THE CHEF and HER KITCHEN

I was not very fond of sweets during my childhood and I used to eat only a few varieties of sweets and this Moongdal Ladoo(Pesara Ladoo) is one of them. My mom prepares it quite well and its difficult for anyone to stop at just one. My mom gives me the roasted moong dal flour when I visit her and I store it for several months in the refrigerator.If we have the flour ready, preparing these ladoos does'nt take much time.

When my parents visited us a few months back, I had asked my mom to prepare this ladoo so that I can post it in my blog.Though she prepared them in a large quantity, I could not take the pics immediately and after finishing almost half of what she made, I pushed myself to take the pics. Last time she visited us, she had prepared a few namkeen varieties which I would post soon.

Also check out other Sweet varieties for Diwali in my blog here:

Pesara Sunni Undalu | Moong Dal Ladoos Recipe:
Yields:8-10 Ladoos | Shelf life:1 month
Prep time: 20 mins | Cooking time: 10 mins | Total time: 30 mins
Cuisine: Indian | Category: Sweets

Ingredients:
1 cup roasted Moong dal flour(recipe follows)
1 cup Sugar powder
1/3 cup Ghee(+2 tbsp ghee if needed)
12-15 Almonds,finely chopped
12-15 Cashew nuts,finely chopped

1/2 tsp Cardamom powder

for moong dal flour:
1 cup Moong dal(Yellow lentils)

Method:

to prepare roasted moong dal flour:

Dry roast moong dal over medium flame until you get nice aroma and well roasted ,it takes around 4-5 mins and let it cool and then powder it to a smooth powder.You can do it at home in a mixer or get it done in a mill if preparing in huge quantity.Sieve it once if required to get the soft flour of moong dal.
This can be refrigerated 3-4 months and when required you just to mix with ghee and sugar and make ladoos.

to make Pesara sunnunda:

Mix together sugar powder and roasted moong dal flour without any lumps and it is mixed properly.Check for the sweetness now if you want more sweet add 1-2 tbsp extra sugar powder and mix well again.
Heat ghee in a wide kadai and add chopped almonds and cashew nuts and fry them until the badam turns slightly brown.
Add moong dal flour and sugar mixture to it and switch off the flame.Add cardamom powder and mix it properly until the ghee is coated properly.
Let the mixture becomes luke warm and can be handled with hands.Make lemon sized round balls out of it and arrange them in a plate.
Once it is cooled completely store it in an air tight container.These can be stored for over a month.

Enjoy it as a dessert or snack.

Notes:

Roasted moong dal flour can be stored for 4-5 months when refrigerated. You can make it in large portion and make ladoos when needed.
These laddus can be stored for over a month and hence store it in an air-tight container.
If you find it difficult to make laddus out of it and the mixture is dry,feel free to add 3-4 tbsp melted ghee to it and mix again and then start making laddus.
The addition of fried nuts in the ladoos make them taste extremely delicious,so I highly recommend to use them and not to skip them.
You can add 1/4 tsp Cardamom powder to the moong dal powder-sugar mixture.It adds a nice flavor and taste to ladoos.

This sweet ladoo is for you all.Try this easy and delicious ladoo at home,I am sure you would definitely love it.

Festival is incomplete with out sweets especially for Diwali we would like to indulge in more sweet varities. I have compiled a list of all sweets of various categories ranging from kheer to traditional sweets to all the other ones which are specially prepared to distribute among friends and families. Check out the various sweet treats and do prepare them and enjoy with your friends and family and have a fun Diwali.

Check out Diwali Savouries Post here.
For a vast variety of Payasam recipes check out this post.

Ariselu(Adhirasam) Moong Dal Ladoo Kobbari Boorelu

Sunni Undalu Karanji Oats-Nuts Ladoo

Dry Fruits Ladoo 7 Cups Cake Kobbari Louse

Paneer Peda Coconut Choco Truffles Coconut Burfi

Rabdi Beet-Carrot Halwa Shahi Tukra

Puran Poli Garugu Holige Boorelu/Poornalu

Semiya Kheer Sooji ki Kheer Carrot Kheer

Sago Kheer Rice Chana Dal Kheer Poppy Seed Payasam

Semiya Kesari Moong Dal Kheer Makhana Kheer

Basundi Lauki Halwa Carrot Phirni

Check out Diwali Savouries Post here.

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Oma Podi or Ompudi or Plain Sev or Senagapindi KaraPusa is one of the most common snacks all over India. It is commonly used to top on many of the chaat varieties like Sev Puri , Dahi Puri , Tikki Puri , Bhel Poori etc. which not only adds to the look but also enhances the taste of chaat. My mom used to make this Sev in large batches for Diwali during our childhood and we used to distribute the same with other goodies to our neighbours, I really miss the fun we used to have those days!!

One can prepare this sev plain or spicy by adding red chilli powder, but I prefer this to eat plain as the flavour of carom seeds adds a nice taste to the sev. Try this Ompodi during this Diwali and share it with your loved ones and enjoy!!

Check out other Diwali savouries in my blog here:

Avarekalu Mixture | Hyacinth Bean Snack - Bangalore special
Chakli | Murukku -easy version
Chekkalu/Thattai/Savory Rice Crackers
Garlic Karasev | Lahsun Sev
Karam Gavvalu - Andhra Special
Mullu Murukku | Manugupoolu | Magizhampoo Murukku
Oma Podi | Plain Sev | Senagapindi Karapusa
Poha Chiwda
Plain Ribbon Pakoda | Easy Ribbon Murukku
Ribbon Pakoda | Ribbon Murukku | Nada Karasu
Sago Murukku | Saggubiyyam Murukkulu
Spicy Sev | Kara Sev
Spicy Palakayalu | Spicy Rice flour Balls
Thenkuzhal | Thengolu | Thenkolalu Murukku

Also check out the wide collection of Diwali Sweets Recipes and Payasam/Kheer Varieties.

Ompodi | Ompudi | Plain Sev Recipe:

Shelf life:15-20 days

Prep time: 10 mins | Cooking time: 30 mins | Total time: 40 mins

Cuisine: Indian | Category: Tea time Snacks/Storable Snacks

Ingredients:

3 cups Bengal gram flour(Besan)

1/4 cup Homemade Rice flour

1 tsp hot Ghee

Oil,for deep frying

to grind:

1 heaped tsp Ajwain(Carom seeds)

Salt to taste(roughly 2 tsp)

Method:

Clean and soak ajwain in water for 10-15 mins. Drain and grind it to a smooth paste with enough salt. Add some water if required while grinding. Strain it through a thin mesh strainer, press the paste with a spoon to get most of the juice and flavour from it. Throw the pulp and reserve the strained water.
Sieve besan and rice flour together.
Make a well in between and then add strained ajwain mixture and melted hot ghee, mix it nicely until the mixture is mixed nicely. Divide the flour into 2-3 portions.
Meanwhile heat oil in a deep heavy bottomed kadai for deep frying.
Sprinkle enough water to each portion separately and make the dough just before frying. The dough should neither be very smooth nor very thick. It should be soft and smooth, the mixture will be slightly sticky.

Use a very fine multi holed disc(disc no-1 in the above pic) of your murukku maker.
Fill one portion of the mixed soft dough in the murukku maker and squeeze directly in hot oil in circular motion. Do not make it very thick while squeezing, try to spread in a thin layer.
Fry them over medium-high flame until they cook on one side and the bubbles subsides in the oil and then turn to the other side and fry again.This sev does not take much time to get fried, you do not need to fry until it changes its color.
Remove from oil using a perforated ladle and drain on a colander or kitchen napkin. Repeat the process of sprinkling water and kneading the dough and pressing into hot oil and frying with the remaining portions.
Once it is cooled down to room temperature you can store it in dry air-tight container. You can store it like the swirls or slightly crumble them while storing.

Serve it as a snack with tea or top your chaats with crumbled sev.

Notes:

If you like it spicy you can even add 2 tsp Red chilli powder to the dough while kneading or you can soak 10-12 red chillies along with carom seeds(ajwain) and grind to a smooth paste.
As the amount of carom seeds we are grinding is less it becomes difficult to grind and hence the addition of salt makes the job bit easier as it increases the volume.
This can be stored for 15-20 days or even up to a month and use it in chaats or eat it as it is.

Also check out the wide collection of Diwali Sweets Recipes and Payasam/Kheer Varieties.

Technorati Tags: how to make plain sev, ompodi recipe, ompudi recipe, plain sev for chaats, fine besan sev, snacks recipes, deep fried snacks, diwali recipes, diwali savories, sev recipes, plain sev recipe, ajwain sev recipe

I had earlier posted a list of Diwali Sweets ,where I had compiled all the special sweets recipes at one place.If you have not checked that page please check it here for more ideas for this Diwali.Today I am posting a list of Diwali Savouries and Snacks which would be helpful to many for the coming up festival.I have included the various snack varieties of vada, bajji and bonda in the list so that it would be easy for those who can plan for them to make at the last moment during Diwali.

Check out Diwali Sweets Collection here.

Check out How to make Processed RICE FLOUR at home to make these savories and snacks.

Chakli Thengolu Spicy Seedai

         Manugu Poolu                 Ribbon Pakoda                       Sago Murukku

Plain Ribbon Murukku Spicy(Khara) Sev Ompodi/Plain Sev

        Chekkalu/Thattai            Garlic Kara Sev                  Karam Gavvalu

       Spicy Chickpeas                 Spicy Makhana                        Poha Chiwda

Avarekalu Mixture Kara Pori Spicy Puffed Sago

Pakora/Vada Varieties

Raw Banana Bajji Babycorn Pakora Cabbage Pakora

Ambode Masala Vada Medu Vada

Mosaru Kodubale Punugulu Stuffed Okra & Eggplant Bonda

Mosaru Ambode Lobia Vada Perugu Vada

Sago Bonda Dahi Bhalla Maddur Vada

Check out Diwali Sweets Collection here.

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I have already posted a version of Ribbon Pakoda which my mom prepares which involves the process of adding the flour to hot water and kneading it later. Ribbon Pakoda is also called as Ribbon Murukku or Ribbon Karalu in Andhra.Today I am sharing an easy version of Ribbon Pakoda the way my MIL prepares. She follows a very easy method which does not involve any kneading dough process and also is very similar to our usual sev making process and hence it is an easy recipe for those people who are novice in preparing savoury snacks. My MIL prepares the ribbon pakoda plain with out red chilli powder but one can prepare it spicy by adding red chilli powder to the dough to make it spicy. My MIL had sent us a goodie box few weeks back and she prepared few varieties of snacks and sweets which TH loves and sent them along with the pickles. Needless to say we just loved them and finished all of the snacks just in a week's time and savoring her famous pickles one by one slowly.

Check out other Diwali savouries in my blog here:

Avarekalu Mixture | Hyacinth Bean Snack - Bangalore special
Chakli | Murukku -easy version
Chekkalu/Thattai/Savory Rice Crackers
Garlic Karasev | Lahsun Sev
Karam Gavvalu - Andhra Special
Mullu Murukku | Manugupoolu | Magizhampoo Murukku
Oma Podi | Plain Sev | Senagapindi Karapusa
Poha Chiwda
Ribbon Pakoda | Ribbon Murukku | Nada Karasu
Sago Murukku | Saggubiyyam Murukkulu
Spicy Sev | Kara Sev
Spicy Palakayalu | Spicy Rice flour Balls
Thenkuzhal | Thengolu | Thenkolalu Murukku

Ribbon Pakoda | Plain Ribbon Murukku Recipe:

Shelf life:15-20 days

Prep time: 10 mins | Cooking time: 30 mins | Total time: 40 mins

Cuisine: Indian | Catgeory: Snacks/ Savouries

Ingredients:

2 cups processed Rice flour

1 cup Fried gram powder*

2 tbsp white Sesame seeds(optional)

Salt to taste( 1.5 tsp roughly)

a small ladle(2 tbsp roughly) of hot Oil

Oil, for deep frying

Method:

Sieve the flours together and take it in a large mixing bowl.
Add sesame seeds, salt and a ladle of hot oil and mix well until it is mixed nicely.
Meanwhile heat oil in a kadai for deep frying.
Divide the dough mixture into 2-3 equal portions.
Just before frying, sprinkle some water to each portion and prepare a thick but smooth dough.
Use the long slit disc (disc- 2 in the below pic)in the murukku maker and fill the dough in it and press the dough directly in to the oil carefully.

Fry them over medium-high flame until they turn golden brown in color and the bubbles subsides in the oil and then turn to the other side and fry again until you get golden in color.
Remove them using a long slotted handle and drain in the colander or kitchen napkin.
Repeat the same process with the remaining dough - making the dough by sprinkling some water and then pressing them in to the oil,frying them until golden brown and draining them in a colander.

Let the murukku comes to room temperature and then store it in air tight container. You can store them as they are or break them into pieces and store. It stays good for 15-20 days.

*Fried gram powder: Grind Chutney dal(fried gram/roasted chana dal) in a mixer to a fine powder and measure the powder 1 cup for the recipe.

Notes:

Always mix the dough in small portions, this way it will not make the dough very soft and in turn reduces the oil consumption.
If the murukku turns very hard to bite,it means the amount of hot oil you added to the dough is not enough. Add 1-2 tbsp more and make the next batch.
You can use 1/2 cup of Bengal gram flour and 1/2 cup of Fried gram(roasted gram) powder in the recipe instead of 1 cup of fried gram powder.
You can add 1.5 tsp Red chilli powder while kneading the dough for a spicy version.
You can also use 1 heaped tbsp. white butter instead of hot oil in the recipe.

Also check out the wide collection of Diwali Sweets Recipes , Diwali Snack Recipes and Payasam/Kheer Varieties.

Technorati Tags: ribbon murukku recipe, ribbon pakoda recipe, nada karasu, how to make ribbon pakoda at home, easy diwali snacks, savoury snacks recipes, deep fried snacks, diwali faral recipes

Diwali is just a week away and I am sure most of you would be busy preparing various Diwali Sweets and Snacks to distribute among family and friends. I am sharing the recipes which can be prepared much ahead so that it would be easy to prepare them and store them for 15-20 days. So book mark this page and try out few snacks and sweets recipes for this year Diwali 2013 and enjoy with your family and friends.

Check out a complete range of Diwali Sweets Recipes and Diwali Snacks Recipes here.

If you are looking for a wide range of Kheer/Payasam Varieties ,Check out this post and if you are looking instant snacks recipes check out various Vada/Pakora recipes here.

Also check out How to make Processed RICE FLOUR at home to make these Diwali savories and snacks.

Sweets

7 Cups Cake Ariselu(Adhirasam) Kobbari Boorelu

Sunni Undalu Karanji Oats-Nuts Ladoo

Dry Fruit Ladoo Moong Dal Ladoo Kobbari Louse

   Paneer Peda                      Coconut Choco Truffles     Coconut Burfi

                                                               Snacks

Spicy Seedai Chakli Thengolu

              Manugu Poolu                 Ribbon Pakoda                       Sago Murukku

Chekkalu/Thattai Poha Chiwda Avarekalu Mixture

Plain Ribbon Murukku Spicy(Khara) Sev Ompodi/Plain Sev

Garlic Kara Sev Karam Gavvalu Spicy Chickpeas

Masala Peanuts Kara Pori Spicy Puffed Sago

Technorati Tags: diwali recipes 2013,d iwali snacks recipes 2013, diwali savoury snacks, diwali savouries, deepavali snacks recipes, deepavali savouries, south indian deepavali recipes, diwali sweets recipes, easy diwali sweets, deepavali sweets recipes, easy burf recipes, murukku recipes, mixture recipes,chakli varieties, karjikai recipe, ariselu recipe, adhirasam recipe, halwa recipes, chivda recipes, diwali sweets and snacks recipes

Preparing low fat snacks is a weekly affair for me so that I can pack for DH's snack box and also for me to munch them along with my cuppa. Peanuts are high in protein and other nutrients and also helps to promote some good cholesterol in the body and hence I include them in moderate amounts in our regular diet. But I look for low fat options instead of high calories stuff and hence I prepare Congress Kadlekai (spicy peanuts) and these Masala Peanuts in Microwave. Masala Peanuts are usually deep fried but trust me if you try these low fat microwave peanuts you would not miss those deep fried peanuts any more.

This recipe is not very different from the deep fried version and I am following the same from many years. Usually I used to eye ball the ingredients for this and as I wanted to post the recipe in my space I did some search and landed on Tarla Dalal's site and tried to follow the measurements for better idea and the measurements were just perfect.

If you are in search of low fat snacks. Check out other low fat snack recipes here.

Also check out the wide collection of Diwali Sweets Recipes, Diwali snacks Recipes and Payasam/Kheer Varieties.

Microwave Low Fat Masala Peanuts Recipe:

Shelf life: 1-2 weeks

Prep time: 5 mins | Cooking time: 10 mins | Total time: 15 mins

Cuisine: Indian | Category: Snacks/Tea time Snacks

Ingredients:

1 cup Groundnuts

1 cup Chickpea flour(Besan)

3/4 tsp Carom seeds(Ajwain)

a pinch of Asafoetida (optional)

1/4 cup Water,approximately

1 tsp Red chili powder

2-3 tbsp Oil

Salt to taste

Method:

In a bowl add ground nuts, chickpea flour, salt, asafoetida, red chili powder and carom seeds and mix everything nicely.

Add oil and water and mix nicely.Do not add water at once, add water slowly so that the batter coats the groundnuts evenly.If needed add 1-2 tbsp more of water but you should not make the batter thin,the ground nuts should hold the batter.

Cut a wax paper(butter paper) to the size of the glass plate in Microwave.
Drop the peanuts into small clusters leaving some space in between them. You should not allow each cluster to have more than 3-4 peanuts otherwise the peanuts would not get cooked evenly and also do not clutter them and do it in small batches. The quantity I mentioned should be done in 2-3 batches based on the size of your microwave.

Microwave it on HIGH for 1 1/2 - 2 minutes and keep an eye after 1 1/2 mins so that they would not burn. Check by tasting 1 cluster(peanut), if you feel it is still raw microwave it again for a minute or two. It might take any time in between 2-4 mins based on the power of microwave.

Remove the wax paper from MW and remove the peanuts from it. Let the peanuts cool completely. Repeat the same process for the rest of the peanuts and microwave them and cool them completely.

Store the peanuts in an air tight container and serve them with a cup of tea/coffee.

Notes:

I suggest you to do it in small batches, if they are cluttered there might be chances that few peanuts would remain raw in the centre.
When you mix in the peanuts to the chickpea flour, you might feel that the chickpea flour quantity is more, but this quantity is good enough to coat the ground nuts. Once you mix if you feel the batter is more add 2-3 tbsp peanuts and mix again.
As the power varies from microwave to microwave, the cooking time differs. So keep an eye on them and use your judgement and take care that they would not get burnt.
You can add garam masala for an extra flavor if you want.
You can add amchur powder to it if you like it slightly tangy.

Also check out the wide collection of Diwali Sweets Recipes , Diwali snacks Recipes and Payasam/Kheer Varieties.

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Diwali is nearing by and I am sure most of you would be busy preparing various sweets and snacks for the festival. While I had already posted my collection of Diwali Sweets and Diwali Savory Snacks recipes I thought I would post a separate collection of Low fat Diwali Sweets and Snack recipes which would be helpful for those weight watchers and also for those who are looking for healthy low fat sweets and snacks recipes.

For a wide range of Diwali Sweets, check my post here and various Payasam Varieties, check out here..

For a wide range of Diwali Snacks, check my post here.

     Oats-Nuts Ladoo             Coconut Choco Truffles          Dry Fruit Ladoo

Kobbari Louse Marmarala Ladoo

Kara Pori Spicy Chickpeas Spicy Puffed Sago

Masala Peanuts Poha Chiwda

Technorati Tags: diwali recipes blog, low fat diwali snacks, healthy diwali sweets, low calorie sweets, healthy low fat sweets and snacks, easy diwali snacks, easy diwali sweets, diwali recipes, chiwda recipes, ladoo recipes

Marmarala Ladoo is one among those few sweets I used to enjoy as a kid and we used to call it as 'Borugula Undalu'. I used to like mildly sweetened sweets like Rasgollas, Puffed rice ladoo etc. I used to even squeeze out most of the syrup from the rasagollas and used to prefer to eat it that way.But now I am not the same person any more what ever I used to hate before I would not mind eating them, might be our preferences change according to the times.

Coming back to today's recipe Puffed rice ladoo is prepared by mixing the puffed rice in jaggery syrup and rolled into big ladoos out of it. Puffed rice is known as maramaralu or borugulu in Telugu and pori in Tamil. It is usually prepared for Karthika(Karthigai) deepam but I do not mind preparing it any time of the year as it is one of the easiest and low fat sweets which tastes great. It is usually a kid's favorite, do give them a try for your kids if you have not prepared them before and I am sure that they will love it. You can try this fat free low calorie Puffed Rice Ladoo for Diwali too it simple, easy and healthy.

Also check out other storable sweet varieties in my blog:

Marmarala Laddu | Karthigai Pori Urundai Recipe:

Yields: 12-15 ladoos | Shelf life: 2-3 weeks

Prep time: 15 mins | Cooking time: 15 mins | Total time: 30 mins

Cuisine: Indian | Category: Sweets

Ingredients:

4 1/2 cups Puffed Rice(Maramaralu, Murmur, Pori)

1/2 cup grated good quality Jaggery (preferably chikki variety)

1-2 Cardamom pods, powdered

Water as required(roughly 1/3 cup)

Ghee, to grease your hands

Method:

Clean puffed rice to remove mud or stones in that if any.

Pour just enough water to cover the jaggery and heat it in a kadai till it melts completely.
Strain though a fine sieve to remove dirt.

Rinse the kadai and pour back the jaggery solution and add cardamom powder and boil briskly until it reaches SOFT BALL consistency.You should keep a bowl of water handy to check the consistency, drop a small amount of syrup in cold water, if rolled with the fingers the syrup should form a small bowl and it should be soft in texture. It is very important to get this consistency otherwise you cannot make balls(ladoos) out of it. If you cross this stage your ladoos will become hard and if you switch it off before you would not be able to make ladoos with it.So it is important to achieve soft ball consistency as mentioned.
Once this consistency is reached you can reduce the flame and add the puffed rice and mix it quickly until the syrup holds the puffed rice. If you feel that the mixture can hold more puffed rice,please feel free to add another 1/4 cup -1 /2 cup of puffed rice.
Switch off the flame and leave it aside for 2-3 mins until you can handle to make ladoos with that mixture.

Grease your hands with ghee and take a big portion of mixture and make it into a large ladoo of an medium orange sized one.Usually you can not prepare the shape exactly in the first go. So I usually make the balls out of it in a rough shape and once everything is done I again press them tightly to get a perfect round shaped ladoo. The syrup might get hardened in the later stages which makes it difficult to make ladoos, you can put the kadai back on fire and warm it a bit and proceed with making ladoos again.
Let them cool and they will harden a bit and hold its shape.

Store them in an air tight container.

Notes:

The key point to prepare this ladoo is in the process of the syrup. It is very important to achieve SOFT BALL consistency in the recipe, so follow the process bit carefully to avoid nay mishaps.
You can add 2-3 tbsp of fried gram(roasted gram/chutney dal) and also 2-3 tbsp of finely chopped dry coconut pieces along with puffed rice in the recipe. I usually do not add as I like them plain with puffed rice.
You keep another 1/2-1 cup of puffed rice handy just in case if you need to add more while preparing it.
I use chikki variety of jaggery to prepare this as it makes the syrup nicely and also tastes nice. You can use any good quality jaggery for the same.

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'Ladoos' or 'Laddus' are the most easiest sweets recipes one can prepare as one does not need to bother about the sugar or jaggery consistency while preparing ladoo varieties , though few ladoos like Boondi Ladoo are an exception. There are various varieties of ladoos and the most popular ones are Rava Ladoo, Besan Ladoo, Boondi Ladoo, Motichoor Ladoo, Coconut Ladoo, Dry fruits Ladoo etc. I have compiled this post with the most easy ladoo recipes and would love to post more ladoo recipes in future.

As Diwali is just few days away, Check out for a wide variety of options for Diwali here:

1. Moong Dal Ladoo | Pesara Sunnundalu - This Ladoo is prepared with powdered roasted moong dal and sugar with a mix of ghee and fried nuts. This is a very simple yet delicious Ladoo. You can prepare the roasted moong dal flour ahead and store it in refrigerator and use it when required.

Moong Dal Ladoo

2. Kobbari Louse | Coconut Ladoo | Nariyal Ladoo - This is the best way to use if you have lots of coconuts during festive season. It just needs 4 ingredients and can be prepared quickly under 30 mins.

Coconut Ladoo

3. Marmarala Laddu | Puffed Rice Ladoo - This ladoo is definitely a treat for kids as well as adults. Crisp Puffed rice is mixed with jiggery syrup and is mildly flavoured with cardamom powder which adds a nice taste to it. This is definitely a Kid's favourite.

Puffed Rice Ladoo

4. Dry Fruits Ladoo - A Sweet can't be more healthier or nutritious than this ladoo. It does not have any sweetener as the dates and figs acts as a sweetener and is loaded with lots of healthy dry fruits. It is definitely a better way to sneak dry fruits in your kid's diet.

Dry fruits Ladoo

5. Minapa Sunnunda | Roasted Urad dal Ladoo - This is a very famous Andhra sweet which is usually prepared with urad dal and jaggery or sugar. I have used whole black lentils which is more nutritious compared to the white urad dal and makes it more healthy. Do give a try this recipe, its delicious!!

Minapa Sunnundalu

6. Oats and Dry fruits Ladoo - This was an experiment I did which turned out delicious and is also the best way to sneak oats in your diet. This is again a low calorie healthy ladoo to try this Diwali.

Oats and Dry Fruits Ladoo

7. Chocolate Coconut Ladoo - It is a simple twist which I gave to the regular Coconut Ladoo. The cocoa complemented the coconut very well in the recipe. If you are looking to try something different, try this one!!

Choco Coconut Ladoo

Also Check out for a wide variety of options for Diwali here:

Technorati Tags: ladoo recipes, easy laddu recipes, diwali sweets, sweets recipes, ladoo varieties,s outh indian laddu recipes,d iwali recipes, diwali recipes2013

Diwali is nearing by and many of you would be planning to host a mega dinner party for Diwali. Planning a dinner menu is always exciting for me and I had helped in fixing the menus for many of my friends and family. Though the planning is fun , it is bit painful to execute it. I usually plan my menu 2-3 days ahead and finish off the preparation work and desserts the previous day so that I can finish off the cooking easily on the day of party. I am sharing a few menu plans with various themes - North Indian, South Indian and Continental Menu options which are suitable for Diwali party so that it would be helpful to you in easy planning!!

As Diwali is just few days away, Check out for a wide variety of options for Diwali here:

Menu 1: Theme : NORTH INDIAN LUNCH/DINNER

Appetizers/Extras: (select atleast one from each category)

others: deep fried spicy papads,fryums

Mains: (select atleast one from each category)

dry/semi dry curry:Aloo Jeera | Aloo gobi | Kadai Paneer | Paneer Jalfrezi

vegetable gravies:Dum Aloo | Sabz Makhani | Methi Matar Malai | Stuffed Capsicum

Desserts: (select at least one from each category)

Menu 3: Theme : CONTINENTAL MENU

Appetizers: (select at least 1-2 varieties from each category)

finger food: Italian Canapes | Hummus with Pita chips | Garlic Bread Exotica

Mains:(select atleast 3-4 varieties using all options)

Desserts: (select atleast one from each category)

As Diwali is just few days away, Check out for a wide variety of options for Diwali here:

Technorati Tags: diwali party ideas. diwali party menu, diwali dinner menu, diwali menu, deepavali special lunch ideas, deepavali menu, special party menu, indian party menu ideas, party planning, party recipes, diwali dinner, dinner party menu ideas

Fruit Salad with Custard is one of the most easiest desserts and also is my favorite too. At my place my mom always used to make this to use the left over fruits from the festivals. As one can prepare this fruit custard ahead, you can prepare this dessert even for get together or parties for a large crowd. Fruit Custard tastes best with vanilla ice cream but you can also serve it with whipped cream. If you are interested you can also check Fruit Salad(with out Custard) also called as Fruit Chaat or Cut Fruits here.

Basically you can use any fruits to make fruit custard but make sure you use fruits like bananas, apples, citrus fruits like orange or mosambi, pomegranate or grapes as base. During the mango season do not miss adding mangoes, they elevates the taste of fruit custard to a different level. You can even add chikoo, tinned pine apple(not the raw ones) if you like, but I do not add them as I am not a fan of these fruits. But I would definitely suggest you to avoid fruits like water melon, musk melon , pear in the fruit custard as the taste and texture of these fruits does not suit it in my opinion, but if you like those fruits you can add, no hard rules!!

Check out other interesting Eggless Desserts/Pudding recipes in my blog here:

Try this Fruit Custard for Diwali if you are planning a Diwali Party.

As Diwali is just few days away, Check out for a wide variety of options for Diwali here:

Fruit Salad with Custard Recipe:

Serves 3-4

Prep time: 15 mins | Cooking time: 15 mins | Total time: 30 mins + cooling time

Cuisine: Indian | Category: Desserts

Ingredients:

to make Custard:

500 ml whole cream milk

3 tbsp custard powder (I used vanilla flavour)

1/4 cup Sugar or 3-4 tbsp. Condensed Milk

fruits needed:

1 ripen Mango(in season)

1 Orange or Sweet lime or both

2 large or 3 medium Bananas

2 Apples

1 Pomegranate or 1/2 cup seedless Grapes or both

1/4 tsp Lemon juice, optional(to avoid the discoloration of fruits)

dry fruits:

8-10 Cashew nuts, finely chopped

8-10 Almonds, thinly chopped

to serve/garnish:

2 tbsp. chopped cashew nuts or almonds

Glazed cherries(optional)

sweetened Whipped cream or Vanilla Ice cream, to serve

Method:

Reserve 1/4 cup of milk and bring the remaining portion of milk to boil.
Meanwhile mix custard powder with 1/4 cup of milk nicely and add this to the boiling milk stirring continuously to avoid the formation of lumps or prepare the custard as per the instructions given on the pack. The custard should coat the back side of the spoon and should be able to draw a line, if the line does not get disturbed means the custard is ready and cooked. Add the sugar and mix it nicely until it melts. If you are adding condensed milk you can add it once it is cooled. Cool the custard completely and refrigerate it until its usage. Custard would become fairly thick once it cools down, but do not bother once you mix the fruits it will become slightly runny as it sits or you can even thin it up a bit by adding some milk.
Cut the fruits starting with the citrus varieties like orange or sweet lime and pomegranate or grapes and then add lemon juice(if adding) to it and mix. Now proceed with cutting other fruits like mangoes, apples by peeling the skin and remove the seed and cut into medium size cubes.
At the end cut the bananas into half circles and add to the remaining fruits and mix nicely.
Add the fruits and chopped nuts to the cooled custard and give a good stir. Refrigerate it for 2 hrs.

Serve it cold garnished with dry fruits or cherry on top with sweetened Whipped cream or Vanilla Ice cream.

Notes:

Cut the citrus fruits like orange/mosambi, grapes, Pomegranate first and then chop banana and apple so that the later ones do not loose their colour.
If you mix the fruits with custard much ahead there are chances that it might get watery, So plan in such a way that you mix the fruits with custard just 2-3 hrs before serving or 4-5 hrs max. But you can prepare the vanilla custard much ahead, even a day before you can prepare and keep it ready.
While serving if you find the fruit custard very thick you can add some milk and mix it to the consistency you need.
The quantity of sugar I mentioned is just right enough for enough sweetness as even the fruits lend their own sweetness when we bite. If you want it more sweeter you can add 2-3 tbsp. of more sugar.
If you want to make it rich you can mix 3-4 tbsp. of whipped cream in the cooled custard and mix well.
You can add fruits like sapota (chikoo), strawberries in season, tinned pine apple pieces to fruit custard. But try to avoid fruits like pear, watermelon, muskmelon as they change the taste of fruit custard.
The addition of nuts like cashew nuts and almonds adds a nice bite to fruit custard, do not avoid it.

Technorati Tags: fruit custard, how to make fruit salad with custard, how to make custard for fruit custard, fruit salad recipe, eggless fruit custard recipe, eggless desserts recipes, eggless pudidngs, mixed fruit custard recipe, easy fruit custard recipe, indian dessert recipes

How many of you like raw Onions? I am sure that there would be a mixed bunch of people who likes it and who do not like it. I like to eat a slice or two of raw onions along with rice for my lunch or in salads. Raw onions taste best with podi varieties and pacchadi varieties when mixed with rice, it is a must to add raw onions to the pacchadi varieties like Chintakaya Pacchadi , Gongura Pacchadi etc. My MIL makes this Ulli Karam to go with Idli and Dosa varieties but she makes sure that she has another accompaniment option like sambar or any other chutney variety along with Ulli karam. The reason being simple is this is a raw chutney strongly flavored with raw onions and hence you need another accompaniment to go with to nullify the strong taste of onions. The key taste for this chutney is in the way it is ground, it tastes nice when prepared chunky instead of smooth paste.This chutney tastes best when it is made super spicy and also one needs to add liberal amount of sesame oil or melted ghee to it. You can even spread this chutney in dosa once it is done, it tastes delicious too.

I have posted another version of raw onion chutney - Erra Karam long back which is slightly different from this version, you should even try Erra karam dosa too which good reviews from many of my readers.If you do not like the flavor of raw onions, you should try my other version of Onion chutney with dry coconut, it tastes really fabulous.

Check out other chutney varieties for Breakfast items:

Raw Onion Chutney | Ullipaya Karam Recipe:

Serves 2-3

Total Prep time:10 mins | Cooking time: NIL

Cuisine: South Indian | Category: Chutney for Idli/Dosa - Accompaniments

Ingredients:

20-25 small Shallots or 2 Onions

4-5 Green Chillies

1/2 cup tightly packed Coriander leaves

1 tsp Tamarind Pulp

Salt to taste

1-2 tbsp Sesame Oil/ melted Ghee

Method:

Cut the ends of shallots and soak them in a bowl of water for 10 mins. This will make the process of peeling the skin of onions easier. Peel the skins and keep them ready, if the shallots are big cut them into 2-3 pieces. If you are using large onions peel and cut them into chunks roughly.

Wash and remove the hard stems of coriander and roughly chop the coriander and green chillies.
In a blender add shallots, chopped green chillies, coriander, tamarind pulp and salt and pulse it in whipper mode to get a coarse chutney. Do not grind it longer, just pulse it until you get chunky chutney as shown. You do not require any water, if required add a tbsp of water while grinding.

Remove the chutney to a bowl and add sesame oil or melted ghee and mix it nicely.

Serve it with Idli and Dosa varieties along with Sambar. You can even spread this chutney in the dosa once it is done, it tastes delicious too!!

Notes:

Shallots are preferred over onions for this recipe. If you do not have shallots you can use onions instead.
This chutney tastes best when made it spicy, so adjust the spiciness as required.
As this is raw onion chutney the flavor of onions is strong and it can be subsided slightly by the addition of liberal amount of sesame oil and ghee.However I suggest you to serve it along with Sambar or any other chutney.
You can replace green chillies with soaked red chillies or red chili powder in the recipe and you can add the tempering of mustard seeds to it at the end.
You can add few curry leaves(4-5 leaves) while grinding which adds a different flavor to the chutney.But do not add more curry leaves.

Technorati Tags: raw onion chutney, shallots chutney, how to make raw onion chutney, ullipaya karam, ulli karam,pacchi karam, side dish for idli and dosa, chutney varieties, easy chutney recipes for breakfast varieties, andhra recipes, south indian chutney recipes, no coconut chutney recipes for idli and dosa

I prepare Chole or Rajma at-least once a week and if I run out of them, I end up with options like Lobia, black peas etc.TH prefers black chickpeas over the white one, as he likes the nutty taste of the black chickpeas; hence the black chickpeas get featured at our place more than the kabuli chana does.Though my ideal option for chickpeas would be the Punjabi Chole version,but it is quite boring to prepare the chole in the same way hence I always look out for various options.You can prepare chickpeas in various forms like Pindi Chole, Kadai Chole, Chana masala(with coconut), Kala chana masala, Punjabi Chole, Methi Chana, Chana Palak, Kadala curry etc. This post is on the preparation of Pindi Chole recipe. I will post the other varieties later.

Pindi Chole or Rawalpindi Chana emerged from the name of Rawalpindi, a place in Pakistan. Pindi Chole is prepared in a different way from the usual chole recipe. In Pindi chana there is no onion and tomato used and it is totally prepared with the spices and is made dry unlike the regular chole.The addition of freshly pound spices and dried anardana powder along with amchur adds a nice tang to the recipe.I have adapted the recipe from SK's site but I toned down the spices and masalas to suit our taste buds.Pindi chana is a great combination with parathas or pooris/bhaturas. Serve it along with onions,green chillies on the side and add lemon juice to the chole; this combination will elevate the taste to a different level.

Pindi Chole | Rawalpindi Chana Masala Recipe:

Serves 2-3

Prep time: 10 mins | Cooking time: 15 mins | Total time: 25 mins + 25 mins of chole cooking time

Cuisine: North Indian | Category: Side Dish - Main Course

Ingredients:

to cook chole:

1 cup white Chickpeas(Kabuli Chana)

1 Tea bag

1 Biryani leaf

1" Cinnamon + 2 Cloves

Spice mix:

1 tbsp Coriander powder

3/4 tsp Red chili powder

1/2 tsp Homemade Garam masala

1 tsp Amchur(dried mango) powder

to roast and grind:

1 tbsp Cumin seeds

2 tsp Anardana(dried Pomegranate seeds)

other ingredients:

2-3 tbsp Oil

1 tbsp Ginger-Garlic paste

1-2 Green Chilies,roughly chopped

1 tbsp Coriander leaves,to garnish

to serve:

Onion,finely chopped

1 Green Chilli,finely chopped(optional)

Lemon wedges

Method:

Wash and soak chickpeas for 7-8 hrs or overnight. Drain the water and rinse it again and add fresh water (2-3 cups) and add biryani leaf, tea bag, cinnamon, cloves and salt and pressure cook for 1 whistle and simmer it for 20-25 mins.Once the pressure drops, fish out the spices and tea bag and drain and reserve the cooked water.
Dry roast cumin seeds until they are dark brown in color and remove it aside,do not burn them.In the same pan dry roast anardana and keep it aside.Once they come to room temperature grind to them a powder,slightly coarse is fine.
Meanwhile mix red chili powder, coriander powder and amchur powder and keep it ready.
Heat oil in a deep curved pan and add ginger-garlic paste and cut green chilies and fry for a minute until they loose their raw smell.
Reduce the flame and quickly add mixed masala of red chili powder,coriander powder and amchur powder and fry for half a minute.Be careful and make sure you do not burn the masala.
Add 1/4 cup of reserved cooked water to it and let it boil until the oil floats.Add the boiled and drained chickpeas and enough salt(remember we added salt while cooking chickpeas as well) to it and cook until the water evaporates.
Add garam masala, roasted cumin and anardana powder to it and mix well and cover it and cook for 3-4 mins.If you want you can add a tbsp of water and cook if the chole is very dry.
Garnish with coriander.

Serve it hot with Poori/Naan/Phulka/Bhatura with chopped onions,green chillies and lemon wedges. Mix the chopped onions and green chillies and add lemon juice to the pindi chana before eating.

Notes:

You can prepare this with black chickpeas.I usually prefer black chickpeas over the white ones.
If you like you can add a chopped tomato along with the garam masala and other spices at the end as the original recipe suggested.
It tastes nice when it is made spicy but you can adjust the spices according to your wish.Instead of chopping the green chillies,you can add slit green chilies in the recipe.
I used home made Garam masala and Ginger Garlic paste, if you are using store bought ones increase them to 1 tsp garam masala and 1.5 tbsp ginger garlic paste in the recipe.
If you want you can add 1 tsp Chole masala along with the other spices in the recipe.

Technorati Tags: pindi chana recipe, rawalpindi chole, pindi chole recipe, dry chole recipe, different chole varieties, side dish for rotis, restaurant style pindi chana recipe

Apart from Chutneys and Sambar,Idli podi makes a nice accompaniment for south Indian breakfast items like Idli and Dosa.In general Idli podi or Karapodi is to be mixed with a liberal quantity of ghee which makes it more tasty to relish with idli. I have already posted the famous Andhra Nalla karam podi and also Tamilnadu style Milagai podi using Whole black gram. Today's version is almost like Milagai podi(with black gram) and uses white urad instead of the whole black variety.

Check out various Chutney Pudis for Idli/Dosa:

Idly Podi / Milagai Podi:

shelf life:2-3 months

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Urad dal

1/2 cup Chana dal

10 Guntur Red chillies

2 tbsp sesame seeds

1/4 tsp Asafoetida (Hing), use the rock variety
Salt to taste

1 tsp Oil

Method:

Heat oil in a kadai and add urad dal and chana dal and fry them separately until they turn golden brown and keep them aside and let them cool.
In the same pan add red chillies and asafoetida and fry them until they turn crisp.Remove them and keep them aside.
Now add sesame seeds and roast them until they pop up and remove it and keep aside.
Grind all the above ingredients with enough salt to a coarse powder.
Spread the mixture on a plate and once it is cooled pour into the air tight container and store it for a couple of months.

Serve it with Idli /Dosa. Mix the powder with a liberal quantity of ghee or sesame oil while serving.

Notes:

You can replace plain urad dal with the whole black urad for a healthier version.
You can add 2-3 garlic pods in the last round of grinding the powder.It adds a nice flavor,however it is optional.
Addition of a fat pinch of hing also enhances the flavor of this podi,so do not miss it.
You can also add some byadige red chillies for a deeper red color powder.

Technorati Tags: idli milagai podi, how to make idli podi, milagai podi recipe, idli podi recipe, spicy idli chili powder recipe,side dish for idli and dosa, south indian

Saffron is the one of the most expensive spices available. It adds a delicate sweet fragrance to any recipe.It is my most favorite spice and so I ensure that I stock it in my pantry.Unlike other spices, we don't add saffron in large quantities;a tiny pinch of saffron is more than sufficient to make your dish fragrant and colorful.You can spoil a dish, if you add them in more quantity,so adding required portion is also equally important.

Mostly Saffron is used in sweet varieties and some kind of rich pulaos and biryanis.You need to crush them slightly and soak them in warm milk for sometime so that it can release its beautiful color and is then added to any kheer/biryani variety.Alternatively, you can crush them to a powder in mortar and pestle and add.I prefer to use the first option, as I like the look of beautiful saffron strands in my kheer/biryanis.

Indian Cuisine has lots of Rice and Pulao varieties from various parts of the country.However I prefer the spicier versions or mildly spicy pulaos over the sweetened ones,but again it depends on the side dish you prefer.Saffron pulao is a similar version to Kashmiri Pulao but the former is the slightly spicier version where as the latter is mildly sweetened and loaded with dry fruits and sometimes fruits.
On our daily basis, we usually prefer mildly spiced Indian gravies to go with rotis or pulaos.Saffron Rice is mildly spiced and hence you can pair it with spicy or mildly spiced gravies and dal varieties like Mirchi Ka Salan , Mixed Vegetable Kurma, Matar Paneer, Paneer Makhani, Vegetables Makhani, Dal Fry, Dal Makhani, Rajma Masala and Creamy Lobia.

Saffron Rice | Saffron Pulao(Pulav) Recipe:

Serves 2

Prep time:10 mins | Cooking time:30 mins | Total time:40 mins

Cuisine: Indian | Category: Rice | Pulav - Main Course

Ingredients:

1 heaped cup Basmati Rice

12-15 Cashew nuts

8-10 Mint leaves(optional)

1/8 tsp Turmeric powder(optional)

12-15 Saffron strands

3/4" Cinnamon

3-4 Cloves

2-3 Green Cardamom

1-2 Bay leaves

1 tsp Shahi jeera (black cumin seeds)

Salt to taste

1 tbsp Oil

1 tbsp Ghee
Caramelized onions,to garnish(optional)

Method:

Wash and soak basmati rice in water for 10 mins.Do not wash more than twice as it looses its fragrance.
Crush the saffron strands slightly in hand and soak them in a tbsp of warm milk for 10-15 mins.
Heat oil and ghee in a thick kadai/pan(or cooker) and fry cashew nuts until they turn golden in color and remove them and keep aside.In the same oil add shahi jeera and let them crackle.
Add cloves,green cardamom,cinnamon and bay leaves and fry them for a minute.Slighly open the cardamom pods before adding so that they do not splutter.
Add drained basmati rice and turmeric powder and fry well for a couple of minutes until its dry,do this step carefully as the rice might get broken.
Add saffron strands soaked in milk to it.
Add 2 cups of water and let it come to a boil and add salt and mint leaves and cover it and let it simmer for 12-15 mins until done.If you are preparing it in cooker,pressure cook for 1 whistle and simmer it for 5-7 mins.
When the pressure drops,leave it for 10 mins and then gently fluff it up using a fork and add fried cashew nuts and mix.
Garnish with fried onions(optional) and cashew nuts.

Serve it hot with any mild gravy like Paneer Makhani,Vegetables Makhani or dals like Dal Fry,Dal Makhani ,Creamy Lobia and raitha, papad. I served it with Matar Paneer.

Notes:

Mint leaves are optional in the recipe.I usually add it if I have them otherwise I ignore adding them.
This is a mild spiced rice recipe which pairs well with any spicy curry.
You can add vegetables like carrots,peas,potatoes,beans,capsicum and make vegetable pulao following the same recipe.
The addition of ghee enhances the flavor of rice and pulaos,hence do not skip it.
You can even add 1/2 cup milk and reduce the water by 1/2 cup in the recipe.
You can even add fried raisins for a slight sweet variation of this pulao.You can pair with rich gravies with Navratan Kurma,Paneer Butter Masala,Malai Kofta,Shahi paneer etc.
To caramelize onions fry thinly sliced onions in a tbsp of oil or ghee for few mins.Add a tsp of sugar to it and fry until it turns golden brown in color.You can even deep fry onion slices until golden brown and crisp.

Technorati Tags: saffron rice recipe, saffron pulao recipe, zaffran rice, zaffron pulao, how to make mughlai zaffron pulao ,easy pulao recipe, party recipes, mughlai recipes, pulav varieties

I usually prefer to prepare cutlets or tikkis over the deep fried pakoras for obvious reasons as they are low fat and bit guilt free to indulge them. The options for cutlets are endless like you can create your own cutlet by adding the ingredients of your choice. Basically you need a base like potatoes or bananas or yam or mixed vegetables or cooked lentils or oats etc and a binding agent like chickpea flour, bread, maida or corn flour and few spices and herbs to prepare cutlets. You can create a cutlet on your own based on your requirements.

The options with raw banana are limited, I usually end up preparing a stir fry for rice or a simple sabzi for rotis regularly and these Raw Banana(Kele ka) Pakoras on rare occasions. You can even use raw banana to make cutlets or kebabs like I did. As the raw bananas are mildly sweet make sure you added enough spices and herbs to make it spicy and aromatic.These kebabs taste best when deep fried as the raw bananas are slightly sticky in nature but you can make it low fat by shallow frying it.The texture of the kebabs is definitely better when deep fried but the taste of shallow fried is even good. These kebabs make a nice starter in parties when served with tooth pick pricked in them. I had actually prepared them to prepare Kofta curry as I use a same base for koftas as I do for cutlets/kebabs.I would post the kofta curry soon and I thought that I would share a separate post for preparing these kebabs.

Check out other Cutlet/Tikki recipes here in my space:

Broccoli Culet
Oats Cutlet
Maggi Noodle Cutlet/Noodle Tikki
Sabudana Tikki(Cutlet)
Upma Tikki..from left over Upma
Vegetable Chops | Stuffed Beetroot Cutlets - Bengali Style
Zucchini Patties

Raw Banana Kebab | Kele ka Cutlet(Tikki) Recipe:

Yields 10-12 Kebabs

Prep time: 20 mins | Cooking time: 20mins | Total time: 4 mins

Cuisine: North Indian | Category: Snacks

Ingredients:

2 large Raw Bananas

1 medium Potato

3-4 tbsp Chickpea flour(Besan)

2-3 tbsp Raisins

1 small Onion, finely chopped

2 Green chillies, finely chopped

1/2" Ginger, finely chopped

2-3 tbsp Coriander leaves, chopped

1/2 tsp Amchur powder

1/2 tsp Coriander powder

1/2 tsp Cumin powder

1/4 tsp Garam masala

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

Salt to taste

Oil,to deep fry

Method:

Cut the ends of raw bananas and cut them into 2-3 pieces and pressure cook along with potato for 3 whistles. After it cools down, peel the skin of raw bananas and potato and mash it nicely using potato masher while it is still warm and keep it aside.
Dry roast chickpea flour until you get nice aroma from it and let it cool.
Add all the masalas - red chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, turmeric powder , garam masala powder and salt to the mashed raw banana and potato mixture and mix it nicely. The mixture would be very soft and mushy at this point.
Add finely chopped onion, green chillies and coriander and mix well. Now add roasted chickpea flour and mix nicely, do not add all the quantity of besan at once, add in small portions and mix until you feel the mixture is not very sticky. Do not add more besan, the kebabs would be softer when the dough is slightly smooth instead of stiff dough.
Grease your palms with oil and make gooseberry sized kebabs or like regular shaped cutlets and try to stuff raisins in it - by initially making it like a cup and stuff raisins and close it to form a round kebab or flattened tikki. Refrigerate them for half an hour so that they will firm up slightly, you can use them immediately too if you are short of time.
Heat oil in a deep curved pan until it is hot and add kebabs and fry them on medium flame until they turn in deep brown color. Remove them with the slotted spoon on to a kitchen napkin. If You have prepared them in the shape of flattened tikkis(cutlets) you can shallow fry on tawa with 1-2 tbsp. of oil and fry them on both sides.
If you are looking for healthy option to fry round kebabs - you can fry them alternatively in an Aebliskever pan. Heat the pan and add 1/2 tsp of oil in each impression and when it is piping hot keep the flame on LOW and place the kebabs in it and fry them by turning them slightly in between until they get roasted on all sides.

Sprinkle Chaat masala on them while they are still hot and serve them immediately with Tomato sauce of Green chutney and Meeta Chutney.

Notes:

Kebabs can be deep fried or shallow fried or oven baked according to your choice. Deep fried kebabs has better texture when compared to shallow fried or oven baked ones.
You can replace raw bananas with yam or arbi(taro root) and follow the same recipe.
The addition of chopped cashew nuts would add nice bite to the kebabs, you can add them if you like.
If you add the raisins directly to the dough there might be chances of they getting burnt if it is deep fried in oil. I did this mistake and I would not like you to do the same and hence always stuff the raisins inside.
You can even add 1-2 bread slices as a binding agent instead of chickpea flour in the recipe.
Boiled peas can also be added along with potatoes and raw bananas. In that cade do not mash the peas nicely, leaving them slightly coarse adds a nice bite. to the kebabs.
As I prepared this to make Kofta curry I made it round and deep fried otherwise I would go for flattened cutlet and shallow fry. But it is a good idea to serve the kebabs with a tooth pick for parties,it makes a nice starter.
You can use these deep fried kebabs to make kofta curry, which I will post soon.

Technorati Tags: raw banana cutlet,r aw banana tikki, kele ka cutlet,kele ka kebab, kacche kela ka tikki, raw banana recipes, cutlet recipes, tikki recipes, veg kebab recipes, snacks recipes, teatime snacks, appetizers, starters recipes

'Soya Paneer' also known as 'Tofu' is a healthy alternative for paneer though the taste of tofu would not match the taste of paneer exactly.As Tofu has less calories I usually buy it often and use it in various recipes like Tofu-Alu Paratha, Chili Tofu, Grilled Marinated Tofu ,Tofu Bhurji, Cutlets(Tikkis), Kebabs etc.Tofu is basically bland in taste and hence it can absorb the flavors beautifully.Today I am sharing a simple Bhurji recipe with tofu,I have prepared it in a similar fashion like how I prepare Paneer Bhurji,just that you need to pep it more with extra seasonings and spices to make it more tasty.

Check out few Tofu recipes in my blog.

Tofu Bhurji Recipe:

(Serves 2)

Ingredients:

1 cup crumbled/grated Soya Paneer / Tofu - hard variety

1 medium Onion,finely chopped

2-3 Green chillies,finely chopped
1 Tomato,finely chopped

1 small Capsicum, chopped

1 tsp Ginger Garlic paste

1/2 tsp Red chilli powder

1/3 tsp Garam masala

1 tsp Pav Bhaji masala

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

juice of 1/2 lemon

2 tbsp Chopped Coriander

Salt to taste

1 tbsp Oil

2 tbsp Butter

Method:

Heat oil in a kadai/pan and add finely chopped onions and green chillies and fry until the onions turn pink.
Add ginger-garlic paste and fry well.
Now add finely chopped capsicum and fry for a minute and then add chopped tomatoes and saute until it becomes slightly mushy.
Now add garam masala,pav bhaji masala,red chilli powder and turmeric powder and fry for a minute.
Add crumbled tofu and salt and give a good mix and saute for a couple of minutes.The mixture should be moist and not dry,add a tbsp of water if required and cook for a minute.
Add the butter at the end and mix it properly.
Switch off the flame and add lemon juice,chopped coriander and mix it.

Serve it hot with toasted bread/pav and also with some sliced onions and lemon wedges.

Notes:

Tofu comes in a sealed pack in India. I usually wrap it in a kitchen towel for some time to remove the excess water from it.
It can be placed in a chapati and make it into a roll and serve for kids.
This can be used as a filling for parathas,Samosa,Bread rolls.
You can add colored bell peppers along with capsicum in the recipe.
Instead of Pav bhaji masala you can even add Kitchen king masala in the recipe.I suggest you add this for sure as the tofu is bland it really needs some masala to pep up.
Replace tofu with paneer and follow the same proceed to make paneer bhurji.

You can stuff the tofu bhurji in between two toasted bread sliced to make a healthy Tofu Sandwich.

Technorati Tags: tofu bhurji recipe, soya paneer recipes, tofu recipe, side dish for rotis, side dishes with tofu, north indian curries

Bisi Bele Bath is a signature recipe of Karnataka and has gained its popularity all over India. 'Sambar Sadam' of Tamilnadu and 'Kadambam Rice' of Andhra are prepared in the similar lines of Bisibelebath but a very quick version when compared to time consuming Bisibelebath. I love Bisibelebath to the core and as the process is quite time consuming, I do not make it often but in order to satisfy my cravings I usually prefer to make this Sambar Sadam which is a quick version. Though I would say it does not match the taste of Bisibelebath but it tastes good in its own terms and keep me satisfied.The usage of vegetables and masalas differ in both the dishes are different and hence the taste differs quite distinctively.

'Sambar Sadam' or 'Kadambam Rice' is basically 'Sambar Rice' where we add various mixed vegetables and cooked along with dal and rice and spiced up with sambar powder.It tastes mostly like sambar mixed with rice but as we cook everything together the ingredients blend nicely and tastes better compared to sambar mixed with rice.Vegetables like drumstick, potato and brinjal lends a nice flavor and taste to this rice,so do not miss adding them to it.

As I stock both the Sambar powders- Andhra style Sambar powde and Karnataka style Sambar powder, preparing this Sambar Sadam is a breeze for me as I do not need to prepare the fresh masala.Sambar Sadam is to be served hot with a liberal dose of ghee and is to be paired with potato chips and Tomato-Onion raita which makes a perfect meal.

Check out various South Indian Rice Varieties here.

Sambar Sadam | Kadambam Rice Recipe:

Serves 2-3

Prep time:15 mins | Cooking time:30 mins | Total time: 45 mins

Cuisine: South Indian | Category: Rice-Main Course

Ingredients:

1 cup Rice(Sona masuri or equivalent)

1/2 cup Toor dal

Mixed Vegetables(1 potato, 1 drumstick, 1 carrot, 1 brinjal, 1 carrot, 5-6 beans)

1 large Onion,diced or 6-8 Shallots

2 small Tomatoes,chopped

1 small lemon sized Tamarind

1/2 tsp Jaggery,grated

1 tsp Sambar powder

1 tbsp Andhra style Sambar powder(or prepare powder as mentioned below)

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

a pinch of Asafoetida

few Curry leaves

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

1 tbsp Oil

1 tbsp Ghee

Salt to taste

to prepare fresh sambar masala:(instead of Andhra style Sambar powder)

1 tbsp Coriander seeds

3-4 Red chillies

1 tbsp Chana dal

5-6 Fenugreek seeds

1/4 tsp Cumin seeds

1-2 tbsp dry/fresh grated Coconut,(optional)

Method:

If you are preparing fresh sambar masala, roast all the ingredients separately mentioned under 'to prepare masala' section in 1/2 tsp oil until they turn slight red in color.Once it is cooled grind the ingredients to a powder.
Wash and soak rice and toor dal separately or together for 10-15 mins.Pressure cook them together or separately.I do it both ways depends on the time availability for me.You should make sure that the rice should not become lumpy.I usually add 3 - 3.5 cups water when pressure cooking both together.

Cut the vegetables into 2" pieces.
Soak and squeeze tamarind pulp and dilute it with 1/2 cup of water.Add salt and turmeric powder and add cut vegetables and pressure cook for 1 whistle.
Heat oil and ghee in a big kadai and crackle mustard seeds and add curry leaves, asafoetida and fry until they wilt.
Add cubed onions or shallots and fry until they become translucent.Add chopped tomatoes and fry until it becomes pulpy.

Now add cooked vegetables along with tamarind water and add turmeric powder, sambar powder, freshly ground powder(or Andhra style sambar powder), jaggery and bring it to a boil.If you feel the water is less add another 1/2 cup of water now.

Add cooked dal and rice to it and mix well and reduce the flame and let it cook for 7-8 mins until it becomes thick and all the ingredients are blended well.

Liberally top it with ghee and serve it hot with Potato chips and Onion-Tomato Raita.

Notes:

If you have Vangibath powder you can add 2 tsp Vangibath powder along with sambar powder in the recipe.
If you like you can add vegetables like red pumpkin, ladies finger, green peas,yellow cucumber to it. You need to saute the ladies finger in oil before adding otherwise it will become slightly sticky. But do not miss potatoes, brinjals and drumsticks in the recipe.
I usually keep Toor dal and rice in the ratio of 1:2, if you like you can even increase the dal in the recipe upto 3/4:1 or 1:1 depends on your personal preference.
As I prefers this as a quick one pot meal I usually cook rice and dal together taking care that rice would not become mushy.You can cook them separately.
If you are using ready sambar powder,add 1-2 tbsp grated coconut and boil it along with rice and dal mixture.However it is optional to add coconut in the recipe.

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Kofta based curries are bit time consuming as it involves the preparation of kofta along with the gravy part. Hence I usually do not prefer to make it on daily basis and prepare it occasionally. You can prepare various kofta based curries like Cabbage Kofta, Lauki kofta, Malai kofta, Paneer Kofta and Kele ka kofta curry. The preparation process of the gravy is very simple for cabbage kofta and lauki kofta curry which suits the everyday cooking, but for the rest of the recipes the gravy is prepared in a rich and creamy way which is good for occasional cooking.

The options with raw banana are limited, I usually end up preparing a stir fry for rice or a simple sabzi for rotis regularly and these Raw Banana(Kele ka) Pakoras on rare occasions. You can even use raw banana to make cutlets or koftas like I did. These koftas can be served as a snack too,they tastes delicious when deep fried. Another healthy option to fry these koftas is to shallow fry them in Paniyaram pan which consumes less oil compared to deep fried version. I prefer to fry the koftas in paniyaram pan if I am making it for my family, I prefer the deep fried version if I prepare it for a party or on special occasions. The texture of the koftas is definitely better when deep fried but the taste of shallow fried is even good.

Check out few recipes with Raw Bananas in my blog here:

Raw Banana Kofta Curry Recipe:

Serves 3-4

Prep time: 20 mins | Cooking time: 40mins | Total time: 1 hr

Cuisine: North Indian | Category: Side Dish - Main Course

Ingredients:

for Kofta:

2 large Raw Bananas

1 medium Potato

3-4 tbsp Chickpea flour(Besan)

2-3 tbsp Raisins

1 small Onion,finely chopped

2 Green chillies,finely chopped

1/2" Ginger,finely chopped

2 tbsp Coriander leaves,chopped

1/2 tsp Amchur powder

1/2 tsp Coriander powder

1/2 tsp Cumin powder

1/4 tsp Home made Garam masala

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

Salt to taste

Oil,to deep fry

for Gravy:

3 medium Tomatoes, make a cross on them

2 medium Onions, quartered

1.5 tbsp Ginger Garlic paste

1/3 cup Milk or 1/4 cup Cream

6-8 Cashew nuts

1 tsp Kasuri Methi

2 tsp Coriander powder

1 tsp Cumin powder

3/4 tsp Red chili powder

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

1/2 tsp Home made Garam masala

1/2 tsp Sugar,optional

Salt to taste

2-3 tbsp Oil

Method:

to make Koftas:

Cut the ends of raw bananas and cut them into 2-3 pieces and pressure cook along with potato for 3 whistles.After it cools down,peel the skin of raw bananas and potato and mash it nicely using potato masher while it is still warm and keep it aside.
Dry roast chickpea flour until you get nice aroma from it and let it cool.
Add all the masalas - red chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, turmeric powder , garam masala powder and salt to the mashed raw banana and potato mixture and mix it nicely.The mixture would be very soft and mushy at this point.
Add finely chopped onion,green chillies and coriander and mix well.Now add roasted chickpea flour and mix nicely,do not add all the quantity of besan at once, add in small portions and mxi until you feel the mixture is not very sticky.Do not add more besan,the koftas would be softer when the dough is slightly smooth instead of stiff dough.
Grease your palms with oil and make gooseberry sized koftas and try to stuff raisins in it - by initially making it like a cup and stuff raisins and close it to form a kofta. Refrigerate them for half an hour so that they will firm up slightly,you can use them immediately too if you are short of time.
Heat oil in a deep curved pan until it is hot and add koftas and fry them on medium flame until they turn in deep brown color.Remove them with the slotted spoon on to a kitchen napkin.
If you are looking for healthy option - you can fry them alternatively in an Aebliskever pan. Heat the pan and add 1/2 tsp of oil in each impression and when it is piping hot keep the flame on LOW and place the koftas in it and fry them by turning them slightly in between until they get roasted on all sides.This is time consuming but a very healthy alternative option. Keep them aside until serving time.

to make Gravy:

Boil water and add quartered onions, tomatoes(make a cross before) and cashew nuts and boil them for 2-3 minutes. Drain them and once they become cool, remove the skin of tomatoes and chop them roughly. Grind the tomatoes, boiled onions and cashew nuts to a very smooth paste.
Heat oil in a kadai and add ginger-garlic paste followed by the ground onion-tomato-cashew paste and fry well until the oil leaves in the edges and the masala becomes dry.
Add the dry masalas - red chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, garam masala, turmeric powder and salt and fry nicely for 3-4 mins.You can add a tbsp of water if you feel that the mixture would burn. Ensure you fry the masala nicely with out getting it burnt.
Add roughly 3/4 -1 cup of water to it and let it come to boil.Add kasuri methi and sugar and let the gravy simmer for 8-10 mins.The consistency of the gravy should not be very thick or very thin, it should be of medium thickness consistency.Aslo remember that the koftas observe the gravy,so prepare the gravy of medium consistency.
Switch off the flame and add cream or milk to it and stir nicely.
When you are ready serve,arrange koftas in a serving bowl and pour the hot gravy over it and cover it for 10-12 mins to let the koftas observe the gravy.You can add the koftas to the gravy and simmer for 1-2 mins before adding the cream/milk, do not boil the koftas for long it will make them soggy otherwise.
Garnish with coriander and cream.

Serve it hot with Rotis/Naans/Kulchas/Jeera rice.

Notes:

Koftas can be deep fried or shallow fried or oven baked according to your choice.Deep fried koftas has better texture when compared to shallow fried or oven baked ones.If you make this recipe for parties I suggest you to deep fry and for regular cooking you can either shallow fry or bake them in oven.
The gravy consistency is important as the koftas would absorb the gravy. Make sure you add gravy to the koftas before serving, otherwise they will turn soggy if kept for long.
Cashew nuts can be ground and added in the later stage, but for ease I ground along with the onions and tomatoes.
Raw Banana koftas can be served as an appetizer or snack by sprinkling some chaat masala over it.

Technorati Tags: raw banana kofta curry, kofta curries, kofta recipes, raw banana recipes, side dish for rotis, restaurant style kofta recipes, low fat kofta recipes, how to make kofta based curries, kofta sabzi recipes

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