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.