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October 13, 2015

Akkaravadisal (Akkara Adisal) Recipe - Iyengar Recipes

Akkaravadisal recipe
Navratri is starting from today. I hope most of you would be planning to make some sundal variety along with Sakkarai pongal for today’s neivedyam. Every year we make paasi paruppu sundal and sweet pongal for first day. This year for a change I tried Iyengar special sweet pongal recipe with milk popularly known as “Akkaravadisal/Akkara adisal”. Iyengars make this for Koodaravalli festival during tamil month MargazhiThe term Akkaram is a literary word for Sugar or jaggery and the word Vadisal is a descriptive term for cooking by steaming or boiling. 
Starting from this explanation till the recipe I have shared here are shared by my school friend Sumi Raghavan who is a Tamil (Iyengar) Brahmin.Whenever I look for Iyengar recipes, my first hand source is Sumi. She is so sweet to share her traditional recipes with me. Based on her recipe and method, I started to search for more ideas on net. You could find different recipes for this akkaravadisal. Some people use sugar candy ( Kalkandu) or sugar to make this sweet pongal. Some add equal amounts of jaggery and sugar. But I followed the recipe of my friend which is more of temple style. 
Actually I came to know about this akkara adisal from a priest in Thirukannapuram Perumal temple. He told us that every morning nearly 12 ladies prepare this akkaravadisal in a wide bronze pot ( Venkala paanai) adding lots of ghee and serve it as kovil prasadam to all the devotees during Margazhi month. Though I couldn’t taste the prasadam,I was able to feel its taste from the way he explained. So I badly wanted to try and share this recipe in my blog. As he told, the taste of this creamy pudding like Akkaravadisal was truly flavorful & very rich in taste. Don’t hesitate to add the amount of ghee mentioned here. Ghee and the edible camphor(Pachai karpooram) are the star ingredients of this recipe.
 So here you go authentic Iyengar style akkaravadisal preparation with stepwise pictures. Do make this for Koodaravalli and Navratri neivedyam and offer to God !! 

Akkaravadisal Recipe


Akkaravadisal Recipe Iyengar style akkara adisal recipe - Sweet Pongal with milk. 
Cuisine: Indian
Category: Sweet
Serves: Serves 4
Prep time: 30 Minutes
Cook time: 20 Minutes
Total time: 50 Minutes


INGREDIENTS

  • Raw rice(Good quality sona masoori) - 1/2 cup
  • Yellow moong dal - 2 tbsp
  • Milk – 4 to 5 cups
  • Water – 1/2 cup + 1/4 cup for melting jaggery
  • Grated jaggery - 1/2 cup ( use dark colored jaggery to get this color.)
  • Crushed Sugar candy or sugar - 1/4 cup
  • Cardamom - 3 nos (crushed)
  • Edible camphor/Pachai karpooram - 2 pinches
  • Ghee - 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp ( Rice & ghee ratio is 1:1, but I used less)
  • Cashew nuts - a fistful
  • Saffron threads - Few ( soak in 2 tbsp milk)
  • Salt - a pinch
HOW TO MAKE AKKARAVADISAL - METHOD
  • Wash and soak the rice, dal in milk for 30 minutes adding 4 cups of milk + 1/2 cup of water. Alternatively you can roast rice and moong dal in a tsp of ghee and soak in milk. But I din’t roast moong dal & rice. ( If you want to follow traditional temple method, cook the rice & dal in an open pot by stirring every now & then. Else it will burn in the bottom. If cooking in pot, quantity of milk would be more.)
  • Soak saffron thread in warm milk and set aside. 
Iyengar akkaravadisal recipe
  • Take a pressure cooker and add the soaked rice, dal, milk,,water, a pinch of salt to it. Put a small plate inside the cooker to avoid splashing while the cooker whistles. Pressure cook in very low flame for 2 to 3 whistles. It takes more time to cook as we are cooking rice in milk. So be patient.
Iyengar akkaravadisal recipe 
  • In the mean time, boil the jaggery adding 1/4 cup of water and let it melt. Strain the jaggery syrup using a filter , add sugar or crushed sugar candy ( kalkandu), mix well and keep aside.
Iyengar akkaravadisal recipe
  • After the steam is released from the cooker, remove the plate and mash the rice very well. Add 1/2 cup of milk and mix well to bring semi solid consistency. Add the jaggery syrup + sugar or crushed sugar candy to this. Let the mixture boil for a minute. Akkaravadisal should be in semi solid state unlike our usual sweet pongal. It will tend to thicken as time proceeds. So add more boiled milk ( Say 1/2 cup) and adjust its consistency at this stage or before you serve if needed. 
Iyengar akkaravadisal recipe
Iyengar akkaravadisal recipe
  • Roast the nuts in 1/4 cup of ghee and add to the pongal. Switch off the flame, add cardamom powder, saffron soaked milk, edible camphor / Pachai karpooram, mix well and offer to God.  Enjoy ! I drizzled 2 tbsp of ghee on the serving bowl to give a ghee dripping pongal look ;)
Iyengar akkaravadisal recipe
Note
  • Traditionally akkaravadisal is made by cooking rice in milk in a wide bronze pot. But I used pressure cooker to make it easily.
  • You can grind the rice coarsely and pressure cook it for easy and quick cooking. 
  • You can also add equal amount of rice & moong dal if you like. 
  • Ratio of rice & jaggery + sugar is 1: 1.5.
  • Adding edible camphor gives the temple style flavor. So don’t skip it. But do not add more. Just a big pinch would do.
  • For variations, you can add equal amount of sugar or sugar candy ( Kalkandu) mixed with jaggery.

Iyengar style akkaravadisal is ready to serve !
Akkaravadisal recipe
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October 10, 2015

Channa Kurma Recipe - Chickpeas Kurma - Kondakadalai Kuruma - Side dish for Roti,Poori

Channa kurma recipe
Before going to this recipe,let me tell you,this is not North Indian style Chana masala. This is purely South Indian style kuruma type chana masala (Kondakadalai kurma in Tamil). I followed my Saravana bhavan kurma recipe with small changes and made this korma adding kondakadalai/Chickpeas. You can use black chana as well. It was very flavorful and the addition of chana made it more healthy too.

As suggested by my friend Shalini, I serve this kurma garnished with chopped onions. It adds a great taste and goes well with chapathi, poori & dosa. If you like,  you can mix this kurma with plain rice and enjoy. Soon I will post North Indian restaurant style chana masala.


Chana kurma recipe

Channa Kurma/chickpeas Kurma


Chana Masala / Chana kurma Chana Masala / Chana kurma for chapathi/Roti and Parota
Cuisine: Indian
Category: Side dish for roti
Serves: 3
Prep time: 10 Minutes
Cook time: 20 Minutes
Total time: 30 Minutes


INGREDIENTS
1 cup - 250ml

  • White Chana/Kondakadalai - 1 cup ( Soak for 8 hrs)
  • Cooking oil + ghee – 2 tbsp
  • Bayleaf – 1 no
  • Black stone flower/Kalpasi – 1 no
  • Cinnamon – 1 inch,Cloves – 1 no,Cardamom –1 no
  • Cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp
  • Big onion - 1 no
  • Tomato - 1 no
  • Mint leaves - 1 tbsp (optional)
  • Ginger&Garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
  • Red chilli powder or sambar powder - 1/2 tsp ( Add more for spicy kurma)
  • Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
  • Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp
  • Curd or lemon juice – 1 tsp
  • Kasoori methi – a pinch
  • Salt & water - as needed

To grind
  • Grated coconut - 1/3 cup
  • Green chillies - 2 no
  • Fennel seeds - 1/2 tsp
  • Cinnamon - 1 inch
  • Cloves - 2 nos
  • Cardamom - 1 no
  • Pottukadalai/Fried gram dal - 2 tsp
  • Cashewnuts - 4 nos
  • KhusKhus/Poppy seeds - 1/2 tsp (optional)
HOW TO MAKE CHANA / KONDAKADALAI KURMA - METHOD
  • Wash and soak the chana / kondakadalai over night. Pressure cook for two whistles in low flame. You can also add the soaked chana directly to the kurma and pressure cook it. Both works.
  • Wash and chop the vegetables finely. Chop the onion and tomato. Grind all the ingredients given under “To grind” to a smooth paste adding enough water.
Chana kurma

  • Heat a pressure cooker base and add oil + ghee.Saute the bayleaf and black stone flower/Kalpasi. Splutter cumin seeds. Add onions, g&g paste and saute till it turns transparent & raw smell goes off. Add mint leaves. Then add the tomato pieces and saute until mushy. Add the ground coconut paste,turmeric powder, red chilli powder and Garam masala powder. Add the required salt and saute well till the raw smell of masala vanishes. Do in medium flame.
Channa kurma

  • Lastly add the soaked chana( Here I used boiled chana). Mix well and add a 2cups of water. Mix well and add a pinch of kasoori methi and curd. Stir well and pressure cook in low flame for just one whistle. Chana kurma is ready to serve !!
Channa kurma
Enjoy with chapathi ,poori or parota.It tasted great with dosa too!
Note
  • Grinding part is the highlight of this kurma. So please don’t omit any ingredient from it. No worries if you don’t add khus khus. But the remaining are must.
  • Adjust the quantity of chillies and red chilli powder based on your taste.
  • You can try to replace Red chilli powder with chana masala powder if you have. But adjust the quantity as per your wish.
Try this yummy channa kurma for roti/Parota, enjoy your food !!
Chana masala
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October 8, 2015

Khara Biscuit Recipe / Masala Biscuits - Savory Cookies

Khara biscuit recipe
I love Bangalore Iyengar Bakery’s Khara buns & Khara biscuits more than Benne biscuits.But I usually bake benne biscuits/Nankhatai as its my family’s favorite.This morning I tried savory biscuits/Masala biscuits for the first time by referring this recipe.Actual recipe called for using butter or Vegetable shortening.In bakeries,they use vanaspati/Dalda.But I halved the recipe & used cooking oil(refined oil) to cut down the calories.I was really skeptical about the result.But good biscuits came out very well with melt in mouth texture & crispiness.I was so happy about this bake and enjoyed it with my teaLove Struck.Friends,do try this bakery style Masala biscuits/Khara biscuits and enjoy your tea time ! Color of this biscuit may vary slightly based on the time of baking and quantity of spices used.But the taste would be gr888 !

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October 7, 2015

Butter Badusha Recipe / Balushahi With Video - Diwali Sweets Recipes

Badusha recipe
Badusha/Balushahi recipe is one of the must try sweets recipes during Diwali or any occasions. Most of the people in India make badusha for Diwali. So I thought of starting my diwali recipes with this most popular sweet recipe.

Basically I am not a big fan of sweets. But there are very few sweets for which I don’t say NO. Badusha is one among them. I love it for its flaky, layered texture with mild sweetness. Every year during Diwali, my MIL makes Maida burfi and Badusha without fail. She is my inspiration to try sweets on my own. She usually adds Dalda/Vanaspati or butter to make badusha. 

Based on my MIL’s recipe and after few trial & errors, I am making badusha successfully for the past two years. I have shared some tips, do’s & don’ts below for beginners. I took a complete video for badusha preparation and shared the same below. I love the traditional doughnut shaped badusha more than the swirled ones. But still swirled badusha looks more attractive like suryakala. 

In this post, I have just shared a small video of how to make badusha swirls for beginners to learn. Hope it is easily understandable. Lets see how to make the most popular Indian sweet balushahi aka badhusha in detail with a video on how to shape the badusha.

How to shape badusha

Badusha recipe

TIPS TO MAKE PERFECT BADUSHA
  • Generally beginners complaint about badusha disperses/dissolves in oil. It is due to the addition of more cooking soda or fat content ( ghee or butter). If the oil temperature is too low, badusha may dissolve in oil.
  • Sometimes you may get more cracks in badusha after frying. It may become shapeless too. It is also due to the quantity of cooking soda.So please be very careful while adding soda.
  • The secret of getting flaky, layered badusha lies in slow deep frying in low flame. Adding curd doesn’t make the difference. My MIL never add curd. Still it comes out flaky. But curd helps to give softness to Badusha. So do not skip it. 
  • You can replace butter with melted ghee. But use melted ghee or butter only at room temperature. It should not be hot.
  • No need to knead the dough very hard or beat as you do for chapathi dough. Its enough to make a soft, crack free dough to get good badusha.
  • The recipe I have shared here gives badusha which may be slightly hard as soon as you prepare. But it will become soft the next day and tastes much better.
butter badusha

Butter badusha recipe


Butter badusha recipe How to make butter badusha - Diwali sweets recipes
Cuisine: Indian
Category: Sweets
Serves:
Prep time: 30 Minutes
Cook time: 20 Minutes
Total time: 50 Minutes


INGREDIENTS

  • All purpose flour/Maida - 1 cup (tightly packed & levelled)
  • Melted butter - 1/4 cup ( at room temp, butter should not be hot)
  • Curd - 1 tbsp
  • Cooking soda / Baking soda - 1/8 tsp 
  • Water - as needed ( I used 2-3 tbsp)
  • Salt - a small pinch
For sugar syrup
  • Sugar - 3/4 cup
  • Water - 1/3 cup
  • Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
  • Lemon juice - 1/2 tsp
  • Saffron threads & dessicated dry coconut,nuts - for decoration
HOW TO MAKE BADUSHA - METHOD
  • Take a wide bowl and add the melted butter,cooking soda & curd. Mix well with a whisk till it becomes a creamy paste.It will take 1-2 minutes. Take sugar in a bowl and add water. Mix well & set aside. Let it dissolve for making syrup.
badusha recipe
badusha recipe
  • To this paste, add maida and a pinch of salt. Mix well and make a crumbly mixture. Butter & curd mixture should spread well with the flour. The mixture should resemble bread crumbs. Sprinkle some water and make a soft, non-sticky dough ( I used around 2-3 tbsp of water. It may vary based on the water content in curd)
butter badusha recipe
butter badusha recipe

  • Rest the dough for 30 minutes. After the resting time, the dough would be very soft. Smoothen it using your hands to remove cracks by just pressing it gently. Do not knead it. Take small ball sized dough and make a crack free smooth ball. Flatten it using your palm and make a dent in the center using your pointer finger. Make a deep impression.
butter badusha recipe
  • For making swirl shaped badusha, take a ball from the dough and pinch in a corner. Fold it and again pinch the swirled end. Repeat this to make a circle. Refer video for more reference.
butter badusha recipe

  • Heat oil in a kadai and when it gets heated, drop a pinch of batter. As soon as the batter rises to the top, drop 3-4 badusha and switch off the flame. Let the badusha cook in off fire till it floats on top of oil. After it starts to float, flip the badusha and switch on the flame. Keep the flame medium and cook the badusha till it turns golden in color. One batch takes nearly 8-10 minutes.
butter badusha recipe
  • The swirled badusha takes more time to cook and looks dark in color compared to the donut shaped ones. Don’t panic.It also tastes little more crispy compared to the round ones. Deep frying patiently is more important to get layers in badusha. So please follow this carefully.
  • While frying badusha, you can make sugar syrup. Boil the syrup till one string consistency. i.e when you take a drop of syrup between your fingers & release, it will form a single string. Add cardamom powder & lemon juice and switch off the flame. Lemon juice prevent crystallization of sugar syrup. Refer this post for detailed sugar syrup consistencies.
  • Remove the badusha in a tissue. Drop them into the warm syrup. Let it soak for 5-10 minutes. Flip them in the syrup for even coating.  In the mean time, deep fry the next batch of badusha. Remove the badusha from the syrup and arrange in a plate. Once it cools down, sugar syrup with crystallize and make a nice coating. Store it once badusha is cooled down completely. Enjoy ! It stays good for 3-4 days if properly done.
If the sugar syrup is crystallized while you soak the badusha, add few drops of water, heat it. Bring the one string consistency & then drop the badusha.
Try this yummy sweet for Diwali and have a great celebration !
Butter badusha recipe


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October 5, 2015

Mug Biryani Recipe - Veg Dum Biryani ( Baked)

Mug biryani recipe
Recently I came across  veg biryani recipe in a coffee mug. I loved the idea and tried it for our Sunday lunch yesterday. Mug biryani is nothing but the usual layer biryani assembled and baked in a microwave safe mug. I followed my vegetable layer DUM biryani for gravy recipe and adapted the outer covering recipe from HERE. Raksha was so happy and fascinated to see the biryani in a bowl. She was eagerly waiting with me in the kitchen to see the output.

As I wished, the result was awesome. We all loved it. I reserved a bowl of biryani for myself & had it for dinner too. Friends, do try this biryani for a change & attract your family members. Lets check out this week’s Sunday Lunch Recipes Series no 32– Flavorful Mug biryani adding mixed vegetables!!

Check out my other SUNDAY SPECIAL BIRYANI RECIPES

Mug biryani recipe

Mug biryani recipe-Dum biryani


Mug biryani recipe-Dum biryani Vegetable biryani in a coffee mug-Sunday lunch recipes series 32
Cuisine: Indian
Category: Lunch ideas
Serves: Serves 3-4
Prep time: 30 Minutes
Cook time: 30 Minutes
Total time: 60 Minutes


INGREDIENTS
1 cup = 200 ml
  • Basmati rice - 1 cup
  • Water - 5 cups
  • Whole spices ( 1 cinnamon,2 cloves,1 black stone flower,1 bayleaf,1cardamom)
  • Salt - as needed
  • Cooking oil or ghee - 1 tsp
For gravy
  • Cooking oil + ghee - 1 tbsp+1 tbsp
  • Whole spices -1 each
  • Big onion - 1 no
  • Green chilli - 1no
  • G&G paste - 1/2 tsp
  • Mixed vegetables ( 1 carrot,a handful of green peas,1 potato) - 1/2 cup
  • Curd - 1/2 cup
  • Turmeric powder - 1/8 tsp
  • Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
  • Biryani masala powder - 1 tsp
  • Salt & water - as needed
For dough
  • Maida/All purpose flour - 1/2 cup
  • Salt – a pinch
  • Baking powder – 1/4 tsp
  • Baking soda – a pinch
  • Warm milk – 1 tbsp
  • Water -as needed to knead the dough
For layering
  • Mint+coriander leaves - 2 tbsp
  • Browned onions - a handful
  • Saffron soaked milk - 1/4 cup
  • Cooking oil or ghee - to grease the mug
METHOD
  • Wash and soak the basmati rice for 30 minutes. In a wide kadai or vessel, boil 6 cups of water adding cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and black stone flower. Add some salt.  When the water comes to a roll boil, add lemon juice. Drain the water from the soaked basmati rice and add to the boiling water.
  • Cook the rice in open pan for nearly 8 minutes. Stir it once or twice in the middle. Make sure you don’t over cook the rice. Rice should be firm and soft. It should be 3/4 th cooked.
  • Remove the kadai and pass it through a colander/sieve. Run the tap water over the rice to stop cooking process. Drain all the excess water and keep the rice in the colander. Spread it in a wide plate and let it cool completely.
Mug biryani recipe

  • Heat 2 tbsp of oil and caramalize the onions by sauting in high flame for a minute. Remove in a plate.
  • Now prepare the gravy. Heat oil+ghee in a wide kadai and saute the cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and bayleaf. Add the ginger-garlic paste and saute for a minute till raw smell goes off. Now add sliced onions and saute till transparent.
  • Add the mixed vegetables and saute well. Add salt.
Mug biryani recipe

  • Now add the curd and mix well in low flame. Add the red chilli powder, turmeric powder, biryani masala powder and salt.  Mix well.Lastly add some water and cook the mixture very well till veggies are completely cooked and oil floats on top. It will become a semi solid gravy.
Mug biryani recipe
  • Remove the kadai and keep the gravy aside. Take a bowl and make the chapathi dough adding the ingredients given under “ For dough” OR make a plain chapathi dough using wheat flour & salt to seal the mug.
  • Take the microwave safe mugs and grease with a tsp of oil.
Mug biryani recipe
  • Spread a small ladle of cooked rice as first layer. Now layer the gravy over the rice and sprinkle some chopped mint+coriander leaves.
Mug biryani recipe
  • Layer with rice now. Repeat the same till the brim of mug. Lastly sprinkle some saffron soaked milk and caramelized onions. Seal the mug with a small round disc made of dough. Preheat the oven in 180c and bake the biryani for 15 minutes. Remove & serve hot !
Mug biryani recipe
Mug biryani recipe

Enjoy with raita !


Note

  • Adding green chillies is optional. U can add more red chilli powder for spicy biryani.
  • You can replace  biryani masala powder with garama masala powder too.
  • Addition of mint+coriander leaves is very important.
  • Replace curd with lemon juice for variations but add lemon juice only before putting in DUM. In that case, add 2 tomatoes along with onions and saute until mushy.

Enjoy this yummy Mug biryani with your family !
Mug biryani recipe

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October 3, 2015

Grilled Cheese Sandwich Recipe-Sandwich Recipes For Kids

Grilled cheese sandwich
Grilled Cheese Sandwich is one of the sandwich recipes I make often for my daughter’s breakfast, mostly on Sunday mornings. She loves it a lot. For my daughter I use milk bread and mozzarella cheese whereas I make the same for myself and Sendhil using cheddar cheese & whole wheat bread. My family likes this  sandwich in Indian style adding chopped green chillies, coriander leaves and chat masala powder. Sometimes I add tomato ketchup and mayonaise too. This sandwich can be prepared with many variations as per our family’s preference. Whatever be the stuffing, it’s finally the cheese that make the kids love this sandwich.
Before going to the recipe, I would like to mention a few lines about online grocery shopping. Recent days I have been purchasing groceries Online Via Bigbasket. Mostly I buy the ingredients which are not found near my house. Recently I bought cheddar cheese , blueberries, Flax seeds, millets , millet flour and some organic foods. I am very much satisfied with their customer service. You too give a try.
Lets see how to make this yummy Indian style perfectly grilled Cheese Sandwich recipe. Also check out this comprehensive article on how to choose the grill in Globo surf.  If you don’t own a grill sandwich maker, you can try the same in oven or tawa.

Grilled cheese sandwich

Grilled Cheese Sandwich Recipe


Grilled Cheese Sandwich Recipe How to make grilled sandwich recipe using sandwich maker
Cuisine: Indian
Category: Breakfast
Serves: Serves 3
Prep time: 10 Minutes
Cook time: 5 Minutes
Total time: 15 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

  • Wheat bread or milk bread- 16 nos (Makes 8 pairs)
  • Grated Cheddar cheese or mozarella cheese-2 cups (200gms)
  • Finely chopped Green chillies - 2 nos
  • Chat masala powder - 2 tsp (Adjust as per the taste)
  • Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp
  • Tomato sauce & Mayonnaise - as needed(optional topping)
  • Salt - as needed
  • Butter - to brush the bread
HOW TO MAKE GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH - METHOD
  • Grate the cheese and mix the chopped chillies, coriander leaves , salt and chat masala powder. Replace green chillies by pepper powder or red chilli powder as per your taste. Add as per your taste.
Grilled cheese sandwich
  • Take 2 bread slices and brush one side of the bread with butter at room temperature.Spread the cheese mixture on the other side of one bread slice.Cover it with another slice.Make sure the buttered side is facing up.
Grilled cheese sandwich
Grilled cheese sandwich  
  • Take the grill sandwich maker and place the sandwich with buttered side touching the hot plate.
Toast the slices till its done.Serve hot !
Grilled cheese sandwich
Note
  • You can add an additional topping of tomato sauce or mayonnaise.
  • You can skip chillies or pepper powder and use chat masala alone if making for kids. 

Enjoy this yummy,cheesy grilled sandwich for your breakfast !
Grilled cheese sandwich

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