I wanted to try Mexican style avocado dip known as Guacamole for long time. I was looking for tortilla chips & nachos to try this guacamole dip recipe. Last week I got a pack of nachos and I immediately tried this dip.This homemade guacamole is easy to make, healthy n tasty too. I referred this perfect guacamole recipe from Simply Recipes. Use ripe avocado for best taste. Raw avocado tastes bitter. Now, without this dip, we are not able to eat nachos . I’ve given few tips at the end on how to buy good avocado if you are buying for the first time. Its for beginners. Please go through it.
Guacamole Dip Recipe - Mexican Avocado dip
Guacamole - Mexican Avocado dip recipe for Nachos and Tortilla
There are varieties of avocado available in the market. They are Hass, Lamb Hass, Gwen, Reed, or Sharwil , Bacon and Zutano.
Bacon and Zutano varieties are light in flavor.
Others have a nutty taste.
Good avocado can be first identified by its color.Ripe avocado looks dark green to black in color. Some varieties look light green in color.
When you want to examine them. Take an avocado and keep it in ur palm. Just press it lightly. Do not use your finger tips as it may bruise them.
If it gives slightly, it is ready to eat. If it is over ripe, pressing them gives a mushy feeling and your finger may sink into the skin. If the skin is hard to touch and if it doesn’t give, avocado is not ripe yet.
If you planning to keep it for some days, u can buy the unripe avocado , wrap it in a paper and keep it for 4-5 days to ripen.It can be kept in room temperature.
Avocado can be stored in a refrigerator until eaten to slow the ripening process.
Avocado with the highest oil content are the Hass, Pinkerton, Sharwil and Fuerte varieties.
This buying method may be useful for people who plan to use avocado oil for health and diet or skin and beauty purposes.
This is a simple stir fry which goes well for rice n roti. I got this idea from my neighbour. I have given two versions .. One is my version in which i followed the method of potato curry and the second one is my neighbours' version which is purely a south Indian style . Based on ur liking, try any. Both tastes good .. I pressure cooked the baby corn to ensure proper cooking but that step is purely optional. We can just saute the baby corns, cover and cook by sprinkling little water as my neighbour suggested..
INGREDIENTS
Baby corn – 8-10 nos
Big onion – 1 no (finely chopped)
Ginger – 1 inch (-do-)
Garlic cloves – 6 nos ( –do-)
Red chilly powder / Sambhar powder –3/4 - 1 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt & water – as needed
Lemon juice – 1/2 tsp ( adjust)
Curry leaves – few
Coriander leaves – few
To Temper:
Olive oil / cooking oil – 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
Jeera – 1/2 tsp
METHOD
Pressure cook baby corn for 1 whistle..Set aside.
In a kadai , heat oil and add the mustard seeds & jeera, once they start to splutter , add onions,ginger & garlic pieces,curry leaves.
Saute well. Add little turmeric powder, salt and mix well.
Now add the sambhar/ red chilly powder. mix well.
Finally add the cut baby corn slices. Saute well for few mins .
Add coriander leaves , lemon juice and remove..
Serve hot with rice n roti!!
NOTE
Ginger&garlic paste can be used instead of ginger , garlic pieces.
Baby corn need not be pressure cooked. Instead it can be sauteed in oil & cooked by covering it in the kadai sprinkling little water in between..
Tomatoes can be used instead of lemon juice..
BABY CORN STIR FRY – VERSION 2
INGREDIENTS
Baby corn – 8-10 nos
Big onion – 1 no (finely chopped ) (optional)
Salt – as needed
Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
To grind:
Grated coconut – 1/4 cup
Green or Red chillies – 3 nos
Jeera – 1/2 tsp
To temper:
Oil – 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
Urad dal – 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - few
METHOD
Grind the items given under “to grind” without adding water.
Cut the baby corn into lengthy 1 inch strips.
In a kadai , heat oil and splutter mustard seeds, jeera & curry leaves.Saute onions if u use them..
Add the baby corn and saute well.
Now add the ground coconut , turmeric powder & salt.
Saute till the raw smell emanates.
sprinkle little water , mix well.
Cover & cook till the baby corn is done.
Add water whenever necessary. Always keep the flame in medium & stir well every now & then to avoid burning.
After the baby corn is cooked well, add fresh coriander leaves & remove.
I make this oats dosa once in a week.This dosa will be crispy in the edges and soft in the middle. The crispness of this dosa lies in the consistency of batter like rava dosa.Adding more water makes it look dry.So add the water correctly.Wheat flour & oats gives the softness.. Do try this healthy dosa for breakfast or dinner. It tastes great with coconut chutney. I tried idli podi using horse gram as an accompaniment for this dosa which i’ll post soon ..Make this dosa & serve immediately for better taste. Oats tastes the best when it is eaten hot ;) Lets see how to make Instant oats dosa with Indian oats !
INGREDIENTS 1 cup - 200ml
Powdered oats – 1/4 cup ( I used quaker quick oats)
Wheat flour – 1/4 cup
Rice flour – 1/8 cup
Sooji/rava – 3 tbsp
Pepper corns – 1 tsp
Jeera – 1.5 tsp
Ginger – 1 inch (chop finely)
Curry leaves – few
Coriander leaves – few
Sour buttermilk – 1/4 cup OR sour curd - 2 tbsp
Salt & water – as needed.
Big onion – 1 no (finely chopped – optional) ( i don’t use)
METHOD
Powder the oats and mix with all other flours together adding the required salt .. ( Dry roast the oats before powdering them is optional)
Add the pepper corns, jeera , chopped ginger , curry leaves and coriander leaves.
Add the sour butter milk , salt and mix well..Add the required water to adjust the batter consistency.
Heat the dosa tawa and sprinkle little oil ..
Then pour the batter in a circular motion from the corner towards the center. Fill the gaps by sprinkling more batter.
Drizzle little oil around the dosa and keep the flame high for few secs.
The corners of dosa will lift automatically. Now flip the dosa and reduce the flame. Cook for sometime and remove.
Enjoy with any chutney or podi !!
NOTE
I usually dry roast the oats for few mins and then powder it.This time i powdered without roasting which also tasted good.So roasting is optional but it gives an additional flavour.
Adding finely chopped onions is purely optional. I don’t add it.
U can also add crushed pepper corns instead of adding whole ones.
U can make this dosa by adding rice flour & sooji along with oats.
Ragi flour can also be added instead of sooji to get the crispness.This makes the dosa healthier but the color of the dosa will be black.
Batter should be watery . If u make the first dosa, u’ll get to know how much water has to be added to get crispy dosas. Add water and adjust the salt .
Every year we make 3 kozhukattai varieties for Ganesh chaturthi prasadam. In this post, I’ve given how to make kozhukattai dough/Kolukattai maavu along with the recipes of ellu pooranam , sweet pooranam and ulundhu kozhukattai which we make every year. I learnt all these recipes from my MIL. Usually we make processed rice flour at home for the outer covering. This time I made the job easier with store bought idiyappam flour / kozhukattai flour . I have given some tips at the end of the post to get crack free, soft kozhukattai . Hope it will be useful for beginners. Do try these recipes , enjoy and get the blessings from Lord Ganesh !! Ok, lets see how to make varieties of kozhukattai recipe with step by step pictures below. Before that, Happy Ganesh chathurthi to all my blogger friends and readers. Hope you all had a great celebration.. For the past one week I have seen all the blogs filled with kozhukattai recipes. I was not able to do it. And now not too late ,iam posting the recipes of kozhukattai with a picture of celebration at our home.
Do check out this video of making Kozhukattai varieties !
Now coming to recipes with the required ingredients picture,
INGREDIENTS FOR KOZHUKATTAI DOUGH 1 cup - 250ml
Processed Rice flour or Idiyappam flour or kozhuakttai flour – 1 cup
Water – 1.5 cups ( Quantity varies, so keep some excess hot water ready in hand)
Oil – 1 tsp
Salt – 1/2 tsp
METHOD
In a broad bowl , take the flour and add the salt.Mix well and set aside.
Now in a bowl, take the required water and add a tsp of sesame oil.
Let it boil for few seconds in high flame.When it starts to roll boil, switch off the flame and add the water to the flour little by little. Mix the flour with a wooden ladle.
Add more water if required. Mix well and make a whole mass like chapatti dough. (initially u need a ladle to mix but when the dough becomes warm, mix it well with ur hands to make a soft , non- sticky dough..)
Apply a tsp of sesame oil over the dough to cover it. ( this prevents the dough from drying) .Cover it with wet cloth and lid , set aside. Have a look at this VIDEO for more details
Always make the pooranam first & then make the outer covering..
In a kadai , dry roast the sesame seeds till it splutter with a nice smell.
In a bowl, take the powdered jaggery and cover it with little water.
After it melts , strain the impurities and then add the grated coconut, cardamom powder and roasted sesame seeds.
Mix till it starts to leave the sides of pan and becomes thick. Do not mix for long time. It will become hard and difficult to roll balls. Remove in a plate and divide into small portions.
After it turns warm, roll into tight balls by greasing your hands with sesame oil. If the sesame seeds crumble while rolling, add 2 tsp water, mix well and again heat for a minute. Start rolling balls when warm. It will work.
HOW TO MAKE ELLU POORANAM KOZHUKATTAI
Take a big gooseberry sized ball from the dough and roll it by greasing ur hands.
Pat it with ur palm and make it flat like a thattuvadai.
Keep the ellu poorana ball in the center and bring all the corners towards the center and make a coconut shape.( Grease ur hands with oil whenever required)
Follow the same for all the sesame seeds balls.
SWEET POORANAM | KADALAI PARUPPU POORANAM |
DAL POORANAM | THENGAI POORANAM
INGREDIENTS 1 CUP - 250ML
To make 15 to 20 kozhukattai
Chana dal \ Kadalai paruppu – 1/2 cup
Powdered jaggery – 3/4 cup
Grated coconut – 1/4 cup
Cardamom – 3 nos (powdered)
Water – 1/4 cup
Salt – a pinch (optional)
METHOD
Pressure cook chana dal by adding the required water and a drop of oil.Drain the water . Grind or mix well it to make a paste without adding water and set aside.
In a bowl, take the powdered jaggery and add little water to cover it.When its melted , strain to remove impurities OR if the jaggery is pure, add it directly to the mashed dal along with grated coconut.
If using syrup, strain it. Wash the kadai and add the syrup, grated coconut and cooked dal, cardamom powder( please do not add water, the coconut itself leaves water which will be enough.)
Mix well until the mixture leaves the sides and becomes a thick whole mass. ( Do not add water while adding the dal paste because the lesser u add the water , sooner the pooranam will start to leave the sides and becomes thick.. Stuffing will be ready)
Make small balls out of the stuffing and keep ready.
The unused stuffing can be refrigerated and used for 10 to 15 days.
TO MAKE SWEET POORANAM KOZHUKATTAI
I Used a ready made kozhukattai mould to make a good shape.
U can also try the shape which i mentioned under ellu kozhukattai to make coconut shape. I’ve explained using mould here. Take the mould, open it and grease it with gingely oil.Take a small ball from the Kozhukattai dough and keep it inside the mould. Just spread it all the sides till 3/4 of the mould by keeping the center empty. Now close the mould and press it with ur left hand fingers.
Now place the dal pooran ball in the center.Take a small berry sized ball and place it on the top of the dal pooranam and close it well.
Now open the mould , u’ll get a nicely shaped kozhukattai.
Follow the same for the remaining ..Steam it in idly pot for 10 mins and enjoy !!
NOTE:
The same pooranam can be done using coconut alone. For that,channa dal is not needed.Just make the jaggery syrup , add the grated coconut , cardamom powder & mix till it leaves the sides.
Remove & stuff it using the above said procedure.
For thengai pooranam , jaggery can be less.ie 1:1 would be enough.
ULUNDU KOZHUKATTAI / SPICY URAD DAL KOZHUKATTAI/UPPU KOZHUKATTAI
Ulundu pooranam
INGREDIENTS 1 cup - 250ml
Urad dal – 1/2 cup
Green chillies – 2-3 nos
Ginger – 1/2 inch piece
Grated coconut - 1/4 cup
Asafetida / hing – 1/4 tsp
Salt – as needed
to temper
Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
Urad dal – 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves – few
Hing –1/4 tsp
METHOD
Soak urad dal in water for 30 mins .Drain the water and grind it along with green chillies , hing , ginger and salt to a coarse paste without adding water. (just run the mixie once or twice)
In a idli pot , grease the idli plate and spread the ground urad dal mixture.Make a hole in the center for uniform cooking..Steam it for 15 mins.
After it cools down , crumble the mixture using ur hands and run it in the mixie once or twice for easy perfect crumbling and keep it ready.
In a kadai , temper the mustard seeds , urad dal and curry leave with a pinch of hing.,Then add the crumbled urad dal mixture and mix well.
Finally add the grated coconut , mix well and switch off the flame.
TO MAKE ULUNDU KOZHUKATTAI
Take a big gooseberry sized ball of outer covering and press it with ur palm to flatten it.
Keep the filling in the center and fold one side to make a semi circle.
Fold the edges towards inside to decorate it or leave it as it is !
Steam in idly pot for 10 mins and remove.
TIPS FOR MAKING KOZHUKATTAI WITHOUT CRACKS
Use good quality rice flour. If u r planning to make by grinding rice, buy raw rice ( in tamil nadu we call as “maavu arisi) ie. the rice used for making rice flour..Its a different quality , not the one we use for pongal.It is cheaper in cost too..
I use store bought rice flour - Idiyappam flour or Anil kozhukattai maavu. I always add 1.5 cups of water adding a tsp of oil for making dough. For home made rice flour , more water may be needed. ie around 1.5-2 cups..
Always add the required water while making the dough.If the dough becomes sticky or dry , u’ll get crack.
Keep the unused dough covered with a wet cloth and then with a lid while u make modakam.
Its always better to prepare the outer covering after making pooranams/ stuffings to prevent the dough sitting for long time.
U can refrigerate the unused dough covered by wet cloth be keeping in an air tight box & use the next day or the same evening.
Pooranam can be prepared the previous day and refrigerated.
Apply sesame/gingely oil in ur hands every time when u make the shape.
Last but not the least , do not cook the kozhukattai in idli pot for long time which may lead to cracks.( maximum of 8-10 mins is enough)
Always place the idli plate filled with kozhukattai after the water in the idli pot starts roll boiling.. This helps for quick cooking and also the kozhukattai remains white in color and crack free.
U can identify the cooked kozhukattai by its shining look..
Always remove the kozhukattai after it becomes warm. Do not remove when it is hot. Kozhukattai may break.
Wish you all a very happy Ganesh Chaturthi :)
Here is the picture of our Ganesh Chaturthi celebration at home :)
In this post,i have shared how to make ghee from butter at home easily with a video.Before my marriage , i was not aware of making ghee @home. My mom used to buy ghee from a milk man who gives us fresh , flavourful ghee.When i was young, I used to eat the residued curry leaves/ Drumstick leaves which he brings specially for me.After marriage,i saw my MIL making ghee from store bought unsalted butter.I was amazed.I learnt from her and now i can confidently make ghee on my own .Even beginners can try this !It tastes & smells equal to the store bought ghee. Recently i found that adding jeera & red chilli gives a flavourful ghee & i tried it too.I usually make ghee very simply without adding them.But adding them sure enhances the flavour of ghee. This ghee won’t taste salty, you can use in sweets .Follow this if u like.Also check out the detailed video recipe too..Let’s see how to make ghee at home using unsalted butter with video & stepwise pictures !
VIDEO LINK
How to make ghee at home usinh unsalted butter
How to make ghee from unsalted butter
How to make ghee at home using unsalted butter with stepwise pictures..
Cuisine:Indian
Category:Indian kitchen basics
Serves:-
Prep time:10 Minutes
Cook time:10 Minutes
Total time:20 Minutes
INGREDIENTS
Unsalted Butter – 500 gms ( I use Nandini)
Curd – 1/4 tsp
Crystal salt – 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves / Drumstick leaves – few
Methi seeds – 1/4 tsp (optional)
METHOD
Take the butter out and put it in a wide , big vessel .( I normally use an aluminium pan which is almost three times bigger because while melting the froth raises till the rim of the vessel).Switch on the flame and start melting the butter by placing a wooden ladle .Keep the flame high and keep on stirring till the butter melts completely .( by stirring continuously , u’ll get less residue at the end).
Now simmer the flame and mix well. It will boil and become frothy by producing big bubbles.It produces a hiss sound.
After few minutes , the bubbles will cease and the froth rises.(make sure the flame is low). After a few secs from rising , u’ll see tiny brown spots that appear on the top. As soon as u see a single brown spot , add little curd & mix well. After u add the curd u’ll get a noise.Switch off the flame &Mix well .U’ll see lot of brown spots. Remove the vessel from the stove.
Add few curry leaves/ drumstick leaves & pinch of methi seeds if needed…
After it cools down,the residue will settle down at the bottom and transfer the ghee alone to the desired bowl ..Keep the bowl open for sometime. Then close it with a lid and use whenever required..
U can use the residue by mixing in plain rice or by adding in sambar or pongal.I usually do this..
Note
U can add jeera and one whole red chilly while making ghee.It never changes the taste of ghee. It just enhances the aroma.U can use this ghee for making sweets without any doubt . But adding them are optional. I don’t use it often.
Crystal salt is used for the residue to settle down easily.
Adding methi seeds is optional. If u wish, add along with curry leaves at the end . ie. before switching off the flame.
Drumstick leaves can also be added instead of curry leaves.
U should be more careful when the brown spots appear. Keep the lights on in your kitchen and keep watching at this stage.I add curd as soon as i see a single brown spot. I Mix it and switch off the flame. But my MIL waits for more spots to come. Also she removes the vessel from the stove and keeps it in a plate of water to cool down quickly.
. I’ve given few tips at the end on how to buy good avocado if you are buying for the first time. Its for beginners. Please go through it. 
. I’ve given few tips at the end on how to buy good avocado if you are buying for the first time. Its for beginners. Please go through it. 
Guacamole - Mexican Avocado dip recipe for Nachos and Tortilla
.Even beginners can try this !It tastes & smells equal to the store bought ghee. Recently i found that adding jeera & red chilli gives a flavourful ghee & i tried it too.I usually make ghee very simply without adding them.But adding them sure enhances the flavour of ghee. This ghee won’t taste salty, you can use in sweets 
.Follow this if u like.Also check out the detailed video recipe too..Let’s see how to make ghee at home using unsalted butter with video & stepwise pictures !
. But adding them are optional. I don’t use it often. 
