APPLE - ALMOND KHEER

APPLE - ALMOND KHEER

INGREDIENTS:-

Apple - 1 and 1/2 apple

Milk  - 6 cups 

Condensed milk  - 2 tbsp 

Finely Sliced Almonds - 1/2 cup

Ghee - 3 tsp

Sugar - 3 tsp

Cardamom Powder - 2 tsp

Saffron Strings - 10 strings

METHOD:-

Set all the ingredients ready.

Boil milk in  a sauce pan. Once it is boiled, keep the flame in low/sim, and let it boil for 30 to 40 minutes. Scrap the sides of the pan. Stir frequently to avoid  burnt. After sometime, allow it to cool.

Peel the skin of the apple and grate it. (grate the apple, before starting cooking)

Heat ghee in a separate pan and add sliced almonds. Fry for a minute and add the grated apple. Saute continously till the water in the apple are absorbed completely. 

Add the cardamom powder, saffron strings, condensed milk, sugar and mix together, for 2 minutes. Allow it to cool.

Mix  the milk and the grated apple mixture together, when both are completely cools.

Apple -Almond kheer is ready to serve.

Note:-

Use the same cup for measuring the ingredients.

The cup which I used is, 1 cup = 150 ml. 1 tbsp = 15 gms, 1 tsp = 5 gm

PHIRNI

This is a famous Punjabi dessert similar to Semiya Payasam, Sooji payasam in South India. Since Punjab is famous for Basmathi rice, this kheer/dessert is done using basmathi rice. 

INGREDIENTS:
Milk - 500 ml
Basmathi rice - 1/4 cup
Saffron/Kesar - 5 strands
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Badam - 6
Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp

METHOD: 
1. Soak Badam for few minutes in hot water, peel the skin and chop finely.
2. Wash Basmathi rice thoroughly, soak for 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Drain the water completely, grind to Rava/Sooji consistency, using a mixer and keep aside.
4. In a thick bottomed tawa, add milk and allow to boil.

5. Add saffron strands and basmathi rice, chopped badam and mix well in regular intervals in low flame.
6. Keep on stirring at intervals so that no lumps are formed and the rice gets cooked well.
7. After the rice is almost cooked, add sugar and cardamom powder and cook for a while till the milk thickens.
8. Taste for sugar, if needed add a little more.
9. Tasty and delicious Punjabi Phirni is ready to be served.
10. Serve it after it cools well.
11. It tastes well if refrigerated and served.

 



   

MYSORE PAK

Regular mysore pak, consumes lots of ghee and  time. I tried preparing Mysore pak using limited amount of ghee and less time.

INGREDIENTS:-

Besan Flour / Kadalai maavu - 1 cup
Sugar - 1 cup
Water - 1/2 cup
Ghee - 1/2 cup
Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp



METHOD:-

Grease a tray using ghee and set aside.

Dry roast besan flour for  7 to 8 minutes in low to medium flame, till nice aroma arises. Make sure that you don't burn the flour.

Dry Roast

Add ghee and cook for 5 minutes. Switch off the flame and set aside.

Ghee added

Side by side, Switch on the Electric Rice Cooker, add sugar, water, cardamom powder.

Sugar added in Electric Rice Cooker

One String Consistency is required to prepare the  mysore pak. Once it reaches One-string consistency, keep it in warm mode and immediately add the besan flour mix. 

Besan flour mix in sugar syrup

Stir continuously for 1  minute and transfer immediately to the greased tray.  

After 5 minutes, Cut into desired shapes. Allow it to cool and tap it on a plate.

Tasty mysore pak is ready.

Note:-
Instead of 1/2 cup ghee, 1/4 cup oil plus 1/4 cup ghee can be added. Adding oil, gives texture to the mysore pak.
Giving a gentle mix of the besan flour mix to the sugar syrup, and immediately pouring gives a Soft-Mysore Pak, while 2 to 3 minutes stirring gives a little Hard Mysore Pak.

LUNCH MENU

In South India, Meals Menu comprises, Sweet,  Rice, Kuzhambu/Sambhar, Kara Kuzhambu or Buttermilk Kuzhambu, Kootu, Porriyal or Usli, Curry, Pachadi, Pickle, and Payasam/Kheer with papad, Rasam, Buttermilk/Curd.

In this blog, we have most of these categories.

Kara Kuzhambu is preferred during winter or rainy seasons, whereas, Buttermilk Kuzhambu is preferred during summer seasons.

Following are the suggestions for Lunch Menu.

Lunch Menu No.1

Lunch Menu No.1

1. Dessert - Badam/Almond Halwa
2. Rice
3. Paruppu-Ghee
4. Sambhar/Kuzhambu 
5. Kara Kuzhambu - Sundaikkai Kara Kuzhumbu
6. Kootu - Plaintain Stem Kootu
7. Usli  -  Beans Paruppu Usli
8. Curry -  Lady's finger & Brinjal Curry
9. Pachadi - Mango Pachadi
10. Pickle
11. Rasam
12. Payasam/Kheer with papad - Semiya Payasam
13. Buttermilk

MAIDA HALWA

 This is an innovative idea, halwa using maida. For Regular halwa, corn flour is used. I tried all purpose flour.

Ingredients:-

All purpose flour / Maida- 1 cup

Sugar - 2 cups                                                  

Water - 4 cups

Lemon juice - 2 tsp nos.

Saffron Strings - 7 to 10

Ghee - 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp

Chopped Cashews - 10 nos.

Sliced Almonds - 10 nos.

Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp

Nutmeg Powder -1/4 tsp

METHOD:-

Dissolve the maida flour in 1 and 1/2 cups of water.

Soak the saffron strings in 2 tsp of water and keep it aside.

Heat a thick bottomed Kadai, or non-stick pan with the remaining 2 and 1/2 cups of water and add sugar. It nearly takes 10 to 15 minutes to get 1 string consistency. Click here for sugar syrup stages. Add 2 tsp of lemon juice. The reason for adding lemon juice is, to avoid crystallization.

Once the one string consistency is obtained, reduce the flame to sim to medium flame.

Now, add the maida flour mixture, soaked saffron strings and stir continuously. The mixture gets mixed with the sugar syrup, now add 2 tbsp of ghee and continue stirring. The ghee gets absorbed by the mixture.

Again add 2 tbsp of ghee and continue stirring. Repeat the process till all the ghee is added.

{Note:- Ghee should be added in portions only}.

In a separate pan, heat 2 tbsp of ghee, and cashews, almonds. Mix this with Halwa. Add cardamom powder and nutmeg powder to it.

The correct stage to switch off the stove, is, dip a finger in water and tap the finger on halwa.

If there is no sticking of flour on finger means, halwa is cooked.
Transfer the contents to a greased tray. Once it arrives to room temperature, cut into desired shapes.

Note :-

1 cup = 200 gm. Use the same cup for measuring all the ingredients.

1 tsp =  1 teaspoon = 5 gm

1 tbsp = 1 tablespoon = 15 gms

INSTANT VEN PONGAL…, Using leftover rice

During Pongal, we cook  raw rice. I prepared this tiffin recipe,  during Pongal using leftover rice. 

This Venpongal tastes better also with boiled rice too. Click here for traditional Venpongal.

INGREDIENTS:-

Cooked Rice - 500 gms

Moong dal - 50 gms (1/4 cup)

Turmeric powder - a pinch

Oil - 2 tsp

For Seasoning:-

Ghee - 2 tsp

Cashwes - 10 nos

Roasted Groundnut - 2 tbsp

Grated ginger - 1 tsp

Black pepper corns - 1/2 tsp

Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp

Asafoetida -  a pinch

Chopped Curry leaves - 2 tsp

METHOD:

Wash and soak the moong dal for 30 min.

Heat oil in a pan, and add moong dal. Fry till a nice aroma arises. Add 2 cups of water and cook moong dal and turmeric powder.  Once the moong dal cooks completely, add the cooked rice and smash well. Cover the pan with lid. Let it cook for 3 minutes.

In a separate sauce pan, heat ghee and add pepper corns. Allow it to spluttter. Add cumin seeds, cashews, groundnuts, grated ginger, curry leaves, asafoetida. Add this seasoning to the cooked rice and moong dal mixture.

Instant venpongal is ready.

Note:-

If more spice required, pepper corn powder can be added.

Perfect filter coffee decotion....

Cooking Tips

How to prepare perfect filter Coffee Decotion…


INGREDIENTS:-

Filter Coffee Powder - 5 tbsp (or till the half of the filter)

Sugar - 2 tsp

Water for making decotion.


METHOD:-

Heat a small pan and add sugar and keep it in high flame. The sugar gets caramelised and it turns to golden brown colour.

Heat a sauce pan and Boil the water in rolling condition.

Fill the filter with coffee powder, and press it evenly.

Fill the caramelised sugar above the coffee powder. Add the boiling water till the top edge.

After sometime, we get the First coffee decotion. Let it be in the collecting cup.

Now again boil some water and add to the filter, till the level of the coffee powder, and prepare decotion.

The decotion will be more darker and nice aroma arises.

RAVA DOSA

Rava Dosai:-

Rava Dosa, doesn't require soaking and grinding. We just mix the flours and prepare dosas.

I tried various versions of rava dosa. But this version is crispy, same as that of a hotel rava dosa.






INGREDIENTS:-

Rava - 1 cup

Rice Flour/ Arisi maavu - 1/2 cup

Maida/ All purpose flour - 1/4 cup

Besan flour/ Kadalai maavu - 2 tbsp (30 gms)


Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Black pepper corns - 1 tsp

Grated Ginger - 1 tsp

Finely chopped Green chilly - 1/2 tsp (or 1 tsp)

Finely chopped curry leaves, coriander leaves - 3 tbsp each

Salt to taste


Water to prepare the batter

Curd / Yogurt - 2 tbsp

Oil for making dosas


METHOD:-

In a bowl, mix all the ingredients except curd ,water and oil. Add curd and water, prepare the batter. The batter should be in buttermilk consistency, (there should not be any lumps).

Set aside the batter for 10 mins.

After 10 minutes, the batter will become thicker, (because the flours and rava present in the batter will absorb the water content). Add required water and prepare the batter in buttermilk consistency.

Heat a flat dosa tava, the tawa should be hot, while pouring the batter, the ssshh sound need to come, pour the batter from the sides to the centre. Add 1 tsp of oil.




Wait till the dosa leaves the sides of the tava. Flip it and cook for 30 seconds in medium flame.





Remove the dosa. Repeat the process. Set the flame in high , pour the batter from the sides and prepare rava dosas.


Crispy Rava dosas are ready.

Idly Manchurian ( Using leftover Idlies)

Idly Manchurian,  (without any sauce), a different version of leftover idlies.

INGREDIENTS:-

Leftover idlies - 6 ( a day old idlies, stored in refrigerator)

Finely chopped onions - 1/4 cup (or 50 gms)

Chopped Tomato - 1/4 cup

Chopped capsicum  - 1/4 cup

Garlic  chopped - 3 cloves

Slit Green chilly - 1

Red chilly powder - 1/4 tsp (as per taste)

Garam masala - 1/4 tsp

For Seasoning:-

Oil - 5 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp

Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp

Fennel seeds - 1/4 tsp

Asafoetida - as required

Curry leaves - 1 leaflet

Coriander leaves chopped - 3 tsp

METHOD:-

Cut the idlis in cubes. Heat a tawa, roast the idly pieces using 2 tsp oil. Set aside the roasted idly pieces.

In a Kadai, Add the remaining oil, and add mustard seeds. Let it splutter. Add cumin seeds, fennel seeds, asafoetida, green chilly, curry leaves and mix well.

Add chopped onions. Once the onions turn golden brown colour, add the capsicum and tomato and saute for a minute. 

Add red chilly powder, salt, garam masala and  saute for  minute. Add the roasted idlies and toss. Don't use spatula or karandi. Just toss the kadai, so that the idly pieces gets coated with masala. Let it be in sim mode for 10 mins. Toss in between.

Aromatic IDLY MANCHURIAN is ready.

Note:-

Instead of Red chilly powder, we can use Rasam powder , or black pepper powder also.