FRUIT KESARI

This kesari is a very special sweet as it has pieces of delicious fruits in it. This is a very fine dessert to serve the guests after a grand meal.

பழ கேசரி

Ingredients:

Semolina- 2 cups
Sugar- 4 cups
Warm water – 4 cups
Cardamom powder- half tsp
Saffron- a pinch
Warm milk- 3 tbsp
Apple-1
Ripe banana-1
Mango-1
Pineapple slices-4
Dates-10
Cashew nuts-20
Raisins-3 tbsp
Rose essence- a few drops
Ghee- half cup

Procedure:

Cut all the fruits in to tiny bits.
Soak the saffron in the milk.
Heat a kadai and pour the half of the ghee.
On medium fire fry the cashew nuts and raisins at first to golden brown.
Then remove them away keep aside.
Fry the semolina in the same ghee until the aroma floats on air.
In a big kadai pour the warm water.
When it starts boiling add the semolina and cook it until all the water is evaporated.
Add the sugar and cook on slow fire mixing continuously and pouring the remaining ghee in intervals.
Pour the saffron milk and sprinkle the cardamom powder.
Mix well.
When the kesari is cooked well, add all the fruits and fried nuts and raisins with the essence.
Mix well on slow fire for 5 minutes.
Pour a tsp of ghee on top and put off the fire.

MASAL VADAI

This is one of my most favourite snacks. This is also called as ‘ aamai vadai ’. Still I do not know the reason for it. With simple ingredients, this has a divine taste!

மசால் வடை

Ingredients:

Bengal gram- 2 cups
Finely chopped green chillies-2 tsp
Finely sliced onion-3
Curry leaves- 2 arc
Finely chopped coriander- 2 tbsp
asafoetida powder- half tsp
Salt to taste
Enough oil to fry

Procedure

Wash and soak the Bengal gram for an hour.
Then drain the water thoroughly.
Grind the dal with enough salt to a coarse texture.
Add all the ingredients to it and mix well.
Heat the oil.
The fire should be medium.
Take a small amount of the ground Bengal gram, make a small ball and flatten them to a vadai.
Toss it in the oil and fry it to golden brown.
Thus finish all the ground mixture.
The hot and tasty vadais are ready now!!

KOZHI AVARAI PORIYAL

This kozhi avarai belongs to the avaraikkai family. When we cut it, it resembles like a star. This is a rare vegetable. I have seen it when I was a young girl. Now after a long time, I have purchased this in the local market here. This vegetable can be cooked as poriyal and also used in sambar, mutton kuzhambu etc.

கோழி அவரை பொரியல்

Ingredients:

Kozhi avarai- 250 gms
Finely chopped onion-2
Green gram- 2 tbsp
Black gram- 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds- 1 tsp
Turmeric powder- half sp
Salt to taste
Chopped coriander- 2 tbsp
Oil- 2 tbsp


Grind the following ingredients coarsely:

Red chillies-3
Asafetida- half sp
Fennel seeds- half sp
Small garlic flakes-3
Shredded coconut- 3 tbsp

Procedure:

Heat a kadai and pour the oil.
Add the mustard seeds and when they splutter add the grams and fry them to golden brown.
Then add the onion and fry them for a few seconds.
Add the chopped kozhi avarai with the turmeric powder and salt.
Cook on medium fire.
After 5 minutes, add the ground paste and mix well.
When the vegetable is cooked well add the coriander.
Mix well and put off the fire.
NB: For viewers, I am publishing the photograph of Kozhi avarai [winged bean] here! This is very famous in Thai cooking!

VEGETABLE OMELETTE

There are so many varieties of omelettes in every body’s kitchen. This vegetable omelette is a very tasty dish which is a suitable filling for a delicious sandwich. Other than this, this vegetable omelette can be used in gravies and kuzhambu varieties to enhance the flavour as well as taste. For sandwiches, toast the bread slices, spread the butter on them and fill the slices with this vegetarian omelette and a few pieces of cucumber and tomatoes. Even without toasting and the addition of cucumber and tomatoes, this vegetable omelette sandwich tastes divinely!

Ingredients:

Sieved gram flour- 2 cups
Chilli powder- 1/4 sp
Finely chopped spring onion- 1/4 cup
Finely chopped onion- half cup
Finely chopped tomato- half cup
Finely chopped coriander- 2 tbsp
Finely chopped green chillies- 1
Salt to taste

Procedure:

Add the flour in a bowl.
Again add the vegetable mixture with salt.
Mix well with the fingers.
Then add enough water to mix it to a dosai batter consistency.
Heat a tawa and pour 1 tbsp of this batter.
Spread thinly.
Sprinkle a little oil around it.
Butter is a good substitute for the oil.
When one side is cooked to golden brown, flip the other side to cook.

NB:

The fire must be low to cook this to a golden brown colour.

JACKFRUIT SEEDS FRY:

For this fry the jackfruit seeds must be fresh and fleshy. We must peel off the outer cover and then cook it either in plenty of waters or in pressure cooker. When they are cooked, cut them into halves. Now they are ready to cook. We can prepare various dishes such as koottu, poriyal, podi thiruval, pakoda, briyani etc. The sambar would be very tasty if we add this jackfruit seeds to it. This fry will be delicious to eat as a side dish with sambar.

பலாக்கொட்டை வறுவல்:

Ingredients:

Jackfruit seeds- 30 [boiled and cut in to halves]
Turmeric powder- half sp
Red chilli powder-2 tsp
Oil- 4 tbsp
Salt to taste
Finely sliced onion- 1
Finely chopped tomato-half cup
Chopped coriander-3 tbsp
Curry leaves- 1 arc


Grind the following in to a coarse paste:


Shredded coconut- 4 tbsp
Small onions-5
Small garlic flakes-6
Shredded ginger- half sp
Fennel seeds- half sp

Procedure:

Mix the powders, ground paste and salt with the jackfruit seeds and marinate them for half an hour.
Heat a kadai and pour the oil.
Add the sliced onion and fry them to golden brown.
Then add tomato with the greens and fry them until they are cooked well and the oil floats on the surface.
Add the jackfruit mixture and cook on medium fire until it is fried well to golden brown.

PANEER CHILLI KOTHU PAROTTA

With paneer there are so many Tiffin varieties. But this paneer chilli kothu parotta is the most fulfilled one with a divine taste. There is no need for a side dish as this is a wholesome food. However, curd salad with cucumber, carrot, onion and tomato is ok with this if any side dish is needed. This dish can be prepared with left over parottas.

பனீர் சில்லி கொத்து பரோட்டா

Ingredeints:

Parotta-4
Onion-4
Medium sized tomato-4
Garlic-ginger paste- 1 tsp
Chilli garlic sauce- 2 tbsp
Finely chopped green chillies- 1 tbsp
Soya sauce- 1 tsp
Capsicum [big]-1
Paneer- 200gms
Oil-4 tbsp
Butter- 2 tsp
Salt to taste
Turmeric powder- half tsp
Chopped spring onion- 5 tbsp
Finely chopped coriander- 5 tbsp

Procedure:

Microwave the parottas for 2 minutes in High.
Then cut them in to thin pieces.
Slice the onions thinly.
Crush the tomatoes coarsely.
Cut the capsicum in to small cubes.
Soak the frozen paneer pieces in slightly warm water for 20 minutes, drain the water and then scramble them in to small pieces.
Heat a pan and pour the oil.
Add the onion and fry them to slightly golden brown.
Add the ginger- garlic paste and fry them for a few seconds.
Then add the tomato with the turmeric powder and the green chillies.
Cook them until they are finely mashed and the oil floats on top.
Add the capsicum, spring onion, salt and the coriander leaves with the sauces and cook them for a few seconds.
Add the scrambled paneer and cook on slow fire until it is mixed well with the gravy. 
Finally add the parotta pieces and toss them until they are well coated with the gravy.
Add the butter and cook the parotta on slow fire for another 5 minutes.
Now the delicious paneer chilli kothu parotta is ready!

BITTER GOURD PODIMAS:

There are so many varieties of recipes on bitter gourd. But this podimas recipe has no bitter taste. This can be enjoyed with sambar and curd rice.

பாகற்காய் பொடிமாஸ்

Ingredients:

Bitter gourd-3
Bengal gram- half cup
Red chillies- 3
Fennel seeds- 2 tsp
Mustard seeds- 1 tsp
Finely chopped tomato- half cup
Turmeric powder- half sp
Finely sliced onion- 1 cup
Salt to taste
Oil- 9 to 10 tbsp
Shredded coconut- 4 tbsp
Chopped coriander- 3 tbsp
Black gram- 2 tsp

Procedure:

Cut the bitter gourd in to small pieces.
Fry them little by little in 5 tbsp of oil to slightly golden color.
Soak the Bengal gram in enough water for an hour, then drain the water and grind it with the red chillies and a tsp of fennel seeds coarsely.
In a tbsp of oil, fry the ground Bengal gram on slow fire until it becomes soft and crumbled.[usili]
Mix this with the fried bitter gourd.
Heat a pan and pour 3 tbsp of oil.
Add the mustards seeds and when they splutter add black gram and the remaining fennel seeds and fry for a few seconds.
Then add the onion with the tomato and the turmeric powder.
Cook them until they are mashed and the oil floats on the surface.
Now add the bitter gourd mixture and cook on slow fire for a few minutes until all the ingredients are mixed and combined well.
Lastly add the coconut and coriander and mix well.