Aval Pidi Kozhukattai – Flattened Steamed Rice Dumplings
Vinayagar Chaturthi festival is coming this Sep 19. So everybody is probably be making lots of snacks and sweets already this week. Kozhukattai is one of the special and favorite dish for Lord Ganesh so it’s one of the must-make items on that auspicious day. I have lots of poha/aval sitting in my pantry which I bought for Krishna Jayanthi. (See Poha Vada recipe) So I thought why not make some Aval Pidi Kozhukattai and give it a trial run before Vinayagar Chaturthi. So I made this aval pidi kozhukattai just like Pidi Kozhukattai except I am substituting flattened rice instead of beatened rice. It tatses really good. Whenever I make pidi kozhukattai always it remind me of Pondicherry restaurant “Adayar anadha bhavan”. I used to go there and never missed eating it at that place. Preparation Time :...
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Aval Vadai (Poha Vada)
Vinayagar Chaturthi is coming soon and you will be already making a list for what to cook on that day. So why not try this delicious and easy aval vadai recipe. It tastes almost like paruppu vada and it’s very easy to make too in less time. Preparation Time: 30 minutes No of serving: 5-6 Spice level: 2 out of 5 Ingredients: Aval/Poha/Beaten Rice : 1 cup Oil : for Frying Onion : 1 (finely chopped) Green Chilies: 3-4 (according to your spice level – finely chopped) Asafoetida : a pinch Ginger : 1 tsp (grated or chopped finely) Rice flour : 2 tbsp Curry Leaves : 4-5 (chopped) Coriander Leaves : 1 tbsp (finely chopped) Grated Coconut : 2 tbsp (optional) Salt : to taste Method Of Preparation: Soak aval/poha for 10-15 minutes. After that drain the excess...
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Medhu Vadai
Medhu Vadai or Vada is a traditional South Indian food. They are crispy outside, soft and airy inside. Generally served with sambar and chutney as a side or dunked in a yogurt sauce or sambar or rasam and served as dahi vada (curd vada), sambar vada and rasam vada respectively . Vada is generally served with Ven Pongal and idli which completes a typical South Indian breakfast. The main ingredient of this dish is whole urad dal, black gram without skin which is very nutritious. Vadas are preferably eaten freshly fried. It is one of the common food you can find in street carts as well as in restaurants. It makes me nostalgic when I think about those days when we used to buy vada and bajji from street vendors. I still continue to enjoy it whenever I visit India. Nothing can beat that taste....
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Gokulashtami Special – Uppu Seedai
My husband wanted me to make Uppu Seedai for Krishna Jayanthi. I called my sister to ask the recipe and she warned me about bursting. I have heard stories about seedai bursting from my friends too. Then I decided to make seedai in an easy way by using store bought rice and urad flour. If it is homemade, it should be sieved properly (to avoid bursting). Also dry the balls before frying them. Here is the recipe for the Seedai.. Time of Preparation : 45 minutes Yield : 1 1/4 cup Ingredients: Rice Flour – 1 cup Urad Flour – 2 tbsp Sesame seeds (I ve used black seeds) – 1 tsp Cumin seeds – 1 tsp Salt – to taste Grated coconut – 2 tbsp Butter (room temperature) – 3 tbsp Asafoetida – a pinch Method of Preparation:...
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Cabbage Peas Stir Fry / Cabbage Peas Poriyal
The Cabbage Peas Poriyal is the one which is served in all the special occasions in Southern India. This is the easiest stir fry and adding peas to the cabbage gives extra taste to the dish. Time of Preparation : 20 minutes No of Servings : 3 to 4 Spice level : 2 Ingredients: Oil – 2 tsp Mustard Seeds – 1/2 tsp Asafoetida – a pinch Curry leaves – a few Split Urad dal – 1 tbsp Channa dal – 2 tsp Green Chillies – 4 (slitted lengthwise) Onions – 1/4 cup (finely chopped) Cabbage – 3 cups (thinly chopped) Peas – 1 cup (Ive used frozen peas) Salt – to taste Method of Preparation: Heat oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds. When it splits add the asafoetida, curry leaves, channa dal, urad dal and...
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Black Chickpeas Masala Sundal / Kala Channa Masala Sundal
I cooked Breakfast Korma yesterday and the chickpeas which I used was there. My mother-in-law gave the idea of making this Masala sundal and I made the sundal for the evening snack. It was really tasty :). Time of Preparation : 15 minutes Spice level : 4 No of Servings – 2 to 3 Ingredients: Black chickpeas / Kala Channa (boiled) – 2 cups Onion (finely chopped) – 1/2 cup Oil – 2 tbsp Mustard seeds – 1 tsp Split urad dal – 2 tsp Red chillies – 2 Asafoetida – a pinch Curry leaves – a few Coriander leaves – a few Salt – to taste Masala to Grind: Coconut – 1/2 cup Green Chillies – 4 (according to spice level) Garlic – 2 cloves Ginger – 1 tsp Fennel seeds – 2 tsp Method of Preparation: Soak...
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Kalkandu Chakkarai Pongal – Sweet Rice Pudding
Chakkarai Pongal or Sakkarai Pongal is sweet rice pudding from India and is made during festival times (specially Pongal festival) and other special occasions. We can either add jaggery (unrefined whole cane or palm sugar) or sugar for preparing this dish. Today I have prepared this dish with sugar which is why it is called Kalkandu Chakkarai Pongal (crystallized Sugar Pudding). My mom makes it often since it is my dad’s favorite. She makes it in an open bronze pot (vengala paanai in tamil) which gives a unique and authentic touch to this dish. But my version is a pressure cooker and non stick pot method. Some people even prepare this dish in mud pot and it is amazing. I have always wanted to cook food in mud pots and pans. Hope I will do it some day. Okay...
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Avarakkai Paruppu Usili – Lentil Fry
Paruppu Usili is a South Indian dish prepared by steaming lentils and cooking along with vegetables such as beans, cluster beans, broad beans, cabbage. This is one of the favorite dishes that my mom makes. I like it even without the vegetables. It is so simple to make. You can serve it as a side along with white rice and rasam or sambar. Try and let me know how you like it. Here you go… Preparation time: 40 mins No. of servings: 4 Spice level: 2.5 out of 5 Ingredients: Avarakkai or broad beans – 10 to 15 Toor dal (split pigeon peas) – 1/3 cup Channa dal (Split bengal gram) – 1/3 cup Dry red chili – 2 Garlic cloves – 2 (optional) Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp Salt Asafoetida Cooking spray or oil For seasoning: Oil –...
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Kuzhi Paniyaram(Sweet)
Kuzhi Paniyaram is one of the most popular South Indian festival delicacies. I still remember those childhood days my mother used to make this as an evening snack for us. It’s a perfect evening snack with some hot tea. Paniyaram can be made in different types. There are two types of panityaram one is Kara kuzhi paniyaram and other one is sweet kuzhi paniyaram. If you have a sweet tooth try this recipe you will love it. Prepration Time : 30 minutes No of servings : 7-8 Ingredients: Maida : 2 cups (You can also use rice flour instead of this) Ripe Banana : 2 (Mashed) Baking soda : 1 tsp Powdered Jaggery : 1 cup water : 11/2 cups Cashews : 7 to 8 Coconut : 1/2 cup (optional) Ghee : 2 tbsp cardamom pods : 8 nos...
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Adhirasam – A Traditional Indian Sweet
Adhirasam is a traditional South Indian Sweet which is usually made in Diwali times. It’s very popular sweet which is almost made in every single south Indian home during diwali festival. And adhirasam is popular as an offering to God for Diwali nonmbhu (prayer) time. It’s really very tricky to make adhirasam, because you need to know the correct proportions. My mother-in-law showed me how to make this recipe. It came out really well. From wikipedia: Adhirasam is a type of Indian sweet from Tamil cuisine. The doughnut like pastry has a long history of popularity in Tamil civilization. They are similar in shape to vadai, but are not savoury and are eaten as a dessert. Adhirasam is a popular as an offering to the gods during puja prayers, both at home and in temples in Tamil Nadu. According...
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Happy Spicy and Tasty Diwali 2011
Wish you all a very Happy and Prosperous Diwali. This diwali is special for us because we are celebrating it with our little one Vinay. This year I’ve made lot of savories and sweets for Diwali. Obviously I didn’t make everything by myself my mother-in-law is here visting us so she helped me a lot. And for the past couple of weeks we (arthi, nithu & shriya) were doing a marathon Diwali recipes in spicytasty. I am sure you all made some delicious sweets and snacks for Diwali too. Thank you for all your encouragement. Spicytasty is sparkling with a new look this Diwali. WE hope you like it and we look forward to your continue love ands upport. Don’t forget to check our recent Diwali recipes. From wikipedia: Deepavali is an important five-day festival in Hinduism, Sikhism, and...
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Karasev
HAPPY DIWALI to all… Karasev is simply and tasty savory. This is slightly different from other diwali snacks because we use the pepper for spice in Karasev. Definitely everyone will love this crispy savory :). Time of Preparation : 30 minutes Spice level : 3 Ingredients: Besan flour / Chickpea flour – 1 cup Rice flour – 1 cup Black pepper (freshly ground) – 1 tsp Salt – to taste Butter – 1 tbsp Hot oil – 1/4 cup Oil – for frying Method of Preparation: Mix all the ingredients to a stiff dough. Heat oil in a pan and coat the murukku presser with oil. Fill the murukku presser (with 3 holes which we use for thenkuzhal murukku) with the dough and press directly into the oil. Fry till they become golden brown. Let it cool and store...
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Deepavali Legiyum
HAPPY DIWALI TO ALL OUR READERS… Deepavali Legiyum is a home made herbal medicine for indigestion. During Diwali we eat a lot of sweets and snacks and other junk food or oily food which may lead to indigestion. Deepavali Legiyam or Deepavali Marundhu helps to promote digestion with its essential components. There are different versions of this legiyum and this one is my mom’s recipe and we all love it. All the ingredients used in this legiyum will be available in any local Ayurvedic medicine store (naatu marundhu kadai) in India. Here in the U.S. you may get most of these ingredients from Whole Food Market. You can skip one or two ingredients if it is not available. Make this at home and have a wonderful and safe Diwali. Preparation time: 30 minutes Makes 1/4 cup of Legiyum Spice...
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Paal Peda – Milk Fudge (version 2)
Paal Peda or Doodh Peda is a popular milk sweet in India. It is semi soft and rich in milk protein. Making paneer and resting period may take a little more time. But the procedure is really simple. Kids will love it. It will be perfect for the Diwali. Have a safe and wonderful Diwali… Preparation time: 60 minutes No. of servings: 25 to 28 pieces Ingredients: Fresh paneer (made from 4 cups of milk) Milk – 1 cup Evaporated milk – 3/4 cup Milk powder – 1/2 cup Butter – 2 tbsp Sugar – 3/4 cup Cardamom pods – 2 Pistachios, cashew nut and raisins for garnishing Method of Preparation: Prepare paneer from 4 cups of milk. Check How to make Paneer?. In a non stick pan or a heavy bottomed kadai melt butter over medium heat. Add milk,...
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Kaju Katli – Cashew nut Burfi
Kaju katli is a popular Indian sweet made of powdered cashew nut and sugar syrup, spiced with cardamom powder. It is Diwali time and I have been waiting to make this wonderful sweet dish. Getting the right consistency of sugar syrup is the key. Make this dish at home and enjoy the Diwali. Ingredients: Cashew powder – 3 cups Sugar – 1 and 1/2 cups Ghee or clarified butter – 2 tbsp Cardamom powder – 1/4 tsp Saffron – a big pinch Method of Preparation: Preheat oven at 200° F (100° C). Spread cashew in a baking sheet or tray and oven roast it for 15 to 20 minutes. Check in between (after 10 mins). Or you can dry roast it in a pan over medium heat. Cashew should not change color. Let it cool and grind to a fine...
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Besan-Rava Laddu
I think recently I am posting a lot of besan recipes. But you know what I love the flavor of besan. I had planned to make ladoos for diwali. But I wanted to cook something different so I ended up making this besan rava ladoo. It’s really easy and simple to make for lot of us when we don’t have the time or patience to make something elaborate. This will make a great festival sweet. Preparation Time: 45 mins No of Ladoos : 15-20 Ingredients: Besan/Chickpeas Flour : 1 1/2 cup Sugar : 3/4 cup Sooji/Semolina coarse : 4 tbsp Ghee/Clarified Butter : 1/2 cup Cardamom Powder : 1/4 tsp Almonds : 3 tbsp (chopped finely) Raisins: 1 tbsp Method Of Preparation: Dry roast the besan for 10 minutes in simmer flame till you smell a nice aromatic flavor(make...
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Cham Cham – Fresh Cheese Dessert
Cham Cham is a popular Bengali dessert or sweet from India. It is a pure delight and melts in your mouth. It comes in different colors such as yellow, pink or white. It is prepared from fresh paneer (Indian cottage cheese) and cooked in sugar syrup. The procedure is very simple and you can make a cham cham for Diwali or any festival. Kids will love it. Enjoy the home made fresh Cham Cham and let me know your comments. Ingredients I: Paneer(made from 8 cups of milk) Yellow food color: a pinch Sugar: 2 cups Water : 5 cups Cardamom pods: 4 Saffron: a big pinch Rose essence : 1/2 tsp Ingrediens II (for malai): Evaporated milk : 1/4 cup 2% milk: 1/2 cup Sugar: 2 tsp Saffron : 4 strands Cardamom powder : a small pinch For...
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Quick Microwave Doodh Peda (Milk Fudge)
Doodh Peda is one of the most popular North Indian desserts. I love all kind of milk sweets like rasagolla, Rasamalai, Gulab jamun, Basundhi and doodh peda. The main ingredients for Doodh peda are khoa, sugar and traditional flavorings, including cardamom seeds, pistachio nuts and saffron. The color varies from a creamy white to a caramel colour. The word pera is also generically used to mean a blob of any doughy substance, such as flour or (in the case of the sweet) khoa. Pedas are sometimes used as prasad in religious services. Doodh peda is made out of paal kova. Paal kova recipe is coming soon in Spicytasty. I always thought it takes lot of time to make pedas. But I recently learnt this quick microwave cooking peda from my sister. Believe me this is one of the easiest methods and it takes less than 30 minutes....
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