Rava Pongal

In SouthIndia, Pongal is one of the common breakfast which rich in protein and good filler too. As a variety I used to make rava pongal, which is different in taste and quite simple to make. I referred chef Damu´s sir procedure and measurements. It came out so perfect. Even person who is not fond of rava upma will surely like this.

Preparation time: 5 mins
Cooking time: 25 mins
Serves : 2 nos

Ingredients:

Sooji / Rava -1/2 cup
Moong dal -1/4 cup
Water - 2 1/4 cup
Hing - 1/2 teaspoon
Salt - to taste
Ghee - 1 tablespoon

To temper :

Ghee -1 tablespoon
Curry leaves - 1 prig
Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
Black pepper - 1 teaspoon
Cashewnut - 10 nos
Ginger - 2 teaspoon (chopped)
Green chilli - 2 nos (finely chopped)

Preparation Method:

1. Dry roast moong dal until nice aroma wafts and turns slight golden brown. Wash and pressure cook roasted moongdal for 3 whistles by adding 3/4 cup water. ( Always dal: water is 1:3 ratio)
2. Dry roast rava in a seperate pan and keep aside.
3. Once dal is cooked, mash well and add another 1 1/2 cup of water and allow to boil by adding required salt and hing.
4. In another pan, add ghee and temper black pepper, ginger, cumin seeds, cashew nut, green chilli and curry leaves.
5. Add roasted rava to the liquid dal and gently mix. Ensure no lumps are formed. Maintain flame in medium -low and stir well.
6. Add tempering to the rava dal mixture and finally add lavish amount of ghee to it. Just give a mix and switch off the flame.

Yummy, aromatic, tasty rava pongal is ready to be served. Serve it with sambar or coconut chutney.

Tips:

1. Always dal: water ratio is 1:3. Similarly rava:water ratio is 1:3.
2. Add tempering to dal liquid before adding rava. This even enhances good taste.
3. I generally use semi crushed pepper, this increases taste and aroma of rava pongal. 

Verkadalai Sundal /Nilakadalai Sundal/Peanut sundal

Navarathri is one of the important festival celebrated almost all over India. Though people celebrate this festival in different ways, main concept is to worship Goddess Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswathi. My mom used to keep Kolu and invite people everyday. Girl children dress up well and used to celebrate this festival for all 9 days. Everyday different variety of food is prepared and offered to God. All nine days, they make different prasadam such as Sundal, sakarai pongal, pulihora , etc... Today lets see one Sundal "Verkadali Sundal", more healthy and very easy to make. This sundal got published in Sakthi Vikatan october 2018.

Ingredients:

Raw peanuts - 1/2 cup (Soaked for 8 hours)
Dry red chilli - 3 nos
Salt - to taste
Curry leaf - 1 prig
Gingelly oil - 2 teaspoon
Water - to boil peanuts (~ 2 cups)
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Hing - 1/4 teaspoon
Chilli powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Grated coconut - 2 tablespoon

Preparation Method:

1. Wash and soak raw peanuts over night for 8 hours.
2. Pressure cook soaked peanuts with water and little salt approximately for 5-6 whistles.
3. Heat oil in a kadai and add mustard seeds, when it splutter add red chilli, hing, curry leaves and chilli powder. Ensure flame is low when chilli powder is added, else it get burnt. Now add cooked peanuts and needed salt. Mix well on medium-low flame.
4. Finally add grated coconut and just mix twice or thrice and switch off the flame.

Yummy tasty and healthy peanut sundal is ready to be served.

Cream of Broccoli Soup

Creamy Broccoli soup is perfect for chilly weather. Broccoli is rich in magnesium, zinc and Iron. The best anti oxidant vegetable, which can be consumed by all who are in paleo, vegan diet. When I tried this soup, it really taste super. It is a filler soup similar to yellow pumpkin soup.

Preparation time: 20 mins
Cooking time: 25 mins
Serves : 4 nos

Ingredients:

Broccoli - 1 whole pack (Chopped)
Onion - 1 (thinly sliced)
Green chilli - 1 no (slit)
Capsicum - 1/4 cup (diced)
Butter - 2 tablespoon
Salt - to taste
Cinnamon powder - 1 teaspoon
Coconut milk - 1 pack (200 ml)
Water - to boil
Garlic cloves - 2 pods
White pepper powder- to taste

Preparation Method:

1. Dice and wash broccoli well with warm water.
2. In a pressure cooker add diced broccoli, onion, chilli, capsicum, butter, salt, garlic and required water and pressure cook for 3 whistles.
3. Once pressure is released, strain vegetables and allow them to cool off.
4. In a mixer blend boiled vegetables to fine paste. Add this fine paste to strained water.
5. Allow the mixture to boil and add required water, salt, pepper, butter and cinnamon powder. Adjust consistency and taste.
6. Finally add coconut milk or fresh cream and allow to boil once.

Most healthy, tasty and creamy soup is ready to serve. Serve with roasted pumpkin seeds and bread.

SambaKodhumai Rava Kesari

Samba rava kesari is so simple to make and it can be offered to god as prasadham during fasting days such as varalakshmi pooja, one day on navarathri. My mom used to make this recipe on festival days and it taste so good.

Preparation time: 5 mins
Cooking time: 25 mins
Serves: 4 nos

Ingredients:

Samba Rava/Broken wheat - 1/2 cup (fine rava)
Water - 2 cup
Sugar - 1 cup
Ghee - 2 tablespoon
Cashewnut - 10 nos
Reisin - 10 nos
Elachi powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Kesari powder - 1 pinch

Preparation Method:

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of ghee in a pan and fry cashewnuts and reisin. Once fried, keep it aside.
2. To the left over ghee, roast samba rava in medium - low flame.



3. Once rava is roasted, add 2 cups of water and allow it to boil by closing a lid in low flame. stir in between to ensure rava is not burnt.



4. Once all water is observed, add sugar, elachi powder and kesari color to it. Keep stirring in medium flame.



5. Once kesari consistency is attained, add roasted cashewnuts and reisin and mix well. Switch off the flame.



Tips:

1. If broken wheat is not tiny, then in a mixer blend it to fine rava by operating the mixer in ripper mode.

Killu Vathal/Vengaya vathal

Killu vathal is one of my favourite vathal as it taste too yummy similar to javarisi vathal. I still remember my grandmother used to make it during my summer holidays in her home cuddalore. I love her passion in making it and her patience. I tried making it in least quantity and in batches. It came out so good and taste really yummy. Small onion is the secret behind this recipe. This vathal goes well with sambar rice and variety rice. It is really very easy to make and you can store for longer days with no added preservative.

Ingredients:

Idly Rice /Boiled Rice - 2 cup
Green Chilli - 3 nos
Shallots /Small onion - 150 gm
Salt - to taste
Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
Hing - 1 teaspoon
Water - 12 cups + to grind

Preparation Method:

1. Wash and soak Idly rice for 4 hours to 6 hours.



2. Wash and peel the skin of small onion and chop it finely. Add or reduce small onion according to your taste.



3. In a mixer grinder, add soaked rice, green chilli, cumin seeds, hing, salt and grind it to fine paste.



4. In a thick bottom pan / kadai, add 12 cups of water (for one cup of rice - 6 cup of water) and needed salt. Allow it to boil and reduce it to low flame. Now add the grounded paste  to the boiling water and keep stirring.



5. Stir continuously until the mixture boils and one can observe air bubbles on the top of mixture. At that point, switch off the flame and keep it aside.



6. Once it cools down add chopped onion and mix well.



7. Keep little portion of mixture in a butter paper/plastic sheet and allow it to dry in hot sun.





8. Turn upside down the vathal and allow the other side to dry in hot sun.



9. Ensure to allow the vathal to dry completely. Store it in air tight box.



10. Heat cooking oil in a pan. Deep fry this vathal in medium flame until it turns golden brown colour. Ensure flame is in medium - low. Otherwise fryums get burnt.

Serve this vathal / Fryums with sambar rice, variety rice, vathal kuzhambu. Yummy tasty killu vathal is ready.

Tips:

1. Always try to use small onion to make this vathal as it adds good taste to vathal. If you don´t get shallots, then use normal onion.
2. Once grounded paste is added to boiling water, stir well and ensure to mix continuously else lumps will be formed.
3. Ensure to dry this vathal in hot sun otherwise it get spoiled in first 2 days.
4. I use butter paper as it is easy to remove vathal and turn otherside.  

Tomato Capsicum soup

Healthy and most tasty soup, which is so appetizing by colour and look. Simple vegetables can be used for making this soup. It is so simple to make when we pressure cook it. Soup can be served as pre-dinner for kids and elders. As it contains lot of vegetables, soup is more healthy to consume.

Preparation time: 15 mins
Cooking time: 20 mins
Serves: 4 nos

Ingredients:

Tomato -3 (large, diced into cubes)
Onion -1 (large, diced into cubes)
Green chilli - 1 (medium, slit )
Capsicum - 1/2 (yellow or red)
Salt -to taste
Water - to boil
Butter - 2 tablespoon
Red chilli powder - 1/4 teaspoon (optional)
Garlic clove - 1 no
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Coriander leaves - 1 tablespoon(chopped)
Nutmeg powder - 1 pinch(optional)
Carrot -1 (diced, optional)

Preparation Method:

1. In a pressure cooker add diced tomato, onion, green chilli, carrot, capsicum, garlic clove, curry leaf, coriander leaf, butter and needed salt, chilli powder and required water and pressure cook it for 2 to 3 whistle in medium flame.
2. Once pressure is released, allow vegetables to cool off.
3. Strain boiled water and keep aside.
4. In a mixer blend boiled vegetables to fine paste. Add this vegetable paste to strained water.
5. Allow the mixture to boil well. Adjust salt and water.
6. Finally add nutmeg powder and switch off the flame.

Serve Tomato capsicum soup with 2 brown bread.

Tips:

1. Try using yellow capsicum or red capsicum, as it doesn´t change colour of soup. Also remove seeds of capsicum , as it will increase the spice of soup.
2. Serve soup with ghee fried bread for children.
3. Rich cream can be added at last while serving.
4. Carrot is optional vegetable. It increase richness and sweetness of soup.

Ennai Kathirikai kuzhambu

Ennai Kathirikai Kuzhambu is the easiest recipe that can be made within 30 minutes. There are so many version of making this kuzhambu, but this method is so simple and gives nice aroma and fantastic taste. Fresh masala is used for this kuzhambu, which is the specialty. I love to consume this with steam rice and sutta applam. I used to make one more version by stuffing brinjal with masala but this one kuzhambu is so simple and not time consuming.

Preparation time: 20 mins
Cooking time: 25 mins 
Serves: 4 nos

Ingredients for Kuzhambu:

Small brinjal - 5-6 nos
Gingelly oil / Sesame oil - 4 tablespoon
Kuzhambu powder - 1/2 teaspoon (optional)
Coconut milk -1/3 cup (first milk)
Onion - 1 (large, finely chopped)
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Curry leaf - 1 sprig
Turmeric powder- 1/4 teaspoon
Hing - 1/4 tespoon
Salt - to taste

Ingredients for grinding:

Coriander seeds - 2 tablespoon
Channa dal - 2 tablespoon
Red chili - 8 nos
Tamarind - 2 tablespoon paste / one medium lemon size

Preparation Method:

1. Wash and cut the stem of brinjal. At the bottom slit brinjal into 4 parts.
2. In a medium flame, heat 2 tablespoon of oil in a kadai and add brinjal and saute well. Ensure brinjal doesn´t cut into pieces. Close the kadai with lid and reduce the flame to low. It helps to cook the brinjal on bottom side. After 5 mins, turn the brinjal to other side and repeat the same process. Once brinjal is cooked, keep it aside.



3. In a small pan add 1 teaspoon of oil and roast coriander seeds, chilli, channa dal to nice brown colour. Allow roasted ingredients to cool off.
4. Add soaked tamarind /tamarind paste, roasted ingredients into mixer and blend well. Add  required water and blend it to fine paste.



5. In a thick bottom vessel, heat 2 tablespoon oil and mustard seeds. Once mustard seeds splutter add fenugreek seeds, curry leaf, onion and saute well.



6. Once onion turns translucent colour, add grounded masala and required water, salt. turmeric powder, kuzhambu powder and hing. Mix well and allow it to boil for 5 mins in medium flame.



7. Add roasted brinjal and left oil in kadai to the kuzhambu and allow it to boil in medium to low flame, until raw smell of masala vanish off. Finally add coconut milk and just boil it for few mins. Oil oozes out from side of kadai and its right time to switch off the flame.



8. Sprinkle coriander leaf and switch off the flame.

Flavourful, tasty Ennai Kathirikai Kuzhambu is ready to be served.

Tips:

1. Small brinjal gives good taste to this kuzhambu. I didn´t get small brinjal here, so I have used medium sized brinjal.
2. Instead of large onion, shallots can be used (10 nos).
3. Ensure seedless tamarind is used or while soaking remove seeds.

Simple, Quick and Aromatic Rasam

From my childhood my favorite dish is rasam. I remember, I have learnt this recipe from my grandma and repeated making this recipe to get perfection continuously for 10 days during my school holidays. I used to grind the rasam powder using hand (in ammi) and still when ever I make this recipe I remember her though she is no more. My father loves my rasam too much and my hubby started eating rasam after our marriage. It is very easy to make and aroma of rasam will sustain throughout the house.

Preparation time: 15 mins
Cooking time: 15 mins
Serves: 4 nos

Ingredients:

Tamarind - Gooseberry size
Tomato - 1
Rasam Powder -fresh coarsely grounded
Sugar - 1/4 teaspoon
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Asafoetida  Hing - 1/2 teaspoon
Coriander leaves - 2 tablespoon
Salt - to taste

Ingredients for Rasam Powder:

Coriander seeds - 2 tablespoon
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tablespoon
Black pepper - 1/2 tablespoon
Toor dal - 1/2 tablespoon
Red Chilli - 1 no
Curry leaf - 1 tablespoon

For Tempering:

Ghee - 2 teaspoon
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Curry leaf - 1 tablespoon
Red chilli - 1 no
Jeera - 1/4 teaspoon (semi crushed)
Garlic - 2 nos (Semi crushed)

Preparation Method:

1. Dry roast coriander seeds, Toor dal, pepper cons, cumin seeds, Red chilli and curry leaf in medium flame and keep aside.



2. Coarsely grind the roasted ingredients in mixer.



3. Slit skin of tomato and allow it to boil in a cup of water separately. Once tomato is boiled, remove it from boiling water and remove the skin.



4. Smash tomato using hand and keep it aside.
5. Extract tamarind juice and add smashed tomato, coarsely grounded powder, turmeric powder, hing and needed salt to it. (~ 3-4 cups)



6. In medium flame, allow the mixture to boil.
7. Once rasam is boiled, froath is observed on top. Switch off the flame and add little sugar and coriander leaves.



8. Simultaneously heat ghee in a small kadai and fry mustard, curry leaf, red chilli, jeera and semi crushed garlic. Add this tempering to rasam and close the rasam with lid immediately.



Serve this hot rasam as soup or with steam rice and raw banana fry. Yummy, tasty and aromatic rasam is ready to be served.

Tips:

1. Dont´t over boil rasam, as it will give bitter taste.
2. Always boil rasam in medium flame.
3. Tempering should be done in ghee for rasam. Crushed garlic can be added more according to taste. Ghee fried garlic adds flavor and aroma to rasam.
4. Adding a pinch of sugar will aloow the rasam to settle down faster and adds good taste to rasam.
5. Always try to grind fresh powder for rasam.

Yellow Pumpkin Soup

I am a soup lover and try different varieties of soup. My favorite soup was Hot and sour veg soup which I have shared in my blog earlier. Recently I have tried Yellow pumpkin soup, which my sister used to feed his son when he was young. This soup is rich and creamy. I love this soup as it is so creamy and good filler. In Paleo diet, we can take this soup along with paneer tikka for night dinner. Even sugar patients can drink this soup along with 2 brown bread which can be served as dinner.

Preparation time : 15 mins
Cooking time - 35 mins
Serves - 4 nos

Ingredients:

Yellow pumpkin - 2 cups (diced cubes)
Onion -1 (Medium, diced)
Tomato - 1 (small, diced)
Capsicum - 1/2 (diced)
Green chilli - 1/2
Garlic - 1 pods
Ginger - 1/2 inch
Coriander leaf - 1 tablespoon
Curry leaf - 1 tablespoon
Turmeric powder -1/2 teaspoon
Chilli powder -1/2 teaspoon
Butter - 2 tablespoon
Coconut milk - 1 cup
Water - to boil
Salt - to taste
Pepper - 1/2 teaspoon

Preparation Method:

1. Cut the external layer of yellow pumpkin, remove seeds inside and dice it to cubes. Wash 2 to 3 times and keep aside. Slice onion, tomato, capsicum (red/yelloe/green) and chop green chilli, coriander leaf.



2. In a thick kadai/ sauce pan add pumpkin, onion, tomato, green chilli, capsicum, garlic, ginger, curry leaf, coriander leaf, turmeric powder, chilli powder, butter, salt and finally sufficient water to boil.



3. Allow all the ingredients to boil approximately 20 mins in high flame.  Ensure no raw smell remains. Once all vegetables are cooked, strain the water and keep aside. Allow cooked vegetables to cool off.
4. Blend all the vegetable to fine paste in mixer.



5. Mix vegetable paste, strained water, coconut milk and allow it to boil again. Finally adjust salt and switch off the flame.



While serving srinkle little peeper and add a tablespoon of fresh cream.

Yummy, creamy and rich soup is ready to be served.

Tips:

1. Ensure all vegetables are boiled, if not while drinking soup we can feel the smell of raw vegetables.
2. Don´t add too much garlic or ginger, it will overpower the soup flavor.
3. Soup can be served with thick brown bread. It is best dinner for sugar patients.

Simple & Fatafat Cornflakes Mixture

My husband is fond of our original South Indian mixture. I used to make traditional mixture during diwali festival and its very time consuming. I tried this cornflakes mixture as an substitute to our traditional mixture and came out so good. It is very easy to make and can be prepared so quickly.

Preparation time: 5 mins
Cooking time: 15 mins
Yields : 4 cups

Ingredients required:

Cornflakes - 3 cups
Rice flakes (Poha) - 1 cup (white)
Almonds - 1/2 cup
Cashewnut - 1/2 cup
Fried gram dal - 3/4 cup
Raisin - 1/2 cup
Curry leaf - 1/4 cup
Ground nut - 1/4 (Roasted, optional)
Salt - to taste
Chilli powder - 1 -2 teaspoon (adjust to taste)
Sugar powder - 1-2 teaspoon
Hing - 1 pinch
Chat masala - 1 teaspoon (optional)


Preparation Method:

1. Heat oil in a open pan / kadai. In metallic colander /strainer add corn flakes and gently immerse the strainer in hot oil and fry it in batches. Add fried corn flakes to paper towel to remove excess oil.
2. Similarly fry almonds, cashewnuts, raisins, fried gram dal, curry leaf  in order, one by one and add it to large mixing bowl.
3. Finally fry rice flakes in oil and add it to the mixing bowl. Always use colander to fry rice flakes.
4. To the mixing bowl, add fried corn flakes, salt, chilli powder, hing, sugar powder, chat masala and mix well.

Cornflakes mixture is ready and store it in airtight container.

Tips:
1. To add slight tangy taste, add amchur powder to taste.
2. Always add spices and salt when mixture is hot. So that spice powder get stick to mixture.
3. Mixture always varies as we can add boondi, chat biscuit and so on.

Mixed Nuts Ladoo/ Dryfruits ladoo

Nuts ladoo or dryfruit ladoo is very tasty and healthy snack as it contains dates and mixed nuts and no added sugar or sweet. It roughly cost 3 times costlier in shop where as it is very simple and interesting to make at home. Kids feel difficult to eat dates and nuts separately. This ladoo taste too good and loved by all kids. Even elders can consume one ladoo during every morning. Always mixed nuts and dates are taken in equal ratio to make this ladoo. I have used walnut, hazelnut, cashew nut, almonds and pistachio.

Preparation time: 15 mins
Cooking time: 10 mins
Yield - 30 ladoos

Ingredients:

Dates - 1 1/4 cup (Seedless, roughly chopped)
Cashew nut - 1/4 cup
Almonds - 1/4 cup
Pistachio - 1/4 cup
Black Raisin - 1/4 cup
Hasselnut - 1/4 cup
Walnut -1/4 cup
Cardamom powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Nutmeg powder/ jaadhikai powder - 1 pinch
Salt - 1 pinch
Ghee - 2 tablespoon

Preparation Method:

1. Dry roast all the nuts (cashewnut, pista, almond, haseselnut, walnut) one by one and allow it to cool.



2. In a mixer roughly blend all the nuts into coarse texture not powder. If you have nuts chopper, you can chop the nuts instead of blending in mixer. I always use ripper in mixie to do this process. Do this process for every nut separately, as different nuts require different timing to get into rough texture.
3. Heat ghee in a large kadai and add roughly blended nuts and saute them in medium to low flame.



4. In meantime, blend dates into fine paste in mixer and add it to kadai. Ensure to maintain flame very low.
5. Blend raisin roughly in mixer and add it to kadai. Add pinch of salt, nutmeg powder and cardamom powder. Mix well and switch off the flame.
6. Transfer the ladoo mixture to fine plate and allow it to cool off. When the mixture is warm, mix well using hands evenly.
7. Make ladoos out of mixture and store it in airtight container. No need to refrigerate.

Yummy, simple, healthy and tasty ladoo is ready.

Vegetable Bonda with Mint and Kebab Chutney

Vegetable bonda is a quick, healthy and easy snack that fulfill our hunger. It is almost similar to aloo bonda, but mix of steam cooked vegetables gives our good taste and large quantity too. Just one vegetable bonda with a cup of chai with our family is awesome moment. Mint chutney goes well with bajji, binda, pakodi . Handful of mint and coriander along with little Indian spicy ingredient gives a punch to this chutney.

Cooking time: 15 mins
Preparation time: 20 mins
Serves - 4 nos

Ingredients for stuffing:

Potato - 2 nos (Medium, chopped)
Carrot - 2 nos (Medium, chopped)
Peas - 100 gms
Beetroot - 1/4 cup (chopped, optional)
Coriander leaves - 2 table spoon
Onion -1 (large, finely chopped)
Green Chilli - 2 nos (finely chopped)
Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Chilli  powder - 3/4 teaspoon
Cumin Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Coriander pwder - 1/2 teaspoon
Garam Masala - 1/4 teaspoon
Cashewnuts - 2 tablespoon(broken into small pieces)
Salt - to taste
Oil - 2 tablespoon
Hing/ Asafoetida - a pinch
Lemon juice - optional

Ingredients for Batter:

Gram flour - 3/4 cup
Rice flour - 1/4 cup
Red chilli powder - 1 teaspoon
Salt - to taste
Cooking soda/ aapa soda - 1 pinch
Water - as needed

Preparation Method:

1. Wash and peel skin of potato and dice into small cubes. Similarly wash and dice carrot into small chunks.
2. Wash 3 -4 times green fresh peas. If beetroot is used, then masala turns light sweetish. Its optional to use.
3. Mix all diced vegetable and peas in cooker bowl and steam cook it for 5 whistles.



4. Once pressure goes off, strain the vegetable to remove any water left in bowl and smash well by adding chilli powder, salt, cumin powder, coriander powder and Garam Masala using potato masher.



5. Heat oil in a kadai and finely chopped onion, green chillies and hing. Saute well until onion turns translucent colour. Add mashed vegetable and saute well in medium flame for about 3 to 4 mins. Finally add coriander leaves, cashewnuts and lemon juice and switch off the flame.





6. Once the mixture cools down make medium sized balls out of it and keep aside.



7. In a separate bowl mix together gram flour, rice flour, salt, cooking soda and chilli powder.
8. Add little water at a time and mix the batter to get right bajji consistency.



9. Heat oil in a separate pan, dip vegetable balls in batter and add it to oil. Add 3-5 balls at a time in batches.Once balls are added to oil, reduce the heat and fry it gently until it turns golden brown.




10. Remove bonda from oil and add it to paper towel to absorb excess oil.

Serve it hot with Mint chutney or kebab chutney