Pudalangai Paal Kootu

Enjoyed this simple kootu with kathirikai kara kulambu yesterday. So easy but rich..

Ingredients
---------------

Channa dhal - Handful
Moong dhal - 1 handful
Snakegourd  - 1 medium size
Sambhar powder - 1 Teaspoon
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 Teaspoon
Milk - 1/2 cup
Jeera - 1 Teaspoon
Mustard - 1/2 Teaspoon
Asafoetida - 2 pinch
Curry leaves - few
Red chilly - 2
Ghee - 1 Teaspoon
Salt

Method
----------
1. Wash channa dhal and soak them in water for 30 mins.
2. Cut the snake guard into small pieces.
3. In a pressure cooker ,cook soaked channa dhal, moong dhal, snakegourd, turmeric powder, Sambhar powder, salt, milk and 1/2 cup of water for 1 whistle.
4.Heat ghee in a pan, season with mustard, jeera, asafoetida,red chillies and add them to the cooked mixture.
5.If it is too watery, keep it on stove for 5 mins.
6.Serve hot with rice.

Ravai Paniyaram (Pancakes)

This is recipe of my grand mother. It's similar to pancakes but instead of flour, we are adding  rava. Ammachi(1908 - 1992)  was a teacher and was in close ties with white priests/ nuns  those days. So I think she learnt about pancakes from them and modified for indian kitchen. Whatever it is , this is quick and tasty. Serve it as a breakfast or at teatime.

Ingredients
--------------
Rava  - 1 Cup
Banana - 1
Cardamom - 1
Egg - 1(optional)
Salt
Sugar - as per taste
Milk - 1/2 Cup (optional)
Oil

Method
----------
1. Soak rava with 2 cups water.
2  After 15 minutes, drain the water above rava.
3. In a blender, blend everything except cardamom together.  Add crushed cardamom later.
4. The consistency should be  thicker than dosa batter.
5. Heat a dosa tava.
6. Add a laddle of batter. It would sperad by itself. If not, spread it into a thick dosa like oothappam.
7. Apply oil generously around the dosa.
8. Flip it carefully
9. Remove from fire once cooked.
10.Serve hot.

Note:
-------
1.You can soak the rava overnight. In that case, no need of blender. You can mash banana by hand and mix remaining things by hand / fork and go ahead.
2. If no time for soaking, you can straight ahead go for blender. In that case, pancakes would be bit crispier as rava was not soaked.
3. You can omit egg if you don't have.
4. If you want to omit milk, add water.

Spinach Kootu Curry

Yesterday, we had this simple dinner of rice, keerai kootu curry. Finished this curry in 10 mins.

Ingredients

Spinach - 200gms
Moong Dhal -  2 handfuls
Coconut - 2 Tablespoons
Sambar Powder - 2 Teaspoons
Jeera - 1/2 Teaspoon
Red Chilly - 2
Mustard - 1/4 Teaspoon
Asafoetida
Ghee / Butter - 1 Teaspoon

Method

1.Pressure cook moong dhal with spinach and sambar powder for 1 whistle.
2.Grind Coconut and redchilly into a paste.
3.Open the pressure cooker, add coconut paste with enough water and let it come to boil. Switch off.
4.In a small pan, heat ghee / butter and season with mustard, jeera and asafoetida. Add it to the keerai mixture.
5.Serve hot with rice.

Gulab Jamoon

Prepared this simple sweet for Diwali. This is the recipe of Mrs. Mano Saminathan. I changed it slightly.

Ingredients
--------------

Milk Powder - 8 Tablespoons
Plain Flour    - 3 Tablespoons
Baking Powder - 1/4 Teaspoon
Baking Soda     - 1/4 Teaspoon
Butter - 1 Teaspoon
Salt - size of mustard
Oil - To Deepfry
Sugar - 1 cup
Cardamom - 2


Method
----------
1.Sift all dry ingredients except sugar.
2.Mix with butter and knead into a soft dough using little water. Knead gently without giving pressure.
3.Make them into marble sized balls.
4.Heat oil in a pan and fry these balls in low heat.
5.Take them out from oil and keep it in a tissue paper.
6.Mix sugar with 1/2 cup of water and stir continuously until dissolved.
7.Add crushed cardamom to the sugar mixture.
8.Switch off the stove when sugar syrup is sticky.
9.Add the fried jamoons and let them soak in syrup for atleast 2 -3 hours.

Semiya Payasam

A super easy payasam....

Ingredients
--------------
Semiya - 1 cup
Milk  - 3 Cup
Condensed Milk - 1/4 Cup
Ghee - 2 Teaspoon
Cashew - 10
Sultana - 10
Caradamom - 1


Method
----------
1.Heat oil in a pan and fry cashew, sultanas and cardamom. Crush the fried cardamom.
2.In the same ghee, fry the semiya till golden brown colour.
3.Boil milk in the pressure cooker. When boiling add semiya and cook for 1 whistle or 5 mins.
4.Remove the lid, add condensed milk.
5.Can add sugar for extra sweet. Or adjust the condensed milk according to taste.
6.Decorate with fried cashews , sultanas and cardamom powder.
7.Serve hot.
8.If it gets thick after some time, add some hot milk to adjust the consistency.


Note
------

Can add soaked Javvarisi with semiya while pressure cooking.

Venpongal

Again a simple and regular recipe at home. Not very rich  and oily, but still creamy...

Ingredients
---------------

Rice - 11/4 cup
(Raw rice is preferred. but I used to make with parboiled rice as well)
Moong Dhal - 3/4 cup
Water - 5 cups
Milk   - 1 Cup
Ginger - a small piece
Pepper - 1 Teaspoon
Jeera  - 1/2 Teaspoon
Asafoetida - 1/4 teaspoon
Curry leaves - Few
Cashew - As required
Ghee - 2 Teaspoon
Refined Oil - 2 Teaspoon

Method
----------
1. Wash the rice and moong dhal and pressure cook for 2 whistles with water, milk , salt and peeled ginger , cut into tiny pieces.
2.  Heat oil in a pan and season with pepper, jeera, curry leaves,  and cashews.
3. Add asafoetida to pongal and on this  , pour seasoned oil.
4. Add ghee.
5. Serve hot with sambhar and chutney.

Kumar Mess Chicken chops

Kumar mess is a famous restaurant in Madurai and known for its non veg items. Today I read a recipe of naatukozhi chops by it's owner Mr.Ganesh. So tried it and it was very good. I feel it would go better with idly , dosa or parotta rather than plain rice.

Here goes the recipe.

Ingredients
--------------
NaatuKozhi - 1 kg
Onion -250gms
Shallots - 250gms
Ginger Garlic Paste - 3 Tsp
Tomato - 3
Coconut - 1 cup(shredded)
Chilli Powder - 2 Tsp
Kashmiri Chilli Powder - 1 Tsp
Coriander powder - 3 Tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 Tsp
Salt
Tamarind Juice (from peanut sized tamarind)

To Roast & Grind
----------------------
Cinnamon
Cardamom
Cloves
Saunf

To Season
-------------
Gingelly Oil - 200ml( I used only half)
Curry leaves
Methi Seeds
Bay leaves
Cinnamon
Cardamom
Star Anise
Cloves

Method
----------
1.Grind coconut into a thick paste.
2.Dry roast the ingredients given and grind them into a fine powder.
3.Heat oil in a heavy pan and season with all ingredients given.
4.Add onions and shallots and fry till golden brown.
5.Add Ginger garlic paste and fry till raw smell goes off. Here after, sprinkle some water few times to prevent burning.
6.Add finely chopped tomatoes and saute it with a tsp of salt.
7.Add turmeric powder , coriander powder and chilli powder and ground garam masala powder one by one and saute nicely.
8.Add chicken and fry till the masala coates over.
9.Add the ground coconut paste and little water. This is chops so, add little water and gravy has to be thick.
10.Cook for 10 mins in medium flame.
11.Add tsp of tamarind juice and once it's boiled switch off the stove.
12.Sprinkle some coriander leaves and serve hot.

Murungaikai Muttai Karakulambu

I learned this recipe from Srirangam Radhu mami's video and adjusted it according to my taste.

Ingredients

Drumstick - 1
Tomato - 4
Tamarind - Marble size
Chilly Powder - 1 -2 Teaspoon
Kashmiri chilly poder - 1/2 Teaspoon(optional)
Kulambu Milagai Thool - 1/2 Teaspoon (optional)
Gingelly oil - 1 Tablespoon
Mustard - 1/2 Teaspoon
Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 Teaspoon
Onion - 1
Garlic - 4-5 Flakes
Curry leaves - Few
Salt - To taste
Boiled Egg - 4
Jaggery - 1/2 Teaspoon

Method

1. Cut the drumstick , take them in a glass bowl, add a teaspoon of water, cover and cook in microwave for  5  minutes. If we use any other vegetable like brinjal or okra, we can avoid this step.
2.Heat oil in a pan and season with mustard, fenugreek seeds and curry leaves.
3.Add onions and crushed garlic and fry them till they become brown.
5.Add chopped tomatoes, little salt and fry them till the oil seperates. This is the most important step in this recipe.It will take around 7-8 minutes.
6.Add chilly powder, kashmiri chilly powder and kulambu milagai thool. If you omit kulambu milagai thool and kashmiri chilly powder, slightly increase the chilly powder quantity.
7.Add cooked drumstick pieces and coat them with masala.
8.Add tamarind juice with 1 cup of water. When it is boiling, add boiled and slitted eggs.
10.Add salt to taste and let it simmer till it reaches the desired consistency.
11.Add jaggery and switch off the stove.
12.Serve hot with rice.