Brown Sugar Kesari

This is the last dish I made for Navrathri, Brown Sugar Kesari. I always prefer to use soft brown sugar for cooking as it gives better taste compared to white sugar. Brown sugar is less sweet compared to white sugar meaning 1 cup of white sugar is equal to 2 cups of brown sugar, that's how I would compare the sweetness of both these sugar. So I usually use only half cup or 1 cup of brown sugar to substitute for white sugar to bring down the sweetness.

Okay now let's go to the recipe now;

Ingredients:

1 cup of sooji/ semolina
10 pcs cashewnuts
10 pcs yellow raisin
1/2 cup of coconut milk (thick)
1/4 cup of brown sugar
Few drops of yellow coloring
1 cup of water
2 tbsp of ghee

In a pan, heat 1 tbsp of ghee and fry cashews and raisin then add water and let it boil, then add brown sugar and salt. Turn flame to low and pour in coconut milk and let it simmer for about 2 minutes don't let it over boil as it will give oily taste.

Now add in  yellow coloring and sooji slowly, constantly stirring  to avoid clumping. Mix everything well, finally add in balance ghee and mix well. Place Kesari mixture in any mould or tray then cut into desired shapes and serve.

Now our Brown Sugar Kesari is ready to be served. Do try and let me know how was it.

Do join my event Halloween Recipes 2012

My 100th Post and a Give Away

Its a happy day for me as I'm celebrating my 100th Post, 100th likes and 10000 views of my blog, very nice numbers for my blog and me. Come let's celebrate together with me, by sending in your recipe for Halloween 2012, it could be any dish you wish to link to this page. Rules are very simple, you can cook;

1.Any vegetarian or non- vegetarian  Halloween dishes.

2.Usage of Logo is a must and do link the post to my blog.

3.This event is open to everyone but give away is only for friends who are staying in Malaysia,
   Singapore and India.

4.ONE winner for each country will be randomly chosen and their gifts will be sent out by courier,
   don't worry you are ensured of gifts that you can use for your cooking.

5.You have to like my page in Facebook, be my follower and leave your comment when you are done
    by stating which country you are from.

6.You can send as many recipes as you wish and winners will be announced on 24th November 2012.

Halloween Recipes 2012

Now let's go to my dish today Pottukadalai Urundai/ Roasted Gram Sweet Balls

This is a very simple sweet I made for Navratri but didn't have time to post it, so I'm sharing with you all today. I have tasted this many years back when my mom made it and after that I didn't make or try it anywhere else. Let's see how I made this;

Ingredients:

1 cup of roasted gram/ pottukadalai

1/4 cup of jaggery/ palm sugar

1 cup of water

A pinch of salt

Bring to a boil jaggery, water and salt

Wait until the mixture bubbles

Let the mixture thickens and form 1 string concentration

Add pottukadalai and mix well

See how the jaggery coating the pottukadalai

Let the mixture cool for few minutes and roll into small bite size balls

Now our Pottukadalai Urundai is ready to be served, do try and let me know how it turned out!

Sabudana Vada Guest Post by Vimitha

Ever since I have started blogging, I have got so many blogger friends who support me by faithfully visiting my blog every time I post a new recipe. One of the dearest blogger is Vimitha from My Culinary Trial Room, I love her blog because she has wonderful pictures with different varieties of delicious recipes. When I have requested her to do a guest post for my blog, she whole heartedly said yes and told me will message to me the recipe very soon.

I was so happy when I received her recipe today and told her will post this recipe as soon as possible. It's a wonderful recipe and I would love to try the recipe very soon, I looks so delicious and mouth watering. Now let's read what she has to say about this guest post and recipe in her own words. Thank you so much dear for this recipe, I'm loving it.

Vimitha@ My Culinary Trial Room

To those who do not know me, I am Vimitha and I blog @My Culinary Trial Room. A software engineer by profession, I never knew that even I would have cooking genes in me and I didn't even think about giving it a go until I got married and moved in with my in-laws. Even then I dared to take up the job of my MIL's sous-chef only. When we moved out and I got my very own kitchen, cooking became a chore rather than a hobby and I starting taking baby steps in the art of culinary with the advise from my MIL and amma. I started trying different recipes to impress my huss. Recipes scattered around the house instigated me to make a journal out of them but then writing is my weakness and I didn't have the patience to jot down every ingredients in a diary. Then I got introduced to the world of blogging and I got hooked to it. Inspired by many, I started my own blog and here I am doing my very first guest post in a lovely space.

When Sumanarthy asked me to do a guest blog at her space, I did not have any reason to tell no. And when she said that the theme was navratri special, I was super excited since I had wanted to try the sabudana vada that is traditionally made for navrathri vrat / fasting season and what better time than this. The recipe is simple to put together but be sure to use good and fresh sago pearls or else the vada tends to burst when put in hot oil.

This makes a super crunchy snack for your tea-time. Crispy outside and soft inside, you can never say no to this. I would suggest eating this fresh out off the kadai as they tend to lose their crunchiness after some time.

~*What U Need*~ Sabudana / Javvarisi / Sago / Tapioca pearls - 1/2 cup Potato - 1, medium Roasted peanuts - 1/4 cup Rice flour - 1 tbsp Green chillies - 2 nos, finely chopped Chopped coriander leaves - 1 tbsp Curry leaves - 1 sprig Cumin seeds - 1/4 teaspoon Salt - to taste Oil - to deep fry

How I Made it:

Wash sago pearls and soak in water for 4 to 6 hours. Drain and set aside. Pressure cook the potato for 2 whistles. Cool, peel the skin and mash well. Peel the skin off the peanuts and blend to a coarse powder. 

Take the soaked sago pearls in a mixing bowl along with mashed potato and peanuts. Add rice flour, green chillies, curry leaves, coriander leaves, cumin seeds and salt. Mix well. Make small round patties from the mixture and arrange them in a plate. 

Heat oil in a kadai and fry the vadas till golden brown. Drain the excess oil using paper towel.

Serve hot with tea / coffee.

** My Notes:
If the mixture is not binding together, add extra rice flour and mix.

So thats it Folks...
With Love,

Signs off!!!

Kalkandu / Rock Sugar Pongal

Ingredients:

1 cup of raw rice (washed and drained)

1/4 cup of rock sugar/ kalkandu

10 pcs cashew nuts

10 pcs raisins

3 tbsp of milk

1 tbsp of ghee

1 tsp of salt

2 cups of water

In a pan, heat ghee and roast cashews and raisin until golden, pour water and let it boil. Once water boils add in rice and let it cook until soft.

Now add in salt, kalkandu and milk and let all incorporate well, cook until pongal thickens and water completely evaporates. Let the pongal cool down before serving.

Now our Kalkandu/ Rock Sugar Pongal is ready to be served.

I'm sending this recipe to Priya's Event Navratri 2012

Puliyodharai/ Tamarind Rice

My favorite neiveidyam ever is Puliyodharai, my mom used to cook this for us anytime requested because of her simple and easy recipe. We used to have Puliyodharai with Potato Sambal or Pumpkin Pulingkari (Spicy and Sour Pumpkin dish), we never ask for anything else. 

 Let's get to the recipe;

Ingredients:

2 cups of cooked rice

1/4 cup of toor dhall (cooked)

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 cup of tamarind juice

1 sprig of curry leaves

1 tsp mustard seed

A pinch of hing

2 red dry chili

2 cups of water

1 tbsp oil

Salt to taste

In a pan, heat oil add mustard seed once it crackle, add curry leaves, dry chili, hing and fry for a minute. Now pour in tamarind juice and water let it boil and reduces to half the quantity, meaning from 3 cups (2 cups of water and 1 cup of tamarind juice) boils down to 1 cup of liquid.

A this point add cooked dhall, turmeric powder, salt and simmer for another 5 minutes

Add in cooked rice to the tamarind mixture and mix well incorporating both

All mixed well, now ready to be served

Lovely right? 

Do try and let me know how it turned out!

I'm sending this recipe to Priya's Event Navratri 2012

Peanut Sundal

It's second day of Navratri, I made Peanut Sundal for neiveidyam. Making sundal is a very easy thing and you don't need to spend hours on the preparation, especially if you have a pressure cooker to ease your work. How dependent I am to the pressure cooker? 

I use to wonder a lot when I was a kid, watching Indian cooking shows where the ladies use pressure cooker for everything because my mom only uses it when in rush. Hehehe...now I understand why, it makes your life so easy.

Okay now let's get back to the recipe;

Ingredients:

1 cup of peanut (soaked for at least 3 hours)
2 tbsp of grated coconut

1 tsp of mustard seed

1 sprig of curry leaves
1 tsp of black peppercorns (ground coarsely)

2 red dry chili

1 tsp of salt

1 tbsp oil

2 cups of water

Wash the soaked peanut and drain the water, then add the peanut in a pressure cooker with water and salt and cook until 3 whistle and drain the water.

For tempering, take a pan heat oil and add mustard seed once it crackle, add in curry leaves and dry chili. Now add in peanut, grated coconut and black pepper and stir everything well. Turn off flame and remove sundal into a bowl.

Our Peanut Sundal is now ready to be served, do try and let me know how was it!

I'm sending this recipe to Priya's Event Navratri 2012

Ven Pongal

I'm the happiest in my life today, all because I went for Navratri pooja in a Karumariamman temple near my house and it was awesome. I was there for more then 2 hours, the Golu they had was so nice and I wish I could have that picture taken if I ever brought my camera or phone there. I never bring phone to temple, its a total disturbance bringing it.

Okay now going back to my second neiveidyam for prayers today is Ven Pongal. Let's look at the recipe now;

Ingredients:

1 cup of cooked rice

2 tbsp of toor dhall cooked

1 tsp black pepper corns 

1/2 cup of milk

2 cups of water

1 tsp of salt

1 tsp ghee

For this recipe I have used cooked rice, you can use uncooked rice also.

In a pan, add in ghee, now add in black pepper corns stir a while, add milk and 1 cup of water then let it boil. Once boiled add in cooked rice and dhall until water gets evaporated and rice-milk mixture is thickened, constantly stir in the mixture to avoid burning at the bottom.Add another cup of water and salt, let the mixture simmer until it gets thickened again.

I used smaller pan that is why I had to add water twice to avoid overflow when boiling. Leave the Ven Pongal a while before serving so rice will absorb the milk completely.

Now our Ven Pongal is ready to be served, I had it with green chili pickle and the taste was awesome. Do try and let me know how it turned out.

I'm sending this recipe to Priya's Event Navratri 2012 

Chana/ Chickpeas Sundal

Navratri is a very special festival for us Hindus, Nav means nine and ratri means night. It's 9 special days celebration where the first 3 days devoted to Goddess Durga, the second set of 3 days for Goddess Lakshmi and last 3 days devoted to Goddess Saraswathi. We fast on these days and have only vegetarian meals.

All this years, I only observe fasting on these days and never have had a proper celebration but this year I have decided to learn the details of it. This is the very first year after my marriage I'm preparing for a proper Navratri celebration, none of us want to forget our origin and religious festivals right? Let's past it on to others and be proud of it.

As for the first day, I have prepared Chickpeas Sundal and Ven Pongal for neiveidyam. All the dishes cooked on these days doesn't have garlic and onion or also called as Sattvik Dishes.

Let's get to the recipe;

Ingredients:

1 cup chickpeas (soaked overnight min 7 hours)

2 dry red chili

1 tsp of mustard seed

1 sprig of curry leaves

1 tbsp of oil

1 tsp of salt

2 cups of water

Wash the chickpeas that have been soaked overnight and pressure cook with water and salt until 3-5 whistle, once done drain the chickpeas on a colander and leave aside.

Now for tempering, take a pan-heat oil and add mustard seeds let it crackle. Then add dry chili and curry leaves. Turn off the flame and pour this tempering on cooked chickpeas and stir well.

Now our Chickpeas Sundal is ready to be served. I didn't add grated coconut as other because we prefer it this way.

I'm sending this recipe to Priya's Event Navratri 2012 

Navratri 2012

Happy Navratri 

to all those who are celebrating

image from Google

May God bless you with all 

the gifts of life!