Happy Deepawali!

Laddu & Kara Boondhi / Deepawali Special

Methi Pulao / Methi Rice

Ingredients:
2 cups - Basmati rice
Methi leaves - 1 bunch
2 tbsp - Ginger garlic paste
1 - Big onion ( sliced thin )
3 - Green chillies
1 - Tomato ( chopped )
1 - Clove
1 - Cardamoms
2 - Bay leafs
1″ - piece of Cinnammon
1 - tsp - Chilli powder
4cups - water
3 tbsp - Oil
1 tbsp - Ghee
Salt to taste.
Method:
Wash and finely chop the Methi leaves.( leaves only )
Wash and soak the rice in water 15 minutes.
Heat the oil and ghee in the cooker.Add the  cloves, cardamon,cinnammon and bay leafs and saute for a minute.
Add sliced onions and green chillies and fry till they start to brown.
Add the ginger garlic paste and saute for about 2 minutes.
Now add chopped leaves along with the chopped tomatos and  fry for another 2-3 minutes.
Add chilli powder, salt and mix well.
Now add soaked rice, mix it very gently, then add 4 cups of water, mix well.(slowly)
Cover and cook with the weight on, until you hear 1 whistle.
Switch off gas flame. Allow the cooker to cool naturally.

Serve with raita and chips! 

Baked Salmon

Ingredients:
    Salmon steaks -2
    Garlic- 4cloves
    pepper po wder - 1 tbsp ( freshly ground )
    Chilli powder - 1 tbsp
    Lemon juice - 2 tbsp
   Olive oil - 1 tbsp
   Salt to taste.

Method:

• Grind the garlic  in  a spice grinder till smooth. Add the chilli powder, salt and the lemon juice to make a paste. 
• Apply this on the salmon steaks, marinate for at least 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 425°F. Place the steaks in a baking pan and cover with aluminum foil.
• Bake for about 20 minutes and then remove the aluminum foil. Place the salmon under the broiler mode  for 5-7  minutes on each side to nicely roast. 

Enjoy it with steamed broccoli,beans etc etc...

Javvarisi-Semiya Payasam

அனைவருக்கும் இனிய தமிழ்ப்புத்தாண்டு நல்வாழ்த்துக்கள்!!!

Egg Appetizer

Ingredients:

Eggs - 6 ( boiled )

Mayonnaise- 3 tbsp

Yellow mustard seeds powder- 1/4 tsp

Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp

Lemon juice - 1 tbsp

Salt to taste

Italian seasoning for garnishing.

Paprika for garnishing.

Method:

• Slice hard boiled eggs in half.
• Remove yolks and place in a small bowl.
• Mash yolks with a fork. add mayonnaise, mustard powder, lemon juice, salt and pepper. mix everything.
• pipe the yolk mixture into empty, egg whites.
• Garnish with Italian seasoning or paprika. Store covered in refrigerator.

Serve Chilled.

Vegetable Semiya Upma

Ingredients:

Semiya (Vermicelly) - 2 Cups

Carrot - 1( cut in to small pieces )

Beans - 4( cut into small pieces )

Green Peas - 1/4 cup

Corn - 1/4 cup

Onion - Half ( chopped )

Green chillies - 4

Ginger - A small piece( finely chopped )

Curry leaves & Coriander leaves - few

Channa Dhal , Urad dhal - 1 tbsp

Musturd Seeds - 1 tsp

Cashew - 3 nos

Ghee - 3/4 tbsp

Oil - 2 tbsp

Water - 3 cups

Salt - to taste.

Method:

• Roast the semiya with 1 spoon of ghee or oil, till you get a light golden colour.
• Heat the oil and add add the mustard seeds,once they crackle, add the dhals and cashew. fry them till golden brown.
• Add the chopped onions,ginger, slitted green chillies & curry leaves.Fry them 2 minutes.Now add vegetables along with salt.
• Mix well and low heat for 3 minutes.Now add 3 cups of water. allow to boil.
• Now add semiya.mix it well and cook till the vegetables and vermicelli turn soft and the water evaporates.
• Garnish with Coriander leaves.
• Vegetable semiya upma is ready!Serve with coconut chutney.

Black Eyed Peas / Karamani Sundal

Ingredients:

Black eyed peas / Karamani - 1 cup

Onion - 1/2 ( chopped )

Green chillies - 2 nos

Red chillies - 2 nos

Curry leaves - few

Muatard seeds - 1/ 2 tsp

Grated coconut - 2 tbsp

Oil - 1 tsp

Salt to taste.

Method:

• Pressure cook the peas with salt for 2 whistles.Dont over cook, it might turn very mushy.
• Heat the kadai with oil. Add mustard seed allow it to pop, add onion,chillies and curry leaves and fry till golden.
• Add grated coconut and stir for a minute.Now drain the water from peas and add to the coconut.
• Stir for 2 minutes on a low flame. Now Sundal is ready.

Chilli Chicken

Panneer Bhurji / Scrambled Panneer

Ingredients:

Panneer - 1 cup (crumbled )

Coloured Capsicum/Bell Pepper - 1 cup (chopped)

Onion - 1(chopped)

Green chilli - 1( finely chopped)

Ginger and garlic paste - 1 tsp

Tomato - 1( finely chopped )

Turmeric powder - a pinch

Chilli powder -2 tsp

Corriander powder - 1 tbsp

Oil - 2 tbsp

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Lemon juice - 2 tsp.

Corriander leaves

Salt to taste.

Method:

• Heat the oil in a pan on a medium flame. Add the cumin seeds.Wait till they puff up.
• Add the onions & chillies and fry till soft. Add G&G paste.fry for a minute.
• Add tomatoes and fry till the tomatoes are pulpy.Add all the powdered spices and salt. mix well.
• Add the chopped capsicum ( red, green and yellow). Mix well. Let the mixture cook for 5 mins.
• Now lastly add crumbled paneer and mix well. Fry for 2 minutes or until dry.
• Now add the lemon juice and mix well.Garnish with corriander leaves.

Serve hot with Chapathi.

Pasta With Tomato And Garlic

Potato Poriyal / Easy Potato Curry

Ingredients:

Potato - 4 nos

Onion - 1/2 ( chopped )

Red chilli - 2

Curry leaves - few

Channa dhal - 1 tsp

Urad dhal - 2 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Sambar powder - 2 tsp

Pepper powder - 1 tsp

Oil - 1 tbsp

Salt to taste.

Method:

• Wash and cut the potato into small cubes.When chopping potatoes, keep them in a bowl of water to prevent them from discoloring.
• Heat oil in a non stick pan. add mustard seeds. When they pop, add urad dhal,channa dhal.
• Then add onion,red chili and curry leaves.once the onion becomes golden brown ,add the potatoes, turmeric powder,sambar powder, pepper powder,salt and 1 spoon of water.
• Mix well and close the lid.
• Keep the flame in low.Cook for few minutes.
• Remove from heat and garnish with corriander leaves.
• 

Mutton Kuzhambu

Ingredients:

Mutton - 2 lb (with bones)

Onion – 2 nos ( chopped )

Tomato - 2 nos( chopped )

Curry leaves - few

Green chillies - 1 no

Ginger garlic paste - 2 tbsp

Corriander powder – 2 tbsp

Pepper powder - 2 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Oil - 2 tbsp

Salt to taste.

To powder:

Corriander seeds - 2 tbsp

Red chillies – 7 nos

Fennel seeds – 1 tsp

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Cinnamon - 1 small piece

Cardamom - 1

Clove – 2nos

Dry roast all these items and dry grind them.

Method:

• Wash and cut the mutton into small pieces.
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a cooker.
• Add mustard seeds.let it splutter for a second.
• Add the onions and sauté till golden brown.
• Add ginger, garlic paste and green chillies and sauté for a minute.
• Then add the tomatoes & fry it till the tomatoes are soft.
• Add the mutton pieces along with turmeric powder and salt.
• Now add the freshly prepared masala powder,pepper powder and corriander powder .
• Add 3 cups of water . Mix well and close the lid of cooker.
• Pressure cook this mixture for 5 whistles on medium flame.or the mutton till it is tender.
• Now open the lid and add curry leaves and let it simmer for 5 minutes.
• Remove from heat and garnish with corriander leaves.

Serve hot with white rice,idli,dosa etc...

Mutton Chukka / Mutton Varuval

Ingredients:

Mutton (boneless) cut into small pieces - 1 lb

Garlic pods (chopped ) 2 nos

Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp

Tomato - 1 ( chopped )

Onion - 1 (chopped finely)

Coriander leaves - few (chopped)

Curry leaves - few

Corriander powder - 1 tbsp

Chilli powder - 1 tbsp

Pepper powder - 1 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tspTurmeric powder- 1/2 tsp

Oil - 2 tbsp

Salt to taste.

To powder:

Cinnamon 1inch - 2 nos,Cardamom - 1no

Cloves -2 nos

Cumin Seeds -1 tsp

Black Pepper corns -1 tsp

Fennel Seeds -1/2 tsp

Marinate the mutton pieces with salt, turmeric powder, 1/2 tbsp chilli powder and powdered spices. Let it marinate for 30 minutes.

Method:

• Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pressure cooker. Add the fennel seeds and let it splutter for a second and then add half the chopped onion. Fry for a few minutes and add the ginger-garlic paste. Then add the chopped tomatoes, few curry leaves.
• Add the mutton pieces . add 1/2 a cup of water . Pressure cook this mixture for 4 whistles on medium-high flame.
  
• Remove from heat.
• In a Kadai heat Oil, when hot, add mustard seeds and let it splutter for a second.Then remaining onion and saute well till it turns golden brown. Add the curry leaves, and finely chopped garlic. Fry for 1 min.
• Add red chili powder, coriander powder
  and pepper powder. Fry for 1 min.
• Drain the water from the cooked mutton and add it.Check the taste of salt and add more if required.
• Allow it to boil till all the water evaporates.
• Add the mutton and fry till it becomes dry in medium flame.
• Remove from heat and garnish with corriander leaves.
• Serve hot with white rice,briyani etc,etc..

Pasta With Broccoli

Kara Boondhi

Ingredients:

Besan flour – 2 cup

Oil – for frying

Peanuts – 1/4 cup

Dhaliya/Pottu kadalai -1/4 cup

Broken Cashews – 3 tbsp

Curry leaves – 2 strings

Red chilli powder – 1 tbsp

Salt – to taste.

Method:

• Mix besan flour, salt and water little by little so that there are no lumps.
• The mixture should be little thinner than the dosa batter consistency.
• Batter should be in pouring consistency.
• Heat oil(on medium heat) in a pan, pour the batter over a boondhi karandi into the oil directly.
• Fry till they become golden color and drain them using another ladle, drain the excess oil and keep it aside.
• Fry the cashew nuts,peanuts,dalia and the curry leaves.Mix them with the boondi along with chilli powder and salt.
• Combine all the items in a wide pan and mix it well.

Let it cool and store it in an airtight container.

Boondhi Laddu

Ingredients:

Besan flour ( kadalai mavu )- 1 1/4 cup

Water - 1 1/4 cup

Cashews - 5 nos

Raisins - few

Cardomom - 2 (powdered)

Cooking camphor -1 pinch

Ghee - 1 tbsp

Oil - for deep frying

Boondhi laddle.

For the sugar syrup:

Sugar - 11/4 cup

Water - 11/4 cup

Method :

• Mix together besan flour and water.This batter should be ‘dosa’ batter consistency. Set aside.
• Heat oil in a wide vessel.
• When the oil is very hot, take a big spoon of batter. Place the boondhi ladle over the hot oil, pour one spoonful of batter into the boondhi ladle and press down. boondhis should not be fried completely, They should be 3/4 fried.
• Remove from the oil and set aside.
• Grind some of the boondhi into coarse powder and set aside.
• Heat the sugar with 1 1/2 cups of water and make a syrup of one thread consistency. Add the cardamom powder,cooking camphor to the syrup.
• Turn off the flame and set aside.
• Mix the boondhi, fried raisins,cashews and powdered boondi into the sugar syrup,mix well and leave for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• Take a little portion of boondhi mixture and shape into round and tight laddoos.and leave till dry.

Store in airtight containers.

இனிய பொங்கல் நல் வாழ்த்துக்கள் !!