Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Pavakkai/Pakarkkai/Bittergourd Podi

Pakarkkai podi is a slightly bitter,tangy mouthwatering  podi which an be mixed along with the rice or served as an accompaniment for curd rice.
I got this recipe from a T.V show and tried this one and it came out so delicious and tasty.Since then I started it making it frequently.This podi can be made with readily available ingredients and stored in room temperature for a week,now to the recipe.......

Ingredients


IngredientQuantity
Bittergourd/pavakkai5nos.
Coconut(grated)1/4cup
Red chilly8-10nos.
Shallots/chinna vengayam6nos.
Cumin seeds/jeergam2tsp
Tamarind/puligooseberry size
Salt2tsp
Oil4tbs
Mustard seeds/kadugu1tsp
Curry leaves/karivepillai2sprigs


Method

                     
                      Grate or coarsely grind the bittergourd and add a tsp of salt and keep it for 30 minutes.After 30 minutes squeeze the excess water and keep the bittergourd aside.
Heat the oil and crackle mustard seeds and curry leaves then add the bittergourd.Fry it until it turns light brown,stir in between every two minutes to prevent burning.
Meanwhile grind coarsely coconut,small onion,red chillies,tamarind and cumin seeds without adding water.Add it to the fried bittergourd and salt,cook it in a medium heat until it turns brown and crumbly.
Bittergourd podi is ready.Store it in a container.

  • Squeeze the grated bittergourd completely to remove the excess moisture.
  • Fry the grated bittergourd in a medium flame to prevent burning.
  • After adding the ground coconut fry it in a low flame and stir in between. 
  • Use the fresh tamarind not the paste otherwise it won't become dry.
  • Instead of grating the bittergourd in a grater use a chopper or pulse it in a blender to make it quicker.



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Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Maida Biscuits

                            
      Wishing You all Happy and prosperous Deepavali


Maida biscuit is one of my childhood favorite and we call this as chappathi biscuits since the dough is rolled into a chappathi and cut it to a desired shape.My mom makes this one for snack when we were kids and myself and my sister used to help to cut the biscuits in different shapes.This biscuits can be added to the mixture also.Here is the recipe...........

Ingredients


IngredientQuantity
Butter/vennai1/2cup
Sugar1/2cup
Milk1/3cup
Baking sodaa generous pinch
Salt1/8tsp
All purpose flour/maida31/2-4cups
Oilfor frying

Method

  • In a wide bowl take the butter,sugar,baking soda,sugar and rub it till it becomes creamy.
  • Now add the milk and mix it well,to this add the all purpose flour and knead it to a dough.
  • The kneaded dough should be in a poori dough consistency.Divide the dough into equal portions.
  • Roll the divided portion into a 1/4inch chappathi and cut it into diamond or square shape.
  • Spread the cut diamonds in a plate or paper and dry it for 5 minutes,then deep fry it in the oil in a medium flame till it becomes golden color.
  • Maida biscuit is ready.
Enjoy...............................................

  • The amount of maida given is approximate it can be added till the dough gets thick(for me it took 33/4 cups)
  • While frying in the oil turn one or two times only otherwise the biscuits will break.
  • The biscuit needs to be fried in a low to medium flame otherwise it will turn brown without cooking.
  • If the kneaded dough is not thick the biscuits will absorb more oil.
  • Instead of butter,vegetable shortening such as vanaspathi can also be used.The biscuits will not be crispy when it is hot but after cooling it will be crunchy and soft.



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Thursday, November 8, 2012

Rava Urundai/Rava Ladoo

Hello friends I am back after a small break and settling down to the new routine.Hope everyone is getting ready for Deepavali.
Before getting into the recipe I would like to share that my blog has reached 1 lakh hits last month and like to convey my heartfelt thanks to my blogger buddies,friends and readers.
Coming to the recipe rava urundai is a simple and easy to make sweet which can be made in a jiffy.
For every Diwali my mom makes rava urundai and pasiparuppu urundai(recipe coming soon) since its our family's favorite.But after marriage I tried couple of times and it didn't come out as good as my mom makes.As my mom is here for this Diwali I wanted to learn from her.
My mom makes two versions of rava urundai one is with the coconut and the other one without coconut which has a longer shelf life.Today's recipe is the later one and here goes the recipe.........

Ingredients

IngredientQuantity
Rava/Semolina1cup
Sugar1cup
Ghee/nei5tbs
Cashews/mundiri(broken)2tbs
Cardamom/ellakai 4nos.
Method

                            Fry the cashews in a tsp of ghee and keep aside.In the same pan roast the rava in a medium flame till the aroma comes.Once it cools down powder the rava and cardamom in a blender or mixie to a fine powder and set aside.
Now take the sugar and powder it to a fine powder.In a wide mixing bowl mix both the powdered rava and sugar,add the fried cashews and mix it well.
Meanwhile melt the ghee and add it to the powder,mix it well,at this stage the mixture looks crumbly.Take a small amount of mixture in the palm and make a small ball.
Easy to make rava urundai/ladoo is ready.

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

  • While adding the ghee to the mixture it should be hot.
  • If  your are not able to make the balls add couple of tbs of warm milk to the mixture but the shelf life will be less if milk is used.
  • Powder the rava to a fine powder and do not over roast the rava otherwise the color will change.
  • When you are making larger quantity add the hot ghee for a small amount of mixture and make the balls.

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Monday, October 29, 2012

Diwali/Deepavali Sweets and Snacks


Here are some sweets and snacks for Diwali..............


                                    Paalkova                     Masala Peanuts/kadalai pakoda   Shahi rabri
                                Sweet Paniyaram                 Bombay/maida Halwa            Mango Kesari
                                   Karasev                         Corn flour/Karachi halwa           Rava Kesari
                       Madras mixture                 Cornflakes mixture/chivda              Puran Poli                                                                                                    
                                 Thenkulal                          Omapodi                                     Tri color Boondhi Ladoo
                              Paneer pakora/bajji          Paasiparuppu murukku       Sabhudana(javvarisi) Vadai
                              Surul Poli                               Kaasi Halwa                            Asoka Halwa
                                Vazhakkai Chips                 Ribbon Pakoda                         Cauliflower Bajji


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    Thursday, October 11, 2012

    Its a Baby Girl

    Hello friends we are happy to share that we were blessed with a baby girl on Sep.27 2012.Her brother is so excited and named her Maya.As I am spending most of the time with my sweet bundle,not able to do blogging regularly.Will be back soon once I get used to the new routine.






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    Sunday, September 16, 2012

    Besan Ki Masala Roti-Indian Cooking Challenge(ICC)-August 2012

    For this month of ICC Srivalli chose two flat bread recipes Besan ki masala roti and bajra(millet) aloo roti which is adapted from Sanjeev Kapoor and Tarladalal.
    As I don't have the millet flour,decided to make the besan ki roti which is very flavorful and came out very delicious,soft.Now off to the recipe.......

    Ingredients

    For the roti
    IngredientQuantity
    Wheat flour/gothumai maavu1cup
    Gram flour/besan/kakadala maavu1/2cup
    Ghee2tbs
    Saltto taste
    Waterto knead
    For the stuffing
    IngredientQuantity
    Cumin powder/jeeraga podi11/2tsp
    Coriander powder/kothamalli podi1/2tsp
    Red chilly powder/milagai podi1/2tsp
    Turmeric powder/manjal podi1/2tsp
    Dry mango powder/aamchur1/2tsp
    Green Chilly(finely chopped)1no.
    Ghee2tbs
    Saltto taste



    Method 

    • Mix all the ingredients given for the masala stuffing and divide into eight equal portions, keep aside.
    • In another bowl mix the ingredients given for the roti and knead it to a soft dough with water.Divide the dough into equal portions.
    • Roll out the divided portion into a 6 inch disc on a floured surface and spread the masala stuffing into the rolled portion.
    • Fold in to half and then again half into a triangle and roll into a triangular roti.
    • Heat the griddle and cook it till both the sides cooked,apply a little ghee and press it gently between your palms. 
    • Besan Masala roti is ready.Serve it hot with pickle and yogurt or raitha.

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

     
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