Badam vermicelli Kesari

 Ingredients

Vermicelli- 1 Cup (Roasted/Unroasted)

Almond Flour - 1/2 Cup

Sugar - 1 1/4 or 1 Cup for less sugar

Kesari colour powder - 3 pinches (Optional)

Kunguma poo - 2 pinches

Cardamon Powder - 1/4 tsp

Nutmeg powder- 2 pinches

Edible camphor - very small pinches (mustard size)

Ghee - 4 tbspoon

Almonds/Cashews (Chopped) - 1 tsp

Raisins - 1 tsp

Milk / plant based milk - 1/8 cup

Add a tbsp of ghee in a kadai and roast the Chopped nuts and raisins.   When the raisins puffs up remove it in a bowl.  

Now add the Vermicelli and roast it to golden brown (if roasted Vermicelli also saute it in ghee). Keep 2 1/2 cups of hot water.  When the Vermicelli is roasted, add hot boiling water and cook the Vermicelli completely.  Now add milk, almond powder and sugar.  Mix it till everything comes together.  Later the kesari will be thickened.  Switch of the stove and add Cardamon powder, Nutmeg powder, edible camphor and rest of the ghee. Mix it and allow it to cool.  Serve it hot with little ghee on top. You can even serve it with cold ice cream. 

Pudina Puliyodharai

There are many recipes in internet and each one has its own unique taste.  This is my tried version with my own pulikaichal by adding just mint to the powder. Mint also not over powering the pulikaichal taste.  Felt that it was well balanced.

 Ingredients:

Sona masoori/ any Raw Rice - 1 cup (rice cup) - cook it in a pressure cooker/rice cooker adding 3 cups of water.

For dry powder

Pudina/Mint - one big handful (washed and dried)

Coriander Seeds - 2 tbsp

Channa Dal - 1 1/2 tbsp

Red Chillies - 4 to 6 nos (I used long chilli)

Asafoetida- a small piece (1/4 tsp powder)

Methi Seeds - 1/8 tsp

Sesame Oil - 1 tsp

For Pulikaichal: 

Tamarind - 1 ball of Lemon size (If using paste try using 8 tsp increase after tasting the thokku. I haven't used paste)

Channa Dal = 1 tbsp

Red Chillies - 2 to 3 (Lomg chilli)

Asafoetida- small piece or 1/4 tsp powder

Mustard Seeds -  1/2 tsp

Sesame Oil - 3 tsp and 1 tsp for mixing

Peanuts- 2 tsp

Salt to taste 

Dry roast all the ingredients with 1 tsp Sesame Oil given under powder except mint leaves till the dal becomes golden brown and then add mint leaves and saute for few seconds till the mint shrinks a bit and retains its colour. After it cools down grind it to a coarse powder.

Soak the tamarind in hot water for 15 minutes and grind it in blender with water to a fine paste.

In a kadai add 3 tsp Sesame oil and when it is hot add mustard seeds after it crackles add channa dal, peanuts, red chillies, asafoetida if whole Asafoetida and roast until the dal turns golden brown.  Add the tamarind paste, salt, sugar/jaggery and turmeric powder and in medium heat reduce it till it becomes paste consistently.  Add 1/2 powder of the powder saute for a while and remove it from the fire.   

In a bowl add the cooked rice, prepared pulikaichal paste, powder and 1 tsp Sesame Oil, salt and mix it thoroughly.  Now the mint Pulikaichal rice is ready to eat. 

You can have it with fried Appalachian or any vadam or with avial.  I have given elai vadam, avial recipe in the my blog. Or another side dish of your choice.  Please post a comment giving your options of side dish for this.  

Elai Vadam (Dried Rice crips)

 Ingredients:

Raw Rice (sona masoori) - 2 cups ( wash and soak it for two hours and grind it to a fine paste)

Green Chillies - 2 nos. (You can increase it if you want a spicy vadam)

Salt to taste (do not add more because after drying the vadam will shrink and little less salt will be good)

Lemon - 1 no.

Bring the rice batter to a thinner consistency ( little thinner than dosa batter and little ticker than rava dosa batter).  Now add ground green chillies with lemon juice and salt to the batter.

In a wide bottom pan keep a stand and add water less than the rim of the stand.  Take a small stainless steel plate (If you take a bigger plate the vadam will be big and you need more oil to fry it) and add a spoon full of the batter and spread it.  After the water starts boiling in the pan, keep the plate and steam it for just a minute or two.  If you see few bubbles, that is batter raising from the plate, take the plate out and put it in room temperate water in a vessel.  Take it out immediately and with the help of knife start removing the corners of the vadam from the plate.  It will be easy if you loosen the corner part of the vadam in the plate.  Now you can easily take it out and dry it inside the house under a fan.  You can use a plastic sheet to dry the vadam. Flip the vadams when it is dried oneside.  In two days the vadams will be dried and you can fry it in oil and eat it like appalam.

Udupi Sambar

 Ingredients: 

To Grind:

Coriander seeds - 3 bsp

Urad dal - 1 tbsp

Channa Dal - 1 1/2 tbsp

Bedige Red Chillies - 5 nos

Long Red Chillies -2 nos

Grated Coconut - 3 tbspn

Asafoetida - Small piece / 1/2 tsp powder

Fenugreek Seeds - 1/2 tsp

Oil - 1/2 tbspn

For Tadka:

Oil - 1 tbspn

Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp

Red Chillies - 1 or 2

Curry Leaves - Few

For Sambar:

Tur dal - 1/4 cup

Drum Stick - 2

Onion - 1 Big size

Red Pumpkin - cut one 1/4 cup

Tomato - 3 medium size

Turmeric powder -1/4 tsp

Tamarind - small  lemon size - soaked in hot water and pulp squeezed

Salt to taste

In a kadai add oil and when it is hot add all the ingredients under to grind except coconut and saute them on medium fire till the dal turn golden brown.  Now add the coconut and saute for a minute or two.   Remove from fire, allow it to cool and grind it to a medium coarse paste with one cut tomato and keep it aside.

In a cooker add 1/2 tbspn oil and add the cut onions and saute till they are cooked.  Now add the washed and soaked turdal with turmeric powder and all the cut vegetables and pressure cookfor 4 whistles.  

Open the pressure cooker and add required salt, ground paste and water as per the required consistency.  Let it boil for around 2 minutes and switch off the stove.

Now add 1 tbspn oil and when the oil is hot add mustard seeds and allow it to splutter and then add red chillies and curry leaves and saute for 1/2 minute and add it to the sambar.  Enjoy with any tiffin like idli, pongal etc. of your choice.  

Please comment in the comment section for the outcome of my recipe when used by you all.  Thank you all for your support.

Sago Halwa

 Ingredients:-

Sabudana - 1 cup

Jaggery - 1 1/2 cup

Chopped Nuts - 20 nos. cashew/almond

Ghee - 3 tsp

Cardamom Powder - 1/8 - 1/4 tsp

Nutmeg powder - 2 pinches

Soak the Sabudana.  Drain the water and grind it smoothly with 1/2 to 3/4 cup of water

In a kadai add 1 tsp ghee and add the chopped nuts and remove them after they turn golden brown.

Now add 3/4 cup of water and Jaggery.  Bring it to boil and now add the ground Sabudana paste.  Stir it continuously adding the remaining ghee one tsp at a time in high heat.   When the halwa becomes thick and no more sticking to the pan, remove it from the fire and add it to a greased plate.  After it cools cut it into pieces and enjoy.

Healthy Popsicle

 Ingredients: for 5 to 6 popsicle

Ripe Mango - 1

Strawberry 4

Sugar - 4 tsp (can be increased or decreased - or replaced with honey)

Almond Flour -2 tsp

Vegan Milk - 2 tablespoon

1.  Cut the Mango and grind it with 2 tsp sugar and 2 tsp Almond Flour adding around 2 tablespoon water or milk or vegan milk

2.  Cut the strawberries and grind it with 2 tsp sugar without adding water.

Now take the popscile mould and pour ground mango pulp upto 1/3rd of the mould.  Then you can add ground strwberry pulp upto next 1/3rd of the mould.  Now add the mango pulp and cover the mould with the lid and freeze it.   

 Another version is you can freeze the first 1/3 mango pulp for 2 hrs. and then add strawberry pulp, again freeze it and then add mango pulp and freeze it.  By doing this you will be able to get proper layers of the popsicle.

Enjoy it.

Banana Flower Vada (Airfryer)

Ingredients:

One whole Banana Flower

Moon dal- 1/2 cup

Besan Flour - 2 - 3 tablespoon 

Rice Flour - 1 tablespoon

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Red chillies - 2-3

Asafoetida - 1/2 tsp

Cumin Seeds - 1/4 tsp

Oil 

Salt to taste

Clean the banana flower and cut them into fine like cutting coriander leaves.  (Important cut the banana flower only while making the vada otherwise they will turn dark in colour)

Grind the moong dal into a thick paste adding red chillies, salt required, asafoetida and cumin seeds. Do not add water to it.  Add the ground paste to a bowl and add cut banana flower, turmeric powder, besan flour, rice flour, one tsp oil and mix them all together.   Make vadas  and arrange it in a airfryer plate.  Brush some oil on top of the vada and airfry them for 15-20 mts., flipping the vada after one side becomes golden brown.  When both sides become golden brown take it out and enjoy.  

Dates Banana Payasam

 Ingredients:

Banana - 3 (big size)

Dates    - 12 nos (seeds removed)

Ghee - 2 tsp

Almonds - 6 to 8

Raisins -2 tablespoon

Shredded almonds - 2 tablespoon

Almond flour - 2 tsp

Coconut (shredded) - 4 tablespoons

Cardamon powder - 1/4 tsp

Nutmeg powder - 2 pinches

Edible camphor - size of a mustard

Jaggery - 2 tablespoons

Grind the coconut with 250 ml of water and Extract coconut milk.  Then add the dates and pulse it and then add 2 tablespoons of almond flour and 50 ml water and grind it to a paste. If water is need add little by little.

In a pan add 1 tsp ghee and the sliced bananas.  Saute till the bananas are cooked well. Now add the coconut milk and dates, almond flour paste and two tablespoons of jaggery and stir it continuously till it starts to boil.  Boil for a minute switch off the stove and add cardamon powder, nutmeg powder and edible camphor.   

In a pan add 1 tsp ghee and add shredded almonds and raisins.   Saute till the raisin puffs up.  Switch off the stove and add it to the payasam.  Now the payasam is ready.   This is healthy version of payasam.  I hope everyone will enjoy my recipe.

Please post your comments if any in the review section so that I can improvise my cooking.  Thanks everyone for your continued support.  Happy Pongal.

Rippon Pakoda

 Ingredients

Rice flour- 2 cups

Besan flour- 1cup

Asafoetida - 1/2 tsp

Chilli powder - 3/4 tsp

Room temperature Butter - 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Mix all the above ingredients and then slowly add water to make a soft dough.

In a pan fry the dough using Murukku maker in medium heat oil.

Sweet Kozhukattai

 Outer Cover with rice flour:

Rice flour - 1 cup

Salt - pinch

Oil - 1 tsp

Water - 1 1/2 cups and may be little more

(water depends on the rice flour)

In a kadai add the water, salt and oil and bring it to a boil.  Now reduce the heat to medium and then add the rice flour to the boiling water and stir it continuously till it becomes like a dough.  If you touch the dough with wet hands it should not stick.  Remove the dough to a vessel and coat it with little oil (1/8 tsp) and keep it covered.

For Pooranam:

1 cup of coconut

3/4 of a cup of jaagery

1/4 tsp cardamom powder

In a kadai add the coconut and jaggery and cook till comes to gether.  A little moist should be there. Allow it to cool completely. Make small balls and keep it aside.

Now take the rice flour knead it completely and make small balls out of it.  Now make a cup shaped bow out of the rice flour dough and then fill it with a ball of coconut pooran inside it and then shape it to a kozhukatai.  

Steam the kozhukatai in the idli cooker for 15 mts.  Switch of the stove and leave it for 2 to 3 minutes.  Now remove the kozhukatai plate from the idli cooker and again leave it to cool for 5 minutes and then  remove the kozhukattai from the idli plate.

Easy Tamarind Poha (Aval)

 Ingredients

Poha - 2 cups

Tamarind water - 1 1/2 cups (should be thin as we make for rasam) - a small size equal to 2 tsp will be sufficient)

Turmeric powder - 1/8th tsp

Mustard Seeds  - 1/4 tsp

Channa Dal - 1 tsp

Urad Dal - 1 tsp

Red chillies - 4 nos (increase/decrese depending upon your spice level)

Asafoetida powder - 1/8th tsp

Curry leaves -1 strand

Sesame oil - 3 tsp

Salt to taste

Soak the tamarind, squeeze and make 1 1/2 cups of tamarind water

In a kadai add the oil and then mustard seeds.  When the mustard seeds spluter add channa dal, urad dal, red chillies.   When the dal turns to golden yellow colour add the curry leaves, turmeric powder and asafoetida powder.   Now add the tamarind water, salt and leave it to boil for a minute.  Now switch off the stove, add the poha to it and cover the kadai with a plate and leave it for 5 - 8 minutes.  You can open mix and then serve it with some Moru Kozhambhu or any other side dish of your choice.  This is an easy recipe.

Sorry for not posting any pictures.  

Coriander Chutney

 Ingredients:

Onion - 1 big

Red Chilli - 2

Green Chilli - 1

Garlic - 4 to 6

Coriander leaves - 1/2 bunch

Coconut - 2 -3 table spoon (shredded)

Channa dal - 1 tablespoon

Urad dal - 1 tablespoon

Tamarind - small piece

Roasted gram (chutney dal) - 2 tablespoon

Asafoetida - small piece/ 1/4 tsp

Mustard Seeds - 1/4 tsp

Curry Leaves

Oil

Salt to taste

In a kadai add channa dal, urad dal, one red chilli and piece of asafoetida (If you don't have whole asafoetida then add the asafoetida powder in the tadka) and fry it till the dal becomes golden brown.  Remove it from the kadai.  Now add Chopped onion, chopped garlic, green chillie and saute till the onion becomes soft and cooked well.  Switch off the stove and add roasted gram, tamarind piece, coconut, salt, chopped coriander leaves mix and leave it to cool.

In a mixer first grind the dal and then add the onion mixture and grind it.  Make a tadka of oil, mustard seeds, red chilli, curry leaves and little hing powder and pour it on the chutney and enjoy with any tiffin of your choice.  

Surul Poli

 Ingredients

For Puri :

All purpose flour/Maida - 1 cup

Salt 

Oil for frying

For filling:

Fried Gram/Potukadalai powder - 1/2 cup

Shredded Coconut - 1/2 cup

Jaggery Power - 1/2 cup - 3/4 cup

Chopped Almonds/Cashews - 2 tablespoons

Raisins - 2 tablespoons

Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp

Ghee - 1/2 tsp

Mix all ingredients given under Puri and make a chapati kind of dough adding water little at a time.

In a kadai dry roast the shredded coconut.  Remove it from the kadai.  Now add little ghee and roast almonds/cashews and raisins till the raisins puffs up.  Now mix all the ingredients given under stuffing and keep it aside.

Make a small round and roll the dough to a round shape and fry it in oil.  

In a plate plate keep one puri and spread the stuffing on the puri and roll it.  

Enjoy it.