Chocolate Sandwich recipe

Ingredients

Method

1. Gather all the ingredients, slice the fruit thin. Prepare your sandwich maker as per the instructions given in your user manual. Heat it, grease with butter generously, place the bread, spread a layer of choco chips, arrange the fruit slices.
2. Place another bread slice to cover it and close the lid. Toast for 3 minutes or as per your need.

Notes

• You can use nutella in place of choco chips, fruits can be of your choice.
• Spread butter on the top and bottom for more crispy and even browning results.
• Choco chips can be semi sweet, sweet or bitter sweet according to your taste preference.
• Do not over load with choco chips because it may over flow while getting toasted.

Rose milk popsicles recipe

Ingredients

Method

1. I boiled milk and reduced it to 1/2 litre and filtered it. You can skip this step and just boil 2 cups of milk.
2. Cool down and mix sugar, rose syrup and mix well.
3. Pour it to the popsicle moulds and freeze it. (I wanted to use popsicle sticks instead of the one we get with the moulds. So I clicng wrapped and used a rubber band, pierce a slit with knife and inserted the popsicle sticks in it. You can use aluminium foil too and if you dont have moulds, just use any small tumbler.
4. Let it set for atleast 12 hrs and take it out, hold carefully under tap water (outer surface of the mould should be under tap water) and remove the popsicles.

Notes

• Adjust the rose syrup and sugar according to ur sweet preference. But make sure the rosemilk is bit sweeter than you drink.

Butter corn pasta recipe

Ingredients

Method

1. Boil enough water for cooking pasta and cook it with salt until tender (al dente). Drain and (Optional -wash with cold water) drizzle some olive oil to revent drying or save some water that we drained from pasta and sprinkle it to loosen it.
2. Cook corn keep aside. I used frozen corn, microwaved to cook it as per instructions given over the pack. Otherwise you can cook it in high for 3-4 minutes covered, with very little water. Heat butter in medium flame on a pan.
3. Add the cooked corn and give it a mix. Add cooked pasta, cheese and continue mixing over medium heat.
4. Add milk, mix well, check for salt, add black pepper and any Italian seasoning.

Broccoli Paratha recipe

Ingredients

Stuffing

Method

1. Prepare dough with approx. 1/2 cup water (plus or minus as needed) using the first table ingredients. Keep aside while you prepare stuffing and make equal sized balls out of it at the time of rolling.
2. Wash and tap the excess water from broccoli. You can either grate or run it in a food processor. I used my mixie. Heat kadai and temper with jeera.
3. Add ginger and onion, fry till onion turns transparent. Add grated broccoli and mix for aminute.
4. Add turmeric, salt, red chilli and garam masala powder. Mix and cook covered for 2 minutes in medium flame.
5. Once done, transfer to a bowl. Spread the dough ball into thick circle as shown in the picture and stuff with 3 tblsp of the prepared broccoli.
6. Pinch the dough towards centre to close and make a pocket. Dust generously and start rolling our into thick parathas. Reverse the paratha while rolling in between and dust with flour if needed.
7. Heat tawa until hot and cook the rolled out paratha both sides in medium flame. I usually drizzile oil only after the parathas are half done.  

Notes

• I used juice/pulse option to give a grated feel for broccoli.
  
• The dough should be in right soft consistency. Not sticky, not too stiff too. Otherwise the stuffing will ooze out.
  
• I always keep the parathas in wire rack while cooling.

Crispy idli fry recipe

Ingredients

Method

1. Preheat oven to 190 ^oC. Cut the idlies into wedges as shown in the picture. Sprinkle and mix sesame oil generously to coat it evenly.
2. Arrange it in a baking tray and bake it for 10 - 12 minutes. Take it out and turn over the idlies.
3. Bake again for 10-12 minutes or until golden in colour. Transfer to a bowl and toss it with idli podi as needed while it is hot. Sprinkle more sesame oil if needed.

Notes

• Same can be done by deep frying the idli wedges too. It takes a while to get fried and oil too is absorbed more.

Koozh Vadam/ Vathal Recipe

Ingredients

Method

1. Soak rice and sago together overnight, grind into very smooth paste with little water, chilli and salt. I ground in mixie itself. If you make in bulk, grind using wet grinder.
2. Boil 3 cups of water in a heavy bottomed vessel. I used my pot shaped cooker. Add jeera to it.Add the ground rice to it with constant stirring. Cook in medium flame constantly stirring with a spatula until it gets cooked, thick and colour is changed as shown in the picture.
3. Wet your hands and if you take some dough, it will be shiny and not so sticky. Choose a plate with your choice of shape. I choose a flat one, so that it will be easy to dry. You can use the ribbon pakoda plate or star shape or clove shaped hole plate.Spread a clean white cloth and sprinkle some water. Fill the press with the prepared koozh. Squeeze into straight lines (more or less) and repeat the process to finish the koozh.
4. Squeeze into straight lines close to each other as shown in the picture. Dry in sun.In the night put under fan wind to dry. You will be able to peel the next day morning. Peel and dry it in sun.
5. After you peel keep the semi dried part facing up. Sun dry for 5 days or until crisp dry. Fry and test in oil one or two. If its full crisp then its done, if its chewy in the mid and sticks to your teeth, then its not dried. Dry for few more days in hot sun.Once dried, transfer to the container to store and fry when needed in oil. Oil should be enough deep fry and hot enough.Drain in paper towel and serve with your favorite variety rice.

Notes

• I realized I made bit broader with the chosen plate, a ribbon pakoda press will be perfect I think.
• Some make with a ratio of raw rice and par boiled rice too. But gives a bit red colour when fried. But its tastier than raw rice vathals.
• Adding small amount of sago gives nice texture and makes light when fried.
• If you grind coarsely instead of smooth, vathal when fried will be crunchy instead of crispy.
• Sun should be really hot atleast the day you are making. After that whole day of drying you can manage it to dry in fan.
• Keep a bowl full of water while squeezing to ease the sticky feel you get through in your hands during the process.
• It takes only 2 days, to dry completely, provided perfect full day hot sun, if you make it using the flat hole press.
• The koozh should be loose enough to press through easily. So not make the koozh to get cooked for long time and make it thick. Switch off the flame as soon as the colour changes and becomes thick enough to press through.
• If its watery, then the dried vadam will be split into tiny pieces and wont come out long.
• If not dried properly, fungus may develop, so make sure you have enough sun.
• If after you dry 3/4th but only a bit chewy in the middle when fried, unfortunately no sun also, then you can preheat oven for 190 deg C and spread the vadams. Let it be inside the hot oven for 15 minutes and cool down before storing. (Do not bake it, just spread in hot oven).
• You have to store after you dry the vadams in hot sun, not after being out overnight.

Jigarthanda recipe

Ingredients

Method

1. Boil milk and reduce it to 1 & 1/2 cups, that is boil until the volume is reduced to half. Cool down and keep refrigerated until use.
2. Heat water until its warm and add china grass to it, dissolve it completely. Mix well and cool down, keep in fridge for 30 mins. (Or prepare jelly as per the package instructions)
3. At the time of serving, take out the set jelly and in the serving glasses, add 2 tablespoon of the jelly.
4. Add nannari syrup in each glass, followed by the chilled thick milk.
5. Lastly scoop ice cream to each on top. Garnish with tutti frutti if you like it.

Notes

• You can use any colour of china grass, I preferred white, but mine is flavored. Vanilla flavored.
• You can replace nannari syrup with rose flavored syrup too.
• You can replace agar agar with badam pisin.
• Any rich ice cream that can go with this can be used.

Elai Vadam Recipe

Ingredients

Method

1. Soak rice for atleast 3 hours. Grind with salt to a very very fine paste/ batter. I ground using my mixie. Grinding smooth is important for crisp texture. Add less water while grinding, then if needed  you can add more water to adjust consistency. It should be slightly runny than our usual dosa batter. Mix jeera. 
2. Take 3-4 banana leaf and cut into squares so that it can fit your vessel you are going to steam. I used my idli pot, placed a idli plate(lower plate) and kept the idiyappam mesh steamer. Clean the banana leaf, grease very slightly with oil and pour as we do dosa. This should be thin as much as possible. If thick, adjust water consistency. Steam for a minute, while you do in other banana leaves. Takes just a minute. The colour will change as shown in the picture. Using tong we use to fry papad, take the leaf and peel it, while you steam the next. Repeat the process until you finish all the batter. 
3. As you peel, you can arrange in a clean white cloth for drying. Do not let it fold while you peel as it will stick. Dry in sun or shade or in fan wind. The next day it will be fully dried. But dry for 3 days for safer side. If you have sun, dry in sun. 
4. Store in container immediately after drying – don’t keep overnight outside. Once dried completely, fry in enough oil and drain in paper towel.

Notes

• Do not grease with more oil as you cant make round shapes. Do with less oil.
• No need to grease every time, just 3-4 times once.
• You can use vadhaam tree leaf which is also large enough to steam these vadam.
• If you grind the batter coarse, then it will come out hard crisp.
• If you make vadams thick, then it will not dry easily, you may need sun for drying.
• In case you add more water and make the batter too runny, keep aside for an hour, drain the water that comes over the top and then try making.
• If you don’t have idli pot as I have (using cloth) you can use a big kadai with lid too for steaming.
• If not dried properly then you can try preheating oven for 190 deg. C and spread the vadams inside and leave it as such for 1/2 hour or an hour. Then store it.
• You can microwave in high for a minute too instead of deep frying in oil.
• Do not make too big, I made big, but I have to break it before frying. Otherwise it gets fried and enlarges big. So its up to you if you can stand and make, make small or make big and break before frying.

Beetroot pulao recipe

Ingredients

To temper

Method

1. Soak basmati rice for atleast 1/2 hour. Heat a small pressure cooker with oil/ ghee, temper with the items given under ‘To temper’ table in order. Add thinly sliced onions and fry till transparent.
2. Add ginger garlic paste and fry for a minute in medium flame. Add beetroot and green peas. Add little salt and continue frying for 2 mins in medium flame.
3. Add turmeric, chilli powder and dhaniya powder and give it a fry. Add thin coconut milk and a cup of water. Bring to boil, add required salt and soaked basmati rice. Mix well. 
4. Cook for 14 minutes in lowest possible flame with lid and pressure valve. Or upto 2 whittles in medium flame. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Notes

• You can garnish with fried cashews too.
• You can skip green peas.
• I didn’t had ginger garlic paste, so I pressed ginger and garlic in garlic press.

Masala mor recipe

Ingredients

Method

1. Clean the ingredients needed and grind it with curd and little water, salt using a blender.
2. Filter it and add more water to make it thin consistency and adjust salt as needed.

Notes

• Do not add more leaves or ginger garlic as it will over power.
• You can add 1/4 tsp of jeera or ajwain/ oman to this while grinding. Not more than 1/4 tsp but.
• The consistency is purely your choice, so add water and salt accordingly.

Shortbread cookies recipe

Ingredients

Method

1. Bring butter to room temperature to soften it. Do not melt. beat with a whisk until fluffy (3 minutes). I used my hand blender with whisk attachment but you can use you hands. Make sure you beat well. Add powdered sugar, vanilla and again beat fluffy.
2. Mix flour and salt well and add it to the beaten butter sugar mixture. Make dough. If your dough is too sticky and doesn’t hold a shape, add 1 or 2 more tblps of flour until you are able to form a soft non-sticky dough. Mine turned gooey, so I had to add few more tblsp of flour. Nothing went wrong, so you can do that if needed.
3. Flatten to disc and wrap with a cling wrap. Keep refrigerated for atleast an hour.
4. Line baking tray with baking sheets. Roll out the dough using rolling pin for 1/4 inch thickness. (You can use a butter paper over the dough to avoid sticking to the rolling pin, just in case).
5. Using your favorite shape of cookie cutter, cut out the cookies. Take out the other parts of the dough leaving the cut cookie in its place without disturbing its shape. Re-roll the scraps again and cut out cookies. Use a spatula to take out the cookies.
6. Arrange carefully in the baking tray. Refrigerate it for 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven for 160 deg C (or 325 F). Bake for 15- 18 minutes until the sides of the cookies just start to change colour. Cool over wire rack completely before baking.

Notes

• Refrigerating the dough is very important, give enough time.
• After cutting out the shapes in the rolled out dough, take out the side row by row for easily taking out the cookies.
• If while re rolling, its difficult for your to handle, refrigerate the dough again. To avoid this, act quickly. Do not knead much with your hands as it will melt the butter and soften the dough.
• After the sides start changing its colour, the centre part may still be soft, which you need not worry, it will get firm after it gets cooled down completely.
• Dot over bake as it will affect the taste.
• My cookie cutter is too tiny so I got more than mentioned.

Sweet idiyappam recipe

Ingredients

Method

1. Bring enough water to boil, when it starts to boil, pour into the flour, (add salt if needed) along with sesame oil and make dough. Keep covered.
2. Make dough smooth when it is warm enough to handle and squeeze through idiyappam press over idiyappam steamer mesh or a greased idli plate. And steam it for 2 minutes.Repeat the process to finish the dough.
3. In a heavy bottomed pan, add powdered jaggery and add water to immerse the jaggery. Bring to boil and stir to dissolve the jaggery completely.
4. Add grated coconut, powdered elachi and mix well and switch off the flame when it becomes thick.
5. Add this to prepared idiyappam and mix gently to make the idiyappam strands separate. Fry broken cashews in ghee and mix with this if desired.

Notes

• Bring water just to boil and do not boil for long time. If water is too hot, the dough will get over cooked which makes soft idiyappam but very hard to press. If not boiled enough also then the idiyappam will come dry and chewy. So make sure to keep the water in correct temperature.
• Squeeze the idiyappam quickly before the dough gets cold as it will be difficult later.
• Choose finest rice flour for soft and moist idiyappams.
• Add salt only little to enhance the sweetness.
• You can make the syrup before day and keep refrigerated for next day use.
• Use the jaggery syrup only as needed. 

Narthangai sadam recipe

Ingredients

To temper

Method

1. Add a tsp of sesame oil, little salt to the cooked rice and separate the grains. Squeeze the citrion gently to get its juice.
2. In a pan, add oil, temper with the items given under ‘To temper table’. Add turmeric, salt and the squeezed juice and switch off the flame.
3. Add it to the rice and mix well and keep aside for 30 mins before serving.

Notes

• Do not squeeze citron too much as it will give bitterness.
  
• You can use orange squeezer to squeeze. Also do not press too hard.

Dal Bati recipe

Ingredients

For dal

To temper

For Baati

Method

1. For making dal, soak dals together for minimum 1 hour. Pressure cook with 2 cups of water for 3-4 whistles in medium flame.
2. Grind chopped tomatoes, peeled and chopped ginger and green chillies to make a puree.
3. Heat kadai with ghee in medium flame and add jeera, followed by asafoetida. Add turmeric and dhaniya powder in low flame and without burning, give it a stir.
4. Add the ground tomato puree and mix well. Add chilli powder, garam masala powder and salt. Fry for 2 minutes or until ghee floats on top.
5. Add cooked dal mashing well and add water to adjust the consistency. Bring to boil, let it boil for 2 minutes or until the desired consistency is reached. Add coriander leaves and switch off the flame.
6. For baati, in a mixing bowl, mix flour, semolina, salt, ajwain and ghee well. Add water little by little and make a very stiff dough. It should not be smooth and should be having cracks.
7. Pre heat oven to 190 deg C. Mean while, divide the dough to 10 equal sized balls and flatten it with a dent in the  middle for easy cooking. These patties should be having cracks, it helps in easy cooking. Arrange in a baking tray.Brush generously with ghee and bake for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes turn the baatis and bake for another 10 minutes or until the baatis turn golden in colour.
8. Give some standing time and break it. Just before serving, heat enough ghee in a kadai. Dip the broken baatis in it and serve in a bowl topped with the prepared dal. (I just again brushed with generous ghee.

Notes

• Soaking dal helps giving a perfect texture to the dal, so do not skip soaking.
• This whole dish should be done with ghee, no oil.
• I skipped deepfrying the baatis and just brushed and topped the broken baatis with ghee. But I highly recommend dipping the baatis in hot ghee before serving for a light and crispy texture.
• If you make thick baatis, then it won’t get baked inside properly.
• Make sure to make the dough for baati very stiff. Otherwise the inside of the baatis will be chewy. Water will be needed less than 1/2 cup for 1 cup atta.
• Adjust dal water quantity so that its thick, yet pourable.

Oats murungai keerai adai recipe

Ingredients

Method

1. Soak dal together for 3 hours. First grind chilli, fennel and ginger with little water.
2. Add soaked dal to it and grind coarsely.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients to the ground dal and mix to make a batter. Use water so that the batter is thick enough to spread over tawa.
4. Heat tawa and grease with little oil. Spread thick adai with two laddles full of batter. Cook covered and flip the adai to cook for another minute in medium flame.

Notes

• You can add other dals like masoor dal and moong dal each 1 tblsp to this recipe.
• Since oats is added in place of rice, the texture will be softer than the regular adai.
• You can make without drumstick too, in that case you can add curry leaves and coriander leaves.