Nippattu / Thattai

Ingredients :

Raw rice - 4 cups

Black gram - ½ cup
Asafoetida powder - 2 tbsp
Roasted and broken groundnut - 1 cup
Chilly powder - 1½ tbsp
Gram - 2 tbsp
Salt - As reqd
Butter - 100 gm
Oil for frying

Preparation method :

1)Wash and clean the rice well. Leave it to dry.

2)Once it has dried completely, powder it nicely.
3)Fry the black gram till they become orange and powder it. Keep it aside.
4)Allow the gram soak in water for one hour.
5)Mix together the rice flour, black gram flour, soaked gram, groundnut, chilly powder, asafoetida powder, salt and butter.
6)Heat oil in a kadai or a pan.
7)Take a small sized ball of the dough, flatten it and make it into a circular shape.
8)Drop it gently into the hot oil and fry till golden brown.
9)Keep flipping the sides till the thattai is done.

Murukku

Ingredients :

Rice flour - 3 cups
Black gram - 1 cup
Yellow corn flour - 1 tbsp
Gram flour - 1 tbsp
Butter - 1 small cube
(1" thick and long)
Sesame seeds - A few

Asafoetida - A pinch

Salt - As reqd

Chilly powder - 1 tsp (optional)

Oil for deep frying

Preparation method :

1)Roast the rice powder, till the roasted smell comes. Keep it aside.

2)Powder the black gram in a mixer, till fine.
3)Fry this powder along with the Bengal gram flour and the corn flour.
:- The corn flour adds to the crispiness.
4)Add sesame seeds, salt, butter cube, asafoetida and chilly powder.
6)Add water and knead the above into a soft dough.
7)Heat oil in a wide mouthed kadai or a pan.
8)Grease the murukku mould and put required amount of dough into the mould and squeeze it to round or any other shape into the hot oil directly.
9)When slightly brown, reverse it to cook the other side.
10)Drain off the excess oil and allow it to cool.

Dry Fruits Halwa

Ingredients :

Cashew
Raisins
Pistachio
Badam
Milk
Sugar
Ghee
Saffron colour

Preparation Method :

1. Soak all the 4 nuts in milk for 2 hours.
2. Grind them to a paste adding the same milk.
3. Add ghee in a kadai and add the ground paste and also add a little saffron color.
   
4. Keep mixing till it becomes thick and leaves the sides of the vessel.
5. Garnish with broken/powdered dry fruits.

Crispy Prawn

Ingredients :

Prawn
egg - 2
Maida
turmeric powder
Chilli powder
Salt
Bread crumbs

Preparation Method :

1. Pressure cook prawn for 2-3 min
2. In a mixing bowl, add chili powder, turmeric powder,salt and Maida with little water so as
3. to make a consistency as for Bajji.
4. Dip the prawn in this maida mixture followed by egg and Bread crumbs at the end.
5. Drop these bread crumbs coated prawns in hot oil and deep fry.
6. Crispy prawn fry is ready!

Varamahalkakshmi Festival

This was my spread for Varamahalakshmi Festival.

I made sweet pongal, avalakki uppittu, avalakki sweet,moong dal payasam and masala vada.

We also offered some fruits and flowers with the thamboolam to Devi.

My husband and daughter loved the food and my daughter couldnt wait to taste them!

We have Janmashtami in the coming week now and I am all set to cook AGAIN!!

Egg Kurma

Ingredients :

Part I:

• Eggs - 3
• Green chillies - 3
• Onion,minced - 1
• turmeric powder

Part II:

• Onion,minced - 1
• Garlic - 6 pods
• ginger - 2 inch size
• green chillies - 5-6
• Aniseed - 1 tsp
• Tomato 1/2

Part III :

• Cinnamon
• Cloves - 3
• Bay leaf
• Cardamom -3
• Onion, minced - 1

Preparation method :

• Add all the ingredients in Part I along with the beaten egg , blend well and micrawave for about 3-4 minutes.


• The egg rises and gets to a fluffy consistency. Let it cool.


• Once its cool, cut the egg into pieces of 1 inch size and keep aside.


• Add the ingredients in Part II in a kadai with little oil and fry well.


• Grind this fried masala with little water and keep aside.


• Now add the ingredients in Part III in a kadai with oil and fry well, Add the ground masala (from part II).


• Once the masala turns to a light yellow colour, add the cut egg pieces into it .


• Fry well and now add water and let it cok for sometime.


• Once the required consistency of kurma is attained (for roti and dosa, you can make it thick and for rice it will be better if its a little watery) turn of the stove and garnish with coriander leaves.

Note : If you prefer a thicker kurma, then you can add 15ml of coconut milk along with water.

Prawn Biryani

Ingredients :

1. Patta, elakki,lavangam and curry leaves - few
2. ginger garlic paste - 3 Tsp
3. Green chillies - 12
4. Onions (Big)- 2, finely chopped
5. Turmeric powder
6. Salt - to taste
7. Prawn - tail less and cleaned
8. Pudhina/Mint - a handful
9. Basmati rice - 3 cups

Preparation method :

1. Add 1 cup of water and pressure cook the prawn for 5 min.


2. Add 4.5 cups of water to the washed rice and let it cook in an electrical cooker.


3. Add oil to the pan and add the ingredients above in the same order.


4. After adding the prawn, reduce the flame and simmer for 15 min till the masala gets to gravy consistency.


5. Now add the cooked rice onto a aluminium tray and spread well.


6. Add the prawn gravy over it and DO NOT mix.


7. Cover the tray with aluminium foil and let it cook in a conventional oven at 325 Degree F for 30 min.


8. Yummy prawn biryani is ready!

Kuzhi Paniyaram

Ingredients :

Dosa batter - 2 - 3 cups(prepared by grinding 4 cups of idly rice with 1 cup of Urad dhal)

For seasoning:-

• Curry leaves(chopped finely)
• Bengal gram - 2 tsp
• Mustard seeds - 2 tsp
• Black gram - 2 tsp
• Asafoetida- 1/2 tsp
• Salt - As reqd
• Green chillies(finely chopped) - As reqd
• Ginger - 1/2" piece(chopped finely)
• Oil - 4 tbsp

Preparation Method :

1)Heat oil in a pan.

2)Splutter mustard, black gram and Bengal gram.

3)Once they turn light brown, add the asafoetida, curry leaves, chillies and ginger and salt and saute for 2 mins.

4)Add this to the dosa batter and mix well. ( If the batter is little thick, add 1/2 cup of water and then add the above mix.)

5)Heat a paniyaram vessel with a little oil in each of the opening.

6)Add the batter 3/4 the holder and let it cook for 2 - 3 mins per side

7) Serve hot it with chutney.

Set Dosa

Ingredients :

Rice - 2 1/2 cups
Black gram - 1 cup
Rice flakes(Aval/Poha) - 1/4 cup
Cumin seeds- 2 tsp
Salt - 2 tsp

Preparation Method:

1)Soak rice, black gram and poha separately for 4-5 hours.
2)Soak cumin seeds and poha for 45 minutes.
3)Grind all ingredients and make a fine batter.
4)Keep the batter overnight.
5)Add salt.
5)Make set dosas by adding one spoon full of batter in the middle of the pan but not spreading as in ordinary dosas.

PS: This set dosa tastes good with veg kurma and coconut chutney.

Appam with coconut milk

Ingredients:

Raw rice - 4 cups
Cooked rice - 1 cup
Coconut - 1 no
Coconut water - 1/2 cup
Salt– As reqd


Preparation Method:


1)Soak the rice for 4-5 hrs.

2)Grind together raw rice, cooked rice, coconut water & grated coconut to a smooth batter of dosa consistency.

3)Add salt to the batter and mix well.

4)Keep the batter to rise for about 5-6 hours.

5)Before making appams, stir well.

6)Heat a non-stick appam chatti.

7)Pour one big spoon of the batter, rotate the pan and close with lid.

8)When the steam starts coming out, open the lid and take out the appam.

9)Serve hot with coconut milk. (Add sugar to the warm coconut milk before serving).