Veg Kothu Parotta Recipe – Kothu Parotta Madurai Tamil Veetu Style
Long time ago, friends were home for dinner. The children were playing and we were talking. One of our good friends Karthi had asked us to come to their home the next weekend as he wanted to give us a party for his son’s birthday. Immediately, Manoj, another friend of ours told Karthik, “I want unga veetu (your home) kothu parotta for party.” Karthi nodded his head as he does all the time. Karthi is from Madurai. We went for the party and I was eagerly waiting for the kothu parotta. I wanted to know what that “unga veetu kothu parotta” was all about. Oh my god! It was that good. It was not like any other kothu parotta. This one was soft and juicy and had absorbed so much of the masala gravy that I must have had 3-4 servings. Its now a compulsory dish that needs to be on the table for any party at Karthi’s place. I asked Satya,  Karthi’s wife for the recipe and when she told me the recipe, I was surprised at the method in which the dish was made. No complicated masalas, no coconut and no parottas. YES. No parottas. You bet! They make this dish with maida pooris. Oh my god. This recipe is a genius. You should try this at home. Here is Satya and Karthi posing for my camera.

Here is Veg Kothu Parotta Recipe – Kothu Parotta Madurai Tamil Veetu Style
Mix Maida, salt and baking soda (Aapa soda) until combined. Add water and mix well to form a stiff dough similar to that of Poori dough. Knead for 3-4 minutes. Apply a teaspoon of oil to hands while kneading so the dough does not stick to the hands. Cover the dough and set aside. Let it rest for a minimum of 1 hour up to 2 hours.
Make small 2 inch balls from the dough and dredge the balls in maida and roll it into even circles. Let it not be super thin. It wont fluff up in oil. Keep the circles slightly on the thicker side.

Heat oil in a pan and fry the pooris on both sides and drain on paper towels. Once all the pooris are fried, tear the pooris using your hand into bite sized pieces and place it in a bowl. Set aside.

Now lets make Masala Paste.
Heat oil in a pan and add in the onion and garlic. Fry till the onions are soft. Add in the sliced tomatoes and fry till the tomatoes are soft too. Remove from heat and grind the mixture to a smooth paste. Add up to a cup of water while grinding. Set aside.

Now lets make Gravy
Heat oil in a pan and add in the cumin seeds. When the cumin seeds splutter, add in the ground masala, chilli powder, garam masala, curry leaves, salt and one cup of water. Bring the mixture to a boil.

Once the mixture is boiling, add in the pooris and mix well. Switch off the flame and add sliced onions, mint leaves, green chillies and lots of coriander leaves. Close the pan with a lid and let it rest for one hour.

Kothu parotta is ready after resting. Serve with raita.

Veg Kothu Parotta Recipe - Kothu Parotta Madurai Tamil Veetu Style

 

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Prep time

2 hours

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

2 hours 30 mins

 

Madurai rustic Veg kothu parotta

Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh

Recipe type: Main Course

Cuisine: Tamilnadu

Serves: 3

Ingredients

For the Pooris / Parottas

• 1½ cups Maida
• ¼ teaspoon Baking soda / Aapa Soda
• ½ teaspoon Salt
• 1 teaspoon Vegetable oil
• Water for the dough
• Vegetable Oil for deep frying

For the Masala Paste

• 2 teaspoon Vegetable oil
• 2 Onions, sliced
• 5 Cloves Garlic
• 3 Tomatoes, sliced

For the Gravy

• 1 teaspoon Vegetable Oil
• 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 2 sprig Curry leaves
• 1 teaspoon Garam masala
• 1 teaspoon Chilli powder

For Garnish

• ½ Onions, sliced
• 3 sprigs Mint leaves, chopped
• 3 stalks Coriander leaves, chopped
• 2 Green chillies, chopped

Instructions

1. Mix Maida, salt and baking soda until combined. Add water and mix well to form a stiff dough similar to that of Poori dough. Knead for 3-4 minutes. Apply a teaspoon of oil to hands while kneading so the dough does not stick to the hands. Cover the dough and set aside. Let it rest for a minimum of 1 hour up to 2 hours. Make small balls from the dough and dredge the balls in maida and roll it into even circles. Let it not be super thin. It wont fluff up in oil. Keep the circles slightly on the thicker side.
2. Heat oil in a pan and fry the pooris on both sides and drain on paper towels. Once all the pooris are fried, tear the pooris using your hand into bite sized pieces and place it in a bowl. Set aside.
3. Heat oil in a pan and add in the onion and garlic. Fry till the onions are soft. Add in the sliced tomatoes and fry till the tomatoes are soft too. Remove from heat and grind the mixture to a smooth paste. Add upto a cup of water while grinding. Set aside.
4. Heat oil in a pan and add in the cumin seeds. When the cumin seeds splutter, add in the ground masala, chilli powder, garam masala, curry leaves, salt and one cup of water. Bring the mixture to a boil.
5. Once the mixture is boiling, add in the pooris and mix well. Switch off the flame and garnish with sliced onions, mint leaves, green chillies and lots of coriander leaves. Close the pan with a lid and let it rest for one hour.

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The post Veg Kothu Parotta Recipe – Kothu Parotta Madurai Tamil Veetu Style appeared first on Kannamma Cooks.

My aunt Sarasu Athama is the queen of rasams in my family. She is the only daughter to my grand mother. My Paati had 5 sons and then Sarasu Athama. My dad, my chitappas and periyappas (uncles) go crazy for her Rasam. மிளகு ரசம் , Milagu Rasam is very comforting for people with cold and fever. This is a very mild version with the addition of little lentil. Its perfect for kids when they are down with fever or a cold. This Milagu Rasam uses tomato and not tamarind as a souring ingredient.

Grind all the ingredients listed under masala. Grind the ingredients to a smooth paste with half a cup of water. Set aside. Slightly crush the shallots (small onions – chinna vengayam) and garlic in a mortar and pestle. Set aside.

Heat sesame (gingely) oil in a pan and add in the mustard seeds. Let it splutter. Add in the curry leaves, crushed garlic and shallots and fry for a minute. Add in the ground masala paste and fry on a low flame for 3-4 minutes until streaks of oil start to appear on top.

Add in the cooked dal and a cup of water. Let it simmer on low flame for 5 minutes. Add in the coriander leaves and remove from heat.

Serve the Milagu Rasam hot with rice and a little ghee.

Milagu Rasam Pepper Rasam Recipe

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

20 mins

 

Milagu Rasam Pepper Rasam Recipe. Warm comforting rasam.

Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh

Recipe type: Soup, broth

Cuisine: Tamilnadu, Coimbatore

Serves: 3

Ingredients

For the Masala

• 1 Ripe Tomato
• ½ teaspoon Turmeric
• ⅛ teaspoon Asafoetida
• 2 teaspoon Black pepper
• 1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds
• ½ teaspoon Jaggery
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 1 teaspoon salt

Other Ingredients

• 2 teaspoon Sesame (Gingely) oil
• ¼ teaspoon Mustard seeds
• 1 sprig Curry leaves
• 5 Shallots (small onions)
• 5 cloves Garlic
• 3 tablespoons Toor dal, fully cooked
• 2 stalks Coriander leaves, chopped

Instructions

1. Grind all the ingredients listed under masala. Grind the ingredients to a smooth paste with half a cup of water. Set aside. Slightly crush the shallots (small onions – chinna vengayam) and garlic in a mortar and pestle. Set aside.
2. Heat sesame (gingely) oil in a pan and add in the mustard seeds. Let it splutter. Add in the curry leaves, crushed garlic and shallots and fry for a minute. Add in the ground masala paste and fry on a low flame for 3-4 minutes until streaks of oil start to appear on top.
3. Add in the cooked dal and a cup of water. Let it simmer on low flame for 5 minutes. Add in the coriander leaves and remove from heat.

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The post Milagu Rasam Pepper Rasam Recipe appeared first on Kannamma Cooks.

My mom never cooked Cheppankizhangu at home. I became a fan of Cheppankizhangu varuval during my years at Manju auntie’s place. Cheppankizhangu fry is a dish loved by everyone. Its meaty and crisp and goes so well with a simple south Indian lunch of lentil and rice. The first time I made this after marriage, me and Vinod were left with an irritating throat. Later on I learnt from auntie that if this vegetable is not fully cooked, it can cause intense discomfort in the throat. The vegetable is boiled and then fried. So that’s the word of caution.

Soak the Cheppankizhangu / Arbi in water for 10 minutes and wash them thoroughly to get rid of sand. Cook the Cheppankizhangu / Arbi in lots of water (4-5 cups) in a pressure cooker for exactly 2 whistles. Remove from heat and wait for the pressure in the cooker to release naturally. Drain the water. Peel the skin of Cheppankizhangu / Arbi. The skin should peel off easily. It might be slightly slimy. Note that the veggie is now fully cooked and soft. It should not be mushy. Cut each Arbi into two or three pieces. Do not cut it into small pieces as they might break easily while roasting and will not hold its shape. Set aside.

Now, we will be marinating the cooked veggie with a masala paste. Make a masala paste with turmeric, salt, chilli powder and coriander powder. Use couple of table spoons of water to make a thick paste. Don’t make the paste too thin. The paste should be thick. Use water with caution. Apply the paste gently to the boiled, peeled and cut Cheppankizhangu. Make sure the masala paste is evenly coated on the vegetable. Add 2 sprigs of curry leaves on top. Let it marinate for 10 minutes. Set aside.

Traditionally Cheppankizhangu is deep fried. But I am used to pan frying and a non stick pan works well for this recipe. I have found that any other kind of pan completely makes the veggie stick to the pan while roasting. Heat vegetable oil in a non-stick pan and add in the marinated Cheppankizhangu. Fry in low flame for 10 minutes until the vegetable is completely dry and roasted.

Remove off heat. Serve with rice.

Cheppankizhangu Varuval Tamilnadu style Arbi fry Recipe

 

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Prep time

30 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

50 mins

 

Cheppankizhangu Varuval Tamilnadu style Arbi fry Recipe

Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh

Recipe type: Side Dish

Cuisine: Tamilnadu

Serves: 3

Ingredients

For the Masala Paste

• 1 teaspoon Turmeric
• 1 teaspoon Red Chilli Powder
• 2 teaspoon Coriander Powder
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 2 sprigs Curry Leaves

Other Ingredients

• 500 grams Cheppankizhangu / Arbi
• 3 tablespoon Vegetable Oil

Instructions

1. Soak the Cheppankizhangu / Arbi in water for 10 minutes and wash them thoroughly to get rid of sand. Cook the Cheppankizhangu / Arbi in water in a pressure cooker for exactly 2 whistles. Wait for the pressure in the cooker to release naturally. Peel the skin of Cheppankizhangu / Arbi. Cut it into two or three pieces. Set aside.
2. Make a masala paste with turmeric, salt, chilli powder and coriander powder. Use couple of table spoon of water to make a thick paste. Apply the paste gently to the boiled, peeled and cut Cheppankizhangu. Add 2 sprigs of curry leaves on top. Let it marinate for 10 minutes. Set aside.
3. Heat vegetable oil in a non-stick pan and add in the marinated Cheppankizhangu. Fry in low flame for 10 minutes until the vegetable is completely dry and roasted.

3.5.3208

The post Cheppankizhangu Varuval Tamilnadu style Arbi fry Recipe appeared first on Kannamma Cooks.

This is my moms Keerai recipe and has just 5 ingredients. Its the easiest to do and the most tastiest. The onions give the Keerai a nice richness.  My mom used to make this almost twice or even thrice every week when we were young. Arakeerai, Siru Keerai or even Palak works well for this recipe. Keerai, rice and a dollop of ghee will make your everyday lunch special. My son loves it too. We call it as Kadaintha Keerai / Kadanja Keerai in Coimbatore.

Clean the greens and remove the hard stems. If you are using palak, you can use the stems too.  Soak the greens in lots of water for 15 minutes to get rid off the sand, dirt and pesticide residue if any. Then wash it well changing the water twice. Remove the greens from the water and set aside.

We will be using 3 onions and 10 cloves of garlic for this recipe . Believe me, its not a lot of garlic and onions. Onions and garlic combined with spinach gives the dish amazing taste. It also makes the dish so smooth and rich. Heat oil in the pan and add in the onions, garlic, green chillies and the salt. Fry till the onions are soft and starting to brown. About 4-5 minutes on medium flame. Add in the washed and cleaned greens and fry on low flame for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let it to cool.

Grind the mixture in a mixie / blender without adding any water to a fine paste.

Serve hot with steaming rice and ghee.

5.0 from 2 reviews

Kadaintha Keerai Mashed Greens Recipe

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

40 mins

 

Recipe for Keerai Kadayal / Masiyal. Easy with 5 ingredients only. My moms Coimbatore style mashed spinach recipe.

Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh

Recipe type: Side Dish

Cuisine: Tamilnadu

Serves: 3

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon sesame (gingely) oil
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 Green Chillies
• 10 Cloves Garlic
• 3 Onions, roughly chopped
• 250 grams Keerai, Spinach

Instructions

1. Clean the greens and remove the hard stems. Soak the greens in lots of water for 15 minutes to get rid off the sand, dirt and pesticide residue if any. Then wash it well changing the water twice. Remove the greens from the water and set aside.
2. Heat oil in the pan and add in the onions, garlic, green Chillies and the salt. Fry till the onions are soft and starting to brown. About 4-5 minutes on medium flame. Add in the washed and cleaned greens and fry on low flame for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let it to cool.
3. Grind the mixture in a mixie / blender without adding any water to a fine paste.
4. Serve hot with steaming rice and ghee.

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The post Coimbatore Style Kadaintha Keerai / Keerai Kadayal / Mashed Greens Recipe appeared first on Kannamma Cooks.

Hagalakayi gojju or bitter-gourd gojju stands right in the middle of pickle and a chutney. It is so yummy and tart that even a person who doesn’t like bitter-gourd will become a convert. I tasted this gojju during my PG days in Bangalore at my friends PG. I had got the recipe long time back but it got lost somewhere and I totally forgot about it. The recipe paper was stashed inside an old suitcase and I was thrilled when I saw it. I have made it 3-4 times now and its my new favorite. I have it with rice, chapati, dosa , almost everything. It never lasts that long at my place. Here is how to do Hagalakayi gojju or bitter-gourd gojju.

Clean and cut the bitter-gourd into small pieces. Remove the seeds and the white part as much as possible from the inside of the gourd before cutting. Set aside. Soak a big lemon size tamarind in 2 cups of water for 30 minutes. Squeeze the tamarind in the water to extract all the juices. Strain the juice and set aside the tamarind pulp / juice. Discard the tamarind seeds and the pith.

Heat vegetable oil in a pan until hot and add in the mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds and the red chillies. Let it splutter. Add in the finely chopped green chillies, chopped curry leaves and the chopped bitter-gourd. Fry for 5 minutes.

Add in the spice powders, salt and the tamarind pulp. Reduce the flame to low and let it cook for 30 minutes.

Fry till all the moisture has evaporated and the mixture is dry. The oil will start oozing out from the mixture. Add in the powdered jaggery. Make sure to powder the jaggery in a mixie before adding. Fry for a minute more. Switch off the flame and remove from heat.

Let the bittergourd-gojju cool in the pan until its completely cool and at room temperature. Transfer it to a clean and dry jar. The gojju can be stored in the refrigerator for up-to ten days.

Hagalakayi Gojju Bittergourd Gojju Recipe

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

45 mins

Total time

1 hour 5 mins

 

Recipe for Hagalakayi Gojju Bittergourd Gojju. Karnataka Style recipe.

Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh

Recipe type: Pickle

Cuisine: Karnataka

Serves: 2 cups

Ingredients

Main Ingredients

• ½ cup Vegetable oil
• ¼ teaspoon mustard seeds
• ⅛ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
• 4 dried red chillies
• 12 green chillies, chopped fine
• 4 sprigs curry leaves, finely chopped
• 4 bitter-gourd
• 2 teaspoon salt
• 1 big lemon size tamarind
• 3 tablespoon powdered jaggery

Spice Powders

• 2 teaspoon coriander powder
• 2 teaspoon black pepper powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1 tablespoon red chillli powder
• ¼ teaspoon asafoetida
• 1 teaspoon turmeric

Instructions

1. Clean and cut the bitter-gourd into small pieces.
2. Heat vegetable oil in a pan until hot and add in the mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds and the red chillies. Let it splutter. Add in the finely chopped green chillies, chopped curry leaves and the chopped bitter-gourd. Fry for 5 minutes.
3. Add in the spice powders, salt and the tamarind pulp. Reduce the flame to low and let it cook for 30 minutes.
4. Fry till all the moisture has evaporated and the mixture is dry. The oil will start oozing out from the mixture. Add in the powdered jaggery. Make sure to powder the jaggery in a mixie before adding. Fry for a minute more. Switch off the flame and remove from heat.
5. Let the bittergourd-gojju cool in the pan until its completely cool and at room temperature. Transfer it to a clean and dry jar. The gojju can be stored in the refrigerator for up-to ten days.

3.5.3208

The post Hagalakayi Gojju Bittergourd Gojju Recipe appeared first on Kannamma Cooks.

This is my dad’s mom Kittamma Paati’s recipe. My dad always says that Paati and my aunt worked so hard in the agricultural field so that her boys ( 5 of them ) could go to school. After my aunt got married, it was Paati all the way at the house and at the field. This is what my dad used to say when we were young – Paati lived in Periyanaicken Palayam in Coimbatore and her mom’s house was in Vaiyampalayam. Roughly about 10-12 kilometres one way. She used to walk the entire stretch as the bus was at 12 in the noon and the return bus was the next day. She would start at 6 in the morning after milking the cows, getting food ready for the boys and finishing the household chores. She would be back home by 6 in the evening. There were no good roads. 3 hours to go, 3 hours to come back and 5-6 hours at her moms place. She would just do it. She never complained. My dad says she loved buffalo yogurt. She would always end her every meal with curd rice made with buffalo milk after a long days work. She was bed ridden during her final years due to a failed eye surgery and I still remember her sitting at the farm on her bed watching the field. When we would go to meet her, she would hug me tight and kiss me for a good minute all over my face. I was really young at that time. My dad says that she loved Cuticura powder and would ask the shop keeper for “குட்டி தாச்சான் kutty thaachaan” powder. Kutty Thaachan / Kutty Saathaan means little ghost. I still laugh at that joke. Here is a picture of Kittamma Paati taken during my parents wedding.

I have also shared chettinad kuzhi paniyaram made using regular dosa batter. Check the recipe here.

Wash the idly rice, raw rice and whole urad dal in water for couple of times. You can wash them together. After washing, soak the mixture in lots of water. Let it soak for 6-8 hours. Over night soaking is fine too. I usually soak the mixture at night before going to bed and grind it next morning.

Grind the soaked mixture with the water used for soaking to a smooth batter. Use only as much water as required to keep your mixie / blender going. Grind till the mixture reaches dosa batter consistency.

Transfer the ground batter to a clean vessel and cover it and keep it in a warm place for 6-8 hours. For more on idly dosa batter tips and consistency , Click Here

We will now make the vegetable mixture ready. Boil 1/3 cup each of finely chopped carrots, beans and peas. Set aside.
Heat oil in a pan and add in mustard seeds, chana dal and cumin seeds. Let it splutter. Add in the finely chopped curry leaves, finely chopped onions and finely chopped green chillies. Add in the salt too. Fry till the onions are soft. Add in the fresh shredded coconut and the coriander leaves. Remove from heat and set aside.

Add the boiled vegetables and the fried mixture to the batter and mix well.

Heat the paniyaram pan / paniyarakkal until hot. Add 3/4 teaspoon of vegetable oil into each mold. Drop the batter to fill the mold. Cook for a minute. Then turn and cook on the other side. Turn again if necessary to make sure the paniyaram is evenly cooked on both sides and its nicely golden in colour.

The paniyaram is ready if it has become crispy and golden on both sides. Have the paniyarams hot.

Vegetable Kuzhi Paniyaram - Paniyaram Batter Recipe

 

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Prep time

10 hours

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

10 hours 20 mins

 

Recipe for Vegetable Kuzhi Paniyaram made with carrots, beans and peas and seasoned with an Indian tempering. My grandmas recipe.

Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh

Recipe type: Breakfast

Cuisine: South Indian, Tamilnadu

Serves: 40-45 paniyarams

Ingredients

• Measurements Used - 1 Cup = 250ml

For the Batter

• ¾ cup Idly Rice
• ¼ cup Raw Rice
• ⅓ cup Urad Dal
• ¼ teaspoon Fenugreek seeds

For the tempering

• 1 tablespoon Coconut oil
• ¼ teaspoon Mustard seeds
• ¼ teaspoon Cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon Chana Dal
• 3 green Chillies, finely chopped
• 3 springs Curry leaves, finely chopped
• 1 Onions, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• ½ cup Shredded Coconut
• 4 sprigs Coriander leaves, finely chopped

Other Ingredients

• ⅓ cup carrots
• ⅓ cup beans
• ⅓ cup peas
• Vegetable Oil for frying Paniyaram

Instructions

1. Wash the idly rice, raw rice and whole urad dal in water for couple of times. You can wash them together. After washing, soak the mixture in lots of water. Let it soak for 6-8 hours.
2. Grind the soaked mixture with the water used for soaking to a smooth batter.
3. Transfer the ground batter to a clean vessel and cover it and keep it in a warm place for 6-8 hours.
4. Boil ⅓ cup each of finely chopped carrots, beans and peas. Set aside.
5. Heat oil in a pan and add in mustard seeds, chana dal and cumin seeds. Let it splutter. Add in the finely chopped curry leaves, finely chopped onions and finely chopped green chillies. Add in the salt too. Fry till the onions are soft. Add in the fresh shredded coconut and the coriander leaves. Remove from heat and set aside.
6. Add the boiled vegetables and the fried mixture to the batter and mix well.
7. Heat the paniyaram pan / paniyarakkal until hot. Add ¾ teaspoon of vegetable oil into each mold. Drop the batter to fill the mold. Cook for a minute. Then turn and cook on the other side. Turn again if necessary to make sure the paniyaram is evenly cooked on both sides and its nicely golden in colour.
8. The paniyaram is ready if it has become crispy and golden on both sides. Have the paniyarams hot.

3.5.3208

The post Vegetable Kuzhi Paniyaram – My Paatis Paniyaram Batter Recipe appeared first on Kannamma Cooks.

This is the Sunday Biryani my mom used to make for us. Its very simple to make and one of the easiest Biryani recipes. The different thing about this Biryani is the addition of coconut milk. It gives a nice richness and flavor to the Biryani. Here is how to do Pressure Cooker Chicken Biryani
For other varieties of Biryani, Click Here

Gently wash the basmati rice in running water and let the rice soak in the water. Soaking the rice in water is one of the key steps in making biryani in pressure cooker. It helps in keeping the rice intact while cooking without becoming mushy. Soak the rice in water before starting to cook. Set aside.

We will need the following two pastes for the biryani.
First Paste: Grind ginger, garlic and shallots to a smooth paste adding 1/4 cup of water.
Second Paste: Grind Cinnamon, Cardamom, Cloves, Fennel Seeds and Green Chillies to a smooth paste adding 1/4 cup of water.

Heat oil in a pan and add in the sliced onions and green chillies. Fry well till the onions are soft. Add in the first paste and fry for a couple of minutes.

Add in the second paste and fry till the mixture is dry and streaks of oil appear on top.

Add in the chopped tomatoes, chopped coriander leaves and chopped mint leaves. Fry for a couple of minutes. Add in the cleaned chicken pieces and the salt. Let the chicken cook on low flame for 12-15 minutes. Keep sauteing every two minutes once to avoid the chicken from burning at the bottom. Don’t add any water. The water from the chicken will be enough to cook.

Add in the coconut milk and water. The ratio of liquid to rice is one rice : two liquid. I used 1.5 cups of rice. So we will need 3 cups of liquid. I used 1.5 cups of coconut milk and 1.5 cups of water. Add in the lemon juice. Let the liquid come to a boil. Once the liquid is boiling, drain the rice and add it to the pan. Here is how to do coconut milk.

Close the pan and cook on medium flame for first whistle and on low flame for the next whistle (about 3-4 minutes). After the two whistles, switch off the flame and wait for pressure in the cooker to release naturally. Open the pan and fluff up the rice gently. Serve Pressure Cooker Chicken Biryani hot.

Amma's Coimbatore Style Easy Pressure Cooker Chicken Biryani

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

40 mins

Total time

55 mins

 

Recipe for easy Chicken Biryani made in the pressure cooker.

Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh

Recipe type: Main Course

Cuisine: South Indian, Tamilnadu

Serves: 3

Ingredients

First Paste

• 10 cloves garlic
• 10 shallots (small onions)
• 2 inch piece ginger

Second Paste

• 3 green chillies
• 2 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 2 inch piece cinnamon
• 1 cardamom
• 1 clove

Other Ingredients

• 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 onions
• 3 green chillies
• 2 tomatoes
• 6 sprigs coriander leaves, chopped
• 8 stalks mint leaves, chopped
• 500 grams chicken
• 2 teaspoon salt
• Juice of one lime
• 1.5 cups Basmati Rice
• 1.5 cups Coconut Milk
• 1.5 cups water

Instructions

1. Gently wash the basmati rice in running water and let the rice soak in the water. Set Aside.
2. First Paste: Grind ginger, garlic and shallots to a smooth paste adding ¼ cup of water.
3. Second Paste: Grind Cinnamon, Cardamom, Cloves, Fennel Seeds and Green Chillies to a smooth paste adding ¼ cup of water.
4. Heat oil in a pan and add in the sliced onions and green chillies. Fry well till the onions are soft. Add in the first paste and fry for a couple of minutes.
5. Add in the second paste and fry till the mixture is dry and streaks of oil appear on top.
6. Add in the chopped tomatoes, chopped coriander leaves and chopped mint leaves. Fry for a couple of minutes. Add in the cleaned chicken pieces and the salt. Let the chicken cook on low flame for 12-15 minutes.
7. Add in the coconut milk and water. Add in the lemon juice. Let the liquid come to a boil. Once the liquid is boiling, drain the rice and add it to the pan.
8. Close the pan and cook on medium flame for first whistle and on low flame for the next whistle (about 3-4 minutes). After the two whistles, switch off the flame and wait for pressure in the cooker to release naturally. Open the pan and fluff up the rice gently. Serve hot.

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The post Amma’s Coimbatore Style Easy Pressure Cooker Chicken Biryani appeared first on Kannamma Cooks.

As a typical south Indian, nothing satisfies me during lunch like lentils and rice. Whenever I used to return back home during my hostel days, I would ask my mom to make lentils. As they say “The journey home is never too long, Your heart arrives before the train.” Lentils and rice is what I used to crave the most. This is a simple everyday lentil Dal Fry recipe. The addition of coconut gives it such a nice flavor and aroma. Just try it once. I am sure you will be hooked. This recipe is usually done using toor dal. It can also be done with moong dal or masoor dal. I have used masoor dal for today’s recipe.
I have already shared the recipe for Thanjavur Dal Fry.
Here is how to do South Indian Style Dal Fry recipe.

Boil half cup of lentils in water in a pressure cooker till mushy. You can read here to know how to cook lentils to the right consistency. You can use Toor Dal , Moong Dal or Masoor Dal for this recipe.

Heat a teaspoon of coconut oil in a pan until hot. The little coconut oil gives a really nice flavour to the dal. Add in the finely chopped garlic, finely chopped onions, finely chopped curry leaves and finely chopped green chillies. Use more chopped green chillies if you want a spicy dal fry. Fry till the onions are soft. Add in the salt and turmeric. Fry for a minute.

Add in the cooked dal. Take quarter cup of coconut and grind it in a blender with half a cup of water to a smooth paste. Add it to the pan. Let the mixture come to a boil. Switch off the flame and remove the pan from heat.

Now lets do the tempering. Heat ghee in a pan and add in some red chillies and cumin seeds. Let it splutter. Add it to the dal.

Serve hot with rice.

Dal Fry Recipe / Easy Tamilnadu Style Dal Fry

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

40 mins

 

This DAL FRY recipe is usually done using toor dal. I also do it with moong dal or masoor dal. South Indian Style dal fry with step by step pictures.

Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh

Recipe type: Side Dish

Cuisine: Tamilnadu, South Indian

Serves: 3

Ingredients

For the Curry

• ½ cup Dal (Toor Dal / Masoor Dal / Moong Dal)
• 1 teaspoon Coconut Oil
• 5 cloves Garlic, finely chopped (optional)
• 2 sprigs Curry leaves, finely chopped
• 1 Onion, finely chopped
• 2 Green Chillies, finely chopped
• ¾ teaspoon Salt
• ½ teaspoon Turmeric
• ¼ cup fresh Coconut

For Tempering

• 1½ teaspoon Ghee
• ½ teaspoon Cumin Seeds
• 3 dried red chillies

Instructions

1. Boil half cup of lentils till mushy. Set aside.
2. Heat a teaspoon of coconut oil in a pan until hot. Add in the finely chopped garlic, finely chopped onions, finely chopped curry leaves and finely chopped green chillies. Fry till the onions are soft. Add in the salt and turmeric. Fry for a minute.
3. Add in the cooked dal.
4. Take quarter cup of coconut and grind it in a blender with half a cup of water to a smooth paste. Add it to the pan. Let the mixture come to a boil. Switch off the flame and remove the pan from heat.
5. Heat ghee in a pan and add in some red chillies and cumin seeds. Let it splutter. Add it to the dal.

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The post Dal Fry Recipe / Easy Tamilnadu Style Dal Fry appeared first on Kannamma Cooks.

Horsegram is a favorite lentil among households in the Coimbatore Kongunad region. I have already shared our favorite Kollu Paruppu and Kollu Rasam recipe. Horsegram / Kollu is such a flavorful lentil. Its one of the healthiest too. This recipe for horsegram curry is called as Kaata Kuzhambu. Kaatam காட்டம் literally means heat. But heat has nothing to do with this curry. It got this name because of its strong flavor. Just like Garam masala. Garam means hot but its used to denote the strong flavor of the masala. Kaatam means intense in this recipe. This curry is usually served with Ragi Kali / Ragi Mudde. It tastes well with rice and idli too. The curry has a very strong delicious aroma that will fill the kitchen as you cook. Here is how to do an authentic Kongunad Kaata Kuzhambu Horsegram Curry. This is my aunt’s recipe.

Horsegram/kollu needs to be cleaned first. It almost always has some small stones and sand particles. Just take quarter cup of lentils and spread it on a plate and slowly remove the stones and sand. Dry roast the horse gram on low flame until fragrant. Fry until one or two lentils break and burst and it smells very fragrant. My aunt says, fry till you hear “sattu buttu” sound and “gama gama” smell. Remove from heat and set aside on a plate.

In the same pan dry roast the red chillies and coriander seeds until fragrant. Remove from heat and set aside on the plate. Slightly roast the fresh shredded coconut until the coconut is slightly dry. Do not roast the coconut until brown. Remove from heat and set aside. Grind the roasted horse gram, red chilli, coriander and coconut to a very fine paste. Add up-to a cup of water while grinding.

Heat sesame oil (gingely oil) in a pan and add in the mustard seeds and curry leaves. Let it splutter. Add in the finely chopped shallots and salt. Saute till the shallots are soft and start to brown.

Soak the tamarind in 1 cup of water for 20 minutes. Squeeze the tamarind in the water to extract all the juices. Strain the juice and set aside the tamarind pulp / juice. Discard the tamarind seeds and the pith. Add the tamarind pulp to the pan. Let it come to a boil.

Add in the ground paste and a small piece of tamarind. In Kongunad food, wherever you add tamarind, you add a small piece of jaggery too. Jaggery balances out the hot and sour. Add a cup of water to the curry. Close the pan with a lid and let it simmer for 10 minutes on low flame. Once the mixture is thick and cooked, remove from heat.

Serve hot with Ragi kali/ Mudde or rice.

Kongunad Kaata Kuzhambu / Horsegram Curry

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

30 mins

 

Tamil Coimbatore style kollu paruppu kuzhambu. This kaara kuzhambu is very popular in kongunad region. With step by step pictures

Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh

Recipe type: Side Dish

Cuisine: Kongunad, Tamilnadu

Serves: 3 persons

Ingredients

• Measurements used - 1 Cup = 250 ml

For the Masala

• ¼ cup Horse-gram (kollu)
• 1 tablespoon Coriander seeds
• 4 dried Red chillies
• ½ cup fresh shredded Coconut

Other Ingredients

• 2 tablespoon Sesame oil / Gingely oil
• ¼ teaspoon Mustard seeds
• 2 sprigs Curry leaves
• 15 Shallots, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• half a lime size Tamarind
• 1 teaspoon jaggery

Instructions

1. Dry roast the horse gram on low flame until fragrant. Set aside.
2. Dry roast the red chillies and coriander seeds until fragrant. Remove from heat and set aside. Slightly roast the fresh shredded coconut until the coconut is slightly dry.Grind the roasted horse gram, red chilli, coriander and coconut to a very fine paste. Add upto a cup of water while grinding.
3. Heat sesame oil (gingely oil) in a pan and add in the mustard seeds and curry leaves. Let it splutter. Add in the finely chopped shallots and salt. Saute till the shallots are soft and start to brown.
4. Soak the tamarind in 1 cup of water for 20 minutes. Squeeze the tamarind in the water to extract all the juices. Strain the juice and set aside the tamarind pulp / juice. Discard the tamarind seeds and the pith. Add the tamarind pulp to the pan. Let it come to a boil.
5. Add in the ground paste and a small piece of tamarind. Add a cup of water to the curry. Close the pan with a lid and let it simmer for 10 minutes on low flame. Once the mixture is thick and cooked, remove from heat.
6. Serve hot.

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The post Kongunad Kaata Kuzhambu / Kollu Kuzhambu / Horsegram Curry appeared first on Kannamma Cooks.

Appala Kootu. This is a basic variation to the everyday lentil. They never made Appala kootu at my home. This is not a very common dish in Coimbatore. First time I had this was at Manju Aunties place in Chennai. I was very curious to know what that white layer thing on the dal was and auntie told it was appalam / papad. I was like “really..appalam…soaked on paruppu..wow.” It was really delicious. Ever since, I make it too. Usually all lentils in the indian households are generally cooked in the pressure cooker. But for this kootu, auntie says using pressure cooker makes the dish slimy. So she likes to let the lentil boil and cook on a pan. She also adds one potato to the kootu which makes it more creamier. Here is how to do an awesome Appala Kootu.

Take a heavy pan and add in the moong dal, chopped onion, chopped tomato, 1 green chilli sliced, 1/4 teaspoon turmeric, 1/2 teaspoon coriander powder, 1/4 teaspoon red chilli powder. Add 1 finely chopped potato (without skin). Potatoes gives a nice richness to the kootu. Add 1/2 litre of water, cover the pan and let it cook on medium flame for 20-25 minutes until the dal is fully cooked and starting to break apart.

In the mean time fry appalams in hot oil. We will need about 7-8 appalams. Break the appalams in small pieces and set aside.

Once the dal is cooked, add in the salt. We add salt after the dal is cooked. The dal takes longer time to cook if salt is added in the beginning. Add in the fried appalams. The appalams will get soaked in the dal. It will absorb some of the water. Add in a little hot water if the dal is too thick. Add water only if really necessary. Heat oil in a small pan. When the oil is hot, add in the cumin seeds, curry leaves and green chillies. Let it splutter. Add it to the dal. Let it simmer for two more minutes.

Remove from heat and serve hot with rice.

Appala Kootu / Tamil Appalam Kootu Recipe / Paapad Kootu

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

40 mins

Total time

1 hour

 

Tamilnadu style Appala Kootu recipe. Made with moong dal and fried appalams.

Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh

Recipe type: Side Dish

Cuisine: Tamilnadu, South Indian

Serves: 3 persons

Ingredients

For Boiling Lentils

• ⅓ cup split moong dal
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 1 potato, finely chopped (skin removed)
• 1 green chilli, sliced
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric
• ½ teaspoon coriander powder
• ¼ teaspoon red chilli powder

For Tempering

• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• ¼ teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 1 green chilli, chopped

For Frying Appalams

• 8 Appalams
• ½ litre vegetable oil for frying

Instructions

1. Take a heavy pan and add in the moong dal, chopped onion, chopped tomato, 1 green chilli sliced, ¼ teaspoon turmeric, ½ teaspoon coriander powder, ¼ teaspoon red chilli powder. Add 1 finely chopped potato (without skin). Add ½ litre of water, cover the pan and let it cook on medium flame for 20-25 minutes until the dal is fully cooked and starting to break apart.
2. In the mean time fry appalams in hot oil. Break the appalams in small pieces and set aside.
3. Once the dal is cooked, add in the salt. Add in the fried appalams. The appalams will get soaked in the dal. It will absorb some of the water. Add in a little hot water if the dal is too thick. Add water only if really necessary. Heat oil in a small pan. When the oil is hot, add in the cumin seeds, curry leaves and green chillies. Let it splutter. Add it to the dal. Let it simmer for two more minutes.
4. Remove from heat and serve hot with rice.

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The post Appala Kootu / Tamil Appalam Kootu Recipe / Lentils in Paapad Curry appeared first on Kannamma Cooks.

When I first saw this recipe in Vikas Khanna’s new cookbook Indian Harvest, I was excited. I saw this recipe for baked potato wedges and he adds tamarind for the Indian touch. I thought it was a genius idea as it gets the sweet and sour taste going and it works so well in the recipe. Usually potato wedges are deep fried. But in this recipe, its baked. Its so easy to make and can be made well ahead in advance and baked just in time. A party favorite. Here is how to do Baked potato wedges Indian style. I have slightly adapted the recipe to suit our family’s taste. I like to use freshly squeezed tamarind pulp. I don’t like the flavor of store bought tamarind paste.

Here is where you can buy the book by Vikas Khanna.

Indian Harvest: Classic and Contemporary Vegetarian Dishes

Now, for the recipe.
Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Wash and Scrub the potatoes well. Cut each potato into 8 wedges with skin.
In a large mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix well with your hands until potatoes are evenly coated.

Evenly grease a baking sheet with a teaspoon of oil and place the seasoned wedges in a single layer.

Bake the wedges for 35 to 40 minutes in the oven until they are crisp and golden, turning them once or twice to ensure even baking.
Serve hot, garnished with the cilantro.

Baked Potato Wedges / Potato Wedges Indian Style

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

45 mins

Total time

55 mins

 

Baked Indian Style Potato Wedges

Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh

Recipe type: Appetizer

Cuisine: Fusion

Serves: 3 persons

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• One 1-inch fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons tamarind pulp
• ¾ teaspoon Salt
• 500 grams potatoes
• Coriander leaves for garnish
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil for greasing baking sheet

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
2. Wash and Scrub the potatoes well. Cut each potato into 8 wedges with skin.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix well with your hands until potatoes are evenly coated.
4. Evenly grease a baking sheet with a teaspoon of oil and place the seasoned wedges in a single layer. Bake the wedges for 35 to 40 minutes until they are crisp and golden, turning them once or twice to ensure even baking.
5. Serve hot, garnished with the cilantro.

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The post Baked Potato Wedges / Potato Wedges Indian Style appeared first on Kannamma Cooks.

This is a family recipe. I like my brother in law Ravi bava a lot. He is a foodie. One day I was asking my sister Radha akka, what my bil’s favorite food was. She didn’t even think for a moment. Immediately, she told that it was her mil’s Peerkangai Paal Kuzhambu. She said “I have made it several hundred times but can never match her taste.” I have some fond memories with my sister’s mother in law Mani Paati. Mani Paati was a perfectionist. Her garden was kept immaculate. She would do it all by herself. Whenever we visited my sister, I would always visit Mani Paati for some time before going to see my sister. Within minutes after we go, there would be hot pakodas or bondas for us. She would also keep a small towel nearby. Attention to detail was her trademark. Her kitchen was the most organized I have ever seen. I would just go to the kitchen to help her, but it was not necessary. She would not let me to. She was a very persnickety, very hard working and caring person. She lived in a 19th century home and the house was just perfect. Her wardrobes had neatly folded starched sarees and crisp creased shirts that was lined up like for some photo shoot in IKEA. She cooked great food. Though a woman of few words, the smile was worth it. She passed away a few months back but her memory is going to stay with me for a long time. Here is her Peerkangai Paal Kuzhambu recipe.

Wash and clean the peerkangai – ridge gourd. Peel the skin with a vegetable peeler. Take time to peel the skin completely. Discard the skin. Cut the peeled ridge gourd into small pieces. Set aside.

Heat oil in a pan until hot. Add in the mustard seeds and curry leaves. Let it splutter. Add in the finely chopped shallots (small onions) and fry till the shallots are soft and starting to brown. About 4-5 minutes on medium flame.

Add in the chopped ridge gourd, turmeric powder, sambar powder, salt and 1 cup of water.

Cover with a lid and let it cook in medium flame for 6-7 minutes or until the ridge gourd is cooked well and water has dried. Add in one cup of regular cow milk. Let it simmer on medium flame for 3-4 minutes.

Remove from heat and serve hot with rice.

Its one of the simplest recipes but best ever. If you are using store bought sambar powder, I like to use Sakthi masala brand sambar powder. You can click on the link below to buy it online.

Peerkangai Paal Kuzhambu / Peerkangai Curry / Ridgegourd Curry

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

40 mins

 

Recipe for Peerkangai Paal Kuzhambu. Peerkangai Curry. Ridgegourd curry with milk. Very simple and easy recipe.

Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh

Recipe type: Side Dish

Cuisine: Tamilnadu, Coimbatore, Kongunad

Serves: 3 persons

Ingredients

• Measurements used 1 cup = 250 ml, 1 teaspoon = 5 ml
• 500 grams peerkangai / ridgegourd
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• ¼ teaspoon mustard seeds
• 2 sprigs curry leaves
• 15 shallots - small onions, finely chopped
• ½ teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon sambar powder
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup milk

Instructions

1. Wash and clean the peerkangai – ridge gourd. Peel the skin with a vegetable peeler. Cut the peeled ridge gourd into small pieces.
2. Heat oil in a pan until hot. Add in the mustard seeds and curry leaves. Let it splutter. Add in the finely chopped shallots (small onions) and fry till the shallots are soft and starting to brown. About 4-5 minutes on medium flame.
3. Add in the chopped ridge gourd, turmeric powder, sambar powder, salt and 1 cup of water. Cover with a lid and let it cook in medium flame for 6-7 minutes or until the ridge gourd is cooked well and water has dried.
4. Add in one cup of regular cow milk. Let it simmer on medium flame for 3-4 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and serve hot with rice.

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The post Mani Paati’s Peerkangai Paal Kuzhambu / Ridgegourd Curry appeared first on Kannamma Cooks.

This recipe is from Neikarapatti Amma as we fondly call her. Amma’s real name is Vijayalakshmi Gurusamy. She is my aunt’s co-in-law. Neikarapatti is near Palani in Tamilnadu. The house where Neikarapatti Amma lived was huge. It was called as Jameen Bangala. We were always excited to go there as a kid. The house was really huge. Not to mention the 20×20 feet bathrooms. After sun sets and everyone’s back home, a good 15 people – all of them family, used to play cards in the lobby. I was a kid then and all cards played by kids were “oppuku chappa – not countable tickets. How I wish we knew this then.” This kola will come as a snack for everyone to enjoy. This is Neikarapatti Ammas family recipe and its out of this world. Neikarapatti Amma is the most sweetest person you will ever meet. She loves to chew on betel nut. Just next to the dining table will be a thaamboolam with betel leaf, nut, sunnam paste and roja paaku. After lunch, every one will just relax in the front yard chewing betel leaf. Some will just take a small nap in the wicker chairs lined up in the hallway. Good old days. People seemed to have a lot of time then. Only memories are left now. This Vazhakkai vadai / Kola is legendary. Here is the most amazing Vazhakkai Vadai you will ever eat.

NOTE: This recipe is not a beginners recipe. 

Take the fried gram dal / pottu kadalai and make it to a fine powder in a small mixie jar / spice grinder. Please do not substitute besan for this recipe. The vada will come out rock hard.

We need to cook the plantains now. You can either steam the plantain in an idli vessel for 10-12 minutes or cook in a pressure cooker for just 1 whistle. I cooked the plantains with little water in the pressure cooker today. Remove from heat and let it cool. Peel the skin and set aside.

Now, its Masala Grinding Time.

Add in all the ingredients listed under grinding into a mixie / blender and grind it to a smooth paste. Add very little water while grinding. Few tablespoon at a time. Take time to grind it as fine as possible. Trust me, that’s the key to this recipe. After the mixture is very finely ground, add in the peeled bananas and pulse it a few times. The bananas should get incorporated with the masala mixture. Make sure there are no lumps.

Remove the mixture from the mixie and add in the fried gram powder. Mix well to combine. Do not add lots of fried gram powder. It will make the vadas break while frying in hot oil. The dough will be downright tacky to handle. The dough will be very soft. Don’t panic. That’s how its supposed to be.

Apply little oil to your hands. Make small 1.5 inch balls with your hands. Make sure you do not make big balls as the inside might not cook when frying. So remember to make the balls small in size. Its a very soft messy dough. Handle the dough gently.

If the palms become messy and rolling the balls seem impossible, wash your hands and start again.

I like to refrigerate the balls for 30 minutes before frying. This kind of crusts the outer skin and it helps in keeping the vada from disintegrating in hot oil.

Heat oil in a pan in medium heat. Once the oil is hot, fry the balls in low medium flame until golden. Do not crowd the pan or disturb the balls for the first minute. Either of this will make the balls to break. Just leave the balls and do not touch them after it hits the oil for the first minute. When the vadas are golden, remove from oil and drain on paper towels. Do not fry in really hot oil. The vadas will get browned faster and the inside will not have time to cook. So keep the flame at medium at all times. Serve vazhakkai vadai hot.

One of the best vazhakkai vadai you will ever eat.

Vazhakkai Vadai / Vazhakkai Kola / Plantain Vada Recipe

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

40 mins

 

Easy recipe for Vahakkai Vadai. Plantain Vadai. Authentic family recipe thats always a hit. With step by step pictures.

Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh

Recipe type: Appetizer

Cuisine: Tamilnadu, South Indian

Serves: 3 persons

Ingredients

• Measurements Used - 1 Cup = 250 ml, 1 teaspoon = 5 ml, 1 tablespoon = 15 ml.

Ingredients for grinding

• ½ cup fresh shredded coconut
• 1 medium sized onion
• 5 cloves garlic
• 1 inch piece ginger
• 1 inch piece cinnamon
• 1 clove
• 1 cardamom
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 tablespoon khuskhus - white poppy seeds
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
• 1 green chilli
• 2 sprig curry leaves
• 5 stalks coriander leaves
• 1 teaspoon salt

Other Ingredients

• 1 Vazhakkai / Raw Banana / Plantain
• ½ cup fried gram / pottu kadalai

For Frying

• 500 ml Vegetable oil

Instructions

1. Take the fried gram dal / pottu kadalai and make it to a fine powder in a small mixie jar / spice grinder.
2. Steam the plantain in an idli vessel for 10-12 minutes or cook in a pressure cooker for just 1 whistle. Peel the skin and set aside.
3. Add in all the ingredients listed under grinding into a mixie / blender and grind it to a smooth paste. Add very little water while grinding.
4. When the mixture is very finely ground, add in the peeled bananas and pulse it a few times. The bananas should get incorporated with the masala mixture.
5. Remove the mixture from the mixie and add in the fried gram powder. Mix well to combine.
6. Apply little oil to your hands. Make small 1.5 inch balls with your hands.
7. Refrigerate the balls for 30 minutes before frying.
8. Heat oil in a pan in medium heat. Once the oil is hot, fry the balls in low medium flame until golden. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels. Serve hot.

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The post Neikarapatti Vazhakkai Vadai / Vazhakkai Kola / Plantain Vada Recipe appeared first on Kannamma Cooks.

The sweet ending to any lunch is not complete without Payasam. My grand mother loved pal payasam and my dad says her favorite way of eating payasam was with appalam. I can never get enough of this recipe. This is a very old fashioned recipe and one of the simplest ones you will ever come across. But as with all authentic Indian desserts, this too is a labor of love and time. The milk cooks for long and gets slowly caramelized and takes on a light creamy colour. There isn’t any better way to end your south Indian lunch than this pal payasam. One serving can never be enough. I like to serve it warm. Here is how to do old fashioned classic pal payasam.

This payasam is going to be on the stove for nearly one and half hours. If you are planning to serve it for lunch, first start the payasam on the stove and then start cooking your main meal. By the time the main cooking is over, the payasam also will be done. There is no need for constant stirring. The milk will not bubble over during cooking due to the water added while cooking. So don’t worry. We need to keep the flame in medium high at all times.

Take a wide deep bottomed heavy pan. Add in the water and the milk. For every litre of milk, we will be adding 1.5 litres of water. Let it come to a boil. Once it comes to a boil add in the washed rice to the pan. Keep cooking on medium high flame. Because of the large quantity of water used, the milk will not bubble over. Just make sure to have a wooden spatula. You need not keep stirring all the time. Once in 5 minutes is perfectly fine.

The milk mixture will start evaporating and reducing in volume. The milk mixture would have approximately reduced by half after 30-40 minutes. Keep stirring once in a while.

After about one hour and 15 minutes, the mixture would have become creamy in colour and thicker in consistency. Most of the liquid would have been evaporated by now. Add in the sugar and mix well. Let it boil for 2 minutes. Switch off the flame and add in powdered cardamom. Mix well to combine.

For Tempering
Heat ghee in a pan and add in the broken cashew nuts. Fry on low flame until the nuts are slightly golden. Add it to the pal payasam.

Serve warm.

Pal Payasam / Milk Payasam Recipe

 

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Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

90 mins

Total time

1 hour 35 mins

 

Traditional Pal Payasam recipe. Milk payasam / kheer recipe. Old fashioned, Classic recipe.

Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh

Recipe type: Dessert

Cuisine: South Indian

Serves: 5 persons

Ingredients

Main Ingredients

• 1 litre Milk
• 1.5 litres Water
• 3 tablespoon Raw Rice
• ½ cup Sugar
• 3 Cardamom, powdered fine

For Tempering

• 2 teaspoon Ghee
• 7-8 cashew nuts, broken

Instructions

1. Take a wide deep bottomed heavy pan. Add in the water and the milk. Let it come to a boil. Once it comes to a boil add in the washed rice to the pan. Keep cooking on medium high flame.
2. The milk mixture will start evaporating and reducing in volume. The milk mixture would have approximately reduced by half after 30-40 minutes.
3. After about one hour and 15 minutes, the mixture would have become creamy in colour and thicker in consistency. Add in the sugar and mix well. Let it boil for 2 minutes. Switch off the flame and add in powdered cardamom. Mix well to combine.
4. Heat ghee in a pan and add in the broken cashew nuts. Fry on low flame until the nuts are slightly golden. Add it to the pal payasam.

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Usili is a very traditional dish made in Tamilnadu and is very popular among the brahmin community. My friend Priya is married to a Tamil Brahmin and she learnt this recipe after marriage. Its a Tam-Brahm recipe as we call it. When I first heard it from her, I dint know what she was talking about. I have never heard of the word usili till then. But its such a common dish in her family and I learnt it later from her. Its such a delicious recipe that goes so well with rice for lunch along with sambar or rasam. The lentils are cooked and roasted till they are nutty and veggies are added along with a tempering. Beans is a very traditional veggie used in usili. There are so many variations that are available and this is Priya’s recipe. The original recipe does not use onions. But I like it in the recipe and so I have added onions too. Here is how to do tamil style Beans Paruppu Usili.

Soak the chana dal in water for one hour. Drain the water after soaking. Grind the chana dal with salt, asafoetida and dried red chillies. Do not add any water while grinding. Pulse it several times.

Oil an idli plate and place the ground mixture on the plate. Fill about half an inch of water in a pressure cooker and place the idli plate on the cooker. Pressure cook the mixture for 2 whistles. Switch off the flame. Let the pressure from the cooker release naturally. Let the mixture cool. Once the mixture is cool, crumble the mixture onto a plate. Set aside.

Wash and clean the beans. Now we need to de-string the beans. This is an important step as the strings are very fibrous and not pleasant to eat. Snap off the tip of one end of the bean with a paring knife and pull the string like below. Snap and pull other end of the bean too. Discard the snapped-off ends and strings. Note that the tender young bean might not have strings. So just snap off the ends alone. Finely chop the beans and steam the beans in a pressure cooker for two to three whistles until tender. Set aside.

Many people have asked me about the small pressure cooker that I use for my recipes. Its a 3 litre prestige stainless steel pressure cooker thats so perfect for my small family and I use it for everything. Boiling rice, lentils, veggies, steaming idlis etc.. Its such a multi tasker and does not consume lots of space. Here is where you can buy it online.
Prestige Deluxe Alpha Stainless Steel Pressure Cooker, 3 Litres

Now, back to the recipe.
Heat oil in a pan and add in the mustard seeds, dried red chillies and curry leaves. Let the mustard seeds splutter. Add in the finely chopped onions and fry till the onions are soft. Add in the crumbled lentils and fry for a good 6-7 minutes.

Roasting the lentils until light brown is very important for this recipe. Roasting the lentils gives a very nice flavor to the dish. Once the lentils are nicely roasted, add in the cooked beans, salt and turmeric. Fry for 5 minutes.

Switch off the flame and serve the beans paruppu usili.
Paruppu usili is usually served for lunch with Rasam and Sambar.

Paruppu Usili Recipe / Beans Usili Tamil Style

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

40 mins

 

Recipe for Beans Usili. Paruppu Usili with Beans. Traditional Tamil kitchen style recipe.

Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh

Recipe type: Stir-fry

Cuisine: South Indian, Tamilnadu

Serves: 4 persons

Ingredients

For Steaming Lentils

• ½ cup chana dal
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 dried red chillies
• ¼ teaspoon asafoetida
• ⅛ teaspoon vegetable oil, for oiling idli plate

For Tempering

• 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
• ¼ teaspoon mustard seeds
• 2 dried red chillies
• 2 sprigs curry leaves
• 1 medium sized onion, finely chopped
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon turmeric
• 250 grams beans, cleaned and finely chopped

Instructions

1. Soak the chana dal in water for one hour. Drain the water after soaking. Grind the chana dal with salt, asafoetida and dried red chillies. Do not add any water while grinding.
2. Oil an idli plate and place the ground mixture on the plate. Pressure cook the mixture for 2 whistles. Switch off the flame. Once the mixture is cool, crumble the mixture onto a plate. Set aside.
3. Wash and clean the beans.Finely chop the beans and steam the beans in a pressure cooker for two to three whistles until tender. Set aside.
4. Heat oil in a pan and add in the mustard seeds, dried red chillies and curry leaves. Let the mustard seeds splutter. Add in the finely chopped onions and fry till the onions are soft. Add in the crumbled lentils and fry for a good 6-7 minutes.
5. Once the lentils are nicely roasted, add in the cooked beans, salt and turmeric. Fry for 5 minutes.
6. Switch off the flame and serve the beans paruppu usili.

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This is my son approved doughnuts recipe. We have made this together so many times and this is his absolute favorite. There are a few tips and tricks to a good doughnut and its all about the dough. I have made this doughnuts for my friends, I have made it for my family, and most importantly, I have sold hundreds of them at my bakery which is now closed. This is the only recipe I use for doughnuts. Its a time tested recipe and here is how to do it. Before we start, here are some tips for a good soft melt in your mouth doughnut.

Making the Dough
# This recipe measures flour by weight. That’s the only way to go. Reason – When we measure, we might pack too much flour for one cup which will result in tough dry dough while some times the flour might be fluffy that you will end up with too little flour for one cup. Too little flour will end up in goopy unworkable dough.
# Mix yeast in slightly warm milk. If the milk is too hot, the heat will kill the yeast. If the milk is too cold, the yeast will not get activated. If the milk is warm (not hot) to the touch, we are good to go.
# Stand Mixer is the best way to knead this dough as its a very soft dough. But if you are going to hand knead, keep these in mind.
1. If you start with a soft dough in the beginning, you will end up with a soft doughnut at the end. If you use too much flour while kneading, you will be drying out the dough and will end up with hard doughnuts.
2. Hand kneading might be difficult as its a very very soft dough. You will definitely need a bench scraper. You might have to knead for a good 15 minutes. It will still be very tacky at the end. Resist your temptation to add extra flour while kneading.
3. Do not add any more flour than described in the ingredients (350 grams).
Frying Doughnuts
# Don’t fry doughnuts in very hot oil. It will become too brown before the inside can get time to cook. Fry in medium low heat.
# Do not crowd the doughnuts in oil. The temperature of the oil will come down if crowded and the doughnuts will absorb way more oil than it should. Right temperature is the key to good doughnuts.
# Flip only once.
# Using a chopstick to flip is the best way to flip doughnuts.

Here is how to do some soft and creamy doughnuts. Here is what you will need.

Take the bowl of a stand mixer and add in the warm milk, sugar and the yeast. Let it sit for 5 minutes for the yeast to completely dissolve. My little hands helped me in mixing today. It tastes even better. Children can put so much love while cooking.

After 5 minutes, add in the flour, salt, nutmeg powder, butter and the egg. Combine the ingredients on low speed in a stand mixer until flour is incorporated. Increase the speed to medium high and let the stand mixer knead the dough for the next 5-7 minutes.

The dough should start to pull away from the bowl and become smooth and shiny. It will still be a very tacky, sticky dough even after kneading. Apply oil to your hands and transfer the dough to an oiled bowl.

Cover it with a loose tea towel and let it rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size. It might take more time if the place where you live is cold.

Flour the surface well. Roll out the dough into a 12 inch circle. Slightly sprinkle some flour on the top of the rolled dough. This will help the doughnut cutter from sticking to the dough.

Cut the dough using your preferred doughnut cutter. Flour the sheet pan so the dough will not stick. Line the doughnuts on a well floured sheet pan. Repeat the rolling and cutting with the left over dough scraps. Cover with a loose towel and let it rise for 30-40 minutes.

After the second rise, heat oil in a pan. When oil is hot, gently immerse the doughnuts in oil. Cook for 45 seconds to a minute per side until golden. Flip only once. Use a chopstick to flip. Remove the doughnuts and drain on a paper towel.

For the Glaze
Take a wide bowl. Wide bowl is the best for this preparation as it will be easy for dipping the doughnuts. Sift confectioners sugar into the bowl. (Do not use homemade powdered sugar. Glaze will be grainy.) Combine milk and vanilla extract. Whisk slowly, until well combined. If the glaze is too thick, use one teaspoon of milk at a time to dilute the glaze. Don’t add too much liquid. Dip doughnuts into the glaze, 1 at a time and set it to drain on paper towels. Glaze needs to be immediately used else it will become hard.

Store the doughnuts for upto 3 days in a closed container at room temperature. This recipe has been minimally adapted from Alton Brown.

Doughnuts Recipe / Classic glazed Doughnuts / Yeasted Doughnuts

 

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Prep time

3 hours

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

3 hours 20 mins

 

Classic Original Glazed Doughnuts Recipe #yeasted #doughnuts #glazed #classic #original #donut #creamy #homemade #scratch #baking #foolproof #tested #recipe #holidays #treat #yummy

Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh

Recipe type: Snack, Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Serves: 15 big doughnuts

Ingredients

For the doughnuts

• 1 cup lukewarm milk
• 2 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 2¼ teaspoon Active dry yeast
• 350 grams All purpose flour (maida)
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 35 grams butter
• Extra flour for dusting
• Vegetable Oil for deep frying

For the Glaze

• 3 tablespoon milk
• 1 cup confectioners sugar
• 1 teaspoon real vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Take the bowl of a stand mixer and add in the warm milk, sugar and the yeast. Let it sit for 5 minutes for the yeast to completely dissolve.
2. After 5 minutes, add in the flour, salt, nutmeg powder, butter and the egg. Combine the ingredients on low speed in a stand mixer until flour is incorporated. Increase the speed to medium high and let the stand mixer knead the dough for the next 5-7 minutes.
3. The dough should start to pull away from the bowl and become smooth and shiny. Apply oil to your hands and transfer the dough to an oiled bowl.
4. Cover it with a loose tea towel and let rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
5. Flour the surface well. Roll out the dough into a 12 inch circle.
6. Cut the dough using your preferred doughnut cutter. Cover with a loose towel and let it rise for 30-40 minutes.
7. After the second rise, heat oil in a pan. When oil is hot, gently immerse the doughnuts in oil. Cook for 45 seconds to a minute per side until golden. Flip only once. Use a chopstick to flip. Remove the doughnuts and drain on a paper towel.
8. Sift confectioners sugar into the bowl. Combine milk and vanilla extract. Whisk slowly, until well combined. Dip doughnuts into the glaze, 1 at a time and set it to drain on paper towels.

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There is a cute little resort tucked inside a coffee plantation in Wayanad, Kerala called Marmalade Springs. We had this refreshing citrus drink there, which I liked a lot. I later came to know that it was made with wild oranges that grow only in that area of Wayanad. The wild oranges were the size of an Indian lime. It even looked like a lime. But when you peel it, you will be in for a surprise. Its intensely orangy with a very thin skin and its very sour. They use it to make Marmalade, pickle and  juice. They were happy to share the recipe. The cook there told that a good substitute for wild oranges would be our Indian Mosambi and that’s what I have used today. Here is how to do Marmalade springs rocking citrus drink.

Here is what you will need
# 2 inch piece ginger, peeled
# 1 medium sized Mosambi, peeled
# 1 Indian lime, seeds removed (do not peel skin)

Take a small mixie jar and add in the sugar and cardamom and grind to a powder.

In the same jar, add in the ginger, mosambi and lime. They add the skin of the lime along while grinding. It was so new to me and I should say that having the skin on gives the juice an intense citrus flavor. Add one cup of water to the mixture. Pulse it several times. Then, strain. Do not use a fine strainer. Use a strainer with wide holes to get some of the citrus pulp. To the strained mixture add one more cup of water and a big pinch of salt. Mix well.

Serve immediately. If you wish, add in some ice cubes.

Enjoy!

Marmalade springs Citrus Mocktail

 

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Prep time

5 mins

Total time

5 mins

 

Recipe from Marmalade Springs Resort Wayanad, Kerala - Refreshing Citrus juice mocktail. Marmalade Springs Wild oranges are to die for!

Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh

Recipe type: Mocktail

Cuisine: South Indian, Kerala

Serves: 3 persons

Ingredients

• 2 inch piece ginger, peeled
• 1 medium sized Mosambi, peeled
• 1 Indian lime, seeds removed (do not peel skin)
• 5 Tablespoon Sugar
• 3 Cardamom
• 2 Cups, 500 ml Water
• A big pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Take a small mixie jar and add in the sugar and cardamom and grind to a powder.
2. In the same jar, add in the ginger, mosambi and lime. Add one cup of water to the mixture. Pulse it several times. Then, strain. To the strained mixture add one more cup of water and a big pinch of salt. Mix well.
3. Serve immediately. If you wish, add in some ice cubes.

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When we used to live in CA, a couple of us friends would go for walking in the morning after dropping the children at school. After walking, I would spend at-least an hour with Thahira sipping tea and listening to her stories. She is an amazing story teller. Here is a sample. When she was really young may be in her first or second grade, she saw that everyone in school was really sad one day. She learnt that it was to do with her language teacher who was in a christian missionary. She came back home and told her mom that the teacher had become “Reddiar”. Reddiar is a community in Tamilnadu. Her mother was totally shocked and did not quite comprehend what Thahira was saying. Later on, her mother came to know that the teacher had actually “RETIRED”. I just could not stop laughing after hearing this. We still laugh so hard when we talk. There are very few people in life who can make you laugh till your stomach hurts. Hold them tight. நன்பேண்டா. OK. Back to the recipe. So one day Thahira had this Christmas party that was coming at school. She was to bring some Indian snack for the children. Her son was in Kindergarten then. She asked me what she could make that would be kindergarten friendly. We thought about a lot of snacks and sweets but were not convinced. Then she shouted “KALAKALA”. I dint know what kalakala was then. We just called it diamond biscuits. It was a huge hit at school among the little ones. Kalakala is crunchy and very slightly sweet. Its the perfect snack. This is also very traditional Christmas snack made in Tamilnadu. Here is how to do diamond biscuits.

Grind the sugar and the cardamom in a small mixie / grinder to a smooth powder. Set aside.

Mix in the Maida (All purpose flour), sugar mixture, a big pinch of salt and a big pinch of baking soda. Add in 2 teaspoon of ghee. Don’t add too much ghee. The biscuits will become too soft and soggy. Combine well with your fingers to make sure the ghee is evenly mixed.

Start adding water. Add very little at a time. Sugar is hygroscopic. So a little water will go a long way. Make a very stiff dough. Make 8 balls out of the dough. Set aside. Dust the dough ball in maida generously and roll each dough ball into a flat circle. Don’t roll it too thin. Roll it a little thicker than chapati.

Cut the circle into little diamonds with the help of a pie cutter or a knife. I like to use a knife as its super easy and the shape reminds me of my child hood memories. If you want to use a spiral cutter like the one in the picture below, go ahead. If you have a bench scraper, use it. I find it really helpful to transfer the cut diamonds to a plate. I transfer them directly to the oil for frying.

Heat oil in a pan in medium flame. Gently add in the diamond cuts to the oil. Do not fry the diamonds in very hot oil. As the dough contains sugar, it will caramelize and become really dark if fried in hot oil. Fry on low medium flame until golden.

Drain the biscuits on paper towels. Store in an airtight container for up-to 4 days.

Kalakala Sweet Recipe / Diamond Biscuit

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

50 mins

 

Tamil style Crunchy Kalakala biscuits. Also called as diamond biscuits or Maida biscuits. Kids favorite snack.

Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh

Recipe type: Snacks

Cuisine: South Indian, Tamilnadu

Serves: 3 cups

Ingredients

• Measurements Used 1 Cup = 250 ml and 1 teaspoon = 5ml
• ½ cup sugar
• 3 Cardamom
• 2 Cups Maida / All Purpose Flour
• 2 teaspoon ghee
• a big pinch of salt
• a big pinch of baking soda (aapa soda)
• Little Flour for dusting
• Vegetable Oil for deep frying

Instructions

1. Grind the sugar and the cardamom in a small mixie / grinder to a smooth powder. Set aside.
2. Mix in the Maida (All purpose flour), sugar mixture, a big pinch of salt and a big pinch of baking soda. Add in 2 teaspoon of ghee. Combine well with your fingers to make sure the ghee is evenly mixed.
3. Start adding water. Add very little at a time. Make a very stiff dough. Make 8 balls out of the dough. Set aside. Dust the dough ball in maida generously and roll each dough ball into a flat circle. Don’t roll it too thin. Roll it a little thicker than chapati.
4. Cut the circle into little diamonds with the help of a pie cutter or a knife.
5. Heat oil in a pan in medium flame. Gently add in the diamond cuts to the oil. Fry on low medium flame until golden.
6. Drain the biscuits on paper towels. Store in an airtight container for up-to 4 days.

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During Christmas time, you will come across two kinds of people in this world. The fruit cake lovers and the fruit cake haters. I used to be a fruit cake hater for a very long time. Then it all changed one day. Long time back, our good friend Femila Cinthu bought us a yummy Gazillion kilo weighing fruit cake during Christmas time. My husband loves fruit cakes. We had planned to have the cake after dinner as dessert but Vinodh insisted that we have cake first. The ever smiling Cinthu could not say no. She cut a piece for him and gave one for me. I could not say no. I had a bite very unwillingly but I am so happy I had it that day. It was heavenly. Ever since I have been making the cake using Cinthu’s secret fruit cake spice mix. Sorry Cinthu – Its not a secret anymore. My husband loves loves loves fruit cake. It has even become our anniversary cake that I make it every year as a ritual. Here is Cinthu holding my Vedant and her Nitin. Vinodh and Manoj (Cinthu’s husband) were friends from their bachelor days. It so happened that we traveled to the US at the same time. Not only that. We even stayed next door sharing one common wall between us. Wonderful days. Wish we can live it back again. Stevens Creek Boulevard – I miss you. I still remember this picture so vividly. It was taken on Vedant’s first birthday. We had just moved to San Diego from San Jose and we did not know anyone yet there. So we drove to San Jose where Cinthu hosted a birthday party for him. Good food (Lots of biryani), good friends and some really memorable times. That’s what life is all about. Not to forget, Thomas the train engine that ruled our lives at that time. Nitin (Cinthu’s son) must have been the biggest Thomas fan ever to be born.

For detailed recipe and measurements, scroll to the bottom of the page.
This fruit cake has black grapes (dark raisins), golden raisins (called as Kishmish locally), currants and dried apricots. The fruits you use are more of a personal choice. Use whatever you like.

Clean the dry fruits and get rid of any stems. The trick with fruit cakes is to chop the dried fruits. Take time to chop the apricots and rough chop the raisins and black grapes. I cut the grapes in half. Yes its time consuming work but its rewarding. I find that the fruits absorb more flavor of the spices if chopped and the end cake is even more tastier.

Now add the dark rum to the chopped fruits and leave it to rest in a draft free place in your kitchen. Rest it for a minimum of one day. You can leave it for even a month. Some people soak their fruits even an year ahead. Just give the container a good shake every day or every couple of days. If you do not want to use alcohol, just omit this step and proceed with the recipe. It still tastes good.

Now lets talk spices.
A lot of the flavor of the cake will depend on what kind of spices you use. This is the best spice mix according to me and a lot of flavor develops during dry roasting of the spices. The spices may look too much. But trust me, fruit cake can take it all!

Dry roast all the ingredients listed under Spice Mix One. Dry roast on low flame until the spices are fragrant. Remove from heat and let it cool. Grind the spices in a small mixie jar / spice grinder to a very fine powder. Getting the spices to a fine powder is very important. Pulse several times until you reach the fine texture. Set aside.

We will need another set of spices and lets call it Spice Mix Two. Get them ready. While zesting orange and lime, make sure to zest only the skin of the fruit which has flavorful essential oils. Don’t go deep till the pith or the white part of the fruit. The pith is very bitter.

Take a pan and add in the soaked dry fruits, finely ground Spice Mix One, all of the ingredients listed under Spice Mix Two, water, butter, salt and both the sugars. Bring the mixture to a boil. Once its boiling, reduce the flame to low and let the mixture simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Its important that the mixture is completely cool before proceeding. If you mix flour in hot liquid, you will end up with gum. Nah! So be patient and wait for the mixture to cool. It might take one hour to cool.

Preheat the oven to 325 F / 160 C.

Whisk the eggs in a cup. Add it to the cooled fruit mixture. Mix well.

Sift the dry ingredients together namely flour and baking soda. Add it to the cooled fruit mixture. Fold the flour with a wooden spatula and mix well to combine. Grease and flour “two 9 x 5 inch bread loaf pans” or “three 6 x 3 inch round cake pans”. Line the pan with parchment paper. Transfer the cake batter to the pan. Level the batter with the back of a spatula. Make sure that the batter is not more than 3/4th of the height of the pan. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

After 45 minutes, insert a tooth pick in the middle of the cake. If it comes out clean, the cake is done. If the tooth pick has a little batter sticking, bake for 10-15 minutes more and check again. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool in the pan until room temperature. Gently invert the pan and remove the cake from the pan and store it in an air tight container. The flavor of the cake improves the next day.

Have the cake with your friends and count your little blessings.

Rich Plum Cake / Indian Fruit Cake Recipe / Christmas Fruit Cake

 

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Prep time

24 hours

Cook time

2 hours

Total time

26 hours

 

Rich Fruit cake recipe.

Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh

Recipe type: Dessert

Cuisine: British / Indian

Serves: 8 inch cake

Ingredients

For Soaking Fruits

• Total Fruits Used - 700 grams
• 300 grams dried Black grapes / Dark Raisins - seedless
• 200 grams dried Apricots
• 100 grams Golden Raisins / Kishmish
• 100 grams Currants
• ½ Cup Dark Rum

Spice Mix One ( Dry roast and Grind to a fine powder)

• 6 Cloves
• 4 Cinnamon sticks (Cassia) (2 inches each)
• ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg
• 6 Cardamom
• 1 tablespoon Coriander Seeds
• ½ teaspoon Cumin Seeds

Spice Mix Two

• 1 teaspoon Instant Coffee Powder
• 1 teaspoon Dry Ginger powder
• Zest of one lime
• Zest of one orange

For the cake

• 200 grams brown sugar or demerara sugar
• 200 grams white regular granulated sugar
• 2 Cups (500 ml) Water
• 100 grams butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 eggs
• 420 grams All purpose flour ( Maida)
• 2 teaspoon Baking Soda

Instructions

1. Add the dark rum to the chopped fruits and leave it to rest in a draft free place in your kitchen. Rest it for a minimum of one day.
2. Dry roast all the ingredients listed under Spice Mix One. Dry roast on low flame until the spices are fragrant. Remove from heat and let it cool. Grind the spices in a small mixie jar / spice grinder to a very fine powder.
3. Take a pan and add in the soaked dry fruits, finely ground Spice Mix One, all of the ingredients listed under Spice Mix Two, water, butter , salt and both the sugars. Bring the mixture to a boil. Once its boiling, reduce the flame to low and let the mixture simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
4. Preheat the oven to 325 F / 160 C.
5. Whisk the eggs in a cup. Add it to the cooled fruit mixture. Mix well.
6. Sift the dry ingredients together namely flour and baking soda. Add it to the cooled fruit mixture. Fold the flour with a wooden spatula and mix well to combine. Grease and flour “two 9 x 5 bread loaf pans” or “three 6 x 3 inch round cake pans”. Line the pan with parchment paper. Transfer the cake batter to the pan. Level the batter with the back of a spatula.
7. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
8. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool in the pan until room temperature. Gently invert the pan and remove the cake from the pan and store it in an air tight container.
9. The flavor of the cake improves the next day.

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I posted the recipe for Beans Usili sometime back. I adapted the recipe to make this murungai keerai usili. It works so well. The addition of shallots adds a nice flavor to the dish. I think garlic and murungai keerai are made for each other. Even though there is no garlic used in traditional usili recipes, I have used it in copious amount for this recipe as it just works so well with the greens. Refer my Murungai Keerai Poriyal recipe to know how to clean and wash the greens. There are a hundreds of ways and variations in which one can make usili. This is my way. Just add or minus whatever you like to adapt the recipe to suit your palette.

We will first make the lentils or the usili part. Soak half a cup of chana dal (kadalai paruppu) in water for one hour. After soaking, add in the cumin seeds, asafoetida, salt and red chillies. Add very little water if necessary while grinding. Pulse it several times.

Oil an idli plate and place the ground mixture on the plate. Fill about half an inch of water in a pressure cooker and place the idli plate on the cooker. Pressure cook the mixture for 2 whistles. Switch off the flame. Let the pressure from the cooker release naturally. Let the mixture cool. Once the mixture is cool, crumble the mixture into small pieces onto a plate. Set aside.

Finely chop the curry leaves, garlic and shallots (small onions). Set aside.

Heat oil in a pan and add in the mustard seeds, red chillies and urad dal. Let the mustard seeds splutter. Add in the shallots, curry leaves and garlic. Fry on low medium flame for 7-8 minutes. Let the garlic and shallots get nicely brown and roasted.

Add in the crumbled lentils and murungai keerai leaves. Add in the salt. Fry on low flame for the next 20 minutes. Keep sauteing so the lentils dont burn. Roasting the lentils until light brown is very important for this recipe. Roasting the lentils gives a very nice flavor to the dish.

Once the mixture is dry and roasted, switch off the flame. Serve hot with rice and curry.

Murungai Keerai Paruppu Usili / Murungai Keerai Lentil Fry Recipe

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

45 mins

Total time

1 hour

 

Recipe for Murungai Keerai Paruppu Usili.Tamil nadu style moringa leaves in lentils. Dry preparation.

Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh

Recipe type: Stir-Fry

Cuisine: South Indian, Tamilnadu

Serves: 4 persons

Ingredients

For cooking lentils

• ½ cup Chana Dal
• ½ teaspoon Cumin Seeds
• ⅛ teaspoon Asafoetida
• ½ teaspoon Salt
• 2 Dried Red Chillies
• Little oil for oiling the idli plate

For the Stir-Fry

• 4 teaspoon Vegetable Oil
• ¼ teaspoon Mustard Seeds
• ½ teaspoon Urad Dal
• 2 Dried Red Chillies
• 15 Shallots (small onions)
• 15 Cloves Garlic
• ½ teaspoon Salt
• 250 grams Murungai Keerai leaves / Moringa leaves

Instructions

For cooking lentils

1. Soak half a cup of chana dal (kadalai paruppu) in water for one hour. After soaking, add in the cumin seeds, asafoetida, salt and red chillies. Add very little water if necessary while grinding. Pulse it several times until coarsely ground.
2. Oil an idli plate and place the ground mixture on the plate. Fill about half an inch of water in a pressure cooker and place the idli plate on the cooker. Pressure cook the mixture for 2 whistles. Switch off the flame. Let the pressure from the cooker release naturally. Let the mixture cool. Once the mixture is cool, crumble the mixture into small pieces onto a plate. Set aside.

For the Stir-Fry

1. Heat oil in a pan and add in the mustard seeds, red chillies and urad dal. Let the mustard seeds splutter. Add in the shallots, curry leaves and garlic. Fry on low medium flame for 7-8 minutes. Let the garlic and shallots get nicely brown and roasted.
2. Add in the crumbled lentils and murungai keerai leaves. Add in the salt. Fry on low flame for the next 20 minutes. Keep sauteing so the lentils dont burn. Roasting the lentils until light brown is very important for this recipe. Roasting the lentils gives a very nice flavor to the dish.
3. Once the mixture is dry and roasted, switch off the flame. Serve hot with rice and curry.

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