Amaranth leaves/Thandu keerai Dal

INGREDIENTS:
Amaranth leaves - 1 bunch (washed and chopped)
Moongdal - 1/2 cup
Onion - 1 ( finely chopped )
Tomato - 1 ( finely chopped )
Garlic pods - 2 ( minced )
Ginger - 1/2 inch size ( minced )
Red chilies - 3
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad Dal - 1/4 tsp
Oil - 2 tsp
Salt to taste

To Grind: ( Make fine paste of the below ingredients )
Shredded coconut - 2 tablespoons
Green chillies - 2

Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp    

PROCEDURE:
1.Wash and pressure cook the moong dal with turmeric powder for 3 whistles.
2.Heat oil in a kadai, season with mustard seeds, urad dal and red chilies.
3.Add the finely chopped onions and fry until they turns translucent.
4.Then add the minced garlic pods, minced ginger and chopped tomatoes and saute for 3 mins.
5.To this,add the chopped amaranth leaves and cook until they shrinks.
6.then add this sauteed mixture to the cooked moongdal, add salt and bring it to a boil( add water if required )
7.Now add the grounded paste of coconut mixture, again add enough water if needed.
8.cook for 5 mins and remove from flame.
9. Serve this dal with hot steaming rice with a dollop of ghee. Also goes well with rotis.

Best combination for this dal can be garlic pickle or spicy potato roast or appalam....in short anything spicy!

Sweet Pongal/Sarkaraipongal

My 25th post....definitely a sweet.Yes,  it is sweet pongal.
Sweet pongal is a very popular recipe and it is definitely prepared on a well known festival called PONGAL.
And i simply love the sarkarai pongal offered in temples...heavenly...i am really missing it as there is no temples here.
And this sweet is specially dedicated to my sweet brother who is crazy about this......

INGREDIENTS:
Raw Rice - 3/4 cup
Moongdal - 1/4 cup
Boiled Milk - 1 cup (optional : add this while mashing the rice and Dal )
Grated Jaggery - 1 to 1/2 cups
Ghee - 2 tablespoons ( minimum quantity )
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp nos
Cashew nuts - 10 nos
Dry grapes -12 nos.

Shredded coconut to garnish

PROCEDURE:
1. Roast the cashews and dry grapes and keep aside.
2. Wash both the rice and dal and pressure cook with enough water.
3. Make the syrup of the grated jaggery by adding 1/2 a cup. Also cook in a medium flame.
( If there are any impurities in the jaggery water you can strain to remove the same and put it back to heating in medium flame. )
4. Keep stirring continuously till it forms a thick syrup.
( you can check for consistency if the syrup forms a thread when dropped in a bowl of water).
5.Add the mashed rice and dal to the thick syrup ( add ghee while mashing the rice and dal ) and cook on low flame for 3 to 5 mins and keep stirring to blend the pongal.
6. Add cardamon powder and stir well.
7.Finally garnish with roasted cashews, dry grapes and shredded coconut.
More jaggery and ghee can be added to suit your taste.

Sago/Javvarisi Bonda

Its usually we prepare payasam or puddings with javvarisi.
Never thought it would make a good evening snacks.
If you have this soaked javvarisi ready in hand then it takes just few minutes to prepare this simple and crispy bonda.

INGREDIENTS:
Javvarisi or Sago - 1 cup
Idly batter - 1 cup
Rice flour - 2 tablespoons
Cumin seeds crushed - 1/2 tsp
Peppercorns crushed - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 6 ( finely chopped )
Oil for deep frying
Salt to taste

PROCEDURE:

1. Soak Javvarisi for 2 hours.
2. Drain the excess of water from the soaked javvarisi and keep aside.
3. In a bowl, put this soaked javvarisi along with idly batter, rice flour, crushed peppercorns,
 crushed cumin seeds,chopped curry leaves, salt and mix well.

4.Take a deep frying pan, pour enough oil, once the oil is hot, using a spoon drop gently the prepared mixture.
5.And fry the bondas on both sides until they turns golden brown.
6. Finally serve with coconut chutney or sauce or can be eaten just like that....yummy!

Coconut Milk/Thengai Paal Sadam

This is very comfort food for kids and very simple to cook. Its colourful, sweet and nutritious food.
Definitely kids will love this.

INGREDIENTS :

Basmathi rice - 1 cup
Coconut Milk - 1 cup
Carrot - 1 sliced diagonally
Frozen green Peas - 1/2 cup
Cloves - 2 nos
Bay leaf - 1
Green chillies -  2(slitted )
Cashewnuts -  10
Butter - 2 tsp
Salt to taste

PROCEDURE :

1. Soak the rice for 10 - 15 mins.
2. I used coconut milk powder so to make one cup of milk, add 3 tablespoons of coconut milk powder.
3. Heat butter in a pressure cooker, season with cloves and bayleaf ( jeera can also b added but i skipped as my son doesn't like it).
3. Then add the green chilies, carrot and peas and saute for a min.
4. Add the soaked rice, coconut milk and salt. Along with this add half a cup of water and stir once.
5. Close the lid and cook for 10-15 mins ( low - medium flame )
* Do not pressure cook.
6. Once ready, garnish with chopped coriander and fried cashews.
7. Serve with pickle or raitha or chips.

Peanut or Verkadalai Chutney

My hubby's favourite. And it makes a decent substitute to coconut chutney. Also known as an Andhra delight.
About Peanuts :
Peanuts are a good source of niacin, folate, fiber, magnesium, vitamin E, manganese and phosphorus. They also are naturally free of trans-fats and sodium, and contain about 25% protein (a higher proportion than in any true nut).
While peanuts are considered high in fat, they primarily contain “good” fats also known as unsaturated fats. [WP].

INGREDIENTS:

Raw Peanuts -  4 table spoons or a handful
Small onion - 1 ( finely chopped )
Shredded coconut - 2 tsp
Ginger - 1/2 inch size ( chopped )
Garlic pod - 1 (chopped )
Tamarind - gooseberry sized ( not to be soaked in water )
Red chilies - 4
Green chilies - 2 (slitted )
Curry leaves - 5
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad Dal - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 2 tsp
Salt to taste.

PROCEDURE:

1.Heat oil in a kadai and roast the peanuts, chillies and onions.
2.Remove from flame and add the other ingredients and stir once.
3.Then transfer all the roasted stuff to a plate.
4. Once cooled,  grind it to make a smooth paste.
5. Season the prepared paste with mustard seeds and urad Dal.
6. Serve with hot idlis or dosas.

New member to my kitchen

Yup...its the kitchen press. My sister got this for me from her native.
It is so elegant, easy and convenient to use.
Also comes with 15 different types of jalies. This costs just Rs215. Anyone who is fed up with the other types of murukku maker, should definitely try using this. It really works!

Spicy Kuzhambu

This is again a simple recipe with minimum ingredients u need. And if u r looking for eating something spicy for ur main course then u can go for this.

INGREDIENTS :

Brinjals or Eggplants - 4 Medium sized
Onion - 1 Medium sized
Green Chillies - 2
Garlic Pods - 3
Tamarind -  Lemon Size
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 Tsp
Red Chilly Powder - 2 Tsp
Hing - a pinch
Oil - 3 Tsp
Mustard Seeds - 1 Tsp
Curry Leaves - a few leaves
Salt to taste


PROCEDURE:

1.Chop brinjals into small pieces, length-wise ( 2 inches).
2.Chop Onion into length-wise pieces.
3.Finely chop garlic and slit the green chilies.
4.Soak tamarind in water for 15 mins and extract the juice.
5. Heat oil in a kadai and fry the chopped brinjals for 5 mins.
6. Transfer the fried brinjals in a paper towel if u feel it is too oily or to remove excess oil.
7. In the same kadai, heat oil and season with mustard seeds and allow it to splutter and a pinch of hing.
8. Then add the chopped Onions , curry leaves ,green Chillies and Garlic pods and fry until golden brown.
9. Once done, add turmeric powder, red chilly powder ,tamarind extract and salt.
10. To this add one cup of water and allow it boil until the raw smell disappears.
11. Finally add the fried brinjals and cook in sim flame for not more than 5 mins.
12. Spicy Kuzhambu is ready and serve it with hot rice( dollop of ghee...must mention ) and appalam.