March 31, 2017

Sun Dried Bitter Gourd / Pavakkai Vathal | Vathal Recipes


Few days back, I had posted a summer vathal recipe. This is in continuance with that, with the change being the ingredient used. Pavakkai is another healthy vegetable but kids tend to dislike it. Pavakkai Vathal makes it a tasty side dish and people will surely like it.


Recipe Cuisine : South India | Recipe Category: Summer Special
Preparation Time: 20 mins  | Drying Time : 2-3 days

Ingredients:
Bitter Gourd
½ kg
Salt
1 tsp
Turmeric Powder
½ tsp

Procedure:
1. Wash and cut the head and tail of the bitter gourd.
2. Then cut them into thin circles.
3. Remove the big seeds from the slices. Put the slices in a bowl.
4. Now sprinkle the salt and turmeric powder over the de-skinned slices.
5. Mix them gently or toss them gently and close the lid of the pan. keep it aside for 15-30 mins.  
6. After 30 mins, you can get water from the bitter gourd pieces. Now discard the water or strain the bitter using the strainer.
7. Now spread the bitter gourd over clean cloth under sun light. Keep it under sun light for 2-3 days or the bitter gourd slices become crisp.
8. Store it in an air tight container for later use.
9. Heat the oil in a pan, add sun dried bitter gourd/pavakkai vahtal and fry till they become crispy.
10. Remove from the oil and spread over the tissue paper to remove excess oil.
   Yummy and healthy bitter gourd vathal is ready to serve with curd rice.

Note:
1. You can add red chilli powder with turmeric powder.
2. You can make kuzhambu also with this vathal.


March 28, 2017

M and M / Gems Cookies with Whole Wheat Flour


Kids love Gems Chocolates. It can be used to make cookies very attractive and also more tasty. I replaced  M and M chocolates in the popular M and M cookies with Gems to create this recipe. How much ever you prepare it will disappear immediately as kids would love this so much.

Click here to video 30+ cookies recipes.


Quick slide Show video:

Recipe Cuisine : International | Recipe Category: Baking
Preparation Time: 10 mins  | Cooking Time: 10 mins | Yields: 15 cookies

Ingredients:
Wheat Flour
1 cup
½ cup
Butter
¼ cup
Boiled Cold Milk
5-6 tbsp
Corn Flour
1 tbsp
Baking Powder
1 tsp
Gems or M and M Chocolates
As required

1 cup = 240 ml

Procedure:
1. Sieve wheat flour, baking powder and corn flour together for two times. Keep it aside.
2. Beat the butter with electric beater or wire whisk till it becomes fluffy.
3. Then add icing sugar and mix them well. Then beat till it reaches fluffy consistency.
4.  Now add the sieved flour (from 1) and mix well with spatula or with your fingers. Now the mixture looks like a bread crumbs.
5. Now add milk little by little and knead it into a soft and pliable dough.
6.  Roll the dough into ½ inch thickness circle (like chapathi) on the dry rolling surface using the rolling pin. Before rolling, sprinkle the wheat flour over the rolling surface to avoid the flour getting sticky.
7. Now cut the rolled circle using the 2 inch round cookie cutter. If you don’t have cookies cutter, you can use 2 inch diameter bottle cap.
8. Now place 4-5 gems over each 2 inch circles and press them gently with backside of the spatula.
9. Take out the cookies using the flat spatula and keep it on the ungreased baking tray. Leave ½ inch space between the cookies.
10. Preheat the oven for 200 degree Celsius.
11. Bake the cookies for 10 mins at 170 degree Celsius.
12. Allow it to cool down completely and then take them out from the tray. Again cool them on wire rack.
       Tasty and colorful M and M / Gems cookies are ready!!!
Note:
1. You can use all purpose flour instead of wheat flour.
2. You can use margarine or dalda instead of butter.


Moroccan Carrot Salad | Easy Salad Recipes


Typically salad means mixing of vegetables or fruits or both.  In this Moroccan salad the key difference is adding juice (orange) to the vegetable (carrot). Another difference is adding rose water for aromatic flavor. The result is a juicy salad which was liked by our family very much. They were asking once more again and again.

Quick Video Slide Show:




Recipe Cuisine : International | Recipe Category: Salad
Preparation Time: 5mins  | Yields: ¾ cup

Ingredients:
Grated Carrot
½ cup
Orange Juice
¼ cup
Sugar
3 tbsp
Cinnamon Powder
A pinch
Rose Essence
2 drops

Procedure:
1. In a wide bowl, add grated carrot, orange juice, sugar, cinnamon powder and rose essence.
2. Mix them gently and keep it aside for 10 mins.
3. Again mix them gently and serve as it is or chill it and serve.
   Wow delicious and aromatic Juicy Moroccan Salad is ready within 3 mins.

Note:                                                                                               
1. In the original recipe they are using Orange blossom water. Since it is not available I replace it with rose water.

March 27, 2017

Kothavarangai vathal / Sun Dried Cluster Beans


Summer season not only means juices but also vathals, that too especially in south india. Kothavarangai / Cluster Beans, a seasonal vegetable will be available abundantly in summer season. By preparing vathal from kothavarangai, we can have a taste side dish for a longer time.



Recipe Cuisine : South India | Recipe Category: Summer Special
Preparation Time: 10 mins  | Cooking Time: 10 mins | Yields: 20 cookies


Cluster Beans / Kothavarangi
¼ kg
Water
As required
Salt
1 tbsp


Procedure:
1. Wash the cluster beans and keep it aside.
2. Heat 2 litters of water in a wide pan like idli vessel.
3. Add salt and wait for boiling the water.
4. Now add the washed cluster beans. After few mins lot of bubbles comes out from the vessel.
5. Now switch off the flame and close the lid of the pan. Leave it for 15 – 30 mins.
6. Then drain the water completely and spread the beans on the plastic sheet or clean cloth. Keep it under sunlight for 3-6 days. It depend the size of the cluster beans.
7. If dried completely then store them in a air tight container for later use.
8. Heat oil in a pan, add dried cluster beans and fry. Then remove from the oil and keep it on the paper towel to remove the excess oil.
9. Serve this vathal with curd rice, pearl millet kool etc.,

                       Tasty and healthy vathal ready!


Ground Nut / Peanut / Verkkadalai Chutney without Coconut


     I have already posted ground nut chutney. That chutney used coconut as an ingredient. In this recipe, I am preparing the chutney without coconut. The benefit is different taste and more easy to prepare. This variant is famous in my village side as well.

Click here to view 30+ chutney recipes.



Recipe Cuisine : South Indian | Recipe Category: Chutney
Preparation Time: 5 mins  | Cooking Time: 2 mins | Yields: 1 cup

Ingredients:
Roasted and De-skinned Ground Nut
1 cup
Chopped Onion
½ cup
Chopped Tomato
1/4 cup
Garlic Pods
4
Tamarind
Turkey Berry Size
Red Chilli
3-4
Jaggery
Small gooseberry size
Salt
As required
Oil
2 tsp
To Temper:

Oil
1 tsp
Mustard Seeds
½ tsp
Curry Leaves
1 spring

Procedure:
1. Heat the oil in a pan. Add chopped onion and sauté till they become translucent.
2. Then add red chillies, garlic pods and salt. Sauté for few seconds.
3. Now add the chopped tomato and fry till they become mushy. Allow it to cool down completely.
4. Grind this above mixture with ground nut, jaggery and tamarind into find paste using little water.
5. Transfer the ground mixture into the serving bowl.
6. Heat 1 tsp of oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and wait for popping. Then add curry leaves and fry till they become crisp.
7. Mix this temper with ground chutney. Yummy and tasty ground nut chutney without coconut is ready to serve.

Note:
1. Sambar onion gives more flavor and taste than big onion.
2. Adjust the chilli level according to your taste.


March 24, 2017

Queen Victoria Sponge Cake | Cake Recipes


      I usually keep searching for cake recipes on the net. I came across a very easy recipe with simple ingredients in Jamie Oliver site called Victoria Sponge Cake. The name itself was tempting me to try it. The story goes that Queen Victoria always used to eat two slices of the cake before tea.
    When I served it to my family everyone asked where I bought this cake, thinking it was store made. They could not believe that I had made it. I made it many times. My family was joking that we have also become fans of this cake, just like Queen Victoria.


Full Video for Queen Victoria Sponge Cake:




Recipe Cuisine : International | Recipe Category: Baking
Preparation Time: 13 mins  | Cooking Time: 25 mins | Yields: 9 inch cake

Ingredients:
Dry Ingredients:

Maida
1 ½ cup
Granulated Sugar
¾ cup
Baking Powder
1 ½ tsp
Salt
A pinch
Wet Ingredients:

Butter (at room temperature)
¾ cup
Egg (at room temperature)
3
Rose Essence
1 ½ tsp
Boiled Cold Milk
1 ½ tbsp
To Decorate:

Jam
As required
Powdered Sugar
As required
For Dusting:

Flour
1 tbsp
Butter
1 tbsp

Procedure:
1. Sieve maida and baking powder together twice or thrice. Keep it aside.
2. Powder the sugar using the dry mixi jar.
3. Beat the butter till it becomes fluffy using electric beater at high speed.
4. Then add the powdered sugar (from 3) and beat it continuously till they become fluffy.
5. Now break one egg and add with the butter mixture. Beat the mixture till the egg mix well with the butter.
6. Now add the second egg and beat the mixture till the egg mix well with the butter.
7. Then add the third egg and beat till the egg mix well with the butter.
8. Now add the milk and essence with the butter – egg mixture.
9. Now add sieved flour (from 1) little by little, beat them at low speed till they incorporate with the butter mixture. Cake batter is ready.
10. Meanwhile, grease the 9 inch pan with butter and dust with flour.
11. Pour the cake batter (from 9) into the dusted pan.
12. Preheat the oven for 200 degree Celsius. Bake the cake for 25-30 mins or inserted tooth pick comes out clean at 180 degree Celsius.
13. Allow it to cool down completely. Remove the cake from the pan. Then apply jam over the cake. Immediately dust the powdered sugar over the cake using sieve.


   Wow yummy and delicious Queen Victoria Sponge Cake is ready to serve.


Note:
1. Should not add all the eggs at a time. Because the butter becomes curdle.
2. You can use any variety jam or fresh cream.

Click here to view more cake Recipes.


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