Soya Khaima & Batura

Recipe : Soya Khaima & Batura
Shared by : Swaminatha Sharma
Dated : 27/01/2015

Today we are going to watch 2 (two) recipes at a time in this video presentation....Well..

First one is Making of Batura as many have requested how to make this Batura. Second one is Soya Khaima, which is very well explained in this video, with Soya Chunks, which is a spicy semi-gravy / Dry gravy type, which goes yummy with Roti / Pulka / Naan / Batura, etc... Please watch this video, which is dedicated to Aaharam Members, and post your feedback here and on the Youtube video also.

Dal Dhokli

Recipe : Dal Dhokli 
Shared by : Radha Iyer
Dated : 22/01/2015

A one dish meal from Gujarat.

Ingredients:
For Dal:
1. Toor dal- 1 cup
2. Peanuts-,1/4 cup
Cook toor dal and peanuts together in a pressure cooker. When done mash dall into a smooth paste. Care should be taken not to mash up the peanuts. Alternatively they can be cooked separately.
To grind
3. Tomatoes - 4 medium sized
4. Tamarind- 1 small lemon sized ball soaked
5. Green chilli- ginger paste - 1 tbsp
6. Red chilli powder- 1 tsp
7. Dhania Jeera powder- 2 tbsp
8. Jaggery powder- 2 tbsp
9. Curry leaves - 6-8 leaves
10. Coriander leaves -2 sprigs
11. Salt - As per taste
12. Haldi powder -1/4 tsp.

For the Dhokli
1. Wheat flour - 1 cup
2. Salt- (as per taste)
3. Sambar powder 1- tsp.
4. Ajvain - I tsp crushed in the palm and added.
Knead into a smooth dough, roll and cut into square or diamond shaped pieces.

For seasoning:
Oil - 2-3 tbsp.( you can also use ghee)
1. Mustard- 1- 2 tsp
2. Jeera- 1 tsp
3. Sesame seeds- 2 tsp
4. Asafoetida- 1/4 tsp
5. Whole red chillies- 2 broken
6. Curry leaves - 5-6

For Garnishing: finely chopped coriander and a tsp. of home made ghee.

In a wok, add oil or ghee. When hot add ingredients for seasoning in the same order.
Add the ground paste and stir till the mixture releases the oil. Now add the mashed dal and peanut mixture. Add 2-3 cups of water and let the dal boil. Now add the Dhokli pieces and continue to boil till the dhoklis are well cooked.
Garnish with chopped coriander and a spoonful of ghee( optional, but recommended) and serve.

Friends , one thing about this dish is that it becomes thick as it cools. Obvious because of the Dhokli and dal. While it tastes good even if it is cold, it must be diluted and salt and spices can be added to enhance the taste while heating it. My daughter and I like it with thick thayir.

Capcisum Potato Sabji

Recipe : Capsicum potato sabji
Shared by : Radha Iyer

Dated : 22/01/2015

Ingredients :
Potatoes : 2 (boiled and diced)
Capsicum: 3 medium sized cut into 1" size pieces
Onion. : 2 medium sized cut finely
Tomato. : 1 medium sized cut to pieces
Cashew nuts: 5-6 soaked in water
Ginger paste : 1/2 tsp
Coriander Cumin powder : 1 1/4 tsp
Garam Masala powder : 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder : 1 tsp
Turmeric powder : 1/2 tsp
Oil : 2 1/2 tbsp
Sugar : 1 tsp
Water : 1 1/4 cup.
Salt : according to taste

Method
First grind together tomatoes, cashew nuts , coriander cumin powder, ginger into a paste. Add 1/4 cup water and make a purée and keep aside.  In a wok add I tsp oil and sauté capsicum with required salt for 2-4 mins. Keep aside the sautéed capsicum. In the same wok add and heat remaining oil . Now sauté chopped onions till they turn light brown. Add red chilli powder, turmeric and garam masala and mix well. Add in the puréed tomato mix , sugar and salt if needed and cook on low fire for about 5 mins. Now add the capsicum and diced potatoes and mix well.add remaining water and cook for about 3-4 mins till the gravy thickens. Turn off gas and Transfer to a serving bowl. Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves and serve with chapatis ,phulkas, parathas etc.  For the lunch box.

Kara Vadai

Recipe : KARAVADAI/KARAVADA
Shared by : Radha Venkatesh
Dated : 22/01/2015

is a snack you can find only in Thiruvanthapuram/Trivandrum City, Kerala ( mostly in Trivandrum, Alleppey side). Other areas usually will make Paruppu Vadai, uzhunthu vadai only .

This is a very traditional snack of Brahmins in Trivandrum. 


How tomake
3/4 cup boiled rice
1/4 cup raw rice
1/4 cup whole Urad dhal(black gram)
1/4 cup Vadai Parrippu (channa dhal/ Bengal gram)
8 to 10 red chillies, hing, green chilli -1-2, curry leaves,
Salt- to taste.
1/8 teaspoon of Asafeotida .
1/8 teaspoon of Baking soda ( optional, )

Soak together both type of rice. Soak urad and channa dhal separately. Grind urad dhal nicely then add rice and half portion of channa dhal,hing,red chillies, salt. Grind.it . Make sure to grind into a coarse paste.   After taking it from mixi add the remaining channa dhal and curry leaves and mix.don't add too much water while grinding.  Take small balls of it and deep fry in oil until they become golden brown color.  Enjoy warm with coconut chutney and Sambhar.

Matvadi Palya

This is Matvadi Palya. Can be eaten with hot rice, with sambar chadam, curd rice.
Recipe:  Matvadi Palya

Shared by : Shobha Balasubramaniam
Dated : 22/01/2015

Channa dhal 1 cup( soaked for 2_3 hours in water).
Methi leaves _1 cup..washed and chopped
Curry leaves little
Mustard 1 tsp
Cumin seeds 1 tsp
Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
Red/green chillies 3_4
Coconut _ 2 tsps (optional)
Ginger one small piece
Oil 4_5 spoons
Hing 1 pinch
Salt as per taste.

Method :
Drain water from channa dhal. To this add chillies, little salt, ginger. Coconut and grind coarsely in mixie without water . transfer this to a vessel and steam cook.  Now take a kadai, put oil then mustard, cumin seeds. Fry for two minutes, add curry leaves and fry till it becomes crop. Now add turmeric powder, hung, chopped methi leaves and sauté for 4_5 minutes. Now add the steamed dhal breaking the lumps . add required salt and keep the stove on low flame for five minutes and switch off.

Kathirikkai Kuzhambu

Recipe : kathirikkai kuzhambu
Shared by : Ananda Gomathy

Dated : 23/01/2014

Temper mustard, jeera, venthayam and curry leaves. Add onions and sauté. Add tomato and sauté for a minute. Add red chilli powder, coriander powder and turmeric. After the raw smell leaves, add whole brinjals cut into 4 upto 3/4 th lenth of the brinjal to preserve the shape intact and shallow fry for 5 min. Take care not to break the brinjal to pieces. Then add tamarind juice and after two min add one tablespoon of coconut milk. 

Boil it for ten minutes. Season with coriander leaves. Your muzhu kathirikkai kuzhambu is ready!!!!

Rasam Powder

Recipe : Making of Rasam Powder in Video
Shared by : Swaminatha Sharma
Dated : 21/01/2015

Vazhakkai Podimas

Recipe : Typical Vazhakkai Podimas

Shared by : Swaminatha Sharma

Dated : 23/01/2015

Ingredients :-
Vazhakkan - 2 nos
Green Chilly - 3 to 4 nos (Depending on spicy)
Ginger : 1 inch size and grated
Coconut : 1-cup grated
For tempering
Oil - 2 tsp
Mustard : 1 tsp
Urud Dal : 1 tsp
Asafoetida : 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves : 1 Koththu

Method : Steam the Vazhakkai in a cooker, peel of the skip and grate it in a grater to pieces (As we do for Carrot).. In a kadai temper, mustard seeds, urud dal, curry leaves, greenchilly, ginger and saute for 1 minute.. Add the grated Vazhakkai and saute for 2 mins. Add Salt and Coconut and stir evenly for 1 min. Add now the asafoetida powder and mix evenly. (Take care while mixing that it does not become a Koozh)...Serve with rice as desired....!!!

Kovakkai Thogayal

Recipe : KOVAKAI THUVAYAL

Shared by : Chitra Lalitha

Dated : 24/01/2015

10 to 15 kovakai
Red chilli - 6
Ulatha parapu - 2 tsp
Tamarind - a small ball marble size
Grated coconut - 2 tbsp
Coriander leaves - handful (optional)
Oil - 2 tbsp
Salt to taste

METHOD
Wash and cut Kovakai into thin strips or rounds.  Heat oil and fry the red chillies first then add ulatha parapu and fry till its golden brown, now add the kovakai and fry till it becomes soft (do not add water). Add needed salt. Once the kovakai becomes tender, switch off the flame.  Add grated coconut, coriander leaves and saute in the heat of the pan itself. Allow it to cool.  Grind it a little coarse with the tamarind. If you like a clove of garlic can be added while frying.

Sundakkai Araicha Kootu

Recipe : CHUNDAKKA ARACHUVITTA KOOTTU.
Shared by : Girijamani Lakshmanan
Dated : 23/01/2015

Traditional recipe learned from my Mother-in-law

Pacha Chundakka. 1 small cup. (Fresh ones) Slit the chundakkai with a knife.
For grinding:
Coconut 1/4cup grated
Uluthamparuppu. 1tspoon
Dhaniya 2 tablespoon
Jeera 1tablespoon
Red chillies. 8 nos
Kata perungayam small piece
Vellam. One big piece
Tamarind. Small nellikkai size
Turmeric powder 1tspoon
Salt to taste
Oil 2 table spoon
Mustard seeds. 1 tspoon
Karuveppilai few leaves for seasoning

Procedure
Soak tamarind in water and squeeze the purée and keep it aside.
In a Kadai fry uluthamparuppu, dhaniya, jeera, red chillies in a little oil when it is fried, add the coconut to it and fry it. After cooling it grind it into smooth paste.  In another Kadai add 2 tablespoon of oil and add the chundakkai to it and fry it till it is sautéed thoroughly (Nanna vathakkanam). Then add the tamarind extract to it. Add turmeric powder, perungayam, salt and the vellam to it. In sim fire boil it till the pacha vasanai vanishes. Add the ground paste to it and cook till oil separates from it. Add a cup of water to make it into the required consistency. Boil it for two minutes.  Season the KOOTTU with mustard seeds and karuveppilai.  This KOOTTU will have a slight bitter taste like pavakkai. But it is good for health.

Arisi Payasam

Recipe : Arisi Payasam
Shared by : Radhika Bharathan
Dated : 23/01/2015

Raw Rice ½ cup.
Grated Coconut 1 cup, (Same size cup)
Jaggery 1 cup, (Grated Jaggery)
Fresh milk around 250 ml
Cashew nuts around 10 full pieces (break into small size)
Cardamom 2 or 3 pieces. (powder the cardamom)
Water 500 – 600 ml.

Procedure:
First soak the raw rice in sufficient quantity and keep it for about 30 minutes. Spread the grated coconut on a plate and let it for a few minutes.  First Grind the coconut into a semi coarse texture and transfer it to a container.   Grind the Rice with minimum water to a fine coarse texture. Now, add the ground coconut and run it for a few seconds to get a well-mixed content. (Collect the washed mix in a separate container) Collect the thick mix separately.

Take a sufficiently round bottom, thick, vessel and heat it. Coat the bottom with a pinch of Ghee. Now, add around 200 ml of water and allow it to boil. Once, it starts boiling, add the coconut rice mix. While adding the mix, keep stirring. Keep the stove in full flame, until the mix reaches boiling. Once it has reached boiling, keep the stove in medium flame. Let the mix be boiling for sufficient time. 

Now, prepare the jaggery. Grate the jaggery and immerse in water. Now, stir this vigorously and allow the solids settle at the bottom. Slowly take out the pure jaggery water and leave the solid sediments at the bottom.  When the mix is boiling evenly, add this jaggery water and increase the flame to full. Keep stirring then and there. When the mix reaches a homogeneous state, the sweet aroma would be coming up. This is the proper mixture. When the Paayasam gets thicker, keep adding a bit of water.   Meanwhile, boil the fresh milk and keep it hot. When the Paayasam gets thicker, add the milk and keep stirring constantly.  Now, after adding the milk, the Paayasam would be frothing on the surface and let it mix and boil for a minute.  Enough and bring it down from the stove. Now, add the powdered cardamom over the surface. Don’t stir. Just leave it.  Take a pan, add ghee and when it is hot, fry the cashews to golden brown color. Transfer the entire contents to the Paayasam and just leave it like that. 

Veppampoo Rasam

Recipe : Neem Flower (Veppampoo) Rasam

This is one of the important dish in Tamilnadu during the Tamil New Year's day. I have given here the methodology as per my granny's way. This healthy Rasam should be one of the favorite dish in the coming New year's dishes....

Ingredients :
Tomato - 2
Tamarind paste - 1 tsp (or small lemon sized tamarind)
Turmeric powder
Salt to taste
Rasam powder - 2 tsp.
Toor dal - 2 tbsp (cooked)
Vepampoo(Neem Flower) - 1 Tbsp

For Seasoning:
Oil or Ghee - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp
Asafoetida - 1 pinch
fresh coriander leaves - 1 tbsp
Curry leaves - 10 leaves.

Method of preparation :-
In a pan, add a cup of water to cut tomatoes, mix the tamarind paste. Add turmeric powder, rasam powder and salt to it. Let it cook/boil for about 10 minutes. Now add the toor dal and another cup of water to it. When the rasam starts emitting a very good aroma, turn off the stove. In a small pan, pre-heat the oil/ghee, add mustard seed, when seeds start splutter, add Vepampoo, fenugreek seeds and asafoetida and curry leaves to it. Pour it in the rasam. Garnish it with fresh coriander leaves. Its always better to eat this Rasam after few minutes of cooking, so that the aroma of Neem flower mix with rasam. This is a traditional dish on new year's eve. Serves 4 people.

Raw Chutney

Recipe : Raw Chutney
Shared by :Saranya Simhan
Dated : 24/01/20145

Raw chutney:

Onion-2
Tomato-2
Dry chilly-3
Salt to taste

To temper:
Gingely oil -3 tbsp
Mustard
Asafoetida -a pinch

Grind all the ingredients in mixie. Heat a pan or tempering karandi.. it should be very very hot. Once it starts to leave smoke, immediately add oil mustard and switch of the flame. Add hing. If ladle, put it directly into chutney. if pan, pour the mixture into the pan.. its ready to serve. Slight raw taste will be there..

Very simple and easy to make chutney. Tastes good with dosas...

Rajapalayathu Keerai

Recipe : RAJAPALAYATHU KEERAI
Shared by :  A K Ganga Prasad
Dated : 23/01/2014

Ingredients:
Arai Keerai – 1 kattu
Garlic big – 10 teeth
Tomoto medium – 4
Onion Big – 4
Gingili oil – as required
Green Chilli – as required
Mustard – as required
Salt – to taste

Process

Remove leaf from the Arai Keerai and wash, clean and filter it removing dust and mud.  Take 2 onion, peal the skin and cut slice it .  Peal garlic  Steam cook sliced onion, garlic, tomato, chilli and cleaned araikeerai. let it cool down after fully cooked.  Slice the remaining onion into small pieces.  Keep oil in frying pan and bring it to full heat. Put mustard seeds. After mustard blasts put sliced onion and sauté well.  In the meanwhile nicely grind the cooked items in mixie.  Once the onion is sauted add the ground items. Add salt as required. Once oil forms on the top stop the fire. THE ENTIRE PROCESS SHOULD BE DONE ON LOW FIRE ONLY.  The preparation will be yummy when taken with rice.  The same can be kept for months refregirated.  as dictated by Mrs. G. Rajalakshmi

Dry Fruits Burfi

Recipe : Dry Fruits Burfi
Shared by : Swaminatha Sharma
Dated : 24/01/2015

Lets make a different but common available Dry Fruits Burfi, which shall be home made. Making sweets of our own and distribution makes sense of happiness in the family and the maker too. The ingredients are commonly available, and it should be easy to prepare... Lets rock on with making of DRYFRUITS BURFI....

Ingredients
Cashew nuts chopped – 1 cup
Pistachios chopped – 1/4 cup
Almonds chopped – 1/4 cup
Grated desicated coconut – 1/8 cup
Poppy seeds – 1 tbsp
raisins – 1/4 cup
jaggery - 1 cups
ghee – 1 tbsp

Method of Preparation
Heat a Kadai and dry roast or bake cashews, almonds and pistchois until lightly roasted. Heat a tsp of Ghee, add powdered jaggery and mix with required water until its immersed. Let the jaggery reach a soft ball consistency for syrup. Check the consistency by adding a drop of jaggery to cold water to form into soft balls. Once the syrup reaches the consistency add all the dry fruits, dried poppy seeds, and cardamom powder and stir well until its mixed together. Pour the burfi on a plate coated with Ghee. Wait until its cool in room temperature and cut into desired shape.

Puli Pongal

Recipe : Puli Pongal
Shared by : Siva Lalitha
Dated : 22/01/2015

Pulipongal

Ingredients:

Broken rice - 1 1/2 cups
Tumarind water - 3 cups
Ulundhu - 1 tspn
Gram dal - 1 tspn
Red chilli - 10
Turmeric powder
Mustard - 1/2 tspn
Ground nut - 1 tspn
Curry leaves
Oil - 2 tspn
Asafoetida

Method:

In a cooker add 2 tspn oil and heat it.  Now add ulundhu, gram dal and groundnut and fry it till it turns brownish. Add asafoetida, red chillies and curry leaves fry it. Add turmeric powder and pour tumarind water to the cooker and boil it.  After few minutes when water boiles add broken rice and salt. Close the cooker and leave 3 whistle.

Chettinad Poondu Kuzhambu

Recipe : Chettinad Poondu Kuzhambu
Shared by : Indu Murali
Dated : 24/01/2015

Ingredients:onion medium size 2, garlic15 cloves, tomato 2 medium size, curry leaves, tamarind small lemon. Size,salt to taste, pepper powder 2 tsp, chilli powder 1/2 tsp turmeric powder 1/2 tsp dhaniya powder 2tsp.. For tampering mustadr. Bengal gram, fenugreek jeera, gingely oil 3 tablespoons... Method in two tsp oil fry chopped one onion, one tomato , 5 garlic cloves and little pepper corns.. Keep aside.. Let it cool add the tamrind water and grind the mixture to smooth paste keep aside. Then pour the blance oil tamper it with above ingredients one by one then add onion garlic fry for a while then add tomato chopped when done add the powders one by one finally add the ground masala let it boil till the oil separates... It tastes so yummy!!! the recipe given by my son!!!!

Eggless Cake

Recipe : Eggless Cake
Shared by : Sandhya Sriram
Dated : 23/01/2015

Ingredients
2 cups - wheat flour
1 cup - milk powder
1 1/2 cups - Sugar powder
1/2 cup - cooking oil (no groundnut oil)
2 cups - Milk
1 tsp - vanilla essence
1tsp - Eno fruit salt

Method:
Mix all the ingredients thoroughly, in the end add eno fruit salt. Grease the baking tray with ghee, transfer the contents to baking tray and bake it at 180 degree c for 38 minutes. Cool before taking out.  If you want to use baking powder and soda, then use 3/4th tea spoon baking powder and half tsp baking soda. I didn't use because I don't want to give those to my younger one. Also you can add a spoon of vinegar in milk and then add baking soda to that milk. when it bubbles, mix that with dry ingredients.

Punjabi Chole

Recipe : Punjabi Chole
Shared by : Swaminatha Sharma
Dated : 22/01/2014

Kozhukkattai

Kozhukkattai forms an important food, which is offered During all the festivals. There are different methods of making kozhukkattai, but the method described here is traditional old, which my granny explained to me. I have given here the exact method of making the stuff, which be please be tried to get a good form.

Ingredients
Raw rice 1/2 cups (First soak the rice in water for about 1 and half hour and grind to paste in Dosa batter consistency)
Salt ( a pinch)
Ghee - 2 ts
Milk - 1/2 cup
water - 1 & 1/2 cup

Grind raw rice into fine paste. In a bowl take 1 & 1/2 cup water, and 1/2 cup milk and mix rice flour, ghee and a pinch of salt together. Heat the batter in a pan (preferably non stick) and keep stirring without any lumps, till it forms a dough consistency. In a wet muslin cloth or thin cloth, keep the dough, tie and keep it aside.

For Sweet Poornam (Stuffing)
Fresh Grated Coconut - 1 cup
Jaggery - 1 cup
Elachi (Cardamom) - 3 nos (grinded to poweder)
Ghee - 4 to 5 ts
Water - 3/4 cup (less than jaggery)

Put the Jaggery in a heavy bottomed vessel and add water and boil it. Remove dusts and mud if any. Boil for another 2 minutes and add cocunut and stir well still it sticks. Add elachi powder and ghee and stir well. If you could take some, it should be able to be rolled out. Take out from the stove and allow it to cool. Make small small balls (Half the size of the lemon) and keep aside.

Take the cooked rice dough tied in the cloth. Sprinkle little water and apply some oil in your hands. Take the dough and knead it till it becomes like a soft ball. Apply oil in your hands and flatten it so that it becomes circular and forms like a cup. Fill the Poornam Stuffing inside and make it in the form of Kozhukkattai. Place all the Kozhukkattai in the Cooker Idli plates and steam boil for 10 to 15 minutes. When fully cooked, remove and place in a Plate and offer to Lord Ganpathi first and serve hot to all....!!!!

Cooking Tips # 9

Cooking Tips # 9

Shared by : Saranya Simhan

Dated : 24/01/2015

Tips:

1. Oil changes its colour leaving black residues when frying poori because of the flour we use for dusting when rolling out. To avoid this, use little oil to roll out so we have clear oil till the last.

2. Use pepper powder instead of chilly powder for making bakshanams( ribbon, omapodi) its gives a nice flavor and is also much healthier than chilly powder.

3. When boiling any vegetable for curry (potato, plaintain,colacasia, yam etc..) chances that it might get overcooked resulting in sticky or smashed curry. once boiled and peeled the skin, cool it completely or keep it in freezer for about half hour. later cut into pieces or grate it and temper for making curry.

4. Cut chow chow and rub against each other.A white sticky paste will be formed.Remove before chopping for curry/kootu.Not sure why we are removing but it is being followed so long in our house.

5. Mix quarter portion of powdered black chenna to wheat flour when making chapathi. It tastes good and is also good for diabetics.

6.when making home made paneer, add a cup of curd instead of lemon juice. This yields more quantity of paneer.

7. When making puli kaachal, Add salt only after the tamarind water gets cooked completely and is reduced to half. When adding initially, it will get stuck to the bottom so we might have to mix it without taking hands.

8.Do not cut and store onions. It has the tendency to absorb bacteria in the environment. So cut and use immediately.