Milagu & Jeeragam idiyappam (Pepper & Cumin seed idiyappam)- Preparation time 10 mins
Make idiyappam using idiyappam flour and idyappam mould (refer to making of idiyappam dough). Steam it in idli cooker for few mins. Color will change slightly when idiyappam is done. Transfer to a plate, leave it to cool. It will be like noodles make it to pieces.
This is healthy and spicy idiyappam is really easy and quick to make. The ingredients used will be available in your home. Even when kids are not well they like this idiyappam. Easy to digest and also taste good.
Ingredients:
Coarsely ground pepper - 1 tbsp (or as your taste you can increase the spice)
Coarsely ground cumin/jeera - 1tbsp
Ghee - 2 tbsp
Salt - To taste
Preparation method:-
In a kadai add ghee and roast the pepper and cumin along with salt in a low flame.
When roasted nice aroma comes.
Switch off the flame add the cooked idiyappam.
Mix well and check the salt.
This will be a quick and easy breakfast recipe. Really kids will love this healthy dish.
How to make ghee from butter
Home made Ghee
After marriage only I tried making ghee from butter by myself. Usually mom used to do all these cooking as usual.
I just want to share my childhood memories on butter and ghee.
We used to watch the whole process from getting cow's milk to the end product ghee during annual holiday's in native place. Now I don't see much people have cow and preparing home made product's as our grand parents did. It will be interesting to watch when grandpa/ my mom used to get milk from cow/buffalo. The milk will be warm and tasty when consumed raw.
Milk used to be fresh and thick, grandma used boil the milk and leave it to cool. When the milk is slightly hot add curd and leave for fermentation (approximately 8 to 10 hrs).
Early morning she used to put the curd in a pot and start churning with the help of wooden churner and rope.
After several hours of churning the butter will start floating above the curd as small balls. Grandma will dip her hand in a clean water and start collecting all the small balls roll to a single big ball. This fresh butter will be served during our morning breakfast (i.e. soft idli hmm those are lovely childhood days). Remaining butter will be melted to ghee (We miss our grandparents and the golden happy days).
You melt the butter for 1 week so that the ghee will be fresh. Take a clean pan and in low flame start melting the butter. When the butter starts to melt it will be sticky and creamy.
For 10 mins the spluttering sound will come as the water content in the butter gets removed (evaporates). The butter will become as below.
When the water sound is reduced the melted butter will start producing small bubbles and bubbles will start increasing.
Keep on stirring and check whether the small particles in the bottom of ghee is start changing to brown colour ( you can check using the ladle with which you are stirring).
Switch of the flame when it is slightly brown it will become dark in the cooling process. When ghee is done the nice aroma will also come.
Note: if you think that the pan is too hot even after switching and it will burn the ghee or make it dark don't worry or panic transfer the ghee to a container. In a large bowl take little cold water in this container keep the ghee container (the container will be hot so take care) so the heat in ghee will be reduced and ghee will be in good condition.
Sakkarai naeyi idiyappam (Sugar, ghee & coconut idiyappam) - Preparation time 10 mins
Make idiyappam using idiyappam flour and idyappam mould (refer to making of idiyappam dough). Steam it in idli cooker for few mins. Color will change slightly when idiyappam is done. Transfer to a plate, leave it to cool. It will be like noodles make it to pieces.
This sweet idiyappam is really easy and quick to make. The ingredients used will be available in your home.
Ingredients:
Sugar - 3 tbsp (or extracted from 1 lemon)
Cashewnut - 4 (broken to small pieces)
Ghee - 2 tbsp
Grated coconut - 2 tbsp
Cardamon - 2 (powdered)
Preparation method:-
In a kadai add ghee and roast the cashew nuts to golden brown.
Switch off the flame add the cooked idiyappam, sugar, ghee, grated coconut and mix well.
This will be a quick and easy breakfast recipe. Really kids will love this dish.
Vazhakai podi (Plantain dry podi for rice) - Preparation time 15 mins
Mom used to make this podi when she make pulikuzhambu. The combination to this will be very good along with deep fried rice vadagam. Nothing stands before this combination. I wonder how our ancestors had made wonders in cooking. Each and every dish differs from other in any one way. One simple thogayal along with fried papad or a curd rice with pickle.....hmm
My friend kavitha's (one of the) favourite dish.
Ingredients:-
Plantain - 1 (Peel the skin, chop into small cubes and keep in water to avoid becoming brown)
Small onion - 15 (peeled and chopped)
Sesame oil (nalla ennai) - 2 tbsp
Urad dal - 2 tbsp
Toor dal - 2 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Water - to sprinkle
Red chili - 4 (remove the seeds if you don't want the dish to be hot)
Preparation method:-
Heat a kadai add toordal, urad dhal with little oil. When it is turning color add red chili along to dhal. When roasted transfer to a bowl to cool.
Now add the chopped plantain, small onion, sesame oil and fry for few mins. Sprinkle little water so the plantain will be cooked well.
In a mixer add roasted dhal, red chili and salt.
Grind to coarse powder, add roasted and cooked plantain. Use whipper button to ground and mix the plantain, small onion, urad dhal and chili.
If you prepare using ammi and kozhivi it will be excellent in taste.
Take this podi along with white rice and sesame oil. Taste good when you consume along with roasted papad and pulikuzhambu.
