Paal Payasam/Kheer - Method 2 and Awards!!!

Paal Payasam/Kheer is very popular sweet/pudding in India. This method is easy and simple. This can be tried by Bachelors too. Checkout my other method of payasam here.

Daily I have been preparing sundal today made payasam.

Ingredients
Milk - 1/2 litre(you can also use Low fat, Skimmed or any milk)
Rice - 2 tspns
Sugar - 6-8 tspns
Cardamom/Elachi powder - 1/2 tspn

Preparation Method
In a pressure cooker, take a vessel which is  a bit long in height. Add milk, rice, cover it and pressure cook for 10-15 whistles. You can also see a colour change to light pink.
Once steam is gone add sugar and cardamom and heat for 5mins till sugar dissolves.

Paal Payasam is ready to serve. You can serve hot or cold.

Jay and Nithu has given this award for participating in their Event. Do Checkout my Guest Post in Nithu's site.

Microwave Low Fat Carrot/Gajar Halwa

Thank you friends for your wishes on my Birthday. Your wishes made my day. I got few gifts from my hubby and friend. The day was good as my hubby was on leave although my son and me had cold. I wanted to make something simple and quick.

I prepared Microwave Low Fat Carrot/Gajar Halwa without ghee and cashews.

I don't use microwave except for heating and making papads. First time I have tried this Carrot Halwa and it came good.

Forgot to add Bachelor's out there you can also try this.

Ingredients
Carrot/Gajar Big - 2nos(grated)
Sugar - 2 tblspoon(White/Brown) - (Optional)
Low Fat condensed Milk - 2  tspns
Raisins - 1 tspn

Preparation Method
In a microwave safe bowl, add carrot, sugar and mix well. Keep in microwave for 5-7mins(Medium Heat)
Remove and add condensed milk and raisins mix n keep it for 3-4 mins. Till the carrot is well cooked.

Mix and serve the hot Carrot Halwa with Ice cream. You can also try my normal version of Carrot Halwa here.

Notes -
You can use only condensed milk instead of sugar.
Timings will vary according to the microwave. So check while doing accordingly.
If you feel the carrot is not cooked you can cook for 2mins more.

Milagu Uralai/Aloo/Potato Podimas Step by Step Recipe

Milagu Uralai Podimas/Pepper Aloo is a very simple and tasty curry. Like the usual curries, this is slight different. Who doesn't like Potato? I just love it in any form.

Podimas is special dish from Tamilnadu. We can also make Podimas with Raw Banana.

Ingredients

Uralaikizhangu/Aloo/Potatoes - 4 nos

Milagu/Pepper powder - 1 tspn

For Seasoning

Cooking oil - 2 tspns
Mustard - 1/2 tspn
Urad dal - 1/2 tspn
Curry leaves - few crushed

                                            Pic 1                                          Pic 2

                                              Pic 3                                          Pic 4

Preparation Method

Boil Potatoes for upto 4-5 whistles. Cool and peel skin and mash it well.

Pic 1 - In a wok/kadai, heat oil add mustard once it splutters add urad dal and curry leaves. Saute till its brown.
Pic 2 - Now add boiled potatoes
Pic 3 - Mash it and mix well.
Pic 4 - Add salt and pepper powder and mix well.

Pic 5 - Cook for few mins and off the stove. Serve.

Do not roast it.

                                                            Pic 5
Serve with hot chapathis, steamed rice or Rasam or Sambar rice.

This is going off to CWS - Pepper hosted by Padma started by Priya.

I am sending these also to the event are Mizhagu Rasam Podi, Ven Pongal
Karuvepilai/Curry leaves Podi, Milagutal/Keerai Kootu and Milagu/Pepper Rasam.

Sweet Aval/Poha with Milk my 200th Post

I am posting Sweet Aval/Poha with Milk as it my 200th Post. Am very Happy Friends Thanks a lot. This is very simple and easy to prepare. It needs no cooking too... This is quick and tasty I usually prepare when I am alone and lazy to cook for me.

Ingredients
Aval/Poha/Rice Flakes - 2 cups (Thick or thin)
Milk - 1 cup (Warm milk Optional)
Sugar - 2 tspn(As per your taste)
Fresh Grated Coconut - 2 tspns
Elachi powder/Cardamom powder - a pinch

Preparation Method

Wash and Rinse Aval in water. Soak it in Milk for 15mins.
Then add all other ingredients and mix well. Leave it for 5mins.

Garnish with chopped dates and Serve. Kids will love it.
This recipe is going straight to PJ's No Cook event along with Pachai Kozhambu(Raw Sambar).

Love to Share this award with all of you. Please accept it and post in your blog.

Punjabi Chole Product Review

Hope you had a great Chirstmas and holidays.

This is the first time I am doing a Product Review. I would like to thank Gits for giving me an opportunity for review and comment on some of there food products which are Heat n Eat /Instant Mixes. In this regard, I will reviewing/commenting some of their products in the next few postings in Sara's Corner.

I always wanted to try Ready to eat. Just got a chance on a tiring day out. We were just looking for sidedish which is simple, fast to cook yet tasty. I have tried Gits Punjabi Chole Heat and Eat which is very handy. This pack serves two.

I had prepared dough to make Methi chapathis previous night. I garnished with Onion Rings and chopped coriander leaves.

Recipe for Methi Chapathi will be posted soon.

Capsicum Corn Rice

Capsicum Corn Rice sounds different but is a great combination. I tried first time with the instructions of my Father in law who is good cook. Thanks a lot.

This is very delicious and simple rice. Its a non spicy rice. I usually prepare non-spicy food for my in laws. So this was a treat to them. We do not use garlic at home you guys must have seen it in optional. This is the first dish using garlic in my kitchen.

Ingredients

Basmati Rice - 2 cups
Corn - 2 cups (Fresh or tinned)
Capsicum - 2 nos (Sliced thin)
Onion - 2 nos (Sliced thin)
Tomato - 1 no (Sliced thin)
Green chilli - 2 nos(Optional)
Mint leaves(Pudina) - few leaves
Garlic - 2 nos(chopped finely)
Ginger - 1" piece chopped finely
Spices - 2 nos each(Elachi/Cloves/Cinamon/Star Anis)
Coconut milk - 1 cup
Oil - 2 tspns
Ghee - 1 tspn
Salt

Snap shot of ingredients

Preparation Method
Soak basmati rice in water for half n hour.
In a pressure cooker, put 1 tspn oil deep fry little onion in brown colour. Keep aside.
In the same cooker, now add ghee, oil, spices and saute.
Add onion, ginger, garlic, a pinch of salt and saute till onion is transperant.
Add tomato and cook till soft.
Add Capsicum and corn saute for few minutes.
Add rice, coconut milk, water, mint leaves, salt and stir well.
Pressure cook for 2-3 whistles.
Garnish with the deep fried onion.

Capsicum Corn Rice is ready to serve. Can be had as it is or with Raitha.

This Recipe is going for EFM Variety Rice by Srilekha. My other recipe going is Curd Rice with Pomagranate.

Vegetable Upma!

Upma is a very tasty breakfast/tiffen in South India. Its my all time favourite... I know many don't like this but actually its very yummy. We can do many variations in upma I am giving recipe for Vegetable Upma. Upma is a frequent dish in my house which is quick and easy to prepare.

This recipe is a long time pending in my drafts. Rava and Vegetables are good for health for growing kids.

Ingredients

Rava(Semolina/Sooji) - 2 cups
Water - 5 to 6 cups

Carrot - 1 no(Chopped into fine pieces)

Beans - few (Chopped into fine pieces)

Green peas - 1 cup

Potato - 2 nos(chopped into fine pieces)

Oil - 4 tspns

Ghee - 1 tspn

Green chilli - 2 nos(As per taste)

Mustard - 1/2 tspn

Urad/Channa dal mixed - 1 tspn

Asafotida(hing) - 2 pinches

Curry leaves - few

Turmeric - 1/2 tspn

Salt to taste

Preparation Method

Heat a kadai, roast the rava slightly till it becomes brown and gets nice aroma. Transfer it to a plate.

In a vessel boil water and keep aside.

In a same kadai, add 3 tspns oil and mustard wait till it splutters. Now add dal and asafotida. Saute till its brown.

Add all vegetables, salt, turmeric and cook well with little water.

Add boiled water, 1 tspn oil allow it to boil. Once its boiled reduce the heat. Add salt and curry leaves.

Slowly add the rava and mix well immediately without allowing it to form lumps. Add water if required. Close with a lid till rava cooks.

Slowly stir until no water is left.

Add ghee on top mix and close the lid. Off the stove.

Upma is ready to serve. Its good to eat as it is or with Sugar or coconut chutney or pickle.

My Other entries for this event are

Gobi Manchurian Dry

Rose Milk
This recipe is going for Kids Special(4-14) by Radhika and Sudesna.

Rose Milk

Rose Milk is very tasty and simple drink. This is a favourite drink of my 16months old son for its colour and taste:-) Its very refreshing.

I was thinking Rose Milk is very difficult and long process to make so always having it in a restuarant. But my friend here told me Rose syrup is available in super market and its easy to make. Now am very happy after I bought my family likes it a lot and drink daily.

Take 2 tspns rose syrup(store bought sugar added some are without sugar too) in a glass and pour cold milk of your choice(Normal, Low fat, skimmed milk) stir well and serve. For children you can garnish few choco chips.

My other entries for FIL Milk event are

Paal Payasam

Carrot Halwa

Seven Cup

This recipe is going to FIL Milk Event by Sanghi and Soup n Juice Event by Sireesha.

This can be very refreshing drink after fasting so sending it to Joy from fasting to feasting by Lubna.

Ven Pongal

Ven Pongal is a breakfast/tiffin prepared with rice and paasi paruppu(Moong dal/Split green gram) This is very simple and easy dish to prepare. Its my favourite breakfast. This is famous in Tamilnadu, South India. This is also one of the fast moving breakfast in Tamilnadu because of its Easy to Digest nature.

Its less spicy and very tasty. kids will like it too.....I make this also when I come home late and have less time to cook because its "Fast to cook and good to eat".

Ingredients
Rice - 2 cups
Paasi Paruppu - 1 cup
Ingi (Ginger/Adrak) - 2" piece chopped
Milagu (Black peppercons) - 1 tspn(As per your taste) slightly crushed or whole
Jeeragam(Cumin seeds) - 2 tspns
Perungayam (Asafotida/ Hing) - a pinch
Karuvepellai (Curry leaves) - few
Pachai milaga (Green chilli) - 1 no (slit)
Oil - 4 tspns
Ghee - 2 tspns
Mundiri paruppu(Cashews) - 10 nos
Salt

Preparation Method
Pressure cook, a little longer than normal, rice and paruppu with green chilli with extra water. So that the mixture is not dry.

In a kadai, add oil and ghee, mundiri paruppu, ingi, milagu, jeeragam, kauvepellai and saute till pepper splitters and mundiri is brown.

Then add this to the cooked rice, add salt. Mix it well and allow it to cook in low flame for couple of mins.

If its thick add little water and mix for 1minute and off the stove.

Ven Pongal is ready to eat. Its good to eat as it is or with Brinjal ghotsu, coconut chutney or sambar.

Sending this recipe to Rice Feast by Chaitra.

Notes - If you want it to be more tasty dont hesitate to add more ghee.

Chilled Idlis

Idli is one of the famous and popular dish in India and abroad. Many people's favourite and not favourite for some too...

Its different and with little variation to eat Idlis soaked in fresh thick yogurt...

Ingredients

Idlis - 10nos (It can be homemade or ready to eat)
I have used mini idlis which I made for my son and was leftover.
Thick Yogurt(Thair/Curds) - 1 cup

For tempering/seasoning
Cooking oil - 2 tspns
Mustard - 1/4 tspn
Bengal Gram/Urad Dal - 1/2 tspn
Jeera(Cumin seeds)- 1 tspn
Curry leaves - few
Asafotida(Hing) - a pinch
Chopped Green chilli - 1no(optional)
Salt to taste

Preparation Method
Cut Idlis in 2 (mini idlis) or 6 (normal idlis) as desired.
In a kadai, put oil mustard wait till it splutters. Then add asafotida and dals. Wait till its brown. Now add jeera, curry leaves and green chilli. Saute for a minute.
Slowly add yogurt and keep stirring. After a minute add chopped idlis and salt mix well. Remove from the stove.

Allow it to cool and keep in fridge for 1 to 2 hours. If you do not want to refrigerate you can keep for about half n hour so the yogurt is absorbed and serve.

Remove from the fridge stir once, garnish with chopped coriander leaves and Serve.

Chilled Idlis are ready to eat. This can be done with leftover idlis too. Bachelor's you can try this easy and simple recipe.

This recipe is going for Show me your Breakfast by Divya Vikram.