sakkarai pongal!

Hi All,

Now we are going to prepare sakkarai pongal! Hahaa, I know you all are wondering why it is necessary after the celebration of Pongal!  No, it is not like that. You can cook Pongal especially sakkarai pongal any day! Because we love it!

Now the ingredients for sakkarai pongal for 4 persons

one cup raw rice

half cup Moong dal (yellow)

Milk with fat half a litre.

Jaggery powder  2 to 3 cups(according to your taste. if it is from sugarcane then the taste is assured)

Cardamom powder one full teaspoon

ghee 200 grams

cashewnuts, kishmish or dried grapes, raisins

if you like the aroma then you can add edible camphor and nutmeg powder.

Now take a kadai and heat it in the stove. First add the Moong dhal and fry till it turns to fragrant. Remove it and keep aside. Then add the Raw rice and fry it for 2 minutes and remove it and keep it in another vessel.

Now take a thick bottomed vessel. I used to cook in bronze metal /gun metal pot. But it is not used by youngsters now-a-days. So if it is convenient for you to cook in a cooker take a cooker. First pour the milk and two tablespoons ghee. Wash the moong dal and put it in the cooker. Do not pressure cook! After the dal half cooked wash the rice and add it! Put a bowl full of water on the cooker and cover it.  It will become hot slowly.  Add that water little by little whenever it is necessary! After it is fully cooked add the jaggery powder! Let it cook for another 20 minutes. The consistency will become thick and begin to bubble up well. Now off the stove. In a small kaday Heat the remaining ghee and add cashewnuts, raisins one by one. Add them to the pongal. And add the cardamom powder along with the edible camphor powder and nutmeg powder(if necessary) Serve hot pongal to the members of your family.

If you want to pressure cook then add the moong dhal and rice add 3 cups of water and cook for two whistle or till it become soft. When the pressure is down remove the lid and add the half litre milk and let it cook for another 10 minutes or till the mixture is mashed well. Now add the jaggery and cook for another 20 minutes! Or you can take another pan and make jaggery syrup and add it to the pongal. Blend them well till the bubbles come up well. Rest is like what is written in the previous paragraph!

Taste your pongal  and enjoy!




Pongal celebrations 2015 January

Thiruvathirai Kali & Kuzambu

Hi All,

It is a long time since we last met! Now the festival season started and I was too busy concentrating my ill health and I am improving slowly. So just thought about to write one or two seasons foods recipe. Here in India it is Margazhi i.e. Margasirsha month and it is very much auspicious for Lord Shiva and Maha Vishnu! The Star Ardhra  the sixth one falls on a full moon day in this month.This is very auspicious and our Rishis told Lord Shiva's cosmic dance was danced by him before Pathanjali and Vyagrapadha on this day! It was said that the Universe was created by Lord Shiva on this day. As Pathanjali and Vyagrapatha performed their penance in Thillaivanam, now called as Chidambaram, they were enlightened to see Lord Shiva's Cosmic dance. It is called anandha thandavam. It was a full moon day and the stars which were seen as fire sphere was Arudhra stars.

So every year in Chidambaram the Ardhra Darshan is being celebrated in a grand manner. The Ardhra Star group is connected with the cosmic dance of Lord Shiva. People made Kali and Kuzambu for nivedhanam. Here I gave the recipies of Kali and Kuzambu!



Photo Courtesy: Google via You tube

Ingredients for Kali and kuzambu are as follows.

soak one cup rice in water for atleast 2 hours. Filter the water from the rice completely.

Heat the Kadai in the stove and fry the rice till it become golden brown. Let it cool for half an hour and grind it in a mixie jar like rava.

for one cup rice take one cup jaggery powder

cardamom powder half teaspoon

thur dhal soaked one tablespoon (soak the dhal for an hour before preparing kali)

ghee one table spoon and cashewnuts broken, fresh coconut grated or shredded coconut powder

Heat two to three cups of water in a non stick kaday or aliminium kaday. Here I used to make in (venkala uruli). wash the soaked dhal and remove water and add it to the boiling water. Add the jaggery powder. Let the jaggery dissolve completely in the water. Let it boil for some more time atleast 2,3 minutes. Then add the rice powder and stir well with a long spatula. cook it for 10 minutes till the rava become soft.

Now heat the ghee in another kaday and add cashewnuts till it become golden brown. Remove it and add it to the kali. Now fry the coconut powder in the same heated ghee in the same kaday. Add it to the kali. Add the cardamom powder and stir well. Serve hot with the kuzambu and butter.


Kali kuzambu



Photo Courtesy: Google via Sashiga's kitchen

Baingan one

Raw banana one

Avarai kay and kothavarai kai  10 to 15 numbers each

sweet potato (if available) one

Parangi kay  one small piece

poosani kay one smaal piece

senai kizangu (there only frozen is available)

If you like you can add beans and carrot also. Do not add potato or Arvi(sepangizangu)

Thur dhal cooked one cup

Tamarind leman size. soak it and extract juice

salt to taste

Hing one small piece or powder half tea spoon

cooking oil one table spoon

For frying (masala)

Red chillies  4,5 numbers

Dhania two table spoons

Channa dhal two teaspoons

hing powder

Methi half teaspoon

urad dhal half teaspoon

Kala mirchi (pepper) half teaspoon

raw rice one teaspoon

coconut powder  one table spoon

Tempering

Coconut oil if available or any cooking oil

Mustard seeds, one red chilly, Kadi paththa(for frying)

Fry all the ingredients in oil except coconut powder and grind to a paste or powder adding coconut powder.

Boil the vegetables and cook them first. Add turmeric powder and salt for the vegetables only.

While the vegetable half boiled add the tamarind juice, and the required salt for tamarind only. If you are confused in adding salt, then let the vegetables cooked without adding salt and add the required salt while adding tamarind juice.

Let it boil for 5 to 10 minutes and add the boiled and smashed thur dhal along with the grinded masala.  Let it boil for 5 more minutes. Temper with Mustard, kadi paththa and red chillies. Add the freshly chopped coriander leaves while serving. 

Matar Paneer in my method

Our daughter asked me to write this recipe  for her. So  I put it in this page also. It is my method of making matar paneer. I never used garlic. Mostly I used to prepare matar paneer without onion and garlic. But for readers' convenience I am giving both the methods.


Matar Paneer with onion

Matar 2 cups

Paneer 200 grams. Take out from the  fridge and defraust it before one or two hours. Soak it in water and cut into cubes. Shallow fry it in pure ghee by adding salt. Keep it aside.

Required quantitity of water

for tempering

oil or butter. or both if you add oil with butter then there  won't be any smoke.

Sugar one or two teaspoon

cumin seeds, or aniseeds(soumph) if you want add soumph. Jeera is a must

turmeric powder

red chilli powder

garam masala powder

coriander powder (optional)

malai or fresh cream one table spoon or according to taste. you can use half and half milk also.

coriander leaves finely chopped

tomato paste readily available two tablespoons or make tomato puree in home by blanching 3 big size tomatoes and make puree by grinding them in a mixie jar.

two teaspoon ghee

salt to taste

For making masala paste

one or two big size tomatoes finely chopped

onion big size one finely chopped

green chillies one or two chopped

ginger and garlic paste (garlic is optional) you can make green chillies+ ginger paste also

coriander leaves finely chopped two to three teaspoons

4 or 5 number cashewnuts (if you want rich taste you can add 10 to 12 cashewnuts)

black peppercorns 1/2 teaspoons

cloves one or two number

cinnamon 1/2 inch stick

In a mixie jar put the all ingredients given above and make a fine paste.  But take half the portions of tomotoes and onions. The remaining will be add while tempering.  For grinding half the portions of chopped tomotoes and onions and you can add the other items as given above.

Now in a Kadai heat oil by adding butter. Put the sugar first and let it melt. Add the onions and fry them till it is golden brown. Now add the remaining tomotoes. Let it cook for sometime.  Add the cumin seeds and after it splutters add the grounded masala paste and saute it carefully without burning it. Saute it till the oil separates.

Now add the dry powders turmeric, red chillie powder, garam masala powder stir for a minute and add the frozen or fresh matar. Fry for 2 minutes and add the tomoto puree.  Now add the required quantitiy of water and salt to taste. Cover it with a lid and boil it for 10 minutes or till the mutar cooks. If the gravy is thin let it boil for some more time. Now add the already fried paneer cubes and add the fresh cream or malai. Let it boil for one or two minutes. Do not overcook the gravy after adding paneer. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with phulka roti or nan or chapathies.





Photo Courtesy: rakskitchen.net via google
Jain type matar paneer

You can required the same quantitiy of the ingredinents first given. You need not require onion or gimger garlic paste.


Matar 2 cups

Paneer 200 grams. Take out from the  fridge and defraust it before one or two hours. Soak it in water and cut into cubes. Shallow fry it in pure ghee by adding salt. Keep it aside.

Required quantitity of water

for tempering

oil or butter. or both if you add oil with butter then there  won't be any smoke.

Sugar one or two teaspoon

cumin seeds, or aniseeds(soumph) if you want add soumph. Jeera is a must

turmeric powder

red chilli powder

garam masala powder

coriander powder (optional)

green chillies one two finely chopped

malai or fresh cream one table spoon or according to taste. you can use half and half milk also.

coriander leaves finely chopped

tomato paste readily available two tablespoons or make tomato puree in home by blanching 3 big size tomatoes and make puree by grinding them in a mixie jar.

two teaspoon ghee

salt to taste

tomotes 2 big size finely chopped

Heat oil with butter in a kadai and add sugar. Slowly add green chillies, turmeric powder , red chillie powder, coriander powder and garam masala. Add sugar if required. Now add the fresh matar and fry for 2 minutes. Add the tomoto puree according to your need. Add salt and required quantitiy of water. Let it boil for 10 minutes.

If the matar cooked well add the paneer cubes and allow it cook for 2 minutes. Add fresh cream or malai. If required add two teaspoonfuls of ghee also. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with roties and naans.

Badham Halva!

Approximately one cup Badham soaked and peeled. Soak the badham overnight.

Sugar 3/4 cup

Milk  1/2 cup

Cardamom powder one teaspoon

Ghee 2 tablespoons

Saffron one pinch  if available soaked in two teaspoon milk. (optional)

Grind the soaked and peeled badham adding milk. Grind it to a fine paste. Now put a heavy bottom kadai or pan in the stove and pour one tablespoon ghee. Heat the ghee for 2 minutes and add the badham paste and fry it for 5 minutes. Now add the sugar. The sugar will star to melt. Stir frequently. Add the soaked saffron and see the halva getting better colour. Constantly stir and cook the halva blending well with the sugar. Cook for another 8 to 10minutes and add the remaining ghee. If required add more ghee at intervals so that the halva should not get burned. Add the cardamom powder

You can see the moong dhal laddus, Badam Halva and Coconut barfi with besan in the vessels. Will try to post them separately in the future. :) This is taken on diwali day 29-10-2016.

When it starts to leave the sides of the pan remove it from fire and spread it in an already greased tray. Let it cool and cut it in diamond shapes. Decorate it with nuts and saffron. Or Decorate it with silver foil. Now your almond halva is ready to eat. 

Coconut Barfi with besan added!

Today we are going to see another sweet. That is coconut Barfi with besan. Here are the needed ingredients.

Grated coconut    2 cups

Besan (chana dhal ki atta) 3/4 cup fried in ghee.

Powdered cardamon one teaspoon

Cashewnuts  as per requirement fried in ghee approximately two tablespoons

Sugar approximately 3 cups

Water for making sugar syrup 1/2 cup

ghee     3/4 cup

Grease a plate with ghee and keep it aside. If required  use aluminium foil or  a parchment paper. Then heat a pan or thick bottom kadai. Pour two tablespoon ghee and fry the besan for one minute. Keep it aside. Let it cool. Now pour the half cup water and add the 3 cups sugar in the same vessel. Let it boil for some time. If the sugar is not clean add one ladle milk to remove the dirt from the sugar. It will come like black foam. Remove them and boil the sugar syrup till it becomes to two string consistency. Now add the besan and stir for sometime. Slowly add the ghee also. When it starts to thickens add the grated coconut and stir for some more minutes. The mixture will turn to bubbling. Continuously stir the mixture. Add the remaining ghee.  Now it begins to thicken and slowly the bubbles will reduce. Cook it till the bubbles vanish. Now add the cardamom powder and fried cashew nuts. Now the mixture will begin to leave the sides of the pan. Immediately remove the mixture from the fire and pour it to the already prepared pan and level it with a help of the ghee pasted plantain leaf or with a spatula dipped in ghee. Let it cool for 10 minutes and cut it to desired shapes when it is still hot. Let it cool down completely and store in an air tight jar. 

Moongdhal laddu!

Here is some sweet for Diwali. Actually I was about to post it before Diwali.  But some other reason it didn't work out.

Now we will see about the Moong Dhal Ladus.

Moong Dhal whole 1/4 KG  fry it and powder it in a flour mill. Take 2 full cups of powder to prepare ladus.

Sugar powdered  4 cups, If you like more sweet add another one cup sugar powder

Cardamom powdered one teaspoon

Cashewnuts fried in ghee two table spoons or according to your taste

Pure Ghee   One full cup or 200 grams. I used Aavin Ghee for this.

Take a big bowl and mix the moong dhal powder and sugar powder. Heat ghee in a pan and add cashewnuts. Fry it till it become golden brown. Add in the mixture. Add cardamom powder also, Mix well. Heat the same pan and pour the ghee and let it boil for 2 to 3 minutes. When the ghee is ready pour the ghee in the mixture. Mix well. Let it cool for some time. Then make balls. Your moong dhal laddu is ready to eat. Keep it in a dry box. You can use it for atleast a month. It will not spoil!

Methi Sambar

Ingredients:

One bunch fresh methi. Cleaned and chopped into fine pieces

Tamarind lemon size. soak it in water and extract 2 cups of juice

Thur dhal boiled and smashed 1/2 cup

salt to taste

For tempering

Gingley oil or any cooking oil one table spoon

Mustard seeds one teaspoon

Methi seeds one teaspoon

Green chillies 2 numbers chopped

Red chillies 2 numbers

Curry leaves

Hing powder or Hing solid a small piece

sambar powder 2 teaspoons

Cook the thurdhal in a pressure cooker adding half teaspoon turmeric powder. Heat the pan and add one tablespoon cooking oil. Add mustard seeds and after it crackles add methi seeds, green chillies and red chillies. Add hing and curry leaves. Fry for sometime and add the finely chopped methi leaves and fry for 2 minutes. Add the tamarind juice, salt and sambar powder. Let it boil for atleast 10 minutes. Then add the smashed (boiled) thur dhal. Boil the sambar for another 2 minutes and remove it from fire and serve hot with hot rice or dosa or chappathi.