Rice Flour Kozhukattai/ Arisi Maavu Kozhukattai 

I love Kozhukattai and I have a variety of Kozhukattai Recipes in my Blog. This one is a easy to make Kozhukattai , if you have ready made Processed Rice Flour.

Do check other Kozhukattai recipes Here.

Ingredients

Processed Rice Flour - 1 Cup
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 Teaspoon
Dry Red Chillies - 4 or 5.
Broken Gram Dal - 1/2 teaspoon
Broken Urad Dal - 1/2 teaspoon
Hing or Asafoetida - A generous Pinch
Water - 2.5 Cups
Coconut - 1/4 Cup (Grated, Optional)
Oil - 1 teaspoon (Preferably Coconut Oil)

Method

• Take a Kadhai/Large Vessel and heat a teaspoon of oil and once the Oil is hot add the Mustard seeds and allow them to splutter.
• Then add the gram Dal, Urad Dal and Dry Red Chillies and saute. 
• Add Hing/asafoetida, to this and add the water and Salt to taste. 
• Allow the water to boil and then add the Processed Rice Flour while stirring it.
• Also add the grated Coconut to this. 
• Cover and cook for 5 minutes or till all the water is absorbed.
• Now switch off the flame and keep the prepared dish aside.
• Now take a Steamer or Idly pot and add water to the steamer and allow it to Boil.
• Meanwhile, Grease the Idly plates/plates in which you are planning to steam the Kozhukattais.
• By now, the prepared mixture would have come to bearable heat.
• Now wet your hands and take a good amount of the prepared mixture and shape into a ball or any desired shape.
• Arrange the prepared balls in the greased plates.
• Now place this in the steamer and steam for 10 -12 minutes.
• Allow it to cool for 5 minutes and serve.

Notes

• Start making them into balls only when it the prepared mixture is of bearable heat to your hands or else allow it to cool for some more time.
• Adding Coconut is optional, however it takes this recipe up by few notches.
• While adding the Mustard seeds, Dal and Hing keep the stove on low flame.
• Using coconut Oil brings a nice flavour to this recipe.
• You can grease your hand with coconut Oil while shaping these Kozhukattais. 

Yam - Cow Peas (Black Eyed Beans) Curry AKA Senai Karamani Kuzhambhu(Kulambhu)

I have already written enough about my love for South Indian Gravy. Look at a variety of SI curry recipes here. This gravy is a lovely combo of Yam and Cow peas and they just taste amazing. Nevertheless to say, it goes well with Rice , but I love it with Dosa. Make slightly thicker, soft Dosa and have it with this gravy, then you will know what I am talking about.

Ingredients

Yam - 250 Grams (Peeled and chopped into 2" Pieces)
Cow Peas - 1 Handful (Washed and Soaked for at least 6 Hours)
Onion - 1 (Large, finely Chopped)
Tomato - 1 (Medium, Finely Chopped, preferably Country Tomato)
Garlic - 4 Pods (Peeled and roughly Crushed)
Ginger - 1/2" Piece (Peeled and Crushed)
Red Chilly powder - 1 Tablespoon
Coriander Powder - 1 Tablespoon
Turmeric Powder - 1/8 Teaspoon
Yam - Lemon Size (Soaked in a glass of warm water)
Oil - 2 Tablespoon (Preferably Gingelly Oil)
Salt - To taste
Jaggery  -  1/2' Piece
Curry Leaves - 2 (Torn into pieces)
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Fenugreek Seeds - 1/4 Teaspoon

Method

• Pressure cook the Karamani or Cow peas till done. It took me 6 whistles.
• Meanwhile, Boil some water, add turmeric and cook the Yam till it is almost done.
• Strain the Yam and roughly Mash it. Don't mash it too much.
• Place a kadhai on the stove and Add the Oil.
• Once the oil is hot add the Mustard Seeds and allow it to splutter and then add the fenugreek seeds and Curry leaves.
• Immediately add the Onions and cook till the onions are done. 
• Add the Garlic and Ginger and Saute.
• Add the tomatoes and add the salt.
• Cook till the tomato becomes mushy and almost dissolves.
• Now to this add the Recd Chilly powder, Coriander Powder, turmeric powder, Cooked Cow Peas and Mashed Yam.
• Cook it for a minute or 2.
• Extract the Tamarind Juice from the soaked Tamarind and add it to the coking mixture.
• Approximately add 1 Cup of tamarind pulp, however this depends on your quality of tamarind, your soaking time, your taste preference etc.
• Allow the Mixture to boil and add a piece of Jaggery and mix well.
• Cook till the raw flavour of everything is gone.

Notes

• Cooking the Yam in tamarind Pulp will ensure that the Itchiness of the Yam is gone, however if you are worried then after cutting the Yam soak it in the water which you get while washing the Rice. 
• Soaking it in that water for 15 minutes will remove the Itchiness.
• Another technique that I also follow is to add a small piece of Tamarind in the water while cooking the Tamarind. 
• It should be a every tiny piece or else the Tamarind will not get cooked. 
• In my opinion this gravy tastes nice if it is thick and not so watery and also I prefer not to add too much of Tamarind Pulp as it will mask the other flavors.

Yummy Fruit Cake

 I have already posted different versions of Fruit Cakes, I had bookmarked this recipe for some time now and wanted to try it.

Do try other Fruit Cake recipes from here.

 Ingredients

Maida or APF - 2 Cups
Mixed Fruits and Nuts - 2.5 Cups (Mixed with 1/4 cup of flour)
Eggs - 3
Baking Powder - 1 Teaspoon
Butter - 1 Cup
Sugar - 1 Cup (I have used 1/2 Cup of Brown Sugar and 1/2 Cup of Regular Sugar)
Vanilla Essence - 1 Teaspoon
Cinnamon powder - 1 Teaspoon

Method

• Sift Maida, baking powder and Cinnamon powder together and keep it aside.
• Grease a Baking pan and dust it with flour and cut and place parchment paper on the bottom and Sides of the Tin.
• Pre heat the Oven at 170C for 15 minutes.
• In a mixing Bowl, Cream Butter and sugar together.
• To this add egg one by one and whisk it well.
• To this add the Vanilla essence and whisk it in.
• Now add the sifted flour little by little to the wet ingredients and fold it in.
• At last, add the Mixed fruits and Nuts and fold it in.
• Pour this mixture into the prepared Tin and Bake it for 50 minutes at 170C or till it is done.
• Cool it completely before slicing it.

Barnyard Millet Upma (with Tamarind)/ Kuthiraivali Puli Upma

Millets is the New rage. I dont know for whatsoever reason I was not confiedent of cooking with them. My mom makes it a lot and love the taste if them. So this time I asked my hubby to buy a pack of Millets so I could try. It was so easy , I couldn't make out why I was so skeptical about cooking with them. I will post more Millet recipes soon. You can also make this Upma using Vegetables and without Tamarind also.

Ingredients

Barnyard Millet - 1 Cup (Washed and kept aside)
Water - 3 Cups
Oil - 2 Tablespoon
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 Teaspoon
Groundnuts/Peanuts - 2 Tablespoon
Gram Dal - 1 Tablespoon
Salt - To taste
Hing or Asafoetida - A generous Pinch
Tamarind extract  - Goose Berry Sized (Soaked using 1 cup of water from the 3 cups of water given above )
Dry Red Chillies - 5 (Broken)

Method

• Place the pressure cooker on stove with 2 tablespoons of Oil.
• Once the Oil is hot, add the mustard seeds and allow them to splutter and immediatley add the Gram dal, Peanuts and saute them.
• Now add the Red Dry chillies and Asafoetida and saute
• To this add the Tamrind extarct and the 2 cups of water and allow them to boil.
• To this add the washed Barnyard Millet and stir and add salt.
• Cover the Pressure cooker lid with the whistke and cook for 1 whiste on low flame.

Note:

• I made the whole recipe of Low flame. If you plan to cook on high flame, keep a close eyes or else the Dal, groundut may get burnt.

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.