Adhirasam Tips

Vellam Athirasam


Ingredients  (For 75 Athirasam)
5+2 Cups Rice = Sona Masoori  (2 cups rice flour for backup)
3 3/4 Jaggery  (Periyar Vellam)
2.5 cups Water

Sukku podi
Elakai podi
Salt - pinc
Ghee
Oil

Soak Rice for two hours
Grind rice when it is still slightly wet
Jagger should be grated or powdered
Make the paagu right away - Paagu consistency should be - when pouring it should not spread
Stop adding rice when it is not too hard to stir - slightly thicker than idli batter
Spread ghee on the flour , to ferment for 24+ hours
Dont press too much to remove oil

Kathrikkai Rasavaangi

Ingredients
Toor dhal - Boiled (mushed) - 2 scoops

Brinjal - 4 or 5 - small ones

Tamarind pulp - about a scoop / to taste

Salt

Mustard - 1 spoon

Turmeric - 1/4 spoon

Curry leaves

Oil for seasoning

Nalla Ennai - about 2 spoons

Hing / Asafoetida - a Pinch

For the Masala powder

Roast each of these in oil and drain, can use the oil after draining and taking out each once roasted

- Dhaniya - 2 spoons
- Channa Dhal - 2 spoons

- Red chilli - 5

- Coconut - 2 spoons

Grind the above and prepare the masala powder

Preparation

Cut the brinjals - long wise and put in water

Heat the oil for seasoning and add the mustard

Once it splutters add the curry leaves

Add the cut Brinjal and saute for a 2-3 mins (I prepared the above masala while the brinjal was getting cooked)

Add turmeric powder and and tamarind pulp and mix, and add salt, Let it cook for about 5 mins or until soft

Add cooked toor dhal at this stage and let it come to a boil

Add about 2 1/2 spoon of the masala powder lavishly and mix and

Switch of the heat and Add the pinch of hing and sprinke with the nalla ennai and stir it

Yummy rasavangi is ready

Notes

Goes well will rice and chapathi

This is more like a gravy

Jalapeno Summer Squash Quick Bread

Yummy Spicy bread, good option for Breakfast or a evening snack:)




Ingredients

• 1 1/3  cups flour
• 1 ¼ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp ground cumin
• 2 eggs
• ¾ cup sugar
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1 ¾ cup shredded summer squash (i used zuchini)
• 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped (about ¼ cup) (I added 1 jalepeno grated along with the squash as is)

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease and flour an 8 ½ x 4 ½ x 3 inch loaf pan.
• Whisk together eggs, sugar, oil, and sour cream in a medium bowl.
• Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cumin in large bowl.
• Stir shredded squash and jalapeno peppers into wet ingredients.
• Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir to combine until just moistened.
• Spread batter evenly in prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Cool bread in the ban for 10 minutes. Remove bread from pan and cool completely on wire rack.
•  Enjoy yum bread!

Tips

• Grate the jalepeno first and then the squash
• Zuchini - for the summer squash gives the green tinge nicely, and has lesser water content
• Instead of sour cream can use thick curd

Kaara Dosa - Kaara paste for Stuffing

Ingredients

Dry Red Chilli / Kaanja Molaga - 10 (+/-  to taste)
Coriander Seeds /Dhaniya - 2 spoons
Garlic/Poondu - 5 garlic cloves (+/- to taste)
Salt as needed
Water to soak


Preparation

•  Boil Water, take aside
• Soak the Molaga and Dhaniya in the boiled hot water for about half hour
• Extract the Molaga and Dhaniya and grid with Garlic and salt to a paste, it is ok to be slightly coarse.  Add few drops of water if needed to grid from the soaked water.
• Base is ready for the Dosa

 Dosa preparation with the Kaara paste

• As usual make the Dosa by turning sides, so it is cooked and slightly crispy
• Turn it up, and apply the paste on one half if just the kaara, a little is good to just be brushed on the dosa. Close the Dosa and press with the dosa laddle so the paste sticks on either sides, and turn the folded dosa and press a little.  Dosa is ready to relish.
•  Can have variations :
• Egg Kaara Dosa - add a beaten egg with pepper on top of the Kaara, for a egg kaara dosa.
• Masala Kaara Dosa - add a scoop of potato masala which is not too spicy by itself to compliment with the kaara on the dosa for a masala kaara dosa.

Shrimp Gravy

Tit bits
This is a chettinad style kozhambu made with Shrimp.



Ingredients

Shrimp - 1-2 cups

Ginger Garlic Paste
Onion
Tomato
Curry leaves
Coconut milk powder - 2-3 spoons


Masala
Dry Roast these and grind to a nice paste

Dhaniya 2 spoons

Pepper - 1/2 spoon

Pattai - 1

Lavangam - 2

Elakkai - 2

Vara molagai - 2

Jeeragam - 1/2 spoon

Garlic - 8 pods

Preparation
Add oil in a pan and add curry leaves, onion, ginger garlic paste and saute. 
After about 2-3 mins add the tomato and saute.
Add the prawns and saute together.
Add salt ground masala and add water as needed and allow it all to boil together.
Can add some coconut milk (coconut milk powder) at the end.

Enjoy yummy Shrimp gravy with Jeera rice, chapathi or any other dish.

Soya Vaeppudu

This is recipe seen on tv that my husband customized with soya and added Verkadalai for additional taste.

Ingredients

Soya - 1 cup
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Chilli powder -1 + 1 spoon
Dhaniya powder - 1 spoon
Garam masala - 1/4 spoon
Salt - as needed
Peanut/Groundnut (Verkadalai) - powder coarsely

Onion 1 - cut into small pieces
Ginger garlic paste - 1 spoon
Tomato - 1 - cut into small pieces

Seasoning
Pattai
Elakkai
Lavang

Step1 - cooking the soya
 Boil water in a big vessel  with about 3/4th water..  Add a little salt and about a spoon of oil. Once the water starts boiling add the soya and bring it to a boil, let it get cooked soft. Let it cool, or if in a hurry :), run some cold water and drain and squeeze out all the water.  If they are big nuggets now cut into half or as 3 parts.

Step 2 - Marination
Add Turmeric powder, Chilli powder 1 spoon, a little salt (watch out and may be a little pinch is good), curd.
Mix it well, and can keep it it in the fridge for about half hour so it gets set well.

Step 3 -
Take Oil about 5 spoon, in a pan, and add Pattai, cloves(lavang), cardamom(elakkai) and saute for a minute.
Add Onion and saute till brown.
Add ginger garlic paste and saute
Add tomato and saute.
Add turmeric, garam masala, chilli powder 1 spoon, dhaniya powder 1 spoon and saute.
Add marinated to the this, and saute.  Sprinkle just a few drops of water as needed and saute well.
Once this all comes together and all the water is evaporated, add the peanut powder and saute for a few minutes.


Note : this can also be made with Chicken

Dhoodh Peda / Pal Gova - Microwave Version

Ingredients:

Butter - 1 stick - unsalted
Sweetened Condensed Milk - 1 Can - 14oz
Mava Milk  Powder - 4 to 5 cups
Elaichi Powder - 1 spoon (I powder the elaichi seeds and save them in a air tight bottle)
Saffron - 1 pinch
Nuts - Almonds / Raising / Pista

Preparation:

• Heat the butter for 1 min in a big bowl or glass container, so it can hold the boiling contents towards the end.
• Add the Mava Milk powder and the Condensed Milk and mix them together slowly.
• Add 2 cups first, and then slowly add in till it is good enough to stir and looks soft(little thicker than idli batter).
• Add the saffron and Elaichi powder as well and stir well.
• Heat them for about 4 minutes, taking it out every minute and stirring it.
• Let it cool for some time.
• Make a ball like shape and press with a nut in the middle to make it a little flat.
• Decorate with different nuts for a set of pedas with Pista/ Badam(can cut this into half) , Raisins.. these coloured nuts, make them look great.
• Arrange them in a plate or a wide bowl, so they are separate, close them after some time, so that it does get dried out.

Enjoy yummy Dhoodh Peda.