Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Wheat Butter Naan

Naan is a leavened Indian flat bread which is traditionally made in Tandoor oven in different flavors such as garlic and herbs.UsualIy for naan,all purpose flour is used,but to make it healthy,today I made it with wheat flour on the stove top and served along with paneer tikka masala.Now on to the recipe......

Ingredients


IngredientQuantity
Wheat Flour2cups
All purpose flour/Maida1cup
Yeast(rapid rise)1tsp
Milk1/4cup
Curd1tbs
Oil2tbs
Salt11/2tsp
Baking sodaa pinch
Baking powder1/8tsp
Sugar1tsp
Water1/4cup
Butter(for brushing)as needed


Method

               Activate the yeast by adding in a luke warm water with the sugar,milk and keep it for 5 minutes,till the mixture gets frothy.
Meanwhile add oil,curd,salt,baking soda,powder and to the flour.Mix it with milk and yeast mixture little by little to form a dough.Use milk or water as needed for kneading.Grease the palms with oil and knead the dough for atleast 5 minutes.

The dough should be soft and piable,cover it with a plastic wrap and keep it in a warm place for 1-2 hours to raise(turned on the oven light and kept inside).After an hour or two take out the dough and it would have doubled in size,punch down the air and knead it for a while.
Divide the dough into equal portions.Take one divided portion on a floured surface and press it gently,roll into a oblong shape using a rolling pin.Brush the top of the surface with water.
Heat the heavy bottom griddle,place the wet side on the bottom of the griddle and cook it covered for a minute in a medium flame.Flip it to the other side and cook it till the spots appear.Brush it with butter both the sides.
Serve it with the curry of your choice.

Enjoy.............................

  • The griddle should be  really hot while placing the wet side of the naan on the griddle.
  • If you are using garlic or herbs,gently press it before brushing the water.
  • If you are using a gas stove,after one side cooked you can directly put on the wire rack on a flame.

Check out the marathoners in Blogging Marathon#15 here.



Sumber http://www.naliniscooking.com

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Kelvaragu/Ragi/Finger Millet Idly


This is a very simple,healthy breakfast which is easy to make with a slight variation from regular Idly.It's my grand mother's recipe and used to grind the whole soaked ragi grain,as I don't get the whole ragi grain here,mixed the ragi powder along with the rice and urad dhal.

Today is the 1st day of Blogging Marathon#15 under the theme Fermented Foods and follows the recipe for the healthy Idly.......

Ingredients

IngredientQuantity
Idly rice/Pulungal arisi 11/2cups
Rice flakes/aval(optional)1/4cup
Finger Millet/Ragi Powder1cup
Urad Dhal1cup
Fenugreek seeds/vendhayam 1/2tsp
Saltto taste




Method
  • Soak the rice,rice flakes for atleast 4-5 hours separately and soak the urad dhal and fenugreek seeds for an hour.
  • Grind the urad dhal fluffy with water as needed then grind the rice little bit coarsely(fine rava like).
  • Mix well the ground Urad dhal,rice and ragi powder along with salt.
  • Allow it to ferment for 8-10 hours or overnight.
  • Grease the idly plate with oil and pour the fermented batter in the greased idly plate.
  • Steam in the  cooker or Idly cooker for 10-12 minutes or until done.
  • Soft and spongy ragi idlis are ready. 
  • Serve it with spicy chutney or chutney of your choice.
    Enjoy................

    • Adding the rice flakes is purely optional,it gives a soft texture to the idly.
    • Grinding the rice to fine rava like consistency is very important otherwise the idly will turn out sticky.
    • Spicy chutney is the best accompaniment for this idly.
    Check out the marathoners in Blogging Marathon#15 here.

      Sumber http://www.naliniscooking.com

      Friday, April 20, 2012

      Potato Fry(Microwave Oven Method)

      This is a simple potato fry with the freshly ground masala powder which tastes excellent with simple rasam rice.My mom makes this fry with raw banana on fasting days such as Puratasi Saturday,Pongal,since the powder is freshly made.As I rarely get the Indian variety of raw banana here,made it with the potato in the microwave oven and here is the recipe.....

      Ingredients
      IngredientQuantity
      Potato3-4nos.(medium size)
      Turmeric powder1/2tsp
      Asafoetidaa pinch
      Cumin seeds1/2tsp
      Curry leaves1sprig
      Oil1tbs
      Saltto taste
      Rice flour or gram flour1tsp(optional)
      Garlic(optional)2 cloves

      To roast and grind
      IngredientQuantity
      Channa dhal/kadala paruppu1tsp
      Coriander seeds11/2tsp
      Dried Red Chilly4-5nos.
      Coconut(grated)1tsp
      Black pepper1/4tsp


      Method

                                    Bake the potato in the microwave oven and peel the skin and cut into cubes.
      • Dry roast the ingredients in a microwave safe bowl till the aroma comes.Cool and grind it in a blender or mortar to a coarse powder,keep aside.
      • In a wide microwave safe bowl heat the oil,crackle the cumin seeds,asafoetida and curry leaves.Keep it in the microwave for a minute.Now add the cubed potato,salt and turmeric powder,sprinkle a tsp of water and mix it gently and cook in for 3-4 minutes.Stir in between.
      • Sprinkle the spice powder,gram flour to the potato and mix well so that the powder coats evenly to the potato pieces.Cook it for a 6-7 minutes with in between stirring.

      • Simple potato fry is ready to serve.
      Enjoy..............................


      • If you are using garlic,add it along with the cumin seeds.
      • I used 2nos. of Kashmiri red chilly and 2nos. of regular red chilly to get a nice red color.


      This goes for MEC event happenings in my space started by Srivalli of Cooking4allSeasons and Vegetarian side dish event started by Priya and hosting by Vardhini.
      Sumber http://www.naliniscooking.com

      Wednesday, April 18, 2012

      Keerai/Spinach Sambhar

      Spinach is one of a favorite vegetable for us and my mom cooks different type of spinach and makes spinach poriyal,sambhar and kottu every other day.Never had any problem in eating spinach and love to have different varieties of the spinach.My kiddo also loves to eat and one of his favorite is spinach sambhar and I make it once in a week.

      Spinach sambhar can be made with toor dhal or moong dhal along with black channa and it tastes excellent with rice and some vegetable fry such as potato or cauliflower.Here follows the recipe.....

      Ingredients

      IngredientQuantity
      Spinach(finely chopped)2-3 cups
      Toor Dhal/Thuvaram paruppu1/2cup
      Black Channa(soaked)1/2cup
      Shallots/Chinna venkayam10-12 nos.
      Tomato1no.(medium size)
      Sambhar Powder1tsp
      Turmeric Powder1/4tsp
      Tamarind Paste1tsp
      Oil1tsp
      Saltto taste


      To temper

      IngredientQuantity
      Mustard seeds/Kadugu1/2tsp
      Urad Dhal/Ullutham paruppu1tsp
      Cumin seeds/jeeragam1/2tsp
      Red Chilly(broken)1no.
      Asafoetida/Perungayama pinch
      Curry leaves1sprig
      Ghee1tsp


      Method

                           Pressure cook the toor dhal and channa,chop the spinach,cut the shallots,tomato to fine pieces and keep aside.
      • Keep a pan with oil and saute the shallots till transparent and then tomatoes.
      • Once the tomato is cooked add the chopped spinach and sambhar powder and saute it for a minute.Add the cooked dhal and black channa to and add a cup of water and salt,turmeric powder to it.Let it cook till the raw smell goes off.
      • Now add the tamarind paste and cook it for a boil.In a separate pan temper the ingredients given for tempering with ghee and add it to the sambhar.
      • Spinach Sambhar is ready.
      Enjoy...........................

      • Any type of spinach can be used to make this sambhar
      • Use of shallots give a nice flavor and taste.
      • Adding the black channa gives an excellent taste and it is purely optional.
      • This sambhar is slightly watery than the regular sambhar.
      • A garlic clove can be added in the tempering which gives extra flavor.

      Sending this to CWF - Spinach event happenings in Kiran's space,guest hosting by Vardhini.


      Sumber http://www.naliniscooking.com

      Tuesday, April 17, 2012

      Mangai/Raw Mango Sweet Pachadi


      Today's recipe is raw mango pachadi which is a must in our Tamil new year festive menu,made this one for Tamil New Year.This is a simple and easy to make pachadi which has a mixed taste of sweet,salt,tangy and bit spicy which goes very well with curd rice and sambhar rice.Now to the recipe.......

      Ingredients

      IngredientQuantity
      Mango1no.
      Jaggery1/4-1/2cup
      Red chilly powder1/4tsp
      Saltto taste

      To temper
      IngredientQuantity
      Oil1tsp
      Curry leaves1 sprig
      Mustard seeds/kadugu1tsp
      Urad dhal/ullutham paruppu1tsp
      Dried red chilly(broken)1no.


      Method

                    Peel the skin of the mango,slice it to thin pieces and powder the jaggery and keep aside.       
      • Put the sliced mangoes in a pan,add 1/2 cup of water,salt,red chilly powder and cook it covered in a medium flame till it becomes soft.Now mash half of the mango pieces.
      • Add the jaggery,cook it till the jaggery melts or approximately 3-5 minutes.
      • In a separate pan do the tempering and add it to the mango and mix it well.
      • Mango Pachadi is ready.
      Enjoy..........................................
      • Grated coconut can also be added after the jaggery melts.
      • If you want the pachadi to be mushy and jam like consistency,grate the mango in a grater and cook it.
      • It can be stored in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
      • Jaggery can be substituted with sugar and the amount of jaggery or sugar depends on the sourness of the mango.


                                   
      Sumber http://www.naliniscooking.com