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Thursday, January 22, 2015

CORNMEAL RAM KHICHRI - NO ONION NO GARLIC (GUJARATI STYLE)

CORNMEAL RAM KHICHRI - NO ONION NO GARLIC (GUJARATI STYLE)

Ram khichri is an easy to make, wholesome meal from Gujarat, made with rice and moong dhal . I have tried it with cornmeal, which doesn't need any side dish. However, it can be served with pickle, curd or any chutney.

INGREDIENTS:

Corn meal - 1/2 cup

Moong dhal - 1/2 cup
Water - 3 1/2 cups
Mixed vegetables ( Beans, carrot, shelled peas) - 1 cup

Chopped tomato - 1
Grated ginger - 1/2 tsp.
Green chillies - 1 finely chopped
Pepper jeera powder - 2 teaspoons
Cloves - 3
Cinnamon stick - 1" piece - 1
Turmeric powder - 1/8 tsp.
Salt - to taste
Hing (asafoetida) - a pinch
Curry leaves - few

Coriander leaves - few
Ghee - 3 tablespoons
Oil - 2 tablespoons
Cashews - 2 tsp. (broken)

METHOD:

Dry roast until hot and soak corn meal in hot water for 15 minutes. 


After 15 minutes, drain the water. Pressure cook cornmeal & dhal (ratio cornmeal+dhal:water is 1:3 1/2) without adding salt. Mash well.

In a pan, heat a spoon of ghee and fry cashews until golden brown. Keep aside.

In the same pan, heat oil, add mustard seeds, cinnamon, cloves, curry leaves, grated ginger, chopped green chillies and hing. Saute for 10 seconds and add the chopped vegetables, chopped tomato, little salt, turmeric powder and saute well till done. Add pepper-jeera powder and saute for one more minute. Add these over the cooked cornmeal. Add some more salt for cooked cornmeal and mix well. Add fried cashews and coriander leaves. Mix well. Top with melted ghee while serving. Serve hot with any chutney or sambhar of your choice or pickle or fresh curd.


NOTE: As cornmeal is gluten free, eat while hot, else it will become dry.

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

KUTHIRAIVALI(BARNYARD MILLET) PANAMKALKANDU BHATH

MILLET RECIPES,KUTHIRAIVALI PANAMKALKANDU BHATH,KUDIRAIVALI PANAMKALKANDU BHATH

This is a tasty, simple and mild sweet with barnyard millet, slightly different from Akkaravadisal and Sakkarai pongal. I tried the  same method as kalkandu bhath and substituted panankalkandu instead of kalkandu. It was really  good and a healthy recipe for sure.

INGREDIENTS:

Kudiraivali(Barnyard millet) OR any millet - 1 cup
Panam kalkandu (Palm Sugar candy) - 1 1/2 cup (roughly crushed)
Saffron - 1 pinch
Cashews - 10
Kismis(dry grapes) - 10
Pachaikarpooram - very little
Cardamom - 3 (powdered)
Milk - 4 cups
Ghee - 6 tablespoons


Panamkalkandu (Palm sugar candy)
                                    
METHOD:

Soak saffron in a tablespoon of hot milk. Fry cashews and kismis in a spoon of ghee. Keep aside.

Clean and wash the millets. Drain the water completely. Pressure cook barnyard millet in milk for 4 whistles. While hot, mash it well. Add panankalkandu and mix well on stove.
 Its not necessary to powder the panam kalkandu. It automatically dissolves in a few minutes on heat. While mixing the texture becomes watery, do not panic, it will thicken when warm. 

Now add 1/2 of the ghee and stir for a while. Add powdered cardamom, saffron and pachaikarpooram. Add in the remaining ghee. Mix well. Garnish with ghee-fried cashews and kismis.

NOTE: The dish should be semi-solid and more milk can be added to get the desired consistency.

Monday, January 12, 2015

VARAGU (KODO MILLET) MORAPPAM / VARAGU MOR APPAM (KERALA STYLE)

MILELT RECIPES, MILLET MORAPPAM, MILLET MOR APPAM, MORAPPAM , VARAGU MORAPPAM / VARAGU MOR APPAM (KERALA STYLE)

Varagu or varagu arisi named Kodo millet in english is a healthy substitute for rice. This varagarisi can be substituted for all recipes  which is done  by rice.

INGREDIENTS:

For the batter:

Varagu (Kodo millet) OR Any millet - 1 1/2 cups
Urad dhal - 1/2 cup

Gram dhal (kadalai paruppu) - 1 teaspoon
Methi seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Javvarisi OR Poha - 2 tablespoons
Curd - 1/4 cup
Fried mor milagai powder - 2 teaspoons (optional)
Salt - to taste
Oil - for frying
To temper: 

Scraped coconut - 1/4 cup 
Mustard seeds – 1/8 teaspoon 
Urad dal split - 1/4 teaspoon
Curry leaves - finely cut - a sprig
Green chillies – finely chopped – 1/2 teaspoon 

Oil – 1 teaspoon

METHOD:

Soak rice, methi seeds, javvarisi and dhals in water for 3 hours. (
If using poha, soak it separately for half an hour.) Grind it to a thick batter. Add salt. Allow it to ferment for 5-6 hours. 

Fry some mor milagai in oil until dark brown,  crush coarsely with  your hands OR powder  in a mixie and keep aside. 

Just before making the morappams, add curd, mor milagai powder (if using) and mix well. 

In a kadai, pour little oil, add mustard seeds, urad dal, and when they turn golden brown, add curry leaves, green chillies and scraped coconut fry for a minute and add to the batter. Mix well.

Heat a paniyaram mould, drop in a spoon of oil and pour the batter in each dent, little more than 3/4th. Simmer the stove, cook covered for 2 minutes, turn to the other side and fry unitl golden brown. Cook until crispy. Take it out from the mould with the help of the stick. Serve hot with chutney Dosa molagaa podi or anything of your choice. 
Variations:

1. This can be done using the batter alone. (for small children)

2. This can be done using finely chopped onions, carrots, cabbage etc. After tempering, saute onions and finely chopped vegetables 
for two minutes and then follow the other steps.

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

MIXED MILLETS SWEET APPAM / MIXED MILLETS SWEET PANIYARAM / MIXED MILLETS NEIYAPPAM / MIXED MILLETS UNNIYAPPAM


INGREDIENTS:

Mixed millet flour OR any millet flour - 3/4 cup
Jaggery crushed - little less than 3/4 cup
Dry ginger powder (sukku podi) - 1/4 tsp.
Curd  - 1 tablespoon 
Cardamom powdered - 1/4 tsp.
Chopped coconuts - 2 tsp.
Ghee / Oil - for deep frying

METHOD:

Fry the coconut pieces in ghee. Mix all the ingredients well. Add water little by little and whisk well to form a batter. The batter consistency should be semi thick(not too thin or too thick). Keep aside for 2 to 3 hrs.  Heat a paniyaram mould, drop in a spoon of ghee and pour the batter in each dent, little more than 3/4th. Simmer the stove, cook covred for 2 minutes, turn to the other side and fry unitl golden brown.

TIPS: Adding curd gives the airy holes and soft appams.  

NOTE: Millets flour are available at stores. Alternatively you can mix 1/4 kg.each of any millets of your choice and grind to a flour in a flour mill.

Saturday, January 3, 2015

EZHU KARI KOOTU / THALAGAM / MIXED VEGETABLE KOOTU

EZHU KARI KOOTU, THALAGAM, MIXED VEGETABLE KOOTU, THIRUVADIRAI KALI AND KOOTU, HOW TO MAKE THIRUVADIRAI KALI AND KOOTU

On thiruvadirai star of Margazhi month, Kali and ezhu kari kootu is made and offered to the Lord and consumed as prasadam. Ezhu kari kootu should have atleast 7 vegetables in it. Though it is named ezhu kari kootu, we end up with more than 7 vegetables. Vegetables like ash gourd, pumpkin, raw banana, colocasia, broad beans, fresh field beans(is a must), yam, cluster beans, sweet potato, snake gourd etc. are used. The seasonal vegetables during this time is kavathankizhangu ( I think it is purple yam in english, not sure.. and vetrilaivalli in Tamil. காவத்து in coimbatore area and வெà®±்à®±ிலைவள்ளி in Chennai side) and koorkankizhangu (chinese potato), which gives a great taste to this kootu. Usually odd number of vegetables like 7, 9, 11 etc. are used.

It is customary, vegetables like drumstick, ridge gourd, radish, capsicum and bottlegourd, needless to say onions and garlic are not used in this kootu while doing on festival days. Traditionally, beans, carrot and potatoes are also not used. However, you can use any vegetables while doing it on other days.

INGREDIENTS:

Mixed vegetables:
Pooshani (Ash gourd) - 100 gms
Avarakkai (Broad beans) - 50 gms
Parangikai (Pumpkin) - 50 gms.
Senaikkizhangu (Elephant yam) - 1 small piece
Vazhakkai(Raw banana) - 1
Saembu (Colocasia) - 5 or 6

Brinjal - 2
Fresh field beans (Pachai mochai) - fistful (A must)

Koorka (chinese potato) - 6
Kavathankizhangu (greater yam) - 1 small piece
Toor dhal - 1/2 cup
Tamarind - a big lemon sized ball
Green chillies - 2
Scraped coconut - 1/2 cup
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp.
Oil - 2 tablespoons
Salt - to taste

To powder:
Coriander seeds - 2 tablespoons
Bengal gram - 1 tsp.
Methi seeds - 1/4 tsp.
Dry red chillies - 2
Hing

To temper:
Coconut oil – 1 tsp
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Urad dal – 2 tsp
Curry leaves – a sprig

METHOD:

Pressure cook toor dhal with turmeric , mash well and keep aside. Cook colocasia, peel and keep aside.

Extract pulp from the tamarind. Cut ash gourd, pumpkin and raw banana to big cubes. Cut other vegetables to finger-long pieces. Slit green chillies.

In a pan, heat a teaspoon of oil and add the items given in the list" To Powder" and fry until golden brown. When cool, add coconut and powder coarsely OR grind to a coarse paste, in a mixie. Keep aside.

In the same pan, heat the remaining oil , add mustard seeds , slit green chillies and curry leaves. Then add all the vegetables, turmeric powder and stir fry for 2 minutes. Add required amount of salt, pour in 1/2 cup of water and cover it with a lid. When half done add the tamarind extract and let it boil until the raw smell of the tamarind goes. Now add the mashed dhal, mix well and allow it boil until cooked. Add the ground powder, mix well and bring it to a boil. Best with Thiruvadirai Kali.

Friday, January 2, 2015

THIRUVADIRAI KALI



On thiruvadirai star of Margazhi month, Kali and ezhu kari kootu is made and offered to the Lord and consumed as prasadam.

INGREDIENTS:

Raw rice - 1/2 cup
Moong dhal - 1 tablespoon
Scraped coconut - 2 tablespoons
Crushed jaggery - 1 cup
Cardamom powder - a pinch
Ghee - 2 tablespoons
Ghee fried cashews - few
Water - 2 1/2 cups (Rice :Water ratio = 1: 2 1/2 )

METHOD:

Wash the rice, drain water completely, pat it dry with a clean towel.Heat a pan and dry roast rice until golden brown. Keep aside. In the same pan dry roast  moong dhal until golden brown. When cool, pound rice and dhal in a mixie to rava consistency.

Crush jaggery. Heat a pan, add little water and add the jaggery. When it dissolves, strain and remove the impurities. Pour it in the same pan. When it boils add a teaspoon of ghee. Now add the rice, dhal mixture and stir well without any lumps. Add scraped coconut, cardamom powder and the remaining ghee. Mix well and pressure cook for 3 whistles. Alternatively, you can cook it covered in the pan itself, in low flame, stirring frequently. When done, add ghee fried cashews, mix well and offer it to the Lord alongwith Ezhu Kari Koottu (Thalagam).


Variations: Dhal can be cooked separately like sundal consistency (not mushy) and added.