Rava-ulli vada and Kadalaparippu chammanthi..with a sip of tea!
Its quite some time since I put up my posts frequently…its been quite a busy week for me with my kids.My younger one has got his attack of flu as it has started raining here.As every kid likes to play in the rain..hes up with his own pranks…:D
The recipe that I’m posting today is Semolina Onion Vada with Bengal gram chutney.I love hot n spicy fried items when its cold and raining with a hot cup of tea!:P
Heres the recipe
Semolina Onion Vada
3 cups of roasted semolina
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup rice flour
5 green chillies chopped
a small piece of ginger chopped
1/2 cup of small onions/shallots chopped
1/2 cup of coriander leaves chopped
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup yogurt
1 cup water
salt to taste
oil for frying
Mix all the ingredients together so that it becomes a sticky dough.Make small balls of the mix ,flatten them to make thin discs with the palm of your hands(make sure to wet ur palms) and fry them out in hot oil till golden brown in colour.
Bengal gram Chutney
1 cup grated coconut
1/2 cup Bengal gram
3-4 dry red chillies
2 small onions
a small ball of tamarind
salt to taste
Grind all the above ingredients in a blender with required amount of water .
For seasoning
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
2 dry red chillies (broken)
5-6 curry leaves
2 tsp coconut oil
Heat a oil in a small pan and pop the mustard seeds.Add the dry red chillies and curry leaves to it and pour it over the chutney.
Serve the hot vadas with chutney!
Enjoy ur monsoon!:)
A homemaker who fell head over heels in love with food -an award-winning cookbook author, food blogger, award-winning culinary demonstrator
Chicken Donuts for snack time!
When the holidays wind up and kiddos are off to school the four ‘O’ clock menu gets up on the hit list.Feeding them with snacks at times really gets on my nerves…with a variety every day…:S
This recipe was one that I had written down sometime back..
Chicken Donuts
1/2 kg chicken minced
5-6 green chillies chopped
1 1/2 cups bread crumbs
1 cup of all purpose flour
1tbsp pea flour
2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
1/4 cup pudhina (mint leaves) chopped
1/8 cup curry leaves chopped
2 tsp white pepper powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 medium sized potatoes mashed
3 eggs(whisked)
salt to taste
Mix all the above ingredients with the minced chicken to make a dough.Flatten the dough on a cutting board with fingers and cut out shapes with a donut cutter.Deep fry these chicken donuts in oil till golden brown.
Serve them hot with tomato ketchup..
A homemaker who fell head over heels in love with food -an award-winning cookbook author, food blogger, award-winning culinary demonstrator
Mutton Roast..with Easter Wishes!
Happy Easter to everyone of u!
I hope u all must be enjoyin urselves..
Well my news here is that it was our wedding anniversary yesterday..hmm..its been 8 years nw..For a change my hus was ready to help me out in the kitchen with the menu ..mutton cutlets as appetizers and for lunch it was finalized with Vegetable Pulao and Mutton roast.For a touch of sweetness I made a Strawberry cake.The Mutton Roast is something that I love making coz its quite easy peasy and quite tasty too..
Heres the recipe..
1kg mutton(cut into pieces)
1 cup small onions crushed
2 green chillies julian cut
3/4 cup coconut pieces sliced
1tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
1tsp garam masala powder
For Marination
1 tbsp Coconut oil
2tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp Coriander powder
1tsp Black pepper powder
1tsp garam masala powder
1tsp vinegar
curry leaves
2 large onions sliced
2 tsp of Ginger garlic paste
Salt to taste
Marinate the mutton pieces well and pressure cook the mutton with 2 cup of water till cooked.
In a kadai on medium flame, pour 2 tbsp of coconut oil .Add in the coconut pieces,1/4 tsp turmeric and a pinch of salt and fry them till golden brown.Now add in the crushed small onions with the slit green chillies and saute till the onions turn translucent.Lower the flame and add in the chilli powder and garam masala.Stir till an aroma comes.Add in the cooked mutton with the stock water in to the sauted masala and let it simmer.Simmer till the gravy becomes very thick.It goes well with Rotis and rice!
A homemaker who fell head over heels in love with food -an award-winning cookbook author, food blogger, award-winning culinary demonstrator
Aloo Mutter an impeccable delight!
Aloo Mutter is a dish that my hus always craves for rotis/chapathis..This lovely combi of potatoes and peas really kicks up your taste buds..
Heres the recipe
ALOO MUTTER
3 large potatoes (cut into quarters)
1 1/2 cup green peas
2 large onions chopped
1 and 1/2 tsp of Ginger garlic paste
a pinch of turmeric
1 tsp chilli powder
2 tsp coriander powder
1/4 tsp cumin powder
1 large tomato
1/4 cup curd
1/4 tsp garam masala
Fry and seperate the potatoes and peas in oil.In a heavy bottomed pan fry the onions and saute in the ginger garlic paste and all the spice powders (chilli ,coriander,cumin and turmeric except garam masala).Add blanched tomatoes and simmer till the spices are cooked.Add in the potatoes and peas let it cook covered.Pour in about 1/2 cup of water if the gravy is very thick,When the potatoes and peas are well cooked,add in the well beaten curd and simmer till the gravy becomes thick.Garnish with coriander leaves.
A homemaker who fell head over heels in love with food -an award-winning cookbook author, food blogger, award-winning culinary demonstrator
Suruttai Poli the “sweet rolls ” for ICC!
It was after Srivalli’s post that I was quite poppin out this wonderful snack.Thanks to Nithya for choosing such a wonderful recipe.This simple yet yummy snack has been a big hit with the kiddos..
Heres the recipe for this wonder snack..
SURUTTAI POLI
For the filling:
1 cup Roasted gram
1 cup sugar
20cashew nuts cut into small pieces
1tbsp grated coconut
1tsp cardamom powder
1tsp Ghee
Powder the roasted gram and sugar together either coarsely or to a fine powder.Heat ghee in a pan and roast the cashew nuts till golden in colour and add in the coconut and turn off the heat.Mix it with the powdered gram-sugar mix in a bowl.
For making the poli/Appalam:
1 cup all purpose flour
a pinch of salt
oil for frying
In a bowl combine flour with salt and add in water to make a stiff dough.Let it rest for 30 minutes.Pinch out small balls and roll them out into thin discs.Prick the rolled out discs with a fork so that they dont puff up while frying.Heat oil in a kadai and fry the discs before they turn colour.Be careful not to turn them crispy.On removing the poli from the oil spread the filling on to the poli and roll them tightly.These rolls are soft when they are hot ,but they become crispy when they are allowed to cool.
A homemaker who fell head over heels in love with food -an award-winning cookbook author, food blogger, award-winning culinary demonstrator
Paneer Butter Masala..to butter your senses!
Paneer curries are quite a fav with my kids.Last day when I made Paneer Butter masala for them,Surjeeth was planning a photo shoot with the curry..while my little one was all tears thinkin that my camera was going to gobble up the curry 😀
Well here’s the recipe
2oog of Paneer
4 big tomatoes
3 tsp ginger garlic paste
2 large onions chopped
25gms of cashewnut paste
3 green chillies (julian cut)
2tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
1tsp garam masala
4tbsp butter
1/2 tsp of Kasuri methi powder/dry fenugreek powdered
1/2 cup cream
2 tbsp curd
Salt as needed
- Boil the tomatoes with water and on cooling peel the skin of the tomatoes.
- In a mixer grind the tomatoes into fine paste.
- In a heavy bottomed pan pour butter and slightly fry and seperate the paneer cubes till golden.
- In the remaining butter saute the onions till brown.Now add in the ginger garlic paste and cashewnut paste and saute for a minute.
- When well sauted add in the tomato paste.When it starts simmering add in the chilli powder,garam masala and kasuri methi powder.
- When the flavour comes out and simmers well , add in the fresh cream.
- Switch off the flame and granish with freshly cut coriander leaves and butter.
A homemaker who fell head over heels in love with food -an award-winning cookbook author, food blogger, award-winning culinary demonstrator
Paneer Magic !
A homemaker who fell head over heels in love with food -an award-winning cookbook author, food blogger, award-winning culinary demonstrator
Kashmiri Dum Aloo for ICC!
Dum Aloo has been one of my favs for a long time and this month when Srivalli and Lataji chose it as this months challenge..I was quite looking forth to it.Tandoori Naans was my combi with this curry.I have been posting quite late on my blog these days…with my younger one starting on play school…sorry Srivalli for the late post! 🙂
Reading through this post I’m sure your eyes stop at a snap with scenic snap..u c those white storks..i know i haven’t quite zoomed them(the view was the back part of my house).The reason for the white storks lurking next to the dum aalo …he he..while I was clickin the curry ..I couldnt help my self from shooting these white beauties..
Ok..guess I have done enough of blabbering ..now off to the Dum Aloo
Baby potatoes 1 Kg
Cumin seeds, – 1 tsp, roasted gently and ground into a powder
Garam masala – 1 tsp
Kashmiri red chillies – 3-4 nos roasted and powdered
Fresh yoghurt – 2 1/2 cups (must not be sour)
Ginger powder – 1 tsp
Fennel/aniseed powder – 1 tbsp
Cardamom powder – 1/2 tsp
Mustard oil – 4 tbsps
Cloves roasted and powdered – 6
A pinch of asafetida
Vegetable/ canola/ sunflower cooking oil to deep fry potatoes
Salt to taste
A cup of firm dough made from flour and water
- Wash the potatoes well and poke them all over with a fork. Soak them in water for 20 mintues adding a teaspoon of salt to it.
- Heat a pan with oil and deep fry the potatoes till golden in colour. Drain them on a kitchen towel .
- Make a paste of curds/yogurt, chili powder, ginger, cardamom and fennel powders. Then add the potatoes well with this paste and keep it aside.
- Heat the mustard oil in another pan, add the clove powder and asafoetida and mix well.
- Then add a half cup of hot water and salt to taste and bring to a boil.
- To this mix, add in the potato-yoghurt mix, stir thoroughly and cover.
- To do the dum, seal the edges of the pan’s cover with the dough to ensure no steam can escape. Put on the stove, cook on a low flame for 10-15 minutes.
- Turn off the flame, remove the cover and add the cumin and garam masala powders, and cover again quickly. Leave for 5 minutes.
Serve hot with Chapatis or Naan
A homemaker who fell head over heels in love with food -an award-winning cookbook author, food blogger, award-winning culinary demonstrator
Five Dal Curry a Health Star!
I think I have been a bit too lazy to do my posts in my last days.After my battle in household chores ..I feel like lazin out.Last day I came across a recipe in a local magazine for the diet conscious people.I tried out this recipe as a curry with chapathis for dinner.The mixture of 5 dals gives us the protein content as a bonus.A person gets about 93 calories.Hope you’ll find this recipe helpful..
15 gms of Green gram split
15 gms of Split gram
15 gms of Black gram split
15 gms of Bengal gram split
15 gms of Lentil
1/4 tsp Cumin seeds
1 Large onion chopped finely
1 tsp of Red chilli powder
1/2 tsp of Turmeric powder
1/4 cup of curd(made from skimmed milk)
1 tomato diced into small pieces
1 tbsp of coriander leaves chopped
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
Salt to taste
- Mix all the dals together in a bowl,pour water and let it soak for 1 hour.Wash and seive them out.
- In a heavy bottomed vessel lightly fry the cumin seeds without oil.Stir in the diced large onions and fry them till they turn pink .
- Pour 1 litre of water and add the dals into the vessel.Cover it with a lid and let it cook.
- When the dal is cooked add in the chilli powder,turmeric powder,tomato and salt.
- Add in the curd and let it simmer till the tomatoes have been cooked.
- Stir in the garam masala powder and garnish with coriander leaves.
A homemaker who fell head over heels in love with food -an award-winning cookbook author, food blogger, award-winning culinary demonstrator
MANOHARAM -the crispy jaggery balls!
These crispy balls although a bit time consuming are worth trying out because they are sweet ,crispy and worth drooling.This blogpost of mine goes to the ICC.
- Wash and soak rice for 15 minutes.Drain and let the rice dry for 30-40 minutes.Powder the rice finely.
- Slightly heat and powder the moong dal into a fine powder.
- Measure 2 cups of rice flour with 1 cup of moong dal flour and mix in a bowl.Rub in the ghee so that it gets incorporated well.Add water and knead the flours to make a smooth dough.
- Heat oil in a kadai.
- Fill the idiyappam presser or potato ricer to press out the dough into the oil.In the idiyappam presser you can use the disc with 3 holes.
- Fry out the murukku and place them on absorbent tissues to soak out the excess oil.
- When cooled,break the murukkus into tiny bits.
- In a pan pour some water and add the powdered jaggery.Bring it to boil so that the jaggery has been dissolved.Pass the jaggery syrup through a strainer to seperate the scum.
- Bring this syrup again to boil till the syrurp thickens.Drop a few drops of the syrup into a cup of water and if the syrup can be easily rolled in to a ball,the consistency is correct.
- Remove syrup from fire and add the bits of murukku briskly stirring to coat the jaggery evenly on the murukku bits,
- When the heat is manageable grease your palms and roll the mix into small balls.
Manoharam is ready to be served!
A homemaker who fell head over heels in love with food -an award-winning cookbook author, food blogger, award-winning culinary demonstrator
Hi! I am Nimi Sunilkumar…an award winning cookbook author /culinary demonstrator/freelance writer / food photographer/food blogger …spiced with the flavors of food..
