Thursday 30 July 2015

DELICIOUS OPPUTTU

This is the authentic traditional sweet of Kongu folks. We make this sweet as special for festival occasions and in the feasts of family-get-together and as offering to God during Prayer/Pooja. It is so delicious and nutritional as well. It is known as Poli as well.

Ingredients:

Chana dal one full cup
Jaggery or achu vellam four
Ghee two tablespoon
Sugar one small spoon
Salt half pinch
Turmeric half pinch
Maida flour one full cup
Cardamom 6

Procedure:

Pressure cook the chana dal for three whistles.
Keep it  aside to cool down.
Meanwhile mix Maida flour, salt, turmeric powder, sugar, little oil and ghee,
Sprinkle water little by little and make it a soft non sticky dough. 
Keep aside to settle for 10 minutes.
Drain the water from the cooked dal.
Powder the jaggery or achuvellam in the mixer with cardamom seeds.
Grind the cooked dal with jaggery powder mixture.
Let the paste be coarse texture.

Divide the dough into a goose berry size pieces. 
Spread the soft dough into a flat round with the help of your fore finger and middle finger (as in the image of collage gallery.) in the banana leaf.
Place the mixture of chana dal and jaggery in the middle of the round spread with the help of a spoon.
Close the stuff on each side by stretching the maida flat round.
Remove excess if any.
Just make a ball and spread softly to a round flattened size.
Heat the Thava and Toast the spreads in three batches.
Sprinkle ghee.
Roast it until the brown spots appear. 
Flip it over the thava.
Allow to cook both sides turn golden spots.
Do all the balls into flat discs and toast them in several batches.

Opputtu is ready to be the offerings of God, or to be enjoyed.

This is an easy and instant sweet dish you like..:)







Tuesday 28 July 2015

CURRY LEAVES CHUTNY - A ONE STOP NATURAL REMEDY TO KEEP ANAEMIA AT BAY





An elaborate study about the health benefits of curry leaves is necessary before we are getting ready to make curry leaves chutney.
Curry leaves are one of the common important seasoning ingredients of Kongu Foods. They are added to almost in each and every dish to enhance its taste and flavor. Whenever we see this leaf in our food, we simply throw it away. Do you ever analyse yourselves why our moms even our ancestors used to add this leaf to every preparation?
It is because these curry leaves are packed with numerous nutrients and enormous health benefits as follows:
Curry leaves are the rich source of iron and folic acid. Anaemia is not only about the lack of iron in our body but also the inability of the absorption of iron and use it. This is where the folic acid comes into play. Folic acid is doing the excellent service of absorption of iron. Both the components are loaded in curry leaves. Hence it is a natural one-stop remedy to beat anaemia.

2. Since it contains kaempferol, a potential antioxidant combined with vitamin A and C. It not only protects our liver but also stimulates its efficiency to work properly.

3. It maintains blood sugar levels. It plays a significant role in controlling blood sugar when one handful of fresh curry leaves consumed in the empty stomach daily in the morning is the best trick as well.

4. Since it is packed with antioxidants, increase the amount of good cholesterol and protects us from heart disease and atherosclerosis.

5. It can reduce the side effects of radiotherapy and chemotherapy. It not only protects the body chromosomes from damage but also protects the bone marrow. It halts the production of free radicals in the body and protects the body from cancer.

6. It accelerates the hair growth and prevents the premature greying of hair.

7. It has fibrous contents and of carminative nature. It helps in digestion and it has a mild laxative property.

8. Since it possesses the antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, it combats with an upset stomach.
                                                                                                                                        Source: google

How to prepare curry leaves chutney?

Ingredients:

Fresh curry leaves one bunch
Shallots one tablespoon finely chopped
Red chillies four
Jaggery one piece
Tamarind a small piece
garlic pulses three
Salt as needed
fried gram one tablespoon
Asafoetida half pinch.
Cooking oil one tablespoon

The procedure with images:

Heat the dry pan with oil.
Add red chillies, shallots, garlic, tamarind respectively.
Then add curry leaves and saute a while.
Add fried gram,  jaggery and salt.
Allow them to cool.
Grind them with little water into a thick green paste.
This dish goes well with idlies, dosais,oothappams, paniyarams and appam. It tastes yummy when it is mixed with hot steamed rice and one spoon ghee.
We assure that next time we see the curry leaves in our plate,  we won't throw away but eat them. We will have these wonderful and medicinal leaves in the form various dishes regularly, either in an indirect way or in a direct way twice in a week.
Trust and try.....:)



Saturday 25 July 2015

CRUNCHY RIBBON SNACK

This snack is an instant savory, looking golden yellow, crunchy, tastes excellently and prepared during Diwali celebration.
We can prepare a lot and store in a air tight container and enjoy for more than 10 days.
Shall we take a look on the preparation of ribbon snack..

Ingredients :

Boiled rice flour one cup
Fried gram powder three cups
butter or vanaspati one spoon
Asafoetida one pinch
Ajwain /omam powder one teaspoon
I prefer this omam or ajwain powder as a must for an easy digestion coz this snack is very tasteful and crunchy,  we'll enjoy more and more..omam comforts our tummy.
Sunflower oil or any cooking refined oil to deep fry.

Procedure:

Sieve the rice four and get a fine powder.
Blend the fried gram three cups, red chilly powder, ajwain seeds into a fine texture.
and sieve this and get a fine powder.
Mix the rice flour, gram flour, salt as needed well in a dry bowl.
Add butter or vanaspathy and add water little by little so as to get a nonsticky soft dough.
Heat the oil to deepfry temperature.
Fill the chakli or muruku making equipment with the part of the dough.
Press with top pressing part directly into oil.
Let the flame in medium level.
Flip the other side of the ribbons carefully with the help of laddle.
After the sizzling sound and bubbles subsides to minimum, take out the fried ribbons out and place in the dry plate.
In the same way all the batches be squeezed and fried.
Break into pieces and store them for use.
The following images are making you clear about the procedure ...
Do try.. let me know how it come out..

MEMORY BOOSTING PENNYWORT AND DAL

Indian pennywort or vallarai keerai is known by everyone as memory booster in India. It is called by the name 'Brahmi' in Hindi. This spinach gives strength to the brain and nerves. We must cultivate this herb in our home garden or pots. We should add this green weekly once and consume. Our ancestors habituated us to remind food is thy medicine medicine is thy food. we forget and boycot their advice and eat the pizza, noodles, burger etc and invite various diseases. We should be aware about medicinal herbs and add them with dal or in various cooking methods in our regualar diet. We must learn each and every herb and its medicinal and nutritional values.
Now we are going to look on the preparation of Indian pennywort and dal recipe..

Ingredients :

vallarai / Indian pennywort/Asian pennywort/Brahmi leaves finely chopped two cups
cooked dal two cups with one cup of water
mustard seeds one spoon
cumin seeds one spoon
curryleaves one tablespoon
shallots chopped one tablespoon
green chillies 2 or red chillies three optional
Idayam gingelly oil one tablespoon.

Procedure:

Wash the Green leaves several timed and strain them.
Add half cup water, turmeric and little salt.
Cook in medium level of heat for seven minutes.
Set aside.
Heat gingelly oil and add mustard seeds.
Wait to crackle.
Add shallots, green or red chillies (your choice)
Saute a while till the shallots turn transparent.
Transfer the cooked green.
Add cooked dal.
Followed by salt required and little water.
Mix well and allow to boil..
Rub cumin seeds and add them.
Finally we cooked Indian or Asian pennywort green plus dal excellently.
This is most powerful booster to our Stamina and trigger our brain to work smart..
It gives wonderful tempting taste to hot rice with ghee.. It can be the super combination to chappathies.
Give a trial and tell me how this yummy dish is being enjoyed by your smart kids...   :)

Friday 24 July 2015

INSTANT KOTHUMALLI SATHAM/CORIANDER GREEN RICE

Ingredients:

Coriander leaves with stem tightly packed 2 cups
Cooked Ponni Boiled Rice 3 cups
Mustard Seeds one spoon
Split Urad dal one spoon
Split chenna dal one spoon
Groundnut oil one tablespoon
Shallots chopped half cup
Red chillies 3 or 4 as per your choice
Curry leaves half cup
Garlic Pulses 3
Tamarind one small piece
Jaggery one piece
Idayam gingelly oil one spoon
Salt as needed
Asafoetida one pinch

Procedure:

Pressure cook the boiled rice
Keep aside to cool down.
Clean and wash the coriander leaves several times.
Drain the water.
Blend Coriander leaves, tamarind, jaggery, fried gram, little salt, garlic pulses with little water into a thick fine paste.
Mix the cool rice with Idayam gingelly oil and salt.
Followed by Coriander leaves paste.
Mix well till the entire rice becomes green.
Heat the groundnut oil in a dry pan.
Add mustard seeds to crackle.
Followed by urad dal and chenna dal.
Add onions, red chillies, curry leaves,
asafoetida.
Saute a while till the onions turn translucent.
Add the rice and simmer the flame.
Saute for five minutes.
Remove the green rice from the flame.
Coriander rice is ready to enjoy. Try ..
:)..

Thursday 23 July 2015

JAVVARISI PAYASAM/SAGO GHEER

Sago pearls are known as Tapioca pearls. Sago is made from the starch extracted from the center pith of the Sago palm stems. It is having full of carbohydrate which is a quick boost of energy. low in fat. We can make gruel or kitchadi and vadai. Javvarisi payasam is very familiar in our region as a special dish served in the feast of every celebration of home rituals, marriages and any other auspicious functions. It is offered as nivedhanam before Deities during Navarathiri,  Ganesh sathurthi and local festivals.
Are you ready to know how to make Javvarisi Paayasam/Sago Gheer?

Ingredients:

Sago one cup
sugar one cup
milk four cups
cardamom six
cashews five
raisins six
coconut milk extracted from shredded coconut one cup (optional)

Procedure:

Roast the sago with one spoon of ghee and keep aside.
Wash the sagos and add two cups of water.
cook in the pressure cooker with two whistles.
The sagos cooked and became transparent.
Add sugar in a separate pan .
Followed by cooked sagos and milk two cups. 
Fry raisins and cashews (chopped ) into golden brown in little ghee.
Powder cardamom and add.
Add another two cups of milk . You can add one cup of coconut milk .(It will give extra taste)
Allow to boil until the gheer become thickened.
Remove from the flame.
Add one tablespoon of fresh ghee.
Javvarisi paayasam is ready to be enjoyed.

This gheer is served in the family get together for the local festivals and any temple celebrations. It is a special sweet in every home served and enjoyed in the lunch with meduvadai.


Tuesday 21 July 2015

SARKARAI PONGAL

Vella Pongal is a traditional dessert of auspicious days and served as Prasadam in all over South Indian temples.  This sweet pongal is made throughout the year as a special sweet and enjoyed by the folks of Tamil Nadu.
The preparation is so simple and easy. It is an authentic and traditional dish prepared during the celebration of Pongal festival of Tamil Nadu every year in mid January.

Ingredients :

Raw rice one cup
Achu vellam seven
Ghee half cup
Raisins one spoon
Cashew nuts seven
Cardamom eight
water one cup to make syrup

Procedure with step by step images:

Cook the raw rice in a 5 lit pressure cooker or pressure pan directly with one whistle and simmer it for five minutes.
Allow to cool until the pressure goes off.
Meanwhile, add water with achu vellam and heat it. The vellams dissolved and allow the solution to boil until it thickens to a syrup containing one string consistency.
Fry the raisins and cashews turning golden brown in ghee.
Powder the cardamom and set aside.
Now mash the cooked rice with the help of a ladle.
Pour the sugar syrup into the mashed rice and mix it well.
Transfer the fried items and mix gently.
Pour some ghee .
Finally add the cardamom and mix well.
Wait for ten minutes to set well.
Now the Vellapongal is ready to enjoy.

so yummy and sweet ....and flavorful..!!!!


Saturday 18 July 2015

INSTANT SAMBAR

This recipe is the super match to the South Indian main dishes of breakfast in our region such as Idlies, Dosais, Pongal ,Oothappam, Ghee Roasts and so on..

Ingredients:

Moong dal one cup
turmeric half teaspoon
shallots chopped half cup
curryleaves half cup
coriander leaves finely chopped
cooking oil one tablespoon
sambar powder one and half spoon
Asafoetida one pinch
Tamarind extract one cup
tomato finely chopped
salt as needed

Procedure:

Cook the moong dal with required water with half spoon of turmeric in a small pressure cooker with one whistle.

Heat the cooking oil in a dry pan.
Add the mustard seeds to crackle.
Followed by onions, curryleaves.

Saute a while and add sambar powder, adafoetida, tomato pieces.

Add tamarind extract, required salt, a small piece of jaggery.

Allow to boil until the extract becomes thick.

Add cooked dal with required water.

Check the salt and add coriander leaves.

Moong dal sambar is ready to be enjoyed with idlies or dosais or any other south indian dishes.

Give a try and enjoy how it is..!!!!

PULIOTHARAI

Ingredients:

Two cups of cooked rice
Tamarind extract (thick pulp) 3/4 cup
Turmeric half teaspoon
Mustard seeds half teaspoon
urad dal half teaspoon
chenna dal half teaspoon
Red chillies two split
gingely oil one tablespoon
Shallots finely chopped
garlic pulses finely chopped
Asafoetida half pinch
fenugreek seeds powder (Roasted) half pinch
curry leaves one tablespoon
salt as required

Procedure:

Heat the gingelly oil in a dry pan.
Add mustard seeds to splutter
then followed by urad dal, chenna dal, garlic pulses,onions, red chillies, curryleaves.
Add turmeric, fenugreed powder and.  asafoetida in a low flame.
Saute a while
Add tamarind pulp
Add salt as needed
Allow to thick.
Switch off the flame
Mix with cooked rice.
Mix fresh coriander leaves into rice gently

After ten minutes, the puliotharai satham is ready to be enjoyed..

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