Bake Fest - Event Announcement

Bake fest is a monthly event started by Vardhini of Cooks Joy and this month I am hosting the event.The event runs from Sep 1st-30th 2014.

Here are the rules to participate in the event.

1. Send in any recipe that has been baked / broiled.

2. Only vegetarian or vegan recipes please. Since eggs are used in baking,only recipes with eggs are allowed.

3. Usage of the logo is appreciated as it helps spread the word.

4. Link to Bake Fest announcement and my page is mandatory. If sending an old entry, it needs to be re-published with the links.

5.You can send in any number of new entries and a maximum of 2 old entries.
6.Please link your entries in the linky tool.

Sumber http://www.naliniscooking.com

Kadala Paruppu Purana Kozhukattai / Modagam / Kozhukattai with Channa Dhal Stuffing

For Ganesh Chaturthi we make variety of Kozhukattai to offer to Lord Ganesh(Pillaiyar).The main one is the purana kozhukattai made with the channa dhal stuffing in my mom's place.
But after coming to U.S,I make the simplified version of purana kozhukattai using coconut and jaggery.As Ganesh Chaturthi is around the corner I wanted to share this recipe under the Festival Theme for the Blogging Marathon #43.This stuffing can be stored in the refrigerator for a week.Off to the recipe...........................................

Purana Kozhukattai

   Basic Information

    Preparation time 05 minutes

    Cooking time 40-45 minutes

    Makes 15-18

  

   For the outer layer

Ingredient	Quantity
Rice flour/arisi maavu	1 cup
Salt	1/4 tsp
Oil	1 tsp+2 tsp for greasing
Water	1-11/2 cups

  For the stuffing/pooranam

Ingredient	Quantity
Channa dhal/kadala paruppu	1/2 cup
Jaggery/vellam	3/4 cup
Coconut(grated)	1/4 cup
Cardamom powder/ellakai	1/8 tsp

  

   Method 

    

• Pressure cook the channa dal in a pressure cooker or open pot till it becomes soft not mushy.After cooling drain the excess water and powder the chann dhal in a blender.Mean while melt the jaggery with little water and strain it.

•  Heat a pan and fry the grated coconut and add the powderd channa dhal,add in the jaggery syrup.Mix it well and cook it a medium flame till it becomes thick.Finally add the cardamom powder and put off the flame.The stuffing is ready.(Click here for the stepwise pictorial for the puranam).

  How to make Kozhukattai

• Take the rice flour,salt,1 tsp of oil in a bowl,boil the water till bubbles come.Add the boiled water slowly to the rice flour and mix it well with a spatula.Let it cool for a minute,now with the hands roll it to a smooth dough and keep it covered.

• Now greas the finger and palm withthe oil and take a big gooseberry size of dough,flatten it to disc.Keep a tsp of stuffing,pull the edges to the center and make a modagam shape or cover it like a semi circle to make the kozhukattai shape.

• Keep the prepared modagam/kozhukattai on the idly plate.Heat the idly steamer with water,after the water boils,keep the idly plate inside and steam it for 10 minutes.After its cooked carefully transfer it to plate.

• Serve it warm.

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

• The amount of water for the outer layer depends on the quality of rice flour.
• Keep the dough covered to prevent drying.
• The stuffing may be bit loose when it is hou but after cooling it becomes thick.
• To make it easy and convenient roll the stuffing to a small ball and keep it.

Check out my fellow bloggers who is participating in Blogging Marathon #43.

Sumber http://www.naliniscooking.com

Aval Payasam/Poha Kheer

For the day 2 of Blogging Marathon #43,I am sharing aval payasam for the festive themes.I have already shared a version with coconut milk and jaggery here.But today's version is using milk and sugar which we make quite often for poojas.Usually my mom makes it very simple but here I added cashew paste for extra rich taste.Lets move on to the recipe..............................

Aval Payasam/Poha Kheer

---

  Basic Information

   Preparation time 5 minutes

   Cooking time 25 minutes
   Serves 2

    

  

 Ingredients

Ingredient	Quantity
Rice flakes/aval(thick)	1/2 cup
Milk	21/2 cups
Sugar/sakkarai	1/4-1/3 cup
Cardamom powder/ellakai	a pinch
Cashews/mundiri(broken)	2+1 tbs
Ghee/Nei	1 tbs

  Method 

• Soak 1 tbs of broken cashews in 1/4 cup of milk for 10 minutes and grind it to a fine paste.Heat around 2 tsp of ghee and roast the rice flakes till it becomes crisp and remove it.In the same pan add the remaining ghee and fry the cashews to a golden color.

• Boil the milk in a pan and let it simmer for 5 minutes then add the roasted aval/rice flakes.Allow it to cook,once the rice flakes is cooked add in the sugar and let it boil for another 3-4 minutes.

• Add the ground cashew paste and allow it to cook for one boil.Finally add the cardamom powder and fried cashews and boil it for a minute,put off the flame.

• Aval Payasam is ready.

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

• The consistency of the payasam becomes thick after cooling.
• Here I used 1/3 cup of sugar which was little bit more but if you want milder sweet use around 1/4 cup and tsp.
• Instead of cashew paste,condensed milk(1/4 cup) can be used,in that case don't add any sugar.
• Saffron can be added for extra flavor. 

Check out my fellow bloggers who is participating in Blogging Marathon #43.

Sumber http://www.naliniscooking.com

Paasipayaru Sweet Sundal

We are entering the 4th week of Blogging Marathon #43 and for this week I chose the Festival recipes.As Ganesh Chaturthi and Navaratri is nearing I  am sharing you all a simple sweet sundal made with paasipayaru/mung beans.
Coming to the recipe this sundal can be made with the soaked beans as well as with no prior soaking.For the instant version the bean needs to be dry roasted slightly and cooked.
But today I soaked and made it,here goes the recipe............................................

Paasipayaru Sweet Sundal

---

  Basic Information

   Preparation time 5 minutes

   Cooking time 20 minutes
   Soaking time 10 hours

   Serves 3

    

  

 Ingredients

Ingredient	Quantity
Whole mung beans/paasipayaru	1 cup(soaked)
Jaggery/Vellam	1/4-1/3 cp
Coconut(grated)	3-4 tbs
Cardamom powder/ellakai	a pinch
Salt	1/2 tsp

  Method 

• In bowl take 3 cups of water,let it boil now put 1/2 tsp of salt and add the mung beans cook it in a medium flame till it cooks (shouldnot turn mushy).Drain the water and keep it aside.

• Now add the jaggery along with 1/4 cup of water in a pan,turn on the heat,let it melt.After it melts,pass it through a strainer to remove the scum.Keep the jaggery syrup in the same pan and let it boil to a thick consistency.Add the cooked mung beans. 

• Mix it well once the jaggery syrup becomes thick.Finally add the gratedoconut and cardamom powder,mix it well.

• Sweet sundal is ready.

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

• The soaked one cooks very fast so I used a open pot to cook whereas the instant version needs to cooked in the Pressure cooker for a whistle or two.
• When the sundal is hot it may be slightly watery or mushy but after cooling it will be separated.

Check out my fellow bloggers who is participating in Blogging Marathon #43.

Sumber http://www.naliniscooking.com

Broccoli Poriyal

Today's recipe for the Cook Book Challenge,I am sharing you a simple and healthy stir fry/poriyal with broccoli.
This recipe I noted down from my sister's recipe collections and tried it.This poriyal goes very well with rice and some spicy kulambhu such as milagu kulambhu or poondu kulambhu.But I personally prefer to mix it with rice along a dash of ghee.Either way it tastes good,lets move on to the recipe................................

Broccoli Poriyal

---

  Basic Information

   Preparation time 15 minutes

   Cooking time 20 minutes

   Serves 2

    

  
 Ingredients

Ingredient	Quantity
Broccoli florets	2 cups
Onion(fineley chopped)	1 (small size)
Toor dhal/thuvaram paruppu	2 tbs
Coconut(grated)	2 tbs
Green chilly/pachamilagai	1(slit into 2)
Curry leaves/karivepillai	few leaves
Salt	3/4 tsp+1/2 tsp
Oil	2 tsp

 For the tempering

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

  

  Method 

• In bowl take water put the 1/2 tsp o salt and add the broccoli florets,keep it for 2-3 minutes and drain the water.Now chop the florets and the thin stems to smaller pieces.Pressure cook the toor dhal with enough water for a whistle in a medium flame (it should not turn mushy).

• Meanwhile steam the broccoli in a idly vessel till it becomes soft and keep it aside.

• Heat a pan with oil and do the tempering and add the green chilly,onion and curry leaves.Saute it along with a pinch of salt.Now add the steamed broccoli and sprinkle the remaining salt.

• Toss it well,add in the cooked dhal and grated coconut.Mix it well and keep it the flame for 2-3 minutes.Put off the flame.

• Serve it rice and kulambhu.

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

Instead of toor dhal,channa dhal can be used.

Chop the broccoli to smaller pieces to get a nice taste.

This recipe is off  to Cook Book Challenge #11 August week 4.

Sumber http://www.naliniscooking.com

Masoor Dhal Masal Vadai

For this month cooking secretly,I am paired up with Sangee Vijay of Spicy Treats.She gave me masoor dhal and mint as secret ingredients and used both them.For the first time I tried masal vadai using masoor dhal along with split yellow peas.The vadai came out so crispy and delicious,lets move on to the recipe..............................

Masoor Dhal Masal Vadai

---

   Basic Information

   Soaking time 2-3 hours

   Preparation time 15 minutes

   Cooking time 15-20 minutes

   Makes  12 vadais

    

  
 Ingredients

Ingredient	Quantity
Masoor Dhal	1/2 cup
Split peas/pattani paruppu	2 tbs
Green chilly/pachamilagai	2
Red chilly /varamilagai	1
Ginger/inji	1 inch
Garlic/poondu	2 cloves
Onion(finely chopped)	1(big size)
Curry leaves/karivepillai	1 sprig (chopped)
Coriander leaves	2-3 tbs
Mint leaves/pudina	10 leaves (chopped)
Fennel seeds/sombu	1 tsp
Salt	3/4 tsp
Oil	for deep frying

  

  Method 

• Soak the dhals together in water for 2- hours.Keep 2 tbs of soaked dhal separately and grind the remaining with salt,fennel,ginger,garlic and chilly to a coarse paste.(I pulse it.) 

• Transfer the mixture to a bowl,to this add the soaked dhal,chopped onion,curry,coriander and mint leaves.Mix it well,meanwhile heat the oil in a pan.

• Once the oil is hot enough,take a small lemon size ball of batter and flat it with the palm.Drop in the oil and deep fry it till it becomes nice and crisp in a medium flame.

• Remove it from the oil and drain it on a paper towel.

• Serve it with ketchup along with a cup of tea.

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

• Instead of split peas,channa dhal can be used.
• Addition of whole soaked dhal gives a nice crisp and crunch to the vadas.

Sumber http://www.naliniscooking.com

Spicy Gobi Masala/Spicy Cauliflower Curry

Coming to the Cookbook Challenge I chose a recipe from one of my recipe booklet came along with pressure cooker.
In the original recipe,the curry is made in the pressure cooker with one whistle.As I was not sure how the cauliflower would be after pressure cook so made it in the open pan.I reduced the chilly powder from the original recipe,as I feed for kids the same curry.The curry/masala came out so creamy and delicious with perfect spicy and I paired up with rotis for our dinner.Off to the recipe...................................

Spicy Caulifloer Masala/Spicy Cauliflower Curry

---

   Basic Information

   Preparation time 15 minutes

   Cooking time 25-30 minutes

   Serves 3-4

    

 
  Ingredients

Ingredient	Quantity
Cauliflower florets	3 cups
Onion(fineley chopped)	2 (medium size)
Tomato	2 (large size)
Red chilly powder	1 tsp
Turmeric powder/manjal podi	1/4 tsp
Coriander powder/dhaniya podi	1 tbs
Garam masala powder	1/2 tsp
Cumin powder/jeerga podi	1/4 tsp
Yogurt/curd/thayir	1/4 cup
Coriander leaves/kothamalli	1 tbs(chopped)
Salt	11/2 tsp
Oil	2 tbs

 Grind to a fine paste - 1

Ingredient	Quantity
Garlic/poondu	4-5 cloves
Ginger/inji	1 inch
Green chilly/pachamilagai	2

  

 Grind to a fine paste - 2

Ingredient	Quantity
Poppy seeds/kasakasaa	2 tsp
Cashews/mundiri	1 tbs

 Method 

• In bowl take hot water put the salt and add the cauliflower florets,keep it for 2-3 minutes and drain the water.Grind the ingredients given 1 and 2 separately.Also grind the tomatoes in a blender to a fine puree and keep it aside.

• Heat a pan with oil and saute the onions till transparent.Then add the ginger,garlic and green chilly paste and saute it until the raw smell disappears.Now add the pureed tomatoes and cook it for 2-3 minutes.

• Then goes in the spice powders and salt,mix it well and cook it till the oil separates.Now add the whisked yogurt and mix it well and add around 1/2 cup of water.Let it boil for 3-4 minutes or till the raw smell goes off.

• Now add in the blanched cauliflower florets and cook it for 3-4 minutes.Finally add the cashew and poppy seed paste along with another 1/2 cup of water.Cook it for another couple of minutes and put off the flame.Garnish it with chopped coriander leaves.

• Serve it with Pulkhas or roti

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

• Do not cook the cauliflower for a long time in the hot water.
• The amount of chilly powder can be increase if you need a spicy version.

This recipe is off  to Cook Book Challenge #11 August week 3.

Sumber http://www.naliniscooking.com