Bread & Nuts kozhukattai

Ingredients:

• Bread slices - 5
• Cashewnuts - 15
• Almonds - 10
• Dry grapes - 1 tbsp
• Black dates - 4 to 5 (seed removed !)
• Sugar - 1 tbsp (to be powdered)
• Ghee - 1 1/2 tbsp.

Preparation:

• Cut the bread edges and put it in a blender to make them crumbs.
• Roast cashews and almonds in ghee and grind coarsely.
• Slightly fry the grapes and dates in ghee and also grind to make them bits and pieces.
• Mix all the grinded ingredients with sugar and bread crumbs.
• Heat a tbsp of ghee and pour it over the mixture and mix well. (use hands to mix well (:-)
• Make them into a desired shapes (like kozhukattai )

See, this is a instant dish and here there is no steaming business. Indeed it is very tasty and rich diet, especially for kids

Carrot Halwa

Ingredients:

• Grated Carrot - 3 cups;
• Milk - 11/2 cups;
• Sugar 11/2 cups;
• Ghee - 2 tbsp;
• Cashewnut - 10 to 12;
• Badam - 10 to 12;
• Pista - 10.

Preparation:

• Saute the grated carrots in a two teaspoons of ghee for a few minutes.
• Add milk to this and pressure cook it until one whistle.
• Put the resultant mixture in thick bottom pan and saute till it thickens.
• Then add sugar and mix well till we get the halwa consistency.
• While doing the above process, add ghee now and then.
• Stir well till the ghee separates.
• Finally, give a finishing touch to the halwa with the roasted nuts.
• Wow, that is the colorful carrot halwa that absorb your kids like a magnet.

(to get the fine taste and flavour, use Delhi carrot)

Vadai Curry

Ingredients:
Bengal gram dhal - 1 cup;
Onions - 2(finely chopped);
Onions - 4 (cut into long thin slices);
Garlic - 2( separate the pods and peel);
Tomatoes - 4 0r 5;
Cashewnuts - 10 or 15;
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp;
Sugar - 1 tsp;
Salt to taste.

For Grinding:
Onion - 1;
Red chillies - 5;
Green chillies - 4;
Ginger - 1/2 inch piece;
Garlic - 5 flakes( finely chopped);
Cardamom - 2;
Cloves - 3;
Chutney gram - 1 tbsp;
Aniseed - 1/2 tsp.



Preparation:

• Wash and soak the dhal for atleast two hours. Drain and grind it coarsely with enough salt.
• Mix the finely chopped onions.
• Heat oil in a pan, and drop the dough into small rounds and deep fry.
• Remove the vadas when it turns into golden brown ( do not fry the vadas to deep brown) and keep it aside.

For the gravy:

• Blanch the tomatoes in hot water, remove the skin and make it into a smooth paste.
• Heat 3 tbsps of oil in a pan and fry the garlic and the onion.
• When it turns to golden brown in colour, add the ground mixture, and fry it till the oil separates from it.
• Now add the tomato puree and fry till a good smell comes out.
• Add three cups of water with turmeric powder, and enough salt and sugar.
• When the water starts boiling add the fried vadas and let it boil for a few minutes.
• If the water is not sufficient, add little more water, otherwise the vadas absorb the water and the gravy becomes very thick.
• When the gravy is thick and is of flowing consistency, remove from fire.
• Convert into the serving bowl.
• Add the cashewnuts soaked in water( the taste would be different);
• Garnish with finely chopped coriander.

Cashewnut Burfi

Ingredients:

• Cashews - 100gms;
• Milk - 1 litre;
• Sugar - 21/2 cups;
• Ghee - 200 gms;
• Saffron - a pinch;
• Caradamom - 2 (to be powdered).

Preparation:

• Make a smooth paste with the cashews adding little water to it.
• Place a kadai in the heat, pour the milk into it, when it starts toboil add the sugar to it.
• Then add the saffron, and let the milk boil until reduces to one-third.(Keep stiring the milk, otherwise it would get burnt).
• When milk gets to thick consistency, add the cashew paste and keep stiring.
• Keep adding ghee to it little by little, until the mixture reaches a thick consistency(that of an halwa)
• Sprinkle the caradamom powder over it and mix well.
• Pour the entire content, to a greased plate.
• Cut into your desired shape.

• Now the tongue tickling cashewnut burfi is ready.

Paneer Surprise

Ingredients:

• Paneer - 200gms;
• Onion - 3big;
• Tomato - 5;
• Ginger, garlic paste - 2 tsps;
• Coriander powder - 2 tsps;
• Chilli powder - 2tsps;
• Garam masala - 1 tsp;
• Fresh cream - 2 tbsp;
• Ghee - 11/2 tbsp;
• Cashewnuts - 12;
• Butter - 1 tsp;
• Refined oil - for frying the paneer;
• Sugar - 1 tsp(optional);
• Cumin seeds - 1 tsp;
• Coriander leaves;
• Salt to taste.

Preparation:

• Cut the paneer into cubes, deep fry them in oil, and plunge them in warm water and keep them separately.
• Blanch the tomatoes in hot water, peel the skin and grind into a smooth paste.
• Heat the ghee in a pan, add the cumin seeds, when it starts to splutter add the grated onion and saute them in a low flame.
• Add the chilli powder, coriander powder, garam masala and enough salt fry till the ghee separates from it.
• Now mix the tomato paste and boil till the gravy thickens.
• Add the fried paneer cubes with butter and sugar and mix well, reduce the flame completely, and keep it undisturbed for a few minutes with the lid on.
• Finally add the fresh cream, before removing from the fire.
• Garnish it with fried cashews and finely chopped coriander leaves.
• This dish goes well with chappatti or poori.

Hurry up friends, rush into the kitchen and try out this recipe and enjoy it with your family. If you were really impressed with my recipe, please do post your feedback.
Bye!!!!!!!!!!!

Seppankizhangu(Colocasia) Fry

Ingredients:
Seppankizhangu - 1/4 kg;
Refined oil for deep frying;
Sambar powder - 1 tsp;
Salt to tast.




Preparation:

• First boil the vegetable in a pressure cooker;
• Then, peel the skin and cut into thin slices;
• Heat oil in a frying pan, and fry the slices till it turns to golden brown;
• Finally mix the sambar powder and salt.
• Yummy seppankizhangu fry is ready.

Note: If you prefer you could go with the pepper powder inspite of sambar powder.

Coconut Milk and Mushroom Pulav

Ingredients:
Basmati rice - 2 cup
Mushroom - 200 gms
Coconut Milk - 3 1/2 cups
Garlic - 20 flakes
Salt to taste.

Preparation:

• Wash the rice and soak it for about 15 mins.
• Wash the mushrooms in a hot water and then cut them into slices.
• In a pressure cooker, directly add the rice, coconut milk, garlic flakes, sliced mushrooms with enough salt.
• Place it in fire, when the steam comes out place the weight, reduce the flame and cook for about 20 mins.( We can use the electric rice cooker for this recipe, as it works out well).
• When done, switch off the fire and let it cool.

This is extremely an wonderful dish, and it goes well with double beans masala or chicken gravy.
this would be something different recipe, try this out friends and if you feel, that it is really different, please post back a feedback to me.