To start with this year’s Diwali recipes, here is an easy and simple, sugar-free Dates nuts laddu recipe. This recipe is similar to Dates and nuts roll I posted few years back. But its procedure is much easier than dates roll. I tried this with the leftover pack of dates. It tastes so good and flavorful too. With a nice flavor of ghee and crunchy taste of nuts, this dates ladoo is sure a healthy choice for kids and adults with good calories. Use soft dates (Medjool dates) if you like soft ladoo or use regular, hard dates like Lion dates for slightly, chewy and hard ladoo. Its your choice finally. Chopping the nuts is little time consuming otherwise this ladoo can be prepared in few minutes. If you want to ease this chopping job, you can grind coarsely and then roast it. Friends, do try this healthy, sugarless sweet for this Diwali and enjoy ! Lets see how to make dates and nuts ladoo with step by step pictures.
Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a kadai. Roast the cashew nuts, almonds and melon seeds in low to medium flame. When they start to turn golden, add poppy seeds and desiccated coconut. Roast for a minute. Do not burn anything.
To this add the ground dates paste. Mix in medium flame till everything comes together as a whole mass. Initially you will find it difficult to mix the dates and nuts. But when the dates paste gets heated, it become easy to mix.
Once everything comes together as a mass, switch off the flame. Let it become warm. Grease your hands with ghee. Make balls / shape ladoo. Arrange in a plate.
Besan murukku / Kadalai maavu murukku recipe was in my try list since Gokulashtami/ Krishna jayanthi. So I tried this murukku as my first Diwali snacks recipe. I always have a love towards mini murukku/ small murukku since childhood. We call it as chinna murukku or kutty murukku in Tamil. When I was young, we used to buy mini kai murukku from a nearby snacks shop. Iam not so good in shaping mini kai murukku. So I tried this besan murukku in small size using star mould just like Udupi brand murukku. Basically my daughter Raksha doesn’t like big sized mullu murukku as it pricks the jaws while eating. When I made this mullu murukku in small size, she had it happily without any complaints. This bite sized murukku is so easy to eat and also appealing to our eyes. She took few for her school snacks box today to share with her friends. This shows the hit of this small besan murukku right??😊. Friends, do try this mini murukku for your kids and family during this Diwali and let me know how they liked it. Lets see how to make besan flour murukku / kadalai maavu murukku with step by step pictures.
Add salt, hing, ajwain, sesame seeds, red chilli powder , hot oil and melted butter. Mix well without water to spread the butter evenly with the flour.
Now add water gradually and make a smooth, pliable dough. Dough can be slightly sticky. If you add less water, murukku gets cut while pressing. So add right amount of water. Cover the dough with a plate till use. Do not dry the dough.
Take the murukku press and place the star mould or round mould with a single hole. Fill the murukku dough. In a butter paper or polythene sheet, press the murukku. Make small sized murukku with one rotation as I did.
Now drop kutty murukku one by one in oil. Beginners, slide the murukku in the corner of kadai to avoid splashing of oil. Cook 10 to 15 in one batch based on the quantity of oil. Cook in medium flame. Toss in regular intervals and cook both the sides till bubbles cease. Do not burn it. Cook patiently in correct flame. Remove & drain the oil in a tissue paper.
Usually I make rasam using homemade rasam powder or with freshly ground instant rasam podi. But recently I got a pack of rasam powder from I-Flo brand for my review. For the first time, I tried making rasam using this store bought rasam powder. I followed the recipe given in the back of pack but made some modifications by adding crushed garlic cloves and tempering in ghee. It came out so well. I never expected it to be so flavorful and tasty just like the ones made using homemade rasam powder. In my family, Raksha gives the best feedback about rasam varieties. She loved it a lot and told me to make it again. I guess many of you especially bachelors and working women use store bought rasam powder at home to ease the job during busy morning hours. I hope this method of making with store bought rasam powder helps you make tasty and perfect rasam.
Seven cup burfi recipe was in my bookmarks list for years. I thought seven cup cake tastes more like mysore pak. But after trying it, I realized it tastes completely different. Unlike other burfi recipes, there is no need of sugar syrup or one string consistency. This seven cup burfi is just a mix and cook kind. It can be prepared with easily available ingredients like milk, besan flour, coconut, ghee with 1 cup each and 3 cups of sugar, totally 7 cups. I made it in a very small quantity. Be it big or small, use the same cup to measure all the ingredients. Tastes so good with a nice flavor of milk and coconut. If done well, this burfi melts in mouth. Its a beginners sweet. You don’t need any expertise to make it. Friends, do try this easy, yummy Seven cup burfi also known as 7 cup cake for this Diwali and share your feedback with me.
Lower the flame completely or switch it off if you are a beginner. Add grated coconut, melted ghee, boiled milk at room temperature, sugar, cardamom powder and mix without lumps. Now switch on the flame and keep it medium. Stir the mixture well. Don’t worry if there are small lumps. It breaks while cooking.
Stay nearby and keep mixing. Initially bubbles appear in the middle. As you mix, burfi mixture thickens and bubbles appear all over the kadai.
Keep mixing till frothy, thick and starts to leave the sides of pan. At one stage, burfi mixture becomes thick and starts to follow the ladle. Immediately switch off the flame and transfer to the ghee greased tray. Do not cook for more time because burfi crumbles or becomes hard.
Do not over cook the mixture. Burfi crumbles. In that case, you should grind the crumbled burfi with little water or to a smooth paste and cook again till right consistency.
If you do not want to use 3 cups of sugar, you can use 2 cups of sugar + 1 cup of powdered cashew nuts or badam. But authentic 7 cup recipe doesn’t use nuts.
I feel dried or desiccated coconut is better than fresh coconut. If you use fresh coconut, you should grate it finely or grind it once.
Try this easy, yummy seven cup cake recipe and enjoy the festival !
Whenever I think of weight loss, we eat this sprouts salad for lunch instead of our regular meals with rice. Sprouts are one of the best choice for weight loss. Basically sprouts are very nutritious. They offer a variety of health benefits like easier digestion, improved blood sugar levels, lowers bad cholesterol and a lower risk of heart disease as its a good source of anti oxidants. It is also rich in Potassium, Magnesium and Fiber which reduces blood pressure. Sendhil used to take this salad in his lunch box for office almost everyday when he was under weight loss treatment. Apart from this salad he also did workout, consistent walking for at least 45 minutes per day. It helped him to lose nearly 10 kgs in 2 to 3 months. Children, elderly people, pregnant women and people with weak immune system should avoid eating raw or lightly cooked beansprouts. Actually this moong bean sprouts salad recipe was suggested by my gynecologist for weight loss after delivery. So I followed the same for Sendhil as well. My doctor also suggested a raw green gram salad for milk secretion during lactation. Its a sweet salad recipe. I will post it soon. In Karnataka, people make this green gram salad adding pomegranate, coconut and do the seasoning which is very tasty. It is called as Kosambari in Kannada. For variations, I make it once in a week. I will try to post that recipe as well. Now lets see this basic sprouts salad with easily available vegetables and ingredients.
Wash the green gram sprouts in drinking water and keep in a bowl.
Peel and grate carrot. Finely chop onion, coriander leaves.
Add to the sprouts and mix well. Add required salt, lemon juice and pepper powder.
Mix well and serve. You can also pack this for lunch box.
Make this easy sprouts salad for weight loss. It really helps !
SPROUTS SALAD RECIPE - STEP BY STEP PICTURES
Wash and peel the carrot. Grate it. Chop the big onion and coriander leaves finely. Set aside. (I used turbo chopper for chopping onion, carrot and coriander leaves finely.)
Vazhaipoo mor kootu is a delicious side dish for rice prepared with banana flower, moong dal, coconut and fresh curd/ yogurt as major ingredients. Usually I make vazhaipoo kootu in this method. For a change, I tried it with curd as suggested by my neighbor. Generally mor kootu is prepared with banana stem / vazhaithandu. But banana flower/ vazhapoo mor kootu is equally delicious. I loved to serve with vatha kuzhambu. Tastes yummy ! Friends, do try this easy vazhaipoo mor kootu in a pressure cooker. Its so easy, quick to prepare and tasty too !
Heat oil in a pressure cooker. Splutter mustard seeds, curry leaves.
Add chopped banana flower, saute for a minute.
Add moong dal and required salt. Mix well.
Grind the ingredients given under “to grind” to a smooth paste adding fresh curd.
Add to the cooker. Mix for a minute and add required water.
Pressure cook in low flame for one whistle. Switch off the flame.
Remove the lid after steam is released. Mix and serve hot with rice !
VAZHAIPOO MOR KOOTU RECIPE - STEP BY STEP PICTURES
Take the banana flower / vazhaipoo. Peel the skin and remove the flowers. Discard the black stamen and paper like kaalan. Keep the cleaned flower immersed in water or diluted buttermilk to avoid banana flower turning black.
Add moong dal and salt. Mix well. Grind coconut, cumin seeds and green chilli to a coarse paste. Add fresh curd and grind to a smooth paste. Add water while grinding if needed.
Add this paste to the cooker and mix well. Add required water and mix well. Close the cooker and keep the flame high. Wait till vapor comes off through the nozzle.
Lower the flame completely and put the weight valve. Cook in very low flame for two whistles. Switch off the flame. Open the cooker lid after the steam is released.
Mix well and Check for consistency. If kootu is too thick, add some water and bring to a boil. If the kootu is watery, boil for some time and make it thick as you like.
Serve with vatha kuzhambu, kara kulambu etc. Enjoy !
Note
Adjust the quantity of green chilli as per your taste.
Do not add sour curd. It spoils the taste of kootu.
Instead of grinding curd, you can add thick buttermilk.
Color of kootu was mildly on yellow side due to moong dal.
Recently I tasted boiled peanut chaat as a starter in a lunch buffet. We loved it very much. So I tried at home when my neighbor gave me a bag full of raw groundnuts from her own farm. As the groundnuts were fresh, I pressure cooked it and made this chaat. You can also use roasted peanuts instead. It gives an additional crunchy taste. Raksha loved it very much. I am sure your kids will love it too. You can make it for their snacks box, after school evening snacks or for birthday party too. Its a quick and simple recipe. All you have to do is just chop the vegetables, mix boiled or roasted peanuts and serve ! Lets see how to make this easy, yummy peanut chaat recipe with step by step pictures and video.
Wash and soak raw peanuts in water for 30 minutes.
Pressure cook peanuts in enough water and salt in very low flame for one whistle.
Remove and drain the excess water.
Take the boiled peanuts in a bowl. Add onion, tomato, carrot and coriander leaves.
Mix chaat masala, spice powders, salt and sugar. Sprinkle lemon juice and mix well.
Lastly garnish with sev / omapodi and serve immediately for best taste !
BOILED PEANUT CHAAT - STEP BY STEP PICTURES
Wash and chop onion, tomato, coriander leaves finely. Wash and peel the carrot skin. Grate it and set aside.
Wash and soak the raw peanuts in water for one hour. Pressure cook it adding sufficient water and required salt. Cook in low flame for one whistle.
Remove after the steam is released. Drain the excess water. Set aside.
In a wide bowl, take the boiled peanuts, finely chopped onion, tomato, coriander leaves and grated carrot. Add salt, chilli powder, chaat masala, cumin powder, salt and sugar. You can also add a pinch of black salt if you like.
I make this noi arisi upma / broken rice upma at least twice in a month but I haven’t recorded this recipe in my blog. Broken rice upma is a very simple and easy to make, one pot upma recipe. Whenever I run short of time or back from travel, I make this upma instantly in a pressure cooker. Food gets ready under 15 minutes. Its ideal for bachelors & working women to make a quick breakfast / dinner. Idli Sambar or coconut chutney / thengai thogayal is the ideal side dish for this arisi noi upma. In Bangalore and Tamil nadu, I have seen this broken rice in most of the stores. In Karnataka, people call it as akki nuchu in Kannada. It is known as virigina biyyam in Telugu and tuta hua chawal in Hindi. To make this broken rice upma more healthy, you can add chopped vegetables like carrot, potato and green peas, use broken brown rice or millets. You can also add a handful of roasted moong dal to make it more flavorful. Friends, do try this easy, yummy broken rice upma and share your feedback with me.
Water - 2.5 cups ( add 2.5 to 3 cups based on rice)
HOW TO MAKE BROKEN RICE UPMA
Wash the broken rice and set aside.
Heat oil in a pressure cooker. Splutter mustard, urad dal, chana dal.
Saute green chilli, ginger, curry leaves. Add hing, required water and salt.
When the water comes to roll boil, add washed rice. Mix well.
Pressure cook in low flame for one whistle. Open the cooker lid after steam is released.
Fluff gently and serve hot with idli sambar or coconut rice.
BROKEN RICE UPMA / ARISI NOI UPMA - STEP BY STEP PICTURES
Wash the broken rice, drain the water and set aside. Chop ginger, slit green chilli.
Heat oil in a pressure cooker base. Splutter mustard seeds, urad dal, chana dal. When the dal turns golden brown add slit green chilli, ginger pieces and curry leaves.
Saute for a minute. Now add the required salt and water. When the water comes to roll boil, add the washed rice. Mix well and close the cooker. Keep the flame high till steam comes off from the nozzle.
As soon as the steam comes off, lower the flame completely. Put the weight valve and pressure cook in very low flame for one whistle. It takes 10 to 12 minutes based on the size of cooker.
Switch off the flame after one whistle. Let it rest till steam releases. Open the cooker lid and fluff the rice gently. Serve hot with idli sambar or coconut chutney or spicy coconut thogayal. Tastes yummy ! Enjoy !
Note
Water quantity for rice varies from 2.25 to 3 cups based on the rice. Broken rice made from raw rice takes less water (around 2.5 cups ) whereas broken rice made from boiled rice takes more water (around 3 cups).
Add more chilli based on your taste.
You can use finely chopped carrot, beans, potato and green peas to make it more colorful and healthy.
Try this easy, one pot noi upma recipe and share your feedback with me.
My MIL tried this vendakkai kootu (Lady’s finger kootu) with tomato, coconut and moong dal after tasting in a hotel/ restaurant. Its procedure is very similar to our poricha kuzhambu. Last week when she was here, she made this kootu for me. We loved it very much. Its a simple and easy kootu recipe. We can serve it thick as a side dish for vatha kuzhambu/ sambar or make it slightly thin like kuzhambu, mix with plain rice adding ghee. Tastes good in either ways. Ok lets see how to make vendakkai kootu recipe with step by step pictures.
In a pressure cooker, take the moong dal, sambar powder, required water and turmeric powder. Pressure cook in low flame for 2 whistles. Open the cooker after the steam is released. Mash well and set aside.
Heat oil in a kadai. Add chopped lady’s finger and saute till it shrinks without threads. Add tomato and saute well till its mushy. Add some water, cover cook till lady's finger is done.
Recently I came across this wheat flour pizza without yeast and oven in Cooking shooking Youtube channel. As I was craving to eat pizzas, I tried it instantly. It came out so well. Though the taste of this atta pizza cannot be compared with the regular pizza dough made with all purpose flour and yeast, It is really good and a healthy alternative. As I had already shared a tawa pizza recipe, making this one was not so difficult for me. In this recipe, cooking pizza without oven is slightly different. Its more like baking cake in a kadai or pressure cooker. Salt is being used. Also I made a thin crust pizza for Raksha and medium crust pizza for myself and Sendhil. So pizza in the pic looks thin and not fluffy. But the pizza base was really soft. One couldn’t guess that this pizza is yeast free. Baking powder, baking soda and curd are the most important ingredients in this recipe. So do not skip any. I served it hot by garnishing with Dominno's pizza seasoning. It was yummy ! Ok friends, lets see how to make wheat flour pizza recipe without yeast in a kadai (no oven pizza recipe) with step by step pictures.
Make a slightly sticky dough. Do not use water to make the dough. Use curd only. Add some oil and knead the dough for 5 to 8 minutes till it become non-sticky.
Divide the dough into 2 portions. Take one ball and spread the dough in a butter greased plate. Make a round shape. Prick with a fork. Mix pizza sauce / tomato sauce and chilli sauce.
Spread the sauce. Stud in and arrange the toppings. Cover with grated cheese. Apply butter generously all over the sides to remove the pizza easily after cooking.
Take an old kadai. Spread powdered salt for 1 inch. Heat the kadai in high flame for 5 minutes till salt is heated. Keep an eye such that salt should not get burnt.
Now place a small bowl and invert over the kadai. Place the pizza plate and cover the kadai. Keep the flame completely low. Cover cook for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove once the corners turn golden brown with a nice smell. Remove the plate from the kadai.
Gently slide the pizza to a serving plate using a knife or flat ladle. Sprinkle oregano or pizza seasoning on top. Slice and serve hot. Enjoy !
Every year I try some eggless baking recipes during December. This year I started baking with this healthy, eggless wheat flour jaggery cookies. Its an Indian style wheat flour cookies ( atta cookies) adding jaggery and cardamom powder. I followed the recipe from Cook with Manali. You can use cinnamon powder or vanilla essence for different flavor. I too recommend the same as my daughter din't like cardamom flavor. I have used ghee in this recipe. You can also use soft butter at room temperature. Since this is a whole wheat cookies with jaggery, its taste cannot be compared with usual butter cookies. But this tastes more like digestive biscuits. I have also discussed how to make this cookies without oven under step by step pictures section. Ok friends, do try this easy eggless atta cookies and share your feedback.
In a bowl, sieve wheat flour, salt, baking powder and cinnamon powder.
In a wide bowl, sieve powdered jaggery and remove the lumps if any.
Add semi solid ghee and mix well to make a paste.
Add milk and mix well. Add wheat flour mixture.
Make smooth dough. No problem if there are cracks in dough.
Cover and rest the dough for 15 minutes.
Roll the dough using rolling pin. Make cookies thin or thick as you like.
Prick with fork. Arrange in a baking tray lined with butter paper.
Preheat oven in convection mode at 180c. Bake the cookies for 15 to 20 minutes.
Remove once its baked to golden brown in bottom. Let it cool down to become crispy.
Store in a box and enjoy with tea!
WHEAT FLOUR COOKIES - STEP BY STEP PICTURES
In a wide bowl, sieve whole wheat flour, salt, baking powder and cinnamon powder.
In another bowl, sieve powdered jaggery and remove the lumps if any. Add ghee and mix well to dissolve jaggery.
Add milk and make a paste. Add the sieved wheat flour mixture. Bring everything together to make a dough. If its too dry, add 1/2 tbsp more milk. But do not use more milk. Cookies may turn chewy, not crispy. No problem if the dough has cracks.
Take the dough and roll with rolling pin. You can roll it thin or thick. Cut into rounds or any shapes as you like. Thick cookies takes more time to bake. So I would recommend to make thin sized cookies in thickness. This cookies won’t double in size after baking. So make round shapes and arrange in the baking tray with little gap. I kept 5 per batch. Prick the cookies with fork or tooth pick.
Preheat oven in convection mode at 180c. Keep the baking tray and bake for 15 to 20 minutes based on the thickness of cookies. Keep an eye after 12 minutes. Bake till bottom of the cookies turn golden brown. Check if its not soft to touch. Remove the cookies and let it cool down in a wire rack or a plate. Bake the next batch. (Preheating is not needed for each batch).
To bake the cookies without oven. : Take an old unused kadai, flat or slightly curved kadai is fine. Keep the kadai in high flame and pre heat for 5 minutes. Now place a small plate or bowl as a stand. Keep the baking tray over the stand. Cover the kadai and lower the flame completely. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes. Keep an eye else cookies may burn. (Instead of baking in empty kadai, you can spread 1 inch powdered salt and follow the same).
Bansi rava was very new to me till I come to Bangalore. In Tamil nadu, we used to buy Bombay rava for all the dishes like upma, dosa, idli, kesari, pongal and kichadi. Bansi rava is quite popular in Karnataka and in many other South Indian homes. People make uppittu and Kharabath here. When I Googled about the difference between bansi rava and normal white rava / suji , I found both kinds of semolina (rava) are obtained from wheat, albeit different varieties. Bansi rava is darker in color than plain semolina / rava. Some people also say Bansi rava is made from corn kernels as its yellow in color. Its healthier than normal rava in terms of nutrition (Source : Quora). We should use 3 cups of water for 1 cup of rava (1:3 ratio of bansi rava and water). It takes more time to cook than Bombay rava. This upma tastes similar to Godhumai rava upma / wheat rava upma. It stays soft for hours. So you can prepare it for lunch box as well. Its a tummy filling one. It can be opted for diet recipes too. Ok, lets see how to make Karnataka style bansi rava uppittu with step by step pictures.
In the same kadai, heat another 2 tbsp oil. Splutter mustard seeds, urad dal, chana dal. Saute for few seconds. Add onion, curry leaves and slit green chilli. Saute till onion becomes transparent.
Keep the flame low and add roasted bansi rava. Mix well. Take care it splashes. Keep mixing till most of the water is absorbed by the rava. Keep the flame low and cover the kadai with a lid. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes. Open the kadai and stir the upma once or twice.
Cook till rava is completely soft. Switch off the flame and garnish with coriander leaves and grated coconut. Upma looks mushy when hot but becomes fluffy as it cools down. Enjoy this healthy, yummy bansi rava upma with coconut chutney, chutney podi or sugar.
For healthy variations, you can use finely chopped vegetables like carrot, potato, beans and green peas. In that case, add the vegetables along with onion, saute for few minutes. You may also need to add 1/2 cup more water for the veggies to cook.
Instead of slit green chilli you can use MTR vangi bath powder and make kharabath.
Water quantity can be adjusted based on your taste.
Coriander leaves and grated coconut adds a nice flavor & taste to this dish. So don't skip it.
I prepared pottukadalai urundai with jaggery for Karthigai deepam festival. Even though It was my first trial, it was so easy to make. It came out very well. Its cooking procedure is similar to kadalai mittai/ peanut chikki. Roasted gram dal also known as chutney dal( pori kadalai / pottukadalai in Tamil) should be fresh and crispy. The consistency of jaggery syrup is important to make this urundai perfect. Its a healthy snack for kids. Friends, do try it and share your feedback with me. Lets see how to make pottukadalai urundai with jaggery with step by step pictures.
Wash the kadai and add the syrup. Boil till frothy and thick. Take little water in a plate. Add few drops of syrup. Try to gather using your fingers and make a hard ball. It should make a “tong” sound when your drop it.
Switch off the flame and add the cardamom powder, fried gram dal / pottukadalai. Mix quickly to coat the syrup.
Grease your hands with ghee or rice flour. Make balls roughly when hot. Roll it tightly once it becomes warm. Arrange in a plate. After making the balls, you will find some dal sticking to the kadai. To remove the dals that is sticking to the kadai, heat the kadai slightly. Remove with a ladle and make the balls.
Baby potato roast is a simple and quick side dish for rice. It must be the favorite for everyone. It tastes great with sambar rice, rasam rice and even curd rice. A plate full of rasam rice with baby potato roast and a papad is a pure bliss. I have already shared two different recipes of baby potato curry for rice namely baby potato fry and Madurai style baby potato. But this one is very easy and quick to prepare. Its similar to potato kara kari. If you like to make this roast crispy, you should cook the potato in simmer flame and finally sprinkle with some rice flour. Friends, do try this easy and yummy baby potato fry and share your feedback with me. Lets see how to make baby potato roast with step by step pictures.
Wash the baby potato and pressure cook adding required water.
Peel the skin of cooked baby potato. Set aside.
Heat oil in a kadai. Splutter mustard seeds, urad dal and curry leaves.
Lower the flame and add all the spice powders , salt. Mix quickly.
Add the boiled potato and mix well to coat the masala powders.
Cover cook in low flame till potato turns golden with nice flavor.
Serve with lemon rice, rasam rice and curd rice.
METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES
Wash the baby potato twice or thrice. Add sufficient water and pressure cook in high flame for 2 to 3 whistles. Remove the lid after pressure is released. Peel the skin of cooked baby potato. Set aside.
Heat oil in a kadai. Splutter mustard seeds, urad dal and curry leaves. Lower the flame completely. Add red chilli powder, dhania powder, garam masala powder, salt and turmeric powder. It should not burn.
Add cooked baby potato and mix well. Make sure masala is well coated in baby potato. Cover cook in low flame till baby potato turns golden in color with a nice smell. Open the lid and mix whenever needed.
This is a simple and yummy Karnataka style basic palya recipe with chow chow / Chayote. Its called as seeme badanekayi palya in Kannada. I have tasted this kind of palya in friends house, marriage function and restaurants. As I told, this is the basic Karnataka style poriyal without onion, garlic. People call it as Palya in Kannada. I have tried it with chow chow vegetable. You can use bottle gourd, radish, snake gourd and beans instead. It so easy to make and tastes great with rice. Its a no onion, no garlic recipe as well. Grated coconut and coriander leaves are the star ingredients for this recipe. So do not skip these two at any cost. Friends, do try this simple and easy Karnataka style chow chow palya. You will love it. Lets see how to make chow chow poriyal with step by step pictures.
Add chopped chow chow and saute for few minutes. Add turmeric powder, sugar, salt and mix well. Chow chow leaves water while you saute. So do not add more water while pressure cooking.
Add just 1 tbsp water. Mix well and pressure cook in high flame for 2 whistles. Switch off the flame. Remove the lid after the steam is released.
There will be excess water. Do not mix it. Poriyal will become mushy. So boil the poriyal for few minutes in high flame and drain the excess water. Add grated coconut and finely chopped coriander leaves. Toss gently and switch off the flame.
Hi friends, Wish you all a very happy 2020 😃. Let this new year brings all the joy and prosperity!!. Bread kaja is an easy and interesting Indian style dessert recipe with bread. It can be prepared quickly and instantly with less procedures. Last week when I was looking for some easy sweet recipes / dessert recipes using leftover bread slices, I came across this bread kaja recipe in Hari Chandana’s blog. Bread kaja sweet is a simplified version of Shahi tukda which is a rich and famous Mughal dessert. For making bread kaja, we have to just deep fry the bread slices in oil / ghee and dip in flavored sugar syrup. Rabri / sweetened milk is not needed for this sweet. So preparation time is lesser. You can make it under 10 minutes for your surprise guest. Kids will love it. I thought this sweet would be ideal for this new year celebration. When I googled for images, I found bread kaja looks triangle in shape similar to Shahi tukra. But I made in small squares to attract the kids. Its an interesting recipe to empty the leftover bread slices. You can make and consume it immediately for crispy tasting bread OR you can soak the fried bread slices in sugar syrup overnight and enjoy like bread gulab jamun. It tastes so soft and flavorful. In fact I loved the soft and well soaked bread pieces more than crispy ones. Ok friends, do try this yummy, easy bread kaja sweet recipe for this new year 2020 and share your feedback with me. Once again wish you all a very happy new year!!. This year I have planned to start my YouTube channel in Tamil as requested by many of you during last year. Hope you will continue to give your love and support for my new venture too. Thank you !
Melt sugar in water and make sugar syrup. Boil and bring the syrup to half string consistency. I.e If you take the syrup in your thumb finger and press with pointer finger. Release it, check if the string is formed and gets cut. This is called half string consistency. Switch off the flame and add rose essence, saffron threads.
Dip the fried bread pieces in sugar syrup and soak for few minutes by flipping both the sides. Sugar syrup will be absorbed by the bread pieces. Garnish with chopped nuts. You can serve it immediately if you like crispy tasting bread else soak overnight and serve soft bread pieces which tastes like bread gulab jamun.
This is an easy version of javvarisi vadai (In Tamil) without potato and peanuts. Its prepared by mixing soaked sago / javvarisi / sabudana, rice flour, chopped onion and vegetables which is mostly like South Indian style. Though its my first attempt, it came out so well and crispy. We all loved it very much. I tried this recipe after watching an YouTube video. It can be prepared under 10 minutes if you have soaked sago ready in hand. Ok, Lets see how to make this easy and simple javvarisi vadai with step by step pictures.
Soaked sago / ooravacha Javvarisi - 1 cup (use big sized ones)
Rice flour - 1 tbsp
Big onion - 1 (finely chopped)
Green chilli - 2 (finely chopped)
Ginger - 1/2 inch (-do-)
Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp (-do-)
Carrot - 1 (grated)
Curry leaves - Few
Salt - as needed
Water - 1 to 2 tsp (only if needed)
Cooking oil - to deep fry vada
HOW TO MAKE JAVVARISI VADAI
Wash and soak 1/2 cup sabudana / sago in required water for 4 hours or overnight. It doubles and get around 1 cup after soaking.
Drain all the water and grind the soaked sago to a coarse paste with less water.
Take the ground sago in a bowl. Add rice flour, finely chopped onion, ginger, green chilli, grated carrot, curry leaves and coriander leaves. Mix well.
Grease your hands with oil and shape vada.
Heat oil and deep fry the vada both sides till onion turns golden brown.
Remove and drain in a tissue paper. Serve hot with tomato ketchup.
JAVVARISI VADAI RECIPE - STEP BY STEP PICTURES
Wash and soak 1/2 cup of white colored, big sized sabudana / sago pearls in water twice. Then soak it in enough water for 4 hours or over night. It doubles and becomes to around 1 cup after soaking.
After soaking, drain the excess water completely. Take 1 cup of soaked sago in a mixie jar. Grind to a coarse paste and transfer to a bowl. Add 1 to 2 tsp of water while grinding based on the need. Do not add more.
Add rice flour, salt, finely chopped onion, green chilli, coriander leaves, curry leaves, ginger and grated carrot. Mix well. Check for taste. Vada batter should be thick. It should not be loose, wet and watery. Vada will absorb more oil if the batter is loose.
Heat oil to deep fry vada. Grease your hands with oil. Make small balls from the batter and keep aside. Take one ball and press in the palm. Shape like masala vada. Shape all the balls and arrange in a plate. Grease your hands whenever needed.
Heat oil to deep fry. Check the oil temperature by dropping a pinch of vada batter. If it rises to the top immediately, oil heat is right. Now drop 3 to 4 vada per batch. Deep fry in medium flame on both the sides till onion turns golden brown. Remove and drain in a tissue paper. This vada remain white in color. So remove it as soon as onion turns golden brown with a nice smell.
Karnataka style tomato masala bath was in my try list for years. Here in Bangalore, people make tomato rice in different ways and call it in different names like tomato masala bath, tomato bath, tomato chitranna, tomato palav etc. Recently I followed a recipe from Rekha aduge’s YouTube channel. It came out so good and flavorful. Its taste reminded few restaurants to me. Its a simple one pot recipe. It can be prepared easily in a pressure cooker. So you can make it quickly during busy morning hours. Ideal for lunch box. Kids would also love it. You can add green peas or avarekalu / field beans during its season. But I made it simple and plain. Friends, do try this Karnataka style tomato bath recipe and share your feedback with me.
Add the ground masala paste and saute till raw smell vanishes. Add tomato, salt, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and saute till tomato becomes mushy.
Keep the flame high and close the pressure cooker. Put the weight valve as soon as steam comes off. Lower the flame completely and pressure cook in very low flame for one whistle. Open the cooker after the steam is released naturally. Fluff the rice gently and serve hot with onion raita ! Enjoy !Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
Note
Adjust the quantity of chilli powder as per your taste.
Use Kashmiri chilli powder to get this bright color.
Do not add more coriander and mint leaves.
Try this easy, yummy Karnataka style tomato bath recipe and share your feedback !
Paruppu urundai kuzhambu is our family favorite. Usually I make in this method. But this time I tried Iyengar style no onion, no garlic paruppu urundai kuzhambu recipe following the recipe from Iyengar thaligai. It came out very well and super flavorful as I cooked in tin coated bronze pot which I recently got from Zishta. Its an organic cookware shop in Jayanagar, Bangalore. You can get handcrafted, quality checked, traditional cook wares in this shop. Actually I have a bronze pot given by my mom for my marriage. Every year I use that pot for making sweet pongal on Pongal festival day. In bronze pot, we cannot cook tamarind based or lemon based tangy dishes. But tin coated bronze pot can be used to prepare all the tamarind, lemon based dishes and rice dish like pongal, upma, payasam, So I got this pot from Zishta. Its really good. I can feel its handcrafted and not a machine mould. I am not sure about wear off of the tin coating. But I hope it will take at least an year if used on a daily basis. But proper washing care is needed. Click this link on how to maintain this pot. When I made this kuzhambu in tin coated bronze pot, it was so flavorful which I never experienced in my kitchen. It was amazing and I had a different cooking experience. Though the pot takes slightly more time to heat up and cook, it holds the heat for hours together. So we can enjoy this kuzhambu hot or warm for more time. Overall, I am happy with this purchase. Friends, do check out this recipe and try in a traditional cookware. You will love its taste and flavor ! Lets see how to make Iyengar style paruppu urundai kuzhambu with step by step pictures.
Soak tamarind. Wash and soak dals, red chilli in required water for 2 to 4 hours.
Drain the water and grind coarsely adding salt ang hing.
Take in a bowl. Add the ground paste and add rice flour, coriander leaves, oil and cooking soda.
Make balls and keep aside. In a pot or kadai, take 2 cups of tamarind extract.
Add sambar powder, salt and hing. When it boils, add the dal balls one by one.
Cook till balls float on top and gets cooked. Switch off the stove once the kuzhambu becomes thick.
Lastly temper the ingredients in gingely oil and add to kuzhambu. Garnish with curry leaves.
Serve hot with plain rice adding ghee or gingely oil. Tastes great for 2 to 3 days when refrigerated.
IYENGAR PARUPPU URUNDAI KUZHAMBU - STEP BY STEP PICTURES
Wash and soak dals and chilli in required water for 2 to 4 hours. Drain the water completely. Grind coarsely adding required salt and hing. Soak tamarind in 2 cups of water.
Take 2 cups of tamarind extract. Add sambar powder, hing and required salt. Boil in high flame. When the tamarind extract starts to roll boil, add dal balls one by one keeping the flame high.
Switch off the flame when the kuzhambu turns thick as you like. Lastly do the tempering part. Heat gingely oil. Splutter mustard seeds, urad dal, chana dal, hing and red chilli. Add to kuzhambu. Check the kuzhambu taste, add more masala as needed.
Sweet potato kuzhambu / Sakkaraivalli kizhangu kulambu in Tamil is an easy, yummy and quick kuzhambu recipe that can be prepared in a pressure cooker or Instant pot. As sweet potatoes are in season now, I used this veggie which I bought during pongal festival. Even though this is my first try, we all loved it very much. It came out with a perfect blend tangy, spicy and mildly sweet taste. We call it as sweet potato vatha kuzhambu. You can mention it as sweet potato puli kulambu too. In my house, we usually pressure cook sweet potato and consume it as such. Sometimes we try poriyal / dry curry with it. This year I wanted to try some easy and yummy recipes with it. As a first step, I tried this sweet potato puli kuzhambu recipe. Soon I will share more sweet potato recipes. Friends, do try this yummy sweet potato kulambu in pressure cooker and let me know your feedback.
Wash and peel the sweet potato. Chop into big cubes. Soak tamarind in 1 cup of warm water for 10 minutes.
In a pressure cooker, heat oil. Temper the ingredients given under “To temper”.
Saute onion, garlic cloves and curry leaves. Once its transparent, add sweet potato cubes.
Add sambar powder, salt and turmeric powder. Saute for a minute.
Add 1.5 cups of tamarind extract. Mix well and pressure cook in low flame for one to 2 whistles.
Open the cooker after steam is released. Mix well and boil if its too watery.
Serve hot in desired consistency. Enjoy with plain rice and papad !
SWEET POTATO KUZHAMBU - STEP BY STEP PICTURES
Soak tamarind in 1.5 cups of warm water for 10 to 15 minutes. In the mean time, wash and peel sweet potato. Chop into big cubes. Set aside. Chop onion, garlic, curry leaves finely.
Heat 2 tbsp gingely oil in a pressure cooker base (Use small burner if using small sized cooker). Once its hot, splutter mustard seeds, methi seeds, cumin seeds, urad dal and toor dal. Saute in medium flame till dals turn golden brown.
Take 2 tsp rice flour and dilute in 1/4 cup of water. Add to kuzhambu. Mix well and check for taste. Add more sambar powder, salt if required.
Close the lid and keep the flame high till steam comes out. Now put the weight valve and lower the flame completely. Pressure cook in low flame for one to two whistles.
Open the cooker after the steam is released naturally. Check the consistency. If its too thick, add some water and give a boil. If its too thin, boil for few minutes till it becomes thick. Switch off the flame and serve hot with plain rice drizzled with gingely oil.
