Awards

I sincerely appreciate Pavithra Srihari and Nithu Binoi  for passing me these beautiful awards.

 

I would like to share these awards with Uma, Sushma Mallya, Sathya Sridar, Sook, Simply life, Simply.food, Priya (Priya's easy and tasty recipes), Priya(Manasinu..), Aruna Manikandan, Srividhya Ravikumar, Pranis Kitchen, Padhu, Anu, Nithya, Sarah, Tina, Nithubala, Ammu, Mano Swaminathan, Jaleela, NS, Shahana, Ayesha, Sara, Chitchat, Malar Gandhi, Preeti, Gulmohar, Treat and Trick, Supriya Shenai, Prathy, Hari Chandana, Priya Raj, Nisha, Nithya, Swapna Sree, Premalatha, Jaleela, Shama and Sreeviji.

Opputtu

 Ingredients:

• Split channa dal – 300 g
• Jaggery – 150–200 g
• Grated coconut – 100 g
• Cardamom – 8 nos
• All purpose flour – 200 g
• Water
• Turmeric powder – ½ Tea spoon
• Salt
• Oil or ghee

Method:

•  Soak split channa dal for about an hour and cook (do not mash) those by using little amount of water.
• Discard cooked water (or can be used for making rasam) and grind with jaggery into coarse in a wet grinder. Keep aside.
• Dry roast grated coconut.
• Mix the ground mixture, roasted coconut, pinch of salt and cardamom seeds.
• Then make them into small lemon sized balls. Keep aside.
• Mix all-purpose flour, pinch of salt, turmeric powder and water. This mixture should be of bajji or bonda batter consistency.
• Make that lemon sized small balls (dal and jaggery mixture) into patties (or like vada), dip in all-purpose flour batter and place over heated dosa tava. Pour a tea spoon of oil or ghee and cook both the sides until they are done. Cook one or two at a time.

 Note:

• This is one of the famous traditional sweets in Kongu region of Tamil Nadu (India). 

Mint flavoured Asparagus Soup

Ingredients:

• Asparagus -1 bunch
• Chopped onion – 50 g
• Fresh green peas – 50 g
• Potato - 1
• Garlic cloves – 2
• Pepper powder – ¼ Tea spoon
• Salt
• Mint leaves – few
• Oil – 2 Table spoon

 Method:

• Wash and trim a bit on both ends of asparagus. Then cut them into one inch pieces.
• In a pan heat oil and add onion and a pinch of salt. Fry until onion becomes slightly brown.
• Add asparagus, chopped potato, green peas and garlic cloves. Mix and close the lid. Cook until vegetables are tender. Stir frequently. The content will cook by using water in the vegetables. So need not to add additional water for cooking.
• Allow them to cool and grind them with mint leaves.
• Boil 150 ml water in a pan and allow it to boil. Add ground mixture and simmer for few mins.
• Adjust salt and pepper. Bring it to boil and turn off heat.
• Garnish with blanched asparagus bits, green peas and nuts.

Sandhavai with Thengai paal

Sandhavai (Rice Noodles):
Ingredients:

• Idli rice – 400 g
• Grated coconut – 100 g
• Water
• Salt

Method:

• Soak idli rice for about one hour. Grind soaked idli rice and grated coconut together in a wet grinder with minimum amount of water like for making idli.
• Add salt and mix the batter.
• Make idlies by steam cooking, here no need to ferment the batter.
• Make rice noodles (Sandhavai) by pressing hot idlies in Sandhavai maram (shown in picture - available in East Indian stores)
• Serve with coconut milk.

Thengai Paal (Coconut Milk):

• Boil coconut milk (about 200 ml) and skim milk (about 50 ml) together in slow flame.
• Add required amount of jaggery, dried ginger root (pinch), cardamom (3 nos) and pinch of salt. Simmer for few minutes and serve warm with Sandhavai.

Note:

• It is a famous traditional food made while inviting newly married couple in Kongu region of Tamil Nadu (India).

Venpongal and Carrot Sambar

 Venpongal:
 Ingredients:

• Raw rice – 1 cup
• Mung dal – ¼ cup
• Peppercorns – 1 Table spoon
• Cumin seeds – 1 Table spoon
• Asafoetida - pinch
• Curry leaves
• Water – 4 cups
• Cashew nuts - 1 Table spoon
• Ghee
• Salt

 Method:

• Soak rice and mung dal in water for about 20 mins.
• Drain soaked rice and dal. Cook them in a pressure cooker by adding four cups water and required amount of salt.
• In a separate vessel, heat one table spoon ghee and fry cashew nuts, peppercorns, cumin seeds, asafoetida and curry leaves.
• Mix this with cooked rice and dal.
• While serving, add two table spoon ghee over pongal.

 Carrot Sambar:
 Ingredients:

• Carrot -2 nos
• Toor dal – 150 g
• Onion – 1
• Tomato – 1
• Garlic cloves – 3
• Sambar powder – ½ Table spoon
• Turmeric powder – ¼ Tea spoon
• Tamarind pulp – 1 Table spoon
• Salt
• Curry leaves – few
• Coriander leaves

 Method:

• Cook toor dal with water and keep it aside.
• Chop carrot, onion and tomato.
• Extract juice from tamarind pulp.
• Heat oil in a vessel and add mustard seeds. When they pop up add onion and a pinch of salt. Fry till onion is slightly brown.
• Add carrot, tomato, curry leaves, turmeric powder, sambar powder and tamarind juice. Mix and cook them well.
• Now add cooked toor dal, required amount of water for the curry and crushed garlic cloves. Adjust salt and cook the mixture until it is done (in a slow flame).
• Garnish with coriander leaves.

Fruity Cake Salad

Have fun while eating
                     Fruity cake salad is a simple, colourful and a tasty recipe. Just mix a cup of mixed fruits (i used kiwi and strawberry) with cake pieces. My daughter loves this combination. Add a pinch of pepper powder over the salad (optional). I think picky eaters will like it a lot, right?

Brussels sprout Paruppu Kuzhambu and Awards

Ingredients:

• Brussels sprout - 8 nos.
• Toor dal – 150 g
• Onion – 1
• Tomato – 1
• Garlic cloves – 3
• Kuzhambu podi (Sambar powder) – ½ Table spoon
• Turmeric powder – ¼ Tea spoon
• Salt
• Curry leaves – few
• Coriander leaves

 Method:

• Cook toor dal with water and keep it aside.
• Chop Brussels sprout, onion and tomato.
• Heat oil in a vessel and add mustard seeds. When they pop up add onion and a pinch of salt. Fry till onion is slightly brown.
• Add Brussels sprout, tomato, curry leaves, turmeric powder and kuzhambu podi (Sambar powder). Mix and cook them well.
• Now add cooked toor dal, required amount of water for the gravy and crushed garlic cloves. Adjust salt and cook the mixture until it is done (in a slow flame).
• Garnish with coriander leaves.

Note:

• It goes very well with rice, idly, dosa and chapati.

I sincerely appreciate Nithu Bala and Praniskitchen for passing these beautiful awards. I would like to share these awards with all my blogger friends.

Pound Cake

Ingredients:

• All purpose flour – 200 g
• Sugar – 200 g
• Butter – 200 g
• Baking power – 11/2 Tea spoon
• Vanilla essence – 2 drops
• Egg – 3 nos.
• Salt - pinch

 Procedure:

• Sieve all purpose flour and baking powder for three times.
• Separate egg whites and beat them with an electric beater for about 20 mins.
• In a large bowl, mix butter and ground sugar.
• To that add egg yolk, vanilla essence, salt, flour and baking powder. Mix them well.
• Add egg white and mix gently with a spatula.
• Pour this mixture into a non-stick baking dish.
• Pre-heat oven at 350 degree F and bake until it is done (45-50 minutes).

Coconut Chutney for Rice

Ingredients:

• Grated fresh coconut – 50 g
• Tamarind – 2 Table spoon
• Black gram seeds – 2 Table spoon
• Split channa dal - 2 Table spoon
• Dried red chilies – 2
• Ginger – a small piece
• Salt
• Curry leaves – Few
• Oil

 Method:

• Heat a table spoon of oil in a pan. Add black gram seeds, split channa dal, curry leaves and red chili. Fry till they are slightly brown in low flame. Allow it to cool.
• Grind them with coconut, salt and tamarind paste.