Pineapple kesari /Pineapple semolina pudding

Here is a delicious pineapple infused kesari that I made to sweeten our Navarathri  celebration. Though it is called a kesari, which means saffron, this recipe doesn't use kesari.The yellow color is ob obtained through using pureed ripe pineapple. But if you want a more vibrant yellow you can use saffron or even food color.

Ingredients:

Rava / Semolina - 1 cup 

Sugar -1&1/2 to 2 cups 

Pineapple- 1 cup 

Raisin- 1/4 cup (optional)

Cashew nuts- 1/8 cup (optional)

Ghee-1/4 cup 

Vegetable oil- 1/4 cup

Pineapple essence (Optional)- 2 drops 

Salt A pinch 

Water- 2 & 1/2 cups 

Method

Cut pineapple into fine pieces. Puree half of the pineapple into fine paste,set aside. Heat a pan with ghee and oil and if you are using cashew nuts and raisins saute them till cashew turn golden and raisins turn plump. Remove and set aside  Add the rava and roast until the raw smell goes off. 

Add hot water  to the roasted rava along with the salt.  Mix well till all the water is mixed in well

Cook covered for 4 minutes or until done in low flame. 

Add sugar and color and essence if using. Mixture will turn watery again.

Add the pineapple and the puree. Keep mixing until the kesari starts leaving its sides. Mix in the cashew and raisins if using transfer to the serving bowl.

Coconut Kofta

If you are in a mood for some creamy and delicious curry to go with your Indian breads or rice, here is one of my go to recipes. There are different varieties of kofta, made with meat, fish, paneer and a variety of vegetables. But being a vegetarian, this is one version of kofta that I often make.
For Koftas
2 cups grated Coconut
3 tbs Chickpea flour
4 Green Chillies, minced
1/2 cup cilantro minced
1/8 to 1/4 cup Mint leaves, minced (optional)
1/2 medium Onion, grated
1/2 tbs Ginger paste
1/2 tbsGarlic paste
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp freshly ground Garam Masala
Salt to taste

For Gravy:
Tomato paste-2 tsp
Milk-1/4 cup
Ghee-1 tbs
Heavy cream-1tbs (optional)
Kasuri methi-1/4tsp
Cilantro-1/4tsp
For paste:
 Onion-1
 Chilli-2
 Ginger-1tsp, grated
 Cinnamon-1 stick
 Clove-1
 Cumin -1tsp
 Garlic cloves-2
 Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp

Method:
Grind the coconut coarsely and mix it with all the other  kofta ingredients. Form the mixture into round balls and deep fry to a golden color . Kofta quantity is actually a little more than needed for the curry as I love having a few koftas to taste test :)
Heat a pan, add about a table spoon of ghee or oil and saute all the ingredients for paste till onion turns translucent. Make a paste of this sauted ingredients using about a cup of water. Mix it with tomato paste, milk,ghee,kasuri methi and salt and cook for 4 -5 minutes.When the gravy reaches desired consistency add cilantro and heavy cream.Add the koftas to the gravy before serving .Serve hot.

Achari Mushroom

We are a family of Mushroom lovers. We make it a point to try any mushroom out in the market. Whenever I get a new variety that I haven't tried before I always end up making a simple caramelized mushroom and if the mushroom is not to our liking I add spices and see what works for us.Now I have a recipe for each type of mushroom we get here in Bay area.Our favorite recipe for Shiitake mushroom or Bella mushroom is this Achari Mushroom curry. The pickle spice that you add to this curry makes it fingerlicking.
Ingredients:
Bella mushroom /Shiitake mushroom -8oz sliced
Chilli powder-1tsp
Turmeric-1tsp
Plain yogurt-3 tbs
salt-1/2 tsp
Fennel seeds-1tsp
Cumin seeds-3/4 tsp
Coriander seeds -1tbs
Fenugreek-1/4 tsp
Clove -4
Onion-1
Ginger paste-1tbs
Garlic paste-1tbs
Tomato -1 sliced
Green chilli-2
Mustard seeds-1/2tsp
Dried Red chilli-2
Asafoetida-1/2 tsp
Lemon juice-1tbs
Pickle(mango,garlic or lemon)-1 tbs
Sugar -1/4 tsp
Method:
Marinate mushroom in yogurt along with chilli powder,turmeric and salt for at least half an hour.Meanwhile crush fennel seeds,cumin,coriander,clove and fenugreek seeds and set aside. Take about 3 tbs of cooking oil in a kadai and when the oil is hot add mustard and dried chilli Add finely sliced onion,asafoetida along with ginger garlic paste.Saute for about 3 mintues and when onion turns translucent add finely sliced tomato.Saute till tomato starts to ooze out oil.Add the crushed  spices along with green chilli saute for a minute and add the marinated mushroom along with a cup of water.Cook covered till mushroom is cooked. Add lemon juice along with  pickle and sugar.Check the salt.When gravy is thick switch off the stove and garnish  and serve
  

Onion 'N Carrot Samosa

Last few days had been cloudy and wet.There is some thing with  rainy days, that I don't feel guilty having fried snacks on those days. This easy peasy yet tasty samosa is what I made to please my craving.

Ingredients:

Wonton wrappers

Onion thinly sliced - 3/4 cup

Carrot grated - 1/2 cup

Green chillies finely chopped - 2

Chilli powder - 1 tsp

Cilantro - few finely chopped

Poha / aval / flattened rice - 1/2 cup

Salt as needed

Oil for deep frying

Method:

Take sliced onions and carrot mix with salt and set aside for 15 minutes. Squeeze out the water from onion and carrot as much as you can. Mix rest of the ingredients except wonton wrappers and oil. Now take a wonton wrapper and  put the filling in the middle on one side and fold the wrapper in such a way that you get a triangle samosa. Seal the ends with some water. Deep fry samosas in hot oil until golden brown.Serve hot. 

Peanut Chutney

 If you want to include more protein in a typical south Indian diet, this would be an excellent choice of chutney. This goes with idli, dosa or even you can substitute this for peanut butter on your sandwich or toast.
It can also substitute for hummus as dip. It is tangy, spicy and really, really yummy.

Recipe Source: Vahrehvah.com
Ingredients:
Peanuts (roasted)-1 &1/2 cups
Garlic -8 cloves
Tamarind juice- 1/2cup
Chilly powder (paprika )-2 tb or to taste
Salt -to taste
Green chilli-2 or to taste
Oil -2tbs
For tempering
Mustard seeds - 1&1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds- 1&1/2 tsp
Urad dhal-3 tbs
Curry leaves- 3 sprigs
Oil- 2tbs
Hing -3/4 tbs

Method:
Heat oil in a pan add garlic when garlic starts to slightly turn golden add roasted peanuts, red chilly powder, tamarind juice, salt, and  mix  all together, switch off the flame, put it into the blender along with green chilli and make a paste adding enough water.
For tempering heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, when mustard seeds start to splutter, add cumin seeds, Urad dhal and roast this till Urad dhal turns golden, add hing, curry leaves.Switch of the stove and let it cool down. Make this  into a coarse powder using  a blender. When ready to serve mix the  tempering mixture with peanut paste.

Khaman Dhokla

Till a few years back I believed making Kaman Dhokla was a very difficult task which only a seasoned cook can accomplish. This may be because most of my Gujarati friends depended on their moms or in laws to make these or resorted to instant versions of dhokla, never daring to try it out themselves. A while ago I saw a few recipes online as well as in magazines for making these, but still I didn't try making them as I was still not convinced. Over an year ago Kaveri, one of my blogger friends posted this on her blog and as I have always gotten  good results from trying out  her recipes I thought of giving this a try. I was so happy with the result that I have made this a zillion times since then. This is so easy to put together and tastes better than any other I have tasted.
Recipe Source: Palakkad Chamayal
Ingredients:
Chickpea flour/Besan – 1 Cup
Curd – ½ cup
Water – ¼ cup
Green Chilly – 1 or 2
Ginger – 1 inch piece
Lemon Juice – 1 tsp
Oil – ½ tbsp
Sugar – 1 tsp
Turmeric Powder – a pinch
Eno – 1 packet /1 &1/4 tsp
Salt to taste

For tempering
Oil – 2 tsp
Mustard Seeds – 1 tsp
Green chilly – 1 Slit
Asafoetida – 1/8th teaspoon
Fresh Coriander/Cilantro Leaves for garnish

Method
In a blender add  turmeric powder, salt, sugar, green chilly, ginger, oil,water,lemon juice and curd and whip to smooth.  Add chickpea flour and blend once more to form a smooth batter.Transfer this to a bowl
Meanwhile heat a steamer with water for steaming. Add the eno fruit salt to the chickpea flour mixture mix gently and pour immediately into a  greased cake pan or plate. Steam for 7 to 8 minutes,
Remove and allow to cool.
Heat a small  pan with oil. Add mustard seeds, once they crackle add asafoetida powder and the slit green chilly.
Pour this over the steamed dhokla, garnish with fresh coriander leaves.
Cut into desired shapes and serve with chutney of your choice

Jangri

I am yet to find a place in the Bay Area where you can get fresh Jangiris. When we travel to India also, it is difficult to bring this back as all the syrup would get leaked out of the jangiris, spoiling the rest of the luggage.
When we were back from India this summer, I had brought loads of laddu, peda and other dry sweets back to US with me and been having those to my heart's content. But with Diwali approaching, I wanted to make something fresh and as I was fed up with all those dry sweets, thought of making this for a change.As you can see anyone can make these if you have a little time and some patience.

Ingredients
Whole de-skinned urad dal-1 cup
Rice flour - 1 tsp
Orange food color- 1/2 pinch
Salt A pinch
For Sugar syrup
Sugar-4 cups
water-2 cups
Lemon juice 1/2 tsp
Rose essence 4 drops
Clove - 4 (optional)
 Method:
Soak urad dal for 2 hrs and grind with very little water (Approximately  1/ 4 cup). Batter should be thick as a cake batter, fluffy and smooth. Mix a pinch of salt, food color and rice flour and mix well.
Make the sugar syrup using water, clove and listed amount of sugar. Syrup should be one string consistency. Add lemon juice, food color and lastly essence, mix well. Now take a zip lock bag and make a hole with a heated nail.or you can use a piping bag and use the smallest piping circle tip. Fill the bag with batter and practice making a few on a plate.
Start with a circle and over it, draw small swirl like circles.
Then heat a flat bottomed pan with  oil always keep the heat at medium.When the oil is hot squeeze the batter directly into the oil in the same manner you have practiced.
Repeat the same to make more to fill  the pan.
Once the jangris gets cooked and becomes light,turn over and cook till crisp and then take out carefully and transfer to the sugar syrup. Leave fried jangris in hot sugar syrup for 2-3 minutes.Take out and leave  to rest for a while say 1/2 hour. Enjoy.

Wheat Puttu

We always used to get the best home made rice flour to make puttu, courtesy to my parents and in-laws. But the puttu powder that we bring back from our trip to India would not last till the next visit, as we tend to make puttu quite often. It was difficult for me to adjust to puttu made with the store bought puttu powder. So to make my precious home made puttu powder last longer, I started experimenting with other options.
Since we get good quality wheat flour here in the US, I first started experiemting with it. But my first few attempts were not up to the mark. Then I came across this nice recipe which proved to be a winner.
Recipe source: Kerala Kitchen
Ingredients:
Wheat flour - 2 cups
Coconut, grated - 1/2
Salt - to taste
Water for mixing.
Method:
Sieve the wheat flour and salt together. Sprinkle water (very little) on the flour and mix it gently(wheat tends to form a dough easily with water so do not pour water only sprinkle little by little). The flour should be wet enough for steaming. Put wet flour in the food processor and pulse it just for a second or two. It'll help the small lumps to break apart and form a nice wet powdery texture . Now mix half of the coconut to the flour and mix it. put two teaspoon of grated coconut in the puttu maker and then add the flour mix.If you don't have a puttu maker, you can use a steamer instead. Just line it with the remaining coconut and spread the flour mix over it and steam it for about 4 minutes.

Gothambu Payasam /Broken Wheat Payasam

Vishu is here and I am sure that any Indian celebration is incomplete without a payasam or kheer. So here is a delicious gothambu(broken wheat) payasam from my kitchen to yours. With all the best wishes for an auspicious Vishu and a bright and happy year ahead!
Ingredients:
Broken wheat - 1 cup
Jaggery - 1and1/2 cup or to taste
Thick coconut milk -1  cup
Thin coconut milk-1 cup
Milk -1 cup
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
Cashew nuts - 10 - 15
Coconut slices-2 - 3 tbsp
Raisins - 10-12
Ghee - 1 tbsp +2 Tbs
Method:
Pressure cook broken wheat with 3 cups of  water for 2-3 whistles. It should be cooked well.Open the pressure cooker when the pressure releases.Stain the excess water completly.
Meanwhile make a jaggery syrup using  1/2 cup water and jaggery. Strain it to remove any  impurities. Pour this is to the cooked wheat and along with 2tbs of  ghee.  Cook this while stirring for about 2 minutes or till jaggery is almost dries up. Add thin coconut milk and stir continuously and when this starts to boil add the thick coconut milk along with milk . Keep stirring and simmer till the payasam becomes thick. Now add powdered cardamom.You can add a pinch of salt to bring out the taste.
Heat 1 tbs ghee and fry cashews, coconut slices and raisins. Add this to the prepared payasam. If you find the payasam thick  once it cools , you may add some milk to get the desired consistency.

Kashmiri Dum Aloo

Almost a decade ago, when I was not into the internet in a big way, the primary sources of good recipes for me used to be my mother, my grand-mother or MIL. Other than these direct sources, I also used to collect recipes from TV shows or magazines.I used to note down the ones that I found good in a notebook and used to refer to those when I wanted to make it again. This recipe of Kashmiri Dum aloo is one such recipe that I had in my recipe book. All of us used to like this dish quite a lot and it was a good one to serve for a dinner or to take to a potluck, as it is quite an eye-pleaser. I used to make it quite often during those days.
How the times have changed! Now a days I rarely ever need to refer a book for recipes. It is all just a click away. With so many wonderful new things to try out from around the globe, I hardly ever made this dish in the last many years. By chance I was flipping through my recipe book the other day and since I had some nice Idaho baby potatoes with me, wanted to try it out. And as always it turned out to be wonderful both in taste and in presentation.

Ingredients:
For Aloo:
Medium potatoes - 5-6 numbers
Raisins - 1 tbs
Cashews - 1tbs, powdered coarsely
Cream - 1 tbs
Salt - to taste

For Gravy:
Tomatoes pureed and strained -3
Capsicum finely chopped - 1
Onions chopped into strips - 1
Sugar - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Cardamoms -2
Cloves - 3
Peppercones - 3
Cinnamon piece - 1/2 inch
Ba:y leaf -1
Kasoori methi-1 tsp
Water -1 1/2 cups
Cream -2 tbs
Coriander leaves, chopped - 1/2 tbsp
Refined oil - 2 tbs
Salt - to taste

Onion Paste:
Onions - 2, medium
Ginger piece - 1/2 inch.
Red Kashmiri Chillies  or  Paprika - 4-5
Mint leaves - 8-10
Cloves and garlic - 5 (optional)

Method:
For Aloo:
Peel and boil potatoes till they are half done. Cool and core with a potato scoop. Mix raisins, potato scooping, cashew, cream and salt. Stuff this mix into the potato hollows and keep them aside.

For Gravy:
Heat oil, add onions and stir-fry till brown. Drain and keep aside. Stir-fry capsicum till done, drain and keep aside. Add whole spices to the oil, allow to splutter and then add the onion paste and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add the tomato puree, masalas and simmer for 3-4 minutes. Add water, sugar,kasoori methi, salt and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes.Add the cream and give a nice stir
Now put the potatoes in a casserole and pour the gravy over them. Sprinkle the stir-fried onions and capsicum over this and cover with aluminium foil. Bake in the oven at 200 degree C for 20 minutes. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Mulaku Baji/Mirchi Baji

When I was pregnant with Aishwarya I didn't have any cravings as such. But one day almost into my 8th month while out shopping  I saw a street vendor selling Mulaku/Mirchi baji outside the mall. So I asked my hubby dear if I could have it. My friends, can you guess what Jai did. No he didn't get me that. Instead  he gave me a big lecture on how unhygienically  it is being prepared and what it would do to me and the baby. To this day I hold this against him and poor fellow he is still looking for a way to compensate for that.
So if you or any one in your family is longing for some fiery mulaku baji  here ends your search.
Ingredients :
Banana peppers-5/8
1 cup  Besan/ chickpea flour
2tbs Rice flour
1/2 teaspoon Asafoetida
1/2 to 1/4 teaspoon Red chili powder
1/8teaspoon Baking soda
Salt to taste
Cooking oil to deep fry
Method  :
Make lengthwise slits on the sides of the peppers without splitting the pepper,remove the seeds see that you do not split the peppers while deseeding.If you are a person who has very little tolerance to hot peppers soak the peppers in hot salted water for 15 minutes.Meanwhile mix rest of the ingredients to a smooth batter the consistency should be that of dosa batter. Dip each pepper in the batter to coat well on all sides. Deep fry them in hot oil on medium heat until crisp and cooked. Once cooked remove from the oil and drain them in kitchen towel. Serve hot.

Uthappam

Whenever I prepare a batch of dosa batter, I typically make it as thick as possible. This way I can dilute it to whatever consistency needed for the specific dish I am making. I always make it a point to prepare the batter almost every week. Having the dosa batter ready and available in your fridge is a lifesaver as it opens up so many different possibilities of the foods you can make in a jiffy - dosa, paniyaram, masala dosa and uthappam. Uthappam itself you can make in so many different variations - like onion uthappam, tomato uthappam or a mixed uthappam like this one, not to forget the plain uthappam.
Of the different variations of uthappams, this particular one is my favorite. Hope you would all like this too.
Ingredients:
Dosa batter
Coconut-1/2 cup grated
Onion -1/2 cup sliced
Green pepper-1/2 cup sliced
Tomatoes -1/4 cup deseeded and  sliced
Green chillies - 2-3 (chopped)
Cilantro few (chopped)
Curry leaves - few (optional)
Oil

Method:
Mix onion,green pepper,tomatoes,chilli,cilantro and salt and set aside.
Heat a pan when a it is hot pour a ladle full of the batter onto the hot pan and slightly spred if needed  it should be thick like a pancake.Sprinkle coconut over the batter. Now add the mixed veggies over  the coconut sprinkled batter. See that you do all this immediately after pouring the batter before the batter starts to cook.Drizzle a tsp of oil around the uthappam. Cover the uthappam and  cook for 4-5 mins on low heat.When golden brown, turn drizzle a few drops of oil around the uttappam  and cook for another minute.Serve with chutney of your choice or just tomato ketchup.

Garlic Naan

Most of the Indian breads I have tried making at home. But naan was an exception. But this is a favorite of Aishwarya. Whenever we go out to an Indian restaurant, she would have this for sure. So one day she challenged (tricked ?? ) me to making naan.
This turned out to be soft and fluffy and retained its softness even after a few hours. I already made it couple of times and am sure would be making many more times.

Ingredients
1 tbs active yeast
1 cup warm water, about 110 degrees F
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup milk, scalded but cooled to warm
4 ounces melted butter, plus 2 ounces
6 cups flour or as needed
16 cloves of garlic
Cilantro optional
Nigella seeds optional

Method:
Dissolve yeast in warm water. Let sit until lightly foamy, then stir in sugar and add egg, salt, warm milk, and 4 ounces of butter. Slowly add 5 cups flour, adding more as needed to make an elastic dough. Mix well, then roll out to floured surface and knead dough for about 5 minutes.
Place dough in buttered bowl, cover with towel, and set in a warm place to rise until double in bulk, about 1 hour.
knead the dough again for a minute
Preheat the oven with baking tray to 500 degrees F .Divide the dough into 8 equal parts and shape them into balls.Roll out each ball into triangle, ovals or your favorite shape about 1 cm thick. If desired, top with nigella seeds or minced garlic and cilantro.I used only garlic.Slightly press it into the dough.Transfer the rolled out dough into the baking tray and bake for 4 to 5 minutes.Then after that broil for 1 minute.
Take naan out and brush with butter and serve hot.

Thattil Kutti Dosa & Garlic chutney

This is my version of that dosa and chutney combo made famous by the Malayalam movie " Salt'N Pepper". I haven't yet got a chance to taste the original one. From googling about this I understand that this originated in Thrissur, which is where I am also from. So the next time I am in India, I am definitely planning to pay a visit to this dosa's birth-place and try this out.
Thattil Kutty Dosa literally means "the small dosa made in a pan". The Garlic Chutney is what was shown as the accompaniment for this in the movie. I referred to many recipes in the internet and came up with this version both for the dosa and chutney.
It is a good change from the regular dosa and we all liked it.
Ingredients:
For the Dosa batter:
2 cups rice
1 cup urad dal
1 tbsp fenugreek seeds
Method:
Soak the rice, fenugreek and the dal separately for 4-5 hrs.
Grind together the rice and fenugreek to a fine paste. Also grind the dal  to a fine paste adding enough water. Mix the rice and the dal and let it ferment over night.
Before making the Dosa, add water to the batter to bring it to a pouring consistency. Add salt and mix.
Heat the Non Stick Pan, pour 1/2 ladleful batter about 1/2 cup and small dosas. No need to spread the batter unless it is too thick.Cook in low to medium flame to get golden crust. Drizzle some oil/ghee on the dosas.Flip once the bottom turns golden and cook in low to medium flame for a minute or 2 or until golden in colour. Drizzle oil when ever desired.  Serve with garlic chutney / sambar ...

Garlic Chutney
Ingredients:
Coconut(grated)- 1 cup
Dried red chilli -8
Garlic cloves-8
Tamarind-1 tsp
Shallots-1
Salt- to taste

Seasoning:
Oil-2 tbs
Mustard-1 tsp
Dried red chilli-1

Method:
Heat a teaspoon of oil and roast the red chilli till they turn crisp.Set it aside. In the same pan brown crushed garlic.Now grind all the ingredients to a fine paste adding as little water as possible. Now heat the oil and add mustard followed by red chilli,once the mustard is done with the spluttering  add it to the ground chutney.

Mulligatawny Soup

It came as a bit of a surprise for me that the origin of this Anglo-Indian soup is our good old rasam. Mulligatwany comes from the Tamil name, Milagu Thanni - meaning Pepper Water. Looks like the British took the recipe of the Rasam and made modifications to suit their tastes and preferred ingredients - with versions having chicken, meat and the like. For the Europeans, our rasam would have tasted like a soup  - well, when we think about it rasam is indeed a soup - though we typically have it as a sort of curry. This version here is a vegetarian one. Just like rasam which triggers your appetite, this one is also ideally suited for  stimulating your taste-buds.

Ingredients:
1 onions, chopped
1 carrots, chopped
1 potato,chopped
1 zucchini,chopped
1 big or 1 and1/2  medium tomatoes
3/4 cup  red lentils
1"ginger
4 cloves garlic
1/4 tsp asafoetida powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 1/2 tbsp curry powder
1 tbsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp fennel powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon powder
1/2 tablespoon ground black peppercorns
3 to 4 cups of vegetable or chicken stock
1 to 1 1/2 tsp tamarind paste
Green onions and cilantro to garnish

Method:
In a pressure cooker, saute onion along with minced ginger and garlic. When they turn translucent, add all the powders, saute for a minute. Now add the vegetables, stock and lentil along with the tamarind paste. Pressure cook this for 6 minutes. Once the pressure is released, open the lid and using a blender, puree the contents. Garnish with cilantro and green onion. Serve with any Indian flat-breads, preferably naan.

Gobi Manchurian

This is one of the universally loved Indo-Chinese dishes. I haven't come across anyone, vegetarian or non-vegetarian, who doesn't like this. The beauty of this is that you can have it as an appetizer/starter or as a side-dish that goes well with fried-rice, noodles or any of the Indian breads. Even though this involves deep frying, for those health-conscious friends of mine there is another option. Instead of deep frying the fritters, you can bake it at 400 degree F in an oil sprayed baking tray. Just make sure that you add a tablespoon of oil in the batter before dipping the cauliflower to get crispy fritters.
Ingredients:
1 Cup Maida or All purpose flour
1 Cauliflower
1/4 cup Corn Flour
1/2 tsp Black Pepper
1 tbsp Oil
3 tsp Tomato Sauce
3 tsp Chilli Garlic Sauce
1/2 tsp Soya Sauce
1 tsp Vinegar
1/4 cup finely chopped Onion
1/4 cup Spring Onion
2 tsp Garlic
1/2 tsp finely chopped Green Chilli
1 green pepper sliced
1 tsp Corn Flour
1 tsp Sugar
Method:
To make Fritters
Mix allpurpose flour and corn flour, black pepper, salt, in a bowl ,add water, stir well and make a medium thick batter not too thick or too thin.
Cut florets from cauliflower, dip florets in batter and deep fry till they turn golden color.
For Sauce : The amount of sauce given is for a dry version if you want a more saucier version double or triple the ingredients.
Heat  oil, add chopped onion and saute till onions becomes translucent. Add green chillies and garlic. Saute for 30 secs. To this add black pepper, tomato sauce,  chilli garlic sauce / chilli sauce , vinegar, soya sauce,green pepper, sugar, salt to taste and mix well. Add fried cauliflower fritters, coat well with sauce.Garnish with spring/green onion

Jeera Rice

The party season is on. Though the Thanksgiving  is over, the party schedule still remains hectic - with both hosting and participating. I have already started planning the dishes for Christmas and New Year. I know a lot of you out there would be like me, who loves planning ahead.
Jeera rice is a rice dish that I always include in most of my lunch or dinner parties. One reason is that this goes well with any of the Indian curry preparations. Another reason is that it is an easy, yet deliciously flavorful rice preparation.
Recipe source: Vah Re Vah
Ingredients:
1 cup basmati rice (pre soaked  for 30 minutes)
1tbs butter or ghee
1/4 cup cilantro
2 green chilli
1 tsp jeera (cumin)
1/8 cup mint (optional)
1 pinch saffron (optional)
to taste salt
1 and 1/2 cup water
Method:
Heat ghee in a pressure cooker.Add cumin and once they splutter,add green chilli , mint and cilantro and saute for a minute. Add water  and  add presoaked rice along with saffron and salt. Pressure cook this for 5 minutes after steam comes and you put the weight on at low heat. Serve this with raita and curry of your choice.

Boondi Ladoo

Wishing all my friends a Happy and Blessed Deepavali!
I don't make Boondi Ladoo that often. But when I made it this time, I was wondering why I wasn't making it more frequently. I found it almost as easy as making instant gulab jamuns. All these times when I had some guests over at short notice, I used to go for the instant gulab jamuns. But that does't give the "wow" effect like the boondi ladoos. And the best thing is that these tastes much better than those store bought ones. I would recommend this recipe to those who are a little apprehensive about making laddos. Contrary to what you might have heard, it's no rocket science :)
Ingredients:
Chickpea Flour (Besan) – 1 cup
Rice flour - 1tsp
Cooking soda - a pinch
Salt - a pinch
Water – 1/2 cup
Oil – for deep frying
For Syrup:
Sugar – 1 cup
Water – 1/2 cup
Yellow color - 2 drops
Cardamom Powder and cloves – 1/4 tsp
Cashews/Almonds/Pistachio – 1/4 cup, powdered
Cashew - 1/4 cup split
Method:
Mix sugar & water, let it boil till it reaches almost a one- string syrup consistensy (a string that breaks after it forms).
At this stage remove the syrup from heat mix in the color and cardamom powder and clove. Keep it aside.
In a mixing bowl, mix chickpea flour, cooking soda, salt and rice flour. Add 1/2 cup water. Mix well until there are no more lumps and keep aside. Start heating oil for deep frying.
Once oil is hot, place a small amount of boondi batter onto a boondi maker or flat ladle with holes and gently tap the sides with a spoon to allow batter droplets to fall into the oil. Don't hold the boondi maker more than 1 1/2 inches above the oil, as this would result in elongated boondi. Fry boondi until light golden,do not fry boondi till crispy as the ladoo won't be soft,. remove them from the oil allowing excess oil to drain off and place them directly into the sugar syrup. Mix the fried boondi into the sugar syrup until they get coated.
Note: Wipe the bottom of the boondi maker clean (each time) before continuing to fry remaining boondi.
Once all the boondi is fried and submerged in the sugar syrup, add the nuts and mix well.
Let boondi soak in the syrup for 10 mins to 15 mins.If  your boondi's are large you can slightly crush a bit with your hand before shaping them into balls.
Do not cool the boondi mixture completely , then it will be hard to shape it.While still warm  take a scoop full of boondi mixtrue into your palm and gently squeeze the mixture between the palm to make a round ball.
Ladoos can be kept at room temperature for 1-2 days but should be kept in the refrigerator for any longer time. They should be served at room temperature.
Makes approx. 15 ladoos.

Easy Rasmalai

With Diwali around the corner,I thought of posting an easy and delicious dessert.This has been my go to dessert for Diwali potlucks and parties.You can make this a few hours before your party or a day or two before. Personally I like to make mine atleast a day before,as it tastes so much more better with time.
Ingredients
 15 oz ricotta (use a paper towel to absorb as much water as possible)
 1/2 cups sugar
 5-6 cardamom (get the seeds from the pods and powder it with a mortar and pestle)
 a pinch of saffron (optional but adds a lot of flavor)
 1/2 pack of MTR badam drink mix
 500 ml whole milk
 1/2 cup Cream
Method:
 Pre-heat oven to 350°C. Drain water from ricotta using paper towel or cheese cloth.  In a baking dish, mix ricotta, sugar, powdered cardamom and saffron together.Or you may line muffin tray with liner and spread an even layer . Spread into an even layer.Bake for about 50 minutes or until edges are golden brown.
When the ricotta has cooled, slice into squares. Mix cream,milk and badam drink mix together simmer this over medium heat for sometime till the milk mix thicken a bit and pour over the baked cheese ,remove the liner if used . Let it soak for at least a few hours but best to leave it overnight. Cover in plastic wrap and store in fridge.

Aval Vilayichathu

When I think of a traditional Kerala snack, Aval Vilayichatu is the first thing that comes to my mind. This is an easy to make, delicious treat that my mom used to make when we were kids. During my college years, when I would be returning after holidays my mom used to make this for me to take it back to my place. Though she used to make it in large quantities to last me for a few days, this was so much in demand with my friends and roomies that we would finish it off in a day or two. This is also made as an offering in some of the Kerala temples as well. I especially remember getting this as the "prasadam" at the temple on the Vijayadasami day.

Ingredients:
2 cups rice flakes/aval/poha
1 cups grated jaggery
1/2 cup water
1 heaped cup fresh,grated coconut
2 tsp ghee
1 tbs sesame seeds
2 tbs coconut slivers
3/4 tsp cardamom powder
1/4 tsp dried ginger powder (optional)
Method:
Heat 1 tsp ghee in a wide pan. Now fry the coconut slivers and sesame and set aside. Dry roast the rice flakes and set this aside.
Make a jaggerry syrup by adding about half a cup of water.Strain it to get rid of the impurities. Add the grated coconut to this and cook till all the water evaporates. Add a teaspoon of ghee and the rest of the ingredients. Mix well.
If you want this to last for a few days, you may make it dryer and store in airtight, dry containers.