Milk Kesari/Paal Kesari Recipe-Rava Kesari Using Milk

Rava Kesari using milk aka Paal kesari ( in Tamil) is the one which i was struggling for years to make it perfect .Thanks to my MIL for teaching me Rava Kesari recipe using this method for beginners.With the help of that recipe,i tried this milk kesari yesterday.It came out really well and i was 100% happy with the result.Its a very simple recipe without condensed milk but tastes rich n flavourful.I have shared all the tips & tricks for beginners to make it easily.Try it n let me know your feedback friends.Ok,lets see how to prepare milk kesari with stepwise pictures.I wanted my paal kesari to be white in color.So i added less saffron.Please use more saffron threads or yellow food color to make colorful kesari .

Milk kesari recipe/Paal kesari

Rava kesari using milk - Paal kesari recipe

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Sweet

Serves: Serves 4

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 20 Minutes

Total time: 30 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

Rava/sooji/Semolina - 1/2 cup Milk - 3 cups Sugar - 1 cup Cardamom - 2 nos Saffron threads - 10 nos Cashewnuts - 5 nos Ghee - 2 tbsp

METHOD

Heat 2 tsp of ghee in a pan.When it is hot,add the rava.As soon as u add rava,it should sizzle.Keep the flame in medium high and roast the rava for 2 minutes staying nearby.Remove the roasted rava in a plate and set aside. In the same kadai,add milk and saffron threads, allow it to boil. When it starts to roll boil,keep the flame completely low and add the rava in one hand and stir the mixture using a ladle in the other hand.Now take a wire whisk and mix it thoroughly.Make sure there are no lumps.Keep the flame low till u mix it well.After mixing,increase the flame to medium and mix till the rava thickens slightly. Now close the kadai with a lid and cook till rava is done. It takes around 3-4 minutes in medium flame.Stir it once in the middle. After the rava is cooked well,add sugar by keeping the flame low.The mixture will turn slightly thin. Keep mixing till all the sugar is melted completely and the mixture becomes slightly thick.Lastly add the remaining ghee and remove the kadai.Transfer it to a bowl immediately.If u touch the kesari,it will be non-sticky.Do not over do & wait for kesari to leave the sides of kadai.Remove it as soon as all the sugar is mixed with rava and becomes slightly thick.The mixture will fall like a ribbon.Don’t panic.It will become thick once it cools down.So transfer it to a bowl and garnish with roasted cashews.( If u keep mixing till kesari leaves the sides,the sugar will crystallize & kesari becomes hard n chewy after it cools down.So pls be careful). Generally we don’t make pieces for milk kesari.We serve in bowls.If u want to make pieces,transfer the kesari to a ghee greased plate & wait till it becomes warm & thick.Draw lines using a greased knife & make shapes. Keep the flame medium throughout the process.It takes maximum 3 minutes after adding sugar to finish the process. Enjoy !

Note

The ratio of rava & milk should be 1:6.As we are adding more milk,there are less chances of lump formation.But make sure you mix it properly with a whisk. You can add 1.5 cups of sugar if u want mild sweetness. Add more saffron if u want nice yellow color.I wanted my kesari to be white.So i used less. Do not over do & wait for kesari to leave the sides of kadai.Remove it as soon as all the sugar is mixed with rava and becomes slightly thick.The mixture will fall like a ribbon.Don’t panic.It will become thick once it cools down.So transfer it to a bowl and garnish with roasted cashews.

Try this milk kesari recipe for pooja or to celebrate occasions and make it special

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Eggless Tutti Frutti Cookies Recipe/Fruit Cookies-Christmas Recipes

When I posted eggless tutti frutti cake recipe, I got request from some of my readers to post tutti frutti cookies too. Even I wanted to give it a shot for long time. So I tried it yesterday for the first time by searching the net. As most of the recipes were similar, I tried it confidently without any confusion. It came out really well and it was tasting more like butter cookies. I am happy to share this yummy, buttery cookies recipe for this Christmas and it is perfect for parties & other celebrations too. Try this for your kids. They will enjoy it !

Eggless tutti frutti cookies recipe

Eggless tutti frutti cookies for Christmas celebration

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Baking

Serves: 15

Prep time: 50 Minutes

Cook time: 15 Minutes

Total time: 65 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 240ml Maida/All purpose flour - 1 cup Unsalted Butter - 6 tbsp ( softened, at room temperature) Tutti frutti – 1/2 cup Powdered sugar - 1/2 cup Milk powder - 1 tbsp ( optional) Milk - 1/2 tbsp - 1tbsp Vanilla essence - 1 tsp

HOW TO MAKE TUTTI FRUTTI COOKIES - METHOD

Take powdered sugar & softened butter in a bowl. Mix well with a whisk until creamy and soft peaks appear. Beat it well for 5 minutes. In a bowl,mix maida, tutti frutti and milk powder(optional). Add this mixture to the beaten butter mixture. Mix well and make a crumbly dough. Add 1/2 or 1 tbsp of milk and knead a soft non-sticky dough. Roll the dough to a log shape and wrap in a plastic sheet.Freeze it for 45 minutes.Remove and cut into 1/2 inch thick cookies. You can also roll the dough in a polythene sheet and cut in desired shapes. Preheat oven in convection mode for 180c. Arrange in the cookies in a butter greased baking tray. Bake it for 15 minutes.The sides of cookie will turn slightly brown. Remove the cookie tray and let it cool. Initially they look soft when hot but it becomes crunchy after cooling down completely. The cookies will come out without sticking to the plate. Suppose if it sticks to the plate after it cools down, bake them again for 2 minutes & then remove, let it cool.You can find the actual taste of these cookies only after they cool down completely. Store in an air tight box. Hope it stays good for 3-4 days. Enjoy !

Note

Adding milk powder is optional. Adjust the quantity of tutti frutti as per your wish. But if you add more, cookie may turn soft and chewy. So take care.  If you don’t have tutti frutti in hand, replace it with finely chopped dry fruits. You should bake the cookies till the sides of cookie turn golden brown as you see in the picture.

Try this yummy, colorful tutti frutti cookies for this Christmas & let me know your feedback.

Merry Christmas !!

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Tamilnadu Rasam Recipe - South Indian Rasam Recipe

This is my basic South Indian style rasam recipe which I learnt from my Aachi in Tirunelveli, Tamilnadu. I make this rasam almost everyday without using homemade or store bought rasam powder and dal water. Instead I make it with freshly ground rasam powder. My MIL like this rasam a lot & this is my daughter’s favourite Rasam mammu too. 

Last year I shared my dad’s Easy rasam recipe using Instant rasam powder. This is also very similar recipe but the ingredients of rasam powder differs slightly. As we are using freshly ground powder,this rasam comes out very flavourful but I  tell you it tastes the best when prepared in advance. It needs some standing time for all the flavours to infuse. Beginners and bachelors can also try this recipe. U can make this powder using a small mortar & pestle if you don’t have a mixie. 

Now lets see how to prepare this yummy Tamil nadu style basic rasam recipe. Soon I will post more rasam varieties here.

Rasam recipe

Everyday rasam recipe using freshly ground rasam powder.

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Lunch

Serves: 3

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 10 Minutes

Total time: 20 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

Tamarind – Medium gooseberry size Ripe tomato - 1 no Turmeric powder – 1/8 tsp Salt & water – as needed Sugar – 1/8 tsp For Rasam powder Dhania/Coriander seeds - 1/2 tsp Pepper - 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds/Jeera – 1 tsp Garlic - 4 nos Red chilli - 1 no Methi seeds -1/4 tsp To temper Cooking oil OR Ghee - 2 tsp  Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp Red chilli - 1 no Hing – a pinch Curry leaves - few Coriander leaves - to garnish

HOW TO MAKE TAMILNADU RASAM - METHOD

Soak tamarind in warm water for 15 minutes. Take the extract using 1 cup of water and add the finely chopped or crushed tomato, salt, turmeric powder to it. Take all the ingredients in a mixie jar for rasam powder and grind it coarsely ( Red chilli is missing in the below picture.Sorry,i forgot to keep it). Heat a kadai with 2 tsp oil or ghee and splutter mustard seeds, jeera and pinched red chilli. ( Alternately you can temper at the end in ghee and pour over the rasam.)  Add the tamarind extract mixture and a cup of water. Boil well for 2-3 minutes till raw smell goes off completely. Add hing while it boils. Now add the freshly ground rasam powder, sugar and add 1/4 cup of water. Allow it to give a full roll boil only once and switch off the flame immediately. Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves and transfer the rasam to a bowl. Give a standing time of one hour and serve with hot rice and papad. Enjoy !

Note

U can also add store bought rasam powder to replace this powder.In that case,add 1-2 tsp of it based on the spiciness u need. U can also 2 tbsp of dal water along with tamarind extract if you wish. Dhania adds flavor to this rasam but it takes some time to lend it. So prepare this rasam at least one hour in advance. U can reheat at the time of serving. Coriander leaves is a must n should for garnishing. U can use ghee for tempering. You can also temper at the end using ghee. It gives a nice flavor.

Enjoy this rasam with hot rice adding a drop of ghee.It tastes yum ! This is my daughter’s Rasam Mammu bowl when she was a kid .

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Eggless Gingerbread Man Cookies With Royal Icing- Christmas Recipes

Eggless ginger bread men cookies & fruit cake are the ones that flash in my mind whenever I think about Christmas recipes. Last year I shared eggless fruit cake/Plum cake and this year I tried these ginger bread cookies with royal icing for the first time and I was completely happy with the results. I was looking for some gingerbread recipes without molasses and eggs and I found them here. 

As I have not seen or tasted these cookies, I passed some of these cookies to my friends who had already tasted them in abroad and got thumbs up from them. Raksha was very much excited to see a batch of cookies with royal icing and she herself started decorating them enthusiastically. Though I am not happy with the decoration I did, I was satisfied with the cookies. I hope I can make perfect icing in my next attempt.

 After baking these cookies, I am much more confident to try some more Christmas special cookies like snowball cookies,tutti frutti cookies and sugar cookies.I will try to share them in upcoming weeks. 

Friends, do try this cookie recipe even if you are a beginner or first timer. I am sure u will get it perfect. I got these cookie cutter from Institute of Baking and Cake art,Bangalore. Don’t worry if you don’t have a gingerbread man cookie cutter. You can try in any other shapes as you like. The best thing with this cookie is that the dough can be made well in advanced, refrigerate and make it for Christmas parties or get together. 

These cookies are considered as one of the special Christmas gifts too. So try these cookies, wrap them in a sheet and gift your nears & dears for this Christmas 2019 ! Enjoy. Check out my eggless tutti frutti cake recipe if interested !

Lets see how to make these awesome gingerbread man cookies recipe below.

Icing done by my daughter Raksha 

Eggless Gingerbread Men Cookies Recipe

Eggless gingerbread men cookie with royal icing

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Cookies

Serves: 30 nos

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 12 Minutes

Total time: 22 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup = 240 ml All purpose flour/Maida - 2.5 cups Unsalted butter - 100 gms Powdered jaggery - 1/2 cup ( somewhat tightly packed) Honey – 1/2 cup Baking powder - 1 tsp Cooking soda/Baking soda - 1 tsp Dry ginger powder - 1 tbsp Cloves powder - 1/2 tsp ( i ground 15 cloves) Cinnamon powder - 1/2 tbsp Nutmeg powder - 1/2 tsp Black pepper powder - 1/2 tsp ( freshly ground) FOR ROYAL ICING Icing sugar – 1/2 cup Cornstarch/corn flour – 1.5 tsp ( I used corn flour) Lemon juice – 1/2-1 tsp A few drops of  food coloring Milk or water – 2 to 3 tsp

HOW TO MAKE GINGERBREAD MAN COOKIES - METHOD

In a wide bowl,take the powdered jaggery and butter in room temperature.Beat them using an electric beater till it turns creamy and fluffy. Now add the honey and again beat the mixture till they get combined well. In another bowl, take maida and all the powders. Mix well and sieve them. Set aside Add this sieved maida to the creamy butter mixture and fold them gently. Now use your hands and make a non-sticky dough. Knead the dough well ( do not beat it) in a lightly dusted surface. Use very little maida for dusting only if its needed ( I dint dust the surface.I just made a non-sticky dough and proceeded. My dough was just right for this measurement) Now wrap the cookie dough in a cling wrap or polythene sheet and refrigerate them for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove the dough and make a small ball out of it. Dust the work surface with maida and roll the dough using a chapathi rolling pin. Make sure dough is not sticky. Roll it for 1/4 inch thickness. Make it thin. If you make it thick, cookie will become chewy. So roll it thin and uniform. Cut it with the cutter. Arrange the cookies in a greased baking tray. Preheat the oven at 180c in convection mode and bake at 180c in convection mode for 10-11 minutes till they turn light brown. Keep an eye after 8-9 minutes. Take the tray out and cool them completely by keeping them in racks. The cookies will seem a little soft when hot but they will become crispy once they have cooled completely. Store in an air tight box till you make decorations. Prepare the icing and proceed. For Royal Icing, sieve the corn flour & icing sugar. Add a tsp of lemon juice and a tsp of milk/water. Mix well to make a smooth paste. If the consistency is too thick, add a tsp of more milk and make a creamy paste. Divide the icing into small portions and add your preferable food colors. Fill the icing in a plastic bag or zip lock cover and do the icing. Decorate the cookies as per your wish.Initially icing seems to be thin but it will thicken as time proceeds. I felt the taste of icing was very similar to glucose ;) Wish you all merry Christmas and a very happy new year in advance !

Note

Make sure your cookie dough is non-sticky. Do not add more flour if you feel the dough is sticky. It makes the cookie chewy. U can also replace all these spices with “All spice Powder”. In that case, use 1-1.5 tsp of it. Roll the cookie dough uniformly thin else cookies may turn chewy and hard. After baking the cookies for 10 minutes, you may feel it soft to touch. But it will become hard and crispy once it cools down completely. First make one batch of cookies,check whether it has come out perfect after cooling down. Then make the remaining batches by adjusting the baking time.

Try these gingerbread man cookies for this Christmas and gift your near & dear ones !

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Kothavarangai poriyal/Cluster Beans Curry recipe

Cluster beans curry / Kothavarangai poriyal is an easy poriyal recipe that can be made under 15 minutes. As it has no grinding job, bachelors can also try this recipe. Cluster beans poriyal can be made with or without onion. It tastes good in either ways. It goes well with more kuzhambu & sambar sadam. My Father-in-law is fond of cluster beans sambar. So he used to buy kothavarangai/cluster beans very often. My MIL used to make kothavarangai sambar and poriyal with it. This is my MIL's style recipe. Ok, Lets see how to make this easy kothavarangai poriyal recipe for rice.

Kothavarangai poriyal/Cluster beans curry recipe

Kothavarangai poriyal/Cluster beans curry recipe-Tastes the best with More kuzhambu and sambar !

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Side dishes

Serves: Serves 3

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 15 Minutes

Total time: 25 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

Cluster beans/kothavarangai – 1 cup ( finely chopped) Sambar powder - 1 tsp Yellow moong dal - 1 tbsp Big onion - 1 no Sugar – 1/2 tsp Grated coconut – 1/4 cup Tamarind – a big pinch Salt & water - as needed To temper Cooking oil - 1 tbsp Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp Urad dal - 1 tsp Cumin seeds/Jeera – 1 tsp Curry leaves - few

METHOD

Wash the cluster beans.Discard the head and tail portions and chop it finely. In a kadai,heat 1/2 tbsp of oil and saute the cluster beans for a minute.Then transfer this to a pressure cooker base and add yellow moong dal,tamarind,sambar powder,salt and little water( I kept in a small tiffin box and cooked it along with dal in pressure cooker). Pressure cook in high flame for 2-3 whistles.Tamarind will be cooked well and mashed with vegetable.Open the cooker and drain excess water if any ( if u don’t want to discard the excess water,let it be with cluster beans). Heat a kadai with oil and temper mustard seeds,urad dal and cumin seeds.Add onions and saute till transparent. Now add the cooked cluster beans( if adding with excess water,allow it to boil well and drain) and boil well for minute.After the poriyal becomes dry,add sugar and mix well.Lastly add grated coconut,mix well and switch off the flame.Serve with rice,gravy/kuzhambu and papad ! Enjoy !

Note

Adding onions is optional here.If we make this poriyal on no moon day/Ammavaasai,we make it without onions.It tastes good in either ways ! Adding little tamarind helps to overcome the mild bitterness of cluster beans.

Try this yummy kothavarangai poriyal and serve with rice n gravy !I served it with broad beans sambar

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Vazhakkai Poriyal Recipe/Raw Banana Curry(With Fresh Masala)

Usually we make vazhakkai poriyal for keerai sambar using this way. But recently my MIL made vazhakkai curry aka poriyal using freshly ground spices. We prepared this as a side dish for mor kuzhambu & Pulisaaru(Vendhaya rasam). It was awesome. Basically I love any poriyal if its made with freshly ground masalas like my baby potato curry and ennai kathrikai poriyal. So I was very happy when my MIL made this for me. 

Friends, try this raw banana curry if you are looking for a change from your usual poriyal recipe. U will love it. U can also try this without Onions & garlic but these ingredients render a special flavor to this curry. Check out my vazhakkai podimas and vazhakkai curry recipes here. Lets see how to make this yummy vazhakkai poriyal recipe for rice.

Check out my Andhra style raw banana curry, Chettinad vazhakkai poriyal and raw banana roast .

Vazhakkai poriyal/Raw banana curry recipe

Vazhakkai poriyal/Raw banana curry recipe using freshly ground spices - Tastes the best with More kuzhambu and rasam !

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Side dishes

Serves: Serves 3

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 15 Minutes

Total time: 25 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

Raw banana/Vazhakkai - 2 nos ( small) Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp Salt & water - as needed To grind Grated coconut - 3 tbsp Dhania/Coriander seeds - 1.5 tbsp Jeera - 1 tsp Red chillies - 2 nos (I used very spicy chillies.Use 4 nos for normal chillies) Big onion - 1 no Garlic cloves - 2 nos (optional) Tamarind - a small piece (1 seed) To temper Coconut oil - 1.5 tbsp Mustard seeds - 1 tsp Urad dal - 1 tsp Curry leaves - few

METHOD

Wash and peel the skin of raw banana.Chop into thin roundels and immerse in water till use. Grind all the ingredients given under “to grind” except onion,jeera and garlic coarsely adding little water.Lastly add chopped onion,jeera and garlic and grind it to a paste.

• In a wide plate or bowl,take the raw banana pieces,turmeric powder,ground paste and salt.Mix well.

• Heat oil in a kadai and temper all the ingredients given above.Put the masala coated raw banana pieces and saute in low flame for few minutes.Add little water (say 1/2 cup) and cover cook till banana pieces are done.Do not over cook the pieces.After it is cooked well,remove the lid and saute the mixture in high flame for few minutes till the mixture becomes dry and turns golden brown.

• Serve with rice,gravy/kuzhambu and papad !

Enjoy !

Note

While cooking raw banana,keep checking once or twice in the middle and add water if needed Increase the quantity of chillies for more spicy taste. Use Byadgi chilli for nice color.In that case,add more chillies to get spicy taste. Addition of tamarind helps to remove the slight bitterness from Raw banana.But its optional. You can also replace vazhakkai by potato,pumpkin and brinjal. It tastes the best with rasam rice and mor kuzhambu.

Enjoy this flavorful,spicy vazhakkai curry with rice & gravy ! Tastes yumm!!

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