Amani Kozhakattai Payasam Step by Step Recipe | Vinayagar Chathurthi Recipe!!!

WISH ALL MY READERS A VERY HAPPY VINAYAGAR|GANESH CHATHURTHI. GANAPATHI BAPPA MOURYA!!!!


Amani Kozhakattai Payasam is prepared with rice flour dough and cooked in jaggery and milk.


Preparations are started for Tomorrow's Vinayagar Chathurthi at my home. Some of the dishes are Ullandhu Kozhakattai, Poornam Kozhakattai,Karjikai/Somasi, Ellu Urudai, Paruppu Payasam, Sundal and more. For more recipes on Vinayagar Chathurthi you can browse Indusladies Forum for more recipes here.


Steps

Dough

Take little dough.

Spread it lengthwise.

Take little portion and make small balls.

Place it in the idli plate and steam.

Recipe
Ingredients
Kozhakattai Maavu - 1 cup(Approximate 20 tiny balls) to make the dough click here.
Vellam/Jaggery - 1 cup
Milk - 1 cup
Fresh Grated coconut - 1 cup
Rice - 1/2 tspn
Elakka/Elachi - 1no


Preparation Method
Steam the kozhakattai urundai, with other kozhakattai and keep ready.
Heat a vessel, add vellam/jaggery with little water, let it dissolve. Filter it if any mud particles are there.
Grind coconut, rice and ellaka in mixer or blender with little water to fine paste.
Again boil the vellam/jaggery till raw smell goes, then add milk, kozhakattai urundai. Mix well an boil in simmer flame.

Ammni Kozhakattai Payasam is ready to offer for Lord Vinayagar and Enjoy!!!

PS - Your feedback is appreciated. Do try recipe from (http://www.sarascorner.net/) take a picture and send it to me through Facebook message or mail me at simplysara07@gmail.com. Will be glad to add in my page Tried & Tasted album on FB or post on my page. Do follow me on Instagram id - saraswathiyer for more food stories and recipe ideas.Thank you.

Lemon Pickle

This has been lying in my drafts since long time....Pickles time....My in laws like pickles a lot, so this Lemon Pickle is for them. Even though I don't eat pickles, I have stock for my family.

Ingredients
Lemon - 20 nos(Nice yellow in colour)
Red Chilli Powder - 2 tablespoons(As per your taste)
Oil - 1/2 cup (any cooking oil I use Gingely Oil/Nalla Yennai or Olive Oil)
Mustard - 1/2 tspn
Hing - 1/4 tspn
Venthayam podi/Fenugreek seeds powder - 1/2 tspn
Salt as required


Preparation Method
Wash, wipe and cut lemon into small squares. In a glass bowl or porcelein bowl, add lemon, salt and red chilli powder. Mix and leave it for 1 to 2 hours.
Then season it with oil, mustard wait till it splutters. Off the stove add Hing(Asafotida) and venthaya podi.
Mix well and leave it for a day. Keep mixing in intervals with a wooden or plastic spoon.

Yummy Lemon Pickle is ready. A perfect for curd rice/Kootu rice.

Notes: - For longer shelf life store in refridgerator. - If you are using steal spoon, do not leave it in the box as it will rust.

TGIF New Value Offers!!!

Attention Chicago area Friday's fans! Head on over to your local Friday's now to pick 2 items for only $10!

 Enjoy some of Friday's® delicious specials (including appetizers, entrees, and desserts):

• Spinach Florentine Flatbread
• Savory Dragonfire Chicken
• Pan-Seared Parmesan Flounder
• Delicious Vanilla Bean Cheesecake

This offer is available every night of the week! For the full menu being offered, please visit:

http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;244940024;55575682;l?http://www.tgifridays.com/menus/pick2for10.aspx



Please note that this promotion is available to those residing at Indianapolis, Baltimore, Chicago or West Palm Beach.


Note - “This sponsorship is brought to you by Friday's® who we have partnered with for this promotion.”

Strawberry Milk Pudding!!!

I have been having Pudding here after coming to SG and my son loves it a lot. There are many flavours and the favourite one is Strawberry. Its rich in Protein. I tried the pudding with agar agar for the first time and everyone liked it. These Puddings are popular in Singapore and Malyasia.

Ingredients
Agar Agar | China Grass | Kadal Paasi - 2 cups or 2 handfull
Milk - 2 cups
Water - 1 cup
Strawberry Essence - 1/2 tspn(I used Complan Strawberry flavour)
Salt - 1/2 tspn
Sugar - 1 cup

Preparation Method
Soak agar agar with water for about 1 to 2 hours.
Heat it and boil it until its fully dissolved in water.
Add milk and stir. When it starts boiling add sugar and complan. stir well and boil in low flame till sugar dissovles. Off the stove. Filter it and allow it to cool.
Allow it to cool a bit and pour it in the jelly moulds.
Allow it to cool fully to set. Then store it in refridgerator.

Serve chill.

Yummy Strawberry Milk Pudding is ready to serve.

Note :
Strawberry essence is suggested instead of complan.
You can pour it in steal or ceramic cups when hot.

This recipe is going off to Joy from Fasting to Feasting by Lubna and Berries Event by Anu.

Arasi Paruppu Payasam | Happy Gokulashtami/Krishna Janmashtami!!!

Payasam is a mix of Rice, Jaggery and choice of Dal. Here I have used Channa Dal/Kadalai Paruppu, its very aromatic and tasty. I have posted few payasam varieties here. I prepared this for Avani Avittam Festival on Saturday.

It was perfect and everyone liked at my home. This recipe was taught by my Mother in Law, Thanks a lot.

Pic courtesy : Google images

Wish you all a very Happy Gokulashtami!!!


Here goes the recipe.

Ingredients
Rice - 1/2 cup(I used Ponni)
Channa Dal/Kadalai Paruppu - 2 tspns
Vellam/Jaggery - 1.5 cups(powdered or broken)
Fresh grated coconut - 1/2 cup + Rice - 1/2 tspn(for grinding)
Elachi powder - 1/4 tspn
Milk - 1 glass
Ghee - 1 tspn
Cashews/Raisins - 2 tspns


Preparation Method
Wash, rinse rice and channa dal. Pressure cook upto 3 whistles with water.
In a vessel, add vellam/jaggery with 1/2 cup water and allow it to dissolve. If required add more water, once its fully dissolved, filter it and again start boiling in low flame on occasional stirring till the raw smell of Jaggery goes.
Grind the coconut and rice with little water to fine paste.
Once the pressure is gone, take the rice and dal mix and mash it with a laddle/karandi.
Add the rice, dal mix to the jaggery, coconut paste and mix well.
Finally add milk and boil well. It should be to medium consistency. off the stove


Heat ghee in a pan, add cashews and raisins. Fry till brown and add to the payasam.


Delicious Payasam is ready for Neivedyam and Enjoy it warm or chill!!!

Once again wish Happy Gokulashtami to all friends celebrating the festival.


Until my next post. Happy Weekend.


Cheers,
Saraswathi

Vella Seedai | Sweet Rice Balls!!!

Vella Seedai is Sweet Rice balls for Krishna Janmashtami/ Gokulashtami festival. This is also an authentic and traditional sweet for this festival.

Ingredients
Arasi Maavu/Rice flour - 1 cup(Preferably milled) I always carry about 2-3 kgs from India)
Ullatha Maavu/Urad dal flour - 1 tspn(see notes)
Vellam/Round Jaggery - 1cup(powdered or grated)
White sesame seeds/Till/Ellu - 1 tspn
Elakka Podi/Cardamom powder - 2 pinches
Sukku Podi/Dry Ginger powder -a pinch(Optional)
Oil for deep frying


Preparation Method
In a kadai, dry roast the flour to slightly brown. Allow it to cool.
In a wide vessel kadai, add vellam/jaggery with 1/2 cup water, allow it to boil till jaggery fully dissolves, it should start boiling and till raw smell goes. It need not be to string consistency. You can also filter the jaggery water. Mine is mostly clean so I skip this step.
Low the flame, add ellu, cardamom powder and slowly add rice flour to it. Mix till it becomes like dough. Allow it to cool a bit. 
Take some portion of dough and make medium size balls in batches and deep fry in low medium flame till brown.
Do the same in rest of the dough. Allow it to cool.
Store it in air tight container.
Vella Seedai is ready for prasadam for Krishna Janmashtami.

Notes : -Urad Dal powder - Heat a kadai, dry roast Ulatham Paruppu/Urad dal till light brown and cool it. Make fine powder and seive it. -If the consistency of jaggery is not correct, the seedai will break while deep frying. -If required add extra water to jaggery. -Sometimes it becomes chewy if you do not cook properly.

Uppu Seedai | Crispy Rice Balls!!!

Uppu Seedai is a very traditional recipe for Sri Krishna Janmashtami/Gokulashtami click here for details on this festival. This recipe is simple and for people who cannot do it in a tradtional way.I prepared this for last year's festival. I would also be posting traditional recipe soon.

Ingredients
Thenguzhal Maav/Murukku Flour - 2 cups(Store bought.Easily available at all Indian grocery stores) I used what my mom sent from India
Crushed peper - 1/2 tspn(As per your taste)
Fresh grated coconut - 2 tspns
White sesame seeds/Till/Ellu - 2 tspns
Coconut oil - 2 tspns
Unsalted butter - 2 tspns(at room temperature)
Peringayam/Hing/Asafotida - a pinch
Salt as required
Water as required
Oil for deep frying


Preparation Method
In a kadai, dry roast the flour to slightly brown. Allow it to cool.
In a wide vessel, add the flour, salt, pepper, fresh grated coconut and butter. Slowly mix butter with the flour. Add water and make it to a dough.
Cover it with a lid. Heat oil in kadai.
Grease your hands with coconut oil. This will give aromatic seedai.
Take some portion of dough and make small balls in batches and deep fry in low medium flame till brown.
When deep frying stand a bit far from the kadai, as sometimes it might burst a bit if any
Do the same in rest of the dough. Allow it to cool.

Crispy Uppu Seedai is ready for prasadam for Krishna Janmashtami.

Notes : You can also add Jeera instead of Ellu/Sesame seeds. You can also grease your hands with any other cooking oil.

Store it in air tight container and Enjoy.

Chowchow Kadale Paruppu Kootu!!!

Chow chow kadale paruppu kootu is a traditional authentic Kerala and Tamil Brahmin recipe. This is prepared for festivals and occastions. I prepared this for Avani Avittam Festival on Saturday. I have posted previously one more version of Chow chow kootu here.

Ingredients
Chow Chow/Chayote - 1 no
Kadale Paruppu/Channa Dal - 1/2 cup
Fresh Scraped coconut - 1/2 cup
Green chilli - 1 no(As per your taste)
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tspn

Talipu/Seasoning
Coconut oil - 1 tspn
Mustard - 1/4 tspn
Urad dal - 1/2 tspn
Curry leaves - few

Preparation Method
Wash remove, skin, seed and chop into small pieces. (You can use the skin for Thogaiyal/Chutney here.)
Pressure cook chow chow, kadale paruppu with turmeric and a pinch of salt upto 3 whistles.
Grind coconut and green chilli to fine paste with very little water.
When the pressure cooker steam is gone. Mix the vegetable and the grounded mixture in a vessel, add salt, tumeric. Mix well and allow it to boil in low flame.It should be thick in consistency.
Season it with the above mentioned and off the stove.

Chow Chow Kootu is ready to serve in the platter as sidedish or mix it with hot steamed rice.

Notes- - You can also prepare this kootu with Pooshinikayi/White Pumpkin. - You can use any cooking oil instead of coconut oil.

Circulon Contempo 12" Round Grill Pan Product Review!!!

I wanted to post this review since long time, its been in my drafts, so finally posting it up.

When CSN came to me for a review I was happy and agreed, which was announced in this post. CSN has a wide range of Cooking and Kitchenware and Pendant Lighting. Its site is userfriendly and great for online shopping.

Thanks CSN for the opportunity.

This Grill Pan, when I saw first, I liked it very much. I have seen grill pan which is square but when I saw this just like a tawa/skillet. I loved it.

I am using this for grilling bread, you can also use this for Paneer tikka and grilled vegetables as well. Its very good and handy.

Hope you also like it.

Will post this recipe soon.

Cheers,
Saraswathi

Vegetable Cutlet!!!

I love Veg cutlets and always had at restuarants in Bangalore. We get good ones when we are on train to chennai. This one is my Father in laws speciality and it was so yummy. Thanks for teaching me Dad. I had previously posted Potato Cutlet checkout the post.

This is a perfect starter for parties.

Ingredients
Beetroot - 1/2 cup
Carrot -1/2 cup
Potato -1/2 cup (Boiled and mashed)
Green Peas -2 tspns
Kadalai Maavu/Besan - 2  to 3 tspns
Bread crums - 1/2 cup
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tspn 
Garam Masala - a pinch
Onion - 1no
Curry leaves - few
Salt
Oil for deep frying

Preparation Method
Boil the potatoes and mash it. Keep it separately.
Chop all the vegetables into small pieces.
Cook all vegetables in pressure cooker except onion with very less water and salt for 2 whistles. Remove excess water. (If excess save it for soup and drink.)
Transfer it to a wide vessel. Slightly mash it when its hot.
Add kadalai maav/besan, onion, salt, red chilli powder, garam masala and make medium size balls.
Take in your palm slowly and firmly press once and coat bread crums on both sides. Don't over press, it may break while deep frying.
Heat oil in a kadai and deep fry till golden brown.

Serve hot with tomato ketchup or enjoy as it is.

Notes: - You can also shallow fry instead of deep frying.

- You can also bake.

- You can also add chopped green chilli, I didnt add as it will be spicy for my kid and my inlaws.

- You can do it without onion also. - You can also add Pudina/Mint leaves.

This recipe is going to Monsoon Medley Event by Sukanya and Serve it Fried by Denny and Krithika.

Cooking with Love - Host lineup!

Hi Friends,


Cooking with Love is a series of Event. A tribute to all our family and relatives. Each relation plays an important part in everyone's life.

Do drop me an email if you wish to host the event at simplysara07(at)gmail(dot)com.

Themes	Month	Hosts
Grandmom	Jan-Feb	Saraswathi  Iyer
Granddad	March	Shama
Mom	April	Nithu Bala
Dad	May	Nayna
Aunty	June	Akheela
Uncle	July	Saraswathi
Themes	Month	Hosts
2013
Spouse	Jan	Hema
Kids	July
Sister	August
Brother	September
Cousins	October
Friends	November
Lovers	December

Feel free to mail me your suggestions.

Thanks & Regards,
Saraswathi