Padma's Recipes: 4/1/10

28 DHANIYA KUZHAMBU

Dhaniya Kuzhambu/kulambu( Curry with coriander seeds)

Most of you might have heard curry based with cumin seeds or Pepper that goes well with hot rice. Well this curry is based mainly on coriander seeds and tastes great with hot rice. A curry with very few ingredients and very simple to prepare. A recipe learnt from my friend SV, have had many times in her house prepared by her and we loved it.

Small/pearl onions(Chinna vengayam) - 10 - 12
Tomato - 3 small or 2 medium
Red chillies - 7 or 8 depending on spice
Coriander seeds - 3 tbsp
Coconut grated - 3/4 cup
Salt as needed
Oil - 1 1/2 tbsp
(Missed to include tamarind).
Add a cup of dilute pulp after frying tomatoes or can grind the same with coconut.

For tempering:-
Oil - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds, urad dhal and curry leaves

Heat half a spoon of oil and roast red chillies and coriander leaves for few mts. See to that they do not turn dark. Remove and keep aside. Next grind them with coconut to a fine paste.

Heat oil in a pan and add small onions( if they are too big , then cut them into halves or four). Fry till light brown. Next add chopped tomatoes and fry till they are mashed and pulpy and water leaves out. Next add the ground masala along with salt. Reduce flame and cook till raw smell leaves for about 10 - 12 minutes. Temper with the tempering ingredients and serve with hot rice.

Award from Jyoti of Panchpakwan . Thank you Jyoti for sharing it with me.

49 BISCUIT HALWA

Biscuit Halwa

Wondering what to do with leftover or unused packets of biscuits, then try this halwa. My son's get a variety of packets in store to try out and later after having a piece leave out the rest. This sweet would definitely be a solution to make use of the reamining ones and serve as a delicious treat/desert.
Recipe with photo sent in by my aunt Gomathi.

Biscuit - 200 gms( have used Marie biscuits)
Milk - 1 cup
Sugar - 1 cup
Saffron - few strands
Ghee - 1 tbsp
( optional use can add cardamom powder, fried cashew or almonds)

Soak biscuits in milk and sugar for 10 - 15 mts. It will completely dissolve in it, so there is no need to mash or powder.

Heat ghee in a non stick pan and add this mixture and keep stirring until it is thicken enough as halwa. Will not take more than 10 - 15 minutes. Add saffron and if needed a pinch of cardamom powder. Can use add some fried cashewnuts or almonds if needed and enjoy your delicious biscuit halwa.

47 KAJU KATLI

Kaju Katli(Cashew diamonds) Version 1

Made this sweet for my younger son's B'day Today. He loves Kaju katli and calls it as diamond sweet.

This is one of the simplest and easiest way of making Kaju Katli(Diamond sweet). Just roast some cashews and within minutes you can prepare this. I also prepare the same sweet where we make sugar syrup and add this powder which also comes out perfect, but comparatively I found this method to be very easy and simple.

Raw Cashewnuts- 1 cup
Granulated Sugar - 1 cup
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Water - 2- 3 tbsp

For rolling you need:
Parchment paper/butter paper - 1
Rolling pin

Can add a drop of rose essence to the sweet(optional)

Dry roast cashewnuts in medium flame without changing its color. This is done just to make them crisp and remove the rawness.
Keep aside and cool. Later take them in a dry mixer and powder fine. Next add sugar to it and powder both together finely. If sugar granules are big in size then powder seperately, but make sure you add again to the cashew and turn on your mixer to mix well.

Heat a non stick pan in medium flame and add the ground cashew with sugar. Immediately add water and stir well. This will thicken up fast and you also get a nice soft dough consistency in less than 2 - 3 minutes.If you feel it is still little powderish, then can add another spoon of water and mix well and stir. Add ghee and essence if using and mix well. Immediately when still hot transfer to the parchment paper. See to that the mixture is in the middle. Slowly fold into half and with the help of a chapathi roller( rolling pin) roll as thin as possible. Open one of the side and with a knife cut into the shape required. Remove the cut ones and keep aside. The unshaped ones you can again cover and roll until you are done with all. In case if anytime you find the second try tough for rolling then you can take it back to the pan and heat it up can also add just few drops... just few drops only and repeat the procedure of stirring for a minute or two and then immediately transfer to the parchment paper and cut the pieces.

Tips:
1. Roast and cool the cashew
2. First add the powder to the pan and then add the water.
3. Add ghee in the end and mix

This way you can never go wrong with the making of this sweet. The step by step pictures too might help you.

40 BEETROOT PAKODA

Beetroot Pakoda/Pakora

A healthy and nutritious snack that is very easy to prepare and also which looks very colorful. Can also serve this to kids who refuse to eat beetroot just by looking at its color. This pakoda can be made with besam flour, but here dhals have been used. Can use toor dhal or channa dhal. Just soak any one of the dhal for 1 - 2 hours and start making this delicious pakodas.

Recipe with photo sent in by my Gomathi Athai.

Dhal - 1 cup( can use toor dhal or channa dhal)
Beetroot - 1 small or half of a big one
Onion - 1 chopped fine
Green chillies - 4 cut fine
Ginger - 1 inch grated or chopped fine
Curry leaves - few broken
Hing - 1 -2 pinch
Salt as needed
Oil for deep frying

Can use besan(chickpeas flour/kadalai maavu) in place of soaking dhals. But this is the way they do it in my native.

Soak dhal for 1 - 2 hours and later drain water. Here toor dhal has been used. Can use a food processor to coarsely grind the dhals as it should not be ground to a fine paste. If using mixie too see to that it is not ground to a fine paste, just grind coarsely. Peel and grate beetroot and add all the ingredients(dhal, beetroot, salt, green chillies, ginger, hing, curry leaves) and mix well.
Heat oil for deep frying and take the mix and drop in as pakoda's in small batches. Deep fry till they are cooked and nice brown. Remove and serve.

Sending this entry to My legume Affair 22 event hosted at Ruchikacooks an event started by Susan of The well seasoned Cook.

30 COCONUT BURFI

Coconut Burfi/Thengai Burfi/Kobbari Mithai

Wishing you all a Happy Tamil New Year and Vishu!!!

This is one of my version of making this burfi and is very simple and does not require to make any syrup and watch for any consistency.
But I prefer to make this sweet with freshly grated coconut flakes as it tastes very good. This is one of my fav and I love this sweet, though at home they do it with 2 other variations. This is one of the simplest and easiest.

Freshly grated coconut flakes - 1 cup
Granulated sugar - 1 cup
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Cardamom powder - 1 - 2 pinch

Grate the coconut with the help of a hand grater, see to that it does reach the shell as we do want to use that and also to get a good color.
Take this in a dry mixer and run in pulse for few seconds. No need to powder or make a paste, just to crush lightly. So switch on your mixer and count 1 2 3 and repeat twice. Add sugar next and repeat the same.
Now comes the best part. Keep aside this mixture for a hour to let the water from the sugar to come out.

Now take this in a frying pan preferably nonstick and start stirring until it is thickened. No need for any ghee to be added. Keep stirring continously until it is thickened.
Meanwhile grease a plate with ghee and keep ready. Pour the mixture on it and allow it to cool and set. Later slice it up before it is hardened and enjoy your delicious coconut burfi.

12 Awards and Tag from Friends

Crown awards from Mrs.Menagasathia of Sashiga

Lovely awards from Yummy Team of Yummy O Yummy

Tag from Madhuri of Ma's Recipes
and Premalatha of Prema's Thaligai

(Horse shoes falls - View from Canada)

The Rule of Tag award is
1)I should post a favourite picture/pictures
2)I should pass it on to 7 friends.

I would like to pass these awards and tag to
Kavitha and Gayathri, Sowjanya, Srimathi, Rekha, Gita, Pavithra, Kalai ,Priya Prashanth,Priya Suresh, Sailaja, Shanthi, Nayna, Siddhi and Sushma.

Job well done award from Nithu bala of Nithu's Kitchen

and participating award from
Srilekha of Me and My kitchen

47 VEGETABLE HAKKA NOODLES

Vegetable Hakka noodles and celebrating my 450th Post.

Preparing this noodles is very easy though it looks every elaborate. This dish is a wholesome meal that can be relished by everyone. It is very much loved at my home. The main thing depends on the veggies. Cutting them into thin slices gives a good texture to this noodles. I love this with more veggies, so I add in more. It mainly depends on your taste to add more or less so can adjust accordingly.

Hakka noodles - 1 pack( have used chings- 100 gms pack)
Onion - 1 small thinly sliced
Green onions - 1 bunch chopped ( can use the bottom portin too)
Capsicum/bell pepper - 2 thinly sliced( can used coloured ones)
Cabbage - 1 cup thinly sliced
Baby corn - few( have cut into half)
Carrot - 2 thinly sliced
Soya sauce - 1 tbsp
Tomato sauce/ketchup - 1 - 1 1/2 tbsp( this gives good taste)
Red chilli sauce - 1 tbsp
Black pepper powder - few sprinkles
Ginger - 1 inch chopped fine
Garlic - 4 - 5 chopped fine
Ajjinamotto - a pinch( optional)
Salt as needed
Oil - 3 tbsp ( tbsp of cooking oil and 2 tbsp of gingelly or olive oil)

Take around 5 - 6 cups of water and add little salt and 1 tbsp of oil. Allow it to boil and bubble up. Break the noodles partiaally and add to the water. Just leave it for 2 minutes and drain using a strainer. Allow running water to flow on top to cool and avoid sticking. Keep it aside.

In a wok/pan add remaining oil and add ginger and garlic, saute for a minute and then add chopped onions. Fry till it is transculent and add veggies( I added first baby corn, capscium, carrot, cabbage) one by oneand also ajjinamotto. Some veggies cook easily so try to add in one by one and stirring constantly. See to that it is not over cooked and also they are nost mushy. Once the veggies are cooked add half of green onions and stir. Next add the cooked noodles along with salt, pepper powder, red chilli sauce, soya suace. Give a stir and add tomato sauce. Can add more sauce depending on the taste.Garnish with remaining green onions.

34 APPLE SAUCE PANCAKES

Pancakes with apple sauce

Pancakes is a very common breakfast at home for my kids. I make them both ways from scratch or ready mix. But try to add in different ingredients for a change like some berries, orange juice, apple sauce ..... Below recipe is the one using apple sauce and also eggless very much liked by kids. Can use store bought apple sauce or make your own.

All purpose flour/Maida - 1 cup
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Baking powder - 1 tsp
Sugar - 2 tsp
Vanilla essence - t sp
Milk - 1 cup
Apple sauce - 1 cup( preferably cinnamon flavored)

Can replace milk with eggs and add required water for making the batter, here have used just plain milk.

In a bowl take flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, vanilla essence and mix well. To it add apple sauce and milk and mix well to a batter consistency. Heat a griddle and pour a ladle full and let it to spread on its own. Allow it cook for a minute or two and flip to cook the other side.

In place of apple sauce can peel and chop 2 small apples and cook in a microwave till very soft and then mash or make a past and add to the flour mix, can also add a pinch of cinnamon powder for additional flavor. Serve with your favourite syrup.

Sending this to Priya's Pancake event