DIY: DDL (Dulce De Leche)

From the time I started baking, I have heard about this DDL. I was always skeptical about making this as it involved using Pressure cooker. But I mustered some courage and made it, believe me, it was AWESOME. I literally had to hide it from mu hubby who was gulping it. Yeah it was that tasty.



Anyway, DDL is yum on its own, however I decided to make some Brownies with it. I will share the recipe in my next post.



But for now, lets make some DDL.

Ingredients

Condensed Milk - 1 Can (I used Milk Maid, Amu Mithai Mate also works fine)

Method

• If the can contains any plastic lid remove them.
• Fill half of the Pressure cooker with water and place the can in the water.
• Don't place the can standing in the cooker, tilt the cans on its side so the can is fully immersed in water.
• Close the lid and put the weight on, keep the stove on high flame.
• After the 2st whistle reduce it to Low Flame, and leave it on low flame for 30-45 minutes.
• After 30 minutes finish off the flame and allow it to cool on it own.
• Once its completely cooled off open the tin and voila DDL is ready.

Note:If you are planning to use them later please store them in refrigerator. Seriously, if you want to use it later, don't taste it all or else you will finish everything and there ill be nothing left to store :-) It Happened with me couple of times. 

Paneer Pakora/Pakoda/Cottage Cheese Fritters 

I am a huge fan of paneer, I have lots of Paneer recipes in my blog, please check it here. I am sure all of us know how to make pakora/Fritters. The important part of this is to make a batter that gives yu tasty and crispy fritters.

Ingredients:

Paneer - 200 Gms
Besan/ChickPea Flour - 4 Tablespoon
Maida/APF - 1 Tablespoon
Rice Flour - 1 Tablespoon
Rava or Sooji or Cream of Wheat - 1 Tablespoon
Corn Flour - 1/2 Tablespoon
GInger Garlic Paste - 1/4 Teaspoon
Red Chilly Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Garam Masala, Chat Masala, Asafoetida - A generous pinch of Each
Warm Oil - 1 Teaspoon
Oil - For Deep Frying
Water 1/4 Cup or as Required
Salt - To taste.

Method

• Heat Oil in a Pan/kadhai. 
• In a mixing bowl, place all the ingredients except Paneer, Oil and Water and whisk them together.
• To this add 1 teaspoon of warm oil and add water little by little to get a thick Batter consistency.
• Cut Paneer into cubes or strips.
• By this time, Oil should be at right temperature for deep frying.
• Test the oil by dropping a drop of batter, it should go down and then come up immediately. 
• If the batter sits in the bottom it keeps the oil is hot and if the batter browns immediately then the temperature is hot.
• Now that the oil, batter and Paneer is ready lets make some Hot Pakoras.
• Take a Paneer cube dip it in the prepared batter, allow it to coat it all over.
• Carefully drop this in the oil and fry it till gets a nice golden color.
• Using a slotted spoon remove the Paneer pakora and place it a a kitchen napkin to remove excess oil.
• Depending on the size of your kadai/pan you can drop 4-5 Paneer pakoras at a time.

Ridge Gourd Thogayal (Perrkangai Thogayal)

 I have already posted the recipe to make Thogayal using Ridge Gourd Peel. In this recipe we use the Ridge Gourd. For the recipe usng the Peel Click Here. You can eat this Thogayal with Idly or Dosa or mix it with Rice and Ghee. 

Ingredients

Ridge Gourd - 1 Cup (I used 1 ridge Gourd)
Gram Dal  - 2 Tablespoon
Black Pepper - 1 Teaspoon
Cumin Seeds - 1/2 Teaspoon
Dry Red Chilly - 8 (Whole)
Tamarind - To Taste 
Oil - 1 Teaspoon
Salt - To Taste

Method

• In a Pan, warm the oil and add the Pepper, Cumin Seeds and Saute them for couple of seconds and then add Gram Dal and Red Chilly and saute.
• Saute them till the Gram Dal is done, be careful not to burn any ingredients. So saute them on Low flame.
• Once the gram dal is done, remove it in a Mixer and allow it to Cool Down.
• Once it has cooled down, add the tamarind and grind it into a Smooth paste.
• Meanwhile, in the same pan add the Ridge Gourd and cook it.
• Cook it till the Ridge Gourd is completely done. 
• Now add the Cooked Ridge Gourd to the Dal Paste and Grind well.

Detox Water 

I read lots of article around Detoxing our Body. Given our lifestyle and pollution, use of pesticides etc, the body accumulates loads of toxins so the article recommended Detoxing. When I started googling around it one recommendation I saw in many places is to use Detox Water. They were so many articles oh how to make them , sue them etc which one said multiple things though leaving me completely Confused. So I decided to make them at home and try. I tried couple of recipes and I personally liked couple of them. I will post those recipes one by one. 

Today, I will post one of the most basic, easy and famous Detox Water with Lemon and Ginger. 

Mint aids digestion and is good for Stomach
Lemons has a cleansing effect due to the citric acid in it 
Cucumber prevents water retention and has a cooling effect.

Ingredients
Lemon - 1 (Medium, thinly Sliced)
Cucumber - 1/2 (With Skin, Thinly Sliced)
Ginger - 1/2 Inch (Skin Removed, grated)
Mint Leaves - 10
Water - 1.5 Litres

Method

• Except ginger, we will add everything else with skin so wash them thoroughly.
• Use only Fresh Ingredients for making the Detox water, if not they have a very pungent taste and you wont be able to consume them.
• So always use Fresh Ingredients.
• In a Jug, pour clean drinking water, add the Mint Leaves, thinly sliced cucumber, thinly sliced Lemon and Grated Ginger.
• Keep it refrigerated overnight or 8 hours and  filter and drink the water from Morning onward.
• You can refill the jug with some more water and allow it to infuse and drink it throughout the day. 
• I prefer to refill 2 times, however the infusion is diluted compared to the 1st time.

Notes:

• I read somewhere that you should not drink Detox water in drink, so I dont drink them in Night.
• Bring the water to room temperature before drinking as otherwise you may catch cold.
• Throw away the Lemon , cucumber etc after 24 Hours and use the freshly cut ingredients.
• If you unable to consume the water within 24 Hours discard that too as it tends to become cloudy.

Alo Stuffed Bread Pakora(Bhajji) with 1 Tablespoon of Oil 

During one of the sleepless nights, I went about browsing the channels and found a chef using this 1 Tablespoon of Oil technique instead of Deep Frying. I was thinking of some recipe to try it out and I had my lightbulb moment and decided to make some Bread Pakoras using the same technique. I have used Homemade Potato Bread and some leftover Potato Masala  to make this.

Believe me, it was tasting amazing and you can eat them without any guilt. As I used homemade Bread, I made Thicker Slices,you can use thin or thick slices and either way they will taste yum. Instead of Potato you can add any filling or any Sabzi which is leftover. I also had some Leftover Mint chutney that I added which took the Pakora to another level.

The major Trick in the recipe is the consistency of the batter. If you make this think the batter will runny and this technique wont work. On the other hand if the batter is Thick then you will face difficulty in smoothing them over the bread.

Basically take whatever is available in your kitchen and experiment with this technique.

I have found another technique to make these Pakoras with even less than 1 Tablespoon of Oil which I will share with you soon.

Ingredients
Bread Slices - 4 (As much as you need, I have used Homemade Whole Wheat Potato Bread)
Mint Chutney - 1 Teaspoon (As Required)
Potato Curry - As required
Besan/ Gram Flour - 2 Tablespoon
Hing or Asafoetida - A generous Pinch
Sooji or Semolina - 1 Teaspoon
Cornflour - 1/2 Tablespoon (Optional)
Water - 1/4-3/4 Cup (Based on Besan/Gram flour quality)
Hot Oil - 1 Teaspoon
Salt - To Taste
Oil - 1 Tablespoon for Making the Pakoras

Method

• In a mixing bowl, add the Gram flour,sooji,cornflour,salt and hot oil, asafoetida and mix them well.
• Adding Hot oil will ensure that the crust is crispy and the Batter absorbs less oil while cooking.
• Now add water little by little and mix well.This should be of Idli Batter consistency neither too thick nor too Thin.
• Heat a Non stick Tava and add a tablespoon of Oil.
  
• Circulate the Tava or griddle so that the whole Tava is smeared with Oil. 
• Now take the bread slices and smear some Mint Chutney on 2 slices.
• Now place the Potato Stuffing on one of the slices and place another slice smeared with mint chutney on top of this.
• Now take this sandwich and dip it in the prepared batter.
• Ensure that it is coated with batter from all sides.
• This was pretty easy and not as difficult as it sounds, however, if you a beginner then you can insert a toothpick into the sandwich to ensure that they don't fall apart when you dip them in the batter. 
• Once the Sandwich is coated with Batter from all sides, place this on the Hot Oil Smeared Tava or Griddle.
• Allow it to cook on one side (maybe a minute or 2) and flip and cook it.
• It will be crispy and would have got a nice colour. 
• As I had Thicker slices,my cooking time was more. I also cooked them on the sides.
• Now your Alo Stuffed Bread Pakora is ready to be gobbled. 

Green Chutney - With Spinach/Palak

I already have the recipe for Mint Chutney on my blog, however when I came across this recipe, I had to try. It was a lovely chutney and tasted Yum.



Ingredients
Coriander Leaves - 1 Cup
Spinach or Palak - 1/2 Cup
Mint leaves - 1/2 Cup
Green Chillies - 5 to 6
Lemon Juice - 2 Tablespoon
Bread Slices - 2 ( I did not add this, as I did not have them)
Salt - To taste

Method

• Place all the ingredients in a blender and grind into a smooth paste.
• If rquired add little water for grinding.
• Store it in a air tight container and store in refrigerator.

How to Make Basic Onion Tomato Gravy in Bulk

For most of the curries/gravies that we make, the base is the Onion- Tomato. if you are on a busy schedule, making them in advance during weekends, will surely help you to save time during weekdays and you will be motivated to cook More often as it will be less time consuming.

Especially if you have a Food processor, you can save more time as the chopping of Onions and Tomato can be done in a jiffy.

The measurement that I have given below helped me to cook Lunch and Dinner for a full week. Depending on your need, you can double or Half the recipe. You can also adjust the amount of Chilly powder to suit your taste.

Please do read the notes section on how to preserve this.

Ingredients

Onions - 1 Kg (Peeled and Chopped)
Tomato - 750 grams (Chopped)
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1/4 Cup
Red Chilly powder - 3/4 Cup
Coriander powder - 1/2 Cup
Cumin Powder - 2 tablespoon
turmeric Powder - 1 Tablespoon
Oil - 1/2 Cup

Method:

• Heat a pressure cooker with Oil and add the chopped onions once the oil is hot.
• Saute the onions till they are done, this may take 8-10 minutes.  
• Once the onions are done, add the Tomato and Saute.
• Add salt at this stage as it will help us to cook the Tomatoes faster.
• Saute till the Tomato is done, this will take 8-10 minutes.
• Now add the Ginger Garlic Paste and saute.
• After 3-4 minutes, add Turmeric powder, Red Chilly powder, Coriander Powder, Cumin Powder and mix well.
• Now completely put the stove on simmer and cover the Pressure cooker with the lid with the gasket on and put the weight too.
• Allow it to cook on simmer for 2-3 whistles.
• After 3 whistles, allow it to cool on its own and then open the pressure cooker and mix well.
• You will see the Mixture is well cooked and Oil and Masala is separated.
• Now allow the Masala Mixture to completely cool to room temperature.
• Based on your usage, divide into portions and place it in the freezer.

Notes:

• If you have noticed, there is not a single drop of water used in this recipe, the moisture from Onion and Tomato is good enough to cook the Masala.
• Cook the recipe on Medium flame, till you put the lid on and once you put the lid on cook on simmer.
• Don't add water, the masala wont stay good, It will spoil within a day.
• The Masala should be completely cooled, before packing and storing.
• Use Zip Loc bags or Air tight Boxes to store the Masala.
• If you would require 1/2 Cup of Masala for one time cooking, pack only 1/2 Cup of masala in a packet or Box.
• Thaw the masala before using it for cooking.
• I usually cook my lunch at 0900, so my practice was to remove one packet of masala from the freezer at 0600 and leave it in fridge till 0800 and on my kitchen counter at room temperature till 0900.
• Never freeze the thawed Masala.
• I used this recipe to prepare a lot of North indian Gravies,biriyani, Sambhar etc.
• Never attempt to store all the prepared masala together and scoop out only how much masala is required, the masala spoils faster.
• I have stored it for a month and it stays good, I am sure whether it will stay beyond that.

Baby Corn Fritters/Bhaji 

We all love Bhajjis, especially during winters they are a must have. This recipe is a sure shot way to get crispy Bhajis. I have used baby Corns, you can use Onions, Chillies, Paneer anything you like.

So in this recipe I would sharing how to make the basic Bhaji batter that can be used to make Bhajji or fritters.

Ingredients
Besan/Gram flour - 1 Cup
Rice Flour - 1/2 Cup
Sooji/Rava - 1 Tablespoon
Turmeric Powder - A generous Pinch
Hing/Asafoetida - A generous Pinch
Salt - To taste
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1/2 Teaspoon
Red Chilly Powder - 1/2 - 1 Teaspoon
Garam Masala - A pinch
Chat Masala - A pinch
Baby Corn - As needed (Parboiled)
Drinking Soda - As required  (Refer Notes)
Oil - For Frying.

Method

• In a kadhai, place the oil for heating on the stove on Medium flame. 
• In a mixing bowl, add all ingredients expect the Baby corn and soda and mix well. 
• Now to this add drinking soda and mix till till you get the batter of a thick Doa batter consistency.
• Now Take Baby corn and dip it in the batter and place it carefully in the Hot oil and cook it till it becomes Golden Brown on all sides.
• Remove it using a slotted ladle and keep it on a Paper Towel to drain excess Oil.
• Serve hot with tea/Coffee. 

Notes:

• You can use water instead of Drinking Soda to prepare this dish. Using Drinking Soda makes the Mixture Airy and lighter.
• I have also seen my mom add Warm Oil to the Bhajji mix. She mixes all ingredients and adds some Warm Oil and leaves it for a minute or 2 and then adds Water and prepares the Bhajji.
• Ensure that the batter is not too watery or else it wont stick to the Baby corn or any other ingredient you are using to make Bhajji.
• Ensure that the Oil is at medium heat, if its is too much of heat it will then only the outer layer will cook and the inner layer will remain uncooked.
• If the Oil is not hot enough then the Bhaji will drink the Oil and it will be too Oily. 

Appalam Bhajji 

Whenever we make Bhajji or Bonda, we always have some Bhajji Batter left. So immediately we can make this Appalam Bhaji. It is quick, crunchy and tasty.

Ingredients

Leftover Bhajji/Bonda Batter - As required.
Appalam - As required (Cut into Halves)
Oil - For Deep Frying.

Method

• Warm Oil for deep frying. 
• Take the Appalam and dip it in the Batter until it is nicely coated.
• Once the Oil is ready, slip the batter coated Appalam in the oil and cook till it is done. 
• Serve immediately, if you like sprinkle some chat masala and enjoy. 

Homemade Schezwan Sauce/Schezuan Sauce

I had already posted a recipe for the Homemade Schezuan Sauce, this is a much tastier version of my earlier recipe. Got this recipe from here.

I made Paneer Schezwan and Schezwan Fried Rice and they tasted Yum. I will post those recipes too quite soon.

Ingredients

Tomato Ketchup - 3 tablespoon
Dry Red Chillies - 30 (Remove the top portion and empty the seeds)
Garlic - 20 Cloves (peeled and crushed)
Ginger - 4 tablespoon (grated)
Soya Sauce - 1 tablespoon
Vinegar - 1/2 teaspoon
Water - 1 Cup
Black pepper Powder - 1 teaspoon
Sugar - 1 teaspoon
Salt - As per your Taste
Oil - 1/4 - 1/2 Cup (The original recipe suggests 1/2 cup but I used 1/4 Cup and it tasted good)

Method

• Place the De-seeded Dry Red Chillies in a pan and pour 1 cup of water into it.
• Allow it to boil and then simmer for 5 minutes.
• After 5 minutes, switch off the flame and drain the water.
• Keep the water aside and do not throw it away.
• Now take the Red Chillies in a blender and grind it into a smooth paste.
• Use the reserved water to grind this.
• Now place a kadai on the stove and add the Oil.
• Once the Oil is warm, add the Garlic and Ginger and saute for couple of minutes.
• Now add the Red Chilly paste and stir well.
• To this add Tomato ketchup,Soya Sauce, Pepper Powder, Sugar,vinegar and Salt and mix well.
• Simmer this sauce for 8-10 minutes or till you get a nice thick consistency and the raw smell is completely gone.
• Store this in a Sterilised Bottle for a week.

Beetroot Cutlet/Beet Tikki 

I have lot of tikki recipes in my blog but officially this is the best Tikki that I have ever tasted. This recipe I got from a local Cookery show that I got to see by chance. Honestly I was very skeptical about making Beet Tikkis and to my surprise it tasted Fabulous.

Click Here to check the other Tikki recipes on my blog.

Ingredients

Beet Root - 300 Grams (I de-skinned, Boiled and Grated it)
Potato - 1 (Large, De-skinned, Boiled and Grated)
Whole Wheat Bread Slices - 2  (Pulse it in the Mixer)
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1/2 Teaspoon
Onion - 1 (Medium, finely Chopped)
Chilly Powder - 1 Tablespoon
Coriander Powder - 1 Teaspoon
Garam Masala - 1/2 Teaspoon
Roasted Peanuts - 4-5 Tablespoon (Add more or less depending on your taste, you can skip it too, these add a nice crunch to the cutlet)
Salt - To Taste
Rawa/Sooji/Bread Crumbs - 4 Tablespoon (To coat the Cutlet)
Maida/Cornflour - 2-3 Tablespoon
Oil - To Tawa Fry the cutlets

Method

• In a kadai,  heat a tablespoon of Oil and add the onions and saute for 2 minutes and add the the following masala on the low flame: Chilly powder, Coriander powder, garam Masala and Ginger Garlic paste and saute for 45 seconds.
• Now place this in a mixing bowl and to this add the grated Beet and Grated Potato and Pulsed Bread Slices and Knead.
• To me the bread slices absorbed all the mositure, however depending on the vegetable and your cooking process you can add some cornflour or Maida to remove the mosituire from thsi mixture.
• Now add salt and knead this mixture.
  
• Add bread slices or Maida or Cornflour or a mixture of all these ingredients till you are able to shape the mixture into tikkis.
• After shaping them into tikkis, coat them with bread crumbs as I did not have it I used Sooji/ Rava for this.
• Arrange the tikki coated with sooji on a plate and cover it with a cling film and leave it in fridge for 1 Hour.
• The cook who demonstrated this in the TV said that it will be more flavoursome this way and I tend to agree.
• Keepingit in fridge also ensured that the Tikki got some Volume and it was easy to handle it.
• After 1 hour, heat few tablespoons of Oil in a tawa and place these Tikkis and allow them to cook, this may take 2-3 minutes.
• Once it is done on one side, flip it to the other side and cook till it is cooked.
• Serve this best Amazing Tikki ever.

 

DIY - Sprouted Moong

Most of us use sprouts for our salad, or breakfast. We know that sprouts have more nutrition than the Non sprouted Dal. 

In the supermarkets, they sell these in packets that is ready to use , however I am little comfortable with picking them. I prefer to make them at home as it is easy and No great work is involved.

Ingredients

Green Gram Dal - 1 Cup (You can use any Beans, Black Channa or Kabul Channa)

Method

• Wash the Moong nicely and soak it in fresh water for at least 5 hours or overnight. 
• After soaking, drain all the water and place it clean kitchen cloth.
• Tie the kitchen cloth and leave it undisturbed aside for at least 6-8 hours
• Another trick I picked up from mom is after tying the kitchen cloth place it in a Casserole and leave it undisturbed for 8 Hour. 
• Depending on the beans you are using you have to leave them undisturbed for 1-3 Days.

Rice Tikki (With Leftover Rice)

I a not a huge fan of leftovers. I usually cook food fresh each time and eat. However, this recipe is an exception. When I feel like making this recipe I put some extra rice, leave it overnight and make Tikkis the next day. It is crispy and quite easy to make.

Ingredients
Cooked Rice - 1 Cup
Besan or Rice Flour or Maida - 2-3 Tablespoon
Green Chillies - 2-3 (Finely Chopped)
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1/2 Teaspoon
Coriander Leaves - 2 tablespoon (Finely Chopped)
Garam masala - A generous Pinch (Optional)
Amchur Powder - a generous pinch (Optional)
Peanuts/ Groundnuts - 2 Tablespoon (Optional, coarsely broken)
Salt and Oil.

Method

• In a mixer, pulse the rice slightly for few seconds.
• Remove this in a mixing bowl and add ingredients except Oil and mix well. 
• Adjust Besan/Maida/Rice Flour little by little till you get a Tikki Dough consistency.
• Grease your hand with some oil and shape the mixture into Tikkis of your desired shape.
• Heat a pan with 2 Tablespoon of oil and arrange these prepared tikkis on them.
• Allow it to get cooked on one side which will take about a minute or 2.
• Then flip it into the other side and cook well.
• Serve with Mint Chutney.

Note:

• This recipe is so versatile that you can add or leave any ingredient. You can add finely chopped vegetable like carrot, Beans , Peas etc. 
• You can also deep fry them if you want.
• As they are made of Rice they will be quite crispy.
• As far as binding agent, I personally prepare Besan. 

Quiche

I have never made Quiche at home before and believe you in me, once you make this at home, you will not eat it outside.

When you make this at home it tastes so fresh and yummy. Do try this. usually it is made with eggs, however, I have made it egg less.

Ingredients
Wheat - Oats Tart Shell - 1
Spinach  - 1 Bunch (Washed and Chopped)
Vegetables of You choice - 1 Cup (I have used Baby Corn, Broccoli, Mushroom )
Onion - 1 (Chopped)
Paneer or Cottage Cheese
Milk - 1 Tablespoon
Dry Herbs - 1 Tablespoon or to Taste (I have used Dried Thyme, Rosemary and Oregano)
Black pepper powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Red CHilly Flakes - 1/2 Teaspoon or to taste
Garlic - 3 pods
Cheddar Cheese - 4 Tabespoon or to taste
Olive Oil - 2 Tablespoon
Salt - To taste

Method

• Make the Tart shell as per the recipe.
• In a pan, add the olive Oil and add the Garlic and Onion and saute.
• After a minute, add the vegetables and saute for 2 minutes and then add the spinach and cook for 2 minutes.
• During the cooking if the veggies r greens leave any water don't discard, it will be fine once it is baked. 
• Add Salt and Dry Herbs and Pepper powder and stir and remove from flame.
• Allow it to come to room temperature.
• Meanwhile, mix paneer and Milk and keep it.
• Once the spinach - Veggie mix is cooled add the Paneer - Milk mixture and mix.
• Now take the cooled tart and add the Prepared Veggie-spinach-paneer mixture.
• Sprinkle some dried herbs, chilly flakes on top of them.
• On this add grated Cheese as per your wish, the more the better the taste.
• Bake this for 30-45 minutes or till it is done at 150 C. 
• Cool it completely before slicing.

Lemon Curd 

This is the first time I made Lemon Curd, funny thing I never knew Lemon Curd does not have Curd. This tastes yum and refreshing. I got this recipe from here.

Ingredients

Eggs - 3 Eggs
Lemon Juice- 1/3 Cup
Lemon Zest- 1 Tablespoon
Unsalted Butter - 4 Tablespoon
Powdered Sugar - 3/4 Cup

Method

• In a bowl, whisk eggs, Sugar and Lemon Juice. 
• Use Double Boiling method, place the bowl with Egg,sugar and Lemon and top and whisk continuously.
• If you do not stir continuously egg will get cooked.
• Keep whisking till the mixture gets thick (For me it took 12 minutes)
• Remove this mixture from the flame and add butter and Lemon zest and mix well.
• Cool this mixture, the mixture will become thick as it cools down.
• You can store this in refrigerator for a month. 

Krishna Jayanthi Recipes - Janmashtami Recipe Collection 

Krishna Jayanthi/Janmashtami is celebrated this year on 17th or 18th August 2014 depending on you are a saivaiite or vaishnavite.

Immaterial of when you celebrate it, Krishna Jayanthi is so much fun. Drawing of those small Krishna feet, Bhajans, loads and loads of sweets and savory to eat, I just love it

I have given a collection of Krishna Jayatnhi Recipes. Happy Krishna Jayanthi.

Click on the Below links for the recipes:

• Thattai
• Seedai
• Boli/Poli
• Pal Kozhukattai/Paal Kozhukattai with Jaggery
• Kesari
• Pull Halwa
• Gulab Jamun
• Kaju Katli
• Semiya Payasam

Curry Leaves Gravy - Karruvepillai Kuzhambhu

I love curry Leaves, their wonderful aroma is something I love. I already have the recipe for Curry Leaves Powder/Karruveppillai Podi on my blog. I was craving for the Karruveppillai Kuzhambhu one day, so I made this and had with some Rice and Appalam. They tasted out of the world.

Ingredients

To Grind into a paste:
Gram Dal  - 1 Tablespoon
Urad Dal - 1/2 Tablespoon
Pepper - 2 Tablespoon
Cumin Seeds - 1/2 Teaspoon
Dry Red Chilles - 2 Nos
Asafoetida - a Generous Pinch
Curry Leaves - 1 Cup

For the Gravy:
Tamarind Extract - Gooseberry size soaked in 1 cup of warm water 
Onion Shallots - 15 - 20 shallots
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 Teaspoon
Garlic - 15-20 Pods
Oil - 2 Tablespoon (Preferably Gingelly Oil)

Method

• In a pan, add one teaspoon of oil and dry roast the ingredients in the following order, Gram dal, urad dal, pepper,red chillies and cumin.
• Roast them till you get a nice aroma. 
• Just a second before switching off the flame add the curry leaves and asafoetida and immediately switch off the flame.
• Cool it and grind into a smooth paste and add water if required.
• Now warm 1 tablespoon of Oil in a pan and add mustard seeds and allow it to splutter.
• Then add the Onion shallots and Garlic saute them.
• To this add the Tamarind extract, The paste that we prepared, salt and cook them.
• Based on the water you have added to make the paste, you may add some water. 
• Cook till the oil oozes out from the gravy.

Whole Wheat Garlic Scones 

Scones are a fantastic accompaniment with Tea/Coffee. I make them Crispy outside and slightly chewy inside so I get the feel of layers of texture. I have tried this recipe with garlic powder and fresh garlic and they both taste great. I used the recipe from here.

Ingredients
Whole Wheat Flour - 1 Cup
Quick Cooking Oats - 1/4 Cup (I used Quaker)
Fresh Garlic - 6 (Grated, adjust to taste, I like garlic so I have used it more)
Curd - 1/2 Cup
Oil or Cheese - 1/4 Cup (I used a combination of Rice Bran Oil and Cheddar Cheese)
Milk - 1/4 Cup  (You can use Water or combination of water and Milk)
Baking powder - 1/2 Teaspoon
Red Chilly powder - 1/2 Teaspoon
Salt - 1/4 Teaspoon

Method

• In a big bowl add all the ingredients except milk and mix them well.
• Once everything is mixed, add milk little by little and knead till you get a dough consistency.
• Rest it for 10 minutes.
• Place the dough on a floured surface and roll it using a rolling pin.
• The thickness can be 1/2 inch.
• Now using a cookie cutter cut them into desired shapes.
• Place this on a baking tray lined with aluminium foil or Parchment paper.
• Prick the scones using a fork.
• Bake it in a pre heated oven for 10-15 minutes or till it is slightly golden brown at 180C. 

Sooji Halwa aka Pull Halwa - Not It is not Kesari 

One day when I went to Mom's house, she had made this. I thought it will taste just like Kesari, one mouth and I was surprised. It was extremely, extremely tasty and had layers of flavours.

Believe you, you will  go for 2nd,3rd,4th,5th servings for sure.

Ingredients
Sooji/Rava - 1 Cup
Ghee - 1+1/2 Cup
Milk - 3 Cups (Boiled and at Room Temperature- Dont add Raw Milk, it will split)
Sugar - 2 Cups
Cashewnuts - 1/4 Cup

Method:

• Take a Kadai and add one cup of ghee and when it is slightly warm add the Sooji and saute it.
• Saute it for 3-5 minutes. Then reduce the flame to the minimum and add the Milk and stir.
• Cook till the Sooji is done. This may take about 5-8 minutes.
• Then add the sugar and stir it.
• Now cook this halwa on low flame till the ghee oozes out from the halwa.
• You can cover the Halwa and stir it every 2-3 minutes to avoid burning.
• Meanwhile, take the rest 1/2 Cup of Ghee in a another kadai and warm it and add the cashewnuts.
• Saute the Cashewnuts till they are crispy and done. Ensure it does not change colour.
• Now add the cashewnuts along with the ghee to the prepared Halwa and stir.
• Now your Fabulous tasting Halwa is ready. 

Eggless Mango Cheese Cake - No Bake, No Egg. 

I have already posted the recipe for Mango Mousse with Mango Glaze. Using that on a biscuit base you get this beauty. The only requirement is you need a Tart Tin or spring form pan to make this. 

If not, you can use any tin with loose bottom or line the regular tin with cling Film so that it hangs over the side so it is easy to pull the cake. 

As I was busy with guests that day, I forgot to coer it with cling film and hence the Ice coating on top. Nevertheless, it tasted yum. So remember to cover it with Cling Film. 

Ingredients

For the Base:
Biscuit - 30-40 (I used 1 big packet of Marie)
Melted Butter - 100 Grams

For Mousse:
Paneer/Cottage Cheese - 1 Packet (I used Milky Mist 200 Grams)
Condensed Milk - 1 Tin (I used Milk Maid 400 Ml)
Gelatin - 3 Tablespoon+3 Tablespoon
Mango Pulp - 300 Ml + 300 Ml
Sugar - 2 - 4 Tablespoon (Optional, If your mango is sweet you can skip this)

For Mango glaze
Gelatin - 3 Tablespoon
Mango Pulp - 300 Ml
Sugar - 2 - 4 Tablespoon (Optional, If your mango is sweet you can skip this)

Method

• Powder the biscuit using blender or hand.
• Melt the butter and add the powdered biscuit to it and mix well.
• Take your Tart tin or Spring form pan and using your fingers spread the biscuit-Butter mixture. 
• Press to form a even base and put this fridge for 10 minutes. 
• Soak all (6 Tablespoon) of the Gelatin in little cold water for some minutes till it becomes fluffy. This may take 10 minutes.
• After 10 minutes, mix this soaked Gelatin in hot water and mix well till it becomes transparent. 
• Meanwhile, In a blender add Paneer, Condensed Milk, 300 ml of Mango Pulp and blend it well.
• To this add  half of the prepared gelatin and mix well.
• Take your serving dish and fill 1/2 or 3/4 of the dish with the prepared Mousse. 
• Pop this into the freezer for 10 -15 minutes.
• Meanwhile take the remaining Gelatin and Mango Pulp and mix them together.
• Now remove the Mousse from the dish and pour a thin layer of the prepared mango glaze on top of the mousse. 
• Pop this into the freezer for 10 -15 minutes.
• Meanwhile take the remaining Gelatin and Mango Pulp and mix them together.
• Now remove the Mousse from the dish and pour a thin layer of the prepared mango glaze on top of the mousse. 
• Cover the dish with some cling film and keep it in the freezer for 15-30 minutes or till the Mousse and Glaze is set.
• Serve it chilled.