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November 24, 2010

VAZHAKKAI PULI KOOTU / RAW BANANA KOOTU - KOOTU RECIPES

Vazhakkai puliitta kootu


INGREDIENTS 
  • Raw banana – 1 no
  • Toor dal – 1.5 tsp
  • Tamarind – small gooseberry size
  • Sambar powder – 1 tsp ( adjust )
  • Salt & water – As needed
To temper 
  • Coconut oil or cooking oil - 2 tsp
  • Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
  • Urad dal – 1/2 tsp
  • Chana dal – 1/2 tsp
  • Grated Coconut – 1 tbsp
  • Hing – 1/4 tsp
  • Curry leaves – Few
Coconut oil – 1 tsp 

METHOD 
  • Pressure Cook toor dal and set aside.
  • Cut the raw banana into small cubes and allow it to cook with sambar powder, salt & required water.
  • When it is done, add the  tamarind extract , toor dal and boil for sometime.
  • Temper the mustard seeds , urad & chana dal , hing and grated coconut. Roast the coconut well and add all the tempered items to the gravy /kootu.
  • Finally add a tsp of coconut oil for additional flavor.
  • Mix with plain rice topped with ghee or serve as an accompaniment for sambar rice. Enjoy !!

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November 12, 2010

TIRUNELVELI HALWA / GODHUMAI HALWA - DIWALI SWEET RECIPES



Being a native of tirunelveli , i had an eye on this halwa for a long time . For this diwali i thought, i should make something that i never tried so far. At last my search ended up with this halwa. I referred this video  ( 3 PARTS ARE THERE) & this blog for the recipe. I too made some changes.It was a huge success at home. Halwa looked glossy and tasted as we get in “Iruttukadai “. Of course, its very difficult to reproduce the same at home because Nellai people used to say, the taste of halwa is due to the use of thamirabarani river water and the original recipe is kept secret :). But I followed the video and tried to bring its taste close to the original halwa. I am happy with this recipe. Though its a time consuming process , its worth the effort..Please go through the Notes section for some tips..




INGREDIENTS 
1 cup - 200ml
  • Whole Wheat / Samba godhumai -  1 cup
  • Sugar – 2.5 - 3 cups
  • Ghee – 2 cups
  • Roasted cashews – 15 nos ( break into two halves)
  • Water – 6 cups + extra for grinding the soaked whole wheat.
  • Food color - few drops ( optional)

METHOD 
  • Soak the whole wheat berries over nite or for 8 hrs.
  • Drain the water and grind to make  a smooth paste by adding water. It took half an hour to grind completely.( i used grinder) No matter how much water u add here for grinding.
  • Remove and take the extract by filtering it twice or thrice.U’ll get a white milk .
  • Take the milk in a wide bowl , close and allow it to ferment for 10hrs.
  • The next day u’ll c a layer of water getting separated. Without disturbing the sediment , just drain the water in the top.
  • U’ll get a thick milk around 1.5 cups.
  • Now add 6 cups of water as i mentioned in the ingredients and mix well.
  • Add the sugar and take the mixture in a deep , wide  bowl.
  • Stir the sugar till it dissolves in the wheat milk mixed with water and allow it to boil.
  • It takes nearly 50 mins – 1hr to get cooked. keep in a medium flame and make sure it don't get burnt.Stir for every 3 mins. U can cover & cook .
  • At one stage u’ll find the halwa starts to leave the sides , turns glossy and non sticky.
  • Now add the roasted cashews.By the time the halwa gets cooked , the color will be changed automatically. If needed, add few drops of food color too.
  • Add ghee little by little say 2 tbsp . As soon as u add the ghee, u’ll find it easy to stir but after some minutes halwa absorbs all the ghee and solidifies making it difficult to stir.
  • Again add little ghee.Continue the same process . At one stage ,  the halwa starts to ooze out the ghee it took. At this time stop adding ghee and remove the ghee ( it oozes out ) in a separate bowl. Mix well and collect all the ghee.The halwa starts to rotate holding the ladle. This is the final step.Switch off the stove and allow the halwa to be in the same bowl. This helps thickening of halwa .
  • Transfer it to an air tight container after it cools down. Reheat the halwa  in MW and njoy if u wanna eat it hot :)
Delicious tirunelveli halwa is ready to enjoy !!


NOTES 
      • Here i’ve combined the method i saw in the video & blog. Actually the procedure is to make a sugar syrup of one thread consistency before adding the wheat milk.This helps to quicken the process of cooking.But i followed what’s mentioned in that video.
      • In that video , he has mentioned to add the ghee and remove immediately. But the thing is u’ve to add all the ghee little by little and stir till the ghee comes out back.This is the correct procedure i feel.Its missed in the video.Also the sugar quantity he said is more.Please add the amount i’ve given here.Sweet lovers , add little more.
      • Instead of adding 2 cups of ghee  , u can replace half of the ghee by dalda/vanaspathi. ( but its better to add ghee in health point of view )
      • U can use the collected ghee for making other sweets or in ur daily cooking.No need to waste it.
      • The point is the halwa should slide down when u take in a spoon . please take care not to over cook it.
      • For this measurement , u’ll get nearly 3/4 kg of halwa.
      • Total preparation time for this halwa would be around 1 hr 15 mins.
TAKE CARE , CATCH U ALL IN MY NEXT POST:)
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October 25, 2010

SATHU MAAVU / HEALTH MIX DOSA

My neighbor gave me a homemade  health mix powder and told me to make dosa with it. It tasted excellent. My hubby loved it.Its color & taste is similar to ragi dosa.I prepared tomato chutney as accompaniment.I asked her the ingredients of the powder,ground in mill and kept it.I make this once in a week nowadays instead of the usual ragi dosa .Try this , iam sure u’ll love this healthy dosa.
Health mix dosa

INGREDIENTS :
  • Ragi – 1 kg
  • Urad dal – 250gms
  • Moong dal – 125 gms
  • Toor dal – 125 gms
  • Jeera – 2 tbsp
  • Pepper corns – 3 tbsp
For dosa :
  • Health mix powder – 1 cup
  • Sour curd – 1/4 cup
  • Salt & water – As needed
  • Whole Pepper corns – Few (if required)
Method :
  • Take one cup of health mix powder in a wide mouthed bowl and add the sour curd , salt , pepper corns with required water .
  • Mix well to make a dosa batter consistency.I made it watery to get a crispy dosa.
  • Heat a dosa tawa and pour the batter in a circular manner from outwards.
  • Drizzle little oil and cook on both sides.
Enjoy eating  this crispy , lacy , hot  dosa with tomato or coconut chutney !!
Note :
If u want to prepare the dosa instantly , u need to add the curd for sour taste.If u prepare the batter before 3-4 hrs , no need to use the curd.It will be fermented by the time u make dosa.So please use the ingredients accordingly.

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October 4, 2010

SET DOSA,CARROT KURMA RECIPE–BREAKFAST MENU

set-dosa-recipe-menu
Set dosa and sagu recipe is a famous breakfast combo in Karnataka. I tried this recipe from Mrs. Mallika Badrinath’s cookbook and got credits from my family. I made some small changes in the actual recipe. I omitted food color this time and used chana dal. So the color of the dosa you see in picture is its original color. It was very soft and spongy too like a pancake. MB suggested carrot kurma as side dish. So I prepared the same. Yes, its really a good combo. It was mildly sweet like we get in Karnataka restaurants. If you like this combo, try this kurma. Else you can make mixed vegetable kurma. It also tastes good. I prepared coconut chutney too. We had a nice breakfast today ! Lets see how to make set dosa with a side dish. 
carrot-kurma

Set dosa & carrot kurma recipe


Set dosa & carrot kurma recipe Set dosa recipe with carrot kurma - Yummy breakfast recipe
Cuisine: Indian
Category: Breakfast
Serves: 10 dosas
Prep time: 120 Minutes
Cook time: 5 Minutes
Total time: 125 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

SET DOSA
 1 cup = 200ml
To soak and grind
  • Boiled rice/Idli rice - 1 cup
  • Raw rice - 1/2 cup ( Sona masoori)
  • Urad dal - 1/3 cup (round white dal)
  • Thick aval/poha - 3 tbsp
  • Methi seeds - 1/2 tsp
  • Chana dal – 1 tbsp
  • Curd - 1/4 cup
  • Salt - as needed
  • Cooking soda - 1/2 pinch(optional)
CARROT KURMA
  • Carrot – 2 nos ( medium size,finely chopped)
  • Oil – 1 tbsp
  • Cinnamon – 1 inch piece
  • Cloves – 2 nos
  • Big onion – 2 nos ( finely chopped)
  • Tomato – 1 no (-do-)
  • Red chilly powder – 1/2 tsp
  • Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
  • Salt & water – As reqd
To grind :
  • Grated coconut – 3 tbsp
  • Green chilly – 2-3 nos
  • Ginger – 1 inch piece
  • Garlic flakes – 7 nos
  • Soambu / Aniseed – 1/2 tsp
  • Khus khus – 1/2 tsp
 SET DOSA - METHOD

  • Wash and soak the rice, dal,methi seeds together for 2 hrs. Grind to a smooth paste adding curd . Add salt at the end before removing the batter. Allow it to ferment for  minimum 15hrs. Next day add the cooking soda (optional)  , a pinch of sugar. Mix well.
  • Heat the pan and make small dosa.Do not spread it well.Pour little oil around it.Cover cook or in open pan for sometime.Flip if necessary or serve as it is. In some hotels,this dosa is cooked on one side.So its ur choice..
Set-dosa-tile
  • Serve two dosas as a set.

CARROT KURMA - METHOD

  • Wash and chop carrot and set aside. Heat oil in a kadai and add the cinnamon,cloves. Then add onions,tomatoes and carrot pieces.Saute till tomato turns mushy.
Carrot-kurma-tile1
  • Now add the turmeric powder , salt , red chilly powder and ground paste with the required water. Saute well.Pressure cook for one or two whistles.Remove,check for water content and boil for more time to thicken more.
Carrot-kurma-tile2
For variations,u can add peas and beans too.Do not add more carrots as the gravy tastes sweet.So use less carrot and more spices.


set-dosa-with-kurma-breakfast-menu
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September 28, 2010

Mor Kuzhambu With Onion - Tamilnadu Mor kulambu Recipe

mor kuzhambu recipe - mom's style

I love our South Indian/ Tamilnadu style mor kuzhambu for rice. Its the simplest, easiest , hassle free curry that can be prepared in no time. I usually follow my mil’s method. For a change, I  tried my mom’s style mor kulambu with onions. My mom never adds turmeric powder but I used here for a nice color. My mom always add masala vada in this kuzhambu. That gives an additional flavor and taste. Sometimes she adds lady's finger/ vendakkai too. But I dint add any vegetables. I just added onions and made it simple. I enjoyed with hot rice and carrot-beans poriyal. Slurppppp.. it was yummy!

INGREDIENTS 

1 cup - 240ml

For 2 persons
  • Sour curd – 1 cup
  • Besan flour – 1 tsp
  • Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp (optional)
  • Salt  – As needed
  • Water - 1 cup
To grind :
  • Coconut – 2 tbsp grated
  • Green chilli – 4 to 5 nos (small, use 2 for less spice)
  • Garlic – 3 cloves (small)
  • Ginger – 1/2 inch piece
  • Shallot / small onion – 3 nos
  • Jeera / cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp
To temper and saute:
  • Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
  • Fenugreek seeds – 1/8 tsp
  • Red chilli – 1 no (pinched into two)
  • Sambar onions/ shallots – 10 nos (finely chopped) or big onion - 1 no
To garnish :
  • Coriander leaves – 2 tbsp (finely chopped)
Method :
  • Grind all the ingredients given under "to grind" to a smooth paste. In a bowl, whisk the sour curd adding 1 cup water,  required salt, ground coconut paste, besan flour mixed with 1 tbsp water without lumps and mix well.
  • In a kadai, temper the items given above and add it to the buttermilk mixture.
  • Keep the bowl in medium flame and allow the buttermilk to boil slowly and becomes frothy.
  • Mix with the ladle in the middle and allow it to boil for few seconds in medium flame. Never roll boil the mor kulambu.  It will become watery. So stir it whenever needed. Add coriander leaves, mix well & give one boil.
  • Remove from the flame. Keep the vessel as such. Do not pour or transfer to another vessel when its hot. Close the vessel partially leaving some air gap. Serve with rice and poriyal.

Note :
  • Do not allow the buttermilk mixture to roll boil. It should just raise and becomes frothy.
  • Roll boiling makes the gravy watery and lose all its taste. Hope you all know this.
  • Do not close the bowl completely. It will also make the gravy watery. 
  • Do not pour the mor kuzhambu to a vessel when its hot. It will become watery. 
  • If you wish to add vegetables you can add sauteed lady's finger or cooked ash gourd/ poosanikai. You can dunk in whole masala vada for more taste.
morkuzhambu

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September 22, 2010

EASY POTATO PEAS KURMA - VEG KURMA WITHOUT COCONUT

I wanted to try a simple , mildly spiced kurma  for a long time. So i tried this kurma in my own way. My husband liked it very much. Also this is less time consuming & no grinding part is needed.Try this potato kurma without coconut and let me know friends how it turned out for you.
Simple aloo peas kurma 1

INGREDIENTS :
  • Potato / Aloo – 3 nos, medium size ( Peel the skin and chop into small pieces)
  • Peas – 1/4 cup( Soak the peas overnite if its dry )
  • Besan flour – 1 tbsp ( Mix with 1/4 cup water to make a paste )
  • Salt & water – As needed.
To saute :
  • Oil – 1 tbsp
  • Cinnamon – 1 inch
  • Cloves – 2 nos
  • Ginger garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
  • Curry leaves – a few
  • Big onion – 1 no (chopped finely )
  • Green chillies – 2 - 4 nos ( slit cut )
  • Tomato – 2 nos (chopped finely)
To garnish :
  • Coriander leaves – 2 tbsp
METHOD :
  • In a cooker base , add oil and saute the items given above in the same order.
  • Add tomato pieces at the end and saute till mushy.
  • Lastly add the potato pieces and soaked peas .
  • Add enough water & salt , cover and pressure cook up to 1 whistle.
  • Remove the lid and add the besan paste.Allow it to thicken and boil for sometime.
  • Garnish with coriander leaves & serve hot with roti.
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