RAVA LADOO

INGREDIENTS

CHIROTI RAVA	1 CUP
SUGAR	3/4 CUP
MELTED GHEE	1/4 CUP
CASHEW NUTS	FEW
CARDAMOM POWDER	A PINCH

METHOD

• Add 1 tablespoon of ghee and roast the cashew.
• Roast the rava for 10 minutes in a medium flame.
• Dry Grind rava  into a fine powder along with sugar and cardamom.
• Transfer this mixture to a wide bowl and add cashews and mix well
• Melt the ghee and add to the  mixture.
• Mix well with and make it into round balls.
• Just sprinkle 1 tblsp of milk if you feel that you can’t make balls

MULLU MURUKKU/SIMPLE BUTTER MURUKKU

Mullu Murukku/Simple Murukku

Murukku (முறுக்கு) is also known as ಚಕ್ಲಿ chakli in Kannada; Telugu: మురుకులు murukulu.

INGREDIENTS

RICE FLOUR	1/2 CUP
BESAN FLOUR	1/4 CUP
ROASTED GRAM	1/4 CUP
JEERA or WHITE TILL	1/4 TSP
GHEE	2 TBLSP
SALT	AS NEEDED
RED CHILLI POWDER	AS NEEDED
OIL	AS NEEDED

METHOD

• Finely powder the roasted gram into a powder.
• Mix rice flour, gram flour and powdered roasted gram flour and addeds jeera/Till  asafoetida, Red chilli powder and salt.
• Melt the ghee and add this to the flour, add little water and make it a dough
•  Use the single star mould and start pressing the murruku in a plate and transfer it to hot oil.
• Cook till the oil sound subsides.
• MURUKKU IS READY !!
  
  
  
  
  
  

PARRUPU OBATTU/POLI

போளி in Tamil.. బొబ్బట్టు orభక్ష్యాలు or పోలేలు tn Telugu ...ಒಬ್ಬಟ್ಟು in Kannada, is one of the traditional sweet.

The poli is in itself a delicious sweet meal and is often eaten as such. It may be served with a spoonful of ghee. Poli is often served with milk, which may be sweetened or flavoured with almonds and pistachio.

INGREDIENTS

For Outer layer
MAIDA	1 CUP
OIL	1/3 CUP
WATER	2 TBLSP
SALT	A PINCH
TURMERIC	A PINCH

FOR POORNAM
CHANNA DALL	1/2 CUP
JAGGERY	1/4 CUP
SCRAPPED  COCONUT	1/2 CUP
CARDAMOM POWDER	A PINCH
GHEE	1/2 TABLESPOON

METHOD

FOR Outer Layer

• Mix like a dough by adding maida, turmeric powder, oil and salt until the dough is soft.
• Keep it covered for 4-5 hours.

FOR  POORNAM:

• Dry roast and soak the channa dal for ½ hour
• Pressure cook till 2-3 whistles and completely drain the water.
• Once dhall is cool, grind this in mixer smoothly along with coconut and cardamom powder.

• Now poornam is ready …Use a banana leaf , If not available use a zip lock, Oil covers…I used silver foil
• Grease the banana leaf and place a portion of the dough on it.
• Spread it with your fingers into a small disc and place the poornam on it.
• Close the edges and spread the dough equally and bring it to a circle shape. (make it like stuffed paratta)
• Now put the poli on hot tawa …Cook on both sides and smear a tsp of ghee and repeat the same for rest of the dough and poornam.

TEMPLE STYLE PULIYODARAI RECIPE (Puliyogre)

Temple Style Puliyodarai is very famous and favorite for many of us.. and now you can make it the same way at home.

INGREDIENTS

Urad Dhal	1 Tablespoon
Channa Dhal	1 Tablespoon
Dhaniya seeds	1 1/2 Tablepoon
Red Chilli	7 to 8 nos
Bedige Chilli	2 nos
Black sesame seeds	1 Tablespoon
Black pepper	1 Tablespoon
Gingelly Oil	4-5 Tablepoon
Mustard	1/4 Tablespoon
Groundnuts	1 Tablespoon
Curry leaves	Few
Tamarind extract	lemon size
Salt	As needed
Turmeric powder	1/4 Tablespoon
Asafotida	2 pinches
Jaggery	1/4 Tablespoon

Copra Dry coconut

2-3 Tablespoon

  METHOD:

• Dry roast and grind the below - 
• Channa Dhal
• Urad Dhal
• Dhaniya 
• Red Chilli
• Sesame seeds (Add this at the end as this will get burnt quickly)
• Black pepper (Black or White)
• Copra Dry
• When it is cool, powder it finely in a mixer.

• In a pan add sesame oil and temper the below items
• Mustard seeds
• Groundnuts
• Channa Dhal
• Curry leaves
• When the dhal turn golden brown add the tamarind extract. 
• When it starts boiling add the ground powder , turmeric powder, salt ,jaggery and asafoetida.
• Simmer the flame and let this cook for few minutes till the raw smell goes off and until this mixture reaches the right consistency.
• Cook rice and mix the paste well
• Add more sesame oil if needed 
• While temparing you can add cashews too 
• This paste can be stored in fridge for 15 days.
  
  
  
  

MODAKAM/KOZHAKATTAI - Vinayaka chaturthi special

Modakam/Kozhakattai.. is believed to be Vinayaka's favorite food, which begets him the modakapriya (the one who likes modak) in Sanskrit and this reminds me my favorite carnatic song.. Mudakaratha Modakam Sada Vimukthi Sadhakam.

kozhakattai is special to me .. I remember the first time i fell in love with kozhakattai is when my paati (grandma) prepared it for me :-) 

Ingredients

Rice flour/kozhakattai flour	1 cup
Water	1 & 1/4 cup
Sesame oil	1 tablespoon
Salt	a pinch
Jagerry	1/2 cup
Coconut (Scrapped)	3/4 cup
Elachi powder	a pinch
Ghee	1/4 tablepoon

Lets make the outer part of modak

• Boil the water by adding sesame oil and salt.
• keep the flame to medium when the water is boiling .. now add the flour to this and stir continuously until there is no lumps and switch off the flame
• Roll it with your hands to form a nice dough when it i warm
• Cover and keep aide

Lets make coconut poornam 

• Add the scrapped coconut , jaggery and ghee in a pan and stir it continuously.
• After 2-3 minutes this will  form a thick mixture.
• Just add 1 tsp of rice flour to this and mix well, If you feel that this is slightly loose, 
• Add elachi powder and mix well. Switch off the flame.
• Make small lemon size balls of poornam once it is cooled.

• The outer part can either be done by using hand or can use molds
  
• place the poornam inside the dough and close it neatly (can use sesame oil if sticky)

• Grease an idli pan, and place all the modakams/kozhukattais and steam it untill it is done.

BOONDI LADOO / MOTICHUR LADDU

BOONDI LADOO / MOTICHUR LADDU

Boondi Ladoo usually made for Vinayaka chaturthi/Diwali ... Chotta Bheem love ladoos :-) 
This ladoo is made out of Besan powder and sugar syrup. The ideal way to do boondi is using JARINI (jarini is ladle type specially made for boondi making) dont worry ... You can also make boondi with our usual ladle used for deep frying (having tiny holes). 

Ingredients

BESAN FLOUR	1 cup
SUGAR	1 AND 1/2 CUP
WATER(TO MAKE SUGAR SYRUP)	3/4th Cup
CARDAMOM POWDER	A PINCH
GHEE	1 Table spoon
COOKING SODA(BI CARBONATE OF SODA)	A pinch (mutard size)
OIL	As needed for deep frying
CASHEW NUTS	5 nos
Raisins -	1/2 Table spoon
CLOVES	2 nos
Edible camphor  (Optional)	a very tiny pinch
Food colour (Optional )	A pinch

1st bhoondi batter need to be prepared 

• Take a bowl, Add besan flour 
• Add the cooking soda
• Mix the besan with water like dosa batter consistency without any lumps.
• Keep this mixure aside

• Take a pan and Fry the cashew nuts, raisins, and cloves in a tsp of ghee and keep it aside.
• For sugar syrup making : mix the sugar with the given amount of water  in a heavy bottomed vessel.
• keep stirring slowly ..sugar will eventually get dissolved in the heat
• Now stop stirring and boil the sugar till this reach one string consistency.
• One String consistency : take a little sugar syrup between your thumb and point finger and now extend the point finger slowly from the thumb. if you see one string forming ..then your syrup is perfect.
• Now take a pan to deep fry boondi.
• To check whether the boondi mixture is right in consistency , 
• Take a spoon and with the back of the spoon mix the batter well and just hold it on the top of the hot oil.
• If this forms a nice round ball then the consistency if perfect, else it gives a tail you need to add little extra water. Add 1 tblsp and check again.
• If this forms a very thin roundels then the water is more, just add one tblsp of besan to this and check again.
• Now the batter is PERFECT for boondis.

• Pour a ladle of batter to the boondi ladle
• When it is half fried take it out from the oil and trasfer it to the sugar syrup
• Keep deep frying untill you finish the required bhoondi
• Now add fried cahew nuts, raisins and cloves and add elachi powder to the boondi sugar mixture.
• Mix this well and now the bhoondi ladoo mixure is ready 
• When the mixture is luke warm make ladoo balls of desired sizes and enjoy tasty ladooooooos.

AVIYAL - Palakkad special recipe

AVIYAL - Mixed vegetable salad (Indian Style)

Avial is one of my favorite and like to have it with Adai ... very healthy and delicious !!!. 

Ingredients

Ash gourd	1 Medium size/100 gms
Carrot	1 Medium size/100 gms
Drumstick	1 nos
Potato	2 MS
Beans	8-10 nos
Raw plantain	3/4 th
Elephant foot yam	100 gms
white Pumpkin	100 gms
Grated coconut - 1 cup	1 cup
Cumin seeds /Jeera	1 Spoon
Green chilli	As needed
Curd	3/4th cup lightly sour
Curry Leaves	few
Coconut oil	2-3 tsp

• Wash and cut all vegetables lengthwise into equal sizes
• Grind Scraped Coconut and green chillies into fine paste using very little water
• Take a Kadai, add the ashgourd, raw plantains and yam at the bottom as these veggies take little longer time to cook and then add the other veggies. 
• Add salt to taste. 
• Add about cup of water (just a little ) and cook covered until the vegetables are just half done. 
• They should not get mushy. 
• Add the ground paste and mix gently and cover untill the vegetables are fully cooked.
• Now leave the cooked veggies aside untill it gets cooled down a bit 
• Add 1 cup sour curd and mix gently
• Add curry leaves and drizzle the coconut oil

Tips

• Any vegetable can be added like brinjal, green peas, Cluster beans...
• Vegetables should not be over cooked, It should just look like steamed vegetables.
• Turmeric can be added if you need avial to look yellow in color.