Oma (ajwain) Chapathi

Ingredients
Wheat flour - 1cup
Madia flour - 1 cup
Fresh corriander leaves finely chopped - 1/2 cup
Omam (ajwain) - 3tsp
Rice flour - 4tsp
Salt - to taste
Oil - 2tsp

Method
1. In a bowl add wheat and maida flour. To it add salt, omam, oil, corriander leaves. Add water little by little and make it into a dough. Cover it with a lid and set aside for 1hr.
2. Mix the dough well and divide it into small lemon size balls.
3. Take one ball and roll it in rice flour and flatten it into round shape. It should be made very thin.
4. Heat the tawa, put the chapathi on it and turn two sides and cook till golden brown on both sides.
5. Brush ghee on top of one side, if u like the taste of ghee or when you serve to children.

Peerkangai Kurma

Ingredients

Peerkangai - 1no

Onion - 2no

Tomato - 2nos

Mongdhal split - 1/4cup

Hing - little

Mustard - 2tsp

Jeera - 2tsp

Ginger - little

Garlic - 1no

Clove - 3nos

Cardamom - 2nos

Cinnamon stick - 1 small

Garam Masala - 1/4tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/4tsp

Red chilli powder - 1tsp or to taste

Besan flour - 1tsp

Corriander leaves - little

Lemon juice - 2tsp

Salt - to taste

Oil - 4tsp

Method

1. Peel and cut peerkankai into cubes. Cut onions and tomatoes into very tiny pieces.

2. Heat the pressure pan, add oil and put hing, mustard, jeera, cloves, split cardamoms, cinnamon fry for a minute and then add onions, fry and then add tomatoes, mix well.

3. Add turmeric powder, garam masala and red chilli powder. Mix well.

4. Add mongdhal split. Mix well. Add peerkankai, mix well. Add salt.

5. Add besan flour and pour water, just enough for the mixture to be soaked and mix thoroughly. Cover it and allow it to cook for 3 whistle. Cool it and then add lemon juice, mix well and serve with rice or chapathi garnished with corriander leaves.

Chakkarai Pongal

Ingredients

Rice - 1/2cup
Mongdhal split - 2tsp
Milk - 11/2cup
Jaggery - little more than 1/2cup
Saffron - few strands
Cashew - 10nos
Raisins - 2tsp
Clove - 1no
Cardamom - 2nos
Ghee - 1/4cup
Sugar - 2tsp

Method
1.Soak saffron in little milk. Keep aside.
2. Cook rice and dhal with milk. Remove and mash nicely. There should be no lumps. You can add little hot water in case it doesnt mash evenly.
3. Soak jaggery in little water, strain and remove the dirt.
4. In a heated kadai, add 2tsp of ghee, add clove and remove it out. To the same ghee add cashew and raisins, remove and keep it aside. Crush the clove into powder.
5. Add the jaggery water and allow it to boil nicely till you get a syrup consistency and then add the rice. Mix well, avoid forming lumps. Then add ghee little by little and mix thoroughly till the mixture leaves the sides.
6. Add the saffron, cashew, raisin, clove and powdered cardamom. Add 2tsp of sugar. Mix well and remove from fire.

Puratasi Saturday

Puratasi is a tamil calender month in which we pray to God Lord Venkatesa or Balaji in a very special way. On the saturday of the first week, we make maa vilakku, yellu rice and chakkaraipongal to offer HIM.

To make maa vilakku:
This method was told by my sister-in-law. It came out very well.
Take 1cup of rice flour and mix it with 1cup of sugar. In blender dry grind little sugar and 2pods of cardamom. Add it to the rice mixture and mix well. Break a coconut and take the water in a cup. By using this water little by little to the rice flour make it into a thick dough. Then shape it into vilakku with a beak in front. Keep kumkum to it and into the deep hole in the centre put ghee and thread. Light it as a lamp to God.

Yellu (Sesame Rice)


Ingredients

Sesame seeds - 2tsp
Dry red chilli - 1 or 2 nos
Hing - little
Mustard - 1tsp
Urad dhal - 1tsp
Channa dhal - 1tsp
Curry leaves - little
Rice - 1/4cup
Salt - to taste
Sesame oil - 2tsp


Method
1. Wash and cook rice. Allow it to cool.
2. Dry roast sesame seeds and red chilli.
3. In a blender dry grind redchilli, sesame seeds and salt. Add it to the rice.
4. In a heated kadai, add oil, then add mustard, hing, urad dhal, channa dhal and fry. Once it is golden brown add it to the rice. Add curry leaves and mix the rice well.

This is my submission for RCI Tamil Festival hosted by viji of Vcusine.

Vegetable Greenmong Kurma

Ingredients

Greenmong Dhal - 1/2cup

Mixed Vegetable - 2cup (carrots, beans, cauliflower, potato)

Tomatoes - 2nos

Onion - 2nos

Ginger - small piece

Garlic - 1 pod

Cloves - 3nos

Cinnamon - 2 sticks

Cardamom - 2nos

Turmeric Powder - 1/4tsp

Red chilli Powder - 1tsp (according to taste)

Garam Masala Powder - 1/4tsp

Corriander Powder

Besan flour - 2tsp

Corriander leaves - 2tsp

Salt - to taste

Oil - 3tsp

Butter - 2tsp

Method

1. Soak greenmong dhal overnight.

2. Cut onions lengthwise.

3. Put the pressure pan on the flame, add butter and oil, once it starts to melt add the cloves, cinnamon and split cardamons. Later add onions and saute for a while and then add tomatoes. Then add turmeric, red chilli, corriander and garam masala powders. Mix nicely and saute till the raw smell disappears or till the oil is seen on the sides of the pan.

4. Add mongdhal and mix thoroughly. Then add vegetables and mix.

5. Add salt to taste and pour water till the mixture is submerged.

6. Add the besan flour and mix well.

7. Close the pan with lid and allow 3 whistle to come and switch off. Allow it to cool.

8. Garnish with fresh corriander leaves and serve with rice or chapathi.

Pudina-Chickpea Rice

This dish is my daughter's favourite. Pudina is rich in iron. The leaves has got good cooling properties and are commonly used as anti-inflamatory agents. It is used in ayurvedic medicine preparations.

Ingredients

Basumati Rice - 2cups

Chickpea - 1/2cup

Mint leaves - 2cups

Green Chilli - 2nos

Ginger - small piece

Garlic - 1 pod
Onion big - 2nos.
Sombhu (perunjeeragam) - 2tsp
Cloves - 3nos
Cinnamon stick - small piece
Cardamom - 2nos
Salt - to taste
Oil - 2tsp
Ghee - 2tsp

Method
1. Soak chickpea overnight. If u forgot to do it, use potatoes cut into big cubes instead.
2. Wash rice and soak for 10-15min.
3. Grind pudina, ginger, garlic, green chilli, sombhu and cardamom with little water. If u want you can add little grated coconut also.
4. Cut onions lengthwise.
5. Put the pressure pan on the flame add ghee and oil, once hot add cloves, cinnamon sticks and add onions and fry till it looks glassy. Then add the grinded pudina mixture. Saute till the raw smell goes.
6. Add the chickpea and rice. Mix well. Add salt and water (41/4 cups). 4 cups for 2cups rice and 1/4 cup water for chickpea. Cover the lid and switch it off after 3 whistle.
If u dont have pressure pan, you cook the rice and chickpea seperately and mix everything in the kadai after frying the pudina mixture.

Vinayaka Chaturthi

Lord Vinayaka or Ganesha (above) is the son of Lord Shiva and Parvathi. It is beleived that if we pray to him, all our obstacles will be removed. So before we start the day or any work, we pray to him.

We celebrated Vinayaka Chaturthi today morning at 9.30am. I had made iddli, sambar, kozhakattai and channa sundal. We prayed God to get his blessings.

Pillayar Kozhakattai

Ingredients

Rice flour - 2cups

Salt - to taste

Oil - little

Coconut grated - 1cup

Jaggery - 1/2cup

Cardamom - 2nos

Rice flour - 1 or 2tsp

Ghee - 1tsp

Method

1. Mix rice flour, salt a pinch and 1tsp oil. Add water and make a dough (like chapathi dough). Cover it and set aside.

2. Add little water to jaggery and once it dissolves, strain it.

3. In a heated kadai, add the jaggery water and once it boils nicely with frothy bubbles add grated coconut and mix. Then add rice flour to it and mix till the mixture is without water bubbles. Finally add 1tsp ghee and powdered cardamom and switch off the flame. Allow this mixture to cool.

4. Keep 4-5tsp oil in a shallow plate, after dipping your fingers in it, take a small ball of rice flour, shape it into cups and stuff the coconut filling and close the edges at the top. After making all the kozhakattai, place them in a steaming pot and cook it for 12-14min. You can see the color change from pure white to a dull one. Remove from fire.

To get better results soak 1cup raw rice for 1/2hour and dry it out in a towel. Once it is semi-dry, you grind it and seive it. Using this flour if you make kozhakattai it will be very soft to eat.

Papaya (raw) Paal Kootu

Ingredients

Papaya raw - 1small

Milk - 250ml

Thur Dhal - 1/4cup

Turmeric powder - a pinch

Coconut - 1/4cup

Green chilli - 1no

Dry red chilli - 3nos.

Jeera - 1tsp

Curry leaves - 6nos.

Rice flour - 1tsp

Mustard - 1tsp

Urad dhal - 1tsp

Bengalgram dhal - 1tsp

Oil - little

Salt - to taste

Method

1. Cook thur dhal with little tumeric added to it.

2. Peel and dice papaya into cubes. Add a pinch of salt and boil it. Once cooked set aside.

3. Grind coconut, jeera, green and red chilli with little milk or water.

4. In a heavy bottom vessel, add the cooked papaya, milk, cooked dhal, grinded mixture, curry leaves and salt to taste. Mix rice flour with little water and pour this mixture also to the papaya-milk mixture. Allow it to boil. Mix thoroughly. After few bubbles switch off the flame.

5. Take a small pan and add oil, once heated add mustard seeds, urad dhal, bengalgram dhal and once they are golden brown add it to papaya-milk mixture.

Vegetable Pasta (Indian version)

Ingredients

Pasta - 1.1/2cup

Salt - to taste

Oil - 1tsp

Mixed vegetable (boiled) - 1cup (carrot, beans, cauliflower, peas, brocolli) or vegetables of your choice

Grated cheese - 1/2 cup

Tomato puree - 6oz (170gm)

(You can also make the above it by dropping 3 tomatoes in hot water and cover it with a lid for 5min. Remove skin and blend it into puree.)

Pepper powder - 1tsp

Italian classic herbs - 1tsp

Butter - 1tsp

Olives - 6nos.

Method

1. In a pan add pasta and pour water till it is immersed. Add a pinch or two of salt and a drop of oil. Allow it to boil. Once it is cooked, remove and wash it with running water. Set it aside.

2. In a heated kadai add butter, herbs and onions. Saute till the onions turn transparent or glass like.

3. Add boiled vegetables and saute for 2min. Then mix 1cup of water to the tomato puree and add it to the vegetables. Add salt and pepper to taste and allow it to boil. Once you see a bubble or two add the pasta and olives. Switch off the flame, immediately add cheese and mix well.

Cheese Chapathi

Ingredients

Wheat flour - 3cups

Salt - to taste

Oil - 1tsp

Grated cheese - 1/2 cup

Method :

1. Mix the flour, salt and oil with water and knead it thoroughly. Cover it and set aside for 1-2 hours.

2. Divide the dough into small rounds. Kneed it into round shape. Spread the cheese evenly.

3. Fold it into half and then again into half. Seal the edges and roll it out again slowly.
4. Heat the tawa, put the rolled out chapathi and try both sides till done.

It is advisable to roll out and make it immediately in the tawa, since cheese left outside will melt with time.

Krishna Jayanthi

Yesterday sept 4th, 2007 we celebrated krishna jayanthi at home in the evening at 7pm. My kids posing as Radha and Krishna. You know why we make Cheedai, because Kamsan used to grind his mouth "Nara Nara".

Vegetable Briyani

We had a get-together dinner on Sept. 2nd at the park near our house and I prepared this for about 15 people. It came out really well and everybody said it was very tasty.

Ingredients

Basumati rice - 2cups (400gm)

Mixed Vegetable - 4cups (carrots, beans, cauliflower, potato, peas)

Onion - 5nos

Tomatoes - 2nos

Oil - little

Ghee - 1tsp

Salt to taste

Masala

Yogurt (curd) - 3/4cup

Chilli powder - 4tsp

Ginger - a small piece

Garlic - 1 or 2 flakes

Mint leaves - a handful

Corriander leaves - little

Garam masala - 1.1/2tsp

Corriander-Cumin powder - 1.1/2tsp

Salt - to taste

Spices

Cardamom - 4nos

Cinnamon - 2 sticks

Cloves - 5nos

Peppercorns - 8nos

Big Jeera (sombhu) - 1tsp

Saffron - little

Garnish

Cashews - 10nos

Corriander leaves - little

Method

1. Soad rice for 1/2hour. In a kadai, add 1-2tsp oil and fry the rice, once done add the saffron and switch off.

2. Pour twice the amount of water, add little salt and cook the rice. Set aside to cool.

3. Add ginger, garlic, corriander leaves, mint in a blender and grind with little water.

4. Mix the above in curds, adding along with it garam masala, chilli powder, corriander-cumin powder, salt.

5. Pour the above mixture over the vegetables, mix thoroughly and marinate the vegetables for 1hour.

6. In a kadai, add 1tsp ghee and fry cashews split into 2. Keep aside.

7. Then add onions slit lengthwise and fry till golden brown, remove and set aside.

8. Add 2tsp oil and put all the spices except saffron. Fry and then add onions and tomatoes split lengthwise and fry for 3-4min. Then add the vegetable mix and cook till done.

9. Take a oven dish and place the rice and vegetable mix in layers alternatively and bake in an oven at 205degree for 12min. If you dont have an oven, just mix the rice and vegetables.

10. Garnish with cashews, golden onions and corriander leaves.

MoreKuzhambhu

Ingredients

Buttermilk - 5cups

pumpkin boiled - 1/2 cup

turmeric powder - 1/4tsp

For tadka

Mustard - 1tsp

oil - 1tsp

Hing - little

curry leaves

dry red chilli - 1no

For grinding

Coconut - 2tsp

green chilli - 3nos

corriander seeds - 2tsp

bengalgram - 2tsp

urad dhal - 1tsp

thur dhal - 2tsp

raw rice - 2tsp

Method

1. Soak thur dhal and raw rice for 1/2hour.

2. In a kada, add 1tsp oil and fry corriander seeds, bengalgram, urad and green chilies. Allow it to cool.

3. Add coconut to the above and grind into a smooth paste in a blender adding little water.

4. In a vessel take the buttermilk, add the above grinded mixture, turmeric power, salt and mix well.

5. In a heated kadai, add little oil, put mustard, after it splits add curry leaves and hing. Pour it into the buttermilk. Mix the buttermilk well. Add the cooked pumpkin into it.

6. Put the buttermilk vessel on the flame and allow it to heat. Once u see the froth on top, switch off the flame.

Vegetable Dosai

Ingredients

Dosai Batter - 1cup

Onion - 2nos

tomatoes - 2nos

corriander leaves - little

grated cheese - 1/2cup

salt - little

oil - 1/4 cup

Method

1. Cut onions and tomatoes into small peices. Mix them with cheese, corriander leaves and salt.

2. Heat the tawa and pour a laddle full of batter and make a thick round dosa. Sprinkle the above mixture on top of it. Add 1/2 tsp of oil around it. Cover it with a lid and cook. Once u see the bubbles or hole on top of the dosa, remove from fire.