Viratha Prasadam

Ok today I have successfully completed one week in the monthly blogging marathon. It feels so good. Really a space that I was not able to give attention to and for which I made a resolution to work on religiously. Am proud of myself. A treat awaits me when I finish the other three weeks as well.

  Any viratham pooja we do at our home. This is the regular offering that is done. Its a platter to God, comprising of paal payasam , some vareity rice and crispy vadai. 

This was a platter i made for last year varalakshmi viratham poojai. Easy to make and put together. Though the recipes are already there on my blog I wish to write them again here. 

 Let me start of with lemon rice

Ingredients

Cooked rice - 1 cup

Juice of one lemon

Turmeric powder - a pinch

Salt to taste

Mustard seeds, Channa dal, Curry Leaves for tempering

Method

In a small bowl, take the juice of a lemon

Add a pinch of turmeric powder and salt to it

Keep aside

Cut green chilies into very small pieces

In a wok, add a little oil and saute some peanuts and cashew nuts.

In the same wok, add a little oil, 

When I mean little, its like one tablespoon, not more than that

When the oil is hot, add mustard seeds, channa dal

Allow the mustard to sputter and channa dal to roast well

Switch of the heat

Add the lemon juice mixture

One should not heat the lime juice, as it will turn the tangy taste into a bad one 

Mix the cooked rice and fluff it a bit. 

Garnish with curry leaves and it is ready to serve

Masala Vadai 

Ingredients 

Channa dal - 1 cup ( soaked for 2 hours in warm water )

Finely chopped onions - 1/2 cup

Finely chopped chilies - 1 tbsp

Finely chopped curry leaves - 1 tbsp

Oil - for deep fry

Salt to taste 

Method 

Blend the soaked channa into a coarse paste

In a bowl mix the paste, onions and greenchillies along with required salt

Make small balls out of the batter and flatten them 

Heat oil in a deep wok, and drop the flat channa patties in the oil and fry them till golden brown

You can eat it as such or with coconut chutney

Pal Payasam

This is the most simple and easy dish that you can do.

There is no actual measurement to be used.

And no matter the measurement, it turns out to be a delicacy

Measurements I used

Cooked rice - 1 cup

Sugar - 2 cups

Milk - 4 cups

Cardamo powder a pinch

Roasted cashew and raisins ( optional )

Method

In a heavy bottomed vessel. mix the cooked rice and sugar

Bring it to a boil until the sugar dissolves

Add milk and let it boil well

Make sure the whole thing is done on low flame

This is to ensure that the condensation of milk happens as the flavor enhances

Dust in some cardamom powder and roasted nuts if you need to.

Else you can have it just like that.

Urundai kolambu

Wishing all my readers a very happy new year.. Its the year 2016 hence have a sweet sixteen year.. Age height weight are all numbers so let us loose all those and have a wonderful year ahead. 

Im blogging nearly after an year I guess. 2015 did have its share of ups and downs. A lot of changes in my life and relationships.. everything aside I look forward to a wonderful year ahead. 

New Year is all about a new outlook a new regime, new goals and a new hope for a better tomorrow. One of my goals for the year was to give more attention to the space that helped me grow in terms of my knowledge of cooking and the network that I got. It has been a great help. Its time I show gratitude to this space which gave me a platform to grow in the field of my dream and passion. 

To kick of the new year, I am penning about a dish that was taught by my grandmother. I always always cherish the time I spent with her. She was my mentor, in more than many ways. A child that enjoys the warmth, affection and care of grandparents are the most lucky ones. I was abundantly blessed in this. I owe all my cooking skills to my grandmothers. 

On to the recipe, this is a traditional parupu urundai kulambu, which my grandmother used to make. Most often when the whole family is bored of sambhar , rasam and poriyal type lunches. 

The taste of deep fried balls of dal and onion dunked in a spicy and tangy sauce, is just too enticing. These days we make the urundai batter in the mixie. My grandmother used to make it using a ammi kal. Which was much more tasty. Though time consuming the taste is definitely worth the effort..

Ingredients

Chana dal ( kadalai parupu ) - 1 cup

Finely chopped onions - 1/2 cup

Green Chilli - 2 nos

Red Chilli powder - 2 tbsp

Coriander Powder - 1 tbsp

Salt - to taste

Oil to deep fry

Tamarind paste - 2tbsp

Mustard seeds and curry leaves for tempering

Method 

Soak the channa dal for about two hours in water.

Wash them well before soaking

After two hours, drain the water and coarsely blend it in a mixie or on an ammi kal.

In a bowl mix together the coarsely blend dal, onions, greenchillies and salt.

Mix well and make small rounds

In the meanwhile, heat a kadai with oil.

Deep fry the urundais in the hot oil and set it aside.

In another deep kadai, heat some oil 

Add mustard seeds and curry leaves for tempering.

When the seeds sputter add the tamarind paste, followed by red chilli and coriander powders

Adjust salt and let this come to a boil

Add the deep fried urundais when the sauce is done.

Serve hot with steamed rice and appalam. It is a perfect rainy day lunch. spicy , crunchy and tangy.

Somasi with Tutty Frutty Filling

I had planned to make something and landed making this. But still am happy of the dish, as my friends daughter ate two of them straight after this shoot.

This is a very traditional somasi with a different filling. Instead of the usual coconut and sugar filling I put in a spoon of multi colored tutty frutty. It tasted a little less sweet and had to bite into the small pieces of filling.

Ingredients

Maida - 1 cup

Oil for deep frying

Tutty Frutty - 1/2 cup

Method

Make a dough using Maida and water.

It should be in the consistency of a chapatti dough

In a cup take the multi color tutty frutty

Roll out small rounds from the dough , fill it with the tutty frutty

And close it in a semi circle shape

Heat oil in a kadai and deep fry the filled somasi

I personally loved the taste, though I thought only one to eat.

C for Curry Leaves Thogaiyal

Its like getting back to kindergarten learning, A for Apple, B for Bat and so on. But we are doing it in cooking, A for Apple Jam , B for Bread Bajji today its C for Curry Leaves Thogaiyal. We often make this at home, as a side for curd rice. It is a very flavorful Thogaiyal, which can go well with Kanji also. Mom at times makes it along with Paal Kanji. My grand mom, got me into liking this thogaiyal, by saying that ,my hair will grow long and be black if I eat curry leaves. Guess she was right. 

Some people who are reading this may have a doubt on what is the difference between thogaiyal and chutney. Well, for Thogaiyal, all the ingredients or some ingredients are dry roasted before blending and very very less water is used while blending it. In case of chutney, the ingredients are often put in raw and it can be watery also.This is the basic difference.

Now on to the recipe

Ingredients

Curry Leaves - 1 cup 

Red chilies - 5

Urad dal - 1 tbsp

Tamarind - 1 teeny bit

Salt - to taste

Method

Dry roast the urad dal and red chili in a pan and keep aside

Take all the ingredients in a blender

Blend using very little water and adjust salt

Serve with curd rice or anytime of kanji. 

Logo courtesy : Preeti

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 32

Traditional Chidambaram : Kathrikai Gothsu

Gothsu is one of the authentic, traditional dishes of Chidambaram which is served in Natarajar temple along with Samba Sadham. This is made by the people in the temple and offered to Lord Nataraj. People who have tasted it say it is very nice. Wish I get a chance soon to taste it. 

Gothsu is a very old recipe, made mostly by Tam Brams. It is a must at some of their weddings. My grandmom used to roast the Brinjal over charcoal fire , remove the skin of Brinjal and then make Gothsu  In this method, there is a wonderful smoky flavor that the brinjal acquires in the process. Paati s Gothsu is always the best. These days we sometimes roast it over gas, but the flavor is not to be felt. 

Gothsu can be made with or without onions, based on your taste and preference. I have always prepared it with onions. And the best combination for Gothsu is Ven Pongal. Its a heavenly combination. But be careful when you have it on a weekday, you are bound to fall asleep. 

Ingredients

1/2 cup of moong dal

2 onions, chopped

2-3 green chillies

1 cup of chopped kathirikai

1 chopped tomato

Coriander leaves for flavor

Salt to taste

Mustard seeds and curry leaves for tempering

Oil as required

For Gothsu powder

1 tbsp - Channa Dal
1 tbsp - coriander seeds
2 tsp - Jeera
4 - red chilies

Method

Boil the Moong Dal and keep it aside

Roast Kathrikai over flame and de skin it 

Mash it well

Cut onions and tomato into small pieces

Blend the ingredients under Gothsu powder and keep separately

In a wide skillet add a little oil 

When the oil is hot add mustard seeds and let it sputter

Add the curry leaves, sliced onions and tomato

Saute for about 2 minutes time

Add the mashed Kathrikai and Moong Dal

Followed by the Gothsu Powder

Adjust salt and add water for consistency

Let the mixture boil well and get into a gravy consistency. 

Serve hot with Ghee Ven Pongal

Traditional Chinese : Veg Fried Rice

Fried rice is made from steamed rice stir-fried in a wok, often with other ingredients, such as eggs, vegetables, and meat. It is sometimes served as the penultimate dish in Chinese banquets (just before dessert). As a home-cooked dish, fried rice typically is made with leftover ingredients from other dishes, leading to countless variations.

The many popular varieties of fried rice have their own specific list of ingredients. In Asia, the more famous varieties include Yangzhou and Fujian fried rice. Elsewhere, most restaurants catering to vegetarian or Moslem clientele have invented their own varieties of fried rice including egg fried rice, Indonesian (spicy) fried rice and the ubiquitous "special fried rice".

Fried rice is a common staple in American Chinese cuisine, especially in the form sold as fast food. The most common form of American Chinese fried rice consists of some mixture of eggs, scallions, and vegetables, with chopped meat added at the customer's discretion, and usually flavored with soy sauce instead of table salt (more typical for Chinese-style fried rice). Fried rice made in American Chinese restaurants can vary in appearance, from a dark brown appearance often seen in East Coast establishments, to a light brown appearance often seen in Midwestern American Chinese restaurants. Fried rice is also seen in other American restaurants, even in cuisines with no native tradition of the dish. The dish is also a staple of Chinese restaurants in the many countries around the world

Fried rice is my mom s favorite dish any time we go to a restaurant. She will always always end up ordering fried rice and gobi manchurian gravy. This recipe is in another way also close to my heart. Radio Mirchi had organised a competiion for Mother s day last year. The question was what will you make to make Mother day Special for your mom. My answer was  " I would make her favorite meal in restaurant style and make her happy " , I won the first prize and RJ from the station visited my house to taste my cooking and give me the gift hanper. 

Ingredients 

Cooked Rice - 2 cups

Veggies - 2 cups ( carrot and beans )

Spring Onions - 1 cup

Garlic - 1 tbsp ( minced finely )

White pepper powder - 2tssp

Salt to taste

Oil as required

Method 

For fried rice, if you use left over rice, nothing like that.

Chop the spring onions and keep the bulb and stalk separately

Finely chop carrot and beans

In a wide skillet , add a little oil and add the minced garlic

Add the chopped Onion bulbs to the garlic

Add the finely chopped carrot and beans to the sauteed onion garlic 

Cook for about a minute 

Add white pepper powder and adjust salt 

Switch of the flame and add rice to the veggies

Mix well so that the flavors incorporate well

Finally add the spring onion stalks and serve with Gobi Manchurian

Traditional Italian : Veg Pasta

Pasta is a type of noodle and is a staple food of traditional Italian cuisine, with the first reference dating to 1154 in Sicily. It is also commonly used to refer to the variety of pasta dishes. Typically pasta is made from an unleavened dough of a durum wheat flour mixed with water and formed into sheets or various shapes, then cooked and served in any number of dishes. It can be made with flour from other cereals or grains, and eggs may be used instead of water. Pastas may be divided into two broad categories, dried (pasta secca) and fresh (pasta fresca). Chicken eggs frequently dominate as the source of the liquid component in fresh pasta.Most dried pasta is commercially produced via an extrusion process. Fresh pasta was traditionally produced by hand, sometimes with the aid of simple machines, but today many varieties of fresh pasta are also commercially produced by large scale machines, and the products are broadly available in supermarkets.

Both dried and fresh pasta come in a number of shapes and varieties, with 310 specific forms known variably by over 1300 names having been recently documented. In Italy the names of specific pasta shapes or types often vary with locale. For example the form cavatelli is known by 28 different names depending on region and town. Common forms of pasta include long shapes, short shapes, tubes, flat shapes and sheets, miniature soup shapes, filled or stuffed, and specialty or decorative shapes.

As a category in Italian cuisine, both dried and fresh pastas are classically used in one of three kinds of prepared dishes. As pasta asciutta (or pastasciutta) cooked pasta is plated and served with a complementary sauce or condiment. A second classification of pasta dishes is pasta in brodo in which the pasta is part of a soup-type dish. A third category is pasta al forno in which the pasta incorporated into a dish that is subsequently baked.

Pasta is generally a simple dish, but comes in large varieties because it is a versatile food item. Some pasta dishes are served as a first course in Italy because the portion sizes are small and simple. The servings are usually accompanied by a side of meat. Pasta is also prepared in light lunches, such as salads or large portion sizes for dinner. It can be prepared by hand or food processor and served hot or cold. Pasta sauces vary in taste, color and texture. When choosing which type of pasta and sauce to serve together, there is a general rule that must be observed. Simple sauces like pesto are ideal for long and thin strands of pasta while tomato sauce combines well with thicker pastas. Thicker and chunkier sauces have the better ability to cling onto the holes and cuts of short, tubular, twisted pastas. Sauce should be served equally with its pasta. It is important that the sauce does not overflow the pasta. The extra sauce is left on the plate after all of the pasta is eaten.

I often make pasta for my niece and nephews. They always say.. it tastes very nice. These kids make my day when they clean off the plate. Especially my nieces who come from US. Love the way they say YUMMY after taking the first bite of the food I make for them. 

Ingredients

Pasta - 2 cups cooked al'dente 

Veggies - 1.5 cups ( i used color capsicums and beans )

Pasta sauce - 3 tbsp

Oregano - 2tsp

White pepper powder - 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Olive oil as required

Basil as required

Method

Cut the veggies into thin strips

Boil the pasta al dente and set aside

Boil the beans and set it aside

In a wide wok , add a little olive oil and saute the sliced capsicum

After a minute, add the Pasta sauce to it and mix well

Season it with Oregano, white pepper and salt

Ensure that the sauce mixes well with the veggies

Add the boiled pasta and mix well

Adjust salt and serve hot

You can sprinkle cheese scrapping before you serve to add a lovely flavor

Traditional Tirunelveli : Muttai Kulambu (Egg in Tangy Tamarind sauce)

This is one dish that has come down via generations in my family, my grand mom used to make it. Mom learned it from her and now I can also make it. There is no written recipe for this dish, it is just by seeing how it is made that mom learnt and that is how I learned it to . It is my favorite dish and makes meal on it own. I love having this on a Sunday afternoon with papad and then dozing off to that heavenly nap. 

Ingredients

Eggs - 3 large

Red Chili powder - 3 tbsp

Coriander Powder - 2 tbsp

Tamarind pulp - 2 tbsp

Coconut - 1/2 cup

Cumin seeds - 1tsp

Onions - sliced 1/2 cup

Mustard and Fenugreek seeds to temper

Curry leaves for flavoring

Salt to taste

Oil as required

Method

In a deep pan, heat a little oil and add the mustard , Fenugreek seeds

After they sputter add the sliced onions and saute for about a minute time

Add the Masala powders followed by tamarind pulp

Add a little water , adjust salt and let it boil for about 5 minutes

In the meanwhile, make a smooth paste of coconut and cumin seeds in a blender

Add this mixture to the boiling gravy

Adjust salt and let this boil for about 15 mins.

The raw Masala smell should be eliminated by the end of 12 minutes or so

Keep your flame very low and add the eggs one by one

Break the eggs into the gravy and mix very gently.

Make sure that the egg is cooked well at the same time it should not crumble down into small pieces

Serve this hot with rice and papad

No side dish required as egg will serve the purpose

Traditional Maharastrian Puran Poli

Puran Poli is a Maharashtrian dish. The Poli is in itself a delicious sweetmeat and is often eaten as such. It may be served with a spoonful of ghee. Poli is often served with milk, which may be sweetened or flavored with almonds and pistachio. In certain areas, polis a tangy, tamarind-based sauce (similar to the base of pulihora) is served with the Poli  to enhance the experience by combining very disparate flavors  In Maharashtra, the tangy sauce is called katachi amti.

In Goan cuisine and the cuisine of the Konkani diaspora in Karnataka and Kerala, punn-poli or Holgi, is generally served with coconut milk flavored with nutmeg and sweetened with jaggery.

In other parts of Karnataka, holige or bele obbattu is served with ghee and hot milk. A variant of the bele obbattu is the crunchy kai obbattu that is prepared with jaggery and coconut. This is usually eaten dry with ghee.

In the Vidarbha region of eastern Maharashtra, the puran polis are soft, since the stuffing is made with jaggery. In western Maharashtra, the powdered white-sugar version is preferred, resulting in a crunchy puran pol . It is a dessert served during auspicious occasions and during important festivals such as Holi, Padwa in Maharashtra. Although it resembles like a roti, a poli is actually very different. It is made mostly during holi when the bonfire is lit.

The method of preparation varies from place to place. Sometimes grated coconut is added in Konkan. Coconut palm jaggery may sometimes be used. Similarly a mix or sugar and jaggery both can be used as a sweetening agent. Normally nutmeg is used as a flavoring agent along the coast which is replaced by cardamom or sometimes both elsewhere.

Methods of rolling the stuffed dough may differ too. Normally, it can be rolled using rice flour which makes the rolling very convenient. On the other hand, in some recipes flour is not used at all, oil or ghee is used to roll it into a flatbread instead. The rolled bread can be roasted with our without any ghee or oil, which sometimes is smeared after its completely cooked

Ingredients

Stuffing

Split Bengal gram 1 1/4 cups

Jaggery grated 1 1/2 cups

Saffron (kesar) a pinch

Green cardamom powder 1/4 teaspoon

Dough

Refined flour (maida) 1 1/2 cups

Salt a pinch

Pure ghee 1/2 cup

Method

Stuffing

Wash and boil chana dal. 

Drain and coarsely grind it. 

Prepare Jaggery Syrup, using water and Jaggery

In a pan add the dal, jaggery Syrup, saffron, cardamom powder and mix well. 

Cook, stirring all the time till dry. 

It should resemble a soft ball.

Remove and cool. 

Divide the stuffing into sixteen to twenty equal portions and roll into balls. 

Dough

Mix maida and salt along with a pinch of Turmeric powder

Add sufficient water to make a soft dough. 

Cover with a damp cloth and keep aside for one hour. 

Divide dough into sixteen to twenty equal portions and roll into balls. 

Flatten each ball in your palm, stuff with one portion of puran (stuffing), cover and seal the edges. 

Dust it with flour and roll out into four to five inches diameter disk of medium thickness.

 Heat a tawa and cook puran poli until done on both sides. 

Remove. Serve hot with generous helping of pure ghee on it.