Puli koozh recipe

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Ingredients

Method:

1. Wash, soak idli rice for minimum 3 hrs. Soak tamarind in hot water (1/4 cup).
2. Drain water and grind the rice with 1/2 cup water until really smooth.
3. Extract tamarind juice with another 1/4 cup. Heat a kadai with oil. Splutter mustard, add torn red chilli, urad dal, chana dal, asafoetida and lastly curry leaves.
4. Add 2 cups water under sim and add turmeric, salt.
5. Add the ground rice batter immediately and keep stirring as you pour.
6. Keep stirring and at once stage the colour changes as the batter gets cooked.
7. Once translucent and thick, cook covered.
8. Cook for 5 mins and garnish with sesame oil. Now the koozh will be non sticky like halwa.

Notes

• You can use millet like samai, kuthiraivali, varagu in place of rice. 
• You can mix tamarind juice, water, salt, turmeric and the ground rice together well and add after tempering. This will prevent lump formation for beginners.
• You can do the same instantly with store bought rice flour too. Just dissolve 3/4 cup rice flour in 2 cups water, tamarind extract, turmeric, salt and proceed

Vazhakkai milagu poriyal recipe

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Ingredients

Method:

1. Cut off the top and bottom of the plantain/ vazhakkai. Slice the skin carefully to discard it. Cut into small cubes. Keep immersed in rice washed water or plain water.
2. Bring water to boil, add salt, turmeric and the cubed plantain/ vazhakkai.
3. Cook for two minutes or until done. Drain from water.
4. Heat a kadai with oil. Temper with mustard, urad dal and fennel seeds if adding.
5. Add plantain, crushed black pepper and mix well for a minute.
6. Add grated coconut and continue cooking for one more minute.

Notes

• Please use crushed pepper, not fine powder. Crush freshly and use as pepper is the main flavour in it.
• If you want to skip coconut, you can skip. Just use 2 tsp extra coconut oil in the last step.

milagu thattai recipe

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Ingredients

Method

1. Soak urad dal in water for 2 hrs minimum. 
2. Roast rice flour in medium flame for a minute, without changing its colour. Do not roast more than a minute.
3. I used store bought urad dal flour. So roasted the flour itself slightly. 
4. Take rice flour, urad dal flour, roasted gram flour in a mixing bowl.
5. Add crushed black pepper, sesame seeds, soaked urad dal, asafoetida, softened butter, salt and mix well.
6. Add water and make a dough without any cracks.
7. Divide into 24 equal sized balls.
8. In a greased ziploc cover, keep one dough ball, flatten slightly with fingers. Cover it and flatten by pressing a flat bottomed vessel (I used damara). Flatten thin and even.
9. Heat oil in kadai enough for deep frying. When oil is hot, put the flame to medium and add the flattened thattai by transferring from ziploc to your hands carefully and then transfer to the hot oil.
10. Cook in medium flame, flip and cook in low flame to ensure it turns crisp.
11. Drain in paper towels once bubbles ceases. You can fry 2-3 at a time.

Notes

• Make sure to use finest rice flour for best results.
• Do not use pepper powder, use fresh crushed black pepper for best flavour.
• Cut and open the ziploc so that it represents a sheet, so that you can fold one side to cover while flattening.
• Grease the ziploc each time before flattening thattai in it.
• If the thattai is unevenly flattened, it will turn hard. so using the vessel, level to make it evenly thin.
• If the thattai breaks while taking off from the ziploc, either the dough is too dry or you flatten too thin.
• You can add curry leaves too.
• If not fried properly, it will be hard.

Millet butter murukku recipe

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Ingredients

Method:

1. Wash millet well 3 times, soak for minimum 3 hours. Once done, again wash thoroughly and drain water in a metal strainer.
2. Spread over a clean cotton kitchen towel for 15 mins. Give a spread in between.
3. Transfer the millet to mixie and powder finely.
4. I sieved at this stage once. Transfer the millet flour to a pan and roast in medium flame until steam rises well. You should be able to draw a line easily with the flour.
5. Sieve again, gently break lumps if any.
6. Take 1 cup of flour from the above prepared. (You will get almost 2 cups of millet flour form the above process from 1 cup millet, so if you want you can double the recipe and utilize all the flour)
7. Add gram flour, pottukadalai flour, butter, cumin seeds, asafoetida and salt to it. mix well.
8. Add water carefully and make dough without cracks. Heat enough oil side by side.
9. Take murukku press with star attachment in it. Mine has 3 stars. Fill the press with prepared dough.
10. Once oil is hot, squeeze in oil by holding the press in an angle so that it breaks as you squeeze. Cook in medium flame.
11. Flip and break gently if murukku is too long. Cook in medium flame until bubbles ceases and murukku turns golden, light and crisp. Drain over paper towel. Again keep the flame high while squeezing, cook in medium flame, repeat to finish the dough.

Notes

• To make pottukadalai flour, powder pottukadalai well in mixie and sieve it. Store for future use.
• Heat should be regulated so that the colour of the muruku doesn't turn dark.
• Keep enough oil to deep fry, otherwise murukku will touch the bottom of the pan and get browned.
• Do not increase any ingredient like gram flour or pottukadalai flour, butter.
• If murukku breaks too short, it means too coarse flour or less water.
• If murukku dissolves in oil, it could be too much butter. Add more flour to troubleshoot. 

Basundi recipe

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Ingredients

Method:

1. Take a heavy bottomed wide mouthed vessel and boil milk. Add a tiny small plate into the milk, it prevents milk overflowing, as well as getting burnt.
2. Take a tablespoon of milk and soak saffron in it. keep aside. 
3. Simmer for 20 mins. Keep mixing the malai layer that forms on the top of the milk as it forms.
4. Add sugar, soaked saffron. Bring to boil.
5. Add chopped nuts and simmer for another 5 mins.
6. Add powdered cardamom and nutmeg and mix well. Switch off the flame. 

Notes

• Use heavy bottomed vessel. Adding a small heavy spoon, marble or a plate will prevent the milk getting stuck at bottom of the vessel and burnt.
• Add saffron less, otherwise it will spoil the taste.
• I soak pistachios, peel the skin and chop before adding.
• You can add nuts of your choice.
• Basundi must not be too thick.

Pepper seedai recipe

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Ingredients

• Little millet or raw rice - 1 cup
• Urad dal flour - 2 tbsp
• Pottukadalai flour - 2 tbsp
• Black pepper, crushed - 2 tsp
• Sesame seeds - 2 tsp
• Butter, softened - 2 tbsp
• Asafoetida - 1/8 tsp
• Oil - to deep fry

Method:

1. Wash millet well, soak for 3 hours. once done, wash again, drain and spread over a clean cotton towel for 15 mins.
2. Powder this well in a mixie to a fine flour. Wipe the sides in between to ensure even texture.
3. Sieve the flour gently.
4. Roast the flour in medium flame until steam rises, you should be able to draw a line with flour. Do not roast in high flame and change the colour of the flour.
5. I used store bought urad dal flour, so roasted it too slightly. I also slightly heated up pottukadalai flour.
6. Sieve flour again. 
7. Mix rice flour, urad dal flour, pottukadalai flour, butter, sesame seeds, crushed black pepper, asafoetida, salt well. (I made only half quantity than mentioned in ingredients)
8. Add water little by little and knead to a smooth dough.
9. Roll gently without applying much pressure into tiny balls. Arrange in a cotton towel or plate, no need to cover.
10. Heat enough oil, and fry the seedai in batches. Once you add the seedai in oil, put the flame to medium.
11. After sometime, stir and cook in low flame until bubble and sound ceases completely and turns golden in colour.
12. Drain in paper towel. repeat to finish. 

Notes

• Regulate the heat for every batch. Be patient always, do not cook in high flame.
• 1 cup millet yields almost 2 cups of flour. Same if you use regular raw rice.
• You can add 1 tbsp of  roasted, grated coconut for extra flavour.
• Do not use pepper powder, crush in pepper mill freshly. 

Chilli garlic vegetable idiyappam

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Ingredients

Method:

1. Place the red rice idiyappam in a wide bowl and add boiling hot water to immerse the idiyappam. Keep covered for 5 mins.
2. Once done, drain water in a metal strainer and keep aside.
3. Heat oil in a pan, add chopped garlic. Once it slightly changes colour, add red chilli flakes.
4. Add chopped carrot and beans. Stir fry for a minute.
5. In goes cabbage, continue cooking for 2 more minutes.
6. Add required salt, prepared idiyappam and switch off the flame.
7. Mix well in the heat so that salt is mixed properly.

Notes

• If you want the idiyappam to be on softer side, After step 2, spread the idiyappam in a greased idli plate, steam for 2 mins. Just make sure to drain water completely. 

Peanut sesame jaggery ladoo recipe

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Ingredients

Method:

1. Roast peanuts in low flame and keep stirring to ensure it gets roasted evenly. Once its slight golden, transfer to a plate. 
2. In the same kadai, roast sesame seeds until it starts to pop. Set aside.
3. Once the roasted items are cooled, rub the peanuts with hands to eliminate the skin. Blow away the skin.
4. Powder peanuts and transfer to mixing bowl.
5. Powder sesame seeds coarsely and transfer to the mixing bowl.
6. Powder jaggery. Add with powdered peanut, sesame seeds and run the mixer once more to mix.
7. Transfer to mixing bowl, mix well and roll to small laddus.

Notes

• Make sure to roast peanuts patiently, otherwise it will get burnt and not roasted inside.
• Same with sesame seeds, roast in medium flame.

coconut poli recipe

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Ingredients

Method:

1. Take flour, turmeric, salt in a mixing bowl. Drizzle 2 tbsp of oil and mix well. Add water little by little to make a soft dough. Knead well for 5 mins.
2. Add a tbsp of oil over it and keep aside for 30 mins. Knead again to incorporate the oil into the dough. If the dough is not loose, add little more water and make the dough loose.
3. Divide into equal sized balls.
4. Prepare stuffing by heating jaggery with water just to immerse. Once jaggery is dissolved, filter to remove impurities.
5. Wash the vessel and start heating the syrup again until it is frothy, raises.
6. Add coconut to it, keep stirring in medium flame until all the syrup reduces and forms a thick mixture.
7. Divide into equal sized balls once cold enough to handle.
8. Using a baking sheet or banana leaf, add few drops of sesame oil and spread the dough into thick disk.
9. Place the coconut stuffing in the middle, cover it from all the sides.
10. Pat to make poli, until the stuffing is partially seen on top.
11. Heat tawa and drizzle some oil or ghee. Transfer the patted poli by inverting the paper/ leaf over the tawa.
12. Peel off the paper/ leaf. cook in medium flame, both sides by flipping in between,  until golden spots appear.

Notes

• Making a loose dough with more water is important for softer poli.
• Oil can be used less only when you need, if it is sticky while kneading. 
• Do not cook in too low flame as it would take long time to cook and may turn crispy. 
• Stack the poli to make it softer. Even you can keep inside a casserole/ hot pack for best result.

Meetha sattu recipe

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Ingredients

Method:

1. Take sattu flour, sugar, black salt and cumin seeds powder in a bowl.
2. Add 1 cup cold water to it and mix thoroughly until sugar dissolves.

Notes

• Make sure to use jaggery in powdered form to ensure it dissolves easily.

Ulundhu kali recipe

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Ingredients

Method:

1. Dry roast urad dal in a pan until golden in colour.
2. In the same pan dry roast rice until slightly golden.
3. Cool down, powder finely together.
4. Heat a pan with jaggery, 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp water. 
5. Once it boils, add the powdered urad dal mixture. Switch off the stove and stir briskly with whisk.
6. Keep stirring until smooth. Again add 1/4 cup water and mix well.
7. Start heating again, add 2 more tablespoon of water. keep stirring in medium flame.
8. Add one tbsp of oil at a time and mix. Once cooked and all the 3 tbsp is added, try touching the mixture with water smeared hands, it should not stick to your hand and resembles halwa.
9. Switch off the stove.

Notes

• Using whisk prevents lump formation.
• You can use ready made urad dal flour too but make sure to roast until golden in colour.
• While roasting, keep stirring all the times so that it doesn't get burnt and gets evenly roasted.
• Add more oil if needed. 
• Since I used cold pressed sesame oil, I felt a very slight bitterness. but not prominent. 

Potato masala chips recipe

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Ingredients

Method

1. Peel the skin of potato and keep immersed in water. Use a grater with large holes and grate the potatoes.
2. Grate the potatoes by starting from one end and finish in other end so that you get longer grated potato, otherwise will fall short.
3. Keep the grated potato immersed in water and wash well. Drain completely without water in potato. 
4. Take grated potato in a mixing bowl. Add all the other ingredients except oil.
5. Mix well to coat the potatoes.
6. Heat oil in kadai. Once hot, add the potato mixture in a sprinkled way.
7. Deep fry by stirring occasionally. Keep the flame in medium once you turn the potato chips.
8. Once golden and crisp, drain over paper towel.

Notes

• If you keep the mixture for long time, it will leave out water, so mix small batches. Even if it leaves out water, do not disturb the mixture by mixing, just add the mixture in sprinkled way  over the oil.
• If there is more water is more, the flour gets together leaving potato plain. So take care to keep the mixture without water.
• My 1 grated potato was 1/2 cup.

Peas pulao no onion no garlic recipe

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Ingredients

Method:

1. First wash and soak basmati rice for minimum 10 mins. Boil water in a large cooking pot.
2. Once it comes to rolling boil, add rice and peas.
3. Add required salt, spices to the water.
4. Stir occasionally and check for rice if it is done. If you squish the rice between your fingers, it should be soft. Hardly takes 10 minutes.
5. Pour over a large colander (strainer) and keep covered, undisturbed for 10- 15 mins.
6. Transfer to serving bowl without stirring, just invert. Heat oil, ghee and temper with shah jeera. Add to the cooked rice.
7. Mix gently without breaking the rice.

• Do not stir the rice once you drain from water. Once it is warm after 15 mins or above, it will be easy to handle. 
• You can add 2 slit green chilli while tempering.
• 1 tsp of lemon juice can be added in water while cooking.
• If 1 tsp of kewara essence is added in water, it gives a very nice flavour.
• You can add star anise too along with the other spices.

Sweet ragi adai recipe

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Ingredients

Method:

1. Take jaggery, water in a heavy bottomed pan. 
2. Once jaggery is dissolved, filter it using metal strainer.
3. Wash the vessel, again start heating the jaggery syrup.
4. Add coconut, cardamom, salt to it. Add ragi to it.
5. Stir briskly and cook until a dough forms. It could take roughly 5 mins.
6. Keep covered. Once cool down, divide to 5 equal sized balls.
7. In a grease surface, flatten the balls to make thick adai.
8. Cook both sides over medium heat until golden spots appear here and there and turns crisp.

• Powder jaggery and measure, otherwise the quantity varies. Stir over medium heat.
• This water ratio gives soft adai. if you want in stiffer side, you can use 1 & 1/2 cups water instead of 2 cups.
• You can add 2 cardamoms if you like the flavour.
• Ragi takes bit of time to cook, so both while making dough and while cooking over tawa, it will take some time.
• I used banana leaf for flattening. it will be easy to flip over the tawa. You can also use butter paper/ baking sheets. If using ziplock/ plastic sheets, do not invert directly on hot tawa. It will stick as it will melt in heat.

Peanut garlic podi recipe

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Ingredients

Method:

1. Heat a kadai with oil, roast red chilli, peanuts in medium flame until chillies turn crips.
2. Add asafoetida, grated coconut and roast until golden in colour.
3. Cool down and grind the roasted ingredients with salt coarsely.
4. Add garlic flakes (with skin) and just give one or two seconds of runs. (Use pulse option)

• According to the spice of your chilli, add more as needed. Mine is medium spicy. So can add 10 -12 chillies.
• Can skip coconut. Make sure not to grind smooth.

Brinjal thogayal recipe

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Ingredients

Method:

1. Brush the brinjal with oil all over the outside. I cut off the green part (pavadai/ stalk side). Insert a metal skewer through it.
2. Place over medium flame, directly over the burners. You can use mesh too. Keep roasting all the sides, turning the brinjal every 1 minute.
3. Once all the sides are roasted and inside of the brinjal is cooked, remove from fire. 
4. The skewer inserted will loosen as it gets cooked inside, so you will know inside of the brinjal is cooked.
5. Cool down and peel off the charred skin. If you have roasted correctly, it will come off easily. If it is stuck, hard to peel off, it's not cooked yet.
6. Once all the skin has been peeled off, wash it so as to remove the small pieces of skin stuck to the brinjal.
7. Mash the brinjal roughly with your hands, keep aside.
8. In a kadai, heat oil. Roast red chilli, urad dal and asafoetida until urad dal is golden in colour.
9. Place all the ingredients in a blender/ mixie along with tamarind, jaggery and salt.
10. Grind smoothly without adding any water. You can choose to grind all except brinjal first and lastly add brinjal and give it a run for a different texture.

• Make sure to turn the brinjal so that top, bottom, all the sides gets roasted and cooked.
• You can microwave brinjal by placing as such inside and microwave high for few minutes and skip roasting in fire. Poke at couple of places before microwaving. 
• If the brinjal is not cooked properly, it will be bitter.
• My chilli is mildly spiced. So adjust the number as per your chilli and spice level you prefer.

semiya kesari recipe

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Ingredients

Method:

1. Heat a heavy bottomed pan, add 2 tsp ghee, fry cashew nuts until golden in colour. Keep aside.
2. In the same ghee, low heat, add semiya and roast until golden.
3. Side by side heat water and add it to the roasted semiya, salt. Boil until 3/4th done.
4. Cook covered for 5 mins in medium heat. Stir in between if needed. Semiya should be soft.
5. Add sugar, soaked saffron in milk and mix well. Sugar will melt and get watery.
6. Continue cooking in medium flame until the mixture thickens and not too watery. Do not cook in high flame.
7. Add powdered cardamom, fried cashew nuts, remaining ghee and mix well. Switch off the flame. Fluff well once warm.

• You can add more ghee if you want it really rich.
• How to find the right time to switch off the flame? You will see the mixture turn thicker from watery and see sugar strings like we see while making sugar syrup. Yet it should be slightly loose. As it cools, it will get to right texture.
•  I have added saffron, you can add food colour too. 
• Add few raisins if you like, along with cashew nuts.
• For soft texture, cook semiya covered, well for long time in medium flame. 

Aval payasam with sugar

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Ingredients

Method

1. Wash aval well twice to remove any dust in the aval.
2. In a small pressure cooker, add aval and milk.
3. Give it a whistle and open once pressure reduces. 
4. Add sugar, cardamom and heat until the sugar dissolves. Switch off the heat.
5. Heat ghee in a small pan, roast cashews and add to the payasam.

Notes

• I used thin aval, so if using thick aval, give 2 whistles.
• If the payasam is thin, just stir and heat for 3 mins on open flame. 
• I skipped cardamom, cashew as we like just the milk flavour. 

Namak para recipe

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Ingredients

Method:

1. Take maida, wheat flour, 2 tbsp oil, pepper, ajwain, cooking soda in a mixing bowl. Mix well. Add water to make a smooth yet stiff dough.
2. Keep aside for 10 mins, knead again and divide into 4. 
3. Dust a countertop well, flatten a dough ball, dusted well and roll it out to thick rotis.
4. Dust slightly again to avoid stickiness. Cut into strips, then into small pieces. 
5. Heat oil, gather the cut pieces gently and fry in batches.
6. Stir occasionally. Cook in medium flame until bubble ceases, turns golden and light. Drain over paper towel. Repeat to finish.

• Make sure to make the dough stiff, not sticky.
• Do not worry if the shapes gets changed. But while deep frying it will be alright.