Monday 11 April 2016

KOSE VARUVAL/CABBAGE STIR-FRY

This is the slight variation of muttaikose porial/cabbage porial.
Very taste one. You will make your kids to eat nutritious cabbage by making a difference in lunch food.

How to make cabbage stir-fry/kose varuval

Ingredients:

Cabbage medium size one
Moong dal three tablespoons
Mustard seeds one spoon
Shallots chopped one tablespoon
Curry leaves half cup
Coriander leaves chopped half cup
Green chillies three 
Coconut grates optional

Procedure:

Shred the cabbage in a grater.
Heat the wok with cooking oil over a medium flame.
Add mustard seeds and allow to crackle.
Followed by shallots, green chillies, curry leaves and moong dal.
Saute for a few minutes until the moong lentils become golden brown,
Add shredded cabbage and salt.
Saute for a while.
Sprinkle little water ( one tablespoon) over the cabbage.
Close the wok with a lid.
Let the flame be at low level.
Cook until the water absorbed by cabbage.
In a low -flame, stir the cooked cabbage with coriander leaves for a couple of minutes.
Transfer the cabbage to a serving bowl.

The moong dal+cabbage  make the rice so delicious and nutritious.
Give a try...!















VERUM PULI RASAM


 

This post tells how to prepare the basic version of rasam. Kongu mothers prepare rasam in various versions. This Puli Rasam is often made in our homes. It is also of medicinal benefits. This is good for Cold and cough. Whenever we have nonvegetarian feast or nonvegetarian food cooked in our homes, this puli rasam is playing the vital role in easy digestion and making comfort stomach.

Let us move to make Puli Rasam:

Ingredients:

Tamarind Lemon size soaked in water and Extract of five cups to be made.
Jaggery a small piece
Garlic pods four
Pepper one spoon
Cumin seeds one spoon
Coriander seeds one spoon
Mustard seeds one spoon
Asafoetida one pinch
Salt to taste
Sesame oil one tablespoon
Red Chillies three split
Curry leaves half cup
Shallots crushed five
Turmeric one spoon
Coriander leaves chopped half cup

Procedure:

Tamarind extract is mixed with  shredded garlic, raw coriander seeds coarse powder, Salt, powdered cumins seeds, jaggery, chopped coriander leaves and coarse pepper powder.
Mix well and check the taste. The aroma and taste must be balanced.
Heat the wok with sesame oil over the medium flame.
Add mustard seeds to pop up.
Now the knob in low level.
Add red chillies and curry leaves in low flame
Add Crushed shallots and asafoetida
Followed by turmeric.
Transfer the tamarind extract and increase the flame level to high.
Allow to boil.

Aromatic Puli rasam is ready to have with hot steamed rice with any side dish ( Porial)











Sunday 10 April 2016

INSTANT FILTER COFFEE

Have you ever tried this easy method of preparing the filter coffee within a second?
We never use the coffee filter for this purpose. We are going to use small strainer. 

Ingredients:

Coffee Powder three teaspoons
Sugar two teaspoon as per your choice
Fresh boiled one cup of milk
boiled water quarter cup

Procedure:

Bring to boil water.
In the meanwhile, take a cup or tumbler placing the strainer on the top. (see the image of strainer)
Add three teaspoonful of Pure coffee powder in the strainer. Narasus coffee PB Is the best one I choose always.
Bring to boil the fresh milk in another burner.
Pour the boiled water into the strainer containing coffee powder little by little.
You will notice an instant thick decoction into the cup/tumbler 
Take away the strainer.
Add sugar and hot milk in the decoction.
Pour the coffee from tumbler to a jug and jug to tumbler. Make it frothy by exchanging filter coffee thrice into the jug and a tumbler
You will get an aromatic,  hot and charming filter coffee in your hand.
Are you ready to enjoy sip by sip?

Try it..:)






 

Wednesday 6 April 2016

GLOSSY CARROT HALWA

Today, we are going to make a trendy sweet called as Carrot Halwa. This sweet is made up with very few ingredients. Since the carrots are naturally sweet, the less quantity of sugar is needed. Ghee is added  less. No food color. Addition of milk is optional. Preparation time is only ten minutes. So check this method out ..

How to make Carrot Halwa?

Ingredients:

Fresh carrots medium size 8 nos 
Sugar half cup
Ghee half cup
Cashews four
Raisins one spoon
Cardamom five pods

Procedure:

Wash the carrots and cut the two ends.
Peel off the carrots
Grate them and collect them in a bowl.
Blend them in a mixer to get a coarse texture.
Take half a cup of sugar and half a cup of ghee ready.
Fry the cashews and raisins on a spoon of ghee and keep ready.
Heat the pan with one tablespoon of ghee.
Add the Blended carrot immediately and saute well.
Saute the grates until the water in carrots are fully absorbed.
Add Sugar and saute again.
Let the flame in medium level.
Observe the sugar melts and mix well with carrot grates
Note the carrot grates are blended so that the coarse carrot get cooked instantly.
Transfer the fried cashews and raisins along with the ghee 
Add one more spoon of ghee.
Saute again until the entire ingredients get transparent and shiny.
Sprinkle the crushed cardamom seeds.
Switch off the flame 
Transfer the carrot halwa in a serving bowl.

Enjoy the warm, delicious carrot halwa.

Easy to make.. instant.. very simple.. in kongu traditional method..1
Try this way.
You will find how easy it is..!







Monday 4 April 2016

HEALTHY MODAKKATHAN KEERAI RASAM/BALOON WINE GREENS SOUP

Modakkathan keerai is one of the most beneficial greens in our region.
Especially the villagers are very familiar about the healthy and nutritional benefits of greens in their garden and farms.

It is a climber with balloon-like fruits and its leaves is famous for its use in treating with joint pain. It also treats with cold and cough. It is the best remedial green for menstruous cramps, dandruff, joint pains, ear pain, general tiredness, sluggishness, eczema and nourishment of hair. It improves body immunity power.

Its botanical name is Cardiospermum halicacabum and belongs to soapberry family. In sanskrit, it is known as Indravalli. In Hindi,  it is known as Kanphata.
















                

It is a fast growing creeper normally found in fences of the garden. It is good to grow in our home yard or terrace garden or in pots. We can get the fresh green to use. Adding this green in our regular diet at least twice a month will definitely maintain our good health. I prefer modakkathan keerai soup or rasam always. Hot pepper flavored modakkathan green rasam is enjoyed by us before meals as a starter. 

It is a good appetizer during monsoon.

Let us move to make rasam:

Ingredients

Modakkathan greens one cup
Cooked dal one cup
Cumin seeds one spoon
Garlic pods two grated
Pepper coarse powder two spoons
Asafoetida half pinch
Sesame oil one tablespoon
Salt to taste
Turmeric one spoon


Procedure:




Blend the washed modakkathan leaves into a paste
Heat the pan with sesame and add cumin seeds to fry.
Pour the modakkathan paste with water.
Allow to boil for a minute .
Transfer the cooked masoor or toor dal or green lentil as per your choice with two cups of water
Add Salt to taste.
Sprinkle one spoon of pepper powder.

Soup is ready. So delicious and you will feel an instant relief from general tiredness and enjoy the freshness of the body.
It is good for children and adults.







Sunday 3 April 2016

AVARAI PARUPPU SAMBAR/FIELD BEANS SAMBAR

The beans locally available are avarai beans, Fava beans, broad beans, Bell beans and butter beans.
Butter beans are our local mochakottai paruppu or mochaiparuppu. Avaraai beans are confused often with mochai paruppu.
Nutritional Values of Avarai paruppu: The nutritional contents are higher than any other lentils. Rich with vitamin A. Vitamin C, iron and so on.
This post reveals  about the preparation of avarai paruppu kathirikai sambar. 

Ingredients:

Avarai Paruppu 100 gms.
Tender brinjals 10 no
Tamarind extract two cups
Sambar powder two spoons
Mustard seeds one spoon
Asafoetida half pinch
Roasted fenugreek powder half pinch
shallots one cup
Curry leaves half cup
Turmeric one spoon
Coriander leaves chopped half cup
Gingelly oil one tablespoon










Procedure:

Wash the split broad beans and allow to boil for a while and drain the water.
Repeat the draining process for three times.
Pressure cook the drained beans with one spoon of turmeric, one cup of water and few drops of castor oil.
Allow three whistles and simmer for a while.
Switch off the flame and let it cool down.
Heat the pan with one tablespoon of cooking oil.
Add mustard seeds to crackle.
Followed by the shallots, brinjal pieces, curry leaves, and saute for a while.
Add turmeric, sambar powder, asafoetida, fenugreek powder.
Saute for a second in a medium flame.
Pour the  tamarind extract.
Add salt to taste.
When it becomes thick gravy, transfer the cooked avarai paruppu and add one cup of water.
Let all the ingredients to boil.
Check the salt to taste.
Final addition of gingelly oil enhances its wonderful taste.
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
Transfer the sambar into a serving bowl.

Ready to serve with hot steamed rice, Raagi kali. hot kambuchoru and cholachoru.








Saturday 2 April 2016

THENGAI OPPUTTU

This post is about the traditional sweet delicacy of Kongu family , THENGAI OPPUTTU.






Kongu People serve this traditional dessert in each and every special occasions such as marriage feasts, all festivals of Tamil Nadu i.e Pongal, Diwali, Karthigai Deepam, get together of family members. 

Coconut is an inevitable ingredient of every meal of the kongu family. They add the coconut grates in veg. porials, coconut milk in various versions of kuzhambu, gravy and veg curries and nonveg curries. they made thuvaiyal, chutney and  so many sweets using coconut. 

This is one of the sweet versions using coconut. When the coconut combines with jaggery and ghee, it will become rich and heavenly sweet. 

We move to the preparation of the sweet:

Ingredients:

Coconut grates one bowl
Ghee one tablespoon
Jaggery crushed 3/4th of the bowl
All purpose flour or Maida one cup
Food color half pinch
Cardamom crushed three
banana leaf cut

Procedure:

Roast shredded coconut in half spoon of ghee for a minute.
Keep aside to cool.
Blend the coconut grates with jaggery and cardamom seeds into a thick paste.
Make small gooseberry size balls.
Knead a soft nonsticky dough with maida, adding water little by little and one spoon of ghee.
Grease the banana leaf and spread the small portion into a flat surface using the fingers and palm.
Place the coconut ball on the surface of the maida dough.
Cover the ball with maida thin layer by pulling along all sides.
Make round flattened discs.
Heat the griddle and place three discs and sprinkle half spoon of ghee over the discs and allow to cook for a while, in a medium heat.
Flip over the other side of the discs.
Take out of the griddle.

Serve this delicious opputtu. 
This sweet is called as Thengai poli or Thengai opputtu in our region.
Do try..
Easy to prepare.. traditional sweet...quick fix method..highly nutritious..
:)




































Featured post

IRRESISTIBLE CARROT MASAL STIR FRY

Preparation: 10 minutes Cooking time: 6 minutes Serves: 2  Ingredients: Carrots 8nos  Peanut oil one tablespoon Mustard ...