Popovers

 

Was so excited to try this one for the fact that it has very less ingredients and all at home.  Very simple and quick baking...very soft and fluffy. Took this one from the Living magazine.

Recipe:

* 1.5 cups maida (all purpose flour), half teaspoon salt, 5 tablespoons sugar

* Room temperature = > 1.5 cups milk (I used whole milk raw milk)

* Room temperature => 2 eggs (sink it in warm water if it is too cold)

* Mix egg and milk in a bowl and whisk well for a minute.

* Add the dry ingredients and whisk for another minute

* Preheat oven in 450 degrees and place the empty muffin or popover pan, let it heat

* Take the pan out after 5mins - very careful!!!, add some oil coat and pour into each cups till half.

* Bake in 450 for 10mins and then lower to 350 degrees and bake for 8mins.

* Yummy yum popovers are ready...serve with any sides U like...or U can eat as such too.

FYI, mine is a mini pan, so adjust your baking time according to your pan size.

 

Manogalam (murrukku coated with jaggery!)

 

Happy and excited to share my 200th blogspot with one of the traditional snack items. More pictures...Manogalam

Recipe:

* 2cups yellow moong dhaal, half cup urad, half cup raw rice

* Dry roast all of the above in slow flame and let it cool, grind, sieve

* Generally I try to make the powder a day or 2 before, so it saves time on the day of making.

* Make a dough out of the above and use karasev sil in presser and deep fry.

* Half cup sliced coconut, roast in ghee.

* Two cups jaggery with quarter cup water, melt and cook for 5mins till it forms a gel kind

* Add little elachi, and dry roast roasted gram handful and add to the snack.

* Mix the coconut and jaggery water to the snack. Initially it will be wet

* Mix well every few mins when it is cooling down.

* Once dry, it will be split...store it in a tight container and enjoy as U need!!!!

Kalkandu Vadai

Surprised myself that I am attempting this one this late in life...lot of my friends and family have been doing it for ages!!! Simple recipe, but need to be careful not watering the batter and cooking it in slow flame.
Recipe:
* Soak whole urad for 2hrs and filter it well (strain water as much as U can)
* For 1 cup urad, you can do 1 cup or 3/4th cup sugar or kalkandu
* Grind the kalkandu into powder and then start grinding the urad.
* After few minutes, add the powder to the urad and grind well. DO NOT ADD WATER!!!!
* Once it is fine paste, take it out. Batter will be little sticky.
* Make vadas and deep fry. Cook in slow flame.
* Let it cool down and then serve.
Pros: U can make it well ahead of time, it stays soft for a long time
Cons: Very Oily and also splatters a lot as U make the vadas, so make it before cleaning the stove!!!

Nachos & Quesadillas

Most of us here in the US will enjoy this..for the fact that U feel fresh after the meal. This is similar to the burrito bowl that I posted few months back. More pictures...Nachos & Quesadillas
Recipe:
* Black beans soaked, pressure cooked with salt, little garlic and taco seasoning
* I mashed half of them and saved the rest in a bowl
* Shredded cheddar cheese, guacamole (avocado mashed with lemon, salt and little onion, g.chillies)
* Fajita - sauted onions & color peppers (capsicum) with black pepper, salt
* Store bought - medium salsa, sour cream and optional => cheese sauce/queso
* Chopped black olives, green onions, lettuce
* Home made salsa - little onion, tomato, cilantro, lemon juice, salt
Nachos: Spread some tortilla chips and layer all of the above. Optional, if using shredded cheese, layer cheese on chips and melt in microwave for few seconds and then add the other toppings.
Quesadillas: On a flour tortilla, spread the mashed beans and top it with lot of shredded cheese, toast it in a tava. Then rest of the toppings can be served as sides.

Dates Cake

This recipe is similar to banana bread recipe I posted few months back. I just substituted 1 cup soaked dates for banana.
Recipe:
Pan Cake mix (Bisquic or Trader Joes Multigrain Pancake mix) – 2.25 Cups
Sugar – half cup (I used turbinado raw sugar)
Dates - 1 cup soaked in 1 cup boiling water
Nuts sliced – half cup - I use Walnuts
Egg – 3 full
Vanilla essence – 1 spoon (Optional)
Oil – ¼ cup (any vegetable oil or Olive Oil)

* Mix oil, sugar, egg in a bowl using a blender
* Grind the soaked dates with the same water in mixie and add to the above.
* Add the baking flour(I used multigrain pancake mix from Trader Joes)
* Finally add the nuts and mix well.
* Preheat oven in Bake - 350F
* Add the mixed batter in a greased oven safe container
* Bake for 40 to 45mins, by checking with a tooth pick to see if it is done.
* Yummy Dates Cake is ready to serve!!!!

Rasmalai

Recently I have been making paneer frequently at home, hence the temptation to make this recipe and I liked it with less sugar, custom made! More pictures...Rasmalai
Recipe:
* Home made paneer like handful, knead well. I used food processor for kneading.
* Make small vada shapes with balls sized like U do for jamoons.
* Add 5 cups water and 1 cup sugar to a flat base cooker and let it melt
* And then add the paneer vadas and pressure cook for 1 whistle and medium flame 10mins.
* In the meantime, boil 1.5litres milk in another non-stick or thick bottom vessel
* Let it boil till it reduces half, add little saffron, elachi and 12 to 16 tablespoons sugar.
* Then add nuts if you like almonds or pistachios coarsely chopped, turn off.
* Gently squeeze the paneer vadas from the cooker to remove the syrup and then add to the above milk.
* Let it cool and move it to fridge. Serve cold!!!!

Koyil Puliyodharai (Tamarind Rice)

Have been wanting to try this for a while, here we go for more pictures...Koyil Puliyodharai
Recipe:
* For the powder, one spoon each of channa dhaal, urad, dhania, sesame and
   little methi seeds with 2 red chillies.
* Dry fry and let it cool and grind to a dry powder
* Soak a lemon sized ball of tamarind in water (mine was on the higher side)
* Squeeze the tamarind and take the water and mix with the ground powder.
* Add like 5spoons of oil to a tava and then add mustard, urad, channa dhaal, roasted peanuts
* Then add turmeric, asafoetida, 3 red chillies, curry leaves
* Add the tamarind + powder mixed water and 2 tablespoons salt or more as per your taste.
* Let it boil for 10mins or so, add 1 spoon jaggery and let is cook for few mins
* Turn off and add to cooked rice as many spoons of this paste as needed.