Purana Kozhukattai (Coconut & Jaggery)

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

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

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

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

Ingredients:

For Outer Cover:

Rice flour -3 cups

salt a pinch

Water 3 cups

Oil or ghee - 1 table spoon

For Filling:

Grated coconut - 1cup

Jaggery - 1/2 cup

Cardamom powder ½ sp

Roasted gram powder – 1 table spoon (Pottukadai podi)

Method:

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

This mixture is called Puranam in Tamil.

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

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

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

Grease your hand with Ghee.

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

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

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

Brown Channa Sweet Sundal

It's Navrathri season, every one is busy in making Sundal, Neivedhyam and in decorating golu steps.
It's a colorful month, with daily feast in most of our home.

Being a sweet tooth, i can't resist my self from making this sweet sundal.
Not only it is sweet, Yeah it's loaded with lot's of Iron and Protein. Generally, we know that brown channa has high amount of Iron in it, and the addition of Jaggey increase the iron content and makes this recipe Iron rich.

Ingredients:

Brown Channa Sundal - 100 gm
Jaggery - 50 gm
Cardamom - 3 pinch
Grated coconut  - 1/2 cup.

Method :

Soak the channa overnight or upto 8 to 12 hours.

Drain the water, wash it and pressure cook for 3 to 4 whistle or until done.

Once the channa is cooked drain and keep it aside.

Heat a Pan add the Powdered Jaggery stir so that it will melt.

Add the Channa sundal, Cardamom powder and Grated Coconut.

Mix well until the Jaggery get stick to the channa and all the water evaporate.

Once done switch off and Serve.

Note:  Do not waste the water which we get from pressure cooking channa, it's highly nutritious, make it a soup.

Vazhakkai Chips

It goes very well as a side dish for rice or as a snack....Really busy with my exams and wanna make
a very simple recipe to keep my blog active hence made it...

Ingredients:

Plantain - 1 no.
oil to fry
Chilly Powder - as per spice level
Salt to taste

Method:

Peel the skin of Plantain and slice circle wise.
Heat oil in a pan and deep fry it till golden brown.
once fried to crispy chips keep the chips in shallow vessel.
Add chilly powder and salt to it.
shuffel it well so the spice get coated to all the chips.
when reached room temperature store it in air tight container.

Verkadalai Urundai / Groundnut Laddoos

This is such an easy and healthy sweet to make ...No need of Ghee, as the peanut/ Groundnut itself emits oil while grinding...

Usually most of my recipe i have posted are deep South Indian only because we make these varieties often at home and i am so happy to post this recipe in TST (Tamizhar samayal Tuesday) Event, where a group of bloggers post traditional Tamilnadu cuisines on 2nd and 4th Tuesday...

Ingredients:

Peanut / Groundnut - 250 gm
Jaggery - 250 gm
Cardamon - 4 nos
White or black sesame seeds - 1 tbsp.

Method:
Get de-skinned roasted peanuts, which is readily available in all stores.
Slightly dry roast it.
And also dry roast sesame seed and keep it aside.
Grate Jaggery.
Now in the mixer add Peanut, Cardamon and run it until it ground coarsely.
Now add Jaggery and run the mixer so that both the ingredient get mixed well.
In the final run add Sesame seed and run it once.
Place the mixed powder in a shallow bowl and make a round shape balls out of it.
Once cooled store it in air tight container.

Note: 500 gm ingredients (250+250) give 30 small Laddoos...

Ellu Urundai (Sesame Seed Laddu)

   It's a Traditional Recipe of Tamilnadu....

I have tasted it a lot of time during my school days, Mom use to make this often as our snack and we enjoy this lovely laddu after school in evening, later after my marriage i use to get this in supermarket but that never tasted as my homemade one, Store brought one is so hard to bit and our home made is so soft and melts in mouth...It's so Healthy especially for women, but this should be avoided during pregnancy....


This recipe doesnt need Ghee or oil to roll as laddu as the oily property of Sesame seed emits oil while grinding it.

I have used Black sesame seed for this recipe...

Ingredients:

Sesame Seed (Ellu) - 2 cup
Jaggery - 300 gm
Cardamon - 2 nos.

Method:

Dry roast the Sesame seed, until the nice aroma comes.
While roasting every seed will splutter.
Allow to cool the sesame seed.
Grate the jaggery and keep it aside.
Once the Sesame seed cooled, Grind it in mixer along with cardamon pieaces.
when it got powdered coarsely add Jaggery allow to run in pulse for 1 or 2 times.
Transfer it to a Pan and Make a round shape Laddu out of the mixed powder.
Keep it in Air tight container, it will be good for about 10 days outside refrigerator.

Black Urud dal Vadai (karrupu ulundu vadai)

      This is my first post with complete platter arrangement....a perfect breakfast of Tamilnadu..

Recipe for Black Urud dal Medhu Vadai:

This is such a healthy protein packed recipe...


Ingredients:

Black urud dal(Split) - 1 cup
Onion chopped - 1 no.
Curry leaves - handful
Red chilly - 2 nos.
Salt to taste
Oil to fry.

Method:

Soak black urud dal for 1 and 1/2 an hour.
Drain the water completely and grind it in grinder along with Red chilly.
If required sprinkle water very slightly.
Finally add salt.
Once the batter is ready add Onion, curry leaves and coriander leaves.
Adding chopped ginger is optional.
The batter consistency will be like we can round it and make a ball out of it...
Heat a Pan with oil to fry.
In a plantain leaf or in a plate grease with water or bit oil and make a round flat vadai shape.
Fry it in the pan.

And this can be served with Coconut chutney...


Check here for Ven Pongal
Coconut chutney

Moong Dal Onion Kachori

                           

         I use to closely follow most of the blog challenges and contest, which is so inspiring and a way to learn varieties of recipes...Unfortunately due to lots of traveling I couldn't get committed to any of them.

Recently I found a delicious Rajasthani kachori platter by Manjula of  Desi Fiesta, which is so  tempting and inspiring me to try it as soon..
Today first time tried my hands in making it by following that recipe with some changes...It is a great hit in my home.



Ingredients:

For Dough making:
Maida  - 1 cup
Oil for kneading
Salt to taste.

For Filling:

Yellow moong dal - 1 tbsp. / Handful. (Soaked for an hour)
Onion - 1 (Optional)
Cummin seeds - 1/4 tsp
Fennel Seeds - 1/4 tsp
Coriander seed - 1/2 tbsp
Amchur powder - 1/4 tsp
Chilly powder - 1/4 tsp
Turmeric - 2 pinch
Garam masala - 1/4 tsp
salt to taste
Oil to fry

Method:

Combine Maida, salt and oil also required amount of water and knead the dough.
Rest it for upto 10 mins by covering it with a wet cloth.

Grind the Moong Dal coarsely and keep it aside.
Heat a pan add oil and temper with Fennel seed and cumin seeds.
Add Onion and sauté for a minute.
Add the coarsely grinded dal and Coriander seeds, Amchur powder, chilly powder, Garam masala and turmeric powder.
Mix well and add Salt to it.

Take a small portion of dough.
Round it and roll it into small circle.
Fill the centre with the prepared moondal filling and close it.
Again slightly press the filled dough to get it circle shape.
Fry the Kachoris in a hot oil with medium flame.
Serve it with Tomato sauce and green chutney..

Kambu / Pearlmillet Ladoo

This is very healthy and good old recipe of our tradition...

Ingredient:

Pearl Millet flour - 2 cup
Jaggery - 1 cup
Sesame seeds - 1 tsp
Elachi - 1/2 tsp
Fried coconut slice - 1/2 cup
Ghee - required amount to fry.


Method:

Dissolve jaggey in required (minimum) water and heat it till it dissolves.
Filter the syrup.
Add the Jaggery syrup with PM Flour.
Make a dough like we do for chappathi.
Roll it and make chappathis out or it.

 

Cook the roti by adding ghee slightly by flipping both the sides.
Once the roti is cooled make a pieace of the roti and grind it in mixer.
Add elachi powder, roasted sesame seeds and coconut slice to it.
Now add little ghee and make a round shape for ladoo.


Happy in sending this to TST.

Masal Vadai

                    Masal Vadai is also called Ama Vadai, I like this crispy Channa Dal fritters.
You can see it in most of the hotels and tea stalls.
Some  8 years back when we were in Guindy, Chennai, there was a shop which sells this masal vadai for just 1 Rupees...
That shop operates only in evening and till 8.00 PM, but the whole 4 hours it will be so rush and the sale was always in peak.

Here goes the recipe...

Ingredients:

Channa dal - 1 cup
Curry leaves - hand full
Asefodita - 2 pinch
Dried Red chilly - 2
Onion - 1 no.
Fennel seed - 1/4 tsp (optional)
Salt to taste
Oil to fry.

Method:

Soak the Channa dal for 2 hours

Drain the water from dal and grind it along with curry leaves, salt and red chilly.
The consistency should be coarse. Just sprinkle water and grind.
Add finely chopped onion and fennel seeds to the coarsely grinded mixture.
Make a round ball shape and pad it in between your palm to semi flat.
deep fry in oil, flip to turn back so that it will cook evenly.
Now take out the fritters by draining excess oil.
Its ready to serve

 

Pearl millet / Kambu Thattai

                      I am so happy to post this recipe, this is my innovation on using millets instead of rice on snacks items.
But there is no compromise on taste, even no one found it until i tell them that it is made up of pearl millet, but the color bit differs from rice thattai and pearl millet thattai...
I have bought the pearl millet, washed it well, sundried and grinded it in the Flour Mill.























Ingredients:

Pearl Millet flour  - 4 cup
Urud dal - 1/2 cup + 2 tsp
Curry leaves - few
Roasted gram dal - 1 tbsp.
Chilly powder - 1 tsp
Sesame seed - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Oil to deep fry

Method:

Dry roast Urud Dal and grind it to fine powder.

Dry roast roasted gram dal and keep aside.

Mix Pearlmillet, urud dal, roasted gram dal, curry leaves,sesame seed, chilly powder, Ghee and salt.

Add little by little water and make a non sticky smooth dough, be careful in adding water.

Separate and make a small round balls (Gooseberry size) and pat it to flat thattai. This can be done by placing the rounded small ball dough in banana leaf or in greased plastic cover.

Prick with fork before frying the flat thattai and Deep fry it in oil.
I am sending this to WTML event @ Asiyama Page

Rajma Kofta

    I never missed making Kofta or cutlet when there is a get-together in our home...Usually i make it with Channa dal, and i always get appreciated for this recipe.
I also have another habit like if i am invited to some ones place for lunch, or even we planned to visit any relatives home then i use to carry some home cooked sweets or savouries for them where i get some satisfaction in that...

This recipe i tried with Rajma....hope we don't have any rules that kofta should be in cylindrical shape :) so, i made it flat and round.

One more reason for making this kofta is we have some homemade Yogurt Mint dip and Hummus in our fridge...so, we would love to have it with this koftas...

Ingredients:

Rajma - 1 cup
Potatoes - 2
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
Chilly powder - 1 tsp
salt to taste
Oil to shallow fry
Corn flour - 1 tbsp.



Method:
Soak the Rajma overnight and pressure cook along with  de skinned potatoes.
Drain excess water.
Grind the Rajma in mixer, coarsely  do not add water and mash the potatoes with hand.
Add ginger garlic paste, Garam masala, chilly powder and salt and mix well.
It will be in a dough consistency.
Dissolve the corn flour in water to get the starch, it should be in milk consistency.
It is important to use corn flour starch otherwise the koftas will get dissolved in oil or it will break.

Now roll the dough to desire shape, dip it in corn starch and shallow fry it.
Serve it with tomato ketchup or with any of your favourite Dips.




 

VazhaiPoo Vadai...

                     Day before yesterday i bought a vazhaipoo and made podimas out of it, i had a few vazhaipoo still unpeeled from the blossom, so i thought of  trying this Vazhaipoo Vadai out of it....

I never tasted it but, heard a lot about it, I remember even in some movie they highlight it as specialty of chettinad cooking and also i can say it as a budget recipe yes, here i bought this vazhaipoo for just 10Rs.

I just made a similar dough as for paruppu vadai and added the chopped vazhaipoo along with it.
it was so crispy and tastes heavenly we loved it...

Ingredients:

Channa Dal - 2 cup
Vazhaipoo chopped - 1 cup
Curry leaves - handful
Fennel seeds - 1 tsp
Redchilly - 2
Salt to taste
Oil to fry

Method:

Soak the Channa Dal for 1 to 2 hours and grind it with curry leaves, red chilly, saunf and salt.
Add the finely chopped vazhaipoo with the grinded mixture.
Pat the Vadai mixture to flat round shape and deep fry it in oil, cook well till it turns golden brown.

Now the crispy Vazhaipoo vadai is ready to eat...

I am packing it to event "Eat Seasonal Food, Fresh" happening @ . Motions and Emotions  by Jagruti’s Cooking Odyssey

And to SIC–South Indian Cooking , happending @ Nivedhanam Event by Anu's healthy kitchen.

 

Mini Rasamalai

    I love sweets, but i never thought of trying Rasagulla thinking its very difficult recipe...
But last week, when i was in my SIL place her daughter insisted me to try this recipe, she is a cute little fan for my recipes, so i thought to give a try for rasagulas and turned the recipe to Rasamalai.


Ingredients:

Full fat milk - 1 ltr
Curd - 2 tbsp
Sugar - 2 cup
badam - 1 tbsp
Cardamon - 2

In a pressure cooker or heavy botton pan boil the 3/4 ltr milk, when it starts boiling add the curd and mix well so that the milk will get curdled, boil well so that the whey water will separate completely from the curdled milk.
Drain the whey from curdled milk using a muslin cloth, so that you get a paneer without water,
rub the paneer for 10 minutes so that you get a soft dought from the paneer,
when you roll it to round shape there wouldn't be any crack in it...make a small round ball out of it...

In a heavy bottom pan pour a water, cardamon and sugar, once it start boiling add the paneer ball one by one close the pan and let it boil for 10 mins, inbetween open the cover and just roll the balls to middle if it gets to the corner...the paneer ball will get raised double in size once it is cooked well...

Remove the balls and keep aside.

Boil 1/4 ltr milk with added sugar and badam, it will get a thick consistency with in 5 mins, drop the rasagulla / paneer balls in the milk, and keep it in fridge to get cool mini rasamalai...

 

I am packing it to Krishna Jayanthi (Janamashtami), Independence day and Raksha Bandhan.  , happening @ Nivedhanam event by Simpletadka

 

And sending it to "Friends Forever" (Celebrating Friendship Day)

 

 

Cholam Kuzhi Paniyaram | Chola Kuzhi Paniyaram | Sorghum or Jowar Recipe

Kuzhi Paniyaram is a traditional and  famous tiffen / breakfast in Tamil nadu.
This Paniyaram can be made with Rice / millet / Dal with 'n' number of variation in flavor and taste.

This recipe is made with little millet , "Sorghum" , Cholam in tamil and known as Jowar in Hindi.

This Sorghum millet gives nice flavor to this recipe...now i have made it as plain Paniyaram without addition of any masala.  Soon will come up with other variations too :)

Addition of finely chopped coconut gives a nice crunchy bite to this dish. Usually it is paired up with spicy tomato chutney.


Ingredients:

Cholam - 2 cup
Rice  - 1 cup
Urud dal - 1/2 cup

To temper:
Mustard - 1 tsp
Jeera - 1tsp
Bengal gram - 2 tsp
Curry leaves  - few
Redchilly - 4
Coconut - sliced 1/2 inch pieaces 1 cup.

Clean and soak dal, cholam and rice.
For Cholam and Rice soaking time is 4 hours and for urud dal not more than 1 hr.
Soak the above ingredients and grind it to fine paste as for idly, add salt
(mixing salt with hand is important to ger fermented batter) and this batter require 8 hours/over night fermentation...

Once fermented, heat a oil in pan for tempering with mustard, jeera, bengal gram, curry leaves, redchilly and finally add coconut.
Mix well and pour it in hot oil greased paniyara kuzhi, cover and cook.

I am Sending this to Healthy Diet - Cooking with Whole Grains, happening @ Priya's Space.

And also packing it to SIC–South Indian Cooking , happending @ Nivedhanam Event by Anu's healthy kitchen

Thinai Urundai

          Even though my native is Nellai, i have been completely bought up in Chennai...
I am used to few traditional  recipes but, never come across most of the millets...

This is the first time i have tried my hands in Thinai / Foxtail millet, i really excited to make this thinai urundai, as i am going to taste it first time and also this will conclude whether i try any other recipes using thinai further or not.
I washed it well and sun dried it...

Ingredients:
Thinai / Foxtail millet - 2 cup
Jaggery - 1 & 1/2 cup
Ghee - 3/4 cup
nuts - 2 tbs

Method:
Dry roasted thinai along with cardamon and grinded to powder (I grinded by giving it to the flour Mill), then added gratted jaggery,  roasted nuts and a hot ghee....mixed well to make a ball shape with the powder.
Keep in airtight container...Healthy tasty snack.

And one more thing, i am really eagar to try other recipes of thinai sooon...wait fo it.

 

Simple Channa Sundal

I regularly use beans (Sundal varieties) in my cooking Like channa, Rajma blackeyed bean etc.,

And this Simple channa sundal is one of my favourite, Hope you would have noticed the sweet taste in yellow channa variety...

however you can try this recipe using brown channa also..

Ingredients:
Yellow channa - 1 cup
Coconut shredded - 1/2 cup
Jeera and mustard - 1 tsp
Oil to temper
Sambar powder  - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - few
Red chilly - 1
Salt to taste.

Method:

Soak the Channa over night and drain the water.
Now pressure cook with fresh waster with required salt.
Once the channa is cooked to soft texture, Pour 2 tsp oil in pan to temper.
Temper with jeera, mustard, curry leaves, redchilly and add sambar powder, finally add the coconut and the main ingredient channa...
Check for salt and serve...

 

Yam / Karunaikizhangu kola urundai

Ingredients:

Yam / Karunaikizhangu - 1/4 kg
Tamarind paste - 1/2 spoon
Turmeric - 1/4 spoon
Oil to fry
Salt to taste
Coconut shredded - 1/2 cup
Saunf - 1 tsp
onion - 1
Bengal gram - 2 tbsp (Soaked in water for atleast 1/2 hour)
Redchilly - 2 nos (according to your spice level)
Pepper corn - 1 tsp
Ginger garlic paste - 2 tsp
Coriander powder - 2 tsp


Method:

Clean and cube the yam to boil in water with turmeric and tamarind. once the yam is cooked 3/4th drain the water and keep it aside.

In a pan oil and roast all the ingredients other than coconut once the yam is cooked 3/4th transfer water drained yam to frying pan and roast along with ingrediants...

Keep it ot turn to room temperature and grind it in mixy (you should not add water), now add the shredded coconut to the dough...and make a ball out of it.
If the dough sticks to your hand pad your hand with oil, and deep fry the yam balls.

 

Ragi Paniyaram | Kezhvaraagu Kuzhi paniyaram | Finger Millet Paniyaram

I love to try more traditional and healthy snacks...one of my favourite and the hit in my home is this Paniyaram...

1 Cup Ragi
1/2 Cup Jaggery
1/2 spoon Elachi powder
1 Riped Banana (Possibly Nendram, as it gives good flavour).
Sliced coconut pieaces fried in ghee.
Oil / Ghee to fry

Mix the above ingrediants together to get a batter(similar to dosa batter) for kuzhipaniyaram (Except Oil)..
Coat the pan with ghee / oil and pour the batter in Paniyaram pan.
cover and cook well..once cooked serve it hot...


Note: It's your option to add small portion of rice flour with this batter

Healthy and Tasty Snack.

Sending this to Healthy Diet – Cooking with WholeGrains event by Priya.

Wheat Jaggery Paniyaram

 

My guest insist me to make this wheat paniyaram, when ever they visit me...It's liked by kid's  aloot... 

 

Wheat jaggery paniyaram

 

Ingredients:

Wheat - 1 cup

Jaggery  - 3/4 cup

Banana  - 1 small (riped)

Cardamon powder  - 1 sp

 

 

Method:

 

Make a battar with above ingredients, mix it without lumps and coating ghee in paniyara pan make it.

Stove should be in sim, and can pour the batter only after the pan is hot.

 

Shakkarpara

 

Shakkarpara...Crispy wheat busicut

 

The easiest snack....

 

Ingredients:

 

Wheat  - 1 cup

Sugar powdered - 1/4 cup

Cardamon powder  1 sp

 

Make like a chappathi dough, roll it same like chappathi, and cut to the diamond shape and perk it with Fork to avoid raising like puri.

Deep fry in oil.