Ginger and amla pickle (Ingi, nellikai oorugai)

Ginger and amla pickle (Ingi, nellikai oorugai) - preparation time 20 mins
We used to include ginger in most of our dishes. It have medicinal properties and good for digestion. When i was preparing amla pickle i thought of including ginger to the recipe. Because ginger is spicy it might suppress the distinct bitter like taste of amla.
Make this pickle using fresh amla and ginger. The flavour of amla and spicy ginger taste will be present in this pickle. Try in little quantity and use so we don't require any preservative and will be fresh.

Ingredients:-
Boiled amla - 10 remove the seed and chop to small cubes
Ginger - one small cup grated (about 50 gms.Wash, peel the skin and grate)
Red chili powder - 1 to 2 tsp (according to your spice level)
Salt - as per taste
Sesame oil - 3 tbsp
fenugreek seed and Mustard seed - 1/2 tsp (Roasted and ground)
Turmeric - 1 tsp
Tamarind paste - 1/4 tsp
Jaggery syrup - 2 tbsp

Preparation method:-
In a bowl mix boiled amla pieces, turmeric, chili powder, salt along with sesame oil.
Heat a kadai, add little oil, mustard to splutter. Add the grated ginger and fry. Close it and cook for few minutes.
After few minutes add the amla, turmeric, chili, salt, tamarind paste and jaggery syrup to the ginger.
Mix well and check the spice level and adjust to your taste. When the amla is too sour it might require more chili powder, salt and jaggery.
Cover the kadai and cook in very low flame. Remove the lid and stir frequently because we are not using much oil so the pickle will stick to the bottom of the kadai.
If you want you can add little more oil. Till the water content get removed keep stirring the pickle.
Switch of the flame and leave it to cool. When the pickle is cool transfer to a clean bottle or jar and keep. after 3 days you can refrigerate and use the pickle.

Ullunthu and pachai payaru methu vadai ( urad dhal & green gram vada)

Ullunthu and pachai payaru methu vadai ( urad dhal & green gram vada)
During a sunday i thought of making some green gram sundal and Black gram (urad dhal) vadai. As i soaked more green gram thought of keeping a small cup or handfull of soaked green gram to make sprouts and us next day. I boiled remainin green gram and made the sundal.
For making urad dhal i soaked only a small cup of dhal. I ground the urad dhal along with required ingredients but the flour became little watery and cannot make vadai. I am left with no option added the soaked green gram with this and ground to vadai flour. 
This gave birth to my new recipe :-). Actually this vadai was soft for long time. So try this recipe and enjoy eating. I forgot to take pictures.

Ingredients:-
Urad dhal - 1 cup (washed and soaked for 1 hr)
Green gram - 1/2 cup (washed and soaked for 3 hrs)
Salt - required amount
Green chili - 2
Onion - 1 (finely chopped)
Curry leave - 10 (finely chopped)
Ginger - 1 inch piece
Oil - To deep fry

Preparation method:-
Remove water from soaked urad dhal, chili, ginger, salt and grind in the grinder for few mins. Add soaked green gram and  ground to smooth fluffy vadai dough. 
Mix the chopped onion and curry leave to the vadai dough.
Heat the oil for deep frying. 
Make small ball in the flour and make vada using the plantain leaf or plastic sheet or silver foil and fry in medium hot oil. If oil is too hot the vada will get burned so cook in medium flame.
When cooked and golden brown remove from oil and transfer to bowl. If excess oil remove using tissue.

Carrot Halwa (Carrot innipu)

Carrot Halwa - Preparation time minimum 45 mins

When i was thinking to make some sweet for niece birthday. Making of rava kesari is usual so i want to make some sweet which will be tasty, quick and people not used to make frequently. I searched in net and finally ended up making carrot halwa. The procedure is same in almost all the blogs. I just want to make slight difference in the measurement of ingredients and procedure of making so ended up in my way of cooking.

Usually the carrot will have a unique raw smell or taste which i want to overcome because it will reflect in the halwa even after cooking. Which i removed by roasting in ghee initially before starting to cook the carrot in milk. Some people don't like to eat the cashew's roasted in ghee and some want to make the procedure bit quick (like me) so skipped roasting cashews in ghee and added directly to carrot cooking in milk :-). If you want you can add plain (unsweetened) kova to the halwa but i think even milk and carrot is enough to make the dish rich enough along with the ghee. 

It is your innovation which can get into the recipe only think that has to be taken care is - ingredients goes in should be cooked and the dish should taste good. 

Ingredients:-
Grated carrot - 1 cup
Milk - 1 cup
Ghee - 4 tbsp
Cardamon - 3 or 4 crushed finely(i use the skin portion also so the full flavor comes out)
Sugar - 3/4 cup or 1/2 cup (The carrot i used is not sweet so used 3/4 cup)
Cashew - 10 (chopped)

Preparation method:-
Heat the kadai, add the grated carrot and 1 tbsp of ghee. Fry carrot for 5 mins in the ghee to get rid of the raw smell of the carrot.

Now add the milk (i used raw milk) to carrot and mix. 

Cook in low flame by stirring the mixture occasionally so the mixture won't stick in the bottom and the boiling milk won't come out of the vessel.

When the carrot is cooked and milk is reduced add the sugar, chopped cashew to the mixture along with crushed cardamon.

You can soak some saffron strands in warm milk, crush and add at this stage if you want to enhance the flavour.
Cover the mixture and leave to cook till the milk is reduced. Keep stirring occasionally.

When almost all the milk is reduced add the ghee and mix with halwa. Now don't cover the halwa but keep stirring the halwa till the ghee seeps out on the edge of the halwa.

Nice aroma and ghee will come from the carrot halwa. 
Serve this halwa hot. Yummy, healthy and colorful carrot halwa is ready.

Making of Karasev

Making of Karasev - Prepartion time 20 to 25mins

Mom won't make this snack but when i visit my grandfather home during annual holidays he used to get some snack daily from near by town. It will be tied in a dry leaves but will be fresh and hot. The quantity will be very less but quality the best. One such snack is karasev the pepper we used to get in each and every bite will be spicy and the karasev will melt in our mouth.
With all above dreams i tried that snack in my home. It came out well but the taste that is still lingering in my mouth hmmmm.... memories are always sweet and tasty know.
I didn't have the karasev laddle or frame that people used so i tried only in thenkuzhal achhu.

Ingredients:-
Rice flour - 1.5 cup
Bengal gram flour - 2 cup
Butter - 1 or 2  tbsp
Hot oil - 1 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Pepper - 2 tbsp or to your spice level coarsely ground (it has to go through the hole in the plate).
Oil - to fry

Preparation method:-
2:1.5 (rice:bengal gram)
Wash 2 portion of raw rice and dry in shade.
Make fine flour using the dried rice and seive using the flour filter.
Grind bengal gram in flour mill, seive and keep.
Mix rice and bengal gram flour in 2:1.5 proportion along with butter, hot oil, salt dissolved in water and ground pepper.
Sprinkle required amount of water and make dough (chapathi dough consistency).
Heat the oil and press the dough using the murukku presser directly into the hot oil. 
As we added butter and hot oil to dough murukku can be easily broken into piece using the frying laddle (to look like karasev). 
When the bubble suppressed remove from oil and transfer to the bowl.
I sprinkle some freshly groung pepper over the murukku and served. It gave additional taste.

Kambhu adai (Pearl millet pancake)

Kambhu adai (Pearl millet pancake) - Preparation time 10 to 15 mins

Bought kambhu in the shop, ground to flour and kept to include in our recipe. This pearl millet (kambu) contains a unique flavour which people may or may not like. I just want to try some recipe but dunno how to suppress the unique taste or flavour which this flour contains.
I tried making in small quantity for me because i don't know whether my husband like it. When i tasted after making it was good in taste and filling also. This doesn't require any side dish because i made it spicy. I actually flattened the kambhu adai flour directly over the hot tawa which might not be possible for some so you can oil a silver foil or plantain leaf flatten and put in the hot tawa. Remove the sheet or leaf from the flattened adai.

Ingredients:-
Kambu flour - 1 cup
Rice flour - 1 tbsp (optional)
Red chili powder - 1/2 tsp (or to your spice level)
Curry leaved - 10 (finely chopped)
Ginger - 1 tbsp (grated or finely chopped)
Onion - 1 (finely chopped)
Water to make the dough
Salt - to taste
Green chili - 1 (finely chopped)
Oil - to cook

Preparation method:-
Take a vessel add kambu flour, salt, chili powder, salt, curry leaves, onion, ginger,green chili.

Mix well all the above ingredients and sprinkle  water to make dough .

The dough should not be tight as we make for puri or chappathi. Let it be slight loose so a small ball can be made using the dough. Add little chopped curry leaves.

Heat a tawa (i use iron tawa for making dosa/adai so that dish will be much more tasty than non stick).
In a bowl take water. Dip your hand in the water (to avoid the dough sticking to your hand) and then make small ball from the dough.
When tawa is hot bring down the flame.Keep the dough ball in the middle and slowly flatten the ball and make a circle. This will be thick only thin won't taste that much tasty.

Make small ball so the flattening process will be easy. After few mins turn the adai and cook. The color will become slightly whitish when it is completely cooked. add little oil in the side. 

The oil should be added at this stage only else the pan cakes will become soggy.

You serve healthy, spicy and tasty kambu adai hot to all your family members. 

Coconut, groundnut, coriander leaves (Kothamali, thenkkai , verkadalai) chutney

Coconut, groundnut, onion & coriander leaves (Kothamali, thenkkai , verkadalai) chutney - Preparation time 10 mins
When i used groundnut along with coconut, coriander and small onion it tasted really very good than the roasted gram chutney. Since it made it little bit spicy with the green chili the chutney went well with crispy dosa roast. 

The ingredients used coconut, coriander and green chili are fresh and raw so the taste will be unique.

Hope you will like the chutney when you try it.

Ingredients:-
Coconut - 1 cup (you can grate 1/2 coconut)
Small onion - 4
Green chili - 3 or 4 (according to your spice level)
Coriander - 1/2 bunch
Tamarind - little
Salt - to taste
Roasted groundnut - 1 tbsp or 15
Water - To grind the above ingredients
Mustard - 1/4 tsp
Sesame oil - 1 tsp
Urad dhal -1 tsp

Preparation method:-
In a mixer add roasted groundnut, green chili, onion, coconut, coriander, tamarind, salt and little water.  
Grind this to coarse paste. Transfer to serving bowl.
In a tawa add sesame oil, mustard to splutter, urad dhal to golden brown and garnish the chutney.

Kezhvargu mavu & vellam pedi kozhukattai (Jaggery & Ragi millet flour sweet)

Kezhvargu mavu & vellam pedi kozhukattai (Jaggery & Ragi millet flour sweet) - Preparation time 15 mins

I already tried making panniyaram, adai and dosai using ragi flour now this recipe is ragi and vellam pidi kozhukattai. It is easy to make and health alternative evening snack for family. Deep frying can be avoided by start making snacks like kozhikattai.

This will be filling snack too. Before grounding the ragi millet to flour i roasted millet and ground in the flour mill. Seived the flour well and stored in airtight container. I used this foxtail millet flour for making kozhukattai. Because of roasting the millet the aroma of the dishes we used to make will be enhanced and it won't attract insects.

Ingredients:-
Jaggery - 100 gms or 1/2 cup (i took 1/2 from jaggery ball) melt with little water remove the dirt and boil for few mins.
Kezhvaragu arisi mavu (Dry ragi millet flour) - 1 cup (keep some extra flour for safer side)
Water - 1 cup or 3/4 cup
Salt - a pinch
Coconut - Chopped finely 1 tbsp
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
Ghee - To apply on your palm while making kozhukattai

Preparation method:-
Boil the water along with cardamom powder, melted jaggery (if you are afraid that jaggery will be more keep little syrup and add the remaining), salt (to bring up the sweetness) and chopped coconut.

When water boils with bubble add the kezhvaragu flour and mix well. It will absorb all the water and becomes thick dough if not add some more dry flour. Check the sweet level and adjust at this stage.

Leave this dough to rest for 20 mins. As we added the boiling water, mixed well and covered the dough will make the dough mixture to be slightly cooked during the resting time.

Grease the palm with little ghee. Make small ball, keep in you palm and press over the dough by folding the finger so the finger impression will come in the dough this is what we say pedi kozhukattai in tamil.
You can also make kozhukattia in ball shape. Keep the kozhukattai in idli plate.

Heat the idli pan and steam the kozhukattai for 5 to 10 mins (it will become glossy/shiny when cooked). 

When pressed using finger it won't be sticky. Cool it. Ragi kozhukattai sweet is ready.

Kashayam or Health drink for cold and cough

Kashayam or Health drink for cold and cough - Preparation time 10 mins
I used to make this drink and give to family members if they have chest cold or cough. If we take for 4 to 5  days if the cold is very severe (else 2 to 3 days) you will see the change in your health.

I improvised the drink to include all the healthy spices available in my kitchen and garden. As i used fresh leaves it is an added benefit. 

Wash all the leaves very well because it might contain pesticides. If possible soak and wash in tamarind water.

Ingredients:-
Thuthuvalai leaves - 5
Tulasi leaves - 8
Betel(Vetrilai) leaves - 3
Cumin seed - 1/2 tsp
Pepper corn - 5
Bishop weed (Omam) - 1/4 tsp
Sesame oil - 2 tsp
Water - 1/2 cup

Preparation method:-
Heat a kadai tear the leaves to small pieces and add to the kadai along with the sesame oil and all other spices (cumin, pepper, omam).
Roast all the ingredients in slow flame till the leaves are cooked and the spices start spluttering. 
Add half cup of water. When in boils switch of the flame and cool it.
In a blender or mixer grind all the ingredients till all the spices and leaves are crushed finely.
Don't filter the juice. This will give less that 1/2 cup juice consume this herbal juice it will do miracle and remove your chest cold. 
We used to take for 2 or 3 days only.

Note: Please check whether old people, pregnant ladies and people with other health complication can be consumed. Because the thuthuvalai leaves produces heat in body.

Thinai mavu and thattai payaru easy adai(Foxtail millet flour and moth bean pancakes)

Thinai mavu and thattai payaru easy adai(Foxtail millet flour and moth bean pancakes) - Preparation time 2 hrs including the moth bean soaking time
When i went to native my aunt shared a recipe to her daughter with normal rice and dal. I twisted it to little more health version by including moth bean and foxtail millet flour instead of normal rice flour. I tried in small quantity.

As we used garnish adai with spices and onion it will be a whole some food. Suits well as a late evening snack or early dinner. Surely try this different recipe.

Ingredients:-
Thinai arisi mavu (foxtail millet dry flour) - 1/2 cup 
Thattai payaru or moth - 1 cup (wash dal and soak for 2 hrs)
Mustard seed - ¼ tsp
Sesame oil -4 tsp
Urad dhal - 3 tbspn
Chili - 4 (can increase according to your spice)(soak in water)
Coriander seed (Dhaniya) - 1 tsp (soak in water)
Cumin seed (Jeera) - 1 tsp (soak in water)
Salt to taste
Water - to grind
Asafoetida - ¼ tsp
Curry leaves - 10 (finely chopped)
Coconut - finely chopped into cubes or you can grate and use (optional)
Small onion - 10 (peeled and chopped fine)

Preparation method:-
In mixer grind the soaked spices and chili with required water.

When grounded fine add the soaked moth beans, salt after filtering the water (don't add too much water the water absorbed by moth during soaking process will be sufficient) to coarse paste (like rava).

Remove the paste, add the foxtail millet flour and mix well. Add little water to make the flour to adai flour consistency (not too thick or watery).

Now in a tawa heat oil and add mustard seed. Once it splutters add urad dal and roast till golden brown.

Add asafoetida, chopped small onion, curry leaves and fry till onion is cooked.
Finally switch off and add grated or chopped coconut and mix to ground rice & dal mixture.

Mix all the ingredients well you can make the adai immediately.

Use this adai flour (mavu) and make adai in heated tawa.

You can use sesame oil or coconut oil to cook adai. It will be soft to eat. Cook till it becomes golden brown on both sides.

Pomegranate, Mint and ginger juice (Madulai, ingi and pudina pazha charu)

Pomegranate, pudina and ginger juice - Preparation time 10 mins
When i made pomegranate juice i just tried adding small piece of ginger and 3 leaves of pudina while grinding the pomegranate in mixer. It came out well, so thought of sharing with you all.


Ingredients:-
Pomegranate - 2 cup

Ginger - small piece peeled and chopped
Mint fresh leaves - 2 or 3

Salt - pinch or as required

Preparation method :-
In a mixer/blender add pomegranate, chopped ginger, pudina leaves and blend to smooth paste.
Filter the juice using a strainer. Add required amount or a pinch of salt
Serve chilled. You love the minty flavoured spicy pomegranate juice.

Sprouted green mung dhal and beetroot snack

Sprouted green mung dhal and beetroot snack  - Preparation time 15 mins

I was wondering how to include beetroot in food other than dry curry, rasam and chips. I soaked whole green mung dhal to make sundal. I prepared sundal with half the quantity of mung dhal and with remaining green mung dhal i tried making this vadai,
It was good with the taste of ginger, beetroot and chili. When consumed hot it will be crispy in outside and soft inside.

Ingredients:-
Soaked green mung dhal - 1 cup
Ginger - small piece

Green chili - 1
Red chili powder - 1/2 tsp or to your spice level
Salt - to taste
Saunf - 1 tsp
Beetroot - 1 small size (peeled and grated)
Oil - To deep fry
Onion - 1/2 finely chopped (optional)

Preparation method:-
In a mixer grind the soaked green mung dhal along with saunf, ginger and green chili.

Take a bowl. Add the grated beetroot, salt, red chili powder (according to your spice level), ground mung dhal. 

Mix all the ingredients well and check the taste of the dough and adjust accordingly.

Heat the oil and keep in low flame. Make small balls using the mung dhal and beetroot vadai mixture and keep.

In the hot oil flatten the ball and slowly drop into the oil. After few mins when vada is cooked one side turn and cook the other side. 

When vadai  become reddish brown remove. Serve hot,healthy and tasty vadai.

Yellow corn rava uppma (manjal cholla rava uppma)

Yellow corn rava Uppma (manjal cholla rava uppma) - Preparation time 25 mins

As I am gluten sensitive i started experimenting all the millet variety recipes in my cooking. I thought of making yellow maize rava upma as we used to make wheat rava. It came out well and tasty. The chollam will have slight sweet taste so we have to making little spicy by adding more ginger and green chili.
Surely everyone in your family will love the healthy manjal cholla rava upma. We are adding vegetable like carrot and onion to make it more color full. You can also add fresh green peas if available.

Ingredients:-
Yellow corn rava - 1 cup
Water - 2 and 3/4 cup
Carrot - 1 (chopped to small cube)
Small Onion - 10 (chopped to small strings)
Red/Green chili - 2 finely chopped
Curry leaves - 2 strings (finely chopped)
Sesame oil - 5 to 6 tbsp
Ginger - finely chopped 1 or ½ tbsp
Mustard seed - ¼ tsp
Urad dhal - 1 tbsp
Asafoetida - a pinch
Bengal gram - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste

Preparation method:-
In a pan add oil, mustard, urad dhal and fry till mustard splutters and dhal turns golden brown.

Add curry leaves, chili, ginger, onion, carrot,salt and fry till the color changes slightly. 
Now add the yellow corn rava and fry for 5 mins.

To this mixture add the water.

Transfer this to a vessel and pressure cook the yellow rava upma for 5 whistle and in low flame for 10 mins

Serve hot yellow rava upma with spicy green chili and coconut chutney or pickle. This is upma is gluten free and healthy.

Thinnai mavu & vellam pedi kozhukattai (Jaggery & Foxtail millet flour sweet)

Thinnai mavu & vellam pedi kozhukattai (Jaggery & Foxtail millet flour sweet) - Preparation time 15 mins

When i thought of including millets in our recipe i prepared flour of few millets and kept. With foxtail millet flour one i tried making sweet balls with honey. Now i want to try something new which i haven't tasted so i tried making pidi kozhukattai using thinnai flour and jaggery as we used to make pidi kozhukattai.
Before grounding the foxtail millet to flour i roasted millet and ground in the flour mill. Sieved the flour well and stored in airtight container. I used this foxtail millet flour for making kozhukattai.

Ingredients:-
Jaggery - 100 gms or 1/2 cup (i took 1/2 from jaggery ball) melt with little water remove the dirt and boil for few mins.
Thinnai arisi mavu (Dry foxtail millet flour) - 1 cup (keep some extra flour for safer side)
Water - 1 cup
Salt - a pinch
Coconut - Chopped finely 1 tbsp
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
Ghee - To apply on your palm while making kozhukattai

Preparation method:-
Boil the water along with cardamom powder, melted jaggery (if you are afraid that jaggery will be more keep little syrup and add the remaining), salt (to bring up the sweetness) and chopped coconut.

When water boils with bubble add the thinnai rice flour and mix well. It will absorb all the water and thick dough. Check the sweet level and adjust at this stage.

Leave this dough to rest for 20 mins. As we added the boiling water, mixed well and covered, the dough will be slightly cooked during the resting time.
Grease the palm with little ghee. Make small ball, keep in you palm and press over the dough by folding the finger so the finger impression will come in the dough this is what they say pidi kozhukattai in tamil.

You can also make kozhukattai in ball shape. Keep the kozhukattai in idli plate 
Heat the idli pan and steam the kozhukattai for 5 to 10 mins (it will become glossy/shiny when cooked).

 When pressed using finger it won't be sticky. Cool it. Healthy millet sweet is ready.

Ellu orundai (Sesame balls)

Ellu orundai (Sesame balls)- Preparation 15 to 20 mins
This won't be like as we are getting in shops. I tried it in small quantity with more jaggery so it came like in shop but i like the way my mom used to make which is with less jaggery coating. Next time i have to try that way. I used black sesame seed to make this ellu orundai. I didn't do with perfect measurement.

Ingredients:-
Sesame seeds - 100 gms (cleaned)
Jaggery - 1/4 ball or melted jaggery syrup 1/2 cup
Broken cashew - 1 tbsp
ghee - 1/4 tsp

Preparation method:-
Dry roast the sesame seed in low or medium flame.  When it starts spluttering and nice aroma comes switch of the flame.
Melt the jaggery with water. Filter and remove the dirt (if any) and boil the syrup to thick consistency (next to sticky consistency but less than 1 string consistency)
When roasted sesame is cool. Grind it in a mixer.

To the powdered sesame seed add cashew pieces, ghee, little jaggery syrup and mix. Try making small balls. If the syrup is not sufficient add some more syrup and make the balls.

Note: while make balls apply little ghee in your palms so that the mixture won't stick in your hand.