Mango Kesari/Mango Semolina Pudding

Last week was my kiddo's 7th birthday,I made this mango kesari and he was so happy to eat his favorite mango flavored sweet.Here is the recipe for tempting sweet............

Ingredients

Ingredient	Quantity
Semolina/rava	1cup
Sugar	11/4cups
Condensed milk	4tbs
Mango pulp	3/4cup
Ghee/nei	6tbs
Cashews(finely chopped)	2tbs
Almonds(finely chopped)	1tbs
Cardamom powder/ellakai podi	1/4tsp
Water	21/2cups
Salt	a pinch

Method

                     Heat a pan with 1tbs of ghee and roast the rava in a medium flame till it turns pink and a nice aroma comes.Meanwhile boil the hot water and add the hot water to the roasted rawa,cook it till it becomes thick.

Now add the sugar and condensed milk and mix it well till the sugar melts and incorporates well.Add the remaining ghee and mix it well.

Add the mango pulp and mix it well till everything gets blend.

Now add the fried cashews,almonds and finally cardamom powder and mix it well.

Delicious mango kesari is ready.

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

• If fresh mangoes are used increase the quantity of sugar to 11/2 cups.
• The rawa needs to be fried in the medium flame,otherwise kesari will be sticky.
• Adding the condensed milk gives a rich taste to the kesari.
• Saffron can be added for extra flavor.

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Cream of Rice to make Rice Upma(Arisi Upma)and Steamed Dumpling(Kozhukattai)

Today is the final day for this week of Blogging Marathon #18 and today's post is how to make the rice rawa for upma  and kozhukattai.
Arisi upma is a breakfast or dinner item served along with the coconut chutney or brinjal kothsu.For this upma the rice needs to be processed and broken into rawa and used.The rawa can be prepared in ahead and stored.
My grandmother used a stone processor to break the rice and she uses only rice.One of my friend's grand mom uses toor dhal or moong dhal along with the rice and the upma is very tasty.Since then I also added dhal along with rice.
If you spend 20-30 minutes in the kitchen with your blender or food processor the rawa will be ready.It is very handy to make upma in a lazy day or kozhukattai as a evening snack for the kids.

Ingredients

Ingredient	Quantity
Raw rice/Paccharisi	3cups
Toor Dhal/thuvaram paruppu	1/2cup

Method 

• Rinse the rice and dhal 2-3 times and soak it with enough water for an hour.After an hour drain the water completely and spread it on a cotton towel or cloth.Let it dry for an hour,it should be damp.
• Take the rice and dhal mixture in a blender or food processor and pulse to the rawa consistency.Once everything is done dry the broken rice and dhal mixture under the shade or sunlight till it gets completely dried.
• After drying completely sieve it in a fine strainer so that the powdered one will be separated and store the rice rawa in an air tight container.

• The soaking time should be exactly an hour only,if it soaks for a long time it get powdered.
• The drying time for the soaked rice is also very important,it should be damp enough to get a perfect coarse rawa.
• The broken rice can be sun dried or dried under the shade,sometimes in winter I dry it in the oven.Pre-heat the oven for 200F for 5 minutes and put off.Then spread the rawa in a aluminum tray and keep it inside.
• There won't be any moisture in the rawa while storing and this can be stored in the normal temperature for 3 months.
• As we like the coarse one,I made it little bit grainy,it depends on personal preference.

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Bajji,Bonda and Pakoda Mix

Bajji,bonda and pakodas are the tempting deep fried snacks with the same base,the gram flour and rice flour.
I always make the mix and store it in the freezer to make bajjis or pakodas in no time if there is a unexpected guest.
This recipe I got it from one of our family cook and here goes the recipe.................

Ingredients

Ingredient	Quantity
Gram flour/kadalaimaavu	3cups
Rice flour/arisimaavu	3tbs
All purpose flour/maida	3tbs
Red chilly powder/milai podi	1tbs
Asafoetida/perungayam	1/8tsp
Cooking soda	1/8tsp
Turmeric powder	1/2tsp
Salt	11/2tsp

Method

                             Take all the measured ingredients in a wide bowl and mix it well using a spatula or put everything in a food processor and pulse it till everything gets mixed well.
Store it in an air tight container or a zip-lock bag.

• It can be stored in the freezer for 6 months.
• After mixing everything,you can sieve it in a strainer and store it.
• If you want to use food color it should be added at the time of making the bajji or pakoda.Do not add in the mix while storing.
• A tbs of cornflour can also be added and the amount of salt can be adjusted according to the personal preference.

Cauliflower Bajji or Pakora using the Homemade Mix

Making the bajji or pakora is very easy if the mix is handy and today's recipe is Cauliflower pakora as I don't have any other veggies.

Ingredients

Ingredient	Quantity
Cauliflower(florets)	11/2cups
Bajji mix	1/2cup
Food color(optional)	a pinch
Water	as needed
Oil	for frying

Method

• Put the cauliflower florets in the boiling water for a minute with a pinch of salt and drain it,keep aside.
• Take the bajji mix,food color in a bowl and add water and stir it with a whisk or spoon and make a batter without lumps.
• Heat a wok or pan with oil,once the oil becomes hot dip one floret in the batter and drop it in the oil,continue for the rest of the florets.
• Fry it in the oil till it becomes golden color or the sizzling sound stops.Remove it from the oil and drain it on a paper towel.
• Serve it with ketchup or sauce of your choice.

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

• The batter should be in dropping consistency,it should not be too thick or thin.
• Veggies of your choice can be used to make the bajji.
• If the prepared batter is more,add the thinly sliced onion.green chillies,curry leaves and a pinch of salt and mix it well,fry it in the oil till it gets crispy.

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Whole Mung Beans and Mixed Vegetable Pulao

From this month I joined in blog hop Wednesday of Radhika of Tickling Palates and I am paired up with Kaveri of Palakkad Chamayal.
In Kaveri's blog I found so many traditional Kerela recipes which are quiet interesting and new to me.But I am so much inspired with the whole mung beans and mixed veggies pulao.
As we prefer one pot meal a lot and my kiddo loves to have pulao kind of rice varieties with plain yogurt,I tried the pulao.It came out very flavorful and delicious,had it with onion raitha,mixed veggie kurma.
I exactly followed her same recipe except added few mint leaves while grinding.Now on to the recipe......

Ingredients

Ingredient	Quantity
Basmathi rice	1cup
Whole mung beans/paasipayaru	1/2cup
Onion	2nos.(medium size)
Tomato	2nos.(medium size)
Carrot(sliced)	1no.
Potato(sliced)	1no.(medium size)
Green peas(fresh or frozen)	1/2cup
Oil	1tbs
Ghee/nei	1tbs
Salt	a pinch

To grind 

Ingredient	Quantity
Ginger/inji	1 inch piece
Poondu/Garlic	4 cloves
Green chilly	5nos.
Coriander leaves/kothamalli	1/2cup
Mint/pudhina	10-15 leaves
Coconut(grated)	1tbs

For the Seasoning 

Ingredient	Quantity
Cloves/lavangam	3nos.
Cinnamon/Pattai	2 inch piece
Green cardamom/ellakai	2nos.
Bay leaf	1no.
Cashews/mundiri paruppu	10nos.(halved)

Method

• Soak the whole mung beans for 1 hour.Wash and soak the basmathi rice for atleast 15 minutes and grind the ingredients to grind into a fine paste and set it aside.
• Heat a pressure cooker or pan with the oil and ghee,do the seasoning with the given ingredients.Saute the onions till transparent with a pinch of salt,then add the ground paste and fry it till the raw smell goes off.Meanwhile boil 11/2cups of water in a sauce pan.
• Then add the tomatoes and cook it till mushy,add the green peas and carrot,give it a mix.Now add the boiled water to it and add the rice,salt.Now add the mung beans and potato,give it a boil.Close the lid and cook it in a medium flame for one whistle.
• Tasty and healthy,protein rich pulao is ready.

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

• Soaking the rice is very important to get a perfect pulao. 
• The amount of water varies depending upon the quality of the rice. 
• Veggies such as beans,cauliflower can also be added.

Linking to the HITS-legumes and lentils event happening at my space started by Spicy Treats of Sangeetha.
Sumber http://www.naliniscooking.com

Homemade Rasam Powder/Rasam Podi

Indian basics is the theme for the second week of Blogging Marathon#18 and today's recipe is rasam powder.
Rasam is a very comforting food and it is made on almost everyday in most of the South Indian families for lunch or dinner menu.
We make rasam everyday and without rasam our meal won't be complete and satisfied.I always keep the rasam powder in my pantry to make the rasam in a jiffy.
Each family has their own signature recipe to make the rasam powder and rasam,this is my mom's recipe.Now on to the recipe.......

Ingredients

Ingredient	Quantity
Toor dhal/thuvaram paruppu	1/2cup
Coriander seeds/varakothamalli	1/2cup
Red chilly/varamilagai	10nos.
Cumin seeds/jeeragam	3/4cup
Black pepper/milagu	3/4cup
Curry leaves/karivepillai	4-5sprigs

Method

• Sun dry all the ingredients separately for 2 hours or dry roast all the ingredients separately without changing the color.
• Powder the toor dhal,red chillies,coriander seeds in a blender to a coarse then add the cumin seeds and pepper to it.Grind it till it becomes grainy.

Store it in a air tight container.

• Do not grind it to a very fine powder,it should be grainy.
• First grind the dhal,coriander seeds and red chillies,after adding the cumin seeds and pepper pulse it.
• While roasting the ingredients make sure it doesn't change the color it should get warm for easy grinding.
• Instead of roasting or sun drying it can be kept in the microwave for 2 minutes to get crisp.
• This powder can be stored in room temperature for a month and in the freezer for 6 months.
• To maintain the freshness and flavor store it in an air tight container or a zip-lock bag.

Simple Rasam using the homemade Rasam powder

                   
This is a very simple rasam which can be made in no time without using any cooked and mashed dhal as the powder has dhal.I make this rasam when I am in a hurry or want to have a comforting dinner.This rasam tastes good with rice along with some potato fry or raw banana fry or some pickle and chutney.

Ingredients

Ingredient	Quantity
Tomato	1no.(medium size)
Tamarind paste	11/2tsp(diluted with 11/2cups of water)
Rasam powder	2tsp
Garlic/poondu	2 cloves(crushed)
Red chilly(broken)	1no.
Curry leaves/karivepillai	1sprig
Coriander leaves	as needed
Mustard seeds/kadugu	1/2tsp
Asafoetida/perungayam	a pinch
Turmeric powder/manjal podi	1/8tsp
Salt	to taste
Oil	1tsp

Method

• Chop the tomatoes to fine pieces and in a bowl take the tamarind water,add the chopped tomato.
• Add in salt,rasam powder,crushed garlic,coriander leaves and mix it well.
• Heat a pan with oil and do the tempering with mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds,add a pinch of asafoetida,turmeric powder,broken red chilly and curry leaves.Then add the prepared tamarind water to it and cook it for one boil.
• Transfer it to a bowl,add coriander leaves and close it with the lid.
• Simple rasam is ready to serve.

• Do not cook the rasam for a long time,it will change the taste.
• Here I used the store bought tamarind paste,if you are using the tamarind a big gooseberry size can be used for the given measurement.

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Mixed Bean and Dhal Adai

Adai is a traditional breakfast  which is served along with coconut chutney or avial in South India.The original recipe of adai is with dhal and rice and you can check the recipe here.
But to make it more healthier and protein packed I made the adai with mixed bean and dhal,it came out super soft,delicious.This adai can be made with the 16 bean soup mix and we enjoyed it with coconut chutney and spicy tomato chutney.Now to the recipe................

Ingredients

Ingredient	Quantity
Chick peas/kodakadalai	2tbs
Kidney beans/rajma	2tbs
Green peas/Pacchai pattani	2tbs
Black eye beans/vella karamani	2tbs
Red chori/karamani	2tbs
Mung beans/paasipayaru	2tbs
Black chick peas/karuppu kadalai	2tbs
Soya beans	2tbs
Channa dhal/kadala paruppu	1/4cup
Toor dhal/thuvaram paruppu	1/4cup
Moong dhal/paasiparuppu	1/4cup
Urad dhal/ullutham paruppu	1/4cup
Split yellow peas/pattani paruppu	1/4cup
Raw rice/paccaharisi	3cups
Red chilly/varamilagai	15nos.
Fennel seeds	1tbs
Asfoetida/perungayam	2 pinch
Ginger/inji	1 inch piece
Garlic/poondu	4-5cloves
Onion(finely chopped)	3nos.
Carrot(grated)	1no.
Curry leaves/karivepillai	4sprigs
Coriader leaves(finely chopped)	3tbs
Mustard seeds/kadugu	1tsp
Salt	to taste
Oil	to cook

Method 

                          Soak the beans for 8 hours or over night,soak the rice and dhal separately for 3 hours.Grind the beans and dhal to a coarse paste.

Grind the rice coarsely along with fennel seeds,red chillies,garlic and ginger.Mix both of them in a big bowl and add salt.

Heat a pan with 2tsp of oil and crackle the mustard seeds add the asafoetida,chopped onion,coriander leaves,curry leaves and grated carrot.Saute it till transparent.

Add it to the ground mixture,mix it well.Heat the griddle and once it becomes hot pour a big ladleful of batter,spread it.Drizzle a tsp of oil and cook it in a medium flame.

Flip it to the other side and cook it till it gets golden,transfer it to a plate.

Serve it with coconut chutney.

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

• Soak the beans atleast for 8 hours otherwise it won't grind properly.
• To make it more healthier instead of white rice brown rice can be used.
• If your are using the 16 beans soup mix,use 1 cup of beans for the given measurement.

Linking to Show me your HITS event  happenings in my space started by Sangeetha of Spicy Treats.

Sumber http://www.naliniscooking.com

Aloo Gobi/Cauliflower and Potato Curry

For the final day of blogging marathon #18 under the theme dry vegetable sautes,I made aloo gobi.
Whenever feel bored with the regular potato curry,I make this curry for both roti and rice along with some green peas as my boy is fond of green peas.Here is the recipe for the flavorful curry............

Ingredients

Ingredient	Quantity
Cauliflower	1no.(medium size)
Potato	2nos.(medium size)
Green peas(optional)	1/4cup
Onion(finely chopped)	2nos.
Tomato(finely chopped)	1no.(medium size)
Ginger&garlic paste	1tbs
Chilly powder/milgai podi	11/2tsp
Coriander powder	2tsp
Garam masala powder	1/2tsp
Turmeric powder/manjal podi	1/4tsp
Kasoori methi	1tsp
Cumin seeds/jeergam	1/2tsp
Coriander leaves(finely chopped)	to garnish
Salt	to taste
Oil	11/2tbs

Method 

                               Cut the cauliflower into bite size florets and cook it in the boiled water for a minute along with a pinch of salt and turmeric powder.Drain the water and keep aside.Cube the potatoes to chunks and put in the water to prevent the color change.

Heat a pan with oil and crackle the cumin seeds and saute the onion till transparent with a pinch of salt.Then add the ginger&garlic paste and fry it for a minute till the raw smell disappears.

Now add the green peas,cubed potatoes and tomato and mix it well till the seasonings coated well.Add the chilly powder,coriander powder,salt and give it a mix till everything blends well.

Sprinkle 1-2tbs of water and cook it covered in a medium flame for 2-3 minutes.Now add the cauliflower florets and mix it gently and cook it covered for 10 minutes in a medium flame or till it gets cooked.Stir in between atleast couple of times to prevent burning.

Add the kasoori methi,garam masala powder and chopped coriander leaves and mix it well.Keep it uncovered in a medium flame for a minute or two.

Aloo gobi is ready.Serve it with roti or rice.

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

• Do not cook the cauliflower in the boiling water for more than a minute or two otherwise it will turn out mushy.
• Adding the green peas is optional and instead of kasoori methi,a fistful fresh methi leaves can also be added along with the potatoes.

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