APPAM

When I opened my dashboard on Krishna Jyanti, I saw my blogger friends have posted lots recipe which they have made for the festival. Even I have made lots dishes but was not having a single minute to sit and write the recipe and post it.


Any way I will be posting y recipe one by one from now onwards. The first and very common dish I am posting is APPAM which is normally made by Tamilian Brahmins's in all festivals. So here we go:-

APPAM

Preparation time: 15 minutes (Approximately)

Cooking time: 15-20 minutes (Approximately)

Serving: 4-6 persons

Ingredients

All Purpose Flour (Maida)-1 cup

Rice Flour-1/2 cup

Jaggery-1/2 to 1 cup (as per your taste)

Salt-a pinch

Cardamom powder-1 tsp

Eatable orange colour-1/4 tsp

Method

• Mix all purpose flour, rice flour, cardamom powder, eatable orange colour and salt together in a bowl.

• Now boil 1l2 cup water and add jaggery in this.

• Once jaggery is melted completely in water, then take it off from flame and filter this water.

• Allow it to get cool down for 5 minutes.

• Then add this water to all purpose flour and make a nice semi solid batter like idli better.

• Keep it aside for 10 minutes.

• Now heat appam pan and put drop oil in each whole.

• Put 1 tabs batter in each whole and cover it with lead. Cook in low flame.

• Poke a toothpick or knife to check whether appam is done or not.

TIPS

• If you don’t have appam pan then you can prepare this in normal pan (I have prepared like this many times before I bought appam pan).For this just heat 2 cups of oil in pan, and keep the flame in low medium heat, pour 1 tabs of batter and deep fry till appam is cooked.

• You can replace all purpose flour with whole wheat flour.

• In appam batter you can also add mashed banana it gives very nice taste and flavour.

PANEER BHURJI

I had paneer bhurji when I was staying in Bangalore. The dish was very simple and tasty.I thought of preparing this when I was there but somehow I did not get chance but recently I was curdling milk for my daughter then thought of preparing this dish.So here is how I made this:-


PANEER BHURJI

Preparation Time-30 min

Cooking Time-15-20 min

Serves- 4 Persons

Ingredients

Milk-2 lts

Lemon juice-4-6 tsp

Oil- 2-3 tabs

Cumin seeds- 2 tsp

Onion-3 (finely chopped)

Green chillies-4 (finely chopped)

Capsicum-1 (finely chopped)

Tomatoes-2 (finely chopped)

Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp

Salt- to taste

Chilli powder-1 ½ tsp

Coriander powder- 1 tsp

Garam masala-1/2 tsp

Coriander leaves-for garnishing

Method for making paneer

I make this with the fresh paneer or called as chenna but you can also use frozen one but here it is how you can made chenna:-

• Take a wide mouth vessel and boil milk in this.

• Bring milk to boil then take it off from flame.

• Allow it to get cool down.

• Now remove the cream from the top of milk and heat again.

• Meanwhile if you are using lemon juice or vinegar for curdling the milk then mix it with a cup of water.

• Once milk starts boiling then reduce the heat and start adding way water or lemon juice or vinegar into it.

• You will see that milk will start curdling and water will get separated from it.

• Once you see that milk is completely curdled and water is transparent then remove it from heat.

• Filter the curdled milk (Chenna) in a muslin cloth and pour one glass normal water into it.

• Squeeze out water completely from it by pressing between your hands.

• Hang it for another half an hour to drain out water completely if any left out.

Method for Paneer Bhurji

• Mash paneer by hand and keep aside.

• Heat a pan and add oil in this.

• Once oil is heated up add cumin seeds and allow it to changes its color.

• Add chopped onion and chillies into this.

• Fry till onion gets transparent.

• Add capsicum and fry for couple of minutes.

• Put chopped tomatoes along with all dry masala.

• Fry this in high flame and then add mash paneer in this.

• Put salt in this and fry for couple of minutes.

• Garnish with coriander leaves.

• Serve with roti and dal.

MASALA TOOR DAL

When I was in Dubai, I used to post at least one recipe but after shifting to India, it has become very difficult for me to sit in front of system regularly.

After coming here my responsibilities have been increased because of joint family but I am happy that I am spending more time with my family and able to take care of my in laws. Since I am on diet I try to make all simple and low calorie food for me and my husband but my FIL loves different kind of food provided no garlic in the dish. My in laws never take garlic in their food because it gives them smell of non veg but sometime I make some dishes with garlic if they are not in station. So today’s recipe is one among them. Have a look

MASALA TOOR DAL

Preparation Time-10 min

Cooking Time-5 min

Serves- 4 Persons

Ingredients

Toor Dal-1 ½ cup (Soaked in water for ½ hour)

Oil-2Tabs

Unsalted butter- 1 tsp

Cumin seeds- 1 tsp

Dry Red Chillies-2

Asafoetida powder- ¼ tsp

Onion-2 (Finely Chopped)

Green Chillies- 2 (Slit in two parts)

Ginger garlic paste- 2 tsp

Tomato- 2 finely chopped

Turmeric powder- ½ tsp

Chilli powder-1 tsp (or as required)

Salt- to taste

Coriander powder- 1 tsp

Garam masala- ½ tsp

Coriander leaves- for garnishing

Method

·         Pressure cook dal for 3 minutes in medium flame with very minimal water.

·         Now in a pan, heat oil and add ginger garlic paste in this.

·         Fry this for couple of minutes.

·         Put chopped onion and green chilli in this.

·         Fry onion till it is transparent.

·         Add tomatoes in this along with all dry masalas.

·         Fry till you see fat at the edges in pan.

·         Now add cooked dal in this along with salt.

·         Cook dal for 2-3 minutes in this masala and then remove from heat.

·         Now in another pan heat butter.

·         Add cumin seeds and red chilli, allow it to crack.

·         Put asafoetida in this and put this seasoning into dal.

·         Garnish it with coriander leaves and serve with anything you want.

MY TIPS

·         Add ½ tsp of oil while cooking dal in pressure cooker, it does not allow dal to overflow from cooker.

·         Cover with a lid immediately, if you season some dish, so by doing this the nice aroma of seasoning gets maintain for long time.

PULKA (WITH GREEN LEAFY VEGETABLES)

I am again here for giving every one another a healthy recipe and which I eat regularly now a day. This dish is part of my diet food.

When I went to a dietician for asking what I should have for reducing my weight then he advised me that I should avoid eating rice, fried items and sweet. He asked me to include wheat and oats as main course and he also asked me to have leafy vegetables almost every day. Looking at me my husband also decided to go for diet plan but he is very choosy about food. He normally does not like leafy vegetables to eat every day. So I was thinking how to give him leafy vegetables in different way. Here is my first attempt in which I got 100% success.

Pulka with green leafy vegetables

Preparation Time-15-20 min

Cooking Time-10-15 min

Serves- 4 Persons

Ingredients

Leafy vegetables -1 bunch (anything you like Spinach, Amaranth but not fenugreek leaves)

Wheat Flour-2 ½ cups

Carom seed-1 tsp

Salt- to taste

Water-as required

Method

·         Clean and wash the leafy vegetables properly.

·         Now in a pressure cooker, put washed leafy vegetables along with very minimal water and cook in medium flame for 5 minutes.

·         After that cool down the cooker and remove leafy vegetables from that and put on a bowl.

·         After leafy vegetables get cool down than grind it in a mixer.

·         Now in mixing bowl, put flour, leafy vegetables paste, salt along with carom seeds.

·         Mix it well.

·          If you required, add little by little water and make smooth dough.

·         Now make equal ball of dough.

·         With the help of rolling pin make small circle with this ball by dusting little flour on that.

·         Heat a tawa and put rolled pulka on that.

·         Cook both the side properly and then serve with any healthy side dish or dal.(you can also roast little bit directly on flame with the help of chimta).

SUJI MANDA (A POPULAR FESTIVAL ORIYA DISH)

Krishna jyanti is very important festival for Iyengars but all Hindu family celebrate this festival as per their culture.This time my MIL was not with me to guide what to do for festival but I was getting her instruction over phone.


I prepared everything whatever she asked me to make and I will post the recipe of everything one by one.Since I am from Orissa I wanted to make some oriya dish for the puja so I made one dish which is normally prepared by oriya people on festival days it is called as suji manda(Rava Balls with coconut filling) in Orissa. Usually it is prepared during December that is Magh month of Hindu calendar.The whole Orissa celebrate lakshmi pooja on all Thursday of Magh month.

So here the recipe for it:

SUJI MANDA

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 30-35 minutes

Makes-10-12 medium size

Ingredients

Bombay Rava/Semolina (Suji)-2 cups

Water-4 cups

Salt-1/2 tsp

Sugar-1/4 cup

Ghee-2 tsp

Oil/Ghee-for deep frying

For Filing

Finely grated coconut-1 cup

Jaggery-1/4 cup

Cardamom powder-1 tsp

Method:

• Take a wide mouth pan and boil 4 cup of water in this.

• When water starts boiling add salt and sugar.

• Then start adding slowly semolina by continuously steering in this.

• Keep it in low flame and cover it with lid

• Remove the lid after a couple of minute and again steer it.

• Remove the mix in plate and allow it get cool.

• Meanwhile heat 1 tsp ghee in a pan.

• Add grated coconut and fry till golden brown color.

• Then add cardamom powder and jiggery in this.

• Fry till jiggery gets melted.

• Once the mixture isl well mixed it from heat.

• Now for the rava mix you need to put 1 tsp ghee in this and knead it nicely when it is little warm.

• Now heat oil/ghee for deep frying in a pan.

• Then equal size of rava mix and stuff this with coconut mixture.

• Seal the edges with water and give a shape of ball, then flaten it little with the help of your hands.

• Deep fry it in oil ghee.

• Serve hot or cold with your evening tea or coffee.

TIPS

• Keep steering the mix in pan while mixing rava or else there might lumps will get form.

• While stuffing rava balls put little oil/ghee in your hand.By doing this rava mixture will not be stick on your hand.

• If you don’t have jiggery you can use ¼ cup sugar.

• If you want you can add some dry fruits in coconut mixture whatever you like.

KESARI

I have just got few minutes to relax. I am doing something or other from early morning. House was like a dustbin from yesterday night. Why????Yesterday was my hubby's birth day.

Yesterday, we had a small get to gather at home.The end of day we were tired like anything, so we dumped everything as it is, and went to sleep.

As per my in laws tradition, we prepare at least a sweet at home, on any occasion like birth day or wedding anniversary, and being a daughter in law of a traditional iyengar family I have done same since this time my in laws are not in station.. I prepared a very common traditional sweet known as Kesari in south India but in other places in India it is called as suji ka halwa.I do not know that how many of you know that there is lots of difference in between these two sweets.Soon I ll post the recipe for suji ka halwa also but for time being just have a look how I have prepared my kesari.

Kesari

Preparation time: 5 minutes (Approximately)

Cooking time: 15 minutes (Approximately)

Serving: 4-6 persons

Ingredients

Bombay rava/Suji/Semolina-2 cups

Hot Water-5 cups

Ghee-1cup

Sugar-4 cup

Eatable Orange color-1/2 tsp

Cardamom Powder-1 tsp

Cashew Nut-10-15

Raisine-15-20

Pistachi-5-10

Method

• Heat a pan and put ghee in this keeping 1 tsp ghee aside.

• Once ghee is warm add semolina in this and fry this till it turns to light pink in colour.

• Then add hot water in this and keep steering the rava simultaneously.

• Mix the orange colour in little water and put this also in semolina.

• Once water is dried up add sugar and cardamom powder in this.

• Once sugar mixed up with semolina and ghee started separating from semolina then removes it from flame.

• Now in another pan heat 1 tsp ghee and fry all dry fruits.

• Add the fried dried fruits to kesari.

TOMATO PACADI OR CHUTNEY (ANDHRA METHOD)

Few days back I posted a recipe of tomato chutney which is prepared very often in my in laws house and also very popular in Tamilnadu.Today I got the same recipe but in Andhra style.

Thanks once again to Mrs J Leela who has thought me so many verities of food of Andhra.         

So here is recipe of Tomato Chutney from Andhra:-

Tomato Chutney (In Andhra Style)

Preparation time: 5 minutes (Approximately)

Cooking time: 10 minutes (Approximately)

Serving-5-6 persons

Ingredients

Tomatoes-5 (Medium in size)

Bengal Gram (Channa) Dal-3 tabs

Whole Black Gram (Urad) -1 ½ tabs

Dry Red whole chillies-6-7 (or as spicy as you need)

Mustard Seeds (Rai Dana)-1 tsp

Salt-to taste

Oil-1 tabs

For Seasoning

Oil-1/2 tsp

Curry Leaves-4-5

Asafoetida powder-a pinch

Method

·         Heat ½ tabs oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, dry red chillies, Bengal gram and black gram dal in this. Fry in low heat till mustard seeds are cracked and dals pulses turned to golden brown color.In mean while just cut the tomatoes in quarter and remove the seeds and pulp from it.Remove the mustard seeds, chillies and dals from pan and allow it to get cool down. Now in the same pan add another ½ Tabs oil and fry tomatoes till they are tender and leave their raw smell. Now in a mixer jar put fried dals, mustard seeds and dry red chillies and grind it a fine powder. Now add fried tomatoes and salt in this and grind it again to make chutney. Now heat ½ tsp oil in a pan and season the chutney with curry leaves and asafoetida.

MY TIPS

·         Do not throw the removed pulp and seeds from tomatoes; you can use this for making curry or dal. This chutney does not get spoil for 2-3 .;days..p