Media feature and Navratri Sundal recipe.

First up, I would like to share that I was featured in NDTV Hindu where there was an interview of mine regarding blogging and how regional blogs have been gaining momentum. I do not know how to get hold of the video. But it was a different feeling seeing myself on TV.

Secondly I was featured in Indian Express. Please check the link Vegetarian Food options for a change. 

Thirdly my blog was featured in Prismma, an online digital decor magazine.Shalini@Sanctified Spaces.

This festive season has been so kind to me. Thank you to the azure blue! 

The goddess beautifully adorned

I did make Sundal during Navratri. Do check the recipe here.

Ingredients

Sprouted Green Gram-1/4 kg

Grated Coconut-2 or 3 tablespoons

Turmeric a pinch 

Salt to taste

For tempering

Oil-1 tsp

Mustard-1 tsp

Urad Dal-1/2 a tsp

Hing-a pinch

Red Chilly-2 or 3

Curry Leaves-a sprig

Method- Boil green gram with enough water, salt and turmeric. Cook well till done. But this should not turn too mushy. Now temper the ingredients given above and add it to the green gram. Take this mixture off the pot and add grated coconut. The content of folic acid increases when green gram is germinated and this is a good source of protein too. This is nutritious and simple to make. One can incorporate this sundal in their meal everyday. This tastes great too.

 

 

 

 

I simply love this havan spoon. Gorgeous right. Sending this to a bit of India in every home  @The key bunch; Liven things up and Colours Dekor

Thiruvadirai kali

Kalipu in Tamil means happiness.Hence we celebrate his happiness by making this sweet dish for Lord Shiva to appease him.Tiruvadhirai Kozhambu is the side dish to this main sweet dish.Now for the recipe.

Ingredients

Raw rice-1 cup

Jaggery-1 3/4 cup

elaichi powder-2 tsp

cashew-optional

1 tablespoon-Toor dal

ghee-2 tablespoons

water-6 glasses

The rice to water proportion that I have used is 1:6

Method:



Thiruvadirai Kali

Dry roast raw rice till light brown.Put this in a mixer and grind to the consistency of rava(semolina).You have to be careful not to fine grind this mixture.If you do,you have to sieve it,to avoid lumps. Take a container add water and toor dal.Let this cook.Add ghee and the coarsely ground rice.Let this mixture cook well.In a separate vessel add water and jaggery and let this mixture melt a little,this enables the scum to float on top.Filter the jaggery syrup.Now add this mixture to the kali.Put the gas on sim and let the jaggery and rice mix well into a mass.Add powdered elaichi to make this aromatic.You can saute a little ghee for the cashews and sprinkle this mixture on top.This karam and sweet combo are  perfect mates for the festival called thiruvadirai celebrating the dance of creation of Lord Shiva. Sending this over to Paisley Passions 

Tiruvadirai kali and kozhambu

Tiruvadirai kali and Kozhambu

Yesterday we celebrated Arudhra Darisanam.This festival essentially celebrates the cosmic dance of Lord Shiva.The microcosm derives all its energy from the macrocosm and the best way to celebrate this reverberation is through food.My mil makes kali and kozhmabu as prasad.We later hog this delightful combo of sweet and karam flavours..Now for the recipe.

Tiruvadirai Kozhambu

This Kozhambu calls for a whole lot of vegetables. Its usually in odd numbers.Even chillies are included in the count as a vegetable.So usually 3,5,7,9 etc are the number of vegetables used.We usually make a huge quantity of this and have it with vendiya dosai the next day.

Ingredients:Vegetables,roots and beans.

1.Potato-400 gms

2.colocasia-400gms.

3.sweet potato-1/2 kilo

4.Raw Plantain-2 big

5.pumpkin-400 gms

6.Ash gourd-300 gms

7.Broad Beans-200 gms

8.Hyacinth Bean or field bean-1/2 kilo

9.brinjal-2

10.Fresh pigeon peas-a handful

11.Green chillies-4(depends on your palate)

To soak

Tamarind-a huge ball the size of a wood apple to coat the vegetables with its tanginess.

To be pressure cooked

1.Toor dal or split pigeon peas-2 glasses

(For half a glass of toor dal put in two glasses of water.Add a pinch of turmeric and cook.)

2.Colocasia to be pressure cooked separately.

For the ground paste

Red chillies-5(depends on ur palate)

coconut-1 small grated

Asafoetida-a marble sized

4-tbsp channa dal(split chick pea)

4-tbsp-coriander

Take a little oil,add the asafoetida ball,chana dal,coriander seeds and red chillies.Fry all these ingredients.Keep aside and cool.After it is cooled add grated coconut and grind this mixture into a paste.

To splutter

mustard-1/2tsp

fenugreek-1/2 a tsp

curry leaves-a few

Oil-For the paste and for spluttering

salt-to taste

jaggery-a small lump

turmeric powder-one tsp

Method:

Dice all the vegetables into bite sized pieces.The skin of the sweet potato and potato can be retained. Take a vessel.Add tamarind water,add vegetables and water till the veggies are immersed in water. Add salt,turmeric powder and a few curry leaves.Add the ground paste.You can also add a few spoons of sambar powder to this mixture.let the this mixture cook.Check to see if vegetables are well done.Add toor dal to this mixture.If the mixture is too watery.Add a little bit of rice flour and water in a small container mix well and add to the mixture for a thick consistency.Once this is done.Splutter the mustard,fenugreek and curry leaves.Add to this melange.You can add a small lump of jaggery for a sweet tangy aromatic sambar.

The aromatic melange of veggies and lentil ready to be consumed

This is the side dish for the kali.Will be making another post for the kali which is a sweet dish shortly.Till then enjoy is magical broth.This tastes gorgeous with rice, idlis and dosas.Sending this over to Paisley Passions

           

My husband's Pori Urundai for karthigai!

Nel Pori,Aval Pori and Fried gram urundai

Since I got my wisdom tooth removed.I wasn't in any position to do anything for the festival.My husband came to the rescue.He made Nel pori, Aval pori and Fried gram urundai all by himself. He did it with a dexterity of a seasoned cook.The urundai's tasted awesome.It was one of the best I have eaten so far.Thank you M2 for making our Karthigai and the weekend so sweet.My husband sure is an instinctive cook.He did everything in a jiffy.He can even make wheat halwa!!.This is going to patty's party.Please check here for detailed ingredients.

Ingredients
Pori-i/4 kg,black jaggery-400gms,finecut coconut pieces-1 cup,dry ginger a pinch, cardamom 6.

Method:

In a separate vessel make syrup out of jaggery +ding water until it just gets immersed. Start heating the syrup.The syrup shud become thick enuf , so that when you add a drop of it in a vessel of water it shud solidify immediately.When syrup reaches this stage remove from fire.Clean puffed flakes and take it in a large bowl.Roast coconut separately without oil and add it to the flakes.Add cardamom powder and dry ginger powder.Add jaggery syrup and mix for about two mins,untill the temp cools down to a state when the hand can withstand heat.Do not cool it too much, then the urundai will not come out properly. Grease hands with rice flour or ghee. Make the mix into medium sized balls using hand.

Easier said than done it is sort of tough for novices. Especially when you have to make the urundai.Thats where the black jaggery plays its part it acts as a good binding agent. Also jaggery is very good for health its called medicinal sugar. Its a good source of iron and minerals.Jaggery also prevents lung lesions very beneficial for people who work in smoky environs.Pls use organic jagerry as white commercially available jaggery is loaded with chemicals.  The method is the same for both the varieties.

Now for the step by step recipe.


1.My only contribution in the recipe.Cutting coconut into bits.

2.Cleaning the Nel pori
                              

                                    
3.Dissolving the paghu vellam in water.Very important to buy paghu vellam

                                  
4.Filter the jaggery for impurities and put the mixture in a thick bottomed kadai.


                                

  

Add coconut pieces

Check for this consistency

Mix aval with jaggery

Make balls out of it

Aval pori with dried ginger and elaichi powder

Add Jaggery

Aval Pori ready for consumption

Sankranti Pitlay

M2 and me made this Kozhambu for Pongal.We used a whole lot of vegetables for this preparation.This can be kept for two or three days.It has to be boiled frequently.Hence it is also known as eritha Kozhambu

Ingredients:

pumpkin-1/2 piece

ash gourd-half a piece

sweet potato-one medium

colocasia-a handful

broken beans-a handful

brinjal-5

sabre beans-10

carrot-2

potato-1

chayote(chow chow)-2

tamarind pulp-a big marble size

green chillies-1

turmeric powder-1/4 tsp

pitlay powder

coconut grated -half

cooked red gram dal-1 cup

For seasoning

Mustard seeds-1/4 tsp

Urad dal-1/4 tsp

curry leaves-a few

oil-a little for frying

For Pitlay Podi:

coriander seeds-3 tbsp

bengal gram dal-3tbsp

red chillies-6

asafoetida- a small block

coconut gratings

Grind all these ingredients to a powder

Method: This is for four or more people. Boil vegetables with salt and turmeric and pitlay podi.Cook till vegetables are soft.Add tamarind extract and boil for 2 mins.Add cooked red gram dal.Thicken with rice flour if necessary.Add fried seasoning.Garnish with curry leaf and coriander leaves.We also made four side dishes pumpkin curry,raw banana curry,sabre bean curry and sweet potato curry.The idea was to have to sweet curries and two hot curries.

This is my submission for Makar Sankranti event.

Also linking this to CMT-Daal/Kadhi/Sambar/Rasam and Jagruti's event.

Sakkarai Pongal

Made this on Sankranti day in honour of Lord Surya bhagawan.

Ingredients:

rice-1 cup

Gram dal1 spoon

Moong dal-1 spoon

Milk-1 cup

jaggery-1 1/2 cups

raisins-2 tablespoons

cashew nuts-15-20

elaichi powder-1/2 tsp

ghee-6-7 tablespoons.

Method: Mix rice,moong dal,gram dal and dry roast lightly.Add 3 cups of water and pressure cook.You can also add unboiled milk instead of 1 glass of water.Melt the jaggery with a little water in a pan.Remove the scum. Add the rice,moong dal and gram dhal to the jaggery.Add milk and stir.Fry the cashews and raisins in ghee and add in the mixture.Add elaichi powder and ghee to the mixture.

This is my entry for FF: Makar Sankranti.

Bengal Gram Dhal Poli for bhogi

I made this sweet dish for Bhogi festival. It is a sweet filled pancake.

Ingredients:
Gram Dhal-1 cup
Jaggery-1 cup
Maida-1 cup.
cardamom powder-1teaspoon
Salt a pinch
Turmeric powder:1/4 teaspoon
Ghee-1/2 a cup

Method for filling: Soak gram dhal for 15 mins and pressure cook for 2 or 3 whistles until mushy.Cool and blend into a fine paste.Take jaggery and melt it with 1/4th cup of water and remove scum. To this jaggery liquid,after it thickens to a single thread consistency add gram dhal mixture and stir till the mixture becomes a pliable dough.Add cardamom powder.Cool it and make desired balls.

Method for covering:Knead maida with salt,turmeric,two tablespoons ghee and required water to make a dough.Keep aside for atleast 2 or 3 hrs.You do this to get soft polis.

To make the Poli: Take a little maida dough and place it on a plantain leaf smeared with ghee. Flatten the puri to accommodate stuffing.Now place the bengal gram dhal ball on top of the puri.Cover the poli and turn it over to make a puri.Place this on a tawa,with the leaf flat down and wait till the poli sticks to the pan.Cook this poli with ghee on the edges.Cook both the sides and remove from fire.

This is my submission for Pritis Markar Sankranti Festival

Bhogi Recipes

The menu for bhogi at my place usually is Paruppu Payasam,Poli,Amavadai,Vazhaika curry,Pitlai and More Kuzhambu.We do not use onions on this day. I made Paruppu Payasam and Poli on bhogi day.

Paruppu Payasam recipe:

Ingredients:

Milk-3 cups

Moong Dhal-2 tablespoons

Bengal gram dhal-2 tablespoons

Jaggery-1/2 cup

Cashewnuts-1 tablespoon

Elaichi powder-1/2 teaspoon

Ghee-2 tablespoons

Method: Fry cashewnuts in ghee till golden and set aside.Soak both the dhals in water atleast for 15 mins and pressure cook for 2 or 3 whistles till the dals are mushy.Mash them and keep aside.Add quarter cup of water to jaggery,melt it and strain the scum.To this cleaned jaggery liquid add both the dals and stir well.Add the heated milk and simmer for five minutes.Add cashew nuts,elaichi powder and ghee and take off from the flame.

This is my submission for Priti's Makar Sankranti Festival event

Food of the Gods

Karthigai Pori Urudai( aval and Nel Pori)

M2 and me made Pori Urundai for karthigai. Pls note you have to use Paghu vellam or black jaggery for this recipe. We use two different kinds of Pori. Nel Pori(paddy Flakes) and Aval Pori(Puffed paddy flakes).Here goes the recipe.

Ingredients
Pori-i/4 kg,black jaggery-400gms,finecut coconut pieces-1 cup,dry ginger a pinch, cardamom 6.

Method:

In a separate vessel make syrup out of jaggery +ding water until it just gets immersed. Start heating the syrup.The syrup shud become thick enuf , so that when you add a drop of it in a vessel of water it shud solidify immediately.When syrup reaches this stage remove from fire.Clean puffed flakes and take it in a large bowl.Roast coconut separately without oil and add it to the flakes.Add cardamom powder and dry ginger powder.Add jaggery syrup and mix for about two mins,untill the temp cools down to a state when the hand can withstand heat.Do not cool it too much, then the urundai will not come out properly. Grease hands with rice flour or ghee. Make the mix into medium sized balls using hand.

Easier said than done it is sort of tough for novices. Especially when you have to make the urundai.Thats where the black jaggery plays its part it acts as a good binding agent. Also jaggery is very good for health its called medicinal sugar. Its a good source of iron and minerals.Jaggery also prevents lung lesions very beneficial for people who work in smoky environs.Pls use organic jagerry as white commercially available jaggery is loaded with chemicals. Thanx M2 for all the help.