Thattai @ thattu vadai @ thattai murukku @ elladai @ nippattu @ chekkalu ( ppaahh, so many names 😃) is one of my most favorite South Indian snacks recipe. Usually thattai is prepared with rice flour, urad dal flour, butter or oil. But nowadays in many snack shops, thattu vadai is prepared using maida/ all purpose flour, pottukadalai maavu (fried gram dal flour), vanaspathi and cooking soda to make it white, crispy and melt in mouth. But I followed a traditional Tamil style thattai recipe from one of my old cookbooks. It comes out golden brown in color and tastes crispy, slightly hard just like the way it should be. Traditionally thattu vadai is prepared using homemade processed rice flour but today I have shared the same recipe using store bought idiyappam flour to ease the job. In my family, we don’t have the practice of making thattai for Krishna jayanthi. But many people make elladai / thattai for this festival. So I thought of sharing this easy, crispy thattu vadai recipe with you all as my Gokulashtami special recipe. Lets see how to make Tamilnadu style thattai recipe with step by step pictures.

Check out my other Gokulashtami recipes in THIS LINK.

Thattai recipe / Thattu vadai Recipe

How to make thattai / thattu vadai with store bought rice flour, urad dal flour and butter

Cuisine:South Indian

Category:Snacks

Serves:25 nos

Prep time:10 Minutes

Cook time:5 Minutes

Total time:15 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup = 250ml

Idiyappam flour - 1 cup
Roasted urad dal flour - 3 tsp / 1 tbsp
Melted butter - 1 tbsp
Soaked chana dal or fried gram dal/ pottukadalai - 1 tbsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Asafetida / Hing - 1/4 tsp
Black sesame seeds - 1 tsp
Chopped curry leaves - 2 tsp
Salt & water - as needed
Cooking oil - to deep fry

HOW TO MAKE THATTAI

In a wide bowl, mix all the ingredients, butter.
Mix well. Add water gradually and make a smooth dough.
Take a big gooseberry sized ball. Pat in a greased zip lock cover.
Prick with a toothpick. Arrange the thattai in a cloth and rest for 10 minutes.
Deep fry both sides till bubbles cease. Remove and drain in a tissue paper.
Store in a box after it cools down. Stays crispy for one to 2 weeks.

THATTAI MURUKKU RECIPE - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

Wash and soak 1 tbsp chana dal in required water for an hour. In a wide bowl, take the rice flour, roasted urad dal flour, salt, sesame seeds, hing, chopped curry leaves, soaked & drained chana dal or fried gram dal.

Add melted butter and mix well. Make sure butter is mixed well with the flour.

Add water gradually and make a smooth, non- sticky dough. Make big gooseberry sized balls and keep it covered with a wet cloth till use.

Take 2 zip lock covers or any thick sheets. Grease with oil and place a dough ball over one sheet. Cover with another sheet. Take a small bowl and press the dough to make a flat and thin circle. To make crispy thattai, pat it thin. You can cut the thattai into perfect round shapes with the bowl if you like.

Shape all the balls into thin circles. Carefully remove the thattai. If the thattai breaks while patting or removing it, dough is dry. So sprinkle little water to the dough and then make shapes. Remove the thattai from Zip lock cover and arrange them in a cotton cloth to absorb extra moisture. Let it rest for 10 minutes.

Heat oil to deep fry. Drop a pinch of dough into hot oil. If it rises to the top immediately, oil temperature is right. Now keep the flame medium and drop the thattai. Cook both the sides till bubbles cease and becomes golden brown. Drain in a tissue and store in an air tight box after it cools down.Stays good for 2 weeks !

Note

Prick the thattai with a fork without fail. It prevents the thattai from puffing up.
Oil temperature should be perfect. If the oil is too hot, thattai becomes golden brown without cooking properly.
Cook slowly in medium flame. Remove the thattai only after the bubbles cease completely else it will become chewy.
Pat it thin and even else it won’t cook perfect.
To make crispy thattu vadai, pat it thin.

Try this crunchy thattai murukku and enjoy !

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Recently I tasted this Maggi paneer masala noodles in Bannerghatta Meenakshi mall food court. Its a popular street food. In the restaurant menu card, this dish was titled as Paneer noodles delight. I was expecting hakka noodles with paneer masala. But they served Instant Maggi noodles with onion, tomato masala and paneer. Sendhil and Raksha were kidding me that I spent 100rs to eat 10 rs Maggi 😉. Yes, even though it was a bit disappointing I really liked the way they dressed up a simple Maggi to a spicy, tasty paneer masala noodles. I tried to recreate the same at home for our Sunday breakfast. It came out very well and similar to the one I tasted. If you feel, Maggi noodles is unhealthy, you can try the same with any other instant noodles like Top Ramen, Yipee or use plain noodles too. Finally it is your choice. I used Maggi veg atta noodles. So I did not add carrot, green peas or capsicum. I made it in a simple way by adding onion, tomato masala and paneer soaked in water. I did not even roast the paneer pieces in oil as it may make the paneer chewy and hard. So this version of Maggi paneer masala noodles is very easy and quick to prepare in busy mornings. Bachelors and working women who loves to eat Maggi can try this yummy version. Make your own variations by adding more vegetables or tofu instead of paneer. to make it vegan and healthy. If you don’t want to use tastemaker, you can add garam masala powder and some chat masala powder. You can pack this masala noodles for lunch box as well. It stays good. Ok Friends, lets see how to make Maggi paneer masala noodles with step by step pictures.

Check out my Maggi Noodles Patties recipe too.

Maggi paneer masala noodles recipe

Instant Maggi paneer masala noodles recipe for breakfast / dinner and lunch box

Cuisine:Indian

Category:Maggi recipes

Serves:Serves 3

Prep time:10 Minutes

Cook time:20 Minutes

Total time:30 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

Maggi veg atta noodles packet - 3 small ( Use any instant noodles)
Paneer / cottage cheese - 100gms ( chop into small cubes)
Cooking oil or butter - 2 tbsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Big onion - 1 (Finely chopped or thinly sliced)
Ripe tomato - 2 (Finely chopped)
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Maggi taste maker powder - 3 packets
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Sugar - a pinch
Salt - little for masala
Water - 3.5 cups ( 3 + 1/2 cup)
Coriander leaves – to garnish

HOW TO MAKE MAGGI PANEER MASALA NOODLES

Chop paneer into small cubes. Soak in hot water till use.
Heat oil and splutter cumin seeds. Add chopped onion, tomato and saute well.
Add chilli powder, turmeric powder and little salt, sugar.
Add water, noodles tastemaker powder and bring to boil.
Break the noodles and to boiling water. Cook till soft.
Lastly add paneer cubes and chopped coriander leaves. Mix well and switch off the flame.
Remove and serve hot immediately.

MAGGI PANEER MASALA NOODLES - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

Boil 2 cups of water. Switch off the flame. Chop paneer into small cubes as shown in the cover picture. Soak the paneer pieces in hot water till use. It helps to keep the paneer soft. Alternately you can shallow fry paneer cubes in little oil and add to the noodles at the end.

Take 3 packets of any instant noodles along with taste maker powder. Finely chop onion, tomato into small pieces.

In a wide kadai, heat oil. Splutter cumin seeds. Add finely chopped onion and saute till it becomes transparent. Add tomato pieces, required salt, sugar, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and saute till tomato becomes mushy.

Now add water and tastemaker powder. Let it roll boil. Now break the noodles into two parts and add to the boiling water.

Keep the flame medium and let the noodles boil in open flame for 5 to 10 minutes till 80% of water is drained off. Toss in whenever needed to avoid burnt bottom. Now cover the noodles with a lid and cook in low flame for 2 minutes to cook till soft. But make sure it doesn’t become mushy.

Lastly add the soaked paneer pieces and finely chopped coriander leaves. Mix gently, switch off the flame and serve immediately.Enjoy ! ( I cut the paneer pieces into small cubes after adding to the noodles. So paneer looks big in step by step pictures than main picture)

Note

Adjust the quantity of chilli powder as per your taste.
You can also add 1/2 tsp garam masala powder for more masala flavor.
If you are using plain noodles instead of Maggi, you can replace tastemaker with more red chilli powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder and chat masala powder.

Enjoy Paneer masala Maggi noodles at home. Kids would love it !

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Tamilnadu hotel style coconut chutney (thengai chutney in Tamil) also known as white chutney is a very simple recipe with minimum ingredients. Its the best side dish for idli , dosa, pongal, vada and other South Indian tiffin recipes. After going through so many websites and YouTube videos, I tried this restaurant style coconut chutney recipe at home. As I expected, it looked and tasted very similar to the hotel white chutney. In popular hotels like Saravana bhavan, Adayar Ananda bhavan they serve this kind of coconut chutney. It looks super white in color and slightly loose in consistency. It doesn't taste spicy at all instead it tastes mildly sweet too. Many people says coconut chutney in hotels is prepared using Thengai punnakku (Coconut oil cake/ coconut residue) , Kadalai Punnaku( Groundnut oil cake) and pottukadalai / roasted chana dal as they are low in cost when compared to fresh coconut and yield of the chutney is more. Yes it may be true with small food joints where the chutney looks pale white in color. Some hotels use milk or coconut milk to grind the chutney which helps to bring white color even with the same ingredients. Some people also add a dash of ginger or garlic and small onion for flavor enhancements. However it is prepared, we all love hotel type coconut chutney recipe, isn’t it ?? So today I have shared the basic white colored coconut chutney recipe without roasted chana dal. Lets see how to make it with step by step pictures. I have also shared few tips at the end of this post to make white colored coconut chutney. Very soon I will share Karnataka hotel style coconut chutney recipe which is completely different from this recipe.

If you are interested, please check my hotel style Kara chutney recipe / Red chutney too !

Hotel style coconut chutney recipe - Restaurant style thengai chutney

How to make Tamilnadu hotel style coconut chutney recipe

Cuisine:Tamilnadu

Category:Chutney Recipes

Serves:Serves 2

Prep time:5 Minutes

Cook time:5 Minutes

Total time:10 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml

Freshly grated coconut - 1/2 cup (Do not use the brown part)
Green chilli - 1 ( Small in size)
Cashewnuts – 2
Tamarind – A pinch(optional)
Salt - as needed
Water - to grind the chutney

To Temper

Cooking oil - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Urad dal - 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves – Few (optional)
Red chilli – 1 no (optional)

HOW TO MAKE HOTEL COCONUT CHUTNEY

Grate the white part of fresh coconut.
Take grated coconut, green chilli, cashews, salt and water.
Grind to a thick, smooth chutney.
Temper mustard seeds and urad dal in oil.
Add to coconut chutney. Mix well and serve with idli, dosa.

HOTEL COCONUT CHUTNEY - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

Grate white part of the coconut. Do not use the brown part.

In a mixie jar, take the grated coconut, green chilli, pinch of tamarind (optional), cashew nuts, salt. Grind to a coarse paste without water.

Now add the required water and grind to a thick, smooth chutney. Transfer to a bowl.

Heat oil in a small kadai. Temper mustard seeds, urad dal and add to chutney. If you like you can temper red chilli and curry leaves too. Mix well and serve with idli, dosa !
It stays good for 2 to 3 hours without refrigeration if you do not use your hands while grinding and mixing. It stays good for 2 days under refrigeration.Enjoy !

Note

For variations you can skip cashewnuts and add 1 tsp of pottukadalai / roasted chana dal.
You can add 1 garlic clove or 1/4 inch ginger for more flavor.
In some hotels, coconut chutney is tempered with red chilli and curry leaves. But I din’t use them.
You can also add a pinch of sugar if you like sweet taste in coconut chutney.

TIPS TO MAKE WHITE COLORED COCONUT CHUTNEY

DO’s:
1. Always use freshly grated coconut.. Do not grate the brown part. More coconut less pottukadalai/Fried gram is also a must for white chutneys.
2. Add less water for getti (thick )chutney, add the quantity necessary to run your mixie.
3. Indian mixer mate or small jars are a must. American Oster mixer comes with a small jar attachment which also works well.
4. Use small green chillies and always use less green chilies for white color chutney and increase the spiciness by tempering with more red chilies. This answers the question "Why my chutney looks green"?
Don’ts:
1. Ready made flakes or desiccated flakes or frozen grated coconut will work but don't except taste and color. Mostly pale white color with oily look.
2. No microwaving for reheating, just thaw to bring back to room temperature. Reheating makes it release more oil and which results in stinky coconut smell.
3. Blender will not work for thick chutney and adding more water will make it thin but consistency will be still coarse.
4.In cold places , coconut leaves oil while grinding chutneys. To avoid this , use hot water or warm water for grinding chutneys. It comes out white & smooth without leaving oil.

Try this easy, yummy Tamilnadu hotel style coconut chutney / Thengai chutney for idli, dosa !

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Tomato poha / Thakkali aval is an easy, instant Indian breakfast cum dinner recipe. Poha recipes (Pressed rice/ rice flakes recipes in English, avalakki uppittu in Kannada) makes it appearance at least twice in a week in my kitchen as it can be cooked quickly and instantly in jiffy morning hours. It would be ideal for breakfast. As Iam trying different poha recipes in South Indian and North Indian versions, I wanted to make this easy tomato poha (Thakkali aval upma in Tamil) for our breakfast today. This is the first time I am making poha with tomato. Basically tomato poha can be prepared in 2 ways. One by adding onion, green chilli and tomato and other one by adding spice powders and garam masala. Today I have followed the second method by adding tomato, onion, red chilli powder and garam masala powder as I love my poha to be slightly spicy and flavorful. Bachelors and working women would love this recipe as it can be prepared under 15 minutes. You can whip up your breakfast or late night dinner instantly. Optionally you can use frozen green peas and vegetables like carrot, capsicum to make it colorful and healthy. Ok, Lets see how to make tomato poha recipe with step by step pictures.

Check out my Maharashtrian Kanda poha, Gujarati Batata poha, Tamilnadu style aval upma, Lemon poha and Instant poha mix recipe.

Tomato poha recipe / Thakkali aval upma

Tomato poha /Thakkali aval upma - Easy, instant breakfast recipes.

Cuisine:Indian

Category:Instant breakfast recipes

Serves:Serves 2

Prep time:10 Minutes

Cook time:10 Minutes

Total time:20 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml

Thick poha / Getti aval / Thick rice flakes - 1 cup
Water – 1/2 to 3/4 cup (to soak poha)
Salt - as needed

To Temper

Cooking oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal - 1/2 tsp
Chana dal - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
Big onion - 1 (Finely chopped)
Ripe tomato - 1 (finely chopped)
Curry leaves - Few
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Dhania powder /coriander seeds powder - 1/2 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1/4 tsp
Sugar – a pinch
Coriander leaves - To garnish

HOW TO MAKE TOMATO POHA

Wash the thick poha twice or thrice. Add water to immerse it.
Soak for 10 minutes. Chop onion, tomato.
Heat oil in a kadai. Temper and saute onion, tomato till mushy.
Add chilli powder, turmeric, coriander seeds powder, garam masala powder, salt and sugar.
Mix well till raw smell goes off. Lastly add soaked poha. Mix gently.
Cover cook in low flame till poha becomes soft. Mix and garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot ! No side dish is needed.

TOMATO POHA RECIPE - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

Wash the thick poha twice or thrice to remove the debris. Drain the washed water completely. Add the water required to immerse the poha ( I used 1/2 cup water). Soak for 10 to 15 minutes. Poha absorbs all the water and becomes soft.

In the mean time, chop the onion, tomato finely. Heat oil in a kadai. Splutter mustard seeds, urad dal, chana dal, curry leaves, finely chopped onion and saute till onion becomes transparent.

Add finely chopped tomato and saute till tomato turns mushy. Add salt, sugar, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander seeds powder and garam masala powder.

Mix well and cook for a minute till its raw smell vanishes. Now add the soaked poha without any water. (Drain the water in a colander if any).

Mix gently using a fork without making it mushy. Keep the flame low and cover cook the poha for 5 to 10 minutes till poha is heated well and becomes soft. Mix it once or twice in the middle to avoid burnt bottom.

Switch off the flame. Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves. Mix well and serve hot. Enjoy ! You can have it with aloo bhujia or any pickle if you like.

Note

For variations and healthy options, you can add finely chopped carrot, capsicum, frozen peas along with onion and saute till its cooked.
You can replace red chilli powder and coriander seeds powder with finely chopped green chilli for less flavor.
You can also make it without onion on vrat days/ fasting days.
If you like more tangy taste, add few drops of lemon juice at the end.

Yummy, tasty, easy tomato poha is ready to enjoy with your cup of tea !

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Every year on Ganesh Chaturthi festival, we make chana dal sweet pooranam kozhukattai / kadalai paruppu poorana kozhukattai for neivedyam. Basically sweet kozhukattai can be prepared by stuffing kozhukattai with chana dal pooranam, moong dal poornam or with coconut/ thengai pooranam. But we all love Kadalai paruppu purana kozhukattai more than other stuffing. As this pooranam can be refrigerated and used up to 2 weeks, I make it in large quantity and use the same for making sweet poli/ obbattu, suzhiyan and sweet paratha.To make soft poorna kozhukattai, there are certain points to remember. I have shared all the points as tips in the end of this post. Do read them before you start making this kozhukattai. Also check out the detailed video on how to make chana dal sweet pooranam, making kozhukattai maavu using idiyappam flour and shaping modagam with and without kolukattai mould. Lets see how to make chana dal sweet pooranam kozhukattai with step by step pictures and video.

Chana dal pooranam kozhukattai / Kadalai paruppu poorana kozhukattai recipe

Chana dal pooranam kozhukattai / Kadalai paruppu poorana kozhukattai recipe - Sweet kozhukattai for Ganesh chaturthi

Cuisine:South Indian

Category:Kozhukattai recipes

Serves:15 to 20 nos

Prep time:10 Minutes

Cook time:20 Minutes

Total time:30 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

For chana dal pooranam ( 1 CUP - 250ML)

Chana dal / Kadalai paruppu – 1/2 cup
Water – 2 cups ( to pressure cook dal)
Powdered jaggery – 3/4 cup
Grated coconut – 1/4 cup
Cardamom – 3 nos (powdered)
Water – 1/3 cup ( to make jaggery syrup)
Salt – a pinch (optional)

For kozhukattai maavu

Idiyappam flour / Kozhukattai flour - 1 cup
Water - 1.5 to 2 cups
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Cooking oil - 1 tsp

HOW TO MAKE KADALAI PARUPPU POORANAM KOZHUKATTAI

Take the chana dal / Kadalai paruppu in a pressure cooker.
Add water, few drops of cooking oil. Pressure cook in low flame for 2 whistles.
Drain the excess water. Mash or grind the dal.
Melt jaggery in water. Strain the syrup. Boil and add the dal paste, grated coconut, cardamom.
Mix till thick. Transfer the pooranam to a box.Cool down and then make balls.
To make kozhukattai dough, boil water adding salt and cooking oil. Add to idiyappam flour.
Make soft, smooth dough without cracks. Cover with a wet cloth till use.
Make modagam shape by stuffing the chana dal pooranam. Steam it for 8 minutes.
Remove when warm. Offer to Lord Ganesh and Enjoy !

KADALAI PARUPPU POORANAM – STEP BY STEP PICTURES.

Pressure cook chana dal by adding the required water and a drop of oil.Drain the water. Grind without water or mash it well to make a paste without adding water and set aside.

In a bowl, take the powdered jaggery and add little water to cover it.When its melted , strain to remove impurities OR if the jaggery is pure, add it directly to the mashed dal along with grated coconut.

If using syrup, strain it. Wash the kadai and add the syrup, grated coconut and cooked dal, cardamom powder( please do not add water, the coconut itself leaves water which will be enough.)

Mix well until the mixture leaves the sides and becomes a thick whole mass. ( Do not add water while adding the dal paste because the lesser u add the water , sooner the pooranam will start to leave the sides and becomes thick.. Stuffing will be ready)

Make small balls out of the stuffing and keep ready.
The unused stuffing can be refrigerated and used for 10 to 15 days.

TO MAKE SWEET POORANAM KOZHUKATTAI

I used a ready made kozhukattai mould to make a good shape. U can also try the shape which is shown in the video to make mothagam/ coconut shape.
in the pictures below, I’ve explained using kozhukattai mould. Take the mould, open it and grease it with gingely oil. Take a small ball from the Kozhukattai dough and keep it inside the mould. Just spread it all the sides till 3/4 of the mould by keeping the center empty. Now close the mould and press it with ur left hand fingers.

Now place the dal pooranam in the center.Take a small berry sized ball and place it on the top of the dal pooranam and seal it well.

Now open the mould , u’ll get a nicely shaped kozhukattai.
Follow the same for the remaining. Grease an idli plate with oil,Arrange the kozhukattai.
Boil water in an idli pot.. Keep the idli plate and steam it for 8 to 10 minutes. Cooked kozhukattai looks shiny. Switch off the flame and eemove the kozhukattai from idli plate after it becomes warm. If you try to remove it hot, kozhukattai may break.

TIPS TO MAKE SOFT KOZHUKATTAI

The same pooranam can be done using coconut alone. For that,channa dal is not needed.Just make the jaggery syrup , add the grated coconut , cardamom powder & mix till it leaves the sides.
Remove & stuff it using the above said procedure.
For thengai pooranam , jaggery can be less.ie 1:1 would be enough.
To make soft kozhukattai, always use good quality idiyappam flour. Homemade processed rice flour gives the best result.
Add the right quantity of hot water to make the kozhukattai dough. If the water is less, kozhukattai may break while shaping and tastes hard and chewy.
If the water is more, dough becomes too sticky. Shaping would be difficult and kozhukattai will break after cooking.
Always make the stuffing part / Pooranam first. Do not make kozhukattai dough in advance. Make it just before making kozhukattai else dough will dry and gives hard kozhukattai.
Make the kozhukattai maavu smooth without cracks. Do not add more water and make it sticky. If the dough is sticky, grease with oil and knead for 5 minutes.
Before steaming the kozhukattai, make sure water in the idli pot is roll boiling. It helps to cook the kozhukattai soon and keeps it soft.
Do not remove the kozhukattai from the idli plate when it is hot. Remove after kozhukattai becomes warm. It will come out easily without cracks else kozhukattai may break.

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North Indian modak recipe popularly known as Ukadiche modak in Marathi, Maharashtra was in my try list for long time. Last year during Ganesh chaturthi I tried this modak along with fried modak recipe. But the modak shape was not satisfactory. I posted fried modak with wheat flour but skipped posting this steamed modak recipe. So this year I was determined to make ukdiche modak recipe and prepared it successfully after 2 attempts. I watched a Maharashtrian modak video in YouTube which helped me lot to solve all my doubts and to make a good modak recipe after my flop shows. To make soft modak, dough should be kneaded smooth without cracks. I have used little milk as per the video recipe. So milk helped to keep this modak soft. Unlike South Indian kozhukattai recipe, North Indian modak dough is prepared in a slightly different procedure. Water quantity used is very less here. But the coconut stuffing part is almost the same like thengai pooranam we prepare in Tamil nadu. Apart from shaping the modak, I din’t feel anything difficult in this recipe. Modak pleats are not perfect but I am happy that I could make a decent ones. Due to lack of time, I couldn’t capture a video. Next year I will surely make a video for better understanding. Ok, lets see how to make Modak recipe in step by step with picture.

Check out Fried modak recipe using wheat flour.

Modak recipe - Ukadiche modak recipe

North Indian modak recipe - Ukadiche modak recipe with step by step picture.

Cuisine:North Indian

Category:Modak recipe

Serves:10 nos

Prep time:10 Minutes

Cook time:10 Minutes

Total time:20 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml

Idiyappam flour / Kozhukattai flour / Processed rice flour - 1 cup
Water - 1 cup
Milk - 2 tbsp
Ghee - 1 tsp
Salt - 1/4 tsp

For stuffing

Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
Powdered jaggery - 1/2 cup
Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp
Chopped nuts - 1 tbsp

HOW TO MAKE MODAK

To make modak, firstly prepare the coconut stuffing part.
Heat coconut and jaggery. Mix till it leaves the sides of pan.
Add cardamom powder, chopped nuts. Mix and set to cool.
For modak dough, heat water adding ghee and milk in a wide kadai.
When it roll boils, add rice flour. Switch off the flame and mix well.
Cover the kadai with a lid and rest for 10 minutes. Knead it well by dipping hands in water.
Make smooth dough and cover with wet cloth.
Shape the modak and fill the coconut stuffing. Seal it.
Arrange all the modak in greased idli plate and steam it for 10 minutes.
Switch off the flame. Remove the modak when warm. Enjoy !

MODAK RECIPE - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

For modak recipe, firstly make the coconut jaggery stuffing part. In a kadai, take the grated coconut and powdered jaggery. Mix well in medium flame till jaggery melts and mixes with coconut.

Keep mixing in medium flame till the stuffing starts to leave the sides of pan. Check if you are able to roll a non-sticky, soft ball. Switch off the flame and let it cool. It will become crumbly once it cools down completely.

In a kadai, heat 1 cup of water adding 1 tsp ghee and 2 tbsp milk. Let it come to a roll boil. Simmer the flame completely. Add rice flour, mix well to coat the rice flour with water. Do it quickly.

Switch off the flame and cover the kadai with a lid. Rest for 10 minutes. Transfer the modak mixture to a plate. Keep a bowl with water for dipping the water.

Dip your hands in water and gather the dough in the plate. Make a smooth, non-sticky dough. Knead well for 5 minutes. Dip your hands in water whenever needed while kneading the dough.

Now cover the dough with a wet cloth. In a small bowl, take little water with few drops of oil. Use this water to dip your fingers while shaping the modak. Now start to make shapes. For this, take a lemon sized ball. Press it using your fingers to make a cup shape. Dip your fingers in water whenever its sticky or difficult to press. Make sure the corners of the cup is thin.

Press it with your finger and make pleats in equal intervals. Place 1 tbsp of stuffing inside the cup. Hold the top of modak with your fingers and keep rotating it gently to bring all the pleats together. Once the stuffing is completely covered, seal the top of modak and make a coconut shape. Dip the bottom of modak slightly in water+oil and arrange the modak in a plate or box. It helps to prevent sticking to the plate. Cover it to prevent drying. Make all the modak and arrange it.

You can also make a half moon shape as shown in the above pictures.
Heat water in a idli pot and let it come to a roll boil. Grease idli plate with oil and arrange the modak. After the water starts to roll boil, keep the idli plate with modak.

Cook in high flame for 6 to 8 minutes. Switch off the flame and let the modak becomes warm. Then remove in a plate. Offer to Lord. Enjoy !

Note

Do not overcook the coconut, jaggery mixture. It will become hard and chewy.
Do not add more water.Ratio of rice flour and water should be 1:1. Milk is added to bring softness and to make white colored modak.
Always make the coconut stuffing first. Then make the dough.
After making the dough, start to shape the modak immediately.Do not rest the dough for long time.
Always cover the dough with a wet cloth while shaping the kozhukattai/ modak.
Similarly keep the shaped modak covered till you steam it.
Do not steam for long time. Modak may crack. Steam cook only for 6 to 8 minutes after the water in the idli pot roll boils.

Try this yummy North Indian style Ukadiche modak and enjoy !

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Puran poli with wheat flour / wheat flour obbattu – Recipe with step by step pictures. Puran poli a popular festival sweet in Maharashtra. This sweet recipe is called by various names across India. They have small variations in ingredients and method of preparation. In Tamil, we call it as paruppu boli. In Kannada, its is obbattu / holige and Bobbatlu/ bobbattu in Telugu. After Ganesh chaturthi celebration, many of us must be thinking of using leftover chana dal pooranam that is prepared for kozhukattai / modak. Every year I make suzhiyan / susiyam using the leftover stuffing. So this year I prepared puran poli with wheat flour instead of maida for outer covering. It came out well and soft. To make soft puran poli, I followed my chapathi / roti recipe adding ghee and curd to make the dough. I rested the dough for 30 minutes and tried it. As I had already prepared Karnataka style obbattu/ holige, I followed the same steps and procedure for stuffing and rolling the puran poli. It came out so good. Myself and Sendhil liked it very much and had the same for our breakfast. I had a satisfaction of making obbattu without maida adding less oil/ ghee. Friends, If you have leftover pooranam/ Hooran/ stuffing prepared for the festival, you can make this puran poli recipe with wheat flour. You can make this poli thin or thick as you wish.

Check out my Karnataka style holige / Obbattu recipe with tips and tricks.

Wheat Flour Puran Poli - Obbattu with wheat flour

Puran poli with wheat flour - Puran poli / Obbattu prepared with leftover chana dal puran

Cuisine:Indian

Category:Sweet

Serves:5

Prep time:30 Minutes

Cook time:5 Minutes

Total time:35 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml

For puran poli outer covering

Wheat flour / Atta - 1 cup
Water - as needed
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Curd - 1 tbsp
Ghee or gingely oil - 1 tbsp
Cooking oil - to drizzle puran poli while cooking

For stuffing

Chana dal - 1/2 cup
Powdered jaggery - 3/4 cup
Water - 1/4 cup ( to melt jaggery)
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
Grated coconut - 1/4 cup

HOW TO MAKE PURAN POLI WITH WHEAT FLOUR

Wash and pressure cook chana dal in required water till soft.
Remove and drain the excess water. Mash or grind it coarsely.
Melt jaggery adding water. Strain the syrup. Add chana dal paste.
Add grated coconut, cardamom powder. Mix till thick like dough. Puran is ready.
Knead smooth dough with ingredients given above.
Make equal balls of puran and dough. Dust the dough ball with wheat flour.
Roll it and keep the puran balls. Seal and roll it thin or thick.
Heat dosa pan with oil. Cook the puran poli both the sides.
Remove and serve hot adding ghee on top.

WHEAT FLOUR POLI/ OBBATTU - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

Prepare the stuffing / pooranam first. For this, pressure cook channa dal adding required water and a tsp of oil.Cook for 2-3 whistles in low flame. After the steam is released , mash the dal well with a ladle or grind it coarsely without water. Set aside.

To this mashed dal , add grated coconut and jaggery. Mix till the mixture thickens and leave the sides of the pan & becomes non-sticky. Add cardamom powder. (If jaggery has impurities, boil and melt jaggery in little water Add this syrup to the cooked chana dal and cook till thick.) Switch off the flame and allow it to cool. Make small lemon sized balls after the stuffing becomes warm. (TIP : If the pooran / Stuffing becomes watery and not thickens soon, you can add some besan flour ( say 1 to 2 tbsp) , mix without lumps and cook in medium flame till thick. Besan helps to thicken the stuffing soon.). Refrigerate the leftover stuffing till use.

In a wide bowl, take the wheat flour, ghee, curd and salt. Mix well. Then add water gradually and make a smooth, non-sticky dough. Cover and let it rest for minimum 30 minutes.

Take the dough after resting time. Make balls equal to or little lesser than the size of puran ball.

Take one dough ball. Dust it with wheat flour or grease with oil. Roll it to palm size. Now place the stuffing ball in the middle. Seal the corners and flatten it slightly. Dust it again.

Roll it gently to make a thick or thin puran poli. Arrange in a plate. Similarly make the remaining poli and arrange them without touching each other.

Heat a dosa pan. Grease with oil or ghee. Drop the poli and cook till brown spots appear on one side. Flip and cook the puran poli on other side too. Cook in medium flame patiently. Add ghee or oil if needed. Remove and arrange in a plate. Apply ghee on top to prevent drying. Cook the remaining poli and stack them one above the other to keep it soft. Enjoy hot or warm !
Store the leftover stuffing and dough in refrigerator.

Note

To make soft puran poli with wheat flour, you must add ghee or oil in the chapathi dough.
Dough should be rested well to make soft obbattu. You can rest it for 30 minutes to 3 hours.
If the puran / stuffing is watery and not thickening soon, you can add some besan flour and cook till it thickens.
If the dough is too sticky, grease your hands with oil and roll the poli by patting it on a butter paper. If its non-sticky, you can dust in wheat flour and roll in a rolling pin.
Always cook the poli in medium flame patiently till brown spots appear. Smear with ghee or oil whenever needed.
Stack the cooked poli one above the other to keep it soft.
Ghee helps to make the puran poli softer. But if you are health conscious, you can use gingely oil.

Try this yummy puran poli recipe with wheat flour and enjoy !

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When we have leftover cooked rice from lunch, most of the ladies eat at night, make curd rice or soak in water and have it the next morning ( pazhaya sadam) for breakfast which is considered to be the most healthy South Indian food. But there may be some days we don’t like to eat leftover rice. On those days, we hit our head to use it effectively by making idli, dosa or any other Indian style leftover cooked rice recipes to make our family members consume it without complaints. This Instant dosa recipe with leftover cooked rice is one such recipe. You can call it as Pazhaya sadam dosai in Tamil. This dosa can be prepared instantly with some 30 minutes resting time. I have already tried this dosa recipe after watching some YouTube videos. But it did not come out to my expectation. Sendhil did not like it at all. He told its like soft godhumai dosai/ wheat flour dosa and felt there is some problem in the ratio of ingredients. So next time I altered the ingredients as per my family’s taste and came up with this recipe. It came out crispy in corners, Soft in the middle, golden and flavorful too. Sendhil had it without any objection. What else, this shows the success of this recipe, isn’t it ?? :P. As this is an instant dosa recipe, please do not avoid cooking soda and curd. Just follow the same recipe for the first time. Then you can alter the quantity of ingredients as per your taste. Lets see how to make use of the leftover cooked rice with this instant dosa recipe.

Check out my leftover cooked rice paniyaram recipe of you like.

Instant dosa Recipe with leftover cooked rice

Instant dosa recipe with lefover cooked rice / Pazhaya sadam dosai for easy breakfast and dinner.

Cuisine:Indian

Category:Instant breakfast

Serves:7 dosa

Prep time:30 Minutes

Cook time:10 Minutes

Total time:40 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml

Cooked rice - 1 cup ( leftover white rice)
Rice flour - 1 cup
Wheat flour - 1/4 cup ( use 1/2 cup for wheat flavour)
Semolina / upma rava/ coarse sooji - 2 tbsp ( Add 30 minutes before making dosa)
Curd - 1/4 cup
Salt & water - as needed
Baking soda or cooking soda - 1/4 tsp
Cooking oil - to drizzle over dosa

HOW TO MAKE INSTANT DOSA WITH LEFTOVER COOKED RICE

In a mixie jar, take leftover cooked rice, rice flour, wheat flour, curd, salt and baking soda.
Grind to a smooth paste adding required water.
Transfer the batter to a bowl. Add semolina / rava and mix well.
Rest the batter for 15 to 30 minutes.
Heat dosa tawa. Spread a ladle of instant dosa batter.
Drizzle oil around the dosa. Cover cook in medium flame till bottom turns golden.
Do not flip it, Fold and remove the dosa. Serve hot for best taste.

COOKED RICE DOSA - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

In a big sized mixie jar, take the leftover cooked rice, rice flour, wheat flour, curd, salt and baking soda. Add the required water ( I washed the curd bowl and added that water.So water looks white). Grind to a smooth paste.

Transfer the batter to a bowl. The consistency of batter should be like our regular dosa batter. Do not make it watery. Add semolina / upma rava and mix well.

Let the batter rest for 15 to 30 minutes. Check for the consistency and add very little water if needed. Heat dosa pan. Spread a ladleful of batter to thin or thick dosa by keeping the flame low. After spreading the dosa, increase the flame to medium. Drizzle oil and cover the dosa with a lid.
Cook till the bottom of dosa turns golden brown. Color of this dosa depends on the quantity of wheat flour. Also This dosa takes slightly more time to cook than our regular dosa as we have added semolina/rava. So cook it patiently. Do not burn it. Adjust the flame accordingly.

Do not flip the dosa. Fold and remove in a plate. Serve hot for best taste with your favorite chutney and sambar.

Note

If you like to add more wheat flour, you can add upto 1/2 cup. Similarly you can add less wheat flour too ( say 1/4 cup).
Resting time for the batter is mandatory else dosa may not come out from the tawa and it doesn’t taste crispy. It may come out hard and chewy.
Never skip baking soda. It is a must to give softness to the dosa as its an instant dosa. You can use cooking soda / samayal soda as well.
Do not add rava while grinding. You should add only after grinding the batter. You can also add baking soda after grinding the batter.
The consistency of dosa batter should be thick but spreadable. Do not make it too thin or thick.
For variations you can add finely chopped onion, green chilli, ginger, curry leaves and coriander leaves. Make it thick like uthappam.

Try this easy, instant leftover cooked rice dosa and enjoy with your favorite chutney, sambar or idli podi.

INSTANT DOSA RECIPE WITH LEFTOVER COOKED RICE

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Bangalore hotel style coconut chutney /Karnataka hotel style chutney is one of the most requested recipes from my readers. In Karnataka, most of the hotels serve this type of coconut chutney for breakfast recipes like idli, vada, dosa, kharabath , shavige bath and even for vegetable palav. It is known as Kai chutney or tengina kai chutney (coconut chutney) in Kannada. Me being a biggest fan of Karnataka breakfast recipes, love this hotel style chutney and sambar equally. I have tasted this coconut chutney in many restaurants like Adigas, Darshini, SLV, Krishna bhavan, Brahmins coffee bar and in many more small food joints. It a basic, no cook coconut chutney recipe that can be prepared with easily available ingredients. When my readers asked me to try and share this Karnataka hotel style chutney, I started trying it with various combinations. But I was not satisfied.
Then my School moms group friend Tara shared her coconut chutney recipe along with hotel secrets. She told me to grind the chutney thick and slightly coarse. I followed her recipe and tips. Viola I made Bangalore hotel style coconut chutney successfully at home👌 !! It tasted very close to it. Raksha liked it very much and gave a big thumbs up👍. Whenever I take a parcel of Mysore masala dosa from hotels for Raksha, I used to watch the kitchen activities. I found coconut chutney is ground thick and then they add water to dilute it before serving. They use thick chutney for parcel and thin watery chutney for serving. So I too followed the same technique and I am quiet happy with the results😊.
Today I have shared the coconut chutney recipe with basic ingredients that is used in most of the hotels here. You can alter it based on your liking. Color of this chutney may vary in hotels based on the quantity of coriander leaves to make it bright green or light in color. In some hotels, they add a pinch of sugar too. You can also serve it thick or thin as shown in the pictures.
For brahmin coffee bar chutney, make the same by skipping garlic. To make chutney like Veena stores, Malleshwaram grind all the ingredients except greens ( coriander leaves,curry leaves), skip turmeric powder and add the greens at the end. Grind it coarse. Add water and dilute it. So please change the grinding method and quantity of ingredients as per the hotel you like. However you make it, this chutney tastes great. Ok, lets see how to make this basic Bangalore hotel style coconut chutney recipe with step by step pictures.

Check out my blog’s most popular hotel style vegetable palav recipetoo.

Bangalore Hotel Style Coconut Chutney Recipe

Bangalore Hotel Style Coconut Chutney Recipe - Karnataka Kai chutney for idli, vada, dosa

Cuisine:Karnataka

Category:Chutney Recipes

Serves:Serves 3

Prep time:5 Minutes

Cook time:5 Minutes

Total time:10 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml

Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
Fried gram dal / Hurikadale / Pottukadalai - 1/4 cup ( you can use 1/2 cup too)
Green chilli - 3 nos ( use 5 for spicy taste)
Tamarind - Small piece
Cumin seeds / Jeera - 1/4 tsp
Garlic cloves - 2
Curry leaves - 5 leaves
Mint leaves - 3 leaves
Coriander leaves - a handful
Turmeric powder – a pinch (to make bright green chutney, optional)
Salt - as needed
Sugar – a pinch (optional)
Water - as needed to grind and mix in chutney

To Temper

Cooking oil -1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Red chilli - 1 no (Byadgi chilli)

HOW TO MAKE BANGALORE HOTEL STYLE CHUTNEY RECIPE

In a mixie jar, take the grated coconut and other ingredients.
Add the required salt, a pinch of sugar & turmeric powder (optional), little water.
Grind thick and slightly coarse in texture.
Remove in a bowl and temper the chutney.
Take the required chutney in a bowl. Add water to dilute it.
Serve with idli, vada, dosa and kharabath in a round plate like hotels.

BANGALORE HOTEL CHUTNEY RECIPE - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

Take the grated coconut, green chilli, fried gram dal, garlic cloves, tamarind, curry leaves, coriander leaves, mint leaves, a pinch of turmeric powder (for bright green color as shown in the pictures, optional), sugar, salt and little water.

Grind everything to a thick, slightly coarse paste. For this, run the mixie for small intervals. Do not grind it continuously. You should be able to see the greens here and there after grinding.Altervatively you can grind all the ingredients except greens coarsely. Lastly add the green leaves and grind it.

Remove the thick chutney in a big bowl. Temper mustard seeds, red chilli in a small kadai. Add to chutney and mix well.. You can serve it as such for thick chutney. For thin watery chutney, take the required amount of chutney in a bowl. Add 1/4 cup or required water to make it thin as you like. Mix well , add salt if needed and serve with idli vada, dosa and kharabath. Tastes great ! Enjoy !
PS : Color of the chutney looks white due to bad lighting. Soon I will replace the step by step pictures.

Note

For variations you can use equal quantity of coconut and gram dal.
Do not skip garlic. In most of the hotels garlic is used.
A pinch of turmeric powder should be used to get this bright green color.
Cumin seeds also give a nice flavor.
Adjust the quantity of green leaves as per your taste and color of chutney. In some hotels, they add less to make it white.
Do not add more curry leaves and mint leaves. Quantity of coriander should be more.
Do not grind too smooth. Taste and flavor varies.

Try this yummy, Bangalore hotel style coconut chutney. You will love it !

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I make capsicum recipes very rarely at home as Sendhil and Raksha is not a big fan of it. But I love to try varieties of capsicum recipes and share in my blog. So once in a while my family members say yes for side dish with capsicum. I have already tried and shared green capsicum chutney for idli, dosa and tomato capsicum masala for chapathi. After trying those recipes, I had a craving to try capsicum kurma as side dish for roti. So last week I tried this kurma for the first time following Yummy tummy Aarthi’s recipe. Usually South Indian kurma has a coconut base whereas North Indian korma is prepared with tomato onion base. But this capsicum kurma is prepared with peanut, onion and tomato masala which made me try this recipe. As expected it tasted different from the usual South Indian kurma. Its taste reminded Hyderabadi mirchi ka salan to me. Sendhil and myself liked it very much with chapati. I made slight changes and deviations from the original recipe based on my convenience. I used green capsicum alone as I don’t buy red or yellow capsicum often. With a nice flavor of capsicum, it tasted great. I personally liked it with dosa too. Friends, do try this easy, yummy capsicum kurma recipe for roti and share your feedback. Ok, Lets see how to make capsicum korma with step by step pictures.

Capsicum kurma recipe - Green Capsicum korma for roti

Learn how to make capsicum kurma recipe with peanuts, onion, tomato masala

Cuisine:South Indian

Category:Side dish for roti

Serves:Serves 3

Prep time:10 Minutes

Cook time:20 Minutes

Total time:30 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml

Green capsicum - 1
Cooking oil or butter - 2 tbsp
Cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder – 1.5 to 2 tsp ( adjust based on spice level)
Coriander powder - 1 tbsp
Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
Sugar – 1/2 tsp
Salt & water - as needed
Lemon juice – Few drops

To Saute & Grind

Cooking oil - 1 tbsp
Peanuts - 3 tbsp
Ginger – 1 inch piece
Garlic – 6 cloves
Big onion – 1 (Big sized)
Tomato - 2 nos.

HOW TO MAKE CAPSICUM KURMA

Wash and chop capsicum into cubes.
Heat oil or butter in a kadai. Roast peanuts till its skin cracks.
Add onion, ginger, garlic and saute till transparent.
Add tomato and saute till pulpy. Cool down and grind to a smooth paste.
Heat butter in a kadai. Splutter cumin. Saute capsicum cubes.
Add the ground masala paste,spice powders, salt and sugar.
Saute till raw smell goes off. Add the required water.
Boil for 5 minutes till nice aroma emits.Switch off the flame. Add some lemon juice.
Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with chapathi / roti.

CAPSICUM KURMA RECIPE - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

Heat oil in a kadai. Roast peanuts till its skin crackles. Then add onion, ginger, garlic and saute till onion becomes transparent.

Add tomato pieces and saute till tomato becomes pulpy. Switch off the flame and cool down. Grind the mixture to a smooth paste. Set aside.

Heat oil or butter in a kadai. Splutter cumin seeds and saute capsicum pieces. Remove the capsicum pieces in a bowl if you want it crunchy to eat else add the tomato masala paste and proceed.

After adding the ground masala paste., add the red chilli powder, coriander seeds powder, garam masala powder, salt and sugar. Mix well till raw smell goes off.

Add the required water to bring the gravy consistency. Boil for few minutes till oil starts to float on top. Lastly add the chopped capsicum pieces if you reserved it. Mix well and switch off the flame.
Add few drops of lemon juice, garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot with chapathi / Roti.

Note

Adjust the quantity of spice powders as per your liking.
As per the original recipe, you can grind the raw tomato to a puree. Add to the onion masala and saute well. But I sauteed the tomato along with onion.
For crunchy capsicum taste, you can remove it after sauting and add at the end. But I cooked up everything together to make the capsicum soft.

Try this yummy, different capsicum kurma and enjoy with chapathi / roti !

When I was looking for a Kerala style side dish for appam apart from vegetable stew, I got to know about this Kerala style tomato curry recipe / thakkali curry with coconut milk. It is an yummy side dish for appam, dosa and rice. This is the first time Iam making tomato curry with readymade coconut milk powder. I used Maggi coconut milk powder to make thin coconut milk and used in this recipe. Tomato curry came out very tasty and tasted more like kurma with mild masala flavor. Raksha and myself loved it with appam and dosa. I tried this recipe after watching few YouTube videos. In the video, this curry was prepared for rice. But I had it with appam and dosa. Hope it tastes good for idiyappam too. Friends, if you love tomato based side dish recipes, you must give this a try. You will love it for sure. Ok, lets check how to make Kerala style tomato curry for rice, appam with step by step pictures.

Check out my Potato paya recipe, Vegetable stew recipes too.

Kerala style tomato curry recipe - Side dish for rice, appam

Kerala style tomato curry recipe - Side dish for appam

Kerala style tomato curry recipe with onion, tomato and coconut milk.

Cuisine:Kerala

Category:Side dish for appam

Serves:Serves 3

Prep time:10 Minutes

Cook time:20 Minutes

Total time:30 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml

Coconut oil - 3 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - Few
Big onion - 1 (Finely chopped or sliced)
Green chilli - 2 nos.
Ripe tomato - 2 nos.
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Kashmiri chilli powder - 1 tsp
Coriander seeds powder - 1 tsp
Coconut milk - 1 to 1.5 cups ( I used Maggi coconut milk powder)
Coriander leaves - to garnish

KERALA STYLE TOMATO CURRY RECIPE

Wash and chop onion, tomato into small pieces.
Take Maggi coconut milk powder packet. Follow the instructions and make thin coconut milk.
Heat oil in a kadai. Splutter mustard seeds, curry leaves.
Saute onion, green chilli and tomato. Add salt, spice powders and saute well.
Lastly add the coconut milk. Boil for few minutes. Garnish with coriander leaves.
Serve with rice, appam or dosa. Tastes yummy !

KERALA TOMATO CURRY - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

Wash and chop onion, tomato into small pieces. Slit green chilli and set aside

Take the readymade coconut milk powder. Add water as per the instructions given on the pack. I added 3 tbsp of water for 1 tbsp of powder. Make 1 cup of coconut milk and set aside.

Heat coconut oil in a kadai. Splutter mustard seeds, curry leaves. Saute onion and green chilli till onion becomes transparent.

Add tomato pieces, salt and saute till tomato becomes mushy. Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder and coriander powder.

Mix well till raw smell goes off. Lastly add the coconut milk and boil the gravy for few minutes till it reaches the desired consistency.

Switch off the flame and garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot with rice, appam or dosa.
Enjoy !

Note

Adjust the quantity of spice powders and green chilli as per your taste.
Add more coconut milk if you wish.
This tomato gravy tastes tangy if you don’t add the required amount of chilli and spice powders.

Try this yummy Kerala style tomato curry and enjoy with rice or appam !

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Red coconut chutney for idli dosa can be prepared in many ways. My mom makes red coconut chutney with big onion or garlic. She also grind this chutney just with coconut, red chilli, tamarind and then temper with onion. This Kerala style red coconut chutney is prepared with a combination of coconut, red chilli, ginger and small onion. I followed Mia’s kitchen recipe and tried this for my breakfast as a side dish for dosa. Its very easy to make. I loved it a lot. Flavor of ginger and small onion is the highlight of this red chutney. I made it semi thick in consistency as per my liking. You can adjust its consistency and spice level based on your taste buds by altering the quantity of red chillies. Friends, If you have not tried your hands on Kerala style red coconut chutney, you must try it. I am sure you will love it like me. Ok, lets see how to make red coconut chutney for idli and dosa in Kerala style with step by step pictures.

Check out my 50+ chutney varieties too.

Red Coconut chutney recipe for idli, dosa - Kerala style red coconut chutney

Kerala style red coconut chutney for idli , dosa.

Cuisine:Kerala

Category:Chutney recipes

Serves:Serves 3

Prep time:5 Minutes

Cook time:5 Minutes

Total time:10 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml

Grated coconut - 3/4 cup
Red chilli - 4 to 5 nos.
Small onion - 3 nos.
Ginger - 1 inch piece
Tamarind - Small Berry size
Salt & water - as needed

To Temper

Coconut oil - 2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - few
Red chilli - 1
Small onion - 3 nos. (Sliced thinly)

HOW TO MAKE KERALA RED COCONUT CHUTNEY

In a mixie jar, grind grated coconut, red chilli, small onion, ginger, tamarind, salt adding water.
Grind to a smooth paste.
Temper mustard seeds, urad dal, curry leaves, red chilli and onion.
Add to the chutney. Mix well.
Serve this red coconut chutney with idli, dosa.

KERALA STYLE RED COCONUT CHUTNEY - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

In a mixie jar, take the grated coconut, red chilli, small onion, ginger, tamarind, salt to a coarse paste without adding water. Then add required water and grind to a smooth paste.

Transfer the chutney to a bowl. Heat coconut oil in a kadai. Temper mustard seeds, urad dal, red chilli, curry leaves and small onion. Saute the onion till transparent. Add to the chutney bowl. Mix well and serve with hot idli, dosa. Drizzle with gingely oil if you like. Enjoy !

Note

Adjust the quantity of red chillies as per your taste.
Do not skip the onion. If you don’t have small onion, use half of the big onion.
Do not add more ginger. It will dominate the flavor.
Tempering in coconut oil gives nice flavor.

Enjoy this yummy, Kerala style red coconut chutney with idli, dosa !

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Chow chow kootu (Chayote in English) is one my most favorite kootu recipes. Basically chow chow is a vegetable with rich water content. It doesn’t have any particular smell or taste. Generally we Tamil people make this chow chow kootu at least once in a week in our regular lunch menu. Its a good side dish for vatha kuzhambu and puli kulambu. In my family, both mom and MIL make chow chow kootu with small variations. My MIL adds moong dal whereas my mom adds chana dal along with coconut, green chilli paste. Usually we add small onion while grinding coconut but this kootu can be prepared without onion as well. It tastes and smells good in both the ways. My mom adds little milk at the end to give a rich taste and to look white in color. I combine my mom and mil’s recipes and make this kootu in a pressure cooker directly to ease my job. For variations, this kootu can be prepared adding sambar powder too. In that case, kootu looks orange in color. Ok, lets see how to make chow chow kootu / Chayote kootu with step by step pictures in an easy way using pressure cooker.

Do check out my other kootu recipes too.

Chow Chow kootu recipe / Chayote kootu recipe

Chow chow kootu recipe with moong dal, coconut and green chilli. Its a good side dish for vatha kuzhambu / Puli kulambu.

Cuisine:South Indian

Category:Kootu recipes

Serves:Serves 2

Prep time:10 Minutes

Cook time:20 Minutes

Total time:30 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml

Chayote / Chow chow - 1 no.
Moong dal or chana dal - 1.5 tbsp
Salt & water - as needed
Boiled milk – 2 tbsp (optional)

To grind

Grated coconut - 1/4 cup
Green chilli - 1 to 2 nos.
Small onion or big onion - 2 nos / 1/4th
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Rice flour - 1 tsp
Water - to grind

To Temper

Coconut oil - 2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - Few

METHOD

Wash and peel the skin of chayote / chow chow and chop into small pieces.
Grind coconut, green chilli, cumin seeds, onion and rice flour to a smooth paste.
Heat coconut oil in a pressure cooker base. Splutter mustard seeds, curry leaves.
Add the chopped chow chow. Saute for a minute. Add moong dal, ground coconut paste.
Add the required water and salt. Mix well and pressure cook in low flame for one whistle.
Remove after the steam is released. Add the milk, little water if needed. Mix well and give one boil.
Serve hot with vatha kuzhambu or puli kulambu sadam and sutta appalam. Tastes yum!

METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

Wash and peel the skin of chow chow / Chayote using a peeler. Remove the seed. Chop into small pieces and set aside.

Grind coconut, green chilli, small onion, cumin seeds and rice flour to a smooth paste adding required water. Set aside.

Heat coconut oil in a pressure cooker base. Splutter mustard seeds, curry leaves. Add the chopped chow chow pieces. Saute for a minute.

Add moong dal and mix well. Add the ground coconut paste, required salt and mix well. Add 1/2 cup of water. Close the pressure cooker and keep the flame high. As soon as the steam comes from the nozzle, put the weight valve and reduce the flame to low completely. Pressure cook in very low flame for one whistle. It takes 8 to 10 minutes.
Switch off the flame after one whistle. Remove the cooker lid after the steam is released. Mix well, add milk and check the consistency. If the kootu is too thick, add 1/4 cup of water, give one boil. If its watery, boil for few minutes to reach the desired consistency. Switch off the flame.

Serve with vatha kuzhambu rice or puli kulambu rice. Tastes great with sutta appalam / roasted papad. If you like, you can mix this kootu with plain rice adding ghee. Enjoy !

Note

Do not add more green chillies. Kootu will become spicy.
Do not add more water in the pressure cooker. As this vegetable itself is rich in water content, it will cook easily in less water.
Do not skip cumin seeds while grinding coconut. It adds a nice flavor.
You can avoid onion while grinding if you are making this kootu on vrat/ fasting days.
For variations, chana dal can be used instead of moong dal. Soak chana dal for 15 minutes for perfect cooking.
Similarly sambar powder can be used in place of green chilli. One chopped tomato can also be used in the cooker. In that case, kootu looks orange in color.

Try this easy, yummy chow chow kootu in a pressure cooker and enjoy with rice.

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Paramannam is a rice based sweet dish that is most popular in Andhra. This Indian dessert recipe is also known as annam payasam, bellam paramannam in Telugu. In simple words, bellam paramannam is nothing but Andhra style rice payasam with jaggery. It is one of the most important naivedyam recipes that is offered to God for festivals like Sankranti, Varalakshmi Vratham, Ganesh chaturthi, Navratri and much more. This sweet dish is prepared with rice, milk, sugar or jaggery, nuts and ghee. Authentically paramannam is made by cooking raw rice in milk in an open pot. But I prepared this bellam paramannam in a pressure cooker. It took just 15 minutes for making this Andhra style payasam recipe. Consistency of paramannam depends on the quantity of milk and jaggery syrup. It looks thin when hot and it thickens over time. So you can adjust the quantity of milk as per the desired consistency. There are chances of paramannam getting curdled when you add jaggery to the hot milk. So you should always add the jaggery syrup after switching off the flame. You can make it perfect all the time. So friends, try this yummy Andhra style paramannam recipe during this Navratri festival and enjoy. Lets see how to make bellam paramannam recipe with step by step pictures.

Check out my other Andhra recipes too !

Paramannam recipe - Bellam paramannam

Andhra style rice kheer with jaggery - Bellam paramannam recipe with step by step pictures.

Cuisine:Andhra recipes

Category:Sweet

Serves:Serves 4

Prep time:10 Minutes

Cook time:20 Minutes

Total time:30 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml

Raw rice / Sona masoori rice – 1/4 cup
Boiled Milk – 2 cups or Milk + water – 1 cup each
Sugar or jaggery – 1/2 cup
Water – 1/4 cup for syrup
Cardamom – 2 nos (crushed)
Cashews and grapes- Few

HOW TO MAKE BELLAM PARAMANNAM RECIPE

In a pressure cooker base, take the rice, milk. Put a spoon inside the cooker to avoid splashing of milk.
Pressure cook in low flame for 2 whistles. Switch off the flame. Open, mash the rice well.
In a pan, melt jaggery and make a thin syrup.
Strain and add the jaggery syrup to the cooked rice when warm. Mix well.
Add the cardamom powder, roasted nuts. Boil in low flame for a minute.
Switch off the flame and serve hot or cold.

BELLAM PARAMANNAM - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

Wash the rice. In a pressure cooker base, take the rice, milk + water or milk alone. Add a pinch of salt. Mix well and pressure cook in very low flame for two whistles.

Open the cooker after the steam is released. Mash the rice with a whisk and make it mushy. Set aside.

In a bowl, take the jaggery and add water. Boil and melt the jaggery completely. Make a thin syrup. No need to bring any consistency. Switch off the flame and let the syrup becomes warm.

Strain the syrup in a metal strainer. Add to the cooked rice. Mix well and check for consistency. Add more boiled milk if needed. Do not switch on the flame.

Heat ghee in a small kadai. Roast the cashews and raisins till golden. Add to the paramannam. Mix well.

Switch on the flame and keep it very low. Boil for a minute. Mix now and then. Switch off the flame and keep it aside. Serve hot or cold as you like.

Note

Adjust the quantity of jaggery as you like.
Do not add hot jaggery syrup to the payasam. It may curdle.
Instead of pressure cooking, you can cook the rice in an open pot. But keep stirring every now and then to avoid burnt bottom.
You can also cook the rice in equal quantity of water and milk.
You can add a pinch of edible camphor for more flavor.

Yummy, Andhra style rice kheer with jaggery is ready to serve. Tastes the best when served chilled.

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Vadapappu, Chalimidi and Panakam are the 3 most popular and quick and easy naivedyam recipes of Andhra. It is usually prepared for Ramanavami , Varalakshmi vratham and on the first day of Navratri. All these 3 prasdams can be prepared under 10 minutes. Chalimidi is of two types. One is pachi chalimidi is an uncooked version which is made of rice flour and powdered jaggery. Second one is Pakkam chalimidi in which rice flour is cooked in jaggery syrup. In Tamil, it is called as Maavilakku. Today I have shared Pachi chalimidi recipe. Traditionally chalimidi is prepared using homemade processed rice flour. But today I have shared a quick version using store bought rice flour/Idiyappam flour. Vadapappu is also an easy, one ingredient naivedayam recipe prepared by soaking moong dal. It is similar to Karnataka's Kosambari. Panakam is a sweet drink and a summer coolant that is prepared by mixing jaggery, dry ginger powder, pepper powder in water. Friends, do try these 3 easy, yummy Andhra special naivedayam recipes for festivals and offer to God.

Check out my other Andhra recipes too !

Chalimidi recipe, Vadapappu and Panakam

Chalimidi recipe, Vadapappu and Panakam - 3 Andhra special Naivedaym recipes

Cuisine:Andhra

Category:Sweet

Serves:Serves 2

Prep time:5 Minutes

Cook time:5 Minutes

Total time:10 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup = 250ml

Chalimidi recipe

Idiyappam flour / Homemade processed rice flour – 1/2 cup
Powdered jaggery or powdered sugar – 1/4 cup ( I used organic brown sugar, so color is dark)
Cardamom powder - 1/8 tsp
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Water - 1 tbsp or more as needed

Vadapappu recipe

Moong dal - 1/4 cup
Water - to soak

Panakam Recipe

Water - 1 cup
Powdered jaggery - 2 tbsp
Dry ginger powder - 1/4 tsp
Pepper powder - 1/4 tsp
Cardamom powder - 1/8 tsp
Tulsi leaves - to garnish

METHOD

To make Chalimidi, take the rice flour, jaggery, ghee, cardamom powder in a bowl.
Mix well. Add little water if needed and make a non-sticky ball. Pachi Chalimidi is ready.
To make vadapappu, wash and soak moong dal in water for 1 hour. Drain the water completely and offer to God.
For panakam preparation, mix jaggery and other ingredients in water. Filter the water.
Panakam is ready. Garnish with few tulsi leaves and offer to God on Ramanavami and other festivals.

METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

How to make pachi chalimidi : Take store bought idiyappam/ appam flour in a bowl. Add powdered jaggery ( I used organic brown sugar/Naatu sakkarai, so its color is too dark), cardamom powder, ghee. Mix well. Add 1 to 2 tbsp. water. Mix well and make a smooth ball. Pachi chalimidi is ready.

How to make vadapappu : In a bowl, take the moong dal. Wash and soak in enough water for an hour. Drain the water completely and take the soaked, wet moong dal. Offer to God.

How to make panakam: Take one cup of water. Add powdered jaggery, cardamom powder, dry ginger powder and pepper powder. Mix well and strain it. Garnish with few Tulsi leaves. Panakam is ready to serve. Enjoy !

Note

Adjust the quantity of jaggery in chalimidi and panakam based on your taste.

3 easy and yummy Andhra special naivedyam recipes are ready !

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Making a perfect sabudana khichdi at home must be a challenging task for many ladies. Me too not an exception. Soaking and cooking sabudana (Sago in English, Javvarisi in Tamil, Sabakki in Kannada) soft and non-sticky is a bit tricky. As Sendhil is a big fan of sabudana recipes, I try to make it once in 10 days. After so many trail and error, I started to soak sabudana perfectly without becoming mushy by adding the right amount of water. Earlier I used to cook it for more than 20 minutes to make it completely transparent and soft. But it becomes lumpy and sticky. When it becomes sticky, we cannot trouble shoot it easily. Sabudana turns soft, transparent and cooks quickly if its soaked properly. Cooking for longer time is also one of the reasons for sticky sabudana. So based on my observations, I have shared few tips and tricks for soaking, testing and cooking sabudana perfectly. If you follow the steps carefully, anyone can make perfect, non-sticky sabudana khichdi at home. Ok, over to the recipe with stepwise pictures.

As I was busy in frequent travel to my native place for some personal works, I was not able to make any new post in my blog in the past week. Sorry, hope I can concentrate from this week. I will try to start the Diwali recipes from my next post.

How to make non sticky sabudana khichdi at home

Sabudana Khichdi Recipe

How to make non-sticky sabudana khichdi recipe at home with stepwise pictures.

Cuisine:North Indian

Category:Fasting recipes

Serves:Serves 4

Prep time:6 Hours

Cook time:20 Minutes

Total time:6H 20Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup = 250ml

Sabudana / White big sago – 2 cups
Water – 2 cups to soak
Potato – 2 nos ( small , skin peeled & chopped)
Roasted and crushed peanuts - 1/2 cup
Green chilli – 2 nos (finely chopped)
Ginger - 1 tsp (finely chopped)
Coriander leaves - a handful ( to garnish)
Curry leaves - Few
Lemon juice - Few drops
Salt - as needed
Sugar - 1/2 tsp

To Temper

Ghee - 2 tbsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp

HOW TO MAKE SABUDANA KHICHDI

Wash the sabudana twice. Drain the water completely.
Add water and soak for minimum 6 hours.
Press to check it mushy. Drain the water completely.
Heat ghee in a kadai. Temper cumin seeds, curry leaves.
Add chopped potato, salt and saute till it becomes soft.
Add chopped green chilli, ginger and saute well.
Then add soaked sabudana, mix gently in low flame.
Cover the kadai with a lid and cook for 2 minutes.
Toss once and then cook for another 2 minutes,
Repeat until sabudana becomes transparent and soft.
Do not stir more and keep cooking for longer time.
Lastly add the crushed peanuts, lemon juice and coriander leaves. Mix well. Switch off the flame. Serve hot !

SABUDANA KHICHDI RECIPE - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

Wash the white, big sabudana/ sago twice or thrice to remove the whitish starch. Drain the water completely without a single drop of it. Add 1.75 to 2 cups of water( I used 2 cups) and make sure the water level is just 1/2 inch above sabudana. No need to cover the bowl. Soak the sabudana for minimum 6 hours to overnight. (Sabudana absorbs all the water within 2 hours and starts to double in size).

After 6 hours, sabudana becomes big in size and almost double in quantity. It looks separate and fluffy without any water. To check if its soaked well, take one sabudana and press it. If it becomes mushy, sabudana is soaked well. If you feel slightly hard to press, add 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup more water and soak for some more time by covering the bowl with a lid.

Dry roast the peanuts and crush it coarsely in a mixie. Set aside. Wash and peel the skin of potato. Chop into small cubes. Finely chop green chillies, ginger, coriander leaves and keep it aside.

Heat ghee in a good non-stick pan. Splutter cumin seeds, green chilli, ginger and curry leaves. Add potato pieces and required salt. Saute well till potato becomes soft and 3/4th cooked.

Add soaked sabudana, sugar and saute well till it starts to become transparent. Lower the flame completely. Cover the kadai with a lid and cook for 2 minutes without adding water. Open the lid and toss it gently. Again cover cook for 2 minutes and toss it. Repeat the same till sabudana becomes soft and transparent without much white part.

It takes around 10 to 12 minutes to cook perfect. ( TIP : When you feel sabudana starts to become lumpy and sticking at the bottom, it indicates sabudana is over cooked. So switch off the flame immediately). Lastly add the crushed peanuts, chopped coriander leaves and lemon juice. Mix well and switch off the flame.

Note

For variations, you can add crushed peanuts in the soaked sabudana before cooking. It also helps to make non-sticky khichdi.
You can also add ginger chilli paste instead of adding as pieces.
If you do not want to use potato, you can skip it too.
If you are not making as vrat/ fasting recipe, you can add onions too.

Try this easy, yummy, non-sticky sabudana khichdi for fasting days food. You will feel full and energetic !

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Shakkarpara/ Shankarpali is a most popular North Indian style deep fried snacks recipe prepared during Diwali and Holi festivals. It is popular in Gujarat and Maharashtra. It tastes mildly sweet and is served as a teatime snack. In South India, it is known as sweet maida biscuit. It is usually added in South Indian mixture. I have already shared that recipe HERE. Traditionally shakkarpara is prepared using maida, sugar, ghee and milk or water. But today I have shared shankarpali recipe using wheat flour/ atta. I watched few YouTube video recipes and came up with this version. As I wished, it came out really well. It was super crunchy and mildly sweet in taste. Sendhil and Raksha loved it very much. They started munching even before it cooled down completely. I was very happy that my first recipe for Diwali 2018 was a big hit with my family. There was no big difference in the ingredients and taste of maida Shakkarpara and wheat flour Shakkarpara. Only thing is the color of wheat flour shankarpali is darker than maida ones. People who are looking for snacks and sweets using wheat flour must give this a try. You will love it for sure. For healthier options, you can also use jaggery instead of sugar and bake them instead of frying in oil. Ok, lets see how to make Shakkar para with wheat flour.

Check out my sweet maida biscuits and spicy diamond cuts too.

Shakkarpara Recipe Using wheat flour - Wheat flour shankarpali

Cuisine:North Indian

Category:Sweet

Serves:-

Prep time:10 Minutes

Cook time:20 Minutes

Total time:30 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup = 250 ml

Wheat flour / Atta - 1 cup
Semolina / Sooji / Rava - 1 tbsp ( fine or coarse)
Melted ghee - 2 tbsp
Sugar - 1/4 cup
Water - 1/4 cup (adjust upto 1/3 cup)
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
Cooking oil - to deep fry

HOW TO MAKE SHAKKARPARA

To make Shakkarpara, heat sugar and water in a kadai.
After the sugar is melted, switch off the flame.
Add ghee, cardamom powder and set aside to cool.
Add wheat flour, sooji, a pinch of salt and make a non-sticky dough.
Roll to a thick chapathi and cut into squares.
Heat oil to deep fry. Drop a batch of Shakkarpara and deep fry till golden in medium flame.
After the bubbles cease, remove the Shakkarpara and cool down to become crunchy.
Store in a box and enjoy for a week.

SHAKKARPARA WITH WHEAT FLOUR - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

In a kadai, take sugar and add water, ghee. Heat and melt the sugar. No need to bring any consistency. Switch off the flame. Add cardamom powder. Mix well.

Let the sugar water cool down completely. Add wheat flour, semolina / sooji, a pinch of salt and mix well.

Knead to a smooth, non sticky dough. Roll into thick 1 inch chapathi and trim the cracked edges. Cut into small squares using a knife or a pizza cutter.

Finish the entire dough by making shapes. Collect them in a bowl.

Heat oil to deep fry. Drop a pinch of dough. If it rises to the top immediately, oil temperature is correct. Fry the Shakkarpara in batches in low to medium flame till bubbles cease completely. As soon as you put the shakkarpara in oil, do not disturb it for a minute. It will break it you touch it now. Let it cook in low flame. Then flip and toss it gently. Toss it whenever needed for uniform color.

Color of wheat flour shankarpali would be darker than maida ones. So do not panic. Try to cook in low flame patiently by tossing it regularly. It helps to get nice golden color as shown in the pictures. But remember to remove them only after the bubbles cease. Remove them in a tissue paper. It tastes soft when hot. But it becomes crunchy once it cools down completely.
Deep fry all the Shakkarpara in batches. Cool down and store in a box. It stays good for one week to 10 days. Enjoy !

Note

You can add sugar and water up to 1/3 cup based on the quality of wheat flour because some flour takes more water while kneading the dough.
Deep fry shakkarpara only in low to medium flame else the outer layer darkens soon without cooking inside. So the next day it will become soggy and soft.
Similarly deep fry all the batches properly. Even if one batch is not fried well, it will spoil the entire sweet. So please fry them patiently.

Try this yummy shakkarpara with wheat flour, you will love it !

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Halwa (Halva/ Halawa/ Sheera in Hindi) is one of the most popular Indian dessert recipes. The word halwa means sweetness. It is prepared using flour or nuts as the base ingredient. As Diwali is fast approaching, I thought of sharing a collection of Halwa varieties from my space. In this list, you can find the links of 18 different types of halwa recipes under one page. Most of them are popular, easy to make and must try South Indian and North Indian halwa recipes for Diwali and other festivals. In this collection, you can find the Indian halva recipes starting from easy carrot halwa using pressure cooker, suji halwa, beginners special corn flour halwa to the most time consuming Tirunelveli halwa / wheat halwa. Among these halwa varieties, my favorite is badam halwa, easy atta halwa and suji halwa. You too choose your favorite, try an share your feedback. I am yet to try Kerala halwa and some more popular halwa recipes. I will update this list whenever I share them.

CARROT HALWA WITH KHOYA USING PRESSURE COOKER
This is an easy and quick carrot halwa (Gajar halwa in Hindi) that is prepared using grated carrot, khoya, sugar, ghee and nuts. This recipe is without milk and condensed milk. Please click the image below to know how to make carrot halwa easily using a pressure cooker.

BEETROOT HALWA USING PRESSURE COOKER
Beetroot halwa very similar to carrot halwa in cooking procedure . It is a healthy, yummy, quick halwa recipe. This recipe is without khoya/ mawa. Check how to prepare it.

BADAM HALWA
Badam halwa / Almond halwa like sweet shop style. It is one of the popular halwa recipes in South India. This rich and costly halwa can be made easily at home too. check out the recipe link by clicking the image below.

CORN FLOUR HALWA/ KARACHI HALWA
Bombay Karachi halwa, the most popular halwa recipe in North India. But its a very simple recipe prepared using corn flour, sugar and ghee. According to me this halwa is a beginners recipe. Anyone can make it easily and perfectly by following the steps. Do check it out.

TIRUNELVELI HALWA USING WHEAT FLOUR
This is a simplified version of Tirunelveli halwa using wheat flour. It tastes close to original Tirunelveli halwa. Do give a try.

MOONG DAL HALWA / MOONG DAL SHEERA
This is a popular North Indian style sheera recipe. It tastes so good. I have shared an interesting method to reduce the cooking time of this halwa. Do check out the recipe.

SOOJI HALWA / SUJI KA SHEERA
Suji halwa is a very simple and quick halwa recipe prepared for most of the festivals. This halwa is served along with Poori, Chole for breakfast. Halwa puri chole is one of the most popular breakfast combo in North India and Pakistan.

MILK HALWA / DOODH HALWA/ PAAL HALWA
Milk halwa / Paal halwa in Tamil / Doodh is the first sweet which got me a good name from my relatives. This halwa is very easy to make and tastes very rich. It is different from milk kesari in ratio, method of preparation as well as taste. It tastes similar to paal khova.

KASI HALWA/ ASH GOURD HALWA
Kasi Halwa (Vellai Poosanikai Halwa in Tamil,Ash Gourd Halwa /Winter Melon Halwa in English, Boodida Gummaikaya Halwa in Telugu, Kumbalanga Halwa in Malayalam, Kushmandha halwa, காசி அல்வா / பூசணிக்காய் அல்வா / Kalyana Poosani Halwa ) is one of the most popular sweet recipes which is served in Brahmin weddings.

ASHOKA HALWA / PASI PARUPPU HALWA
Ashoka halwa is one of the most popular South Indian sweet which is popular in Thiruvaiyaru. Thiruvaiyaru Asoka halwa (Pasi paruppu halwa) made with yellow moong dal, sugar and ghee. This paasi paruppu halwa is completely different from North Indian moong dal halwa.

CARROT HALWA WITHOUT KHOYA USING PRESSURE COOKER
Carrot halwa | Gajar ka halwa is the easiest and delicious sweet recipe that can be made in jiffy.The best thing about this sweet is it takes very less ghee unlike other halwa recipes. It tastes the best when served warm with ice cream.

ATTA HALWA / KADAH PRASAD
Atta halwa also known as Atta ka sheera is one of the most popular sweet/ dessert recipe in North India. This is an Instant halwa made with whole wheat flour( atta in Hindi). This atte ka halwa is served as Kadah prasad ( Karah prashad) to all the visitors of Gurudwara ( A place of worship for Sikhs ) in Punjab.

CHEWY CORN FLOUR HALWA
This chewy Bombay Karachi Halwa also known as Jelly halwa is prepared using the same ingredients of corn flour halwa but slightly different in procedure. The basic difference between soft halwa and chewy halwa (rubbery halwa) lies in the cooking time. Do click the image to see the recipe with video.

MAIDA HALWA
This is yet again a beginners recipe. It never goes wrong. You can make it soft or chewy as per your taste by changing the cooking time.

BREAD HALWA RECIPE
One of the best ways to use the leftover bread slices. It can be prepared so quickly with just milk, sugar and ghee.

MICROWAVE SOOJI HALWA
Sooji halwa / Rava kesari in Tamil can be easily prepared in a microwave oven too. Check it out.

TIRUNELVELI HALWA
If you are looking forward to try authentic Tirunelveli halwa recipe with whole wheat (samba godhumai), here is the link for you.

CARROT HALWA WITHOUT KHOYA IN KADAI
Traditionally carrot halwa is prepared in a wide kadai by boiling the carrots in milk. I have shared the same here without using khoya or condensed milk.

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Chettinad style thenkuzhal murukku recipe was in my try list for years. Recently I had a 2 days trip to Karaikudi, Pillayarpatti and Kundrathur. I visited Karaikudi just to enjoy Chettinad special food. We stayed in Chidambara vilas, heritage resort and had a good time exploring places in Karaikudi. I had Chettinad special vegetarian lunch at The Bangala and enjoyed their food thoroughly. I went to the most popular Soundaram aachi snack shop and bought all the snack items worth Rs.1500. Among the snacks I tasted, I loved this Chettinad thenkuzhal and seepu seedai. I couldn’t meet Soundaram aachi but I got the recipe and details from the workers. I came to know Chettinad people use IR20 C. R Pachai arisi (Cut vellai pacharisi) for making this thenkuzhal/murukku. They add ghee and roasted urad dal powder to the processed rice flour and make this thenkuzhal. They use a 3 holed murukku mould for shaping it. I enquired them and bought the same from shops in Koppudai Nayaki amman temple street( Bazaar street) in Karaikudi. Here is collage of pictures of IR20 raw rice, thenkuzhal murukku press, Soundaram snacks shop and their products. But I did not try Soundaram aachi's recipe instead I followed the authentic Chettinad thenkuzhal murukku recipe without butter or ghee and tried it.

I referred Solai aachi's thenkuzhal murukku maavu post for the ratio of raw rice and urad dal. Murukku came out super white in color even without using Vanaspati, butter or ghee. Generally Chettinad people make murukku maavu by grinding raw rice and roasted urad dal. They just wash the rice, dry under the shade for a day. Dry roast the urad dal till hot and grind both rice and dal in a flour mill. They store this murukku maavu and make thenkuzhal whenever needed. As we are not using butter or ghee, this murukku would be crunchy and slightly hard to bite. It doesn’t have a melt in mouth texture. You should have a strong teeth to munch this murukku😀. Its taste will remind the olden days thenkuzhal recipe which our granny's used to make without butter. To make soft murukku, you can add melted butter or ghee but the color of this murukku may change. Finally its your choice of making this murukku with or without butter. Similarly you can try the same recipe with store bought idiyappam flour but results may vary slightly. Friends, do try this easy, yummy Chettinad thenkuzhal recipe for this Diwali and enjoy ! Lets see how to make Chettinad murukku recipe with step by step pictures.

Here is a collage of our stay at Chidambara vilas, heritage resort along with its Chettinad special breakfast.

Chettinad Thenkuzhal Recipe

Chettinad Thenkuzhal Recipe - White murukku recipe without butter or ghee.

Cuisine:Chettinad

Category:Snacks

Serves:15 nos.

Prep time:180 Minutes

Cook time:5 Minutes

Total time:185 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml

Raw rice / Pacharisi ( IR20 ) – 1 cup ( Maavu arisi)
White urad dal – 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp
Salt – as needed
Ghee – 1 tbsp (Optional, I dint use)
Water – to knead the dough

HOW TO MAKE CHETTINAD THENKUZHAL

To make Chettinad thenkuzhal murukku maavu, wash and soak raw rice in water for one hour.
Drain the water completely. Spread in a white cloth. Dry under the shade for one day or two.
After the rice is completely dry, grind to a fine powder. Sieve and set aside.
Dry roast white, round urad dal without changing its color till hot. Powder and sieve it.
Add to rice flour, salt, asafetida, melted ghee(If using) and mix well. Add the required water.
Make smooth dough. Heat oil to deep fry. Press and shape the murukku. Drop in oil.
Deep fry both sides till bubbles cease. Remove from oil, drain and store in a box.
Chettinad thenkuzhal is ready. It stays good for a month.

CHETTINAD THENKUZHAL RECIPE - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

Lets prepare Chettinad thenkuzhal murukku maavu as a first step. For this, wash the maavu pacharisi (IR20 raw rice) and soak in enough water for one to 2 hours. Drain the water and spread the soaked rice in a cotton cloth under shade for one day based on the weather. Do not dry under the sun. Rice should become completely dry. Alternately you can just roast the rice till puffy and grind the rice.

After the rice is dry, grind in a mixie to a fine powder. Sieve in a wide plate and grind the coarse ones again till smooth. Repeat until all the rice is ground finely.

Dry roast white, round urad dal until hot. Roast it patiently without changing the color. Murukku doesn’t come out white if you roast the dal till golden brown in color. Keep mixing and tossing the dal. When the dal becomes hot, remove from the flame and let it cool down.

Grind to a smooth powder. Sieve and add to rice flour. Add salt, hing and melted ghee(if adding). Mix well. Then add required water and make a smooth dough. No problem if the dough is slightly sticky.

Fill the murukku press with the dough ( I sealed 2 holes with a cello tape inside and outside). Heat oil to deep fry. Drop a pinch of dough and check the oil temperature. Keep the flame low to medium and squeeze the murukku over the oil directly OR press the murukku in a greased ladle or a sheet as shown in the picture. Then drop in hot oil. You can put 3 to 4 murukku per batch. Cook both sides by flipping it. Cook till bubbles cease completely.

Murukku remains white in color if you fry in medium flame by tossing whenever needed. If you have used ghee in the dough, color may change slightly. Remove the murukku from the oil. Drain in a paper towel. Repeat the same in batches. Chettinad thenkuzhal is ready. Cool down the murukku and store in a box. It stays good for a month.

Note

You can wash the rice, dry under shade and grind in a mill else dry roast the rice till puffy and then grind it. Both works well.
Ratio of rice and urad dal is 2.5 :1. Some recipes use 3:1 too.
Addition of ghee or butter helps to give soft texture to the murukku but color may not be pure white.
If you feel the oil has become too hot, you can switch off the flame and cool down the oil. Then make the next batch.

Chettinad thenkuzhal murukku is ready to enjoy ! Try this for Diwali and share your feedback with me.

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Making Soft mysore pak at home like Krishna sweets has become a passion for every foodie. Even though the ingredients are same, this soft mysore pak recipe is in no way related to our traditional, olden days South Indian mysore pak in taste, texture or looks. Nowadays people especially kids love this soft, melt in mouth, ghee dripping mysore pak from sweet shops more than the traditional ones served in Tamil nadu weddings. Basically I am not a big fan of mysore pak but after becoming a food blogger, I started developing my taste towards all the sweets and snacks which I hated in my childhood days. Just like everyone I too wanted to try Krishna sweets style soft mysore pak at home. Long back I have shared 3 minutes microwave mysore pak recipe which is one of the super hit recipes in my blog. Following that I wanted to try the stove top version as well based on my readers request. So I watched few You tube videos, surfed few websites and tried few times during last year Diwali. It became crumbly, sometimes hard and it was not up to the mark. I wasted so much of ghee, oil and sugar and got nicely from Sendhil too 😨😉.

Recently I watched Gowri’s Samayal Arai mysore pak recipe video shown by a caterer in Salem. I got inspired, became confident and tried it again as my first sweet for Diwali 2018. It came out very well with a melt in mouth texture as I expected. But I felt raw besan smell in the end product slightly, also I couldn’t get the golden brown center part formed due to the latent heat. But it was very soft and tasted yummy. So I tried the same recipe again with few modifications of my own. In some sweet shops, milk powder is used I feel. So I roasted the besan in little ghee, added milk powder to get brown caramalized color. Even though I couldn't achieve the brown center, its taste was exactly like sweet shop ones. It was a great success at home and everybody loved it💖. I passed few pieces to my neighbors in a sweet box as shown in the picture above. They too loved it and appreciated me. Anyone can make this mysore pak perfectly if you follow the instructions carefully. I have also shared a tip for trouble shooting in the Notes section. Hope the step by step pictures will be helpful too. There is very less chances of going wrong in this recipe. Even beginners can dare to try it. So friends do try this soft, melt in mouth mysore pak for this Diwali and have a great celebration.

Soft Mysore Pak Recipe

How to make soft mysore pak like sweet shops at home.

Cuisine:Indian

Category:Sweet

Serves:12 small pieces.

Prep time:10 Minutes

Cook time:20 Minutes

Total time:30 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml

Besan flour / Kadalai maavu - 1/2 cup
Milk Powder - 1 tbsp (optional, I used it)
Sugar - 1 cup
Melted Ghee - 3/4 cup ( at room temperature)
Flavorless Cooking oil / Fresh Refined oil - 1/2 cup + 1/4 cup ( 1/4 cup is for diluting besan, DO NOT USE GROUNDNUT OIL)
Water - 1/3 cup ( for sugar syrup)

HOW TO MAKE SOFT MYSORE PAK

To make soft mysore pak, roast besan flour in 1 tbsp of ghee.
Mix the besan flour, milk powder in 1/4 cup of cooking oil without lumps. Set aside.
Mix 1/2 cup of cooking oil and 3/4 cup of melted ghee. Set aside.
In a kadai, make sugar syrup of one string consistency.
Add the besan mixture to sugar syrup and mix in medium flame.
After the syrup is absorbed, add 2 tbsp oil+ghee. Mix till its absorbed by besan mixture.
Repeat adding ghee+oil till the besan starts to leave the sides of kadai. It gives a nice smell.
Switch off the flame, remove the kadai from the stove. Lastly add 2 tbsp of ghee+oil, mix quickly and transfer the mysore pak mixture to a greased bowl or plate. Let it cool down completely.
Make pieces and serve. Enjoy melt in mouth, soft mysore pak at home.

MAKING MYSORE PAK - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a non-stick kadai. Add 1/2 cup of besan flour and roast in medium flame for 5 minutes. Besan gives a nice smell once its roasted. Transfer to a bowl.

Add milk powder to the roasted besan flour. Mix well and add 1/4 cup of cooking oil. Use a whisk and mix without lumps. Set aside. Take an aluminum plate or pan ( I used loaf cake pan) and grease it with ghee. You can line it with an aluminium foil for easy removal. Keep it ready.

In a good non-stick kadai, take 1 cup of sugar and 1/3 cup of water. Keep the flame medium and melt the sugar. Boil the syrup till one string consistency. To check this,slide a drop of syrup from the back of ladle using your fore finger and touch it with your thumb finger. When you release it, it will form one string as shown in the picture below. .

Lower the flame completely and add the diluted besan. Mix till all the sugar syrup is absorbed by the besan. It becomes slightly thick.

At this point start adding 2 tbsp of ghee+cooking oil. No need to use hot ghee+oil. It should be in room temperature. Mix well. Bubbles will form in the middle. Ghee+oil would be absorbed by the besan as you mix. Mixture starts to thicken.

Again add 2 tbsp oil+ghee and mix well till its absorbed. Keep the flame medium throughout the process. Repeat the same at regular intervals till the mixture becomes slightly thick, pale in color, slightly frothy in the corners and starts to leave the sides of kadai. It gives a nice smell too. You don’t have to add all the remaining ghee+oil. 2 tbsp to 1/4 cup of it may leftover. You can use it in your regular cooking. Do not over cook the mixture.

Once the mysore pak starts to leave the sides of kadai with a nice smell, switch off the flame immediately and remove the kadai from the stove. Lastly add 2 tbsp ghee+oil and mix quickly. You will find the ghee float in the sides of the kadai. No need to stir till the ghee is absorbed.

Immediately transfer the mysore pak mixture to the greased pan. It will fall like a ribbon. Pat it gently. Just level the top with a flat spoon or using a bottom of small bowl. Do not press it too much. Do it gently. Mixture will be too hot. Handle carefully. Let it rest for 6 hours or over night to cool down completely. If you try to make pieces when its hot or warm, pieces won't come properly. There may be crumbles. So wait until it cools down.

After cooling down, run a knife in the sides and invert the pan in a plate. It will fall easily. Now make big or small pieces as you like. Serve and enjoy. Stays good for a week if you store in an air tight box. Do not let it dry in air.

Note

Do not reduce the quantity of sugar, ghee and oil.
If you don’t want to add cooking oil, you can use ghee alone but mysore pak becomes hard the next day as the ghee becomes thick after cooling down. Refined Oil helps to maintain the soft texture of mysore pak.
If you want to make traditional, porous mysore pak you can add hot oil + ghee to the besan instead of using in room temperature.
Just cook the mixture till it starts to leave the sides of pan. Over cooking make the mysore pak crumbly.
TROUBLE SHOOTING TIPS : Suppose if your mysore pak becomes crumbly or hard, do not worry. Grind it adding little milk to a smooth paste. Stir again in low flame till the mixture starts to leave the kadai, add 2 tbsp ghee+ oil and transfer to a plate. Cool down and make pieces.
You can also add a pinch of turmeric powder for nice color.

Try this yummy Mysore pak at home for this diwali and enjoy !

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