Almond Flour Cookies

Atlast made it on my third attempt, tried to follow youtube video, but kept melting and merging like a flat bread. So decided to post the recipe in my blog on what helped me to get to this shape :-)

• Butter - 200gms + few gms is ok too if the bar weighs more
• Add to a bowl, bring to room temperature and whisk manually for few mins
• Add one cup powdered sugar and mix it well
• Add one full egg and one spoon vanilla extract, mix well
• Use a flat spoon or spatula and start adding the flour in four batches (using the seive)
• 4 cups almond flour and 3 cups of buttermilk baking mix (pancake mix)
• Finally mix well and move the dough into a ziploc bag 
• Put in Fridge overnight
• Next day make small rounds and flatten little and slit using knife (slightly), no deep cuts
• Place in a plate, wrap with plastic wrap - put it in freezer for 10mins
• Preheat oven at 350f and place the cookies in a tray or baking sheet
• Bake for 15 to 20mins, keeping an eye.
• When almost brown, turn off and cool it well before U touch!!!
• Yum yum cookies are ready

Mushroom Peas Masala

Have been wanting to make a gravy out of it earlier, now that I have both these veggies.....lets do it. Loved the flavor! For those of you in the US, please check out English Peas fresh in the vegetable section (not frozen) in Trader Joes. It tastes really good, not sweet.

Recipe:

* Wash peas and save in bowl. Remove mushroom skin and wash, chop into big chunks
* Do your usual onion, garlic, tomato, ginger masala, let is cool, grind into paste
* I added cinnamon, bay leaves, clove to saute/grinding stuff, as I ran out of garam masala
* Add oil to tava, add the ground masala
* Add turmeric, chilli powder, channa masala powder, little sambar powder if U like
    and then add salt too
* Let the masala cook for 5mins and then add the veggies
* Let it cook in medium for 15 to 20mins, then turn off
* Top with fresh Cilantro and serve with rotis/rice/dosas...I like with anything 😍😍

Mint Rice

Recently heard this recipe thru my hiking buddy and decided to try sooner!
Thanks to Raji for the homegrown Mint 😍😍

Recipe
* Saute in oil - one spoon jeera, little ginger, garlic, 3 g.chillies
* Add a bowl full of cilantro and another bowl full of mint - all washed
* Add a tiny tamarind peice and saute for just 2 or 3 mins
* Let it cool and grind well with half cup water
* Cook basmati rice one cup with 2.75 cups water in rice cooker and let it cool
* Add oil to tava - season with mustard, channa dhaal, one red chilli
* Add cashews - roast well, then add roasted peanuts, ground green paste
* I added green onions as well and then in few mins, add cooked rice carefully
* Dont mash it, mix gently, so the texture of the rice is retained
* Serve with Onion Raita! Yummy yummy it was.

Mochai Masala - DVK Style!

U can try in 2 different styles! 

Version 1:
* Soak one cup mochai overnight and pressure cook with salt
* Grind raw - Cinnamon, cloves, pottu kadalai, coconut, one tomato, big jeera, ginger, garlic, turmeric, chilli powder, channa masala powder
* Saute in oil - Onion, tomato, curry leaves
* Add the ground masala, cook for 10mins
* Then add the cooked mochai and stir well and cook for 10 or 15mins
* Tastes really YUMYUM! Goes well with idli, dosa, curd rice, rotis.

Version 2:
* Soak one cup mochai overnight and pressure cook with salt
* Add oil to tava, season with mustard, urad, big jeera, curry leaves
* Add chopped onion, tomatoes
* Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, sambar powder and little channa masala powder
* Add salt for the suated stuff and then cook well for 10mins
* Then add the cooked mochai and stir in one or 2 spoon kadalai maavu mixed water.
* Cook well for another 10mins and top it with cilantro!

Salad Dressing (Yoghurt based)

Posting after a break!

Homemade dressing 
* Grind - a handful of mint, little chaat masala, lemon juice, one green chili, cummin, salt
* Then mix with Greek yoghurt or curd.

Salad
* Chopped into dices - Lettuce, orange, yellow Bell peppers, Cucumbers
* Add Cherry tomotoes

Optional - you can add parruppu vadai, goes well with this salad and dressing...similar to falafels!

Sabudana pakoda (Javvarsi / Tapioca)

One of my favorite snack this winter. Quick and easy.

Recipe:

- soak one cup sabudana for 4 hrs with little water floating on top

- add 3 spoons curd and one spoon salt and mix well to the above

- after 2 hrs, add all toppings - cilantro, ginger, curry leaves, onions, asafoetida 

- add 4:1 rice flour to urad flour to the above mixture, but only as much as you need to bind

- I use very little flour and bind tight with hands on!

- deep fry in hot oil by throwing irregular shapes of the dough

- yum yum hot hot pakodas are ready.

Happy 2019 to all of you. 😊

Muthia

Thanks to my WoW buddy, one of my most fav snack this year. Involves lot of ingredients, but easy cooking. Here we go...

• 3 cups - Fine chopped cabbage or grated doodhi (squash/sorrakkai) and squeeze water out
• In a large bowl add - 1 cup coarse sooji, half cup wheat flour, half cup besan
• Add 1 spoon jeera, 1 spoon salt, little sugar or jaggery, lemon juice, chopped cilanto
• Add  paste of 2 green chillie and ginger ground fresh
• 1/2 Onion ground into paste - squeeze excess juice - save it
• Mix all of the above, make a dough and make long tube shapes like below
• Steam for 20mins, let it cool down, then only slice them
• When ready to eat, season with mustard, asafoetida, cilantro and toss the muthia in for few mins.
• Yumm Yumm snack is ready!