Gulab Jamun/Gulab Jamoon

Gulab Jamun

Gulab Jamun is a milk-based dessert which is fried in oil and soaked in sugar syrup.

This is a famous dish in India and made at home during festivals.

Ingredients

1. Gulab Jamoon Mix - 1 Packet(500 g)

2. Sugar - 2 cups

3.Water - 3 cups

4.White Cardomam powder - 1/2 tea spoon (or crushed cardomam pods)

5. Saffron - a few strands (if available.This is optional)

6. Lemon juice - 1 tea spoon

7. Milk - 1/2 cup

8. Ghee/Clarified butter - 1/2 cup

9. Cooking Oil - for frying the Jamuns

Procedure

1. Take a big mixing bowl. Add the Gulab Jamun mixture which is readily available from the stores.

I had used 500 g of this powder.

2. To this , add 1/2 cup of milk, 1 tea spoon of ghee and knead into a soft dough. Add water as required. Adding too much water at the start would lead to a loose dough. Add water a few spoons at a time and keep kneading till the dough is soft and leave it aside for 15 minutes after covering the dough with a clean wet cloth.

3. After 15 mins, roll the dough into small equal sized dough balls and keep aside

4. Meanwhile, heat the remaining ghee and cooking oil in a wide frying pan/wok in medium heat.

Start using ladles with holes to strain the oil and place the dough balls in them and slowly dip them into the oil. 

Start frying the dough balls in batches till they get golden brown.

Once they reach this colour, remove them from the oil and keep them aside.

Check that the heat is low to medium and the jamuns are slowly fried till they turn colour. This will ensure that their insides are cooked as well, till the core. If you cook these at high heat, they will soon turn color but their inside dough will remain raw and uncooked.

5. To prepare the Jeera/Sugar syrup, take another wide pan and add 2 cups sugar and 2 cups of water and bring them to a boil until a string consistency. To check if the syrup has reached this consistency, you can follow either of these steps. a) Take a drop of sugar syrup and drop inside a cup of water. If the sugar syrup settles down inside the water it has reached this consistency. b) Similary, take a drop of sugar syrup and set in your thumb. Try to stick the fore finger and thumb together on the sugar syrup and remove. If this forms a fine strand, then the syrup is ready. Please be aware the syrup would be pretty hot. please take caution before checking.

6. Add the cardomom powder , saffron to give nice aroma and flavour to the syrup.

7. Add lemon juice and mix well so that sugar syrup does not crystallize. 

8. Add the fried Jamuns into the hot syrup and allow them to remain soaked for an hour or more so that the Jamoons are soft and absorb all the sugar syrup in them.

These can be served hot. But they taste best when allowed to be soaked in the sugar syrup for a long time.

9. Delicious Gulab Jamuns are ready to be served. Enjoy !!

Morkuzhambu or South Indian Kadi

Morkuzhambu or South Indian Kadi

This is a spiced up yoghurt based south indian dish - especially famous in Kerala and Tamilnadu.This is best taken with Rice or Sevai

Ingredients

1. Yoghurt - 1 cup

2. Desiccated or Fresh Coconut powder - 1/2 cup

3. Green chillies - 4 to 5

4. Methi/Vendhayam/Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tea spoon

5. Red Chillies - 2 to 3

6. Curry leaves - 10 leaves

7. Salt - 3/4 of a tea spoon

8.Water - as required

9. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tea spoon

10.Hing/Asofoetida/Perungayam - a pinch

11. Jeera/Cumin seeds - 1 tea spoon

12. Mustard - 1/2 tea spoon

13. Cooking coconut oil - 2 tea spoons
14. Rice -1 tea spoon

15. Okra- 4 - 5 cut in 1/2 inch pieces fried well in oil

Procedure:

1. Grind the Coconut powder, Green chillies, half of the curry leaves, rice and Cumin seeds.

 2.  Take the yoghurt in a vessel and beat it thoroughly till all lumps are broken.

Add enough water , (usually I take  1 cup of water and 1 cup of yoghurt ) and  mix the salt and turmeric powder in it. Add the ground coconut mixture in yoghurt


3. Cut okra into 1/2 inch pieces. In a wok, add 2 spoons of cooking coconut oil and heat it.



When the oil is hot, fry the okra pieces till they slightly brown in color and till they become crispy. At this stage, take them in a separate plate and leave the oil behind in the wok/frying pan.



4. To the same oil, add in the mustard and allow them to splutter.Add the fenugreek seeds and fry till they brown.

5. Add the red chillies, asafoetida and curry leaves.

6. Add the yoghurt mixture and pour it in the wok.

7. Allow the mixture to heat till the yoghurt just starts to boil. Add the okra to this mix, at this stage. Don't let the mixture to boil well else it would curdle.

8. Turn off the stove and keep the vessel aside.



Yummy morkuzhambu is ready to be served with rice.

Cilantro Rice/Coriander Rice/Kothamalli Sadam

 Cilantro Rice/Coriander Rice/Kothamalli Sadam

Ingredients

1. Coriander leaves/Cilantro/Kothamalli - 2 cups

2. Green chillies - 4

3. Red Onion - 1/4 of a big onion or shallots - 5 , 1/4 piece of red onion chooped into fine pieces

4. Garlic pod - 1

5. Cloves - 1

6. Cinnamon - 1 small piece

7. Mustard - 1/4 tea spoon

8. Cooking oil - 2 spoons

9. Tamarind piece - 1 small piece(about 1/2 inch)

10. Butter - 1/2 spoon (optional)

11. Rice - 1 cup ( Basmati rice preferable. Par-boiled or any other flavour that you prefer can be used as well)

12. Water for cooking rice -  1.5 cups if basmati rice or  2 cups if other varieties of rice.

13. Salt - 1 tea spoon for cilantro mixture , 1/2 tea spoon for cooking rice
14. Dry Red chillies - 3

Cooking Rice

1. Wash the rice well and soak it for 10 minutes.

2. After this, cook the rice well with required amount of water (1.5 cups of water if basmati rice or 2 cups for other varieties of rice) and 1/2 tea spoon of salt and 1 tea spoon of oil.

3. Adding oil will ensure that the rice strands do not stick to each other.

4. In cooking in pressure cooker, just allow 2 whistles and turn off stove. Allow pressure to automatically reduce. Once the rice is cooked well, then spread the rice on a plate gently and allow the rice to cool down.

Procedure

1. Wash the cilantro/coriander leaves/kothamalli thoroughly.

2. Grind the cilantro, green chillies, 1/4 of red onion red or shallots, garlic and tamarind piece together, in a mixer grinder along with water.

3. When the mixture is of thick consistency remove it and keep aside.

4. In a wide wok, heat 2 tea spoons of cooking oil and add cinnamon and clove and mustard seeds and allow them to splutter.Add the dry red chillies as well. Add onion and sauté till they turn golden brown.

5. Once the mustard splutter, add the ground cilantro mixture to it , add 1 flat tea spoon of salt and fry the mixture till it cooks well and the raw smell goes off. One of the indications that it has got cooked well is that the mixture would turn colour to dark green.

6. At this stage, add half spoon of butter. This gives a nice flavour. This is an optional ingredient. Adding this would reduce the chilli's pungent or hot effect.

7. Now keep adding the rice slowly and mix the cilantro mixture with the rice gently without breaking the rice strands. Continue this till all the rice gets mixed well with the cilantro mixture.

8. Taste the rice if salt is  in it and sprinkle salt if required.

9. Simmer the stove (reduce the flame) and keep the wok closed with a lid for around 3-4 minutes and turn off the stove.

Yummy cilantro/coriander rice/kothamalli sadam is ready. Serve hot with potato fry / fryums/ papadam/pickles. Happy cooking and Happy eating !



Thattai muruku

Thattai Murukku

Rice flour - 2 cups
Split Black gram (skin removed) /Urud Dhal/Vellai udaitha ulutham paruppu - 1/4 cup
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tea spoon
Asafoetida  - 1/4 tea spoon
Salt - 1 1/4 tea spoon
Unsalted cooking butter - 2 tea spoons
White sesame seeds - 3 tea spoons
Split bengal gram - 3 tea spoons
Curry leaves - 10 (Optional)
Cooking Oil - As required
Water - As required

Procedure:
1. In a wok, dry roast the split black gram till it turns slight golden brown.
2. In a mixer-grinder, powder the roasted gram well.
3. Soak the split bengal gram in water for about 15 minutes and remove it from water after that and keep aside.
4. In a wide vessel, mix the rice flour, powdered gram flour, Red Chilli powder, Asafoetida, Salt, butter, sesame seeds, soaked bengal gram etc.Cut the curry leaves into small pieces and add to the mix(Optional).
5. Add water in small amounts to this mix and knead this well into a soft dough.
6. Split the dough into equal sized pieces and flatten each piece into a thin round spread.
7. For flattening, follow this procedure - In a flat plate/plastic sheet, apply a thin layer of oil , place a piece of dough and flatten it using hand. While removing it, remove along the edges else the dough might stick to the plate.
8. While flattening all the dough pieces, heat oil for frying in a wok.
9. Fry the flattened thattai murukku , 2 at a time, in the hot oil till they turn golden brown.

Crispy Thattai murukku is ready. This can be served as tea time snack.

Mysore rasam

Mysore rasam/ South Indian spicy rasam

Ingredients:

For dry roasting:

Split Bengal gram/kadalai paruppu - 2 tea spoons
Yellow split lentils/Red gram/thuvaram paruppu - 2 tea spoons
Whole black pepper/kuru milagu - 1 tea spoon
Cumin seeds/jeera - 1 tea spoon
Dry red chillies -2
Broken Dry coriander seeds - 2 tea spoons

For preparing rasam mix:

Ripe Tomato -1
Yellow split lentils/Red gram/thuvaram paruppu - 1/4 tea cup
Water -3 tea cups
Salt -2 tea spoons
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tea spoon
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tea spoon
Tamarind extract juice -1/4 tea cup or mix 1/2 tea spoon of tamarind concentrate paste in 1/4 tea cup
Coriander powder - 1 tea spoon 
Asafoetida - 2 pinches/ 1/8 tea spoon
Curry leaves - 4-5
Mustard - 1/2 tea spoon
Red chillies - 2 dry


Preparation procedure:


1. In a pressure cooker , cook 1/4 tea cup of yellow lentils with 1 cup of water. Allow enough whistles, say 5, till the lentils get cooked well.
Once the pressure is released, mix the lentils with a ladle till they are completely mashed.
2. Take 1 1/2 cup of water in a vessel and smash the ripe tomato in the water. Squeeze out the tomato pulp thoroughly and remove the tomato skin from the water.
3. Mix the turmeric powder, red chilli powder, tamarind juice extract, coriander powder, salt ,asafoetida etc to this tomato extract and keep the vessel aside
4. Heat a tea spoon of cooking oil in a wok, When the oil is hot, add
add all the ingredients for dry roasting and roast them till a nice aroma comes, till the grams turn light brown.
5. In a mixer-grinder, powder the roasted ingrediants coarsely and keep this aside.
6. In a wok, add 1 tea spoon cooking oil. When the oil is hot, add the mustard , add the dry red chillies, curry leaves and let the mustard seeds splutter.
7. Now add the tomato,  tamarind extract mix from step 3 and pour it carefully into the wok and heat it till the mix starts boiling.
8. When the mix starts to boil, add the powdered ingredients and let it boil well.
9. Now add the boiled lentils from step 1 to this mix and let this boil.
10. As the mix starts boiling , turn off the stove. Add coriander leaves to this and close this rasam with a lid.

Gamama Mysore rasam is ready. Serve with hot rice.

Veggie chow mein

Indian Vegetarian chow mein - Rice noodles
This is an attempt for coming up with an indianized version of the chow mien. Rice sevai or noodles anything will go well for the curry. You can try preparing with either of them, whichever goes for you.

Ingredients
Rice noodles  or Indian instance sever or chow mein noodles - 1 packet
Water - as required (2-3 cups )
Salt - as required

Oil - as required(approx 4 spoons)
Corn flour -3 spoons


Vegetables for the gravy
Carrots - 2 - sliced and cut into thin pieces
Potato - 1 - sliced and cut into thin pieces
Capsicum - 1 - sliced and cut into thin pieces
Onion - sliced into thin pieces
Green chillies - 4-5 - slit into halves
Garlic - chopped into fine pieces
tomato - 1 - chopped into fine pieces
Chillie-tomato (hot and sweet) sauce - 3-4 spoons

Procedure:
1. Heat about 2 cups of water  till it boils well
2. Add about 1 flat spoon of salt to it
3. Add the noodles/instant rice sevai to the water with about one spoon of oil
4. Turn off the stove and close the lid and keep aside

5. After about 10 mins, the noodles would have got cooked well and also because of the oil, the strands would not be sticking with each other
6.Drain the water well and spread out the noodles/sevai on a plate and allow it to cool.

Gravy
1. In a pan, pour about 3 spoons of cooking oil and heat it up
2. Put in the garlice pieces and green chillies and saute well
3. Add the sliced up onion, and capsicum and saute till the onions turn golden brown

4. Add the Potato pieces, sprinkle about 1/2 spoon of salt and saute well

5. Add the carrot and sprinkle about 1/4 spoon of salt and saute well

6. Mix the corn flour with about 5 spoons of water till it forms a dilute liquid

7. Pour it into the vegetable mix and mix well
8. Add the tomato pieces, add about 1/4 spoon of salt and saute well till all the ingredients are mixed well

9. Add the chillie- hot and sweet sauce to the mix

10. Pour about 1/2 cup of water and allow the mix to cook well.
11. Turn off the stove when the gravy turns into a thick mix.

12. Taste if enough salt is available in the mix and add if required.

Serving
Serve the noodles in a plate. The generous amount of hot gravy can be either spread on top of the noodles or placed besides the noodles on the plate

Enjoy your recipe well!

Mini Kerala Sadhya

Mini Kerala Sadhya

Aviyal

All kinds of Vegetables will go well
Potato - 1
Carrot - 1
Brinjal - 1
Beans - a handful
Pumpkin - a few pieces
Bitter gourd - 1
Coconut scrappings/powdered coconut - 3/4 cup
Green chillies - 5-6
Salt
Curl - 3 tea spoons
Coconut oil - 2 tea spoons
Curry leaves - As required
 Jeera - 4 tea spoons

Procedure
1. Cut all vegetables to about 1/2 inch length pieces
2. Cook them well in  a thick-bottomed vessel with required amount of salt and water
3. Grind the coconut scrappings/powder, Green chillies and Jeera into a a fine paste by adding required amount of water,in a mixer.
4. When the vegetables are cooked well, add the ground coconut mix to the vegetables and let the mix get cooked well.
5. When the mix is cooked well, add curd to it, mix well and turn off the stove
6. Add coconut oil and Curry leaves

Serve with Hot rice.

Melagishiyam

Potato -2 or Cabbage - 1/2
Tuvar dhal - 3/4  cup
Jeera - 4 tea spoons
Red Chillies - 5-6
Coconut scrapings - 1/2 cup
Coconut pieces - about a tea spoon
Coconut oil - 2 tea spoons
Currey leaves -a few
Mustard - 1 tea spoon
Salt as required
Water

Procedure

1. Boil the cut vegetables(either potato cubes or chopped cabbage) with required amount of water and salt.
2. Boil the dhal in a pressure cooker separately( at least 3-4 whistles)
3. When the vegetable is well cooked, add the dhaal to it , mix well and allow it to get mixed and cook well.
4. Meanwhile, grind the cococunt scrapings, Jeera and Red chillies to a fine paste in a Mixer grinder.
5. Add the paste to the vegetable dhaal mix, stir well and allow to boil.
6. When boiled well, turn off the gas.
7. In a separate skillet, heat some oil. Add the mustard , allow it to splutter and add some curry leaves.
8. Add about a spoon full of coconut pieces and fry them till they become golden brown. Add all these to the Melagishiyam and serve hot with Rice.

Shallot /Chinna vengaya Sambar

Shallots - 15 pieces
Tomato - 1 - cut into small pieces
Green chillies - 5-6 - slit into halves
Shred Coconut - 1/2 cup
Red Chillies -7-8
Dhania/Coriander powder - 3 tea spoons
Curry leaves - a few
Fenugreek - 1/2 tea spoon
Cooking Oil - 3 tea spoons
Sal - as required
Bengal gram/lentils  - 1/2 cup
Water - 3 cups
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tea spoon
Chilli powder - 1 tea spoon
Sambar powder - 1 1/2 tea spoon
Asofoedita - 1 pinch
Coriander leaves - a few



Procedure

1. Boil the bengal gram/lentils with 1 1/2 cups of water in a pressure cooker for 5 whistles.
2. When the pressure releases, smash the cooked bengal gram and  keep it aside
3. Heat a thick-bottom skillet and pour 1 tea spoon of oil
4. When the oil heats up, add 1/2 spoon of fenugreek and fry till golden brown, add the asofoedita powder and a nice aroma comes at this stage
5. Add the coriander powder, coconut, chillies,curry leaves and roast till the mix becomes golden brown.
6. Grind the mix into a fine paste and keep aside
7. In a thick-bottom skillet, heat 2 tea spoons of oil, add the slit green chillies and Tomato pieces and saute.
8. Add the shallots, do not fry them. Add 1 cup of water and add salt as required.
9. Add 1/2 spoon of turmeric powder, chilli powder, sambar powder and let this mix boil.
10. Once the shallots become soft and well-cooked, add the cooked bengal  gram and mix well and allow it to boil
11. Add the ground coconut paste and mix well. Add salt if required.Close the skillet with a lid and allow it to boil.
12. Once this mix boils well, turn off the stove.
13. In a separate skillet, heat some oil, add some mustard and a red chilli allow them to splutter and pour the mix into the prepared sambar.
14. Sprinkle some coriander leaves and garnish

Hot and tasty Sambar is read y to be served with Rice.