Ashok Halwa

This is my first attempt to make Ashok Halwa and I tried it from Premaof Prema's Thaligai recipe.  I thought it's a complicated recipe but no, it's quite easy to make and taste delicious.  Thanks Prema for sharing the wonderful recipe :)

Ingredients:

Moong Dal [Green Gram Dal] - 1/2 cup

Wheat Flour - 1/4 cup

Sugar - 1/2 cup [I used less, you can add 3/4 to 1 Cup or according to taste]

Ghee - 3-4 tbs

Cardamom Powder - 1/2 tsp

Cashews - 10-15 pieces

Almonds - 4-5 pieces

Food Colour (red) - 1/4 tsp [I used kesari powder]

Water - 1/4 cup

Method:

1. Clean, wash and soak moong daal for 2-4 hours.

2. Pressure cook 1/2 cup daal with 1/4 cup water for 3 whistles, keep aside.

3. In a pan or wok heat 2 tsp of ghee and roast wheat flour until light golden brown or nice aroma start coming from flour, transfer it to a bowl/plate and let it cool.

4. Heat 1tsp of ghee in same pan, mash the daal and add in the pan and roast for 10 minutes in slow flames or dal the fully cooked , stir in intervals.

5. Add sugar and mix well.  Now add wheat flour and mix everything well.

6. Add the remaining ghee, food colour, cardamom powder and keep stirring until ghee starts oozing out or for 5-8 minutes in slow flame.

7. Once the halwa start leaving pan sides, put off flame and garnish with nuts.


This goes to Nivedita's Celebrate Sweets~Halwa Event and to MLLA#25 hosted Siri and event started by Susan

Also sending Broken Wheat Halwa with Jaggery and Cashew & Banana Halaw to Nivedita.

Plantain (Raw Banana) Shallow Fry | Vazhakkai Curry

Plantain shallow/ tawa fry or yam shallow fry are some of my favorite side dish cause it's very easy and quick to prepare and taste just too good.  Whenever I get plantain I make the plantain stir fry (kacche kele ki sabzi) or this shallow fry than any thing else. 

This recipe is very simple but if you can few variations of your choice or preference or depending on this going to be your for any dal/sambar/rasam or rice variety.  But whenever you make this be sure to make little extra as it will disappear very soon.

Plantain Shallow Fry | Vazhakkai Curry

Prep time: 10 Mins
Cook time: 10 Mins
Total time: 20 Mins

Serving : 2-3 Persons

Ingredients:

Plantain/Raw Banana/Kaccha Kela - 1Oil/Tel - 1 tbsp
Cumin Seeds/Jeera - 1/2 tsp
Mustard Seeds/Rai - 1/2 tsp

Red Chilli Powder - 1 tspCoriander Seeds Powder/Dhaniya - 1 tsp
Turmeric Powder/Haldi - 1/2 tsp
Salt/Namek - To Taste (or 1/2 tsp)

Method:

1. Peel, wash and cut the plantain in thin slices.
2. In a pan heat oil add cumin, mustard seeds and allow to splutter.
3. Add plantain (raw banana) pieces and saute for 2 minutes. Add chilli, coriander, tumeric powder, salt and mix well.
4. Cover and cook for 5-6 minutes or until banana gets cooked fully, keep stirring in intervals.
OR
~ In a pan or tawa heat little oil and place plantain pieces, don't overlap. Cook in slow or medium flame for 3-4 minutes, Flip other side of plantain pieces and sprinkle little oil on top of them, cooking again in slow flame for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve warm with dal/sambar/rasam or any variety rice and relish.

Variations ~

• Instead of chilli, coriander & turmeric powder you can use 2 tsp of Sambar Powder.
• You can also add cumin powder or fennel seeds powder.
• Use 1 tsp of ginger-garlic paste if you prefer but normally it's not needed.

Have a nice day ~~

Aloo Methi ~ Potato with Fenugreek Leaves

There are so many ways of making a dish so that's goes same with this one too.  I used boiled potato here but one can try with raw potato too just need to chop/slice then in small pieces, that's one thing I want to try.  This is one of most easy recipe and taste great with roti/parata or just daal and rice. 

Ingredients:

Potato/Aloo - 1 [Boiled]

Organic Fenugreek Leaves/Methi - 100 gms [1 cup loosely packed]

Onion - 1 [large]

Green Chili - 2 [optional]

Ginger-garlic paste - 1tsp [Just garlic is fine too]

Red Chili Powder - 1 tsp

Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp

Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp

Oil - 1 tbsp

Salt - to taste

Method:

1.  Boil potato, peel and cut in cubes.   Chop onion, and green chili, keep aside. 
[ Refrigerated potato just works fine as it doesn't crumble much and hold the shape]

2. Clean, wash and chop the fenugreek leaves/methi along with tender part of stems, discard root and thick stems. 

[Methi in Singapore is different from what we get in India, once the dish is prepared one can find more stems than the leaves :), but I found the organic methi more better and lesser stems.  Look at the methi we get here...]

3. In a pan heat oil, add cumin seeds and allow to crack.

4. Add chopped onion and green chili, saute for a minute.

5. Add ginger-garlic paste and mix well.  Cook for 2 minutes or until onion turns light brown.

6. Add chopped fenugreek leaves/methi and stir.  Add all the spices and salt, stir well and cook for 5-7 mintues or until methi water is absorbed in slow to medium heat.

7.  Add cuted potato and mix gently.  Cover with lid and cook in medium to slow heat for 5 minutes.

Simple and easy Aloo Methi is ready to indulge ..and this goes to Priya's Think Spice - Think Fenugreek, a event started by Sunitha's

Enjoy your day....

Ivy Gourd ~ Tindora Masala

Today is Ivy Gourd/Coccinia grandis/Tindora/Kundru recipe a vegetable which I made for the 1st time.  I rarely eaten kundru and when DH bought this and I was like what I suppose to do with this, he said just make as you make other vegetables and gave me rough idea of recipe so here I tried it and I’m so glad that I did ...this one going to be regular one for sure now and blogging this recipe for my own reference :-)

Ingredients:
Kundru/Tindora- 400gms
Onion - 1 large
Tomato - 1 larege
Ginger-garlic paste - 1/2 tbsp
Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Fennel Seeds - 1/2tsp
Red chili powder - 2 tsp
Coriander Powder - 2tsp
Turmeric - 3/4 tsp
Garam Masala Powder - 1 tsp
Asafoetida/Hing - a pinchSalt - to taste
Oil - 2 tbsp

Method:

1. Peel, wash and chop onion and tomato, keep aside.
2. Wash and slice tindora.

3. In a pan heat oil add asafoetida , cumin and fennel seeds and allow to crack.

4. Add chopped onion n saute for a min in medium heat.

5. Add ginger-garlic paste and saute for 2 mins in medium to slow heat.

7. Now add the sliced tindora and saute for 5mins in medium to slow heat , stir in intervals

8. Add all the spcie powder and saute for 5mins in slow heat stiring in intervals

9. Add tomato,salt mix everything well and cook until tomato gets mash for about 3-4 mins in medium heat.

10. Add garam masala, mix everything well and cook for 2mins or until the tindora gets cooked.  Add little water if required to cook tindora. 

Enjoy the delicious simple tindora masala with roti or rice.   We had with roti along with radish, carrot and lettuce salad.

Enjoy your day ...

Festive Food ~ His Cooking Event Roundup Part II

Hi All,

Thank You all for being part of Festive Food~His Cooking Event.  Roundup Part I posted here...and before I start roundup again let me repeat what I said before...

 'All of you please convey my THANKS to your husband, Sons, Daughter and a BIG Sorry too.  Sorry is for all the trouble they have to go through cause of this event as many of us bugged our husband to cook! They must be really pissed with me ...thinking why the heck there has to be event like this ;) so do convey the message ladies.'

So let's not talk much and let's go straight into roundup...get ready to enjoy this virtual feast.

Pari of Foodelicious has sent Kerala Style Egg Curry which is Mind Cooking done by her hubby and what exactly is mind cooking...well to know rest of the story you will have to check her blog.

Muskaan of A2Z Vegetarian Cuisine has sent refreshing Mixed Berries & Pineapple Smoothie go straight to her space to know all the benefits of berries and this wonderful drink.

Jayashree Natarajan from Chitchat@crossroads and her daughters enjoys her hubby's cooking inform of Stuffed Karela which she says is innovative recipe, I sure agree :)

Priya from Priya's Easy N Tasty Recipes had a surprise breakfast Raspberry & Oats Smoothie prepared by hubby and also a simple, colourful and delicious Strawberry N Pineapple Salad now this is all we want rite?

Sukanya of Sukanya's Musings has shared AAM PANNA (RAW MANGO DRINK) with us and why the drink make it way to this event...you have check her post :)

Aruna from Veggie Paradise says her hubby is a chef in so many dishes and here is Sambar recipe from his department :)

Umm Mymoonah from Taste Of Pearl City is sharing her hubby signature dish Lamb Briyani which she had after a long time ...:)

Lataji from Flavours and Tastes sent us Aval Upma since her husband started cooking recently and she is enjoying and very proud of His Cooking :)

Priya Srinivasan of Enveetu Kitchen says her hubby is a good cook same as her father-in-law, isn't that wonderful?  Here she is sharing her hubby favourite recipe Potato-Capsicum Curry.

And here comes her son Kuttu entry for the event...we are really getting His Cooking work here? :-) check out the post and see the cute little dosa

Nithu Bala of Nithu's Kitchen is sharing some wonderful and colorful recipes of Beetroot Chutney,Tomato Kuzhambu and Bhindi Fry with us prepared by her hubby and checkout her blog to her gud writing skills too :)

Here comes Shabitha of My Home Kitchen entries Mango Thokku, Vegetable Puff and Thai red curried chicken noodles. Well looking at these yummy dishes am only feeling hungry and lost for words....but that's some cooking for sure from him...

 Sanyukta from Creativesanyukta sharing with us Chicken Salad, Beet-Carrot Salad and Egg Omlette which her dear hubby prepared and to know why check out her interesting post.

Akheela of Torviewtoronto sharing with us simple, fast and delicious Onion Tomato Sambal/Salad ...made by her hubby. 

Rachana of Veggie Fare sharing colourful, easy and yummy Grilled Vegetables, courtesy by her hubby :)..thanks dear for taking the pics :)

Most of us like Chole and what a treat it can be if coming from hubby? Well Apu from Annarasa - Essence of Food enjoyed the  Tari Wale Chole (Curried Chickpeas) on a Sunday afternoon..wonderful indeed.

And here comes my entry Yam in Yogurt Gravy which hubby prepared, this one of the best recipe and I simply love this, I posted the step wise recipe for my own reference :)

I do have one last part of roundup to come so stay tune :)

Yam Fry

This is one of my favourite dish which is so simple and delicious to eat.  I usually prepare only yam fry whenever we get yam but now included in the list is Yam in Yogurt Gravy

Ingredients:

Yam - 200gms
Red chili Powder - 2tsp
Coriander Powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - to taste
Oil - 1 tbs

Method:

1. Peel, wash and cut the yam in thin slices

2. Sprinkle chili, turmeric, coriander, turmeric, salt and leave it for 5mins (more than 5mins and the salt will start oozing water)

3. In a flat pan or tawa apply little oil and place yam pieces. Cook in slow or medium flame for 4-5 mines. Drizzle few drops of oil if required.

4. Flip other side of yam pieces and sprinkle little oil on top of them, cooking again in slow flame for 4-5 mins.

Delicious Yam fry is ready.

I also made rice, daal, longbean curry.

Enjoy your day...

Carrot Khichdi

Now a days Sat'day lunch is khichdi at my place as it's simple, quick and yet filling.  I normally do added extra ingredients to make the khichdi interesting and this time I used carrot.  This goes PJ's Vegetable Marathon: Carrot and a event started by Silpa of Anita's kitchen and To Siri's MLLA #25, a event start by Susan

Ingredients:

Rice - 1/2 cup
Lentil - 1/2 cup [I used  Yellow Pigeon Peas, Red Lentil, Bengal gram Lentil]
Carrot - 1
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Green chili - 3-4  [I used red chili]
Dry red chili - 1
Garlic - 1 tsp [chopped]
Oil/Ghee -1 tbs
Asafoetida - a pinch
Cumin - 1tps
Salt - to taste
Water - 3 cups


Method:

1. Wash and soak rice and lentils for 15mins to 2 hours.  I used tuar, channa and masoor daal in equal quality.

2. Wash, peel and chopped carrot, slit the chili, chop garlic and keep aside.

3. In a pressure cooker add rice, lentils, carrot, chili, turmeric, salt with 2 1/2 cups of water for 4 whistles.

4. Once cooker release pressure, mix the khichdi well add 1/2 or 1 cup water according to your preference and adjust salt if required.

5. Heat oil/ghee in a pan add Asafoetida, cumin seeds once it cracks add dry chili, garlic and saute until garlic turns golden brown.

6. Add the khichdi mix well and cook for 2 mins.

Enjoy the khichdi hot/warm.  We had with curd, red chili pickle and pappad.

Enjoy your weekend ....