Pudalankai poriyal/ Snakeguard poriyal

Pudalankai poriyal is my favourite that too when it is made by my grandmother. I just remember the days when she specially make pudalankai kootu or poriyal and serves with hot rasam and steamed rice. I just love the simple way of her cooking in low flame. Yes, almost now I do follow slow flame cooking, it gets you awesome taste and every portion of curry will be evenly cooked. Pudalankai poriyal goes well with Sambar rice and rasam rice.

Preparation time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 15- 20 mins
Serves: 2 nos

Ingredients:

Snakeguard - 250 gms (finely chopped)
Onion - 1no (finely chopped)
Coconut grated - 1/4 cup
Red chilli - 2 nos (split into two)
Asafoetida/ hing - 1 pinch (optional)
Mustard - 1 teaspoon
Urad dal - 1 teaspoon
Moong dal - 1 tablespoon(washed & soaked, optional)
Water - to sprinkle
Salt - to taste
Curry leaves - few no
Sambar powder - 1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Oil - 2 teaspoon

Method:

1. Wash and cut snakeguard into two and remove the middle white portion. Chop snakeguard finely as shown below.



2. Wash and soak moong dal for 20 mins.
3. Heat oil in a thick bottom kadai and add mustard to it. When it splutter, add urad dal, red chilli, curry leaves and hing. Saute it for a min and add onion to it.
4. Saute well until onion turns translucent colour and then add snakeguard, turmeric powder.



5. Sprinkle little water and cook covered in low flame. Stir in between and sprinkle little water if needed.
6. Once snakeguard is half done, add soaked moong dal, salt, sambar powder and again cook it covered.



7. When snakeguard is cooked, add grated coconut and mix well and switch off the flame.

Yummy, tasty and simple snakeguard curry is ready to be served. Serve it with Sambar rice or rasam sadam.

Crispy French Fries- Restaurant style

Indian veg snacks doesn't end without potato. Different varieties of  aloo/potato snack are available. French fries is a universal snack served with burger/ sandwich. Children are more fond of potatoes that too when it is served crisp with tomato ketchup.

French fries are prepared in different form and I used the simple method to make it. My hubby is more fond of potatoes. It all that he needs boiled potatoes with cheese. He can eat daily without boring. I used to make potato wedges both Indian and thai curry style, french fries, aloo tikki, baked aloo, cheesy aloo and it goes. Non-starchy potatoes are best for making different fries and chips, since it doesn't turn brown soon once we immerse potato into hot oil. Non- starchy potato could be identified by peeling the skin of potato using hand. The skin is very dry and peel off very easily.

Preparation time: 4 hrs
Cooking time: 10 mins
Serves: 3 nos

Ingredients:

Non starchy potato - 2 (large)
Salt - to taste
Water - to boil
Oil - to deep fry
Ziplock cover - 1 medium size
Paper towel - 3 to 4nos

Method:

1. Boil water in a deep non-stick pan and add 11/2 teaspoon of salt to it.
2. Wash and peel 2 medium non-starchy potatoes. Cut them into slices and further into batons as shown below.



3. Now add the potato batons to boiling water. Cover and cook until potatoes are three-fourth done.
4. Strain the baton and pat dry on kitchen towel. Transfer it to zip-lock bag and freeze it around 3-4 hrs.



5. Heat sufficient oil in a pan and deep fry the frozen baton until it turns slight golden brown.



6. Drain on absorbent paper and sprinkle salt to it.

Serve it hot with tomato ketchup.

Tips:

1. Oil should be really hot for frying frozen baton. Once frozen baton are added to hot oil, it reduces the heat of oil. If oil is less in heat, these baton turns soggy and you feel more in french fries.
2. Batons can be prepared as a whole and stored in many small ziplock bag in freezer. It can be used when ever it is required. Once ziplock is taken from freezer use all the batons and don't store it back.

Kuzhi paniyaram (Sweet)

Kuzhi paniyaram is a great chettinad tiffen. Similar to soup shop, we could find more kuzhi paniyaram shops at chennai. My husband is more fond of this recipe and he drools for it, when ever he cross that shop. I learned this recipe from my mother-in-law. She and my hubby's grandma used to make this recipe as they stayed in chettinad for long years. Before marriage I used to make paniyaram using dosa/idli batter.

Aapam/ kuzhi paniyaram batter are same. But in most of the houses we used to make kuzhi paniyaram with idli/dosa batter. When specific batter is prepared for making paniyaram, it gives spongy texture and exotic taste.

Ingredients for making batter:

Raw Rice / Sonamasoori  - 1 cup
Idli Rice - 1 cup
Urad dal - 2 tablespoon
Fenugreek seeds - 1 tablespoon
Salt - to taste

Ingredients for making paniyaram:

Paniyaram batter - 1 cup
Jaggery - 1/2 cup
Dry ginger powder/ sukku - 1 pinch
Cardamom powder- 1 teaspoon
Oil - to fry

Method:

1. Soak raw rice, idli rice, urad dal and fenugreek seeds together for 4 -6 hours.
2. Grind it in mixer or grinder to thick consistency batter similar to idli batter.
3. Add salt to the batter and mix using hand and allow it to ferment over night,
4. Take one cup batter and mix powdered jaggery/ grated jaggery along with elachi powder and dry ginger powder.



5. Heat paniyaram kadai and add 1 teaspoon oil in each mold if it is non-stick kadai or add little more oil to each mold.



6. When kadai is hot, add sweet batter to 3/4 of each mold and allow it to cook in low-medium flame. The batter will puff and raise.


7. Flip to other side and allow it to cook. Make sure, the crispy outer layer turns golden brown on both the sides.





8. Remove paniyaram from kadai and serve it hot.



Spongy, tasty and exotic paniyaram is ready to be served.

Cabbage Pakoda/Pakora - Winter Special

During winter, my hubby love to have a evening tea with hot snack. I used to make different pakoda using spinach, onion and veggie pakoda. I tried cabbage pakora, which came out so good. With simple ingredients at home, we can make this pakoda. All just you need is 10 mins time to prepare and 10 mins to cook. Try this recipe during this rainy season.

Preparation time: 10 mins

Cooking time: 10 mins

Serving: 2 nos

Ingredients:

Onion - 1 (large, thinly sliced)

Green chilli - 2 (diagonally sliced)

Ginger - 1 inch (thinly sliced)

Coriander - 1/2 cup (cleaned, chopped)

Besan flour - 1/2 cup

Red Cabbage - 1/4 cup (finely shred)

Chilli powder - 1/4 teaspoon (optional)

Cashewnut - 15 nos (optional)

Water - to make thick batter

Salt - to taste

Oil - to deep fry

Method:

1. Mix onion, chilli, ginger  and salt and keep it aside for 10 mins.

2. Soak cashewnut in water for 15 mins. 

3. Now add coriander, soaked cashewnut, cabbage to the onion mixture and mix well.
 

4. Finally add besan flour and chilli powder and mix well by sprinkling water to it.

5. Deep fry the pakoda mix in oil by adding little by little to oil in batches.



6. Flip pakoda to other side and fry until it turns golden brown.
7. Drain the excess oil using paper towel.

Serve crispy pakoda with hot tea.

Tips:

1. No need of rice flour. Adding salt to onion leaves little water. This helps in binding the besan flour.

Hot & Sour Soup - Veg

During winter we really look for hot soup bowl. Hot & sour soup is one of my best soup I love. Though it is spicy it creates good appetite and feels warm during winter. It's a special soup for this winter. We can adjust the spiciness and make this healthy soup at home. Combination of more vegetables adds richness to this soup. It is so simple to make and we can really add pungent to this soup by adding chilli sauce & soya sauce. Sour taste we get by adding vinegar.

Preparation time: 15 mins
Cooking time: 30 mins
Serves: 4 nos
Measuring cup (1 cup = 250 ml)

Ingredients:

Onion - 1/4 cup ( Thinly sliced)
Capsicum - 1/4 cup ( julienne sliced)
Carrot - 1/4 cup (julienne sliced)
Beans - 6 nos ( finely chopped)
Red cabbage - 1/4 cup (thinly sliced)
Mushroom - 1/4 cup (thinly sliced)
Celery/ coriander - 1/4 cup (washed, chopped & tightly packed)
Ginger - 1/2 teaspoon (finely chopped)
Garlic -1 teaspoon (finely chopped)
Salt - to taste
Water - 750 ml
Pepper - to taste
Corn flour - 2 tablespoon
Chilli - 1 (finely chopped)
Butter - 2 tablespoon
Palak leaf - 1/4 cup (washed & thinly sliced)
Soya sauce - 3/4 teaspoon
Vinegar - 1 teaspoon
Chilli sauce - 1/2  teaspoon( optional)

Method:

1. Wash and chop all the vegetables and keep aside.



2. Heat butter in a wok/kadai and add garlic to it. Saute it until it turns golden brown colour. Nice aroma arise out when garlic is saute in butter. Now add ginger, onion and saute until onion turns translucent colour.



3. Add beans, carrot, capsicum, cabbage, mushroom, chilli one by one and saute well until all veggies are half cooked.



4. Meanwhile make corn starch by mixing corn flour in 3-4 tablespoon of water to get thick paste.
5. Once mushroom turns slightly brown colour add celery and palak leaf. Saute it for a min.
6. Add water, salt and soya sauce and allow veggies to boil around 15 mins. Check for salt as soya sauce contains lot of salt.



7. Bring the soup to simmer on a medium flame and add corn starch and mix uniformly such that no lumps are formed.



8. When soup thickens add white pepper/ normal pepper and vinegar. Give a final stir and switch off the flame.



Hot and Sour soup is ready to be served. Serve it by sprinkling coriander/ celery leaf.

Tips:

1. Salt, pepper, vinegar, soya sauce, chilli are adjusted according to the taste. If you don't need the spiciness avoid adding chilli.

Malai Paneer - 15 mins Recipe

Very recent days I have tried so many paneer recipes and one of the most easiest recipe which is more creamy and tasty is Malai Paneer. Kids will love this recipe for sure. Cottage cheese dunked in fresh cream and spices which could be served as starter as well side dish for chappathi/ roti.

Preparation time : 5 mins
Cooking time : 10- 15 mins
Serves : 2 nos

Ingredients:

Onion - 1 (finely chopped, large)
Paneer - 200 gm (diced into cubes)
Ginger garlic paste -2 teaspoon
Butter - 2 tablespoon
Kashmiri red chilli Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Coriander powder - 1 teaspoon
Fresh Cream - 1/2 cup
Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Garam masala powder - 1/8 teaspoon
Kasturi methi - 3/4 teaspoon(crushed)
Salt - to taste

Method:

1. Heat 2 tablespoon of butter in a kadai and add chopped onion. Saute well until onion turns golden brown color.
2. Add ginger garlic paste and saute well, until its raw smell vanish off.
3. In low flame add coriander powder, chilli powder and turmeric powder. Stir well and make sure, spices doesn't get burnt.



4. In low flame, add paneer cubes and mix well such that paneer is coated with masala.



5. In reduced flame, add fresh cream, such that paneer is coated with cream. Season with salt and stir well for 2-3 min



6. Once oil started oozing out, sprinkle kasturi methi and garam masala and stir well.
7. Switch off the flame and serve Malai paneer by garnishing with coriander leaf/ kasturi methi.

Malai panner is ready to be served. Serve it along with any bread varieties, roti, pulka.

Capsicum Chutney

Capsicum chutney is one my most favourite chutney. I love to have it along with soft and hot idli's or dosa. Below combination of ingredients adds separate flavor to this chutney. Capsicum generally have more nutritious value, contains vitamin c more than orange fruit and vitamin B6. Also it is one of the best anti oxidant.

Ingredients:

Green capsicum -1 no (diced into cubes, large)
Onion -1 (sliced, large)
Garlic cloves - 3 nos
Ginger - 1 inch piece (chopped)
Green chilli - 2 nos(slit)
Red chilli - 2nos
Coconut - 1 tablespoon (grated)
Curry leaves - few
Coriander - 1/2 cup
Asafoetida -1 teaspoon
Oil - 2 tablespoon
Salt - to taste
Tamarind paste - 1 teaspoon

Seasoning:

Oil - 1 teaspoon
Curry leaves- few nos
Red chilli -1 no
Mustard - 1 teaspoon
Urad dal (split)- 1 teaspoon

Method:

1. Heat 2 tablespoon oil in kadai and add garlic, ginger, green chilli, red chilli, onion and capsicum one after other and saute it in medium flame around 5  mins.
2. Add chopped coriander,coconut, curry leaves and tamarind paste and saute well again for 1 minute and switch off the flame.
3. Add  asafoetida and salt to the mixture and allow it to cool completely.
4. Once the above mixture completely cools off, add it to blender and make fine paste. check for salt.
5. In a separate kadai heat 2 teaspoon oil and add red chilli, mustard seeds, once it splutter add urad dal, curry leaf and switch off the flame.
6. Add above seasoning to chutney.

Capsicum chutney is ready to be served.

Aloo Gobi Pulao with Bhurani Raita

Aloo gobi pulao is simple and much easy to make when all ingredients are kept ready. Similar to variety rice, this pulao can be made. Aloo and gobi is a best in combination cooking. Children loves both aloo and gobi and I am sure its a best lunchbox recipe. Simple ingredients required to make this pulao. I used homemade pulao masala for making this recipe. We can also use pulao masala readily available over shops. Aloo and gobi fried in oil adds crunchiness to the dish. Serve this dish with Bhurani Raita which adds additional flavour and punch to this dish.

Preparation time : 30 mins
Cooking time: 15 mins
Serves: 2 nos

Ingredients:

Boiled Aloo (potato) - 2 nos
Cauliflower - 15 florets
Turmeric - 1 teaspoon
Salt - to taste
Oil - for deep fry
Basmathi rice - 1 cup
Water - 2 cup
Pulao Masala - 2 teaspoon
Bayleaf - 2nos
Cloves - 2 nos
Cardamom - 2 nos
Cinnamon stick (patta) - 2 nos
Ghee - 2 teaspoon
Coriander - 1 tablespoon(chopped, optional)

Method:

1. Boil potatoes by adding little salt and allow them to cool off. Cut them into small cubes along with skin.



2. Separate whole cauliflower into florets, clean them by washing it under running water. In a bowl add water, turmeric, salt and soak washed cauliflower in it for 10 minutes.



3. Wash and soak basmathi rice for 20 mins and pressure cook for 3 whistle by adding little oil and salt.
4. Spread cooked rice in a large plate using fork and allow them to cool off.
5. Deep fry cubed potatoes in oil until they turn golden brown in colour and keep them aside.
6. Similarly deep fry soaked cauliflower in oil, until it turns golden brown in colour. Cauliflower will have nice crunchy texture.



7. Heat 2 teaspoon ghee in a kadai, add spice (cardamom, bayleaf, cinnamon stick and cloves) and saute it for 2 mins.
8. Add fried potatoes and cauliflower into kadai and sprinkle lavish amount of pulao masala to it. Add cooked rice, salt and toss well until each rice is coated with pulao masala. Toss it over low flame for 5 mins.
9. Finally add chopped coriander.

Serve this Aloo Gobi pulao with Bhurani Raita. For Bhurani Raita recipe, click the link.

Pulao masala

Pulao masala gives different aroma to the dish. We can easily make this masala at home. To make simple pulao we can make use of this masala. Various masala are used in Indian cuisine for cooking. It is always good to have different spice powder that too prepared at home.

Ingredients:

Coriander seeds - 3 tablespoon
Black pepper - 1/2 tablespoon
Cumin seeds (jeera) - 1 tablespoon
Fennel seeds (perunjeeragam)- 3 tablespoon
Bay leaf (brinji ilai) - 5 nos
Cinnamon sticks (pattai) - 3 nos
Cloves (lavangam) - 12 nos
Cardamom - 15 nos
Red chilli - 4 nos
Mace (Jathi poo) - 1 tablespoon
Nutmeg (Jathikai) - 1 no

Method:

1.Dry roast all the above ingredients in a pan and adding one by one.



2. Allow them to cool off before blending.



3. In a mixture, blend the above dried ingredients into fine powder.

Tips:

1. This powder can be used for pulao and briyani as well.

Bhurani Raita

A different variety of raita which add's compliment to the main course is "Bhurani Raita". Bhurani mean Garlic in hindi. Raita prepared with garlic and spice powder that adds flavour to briyani or pulao .

Ingredients:

Garlic cloves - 10 nos
Thick yogurt - 1 cup
Oil - 2 teaspoon
Salt - to taste
Chilli powder - 2 pinch

Method:

1. Finely chop garlic cloves.
2. Heat oil in a small pan and add garlic to it. Saute it until it turns golden brown in colour.
3. Whisk thick curd in a cup by adding needed salt.
4. Add saute garlic to the whipped curd and mix well.
5. Finally add 2 pinch of red chilli powder and serve it.

Brinjal Chutney

I learnt this recipe from my co-sister, she made it for me one fine evening with soft idli's. I loved it so much and learned what ingredients she used to make this chutney. I am just sharing this post for chutney lovers and especially for mom's who loves to make variety of chutney. This chutney goes well with dosa, idli and oothapam.

Preparation time: 15 mins
Serves: 2 Nos

Ingredients:

Purple brinjal - 10 nos( small size)
Onion - 1 (roughly chopped, medium size)
Green chilli - 3 nos
Curry leaves - hand full
Garlic cloves - 4 nos
Asafoetida - 1/2 teaspoon
Oil - 4 teaspoon
Salt - to taste
Ginger - 1 inch (optional)

Method:

1. Wash and remove head of brinjal and cut each of them roughly into 4 halves.
2. Heat oil in a pan and fry onion,garlic. Once it is half cooked, add brinjal and saute well until, brinjal turns soft.



3. Add curry leaves, green chilli and asafoetida into the pan one by one and saute well.



4. Transfer all the ingredients to a plate and allow them to cool off.
5. Add this mixture to blender and grind it to fine paste by adding little salt and sprinkle water if required.
6. Heat oil in a separate pan, add mustard seeds, once mustard splutter add red chilli, urad dal, curry leaves and saute it until urad dal turns golden brown colour. Add this tempering mixture to chutney and serve.

Ash Gourd Halwa /Vellai Poosanikai Halwa / Thadiyangai Halwa/ Kaasi Halwa

This halwa is a tasty, sticky treat containing the positive-pranic and healthful ash gourd. In my yoga system my guru always ask us to consume ash-guard. Daily consumption of ash gourd greatly enhances one’s intellectual capabilities. During summer we used to add ash-guard in our salads. Consuming ash-guard juice also taste well. During my childhood, my mom used to make this halwa often and I love to consume it when it is hot.

Preparation time: 30 mins
Cooking time : 1 hour
Yield: Serves 4

Ingredients:

Ash gourd (white pumpkin), peeled, grated & squeezed: 300-400 gm
Ghee: 4 tablespoon ghee
Cashews: 10
Dry grapes/ kismis- 5 nos
Sugar:  300-400 gm
Cardamom powder: 1 tsp
Saffron  - 3/4 teaspoon
Edible camphor (Pachai Karpooram) - 1 pinch (optional)
Salt - 1 pinch

Method

1. Squeeze the grated ash gourd pulp by hand to remove excess liquid or, alternatively, allow the pulp to sit in a sieve/colander for some time until the juice runs out. It is most important step, that helps in getting crunchiness in halwa.



2. Heat pan and add 1/2 of the squeezed pumpkin water and allow it to boil. Add pumpkin pulp to it and mix well and saute it for 5 mins.



3. Add sugar to it. Sugar quantity should be equal to the weight of pumpkin pulp.



4. When sugar dissolves, add saffron to boiling mixture. When 3/4 of water evaporates, add 3 tablespoon ghee and cardamom powder.



5. Cook by stirring continuously, until the halwa begins to leave the sides of the pan and becomes a homogeneous mass. Add pinch of salt at this stage and stir well.



6. In a separate pan, heat a tablespoon of ghee and fry kismis and cashew. Add fried cashews to halwa and mix well.

Simple, Yummy and tasty Ash-Guard halwa is ready to be served.