Spinach Pasta

Ingredients

Pasta                                        2cups
Spinach                                   1cup
Basil                                        1cup
Walnuts                                  1/2 cup               
Olive Oil                                1/4 cup
Salt to taste
Method
Boil the pasta with enough water 1tsp oil and salt.
Grind the spinach, basil and walnuts. with olive oil. into a paste.
Remove the water from pasta and add the paste and mix.
Serve in a bowl with some olive oil on the top.

Oats Idli

Oats is good for health. I made this oats idli with rava. It tastes good and easy to prepare. 

Ingredients

Oats               2cups    
Rava               1cup
Mustard Seeds   1tsp
Urad  Dhal       2tsp 
Chana Dhal      2stp
Green Chili       2tsp
Coriander Leaves Few
Yogu                   1cup
Cashew Nuts Optional
Salt to Taste
Method
First roast the rava and oats separately  in a pan and keep. 
Powder the oats coarsely in a bender. 
Mix yogurt  oats ,rava, salt. Heat a pan add oil, mustard seeds, urad dhal and chana dhal.
When the mustard crackles add green chili and cashew nuts. 
Add this and chopped coriander leaves.to the mixture and keep for an hour. 
Make idlis and steam them

Samosa

Samosa is a stuffed and deep fried snack. It is an appetizer and it is very popular. Samosas are cheap and easy to prepare.

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For Stuffing

Ingredients

Potato finely Diced       1cup
Onion finely Chopped  3tbsp
Frozen Pea                  1/4 cup
Curry Powder               1tsp
Ginger Grated                1tsp
Garlic paste                   1tsp
Green Chili                    1
Ground Cumin Seeds   1tsp
Salt To Taste
For the dough

All Purpose Flour            2cups
Oil                                  4tbsp
Salt To Taste

Method
Making stuffing
Boil the potato and peel, dice into cubes.
Heat a pan with oil add onion fry till it becomes tender.
Add peas, garlic, ginger, green chili, curry powder potatoes and salt.
Cook for two minutes and mix well. Add coriander leaves.
For Dough
Mix flour salt and oil, make a dough adding enough water.
Knead the dough for five minutes and keep.
Making Samosa
Knead the dough and divide it into small ball sized portions.
Roll each ball into a circle about 8" diameter.
Cut the circle into half with a knife.
Take each half circle fold into a cone shape by joining the edges with water.
Fill each cone with potato filling.
Wet the edges of the cones and seal them.
Deep fry these samosas and serve with chutney.

Oats Kozhakattai

Oats Kozhakattai

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I used to make this oats kozhakattai for my husband. Everyday he takes oats with milk. For a change, I made this kozhakattai like upma kozhakattai. Very easy to prepare.
Ingredients

Oats                             2cups
On                               1
Green Chilies              6
Curry Leaves               few
Coriander Leaves        few
Mustard Seeds           1tsp
Urad Dhal                     2tsp
Chana Dhal                 2tsp
Salt to Taste
Method
Dry roast the oats for four minutes in low flame.
Powder one cup oats in blender
Heat a pan with oil add mustard seeds. urad dhal and chana dhal.
When the mustard splutters add the chili, curry leaves and chopped onion and fry.
Add  half cup of water  and let it boil.
When the water boils add salt and powdered oats and the oats
Mix well . If needed add little more water and coriander leaves..
The dough should be thick.
Make  small sized balls out of the dough and keep.
Heat the idli vessel and keep the kozhakattais  and steam them. Let it cool.

Salted Maida Biscuits

Salted Diamond Maida Biscuits

Salted  Maida Biscuits

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Maida                         1 1/2 cups
Hot Ghee/Oi               1tbsp
Sesame Seeds         1bsp  
Cumin Seeds             1tsp
Red Chili Powder1     /2tsp
Method
Add maida, salt, chili powder, sesame seeds cumin seeds and salt together and make a smooth and firm dough and knead it
Take small ball sized dough and roll into slightly thick roti.
Prick the roti all over with a fork and cut into diamond shapes
Heat a pan with oil. Add the diamond shaped pieces and deep fry them, till they become gold.

Carob Cake

Carob Cake
Carob powder is used instead of cocoa/ chocolate. Use the same amount of carob to replace cocoa. carob powder is made from the pod of the carob bean.
For more information about carob visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carob_tree

Ingredients
All Purpose Flour       11/2 cups
Sugar                               1 cup
Carob Powder                 2tbsp
Baking Po                 1/2tsp
Baking Soda             1/2 tsp
Salt                               1/2 tsp
Vanilla Essense            1/2tsp
Lemon Juice                1Tbsp     
Cold Water                  1cup                          
Method
Mix maida, sugar, baking powder baking soda and salt
Another bowl carob powder, vanilla, lemon juice ghee and water mix thoroughly.
Add the dry ingredients and mix well.
Transfer the dough into a baking cake pan.
Preheat the oven into 375 degree  and bake  for about 40 minutes.
Remove and keep it to cool.

Diwali Snacks & Sweets

Diwali Bhakshanams 

• South Indian Spicy Mixture( Chivda)

Diwali special marundu (Ginger Lehiyum)
Maladu
Kaju Burfi(cashew nut Burfi)
Pal Kova (Milk cake)
Anjir/Dates Burfi (Figs/Dates Burf
Bundhi ladu
Netrankai Upperi 
Chakli( Like Murukku)
Thenkuzhal
South Indian Spicy Mixture( Chivda)
Pasi Paruppu payasam
Thattai (Snack),  
Ribbon Pakodas

Diwali Bhakshanams

Utthappam

Uttappam

Utthappam

Utthappam is a thick pancake, with chopped  vegetables to it. It can be taken with sambar or chutney. Eat without any side dish. We make with leftover idli batter.

Ingredients

Idli Rice/Ponni rice                   3 cups
Urad Dhal                                1 cup
Salt to taste

Finely Chopped  and Thin Sliced Tomatoes/Onion/bell pepper
Sliced Green Chilies Ginger and Coriander Leaves
Method
Soak the rice and dhal separately  for 4 hours and grind them with salt to a thick batter
Let it ferment for a day 
Heat a dosa tawa and grease with oil, pour the batter , make dosa and garnish with tomato, onion, ginger, chili and coriander leaves.
Cook well both side and add 1tsp oil around the dosa.
Serve hot with chutney

Navaratri Naivedyam

Sarkarai Pongal


Ingredients

Sarkarai Pongal

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Raw rice                                       1 cup
Powdered Jaggery                       2cups
Coconut pieces                             2 tbsp.
Cardamom Powder                     1/4 tsp
Cashew nuts                                2tbsp
Ghee                                           3 tbsp.

Method

Cook the rice in pressure cooker.
Heat a pan add jaggery and little water.
When the jaggery is dissolved add the  cooked rice and stir it.
Cook in low flame. Pour ghee  and stir it.
When it is mixed well, add roasted cashew nuts, coconut pieces and cardamom powder.

Nilakadalai Sundal (Peanuts Sundal)

We make Sundal for Navaratri.

Nilakadalai Sundal

Nilakadalai (Peanuts)

• Nilakadalai................................2 cups
• Grated Coconut........................1/4 cup
• Mustard Seeds..........................1 tsp
• Red Chili....................................2
• Chopped Green Chili...................1 tsp
• Salt to taste

Method

• Pressure cook the nilakadalai with salt and enough water; remove the water
• Heat a pan with oil, add mustard seeds and broken chili; when the mustard crackles, add nilakadalai, coconut and green chili
• Mix well

     

Pani Poori

Pani poori is a famous road side food in Mumbai. Crispy small pooris dipped in spicy water with cooked potato  and moong dhal stuffing yummy We do not know how many pooris eaten.(I prefer to make this pooris at home)

Pooris 

Pani Poori

Ingredients

• Thin Rava (Suji).......................1/2 cup
• Maida (All purpose flour)........1tsp
• Oil...........................................1tsp
• Warm Water............................1/4 cup
• Salt to taste

Method 

• Mix rava, salt and warm water ,make a thick paste.
• Add the maida  and knead the dough well till the rava is absorbed.
• Add some oil and knead for some more time. 
• Cover and keep for 20 minutes.
• Heat a pan with oil.
• Roll the dough into big thin chapathi. 
• Take  a small steel cup/bottle cap and make small circles. 
• Drop the pooris into oil and press little.All the pooris puffed up.
• Take them when they become golden.

Filling

Cooked and peeled potato added with salt and chili., cooked  and salted moong dhal

Pani

Pani

• Tamarind Juice........................1 tsp
• Mint.....................................1 bunch
• Coriander leaves....................few
• Jaggery..................................2 tbsp
• Cumin Powder.........................1tsp
• Black salt.................................1tsp
• Green chili................................3
• Lemon Juice.............................1tsp
• Chat Masala............................1/2tsp
• Salt To Taste

Grind all together in a blender and add 3 cups of water Strain using a sieve. Keep  this water in the fridge.

If you need   spicy ,add more. 

Green Chutney

• Green chili...........................4
• Coriander leaves..................few
• Ginger........................... .....small piece
• Salt to taste
• Grind all together into a paste

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Sweet Chutney

Sweet Chutney

• Soak 1/2 cup dates and  1tsp tamarind pulp, 1/2 cup powdered jaggery, roasted cumin seeds, 1tsp chili powder, salt 1/2 tsp and grind into paste

How to Serve

• Make a small hole at the center of the poori press with your finger.
• Place little potato and moong dhal with sweet chutney and green chtuney. 

• Dip the poori in the spicy water fully and gulp down.

Preparation Time  : 30 minutes

Servings ................5-6

Sevai

Coconut Sevai

Coconut sevai
It is a south Indian meal which is very time consuming to make. But it is very tasty )

Ingredients:

• Boiled Rice.............  .......4 cups
• Grated Coconut…...........1 cup
• Mustard seeds……. .......2tsp
• Urad Dhal……………......2 tsp
• Chana Dhal…………........2tsp
• Finely Cut Green Chillies…..5
• Ginger Finely Cut………..3tsp
• Curry Leaves….............. few
• Oil…………………......3tsp
• Salt to taste

Method

Sevai can be made in 2 ways. The difficult way is by first principles and the easy way is by using Chinese thin rice noodles.
The difficult way to make sevai -

Plain Sevai

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  Soak the rice for 4 hours and grind finely adding the salt.. The dough should be like dosa batter.
• Heat a wok and pour this dough.
• Add 2 tsp oil (this makes sevai tasty and non sticky) and stir the dough till it becomes thick and sticky.
• When the dough is not too hot, wet your hands with water and make big balls and keep.

• Boil water in another pan.
• After the water boils, put the rice balls in it and let it cook.
• When the balls float to the top, check to see if they are cooked properly.
• You can do this by cutting into half and seeing if they are not sticky.

• Put each ball on the sevai nazhi(sevai traditional press) and sevai comes out like pasta.
• It should be hot otherwise it gets difficult to press.
• Keep aside to cool (you can put the dough in the idli mould and steam them instead of boiling in water)

• Heat a pan with oil and add mustard seeds, urad dal and chana dal.
• When mustard seeds crackle, add chillies, ginger and curry leaves.
• Add the sevai and mix nicely.
• You can eat this sevai with pappad, chutney or morukuttan.

The easy way to make sevai -

• You can also prepare sevai using Chinese thin rice noodles.
• Just boil the water with salt and 1 tsp oil.
• Add the noodles when the water boils.
• Close with lid, shut the gas and keep for 5 minutes. Add little cold water and remove the water with a sieve. 

Appalam

Appalam







Lemon Sevai

• Prepare sevai as above. Heat a pan with oil.
• Add mustard seeds 1tsp, chana dhal 2 tsp finely cut green chili ginger 2 tsp each and a few curry leaves.
• When mustard seeds crackle, add half tsp turmeric powder and half tsp hing.
• Add the sevai and the juice of 1 lemon juice. Mix well. Garnish with coriander leaves.
• Serve sevai with moru kozhambu  and fried appalams

  

  Lemon Sevai

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Vegetarian Spring Roll

Ingredients

• Spring roll wrappers
• Carrots cut like match sticks................1/4 cup
• Cooked Rice noodles.........................1/4 cup
• Red pepper cut like match sticks  .......1tbsp
• Lettuce................................                1leaf
• Pepper and salt to taste
• Olive oil to sprinkle

Spring Roll

Method

• Submerge the spring roll in medium hot water until pliable about 10 seconds.
• Place the lettuce leaf . noodles and keep all the other vegetables on it. 
• Add salt and pepper. sprinkle little olive oil.Fold first and then fold the sides and roll. It  sticks at the end. 
• This dish can be taken for lunch. It is very healthy and tasty. I tried with other dry vegetables and it came out well. Try it. Enjoy. 
• This is very simple dish  to do.
• Tips You can use rice noodles, tofu,cabbage, bean sprouts scallion , coriander leaves, avocado mush room and any dry curries.

Ulunthu Kozhakattai

Ulunthu  Kozhakattai

Ulunthu Kozhakattai

Ingredients

• Urad dhal…………….. 1 cup
• Green chilis…………....3
• Grated coconut………. half cup
• Ginger………………. .1 piece
• Curry leaves………….. few
• Mustard seeds……….. 1tsp
• Rice flour………… .....1 cup
• Water………………...1/2 cup
• Oil ………………….. 1 tsp
• Salt ………………….1 tsp
• Asafoetida……………half tsp

Ulundhu Kozhakattai

  Method

• Soak the dhal for an hour and grind coarsely with chili and salt.
• Steam this mixture for 10 minutes. 
• Heat a pan with oil add mustard seeds curry leaves,chopped ginger asafoetida and when mustard crackle add the steamed mixture and stir well..
• Add coconut and make small balls and keep
• Boil the water in a pan and add oil, salt and rice flour,maida.
• Stir well with out forming lumps. When it becomes thick dough,cover and keep. 
• Knead the dough with little oil till it becomes smooth.
• Make cups and place this dhal pournam and cover them.
• Steam all the kozhakattais for 10 minutes.

Onion Pakoda

Onion Pakoda

Onion Pakoda (venkaya pokoda) is famous Indian snack .Eat pakodas and drink coffee/tea.

Ingredients

• Besan(Chickpeas Flour………. 4cups
• Rice Powder…………………..2 tsp
• Chili Powder …………………3tsp
• Asafoetida……………………1/2 tsp
• Onion(cut into strips)………….4
• Ajwain……………………….1/2
• Coriander Leaves.................... few
• Salt to Taste

Method 

• Mix besan, rice flour, chili powder, salt, hing and coriander leaves in a bowl and add cut onions. 
• Make a thick paste by adding very little water
• Heat a pan with oil and drop gently a small lump of mixture with your fingers.,.
• Deep fry till it becomes golden color.Drain on a paper towel. 
• Serve with chutney or tomato ketchup .

Corn Bhajjia

Corn Bhajia

A snack with hot tea/coffee on a rainy day.

Ingredients

• Corn.....................................1/2cup
• Besan...................................1cup
• Rice flour...............................2 tbsp
• Chili powder........................1/2 tsp
• Chopped green chili..............2tbsp
• Ginger paste........................1/2tsp
• Chopped Onion.....................1/2 cup
• Salt to taste

Method

• Grind the corn coarsely and add all the ingredients and make thick dough.
• heat oil in a pan . 
• Drop small dough using a spoon /hand. Deep fry them.
• Serve with mint chutney/ coconut chutney..

Vada Pav

Vada Pav  It is also called Patato Vada. This snack is the famous street food  in Mumbai. It is very filling and very tasty. Pav is unsweetened bread or bun
.

Ingredients

• Boiled, Peeled and Mashed Potatoes...........6
• Garlic and Chili Paste..................................1tsp
• Turmeric Powder........................................1/4tsp
• Mustard Seeds...........................................1tsp
• Curry Leaves..............................................few
• Cumin Seed Powder...................................1tsp
• Lemon Juice................................................1tsp
• Coriander Leaves.........................................few
• Besan.........................................................2cups
• Pav.............................................................6
• Salt to Taste

Tamarind Chutney and Coriander chutney

Method

• Mix the gram flour with water and salt make a thick dough.
• Cook,peel and mash the potatoes and add the ginger chili paste, cumin seeds, lemon juice, Coriander leaves and  salt.
• Heat a pan with oil add mustard seeds and curry leaves.
• When the mustard splutters,add turmeric powder and mashed potatoes.
• Mix well and make small sized balls and keep.
• Heat a pan with oil to fry.When the oil is hot dip the potato balls into the besan batter and coat well,drop one by one into the oil.
• Deep fry them into golden brown.
  Take a pav slit in half not completely add both chutneys on it, place one potato ball and fold over by pressing little. Serve hot.

Keerai Vadai

Ingredients

Keerai Vadai

• Chana Dhal..........................1cup
• Urad Dhal.............................1/2 cup
• Red Chilies...........................5 
• Keerai Finely chopped.......1cup
• Asafoetida......................1/4 tsp
• Oil to Fry
• Salt to taste

 

Method

• Soak the dhals for 2 hours and grind coarsely with red chili, asafoetida and salt
• Add the chopped keerai and mix well.
• Take a lemon size ball and keep in your palm and press with your finger. 
• Drop them in hot oil. fry them till they turn golden brown.

Chakli( Like Murukku)

This recipe is easy one to make.

Ingredients

• Rice Flour...........................................2cups
• Cooked Moong Dal............................1/4 cup
• Ajwain..................................................1tsp
• Sesame seeds........................................1tsp
• Asafoetida..............................................1/2tsp
• Oil..........................................................2tsp
• Chili Powder...........................................1tsp
• Salt to Taste

Chakli

Method

• Cook the moong dhal with little turmeric powder in pressure cooker
• Mix rice flour, chili powder,oil, salt, sesame seeds,asafoetida, ajwain and  cooled moong dal  and make a  thick dough.
• Take chakli press, make murukku like round shape in a plastic paper and stick the end.
• So that while frying it  will not open . Heat oil and when the oil is hot, drop the chakli one by one. 
• Turn them in between. When the bubbles stop, take them out in a paper towel. 
• Eat with coffee or tea.
• This chakli can be made with out cooked moong Dal. 
• Use urad Dal powder instead of moong Dal. Add butter in place of oil.

Pasta

Pasta

I learn t to prepare pasta after coming here. Now my grand kids love pasta.First I didn't like pasta. After adding vegetables to it I started eating it.

Ingredient

• Sliced Mushrooms..........................1/2 cup
• Sliced Green Onion........................1/4 cup
• Cherry Tomatoes.halves.................1/2cup
• Vegetable oil..................................2tbsp
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Chopped Basil................................2tbsp
• Parmesan Cheese...........................!/2 cup
• Cooked and drained Spaghetti........3cups
• Mixed Vegetables..........................1/2 cup
• Minced Garlic................................1 clove
• Milk...............................................1/2cup..

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Method

• Heat oil in a pan and stir mushrooms, green onions and garlic for 2 minutes.
• Add tomato halves .Cook mix vegetables basil and milk in a pan at medium heat.
• Add  pasta, salt and pepper.,tomato mushrooms mix and stir well.
• Serve hot. and pepper....

Aval Upma

Aval Upma 
( Poha Upma) is easy one to prepare.

Aval Upma

Ingredients

• Aval......................................1cup
• Green Chilies.........................4
• Turmeric Powder..................1/4 tsp
• Chopped Ginger...................1tsp
• Roasted peanuts...................1tbsp
• Mustard Seeds......................1tsp
• Urad Dhal.............................2tsp
• Lemon Juice.........................1/2tsp
• Curry leaves.........................few
• Coconut..............................1/4 cup 
• Salt to taste

 

Method

• Soak the aval with little water for half an hour.
• Heat a pan with oil add mustard seeds, urad dhal,curry leaves, green chili and ginger.
• When the mustard crackles add the aval turmeric powder,lemon juice, coconut and salt.
• Mix well.