Kadalai Paruppu Payasam / Channa Dhal Kheer

It was not an occasion or a party. Just felt like making something special on an evening.  An easy and quick dessert with split Bengal gram, Kadalai Paruppu came to my  mind. Split Bengal Gram,  a healthy lentil which digests easily and is rich in fibers.
Once my mom told this recipe for making an easy prasadam for navarathri golu.
With very less ingredients, the payasam tasted delicious.

Ingredients:

Split Bengal gram - 1 cup
Milk - 1 cup
Jaggery / Brown sugar - powdered 1 cup
Cardamom, Raisin, Cashew nuts - few
Ghee - 2 tsp
Water - to cook dhal

Procedure:

• Pressure cook lentil  with 3 cups of water. Smash the cooked lentil with a ladle. Mix jaggery and milk and cook for 5 minutes.

• Roast raisins and cashew nuts in ghee and mix it with the dhal mixture, along with the crushed cardamom.

• Let the mixture boil for a minute and it is ready to serve. 

Shining Silver

Hi Friends, many of us use silverware at home. Even something like kumkum Chimizh, with beautiful designs and carvings. But many struggle to clean the oxides formed on the outer layer which is exposed to air and many are spending money in buying silver cleaning solutions and powder in the market.

Here is an easy simple, quick way to clean your silver items at home.

You Need:

        An old tooth brush, some Viboothi (thiruneer) and ur silver item(s) to be cleaned.

Here we go:

Dip the bristles in the viboothi and start brushing gently on the silver item. The oxides at ever nook and corner will be vanished. In the first picture you could see oxides on my Lakshmi idol, whereas my Ganesha looks dazzling.

The next picture shows my dazzling Lakshmi Maa after cleaning.

You could see, how nicely, it could take out the oxides from small carvings and make them look bright.

Potato Wedges

"For my after school snack time, can u make me my favorite one, the potato wedges!", my elder one asks, more often.

Quite easy and tasty with baking potatoes with our own flavors as always.. It is good and healthy too.

Ingredients:

Medium size Potatoes - 4 nos
Chilli powder or chilli sauce - 2 tsp or to taste
Salt - 1 tsp
Dry Basil leaves - 1 tsp (Optional, /try some other flavors like garlic, pepper..)
Oil - 2 tsp


Preparation:

• Preheat the oven for 400 Farenheit. 
• Cut each potato into 6-8 wedges. If you want some what crispy wedges, make them little thinner otherwise, it tastes good as it is.

 

• Mix the chilli powder, salt, oil and your flavor. Mix them well.
• In a baking tray, spread some cooking oil and lay down the wedges.

• When the oven is ready, bake them for 15 min. Flip the wedges and bake for another 15 min. If our wedges are thinner, it will be done in 10 min. each side.

• Let it cool down and serve. It could be served with some dip too.

Rituals and Reasons

Hi friends,

I'm back after my long vacation and getting busy in finding reasons for many rituals followed by Hindus, as we are gonna have a pooja at our home. I found some interesting information on Hindu rituals and the way it connects to the Universe and science.

Starting with the matram OM.... OM is considered as the sound of Cosmic Energy and contains all the sounds in itself. Uttering of Om is identifying oneself with the cosmic resonance the efficacy of the mantric power of Om emanates not only from its sound vibrations, but also from the inner attitude of the speaker.

Sanskrit mantras vibrate the DNA and pineal gland and raises human consciousness. Mantras must begin and end with OM or AUM . This is the reason the priest asks us to repeat the mantras when necessary. Now you will be deciding on how correctly to pronounce them.

Kolam:

Do you remember quantum mechanics, quantum physics or quantum theory. I hope your are sure to relate this below picture with a simple kolam...



A Kolam is a visible sound mantra--outside the human audio range. A mantra is a carrier wave with potent information within it. There is a direct phonetic link between longitudinal sound wave and visual signs. Before I come to know about this visual link, whenever I make kolam, I generally think that I'm drawing a geometrical design in-front of my house, that fills my heart with happiness and fulfillment. My mother says, particularly with neli kolam, it shows how nicely a girl or woman tackle a problem of dots following certain rules, which shows how nice she can handle problems with wright morality in life.

Coconut:

Breaking of coconut in temple or any poojas at home is divine and has quantum properties. Coconut is considered as a divine fruit of God and a bloodless sacrifice to God. The liquid spilled is electrolytic plasma and it contains lauric acid found in mother’s milk. Blood is an electrolyte. Check out this link for lauric acid in coconut. Lauric acid in coconut.
Human perception occurs because of interactions between the subatomic particles of our brains and the quantum energy sea. We literally resonate the Cosmos . So when we break a coconut for a ritual , in lieu of the blood sacrifice , we do it with intention.
The quantum field or pure consciousness is influenced by intention. Intention is like the tuning fork which causes other forks to resonate to the same frequency.
Like I said , before breaking the coconut we must have an intention ( Example: some good wishes like deliver us from evil OR let this home overflow with happiness always ) .


Mango leaves:

Leaves of mango are used for the control of evil spirits. Mango leaves in bunches absorb the negative energy from anyone entering your home. This is why mango leaves are hung by a string at the entrance to Hindu homes during any pooja. Mango leaf is a symbol of fertility and are traditionally associated with the deity of love, Kama Deva.

Theertham:

Water has a memory in which it stores information about the surrounding sounds, chemicals and even human emotions. . Water retains information, even after the most stringent purification and filtration processes. The memory is stored in clusters of H2Omolecules that are formed when several molecules join together.

Water, sanctified by chanting mantras or by bathing an idol is known as theertham. If you make the sound "Om" in front of a drop of liquid, it will transform itself into a Sri Yantra which is very specific visual form which is symmetrical and also holographic, in that every bit of it contains all of it.
Kalasam:
A copper Kalasam with water and beetle nuts and a coconut with mango leaves surrounded, is considered as a transceiver. The whole beetle nuts act as an agent to reduce all copper ions into copper nano particles.


Sources:
http://ajitvadakayil.blogspot.com/

Peerkkangaai Chutney - Ridge gourd Chutney

1. Ridge gourd is low in saturated fat and cholesterol, high in dietary fibre, vitamin C, riboflavin, zinc, thiamin, iron, magnesium and manganese. It is used in skin care treatment against eczema, psoriasis. It helps to purify, restore and nourish liver as its an antidote for alcohol intoxication.  
2. 
   
3. So instead of usual coconut chutney and tomato chutney, today I thought of making this ridge gourd chutney for dosai break fast.

Ingredients:

Ridge gourd - 1 no.

Urad dhal - 1/2 cup

Dry red chilli - 3-4 nos (as per ur taste)

Onion - 1 smaller size.

oil -  to saute

salt - to taste

Coconut - 1 slice (Optional/ If not used add another 1/2 cup of dhal and add 1 more red chilli)

Cumin seeds- 1 tsp

Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp

Curry Leaves - 1 stem

Preparation:

• Peel the ridges in the ridge gourd. Slice into small pieces.

• Heat pan and dry roast urad dhal. Keep it aside. Add oil in the hot pan. Sputter cumin seeds. Saute onion and red chilli.

• Add sliced ridge gourd when the onion is half cooked.
• Saute the vegetable untill tender, use salt to speed up the process.

• Let it cool down.
• Grin, sliced coconut, urad dhal, vegetable saute. Add water as required.
• Sputter mustard seeds and curry leaves and mix it with the chutney.

Capsicum Rice

Capsicum, also known as red pepper or chili pepper, is an herb. It is used for various problems with digestion including stomach upset , gassy,  stomach pain, diarrhea, and cramps. It is also used for conditions of the heart and blood vessels including poor circulation, excessive blood clotting, high cholesterol, and preventing heart disease. 
Capsicum peppers are rich sources of antioxidants and vitamin C. Red peppers have twice the vitamin C content of green peppers. It has much of varieties as we can see from their colors and sizes.
Including much of peppers in your diet while pregnant or breast feeding is not likely good. 
Here is a tasty capsicum rice, an easy 30 minutes recipe, good for lunch packs. It adds a good filling dish in a party too.

Ingredients: serves 3

Capsicum - 3 nos, chopped lengthwise (You can always mix with red bell peppers.)
Ginger - Finely chopped 3 tsp
Green chillies - 8 nos(upto taste) chopped finely
Rice - 2 cups
Milk - 2 cups
Water - 2 cups
Oil -  1 tbsp
Cumin seeds - 4 tsp
Whole garam Masala - each 2 nos. (cardamom, cloves, bay leaves, cinnamon sticks )
Cashew nuts - few (Optional)
Salt - to taste

Preparation:

• Heat a heavy bottom cooking vessel. Add 3 tsp of oil and put whole garam masala items in it. Add 2 tsp of cumin seeds.
• Add washed rice and mix well. Stir fry rice for 2 minutes.

• Add 2 cups of milk and 2 cups of water to rice. Slowly stir out the sticky rice. Keep the rice exactly on medium heat. Close it using a lid with an outlet whole for steam. Wait exactly for 15 minutes and remove the vessel from stove. 

• During that 15 minutes, in a wide pan, heat 3 tsp of oil and sputter 2 tsp of cumin seeds. Toss capsicum and saute. Remember to put the stove on medium heat, since we are using less oil and capsicum got to cook while sauteing. 

• Once the capsicums are halfway cooked, add ginger and green chillies. Sprinkle salt to speed up the process. Add cashew nuts.

• When the rice is ready, wait for a minute or two to open the lid and add the hot rice into the capsicum pan and mix them well, gently.

• Garnish with coriander. Optional

• Serve hot with curd or chenna curry.

Potato Kurma

One of the tastiest kurma is this potato kurma, made with onion, tomato sauce and coconut milk with most fragrant Indian spices..
Here I present an easiest way to make it quick and easy without changing the original taste.

Ingredients:

Potato - 4 nos. medium size, peeled and cubed
Onion - 1 small size, big onion, finely chopped lengthwise.
Curry leaves -  1 stem

Green Chilli - 2 nos.
Ginger / Garlic - 2 tsp crushed.
Tomato - 1 no.
Coconut - finely sliced/ shredded - 1/2 cup
Tamarind paste - 1/2 tsp
Cinnamon sticks - 2 small bits
Cloves - 2 nos
Fennel seeds - 1 tsp
Sambar masala powder / curry powder - 2 tsp (upto taste)
Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Channa dhal - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Coriander leaves - to garnish

Preparation:

• Sputter mustard seeds, channa dhal, cumin seeds in hot oil in a pressure cooker or a pan.

• Saute chopped onion, curry leaves. Add crushed ginger, garlic and saute.
• Add sliced tomato and saute till it oozes out oil. Add salt to make the process fast.
• Add the masala powder.

• Add cubed potatoes into it. saute for a  minute or 2.
• Meanwhile, grind coconut, fennel seeds, cloves, cinnamon adding some water.
• Add the ground coconut into the saute.
• Mix well. Add some water to cover the potatoes.

• Add tamarind paste / 1/2 cup tamarind extract into it.

• Pressure cook it till the potatoes get cooked.
• Let the pressure go away and smash some potatoes, if required. If needed, add some hot water to get the consistency you want.

• Serve with idly, dosa, idiyaappam, chappathi, rice or any rotti.

Uludhu(Urad dhal) Murukku

Murukku is all time favorite snack for everyone. Ulundhu murukku gives not only different taste, the crispiness and the flavor in it make it so crunchy.

Ingredients:

Rice flour- 2 cups
White whole Urad dhal(Ulundhu ) - 1 cup
Split dalia (Pottukkadalai ) - 1 cup
Chilli powder - 2 tsp(up to your taste)
Garlic powder / crushed garlic - 2 tsp / 4 pods (Optional)
Salt - 1 tsp(upto your taste)
Water - 2 cup(approx.)
Sesame Seeds - 1 tsp
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Oil - to deep fry


Preparation:

• Dry roast urad dhal and grind it into a fine powder. Dry grind split dalia (potukkadalai). Mix them with the rice flour.

• Add salt, chilli powder, sesame seeds, finely crushed garlic / garlic powder to the flour and mix well.

• Heat ghee in a small pan and pour it into the flour mix. Nicely spread ghee so that each flour particle catches some ghee in it. More ghee will dissolve murukku in oil, or it will become too brittle.

• Add water little by little to the flour and mix well for a consistency that is easy to go through the murukku presser.
• Heat oil in big kadai or a deep frying pan. Make murukku shapes and carefully drop them in the hot oil. Flip when one side is done.
• When the sizzling goes down, drain the murukkus out.
• Let it cool down and crunch.

Brocoli Fritters

Melt in your mouth brocoli fritters... It's a recipe same as the recipe for chilli gobi(cauliflower fritters), I gave in this blog. It is also a shallow fry fritters with wheat flour instead of besan(chick peas flour). People who does not like to eat brocoli, but want to include in their menu can try this recipe.




Ingredients: 

Brocoli - 1 big floret
Wheat flour - 1 cup
Water - necessary to make dip
Oil - for shallow frying
Chilli Powder - 2 tsp (as much as hot you want)
Salt - 1 tsp (to taste)




Procedure: 

• Cut brocoli into small florets and clean it with hot water.
• Use a wide open pan. Pour oil up to 1/4 of the pan height. Heat oil.
• While oil is getting heated up, mix wheat flour, salt, chilli powder with water and make it as thick flowing consistency batter. Not watery. not too thick.

• When the oil is hot enough, Just cover each florets with the batter and shallow fry them in oil. While dipping the florets, it need not to be entirely covered with the batter.

• Flip the florets when one side is all cooked.

• When they are done, drain them in a paper towel for excess oil and serve with green chutney, or onion, which helps digest the oil. Enjoy your brocoli fritters.

Murukku

An easy version of murukku made out of split channa dhal and rice flour, with the slight variation in my Mother’s recipe, makes the snack time more special. It’s one among the snack varieties made on special occasions like Diwali celebrations. She soaks rice, wet grind it and mix it with split dahlia (Pottukkadalai ) powder. I tried simply using the dry rice flour instead of wet grinding it. Murukku comes as same as the crunchy, yummy flavor and taste. So I continue doing it over and over using the rice flour, since after my marriage…

Ingredients: yields 15-20 murukku
 Rice Flour – 2 cup
Split Channa dhal (Pottukkadalai) – 2 cup
Chili Powder – 2 tsp (to taste)
Salt – 1 tsp (to taste)
Sesame Seeds – 1 tsp, preferably black seeds, just to enrich the look. White seeds can also be used instead.
Water – approximately 1 cup
Oil – for deep frying
Ghee – 2 tsp (Optional)

Preparation: 

• Dry grind split channa dhal into a fine powder and sieve. Add it to rice flour (always sieve rice flour for quality testing). 

• Heat ghee or little oil, say 2 tsp, and mix it well in the rice-dhalia powder. Ensure each powder particle gets evenly mixed with the ghee/oil. 

• Add salt, chilli powder and sesame seeds, and mix. Note: Too much ghee will make the murukku so light and brittle… 
• Add water little by little to the flour and mix well until you feel it is easy to use it with the murukku presser. Too much water consumes more oil while frying… Make it consistent. 

• Heat oil in a deep frying pan. Meanwhile, make murukku shapes. I usually use small plates to make my murukku shape. I invert the plates and coat the bottom of the plates with oil and make murukku shapes using the murukku presser. Try a pinch of murukku mix into the oil to check for the temperature. If it sizzles up, the oil is ready. When the oil is hot enough, carefully invert the murukkus in it. Just a gentle tap with the plates, at the sides of the pan will do that. 

• Flip murukkus when sizzling goes down on one side. When the oil is calm, your murukku is done cooking. 

• Dry excess oil and let them cool down. Your yummy treat is ready. Store them in an air tight container for freshness. 

I couldn’t find its shelf life, because it usually runs out within 3 days…

Green gram Curry / Moong Lentil Curry

  Green Moong bean / green gram is a lentil variety, a most healthiest food bundled with vitamin B, vitamin C and a complex carbohydrate rich in fibers, which aids in digestion. Regular intake of green gram will reduce unwanted bad cholesterol and improves the weight loss. It also aids in maintaining blood pressure and stability of blood sugar level. It is also considered to have anti fungal and anti cancer properties.
Green gram lentil, we almost have once in a week in the form of this curry. It suits well for rice and chappathi. When eaten with sprouts its nutritional value is almost increased to 10 times of the dry bean., with less calorie and carbohydrate.

Here is one of the easiest way, how I cook this at home. This recipe is from my Mother., which also keeps my family healthy and good.

Ingredients:

• Green Gram -  1 cup
• Turmeric - a pinch
• Onion - chopped 1/2 cup., preferably Pearl onion or Shallot will make a sure difference in taste.
• Green Chillies - 4-5 nos. or up to your taste.
• Tomato - Small 1 no. Chopped finely.
• Oil - for sauteing, preferably coconut oil, adds good flavor.
• Curry leaves - 1 stem
• Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
• Salt - to taste.

Preparation:

• Dry fry the lentils just to turn down the pasty, viscous property., when cooked.
• Steam cook the lentils with a pinch of turmeric. I prefer pressure cooking. Cook well so that it would be easy to smash.
• Meanwhile, sputter cumin seeds, and saute onion, chopped green chillies and curry leaves. Add tomatoes once onion are done sauteing. Add some salt to cook tomatoes well.
• Once the lentil is done cooking, drain excess water. When the lentil as well as the sauteing is done, keep them aside to cool down a little.

• Smash lentil first using a hand smasher or use mixer grinder for just 1 round. Add the saute onion tomato to it and mix well.  Add some drained lentil water to it to make it up to the consistency you want. Check for salt.
• Serve with rice. Here I served a plate of rice with lentils and crispy ladies finger.

• For chappathis/ rotis, it goes equally good. A slight variation is to add a tsp of ginger garlic paste with onion for sauteing and a half tsp of garam masala at the end of cooking will make a difference.