Adhirasam

Adhirasam is a traditional south Indian sweet which is made in almost every house in tamilnadu during diwali. The most important part in making adhirasam is the the 'paagu'(syrup) part. If u get the correct consistency of the paagu the adhirasam will taste really delicious. This is my 3rd entry to the RCI event hosted by Lakshmi.

Ingredients

Raw rice- 1 kg
Jaggery- 1/2 kg
sugar- 3/4 thcup
My mother uses sugar in making adhirasam. But many people do not use it.It is optional to use sugar. u can use jaggery alone too. if so use 3/4 kg of jaggery.
Cardamom powder- 1 tsp
khus khus- 3 tsp
Dry ginger(sukku)- 1/2 tsp powdered
Oil for deep frying

Method

Soak the rice in water for 2 hours. Drain the rice and spread it in a clean cloth in a shady area. when it is 3/4 th dried powder it. In india they machinegrind it in a mill. U can also grind it in a mixie and sieve it to get a fine rice powder.
Add 1/4 cup of water in a thick bottom pan and add the jaggery and sugar to it. When the jaggery melts completely filter it in a strainer to get rid of the dirt. keep stirring the filtered jaggery in low heat. When it is thick, check the consistency by pouring a drop of syrup in a cup of water. The syrup should not melt in water and when touched by finger it should roll into a soft ball. It should not be hard. This is the right consistency.
Remove from fire and add cardomom powder ,dry ginger powder and khus khus. Stir well and add the rice flour to it . Mix well so that no lumps are formed and till u get a chappathi dough like consistency.Leave it outside overnight.

Heat oil in a pan and make small balls of the dough . Place the balls in a pastic sheet and using little oil shape it to form small patties. Deep fry in hot oil only one at a time until golden brown on both sides and press well with a flat ladle.
Note

Making Adhirasams is a tough job and the most IMPORTANT part in making the adirasams is the SOFT BALL CONSISTENCY. If the syrup reaches more than soft ball consistency, the adhirasams will become hard. If the syrup is taken before the soft ball consistency, the adhirasams will break while frying in oil.

You can use readymade rice flour too to make Adhirasam.If so slightly roast it. (I have never tried this ....so Iam not sure if the adhirasams would turn out good using storebought riceflour,but my mom said u can do it)
You can store the dough in the refrigerator for 3 to 6 months. My mom prepared this dough for me, during my trip to India in January. I had stored it since then and whenever I want I make delicious Adhirasams.

Veggie Wrap Supreme

Ingredients

8"Tortillas-6 heated according to package directions

Soy granules- 1/2 cup

onions- 1 chopped

mushrooms- 1 pack sliced

red /greenbell pepper-1 chopped into thin slices

lettuce- 4 leaves chopped

cheddar/mozarello cheese- 1 cup grated

tomatoes-1 chopped into thin slits

zucchini- 1/2 chopped

Jalapenos- 1 chopped

garlic- 1 clove chopped finely

olive oil- 3 tbsps

Taco seasoning/paprika- 1/2 tsp

salt to taste

Method

Boil 2 cups of water and add the soy granules to it. Remove from flame, cover with a lid and keep aside for 10 minutes.

Heat oil in a pan and add garlic,onions, tomatoes, bellpepper, mushrooms,zucchini, and jalapenos one by one and stir fry for 2 to 3 minutes until soft crisp. Drain the soy granules and add to the veggies. Add salt and paprika/seasoning mix , cook for 3 to 4 mins till the veggies are soft but not mushy.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F

Arrange tortillas on a cookie sheet. place lettuce leaves onthe centre of each tortilla , then spoon the prepared veggie mix and top it up with cheese.

cook for 3 mins or until the cheese melts.

Wrap it up and serve.

Note

You can add beans instead of soy granules and u can add vegetables like spinach,carrot, and corns too.

U can apply sour cream or cream cheese on tortillas too before placing the lettuce leaves.

Channa rice/ Sundal saadham

I learnt this recipe from my Aunt , who is a wonderful cook and this is one of my favourite among many of her delicious recipes. We call it 'sundal Saadam' in tamil and I remember the days of having it with my cousins in her house. It is a very simple dish, easy to make(very easy if use canned channa), and has a very good taste if u have it hot with chips and raita.Try this out and u will all love it.

Ingredients

Rice( basmathi or raw)- 2 cups
soaked overnight and cooked channa- 3/4 to 1 cup

if using canned one use 1 can . I use the canned channa.
Coriander seeds- 3 tsp
Coconut-4 tsp
Jeera- 1 ½ tsp
Red chillies-2 (the chillies I have is very hot and so I use less) or acc to taste
Coriander leaves- 3 tsp chopped finely
Salt to taste
For seasoning
Mustard seeds- ¼ tsp
Broken urad dal- ¼ tsp
Curry leaves- a few

Method

Wash , cook the rice and keep aside. Pressure cook the channa.
Grind coconut, coriander seeds, red chillies, and jeera to a coarse powder without adding water.
Heat oil in a pan add the seasonings one by one and then add the ground powder. Fry for a minute and add channa to it. Keep in a slow flame for 5 minutes. Add salt and coriander leaves. Remove from fire and add the cooked rice to it. Mix it well and serve hot.

Mor kuzhambu

Morkuzhambu,A dish from Tamil nadu is sure a comfort food when u have plenty of curds.Easy to prepare and one of our favourite foods. Try this recipe and u will surely love it. This is my another entry to "RCI - Tamil cuisine event" hosted by Lakshmik and "A- Z of indian vegetables" hosted by Nupur .

Ingredients

Thick buttermilk/curd- 4 cups
rice- 1tsp

channa dal- 1 tsp
toor dal- 1 tsp
turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
green chillies- 4
ginger- a small piece
garlic- 2 to 3 cloves
coconut grated-3 - 4tsp
salt to taste
Any veggies (like pumpkin, okra, ashgourd, cucumber,carrot, beans, potato)U can add any one or two vegetables of ur choice.)chopped- 1/2 cup
For Tempering
coconut oil/cooking oil- 1 tbsp
mustard seeds- 1/4 tsp
red chillies- 1
curry leaves- a few
pearl onions- 3 chopped finely
Asafoetida- a pinch

Method

Soak rice, and the dals together for 15 to 20 minutes.
Whisk/beat the buttermilk/curd with turmeric powder and keep aside.
Grind green chillies, ginger, garlic, coconut with the soaked rice and dal to a fine paste.
In a pan add 1/2 cup of water and the veggies and cook the for some time. When they are half cooked add the ground paste and salt to it . simmer the flame and add little water to it so that the veggies are cooked fully and the raw smell of the paste disappears. Add the buttermilk/ curd to it.
Heat coconut oil/cooking oil in a frying pan and add the ingredients for tempering one by one and fry for a minute. finally pour that to the curd mixture. Morkuzhambu is ready to be served with rice.

Note

U can do a simple morkuzhambu without the veggies too.
Beat the buttermilk/curd well to avoid the curdling.

Palak Paneer

Palak paneer is a very common North Indian dish made with spinach and Paneer(Indian cheese).Spinach , needlees to say is a very healthy and nutritious food. Learn more about the nutrient content of spinach here. This recipe is one of my restaurant favourite. I make this at home too in a very simple way. This is a recipe adapted from sanjeev Kapoor's website. It is easy to make with lots of spinach and less spices so that the u get the flavour of the spinach very well.This is my entry to JFI- WBB event: greens hosted by Indira of Mahanandi this month.

Ingredients

Spinach- 1 large bunch

paneer- 3/4 pack chopped into cubes

cumin seeds- 1/2 tsp

garlic- 3 cloves chopped fine

milk- 1/2 cup

salt to taste

oil/butter- 2 tbsp

heavy cream(optional)- 1tbsp

green chillies-3- 4 green chillies

bayleaves- 2

kasoori methi- 1/4 tsp

Method

Heat 2 tsp of oil/ butter in a pan and add cumin seeds,chopped garlic and green chillies. when it turns golden brown add washed and chopped spinach. saute for 2 mins .Grind this into a fine paste when cool.

Heat the remaining oil/butter in the same pan and add bay leaves and the ground paste. Add the milk to it. Let it boil and add salt , kasoori methi and chopped paneer cubes. Simmer the flame and cook for 6 to 8 minutes. Garnish with cream.

Note

U can replace paneer with Tofu

U can fry the the paneer in butter/oil and soak in hot water too. finally squeeze the water and add to the gravy.

U can add onions , tomatoes, chilli powder and coriander powder to get more gravy.

Check for the recipe of Palak rice here.

Murukku

Murukku is believed to have originated from Tamilnadu.(source wiki)Murukku will sure be one of the treats people make during diwali in Tamilnadu and I couldn't remember one person who doesn't love this crunchy murukkus.

My husband is a great fan of murukkus and my MIL makes wonderful murukkus. She made this when we went to india last year.This is my entry for lakshmik's RCI event for April which happens to be Tamil cuisine.

Ingredients

Parboiled Rice- 4 cups

Urad dal- 1 cup

jeera- 1- 2 tsp

sesame seeds white- 2 tsp

salt to taste

Asafoetida- little

oil for deep frying

butter- 100 grams

Method

Soak the rice for 2 to 3 hours. Dryroast the urad dal until golden brown and grind it to a fine powder. sieve it and keep aside.

Grind the rice in the wetgrinder to a very fine paste by adding water little by little. Add salt and asafoetida to the batter at the final stage. U should be able to get a thick,fine paste ( much thicker than dosa batter) at the end. If u get a bit watery paste u can keep the paste closed in a clean muslin cloth so that the cloth will absorb the extra water. Grinding the rice and making murukku is a bit time consuming work, but you really get white and crispy murukkus by this method.

Add the urad dal powder, jeera, butter,sesame seeds to the rice batter and knead well. u will be able to get a dough like consistency.

Heat oil in a pan and put the required amt of dough in the murukku maker with one hole disc or 3 hole disc. squeeze into the hot oil directly. U can make the murukku in a plastic sheet too and then add to the hot oil too.Turn it and cook the other side too.

Note

My MIL grinds the rice in a wet grinder. But I make this with rice and urad flour. Making murukkus with the flours is very easy than the grinder made one.The measurements are just the same . Slightly dry roast the urad flour for just one minute in a pan. the flour should just be warm after roasting. Add the other ingredients and water to make it into a dough. U get good murrukkus by this method too.

Check out Radhi's , Maheshwari's, Priya's ,Jyothsna's. Murukku too.

Minestrone soup

Minestone is one of my favourite soups. It is a very thick and filling soup with lots of vegetables and pasta.... Thought I will give it a try this week, it came out very well and appreciated by everyone in my family. This is my entry to RP's JFI Event 'Tomato'. Soup was the one which came to my mind on thinking of tomatoes and I used a lot of tomatoes in this soup.

Ingredients

Olive oil- 2 tbsp

Garlic- 3 cloves chopped finely

Red onion- 1 chopped finely

Tomato-2 cups chopped finely

Tomato paste- 1 tbsp

carrot/Zuchini- 1/4 cup chopped finely

cabbage- 1/4 cup chopped finely

potato- 1/4 cup chopped finely

celery- less than 1/4 cup chopped finely

Kidney/Garbanzo or any beans- 1/4 cup cooked

Any pasta of ur choice- 1/4 cup

Vegetable broth- 1 can

Parmesan cheese- for topping

pepper powder- little

Dried basil- 1/2 tsp

bay leaves- 2 (optional)

Method

Heat olive oil in a pan and add garlic and onions. Saute and add tomatoes and all the vegetables. Fry for some time and add the tomato paste and the vegetable broth. Bring to boil and then add the bay leaves, pasta and the beans.( u can cook the pasta seperately and add too) cover and cook till the vegetables and pasta are cooked .Add pepper powder, dried basil and salt to taste. simmer for 3 - 5 minutes . Sprinkle grated cheese on top and serve hot.