Sweet Aval

Yet another aval recipe...Simple recipe,requires no gas,easy to make and a perfect evening snack ;)

Ingredients:

1.Aval(beaten rice-thick)......1 cup

2.Grated jaggery.............1/2 cup

3.Grated coconut............1/2 cup

Procedure:

1.Wash the aval nicely,until all the impurities leaves.Soak tis with 1/4 cup of water for 1/2 hr.(I used red aval here)...

2.After soaking it will turn to be soft and chewy.Now add in grated coconut and jaggery.Mix well until all the ingredients bind nicely.Allow tis to set for 10 more minutes and serve.

Aval Vellam Thengai Payasam

Another Aval recipe - AVAL THENGAI PAYASAM.

Ingredients:

1.Aval.......1/2 cup

2.Grated coconut......1/4 cup

3.Jaggery/vellam........ 1/4 cup +1 tbsp

4.Cardamon powder....1 tsp

5.Ghee.....1 tbsp

6.Dry grapes and cashews few for garnishing.

7.Milk...1/2 cup

Procedure:

1.Grind aval and coconut with water to a coarse paste.

2.Mix milk and 11/2 cup of water to the paste and bring it to boil.Keep stirring until the aval cooks completely.

3.Once the aval is done add jaggery,cardamon powder and ghee fried grapes n cashews.

4.Cook for 5 more minutes and switch off the flame.

5.Serve it hot or cold.

Jaggery is rich in iron.Coconut has good fat in it,heals ulcer problem.Beaten rice has good source of fibre.Overall its a very healthy and tasty recipe :)

Aval Upma

Ingredients:

1.Aval(white/red-thick version)- 1 cup

2.Green chilies.......2

3.Chopped Curry leaves n coriander leaves to garnish

4.Oil........2 tsps

5.Mustard seeds(1/ tsp),channa dhal(1 tsp),few broken cashew nuts and urad dhal(1 tsp) for seasoning.

6.Turmeric powder & asefotida a pinch

7.Salt to taste.

Procedure:

1.Wash aval well and remove all impurities.Soak it with 1/4 of water for 1/2 hr.

2.Heat oil in a pan,splutter mustard and all dhals-fry till golden color.

3.Now add in chopped green chilies,turmeric powder and asefotida.

4.Finally add in soaked aval,salt and chopped curry and coriander leaves.

5.Mix well and close it with a lid.Stir often(say once in every 3 minutes).Cook tis way for 10 minutes and switch off the flame.Allow tis to rest for 5 minutes and then serve it hot.

This requires no side dish at all.Beaten rice(aval) has good fibre in it,red aval is healthier than the white one.

Gulab Jamun

Happy new year friends...Its been a very long time since i blogged!!I'm gonna start tis year with everyone's all time favourite recipe 'GULAB JAMUN'.I guess everyone knws the procedure well,tis is from my side to all the beginners!!!Come lets start....

Ingredients:

FOR MAKING JAMUN

1.Gulab jamun mix-500 gms

2.Water-less than 100 gms

3.Oil to fry

 Procedure:

1.Mix 1/4 portion of water to 1 portion of mix(gulad jamun powder).Mix well and allow it to rest.

Note:While mixing the flour,apply lil oil/ghee to the hands to avoid stickiness.

2.Make small balls out of it.

3.Heat oil in low flame,fry them till golden yellow.Drain excess oil and keep them aside.

4.Add the fried Jamuns into the hot sugar syrup.Wait till they are completely soaked.

5.Serve them hot or with any flavoured ice cream :)

For Making SUGAR SYRUP

1.500 gms pack needs 800gms of sugar and equal volume of water.

2.Cardamon powder......1 tsp

Procedure:

Mix water n sugar well,so tat sugar dissolve completely.Then heat it for 15 minutes.Add cardamon powder before switching off the flame.

Bread Cup Pizza

This is my first "best" experience in baking,bcoz i got a big applause from my family n friends for tis recipe.And tis is always close to my heart ;)First of all i should thanks sharmispassions for sharing tis lovely-tasty recipe with us all..Here i introduce bread cup pizza,a super duper easy snack time recipe...I hav altered certain ingredients from the original recipe.

Ingredients:

1.Whole wheat bread/milk bread/maida bread.......4

2.Grated cheese........4 tbsps

3.Chopped capsicum(i used green).......4 tbsps

4.Onion chopped......4 tbsps

5.Boiled corn kernels.......4 tbsps

6.Ketchup......1 tbsp(1/4 tbsp for each bread)(Original recipe calls for pizza sauce,i used ketchup as i cudn't find tat product in nearby super market)

7.Red chilli sauce/ black pepper... a pinch for hotness

8.Ghee/ butter to grease the bread

Bread cup pizzas are ready

Procedure:

1.Cut the edges of bread slices.Cut it to a circle shape(i used a cup to get the shape quickly).

2.Grease the both sides of bread with ghee/butter.

3.Now place the bread slices inside muffin cups and press them with a finger so tat they sit well and make place for the filling.

4.Now fill it with a tbsp of corn,onion,capsicum, ketchup and cheese.

5.Original recipe didnt use pepper/red chilli sauce,but here i used red chilli sauce.Use red chilli sauce/pepper powder not both,bcoz both may make the pizza more hot.

6.Pre-heat oven for 10 mins with 180 C.Now place the bread cups inside the oven and bake it for 10 to 12 mins at 180 C.

7.When the outer crust turns golden brown n they r done.

Note:I have OTG,hence it took 10 to 12 mins to bake,but microwave may take much less time to complete.So do accordingly.

Pav Baji

Hot Pav Bajis are my favourite snack time food,sometimes i prefer having it for breakfast too.I love the pav bun's softness and fluffiness so much.Having tat golden crispy-soft buns with spicy baji is a heavenly delicious experience...Lets do it in a quick simple way and have fun ;)

Ingredients:

1.Pav buns.......4

2.Butter..... 1 tbsp

3.Boiled potatoes......1 cup

4.Chopped onions......1 cup

5.Chopped tomato.....1/2 cup

6.Ginger garlic paste.....1/2 tbsp

7.Turmeric powder.....a pinch

8.Boiled Green peas.......1/2 cup

9.Pav baji masala powder.....1 tbsp

10.Red chilli powder/Green chillies.....according to the taste

11.Salt needed

12.Oil......2 tbsps to fry

13.Coriander leaves....for garnishing

Procedure:

1.Heat oil in a pan,add chopped onions,ginger garlic paste and tomato one after the other.Fry till they cook well.

2.Now add in boiled potatoes and green peas and mash well the potatoes.

3.Add turmeric powder,pav baji masala,red chilli powder and needed salt.Cook well for 10 minutes with 1/4 cup of water to make it a thick gravy.Now Baji is ready with coriander garnishing.

4.Slit the buns horizontally,grease butter on both the sides,roast them in a tava till golden.

5.Serve it super hot with masala tea...ohh tis sounds great isn't it?!!!!

Spongy Vanila Cake

This is my first baking experience!!I was so proud of the outcome ;) the cake was so fluffy and soft,tat my hubby and lil one njoyed it a lot!!!"i could n't believe this is ur first attempt on cake" tis is one of my friend's comment after tasting the cake.All these encouragements made me so happy and i hope u guys love it too :)

Ingredients :

For 5 or 6 inch pan(rectangle/round)

1.Maida/All purpose flour..............100 gms

2.Sugar............100 gms

3.Butter(unsalted).............100 gms

4.Vanila essence......1 tsp(2.5 ml)

5.Baking Powder..........2 tsp(5 ml)

6.Eggs.......2

7.Milk.....2 tbsps

Procedure:

1.Sieve maida and baking powder 3 times so tat they mix well together.

2.Powder all sugar in a mixer.Later beat powdered sugar and butter nicely.Then add egg to it and beat well for a minute.

Note:Don't beat the cake mix for long time,because it will break on top while baking.

3.Then add in the maida mixture&milk and mix well slowly,then finally the vanila essence.

4.Grease the baking tray with oil/butter pour in the batter.In the mean-time pre-heat the oven for 10 minutes with 180 deg Celsius.

5.Turn the knob to bake mode,temp-180 deg celcius and timer- 25 to 30 minutes.

6.Once it is done,insert a knife or fork,if it comes out clean then the cake is done.

7.Let it cool down completely and serve :)

Pesarattu

Here comes another andhra special recipe 'Pesarattu".Traditional Ginger chutney is the perfect combo for this.But i somehow don't like adding jaggery to chutney items.So i did hot ginger-coconut chutney as the side-dish.

Ingredients:

1.Moong dhal/Whole Green gram.........1 cup

2.Rice......2 tbsp

3.Cumin............1 tsp

4.Red chillies........3 to 5

5.Salt to taste

6.Corainder leaves....a few

Procedure:

1.Soak Moong dhal for 4 hours (if it is green gram,soak it for 8 hours).Wash it and grind it along with rice,cumin,red chillies and salt to a paste with adequate water.

2.Add chopped coriander leaves to the batter.

3.Heat a kadai,grease with oil and water,spread the batter like dosa,apply oil on both the sides.Toast it well on both sides and serve hot with chutney or simply with jaggery powder.

Note:Here i've used moong dhal,but whole green gram is the best choice as it has more fiber-good for health,try sprouted ones!

Adding chopped onion and grated carrot will add special taste and flavour to the recipe :)

Sarkarai Pongal

Sarakari Pongal is usually prepared during pongal festival.As pongal tops the prasadha list,i always do it during pooja times,say it like Varamaha Lakshmi Pooja,Mangala gowri vratha,new year(telugu/kannada&tamil new years).I have a mind set that Sarkari pongal and dhal vada(neivathyam) completes any pooja very much than anything else!!This year i prepared it for varama lakshmi pooja and i followed my mom's way i mean the quick/easy way :) Come lets do it now....

Ingredients:

1.Rice(Pacharisi)............1 cup

2.Moon dhal .............1/4 cup

3.Grated coconut......3  tbsps

4.Cardamom powder.....1 tsp

5.Nutmeg powder......1 tsp

6.Cloves....4

7.Jaggery......1 1/2 cup

8.Milk.........2 cups

9.Fried cashews and Grapes

10.Ghee....5 tbsps

Procedure:

1.Fry cashews and grapes with tsp of ghee.keep it aside.Later fry cloves and powder them.

2.Cook rice and dhal together with 3 1/4  cups of water in a pressure cooker.

3.In the mean time,soak jaggery (powdered) in water and filter it(with a tea filter).Heat the jaggery water in a thick bottomed kadai till the raw smell leaves and keep it aside.

4.Take a big vessel with thick bottom,add the cooked rice & dhal and mash it(dont make it a paste).Now add milk and heat it,after 5 mins add the jaggery syrup and keep on stirring.

5.Add a tsp of ghee whenever required.When it is done(after 10 mins) add cardamom powder,nutmeg powder,clove powder and fried nuts n grapes.Mix well until they binds well with the pongal.

6.A nice aroma of jaggery and spices with rice will rise so soon,where u should switch off the flame at the right time to avoid blackening at the bottom.

7.Serve hot with atsp of ghee on top.

Roti Roll

A lovely,tasty,healthy breakfast is here.Hope u all like it!

Ingredients:

1.Chapathis/Rotis.......2

2.Green Capsicum....1

3.Cabbage (shredded).....1 cup

4.Carrot(shredded)........1/2 cup

5.Cheese(shredded).......1/4 cup

6.Chilly Sauce..........1 tbsp

7.Tomato Sauce........2 tbsps

8.Salt and pepper to taste

9.Oil......2 tbsps

10.Onion(finely chopped)...1/4 cup

Procedure:

1.Heat oil in a kadai,add in all cut veggies,sprinkle little water and saute till they r half cooked.

2.Later add chilly sauce,salt,pepper,saute well and switch off the flame.

3.Take a roti,place a good volume of veggie stuff.Pour in little ketchup/tomato sauce,cheese and onion over it.

4.Roll it with a tissue beneath(just like the roti roll wallas do).

2 roll is more than enough for a healthy morning,a glass of fresh juice or hot milk makes it more complete.The stuffing is ur choice,u can stuff with potato masala,channa masala,masala noodles etc...Other stuffed rolls r coming soon ;)

Paal Ada Pradhaman

Posting this as "avani avittam " special recipe!!!I made this with ready made paal ada(double horse brand)..the procedure is similar to semiya payasam,hence very easy to prepare :)Lets go straight to the ingredients...

Ingredients:

Makes 2 bowls of payasam

1.Paal Ada..........4 tbsps

2.Coconut milk.......1 cup

3.Milk.......1/2 cup

4.Water......1 cup

5.Sugar.........3/4 cup

6.Ghee.....2 tsps

7.Cardamom powder.........1 tsp

8.Cashew nuts.........15 gms

9.Dry grapes.........10 gms

Procedure:

1.Fry cashew & grapes with a tsp of ghee till golden.Keep it aside.

2.In the same kadai fry paal ada with a tsp of ghee,till it changes color slightly.

3.Take a thick bottomed vessel,boil a cup of water,add fried paal ada and let it boil till soft.

4.Then add milk,coconut milk and sugar and bring it to a boil.

5.Add cardamom powder and fried cashew & grapes and switch off the flame.

6.Serve hot / cold.

French Fries

Yesterday i tried french fries in my oven!!I guess Grill mode works prefect for this.And also i feel this is the healthy way of doing french fries as it consumes only few drops of oil.It has become my family's fav snack :)

Ingredients :

1.Potatoes(big)..........4

2.Red chilli powder and salt a little

3.Oil....1/2 tbsp

4.Ketchup or cheese dip

Procedure:

1.Cut the potatoes length-wise and half boil it.

2.Take the cookie tray (got with the oven),grease with oil,spread the half-boiled potatoes and drizzle some red chilli powder and salt evenly on it.

3.Again drizzle few more drops of oil on top of potato.In the mean time pre-heat the oven for 10 mins with 180 deg C.

4.Toast the potatoes in grill mode for 15 minutes with temp 180deg C.

5.Serve it hot with ketchup or cheese dip ;)

Note:I use electric oven not a microwave so take care of the temp and timer if u use a microwave.I heard tat microwave cooks food faster than an oven.

Veg Clear Soup

Here comes one of the most healthy,tasty recipe,'Veg clear soup'.The snaps didn't come out well but the taste was so tempting to have some more and this one is the greatest appetiser i ever had.

Ingredients:

1.Chopped vegetables like carrots,beans,cabbage,peas and baby corn.....1  to 1 1/2 cup

2.Corn flour........2 tbsps

3.Garlic and onion flakes.......1 tbsp

4.Black pepper and salt to taste.

5.Ghee....1 tsp

6.Drumstick tree leaves.......2 hands full

7.Water...........according to the need

Procedure:

1.Half cook all the veggies in a thick bottomed pan.

2.Dissolve corn flour in 1/4 cup of water and mix with veggies,once they r done.

3.Stir well,add salt.Once it turns li'l smoother turn off the heat.

4.In a frying pan,heat ghee add garlic flakes,onion flakes and drumstick leaves and saute it for 2 mins,then add black pepper and switch off the flame.

5.Transfer that fried leaves to the soup and mix well.Serve hot.Add salt / pepper according to ur taste.

Taro-Root Fry

Ingredients:

1.Taro root(Pressure cooked).............2 cups

2.Turmeric powder.............1/2 tsp

3.Red chilli powder..........1/2 tbsp

4.Hing.................1/2 tsp

5.Salt to taste

6.Sesame seeds(white)...........1/4 tsp(optional)

7.Coriander powder...........1/4 tsp(optional)

8.Oil..................3 to 5 tsp

9.Mustard seeds............1 tsp

10.Channa dhal.............2 tbsps

Procedure:

1.Peel off the skin from boiled taro root,and place them on a mixing bowl.

2.Marinate with turmeric powder,red chilli powder,salt,hing,coriander powder and sesame seeds.Keep it aside for 10 minutes.

3.In a frying pan,heat oil and splutter mustard seeds and channa dhal.Next bring in the marinated Taro root and fry well until some golden crust are formed.

4.Serve hot with any rice.

Note:The spice level is totally up to u,u can increase or decrease the volume of chilli powder and other spices according to ur need.

Bigger ones can be cut in to two halves too.

Always buy medium sized taro roots,also there shouldn't be any green colouring or sprouts on its sides.

Araithu Vitta Sambar

I wanted to post this recipe long before,but only now got the right step-wise snaps(2 snaps were deleted as they weren't clear).Posted here our traditional version of araithu vitta sambar,which is my heart's favourite.

Ingredients:

1.Veggies of ur choice....1 cup(say drumstick,brinjal,etc)

2.Small onion.....1 cup

3.Tamarind syrup(medium thick)......1 1/2 cup

4.Water.......2 cups

5. Oil....4 to 5 tbsps

6.Mustard seeds....1 tbsp

7.Curry leaves....few

8.Salt to taste

9.Turmeric powder.....1/2 tsp

10.Hing powder............1 tbsp

11.Thoor dhal.......1/2 cup(boiled and mashed)


To Grind:

1.Coconut(grated).......less than 1/2 cup

2.Dry red chillies ..........5

3.Coriander seeds.........2 tbsps

4.Fenugreek seeds.........1 tsp

5.Channa dhal(kadlai paruppu).......1 tbsp

Procedure:

1.Fry all the 'to grind' ingredients(except coconut) with few drops of oil.Grind the fried ingredients with coconut with sufficient water to a smooth paste and keep it aside.

2.Take a kadai,add rest of the oil and splutter mustard seeds.Add in onion fry it for a minute and add rest of the veggies like drumstick,carrot etc..add a cup of water and let it boil until the veggies r done.

3.Once the veggies r cooked to the right softness,add tamarind water and 1 more cup of water.Add hing,turmeric powder,salt and curry leaves.Let this boil well for 10 minutes until the raw smell leaves.

4.Later add the grounded paste and allow this to boil for another 5 more minutes.

5.Now add the boiled and mashed thoor dhal,if the sambar is too thick add a cup or more water to it and let it boil for 5 more minutes.Add few more curry leaves before u switch it off.

6.Serve this sambar with rice and ghee,with any fry(like potato fry,plantain fry)/porial/raita/papad/vadagam.This tastes at its best with potato fry and urad papad ;)Tat day we had it with Taro-root fry(sepang kilangu fry)!

Aloo Paratha

Aloo paratha with simple carrot-cucumber raita is always my favourite.Here comes that simple recipe with step wise photographs.

Ingredients:

1.Whole wheat flour.........1 cup

2.Salt....2 pinch

3.Oil....2 tbsps

4.Water needed

5.Maida.....2 tbsps(optional)


For stuffing:

1.Boiled potatoes......2

2.Red chilli powder....1/2 tsp

3.Salt

4.Coriander leaves...a few

5.Cumin powder.....1/2 tsp


Procedure:

1.Mix the wheat flour,salt and oil well.Add water mix and knead it like roti batter.Let this rest for 3 hours.


2. Take a bowl,bring in all the stuffing ingredients.Mash and mix well.Keep it aside.

3.Take a small ball of roti  batter and roll it into a small,thick circle.

Place a small ball of the stuffing in the middle,close it and roll it again slowly to a medium size circle.Care should be taken that stuffing should not come out of it.

4.Toast this in a pan,apply oil on both sides.Serve with simple raita.Hope u all like it!!

 Note:I've added maida,because it has got good elasticity,which will prevent the stuffing from coming out while rolling.I always add a 2 tbsp of maida to all stuffed rotis,this makes the rotis stay soft as well :)

Paruppu Podi

Instant rice mixes are the most wanted ones these days.If it is home made,then it will be preservative-free and nutritious too.Here comes the easy Paruppu podi recipe..

Ingredients:

1.Thoor dhal............1cup

2.Urad dhal..........2 tbsps

3.Dry red chillies.......5 to 8 nos

4.Hing........1/2 tsp

5.Black pepper......1/2 tsp

6.Salt to  taste

7.Garlic cloves..........10

8.oil.....few drops

Procedure:

1.Take a thick bottomed kadai,fry all ingredients (except salt and garlic cloves)with few drops of oil,till golden.Keep it aside.

2.Slit cut the garlic cloves,fry it separately with oil till golden.

3.Grind all together in a mixer to a fine powder.

4.This is ready to serve now.Have it with hot rice and ghee.Pappad n pickle are the best combination for this.

Rasam Powder

Rasam always has a special place in south indian meal.The measurement of spices is so important that even a slight variation may change the whole taste.My grandma always say "if u make 'the right-tasty' rasam,then u r a good cook",people in our place judge ones cooking by their rasam only :)!!Because it is tough to bring out the same right taste each time.This wonderful mix of spices is given by my grandmother,who is an expert in doing this.And here it comes...

Ingredients:

1.Coriander seeds.......1 cup(heap)

2.Dry red chillies.........26 to 30(according to the spice level)

3.Black pepper.......1/4 cup

4.Cumin seeds.......1/4 cup

5.Thoor dhal.......1/4 cup

6.Mustard seeds..........2 tbsps

Procedure:

There are 2 ways of doing this.

First Method:

Simply dry all the ingredients together under the sun for 3 to 5 hours.Grind it well to a powder.

The other method:

During winter u wont get good sun light,or if u don have access to terrace,First method is not possible.The other method will help here.

Heat a Thick bottomed kadai on flame,First fry red chillies with few drops of oil.Switch off the flame.Put rest of the ingredients into the kadai and saute it for few times and let it cool down.Grind it to a semi-fine powder.

My grandma always says that rasam powder should not be a fine powder(her mother's tip)!!

Rava Kesari

Me and my mother-in-law made this sweet together for our guest,few weeks back.There was no tension about the measure or the consistency as she was beside me LOL :)!!It was great cooking with her...then here comes the recipe :)

Ingredients:

1.Upma Rava............1 cup

2.Water..............2 cups

3.Sugar..............1 3/4 cup

4.Elachi powder...........1 tsp

5.Cashew nuts and dried grapes.........few

6.Ghee....................1 cup

7.Food color(orange/red/sunset yellow)......a pinch,dissolved in water.

Procedure:

1.Place a kadai on flame,roast cashews and dried grapes with a tsp of ghee and keep it aside.

2.In the same kadai, roast rava dryly until the raw smell leaves also wait for slight color change.Then transfer the rava to a plate and let it cool down.

3.Now place the same kadai on flame,add 2 cups of water and let it boil,then add the roasted rava slowly.Keep it stirring to avoid lumps.

4.Once the rava is cooked,add sugar and stir well.Add food color and then a 1/4 cup of ghee when all the sugar is dissolved.

5.Keep stirring to avoid burning,add the remaining ghee in another 5 minutes.Add the roasted cashews and grapes and atlast the elachi powder.Mix well so that the ingredients mix well together.

6.When the rava mixture becomes non-sticky(Note:Take a spoon full of kesari and roll between ur fingers,if u get a  non-sticky ball,then its ready),the kesari is ready.

7.Serve hot with any savory.Njoyy ur day :)

6.Stir well so that 

Carrot Juice

Another summer special here for u all.

Ingredients:

1.Carrot(grated)...........1 1/2 cup

2.Chilled Milk........1/2 cup

3.Condensed milk.........2 tbsps(optional)

4.Sugar to taste

5.Water........1 cup

Procedure:

1.Grind well the grated carrots,squeeze out the thick juice.Again grind the pulp with 1/2 cup of water,drain out the juice again,repeat this method for one more time to extract all the juice out of it.Mix all the extracts(the juices) to one and keep it aside.

2.Take a glass pour in the carrot juice,chilled milk,condensed milk and sugar.Stir well and serve.
Note:I used condensed milk to enhance the taste,but it is totally optional.

3.U can refrigerate again before u serve or serve as it is..