Palak Paneer

Palak (Indian Spinach) is one of the favorite leafy vegetable in North India. I south India few years back only we introduced to palak and paneer. A creamy, rich green gravy with delicious white paneer cubes looks very appetising. Now we start getting fresh palak in the market. My mother always says that do not buy green leafy vegetables in the rainy season. So we used to wait for the season for green leafy vegetables like gongura, palakura(palak), chukkakura and other green leafy vegetables. Normally we in Andhra pradesh use palak to make dal and stir fry. This Palak paneer we adopted from Punjabi cuisine and now This become a favorite and also famous dish so let's check how I made this popular dish..
INGREDIENTS:---
Palak (spinach)   ----  2 bunches
Paneer (Indian cottage cheese) ---  100 gms cut in to 1/2 inch cubes
Onions  ---  3/4 cup finely chopped
Garlic  --- 5 cloves
Ginger  ---  1 inch piece
Green chillies  ---- 3 cut in to small pieces
Tomato puree  ----  3/4 cup
Turmeric powder  ---- 1/4 tea sp
Kasuri methi --- 1/4 tea sp
Salt to taste
Garam masala  ---  1 teasp
Oil --- 1 tab sp
Butter  -- 1tabsp
Fresh cream  --- 2 tab sp
                                                 

METHOD:--
1. Remove stems and wash spinach thoroughly in running water.
2. Blanch spinach in salted water for two minutes, refresh in chilled water. Squeeze out the extra water.
3. Add green chillies, garlic cloves, ginger pieces to blanched spinach and make a puree.
4. Heat oil in a pan and fry paneer pieces till they turn in to light pink color remove and set aside.
5. Add cumin seeds to the same oil, add chopped onions and fry till translucent, add turmeric powder stir for a while.
6. Now add spinach puree, butter give a good stir and cook in a very low heat till oil leaves from the sides.
7. Add tomato puree and half cup water and mix well to combine every thing and cook in medium heat till the gravy leaves oil from the sides.
8. Add salt to taste, garam masala, kasuri methi, paneer cubes mix gently and keep the flame in low, cook for five more minutes. Add fresh cream mix gently and remove from heat.
Serve hot with roti or rice.
This is my second recipe for Blogging Marathon 27th edition under Seasonal recipes theme let's check other BM members recipes here


 

Lemon Squash

Lemon Squash This recipe is from my Amma. I use a lot of lemon in my daily cooking in fact I start my day with lemon juice with hot water and honey. In summer lemon juice makes your body very refreshing and it gives a cooling effect to your body. Mix a tabsp of lemon juice with buttermilk with salt and jeera powder, this improves digestion and keep your body cool. Other then lemon pickle Amma used to make this lemon squash in every season and she used to give different flavors every time, some times she used to add grape essence to lemon squash to give the squash a different color and flavor. No need of adding artificial flavors and chemicals, so lets check this flavorfull and refreshing squash..

 

INGREDIENTS:---

Lemon juice   ---- 2 cups
Sugar   -----  4 cups
Water   ---- 1 cup
Lemon yellow color   --- 1/4 tea sp (optional)
Lemon essence  ---   1 tea sp
A pinch of salt
You can add 2 tab sp of ginger juice to this syrup to make it ginger lemon squash or you can add few mint leaves to give it a mint flavor choice is yours.. 
METHOD:---
1. Heat sugar and water in a pan and make syrup with single thread consistency.
2. Remove from heat and let it cool.
3. Add all other ingredients mix to dissolve every thing well.
4. Pour in to sterilised bottles.
5. To serve take a tab sp in to glass add water and ice cubes mix well and serve chilled. 
Instead of lemon juice can make this squash with orange juice, mango juice and pineapple juice.
Only thing while you using other juices add a tab sp of lemon juice  or citric acid.
This will stay for 6 months to one year.
This is my first recipe for Blogging Marathon 27th edition under seasonal recipes theme let's check other BM members recipes here

 

Kachori and Aloo Ki Tari (Banarasi Style)

Varanasi a peaceful and holy city and one of my most favorite place in India. I have been there for few times and I just fell in love fifth the city.Don't go with the crowd that you  will see in the midday or in the evenings. If you want to see the real beauty and peace of the city then go by walk in  the old city like near Sri Vishwanath temple and on the ghats road. Take a boat trip in the holy river Ganga in the early morning (between 5:30 to 7:00 A.M). While Coming back from boat trip from Dasaswamedh ghat. You can find some Chai walas (tea wanders) which they serve tea in mutkis (a small earthenware pot). After that we can find some food joints where we can get hot Kachories with steaming aloo tari. Actually this kachories are our all time favorite puris but some times they stuffed them with urad dal filling. I had this kachories with aloo tari in a marriage breakfast menu in U.P., what this kachori wala sell for breakfast is without stuffed, they are just like our puris. But they are so flaky and just melt in mouth, so this is a traditional breakfast from U.P(specially Varanasi). In marriage breakfast menu they serve this kachoris with Aloo tari and gulabjamoon or khoye ki burfi or jelabi.
So here is the recipe for traditional breakfast from Varanasi Kachori and Aloo ki Tari..
INGREDIENTS:--
Potatoes ---  4 medium (boiled and peele the skin and cut in to cubes)
Turmeric powder  ---  1/2 tea sp
Redchilli powder  ----  1 tea sp
Cumin seeds  ---  1 tea sp
Salt to taste
Oil   --- 1 tab sp
FOR  PUREE:---
Onions  --- 2 medium cut in to cubes
Garlic   ----  4 cloves
Tomatoes  ---  2 big cut in to cubes
Ginger   ---- 1/2 inch piece peeled and cut in to small pieces.
METHOD:--
1.  Grind all a above ingredients which has given for paste in to a smooth paste and set aside.
2. Heat oil in a pan add cumin seed, let them crackle, then add turmeric powder, red chilli powder ( keep the flame in low) stir once and add the onion and tomato puree.
3. Cook for five minutes in a low heat then add salt to taste mix well and cook for two more minutes.
4. Now add potato cubes and two cups of water mix well and check the seasoning and adjust, cover and cook in low heat for 15 minutes.
Remove from heat and serve hot with kachori (puri).
                                                    

INGREDIENTS FOR KACHORI (BANARASI STYLE):---
Maida ---- 1 cup (you can use wheat flour also)
A pinch of salt
Ghee --- 1tab sp
Oil for deep frying
METHOD:--
1. Mix maida and ghee in a bowl and rub between your palms this should look like bread crumbs then add water and make a soft dough and leave it for 10-30mins.
2. Make small balls from the dough and make small puries.
3. Now heat oil in a deep frying pan and drop kachories one by one slowly in to the hot oil,Fry kachories till golden.
Serve hot with Aloo ki Tari.
This is my seventh recipe for Blogging Marathon 27th edition under Traditional recipes theme let's check other BM members recipes here



 

Ghughra

Ghughra a very traditional snack from Gujarati cuisine. I have tasted this wonderful snack when we visited Ahmadabad for our 25 th BM meet(hope you all remember this Valli and others). Vaishali arranged a traditional Gujarati thali lunch for us, in that thali they served this Ghughra's. Before that I didn't even think that one can make Ghughras with a savory filling. Ghughras are just like our gujiya or kajjikayalu but with savory filling. I know only the sweet coconut filling. That day every body was bussy with taking pictures of the wonderful thali and I was just enjoying the food and guessing what ingredients they use for this ghughras specially. Then googled for the recipe and stuck with Tarala dalal's recipe. But I have to tell a big thanks to Vaishali for introducing all this wonderful Gujarati recipes. I used fresh green peas for filling you can you any other fresh beans or like fresh toor in the season.
Recipe from Tarala dalal
INGREDIENTS:---
Flour (all purpose flour, maida) ---  2 cups
Ghee   ----  1 tab sp
Asafoetida   ---- 1/4 tea sp (optional)
Salt to taste
water for kneading
 FOR STUFFING:---
Fresh green peas  --- 2 cups coarsely crushed
Oil ----  1 tab sp
Cumin seeds  --- 1/2 tea sp
Asafoetida   ---  1/4 tea sp
Sugar  --- 1 and half tea sp
Ginger and green chilli paste  --- 3/4 tea sp
Grated coconut  ---- 4 tab sp
Coriander leaves --- 2 tab sp finely chopped
Sesame seeds  ---- 1 tea sp
Lemon juice   --- 1 tab sp
Oil for deep frying
                                                        

FOR DOUGH:---
1. Take flour, asafoetida, salt and ghee in a mixing bowl, sprinkle water and knead a frim dough. This dough should be firm like samosa dough not like chapathi dough.
Knead till smooth and cover with a wet cloth and set a side.
FOR FILLING:---
1. Heat oil in a pan add cumin seeds, asafoetida let them crackle then add crushed green peas and fry for few minutes.
2. Sprinkle little water cover and cook in a very low heat for 5 minutes. stir in between.
3. After five minutes this mixture become dry, now add sugar, ginger green chilli paste, grated coconut,sesame seeds, chopped coriander leaves, lemon juice, salt mix well and cook in low heat for 2 minutes.
4 Remove from heat and let it cool.
5. Start heating oil in deep frying pan on a low flame.
6.Divide the dough in to small balls and press them in to small puris.
6. Place one tea spoon of filling in the center, apply 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. Slowly drop ghughra's in to hot oil and deep fry in a low flame till golden.
Remove from oil and serve immediately with green chutney.
This is my fifth recipe for Blogging Marathon 27th edition under Traditional recipes theme let's check other BM members recipes here




 

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

 

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



 

Minapa Kudumulu or Aaviri kudumulu

 Today's recipe is a traditional recipe (really ages old recipe) from Andhra cuisine. Aaviri Kudumu is the first Avatar of today's very popular Idli. You can make these Kudumulu immediately after grinding the batter, no need of fermenting the batter or no need of adding rice or Idli rava. Just soak the Urad dal and grind in to a smooth paste and make Kudumulu immediately. No Oil but with lots of protein and easy to digest. Before adopting the Idli recipe with rice from Tamilnadu. This is how we make our idlis.idlis are called as Kudumulu in old Telugu version. Not only idlis any steamed dumpling are called as Kudumulu in Telugu. This Aaviri kudumulu is also well known as Minapa Kudumulu. The texture of this Minapa kudumulu won't be like Idli. The are little hard so if you don't like them hard can add a tea sp of fruit salt (eno) to the batter and make Kudumulu.My husband don't like that hard texture so I have added eno to my Kudumulu batter. So let's check this Traditional and healthy recipe....

INGREDIENTS:--
Urad dal  -- 1 cup
Salt to taste
Water  ---- 150 ml
METHOD:--
1. Wash dal for few times in running water and soak dal in enough water for eight hours (over night).
2. Next day morning grind dal by adding little by little  water in to a smooth paste, like how we grind for idli.
Means this batter should be smooth and fluffy.
You can use normal Idli plates for making this Kudumulu but here I made them in traditional way.
                                                          

3. Heat one cup water in vessel.
                                                              

Tie a clean white cloth on  the mouth of the vessel. Tie the cloth really tight other wise the steam will escape and Kudumu will not cook.
                                                                   

4. Pour two ladle's of batter on the cloth, cover with a lid or plate which sit perfectly and tightly .
5. Cook for 5 minutes in a high flame the reduce the heat to low and cook for 8 minutes.
                                                     

6. Open the lid and insert a toothpick if the toothpick comes out clean then your Aaviri kudumu is ready to serve.
Serve hot with Ghee and karappodi or karivepaku karam or ullipaya pachadi...
This is my second recipe for Blogging Marathon 27th edition under Traditional recipes theme let's check other BM members recipes here

Rose Cookies - Gulabi Puvvulu

Rose cookies, Gulabi Puvvlu in Telugu and Achu Muruku in Tamil are the different names for one sweet dish which is very popular in South India. This crisp delicious sweet is made by maida, rice flour, sugar and coconut milk. In Kerala they call this as Achappam here the flours are same but they add eggs in the batter that is the only difference. Actualy this rose cookie recipe is from traditional Anglo Indian cuisine which is very popular in Christmas sweets.
INGREDIENTS:----
Maida   --- 1 cup
Rice flour  ---  1 and 3/4 cup
Sugar  --- 3/4 cup you can reduce this to 1/2 cup according to your taste.
Coconut milk   ----  1 cup (Thick)
Water  -----  1 cup or as required for making the batter
Cardamom powder  --- 1 tea sp
Salt a pinch
Oil for deep frying
                                            

METHOD:---
1. Take rice flour , maida, sugar , salt, cardamom powder mix well to combine.
2. Add coconut milk and mix with a spoon then add little by little water and make smooth batter.
This batter should be like a thick dosa batter consistency and leave it a side for 20 minutes.
3. Now heat oil in a deep frying pan, place the achu in the oil and let it heat.
4. Keep the batter bowl near by the deep frying pan in which we heating oil and achu.
5. Check if oil is enough heat by roping a few drops of batter in to the oil. if the batter drops sizzels and come to the surface then the oil is ready.
                                                   

6. Take out of the achu from oil and dip it in to the batter, When you dip the hot achu in to the batter you can hear light sizzle sound. do not dip the achu completely  dip 3/4 achu in to the batter.
7. Now place the achu in to hot oil again and wait for a minute and gently shake the achu to release the cookie from achu. if the cookie is not came out then gently push it with a fork or skewer to releas the cookie in to oil. Do like this till the batter is finished.
8. Keep the flame in medium and fry rose cookis till golden. turn the other side and cook the other side also till golden.
9. Remove from oil, when you remove them from oil they may be little soft but after cooling to room temparature they become crisp.
Cool completely and store these Gulabi Puvvulu in a air tight container.
Make sure that achu is enough hot to hold the batter, if it is too hot or less hot also it won't hold the batter.
Making of the sweet need some Practice, After a lot of triels now only I am geting  the in a right shape so bigeners do not get disapoint if want to make this keep on trying
This is my first recipe for Blogging Marathon 27th edition under Traditional recipes  let's check other BM members recipes here.

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

Sodhi Kuzhambu

This Sodhi is specially made for newly married groom by his mother in low.  when he first visits brides home after marriage. When the groom first comes to brides home and this sodhi served in lunch with Ginger chutney  and rice. I first read about this occasion and about the special recipe from Tirunalvelli District in a news papper. That sounds very interesting and I saved the news paper. This recipe sound more like Kerala vegetable stew with some changes. But when I cooked and tasted it  taste like Avial ahhh confused!!!!!! no. This looks like stew and taste more like avial... Any way that taste realy wonderful. First time I made it with ghee rice but with ghee rice it is not a good combination . With plain rice it goes very well and best combination with dosa and iddiyappam. so here is the recipe...
INGREDIENTS:--
Carrot  ---   1 big
Potato   --- 1 medium
Beans   --- 10
Drumstic  --- 1
Onion  --- 1 big
Ginger ----  1 and half inch piece
Garlic cloves ---  5
Green chillies  --- 5 or according to your taste
Grated fresh coconut  --- 1/2 coconut
Roasted gram (pottukadalai) --- 2 tab sp
Curry leaves  a few
Turmeric powder  -- 1/4 tea sp
Lemon juice  --  2 tea sp
Salt to taste
FOR SEASONING:--
Coconut oil   ----  2 tab sp + 1/2 tea sp
Mustard seeds  --- 1/2 tea sp
Fenugreek seeds   --- 1/4 tea sp
METHOD :---
1. Grind grated coconut with one cup water and take strain thick coconut milk, that is first coconut milk.
Again add 1 cup more water to coconut past and take second coconut milk that is thin coconut milk set a side.
2. Cut vegetables in to 2 inch pieces,finely chop onion ,ginger and garlic.
3. In a pan  fry green chillies till soft and set a side.
4. Heat remaining oil in the same pan add chopped ginger, garlic, fenugreek seeds fry for a while then add chopped onion and fry till onion turns in to soft.
5. Now add vegetable pieces, turmeric powder, salt to taste give a good stir and add 1 cup of water and cook for ten minutes or till vegetables are cooked.
6. Grind fried green chillies with fried gram (pottukadalai) with little water in to a fine paste.
7. Add thin coconut milk to vegetables and cook in a high flame for 10 minutes.
8. Then add green chilli and gram paste and give a good stir.
9. Now keep the heat in low flame, add thick coconut milk (first coconut milk) and cook for two minutes in a low heat.
10. Heat 1/2 tea sp oil in a pan add mustard seed let them crackle then add curry leaves and add this seasoning to Sodhi. Now add lemon juice and give a good stir.
Serve hot with rice and ginger chutney. Other then rice I liked this Sodhi kuzhambu with dosa yumm....
This is my seventh recipe for Blogging Marathon 27th edition under occasional recipes theme let's check other BM members recipes here




 

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
 

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
 

Kalyana Rasam

Kalyana Rasam or Iyengar Kalyana Rasam Yes that is  right!!! this rasam is specially made for marriage functions in Tamilnadu. In my view rasam is a food for sick people and I just avoid to have this in my childhood. My mother used to force me to have rasam in my meal, because that is good for digestion. After my marriage my husband likes to have rasam in his every day meal. Not only with rice he likes to drink it like a soup.Now  I changed my self a little bit now I included rasam in my menu.
                                       Last month I was attended a marriage Which is one of my friend's brother marriage. There in that marriage lunch I have tasted this rasam. I am surprised This is not like our regular rasam I didn't find any tamarind flavor in that rasam. It got a mild tomato and asafoetida flavor and taste really woderful and I liked it. As usual I refused to have that rasam but that was my friend told me try this rasam this is very special in Iyengar marriage lunch. That's true this rasam taste different and very flavor full. So here is the recipe for this wonderful Iyengar Kalyana Rasam which I got from my friends mother. Thanks for this recipe Aunty and thanks to you too Bhuvana for making me to taste this Rasam...
Here is the recipe....
INGREDIENTS:----
Tomatoes  ----  2 big finely chopped
Asafoetida  --- 1/2 tea sp
Turmeric powder  ---  1/2 tea sp
Toor dal   ---- 1/2 cup
Salt to taste 
For Powder :--
Chana dal  --- 1 tea sp
Toor dal   --- 2 tea sp
Coriander seeds  -- 1 tab sp
Black Pepper corns  --- 1/4 tea sp
Cumin seeds  --- 1/2 tea sp
Dry red chillies ---- 4
For Seasoning:--
Oil  --- 1/2 tea sp
Mustard seeds  -- 1 tea sp
Curry leaves  -- 2 strings
Coriander leaves  --- 1 tab sp finely chopped
METHOD:--
1. Dry roast all the ingredients for powder in a pan and grind in to a coarse powder and set a side.
2.  Wash and add 1 cup water and chopped tomatoes to toor dal and cook till soft  or for three whistles in a pressure cooker .
3. Mash lightly the cooked dal and add 3 cups of water, 2 tab so of rasam powder and bring to a full boil, boil till you can see the froth on  top. Add salt to taste again bring to a full boil.
4. Now heat oil in a small frying pan add mustard seeds let them crackle then add asafoetida, curry leaves fry for a while and add this seasoning to rasam, garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
Serve hot with rice and poriyal (stir fried vegetables) or potato roast.
To get a perfect Kalyana rasam flavor do use fresh ground rasam powder only.
This is my fourth recipe for Blogging Marathon 27th edition under occasional recipes theme let's check other BM members recipes here

 

Tapeswaram Kaja

Tapeswaram Kaja is one of the most famous and traditional sweet from Andhra Pradesh. Tapeswaram kaja or Madata kaja both are same. Tapeswaram is a small town in East Godavari distrist in Andhra pradesh. Where the Kaja was born and became very popular all over Andhra Pradesh. This sweet is specially made for marriages and all other occasions in Telugu family's.
INGREDIENTS:-
For dough-----
Maida   ---- 1 cup
Baking powder  --  1/2 tea sp
A pinch of salt
Ghee  ---  1/4 cup
Oil for deep frying
For paste --
Ghee   --- 5 tea sp
Rice flour  --- 1/4 cup
Sugar powder  --- 1 tab sp
For sugar syrup:--
Sugar  -- 2 cups
Water  --- 1 and 1/2 cup.
METHOD:--
Mix ghee and rice flour for paste and set a side.
                                                         

For dough--

Mix maida and ghee in a bowl and rub between your palms this should look like bread crums then add water and make a soft dough and leave it for 10-30mins.
Make a syrup with sugar and water, remove from heat just before it geting single string consistency. Other wise when you drop hot kajas in to the syrup the temparature  will increese and your kajas will coat with a white sugar layer after few hours.
                                                        

Make small balls from the dough and make very thin chapati (this chapatis should be realy thin so make them as thin as possible) and keep a side.

Make three or four chapatis like this.

Take one chapati and spread rice flour and ghee paste on it and keep 2nd chapati on top of it apply paste on the second chapati and place third chapati on top of it and aply ghee and rice flour paste on the third chapati also . That means you have to make layers with chapatis spreading rice flour and ghee  paste in between the chapatis.
And fold it like a mat and rool it and cut into 1 inch pieces and lightly roll to make them little flat (don't press the hard other wise the inner layers will stick together and they don't open when we fry in the hot oil.).
                                                       

 

 

Now heat oil in a deep frying pan, first heat oil in a high flame then reduce the heat to low and drop kajas one by one slowly in to the hot oil.Fry kajas till golden in a low heat.
                                                           

When they turn in to nice golden color remove from oil drop kajas immedieatly in to sugar syrup let them sit in the syrup for five minutes then remove from sugar syrup.
Store Tapeswaram Kajas in a airtight cantainer. This kajas will stay for ten days but when fresh they taste wonderful.
This is my Third recipe for Blogging Marathon 27th edition under occasional recipes theme let's check other BM members recipes here

Gongura pachadi (Pulihora Gongura Pachadi)

Undralla Thaddi or undralla thadiya is a festival celibrated in Andhra Pradesh on Badrapada month (normally fall in October ). This festival is dedicated to Goddess Gauri. On this day Married women and young girls in the house perform Gauri pooja. This is a two days festival on the first day they wake up early in the morning take a head bath and have curd rice with Gongura pickle. On this first day they have their meal before 6:00 A. M after that they go to relatives houses and neibhours houses and  invite five married women by giving Gorintaku(mehendi), soap nut, turmeric powder and Vermillion powder (kumkuma) and invite them for pooja on the next day. After this they will be fasting for the whole day, In the evening they draw mehendi on their hands.
    
                                                                   Next morning wake up early in the morning after taking bath they perform Gauri pooja. During this pooja Goddess Gauri idol and Ganapati idol made of turmeric powder and placed on the pooja mandap. Some people use five colors of flowers for this pooja and five verities of food also offered to Goddess and undrallu is offered to Ganapati. Ganapati pooja is preformed first and then Gauri pooja . After pooja they offer naivedyam to Goddess with Undrallu, Chalimidi, poornalu, Pulihora and payasam. First they serve food to five married women and give tambulam ( two betel leaves with betel nut and fruits, Turmeric powder, vermillion powder, five poornalu) and then they have lunch. In this lunch menu also Gongura pickle will take first place. So here is the recipe for the most popular and a favorite pickle for Telugu people is Gongura Pickle ( Gongura niluva pachadi or Gongura ooragaya).

Undralla taddi lunch menu  ----  Poornalu, Pulihora, Payasam,  Garelu, Potlakaya kura(Snake gourd stir fry) , Muddapappu, Charu, Kandi pachadi, Gongura pachadi,  Perugu (curd), Rice, Ghee.
 So let's check the Gongura Pickle recipe..                                                

INGREDIENTS:-
Gongura leaves ---  1 kg
Dry red chillies   ---- 200 gms
Sesame oil   --- 250 gms
Salt   ---- 250 gms
Tamarind  ----  200 gms
Fenugreek seeds ---  50 gms
Garlic    ---- 100 gms pealed
For seasoning:--
Mustard seeds   --- 10 gms
Channa dal  ---  20 gms
Dry red chillies   --- 6 broken
Curry leaves   --- a hand full
METHOD:---
1. Wash and dry gongura leaves in the shade.
                                                               

2. Dry roast dry red chillies in a pan for few seconds in a low heat take care that chillies do not burn.
3. Now add 50 gms oil to the same pan and fry Gongura leaves and set a side to cool.
Add tamarind to gongura leaves so that tamarind will become soft.
4. Dry roast fenugreek seeds in pan and make a fine powder and set a side.
5. First grind red chillies in to a fine powder then add fried gongura with tamarind , salt and grind in to a fine paste.
6. Now heat the remaining oil in a deep frying pan, add mustard seeds let them crackle then add channa dal, garlic cloves, broken dry red chillies, curry leaves fry for a while remove from heat set a side.
                                         

7. Add gongura paste, fenugreek powder to seasoning mix well to combine every thing well adjust the salt and leave it like that.
Let the pickle cool completely then store it in a clean glass bottle or in a pickle jar. this will stay for 6 months to one year.
Serve with hot steamed rice and some chopped onions or with curd rice with chopped onions .
This is my second recipe for Blogging Marathon 27th edition under occasional recipes theme let's check other BM members recipes here


 

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


 

Sol Kadi --- Kokum Kadi

Before  I talk to Archana I thought Goan cuisine had Lot's of  non-veg recipes and very less vegetarian recipes. When I googled for Goan vegetarian recipes, I saw many vegetarian recipes in Goan Hindu cuisine. Then I dig in to  Archana's blog and find some delicious vegetarian recipes. Before influenced by Portuguese cuisine, Goan cuisine is consist of regional foods. Like Kerala cuisine and Konkani cuisine Goan s use a lot of seafood, fresh coconut and local spices. Kokum is one of the main ingredient in Goan Hindu cuisine.
                                                   For  this week theme I took Goan cuisine as my theme. So I wanted to post three very traditional recipes under this theme. My first recipe is Sol Kadi, Sol Kadi is a refreshing Goan drink made with fresh coconut and kokum. This drink is very much part of meals in most Goan homes. When you make this with thick coconut milk, which goes very well with plain rice or pulao. But most of the people like to have this as a drink. This contains Sol (Kokum) which is very good for health. This fruit is in green color in the starting, when it is ripen it turns in to nice red color. The red color fruit is often halved and dried, when it is dried the fruit turns in to dark purple to black color. When you soak this wonderful fruit rinds in water the water changes  in to beautiful light pink color. Kokum is known as Sol or Aamsul which is very good for digestion and it cools the body during summers. So lets check this traditional Sol Kadi from Goa.
Recipe source from  Archana



I got this Kokum pices from Pradnya. Thank you somuch for the Kokum Pradnya and Thanks for the recipe Archana.
INGREDIENTS:--
Grated coconut   --- 1 from one full coconut
Green chillies   ----   3 you can adjust according to your taste
Pepper corns  ---  4 corns
Garlic  --- 3 cloves
Sol (dry kokum)  --- 5 pieces if you like the strong flavor you can add 6 pieces also.
Salt to taste
Fresh coriander leaves  --- 1 tab sp chopped

                                                   
METHOD:--
1. Grind grated coconut, pepper corns, green chillies, garlic cloves with 1 cup water in to a fine paste.
2. Strain this coconut paste trough a fine strainer, press with a spoon and squeeze all the milk, Repeat this process for two more times with little water to make the consistency thin.
Remember  that first coconut milk will be thick like cream so take second and third milk also to make the Kadi little thin.
If you are serving thia as a drink then make it thin. Or you like to serve this  with rice or Biriyani then keep this Kadi little thick.
3. Drop Sola (kokum) in to this coconut milk and let it sit for half an hour.
4. After half an hour sprinkle salt to taste, chopped coriander leaves mix well and serve as a drink or as a side dish with rice or pulao.
If you want to serve this delicious Kadi with rice then give a seasoning (tadka)
For seasoning heat a tab sp oil in a pan add 1/4 tea sp mustard seeds let then crackle then add broken dry red chillies, 1/2 tea sp cumin seeds and a spring of curry leaves and add this tadka to Kadi, mix well and serve wit rice or pulao.
This is my first post Under the theme of GOAN CUISINE in Blogging Marathon 26th edition check the other BM members post s here

Watermelon And Grape Salad

This Southern Africa based wonderful fruit is my favorite. I like to eat this any time of the day because it's good for health. And this is the best fruit to consume in hot summer to avoid heat. because of it's water content is very high 92% and rich in Vitamin C also. Watermelon, a fruit that helps to remain hydrated during summer with a coolant effect to your body.  So let's check this sweet and refreshing salad which is perfect for this hot summer.
INGREDIENTS:--
Watermelon cubes  ----  2 cups remove the seeds
Red grapes or green grapes  ----  1/2 cup
Lemon juice ---- from one lemon
Honey  ---   2 tab sp
salt a pinch
Pepper powder --- 1/4 tea sp
METHOD:--
1. Mix honey, lemon juice, salt, pepper powder in a bowl.
2. Take watermelon cubes and grapes pour the dressing over the fruits toss well to coat the dressing and serve.
This is my third post Under the theme of SALADS/SOUPS in Blogging Marathon 26th edition check the other BM members post s here
 

Watermelon Gazpacho - Watermelon Chilled Soup

Soup is a liquid food, generally served warm. This is what normally we know about soups, but there are many verities in soups. In that list some soups we can serve chilled also.This child soups are normally served at room temperature or chilled. These are vegetable or fruit based traditional soups originating from Spain like Gazpacho. Gazpacho is a savory chilled soup generally served in summer. This is usually a tomato based vegetable soup, traditionally served cold in Spanish cuisine. I made a variation to this traditional soup with watermelon. Watermelon makes miracles in hot summer, This cool and refreshingly sweet fruit low in calories high in vitamin C, beta carotene and with lots of water content and also reduce the risk of breast cancer. so lets check my version of Gazpacho...
INGREDIENTS:--
Watermelon cubes  ----  2 cups (cut in to cubes and remove the seeds)
Cucumber   ---- 1/4 cup peeled and cut in to cubes
Apple juice  ---  1/4 cup
Cranberry's --- 1 tab sp chopped (i used dried cranberry's if you have can use fresh Berry's also)
Onion   ----  1 tab sp chopped
Fresh coriander leaves  --- 1 tab sp chopped
Lemon juice  --- 2 tab sp
Fresh mint leaves  -- few
Salt to taste
METHOD:--
1. Take half cucumber pieces, sprinkle a pinch of salt and set a side.
2. Blend watermelon pieces,cucumber pieces, chopped coriander leaves, mint leaves, cranberry pieces with apple juice and blend till watermelon is pureed. But make sure you froth should not farm on top of the watermelon puree.
3. Pour watermelon puree in to a mixing bowl, add cucumber pieces, onion pieces, lemon juice, salt to taste.
4. Keep this Watermelon Gazpacho in the fridge for 1/2 an hour
Serve chilled with bread or some crackers.
This is my second post Under the theme of SALADS/SOUPS in Blogging Marathon 26th edition check the other BM members post s here
 

Apple ColeSlaw

Coleslaw is originally a cabbage salad dressed with mayonnaise or buttermilk, but in some times cream or sour cream also can beused in the place of mayonnaise. The traditional Coleslaw (in Netherlands, German) is made with Shredded raw cabbage and dressed with mayonnaise or buttermilk and a small dash of  vinegar. In other variations other vegetables  like onions, radishes, peppers and carrots, sweet corn broccoli and fruits like apple and pineapple can also be used in this salad. Generally coleslaw is eaten as a side dish but the dish comes under the category of salads. This salad is one of my favorite salad,I like to have this with sliced  bread, like place the salad in between two slices of bread like a sandwich. This slaw sandwich will be a perfect breakfast for me with a cup of green tea, or I can have this with roti for lunch. If you are in diet use sour cream(low fat) or hung curd(which is made by skimmed milk) for dressing.

                                                      26th edition of Blogging Marathon, this month I missed my first week Theme. Because of some personal issues and this is the second week. For second week I took Salads/ soups as my theme. It's very hot here looks like already summer started. I prefer to have more salads in summer, because salads  make your body cool in the hot weather. So here is my first recipe for my salads theme in the second week of the  Blogging Marathon.
APPLE COLESLAW:-
INGREDIENTS:--
Red apples --- 2 cored and finely chopped
Sweet corn crenls  ----  1 cup
White cabbage  ---  1/2 cup finely chopped
Lettuce  --- few leaves broken in to small pieces
Olives   ----- 1 tab sp chopped
yogurt   ----- 1 cup (hung ed or you can use Greek yogurt)
Salt   to taste
Black pepper   ---  1 tea sp
Fresh lemon juice  ---  2 tab sp
Dijon Mustard  --- 1 tea sp (optional)
METHOD:---
1. Take chopped apple, cabbage, sweet corn, lettuce olives in a mixing bowl set a side.
2. In another bowl whisk yogurt,lemon juice, mustard(if using),pepper and salt to combine the ingredients well.
3. Pour this dressing over the vegetables and toss to cote the dressing over vegetables taste and adjust with salt and pepper.
Serve immediately.
This is my first post Under the theme of SALADS/SOUPS in Blogging Marathon 26th edition check the other BM members post s here