Sweet Roti - with leftover pooranam of kozhakatai

Ingredients:

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• Atta/Wheat flour - 1 cup
• Besan - 1 tbsp
• Rice flour - 1 tbsp
• Ghee - for cooking the rotis

Pooranam - for the filling

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• Coconut,shredded - from 1 big coconut
• Jaggery - 200 grams
• Elachi powder - 1/2 tsp
• Ghee - 2 tsp

Method:

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Pooranam/coconut-jaggery filling:

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• Pound the jaggery using a pestle in a newspaper.
• Add the powdered jaggery in a kadai with a cup of water.
• On a medium flame,stir well till the jaggery melts completely.
• Switch off the flame and strain the melted jaggery solution with a strainer.This is done to remove the dirt in jaggery.
• Again pour the strained solution into the same kadai and stir will on a medium flame till you get a single thread consistency.
• Single thread consistency--When you pour the solution with a laddle from a height into the kadait,it should flow down like a thin single thread unlike a watery solution.
• At that point,add the shredded coconut immediately and stir continuously on a low flame.
• Once the coconut is mixed well with the jaggery solution and it becomes like a paste,switch off the flame immediately.
• The filling gets thickened as it cools.
• Add a tsp of ghee and elachi powder.Mix well and set aside to cool.

The dough:

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• Mix atta,besan,rice flour with little water and knead into a soft dough.
• Cover with a lid and set aside for an hour.

The Sweet roti:

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• Make round balls with the dough,each of diameter say,4cm.
• Spread like a roti of diameter 8 cm and keep 2 tsp of filling in the middle.
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• Cover from all the sides as shown below.
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• Rub it in wheat flour and spread again into a roti, like a stuffed paratha.
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• Heat a skillet .When its medium hot ,add the roti and cook with ghee smeared on top and along the edges, on a low flame.
• Repeat the same for the other side.
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• Once its cooked well on both sides,take it away and serve medium hot.

Thipilli kashayam-A cure for cold and chest congestion

Ingredients:

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• Coriander seeds - 2 tsp
• Ajwain - 1 tsp
• Jeera - 2 tsp
• Pepper corns - 5
• Long Pepper/Thipilli - 2 to 3
• Dry ginger powder /dry ginger - 2 tsp / a 1/2 inch piece
• Garlic pods - 5 to 6
• Panam kalkandu/Rock candy crystal - 3 tsp

Method:

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• Dry roast thipilli,pepper,coriander seeds,jeera,ajwain in a kadai till the pepper bursts and coriander seeds turn brown.set aside to cool.
• Chop the garlic into fine pieces.

• Crush the roasted ingredients roughly using a pestle and mortar along with garlic and dry ginger.

• If you are using dry ginger powder,skip dry ginger in the above step.

• Add the crushed ingredients along with dry ginger powder in a kadai and add 2 cups of water.

• Let it boil till the the water gets reduced to half of its quantity.

• Add the rock candy crystals and stir well till it melts.Adjust the quantity of crystals based on sweetness.Do not make it too sweet as the kashayam needs the taste of pepper and ginger for subsiding the cold.

• Switch off the flame.Strain well using a strainer.

Serve hot and get better with cold or cough.

Spaghetti in tomato and basil sauce

Ingredients:

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• Spaghetti - 1 packet
• Oil/Olive oil - 3 tsp
• Salt - 1 tsp
• Ripe tomatoes - 5 medium sized
• Tomato sauce - 2 tsp
• Garlic,finely chopped - 7 cloves
• Pepper,crushed - 1 tsp
• Italion seasoning - to sprinkle(you will get in any supermarket)
• Basil leaves ,fresh - 8
• Cheese,preferably Parmesan - shredded,50 grams to 100 grams depending on one's taste

Method:

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• Boil enough water in a saucepan.When it starts boiling add salt and a tsp of oil.
• Add the spaghetti and cook uncovered for 10 minutes.
• Check if the spaghetti is cooked by just pressing it between your fingers.
• Drain the excess water using a strainer and place it under cold running water.Wash the cooked spaghetti in cold water.This is done so that the spaghetti doesn't get stuck to each other.
• Blanch the tomatoes.(Immerse them in super hot water for 5 min and then wash them in cold water).
• Peel off its skin and mash well using your hand.
• Add the tomato puree with the sauce,pepper,garlic and allow it to boil on a medium flame.Le the raw smell go away.
• Wash the basil leaves.Roll them like a cigar and chop finely.
• Add 1 tsp of italian seasoning and basil leaves and cook for 2 to 3 min.
• Add the spaghetti,mix well and turn off the flame.
• Shred the cheese and add it to the spaghetti and mix well.Let the cheese melt and get blended with the spaghetti.

Serve hot.While serving sprinkle little Italian seasoning on top.

Unndili kara kozhakkattai

Vrat on the day of Ganesh Chaturthi is considered to be one of most auspicious fast (vrat) for the devotees of lord Ganesh. People believe that the vrat can give them wisdom, mind power and success.

Many people observe the fast (vrat) on Ganesh Chaturthi. Ladies prepare sweets,kozhakkatai(Modak) and special laddoos in their home and offer to lord Ganesh before they eat. Lets see how to make this simple kozhakkatai which will be liked by the kids especially.This can also be made if you have rice dough left over after preparing the traditional sweet kozhakattai.

Ingredients:

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• Rice flour - 1 cup (for the dough)
• Salt - to taste
• Water - 2.5 cups
• Ghee - 1 tsp
• Idly molagapodi - 4 tsp
• Coconut oil - 2 tsp
• mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• asafoetida powder - a pinch
• curry leaves - a sprig
• Rice flour - 2 tsp

Method:

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• Heat 1/2 tsp of ghee in a kadai. (preferably non-stick)
• Add 2 cups of water and salt to it and allow it to boil.
• Meanwhile,make a paste of rice flour with half cup of water without any lumps.
• Let the consistency be like an idly batter.
• When the water boils,reduce the flame ,add the paste slowly and keep stirring without a break.
• It will turn into a dough in few seconds.Switch off the flame and set aside to cool.

• When it has reached room temperature,add the molagapodi/Idly podi and knead well using your hand.
• Apply little ghee in your palms and start rolling the dough into small balls each of diameter,1 cm.
• Keep the balls in an idly plate and steam for 10 to 15 min.
• Add coc0nut oil in a kadai with mustard,asafoetida and curry leaves.
• When mustard splutters,add the cooked rice balls.Sprinkle little rice flour and keep sauting for 5 min till it gets roasted slightly.

Serve hot with chai.Can also be used as a quick neivedyam(for which the podi has to be fresh).

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Nei Appam

Janmashtami is one of the most widely celebrated festivals of India. With different customs and traditions, the occasion of Janmashtami is celebrated. One of the important religious aspects of the festival of Janmashtami is the Janmashtami fast that is kept by the devotees on Janmashtami. The meaning of fasting means to move near the supreme and the all mighty and to overcome helplessness. On the festival of Janmashtami also devotees keep fast and seek blessings of the Lord.

Nirjal Janmashtami Fast The religious followers of Lord Krishna celebrate the festival of Janmashtami by keeping nirjal fast, meaning fasting without having even a single drop of water. They believe that by keeping this type of fast they will come closer to God. Other devotees who can't follow such a strict fast keep fruit fast having only milk and fruits during the fast. Devotees observe strict discipline while fasting. They refrain from having cereals and salt on the day of the festival. They also feel keeping such fast is the only thing that they can offer God. Fasting is accompanied by singing of devotional songs and mantra chanting. Janmashtami Fast Dishes There are different types of dishes made on the occasion of Janmashtami for those who keep a fast. Since Lord Krishna is very fond of milk and butter products, different types of dishes made from the same are prepared like kheer, pedhas or other sweets. Devotees break their fast at midnight after the birth of Lord Krishna by offering prasad to the Lord. The different dishes that can be made as prasadams are in the Neivedyam section. To start with ,lets see how to make Nei appam.This recipe is for 15 medium sized appams. Ingredients: ========== Rice(Raw rice / puzhungal arisi) - 100 grams Ripe banana - 1 big or 2 small Jaggery(crushed)- 100grams Elachi/cardamom powder - 1 tsp Dry dinger powder - 1/2 tsp Dry coconut/Kopra - 2 tsp, cut into fine pieces Ghee - for making the appam Method: ====== Wash and soak the rice for 2 hours. Drain the excess water. Crush the jaggery roughly using a pestle and mortar. Chop the banana into small slices. Grind the soaked rice with enough water into a very smooth paste. Add the powdered jaggery and banana slices .Grind again till it blends well. The consistency of the batter should be slightly flowing.Do not make it too watery.Adjust the quantity of water as required while grinding. Add elachi powder,dry ginger powder and chopped dry coconut .Mix well. Add little ghee in each hole of the kuzhi paniyaram vessel .When its hot,pour a laddle of batter into each hole. When it gets cooked,flip it to the other side. Take out the appams when its cooked on both side and drain the excess ghee using a tissue paper. Let it cool down to room temperature.Enjoy the yummy appams . Since banana is added,finish it off in two days since it may not last more than 2 to 3 days. Note: For more softer appams,try making with atta/wheat and jaggery in the ratio 1:1 with 1 tsp of rice flour and 1/2 tsp of elachi powder.

Mixed Vegetable manchurian

Ingredients:

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• Vegetables - Baby corn comparatively more than other vegetables .Other veggies are carrot,cauliflower,beans and capsicum.

All the vegetables should be cut lengthwise as shown below.Separate the florets of cauliflower.

• Spring onions - 8 , chop the greens and bulbs separately
• onion - 1 medium sized, chopped finely
• Garlic - 6 to 7 slices, finely chopped
• coriander leaves - finely chopped

• Oil(preferably olive oil) - 2 tbsp
• green chillies/chilli sauce - 4 to 5 / 2 tsp depending on taste
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• pepper powder - 2 tsp
• Soya sauce - 3 to 4 tsp
• Tomato sauce - 2 to 3 tsp
• Corn flour - for making batter
• salt - to taste
• sugar - 1/2 tsp
• Ajinomoto - 1/2 tsp
• Ginger garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
• Refined sunflower oil - for deep fry

Method:

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• Add 1/4 tsp of salt and 1/4 tsp of ginger garlic paste and 1/2 a cup of corn flour into a bowl.Add water little by little and make a batter without any lumps.The consistency should be slightly watery than dosa batter.
• Heat oil in a pan.When its hot,dip a handful of baby corn in it and deep fry .Do this process on a medium flame.

• Do the same for all veggies.Make the corn flour paste sightly thick for other veggies.

• Add 1 tbsp of olive oil in a kadai and add finely chopped onions and spring onion bulbs.Saute well till it becomes tender.
• Add capcisum, green chillies,garlic pieces and saute for 3 min.
• Add soya sauce,tomato sauce,red chilli powder,pepper powder and little salt.

• Saute well on a medium flame for 5 min.Add all the deep fried veggies.Mix well quickly and switch off the flame.
• Sprinkle ajinomoto,coriander leaves and greens of spring onion on top.
• Mix well and serve hot.

This should be served immediately after cooking or else it will become soggy.