HAPPY NEW YEAR

WISH ALL MY READERS, BLOGER FRIENDS A VERY HAPPY AND PROSPOEROUS NEW YEAR.

COCONUT MURUKU- KOBBARI CHAKRALU

Muruku,chakralu or chakli what ever name it was, a popular savoury snack in South India.Muruku's are typically made with rice flour and urad dal powder,salt, chillipowder, asafoetida,ajwain or cumin seeds.Murukus are made with various combinations of flours and flavours. Let's try some coconut flavoured muruku s for this festival season....

INGREDIENTS:--
Rice flour --- 4 cups
Roasted urad dal flour -- 1 cup
Salt -- 2 tea sp
Butter --- 1 tab sp
Coconut extract -- To mix the dough
Oil for deep frying (if you like can fry in coconut oil )
Coarsely crushed cumin and pepper powder -- 1 tea sp.
METHOD:--
1.Sieve both flours and take in to a broad bowl.
2.Add salt,cumin,pepper powder and mix well to combine.
3. Now add butter and mix well with your hand to bring a bread crumbs stage.
4. Divide the flour in to 5-6 portions. Sprinkle coconut extract to each portion to make a thick dough (separately) just before you make murukus.
5. Make a thick dough, Keep the three eyed star disc in to the muruku maker,grease the muruku maker with little oil and place the dough in to the muruku press.
6. Make small murukus on a wet cloth or a polythene sheet.
7. Heat oil in deep frying pan to fry the muruku's
8. Take murukus carefully from wet cloth or sheet and slowly drop them in to hot oil.
9. fry the murukus in a medium heat till they turn in to nice golden color, remove from oil and place them on a absorbent paper for few minutes to remove if any excess oil.
10. When they cool to roomtemperature, store them in a ari-tight container.
Enjoy the coconut flavour murukus in this festival season..
For coconut extract grind coconut scrapings with little water and strain through a fine sieve to get a thick extract.
For fried urad dal flour dry roast urad dal in a pan and grind in to a fine powder in a coffee grinder or in a mixee.
after making the dough make murukus immediately other wise they may become hard.
take care when u add butter to make dough don't add more just fallow the measure what I have given.
Murukus retain it's color when u mix the powder with water or any other liquid just before u start frying if you mix all the dough at a time last portion of the muruku will become dark in color when you fry them in the hot oil.

DONDAKAYA NUVVU PODI KURA (IVY GOURD STIR FRY WITH SEASAME SEED POWDER)

Dondakaya -- Ivy gourd or Gherkins in English, this is a popular vegetable in India. It is eaten as a side dish by stir frying or stuffed it with masala and sauted or as a chutney (dipping). this small green colored vegetable is rich in beta-carotene.we make some delicious stir fry dishes with different flavours.This Ivy gourd stir fries are good combination for rice and dal.In this array of Ivy gourd stir fry s this recipe is with delicious nutty flavour and very well go with sambar or dal thadka so let's check it out ...

INGREDIENTS:--
Ivy gourd -- 1/2 kg(500 gms)
Oil --- 1 tab sp
Garlic cloves --- 5 crushed
Mustard seeds -- 1/2 tea sp
Urad dal --- 1 tea sp
Cumin seeds -- 1/2 teasp
Curry leaves -- 1 spring
Salt -- 1 teasp
Turmeric powder --1/4 tea sp

FOR MASALA POWDER:--
Seasame seeds -- 1 tad sp
Coriander seeds -- 1 tea sp
Dry coconut -- 1 tab sp (grated)
Cumin seeds -- 1 1/2 tea sp
Dry red chillies -- 5 or you can reduce according ti your taste.
1. Heat a pan and add cumin and coriander seeds, seasame seeds then add red chillies and fry till they turns in to nice golden color,now add grated dry coconut stir for a second switch off the heat and leave a side to cool.
2. Make a fine powder with above fried ingredients and leave a side.
3.Wash and wipe Ivy gourd cut the gourds in to small chunks.
4. Now heat oil in a deep frying pan add mustard seeds let them popup then add urad dal, cumin seeds, crushed garlic, curry leaves fry for a while.
5.Add Ivy gourd pieces,salt,turmeric powder give a good stir cover with a lid,reduce the flame and cook for 15 minutes,stir in between.
6.Check if the gourd pieces are cooked if not cooked again leave it in a low flame for 5 more minutes.
7.Remove the lid and add ground powder stir fry for 5 minutes to get a crisp Ivy gourd stir fry.(if you dont like crisp or deep fried then after adding the powder stir for 2 seconds and switch off the heat)
Serve hot with Rice and Sambar or tomato pappu,dosakaya pappu or any other dall you like.
Cuting the gourd is up to your choice you can cut them in to small chunks, round disc s or long pieces.
This same recipe you can make with Bitter gourd-Kakara kaya also.

CREAM OF CARROT SOUP WITH CRUNCHY APPLE

Carrot a beautiful orange colored root vegetable normally cooked as a side dish in South India.In North India it is used in salads, sweets,pulao and biriyani.Eating raw carrot is more beneficial for health,but carrot are used in a variety of ways .Carrot juice is also widely used as a health drink alone with carrots or mixed with other fruits.Carrot is well known for it's B-carotene, but when you eat them raw they releases only 3% during digestion and this will improve when you cooked. Pulp or chopped and cooked in soups,stews also grated and mixed with cake mixture or chopped or julienne carrots are mixed with rice are the most common ways to cook carrots.A bowl of piping hot soup will make a chilled winter evening more pleasant.

here I came up with a creamy, thick and delicious cream of carrot soup with a crunchy twist and here I go

INGREDIENTS:

Carrots -- 3

Onion -- 1 small

Garlic -- 3 cloves

Potato -- 1 small

Vegetable or chicken broth --- 300 ml or 1 can

Milk -- 1 cup (low fat milk)

Dry thyme - 1/2 tea sp (you can use fresh chopped thyme for more aroma)

Salt --- 1 tea sp or according to your taste

White pepper powder -- 1/2 tea sp

A dash of ground nutmeg

4 leaves of fresh spinach blanched and chipped finely

1 Apple de-seeded and chopped in to small chunks.

Olive oil -- 1 tab sp

METHOD:-

1. Wash carrots in lots of water(pealing the skin is optional) and cut in to small cubes.

2.Peal the potato and cut in to small cubes like carrot.

3. Cut the onion in to thin slices, Peal and chop garlic.

4. Heat olive oil in a saucepan add chopped garlic,onion stir for few seconds.

5.Add potato and carrot cubes,thyme give a good stir add broth mix well, bring to a full boil.

6. Reduce the flame,cover and cook in a low flame for 10 minutes.

7.Remove from heat and allow it to cool.

8.Blend the carrot mixture in a blender till smooth.

9.Bring back this carrot pulp to the saucepan add milk, chopped spinach and bring to a full boil,Reduce the flame and boil for 5 minutes, stir constantly.

10.Remove from heat add salt,pepper powder, nutmeg,Apple chunks mix well and serve hot.

Enjoy your chilled winter evening with hot crunchy,creamy carrot soup.

Note:-- you can use full cream milk instead of low fat milk

Butter in the place of olive oil

Can add 1/2 cup of cream for more rich taste and texture.

Can add more chopped spinach if you like.

KASHMIRI DUM ALOO FOR ICC

Kashmiri Dum aloo is the recipe for this months IndianCookingChallenge. This recipe belongs to Kashmiri Pandits cuisine. Kashmiri cuisine has it own hundreds of years history. the main influence is Kashmiri pandit's cuisine and then it was influenced by Central Asian , Persia,Afghanistan cuisines.But the Kashmiri Pundit's cuisine is usualy gives an impotence to vegetarian recipes which containce yogurt alot.Kashmiri Pandits cuisine avoids onion, garlic,tomato and they use alot of spices like fennel seeds, turmeric,clove,cumin and many more spices ....
This Kashmiri Dum Aloo is well konown as Dum Oluv which is cooked in a spicy yogurt gravy with lots of Kashmiri chilli powder and great flavor of dry ginger. Thanks to Valli and Lata for choosing this aromatic Kashmiri recipe for this month ICC.

INGREDIENTS:-
Baby potatoes - - 1 kg
Oil -- for deep frying the potatoes
Wash the potatoes poke with a fork soak in salted water for 20 min.
Heat oil in a deep frying pan.
After 20 min. remove the potatoes from salted water and wipe with a kitchen towel.
deep fry the potatoes in hot oil till golden remove and drain on a paper towel, keep a side.
FOR CURD MIXTURE:--
Curd -- 2 1/2 cups (yogurt)
Kashmiri chilli powder -- 1 tea sp
Dry ginger powder --1 tea sp
Cardamom powder --- 1/2 tea sp
Fennel powder --- 1 tab sp
Mix yogurt,fennel powder, kashmiri chilli powder, dry ginger powder,cardamom powder mixx well and add fried potatoes to this curd mixture combine well and leave a side.

FOR SEASONING:--
Mustared oil --- 4 tab sp
Cloves -- 6 roasted and powdered
Asafetida -- a pinch
Salt to taste (1 tea sp)
Frim dough made with a cup of wheat flour.
Garam masala -- 1 tea sp
Cumin powder --1 tea sp
Heat mustard oil in a pan on a medium flame and add clove powder ,asafetida mix well, add 1 cup of water to and bring to a full boil.
Now add potato and curd mixtute to this boiling water mix well to combine every thing.
Seal the edges of the pan with dough and make sure that the no steam can escape give dum to the potato mixture in a very low flame for 15 minutes.
Switch off the flame remove the lid add cumin powder and garam masala, cover again quickly, leave it like that for 5 minutes.
Serve hot with rotis or naan but I enjoyed it with plain rice too.

THOTAKURA TIYYA PAPPU--- AMARANTH LEAVES WITH MOONG DAL

Thotakura-Amaranth leaves is a very common leafy vegetable in Andhra Pradesh. In Andhra pradesh people use this green leafy vegetable in their daily cooking atleast two times in a week.Fresh amaranth leaves are usualy cooked with lentils or as stir fry, curry with tomato and onion(thota kura pulusu). This nutrious green leafy vegetable is rich in iron when we mix with lentils that will be a protein rich, healthy, delicious side dish for steamed rice or with roti.Here Iam with a recipe amaranth leaves and split mung beans (moong dal),which is a good combination with rice. Here is a version that how Imake Amaranth leaves with moong dal.

INGREDIENTS:--
Amaranth leaves --- 2 cups chopped (1 big bundle)(chop amaranth leaves very finely for this dal can use a chopper if u can't chop finely by hand.for consistency of this recipe leaves should be very finely chopped.)

Moong dal -- 1 cup
Onion -- 1 small chopped
Green chillies -- 3 slit in to two

FORSEASONING:---
Oil -- 1 tab sp
Mustard seeds -- 1/2 tea sp
Cumin seeds -- 1/2 tea sp
Urad dal -- 1 tea sp
Dry red chillies -- 2 broken
Curry leaves -- 1 spring
Salt -- 1tea sp(according to taste)
Turmeric -- 1/4 tea sp

METHOD:---
1.Wash dal add 2 cups water,chopped onion,amaranth leaves,green chillies,turmeric start cooking,bring to full boil and reduce the flame to low and let it cook till done.
2.Remove from heat add salt and mix with a spoon to combine every thing no need to mash the dal.
3. Heat oil in a small pan add mustard seeds,urad dal, cumin seeds,broken dry red chillis,curry leaves and fry for a while then add this seasoning to dall and amaranth mixture mix well.
Serve hot with rice and pickle,usualy any type of pulusu(tamarind gravy) is a great combination with this dal.
Can use spinach also insted of amaranth leaves

PANTUA(BENGALI DEEP FIRED CHEESE BALLS IN SWEET CARDAMOM SYRUP)

Sweets in Bengal is generally made by milk productes like Chenna (cottage cheese) or Khoa (reduced solified milk) with a little addition of flour or any other ingredient.Pantua is a sweet dish from Bengal, made with chenna (paneer). This is very similar to roshgolla but deep fried.

                                                                     

My experiance with Pantua first I made this sweet they blast all over the kitchen and my kitchen is filled with oil
This disaster because of extra flour Ihave aded and I didn't knead the chenna well.
so main point is knead the chenna well in to a smooth paste (don't add water if you add water then you have to add more flour. more flour will give a result of hard texture.)
place chenna on a flat surface and knead it with your palm.
Fallow the recipe and use the flour how much given in the recipe more flour will give a result of hard balls and they may blast.
If you add less flour cheese balls may become oily or they may split in the oil at
frying time. So be carefull don't fear
I tried 3 times 3 rd time I got the right texture and taste .
Trust me and give a try to this delicious Bengali sweet PANTUA
                                                         

FOR CHENNA(COTTAGE CHEESE):
Milk -- 1 liter
Lemon juice -- 1 tab sp
1. Boil milk in a pan bring to a full boil and add lemon juice stir well and let the milk curdle and bring to a full boil once more This will take 7 to 8 minutes.
2.Remove from heat and let it sit for 10 minutes then strain from a muslin cloth and hang this for few hours to remove all the water from paneer.
After this you channa is ready.
For filling:
Khoya --3/4 cup
Raisins -- hand full
Mix khoya and raisins and leave a side. If you don't like to fill with khoya the leave it and can use only raisin to stuff the cheese balls.
For pantua balls:-
Chenna (paneer,cottage cheese) -- made from 1 liter milk
Ghee -- 1tea sp
Flour (plain flour,all purpose flour, maida) -- 1& 1/2 tab sp
Baking Soda -- a pinch
1. Mix all the above 4 ingredients and knead gently in to a very soft and forms in to a smooth ball.
2.Now divide this dough in to equal portions and make smooth balls.
3. Make a cup shape with this cheese ball and stuff with khoya and raisin mixture and close from all sides and form in to a smooth ball again.
For Sugar Syrup:--
Sugar -- 1 & 1/2 cup
Milk -- 1 tab sp
Cardamom powder -- 1 tea sp
1. Add 1 cup water and 1&1/2 cup sugar to a thick bottom pan let the sugar dissolve well and add 1 tab sp milk let it boil for a while bythe the time all the dirt comes to the suface,remove from heat and strain the syrup.
2. Again pour the syrup in the vessel and bring to boil and let it boil till you get a sticky syrup.Keep the syrup warm.
3. Heat Ghee in a deep frying pan keep the flame low and drop the cheese balls slowly and fry the balls in a low flame till nice golden color.
4. While frying stir the oil with a slotted spoon but not touch the balls,keep swirling the oil with out tossing or turning the chenna balls.
5. when they turn in to golden remove from the ghee. Drain well to remove the extra ghee.
6. Immerse the fried chenna balls in warm sugar syrup.
7.Allow them to soak at least for 1 hour.
Enjoy the Pantua's
This delicious Pantua's are on the way to Padmaja's celebrate sweets - bengali event by Nivedita