COCONUT BURFI

HAPPY  DIWALI

 

 

Homemade sweets and snacks have a enduring allure. Ghee and oil aroma permeates the entire house during the festivities.I prepared coconut burfi,a simple yet delicious sweet prepared with minimal ingredients.After relishing all the sweets and snacks,I thoroughly enjoyed the stunning visuals of crackers from my terrace and captured it on my mobile.I decided to post the pics on my blog.

 INGREDIENTS :

 

GRATED COCONUT- 1 CUP 

SUGAR- 1 CUP

WATER- 1/2 CUP

GHEE 1 TBSP 

CARDAMOM POWDER- 1 TSP

 

PROCEDURE:

 

1. Grate coconut and keep it aside.Take care to grate only the white portion,else the colour of your burfi will change. 

2. Heat 2 tsp of ghee in a pan and saute gratings in mild heat for couple of seconds and keep it aside.

 

3.In the same pan add ghee and roast cashews till golden brown and keep it aside.

 

4.Add water to the pan and dissolve sugar.When the sugar is fully dissolved,switch on the stove. Keep stirring in mild heat till it reaches one string consistency.

5.Now transfer the gratings,cashew nuts and cardamom powder to the sugar syrup and keep stirring in mild heat till it reaches halwa consistency.

6.Add the remaining ghee and mix well Transfer the contents to a greased tray and allow it to cool.

7. On cooling cut it into equal squares and serve.

 

INSTANT AVALAKKI / POHA DOSA

 

 

                                        

 

I'm a dosa lover and I love to gorge on different varieties of dosa. I prepared this spongy,slightly rubbery dosa yesterday. Since this is an instant variant,it doesn't require fermentation.There are varied recipes for this dosa. Some incorporate ground batter of flattened rice with dosa batter. In case you are running out of dosa batter,you can try this version. I refrained from adding baking soda,as it is not good for gut health.

 

                                         

 INGREDIENTS :

FLATTENED RICE- 1 1/2 CUPS

SEMOLINA- 1 CUP

WATER- 2 CUPS

SALT O TASTE

CURD- 1 CUP

PROCEDURE :

1. Rinse flattened rice for couple of times to get rid of impurities. Then soak it along with semolina in 2 cups of water.

2. Allow it to rest for 15-20 minutes. Then grind the soaked ingredients to fine batter.

3. Take out the batter in a wide bowl and combine curd,salt,water if required and whisk it well.

4. The batter should be of dosa batter consistency.

 

5.Brush oil on a dosa pan and heat it. When its hot enough,spread the batter. Drizzle oil on the surface and sides.

 

6. Slide the cooked dosas and enjoy it with any accompaniment of your choice.    

Chapati dough in a mixer grinder

                                          

                                                          

    

Of late. I have been viewing quite a few videos,wherein the chapati dough is kneaded in the mixer jar. I have a wet grinder,that comes with the atta kneader attachment. But I wanted to try this in a mixer grinder. Moreover,after preparing capsicum gravy,I was tired and little lethargic to knead the dough with my hands and hence resorted to this method. The chapati were really very soft and fluffy. If you want to prepare chapatis effortlessly,then you can definitely try this method.  

                                      

 PROCEDURE :

1. Take the wheat flour in a mixer jar. Add requisite amount of salt and oil and blend for couple of seconds.

2. The dough will have a crumble consistency at this stage. Now sprinkle water and run the mixer grinder for few more seconds and switch off.

3. Don't pour excess water,as the dough will turn soggy. Take care to sprinkle water.

4. Now switch off to check the consistency  If you find the dough to be bit sticky,then sprinkle dough and roll it into chapatis.

DONDAKAYA ULLI KARAM CURRY

                                             

                        

       

 

 I'm fond of vegetable curries from the Andhra cuisine- its spicier and comprises a slew of ingredients and sometimes,it involves an elaborate cooking procedure. But considering the unique flavour,the effort is worth it. I have prepared many different vegetable curries from the Andhra cuisine and hence have developed an affinity for it. I especially love these curries with plain rice. Dondakaya is a Telugu word for Ivy gourd and ulli means onion. This curry too pairs well with plain rice.You can adjust the chillies according to your spice tolerance levels. Ivy gourd can be slit into any shape-  I always prefer the roundels.

 

 

 INGREDIENTS TO ROAST & GRIND :

CORIANDER SEEDS- 5 TSP

CUMIN SEEDS- 1 TSP

RED CHILLIES- 5 NOS

GARLIC CLOVES- 5-6 N0S

CHOPPED ONION- 1

TAMARIND- GOOSEBERRY SIZE

OTHER INGREDIENTS :

IVY GOURD- 600 GRAMS

SALT TO TASTE

OIL- 1 TBSP

TURMERIC POWDER- 1/4 TSP

PROCEDURE :

1. Clean ivy gourd and trim both the ends.Chop it into roundels or any shape of your choice and keep it aside. 

2. In a pan heat oil and transfer the chopped ivy gourd over it. Add salt and cook in medium flame with lid covered.

3. When the veggie is cooked switch off the flame.

4. Mean while in an another pan,ad a teaspoon of oil and roast coriander seeds,cumin seeds,red chillies,garlic cloves,chopped onions and fry well.At last add tamarind piece and fry till it softens. Allow the contents to cool.

5. In a mixer jar transfer the roasted and cooled contents along with water and grind to paste.

6. Now add the ground paste over the sauteed veggie and fry till the paste blends well and oil starts leaving the sides.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

GROUNDNUT MASALA

         

                                   

        

 

Some years ago,I answered a query on Quora : When you don't have anything to cook,what will you eat  during the evening ? I came up with my answer- Roasted and salted groundnuts. Indeed groundnuts are the most sought-after tea time snack to munch on. After dry roasting the groundnuts on a medium flame,I sprinkle salt water and continue roasting till it turns crispy and the water content evaporates completely. To my surprise,my answer resonated with many Quorans and it garnered hundred upvotes. 

Now,coming to this recipe,this is a delicious,crispy and easy snack prepared with groundnuts. There is no standard recipe for this snack,you can adjust the ingredients according to your taste preferences. Some incorporate ginger garlic paste. I have kept this recipe simple with just four spice powders. The beauty of this snack lies in the nice crunchy texture. You need to exercise caution while preparing batter with right proportion of water and flour.,else,the snack will turn soft and flaccid. 

INGREDIENTS :

ROASTED GROUNDNUTS- 2 CUPS

GRAM FLOUR- 2 CUPS

RICE FLOUR- 3/4  CUP

SALT TO TASTE

CHILLI POWDER- 1/2 TSP

GARAM MASALA- 1/2 TSP

TURMERIC POWDER- 1/4 TSP

AAM CHUR POWDER- 1/4 TSP

ASAFOETIDA- 1/4 TSP

OIL FOR FRYING

PROCEDURE :

1. If you have roasted groundnuts,then you can readily use it,else you have to dry roast the same.

2. In a wide vessel take all the flours and spice powders along with salt and mix well.

3. Transfer the roasted groundnuts to the flour mixture and mix well. Sprinkle water little by little and mix till all the groundnuts get coated. 

4. Keep the contents covered for 20 minutes.

5. Meanwhile,heat oil in a pan. After 20 minutes,sprinkle some more rice flour over the mixture and blend well. This method prevent the nuts from sticking.

6. To check the right temperature,drop a small portion of the batter,if it pops up then it is the right time to fry it.

7. Don't use spoon for dropping the batter,as the groundnuts will club together. Hence always use you hands and pinch the contents and drop it in the oil slowly. 

8. Fry on both the sides,till it turns crisp and golden brown in colour. Dish out the deep fried groundnuts masala and enjoy it.

 

HOMEMADE CRISPY POTATO CHIPS

 

 

 

I'm addicted to the crunchy,irresistible taste of store-bought chips. I always wondered as to what contributed to the uniform crispy texture of the chips, purchased from the markets.After googling various hacks, I decided to prepare potato chips at home. Viola ! the the chips turned out be perfectly crispy. I learned some important pointers,which were really helpful in getting the desired results.Selection of Potato variant is key for the crispiness- Potato should be large and firm.Immersing the slices in ice water,is key for crispy texture. Rinsing the slices in ice cold water,eliminates the starch content completely. I followed every nuance and was elated with the outcome. Thenceforth,I will prepare my favorite chips at home and eat it too!.

 

INGREDIENTS :

POTATOES (  LARGE VARIANT )

OIL FOR FRYING

ICE COLD WATER

SALT - AS REQUIRED

PROCEDURE :

1. Wash ,wipe and peel the skin of potatoes.

2. Take a chips cutter and rub the peeled potato to make thin slices.

 

3. Transfer the slices to the container with ice cold water and immerse it for 20 minutes.

4. After twenty minutes,take the slices from the water and rinse it thoroughly with fresh ice water to get rid of starch content.

5. Spread the cleaned slices on a clean cotton cloth to get rid of excess moisture content .

6. Heat oil in a pan and when it is hot enough,drop the slices gently. Always maintain medium heat,else the chips will turn brown and over cooked.

7. Fry till the chips turn crisp and colour changes to  golden. Don't spread the fried chips on a tissue cloth.

 

8.Allow it to cool for a couple of minutes,sprinkle salt and chilli powder and store it in airtight container.