Restaurant style Kozhukattai / Undi / Pundi

Restaurant style Kozhukattai / Undi / Pundi ( steamed rice dumplings)

Kozhukattai in Kerala cuisine
Undi in Konkani cuisine
Pundi in Mangalorean cuisine

Makes: 9
Serves: 2 - 3

You will need

1 cup (100 g ) rice flour
1 cup (100 ml) water
1/4 teaspoon oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 green chilli, small size
1 spring curry leaves
1/2 teaspoon jeera (cumin seeds)
1/2 cup (35 g) grated coconut
1/2 teaspoon extra oil to grease

For seasoning:

2 teaspoon oil
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon jeera seeds (cumin seeds)
1/2 teaspoon urad dal
1 dried red chilli
1 spring curry leaves
1 tablespoon grated coconut

Method

Boil water with salt and oil. Add rice flour and mix with a ladle. Rice flour should well blended with water. Crush green chilli & curry leaves.

Mix crushed green chilli - curry leaves mixture, jeera and grated coconut with rice flour and knead into very soft dough. You can make a dough very easily.

Divide the rice four dough into 9 equal portions. Make small lemon sized balls and flatten slightly (like aloo tikkis and diameter of 2 - inch).

Arrange flatten rice balls on a greased pan or idli mould and steam (steam in a steamer or pressure cooker (without weight)) for 10 - 12 minutes on a medium heat or until softens.

For seasoning:

Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds. When they begin to pop, add jeera, broken red chillies, curry leaves and urad dal. Saute for 2 minutes or until fragrant. Add grated coconut and stir well.

Pour the seasoning over Kozhukattai / Undi / Pundi and serve with Coconut chutney / Pickle / Sugar / Dali thoy or any non veg gravy dishes of your taste.

Stir fried paneer with capsicum & onion

Stir fried paneer (cottage cheese) with capsicum & onion

A less spicy side dish goes well with Rotis

Serves: 3

You will need

1 tablespoon oil
1 onion, cut into cubes
1 capsicum, cut into cubes
200 g paneer (cottage cheese), cut into cubes
1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garam masala powder

Method

Heat oil in a wide pan. Add onion pieces and fry for 4 - 5 minutes until pink color.

Add capsicum pieces and fry for 3 - 4 minutes.

Add red chilli powder and turmeric powder. Stir well.

Add paneer pieces and salt to taste. Cover with a lid and cook for 8 minutes or until the softens and done / well mixed with spices.

Sprinkle garam masala powder and serve hot with rotis.

Latest Amul Topical



On the latest Bollywood release DUM MAARO DUM - April 2011.

Benne Mysore Masala Dosa (Original Mylari Hotel recipe)

Benne Mysore Masala Dosa (Original Mylari Hotel recipe, Mysore)

Recipe credit - Lakshmi Nair & Kairali You Tube video

Makes: 6 - 8 dosas

You will need

2 cups (200 g ) rice flour
1 cup ( 100 g ) maida
1/2 cup (50 g - 60 g) urad dal

Or

1 cup (100 g ) rice flour
2 cups (200 g ) maida
1/2 cup (50 g - 60 g) urad dal
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 teaspoon ghee

Method

For benne dosa:

Soak urad dal in 1 1/2 cups water for 4 hours. Drain out water and make a smooth paste in a mixer. Add water while grinding.

Mix urad dal paste, rice flour, maida and salt. Adjust with extra 1/2 cup water and make smooth batter. Batter should be of pouring consistency (like normal dosa batter). Keep aside for 2 hours.

In a dosa pan, grease little ghee. Pour 1 ladleful batter (120 ml) and make dosa. Do not make more circles. Thicker than normal dosa. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon ghee. Turn other side and cook for 1 minute. Turn again and place a ladleful filling (potato (normal masala dosa filling) or chutney), press evenly with a flat spatula and serve hot with coconut chutney and benne (butter).

For the Filling ( masala ) :

You will need

2 tablespoon oil

2 teaspoon mustard seeds

1/2 teaspoon jeera (cumin seeds)

1 teaspoon urad dal

2 teaspoon channa dal

1 spring curry leaves

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

5 green chillies, slit lengthwise

1 - inch ginger, finely chopped

3 onions, finely sliced

500 g potatoes ( boiled with a little turmeric powder )

Salt to taste (or ¾ teaspoon)

Method

Heat oil in a kadai ( deep pan ). When it is hot enough add mustard seeds. When they start splutter add jeera, urad dal, channa dal, green chillies, curry leaves and chopped ginger. Saute for 2 - 3 minutes ( till dals are light brown ).

Add sliced onions. When the onions are light brown in color and turmeric powder and fry well.

Add boiled and mashed potatoes. Add salt to taste and mix well. Cover with a lid and cook on a low heat for 5 - 8 minutes. Do not add water when cooking.

Please remove green chillies when making masala dosa.

Green chutney filling:

Makes: 4 dosa filling

You will need

1 tablespoon oil
1 onion, sliced
150 g grated coconut
1 teaspoon garam masala powder
2 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves
1 tablespoon white til
3 green chillies
1/2 - inch piece ginger
1 tablespoon split roasted gram dal (pottukadalai)
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

Method

Heat oil in a pan. Shallow sliced onions till golden color. Keep aside to cool for 10 minutes.

Transfer the fried onions to mixer bowl and make a thick paste with other ingredients. Add very little water while grinding. Green chutney filling is ready now.

Spicy Mushroom Masala

Spicy Mushroom Masala

Serves: 2

You will need

200 g mushrooms, cut into desired shape
1 tablespoon oil
1 onion, finely sliced
1 spring curry leaves
1 green chilly, slit lengthwise
1 - inch piece ginger, finely chopped
6 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon salt ( or to taste )
1/2 teaspoon garam masala powder
1 teaspoon chopped coriander leaves

Spice powder:

3/4 teaspoon red chilli powder
1 1/4 teaspoon coriander powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
2 tablespoon water

Mix spice powders with water and keep aside.

Method

Wash and clean mushroom . Cut into desired shape and keep aside.

In a pan or kadai, heat oil. Add sliced onions and fry till golden brown on a medium heat ( approximately 10 minutes ).

Add chopped ginger, crushed garlic, curry leaves and slit green chilly. Mix well and saute for 5 - 8 minutes.

Add diluted spice powders and saute for 5 - 8 minutes or till the raw smell goes.

Add mushroom pieces and salt. Do not add water. Cover with a lid and cook on a low heat for 10 - 12 minutes or until done / mushroom pieces well coated with spices ( the gravy thickens / fragrant / golden brown in color ).

Sprinkle garam masala powder and garnish with chopped coriander leaves or curry leaves. Serve with Rotis / Rice / Pulao / Fried rice ...

Eye drops made easy

Eye drops made easy

Source - Prevention India magazine

Does the prospect of putting in eye drops make you want to cry ?

Here’s a solution.

GENTLY TUG your lower eyelid downward. This creates a little pouch between your eyeball and lid. Hold the dropper close to the lower lid, but don’t let it touch, so there’s no contamination.

LOOK UP and squeeze the dropper once. That upward glance is critical, because it keeps you from seeing the drop coming at you, which can make you blink. As soon as you feel the moisture hit your eye, the drop is in.

SHUT YOUR eye for 30 to 60 seconds to let the liquid absorb, then repeat with the other eye if needed.

Latest Amul Topical



Forth-coming Royal wedding in London - April 2011.

Coconut chutney with Pottukadalai

Coconut chutney with Pottukadalai

A tasty chutney goes well as a side dish with Idli, Dosa, Vada, Pakoda, Bonda ....

Serves: 3

Ingredients

1 cup ( 75 g ) coconut grated
1 tablespoon split roasted gram dal (pottukadalai)
2 green chillies, small
1 garlic clove (optional)
Salt to taste ( or 1/2 teaspoon )
Ginger - 1/2- inch piece
1/4 cup water (50 ml) water

For seasoning:

2 teaspoon oil
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/4 teaspoon urad dal
1 red chilli
1 spring curry leaves

Method

Grind all the ingredients to a smooth paste with a little water. Adjust the thickness of the chutney with extra 1/4 cup (50 ml) water.

For seasoning:

In a pan, heat 2 teaspoon oil. Add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add remaining ingredients. Saute well. Pour this over to coconut chutney.

Sri Lankan Pol Rotis

Sri Lankan Pol Rotis

Makes: 7 - 8 pol rotis

You will need

350 g whole wheat flour ( gehun ka atta )
140 - 155 ml warm water
3 tablespoon (45 g) grated coconut
2 tablespoon finely chopped onion
1 green chilli, finely chopped (optional)
1 teaspoon chopped curry leaves (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon oil
Ghee / oil for topping (approximately 8 teaspoon)

Method

Combine the flour, grated coconut, chopped onion, green chilli, curry leaves and salt and knead into soft and pliable dough with sufficient water ( 150 ml warm water required for 350 g atta to make soft dough and you can make 7 - 8 rotis ).

Finally, add 1 teaspoon oil and knead again till the dough is smooth and elastic.

Cover and keep aside for 10 to 15 minutes.

Divide the dough into 7 - 8 equal parts.

Use a little flour to roll each portion into circles of approximately 150 mm ( 6 - inches for thin rotis and 4 - inches for thick rotis ) diameter.

Dust off any excess dry flour and place the roti on a hot Non Stick Tawa / frying pan ( griddle ).

Turn over in a few seconds and cook this side till the edges begin to curl slightly and small blisters appear on the surface and fragrant (you will get a nice aroma of onion too !!!).

Cook the other side for a few more seconds till golden color and brown spots. Apply 1/2 teaspoon oil / ghee on both sides. Serve with any gravy dishes of your choice.

Tip for Dosa (Polo)

Some of you may already know this. But I want to share something which I learn only recently even though I had been seeing this for may years. The secret of spreading dosa batter thin and evenly on a dosa tawa is to use a small size ‘katori’ instead of the steel ladle (daayi) which we normally use. Dosa will come out crispy. Don’t turn over the dosa when you make dosas this way. You can notice that the street side dosa masters always use this technique to get perfect dosas.

Lotus



The lotus flower is an essential ingredient in Chinese therapy and medication. It is an astringent and is used to treat skin discolorations and sunburn.

Kerala Porotta

Here's the 2nd  recipe of Kerala Parotta 



















Kerala Parotta & Egg Roast ( Mutta Roast)


Malabar P0rotta ( Kerala P0rotta )

Makes: 6

Ingredients

400 g maida / 2 cups (all purpose flour / plain flour)
1 egg
75 ml milk
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
60 ml cooking oil

Method

Mix the flour with salt and sugar in a shallow bowl.

Break the eggs in a bowl. Add milk, 1 tablespoon oil and whisk.

In the flour, pour the egg and the milk mixture and mix well. Knead to a soft dough. Finally, add 1 teaspoon extra oil and make the dough extra smooth and elastic. Cover the dough with a moist cloth and keep aside for two hours.

Divide the dough into six equal portions and make balls. Flatten each with a rolling pin into round disc. Grease the rolling surface with oil.

Place a disc and stretch evenly on all sides till it is very thin and approximately 12- 15 inches (30 cm) in diametre.

Apply oil over the surface. Then dust with flour. Hold from two ends and gather while ensuring that there are many folds. Then take one end and start rolling to make another disc.

Flatten slightly and keep the disc aside for half an hour. Flatten each disc with a rolling pin into a round parotta, dusting with flour while rolling ( thick parotta & 5 - inches in diameter).

Place the parotta on a heated tawa and half – bake turning it over once.

Pour oil / melted ghee all round and shallow fry both sides over low flame until golden color. Serve with chicken curry , egg roast ..

Find here Egg Roast recipe.

Vegetable Pulao (Pressure cooker method)

Vegetable Pulao

Serves: 2

Ingredients

Ghee / oil - 1 tablespoon

Bay leaves - 2

Cinnamon - 1 stick

Cloves - 4

1 tablespoon finely chopped onion (optional)

1 cup vegetables, cut into cubes ( 2 carrots, 6 French beans, 1 potato & 5 cauliflower florets)

Basmati rice - 1 cup (200 g)

Red chilli powder - 3/4 teaspoon

Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon

Salt - 1/2 teaspoon

Water - 1 3/4 cups ( or 2 1/4 cup water required for 1 cup sona silky raw rice)

Garam masala powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Method

Wash and clean rice. Soak rice in 2 cups water for half an hour. Drain out water thoroughly.

Heat oil in cooker for about 3 minutes. Add bay leaves, cinnamon and cloves. Add sliced onions (optional) and fry till golden color.

Add cubed vegetables. Stir fry for about 2 minutes. Add all other ingredients except water and garam masala powder. Stir fry for about 3 minutes. Add water. Stir.

Close cooker. Bring to full pressure on high heat. Reduce heat and cook for 3 minutes.

Remove cooker from heat. Allow to cool naturally for 10 minutes.

Open cooker. Place vegetable pulao on a serving dish. Sprinkle garam masala powder. Serve hot with curd / pickle / any gravy dishes of your choice.

Banana Bread (without eggs)

Banana Bread (without egg)

Recipe credit - Femina Magazine, 1997

Ingredients

1 cup ( 100 g ) all purpose flour ( maida )
3 well ripe bananas (small), mashed
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoon milk
50 g sugar
1 teaspoon honey (optional)
2 tablespoon (30 g) butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 teaspoon extra butter ( for greasing baking pan )
1 tablespoon extra flour dusting

Method

Mash bananas and keep aside.

Grease baking dish with 2 teaspoon butter and dust with 1 tablespoon flour ( sprinkle about 1 tablespoon of flour inside a cake pan and shake to coat all greased surface. Turn pan upside down to tap out the excess flour ) or line a grease proof paper.

Pre heat oven at 200 * C or 400 * F (moderately hot).

Sieve flour, baking powder and salt.

Beat butter and sugar until light and creamy.

Add mashed bananas and mix well.

Add milk, honey (optional) and vanilla essence. Gently fold sieved flour mixture. Stir slowly till well blended. This cake mixture will be thick in consistency.

Transfer this cake mixture to a greased baking pan (or paper lined ). Spread evenly with a spatula and bake at 200 * C or 400 * F for 25 to 30 minutes or till golden brown / leaves from the sides of the pan or till a sewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Run a knife round inside of the pan to loosen the cake, and then invert the pan. Cut into desired shape and sizes.

Cheese Straws

Cheese Straws

You will need

100 g flour (all purpose flour / maida)
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
A pinch of salt
A pinch of pepper powder
25 g grated cheese
45 g cold butter
Ice cold water to mix the dough (3 tablespoon or less than 50 ml)
Extra teaspoon butter

Method

Grease a baking dish with 1 teaspoon butter.

Sieve flour, baking powder, salt and pepper powder. Rub in butter, mix grated cheese and bind to a stiff dough using cold water.

Cover and keep in the refrigerator for one hour.

Roll the dough into 1. 5 cm thick rectangle. Cut into 7.5 cm long fingers. Give one or two twist and place on a prepared baking tray at a distance of five cm.

Preheat oven (OTG) at 200 * C or 400* F (moderately hot) and bake for 15 - 20 minutes or until crisp and golden color.

Clove facts

Clove facts



Good quality cloves should be brownish - black, with a plump crown, somewhat roughly to the touch, and without wrinkles.



Cloves have a strong and fragrant odor and are hot, sharp and acrid in taste.


The spice has been used for centuries as an ingredient in Asian cuisine. Generally used whole, it is also ground along with other spices - cinnamon, cardamom, peppercorn, etc. - to make ‘garam masala’ or the Chinese five spice powder.



A strong antiseptic, due to a high percentage of phenols (84 to 95 per cent), it has been used in India and China for over 2000 years to check toothache, bad breath and tooth infections.



Used in medicine and dentistry as a flavoring agent, the oil is used in the manufacture of perfumes, soaps and bath salts.



Chewing of cloves with a crystal of common salt relieves throat irritation and soothes cough. Three to five drops of clove oil, mixed with honey and a flake of garlic and taken at bedtime, also relieves cough.

Clove oil helps prevent nausea and griping pain, caused by purgatives.



Clove oil is indispensable for the flavoring of meat, sausages, baked dishes, table sauces, pickle, etc.

Numerous pharmaceutical preparations contain clove oil.



Oil derived from the stem and the leaves is essential to the preparation of synthetic vanilla.

Delicious Pizza from Domino's Pizza, Chennai


Double cheese margharita pizza



Cheese & Barbeque chicken pizza

Latest Amul Topical

Hype surrounding the relationship between captain of a leading IPL cricket team and a British actress-April'11

Bengali style chana dal

Bengali style chana dal

Basic recipe - Hawkins pressure cooker cookbook

Serves: 2 - 3

You will need

50 g chana dal
1 cup ( 200 ml ) water
Extra 1/4 cup (50 ml) water
1 tablespoon ghee / oil
1 bay leaf
2 cloves
1 cinnamon stick
2 cardamoms
2 green chillies, small
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

Method

Wash and soak chana dal in 1 cup water for 6 hours.

Heat ghee / oil in a pressure cooker. Add bay leaf, cloves, cardamom and cinnamon. Fry on a low heat until fragrant.

Add green chillies and turmeric powder. Saute for 1- 2 minutes till the raw smell disappears.

Add soaked chana dal along with water and add extra 50 ml water. Add salt to taste.

Close cooker. Bring to full pressure on high heat. Reduce heat to low and cook for 6 minutes.

Remove cooker from heat. Allow to cool naturally. Serve chana dal with Pulao / Rice / Puri / Roti.

Mixed vegetable noodles

Mixed Vegetable Noodles

Serves: 2

You will need

1 packet Vegetable noodles
1 tablespoon oil
6 garlic, chopped
1 onion, finely sliced
1 capsicum, thinly sliced
1 carrot, cut into slices
5 French beans, cut into slices
1 tablespoon tomato sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon garlic chilli sauce
Salt to taste
1/2 teaspoon pepper powder

Method

Cook noodles as per packet instructions.

Boil carrot and French beans separately and keep aside (or microwave high for 3 minutes).

In a wok / wide frying pan, heat oil. Add chopped garlic and fry for 3 - 4 minutes on a medium heat.

Add sliced onion and fry till golden color.

Add capsicum slices, boiled carrot and French beans and fry for 3 - 4 minutes or until soft.

Add tomato sauce, soy sauce & garlic chilli sauce and mix well. Stir well for 2 - 3 minutes.

Add cooked noodles and mix well thoroughly.

Sprinkle pepper powder, adjust salt to taste and stir continuously for 5 minutes or until the noodles well mixed with sauces and vegetables.

Serve hot with any Chinese gravy dishes of your choice.

Aloo Gobi Ki Tehari (UP Style Vegetable Pulao)

Aloo Gobi Ki Tehari (Vegetable Pilaf - U.P. Style)

Recipe credit - Hawkins pressure cooker cookbook

Serves: 4
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Pressure Cooking Time: 3 minutes

Ingredients

Ghee / oil - 2 teaspoon

Bay leaves - 2

Cinnamon - 1 stick

Cloves - 4

Potatoes peeled and cut into quarters - 2

Cauliflower cut into chunky florettes- 10

Basmati rice - 1 1/2 cups

Dry ginger powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Asafoetida (hing) - 2 pinches

Red chilli powder - 3/4 teaspoon

Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon

Salt - 1/2 teaspoon

Water - 2 cups

Garam masala powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Method

Heat oil in cooker for about 3 minutes. Add bay leaves, cinnamon and cloves. Stir for a few seconds. Add potatoes and cauliflower. Stir fry for about 2 minutes. Add all other ingredients except water and garam masala powder. Stir fry for about 3 minutes. Add water. Stir.

Close cooker. Bring to full pressure on high heat. Reduce heat and cook for 3 minutes.

Remove cooker from heat. Allow to cool naturally for 10 minutes.

Open cooker. Place tehari on serving dish. Sprinkle garam masala powder. Serve hot with curd / pickle / any gravy dishes of your choice.

Health benefits of Spinach

Health benefits of Spinach



Source - Reader’s Digest



Spinach is one of the best sources of the B vitamin folate – a cancer fighter – and carotenoids such as lutein, which help prevent muscular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in older adults. One thing you're not eating: a lot of iron. The myth that spinach is rich in iron (which made Popeye strong) surfaced back in 1870 when a researcher's misplaced decimal point in a publication gave spinach an iron content 10 times higher than reality. Reality is that a serving (1 cup) of raw spinach contains only about 1 mg of iron, which is not well absorbed because it is the plant (haem) form of iron. The calcium it contains also isn't absorbed very well by your body, thanks to high concentrations of oxalic acid. But these disadvantages are heavily outweighed by other nutritional benefits.



Healing Powers



In addition to protecting your eyes from age-related muscular degeneration, thanks to its carotenoids, spinach has high concentrations of vitamin K, which can help maintain bone density and prevent fractures. Spinach is also a powerful source of potassium and magnesium as well as folate, all of which can keep blood pressure low, reducing the risk of stroke. Folate also appears to reduce the risk of lung cancer in former smokers, according to some studies.



Health Tips



To absorb more of the iron from spinach, eat it along with foods rich in vitamin C, such as red capsicum or orange segments. How much is enough: 1 cup raw or ½ cup cooked spinach leaves is one vegetable serving. Have at least five serves of vegetables every day.

Buying right:

Choose crisp, bright green leaves and stems with no sign of yellowing, wilting or bruising. For mild flavour and delicate texture, buy baby spinach. Remove sand or dirt by washing spinach in a sink or bowl of water. Opting for pre-packaged, pre-rinsed spinach eliminates this step, but even this spinach should be rinsed before using.

Onion Gojju

Onion Gojju

A sweet & sour side dish, goes well with Rotis, Dosa. Rice ....

Serves: 2 - 3

You will need

1 tablespoon oil
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 red chilli, broken
2 onions, chopped
3/4 teaspoon red chilli powder
1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1 teaspoon tamarind paste or 3 teaspoon tamarind juice
1 teaspoon jaggery
2 tablespoon water

Method

In a pan, heat oil. Add mustard seeds. When they begin to pop, add broken red chilli.

Add chopped onion and fry till golden color.

Add red chilli powder, tamarind paste or juice, jaggery, salt to taste and water. Cover with a lid and cook on a low heat for 10 - 12 minutes or until done and thickens. Serve with Rice / Rotis / Dosa ..

Surnali Dosa

Surnali Dosa

Makes: 7 - 8

You will need

1 cup (200 g) raw rice
1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds (methi seeds)
1/2 cup poha (beaten rice)
1/4 cup butter milk
75 g grated coconut
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
2 tablespoon jaggery, melted and sieved
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon oil

Method

Wash and soak rice and methi seeds for 6 hours.

Soak poha one hour before grinding.

Grind together rice, poha, methi seeds, grated coconut, turmeric powder, jaggery, fenugreek seeds and salt until smooth paste. Add butter milk instead of water while grinding. Batter should not be very thick. It should be like normal dosa batter.

Transfer the batter to another big vessel and keep aside for 8 to 10 hours.

Heat non - stick dosa tawa and sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon oil on it. Pour 1 ladleful (120 ml ) of batter on it and keep it covered ( The batter should be able to spread by itself. It should not be spread with a ladle).

Cook on a low heat until the underside of the surnalli is brown. Carefully remove with a flat spatula. Serve hot with butter / pickle / chutney. You can also use an omelette pan (6 - 7 inches in diameter) instead of normal dasa pan.