Paniyaram Varieties / Paniyaram Recipes

Carrot Paniyaram

Palm Sugar Paniyaram

Beetroot Paniyaram

Soft Paniyaram

Wheat Flour Paniyaram

Strawberry Paniyaram

Sago/ Javvarisi Paniyaram

Jowar Paniyaram

Dry Fruits Sweet Paniyaram

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Flowers from My Cam: 5. Erukkam Poo / Crown Flower

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Pongal - Bhogi Cleaning with LAL HIT and Thengai / Coconut Poli

     Pongal/Shankranti is first and foremost important festival for South India, especially Tamil Nadu. For the farming community, Pongal is like Thanksgiving festival which celebrates the Seeds and Cows, which are the sources of life itself. A day before the actual festival is a day of cleaning called Bhogi. Our Elders have subtly emphasized the old adage that Cleanliness is next to Godliness through Bhogi by emphasizing cleanliness before celebration. In Villages, everyone would remove all the unwanted stuff in their house, clean it and also white-wash it so have clean and happy ambiance for Pongal.  Even though most of us have moved more towards an urban lifestyle, Pongal is still relevant because it can help us make cleaning a habit. We can use Pongal as an occasion to bring in new products and approaches for maintaining cleanliness such as LAL HIT and #SayNoToFoodPoisoning 

In cities where most of us are living now, we cannot of course, white-wash our flats every year. But we can definitely put the effort to have a thorough cleaning of our flats, remove old junk and create cleaner spaces. While cleaning, we should take special care of cleaning wash areas, sinks and other hidden corners of our houses where germs tend to accumulate. Even though we have harried lifestyle nowadays, we should always make regular house cleaning a habit which is part and parcel of our life. By associating cleanliness chores with festival, Pongal Bhogi makes house cleaning a part of fun and celebration and encourages us not to think cleaning chores to be tiresome activity.

Get Rid off the  disease spreading Cockroaches:

     There are many good side effects of regular house cleaning such as getting rid of Cockroaches. Cockroaches bother most people. Most kids and even ladies get scared of them. Cockroaches are more than social embarrassments.  In reality, they are carriers of many diseases. As Cockroaches crawl into your kitchen, they bring   dangerous germs and bacteria from dirty drain, and become carriers for these germs which are known to spread diseases like Food Poisoning, Typhoid, Cholera, Diarrhea, Dysentery and many stomach diseases.

     Fortunately Godrej has come up with a very good specialist cockroach killer product called LAL HIT. All you have to do is apply the chemical into deep corners and cracks of your kitchen as part of your monthly kitchen cleaning process. You can have a weekly schedule at key areas. The unique features of the LAL HIT is its Deep Reach Nozzle which can ensure that the product can be inserted into cracks and holes and ensure that the spray reaches even those cockroaches which typically hides deep in the cracks of the buildings where cockroaches tend to hide and escape from otherwise regular cleaning steps LAL HIT is the only solution that can eliminate even the hidden cockroaches and keep the family safe from diseases like Food Poisoning.

Make Bhogi to form the Cleanliness habit:

      Pongal Bhogi should also be used as an occasion for involving kids and teenagers in household cleaning. This will also help us educate them and make cleanliness habitual for them. What better way can there be other than Pongal to introduce LAL HIT into our households to make our houses health and clean? We also have to remember that products like LAL HIT have to be used periodically and not occasionally during festival seasons.

Bhogi Special Recipe:  Coconut / Thengai Poli

In Villages, people make Poli sweets as part of the Pongal celebrations.  Poli is quite easy and quick to make and needs only readily available ingredients.  Try and make Poli at home to make Pongal all the more special.

Recipe Cuisine : South Indian | Recipe Category: Sweets

Preparation Time: 15 mins  | Cooking Time: 5 mins | Yields: 10 nos.

Ingredients:

For the dough:
Maida	1 ½  cup (1 cup = 200 ml)
Oil or Ghee	2 tbsp
Salt	¼ tsp
Water	Required
For Stuffing:
Grated Coconut	3 cups
Jaggery	2 cups
Ghee	2 tbsp
Cardamom	3
For Making Poli:
Oil	Required

Procedure:

For Dough:

1. In a wide bowl, add maida, salt and oil/ghee. Mix them well with your fingers.

2. Then add water little by little and knead into very soft dough. Cover the dough and keep it aside for an hour.

For Stuffing:

3. Heat the ghee in a pan, add grated coconut and fry for 2 mins.

4. Then add the crushed cardamom and grated jaggery. Keep the flame at simmer.

5. Jaggery starts to melts, so that the stuffing becomes watery.

6. Then slowly the stuffing becomes thick. Stir occasionally to avoid to sticking at the bottom of the pan.

7. Remove from the heat once the stuffing reached the thick consistency. Allow it to cool down completely.

Make Poli:

8. Divide the dough into big lemon size balls.

9. Divide the stuffing into equal number of dough balls.

10. Apply oil on the clean plastic sheet. Keep the dough ball on the sheet.

11. Press the ball using the fingers to make small circle.

12. Now keep the stuffing ball at the center of the circle and close the stuffing with the dough.

13. Now close the ball with plastic sheet and make a thin circle using your fingers or with rolling pin.

14. Heat the tawa, place this poli over the tawa and pour oil or ghee. Cook both sides till it some dark spots comes.

  Tasty and mouth watering coconut / thengai poli is ready to serve.

Note:

1. Adjust the sweet level according to your taste.

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Tomato Puri / Thakkali Poori

     Addition of Tomato with poori not only makes the poori very novel and colorful; it also makes the poori really very tasty. We can have the poori even without side-dish. So it is very useful when we are preparing food for travel.

Recipe Cuisine : South Indian | Recipe Category: Breakfast

Preparation Time: 10 mins  | Cooking Time: 10 mins | Yields: 10 nos.

Ingredients:

Wheat Flour	1 cup (1 cup = 240 ml)
Ripped Tomato	2
Red Chilli Powder	1 tsp
Salt	As required
Water	As required
Oil	For deep fry

Procedure:

1. Wash and cut the tomatoes into small pieces.

2. Grind them into a smooth paste using the mixie.

3. Strain the juice using the strainer.

4. Add tomato juice (from 3), red chilli powder and salt. Mix them well.

5. Then add wheat flour and mix them well. Add water little by little and knead into soft and tight dough.  Keep it aside for 5 mins.

6. Divide the dough into equal lemon size balls. Either roll it into a medium size circular rounds or press them using the machine.

7. Heat the oil in a pan and slide the puri. After few seconds, press it with the help of the ladle with the holes.

8. When it puffs up, turn it over carefully and fry the poori till the poori becomes crisp and golden color.

9. Take it out from the oil and drain the oil using the tissue paper.

     Tasty and aromatic poori / puri is ready to serve.

Note:

1. Don’t add more water, because the poori absorbs more oil.

2. Don’t leave the dough more than 5 mins, otherwise the poori absorbs more oil.

Related Links:

1. WheatPoori

2. FoxtailMillet Poori

3. Finger Millet Poori

4. Palak Poori

5. Pearl Millet Poori

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Flowers from My Cam: 4. Yellow Rose

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Curry Leaves Chutney / Karuveppilai Chutney

We use Curry Leaves for tempering all types of Chutneys. Mostly people keep it aside when they have the Chutneys even though Curry Leaves has high nutrient value but low cost. Making the Chutney itself from Curry Leaves is the best way for making them have it.

Recipe Cuisine : South Indian | Recipe Category: Chutney

Preparation Time: 5 mins  | Cooking Time: 5 mins | Yields: 1 cup

Ingredients:

Curry Leaves	1 cup
Chopped Onion	½ cup
Urad Dal (Black or White)	1 tbsp
Red Chilli	1 or 2
Tamarind	Turkey berry size
Grated Coconut	2 tbsp
Oil	2 tsp
Salt	Required

Procedure:

1. Clean and wash the curry leaves. Dry them using the kitchen towel. Keep it aside.

2. Heat oil in a pan, add urad dal and fry till the nice aroma comes out. Don’t burn it.

3. Then add the red chilli and sauté for few seconds.

4. Add chopped onion and sauté till they become translucent.

5. Now add the curry leaves (from 1) and sauté till the leaves turn into dark color.

6. Allow it to cool down completely. Then add coconut, tamarind and salt.

7. Grind them into a smooth paste with little water using the mixie.

      Healthy and aromatic chutney is ready to serve with Idli, Dosai and Rice.

Note:

1. Use black urad dal or white urad dal or channa dal.

2. Adjust the chilli level according to your taste.

Related Links:

1. Curry Leaves Rice

2. Curry Leaves Idli Powder

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Flowers from My Cam: 3. Kozhunji Poo / Wild Indigo

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Papaya Juice / Pappali Juice

Papaya fruit is a super food full of goodness and healthy nutrients. But unfortunately it will be the last fruit most people would like to have directly like my hubby. Papaya juice is the best way to make them have papaya.

Related Links:

1. Papaya Orange Jam

2. Papaya Halwa

Ingredients:

Ripe Papaya (small size)	1
Sugar or Honey	1 tbsp
Water	As required

Procedure:

1. Remove the skin and seeds of the papaya.  Cut it into small cubes.

2. Add  the papaya cubes and sugar in a mixie jar.

3. Grind them into a smooth paste. Then add little water and again grind them into a fine paste.

4. Strain this mixture using the juice strainer. Then add enough water to bring it into juice consistency.

5. Healthy juice is ready to serve. You can chill it in a refrigerator or have it immediately.

Note:

1. Addition of water level is your choice.

2. Instead of sugar you can add honey or brown sugar or palm sugar.

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Flowers from My Cam: 2. Nerunji Poo / Tribulus Terrestris

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Cuban Lemon Cookie / Tortical de Moron

Lemon is always a hit flavor with everyone, from kids to elders. This wheat cookie transforms into very delicious snack just by adding lemon zest. This is a very well known cookie from Cuban. 

Recipe Cuisine : International | Recipe Category: Baking

Preparation Time: 10 mins  | Cooking Time: 10 mins | Yields: 20 cookies

Ingredients:

Wheat Flour	¾ cup
Butter	6 tbsp
Sugar	¼ cup
Lemon Zest*	1 ½ tsps

* Lemon Zest:

1. Wash and dry the lemon using the kitchen towel.

2. Grate the skin of the lemon using the grater. You should not grate till the end of the lemon (till the white part). Collect the lemon zest and keep it aside.

Procedure:

1. Beat the butter with electric beater or wire whisk till it becomes fluffy.

2. Then add icing sugar and mix them well. Then beat till it reaches fluffy consistency.

3. Now add the wheat flour and lemon zest. Mix them well. Knead it into a soft and pliable dough. Leave it for 10 mins.

4. 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.

5. Now cut the rolled circle using the cookie cutter. I have used hexagon shape cutter.

6. Take out the cookies using the flat spatula and keep it on the ungreased baking tray. Leave ½ inch space between the cookies.

7. Preheat the oven for 200 degree Celsius.

8. Bake the cookies for 10 mins at 180 degree Celsius.

9. Allow it to cool down completely and then take them out from the tray. Again cool them on wire rack.

       Tasty and aromatic cookies are ready!!!

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Flowers from My Cam : 1. Thatha Poo / Wild Daisy

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