Padar Peni

It is a tasty sweet dish made of all purpose flour,sugar. It has very minimal ingredients, but the dish is made in a very detailed manner. There are many variations of padar peni available on the net. Below is my version .

Cooking Time : 45 minutes
Serves - 33 pieces

INGREDIENTS:
All purpose flour/maida - 500 gms(If you measure in a 240 ml cup, you will get 2.5 cups)
Sugar - 300 gms
Food colour -a pinch( I used sunset orange color)
Ghee - 3 tablespoon
Rice flour - 1 tablespoon
Baking soda - 1/2 teaspoon
Cardamom powder - As required.

METHOD:
1. Prepare all ingredients and set ready.

2. In a bowl, take all purpose flour. Add a pinch of salt, food color and mix well. Then add water little by little and knead to form a dough as that of rotti dough. If the dough is  too sticky, add some oil, so that it doesn't stick with your hands.

3. Keep aside the dough covered. Now it is time to make the "padar" paste. Take a bowl and add 3 tablespoon ghee , 1 table spoon rice flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda  and mix well without any lumps.

4. Now take the dough and make orange sized balls, as big as shown in below pic . It comes around 4 big pieces.

5. Take a ball of dough and roll it flat. Do not make it too thin. Keep this rotti aside.

6. Similar way make rotti of all the dough balls. (Note: Do not stack all rotti one above the other . All purpose flour is very soft and sticky.. So if you place one above other , they will stick each other. So keep each rotti separately) . Now take one rotti and apply the "padar" paste

7. Place another rotti above it. Apply the "padar" paste again and place the next rotti . Place all rotti one above other this way.

8. Now roll it all together as shown below.

9. Cut them in to equal parts.

10. Now take the first piece. The cut portion should come in the top. Press it and it will look like a flower with petals.

11. Repeat this process for all the pieces. 

12. Keep those dough balls aside. It is time to make sugar syrup. In a vessel, add 300 gms of sugar and add 150 ml water and place it on the stove.

13.Allow the sugar syrup to come to boil.Keep stirring constantly with a wooden spatula. In about approximately 8 minutes, the sugar syrup gets sticky. When you touch the spatula, you can feel that syrup is sticky. When you pour it in a plate which has water, the syrup should not get dissolved immediately. Please check the below video for the syrup consistency.

(If you are unable to watch the video, please click here -> https://goo.gl/photos/efmsa8Ki2sS8T48Q8 )

14. Once syrup is ready. Switch off the gas. Now take  one dough ball which you have kept ready. Roll them flat  to the size as shown below. As we have padar paste inside, do not roll them thin. Then the paste would starts to ooze out. 

15. Flip the top side to the bottom and you get a semi circle.

16. Flip the left side to the right and you get a traingular shape . Now using the chapati roller, flatten it little bit. Then using fork, prickle all over it. It helps the padar peni to absorb the sugar syrup.

17. Deep fry them in oil and then immediately put  the padar peni in the sugar syrup using a tong. Allow it to stay in the sugar syrup for 2 min approximately. Do not allow the padar peni to stay for long. It will get soggy. Remove and place it on a plate.

18. You get about 6 nos. of  big padar peni as shown below. 

19. Cut them in to pieces. You will get about 33 pieces.

20. Padar peni is ready.. Keep it outside for 2 to 3 hours to cool down. The sugar syrup gets thicken. Then refrigerate it.

Besan Ladoo

Another sweet recipe from gram flour. Tasty and easy one. Mix of ghee,gram flour and sugar . It is popular in northern part of India

Preparation Time - 5 minutes
Cooking time - 20 minutes
Yields - 15 to 16 ladoos

INGREDIENTS:

Gram flour- 2 cups( use a 240 ml cup)
Powdered sugar - 1 cup
Melted ghee - 3/4 cup
Cardamom powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Cashews - for garnishing.

METHOD:

1. Take a cup of sugar and powder it finely. Melt ghee.Prepare all ingredients and set ready.

2. In a pan, add gram flour and dry roast it for about 11- 12 minutes.While roasting, first start with roasting in very low flame for about 5 minutes. Then change to medium flame and roast for next 3 minutes. Then again change to very low flame and roast for 3 minutes. This helps in gramflour getting heated evenly and will not get burnt . You have to keep stirring continuously without leaving.

3. Now add melted ghee and fry for another 5-6 minutes. Again, first 3 minutes fry in medium flame and then fry in low flame for the next 3 minutes. We will get a creamy texture.Do not stop stirring. You need to keep stirring continuously.

4. After some time, the mixture gets thickens and ghee starts to comes out of the paste and will look shiny on the top.You can also smell a nutty frangrance. At this point, switch off the gas and take the pan and keep aside.

5. Now add sugar powder ,cardamom powder and mix well without any lumps. It gets thick and comes together as shown below.

6. Allow it cool down completely. It takes about 30 to 40 minutes. Then make balls out of it. Decorate with fresh cashews. If you find difficult to make balls, refrigerate the mixture in fridge for about 20 minutes and take it out and make balls. Do not refrigerate for too long as it will get very hard. Once you finish making ladoos , you can put it in a container and store in fridge.

Note:  The ghee in ladoo gets thicken when refrigerated and gets loosen , when taken outside and kept in room temperature .So if u want to eat the ladoo, take it out from refrigerator and keep outside for 10 minutes , so that it turns soft to eat.

Tape Murkku/Chakli

My first try towards murukku !!. Tape murukku also called "Ribbon Pakoda" made with gram flour and rice flour . A tasty and delicious diwali snack !.

Preparation Time - 10 minutes
Cooking Time - 40 minutes
Yields - 10 servings approximately (Each serving - 1 bowl as in pic)

INGREDIENTS:
Gram flour(Besan) - 1 cup
Rice flour - 1 cup
Salt- as required
Red chilli powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Asafoetida powder - as required
Butter - 2 tablespoon

METHOD:

1. In a bowl, melt butter. Add red chilli powder,salt,asafoetida powder and mix well.

2. Then add gram flour,rice flour and mix well. Add water and prepare the dough. The dough should be little loose in consistency when compared to rotti dough. Add water accordingly. You can take some dough and press it on a plate and see. If you can press it without much effort, then it is at the correct consistency. 

3. Heat oil, in a pan. Prepare your murukku maker. Grease the inside of the maker with little oil.

4. Press the machine directly over the oil and make circular tape murukku. Be careful, to hold the machine tight when doing so.Once it changes color, turn it other side and cook the same way.

5. Have this as an evening snack with milk tea.. Try this recipe for  Diwali !

Poori Payasam/Kheer

This is an innovative dish , that combines the taste of deep fried item like poori with a sweet dish like kheer/payasam. It will taste even better, when refrigerated. Do try and drop your comments.

Serves - 2 to 3 bowls
Cooking Time : 25 min. approximately

INGREDIENTS:
Maida/All Purpose flour - 1/2 cup
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Whole Milk- 1.5 cups
Cardamom powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Food colour (optional)- a pinch
Ghee - 1.5 teaspoon
Salt - a pinch.
Cashews - 5 to 6 pieces

METHOD:
1. Prepare all ingredients and set ready.

2. In a bowl add the all purpose flour/maida. Add a pinch of salt and 1.5 tablespoon ghee  and mix well. Add some water and kneed well and prepare the dough.

3. Make small sized balls and flatten them .

4. Deep fry them in oil. Then cut them in to big pieces as shown in picture below.

5. Now in a pan, boil some water. The water should boil well and after you see bubbles turn off the gas. At the same time, in another pan, add milk,sugar,cardamom powder,food color and allow it to boil. Allow it to boil well and thickens a bit. It takes about 6 to 7 minutes approximately. Then turn the gas off.

6. Now use a tong as shown below. Take each piece of poori using the tong . Dip it in the hot water. When you take poori out of hot water, wait until the water dripping is stopped. Else, the kheer will get more watery. Then  put the poori piece in the milk. The reason for dipping it in hot water first is, it remove any oil covered over the poori. Oil when mixed with milk, will change the flavor of the dish. Hence we dip it in hot water first and then put it in milk.

7. In another pan, add some ghee and roast cashews and add it to the dish. Poori payasam is ready !..

NOTE:

1. I used all purpose flour/maida. You can also wheat flour to make pooris.

2. Once the payasam gets cool down, transfer it to a box and refrigerate it. It will taste much better when refrigerated.

Buttermilk Rice Cake

This is a South Indian snack item, also called as " Morkali" in Tamil.. When I was a kid, I was never fond of buttermilk,curd or any diary products..In order to make me eat this, my mom say,  it is not made of mor(buttermilk) and she calls it as  "Amirtha villai/cake".. But now, am really falling in love with this recipe.. It taste so yum with  Idly Podi and sesame/gingelly oil.

INGREDIENTS:

Butter milk- 3 cups
Idly Rice- 1 cup
Green chilli- 2 no.s
Dry red chilli - 1 no.
Ginger - 1 inch sized(Chopped finely)
Salt - As required

SEASONING:
Oil - 2 tablespoon
Mustard - 1 teaspoon
Urad dal - 2 teaspoon
Bengal gram- 1 teaspoon
Curry leaves - as required
Asafoetida powder - as required

METHOD:
1. Soak idly rice in cold water for about 2.5 hours.
2. Take 2 cups of curd. Now add 1.5 cups of water and mix well . You can also use hand blender  to mix it well . Buttermilk is ready.
3. Grind soaked idly rice in to a smooth paste by adding little water.Now mix the rice paste to butter milk. Add required salt.
4. In a pan, add required oil. Once heated , add mustard , urad dal, bengal gram  and curry leaves.  
5. Then add green chilli,dry red chilli and asafoetida powder.
6. Now add the rice and buttermilk batter to the pan and mix well with the seasoning. Keep the flame in low and keep stirring it continuously. Add another 2 teaspoon of oil and keep stirring. After some time, the mixture get thickens.
7. In any big plate which has sides, apply some oil and spread it. Pour the mixture on to the plate and spread. Allow it to cool down.
8. Cut in to desired shapes. Serve with idly/dosai podi .


NOTE:
-> Check my blog for how to make idly/dosai podi.
-> If you have 2 to 3 days old curd or left over curd, you can use that to make this dish.. Usually old curd will be sour and will taste much better for this recipe.

Methi Matar Malai

This recipe was introduced to me by my sweet friend +Sindhu Thiagarajan  . It is a curry that uses dry fenugreek leaves and green peas in a white creamy mild sauce.It is great side dish for rotti, veg briyani etc.

Serves- 2-3 people
Preparation time - 20 minutes
Cooking Time - 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS:
Frozen green peas - 3/4 cup
Dry fenugreek leaves - 1/2 cup(If you like the bitter taste of the leaves, you can add 3/4 cup)
Onion - 1/2 (Chopped finely.If you are using Indian onion, use 1 no. medium sized.)
Ginger garlic paste - 1 1/2 tablespoon
Low fat milk -1 cup(If you want more creamy, you can use whole milk)

FOR GRINDING:
Cashews - 10 to 12 no.s
Cinnamon - 1 inch sized
Cloves- 3 to 4
Cardamom- 1
Onion - 1/2 (If you are using Indian onion, use 1 no. medium sized)
Green chilli - 2 to 3 no.

FOR SEASONING:
Oil- 4 teaspoon
Cumin seeds - 2 teaspoon

METHOD:
1. Soak cashews in hot water for 20 minutes.

2. Cut onions finely.Cut green chilli. Prepare ginger garlic paste. Set everything ready.

3. Grind onion, soaked cashews,green chilli,cinnamon,cloves,cardamom with 3 to 4 table spoon of water in to a smooth paste.

4. In a pan, add oil. Once heated, add cumin seeds. Then add onion and fry for 2 minutes, till it turn translucent. 

5. Then add ginger garlic paste and fry for another 2 to 3 minutes.

6. Now add methi leaves and fry for 2 minutes. As we are using dry leaves, you need to keep stirring it constantly, so that it doesn't get burnt.

7. Now add the onion cashew paste and fry till the raw smell  goes.

8. Now add green peas, milk,salt and 1/2 cup water. Allow it comes to boil. It takes about 5-6 minutes approximately. 

9. Sprinkle some asafoetida powder. Methi matar malai is ready. Serve with rotti or veg briyani.