Rava Ladoo - Rava Coconut Laddoo - Rava Laddu - Sooji ka Ladoo

Rava Ladoo is a laddu made with Semolina or Sooji Rava. You have to use a finer variety of rava. Not the powdery kind you use for Pani Puri. If your rava is a little too coarse, just pulse it in a mixie to get the texture right. Same with sugar. Not too coarse, not too powdery.

There are many different ways to make this laddu. Addition of coconut or not is a variation. Same with Milk. I have made this version with Coconut cause that's how we eat in our state Kerala. Most Tamilian Versions skip the coconut. Adding milk helps in rolling the laddu easily. But it reduces the shelf life of the laddu.

Jalebi - North Indian Jalebi - Diwali Recipe

Jalebi is a very popular North Indian Sweet. This is not to be confused with the South Indian Sweet called Jangari (which also is sometimes referred to as Jalebi). The North Indian version that I have made here used Maida or All Purpose Flour, its thin, crispy and sugary. The South Indian version is made of Urad Dal Batter, it is thicker, softer and chewy.

I am a big fan of the South Indian Jangari. Am yet to post the recipe here for that though i made it before. This one is prepared on the special request of my son who usually does not like Sweets. He own words were it is crispy, sweet and yummy, what's not to like. So here you go.

Chocolate Mysore Pak - Ghee Mysore Pak - Easy Foolproof recipe - Diwali Special

Diwali is just round the corner. All of us will be preparing sweets and savories in the coming days and getting ready to celebrate. Mysore Pak is a very popular sweet and some consider it very tricky to make. But with the right technique, it is quite easy to make. This is a version with chocolate flavour. My mother used to make it. I made this on my brother's request.

Pidi Kozhakattai - Sweet Arisi Kozhakattai - Steamed Sweet Dumpling made with rice

Pidi Kozhakattai is a steamed sweet dumpling made out of of rice. I have posted a savoury version of the same before. It is prepared for Ganesh Chathurti.

Chocolate 7 Cup Cake - Chocolate Burfi - Diwali Sweet

Diwali is just a day away and I am totally enjoying making sweets to share with friends and family. Hope your Diwali preparations are coming along well. Wishing you all a very Happy and Prosperous Diwali!

Its another celebration in my blog. It is nearly 3 years old (just 2 more weeks). And this is my 601st post (well, I missed celebrating the 600th post)! I made the 7 cup cake and posted for you a couple of years back. This time I am presenting an even yummier version with some chocolate!

Kara Boondi - Kaara Boondi - Diwali Special

Boondi is basically fried balls made from Chick pea flour. It is the main component of South Indian Mixture. The spicy version of the Boondi called Kara Boondi can be made as a snack on its own. You could just make the boondi part or add a few things like Cashews, Peanuts, Pottu Kadalai, Curry Leaves etc for enhanced taste.

People think Boondi is a very difficult thing to make. But trust me. Just figure out the right consistency of the batter and you will be done in no time at all.

Kaju Katli - Cashew Fudge - Vegan, Gluten Free, Indian Diwali Sweet

Diwali season is time to eat sweets to your hearts content. I love sweets and can never stop eating them. So to me, this season has been all about making loads of sweets. Though I wanted to try some new sweets this year, I ended up making Mysore pak and 7 cup cake a lot.



My son is the total opposite of me. He does not care much for anything sweet. But then there are a few things he eats as he fancies at that time. He used to like 7 cup cake last year. This year, he has chosen Kaju Katli. So I was all excited to fulfill his request. This sweet is usually a big hit among adults and children alike.

Boondi Ladoo - Diwali Sweet - Step by Step recipe - Vegan, Gluten Free

Diwali is just a week away. We are all busy planning what we are going to make for our loved ones. I am also working on what I am making for my family (collecting their wish list). How can I forget the blog? I need something new to celebrate Diwali with my wonderful readers. I will start off this year with an awesome sweet - Boondi Ladoo.

Karadayan Nombu - Festival Description and Recipes

This year date/time 14-03-2014 @7:30 P.M

Karadayan Nombu is a festival celebrated in Tamil Nadu. It falls on the 1st day of the month of Panguni (March - April). Women fast on that day from Sunrise till the time when the month of Maasi changes to the month of Panguni. At that time, they offer prayer and tie yellow sacred thread on their neck. They also offer Sweet Nombu Adai and Butter as neivedhyam. They pray for the long life of their husband. When they tie the tread around the neck, they pray

"Urugatha Vennayum Oraduyum Vaithu Nmbu Nothren
Oru Naalum En Kanavan Ennai Vittu Piriyamal Irukkavendum"

Meaning :I have fasted offering unmelted butter and adai. My husband should not be separated from me ever

Vegan Naturally Coloured Red Velvet Cupcakes - Eggless Red Velvet Cake - No Artificial Colour

February is a month with Romance in the air. Whether you care or not, it is hard not to get caught up in the festivities. Valentine's Day is here and you might as well celebrate and enjoy! Now when it comes to celebration, what better way to celebrate than with a piece of cake?

Red Velvet Cake fits the romantic bill perfectly. The beautiful red colour contracted by the white frosting... hmmm, yumm!! The cake has a hint of cocoa and of course as the name suggests, it is red in colour. The frosting is usually Cream Cheese.

Kanu Pongal - Pongal Special Recipes

Day 3 of Pongal is celebrated as Kanu Pongal. Here are some yummy recipes prepared for Kanu Pongal. Hope you enjoy these at home. I still remember my mom preparing all varieties of Kalanda Sadam (Variety Rice) for Kanum Pongal. 

On Kanu Pongal, we put Kanu Pidi. Balls of rice are prepared and fed to crows. A white rice, a sweet rice, a red rice (with red kum kum) and a yellow rice (with turmeric). 

Murungakka Sambar - Drumstick Sambar - Arachu Vitta Sambar

Arachu Vitta Sambar is a special kind of Sambar. It is made with freshly ground spices, without the use of Sambar Powder. This adds to the taste of the Sambar. Today I present to you a very popular sambar made in Tamil Nadu with Drumsticks (Murungakka). Drumstick has an awesome fragrance that is imparted to the sambar making it a wonderful delight.

Pongal Sappadu - Pongal Meals - Tamil Festive Meal

Pongal is the harvest festival of Tamilnadu. A Chakkara Pongal (sweet pongal) is prepared on the Pongal Morning. Read more about the celebration and specific recipes here. This post is for the meal served for lunch.

Pongal Recipes here

The banana leaf is usually used to serve Feast. The top portion is used to serve different curries and bottom side is used for rice, sambar, snacks, payasam etc. The leaf usually used should be the end leaf (nuni ela) with the smaller end on the left of the person sitting in front. 
The order of serving

On the top from right to left - Thayir Pachadi, Sweet Pachadi, Poriyal(s), Kootu, Urugai(Pickle)
On the bottom payasam at the right corner. rice in the middle (with paruppu, sambar, nei etc), on the left corner - Appalam, Medhu Vadai

I have a lot of recipes in my blog. But still not the complete collection. I will update this page as and when I post all the recipes.

Meal I served in 2014 for Pongal. I cooked this meal with a friend and totally enjoyed the experience.

Vegetarian Christmas and Thanksgiving Dinner (Mostly Vegan)

Wishing all my readers a very Happy New Year 2014. Hope you all had a good holiday and are ready to start the new year! We also enjoyed a few wonderful days at home. Loads of celebration and what celebration is complete without food.

Gobi Musallam - Cauliflower Roast - A Vegan Thanksgiving Roast

Thanksgiving is celebrated in the US on the 4th Thursday of the month of November. The origins can be traced to celebration of harvest or even some religious aspects brought by the English to New England. In the present day, it marks an occasion of family reunion. It is a major holiday in America. Usually most establishments offer day off on Friday as well making it a 4 day weekend end! It together with Christmas and New Year marks the holiday season.



When it comes to celebration and family reunion, food plays a major role. That is irrespective of which country you are from. Don't you agree? In US, Thanksgiving dinner has a huge significance. I have felt people take it even more seriously than Christmas dinner. Christmas Dinner is mostly low key with immediate family.

Now coming to the Thanksgiving dinner, I just love all the food served in the meal. The most important part is the Turkey Roast. Then whole bunch of sides like Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Beans, Roasted Vegetables, Casseroles, Cranberry Sauce are served. Not to forget the stuffing, gravy and the dinner rolls. The perfect dessert for a Thanksgiving meal would be a pie made with the things that are in season - a Pumpkin Pie, Apple Pie or Pecan Pie. My fav is Pecan Pie!



I always believe in adopting different aspects of the country you live in to my own life. So Thanksgiving holds a place in our hearts! But being Vegetarians we can't of course make a Turkey Roast. I wanted to do something that would make a great Thanksgiving centrepiece and I really liked it when my friend Anu made this version of the Cauliflower Roast. I adapted it from there and made it and we totally loved it.

Does this not look like a roast? Oh common, a Vegan/Vegetarian also needs the honour of Carving the Roast. Don't you agree? You can change the sauce to suit your family's preference and send it to the Thanksgiving table.



Ingredients

Cauliflower 1
Turmeric 1/2 tsp

Onions 2
Tomato 3
Cashews 2 tbsp (Omit to make it Nut free)
Milk 1 cup (Use soy milk or almond milk to make it Vegan or just use water or stock)
Chilli Powder 1 tsp
Garam Masala 1 tsp
Cumin 1 tsp
Ginger 1 inch piece
Garlic 4 pods

Oil and salt to taste

Method of Preparation



1. Clean the Cauliflower of the thick stems and leaves.

2. Bring a pot of water to boil. Add turmeric powder and salt to it. Place the cauliflower in it so that it is immersed.

3. Blanch for about 8 min turning once in between. Take it out and keep aside.

4. In a pan, heat a little oil. Add the cumin, chopped onions, ginger and garlic. Saute till it starts to brown.

5. Add the chopped tomatoes and cashews. Saute till the tomatoes are cooked.

6. Add the chilli powder, garam masala and salt. Mix well.

7. Let it cool and puree into a paste without adding any water.

8. Preheat the oven to 200C.

9. Place the Cauliflower on a bakng sheet. Pour the gravy (about 1/2 of it) on the cauliflower. Brush it around so that the whole cauliflower is coated. Try and avoid anything on the base of the roasting pan as it will burn and stick while roasting. You can line with foil if you choose.

10. Roast in the oven for 30-45 min turning in between. Keep checking after 30 min cause the time taken depends on the size of your cauliflower.

To Serve - Pour the rest of the gravy on a serving dish. Gently place the Roasted Cauliflower on the gravy

Mysore Pak - Ghee Mysore Pak - Diwali Sweets - Easy Foolproof Recipe

Mysore Pak is a very popular South Indian Sweet made with Chickpea Flour. It just has 3 ingredients - Chickpea Flour, Sugar and Ghee. Growing up I always saw my mum make mysore pak with such ease that I thought it was the easiest sweet ever. When I first moved out of my house for work, I made Mysore Pak for my first Diwali. I had my mom on phone all the while :-)



There are 2 kinds of Mysore Pak. One is called the Ghee Mysore Pak which as the name suggests will be soft and dripping with Ghee. The other kind is the Porous Mysore Pak also called Honeycomb Mysore Pak. It has a beautiful porous texture cause of the tiny air bubbles trapped inside. There is no argument as to which one is better. There are people who love both. I will post recipe for Porous kind some other day.



Now coming to this Mysore Pak recipe. Most people find making mysore pak very daunting. You have to know about the 1 string, multi string etc. (need to know more about what it is, read here). This recipe calls for none of that. I learned it a few years ago from a colleague's wife. I have been making it this way for years now and never had a bad lot.



Ingredients (Makes 16 pieces)

Chickpea flour (Besan) 1 Cup
Sugar 1.5 Cups
Ghee 1 Cup (Use upto 2 cups if you like. for me 1 was good enough. i have made with 2 cups and it will be wet with ghee and awesome. you can try that as well sometime!)

Method of Preparation

1. Melt the ghee in a pan and keep it warm and ready. Grease a 7*7 square cake tin (or any plate) ready.

2. Sieve the chickpea flour well. In a heavy bottomed pan, add the besan and roast it till the raw smell is gone. It will take around 3-5 min. Keep aside in a bowl.

3. Add 1/2 cup of ghee to the besan. Mix well till there are no lumps. You can optionally cool the besan and then sieve it one more time before adding ghee.

4. In the same pan, wipe with a cloth and add the sugar along with 3/4 cup of water. Mix well.

5. Let the sugar mix come to a rolling boil. Switch off.

6. Add the besan-ghee mix to the sugar and mix well.

7. Put the mix back on the stove and start stirring.

8. Add the rest of the ghee a little at a time mixing well. Cook in a medium low flame.

9. Mix till the whole thing starts to come together. If you work your spatula thru the middle of the pan, you can see the line clearly before the sweet joins up together. :-) It will start to collect at the base and change colour.

10. That is your cue. Pour the sweet into the greased plate. It will be quite liquid like at this stage. Don't worry. It will set.

11. After about 10-15 min, cut the pieces (draw lines). Do not separate or try to take it out of the plate.

12. Once it is completely cooled, take the pieces out.

Store in an airtight container. Enjoy!

Madras Mixture - South Indian Mixture - Diwali Snack - Step by Step Recipe

Mixture is a very popular Indian Snack. As the name suggests, it is a mixture of a lot of stuff! What goes into your mixture depends on who is making it. It varies also from place to place in India. Today I present to you the Madras Mixture. The main 2 components are the Boondi and Omapodi. Boondi is basically fried balls made from Chick pea flour. Omapodi (also known as sev) is little noodles made again from chick pea flour. The other components like Aval, Peanuts, Pottu Kadalai, Curry Leaves etc are added for enhanced taste.





My mother-in-law makes Mixture every year for Diwali. I have always wanted to try my hands on it. I did not have the boondi spoon required to make it till now. This time I got it and was waiting for Diwali to make it. It came out really good for me. Now I am thinking Boondi is probably one of the easiest things to make. No I am not kidding. Once you know what you are doing, it is quite fun to make.



I have prepared a big batch here. Do feel free to half the below recipe when you are making for 3-4 ppl.

Ingredients (Makes about 12 cups)

Boondi  (from 2 cups of besan) See recipe below
Omapodi (from 1 cup of besan) See recipe here
Peanuts 1.5 cups
Pottu Kadalai (Roasted Gram Dal) 1/2 cup
Aval/Poha/Beaten Rice flakes 1 cup
Curry Leaves 20-25
Chilli Powder 1 tsp (optional)
Salt a little

Oil for Deep Frying

Method of Preparation

1. Make boondi as mentioned below.

2. Make Omapodi as here

3. In the same oil add the peanuts in 2-3 batches and fry till it is roasted. It will take only a minute or less. Drain and keep aside. Be careful incase your peanuts burst.

4. Add the pottu kadalai and fry till it is roasted. Drain and keep aside.

5. Add the Aval and fry. This will be done in 5-10 sec. Drain and keep aside.

6. Finally add the curry leaves and fry for 5 sec. Drain and keep aside.

7. Add the peanuts, pottukadalai, and aval to a bowl. Add a little salt and chilli powder. Mix well.

8. Add the boondi and omapodi.  Mix everything well.

9. Finally stir in the Curry leaves.

10. Wait till everything cools. Store in an airtight container.

To Make Boondi

Ingredients
Besan/Chickpea Flour 2 cups
Rice Four 5 tbsp
Chilli Powder 2 tsp
Hing 1/4 tsp
Salt about 1 tsp (add to your taste)
Oil to deep fry

Method of Preparation

To prepare Boondi the first thing you need are these spoons



1. Sieve the besan and rice flour. Add the chilli powder, hing and salt. Mix everything together.



2. Add little water and mix well. Add more water to get a pouring consistency. I needed a little less than 1 cup of water. This will vary. Add very little at a time.



3. Once ready, dip the tip and let a drop fall into the hot oil. If it falls flat it means the batter is too runny add more besan (1 tsp at a time). If it forms a tail, it means it is too thick. Add a little more water (1 tsp at a time).



4. Now you are ready to make the boondi. Heat oil and then keep it at low.Pour a ladlde of batter on the boondi spoon. Gently do circular motion with the laddle to let the batter drip down to the hot oil.



5. Clean the boondi spoon and keep ready. Cook the boondi till it is done and using another laddle fish it out to a kitchen paper for the oil to be absorbed.

6. Repeat till all the batter is done. 

Coconut Burfi - Thenga Burfi - Coconut Fudge - Diwali Sweet - Vegan Option

Coconut Burfi is a sweet made with just a very few ingredients. Main components are coconut and sugar cooked with some water. It is flavoured mildly with cardamom. You add a little bit of ghee (clarified butter) at the end for added flavour. If you want to make it Vegan you can skip it as well. It is one of the rare sweets made without ghee. Most indian sweets are drenched in ghee.



There is an incident that comes to my mind every time I think of coconut burfi. We grew up in a very close knit community where we would all eat from each other's houses (uninvited). So if a sweet or savoury is made in a house all the neighbourhood children got a share of it when they pop into the kitchen. But with coconut burfi, i once took it to a little extreme. One of my neighbours made it so well that I popped in to her house every 10-15 min to eat them. Well, I kept at it till I made sure that the entire box was empty :-)



Usually it is made with freshly grated coconut. When doing that make sure that you grate only the top white part and not the bottom brown bit. I actually made these with Frozen coconut and believe me, if I do not tell you, you will not be able to tell the difference. So for those of you sitting in foreign countries with no access to fresh coconut, do try it with a good quality frozen coconut. Take the required quantity. Thaw in microwave for 1.5 min and you are all set.

Ingredients (Makes 16 pieces)

Coconut Grated 2 cups
Sugar 1.5 cups
Water little over 1/2 cup
Cardamom Powder 1/4 tsp
Ghee (Clarified Butter) 2 tsp (optional)

Method of Preparation

1. Grease a 7*7 square tin. Or any plate.

2. Heat a Thick (Heavy) bottomed pan or a non stick pan. Add the sugar and water to it.

3. Boil till you reach the 1 string consistency. (Take a slightly cooled drop of sugar mix on your index finger. Touch with your thumb. Separate the fingers. If the sugar forms a thread it means you have reached 1 string).

4. Add the coconut and mix well on medium flame.

5. Keep stirring till the water mostly evaporates and the mixture comes together.

6. Add the ghee and cardamom powder.  Mix well.

7. Transfer to the plate. Even out the top. It will be a little moist at this stage. Do not worry. It will solidify as it cools.

8. Let it cool for some time (about 10 min).

9. Mark lines on it to cut the burfi. Do not cut fully or separate them at this stage.

10. Let it cool completely. Cut into pieces and store in an airtight container.

Spooky Witches Fingers - Vanilla Butter Cookies

Halloween is just a few days away. When I lived in India, I was blissfully unaware of Halloween. That is not the case any more. I see more and more Indians having little fun for Halloween. Having lived in US for so long, it has kind of become part of festivals we celebrate. Here in UK the halloween is not as popular, but it is gaining popularity.



For me, as with most festivals the key is to make it a grand event for the kids. The holidays started this week (Half term). So my little one and I had a fun time baking these goodies. We did a little colouring and all this morning. Yes, it is the friendly witch that you see below.

Spooky Fingers not your cup of tea? No worries. Cause this recipe is a keeper. Just make the dough and shape them however you like. To quote my son - They are just scrummy! (scrumptious and yummy).

Check out other Halloween Goodies here

Adapted from here
Ingredients (Makes 60 fingers)

Butter (at room temperature) 225 gms
Icing Sugar 125 gms
Large Egg 1
Vanilla Extract 1 tsp (or use almond extract instead)
All Purpose Flour (Plain Flour, Maida) 350 gms
Baking Powder 1 tsp
Salt 1 tsp
Almonds 60
Strawberry Jam as required to paint red
Green Food Colour a little (optional)

Method of Preparation

1. Take the butter in a bowl. Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat well.

2. Add the egg, sugar and vanilla extract. Beat till well combined.

3. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and salt.

4. Add this little at a time to the butter mix.

5. Beat till well combined.

6. Cover and refrigerate for atleast 30 min.

7. Take out small portion of the dough. Pinch about 10-12 gms of dough (a very small ball).

8. Make a ball. Roll it on the counter to make a string. Press with your fingers to create the knuckles. Add one almond at the tip as nail. With a sharp knife add a few cuts.

9. Arrange on a parchment lined baking tray.

10. Preheat oven to 160C.

11. Bake the cookies for about 18-20 min till nicely baked.

12. When it cools a little, take the almond out, add a little (a drop or 2) of jam. Press the almond back. Though this is step is optional, I found that if I do not do it, the almond falls off.

Cool and store in an airtight container. If you want to make in batches, you can store this dough in the freezer and use as required. Would recommend cutting into smaller portions and freezing. That way you can just pull out one portion and cool in fridge overnight and bake the next day. 

Maida Burfi - Maida Cake - Vanilla Fudge - Diwali Sweet

Diwali season has started. All the houses are buzzing with preparation for Diwali. Every year I also look forward to making some awesome sweets and savouries. Traditionally at home, my mom makes a few sweets and savouries. And along with that is a Lehiyam. Do check out the recipe on Lehiyam in my blog. It has amazing medicinal properties. After eating all the goodies, this works as a great digestive.



In the morning, we wake up much before dawn. Then have an oil bath. We all get special new clothes all purchased specially for the day. Then we enjoy some sparklers and fireworks. The whole street comes alive with the festivities. Next we visit our family and friends. We share our sweets with everyone and enjoy the holidays.



I start this diwali with this sweet recipe from my friend Radhika's blog. It is quite easy to prepare. The only thing you need to be mindful of is the 1 string consistency. In India we do not use Candy Thermometer. The doneness of sugar is defined by the strings. How, you ask? Spoon out a little syrup, and when it is warm enough to touch and still hot, take a drop on your index finger. Touch with your thumb and separate. If a single thin string forms, it is a one string consistency.

Ingredients (makes 32 pieces)

Maida/All Purpose Flour 2 1/4 cups (290 gms)
Sugar 3 cups
Ghee (Clarified Butter) 3/4 cup
Water 3/4 cup
Vanilla Extract 1.5 tsp
Cardamon a pinch

Method of Preparation

1. Grease two 7*7 square cake tins. Or just any big plate.

2. Sieve the flour and keep ready.

3. In a pan, add the ghee and melt it.

4. When ready, add the flour and still in low flame for 3-4 min till the raw smell is gone. Switch off.

5. In another pan, heat the water and sugar. Boil it till it comes to a 1 string consistency. See notes above.

6. Add the syrup to the flour mix. Stir vigorously for about 2 min till it comes together. Though mine came really good, I would have loved to stop just 10-15 sec before.

7. Keep a close eye. Once it starts collecting, transfer to the greased plates. Flatten the top with a flat surface.

8. Cut when the fudge is still warm.

9. Once cooled transfer to an airtight container.

Enjoy!