EASY MAA INJI URUGUAI | EASY MANGO GINGER PICKLE - MAA INJI RECIPES

 

I love maa inji a lot. Basically I love ginger based recipes like ginger pachadi,Puli inji(kerala style) very much. So this mango ginger is no exception. Actually I wanted to post maa inji thokku, but before that I thought of sharing this simple & easy maa inji pickle, my MIL’s version. I tried two different methods and shared the same.Try whichever u like.Both can be made easily with simple ingredients.Its a great accompaniment for curd rice and dal rice. 

Maa inji/Mango ginger pickle

  Easy,instant maa inji pickle for curd rice

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Pickles

Serves: Serves 2

Prep time: 5 Minutes

Cook time: 3 Minutes

Total time: 8 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

Version 1 Mango ginger/Maa inji - 100 gms ( 5 big finger sized pieces) Lemon juice - 1 tbsp Green chillies - 2-3 nos Hing/Asafetida - A pinch Salt - as needed Version 2 Maa inji - 100 gms Lemon juice - 1 tbsp Red chilli powder- 1 tsp Hing/Asafetida - A big pinch Dry Roasted & powdered methi seeds-1/4 tsp Salt - as needed To temper(for both versions) Gingely oil - 1 tsp Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp Hing - A pinch

METHOD

Wash and peel the skin of mango ginger.Chop into small roundels(u can also chop it finely). To this add finely chopped green chillies,hing,salt and lemon juice.Mix n serve ! Version 2 Wash and peel the skin of mango ginger.Chop into small roundels. Add the chilli powder,salt,methi powder,lemon juice.. Finally temper for both the versions.Give a standing time of 30 minutes before serving.

Serve with curd rice and enjoy !

Note

For variations,u can chop mango ginger finely. Tempering is also optional.

Technorati Tags: Maa inji recipes,Maa inji pickle,Maa inji uruguai,Maa inji pickle recipe,Side dish for curd rice,Mango ginger recipes,Mango ginger pickle

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SIMPLE BIRTHDAY PARTY RECIPES MENU FOR KIDS

In this post, I have shared a simple kids birthday party recipes menu idea. Recently I attended Raksha’s friend’s Birthday party. We moms are also good friends. It was like a fun filled get together for us, more than a birthday party. I loved the way my friend conducted the party. It was so fun and interesting for kids as well as parents. It was not  like a normal cake cutting party. Instead she conducted some events/Indoor games for everybody including parents with some attractive and useful prizes. 

Kids were so enthusiastic to participate in the events and so were us. Though the games were very simple like ball passing,placing caps etc by playing music, they were very interesting and all the kids thoroughly enjoyed it. Raksha and myself won three prizes. I have shown the picture of prizes in the below picture. In addition to these prizes, birthday caps, face masks and yoyo were given to all the kids.

We had our lunch over there and it was a simple menu but filling and attractive to kids and parents. Though the number of items were less, everything were very tasty. Usually I hesitate and scare a lot to conduct party in my home and I have never conducted any parties. Other than family members, I haven’t invited anybody for Raksha’s birthday so far. But after attending this party, I got some ideas and confidence of conducting a party in my home. Hope I‘ll do it for Raksha’s next birthday. I tried the same party menu at home last Sunday.

As I was so much attracted by that party, I wanted to blog it for my future reference and for some beginners who are looking for simple party menu ideas. Hope you’ll find it useful.

INGREDIENTS REQUIRED FOR SERVING FOOD

Disposable serving plates Small  sized cake plate Big snack and food plate Plastic Spoons & fork for cake Plastic Spoon for food Disposable paper cups for juice and water Small disposable bowls for salad Tissue paper/ Napkin paper, Big polythene bags with buckets/cartons for trash. (this is very important, keep in all corners) For decorations Colorful ribbons , Happy  birthday banner , Balloons , Birthday knife , Candles, party foam, Chocolates inside a big balloon. For kids return gift Party caps, chocolates, face mask, yoyo or small toys, some useful gifts like chess box set, ludo, brain games etc based on the age. Some small storage bowls for adults and gift wrappers for packing gifts.

In the recipe menu , I have mentioned the order in which the recipes were served to us. As all these recipes can be prepared in advance, you don’t need any helping hand to prepare them. U alone can do everything and take the credits. Here is how my friend conducted the party.

HOW TO CONDUCT THE BIRTHDAY PARTY

• As soon as all the friends and guests gathered, store bought aerated drinks like Frooti, Pepsi, Fanta, 7up were served. You can serve  fresh fruit juices which is a healthy option for kids. 
• She kept some events for kids and parents. U can plan some games like musical chair, passing a ball, placing a cap by playing a music and much more. Everything finished off in 30 minutes. After that cake cutting went on.
• After cake cutting, she conducted one more event for kids. In the mean time, her family members arranged all the recipes in a plate and kept ready for serving.
• In a disposable /Use & throw plate (like the one in the picture), they served a piece of cake, a sweet (I made gulab jamun with ready made mix), mixed veg salad, masala vada, vegetable pulao with raita and potato chips were served with a plastic spoon & fork.
• After we finished eating, they asked for second serving. Finally they served curd rice and pickle.
• Last but not the least, the lunch was finished with a small cup of ice cream. You can also serve fresh fruit cream instead of ice cream. Kids love this dessert as well.
• In the above recipes, pulao, raita, salad, masala vada and curd rice were prepared at home. Remaining were store bought.
• We parents enjoyed all the recipes but when I noticed most of the kids happily ate salad (as it had corn), cake (particularly cream, pastry cake is more preferred nowadays), pulao, chips and  ofcourse ice cream. Some kids had curd rice instead of pulao as it was mildly spicy. 

Please find the links for the recipes here

• Spicy vegetable pulao with raita
• Curd rice
• Masala vada (It was not in the actual menu. As I made keerai vada, I kept it in the plate)
• Easy vegetable salad

In addition to the above recipes, you can find

• Gulab jamun using ready made mix ( Recipe with video)
• Store bought potato chips (I forgot to keep)
• A welcome drink ( homemade or store bought juice)
• Birthday cake piece
• Ice cream 

HOW TO PREPARE RECIPES IN ADVANCE

• In general, Kids love any recipes made with potato, paneer and cauliflower. So you can choose the starter and main course gravies accordingly. 
• If you are preparing gulab jamun , make it the previous day and store in an air tight box. To me this is the easiest sweet, universally loved by all. U can also plan for other sweets like kaju katli, burfi or make carrot halwa and serve as a dessert along with ice cream. If you want to make the job most simple, buy some sweets from  sweet shop like my friend did in the party.
• Prepare the salad the previous day night and refrigerate by keeping in a box. On the party day, add freshly grated coconut, mix and serve.
• For veg pulao, chop the vegetables and refrigerate in a tupperware box the previous night. For about 10-12 people, you can make 4-5 cups of rice. As the number of recipes are more, adjust the quantity of rice accordingly. Prepare the rice 30 minutes before the guests arrive so that it would be warm while serving. ( If you make in rice cooker or instant pot, keep in warm mode)
• For curd rice, make 4 cups of rice. Prepare and refrigerate it in the early morning. As soon as you finish making the pulao, take the curd rice out and do the seasoning. Adjust the consistency and keep it ready. Do check out my curd rice post on how to make it creamy for parties.
• Prepare masala vada batter and refrigerate the previous day. Make vadas at the end and keep it open till it cools down. Make it slightly thinner to maintain its crispness. If you do not want to have masala vada in your menu, you can try making gobi 65 or simply stop with potato chips. 

To make a grand lunch, you can include any starter like cheese balls, Gobi 65, plain rice, rasam, papad, roti and a paneer gravy. 

Thanks for visiting this page. Hope you find it useful !

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Curd Rice Recipe - Thayir Sadam - Bagala Bath Recipe

Curd rice / Thayir sadam /  bagala bath is loved by all irrespective of ages. As curd rice is an usual post, I thought of sharing some tips on “How to pack curd rice for lunch box”and “How to make creamy curd rice for parties/potluck” in the “Notes” section. Basically I love to eat plain curd rice more than the seasoned one decorated with fruits and vegetables like carrot. Having lots of fresh curd mixed in hot rice is the divine lunch for me. So I always make curd rice in a very simple way without adding veggies,fruits and nuts. Whenever Sendhil have his lunch outside with his friends, I make easy rasam & potato curry for Raksha and my lunch would be mostly curd rice and pickle ( preferrably vadu manga oorgai) alone.
Curd has innumerable health benefits.People who don’t like curds have to consume at least a cup of buttermilk  to aid digestion.My MIL usually says buttermilk is much healthier than curd.Thanks to my MIL and my dear friend Shalini for sharing these tips with me. Hope it would be useful for beginners too.Curd rice experts,please share your method of making for lunch box and parties.It would be more helpful for for all of us :)
Click here for baby mango pickle/Maavadu and Mor milagai recipe
.

Curd rice/Thayir sadam

How to make creamy curd rice/thayir sadam

Cuisine: Indian Category: Lunch Yields: Serves 2

Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 5 Minutes Total Time: 20 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 200ml Boiled rice or raw rice - 1/2 cup Water - 2 cups Milk - 3/4 cup Fresh cream(2 tbsp) or butter (1 tbsp) Fresh curd - 1/2 cup ( for immediate consumption.) Salt - as needed To temper Cooking oil - 1.5 tsp Mustard seeds - 1 tsp Urad dal - 2 tsp Hing -  a pinch Curry leaves – few Coriander leaves – 1/2 tsp To mix with rice Curry leaves - few Coriander leaves - 1 tbsp Finely chopped mango - 1 tbsp Finely chopped ginger – 2 tsp Grated carrot - 2 tbsp (optional)  Dry grapes and pomegranate - A handful(optional) Sour cream& butter milk – As needed (for parties)

METHOD

Wash and pressure cook the rice in low flame for 1whistle.If high flame,give 6-7 whistles.Rice should be completely mushy.Open the lid and mash the rice very well with the back of a  ladle.Add the required salt immediately.. Add warm milk to the rice and mix well.Add fresh cream or butter at this stage and mix well till it becomes creamy. This avoids the rice forming lumps when cooled down. Suppose if you feel, there are lumps in rice, use your hands and break it. Add the finely chopped ginger,curry leaves,slit green chillies and coriander leaves.Now add the fresh curd.Mix well.(Never add curd to hot rice) Add little more milk till u get the desired consistency.Now add the chopped fruits,veggies(if using) and tempered ingredients.Add some curry leaves and coriander leaves before switching off the flame while tempering.. Mix well and serve hot  with a pickle.Consume within an hour or two. **Add more curd,if u like more tangy.For the mentioned quantity,the taste would be mildly sour.

FOR LUNCH BOX AND PARTIES WITH DO’S AND DONT’S

For lunch box,to prepare 6-7 hours in advance,add 1.25 cups of milk for 1/2 cup of rice.Add 1 tsp of curd during summer season and 1-2 tbsp of curd during winter and other seasons .Make sure the rice is not so hard after mixing.ie,Milk should be 1/2 inch above the rice.Bring it to little loose consistency.Add slit green chillies,ginger, curry leaves and coriander leaves.Green chillies help to avoid the rice becoming too tangy.Ginger and greens is for flavour.Do the tempering.Allow the rice to cool down before packing in the box. For parties to prepare in advance( 6-8 hours before) : For 1/2 cup of rice,add 1.25 cups of milk and 2 tsp of curd with the required salt.Mix well and allow it to set for 4-6 hours.Make the consistency little loose.One hour before serving,check the curd rice.It would have been set and little hard too.At this time add the seasoning,mixed fruits, grated carrot and cashews(unroasted).Lastly add 1/4-1/2 cup of thick buttermilk and 2 tbsp of sour cream( for people in abroad).Mix well.Check for taste.Add little milk if too sour.Adjust the buttermilk and cream as per the taste & texture u require.U can also add evaporated milk. For people in India,we may not get sour cream here.So use fresh cream or butter as much as u need.It will help to balance the sourness, makes the rice look creamy and also gives a mild sweetness. For travel,add more milk as the rice tends to ferment very soon because of heat and becomes sour.Always take some thin buttermilk in hand to mix with the rice if rice becomes too hard DO ‘s & DONT’s Never use ur hand for mixing if u make the curd rice in advance.It will become too sour.Use ur hands for mixing only if u consume within two hours. Add hot or warm milk to the rice immediately after mashing the rice. Never add curd to the hot rice.It will leave water.Lunch box will leak and when u open the box,u’ll see the rice and curd separate. Never add the fruits,veggies and nuts in advance because the color of curd rice may change. U can also add mor milagai while tempering for more flavour and taste. Here i slitted the green chillies.U can slice it finely and add them.Some people add chopped small onions too. Thanks to my friend Shalini for sharing these party tips.She said she had followed all these tips for family get togethers and potlucks when she was in US.She also mentioned that curd rice can be prepared and refrigerated in an air tight box if u make one day in advance.The next day,bring it to room temperature and follow the above mentioned steps. Hope these tips are useful to u all.Do share if u have any special tip.Thanks for spending time to read this lengthy post :)

Enjoy the curd rice with mor milagai and a pickle.It would be heavenly !

Technorati Tags: curd rice recipe,thayir sadam,bagala bath,how to make curd rice for lunch box,how to make curd rice for potlucks,parties

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Thiruvathirai Thalagam Kuzhambu | Kali Kuzhambu -Thiruvathirai Recipes

Thiruvathirai kali kuzhambu is nothing but the seven vegetables kootu (7 kai kootu ) in gravy form made using freshly ground spices. It is prepared without cooked dal. It is called as thalagam by Tamil brahmins. Last year I prepared thiruvathirai kali,adai and kootu to update my old post and pictures. 

Along with those recipes, I tried 7 kai thalagam also known as thiruvathirai kali kuzhambu / pongal kuzhambu for the first time.  I wanted to make a gravy kind of recipe for kali. So I tried this kulambu recipe. We can make this kuzhambu for thai pongal festival too. 

Recently my sister was telling about this gravy to me which tempted me to try. I searched in google and adapted this recipe from here. I made some changes in the quantity and tried it. It was very nice for plain rice and thiruvathirai rice kali. It tasted more like our arachuvitta sambar without dal. I loved this kuzhambu more than our kootu:) Tasted great with kali!

Thiruvathirai kuzhambu/thalagam

Thiruvathirai kuzhambu for kali / kali kuzhambu. 

Cuisine: Indian 

Category:Side dish 

Yields: 4

Prep Time: 10 Minutes 

Cook Time: 20 Minutes 

Total Time: 30 Minutes

Please don’t use ash gourd. Yesterday my mil told not to use this veggie for occasions. Instead use pumpkin or cluster beans.

INGREDIENTS
1 cup = 240ml

To roast and grind Coconut oil - 2 tsp Raw Rice – 1.5 tsp Chana dal - 1 tbsp Urad dal – 2 tsp Toor dal – 1 tsp Coriander seeds/Dhania – 1 tbsp Methi seeds - 1/4 tsp Red chillies - 5-6 nos Grated coconut - 1/3 cup To dry roast Sesame seeds - 1 tsp For cooking Seven vegetables – 2 cups (chopped, refer notes for quantity) Tomato - 1no Tamarind - Big gooseberry size Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp Hing - 1/4 tsp Salt & water - as needed To temper Coconut oil or ghee - 1 tbsp Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp Curry leaves - few

HOW TO MAKE THALAGAM RECIPE - METHOD

Chop all the vegetables, tomato and pressure cook adding enough water & little salt in high flame for two whistles so that the vegetables  retain its shape. Set aside. Dry roast the sesame seeds. (SKIP SESAME SEEDS IF U MAKE IT AS SIDE DISH FOR PONGAL) Remove. Then add 2 tsp of coconut oil in the same kadai and roast all the above said ingredients. Lastly add the grated coconut, roast it and grind everything with sesame seeds to a smooth paste adding required water. Keep it aside. Take 2 cups of tamarind extract, add the ground paste. Add salt, turmeric powder, hing and few torn curry leaves. Allow it to roll boil well till the raw smell emanates. As it boils, it thickens. So add water and adjust salt if necessary. Now add the cooked vegetables and boil for few more minutes. After the gravy leaves a nice smell, switch off the flame. Temper the mustard seeds and curry leaves. Add to kali kuzhambu. Cover with a lid.Give a standing time of 30 minutes. Serve as a side dish for kali or mix with plain rice adding ghee. Enjoy !

Note

Use coconut oil or ghee for tempering. It renders a nice flavour to this gravy. If you don’t like sesame flavour, omit using sesame seeds. Add coriander leaves if you prefer to garnish. I din’t use. For this recipe, I used 1/2 raw banana, 1/2 cup of pumpkin/ash gourd, a handful of mochai, 1/4 cup of cubed yam, 2 arbi peeled, 6 broad beans, 1/2 cup of sweet potato cubed. If you don’t get the above said vegetables, you can replace with Cluster beans, Pumpkin, Ladies finger, Bitter gourd. If using bitter gourd, just add 1-2 small pieces for namesake. Otherwise gravy will taste bitter. Some people use potato, carrot, beans too.

Technorati Tags: Thiruvathirai kali kuzhambu,kali kulambu,thiruvathirai kuzhambu,thalagam,thiruvathitai thalagam recipe,thiruvathirai gravy recipe,side dish for kali

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Restaurant Style Vegetable Pulao With Raita - South Indian Veg Biryani Recipe

I got this restaurant style veg pulao recipe from a friend who is an expert in cooking non-veg recipes. She shared her South Indian style Vegetable pulao recipe with me. In Karnataka, all my friend call it as vegetable pulao/palav. In my house, mom and MIL call these kind of recipe as either biryani or vegetable rice. I tried this recipe for the first time. It came out super flavourful and tasty. When you cook this biryani, I bet your house will be scented with this masala flavour. U can feel the smell in your hands even after you finished eating it:) I am not exaggerating, its true. Try it :) Its totally my kind of recipe with full masala flavour.

Whenever my neighbours make biryani, I keep sniffing the aroma. Every time I feel like rushing to their house to get the recipe. As they cook mostly non-veg biryani, I hesitate to ask because I was thinking the same flavours cannot be achieved with vegetables. I thought its only because of chicken or mutton. Of course chicken/mutton may also be one of the reasons. But the major thing is the masala/spices we use. I got to know this only after making this biryani. U’ll get the taste and smell of non-veg biryani when you try this recipe. Its a keeper recipe for vegetarians like me.

If you make this for parties, make it directly in electric rice cooker like i did in my tomato rice recipe but with generous amount of oil and ghee. Rice cooker helps to keep the pulao hot till u eat. Last week i attended a birthday party. They kept this rice in their menu. It was awesome.So I thought of sharing this recipe before posting the party menu.

Ok, enough of boring, let us move on and see how to make spicy veg biryani & raita with step by step pictures :)

Click here for Masala vada recipe, Curd Rice recipe 

Spicy vegetable pulao

Spicy vegetable biryani/pulao recipe - Truly flavourful

Cuisine: Indian Category: Lunch Yields: Serves 3

Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cook Time: 20 Minutes Total Time: 30 Minutes

INGREDIENTS
1 cup - 240ml

To soak in water Basmati rice - 1cup Water - 1.5 - 1.75 cups To saute in oil Cooking oil + ghee – 2tbsp + 2tsp Bay leaf – 1no Star anise – 1no Lichen or Black stone flower – Kalpasi – 1/2 tsp (please see the picture in step by step & refer notes) Vegetables - 3/4 cup (carrot-1no ,beans-8nos, green peas-1/4cup, potato - 1no) Big onion – 2 nos (medium sized) Red chilli powder - 1/2 - 1 tsp Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp To grind Big onion - 1/4 no (use only quarter piece) Green chillies - 3- 4 nos (small finger size) Mint leaves - 10 nos Fennel seeds - 3/4 tsp Cinnamon - 1 small piece Clove -2 nos Cardamom - 1 no Ginger - 1 inch piece Garlic - 5-6 pods(small) Cashews - 2 nos (optional)

HOW TO MAKE HOTEL VEG PULAO - METHOD

Wash and soak the basmati rice for at least 30-45 minutes. Else you have to add 2 cups of water for 1 cup of rice. Chop all the vegetables and onions(finely)  & grind the masala. Keep it ready. In a pressure cooker or rice cooker base, heat oil+ghee and add the bay leaf, star anise and kalpasi. Then add the onions, saute for a minute or two. Now add the ground masala paste. Wash the jar with very little water and add it. Saute well in medium flame till you get a nice aroma(People sitting in living room will definitely come to your kitchen by the aroma;)) Add turmeric and red chilli powder. Saute for a minute. Lastly add the vegetables and required salt. Mix well. Drain the water from the soaked rice and add it. Mix well for a minute. Lastly add 1.5-1.75 cups of water (depending on the basmati rice brand) and a tsp of ghee and pressure cook in low flame till one whistle or 10-12 minutes. Remove, mix with a fork like ladle. Serve hot with any raita.I served with mixed vegetable raita and its recipe follows. Click here for Masala vada recipe, Curd Rice recipe

Note

Do not add more mint leaves and onion than the above mentioned quantity. Do not use turmeric powder to get white colored pulao. Add more green chillies if you want too spicy. Add oil/ghee generously when you make for parties or guests. If you have Lichen or Black stone flower - Kalpasi, please add it. Mostly U’ll get this ingredient in biryani masala packet. It gave a nice smell to the pulao. Please click this link to see the picture of this ingredient. Skip if you don’t have it. Adding water depends on the amount of soaking. If you soak for one hour, add 1 to 1.5 cups of water. Here I used around 1.75 cups of water after soaking the rice for about 15 minutes as my husband likes that way. I used India gate basmati rice.

RAITA FOR PULAO/BIRYANI

This raita was served along with this pulao in that party. It was a nice combo for this pulao. We loved it.

Mixed vegetable raita

Raita recipe for pulao/biryani

Cuisine: Indian Category: Lunch side dish Yields: Serves 4

Prep Time: 5 Minutes Cook Time: 5 Minutes Total Time: 10 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

To mix in curd Finely chopped big onions - 2 nos Finely chopped cucumber - 1/2 no(small size) Finely chopped green chillies – 1-2  nos if small  Grated carrot – 1 medium no Salt - as needed Fresh thick curd – 2-3 cups

HOW TO MAKE RAITA - METHOD

Finely chop all the vegetables. Mix well in a big bowl adding the required salt. Just before serving add the curd, Mix well without adding water. Tempering is not needed. Serve with pulao/biryani. Note Cucumber will leave water and the mixture will become watery if you mix curd in advance. So add curd only 10 minutes before serving. After mixing, if you feel the mixture is too thick, add little water. Else do not add water.

Technorati Tags: Spicy vegetable biryani recipe,Spicy vegetable pulao recipe,spicy vegetable recipes,raita,raita for biryani,raita for veg biryani,raita recipe fo pulao,raita recipe onion

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Masala Vada/Masala Vadai Recipe/Paruppu Vadai

Masal vadai/Masala vada/Paruppu vadai is an yummy tea time snack recipe. My mom & MIL make masal vadai without adding fennel seeds and mint leaves. We mostly make it for guest to serve in the afternoon lunch or for more kuzhambu. Sendhil likes that vada a lot. But I love masala vada only with spices. Before marriage, I used to buy masala vada from a tea shop. I would say it was the tastiest vada I’ve ever had in my life. She usually opens the shop at 11 am. All the vadas will be sold out in just 30 minutes. We have to rush to buy them. She also makes urad dal vada, bonda and bajji.

Once I asked her recipe secret and she told me roughly. Based on the ingredients she told and by referring vahchef’s site for some minute tips, finally I made a great flavoured crispy masala vada. I have mentioned the tips and variations in “Notes” section. Do try this crispy tea stall style masala vada.U’ll love it.

Masala vada

Masala vada - yummy tea time snack

Cuisine: Indian Category: Snacks Yields: 15 nos

Prep Time: 60 Minutes Cook Time: 20 Minutes Total Time: 80 Minutes

INGREDIENTS
1 cup - 250ml

To soak Chana dal/Kadalai paruppu -1 cup To grind Green chillies or red chillies - 3-4 nos Hing - 1/4 tsp or small garlic cloves – 4 nos Ginger – 1 inch piece Fennel -1 tsp Salt – as needed To mix in the batter Small onions/Big onions - 15 nos / 2 nos Curry leaves - few Coriander leaves – 1.5 tbsp Mint leaves - 2 tbsp Rice flour - 1 tsp ( optional)

HOW TO MAAKE MASALA VADA - METHOD

Wash and soak the dal for 3-4 hours. Drain the water and set aside. In a mixie jar,take the chillies, salt, ginger, hing or garlic and fennel seeds. Grind it well. Then add half of the drained chana dal. Coarsely grind it to a paste (sprinkle only 1-2 tsp of water if needed. But its better not to add water at all). Some dals would be visible. Remove in a bowl. Grind in two batches. Mix both the batches well and add the finely chopped onions, curry leaves, coriander leaves and mint leaves. Mix well. Add  1 tsp of rice flour or corn flour if needed. Heat oil in a kadai for deep frying. Check the oil temperature by dropping a pinch of batter in the oil. If it rises immediately, oil temperature is just right. Simmer the flame and then make a small lemon sized ball from the batter. Pat it slightly. Make the corners slightly thinner than the middle. Drop into the hot oil. Make some more vadas and deep fry them in both the sides till onions & vada turn golden brown color. Remove, drain the oil in a tissue paper. Proceed the same for all the batter. Serve hot !

Note

Pat the vada little thin to maintain its crispness. Do not cover the vadas when it is hot. It makes the vada soft and soggy. Add jeera if you don’t like fennel seeds. Some people do not like the over powering masala smell. In that case, skip it. For variations,replace green chillies by red chillies. I mostly use red chillies. This time I made with green chillies. U can replace hing by garlic cloves. Add 4-5 cloves in this case. If you soak the dal for more than 3 hours, you can grind it without adding water. In that case add little rice flour or besan flour or corn flour for binding. U can also make this vada by soaking the dal for 45 minutes but you have to add little more water while grinding. But the result will be the same. Adding ginger is completely optional. But it helps for digestion of vada. Addition of oil helps for binding the batter as well as crispness. If you feel the batter is watery or wet, add little rice flour corn flour or besan flour. Mix well and make vada. Addition of fennel and mint leaves gives the taste like you get in tea shops. So never skip it.

Serve hot and crispy vada with tea !

Technorati Tags: masala vada recipe,masala vada preparation,masal vadai,masal vadai recipe,snacks recipes

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Easy Salad Recipe For Kids - Salad For Birthday Party

Yesterday we went to Raksha’s friend birthday party. I’ll post that party menu recipes this weekend. I tasted this salad there. It was a very simple recipe but very tasty. Raksha doesn’t like to eat pomegranate but she loves sweet corn very much. As that salad had more sweet corn, she had it without complaining anything. It was so colourfully done to attract the kids. All the kids liked it very much. Not only kids, we too liked it a lot. It tasted very similar to Karnataka kosambari.

Today I prepared the same at home and I have planned to give her a bowl of salad after she comes from the school. We had it along with our lunch. Friends, do try this colourful salad and give it to your kids. This can be prepared well in advance.U can even pack for their lunch box along with some variety rice. It would be healthy and filling too :)

Easy salad recipe

Easy salad recipe for kids.Even ur kids can make it for themselves :)

Cuisine: Indian Category: Salad Yields: 1 cup

Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cook Time: 2 Minutes Total Time: 12 Minutes

INGREDIENTS
1 cup - 250ml

For mixing Pomegranate - 1/4 cup Sweet corn kernels - 1/3-1/2 cup Grated coconut – 1-2 tbsp Cucumber - 1 tbsp (Optional) Coriander leaves – 2tsp Pepper powder – 1/2 tsp (optional) Salt - as needed Lemon juice - few drops (optional)

HOW TO MAKE SALAD - METHOD

Pressure cook the sweet corn and remove the kernels (Click here to see the easy removal of kernels). Finely chop the cucumber, coriander leaves. Grate the coconut using a peeler so that it looks like long strands as you see in the picture.   In a wide bowl, add all the ingredients. Mix well, add salt and lemon juice if desired.

Note

If you are planning to try this for parties, cook the corn and remove the kernels, take out the pomegranate seeds and chop the cucumber on the previous day itself.  Refrigerate everything separately in an air tight box. On the day of party, just two hours before, take everything out of the fridge and mix well, add salt and freshly grated coconut. Nowadays we can store the grated coconut in a ziplock bag and freeze it. Bring it to room temperature and mix it with the salad. Add lime juice if desired and set aside. By the time you serve, it would be good to taste. For variations, you can also add grated carrots. Adding grated coconut gives a nice taste. Skip if your kid don’t like it. Do not add pepper powder if you make for kids. Adding lemon juice is completely optional. I din’t use it.  U can also add a tsp of olive oil to make it more healthy.

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Coconut Payasam | Arisi Thengai Payasam Recipe - Payasam Varieties

Every Friday, I used to do Thiru vilakku poojai at home. So I make payasam / sweet pongal or kesari for neivedyam. For today's Friday pooja, I tried arisi thengai payasam ( Rice coconut kheer with jaggery) for the first time asking the recipe from my MIL. It came out very well. We loved it a lot. 

This coconut payasam is surely a keeper. I have decided to try this for my guests too. It was so nice with a great smell of coconut. I added ghee roasted coconut bits (Kerala style) which gave a nice crunchy taste in between while eating. Do try this thengai payasam / coconut payasam with jaggery for a change from our usual paruppu payasam. U’ll love it :)

Coconut payasam

Thengai payasam/Coconut payasam recipe for festivals and pooja.Tastes great !

Cuisine: Indian Category: Dessert Yields: Serves 2

Prep Time: 30 Minutes Cook Time: 20 Minutes Total Time: 50 Minutes

INGREDIENTS
1 cup - 200ml

To soak n To grind Raw rice - 1.5 tsp Grated coconut - 1/2 cup (tightly packed) For syrup Grated jaggery - 1/2 cup Elachi/Cardamom seeds - 3 nos (powdered) Milk or coconut milk - 2 tbsp(optional) To roast in ghee Ghee - 2 tsp Coconut pieces - 1/2 tbsp Dry grapes - few (optional) Cashews - Few nos (optional)

METHOD - HOW TO MAKE ARISI THENGAI PAYASAM

Wash and soak the raw rice in water for 30- 45 minutes. Grate the coconut. Grind the coconut and rice adding 1/2 cup of water to a smooth paste. In a bowl, take the ground paste and add 1.5 cups of water. Allow it to cook well in simmer flame for 10-12 minutes. Stir in between to avoid getting burnt bottom. The mixture will turn slightly thick like a porridge. In the meantime, grate jaggery. Add 1/4 cup of water, melt it, make a syrup, strain  to remove impurities and set aside. When the coconut paste is cooked well, add this syrup. Mix well. Boil for 2-3 minutes. Roast the coconut pieces & cashews in ghee and add to the payasam. Add cardamom powder. Remove and add the boiled & cooled milk. Mix and Serve. Enjoy !

Note

Use paagu vellam to get a nice color. Adding milk is optional. Add based on the consistency you need. U can also add coconut milk instead of milk at the end before switching off the flame. Addition of roasted coconut bits is optional. I followed Kerala style pradhaman for this step.

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