Kadalai Mavu Murukku

          This is again a very easy version of Murukku. Two varieties of Murukku, I uesd to prepare. First one using, dried rice flour and Urad Dhal flour. The Urad Dhal Murukku has a unique flavour and this is very much relished by some of my friends, hailing from our hometown, Tirunelveli, may be termed even as biased. The other variety was known to me after we started living in Coimbatore. Here the people make Murukkus by grinding the Idli Rice in a wet grinder and mixing it with pottukadali powder. This has a very good taste where as the Urad Dhal Murukku has an aroma. Anyway, both come handy for me.

      This Kadalai Mavu Murukku was tried by me some four months back; the Murukkus were very crispy and tasty. Just by taking 2 cups of rice flour and 1 cup of Beasn Flour, the work gets over in 30 minutes, No grinding, no powdering. Both flours are available across the counter, right from small shops.

                                                 Kadalai Mavu Murukku

Ingredients :

Rice Flour    2 cups
Besan Flour/ Kadalai Mavu  1 cup
Salt  1 tsp.
Hing, Cummin, Oil


Method :

1. Seive both the flours. Mix well. Add salt to taste, Hing and 1 tsp of Cummin and 2 tsp.    of hot oil. Mix well. Add water little by little and make a dough, neither very hard nor   loose.

2. Press the dough into the hot oil using a Murukku mould in round shapes in batches of      four of five depending upon the size of the Kadai. Flip to the other and remove from oil, once the bubbles disappear.

Wheat Flour Dessert

               This is a very easy to prepare dessert in a short time with the common ingredients in the kitchen. Yet the taste is rich.

Ingredients :

Wheat Flour      1/2 cup
Milk                  1 cup
Sugar               3/4  cup.
Milk Powder       2 tsp.
Sooji                 2 tsp.
Cardamom Powder, Oil.


Method :

1. Mix the wheat flour, milk, milk powder, Sooji and a pinch of Cardamom powder with a whisker to a fine batter like Idli batter.

2. Mix the sugar with 3/4 cup of water and let it boil for 2 minutes.Add a pinch  
    of Cardamom Powder.

3. Heat oil in a kadai.Pour the batter with the laddle in round shapes in batches  of four of five. Flip to the other side in a low flame. Once the bubbles dissappear, remove from the oil and squeeze the oil by pressing in between   two perforated laddles.
    
4, Soak in the sugar syrup for 20 minutes, remove and arrange in a tray.
   Garnish with finely chopped, dry nuts. A tasty and rich dessert is ready.

Corn Flour / Karachi Halwa

          Back again from Hibernation ! Mainly due to my son's persuasion; he is really much concerned that my access to the computer may get into a state of oblivion as I have got relieved from my profession and with the mobile in the palms,all errands are executed.Real thanks to him.

      Only after trying this Halwa for Saraswathi Pooja, could I find out that it is one of the easy and quick desserts, yet a very tasty one! Honestly speaking, compelled to try this sweet as my better half got a big pack of corn flour, when requested to buy a little for soup.

              

Corn Flour Halwa

Ingredients :

Corn Flour      0.5 cup
Sugar             1 cup
Ghee              5 tbsp
Cardamom powder, Nuts, Yellow or Red Colour, lime juice

Method :

1. Mix 1 cup of water with the corn flour using a whisker without any lumps.


2. Add 2 cups of water to sugar and boil it on medium flame, stirring in 
    between  till a single string consistency is reached.

3. Add a tsp. of lime juice to the sugar syrup to avoid crystallization; add the          food colour. I added only Turmeric Powder as I always avoid chemicals.No          need to panic about the Turmeric. I can vouch that the aroma of the                  Turmeric  powder is completely lost.

4. Keep on stirring on medium flame. The mixture becomes translucent and            also starts thickening. Add the Ghee slowly. When the mixture starts leaving      the sides of the vessel, preferably, a non stick or a thick bottomed Kadai,          add cardamom powder and the chopped nuts. Transfer to a greased tray and      cut into desired shapes. 

Vazhaipoo Nethili Kuzhambu

                    The name sounds like a fish curry; yet it is a purely vegetarian gravy. Nethili is nothing but the florets of the banana flower, that is Vazhaipoo.
So far, only Poriyal, a side dish for rice and Vaizhaipoo Vadais have been prepared by me. After watching a cookery demonstration, this is the first time, that a gravy has been prepared using the banana flower.

                  This gravy goes well with rice, dosais and chappathis.

Vazhaipoo Nethili Kuzhambu

Ingredients:

Banana Flower florets   1 cup
Besan Flour  3 tbsp.
Rice Flower   1 tbsp.
Tomatoes  2
Big Onion  2
Tamarind 1 lemon size
Oil  0.5 cup.
Chilly Powder   2 tsp.
Coriander Powder  2 tsp.
Grated coconut 0.5 cup.
Turmeric Powder, Salt, Mustard, Split Urad Dhal, Curry Leaves

Method :

1. Mix the Besan flour, rice flour, salt, turmeric powder and 1 tsp. of chilly  powder .Make a batter,  similar to that of the Bajji batter.Dip the florets one by  one in the hot oil and deep fry on medium flame in two or three batches. Set aside.

2. Heat 2 tbsp of the same oil, add the sliced onion, saute with some garlic if 
 preferred. Then add the sliced tomatoes and saute till they shrink.

3. Add three cups of water, extracted from the tamarind.Add 1 tsp. of chilly powder, 2 tsp. of coriander powder, salt to taste and turmeric powder. Mix  well and let it boil on medium flame. Add the fried florets.

4. When the gravy becomes thick, add a fine paste of coconut, ground in the 

 mixer, Simmer for 5 minutes. Season with mustard, Split Urad Dhal and  curry leaves.

Poosanikkai Eriseri

       This is a popular side dish in Onam sadhya. It is somewhat similar to the Poosanikkai kootu, we make.In the Kootu, we don't add Thattapayaru. We add Urad Dhal.

                                                      Eriseri



Ingredients:

Cubed Poosanikkai / Yellow Pumpkin    1 cup.
Thattapayaru  0.5 cup
Grated coconut    6 tbsp
Cummin Seeds / Zeeragam  1 tsp
green Chilly   2
Small onion  4
Chilly Powder   1 tsp.
Red Chilly 2
Coconut Oil, Salt, Turmeric Powder, Mustard, Curry Leaves.

Method :

1. Soak the Payaru for 4 hours. Cook the Pumpkin, Payaru, one Green Chilly, 
    Chilly Powder, Salt and Turmeric Powder till the Pumpkin and Payaru become 
    soft by adding enough water.Pressure cooking can be done, if preferred..


2. Make a fine paste of 4 tbsp. coconut, one green chilly, Zeeragam, onion and      little curry leaves. Mash the cooked Pumpkin and Payaru little.


3. Add the coconut paste to the cooked Pumpkin and simmer for 5 minutes 
    stirring in between.Mix 2 tbsp. of coconut and simmer for a minute.
    Heat 2 tsp. of coconut oil and season with Mustard, broken red chilly and
    curry leaves.Add 1 tsp. of coconut oil. The tasty Eriseri is ready.
  

Beetroot Kichadi

         During my visit to my son's place in New Zealand, had the wonderful opportunity to be close with two of the families from Kerala who were experts in preparing the delicacies of the Onam Sadhya.

      One such acquaintance was so kind to treat with the Onam Sadhya of nearly twenty dishes; it happened to be one of the best and tastiest meals, partook ever by us.Beetroot Kichadi is one among that.

      The other, though had hosted many sumptuous dinners for us, Barbecue party was something new to us and hence, fascinating.

                                          Beetroot Kichadi



Ingredients :

Grated Beetroot   1 cup
Grated coconut    0.5 cup.
Mustard   2 tsp
Zeera   1 tsp
Green chilly   2
Red Chilly   2
Small onion   4
Coconut Oil  4 tsp
Curd   0.5 cup
Curry Leaves.

Method :

1. Heat 2 tsp. of the oil, saute the peeled and grated Beetroot till it is half                cooked.

2. Grind the coconut, green chilly, Zeera, 1 tsp. of mustard, small onion to a 
    fine paste by adding half of the curd. Add it to the Beetroot and let it 
    simmer.Add salt.Then add the remaining curd and simmer for a few 
    minutes.

3.Heat 1 tsp. of oil and season with the mustard, broken red chilly and curry
   leaves.Add the remaining coconut oil and stir.

An aromatic and tasty side dish that goes well with rice, Dosai or 
Roti is ready.   

      

Rava Laddu - New

                      A post after nearly 3 years.Incredible yet true.Even in those days, when cooking videos were not so common in YouTube,I was not for any advertisements for my blogs; now unimaginable, the You Tube is flooded with the videos of so many recipes, for a single dish, each with some variation and zeroing in on any required recipe may not be that easy.

             To me, writing these recipes is to save for me, something that tried for the first time for future use; it is pretty much easier than turning the pages of our cookery book.Gone are the days of the laptop;that too with the mobile phone, it is a child's play.

                                               Rava Laddus

Ingredients :

Roasted Rava / Sooji     1 cup.
Sugar      1.5 cup
Grated coconut   1.5 cup
Ghee  3 tbsp.
cardamom Powder, Raisins, Cashew, Almond.

Method :

1. If the Rava is roasted already, well and good. If not, heat 1 tbsp of Ghee and      roast the Rava. Set aside.

2.Heat 1 tbsp. of Ghee, saute the coconut slightly.

3.Add half cup of water to the sugar. Place on the stove, keep on stirring until a 
   single string consistency is formed.

4.Add the Rava, coconut, cardamom powder, roasted raisins and nuts to the 
   syrup.Mix well.It may be watery; don't panic.As time goes, the syrup is 
   absorbed. Smear the palm with Ghee and make into balls.

With 1 cup of Rava, nearly 25- 27 laddus of 600 grams can be made.