Ellu Podi/Sesame Powder

Blogging Marathon #16 has started from today and I will be blogging under the theme Shelf friendly recipes such as powders and chutneys which goes very well with idly,dosa and rice.

We both are podi freaks and love to have it with white rice and ghee as well as idly so my pantry is always filled with different types of powders.The powders are very handy whenever I feel lazy to cook and it is a good option for lunch box too with some tempering.

Sesame seeds powder is flavorful and easy to make powder which goes very well with both rice and idly.Originally this recipe is made with black sesame seeds but due to unavailability made it with white variety.Now to the recipe............

Ingredients

Ingredient	Quantity
Sesame seeds	1/2cup
Urad dhal/ullutham paruppu	1/2cup
Red chilly	5-6nos.
Asafoetida/perungayam	1/8tsp
Salt	to taste

Method

                            Heat a heavy bottom pan dry roast the urad dhal,sesame seeds separately to golden brown.Fry the red chillies and asafoetida in the same pan.Let them cool completely.

In a mixie jar put the urad dhal,red chilly,asafoetida,salt and grind it bit coarsely.Now the add the sesame seeds and pulse it (don't grind it continuously).

Store it in an air tight container.

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

• To make it more flavorful 2 sprigs of curry leaves can be added.
• Black pepper and cumin seeds can also be added for extra taste and flavor.
• Sesame seeds needs to roasted in a low flame till the aroma comes out. 

Check out my blogger friends who are participating in Blogging Marathon#16.
Sumber http://www.naliniscooking.com

Rava Dosai/Semolina Dosa

Today's recipe is Rava dosai and there are lots of variations in the proportion of the ingredients used.I tried so many variations and somehow comfortable with my mom's recipe.
This is a quick and instant dosa which doesn't need any fermentation.Here follows the recipe for crispy rava dosai......

Ingredients

Ingredient	Quantity
Rava/Semolina	1cup
Rice flour	3/4cup
Maida/All purpose flour	1/4cup
Cumin seeds	1tsp
Black pepper	1/2tsp
Green Chilly(chopped)	2nos.
Coriander leaves(chopped)	2tbs
Curry leaves(chopped)	2 sprigs
Ginger(grated)	1tsp
Onion(finely chopped)	1/2no.
Carrot(grated)	2tbs
Coconut pieces(finely chopped)	1tbs
Cashews(finely chopped)	1tsp
Salt	to taste
Oil	as needed

Method

                                     Soak the rava in 2 cups of water for half an hour to one hour.Add the rice flour and maida to the soaked rava,mix it well.Now the batter might be thick and add another cup of water to it.

Now add all the ingredients except oil and mix it well.Adjust the consistency of the batter with water.The batter should be watery as shown in the picture.

Heat the dosa griddle on a medium flame,once it becomes hot pour a ladle full of batter in a circular motion(from outside to inside) as shown.Do not fill the gaps with batter.

Drizzle a tsp of oil and increase the flame and let it cook for a minute or two,now increase the flame to high and cook till it gets crisp (no need to flip).Fold it and remove from the pan.

Serve it hot with chutney or sambhar.

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

• The secret of getting a crispy rava dosa is adjusting the flame,while pouring the batter the flame should be medium and needs to increase it to a high flame to get crispy.
• Do the trial with the first dosa,accordingly adjust the consistency of the water.If the batter is too thin or thick the dosa won't comes out nice.
• For the given measurement approximately 41/2-5 cups of water is needed.
• Mix the batter completely before making each dosa as it tends to settle in the bottom.
• Drizzle the oil to the dosa once the batter is cooked otherwise it will take a long time to cook and be generous with oil to get a crispy dosa.
• The black pepper can be crushed and added.
• The batter can be stored in the refrigerator for 2 days.

Sumber http://www.naliniscooking.com

Microwave Easy Cooking(MEC) Event - Round Up

Hello friends,I am happy to post the round up of Microwave Easy Cooking Event.Thank you so much Srivalli for the opportunity to guest host the event.I got 19 lovely and delicious recipes which including mine.I am so much thankful to all my blogger buddies who participated in the event.Here is the round up..... 

Sumber http://www.naliniscooking.com

Ulli Theeyal/Shallots in Tamarind and Coconut Sauce

Ulli Theeyal is a typical Kerala dish in which shallots are cooked in tamarind,roasted coconut paste and other spices.My mom learned this dish from one her colleague and I from her.Since everybody in my house likes this one she makes it weekly once(mostly on Sundays) and serve it rice and papads.Here goes the recipe......

Ingredients

Ingredient	Quantity
Shallots/Pearl onion	10-15nos.
Tamarind paste	2tsp
Turmeric powder	1/2tsp
Oil	2tbs
Curry leaves	1 sprig
Mustard seeds/kadugu	1/2tsp
Urad dhal/ullutham paruppu	1tsp
Salt	to taste

To roast and grind

Ingredient	Quantity
Coconut(grated)	1/2cup
Red chilly	4-5nos.
Coriander/dhaniya seeds	2tsp
Cumin seeds/jeeragam	1/2tsp
Fenugreek seeds/vendhayam	1/8tsp

Method
                         
                           Cut the shallots into small pieces,dry roast the ingredients given for roasting and grind it to a smooth paste with little water and keep aside.

Heat a pan with the oil and crackle the mustard seeds and urad dhal.Add the onions,curry leaves and saute it till it becomes transparent.Now add the tamarind paste,ground paste and salt.

Add a cup of water and turmeric powder,let it boil till the raw smell goes off and becomes thick.

Ulli Theeyal is ready.Serve it with hot rice and papad.

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

• Instead of coriander seeds,coriander powder can be used which needs to be roasted after the coconut and red chillies fried.
• I used both Kashmiri red chilly and regular red chilly to get the color and taste.

Sumber http://www.naliniscooking.com

Paalkova/Therattupaal/Milk Halwa(Microwave Method)

Paalkova is a delicious,tempting sweet which is made by boiling and condensing the milk with sugar.Originally paalkova preparation is a lengthy process to condense the milk and take hours to make.But this exotic sweet can be made with lesser number of ingredients in 10-15 minutes in the microwave oven.Here is the recipe......

 Ingredients

Ingredient	Quantity
Condensed milk	1 tin
Curd/Yogurt	3tbs
Ghee	2tsp
Cardamom/ellakai Powder	1tsp
Cashews/Almonds(finely chopped)	to garnish
Pistachios(finely chopped)	to garnish

Method

                                       Take the condensed milk in a wide microwave safe bowl and microwave it for 3 minutes,stirring in between twice.Now add the curd and keep in the microwave for 6-7 minutes.Stir in every minute of interval.

Finally add the cardamom powder and ghee to the mixture and mix it well.

Keep it in the microwave for a minute.Let it sit for 5 minutes.

Paalkova is ready to enjoy.

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

• Use the fresh curd otherwise the sweet will be slightly sour in taste.
• After adding the cardamom powder  and ghee do not cook it for more than a minute.It will get thicken after cooling.
• The cooking time varies from oven to oven,take every minute from the microwave and check for the consistency.
• The paalkova becomes harder if it is over cooked.

Linking this to the MEC event happenings at my space started by Srivalli of Cooking4allSeasons.

  Also linking Masala Peanuts and Shahi Rabri to the Microwave Easy Cooking Event.

Sumber http://www.naliniscooking.com

Chilli Idly/Kaima Idly

Today is the final day of blogging marathon#15 and the recipe is chilli idly,a super tempting dish in which leftover idlies can be used to get a tasty dish.I tasted the chilli idly in a restaurant couple of years ago in India,since then whenever I have left over idly make this one.In the original recipe idly pieces are coated in a batter and deep fried,instead I pan fried the mini idlies and used.Now off to the recipe....

 Ingredients

Ingredient	Quantity
Idly(cut into cubes)or mini idlies	6nos.or 40pcs
Onion	1no.(medium size)
Tomato	2nos.(medium size)
Ginger&garlic paste	11/2tsp
Green chilly	3nos.
Red chilly powder	1/2tsp
Coriander powder	1tsp
Garam masala powder	1/4tsp
Fennel seeds	1/2tsp
Cashews(broken)	2tsp
Lemon Juice	1/2tsp
Curry leaves	2sprigs
Coriander leaves	to garnish
Salt	to taste
Oil	4tbs

For the marinade 

Ingredient	Quantity
Chilly powder	1/2tsp
Garam masala powder	1/8tsp
Salt	1/2tsp
Corn flour	2tsp
Red food color(optional)	a pinch
Oil	2tsp

Method 

                In a bowl mix the ingredients given for marinade and marinate the idly for 10 minutes.

Heat a dosa griddle,fry it with 2tbs of oil till golden and crisp.

Meanwhile heat a pan with remaining oil and crackle the fennel seeds,add the cashews,saute the onions,curry leaves and green chillies till transparent.Add the ginger and garlic paste and fry for a minute,follows the tomatoes and cook it mushy.

Now add in all the powders,give a mix,add little water,let it boil till it becomes thick and dry.Add the coriander leaves and mix it well.

Now add the idlies (pieces) and mix it gently and keep it in the low flame for 2 minutes.Finally squeeze the lemon juice and garnish it with coriander leaves.

Serve it immediately with raitha.

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

• If you are using the fresh idly then keep in the refrigerator for an hour before marination.
• For deep frying the idly,make a batter with maida,salt,ginger&garlic paste,garam masala powder and water to a thin batter.Dip the idly pieces in the batter and deep fry it in the oil in a medium flame. 
• After adding the fried idly pieces mix it gently.
• A tbs of coconut paste can be added along with the powders for extra rich taste.

Check out the marathoners in Blogging Marathon#15 here.
Sumber http://www.naliniscooking.com