Masala Puffed Rice

Masala puffed rice was my favorite n stomach filling snack during my college(hostel) days :-).I often do this crunchy snack for my li'l one as it is very easy and simple,and also can be made in minutes.

Ingredients:

1.Puffed Rice...........3 cups

2.Split channa(Pottu kadlai).......1/2 cup

3.Roasted groundnut..........1/2 cup

4.Cashew nuts.........10-15 nos

5.Red chilli(dry)..........3

6.Salt to taste.

7.Hing/Asafoetida....a pinch

8.Curry leaves......... few

9.Turmeric powder.....1/4 spoon

10.Oil...........2 spoon

11.Garlic cloves......10 to 15 nos

12.Mustard Seeds...........1/2 spoon

Procedure:

1.Dry fry the puffed rice,split channa and cashew one by one.Keep them aside.

2.Heat a kadai,add oil,mustard and allow this to splutter.Then add dry red chilli,turmeric powder,hing,curry leaves,garlic and salt one after the other.

Note: Slit garlic cloves to get it fried quickly.

3.Later add fried split channa,groundnuts,cashews and puffed rice.
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4.Fry this for 5 to 10 minutes.

5.Store it in a air tight container once cooled down.

A perfect snack for a movie time,for an evening with tea,for a lunch snack etc.Consume within 2 to 3 weeks.

Tip:

If u like u can add raisins and any other nuts.Avoid oil fried nuts and sev,that will change the original taste to usual savoury.

Stuffed Kulcha

I felt a lil bored of usual chapathi and roti and wanted to try a new version of  it.Got this one from my aunty,and gave it a try last week.It came out well,but i felt something was missing with the taste.So here i've added a few more ingredients to match my taste.Hope u guys love it and do post ur comments n queries.Well,this time i've tried step wise snaps,guess it wud help U :-)

Ingredients For Making Kulcha dough :

1.Plain flour / Maida..........2 cups

2.Salt.........1/2 tbsp

3.Sugar.........1/2 tbsp

4.Baking powder...........1/2 tbsp

5.Dry Yeast.............1 tsp

6.Yogurt..........1 tbsp

7.Butter.........1 tbsp

8.Milk..............1/4 cup(optional)

9.Water needed for making smooth dough

10.Oil..........3 spoon full



A.Ingredients for Potato stuffing:

1.Boiled n mashed potato........1 cup

2.Red chilli powder......1/4 tbsp

3.Salt to  taste

4.Chopped Coriander leaves a few

5.Oil...1 tbsp

Procedure:

Heat a spoon of oil in a kadai.Add red chilli powder,mashed potato,salt and coriander one after the other.Saute it for 5 to 10 minutes.Ur stuffing is ready.

B.Paneer-Onion stuffing:

1.Shredded paneer.........1/2 cup

2.Very finely chopped onion......1/4 cup

3.Very finely chopped Green chillies......1/2 tbsp

4.Salt to taste

5.Chopped Coriander leaves a few

6.Oil.......1 tbsp

Procedure:

1.Heat oil in a pan,add chopped onion and green chillies.Saute it well until onion turns pink.Then add shredded paneer,salt and corainder.Keep stirring for 5 to 10 minutes,then ur stuffing is ready.

Procedure to make Kulcha:

1.Take a wide-deep bowl,add all dry ingredients-maida,baking powder,salt n sugar.Give a good mix,until all blend well.

2.In the mean time soak yeast in warm water for 8-10 mins.Usually a froth is formed on top of the water.

3.To the flour mixture add butter and oil,mix well with ur palm till the oil and butter spread evenly over the flour.

4.Make a well in the middle and pour in the yeast mix,milk,yougurt and needed water.Knead well to get a smooth dough.

5.Close this with a wet muslin cloth and allow this to set for 4 to 5 hours(Dough raises and become very soft like a sponge).

Note:Muslin cloth is the best choice here,bcoz it has got more airy holes helps the dough to breath easily."Use wet muslin cloth" always.

6.After 5 hours,knead it again.Take a ball of dough,shape it like a cup and stuff it.Close the stuffing without any gap.

7.Roll it like a roti,dust it with dry flour if needed.

8.Toast both the sides in hot pan.Need no oil.


Stuffed kulcha is a traditional punjabi dish goes well with all types of gravies.That day i made bendhi with coconut milk,it was a very good combination to have with.This is a tasty-filling dish,suits well for a special dinner.

Beans Paruppu Usili

I'm happy to share one of my most favourite recipe here,my hubby and my 1 1/2 yr old son just love it too.The traditional way of cooking Usili takes a lot of time to complete,but here,followed my mom's way of easy cooking :-).As she is a working woman,she wont get much time to spend in kitchen,i guess only this have forced her to find more "short cut ways" :-)!!Though this is an easy way,the authentic taste is never changed.And here comes the recipe..

Ingredients:

1.Finely cut  beans ........ 2 cups

2.Coriander leaves.....few

3.Salt to taste

4.Mustard seeds........1/2 spoon

5.Oil...........2 tbsps

To Grind:

1.Soaked channa dhal(kadalai paruppu).........3/4 cup

2.Dry Red Chillies................4 or 5



Procedure:

1.Grind soaked channa dhal and dry chillies to a coarse paste with little water.

2.Pressure cook beans and dhal paste seperately (leave 4 whistle  if u do it in a pressure cooker).

3.Once cooled down,grind the cooked dhal paste in a mixer(it will turn to a powder state in a very few seconds).

4.Heat oil in a kadai,add mustard seeds and wait till it splutter.

5.Add curry leaves and grounded powder( boiled paste).

6.Add needed  salt and roast it for 5 mins,finally add the cooked beans and stir for 2 or 3 more mins.

7.Now the usili is done and ready to have with sambar-rasam sadham.



In Usual method,people dont pressure cook the dhal paste,instead they directly add the paste to the kadai.This way takes more time to cook and consumes more oil as well.Have to be more careful and keep on stirring too,to avoid browning.


I like to eat this separately like sundal(snack).This wont taste like any other usual poriyal,so prepare this for a change and njoy ur lunch :-)

Mullu Murukku

Murukku always remind me of  Diwali.Those sweet days will stay in my heart forever!!!I'm very much interested in cooking right from my school days,Amma and me used to prepare murukku for every diwali,we usually have a nice chat that time.Since i've seen her way of doing(tips n tricks) for years,i got good results in my very first attempt.

Yesterday,i did this mullu murukku with my mother-in-law who is an expert in doing all savories and sweets,i really admire her cooking skills!!She used to give more tips on cooking,especially the way she explains the recipe is always interesting.Here below i've posted the mullu murukku recipe and some snaps.

Ingredients :

1.Raw rice(Pachcharisi)......3 Cups

2.Moong dhal(Paasi paruppu)........1 cup

3.Channa Dhal(Kadalai paruppu)......1/2 cup

4.Split channa Dhal(pottu kadalai).......1/2 cup

5.Butter.........6 tsp

6.Sesame seeds(white preferred).......1 spoon

7.Hing........1 tsp

8.Salt to taste

9.Oil needed to deep fry.

Procedure:

1.Dry fry rice and dhals seperately.

2.Once cooled down,mix rice and dhal together.Grind it to fine powder.

3.Take the grounded flour in a big bowl,now bring in the salt,sesame seed,butter and hing(water solved).

Note: Follow the same order of mixing ingredients to get a right mixture.

4.Mix well,add needed water and make it to a chapathi dough consistency.Don add too much water,else it will take more time to boil.

5.Now take a hand full of dough,make a ball  shape and put it in the murukku press.

7.In the mean time heat oil in a kadai.

6.Press it directly on hot oil.Or u can press it on the reverse side of jalladai karandi(previously oil greased) and then fry it in oil.

7.Always do it in low/medium flame.Flip(turn) it often,so that murukku get boiled and crispy on both sides.

8.Once the bubble settles down,filter out the extra oil and take out the muruku.

9.Now the mullu murukku is done.Store this in an air tight container.Can be stored for a month.

Tips:

1.Always wet ur hands before placing the dough in press.


2.Also wipe inner and outer sides of the press with wet hands and take out the extra dough,after each press.This helps for the smooth flow and prevents the left over flour from drying.


3.Don wait until murukku turns brown.Once the bubble(in the oil)settles down,u can take that out .That is the right time and consistency.


4.If u r making in a large quantity,then split the flour into small portions and add butter,salt etc according to the measure.If u keep the wet dough mixture for a long time,it will turn sour and muruku would look reddish,tastes slightly bitter and also consumes more oil.

Butter.....gives crispness.
Salt and sesame seeds.....for the taste
Hing.......for the aroma,taste and digestion

Some will add jeera(cumin) seeds instead of sesame seeds.This is usually made during diwalis,weddings and some carnivals.Though it is time consuming,the outcome will be great and appreciating.Kids love a lot and healthier when compared to LAYS or  KURKURE :-).My son is very fond of this and he will never stop with one.Gud day!!

Moong Dhal Ladoo

I love ladoos a lot,especially the one made of moong dhal and bansi rava.As always Moong dhal ladoo is my all time fav.This is not my first time,i've prepared this many times before with my mother,for diwali.This is a quite easy,interesting and less time consuming recipe.I would say even a beginner can give it a try,with no worries.

Ok here comes my golden laddoos....:-)

Ingredients:

1.Moong dhal - 1 cup

2.Sugar - 3/4 cup

3.Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp

4.Golden fried cashew (broken) - less than quater cup

5.Ghee(melted,hot) - 1/2 to3/4 cup

Preparation:

1.Fry moong dhal on a dry hot pan,until golden-brown.

2.Grind moong dhal and sugar SEPARATELY to a fine powder.

3.Take a big bowl mix powdered sugar,moong dhal,cardamon powder and cashew together.Give it a gud mix, until all the ingredients blend well.

4.Heat ghee until a lite smoke comes out.Pour this ghee on to the mix.Stir it with a wooden spatula or with any flat spoon.

5.Before it cools down,take a hand full of mix,hold it tightly and tightly,try to make it to a round shape(follow the same procedure as u do for other ladoos).

6.Once cooled down,store them in a air tight container.Consume within a week or 10 days.

Note:1.Try to make ladoos as soon as possible,"before the heat goes down".Bcoz,once the mix becomes warm,the flour wont stick together and it will break so easily.
         2.If u r making in a large quantity,then divide the flour(mix) into small portions and heat ghee for each portion separately. 

 This hardly takes 1 to 2 hours to make.If u already have moong dhal powder ready,then it wont even take an hour.The highlight is the crunchy part,cashews in between adds a great taste.

Moong dhal is known to be the queen of dhals,as it contains more protein than any other cereals/dhal.So njoy having this extremely good sweet and stay healthy :-)

Channa Masala / Chole Masala

Ingredients:

Serving 2 persons
1.Soaked and boiled channa/chole ........ 150 gms

2.Finely chopped onions....... 50 gms

3.Cumin seeds...1 spoon

4.Red chilli powder.......1 spoon

5.Garam masala powder........1/4 spoon

6.Chole masala powder...... 1 full spoon(main ingredient)

7.Ginger-garlic paste...1 spoon

8.Tomato puree..... 1/2 cup

9.Boiled onion paste......1/2 cup

10.Oil........ 5 to 8 spoons

11.Salt to taste

12.Turmeric powder......1/4spoon

13.Green chillies......2 diced

14.Chopped cilantro........3 spoons

15.Kasuri Methi..........1/2 spoon

Procedure:

1.To make tomato puree- Take 3 medium sized tomato,grind them in mixer to a fine thick paste(don't add water).This is tomato puree.

2.To make onion paste-Take 2 Big size onion,cut each to 4 halves.Boil them in water till translucent.Grind them to a thick paste in mixer once after drained and cooled.This is the procedure to make onion paste.

3.Now place a kadai on flame heat oil,add cumin seeds,green chilies & diced onion.Fry them till the onion becomes transparent.Then add ginger garlic paste and fry till the raw smell goes off.

4.Next comes the red chili powder,garam masala powder,channa masala powder,turmeric powder and salt.Stir this well for 5 more minutes.

5.Now add onion paste and tomato puree,let this boil for 5 to 8 minutes,bcoz tomato should get boiled completely.

6.At last add the main ingredient boiled channa/chole and kasuri methi.Add a cup of water.Mix it well.

7.Close the kadai with a lid.Let this boil for 10 more minutes,so all the masalas blend well with channa.Make sure of the water level,if there is no enough water,it may get blackend in the bottom.

8.Channa masala should be in gravy style,not too watery.Once it is done,decorate with chopped cilantro.Serve hot with rotis,naan,chapathis,pooris etc.

9.Have a gr8 day.

Kadai Sabji

Hi All,its been a very long time since i blogged.I've been to my home town after a long gap,celebrated pongal there and it was a big vacation for me.

Now i'm posting this kadai (veg) sabji recipe which i've tried recently and got gud reviews from my hubby.This is usually prepared in dry style and little more spicier than the usual veg kurumas.This measure serves 2 person and here u go.

Ingredients :

1.Veggies like carrot,potato,peas,capsicum(any color),beans etc - 2 cups

2.Onion puree - 1/2 cup

3.Tomato puree- 3/4 cup

4.Ginger garlic paste - 1/2 spoon

5.Garam Masala - 1/4 spoon

6.Kasuri methi - 1/2 spoon

7.Oil - 2 spoon

8.Butter - 1 spoon

9.Cumin - 1/2 spoon

10.Salt  to taste

11.Green chillies - 2(slit)

12.Red chilli powder - 1 spoon

13.Turmeric powder - 1/4 spoon

Procedure:

1.Pressure cook all veggies.Capsicum has to be fried.

2.Heat butter n oil in a kadai,add cumin and let it raise.Then comes in the green chillies,onion puree and ginger garlic paste.

3.Cook in a low flame.Later add turmeric powder,red chilli powder,garam masala powder and tomato puree one by one.

Note:The spice level is up to u.U can lessen it,when u do for kids.

4.Saute it nicely.Tomato takes little more time to get cooked,may take 15 minutes or more.So cook this carefully and patiently.

5.When it is done,add all boiled veggies,salt and kasuri methi.Add a half cup of water.Close the kadai with a lid,until most of the water is dried.

6.Switch off the flame once its done.

This can be had with rotis,naan,poori and even with pulav and plain rice.A perfect filling food for a lunch or dinner.