Last year I shared an easy paal kozhukattai recipe with milk, coconut milk and sugar. I know paal kozhukattai is a very popular dessert recipe in Chettinad, Tamil nadu. So I was looking for some authentic recipes to try it. Finally I found it from an YouTube video of Nagu’s Nalabagam. Based on that recipe, I tried it yesterday for my Thursday Guru pooja neivedyam. It was very tasty with the nice flavor of coconut milk, jaggery and moong dal. It is prepared without milk. Still kozhukattai came out very soft. Addition of cooked moong dal makes the paal kozhukattai thick and more flavorful.
I guess there are many variations in this particular recipe. Friends from Chettinad region, do let me know if there is any change in this recipe. I am happy to try again and post it. Ganesh Chaturthi is fast approaching. I think many people make paal kozhukattai apart from other kozhukattai varieties. Try this yummy paal kolukattai with jaggery. You will love its result. Lets see how to make Chettinad style paal kozhukattai with step by step photos.
I will try to share some useful kozhukattai video recipes from tomorrow for Vinayagar Chaturthi .
Store bought kozhukattai flour or idiyappam flour - 1/2 cup ( I used Anil kozhukattai maavu)
Water - 3/4 to 1 cup
Thick coconut milk -1/2 cup
Grated jaggery - 3/4 cup ( Add 1 cup for more sweetness)
Moong dal - 1.5 tbsp
Water - 3 cups for cooking the rice balls
Cardamom - 2 nos
Sesame oil or ghee - 1 tsp
Salt - 1/4 tsp
How to make Chettinad paal kozhukattai
Dry roast and pressure cook moong dal. Grind coconut and take coconut milk.
Boil water. Add 1 tsp oil and salt.
When the water roll boil, add the rice flour. Stir well.
Mix well in low flame till its thick.
Dough will be formed.Remove from flame.
Remove in a plate and knead with greased hands for 5 minutes till smooth.
Make small balls from the dough and keep in a plate.
Boil 3 cups of water. Cook the balls till it floats on top.
Melt jaggery, strain and add the syrup, cardamom powder, moong dal. Boil for 5 minutes.Lastly add the coconut milk, mix once and switch off the flame. Serve hot!
Paal kozhukattai recipe - Step by step photo
Dry roast moong dal in a cooker base. Roast till it gets nice aroma. Add water and pressure cook till soft. Mash it and set aside. Grind 1 cup of grated coconut adding 1/2 cup warm water.Strain and extract thick milk from it. Keep aside.
In a wide kadai, boil 3/4 cup of water ( flour : water ratio is 1:1.5 or 2 cups based on the flour). Add 1 tsp sesame oil or ghee and salt.Let the water starts to roll boil.When the water starts to roll boil, lower the flame completely and add the rice flour.Mix without lumps.It will become a thick dough.
Switch off the flame, transfer to a plate.Let it become warm enough to handle.
Grease your hands with oil and knead the dough for 5 minutes till it becomes non-sticky, smooth and crack free.Cover the dough with a wet cloth till use.
Make small balls or cylinder shaped lengthy ones with the dough. Arrange them in a plate. While you roll the balls, cover the remaining dough with wet cloth. It should not dry.
Boil 3 cups of water in a wide bowl. When the water roll boils vigorously, add half of the rolled balls. Let it cook in high flame for 2 minutes. Do not cover it. Cooked kozhukattai will float on top. Now add the remaining rolled balls and cook everything together for 3 minutes.Stir it once in the middle gently.
Alternatively you can steam cook the balls in idli pot for 10 minutes and remove when warm. Please check my easy paal kolukattai recipe for step-by-step pictures.
Strain the jaggery syrup and add to the cooked kozhukattai water. Mix gently and boil for a minute.
Add cardamom powder, boiled moong dal and thick coconut milk. Mix well and boil for 1 minute in very low flame. Remove and serve hot or cold.
Notes
Adding oil in the water helps to cook the dough non-sticky and soft.
Kneading is important to make the dough crack free.
Kozhukattai will break and dissolve in water if you add without boiling the water. Water should roll boil well.
I used Anil Kozhukattai maavu.You can use idiyappam flour as well.
Try this yummy paal kozhukattai with jaggery and coconut milk. You will enjoy it !
Last year during Diwali, I tried this easy kalakand recipe using paneer and condensed milk ( Milk Maid) by watching YouTube video. Kalakand recipe is nothing but a rich milk cake. It is one of the popular desserts in West Bengal, Rajasthan, Delhi and some places in North India. Traditionally it is prepared by boiling and thickening milk with sugar. It takes hours to prepare.
This easy and instant kalakand recipe calls for just 3 ingredients namely Paneer/Chenna, Condensed milk and cardamom powder. For variations, it can be prepared with ricotta cheese instead of paneer and rose water or kewra essence can be added instead of cardamom powder. It can be prepared so easily and quickly. Its ideal for beginners. In North India, I heard people make Kalakand for Janmashtami as it is a milk based sweet. So I thought of sharing this easy and instant kalakand recipe for this Gokulashtami. Do try this easy, Instant Kalakand recipe using condensed milk and store bought paneer. Lets see how to make it with step by step photos.
Kalakand recipe with condensed milk
Easy, instant kalakand recipe with condensed milk / milk maid
Paneer / Indian Cottage Cheese - 1 cup ( I used Milky mist brand)
Milk maid or Amul condensed milk - 200 ml tin
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
Butter or ghee - 1 tsp
HOW TO MAKE KALAKAND
Crumble or grate the paneer.
In a kadai, heat 1 tsp ghee and add the condensed milk. Mix well.
Add grated paneer, cardamom powder and mix well.
When the mixture thickens and leaves the sides of pan, switch off flame.
Transfer to a greased or butter paper lined bowl. Refrigerate for an hour. Cut into pieces.
Garnish with chopped nuts. Serve !
METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES
Take the store bought paneer and grate it. Measure 1 cup from it ( loosely packed) and keep aside.Line a pan with butter paper or grease it well with ghee and set aside.
Heat ghee in a non-stick kadai and add the condensed milk. Mix well in very low flame.
Add grated paneer, cardamom powder or rose water and mix well. Paneer absorbs condensed milk and it will thicken initially. But if you keep mixing in low flame, mixture will become loose and watery.
Keep the flame medium and stir well. After 3 to 4 minutes, it will start to thicken and leave the sides of pan. Mix for a minute. You will see the mixture becoming grainy and thick. Switch off the flame and remove the pan immediately.
Pour it to the butter paper lined pan for 2 inch thickness. Level it and refrigerate it for 1 to 2 hours till its well set. Garnish with chopped nuts and stud it well. Cut into pieces and serve chilled for best taste.
Enjoy !
Note
You can add some sugar ( say 1tbsp) if you feel sweet is less.
Fresh chena tastes the best. But I used store bought paneer.
If you mix for long time, kalakand may become chewy.So remove at the right time.
If you are not able to cut into pieces, refrigerate for more time.
Atta halwa also known as Atta ka sheera is one of the most popular sweet/ dessert recipe in North India. This is an Instant halwa made with whole wheat flour( atta in Hindi). This atte ka halwa is served as Kadah prasad ( Karah prashad) to all the visitors of Gurudwara ( A place of worship for Sikhs ) in Punjab.
Traditionally, it is prepared with equal quantity of Whole wheat flour, Sugar and Butter/ghee to emphasize everyone are equal. Some people make this halwa adding equal quantity of wheat flour and sooji. For variations, this halwa can be made with milk or jaggery instead of sugar. I never thought making this North Indian style wheat flour halwa is so easy.
South Indian style Godhumai halwa/wheat flour halwa ( Tirunelveli halwa) is in no way related to this atta halwa in preparation and cooking procedure. Both has its own variations and taste. This sweet can be prepared easily and instantly for surprise guest and to celebrate special occasions at home. I am sure this ghee dripping halwa gets a big applause from your family members and friends. I followed the recipe from HERE and watched some You tube video recipes too.
Even though its my first attempt, making this halwa was a breeze for me. You can easily find the correct stage of removing the halwa. Its 100% a beginners recipe. This halwa tastes very soft and it slides in your mouth. I made in very less quantity just to serve 2 people as the quantity of ghee is more . Holi festival is fast approaching. Include this easy, rich atta ka halwa in your menu and enjoy the festival ! This atta halwa can also be prepared for babies but its made without ghee. I will share that recipe later.
Now lets see how to make Instant, easy wheat flour halwa/ atta halwa with step by step pictures and a video !
Whole wheat flour - 1/4 cup ( I used Aashirvad atta)
Sugar - 1/4 cup ( I used 1/4 cup heaped, add 1/2 cup for more sweetness)
Melted Ghee - 1/4 cup
Water - 1/2 cup
Cardamom powder - a pinch ( Optional, Its not used traditionally)
Cashews & sliced almonds - To garnish
HOW TO MAKE INSTANT WHEAT FLOUR HALWA - METHOD
Heat 1/4 cup of ghee in a wide, non-sticky kadai. Add wheat flour and roast till it turns golden brown in color with nice aroma. Keep the flame low to medium while roasting and keep mixing to prevent burnt bottom. It takes 3- 5 minutes to roast well based on the quantity you use.
Boil 1/2 cup of water in a bowl and add the hot water carefully to the roasted wheat flour. It splashes. Add 1/4 cup (heaped) sugar, cardamom powder ( I din’t use) and mix well without any lumps. All the water would be absorbed by the wheat flour and gets cooked.
Mix well till halwa leaves the sides completely, becomes a whole mass. Do not switch off the stove. Keep mixing till ghee starts to ooze out in the sides of kadai. It will turn glossy too. Do the whole procedure in medium flame. It takes just 3-5 minutes to release the ghee. Switch off the flame and remove in a plate or bowl. Serve warm or cold as you wish. Please watch the video for clear understanding !
For variations, you can add milk instead of water. You can also use grated jaggery in place of sugar. Enjoy !
Note
Traditionally this halwa is prepared with equal quantity of wheat flour, sugar and ghee. But I used little more sugar ( 1.25 cups) as we are sweet toothed.
If you don’t want to use equal quantity of ghee, you can use half the quantity mentioned. But texture may slightly vary.
Cardamom powder is not used in the traditional atta halwa. If you wish, u can add it along with sugar.
If you feel the sweetness is less, you can add it even at the end. Heat the halwa till the sugar melts and ghee oozes out. Serve it warm.
I read people have this halwa as a side dish for pooritoo just like suji ka halwa.
Try and enjoy this easy, yummy, rich wheat flour halwa at home !
Peanut ladoo recipe with skin adding jaggery / sugar. Last year I tried Kadalai urundai( Kadalai mittai/Peanut chikki) for Karthigai deepam festival. But it wasn’t up to the mark.When I was telling about this to my friend Shalini, she suggested me to try this easy peanut ladoo which was her favorite childhood snack. She shared her recipe with me and told it is called as “Palli laddu / Verusenega pappu ladoo” in Telugu. In other languages, it is Nilakadalai/Verkadalai laddu or kadalai podi urundai in Tamil, Kadalekai unde in Kannada, Shengdana ladoo in Hindi (Marathi).This is an easy ladoo recipe with just 2 ingredients and amazing health benefits.If you have roasted peanuts in hand, you can prepare this ladoo in the next 5 minutes.Ghee is not used in this recipe. So its a low calorie ladoo when compared with other ladoo varieties. Roasted peanuts with Jaggery is a good source of protein & iron. Kids would love this very much. It can be packed for their school snack box. If your kids don't like jaggery, you can add sugar too. Generally this laddu is made by removing the skin of roasted peanuts but I ground the peanuts with skin. So my job has become even more easy. I din’t find much difference in taste or flavor. Sendhil is a big fan of peanut recipes. So he loved this ladoo very much. The same procedure can be used to make till ladoo/Sesame seeds laddu( ellu urundai) as well. Do try this easy, healthy peanut ladoo for your husband and kids evening snacks, reap its health benefits during this winter season.Ok, Lets see how to make easy peanut laddu with step by step photos !
For this Navratri, I din’t try any new sundal variety. As I have kept Golu in my house, I was busy in inviting guest, giving thamboolam and other household works. So I prepared Green gram sweet sundal, Green gram masala sundal, Badam burfi, Black chana sundal, sweet corn sundal, Rava kesari and Sweet pongal in these 7 days. This morning I prepared Kadalai paruppu Sundal keeping Saraswathi Pooja/Ayudha poojai celebration in mind.
My MIL usually makes Chana sundal i.e Konda Kadalai sundal (In Tamil) along with 5 rice varieties and Vada whereas my mom makes Kadalai paruppu sundal / Bengal gram sundal adding more coconut. As my dad is not fond of chickpeas sundal, mom makes either Kadala paruppu sundal or paasi paruppu sundal(Moong dal sundal) for neivedyam. Its a very easy, quick and no soaking sundal variety. When we forget to soak the legumes, this kadala paruppu sundal will come to rescue. Its healthy as well.You can use the cooked dal water to make rasam or drink it as a soup. Fine, lets see how to make South Indian style Kadalai paruppu sundal / Bengal gram sundal with coconut.
Do check out my other Sundal varieties in this link !
Kadalai paruppu sundal / Bengal gram dal sundal recipe
How to make Kadalai paruppu/ Bengal gram dal sundal recipe - Easy, no soaking sundal variety for Navrarti !
Green chillies - 1 no ( slitted or finely chopped)
HOW TO MAKE KADALAI PARUPPU SUNDAL - METHOD
Wash and take the dal in the cooker base. Add enough water ( I used 2 cups) and pressure cook for 2-3 whistles in very low flame. Kadalai paruppu won’t become mushy very easily. So It would be perfectly cooked in low flame in just 2 whistles. Remove the lid after the steam is released. Check whether it mashes in your finger. Drain the excess water if any and use it for making rasam or dal soup. Make sure you keep 1 tbsp of water in the dal.
In a kadai, heat oil and splutter mustard seeds, urad dal, cumin seeds. Add slitted or finely chopped green chillies, curry leaves & hing. Saute for a minute. Add the cooked dal along with the little water in the cooker. Add the required salt, Mix well & boil till all the water evaporates. Mix it gently without mashing the dal. Lastly add the grated coconut, give a quick stir & switch off the flame. Remove from the kadai & transfer it to a vessel. Offer to God & serve ! This sundal will become grainy once it starts to cool down. So do not panic if it looks slightly mushy while hot.
Enjoy !
Do check out my other Sundal varieties in this link !
Note
Use finely chopped chillies for spicy taste. I use slit chillies.
You can also use finely chopped ginger if you like its flavor.
Optionally, you can garnish this sundal with coriander leaves.
Add more coconut for rich taste.
Easy, quick and healthy Kadalai paruppu sundal is ready to offer GOD and serve !
Poha kheer also known as Choora Kheer ( Aval Payasam in Tamil, Pressed rice/Rice flakes pudding in English, Atukula payasam in Telugu, Avalakki payasa in Kannada) is a creamy, rich North Indian dessert recipe made using Milk, pressed rice, sugar, nuts and cardamom powder. Krishna Janmashtami/Gokulashtami festival is around the corner. We South Indians i.e Tamil people make sweet seedai, Salt seedai, Kai murukku, Paal payasam and appam for the festival whereas North Indians make their specialty recipes like Rice Kheer/ Poha kheer, Kalakand, Shrikand, Gopalkala, Mathura Ke peda and many more. Actually I bookmarked these recipes long back but I couldn’t try them.So this year I started with a North Indian recipe for Krishna Jayanthi festival.. I followed Sanjeev Kapoor’s recipe but used more milk than the mentioned quantity. Its so easy to make and it came out creamy and delicious.This kheer can be given for babies too. Actually Sendhil & Raksha is not a big fan of Poha kheer with sugar. But they liked this a lot. Try this easy kheer recipe for this Janmashtami festival and offer to God. Lets see how to make poha kheer with step by step photos and a video ( Will update soon) !
Check out my other Krishna Jayanthi recipes HERE
Boil milk in a pan. In the mean time, heat ghee in a kadai. Roast cashews, almond and raisins. Remove in a plate leaving the ghee in the pan. In the same ghee, roast poha for 2 minutes. It will roast with a nice flavor. (Skip roasting poha. Just wash and add to milk. Some versions call for this method too)
Add the roasted rice flakes to the boiling milk. Cover and cook the poha in very low flame. It takes nearly 10 minutes to cook. Mix it well once or twice in between. Make sure the bottom is not burnt. If needed, add 1/4 cup more milk in the middle.
After the poha is cooked well, add sugar and mix well. Add cardamom powder and roasted nuts. Add saffron threads if you wish. Mix well and give a boil. Switch off the flame and serve warm.
Note : This kheer thickens over time. So add more milk and sugar while serving to adjust its consistency and sweetness. Boil for a minute and serve warm. Enjoy !
Andhra Pulihora also known as Chintapandu Pulihora in Telugu is a must try recipe during festival time. As Varalakshmi Vratham is fast approaching, I thought of sharing some Andhra style neivedyam recipes for this festival. This morning, I was asking my friend Megha about Varalakshmi Vratham special recipes as her MIL belongs to Andhra. She suggested recipes like Boorelu, appalu, Garelu and Pulihora. As our family is a big fan of tamarind rice, I started with this recipe. The ingredients and preparation of Andhra Pulihora is completely different from our Tamil nadu style Puliodharai. Its a very simple recipe without any grinding job. In the traditional temple style pulihora recipe, they add sesame seeds powder or mustard powder. But I made the basic version as told by Megha and watched Attammaa TV YouTube video recipe too for more reference. This Puliogare paste i.e. Pulihora Pulusu can be quickly made in minutes if you have readymade tamarind paste in hand. Its an ideal choice for quick lunch box recipe. Raksha loved it a lot and asked me for second serving as well. But this pulihora needs a standing time of minimum 2 hours for all its flavors to blend well. So friends do prepare this rice at least two hours before serving to relish its actual taste and flavor. Now lets see the step by step recipe of how to prepare Andhra Pulihora / Chintapandu pulihora in detail.
Last year I got few requests from readers to share different types of poha recipes( Aval in tamil & Malayalam, Avalakki in Kannada, Rice flakes in English, Poha in Hindi, Atukulu in telugu). I have never thought or tried any recipes beyond my lemon aval/Lemon poha. When I got those requests, I started looking for varieties of poha recipes. At that time, my MIL taught me this easy pepper poha (Milagu aval in Tamil) recipe for breakfast & dinner. Its a super easy and super quick recipe that needs just 10 minutes to prepare.We usually make pepper idiyappam but never tried with poha. As Sendhil loves pepper based recipes, it was like double bonanza for me.. No side dish is required for this recipe. So I make this atleast twice in a week. Working women and bachelors can try this recipe if you like pepper recipes. You would love its taste and simplicity. Its is a no onion no garlic Jain recipe. So it can be prepared during festival seasons or for vrat/fasting days.Ok, lets see how to make this easy and yummy breakfast/dinner recipe using poha – Milagu aval/Pepper Poha !! I will try to share more poha recipes in my upcoming posts.
2015 was a big year for me. My long time dream of buying an own house came true. My blogging life also went well. I got so many new readers & a good fan base.
Thanks to everyone for your continuous support and encouragement. I wish & I hope 2016 would be much better by God’s grace. I am happy to start this New year post with Karnataka’s most popular Sweet, Kesari bath recipe.
In most of the hotels, kesari bath & khara bathare served together as “Chow Chow bath” for breakfast. I have tasted this kesaribath in brahmin’s coffee bar and many popular restaurants here. My Kannadiga friends make Kesari bath with milk & banana and offer it as prasad for Satya Narayana pooja. I will try to get that recipe from my friends and share it here.
I usually makeRava Kesarifollowing my MIL’s fool proof recipe adding less ghee and more water. Yesterday for our New Year celebration, I tried Kesari bhath (Sooji Ka Halwa in Hindi) in Karnataka style adding more ghee and water. It came out really well and got credits from my family members. I was extremely happy to see the ghee dripping Kesari bath just the way it is served in hotels.
Actually I wanted to serve in a banana leaf but i couldn’t get it. So I clicked it by keeping it in a banana leaf plate.Soon I will make Chow chow bath and post it with a good picture.
Lets see how to make Karnataka Kesari Bath Recipe with step by step pictures.
Kesari bath recipe
How to make Karnataka style Kesari bath recipe
Cuisine:Indian
Category:Sweet
Serves: 2
Prep time:5 Minutes
Cook time:15 Minutes
Total time:20 Minutes
INGREDIENTS
1 cup = 250ml
Rava/Sooji/Semolina - 1/2 cup
Sugar - 1 cup
Water - 2 cups
Melted Ghee - 1/3 cup
Cooking oil – 1 tbsp ( use odourless oil)
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
Yellow food color -2 pinches
Cashewnuts - few to garnish
Cloves - 1 to 2 nos
How to make kesaribath - METHOD
Heat a kadai with mentioned quantity of ghee+oil.Roast the cloves and cashews till golden. Remove and set aside.In the same kadai, roast the rava till you get a nice smell but without changing its color. Switch off the stove and let the rava be in the same kadai.
Boil 2 cups of water in a bowl adding food color. When the water comes to a roll boil, add this water to the roasted rava.Be careful,water splashes. Stay a feet away and carefully pour the water. Sorry, I missed to take the pictures for this step.
Mix the water and rava. Add a pinch of salt. Switch on the stove and keep the flame in medium. Mix well till all the water is absorbed by the rava. Close the kadai with a lid and cook for 3-4 minutes.
After the rava is cooked well, add the sugar.Mix well.
When the sugar is melted completely, mixture will become watery. So keep mixing till the kesari bath becomes thick and starts to leave the sides of pan. Add cardamom powder, roasted cashews, cloves and mix well.
Transfer it to a ghee greased bowl and flatten it with a ladle. It will fall like a ribbon and looks very loose in consistency. But It will become just right when warm. Sprinkle more cashews if needed and serve hot if you like. If you touch the kesari bath when its slightly warm, it should be non-sticky. Scoop it with a ladle and serve hot to enjoy its best taste!
Note
Adjust the quantity of sugar based on your tastebuds. You can use 3/4 cup of sugar for medium sweetness. I used 1 cup here.
You can add more water but do not add less than the mentioned quantity.
You can also replace yellow food color with orange color.
Use pineapple essence if you like pineapple flavored kesari.
Enjoy this ghee dripping sweet- Kesari bath with your family !
I guess there are many variations in this particular recipe. Friends from Chettinad region, do let me know if there is any change in this recipe. I am happy to try again and post it. Ganesh Chaturthi is fast approaching. I think many people make paal kozhukattai apart from other kozhukattai varieties. Try this yummy paal kolukattai with jaggery. You will love its result. Lets see how to make Chettinad style paal kozhukattai with step by step photos.
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