Sweet Chutney Recipe | Imli Khajur Ki Mithi Chutney

Sweet chutney or Imli ki chutney is one that I absolutely love after green chutney, it’s used for all most all the chat times, dahi bhallas, samoas, kachori, pani puri and the list goes on.  Some time I will just scoop out little chutney and relish it as it is, ya that’s me.  Even use this some times as spread for sandwich that’s delicious too.  But then don’t use this sweet chutney for the vegetable sandwich, it doesn’t do justice to the wonderful sandwich that tomato sauce does, this is from my experience, the best thing about this chutney is it can be store for up to a month or may be more than that but then I never use it more than a month if store properly.  So here is the simple recipe. 

Ingredients:

Tamarind/Imli - 1 small lemon size ball
Dates - 15-16
Jaggery - 1 1/2 tbsp
Cumin Powder - 1 tsp
Red Chilli Powder - 1 tsp
Rock Salt/Kala Namak -1/2 tsp [optional]
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Water - as needed

Method:

1.  Chop pitted dates, pressure cook dates and tamarind for 2 whistles with drizzle some water around 1 tbsp of each.  You can pressure cook both together or separately, normally I keep them separate.

2. Once cooker release pressure grind dates into smooth paste, use little water if required.  Extract juice from cooked tamarind.



3. In a pan add tamarind extra, dates paste and 1/2 cup water and mix well.  Add jaggery and bring it to boil.  Now add cumin, red chilli powder, rock salt, salt and mix everything well.



4. Simmer for 2 minutes or until the thick consistency reached, it will be thick like sauce.  It’s up to you how you like the chutney to be very thick or little runny.  Adjust spice and salt if required.



5.  Allow it to cool completely, store in air tight container and you can refrigerator it up to a month.  Just remember to use every time clean, dry spoon and scoop out always from one corner and move further rather then using the chutney from all over the bottle/box. 

Variations:

~ You can use sugar instead of jaggery.

~ Add 1 tbsp of raisins for that extra kick.

~ Instead of rock salt you can use chat masala.

~ You can extract tamarind juice as you normally do, let it boil and then add finely chopped dates and cook until it becomes soft and mash while it’s cooking and then follow the remaining steps.  I make this chutney this way too. 

~ I normally make my chutney thick like you see in the pictures and store.  If I need to dilute I just add little water every time I use the chutney. 

~ If you don't want to pressure cook then microwave tamarind and dates for 2 minutes in high and extra juice and cook as above.

Have a nice day ~~

Wheat Halwa | Tirunelveli Halwa Recipe | Diwali Recipe

I heard a lot about Tirunelveli Halwa but tasted it only when my colleague from Thirunelveli joined my team and every time he goes to India this halwa comes back with him in kilos from the famous Thirunelveli Lruttukadai ( Iruttukadai translates to dark shop).  Well this seems to be the most famous shop selling this halwa and been for generations.  Ofcourse along with this shop story there are plenty of other story we would gossip but we shall not go there.  Frankly speaking I’m not a big fan of halwa specially store ones as it’s too sweet for me, whenever my colleague will pass me the halwa pack I will give to some friends.  Well you think then why on earth I make this halwa, it was meant for one of my other colleague to whom unfortunately I couldn’t pass this!


What my colleague gets from this famous shop looks like exactly this in colour and texture so if you think why the halwa is not in orange/yellow or red colour then I haven’t seen this halwa in those colour personally, here I did what I have seen n tasted.  You can use any food colour of your choice no argue about it.  I made this during night so no stepwise pictures this time. Try this recipe during this Diwali season and wow your family and friends.
And ya, this happens to be my 250th post, yahh I have come this far.  Thanks to readers, bloggers and friends for your support.


Ingredients:
Wheat Berries/Whole Wheat - 1 Cup
Sugar - 2 Cups [ I used 1.5 cups]
Water - 1/2 cup
Cashewnuts - 1/4 cup
Ghee - 3/4 Cup
Cardamom Powder - 1/2 tsp
Food Colour - a pinch [ I used mix of orange and red]


Method:
1. Clean, rinse and soak wheat berries with enough water for minimum of 8 hours or for 24hours.  I soaked for around 15 hours.
2. Rinse again soaked wheat and grind in grinder/mixer or blender with water until it become coarse paste white in colour.  Use a sieve to filter and extract milk in a bowl.  Repeat the step again, grind the remaining fibrous wheat with water and extract milk, discard the remaining wheat. 
3. Cover the bowl and let it ferment overnight. 
4. In a heavy bottom pan (pressure cooker works best here) add water and sugar, cook on medium flame and prepare 1 thread consistency sugar syrup.  Add food colour and mix well.
~ To check sugar syrup consistency, after sugar dissolves in water and starts to boil keep stirring the mix.  Dip hand in a bowl of water, then touch the sugar syrup with index finger (careful not to get burn as it will be very hot).  Press index and thumb finger together and slowly move the fingers apart you can see a string forming between fingers this means our sugar syrup is ready. If not, let syrup cook for a minute more and do the checking process again. 
4.  Once sugar syrup is ready reduce flame to slow and add extracted milk slowly and keep stirring.  This is the important part we can’t stop the stirring process.  Once it thicken slightly, add cardamom powder and 1 tbsp of ghee and keep stirring.
5. After each minute of stirring add 1 tbsp of ghee and stir again repeat this until you use 3/4 cup to 1 cup of ghee each time adding only 1 tbsp of ghee.  After around 20-25 minutes the halwa will be glossy, forms a mass and doesn’t stick to pan anymore then it’s done.  Add cashew and stir again well. 
Would you like to have some?


If you want to cut into pieces then pour the halwa on a greased plate while it’s still hot and allow it cool then cut in desire shape.  But then it’s a halwa why we want to make the halwa in to burfi !  Anyways I tried to cut few pieces for you guys


Yes, it sure a lengthy and tedious process but then if you like the halwa then it’s all worth it.  You can start with small quantity like 1/2 to 1 cup of wheat then doing in a large amount.


Have a nice day ~~

Fruit Trifle | Trifle Pudding Recipe

I find planning a menu time consuming task and last few days I had back to back hosting guests, every time to decide new menu with new recipes can be difficult and one of those days Prathibha gave me the idea to try Fruit Trifle/Trifle Pudding for dessert. 


The good thing about this trifle is one can make this recipe as per their taste and requirement and it’s so simple to make. If you have lot of work for get together or party then this trifle can be very handy as everything can be put together in less than 20 minutes provided having some cake in hand.  Just make the custard, arrange the trifle, keep it in fridge and forget about it until it’s time to serve and wow your family, friends and guests with this delicious and attractive trifle.

Try this recipe during this festive season for a sweet surprise to your near and dear ones, how about using eggless cake to make this trifle pudding and serve this for Diwali dinner dessert for a change?  Sounds interesting rite? 



Ingredients: [Serves - 6]
Cake - 1 1/2 cup chopped [ I am using marmer cake here]
Banana - 2
Apple - 1
Strawberry - 18-20 pieces
Whipped Cream - For garnishing [optional]
  
For Custard
  Custard Powder - 3 tbsp
  Milk - 500ml
  Sugar - 4 tbsp [to taste]
 


Method:

1. We can start with making the custard, boil milk, meanwhile in a bowl take custard and add 50ml from the boiling milk or just enough milk to mix with custard.  Make sure there is no lumps formed. 
2. Add sugar in milk and let it simmer for 2 minutes.  Now add the custard milk mix and stir non-stop on low flame, milk will start to thicken this takes 3-5 minutes. Custard has to be thick with pouring consistency, keep aside.



3. While the custard is getting ready we can work on chopping the fruits.  You can use any fruit of your choice like orange, pomegranate, peach etc.  Wash well and chop all the fruits, keep aside.


4. You can use cake of your choice, if you have any leftover it works perfect.  Chop cake in small pieces, even brownie or muffin will work here.  I am used marmer cake.
5. For assembly, in serving glass add chopped cake pieces until 1/4 of glass.  You can use a large serving bowl or plate and arrange the cake pieces. 


6. Pour 3-4 tbsp of custard, then layers of fruits.  I kept apple, banana followed by strawberry. 


7. Our fruit trifle is ready, cover it with cling wrap or aluminium foil and chill in fridge for 2-3 hours or until ready to serve. 



Garnish with whipped cream and top it with strawberry or cherry before severing.  Isn’t that easy?  Make this a day before (don’t use banana in that case as it will change colour) or in the morning before your party.



Variations
~  If you don’t have any leftover cake in hand no problem, try this with jelly.
~ Use any flavour custard, I used pista flavour.
~ Choice of fruit is up to you whatever you can lay your hands on.  You can also use canned fruits but personally I like to use fresh ones.
~ You can do layering as per your choice like starting with cake/jelly, fruits and then custard.  In this case you have to let the custard set first. 

Have a nice day ~~

Mochakottai Sundal | Val Beans Salad | Navratri Vrat Recipes

How your Navratri Celebration is going?  Hope you are having fun, food and laughter.  Thanks to facebook I’m able to see beautiful Golu setup from other bloggers friends it’s a virtual treat indeed, I hope to see some Durga Pandal pictures too.   We don’t make sundal much, not during Navratri too which is very famous in down South (India).  Sundal is spiced up like Channa Chat recipe or famous Channa Jor Garam, there’s also few old hindi songs goes by same name. 

I hardly make sundal, it’s rare then once in a blue moon, but since it’s sundal everywhere in blogs now a days I wanted to eat some too.  One can make sundal of any beans like chickpeas, black chickpeas, peanuts etc and here am using mochakottai (mochai kottai) aka Val Beans which is delicious option to try. 

Ingredients:
Mochakottai/Val Beans - 1 cup/150gms
Grated Coconut - 2 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Oil - 1 tsp
  For Tempering:
Hing/Asafoetida - a pinch
Mustard Seeds - 1/4 tsp
Urad Dal - 1/4 tsp
Dry Red Chillies - 1
Slit Green Chillies - 1
Minced Ginger - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 sprig

   Method:
1. Rinse and soak mochakottai/val beans for 5-6 hours or overnight. 

  ~ Mochai kottai double in size after soaking over night, you can see in the below picture the size of beans before and after soaking. 

2. Rinse again and pressure cook with enough water (around 3 cups) and salt for 4-5 whistles, once pressure is release drain water and keep boiled mochakottai aside.

3. In a pan or wok heat oil and add ingredients ‘for tempering’ in order.   Once mustard seeds splutters and urad dal gets light brown add boiled mochakotttai and give a good stir.

4. Add grated coconut mix well (adjust salt if required) and fry for 2 minute, turn off flame.

Our mochakottia.val beans sundal is ready.  A wonderful way to munch on these guilt free snacks.  We had with as always tea.

 Variations:
~ You can add 2 tbsp of fresh cilantro or mint.
~ Add little fresh crushed peppercorn for that extra spicy kick.  I add little pepper for DH and he liked it that way.
~ Fresh minched ginger adds good flavour so try not to skip it.

Have a nice day ~~

Vegetable Sandwich | Street Style

As most of you liked Murukku Sandwich recipe, I thought I should post this sandwich recipe too which is my all time favourite.  I simply love this sandwich for it’s simplicity.  This Vegetable sandwich goes a long way, on our every trip to Elephant Gate (also known as Sowarpet) in Chennai this is must along with fresh, yummy sugarcane juice.  And when I started studying there then it was regular for lunch, we group of friends will go and enjoy juice, chaat items or these sandwich and this used to cost us only Rs. 5 ahh those were the days. 

This is one of most simple sandwich to make and taste so delicious, so far to whomever I have served this all have enjoyed and asked for more.  My nephew love this and he always asks me for second serving.  If you have unexpected guests then it’s a wonderful sandwich to greet them along with tea or coffee or you can have this as a quick breakfast or as evening snack to munch on guilt free.  You can use whole wheat bread or multi grain bread whatever you like.  It’s normally made with white bread. 


Ingredients: [Serves 2]
Bread Slices - 4
Onion - 1/2
Ripe Tomato - 1
Boiled Potato - 1 small
Cucumber - 1/2 or 8 pieces
Green Chutney/Sandwich Chutney - 2-3 tbsp
Tomato Ketchup - 2-3 tbsp
Butter - As needed to spread  [optional]

Method:
1. Cut all the veggies in round shape. I like to separate few of onion circles so I can use less of onion as doesn’t like to have onion smell after eating.

2. Trim bread edges and spread butter (if using) on two slice.  Apply green chutney or sandwich chutney on top of butter and in another two slice spread tomato sauce/ketchup. [ I didn’t use butter]

3. Arrange the veggies as you like on the slice we have applied chutney.  I normally first keep cucumber pieces, followed by tomato, onion and potato, cover it up with another slice of bread.
Try to keep tomato slice in middle so that it doesn’t makes the bread soggy.

Cut in desire shape and enjoy these yummy beauties.  You can arrange the sandwich and make it as toast but I personally don’t like that as the veggie becomes little soggy while we toast. Or you can toast the bread and then arrange the sandwich too then I find the bread becomes chewy   so I just do this way using white or brown bread.

Serve with tea/coffee, juice or anything of your choice.  This can be a quick snack or breakfast if you have chutney ready, I normally keep my green chutney in fridge which lasts me more than a week. 
Arrange the sandwich just before eating or the bread might become soggy due to chutney and veggie.  And this goes to Archana’s Fast Food Not Fat Food, a event started by Priya

Have a nice day ~~

Apple Rabdi | Rabri

   Wish you all Happy Navratra, enjoy the festive with fun, food and dance, here am starting the Navratri on a sweet note with Apple Rabdi.   Apple Rabri is one of those desserts which is very simple to prepare but taste divine.  It’s a pity that I ignored this wonderful dessert for so long but then I have my own reasons for it.  You see I always assumed that making apple rabdi is a tough job!

Sabudana Thalipeeth and Aloo Raita | Navratri Vrat Recipes

Sabudana Thalipeeth or say Sago(Tapioca) Potato Pancake is one of the easy recipe to make and it taste very good.   Thalipeeth is kind of savoury pancake made from different types of flours, popular in Western Indian State Maharashtra.  I started making thalipeeth for some time now and love it.



Sabudana Thalipeeth is popular during Navrathri or fasting time, it can be consumed as snack or a meal.  The recipe calls for minimal ingredients and results is delicious pancakes, we just have to take care of only few small things while making these beauties.  I have done here mini thalipeeth, it’s easy to make and cook, one can do a normal or large size using the same method.   Not only during fasting but you can make these for breakfast or for evening snacks, kids will like this as it’s not spicy at all, even DH doesn’t like Sago but to my surprise he ate this happily which I didn’t expected. 



Ingredients: [Makes 16-18 mini pancakes]

Sabudana/Sago Pearls (Tapioca) -  1 Cup
Boiled Potato - 3 [medium]
Roasted Peanuts - 1/2 Cup
Green Chillies - 3 [add more if you want to make it little spicy]
Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp
Cumin Powder - 1 tsp
Lemon Juice - 1 tbsp
Chopped Cilantro - 2 tbsp
Rock Salt (Sendha Namak) - to taste
Ghee/Oil - For brushing



Method:

1.  Rinse and soak sabudana/sago for 4-6 hours or over night.  For more details on how to soak sago you can refer to my sabudana khichdi post.  Drain the water, it should looks like this.

2.  Peel and mash boiled potato, make it without any lumps.   Coarsely grind roasted peanut.
3. In a bowl or plate add all the ingredients except ghee/oil and mix well.  Sago and potato should not have water otherwise the dough will be very sticky.  Divide in to equal portion and make into smooth balls, meanwhile heat a pan/tawa.

4. To make the thalipeeth there are two-three ways to do it
~ Method 1: Take one dough ball at a time and place it on a greased plastic sheet or zip lock bag.  You can grease the plastic sheet with oil or water, I did with water.  Dip hand in a bowl of water, gently press down ball with hand and make pancake.

~ Method 2: Take one dough ball and place it in middle of plastic sheet, cover it with another plastic sheet and roll it using a rolling pin. 
~ Method 3:  Take one dough ball and place it in middle of plastic sheet, cover it with another plastic sheet.  Place a flat bowl (katori) on top of the ball and press it slowly to make a pancake, if there is any breaks seal it with hands.   I found this method most easy and fast way to do it. 

5. Which ever method you are using carefully lift the plastic sheet flip thalipeeth in another hand and gently place it on tawa.  This has to be done with little care to avoid breaking of pancakes.
6. Let it cook on medium flame until the edges becomes light brown, flip and apply ghee or oil.  Let the other side cook until golden brown too and apply ghee and oil.  Repeat the same for rest.

~ Don’t flip the thalipeeth before the edges becomes brown ie the bottom side has to be brown, if you try to flip the thalipeeth before the edges get's brown it might break. 
Serve hot or warm with coconut chutney, curd, pickle or raita.


Variations:
~ If the dough is breaking a lot then you can add 2 tbsp of kuttu ka aata (Buckwheat flour) during fasting.  For normal days you can add 2 tbsp of wheat flour.
~ You can use table salt while making this on normal days.   You can also add 1 tsp of chilli powder to make it spicy.

   Aloo Raita (Potato in Spiced Yoghurt)
Aloo Raita or Aloo Ka Raita is again very simple raita to make and it’s quite different from usual onion or cucumber raita.
 
Ingredients:

Boiled Potato - 1 medium
Curd/Yogurt - 2 Cups
Green Chilli - 1
Red Chilli Powder- 1/2 tsp + a pinch
Cumin Powder - 1/2 tsp + a pinch
Chopped Cilantro - 1 tbsp
Rock Salt (Sendha Namak) - to taste

Method:

1. Peel and dice boiled potato, finely chopped green chilli and cilantro.

2. In a bowl beat well curd, add all the ingredients and mix well.

3. Garnish with a pinch of red chilli and cumin powder and little of cilantro.  Chill and Serve. 



This raita goes with any pulav, variety rice or paratha.

Other Sago (sabudana) Recipes you might like

• Sabudana Tikki/Vada | Sago Cutlet
• Sabudana (Sago) Khichdi
• Sabudana (Sago) Murukku
• Sabudana Kheer | Sago Pudding
• Mango Sago

Have a nice day