Varagu Arisi Sakkarai Pongal | Kodo Millet Sweet Pongal Recipe

As the Pongal festival is approaching, i want to post this healthy and traditional millet sweet pongal recipe.  Taste wise there won't be much difference when we use this kudo millet but when it comes to health this millet is loaded with lots of nutritious substance like vitamin B, B6, Niacin, Folic acid as well as Calcium, Potassium and Zinc. 

Coming to the recipe...

Ingredients:

• Kodo Millet | Varagu Arisi – 1 Cup
• Yellow Moong Dal – ½ Cup
• Jaggery – 1 or 1 & ½ Cup (as per your sweet req.)
• Cardamom – 3 or 4
• Coconut Piece – 1 handful
• Cashews and Raisins – 2 tablespoon
• Ghee – as required.

Method:

• Wash the millet and dal well.
• Pressure cooks it with 3 and ½ cup of water for 4 whistles.
• Meanwhile add a cup of water to jaggery and allow to heat until it dissolve well in water.
• Filter the jaggery syrup, add cardamom powder and keep it aside.
• Once the pressure is released open a cooker and add the jaggery syrup.
• Cook in slow flame. If required add little water.
• In a separate pan fry coconut till golden brown, then add cashews and raisins.
• Once the dry nuts get roasted pour it to the pressure cooker and mix it gently.
• Allow to cook until you get nice aroma or for 10 more minutes so that the jaggery get cooked.
• If you want you can add extra ghee at this stage.
• Serve it hot or cool.

Avial Recipe Step by Step | Aviyal Recipe without curd

Guys!  Planning for traditional lunch menu for upcoming Pongal Feastival?
Don't forget to add this delicious Aviyal in your list. This is a must traditional side dish in any festival or in family function meal planner. Our traditional wide spread plantain leaf feast is never complete without this Aviyal in it.

Usually in Kerala this Aviyal is made with addition of curd but in our house (South Tamil nadu) we don't add curd, as we use to add Raw Mango for the tangy taste.

This is basically a south indian side dish served as a accomplishment for Rice or Adai.
This recipe is made with mixed vegetables along with coconut paste. Vegetables which can be used in Avial are Drumstick, Raw Mango, Radish, Chow Chow, Brinjal, Carrot, Beans, Potato, Plantain, Cucumber, Ash gourd, Yam etc.,
Usually bitter vegetables or color changing vegetables are avoided in this recipe like bitter gourd and beetroots.

Coming to the recipe...

Ingredients:

Mixed Vegetables - 3 Cup
Coconut - 1 Cup
Jeera - 1/2 teaspoon
Green Chilly - 2
Shallot - 6 nos.
Salt to taste.
Oil
Mustard - 1/2 teaspoon
Curry leaves - 1 tablespoon

Method:

• Wash and Cut all the vegetables length wise.
• Grind coconut, green chilly, shallot, jeera and keep it aside.
• Pressure cook vegetable with 1/4 cup water for 1 Whistle .
• Heat a pan season it with oil , mustard and curry leaves.
• Add coconut paste saute for few seconds.
• Add the vegetables, salt to the pan and gently mix to get a coat of coconut paste.
• Allow to cook for just 5 minutes in slow flame and switch off.
• Serve it with hot Rice  / Rice Noodles or  with Adai.

HOW TO MAKE SOFT AND SPONGY IDLI

Idly is a traditional and regular breakfast in south Indian household.

"R" prefers Dosai, so i never had any issue with the batter for making Dosa but after i started solid food for my daughter "Idli" batter has played a most important role in my weekly menu. Every time i tried different proportion to make it soft and spongy but somehow i was not satisfied (my little girl too :( ). I always thought idli will be soft and spongy only if i add more dal.

Once i went to my Aunt place, she made idli for our dinner, to my surprise my girl ate more than her usual count. Idli was so soft and spongy , i noted the proportion and from that day i never changed the proportion for our idli batter recipe.

Here it is...

Ingredients:

Idli Rice - 6 Cups
Urud Dal - 1 Cup
Fenugreek Seeds - 2 teaspoon
Salt to taste.

Method

Soak Rice , Urud dal and Fenugreek Seeds in enough water separately for 2 to 4 hours maximum.
First add Fenugreek seed sprikle some water to grind it to smooth paste.
Once done remove it and add Urud dal and grind it to smooth paste.
Then finally grind the rice separately.
Now mix all the 3 batter into one container along with required salt and mix it with hand.
Mixing with hand is must which will helps in fermentation.
Close the container and allow the batter to ferment for nearly 8 hours or overnight.
Morning you can see well raised / fermented idli batter.

Lets make idli.

1. Add some water in an idly Pot and keep it on medium flame. 
2. Oil the idli plate and gently fill the idli plate with the batter.
3. Place the idli plate inside the idly vessel and let it steam for 5-6 minutes.
4. Remove the idli from plate once it is warm otherwise it will get stick to the plate.

Serve it with Sambar or Chutney.

Tamizhar Samayal - South Indian Lunch Menu #2

Here i am presenting a simple tamilnadu style menu, just to get an idea for your day today cooking, these are cooked regularly in our region.
This menu contains typical tamilnadu style and simple recipes.

Urundai Kuzhambu,
Avarakkai / broad beans Poriyal
Carrot Poriyal
and Rice

Urundai (Puli) Kuzhambu.
Ingredients

For Paruppu Urundai:

Channa dal - 1/2 cup
Tur dal - 1/2 cup
Red chilly - 2
Jeera - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves  - few
Salt to taste

Soak the dal for 1 to 2 hours.
Grind it with all other ingredients and make it into a tight balls and keep it aside.

For Kuzhambu (Gravy):

Tomato - 2
Tamarind Paste - 1 tsp
Onion - 1
Coconut - 1/4 cup
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
Chilly powder - 1 tsp
Dhaniya / Coriander Powder - 2 tablespoon
Salt to taste
Curry leaves
Mustard - 1/4 tsp
Fenugreek - 1/4 tsp
Oil to temper

Chop onion and tomatoes.
Along with Coconut grind the onion and tomatoes and keep it aside.
In a pan heat oil and season with fenugreek, mustard seed and curry leaves
Extract tamarind juice and add it to the pan.
Now add turmeric powder, chilly powder and Coriander powder and salt.
Add the grinded paste to it and allow it to boil well.
This needs to boil well (5/6 minutes) so that raw smell goes away.
Now add the Kofta balls / Urundai.
Keep it in slow flame and cook for another 7 minutes until the urundai gets cooked.

I have already given Urundai Masala kuzhambu which is adopted from Chef Damu's TV show 
Avarakkai Poriyal

Broad beans - 250 gms

Coconut grated -  2 tbsp

Jeera and mustard seed - 1/4 tsp

Green Chilly - 1 chopped

Curry leaves

Salt to taste

Oil to temper

Method:

Presure cook Chopped broad beans for 1 whistle with salt.

In a mixer jar grind coconut, chilly and jeera without water coarsely and keep it aside.

Heat a pan with oil, temper with Jeera ,mustard and curry leaves.

Switch off the stove and mix the grounded coconut ... Ready to serve.

Carrot Poriyal.

Ingredients:

Carrot - 250 gms

Coconut grated -  2 tbsp

Jeera and mustard seed - 1/4 tsp

Green Chilly - 1 chopped

Curry leaves

Salt to taste

Oil to temper

Method:

Presure cook Chopped carrot for 1 whistle with salt.

In a mixer jar grind coconut, chilly and jeera without water coarsely and keep it aside.

Heat a pan with oil, temper with Jeera ,mustard and curry leaves.

Switch off the stove and mix the grounded coconut ... Ready to serve.

Paal Kozhukattai (With Milk and Jaggery)

Paal Kozhukattai / Rice Dumpling in Jaggery and Milk Sauce is a famous sweet / dessert in the region of Chettinadu.
It has various versions like some make it with coconut milk alone, others with the combination of coconut milk and dairy milk (Cow milk) and some with cow milk alone.
This version has grated coconut and the base is completely made with cow's milk.

After a long gap of blogging i want to restart it with sweet note that i have been blessed with a girl baby and now she is almost 9 months old :)
And i have seen people making this Paal Kozhukattai for Janmashtami / Krishna Jayanthi so i  thought of making this recipe for my virtual friends to inform you all about my angle's birth.

Ingredients:

Rice Flour - 1 cup
Ghee - 1 teaspoon
Milk -1 cup
Water - 1 cup
Salt - to taste

Jaggery - 3/4 Cup
Coconut - 1/4 cup
Milk - 1 cup
Cardamom Powder - 1/4  teaspoon

Method:

In a shallow frying pan boil a 1/4 cup of milk with 1 cup water.

When it turns to boiling point add the Rice flour, Salt and mix well until it forms a mass.

You have to keep the flame in simmer until you get the desire consistency of the dough.

Now switch off the stove and take the dough, coat it with ghee to avoid drying.
Also you can cover the dough with wet cloth until you roll it to small balls.
Roll the dough in to small ball shape.

Meanwhile Powder the jaggery and add it to water just to immerse and heat it.
When it dissolves just filter and keep it aside.

Now take a pan and boil 1/2 litre milk.

Once it achieve boiling point simmer the flame and add the rolled balls into the milk slowly.

In few minutes, once the balls get cooked well it starts to float on the milk.
Now if you want the sauce to be thick then just disolve 2 teaspoon rice flour in water and add it to the milk and stir well.

Now you can add Grated Coconut , Cardamom Powder and Jaggery syrup.


After adding Jaggery Syrup switch off the stove immediately.
This can be served hot or as cold dessert.

Urulai Kizhangu Varuval | Shallow Fried Potatoes

This Urulai Kizhangu Varuval / Shallow Fried Potatoes is one of my favorite side dish, i Just love to have it with Rice especially curd rice or lemon rice...Yum!
It's a very easy and quick recipe to make.

Here is the recipe details...

Ingredients:

Potatoes - 1/4 kg
Chilly Powder - 1 teaspoon
Coriander Powder - 1 teaspoon
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Asefoetida - 2 pinch
Curry leaves - few
Oil - 4 teaspoon
Mustard seed - 1/4 teaspoon
Salt to taste

Method:

Wash the potatoes peel the skin and chop it into small cubes.

Heat a pan season it with oil, mustard, curry leaves.
Now add the cubed potatoes, saute for 3 minutes.

When it turns golden, add chilly powder, coriander powder, asefoetida, turmeric and salt.
Saute until the raw smell of masala goes away and till the potatoes gets cooked well.
Switch off and serve it with rice.

Aval Upma | Red Poha Recipe

Looking for simple, healthy and easy to make breakfast ? Here it is...Try this Aval Upma / Red Poha seasoned with spices.It suits as a light breakfast or as a snack.

Usually pregnant women eat 6 small meals, this recipe will serve as a good snack or as a light breakfast or dinner for them and this can be done in just 5 to 10 minutes.

Red Poha is rich in Iron, having red poha in your menu regularly will keep your hemoglobin count at its best.

Ingredients:

Red Flattened Rice / Aval - 1 cup (Thick Variety)
Grated Coconut - 1 tablespoon
Onion - 1 no.
Red Chilly - 2 no.
Mustard seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
Curry leaves - few
Salt to taste
Oil to temper.

Method:

Wash the Red Flattened Rice.
Soak it in water for 5 Minutes.

Heat a pan with oil, season it with mustard, curry leaves, red chilly and add chopped onion.
Saute the onion until it turns light golden color.

Drain the Red flattened rice and add it to the seasoning and add required salt.
Mix well and keep it in slow fire until the red flattened rice gets bit soft (just 5 minutes).

Finally add the grated coconut, mix well.
Switch off and Serve hot.

Curry leaves Kuzhambu | Kariveppilai Kuzhambu | Karuveppilai kuzhambu

Curry leaves kuzhambu is simple and delicious tangy gravy of south Indian kitchen.

It tastes great with rice, idly and dosa. 

I should mention that it will be a treat for pregnant women with its tangy, spicy, mild sweet taste and also with its health benefits too.

Being pregnant want to try some healthy and at the same time tangy, spicy gravy which suits my taste buds so made it for my Sunday lunch, had it with hot steaming rice along with papad.

Ingredients:

Mustard seeds – ¼ teaspoon

Shallot – 10 nos.

Tamarind -  Gooseberry size

Coriander Powder – 2 teaspoon

Chilly Powder – 2 teaspoon

Salt to taste

Oil to temper (Preferably Sesame seed oil)

To dry roast and grind to paste:

Curry Leaves / Karuvepillai – 1 handful (tightly packed)

Coconut – 1 tablespoon

Redchilly – 3 nos.

Garlic – 10 nos. (De skin)

Method:

Soak tamarind in water for ½ hour and extract juice.

Peel the skin of shallot, wash and keep it aside.

Dry roast and grind the ingredients given under “To dry roast and grind to paste” to smooth paste.

Heat a pan with oil season mustard seeds, add shallots and sauté till it becomes translucent.

Add the grinded paste, Coriander powder, Chilly powder and Salt.

Add the tamarind extract, cover and cook until the raw smell goes off.

Add a small piece of jaggery to enhance the taste (Optional)

Keep it in slow fire until the curry thickens and oil oozes out.

Note:

You can add Sambar Powder instead of chilly and coriander powder.

I have already posted Poondu Karuvepillai Kuzhambu here.

Purana Kozhukattai (Coconut & Jaggery)

Do u have the habit of seeing calendar daily? Do u check and get it noted that what are all the auspicious days which comes on the current month??

No…I never had that habit early but, blogging has bought me this habit of seeing the calendar regularly and getting all the auspicious days noted… also to get prepared for those celebration.

So now this post is for “Chitra Pournami” (on 3^rd May 2015)…Full Moon Day of Tamil month Chithirai.  It is celebrated to remove negative energy and dissolve your karma. We believe that lord “Chitra Gupta” was born on this day to the Mother “Kamadenu” so we avoid taking Milk and Milk product on this day.

People use to prepare Sarkarai Pongal, Pidi Kozhukattai and Variety Rice on this day…I Prepared this Purana Kozhukattai for my blog post for the special day "Chitra Pournami". It's made with stuffed grated coconut and Jaggery.

Ingredients:

For Outer Cover:

Rice flour -3 cups

salt a pinch

Water 3 cups

Oil or ghee - 1 table spoon

For Filling:

Grated coconut - 1cup

Jaggery - 1/2 cup

Cardamom powder ½ sp

Roasted gram powder – 1 table spoon (Pottukadai podi)

Method:

Mix grated coconut, jaggery, cardamon powder and roasted gram in a shallow bowl and keep it aside.

This mixture is called Puranam in Tamil.

Boil water in a heavy bottom pan and add salt to it.

Keep the flame lower and add the ready made rice flour, stir without lump and till it is soft.

Switch of the flame and when it attain the temperature which is bearable by your hand.

Grease your hand with Ghee.

Take a small portion and make a round ball shape, out of it make a deep thumb impression to make it like a cup... fill the cup with Puranam and close it by rounding into ball shape.

Make the remaining outer cover dough and puranam in the same way.

Keep the Kozhukattai in the idly steamer and cook it until done.

Paal Payasam Recipe | Rice Kheer

Paal payasam is a traditional Indian dessert served for any occasion or festival. Most of our south Indian feast will never get completes without this delicious classic dessert.

Tamil New Year is on its way, so I have planned to post this classic Paal Payasam in my blog to celebrate the New Year. Wishing you all very happy and prosperous New Year!

Actually the original recipe requires cooking of rice in milk in an open pan for long time, here I am giving you a easy and quick method of making Paal Payasam with pressure cooker method, however you don’t need to compromise on taste…it tastes equally delicious.

Ingredients:

Basmati Rice – 1 tablespoon
Milk – ½ litre
Water – 2 cup
Nuts and Raisins – as required
Sugar – 3/4 cup
Ghee – 1 tablespoon
Cardamom – 2 nos.


Method:

Heat a pan with a table spoon of ghee then fry nuts, raisins and keep it aside.
In the remaining ghee add the washed and well drained rice and fry for 1 minute.

Add a cup of water and a cup of milk and pressure cook for 2 whistles.

Once the pressure releases, open the pan and add remaining milk, cardamon powder, sugar, fried nuts and raisins.
Simmer the flame and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, This Payasam will thicken when it is cooled down so switch off accordingly.
Note: To get creamy texture, you can add the rice by grinding it coarsely in a mixer.

Neer More | Spiced Butter Milk

It's a South Indian style spiced butter milk. It's apt healthy summer special drink to keep the body cool.
Apart from this, it's has a special place during Tamil New Year and on Rama Navami, it's offered to God on both these festival day (as Neivedhyam).  As Rama Navami is approaching i planned to post this simple recipe in my blog.

Ingredients:

Curd - 1 cup
Water - 2 cups
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves - 1 tablespoon
Asafoedita - 2 pinch

To grind:
Chilly - 1 no.
Ginger - a small piece
Jeera - 1/4 teaspoon

To Temper:
Oil - 1 teaspoon
Mustard seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
Curry Leaves - Few

Method:

• Grind Chilly, Ginger and Jeera in a hand motor pestle and keep it aside.
• Chop the coriander leaves finely and keep it aside.

• In a shallow vessel add curd, water and churn it using whisk or Mathu.
• Add asafeodita and salt in the butter milk.
• Heat a pan with oil and season mustard seeds and curry leaves.

• Add the seasoned ingredient to the butter milk.
• Add the grinded masala and coriander leaves.
• Chill and serve it.

Chana Dal Fried Rice

 
This recipe is no way related to our regular Chinese Fried Rice. I came across this recipe in some television cookery show some 5 years before. Where they mentioned that this rice is prepared during Baby Shower / Semmandam / Godh Barai. I made this for two of my sister in law's baby shower along with other variety rice...This time its very special because i made it for my little bean inside me.

Ingredients:
Rice - 1 cup
Carrot - 2 nos.
Beans - 100 gm
Cabbage - 50 gm.
Peas - 1 tablespoon
Salt to taste
Sesame seed oil - 1 tablespoon
Coriander Powder - 2 teaspoon
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 teaspoon

To temper:
Mustard Seed - 1/4 teaspoon
Jeera  - 1/4 teaspoon
Curry leaves - few

To dry roast and grind:
Dry Red Chilly  - 3 nos.
Chana Dal  - 1 tablespoon.

Method:

Cook Rice and keep it aside.
In a pan dry roast red chilly and channa dal and grind it to powder.
Chop all the Veggies finely except peas.
Heat a pan with oil and temper with mustard, jeera and curry leaves.
Once it splutters add all the Veggies and saute until it cooks well.
Then add turmeric powder, coriander powder, grinded chana dal masala and saute till the raw smell goes off.
Add the cooked rice and sprinkle salt and mix well.
Now the rice is ready to serve.

It taste great with a cup of raita.

Vendakkai Sambar | Okra Sambar

Vendaikkai Sambar | Okra Sambar is a usual recipe in south Indian kitchen. When it is Friday most of us just opt for sambar, poriyal and appalm. It's a popular and every day cooking recipe of Tamilnadu cuisine.


Ingredients.
Tur Dal | Toovar Dal- 1/2 cup
turmeric - 1/4 tsp
asefoedita -  3 pinch
Okra / Vendaikkai - 1 cup
Sambar powder - 2 tsp
Curry leaves - few
Mustard - 1/4 tsp
Tamarind extract - 1 tbsp
Oil - 1 tbsp.
salt to taste
Red chilly - 1
Onion - 1 no.
Tomato - 1 no.

For Grinding:
Coconut - 1/2 cup
shallot - 2
Jeera - 1 tsp
Grind the above ingredients and keep it aside.

• Wash and pressure cook tur dal along with turmeric and tomatoes.
• Once the dal it cooked mash it and keep it aside.
• Temper mustard, curry leaves, whole red chilly, asefoedita in oil.
• Add onion sauté for while and add the onion and Okra.
• Saute it in low flame until the okra gets cooked.
• Add Sambar powder and sauté well until the raw smell goes.
• Add required water and tamarind extract.
• Once it starts to boil add the mashed tur dal and salt.
• Finally add the grinded paste, check for consistency and can add water.
• Allow to boil for 5 mins and top it with fresh coriander leaves and serve.

Looking for Vendaikai Pachadi check for the recipe here

Vendaikkai Fry Recipe here

Other Sambar Varieties check this link

Nellai Sambar

Coriander leaves Sambar

Pavakkai | Bitter Gourd Stir Fry

Pavakkai Vathakal | Pavakkai Stir Fry | Bitter Gourd Stir Fry is such a easy recipe with very few ingredients...Beginners can sure try their hands on this recipe and i am sure it turns out delicious for anyone. Bitter Gourd being a favorite vegetable for R i make it often at least ones in a week.

Here is a recipe...

Ingredients:

Bitter Gourd - 3 or 4 (Big size)

Chilly Powder - 1 teaspoon

Salt - to taste

Oil to temper

Jaggery Powdered - 1 teaspoon

Method:

Wash and remove the seeds of bitter gourd and slice it.

Heat a pan with 4 teaspoon oil and add the bitter gourd.

Once the bitter gourd turns it color or cooked 3/4th add chilly powder and salt.

Stir well to coat the bitter gourd with chilly powder and salt.

Once the bitter gourd is cooked well, add 1 teaspoon jaggery and saute for 2 minutes.

Switch off the flame and serve it.