Vazhakai Puttu / Raw Banana Stir Fry

The dish I am presenting you today, is a specialty of my grandmother Janaki Paati. She often makes it as the Raw banana ( Naatu Vazhakai )required for this dish is abundantly available in Tirunelveli as opposed to our cities. So whenever we go to see her, this is prepared specially for us.This whole set of snaps were taken at my Paati s house. I had prepared it in her kitchen during my last year s visit to see her. 

Ingredients:

Country Raw Banana ( Naatu Vazhakai ) - 4 

Small onions - 1 cup

Green Chilies - 1/2 cup

Coconut scrapings - 1/2 cup

For tempering - mustard seeds, oil and curry leaves

Salt to taste

Method

Cut the head and tail of the raw banana and steam them for about 15 mins

Peel off the skin and set aside 

Using the slicer, make tiny pieces of the steamed raw banana just like you would scrape carrot for halwa

Cut small onions and green chilies into small pieces

Heat oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds followed by curry leaves

Wait till the mustard seed sputters and then add the cut small onions along with green chilies

Saute well, till the onions are translucent

Now add the raw banana scrapings and stir well. 

Adjust salt at this point

Switch of the flame and then add the coconut scrapings. 

Serve hot with sambhar rice

Carrot Poriyal

Last day of the third week of Blogging Marathon #18, I am gonna serve you a very simple, colorful saute of Carrot. Do check what my fellow bloggers are cooking today

Ingredients

Carrot - 1/2 kg

Green chilies - 4 - 5 

Coconut Scrapings - 1/2 cup

Salt to taste

Tempering - Mustard seeds, Curry leaves and oil

Method

Cut the carrot into small cubes and steam them till they are done in a pressure cooker 

Ensure that you do not steam them more than 2 whistles

Drain the excess water and set aside

In a frying pan, add oil

When the oil is hot add the mustard seeds

As the seeds sputter add the curry leaves, followed by green chilies

Saute it for a minute and then add the steamed carrot pieces

Adjust salt at this point

When you feel the carrot is done, remove it from the flame

Add the coconut scrapings and mix well.

Serve hot with sambhar or curd rice.

Yam Fry

Here we are in the Third Week of Blogging Marathon # 18. And my choice is dry sautes. I am a big fan off kootu and curries in Indian cuisine be it north indian or south indian cuisines. But at times we need to have dry subzis or dry curries to accompany our thali or daily meals. There are some dry sautes which are very close to my heart, meaning I like to make them as well as eat them. I will be presenting three such dishes this week. Do check what my fellow bloggers are cooking this week

Ingredients:

Yam - 200 gm

Red chili powder - 2 tbsp

Coriander Powder - 1 tbsp

Turmeric Powder - 1tsp

Salt - to taste

Tempering - oil, mustard seeds and curry leaves

Method:

Cut Yam into 1 inch cube pieces and cook till it is 3/4th done

Remove from water and let it rest for some 10 minutes

Add the spice powders along with salt to the boiled yam and mix well

Ensure that all the yam cubes are coated with the spice powder mixture

Marinate this for about 20 minutes

After 20 minutes add oil in a frying pan

When the oil is hot add mustard seeds and curry leaves

After the sputtering of mustard seeds are done , add the marinated yam and saute well 

Saute the yam in medium or slow flame to get the right texture and roasted yam

How to Clarify Butter

Ghee or clarified butter is used in countless Indian dishes. It is in fact, a great alternative to cooking oil. Homemade ghee is fragrant and adds an incomparable richness to any dish. Ghee becomes solidified at lower temperatures but can easily be melted when required

Ingredients:

• 1/2 kg unsalted white butter
• A pinch of cooking salt
• A bunch of drumstick leaves

Method:

• Heat a deep, heavy-bottomed vessel on a medium flame and put the butter 
• Simmer and allow to melt and then cook.
• When the froth is steady add the salt and drumstick leaves
• Allow to cool, strain the clarified butter to remove drumstick leaves and salt
• You will get a clear golden colored liquid
• Cool this mixture and store in a stainless steel or glass jar
• This can be stored for about a month's time
• Please note : If you need to melt the ghee, do so in small portions and not the whole quantity. This is said to be unhealthy and the quality of the ghee will also go down

500 gm of ready made ghee : Rs 200/- ( with preservatives )

500 gm of home made ghee : Rs 120/- ( in its pure form )

Home Made Spice Powders

Any cuisine will have certain spices that have an important role to play in enhancing the flavor for the dishes. For Indian Cuisine, the basic spice powders are Red Chili Powder, Coriander Powder and Turmeric Powder. Take any cuisine in India, Punjabi, Andhra, Bengali , Kerala, Tamil Nadu or Gujarati every cuisine will make use of these powders. You get many varieties of these powders under various brands. I somehow feel that the home made ones have the perfect flavor and color for our dishes. My post for Day 2 of Blogging Marathon #18 is about these powders.

Turmeric Powder:

Ingredients:

Turmeric - 1 kg

Method:

• Dry the turmeric in the sun for a day s time. 
• Grind them in flour mill
• Do not store them when it is hot
• Spread the powder on a paper and wait till it cools down 
• When the powder is cooled down, store it in an airtight container
• If you store it in a air tight container, when the powder is hot, there are chances that the powder will get burnt
• Remove the required quantity for a week s time in a smaller container and use
• This will help you retain the flavor of the Turmeric powder
• This powder can be used for both cooking and cosmetic purposes

Price of Ready made Turmeric Powder: 100 gm - Rs 18/-

Price of Home Made Turmeric Powder: 1 kg - raw turmeric- Rs 80/ to Rs 100/- , grinding - Rs 10/-

Red Chili Powder:

Ingredients:

Red Chili - 1 kg

Method:

• Dry the red chili in the sun for a day s time. 
• Grind them in flour mill
• Do not store them when it is hot
• Spread the powder on a paper and wait till it cools down 
• When the powder is cooled down, store it in an airtight container
• If you store it in a air tight container, when the powder is hot, there are chances that the powder will get burnt
• Remove the required quantity for a week s time in a smaller container and use
• This will help you retain the flavor of the red chili powder

Price of Ready made Red Chili Powder: 100 gm -  Rs 25/-

Price of Home Made Red Chili  Powder: 1kg of red chili - Rs 60/ to Rs 90/- ; Grinding charges - Rs 15/-

Coriander Powder:

Ingredients:

Coriander Seeds - 1/2 kg

Method:

• Dry the coriander seeds in the sun for a day s time. 
• Grind them in flour mill
• Do not store them when it is hot
• Spread the powder on a paper and wait till it cools down 
• When the powder is cooled down, store it in an airtight container
• If you store it in a air tight container, when the powder is hot, there are chances that the powder will get burnt
• Remove the required quantity for a week s time in a smaller container and use
• This will help you retain the flavor of the coriander powder
• 1/2 kg of coriander seeds will yield a lot of quantity of coriander powder, that will last for a long time

Price of Ready made Coriander Powder: 100 gm -  Rs 25/-

Price of Home Made Coriander Powder: 1kg of coriander- Rs 60/ to Rs 90/- ; Grinding charges - Rs 15/-

  

Home Made Curd

I have always been thinking to do posts on Cooking Basics. This theme just jolted me out of my slumber to start doing them. I receive many requests from my colleagues and friends to tell them how to make certain basic items in the kitchen. Like clarifying ghee, making thick curd. Thanks to Valli for coming up with this theme for Blogging Marathon #18.

Ingredients:

Milk - 1 1/2 cup

Curd - 2 tbsp

Method:

• Boil milk and let it thicken a little
• Ensure that you use milk that is not mixed with water
• Allow it to cool ( though not completely)
• When the milk is still warm add the curd and mix well using a stirrer or a spoon
• Let this mixture stand for an hour or two 
• Check if the curd is done and then store it in the refrigerator
• When curd is being made in a mud pot , the taste and texture is definitely good.
• During summer care should be taken to store the curd in the refrigerator earlier, as curd has a tendency to turn sour due to the heat
• In winter, it is advisable to keep the milk with curd in a casserole or wrapped in a woolen cloth to enhance the process of making curd

Ready Made Curd : Rs 12/-  to Rs 18/-
Home Made Curd : less than Rs 10/-

Paneer Pakoda

Its the last day of the 1st week, and here I present to you Paneer Pakoda. Simple to make but is a wonderful snack, no one can stop with just one. You will keep popping them as and when they are made. I say this out of experience as I was not even able to set a place to take a snap of this pakoda. As and when some one walks into the kitchen, they were popping it into their mouth. I managed the click the last batch in the kitchen itself (Pardon me for the bad picture)

Ingredients:

Paneer - 250 gm

Besan Flour - 1/2 cup

Rice Flour - 1 cup

Corn Flour - 1/2 cup

Maida - 1/2 cup

Red Chili powder - 1 tbsp

Salt - to taste

Oil - for deep fry

Method:

Drain water from Paneer and cut them into 1 inch pieces

Leave it aside

In a wide bowl add the flours and red chili powder

Mix well without any lumps

Add a little water and make a batter out of it.

Heat oil in a wide skillet wok

Dip each Paneer piece in this batter and deep fry it in hot oil

Remove it on a kitchen towel and serve hot with tomato sauce 

Paneer pakoda is being served at Blogging Marathon#18 and Kid's Delight-Evening snack hosted by Vardhini and started by Srivalli . Keep popping

Onion Pakoda - Perfect Evening Snack with Chai

Day 2 of the Blogging Marathon and I am gonna serve you hot Onion Pakoda that goes well with your evening chai or coffee. This is a perfect snack that can be made in no time and is a party pleaser. I love to have these onion pakoda with creamy curd rice. I feel it is the best combo.

Ingredients:

Onion - 3 cups 

Besan - 2 cups

Rice Flour - 1/2 cup

Red chili powder - 1 tbsp

Salt to taste

Oil for deep frying 

Method:

Slice the onions into thin slices 

Take the onions in a wide mouthed bowl

Add besan flour, rice flour, salt and red chili powder to it

Just sprinkle some water on it and mix well

Ensure that the onions slices are coated well with the batter

Heat oil in a wok and add the onion mixture little by little and deep fry them till golden brown.

Remove it to a Kitchen towel, serve hot with chutney or you can have it just like that.

Onion pakoda is being served at Blogging Marathon#18 and Kid's Delight-Evening snack hosted by Vardhini and started by Srivalli . Grab your plates when it is hot

Samosa - Evening Snack

Welcome to the 18th edition of blogging marathon. I have chosen Kids Friendly Snacks for the first week and the first dish I am going to serve you is Samosa. Who only does not like this deep fried delicacy, right from Bengal till Kanyakumari, you can see this samosa in the tea stalls, cafe' s , coffee shops, chat shops, restaurants etc.. This is a very popular snack in every household, it is either store bought or home made. I made this for my nieces and they simply loved it. 

Ingredients:

Maida - 3 cups

Oil - for deep fry 

Ajwain - a pinch

Salt to taste

For the filling

Potato - 3 big 

Jeera - 1 tbsp

Green Peas - 1 cup

Onion - 1 cup sliced

Red Chili powder - 2 tbsp

Garam Masala powder - 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Method :

To prepare the filling

Boil and mash the potatoes

Boil the green peas and keep aside

Heat oil in a wok and add the Jeera

When the Jeera sputters add the sliced onions

Saute for a minute till it is translucent

Now add the mashed potato and boiled green peas

Add the red chili powder, salt and mix well.

Let this mixture cool

You can add coriander and mint leaves for flavoring

To prepare samosa

Make a dough with the Maida, salt and oil. 

Divide the dough into small balls

Keep the filling ready for the samosa

Roll out the dough into thin chapatis

Cut the whole circle into two halves

Make a conical shape out of one half and fill it with the potato curry

Seal the samosa well using a little water.

Samosa is ready to be deep fried. Prepare the whole batch of samosas and keep it ready for deep fry

Meanwhile heat oil in a wide wok and deep fry the prepared samosas in them

Samosa is ready to be devoured with pudhina chutney

This hot samosa is being served at Blogging Marathon#18 and Kid's Delight-Evening snack hosted by Vardhini and started by Srivalli