December 16, 2017

Orange Peel Pachadi Recipe – Orange Skin Pachadi

Last weekend I had shared Orange peel pachadi in sweet taste. Today’s post is orange skin spicy pachadi prepared by my MIL. Basically pachadi is a South Indian style side dish recipe in which the ingredients are similar to pickle but slightly different in cooking procedure, taste and semi thick in consistency. We make pachadi with raw mango, ripe mango, citron fruit / narthangai.

This recipe is very similar to my Narthangai pachadi but we used orange skin (kamala orange in Tamil). So the quantity of tamarind, green chilli and other spices vary slightly. Its so easy to cook as its done in a pressure cooker. If you have oranges at home, do not throw its skin. Make and consume it in the form of this pachadi and reap its health benefits.

Next week I will share Orange skin kuzhambu and orange peel pickle. In the mean time, check out my orange skin sweet pachadi too. Ok, lets see how to make orange peel pachadi recipe in a pressure cooker easily !

Check out my mango pachadi recipe too !

Orange Skin Pachadi

Spicy pachadi recipe with orange peel.

Cuisine: South Indian

Category: Pickle Recipes

Serves: 1.5 cups

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 20 Minutes

Total time: 30 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup – 250ml

Orange skin/peel – 1 cup
Green chilli – 12 nos ( use 10 for less spice)
Tamarind – Big gooseberry size
Jaggery – 1.5 tbsp
Salt - as needed
Water – as needed ( I used 1/2 cup)
Hing - 1/2 tsp
Methi seeds - 1/4 tsp

To Temper

Sesame oil – 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Curry leaves - Few

HOW TO MAKE ORANGE SKIN PACHADI

Wash and chop orange skin into small pieces.
In a pressure cooker base, take the chopped orange peel, slit green chilli, salt, hing, tamarind extract and jaggery.
Pressure cook in very low flame for 2 whistles. Remove the lid after steam is released.
Add roasted fenugreek seeds powder, mix well and boil for a minute.
Temper mustard seeds in sesame oil and add to the pachadi. Store in a box after it cools down.

METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

Wash and chop orange skin into small pieces. Set aside.
Soak the tamarind in 1 cup water.Take the required green chilli and slit into two. Dry roast methi seeds and grind to powder.Keep aside.
In a pressure cooker base, take the chopped orange, slit green chilli, 1/2 cup of tamarind extract, salt, jaggery and hing. Pressure cook in low flame for 1 to 2 whistles.
Open the cooker lid after steam is released. Add roasted methi seeds powder. Mix well and roll boil for a minute. If the pachadi is too watery, you can boil for one more minute to make it slightly thick. Remember this pachadi thickens a bit after it cools down. Check for taste and add more salt if required.Let it cool down. The actual taste of this pachadi can be known after a day or two. Remove the pachadi from cooker to another vessel ( porcelain or glass jar) because it may react.
Temper mustard seeds, curry leaves in sesame oil and add to pachadi. Mix well.
Store the pachadi in a box only after it cools down completely. Refrigerate it. Stays good for 15 days. But you should reheat it once in 3 days to avoid pungent smell. Enjoy with curd rice!

Note

Adjust the quantity of tamarind and green chillies as per the bitterness of skin. I hope the measurements I have given in this recipe works well. If you need it more spicy, add more green chillies sauteed in oil separately. Mix with pachadi . Boil for a minute. The next day, you can get the spicy taste.
You may have to reduce the number of chillies if its too spicy.
Addition of jaggery balances all the taste. So do not skip it.
We like the pachadi to be slightly watery. If you want it thick, just boil for more time.
You can use kolingikai or narthangai and make the same pachadi.

Try this easy, yummy, spicy pachadi with orange skin and enjoy with curd rice.
Orange peel pachadi

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December 15, 2017

Bread Rasmalai Recipe - How To Make Instant Rasmalai With Bread

Bread Rasmalai is an easy to make, instant rasmalai recipe. Even though its taste and texture cannot be compared with the authentic, traditional rasmalai prepared with rasgulla, it can satisfy our sweet cravings quickly. It takes very less time to prepare. Also it an yummy sweeet recipe that can be prepared using leftover bread slices. Kids would love it for sure.

Last week I made it using some left over dry bread slices at home. As I had already shared an instant rasmalai recipe using store bought rasgolla and condensed milk, I did not use condensed milk in this recipe. I just used sugar, nuts and prepared rabri in its usual method. This bread rasmalai tastes the best when served chilled. Friends, you can try this easy rasmalai recipe with bread for your kids and family to serve a quick dessert for an occasion or weekends. Ok, lets see how to make bread rasmalai recipe with step by step pictures and video.

Check out my gulab jamun and shahi tukda.

Bread Rasmalai Recipe

Easy, instant rasmalai recipe with bread

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Sweet

Serves: 6-7 nos

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 20 Minutes

Total time: 30 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml

Bread Slices - 6 nos
Full Fat Milk - 1/2 litre ( 2 cups)
Sugar – 2 to 3 tbsp (adjust based on your taste)
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
Saffron threads - Few
Chopped nuts - 2 tbsp (Cashews & Badam)

METHOD

Take milk in a wide pan and boil till it reduces to 1.5 cups.
Add sugar, chopped nuts, cardamom, saffron.
Boil till it reduces to 1 cup. Rabri is ready. Switch off and keep aside.
Take bread slices and cut into round shape using a lid.
Dip the bread in rasmalai. Remove in a plate and garnish with nuts.
Refrigerate for an hour and serve chilled for best taste.

METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

Heat 2 cups of milk in a wide kadai. Boil till it reduces to 1.5 cups. Scrape the sides, collect the skin and add it back to the kadai while the milk boils. Stir at regular intervals to avoid over flowing.

After the milk is reduced, add sugar, chopped nuts, saffron threads and cardamom powder.Mix well, .Boil till milk reduces to 1 cup. So total milk should be half the quantity of original measure. Now check the taste. Add more sugar if needed and mix well. When you pour the milk, it should be slightly thick. Remove from the flame and let it become warm. Milk becomes thicker when it cools down.So do not reduce it too much.
Now take the bread slices. Cut into round shape with a lid.Remove the sides. Dip the bread slice in thickened milk.
Pour some thick milk over the bread. Remove in a plate. Garnish with chopped nuts.Refrigerate for an hour and serve chilled.
Enjoy !

Note

Do not use very dry and old bread.Using fresh bread is also not advisable because it may dissolve in milk due to its softness. Use 2 days old bread for best taste.
Adjust the quantity of sugar as per taste. You can also add at the end before dipping bread slices to increase the sweetness.

Try this easy, instant bread rasmalai and enjoy a quick dessert at home !

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December 12, 2017

Red Rice Dosa Recipe – Sigappu Arisi Pirandai Dosai

I watched this red rice, Adamant creeper dosa recipe (Sigappu arisi pirandai dosai in Tamil) in Jaya TV’s arusuvai neram by Mrs. Mallika Badrinath. She shared this healthy sivappu arisi dosai adding pirandai. Recently my MIL had given some pirandai ( also known as bonesetter) from our backyard garden to make thuvaiyal. As I had some red rice and pirandai in stock, I tried this dosa immediately. Addition of pirandai helps to give more softness to the dosa. So I changed the ratio of red rice & urad dal as per my taste. It came out very well. We had a satisfaction of including a healthy food for our breakfast and dinner. I had already shared Kerala red rice idli, dosa recipe in my website. This red rice dosa is completely different from that recipe on ingredients and method.I have also shared the picture of red rice used in this recipe. Ok, lets see how to make red rice dosa recipe / Sigappu arisi dosai adding pirandai with step by step pictures.

Also check out my PIRANDAI THUVAIYAL, KERALA RED RICE IDLI/DOSA RECIPE and 15 IDLI VARIETIES !

Name of Adamant creeper in different languages

English: Bonesetter, Devil's Backbone, Veldt Grape.

Hindi: Hadjod, Hadjor, Asthisrumgala

Malayalam: Changalamparanda-ചങ്ങലംപരണ്ട

Sanskrit: Vajravalli, Asthisrinkhala, Kulisa, Asthisamharaka.

Tamil: Pirandai-பிரண்டை

Telugu: Nalleru, Gudametige, Kokkitaya-ralu

Red Rice Dosa Recipe - Sigappu Arisi Dosai With Pirandai

Dosa with red rice and adamant creeper - Sigappu arisi dosai with pirandai

Cuisine: South Indian

Category: Dosa recipes

Serves: 15 nos

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 20 Minutes

Total time: 30 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml

Red Rice - 2.5 cups
White round urad dal - 1/2 cup
Adamant creeper/ Pirandai - 2 long sticks (As shown in picture below)
Methi seeds - 1/2 tsp
Salt & Water - As needed

HOW TO MAKE RED RICE DOSA

Wash and soak red rice, urad dal and methi seeds together for 5 hours.
Wash and clean pirandai. Chop into pieces and grind to coarse paste.
Grind rice, dal mixture along with pirandai adding salt and water.
Ferment overnight or for 12 hours. The next day, mix dosa batter well.
Add some water if needed. Make dosa thin or thick. Serve with chutney or sambar !

METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

Wash and soak red rice, urad dal, methi seeds together in enough water for 5 hours. Take the pirandai and clean it.
Grease your hands with sesame oil. Wash the pirandai and chop the head & tail part. Remove the ridge like part using a peeler or knife. Remove the fiber portion too. Chop into small pieces and set aside.
Grind pirandai pieces to a coarse paste without water. Add this paste to rice while grinding.
Grind the soaked rice + urad dal + methi seeds adding pirandai paste to a smooth batter adding enough water and salt. Collect in a bowl. Ferment overnight or for 12 hours.
The next morning, batter would have raised slightly. Mix it well and add some water if needed. Consistency of this batter should be like our regular dosa batter. (Sorry I mixxed these pictures. I will try to update these steps with picture soon.)
Heat dosa tawa and sprinkle some water to check the heat of tawa. Water droplets should evaporate immediately. Wipe with a cloth or tissue. Spread 1.5 ladle of red rice dosa batter thin or thick as you like. Drizzle 1tsp sesame oil all over the dosa. Flip the dosa and cook the other side. Remove and serve hot with chutney or sambar. Enjoy !

Note

If you don’t have adamant creeper/pirandai in hand, you can use red rice & urad dal in 4:1 ratio.
Fermentation is mandatory for this dosa batter else it will smell raw.
Do not worry if the batter is not raised well. Just check whether batter has got sour smell / Pulippu vasanai the next day morning.
You can increase the quantity of urad dal to 1/2 cup +2 tbsp to get softer dosa.

Try & enjoy this healthy red rice dosa with pirandai. I served it with easy tomato thokku and raw onion chutney !

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December 9, 2017

Orange Peel Sweet Pachadi – Orange Skin Recipes Indian

Orange peel sweet pachadi is our latest invention with orange skin. Last week I bought a kg of Orange( Kamala orange in South India) as Raksha loves its juice very much. Every time I discard its skin as I was not aware of its benefits. Recently I found orange peel has so many health benefits. So I told my MIL to try some recipes with orange peel. She prepared 4 different recipes with orange peel. I have shared a picture of them in my instagram page as well.

Some of my readers wanted the recipe for orange sweet pachadi. So I thought of sharing this as my first post with orange peel. I will try to share the remaining recipes in upcoming weekends. My MIL prepared this orange sweet pachadi following our mango sweet pachadi. But coconut is not used in this recipe. Instead we used ground black dates paste to give thickness and binding.

You can also call this as orange peel dates pachadi. We used jaggery instead of sugar. It tasted yummy with the sweetness of dates, jaggery to make it healthy. Tanginess & mild bitterness of orange skin with spicy taste of green chillies. So this pachadi is a blend of all the 5 taste. I relished this pachadi with sambar rice and curd rice. I loved it. I am sure you will like it too. Ok, lets see how to make orange skin sweet pachadi with step by step pictures.

Do check out my super soft eggless orange cake without condensed milk.

Orange Peel Sweet Pachadi Recipe - Orange skin pachadi

Orannge Peel Sweet Pachadi Recipe - Orange skin pachadi

How to make orange peel sweet pachadi with dates and jaggery !

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Orange Recipes

Serves: 1/2 cup

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 10 Minutes

Total time: 20 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml

Orange skin / Orange peel - 1/4 cup
Green chilli - 1 no ( Finely chopped)
Grated jaggery - 1/2 cup
Dates - 2 nos (I used black dates, big)
Salt - a pinch
Water - as needed ( I used 1/2 cup)

To Temper

Cooking oil - 2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal - 1/2 tsp

METHOD

Wash and chop the orange skin into small cubes.
Pressure cook by keeping in a box in high flame for 2-3 whistles adding little water.
Discard the water and set aside.
Boil jaggery, green chilli, salt, water till jaggery melts.Add cooked orange skin.
Grind dates to paste. Add to the pachadi. Boil till thick.
Temper mustard seeds, urad dal in oil. Add to pachadi and mix well.
Store in a box after it cools down. It stays good for a week in refrigerator.

METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

Remove the white threads from orange skin to reduce the bitterness and chop it into small cubes. In a pressure cooker base add 1 cup of water, keep the orange cubes in a small tiffin box, add little water and cook in high flame for 2 to 3 whistles. You can also steam in an idli pot. Discard the excess cooked water. Keep the orange cubes aside.
In a kadai, take grated jaggery, finely chopped green chillies, a pinch of salt and 1/4 cup of water.After the jaggery is melted, add cooked orange pieces. Mix well. Do not cook orange pieces for long time. It will become hard to chew.
Crush black dates to a paste using mortar & pestle. Add this paste to the orange mixture. Add 1/4 cup of water. Mix well and boil till raw smell of jaggery and dates goes off. If the pachadi is too thick, you can add some water. Adjust the consistency like jam. Remove from the kadai. Orange pieces tastes slightly chewy on the first day but it becomes soft the next day.
Heat oil in a kadai and when it gets heated , splutter mustard seeds, urad dal and add to the pachadi.Mix well and let it cool down.
Store in an air tight box and refrigerate. It stays good for 1 week to 10 days. This pachadi thickens over time. So you can adjust its consistency by adding some water and boil it. Relish it with bread, curd rice or sambar rice. I can lick it as such ; –)). Enjoy !

Note

Cooking orange pieces before adding to pachadi is mandatory. If you saute and cook in jaggery, it will becomes chewy and hard. So do not attempt to cook directly in pachadi.
Adjust the quantity of jaggery as per the bitterness of orange skin.
Dates is used for binding. You can also use tomato puree instead.
Add more green chillies if you want to make sweet and spicy pachadi.

Try this easy, yummy orange skin sweet pachadi and enjoy !

In the below image, you can find orange pickle, orange skin kuzhambu and sweet pachadi.

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December 7, 2017

Moong Dal Halwa – Quick Moong Dal Sheera Recipe

This is an easy and quick version of moong dal halwa / moong dal sheera. I followed this recipe from Tarla Dalal’s website. Usually moong dal halwa takes more time to cook. But this is a quick recipe that can be prepared under 30 minutes. As it is prepared without khoya, I tried it immediately. It came out very well.

I have tasted moong dal halwa in many North Indian Lunch buffet. I love its coarse texture and softness. When I prepared this recipe, I was very happy that I could make a similar one at home easily. Friends, do try this quick moong dal halwa recipe without khoya. You will love it for sure. I took a video for this recipe. I will try to add it tomorrow. Now lets check out the recipe with step by step pictures.

Do check out my easy atta halwa / wheat flour halwa, Corn flour halwa/ Karachi halwa, Badam halwa, easy beetroot halwa !

I have a happy news to share with you all. Chitra’s Food Book has been selected under Top 100 Vegetarian Blogs in feedspot. Thank you Anuj !

Moong dal halwa at room temperature

Moong Dal Halwa - How To Make Quick Moong Dal Halwa Recipe

Quick and easy moong dal halwa recipe without khoya

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Sweet

Serves: Serves 3-4

Prep time: 120 Minutes

Cook time: 20 Minutes

Total time: 140 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml

Yellow moong dal - 1/2 cup
Boiled milk - 1/2 cup
Water - 1/2 cup
Sugar - 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp ( actual recipe used 1/2 cup)
Melted ghee - 1/2 cup
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
Kesar / saffron thread - 1/2 tsp (soak in 1 tbsp water)
Cashews, badam - 2 tbsp ( chopped)

METHOD

Wash and soak moong dal in hot water for 2 hours.
Drain the water completely and dry grind the dal to a paste without adding water.
Strain the ground paste through a thin cloth. Squeeze the water content.
Heat ghee in a kadai. Add ground paste and saute in medium flame till it becomes golden brown.
Add milk + Water and cook till thick. Add sugar, mix well.
Cover and Cook for 5 minutes in low flame. Mix well.Add cardamom powder, saffron.
When the halwa starts to leave the sides of pan, remove and garnish with nuts. Serve warm.

METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

Wash and soak moong dal in hot water for 2 to 3 hours.Drain the water completely. Grind to a slightly coarse paste without adding water.Set aside. Chop the nuts finely. Soak saffron in 1 tbsp warm water.Keep aside.
Take a thin cloth and put the ground paste.Squeeze it well and remove the water content. Now the paste looks dry without moisture.
Heat ghee in a kadai. Keep the flame low and add the paste. Mix well till it spreads well with ghee. Cook in medium flame for 12 to 15 minutes till it becomes golden brown and crumbly.
Add milk and water. Mix well till 3/4 th of the milk + water is absorbed by the moong dal paste.
After it becomes slightly thick, add sugar and mix well.
Mixture becomes a semi liquid. Cover and cook in very low flame for 5 minutes. Open and mix well.
When it starts to leave the sides of pan, add cardamom powder. saffron thread soaked in little water ( soak 1/2 tsp saffron in 1 tbsp water).Mix well.
Halwa becomes thick and starts to leave the sides of kadai with traces of ghee, switch off the flame. No need to wait for the ghee to release. If you stir more, halwa becomes hard after cool down. Remove the halwa in a bowl and garnish with chopped nuts.
When the halwa becomes warm, it becomes non-sticky and well set. Enjoy when warm for best taste.
You can store this halwa upto 3 days in refrigerator. You can reheat it in a kadai , microwave or dosa tawa adding 1 tsp ghee to serve it fresh everytime.

Note

You can skip milk and use water completely.
Do not reduce the quantity of ghee. Halwa becomes hard.
Do not cook the halwa for more time after adding sugar. Sugar caramelizes and hardens the halwa. Remove the halwa as soon as it starts to leave the sides of pan.
Straining the ground moong dal paste in cloth helps to remove the water content. Hence it cooks quickly.

Try this easy, yummy Moong dal halwa and enjoy !
Quick moong dal halwa recipe

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December 5, 2017

Pumpkin Soup In WonderChef Soup Maker – Indian Style Pumpkin Soup, Poosanikai soup

I tried this Indian style Pumpkin soup recipe ( manjal poosanikai soup in Tamil, Kaddu ka soup in Hindi) using Wonderchef soup maker. Recently I got Wonderchef Automatic Soup Maker to review the product. As wonderchef is a renowned brand, I agreed without any second thought. Wonderchef Kitchenware offers one of the best cookware and kitchenware appliances curated by our Chef Sanjeev Kapoor and Ravi Saxena. It offers a wide range of ultra stylish cook ’n’ serve casseroles, designer non-stick pans with health-friendly 5 layer coating, cold press juicers and super tandoors, mixers and much more for a modern kitchen. When I received their recently launched soup maker for the review, I was very happy to see the product and packaging. It was so good and easy to use with 5 different modes for making smooth soup, chunky soup, making compote, juice and blend mode.

This evening I tried making pumpkin soup in the automatic soup maker. I loved the smoothy, creamy end result. All it takes is just 20 minutes to cook, blend and make a delicious soup. This automatic soup maker does the job of a pressure cooker and mixie. Yes it cooks the vegetables to smooth or chunky pieces as per the selection of the mode and grinds well to make it creamy and thick. Ok, lets see about this product in detail below.

As pumpkin tastes bland, I used bayleaf, onion and garlic sauteed in butter to lend some flavor. We liked it very much. So this is purely an Indian style recipe without using fresh cream. Hope you will like this easy pumpkin soup recipe.

About Wonderchef Automatic Soup Maker – Specifications and Features.

It resembles a bigger sized kettle with a minimum and maximum capacity of 1.3 to 1.6 liters.
It has a stainless steel body and a not so sharp blades for blending the soup.
It just occupies the space of an Indian mixer as its size is not so big.
It has 5 different operating modes with touch control and programme indicator lights.
It can make smooth soup, chunky soup, compotes for babies, juices/smoothie/ milkshakes and blends without heating. One can select the mode as per the need.
Each mode is built in with Intelligent control systems with timer options to prevent dry burning.
This product comes with a 2 year warranty from the date of purchase.
Tech Specs: 220V~50Hz Motor: 140W, Heater: 800W, Copper motor.
It comes with a clear instruction/operation manual with all the do’s & don’ts.

Pros & Cons Of Wonderchef Automatic Soup Maker
Pros :

The look of this product is good. It looks modern and not so big for this capacity.
It does the job of a pressure cooker and blender which is very much comfortable.
This product gives a beep sound once the process is over. So you can relax.
You can easily make the soup or juice for a family of 4 to 5.
Operating time is lesser for this quantity.
It has a hassle free operation.
There is no need to strain the soup. So the fiber is retained in the dish.
It has an option to make compote for babies without touching the food.
Its more hygienic too.
We can make homemade soup with our own combinations. You can make it more healthy without any preservatives unlike store bought readymade soup packets !

Cons :

The first thing that strike my mind is the quantity/capacity of this product. We should make minimum 1.3 liters of soup which I felt too much for a 3 member family like us. It would be ideal for 6 to 10 people. For us, it comes to 2 servings each. I felt it would be better If Wonderchef can bring a smaller size in this product.
There is no reheat or warm mode in this product.
There is no indicator/led light to show the machine is ON. We should identify its under operation only with the sound.
There is no Saute option.So if a soup recipe calls for sauting the spices and vegetables, we should do it separately in a kadai and transfer to the soup maker.
Costwise it is slightly lesser than Philips and Morphy richards.

For more details and to buy this product, visit Wonderchef Automatic Soup Maker. They also have a facebook page WonderchefLife. Wonderchef products are available on Flipkart and Amazon as well.

DISCLOSURE : I have reviewed this product after using it on my own. All the points shared here are my own views.

Lets see how I prepared Indian style pumpkin soup using this soup maker in detail.

Pumpkin soup using Wonderchef Automatic Soup Maker