Ven Pongal / Kara Pongal & Pongal Wishes !

Happy Pongal to all my Dear Friends!

Ven pongal is my family's most favorite breakfast recipe. Piping hot pongal with a tsp of ghee on top of it reminds me of my childhood days and chennai mylapore karpagambal mess. Roasting moong dal gives yummy aroma and it enhances the flavor of pongal. 

Ingredients :

• 1 Cup Raw Rice
• 1/2 Cup Moog Dal
• 4 - 5 Cups Water
• Salt to taste
• 1/2 Tsp Turmeric powder
• 10 - 15 Cashews
• 1 Tsp Jeera / Cumin seeds
• 1 Tbsp Peppercorns
• 1 Tsp Crushed Peppercorns
• 1 inch Ginger piece, chopped and crushed
• 5 Tbsp Ghee

Method :

• Dry roast moong dal and keep aside.

• Mix both rice and dal, wash and add the measured water and cook it for 5-6 whistles by adding salt and turmeric powder.

• Once the pressure subsides, open and mash the rice.

• Heat ghee in a small pan or kadai and add cumin seeds followed by peppercorns, cashews, crushed ginger, curry leaves and crushed pepper corns.

• Add the seasoning to the mashed rice and mix well.

• Adjust salt and add extra ghee for the flavor.

• Serve hot. 

Serving Options :

Serve hot with sambhar / gosthu and coconut chutney.

Side dish for pongal from my kitchen....

Coconut Chutney

Coconut Groundnut Chutney

Easy Sambhar

Brinjal Kosthu / Kathirikai kosthu

Baked Apple Chips

I am very happy to be part of "Love2bake" group hosted by one of our lovely blogger, sangee from spicy treats. This is a weekly event, which happens on every monday and all members will be posting baking related stuffs like recipes, tips and tricks, etc. The Event starts today and I feel very glad to post my recipe. Thanks sangee for this lovely opportunity and am sure that lots of baking related stuffs can be learnt from this group. All the best !
Interested bloggers, please click HERE to join.

Baked Apples with the mild sugar dusted on top gives yummy and tangy flavor. Absolutely healthy and crispy chips, especially perfect to munch when we are in diet ;).

Ingredients :

• 3 Apples, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 Tbsp Sugar ( I used powder sugar )
• 1 Tsp Cinnamon ( Optional )

Method :

• Wash and Slice the apples.

• Arrange in a tray and Sprinkle sugar on top of it.

• Bake it for 45 minutes in a Pre-heated oven at 180 degree C.

• Flip the other side and bake it for another 30-40 mins or until crisp.

• Remove and cool.

• Store it in an air tight container.

Notes :

• Granulated sugar can also be used instead of powder sugar.

• Baking time varies so check frequently to avoid over burnt.

Sending this recipe to "Love2Bake" by Spicy Treats.

Ekadesi Kali

                                                      Happy Ekadesi Friends!

Vaikunta Ekadesi  is celebrated every year in the month of December or January and particularly on the 11th waxing moon that falls in the Margazhi month. Early morning of this day “the gate to Lord Vishnu 's inner Sanctum” is opened and in tamil we used to call it as “sorga vassal”. And according to our family culture, we used to fast on this  particular day by taking only tiffin items ( No rice allowed). Along with that, Kali is made as offering for god. And the next day of ekadesi is called as Dhuvadesi, on which fast is broken with the preparation of rice and curry with 21 vegetables. My mom prepares karakuzhambu with 21 veggies and according to my in laws place we prepare sambhar with 21 veggies. 

Ekadesi Kali….

Ingredients :

• ½ Cup Rice
• 2 Cups Water
• ¼ Cup Jaggery grated
• 2 Elachi
• 2 Tbsp Coconut grated or Chopped
• 2 Tsp Ghee

Method :

• Wash rice and dry roast in a pan till it turns crispy.

• Remove, cool it for 10 minutes and grind it little coarsely.

• Meanwhile, Add 2 tbsp water in a grated jaggery and boil it for 2-3 minutes or till the jaggery gets dissolved.

• Strain the impurities / dirt from the jaggery water and keep aside.

• Boil 2 cups of water in a pan and add the ground powder.

• Cook in a simmer flame and continue stirring to avoid sticking.

• Add the jaggery water and keep stirring.

• Add  ghee in a separate pan and fry the elachi and grated / chopped coconut.

• Add the fried items to the rice-jaggery mixture and mix well.

• Cook for another five minutes or till the mixture becomes dry.

• Remove from the flame and serve.

                                                                

Peas and Chickpeas Kurma & New Year Wishes

Hello Friends,

I know it's late but let me start with a Lovely New Year Wishes. Hope you all had a great start with yummy recipes. I wish you all a Healthy and Prosperous New Year.

Peas and Chickpeas Kurma :

By now everyone must be familiar with the Famous event happening every month in Viji's Virundhu unna vaanga space, "SYS-W Show Me Your Styles To World". Every month two ingredients has been selected by us in an interesting way. This month I got Peas and Chickpeas as my main ingredients so tried this Nutritious and flavorful Kurma.  

Ingredients :

• 1/2 Cup Dried peas
• 1/2 Cup Dried Chickpeas
• 3 Big onions, finely chopped
• 2 Tbsp Oil
• 1 Bay leaf
• 2 Star Anise
• 1 Elachi
• 1 inch Cinnamon
• 1 tsp Saunf
• 1 Tsp Chilli powder
• 1/2 Tsp Turmeric powder
• 1 Tsp Garam masala
• Salt to taste
• Few chopped Coriander leaves for Garnishing

To paste:

• 1/4 Cup coconut grated
• 1 Tbsp Roasted gram

To paste :

• 2 Tomatoes, chopped
• 3- 4 Green chillies, chopped
• 1/2 inch ginger
• 8 Garlic cloves, peeled

Method:

Soak peas and chickpeas overnight and pressure cook it for 4 whistles or till it becomes soft.

Heat oil in a pan and add the masala items ( Bay leaf, star anise, cinnamon and Saunf).

Add finely chopped onions and saute well till its turns translucent.

Add the ground tomato paste and saute for 5 minutes or till the raw smells goes off.

Now add all the powders (Turmeric powder, Garam masala, chilli powder and Salt ).

Mix well and add the cooked peas and chickpeas.

Add little water and cook for 5 minutes in a medium flame.



Meanwhile grind coconut and roasted gram.



Add it to the curry and mix well. Cook them for couple of minutes and remove from the flame.



Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.

Serving Options :

Serve with hot Indian breads and Rice.

Linking this recipe with Viji's SYS- W Series - Show me your styles to the world.

Cooksjoy's New "U"

Am back with a Yummy Sweet Recipe for SNC Celebration - Mysore Pak

Hi Dears....

Back to my favorite world of Blogging after a long break because of my bro’s wedding, which happened on September month. Had a great lovely time for 3 months in shopping, invitation distribution, parties, wedding ceremony and Reception. Unfortunately my break continued all these months because of my leg injury which happened last month and still suffering :( Really missed my cooking and blogging all these days…

Hopefully I should be back to normal in few days and start my regular cooking. Have to thank my mom and cousin sister who took great care of me all these days. I really feel blessed with the beautiful people around and have to thank few of my blogger friends too who encouraged me with their supportive words when I was down and completely lost.

The one which I missed a lot all these days is SNC Challenge by divya pramil. Every 1^st of month will be very interesting and excited to know our challenge recipe.. Time really flies and its been one year now…And am really very proud and happy to be part of this group. Her recent celebration post was so inspirational to try out all missed out recipes… Really wanted to try all my missed out recipes so far from both teams but unfortunately my health did not co-operate. Still I did not want to miss the golden opportunity so tried the ever first snc challenge and sweet recipe “mysore pak” from divya’s culinary kitchen. It’s a south Indian recipe but still I wanted to try it out for my hubby who loves this sweet very much.

And the first thing I got amazed from the SNC Challenge is Divya's Patience. I just love the way she succeeding her event and I wish her all the very best and wish to have an SNC Meet after completing our SNC 2nd Anniversary :)

Hope to continue my challenge from this month.... Thanks all for being so kind and I request you all to continue the same support as you all did.

Happy Anniversary "SNC" and its celebration Time with Yummy melting Mysore Pak !

Ingredients :

Besan/ Gram flour - 1/2 cup

Oil - 1/4 cup

Sugar - 1 cup

Water - 1/2 cup

Ghee - 1/2 cup (approximately)

Method:

Grease the plate with ghee and keep aside.

Mix oil and besan without any lump.

In a pan, mix sugar and water. Boil them to get the required consistency of syrup. When you drop syrup in a bowl of water, the syrup should not get dissolved.

Now add the besan mixture to the sugar syrup and mix well.

Stir continuous to avoid the formation of lumps.

Add ghee little by little and continue stirring till the mixture changes in texture and color. And the mixture should start leaving the edges.

Transfer the mixture to the greased plate and cut in to desired shape when it is warm.

Cool and store it in a air tight container.

Are you interested in participating in our SNC family....??

Just click HERE.