I Prepared Ravva Boorelu with Dosa batter as outer covering and Ravva kesari laddus as inner filling. Please follow the links for Dosa batter, Ravva Kesari and Ravva kesari Laddus.

Ingredients:

Dosa batter Ingredients: 

• 1/2  cup Urad dal
•  1 cup Rice
• salt to taste

Dosa Batter Preparation: Soak dal and rice in water overnight, wash and ground to a thick batter. Add salt and keep it aside.

Dosa batter

Ravva kesari/Sooji Halwa Ingredients:

• Sooji Ravva  – 1 cup
• Sugar – 3/4 cup
• Water -1 1/2 cup
• Ghee – 1/4 cup
• Cashew nuts – few
• Raisins – few
• Cardamom powder – 1 tsp

Ravva Kesari/Sooji Halwa Preparation: Roast cashews and Raisins in ghee till golden brown colour and transfer them into a bowl. Roast the rava in the same pan for a while on simmer. Add the sugar and mix it well. Add water and cook until sugar is dissolved and it appears like a thick paste. Add the remaining ghee, mix well. Now place a lid and cook for a while on simmer. Then add roasted cashews and raisins. Mix them. Once the Ravva kesari or Sooji Halwa comes to bearable to touch, make small balls/Laddus as in the picture.

Ravva Keari Laddus

• Oil for deep frying

Method to prepare Ravva Boorelu/Halwa:

1. Pour oil in a frying pan and let it boil.
   

   Sunflower oil

2. Dip the sooji laddus/small balls in the batter and drop them in hot oil.
3. The batter coated balls goes down and then comes up and floated. Make sure that they should get fried on all sides. Fry them till golden brown colour (Make sure you fry them on all sides).
   

   Deep frying Boorelu

4. Transfer them on to the tissue and serve them when they are hot.
   

   Ravva Boorelu/Halwa Boorelu

Notes:

1. You can make the batter with any flours like maida/gram flours just by adding water and salt to it, but the batter consistency should be exactly like dosa batter as we coat the laddus with it.
2. You can use Instant Dosa mix as well.
3. Mix some Idli batter and Dosa batter in a bowl and use it for coating.
4. Nuts and raisins are optional in the laddus.

Enjoy eating Sooji Halwa Boorelu or Ravva Boorelu. I shall share Poornam Boorelu/ Purnalu soon.

Please leave your comments on what’s your favourite traditional sweet? or share if you use any other fillings for making Boorelu!?

The original method of making palakova is not an difficult method to do, But you need more patience because the process of making is very long almost 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

Ingredients:

• Whole – Milk 1 litre
• Sugar – 350 gms sugar
• Ghee – 3 tbsp (for rolling)
• cooking soda – a pinch

How to make Palakova or Indian Milk Fudge:

1. In a thick and deep bottomed pan, bring the milk to boil on a low flame,(add a pinch of cooking soda before boiling).
2. Then add sugar to the milk and stir until sugar gets dissolved in the milk.
3. Stir the milk with a wooden stick until the milk gets condensed.
4. Make sure that you do all the process on simmer, otherwise it gets changed to light brown colour.
5. Continue stirring till the condensed milk become thickened.
6. Switch off the flame and stir continuously until the heat gets reduced.
7. Once the Kova comes to bearable heat to touch, make Kova into small Flat balls like in the picture.
8. Store them in an air tight container for two days or you can store in the refrigerator for a week.

Kaju Katli, Ladoos, Barfis, Doodh peda offers to Goddess Lakshmi on Diwali. After performing Lakshmi Puja sweets are nicely packed and distributed to friends, neighbors and relatives to share the joy of the festival.

Palkova, Dhoodh peda, Kalakand – These three are prepare with milk and sugar but in different ways. 

1. Palkova/Palakova/Palgova – By condesing the milk into thick substance to make this Palkova.
2. Dhoodh Peda – By using condensed milk and milk powder  to make this Dhoodh peda.
3. Kalakand – By condensing and curdling the milk to make this Kalakand (The method is similar to Panner Preparation)

So, Lets see how to prepare Dhoodh Peda with condensed milk and milk powder.

Ingredients:

• Condensed Milk – 1 tin (225 gms)
• Milk powder – 1 cup
• Melted Ghee – 2 tbsp
• Chopped Pistachios for garnishing

How to Prepare Dhoodh Peda’s:

1. Mix condensed milk and milk powder in a cooking pan without making any lumps.
2. Then place the pan on the stove and start cooking under low flame.
3. Cook well till the content starts leaving the sides of the pan.
4. pour the ghee into the pan and mix well.
5. Once you able to see the thickening of the content which is enough to roll a ball( you can check here)
6. Switch off the flame and let it cool for 10 minutes.
7. When it is still warm, grease your hands with ghee and pull out the small portions from the content and roll them into Pedas.
8. Garnish with the chopped pistachios.

Ingredients:

• Grated Coconut – one cup
• Green chillies – 3 numbers
• Red chill – 2 number (medium sized)
• Garlic – 1 cloves
• Cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp
• Tomatoes – 2 medium sized (chopped)
• Salt to taste
• Oil – 1/2 tbsp

Tadka Ingredients:

• Oil – 1 tbsp
• Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
• Red chillies – 2 numbers
• Cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp
• Curry leaves – 6 numbers
• Chana dal – 1/2 tbsp
• Urad dal – 1/2 tbsp

How to make Coconut Chutney:

Tomato Coconut Chutney

1. Heat a tbsp of oil in a pan, reduce the flame and add Green chillies, Red chilli, Garlic, Cumin seeds.
2. Roast them well and transfer them into the blender and add chopped tomatoes to the same pan and and add some salt.
3. Mix well and cover the pan.
4. Cook the tomatoes for 10 minutes on medium flame.
5. Leave it aside and let the tomatoes cool enough to grind.
6. Meanwhile, grind the ingredients in the blender.
7. Add cooked tomatoes and blend them well, taste the mixture to add salt if needed.
8. Add grated coconut to the blender and mix it.
9. Make Tadka and add to the coconut chutney. Mix well.
10. Serve this coconut chutney with plain white rice or Dosa or Idli.

Tadka:

• Heat oil in a small pan/Tadka pan and add mustard seeds. ( you can use the same pan that you roasted red chilies)
• When the mustard seeds were spluttered, add red chillies, cumin seeds, chana dal, urad dal and curry leaves.
• Fry them well and pour the hot tadka on the above coconut mixture and mix well.
  

  Tomato Coconut Chutney

  Notes:

• I din’t add tadka to the chutney to avoid that extra oil, so you couldn’t find tadka in the above picture.
• If you want your chutney to be soft and paste like consistency : Add little water to it and grind well.
• You can replace the tomatoes with a tbsp of tamarind paste.

Ingredients:

• Oil – 3 tbsp
• Red chillies – 2 ( break into two halves)
• Chana dal – 1 tbsp
• Urad dal – 1 tbsp
• Turmeric – a Pinch
• Mustard seeds – 1 tbsp
• Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
• Kasoori methi – 1 tbsp
• Green chillies – 8  (slit, depending on your taste you can adjust the hotness)
• Onions – 2 (Big, chopped)
• Curry leaves – few
• Kasoori Methi – 1 tbsp
• Sweet potato – 2 (Big)
• Red chilli powder – 1 1/2 tbsp
• Salt to taste
• Tamarind paste – 1 1/2 tbsp (very thick paste)
• Jaggery – 1/4 cup (grated, depending on your taste you can adjust the sweetness)

How to make Sweet Potato Ready to make the Stew: 

1. Wash sweet potatoes in water and then peel off the skin, its an optional. lnfact, I usually cook with skin as its a source of fibre (Soak for 10 minutes in salt water).
2. Cut off the ends and make into two equal halves.
3. Then cut into rounds or squares. (you can cut into any shape and size).

How to Prepare Tangy Sweet Potato Stew or Chilakada dumpa Pulusu: 

Tadka

1. Heat oil in a pan and prepare tadka with mustard seeds, cumin seeds, chana dal, urad dal, red chillies, kasoori methi (or you can make tadka at the end by heating oil and add green chillies and onions)

adding onions and green chillies

2. When the dals gets roasted add chopped onions, green chillies and saute it for 10 minutes on simmer.

adding sweet potatoes

3. Add cut sweet potatoes. Mix well and place a lid on it and cook for 10 minutes, stirr ocassionally.

Jaggery, salt, chilli powder and tamarind pasteTamarind mixture

4. Mean while, take  small bowl and prepare tamarind mixture with tamarind paste, Jaggery, salt, red chilli powder.

cook sweet potatoes in the tamarind mixture

5. Pour the  tamarind mixture into the pan and cook for 7 minutes on high flame.

stew is almost ready

6. Mix gently and place a lid on it and cook till the sweet potatoes gets cooked completely. Here the stew becomes thick.

stew is ready

7. Sweet Potato Stew or Chilakada dumpa Pulusu is ready, switch off the flame. 

8. You can make tadka with mustard seeds, cumin seeds, red chillies, curry leaves, chana dal, urad dal and add on to the top of the stew and mix gently with spatula. (you can add sambar powder to the tadka at the end for different flavour).

Notes:

• Depends on the size of sweet potatoes pieces, the cooking time varies, Like if the pieces are bigger needs more time and vice versa
• Adjust the Jaggery and Tamarind paste according to your taste.
• Adjust the thickness of the stew by increase or decrease the amount of water at 4 step and flame at 5 step.
• Sweet Potato, Brinjal, Drum stick Pulusu:  Add Drum stick pieces, brinjal pieces, sweet potato pieces at step 3 in the above process to make sweet potato, brinjal, drumstick pulusu.
• Squash Pulusu : Squash is similar to Pumpkin and you can make squash stew by following the same procedure. I ll share the squash recipes and stew soon.

Ingredients:

• Brinjals – 1/2 kg
• Onions – 1 number (big, sliced)
• Green chilies – 3 (slit)
• Oil – 1 tbsp
• Turmeric – 1/4 tsp
• Red chilli powder – 1 tbsp
• Salt to taste.
• Cumin powder – 1 tsp
• Corriander  powder – 1 tsp
• Ginger Garlic paste – 1/2 tbsp.
• Garam masala powder – 1/2 tsp.

Ingredients for Pakora:

• Gram flour – 1 cup
• Rice flour – 1 tbsp
• Onions – 1 (one big, sliced)
• Green chillies – 3 numbers (small, chopped)
• Salt to taste.
• Curry leaves – 5 (chopped)
• Oil for deep frying

How to make Pakora’s:

1. Take sliced onions, chopped green chillies and chopped curry leaves in a bowl and sprinkle some salt, mix well.
2. In another bowl mix gram flour with rice flour.
3. Then add the gram flour mix to the onions bowl and mix well.
4. Sprinkle water if needed. The mix should neither be very thick nor thin.
5. Take small quantities from the mix and drop in hot oil.
6. Lower the flame and fry the pakora’s in oil.
7. Transfer the fried pakora’s on to the tissue paper.
   

   Egg Pant Pakora Fry

How to make Egg Plant Pakora Fry / Vankaya Pakodi / Brinjal Pakora Fry:

1. Clean the brinjals and slice them. Drop the brinjal pieces into salt water.
2. Heat oil in a pan and add green chillies, onions and curry leaves and saute till the onions become golden brown colour.
3. Add ginger garlic paste and saute until the raw smell has come out completely.
4. Add turmeric and brinjal pieces.
5. Sprinkle some salt and chilli powder and mix well.
6. Cover the pan and cook the brinjal pieces on simmer.
7. When the brinjal pieces becomes soft and cooked, add pakora’s to the pan.
8. Sprinkle cumin powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder and mix well.
9. Cover the pan and cook for 3 minutes on simmer.
   

   Egg Pant Pakora Fry

Ingredients:

• Grated Coconut – one cup
• Green chillies – 2 numbers (for extra hot, you can double the amount)
• Cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp
• Curry leaves – 3 numbers
• Tamarind paste – 1/4 tsp (for more tangy, you can add upto 1/2 tsp.)
• Salt to taste
• Oil – 1 tbsp
• Chana dal – 1 tbsp

Tadka Ingredients:

• Oil – 1 tbsp
• Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
• Cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp
• Red chillies – 2 numbers
• Curry leaves – 6 numbers
• Chana dal – 1/2 tbsp
• Urad dal – 1/2 tbsp

How to make Coconut Chutney:

1. Heat a tbsp of oil in a pan, reduce the flame and add chana dal.
2. When the chana dal is half roasted add red chillies, cumin seeds and curry leaves.
3. Roast them well till the chana dal changed to little brown colour.
4. Let it cook for few minutes and ground them in a blender along with tamarind and very less salt. (Meanwhile, you can prepare tadka)
5. Add this ground mixture to the grated coconut. Mix well and taste the coconut mixture to add salt if needed.
6. Make Tadka and add to the coconut chutney. Mix well.
7. You can serve this type of coconut chutney with boiled rice or Dosa or Roti’s.

Tadka:

• Heat oil in a small pan/Tadka pan and add mustard seeds. ( you can use the same pan that you roasted chana dal….before)
• When the mustard seeds were spluttered, add cumin seeds, red chillies, chana dal, urad dal.
• Fry them well and pour the hot tadka on the above coconut mixture and mix well.
  

  Green chilli Grated coconut chutney

Notes:

Ground the chutney well before adding tadka and mix some yogurt to it and seasoned the chutney with tadka. The extract is semi solid and can take this chutney with Dosa, Upma, Idli, Vada….! (When you make this, remember to reduce the tamarind quantity).

Ingredients:

Tomato Basil Conchiglie Pasta

Hope you enjoyed it. What recipes of Pasta do you cook? Share your recipes, cooking tips and tricks in the comments below.

This is slightly modified version of  basic Masala Vada. 

Ingredients:

• Chana dal – 1 cup
• Mung dal – 1/2 cup
• Chopped spinach leaves – 1/2 cup
• Chopped green chillies – 3
• Chopped ginger – 1 tbsp
• Chopped onion – 1 medium size
• Chopped cilantro – 2 tsbp
• Chopped curry leaves – 1tbsp
• Salt to taste
• Cinnamon powder – 1 tsp
• Chaat masala powder – 2 tsp
• Oil for deep frying

How to Prepare Masala Vada/Vadai:

Soak Chana and Mung dal in water for 5 to 6 hours.

1. Wash the soaked dal and drain in colander.
2. Ground the the mix into coarse paste. Do not add water while blending. Best option for blending is using Grinder/ Food processor.
3. Take the paste into a mixing bowl and add chopped onions, chillies, ginger, curry leaves, cilantro, salt, cinnamon powder, chaat masala powder to the paste and mix well.
4. Boil some oil in a frying pan for deep fry.
5.  Make patties with the paste and drop into medium hot oil.
6. Fry the patties on both sides till golden brown colour and transfer them onto a tissue to remove excess oil.
7. Hot Spinach masala vada is ready to taste
   

   spinach masala vadalu is ready to taste

Notes:

• Spinach and mung dal are optional.
• You can replace spinach with Methi (Fenugreek) leaves also.