Panagam (Drink with sweet, sour, spicy taste)

Panagam - preparation time 5 to 10 mins.
Mom used to make this during festival like ramanavami,etc. This will have different taste and it is good for health when taken.

Ingredients
Cardamon pods (powdered) - 2
Dry ginger powder - 1 tbspn or ginger juice
Jaggery powder - 2 tbspn
Water - 150 ml
Salt a pinch
Lemon juice - 1 tspn

Preparation method :-
Mix jaggery with water and leave for few minutes. Mud and dust will get settled in bottom of the vessel. Filter and take.
Add ginger powder, cardamon, lemon juice, salt and mix well. Salt is added to bring up the sweet taste. (This can be heated if you want)
You can adjust the ingredients according to your taste because some people like when ginger is added more or if its sour, etc....

Thick Potato fry - (Urulai kizhangu varuval)

Thick Potato fry - preparation time 15 to 20 mins
Potato is all time favourite food. This can be taken as snacks or as side dish for variety rice. My mom use to prepare and give lime rice along with this thick potato fry for my lunch box. Potato contains Vitamin C , other vitamins like b1, minerals like potassium ,etc. Rich in carbohydrate, dietary fibre.

Ingredients:-
Potato - 2
Oil - to deep fry
Chili powder - 1/2 tsp or 1 tsp
Kadalai mavu(Besan flour)- 2 tbsp
Arisi mavu (Rice flour) - 3 tbsp
Asafoetida (Perunkayam) - pinch
Salt - To taste
Water - to make thick paste

Preparation method:-
Wash the potato well. If you want you can wash the potato in hot water and cut with skin or peel the skin and cut. Cut the potato into four and make into slice (it will be like half moon). If you want you can cut to thick strips. Pieces should be 3 times thick than potato chips.
Wash the pieces in water so the starch will be removed.
Make paste with besan flour, rice flour, chili, salt, Asafoetida and little water. The paste has to be thick so it can be coated mildly over the potato.
Now heat oil and deep fry the coated potato in less flame then only the potato will be cooked. Drain the oil and put in tissue paper so, excess oil will be removed.
This will be yummy and crisp outside but, soft inside. Try it out surely you will like it.

Masala pori (Masala puffed rice)

Usually puffed rice will be a good snack for small kids because it is made of rice, soft and easily digestable. When i go to moms house it is my favourite snack (along with roasted groundnut). It will be bit salty. Some people like when we make it interesting.

Masala pori (Masal puffed pori) - Preparation time 5 to 10 mins
Ingredients
Puffed rice - 2 cup
Mor milagai - 1 (green chili soaked in butter milk with salt and dried in hot sun)
Coriander seeds - 1/2 tsp (slight crush it)
Cummin seeds - 1/2 tsp (slightly crushed)
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Chili powder - 1/2 or 1 tsp (to your spice)
Curry leaves - 10
Oil - 1 tsp (oil that you like)
Salt - to taste


Preparation method:-
In a pan heat oil, add mor milagai, coriander seeds, cummin seeds, curry leaves and fry till nice aroma comes. Now add chili powder along with turmeric powder, salt.
Mix this with pori (puffed rice). This can be a crispy and good snack for all. Can be made within 5 to 10 minutes.
Keep this in an airtight container to be crisp.

Herbal leaves in our daily life - Part I

Herbal leaves in our daily life - Part I
We might use many herbal leaves in our daily food preparation but we might don't know the real values or medicinal properties. I am providing few details which i came across through parents, friends, etc. This might be useful and handy sometime. You have to consult doctor for medicinal problems below is for few handy tips.



Karpuravalli elai(Coleus amboinicus) - It is good to take when you have cold, cough. Good for digestion. You can wash the leaves and take directly it will taste good. Some people will consume as baji but, eating fresh will be healthy. You can plant the stem with few leaves in small pot and kept in your balcony.


Karuveppilai (Murray koinegii) - Good antioxidant, digestion and rich in iron content. We use it fresh for its aroma but it has medical properties so can be consumed along with food. When adding to dish take care to chop finely and add towards end so it will be fresh and can be consumed along with food. Very good for hair. You can take as a juice or karuveppilai thogayal.


Kothamalli elai (Coriander leaf) - Good antioxidant, improves digestion, contains iron, vitamins,i ncreases good cholesterol. Simple way to consume is, chop finely and mix with buttermilk along with few crushed ginger. Garnish the dishes with coriander leaves only after transferring to serving bowl so that the nutrition value can be retained. It is good for skin. You can try kothamali chutney.


Murugai keerai(Moringa oleifera leaves) - Is nutrition very rich in iron, vitamin c, potassium, vitamin A and calcium. The leaves should be cooked rightly it should not be less cooked or over cooked because it might lead to digestion problem. It is best to consume as kootu instead of dry curry. Leaves can be mixed with Adai flour and cooked . When you are melting butter for ghee you can put some drumstick leaves and fry so that ghee will smell good. Cook as murungai keerai kootu or murungai keerai poriyal


Vendaiya keerai (Fenugreek leaves) - It is rich in iron, vitamin c, potassium, calcium, fibre and protein. This can be consumed as gravy (vendaiya keerai kootu) or can be added to some dry curry. We can cook and use in chappati flour to make methi roti. Increases iron in blood. Good for diabetic. Constipation, gastric problem can be overcome by taking fenugreek leaves. It can be taken with yam to gain body wait.


Karisalankanni keerai - Contains more iron, vitamin A, reduces blood cholesterol. It is good for skin, improves complexion and eye sight. So you can occasionally take with food. The juice of karisalankanni leaves can be boiled with coconut oil, apply to hair it will improve hair growth. This will increase the red blood cells and reduce anaemia. Good medicine in siddha for liver problems, jaundice, etc.


Manathakkali keerai (Solanum nigrum) - The leaves are good for mouth ulcers. Clean the fresh leaves and chew them keep the juice for few mins in mouth and swallow. The leaves can be cooked along with toor dhal and taken as cooling agent. Reduces body heat so try to cook atleast once a week. It will taste slightly bitter. You can make manathakkali keerai kootu and consume


Vetrilai (Betel leaves) - In tamilnadu people used to take vetrilai along with sunnabu & pakku usually after a good feast. Good for digestion, removes gastric problem. For kids mom used to boil vetrilai & omam with little water and give so it will digest the milk the kid takes. Usually they will give this after head bath. The juice can be mixed with honey and given to reduce chest cold for kids. I heard that more quantity of pakku has to be taken in morning, in afternoon sunnabu has to be more and vethalai has to be more during night time.


Will continue......

Plantain dry curry (Vazhakai kara poriyal)

Vazhakai kara poriyal (Plantain dry curry) - preparation time 15 to 20 mins
Mom used to prepare this dry curry bit spicy so it will be very tasty to eat. Plantain contains many nutrition values

Ingredients:-
Vazhakai (Plantain) - 1 (cut into small cubes)
Chili powder - 3/4 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp or less
Salt - to taste
Water - to boil plantain
Small onion - 4 (chopped into small squares)
Curry leaves - 1 string
Sesame oil - 2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp (optional)
Urad dhal -1 tbsp
Mustard seed - 1/4 tsp
Rice flour - 1 tbsp 
Bengal gram flour - 1/2 tsp

Preparation method:-
In a vessel boil required water (the plantain should be soaked ), add chopped plantain. Cook till the plantain is tender. Drain the water and keep the plantain.

Take a tawa. Heat oil, add mustard to splutter, roast urad dhal to golden brown, chopped onions, curry leaves, cooked plantain, chili powder and roast.

When the onion is fried well add cooked plantain and soartae.

Finally add the rice and bengal gram flour; sortae for few minutes.

Serve hot with rasam rice or curd rice or moor kuzhambu.

Maida paniyaram (Maida sweet)

Maida sweet paniyaram - Preparation time 20 to 25 mins
Sometime you like make some sweet quickly and eat in that situation you can try this one. It will take only few minutes. Mostly you will have all the required ingredients so, making maida paniyaram is easy. I dont have paniyaram vessel to cook so i cooked in normal deep frying kadai only. My mom used to make this sweet during gokulashtami.

Ingredients:-
Maida - 1 cup
Grated coconut - 3 tbsp
Powdered cardamon - 1/2 tbsp
Saffron color - Pinch
Sugar - 1/2 or 3/4 cup (take same cup you measured for maida)
Water - as required
Rice flour - 1 tbsp
Oil - to deep fry

Preparation method:-
In a vessel add sugar with few tbsp of water.

When sugar is dissolved completely add maida, grated coconut, cardamon powder and optional saffron color.

The mixture should be of thick paste. If take in laddle it should be in pouring consistency ( take care that in should not be so liquid because the shape on paniyaram wont be good).
In tawa heat oil in very low flame (lowest flame in your stove).
When oil is hot pour one small laddle of the flour mixture. It will rise to the surface of the oil. 

Keep turning the paniyaram so that it will be cooked evenly. The color changes slightly and bubbles will come down.
Take out from oil and transfer to tissue paper to take out the excess oil from the sweet.

You and your family might like this sweet.