Paal Kozhukattai/Milk Modhak

Special recipe for the Kids-event-milk contest.
This recipe can be even served to a kid who is 8 months old.
Thanks for initiating this contest sharmi - Kids event and good work preety for supporting it.
I am sure they are gonna love it, give them a treat for their hunger.

They just can't resist eating this.

Ingredients:

• Rice flour - 1/2 cup
• jaggery or sugar - 1/2 cup
• milk - 1/2 cup
• cardomoms – 10
• grated coconut - 4 tsp
• Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
• Dried nuts for decoration.

Method:

• Mix rice flour + hot water + pinch salt make a dough, the consistency should like chappati consistency.
• Make tiny balls with your finger tips or you can use Murukku achu and make tiny length strips.
• Boil 1/2 cup of milk and keep it aside.
• boil 11/2 cup water and allow it to boil, add 1 tsp of channa dal, allow it cook for 5 min
• now add the balls to the boiling water
• The balls will get cooked, some will get dissolved in the water, once it reaches semi consistent stage.
• Add the boiled milk mixed well, add to mix well together.
• Now add the sugar/grated jaggery to the mixture, keep the heat in medium flame.
• Now it to reach Semi consistency stage.
• Now add cardomoms powder, grated cocunut.
• Sprinkle some dried nuts before you serve.

Paal Kozhukattai is ready.

Aviyal

Ingredients:

Small onions - 4-5

Vegetables - 2 cups (Mix of carrots, drumsticks(moringa), pumpkin, snakegourd, bottlegourd, radish, raw bananas, beans, yam, etc) (I used carrots, beans,drumsticks,plantain,radish, pottato- cut into 2 inch long)

Grated coconut - 1 cup

Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon

Yoghurt (curd) - 1/2 cup

Green chillies - 4

Curry leaves - few

Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon (optional)

Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Salt to taste

Coconut oil or any oil - 1 tablespoon

Method:

• Cook vegetables, 2 green chillies, turmeric powder in 1-2 cups of water, until they are soft.



• grind coconut,small onions,2 chillies,cumin seeds to a fine paste with little water and keep aside.



• Heat oil in kadai, add mustard seeds ,curry leaves saute.



• then add boiled vegetables, masala paste, curd, salt and mix well.



• add water if the gravy is too thick and allow to boil for 5 mins.

Serve with adai, click here to see the recipe

Adai

Ingredients :

• par boiled rice - 1 cup


• chana dal - 1/4 cup


• moong dal - 1/4 cup


• Tour dal - 1/4 cupurad dal - 1/4 cup


• red chillies - 6g


• reen chillis - 3 (chillis according to your taste)


• cumin seeds - 1 teasp


• asafoetida - pinch


• chopped onion - 1 cup


• grated carrot - 1 cup (u can use cabbage also)


• grated cocunut - 4tbsp


• coriander leaves - chopped


• curry leaves


• salt


• oil

Method:

• Soak dal and rice for 2-3 hours.


• Grind chilies, cumin seeds first,then add rice and dal asafetida, salt and grind in to coarse batter.


• then mix with chopped onion coriander leaves, mix well. (if u want fry onion & carrot for 5 mins with 1tsp oil and add.) (you can use young drumstick leaves or spinach instead of coriander leaves and also a few curry leaves )


• Heat tawa and grease with little oil pour the adai batter like utthappam. (if u want thin and crunchy adai pour like dosai).


• Now top with some more chopped onions and grated carrot sprinkle 1 tea sp oil on it and turn the other side and roast light brown color


• then serve hot with aviyal or coconut chutney and jaggery or with spicy onion chutney~Adai ready.

For adai aviyal is the best combination, Click here to see Aviyal receipe

Spicy idiyappam/Lemon Idiyappam

Ingredients:

For idiyappam:-

• Idiyappam flour or rice flour - 1cup



• salt - pinch



• grated cocunut - 4tsp



• sugar

For masala:-

• onion - 1



• green chilly - 2



• tumeric powder



• mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp



• urad dal - 1 tsp



• gram dal - 1 tsp



• curry leaves - 1 string



• Hing - pinch



• coriander leaves - chopped 1 tsp



• lemon juice - 1 tsp

Idiyappam Preparation:

• Mix 1 cup of rice flour or idiyappam flour with required warm water and salt.



• Knead into smooth dough.



• Apply little oil inside the idiyappa achu.



• Put a small quantity of dough into the “idiyappa achu" and press it on the idly plate.



• Steam this in idly cooker for 8-10 minutes.

Masala Preparation

• Heat oil in kadai



• Add mutard seeds,gram dal, green chilly, curry leaves,hing and saute



• Add onion tumeric powder and salt fry for 5 mins.



• Now add idiyappam (split it finely) mix well, cook for 5 mins



• add 1tsp lemon juice.~garnish with coriander leaves.~Spicy idiyappam ready

Sweet idiyappam

Ingredients:

• Idiyappam flour or rice flour - 1cup



• salt - pinch



• grated cocunut - 4tsp



• Sugar - to taste

Method:~

• Mix 1 cup of rice flour or idiyappam flour with required warm water and salt.



• Knead into smooth dough.



• Apply little oil inside the idiyappa aachu[round tool for making idiyapam].



• Put a small quantity of dough into the “idiyappa achu" and press it on the idly plate.



• Steam this in idly cooker for 8-10 minutes.



• serve with grated cocunut and sugar(if want use milk) or serve with sweet cocunut milk.

Sweet Idiyappam ready.

Tamil Calendar - January

Click on the image to get a better view

Pongal Kuttu/Mixed Vegetable Curry

We celebrate pongal to honor the "SUN" god, We give our offering to the Sun god. So we include most of vegetables we harvest in the farmas a thanks giving to the SUN God.

In the mixed vegetable curry - We try and include all the vegetables give by rain,sun and the cattle's hardwork

• Brinjal - 2


• Drum sticks - 2


• Beans - 4


• Avaraikai - 1/4 cup


• Raw banana/Vazhaikai - 1/2


• White Pumpin - 1/4 cup


• Suraikai / Yellow squash - 1/4 cup


• Green chillies - 5 nos

Chop all the vegetables mentioned aboe and keep it aside

• Pepper corns - 1 tsp


• Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp


• Corriander seeds - 2 tsp


• Coconut grated - 3 tsp


• Channa dal - 2 tsp


• Raw rice - 1/2 tsp


• Pearl onions - 4 nos


• Urad dal - 1/2 tsp


• Red chilli - 4 nos

Dry roast all the above ingredients and grind it to fine paste keep it aside

Pearl onions - 1/4 cup
Green chilli - 5 nos
Toor dal - cooked 1 cup
Tamarind paste - 1 tsp

Method of preparation:

• Heat oil in the pan,do tadka with mustard and Curry leaves.


• Add the whole pearl onion and green chillies saute them till golden brown.


• Now add all the chopped vegetables, saute them


• Add a 1/2 tsp of tumeric powder, add 1/2 glass of water and salt


• Allow them to cook for 20 min, close the pan


• Check if they are cookedNow add the grounded paste and tamarind allow it to boil for 10 min


• If required add some water


• Once the raw smell leaves, add the cooked dal, allow to mixture to boil for some time


• The mixture should reach a gravy consistency.

Serve with the pongal you have prepared.

Payasam

Ingredients:

• Semiya - 3 tsp


• Milk - 2 cups


• Sugar - 1/4 cup


• Dry fruits and nuts - 3 tsp


• Ghee - 4 tsp


• Yellow color - pinch


• Cardamom - 2 [crushed]

Preparation Method:

• 1. Dry roast the semiya till light brown and keep it aside.


• 2. In a wide pan, add the milk,sprinkle cardamom - boil till it thickens


• 3. Now add the semiya to it, keep stiring till the semiya gets cooked


• 4. In another pan, heat the ghee - roast the dry fruits and nuts.


• 5. add the color to the mixture

Venn Pongal

Ingredients:

• Raw rice/Pachai arisi - 1/2 cup


• Moong dal - 1/2 cup


• Ginger - crushed 1/2 tsp


• Green chillies - Split length wise - 5


• Pepper corns - 1 tsp


• Cumin seeds - 1 tsp


• Cashews nuts - 3 tsp


• Ghee - 5 tsp
  

Preparation Method:

• 1. Dry roast moongdal and rice and keep it aside


• 2. In the cooker, add ghee, once it is hot add Ginger,pepper corns,cumin,green chilles cashews nuts, saute for few min


• 3. Now add 3 cups of water, add required amount of salt


• 4. Mix well, now add the rice and moongdal to it. check for salt


• 5. Pressure cook for 5 whistles.
  
  Venn pongal is ready for pooja

Sakkari Pongal

Ingredients:

• Raw rice/Pachai arisi - 1 cup


• Moong dal - 5 tsp


• Ghee - 5 tsp


• Dry fruits/nuts mixed - 5 tsp


• Grated coconut - 4 tsp


• Milk - 1 cup


• Cardamom - 4 powdered


• Madai Vellam/Jaggery - 1 cup [powdered]

Preparation Method:

1. Dry roast moong dal just for 2 min and keep it aside.
2. Wash the rice and keep it aside.
3.Boil 1 cup of water with 31/2 cups of water.
4.when it reaches boiling point, add the rice and moon dal.
5.Rice and moong dal should be very well cooked, should reach semi solid consistency.
6. In the mean time, boil 3/4 cup of water, add the powdered jaggery and make a thin jaggery liquid, when the mixture is dissolved, filter it
7.Add it to the cooked rice, keep the flame in sim and mix well every thing8.Add the grated coconut to the mixture.
8. In a separate pan, heat the ghee - add the all the dry fruits and nuts, and cardomom powder once they turn golden brown add to the rice mixture

Sakkarai pongal is ready for Pooja.

Thai Pongal Recipes and Celebration details

Happy Pongal - To one and all

Four days of Festive fun – Pongal – One of most important south Indian festival

• Boogi Pongal


• Thai Pongal – Main day of the Festival


• Mattu Pongal


• Kannum Pongal

Boongi Pongal is celebrated on 13th Jan this year – 2009

This festival is celebrated to honor – Lord Indra – For providing rain for the harvesting of crops
This day people rise early in the morning, Take oil bath, Create a huge fire outside their home and burn all the waste materials and clothes at home. They burst crackers
Just to signify that all the old and evil deeds for the past year are burnt and washed away by the holy fire and this year will start with new deeds.

Thai Pongal

Day of Thai Pongal is celebrated on 14th Jan this year – 2009

Nalla Neeram for performing pooja – Morning – 9:30 – 10:30

Pongal is celebrated to honor the SUN God for providing us all the required light and nutrients for the growth of crops
We prepare lot of dishes as offering to the SUN god. The dishes prepared is offered in a huge banana leaf.

We offer Sugarcane, new clothes, coconut, betel leaves.

I have listed them below:

• Chakkarai Pongal


• Venn Pongal


• Kaikari Kottu


• Vadai


• Payasam

Mattu Pongal:

This is the festival to honor the cattle's hard work for plowing the fields.
Today the farmers used to Clean the cattle, dress them up with flowers, bells and garlands
Paint their horns, offer them with lot of food material.

Kannum Pongal :

This day people visit their friends and relatives, dine and feast with their beloved
Share the good events and harvest happened that whole year. Enjoy the last day of the festival with heavy feast and visit some favorite spots. Kind of relaxation to the farmers by meeting their beloved ones.

Flavoured Fried rice

Ingredients:

• cooked white Rice - 1 cup


• Onion - 2 Very finely chopped - Length wise


• Garlic - 4 pods crushed


• Beans - 1/2 cup - chopped


• Capsicum - 1 chopped


• Mushroom - 1/4 cup - chopped


• Green chillies - required Finely chopped


• Sliced olives - required


• Soya sosSalt


• Ajinamotto - pinch


• spring onion - 1 bunch - finely chopped


• Oil for sauting


• Red chilli crushed - 1/2 tsp


• Pepper powder - 1 tsp


• Chilli paste - 1 tsp


• Tomoto sos - 1 tsp


• Ghee - 2tsp

Preparation method:

• 1. Heat ghee in the pan,add crushed garlic - saute it for a while


• 2. Now add the chopped onion saute it till they are brown


• 3. Add the beans and capsicum to the mixture - saute till half cooked


• 4. Now add mushroom,olives and spring onion


• 5. Add pepper,ajinamotto,crushed red chilli saute them


• 6. Add all the sos to the mixture


• 7. Salt to the mixture - Once they are cooked


• 8. Add the white rice, mix well with the paste


• 9. Hot and Spicy fried rice is ready to serve

You can serve this is Cauliflower Manchurian.

Ghee Roast

Ingredients:

• Idli rice - 3 cups


• Urad dal - 3/4 cup


• Fenugreek seeds - 11/2 spoon

Preparation Method:

• Soak idli rice for 8 hoursSoak urad dal and fenugreek seeds together for 8 hours.


• Grind the rice to a little coarse pasteGrind urad dal to a fine pastemix them together with required salt.


• Allow it to stay outside for fermentation over night.


• Morning you can make gripsy ghee roast with this dough.


• Heat the Dosa tava, grease it with 1 tsp of oil and spread the batter.


• Let it get half cooked, keep the flame medium high.


• Add 1 tsp of oil and 1/2 tsp of ghee on the dosa.


• 
  
  
  
  
  Turn the other side once they are done cripsy.
  Serve it with tomato chutney,sambhar.

Spongy Idlis

Ingredients:

• Idli rice - 3 cups


• Urad dal - 1 cup


• Fenugreek seeds - 11/2 spoon

Preparation Method

• Soak idli rice for 8 hours


• Soak urad dal and fenugreek seeds together for 8 hours
  Grind them separtely to a fine paste, mix them together with required salt


• Allow it to stay outside for fermentation over night





• Morning you can make idli with this dough


• Heat the water in the idli pan


• Grease the idli paste with oil, add 1 scoop of dough and steam it for around 15 min


• Once they are cooked


• Remove it from steam, take the idli's out of the plate after cooling for 1 min


• Serve hot with sambhar and chutney

Puffed Puris

Ingredients:

• Wheat flour - 1 cup




• Rava - 1 tsp




• Water - required




• Oil - for frying




• Salt - required

Preparation Method:

• Kneed the above mentioned ingredients together to a tough dough




• Make small lemon size balls,roll it




• And deep fry in hot oil




• For the puris to puff up, when you fry then immerse them in the oil once.




• They will puff up well

Serve hot with tomato curry or Potato masala

Cauliflower Manchurian

Ingredients:

• Chillipowder - 1/2 tsp


• Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp


• Ginger garlic paste - 1tsp


• Cornflour - 5tsp [ add more if required]


• Water - required amount

Make a very thick batter of above mentioned items

Cauliflower - 10 pieces of medium size florets

Mix the cauliflower florets and deep fry in the oil, till they are golden brown, Keep them aside.

Now for Machurian gravy.

Onion - 2 finely chopped

Garlic - 10 finely chopped

Ginger - 1 1/2 inch - finely chopped

Green chillies - 10 nos - finely chopped

pepper powder - 1/2 tsp

spring onions - 1/2 bunch - finely chopped

Chilli paste - 2 tsp [get it readymade from any grocery shop]

Manchurian sos - 2 tsp

Vinegar - 1/2 tsp

Sugar - pinch

Soya sos - required amount

Salt - required amount

Crushed redchilli - required amount

Olive oil - 1tsp

Sesame oil - 2 tsp

Preparation Method:

• Heat the oil[olive and sesame] in the pan, once they are hot.


• Add the chopped garlic,ginger,onion,chillies.


• Fry till they are slightly brown then add the spring onion - Mix well for few minutes.


• Now add the chilli paste,pepper,soya sos,vinegar,manchurian sos,salt,sugar.


• Add 1/2 glass of water to the mixture, let the mixture boil well, raw smell from all the items will go off.


• Now mix 2 tsp of cornflour in a plain water, dissolve it in water nicely with any lumpsadd to the boiling mixture, now you will the gravy thickening


• Once the consistency reaches, check for salt and spiceIf more spice is required add crushed redchillies, mix well


• Now add the fried cauliflower to the mixture,mix for a minute

Serve it hot with chinese noodles or fried rice

Paruppu usli -Fried style

Ingredients:

• Beans - 1 cup finely chopped
  chana dal-1/2 cup


• toor dal- 2 tsp


• moong dal - 2 tsp


• redchilli - 2
  

Soak all three dals for 3 hrs and grind them with redchilli to a coarse paste

• Ginger - 1/2 inch


• Green chilli - 3 nos


• salt


• hing - pinch

Preparation method:

• 1. Heat oil in pan


• 2. Do tadka with mustard seeds and hing


• 3. Now add the grounded paste, keep mixing it till they turn brown


• 4. The paste will become dry loosing water


• 5. Now add the chopped beans to it


• 6. Mix well add oil and fry

Mango sambhar

Ingredients:

• Mango - 1 no
  
  


• Cooked Toor dal - 1 cup




• Tamarind water - 1/2 cup




• Chillipowder - 1tsp




• corriander powder - 11/2 tsp




• Tumeric powder - 1/2 tsp




• Onion - 1 finely chopped




• Tomatoes - 2 finely chopped




• Vadagam - 1 tsp




• Oil - 3 tsp




• Curry leaves - 1 string




• Cocount milk - 3 tsp

Preparation Method:

• Remove the outer skin from Mango and chop into pieces.




• Heat oil in the pan, do tadka with vadagam and curry leaves.




• Add the chopped onion, fry till golden brown.




• Now add the chopped tomotoes and fry till they are mushy.




• Add salt ,close and cook for 2 min.




• Now add the Mango pieces and mix well.




• Now add the chillipowder,corriander powder and tumeric powder.




• Mix well with 1/2 cup of water




• Allow it to boil for 10 min.




• Now add the tamarind water mix well, boil for 5 min




• Add the cooked dal mix well




• Finally add the coconut milk and garnish with corriander leaves

Serve with cooked rice.

Italian Pasta with Terrific Indian style pasta sauce

This recipe is very special to me as i combined Italian pasta with Indian style pasta Sauce, Believe me it tasted great, Innovating new style in cooking will allow us explore high. I am really happy to share this recipe for the event Vegan world hosted by Vaishali. Here goes the recipe.

Ingredients:

• Pasta - 1 cup


• Sliced olives - required


• Chopped mushroom - required


• Onion - chopped 2


• Tomotoes - chopped 2


• Chilli sos - required


• capsicum - required chopped


• salt - to taste


• oil

Method of preparation:

• Boil hot water,salt - cook it till they are soft.


• Strain water and keep it aside

For Gravy:

• Heat oil in the pan.


• Add chopped onion, till brown.


• Add the chopped capsicum saute it for some time.


• Then add the sliced,mushroom saute for sometime.


• Then add the chopped tomotoes - cook it mushy.


• Add the chilli sos


• salt,mix well, add some water


• Cook it comes to a thick gravy

Serve hot with pasta

Lemon Rice

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of cooked rice



• Greenchillies - 4



• Ginger - crushed 1/2 inch



• Lemon juice - 5 tsp



• Tumeric powder - 1/4 tsp



• Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp



• Urad dal - 1 tsp



• Channa dal - 1tsp



• Red chilli- 2



• hing - pinch



• Curryleaves - 1 string



• Peanuts - 2 tsp



• Cashews nuts - 2tsp



• Oil - for sauting



• Salt - For taste

Method of preparation:

• Heat oil in the pan, add mustard seeds,urad dal,channa dal,redchillies,hing,peanuts,cashewnuts,curryleaves.



• Saute till they are brown.



• Now add the tumeric powder,green chillies,ginger saute for while



• Add the rice, mix well, add salt and lemon juice



• Mix for 2 min, garnish with corriander leaves

Serve hot with papad and Lemon pickle. Will give you a great combination

Mixed Vegetable Kurma

Vegetable Kurma - Saravana bhavan Style

Ground following ingredients to a fine paste

• 1 cup grated coconut



• 1tso khasa khasa/khus khus -Poppy seeds



• one table spoon saunf



• shredded onion 1/2 cup



• diced tomato one cup



• three green chillies



• one tablespoon cashews



• one medium piece of ginger

Other Ingredients

• Half onion into long fine strips



• half tomato - Chopped



• Mixed vegetables -1 cup

Preparation Method

• In a kadai, take two table spoons of oil, add bayleaves then jeera and little saunf and tumeric powder - Do tadka with these.



• add one teaspoon garam masala and then fry the onion till brown.



• Now add tomatoes and when they turn soft.



• Now add the mixed vegetables [I choose to add peas,cauliflower,potatoes and beans]



• Add some 1/2 glass of water and close the pan and cook the vegetables till soft.



• add the ground paste and salt and allow it to boil, it takes around 20 minutes for the raw smell to go.



• You see oil separation from kurma



• Now garnish with corriander leaves

Serve with Parotas, This dish is from famous south indian restaruant - Saravanabhavan.

OnionTomato Thokku/Tomato curry

Ingredients:

• Onion - 4 chopped finely



• Tomoto - ripen 3 chopped finely



• Chillipowder - 1 1/2 tsp



• Tumeric powder - 1/4 tsp



• Curry leaves - 1 string



• Sesame oil - 7 tsp



• Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp



• Urad dal - 1 tsp



• Hing - Pinch

Preparation Method:

1. Heat oil in the pan, once it is hot, add oil.

2. Add mustard seeds, urad dal, hing and curry leaves

3. Add the finely chopped onion, saute them till golden brown.

4. Now add the finely chopped tomatoes and cook them till they are mushy

5. Now add the chillipowder and tumeric powder, add 1/2 glass of water.

6. Allow it to boil till raw smell goes off.

7. Heat off the heat when it is semi solid.

8. Garnish with corriander leaves.

9. Serve with chappatis and puri.