Panguni Pongal festival

I still remember during my school days, we all would be

waiting for the end of the final exams....for summer vacation?

No atleast for the southern parts of TamilNadu.

Mariamman kovil festival comes at the end of hectic

and fearing final exams.All my uncles and aunts come over

from distance places for this festival.So it happens to

be a meeting time of all my cousins.I always think our

ancestors made this Temple festivals as a get together

or a gathering of kith and kins coupled with offerings

to God.

People in and around Sivakasi give more

importance to Mariamman kovil Pongal festival than

Thai Pongal.All the local offices will be closed for 2 days

for this festival.

The festival starts with flag hoisting in the

Temple usually in the first sunday of Tamil month Panguni

( mid of March).Marriages should not be held until the

lowering of flag.The 21 st day after the flag hoisting

is the Pongal festival.The next day is the Annual Agni

Thiruvizha with hundreds of devotees taking up fire

pot procession.

The third day is the ( Therottam ) Temple car festival.

The Temple car goes around the main streets .And the festival

ends wiht the lowering of flag.Almost all the people

who lives in other places gather here for this big festival.

Another interesting thing during this festival

is matrimonial arrangements.People consider this festival as

the perfect place for looking around for brides and grooms.Lot

of marriages will be held after the festival.

Panguni pongal festival is so much to us like the

big festival Diwali.

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Vermecelli Kichidi in Microwave

My hubby likes anything with vermicelli.

So I decided to go for Kichidi in Microwave for

Easycraft's WBB - Microwave Foods

This recipe is adopted from Mrs Mallika

Badrinath's Microwave recipes.

Ingredients

Roasted vermicelli - 2 cups

Onion - 2

tomato - 2

Green Chillies - 4

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Oil - 1 tblsp

Roasted cashew - 10

Lemon juice - 2 tblsp

Hot water - 2 cups

Salt to taste

For seasoning

Oil - 1 tsp

Mustard - 1/4 tsp

urad dhal - 1/2 tsp

channa dal - 1tsp

Method

• In a Microwave dish add everything under seasoning and keep it in micro-high for 3 min.
• Then add chopped onions , tomatoes and green chillies to this .
• Close the bowl with a lid and keep in micro high for 4 min.
• Now add Roasted vermicelli , hot water , turmeric and salt.
• keep it for 7 min in micro - high.
• Remove from the oven and mix it well.
• To this add 1 tblsp of oil,lemon juice and roasted cashews.
• Keep it again in micro - high for 2 min.

Garnish with coriander leaves.

This is my entry for WBB -Microwave Foods

My first Award !!!!

I was feeling very great and excited when Divya of Dilse passed

me The yummy blog award.This is my first award.

Thanks Divya for remembering me.

You made me feel very special..This award has been started

by Roopa of My Kitchen treats who says :

"Yummy blog award is the award given to the blog

with most yummy recipes/photos"

As per the rules I have to list my favourite

desserts that I have prepared or eaten and pass

the award to four of my fellow bloggers..

Here are my most favorite desserts .

Mysore Pak

Gulabjamun

Paruppu payasam

Rava Laddu

I had to pass this award to four yummy blogs. Congrats dear friends!

Srivalli

Sagari

Madhuram

Anjali J

Rules for the ‘Yummy Blog’ award Receiver: The person who receives

the award should display the "Yummy Blog !" logo on their blog

and also the meaning of the award which is "Yummy blog award

is the award given to the blog with most yummy recipes/photos".

The receiver should also quote their favorite yummy-licious :) dessert(s)

that they have ever prepared/eaten. Don’t restrict yourself to any dessert,

chocolate bars also welcome.

Venthaya ( Methi ) Kali

This is my husband's fav one.Methi is

very good for our body .It is very good

for reducing heat in human body.This

is my MIL's recipe

Ingredients

Urad dhal - 1 cup

Rice - 1/4 cup

Venthayam - 1 tsp

Jaggery - 1 cup

water - 2 cups

cardomom powder - 1 tsp

ghee - 1 tblsp

Cashew - 10

Method

• Dry roast urad dhal,rice,and venthayam till nice aroma comes out.
• Grind it to a nice powder and sieve it.
• In a thick bottomed vessel add water and urad dhal powder.
• Mix well without forming lumps.
• Now keep the vessel in the stove.
• In a medium flame let it cook.
• Stir it continuously.
• After 5 min when it forms a thick batter add jaggery.
• Stir well.
• When it thickens add cardamom powder .
• Fry the cashew in ghee in another kadai.
• Add this to the Kali.
• Keep in the low flame for another 2 min.

Generally we take kali for the

breakfast.This is my entry to Easy Crafts sun n fun event.

Microwave Chocolate Cake

I use Microwave only for boiling veggies, and

most important warming.So when Srivalli announced

for Microwave cakes I searched for a simple and easy cake.

Simple and easy......Well , the boys at home like only

simple ,traditional food.They are satisfied just with

Idli , Dosa for BF , Dal , Rasam for lunch.Coming to

cakes they like plain vanilla cakes without frosting

and glazing.So I am left out with very less option

when experimenting new dishes.

This is a simple chocolate cake.Of course,

the boys liked it very much.

Ingredients

All purpose flour - 1/2 cup

sugar - 1/4 cup

Butter - 3 tblsp

Egg - 1

coco powder - 2 tblsp

salt - 1 pinch

milk - 1/4 cup

Baking powder - 1/4 tsp

Method

• Beat sugar and butter for 2 min.
• Add the egg and beat for 1 min.
• Mix the milk to this mixture.
• Sieve flour,salt , coco powder and baking powder.
• Now fold the flour in the mixture.
• Grease a microwave bowl.
• Pour the mixture into the bowl.
• Bake it in Micro - high for 4 min.
• Check in between.
• Cool the bowl for 10 min in a wire rack.

This is my entry to Srivalli's Microwave cakes event.

Poori - Keema curry.

Poori - kothu curry combi is very

popular around the southern parts

of Tamilnadu.Usually on sunday

we eat this for our breakfast.

For Poori

Ingredients

Wheat flour - 1 cup

salt - 1 tsp

sugar - 1/2 tsp

oil to fry

Method

• Combine flour , salt , sugar and water.
• Knead well to get stiff dough.
• Make small rounds and roll it out.
• Heat oil in a kadai.
• When the oil is hot slide the poori into the kadai.
• Press the poori gently with the ladle.
• This will make the poori puff up.
• Now flip the poori.
• Take off once we get nice color.
• Before taking out the poori drain off the excess oil.

Kothu Curry

Ingredients

Mutton kheema - 1/4 kg

Onion - 1

Turmeric powder - 1 tsp

coriander powder - 1tblsp

chilli powder - 1 tsp

Ginger - chopped 1/2 tsp

garlic chopped - 1/2 tsp

Green chillies - chopped -1

coconut paste - 2 tblsp

oil - 2 tblsp

curry leaves

Method

• Heat oil in the pressure cooker.
• Add curry leaves ,chopped onions,green chilli and ginger , garlic.
• Saute it well and add kheema.
• Keep on stirring till the water evaporates.
• Now add all the powders one by one.
• Mix well with kheema and add 1/2 cup of water.
• Close the lid.
• Put the whistle and keep it for 15 min in low flame.
• Open the cooker after the pressure releases.

• Add coconut paste and keep it in low flame for 2 min.

Serve hot with poori.

Click : Mango tree

I had no idea when Jai and Bee announced

the Au naturel click event.I wondered at

the photograghic skills of all the blogger friends.But

when Amma sent the photo of the

mango tree in our backyard I

decided this is going as my entry.

Arusuvai Friendship chain : Murukku

As soon as i received the surprise ingredient

from Ramya I decided to do one of amma's

popular snack - Murukku.Amma makes

crispy , prefect round murukku.My sister's FIL

used to call amma's murukku as

"Vishnuchakra".

Ingredients

Parboiled Rice - 1 1/2 cup

Channa Dahlia ( pottukadalai) - 1/2 cup

Hing - 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Butter - 2 tblsp

Oil to fry

Method

• Soak rice with enough water for 1 1/2 hrs.
• Grind it to a nice thick batter in the wet grinder.
• Powder the channa dahlia and sieve it.

• Now add powder , hing , salt and butter to the rice batter.
• Knead well to form a soft dough.
• Heat oil in a kadai.
• Put the dough in the murukku press .
• In the back of a big ladle make rounds.
• Now turn the ladle slowly in the kadai.
• Let it cook on both sides.
• Remove from oil.
• Once it cooled down ,keep the muruku in

a tight container.

Arusuvai surprise Ingredient

Arusuvai is the brain child of Lathamma and Lakshmi

of The Yum Blog.In Lathamma's own words,Arusuvai

is a

Arusuvai Friendship Chain is about sending along a surprise

ingredient as a gift to your friends for them to prepare something

tasty with it, share the recipe, and pass on other surprise

ingredients to more people. Arusuvai means six tastes

(aru=six, suvai=taste) in Tamizh and is used to refer for

Tasty preparation with six tastes - inippu/ thithippu (sweet),

orappu/ karam (hot), kassappu (bitter) , pulippu (sour),

uppu(salt), tuvarpu (tastes that one gets in raw leaves).

When Lathamma started the arusuvai friendship chain

I was an non- blogger then but eagerly visited all the blogs.

I never thought that I would also be a part of this beautiful

chain.Ramya of Mane Adige has sent across the surprise

ingredient.It is bit easy to find the ingredient as it is in

our daily breakfast table in the form of chutney....

It is Channa Dahlia ( pottukadalai in tamil).

Thanks Ramya for sending me an easy ingredient.

Along with the surprise ingredient Ramya is so sweet

to send me yummy recipe with

channa dhalia and a beautiful book as a friendship token.

If there is anyone in US and like to receive surprise ingredient

from me mail me kamalagk2000@gmail.com

Crispy masala vadai

One of my aunt is very famous for this vadai.

Her vadai remains crispy even after many hours.She

used the old Attukal ( Stone Grinder ) for grinding.But amma does

the same with the mixie.

Ingredients

Channa dal - 1 cup

onion - 1 big

Saunf - 1 tsp

chilli powder - 1 tsp

salt

coriander leaves

curry leaves

Oil to fry

Method

Soak the channa dhal in water for 2 hrs.

Drain the water after 2 hrs and spread it in the

towel for 10 min.

Grind it in the mixie for 3o seconds and make it

coarse .(Like in the pic)

Mix the chopped onions.coriander , curry leaves,

saunf,salt ,chilli powder.

Heat oil in a kadai.

Make lemon sized ball and flatten it in between

the palms.

Fry it till the vadai becomes golden brown.

Mutton Dosa

Madurai is famous for The Meenakshi

Amman Temple,Chithirai Thiruvizha

and Azhagar Thiruvizha (festival).It

is also known for " Konar kadai"( konar

mess).The hotel opens only in the evenings

and is located in the very congested area.

This hotel is famous for its non - vegetarian

food.One of the popular food they have is

Mutton dosa.All the VIP s who visits

Temple city would never miss this mess.

Such is the popularity of the mess.

Ingredients

Dosa batter - 1/2 cup

Egg - 1

For the Filling

Mutton - 150 gm

Onion - 1

Tomato - 1

Coriander powder - 1 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1 tsp

Chillie powder - 3 tsp

Cumin powder - 1 tsp

Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tsp

Garam masala - 1 /2 tsp

Salt to taste.

To make mutton filling

• Heat a pressure cooker with oil.Add onions.
• Saute it well.Add Ginger Garlic paste.
• Now add the mutton pieces.Stir well and add all the powders.
• Add the chopped tomatoes and salt.
• To this add 1/4 cup of water .
• Close the lid and put the whistle .
• Cook for 10 min in medium flame.
• Switch off the flame.
• Once the pressure releases open the cooker.
• Keep it in the stove if there is any excess water.

To make dosa

• Break the egg and mix well with Dosa batter.
• Heat the tawa.Pour the batter in the centre.
• Dont spread the batter.
• Keep the flame in medium.
• Cover the tawa with lid for 1 min.
• After 1 min spread the mutton curry evenly .
• Flip the dosa after 1 min and let the dosa cook on other side for 2 min.
• Remove the dosa from the tawa carefully.

Since the dosa is little bit heavy be careful when taking.

Garnish with coriander leaves.

This dosa goes to Srivalli's Dosa Mela

Rasagulla - RCI Bengal

Tomorrow Appa is celebrating his birthday.Appa

is more like a friend to me and my sister.He is a great

guide , advisor to all of us.But when coming to food ,

Appa likes food only when it is perfect.It is very

difficult to satisfy Appa.So I never enter kitchen

at my mom's place.For one Diwali I made Rasagullas

and took to Amma's place.Thank God....Appa

liked that very much and he asked me to make

it for his birthday too.Indeed it was a great

compliment for me.This recipe is adopted from

Ms.Mallika Badrinath's 100 sweets.

Ingredients

Milk - 1 lr

Lemon juice - 1/4 cup

Maida - 1 tsp

Sugar - 2 cups

water - 3 1/2 cups

Rose water - 1 tsp

Method

1.Boil the milk in a big pan.

2.Add 1 tsp of water to lemon juice.

3.When the milk starts boiling add lemon juice

slowly.

4.The milk begins to curdle and the water separates.

5.Remove from fire.

6.Drain off the water and tie the paneer in the cheese cloth

and let it hang for 1 hr.

7.Take the paneer and add maida .

8.Knead slowly to form a soft ball.

9.Make small sized balls.

10.Add sugar and water in a wide vessel.

11.When the syrup gets boiling , take away

1 cup of syrup from it .

12.Add 1/2 cup of cold water to 1 cup of sugar syrup

and keep it aside.

13.This is the diluted syrup.

14.Now add paneer balls to the sugar syrup which is

boiling.

15.Close the lid .

16.After 5 min add 1 tsp of diluted syrup on each paneer balls.

17.Again close the lid .

18.Repeat the same for 3 times.

19.Adding diluted syrup is important to get

paneer balls puffy.

20.Remove from fire and let it cool completely.

This bowl of Rasagullas goes to my Appa

and Sandeepa's RCI -Bengal.

Chicken Fry

This recipe is from one of my favourite

blogger srivalli .I wonder how she manages

her office , her kids and her beautiful blog.

She posts daily and indeed with her

amazing writings....Though she is

a vegetarian she cooks non veg dishes

for her dear family.

I made a her chicken fry lot of

times since she posted.My kids love

this very much.This is her yummy recipe.

Mushroom curry

This is one of my daughter's favourite curry.

Ingredients

Mushroom - 12 oz

chilli powder - 1 tsp

coriander powder - 2 tsp

turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

onion - 1 big

salt to taste

oil - 1 tblsp

Method

• Wash and chop the mushrooms
• In a kadai heat oil.Saute the onion well in the oil.
• Add mushrooms and stir it till the moisture comes out.
• Now add all the powders one by one.
• Add salt to taste and 1/2 cup of water.
• Keep it in low flame till the mushroom gets cooked.

Serve hot with rice or rotis.

My fabric paintings

I never draw or paint during my school or college days.Through my friend priya I got interest in fabric painting and joined painting class. My master Mrs.N is a great artist.Though she has mastered in all types of painting she is known for her fabric and Tanjore paintings.I took three courses in fabric paintingwith her.These are the paintings I did in the class.