Pottukadalai Sambar/Thidir Sambar/Instant Sambar

Today's recipe is an interesting sambar with no lentils/dhal can be made in a jiffy without compromising the taste of the regular sambar.This sambar is a perfect accompaniment for tiffin items such as idly,dosa and especially venpongal,can be made with or without veggeis.This recipe I adapted from a regional T.V cookery show and made it many times but never get a chance to click it as I mostly made it for dinner to accompany venpongal.Finally I made it for yesterday brunch and clicked it.
This sambar has become our family' favorite especially my 15 months lil one likes a lot,may be I had this sambar a lot during my pregnancy.Lets move on to the recipe..............

Basic Information

Preparation time 10 minutes
Cooking time 25 minutes
Serves 3-4

Ingredients

Ingredient	Quantity
Onion (medium size)	1(chopped)
Round small brinjal/kathirrikai	1(chopped)
Carrot(medium size)	1(chopped)
Tomato(medium size)	1(chopped)
Turmeric powder	1/2tsp
Oil	2tbs
Curry leaves	1 sprig
Corinader leaves/kothamalli	2 sprigs(chopped)
Tamarind/puli	small gosseberry size
Green chilly/pachamilagai	2-3
Salt	11/2tsp

 To Saute and grind

Ingredient	Quantity
Red chilly/varamilagai	4-5
Coriander seeds/varakothamalli	1tbs
Shallots/chinna vangayam	4-5
Tomato(chopped)	1/2(medium size)
Coconut(grated)	2tbs
Roasted gram dhal/pottukadalai	2tbs

For the tempering

Ingredient	Quantity
Mustard seeds/kadugu	1/2tsp
Urad dhal/ulutham paruppu	1/2tbs
Red chilly	1(broken)
Asafoetida/perungayam	a pinch

Method

Heat a tsp of oil and fry the red chillies and coriander seeds,then add the shallots follows the tomato,roasted gram dhal and coconut fry it for a minute and put off the fire.Grind it to a smooth paste after cooling,extract the tamarind and keep it aside.

Now heat a pan with oil and do the tempering with the ingredients,add the curry leaves,onion and green chilly.Saute it,then goes in the chopped veggies,fry it for a minute.Add the chopped tomato and cook it until mushy.
 

Now add the tamarind water and let it boil for a minute.Add the ground paste and 2 cups of water,mix it well.Add the salt and turmeric powder,let it boil till the raw smell goes off in a medium flame.Finally add the coriander leaves and put off the flame.

Pottukadalai sambar is ready.

Serve it with idly,pongal or dosa.

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

• After adding the ground paste mix it well otherwise it may stick to the bottom.
• As roasted gram dhal is used the sambar will be  thick so adjust the consistency accordingly.
• This sambar can be made with shallots and no veggies,it tastes good.

This recipe is off to Cook Book Challenge #4 January week 1. 

Sumber http://www.naliniscooking.com

Peanut and Mint Chutney

Most of our week days dinner would be either fluffy idly or crispy dosa or spongy uthappam.To accompany I have to make 2 different varieties of chutney according to each ones taste bud. The fresh mint leaves  attracted me to make some chutney,in our household we make mint chutney in a slightly different way with the urad dhal.
After seeing a mint chutney recipe with roasted peanuts in one of my old cook book,wanted to try.The chutney came out delicious with the refreshing flavor of mint and the goodness of peanuts..We enjoyed with idly for our dinner,now off to the recipe..............................

Basic Information

Preparation time 10 minutes
Cooking Time 10 minutes
Serves 2

Ingredients

Ingredient	Quantity
Mint leaves/pudina	1cup(loosely packed)
Peanut/verkadalai	1/3cup
Shallots	5
Green chilly	6
Tamarind/puli	small gooseberry size
Coconut(grated)	2tbs
Salt	to taste
Oil	2tsp

For the Tempering

Ingredient	Quantity
Mustard seeds/kadugu	1/2tsp
Urad dhal/ulutham paruppu	1/2tsp
Curry leaves	5 leaves
Red chilly/varamilagai	1(broken)
Asafoetida/perungayam	a pinch

Method

Dry roast the peanuts in a pan in a medium flame till it becomes golden color or a nice aroma comes out.Remove and let it cool down.
Meanwhile heat a tsp of oil in the same pan,saute the shallots and green chillies.Then add the mint leaves and fry it for a minute.Put off the fire.
Now in blender jar put the roasted peanuts,onion and mint leaves mixture,tamarind,coconut,salt and grind it to a paste with little water.
Heat a pan with the remaining oil and do the tempering,pour it over the chutney and mix it well.
Serve it with idly or dosa.

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

• Addition of coconut is optional,can be made without coconut also.
• Along with the mint leaves,coriander leaves can also be added.
• The amount of red chillies can be increase or decreased according to preference.

This recipe is off to Vegan Thursday event started by Priya of Priya's Versatile Recipes.

Sumber http://www.naliniscooking.com

Badam Halwa

Wishing you all A very Happy New year,2014 brings you all health,wealth and happiness.Today I start the new year with a sweet post,Badam halwa a simple dessert/sweet.Making badam halwa is very easy but the peeling almonds needs some extra time that's the reason I kept postponing.But its worth it for the taste and finally made it with my son's help for peeling.As I was in a hurry I couldn't take the stepwise properly will update it soon and pictures also didn't come out good as I expected due to poor lighting.Lets get into the recipe........

Basic Information

Soaking time 2 hours
Preparation Time 30 minutes
Cooking Time 20 -25 minutes
Makes `11/4cups

Ingredients

Ingredient	Quantity
Almonds/badam	1/2 cup
Sugar/sakkarai	1/2 cup+1tbs
Full cream milk/whole milk	1/4-1/3cup
Cardamom powder/ellakai	1/2tsp
Saffron/kungumapoo	few strands
Yellow food color	a pinch(optional)
Ghee/nei	3-4tbs

Method

• Soak the almond in water for 2 hours and peel the skin.put the peeled almonds in a blender and grind along with milk to a bit coarse paste(fine rava consistency).Soak the saffron threads in a tbs of milk and set it aside.
• Heat a pan with 2bs of ghee and add the almond paste,then add the sugar and mix it well.cook it in a medium flame for 5 minutes,now add the saffron mixture and stir it well.
• Add the remaining ghee and food color,mix it well and stir it continuously till it leaves the sides of the pan.Finally add the cardamom powder and put off the flame,mix it well.
• Delicious and mouthwatering Badam halwa is ready.

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

• Adding food color is purely optional but it gives a nice look to the halwa.
• After it reaches the consistency remove it from the heat.
• When it is warm it may be slightly watery but after cooling the halwa will be in the correct consistency.
• Do not grind the almonds to a very fine paste.
• While cooking the mixture splutters so be careful and once it is nearing to the consistency the spluttering reduces,its a sign.
• If you feel the mixture is sticky the add some ghee.
• You can wrap single serving of halwa in a butter paper and keep it
• Soak the almonds in hot water if you want it get it done right away.
  

Sumber http://www.naliniscooking.com

Brinjal Masala Kulambhu/Kathirikkai Masala Kulambhu

We make masala kulambhu slightly in a different way as I have shared it already here.But today's version  is my  friends recipe which I had noted down after tasting it couple of times.Whenever I get tender and small brinjals/eggplants make this kulambhu for weekend lunch.This kulambhu tastes very well with the white rice and pappad,but I paired up with spinach kottu and potato fry.This recipe is off CCC event started by Srivalli and Dish it out event-Tomato and garlic at my space started by Vardhini.Lets move on to the recipe............

Basic Information

Preparation time - 10 minutes
Cooking time - 25-30minutes
Serves - 3-4

Ingredients

Ingredient	Quantity
Shallots/Pearl onion	10-15nos.
Round small brinjal/kathirrikai	5-6(sliced lengthy)
Tomato(chopped)	1(medium size)
Turmeric powder	1/2tsp
Oil	2tbs
Curry leaves	1 sprig
Coriander leaves/kothamalli	2 sprigs(chopped)
Red chilly powder/milagai podi	2tsp
Fennel seeds/sombhu	1/4tsp
Salt	11/2tsp

 To Saute and grind

Ingredient	Quantity
Cumin seeds/jeeragam	1tsp
Fennel seeds/sombu	1tsp
Fenugreek seeds/vendhayam	1/8tsp
Coriander seeds/varakothamalli	1tbs
Cloves/lavangam	3-4
Cinnamon/pattai	1inch
Coconut(grated)	5tbs

Method

Soak the tamarind with enough water and extract it.
Heat a tsp of oil and add fenugreek seeds,cumin seeds,fennel seeds,cloves,cinnamon,coriander seeds.Fry it for a minute then add the grated coconut and mix it well.Put off the flame,after cooling grind it to a fine paste with enough water.Keep it aside.

Now heat a pan with the remaining oil and crackle the fennel seeds,add the curry leaves and saute the sliced shallots and garlic with a pinch of salt.Once the shallots turn transparent add the sliced brinjal and chopped tomato,cook it till the color of the brinjal gets changed.

Now add the red chilly powder,turmeric powder and the ground paste.Mix it well,fry it for couple of minutes.Add the tamarind water and a cup of water.

Add the salt,let the mixture gets cooked well in a medium flame for 10-12 minutes or till the raw smell goes off.Finally sprinkle the coriander leaves and put off the flame.

Serve it after an hour to get the flavors incorporate well.

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

• Here I used a small size ball of tamarind,if you are using tamarind paste use around a tbs.
• Use small round brinjals to get evenly cooked.
• The amount of red chilly powder given is for perfect spicy,you can alter it according to your preference.

This recipe is off to Cook Book Challenge #3 December week 4 and Dish it Out event happenings at my space started by Vardhini.

Sumber http://www.naliniscooking.com

Fruit Custard

Fruit custard is an easy and colorful,comforting dessert can be served after a heavy meal.This is my family's favorite and I make it for almost parties and get togethers especially with a heavy non-vegetarian meal.
All you need is to chop fruits of your choice and add it to the cooked custard and serve.The custard can be cooked on the previous day and refrigerated,just add the chopped fruits at the time of serving.Off to the recipe................

Basic Information

Preparation Time 10-15 minutes
Cooking Time 10 minutes
Cooling Time 2 hours
Serves 3

Ingredients

Ingredient	Quantity
Milk/paal	2 cups
Custard powder(any flavor)	2tbs
Sugar/sakkarai	2tbs
Mixed Fruits(chopped) (I used apple,grapes,banana orange)	11/2-2 cups

Method

Boil 13/4 cups of milk in a medium flame for 10 minutes.Meanwhile with remaining 1/4 cup mix the custard powder with no lumps and keep it aside.

Once the milk boiled add the sugar and let it simmer for 5 minutes,now reduce the flame completely and add the custard powder mixture,mix it well.Let it cook for a minute or two till it become thick,remove it from the flame.Let it come to the room temperature,chill it in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

At the time of serving add the required amount of fruits in the serving bowl and top it the required amount of chilled custard.

If needed top it with some nuts.

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

• After the custard is cooked completely immediately remove it from the fire otherwise it may become thick and lumpy.
• If you are making it for a big crowd keep the chilled custard separately and chilled fruits separately and its easy to store the leftover separately.
• Keep the chopped fruits in the refrigerator till serving to prevent the browning.
• Fruits of your choice can be added.
• If the custard becomes too thick just add 2-3 tbs of milk and mix it well.

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

Sumber http://www.naliniscooking.com

Bread Jamun

For the day 2 of blogging Marathon#35 I am sharing you all a simple yet delicious jamuns made out of leftover bread.
This jamun tastes more or less similar to the khoya jamun and can be made in a jiffy.If you want you can stuff the jamuns with nuts and saffron.But today I made without any stuffing and used cardamom powder for the flavor.Lets move on to the recipe..................................

Basic Information

Preparation time 15 minutes
Cooking time 20-25 minutes
Soaking time 2 hours
Makes 13

Ingredients

Ingredient	Quantity
White Bread slice	6
Milk powder	2tbs
Full cream milk/whole milk	1/4-1/3cup
Cardamom powder/ellakai	1/2tsp
Sugar/sakkarai	1/2cup+2tbs
Oil	for frying
Ghee/nei	1tbs

Method

Heat the sugar in a pan with 3/4 cup of water and stir it,keep in a medium flame till it becomes thick(no need of string consistency).Add the cardamom powder and keep it aside.

Trim the edges of the bread and tear into pieces and blend it to a fine powder in a blender.Transfer it to a bowl,to this add the milk powder and mix it well.Sprinkle milk little by little and make a soft dough.

Grease the palm and fingers with a drop of ghee,now pinch out a small gooseberry size of dough and roll it to a smooth ball without giving too much of pressure.Continue for the rest of the dough.

Heat a pan with oil and ghee in a medium flame and fry 4-5 balls at a time to a nice golden brown color.
Add the fried jamuns to the sugar syrup and let it soak for 2-3 hours.

Top it with some finely chopped nuts and serve.

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

• Frying the jamuns in the medium flame is very important to get a nicely cooked golden color jamuns.
• Addition of ghee is purely optional but it gives a rich taste.
• While making the balls don't give too much of pressure.
• Rose water can be added for extra flavor.
• This jamun doesn't double in size like the regular jamun so make the desired size you want.

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

Sumber http://www.naliniscooking.com

Vanilla Ice-cream /Eggless Vanilla Ice-cream

Who doesn't love ice cream?Ice cream is almost everyone favorite and especially vanilla flavor is the most.
Myself and my hubby are not exceptional,we like ice-cream any time of a day,it doesn't matter if it rains or snows and day or night.
This basic vanilla ice cream tastes as such delicious but its a real treat when it is served with a brownie,mixed along with some fruits or sandwiched between cookies.The options are endless.
This ice cream is an eggless version and no ice cream maker need only with 3 ingredients.Yes only with 3 ingredients,heavy cream,condensed milk and vanilla extract.
I make this ice cream often but never get a chance to click and post it in blog,but finally got a chance to post this ice cream for the dessert theme in Blogging Marathon#35.Off to the recipe.....................................

Basic Information

Preparation Time 15 minutes
Freezing time 6-8 hours
Serves 10 (generously)

Ingredients

Ingredient	Quantity
Heavy Cream	21/2cups
Sweetened condensed milk	1 can(396gm/14 oz)
Vanilla Extract	11/2tsp

Method

• Pour the whipping cream in wide mouth bowl and beat it with a hand blender or electric blender it till reaches stiff peak consistency.
• Now add in the condensed milk and fold in,add the vanilla extract and mix it well.

• Make sure everything is mixed properly and transfer it to container with lid.
• Cover the top of the mixture with a plastic wrap or cling wrap to prevent forming the ice crystals from the water droplets.
• Freeze it for 3-4 hours.Now take it out from the freezer and mix it well with a spatula.  
• Freeze it again for at least 6-8 hours.

Top with fruits or chocolate syrup or nuts and serve.

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

• Here I didn't use any extra sugar and the sweetness was enough,if you want it mild you can increase the amount of cream to 3 cups.

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

Sumber http://www.naliniscooking.com