IDLI MILAGAI PODI WITH GARLIC | IDLI PODI RECIPE WITH GARLIC

This is my mom's idli milagai podi recipe with garlic. I love this idli podi. I like the one with sesame seeds as well. But my husband & my daughter likes idli podi with garlic. I learnt this recipe from my mom.When I was in school and college, I used to carry mostly idli or dosa with this podi for lunch . I love to eat this more than rice varieties. My doter is also the same like me . I’ll soon post my favourite sesame seeds/ Ellu version with dal . Please refer notes section for variations..

INGREDIENTS
1 cup - 250ml

White round urad dal – 1/2 cup Chana dal – 1/4 cup Red chillies – 15-20 nos Hing/Asafetida – 1/4 tsp Garlic cloves – 12 nos (Peel the skin & chop into small pieces) Curry leaves - few Salt – As needed Cooking oil – 2 tsp

METHOD

Heat a kadai with 2 tsp of oil and roast the dals adding hing till u get a nice golden color & aroma.Add few curry leaves at the end and saute well. Remove the dals in a plate. In the same kadai , roast the red chillies. in medium flame till it becomes crispy. Make sure you don’t burn them. Once everything cools down, grind it to a coarse powder running twice. Then add the salt & peeled ,chopped garlic pieces.Grind it again to make a slightly coarse or fine powder as you like. Store in an air-tight box and enjoy with idli/dosa ! It stays good for 2 weeks with nice garlic flavor.

Garlic flavoured idli podi is ready !! Add sesame oil while serving.

NOTE

• Adjust the amount of red chillies based on ur taste.
• Garlic pieces will be ground well even when u add at the end. If u want, u can add it along with dals & red chillies.
• My mil makes the same podi adding hing alone. It also tastes good. Try for variation.Add more hing when u try this version.
• Sometimes I add few curry leaves while frying the dals which gives a nice flavour.

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Sweet Pongal Recipe In Pot - How To Make Sakkarai Pongal in Paanai(Traditional Method)

In this post, let's see how to make sakkarai pongal in a pot/ Pongal paanai. Hope you all had a great pongal celebration yesterday. I too had a good time in my in-laws house and we celebrated very well. I wanted to post our sakkarai pongal recipe in pot ( Pongal paanai) for a long time. This is our traditional method of making sweet pongal for Pongal festival. I think its is the right time to post this recipe along with some pictures of pongal celebration in my house. This year my sweet pongal turned out very tasty , flavourful and soft.. It tasted great even the next day after reheating. 

I’ve given the step by step pictures and video for making pongal traditionally in a pot / venkala paanai. U can do the pongal in pressure cooker or Mann paanai/ clay pot too. The quantity of ingredients I’ve given is the same for both except water quantity. The amount of water may vary for cooking in aluminium or brass pot and the cooking time also differs. In pressure cooker, you can make it fast.. In Tamil Nadu, we get pongal arisi and paagu vellam during this time and we used to buy that for making pongal.

 In bangalore , I buy good quality sona masoori raw rice and I make sure to buy dark colored jaggery to get a nice color of pongal. So the color of pongal may vary depending the color of jaggery you use. The water quantity may also vary depending on the quality of rice. I’ve tried to approximate the water quantity as per the rice varieties i used. Lets see the Tamil nadu traditional method of making sweet pongal in a pot !

sweet pongal in pot

INGREDIENTS
1 cup - 250ml 

Raw rice/ Sona masoori – 1 cup Yellow Moong dal – 2 tbsp  Raw Milk – 1/2 cup ( Unboiled , fresh milk) Water – 4-5 cups (Water quantity varies as per pot size) Salt – A pinch Jaggery – 1-1.25 cups (based on the sweetness) Ghee – 4 tbsp Cashews and dry grapes– few nos Elachi/ cardamom seeds– 3-4 nos Cloves – 3 nos Edible camphor – A pinch Jaathikai -  A pinch ( take a small piece , roast in ghee and crush it before adding)

HOW TO MAKE SWEET PONGAL IN POT - METHOD

In a kadai , dry roast moong dal for few minutes till you get a nice aroma and golden brown in color.Mix the rice and roasted dal. Wash , drain the water. Add milk and water to the aluminium or brass vessel/ venkala paanai. When it starts boiling over and after it raises to the rim of the pot and spills a bit, Shout out "Pongalo Pongal". Simmer the flame and add the washed rice, dal mixture & a pinch of salt.  Remove the excess water and keep it in a bowl. Add this water whenever needed. Cover the vessel with a lid and cook the rice in medium flame OR if using pressure cooker, cook for 4-5 whistles till it rice is cooked well. In the mean time , grate the jaggery and keep it ready. After rice is cooked well, open the cooker/vessel , mash it well & add the jaggery and mix well till the jaggery melts and allow it to boil in low flame. You can also boil and melt the jaggery in water. Strain the syrup and add to pongal. Add a tbsp of ghee to avoid the pongal sticking to the bottom ..Make sure it doesn’t get burnt..Give a nice boil in low to medium flame. Keep mixing. After the raw smell of jaggery emanates, switch off the flame. Please make sure the pongal has slight moisture content when you switch off the flame. ( i.e it should be slightly watery n mushy. Don’t make it very thick .) This is very important .. Once it cools down , the consistency will be correct else it will  become very hard. If you feel , all the water is absorbed and if it looks dry , add little boiled milk or coconut milk , Mix well and switch off the flame. In a frying pan , add a tsp of ghee and roast the cloves & cardamom seeds, jaathikai. Crush it & add to pongal. Mix well. Again heat 3 tbsp of ghee in the pan and roast the cashews, dry grapes till golden brown. Add it to the pongal with ghee. Add a pinch of edible camphor powder. All these ingredients helps to give temple style sweet pongal flavor. Mix well before serving.Yummy , flavourful pongal is ready !!

NOTE

Adding milk is optional. U can make only adding water. If you want milk version, add only milk instead of water. Make sure the rice and dal is cooked perfectly( should be mushy) before adding jaggery else rice will be visible and separate. Adding more ghee makes it more rich n tasty. Adding nutmeg & edible camphor is purely optional. But adding them enhances the flavour for sure and gives a temple touch.

Last but not the least , here are some pictures of pongal celebration in our house.

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LEMON AVAL | LEMON POHA – BREAKFAST RECIPES

This is a simple & healthy breakfast recipe which comes to my mind when I run short of idli/dosa batter.
I make this at least once in a week either for breakfast or for dinner. We like this very much. We usually have this topped with sesame oil. I learnt this recipe from my MIL.It can be made in jiffy..If u want to make it fluffy , please add the water quantity which I mentioned in ingredients. Add more water to make it mushy.

INGREDIENTS

Thick Aval / Thick poha – 2 cups Lemon juice – 4 tbsp ( adjust acc to tanginess of lemon) Water – 1.5 cups Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp Curry leaves – few Asafetida / Hing – 1/2 tsp Salt – as needed To temper Sesame / gingelly oil – 2 tbsp Mustard seeds – 1 tsp Urad dal – 2 tsp Channa dal – 2 tbsp Red chillies – 2 nos Green chillies – 2 nos Coriander leaves – To garnish (optional)

METHOD

Wash the poha once or twice to remove the debris and drain the water. In a wide bowl take the poha & add lemon juice , salt , turmeric powder , hing and curry leaves. Add the mentioned amount of water ( OR ) water to soak the poha (  i.e the level of water should be 1/2 inch above poha)..Let it soak for 30 minutes. Then in a kadai , heat oil and temper with the above given ingredients in the same order. Finally add the soaked poha and mix well using a fork like ladle to avoid turning mushy. Cover & cook for 5 minutes. Serve hot. Add sesame oil before serving and enjoy!!

NOTE

Sesame oil is a must for this recipe as it gives a nice smell & taste to this recipe. It is also good for health. U can also add roasted ground nuts for crunchy taste while tempering. Please adjust the amount of lemon juice based on the tanginess of lemon. U can always add any time (even after cooking) if u require. It will be initially tangy to eat but it levels down after it is warm.. Adding coriander leaves is completely optional.

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METHI PARATHA | THEPLA

I rarely make stuffed chapathi for dinner. Though i know its very easy n quick to make , i am not doing this often.At least this year i should try more varieties n post here.Nowadays i make thepla often in my kitchen as it is the only dish i know with methi leaves;).I don't saute the leaves as it loses its nutrients.So i chop the leaves finely and add as it is.I use buttermilk instead of water as it gives mild tangy & softness to the thepla.Do try this recipe.It comes out very soft & tastes great with a simple onion raita !

INGREDIENTS
1 cup - 200ml

Wheat flour – 1 cup Methi leaves – 1/2 cup Buttermilk- as needed Jeera OR ajwain seeds – 1/2 tsp Red chilli powder – 1 tsp Dhania powder – 3/4 tsp Garam masala powder – 1/2 - 3/4 tsp Salt – As needed Cooking oil - 1 tbsp

METHOD

Remove the leaves , wash it and chop roughly. Set aside.Whisk 2 tbsp of curd in 1/2 cup of water to make buttermilk. In a wide bowl,take the flour , leaves ,cumin seeds or ajwain , red chilli powder , dhania powder , garam masala powder & salt. Mix it well. Then add the required buttermilk and a tbsp of oil to make a soft , pliable dough. Set aside for 30 mins.Then knead again for few minutes and make small balls of even size . Roll it to make a thin roti.Dust in the flour whenever necessary.Instead of rolling it , i used to pat it thin in a polythene sheet greased with oil. I have showed both the ways in pictures. Cook both sides adding little oil ..Soft n yummy theplas are ready to eat !! Serve hot with raita & pickle ..

Note

• For variations , we can saute the methi leaves till it shrinks in size & then add to flour.
• Sambar powder can used instead of red chilli pwd & dhania powder. Add 2 tsp of sambar powder for the above recipe.

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TOMATO CHUTNEY FOR IDLI/DOSA

I tried this recipe from jey's blog..I usually make tomato chutney using chana dal .This recipe is also similar to that but she used fried gram dal and garlic which made me to give a try. It was very nice with idli. . As i had less onions in my pantry , i used more tomatoes & less onion. The actual recipe suggested to use equal number of onions & tomatoes.Try any based on ur liking.

INGREDIENTS

Tomato – 2 nos Big onion – 1 no Red chillies – 4 - 5 nos ( for less spice , use 3) Fried gram dal / Pottukadalai – 2 tbsp Garlic cloves – 4 nos Salt & water – As needed To temper Cooking oil – 1 tsp Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp Urad dal – 1/2 tsp Curry leaves - few

METHOD

Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a kadai and add the red chillies & garlic flakes.saute well and then add the sliced onions. Saute until the onions turn transparent.Then add the chopped tomatoes.Saute till tomato turns mushy. Add salt for quick saute. At last add the fried gram dal and switch off the flame. Grind to a smooth paste and temper with ingredients given above. Serve with hot idlies !!

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MASALA TEA RECIPE WITH JAGGERY | INDIAN MASALA CHAI RECIPE

Let me start this new year briskly with a masala tea post . Have you ever tried a masala chai adding jaggery instead of sugar ? This is the first time i am trying this way. I got this recipe from a cookbook. I simply loved its taste & aroma with all the spices in it. If you want , you can always replace the jaggery with sugar or honey as per your choice. Some people prefer less milk in tea. Some may like with half & half milk and water. I used more water & less milk. Adjust the quantity of milk & water as per your liking.Do try this tea , you’ll love it for sure.Lets see Indian style masala chai with jaggery with step by step pictures.

INGREDIENTS
1 cup - 240ml

Water – 1 cup Boiled milk – 1/2 cup (adjust) Tea powder – 1 tsp (I used 3 roses brand) Fennel seeds – 1/4 tsp Cinnamon – 1 inch piece Cloves – 2 nos Cardamom – 2 nos ( Open it & add seeds) Ginger – 1/2 tbsp OR 1/2 inch (crush it slightly) Jaggery – 1 tbsp OR Sugar - 2 tsp (adjust) Pepper corns -  2 nos (crushed)

METHOD

Boil water in a pan and when it starts boiling , add all the spices by crushing it slightly. Allow it to roll boil. After 3-4 mins, add the jaggery. When the jaggery is completely melted , add tea powder. As soon as you add the tea powder, water will rise. Simmer the flame & bring it to boil. Lower the flame completely. Then add milk and boil in very low flame till you get a nice color..Strain and enjoy with your favourite snacks !

NOTE

• For masala chai powder : Grind 1 inch cinnamon , 3 cloves , 3-4 cardamom , A pinch of nutmeg ,10 pepper corns , 1/2 tsp of dry ginger powder & 1/4 tsp of fennel seeds(if u like) to a fine powder , sieve & store in an air tight box..Use whenever required.

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