Brinjal / Katharikkaai Fry

Ingredients:

Brinjal	¼ kg
Oil	1tbs
Mustard Seeds	¼ tes
Cumin Seeds	A Pinch
Curry Leaves	1 spring
Tomato	1
Red Chilly Powder	1 tes
Salt	To Taste

Procedure:
1. Wash and cut the brinjals into small and thin pieces.

2. Heat the oil in a wide pan, add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. When it starts popping, add the curry leaves and fry for a minute.

3. Then add the chopped tomato and fry for a min.

4. Now add the brinjal without water and fry in a low flame. Close the lid for 5 mins.

5. When they are half cooked, add chilly powder and salt. Mix them well without damage the brinjal pieces.

6. Now remove the lid and fry till the brinjals are completely cooked.

Brinjal fry goes well with Curd rice and Rasam rice.

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Kolam # 106 - Rangoli Kolam Design

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Kolam # 105 - Rangoli Kolam Design

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Kolam # 104 - Rangoli (Padi Kolam)

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kolam # 103 - Flower Rangoli

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Horsegram / Kolluparuppu Soup

Ingredients:

Horse gram Dal	¼ cup
Cinnamon	½ inch
Cloves	2
Ginger Garlic Paste	1 tes
Coriander Powder / Dhaniya Powder	1 tes
Grated Coconut	1 tsb
Salt	To Taste

Procedure:

1. Wash and soak the horse gram overnight.

2. Grind everything except horse gram into a fine paste with little water.

3. Mix this paste with soaked horse gram dal.

4. Pressure cook them with 10 – 15 mins.

5. After pressure has gone, strain the water from the dal and transfer into a serving bowl. Soup is ready. 

It is perfect for this winter. Mash the dal for rice. Recipe for mashed Horse Gram is here.I learnt this recipe from my friend Devi.

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Sago or Javvarisi Paniyaram

Ingredients:

Raw Rice	2 Cups
Sago / Javvarisi	1 Cup
Curd	1 Cup
Green Chilly	3 + 2
Onion	2
Curry Leaf	1 spring
Salt	To Taste

Procedure:

1. Wash and soak the rice and sago separately  for 3 – 4 hours.

2. Grind the rice with 3 green chillies and salt.

3. Grind the sago with curd, and then mix both paste together. Cover the batter and keep it aside for fermentation.

4. Chop the onion into very thin pieces and cut the remaining green chillies into small pieces.

5. When we make paniyaram, mix the onion, green chillies and curry leaves with batter.

6. Heat the kuzhi / kuli paniyaram pan, pour few drops of oil and pour this batter only upto ½ of the kuzhi [depression]. Cook it in medium flame.

 7. After few mins, turn them to the other side and cook well until it becomes golden color on both sides.

      Serve this paniyaram with Tomato Chutney.

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Coconut Milk Rice / Thengai Paal Satham

Ingredients:

Basmati Rice / Raw Rice	1 cup
Oil	1 tbs
Ghee	1 tbs
Cinnamon	½ inch
Cloves	2
Cardamom	1
Bay Leaf	1
Green Chilly	2
Onion	1
Peas	½ cup
Ginger Garlic Paste	1 tesp
Grated Coconut (or) Coconut Milk	1 cup
Salt	To Taste

Procedure:

1. Wash and soak the rice for 15 mins.

2. Extract the coconut milk from the coconut using warm water.

3. Cut the onion into thin lengthwise slices.

4. Cut the green chillies into two halves.

5. Heat 1 tbs of cooking oil and 1 tbs of ghee in a pan, then add the cinnamom, cloves, cardamom and bay leaf. Fry for few seconds.

6. Then add the green chillies and chopped onion. Fry till the onion turns into golden color.

7. Now add the ginger garlic paste, fry for few seconds. Then add the peas and fry for 3-4 mins.

8. Then add the soaked rice and fry for 2 mins. Now add coconut milk and water (Rice: (water+ coconut milk) = 1:2) and salt, mix them well.

9. Put weight of cooker after pressure has come out and bring the flame into sim and cook for 10 mins.

10. Remove the rice from the pan after pressure has gone. Serve with Raitha or Gravy.

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Kolam # 102 - Rangoli Kolam

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Kolam # 101 - Flower Rangoli

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Flower Decoration / Flower Kolam / Poo Kolam - 18

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Painted Doll

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My Blog's 1st Birthday!!!

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Crotans Flower in My Garden

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Kolam # 100 - My 100th Kolam

21 - 11 Interlay dots

21 Pulli idai pilli 11 varai

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kolam #99 (Very Simple Kolam)

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Threadwork - 1

I used the Anchor stitch kit for this work. Anchor provides a lot of good ready made  kits for handicraft work. I am a big fan of Anchor.

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Kolam # 98 - Rangoli (Maak kolam)

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Kolam # 97 - Rangoli

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The Twins - Mocktail

Ingredients:

Carrot	1
Beetroot (Medium Size)	1
Grated Coconut	2 tbs
Honey	2 tbs
Ice Cubes	5

Procedure:

1. Peel the skin of the carrot and beetroot. Chop them into small pieces.

2. Extract the juices from beetroot and carrot separately by grinding them with little water.

3. Extract  thick coconut milk from the coconut using hot water

4. Mix the juices, coconut milk, honey and ice cubes.

5. Serve it immediately and enjoy.

I am sending this to Coolers and Mocktails event started by Pari and hosted by Simplyfood.

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Kolam # 96

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My Glass Painting - 4

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Bangalorean Style Tomato / Thakkali Thokku

Ingredients:

Tomato	4
Onion	3
Cinnamom	1 inch
Clove	2
Grated Coconut	2 tbs
Oil	1 tbs
Mustard Seeds	¼ tes
Urad Dal	½ tes
Curry Leaves	2 spring
Sambar Powder	2 tbs
Salt	To Taste

Procedure:

1. Put the tomatoes in hot water for 10-15 mins. Then remove the skin of the tomatoes and keep it aside.

2. Grind the tomato, cinnamom, cloves and grated coconut into a fine paste.

3. Heat the oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, urad dal and curry leaves. Allow the seeds to pop.

4. Then add  the onion [ chop them into thin and lengthwise] and fry till it becomes translucent.

5. Now add the ground paste, sambar powder and salt. Mix them well and cook in a medium flame till the water evaporates.

6. Tomato thokku is ready. This goes well with dosai, chapathi and plain rice also.

Note : You can preserve the thokku by storing it in a air tight container and putting it in the refrigerator.

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Kolam # 95 - Rose Kolam

15 - 8 Interlay dots.

15 Pulli idai pulli 8 varai

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Finger Millet / Ragi Rotti | Finger Millet Recipes

Ingredients:

Ragi / Finger Millet Flour	1 cup
Sambar Onion	1 cup
Green Chilly	3
Curry Leaves	1 spring
Cumin Seeds	2 tbs
Coriander Leaves	Handful
Salt	To Taste
Oil	4  tbs

Procedure:

1. Chop the onion, green chillies, coriander leaves and curry leaves into small pieces.

2. Add the above chopped ingredients, ragi flour, cumin seeds and salt in a bowl. Mix them well.

3. Then add water little by little to knead a dough[like chapathi dough]. Close the lid of the bowl and keep it aside for 15 mins.

4. Divide the dough into small sweet lime size balls.

5. Spread over few drops of oil on the plastic sheet or banana leaf.

6. Now place the dough on the sheet and flatten the balls using the fingers. [Grease your fingers with oil].

7. Now heat the tawa and place rotti on the tawa. Pour oil along the sides of the rotti.

8. Cook  both sides of the roti till black spots appear on it.

     Serve it hot with Chutney.

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Kolam # 94 - Star Kolam

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A Squirrel Having Breakfast @ My Home

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Corn Flakes Mixture

Ingredients:

Corn Flakes	1 cup
Rick Flakes or Puffed Rice	2 cups
Ground Nuts	¼ cup
Roasted Gram / Pottukkadalai	¼ cup
Curry Leaves	Handful
Cashew Nuts	15
Red Chilly Powder	1 tbs
Oil	For Deep Fry
Salt	To Taste

Note: Take raw corn flakes for frying. Do not take breakfast cornflakes

Procedure:

2. Heat the oil in a deep frying pan, and deep fry the cornflakes either directly or using metal strainer. Drain the excess oil.

3. Deep fry the curry leaves and cashews separately.

4. Dry roast the puffed rice, roasted gram and groundnuts separately. Remove the skin from the groundnuts.

5. Heat 2 tbs oil in a pan, and fry the salt and red chilly powder.

6. Put everything in a covered pan and toss well to mix the ingredients well.

 7. Allow it to cool down. Store it in a air tight container.

This is easy, crunchy, spicy and lip smacking tea time snack. It can be prepared with in 15 mins.

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Received the prize for "Only – Bread" event

I had earlier won a prize in the only bread event hosted by Pari from foodelicious.  The prize was a book title “Sandwiches” by Tarla Dalal.

    I received the courier on first week of April itself, but I was able to receive it in person only 2 weeks back. A photo of the book is :

I once again thank Pari for giving the opportunity to participate and choosing my recipe for the award.

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Rava Kichadi

Ingredients:

Bombay Rava / Suji / White Rava	1 cup
Ghee	2 tes
Oil	1 tbs
Mustard Seeds	¼ tes
Channa Dal	1 tes
Curry Leaves	1 spring
Cinnamom	1 inch
Aniseeds	1 tes
Onion	1
Tomato	1
Green Chilly	4
Ginger	1 inch
Turmeric Powder	½ tes
Carrot	1
Fresh Peas	¼ cup
Coriander Leaves	Handful
Salt	To Taste

Procedure:.

1. Heat the ghee in a pan, and fry the rava till it gives out good aroma. Let it cool down

2. Chop the onion, ginger, green chillies and tomato into small pieces.

3. Peel the skin of the carrot and cut it into small dices.

4. Heat the oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, channa dal, green chillies, ginger, cinnamom, aniseeds and curry leaves. Allow it to pop.

5. Then, add the chopped onion and fry till  it becomes translucent.

6. Now, add the chopped tomato and fry till it becomes mushy.

7. Then, add the chopped vegetable and fry for a minute.

8. Add turmeric powder and fry for few seconds.

9. Now, add 4 cups of water and close the lid of the pan. Cook till the vegetables  becomes half cooked.

10. Then, add salt and roasted rava slowly. Stir continuously till the water evaporates. [Ensure that no lumps are formed]

11. Switch off the stove and garnish with coriander leaves.

      Kichadi is ready to serve. Serve with Coconut Chutney.

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