Kashmiri Dum Aaloo

Kashmiri Dum Aaloo

INGREDIENTS

1. Baby Potatoes, boiled, peeled and lightly scratch them with fork on all sides: 200 gms (if normal potato, boil, peel and cut into chunks and scratch lightly on its sides)

2. Salt: to taste

3. Sugar: 2 pinches

4. Water: as required for the gravy

5. Oil: 2  tbspns

6. Butter: 2 blobs

FOR  PASTE- 1: [RAW PASTE]

Onions: 2 big [if small, take 8 to 10 shallots]

Tomatoes: 2 medium

Kashmiri red chilly: 2 nos

FOR PASTE- 2: [SAUTE AND GRIND PASTE]

Onions: 2 big 

Tomatoes: 2 medium

Kashmiri red chilly: 2 nos

Ginger: 2 inch size

Garlic: 4-5 cloves

Cashews: 5-7 nos 

Spice Powders:

Turmeric powder: 1 tspn

Coriander and cumin powder: each 2 tspns

Garam masala powder: 2 tspn

Kashmiri red chilly powder: 2 tspns + 1 tspn for sauting potatoes separately.

To Garnish

Kasuri Methi: a handfull

To Temper:

Bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon, fennel seeds and jeera

METHOD

1. As said above, boil potatoes, peel them and lightly scratch them with fork on all sides.

Heat a kadai, add oil and add 1 tspn Kashmiri red chilly powder and turmeric powder and saute the potatoes till roast and keep them aside. Add 2 pinch salt to it while sauteing.

2. FOR  PASTE- 1: [RAW PASTE], smoothly grind all the ingredients mentioned under raw paste. Keep it in mind, RAW PASTE!!

3. FOR PASTE- 2: [SAUTE AND GRIND PASTE], heat a kadai [you can use the same kadai, in which u sauted potatoes], add oil, add every items mentioned under "saute and grind paste" and saute well and cool it completely. Grind as a smooth paste.

4. Add oil and then butter; put all the ingredients mentioned under 'to temper'. Saute for a min. Add the "SAUTE AND GRIND PASTE" first and saute for few mins, after 2 mins, add "RAW PASTE" saute well for 5 mins.

5. Add the crispy and roasted potatoes, mix well. Add required water for the gravy consistency.  Add salt for the entire dish and 2 pinch sugar. Close the kadai with a lid and cook for 10-15 mins in a medium flame.

6. Crush a handful of kasuri methi and garnish the gravy, close with a lid again and simmer completely the dish for 5 mins and then turn off.

Kashmiri Dum Aaloo is ready, serve hot !!

Herbal Recipe: Sukku Paal / DRY GINGER MILK

SUKKU PAAL

The most effective drink for gastritis / moochu pidippu / vaaivu pidippu / dhasai pidippu.Sukku paal stimulates us and makes us feel active. It lazes our laziness! Much much effective, especially elders when consuming it, would definitely feel healthy and get rid off of all the spasm kinda pains very easily without any side effects. As sugar isn't used, "sugar patients" can also consume it. I've added an alternative for sugar, called "karupatti"!

INGREDIENTS:

1. Sukku / dried ginger: 1 inch size

2. Karupatti / panamkarkandu : as required

3. Boiled and diluted milk : 1/2 to 3/4th tumbler

METHOD:

Step 1: Making sukku decoction

Using a mortar pestle, powder both- sukku and karupatti / panam karkandu. Heat 1 tumbler water, when it boils, add sukku and karuppati /panam karkandu powder to it. Let it boil well and reduce to its half. Filter it and keep the decoction ready.

sukku /dried ging

Karuppatti

Karuppatti and sukku gets boiled to form a decoction

Filtering sukku decoction

Sukku decoction is ready!

Step 2

Take the boiled and diluted milk in a tumbler, add this decoction as per your taste. 

Enjoy the healthy drink. Especially during winter!!

Green Peas Biryani: In simple 3 steps

Green Peas Biriyani

 

"A lunch box special, loved by all! Easy and very very yummiest dish! Goes well with onion raita!

Ingredients:

1. Fresh grean peas or frozen peas: 150 gms

2. Basmati rice: 1 cup, soaked for 20 mins

3. Onions: 2 sliced

4. Tomato: 2 sliced

5. Ginger garlic paste: 1.5 tspn

6. Biryani Masala: 3 heaped tspn

7. Kashmiri red chilli powder: 2 tspn

8. Curd: 1 small cup

9. Salt: To taste

10. Ghee-oil: 3 tbspn

11. Mint and coriander: to garnish

To temper:

Bayleaf, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, star anise, jeera, fennel seeds.

Method:

Step 1

Heat a cooker, add oil and ghee, once heated, add the tempering items. Fry for a minute.

Add sliced onion and saute till transparent, then add tomatoes amd saute until oil leaves the sides of the cooker.

Step 2

In the curd bowl, add ginger garlic paste, biryani masala, kasmiri red chilli powder and mix them well and add it to the onion tomato curry. Mix them well and add the soaked basmati rice after draining the water from it completely. Add 1:1, Rice: water ratio. Add required salt, mix well and place the weight.

Step 3

Simmer the stove and cook the biryani for 15 to 18 mins in extreme low flame. Once done, switch off and wait for the pressure to release. Garnish it with mint and coriander. 

Easiest and tastiest peas biryani is ready!!

Diwali special: Savoury: Ribbon Pakoda / Nada

RIBBON PAKODA / NADA

INGREDIENTS: 

(Just notice the ratio, take measurements in your available cup as per this ratio)

1. Gram flour/ Besan flour: 3 cups

2. Rice flour/ pachai arisi(ask for mavu arisiin shop): 1 cup

3. Butter: 3 tbspns

4. Salt and red chillies: as per ur taste

5. Hing/ Asafoetida/ Perungayam: 1.5 to 2 tspn

6. Oil: To fry

METHOD:

1. To Grind in mixie:

 Add required salt, red chillies(I used 4 redchilles) and hing to a mixie jar. Add some water and make it as a smooth paste and keep it ready.

2. Heat oil in a pan in medium heat for frying.

3. In a bowl, add gram flour, butter and rice flour and crumble well. Add the grounded paste to the flour. Add some water and a tspn of hot oil and make it like a soft chappathi dough. Not a very tight one.

4. Place ribbon pakoda shape plate/achu in the press, and squeeze it in hot oil like long strips or spiral style like murukku.

5. Turn both sides until it gets cooked. Tip: The bubbles and the bubbling noise will gradually reduce. This is the perfect stage.

Ribbon Pakkoda is ready!

Enjoy with your beloveds!!

Diwali Sweet Special: Instant Choco Balls / Choco Laddu : Fireless Cooking / In just 2 steps

INSTANT CHOCO BALLS

Blend of cadbury powder and milk powder, gel with condensed milk!

Ingredients: (3:1:1 ratio, you can use spoon level or cup level)

1. Milkpowder : 3 cups

2. Cadbury cocoa powder: 1 cup

3. Condensed milk: 1 cup

METHOD

STEP 1

Take a bowl, add all the ingredients one by one. Mix well with a spatula. Mixing it will form a coarse dough.

STEP 2

Take small portions from the dough and roll it in your palm to make small ball like structure and sprinkle some sugar crystals as a garnish! 

Instant choco balls are ready to eat!!

Make it fresh and consume it fresh! Dont store it! Kids will enjoy it!!

Diwali Special: Badam cake or Almond cake : In 3 simple steps

BADAM CAKE

INGREDIENTS:

1. Badam / Almonds: 1 cup

2. Sugar: 1&1/2 cup or 2 cups

3. Milk powder: 4 heaped tspns

4. Butter or ghee: To grease plate.

METHOD:

Step. 1

Soak almonds in hot water for  30 mins, peel off the skin and make it towel dry under a fan for 10-15 mins. Once dried, take them into a blender , add 4 heaped tspns of milk powder and grind all together to a fine powder and keep it ready.


Step. 2

Take a heavy bottomed pan or a non stick pan, add sugar and 1 cup water to make it as a sugar syrup. Attain 1 string consistency. Now add the grounded badam+milkpowder mix to sugar syrup and start stirring continuously. Make sure no lumps are formed. Stir continuously till it becomes POROUS. Once it reaches the POROUS consistency, transfer it to the ghee or butter greased plate.

Step. 3

After 10 mins, put pieces and serve!!

Badam cake is ready.... Enjoy with your family. Wish you all a happy and safe diwali!!!

Diwali Special Sweet: Cadbury Cake

CADBURY CHOCO CAKE

A perfect blend of calcium rich milk powder and cadbury cocoa powder!!!!!!!!

INGREDIENTS:

1. Milk Powder: 250 gms

2. Cadbury Cocoa powder: 4 tspns [you can use other brand cocoa powder if cadbury isn't available]

3. Sugar: 500 gms

4. Butter: 250 gms

METHOD:

1. Add milk powder and cocoa powder in a bowl and mix them thoroughly and keep it ready. In a wide plate, grease only butter or ghee and keep it ready

2. Heat a heavy bottomed pan or a non stick pan, add sugar and add 1 cup of water [the cup in which you measured milk powder and sugar].

3. Melt sugar to make a sugar syrup. Once the syrup comes to boil, add the butter.

4. As soon as the butter melts and mixes with syrup, it will boil with froth. Simmer the stove.

5. Add the mixed powder [milk powder and cocoa powder] to the pan.

6. Slowly stir them without forming any lumps. Once it is lumps free, increase the flame to slow to medium and stir the contents continuously.

7. Once the concoction becomes POROUS, pour into the greased plate and let it set.

8. After 10-15 mins, put pieces using a knife and serve!

             

Cadbury Cake is all yours!!! Happy Diwali Friends!!

Herbal Recipe: Vallara Keerai Thugaiyal / Thuvaiyal

‘Vallara Keerai’ – known by botonical name  Centella asiatica and Brahmi in Hindi is known for its brain-boosting abilities, as claimed by the ‘Ayurveda’ and ‘Siddha’ traditional medicines of India, in practice for over thousands of years. 

Consuming this once a week in our diet, helps us improve our memory power. This is much required for all especially to school-going children and college students. Also to aged, those who lose their memory.

Ingredients

• Vallarai Keerai: 1 bunch
• Ulutham parupu/Urad dhaal: 2 karandi / 2 rounded spatula
• Kashmiri Red chilly: use 6 nos; IF normal red chillies; use 3 nos
• Green Chillies: 2, split into halves
• Milagu/ Black pepper: 1 tspn
• Venthayam/ Methi seeds: 1 tspn
• Hing/ Perungayam: 1/2 tspn
• Ginger/ Inji: 2 inches, roughly diced
• Turmeric powder: 1/2 tspn
• Tamarind/ a gooseberry size/nellikai size
• Salt: as req
• Oil: to saute the contents     

Method

1. Heat a kadai, add oil, add urad dhal, red chillies, green chillies, pepper, methi seeds. Fry them til they turn golden colour.

 2. Add the plucked, washed Vallara Keerai to it. Add ginger and saute for 2 mins.

3. Add turmeric powder, tamarind and saute for another 1 to 1.5 mins.

4. Rest them under fan for sometime, take them into your blender/mixie jar. Add required salt and perungayam/hing and coarsely grind them by adding less than 1/4 tumbler of water.

Vallara Keerai Thugaiyal Is Ready!!

Rava Dosai - In 2 easy steps [A special video inside]

Restaurant look, style and taste at home always appetites you. This is one such recipe, loved by all!! Why waiting?? Just in 2 simple steps, your favourite and tasty Rava Dosai will be chewed in your mouth!!

What are the 2 steps?????

1. Rava Dosa Batter
2. Tempering Batter

Rava Dosa Batter:

• Roasted Rava/ Sooji: 1 cup
• Maida: 1 cup
• Rice Flour / arisi maavu: 1 cup
• Thick Curd: 1 small cup
• Salt: as req
• Hing/ Perungayam: 1/4 tspn
• Crushed Pepper: 1 tspn
• Coriander leaves/ Kothamalli: very finely chopped for garnishing the batter
• Water: As required for pouring consistency [not to be thick as idly batter]

Tempering Batter:

• Oil: 2 tspn
• Jeeragam/ Cumin Seeds: 1/2 tspn
• Green Chillies: 1 or 2; very finely chopped
• Curry leaves/kariveppilai: a strand, chopped
• Grated Ginger: 1/2 tspn

Add ONs:

 If you wish you can temper Cashews in ghee and add it.

You can add grated coconut, grated carrot [if required, add directly to the batter, no need of sauting it. ]

For ONION RAVA, add finely chopped onions to the batter and make it.

Method

1. Add all the ingredients except water and salt mentioned under "Rava Dosa Batter" Mix well. Mixing in hand gives you more taste. Then, Slowly add water and make sure no lumps are formed. After reaching the consistency and batter level, add salt.

2. Heat 2 tspn of oil in a pan and temper everything mentioned under "Tempering Batter". Once tempered, add them to the batter.  Let the batter rest for 1 hour. After an hour, you will see water in the top and the flour mix as sediments at the bottom. This is quite natural, so mix it well.

3. Heat a tawa, grease/spread a little oil in it. Each time when you pour this, you need to mix the batter very well. Dont use your ladle/spatula/karandi for pouring this batter, USE A SMALL TUMBLER. Pour the batter in a spiral manner, add oil to its corner and flip it once done on one side, let it cook on the other side, then remove it from the tawa and serve hot with any chutney, sambar or podi.

WATCH THIS VIDEO "HOW TO POUR THE BATTER SPIRALLY?"

Breakfast: Aval Upma/ Poha Upma

Another "few minutes recipe" for you all!! Aval Upma is a tasty dish made in minutes!! "Bachelor's Special"

INGREDIENTS:

• Aval/ Poha: 200 gms [2 can eat]; wash it 3 times with cooking water. Then pour water until it immerses and soak for 5 mins. Then drain the rest of the water completely and keep ready the soaked Aval.
• Onion: 1 big, chopped.
• Green chilly: 1 or 2, finely chopped.
• Ginger: 1 inch, peeled, washed and chopped/shredded
• Mustard seeds/kadugu, Urad dhal/ulutham paruppu, curry leaves/kariveppilai: to temper
• Oil: to temper
• Lemon juice: 2-3 drops
• Turmeric powder: 1/2 tspn
• Salt: as req
• Hing/ perungayam: 1/4 tspn

 

METHOD:

• Heat a kadai/pan, add oil and temper with Mustard seeds, Urad dhal, curry leaves.

• Add finely chopped green chilly, and fry in oil.

• Add chopped onion and ginger together; saute till onion turn translucent.

• Add req salt and turmeric powder. Saute for 30 seconds. Turn the flame to LOW.

• Now add the drained soaked aval and mix well slowly in LOW flame itself. Lastly add the lemon drops and mix well again and serve hot. Garnish with coriander leaves if you wish.

Tasty Aval Upma is ready!!

Bisebela Bath: In easy 4 steps

A famous dish from Karnataka has come to serve your tummy with awesome and classy ingredients, in just 4 easy steps!!

 It’s a kind of sambar variety, that adds some magic to the default taste and makes it more yummy.

There are many varieties and variations of ingredients used for this sambar in and around, but so far this particular recipe, ingredients and measurement gave the best taste and got me many many appreciations from my dears!!

So pleaseeeeeeeeeeee don’t miss it and enjoy your bisebela bath with your loved ones!!

Tasty Bisebela bath in 4 easy steps:

·         Rice & Dhall

·         Bisebela bath special powder

·         Chopped Vegetables

·         Tamarind and Tomato extract

RICE AND DHALL: [Toor dhal/thuvaram paruppu, asafetida/perungayam and rice]

·         3/4 th : 2 is the ratio—where 3/4^th is toor dhal and 2 is rice. Wash and soak rice and dhal together for 15 mins and pressure cook it with 1/2 tspn turmeric powder, straightly on cooker for 4 whistles. NO NEED TO ADD SALT.

BISEBELA BATH SPECIAL POWDER: [roast and grind with 1 tspn of oil]

• Coriander seeds/dhaniya: 2 handfull 
• urad dhal: 2 tspn; 
• jeeragam/cumin seeds: 1 tspn; 
• black pepper/milagu: 1 tspn;
• methi seeds/venthayam: 1tspn; 
• kashmiri mirch/kashmiri red less hot chilly: 4-5nos; 
• regular red chilly: 2 nos; 
• pattai/cinnamon: 3 medium pieces; 
• shredded coconut: 1 small cup

CHOPPED VEGETABLES: [I prefer only small or big onion and tomato/ you can also add other sambar veggies]

·         Onions: 3-4 big size ; chopped [or] small onions/ shallots: 150 gms / 1 small bowl ; washed and peeled.

·         Tomato: 3  medium ; chopped

“If you are using other veggies like beans, carrot, small onions/shallots, brinjal/kathirikkai, pumpkin/parangikkai/manjal-poosani, drumstick/murungaikkai etc, reduce the onion to 1 [big size]. Don’t reduce the no. of tomato.”

TAMARIND AND TOMATO EXTRACT:[gooseberry/nellikai sized tamarind and 2 big tomatoes]

·         Soak a gooseberry sized tamarind in 3 tumblers hot water and extract its juice.

·         Either, using hands, extract the tomatoes by adding a tumbler of water or make the tomatoes into paste using mixie and mix the paste in 2 tumblers of water and keep them ready.

OTHER INGREDIENTS:

·         Gingelly oil: 4-5 tbspn

·         Ghee: 4-5 tspn [if u like ghee, you can add more as per your taste]

·         Turmeric powder: 1/2 tspn

·         Regular sambar powder: 1.5 tspn

·         Salt: as required

·         Mustard seeds/ kadugu: to temper

·         Curry Leaves: a few; for tempering and for garnishing.

·         Coriander leaves: a few for garnishing.

METHOD:

1.       Keep the above 4 basic things ready.

2.       YOU NEED TOTALLY 2 TO 2.5 LITRES OF THIS SAMBAR. SO MAKE IT ACCORDINGLY. My measurements would give you 1.5 litres or so. For the rest you need to dilute accordingly. This sambar should not be very thick. It should be in a diluted state only. 2 to 2.5 litres of this sambar is enough for given rice.

3.       Take your regular sambar vessel/kadai. Heat it, add 3 tbspn gingelly oil and 2 tspn of ghee. Temper mustard seeds and curry leaves.

4.       Add chopped onions, sauté for 2 mins, add chopped tomatoes, sauté for 2 mins. Add turmeric powder. Add 1 tumbler of water to it and let it boil.

5.       After 2 mins, add the tamarind and tomato extract to it, Add salt [for entire dish, remember you have unsalted rice and dhal on the other side]. Add your regular sambar powder. And add the “bisebela bath special powder”. Keep about 2 spoons of this powder to sprinkle it lastly in rice.

6.       Let it boil for 5-7 mins or until the raw smell goes off.

7.       Add curry leaves and coriander leaves to garnish.

8.       Open the cooker that contains cooked rice and dhal, by this time pressure would’ve released. Mash the rice and dhall.

9.       Add this sambar little by little to the rice and dhal. Mix them well, rice and dhal must be hot, so it will absorb more sambar, so let it cool after mashing for 2-3 mins under fan. Then add sambar and mix them.

10.   At last, add the remaining measures of ghee and gingelly oil to it and mix well. Now add that 2 spoons bisebela bath special powder to this as mentioned in step 5. Serve hot with potato curry or appalam.

Tasty tasty Bisebela Bath is ready!!!