Instant Thiratti Pal/Curdled Milk Sweet..

Thiratti Paal is a very famous milk sweet made by tamilians for many occasions. The traditional method is to boil the milk on low heat for a long time and let it thicken to form a curdled mixture.But the microwave method of doing it is so simple and hardly needs any effort!!
This is a very popular recipe and i'm sure many of them are aware of it.
But for those who don't know,here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

Condensed Milk - 1 Tin (i used the 14 oz tin)

Warm milk - 2 Tbsp

Fresh thick curd - 2 Tbsp

Ghee -1/2 Tsp

Procedure:

1.Mix all the ingredients except ghee in large microwave safe bowl and microwave on HIGH for 5 mins stirring once in between.

2. Then add the ghee and mix well and microwave again on HIGH for 1 minute.

3. Let stand for 2 minutes before serving.Yummy thiratti pal ready!!

Note: 

1. Do not forget to stir in between the first five minutes.

2.The power of each microwave differs, so have a watch when it is cooking.

3.I microwaved it six minutes before adding ghee to get the brown colour. You can do the same depending on the power of your microwave.

Sakkarai Pongal/Sweet Rice Pudding..

Wishing You All a Very Happy Pongal, I would like to add the recipe for Sakkarai Pongal which is made on this auspicious day.Here is my recipe:

Ingredients:

Raw rice-1 Cup

Moong dhall/Paasipparuppu-1/4 Cup

Jaggery-2 Cups(powdered or grated)
 
Milk-1 Cup

Cardamom powder-a pinch

Cashews-a few

Ghee-1/4 Cup

Water-2 Cups

Procedure:

1.Traditionally, the Pongal is made in a "Ponga Paanai" or a Bronze Pot, a heavy bottomed vessel in which the rice and dhall is cooked in milk, but a cooker or any thick bottomed pan with lid can also be used in its place.

2.Wash the rice well and set aside and roast the moong dhall for a few minutes until aromatic.

3.Boil milk in the cooker and when it starts boiling, add the rice and dhall along with the water and pressure cook for 2 to 3 whistles.

4.Meanwhile melt the jaggery adding very little water and strain the liquid into another container to remove any debris or impurities in it.

5.Open the cooker once it is done and cooled down and add the jaggery liquid to it.

6.Stir the mixture  and let it cook with the lid open on low flame and add some ghee (holding back some for the garnish) while it cooks.

7.Heat the remaining ghee and fry the cashews until brown and pour it on top of the Pongal along with a pinch of cardamom.Close the lid and let it sit for a few minutes before serving.

8.And there, delicious, ghee flavoured Sakkarai Pongal is ready!!

                                                                    Pongalo Pongal!!

Melagu Vadai/Flattened Peppercorn Fritters..

Melagu vadai is also a festival menu made for Hanumath Jayanthi which marks the birth of Lord Hanuman.
This vadai is made of whole black lentils or urad dhall and unlike the usual medhu vadai, this vadai is supposed to be flat and crispy.
The ingredients for both the vadas are the same except for the method of preparation.
Last week, for the the first time i prepared this for Hanumath Jayanthi and was very happy that it turned out good.Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

Muzhu Ulunthu/Whole Urad Dhall-1 Cup

Raw Rice-1 Tbsp(optnl)

Ghee or hot oil-1 Tbsp

Peppercorns-1 Tbsp

Asafoetida/peringayam-a pinch

Chopped Curry leaves-a few(optnl)

Oil to deep fry

Salt to taste

Water

Procedure:

1.Wash the urad dhall and rice(if using) and soak it for half and hour.

2.Drain the water completely and grind it into a coarse paste along with peppercorns,jeera,salt and hing ading very little water if needed.If using curry leaves,add it towards the end and pulse it twice.

3.Add the hot oil or ghee to the batter and mix it well.

4.The vada batter should be a thick paste otherwise patting it would become difficult.

5.Switch on the heat for the oil on medium high.

6.Take a small lemon sized ball of the batter and pat it lightly into a flat disc on a greased plastic or ziplock cover by wetting your hands a little.

7.Slowly invert the vada into your right hand and drop it into the oil carefully frying it until crisp and golden brown.

8.Drain it on a paper towel and enjoy the yummy taste of pepper in the vadai!!

                                                             Bolo Jai Hanuman Ki!!

Uppu Cheedai and Vella Cheedai/Salt and Sweet Rice Flour Bites..

"Chinna Chinna padham vaithu kanna nee vaa vaa vaa"..
This is a song which is sung to invite Lord Krishna home at the time of Gokulashtami or His Janmashtami.
What else comes to our mind when we talk of Gokulashtami???Nothing but the crunchy,crispy,yummy Uppu cheedai and Vella cheedai.These are small deep fried rice balls and is supposedly meant to Lord Krishna's favourite.
I am sure its not only His, but ours too!!
The Uppu Cheedai is the salt version and the Vella Cheedai is the sweet version of it.

Recipe for Uppu Cheedai:

Ingredients:

Rice flour-1 Cup

Roasted Ulutham maavu/Urad dhall flour-2 Tbsp

White sesame seeds/ellu-1 Tsp(optnl)

Pepper-1Tsp

Jeera-1 Tsp

Coconut pieces-about 10 or Grated coconut-1 Tbsp

Softened Butter-2 Tbsp

Asafoetida/Peringayam/hing-a pinch

Salt to taste

Oil to deep fry

Procedure:

1.Roast the rice flour for 5-7 minutes untill aromatic.

2.Grind the pepper, cumin and coconut if using pieces coarsely.

3.Sieve the rice and urad dhall flour well and mix all the ingredients adding very little water only if necessary to form a tight dough.

4.Heat oil in a kadai or deep frying pan. 

5.Take a damp muslin cloth or a damp paper towel and spread it on the ground.

5.Roll out the dough into small marble sized balls on the spread cloth.

6.Drop them in the oil in small batches and fry untill golden brown.

7.Keep moving the cheedai in the oil so that it does stick to each other in a bunch.

8.Drain them on a paper towel and store them in a air tight container for upto a month.

Note:Cheedai is generally known to burst when dropped in oil and it can cause a real catastrophe in your kitchen.To avoid the same,the following points have to be kept in mind while making it:

1.Both rice and the urad dhall flour should be very fine for which sieving is important.Any coarse thing may also lead to bursting of the cheedai while frying.

2.There should be absolutely no moisture in them, care to be taken especially if using frozen coconut that is thawed.

3.The balls should be rolled out lightly and not tight as it may cause the cheedai to burst while frying.

Recipe for Vella Cheedai:

Ingredients:

Rice flour-1 Cup

Roasted Ulutham maavu/Urad dhall flour-2 Tbsp


Powdered/grated Jaggery-1 Cup

White sesame seeds/ellu-1 Tsp

Coconut chopped into small thin pieces/grated coconut-1 Tbsp

Cardamom Powder-a pinch

Softened Unsalted Butter-2 Tbsp

Water to melt jaggery

Oil to deep fry

Procedure:

1.Roast the rice flour well until pinkish white and aromatic,a little more than we do for Uppu Cheedai.

2.Let it cool and dry roast the sesame seeds and coconut pieces in the same pan for a few minutes.

3. Sift the rice flour and urad dhall flour and add the sesame seeds, coconut pieces, cardamom powder and butter.

4.Meanwhile boil water in a vessel and add the powdered or grated jaggery to it.

5.Once the jaggery melts,using a strain it into another vessel using a strainer to remove any debris in the jaggery.

6.Now heat the strained jaggery for a few minutes to form a thin syrup and then remove it from the heat.

7.Slowly add the rice flour to it and stir to form a tight dough without any lumps or the jaggery water can also be added to the rice flour mixture little by little to do the same.

8.Either ways,care should be taken while adding the jaggery water as excess water may spoil the dough.

9.Cover it with a damp cloth or paper towel and let it rest for about 15-20 minutes.

10.Roll out the dough into small gooseberry size balls little bigger than the Uppu Cheedai.

11.Heat oil on medium and fry the Vella Cheedai in small batches until golden brown.

12.Drain on a paper towel and store it in an air tight container.

Note:The Vella Cheedai usually has cracks on its surface unlike the uppu cheedai which is normal.
Excess jaggery may cause the vella cheedai to break when dropped in oil or it may even turn out very hard.

Thiruvathirai Kali and Ezhu Kari Kootu..

Back after a long break,im very happy to add a new recipe to my blog!
This is a very traditional sweet dish and is prepared for an auspicious occasion among the TamBrams called "Thirvathirai" for Lord Nataraja. The sweet dish is paired with "Ezhu kari Kootu" or in other words a spicy seven vegetable kootu which includes a lot of root vegetables like Kavathu kizhangu, Senaikizhangu, Maravalli kizhangu, Pushanikkai, Parangikkai, Avarakkai and Mochai Payiru.
People, please pardon me.The english names for the above veggies will soon follow!! The combination may sound a bit weird, but trust me people it tastes unbelievable!! Now having made the kali and kootu last week for Thiruvadhirai,the recipe is fresh in my mind and i would like to put it down before i forget!! Here goes the recipe:

Ingredients for the Kali:

Raw Rice-1 cup

Jaggery-1 cup or 1 and half depending on the sweetness of the jaggery and individual's taste

Moong Dhall/Paasi Paruppu- a handful

Ghee-2 Tbsp

Cashews-few to garnish

Crushed Cardamom pods-3 to 4 to garnish

Coconut scrapings-5 Tbsp

Water

Procedure:

1.Dry roast the raw rice and moong dhal until brown and aromatic and powder it coarsely in the blender without adding water.

2.Boil water in a thick bottomed vessel or cooker and add the jaggery cubes or powder and let it melt.

3.Now washing the rice needs a little extra care as it is in the powdered form and slip off along with the water.

4.After washing,add the rice dhal powder to the jaggery mixture and let it boil till the rice and the dhal is cooked or if using the cooker, let it cook for two or three whistles.

5.I usually don't measure the water and go by eyeballing, but if it has to be measured we can roughly use 1:2 ratio. i.e 2 cups water for 1 cup rice.

6.It is very important that the Kali's texture has to be separate and not too mushy ,so care should be taken while adding water for cooking.

7.The final step is the garnishing.Fry the cashews in ghee until golden brown and pour it over the Kali along with the coconut scrapings and the crushed cardamoms and let it sit for a few minutes with the lid closed before serving.

Now there are lots of ways to prepare this kootu and i am sharing the one which my mother usually makes.

Ingredients for Kootu:

Thovaram Paruppu/Thoor Dhall - 1/2 cup

Root Vegetables-Kavaththu Kizhangu,Maravalli kizhangu and Senai kizhangu/Yam - washed and peeled -2 Cups

Mochhai Payiru/Val Dhal/Hyacinth Bean or field bean-peeled-1/2 Cup

Avarakkai/Sem/Broad Beans-washed and chopped into 1 inch pieces-1/2 Cup

Pooshanikkai/Kaddu/White pumpkin-chopped into big pieces-1 Cup

Parangikkai/Yellow Kaddu/Yellow Pumpkin-chopped into big pieces-1 Cup

Tamarind juice-1 Cup diluted from 1 tsp of tamarind paste

Turmeric - A pinch

Salt to taste

To dry roast and coarsely grind:

Kadalai Paruppu/Channa dhall -3 Tbsp

Red Chillies (Bedege/Kashmiri) -4 Nos.

Red Chillies (Anand/Salem) -4 Nos. or more depending on spice levels

Coriander seeds/Kothamalli verai -1Tbsp

Asafoetida/Peringayam/Hing -1 Tsp

Cinnamon-a small piece (optnl)

Poppy seeds-1 Tbsp

Grated Dry Coconut/Kopparai-2 Tbsp

For Tempering/Thalippu/Tadka:

Oil-1 Tbsp

Mustard seeds-1 Tsp

Curry leaves-1 Sprig 

Procedure:

1.Wash and cook the above vegetables along with the thoor dhall adding a pinch of turmeric not making it too mushy.

2.In a skillet,add the ingredients for tempering and once the mustard seeds start bursting,add the tamarind juice and let it boil for a few minutes.

3.Then add the cooked veggies and let it boil till the veggies absorb the tamarind essence,approxiamtely 5-8 minutes.

4.Now add the dry roasted and coarsely ground spice powder and boil for a few more minutes until the kootu starts to thicken.

5.Do not overcook as the vegetables are already boiled and they may get mushy.

6.The Kali has to be eaten hot with a dollop of ghee and the Kootu to go by the side.

Note: The vegetables can also be substituted with carrots,beans,chayote squash,etc  in case of non-availability of the above root vegetables without having to compromise much on the taste. Infact,i used the same as i did not get the root veggies!
The above spice powder could also be stored in air tight containers and freezed for upto 6 mnths.

Kadalamavu Payasam/Besan Kheer/Chikpea Flour Porridge

This dish can rightly be called "the poor man's porridge" as it is a very simple dish,but can fake anyone easily for the Badam Kheer which is a costly affair!!
And i can proudly say this is my mother-in-law's recreated (Badami) Besan Kheer!!
Here goes the recipe: 

Ingredients:

Kadalaimaavu/Besan flour - 1/4 cup

Milk- 1 lt

Sugar -1/2 cup

Broken cashews- 1/4 cup

Ghee - 2 tbsps

Cardamom pwdr- a pinch

Saffron-a few strands (optional)

Procedure:

1.Heat the ghee in a pan and roast the cashews until golden brown but not black..

2.Add the besan flour next and roast it till it gives an aromatic fragrance..Keep stirring to avoid forming lumps..

3.Now slowly add the milk little by little while continuing to stir..Do not add the full quantity
of milk mentioned..

4.Keep stirring as the mixture begins to boil.

5.After about five mins,add the sugar and the remaining milk.let it boil for about 10-15 mins..Kadalamaavu or besan has a natural property to thicken any dish,so if u feel the
kheer is getting too thick,simply add some more milk..I personally like it a little thick..

6.Finish it off by adding a pinch of cardamom powder and a few strands of saffron which
is purely optional!!

A very handy and instant sweet to do on auspicious or festival days..

The Seven Cup Cake-Mother-in-Law's Magic!!!

Anything my mother-in-law prepares can so effortlessly seduce one's taste buds!! Before my marriage, I wasn't the greatest lover of sweets. It was only after tasting my mother-in-laws' sweets that I developed the sweet tooth in me! I have simply fallen prey to it!!

There is a particular sweet that she prepares at the time of Diwali which I find truly magical and mesmerising! Its called 'The Seven Cup Cake' and is similar to the Mysore Pak. But to me, its much more heavenly in taste when it is prepared by her!
Here goes the recipe:

Ingredients:

Besan Flour -1 Cup(slightly roasted)

Milk -1 Cup

Ghee -1 Cup(altered according to your calorie consciousness)

Shredded Coconut-1Cup

Sugar -3Cups

So it totals up to seven cups from which its name origins.

Procedure:

1. Combine all these ingredients in a large pan or thick bottomed vessel and
set on medium flame.

2. Keep stirring to avoid lumps and sticking to the bottom of the vessel.

3. When the mixture is boiling, after sometime you can notice the ghee surrounding the edge of the pan.

4. At this stage just take a drop of it and put it on a plate allowing it to cool for
a minute. Then try making a small ball out of it and it should not stick to your hands/fingers. This is called a 'string-like consistency'.

5.Take off the mixture from the heat and pour it in a tray which has been greased with some ghee.

6.Allow it to cool completely which may take about an hour,depending on the
climate of the place you live or the room temperature of your house.

7.When the mixture is half cooled, slowly make cuts in it using a knife, in whatever shape or size you desire.

8.Let it to cool completely and then invert it on a clean countertop and cut out the pieces.

9.It can be stored in an airtight container and can be shelved for a week to ten days or refrigerated.

Picture to be followed soon...