Thiruvathirai Kali

Hi guys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
                              Arudra Dharisanam is round the corner. So, i am giving you the preparation for "Thiruvathirai Kali" and it's accompaniment "Ezhu Kai Kootu"........
                              K Guys!!!!!!!Let's jump into the procedure without any talking.......

THIRUVATHIRAI KALI:

INGREDIENTS:

• Raw rice                 - 1 cup
• Moong Dhal           - 1/4 cup
• Jaggery                   - 1and 1/2 cups ( Should be dissolved in water and filtered)
• Cocunut                  - Little  (Scraped)
• Ghee                        - 6 Tablespoons
• Cashews                  - 10 - 15
• Dry Grapes              - 2 or 3 teaspoons
• Cardamom Powder  - Little

PROCEDURE:

1.   To begin with, dry fry rice and moong dhal in a kadai till a nice aroma evolves.
2.   Then, powder the mixture in a mixie.
3.   Take a cooker and place it on the stove.
4.   Switch on the stove and add 2+1/2 cups of water in to the cooker.
5.   Add the powdered mixture of rice and dhal and close the lid after placing the whistle.
6.   Cook the mixture for 1 or 2 whistles.
7.   Remove the cooker from the stove and keep it aside for the contents to cool down.
8.   In the mean time, take a kadai and place it on the stove.
9.   Pour some ghee and fry the cashews till it becomes golden brown.
10.   Next add dry grapes to the ghee and fry it.
11.   Keep both fried cashews and dry grapes aside.
12.   Again, place the kadai on the stove and pour the remaining ghee
13.   Add scraped coconut to the hot ghee.
14.   Fry the coconut till nice aroma evolves.
15.   Now, add the cooked rice and dhal to the above kadai.
16.   After mixing, add 1+1/2 cups of jaggery water and mix well.
17.   Next add the cardamom powder long with fried cashews and dry grapes.
18.   Cook the contents till "uthiri padham" like semiya upma is reached.
19.   Remove the kadai from the stove and transfer the contents to a serving bowl.
20.   After offering to Lord Shiva eat it with Ezhu Kai Kootu.

Mouth smacking recipes guys!!!!!!!!!! Let's learn in our next post how to make ezhu kari kootu which would make the day complete.

Have a Happy and Stomach filled Thiruvadirai..........

Bye for now guys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 




 

Oats Porridge/Oats Kanji

Hi Guys!!!!!!!!!!!!
                             Till now we had learnt basic recipes of cooking both north indian and south indian foods. I hope you have enjoyed it.
                             Now I am going to provide you some diet recipes..........
                             Let's start with Oats...

OATS PORRIDGE OR OATS KANJI:
                                                              
Ingredients:

• Oats (powdered)      -      1 tsp (For Children) 1 tbsp (For Elders)
• Water                       -      1 tumbler
• Buttermilk or Milk   -      1 tumbler or as per requirement
• Salt or Sugar           -      As per taste

Procedure:

1. Take a vessel.
2. Add 1 tsp (for children) and 1 tbsp (for adults) of powdered oats.
3. Next add 1 tumbler water and heat it the mixture.
4. If stirring is done continuously, oats porridge would be ready within a minute.
5. In this mixture, add milk and sugar or buttermilk and salt.
6. Serve the mixture to drink.

TIPS!!!!!!!TIPS!!!!!!!!:

• As soon as we get the oats home, powder it finely with a mixie.
• If you have "Whipper" in your mixie, you can use that to powder it finely in just 2 minutes.
• Store it in air tight bottles and use it to make porridge in 2 minutes.
• Those who drink with buttermilk and salt, can add some boiled vegetables to the mixture and drink as Multi Vegetable Oats Porridge.

GREAT OATS PORRIDGE IS VERY EASY TO COOK....RIGHT?????????

NEXT LET'S LEARN TO MAKE VEGETABLE SOUP!!!!!!!!!! 



 

Soft Idlis

HI GUYS!!!!!!!!!!!
 
LET'S START OUR BREAKFAST RECIPE WITH SOFT IDLIS!!!!!!!
 
IT IS THE SOUTH INDIAN SPECIAL BREAKFAST!!!!!!!
 
K!K! LET'S JUMP INTO THE STEP BY STEP PROCEDURE.....

IDLI:

Ingredients:

  To Make Dough:

•  Boiled Rice (Idli Rice)  -  2 cups
•  Urad Dhal                      -  1 cup
• Crystal Salt                     -  1/4 tbsp

   Preparation of the Dough:

1. Clean the rice and urad dhal in plenty of water.
2. Soak them completely in water seperately for atleast 4 hours.
3. After 4 hours, grind the contents seperately beginning with urad dhal.
4. Add little water when beginning and then add water in small quantities till the batter becomes light and fluffy. (Grind it for more than 40 minutes)
5. Remove the batter and  store it in a big bowl.
6. Then grind the soaked rice till it becomes little coarse by adding little water at equal intervals of time.(Coarseness is the secret of south indian idlies)
7. Remove the batter from the grinder and pour it into the bowl already containing dhal batter.
8. Add the salt and mix well with your hands.
9. Leave the batter for overnight to ferment.
10. In the morning, the batter would have risen well.
11. Mix the batter again with a ladle and and if the batter is thick in consistency add little water to lighten it slightly.
12. The batter is ready for making idlis.

   Idli Preparation:

1. Place a pressure cooker or idli cooker on the stove.
2. Switch on the stove and pour water to the cooker.
3. Allow it to boil.
4. Meanwhile, take the idli mould plate and grease it with little oil.
5. Then, pour a ladle full of batter into each of the mould.
6. When the water starts boiling, place the mould plate inside and close the lid.
7. Don't use a whistle.
8. Allow it to cook for 10 mins.
9. Switch off the stove.
10. Open the lid and take the idli mould out.
11. Remove the cooked idlis by inverting the mould or by using a greased spoon.
12. Serve it hot with any Chutney or Sambar or Idli Chilli powder or along with all the 3 accompaniments.

       Tips!!!! Tips!!!!:

•      Don't use baking or eno salt to ferment.
•      The quality of rice and urad dhal plays an important. Ask for idli rice or Idli Pulungal Arusi and the dhal should be freshly purchased one and not the already stored one.
•       Soaking time plays pivotal in  the batter preparation. It should be always more than 4 hours and not less than it.
•       It is always good to use a wet grinder to grind as it would make you to prepare soft idlies.
•       With trial and error you can learn to master the preparation of soft idlies.

      BEST OF LUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 
  
     GREAT!!!!! HATS OFF!!!!!!!!!!!

     PRACTISE MAKES A MAN PERFECT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!





     
            

Simple Roti or Chappathi

HI BUDDIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Let's move on to cooking basic north indian recipes.....

INDEX:

• ROTI
• DHAAL
• ALOO SUBJI

LET'S BEGIN WITH PREPARING THE MAIN DISH ROTI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ROTI:

    

Ingredients:

• Wheat Flour - 2 cups
• Salt - Little
• Oil - 2 tsp
• Water - 1/2 cup - 1 cup

Preparation:

1. Take a bowl and pour the flour into it.
2. Add salt to little water and mix well.
3. Pour the salt water into the flour.
4. Mix the flour using your hand.
5. Add water whenever needed till soft dough (which can be easily spread into rotis) is formed.
6. Sprinkle some oil on the prepared dough.
7. Place the dough in a bowl and cover it with a wet thin cloth.
8. Keep the dough aside for 1/2 hour.
9. After 1/2 hour, make 12 balls from the dough.
10. Place a ball on the rolling plate and roll into a round using a rolling pin.
11. Place a tawa on the stove and heat it.
12. When it's hot, place the uncooked roti on it and wait till bubbles forms on one side.
13. Turn it to the other side and sprinkle little oil over the sides.
14. Wait till the roti is cooked and transfer it to a plate.
15. Repeat the same process for the balance roti balls prepared.
16. Piping hot roti is ready to eat.

Tips!!!Tips!!!:

• While mixing the dough, a little amount of milk can be added instead of water. (This would result in soft rotis)
• After mixing the dough, 2 tsps of gingelly oil can be sprinkled and mixed well. (This is also another secret of getting soft rotis)

WOW!!!!!!!!! SUCCESSFULLY LEARNT HOW TO MAKE ROTIS.

NOW LET'S MOVE ON TO THE 2 SIMPLE AND POPULAR SIDE DISHES......

 

Sambhar Powder - Version 1

Now, after having successfully learnt the basic indian recipes, let's learn to prepare the powders for the respective recipes:

The first and foremost would be sambar powder.

LET'S JUMP INTO ACTION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SAMBAR  POWDER: (Version 1)

Ingredients:

·         Red Chillies          - 10 to 15

·         Pepper                  - 1 tbsp

·         Fennel                   - 1 tbsp

·         Urad Dhal             - 2 tbsp

·         Coriander seeds   - 3 tbsp

·         Cumin seeds         - 1 tsp

·         Toor Dhal              - 1 ½ tsp

·         Chenna dhal         - 2 tbsp

·         Raw Rice               - 1 tsp

                              

Procedure:

1.       Place a Kadai on the stove.

2.       Switch on the stove.

3.       When the kadai is heated, add each ingredient separately and dry fry one by one.

4.       Then, pour them one by one after dry frying on the same plate and allow it cool.

5.       After cooling, add them to a mixer jar and powder it.

6.       After cooling, store it in a tight lid container.

Tips!!!! Tips!!! :

·         For Sambar -  2 tsp

·         For Rasam   - 1 tsp

·         For Vatha Kuzhambu/Puli Kuzhambu – 3 tsp

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How to cook rice????

Next, I am starting with the basic recipes for the beginner's sake. Usually, if you master the below items (day to day recipes) you will be confident enough to learn further......

BASIC SOUTH INDIAN RECIPES:

INDEX:

• RICE
• RASAM
• KOOTU
• CURD
• SAMBAR
• VEGETABLE CURRY
• PAAL PAYASAM

   Let's now see the recipe part of all the above food items.

RICE

Ingredients:
      1. Raw Rice - 1 cup
      2. Water       - 2 or 3 cups (As per requirement)

Procedure:

1.        Take a cup of rice in a bowl.
2.        Clean it under the running water.
3.        Place a pressure cooker on the stove.
4.        Switch on the stove.
5.        Pour 2 cups of water into the pressure cooker.
6.        Pour 2 cups of water into the bowl of washed rice.
7.        Place the bowl inside the pressure cooker.
8.        Close the lid and if your cooker manufacturer recommends to insert the whistle immediately, then insert it or else, wait till the steam comes out and insert it.
9.        Cook the rice for atleast 3 or 4 whistles.
10.        Switch off the stove and allow the pressure cooker to cool.
11.        Open the lid when all the pressure is released.
12.        Hot puffing rice will be ready to serve.

Tips!!Tips!!
        If you are cooking for the first time, don't panic when you see extra water or the rice is not properly cooked.
        Adjust the water level when you cook the second time (i.e., reduce the water if you see extra water or increase the water quantity when the rice is not cooked properly.)
       
        PRACISE MAKES A MAN PERFECT.

        Have Fun Since You Have Learnt The Basic Step of Preparing Rice.......