Shrikhand - Cardamom Flavour

Here is the simple recipe to prepare shrikhand.


Ingredients :

Curd: 3 Cups
Sugar : According to taste  (I have used 2 Cups )
Cardamom pods : 2-3 Nos
Dry fruits ( Crushed ) : 1/2 Cup

Method :

1. Hang curd in muslin cloth, till the water content from curd is drained off.
2. In a mixer, add sugar & cardamom pods. Powder them.
3. Take out thick curd from the muslin cloth & add sugar cardamom powder.
4. Now add crushed dry fruits & Mix well.
5. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours & serve.    

Note :                                              

• If curd is sour, then adjust sugar accordingly.
• You can use any flavour like saffron / mango / strawberry / vanilla etc  

Mix veg soya cutlets ( Shallow fry / tawa fry)

Soya veg mix for cutlet

Ingredients:

Soya granules : 1 Cup
Potato : 5-6 Nos
French Beans : 8-10 Nos
Onion : 2 Nos
Coriander leaves : 1/2 cup
Carrot : 1 No
Green peas : 1/2 Cup
Coriander Powder : 1 Spoon
Jeera Powder : 1/2 Spoon
Garam Masala powder : 1 Spoon
Chilli Powder : According to taste
Turmeric powder : 1/2 Spoon
mustard seeds : 1 Spoon
Salt to taste
Lemon Juice : 3 Spoon
Cooking oil For shallow fry
Dosa Batter  : 2 Cups approximate


Method :

1. Take 3 Cups of water & completely immerse 1 Cup of soya granules.
2. Add a pinch of salt & cook it for 3-4 minutes.
3. Once it is cooked, remove from flame. Drain & squeeze out water from it.
4. Rinse well in cold water for 2-3 times & squeeze dry. Keep aside.
5. Pressure cook potatoes & keep aside.
6. Chop onion,French beans & coriander leaves. Grate carrot.
7. Heat 1 spoon of oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, while it spluttering, add chopped onions.
8. Fry till they turn pink. Add French beans & sauté till they cook. 
9. Add grated carrot & salute well.
10. Mash potatoes & mix well with cooked soya granules.
11. Add mashed potato & soya mix to the Onion + veg mix, (Step 9)
12. Add coriander leaves, coriander powder, jeera powder, turmeric powder, chilli powder & salt.
13. Sauté well.
14. Switch of the flame & add lemon juice & mix well.
15. Heat oil (around 2-3 spoons) in a tawa/pan.
16. Prepare medium sized balls & press into cutlet shape.
17. Dip in dosa batter & shallow fry both sides on pan, till they turn golden brown, on both sides.
18. Serve hot with ketchup.

Notes:

• You can use pakoda batter or cornflour+ rava batter instaed of dosa batter for dipping.
• You can also use deep fry method instead of shallow fry.

Orange flavoured Rava - coconut Laddu

As my prince was enjoying his juicy oranges, new idea stuck into my mind !!! Orange flavoured laddu.. ..When it comes to Laddu preparation, I feel rava (Semolina) Laddu is the easiest one.  So I tried orange flavoured rava coconut laddu & they are simply superb.

Picking only gems ...Not Laddu :(

Ingredients:

Chiroti Rava (Semolina) : 3 Cups

Grated Cococut :  1/2 cup

Sugar : 2 Cups

Orange peel (Skin) : Small Piece (  approximately 2cm square )

Dry fruits : 1/2 Cup

Ghee : 4 spoons

Method :

1. Dry roast grated coconut till brownish.
2. Roast dry fruits with little ghee till golden brown.
3. Roast chiroti rava till nice aroma comes, if required add ghee while roasting.
4. Take out orange juice from orange peel, by grinding with little water & then filtering.
5. In a heavy bottomed pan, add sugar, orange peel  juice & water. 
6. Prepare sugar syrup for one thread consistency.
7. Add chiroti rava, coconut & dry fruits. Sauté well.
8. Keep stirring, until the laddu mixture leaves the spoon/ pan easily.( If required add ghee.)
9. Switch off the flame & Prepare small lemon sized balls.
10. Garnish with cherries/ gems & Serve.

Athirasa

It was raining outside.. I was going through so many food posts from net & checking the pictures.. Drooling while seeing the pictures of sweet/ spicy dishes as always...
I usually do not prefer deep fried dish.. Because of  wastage of oil after cooking & Increased intake of fat & calorie. Today I couldn't resist from preparing & eating deep fried dish. So in a single go I can have sweet as well as deep fried one. Hence I though of preparing Athirasa.

Athirasa is traditional south indian recipe .It is deep fried sweet dish. Athirasa is originally prepared from freshly grinded rice flour. Then jaggery syrup, cardamom powder, pepper powder & black sesame seeds are added. Then smooth paste of coconut is added to form dough. Then pressed dough is deep fried in coconut oil.

Since I couldn't get fresh rice flour, I have used grinded rice dough.

Ingredients:

Dosa Rice : 1 1/2 Cups

Jaggery : 1 Cup 

Grated coconut : 1/4 cup

Black sesame (Til) seeds : 2 Spoon

Cardamom : 3 Nos

Black Pepper Powder : 1/2 Spoon

Salt : A pinch

Coconut Oil - For deep frying

Method:

1. Wash & soak rice for 2 hours.
2. Roast Black sesame seeds till they splutter.
3. Roast grated coconut till they turn golden brown.
4. Grind the rice, cardamom & black pepper powder with little water, till smooth paste. Keep aside.
5. In heavy bottomed pan, add jaggery , black sesame seeds , grated coconut & around 3/4 cup of water.
6. Bring to boil till all jaggery dissolves & bubbles are coming out.
7. Now add the grinded rice paste & sauté. 
8. Continue till all water contents evaporates & dough cooked well. It forms chapati dough consistency.
9. Apply oil in your palm, prepare lemon sized ball & press into small sized chapati on plastic or banana leaf. Let the thickness around 3-4 mm.
10. Now deep fry the till golden brown.
11. Take out from oil & place it on kitchen paper to remove excess oil.
12. Store in a air tight container.
13. They tastes best after 2 or 3 days.

Note:

• Athirasa deep fried in coconut oil tastes better compared to other cooking oil.
• Adjust jaggery according to your taste.

Sweet dried gooseberry

The sweet dried gooseberries are sugar coated sun dried sweet sour candies. I have used big sized gooseberries.


Fresh Gooseberries

Sweet dried gooseberries

Ingredients :
Gooseberries : 20 Nos
Sugar : 1/2 Kg

Method :

1. Clean & wash gooseberries.
2. Boil water in a cooking pan & add gooseberries.
3. Let the water boil again & once water starts boiling, switch of the flame. 
4. Close the vessel & keep it for 20 minutes.
5. Take out gooseberries & cut into small pieces.(You can cut along the line on the gooseberry, to get better shape)
6. In a pan,add gooseberry pieces & add sugar till sugar covers the entire gooseberry pieces. Keep it covered for 3 days. (Sugar dissolves in the water content of gooseberry & forms sugar syrup)
7. After 3 days, take gooseberry pieces out of sugar syrup, keep it in sun light  till gooseberry pieces dry completely.
8. Store in airtight container.

Tender coconut Kernel Payasa

I found this recipe on one of the Facebook group Foodie  by Priya Bhat.  

Ingredients :

Tender coconut kernel : 2 Cups

Sugar : According to taste

Cococut Milk : 3 Cups

Method :

1. Cut tender coconut kernel into small  pieces.
2. Add sugar & keep it covered for  15 minutes, let the kernels absorb sugar.
3. Add coconut milk & bring to boil.
4. Serve hot / Chilled.

Notes:

• Use thinner coconut kernels for tastier version.
• You can add any flavor. Since I wanted only tender coconut flavor, no flavor added in the recipe.
• You can garnish with dry fruits.

Idli batter pizza

Iam planning to visit my home town for a week, because its dasara holiday for my little one :). Before leaving wanted to finish all the leftovers & clean the refrigerator. Hence tried Idli batter pizza, to finish the left over Idli batter.  Idli batter pizza is  easy to prepare & no side dish is required. It looks like pizza & so my little one easily grabbed one piece.

Ingredients :
 Idli Batter : 2 Cups
Finely chopped vegetables : 1 Cup
Tomato sauce : 4 Spoons
Coriander powder : 1 Spoon
MTR rasam Powder : 1 Spoon
Chilli Powder : 1/2 Spoon
Coconut Oil : 4 Spoon

Method:

1. Mix Idli batter, coriander powder ,rasam powder, chilli powder & coconut Oil.
2. Spread the batter on pre-heated non-stick tawa, spread chopped vegetable & tomato sauce over the batter.
3. Cover the batter.
4. Cook in a low flame till batter is cooked & lower side becomes crispy.
5. Serve hot.

Notes:

• Any kind of fermented  dosa batter can be used.
• I have used onion, carrot, capsicum & sweet corn.
• You can use any kind of masala powder of your taste.
• You can use any kind of vegetables/ leaves. 
• Cheese & paneer can also be added.
• Any kind of cooking oil can be used. Coconut oil + coriander powder gives unique flavour & hence coconut oil is used.
• You can use oregano spice mix. 

Bhaji for pav

Ingredients :

Potato : 3 Nos
Cauliflower : 1/2 Cup
Beetroot : 1 No
Beans : 10 Nos
Capsicum : 1/2
Green Peas : 1/2 Cup
Onion : 2 Nos
Tomato : 2 Nos

Ginger : 1" piece
Garlic : 10 Cloves
Coriander Powder : 2 Spoon
Cumin Powder : 1/2 Spoon
Garam Masala : 1 Spoon
Chilli Powder : According to taste
Salt

Mustard seeds : 1 Spoon
Cooking oil / Butter / Ghee : 4 Spoon

Chopped Onion : 1/2 Cup
Lemon : 1 No

Method :

1. Pressure cook potato, green peas, beetroot,beans, cauliflower & capsicum.
2. Mash the cooked vegetables / grind the cooked vegetables to smooth paste.
3. Chop onion & tomato. Finely chop ginger & garlic.
4. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, while seeds spluttering add finely chopped ginger & garlic. Fry till raw aroma disappears.
5. Add chopped onion; Fry till onion turns pink.
6. Add chopped tomato, cook till tomato becomes mashy.
7. Add coriander powder, cumin powder, garam masala powder & chilli powder. Sauté.
8. Add mashed vegetable mix  & sauté.
9. Garnish with chopped Onion & lemon piece.
10.  Serve with Hot butter/oil/ghee roasted Pav.

Note:

• Ginger garlic paste can be used instead of fresh ginger garlic.
• Bhaji can also be served as side dish for chapati.