Thursday 10 November 2011

Apple Cinnamon Muffin

A very simple and nutritious snack with fruit, nuts and whole wheat flour. Very filling for hungry kids returning from school.
Ingredients:
1. Whole wheat Flour - 1 cup
2. Sugar - 1/2 cup
3. Baking Powder - 1/2 tsp
4. Cooking Soda - 1/2 tsp
5. Cinnamon Powder - 1 tsp.
6. Oil/Ghee - 1/2 cup
7. Apples Grated with seeds removed - 2 nos.
8. Finely chopped walnuts - 1/4 cup
9. Milk - 3/4 cup
10. Vanilla Essence - 1 tsp.

Sieve the flour with ingredients 3,4 and 5 three to four times. In a large bowl, combine the flour mixture with Items 2,6, 7, 8. Mix well adding milk. Add the vanilla essence and mix.Stir in one direction preferably till the mixture is smooth without lumps. Grease and dust a muffin tray and pour one ladle full of batter in each cavity in the muffin tray. Pre heat the oven to about 220 - 250 degree and bake the muffins at 200 degree for 20 minutes - 22 minutes. Yippee! The muffins are ready to be devoured by the little and big citizens of your household.

After 10 minutes remove the muffins and cool it on a wire rack so that the underside of the muffin also gets cooled. Storing it immediately in a dabba makes it 'sweat' and it will get spoilt easily.
I am also attaching a photo taken by my son of the only muffin which was left over in the evening. This amount of batter makes six big muffins.
Note: Oven is pre heated to a higher temperature to make up for the loss in temperature when you open the door to keep the muffin tray.

Saturday 5 November 2011

Nei Payasam


I tried making "Nei Payasam " otherwise called "Aravana Payasam" which is made for Bhagavati Seva . I am sharing the recipe here as it came out extremely well.
Ingredients:
2 cups Raw Rice
10 cups Jaggery (Powdered)
Coconut chopped into thin slices- 1/2 cup
Ghee (preferably Cow Ghee)- 350 ml.

Wash the rice well in water. Boil 5 cups water in a vengala panai or any open vessel as if you pressure cook it it will become smudgy. Water can be reduced by 1 cup if rice is very new. Put the rice in the boiling water and cook stirring once in a while seeing that it does not get stuck in the bottom of the vessel. After it is almost cooked (should not be smudged) put off the fire. Take the 10 cups jaggery and pour enough water to submerge it in an uruli or heavy bottomed wide mouthed pressure pan. When the jaggery is fully melted, strain it  for impurities and pour it back into the vessel again. Add the cooked rice and bring to boil. Keep on boiling stirring it often so that it does not get burnt and keep adding ghee little by little leaving about 100 ml for frying coconut. When it is quite thick and done, put off fire. Heat the rest of the ghee in a small kadai and fry the coconut pieces well in the ghee and add to the payasam. The Nei Payasam is ready!!

Tuesday 11 October 2011

Tender coconut Tango (for those who do not prefer tender coconut as it is)

 Tender coconut water is a very good medicine for urinary disorders, body heat, indigestion  and helps the body to absorb the other medicines faster. It is an excellent tonic by itself but unfortunately many do not prefer the rather bland and sometimes not so sweet taste of Ilaneer mostly kids who would prefer a Mirinda which is Zero when compared to Ilaneer. This recipe is one of the  way kids could be made to drink Ilaneer . Some people call it Ilaneer Payasam but I have named it Tender Coconut Tango because for the kids to like it , it needs the combination of Ilaneer and Condensed Milk!!(Takes two to tango)

Ingredients :
Tender Coconut water with pulp - Water of 2 coconuts . (Tell the vendor beforehand that you want a "Pulpy" one .
Condensed Milk - 200 ml
Milk at room temperature- 1 cup
Elaichi Powder for flavouring.

Take about 1 tablespoon of the pulp and shred to fine pieces for garnish. Strain the Tender coconut water . Check the remaining pulp for any hard portion of husk sticking to it and remove the same. Put the pulp in blender and blend well to smooth pulp. Add the other ingredients and blend again. Pour in glasses and garnish with shredded "Vazhukkai" (Pulp). Serve chilled.
This may be a better energy booster for kids when they come home after school tired out and you do not need to declare to them about the base of the drink.
Try and let me know.

Monday 10 October 2011

Thinai Payasam

Thinai is a millet which is widely available. It is called Foxtail Millet. It is a very delicious and tasty millet and I tried Thinai Payasam for Naivedyam during this Navaratri.  Take 1/4 cup of Thinai and soak for 1/2 hr. Cook in pressure cooker with one cup water. Thinai gives volume and so that much water is needed. Cookfor three to four whistles. Take out the cooked thinai from cooker and add to 3/4 lite of boiling milk. Simmer for 15 to twenty minutes. Add 1 cup sugar and 1/4 litre milk and wait till it starts boiling. Take off fire and add cardamom powder. Thinai Payasam is ready

Monday 3 October 2011

Ubiquitous Idli with a difference

This is a recipe I recently tried . Instead of using Urad fully, I added 1/4 cup barley and 1/4 cup Urad and soaked them for 3 hrs . Soak the idli rice also (2 cups) separately. When grinding, grind all put together and ferment like normal idli batter. the idlis are much softer and spongy. try and see.

Some interesting facts about Barley. This grain has been there from time immemorial and it is learnt that sages like Vasishta and Viswamitra cultivated Barley and consumed the same. 

Thursday 15 September 2011

Paneer creamy spread (for Bread)

This is a yummy protein rich spread, easy to make and even store in the refrigerator and we mostly use it as a spread on Bread or use it instead of butter for Sandwich.

Ingredients :
Paneer 200 gms
Green Chillies 2
Mint leaves - few
Garlic - one or two pods (Optional)
Curd - 2 tablespoons (thick and NOT SOUR)
Salt to taste
Sugar - 1 tsp.
Method: Grate the paneer and grind it in the mixie along with the chillies , mint, garlic and sugar. Add the Salt and curd and whip once more. The creamy spread is ready for use. Children love the taste and it is much better than the ready made spreads.I have not tried this spread with any other dish. If you try, let me know.Enjoy!!

Monday 12 September 2011

Koozh Kozhakattai (Rice Balls in Gruel)

The above name "Rice Balls in Gruel" was inspired by the fancy names I found in Five Star Hotels for humble recipes like Idli and Vada. Anyway, sounds good and fancy. It's an olden day recipe with minimal ingredients and is filling . It's nice to have them on a rainy day for dinner. I tried them out one day last year and then the recipe is a regular now in our house, at least once a month. Try this for a change.

Ingredients :
Rice Flour - 2 cups
Water  for the balls - 3 cups.
Water for the gruel - 6 cups
Mustard - 1 tsp
Chana dal (kadalaiparuppu) - 1 tsp
Red chillies - 3 to 4
Curry Leaves - few
Salt to taste
Cooking oil - 3 tsps
Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
Coconut grated - 1/2 cups (Optional)
Method :
Heat the oil in a deep frying pan or pressure pan or iluppa chatti and  put the mustard seeds and asafoetida. When they crackle, add the chana dal and fry till light brown. Add the chillies and curry leaves and mix for a moment and pour the water meant for the balls (kozhakattais). Add required salt (11/2 tsp approx) and bring to boil. When the water starts boiling, reduce the heat and add the rice flour stirring all the while. When all the water is absorbed by the flour, remove from fire, add coconut and mix well  and let it cool for a while. Make lime sized kozhakattais of the flour. While making kozhakkattais remove the red chillies and keep aside.In the same or another kadai, heat the water meant for the gruel, with 1/2 tsp salt. When the water starts boiling, put the red chillies kept aside and  slip in the kozhakattais one by one. Bring to boil and let it simmer on medium heat till the balls are cooked, for about 8 to 10 minutes. Put off the fire and YIPPEE! THE RICE BALLS IN GRUEL IS READY!!!!.
This is best served in bowls rather than plates. If they are cold, that is eaten after a long time after preparation, it tastes good with buttermilk added to the gruel. It is very hard to resist but very very filling . If fresh coconut is added, it makes the kozhzkzttzis  softer .Try it on a rainy night for dinner and have it hot hot!! Enjoy! 

Friday 9 September 2011

Side dish for Idiappam - Sodhi

This is one of the tastiest dishes my mother used to make. The main ingredient being coconut milk, in those days when coconut milk was not readily available, Sodhi still was made by my mom whenever "Sevai" was made. "Sevai" was an equally arduous dish to make with one struggling with the "irumbu naazhi" and the maavu had to be ground in the Grinding stone. My mother used to say that her mother picked up this recipe while they had been to Colombo. I have heard of the same dish but with a variation of adding Green gram and calling it "Sodhi Kuzhambu" in Tirunelveli District.
Now that we get "Instant sevai" and "instant" Coconut milk , we can instantly make "Sodhi"
Lets get started. You have to have three cups of very thin coconut milk (3rd extract), two cups of thin coconut milk (second extract)and one cup of very thick coconut milk (First extract) .Small Sambar onions peeled - one cup and potatoes diced into squares are to be added to the third milk along with two green chillies sliced and few curry leaves. Bring it to a boil and when the vegetable is half cooked, add second extract and a pinch of turmeric powder and continue cooking till the vegetables are fully cooked.Add salt to taste . Then pour the very thick milk and take it off from the fire. Add  thejuice  of 1 lime and fresh curry leaves and serve with "Plain Sevai". Very tasty and filling!! If Sambar onions are not available, use one big onion but Sambar Onions are the best bet.

Instant Vellaiappam

Have you ever tried this quick Instant Velliappam? Velliappam is the savoury Kuzhi paniyaram famous in Chettinad. The traditional recipe is made with soaking and grinding rice and urad dal like idli maavu and letting it ferment and making savoury Kuzhiappam. But the instant version is very easy to make when there are unexpected guests or when you suddenly feel like eating vellaiappam. Take 1/2 cup each of Rava (semolina), Maida and Rice flour. Mix them with about 1 cup sour curd and water to make idli dough consistency. In a pan heat three to four tablespoons oil and season with mustard,chillies(2),ginger (1/2 inch piece) and chopped onions (1 big) till the onions are lightly fried. Mix with the dough and prepare kuzhiappams immediately. You can add dessicated coconut also to make the appams softer. Try the recipe and let me know.For this quantity of ingredients, you can get about 15 to 18 appams of medium size.

Thursday 8 September 2011

Varagu Dosai

Today, I tried a Varagu Dosai. Varagu is Foxtail millet which looks like rice but small in size. It is said to be very nutritious and the shopkeeper told me that adding Varagu to idli rice while grinding for idli makes idlis softer. It really made the idly softer and so I tried out this dosai. Some one told me that eating Varagu Pongal at night induces good sleep!!. Let me see if Varagu Dosai has the same effect!!

To Soak:

Varagu rice - 1 1/2 cups
Urad Whole - 3/4 cup
Tuvar Dal - 2 tsp
Methi seeds- 1/2 tsp.

Pepper and cumin seeds- 1 tsp Coarsely powdered
I soaked the first four ingredients overnight and ground it into a smooth dough in the morning and mixed salt (2 tsp) and let it ferment for 8 hrs. Then I mixed the pepper and Jeera Powder and heated the dosakkal and poured the dough like uthappam and reduced the flame and covered the dosa with a lid and the dosa cooked on top also without turning the dosa. It came out so ... soft that maybe I could have tried Aappam also with the dough. It tasted well with spicy red chutney. Try and enjoy!!!


Veggie cake

This is a yummy cake which can be also substituted for dinner as it has all veggies and wheat flour. It goes well with coriander chutney or sauce. If it is made in muffin tray, you get small cakes which can be taken as an evening snack for hungry kids returning from school. The veggies can be of your choice spinach, carrot, cabbage,beans, cauliflower, peas, corn,onion.

Ingredients :
Wheat Flour- 1 cup
Baking Powder - 1/2 tsp
Cooking Soda - 1/2 tsp
Salt - 1 tsp
Powdered Sugar - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Garam Masala - 1 tsp
Cooking oil (Coconut or sunflower)- 1/2 cup
Onion chopped - 1
Green Chillies chopped - 2
Lime Juice - 2 tsp
Veggies chopped fine- 1/2 cup
Boiled peas - 1/4 cup
Curd - 1/2 cup
Milk - as required

Method:
Sift flour with Baking Powder, Soda, salt, Turmeric, garam masala,sugar. Heat 1/4 cup oil and lightly fry the onions.Cool the mix to room temperature and add to flour . Add Veggies and chillies and peas to the flour.  Beat the curds and add the rest of the oil and lime juice and mix it well with the flour and veggie mixture. Add enough milk to bring the dough to a dropping consistency. Pour in a greased and dusted 8" cake tin or    rectangular loaf tin . Preheat the oven to 200 degree C . Bake the mixture for 25 to 30 minutes. Cool the cake and spread coriander chutney on top and decorate with veggie slices. See your kids asking for more. Enjoy!! 

The favourite Chocolate Cake (Eggless)

Here is the recipe for my favourite Chocolate Cake .
Ingredients:
Wheat Flour or Maida - 1 and 2/3 cups
Cocoa powder - 1/3 cup
Soda Bicarb - 1 teaspoon
Sugar (Powdered) - 1 cup
Cooking Oil - 1/2 cup
Curd (NOT SOUR) - 1 cup
Vanilla essence - 1 tsp.

Method: Sieve the flour, sugar, soda and cocoa two to three times over. Put them in a wide mouthed bowl and add the oil, curd and Vanilla essence and mix well. Make sure to stir in the same direction. Preheat an oven to 200 degree C . Take an 8 inch cake tin. Grease it with butter and dust it with flour. Pour the cake mixture in the tin and bake in 180 degree for 30-35 minutes till done.

You may add chocolate chips to the dough if making for kids parties.