Puli Milagai/Green Chilly in Tamarind Sauce

Today's recipe for Cooking from a Cook book Challenge (CCC) event is Puli Milagai,an accompaniment with a blend of spicy,tangy and mild sweet taste.
Puli milgai goes very well with curd rice and the consistency is personal preference,it can be made slightly runny or pickle like consistency.As we prefer pickle like consistency I made it slightly thicker.
This recipe I noted down from my sister's recipe collections,now on to the recipe........................

Basic Information

Preparation time 10 minutes
Cooking time 20 minutes
Makes 3/4 cup

Ingredients

Ingredient	Quantity
Green Chilly/pachamilgai	20-25(sliced)
Tamarind/puli	small lemon size
Jaggery/vellam	11/2-2 tbs
Oil	2tbs
Turmeric powder/manjal podi	1/4tsp
Mustard seeds/kadugu	3/4tsp
Fenugreek seeds/vendayam	1/8tsp
Salt	3/4- 1tsp

Method

Slice the green chillies and soak the tamarind in a cup of water,extract the juice.Set it aside.

Heat a pan with oil and crackle the mustard and fenugreek seeds,add the sliced green chillies.Saute it for couple of minutes.Add the tamarind water,salt and turmeric powder.Let it boil in a medium flame for 10 minutes or till the raw smell disappears.

Add the jaggery and cook it for 2-3 minutes or till it reaches the desired consistency.Put off the fire.

Store it in a glass container after cooling.

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

• The amount of jaggery can be increased according to personal preference.
• While slicing the green chillies remove some seeds to avoid extra spicy.
• Here I used the small variety of green chilly,if you are using the long one reduce it to half of the amount.
• Puli milgai tastes better on the next day and can be stored in room temperature for 3-4 days and in refrigerator for 10 days.
• Instead of jaggery,brown sugar can be used.

This recipe is off to Cook Book Challenge #3 December week 2.

Sumber http://www.naliniscooking.com

Eggless Vanilla Cake - Pressure Cooker Method

Today's recipe is an eggless vanilla cake made in a pressure cooker instead of oven.When I saw the sponge cake in Divya's space wanted to try it.As we always prefer to have eggless cake I tweaked the recipe to make an eggless cake.
I wanted to use the condensed milk instead of egg but unfortunately no condensed milk in my pantry.So used the yogurt and the output was a soft and spongy cake.The only thing went wrong was it burned slightly in the bottom and while inverting the cake little portion got stuck to the pan.So I couldn't get the full cake for the picture and I was bit upset.Then all of a sudden got the idea of doing some frosting and the only thing I had in the refrigerator was the heavy so whipped the cream and frosted the cake,decorated with some strawberries.Now off to the recipe....................................

Basic Information

Preparation time - 20 minutes
Cooking time - 50 minutes
Makes - 8 inch round

Ingredients

Ingredient	Quantity
All purpose flour/maida	11/4cups
Butter/vennai	1/2cup
Sugar	3/4cup
Yogurt/thayir/curd	1cup
Baking powder	1tsp
Baking soda	1/4tsp
Salt	a pinch
Vanilla	1tsp
Oil spray or butter	1tsp(for greasing)

For the Frosting

Ingredient	Quantity
Heavy Cream	1cup
Powdered sugar	3tbs
Vanilla	1tsp
Strawberry(sliced)	4-5

Method

Grease the pan with a fat free spray or butter and keep it aside.Sieve all purpose flour,salt,baking powder,baking soda together for 2 times,set until it aside.Cream together butter and sugar until frothy using a hand blender or electric blender,to this add the yogurt and beat it well.

Now add the flour mixture and fold in,add the vanilla  and mix it well.Now pour this batter in the greased pan upto 3/4th.

Now put a separator plate at the bottom of the cooker and close it with the lid(no need of gasket and whistle).Pre heat for 10 minutes in a medium flame.Now keep the pan on top of the separator plate,put the lid on and cook it in a low flame 45-50 minutes.Check it between if the cake is cooked or not.
Once the cake is done remove it from the flame and keep the lid closed for another 10 minutes.Remove the cake carefully from the cooker and allow it to cool completely.After cooling invert the cake on a plate and slightly tap the bottom of the pan.

Spongy Vanilla cake is ready.

Frosting

For the frosting beat the heavy cream,sugar and vanilla till it reaches a peak consistency.

Apply it on the cake with a spatula evenly.Decorate with the strawberry as per your wish.

Keep it in the refrigerator 30 minutes and serve it.

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

• Use a bigger size cooker I used my 5 liters cooker and don't use the whistle and the gasket.This is very important.
• The separator plate is must to prevent burning so don't forget.
• Don't open the cooker  and check frequently,may be 2-3 times.
• After adding the flour to the mixture don't use the electric blender just use a spatula to fold in or use the electric blender in small speed.
• Remove the cake from the pan once its completely cool down.
• I used a 8 inch round pan and little batter was left ,I baked 3 cup cakes out of it.

Check out the fellow bloggers participating in Blogging Marathon #35.

Sumber http://www.naliniscooking.com

Tomato Biriyani - Pressure Cooker Method

Making one pot meal has become very easy after the arrival of pressure cooker and makes the work lot easier.
For the second day of Blogging Marathon #35 under the theme pressure cooker I made Tomato Biriyani,one pot meal.
This is my mom's version and she uses seraga sambha rice,here I also used the same rice.The biriyani came out very delicious and flavorful.Off to the recipe..............................

Basic Information

Preparation time 10 minutes
Cooking time 30 minutes
Serves 3-4

Ingredients

Ingredient	Quantity
Seraga sambhaa rice/basmathi rice	11/2cups
Onion(sliced)	1(large size)
Tomato(finely chopped)	4(medium size)
Chilly Powder/milgai podi	1/2-3/4tsp
Coriander Powder/dhaniya podi	1tsp
Garam Masala Powder	1/4tsp
Turmeric powder	1/8tsp
Ginger&garlic paste	11/2tsp
Green Chilly(slit lengthy)	4
Coriander leaves(chopped)	2tbs
Mint leaves/pudina(chopped)	15-20 leaves
Cashews(optional)	7-8(broken)
Water	23/4cups
Salt	to taste
Oil	2tbs
Ghee/nei	2tbs

For the Tempering 

Ingredient	Quantity
Cloves/lavangam	4
Cinnamon/pattai	1 ich piece
Star anise	1
Bay leaf/biriyani ilai	1
Cardamom/ellakai	2

Method

Soak the rice for 20 minutes,heat a pressure pan or cooker with oil and ghee,temper it with the ingredients given for tempering.Saute the onion,green chillies and half of the chopped mint leaves with a pinch of salt to transparent then ginger and garlic paste.Now add the  tomatoes,cook till mushy.

Add all the spice powders,salt and stir it for a minute then add the measured water and the remaining mint leaves and chopped coriander leaves.

Let it boil,now add the soaked rice to it and allow it to cook for a boil.Now close the pressure cooker with the lid and keep the flame to a medium.Cook it for two whistles and keep it in a low flame for 3 minutes.Put off the flame and open it after the pressure subsides.Fluff it with a fork.

Serve it warm along with onion raitha,chips and veg or non veg curry.

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

• The amount of water depends on the quality of the rice,for seraga sambha rice I use 23/4 cups for 11/2 cups of water if its basmathi use 21/3cups.
• The amount of red chilly powder is depends on personal preference,mine is extra hot chilly powder so used 1/2 tsp.
• Use well ripe tomatoes to get a nice tangy taste.
• Addition ghee gives a nice flavor and extra richness to the biriyani and addition of cashew is purely optional.

Check out the fellow bloggers participating in Blogging Marathon #35.

Sumber http://www.naliniscooking.com

Urulaikilangu Kurma/Potato Kurma/Aloo Kurma

Another session of Blogging Marathon has started for this week I have chosen pressure cooker recipe as theme.
Pressure cooker is one such boon to every women as it saves the time and food can be cooked in no time.Not only saves time it also saves the fuel too,I can't imagine my cooking without a pressure cooker.
Today's recipe is flavorful and slightly spicy kurma with the potatoes,a perfect accompaniment for roti,parotta and ghee rice.This recipe can be made in open method also but making in pressure cooker makes it easier without compromising the taste.Her goes the recipe...................

Basic Information

Preparation time - 10 minutes
Cooking Time - 20 minutes
Serves- 3-4

Ingredients

Ingredient	Quantity
Potato/urulaikilangu(cubed)	2(medium size)
Onion(finely sliced)	1(large size)
Tomato(finely chopped)	3(medium size)
Turmeric powder/manjal poi	1/4tsp
Coriander powder/dhaniya podi	1 tbs
Curry leaves/karivepillai	few leaves
Coriander leaves/kothamalli(chopped)	as needed
Thick Coconut milk/thengai paal	1/2cup
Salt	1tsp
Oil	2tbs

Grind to a fine paste

Ingredient	Quantity
Shallots/chinna vengayam	10
Red chilly/vara milagai	4
Green chilly/pachamilagai	4
Garlic/poondu	4 cloves
Ginger/ingi	1 inch
Fennel/sombu	1tsp
Poppy seeds/kasakasa	1tsp
Cloves/lavangam	2
Cinnamon/pattai	1/2 inch

For the tempering

Ingredient	Quantity
Cloves/lavangam	3-4
Cinnamon/pattai	1 inch piece
Star anise	1 petal
fennel seeds/sombu	1/8tsp

Method

Grind the given ingredients to a fine paste in a blender with water as needed and set it aside.

Heat a pan with oil and do the tempering with the given ingredients,add in the sliced onion and curry leaves till transparent.Once the onion becomes transparent add in the ground paste,cook it till the raw smell goes off.

Then goes in the chopped tomaotes,cook it until mushy.Now add the cubed potatoes,coriander powder,turmeric powder and salt.Give it a mix.

Add around 11/2- 2 cups of water,cover it with lid and cook it for a whistle in a medium flame.

Once the pressure subsides,remove the lid and add the coconut milk and cook it for one boil.Finally sprinkle the chopped coriander leaves and put off the fire.

Potato Kurma is ready.

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

• The amount of chillies given is for slightly spicier version so adjust accordingly.
• Do not cook it more than for a whistle otherwise the potatoes get over cooked.
• Here I used the store bought coconut milk,if you are making it at home for 1/2 cup of coconut add 1/4 cup of water and grind it to a fine paste and strain it.

This recipe is off to Tamizhar Samayal Tuesday and Dish it out -Tomato and Garlic Event.

Check out the fellow bloggers participating in Blogging Marathon #35.

Sumber http://www.naliniscooking.com

Paruppu Puttu/Mixed Dhal Puttu

Puttu/Pittu is a breakfast dish popular in both Tamilnadu and Kelera made with proccessed rice flour.But today's version is with mixed lentils  and I have already posted moong dhal puttu.This recipe I adapted from Mallika Badrinath's tiffin varieties cook book.The procedure of the puttu is same as moong dhal puttu but there is slight change in the taste due to addition dhals in equal quantity.Here goes the recipe.................

Basic Information

Soaking Time - 2 hours
Preparation time - 10 minutes
Cooking Time - 20 minutes
Makes - 21/2cups

Ingredients

Ingredient	Quantity
Toor dhal/thuvaram paruppu	1/4cup
Channadhal/kadala paruppu	1/4cup
Moong dhal/paasi paruppu	1/4cup
Boiled Rice/pulungal arisi	1/4cup
Salt	1/8tsp
Sugar/sakkarai	3/4-1 cup
Coconut(grated)	2-3tbs
Cardamom powder/elakkai	1/2tsp
Cashews/mundiri(broken)	11/2tbs
Ghee/nei	2tsp

Method

Soak the dhal and rice together for 2 hours and grind it to bit coarse paste with salt.Use water as needed.The batter should be in idly batter consistency.

Grease the idly plate and pour the ground mixture in each mould of the idly plate and steam it in the pressure cooker or idly steamer till it gets cooked.Take out the cooked dhal idly from mould. Crumble it with sprinkling little water,once it becomes warm(food processor works good) .

Now measure the the crumbled dhal mixture in a cup(tightly packed) and take little less than half a cup of sugar for each cup of crumbled dhal.Make sugar syrup by adding water to single string consistency,add the cardamom powder.Meanwhile in small pan fry the cashews in the ghee and set aside.Add in the crumbled dhal to the sugar syrup.

Mix it well then goes in  grated coconut and fried cashews.Mix it well and keep it in the low flame for a minute.

Paruppu puttu is ready

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

• Instead of sugar jaggery or brown sugar can be used.
• This puttu will be sticky when it is hot,becomes crumbly after cool down.
• Do not keep in the flame not more than a minute after adding everything in the sugar syrup otherwise it will turn hard and rubbery.
• Grinding the dhals in the food processor gives a perfect coarse batter.
• Savory version can be made with this crumbled dhal mixture,just do the tempering with mustard,urad and green chillies.Then add the crumbled dhal mixture,salt and mix it well.Finally squeeze 1/2 lemon.
• I got the dhal crumbles around 21/2 cups so used 1 cup of sugar,the sweetness was perfect for us but if you want u can reduce it but don't add more than one cup.

This recipe is off to Cook Book Challenge #3 December week 1.

Sumber http://www.naliniscooking.com