Peanut Kulambu

Peanuts are rich in nutrients; same time heard it’s allergic too. My grandfather use to cultivate peanut in his farm, its harvested close to our vacation me and my cousins will help to remove the peanut from plants, dry then remove the shell its fun time. As soon as we remove the fresh peanut from plants we use to cook them with shell it use to be very tasty missing those fresh one now. But when thinking those childhood memories really feeling so happy and felt like tasted those delicious peanuts. Last week when we went to Indian store found those fresh raw peanuts bought some, like me my husband and kids are also love this peanuts. Even though it didn’t taste like back home peanuts “Some thing is better than nothing” right.

Coming to today’s recipe Peanut Kulambu, first time I tasted this in my periya amma’s places during my India visit, got the recipe and tried first time for a get together and it was a big hit and vanished very quick.

 

 

Ingredients:

Peanut cooked	½ cup
Onion chopped	½ cup
Tomato chopped	1 small size
Bringal	2 small size
Tamarind	Large gooseberry size
Sambar powder	2 tsp
Curry leaves	few
Mustard seeds	½ tsp
Salt	as per taste
Oil	2 Tbsp
To Grind:
Cinnamon	½ inch
Clove	2
Garlic	3 big pods
Dry red chili	1-2
Cumin seeds	1 tsp
Pepper pods	½ tsp
Split chana dal	1 Tbsp
Poppy seeds	½ tsp
Coriander powder	2 tsp
Coconut	2 Tbsp

 

Directions:

1. In a teaspoon of oil roast all the ingredients (except coconut and coriander powder) in the same order until light brown, finally add coconut and coriander roast for another 2 minutes and turn off and allow to cool.
2. Heat 2 tablespoon of oil, splutter mustard seeds when it pops, add onion and curry leaves.
3. Saute until it turns soft, add chopped tomatoes and cook until mushy, cut the bringal length wise and add.
4. Cook until it turns soft, then add tamarind pulp when it starts to boil add turmeric powder, sambar powder and salt.
5. Allow it to cook for another 4-5 minutes, meantime grind the roasted mixture to smooth paste.
6. Once the raw smell of tamarind leaves add the ground mixture and cooked peanut mix well with enough water and cook until the oil starts to ooze out.
7. Serve this with rice.

 

Note:

• I used fresh raw peanuts, pressure cook with salt for 5-6 whistles then remove the shell and use the peanuts.
• If using dry raw peanuts, soak it in water for about 1-2 days and pressure cook with salt for 4-5 whistles.

Linking to: Gayathri's Announcement page

 

 

 

Dhokar Dalna/ Lentil Cake Curry

In SNC group this month challenge was hosted by pinky, Dhokar Dalna a traditional Bengali dish, which is nothing but making cakes using dal and adding that to a rich coconut based gravy.

Ingredients:

For Lentil Cake:

Split Chana Dal	½ cup
Split Peas Dal (vada parrupu)	¼ cup
Grated Coconut	⅓ cup
Ginger  and green chilies chopped	1 Tbsp each
Asafetida	¼ tsp
Turmeric powder	½ tsp
Onion chopped finely	¼ cup
Baking soda	½ tsp
Salt	as per taste
Oil	for deep fry
For Curry:
Potato (cut into cube)	2 medium size
Tomato chopped	1 medium size
Onion chopped	¼ cup
Coconut milk	½ cup thick & ½ cup thin
Grated coconut	⅓ cup
Ginger garlic paste	½ Tbsp
Cumin seeds	1 tsp
Asafetida	a pinch
Bay leaves	2
Green chili	1-2
Cumin powder	1 tsp
Chili powder	1 tsp
Turmeric powder	½ tsp
Garam masala	1 tsp
Cashew and raisin paste	4 Tbsp

 

Directions:

1. Soak both dals for 3- 4 hours, using a wet grinder or mixe grind them to course paste.
2. Before taking the batter out add onion, green chilies and salt give couple pulses (just to mix evenly).
3. Remove and add baking soda and mix well.
4. Heat non stick pan with a tablespoon of oil, add asafetida and then the course dal paste.
5. Cook until it turns to dough and leaves the bottom of the pan.
6. Grease a plate with ghee or oil. Spread the dough evenly and smooth the surface using a spoon.
7. Allow it to cool for few minutes and cut them into desired shape diamond or square and smooth the cut surface.
8. Heat oil for deep frying, when oil is hot enough deep fry those lentil squares until golden brown on both side.
9. Filter the oil and keep it aside.
10. Heat another pan with little oil, fry the cubed potatoes with turmeric and salt until light golden color, filter the oil and keep it aside.
11. In the same oil add asafetida, bay leaves and cumin seeds to splutter.
12. Add green chilies and onion saute until transparent with ginger garlic paste.
13. Once the raw smell of ginger garlic leaves add chopped tomatoes and cook until it turns mushy.
14. Add all dry powders for the curry and cook until the oil oozes out.
15. At this stage add grated coconut, coconut milk and cashew raisin paste in same order and mix well.
16. Then add fried potatoes, salt and warm water for gravy (adjust the water the consistency should be medium not too thick or thin).
17. Give it one boil and finally add another teaspoon of garam masala and curry leaves and turn off the stove.
18. Add the lentil cake to the gravy just before you serve. Serve this with hot rice with a spoon of ghee.

 

Linking to:

 

 

 

 

Jackfruit Payasam or Chakka Pradaman

Jackfruit Payasam or chakka pradaman is one of the famous foods in Kerala, this is one of the food that I need to try for long time. In this past 6-7 years I haven’t seen fresh jackfruit here, last month my husband bought few pounds from a nearby Asian store. I saved 10 pieces for payasam, but the next day it vanished in minutes, yep that’s my kid’s favorite fruit. I didn’t think I will get fresh jackfruit again, in couple weeks I got again fresh fruit, this time don’t want to miss. Tried this jackfruit payasam and my kids loved this lot; it took me to childhood one my friends mom use to make this often.

 

Ingredients:

Jackfruit	10 – 15 medium size pieces
Jaggery	¾ cup
Coconut milk	¾ cup
Cashew nut	1 Tbsp
Coconut pieces	1 Tbsp
Ghee	1 Tbsp

 

Directions:

1. Pressure cook jackfruit with little water until it’s soft.
2. Cool it and grind to smooth paste. Mine yields one cup of puree.
3. In a sauce pan, add jaggery and water (1/4 – 1/2 cup) and heat it until jaggery melts.
4. Filter that to another thick bottomed pan, and start to cook once the jaggery starts to boil (no need to check any consistency), add jackfruit puree mix well and cook for another 5 minutes.
5. Then add coconut milk mix well and cook for another 2 minutes turn off when it starts to boil.
6. Heat ghee and roast cashew nut and coconut pieces add this to payasam.

 

Note:

• After adding coconut milk, don’t cook to long, I used ½ cup thick and ¼ cup thin coconut milk.
• If you feel your puree is very thick add ¼ cup hot water.

 

Linking to : Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#28

 

 

 

Walnut Shortbread

I came across Macadamia shortbreads in The Modern Bakers cookbook, instead of macadamia I used walnut and it turned good.

Ingredients:

Cookie Dough:
Sugar	½ cup
Walnut crushed	1 ½ oz or 50 gms
All purpose flour	2 ¼ cup
Baking powder	½ tsp
Unsalted butter (cold)	1 ½ stick or 12 Tbsp
Topping:
Unsalted walnut crushed	¾ cup
Sugar	⅓ cup
Yields: 24 2" square cookie

 

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven for 325ºF; line a 9ˣ13 inch pan with butter foil. For dough, combine sugar and nuts in food processor and grind finely.
2. Add baking powder and flour and pulse several times to mix, add butter and pulse until butter is finely mixed in. The mixture should be powdery.
3. Transfer the flour mixture to prepared pan, distribute it evenly all over the bottom of the pan and use the palm to press it.
4. Use a brush to sprinkle the top of the dough generously with one tablespoon of water.
5. Mix sugar and nut for topping, scatter the nut mixture evenly on the dough and use the palm to press them.
6. Bake the cookie until they are golden and firm, about 30 minutes.
7. As soon as you remove the pan from oven, grip the foil and lift the baked dough onto a cutting board.
8. While the dough is still hot, use a sharp and long knife to cut them into 2 inch squares.
9. Let the cookies cool and they will become crispy.

 

Note:

• For crushing the walnuts use heavy bottomed pan.
• If you find your cookie is not crispy after cooling return them to pan and bake them for another 10 – 15 minutes at 300ºF.

Linking to : Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#28

 

 

Giveaway at Nivedhanam

Hi friends this post is to share the happy moments of  co blogger Sowmya who is writing at Nivedhanam for a year. Congrats Sowmya for your first blog anniversary and my best wishes for following years.

For more details about giveaway click here.

Mango Burfi

Summer is yet to start here, but mangos season is already started. Few weeks back found good mangoes in market bought few and tried this mango burfi. This is my second attempt, first time I tried with canned mango pulp and milk powder but it doesn’t turn out to correct consistency. Still it’s edible and tasty but I was not satisfied with what I made. So I tried second time with paneer which acts as a binding agent for burfi.

 

Ingredients:

Mango Pulp	2 cup
Sugar	10 Tbsp
Paneer	1 cup
Milk powder	1 cup
Milk	1 cup
Nuts chopped	½ - 1 cup
Cardamom powder	1 tsp
Ghee	1 Tbsp
Yields: 30 pieces

 

Directions:

1. Add mango pulp, milk, paneer and milk powder in a blender and pulse couple times until everything blends well.
2. Heat ghee in a non stick pan; transfer the mango mixture to pan. Add sugar, cardamom powder and half portion of nuts mix well.
3. After few minutes of cooking the mixture will start to leave the pan, after cooking for another five minutes it will start to thicken like dough.
4. Grease a plate and transfer the dough to plate, smooth the top surface using spoon and sprinkle the remaining nuts.
5. Allow it to cool and cut into desired shape.

 

Note:

• Use fresh mango for making pulp, peel the skin dice and blend to thick paste. I used two mangoes which yields 2 cups of pulp.
• Since one of my little one use to remove nuts in food, I added 2 tablespoon of powdered nuts and didn’t sprinkle nuts.
• Nuts is your option, you may use almonds, pista and cashew nuts.

Linking to:   Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#28, Gayathri's Announcement page, Nithu Page