CABBAGE PAKODA

Monsoon has set in Chennai. So, a crispy Pakoda with hot tea/coffee will be perfect to enjoy the eagerly awaited rains. This recipe  has been  done using cabbage, onion along with spice powders, besan flour & rice flour.

INGREDIENTS:
Cabbage - 150g
Onion - 2
Besan flour - 3/4 cup
Rice flour - 1/4 cup
Sambhar powder - 1tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
Chat masala - 1/2 tsp
Hing - 1/2 tsp
Salt
Oil - to deep fry

METHOD:
1. Slice cabbage, onion and add to a wide bowl.

2. Add Sambhar powder, turmeric powder, cumin powder, chat masala and required salt and mix well and keep aside for 10 minutes.

3. Add besan, hing and rice flour and mix thoroughly with hands.
4. No need to add water since the water let out by cabbage and onion will be sufficient.
5. Squeeze and mix will and make a soft dough.
6. Heat oil in a pan. Add a tsp of hot oil to the pakoda dough and mix well with a spoon.

7. Take small amount in a spoon/ hand and drop to the hot oil and lower the flame to medium.
8.  Deep fry until it turns golden brown and crisp.
9. Tasty & Crispy Cabbage Pakoda is ready.

Note:

• Add more besan flour, little salt if needed.

METHI MALAI PANEER GRAVY

This is a very rich, creamy and slightly sweet gravy done using Paneer, Cream/thickened milk, fenugreek leaves. It is done using fresh fenugreek/methi leaves. Here, I have done using Dried Fenugreek leaves/ Kasuri Methi. Usually due to the bitter taste of methi, children refuse to eat it. When cooked along with malai and Paneer the bitterness is reduced and tastes awesome. Fresh methi can also be used to prepare this recipe. This can be served with Naan, chappathi, roti, fried rice, Jeera rice or ghee rice. 

INGREDIENTS:

Paneer  - 200g

Crumbled Paneer - 3 tbs

Thickened milk - 1/4 cup

Kasuri Methi/ Dried Fenugreek leaves - 2 to 3 tbs

Onion - 2

Tomato - 1

Ginger - 1 inch stick

Garlic - 4

Cashews - 10

Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp

Green chilly - 2

Coriander powder - 1 tsp

Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp

Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp

Oil - 2 tsp

Ghee - 2 tsp

Sugar - 1 tsp

Salt

METHOD:

1. In a tawa, heat oil, add chopped onions and saute for few minutes.

2. Add chopped tomatoes, green chilly, ginger, garlic and cashews and stir for few minutes until the tomatoes turn juicy, switch off the flame.

3. After it cools down, grind to paste.

4. In the same tawa, add a tsp of ghee, and transfer the paste.

5. Stir well for few minutes on low flame. Cover it with a lid, so that it doesn't splutter out.

6. Stir in intervals so that the masala gets cooked well. Add turmeric powder, cumin powder and garam masala powder.

7. When the raw smell goes off, add the cubed Paneer and required salt and cook on low flame.

8. Add kasuri methi and required water and cook with lid closed for few minutes.

9. Add sugar, thick milk, crumbled Paneer, a tsp of ghee and mix well.

10. Tasty and aromatic Methi Malai Paneer is ready.

Note:

• Instead of thick milk, 2 to 3 tsp of fresh cream can be used.
• If fresh methi leaves are used, mix little salt to the washed and cleaned leaves, allow for 5 minutes, squeeze out the water. This reduces the bitterness of methi leaves and can be used instead of kasuri methi. 
• Also saute fresh methi leaves in ghee/oil for a while before adding the paste.

MAKKAN PEDA

Makkan Peda , a famous sweet done in Arcot near Vellore and also called Arcot Makkan Peda. It is usually done using Khoya, Maida for outer covering stuffed with almonds, nuts and raisins. It resembles Gulab jamoon, which is done in almost all houses during Diwali. Here, I have done using Gulab Jamoon mix. It tasted awesome along with nuts and almonds.

INGREDIENTS:

Gulab Jamoon mix - 200g

Sugar - 800 g

Cardamom Powder - 1 tsp

Ghee - 1 tsp

Saffron - 10 strands

Oil - for deep frying

For Stuffing

Badam - 5

Cashew - 5

Pistachios -5

Raisin -5

METHOD:

1. In a bowl add the gulab Jamoon mix, ghee and mix well.

2. Sprinkle little water and knead to a soft dough. Keep aside.

3. Add sugar in a large vessel, add water and allow to boil.

4. Once it starts boiling add saffron. Let it boil in lower flame for 5 minutes. Add Cardamom powder and keep side.

5. Crumble the nuts, almonds and raisins  into small pieces.

6. Knead the dough, divide into small balls.

7. Flatten a dough and stuff the mixed nuts and seal the ends, cover the nuts and roll gently.

8. Flatten it slightly, as we make pedas.

9. Similarly, stuff the remaining balls.

10. Heat oil in a tawa, add pedas one by one, do not over crowd .

11. Lower the flame, so that the pedas cook evenly and the inner portion gets cooked well and so the nuts and almonds.

12. Once it turns to deep golden colour, remove from the oil.

13. Likewise, cook the remaining pedas in batches.

14. Soak the cooked pedas in warm sugar syrup for minimum 1 or 2 hours.

15. Once it absorbs the sugar syrup it becomes bigger in size.

16. Tasty and delicious Makkan Peda is ready.

Note:

• Cook the pedas in low flame to ensure even cooking and to avoid the inner portion under cooked.
• If under cooked, the pedas will not absorb sugar syrup.

CASHEW BADAM BURFI

This is also an easy recipe as Kaju Katli & Badam Katli. Here, I have done with slight variation giving importance to the sugar syrup one string consistency, which ended in reducing the cooking time and the burfi came out very well. It took around just 20 minutes. Soaking,peeling the almond and drying it has to be done little earlier. Easy way of peeling almond is to soak in hot water for 10 minutes and rub in between fingers, so that the skin gets peeled off easily. It has to be dried on a clean towel  before grinding into powder.

INGREDIENTS:

Cashew nut - 1/2 cup

Almond/ Badam - 1/2 cup

Sugar - 1 cup

Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp

Ghee - 1 tsp

METHOD:

1. Soak Badam in hot water for few minutes and peel off the skin and pat dry it for an hour.

2. In a mixer, grind cashews to slightly coarse powder and transfer it to a plate.

3. Add badam and powder it the same way and transfer it to the same plate and add cardamom powder to it.

4. Grease a burfi tray with little ghee and keep aside.

5. In a thick bottomed tawa, add sugar and 1/2 cup of water and allow it to boil.

6. At first the sugar dissolves completely and starts boiling. 

7. Use a spoon/ladle and check for consistency by using the forefinger and thumb finger.

8. First, we will get the half string consistency and then one string consistency.

9. Immediately add the powdered cashew and badam and mix well so that no lumps are formed. The sugar syrup combines well with the powder in a minute.

10 When the mixture starts thickening, switch off the flame and keep on mixing for few minutes.

11. The mixture will thicken and start coming together. Add ghee and mix well.

12. Transfer to the burfi tray and level it using a spoon/ ladle.

13. When it little warm, draw lines of desired shape and size using a knife greased with little ghee.

14. After it cools down completely, the burfis can be easily removed.

15. Tasty and delicious CASHEW BADAM BURFI is ready.

Note:

• Do not run the mixer for a long time, the powder might turn sticky.
• Switch off the stove immediately when the mixture starts to thicken to avoid over cooking.
• It has to be mixed well till it comes together like a dough. 
• If over cooked, the burfis will turn hard.

THATTAI

This is one of the authentic South Indian snack done in almost all parts of Tamilnadu. The ingredients used slightly vary in some places. Some use urad dhal flour instead of broken dhal flour along with rice flour, which is the main ingredient. Some use both. Here, I have done adding broken gram/fried gram flour along with rice flour.

INGREDIENTS:

Rice flour - 1 cup
Broken gram flour - 3 tsp
Sesame seeds-  1 tsp
Red chilli powder-  3/4 tsp
Pepper powder-  1/4 tsp
Asafoetida/ Hing - 1/2 tsp
Salt
Ghee - 2 tsp
Oil - to deep fry

METHOD:

1. In a bowl, add all ingredients along with Ghee, mix well and knead to a dough adding water little.
2. The dough should be firm and not soft.
3. Divide into equal sized balls.

4. Heat oil in a tawa.
5. Take chappathi press, place a sheet of plastic cover and smear little oil.
6. Place a dough on it and smear little oil on the top of the dough and place another plastic sheet on it.
7. Press gently, adjust the dough and press again to thin shaped poori.
8. Take out the plastic sheet on top, use a fork to make holes here and there to avoid puffing like pooris.

9. Drop a small piece in the oil. If it raises to top at once, the oil is ready to deep fry.
10. Gently remove and place in the hot oil and lower the flame.
11. Cook on low flame until crisp and the bubbles ceases.
12. Remove from the oil when it turns golden brown and place on a dosa tawa/ tissue for removing excess oil.
13. Tasty & Crispy Thattai is ready.

Note:

• The oil must be reduced to low flame while frying, otherwise the center part may not be cooked.

WHEAT HALWA / GODHUMAI HALWA

The traditional way of making Godhumai/Wheat Halwa is done by soaking whole wheat, grinding it again and again to extract milk, which is very difficult. When I referred some cookery blogs, I came across the easy way of doing this halwa using wheat flour. I never thought preparing wheat halwa will be so easy, eventhough it took around 45 to 50 minutes, keeping on stirring all the way through. But this recipe needs our full attention without any disturbances.It was very hard for me to keep stirring along and click pictures. My hands started paining, but the end result made me so happy. It is somewhat a long procedure to prepare this recipe. This recipe is not much complicated but needs continuous stirring. The entire recipe should be done on low flame.

See also for Badam Halwa, Kasi Halwa, Carrot Halwa, Beetroot Halwa, Asoka Halwa

INGREDIENTS:

Whole wheat/Godhumai flour - 1 cup

Sugar - 2 cups

Ghee - 3/4 cups

Cardamom - 1/2 tsp

Cashew nut - 10

Sugar for caramelisation - 3 tsp

Saffron - 10 strands

Milk - 1 tsp

METHOD:

1. In a wide bowl, add wheat flour and knead to a dough by adding needed water as we do for chappathis.

2. Add 4 cups of water to the same bowl and soak the dough for 4 to 5 hours.

3. Heat little milk and soak the saffron strands.

4. In a big thick bottomed tawa, add little ghee and roast the cashews and keep aside.

5. Add 3 tsp of sugar and start mixing on low flame. At one stage the sugar dissolves and browning starts to appear. 

6. Switch of the stove, add little water. Don't mind if it crystallizes, when it cools down it will turn watery, which is brown in colour. Transfer it to a vessel/cup.

7. Mean while, mix the dough thoroughly with hands in the soaked water till it dissolves without any lumps. 

8. Using a strainer, strain the water and discard the left out residue.

9. Add the wheat flour milk to the same tawa, place it on the stove and start stirring.

10. Keep on stirring, till it reaches the porridge state and starts thickening. It will take approximately 7 to 8 minutes.

11. We should keep on stirring continuously, otherwise there is chance of lump formation.

12. Add saffron milk, caramel sugar syrup mix well for a minute.

13. Add sugar, and keep on stirring. At first it will turn watery and then starts to bubble.

14. At first small bubbles starts to appear. Add 2 tsps of ghee and mix well.

15. The ghee gets fully absorbed while stirring and looks more transparent.

16. Just add ghee then and there and mix continuously for 15 to 20 minutes.

17. Slowly it reaches a glossy texture after some more time  and comes together.

18. Add roasted cashews and cardamom powder and mix well.

19. Grease a bowl/plate with little ghee and transfer the Halwa.

20. Tasty and delicious Wheat Halwa is ready. 

Note:

• I used anodised kadai, which was very helpful.
• Better to use non stick kadai, since the end result can be reached easily.
• I decided to avoid food colour and added caramel sugar. If found difficult, a pinch of food colour can be added. But, it is advisable  to avoid artificial colours.
• Add ghee in regular intervals. 
• Always it is safe to do this recipe on low flame.
• The wheat flour milk should not be thick to fasten cooking process. 
• It should be thin to avoid raw smell of the flour

KARA PORI / MASALA PORI

Kara Pori/ Spiced puffed rice is one of the easiest snack, well suited for tea time. A popular snack  in many South Indian houses.It is best compared to chips or any such snacks. Well cleaned and packed Pori is easily available in shops. It is low in calories, and suits well during rainy season.

INGREDIENTS:
Puffed rice - 2 cups
Garlic - 6
Turmeric powder-  1/4 tsp
Sambhar/ Red chilly powder-  1/2 tsp
Roasted peanut - 1/4 cup
Fried gram dhal/ udaitha kadalai - 3 tsp
Asafoetida/ Hing - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves-  a leaflet
Salt
Ghee/ Oil -  1 tsp

METHOD:
1. Crush garlic roughly along with the outer covering.
2. Heat ghee/oil in a broad tawa, add the crushed garlic and saute till nice aroma comes out.
3. Add curry leaves, roasted peanuts, fried gram dhal and mix well for a minute.

4. Add turmeric powder, Sambhar powder, salt and hing, mix well and switch off the flame.
5. Add puffed rice and mix well, till it gets well coated with masalas.

6. Tasty Spicy Murmura/ Masala Pori is ready to be served along with tea or coffee.

Note:

• Do not forget to store in an airtight container.
• Using garlic is optional.
• After mixing the puffed rice with Masala, allow 5 to 10 minutes, so that the masala is well absorbed. 
• If tasted immediately after mixing, it might taste spicy & salty.
• Garlic should be roasted along with skin, since it gives unique aroma to the dish.

BADAM KATLI

Badam Katli is a quick and very easy recipe which can be done in minutes. Diwali festival is fast approaching in a fortnight from now. So, I have posted this recipe. This burfi is very soft and semi transparent compared to Kaju burfi and can be prepared the same way as we prepare Kaju Katli which has been already posted in this blog.

INGREDIENTS:
Badam - 1 cup
Sugar - 3/4 cup
Cardamom powder - a pinch
Saffron strands - a little
Ghee - 2 tsp

METHOD:
1. Soak Badam in hot water for an hour and remove the skin. Let it dry for sometime.
2. In a mixer, add the badam and saffron and make into a coarse powder. Do not over run the mixer since the badam might turn sticky due to the oil content in it.
3. Meanwhile, in a thick bottom tawa add sugar and 1/2 cup of water and allow to boil.

4. When the sugar dissolves completely and starts boiling add the badam powder and stir well. 

5. Mix continuously adjusting the flame from low to medium.
 6. In 10 to 12 minutes time, dough will start leaving the pan. Take a little and roll into a small ball after greasing fingers with ghee. 

7. If it rolls into a soft ball, switch of the flame. If it is sticky, stir for a minute and try again.
7. Add ghee and mix well.
8. Allow to cool for few minutes. 
9.Grease a burfi plate/butter paper/plate with little ghee.

10. Knead the dough with hands and transfer it to the plate.
11. Stretch using a flat bottomed cup and cut into desired shape.
12. If transferred to a butter paper, use rolling pin to flatten it.
13. Tasty and soft BADAM KATLI is ready. 

Also see for Badam Halwa in this blog

Note:

•  little milk powder can be sprinkled while kneading into dough, so that the burfi doesn't look transparent.
• Saffron is optional. Adding saffron gives a tinge of yellow colour to the burfi.