Balaskitchen’s Blog

idly maavu

Posted by: balaskitchen on: November 15, 2011

Ingredients- 1. Idly rice ( white boiled rice ) – 4 cups 2. Whole urid dhal –  1 cup 3. Salt. Method – wash  the given quantity of rice and dhal separately, and soak them in water each separately. Let them soak for about 3 hours. Then take the dhal first, and grind it in a grinder, adding water only little by little, make it into a very smooth creamy paste. You can identify it by seeing the colour of the paste, by grinding well the colour of the dhal will gradually change from cream to whitish. Touch and check whether all the dhal has grounded well. Now after this completes, take it out in a large vessel, now add the rice to the grinder little by little,grind it adding water in the same way. Check the grounded rice between your fingers. The texture should be like that of fine rawa. In this stage stop grinding and take the grounded rice in the urid dhal paste vessel. Mix both together well by adding enough salt to it. While mixing both with your hands, you can feel the consistency of the maavu, as it should not be too thick nor too thin. Leave the maavu in the same container  for whole night to ferment. You can see this,as the maavu will rise a little the next day. If your country is cold, do this grinding process in the morning, and keep the grounded flour after completion under the sun. After this leave the container with the flour on the kitchen top for the whole night. This will help a little to the flour to ferment. Next day mix again the flour from top to bottom,make idlis as you wish. Idlis goes well with sambar and chutney.

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Paavakkai Pittalai (Bitter gourd sambar)

Posted by: balaskitchen on: May 1, 2011

Ingredients :

1. paavakkai — 1 medium size

2. toor dhal — 1/2  cup

3. tamarind —  a small lemon size for cooking( Soak  for half an hour )+ small lemon size for soaking the paavakkai.

4. coconut scrape — 1 full laddle

5. dhania — 1 and a half tsp

6. channa dhal — half tsp

7. vendhayam — 1/4 tsp

8. urid dhal – 1/2 tsp

9. red chillies — 6 to 7 nos.

10. curry leaves — few

11. mustard seeds — 1 tsp

12. oil  – to temper ( 5 to 6 tsps )

13. salt — according to taste

14. jaggery —  (grated) 2 tsps

Method :         Slit the paavakkai lengthwise, and cut this to 1/4 inch thickness, wash it thoroughly after cutting and soak this in tamarind juice for half an hour. Leave it aside.

Now, cook the toor dhal after washing it, in pressure cooker till soft. Keep it aside.  Take a pan with 4 tsps of oil, heat it , add the dhania, channa dhal, urid dhal, vendhayam, red chillies, and fry this till golden brown. Transfer this fried items to a bowl and again heat the kadai without oil, add the coconut scrape, fry for a minute and switch off the stove now. After the fried items is cooled, grind everything to a smooth paste with enough water. Keep it aside.

Now take a big vessel, squeeze the tamarind to get one tumbler of juice, and add the juice to the vessel and heat it. Bring this to boil. Now again wash the  paavakkai, which you have put in tamarind juice separately, in plain water (Do not use this tamarind juice again ). Then add this to the boiling tamarind juice, cook till the paavakkai is done. Then add the cooked toor dhal, mix well . cook for 2 minutes, then add the grounded paste, mix well , and again cook for 5 minutes, add enough water according to your needed consistency, cook for 5 more minutes, add the salt, jaggery, few curry leaves while cooking and switch off the stove now. Now temper this with only mustard seeds.  Paavakkai pittalai is ready to serve.

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Kathirikkai Kootu (Eggplant Kootu)

Posted by: balaskitchen on: May 1, 2011

Ingredients:

1. kathirikkai (any type)  –  1/2 kg

2. coconut  scrape —  1 laddle full

3. dhania — 1 and 1/2 tsp

4. urid dhal  –  1 tsp

5. jeeragam  –  1 tsp

6. red chillies  –   6 to 7 nos.

7. jaggery  – (grated or crushed) 1 tsp

8. coconut oil  – for cooking.

9. toor dhal — 5 tsps

10. moong dhal  – 5 tsps.

11. tamarind — a very small size (soak it for 1/2 an hour).

12. salt — to taste.

13. mustard seeds — 1 tsp

Method : Wash the toor dhal and moong dhal together and cook this in the pressure cooker with enough water till soft.  Now take a kadai, heat it with 4 tsps of coconut oil, add the dhania, urid dhal, jeeragam, red chillies, and fry till golden brown. Keep it aside. After it gets cooled, grind this fried items along with the coconut to smooth paste and keep it aside.

Now cut the brinjals to big size cubes, wash it. Take a vessel , pour the tamarind juice , bring it to boil, then add the cut brinjals to the tamarind juice, and cook  till it is soft (do not over cook, as the brinjals should be firm enough ). Now add the cooked dhal, mix well, then the grounded paste, next add enough salt to taste, and the jaggery. Mix all together well and cook for 10 to 15 minutes in low flame (or the kootu will get burnt), add few curry leaves, and switch off the stove if it is over. Now take a small kadai, heat it with 4 tsps of coconut oil, add mustard seeds to splutter, and 1 tsp of urid dhal to be golden browned and pour this over the kootu, mix well. Your brinjal kootu is now ready.

You can have this kootu with hot plain rice, with appalam, or goes well with  tomato rasam, sambar etc.

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Rawa Kesari

Posted by: balaskitchen on: April 17, 2011

Ingredients:

1. rawa – 1 cup

2. sugar – 1 and 1/4th cup

3. water – 2 and 1/2 cup

4. ghee –  1/4th cup or less

5. cardamom – 3 to 4 pods

6. pachai karpooram – a pinch

7. cashewnut – 2tsps

8. raisins – 2 tsps

Method:

Heat a kadai with 3 tsps of ghee and roast the rawa in it till light golden brown. Do not over roast. Transfer the roasted rawa to a plate and keep it aside. Again pour 2 tsps of ghee into the kadai and roast the cashews and raisins and transfer this to another plate. Now to the kadai, pour the given amount of water and bring this to boiling heat, and now add the sugar to it, let it dissolve(make sure that your flame is in medium now ), then add the ghee, let it melt, now bring the flame to low heat, add the roasted rawa little by little to this, stirring continously , then add the crushed cardamom to it, when the rawa is fully cooked, and when you can see the shine of the kesari switch off the stove now. Add the pachai karpooram to the kesari, and the cashews and raisins and mix all together thoroughly. Your kesari is ready.

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Carrot Halwa

Posted by: balaskitchen on: April 15, 2011

Ingredients:

1. Grated carrots – 2 cups

2.sugar                   – 1 cup

3.milk                     – 1 cup

4. Ghee                  - 5 to 6 tsps full

5. cardamom      - 1 or 2  piece

6. cashewnuts, raisins – each 1 and 1/2 tsps

Method:  Pressure cook the grated carrots with the milk for 2 whistle or according to your cooker, till soft.

Take it out, after the pressure subtles, and add the given amount of sugar to it and mix well. Transfer this to a heavy kadai, heat it and stir continously till the water content is absorbed completely (keep the flame in medium ), and now add the ghee ( 4 tsps ) and crushed cardamom to this and stir again for 2 minutes. Switch off the stove now.

Now take a small kadai, heat it with little ghee and add the cashewnuts and raisins and fry in low flame to golden brown and pour this over the halwa. Mix all together thoroughly. Your carrot halwa is ready now.

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