Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Mango Halwa

Mango Halwa is made by cooking mango puree and cornstarch with ghee. It is an easy recipe. We need ripe mangoes to make this halwa.



Ingredients:

Mango Puree - 2 cups
Cornstarch - 1/2 cup
Ghee - 1/4 cup
Sugar  - 2 cups
Water - 1/2 cup
Cardamon Pwdr - 1/4 tsp
Cashewnuts & Almonds - 1/4 cup

Method:

1. Heat ghee in a pan and add mango puree.


 2. Mix cornstarch and water and keep it ready.

3. Now add this with the mango puree and stir well till thickened.

4. Add sugar and ghee and mix well.

5. Once it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan and seperates from the pan, add almonds, cashewnuts and cardamon pwdr.
 

6. Keep stirring for another 10 minutes.

7. Pour the mixture to a greased tray with ghee and leave it for 1 hour.

8. Cut them into pieces. Mango Halwa is ready.


Friday, March 28, 2014

Vathal Kuzhambu

Vathal Kuzhambu is a very traditional and authentic south indian recipe. We can prepare this with Manathakkali Vathal or Sundaikkai Vathal.


Ingredients:

Tamarind - lemon size ball
Sambar Pwdr - 2 tspn ( i used homemade sambar pwdr)
Sundaikkai Vathal - 3 tspn
Mustard Seeds - 1 tspn
Fenugreek Seeds - 1/2 tspn
Hing - 1/4 tspn
Curry Leaves - few
Sesame Oil - 3 tspn
Salt as required.
Sugar a pinch.

Method:


1. Soak tamarind in warm water and extract thick juice.

2. Heat oil in a kadai,add mustard seeds when it splutters,add fenugreek seeds,hing,curry leaves and sundaikkai vathal and saute for few mins.


3. Add tamarind juice,sambar pwdr, salt and sugar.

4. Let it boil till the raw smell of tamarind goes and the gravy reaches thick consistency.


Note: You can replace sundaikkai vathal with manathakkali vathal or garlic or small onions or drumstick, brinjal.

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Medhu Vadai

Medhu Vadai is a popular South Indian snack.They are crispy on outside and soft on inside. They are served with sambar and coconut chutney. We can also make sambar vadai, rasam vadai and curd vadai by soaking the vadai in sambar, rasam and curd. Lets see how to make the medhu vadai.


Ingredients:

Urad Dhal - 1 Cup
Green Chilly - 2
Coriander leaves - 1/4 Cup
Curry leaves - few
Rice Flour - 2 tspn
Baking Soda - a pinch
Hing - 1 pinch
Salt as required
Oil for frying.

Method:

1. Soak the urad dhal for 1 hour.


2. Drain the water and grind the dhal by sprinkling water to make a soft batter.

3. Now add coriander leaves, curry leaves, chopped green chilly, salt, hing, rice flour and baking soda to the batter and mix well.


4. Heat oil in a kadai. Once the oil is hot, reduce the flame to medium.

5. Take a bowl of water,wet your fingers and take a lemon size vada batter, flatten it on a plastic sheet and make a hole in the middle.

6. Now take the shaped dough in your hands and slip it  into the hot oil.

7. Fry until it turns golden brown on both sides. Remove it from oil and place it in a paper towel to drain excess oil.


8. Repeat the same process for the remaining batter.

Cashew Burfi

Cashew Burfi is a popular indian sweet. This sweet can be easily made at home. Lets see the step by step method of making cashew burfi.

Ingredients:

Cashew nuts - 1 Cup
Sugar - 3/4 Cup
Milk - 1/4 Cup
Water 1/4 Cup
Ghee - 1 tspn

Method:


1. Soak the cashewnuts in hot water for an hour.After an hour, drain the water and grind the cashews with 1/4 cup milk to a smooth paste.



2. Grease a plate with ghee and keep it aside

3. Take a vessel add sugar and water and heat on medium flame.Allow it to boil till the sugar syrup reaches one string consistency(kambi padam).


4. Add cashew nut paste and stir continuously.



5. It will thicken and starts leaving the sides of the vessel.



6. Place the mixture on the greased plate and spread it evenly.


7. Once it cool down, cut with a sharp knife to form diamond shape.


8. Remove the pieces after it cools down completely.


Our Cashew Burfi is ready.

Mutton Biryani


The process of making Mutton Biryani is little bit time consuming.The hardest part is to cook mutton perfectly. Here is a flavorful recipe for mutton biryani lovers.


 Ingredients:

Basmati Rice - 2 Cups
Mutton - 1/2 Kg
Buttermilk - 1 Cup
Water - 3 Cups
Cinnamon - 1/2"
Cloves - 3
Cardamon - 1
Bay Leaves - 2
Onion - 1
Ginger & Garlic Paste - 1 tspn
Tomato - 1
Chilli Pwdr - 1 tspn
Turmeric Pwdr - 1/4 tspn
Coriander Powder - 1 tspn
Biryani pwdr - 1 tspn
Coriander Leaves - 1/4 Cup
Mint Leaves - 1/4 Cup
Salt as required
Ghee - 3 tspn
Oil - 2 tspn

To Marinate:

Lemon - 1/2 (juice)
Curd - 1 1/2 tspn
Chilli pwdr - 1/4 tspn
Coriander Pwdr - 1/4 tspn
Ginger & Garlic Paste - 1/2 tspn
Salt - 1/2 tspn

Method:

1. Soak basmati rice for half an hour.

2. Marinate the mutton with the ingredients mentioned 'To marinate'  and keep it aside for 20 min.

3. Heat 1 tspn oil and 2 tspn ghee in a pressure cooker. Add Bay leaves, Cinnamon, Cardamon,Cloves and saute for a min.

4. Add sliced onions until it becomes translucent. Add ginger & Garlic paste and saute till the raw smell goes.


5. Add chopped tomatoes and saute for a while.



6. Add turmeric pwdr,biryani pwdr, chilli pwdr,coriander pwdr, coriander leaves and mint leaves and saure for 5 min.Add marinated mutton along with 1 cup water  and allow it to boil.

7. Pressure cook mutton for 3 whistles. Turn off heat and allow it to cool. Remove the lid and see, it will look like a thick gravy.

8. Turn on the heat again. Add remaining water and 1 cup buttermilk. Add salt and drained rice. 

9. Pressure Cook for 1 whistle and turn off the heat. Once it cool down,remove the lid and add 1 tspn of ghee and mix it.




10. Serve hot with raita.

Hope you all enjoy this mutton biryani.




Friday, March 7, 2014

Basic Vanilla Cake

Vanilla cake is the simplest and great tasting cake.This simple single layer vanilla cake is easy to make.Lets see how to make this basic cake recipe.



Ingredients:


All Purpose Flour - 1 Cup
Powdered Sugar - 1/2 Cup
Baking Powder - 1 tspn
Vanilla Extract - 1 tspn
Egg - 1
Salt - 1/2 tspn
Unsalted Butter - 1/4 Cup
Milk - 1/4 Cup
Cashew nuts - 10

Method:


1. Preheat the oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit.

2. Grease and flour the cake pan.



3. In a bowl,beat butter and sugar with electric mixer or hand mixer until soft and creamy.




4. Add egg and beat well.



5. Add vanilla extract and mix well.

6. Combine Flour,baking powder and salt, add to the creamed mixture and mix well.



7. Finally add milk until the batter is smooth.

8. Pour the batter to the greased pan and level with the back of the spoon and add chopped cashew nuts.




9. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven.

10. To check whether the cake is ready, insert a toothpick in the center of the cake, it should come out clean.

11. Allow it to cool for 10 minutes. Then invert the cake onto the desired surface.




The simple Vanilla cake is ready.


Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Parotta

Parotta is popular in south india.The side dish of parotta comes with both vegetarian and non vegetarian gravy.I am making eggless parotta. We have to add more oil to make parotta.Lets see how to make it.




Ingredients:

Maida - 4 Cups
Salt - 1 tspn
Oil - 1/2 Cup
Water as required

Method:

1. In a bowl,add maida and salt and mix well. Add  water and maka a soft dough.Add a tspn of oil into the dough and mix well.Cover the dough and allow to rest for 2 hrs. Make sure the dough is not dry.



2. Make small balls and apply oil into the balls.




3. Take each ball and roll with chappathi roller to make a long strip.Make the strip coiled into circle and apply oil on it.



4. Now spread the dough with fingers to make thin layer.



5. Heat the tawa on medium flame. Once it heats up, place the parotta and cook on both sides till golden colour. Apply oil on both sides while cooking.



6. Repeat the same process for the rest and make the parottas.

7. Finally combine 5 or 6 parottas together and beat on the sides as the parotta master.



8. Now the Parotta is ready to serve.

Sambar Powder

Sambar Powder is very useful for the preparation of Sambar & Puli kuzhambu. We can also save money by preparing sambar powder in home compared to store bought one. It also saves time.Lets see how to prepare the sambar powder.




Ingredients:

Dhaniya - 3 tbsp  
Toor dhal - 1 tbsp
Channa Dhal - 1 tbsp
Urad Dhal - 1 tbsp
Black Pepper - 1/2 tbsp
Red Chilly - 5 Nos
Cumin Seeds- 1 tbsp
Rice - 1/4 tbsp
Fenugreek Seeds - 1/4 tbsp
Asafoetida - 1/4 tbsp

Method:

1. Dry roast all the above ingredients. Let it cool for some time.




2. Then grind all the ingredients to make powder and finally add asafoetida to the powder.

3. Now the sambar powder is ready. We can grind in bulk and store in a air tight container for regular use.



Monday, February 17, 2014

Paruppu urundai Kuzhambu

Paruppu Urundai Kuzhambu is a famous South Indian Dish.When i try to make this kuzhambu sometimes the lentil balls will dissolve so for the safer side i will cook them before dropping in the kuzhambu.


Ingredients:

Tamarind  - small lemon size
Hing - a pinch
Sambar Powder - 2 tspn
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tspn
Mustard Seeds - 1 tspn
Urad Dal - 1/4 tspn (split)
Fenugreek Seeds - 1/4 tspn
Jeera - 1/4 tspn
Curry leaves - few
Coriander leaves - few
Salt as required

To Grind: 

Toor Dal- 1/2 Cup
Channa Dal - 1/4 Cup
Rice - 1 tspn
Red chilli - 2


Method:

1. Soak toor dal,rice and Channa dal for 1 hour with red chilly.


2. Soak tamarind and extract the juice.

3. After one hour grind toor dal,channa dal, rice ,red chilly with hing and salt.



4. Add turmeric powder and curry leaves with the grounded dal and mix well.

5. Now make small balls out of dal paste and cook it in the idli plate and keep it aside.



6. Add oil in a pan and heat it. when it is hot add mustard seeds when it splutters, add urad dal, fenugreek seeds and curry leaves.


7. Add 2 tspn of sambar powder and fry a min. Now add tamarind juice,salt and allow it to boil.


8. Once it boils add the cooked lentils balls and allow it to cook for 5 mins.

9.Add Chopped coriander leaves and switch off the flame.

10. Paruppu urundai kuzhambu is ready to serve with white rice.