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April 14, 2013

PANAKAM, NEER MOR RECIPE | RAMANAVAMI, TAMIL NEW YEAR RECIPES

Panakam recipe

We make panagam for Rama navami and Tamil new year. Its a very flavourful , delicious  and a healthy drink. Its a mix of flavourful spices like cardamom , edible camphor , dry ginger powder and cloves sweetened with jaggery .  Neer mor is nothing but spiced buttermilk.. 

We make this on Rama navami and Tamil new year day and offer to god. I learnt both these recipes from my MIL. She prepares these drinks well in advance ( 2-3 hrs before drinking) so that all the flavours gets infused into the water and it will be very tasty while drinking.. So I too follow the same way and I make panakam at night for the next day consumption.. Neer more tastes the best when you make it at least two hours before drinking.. Keep it in refrigerator and serve chilled during summer !



INGREDIENTS
 1 cup - 240ml
  • Water – 1 cup
  • Powdered jaggery – 3 tbsp
  • Cardamom – 2 nos
  • Cloves – 1 or 2 nos
  • Dry ginger powder – 1/4 tsp
  • Edible camphor – A pinch
  • Tulsi leaves – few (optional)
  • Tamarind -  1 seed ( very small piece, soak & add the extract) OR Lemon juice - Few drops
  • Salt – A pinch

Panakam ingredients

METHOD
  • Crush the cardamom with skin and cloves slightly and add them to a cup of water. Soak a small piece of tamarind and add the extract to the water. Instead of tamarind extract, you can add lemon juice.
  • Then add the powdered jaggery , salt , edible camphor , tulsi leaves and mix well. Let it stay for an hour. Then filter the water and drink..
Enjoy !
panakam - spoon

NEER MOR

Neer mor 1

INGREDIENTS
1 cup - 240ml
  • Curd / yoghurt – 1/2 cup
  • Water – 1.5 – 2 cups
  • Ginger – 1/2 inch piece
  • Green chilli – 1 no (small, finely chopped)
  • Chopped Curry leaves – few
  • Chopped Coriander leaves - few
  • Salt – As needed
To temper
  • Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
  • Hing / Asafetida – A big pinch
METHOD
  • Whisk curd & water adding salt. Set aside..Now add the chopped curry leaves , coriander leaves.
  • Crush the ginger and green chilli . Add to buttermilk..Temper with mustard seeds and hing. Mix well and enjoy !


Neer mor


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April 11, 2013

Tomato Onion Chutney Recipe ( For Idli, dosa)

ONION -TOMATO CHUTNEY

I tried this onion tomato chutney recipe for kushboo idli from Nags space. It was tasting great. Sendhil loved it a lot and had two more idlies Winking smile. Thank u Nags Smile .Its a very simple recipe. I make a similar tomato chutney but i don’t add garlic.The addition of garlic gave a nice flavour to the chutney. Do try this simple n delicious chutney recipe for ur breakfast . I have made a short video for this chutney recipe. Do check it below :)


onion tomato chutney

Onion tomato chutney


Onion tomato chutney Yummy onion tomato chutney recipe for idli dosa
Cuisine: Indian
Category: Chutney
Serves: Serves 2
Prep time: 5 Minutes
Cook time: 15 Minutes
Total time: 20 Minutes


INGREDIENTS

  • Tomato – 2 nos ( use 2 if very small & 1 no if tomato is big)
  • Big onion – 2 no
  • Red chillies – 4-6 nos
  • Garlic cloves – 3 nos
  • Asafetida / Hing – A pinch
  • Salt & water – As needed
  • Cooking oil – 2 tbsp
To temper ( optional)
  • Cooking oil - 1 tsp
  • Mustards seeds - 1/2 tsp
  • Urad dal - 1/2 tsp
  • Hing/Asafetida - a big pinch
METHOD

  • In a pan heat oil and saute the red chillies , garlic and onion till they turn golden brown. Then add the tomatoes and saute till mushy. Add salt while sautéing to make it fast..
  • After it cools down, grind them to a paste adding hing and water.. Enjoy with idli , dosa !!

Tomato onion chutney tile


Note

    For variations try adding small onions instead of big ones to make it more tasty. U can also try this chutney adding tamarind in place of tomatoes.
Enjoy this yummy chutney with kushboo idli Smile

tomato chutney plate
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April 10, 2013

UGADI PACHADI,OBBATTU - UGADI RECIPES

Obbattu recipe
I wish all my friends a very happy Ugadi. Though we don’t celebrate this festival at home , I love Ugadi pachadi and poli with coconut stuffing.. We tamilians celebrate Tamil new year which falls on 14th of this month. We prepare Mango pachadi and rice payasam along with other lunch recipes. My friends here and in Andhra celebrate this festival in a grand manner. I asked them about their lunch menu for ugadi and they gave me a big list.  But I thought of trying this famous ugadi pachadi and obbatu recipe among them. I got these recipes from my friend Megha. She said obattu and ugadi pachadi will be in their menu for sure.. Other than this they prepare Mango rice / puliohara , Vada, sambar , Sundal ,chitranna ( Variety rice) and it goes on.

I’ll start with Ugadi pachadi. Its the easiest pachadi I’ve ever made. We too make mango pachadi on Tamil new year day but its a bit time consuming process. But this recipe needs no cooking. Its a mixture of 6 tastes that signifies all kinds of emotions in life i.e sweet , salt , spice , sour, tangy and bitter.. I liked it very much. Adjust the quantity of ingredients based on your liking. I have also shared bobbatlu / obbattu recipe with step by step pictures. Do try these recipes and enjoy the Ugadi festival !

ugadi pachadi

INGREDIENTS
1 cup -250ml
  • Raw mango – 1/4 cup
  • Grated jaggery – 3 tbsp
  • Tamarind – Big gooseberry size or 2 tsp extract
  • Red chilli powder – 1 tsp
  • Crushed Neem flower – 1 tbsp (I used dried one, fresh would be fine)
  • Coconut bits – 1 tbsp (optional)
  • Water – as needed
  • Salt – little

Ugadi pachadi ingredients
HOW TO MAKE UGADI PACHADI - METHOD
  • Wash and chop the raw mango pieces finely. Soak tamarind in water and take the extract ..
  • In a bowl , take the raw mango pieces  , tamarind extract , red chilli powder , grated jaggery , salt, neem flower and mix well.
  • Add little water to adjust the consistency based on your liking..
  • Some like it to have it thick and some likes to be thin. Please add water accordingly.
How to make Ugadi pachadi

OBBATU / BOLI / PURAN POLI/BOBATTU

Click here to see my latest detailed post on Obbattu

Usually I make poli using the left over channa dal puran. Yesterday when I went for shopping I saw a newly opened stall for selling obbattu and other snacks for Ugadi especially.. I bought some to taste. It was very nice. The thing is they make obbattu in front of us and they serve it really hot. So I was able to see how they rolled , the consistency of dough , puran etc. With that help, I tried it. It was very tasty ..We loved it a lot. It came out soft and thin.

Oil is the most important ingredient here. The more oil you add, the more tasty poli.. Use sesame oil / Gingely oil to get a nice taste. So no need to worry about adding more oil as it is is good for health. Also the consistency of dough should be loose.. It should not be sticky, adding more oil make it non sticky. I have tried to give the quantity of water and oil what I used. Try and adjust if more quantity is needed. Keep the dough covered for 1 hour minimum which also helps to get soft poli. I used obbattu sheet to roll them. In india, you can get in all stores. It costs just 2 rs.. If you don’t get it , you can use either banana leaf , ziplock cover or good quality polythene sheet. Grease it with oil and make the shape.



INGREDIENTS

Click here to see my latest detailed post on Obbattu
For dough
  • Maida / All purpose flour – 1 cup
  • Gingely oil/Cooking oil – 1/4 cup + 3 tbsp
  • Water – 1/2 cup (little less , may be 1 tbsp)
  • Salt – 1/4 tsp
  • Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
  • Cooking soda – a pinch (optional)
For stuffing / Puran
  • Grated coconut – 1 cup
  • Grated jaggery – 3/4 – 1 cup
  • Cardamom powder – 1/4 tsp
  • Water – Very little
Poli / Obattu sheet  - 1 no ( cut into round shape)
Ghee – 1 tbsp ( for greasing the poli , optional)

METHOD

Click here to see my latest detailed post on Obbattu
  • In a wide bowl , take the flour , salt , turmeric powder , soda , oil and mix well.Add water and make a sticky dough. Then add 1 tbsp of oil over the dough and knead well for 5 minutes to make the dough non-sticky. Add one more tbsp of oil if necessary. Lastly add 3 tbsp of oil and cover the dough. Keep it covered for minimum of 2 hours to maximum 8 hours. The more time you keep the dough the more soft it would be. Click here to see my latest detailed post on Obbattu
poli tile1
  • Start making puran now. Grate coconut and jaggery. Grind the coconut in Mixie to make it a fine powder. In a non-stick pan, melt the jaggery adding little water just to cover it.. Strain the impurities using a metal strainer if necessary.
poli tile3
poli tile2
  • Again boil the syrup till it becomes frothy and raw smell of jaggery leaves it. It will take 5-8 mins in low flame.. Then add the grated coconut and mix well till it becomes thick.
  • Switch off the flame and add the cardamom powder. Mix well and allow it to cool..
poli tile4
  • Now take the dough, knead well for 10 minutes. The dough should be loose , elastic and pliable. Add more oil if it sticks..
  • Take a small lemon sized ball of dough and equal sized ball of puran. Pat the dough to make a thick small circle and keep the puran in the middle.
poli tile5
  • Bring all the corners to the middle and close the ball. Roll it well.
poli tile6
  • Cut the obbattu sheet into round shape and grease it with oil. Place the ball and press it with your hands to make it very thin. Press it to make it round as per the size of the sheet.
poli tile8
  • Heat dosa tawa , drizzle little oil and put the obbattu along with the sheet and remove the sheet alone in a second . Cook the poli for few seconds , flip it and again cook for another few seconds. Make sure you don’t over cook it. It will be roasted and becomes like an papad. Cooking has to be done very fastly.
poli tile9
  • After removing from the tawa , grease it with ghee for additional taste and flavour.. Enjoy !

Note : After it cools down , you can store them in a box for 2-3 days.

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April 8, 2013

MUSK MELON (CANTALOUPE) JUICE | MULAM PAZHAM(KIRNI PAZHAM) JUICE

Mulam pazham juice

Cantaloupe Or Musk melon in English , Mulam pazham or Kirni pazham in Tamil , Kharbooja in Hindi , kannada – It comes in various colors. But tastes similar..
This is my father’s most favourite summer drinks.When I was a kid , my dad used to buy this juice and compelled to me to try once. But me a stubborn girl , never touched it. Now being a food blogger, I try & taste varieties of food and juices. Earlier I used to have only black grapes and pomegranate.. But now I started to make juice with all seasonal fruits. I wanted to try this musk melon juice for a long time. Recently when I went to my in-laws place, my MIL made this juice for us. For the first time I had that juice and I loved it. Then I felt very bad that I missed this healthy , tasty juice in my childhood days. This is one of the best coolants and thirst quencher for summer. My MIL makes thick juice/ concentrate and stores it for 2-3 days by refrigerating it. She adds ice cold water to adjust the consistency at the time of drinking. Its very easy to make and tastes great.

Mozhampazham juice


INGREDIENTS
  • Mulam pazham / musk melon – 1 no  (Big sized)
  • Sugar or palm jaggery or honey – 1/4 cup (adjust as per taste)
  • Water – 2 cups

METHOD
  • Wash and remove the outer skin of musk melon using a knife or aruvaamanai.( we use aruvamanai) .
kirni juice1
  • Cut them in to four halves and remove all the seeds using a spoon or ladle..
kirni juice tile2
  • Now chop them into cube sized pieces. Add sugar and grind well to a smooth paste. Add the required water as per the desired consistency and store in a bottle.
kirni juice tile3
  • Refrigerate it . Add ice cold water , mix well , adjust sugar / jaggery and drink when needed !!


musk melon

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April 7, 2013

THENGAI SADAM | COCONUT RICE


coconut rice

Thengai sadam/Coconut rice is Sendhil's favourite rice variety.I am not a big fan of this rice . So I make this only for my husband..Its very easy to make and very flavourful too..My Mom & MIL makes it very well.They make in a slightly different way.My MIL adds lot of soaked & roasted urad dal. But my mom adds roasted urad and channa dal without soaking them.I combine both their methods and it comes out very tasty.When u make this rice , ur house will be filled with nice aroma of coconut oil. The roasted smell of coconut , crunchy urad and channa dal, nice flavour of ginger and coconut oil  are the highlights of this rice. Smile.Over to the recipe,

coconut rice1

INGREDIENTS
  • Cooked rice – 1/2 cup ( Boiled rice or raw rice would be fine)
  • Grated coconut – 1/2 cup
  • Salt – As needed
To temper
  • Coconut oil – 2 tbsp
  • Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
  • Urad dal – 2 tbsp (soak for 30 minutes – optional)
  • Channa dal – 1 tbsp
  • Jeera / Cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp
  • Red chillies – 1 no
  • Green chillies – 1 no
  • Finely chopped Ginger – 1 – 2  tsp
  • Curry leaves – few
Ghee – 1 tsp
Cashews – 5 nos

METHOD
  • Cook the rice adding 1:2 rice n water till fluffy .Add a tsp of oil or ghee while u cook the rice to get it separate and fluffy.Spread the cooked rice in a plate..
  • In a kadai , heat coconut oil and temper all the items given under “ To temper” in the same order..Then add the grated coconut ,salt and mix well.. Roast everything in a low flame till u get a nice aroma of dals and coconut.But roast the coconut without changing its color.
COCOnut rice tile
  • Finally add the mixture to the cooked rice ,check for salt ..
  • Roast the cashews in a tsp of ghee and  add to the rice.Mix well.
coconut rice tile1
  • Serve !!

Note My MIL makes it in a slightly different method by soaking the urad dal for 1 hour and roast them till golden brown and proceed in the above mentioned way. I too follow this method sometime. But when i forget to soak the dal , i use the above method. Both of them tastes ‘very nice.Do try any based on ur liking and the preparation time Smile .. Please don’t skip adding ginger . It adds a nice flavour to the rice and it helps for digestion as well..

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April 1, 2013

PEPPER PULIYODHARAI | MILAGU PULIYODHARAI


pepper puli sadham
I wanted to try this pepper puliodharai recipe for long time. I usually follow my MIL’s method for making tamarind rice / puliyodharai . It comes out very well. This time I tried the same recipe with pepper. 

As I mentioned in my pepper idli post, my hubby is very much fond of pepper dishes.. So I tried this pepper puliogare on my own.. It came out very well. It had a nice flavour of pepper in it. I packed it for my hubby’s lunch box. He liked it very much. There is no much difference in the method and the ingredients.

U can prepare the paste the previous night and make the rice the next day.  Adjust the amount of pepper powder based on your taste. This paste stays well for 1 week even without refrigeration.  I also feel for making puliyodharai, mixing the paste in raw rice or boiled rice tastes well more than basmati. Add few tsps of sesame oil / gingely oil while mixing the rice & paste to get the additional flavour and taste. As we all know, this rice is apt for travel too.

Pepper puliogare

INGREDIENTS
1 cup - 250ml
Serves 2 people
  • Rice – 1/2 cup ( Raw rice or boiled rice)
  • Tamarind -  Medium gooseberry size
  • Jaggery – A small piece
  • Salt , water – As needed
To roast & grind
  • Oil – 1/2 tsp
  • Methi seeds – 1/2 tsp
  • Pepper corns – 1 tsp
  • Chana dal – 1 tsp
  • Hing/Asafetida -  A big pinch
To saute
  • Gingely oil – 2 tbsp
  • Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
  • Urad dal – 2 tsp
  • Chana dal – 1 tbsp
  • Red chillies – 2 nos (pinched)
  • Curry leaves – few
  • Hing /Asafetida-A pinch
Crushed Pepper powder – 1.5 tsp
Sesame oil /Gingely oil – 1 –2 tbsp

HOW TO MAKE PEPPER TAMARIND RICE
  • Pressure cook the rice and spread in a plate adding a tbsp of gingely oil. Let the rice cools down and becomes fluffy.
  • Soak tamarind in warm water for 20 minutes and take the extract adding 2 cups of water.
  • Heat gingely oil in a pan and temper mustard, urad dal, chana dal, red chillies, curry leaves, hing. Saute well. Now add the tamarind extract, salt, turmeric powder, little hing and curry leaves. Allow to boil well. In the middle add the jaggery.
pepper puliodharai tile1
  • Add 1/2 tsp of oil and roast the ingredients given under “To roast&grind”. Roast till the pepper corns splutter. Powder them and set aside.
pepper puliodharai tile2
  • When the tamarind extract reduces to half in quantity, add the roasted & ground powder.  After you add the powder, give a boil. The mixture thickens. Let it roll boil well for few seconds. After  you get salangai satham ( gala gala sound), switch off the flame.
pepper puliodharai tile4
  • Finally add the crushed pepper powder in the paste, mix well. Set aside. Tamarind paste is ready. Mix the required paste in the rice adding gingely oil.
pepper puliodharai tile3

pepper puliodharai tile5

Note
  • If you want more spicy, add more pepper powder at the end.

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March 30, 2013

Tomato Mint Chutney Recipe - Thakkali Pudina Chutney - Side Dish For Idli Dosa

Tomato mint chutney
I got this tomato mint chutney recipe (thakkali pudina chutney) from Mrs. Mallika badrinath’s chutney varieties book. I tried for idli , dosa. It tasted great for both. We loved it very much. I have included this pudina tomato chutney in our routine side dishes. Its very simple. It uses little coconut though. For variations, you can add both coriander leaves and mint leaves as well.  The color of this chutney may vary depending on the number of tomato you use. If you use more tomato, red chillies and less mint leaves, it will be on the reddish shade as you see in this picture. I have tried adding more mint leaves, green chillies and less tomatoes too. It comes out in green color. But whatever may be the color , its tastes  Thumbs up . Do try this recipe , u’ll love it for sure !! For variations, you can try this tomato mint chutney without onion, garlic. Instead you should add more coconut and urad dal. Lets see how to make tomato mint chutney for idli,dosa with step by step photo.

Check out my coconut mint chutney/Pudina chutney too.

Tomato- mint chutney

Tomato mint chutney recipe


Tomato mint chutney recipe Tomato mint chutney recipe -Yummy side dish for idli,dosa
Cuisine: Indian
Category: Side dish
Serves: Serves 2
Prep time: 5 Minutes
Cook time: 10 Minutes
Total time: 15 Minutes
INGREDIENTS
1 cup - 250ml
  • Tomato – 2 nos (Big)
  • Mint leaves – 1/2 cup
  • Small onion – 10 nos OR Big onion – 1 no
  • Tamarind – 1 small piece (soak in little water)
  • Green chilli Or Red chilli – 4 -6 nos (use Kashmiri chilli for bright color)
  • Grated coconut – 1 tbsp
  • Urad dal – 1 tbsp
  • Cooking oil – 1 tbsp
  • Salt, water – As needed
To temper
  • Cooking oil – 1 tsp
  • Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
  • Hing – 2 pinches
METHOD

  • Wash the mint leaves , chop tomatoes roughly , peel the onions and slit the green chillies.
  • Heat a tsp of oil in a pan and roast the urad dal,chillies ( I used green + red chilli) till dal turns golden brown.Before switching off the flame,add the coconut , mix well and remove in a plate.  ( I sauteed tomato,onion ,mint leaves in the same pan in low flame)
Tomato mint chutney

  • Again add 2 tsp of oil and add the small onions , tomatoes , mint leaves and saute them together till tomato turns mushy.Allow it to cool.
Tomato mint chutney

  • Grind everything together adding the tamarind , salt and water.Now temper the mustard seeds and hing and add to the chutney. Serve with idli , dosa !!
Tomato mint chutney


Enjoy !

Note Adjust the amount of green chillies as per your taste.Coriander leaves can be used instead of mint leaves. Also red chillies can be used in place of green chillies. You can also use mint & coriander leaves in equal quantity.


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