May 9, 2015

Nungu Paal/Ice Apple Kheer-Nungu Recipes

In Summer season,i love to enjoy few things.One among them is eating Palm fruit/Ice apple(Taati Munjalu in Telugu,Nungu(நுங்கு) in Tamil,Tale Hannu or Taati ningu in Kannada,Tari in Hindi, Taal in Bengali, Pana Nangu in Malayalam,Munjal in Urdu, Lontar in Indonesian,Ton Taan in Thai, Tadfali in Gujarati, Targula in Konkani, Tadgola in Marathi, Myanmar and sometimes Ice-apple in British English especially by the immigrants living in India.(Source:Wikipedia).I love to eat Nungu as such more than making recipes with it.But recently,when i was talking with my friend Shalini,she told me to try Nungu kheer and tender coconut pudding recipes.This morning i tried this easy,no cook nungu paal recipe for the first time and we loved it a lot.It tastes the best only when serve chilled.My dad told me another interesting Nungu Sarbath recipe which is very popular in Tamil nadu.I will try to post that recipe soon.Now lets see how to make this easy nungu recipe.Enjoy this drink and feel cool in this summer Cool

Nungu Paal/Ice apple kheer

Easy,no cook Nungu paal recipe - One of the best coolant for summer

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Summer recipes

Serves: Serves 2

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 5 Minutes

Total time: 15 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

Boiled milk - 1 cup
Nungu/Palm fruit - 3 nos
Sugar - 1 tbsp
Cardamom powder or rose essence - as needed

METHOD

Wash and peel the skin of nungu/Ice apples.Chop them into pieces.Reserve a handful of nungu pieces for garnishing.

Grind the remaining to a smooth paste adding sugar.

Take the boiled milk at room temperature ( Milk should not be hot).Mix the ground nungu paste with the milk,cardamom powder and check for sweetness.Add more sugar if needed.

Refrigerate for an hour.Garnish with the chopped nungu pieces and serve chilled.

Enjoy !

Note

You can replace nungu with tender coconut pieces.
For variations,u can add rose milk essence in milk instead of cardamom powder.It will look colourful and tasty too.

Have this refreshing drink and enjoy this summer Winking

Technorati Tags: Nungu recipes,Nungu juice,Nungu kheer,Nungu payasam,Ice apple dessert,Ice apple recipes,summer recipes

Very good recipes Tags: Nungu recipes, Nungu juice, Nungu kheer, Nungu payasam, Ice apple dessert, Ice apple recipes, summer recipes

May 8, 2015

White Paneer Korma Recipe - Paneer kurma - Paneer Recipes

Today I made this Paneer white kurma after seeing the recipe in a cookbook by Deepa sekar. She had given the title as”Paneer Pasanda” but I guess paneer pasanda recipe is different. This white gravy is very much related with Shahi paneer masala. So I named it as “Paneer white korma” after seeing its color. This gravy is of pucca North Indian style and not related to South Indian kurma in any way. There is neither tomato nor coconut used in this recipe. Boiled, cooked onions with milk makes the base for this white based gravy.So this korma has got a mild sweet taste which I loved it the most. Basically I like the combination of sweet and spice taste in gravies.So I loved this gravy to the core and I licked the kadai thoroughly before washing. This white kurma(vellai kurma) tastes the best with chapathi/Roti & Naan but not with rice.I packed it for Sendhil’s lunch box today and waiting for his feedback. Friends,if you like mildly sweetish gravies,do try this recipe.I am sure kids would enjoy this with chapathi.
Check out my restaurant style Paneer butter masala , Palak paneer recipe , Kadai paneer

Mini Idli Sambar - Ghee Sambar Idli Recipe - Hotel Style 14 Idli Sambar

Hello friends, Sorry I couldn’t post biryani recipes in my Sunday lunch series for the past two weeks. As l was having continuous trips to Salem, I couldn’t do it. I will come up with a yummy biryani this weekend for sure. Today’s post is a kids friendly breakfast recipe. Yes, it is hotel style mini idli sambar. It is popularly known as ghee sambar idli, 14 idly sambar in Tamil nadu. My friends here call it as Button idli sambar, Coin idli sambar etc etc by different names. This is my daughter’s favorite breakfast/dinner recipe.

Generally I make idli sambar for dinner more than breakfast. I follow my hotel idli sambar recipe with some modifications for making mini idli sambar. Most of the people make this sambar in a simple way just by adding sambar powder and tamarind. But I always make it using freshly ground sambar masala and tomatoes (without tamarind and vegetables).

My friend Shalini suggested me to use raw onions and coriander leaves along with ghee for topping which adds great taste to this recipe. You can drink/eat this sambar with raw onions as such even without mini idlis. This combination tastes soo good. Last year I conducted a small party at my home for Raksha’s birthday.

On that day, I made mini idli sambar, vermicelli pulao and curd rice along with corn cheese balls , chips, ice cream and gulab jamun. This mini idli sambar was a super hit among my friends and kids. Everybody asked for second serving and the whole sambar bowl got emptied quickly. I was thinking to share this recipe in my blog for long time. But I couldn’t. At last I made it yesterday just for blogging sake. It came out really well. Sendhil liked it a lot.

For parties, you can make it in bulk quantity easily if you have mini idli stand with 3 plates and you can serve them hot anytime by reheating the sambar.

Friends, do try this kids favorite ghee sambar idli during this vacation and take the credits from your family members. Lets see how to make this mini idli sambar recipe in detail.

Mini idli sambar recipe

How to make hotel style 14 idli sambar/ghee sambar idli recipe.

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Breakfast

Serves: 2

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 20 Minutes

Total time: 30 Minutes

INGREDIENTS
1 cup - 250ml

For idli

Idli dosa batter - 2 cups
Rice flour -1.5 tsp( optional)
Water & salt - add only if needed
Oil - to grease
Ghee - to serve

For sambar

Toor dal - 1/2 cup
Turmeric powder - 1/8 tsp
Hing/Asafetida – 2 pinches
Cooking oil - few drops
Ripe tomatoes - 3 nos ( Do not chop)

To roast & grind

Cooking oil - 1 tsp
Dhania/Coriander seeds - 2 tsp
Chana dal - 1 tbsp
Red chillies - 2 nos
Methi seeds - 1/4 tsp
Grated coconut - 2 tbsp ( 2 small finger size pieces)

To saute in oil

Cooking oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Jeera/Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Hing - few pinches
Small onions - 10 nos
Curry leaves - few
Sambar powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt & water - as needed
Jaggery – a small piece

For topping

Coriander leaves - for topping
Finely chopped big onion - 1 no ( for topping)
Ghee - few tsp to drizzle on top

HOW TO MAKE MINI IDLI SAMBAR - METHOD

Pressure cook toor dal adding turmeric powder, hing, whole ripe tomatoes( I don’t chop tomatoes because dal may not turn mushy) and a drop of cooking oil.
Cook for one whistle in very low flame adding 2 cups of water (If you wish, You can add drumstick and other vegetables in a bowl and cook separately inside the cooker). Remove the lid and mash the dal with tomatoes using a whisk.

Peel and chop onions. Heat oil in a kadai and roast all the ingredients given under “to roast and grind” in medium flame till the dals turn golden. Make sure u don’t burn the dhania seeds. Lastly add the coconut , mix well and switch off the flame.
If using pieces of coconut, just add it at the beginning and roast it along with dals. Grind everything to a fine powder and set aside. Mix this powder with the cooked & mashed dal.

In the same kadai, heat oil and temper mustard, jeera. Saute small onions, curry leaves. Add a cup of water, sambar powder, required salt, jaggery, turmeric powder, hing and cook the onions well.

Add the cooked dal + ground masala powder mixture to the sambar and add 1/2 cup of water to adjust the consistency. Boil well for few minutes till you get a nice aroma.
Switch off the flame and garnish with coriander leaves. Transfer the sambar to a vessel and add 2 tsp of ghee. Keep it closed and give a standing time of 30 minutes to 1 hour for all the taste to blend well.

To make mini idlis, take 1 cup of idli batter and add 1 tsp of rice flour if you want to thicken the batter. Mix well . Grease the mini idli stand with oil and spoon the batter in each hole. Steam in idli pot for 10 minutes till they are done. Keep it in a hot box/ Casserole till serving.
While serving, reheat the sambar. Take a small bowl and pour 2 ladleful of sambar. Put the idlis, add few tsp of ghee, finely chopped coriander leaves, onions and serve hot.

Enjoy !

Note

I have not used vegetables here. If you wish to add some veggies, take the chopped carrot, drumstick, potato in a small bowl and pressure cook with dal by keeping the bowl inside the cooker.
You can also saute the finely chopped tomatoes along with onions instead of pressure cooking with dal.
Adding jaggery gives a nice sweet taste to sambar. U can replace the jaggery by adding few pumpkin pieces to add natural sweetness.
If you want to make this sambar in a simple way without grinding masala, add 1 tsp of sambar powder and 1/2 tsp of red chilli powder while cooking onions.

Try this yummy mini idli sambar for your kids during this vacation and make them happy.

Technorati Tags: mini idli sambar recipe,mini idli sambar,ghee sambar idli,ghee sambar idly,14 idli sambar,14 idli sambar recipe,breakfast recipes,South Indian breakfast recipes tamil

Very good recipes Tags: mini idli sambar recipe, mini idli sambar, ghee sambar idli, ghee sambar idly, 14 idli sambar, 14 idli sambar recipe, breakfast recipes, South Indian breakfast recipes tamil

May 2, 2015

Maavadu Oorugai Recipe | Vadu Mangai Pickle | Baby Mango Pickle

Basically I am a big fan of pickle recipes right from my Childhood. I need to have at least one pickle variety for my curd rice.I don’t mind about the oil, salt and preservatives in it. My appa is just the same like me. He can eat even paruppu sadam, lemon rice, rasam rice and other rice recipes with pickle as side dish.

Even though we like all the pickles, Vadu manga urugai / Baby mango pickle is our family favourite. My mom doesn’t make pickles on her own getting afraid of fungus formation. So my dad used to tell a brahmin(yer)paati nearby our house to make this pickle for us. We used to store it for an year and relish it with curd rice.And now after marriage, I became very happy when I saw my MIL making pickles at home. She is an expert in making many pickle varieties like onion, garlic, Raw mango, Nellikai, Naarthangai etc etc.

This year, I bought baby mangoes in Bangalore and tried this pickle by myself following my MIL’s recipe. I was very happy and completely satisfied with the result. Thanks a ton Aunty for teaching me this easy and yummy maavadu pickle. I thank her everyday when I eat this pickle with a plateful of curd rice. Don’t hesitate to try this baby mango pickle even if you are a beginner. Just follow the recipe, you will get it right. Lets see how to make maavadu/Vadu mangai pickle at home with stepwise pictures.

Check out my other pickle recipes here

Maavadu Oorugai/Baby mango pickle

How to make Maavadu Oorugai/Baby mango pickle at home

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Pickles

Serves: 5 cups

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 7 days

Total time: 7 days 10 min

INGREDIENTS

Baby mangoes/Vadu mangai- 5 cups ( heaped)
Red chillies - 35 nos ( use 40 nos for more spice)
Methi seeds - 2 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1.5 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Hing/Asafetida - 1 tsp
Rock salt/Crystal salt - as needed
Castor oil – 2 tbsp

To temper

Gingely oil - 2 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

HOW TO MAKE MAAVADU OORUGAI RECIPE - METHOD

Remove the stalk/Kaambu of baby mangoes if they are very big. Ignore this step if the stalk is small. Wash them well and spread it in a towel . Pat it dry.T ake the baby mangoes in a porcelain bowl (Peengaan jaadi) or glass bowl as other vessels may react.

Now apply oil all over the baby mangoes. In a kadai, dry roast the methi seeds till golden brown in medium flame. In a mixie jar take the mustard seeds, roasted methi seeds, red chillies, turmeric powder, Hing and rock salt. Powder them nicely. Now add water and make a smooth paste.

Add this paste to the baby mangoes and coat it well. Mix with a ladle and not with your hands. Now add water till the mangoes immerse well. Make sure water is not more. Mix well with a ladle. Check for salt and add more if needed.

Cover the bowl with a cotton cloth and keep it under the sun for a day. Mix well once or twice in the middle. Remove and keep it closed over night. Repeat the same procedure for 5-7 days. Baby mangoes will start to shrink and soak well. Enjoy with curd rice.

You can eat the mangoes in the second day itself. But it needs at least a week to ten days to enjoy its best flavor and taste.

Enjoy !

Note

Some version calls for roasting the chillies along with methi seeds and hing. But my MIL always add it raw. So I too follow her method.
Adjust the quantity of red chillies as per your taste.
U can also replace red chillies with chilli powder. Use Kashmiri chilli powder for best color.
Mustard seeds gives a nice flavor to this pickle. So don’t skip it. But do not add more as it may give a bitter taste.
This pickle tastes the best only after a week. So let it dry under sun. Do this patiently.

Check out my other pickle recipes here .

Try this pickle in this mango season and relish it all through the year.

Technorati Tags: Maavadu urugai recipe,How to make maavadu pickle,Maavadu pickle at home,Baby mango pickle,Mango pickle,pickle recipes,summer recipes,Maavadu oorugai,Maavadu

Very good recipes Tags: Maavadu urugai recipe, How to make maavadu pickle, Maavadu pickle at home, Baby mango pickle, Mango pickle, pickle recipes, summer recipes, Maavadu oorugai, Maavadu

April 29, 2015

Phool Makhana Curry Recipe|Lotus Seeds Gravy With Paneer

I came to know about Phool Makhani(Puffed Lotus Seeds/Fox nut in English) recently through my blogger friends. As soon as I came to know about them, I looked for its health benefits and amazed at it. I have listed them below. Please have a look so that you can have it whole heartedly without any fear. I used to have Lotus stem fryums( Thamarai thandu vathal in Tamil) buying from Home foods, Salem when I was pregnant. My Doctor suggested me to eat them as it is very rich in calcium.Similarly the nutritional facts of Phool makhana makes you buy them immediately. I bought it from Metro, Kanakapura road. I guess you can find them in Nilgiris too. You can prepare recipes like Roasted masala phool makhani, makhana kheer, gravy, phool makhana curry, pulao and much more.Very soon I will share phool makhana kheer recipe.
Coming to today’s recipe, last week I got a mail form BigBasket.com asking me to do a guest post. I generally don’t accept any promotional posts. So I was in hesitation. When I told about this offer to my friend Shalini, she suggested me to do it as she buy groceries and vegetables from Bigbasket regularly and she gave a very good feedback about them. So I accepted to make a post. They immediately sent me this phool makhani, paneer gravy recipe. I made some changes in the original recipe and made it for Sendhil’s lunch box as a side dish for Roti/Chapathi. I too had the same for lunch. It was very nice, flavorful and kadai licking good. It tastes very similar to Paneer butter masala. Addition of phool makhana made it more healthy. Try this Yummy North Indian Gravy with lotus seeds. You will love it for sure.

Check out my other paneer recipes HERE.

Health benefits of phool Makhana

Source: http://manjumakhana.com/ & http://shilpsnutrilife.blogspot.in/

Makhana helps in cardiac protection,regulates blood pressure and relieves numbness and pains in joints.
It prevents premature aging,arthritis.
It is rich in calcium,protein when compared with other nuts.Popped makhana contains almost 12% of protein
It benefits kidney,spleen and heart.
Makhana is very useful for women during and post pregnancy period.
The seed also has calming properties that alleviate restlessness, palpitations, and insomnia.It is good for impotency too.

Phool Makhana Paneer Gravy Recipe

Yummy North Indian style gravy recipe using phool makhana and paneer - An awesome side dish for roti

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Gravies

Serves: Serves 2-3

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 15 Minutes

Total time: 25 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup = 240ml

Phool makhana/Lotus seeds/Fox nuts- 1/2 cup
Paneer - 50 gms ( 1/2 cup)

To saute n grind

Cooking oil + ghee - 2 tbsp + 2 tsp
Cardamom – 1 no
Ripe tomato - 4 nos
Big onion- 2 nos
Green chilli - 1 no ( long)
Ginger garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/8 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp( Use 1 tsp for more spice taste)
Dhania powder - 1 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp
Sugar – 1/2 tsp
Cashew nuts - 6 nos
Water – as needed

To add at the end

Fresh cream - 2 tbsp ( optional)
Kasoori methi - 1/4 tsp ( crushed)
Boiled milk - 1/4 cup
Coriander leaves - few ( to garnish)

Lemon juice – few drops (optional)

METHOD

Heat 1 tsp of ghee in a kadai. Roast the makhana for 3-4 minutes and set aside. Boil water in a bowl and add the chopped paneer cubes. Let it soak in hot water till use.This helps u get soft paneer pieces. Chop onions, tomatoes and slit chilli. Keep aside.

Heat 1 tbsp oil+1 tsp ghee in a kadai and add cardamom. Saute onions,ginger-garlic paste till its raw smell vanishes. Now add the green chilli and saute for a second. Add tomato pieces.Saute till mushy adding required salt.

Add red chill powder, dhania powder & garam masala powder. Saute them in medium flame. Switch off the flame & add cashew nuts. Let it cool. Grind this mixture to a smooth paste adding water.

Heat 1 tbsp of oil & splutter cumin seeds, add this paste. Saute well till oil separates. Add a cup of water and boil for few minutes. It splutters,be careful.

Lastly add the roasted makhana, paneer pieces. Add milk, sugar. Mix well and switch off the flame. Add crushed kasoori methi & fresh cream at the end. Remove and garnish with coriander leaves. Adjust the consistency of gravy by adding more milk or water as it thickens after cooling down.

Serve & Enjoy with roti/chapathi !

Note

For variations, you can saute the tomatoes and make this gravy instead of grinding a paste.
Use either phool makhana or paneer in this gravy.

Enjoy this healthy, tasty phool makhana gravy with roti/chapati. Tastes so good !

Technorati Tags: Phool makhana health benefits,Phool makhana nutrition facts,Makhana recipes,Phool makhana curry recipe,Phool makhana in english,Side dish for roti

Very good recipes Tags: Phool makhana health benefits, Phool makhana nutrition facts, Makhana recipes, Phool makhana curry recipe, Phool makhana in english, Side dish for roti

April 28, 2015

Fine Vermicelli Payasam(Semiya Kheer)Recipe

I made this payasam using fine vermicelli for the first time on our 10th anniversary last week.It was so rich and creamy with condensed milk/Milk maid.We loved it a lot and it was perfect for the celebration too Rose

.Whenever I see my fellow bloggers sharing recipes like kesari and payasam with fine vermicelli(Semiya in Tamil),I get tempted & kept searching for fine vermicelli in stores.Recently i went to Jayanagar 4th block with my friend.I found this vermicelli and took it immediately to try this yummy payasam recipe.Its an easy and quick Indian dessert recipe that can be made easily by beginners too.The consistency of this kheer can be adjusted according to your preference.You can make it thick like vermicelli pudding or thin like payasam/kheer adding more milk.I have used condensed milk here but its completely optional.For variations,u can mix cooked sago/Javvarisi in this payasam.It gives more taste and volume as well.Whatever may be the combo,the end result would be great.Lets see how to make this creamy fine vermicelli payasam recipe.

Fine vermicelli kheer/Payasam recipe

Kheer/Payasam recipe with fine vermicelli/Semiya

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Sweet

Serves: Serves 4

Prep time: 5 Minutes

Cook time: 15 Minutes

Total time: 20 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

Fine vermicelli - 1/2 cup ( 100 gms)
Sugar - 1/3 cup
Condensed milk - 2 tbsp
Ghee - 1 tsp
Boiled milk - 1.5 cups
Water - 2 cups
Cardamom – 2 nos
Saffron threads-few
Nuts - few ( Roast in a tsp of ghee)

METHOD

Take the vermicelli and break into pieces.Heat ghee in a kadai and roast the vermicelli for 2 minutes till golden.
After roasting the vermicelli,add water to it. Cover and cook in medium flame for 5 minutes.It cooks quickly.So keep an eye so that it doesn't get burnt.

Add sugar and mix well.Lastly add boiled milk,condensed milk and cardamom powder. Give a boil and switch off the flame.Add saffron threads at the end if needed.