Upma Kozhakattai with Moong Dal!!!

Upma is a popular South Indian Breakfast/Tiffin prepared with Sooji/Rava. I am posting  Upma Kozhakattai recipe. Its very filling.

Ingredients
Rice Rava/Sooji/Semolina - 2 cups(see notes)
Paasi Paruppu/Moong Dal - 1/2 cup
Jeera - 1 tspn
Water - 4  to 5 cups
Dry Red Chilli - 2 nos(as per your taste)
Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
Curry leaves - few
Nalla Yennai/Gingelly Oil/Sesame Oil - 2-3 tspns
Mustard - 1/2 tspn
Urad dal - 1/2 tspn
Hing - a pinch
Salt

Preparation Method

Soak Passi Paruppu in water.
Grind 2cups rice in mixie to fine powder.

Boil water and keep aside.

In a wide kadai/wok, add oil, mustard, urad dal, curry leaves, dry red chilli and saute till dal is brown. Add hing.

Add water and paasi paruppu. Allow it to boil.
Once its cooked and boiled. Reduce flame. check on salt.
Add rava and mix without allowing to form lumps.
Once its cooked like upma, transfer it to a wide plate and allow it to cool.

Grease idli plates with little oil.

Wet your hands in water and take lemon size of upma. shape it up by hand to fist shape, and keep aside. Beware its too hot.
Steam for about 12-15mins.

Upma Kozhakattai is ready. Serve as it is or with Sambar, Chutney or Rasam.

Notes - You can also add Mor Molaga.

This recipe is going for Breakfast Mela by Srivalli.

Mangai Pachadi and methods!!!

Wish you all a very Happy Vishu!!!

Mangai/Raw Mango Pachadi is a traditional South Indian side dish prepared for the New Year.

Ingredients
Mangai/Raw Mango - 1/2 no
Vellam/Jaggery - lemon size
Water -1 cup + little more
Sambar Powder or Chilli powder - 1/2 tspn(As per your taste)
Green Chilli - 1no(slit)
Salt

Talipu/Seasoning
Oil - 1 tablespoon
Mustard - 1/2 tspn
Peringayam/Hing/Asafotida- a pinch
Venthayam/Fenugreek seeds - 1/12 tspn
Veepam Poo/Neem Flowers - 1/2 tspn(Optional)

Preparation
Method 1
Wash, remove skin and cut mango into thin slices.
In a wide vessel/kadai, add mango, jaggery, water, green chilli, sambar/chilli powder and salt. Boil well in medium flame until mango cooks and becomes thick and blends well like gravy.
Add more water if required.
Season it with above ingredients and add to the gravy.

Method 2
Wash, remove skin and cut mango into thin slices.

In a vessel, add mango, jaggery, water, green chilli, sambar/chilli powder and salt.
Pressure cook for 3-4 whistles and season it.

Method 3
You can try microwaving too in a microwave safe dish with same ingredients above.

My preparation is Method 1.

Tangy Mangai Pachadi is ready.

Serve with hot steamed rice or sidedish for sambar, kootu and curd rice.

Checkout Kerala recipes for Vishu here.
Aviyal
Puli Inji
Palapazham/Jackfruit Payasam
Sweets

Notes
You can also use mango with skin.
Veepam Poo/Neem Flowers - If you are using fry in ghee or oil separately and garnish it.

Rose Payasam!!!

Wish you all a very Happy Tamil New Year's Day இனிய தமிழ் புத்தாண்டு நல் வாழ்த்துகள்.

Ingredients
Basmati Rice - 1/2 cup
Milk - 1/2 lt(Any milk low fat/slim/full cream)
Sugar - 1/2 cup(Adjust sugar accordingly as rose syrup has sugar in it)
Rose Syrup - 2 tablespoons
Cashews -  1tspn(Optional)


Preparation Method
In a tall vessel, add milk and rice. Close with lid and pressure cook for about 8 to 10 whistles.
When steam goes off. Mash the rice in laddle and transfer to wide vessel.
Add the sugar, nuts and rose syrup. If its too thick add milk as required.
Allow it to boil once in low flame and blend well.


Off the stove.


Serve warm or chill.

This recipe along with Rosemilk is going off to Food Palette Pink by Akheela and Celebrate Sweets - Sweets with Rice by Priya started by Nivedita.

My next few posts will be my New Year Recipes Mangai Pachadi, Paruppu Boli/Bele Obattu and Obatt Saaru/Rasam.

Badam/Almond Burfi!!!

I prepared Badam Burfi after tasting it in my friends place, but that was different one. I tried this simple Badam Burfi. Hope you like it.

Ingredients
Badam/Almond - 1 cup
Sugar - 1 cup
Ghee - 2 tspns
Elakka podi/cardamom powder - a pinch

Preparation Method
Soak Badam for 1hour in warm water and remove skin.
In a mixie/blender, add badam and grind to fine paste.
Heat a kadai, with 1 tspn ghee, add badam  and cook for few minutes in low flame.
Add sugar and mix well. Keep stirring, add elakka podi and little ghee.
Stir till it doesnt stick to kadai and becomes thick like other burfi.
Grease a plate with little ghee.
Pour and flatten it. Allow it to cool.
Cut into desired shapes or roll out.

Badam Burfi is ready.

Avacado Milkshake

Avacado Milkshake is simple and refreshing drink.

Ingredients
Avacado(Butterfruit) - 1 no ripe, deseed and remove skin.
Milk - 2 cups
Sugar - 1tspn or as per your taste
Ice cubes - Optional

Add all the ingredients in a mixer/blender and blend well.

Avacado Milkshake is ready to serve.

Babycorn Pakoras

I usually make Golden fried Babycorns, but this time my son did not eat found difficult in biting. So quickly I changed and immediately prepared this and he enjoyed. I was happy making him eat babycorn and my parents enjoyed too:-)

Pls bear with the photo as it is from my BB, my camera is back on Monday.

Ingredients
Babycorn - 5 nos(1pkt)
Onion - 2 nos
Besan - 1 cup or less (to cover the corn and onion)
Corn flour - 1 tspn
Rice flour  2 tspns
Curry leaves -  1 tspn
Coriander leaves - 2 tspns
Green Chilli - 2nos or Red Chilli Powder
Salt
Oil for deep frying.

Preparation Method
Chop into small pieces babycorn, onion, curry leaves coriander and green chilli. Put in a bowl.
Now add rest of the ingredients and mix with little water. The mix should not be too thin nor too thick.
Heat oil in kadai, take about a tspn of the mix and drop them in oil and deep fry both sides.

Serve with chutney or tomato ketchup.

Carrot Rice Payasam/Kheer!!!

Carrot Rice Payasam/Kheer was offering/prasadam to God and on India winning WC. You can also prepare this in pressure cooker method.

Ingredients
Rice - 2 tablespoons
Milk - 1/2 lt (Can use any type of milk)
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Carrot -1/2 cup(Pureed)
Cashews - 2 nos
Ghee - 1 tspn
Pistachos/Cashews - 2 tspns(chopped)

Preparation Method
Wash and rinse rice in water.
In thick bottom vessel, add milk and rice. Keep it in low flame.
Wash carrot, scrape skin, cut into small pieces. In a mixie/blender add carrot, cashews 2nos and little milk. Grind to paste. Keep aside.
Have an eye on the milk, keep stirring continuously it will overflow.
Add the carrot paste. Mix well.
Let the rice cook and raw smell of carrot goes. The milk will reduce little bit.
Add sugar and stir continuously. Keep it in low flame.
Heat a pan, add ghee and nuts. Wait till its brown.
Garnish it.

Carrot Rice Payasam is ready to serve. Enjoy it warm or chill.

This recipe is going to Celebrate Sweets - Rice by Priya and Nivedita.

Happy Ugadi!!!!

Dear Readers,

Wish you all a very Happy and Prosperous Ugadi.

Wish you all Happy Ugadi!!! Ugadi is a New year celebrated in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka by Telugu and Kannadigas. This is also called Chandramana Ugadi. Chaitra masa starts on this day. Bevu Bella which is mixture of neem leaves and jaggery is served in Karnataka. Ugadi Pachadi is prepared in Andhra Pradesh. Sweet and bitter represents joys and sorrows of life. People take oil bath, wear new dress and offer special prayers.

Gudi Padwa is also new year celebrated in Maharashtra, India on the same day .

Many delicious food is cooked and celebrated with family and friends.
Dishes prepared on this day in Karnataka are
Parap Boli(Bele Obattu in Kannada) - Prepared with stuffing of dal and jaggery in  dough.

Thenga Boli(Kai Obattu in Kannada)

 Coconut Boli

Kosambari

Lemon Rice/Chitraanna

Masala Vada(Am vade)

Obatt rasam

Mango Kulfi!!!

Ingredients
Milk - 1/2 litre
Condensed Milk - 1/2 tin (As per your taste)
Sugar - If required
Ripe Mango - 1cup(Pureed) (Peel skin cut into cubes and make a paste in mixie/blender)
Cardamom/Elachi powder - a pinch(Optional)
Water - Optional(I added 1 cup of water to milk)
 Preparation Method
Boil milk in a thick bottom vessel.
When its come to boiling point reduce flame and add condensed milk.
Stir well. Allow it to reduce to half the quantity.
Keep it in low flame and stir.
You will know by the colour and quantity. Once its reduced taste and check for sugar as kulfi will be on slightly sweeter side.
Add the mango puree and mix well and allow it to cool.
Once cooled pour it in the ice cream mould or jelly mould and freeze to 4-6 hours. If ice crystal are formed mix well and again freeze it.
Before serving keep the cups in water for 2mins for easy removal and Serve immediately.


Enjoy Mango Kulfi, its very refreshing.


Notes - I prepared it at nite and served next day afternoon. Too much freezing also forms ice. So just freeze it to 4-6 hours and Serve.


This recipe is going to Celebrate Sweets Icecream by Reshmi and Nivedita and to Healing Foods Mango by Revathi and Siri.

Pori/Puffed Rice Upma

Pori/Puffed Rice Upma(ಕಳ್ಳೆ ಪುರಿ ಉಪ್ಪಿಟ್ಟು) is very simple and easy tiffin. Its ready in jiffy. This is my mom's recipe.

Ingredients
Pori - 250gms
Onion - 2 nos(chopped thinly)
Green Chili - 2nos(slit)
Urad dal - 1/2 tspn
Curry leaves - few
Turmeric  - a pinch
Oil -  2 tspns
Ginger - 1/4 tspn(grated)
Mustard - 1/4 tspn
Jeera- a pinch
Salt
Lime juice - 1/4 tspn
Chopped Coriander - for garnishing(optional)


Preparation Method
In a kadai, add oil, mustard, wait till it splutters. Add urad dal wait till its brown. Add jeera, onion, curry leaves, green chilli, ginger, turmeric, salt and saute till its transparant.
Wash pori in water squeeze extra water and add. Mix well. Saute for few mins.
Off the stove. Add lime juice and garnish with Coriander leaves.(I ran out of it)
Serve immediately.

Notes - Grated carrot and grated coconut can also be added.
This recipe along with Churmuri is going off to an event HRH- Puffed Rice by Kurinji.

Kodbale/Crispy Rice Rings!!!

Kodbale is a crispy rice flour rings. Its favourite for kids and my son loved it. Checkout my another version of  Kodbale here.

Ingredeints
Rice flour – 1 cup
Maida - 1/2 cup
Red Chilli powder -  1/4 tspn
Asafotida – 1 pinch
Hot oil - 2 tspn
Dalda/vanaspati – 1 tspn
White Sesame Seeds - 1/2 tspn
Oil for deep frying
Salt

Preparation Method

In a thick bottom Kadai, put rice flour, maida and fry it for sometime till it becomes warm in medium-low flame. Fry continuously.
Transfer it to a bowl. Allow it to cool.
Add vanaspati/dalda.
Add red chilli powder, salt, Sesame seeds and asafotida. Mix well.
In a Kadai, add oil and heat for 2mins. Add hot oil to the flour.
Sprinkle little water and make soft dough.
Take lemon size ball and roll out into thin line and roll in to form a circle.(see video)
Heat oil in a kadai and drop these rolls and deep fry till brown in low flame on both sides.

Eggless Pineapple Cake

Another baking this week, it was my Dad's Birthday ydy and I really wanted to bake a perfect cake for him. My dad and uncle used to tell me to go to Baking Class, but I didnt go, now I really feel for it. If I had gone it would have been so useful for me now:-( But now since he is here in SG, I baked and they liked it a lot and was very happy to eat eggless cake after so many years as he dont eat cakes until eggless.

I would also like to thank my friend Rekha for her help, encouragement and support:-)

So was browsing couple of recipes and found this one. I had pineapple juice and fruit at home and here is my recipe for Eggless Pineapple Cake.

Ingredients

All Purpose Flour/Maida - 2 cups(200gms)
Sweetned Condensed Milk - 1/2 tin
Butter - 2-3 tablespoons or less than 100gms(Melted)
Baking Soda - 1/2 tspn
Baking powder - 1 tspn
Salt - 1/4 tspn
Fresh Pineapple -  1/2 cup(chopped)
Pineapple Juice - 1/2 cup

Preparation Method
Preheat the oven at 180 C.
Melt butter in Microwave for 30 secs.
In a bowl, add melted butter,condensed milk. slowly mix it up in a spatulla.
Add 2 tspns of pineapple pieces and little pineapple juice.
Save little to brush on top later.
Seive APF, baking soda, salt and baking powder.
Add slowly in parts APF, baking soda and baking powder. Fold it or mix with spatulla.
Grease the baking tray or pan.Bake it for 20mins or check with a fork or toothpick until it comes out clean or bake it for 5 mins more.
Brush leftover pineapple juice on top when its slightly warm.
When its cooled cut into desired shapes.
Garnish with whip cream, few fresh pineapple pieces and cherry.

Enjoy this soft Eggless Pineapple Cake.

Notes - You can also use tinned Pineapple and use the same juice.
You can also use Pineapple essence.
Keep leftover pieces in fridge and use later.

This recipe is going for Crazy for Cakes by Priya.