Crushed sesame and flaxseed balls (Alivedai and ellu podi orundai)

Crushed sesame and flaxseed balls (Alivedai and ellu podi orundai) - Preparation 25 to 30 mins

 Wish you all happy thamizh new year - Villambi

This type sesame ball preparation will be made  during celebration rituals and when praying certain god's. I watched making this in one of our family goddess praying. Only if you do this patiently the end result will be good. Now coming to this ball i tried making is little bit more healthy by including flax seed also. Actually it came out well. You can also try it out. Use 50 or 100 gm of the seeds each (sesame and flax) and try preparing. 

The sesame is rich in calcium and flax seed in omega 3.  We are using jaggery, cardamon and grated coconut for more flavor and goodness.

Ingredients:-
Sesame seeds - 100 gm (cleaned)
Flax seeds - 100 gm
Jaggery - jaggery syrup 1/2 cup (we will use only few tablespoons of jaggery)
Grated coconut - 1 tbsp
Broken cashew - 1 tbsp
ghee - 1/4 tsp

Preparation method:-
Dry roast the sesame seed in low flame (take care don't burn it).  When it starts spluttering and nice aroma comes remove it and add flax seed.

Roast flax seed till it changes the color. When splutters transfer to another bowl. Leave it to cool.

Grind the roasted sesame and flax seed separately. After grinding mix both the powders well.

Melt the jaggery with water. Filter and remove the dirt (if any) and boil the syrup with grated coconut and cardamon to thick consistency (next to sticky consistency but less than 1 string consistency)

To the powdered sesame seed add cashew pieces (optional), ghee, tbsp of jaggery syrup and mix.

Try making small balls. If the syrup is not sufficient add some more syrup and make the balls.

Healthy, nutrition balls are ready to taste. Don't give more than one ball to eat because it is better to stay in limit. 

Note: While make balls apply little ghee in your palms so that the mixture won't stick too much in your hand. It will be stick only you have to remove the mixture with a spatula or spoon from your palm.

Making of kothavarangai vathal (Cluster beans fryum)

Making of kothavarangai vathal (Cluster beans fryum)

When i was kid I used to visit grandma's home for annual holidays (our summer camp in which our grandparents or THE BEST teacher and mentor). She used to prepare the flours, vathal, appalam,etc for next year. It will be interesting to watch the making process, help her in making (of course by tasting also:-)), questioning her a lot. The vegetables for making vathal will be in large quantity 20 kg or 25 kg because after all the process the end result will contain around 5 kg because after cooking and drying in sun the size will become very small. This vathal is one which grandma used to make.

The process begins by removing the unwanted vegetables (infected, ripen,etc). In the large vessel wash the vegetable 2 or 3 times in water to remove the dirt and remove the kothavarangai vathal.

I tried making vathal with less than a kg of fresh vegetable so it came around 150 to 200 gms (i think so) of vathal. In a large vessel boil 3 cups of water (u can use less also because after boiling we will discard the water) when it starts boiling add the whole cluster beans. Add little salt for taste.

After 10 to 15 mins check whether the vegetable is cooked well. When you take one cooked cluster beans and pressed between your fingers it should mash. Color will be slightly changed

When the vegetable is cooked filter the water and spread the cooked kothavarankai (cluster beans) in a big clean plate. Dry this for 2 to 3 days. It will turn to dark colour and shrink in the size. If it is fully dried store in a container and use.

For frying this cluster beans heat some soil. When oil is hot bring down the flame and put few dry cluster beans it will fry immediately and turn into brown color. Remove from oil else it will be burnt to black color and will taste bitter.

This is a healthy alternative fries for kids. If you want you can try by adding little chili (but i haven't tried that one :-))

Poosanikai masala kootu (Ash gourd gravy)

Poosanikai masala kootu (Ash gourd gravy) - Preparation time 15 mins.

Already i tried 2 varieties of poosanikai kootu. This one is bit different. It can be taken as side dish or main dish for rice. Made bit spicy so can be mixed with white rice and little ghee.
When consumed with hot rice will be very tasty.

Ingredients:-
Poosanikai (ash gourd) - chopped to small cubes 1 cup
Channa dhal - tbsp
Toor dhal - 1 tbsp
Coriander - 1/2 tsp
Red chili - 3
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Salt - to taste
Water as required.
Grated coconut - 2 tbsp
Mustard -- 1/4 tsp
Oil - 1 tsp
Urad dhal - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - 10

Preparation method:-
Boil channa dhal (Kadalai paruppu) with little water in a vessel.

When this is half cooked add chopped poosanikai along with turmeric. 

In a tawa roast toor dhal, coriander seed and red chili with little oil. 

When roasted to golden brown cool it and transfer to mixer with grated coconut.

Ground this to slightly coarse powder.
When vegetable and dhal is cooked add required amount of salt and the ground spice powder.

The gravy will get thicker when it starts boiling. Switch of the flame when cooked well.
In a kadai add little oil, mustard to splutter and urad dhal to become golden brown.

Garnish the poosanikai masala kootu with this and chopped curry leaves.

Tasty and healthy poosanikai kootu is ready to serve with rice or chapathi. During summer we have to include water rich vegetables in your regular recipes. So previously i published ridge gourd kuruma and now poosanikai kootu. 

Ridge gourd gravy (Peerkangai kuruma)

Ridge gourd gravy (Peerkangai kuruma) - Preparation time 15 to 20 mins

I got few recipes of ridge gourd gravy from friends, relatives and browsing. I made few modifications in the recipe to make it as kuruma for chapathi or roti. Actually it tasted good and different. The vegetable (peerkangai) will be difficult to identified because in this recipe the skin of the vegetable will be peeled completely.
You can try this method of with your creative modifications also. It will be a new dish in your menu.If the ridge gourd is soft you have to use 2 medium size for 4 member family. 

Ingredients:-
Ridge gourd (Peerkangai) - 1 (skin peeled and chopped to small cubes)
Onion - 1 (chopped to small pieces)
Tomato - 1 (chopped to pieces)
Grated coconut - 2 tbsp
Khus Khus - 1 tsp
Cashew - 4
Salt - to taste
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Red chili powder - 1/2 tsp
Ginger - chopped 1/4 tsp
Garlic - chopped 1/4 tsp
Oil - 2 tbsp
Clove, cinnamon stick, fennel seed - little
Water - as required

Preparation method:-
Heat the kadai add  oil, spices(fennel, clove, cinnamon) and fry when nice aroma come , add chopped ginger, garlic. 

When ginger garlic fried add chopped onion and fry till it turns color.

Add chopped peerkangai (ridge gourd).

When it gets half cooked add chopped tomato.

Add turmeric, salt and chili powder at this stage.

Sortae all the  vegetables till the tomato becomes soft. Required amount of water is added and close with a lid to the vegetables to cook softly. 

In a mixer add coconut, cashew and khuskhus with little water. Grind to fine paste.

When the vegetables are cooked add the grind paste to the gravy and cook this raw smell goes off.

Add chopped coriander leaves and serve with hot roti or chapathi.