Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Hotel Sambar


Ingredients:
Thuvar Dal - 1/2 cup, cooked and mashed
Onion - 1/2, chopped lengthwise
Small Onions - 7
Brinjal - 1 small, chopped lengthwise
Drumstik - 4, 1 inch pieces
Green Chili - 1, cut lengthwise
Garlic - 2 cloves, chopped lengthwise
Tomato - 1 medium, chopped
Tamarind Paste - 2 tbspns, mixed with 2 cups water
Coconut flakes - 1 tsp
Jaggery (powdered) - 1/2 tsp
Curry Leaves - few
Coriander Leaves - 1 tbspn
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Red Chili -1
Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida - a pinch
Red Chili Powder - 3/4 tsp
Coriander Powder - 1 tsp
Sambar Powder - 2 tbspns
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt - as per taste
Oil
Ghee

Method:
Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds. Let it splutter. Now add cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, dry red chili, curry leaves and asafoetida and saute for 2 minutes. Then add chopped onions, sambar onions, green chili and garlic and saute for a while. When the onions turn translucent, add the remaining veggies and saute for 3-4 minutes. Now add the chopped tomatoes, turmeric powder, red chili powder and coriander powder. Saute everything till the tomatoes become tender and juicy.
Now add the tamarind paste mixed with 2 cups of water, salt, jaggery and sambar powder. Adjust the water to your desired consistency. Let this gravy cook till the raw smell of the tamarind goes off. Now add the mashed thuvar dal and let it come to a boil. 
At this stage add ghee and switch off the stove. Garnish with coconut flakes and coriander leaves.
Serve hot with mini idlies, pongal and rice.





Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Almond Butter



Ingredients:
Almonds (raw) - 2 cups
Salt - 1/2 tsp


Method:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Toss the almonds on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 5-10 minutes until nicely toasted (and be careful not to burn them!).
Grind the almonds along with the salt in a food processor or a mixie.
Scrape the sides of the processor for two or three times in the beginning. But once the almonds started to release the oil, they stuck to themselves.
Store the butter in an airtight container.





Thursday, November 15, 2012

Paneer Pulao


Ingredients:
Basmati Rice - 1 cup, uncooked
Potato - 1 medium, chopped lengthwise
Onion - 1 small, chopped lengthwise
Peas - 1/4 cup, frozen or fresh
Salt - according to taste
Paneer - 1 cup, cubed
Cinnamon - 1 inch piece
Cloves - 2
Bay leaf - 1, small
Elaichi - 1 
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Red chili powder - 3/4 tsp
Ghee or oil - for frying
Lemon juice - 1 tsp
Water - 2 cups

Method:
Wash and soak the rice for 15 minutes. Drain the water. Now add a tsp of ghee or oil in a pan and roast the rice for 2 minutes. Keep it aside.
Now add another tsp of oil and fry the paneer cubes till golden brown. Keep the fried paneer soaked in hot water. Soaking paneer in hot water keeps the paneer soft. Now fry the onions and potatoes separately and keep it aside.
Add another tsp of oil and fry the cinnamon, cloves, elaichi and bay leaf for a minute. Then add cumin seeds and peas and fry for another 2 minutes. Then add 2 cups of water, salt and red chili powder. As soon as the water starts to boil add the rice, potatoes and half of the paneer cubes.
For the stove top;
Stir it for a few seconds, reduce the heat to very low and cover it with a lid. Wait till all the water gets absorbed. Switch off the stove.
For the rice cooker;
When the water starts to boil transfer the entire contents to the rice cooker. Wait till the rice gets cooked.

Add lemon juice to the rice and slowly give a stir. Garnish with the fried onions and the remaining paneer cubes.
Goes well with all raitas and dal tadka.



Recipe Courtesy: Mrs Mallika Badrinath

Friday, November 9, 2012

Coconut Burfi




Ingredients:

(MAKES 12 – 14 PIECES)
Coconut, - 1 cup grated, heaped
Sugar - 1 cup
Elaichi powder - 2 pinches
Cashews - 5 
Ghee - 1 tsp

Method:
Take a pan and fry cashews till golden brown and set aside. Keep a tray ready greased with ghee. Heat coconut and sugar together. Mix well. Continue heating with constant stirring in medium flame. The sugar will melt and form a thick liquid. Continue this until the mixture starts leaving the pan and forms a foamy whitish bubbles while stirring. Color should not change. If you keep stirring even after the consistency reaches, then the sugar will get caramelized and color will start to change. Add cashews, elaichi lastly. Pour immediately to the greased tray and level it with a greased aluminium foil to give it a smooth finish.  Wait for 10 minutes and cut into pieces while it is still warm. If you set the mixture in tray for so long until it cools down, then it will be difficult make pieces.


Recipe Courtesy: Rak's Kitchen

Sending this recipe to "Tried and Tasted - Rak's Kitchen" event hosted by Sowmya of Nivedhanam and Lakshmi of Kitchen Chronicles.


Thursday, November 8, 2012

Kara Sev



Ingredients:
Gram flour/kadala mavu - 1 cup, heaped
Rice flour - 3/4 cup
Asafoetida powder - 1/4 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/8 tsp
Pepper - 1 tsp, crushed
Jeera /cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Butter - 2 tbspns, softened
Oil - for deep frying
Salt - as needed

Method:
Sieve gram flour if it has any lumps. Take both flours in a bowl, butter, crushed pepper,  jeera, salt, turmeric and asafoetida. Mix well. Add enough water to make a stiff dough.  Make as a smooth dough (make sure there is no crack). Take the murukku press (with three holes). 
Fill the press with dough and press in hot oil in large circles. Do not make too many layers. Just two circles. Fry in medium flame on both sides till the bubbles and ‘shhhh’ sounds ceases. Drain in paper towel and break roughly into pieces. Store in air tight container. The pepper flavor incorporates well the next day. 


Recipe Courtesy: Rak's Kitchen

Sending this recipe to "Tried and Tasted - Rak's Kitchen" event hosted by Sowmya of Nivedhanam and Lakshmi of Kitchen Chronicles.


Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Corn Flakes Mixture


Ingredients:
Cornflakes (Plain) - 4 cups
Peanuts -1/4 cup
Cashews  - 1/3 cup
Raisins - 1/4 cup (optional)
Fried gram (Pottukadalai) - 2 tbspns 
Curry leaves - few
Salt and Chili powder - according to taste
Oil - for deep frying

Method:
Wash curry leaves and dry it well.
Dry roast fried gram and keep it aside.
Heat oil in a kadai and fry cornflakes in batches (Do not fry for more than 5 secs. The corn flakes may turn brown). Remove from the kadai and drain excess oil on a paper towel. Alternatively you can take some cornflakes in a strainer and immerse it gently into the heated oil and fry it.
Fry peanuts, raisins, cashew nuts and curry leaves separately.
Now add everything including the roasted fried gram to the cornflakes. Add salt and chili powder to taste.



Recipe Courtesy: Padhu's Kitchen

Monday, November 5, 2012

Basundhi


Ingredients:
Milk (full fat) - 1 1/2 liters full fat milk 
Sugar - 3/4 cup sugar

Cardamom Powder - 1/ 2 tsp 

Saffron - a few strands
Lemon Juice - 1 tsp
For garnishing - almond and pistachio slivers

Method: 
Soak the saffron strands in a tbspn of warm milk.
Bring the milk to a boil in a broad bottomed non-stick pan. 

Reduce the flame and cook on a slow flame till the volume is reduced to half, for approximately 1 1/2 hour, while stirring occasionally. 
Note: Do not break the cream layers formed.
Add the sugar and the soaked saffron to the milk and cook on a slow flame for approximately 25 minutes, stirring continuously and scraping the sides of the pan. 
Add the cardamom powder and cook on a slow flame for another 5 minutes.
Now add 1/2 tsp of lemon juice and continue stirring for 2 - 3 minutes so that it becomes granular in consistency. Switch off the stove.
Note: Do not add more than 1 tsp of lemon juice. Lemon juice is added to get milk granules and look like cream layers.
Mix well and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Serve chilled. 
Serve warm or chilled, garnished with pistachio and almond slivers. 

Find my recipe on Tarladalal.com


Sending this recipe to Let's Celebrate Indian Sweets hosted by Nupur



Sending this recipe to Shama's Easy to Cook Recipes and Jagruti's Know Your Dairy - Milk Event