Ven Pongal

Ven Pongal

Ven Pongal / Kara Pongal is very easy and fast to prepare. This can also be offered as a Neivedayam to Ambal for Navaratri.

 Rice recipes are a staple food of South India. We South Indian's prepare this Ven Pongal for breakfast as it is very light, healthy and delicious. 

Traditionally whole pepper and cumin seeds/ jeera are fried in ghee  and mixed with Pongal. I prefer roasted pepper and jeera powder. (homemade)

Ingredients:

Raw rice - 1 cup

Moong dal - 1/2 cup

Roasted pepper powder - 1/2 tsp

Roasted Cumin / jeera powder - 1/2 tsp

Cashew - 7-8 nos

Asafatedia - 1/4 tsp

Ghee - 2.5 tablespoons

Finely chopped ginger - 1/2 tsp

Curry leaves - few

Salt to taste

Method:

# Wash rice and moong dal. Add 2.5 cups of water and pressure cook for 3-4 whistles.

# Let the pressure release. Mash the rice and moong dal mixture.

# Heat a pan add ghee, fry cashew to slight golden colour add pepper and cumin powder, asafoetida, chopped ginger, curry leaves. Scard well pour the seasoning in Pongal. Add salt mix well. 

Serve with Sambar and chutney. 

Please do try and provide your comments.

Thank U!

Vella Cheedai ( Sweet Cheedai)

Vella Cheedai (Sweet Cheedai)

Vella Cheedai is deep fried, crispy, sweet prepared for Krishna Janmashtami. I'm sharing my mother-in-laws version.

Before you measure your ingredients need to follow these steps:

* Dry roast the rice flour on medium flame.(colour should not change but you should be able to drawn a line with roasted flour)

* Sieve the roasted rice flour.
* Dry roast urud dal and powder it. (sieve urud dal powder)

Ingredients:
Rice flour - 1 cup
Jaggery - 1/2 cup
Urud dal powder - 1.5 tsp
Grated coconut - 1 tablespoon
Unsalted butter - 1 tablespoon
Sesame seeds/ til - 1 tsp
Cardamom - 1/2 tsp
Oil for frying

Method:
# Mix all dry ingredients together with butter.

# Add little water in jaggery and boil well.

# Strain the jaggery syrup in mixture and mix well.
# Sprinkle water and knead a dough.

# Prepared small marble size balls.
# Heat oil on medium low flame. 

# Fry vella Cheedai in batches.
Initially it will be soft but once it cools it becomes crispy.
Do try and provide your comments.
Thank you!

Hara Bhara Kabab - Airfried Recipe

Hara Bhara Kabab - Airfried Recipe!

Hara Bhara Kabab is one of the most popular recipes served in restaurants as starter. This is prepared with spinach puree, boiled green peas, panner or cottage cheese, mild spices. Some add boiled potatoes and vegetables but I have included only cottage cheese with gram flour / besan and bread crumbs to bind the mixture. 

This recipe can be deep fried or shallow fried but I've used Airfrier to fry Hara Bhara Kabab.
For this recipe in Airfrier you don't require much oil. Few drops is enough.

Ingredients:
Spinach puree - 1/2 cup
Boiled green peas -100 grms
Cottage cheese - 100 grms
Besan / Gram flour - 1 tablespoon
Bread crumbs - 2 tablespoon's
Ginger - finely chopped
Corriader leaves - few
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Jeera / cumin powder - 1 tsp
Garam masala - 1 tsp
Corriader powder - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil - to blush / few drops
Cashew for garnish (optional)

Method:
# Blanch spinach and make puree.

# In a bowl add boiled green peas, panner, spinach puree, besan / gram flour, all spices with salt, ginger and coriander leaves and mix well.
( you can add bread crumbs with mixture )

# Prepare kababs....coat the kababs with bread crumbs. You can add carshew in the centre of the kabab which is optional.

# Preheat Airfrier @ 200'c for 5-20 min.
# Place kababs in Airfrier and fry @ 200'c for 15 min. Inbetween brush oil if needed.

# Hara Bhara Kabab are fried on both sides in Airfrier. You don't have to flip.

Serve with tomato ketchup or green chutney.
Please do try and provide your comments.
Thank you!

Mango Kulfi - Summer Special!

Mango Kulfi - Summer Special!

Mango Kulfi is one of the traditional Indian dessert recipe. Kulfi is everyone's favourite, that to in summer season.
Instead of using artificial colours or flavours I have used natural fruit, well ripe mango, which is a seasonal fruit of summer.

Ingredients:
Full cream milk - 1/2 litre
Well Ripe Mango - 1 number
Sugar - 2 tablespoons
Condensed milk - 2 tablespoons
Conflour powder - 1 tablespoon
Finely chopped
Almonds and Pistachio - 2 tablespoons

Method:
# Take a heavy bottom pan pour, full cream milk and boil it in medium flame.

# Inbetween scrap the sides of the vessel or pan, and stir well to avoid milk to burn.

# Once the milk is half reduced, add sugar and mix well.

# After milk thicken's add condensed milk and stir well.

# Atlast add conflour powder, disolved in little milk and pour it in boiling milk.
Stir for 2-3 min, to avoid lumps.

# Add half of chopped almonds and Pistachio and switch off the stove.

# When it comes to room temperature, pour it in a vessel and cover it well. Freeze for 4-5 hrs.

# After 4-5 hrs, take the Kulfi mixture from freezer, you will find, some ice crystals formed. Put it in blender or mixer jar and blend for 30 sec.

# Again freeze it in a air tight container for 4-5 hrs.

# Take a well ripe mango and make puree, again after 4-5 hrs take the Kulfi mixture from freezer and blend it with mango puree.

# you can use Kulfi mould or use small mutca (mud pots) to pour mango Kulfi mixture, and garnish with remaining almonds and pistachio and cover it, freeze for another 4-5 hrs.

Mango Kulfi is ready to serve. A wonderful mouth watering Kulfi to chill your summer. It is quite time consuming,  but it will be really delicious.

Please provide your valuable comments.
Thank you!☺

Puran Poli

Poli is an important dish which is made for festivals.

Ingredients :

For filling:
Grated coconut - 1cup
Jaggery               - 3/4 cup
Cardamon           - 1/4 teaspoons

Poli:

Whole wheat flour - 1 cup
Rava              - 1/4 cup
Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoons
Salt a pinch
Oil as required.

Method :
# clean the jaggery and make thick syrup,
    and let it boil well...add grated coconut
     and mix well on low heat. When it
     comes to ball consistency add
     cardamon powder and turn off heat.

#  To make dough take whole wheat flour, rava, turmeric powder, pinch of salt mix well... sprinkle water and knead a soft dough. Add little oil and make a soft dough. ( rest the dough for 20 minutes)

#   In a banana leaf spread oil generously

       take a lemon size dough and apply
      oil on your fingers and start to spread
       small chappathi...then keep the filling
       cover the filling well...again dip your fingers in oil 

       and prepare a small chapati size poli.

       

#      Heat a tava and sprinkle oil...
         put the Poli on the tava, cook both
         sides and serve.
#       ( when you knead the dough it has
          to rest for at least 15 to 20 min.
           And apply oil to the dough well.)
     
      Serve these poli's with ghee. Do try and provide your comments.

Thank you!