Kulipaniyaram

It’s the last day of long marathon; need to thank Srivalli for choosing such wonderful themes. I was so excited how I am going to prepare and post for 30 days? Because of the members support and encouragement it turned to a successful one.

Coming to today’s recipe, this is one other recipe I planned for traditional week. Adding sabudana for batter makes the paniyaram spongy and fluffy. Try this you will find the difference. I came across this in a TV show before that I haven’t tried with sabudana now days I not making paniyaram without sabudana.

Ingredients:

Idli rice	1 cup
Raw rice (pachaarisi)	½ cup
Urad dhal	¼ cup
Sabudana (Jawarisi)	¼ cup
Fenugreek seeds	1 tsp
For Seasoning:
Mustard seeds	1 tsp
Split channa dhal	1 Tbsp
Split urad dhal	1 Tbsp
Onion finely chopped	1 cup
Green chilies	2-3
Coriander leaves chopped	¼ cup
Curry leaves chopped	few

 

Directions:

1. Soak sabudana separately for 4-5 hours. Soak rice, urad dhal and fenugreek together for 2-3 hours.
2. Grind everything together to a fine paste, like butter consistency.
3. Add salt mix well and ferment overnight (if you are in cold place it will take more time like 10 – 12 hours).
4. Heat two tablespoon oil splutter mustard seeds, channa dhal, urad dhal and green chilies, then add onion and saute until it turns soft add chopped curry leaves  and coriander leaves.
5. Allow it to cool, once it turns to room temperature add this onion mixture to fermented batter and mix well.
6. Heat the paniyaram mold; grease it with few drops of oil in each hole. Pour the batter sprinkle few drop of oil on top of that, after couple minutes you might see small holes (shown in picture) by that time flip it.

 

Allow it to cook for another few minutes. Insert a tooth pick to check its done. Remove and serve with any chutney.

 

 

 

Tip:

Click here to check pan details.

 

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Strawberry Custard Dessert

Today comes another recipe, which I planned to post under seasonal foods for BM 27. Strawberry is sitting for more than three days in refrigerator no one is in a mood to eat. When I was thinking to try something interesting, I came across this recipe from Vegbowl. Instead of mango I tried with Strawberries and it turnout well, vanished in minutes.

Ingredients:

Milk	1 cup
Corn starch	1 Tbsp
Sugar	¼ cup
Vanilla extract	1 tsp
Strawberry pure	½ cup

 

Directions:

1. Mix corn starch with ¼ cup of milk. Heat the remaining milk with sugar in a sauce pan, when it starts to boil add the corn milk in slow stream and stir continuously (if not lumps might form).
2. In a stage it might start to bubble and thicken, turn off the stove and add vanilla extract.
3. Allow it to cool completely. Mean while clean the strawberries and blend, strain to remove the seeds and extract the thick pure (don’t add any water).
4. To assemble, drop a tablespoon of custard top it with strawberry pure one tablespoon repeat this until you reach top of the glass. Allow it to set in refrigerator for an hour.

 

Note:

• The mixture should not be runny when you’re turning off and after adding vanilla mixture will be little bit lighten. If you feel it’s runny, again cook for couple minutes.
• After it cools it will thicken so. Keep this in mind when working.
• Instead of corn starch you can use custard powder.
• I added 2 tsp of sugar to my strawberry pure it’s optional. You can leave the strawberry pure in refrigerator for one hour it helps to thicken a little bit.

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Attracting Boiled Eggs

For today’s breakfast boiled some eggs, but my kids are not in a mood to have that. After thinking a while, googled and got few ideas to attract my kiddos. When I am preparing this my kids identified all the eggs I was so happy to say these are kids certified ones.

Chicken Egg

Bunny Egg

 

Mouse Egg (Jerry Egg)

 

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Beetroot Masala

Chetinad style beetroot masala, became a great fan after tasting in one of my friends place. We can change the combination also like cauliflower and potato and even capsicum and potato etc.

Hope my regular readers might think there is no craft or art work today, yep its misalliance this one I planned for traditional week but at last minute I ended up with another one.

Ingredients:

Beetroot	1 medium size
Potato	1 medium size
Onion chopped finely	½ cup
Tomato chopped	½ cup
Mustard seeds	½ tsp
Fennel seeds	1 tsp
Dry red chili	1 -2
Sambar powder	2 tsp
Turmeric powder (optional)	¼ tsp
Curry leaves	few
Salt
Oil

 

Directions:

1. Chop beetroot and potatoes to ½ inch cubes.
2. Heat oil; splutter mustard seeds and fennel seeds. Now add onion, red chili and curry leaves saute until onion turns soft then add chopped tomatoes.
3. When tomatoes turn mushy, add beetroot and cook for 3-4 minutes then add potatoes and continue cooking.
4. After 3-4 minutes, add enough water salt and turmeric powder, sambar powder. Cook until beetroot turns soft and turn off the stove.
5. This goes good with sambar rice, rasam and any variety rice.

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Chocolate Cup

Today’s craft is chocolate cups, one of the simple and kids friendly. Long time back I came across this in a TV show. Tried immediately and they turned out good during that time I tried only one, but today I made more already 3-4 vanished.

 

Only simple things you might need candy melts and foam cups. Melt the candy until its smooth; make sure it should be in coating texture. Once its in right texture coat the mixture inside the foam cup and smooth using back of the spoon. And allow it to rest in refrigerator of 20 – 30 minutes. After that cut the top of foam cup and peel the cup carefully.

 

If you need to make some design choose two contrast colors and first using one color make some design and allow it to set after that coat with another color. If your melted candy is hot it will mess the previous design and that also looks nice you can note that in my picture. Finally trim the top and use it for serving dishes. Even after completing drizzle the melted candy and make design like this.

 

 

 

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Cleaning Tips

Since this week is based on craft and misalliance, today I planned to post some useful cleaning tips. Even though this is food blog, I hope these tips will be more useful in our day today life.

I am going to share two tips, without using any chemicals, hope we all have these basic ingredients in our home. Yep it’s going to be lemon, baking soda and vinegar.

Here comes the first one, when we are using hard water for our cooking we can find a layer of salt (a white color) in the vessel as I shown in the picture. How to remove this?

 

Pour water in the vessel until it covers the layer and add ½ lemon peels or the outer skin which we trash after squeezing the juice, cover and boil the water for 10 minutes. If you feel it’s too thick add 1 tsp of vinegar and boil for another 5 minutes.

 

When using aluminum pressure cooker for steaming idli’s your cooker might be black after that you can follow the same process to clean or add quarter lemon pieces in water before steaming. Boiling the lemon without closing the lid helps to eliminate the odor also.

Next tip is about cleaning sliver things. As days go, silver will turn black when it’s exposed in air.

 

 

Wrap an aluminum foil inside any stainless steel vessel boil water in the same vessel, when water is boiling add 2 teaspoon of baking soda and turn off the stove add the silver things one by one and immerse in the water for couple minutes, remove and rinse in tap water, if its still black again repeat the process. Once it’s done, rinse in tap water and wipe with clean cloth.

 

 

 

 

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Funny Sandwich

Today Blogging Marathon group is entering to fourth week, given theme for this week is Craft, art or misalliance. Today’s post is under food craft, hope most of you know I have twin toddlers and I always have hard time to feed them. Mostly I use to make some shapes for sandwich according their choice (that’s important), suddenly couple days back got some idea to link with my theme we can try some other funny shapes instead of regular shape, goggled and got few ideas. Hope you will like it.

 

Raindeer sandwich for this I used pretzel for horns black olives for eyes and mini M&M for eye balls, cream cheese and olive or cherry for mouth.

After finishing this one of my little one asked “mommy where are the ears?”  For the second one I used cheese for ears.

 

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Raw Mango Pachadi / Instant Mango Pickle

Raw mangoes are very famous during summer, back home we use to make pickle and it’s a long process. Mango pachadi is also close to pickle but you can’t keep it for longtime. During our childhood me and my cousins are so crazy on these mangoes there is a farm (Maa Thopu) in my aunt’s place it is in top of the hill, there is a temple too. Yearly once there will be a function definitely we wont miss this function for those mangoes. I was so happy to share this wonderful experience.

Ingredients:

Raw mango	1
Chili powder	2 tsp
Salt	1 tsp
Coconut oil	1 tsp
Mustard seeds	¼ tsp
Asafetida	a pinch

 

Directions:

Finely chop the mango, add chili powder and salt mix well. Heat oil splutter mustard seeds and asafetida add to mango mixture and serve.

Notes:

• You can add one teaspoon of brown sugar my mango was little bit sweet so I didn’t add.
• Instead of mango you can use gooseberry (small) in this recipe.

 

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Thair Semiya / Vermicelli with Yogurt

For most of the south Indians, meal will not complete without yogurt especially for lunch. When it comes to summer food theme the list will be incomplete without yogurt or curd. I know for south Indians its very simple and easy dish but couple of my friends asked for this recipe. This is one of the most wanted foods during our college days, my lunch box use to vanish in minutes.

Ingredients:

Vermicelli	1 cup
Onion chopped	¼ cup
Green chili	2-3
Ginger finely chopped	½ Tbsp
Plain Yogurt	1 cup
Milk	¼ cup
Salt
To Temper:
Mustard seeds	½ tsp
Urad dal	1 tsp
Split channa dal	1 tsp
Cashew nut	1 Tbsp
To Garnish:
Cucumber chopped	¼ cup
Black grapes chopped	¼ cup
Raw Mango finely chopped	¼ cup
Cilantro chopped	Few

 

Directions:

1. Dry roast vermicelli for 3- 5 minutes or until it start to change color. Keep stirring or else it will turn brown in bottom. Turn off the stove and transfer to another bowl and allow it to cool.
2. In another pan, heat a tablespoon of oil, saute green chilies, onion, ginger, curry leaves and few cilantro.
3. Once the onions turn light brown, add two cups of water and enough salt. Close the lid and allow it to boil.
4. When the water starts boiling add the roasted vermicelli and mix well, turn the heat to medium and again close the lid and cook until water is absorbed (vermicelli will also cook).
5. Turn off the stove and allow it to cool. Once it comes to room temperature add yogurt and milk mix well without any lumps.
6. Now heat another teaspoon of oil splutter the ingredients under temper, when it turns golden brown add to the vermicelli.
7. Finally add all the ingredients under garnish and mix them well. Serve with any pickle.

Note:

• For garnishing you can add grated carrot and pomegranate (I didn’t get on that day) which gives crunchiness.  
• You can add the ingredients under temper when your sautéing the onions. If you’re serving immediately, if you are planning to serve after few hours then do the tempering before serving.
• If you feel it’s thicker add some milk or yogurt. It can be refrigerated before serving.

Linking to:  Do check other Blogging Marathoners here,  Jagruti's page, Celebrate Summer,

Vellarikkai Poricha Kootu / Cucumber Kootu

Cucumber is once of the vegetable which contains 96% of water content and also helps to control blood pressure, and a good food for weight watchers because of its low calories.

For some reasons I don’t like the cucumber salad, my husband love to have that any time. so I always try to make this kootu for adding cucumber in my meal. I don’t know how many for you know about cucumber fruit the yellow color cucumber, I have tasted it during my childhood days in my grandpa’s farm it use to taste great that too with sugar.

Coming to today’s recipe kootu is combination of dal and vegetables with spice. We can use white pumpkin, squash, chow chow (chayote), spinach, cabbage, etc.

 

Ingredients:

Bengal gram dal	½ cup
Cucumber cubed	3 cups
Salt
To grind:
Cumin seeds	½ tsp
Urad dal	1 tsp
Split Chana dal	1 tsp
Coconut grated	¼ cup
Dry red chili	2-3
To Temper:
Oil	1 tsp
Mustard seeds	1 tsp

 

Directions:

1. Boil 1 ½ cup water in a pan, when it starts to boil add dal cook with few drops of oil until the dal is  soft and tender (but not mushy).
2. Mean time heat a teaspoon of oil in another pan, splutter cumin seeds, add urad dal ans split channa dal, dry red chili and roast until golden brown finally add coconut and turn of the stove. Allow it to cool and grind to fine paste using little water.
3. Once the dal is cooked add cubed cucumber and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add ground paste and salt, mix well and cook for another 3-5 minutes.
4. Heat a teaspoon of oil and splutter mustard seeds and curry leaves and add to the kootu and serve with hot rice.

Note:

• When cooking dal, if you need more water add hot water.
• After adding cucumber, don’t cook for longtime or else it will dissolve.

Linking to:  Do check other Blogging Marathoners here ,  Jagruti's page, Celebrate summer