cook 'n' eat

Banana- Walnut Tea cake

2020-09-15T16:55:00.000+05:30

Ingredients

1. Ripe bananas - 3

2. Sugar - 3/4 cup(can reduce if bananas are very ripe)

3. Vanilla essence - 1/2 tsp

4. Wheat flour - 1 1/2 cups

5. Baking Soda - 1 tsp

6. Salt - 1/2 tsp

7. Butter - 1/2 cup

8. Eggs - 2

9. Walnut - 1/2 cup

10. Raisins - 1/2 cup

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180 C for 10 minutes

2. Dry roast walnuts and chop.them coarsely after cooling

3. In a bowl, add butter and sugar and mix well

4. Then mash the bananas well with a fork and add it to the above batter along with eggs and mix well.

5. In a bowl, take flour, baking soda and salt and mix well. Add this to the batter.

6. Add vanilla essence, raisins, and walnuts and mix. Keep a little walnut to put on the top.

7. Take a bread pan and grease butter and dust flour. Add the batter to the bread pan. Garnish with a little walnut. Keep in oven at 180 C for 40 minutes.

8. After 40 minutes insert a toothpick into the bread pan to check if it is done. If it stick to the toothpick, keept it for another 5- 10 minutes on the oven.

9. Let it rest on a rack for 10 minutes and its done

Badam halwa/Almond Halwa

2018-07-02T20:56:00.000+05:30

Almond Halwa or Badam Halwa is not something I tend to do very regularly. One thing is I prefer eating almonds raw so we rarely have more than a handful at home at any point of time Secondly, it is a time consuming process - Be it soaking or peeling the almonds or constant stirring required to ensure the Halwa retains its colour. While at my Granny's place, she mentioned having a lot of almonds which were not get used much. Hence I decided to make a large quantity of this Halwa to share with all my relatives.

INGREDIENTS:

1. Almonds - 1 cup
2. Sugar - 1 cup

3. Milk - 1/3 cup

4. Ghee - 1/3 cup

5. Saffron - A pinch (optional)

Note: I used 3 times the above quantity

METHOD:

1. Soak the almonds in hot water for 4 hours or overnight. Once soaked well, the skin can be peeled off easily

2. Remove skin by rubbing the almond with your thumb and index finger. The skin will easily come off.

3. Soak the Saffron in hot water for 15 minutes.

4. Grind the almonds in a mixie with the milk and saffron water to a slightly coarse paste. The texture should be like Rava. So you can add grind it bit by bit. Water can replace the milk.

5. Heat a kadai and add a spoon of ghee. Now add the grinded mixture and saute a bit.

6. After a couple of minutes, once the almond flavour starts to come, add the sugar.

7. The sugar will melt and make the mixure watery.

8.Add a couple of spoons of ghee and mix well until it is absorbed completely. Keep the flame at Simmer and never stop stirring with the ladle else it will stick to the vessel and get discoloured.

9. Continuing step 8 off adding ghee and letting it absorbed until the full quantity of ghee is used. Continuing stirring.

10. The halwa will start bubbling. Care should be taken since the the hot mix will start spurting out of the kadai.

Always use a big kadai for this Halwa since it is painful when the hot mixture splashes out otherwise.

11. After a few more minutes of stirring it will come off the sides. This was just 2 minutes before it was completely done.

12. Unfortunately I did not have a non stick pan for the quantity of Halwa I was making. Though there is no issue as such, using a regular steel vessel means either increasing the quantity of ghee or stirring continuously. Not to mention the time taken. The whole process in a stainless steel kadai for this quantity took me about 50 minutes. Also, it started sticking at the bottom of the vessel so before that could happen I switched off and split it into two and used my non stick pan to finish the process.

It took exactly a minute in the non stick pan for the Halwa to come off the sides. Once that happens, this it can be switched off.

13. Just to confirm if it is done, you can take a small pinch of the Halwa and put it in a bowl of water. It will form a ball.

14. The Halwa is done. You can top it with a few dry fruits before serving.

Dum Aloo

2018-06-14T15:49:00.000+05:30

Potatoes have always been a favorite of mine growing up and I love making various potatoes dishes to ensure it does not get boring for non potato lovers at home. Dum Aloo is a very tasty dish that I make along with roti and jeera rice since it goes well with both.

INGREDIENTS:

1. Baby Potatoes - 25-30 (regular potatoes can also be used)

2. Chopped Onion - 1

3. Chopped Tomato - 1

4. Cashews - a handful

5. Oil - as required

6. Bay leaf - 1

7. Cardamom - 1

8. Green Chilli - 1 slit

9. Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 tbsp

10. Garam Masala - 1 tsp

11. Coriander Powder - 1/2 tsp

12. Chilli Powder - 1 tsp (as per spice level)

13. Turmeric Powder - a pinch

14. Thick Curd - 1/2 cup (should not be sour)

15. Kasuri Methi - 1/2 tsp

16. Coriander Leaves - a handful finely chopped

17. Salt - To taste

METHOD:

1. Peel the baby potatoes. If sizes are uneven, the bigger ones can be cut into half. Regular potatoes can also be used by peeling them and cutting into cubes.

2. Take a Kadai and add 3-4 cups of water and allow it to boil. Add the potatoes and let them cook for around 5 minutes.

3. Remove the potatoes and place them on a kitchen towel to dry.

4. In the same water, boil the cut onion for a couple of minutes (this is an optional step which I rarely do)

5. Take the onion, chopped tomatoes and around 10 cashews and blend them well.

6. Heat oil in a kadai and fry the potatoes until they are slightly golden. Set them aside.
.

7. Heat oil again and add bay leaf, cardamom and cut chilli. Saute a bit.

8. Add the ginger garlic paste and fry until the raw smell leaves it.

9. Add the onion tomato paste and saute until the raw smell goes off and the paste thickens.

10. Add garam masala, turmeric powder, coriander powder and salt and mix well.

11. Saute until the paste thickens and begins to leave the sides of the kadai.

12. Add the curd until it thickes.

13. Add the potatoes and around 1/2 cup of water. Mix well and let it come to a boil. Then cover it with a lid and allow it to cook at low flame for about 10 minutes.

14. Once the gravy is thick and the potatoes cooked, crush the kasuri methi and sprinkle it on the gravy. Mix well and switch off the flame after a minute.

15. Sprinkle chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with plain rice, jeera rice or roti.

Rava Kesari

2018-06-06T20:31:00.000+05:30

Rava Kesari along with Pal payasam is usually my go to sweet when sudden guests arrive. Unfortunately it also get boring because of that. But it is as good and delicious as any other exotic sweet dish that can be made.

INGREDIENTS

1. Bombay Rava/ Semolina - 1 cup
2. Sugar - 1.25 cups
3. Water - 2 cups
4. Ghee - 1/4 cup
5. Cashews - a handful
6. Raisins - 1 tbsp
7. Saffron / Kesari - a pinch (add it to 2 tbsp of warm water and let it soak for 10 - 15 minutes)
8. Elakka/ Elaichi/Cardamon - 4 or 5 powdered

METHOD:

1. Soak a pinch of saffron in some warm water and soak it. This will give the color to the kesari. Kesar powder can be used in its place since saffron is quite expensive. But it definitely adds a superior flavor to the dish.

2. Heat 2 tablespoons of ghee in a pan and roast the raisin and cashews and saute until the cashews turn golden color. Add the raisins as well. Set it aside.

3. In the same pan add the rava and roast it for a few minutes. It will lose the raw flavor. Switch off before it turns brown.

4. Take water in a kadai and let it boil.

5. Once the water begins to boil, add the rava and whisk it well to ensure no lumps are formed.

6. When it becomes semi solid, add the sugar to it and stir well. The sugar will dissolve and make the kesari more watery. Continuously stir until it thickens well.

7. Add the remaining ghee along with the saffron color and mix well.

8. Switch off the flame after a couple of minutes and add the roasted cashews and raisins for garnish.

Etham pazham pradaman/ Nenthran Pazham Pradhaman/Plantain Fruit Kheer

2018-04-15T12:12:00.000+05:30

Every Vishu and Onam I try to make a different variety of Pradhaman. A sadhya almost feels empty without a pradahman variety. This Vishu I was hoping to getting chakavaratti which unfortunately was not available. So I decided to make the pradhaman using etham pazham/nenthrapazham. It is a relatively quick process which takes around 30 minutes to make especially if you buy ready made coconut milk instead of making it at home.

INGREDIENTS

1. Etham Pazham / Nenthran Pazham/ Plantain Fruit - 3 (ripe)

2. Jaggery - 250g ( I used almost twice this since the banana was not too sweet)

3. First Coconut Milk - 1 cup

4. Second Coconut Milk - 1 1/4 cup

5. Ghee - 1 tbsp

6. Cashew - 1 tsp

7. Raisins - 1 tsp

8. Coconut (cut into teeth size pieces ) - handful

9. Dry ginger/chukku - 2 or 3 tbsp

METHOD:

1. Boil Etham pazham or pressure cook such that it is soft and mash it without lumps. Unlike the process where it is eaten as a snack, this requires the fruit to get ovrcooked. Hence I pressure cooked it with 3 whistle.

2. Remove the peel and mash with well. Alternatively, you can use a mixie to smoothly grind it.

2. In a vessel, add 1 cup of jaggery to 1 cup of water to melt it. Filter sediments if any.

Usually jaggery is added directly but I melt it in water to filter the sediments which almost always are present.

3. Take kadai and add the jaggery water. Add the mashed pazham to the jaggery water and keep stirring to reduce the lumps.

4. After 10-15 minutes of constant stirring, it will start coming off of the sides to form a varatti. It can be done till it reaches semi-solid consistency.

5. Add the chukku/dry ginger powder. In addition to being good for the health, this gives a good flavor. The spicy flavor of the ginger gives a good contrast to the sweetness of the pradhaman.

6. Add the second milk and mix well. This milk doesnot split to form oil and hence can come to a boil for 5 minutes.

7. Finally, add the first coconut milk, mix well and switch off the gas within a minute. This should not boil since it tends to split. Alternatively, you can switch off the gas and immediately add the first milk. There is no difference in either process. One is followed by my mom and the other by my mil.

8. Heat one or 2 spoons of ghee and add the chopped coconut pieces. Fry it until it turns golden brown and remove from the flame. This step can be avoided but enhances the flavor so much so best to go with it.

9. Heat a spoon of ghee and add raisins and cashews and roast till cashews turn golden brown.

10. Garnish the pazhapradhaman with the coconut and nuts.

11. The pazhapradhaman is ready to be served.

4. Add the chukku or dry ginger powder. This give a special flavour and additionally is also good for the stomach.

5. At low flame add the second milk and boil for 5 minutes.

6. Switch off the gas and then add the first milk or add the first milk and immediately switch off the gas. Either way is good. Thick milk should be allowed to.boil since it gets oily.

7. Take a pan n heat some ghee. Cut coconut into small tooth pieces and fry it until it turns brown. This should not be missed since the pradaman tastes really better with it.

8. In the same pan add cashews n raisins and fry till cashew turn golden (less than a minute) and add it to the pradaman.

9. Tasty pazham pradhaman is ready.

The same process can be followed replacing the banana eith jackfruit for chakkai pradaman.

Wheat Halwa/Gothumai Halwa/Atta Ka Halwa

2018-04-06T20:19:00.000+05:30

Wheat Halwa/Gothumai Halwa/Atta Ka Halwa is of the most simplest of sweet dishes that can be made and almost never goes wrong. It is especially good when you have many guests coming home and you run short of time. This time I made this halwa when we had quite a few guests coming home for the first time since I wanted to make something different instead of what I do usually by sticking to payasam as the go to sweet .

INGREDIENTS:

1. Wheat Flour/ Gothumai maavu - 2 cups
2. Sugar - 2 cups
3. Ghee - 1 cup
4. Water - 4 cups
5. Cashews - a few
6. Chironji - handful

METHOD:

1. Heat a spoon of ghee in a pan and add the cashews. Fry them until cashews turn golden brown and keep them aside.

2. Add the remain ghee and add the wheat flour to it.

3. Mix it to ensure the flour is coated well with the ghee and roast for sometime until the wheat flour turns golden and the raw flavour of the flour goes off.

4. Simultaneously, take another pan and add the water and sugar to it and let the sugar dissolve. Once it comes to a boil reduce the flame but do not switch off.

5. When the flour is golden and smells with the ghee flavor, increase the flame of the sugar until it comes to a boil and pour it on the roasted flour.

6. Mix well using a whisk if possible to ensure there are no lumps and keep stirring. Do not stop until all lumps are removed and the halwa begins to come off of the sides.

7. Add the chironji and the cashews and mix well. Chironji is not something I had ever tasted before I ate it at a friends place. It is supposed to be a good replacement for almond of course it does not taste as good.

8. Serve hot. If it gets cold or made the day before, reheat it before serving. It tastes the best when served hot.

Masala Dosa (Restaurant Style)

2018-03-15T14:15:00.000+05:30

Masala Dosa is one of the most mouthwatering dishes. This becomes a big hit when we have guests at home especially North Indian guests who generally love dosa but couple it with the masala, sambhar and chutney and it vanishes without a trace.

INGREDIENTS

1. Dosa Batter
2. Potato Masala (for stuffing)
3. Gingelly Oil
4. Ghee

METHOD:

1. Heat the tawa and add oil. Take one ladle of dosa batter and spread it on tawa in circular direction.

2. Add a little bit of oil on the sides Close the dosa with a lid and allow it to cook for a couple of minutes.

3. When the dosa has a bit of brown at the bottom, add a little ghee on the top. Spread the masala stuffing on one side of the dosa.

4. Fold the dosa and remove it from the tawa

5. Serve the Hot Dosa with Hotel Sambhar and a chutney.

Hotel Sambhar (Restaurant Style )

2018-03-01T18:53:00.000+05:30

When I was a kid the default dish I would order when we went to a restaurant was Dosa and considering dosa was made regularly at home I should not have actually looked forward to it in restaurants. The only reason for that was Hotel Sambhar. I used to be so crazy of them that I literally drank it like a payasam/kheer. After a lot of search, I finally came across this Hotel Sambhar as made in restaurants.

INGREDIENTS:

1. Cooked Thur dhal/thuvaram paruppu - 1/2 cup

2. Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp

3. Tamarind - Lemon sized ball

4. Onion - 1 finely chopped

5. Tomato - 1 finely chopped

6. Salt - as required

MASALA PASTE (TO GRIND)

1. Onion - 1

2. Cumin seeds/jeera - 1/2 tsp

3. Fenugreek seeds/vendhyam - 1/8 tsp

4. Black pepper/milagu - 1/4 tsp

5. Tomato - 1

6. Coriander seeds/dhaniya - 1 tsp

7. Bengal gram/chana dhal/kadala paruppu - 1 tsp

8. Coconut - 2 tbsp

9. Red Chillies - 3

10. Gingelly Oil / Sesame oil - as required

FOR GARNISH:

1. Oil - 2 tsp

2. Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

3. Hing/asafoetida - a pinch

4. Curry leaves - a few

5. Coriander - a few finely chopped

METHOD:

1. Cook the Thur dal in a pressure cooker for 3 whistles (or more until they get soft). Mash well and set it aside.

2. Soak tamarind in 1/2 cup water for 15 minutes and extract the juice.

3. Heat oil in a kadai and saute the coriander seeds, chana Dhal, pepper, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds and red chillies.

4. When the dhal turns golden, add coconut and switch off the flame. Saute the coconut using the heat from the Kadai. Keep it aside and let it cool.

5. Add a spoon of oil and saute the 1 onion until translucent.

6. Add 1 chopped tomato and saute until the tomato is tender and mushy. Leave it to cool.

7. Grind the spice-coconut mixture along with the onion and tomato mixture into a fine paste. Add a little water to make a smooth paste. This is the masala for the Sambhar.

8. Heat oil in a kadai and add onions and saute until it turns transparent.

9. Add chopped tomatoes and saute until tomatoes become soft.

10. Add the masala paste along with a couple of spoons of water and saute until it thickens and oil separates.

11. Add tamarind extract and cook until the raw flavor of the tamarind goes.

12. Add the cooked dal along the required quantity of salt and a cup of water.

13. Add more water if required so that the Sambhar has a watery consistency. Allow the Sambhar to boil. Once it boil lower the flame and cook for a few minutes. Switch of the gas.

14. For garnish heat oil in a kadai and add mustard seeds. When it splutters, add hing and curry leaves.

15. Garnish the Sambhar with the above along with chopped coriander leaves.

This Sambhar tastes really good with Dosa, Idly,Vada but can also be mixed with rice and eaten.

Potato Masala Side Dish

2018-03-01T14:05:00.000+05:30

Potato in general is a heavy side dish since it is filled with starch. I usually make one potato side dish whenever I have guests at home since it is easy to make, a favourite of most people and very filling. This particular side dish is specially made as a stuffing for Masala Dosa but it can be used as a side dish for Sambhar Rice ,Puri ,Curd Rice, etc

INGREDIENTS:

1. Potatoes – 1 kg

2. Onions – 3 chopped

3. Tomatoes - 2 small

4. Green chilli – 4 finely chopped

5. Ginger - 2 inch piece (can be grated or cut into small pieces)

6. Curry leaves – few

7. Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp

8. Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

9. Urud dhal – 1 tsp

10. Channa dal – 1 tsp

11. Asafoetida/Hing/Perungayam - a pinch

12. Salt - To taste

METHOD:

1. Pressure cook the potatoes for 4-5 whistles. Once the pressure goes, peel and mash the potatoes. Ensure there are no lumps in the potatoes nor should they be overcooked and made into a paste

2. Heat oil in a kadai and add mustard seeds to it. When they crackle add hing, urud dhal and channa dhal to it.

3. Once both the Dhal are fried to golden color, add the chopped onions and fry well.

4. Once the onions turn translucent, add green chillies, grated ginger and curry leaves. Saute for a few minutes.

5. Add the tomatoes, turmeric powder and the required quantity of salt. Saute for a few minutes until the tomatoes are cooked.

6. Add half cup of water to the mixture and boil it.

7. Now add the mashed potatoes and mix well.Switch off after 5 minutes. Don't add a lot of water and make the filling soggy.

8. Garnish with Coriander Leaves

Gothuma Maavu Kanji/ Wheat Flour Kanji

2018-02-13T21:21:00.000+05:30

Whenever we fast we do not eat anything cooked. We only stick to fruits. But to make things a bit easier especially for those who don't eat solid food the whole day, Kanji is made. Salt is avoided hence all kanji varieties made for fasting are by default sweet. Today being Shivaratri, I made a new type of Kanji that I learnt from my mom. This is really easy and hardly takes 5 minutes to prepare.

INGREDIENTS

1. Wheat Flour/ Gothuma maavu - 1 cup
2. Milk - 2 cups
3. Water - 2 cups
4. Sugar - 6 tbsp
5. Ghee - 1 tbsp

METHOD

1. Heat 1 spoon of ghee and add the wheat flour to it. Roast the flour until the raw smell leaves and the ghee flavor sets in.

2. Add the water to the wheat flour and whisk it well to remove the lumps. Switch off once it boils.

3. Add hot milk and sugar to finish off. Milk quantity can be increased or decreased based on the consistency required. Similarly, sugar can be increased to increase the sweetness.

Chamandi Podi

2018-01-31T14:42:00.000+05:30

Chamandi Podi is one of the items that I had never heard of before my marriage. My MIL makes it frequently and this is a good item that can be used as a side or even mixed with rice and ghee. The best part about this is we can make quite a bit of this item and store it in the fridge in a dry container and using it when required.

INGREDIENTS

1. Coconut - 1 cup (or half a coconut)
2. Coriander Seeds/ Dhaniya - 1/2 cup
3. Urud Dal - 1/2 cup
4. Red Chilly - 10 - 12
5. Asafoetida - 1 tsp
6. Tamarind - Tomato sized ball
7. Oil - 1 tsp
8. Curry Leaves - 4 or 5
9. Coriander Leaves - a few (can be increased)
10. Salt - To taste

METHOD

1. Heat some oil in a kasai and add the Urud Dal, Coriander Seeds, Red chilly and fry until the dal turns golden brown.

2. Switch off the flame and add the curry leaves to it. The curry leaves will get heated from the left over heat in the kadai. Remove all after five minutes from kadai and set them aside.

3. Dry roast Tamarind as well if the tamarind is the wet variety. If it is dry, this can be avoided.

4. Dry roast the grated coconut until it turns golden brown.

4. Dry roast the Coriander until it looses its moisture. You can increase the green coriander since it gives a good flavor.

5. Grind all the roasted items together to form a fine powder with the required quantity of salt.

6. Chamandi Podi is ready. Red chillies can be increased depending on the spice level required.

7. This is perfect as both a side dish for curd or Dosas or Idly, It is even better when mixed with rice and ghee since it has the required quantity of spice and sourness.

Mango Milkshake

2018-01-01T16:41:00.000+05:30

Who does not like Mangoes? Might sound like a rhetorical question but my son is not fond of them. Maybe because mangoes are seasonal, I for one love them especially Mango Milkshake. Using all the ingredients below gives the best taste but I usually just mix mangoes and milk to try to make it as healthy as possible. The sugar and Vanilla Ice cream is usually only when guests comes home.

INGREDIENTS:

Mangoes - 3 medium sized and ripe
Sugar - 4 tsp
Vanilla icecream - 2 scoops
Milk - 500 ml
Vanilla essence - 1/2 tsp
Ice cubes - As required

METHOD:

Mix All the ingredients in a mixer and serve them with a scoop of Vanilla Ice cream on the top.

Ada Pradhaman

2015-04-30T14:14:00.000+05:30

Ada Pradaman is a yummy payasam variety which is made at home during festivals and mostly as a part of a Sadhya (feast) during any function. Ada is made of Rice and process of making is quite complex which is why these days the easier method is to to buy it. The bigger the ada pieces the better.

INGREDIENTS

1. Ada - 200 g

2. Jaggery - 500 g

3. First Coconut Milk - 1 cup

4. Second Coconut Milk - 1 cup

5. Third Coconut Milk - 2 1/4 cups (optional)

6. Ghee - 1 tbsp

7. Cashew - 1 tbsp

8. Cardamom/Elakkai/Elaichi - 4 or 5

METHOD

1. Take a container and boil about 2.5 cups of water (twice the quantity of Ada).

2. Wash the Ada well and add it to the boiling water. After 5-10 minutes (depending on the type of Ada) the ada will become really tender. Care should be taken to ensure it does not become mushy. But the softer the ada is the better it will be blend well in the payasam.

3. Filter the water from the ada and keep it aside.

4. Heat a kadai and add the jaggery to it along with about 1 cup of water. Once the jaggery completely melts, filter it to remove sediments if any.

5. Keep the Kadai with jaggery water back in the flame and add the cooked ada. Let it boil well for about 10 minutes.

6. Now add the third coconut milk and allow it to boil further for 10 minutes stirring occasionally.

7. Next add the Second coconut milk, mix well and let the mixture boil for a further 5 minutes.

8. Finally add the First coconut milk and switch off the flame.

9. Roast Cashews and raisins in ghee and garnish the Pradhaman. Also add some powdered Cardamom.

Note:

1. After the First Milk is added, no heating/reheating should be done since it spoils the whole Payasam.

2. Milk can replace coconut milk. Care should be taken to ensure both the payasam and milk are at room temperature while mixing since it might curdle from the salt present in jaggery. Also, milk is a poor replacement for jaggery.

Coconut Milk/Thenga Pal

2015-04-29T10:36:00.000+05:30

Coconut Milk is a commonly used item in most of the Keral based payasam varieties along with a lot of other food varieties like Olan, Ishtu, etc. Though nothing beats the taste of the Coconut Milk freshly squeezed at home, things have become easier these days with instant coconut milk powder (to be mixed with water) or instant coconut milk. Though I use the coconut milk powder, the issue I find with the instant varieties is that there sometimes is a mild taste of coconut oil which spoils the taste of the whole dish.

INGREDIENTS

Coconut - 1 Large

METHOD

1. Grate the coconut. If grated is not available, you can cut the coconut into small pieces and grind it.

2. Put the grated coconut in a mixie jar and add 1 cup of water. Grind it once.

3. Pour the ground coconut into a sieve placed on top of a vessel, Some of the milk will filter into the vessel. Squeeze the coconut on top of the sieve to extract all the milk. This will give about 1 cup of First Milk.

4. Put the grated coconut back in the mixie jar and add one more glass of water and grind it once.

5. Repeat step 3. This will give the about 1 cup of Second Milk.

6. Putting the coconut back into the mixie jar along with 2 glasses of water.

7. Again repeat step 3. Squeeze the juice out of the coconut to get around 2 cups of Third Milk.

Note: 1. 1 Large Coconut will give about 1 litre of milk - 250 ml First Milk, 250 ml Second Milk and 500 ml Third Milk.

2. Once extracted, the milk has to be used immediately or in less than a day since it tends to go sour.

3. The First Milk or the thickest milk should never be heated. This will cause the oil from the coconut to seperate and spoil the taste.

Chenai Kadi

2015-04-25T16:25:00.000+05:30

Chenai Kadi is a dish I have had only a handful of times made by my mil. It is a good change from the other Chenai dishes made.

INGREDIENTS

1. Elephant Yam/Chenai - 500g
2. Grated Coconut - 2 tbsp
3. Green Chilli - 2 (cut vertically into halves)
4. Grated Ginger - 1 tbsp
5. Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
6. Oil - 1 tsp
7. Lemon - 1/2
8. Curry Leaves - 4 or 5

METHOD

1. Cut the chenai into cubes and oil it in a kadai with salt, turmeric and water.

2. Once the chenai is cooked, add the grated coconut and mix well for a couple of minutes. Remove from heat.

3. Heat oil in a kadai and add mustard seeds. Once it crackes, add the green chilli, ginger and curry leaves.

4. Fry for a couple of minutes and garnish it over the cooked Chenai.

5. Finally squeeze juice of half a lemon over the Kadi,

Vazhathandu Curry

2015-04-18T16:12:00.000+05:30

Plantain Stem is a very healthy vegetable which has many benefits. It is good for people with diabetes, kidney stones, constipation, Urinary Tract Infection.

INGREDIENTS

1. Plantain Stem/Vazhathandu - 1
2. Rice - 2 tbsp
3. Red Chilli - 3
4. Oil - 1 tsp
5. Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
6. Salt - To Taste

METHOD

1. Cut the Plantain Stem into small pieces. It gets dark once cut so it is better to leave it in water until it is to be cooked.

2. Heat a kadai and add the rice and red chilli. Fry the rice until it turns golden brown.

3. Cool the rice and red chilli and powder it well in the mixie.

4. Heat oil in a kadai and add mustard seeds.

5. Once the mustard seeds crackles, add the cut plantain stem along with some water.

6. Once the plantain stem is half cooked, add some salt.

7. Once all the water dries off and the plaintain stem is fully cooked, add the powdered rice-chilli and mix well.

8. Switch off the flame after 2 or 3 minutes.

Vazhakkai Curry (with Tamarind)

2015-04-11T15:41:00.000+05:30

Vegetables with Tamarind juice is not made very often at home. In fact the only times I used to have this was only during a feast made during Sradham.

INGREDIENTS:

1. Plantain /Vazhakkai - 3
2. Tamarind - Lemon sized
3. Asafoetida - a pinch
4. Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp
5. Sambhar Powder - 1 tbsp
6. Salt - To Taste
7. Oil - 1 tsp
8. Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp

Plantain can be replaced with elephant yam (chenai), bitter gourd (pavakkai) or plaintain stem (vazhathandu)

METHOD

1. Soak the tamarind in 2 cups of water and squeeze the juice.

2. Cut the plantain into cubes.

3. Heat oil in a kadai. Add mustard Seeds.

4. Once the mustard seeds crackles, add the plantain pieces along with the tamarind juice and turmeric powder.

4. After the plantain is semi cooked (half the water is absorbed), add the salt, asafoetida and sambhar powder.

5. Remove from flame once the water has completely dried up.

Pesto sauce

2015-04-05T21:41:00.000+05:30

Pesto sauce is a simple to make sauce. It is very light but very heavy in flavor. The main ingredient is Basil. Anyone who has tasted Tulasi leaves will know Basil is a type of Tulasi (Holy Basil). The Pesto sauce is an oily, creamy, crunchy form of Tulasi.

INGREDIENTS

1. Basil - 1 cup
2. Cheese - 1/2 cup
3. Garlic - 2 cloves
4. Walnut - 1/4 cup
5. Olive Oil - 1/3 cup
6. Salt - To Taste
7. Pepper - To Taste (optional)

To create a totally healthy sauce, I replaced the cheese with half an Avocado which I got from a YouTube video.

METHOD

Add the walnuts, basil, Cheese (or avacado), olive oil, garlic and salt in a Food processor and blend until you get a creamy texture.

Adjust the salt according to your taste, Pepper can be added if required for additional flavor although the sauce is just as tasty without it.

It can be mixed with spaghetti or any other pasta and vegetables or even spread over bread and served.

The sauce can be frozen and later used. A major issue with basil is it tends to turn black (gives bitter taste) when kept in the open (or the fridge) for long so it is better to make the sauce as soon as you get the basil and freeze than the other way around.

Macaroni and Cheese

2015-04-04T19:22:00.000+05:30

A favorite of my husband's, this is one of the most fatty dishes. Which is one of the reasons why I very rarely make it besides the fact that I am not overly fond of cheesy dishes.

INGREDIENTS

1. Milk - 2.5 cups

2. Butter - 1/4 cup

3. Grated Cheddar Cheese - 1 cup

4. All purpose flour - 1/4 cup

5. Macaroni - 200 g

6. Vegetables(Peas, Carrots, bell peppers, mushrooms) - 1/2 cup optional

7. Salt - To Taste

8. Pepper - as required

Note: Most recipes I checked had equal if not more cheese to milk proportion. Frankly, even 1 cup is too much for me so I reduced it. But to get the real cheesy taste of Mac n Cheese, you need to add a minimum of 2 cups cheese for 1 cup milk.

METHOD

1. Boil around 2 litres of water at high heat. Add the Macaroni and cook al dente as per the instructions in the pack (around 8 minutes) with some salt and oil. Drain the Pasta in a Colander and set it aside.

2. The first part of the cheese sauce recipe is more or less the same as the Roux preparation. Heat a pan and melt some butter.

2. Once the butter melt, add the flour to it and stir it well until the mixture curls away from the sides.

3. Add the milk and whisk well to ensure there are no lumps. Constantly whisk since the milk tend to form a layer at the bottom of the pan otherwise.

4. Once the milk thickens to the consistency of cream, add the grated cheese and continue whisking.

5. The cheese begins to melt. Once it completely melts and the sauce is creamy, it can be removed from the flame. Before removing from the flame, salt and pepper can be added according to taste. Tone down on the salt since the cheese tends to be salty.

6. In a pan, take the cooked macaroni and add half the sauce and mix well. Then add the remaining and coat the macaronis with the cheese.

7. Vegetables can be added to make it tastier and healthier for kids. Either saute it and mix it along with the cheese and pasta. I boil it for my toddler.

Bhel Puri

2015-04-01T15:27:00.000+05:30

One of my favorite all time snacks, there was once a time when I used to eat it once a week at the very least. Of course, not so much these days and whenever I fee the urge to eat it, I make it at home.

Though multiple ingredients are required for Bhel puri

INGREDIENTS

1. Puffed rice - 2 cups
2. Mint-Coriander chutney - 1/2 cup
3. Tamarind-dates chutney - 1/2 cup
4. Boiled Potato - 1 (mashed)
5. Chopped Tomato - 1
6. Chopped Onion - 1
7. Chaat masala - 1 tbsp
8. Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
9. Chopped Coriander Leaves - 3 tbsp
10. Sev - 1 cup
11. Papdis - 4 or 5 (broken into pieces)
12. Roasted Peanuts - 2 tbsp
13. Lemon Juice - 1 tsp
15. Salt - to taste

More ingredients can be added like boiled green gram dal, chopped Raw mangoes,

METHOD

Mix all the ingredients and serve immediately.

Papdi

2015-04-01T15:10:00.000+05:30

Papdi is one of the core ingredients for numerous chaat varieties. Once made it can be stored in an air tight container for a couple of weeks and used.

INGREDIENTS

1. Wheat Flour - 1 cup
2. All purpose Flour/Maida - 1 cup
3. Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp
4. Carom Seeds - 1 tsp
5. Ghee - 1 tsp
6. Oil - for frying
7. Salt - to taste
8. Water - as required

METHOD

1. Mix the wheat flour, all purpose flour, carom seeds, cumin seeds, ghee and salt in a large mixing bowl.

2. Add water and knead to form a dough. Keep it covered for 30 mins.

3. Make lemon shaped ball and roll each ball thin with a rolling pin.

4. Using a cookie cutter, cut round or different shapes from the rolled dough. If cookie cutter is not available, use a lid of a small container.

5. Poke holes using a fork to avoid the papdi from puffing up.

4. Fry in oil until both side turn golden brown.

Mint Chutney for Chaat

2015-04-01T15:01:00.000+05:30

The mint Chutney for Chaat is different from the mint chutney made as a side dish in South Indian Cuisine. The only time taken here is for the cleaning of the mint and coriander leaves. Once done it takes less than 5 minutes.

INGREDIENTS

1. Fresh Mint Leaves/ Pudina - 1 cup
2. Fresh Coriander Leaves - 1 cup
3. Green Chilli - 1
4. Ginger - 1 inch
5. Cumin Powder - 1 tsp
6. Lemon Juice - 2 tsp (optional)
7. Salt - to taste

METHOD

1. In a mixer grinder or blender grind all the above ingredients (1-6) to a smooth paste using little water.

2. Mix salt in the chutney.

Tamarind chutney for Chaat

2015-04-01T14:45:00.000+05:30

The sweet chutney or Tamarind Chutney is one of the core ingredients required for most of the chaat recipes. This requires a cooking time of about 20 minutes.

INGREDIENTS

1. Tamarind - 1/2 cup
2. Seedless Dates - 1/2 cup
3. Powdered Jaggery - 1/2 cup
4. Water - 2 cups
5. Roasted Cumin Powder - 1/2 tsp
6. Coriander Powder - 1/2 tsp
7. Dry Ginger Powder - 1/2 tsp
8. Red Chilli Powder - 1/2 tsp
9. Salt - as required

METHOD

1. Heat a kadai and add the tamarind, dates and water.

2. Cook the tamarind and dates for about 10 minutes on a low flame till they soften.

3. Then add the powdered jaggery and continue to cook for a further 8-9 minutes on a low flame.

4. The mixture would thicken slightly.

5. Add roasted cumin powder, coriander powder, dry ginger powder, red chilli powder and stir well.

6. Simmer for 1-2 minutes and then add salt.

7. Let the chutney mixture cool down. Grind the mixture. It can be strained if not ground to a smooth paste else it can be used as such.

Lemon Aval Upma

2015-03-23T14:38:00.000+05:30

Lemon Aval Upma is very delicious and easy to make breakfast. I make it on days when I am out of ideas or when I am running really late :)

INGREDIENTS

1. Aval/ Beaten Rice/Poha - 2 cups
2. Mustard Seeds - 1 spoon
3. Urud Dal - 1 spoon
4. Green Chilli - 1 or 2
5. Grated Ginger - 1 spoon
6. Coriander Leaves - a few
7. Lemon - 1/2
8. Asafoetida - a pinch
7. Oil - 1 spoon
8. Salt - To Taste
9. Roasted Peanuts - 2 tbsp (optional)

METHOD

1. Soak the Aval in water for about 15 minutes.

2. Heat oil in a Kadai and add mustard seeds. Once the mustard crackles, add urud Dal. Curry leaves can also be added.

3. Once the urud dal turns golden brown, add green chilli and ginger and fry.

4. Add turmeric powder, asafoetida and salt and mix well. This can be done after aval is added as well but I prefer this since it gets mixed really well.

5. After 2 minutes add the Aval (the water will by now be absorbed by the Aval) and mix well. A couple of minutes is more than enough.

6. Finally add the lemon after removing from the flame. Ensure the lemon does not get heated since it becomes sour.

6. Garnish with Coriander leaves and Serve with chutney. Sugar is also a good side dish.

Karadayan Nombu Adai (Savoury)

2015-03-15T13:34:00.000+05:30

This is the savory version of the adai made along with the sweet one during Karadayan Nombu.

INGREDIENTS

1. Rice Flour - 1 cup
2. Coconut - 1/2 cup (Can be grated or cut into tiny pieces)
3. Red Chilly - 3
4. Asafoetida - a pinch
5. Urud Dal - 1 tsp
6. Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
7. Gingelly Oil - 1 tsp
8. Salt - To taste

METHOD

1. Heat a Kadai and add the Rice Flour. The Rice Flour should lose the raw flavor. Care should be taken to ensure it doesn't become brown. You can remove it when the texture becomes coarse (it should not stick to the fingers).

2. Heat a non stick Kadai and add some oil. Add the mustard seeds.

3. Once the mustard seed crackles, add urud dal until the dal turn golden brown. Then add the asafoetida, red chilly (can be cut into 2).

4. Add 2 cups of water. Once the water boils, add the coconut and mix it.

5. Add the rice flour and stir it constantly to ensure no lumps are present.

6. Within a couple of minutes, the entire mixture will form a ball and come away from the kadai edges. Remove from flame.

7. Once the mixture cools a bit, make it into tiny balls, the size of a lemon.

8. Take one ball in your left hand and use you right hand to flatten it. Put a whole in the center.

9. Do this for the others as well and place all the adais in idly plates and steam in the cooker.

10. Remove from flame after 10-15 minutes.