Palak Paneer

Do you guys have a favourite dish that you order every time that you go to a restaurant? For my dad it is Malai Kofta. For my husband it is Saag Paneer. Though I could not make Saag Paneer (due to lack of availability of Saag - Mustard greens), I made Palak Paneer for him as it is a close second for him. And ofcourse my son's favourite Paneer. What more can you ask for from a dish.. My boys are happy and I am happy.

Even if you are not a big fan of Spinach you are bound to like this gravy. Even before adding paneer, I was just tasting it and could not stop myself from eating a couple of spoonfuls. Have to take inspiration from this and make a soup (note to self)!!



Ingredients

Spinach 500gm (I used a big bag)
Paneer 1.5 cups
Onion 1
Tomato 1
Garam Masala 1 tsp
Turmeric 1/2 tsp
Cumin 1 tsp

Oil and salt to taste

Method of Preparation

1. In a pot, add the spinach (no need to chop) and a cup of water. In a few minutes it will wilt. Stir it a couple of times in between.

2. Cool and drain the water. Reserve the water. Grind into a smooth paste. Make sure you have a lot of spinach. When you wilt, and grind there won't be a lot of quantity.

3. In a pan, heat oil. Add cumin and turmeric. When it sizzles, add finely chopped onions. Saute till it browns a little.

4. Add finely chopped tomatoes. Saute well till it is all mushed up.

5. Add salt, garam masala and mix well.

6. Add spinach puree and the paneer cubes. Simmer for a few more minutes

Serve with rotis.




Check out other Paneer recipes in my blog
Paneer Gulshan
Paneer Parata
Paneer Kurma
Kadai Vegetable
Stuffed Bun
Spinach Kofta in Minty Sauce
Tawa Paneer

And learn how to make Paneer @ home here

Linking this to Show me your hits - event by Sangee, hosted by Kaveri

Tofu and Vegetable Stir Fry in Ginger Garlic Soy Sauce

My husband is a vegetarian. I have serious issues with egg, cheese and many dairy items. When I try to make stuff from other cuisines, I always find it challenging as making things that are vegetarian and without egg/cheese is not always an easy thing. I recently found a book Easy Vegan from the library. This book was an answer to my problem. 

It has various chapters divided by course like soups, starters, salads, mains, desserts and drinks. Has an array of dishes in each category from different countries. The photos are there for all dishes, and they are very clear as to how the finished dish will look like.

Perfect book if you are looking for vegan dishes from different courses and cuisines. One of the things I really loved is that this book does not use any meat substitutes. I am not looking to recreate a meat like taste but trying to enjoy vegetarian food as it is.

We @ AGC are going Chinese/Indo Chinese for this week. I have made many Indo Chinese dishes in my blog. But never made a proper chinese dish. So I decided to make this. Though I did not quite follow the recipe from the book, I took inspiration from a dish in that book.

I have not quite captured the taste of the dish in the photos.. It tasted awesome....

Check out other (Indo)Chinese dishes in my blog

Gobi Manchurian
Vegetable Lomein - Noodles
Vegetable Fried Rice
Vegetable Manchurian

Ingredients
Tofu 1 block (about 400gm)
Broccoli 1 head (about 300 gm)
Asparagus 2 bunches (about 150 gm each)
Scallions 2tbsp chopped
Ginger 2 inches thinly sliced
Garlic 2 pods thinly sliced
Soy Sauce 2 tbsp
Corn 4 tsp

Oil and Salt to taste



Method of Preparation

1. Drain water out of the tofu. Place it in a paper towel and keep it like that for 15 minutes to drain off any excess water. If tofu does not come in a water pack you can skip this step. Cut the tofu into small pieces.

2. Chop the asparagus. I learned this trick a long time ago from Racheal Ray (a cook show in food network). Hold it at both ends. Bend it a little. It will snap at 2/3 rd from the tip. Discard the bottom. Place the bundle on a cutting board with the tips aligned. Place the one that you snapped as well along with it. Cut off the rest of the bottoms based on the snapped one. Discard the bottom (or use it to make stock). Chop it into around 2 inch pieces. (3-4 pieces as per the size of asparagus)

3. Prepare the broccoli as well. Pluck big chunks out of the head. You can cut into 2/3 if needed. I like big pieces.

4. Heat a little oil in a pan. Add the tofu and fry till all the sides are nicely roasted stirring and turning in between. Keep aside.

5. In the meanwhile, heat a pot of water. When it comes to boil, add the broccoli to it. After a minute or 2 remove from water and add to a bowl of cold water. This stops further cooking.

6. Add the asparagus as well to the same pot and remove after a minute or so. Add to the cold water.

7. In a small cup, add the corn flour and add water (about 1/4 cup). Mix well. Also add the soy sauce to this.

Now all the prep is done. Do not do the last step till you are ready to serve. It will take only a few minutes to put everything together.

8. Heat the pan used earlier to a high heat. Add a little more oil if needed. Add the ginger and garlic slices. Saute till it starts to brown a little.

9. Add the broccoli and asparagus and give it a stir. Add the tofu as well.

10. Add the corn flour and soy mix along with a little salt. Remember soy sauce adds salt to the dish. So hold the salt. Mix well without breaking the tofu. Add a little bit more water if needed.

11. Cook for a couple of minutes.

Serve on a bed of rice

Check out the other AGC thoughout this week 
Anusha, Jayanthi, Kavitha, Priya M, Radhika, Veena, Priya S

Linking this to Show me your hits - event by Sangee, hosted by Kaveri

Carrot Rice

When I was a kid one of my favourites to eat was carrot curry and rice. I used to just mix the mizhukkuvaratti and rice and enjoy a meal out of it. My mom had no complaints as it was healthy food..

As we grow up, we kind of forget these simple pleasures. I have tried to recreate my childhood favourite by making a super comforting rice. It is very simple in its taste, but yet quite flavourful. I keep the carrots kind of raw.. just a few minutes of cooking.. Makes it all the more healthy. Perfect for lunch boxes



Ingredients

Grated Carrots 3 cups
Basmati Rice 2 cups
Onion 1 big sliced
Bay leaf 1
Saunf 1 tsp
Cumin 2 tsp
Garam Masala 1.5 tsp
Coriander Powder 1 tsp
Hing a little
Chilli Powder 1 tsp
lime juice 2 tbsp
Butter 1 tbsp
Oil and salt as needed

Method of Preparation

1. Cook rice with enough water according to your rice. I usually add a little salt and butter along with the water. This keeps the rice grains separate. You can also lightly fry the rice in butter instead.

2. Heat oil in a pan. Add bay leaf, saunf, cumin to it. When it sizzles, add onions.

3. When the onions start to brown, add grated carrots. My grater has 2-3 size options. I used a big size grating... otherwise it will become mushy. Also add garam masala, coriander powder, hing, chilli powder and some more salt if needed.

4. After a few minutes, add the cooked rice and mix well.

Poori Masala

Poori looks awesome when it puffs up in the oil. Have you made Poori and wished it stays puffed up till you plate and serve it? It puffs up most of the time for me when I make it, but I never understood why it does not stay like that. I always thought that I was doing something wrong while frying. Guess what, I was not doing anything wrong at all while frying. It is the dough....

To make the poori retain its shape for a long time you add some rava/semolina to it. Easy right? It is as easy as it sounds. Remember to soak the rava before adding.



Poori Ingredients

Wheat 1.5 cups
Rava 2.5 tbsp
Oil 1 tbsp
Salt

Oil to fry

Method of Preparation

1. Soak rava for 15 min with a little water.

2. Take wheat flour in a bowl. Add salt, oil and the rava (with water if any left) to the bowl.

3. Mix well with your hands. The add water as required as you would for making chappati dough and make a thick firm dough.

4. Make 4-5 balls from this. (depends on how much space you have to roll). I used kitchen counter itself. If using chapatti rolling stone, make smaller balls. You can also pinch out smaller balls and directly roll into small circles.

5. Roll into a big circle. The using a circular cutter (i used a steel lid with sharp edge) cut into smaller circles. Like I said this is totally optional, you can directly make small circles. This saves rolling effort and also gives you uniform pooris.



6. Heat oil in a kadai. When it is hot, drop one poori into it. Pat it with your spatula on the top till it fluffs up completely.

7. Add the next poori. Do the same. At this stage turn the first poori. Then add a third one. Do the same with it. By the time it fluffs up, the first one is ready to come out, the second one is ready to be turned and a 4th one is ready to go in.



Fry all the pooris and serve with a side of choice. Standard combo is a potato masala. Recipe below. You can also serve with chole.



Potato Masala Ingredients



Onion 1 sliced
Potatoes 4 small boiled, pealed and mashed
Mustard 1/2 tsp
Channa Dal  1 tbsp
Curry Leaves a couple of sprigs
Ginger 1 inch piece
Green Chilli 1 chopped (more for spicy version)
Turmeric 1/2 tsp

Oil and salt to taste

Method of Preparation

1. Heat oil in a pan. Add the mustard. When it sputters, add the channa dal. When it starts to brown, add the chopped ginger, curry leaves, green chilli and turmeric.

2. When it sizzles, add the onions. Saute till it starts to brown.

3. Add the mashed potatoes, salt and some water. Water depends on how runny or thick you want this to be. I made a fairly thick version this time.

Serve with warm poori.




Linking this to South Indian Cooking - Event by Anu, Hosted by Sangee

Navarathna Kurma

Navarathna Kurma is a sweetish kind of side. I am not usually a person who likes sweet taste in my curry. But then, I had a variety of vegetables and was just thinking what is the dish that I could try different. So I made this. We did not quite mind the sweetness in the dish.



Ingredients
Onions 2
Tomato 2
Green Pepper 1
Red Pepper 1
Carrots 2
Beans 1/2 cup chopped
Peas 1/2 cup
Cauliflower 1/2 c to 1 c
Potato 1

Ginger 1 inch
Garlic 4

Milk 2 cups

Cashews around 15
Raisins 2 tbsp
Pineapple pieces (canned) 10 pieces

Garam Masala 2 tsp
Chilli Powder 1 tsp
Coriander Powder 1 tsp
Turmeric 1/2 tsp

Oil and Salt to taste

Method of Preparation

1. Cook the vegetables - pepper, potato, cauliflower, carrot, beans and peas by boiling in a vessel or pressure cooking. I cooked for 2 whistles and it got a little mushed. Next time, I think I will cook for only 1 whistle.

2. Heat oil in a pan. Add sliced onions. Saute till it is browned.

3. Make a paste of ginger and garlic and add. Saute for a couple of minutes.

4. Puree tomato and add. Cook till the raw smell of tomato is gone.

5. Add chilli powder, garam masala, coriander powder and turmeric. Mix well and cook for 2 more minutes.

6. Drain water (keep the water) and add the vegetables.

7. Add milk and if required some water saved. Add cashews, raisins and salt. Bring to boil and simmer.

8. Add the pineapples chopped at the end and mix well. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Rajma Palak

Every time I write a blog post I go blah blah blah... Sometimes I totally run out of ideas. Still I compulsively go blah blah blah... Those who know me know how much I like to talk. Ok is it just me? I think it is how women are wired. We just love to talk. So you can't blame me, can you?

You might have read the post my husband wrote while I was in India. His theory is that every recipe is the same at the end of the day. This one is something he regularly asks. Not sure why he likes it so much... But here you go...



Ingredients

Rajma 1 cup
Spinach 250 gm ( I used baby spinach, a small bag)
Onions 2
Tomatoes 3
Milk 1 cup
Rajma Masala 3 tsp
Cumin 1 tsp
Ginger 1 inch piece
Garlic 4 pods

You can also add cinnamon, bayleaf, star anise, clove etc... I skipped this time. But usually add it.

Oil and Salt to taste

Method of Preparation

1. Soak Rajma overnight. Pressure cook with enough water. Drain (keep the water) and keep aside.

2. Heat oil in a pan. Add cumin (cinnamon, bayleaf, star anise, clove if using). When it sizzles, add onions. Saute till it starts to brown.

3. Make a paste of ginger and garlic. Add to pan. Saute for a couple more minutes.

4. Finely chop the tomatoes. Add to pan. Cook till the tomatoes are well cooked and the mix forms a nice paste.

5. Chop spinach and add to pan. Mix and cook for a few minutes. It will wilt very quickly.

6. Add Rajma Masala and salt. Simmer for a couple of minutes.

7. Add the cooked Rajma and milk. Add the reserved water as needed.

8. Bring to a boil. Simmer till the sauce thickens.

Serve with warm rotis

Linking this to Show me your hits - event by Sangee, hosted by Kaveri
Linking this to Lets Cook - Lentils and Legumes Event by Radhika

Kathirikka Thogayal

The inspiration for this dish came from the time when I made Baingan Bharta. I really wanted to make a thogayal out of it. Thogayal from vegetables usually includes urad dal, red chillies and tamarind in addition to the vegetable. I used the same recipe for Kathirikka or Eggplant.

Be warned that eggplant shinks a lot. So 2 big ones will be enough to serve only 2-3 ppl if that is the only chutney you have.



Ingredients

Kathirikka/ Aubergine/ Eggplant 2 Big
Urad dal 1/4 cup
Red Chillies 4
Hing a little
Tamarind Paste 1/2 tsp

Little oil to brush

Oil and salt to taste

Method of Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 230C. Line a baking sheet with aluminium foil. Place the eggplant on it. Make a few slits on it. Brush with a little oil.

2. Bake for about 30 minutes turning once @20 minutes.



3. Cool and peal the eggplant. Add to a mixie.

4. In a small pan, heat a little oil. Add the urad dal. You can use less quantity. I really love the taste and have used a little more.

5. When the dal starts to brown, add the red chillies. After a little time, transfer the contents to the mixie.

6. Add the tamarind paste, hing and salt.

7. Grind into a smooth paste. Do not add water.

Serve with dosa or idli. This is all the thogayal I got out of the 2 big eggplants.




Linking this to Lets Cook - Lentils and Legumes Event by Radhika

Linking this to South Indian Cooking - Event by Anu, Hosted by Sangee

Tawa Paneer

You rarely see a person who does not like Paneer. It is especially a big hit among kids. My little one is no exception. This one is a definite crowd pleaser. Be warned, there will not be any left over for lunch box :-)

I referred to Radhika's blog for the recipe



Ingredients
Paneer 2 cups
Onions 2 med
Tomato 3
Garlic 8 pods
Cumin 1 tsp
Ajwain 1/2 tsp
Kala Jeera 1/8 tsp
Coriander Powder 1 tsp
Garam Masala 1/2 tsp
Yogurt 1 tbsp (recipe asked for cream, i did not have any)
Milk or water 1/4 cup

Oil and salt to taste

To Marinate

Chat Masala 11/4 tsp
Kasuri Methi 11/2 tbsp
Chilli Powder 1/2 tsp (this is mild, add more for spicier version)
Turmeric Powder 1/2 tsp

Method of Preparation

1. Take chat masala, kasuri methi, chilli powder and turmeric in a bowl. Mix well. Add Paneer and toss till it is well coated. Let it rest for 30 min

2. In a pan, heat oil. Add cumin and ajwain. When it sizzles, add onions and saute till it starts to brown.

3. Make a paste of the garlic. Add to the pan. Mix and cook for a couple of minutes.

4. Make a paste of the tomatoes. Add to the pan. Cook till all the moisture is absorbed and oil starts to separate.

5. Add kala jeera, coriander powder and garam masala. Mix well.

6. Add yogurt or cream and mix well.

7. Add milk or water and some salt and bring to boil. Simmer.

8. In another pan, heat a little oil and add the paneer. Cook in a low flame for 5-10 minutes till all the sides are slightly browned.

9. Add to the gravy and simmer for a few minutes.

Serve with warm rotis

Check out other Paneer recipes in my blog
Paneer Gulshan
Paneer Parata
Paneer Kurma
Kadai Vegetable
Stuffed Bun
Spinach Kofta in Minty Sauce

And learn how to make Paneer @ home here

Red Cabbage Thoran

Red Cabbage is a less popular cousin of regular cabbage. When we were really little, I never tasted it. But then my mom started to buy it. We all used to love it and it became part of our diet.

Later I realized thru friends that not many of them have tasted it. It has the same feel of cabbage. But it has a very different taste to it. If you have never tried it, I would recommend trying it.



Ingredients

Onion 1
Red Cabbage 1 medium (about 5-6 cups)
Mustard 1/2 tsp
Curry Leaf few
Jeera 1 tsp
Turmeric 1/2 tsp
Coconut 3/4 cup
Garlic 2-3 pods
Green Chilli 2

Method of Preparation

1. Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard. When it sputters, add jeera, turmeric and curry leaf.

2. When it sizzles, add finely chopped onions. Saute till it is slightly browned.

3. Add finely chopped cabbage. Stir well. Cook in low/medium flame till it is almost done. Do not cover as it will become soggy.

4. In a mixie add garlic and green chillies. Pulse it quickly. Add the coconut and pulse once more. You are not looking to grind it finely. The coarseness of the coconut is what you are looking for.  Do not add water.

5. Add the coconut mix and salt to the cabbage and stir well. Cook for a few more minutes.

Serve with rice and kozhambu/sambar.



Linking this to Onam Special @ Sharan's Samayalarai

Linking this to South Indian Cooking - Event by Anu, Hosted by Sangee

Mini Corn Uttapam

Want to make your kids happy and still serve a healthy breakfast. This super simple Uttappam is sure to win any kids heart. The size is a key as kids really love anything mini. And corn kind of made my little one think of Pizza. Next time I might even top it with a little cheese :-)

Priya Sreeram gave me a secret ingredient of Corn for me for our group AGC where we are going hush hush the second week... I really wanted to try another dish for this week, ended up with this. will make the other one soon..



Ingredients

Dosa Batter 2 big laddles
Corn 6 tbsp
Ghee as required



Method of Preparation

1. Heat the dosa pan.

2. Take a laddle of dosa batter and pour into 3 small portions. Leave it a little thick. Otherwise the corn will not stick properly. For this the batter should be fairly thick (more like idli batter consistency than dosa batter)

3. Immediately add 1 tbsp of corn on each portion. Add ghee or oil to the uttappam.

4. Cook till the side is done. Flip and cook on the other side.

Serve with side of choice. I treated my son with some extra corn and also some molaga podi mixed with ghee.

Check out the other AGC thoughout this week 
Anusha, Jayanthi, Kavitha, Priya M, Radhika, Veena, Priya S

Linking this to Lets Cook - Lentils and Legumes Event by Radhika

Linking this to South Indian Cooking - Event by Anu, Hosted by Sangee

Masoor Dal with Italian Pasta Sauce

Yes, you read it right - with Pasta Sauce. I opened a bottle of Meditteranean Pasta Sauce (red sauce) for making some pasta for my son. I used like 1/2 cup of sauce and the rest of the sauce was sitting in the fridge. The bottle is supposed to be used within a week of opening. I was just 2 days away from having to throw it away and making pasta was not in the schedule. So I just made this dish.

It tasted really good. It can be enjoyed as a side for roti or can be mixed with rice. Another way of using it is to water it down a little bit more using water or vegetable stock, add some barley or quinoa to it and have a soup.

I enjoyed it mixed with warm rice and left overs as a soup.



Ingredients

Whole Masoor Dal 1 cup
Onion 1
Pasta Sauce 2 cups
Chilli Powder 1/2 tsp
Coriander leaves for garnish

Oil and Salt to taste

Method of Preparation

1. Cook the Masoor Dal in a cooker with enough water till it is well cooked.

2. Heat oil in a pan. Add the onions and saute till they start changing colour. If you are using as Soup, you can add some celery and carrots to this.

3. Add the pasta sauce and simmer for a couple of minutes.

4. Switch off and cool. Make a smooth paste in a mixie.

5. Transfer back to the pan. Add the masoor dal and salt. Mix well. Simmer for a few minutes. Switch off and garnish with some coriander leaves

Linking this to Lets Cook - Lentils and Legumes Event by Radhika

Kerala Olan Recipe

Olan is a super simple pumpkin dish from the state of Kerala. It is usually part of most Feast. Onam sadya usually will have Olan in it. It goes great with Pulisheri.



This month when Magic Mingle was announced - Pumpkin and chillies, this was the first thing that came to my mind. It is ideal cause it is ofcourse a pumpkin dish, but the beauty of it is that Green chillies and curry leaf are the only spices.

Then you might wonder why I am posting on the last day. Reason is simple. It took me 3 trips to the store to get pumpkin. What luck :-(

Ingredients

Pumpkin 4 cups
Cow Peas (Van Payar) 1/2 cup
Green Chilli 4
Coconut milk 2 cups
Curry Leaf few
Coconut Oil 1 tbsp
Salt



Method of Preparation

1. Soak the peas overnight and cook it in pressure cooker. I cooked for only 1 whistle to get a cooked but still not mushy peas. You can also used black eyed peas as a substitute. Drain and keep aside. I save the water and add it back to the curry.

2. Cut the pumpkin into small pieces. Ideally white pumpkin should be used. Yellow can also be used. Some people mix the two in equal quantities. My mom made it with yellow pumpkin.

3. Add the pumpkin and slit green chillies to a pan. Add about a cup of water. Cook in medium flame covered till the pumpkin is cooked, but still retains its shape. Most of the water was drained for me by this time.

4. Add the cooked cow peas, coconut milk and salt. Add the reserved water as needed.

5. Simmer. Do not cook in high heat after coconut milk is added to any dish as it will curdle.

6. Switch off and season. Take a small pan. Add coconut oil. You can use any oil, but the coconut oil gives it its unique taste. Add curry leaves and add to the curry. You can add curry leaves directly with the peas and then finally add the coconut oil just to the top of the curry

Serve with rice.

Linking this to Magic Mingle - Pumpkin and Chillies

Linking this to Lets Cook - Lentils and Legumes Event by Radhika
Linking this to Onam Special @ Sharan's Samayalarai

Linking this to South Indian Cooking - Event by Anu, Hosted by Sangee

Mutta Thoran - Scrambled Egg Indian Style

Egg is not usually a part of our daily diet. My husband and son like it though. I make it occasionally. This is a Kerala twist to the usual Scrambled egg. Thoran as you might have learnt from my blog is a term used to describe dry dishes that have coconut in it.



Ingredients

Egg 4
Onion 1
Green Chilli 1
Curry leaf few
Coconut 1/4 cup
Pepper 1/4 tsp
Turmeric 1/4 tsp
Oil and salt to taste

Method of Preparation

1. Heat oil in a pan. Add the curry leaves and slit green chillies.

2. When it sizzles, add finely chopped onions.

3. Saute till it starts to brown a little.

4. Meanwhile, in a cup beat the eggs. Add to the pan along with some salt, pepper and turmeric.

5. Keep stirring in a medium flame till the egg starts to cook. Using the spatula keep breaking it.

6. I like my egg not to be wet. So I cooked till almost all moisture is gone. You can leave it wet and big pieces like the western scramble.

7. Add the coconut and mix. Cook for a minute or 2.

Serve as a side for roti or rice. You can use this as a sandwich stuffing as well.

Vendakka Mor Kozhambu

My husband remarked recently that I do not cook many tamil dishes. Well, it is kind of true. But believe me I am not to blame for that. He loves roti so much. So during week days we mostly eat that. So weekends are my old chance to make south indian. That too one of the days, we go out somewhere. So it is packed lunch.

Today I just took the opportunity to create a super simple kozhambu made of yogurt and spiced with coconut, green chillies and curry leaves.



Ingredients

Okra/Vendakka 8-10
Curd 2 cups
Water 1 cup
Coconut 3/4 cup
Green Chilli 1 (add more for spicier version)
Curry Leaf few
Mustard 1/2 tsp
Jeera 1 tsp
Turmeric 1.5 tsp

Method of Preparation

1. Grind coconut, green chilli and part of curry leaf into a smooth paste by adding a little water.

2. Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard. When it sputters, add the jeera, curry leaves and turmeric. Add turmeric according to taste. I like my kozhambu nice and yellow. So I added a lot. Also note that this step can be done right at the end and added to the kozhambu. I did it now as I did want to use more oil and also no second pan.

3. Chop the okra into big pieces (3-4 pieces depending on the size). Add to the pan.

4. Saute till it is almost cooked.

5. Meanwhile, in a bowl take the yogurt. Add the ground coconut paste. Add some of the water as needed and mix well.

6. Once the okra is almost done, add the yogurt mix. Cook in low-medium flame from this point. Otherwise the yogurt will kind of curdle.

7. Simmer for a little while (around 5 minutes) and switch off.

Serve with rice. My favourite side with this is cabbage thoran.

Linking this to Onam Special @ Sharan's Samayalarai

Mani Kozhakattai - Ammini Kozhakattai

Ganesh Chathurthi or Pullayar Chathurthi is a festival celebrated all over India. We @ AGC decided to celebrate the festival by making an array of dishes for Ganesha during the first week. In Tamil Nadu Kozhakattai is made in different shapes and a variety of filling. For those who do not know what a kozhakattai is, it is basically a rice dumpling stuffed with sweet or savoury filling.

Once the different varieties are made, there is always some dough left. And kids love this part of the festival. They get what is called a Mani Kozhakattai or Ammini Kozhakattai. It is nothing but the rice flour dough rolled into small balls and steamed and then seasoned.



Every house makes this during Pullayar Chathurthi that I think even Pullayar (Ganesh) has started loving this as a neivedhyam.



I am actually a little scared of making this dough. Somehow do not get the correct consistency. This time was also no different. Almost nailed it. But not perfect. That is why I always make Sukhiyan/Modakam for Pullayar.

Ingredients

Rice Flour 2 cups
Water 4 cups
Sesame Oil 4 tsp + little for greasing
Salt 1 tsp

Seasoning
Mustard 1/2 tsp
Urad Dal 1 tsp
Curry Leaves few
Hing a little
Idli Molaga Podi 3 tbsp (as per taste)
Coconut 2 tbsp
Sesame oil

Method of Preparation

1. Heat water, oil and salt in a pot.

2. When the water boils, add the rice flour and stir so that there are no lumps. Make sure the water is all absorbed.

3. Cool it and when it is cooled, knead the dough.

4. Make small balls (less than marble size). Grease your hand with a little oil. Take a small pinch from the dough. Place it in your palm and roll with the other palm. Once done place it on a greased idli plate.

This step will take a lot of time.

5. Steam the kozhakattai for about 15 minutes or till done.

6. Cool and then season it. You can serve to little kids without seasoning as well.

7. For seasoning, heat a little oil in a pan. Add mustard. When it sputters, add the urad dal. When it browns, add the curry leaf and hing.

8. Add this to the cooled kozhakattai along with coconut. I served this version to my son.

9. To make spicy ones, you can add idli molaga podi to it.

Check out the other AGC thoughout this week 
Anusha, Jayanthi, Kavitha, Priya M, Radhika, Veena, Priya S

Peas Kurma

Kurma is a totally easy to make side. Mostly enjoyed with parota, appam or idiyappam, it tastes good with roti and rice as well. If I am running short of time, I generally make a vegetable kurma. There is no recipe in the blog yet. Well you can't blame me... I just told you that is a last minute thing...

Do check out the Paneer Kurma and Tomato Kurma recipes in my blog

This one is yet another awesome Kurma. Do you like the click below? I just fell in love with it.



Ingredients

Dried Peas (Green or Yellow) 1.5 cups
Onions 1
Tomato 2

To grind to paste
Coconut 1/2 cup
Cinnamon 1 inch piece
Cardamom 1
Clove 2
Star Anise 2
Bay Leaf 1
Saunf 1 tsp
Cumin 1 tsp
Kus Kus 1/2 tsp
Ginger 1 inch piece
Garlic 5 pods



Method of Preparation

1. Soak the peas overnight and cook with enough water in a pressure cooker. I cooked for 2 whistles and got a slightly mushy peas. I used yellow peas, you can use green peas as well.

2. Make a paste of all the items under - to grind adding a little water.

3. Heat oil in a pan. Add the sliced onions. Saute till it starts to brown.

4. Add chopped tomatoes and cook till they are well cooked.

5. Add the paste and saute for a couple of minutes.

6. Drain peas and reserve water. Add peas and some of the water (as needed) and salt. Mix well.

7. Simmer till the raw smell of masala is gone.

Serve as a side for Idiyappam, Appam or Parota. Can be enjoyed as a Roti side as well.

Linking this to Lets Cook - Lentils and Legumes Event by Radhika

Ada Pradaman - 250th post

My blogging journey has brought me to yet another milestone - my 250th post. I am also looking forward to the approach of my first anniversary. Special thanks to everyone who has encouraged me - husband and little one for enjoying my meals, my friends - blogging ones and the others for the feedback.

Remember - i always love to hear from you if you try one of my posts. If something did not come out well (hopefully not many), I would love to hear about that so I can work on my negatives. Click photos and add to my FB page. Oh while we are at it, please do like the page to see posts in your wall. Love you all.



In this post I present to you my favourite payasam - Ada Pradaman. Pradaman is a term used to describe payasam made of jaggery and coconut milk. Note that unlike normal payasams, sugar and milk are not the base ingredients. I made this as part of my Onam Sadya



Pradamans can be made with a variety of ingredients - Parippu Pradaman (channa dal, moong dal), Chakka Pradaman (jackfruit), Nedram Pazha Pradaman (Banana), Gothumbu Pradaman (Wheat), Ada Pradaman (Rice chip pasta) etc.

Ada is basically small chips made of rice flour. Traditionally it is made by making a paste of rice flour, smearing on plantain leaf and then either steaming it or by adding to boiling water. I have not perfected making it yet. So will post one day when I get it right. I used store bought ones this time.

Ada can be used to make Pradaman or Pal payasam. Usually small square chip ones are used for making pal payasam and long ones for pradaman. I really like the long ones and use that for both. Check out the pal ada payasam recipe in my blog. You can use a pasta as a substitute.



Ingredients

Ada - 1.5 cup (approx) (use pasta as substitute).
Jaggery 1 cup
Coconut milk 1 can (about 1.5 cups)
Cardamom 1/2 tsp
Cashew few
Raisins few
Coconut pieces 1 tbsp
Ghee (clarified butter) 1 tbsp (or use oil for Vegan)

Method of Preparation

1. Cook the ada in about 3 cups of water. It will take about 10-12 minutes. This depends on the ada. Follow packet instruction. You can make your own ada as well.

2. Once the ada is cooked, if there a lot water drain some. Mine did not. So I just kept the water.

3. In a separate pan, add jaggery and 1/4 cup of water. Melt and remove impurities if any.

4. Add jaggery to the ada along with cardamom powder. Remember that Jaggery will stop ada from cooking further. So make sure it is cooked before you add jaggery. This is true for all Pradamans.

5. Add coconut milk. Simmer the gas. If you keep in high it will curdle. I used store bought coconut milk. You can make your own milk. If you do, add the second (watery) milk first and once it is almost ready, add the first (thick) milk.

6. Once it gets heated up, switch off. Please note that pradaman will thicken with time. So make it a little watery if you are not serving for some time.

7. In a small pan, heat ghee. Add the coconut pieces. When it is slightly browned, take out and keep aside. Add cashews and fry till it is browned. Remove and add raisins. Add all of this to the payasam.



Linking this to Onam Special @ Sharan's Samayalarai

Baingan Bharta

We are doing a Virtual Birthday Party for our friend Radhika of Tickling Palates. Do join us in wishing her a very happy birthday

Radhi - I see that you do not have a Bharta recipe in your blog... Do try it..

Do check out the others joining me
Priya Sreeram with nutty choco bites
Priya Mahadevan with roasted garlic cherry tomatoes
Kavita with chocolate cake



Followers of my blog know that my husband thinks he does not like Eggplant. I used to not like it earlier. But now a days I kind of like it. I have made a few dishes with eggplant to bring it to our family table. I have to say, I have won the battle with my husband's false notion. This is one of his favourites. I have already made it twice - yes, per his request.



Ingredients

Eggplant/Aubergine 2 medium (I used the thick and long variety, if using indian variety adjust numbers)
Onions 2 big (or 3 medium)
Tomatoes 3
Cumin 1 tsp
Garam Masala 2 tsp
Coriander Powder 1 tsp
Ginger 1 inch
Garlic 6 pods
Green Chilli 1 (add more for spicy dish)

Oil and salt to taste

Method of Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 230C. Line a baking pan with aluminium foil. Place the eggplant. Make a couple of slits on it. Brush the whole eggplant with a little oil. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes till the outer surface is roasted and wrinkled. I turned the eggplant once at 20 minutes.



2. Take out the eggplant and cool a little. Peal the skin and collect the inside part. Run a knife thru it and mash it. Keep ready.

3. While the eggplant is getting roasted, you can work on the gravy. Heat oil in a pan. Add cumin.

4. When it sizzles, add the onions. Saute till it starts to brown.

5. Make a paste of ginger, garlic and green chilli. Add to pan. Saute.

6. Add finely chopped tomatoes. Cook till it comes together as a paste. This is very important. You do not want tomatoes coming as lumps when you are eating a mashed up curry.

7. Now add the garam masala, coriander powder and salt. Mix well and cook for 2 more minutes.

8. Add the roasted eggplant. Mix well.

Serve with rotis.