CARROT PULAO!!

I am posting here a new recipe on carrot!
As everybody knows, Vitamin A is abundant in carrots! Other than this, carrot reduces the risk of breast cancer and lung cancer, improvise vision, acts as an antiseptic, slows down the ageing of cells, prevents the premature wrinkling and even heart decease and cleans the body also. On the whole, carrot in every day menu makes tremendous impact on our health! 

This is a mild but definitely a tasty pulao. As this is cooked in carrot juice, it is very healthy for small children.

 

 

காரட் புலவு.

Ingredients:

Carrot [shredded]- 2 cups

Rice – 1 cup

Mint leaves chopped- 1 tbsp

Coriander leaves chopped- 1 tbsp

Ghee- 2 tsp

Oil- 2 tsp

Cardamom-2

Cinnamon [long piece]-1

Cloves-2

Thin garlic stripes- 2 tsp

Slit green chillies-2

Lime juice- 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Cashew nuts-8

Turmeric powder- ¼ sp

Fennel seeds- ¼ sp 

Procedure:

Soak the rice in water after washing it.

Extract the juice out of 1 cup of shredded carrot.

Heat a vessel and pour 1 tsp of ghee and 1 tsp of oil.

Add the cinnamon, cardamom and the cloves.

When they splutter, pour the carrot juice and the soaked water.

It should be 2 cups.

Add the drained rice.

Cook on medium fire.

When the rice is being cooked, heat a pan and pour the remaining oil and the ghee.

Add the fennel seeds with the cashew nuts.

When the cashew nuts become golden brown, add the remaining carrot along with the greens, garlic, turmeric powder, green chillies and a little salt.

Cook until the carrot become little soft and half cooked.

When the rice is almost cooked, add enough salt.

When all the water is evaporated, add the cooked carrot and sprinkle the lime juice.

Close the lid and keep it in ‘Dum’ for 15 minutes.

The delicious carrot pulao is ready now!!
 

RAW BANANA FRY!!

This recipe is a traditional and old one in our family. Monthan variety is most suitable for this dish. Any how, this fry can be tried with Nendram vaazaikkai also!!

 

 

வாழைக்காய் வறுவல்!

Ingredients:

Raw banana-4

shredded coconut- a handful

small garlic flakes-10

shredded ginger- 1 tsp

fennel seeds- 1 tsp

Kashmir red chilli powder- 2 tbsp

turmeric powder- half sp

salt to taste

small onions-8

enough oil to fry

Procedure:

Peel the skins of the raw bananas.

Slice them thinly.

Grind the shredded coconut, ginger, garlic, onions and fennels seeds to a slightly coarse paste.

Add this paste with the powders and salt to the banana pieces.

Mix well and allow it to soak for half an hour.

Heat a pan and pour the oil.

Deep fry the marinated slices, a handful at a time.

Delicious raw banana fry is ready now!!

RAS MALAI!!

Wish you all a very Happy New Year !!!

As the new year is born, I think a delicious sweet is the most suitable one to post here today!. I am going to welcome the New Year with Ras malai! Ras Malai is a classical North Indian dessert and whole milk is the main ingredient here. Ras malai is being prepared with so many recipes. But I am sure that this is the tastiest recipe among all of them!!

 

ரஸ மலாய்

Ingredients needed:

 

Whole milk powder- 1 ¼ cup

Plain flour- 1 sp

Baking powder- 1 tsp

Oil- 1 tbsp

Big egg-1

Sugar- 1 cup

Saffron- a few

Cardamom powder- 6

Chopped pistachio- 2 tbsp.

 

For the milk:

 

Whole milk powder- 20 tsp

Little warm water- 4 cups

Procedure:

Sieve the milk powder with the plain flour and baking powder thrice.

Add the oil and the egg to make a smooth dough.

This comes with practice.

The dough must be shiny and soft.

Then make small balls.

Cover them with a clean cloth.

To prepare the milk, mix the whole milk powder with the warm water thoroughly.

It can be filtered to get clear milk without any crumbs.

Heat it on medium fire.

When the milk starts to simmer, start to drop the balls five at a time.

When the first batch starts to float on top after being cooked, the second batch can be added.

Thus all the balls must be finished.

Then grind the cardamoms with a spoonful of sugar and add this to the simmering Ras malai with the saffron threads.

Add the sugar.

Mix well.

When the Ras malai starts simmering again, put off the fire.

Pour the ras Malai in to a glass bowl and sprinkle the chopped pistachio

on top.

Chill it in a refrigerator and serve.    

NB: More sugar can be added according to the tastebuds.

 

RADISH RASAM!!

There are so many rasam varieties we can see in South India.  Pepper rasam, Lime rasam, kottu rasam, mint rasam, Mysore rasam, Tomato rasam and Dal rasam are quite popular in Tamilnadu, even though their  tastes and recipes  vary from district to district. There are even different rasam varieties like onion rasam, marunthu rasam [ with  Naattu marunthukal like thippili, Sitharaththai, black cummin seeds etc], Pineapple rasam, chicken rasam, Mutton rasam etc.This Radish rasam will be very delicious to drink and taste with hot rice. This is a nutritious rasam also!  I hope you will enjoy it!!

முள்ளங்கி ரசம்! 

 

 

Ingredients:

 

young radish-2

Cooked dal- 1/4 cup

mashed tomatoes- 1 cup

Finely chopped sambar onions- half cup

 Shredded ginger- half sp

slit green chillies-3

Small garlic flakes-10

A few curry leaves

Chopped coriander- half cup

asafoetida- a pea size

small lime-1

fenugreek seeds- half sp

 Cummin seeds- half sp

Turmeric powder- half sp

ghee- 1 tsp

gingelly oil- 1 tbsp 

 Procedure: 

Heat a pan and pour the ghee and the oil.

when they become hot add the fenugreek and the cummin seeds.

when they splutter, add the onions and fry them well.

Then add the tomatoes, ginger, garlic, greens and the green chillies with the turmeric powder and fry them well until they are cooked and become soft.

Now add the cooked dal with 3 to 4 cups of water and enough salt.

When the dal water starts simmering, add the sliced radish pieces.

when the radish slices are cooked well, put off the fire.

Pour the lime juice and mix well.

The delicious radish rasam is ready to serve!!

 

 

 

 

 

GULAB JAMOON

This is the most famous sweet  in India.  Besides the original recipes, there are so many brands available in the market for readymade gulab jamoon powder.  I have never tried these. I prefer the original recipes always. Among them, this is the only recipe I love always to follow. 25 years back, I got this recipe from a friend who was working in a five star hotel in the abroad. The hotel was following this recipe only. After following this recipe and tasted the soft and delicious gulab jamoons, I have stopped trying the other recipes of gulab jamoons. Now the recipe follows..... 

 

 

குலோப் ஜாமூன்

Ingredients: 

Self raising flour- 3 tbsp

Full cream milk powder- 8 tbsp

Bicarbonate of soda and baking powder- 1/4 tsp

Soft butter- 1 tbsp

oil to fry the jamoons

water- 2 to 2 1/2 tbsp

cardamom powder- 1/4 tsp

saffron- a few threads 

For the syrup: 

Sugar- 2 cups

Water- 3 cups 

Procedure: 

Sieve the self raising flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and the cardamom powder  thrice.

Mix in the butter and mix well with the flour evenly.

Now add the water little by little and make a soft dough.

The dough should be shiny and soft without cracks.

Make small goose-berry sized balls.

Do not press hardly the dough and do not give pressure to make the balls.

Heat the oil on low-medium fire.

Fry the balls ten at a time.

When the balls become golden brown evenly on all the sides, take them away and keep them on a kitchen towel.

Now mix the sugar in the water, pour it in a pan and heat it on medium fire.

When the syrup starts simmering, put in all the balls with the saffron..

Allow the balls to cook for 15 to 20 minutes.

Now the delicious Gulab Jamoons is ready to serve!

When you fry the balls, the Gulab Jamoons should become double in size.

Then when the jamoons are boiling in sugar syrup, again they must become double in size.

This is the correct method to follow. 

PS:  Plain flour can be used instead of self raising flour.

 

Raw Jackfruit Dosai!

I am fond of raw jackfruit always. Young tender jackfruit briyani often enters in the menu of my kitchen. Besides, I never miss the opportunity of cooking the kola, cutlet, gravy and poriyals of Raw jackfruit in its season. But, in Dubai, we always get it even in the unseasonal time. Last week I have bought one and prepared one of my friend’s recipe, ‘raw jackfruit dosai.’ To my surprise, the outcome is quite fantastic and delicious! Here is this wonderful recipe!

 

 

பலாக்காய் தோசை. 

Ingredients:

 

Shredded Young raw jackfruit- 1 cup

Par boiled rice [idly rice] - half cup

Raw rice- half cup

Shredded coconut- a handful

Finely chopped onion-1

Finely chopped green chillies-3 or 4

A few curry leaves

Procedure: 

Soak the rice varieties for 3 hours.

Grind them with the shredded coconut and jackfruit to a fine batter.

Mix in the onion, green chillies and the curry leaves with enough salt.

Let it ferment for 4 hours.

You can prepare fine dosas after that.

The delicious dosas are ready to taste!!

GREEN GRAM PANIYARAM!!

There are so many varieties of sweet paniyarams and spicy paniyarams we can make. Each one has different and delicious taste. We can make paniyarams with ragi, wheat, rice, tapioca, oats, and different dals. When sweet paniyarams are prepared with sugar, jaggery and karuppatti, red chillies, green chillies, chopped onions, coriander leaves and spices enhance the taste of kara paniyarams. Usually paniyarams are cooked in traditional paniyara chatti. Paniyara chatti is available in Maakkal, iron, mud and aluminium. But nowadays non-stick paniyara chatti is available and it is so good to use  as there is no need to pour oil in the moulds every time we make paniyarams.  

This green gram paniyaram is a traditional one. This also can be prepared with whole green gram.

 

பயத்தம் பருப்பு பணியாரம்

Ingredients:

Green gram-1 ½ cup

Powdered Jaggery- 1 cup

Cardamom-10

Shredded coconut-half cup

Raw rice- half cup

Salt- a pinch 

Procedure; 

Soak the dal and the rice in lots of water for an hour.

Then drain the water and grind them with the jaggery, and the cardamom adding a little water to a thick batter.

Add the salt and the coconut and mix well.

Heat the paniyar chatti on medium fire.

Pour a big spoonful of batter in each mould.

When the bottom side is cooked for a few minutes, flip it to the other side with the help of a spoon.

When the other side is cooked well and turns in to golden brown, take them away.

The delicious green gram sweet paniyarams are ready now!