Coconut milk Murukku

 

YIELDS : Approx 40 no.s of Murukku

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup - 240 ml

Rice flour - 4 cups

White Urad dal( Whole) - 1 cup

White sesame seeds - 2 teaspoon

Idly Rice - 2 teaspoon

Pottu kadalai/Roasted gram - 2 teaspoon 

Coconut milk - 1 cup

Butter - 50 gm

Salt - as required

Oil - For deep frying

METHOD:

1. Dry roast Urad dal in a pan , in medium heat , until you get a nice aroma  and they are hot to touch . Keep it aside.

2. In the same pan , keep the flame slightly more and  dry roast idly rice , until they slightly puffs up. Keep it aside.

3. In the same pan, dry roast pottukadala in low flame, until they are hot to touch.

4. Allow the dry roasted ingredients to cool for sometime. Then grind it in to the mixie jar in to a fine powder.

5. Now use a sieve and sieve the above flour, to remove any ungrinded particles. This step is very important because, if the flour is not fine , then while deep frying the murukku, chances are that the particles may burst and cause injury. 

6. Now mix the above flour with rice flour. Now add sesame seeds, salt and butter. Mix well. Now add 1 cup of thick coconut milk and mix with flour. Add water gradually, to form a smooth and firm dough. 

7. Keep the dough, covered with damp cloth all the time. Now, Heat sufficient oil in the pan . Use murukku maker and add any pattern disc of your choice and start making murukku. Keep the flame in medium, and cook until it turns slightly golden. Store in an airtight container. It will stay good for a week. 

Bombay Chutney

  I happen to know about this chutney through one of my friend. I don't know why it got this name. It is made with besan(chickpea flour) , onion , tomato and spices. It gives a taste of potato gravy, without any potatoes. This chutney goes as side dish well with Idli, Dosa and Chappathi. Do try and see. 

INGREDIENTS:

Besan Or Chickpea Flour- 2.5 tablespoon

Onion- 1/2 cup Finely chopped

Tomato - 1 medium size finely chopped

Green Chilli - 1 finely chopped

Ginger - 1 inch sized grated

Curry leaves - as required

Turmeric Powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Salt- As required

Coriander Leaves - For Garnishing

Asafoetida Powder - a pinch

Oil - 1 tablespoon

Mustards Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon

Cumin Seeds -1/2 teaspoon

Urad dal - 1/2 teaspoon

METHOD:

1. In a pan, dry roast  Chickpea flour in medium flame for 5 minutes, until it changes to slightly brown in colour. Remember to keep stirring constantly, as the flour may get burnt very easily. 

2.  Transfer it into a bowl, add water and mix well without any lumps and keep it aside. 

3.  Chop Onion, Tomato, Green chill and grate ginger and keep it aside.

4. In  a pan, add a tablespoon of oil. Add mustard, cumin, urad dal and curry leaves. Once urad dal is roasted, add green chili  and grated ginger .

5. Now add chopped onions and fry till they turn translucent . No need to fry for too long.

6. Now add chopped tomatoes, turmeric powder and salt. Stir fry for few minutes, till the tomatoes turn soft.

7. Add 1/2 cup of water . Once it starts to boil, add the chickpea flour paste which you prepared in step 2. Also add another 2 cups of water and keep stirring continuously in medium flame. The mixture slightly gets thick and turn in to a porridge consistency. Switch off the stove. Add coriander leaves and a pinch of asafoetida powder. Bombay chutney is ready. Serve with idli, dosa or chappathi.

High Protein Veg Gravy with Spiced Rice

 

VEG GRAVY:

INGREDIENTS:

Mixed Vegetables - Carrot, broccoli , red pepper, yellow pepper ( Any vegetables of your choice)

Garlic - 3 no.s

Tofu - 100 gms

Tomato - 1 large ripened

Black pepper powder - 1/4 teaspoon

Paprika / Kashmiri chili powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Chili Flakes- 1/4 teaspoon

Oregano - 3/4 teaspoon

Salt - as required

Oil - 2 teaspoon

METHOD:

1. In a pan, take some oil. Add all the vegetables , little salt and pepper . Sauté for sometime and add little water, cook covered and keep it aside.

2. In a mixer, add 100 gm tofu ( I used dry firm tofu), tomato, garlic and grind in to a smooth fine paste by adding little water.

3. In a pan, add little oil, Now add the paste which you prepared in step 2 . Also add black pepper powder, paprika, oregano powder and mix well and let it cook in simmer mode for 5 minutes. 

4. Now add cooked vegetables to the gravy. Adjust salt as per your taste. Tofu veg gravy is ready.

ONION RICE:

INGREDIENTS:

Basmati Rice - 50 gms

Onion - 1/4 cup chopped fine

Cumin seeds- 1/4 teaspoon

Garlic - 2 no's

Salt- as required

Black Pepper powder - 1/4 teaspoon

Chili flakes - 1/4 teaspoon

Oil - 1 teaspoon

1. Cook basmati rice and keep aside.

2. In a pan, add oil. Add garlic and fry for sometime.

3. Then add onion , cumin seeds and fry , till onions turn translucent. Then add salt, black pepper powder, chili flakes.

4. Add cooked rice to it and mix well . Onion Rice is ready.

Zucchini Paratha

 

INGREDIENTS:

Whole Wheat flour - 2.5 cups

Grated Zucchini - 1 cup

Salt- as required

Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Red chilli powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Cumin Powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Garam masala - 1/4 teaspoon

Oil - To make dough and cook paratha

METHOD:

1. Take zucchini and peel the skin off. Then grate them . Squeeze the grated zucchini and remove the excess water from it and keep it aside . This is very important because, zucchini is a water vegetable and will let out lot of water. You no need to throw the zucchini water . I added it , when cooking the veg kurma. Or you can use it when making the paratha dough.

2. In a large bowl, add whole wheat flour. Add the grated zucchini, salt, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, cumin powder and garam masala powder. Mix all well. Then add a tablespoon of oil. Mix well. Do not add water now. Keep it aside for 15 minutes.  Setting it aside without adding water, will help to let out any more water from zucchini to be mixed with the wheat flour. 

3.  After 15 minutes, add very little water ( or squeezed out zucchini water which you got from step 1) , and start making firm dough. 

4. Take lemon sized dough , and flatten them using the rolling pin and cook in pan, by adding sufficient oil on both sides.

5.  Serve Zucchinin paratha with veg kurma or any curry of your choice.

Zucchini Paratha,veg kurma and Tofu.

Instant Benne Dosa

 

INGREDIENTS:

Rice flour - 1 cup

Gram  flour - 1/4 cup

Raw potato - 1 medium sized

Garlic - 1 clove

Dry red Chilli - 2 no.s

Kasmiri chilli powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Yogurt or Curd - 1/2 cup

Salt- as required

Butter - For making dosa

Baking Soda - a pinch(Optional)

METHOD:

1. In a bowl, soak dry red chilli in hot water for 20 minutes.

2. Wash and peel Potatoes and cut into cubes.

3. In a mixer , first add soaked red chilli , garlic clove, raw potato cubes and grind without adding any water for few seconds.

4. Later to that , add rice flour gram flour, kashmiri chilli powder, salt  and yogurt and grind again. Use less water for grinding. The batter should be dosa batter consistency.

5.  Just before making dosa, add a pinch of baking soda and a teaspoon of water and mix well , until we get a frothy consistency. Baking soda is optional, If you dont prefer that, you can use Eno fruit salt. Now, in a iron tawa, add a ladle full of batter and spread evenly. Spread some butter evenly on  the top. Cover and cook for some time and flip over the other side and cook. 

6.  Serve Dosa with sambar or chutney of your choice !

Foxtail Millet Ladoo

 3 ingredients sweet - Foxtail millet / Thinai Ladoo

INGREDIENTS:

Foxtail millet flour - 1 cup

Brown Sugar - 1/2 cup

Ghee - 1/4 cup

Cardamom powder- a pinch ( optional)

METHOD:

1. In a pan, dry roast foxtail millet flour for 5 to 7 minutes in medium to low flame, until nice aroma comes and also the flour slightly changes colour. This step is very important, as this will be the only way of cooking the flour. Then switch off the stove. 

2. Now add  1/2 cup of brown sugar and mix well. Also add  cardamom powder and mix well.

3. Now add 1/4 cup warm ghee and mix well. The mixture gets sticky and  wait for sometime for the mixture is warm enough to touch. Now take some mixture and try to hold them to shape. If difficult, add some more ghee and make ladoos. Follow the video below , for more detailed description.

Tomato Moru Curry

 This  dish is popular in kerala . It is a very simple gravy made just with tomato, yogurt and spices. It goes well with rotti or rice. 

INGREDIENTS:

Tomato - 1 medium sized

Yogurt  - 1 cup

Green chilli -  1 chopped

Tumeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon

Red chilli powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Salt - As required

SEASONING:

Oil - 1 table spoon

Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon

Cumin seeds - 1/4 teaspoon

Fenugreek seeds- 1/4 teaspoon

Dry red chilli - 1 to 2 no

Curry leaves - as required

METHOD:

1. In a pan, take 1 cup yogurt . Beat the yogurt well with spoon. This is important to prevent the yogurt from curdling when added to hot water.

2.  In a tawa, add 1 cup water . Add chopped tomatoes, green chilli, salt, turmeric powder , red chilli powder. 

3. Keep covered and allow the contents to boil for 4 to 5 minutes in medium to low flame, till the raw smell of  spices is gone and also the tomatoes should turn soft and mushy.

4.  Now switch off the pan. Let the tomato and spices water gets cooled down. Now add the beaten yogurt to the water. No need to heat the mixture after adding yogurt. 

5. Now , in a seasoning pan, add a tablespoon of oil . Add the items mentioned in the "seasoning" section and pour it over the tomato yogurt mixture.

6. Tomato moru curry is ready !. Serve it with rice or rotti. 

Finger Millet Dosa

  Finger millet/ Ragi  is a very healthy millet which is rich in protein, dietery fiber  and helps in weight loss.  This dosa is made with finger millet, urad dal and without adding any rice. You can have this dosa as breakfast or dinner. People who are in diet and wants to avoid rice  can try this recipe . 

INGREDIENTS:

Finger millet/ Whole Ragi - 2 cups

Whole white urad dal - 1 cup

Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 teaspoon

Salt- 1 teaspoon

METHOD:

1. Soak finger millet over night  and urad dal two hours before grinding. In the urad dal, also add 1/2 teaspoon of fenugreek seeds for soaking.

 2. First drain the finger millet and add it to mixer and grind them to a smooth paste . Then keep it aside and drain urad dal and grind to fine paste . Mix both the paste and add salt and keep it for fermentation .

3. It takes 6 hours for the batter to ferment and rise,

4.  Now mix little water to the batter. The batter should be little thick like dosa batter. Pour batter in the centre of dosa tawa and spread it. If you like, you can add chopped onions on the top. Serve with any chutney of your choice. 

Carrot Halwa

 Easy Indian sweet - Carrot Halwa with limited ingredients available at home .

INGREDIENTS:

Carrot - 250 gms

Milk - 290 ml 

Sugar - 1/4 cup

Cardamom Powder - 1/4 teaspoon

Saffron stands (optional) - few

Cashews - 4 to 5 no.s

Ghee - 3 teaspoon

METHOD:

1.Grate 250 gms carrots and keep aside. In a pan , add 1 teaspoon ghee  and fry cashews golden brown and keep aside. 

2. In a pan, boil 290 ml of thick milk.

3. When the milk starts to boil, add the grated carrots. Keep stirring constantly in medium flame to avoid the milk getting burnt in the bottom of the pan . slowly, the milk gets thicker and get absorbed and mixture thickens. It takes about 10 - 13 minutes. 

4. Once the mixture thickens well, also when the carrots are cooked well , add sugar and saffron strands  .

5. Once the sugar is added, it lets out moisutre and carrot halwa gets gooey and starts letting out water. Keep stirring constantly for 2 to 3 minutes . Do not stir for more time, then the halwa will turn out very dry. when it is still with moisuture and looks gooey , switch off the stove . 

6.  Now add 2 teaspoon of ghee, roasted cashews and 1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder and mix well. Serve warm .