Carrot Halwa

I have cooked this halwa few times and each time it’s a hit and easy to make. A slight advantage over flour halwas since it contains vegetable we can call it healthier..hehe. That was our wedding day and there’s a unwritten rule of making a sweet. My mom usually makes rava kesari for special occasions with lots of ghee and cashews...yummy similar to the srinivasa perumal temple’s kesari..haha.

Carrots Health benefits:

As we all know it’s good for improving eyesight, assists in skin’s health and delays aging. 

Carrot Halwa

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Sweet/Snack/dessert

Yields: 3

Prep time: 25 mins

Cook time: 25 Mins 

Ingredients needed:

1 big sized carrot(chopped, approx = 2 cups)

½ cup milk

¾ cup sugar(I used raw sugar,

adjust according to your sweet tooth level, carrots also give out some sweetness)

Cashews as needed

1 tsp Cardamom powder/Nutmeg powder

3-4 tbsp of ghee ghee/oil 

To make the halwa:

1. Pressure cook carrots with milk for 3-4 whistles or until soft.

2. Transfer cooked carrot to a heavy bottomed vessel and mash it to a smooth paste.

3.Turn on heat to medium.Cover the lid cook for 5 mins. Now remove lid and keep stirring the mixture until 70% of the moisture is absorbed.

4.Now add sugar and 2 tbsp of ghee. The mixture will become little watery. Keep working on it until it becomes thick and non sticky in the pan. For me it took about 10-15 mins after adding sugar.

5.Fry cashews in ghee and add it to the halwa with cardamom powder.Add another tbsp of ghee and switch off ,serve hot.

Notes:

You can add desired nuts as it is or after frying in ghee.

Personally, I don’t like adding salt to enhance flavor but if you like you can.

You can cook carrots or boil them(just to get rid of that raw smell) without milk and later you can add condensed milk to the mashed carrots but  adjust sugar accordingly. Condensed milk gives a rich taste to the halwa.

Even koya can be added instead of milk.

Vazhaipoo vadai/Banana flower cutlet

Vazhaipoo is my favourite vegetable. Mostly I make poriyal or kootu out of it than vadai counting the healthier reason. But occasionally we need a twist in the routine. Some of my friends make usili also.Something interesting, after separating most of the petals from the flower towards the last part where you find delicate petals and layers you can just have it raw, believe me its delicious. My mum always gives me that part to eat saying its good for ladies. But when choosing a banana flower make sure there’s no black stains in the petals at least in the first few layers(this ensures its fresh), but we can’t be sure about the rest inside.

Vazhaipoo vadai/Banana flower cutlet

Cuisine: Indian/South

Category: Side dish/Starter/Snack

Serves: 4

Prep time: 2 hrs

Cook time:30 min

Ingredients:

1 medium sized Vazhaipoo/Banana flower

½ cup gram dal soaked for 1 ½ hours

¼ cup roasted gram powdered

1 large onion chopped

2-3 green chili chopped

1-2 garlic pod with skin

1” Ginger minced

½ cup coriander leaves chopped

1 spring curry leaves chopped

½ tsp hing

½ tbsp fennel(optional)

Oil to deep fry

Salt as needed

To make the Vadai:

1. Soak gram Dal for 1 ½ hours.

2.Separate the flowers of the vazhaipoo and remove the thick plastic like petal and the match stick like strand from the flower.(if you keep it while cooking it releases bitterness)Chop the flowers into small pieces and boil till half cooked with a pinch of turmeric and ½ tbsp of salt. Drain water and keep aside.

3.Grind the roasted gram to a fine powder and keep aside.

4.Now drain the water and grind the soaked gram Dal with vazhaipoo and garlic pods to a slightly coarse paste.

5.Transfer to a bowl and add chopped onion chili coriander leaves curry leaves ginger roasted gram powder and salt. Mix well ensuring all the ingredients are evenly spread out into the dough.

6.Heat oil. Make small balls out of the dough and flatten it to make vadai shape or make shapes according to your desire.

6. After sliding vadai into the oil reduce flame to medium and cook till golden brown on both the sides.

Serve hot with coconut chutney/sambar and rice/tea/coffee.

Note:

If you find the dough is not tight the you can add some more roasted gram powder to adjust the consistency.

For ½ cup gram Dal 1 cup vazhaipoo will be a good ratio.

No need for oil to be super hot but when you drop a piece of dough it should start to sizzle.

You can see a small piece floating in the oil other than vadai which is lemon skin. It removes the odor of oil, you can also use a pinch of tamarind. After it turns brown you can remove it.

Uzhunthu halwa/Ulunthangali

Recently I attended a puberty function of our close relative. Usually we prepare some sweets and give it to the blossomed girl. Urad dal plays a significant role in the sweets during this time as it is  believed that urad dal strenghtens the hip bone/muscles. Leaving behind the controversies about the function in modern days I believe every moment of life should be celebrated and why not this. I prepared this halwa(actually called ulunthangali) and gave it to the girl.

Black gram/urad dal health benefits:

Rich in protein. Relieves pain and inflammation in joints. Good source of calcium and minerals.Improves digestion.

Uzhunthu halwa/Ulunthangali

Cuisine: Indian/South

Category: Sweet/Snack

Yields: 3

Prep time: 25 mins

Cook time: 20 Mins

Ingredients needed:

½ cup urad dal/black gram powder(roasted and ground)

½ cup jaggery/palm sugar

½ tsp cardamom powder/dry ginger powder

½ cup sesame oil/ghee (I used sesame oil because it is traditionally cooked that way for the function)

Pinch of salt(optional)

To make the halwa:

1.Dry roast urad dal till golden shade and grind in a processor to a fine coarse powder.

2. Add two and half times of water to one measurement of the powder.(water to powder 2 ½ :1) and mix well ensuring no lumps.

3. Place a heavy bottomed pan on stove over a medium flame and pour the water & urad dal mixture into it.

4.Add cardamom powder and let the mixture boil. Throughout the process keep stirring the mixture as it might easily get burnt.

5. When it starts to bubble & thicken add the jaggery/palm sugar. Initially the jaggery releases water and makes the mixture little watery. Keep stirring.

6.Now the mixture again starts to bubble&thicken, here add the sesameoil/ghee and keep stirring. It took 15 mins for the mixture to thicken.

7. Once you see the halwa sweating oil and moves freely without sticking to the vessel switch off the flame. Serve hot. 

Notes:

You can use cashews for garnish, it makes the dish more tastier.

Traditionally ginger powder is used as I ran out of it I used cardamom powder.

You can store it for up to maximum 3 days without refrigerating.

You can soak jaggery in ½ cup of water and strain it before using. Mine doesn’t have any sediments when I tested last time so used it directly. 

Adding a tbsp of ghee before switching off the fire enhances the halwa’s flavor.

Raagi koozh/Fermented Finger millet Porridge

One more recipe to beat the temperature. Very authentic dish but simplified. I have seen my granny cooking “kazhi” for my grandpa, two varieties one in wheat flour and other is raagi.  She cooks rice from scratch in a earthen pot and then adds diluted raagi flour to the rice. Then she cooks till the raagi flour is thick and done. She uses a mathu(masher) to mash the ragi and rice to form a paste. When it is hot itself she makes balls out of it by dipping hands in cold water to bear the heat. Traditionally during summer seaon festivals, especially for female dietys in south india tamilnadu they offer “kammang koozh /raagi koozh”to goddess. Farmers breakfast, sugar patients staple and summers foe… 😄 raagi koozh.

Finger millet health benefits:

Increases bone strength as it is rich in calcium. Controls diabetes and cholesterol. Treats anemia and obesity.

Raagi koozh/Fermented Finger millet Porridge

Cuisine: Indian/South

Category: Porridge/Beverage/breakfast

Yields: 3

Prep time: 8 hrs

Cook time: 10-15 Mins

Ingredients needed:

1 cup cooked rice

1 cup raagi flour

 12-15 pearl onion

1 cup thick curd

Salt and Green Chili as needed

To make the raagi kozh:

1. Mash the cooked rice to a coarse paste and add a cup of water to it and keep aside. Dilute raagi flour with 3 cups of water. The batter should be thin so adjust water level accordingly.

2. Switch on flame and introduce the rice mixture to heat and bring it to boil.

3. Now add the diluted raagi flour by continuously stirring the solution. Put the heat to medium.

4. Keep stirring and binding till the batter thickens. It might take 10-15 mins.

5.Once it starts to thicken put heat to low and cook for just another 2 minutes be mindful not to let it get burnt.Switch off and let it rest for five minutes.

6. Keep a bowl of cool water by side and start to make balls out of the thick batter. Though the batter rested for some time it will be still hot as it is dense. So to cheat the heat, dip your hands in the cold water and then make balls.I made 6 balls out of it.

7. To the curd add 2 cups of water and needed salt. Churn the curd for 10 minutes. You might see bubbles or butter floating over, remove it as much as possible.

8. Add the raagi balls to the buttermilk and leave it overnight to soak well.

9.Next day, take a ball in a bowl and mash it, add some buttermilk & salt to it, should be in a porridge/koozh consistency.

10.Serve with chopped raw pearl onion and green chilies by side or topped. 

 Note:

Adding cooked rice allows some air inside the batter and helps it stop forming lumps during cooking.If you don’t want then just neglect.

Use a heavy bottomed vessel to cook koozh as it easily gets burnt.

I you can’t keep it overnight then at least soak the balls for 4-5 hrs before serving.

Adding tempered onions , chilies,hing and curry leaves gives more flavor.
The dish can be stored for two days outside or inside fridge. Take out the soaked raagi balls once when you are about to serve.

Can be taken as a breakfast for diabetes persons but just skip the rice.

Happy Ugadhi!

Winter Melon Panakam

 

Summer special….  quik and easy Ash gourd/winter melon panakam. Panakam is a natural coolant prepared during rama navami. But traditionally in southern part they use only karupatti(palm jaggery), tamarind and water to make panakam. We can use coconut water or plain water to make it. But to make the recipe even more cool and healthy I used pumpkin here, because its tooooooooooooo hot out here 😱. Please stay hydrated!

Benefits of ash gourd/winter melon/vellai poosani:

Aids in weight loss. Keeps stomach free of ulcer and provides natural glow to skin and hair. 

Winter Melon Panakam

Cuisine: Indian 

Category: Beverage/Juice/Drink

Serves: 2

Prep time: 5 mins

Ingredients needed:

4 cups of ash guard ( I used the left over part of the ash gourd with seeds and flesh we don’t use for cooking)

½ of a medium sized cucumber(optional)

2 tbsp Jaggery/honey(I used jaggery)

1 tbsp ginger/1 “ginger piece(if you want more spicy then adjust but more of it might give out bitterness)

1 tsp cardamom powder

Fistful of fresh mint leaves

1 ½ - 2 cups water or ice cubes

To make the juice:

1.Put all the ingredients in the juicer/mixer and grind.

2. Filter the juice.

Serve immediately.

Note:

I prepared this juice with the seeds of ash gourd due to its benefits but you can omit and just use the plain flesh.

The juice forms residue by time but its completely okay.

Just have it fresh to relish the full taste.

Adding lemon juice should enhance the flavor.

Punjabi Dum aaloo

I got these mini potatoes from giant supermarket and decided to do dum aaloo. Though my stomach is not a friend of potatoes(I didn’t say my tongue 😜)  my daughter and hubby love these lil fellows. Basically a kashmiri cuisine .There are few versions of this recipe I tried Punjabi version as it is mild. Moreover for kashmiri ver., they use mustard oil, kashmiri chili and no onion/ginger/garlic/tomatoes are used but only curd, herbs, spices. Later need to try that…

Potatoes health benefits:

Good for skin and bone health.(if boiled)

Punjabi Dum Aaloo

Cuisine: Indian (punjabi)

Category: Gravy

Serves: 3

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 30 Mins 

Ingredients to dry roast and grind to paste:

1 large onion chopped

1 large tomato chopped

1 tbsp ginger garlic paste/5 pods of garlic and equal amount ginger pieces

8 cashews

1 tsp cumin seeds

1”cinnamon stick

4 cloves

1 green cardamom/ ½ tsp cardamom powder

Ingredients for gravy:

6 baby potatoes(boiled and peeled)

½ cup fresh thick curd/yogurt

1 tbsp red chili powder(preferably kashmiri red chili powder)

1 tbsp coriander seeds powder

1 tsp garam masala powder

½ tbsp kasuri methi dried

1 tsp saunf/fennel seeds(caraway seeds are used in original recipe)

1 tbsp lemon juice

3 tbsp oil (mustard oil is used in original recipe)

Salt as needed.

To make the gravy:

1.Prick the boiled potatoes and shallow fry them in oil.(if you wish you can deep fry which will be more delicious and original).Keep aside in a tissue paper.

2.In a pan dry roast the ingredients given to dry roast. After adding tomatoes let it cook till soft and mushy. Grind them to a fine paste.

3.Beat curd to make it soft and pour-able.

4.Now let’s cook the gravy by heating 2 tbsp of oil and frying fennel seeds.

5.In goes the ground paste, garam masala,red chili, coriander powder, kasuri methi. Saute till the oil separates.

6.Add curd/yogurt and fried potatoes with a 1 ½ cup of water.Season salt. Let it cook until it turns to a thick gravy. 

Add lemon juice and switch off.Garnish with coriander leaves(optional)

Serve hot with roti/rice/bread. 

Note:

Baby potatoes means really small size. Big potatoes differ on texture and taste in the gravy.

You can even fry the potatoes with the skin.

The gravy gets thicker even after switching of the flame as there is cashews and curd. So switch off when it gets to thicken if not serving immediately.

Mint and Coriander Biryani/pulao

Pulao’s originated from South central asia I read. Biryani’s younger sister is pulao 😂 I guess. Or can be called as the mild version of biryani 😁. This is a quick easy and yummy pulao/biryani which can be made in 20 mins if mint and coriander leaves are separated from stem and stored already. My mum cooks the tastiest biryani with lots of oil and chili powder 😂. Her recipe gives consistent taste, and if one item is missing she won’t turn the heat on, hmm… may be due to that. But for me if anything is missing I just leave it and go for the rest lazy me. Using jeeraga samba/basmati for biryani/pulao gives extra flavor to the dish. Even they contain low calorie (but we fill it with all the calories 😂).

As I have already updated about mint we will check on coriander health benefits:

Disinfectant, detoxifying, antiseptic, anti fungal anti oxidant, lowers cholesterol level, reduces blood pressure, treats anemia, mouth ulcers, diabetes and menstrual disorders 😱. 

Mint and Coriander Biryani/Pulao

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Lunch/Dinner

Serves:3

Prep time: 10 min

Cook time:25 mins

Ingredients needed:

1 ½ cup Basmathi rice( ½ aazhakku *2 =1 cup~240 ml)

1 ½ no.large onions chopped

1 ½ no.medium sized tomatoes

Salt as needed

Ingredients to grind raw:

8 pieces garlic and same amonut of ginger(or 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste)

1 cup each fresh mint and coriander leaves

To temper:

1 ½ “ cinnamon

8 cloves

1 marati moggu/kapok

1 star anise

1 dry bay leaf

4 green chilies

1 tbsp ghee

1 tbsp oil

Seasoning:

1 tbsp lemon juice

Garnish (optional):

Roasted cashews

To make the Mint and Coriander biryani/pulao:

1.Wash and soak the rice for at least 15 mins

2.Heat pressure pan. Pour oil and ghee let it get some heat. Add the items given to temper except green chili and fry till nicest aroma from the spices comes out.

3. Add slit green chilies and onion. Saute till the onins are transparent and slightly brown.

4.Add chopped tomatoes and fry till they turn soft and mushy.

5.Now pour the ground mint paste and saute till the raw flavor of ginger garlic is gone.

6. Slide in the rice and stir well. Pour water (for 1 cup rice : 1 cup water) and add salt and mix thoroughly.

7.Close the lid without pressure regulator/weight and put in high flame.

8.Once you see the steam is coming up slightly forceful reduce the heat and open the lid. Stir well and again close the lid, with pressure regulator/weight. Now set medium flame and let it cook for one pressure release. Switch off.

8. Wait till the pressure comes down and open the lid. Add lemon juice and a tbsp of ghee(optional) and stir gently without breaking the cooked grains. Garnish with roasted cashews.

Serve hot with tomato/onion raitha.

Note:

Using jeeraga samba/basmati for biryani/pulao gives extra flavor to the dish. Even they contain low calorie (but we fill it with all the calories 😂).

You can grind the chilies too. If doing so reduce 1 chili.

The amount of mint and coriander can be adjusted but the flavor might differ according to the dominant herb.

You can adjust the amount of spices according to your level.

Water level should be little extra if the rice is not soaked.

If the rice is roasted for few seconds in a tbsp of ghee it will be slightly crunchy outside and soft inside also will not break while cooking.

Do mind to switch the flame to medium after putting the weight/pressure regulator.

Masala oats

Oats for me was a bland porridge for persons who are sick 😖. After trying the Saffola brand masala oats I felt happy that oats can taste Indian😜 Actually it tasted like sambar rice. There are several types of oats say instant rolled gluten free and as whole. Choose according to your priority but cooking time might be different. Instant oats as the name suggests it can be done in no more than 5 mins whereas rolled oats takes extra time and whole oats is similar to wheat cooking.

Oats health benefits:

Removes bad cholesterol.Protects against heart disease and cancer. Stabilizes blood sugar. 

 Masala Oats

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Porridge/Beverage/breakfast/Dinner

Yields: 3

Prep time: 20 Mins

Cook time: 10 Mins

Ingredients needed:

1 cup of instant oats(I used quaker)

1 large onion chopped

3 garlic pods minced

1 cup of boiled vegetables(carrot,beans,peas)

1 ½ tsp garam masala

1 tsp chili powder

½ tsp jeera/cumin powder

½ turmeric powder

2 tbsp Sour cream/yogurt

1 tbsp coriander leaves

½ tbsp olive oil(any desired oil can be used)

Salt as needed

To make masala oats:

1.Heat a saucepan and oil onion and garlic. Saute till onions are transparent.

2.Add coriander leaves, garam masala, turmeric, salt, jeera powder and saute for just few seconds.

3.Now add boiled vegetables and water.(1 cup oats:2 ½ cups water(might differ depending on the type of oats)).

4. Roast oats for 2 minutes.( This step can be avoided doing separately by roasting oats after the onion and garlic is sauteed.)

5. Add roasted oats to the water in the saucepan and bring it to boil by occasionally stirring.It just takes 5-7 minutes after you put oats in water. 

If you leave it without stirring, the bottom part of porridge might get burnt.When you see the bubbles all over and not only on the sides, its done.Switch off.

Serve hot topped with sour cream/yogurt/croutons.

 Note:

If you leave the porridge without stirring, the bottom part of porridge might get burnt.

Step 4 can be avoided doing separately by roasting oats after the onion and garlic is sauteed.

Watermeasurement might differ depending on the type of oats.

If you use rolled oats give it a pulse in the food processor/mixer so that it gets cooked faster.Still it might need extra water than the instant oats.