milk to make it more rich, ( just around 2 tbsp. ).
If you do not have shallots, you can prepare this this methi malai with normal onions.
To get a white gravy just like the restaurant ones, skip adding the turmeric powder. I was health conscious, so I tend to add turmeric in almost all my preparations. But if you are presentation conscious, just skip adding the turmeric powder.
Do not cook the curry for long after adding the paste as it will soften the cauliflower too much and it will tend to become a paste. Of course, this is a good way to get your toddlers eat the curry.
You can also use frozen green peas for the preparation of this gobi methi malai. Add it after you add the shallots paste.

Broccoli Rice Dish / Vegetarian Broccoli Recipes / Broccoli Rice Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (madhuriscuisine) — Sat, 3 Mar 2018 02:34:00 -0800

Broccoli Rice Dish / Vegetarian Broccoli Recipes / Broccoli Rice Recipe

Hi friends, today's recipe is another dish with broccoli. I have already posted a recipe of Broccoli - a basic stir fry with capsicum. Broccoli rice dish is a quick lunch box recipe which comes in handy during any busy day.
This flavoured rice is not so spicy. Its mildly flavoured with the typical Indian spices that go very well with broccoli. The addition of sweet corn makes it sweet and delicate. Overall, the broccoli rice is a neat and clear recipe with no much of preparation beforehand.

I have prepared this vegetarian broccoli rice in a pressure cooker making the task much more easier and faster. I have used the normal rice and not the basmati rice which I generally use for flavoured rice, pulavs and biryanis. However, this broccoli sweet corn recipe is an exception. Now this rice dish is just an idea of preparing these kind of dishes, but you can always modify the recipe to suit your and your family's tastes and likes.

You can also try other rice dishes like

Carrot Fried Rice

Coriander Coconut Pulav

Mango Rice

Sprouted Channa Palak Rice

Amaranthus rice in coconut milk

Vaangi Bath Recipe

Methi Peas Pulav

Spinach Rice

Preparation

Chop the veggies into chunks and get them ready. Heat oil and ghee in a pressure cooker.

Add cumin seeds along with the spices namely dalchin ( cinnamon ), bay leaf, cloves, black pepper and cardamom. Do add the cashews also and sauté for a few seconds.

When the cashews turn light brown in colour, add sliced onions and slit green chillies.

Allow the onions to become transparent. Now put the ginger garlic paste.

Mix thoroughly and add the methi leaves.

Fry until the leaves wither. Now add the broccoli, carrot and sweet corn.

Mix well and add the diced tomatoes. Tomatoes are optional. If you wish, you can just skip them and add a little curd.

Saute for a few seconds and add the washed rice and biryani masala powder.

Add sufficient water and salt and cover with the lid.

Cook for 3-4 whistles. Serve hot with any raita of your choice. Or pack for lunch box.

Ingredients

Oil 1 tbsp
Ghee 2 tbsp.
Bay leaf 1
Black pepper corns 13 - 15 corns ( in number )
Cloves 3
Green Cardamom 1
Cinnamon Stick 1"
Cumin seeds 1tsp
Cashews fistful
Onions 1 big
Green chillies 2
Ginger garlic paste 1 1/2 tsp
Methi Leaves 1/2 cup
Broccoli 1 cup
Sweet corn 1/2 cup
Carrot 1/2 cup
Tomatoes 1 big
Rice 1 1/2 cup
Biryani masala powder 1tsp
Salt to taste

Method

Heat oil + ghee in a pan and add the spices along with cumin seeds and broken cashews.
When the cashews are coloured, add the sliced onions and slit green chillies.
Add the ginger garlic paste when the onions turn translucent. Saute for a few seconds.
Now add the finely chopped methi leaves. Cook until they wither.
Add the broccoli, carrot and sweet corn and mix.
Add the tomatoes, washed rice, biryani masala powder and salt.
Add enough water and cover with lid. Cook until 3 -4 whistles.
Serve hot with any raita or plain curd.

Notes

You can always increase or decrease the amount of veggies in these kind of dishes. I love to have more veggies in every bite, hence add more veggies.
You can use any kind of veggies like beets, paneer, beans, etc,. as per your availability.
Addition of mint leaves will also give a unique flavour and aroma from the dish.
You can skip the tomatoes and add 5 tbsp. of curd .

Simple Drumstick Curry Recipe / Drumstick Vegetable Recipes / Vegan Drumsticks / Muringa curry

noreply@blogger.com (madhuriscuisine) — Wed, 28 Feb 2018 09:08:00 -0800

Munagakaya Curry / Simple Drumstick Curry Recipe / Drumstick Vegetable Recipes / Vegan Drumsticks / Muringa curry

The local market here is bursting with fresh veggies like drumstick ( Muringa ), tender spring onions, green peas, tomatoes , shallots and green leafy veggies like methi etc. Needless to mention the variety of fruits - oranges, grapes, Gulab guavas, watermelons, musk melons are a few. I actually went to the market to buy some tamarind. But seeing the fresh veggies I could not resist myself and bought many of them. I felt as if the veggies were waiting for me to take then along with me. So I grabbed as many as I could. But my son who accompanied me was becoming impatient. Vegetable shopping is one thing that I simply love ❤, especially if its a farmers market.

Today I am posting a basic and simple drumstick curry with tomatoes and onions as the base. This is such a side dish that make you leave licking your fingers. The tangy and juicy tomatoes along with the onions give an excellent gravy for the tender drumsticks. This combo of tomatoes, onions and drumstick is a must try in every household at least once during this season. So lets see the preparation of munagakaya curry ( muringa curry ).

You can also check my recipe of drumstick leaves chutney powder aka murungai keerai podi alias munagaku karam podi.

Preparation

Wash and cut the drumstick into finger size pieces. Put them in a tumbler and add water just enough to cover them.

Cook them on a medium flame until the drumstick become soft and tender.

In the meantime, chop the onions and tomatoes finely. Drain the water from the drumstick and keep aside. Do not throw the water, we will want to use it for the preparation of the curry. Heat a pan and add oil in it. Temper it with mustard and cumin seeds.

When they splutter, add curry leaves, red chillies and hing.

After a few seconds, add finely chopped onions and slit green chillies.

Mix well and cook until they are translucent. Add ginger garlic paste and cook until the raw smell of ginger vanishes.

Add the finely cooked tomatoes, salt, sugar and turmeric powder.

Cook covered until the tomatoes are mushy. Now add the coconut powder, chilli powder, Garam masala powder and coriander powder.

Give a thorough mix and add the cooked drumsticks along with the water.

Mix well. Check for seasoning and cook for another five minutes to allow the drumstick absorb the juices and spices. Serve hot with either rice 🍚 or roti.

Ingredients

Drumstick 4
Onion 3
Tomatoes 2 ( big )
Oil 2 tbsp
Mustard seeds 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds 1 tsp
Curry leaves few sprigs
Red chillies 2
Hing big pinch
Salt to taste
Coconut powder 1 1/2 tsp
Chilli powder 1 tsp
Garam masala powder 1/2 tsp
Sugar 1/2 tsp

Method

Wash and cut the drumstick in finger sized pieces.
Cook in sufficient water until soft and tender.
On cooking, drain the water and keep the drumstick aside. Retain the water as well for the preparation of the curry.
Heat oil in another pan and temper it with mustard seed, cumin seeds, curry leaves, hing and red chillies.
Add finely chopped onions and slit green chillies and sauté until transparent.
Throw in the ginger garlic paste and cook until the raw flavour of ginger disappears.
When the onions turn light brown in colour, add chopped tomatoes, turmeric, salt and sugar.
Cook uncovered until the tomatoes are completely cooked. Stir in between.
Sprinkle coriander powder, chilli powder, coconut powder and garam masala powder.
Mix well and add the drumstick along with the water that was preserved earlier.
Mix in well and cook for another five minutes so that the drumstick absorbs all the juices and spices.
Serve hot with either rice or roti.

Notes

You can also add veggies like potato, carrots, brinjal etc. in the above preparation along with the drumsticks.
Adding dried coconut powder gives a unique aroma and taste to the dish so do not skip on that step.
This is the basic version of the drumstick curry. Keep watching this space for more recipes on drumsticks and other veggies.
Some people like to add some garlic pods during tempering.

kalakand recipe with paneer and condensed milk / Orange Kalakand burfi recipe /

noreply@blogger.com (madhuriscuisine) — Mon, 26 Feb 2018 09:33:00 -0800

Kalakand Recipe with Paneer and Condensed Milk / Holi Special Food / Kalakand Burfi Recipe with Oranges

Kalakand - Indian milk cake sweet - an amazing dessert 🍨 which is made during festival seasons. This sweet is loved by almost everyone as it is so rich and delicious 😋. I have already posted the basic recipe of kalakand burfi.

Today's post of kalakand has a twist in it. I have added some fresh orange 🍊 pulp which makes it more tasty with a unique and typical taste. When I googled for this recipe, I did not find any but I found mango kalakand. So I prepared this sweet on a similar basis using oranges as this is the season of oranges.

Talking about the taste, as I said earlier, it is very yummy. Though it is a bit chewy, it is a mouth watering sweet. I have prepared this milk cake for the occasion of Holi. The previous post of kodbale which is a savory snack is also a special recipe for Holi.

You can also check my other festive recipes like

Chena Poda

Pumpkin Halwa

Custard Apple Rabdi

Palkova Recipe

Sabudana Vada Recipe

Poha Kesari

Carrot Kheer

Boorelu

Coconut Jaggery Laddoo

Paneer Kheer and many more.....

Preparation

Heat milk in a pan. Allow it to come to a boil.

When it starts to boil, add curd. You can also add lemon juice or vinegar to curdle the m milk. But in the latter case, you need to wash the Chena under running water to get rid of the sour taste from the lemon or vinegar.

Keep stirring gently until the milk Is completely curdled separating the chenna and whey. Now switch off the flame and strain the whey. Strain in such a way that there is no moisture left in the paneer.

Take the Chena ( without any moisture ) in the pan and put it on a low flame. Strain the chenna well without any moisture. My pic shows that there is water, but make sure that you are not left with any water to speeder the cooking process and to get a soft kalakand.

Add the orange 🍊 pulp and mix well.

Add the condensed milk and keep stirring to avoid burning at the bottom.

Cook on a low flame until there is no moisture left.

Meanwhile keep a plate or a pan greased with ghee and set aside.

When the water is completely evaporated from the mixture and you are left with a mass, switch off the flame.

Transfer to the greased pan and even it with a knife. Sprinkle dry fruits of your choice and allow it to come to room temperature.

Keep it in the fridge for 2-4 hours or overnight and cut into desired shapes. Enjoy with friends and family.

Ingredients

Milk 1 l

Orange pulp 1/4 cup

Condensed milk 1/4 cup + 4 tbsp.

Curd 4 tbsp.

Ghee 2 tsp

Nuts to garnish

Method

Bring milk to a boil.
Add curd when it is boiling and allow the milk to curdle completely.
Drain the whey from the chenna.
Take the Chena in the pan and put on a low flame.
Add condensed milk and orange pulp and mix well.
Cook on a low flame until the moisture is completely evaporated.
transfer to a greased pan and garnish with nuts of your choice.
Allow to come to room temperature and refrigerate for 2-4 hours or overnight.
Remove and cut into desired shapes.

Notes

If you do not have condensed milk, then cook milk until 1/4 th of its volume and then add Chena and orange pulp.
Do not cook Chena for long as it will become too hard if cooked for long.
Alternatively, you can first mix condensed milk and orange pulp. Cook until thickened and then add chenna. This way, the kalakand remains soft and tasty.
It took a long time for me to get the water evaporated as I had not strained the chenna well. But you do not do the same mistake as mine. Do strain the paneer well and then add the remaining ingredients like orange pulp and condensed milk.

Kodubale Recipe / Chegodilu with hyacinth beans / Karnataka Famous Food

noreply@blogger.com (madhuriscuisine) — Fri, 23 Feb 2018 04:58:00 -0800

Kodubale Recipe / Chegodilu with hyacinth beans / Karnataka Famous Food

This is a snack recipe. When I first saw the recipe here, I was quite surprised and found it very interesting. I had some avarekai left in the fridge after preparing some Charu. So I thought of using it for the preparation of these chegodilu ( as we call them in Andhra ). They are crunchy, crispy snacks that fill our evenings. But today, I am preparing a softer version which are not so crispy. But they have an excellent texture which are chewy and very tasty. I have adapted the recipe to suit my family´s tastes. Do try out and let me know how it turned out for you.

These field bean snacks are very easy to prepare and very tasty as well. However, they are not very healthy in the sense that they absorb too much oil when deep fried. So, I do not recommend these snacks on a daily basis, but are perfectly ok 👌 for festive occasions. Since Ugadi 2018 is another 20 days ahead of us, I planned to prepare this dish for the same.

The outcome of this snack is supposed to be crunchy and crispy but I made a soft version which was delicious as well. Serve this hot and your family 👪 would enjoy it thoroughly. However, you can also serve it cold, there is no compromise on taste.

You can also try out my other snacks like

Poha Oats Chivda

Jowar Flour Murukku

Sago Vada

Soya Bean Sundal

Black Chickpeas Sundal

Aloo Matar Chat

Homemade Tapioca Chips

Masala Sweet Corn

Preparation

Cook the field bean seeds into soft in a pressure cooker until soft for upto 3-4 whistles.

When they cool down, drain the water and mash them with a masher or hands.

You can also put them in a blender to get a smooth consistency. Do not throw away the water. We will require it to make a dough. Add salt, chilli powder, curry leaves, ajwain and hing. Mix everything well.

Now add the rice flour and maida flour and combine everything with your hands.

Heat homemade ghee until smoking point and add to rice flour mixture.

Carefully mix thoroughly with your fingers such that the ghee is nicely coated with the flour mixture. Now add the water ( that was kept aside earlier ) little by little to make a soft dough. It should neither be too watery nor too dry.

The consistency of the dough should be such that we should be able to form rings from the dough without breaking. If the dough Is too watery, then it will not hold the shape. Similarly if the dough is too dry, the dough will break when we try to form rings. Once the dough is ready, prepare the rings as shown in the video.

Sprinkle few sesame seeds on the platform. Take a small lemon sized ball from the dough and roll gently on the sesame seeds. Pressing gently, roll and form an even shaped cylinder. Join the edges and press gently such that they do not get apart. Prepare the rings until the dough is finished.

Heat oil in a pan for deep frying. The oil should not be too hot. If you drop a small piece of dough, it should come up immediately. At this point, drop the prepared rings in batches of 5 - 6.

Immediately, reduce the flame and cook on a low flame until they are cooked. They become light brown in colour and the bubbles also reduce. Remove from oil with the help of a slotted ladle and place on a tissue paper to absorb the excess oil. Repeat the frying process until completely done. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Ingredients

Avarekai. 1 cup

Rice flour 2 cups

Maida 1/4 cup

Salt. To taste

Chilli powder. 1 tsp

Curry leaves 2 -3 sprigs

Hing a big pinch

Ajwain 1/2 tsp

Ghee 2 tbsp.

Sesame Seeds 2 tbsp.

Oil for deep frying

Method

Cook avarekai in a pressure cooker until soft for 4-5 whistles.
Drain the water and mash the avarekai very well.
Add rice flour, maida, salt, chilli powder, curry leaves, ajwain and hing.
Mix everything well and add hot ghee.
Carefully mix with your hands such that the ghee incorporates in the flour completely.
Now add water little by little and make a smooth dough just enough to make rings out of it.
Make rings with the dough as shown in the video.
Heat oil in pan for deep frying.
Fry these rings in a low to medium heat until they become golden brown in colour or until the bubbles stop.
Put them on a tissue paper to absorb the excess oil.
When they cool down, store them in an airtight container. They stay fresh for until 2-3 days.

Notes

These chegodilu are soft on the inner side and are chewy. An awesome evening snack.
These can also be made crispy and crunchy by another method. I will share the same in another post.
You can also use white sesame seeds instead of black sesame seeds.
You can also add finely chopped coriander leaves, cumin seeds or ginger garlic paste as per your taste and preference.
You can also add butter or oil in place of ghee.

Tasty Cabbage Recipes indian / Indian Vegetarian cabbage recipes / sauteed cabbage recipes /

noreply@blogger.com (madhuriscuisine) — Tue, 20 Feb 2018 22:46:00 -0800

Purple Cabbage Stir Fry / Cabbage Curry Recipe Indian Style / How to Cook Cabbage Healthy

Purple cabbage fry is similar to that of the normal cabbage fry except the colour. The procedure of preparing this curry is also more or less same as the other fries like ivy gourd fry, ladies finger fry, cauliflower green peas fry, broad beans fry, simple radish fry, spring onion fry, karela fry, baby potatoes fry, etc. .

The nutrients in this purple coloured cabbage is way more than that of the ordinary one. As a matter of fact, the coloured veggies like carrots, bell peppers etc. are more necessary for our health. Health experts also advice us to take more coloured and colourful food which pleases our eyes 👀 and body. So, I do not miss any chance to grab these colourful cuties whenever I see them.

If you check my broccoli stir fry recipe, I included sweet corn and capsicum. My idea was to make it colourful and tasty 😋. I could have included paneer, red bell pepper for the extra colour, but alas, I did not have any of them on me. I will work on this and let you know the outcome.
For today, its the simple cabbage fry which becomes more appealing with the addition of green peas. I have used the frozen green peas but you can also use the dried peas or fresh peas when available in the market. If you are using the dried peas, then soak them overnight and cook them in the pressure cooker the next morning. Now they are ready to be used in the preparation of this curry.

Preparation

Heat oil in a pan and add mustard and cumin seeds.

When they splutter, put the chopped onions and slit green chillies in.

Sauté for a minute and add turmeric powder.

Give a stir and add the shredded cabbage. Sprinkle salt and sugar and mix well.

Cover with a lid and cook on low to medium flame. Keep stirring occasionally to avoid burning at the bottom of the pan. When the cabbage becomes soft and tender, remove the lid off and add the frozen green peas.

Mix well and do the seasoning with chilli powder, Garam masala powder, coriander powder and flax seed powder.

Mix well and fry for another 2 minutes. Switch off the flame and serve with either rice 🍚 or roti.

Ingredients

Purple Cabbage 1/2 of a medium sized cabbage
Oil 1 1/2 tbsp
Mustard seeds 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds 1 tsp
Onion 1
Turmeric 1/2 tsp
Green peas ( frozen ) fistful
Salt to taste
Sugar 1/2 tsp
Chilli powder 1/2 tsp
Garam masala powder 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder 2 tsp
Flax seed powder 1 tsp

Method

Shred or chop the cabbage finely and keep aside.
Heat oil in a pan and temper it with cumin and mustard seeds.
When they crackle, add the chopped onions and green chillies.
Saute for a minute and throw in the turmeric powder.
Add the shredded purple cabbage along with sugar and salt. Mix well and cover with a lid.
Keep stirring in between to avoid sticking at the bottom of the pan.
When the cabbage becomes soft and tender, add the frozen green peas and cook for another 5 minutes.
Sprinkle all the spices namely, chilli powder, garam masala powder, coriander powder and flax seed powder.
Check for salt and switch off the flame. Serve hot with either rice or roti. This curry can also be used as a stuffing for katti roll or parantha.

Notes

During tempering, you are free to add any ingredients like red chillies, channa dal, curry leaves etc. which give additional aroma to the dish.
You can also include cumin powder in the spices list.
If you are adding fresh green peas, then add them along with the shredded cabbage and cook covered.
If you want to use the dried green peas, then soak them overnight, pressure cook them the next morning and then use in the curry as mentioned above.
To make it masaledaar, you can add ginger garlic paste as well.
You can also add any other veggies like carrots, potatoes, beans and paneer as well.

Easy Chayote Squash Side Dish Recipes / Chow Chow Vegetable Side Dish For Chapathi / Easy Chayote Recipes / Bangalore Vankaya Gravy Curry for Chapathi or Rice

noreply@blogger.com (madhuriscuisine) — Sun, 18 Feb 2018 04:03:00 -0800

Easy Chayote Squash Side Dish Recipes / Chow Chow Vegetable Side Dish For Chapathi / Easy Chayote Recipes / Bangalore Vankaya Gravy Curry for Chapathi or Rice

Today's recipe is a side dish for chapati prepared with chow chow vegetable. This is no regular curry. It has got a rich, creamy texture with just the normal ingredients. The addition of lentils like the channa dal and moong dal gives the dish a delicious and homely taste. Actually you can prepare two versions for the same curry that goes with rice 🍚 as well. I have already posted the simple chayote kootu. Though the kootu also included channa dal but the taste of this easy chayote squash side dish gravy was completely different and tasted better than that of kootu.

To make the dish rich and creamy like that of the restaurant style, I have added some milk. The curry was so delicious 😋 that my man 👨 loved it a lot and had way extra curry with chapattis. To accompany this dish with rice, just avoid adding milk to the gravy. You will be left with a simple yet amazing side for rice which can either be mixed or as a side. The preparation of this Bangalore Vankaya ( Bangalore Kathirikai ) is very easy. Just mix all the ingredients in the cooker and cook. As simple as said.

Preparation

Peel the skin of Bangalore Vankaya ( Bangalore Kathirikayi ). Discard the inner seed. Chop into small pieces and keep aside. Wash the lentils and keep aside. Get the remaining ingredients ready. Heat oil in a pan and do the tempering with mustard and cumin seeds.

When they splutter, add chopped onion ,slit green chillies and ginger garlic paste.

Fry until the onions turn transparent. Throw in the chopped tomatoes along with salt and turmeric powder.

Cook until the tomatoes become soft. Now add the masalas like coriander powder, chilli powder and garam masala powder.

Give a nice mix and add the washed lentils.

Stir in completely and add the chopped chayote pieces and mix well.

I had some leftover purple cabbage fry which I included in the curry. This is completely optional, but if you have any other leftover fry, you can go ahead and add it in your preparation. I do this kind of preparation on a daily basis which adds an extra flavour to the dish. You can add fresh cabbage leaves as well.

Now add sufficient water and cover with the lid.

Cook for 2-3 whistles and switch off the flame. Remove the lid when the pressure subsides. If you are serving this curry with rice, then serve hot after checking the seasoning.

If you are planning to serve this dish with roti, then go ahead and add milk in the gravy.

MIx it well and add little tomato ketchup.

Give a nice stir and check for seasoning. Add chilli powder if you want it more spicy. For me, it was perfect. Let it cook on a low flame until it comes to a boil. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with chapathi. Chow chow vegetable side dish with restaurant style gravy for chapathi is ready.

Ingredients

Chayote vegetable 2 big

Channa dal 3 tbsp.

Moong dal 3 tbsp.

Onion 1 big

Tomatoes 2

Ginger garlic paste 1 tsp

Green chillies 2

Turmeric powder 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Oil 2 tbsp.

Garam Masala powder 1 tsp

Coriander powder tbsp.

Chilli powder 1/2 tsp

Leftover cabbage fry 1 cup ( optional )

Milk 1/2 cup

Tomato ketchup 2 tsp

Mustard seeds 1/2 tsp

Cumin seeds 1 tsp

Method

Heat oil in a pressure cooker.
Temper it with mustard and cumin seeds.
Once they crackle, add onions and slit green chillies.
When they turn transparent, add ginger garlic paste.
Add tomatoes, salt and turmeric powder and cook until the tomatoes become soft.
Sprinkle coriander powder, chilli powder and garam masala powder.
Mix well and add the washed lentils ( dals ).
Add the chopped chow chow and the leftover cabbage ( optional ).
Add water, mix well and cover with lid.
Cook for 2-3 whistles and switch off the flame.
Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with rice.
If serving with roti or chapathi, then add milk and tomato ketchup to the cooked gravy and let it come to a boil.
Remove from flame and garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot with roti.

Notes

You can add any leftover fry curries for this gravy curries. This is purely optional. You can skip this step if you do not have any leftovers. I generally tend to use my leftover foods in this way. Adopting this method, gives a new dish each and every time and prevents food getting wasted. Your family will also get the feeling that they are eating fresh and not leftovers.
Addition of lentils gives a very homely touch to the dish. , So do not skip the lentils.
You can also include other lentils like whole moong or sprouts as well.

Broccoli Stir Fry Recipe / Sautéed Broccoli / Pan Fried Broccoli

noreply@blogger.com (madhuriscuisine) — Wed, 14 Feb 2018 23:54:00 -0800

Broccoli Stir Fry Recipe / Sautéed Broccoli / Pan Fried Broccoli

Todays recipe is a simple stir fry just like any other fry curries. But what makes it special is the variety of veggies that are added and the spices that go into it. This is a curry that I prepared using whatever veggies were available to me at the time, but you can basically include anything you like.

Broccoli is a versatile veggie just like cauliflower, carrots, beans, potatoes, green peas etc. It is highly rich in Vitamin K, Vitamin C, chromium and folate. Broccoli is also a very good source of soluble and dietary fibre which thereby helps in reducing cholesterol levels. It also has numerous antioxidants which helps in building immunity in the body.

Though it is not easily available in the local markets, it is quite common in the supermarkets. It is good to include this veggie once in a fortnight considering the fact that it is very gassy. My son is not a great fan of broccoli, but the addition of the other ingredients like paneer, sweet corn and capsicum makes him to forget about the broccoli and enjoy the dish thoroughly.

You can also check my other simple fry curries which go very well as an accompaniment for both rice or roti :

Snake Gourd Poriyal

Baby Potato Fry

Munagaku ( moringa ) leaves fry

Paneer Bhurji

Ladies Finger Fry

Spring Onion Fry

Broad Beans Stir Fry

Cauliflower Green Peas Stir Fry

Simple Radish Fry

Preparation

Heat oil in a pan and add mustard and cumin seeds.

Allow them to splutter. Now add chopped onions and saute until they become transparent.

Throw in turmeric powder and mix.

Now add chopped broccoli and sweet corn seeds.

Add salt and cook covered until the broccoli is 90% cooked. Now add the capsicum ......

.......and cook uncovered until the capsicum is cooked but it still retains its crunchiness. Now add the paneer cubes and mix. You can add homemade herbed paneer for extra flavour.

Finally add the diced tomatoes and cook until soft.

Sprinkle all the spices namely - chilli powder, garam masala, coriander powder and flax seeds powder.

Mix it well and check for seasoning. Switch off the flame and serve hot with either rice or roti.

Ingredients

Broccoli 1/2 of a medium broccoli

Sweet corn 1 cup

Paneer 100g

Capsicum 1

Oil 2 tbsp

Onion 1 ( chopped )

Salt to taste

Garam masala 1/2 tsp

Coriander powder 1 tsp

Chilli powder 1 tsp

Flax seeds powder 1 tsp

Mustard seeds 1/2 tsp

Cumin seeds tsp

Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp

Method

Heat oil in a pan.
Temper it with mustard and cumin seeds.
Once they crackle, add chopped onion. Sauté until translucent and add turmeric powder.
Add the broccoli pieces and the sweet corn kernels.
Sprinkle salt and mix well. Cook covered stirring occasionally until the broccoli is almost cooked but not completely cooked.
Add the capsicum pieces and cook uncovered for 5 minutes.
Now add paneer cubes and diced tomatoes.
Cook until tomatoes are soft.
Sprinkle chilli powder, garam masala, coriander powder and flax seeds powder.
Mix well and check for seasoning.
Switch off the flame and serve hot with either rice, roti or chapathi.

Notes

Any other veggies like beans, potatoes, sweet potatoes, beets, cabbage, green peas etc. can be added according to the availability.
Addition of flax seeds powder makes the dish more nutritious.

Chhena Poda Recipe / Food Odisha / Famous Oriya Sweets

noreply@blogger.com (madhuriscuisine) — Sat, 10 Feb 2018 11:07:00 -0800

Chhena Poda Recipe / Food Odisha / Famous Oriya Sweets

There are 2 occasions coming up on Feb 13 and Feb 14, 2018. Feb 13, 2018 is Maha Sivarathri and Feb 14 is Valentines Day as all of you know. There is a special recipe which suits both these occasions which I have been planning to post since long. I thought of posting this recipe for a long time but I was waiting for the right occasion. There could not be a better occasion more than this because there are two reasons to celebrate.

I am talking about the famous Orissa sweet - Chenna Poda. Chhena Poda is also known as Pitha Poda. This famous Odia sweet is purely an Indian cake 🎂 which is made with Fresh chenna ( paneer ). This is one of the traditional recipes of Orissa that is quite famous which is served to Lord Jagganath in Puri. This is a very rich cake or dessert dish that is sooooo delicious and lip smacking. My man and daughter just love this cake.

The origin of this Indian milk cake is from the state of Orissa. I was born in Berhampur, a famous town area in Orissa and was brought up in the capital city of Bhubaneshwar until the age of 7 after which I moved to our own state of Andhra. But my dad made frequent official visits to Bhubaneshwar. And there was this delicious eggless cheesecake on his return. In that way, we were connected to this dessert.

Traditionally this is made in a big earthen pot which is cooked on a very low flame 🔥for hours together. Since we do not have such equipment in our homes, we can make it in an oven or even in a pressure cooker. Today, I am gonna give the recipe that requires an oven.

Preparation

Take milk in a big vessel and bring it to a boil.

When it is boiling, add curd to cuddle the milk. If it doesn't curdle, add more curd and mix gently until the whey is separated from the milk solid.

Switch off the flame immediately and strain through a muslin cloth or a clean cotton cloth.

Do not throw the whey. You can use it for the preparation of chapathi or any other curries. You need not drain the water completely, it's ok even if there is a little amount of water in the chenna. Take curdled milk ( while it is still hot ) in a bowl and beat or stir until smooth.

Add sooji and mix well until smooth.

Add sugar and mix again until the sugar is completely dissolved.

Now add cardamom powder and mix once again. Add any nuts if you wish at this stage and mix well. I do not like any nuts or raisins in this cake, hence I have not added any. Keep aside.

Now take a pan and heat ghee. Add sugar and stir until it dissolves.

Immediately switch off the flame and pour this sugar mixture in the greased baking pan. This gives a caramalisation effect for this pitha poda. This also makes the cake so juicy unlike the normal cakes. Now add the chenna mixture and bake at 170 degrees centigrade for 45 - 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. After baking, leave the cheesecake in the oven until it cools down completely. Once it comes to room temperature, invert the cake upside down onto a plate and cut into slices. Enjoy with family on the auspicious occasion of Mahasivarathri.

Ingredients

Milk 2l

Sugar 1 cup

Sooji 3 tbsp.

Cardamom powder 1/4 tsp

Nuts 2 tsp

Ghee to roast sugar 1 tsp

Curd 4 tbsp.

Sugar ( for caramelisation ) 1 tsp

Method

Curdle milk with the addition of curd at its boiling point.
Strain the curdled0 mixture to separate the whey. Do not throw the whey.
Take the chenna in a bowl and add sooji. Mix well until smooth.
Now add sugar and continue mixing until the sugar is well dissolved.
Add cardamom powder and nuts and mix. Keep aside.
Heat ghee in a pan and add sugar. Keep stirring until it dissolves.
Immediately, pour it in the greased pan and add the chenna mixture on it.
Bake at 170 degrees centigrade for 45 - 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Let the cake cool completely in the oven. Remove on cooling and invert and slice the cake into pieces.

Notes

Adding roasted sugar to the baking pan gives a lovely caramelising to the ricotta cheesecake. So do not skip on this step.
The cake mixture should be smooth and like that of the normal cake mixture. Add little whey if your cake mixture is very thick.
The original recipe calls for the addition of baking powder. But I did not feel the need of adding in my recipe. But if you wish, you can add 1/4 tsp of baking powder.

healthy banana oatmeal muffins with yogurt / quick and easy oatmeal muffins / banana oatmeal yogurt muffins

noreply@blogger.com (madhuriscuisine) — Wed, 7 Feb 2018 10:13:00 -0800

Healthy banana oatmeal muffins with yogurt / quick and easy oatmeal muffins / banana oatmeal yogurt muffins

Banana 🍌 and oats - very good and healthy combination of food. There are so many dishes that can be prepared with this combo. Today I am sharing a simple muffin recipe with this combo of bananas and oatmeal.

I had some over ripe bananas which my kids never dared to touch. So I had to use them in some preparation. I have already posted some recipes with over ripe banana like banana Choco bread 🍞, banana appalu. I wanted to prepare a banana walnut loaf bread with these over ripe bananas, but changed my mind and went ahead with these healthy banana muffins with yogurt.

These moist banana oatmeal muffins were so tasty 😋 that my man 👨 and kids loved them a lot. I also packed these tiny banana cupcakes for their snack break as well. These were loved by their friends as well. There is a secret ingredient added to this muffin recipe which might have contributed to that amazing taste.

The secret ingredient is sugarcane juice. Yes, you heard it right. I have added sugarcane juice to these muffins. But, if you do not have it handy, then you can substitute it with maple 🍁 syrup. You can check my recipe to extract juice from the sugarcane at home. The other main ingredient that goes into the preparation of this egg free banana muffins is Greek yogurt. So these muffins are so healthy considering the fact that Greek yoghurt, bananas, sugarcane juice and oats are very good for health.
These breakfast banana muffins are soft, moist and delicious 😋. They can be had as such for breakfast, brunch or as an evening snack. Kids or elders who are hesitant to eat oats will love ❤ this muffin as they cannot even hint that they are made with oats.

You can also check my other bakes which are very healthy and nutritious

Chocolate oatmeal cake

Finger millet carrot cake

Whole wheat ginger cake

Eggless whole wheat pumpkin cake

Whole wheat banana chocolate cake

Preparation

Powder sugar and jaggery separately one after the other and keep aside. Similarly, make a fine powder of oats and sieve it through a fine strainer. Set aside. Mash the banana well with your hands or use the blender to make a smooth pulp without any pieces or lumps in it. Keep aside. Now take all the dry ingredients namely oat flour, maida, flax seed powder, salt, cinnamon powder, baking powder and baking soda in a bowl.

Take yoghurt in another bowl and add the banana puree.

Mix well and add olive oil.

Give a nice mix and add the sugarcane juice and vanilla essence. Mix well until combined.

Now add the powdered jaggery and sugar and whisk well until it is all mixed up completely.

Now add the dry ingredients mixture little by little. Mix well until incorporated. Do not over mix.

Pour into greased muffin tray or cups. Garnish with sliced pistachios or raisins or any other nuts of your choice. Bake at 180 degrees Centigrade for 30 - 40 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in the centre of the muffin comes out clean. Allow it to cool completely before removing them from the tray or cups.

Ingredients

Jaggery powder 1/2 cup
Sugar 1/4 cup ( powder it )

Dry Ingredients

Oat flour 1 3/4 cup
Maida 1/2 cup
Baking powder 1 tsp
Baking soda 1/2 tsp
Salt big pinch
Cinnamon powder 3/4 tsp
Flax seed powder 1 tbsp.

Wet Ingredients

Mashed bananas 1 1/2 cups ( about 3 bananas )
Sugarcane juice 1/4 cup
Olive oil 3/4 cup
Vanilla essence 1 tsp
Greek yoghurt 1/2 cup

Method

Powder the sugar and jaggery separately and keep aside. Powder the oats into fine flour and sieve. Keep aside.
Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
Take the wet ingredients namely yoghurt, mashed bananas, vanilla essence, olive oil, sugar cane juice one after the other and mix nicely until everything is combined.
Add jaggery powder and sugar powder and mix again.
Now add the dry ingredients slowly little by little stirring well after each addition.
Pour into greased muffin moulds or cups and top with nuts, raisins, dates or cherries 🍒.
Bake at 180 degrees Centigrade for 30 - 40 minutes or until done.
Cool completely before removing from the muffin tray.

Notes

Do not overmix the batter after adding the dry ingredients.

The original recipe calls for maple 🍁 syrup in place of sugar cane juice.
You can top the muffins with any nuts or dates of your desire or a combo of any of these.
You could also use whole wheat flour instead of oat flour.
Make sure that you puree the bananas well without any pieces in it. You can grind it in a mixie to get it right.
You can substitute cinnamon powder with cardamom powder if you like the flavour of the latter.

Juicing Sugarcane / Sugarcane Juice Recipe / Sugarcane Recipes

noreply@blogger.com (madhuriscuisine) — Sun, 4 Feb 2018 23:41:00 -0800

Juicing Sugarcane / Sugarcane Juice Recipe / Sugarcane Recipes

Today's recipe is made with another seasonal ingredient - sugar cane. The markets and shops are full of sugarcane sticks during pongal and the following month. This year my mom in law made the famous sweet pongal dish with this sugarcane. It tasted awesome. I did plan to post the same but as told earlier, I was very busy to capture and update. But I sure would do the same in the coming posts one day.

But for today, it's the sugarcane juice. Everybody I feel loves this sugarcane juice. My kids love ❤ this juice and they also love chewing the pieces as well. I make it a point to see that they eat the seasonal foods which are said to be loaded with nutrition and health thereby increasing the immunity in them.
This sugarcane juice is so very easy to prepare with no additional ingredients at all. Just peel the skin, chop into small pieces and put them in blender to extract the juice. So lets start off.

Preparation

Peel the skin of the sugarcane sticks with the help of a knife 🔪.

Then chop into small pieces removing the pieces that are hard in between.

Put these pieces in a blender ( mixie ) with little water. Add little water just enough to run the mixie jar. If you add too much water, then the juice will get diluted and will lose its sweetness.

Mixie well and strain the juice using a filter. Squeeze the pulp with your hands in the filter.

Repeat the process until you are done with all the pieces.

Add lemon juice if desired with some ice cubes and enjoy this drink with your family and friends.

Ingredients

Sugarcane 1/2 a stick

Method

Peel the skin of the sugarcane with knife.
Chop into small pieces.
Put in a mixie jar and mixie with little water.
Filter the juice and squeeze the pulp with your hands.
Add lemon juice and ice cubes according to your liking and serve.

Notes

Do not add too much water while grinding in the mixie. Just add enough water to run the mixie.
I served plain juice as my kids prefer it that way.

how to cook cauliflower indian style / gobi kurma curry / cauliflower recipes for rice or roti /

noreply@blogger.com (madhuriscuisine) — Fri, 2 Feb 2018 09:50:00 -0800

Cauliflower Gravy Curry / Cauliflower Kurma Curry / Gobi Curry for rice or roti

This is the season for fresh and cheap veggies. All the veggies are so fresh and they are available in such cheap prices that whenever I visit the Santhe here, I tend to buy all veggies which are way too much for a family of four. I get really tempted to buy fresh and seasonal veggies which are available only in some seasons. Cauliflower is one such veggie which is available in different sizes especially during the winter season. On one such Sunday, I found the local market filled with cauliflowers ( so fresh ) that I couldn´t resist myself from purchasing four cauliflowers.

My family loves cauliflower in any way - cauliflower green peas fry, gravy, kurma etc,. I also add small pieces of cauliflower in upmas as well. They simply love the addition of cauliflower in basically anything. Since I had many cauliflowers at hand, I thought of preparing cauliflower kurma recipe. This is an Indian style of cooking cauliflower which is very easy to make with simple ingredients.

This cauliflower gravy or gobi curry is a perfect side dish for many varieties - chapathi, roti, naan, dosa, rice, pulav or any other mildly flavoured rice variety. This kurma curry was so much loved by my kids. This is indeed a spicy curry, but I have reduced the spice to suit my kids taste buds. All the spice lovers out there can increase the spice according to your liking.

The secret to such an immense flavour and aroma to this cauliflower curry lies in the list of the ingredients that go into the preparation of the masala ( gravy ). Each ingredient blends so well with the others making it an ultimate combo that suits very well with the cooked and roasted cauliflower florets. Needless to mention, this is yet another healthy food recipe that has been added to this blog . I hope each one of you will prepare this spicy and flavourful curry and enjoy with your family.

You can also view my Mixed Vegetable Curry which tastes amazing with chapathi or naan.

Preparation

Separate the cauliflower into small florets and wash carefully. Make sure that you remove all the insects if any. Cook these florets in water until they change their colour slightly and become a little softer.

While the florets are getting cooked, we will prepare the masala. Grind onion, garlic, ginger, cashew, poppy seeds, cloves, dalchin, coconut pieces and cardamom in a mixie to a smooth paste. Keep aside.

Now if the florets are done, switch off the flame and drain the water.

Do not throw away the water. We are going to use this water for the preparation of this gobi kurma. Keep the cooked pieces in a colander. Take a pan and heat 1 tbsp. of oil in it. Add the cooked cauliflower florets and let them get roasted for a while. Keep stirring occasionally.

Once they are roasted, transfer to another plate and set aside. In the same pan, add remaining oil and add cumin seeds.

When they splutter, add turmeric powder and add the ground masala.

Add salt and mix well and allow it cook on a low flame until the masala releases the oil on the sides. While this is getting cooked, prepare the tomato puree and keep aside.

Once the masala releases oil on the sides, add the tomato puree and mix well.

Add coriander powder and chilli powder and cook covered on a low flame ....

....until you see oil floating on the top of the gravy.

Now add water and add the roasted cauliflower florets and mix.

Add milk and cook for some more time.

Check for salt and spice and switch off the flame.

Serve hot after garnishing with cream and coriander leaves.

Ingredients

Cauliflower 2 ( small ) Or 6 cups of florets

Chilli powder 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Coriander leaves to garnish

Oil 3 tbsp

Tomatoes 2 ( small )

Cumin seeds 1 tsp

Turmeric 1 tsp

Coriander powder 1 1/2 tsp

Milk 1/2 cup

To Grind

Onion 2 ( diced )

Cashew 1/4 cup

Garlic 6

Ginger 1"piece

Poppy seeds 3 tsp

Cloves 4

Dalchin 1"piece

Coconut 3 tbsp ( finely chopped )

Cardamom 2

Method

Wash the florets, blanch and keep aside.
Heat 1 tbsp. of oil in a pan and fry the florets. Transfer to a plate and keep aside.
Grind all the ingredients that are mentioned under ´´ To Grind ´´ and prepare the masala.
Heat remaining oil in a pan and add cumin seeds and turmeric powder.
When the cumin seeds crackle, add the ground masala and salt and mix well.
Cook on a low flame until the oil releases from the sides.
Now add the tomato puree, chilli powder and coriander powder and mix well. Cook covered on a low flame until the oil starts floating on top of the gravy.
Now add some water, fried cauliflower florets and milk. Mix well.
Check for salt and spice and cook for a few more minutes.
Garnish with coriander leaves and cream and serve hot with rice, roti, chapathi, dosa or any other flavored rice.

Notes

You can increase or decrease the amount of spice as per your desire.
Adding milk is optional but it gives a richness to the curry.
Other veggies like green peas, beans, potatoes can also be added to this kurma curry.

Freezing Green Peas / Best Frozen Peas / How to Freeze Green Peas At Home / Homemade Frozen Green Peas

noreply@blogger.com (madhuriscuisine) — Tue, 30 Jan 2018 08:19:00 -0800

Freezing Green Peas / Best Frozen Peas / How to Freeze Green Peas At Home / Homemade Frozen Green Peas

Hey friends, I was so busy the whole of last month since Christmas. The visit of my in laws, the festive season of Pongal and my man's birthday 🎂 kept me away from updating this blog. But I am back with more energy, enthusiasm and of course interesting recipes.
Today's recipe is very useful to make our lives easy and hassle free. This is the recipe to prepare homemade frozen green peas. Everybody loves green peas but we all know that they are seasonal. Using this method we can store green peas for almost a year and enjoy this seasonal veggie for the whole of the year. Though frozen peas are easily available in the market, I prefer to make them at home for three main reasons. Firstly, I have the option to choose the best green peas and remove any rotten ones. Secondly, they are more economical when compared to the store bought ones. Lastly, they are more hygienic when prepared at home.

To get perfect frozen peas, you need to select the fresh ones which are neither under ripe nor over ripe. The under ripe peas are the ones which are small in size and are very tender. The over ripe peas are fuller and are lighter in colour when compared with the just ripe green peas. The over ripe peas are bitter in taste while the just ripe peas are sweet in taste and soft on cooking. Here in this recipe, we are going to blanch the green peas and freeze them for a long time. Blanching is very important to freeze the peas, else they will ripe even in cold temperatures. Blanching the peas will stop them from ripening and retaining their sweet taste for a long time to come.

I had this recipe in my drafts folder since last year, but unfortunately I could not get fresh green peas. So this year, I made it a point to get to the local market which is called Santha that is held every Sunday near my place. I indeed was lucky 🍀 enough to lay my hands on the best green peas that were fresh from the farm. Now straight to the recipe.

Preparation

Separate the green peas from their pods. This task might eat your time, but its worth the effort. You can do this while watching any of your favourite TV 📺 show to save your time. Wash the peas and keep them aside. Put a container of water on full flame and bring it to a boil.

Add the washed peas when the water is boiling. Continue to cook on high flame until the water starts to boil again.

When the water starts to boil again, set the timer to 1 1/2 minutes ( 90 seconds ). Once the timer stops switch off the flame immediately.

By this time, all the peas would be floating on the water.

Now quickly strain the water from the peas using a colander and put it under running cold water until the peas come to room temperature.

You can also pour some ice cubes or ice cold water in the green peas to stop the cooking process. Once they are cooled, dry them on a clean kitchen cloth or a cotton cloth ...

......until there is no moisture left on the peas.

Now, you can pack them in zipper bags or freezer safe containers and store them in your freezer shelf.

Use them when necessary. Just thaw them before using or keep the required amount of peas at room temperature for half an hour before using in your preparation. I follow the second method.

Ingredients

Green peas 1 kg
Water 1 1/2 litres

Method

Discard the pods from the seeds and wash the peas and keep aside.
Bring a big bowl of water to a boil on a high flame.
Add the peas when the water is boiling and cook on a high flame until it starts boiling again.
Set the timer to 1 1/2 minutes and switch it on the moment the water starts boiling again.
Switch off the flame as soon as the timer is stopped and drain the water using a colander.
Add some ice cold water or ice cubes or put it under cold running water to stop the cooking process.
When the peas are cooled, dry them on a clean kitchen cloth until there is no moisture left on them.
Transfer these dried blanched peas to zipper bags or freezer safe containers and freeze them until use.
These frozen peas stay good for months to come.

Notes

Make sure that you are using a wide and big bowl for blanching the peas. There should be enough space for the peas to cook else they will not get cooked properly.
The process of cooking should be stopped as soon as possible after the timer has ran out, otherwise the peas cook further because of the warmth and will become mushy for later use.
You can also label these packs of frozen peas with their respective dates of preparation for future reference.
Do not cook for more than the given time i.e. 1 1/2 minutes ( 90 seconds ).
Whenever you want to use them, just keep the required quantity of frozen peas at room temperature for half an hour and then your peas are ready to be used in any recipe.
You need not cook these frozen peas for a long time in any recipe. Just add them at the end of the recipe i.e. just 5-10 minutes before switching off the flame and you will be done.

Easy vanilla cake recipe from scratch / Vanilla sponge cake /

noreply@blogger.com (madhuriscuisine) — Thu, 21 Dec 2017 06:22:00 -0800

Tasty Sponge Cake Recipe / Homemade Vanilla Cake / Easy Vanilla Cake Recipe from Scratch / Butter Sponge Cake

I have posted many cakes in my blog all of which are very healthy. All of them were a huge hit especially with my kids. This is my first sinful cake prepared with plain flour ( Maida Or all-purpose flour ) and full of butter. I felt so guilty while preparing this tasty sponge cake but it has been made for the special occasion of Christmas. I wish all my readers a very merry X-Mas and a very happy new year.

This egg sponge cake is a quick and easy vanilla cake. This cake can be prepared in a jiffy without much ingredients. This easy homemade cake is made with butter, icing sugar, eggs and plain flour. I have used icing sugar instead of normal sugar giving it an extra punch. The homemade butter that I used in this preparation gave it a delicious taste which my kids loved a lot. They had 2 big pieces in a shot leaving very small pieces for me and my in laws.

The texture of this homemade vanilla cake was so soft and spongy. There is no requirement for any icing for this cake. It can be had as such unless you are preparing it for birthdays. This is just like any other store bought cake prepared with homemade ingredients. This is the easiest vanilla cake recipe that has been made from scratch. The icing sugar was also homemade. I have prepared icing sugar all by myself in my mixer jar. I will be posting that recipe so soon, but just for my readers, I am giving out the details. Take 100g of sugar and 15g of corn flour. Grind in a mixer and your icing sugar is ready to be used for frosting or for cakes. You can also use store bought icing sugar.

You can also view my other healthy cake recipes :

Healthy Vegan Chocolate Cake

Carrot cake recipe with finger millet flour

Ginger bread recipe with wheat flour

Pumpkin bread with wheat flour

Banana Choco cake with wheat flour

Preparation

Sieve flour, baking powder and baking soda and keep aside. Take butter at room temperature. Whisk using a normal whisk or an electric hand blender. I have taken the help of the latter. Sometimes the butter tends to curdle. But do not panic. It is all ok and proceed with the remaining process of preparing the cake.

Add the icing sugar and beat again.

Whisk until it becomes creamy. Add the eggs and beat once again until it gets well mixed.

It took almost 15 minutes for me to beat using the hand blender. Add vanilla essence and gently mix in the batter.

Now gradually add the flour and mix with a ladle in one direction until the flour is mixed well with the butter batter.

Mix until all the flour is used up. The resulting batter will be thick. Pour into a greased tin and tap well so that the air bubbles if any will be released and will fluff up evenly. You can garnish the cake with any dry fruits of your choice.

Bake at 180 degrees Centigrade for 30 minutes or until a knife or toothpick inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean. After baking, switch off the oven and leave the cake in the oven for 15-20 minutes. After removing the cake out of the oven, allow it to cool completely before taking it out of the cake pan. Once completely cool, invert the cake pan and gently tap on the base. Cut into pieces and serve with or without frosting.

Ingredients

Maida 1 cup

Butter 1 cup

Icing Sugar 1 cup

Vanilla essence 1/2 tsp.

Eggs 2

Baking powder 1/2 tsp.

Baking soda 1 /2 tsp.

Ghee to grease the cake pan

Method

Sieve flour, baking powder and baking soda and keep aside.
Take butter at room temperature and beast well with a whisk.
Add icing sugar and whisk with an electric hand blender or with a whisk manually until the batter becomes creamy.
Add vanilla essence and mix once.
Now add flour gradually and mix in a single direction with a ladle until all the flour is used up.
Pour in a greased cake pan and tap well on the platform.
Bake at 180 degrees Centigrade for 20 - 30 minutes or until a knife inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean.

Notes

Always grease the cake pan with ghee and dust with flour. Dusting with flour helps in removing the cake easily after baking. You can also use the butter paper.
Bake a cake at 180 degrees Centigrade and keep an eye after 20 minutes. Any cake tends to bake fast depending on the size of the cake pan and the position where you place the cake in the oven ( middle, lower or higher ).
If you feel that the cake is burning on the top but is not done in the centre, then cover the cake with an aluminium foil.
You can decorate the cake with any dry fruits ( cashews, dates, cherries, etc., ).

I once again wish all my readers a merry X-Mas and a very happy new year.

How to make pumpkin halwa / Kaddu Ka Halwa / Pumpkin Halwa Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (madhuriscuisine) — Sat, 16 Dec 2017 04:13:00 -0800

How to make pumpkin halwa / Pumpkin Halwa Recipe / Pumpkin Halwa Recipe Step by Step / Kaddu Ka Halwa

Hurrayyyyyy!....this is my hundredth post in my blog. Successfully completed 99 posts in my blog. All of them are mostly healthy, tasty and delicious. All the recipes are tried and tested in my kitchen. My biggest critics are my husband and daughter. They are big foodies and love tasty food.

On the occasion of my hundredth post, I initially thought of posting a simple and delicious cake, but I wanted to post some dessert which is healthy. So I changed my mind to post sweet pumpkin halwa. And I have reserved the cake recipe for the upcoming Christmas season.

This pumpkin ka halwa is very delicious. It is a lip smacking dessert or sweet dish that my daughter loved it to the core. Soft, sweet and rich halwa that is prepared with grated pumpkin is a perfect treat for any occasion. Be it for Prasadam, festive occasion or any get-together, it suits all the occasions. It is also very easy to prepare in minutes with not much of preparation. So let's go ahead and prepare this lip smacking easy sweet dish and serve our family and guests.

Preparation

Heat ghee in a pan, preferably non stick pan.

Fry broken or whole cashews in the ghee until light brown in colour.

Remove the fried cashews to another plate. Add raisins in the remaining ghee and saute until they puff up.

Remove to a plate and add the grated pumpkin in the remaining ghee.

Sauté for 3-4 minutes and add milk.

Mix well and cover with a lid. Cook on a low flame until the pumpkin becomes soft.

Add sugar and mix well.

Now cook uncovered until the sugar is completely dissolved. When all the water is absorbed and the halwa thickens, add the roasted cashews and raisins and mix well.

Finish off with cardamom powder and pepper powder and switch off the flame.

Mix well and serve warm or chilled. In both ways, it tastes great. You can also garnish with pumpkin seeds to get an extra nutty flavour.

Ingredients

Pumpkin 3 cups ( grated )

Ghee 2 tbsp

Cashews Few

Raisins Few

Milk 1 1/2 cups

Sugar 1 cup

Cardamom powder 1 big pinch

Pepper Powder 1 pinch

Pumpkin seeds to garnish

Method

Grate pumpkin and keep aside.
Heat ghee in a pan and roast the cashews and raisins. Remove to another plate.
Add the grated pumpkin in the remaining ghee and saute for 3-4 minutes.
Add milk and cook covered until the pumpkin becomes soft.
Add the sugar and cook uncovered until the sugar dissolves completely.
Cook until the water is completely evaporated and the residue thickens.
Add the roasted dry fruits and cardamom powder and pepper powder.
Mix well and switch off the flame.
Garnish with extra dry fruits or pumpkin seeds.
Serve warm or chilled as per your desire.

Notes

You can add other dry fruits like almonds, dates and pistachios as per your choice.
Adding milk is optional. You can also add water and prepare this pumpkin halwa. Addition of milk gives richness to the dessert and tastes awesome. You can also add more milk if you want it more rich. Some people also add khova to give an extra richness.
In the similar way, we can also prepare lauki ki halwa and other amazing sweets which I will be posting very soon. So be tuned, my friends.
After you add sugar, it releases more water but do not panic. Cook until all the water is evaporated.

Beerakaya Chutney / Beerakaya Tokka Chutney / Dodka Recipes / Turai skin recipes

noreply@blogger.com (madhuriscuisine) — Wed, 13 Dec 2017 01:17:00 -0800

Beerakaya Chutney / Beerakaya Tokka Chutney / Dodka Recipes / Turai skin recipes

Today´s recipe is a dish that can be prepared on a daily basis. Beerakaya tokka pachchadi is prepared with the tender skin of the beerakaya. Beerakaya is also known as ridge gourd in English, Turia in Hindi, Peerakangai in Tamil and Heerakayi in Kannada. Whatever be the name, I simply love this veggie because of its sweetened taste. I generally prepare simple fry with this versatile veggie which is loved by my family. I have already posted Gutti Beerakaya Kura which is a semi gravy masala curry. My daughter just loved this currry.

Today´s recipe is ridge gourd skin chutney is prepared with the tender skin of the ridge gourd. This is one of the traditional recipes that was followed by our mothers and grandmothers. The skin is rich in vitamins and minerals and low in calories. The addition of lentils make it all the more healthy giving the dish a lovely nutty taste.

This ridge gourd skin chutney goes well with hot rice and a dollop of ghee or with any South Indian breakfast. I love this with rice. Just mix this with hot rice. If you want the rice spicy then there is no need to add ghee, but if you do not like spicy, then add little ghee. Even your kids will enjoy this awesome dish.

You can also view my other chutney recipes :

murungai keerai podi

sesame chutney

coconut chutney

Preparation

Peel the skin and wash it. Keep aside. Heat oil in a pan.

Once the oil is hot, add garlic pods.

Once they turn golden brown in colour, add slit green chillies and cumin seeds.

When the cumin seeds splutter, add peanuts, moong dal and channa dal.

Fry them in oil until the lentils turn golden brown in colour. Transfer to another plate. Now in the same pan, add the washed skin of the ridge gourd, salt and cook covered until the peel becomes soft.

Also add sesame seeds at the time of adding the peels. Remove from flame once the peel is cooked. Allow it to cool. Add tamarind and grind all the lentils and the peel together to a coarse paste.

Do not too much water while grinding. If you add too much water, then the chutney will become watery and will not go well with rice. Grind to a coarse paste and do the tempering with mustard seeds, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, red chillies and curry leaves. This tempering is optional. The chutney will taste good even if you skip the tempering part. Enjoy with hot rice.

Ingredients

Ridge gourd Peel Peel of 3 ridge gourd ( OR ) 2 cups

Oil 1 tbsp

Garlic 3 pods

Green chillies 5-6

Cumin seeds 1 tsp

Peanuts 2 tbsp

Moong dal 2 tbsp

Channa Dal 2 tbsp

Salt to taste

Tamarind small lemon size

Sesame seeds 2 tbsp

For tempering

Oil 1 tsp

Mustard seeds 1tsp

Cumin seeds 1/2 tsp

Fenugreek seeds 1/4 tsp

Red chillies 2

Curry leaves few sprigs

Method

Peel the skin of the ridge gourd and wash the peel. Keep aside.
Heat oil in a pan and add garlic pods.
When the garlic pods become light brown in colour, add cumin seeds and green chillies.
When the cumin seeds crackle, add all the lentils namely, peanuts, moong dal and channa dal.
When the lentils change colour, transfer to another plate.
In the same pan, add the peel and salt and cook covered.
Cook on a low flame until the peel is soft and cooked.
Once this mixture is cool, add sesame seeds and tamarind and grind all the ingredients together along with the lentils in a mixie. Grind to a coarse paste without adding too much water.
Do the tempering with mustard seeds, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, curry leaves and red chillies and pour it on the chutney.
Serve with hot rice or any Indian breakfast dish.

Notes

You can increase or decrease the quantity of lentils according to your taste and liking.
You can also increase or decrease the amount of spice by adding more or less green chillies.
The tempering is not quite essential but it is good for presentation.
You can also add chunks of ridge gourd vegetable to this chutney.

how to cook chayote vegetable / Kootu Recipes

noreply@blogger.com (madhuriscuisine) — Sat, 9 Dec 2017 08:09:00 -0800

how to cook chayote vegetable / Chow chow Kootu / Kootu Recipes

Kootu is a traditional dish which can be prepared with any kind of vegetables mixed with lentils. It can also be referred to as a stew which is of semi gravy consistency. Kootu is a Tamilnadu dish which is popular all over India especially in South India.

Today´s recipe is a kootu dish prepared with chow chow. Chow chow is also known a Chayote squash in English. There are different names in different languages for this veggie. In Hindi, it is known as Ishkus, in Tamil - Seemai Kathirikai, in Kannada - Seeme Badanekayi and in Telugu - Bangalore Vankaya or Seema Vankaya.

This chayote ( chow chow ) belongs to the squash or gourd family and is very low in calories. It is rich in fiber, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. It is also very rich in Folate Vitamin. This is a versatile veggie that can be used in the preparation of dry curries, gravy curries, sambar and kootu.

Today´s recipe is chow chow kootu. This kootu is a perfect combo for roti or chapathi. This also goes well with plain rice. The addition of lentils like channa dal and moong dal makes it a wholesome dish which is very healthy.

Preparation

Peel the skin of the chow chow and discard the inner seed. Chop them into small bite sized pieces. Keep aside. Grind roasted channa dal, green chillies, ginger, garlic, cumin seeds and coconut to a coarse paste.

Add diced tomatoes and grind once again to make a smooth paste.

Keep this paste aside.

Heat a pressure cooker and add oil. Once the oil is hot, add mustard seeds and cumin seeds.

When they splutter, add chopped onions and sauté until they become translucent.

Add turmeric powder and mix.

Now add the ground paste and mix well. Add salt and sugar.

To this, add the chopped chow chow pieces, washed lentils ( channa dal and moong dal ) and sambar masala powder.

Mix well and add little water sufficient to cook the chow chow and the lentils.

Check for seasoning and cook with the lid on. Cook for 3-4 whistles and switch off the flame. Serve hot with roti, chapathi or rice.

Ingredients

Chow chow 3 ( medium sized )

Onion 1

Cumin Seeds 1/2 tsp

Oil 2 tbsp.

Mustard seeds 1/2 tsp

Salt to taste

Sambar masala 1tsp

Moong dal 1/4 cup

Channa dal 1/4 cup

Sugar 1 tsp

To grind

Coconut 2 tbsp.

Garlic 5 pods

Ginger 1" piece

Green chillies 3

Cumin seeds 1/2 tsp

Roasted channa dal 2 tbsp.

Method

Grind all the ingredients given under to grind list. Keep aside.
Heat oil in a pressure pan and add mustard and cumin seeds.
When they splutter, add onion and sauté until pink in colour.
Add turmeric powder, the ground masala paste, salt and sugar.
Mix well and add the chopped chow chow pieces, washed lentils and sambar masala powder.
Mix well and add enough water to cook the lentils and veggies.
Cover with the lid and cook for 3-4 whistles.
Serve hot with rice or roti.

Notes

You can skip the roasted channa dal but it gives a nice thickness to the kootu.
Sambar masala gives a unique flavour to the curry. If you do not have that handy, simply add little Garam masala powder, coriander powder and cumin powder.
You can skip the green chillies during grinding and add chilli powder while cooking to get a nice red colour to the kootu. Or you could also add dry red chillies while grinding.
I have washed the lentils before adding to the curry.

mango ginger pickle / pickled ginger

noreply@blogger.com (madhuriscuisine) — Tue, 5 Dec 2017 00:50:00 -0800

Mango Ginger Pickle / Ginger Pickle / Pickled Ginger / Andhra Pickles

Mango ginger pickle is also popularly known as maa inji pickle in the Tamil state of Tamil Nadu. This is my fourth recipe for pickles after the famous Gongura Pickle , the instant tomato pickle and the amla pickled with salt water. All of them were a huge success in my house. Today, I have come up with a new pickle recipe that is prepared with mango ginger. In Telugu, we call it as Maamidi Allam. This maa inji is so very nice and is very peculiar. It has a strong aroma and flavour of mango with taste similar to that of ginger. But not as strong as the original ginger. You can easily bite into this mango ginger piece and can eat it like a mango.

As I was slicing this maamidi allam, my daughter got the aroma of mango and mistook it to be a piece of mango. She happily chewed it and found it amazing. It was really good. This mango ginger, scientifically known as Curcuma amada is said to be used in the preparation of many Ayurvedic medicines. It is also considered to be an appetizer and is also very helpful in ailing any skin diseases and itching.

This pickled ginger is a very popular south Indian pickle especially in the states of Tamilnadu and Andhra Pradesh. The preparation of this pickle is so very easy and simple. This puli inji pickle is one of the easiest pickles that can be made by even a beginner. I would rather call it an appetizer or a mouth freshener than pickle. This is an instant pickle which can be immediately taken after preparing without any waiting. The ingredients that go into this dish is also very commonly available in our kitchens.

The pickle has got a very lovely taste. I cannot call it a too spicy pickle but it has got its own unique taste. It is a mouth watering pickle which leaves your mouth with water even as you smell it. As you bite into the piece, you will think that it is a mango piece which is tempered with ginger. Unless you say, it is made with mango ginger, nobody will believe it.

Preparation

Peel the skin of the ginger with a spoon or a knife.

Chop them into small pieces or into thin circles. Squeeze the juice of a lemon into the chopped mango ginger pieces.

Add the chopped green chillies, salt, ......

.......cumin powder and black pepper powder.

Mix this well and store in an airtight container.

Keep refrigerated and enjoy when needed. It is generally served with curd rice or any dal. But I like to have it as an appetizer before lunch or as a mouth freshener as and when I feel like.

Ingredients

Mango Ginger 1 cup ( chopped )

Lemon 1 ( Juice of 1 lemon - medium sized )

Salt 1 tsp ( increase or decrease by 1/4 tsp according to your taste )

Black pepper powder 1 tsp

Cumin powder 1 tsp

Green chillies 3

Method

Peel the skin of the mango ginger and chop them into pieces or circles. Take these pieces in a container.
Add lemon juice, chopped green chillies, salt, cumin powder and black pepper powder in the pieces.
Mix well and store in an airtight container.
Keep refrigerated and use when required.

Notes

Adding cumin powder is optional, but it gives a very nice taste to the dish. It is also good for digestion.
This pickled ginger tastes best when used after 1 day. The ginger pieces absorb all the juices and spices and taste awesome after a day.

Snake Gourd Poriyal / Pudalangai Recipes / Snake Gourd

noreply@blogger.com (madhuriscuisine) — Sat, 2 Dec 2017 07:22:00 -0800

Snake Gourd Poriyal / Pudalangai Recipes / Snake Gourd

Snake gourd Poriyal is a simple yet delicious dish that can be prepared in minutes. Snake gourd is also known as potlakaya in Telugu and pudalangai in Tamil. It is known for its numerous health benefits. They contain very high amounts of nutrients, vitamins and minerals which also include significant levels of dietary fibres. They are low in calories and are also rich in proteins.

I have previously shared the snake gourd sesame seeds curry which is an excellent side dish for roti or chapathi. Snake gourd poriyal or potlakaya fry ( in telugu ) is a dry curry which is perfect to go with rice and sambar or rasam. Since this healthy curry recipe is mildly spiced, it is a best combo to go with spicy and tangy dishes like thotakura pappu ( amaranth dal ), spinach dal, Chukka Kura Pappu and bendakaya pulusu ( ladies finger stew ). …….

Preparation

Remove the white portion on the skin of the snake gourd and cut in vertical pieces. Discard the inner pulp along with the seeds and chop the remaining portion into small pieces. Keep aside. Heat oil in a pan and do the tempering with mustard, cumin and red chillies.

When the seeds crackle, add the chopped onions and sauté for a minute.

Add the turmeric powder ......

..... and the chopped snake gourd pieces and mix well.

Add salt and sugar, mix and cook covered ......

..... until the pieces are soft and tender. Keep stirring occasionally.

Once the snake gourd pieces are cooked , add the grated coconut.

Add little chilli powder, flax seed powder and mix well.

Cook for 2-3 minutes. Check for seasoning and switch off the flame. Serve hot as an accompaniment with rice.

Ingredients

Snake gourd 2 ( big )

Oil 1 tbsp

Mustard seeds 1/2 tsp

Cumin seeds 1 tsp

Red chillies 1 Or 2

Onions 1 small

Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp

Salt to taste

Sugar 1 tsp

Grated Coconut few tbsps

Chilli powder 1/2 tsp

Flax seeds powder 1 tsp

Method

Heat oil in a pan and do the tempering with mustard, cumin seeds and dry red chillies.
Add onion and cook until pink in colour.
Add the turmeric powder and chopped snake gourd pieces and mix well.
Add salt and sugar and cook covered until the pieces become soft, ( stirring occasionally ).
Once cooked, add grated coconut and mix well. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
Add little chilli powder, flax seeds powder and cook for another minute.
Switch off the flame and serve hot with rice.

Notes

Adding flax seed powder is optional. But it gives a nutty flavour and also very good health wise.
You can add any kind of lentils during tempering.
You can skip the onions to make it a no onion and no garlic version of the curry.

baby potato fry / spicy baby potato / roasted baby potato

noreply@blogger.com (madhuriscuisine) — Wed, 29 Nov 2017 08:53:00 -0800

Spicy Baby Potatoes / Boiled and Roasted Baby Potatoes / Baby Potato Fry

Baby potato fry is one spicy curry that stands as a perfect combination for anything. Be it rice, dal, roti or chapati. These small potatoes are so well coated with Indian spices that they taste so good and can be had as a finger snack ( appetizer ) as well. I have served this curry as a side to go with spinach dal and rice.

I have used my own green onions ( spring onions ) that were in my small garden. They were so tender and flavorful that I simply loved them. Previously I have prepared the spring onion fry which was also made with my garden-grown ulli kaadalu.

The pressure cooked potatoes are tempered and coated with special Indian spices. The main secret in the preparation of this dry curry lies in the masalas that go into it. I have put in all the masalas that I had at hand to get this awesome spicy baby potato curry.

Preparation

Pressure cook baby potatoes for 2-3 whistles. Let the pressure cool. Peel the skin of the potatoes and keep aside. Heat a pan and add oil. When the oil is hot, add mustard seeds and cumin seeds.

When they splutter, add a few peanuts and sauté until you find some brown patches on them.

Now put in the curry leaves and red chillies.

Fry for a minute and add the diced onions.

When they become translucent, add the ginger garlic paste and sauté until the onions turn light brown in colour.

Reduce the flame to the lowest level possible and all the dry masalas - cumin powder, coriander powder, black pepper powder, Garam masala powder, biryani masala powder, turmeric and chilli powder.

Make sure that you do not burn these spices. If you doubt that they might get burnt, then switch off the flame, add all the masalas, mix well and return the pan to flame. Else you can also mix all the masalas in a bowl before starting the preparation of this curry. Just add this bowl of masalas when the onions are sautéed. Mix this combination of masalas with the onions well and sauté for another minute.

Finally add the peeled potatoes and toss them such that the potatoes are nicely coated with the masala.

Add the spring onions and cook covered for 4-5 minutes.

Check for seasoning and switch off the flame. Serve as a side dish for either rice 🍚 or roti.

Ingredients

Baby potatoes 1/2 kg Or 25 potatoes ( approx. )
Onions 2 ( small sized )
Mustard seeds 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds 1 tsp
Salt to taste

Spices

Cumin powder 1 tsp
Coriander powder 2 tsp
Garam masala powder 1 tsp
Chilli powder 1 tsp
Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
Biryani masala powder 1/2 tsp
Black pepper powder 1/2 tsp

Method

Cook baby potatoes in a pressure cooker and peel the skin of the potatoes.

Heat oil in a pan and do the tempering with mustard seeds, cumin seeds, peanuts, red chillies and curry leaves.
Add the chopped onions and sauté until they are brown in colour.
Add all the spices ( masalas ) that are mentioned in the spices list given above. Make sure that you don't burn the spices. Mix well.
Now add the baby potatoes and toss them well to coat them with the spices.
Add the chopped spring onion. Check for seasoning.
Cook for another 2-3 minutes and switch off the flame.

Notes

Do not miss out on the spices that are mentioned above.
You can also add a big pinch of dried mint powder and aamchur powder to enhance the flavour and give a little sourness to the curry.
The addition of peanuts is purely optional. You can also add some cashews instead of peanuts.

Chocolate Oatmeal Cake Recipe / Healthy oatmeal muffins / Healthy Vegan chocolate cake

noreply@blogger.com (madhuriscuisine) — Fri, 17 Nov 2017 00:13:00 -0800

Chocolate Oatmeal Cake Recipe / Healthy oatmeal muffins / Healthy vegan chocolate cake

Todays recipe is specially made for the livogen iron chef contest. This contest is about recipes that are rich in iron. I did submit some of the recipes like Sheer Khurma , Pumpkin Bread , Poornam Boorelu , Poha Oats Chivda , Soya bean sundal , spinach dal , Moong sprouts and spinach curry, drumstick leaves and sesame powder curry for this contest. This is one of the best, easiest and simplest healthy cakes which is made with whole wheat flour and oats.

Oats and wheat flour are rich in iron and fibre. There is another secret ingredient that has been added which gave the taste which is exactly the same like that of the store bought ones. This non dairy chocolate 🍫 cake is so moist, soft and melt-in-mouth dessert. Once you prepare this oats chocolate cake 🎂, I bet you would not opt for the store bought cakes.

Now, coming back to the secret ingredient, it is not so healthy ingredient. So, I am feeling very guilty to share the same. But on the contrary, if you think otherwise, there are other healthy ingredients like wheat flour, oats and orange 🍊 juice and olive oil. So I thought one ingredient and that too in a small quantity is ok. The secret ingredient is coke. Yes. Coke gives the necessary aeration, flavour and sponginess to this awesome eggless Choco cake.

In this recipe I have used drinking chocolate powder rather than the normal chocolate ( Choco ) powder. Drinking chocolate powder is inclusive of sugar. Moreover, coke also has sugars. Hence I have reduced the amount of sugar accordingly. But if you are using normal Choco powder then you can increase the amount of sugar by a couple of teaspoons.

I have made cupcakes out of this batter, but you can also make it as a proper cake or bread for birthdays, anniversaries or any other occasion. These healthy vegan chocolate cupcakes ( cake ) is so perfect can also be considered as healthy oatmeal muffins which can be served for breakfast or brunch or for a snack box. Now lets get into the preparation of these oatmeal cupcakes.

You cam also check my other healthy bakes :

Carrot Cake with Finger Millet Flour

Gingerbread Cake with Whole Wheat Flour

Eggless Pumpkin Bread with Whole Wheat Flour

Healthy Banana Chocolate cake with Whole Wheat Flour

Preparation

Powder oats in a mixie.

Powder sugar and keep aside.

Take all the dry ingredients namely wheat flour, oats flour, baking powder, baking soda and Choco powder. Sieve all the dry ingredients together. Keep aside. Take freshly squeezed sweet orange juice along with the pulp.

Add coke ( coca cola ) to the orange juice. Whisk well.

Add olive oil and whisk once again. Now add the powdered sugar. Whisk well until you see small bubbles in the mixture and the sugar is completely dissolved.

Now slowly add the dry ingredients mixture little by little and mix until incorporated. Do not over mix the batter. Just fold gently in a single direction after each addition of the flour mixture. Mix until the flour is well mixed in the batter, then add another ladle full of flour and repeat until the flour is completely used up.

When completely done with the dry ingredients mixture, add vanilla essence and mix gently. You can also add the zest of orange at this stage of you wish. I could not take the zest of the orange, so I skipped this step. Pour the batter into greased moulds or tins and garnish with nuts of your choice. Bake at 180 degrees centigrade for 20 minutes ( for cupcakes ) or for 35 - 40 minutes ( for cakes or breads ).

Insert a toothpick in the centre of the cake. If the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is done. If it does not come clean, then bake for some more time. Keep a check after every 3-5 minutes to avoid burning of the cake. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely before demoulding and serving. You can do some chocolate or butter frosting and serve to family and friends. But I personally feel that there is no requirement for frosting, it tastes awesome as is.

Ingredients

Oats 1/2 cup
Drinking chocolate powder 1 cup
Powdered sugar 3/4 cup
Baking powder A little less than 1 tsp
Baking soda A little less than 1 tsp
Wheat flour 1 1/4 cup
Orange juice 1/2 cup
Olive Oil 1/2 cup
Vanilla essence 1 tsp
Cashews ( or any nuts ) few
Coke ( Coca Cola ) 1 cup

Method

Powder oats in a blender and keep aside. Similarly powder sugar and keep aside.
Take all the dry ingredients namely, oats flour, whole wheat flour, drinking chocolate powder, baking powder and baking soda and mix well. Sieve all the ingredients together and keep aside.
Take the freshly squeezed sweet orange juice and mix coca cola to it. Whisk well.
Add olive oil to the orange mixture and whisk again.
Mix the powdered sugar and whisk until the sugar is completely absorbed.
Now add the flour ( a ladle full each time ) and mix until incorporated. Repeat until the flour is completely used up.
Finally add the vanilla essence and mix gently.
Pour into greased cupcake moulds or cake pan and bake at 180 degrees Centigrade for 20 or 35 minutes respectively.
To check if the cake is done or not, insert a knife or a toothpick in the centre of the cake. If the toothpick or knife comes clean, then the cake is done. Put it on a wire rack and allow to cool completely before removing from the moulds. If it does not come out clean, then bake for some more time accordingly.

Notes

I did not preheat the oven before baking for this chocolate oatmeal cake recipe.
You can always add the zest of the orange during the preparation of this chocolate orange cake.
I have added coke ( coca cola ) that was chilled.
If you are using the normal choco powder, then increase the amount of sugar by a couple of teaspoons.