My Click!!!

This is my entry to Click Beans and Lentils.Asusual

I dont have any idea for clicking till today.Atlast

I finally get this Teddy bear Dals ( atleast resemble

close to teddy !!!).

Allam Pachadi

My husband is a great lover of Andhra foods .

When we visited our friend's home who is

a Andhraite he tasted this and loved so much.

My friend is kind enough to share the recipe from her

mom and allows me to use in the blog too.

Ingredients

Ginger - 250 gm

Tamarind - 1/2 kg

Jaggery - 300 gms

Chilli powder - 1 cup

Salt - 1 cup

Whole jeera - 25 gms

Methi seeds - 25 gms

Garlic - 100 gms

Oil - 1/2 - 3/4 kg

Method

• Peel the ginger skin and wash and allow it to dry in a cloth.
• Heat tamarind with little bit of water in a medium flame for 5 min.
• Powder jeera and methi.
• Grind ginger,soaked tamarind,chilli powder ,salt and garlic.
• Add jeera and methi powder.
• In the end add jaggery.
• Keep the mixture aside.
• Heat oil in a kadai.
• Add mustard and channa dal.
• Once it splutters switch off the flame.
• Allow it to cool completely.
• Add oil to the ginger mixture.

Keep the chutney in a clean air tight jar.

I am very happy to receive another Rocking girl Blogger award from

dear Ranji and Yummy Blog Award from Andhra flavors.

Vanilla Ice cream with Raspberry sauce

I have tried many versions for vanilla Ice cream.

But this one wins everyone at home and of course

this version is from our Blogger Queen Ashaji.I made this

in my newly bought Cuisinart Ice cream Maker.This

recipe makes 1 Quart Ice cream

Ingredients

Heavy cream - 2 cups

Whole milk or 2 % milk - 1 cup

sugar - 3/4 cup

Eggs - 2

Vanilla essence - 1 tsp

Method

• Whisk the eggs until light and fluffy.
• Add sugar and beat well.
• Now add cream and milk and beat.
• In the end add vanilla essence.
• Pour it in the frozen container.
• Freeze it according to manufacturers instructions.

For the Sauce

• Add 1 cup of Raspberry and 2 tblsp of sugar.
• Grind it to a nice paste.
• Strain it adding little bit of water.
• In a small sauce pan pour the raspberry juice.
• Stir well till a thick gravy forms.

Enjoy with vanilla Ice cream.

I am sending this to AFAM - Raspberry.

Ceylon Egg Parota

This is another simple parota with the

same parota dough.

Ingredients

Parota Dough

Onion - 1

Egg - 2

curry leaves - 1 twig

coriander leaves - few

salt

Green chillies - 4

Method

Chop chillies , curry leaves , coriander leaves and onions.

Beat the eggs well and add chopped onions,curry ,coriander

leaves ,green chillies and salt.

Spread the dough thinly.

Lift it slowly and spread it in a hot tawa.

Add the egg mixture in the centre.

Fold the parota like in Pic.

Apply 1 tsp oil.

Cook well on both sides in a medium flame.

Serve with chalna.

This is my another entry to Roti Mela.

Divya of Dilse has passed this award to me.Thank you

so much Divya.

Now I like to pass on this award to Asha , Cham , Trupti , Roopa.

Gulab jamun

Amma makes soft gulab jamuns.This is one of her

popular recipe .

Ingredients

unsweetened kova - 1/4 kg

All purpose flour - 1 1/2 cup

Ghee - 1 tblsp

Baking soda - 1 pinch

milk to mix

For Syrup

sugar - 3 cups

water - 3 cups

cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp

Method

melt ghee and mix it to the flour with fingers.

Add kova,baking soda to the flour.

Sprinkle milk just enough to make like soft ball.

It should not have any crack when you make balls.

Make small balls and cover it with wet towel.

Meanwhile add sugar and water in a wide bottomed vessel.

Heat it till it boils .Add cardamom powder.

Heat oil in a kadai.Be sure to keep it in a low flame.

Put the balls slowly in the oil and fry it will golden brown.

Now drop the fried jamuns in the sugar syrup.

Serve after 2 hrs.

Challah - My first baked bread

Recently I found william Sonama's

Essentioals of Baking in our public library.

This book gives step by step instructions for

the home bakers.Though I messed up in the braiding

the bread looks good and yummy.

Ingredients

Yeast - 5 tsp

warm water - 1 cup

sugar - 1/2 cup

eggs - 3 + 1 egg beaten for glaze

All purpose flour - 5 cups

salt - 2 tsp

butter - 1/2 cup

poppy seeds or sesame seeds - 1 tblsp

Method

• In a large bowl dissolve yeast in warm water .Wait for 5 min or until it is foamy.
• Stir in the sugar , eggs, 4 1/2 cups flour , salt and the butter until the dough comes together
• Knead well with remaining flour until the dough is smooth and elastic 5 -7 min
• Form the dough into a ball .
• Keep the dough in a oiled bowl and cover it with a wet cloth.
• Let the dough rise until it doubles abt 2 hrs.
• Now Punch down the dough .
• Cut the dough into 3 equal pieces.
• Form 3 ropes.
• Line up the 3 strands infront of you horizontally.
• Now the braid the strands like braiding the hair.
• Place the braided loaf on the prepared pan , cover with a dry kitchen towel and let rise again in a warm place for 45 - 60 min.
• Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 350 F
• Brush the braid gently with the beaten egg and sprinkle with seeds.
• Bake it for 30 - 35 min.
• Cool it in a wire rack for 10 min.

Kutch work ~ Mango Mandhiram and More Awards

When i was in India my sister taught me kutch work.

I found it very difficult and left that.But when i came

through this

beautiful site. i learnt this art without any difficulty.

I am sending this to Mango Mandhiram.

Cham of Spice club and Uma of

passed this awards to me.Thanks you friends

for your constant encouragement in each of

my post.

I am passing this to

Nirmala of Amma's special.

Srivalli of cooking4allseasons.

Divya of Dilse.

Kalai of Samaithuparkalam.

Ramya of Maneadige.

.

Veechu Parota and virudhunagar Parota

Veechu parota is similar like a south Indian

parota but it is very thin and crispy.The dough

procedure is same like the ordinary parota.

Make the dough procedure like here.

Spread one ball thinly.

Heat a big tawa.Now slowly take

the thin layer and spread it in the tawa.

Cook for 1 min.

Fold the opposite sides like envelope.( see pic )

Now fold the remaining sides.

Apply 1 tsp oil.Cook both sides.

Serve with Chicken chalna.

Virudhunagar Parota

Virudhunagar is famous for its Burma hotel.

Though We dont like this parota , Just for sending

to the Roti mela I made just one.

The method is same like this too. But they use lot of

oil to fry the parota.

Heat the tawa .Pour 2 tblsp of oil.When oil is

hot cook the parota well on both sides or until crisp.

This is my another entry for Roti Mela.

Cranberry - Pistachio Biscotti and Awards

A crunchy and good tea time snack I tried from

William Sonoma 's Essentials of Baking.

Ingredients

All purpose flour - 2 cups

Baking powder - 1 1/2 tsp

salt 1/2 tsp

eggs - 2

unsalted butter - 1/2 cup

vanilla extract - 1 tsp

grated orange zest - 1 1/2 tsp

Almond extract - 1 tsp

coarsely chopped pistachio nuts - 1 cup

dried cranberries - 1/2 cup

Method

• Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 F.
• In a bowl sift together the flour , baking powder and salt.
• Combine eggs and sugar .
• Beat until light in color and thick abt 3 min.
• Beat in the melted butter , orange zest and vanilla ,almond extracts.
• Add the dry ingredients and beat well.
• Stir in the nuts and cranberries.
• The dough will be soft and sticky.
• Scoop out half of the dough onto one one half of the prepared baking sheet and form into a log 10 inch .
• Repeat with remaining dough.
• Press the logs gently to make them 3 inch wide with damp fingertips.
• Bake the logs until they are crisp and golden on the outside , 20 -25 min.
• The centres will be soft.
• Remove from the oven.
• Reduce the oven temp to 300 F.
• Let the logs cool on the baking sheet for 10 min.
• Transfer the logs to a cutting board .
• Cut each log crosswise on the diagonal into slices 3/4 inch thick.
• Arrange the slices cut sides down .
• Return to the oven and bake for 17 - 22 min.
• Flip the cookies in between.

The interiors of the cookies become crisp as they cool.

I am very happy that I have got two more Yummy blog awards from Shriya and Nirmala.Thank you so much friends. As per the rules I like to pass this award to Cham , sukanya Ramkumar , Latha Narasimhan , Lavi.

Chicken Chalna

Chicken Chalna is served along with

parota.It absolutely comes free with parota.

The taste of chalna varies from hotel to

hotel.Those who have come down to

Sivakasi , a town which is very famous

for Crackers and Printing Press would

have definitely tasted in Vijeyam Mess .

This mess is just a simple open restaurant

but the taste is heavenly.They used to 2 have

chalnas , one comes free with parota and

another with little bit creamier and a big

chicken piece.

Appa helped me in getting this recipe

from the cook there.

Ingredients

Chicken with bones - 1/4 kg

onion - 1

Tomato - small

Ginger - garlic paste - 1 tsp

Chilli powder - 3 tsp

Coriander Powder - 1 tsp

Cumin powder - 1 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

oil - 1 tblsp

To paste

coconut - 1 cup

cashew - 50 gms

Method

• Heat oil in a pressure cooker .Saute onion well.
• Add ginger garlic paste,tomato pieces.Stir well.
• Now add the chicken pieces.
• Keep stirring till the water evaporates.
• Add all the powders one by one and a cup of water and salt.
• Close the lid and pressure cook for 10 min in a medium flame .
• Switch off the stove.
• Open the cooker after the pressure releases
• Add the coconut cashew paste and keep it in low flame for 10 min.

Serve hot with Parotas.

Parota - TamilNadu style

A flaky , layered parotta is a popular dish in

TamilNadu.It is really great sight seeing in the

evenings to watch the Parota masters tossing

the parotas on the road side shops.

My elder cousin sister taught this easy

method to make this flaky parotas.She is a great cook .

I like more for her energetic , manages her beautiful joint

family as a elder DIL and helps all the people

voluntarily .We can't see people like her very often.

Ingredients

For Kneading

All purpose flour - 4 cups

Oil - 1 tblsp

salt - 1 tsp

sugar - 1/2 tsp

water - 1 cup

For making Parotas

Oil - 1/2 cup

Method

I use my Ultra Grinder for kneading .If you have food processor

or Stand Mixers you can use that for kneading.

Combine flour , sugar , salt and oil.slowly add water

to this.Knead for 10 min.The dough will be sticky at first.

By constant kneading it will be a soft ball.At this stage apply

1 tblsp of oil over the ball and cover the ball with a

wet cloth for 2 hrs.

After 2 hrs make lemon sized balls from the balls.

Keep the dough in between the index finger and thumb and

press. ( like in the pic).Make 10 balls out of this.

Now again the cover the balls with wet cloth for 1 hr.

After 1 hr Apply oil in the work surface and to

your hands.Take one ball and spread with hand or rolling pin

very thinly.

Now take the dough from the corner of one side.Make

pleats like you for saree and roll the dough in the centre

of the palm ( like in the pic ).

Make round like these for all the balls and cover it for

15 min.

After 15 min now take one ball.Apply some oil in the hand

and roll into small discs with the hands.

Heat the tawa and place the rolled out disc on the tawa.

You dont need much oil now.If you want just add 1/2 tsp

of oil and cook well both sides.

Take 3 parotas and keep the parotos in between

the palms of 2 hands and do like clapping the hands.

Serve hot with chalna.

This is my entry to Srivalli's Roti mela

Sambhar Powder

This is the recipe of my grandma.

As I said in my earlier post her sambhar

has special touch in it.I am giving exactly

what she had told me years before .

Ingredients

Coriander seeds - 3 cups

Red chillies - 2 cups

Cumin seeds - 1/2 cup

Pepper - 1/4 cup

salt - 1/4 cup

Curry leaves - few

Hing - 1 tblsp

Method

Dry roast the things separetely or keep it under the sun.

Grind it to a coarse or fine powder.Keep it

in a air tight container.

Carrot - Drumstick Sambhar

My grandma 's sambhar is unique and very yummy and delicious.Though amma too makes good one , my grandma has a special touch in her sambhar.The recipe goes like this.

Ingredients

Toor dhal - 1 cup

Small onions - 10 nos

Tomato - 2

carrot - 1

Drumstick - 10 nos

Green chillies - 2

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Tamarind paste - 1/2 tsp

Sambhar powder - 2 tsp

Hing - 1/4 tsp

mustard , urad dhal - 1/2 tsp

curry leaves

coriander leaves

salt to taste

Oil - 1 tblsp

Method

Cook toor dhal in a pressure cooker with

turmeric powder and 1/2 tsp oil for 10 min.

Chop onions,tomato,carrots,green chillies.

In another kadai add remaining oil and mustard

urad dhal.

Once it splutters add hing,curry leaves and all

the vegetables.

Saute it well.

Add this to mashed toor dhal.

Add 1 cup of water,sambhar powder and salt.

Let it cook in cooker again for 1 whistle.

After the pressure released add tamarind paste.

In the end add coriander leaves.

Serve hot with rice.

meen kuzhambu (fish curry)

Tuticorin , a town in Tamilnadu is known for

its Pearl fishery and ship building.For me during my

childhood I knew this town for meen kuzhambu.My

grandma's sister - in - law resided at Tuticorin used

to send us fresh meen kuzhmabu.She is the Queen

in making this kuzhambu around her family.

Amma learnt this recipe from her and

she got a beautiful kadai from her aunt especially

to make meen Kuzhambu.The secret of the recipe

lies in the freshly grounded paste of cumin seeds and red

chillies in the ammi kal.Till now Amma makes this yummy

Kuzhambu only with the paste grounded in Ammikal.As we dont have

time to grind in ammikal I am giving here the proportions for the

quicker version too.

Ingredients

Vajram - 1/4 kg

Cumin seeds - 2 tblsp ( 4 tsp )

Red chillie - 10 ( 2 tsp )

Small onions - 8

Turmeric powder - 1 tsp

Tamarind paste - 1 tsp

Sesame oil - 4 tblsp

Method

• Grind small onions coarsely.
• In a thick bottomed vessel mix all the powders with onion and tamarind paste.
• Add one cup of water and bring it to gravy consistency.
• Keep it in the stove .
• When the gravy gets boil add oil.
• After 1 min add the fish pieces.
• Keep the flame in low for 20 - 30 min.
• At this time the oil would be floating above the gravy.
• Switch off the flame .

Serve hot with rice.