23 MURUKKU/ CHAKLI

Murukku/Chakli

A crispy and yummy snack which you can finish off in no time. It does take a little while to press into proper shape and add in hot oil and deep fry. But a little practice will make it perfect and also increase your speed. This is an other recipe sent in by my aunt Gomathi.

You need:-

Rice flour - 4 cup

Urad dhal or powder - 1/2 cup

Fried gram dhal( dalia/pottu kadalai) powder - 1/2 cup

Sesame seeds - 2 tsp

Cumin seeds - 1 tbsp (optional)

Hing/asafoetida - 4- 5 pinch

Butter - 1/3 cup

Salt as needed

Water to mix

Oil for deep frying

If using urad dhal, then dry roast on low flame until you get a nice aroma. Remove and cool and powder finely. If using urad dhal powder, then dry roast that too.

Take rice flour, urad dhal powder, fried gram dhal powder, hing, sesame seeds, melted butter and mix well with your fingers. Divide into 4 portions. Mix just water just to one part of it to a soft dough. It should not be very thick nor loose. Grease your murukku press with oil and fill in with the dough. Heat oil for deep frying and start pressing your murukkus into a round shape start in th middle and press and keep turning to get into a even shaped murukku. You can press them on the back of a greased ladle or even on a plastic sheet. Gently drop in the hot oil and deep fry till golden brown. Do not let it to turn very dark.

Cool and store and enjoy it anytime you want.

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20 PEPPER RASAM

Pepper( Milagu Rasam) - Type 1

Pepper is considered to be very good for cold and this rasam surely comforts you when you are not feeling well especially when suffering fro severe cold and cough. Just soothes and comforts your respiratory tract. This rasam can also be mixed with rice, but tastes more good when had it hot/warm.

The ingredients used also is very less and can be made in a jiffy.

Tamarind - 1 marble size

Garlic - 4 - 5

Mustard seeds - few

Curry leaves - few

Hing - 3 pinch

Red chillies - 2 whole

Pepper powder - 3/4 tsp( if fresh ground then use less)

Oil and ghee together - 1 tsp each

Sugar - 1 sp

Soak tamarind in a cup of water for 20 minutes and later extract a dilute pulp( around 4 cups).

Heat oil and ghee and add mustard seeds, hing, red chillies and curry leaves. Wait for few seconds and add chopped or crushed garlic. Saute till they turn lught brown. Pour in tamarind pulp and cook in low flame until frothy. No need to boil well as other rasam. Add salt, sugar. Switch off flame and add pepper powder.

Sending this to CWS - Pepper event hosted by me an event started by Priya.

Also sending the below entries for the same event

Bassaru

Venpongal

Arachivitta sambar

Simple Rasam

Beetroot Soup

Rajma Soup

Hot N Sour Vegetable Soup

Pepper Chicken

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25 SWEET BOONDHI/ BOONDI/ MOTICHOOR

In my earlier posts I have mentioned some recipes that my Gomathi Athai shared with me along with pictures that she sent. This recipe is also shared in by her along with the picture.

This sweet can be made very soon and you can also increase the quantity as per your requirement as and when you are making itself.

As a variation she also mentioned that we can use 2/3 of the portion with maida/all purpose flour. Keep it in a vessel or bowl and steam on medium for 25 - 30 minutes. When removed and it should be very hard to pressin. Remove and crumble and or sieve in a siever for smooth texture. Half the portion add food colour and follow the below steps to make as boondhi.

Besan/Chick peas flour/Kadalai maavu - 1 cup

Sugar - 3/4 - 1 cup ( depending on sweetness needed)

Water 3/4 cup

Perforated ( Boondhi ladle)

Oil for deep frying

Fried raisins and cashewnuts - few

In a thick vessel take sugar and water and boil to make a thick syrup. Once the sugar dissolves reduce flame and wait for few minutes. Remove and keep ready.

Mix besan with water slowly and make a paste like bhajji mix. Should not be very light. Meanwhile heat oil for deep frying. Take a boondhi ladle and place above( to be comfortable use your left hand for that). Also a take a ladle full of batter on that other hand and gently pour and rub on the bondhi ladle. You can see small droplets falling into the hot oil like beads/pearls. Do not overcrowd. Fry them till oil sizzles. Do not have to make them crispy. Remove and immerse in the hot syrup. Wait for 2 - 3 minutes and remove the prepared boondhis from the syrup and transfer to a different vessel. Repeat until you are done with the batter.

As mentioned above can also use the maida and prepare the batter and pour them as boondhis and immerse in the syrup. Mix everything to make multicolored boondhis. Mix everything that you prepared with raisins and cashewnuts.

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49 RAGI HALWA

Ragi/Kezhvarugu/Finger millet

Please have a look at the ongoing CWS - Pepper event here and send in your entries on or before June 30th.

Ragi Halwa a sweet made with just ragi and sugar is a twist when you are tired of making or tasting other halwa. The texture of this halwa is so soft and smooth that it just melts into your mouth. You can never make it out that it is made out of ragi.

You can either use ragi flour or fresh ragi granules.If using ragi granules then soak for 2 - 3 hours and grind to a fine paste with enough water. Keep aside and filter with a siever/filter or cloth. Save and keep the water aside.

If using ragi flour then mix the flour with water and keep aside for 10 - 15 minutes. Keep mixing now and then. Use a filter and pour the mixture to remove the rough particles. While pouring too keep mixing the spoon and pour in.

The rest of the ingredients

Ragi as mentioned above( have used half cup of flour)

Sugar - 1/2 cup or as sweetness required

Cardamom - 1 crushed

Ghee - 3 - 4 tbsp

Fried cashewnuts - few

Heat a thick pan and pour in the mixture along with sugar and keep stirring with a spatula. Now and then pour a tsp of ghee and stir well. Keep mixing/stirring until it is thick as halwa. It Will take around 20 - 25 minutes. Finally add freshly crushed cardamom and fried cashewnuts and mix well.

Sending this to Nivedita's Celebrate sweet- Halwa event.

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25 CORN FLOUR PAKODA

Corn Flour Pakoda/Pakora/Bonda- Makka chola pakoda

A very different kind of pakoda and also an healthier option to use corn flour to make pakodas. Perfect to have as a evening snack or on a rainy day. Tasted really great, was so
soft inside and crispy outside and perfect to munch. Can add in as balls and make like bondas or drop in as pakodas. Both tasted good.

Try to use yellow corn flour and not the white starchy ones. Here I have used fresh pounded/ground flour with corn grown in my native.

Yellow Corn flour( Makka chola maavu) - 1 1/2 cup

Onion - 2 small chopped fine

Green chillies - 3 chopped fine( as per spice needed)

Ginger- 1/2 inch chopped or grated fine

Curry leaves - few broken

Salt as needed

Cooking soda - a pinch( optional)

Oil for deep frying.

Take flour in a bowl. To it add onion, ginger, green chillies, curry leaves, salt and soda.
Mix well. Add little water and mix to a thick dough conistency.

Heat oil and drop in the mixture, can make as balls or drop in like pakodas. Deep fry till golden brown. Serve with your favourite sauce and enjoy.

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20 CHICKEN FRY / VARUVAL

Chicken fry/Koli varuval is a semi dry dish that can also be made as a dry dish depending
upon our taste. This is an authentic recipe made in my house by grandma and mom. Mykids too love this but with less spice.
As promised couldnotpost earlier as said in my previous post. The net and phone connection
was not working due to some cable wires that was cut. Lot of construction is going on in
Bangalore and one underpass/subway work hasbeen started nearmy place and now everything has
been fixed and am back to blogging work.

Let's get back to the recipe. We need

Chicken -1 lb ( washed and cubed)

Small onion - around 10

Red chillies - 8 to 12( or more depending upon the spice can add more)

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Coriander seeds - 5 tsp

Cumin seeds - 2 tsp

Pepper corns - 1 tsp

cardamom seeds - 3

Shah jeera/fennel seeds -1tbsp

Curry leaves - few

Coconut - 1/2 cup grated

Oil - 4 tbsp( preferably gingelly oil)

Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp

Salt as needed

Heat a tsp of oil and fry cumin seeds,coriander seeds, fennel seeds, pepper corns,
elaichi(2) and red chillies in low flame without changing their colour. Keep aside. Late
grind them to a fine paste with very little water.
Peel small onions and grind to a thick paste. Keep aside.
Heat 3 tbsp of oil and add chicken pieces and fry in the oil for 3 - 4 minutes until they
change in colour.Next add small onion paste and turmeric powder. Reduce flame and cover and
cook till raw smell leaves and has thickened. Then add the spice powder paste and cook again
for 4 - 5 minutes.

Finally add coconut paste( grind coconut and a cardamom with water to a
thick paste). Can add a cup of water and required salt. Cook till it has thickened and
chicken is cooked.
Sending this CWS- Pepper event hosted by mehttp://padmasrecipes.blogspot.com/2010/05/cooking-with-seeds-pepper.html and event started by Priya http://priyaeasyntastyrecipes.blogspot.com/2010/01/cooking-with-seeds-host-line-up.html.Heat the remaining oil and temper with mustard seeds and curry leaves.

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