plantain leaf(Andhra Recipes): festival food

Showing posts with label festival food. Show all posts

Jan 5, 2017

Kalakand

My final recipe for this week under Milk based sweets is Kalakand. Kalakand is a sweet made with paneer and khoya. As you all know paneer is a cheese made with milk and Kohya is a thick milk solids which is made by boiling the full fat milk.

For Paneer boil one liter whole milk bring to full boil, reduce the heat add little by little 1/2 cup fresh curd keep stirring.
After few seconds milk will curdle switch off the heat and strain the whey water and collect paneer in a cheese cloth, This one liter milk gives you nearly one and half cup paneer. Rinse the paneer in cold water well and set a side, rinsing the paneer in cold water makes paneer little more soft. Now close the cheese cloth from all sides tie a not and tie this on a height for half an hour to remove extra water. we need one cup paneer from this to prepare kalakand.

We need one and half cup kohya (un sweetend kova) for this kalakand recipe. Heat one liter milk in a thick bottom pan bring to full boil and reduce the heat and keep boiling the milk. Boil the milk till it turn in to thick and grainy after one and half hours or two hours the milk turn in to a solid with a grainy texture and starts leaving the sides of the pan. This is kohya which we are going to use for making kalakand.

Always use freshly made paneer and kohya for making Kalakand. This is a milk based sweet so it has a less life time it will stay for two to three days in room temperature. Can store this in fridge for one week.

Now let's check how to make Kalakand...
INGREDIENTS:---
Kohya (un sweetend kova) --- 1 1/2 cups
Paneer --- 1 cup
Sugar -- 1/2 cup powdered
Ghee --- 2 tab sp
Cardamom powder ---- 1/2 tea sp
Finely chopped almonds and pistachios -- 2 tab sp
METHOD:----
1. Crumble the paneer and kova in a nonstick pan and start heating. It will turn soft after few minutes. Keep stirring and cook for 15 minutes.
2. Now add ghee, powdered sugar, cardamom powder mix well to combine every thing. Keep stirring and cook till it leaves the sides of the pan it will take 15 minutes in a medium heat.
3. Finally add one more tab sp ghee and chopped nuts mix well and pour this in to a greased pan.
Flaten the surface with a greased laddle leave a side to cool down to room temperature, it will take one hour time to cool down.
Cut in to squares, you can garnish with chopped nuts and silver vark.
Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#72

Jan 4, 2017

Basundi

Basundi is a milk based sweet which is very popular in three states, Gujarat, Maharastra and Karnataka.I have always confused with Basundi and rabri . Some people says both are same, some says both are different. After trying these two recipes and a small research I came to know both recipes are almost same with little variations.

1. Both rabri and Basundi are made with full cream milk.

2. The consistency of rabri is more thicker then Basundi

3. For rabri you have to keep on scraping the layer which form on the top and sides which is a fat layer this gives the rabri a granules type of texture.

4. Rabri is served with Malpua or jelabi since Basundi is served as it self as a dessert.

Make sure to use a thick bottom pan. Once you get a full boil reduce the heat and cook on a low heat and remember to keep scraping the sides of the pan while cooking. This gives the Basundi a creamy and rich texture.
Basundi will be served as a dessert chilled or warm. Also served with puri and sabji as a part of festival meal specially for Holi, Dessara, uttarayan like festivals. In north Karnataka Basundi is served as side dish with puris.

INGREDIENTS:---
Milk --- 1 and half lit. full cream milk
Sugar --- 3/4 cup
Cardamom powder --- 1 tea sp
Almonds ---- 15 finely chopped
Pistachio --- 15 finely chopped
Saffron --- few strings
METHOD:---
1. Start boiling one and half lit. full cream milk in a thick bottom pan

2. Bring to a full boil and reduce the heat to low and boil till milk reduced to half it will take approximately one hour or more.

3. In between keep stirring and scraping the pan and keep boiling

4. Now add sugar and cook for 20 minutes more to bring the consistency. Because when you add sugar the consistency will turn in to thin.

5. Add cardamom powder and chopped almonds and pistachios and cook for 20 more minutes in a very low heat.

Switch off the heat and garnish with chopped almonds, pistachios and saffron strings and serve warm or chilled

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#72

Jan 3, 2017

Semiya Payasam

Starting this New year with a sweet dish. When I made semiya payasam with tomato rice for make a meal theme last month, I realized that I didn't posted a recipe for Semiya payasam till now.How surprising which I make very often that sweet recipe is not in my blog. Then I thought of posting semiya payasam recipe with a small twist.
I have added roasted poppy seeds and almond paste and condensed milk to the semiya payasam to make it more flavor full and rich. Actually we don't add this poppy seeds and almond paste to the payasam. We just cook the semiya in milk and add sugar, cashews and raisins. But this poppy seeds and almond paste will give a delicious flavor to the semiya payasam. This Semiya Payasam is for my this month first week theme Milk Based Sweets.

So let's check the recipe....
INGREDIENTS:----
Semiya (vermicelli) --- 1/2 cup
Milk ----- 500 ml
Sugar --- 1/4 cup
Condensed milk --- 1/4 cup
Cashew nuts --- 10 broken
Raisins --- 15
Almonds --- 5 soaked in warm water for 10 minutes
Poppy seeds --- 1 tea sp
Cardamom powder --- 1/2 tea sp
Ghee --- 1 tab sp

METHOD:---
1. Heat a pan and dry road poppy seeds for few seconds remove and set a side.
2. De-skin the soaked almonds add poppy seeds add little water make coarse paste and set a side.
3. Heat ghee in a pan add cashews fry till golden remove, fry raisins in the ghee remove and set a side.
4. Now add semiya to the same ghee fry till light golden, then add milk to the semiya mix well and let it cook till done it will take five minutes.
5. Add poppy seed and almond past, condensed milk mix well cook for two more minutes.
6. Add sugar mix well let it cook for few more minutes and switch off the heat, add fried cashew nuts and raisins mix well
Serve hot or chilled..
Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#72

Oct 25, 2016

Bellam Boondi or Boondi Mitai

Now coming to the second sweet under my Indian Sweets theme this is my childhood favorite. A typical andhra sweet which is made with besan and jaggery . Bellam Boondi or Boondi achu or Boondi mitai is the names for this sweet.freshly made boondi folded in to thick jaggery syrup then poured in to greased plate then cut in to desired shapes or you can make in to small balls but you have to give the ball shape when it is hot other wise the sweet boondi will get dry.

Making the boondi is a bit different for this sweet, not like boondi laddu. Fry boondi in to golden color then only the boondi will stay crisp. So the first point is use coarsely ground gram flour for this boondi. Finely ground gram flour will give a soft texture to boondi. Second point is add half portion rice flour to besan means if you took 1 cup besan then add half cup rice flour, so that boondi will turn crisp and stay crisp for long time.

For this recipe we have to make three thread or hard ball consistency syrup with jaggery. If you want a detail recipe please check my recipe for jaggery syrup
Be careful with the syrup if you made a two thread consistency then the boondi mitai won't stay crisp and the boondi will go soggy. So be patience when start making the syrup and don't leave the syrup on the stove. This Bellam boondi or Boondi mitai will stay for long means it will stay for a month at least. So try to make this for this Deepavali

Let's check the recipe...
INGREDIENTS:---
Gram flour (besan, Senaga pindi) --- 3 cups
Rice flour ---- 1 and half cup
Cooking soda --- a big pinch
Ghee --- 1 tab sp
Salt - --- a big pinch
Water --- 2 cups approximately ( it may take less water so check and add water)
FOR JAGGERY SYRUP:--
Grated jaggery ---- 4 cups
Cardamom powder --- 1 tea sp
Ghee --- 2 tab sp

METHOD:---
1. Take a mixing bowl add besan, rice flour, soda mix well with your hand to combine well.
2. Add little by little water and mix in to a thick batter this batter should be like a thick dosa batter.
So check and add little by little water if the batter turn in to a thin consistency the boondi will drink oil.
3. Add ghee to the batter mix well this will give boondi a nice aroma.
4. Now heat oil in a deep frying pan in a high flame. To check the if oil is hot enough, drop few drops of batter with a spoon, if the drops came up immediately then the oil is ready to make boondi.
So heat of the oil is most important, if the oil is hot enough then you get perfect bubbles of boondi.
And one more thing if the oil is hot enough when you drop batter in to the oil the boondis will come up immediately other Wise the batter will sit in the bottom of the oil and they stick together and you do not get perfect boondi. So heating of the oil is most important.
The second point is if you over heat the oil then your boondi will come up very fast and they turn red very fast and do not cook properly .
5. Hold a skimming ladle (one with holes normally we use to remove deep frying) above the hot oil and pour a soup ladle full batter so that the batter will drop in to the hot oil trough the holes.
With in few seconds you can see the boondi coming up in the hot oil.

6. Fry this boondi till golden, remove and place them in a strainer to remove extra oil if any.

Prepare boondi with all the batter and set aside.

NOW START MAKING THE SYRUP:-

7. Take grated jaggery in to a thick bottom pan, add 1/4 cup water let the jaggery melt.

8. Remove the jaggery from fire and strain to remove the dirt if any.

9. Bring back the jaggery water to the same thick bottom pan and cook till you get a three string syrup.

Keep a plate with water in the side and drop few drops of jaggery syrup in the water if you bring to gether the the syrup which is in the water that should form like a ball.

Then the syrup is ready.

10. Now add ghee and cardamom powder to the syrup mix well, reduce the flame.

11. Pour the prepared boondi in to the jaggery syrup give a good stir and switch off the heat

12. Mix boondi with jaggery syrup well to coat the syrup all over the boondis

13. In the mean while grease a plate with ghee and pour the jaggery coated boondi in to the greased plate, spread it evenly (this job you have to do very fast other wise then boondi will become hard and you can not give it a nice shape.)

Now take a big knife and make marks to break the boondi mitai in to desire shapes.

Set a side to set, when the mitai is set break it in to desire shapes, remove from the plate and store it in a air tight container.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#69

Jan 15, 2015

Sajja boorelu

Sajja boorelu this is one of the oldest traditional recipe from Andhra cuisine. Specially south regions of Andhra pradesh, people use bajra and sorghum in the place of rice. In my childhood we use to get this millets fresh bach in Sankranthi season. We use to have sorgham as pridge and my mother used to make rotis with sorgham flour. And the other millet bajra, my grand mother used to make sajja boorelu. Specially for Sankranthi sajja boorelu, Ariselu, chekralu are must snacks at home, along with these snacks we kids enjoy regupandlu (Indian wild berrys) and sugar cane. Some times my grand mothe used to make regu vadalu (sundried pappad with Indian wild berries)
Sajja boorelu is the recipe for this month ICC........

Lets check the recipe.......

Sajja pindi --- 500 gms

Jaggery ---- 200 gms grated

Grated coconut --- 50 gms

Sesame seeds --- 25 gms

Cardamom powder --- 1 tea sp

Water for kneading the dough

Oil for deep frying.

METHOD:-

1. Add 1/2 cup water to jaggery and cook till jaggery completely melts, strain and allow it to cool till room temperature.

2. In a big mixing bowl take sajjapindi, grated coconut, sesame seeds, cardamom powder, add jaggery water to the flour mix well.

3. Now add little by little water and make a soft dough(just mix amd make a dough don't over knead the dough).

4. Take a banana leaf or a plastic cover apply a little ghee, take a big lemon size ball and press it in to a circle like a small puri (wet your fingers).

5. Heat oil in a deep frying pan, drop this sajja boorelu in to the hot oil and fry till golden

Store them in a air tight container.

Note:-- Jaggery water and water that we use for making the dough that should be warm not hot or cold water.

For Sajja pindi freshly ground flour in the mixee or in the mill will be good choice other then store brought flour.

When we are making the boorelu with sajja pindi they turn in to dark brown color some people don't like that color so they add a little bit of saggu biyyam (sago) to the sajjalu and grind in to a powder this will done in the mill we can not do this in the blender or mixee.

Oct 25, 2014

Vamu Poosa

My second recipe under Festival Special for this week is Vam Poosa. Vam poosa is version of sev in Andhra pradesh. This version of sev is little different then normal sev what we use in chat. sev is made with only besan and make with small holes. Vam poosa is made with a mixture of besan and rice flour and flavored with vamu (ajwain). These are little thick then sev and can not use in chat. We don't use red chilli powder in this recipe, in the place of red chilli powder we use crushed black pepper and lot's of vamu so that the name came to this as vam poosa..

Let's check the recipe...

INGREDIENTS:---

Chick pea flour (besan, gram flour) ---- 2 cups

Rice flour ---- 1 cup

Oil ----- 2 tab sp

Salt ---- 1 and half tea sp

Vamu (ajwain) --- 2 tea sp(course ground)

Black pepper ---- 1 tea sp (course ground)

Water ---- 1 and half cup

Oil for deep frying

METHOD:---

1. Take gram flour, rice flour, salt, ground ajwain, ground black pepper mix well.

2. Heat 2 tab sp oil in a pan till smoking point, add this hot oil to flour mixture and mix with a spoon to combine well.Take care don't use your hand because oil in very hot.

3. Now add water little by little and make a soft dough. Now mix well with your hand to make a soft dough, don't over mix just mix till you can make a soft dough.

4. Set a muruku press with round medium holes plate in muruku press. in the same time heat oil in adeep frying pan to fry vam poosa

5. Place the dough in muruku press and press the dough in to hot oil to form circles.

6. Fry in a medium heat till golden remove from oil , drain the oil and let them cool.

Store in a airtight container.

Vam poosa is abest combination with coffee or tea and also with sambar rice and rasam rice...

Let's check Blogging Marathon page

Oct 24, 2014

Butter Muruku

This year deepavali I didn't make any sweets like Ariselu (athirasam ) or burfi's or any other special sweets. But made a very little quantity of kheer and poornalu for prasad. No body is there at home that who like to have sweets. I am the only one who can enjoy sweets at home rest of them are diabetic people. I made a very little amount of kheer and poornalu, with this little amount itself I am scared of these people(my dad and my husband). I made some snacks like Butter muruku, Vamposa and nippattu for this Deepavali.

So let's check my first recipe Butter Muruku...

INGREDIENTS:---
Rice flour ---- 2 cups
Fried chick pea flour (putnalu, porikadalai, hurigadala.daliya, chutney dal, veyinchina senagapappu) - 1/2 cup (dry roast fried chick peas till little warm and grind them in to a fine powder)
Chick pea flour (besan, senagapindi, kadala mavu) --- 1/2 cup
Salt to taste
Butter – 1 tab sp
Red chili powder --- 1 1/2 tea sp (according to your taste)
Seasame seeds – 2 tab sp
Cumin seeds --- 1 tea sp
Oil for frying
METHOD:-----
1. In a big bowl mix 3 flours, salt to taste, Red chili powder, and seasame seeds, cumin seeds mix well.
2. Now add 1tab sp butter and rub with your hand and mix well.
3. Add enough water and knead in to a soft dough
4. In the same time heat oil in a deep frying pan for deep frying the muruku.
5. Fix the disc with star hole in the muruku maker and press on top of a polythene sheet.
6. Now lift them from the sheet and drop in to hot oil and fry till golden color in a medium heat.

7. Remove from oil and place then on a kitchen towel, let them cool for a while and break then in to two inch pieces.

Store in a airtight container .Note:--

1. Make sure that your fried gram flour is a fine powder(grind it in to a very fine powder other wise your muruku will split as soon as you drop them in the oil. Use the quantaty what we give in the ingredients list, that is for 2 cups rice flour 1/2 cup fried gram powder, if you add more then this your muruku will drink the oil and they turned out oily.

2. Same thing with butter if you add more then 1 tab sp butter final product will turn out oily.

3. Chilli powder is optional you can remove it or can use crushed black pepper.

4. Make sure that oil for deep frying is hot enough,if the oil is not hot enough muruku will turn oily.

To check the oil is hot enough drop a pinch of dough in to the oil if the dough raises immediately then oil is ready for frying the muruku..

Let's check Blogging Marathon page

Sep 15, 2014

Balushahi for ICC

Badushah or Balushahi both are almost same recipes only the names are different. In North India they know this as Balushahi. Not only in Indian cuisine it is very popular in Nepali, Pakistaani and Bangladeshi cuisines but with different names. In south India it is very popular as Badushah. What every the name was it is my Fathers and my favorite sweet.
This is the challenge for this month Indian Cooking Challenge. ICC I was missing this challenges from long time. This is an easy to make Indian sweet but you have to take care of some points like. When you mixing the dough you can add butter or ghee first but that should be relay cold. Means keep the butter in the fridge before you using cut in to small pieces then rub it in the flour with your hands till the flour turn in to crumble texture. If you follow this you get a flake balushahis. Use fresh curd not the sour one add butter or ghee and baking powder as per measurements. If you add little more then what we gave in the measurement the balushahis will brake in the oil. If you add less then measurement your balushahis will become like rock so just follow the ingredients and mesurements.
I tried many times this sweet before but didn't get the perfect balushahis this time I almost reached. First time they blast all over the kitchen when I was frying them. so keep the heat in medium low oil should not be very hot. If you drop a small ball in to the oil that should come up after 2 minutes not immediately. I your oil is very hot balishahis won't cook in side and they turn golden out side very fast, so take care of heating the oil. Second time my badushas turned soft like soft dumplings that because I didn't add baking powder and soda. so take care of ingredients and mesurements so that you can get crisp out side and melt in mouth balushahi like what I got this time. They are crisp out side flaky and melt in mouth in side
Lets check the recipe.
INGREDIENTS:---
All purpose flour/ Maida --- 1 cup
Baking soda -- 1/4 tea sp
Baking powder --- 1/8 tea sp
Unsalted butter ---- 1/4 cup (cold butter cut in to small pieces)
Yogurt (curd) --- 1/4 cup
Oil for deep frying
Sugar ---- 1 cup
Water --- 1/3 cup
Cardamom powder a pinch
Chopped pistachios for garnish

METHOD:--
1. In a big mixing bowl take flour, baking soda, and baking powder mix well once and add cold butter and mix with your fingers.
2. Mix butter and flour till the flour turn in to bread crumb like texture.
3. Now add curd and make soft dough don't knead the dough cover and set a side for half an hour.
4. Now make the sugar syrup, In a pan add sugar and water bring to a full boil and reduce the heat to low and boil till syrup is almost one thread but not reached one thread consistency.
If you touch the syrup with your fingers that should stick to your fingers but should not form thread.
5. Add cardamom powder and remove from the heat and set a side.
6. Make small balls out of the dough and lightly flat them on your palm and make deep dent in the center.
6. Heat oil in a medium heat to check if the oil is hot enough or not drop a small piece in to the oil, if this small piece of dough take 2 minutes to come up then you oil is ready to fry.
7. Now slowly drop the balushahi s one by one in to the oil, fry 4 to 5 at a time don't crowd the pan.
8. Fry the balushahis till brown one side the slowly turn the other side and fry till golden both sides.
9. Remove from the oil and drain them on a kitchen towel.
10. Dip this fried balushahis in the sugar syrup remove immediately, din't leave them in the syrup for long time they become soft so remove immediately.
Garnish with chopped pistachios and serve.

Oct 25, 2013

Lauki Ki Kheer

This is my second recipe for last week BM 33 under book marked recipes from BM 32 month long marathon. I book marked some wonderful recipes from my BM friends. In that list this recipe is from Preeti s Simplytadka. She is a very talented memeber in our BM group who desined that beautiful logo for last month mega marathon.

                                                                     I book marked few recipes from her space, specially that  Pan ki chat recipe was realy factastic. Actualy I wanted to make that recipe for this theme but some ingredients I didn't have with me now so I cahanged my mind and tried this one.


                                                             This Lauki ki kheer was so delicious, every body liked it so much at home.When first time I made this kheer we find the raw smell of the lauki. Then second time I fried the vegetable with a tea sp of ghee. Second thing I changed is I didn't add sugar. One more thing is Preeti's recipe is a fusion with chocolate, but I didn't use chocolate in mine.   so lets check the recipe.

INGREDIENTS:----
Bottle gourd   ----   1 cup grated
Milk     ---- 4 cups
Khoya (mawa) ---   1/2 cup
Sugar   ----   3/4 cup
Ghee   --- 1 tab sp
Cardamom powder   --- 1 tea sp
Rose water   ----   few drops
Pistachios   ----   10 chopped (I used chopped cashewnuts)
METHOD:---
1. Boil milk in a heavy bottom pan, bring to a full boil and reduce the heat to low and let the milk boil.
2. In the same time heat ghee in a fry pan add chopped cashewnut and fry till golden,remove and set a side.
3. Add grated lauki to the same ghee and fry till raw smell disappier.
4. Then add this fried lauki to boling milk.Mix well and cook till milk become little thick.
5. Now great khoya and add this to milk and lauki mixture, mix well and cook for few minutes.
6. Add rose water, cardamom powder mix well and switch off the heat
7. Serve hot or chilled garnish with Fried cashewnuts.
Let's check the blogging marathon page Here

Apr 12, 2013

Chakkara Pongal

Chakkara pongal is a Traditional sweet In South India, one of the important prasadams(offering) for lord venkateswara in Tirupati.Specially in dhanurmasam[december15th to January 15th this month is called dhanurmasam means Sagittarius month in Hindu calendar] in vishnava temples[lord Vishnu temples] early morning 4 o clock priests perform pooja and offer this chakkara pongal to lord Vishnu. This tradition is coming from ages in India specially in South India. Pongal [sankranthi] is one of the famous festivals in South India. This festival goes for 3 days first day Bhogi ,this day people prepare chakkara pongal as a main dish in festival feast. In my house my grandmother, and my mom use to make this prasadam every Friday and they offer this to godess lakshmi . In my house we use to call this sweet dish as deevudi pongal.
So lets check the recipe for this traditional recipe here...
INGREDIENTS:--
Rice --- 1 cup
Moong dal --- 1/4 cup
Jaggery --- 3/4 cup
Cardamom powder --- 1/2 tea sp
Milk ---- 2 cups
Water ---- 1 an half cup + 1/2 cup
Ghee ---- 4 tab sp
Cashew nuts --- 10 broken in to pieces
Raisins ---- 10
METHOD:----
1.Mix rice and dal together wash for 2 times, add 1 and half cup water and 2 cups milk cook till soft.
2. Add 1 tab sp ghee to cooked rice and dal mixture, mash with a spoon little bit and set a side.
3.Add water to jaggery and boil it till raw smell goes[this is for removing if any mud or stones in jaggery] and strain it.
4. Bring back the jaggery syrup to the heat and make a syrup of single string consistence.
5. Now add cooked rice and dal mixture to jaggery syrup and reduce the heat to low and mix well to combine every thing.
6. Now heat remaining ghee in a pan fry cashews and raisens,add to rice mixture, add cardamom powder and give a good stir.
If you like a rich taste and very good ghee flavor then add two more tab sp of ghee on top and serve.
Chakkara pongali is ready to serve.
This is my fourth recipe for Blogging Marathon 27th edition under Traditional recipes let's check other BM members recipes here

Apr 11, 2013

Unniyappam

Unniyappam A treditional Kerala Sweet made with rice flour and jaggery. This sweet rice flour dumplings are specially made for Vishu festival. This is a very favorite snack among Kerala people and also very well known as Neyyappam. This Unniyappam is traditionally fried in ghee or coconut oil. Freshly ground rice flour will give a better taste and you can add 1/4 cup milk and 3/4 cup water.

The photo of Radha Krishna in this picture was given by Veena. Thanks for that beautiful photo Veena..:)
INGREDIENTS:---
Rice flour --- 1 cup
Coconut pieces --- 1/4 cup (you can use dry coconut or fresh coconut pieces).
Grated jaggery --- 3/4 cup
Pureed ripe banana --- 1/4 cup (I used Poovan pazham, you can use any other small bananas)
Cashew nuts --- 20 cut in to small pieces
Baking powder ---- 1/4 tea sp
Black sesame seeds   ---- 1 tab sp
Cardamom powder --- 1/2 tea sp
Ghee      ---    1 cup
Water --- 1 cup



METHOD:---
1. Take grated jaggery in a heavy bottom pan add 1/4 cup water and heat till jaggery melts.
2. Strain jaggery water in to an other bowl and set a side.
3. Now heat a tea sp of ghee in a pan and fry coconut pieces til light golden color Then add cashew nut pices and fry for a while, add sesame seeds and switch off the heat.
4. Take rice flour, Fried coconut, sesame seeds And cashew nut pieces, pureed banana, baking powder, cardamom powder, jaggery water and remaining 3/4 up water mix well and set aside for one hour.
5. After one hour heat a paniyaram pan, pour a teasp full ghee in each hole and pour a tab sp full of rice flour and jaggery batter cover and cook in a low heat Till golden.


Flip the other side and cook till golden both sides.
Remove from pan and serve hot with tea, I can enjoy then any time. Healthy and perfect snack for kids.
This is my Third recipe for Blogging Marathon 27th edition under Traditional recipes theme let's check other BM members recipes here

Apr 8, 2013

Rava Kesari

Rava kesari is one of the most popular sweet in all over India. whether it is Suji ka halwa or Rava Kesari it is a very easy to make and favorite sweet for all Indians. In north India they know this as sujika Halwa and this is the very important offering for goddess Durga. In south India it is a most important offering for Satyanarayana Swami Pooja . I made this for Kanya bhojan which is celebrated on Deshara 9 days(any one day in those 9 days of deshara). On this day we invite 9 young girls and feed them with puri, halwa(rava kesari), and alu ki sabji. Today I am posting this very famous sweet recipe in this occasional theme as final recipe for BM 27 first week, so let's check the recipe..

INGREDIENTS:---

Rava[samolina,cream of weat] ----- 1 cup

Sugar --- 1 cup

Water ---- 1 cup

Milk --- 1 cup

Cordamom powder   1/2 tea sp

Cashew nuts --- 10 broken in to small pieces

Raisins    ---- 15

Ghee[clarified butter] ---- 1/2 cup

Milk powder --- 1 tab sp

METHOD:---

1.Heat ghee in a heavy bottom pan and fry cashews and raisins in golden color remove and set a side.

2.Add one more tebsp ghee to the same pan add samolina and fry till light brown color and add water and milk [mix water and milk togather and boil it] stir continuously,ther should not be any lumps.

3.Now add 1tebsp milk powder and stir well till it cooked throughly

4.Now add sugar and mix well sugar will become little watery keep stiring

Cover and cook in avery low heat till kesari becoms soft and when you touch the kesari that should not stick to your fingers.

5. In this stage heat remaining ghee in another pan and add one by one spoon to kesari and keep stiring.

in the last stage when you stir with a spoon that should become like a ball, should not stick to the spoon.
6. Add cordamom powder stir till the sweet becomes out like a ball add dry fruits remove from fire.

make moulds in a greesed moulds of your choice or spread in a greesd plate and cut in to peaces and serve hot or coold.
This is my last recipe for Blogging Marathon 27th edition under occasional recipes theme let's check other BM members recipes here

Apr 6, 2013

Chalimidi

Chalimidi is a traditional sweet made with rice flour and jaggery. Indeed it is very important in almost all in every occasion in Telugu families. The importance of this traditional sweet will take place in marriage function , Like when sending brides to their in- laws house we make chalimidi . Also we make this sweet for baby shower, for these occasions we make pakam chalimidi. Means we make a sugar or jaggery syrup to make Pakam chalimidi. The other version of chalimidi which we make for pooja s or festivels like SriRama Navami, Vinayaka Chaviti, Nagula chaviti, and Undralla taddi is pachi Chalimidi (raw chalimidi). for this we do not make syrup just add the grated jaggery to flour and mix well and make balls.
And my today's recipe is pakam chalimidi one of my all time favorite sweet from Andhra Cusine.

INGREDIENTS:----
Raw rice --- 1 cup
Jaggery   --- 3/4 cup (grated)
Water    ---- 1/4 cup
Poppy seeds --- 2 tab sp or
Sesamee seeds -- 2 tab sp (if you are making Chalimidi for baby shower then do not add sesamee seeds.
Cashew nuts   --- 20 broken
Coconut pieces   --- 2 tab sp (fresh but can add dry coconut pieces also, fresh coconut pieces will give a wonderful taste to Chalimidi.)
Ghee   --- 2 tab sp.
Cardamom powder --- 1 tea sp.



METHOD:--
1. Soak rice for over night, next day morning drain all the water from rice.
2. Spread the rice on a cloth and dry in shade for half an hour.
3. After half an hour grind this rice in to a fine powder.
4. Remove the rice powder from blender and sieve the rice powder if desire grind one more time, make a very fine powder.
5. Take rice powder in to a bowl cover with a lid and set a side.
6. Now take grated jaggery in to a heavy bottom pan add water and make syrup. This syrup should be in single string consistence.
7. Now add rice flour little by little keep string by the time you finish all the rice flour chalimidi become like a thick paste.
Keep the heat in low flame.
8. Heat ghee in another pan fry cashew nuts till golden remove and add to chalimidi.
Then fry coconut pieces till golden and add to chalimidi.
9. Dry roast sesamee seeds or poppy seeds in a other pan and add to chalimidi
Add cardamom powder mix well and switch off the heat mix well once againg to combine every thing well.
Let it cool and make small balls serve with a drop of ghee.
This is my sixth recipe for Blogging Marathon 27th edition under occasional recipes theme let's check other BM members recipes here

Apr 5, 2013

Garelu (vada)

Garelu(vada) is one of the most popular snack in all over South India. Not only for festivals, for all other occasions we make this snack with different side dishes. There are some occasions where this Garelu is must in the menu. Like Sankranthi menu, in Desara nine days we make Garelu on fifth day as an offering to Godess Gayathri. Other then this festivals we celebrate one day before Dasara nine days for our elders of the family that is MAHALAYA AMAVASYA OR PITRU PAKSHA AMAVASYA.

The new moon day in the beginning of Dasara ( it will fall in between October and November month) is known as Mahalaya Amavasya or Pitru paksha Amavasya . It is a special day dedicated to our previous generations of people. This day we do some rituals and offer food to our ancestors, donate food,cloths to poor people. we prepare a lunch with Garelu Allam pachadi and payasam for this special day.
Now lets check the recipe.
INGREDIENTS:--
Urad dal -- 1 cup
Rice   --- 1 tab sp
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying


METHOD:---
you can add chopped onion but not on the festival days and other special days. And also you can add finely chopped totakura (amaranth leaves), finely chopped cabbage, finely chopped green chillies and ginger. You can add a tea sp of cumin seeds to make Garelu more flavorful.
1. wash and soak urad dal, rice in enough water for 3 hours.
2. After three hours drain all the water from dal and grind in a wet grinder or a in a blender in to a smooth paste with very little water means just sprinkle water.
3. Add salt and grind for few more seconds. remove from the grinder, set a side.
For best results keep the batter in the fridge for half an hour. So that when you deep fry Garelu they don't drink much oil. If you feel like you added more water to the batter and you can not handle it to make Garelu then add a tab sp of rice flour to the batter mix well and try. So take care when you grinding itself and add very little water.


4. Now heat oil in a deep frying pan.
5. Take a small portion from the batter, make a small ball.
6. Take a banana leaf or a small plastic sheet apply little water , place the ball on that and press in to a small circle, make a hole with your finger.
7. Take the Gare from the banana leaf and slowly drop it in to hot oil.
8. Make 5-6 garelu at a time and deep fry till golden.
9. Remove the fried Garelu from oil and place them on a kitchen paper.
Serve hot with Allam chutney or coconut chutney, sambar.
This is my fifth recipe for Blogging Marathon 27th edition under occasional recipes theme let's check other BM members recipes here

Apr 1, 2013

Boondi Laddu

I am starting this month BM with a special sweet recipe which is very popular all over South India. Specially in Andhra Pradesh with out Boondi laddu no marriage function will be complete. Not only marriage function in all other special occasions Boondi laddu is a must in sweet s list. When I was a kid one cook use to come our home to make these delicious laddu for special occasions. She use to arrange a firewood stove in the open air in our backyard and she makes hundreds of laddus for our family. Those fresh hot laddus taste relay heaven with that cooking camphor flavor. After my marriage I tried this ladddus for the first time that was a disaster. That time I made the syrup little thick but after two three trils now I can make laddus, still can not say I can make perfect laddus. Here is the recipe for this special sweet BOONDI LADDU..

INGREDIENTS:---
Gram flour (besan) --- 2 cups
Water ----    1 cup water
Cardamom powder   ---- 1/2 tea sp (or) cooking camphor a pinch
Ghee   ---- 2 tab sp
Cashew nuts --- 1/4 cup broken in to half
Raisins   ---- 1/4 cup
Baking soda --- 1/2 tea sp
Oil for deep frying
FOR SYRUP:----
Sugar   -- 2 cups
Water --- 1 cup
Lets check hot to make syrup for Laddu s
Take sugar in a thick bottom pan add 1 cup water and boil in a medium heat till just before you get one string consistency. do not wait till you get string consistency switch off the heat 2 minutes before that.
And set aside.


Now start making Boondi:
Shift the flour in to a mixing bowl, add one cup water and make a batter. This batter should be like dosa batter consistency.
Heat oil in a deep frying pan, first heat oil in a high heat for5 minutes then reduce the heat means this oil should be hot enough.
When you drop of batter in to the oil that should come up immediately. So heat of the oil is most important, if the oil is hot enough then you get perfect bubbles of boondi.
And one more thing if the oil is hot enough when you drop batter in to the oil the boondis will come up immediately other Wise the batter will sit in the bottom of the oil and the stick together and you do not get perfect boondi. So heating of the oil is most important.
The second point is if you over heat the oil them your boondi will come up very fast and they turn red very fast and do not cook properly .
Hold a skimming ladle (one with holes normally we use to remove deep frying) above the hot oil and pour a soup ladle full batter so that the batter will drop in to the hot oil trough the holes.
With in few seconds you can see the boondi coming up in the hot oil.
Fry Boondi for 7 to 8 seconds, remove from oil and place them on a paper towel, if you break one boondi in between your fingers that should break in to pieces.
Transfer this fried Boondis to the sugar syrup let it be like that and do the next batch of boondis.
Do this process till you finish the batter. And add all the Boondis to sugar syrup.
Now heat ghee in a pan fry cashew nuts and raisins till golden add them to sugar and boondi mixture.
Add cardamom powder or cooking camphor mix well cover and leave it like that for half an hour by that time Boondis should completely drink the syrup.
Now start preparing Laddus, apply some ghee to your hands take some Boondi mixture in to your hands and hold them real tight to make a ball if you hold the boondi mixture real tight then Boondis will stick together and form like a ball. you need some practice for this so keep on trying.
This is my first recipe for Blogging Marathon 27th edition under occasional recipes theme let's check other BM members recipes here

Dec 4, 2012

Gujia

This week my second recipe under Traditional dishes in BM is Gujia. Gujia is deep fried all purpose flour pastry filled with Kova(condenced and thick milk, check my recipe for making kova here ) and dry fruits like dry coconut and cashew nuts and almonds. There are many variations in making this recipe, in Andhra pradesh we make this with a different filling. We use grated dry coconut with suji (semolina) and nuts and we do not dip them in sugar syrup and we call this as Kajjikayalu . Same like Andhra Pradesh in Karnataka but stuffing is little different they use powdered fried gram( dhaliya) and jaggery instead of sugar here they call this as Karida kadubu or Karigadubu. And in Maharashtra the name is Karanji, here filling is almost same like Andhra Kajjikaya. In Maharashtra some people make stuffing with fresh grated coconut also.
Now coming to the recipe Gujia is a traditional dish in North India. Specially they make this sweet for Holi and diwali. Here stuffing is different and process also little different then South Indian recipe. So let's check how they make this delicious traditional sweet.

INGREDIENTS:----
All purpose flour (maida) --   2 cups
Ghee ---   3 tab sp
salt a pinch
Oil for deep frying
For Filling :---
Kova/khoya/mawa (unsweetend) ---   2 and half cups grated and lightly fried.
Grated dry coconut --- 4 tea sp
Cashewnuts --- 15 finely choped
Almonds --- 15 finely choped (blanched and choped)
Cardamom powder   ---- 1/2 tea sp
Powder sugar --- half cup (if you like more sweet you can increase the sugar to two cups, half cup sugar powder is more then enough because we are going to dip this gujia's in sugar syrup.)
For Sugar Syrup:--
Sugar -- 1 cup
Water --- 1/4 cup
METHOD:---
1. Shift flour, salt and ghee in to mixing bowl and rub well to bring a bread crumb texture.
2. Add little cold water and knead in to a stiff dough, cover with a moist cloth and set aside.

3. Take kova, choped cashewnuts, choped almonds, grated dry coconut, cardamom powder, powdered sugar and mix well to combine every thing, set a side.
4. Start heating oil in deep frying pan on a low flame.
5. Divide the dough in to small balls and press them in to small puris.
6. Place two spoons of filling in the center, aply little water on the edges with your finger and fold the puri in half like a half moon. Make all the puris like this and set a side.

7. Now make sugar syrup with 1 cup sugar and 1/4 cup water. This syrup should be like gulabjamoon syrup.
8. In the mean while deep fry stuffed gujia's in hot oil on a low heat till they turn in to nice golden color.
9. Remove the fried gujia's from oil and drop them in to sugar syrup. Sugar syrup should be hot when you drop fried gujia's in to the syrup. Then only they nicely coat with the syrup leave them for a while means one second and remove from the sugar syrup, make sure that sugar syrup should coat all sides, place them in a serving plate.
Gujia's become dry with in one hour you can store them in a air tight container for one month.
I like this gujia's warm.
This is my second recipe with the theme of Traditional dishes for blogging marathon 23 rd edition at Vallis spice your life lets check blogging marathon page .

Dec 3, 2012

Ghathia

Yet another month of Blogging Marathon, It's already 23rd edition. I feel like just now I joined, days are flying very fast. In this 23 months I missed few months of marathon but I enjoyed doing BM each month I have done with different themes. And got some good friends for this we must thankful to our leader Srivalli.
Coming to my first theme in this edition is Traditional Dishes. Valli has chosen some traditional dishes from Indian cuisine from that list we have to chose three recipes for this week. In that three recipes my first recipe is Ghatia a traditional Gujarati snack. I wanted to try this recipe from long time and tried few times but I didn't get the texture what we see in the sweet shops. Whenever I try this recipe they turn in to normal muruku and they will be little hard too. We have a Gujarati family in our flats, they are good friends of mine. I ask aunty what is the mistake I am doing in this recipe and she gave me some tips. And they work so very well but only thing is pappad khar, this gives a crisp texture to ghatia. I tried but did not get that here. Insted of pappad khar you can use soda-bi-carbnate but hummmm not satisfied did not get that soft, crisp texture. So if possible better use pappadkhar. Ok here are the ingredients.......

INGREDIENTS:---
Gram flour (besan) -- 3 cups
Hot oil --- 2 tab sp
Oil for deep frying
Salt to taste
Black pepper -- 1 tab sp crushed
Carom seeds(ajwain, vamu) -- 1 tab sp
Lemon juice --- 2 tab sp
Soda-bi-carbnate -- 1/2 tea sp or
Pappad khar --- 3/4 tea sp if you are using pappad khar then boil 1/2 cup water with salt and pappadkhar till salt and khar dissolve and use this water to make the dough. Add crushed pepper, carom seeds, lemon juice, hot oil and beat well till it turns frothy. Then add flour and make a soft dough.
METHOD:---
1. Now take 1/2 cup water, two tab.sp hot oil, crushed black pepper, carom seeds, soda-bi-carbnate, lemon juice salt to taste in a mixing bowl beat well with a egg beater till the liquid turns in to light wight color and frothy.
2. Now add flour to this mixture and make a soft dough.
3. Now the main step rub this dough with hand till it turns flufy and to give air in to dough this will take 15 minutes.
4. By the time the dough will turn so soft and light. One importent thing is do not rub the dough very hardly do the rubing job very lightly this is the trick in making ghatia dough.
5.Heat oil in a deep frying pan
6.Normaly they use a stand with holes or a laddle with holes to make ghatia. Hold the ghatia stand or laddle on top of the hot oil in the frying pan.
7. Take small portions of the dough with a spoon and place the dough on the ghatia laddle rub gently with the spoon so that ghatias will fall stright in to the hot oil.
8. Otherwise use muruku press with medium round holes and press the ghatias in to hot oil.
9. Deep fry ghatiyas in hot oil, in a medium heat for 2 minutes. If you are using muruku press press the dough like a big circle and fry both sides till you get a nice golden color.
10. Remove from oil, drain oil, cool and broke in to small pieces and store in a air tight container.
Serve with tea or coffee.

This is my first recipe with the theme of Traditional dishes for blogging marathon 23 rd edition at Vallis spice your life lets check blogging marathon page .

Jul 16, 2012

Patishapta A Bengali Delicacy

This recipe I wanted to try from long time but some how I could not make it. When I saw this recipe in this months ICC, I just wanted to take this challenge. Thank you so much Valli for the recipe. Patishapta is one of the traditional Bengali sweet, which is not much Popular like other Bengali Sweets. This sweet crepes I made for todays break fast we like the insted as a desert . I reduced the sweet and added some dry fruits like raisins, cashew nuts. I served it with condence milk and chocolate sauce, That was perfect for me yummm....
I made them in a small amount so I reduced the amount what Valli has given. Thanks Valli for this delicious challenge.

     INGREDIENTS:---
Coconut    --- 1 cup(grated I used fresh coconut)
Khyoa   --- 100gms
Sugar --- 1/4 cup
Raisins --- 1 tab sp
Cashewnuts -- 10 cut in to small pieces
Cardamom -- 3 powderd.
Ghee ---- 1/2 tea sp
FOR CREPES:---
Maida (All purpose flour) --- 1 cup
Sooji or fine semolina ---- 1 tabsp (i used fine rava(chiroti rava) so i didn't grind the rava. IF you are using normal rava then grind rava to make it fine rava)
Rice flour   ----- 1 tabsp
Milk    ---- 2 cups
FOR SERVING:
Condenced milk ( i used chocolate sauce also)
METHOD:---
1. Heat ghee in a pan fry raisins and cashewnuts till golden remove and set a side.
2. Grind sugar and cardamom seeds in to a fine powder.

3. Add grated coconut to the same pan mix for a while.

4. Add powdered sugar to the coconut and give a good stir.

5. Now add khoya mix well to combine every thing

6. Add fried cashewnuts and raisins mix well.

7. Now take Allpurpose flour, rava, rice flour and a pich of salt in a mixing bowl.

8. Add milk to the flours mix well to make a thin batter.

9. Make sure there should not be lumps in the batter.

10. this batter should be like ravadosa batter

11. Heat a pan keep the heat low and pour the batter, spread like a circle (like pan cake).
Let the pan cake cook littel golden on the down side then slowely flip the pancake other side and cook for a while.

12. Now spread a tab sp full coconut mixture in the center of the pan cake and fold from both sides to close the filling.

13. Serve Patishapta with sweetend condenced milk.

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